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This weekend kicks off three great weekends of amateur radio contests. The North American QSO Party, CW, (NAQP) runs from 1800 UTC January 10 – 0559 UTC January 11, 2026, and is a favorite of both newly-licensed amateurs and seasoned operators. The NAQP contests are for low power only, no amplifiers allowed, which makes for a lot more breathing room on the bands. Multipliers count once per band, which makes for an exciting format, as multipliers may be ‘moved’ from band to band. The NAQPs allow stations from all parts of North America to be in the running for top spots.Read More →

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In 2026, ARRL is commemorating America’s 250th birthday with a yearlong on-the-air celebration: the America250 Worked All States (WAS) Award. Running from January 1 through December 31, this special operating event challenges amateurs of all license classes to contact all 50 US states and confirm those QSOs via ARRL’s Logbook of The World (LoTW). Modeled after the classic WAS Award, America250 WAS encourages activity across nearly every band — from LF through microwaves — and on CW, phone, and digital, culminating in a commemorative, frame-worthy WAS certificate. Participants can pursue America250 WAS in many ways, with endorsements recognizing achievements by band, byRead More →

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 9, 2025, released a long-awaited Report and Order adopting a new amateur radio spectrum allocation in the 60-meter band that was approved for world-wide use on a secondary basis in the WRC-15 (World Radiocommunication Conference 2015) Final Acts. The Commission also agreed with a petition from ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® to continue to allow amateur operations on four existing 60-meter channels outside the international allocation with a full 100 watts. The new rules will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, when amateurs may then begin using the allocation. Specifically, the Commission allocatedRead More →

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HamSCI – the Ham Radio Citizen Science Investigation program – is looking for “ping jockeys,” or ham radio operators who enjoy making contacts via meteor scatter (MS), to take part in its Meteor Scatter QSO Party during the Geminids meteor shower on December 12 and 13, 2025. Operation will take place on the 10-meter and 6-meter bands only (28.145 and 50.260 MHz), using the MSK144 digital protocol. The event is a combination on-air contest and data collection for what HamSCI describes as an experiment “to analyze the feasibility of HF meteor scatter for future scientific research.” HamSCI pointed out thatRead More →

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ARRL and Radio Relay International (RRI) are encouraging radio amateurs to originate a holiday radiogram to friends and family members this year. “The tradition of sending a Christmas radiogram should have a nostalgic feel that fits the holiday season well,” wrote RRI Chairman James Wades, WB8SIW, in the December edition of The NTS Letter, a monthly newsletter of ARRL’s National Traffic System (NTS). “Furthermore,” added Wades, “the delivery of a radiogram serves as a great public relations opportunity.” RRI works closely with NTS. “If one hasn’t originated a radiogram before,” Wades continued, “there are some convenient tools, one of whichRead More →