ARRL

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...

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...

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...

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...

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-...

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...

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...

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...

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 (...

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...

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...

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...

Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach G1 (Minor) geomagnetic
storm levels on January 13 and 14, and then from January 17 to 20.

Unsettled levels are likely on January 12, and then from January 21
and 22.  All enhancements in geomagnetic activity are due to the
anticipated influence of multiple, recurrent, coronal holes. The
remainder of the outlook period is expected to be mostly quiet.

A tra...

by Mark Derks, KC1RVQ, ARRL Headquarters Staff

Richard Dean Straw (“Dean”), N6BV, died on July 9, 2025. Amateur radio was one of his passions.

Dean retired from the staff of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® in 2008 following 15 years of service as the Senior Assistant Technical Editor.

***

In 2006, the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) was held in Florianópolis, Brazil, a co...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® has awarded a $5,000 Colvin Award grant to the Delta-Xray Group, organizers of the upcoming 3YØK DXpedition to Bouvet Island, scheduled for February and March, 2026. Bouvet is a remote island in the Southern Ocean, populated only by seals and penguins, and known for treacherous weather and surf conditions. It is a territory of Norway and nearly a...

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® annouces four new Section Managers taking on the top volunteer leadership role in the ARRL Field Organization on January 1, 2026. 

Bret Stemen, KD8SCL, has been appointed as the Ohio Section Manager to finish the term that will end September 30, 2026. Stemen, of Pataskala, has recently served as the Section Emergency Coordinator. He is taking the ...

The January 2, 2026, report from Spaceweather.com has updated
details about the Coronal Mass Ejections predicted to hit the Earth
on January 3 and 4.

Solar wind parameters are expected to be disturbed through January
4, 2026, due to a combination of Coronal Hole High Speed Stream and
Coronal Mass Ejection activity. There is the potential for glancing
influences late into January 3 from CMEs that left...