ARRL News

February 20, 2026

Job Posting: FCC Recruiting 7 Field Agents – Electronics Engineers

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is looking for qualified applicants for Field Agents in seven Enforcement Bureau (EB) offices across the United States: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY, and Portland, OR. Incumbents will resolve Radio Frequency (RF) interference, educate users, and enforce regulations. The GS levels for this position hav...

February 20, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity returned to low levels this past week. The strongest
event of the period was a C1.8 flare on February 17 from region
4374. This region was also responsible for a C1.4 flare on February
18. The only other flare of note was a C1.1 flare on February 17
from an unnumbered plage region near S05E85. (A plage region is a
bright, intensely hot region in the Sun's chromosphere, typically
found ...

February 20, 2026

New Book Release: Digital Networking for Ham Radio

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®’s new book, Digital Networking for Ham Radio, a practical, hands-on guide to designing and implementing high-speed data networks for amateur radio stations, is now shipping.

Written by Glen Popiel, KW5GP, the book brings together in one comprehensive resource the knowledge needed to build, configure, and expand digital networks for ham radio. From...

February 20, 2026

FCC Requires That FRN Contact Information Be Updated Within Ten Days of a Change

February 20, 2026

2025 ARRL Sweepstakes Icom Dream Station Winner Announced at Orlando HamCation®

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® announced the winner of the 2025 ARRL Sweepstakes Icom® Dream Station on Saturday, February 14, at 2026 Orlando HamCation. The announcement was made by ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, with Icom America Senior Sales Manager Ray Novak, N9JA.

The ARRL Sweepstakes ran from January 3 to December 31, 2025, as the centerpiece of a year-long membershi...

February 13, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity reached moderate levels early this week. The
strongest event was an M1.4 flare observed on February 11 in Region
4366. This region also produced nine C-class flares.
 
Region 4373 produced a C1.8/Sf flare on February 11. This region
displayed some minor area growth. Regions 4369 and 4371 exhibited
some minor decay. The other spotted regions remained unchanged. New
Region 4375 was number...

February 13, 2026

Radio Clubs Encouraged to Plan Now for April Ham Radio Open House

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is inviting radio clubs to participate in the second annual Ham Radio Open House in April. Hosting an Open House gives clubs and schools the opportunity to promote amateur radio science and technology by opening their stations to the public and showcasing their hi-tech gear and operating skills.

In addition, clubs are encouraged to set up in publi...

February 12, 2026

ARRL Mourns the Loss of Sharon Taratula, Awards Manager

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is saddened to share the news that Sharon Taratula, who served the League with dedication and distinction for 32 years, passed away on February 4, 2026.

Sharon joined ARRL on January 31, 1994, as DXCC Awards Technician. She later served as Administrative Assistant (1996), MVP Administrative Manager (2011), and from 2016 until her passing, as Award...

February 6, 2026

The ARRL Solar Update

Solar activity was at high levels for most of the week, dominated by
Region 4366. The most notable event was an impulsive X4.2 flare from
that region on February 4. Throughout the period, Region 4366
continued to exhibit a slight reduction in area and a modest
simplification of its magnetic complexity. The remaining numbered
regions on the visible disk remained stable or in a state of slight
decay.
 
T...

February 6, 2026

NCVEC Question Pool Committee Removes Three Questions from Use

February 5, 2026

ARRL Joins America250 as a Supporting Partner for the Nation’s 250th Anniversary

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®