The last two weeks of October and the start of November brought a multimillion-dollar boost for ham radio science, a change to how the world keeps time, a fresh fight over antennas, a surprising snag in FCC renewals, and a weekend full of Scouts on the air. Here are the five stories worth knowing about, and why each one matters to you as an operator.
1. HamSCI lands a $5.5 million NASA grant
The biggest news of the period: NASA is putting $5,495,781 behind ham radio science. The award goes to the University of Scranton, home of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI), and runs for five years, through 2031.
The money comes from NASA’s Science Activation program, which aims to put NASA science in the hands of the public. NASA named the project “Discovering the SPARC: Space Physics through Amateur Radio Communications” when it announced its 2026 selections on October 28. HamSCI founder Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, called it “an extremely competitive and significant grant.”
Here is what it buys. About 85 Citizen Science Space Weather Monitors will be installed around the country, and schools are being invited to host them. Some teachers will fold the work into a physics class; others will run it as an after-school club.
Why this matters to hams: every time your signal bounces off the ionosphere, it carries information about the space weather above you. HamSCI has spent years proving that a network of ordinary amateur stations can measure that, and NASA just agreed in a big way. The program is also designed to leave behind a lasting network of teachers, hams and community partners after the funding ends.
Sources: University of Scranton, NASA Science, Yahoo News
2. The leap second is going away
After more than 50 years, the world’s timekeepers have voted to stop adding leap seconds. The decision came at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles in mid-October, and it takes effect May 20, 2027.
A quick refresher: Earth’s spin isn’t perfectly steady, so atomic time slowly drifts away from “sun time.” Since 1972, timekeepers have added an extra second 27 times to keep them aligned. The new rule lets the gap grow to as much as one hour before anyone fixes it, which keeps UTC running smoothly for centuries.
The Wireless Institute of Australia pointed out why hams should care. Time stations like WWV, WWVH and CHU had to broadcast every leap second, and not every receiver or computer handled them gracefully. Digital modes such as FT8 depend on your clock agreeing with everyone else’s to within a second or so, so a timekeeping system with no more surprise seconds is good news for the shack.
Sources: WIA via This Week in Amateur Radio, Lilting.ch summary of the CGPM resolution, PA3FWM: radio signals during a leap second
3. HOA lobbyists push back on antenna rights
On October 22, Amateur Radio Daily reported that HOA advocates held a summit to organize opposition to the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act. Their position: homeowners’ associations, not federal law, should decide where antennas go.
The bill, H.R. 1094 in the House and S. 459 in the Senate, would stop HOA rules from banning or crippling amateur antennas, even modest ones hidden in trees or attics. It has bipartisan sponsors, and ARRL’s grassroots campaign has already sent more than 155,000 letters to Congress. ARRL has long identified the Community Associations Institute, which speaks for HOAs, management companies and developers, as the bill’s main opponent.
Why this matters: a summit means the other side is organizing, too. If you live under an HOA, or know a ham who does, this is a good time to make your voice heard. ARRL’s letter tool at arrl.org/HOA takes about two minutes, and you don’t need to be a member to use it.
Sources: Amateur Radio Daily, ARRL grassroots campaign, ARRL: 155,000 letters
4. One in 18 hams stumbles at the FCC renewal payment step
Renewing a license should be routine, but a new look at the numbers says it often isn’t. According to Amateur Radio Daily, about 227 hams a month start a renewal and then fail to complete the payment, which works out to 4.63 percent, or roughly one in every 18 renewals. The ICQ Podcast summed up the problem as a “payment labyrinth.”
The trap is that applying and paying are separate steps in the FCC’s online systems. You can file the renewal in the License Manager, walk away thinking you’re done, and never finish the payment in CORES. An unpaid application doesn’t renew anything.
What to do: if your renewal is coming up, don’t stop after you click submit. Confirm the fee was actually paid, then check the ULS license search a few days later to make sure your new expiration date shows up. If you help newer hams through the process, walk them through the payment screen, too.
Sources: Amateur Radio Daily, ICQ Podcast news, Episode 496
5. Jamboree on the Air puts Scouts behind the microphone
October’s Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) once again turned ham shacks into classrooms. In the Cincinnati area alone, the Dan Beard Council Radio Scouting Committee reported that 58 Scouts got on the air and talked with stations around the world.
JOTA is held on the third full weekend of October and is one of the largest youth events in amateur radio. For many of those Scouts, it was their first time hearing a voice come back from across the country or across an ocean, and that moment is how a lot of us got hooked.
Want to keep the momentum going? The RSGB is inviting schools, universities, and youth groups to register for Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Month, and local clubs can be a natural partner for a school or troop.
Sources: Amateur Radio Daily via This Week in Amateur Radio, RSGB via This Week in Amateur Radio
