ARRL News

January 31, 2026

Former FCC official John B. Johnston, W3BE, Silent Key

John B. Johnston, W3BE (SK), of Derwood, Maryland, passed away on January 7, 2026. He was 98 years old. Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Johnson was a World War II veteran and served in the Pacific Theater.

He was first licensed on March 15, 1954, as KN2HHR. Following military service and college, he worked for the General Electric Company, and then as an engineer for the Federal Communications Commis...

January 30, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity continued at low levels this week. Low level C-class
flares were observed from Regions 4342 and 4353. The majority of the
regions were either stable or in decay. New Regions 4359, 4360, and
4361 emerged on the disk and were numbered. No Earth-directed
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast calls for
solar activity to remain at low levels with a chance for M-class
fla...

January 30, 2026

North Carolina Students Scheduled to Make Contact with the International Space Station

580 students at Conn Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, will participate in a conversation with an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS). Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has confirmed the contact, scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2026, just after 10:00 AM EST.  

Radio communications will be provided by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Socie...

January 30, 2026

ARRL to announce winner of Icom® Dream Station at HamCation®

January 30, 2026

ARRL Director Tharp, KB7HDX, Receives Search-and-Rescue Award

Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, Director of the ARRL Northwestern Division, has received the Hall of Honor Award for 35 years of service to the Yakima Search and Rescue group.  

Tharp called the award “unexpected and very much appreciated,” adding, “You don’t do volunteer work to get awards, you do it because it’s needed and makes a difference.” 

Tharp was first licensed in 1989 and now holds an Extra Class...

January 30, 2026

Student Coding Competition is Underway with $25,000 Award

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is asking members to help encourage licensed youth in their communities to participate in the ARRL Student Coding Competition, an initiative focused on developing practical resources for the Amateur Radio Service. The competition, which began January 1, 2026, challenges young amateurs to create a mobile application that ARRL will use as a long-te...

January 30, 2026

Register Now for HamSCI 2026, Hosted by ARRL

January 25, 2026

Winter Storm Closes ARRL Headquarters on Monday, January 26

ARRL Headquarters and the Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW, will be closed on Monday, January 26, 2026, due to heavy snowfall across the Northeast.

Most membership services will continue uninterrupted, with staff working remotely. Members can access many benefits and services online at www.arrl.org. Members and prospective members may also join, renew, and place orders online or by phone at 860-594-...

January 23, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity reached moderate levels with two M-class flares
earlier this week.
 
The first flares occurred on January 21 in regions 4345 and 4349.
Region 4345 continued to show development, as well as region 4342.
Region 4341 was a main contributor to the C-level activity of the
day, including a larger C-class flare on January 21. No
Earth-directed CMEs were observed in the available coronagraph
im...

January 22, 2026

Now Shipping: the 2026 edition of The ARRL Repeater Directory® powered by RepeaterBook

ARRL is excited to announce that the 2026 edition of The ARRL Repeater Directory® is once again powered by RepeaterBook, amateur radio’s worldwide repeater database. New for 2026, The Repeater Directory features a City Quick Find Index, making it faster and easier than ever to locate nearby repeaters.

“Each year The ARRL Repeater Directory continues to set the standard for trusted repeater infor...

January 21, 2026

ARRL Honorary Vice President John Cadwallader Kanode, N4MM, Silent Key

John Cadwallader Kanode, N4MM (SK), of Boyce, Virginia, passed away on January 13, 2026. He was 88 years old. First licensed in 1952, Kanode served on the Board of Directors of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio for 21 years, first as Roanoke Division Vice Director, then Director, and Vice President. He was a member of the ARRL Maxim Society (President Class), a Life Member, and wa...

January 16, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity reached moderate levels due to an M1.6 flare on
January 14 from new region AR4341. Spot classification of this
region is complicated by limb proximity and foreshortening effects.
New Region AR4342 rotated around the NE limb and was also numbered.
No Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were observed. Solar
activity is expected to be low with a 25-30% chance for M-class
flares (...

January 15, 2026

New 60-Meter Frequencies Available as of February 13

The new 60-meter frequencies approved by the FCC in December will become available to amateurs as of February 13, 2026, along with new power restrictions on those frequencies. It’s a bit confusing, as different rules apply to different segments of the band. The changes result from the FCC’s action to approve a worldwide 60-meter amateur allocation made by the World Radiocommunication Conference...

January 15, 2026

Bob Jones, VE7RWJ, Silent Key -- Former ITU Official and IARU Expert

Robert W. “Bob” Jones, VE7RWJ, a former top official of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Canadian telecommunications regulator, passed away on January 7, 2026, at age 82. His early fascination with amateur radio led to a career in telecommunications and engineering, according to his obituary.

Jones was Director General of the Canadian Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regul...

January 15, 2026

FCC Poised to Exempt Amateurs from Foreign Adversary Reporting Requirements

At the urging of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to exempt radio amateurs from foreign adversary reporting requirements. These rules would have applied to citizens of the listed countries (see below), including those living in the United States, who hold or are applying for an FCC license.

On January 8, 2026, the FCC relea...