What changed
Specialty organizations — edited Aug 31, 2026 by Unknown editor
This is the first recorded version, so every line is shown as added. Note: Imported from content/wiki
+
Most of what you actually use day to day is run by a specialty group rather than by a regulator or a
+
national society.
+
+
## Satellites and space
+
+
- **AMSAT** — builds, launches and operates amateur satellites, and publishes the pass and
+
transponder information operators depend on. National AMSAT organizations exist worldwide.
+
- **ARISS** — coordinates amateur radio on the International Space Station, including scheduled
+
school contacts. See [satellites](/wiki/operating/satellites).
+
+
## Digital and technical
+
+
- **TAPR** — the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio corporation, behind much of the digital and
+
software-defined radio work amateurs use.
+
- **WSJT development group** — the open-source project behind FT8, WSPR, JT65 and the rest of the
+
weak-signal suite. See [FT8](/wiki/operating/digital-modes/ft8).
+
- **Winlink Global Radio Email** — the volunteer-run network and gateway system for email over radio,
+
heavily used in emergency communications. See [Winlink](/wiki/operating/digital-modes/winlink).
+
- **Open-source projects** — from Direwolf and fldigi to GNU Radio, most of the software in a modern
+
shack is volunteer-maintained.
+
+
## Examinations
+
+
US testing runs through **Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs)** — several exist, including the
+
ARRL VEC, the Laurel VEC (known for charging no exam fee) and others, each accrediting the volunteer
+
examiners who actually run sessions. See [volunteer examiners](/wiki/licensing/volunteer-examiners)
+
and [exam day](/wiki/licensing/exam-day).
+
+
## On-air programs
+
+
- **Parks on the Air (POTA)** and **Summits on the Air (SOTA)** — award programs that got a
+
generation of operators outdoors with portable stations. See
+
[parks and summits](/wiki/operating/parks-and-summits).
+
- **CW clubs** — SKCC, CWops, FISTS, the Long Island CW Club and others, most offering free training.
+
See [CW and QRP awards](/wiki/contests-and-awards/cw-and-qrp-awards).
+
- **QRP groups** — QRP ARCI, G-QRP, the Four State QRP Group and the Flying Pigs. See
+
[QRP](/wiki/operating/qrp).
+
- **Contest sponsors** — clubs and magazines sponsor the major contests; the rules are theirs, not a
+
regulator's. See [contesting](/wiki/operating/contesting).
+
+
## Emergency communications
+
+
- **ARES** and **RACES** in the United States, and their equivalents elsewhere, organize amateurs who
+
serve served agencies during emergencies.
+
- **MARS** — the Military Auxiliary Radio System, a Department of Defense program staffed by licensed
+
amateurs.
+
- **SKYWARN** — the National Weather Service's trained severe-weather spotter program, which relies
+
heavily on amateur operators and repeaters.
+
+
See [emergency communications](/wiki/emergency) for how these fit together, and
+
[clubs and community](/wiki/clubs) for the local level, where nearly all of this work actually gets
+
done.