ARRL Iowa Section

07/27/2026

🚨 Registration Closes AUGUST 5TH — Get Your Ham Radio License Next Month!

If getting your amateur radio license has been on your to-do list, your window to act is RIGHT NOW. The Des Moines Radio Amateurs' Association (DMRAA) is holding a One-Day Technician License Class on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026 — but you must register by August 5th! That’s just over a week away! ⏰

For just $100, everything is included:
📖 Official license study manual
📝 Pre-course worksheets
☕ Morning & afternoon snacks
🥪 Lunch and a soda
📻 A dual-band handheld radio pre-programmed with local channels — yours to keep!
✅ Your FCC Technician Class License Exam fee

Walk in unlicensed. Walk out a ham. All in one Saturday. 🎉

📋 A couple of things to have ready:
🔹 Your FRN number — get one free at the FCC website
🔹 A photo ID on class day
🔹 Time before class to read the manual — register early so you have the book in hand!

📝 Register NOW — deadline is August 5th:
📞 Mark Globuschutz, KØMJG
📱 (515) 201-7669
📧 [email protected]

07/25/2026

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of extraordinary Americans signed a document that changed the world forever. This year, amateur radio operators across the country are celebrating that legacy one contact at a time — and Iowa’s final chapter in that story begins August 5th!

The ARRL America250 Worked All States event honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a year-long operating event giving ham radio operators across the nation the chance to work all 50 states using the legendary W1AW headquarters callsign.

🌽 Iowa’s final turn as W1AW/Ø: August 5–11, 2026 (UTC)

This is it. Our last opportunity to put Iowa on the log of every ham in the country chasing this historic award. After this week, Iowa’s participation in America250 is done — there are no do-overs!

Operators across the country are hungry for Iowa contacts. We heard it loud and clear during our April activation — let’s finish strong!

📻 Any mode, many bands — there’s a slot for everyone:
🔹 CW, Phone, and Digital slots available
🔹 Operate as much or as little as your schedule allows
🔹 Individuals, clubs, and groups all welcome
🔹 Operate from anywhere in Iowa

📝 Sign up now:
👉 https://www.ham-qtv.com/

Questions? Contact Iowa W1AW/Ø coordinator Bruce Dagel, WBØGAG through the signup site.

In April, Iowa made 3,178 contacts across 67 countries and 6 continents. Let’s top that and send Iowa out of America250 with a bang! 🎉

07/21/2026

Polk County, Iowa Amateur Radio Emergency Service and other ARES participants are supporting RAGBRAI in Boone today.

07/16/2026

🎄🌲 12 Days of Parkmas — Summer Edition is LIVE!

Iowa Radio Operators KØIRO are at it again with one of the most fun events on the Iowa ham radio calendar — the 12 Days of Parkmas Summer Edition is happening RIGHT NOW through July 24th! 🎉📡

POTA (Parks on the Air) meets a summer adventure challenge — get outside, get on the air, and rack up points from Iowa’s beautiful parks!

🏕️ How it works:

Activators (operating from a park):
🔹 Every QSO earns you 2 points
🔹 Hit a new park each day and earn 4 points per QSO — but you can’t stack all 12 parks in a single day, it’s a park-a-day challenge!
🔹 Running QRP (5 watts or less)? Earn 2x points for the entire activation! 💪

Hunters (working activators from home):
🔹 Log QSOs with activators and earn points too — everyone can play!

📻 Modes: SSB and CW only (no FT8/digital modes for this one)
📅 Event runs: July 12–24, 2026

🏆 Leaderboards, log submissions, and full rules:
👉 https://parkmas.k0iro.com

Whether you’re an experienced POTA activator or have been thinking about trying your first park activation, this is the perfect reason to grab your radio, find a park, and get on the air this summer. Iowa has no shortage of great spots! 🌻

Welcome to the Parkmas Scoring System! This event runs July 12–24 2026 Scoring is simple: activators earn points for each QSO made from a park, and hunters earn points for each QSO they log with an activator.

