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FCC Allocates 60-Meter World-Wide Amateur Band Approved at WRC-15; Continues Amateur Use of Four Additional 60-Meter Channels, and Updates 420 MHz Coordination Information |
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The 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 the ARRL petition 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 allocated 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz (60 meters) to the amateur service on a secondary basis with a permitted power of 9.15 watts ERP. The Commission also authorized amateurs to continue using four existing channels outside of the 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz band, centered on 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz, on a secondary basis with a permitted power of 100 watts ERP. There are no antenna restrictions, but antenna gain must be used to calculate ERP.
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The 60-meter allocation is available to amateurs holding a General Class or above license. The maximum permissible signal bandwidth is 2.8 kHz.
Amateurs are cautioned that this allocation is strictly on a secondary basis, and amateurs must avoid interfering with non-amateur stations using this spectrum. This obligation includes the responsibility to monitor for such stations using appropriate receiver bandwidths. The FCC emphasized that “allowing amateur operations in this band while fully protecting incumbent primary Federal operations is our priority, and even intermittent interference in this band could jeopardize important Federal operations.”
Continue reading this story on ARRL News
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ARRL to Host 2026 HamSCI Workshop at Central Connecticut State University |
| ARRL will host the 9th Annual HamSCI Workshop, March 14–15, 2026, at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain, Connecticut, with activities also occurring at ARRL Headquarters in nearby Newington. Organizers for the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) community are working hard to put together a memorable event that will bring together amateur radio operators, citizen scientists, students, and professional researchers.
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| Some of the gathered HamSCI community at the March 2025 workshop, which was hosted at New Jersey Institute of Technology. [Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, photo.] |
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This year’s theme, “Discovering Science Through Ham Radio,” highlights the vibrant intersection of amateur radio and scientific discovery. The 2026 workshop will showcase achievements across the community, including the latest advances in ionospheric research, Personal Space Weather Station development, meteor scatter propagation studies, and the expanding use of technology and techniques for real-time radio propagation sensing.
Participants can expect more than 50 oral and poster presentations (the abstract submission window is open through January 20, 2026), invited tutorials, and a Saturday evening banquet featuring a keynote address from a prominent member of the community. Attendees will also enjoy a visit to ARRL’s national headquarters, with tours of the ARRL Lab, W1HQ Radio Laboratory, and opportunities to get on the air from W1AW – the Hiram P. Maxim Memorial Station. Most attendees will participate in person, with a virtual option to be announced.
The organizing committee includes representatives from The University of Scranton, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and ARRL. Financial support includes grants from the United States National Science Foundation and Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).
A variety of registration options are available. For more information, visit the HamSCI 2026 Workshop page at hamsci.org/hamsci2026.
Read the full story on ARRL News:
https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-host-2026-hamsci-workshop-at-central-connecticut-state-university
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ARRL 10-Meter Contest This Weekend |
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The 2025 ARRL 10-Meter Contest, this coming weekend, may be the last year for new operating records to be set until we reach Solar Cycle 26 (another 8+ years). And while solar activity has shown recent periodic high points, benefitting the 10-meter and higher bands, upper HF band conditions are beginning to show a weakening trend.
If you’re unfamiliar with the ARRL 10-Meter Contest, this is a 48-hour event running from Saturday December 12 @ 0000 UTC (Friday evening in USA) through Sunday December 13 @ 2359 UTC (Sunday evening in USA). The contest participant log-entry deadline is 7 days after the contest. Submit your log online or by paper on or before December 21 @ 2359 UTC. This event is condensed into just the 10-meter band, with three mode combinations of: CW only, Phone only, or a Mixed category of both Phone and CW. This complements the single operator and multioperator categories of the event.
If you’re a newly licensed ham, you can participate in this contest with essentially no restrictions [if you are a Technician Class licensee, you may operate CW between frequency ranges 28.0 – 28.3 MHz and Phone from 28.3 – 28.5 MHz (up to 200 watts PEP output)]!
Last year’s ARRL 10-Meter Contest saw a record-breaking number of entries (more than 6,600), with a clear rise in Youth and Rookie participation (read more about last year’s exciting event at https://contests.arrl.org/ContestResults/2024/10M-2024-FinalFullResults.pdf).
