The Radio Club of America (RCA) proudly announces its 2026 annual award recipients and its incoming class of 2026 Fellows. Since 1935, RCA has recognized through its awards program major contributors to wireless communications. This year, fourteen awards are being bestowed, and seven RCA members are being elevated to Fellow status.

The 2026 Awards and Fellows ceremonies will be held at the RCA Awards Banquet in Westin Times Square in New York City on November 21, 2026. For details, please see RCA's website.

RCA's Awards Program

Award recipients are announced each year. Nominations are accepted from anyone in the wireless industry. Two broad categories of awards include: (i) public awards for anyone involved in wireless, and (ii) member awards that are restricted to RCA members. RCA elevates members to Fellow status at the same event by invitation based on the individual's contributions to RCA and to the art and sciences of wireless or broadcast communications.

Past award recipients include dozens of legends who created the wireless industry, including Edwin Armstrong, Martin Cooper, Jay Kitchen, Fred Link, Ted Rappaport, Henry Richter, Ulrich Rohde, and Joseph Taylor.

2026 Award Recipients

(RCA Service Awards will be announced separately)

RCA's 2026 award recipients join a proud tradition of wireless legends. Each practitioner has dedicated significant time and talent toward the advancement or preservation of skills that advance the wireless industry. The 2026 awards are listed in award name alphabetic order.

Dr. Andrea Goldsmith, Armstrong Medal – first female recipient in history!
RCA's first award was presented to Major Edward H. Armstrong for his invention of circuits that made AM and FM radio possible and for Major Armstrong's lifetime of championing work that established the foundation for modern radio technology. The award, now known as the Armstrong Medal, is only bestowed when an individual has demonstrated excellence and made lasting contributions to the arts and sciences of radio.

Dr. Ajay Poddar, Dr. Arno Penzias Award for Contributions to Basic Research in the Radio Sciences
Established in 2023, this award recognizes significant contributions to basic research involving RF and related subjects to inspire future generations of scientific professionals.

Audrey McElroy, Carole Perry Young Professional Award
Established in 2023, the Carole Perry Young Professional Award was established to honor a Young Professional who was part of the RCA Youth Activities Program in their formative years and who has gone on to a career in wireless science.

Mal Gurian, Centenarian Award
Initiated in 1989, this award recognizes any living RCA member who is 100 years old.

Dr. Henry L. Richter, Centenarian Award (honorary)
Initiated in 1989, this award recognizes any living RCA member who is 100 years old.

Jack Winters, Lifetime Achievement Award
Established in 2015, RCA's Board of Directors recognizes very significant achievements, and a major body of work accomplished over a lifetime, that has advanced the art and science of wireless technology.

Charles Kirmuss, Henri Busignies Memorial Award
The award, established in 1981, primarily recognizes achievements in the field of communications equipment and is granted to any person who has contributed substantially to the advancement of electronics for the benefit of humanity.

Anthony Rizi, Frank Gunther Award
Established in 1996, this award recognizes an individual for their dedication to the field of military communications.

Jay Adrick, Ralph Batcher Memorial Award
Established in 1976, this award is presented to an RCA member for their significant work in preserving the history of radio and electronic communications.

Charles Counselman, Dr. Ulrich Rohde Award for Innovation in Applied Radio Science and Engineering
Established in 2023, this award recognizes significant contributions to innovation in applied radio science and engineering in the wireless industry to inspire future generations of wireless professionals.

Mike Wolf, Excellence in Sales and Marketing Award
This Award is to recognize an individual who exhibits the "Esprit de Corps" of sales, marketing and promoting in the Wireless Industry. The ideal candidate should have been in the wireless industry for a minimum of 10 years. The nominee should not be judged on sales volume, but on their dedication to the wireless industry. They should demonstrate a professional and ethical approach to their business relationships. They should display integrity when representing the wireless industry and they should work for the betterment of the Radio Club of America.

