Amateur Information:
Our next Arats board & general membership meeting is Wedensday March 18. 2026.
Location: Tonawanda city hall 200 niagara street, tonawanda new york.
Driving directions to tonawanda city hall:
From north tonawanda south to niagara street, nake right onto niagara st, If coming from the town of tonawanda or the city of buffalo north bound make left onto niagara street.
City hall is located next to tops market, make right into Lot then proceed To back of building, make left then enter through glass double doors.
Once inside the building proceed downstairs, left then proceed down the hall, Arats meeting room is the last room on the left.
Arats meeting-program on meshtastic will start at 7pm sharp.
Our guest speaker that night is Greg KE2GCW.
Meshtastic is a volunteer powered community driven network.
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NCVEC Question Pool Committee Removes Three Questions from Use
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) Question Pool Committee (QPC) has removed two questions from the General Class question pool and one question from the Extra Class pool from use.
Due to recently published FCC rule changes affecting the 60‑meter band (see previous ARRL News story), General Class questions G1A04 and G1C09 are no longer valid and must be removed from use on examinations. Extra Class question E4D05 must also be removed because it contains more than one correct answer. All affected questions should be removed from examinations as soon as possible.
Updated General Class question pool files, including the errata and new information, have been posted to the NCVEC General Class question pool web page at www.ncvec.org/index.php/2023-2027-general-question-pool-release. The current Element 3 General question pool became effective on July 1, 2023, and it is valid through June 30, 2027.
Updated question pool files have also been posted to the NCVEC Extra Class question pool web page at www.ncvec.org/index.php/2024-2028-extra-class-question-pool-release. The current Element 4 Extra question pool became effective on July 1, 2024, and it is valid through June 30, 2028.
The ARRL VEC advises the amateur radio community, and particularly Volunteer Examiners (VEs), to regularly check the NCVEC website at www.ncvec.org for updates to the question pools, which may include errata and withdrawn questions.
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Obsolete Part 97 Rules to be Deleted February 10, 2026 12/19/2025 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in October 2025 adopted a Report and Order to delete almost 400 obsolete rules pertaining to its wireless services. As previously reported by ARRL, among the deletions were four in Part 97 that govern the Amateur Radio Service.
ARRL reports that the notice of the Report and Order has now been published in the Federal Register. Unless an objection is raised by January 2 that the Commission finds to deserve its consideration, the following four Part 97 provisions will be deleted as of February 10, 2026:
§ 97.27. This provision is duplicative of a statutory provision related to the FCC’s right to modify station licenses. § 97.29. This provision specified an obsolete procedure to replace paper licenses. ARRL proposed deleting this section in comments filed earlier this year. § 97.315 (b)(2). This obsolete provision grandfathered HF amplifiers purchased before April 28, 1978 by an amateur radio operator for use at that operator’s station, and grandfathered those manufactured before April 28, 1978, for which a marketing waiver was issued. 4. § 97.521(b) and Appendix 2. This rule and appendix relate to obsolete VEC regions.
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ARRL VEC Ready to File 2,500+ Ham Radio License Applications; FCC Extends Renewal Filing Deadline 11/18/2025 ARRL The National Association of Amateur Radio® reports that the FCC has extended the filing deadline to March 5, 2026, for amateur radio licenses that otherwise were due to expire from October 1, 2025, to March 5, 2026. The announcement is included in an FCC Public Notice (DA-25-943) released on Monday, November 17, 2025.
The news follows the recent reopening of the federal government on November 13, following a lengthy 43-day shutdown. Since reopening, many federal agencies, including the FCC, have resumed activities, though reducing backlogs and rebounding to full operations and may take some time. This includes continued delays in filing amateur radio license applications.
The FCC Public Notice includes:
For personal radio licensees (i.e., Amateur, Ship, Aircraft, GMRS, and Commercial Operator Licenses), renewal filings originally due on October 1, 2025, through and including March 5, 2026, are now due on March 5, 2026. Further, we confirm that licensees whose licenses have expired and whose renewal filing deadlines have been extended above may rely on their timely renewal filing (by the extended deadline) to support continued operation pursuant to section 1.62 of the Commission’s rules.
ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, explained that the announcement means that amateurs whose license expired, or will expire, between October 1, 2025, and March 5, 2026, may continue to operate upon completing a license renewal filing by March 5, 2026.
Somma added that the FCC ULS systems are available again, which include the license manger system, FCC license search, and application search databases, as well as the CORES system. She noted, however, that Electronic Batch Filing (EBF) is not yet available. “The EBF system is used by ARRL VEC and all VEC organizations to file exam sessions, individual applications, and club license applications,” said Somma. “This means that applications for new and upgraded licenses, as well as individual and club license filings, are not being processed at this time.”
During the shutdown, the ARRL VEC urged its Volunteer Examiners to continue giving ham radio exam sessions (see important information below For ARRL VEC exam candidates). “We have over 2,500 license applications ready to file as soon as the EBF system becomes available and fully operational,” added Somma. “ARRL VEC is prepared to submit the backlog of sessions and applications to FCC for issuing licenses.”
For ARRL VEC exam candidates who were unable to get an FCC Registration Number (FRN) while the FCC CORES system was unavailable, please follow these steps to ensure your license application is ready to be processed promptly once the EBF system becomes operational:
Register for a CORES account at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do, using your email address as your username. Verify your account, then log in and obtain your FCC Registration Number (FRN). Be sure to register as an Individual. Enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your photo ID. Once you receive your FRN, save it carefully – this will be your permanent FCC identifier. Send your Name, Test Date, and new FRN to the ARRL VEC. Email: VEC@arrl.org See previous ARRL News: Amateur Radio Licensing Update During US Government Shutdown 10/1/2025
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AMATUER RADIO NETS
Sunday Night’s at 8pm: ECAR WNY Emergency ARES Net: 146.865 + PL 141.3
Monday Nights at 7pm: RAWNY Information Net: 444.000 242.82
Tuesday Night’s
Arats 10 Meter net Every Tuesday Night At 8pm, Strve KD2PPZ is Net Control
Arats 2 Meter Net is held Every Thursday Night at 8pm on 146.955 - Offset, PL Tone 151.4
Tuesday at 8pm; Genesse Races: 147.285+
WEDNESDAY Nights at 8pm 2 Meter Side Band Net 144.210 NET Control Keath WB2VUO
Thursday Nights at 7:30pm: Stars Information Net: 145.090 + PL 107.2
Thuresay Night’s at 8pm: Arats (Amatuer Radio Association of the Tonawandas) 2 Meter Net: 146.955 - Offset, PL Tone 151.4
LARA (Lockport Amatuer Radio Association) holds their 2 Meter Net Every Sunday at 8 PM, ON 146.820 PL 107.2
RAWNY (W2PE) holds their net on monday night’s at 7 PM, (444.000)
STARS (South Towns Amatuer Radio Association) has a 2 Meter Net Every Thursday Night at 7:30 PM, 146.090 PL107.2
Western District Net(WDN} holds a Traffic Handling Net every night at 9:30pm on the K2XZ (145.390 Repeter) & the WDN also takes check ins on the W2HKS (444.000 Repeater)
WDN is part of the Amatuer Radio National Traffic Handeling System.
Western District Net handles formal written messages in a specific format, WDN is operated by the National Traffic System. All amatuer radio operators can and are encouraged check in with or without traffic.
Western District Net is always looking for Net Controlers, if you would like to learn how to take/handle traffic and become a net controler, after the net is over just let the net controler know you are interested.
