President’s Message;

Ev Tupis (W2EV) ARRL WNY Assistant Section Manager is inviting your club’s leaders to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Please forward this to: Club Officers and Club communication coordinators (FB, email group, newsletter, etc.).

Attendees will be updated and given the opportunity to Q/A on the 2026 Worked All States special award and how it plays into the imminent New York activation of W1AW/2 from 0000z January 7 through 2359z January 13 as well as the year-long celebration of clubs and activation of club callsigns.

Meeting: ARRL WNY Club Leadership Huddle Date: Saturday, Dec 27, 2025 Time: 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86946688817?pwd=NrJS7Xavpw50e6lwXAaOoSbMxZ4ZU2.1

Meeting ID: 869 4668 8817 Passcode: 737373ves (introduced February 6, 2025) and S. 459 in the Senate, ARRL launched a nationwide grassroots campaign in Sepember 2025 to urge Congress to pass this legislation.

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Why ARRL is Lobbying for it:

The bills address a longstanding issue homeowners associaitions (HOAs) and other private land use restrictions often ban or severely limit amateur radio antennas, even for low-impact or concealed installations (e.g.. in attics, trees, or disguised as flagpoles) This disproportionately affected ham eadio operators in the 80% of the new U.S. homes govemed by such rules, undermining the hobby’s role in public serice. ARRL argues this creates uneqal treatment compered to protections already afforded to TV antennas, satelite dishes, and flagpoles under federal law. The core purpose is to enhance national emergency preparedness by ensuring licensed operators can reliably contribute to disaster response, as amateeur radio has proven vital in events like hurricanes and wildfires when commercial infrastructure falls.

How Ham Radio Lincnsees Would Benefit:

Easier Antenna Installation: Operators could install, maintain, and operate antennas without unressonable HOA prohibitions that delay, incresse costs, or degrade signal quality–provided antennas meet safety, zoning, and building code standards.

Legal Portections and Enforcement:

The bills limit-approval requirements for most antennas, exempt certain types (e.g. those under 12 feet tall) and provied a private right of action to challenge volations in court.

Broader Access to the Hobby:

Thousands of licensees in restricted communities could fully participate in amateur radio for personal enjoyment, experimentation, and emergency communications, fostering greater operator retention and recruitment while bolstering community resilience.

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