 25 Jan 2012 at 10:00pm
The Chibis-M microsatellite, also known as RS-39 (RadioSputnik 39), was jettisoned from the Progress M-13M cargo spacecraft Tuesday evening (UTC). The satellite is designed to study atmospheric phenomena such as Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) associated with lightning. RS-39 has CW beacons on 435.315 and 435.215 MHz and amateurs are asked to submit reception reports via email to the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences at amateur-rs39@chibis.cosmos.ru. Each report will be acknowledged with a special QSL. The CW telemetry format is available here. Telemetry decoding software written by Mike Rupprecht, DK3WN, can be downloaded here.
25 Jan 2012 at 10:00pm
Strong winds and tornadoes moved through Arkansas and Alabama on Sunday, January 22. In response to the storms, the National Weather Service office in Little Rock activated Arkansas SYWARN the same afternoon, while ARES® members were activated in parts of Alabama.
25 Jan 2012 at 10:00pm
The FCC fined Robenson Thermitus $10,000 for operating an unlicensed radio transmitter on 98.7 MHz in Miami.
Following up on a complaint in July 2011, Miami Enforcement Bureau agents traced the unauthorized signal to an FM transmitting antenna mounted in a tree.
25 Jan 2012 at 10:01pm
On January 24, the FCC issued an Order that denied a waiver request from the Anchorage VEC, one of 14 Volunteer Examiner Coordinators in the US. In its July 2011 Waiver Request, the Anchorage VEC asked the Commission to permit individuals who have previously held an Amateur Radio license grant issued by the Commission -- but which has expired and is beyond the two year grace period for renewal -- to receive credit for elements previously passed, and thus a new license grant, without additional examination.
25 Jan 2012 at 10:00pm
The full line of high performance HF, VHF and UHF amateur radio antennas from fast-growing British company InnovAntennas are now available to customers across the United States via Hamilton, Ohio’s R&L Electronics.
25 Jan 2012 at 10:00pm
The February issue of the UK magazine Radiouser features a
5-page article on the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle (FCD) VHF/UHF Software Defined Radio written by Mike Richards G4WNC.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
DX Engineering’s new ATSA-1 Stealth Antenna System allows Amateur Radio operators living in antenna-restricted neighborhoods to get on the air easily. The short, nearly invisible 26-foot wire can cover all bands 40 meters and up. Using a 45-foot wire will extend coverage to 80 meters. This complete system includes a tuning unit, ATSA MatchBoxx, stainless steel radial plate, antenna wire, bias tee, 2 insulators, radial wire, and all hardware.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
At CES, the FCC signaled that it opposed any effort by Congress to give the FCC policy direction or to establish any checks and balances on the FCC in authorizing incentive auctions of prime TV broadcast spectrum. The FCC’s lack of regulatory humility here is stunning.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Northwest Tennessee Disaster Services recently announced statistics on family assistance for the 2011 calendar year, with representatives of the organization wishing to thank their many supporters from the Dyersburg community.
"We are excited to start a new relationship with our local Ham Radio operators," said Rob Adcock in a recent press release. "We hope to form a stronger partnership with local resources to excel disaster response."
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
The Mississippi Coast Amateur Radio Association celebrated its 40th anniversary Saturday with demonstrations at Edgewater Mall.
The organization, which is part of the Amateur Radio Relay League, has more than 60 members who use their radios to communicate with people on every continent.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Buffalo County’s longtime ham radio operator and emergency coordinator has retired.
Danny Baer said he got the greatest sense of satisfaction from helping people.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Cuban amateur radio service regulations have been modified to provide the use of segments of the 80 and 40 meter ham bands to the third class operators license holders, that before these new rules could only operate on segments of the 160 and 2 meter bands.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Radio hams were among those protesting on Wednesday against the SOPA and PIPA legislation in the US Congress and Senate.
The amateur radio HF Link forum shut down for the day and the APRS site http://aprs.fi/ closed in the U.S. on Wednesday.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
They are amateur radio operators who use radio frequency to connect with people. They do this to make friends, conduct experiments as well as to establish communication during a calamity. These hobbyists call themselves Hams and are a significant line of communication, especially when other lines go down.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Mild-mannered community activist Albert Knighten found himself in handcuffs last month when police and federal agents raided his home and shut down a pirate radio station he operated out of a spare bedroom. Supporters say his bare-bones operation filled an important niche in a predominantly black section of Fort Myers, a community whose residents often feel overlooked and underserved by commercial radio.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Although mostly obsolete, the vacuum tube still has its adherents among audiophiles, test-instrument collectors, amateur-radio fans, and those curious about the physics of active devices. Given that a family of characteristic curves is worth a thousand data points, being able to view a device’s behavior enhances a small laboratory’s capability.
25 Jan 2012 at 3:35pm
Members of the Bittern DX amateur radio group set up antennae and aerials at Sheringham’s lifeboat station for a sponsored 36-hour broadcast, in aid of the rescue charity’s SOS campaign - its biggest national fundraising event.
14 Jan 2012 at 1:45pm
IBEC -- one of the very few remaining operators of Access BPL systems -- has announced that it is closing down. In an undated announcement that appeared on the IBEC website, the company announced that it has "no other option than to close our doors and cease operations." IBEC claims that it cannot recover financially from the April 2011 tornadoes in Alabama that "ravished some of our major service areas." IBEC provided Internet service via broadband over power lines (BPL) to rural communities.
14 Jan 2012 at 1:45pm
The FCC released a Public Notice on January 6, reminding land mobile licensees, frequency coordinators and equipment manufacturers that they have less than one year to transition to narrowband operations in the 150-174 and 421-512 MHz bands. While the latter frequency range includes amateur service allocations, radio amateurs are not affected by the narrowbanding requirement.
14 Jan 2012 at 1:45pm
According to previews, the plot of the movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island -- set to be released February 10 -- hinges on Amateur Radio. The movie’s hero Sean Anderson (played by Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal that comes from a mysterious island where no island should exist. Sean decides to follow the signal with the unwilling assistance from his stepfather Hank (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).
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