News Articles

RSGB: Spectrum Release:
by RSGB on May 21, 2013
The 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands are the focus of the Public Sector Spectrum Release -- where government managed spectrum holdings are released/auctioned to the commercial sector, typically for wireless broadband.

Solar Activity on the Rise:
by theboar.org on May 20, 2013
Faraway as it is, anyone could mistake the Sun for a smooth, uniform, boring ball of gas but the reality could not be more different. Earlier this week, in the space of two days, the Sun emitted four massive blasts of radiation with Tuesday’s solar flare being the strongest of the year so far. The Sun’s activity changes in intensity periodically, with its main cycle taking an average of eleven years to complete. The present cycle, cycle 24, started in 2008 and is expected to peak later this year. This increase in solar activity leads to an increase in a number of a variety of solar phenomena, such as sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Solar flares are extremely strong bursts of energy that occur when energy stored in the magnetic fields of the Sun’s atmosphere is suddenly released. A related phenomenon, coronal mass ejections are massive eruptions in the solar atmosphere that release millions of tonnes of solar material into space. Flares can fall into one of five categories: A, B, C, M, or X, each category ten times stronger than the one before, with X-class flares being the strongest. Additionally, each category, except X-class, is further divided into nine subcategories, from 1 to 9. The most intense flare ever recorded went as high as X28. This week’s flares ranged in intensity from X1 to X3.2.

Israeli Amateurs on 5 MHz:
by RSGB on May 19, 2013
The Israeli radio regulator has decided to grant 5 MHz temporary permissions on an individual application basis. Eight channels are available to General and Extra Class license holders.

WIA Submission to ACMA on High Power Trial:
by WIA on May 18, 2013
The WIA has lodged a submission to the ACMA concerning the High Power Trial. The WIA submission is based on responses received from trial participants following a call for information, and also on its own observations. The WIA's submission (below) notes that the trial appears to have gone very well, with licensees generally having a sound understanding of the self-assessment process and the use of EMR assessment tools. The WIA also notes that it is not aware of any incidences of interference to other spectrum users, or an increase in interference to other Radio Amateurs, or an increase in the noise floor on affected amateur bands. Many responders noted that the advantage of the higher power was most evident in contesting, when many stations are calling on the same frequency and all at once, and the relatively small 3-4 decibel increase in radiated power (from 400W pX to 1kW pX) can make all the difference in being heard.

Peter Brown, VK4PJ (SK):
by WIA on May 18, 2013
Peter Brown became a silent key on the 8th of May 2013 - He had only recently chalked up the century - he was 100 years old. Peter was a WIA stalwart, being the national contest manager during the 70~80s. He was behind the introduction of the WIA Contest Trophy, one that was before its time - these days with results of contests able to be produced much more quickly the trophy has been reintroduced in 2012/13 a fitting tribute to his love of the hobby. The trophy bears his name and callsign and will be awarded at the WIA AGM in Perth this year after an absence of some 25 years. It is believed by his friends that Peter was first licensed in the early 1950’s. There is evidence that he was issued with Amateur Radio licence QA.244 on 12 May 1963 so we can say with some certainty that he has been licensed for well over 50 years.

Region Tunes in to Hamvention:
by wdtn.com on May 18, 2013
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Nearly 25,000 amateur radio operators from around the world are expected at the 62nd Annual Dayton Hamvention May 17-19 at the Hara Complex.

Smartphone Satellites Snap Some Amazing Photos:
by science.nbcnews.com on May 18, 2013
Three consumer smartphones that were sent into orbit around Earth last month snapped some incredible photos of our planet from space. The images were snitched together as part of NASA's PhoneSat initiative, which aims to show how existing technology could be incorporated into powerful low-cost satellites. Named Alexander, Graham and Bell, the trio of tiny cube-shaped PhoneSats was launched into orbit during the inaugural test flight of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket on April 21. Each PhoneSat had a smartphone for a brain. Alexander and Graham — both PhoneSat 1.0s — were battery-powered and carried a Nexus One smartphone running Goggle's Android operating system. Bell was a more advanced PhoneSat 2.0, built around a Nexus S smartphone running on Android. The nanosatellite was also outfitted with solar panels and a two-way radio that allowed engineers to control the satellite from the ground. What's perhaps most remarkable is that they were cheap. The three PhoneSats cost just $3,500 to $7,000 each; most satellites can cost upwards of $1 million. As part of this demonstration, the smarthphones' cameras captured photos of Earth and converted them into image-data "packets" to be beamed back on the amateur radio spectrum. These packets were then decoded and put together by the PhoneSat team and amateur ham radio operators.

Fallout from Huge Solar Flare to Sideswipe Earth:
by science.nbcnews.com on May 18, 2013
A huge explosion on the sun will deal Earth a glancing blow Friday but should not pose a threat to the planet, scientists say. The sun storm erupted late Tuesday during a powerful solar flare -- the fourth unleashed by a single sunspot in just 48 hours -- and hurled a massive cloud of charged particles out into space at millions of miles an hour. Such eruptions -- known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs -- can wreak havoc if they hit Earth squarely, temporarily disrupting GPS navigation, satellite communications and power grids. But this one isn't aimed directly at us, so there's no cause for alarm, experts say.