ARRL Radiosport Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, reminds participants that “…this ARRL 10-Meter Contest weekend (both in dates and season) was chosen for its increased 10-meter propagation including winter E-skip; meteor scatter (from the Geminids meteor shower); and with the recently reported solar CME activity, we could very well experience 10-meter aurora enhancement.”
Remember: Whether you want to go for a record, or maybe you just want to try out a fun event as your very first contest to experience, or perhaps you are working toward your Worked All States or your 10 Meter DXCC standings, you’ll find success this weekend! You can explore the event results from past years at https://contests.arrl.org/10m/articles/, and/or the rules and other relevant information at https://www.arrl.org/10-meter. See you in the contest!
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Help Someone Get Their FIRST Ham Radio License by the End of 2025 |
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| ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF |
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Know someone who’s been curious about amateur radio but hasn’t taken the leap yet? The ARRL Technician Class Live Video Course for Ham Radio Licensing is a convenient, two-day online course for prospective hams to earn their first license. Taught by ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, this immersive instruction runs December 20–21, 2025, includes a Technician Class prep book by ARRL National Instructor Gordon West, WB6NOA, and one year of ARRL Membership.
The course breaks down everything needed to know to pass the Technician exam in bite-sized lessons. “By Sunday afternoon, you’ll be amazed by how much you have learned and how comfortable you feel about taking the exam,” said Greene. “Attaining your amateur radio license will open a whole new world of communication adventures.”
Encourage your friends, family members, club prospects, and community volunteers to take the step into amateur radio. Share with them the types of experiences you enjoy as a ham – from exploring communications and technology, public service, and global connection – to traditional shortwave radio, digital modes, satellites, and emergency communications.
Enrollment is available now in the ARRL Store for a special introductory price of $99. If you know someone ready to begin their amateur radio journey, steer them to this excellent start.
The deadline to register for the inaugural ARRL Technician Class Live Video Course is December 14, 2025.
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Deadline Approaching: Apply Now for the 2026 ARRL Foundation Scholarships |
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| ARRL Director of Education and Learning Steve Goodgame, K5ATA (left), along with ARRL Hudson Division Director Ed Wilson, N2XDD (right), presented Shiphi Panicker, AA1SP (center), notification of his $20,000 scholarship at Staten Island Technical High School in New York in June 2025. |
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The 2026 ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program is currently accepting applications — but the deadline is coming up quickly. All applications must be submitted by December 30, 2025, at 12 PM EST.
More than 170 scholarships, ranging from $500 to $25,000, are available to active FCC-licensed amateur radio operators pursuing higher education. Students are encouraged to apply early to ensure their materials are received on time.
These scholarships — made possible through the generosity of ARRL Foundation donors — support and inspire young amateurs to explore amateur radio, advance their education, and pursue careers in wireless communications and related fields.
In 2025, the ARRL Foundation awarded 170 scholarships totaling $800,000 — and we look forward to supporting the next group of talented applicants.
For full details and the online application, visit www.arrl.org/scholarship-program.
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Amateur Radio in the News |
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ARRL Live Events and Podcasts |
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On the Air LIVE
ARRL Education Specialist Wayne Greene, KB4DSF, will lead another session in this recent series introducing various methods and modes for emergency communications. During this session, he’ll discuss the digital mode JS8 and how it can be used to send messages to family and friends — even to those who are not hams — outside of a disaster area. The session will be held on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 8 PM Eastern. Registration is required via the ARRL Learning Center at learn.arrl.org.
Up Next: JS8 for Emergencies
📅 Date: December 23, 2025
🕗 Time: 8 PM Eastern / 5 PM Pacific
👉 Register Now | ⏪ Previously Recorded Sessions
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ARRL Audio News
Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week’s top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features. More info | Listen on Blubrry | Also available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts. |
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On the Air
Sponsored by Icom
Programming Your Handheld
In support of the November/December 2025 article “Ten Tips for Programming Your 2-Meter Handheld,” Karin Thompson, KD4DXX, of RT Systems, joins the podcast to talk about how to approach the crucial task of programming your handheld. Listen Now
More info | Listen on Blubrry | Also available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
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Members of Spokane County (Washington) ARES® participated in a ground truth weather spotter communications event on Saturday, December 6, 2025. The on-air exercise was designed to serve as an alternative to SKYWARN® Recognition Day, which was cancelled this year by NOAA’s National Weather Service. Nine stations collected and relayed 40 reports with information that included location, sky conditions, temperature, and wind speed and direction. Gordon Grove, WA7LNC, had the original idea for the exercise. “It was a positive experience and exercise,” he said, adding that members hope SKYWARN® Recognition Day resumes next year as they continue to provide assistance during bad weather conditions.
