New Technician Question Pool Takes Effect 1st July 2026

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New Technician Question Pool Takes Effect 1st July 2026

On 1st July 2026, a new Element 2 Technician class question pool will take effect for license examinations. VECs and VEs must have new test designs available for use at exam sessions effective that date. 

The newly revised pool, released in December 2025 (updated and re-released on February 19, 2026) by the Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC), must be in use starting July 1. There are 409 questions in this pool, down slightly from 412 in the previous pool. The pool also includes three diagrams used for some of the questions.

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WRTC 2026 Update

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WRTC 2026 Update

With WRTC just weeks away, Q5 Ham Radio has given the amateur radio community its first public look at the new live scoreboard platform being developed by World Radio League in collaboration with WRTC 2026.

James Cribbs N0WRL, World Radio League CEO and founder, joined the Q5 Contest Crew to walk through the system alongside Randy Thompson K5ZD, Chris Hurlbut KL9A, Bill Fehring W9KKN, Dan Craig N6MJ, and DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy K3LR. It's a candid, unscripted discussion covering live rankings, spotting integration, spectator engagement, and the practical challenges of running a fair real-time system for thousands of operators worldwide.

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Number of Amateur Radio Operators in Japan Continues Declining

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The number of amateur radio stations in Japan continues to decline. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced the latest numbers for the first quarter of 2026, showing a steady reduction of 1,000+ stations each month. Over the last 10 years, Japan's station count has reduced by more than 100,000 from 435,969 in January 2016 to 332,120 in January 2026.

While an explanation for the decline was not given, Japan has seen significant population loss over the last several years, including a reduction of 3 million citizens over the past 5 years.