Propagation Forecast Bulletin #20 de K7RA:
by W1AW Bulletin via the ARRL on May 17, 2013
This is, after all, the peak of the current solar cycle, or close to it, so no surprise that solar indices are up. But based on past solar cycles, many of us expected more. The latest forecast predicts a peak for this cycle in Fall 2013, but of course that will be determined afterward, and based on a long running average of sunspot numbers. So don't miss this one. Don't wait until a year after the peak, then lament not being on back when. Today may have the best Spring propagation for a long time.

CQ Announces 2013 Hall of Fame Inductees:
by CQ Communications on May 17, 2013
(Dayton, OH - May 17, 2013) -- CQ magazine today announced its 2013 Hall of Fame inductees, adding two members each to the CQ DX and Contest Halls of Fame along with eight new members of the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.

Hams Improve Emergency Communications:
by belleplaineherald.com on May 17, 2013
Emergency communications in and out of Green Isle and throughout the area were recently improved thanks to the efforts of area ham radio operators. A group of ham radio operators recently installed a low-voltage ham radio UHF repeater atop the Green Isle municipal water tower, 135 feet off the ground. The new repeater will provide and repeat a signal. It will serve Sibley, western Carver, northern Nicollet, northern Le Sueur and western Scott counties. It fills in a “communications black hole,” said Green Isle resident Don Burgess, a ham radio operator and member of the Sibley County Skywarn team. Ham radio signals operate at a different level than the 800-megahertz signal police, firefighters and paramedics use, Burgess said. The repeater can be used for communications in the event of an emergency during events like Belle Plaine’s Scenic Byway Half-Marathon, Bar-B-Que Days and other area events. If a storm knocks out electricity to the area, solar-powered backup batteries will keep the repeater working, Burgess said. He said the need for a repeater in eastern Sibley County came to light in the summer of 2010 when many tornados and frequent severe weather plagued the region and state. Burgess recalled a baseball tournament at Irish Yard in Green Isle where severe weather sent fans scurrying for cover in the Green Isle Community Center.

ARNewsline Report 1866 -- May 17 2013:
by Bill Pasternak (WA6ITF) on May 17, 2013
The following is a Q-S-T. Hamvention 2013 is here; D-Star and kids become an important part of Hamvention; Russian Radar invades 80 meters; a California ham seeks signatures for petition on public warning legislation; the Hurricane Watch Net says it could use more Net Control Stations; registrations for International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend ramp up and the tale of some newly developed self healing integrated circuit chips. All this and more on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1866 coming your way right now.

DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #20:
by W1AW Bulletin via the ARRL on May 16, 2013
This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by CS5CRE, F5TRO, NC1L, The Weekly DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

Duluth Children's Museum Plans a Call to Space Station:
by duluthnewstribune.com on May 15, 2013
Sometime later this year, Twin Ports kids will be placing a long-distance call. A very long distance. The Duluth Children’s Museum on Saturday announced details of its plans for amateur radio contact with the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The 10-minute live forum will connect participants at the museum with the crew members 250 miles above the Earth’s surface. It’s made possible by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, a venture by NASA and other international space agencies to coordinate radio contacts between the space station and educational organizations. The museum’s Rich Jaworski said it’s a little unusual for a museum to be approved for a space station call. “It is mostly geared toward schools,” Jaworski said. “We figured we are an informal hands-on learning organization. We deal with a lot of students in the Twin Ports region.” The museum will have a series of workshops, special events and camps this summer leading up to the event, which probably will happen sometime this fall, Jaworski said. They’ll learn the approximate date of the contact about six to eight weeks in advance and the exact date only about a week ahead of time, he said. They’ll have to be prepared whether it’s a school day or not.

Ole Virginia Hams to Host Northern Virginia’s Largest Hamfest:
by potomaclocal.com on May 15, 2013
MANASSAS, Va. -- Hundreds of Amateur Radio Operators from across Virginia, Maryland and the DC area will come to Manassas to participate in the 39th Annual Manassas Hamfest, which is being sponsored by the Ole Virginia Hams Amateur Radio Club, Inc. The Ole Virginia Hams (OVH) Amateur Radio Club, Inc. will sponsor the 39th Annual, American Radio Relay League sanctioned, Manassas Hamfest on June 9 at 7 a.m. Amateur Radio Operators, also known as “Hams”, from around the National Capital Region will come together to share in tailgating (the buying, selling, and trading of used amateur radio equipment) on the Prince William County Fairgrounds. A number of special events and forums are also planned during the Hamfest, to include: A youth lounge for the younger Hams to meet; forums on DSTAR, the National Traffic System (NTS), and Amateur Satellite; Fleet Watch; and the Civil Air Patrol HF Truck. The Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club VE Team will be hosting a testing session for people who want to become an FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operator, starting at 8:30 a.m. While this is a social event for the ham community, we also are trying to increase our operating knowledge and promote Amateur Radio to the general public. This is a good opportunity to investigate this exciting hobby, and learn the many ways we have expanded beyond the “radio of old”.