2026 RCA Fellows

Elevation to Fellow is made by invitation only to RCA members who are in good standing for at least five years, in recognition of their contributions to the art and science of radio communications, broadcast, or to RCA are deemed outstanding by RCA's Board of Directors. The following RCA members are elevated to Fellow status in 2025:

• Steve Floyd
• Rachel Jones
• Douglas Kwiatkowski
• Geoffrey Mendenhall
• Nick Pennance
• Nicholas Tusa
• Jack Varnado

Further Information

A complete listing of RCA Awards and previous recipients can be found at this link.

Founded in 1909, the Radio Club of America is the oldest, most prestigious group of wireless communications professionals in the world. Members are dedicated to the wireless arts and sciences for the betterment of society. The Radio Club of America is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.radioclubofamerica.org.

Source: Radio Club of America

The following is a message from TX Factor:

The latest episode from TX Factor is now on the air!

In late September 2026 TX Factor visited the annual National Hamfest at Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK. Hamfest is the UK’s premier amateur radio rally and we’re able to bring you as much of the action from the two-day event as possible.

In this initial show Bob McCreadie G0FGX chats with Dominic M0BLF from the ubiquitous Camb-Hams whilst operating QO-100. Bob discovers more about the proposed new rig release from Icom and updates us on a future repeater upgrade from Yaesu.

Bob meets key personnel from the RSGB to learn more about the Society's membership strategies and some changes in the way the Society meets and greets folk at major shows and conventions such as Hamfest and Dayton. There will be much more coverage and news from Hamfest in future episodes of TX Factor following soon.

TX Factor is sponsored by The Radio Society of Great Britain.

Visit the website at txfactor.co.uk where you’ll be able to view all the episodes of TX Factor dating back to February 2014 and links to the TX Factor Youtube channel.

Source: TX Factor

The following is a message from APRS Connect:

APRS Connect, the messaging-first APRS client that launched on Android in August, is now on the App Store for iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later). It is free to install and use over APRS-IS. Connecting a radio and several advanced features are part of APRS Connect Pro, a subscription with a 7-day free trial.

APRS OTA, the on-the-air activity that runs entirely over APRS, has its own screens in the app, so you tap buttons instead of typing bot commands. Hosts go on the air in one tap. Each chaser's call arrives with their message, where they are and a Confirm button. A bar across the top shows QSOs, points and time left, with buttons to stay longer or message every chaser at once. A live map shows you and your chasers and adds up how far your contacts have reached. Chasers get the list of hosts on the air, tap one to call, and watch each step through to the host's QSL. Every op is saved with its map and scores and can be shared as a picture. Chasing works over APRS-IS, free. Hosting needs a radio, as APRS OTA's rules require.

The other services on APRS get the same treatment, a guided screen instead of a command to memorize: weather, the repeater finder, WHO-IS, the SMS, email and Winlink gateways, and APSPOT and APRS2SOTA self-spotting. #APRSThursday and other ANSRVR groups open as a single net room.

On iPhone the app connects to KISS TNCs over Bluetooth LE or TCP. It can also work through a radio's speaker and mic, using the built-in AFSK 1200 audio modem with VOX keying. Radios with a Bluetooth LE KISS TNC built in, such as the BTECH UV-Pro, connect directly.

Several things have been added since the app was first covered here:

• The phone can be an IGate. It passes what your radio hears to APRS-IS and, if you choose, sends messages from the internet back out on the air for stations nearby. It can also be a digipeater that stays quiet when another digipeater has already repeated the packet.
• A coverage map shows the places your beacons were picked up by a digipeater.
• Pinned stations, a grid square screen, and the ISS on the map.
• A setting chooses how messages go out: radio first, APRS-IS first, one link only, or every channel at once.
• An optional account keeps messages, pinned stations and settings the same on every device. When two devices share a callsign and SSID, only one of them beacons, acks and digipeats at a time.
• A "Rest of the world" map layer shows stations heard anywhere on APRS-IS, not only the ones your device heard.
• The app is more accessible for operators who use VoiceOver and TalkBack. Every button has a spoken name, and an open conversation reads new messages aloud.

The newest of these are on iPhone now and reach Android with its next Play release.

More at https://aprsconnect.com, and on APRS OTA in the app at https://aprsconnect.com/ota. Download the App: https://aprsconnect.com/get/89x5bv.

Source: APRS Connect