ARRL Audio News January 16, 2026

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...

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...

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...

ARRL Audio News January 9, 2026

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.

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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 ...

ARRL Audio News January 1, 2026