ARRL

• 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...

• 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...

• 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 theRaleigh Amateur Radio Socie...

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

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

  Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, Director of theARRL Northwestern Division, has received the Hall of Honor Award for 35 years of service to theYakima 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...