04/10/2025

ARRL Ham Radio Open Houses[1] are happening all over the Western Hemisphere, and more dates are being added by clubs each week. April 18 is World Amateur Radio Day and this year celebrates 100 years since the International Amateur Radio Union was founded in Paris. ARRL Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, served as the first president of IARU, and ARRL still serves as the International Secretariat for the global organization.

Amateur radio was truly remarkable 100 years ago - anyone could communicate around the planet. The world was suddenly within reach of anyone who would seek to learn about radio. Much as the marvel of the airwaves was cutting edge then, so too are the technologies being developed and enjoyed by hams today.ÿ

From weak signal modes that represent the bleeding edge of electrical engineering, to robust digital mesh networks using amateur allocations, to modern tools that facilitate easier use of Morse code that was used by the pioneers of the Amateur Radio Service, ham radio is as exciting as ever.ÿ

ARRL Ham Radio Open House events provide an opportunity to connect the public with that story of modern technology. It allows them to see firsthand how ham radio is a pathway to careers for the next generation of technology leaders.ÿ

There are some interesting sites hosting ARRL Ham Radio Open House events. The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum[2], W1VCM, in Windsor, Connecticut, will welcome guests to theirs on April 18. The museum is host to exhibits that show off the developments in communications through the decades, from the 1800s to the late 20th century. Many of the volunteers at the museum are active hams and are able to relay how foundational evolution of gear and technology was for the modern, digital, amateur radio landscape.ÿ

New England Sci-Tech in Natick, Massachusetts, W1STR, is also hosting an open house[3] on April 18. This maker space workshop and science center engages young people with outreach programs and gets members of the public hands-on with many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects. They have an active amateur radio club among all the excitement.ÿ

On the other end of North America, the Arctic Amateur Radio Experimenters, KL7EX, will be hosting an Open House in Fairbanks, Alaska.ÿ

Find a site near you, or list your club's ARRL Ham Radio Open House at www.arrl.org/Open-House[4].ÿ


[1] http://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day
[2] https://www.vrcmct.org/
[3] https://nescitech.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=508616&module_id=611760
[4] http://www.arrl.org/Open-House

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þ Synchronet þ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBS