08/01/2025
The numbers are in and showing growth. 2025 ARRL Field Day[1] showed an
increase in both participants and entries, compared to 2024. According to ARRL
Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, 4,369 entries detailed 31,785
people taking part in in the event. That's up from last year.
"There's a growing interest in ham radio, especially after last year's
hurricane season and other high-profile situations in which radio has been
essential," noted Bourque. "ARRL Field Day serves as a great chance to get
engaged with your local amateur radio community."
The uptick in numbers may not be complete, as there's still an opportunity for
a few more entries to be added. "Occasionally, a club will need to update their
entry. We work with them to make sure it is correct," said Bourque.
Field Day participants should check that all the required supporting
documentation related to their entries has been received by checking the
Entries Received web page at field-day.arrl.org/fdentriesrcvd.php[2]. If the
status of your entry is listed as Pending Documents, one or more of the
required documents still needs to be submitted to complete your entry. Entrants
may use the link provided in the confirmation email they received to upload
additional documents or to modify their entries. Currently, 223 entries are
listed as being incomplete. Updates to existing entries will be accepted until
August 29, 2025. If you're having difficulty completing your Field Day entry or
have any questions, contact fieldday@arrl.org[3].
On the public outreach front, final measurement numbers of the media coverage
earned by amateur radio public information volunteers have been tallied. ARRL
Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, reports that the
total ad value equivalence (AVE) of 2025 ARRL Field Day is $37.9 million. "We
had a tremendous response from clubs and ARRL public information volunteers
this year on the heels of Ham Radio Open House into ARRL Field Day," she said.
"The ARRL Public Relations Committee prepared resources to help the volunteers
succeed, but they really took it to the next level in communities across the
country."
AVE measures the amount of money that would have to be spent to buy ads in
media and social media to replace the news coverage volunteers secured with
press outreach. The $37.9M figure measures only mentions of ARRL Field Day from
January 1 - July 31 of each year. In 2024, the figure was $20M, and $18M in
2023. Harrop hopes to see further strengthening of public information
volunteers leading into 2026, which ARRL has designated as the Year of the
Club. Hams seeking to serve as an ARRL public information volunteer[4] may
express interest to their ARRL Section Manager.
The overall growth is encouraging to ARRL. "I'm very pleased with the amount of
active ARRL Field Day participants this year. It's nice to see more and more
people participating!" said Bourque.
[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMzk4NDc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TExNTAzOQ/index.html
[2] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMzk4NDc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TExNTA0MA/index.html
[3] mailto:fieldday@arrl.org
[4] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMzk4NDc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TExNTA0Mg/index.html
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