Up to $25,000 at Stake in New ARRL Student Coding Competition

Pre-registration is now open for a Student Coding Competition, a new national challenge sponsored by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio®. The project is designed to engage young radio amateurs in shaping the future of amateur radio through software development. Open to ARRL-member amateur radio operators aged 21 and younger, the competition will invite students to design a mobile app that supports ARRL and the amateur radio community. Cash awards totalling up to $25,000 will be presented to one or more winning entries.

The competition officially begins on 1st January 2026, when complete rules and application specifications will be released at coding.arrl.org. Participants are reminded not to start coding yet — entries must follow the published requirements. Project submissions will be due by 31st March 2026. Entries will be judged on how well they meet the specifications, user interface design and usability, code quality and stability, and the inclusion of extra features.

Adult ARRL members are encouraged to help spread the word and support the next generation of amateur radio innovators. ARRL Student Membership is free for full-time students aged 21 and younger, removing a key barrier to participation. Young hams, educators, and mentors are encouraged to pre-register now at coding.arrl.org to receive updates as additional details become available and to prepare for this exciting opportunity to contribute lasting tools to amateur radio.

More Information - http://www.arrl.org/news/view/up-to-25-000-at-stake-in-new-arrl-student-coding-competition

Student Success with DMR Project In India

Exactly one year ago, ham radio stations were established in 20 residential schools in disadvantaged areas of one state in southwest India. One year later, teachers and their students have become a small, thriving amateur radio community thanks to these small digital mobile radios, or DMR.

The challenge of teaching science and communication to disadvantaged students in the Indian state of Karnataka [CAR-NUH-TOCK-AH] got a big boost one year ago when the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society turned 20 of its schools into hamshacks. Some of the teachers became hams and, in turn, guided their young students in grades 6 through 12 along the way. Forty students became hams and were soon using the DMR hand-held radios, participating in the daily net and connecting to the world.

More broadly, with the installation of DMR base stations by the Indian Institute of Hams, the schools themselves became communication hubs that could be used when natural disasters knocked out conventional means of contact in their remote rural communities.

“...a wonderful hobby, fun in a hands-on way.”

— Shirin, VU3DBO

The past year has been one of challenge and innovation for Shirin, VU3DBO, one of the 20 teachers in the school system who received her ham radio certificate from the Ministry of Communication. The science teacher wove the radio curriculum into the classes where she also taught about energy, technology, the environment and space.

ARDC Launches 44Net Connect

ARDC has launched 44Net Connect, a new portal designed to make it easier for ham radio operators to gain access to and experiment with subnets of the 44.0.0.0/8 IP address space. Through the portal, hams can apply for VPN access to 44Net, which comes with a dedicated 44Net IP address. Tunnel services are provided through WireGuard with options to add IP networks and autonomous system numbers. Proof of a ham radio license is required.

More Information - https://connect.44net.cloud/