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ARRL News

24 January 2026

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

• 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...

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

  ARRL is excited to announce that the 2026 edition ofThe ARRL Repeater Directory® is once again powered by RepeaterBook, amateur radio’s worldwide repeater database. New for 2026, The Repeater Directoryfeatures 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...

• 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...

• 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 (...

• 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...

• 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...

• 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...

• The ARRL Solar Update

  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...

• Richard Dean Straw, N6BV, ARRL “Antenna Expert,” Silent Key

  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 Awards Colvin Grant to Bouvet DXpedition

  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...

• 2026 is ARRL’s Year of the Club -- A Celebration of Amateur Radio Clubs
• New ARRL Section Managers Take Office in January

  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 ARRL Solar Update

  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...

• ARRL Headquarters Closing for Christmas Holiday 2025

  ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® will close our headquarters early at 12 PM Eastern Standard Time (1700 UTC) on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and will be closed all day on Thursday and Friday, December 25 - 26 for the Christmas holiday. ARRL will also be closed on Thursday, January 1, 2026, for New Year's Day.

  There will be no W1AW transmissions during the holiday closures. The A...

• The ARRL Solar Update

  Solar activity has been at low levels with only a few C1 flares from
  Region 4307. Slight growth and consolidation were observed in that
  region as it neared the southwestern limb. Slight decay and
  separation were observed in Region 4311. The rest of the spotted
  regions were either stable or in decay. CME analysis will be
  conducted as imagery becomes available. Solar activity is expected
  to be low with...

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