If you still picture amateur radio as an operator, a microphone, and a wall of analog equipment, this year’s Huntsville Hamfest may change your mind.

Robotics, Arduino programming, digital communications, portable antennas, emergency preparedness, and space technology will share the spotlight with traditional radio gear when Huntsville hosts the 2026 ARRL National Convention from August 21–23.

Looking for the full Forum schedule? See Below!

Known as “The World’s Friendliest Hamfest,” the gathering returns as host of the national convention for the first time since 2007. More than an equipment show, it offers a snapshot of a hobby evolving for a new generation.

Where Radio Meets Rocket Science

The convention begins Friday with three intensive programs: Mini Contest University, an Emergency Communications Academy, and a hands-on portable-antenna workshop.

That evening, attendees can dine beneath a full-size Saturn V rocket at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. It is an ideal setting for a community built around experimentation, exploration, and sending signals across extraordinary distances.

The main hamfest opens August 22 and 23 at Huntsville’s Von Braun Center. Visitors can explore commercial exhibits and flea-market finds, attend technical forums, take amateur-radio license examinations, and meet operators from around the country.

A W1AW America250 special-event station will also be on the air, connecting the gathering with the United States’ 250th-anniversary celebration.

More Than an Analog Hobby

One of the most encouraging parts of the event is its Youth Lounge. Planned activities include robotics, radio direction finding, kit building, 3D printing, Arduino programming, basic electronics, and opportunities for newcomers to get on the air.

That lineup challenges the familiar claim that amateur radio is simply an aging analog pastime. Today’s hobby increasingly overlaps with software, satellites, digital communications, citizen science, and the maker movement.

At the same time, amateur radio’s traditional strengths remain highly relevant. Operators continue to develop practical skills in emergency communications, portable deployment, equipment repair, and communicating without depending entirely on commercial infrastructure.

That combination—old knowledge applied through new technology—may be amateur radio’s greatest strength.

A Preview of What Comes Next

Huntsville will bring two versions of amateur radio together under one roof: the tradition of home-built equipment and worldwide friendships, and a future shaped by computers, resilient communications, portable stations, and hands-on technical education.

For anyone wondering whether ham radio still matters in an always-connected world, the answer may be found in Rocket City. The hobby isn’t standing still. It is adapting a century of radio knowledge to meet the interests and public-service needs of another generation.

Huntsville won’t settle every debate about amateur radio’s future, but it should provide a revealing look at where the hobby is heading.

What would you most like to see emerge from this year’s convention—better portable equipment, new digital tools, stronger emergency capabilities, or more opportunities for young operators?

The ARRL National Convention program begins August 21, followed by the Huntsville Hamfest on August 22–23. Weekend admission is $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

Learn more through the ARRL National Convention overview, the official Huntsville Hamfest website, and the event’s Youth Lounge activities.

Huntsville Hamfest 2026 Forum Schedule – Saturday & Sunday

If you’re heading to the 2026 Huntsville Hamfest, one of the hardest parts may be deciding which forums you want to attend. With presentations covering everything from new radios and antennas to POTA, satellites, DXing, Arduino projects, propagation, balloon experiments, and youth in amateur radio, there’s a lot happening over the weekend.

The Huntsville Hamfest 2026 takes place Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, 2026.

I’ve combined the official Saturday and Sunday forum schedules into one easy-to-reference list below. Saturday features six forum rooms running simultaneously for much of the day. Sunday has a smaller schedule using Rooms 1 and 2.

Whether you’re interested in DXing, POTA, QRP, antennas, satellites, propagation, kit building, emergency communications, or new amateur radio equipment, there’s probably something here worth adding to your Hamfest schedule.

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Hamfest doors open at 9:00 AM.