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| The Greater Cincinnati Amateur Radio Association (GCARA) 1936 Net will host its annual AM night on Thursday December 18, 2025, on 1936 kHz. The activities get under way with pre-net check-ins beginning at 6:30 PM EST. The official net begins at 9:00 PM EST (0200 Z) and typically lasts two hours. The net control station is Bill Donnermeyer, NM4A, located in Union, Kentucky. The net typically attracts about 65 stations from all over the United States during the course of the evening. All AM check-ins are welcome. This is a great opportunity to hear some classic AM rigs, heavy metal, military, AM broadcast transmitters, and state-of-the-art software-defined-radio AM. A QSL card will be available.
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| Registration is now open for the 2026 sessions of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. The Teachers Institute is ARRL’s professional development program designed to help classroom teachers elevate their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs through the use of wireless technology, and is a major part of ARRL’s advocacy of “inspiring youth.” A full summer of sessions will be held at ARRL HQ in Newington, Connecticut, as well as several sessions around the country. Be sure to check back often. More sessions will be added closer to summer. If you are interested in bringing the Teachers Institute to your area, and know an administrator in your local schools, we would love to discuss the opportunity with them! To learn more, visit www.arrl.org/ti.
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Pre-registration is open for the ARRL Student Coding Competition, a national challenge — with awards up to $25,000 — inviting participation from ARRL-member amateur radio operators age 21 and younger. Students will design a mobile app to support the future of amateur radio and ARRL. But don’t start yet! Wait for the full rules and specifications to be released when the competition begins on January 1, 2026, with project submissions due March 31, 2026. Entries will be judged on meeting the published specs, UI design and usability, code quality, stability, and extra features. Adult members are encouraged to spread the word — ARRL Student Membership is free — and urge young hams to pre-register now at coding.arrl.org to receive updates.
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| Christmas Eve 2025 offers a great opportunity to hear radio transmissions from vintage equipment still operational for over 100 years. On Wednesday, December 24, 2025, the World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station in southern Sweden is scheduled to broadcast a traditional Christmas message to the world on 17.2 kHz CW using a 200-kilowatt Alexanderson alternator with the call sign SAQ. The transmission begins at 0800 UTC. The event can be viewed on a YouTube Live stream beginning at 0720 UTC. QSL cards will be available, but for a guaranteed E-QSL, please report using this ONLINE QSL FORM.
The 2025 Fessenden Commemorative Transmission is scheduled take place December 24 and 31, at 2100 UTC on 486 kHz from Forest, Virginia, in honor of the “legend” of Reginald Fessenden. Fessenden was a pioneering inventor known as the “father of voice radio,” and for his work involving radio and sonar. Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, will control the broadcast under a new Part 5 callsign of WQ2XQA. Reports of reception can be sent via e-mail to wa1zms@att.net.
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| Open Positions at ARRL
Come join the headquarters staff of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®! We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the following positions:
Membership Manager
Senior RFI Lab Engineer
Public Relations and Outreach Manager
Full details may be found on the ARRL HR web page at www.arrl.org/careers.
ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
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| Solar Image from the Learmonth Solar Observatory via Australian Spaceweather.com, December 11, 2025. |
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ARRL Solar Update for December 11, 2025
Solar activity reached high levels this past week when Region 4299 produced an M1.1 (R1/minor) flare on December 6. Shortly after, the region produced an M8.1/2b (R3-strong) flare, also on December 6. Associated with the M8.1 flare was a 1,100 sfu Tenflare, a 1,143 km/s Type II sweep and a Type IV sweep. (A “sweep” is a solar radio burst that sweeps through the RF spectrum as the energy moves outward from the sun.) Some development was observed around the leader spot of Region 4299, while slight decay was noted among the trailer spots. Regions 4296 and 4294 remained the largest of the visible disk but have only produced C-class activity in the past 24 hours. Only minor changes were observed among the other numbered active regions and activity is now moderate.
