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ARRL sections and divisions

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ARRL sections and divisions
Divisions15
ARRL sections71
Canadian (RAC) sections14
Contest multipliers85 ARRL and RAC sections (2026)
Officials
DivisionDirector and Vice Director, elected every three years
SectionSection Manager, elected every two years
Who votesARRL members living in the division or section
Most sections in one stateCalifornia, with nine

ARRL sections and divisions are the two layers of the ARRL's field structure in the United States. The country and its territories are divided into 71 sections, most of them a single state, and the sections are grouped into 15 divisions.[1] Members in each division elect the Director who represents them on the ARRL Board, and members in each section elect a Section Manager who leads local volunteers. The section abbreviations, together with 14 Canadian sections run by Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), are also the location codes sent in several major contests.

Sections

Most sections follow state lines. Larger or more populous states are split: California has nine sections, New York four, Florida and Texas three each, and Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington two each.[2] Maryland and the District of Columbia share one section, Hawaii is part of the Pacific section, and Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands each have their own.[2][3]

Each section has a standard abbreviation, usually two or three letters, such as CT for Connecticut, EMA for Eastern Massachusetts, NLI for New York City–Long Island and WCF for West Central Florida.[2] Canada's 14 RAC sections are mostly provinces, with Ontario split into ONE, ONN, ONS and GH (Golden Horseshoe, formerly GTA), and Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut combined as TER.[2]

In contests

The 71 ARRL sections plus the 14 RAC sections make 85 in all.[2] That list is the multiplier list for the ARRL Sweepstakes and, along with DXCC entities, for the ARRL 160-Meter Contest.[4][5] The section is also part of the Field Day exchange. In Sweepstakes the section is the last item of the exchange, and working all 85 in one weekend is a "clean sweep".[4] In Field Day, stations send their entry class and section, such as "2A WMA".[6]

Not every ARRL event uses sections. The International DX Contest and the RTTY Roundup, for example, ask US and Canadian stations for their state or province instead.[7][8] Check each contest's rules for the exchange it expects; see ARRL contests.

Divisions

The ARRL's governance divides the United States into 15 divisions. Every three years the ARRL members in each division elect a Director and a Vice Director.[1] The Directors form the ARRL Board, which sets the policies that headquarters staff carry out, and members with questions about league policy are encouraged to contact their Director or Vice Director.[1]

Division Sections
Atlantic DE, EPA, MDC, NNY, SNJ, WNY, WPA
Central IL, IN, WI
Dakota MN, ND, SD
Delta AR, LA, MS, TN
Great Lakes KY, MI, OH
Hudson ENY, NLI, NNJ
Midwest IA, KS, MO, NE
New England CT, EMA, ME, NH, RI, VT, WMA
Northwestern AK, EWA, ID, MT, OR, WWA
Pacific EB, NV, PAC, SCV, SF, SJV, SV
Roanoke NC, SC, VA, WV
Rocky Mountain CO, NM, UT, WY
Southeastern AL, GA, NFL, PR, SFL, VI, WCF
Southwestern AZ, LAX, ORG, SB, SDG
West Gulf NTX, OK, STX, WTX
Canada (RAC) AB, BC, GH, MB, NB, NL, NS, ONE, ONN, ONS, PE, QC, SK, TER

Division boundaries do not always follow call areas. Nevada, a 7-land state, belongs to the Pacific Division, and New Mexico, in the 5 call area, belongs to Rocky Mountain.[2][1]

Section Managers

The members of each section elect a Section Manager (SM) for a two-year term.[9] A candidate must hold a Technician license or higher, live in the section, and have been a full ARRL member continuously for at least two years, and needs a nomination petition signed by at least five full members in the section.[9] An unopposed candidate is declared elected; otherwise the ARRL mails a ballot to every full member in the section.[9] Until now, elections have been held on several cycles a year, so terms in different sections have started on different dates. The ARRL is moving to one election a year starting in 2027, and from July 1, 2028, all terms will be aligned to begin on July 1.[9]

The SM reports to the Division Director and sits on the Division Cabinet. The job includes recruiting and supervising volunteers, visiting clubs and events, keeping members informed through section news, and answering questions about ARRL policy.[10]

Field appointments

The SM appoints volunteers to the Field Organization. Section-level officials include the Section Emergency Coordinator, who runs the section's ARES program, the Section Traffic Manager, who oversees National Traffic System activity, and coordinators for technical help, affiliated clubs, public information, state government liaison and youth.[11] Station-level appointments include Official Emergency Station, Official Relay Station, Public Information Officer, Technical Specialist and Local Government Liaison. Members apply online, and the SM reviews each application.[11]

Your section's web page, linked from the ARRL site, is the quickest way to find your Section Manager, local ARES and traffic nets, and the abbreviation to send in Sweepstakes and Field Day.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Divisions, ARRL.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Section Abbreviations, ARRL.
  3. ↑ Sections, ARRL.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sweepstakes, ARRL.
  5. ↑ ARRL 160-Meter Contest Rules, ARRL.
  6. ↑ Field Day Rules, ARRL.
  7. ↑ ARRL DX, ARRL.
  8. ↑ ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest Rules, ARRL.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Section Terms & Nomination Information, ARRL.
  10. ↑ Section Manager, ARRL.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Field Organization, ARRL.
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