Time	Forum	Speaker(s)	Room
10 AM	Elecraft Update and Q&A	Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ	Room 1
10 AM	Growing Amateur Radio through Vibrant Radio Clubs	Josh Johnston, KE5MHV & Dr. Lisa Shier, N3WQL	Room 2
10 AM	Creating Fun Projects With The Arduino and Other Microcontrollers	Glen Popiel, KW5GP	Redstone
10 AM	Lightning Research in Huntsville	Monte Bateman, PhD, WB5RZX	Big Spring D
10 AM	ASCTE WX Balloon – Third Try’s a Charm	Chris Brown, PhD, W9SBS	Madison
10 AM	Signals Museum	Bob DePierre, K8KI	Monte Sano
11 AM	DX Engineering New Products & Customer Program Offerings	Tim Duffy, K3LR	Room 1
11 AM	Engaging the Next Generation Radio Amateur	Max Freedman, N4ML	Room 2
11 AM	Kit Building Techniques for Success	Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB	Redstone
11 AM	Lightning Protection for Hams	Monte Bateman, PhD, WB5RZX	Big Spring D
11 AM	BalloonSats	Bill Brown, WB8ELK	Madison
11 AM	GA State Parks on the Air	Claude Ray, AC4SH	Monte Sano
12 PM	Joint MARS Meeting	—	Room 1
12 PM	ARRL AL Section and ARES Meeting	Dennis Littleton, K4DL	Room 2
12 PM	National Weather Service	Robert Boyd, KC5ZJO	Redstone
12 PM	How NOT to Learn Morse Code	Keith Ford, K4KEF & Jerry Poplin, KF4BOE	Big Spring D
12 PM	ARISS	Frank Bauer, KA3HDO; Jim Reed, N4BFR; Tanya Anderson, KD9BQZ	Madison
12 PM	QCWA	Daryl Stout, NK5LA	Monte Sano
1 PM	What’s New at Chameleon Antenna	Steve Krumm, KV4AN	Room 1
1 PM	AL Repeater Council	Grady Evans, W4GLE	Room 2
1 PM	Did Heaviside Delete Maxwell?	Dr. Hans Schantz, KC5VLD	Redstone
1 PM	Using Free Propagation Resources to Make Better Operating Decisions	Martin Buehring, KB4MG	Big Spring D
1 PM	AMSAT Forum	Tim Cunningham, N8DEU	Madison
1 PM	National Amateur Radio Alliance	Mikel Turner, W4OPS	Monte Sano
2 PM	Flex Radio Update	Michael Walker, VA3MW	Room 1
2 PM	ARRL Membership Forum	Mickey Baker, N4MB	Room 2
2 PM	Microwave I	Ben Lowe, K4QF	Redstone
2 PM	DXing 101	Wes Lamboley, W3WL	Big Spring D
2 PM	Meteor Scatter Communication	Dr. Rob Suggs, NN4NT	Madison
2 PM	Hams Over IP	Dr. Gary Pike, KA4KBX	Monte Sano
3 PM	Fox Hunting 101	Joe Domaleski, KI4ASK & Mary Catherine Domaleski, KI4HHI	Room 1
3 PM	Salty Walt’s Portable Antennas	Walt Hudson, K4OGO	Room 2
3 PM	Microwave II	Ben Lowe, K4QF	Redstone
3 PM	There’s More to DXing than DXCC	Jay Slough, K4ZLE	Big Spring D
3 PM	Lunar Mission Updates	Dr. Heidi Haviland, KK6SZW	Madison
3 PM	YOTA Huntsville 2026, a Retrospective	Neil Rapp, WB9VPG	Monte Sano

The official Saturday schedule lists presentations beginning at 10 AM and continuing through 3 PM, followed by the closing ceremony at 4 PM.

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Hamfest doors open at 9:00 AM.

Time	Forum	Speaker(s)	Room
10 AM	YouTube Group Hosted by Jason, Ham Radio 2.0	Jason, Ham Radio 2.0	Room 1
10 AM–2 PM	Adult Soldering 101	Matthew Sager, KI4AJZ; Kevin Hibbs, KG4TEI; Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB; Gary Dion, N4TXI	Room 2
12 PM	POTA	James Mon, KE8PZN	Room 1
1 PM	How Huntsville’s YL Club Started Thriving Again	Dr. Lisa Shier, N3WQL	Room 1

The Sunday schedule shows Adult Soldering 101 occupying Room 2 through the forum portion of the day, while Room 1 hosts the YouTube group, POTA, and YL Club presentations.

Closing Ceremony: 2:00 PM

A Few Forums That Caught My Attention

There’s an impressive variety this year, but several sessions should be particularly interesting for active operators.

Elecraft Update and Q&A kicks things off Saturday morning with Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ. Anyone interested in Elecraft equipment will probably want this one on their schedule.

DX Engineering New Products & Customer Program Offerings follows at 11 AM with Tim Duffy, K3LR. Portable operators have several interesting choices. GA State Parks on the Air is scheduled for Saturday at 11 AM, while Sunday’s schedule includes a dedicated POTA presentation at noon.

Antenna enthusiasts should take a look at What’s New at Chameleon Antenna Saturday at 1 PM and Salty Walt’s Portable Antennas Saturday at 3 PM.

There are also several presentations covering some of the more unusual sides of amateur radio, including BalloonSats, Meteor Scatter Communication, Lunar Mission Updates, ARISS, AMSAT, microwave operation, and amateur radio over IP.

Plan Before You Arrive

Saturday is where some advance planning will really pay off. With as many as six forums occurring at the same time, you’re inevitably going to have to choose between presentations.

I’d recommend going through the schedule before arriving and marking your first and second choices for each hour. That way, if a room is full—or you change your mind—you already know where you’re headed next.

Sunday is much easier to navigate, with the forum activity concentrated into two rooms.

Most importantly, leave some time between forums to actually enjoy the Hamfest. Half the fun is walking the floor, checking out equipment, meeting other operators, finding that piece of gear you didn’t know you needed, and finally putting faces to some of the callsigns you’ve heard on the air.

73 KE2YK