Coronal mass ejection (CME) activity was observed from both M-class flares. A slow, Earth-directed CME was observed from the M1.1 and a faster, full-halo, Earth-directed CME was observed from the M8.1 flare. According to spaceweather.com, it touched off a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm on December 10, which was subsiding as of this morning (December 11).
Solar wind parameters reflected a disturbed near-Earth environment throughout the reporting period. The total interplanetary magnetic field (Bt) averaged 7 nT until December when a magnetic transient arrived and pushed it to 13 nT. Solar wind speeds showed little reaction to the magnetic transient, averaging 375 km/s throughout the reporting period. The phiangle was oriented towards-the-Sun (negative) for the majority of the reporting period, then slowly rotated around to away-from-the-Sun (positive) 1.5 hours after the arrival of the transient.
Solar wind parameters will remain enhanced going into December 11 with nominal conditions being regained once current conditions pass. The co-rotating interacting region (CIR) ahead of the negative polarity coronal hole (CH) high speed stream (HSS) is expected to arrive December 12.
The 10.7-centimeter flux: December 11, 175; December 12, 155; December 13, 140; December 14 – 15, 130; December 16 – 17 135.
Predicted sunspots: December 11, 120; December 12, 115; December 13, 126; December 14, 111; December 15, 131; 16, 108; December 17, 136.
For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read A Quick Guide to HF Propagation Using Solar Indices, and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.
For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website.
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- December 12 — NCCC FT4 Sprint (digital)
- December 12 — Weekly RTTY Test (digital)
- December 12 — NCCC Sprint (CW)
- December 13 – 14 — ARRL 10-Meter Contest (CW, phone)
- December 13 – 15 — PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint (digital)
- December 13 – 15 — TRC Digi Contest (digital)
- December 13 – 14 — SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (CW)
- December 13 – 14 — ARI 40/80 Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- December 13 – 14 — International Naval Contest (CW, phone)
- December 14 — QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Sprint (CW)
- December 15 — 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint (CW, phone)
- December 17 — NAQCC CW Sprint (CW)
- December 18 – 19 — Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest (CW)
- December 18 — NTC QSO Party (CW)
- December 19 — NCCC FT4 Sprint (digital)
- December 19 — Weekly RTTY Test (digital)
- December 19 — NCCC Sprint (CW)
- December 19 — AGB-Party Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- December 20 — Feld Hell Sprint (digital)
- December 20 — OK DX RTTY Contest (digital)
- December 20 — RAC Winter Contest (CW, phone)
- December 20 – 21 — Croatian DX Contest (CW, phone)
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Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions |
- December 12 – 13 | The Tampa Bay Hamfest, hosting the ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention, Plant City, Florida
- January 10 | Ham Radio University, ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Convention, Brookville, New York
- January 16 – 17 | Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest, ARRL Southern Florida Section Convention, Fort Myers, Florida
- January 30 – 31 | Jackson MS Capital City Hamfest, ARRL Mississippi State Convention, Jackson, Mississippi
- February 7 | Hendricks County Hamfest, hosting the ARRL Indiana Section Convention, Danville, Indiana
- February 13 – 15 | Orlando HamCation, hosting the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, Florida
- February 20 – 21 | Greater Houston HamFest, hosting the ARRL Texas State Convention, Rosenberg, Texas
Remember to search the ARRL Hamfest and Convention Database to find events in your area.
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ARRL — Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
Join ARRL or renew today! No other organization works harder to promote and protect amateur radio. Membership supports benefits, services, programs, and advocacy to help you get (and stay) active and on the air. Membership includes access to digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ.
Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday.
The ARRL Letter is available in an accessible format, posted weekly to the Blind-hams Groups.io email group. The group is dedicated to discussions about amateur radio as it concerns blind hams, plus related topics including ham radio use of adaptive technology.
NCJ — National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly, features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprints, and QSO parties.
QEX — A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members…
Subscribe to the ARES Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update (biweekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts, and much more!
Find ARRL on Facebook! Follow us on Threads, X, and Instagram. |
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The ARRL Letter is published Thursdays, 51 times each year. ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their profile at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out.
Copyright © 2025 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other purposes require written permission.
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