American Radio Relay League
Largest US amateur radio membership association, founded 1914.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a non-profit organization and the largest group of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States, with about 161,000 members. It was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska in Hartford, Connecticut. The ARRL advocates for amateur radio operators before federal regulators, offers technical advice and assistance, runs educational programs, and organizes emergency communication services nationwide. In addition to its U.S. members, the organization has over 7,000 members in other countries. The ARRL publishes books and a monthly membership journal called QST. In 2023, the ARRL reported a notable rise in new amateur radio licenses in the U.S., with more than 30,000 issued for the first time since 2014.
The ARRL is the main representative of amateur radio operators to the U.S. government, lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. It also serves as the international secretariat of the International Amateur Radio Union, advocating for amateur radio interests before the International Telecommunication Union and World Administrative Radio Conferences. The organization is governed by a member-elected, volunteer Board of Directors. Each director serves a three-year term and represents members in a specific region. The national headquarters are in Newington, Connecticut, on a 7-acre (2.8-hectare) site that also houses amateur radio station W1AW. Local and regional activities are carried out through the ARRL Field Organization.
**Governance**
The ARRL is governed by a member-elected, volunteer Board of Directors. The membership is divided into 15 Divisions, each covering a part of the country. Members in each Division elect one Director and one Vice Director to three-year terms. Elections are staggered so that one-third of Directors and Vice Directors are elected each year. The Board sets overall policy. It appoints an executive committee, led by the President and composed of Board members, to make policy decisions between full Board meetings. Day-to-day administrative operations are managed by paid officers, led by a Chief Executive Officer, who hold their positions as long as the Board approves but have no vote on the Board.
Local and regional operations are handled by the Field Organization, which divides the 15 Divisions into 71 Sections.
- Founded
- April 6, 1914
- Founders
- Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska
- Headquarters
- Newington, Connecticut
- Membership
- approximately 161,000 members in the US, over 7,000 in other countries
- Divisions
- 15
- Sections
- 71
- Affiliated clubs
- over 2,000
Lore & Background
The ARRL was conceived after Hiram Percy Maxim, an active amateur with station 1WH in Hartford, Connecticut, failed to make direct contact with another ham in Springfield, Massachusetts, only 30 miles away. Realizing the need for a formal relay system, he presented a plan at the April 1914 meeting of the Radio Club of Hartford. By September 1914, over 230 stations were on the roster. In February 1915, the ARRL split from the Hartford Radio Club and incorporated under Connecticut law. The first issue of the monthly membership journal QST was sent free to all members in December 1915. During World War I, all amateur operations were shut down, and the ARRL lobbied successfully against bills that would have put all US radio under Navy control. Amateur transmitting privileges were fully restored in November 1919.
Reader's Guide
The ARRL serves as the primary representative organization of amateur radio operators to the US government, lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. It also acts as the international secretariat of the International Amateur Radio Union, advocating for amateur radio before the International Telecommunication Union and World Administrative Radio Conferences. The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors, with 15 Divisions each electing a Director and vice-director for three-year terms. Local activities are carried out through the Field Organization, which divides the 15 Divisions into 71 Sections, each with an elected Section Manager. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is organized through the Field Organization and has provided essential supplemental emergency communications, notably during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster. The ARRL also publishes books and QST, and in 2023 reported over 30,000 new amateur radio licenses issued in the US for the first time since 2014.
Did You Know?
- The ARRL has approximately 161,000 members in the US and over 7,000 members in other countries.
- The ARRL's monthly membership journal is called QST, first published in December 1915.
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