07/08/2026

🚴📡 Iowa ARES — This is Our Moment. RAGBRAI Needs Us!

For everyone who has ever said ARES should be part of RAGBRAI communications — that moment is here. 🎉

Iowa ARES has been officially requested by the Volunteer Coordinator for the Boone community overnight stop to provide communications support on Tuesday, July 21st — and this is a big one!

📋 The mission:
🔹 6 fixed operator positions at key locations throughout Boone
🔹 11 event personnel who could use a radio operator shadow
🔹 Net Control keeping it all together
🔹 Operational period: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
🔹 That's 33 six-hour shifts total — we need bodies!

⏰ Shift options:
🔸 1st Shift: 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
🔸 2nd Shift: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
🔸 Double Shift: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM (positions will be rotated to break up your day!)
🔸 Partial shifts also welcome — floaters at mid-day for shift changes and breaks are especially helpful!

This is a normal work day, so every single volunteer matters. There are no restrictions on who can help — if you can make the drive to Boone, you're in!

🗺️ Day 3 Route & Town Maps:
👉 https://ragbrai.com/route/day-3/

🙋 To volunteer, email Clint Miller, KØGR directly at:
📧 [email protected]

Please include:
✅ Name
✅ Callsign
✅ Cell phone number
✅ HT capabilities (2m, 70cm, or dual band)
✅ Availability (1st shift, 2nd shift, both, or other)
✅ Willing to go bike mobile if needed (yes/no)
✅ Any other comments

Please share this post and pass it along to your local ARES team! The more eyes on this, the better our chances of filling every slot. Let's show Iowa — and RAGBRAI — what amateur radio emergency communications can do. 💪

This is our moment to shine. Don't miss it! 🌟

Day 3 – BOONE60.6 miles and 1,583 feet of climb takes us from Guthrie Center to Boone, on the third day of RAGBRAI LIII.“We are excited to host another great event that will highlight what Boone and the people who live here have to offer. Participants may not be able to spend enough time here to...

07/08/2026

From Jim W6GRE & James WB0FFE:

The Iowa State Fair SES planners are working on setting everything up for the opening day of the fair. We will be operating from anywhere in the state of Iowa, and you are welcome to operate as a club, individual, or group depending on what works best for you. The link to the sign-up form is below... Grab a spot!

Normal Field Day type operations apply. Stick to the slot you signed up for unless otherwise coordinated, don't put two operators on a single band and mode, etc. Basically have fun and make lots of contacts.

It's not a contest, so if you want to tell a short fact about the fair or such, you are welcome to do so. If folks have questions, even better.

Store your logs in ADI format and send them to [email protected] when done. We will compile some stats and send them out afterwards.

Here is the sign up.

https://signup.com/go/QSMRqYJ

Any questions?

Jim and James
W6GRE and WB0FFE
[email protected]

SignUp.com makes it easy to coordinate school events & classroom activities, fundraisers, snack schedules, potlucks & more!

07/01/2026

06/28/2026

📸 Show Us Your Field Day! We Want Your Photos!

Field Day 2026 is in the books, Iowa — and we know you were out there making contacts, raising antennas, and having a blast! Now it’s time to show the world what Iowa ham radio looks like! 🌽📡

We are collecting Field Day photos from clubs and individuals across the state to share here on the ARRL Iowa Section page!

Did you capture any of these?
📷 Antenna raises and creative antenna setups
📷 Operators in action at the radio
📷 Your crew gathered at the site
📷 Shacks in the field, generators humming
📷 Kids and first-timers getting on the air
📷 That perfect sunset or sunrise over your Field Day site
📷 Anything that captures the spirit of the weekend!

We want to see ALL of it! 👇

📬 Three easy ways to submit:
🔹 Drop them right in the comments below!
🔹 Send us a Facebook Message
🔹 Email us at [email protected]

When submitting, let us know your club name or callsign and operating location so we can give you proper credit!

Let’s celebrate what Iowa ham radio accomplished this weekend together. Share away! 🎉

06/28/2026