ARRL

An FCC Report and Order (R&O) released August 2 in the so-called “small satellite” rulemaking proceeding, IB Docket 18-86, failed to address concerns expressed by ARRL and AMSAT. Both organizations filed comments on the FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the proceeding last year, seeking changes in the FCCs interpretations and procedures affecting satellites operating on Amateur Satell...

No sunspots were visible over the recent reporting week, Thursday through Wednesday, August 8 through 14.

According to Spaceweather.com, 67% of the days so far in 2019 have been spotless, and for all of 2018 it was 61%. In the previous solar minimum in 2008 and 2009 the spotless days ran 73% and 71%, respectively.

Solar flux has been minimal and unremarkable, with average daily solar flux changin...

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau and its Office of Economics and Analytics have sent a report to Congress that recommends that the Commission considers designating 988 as a three-digit emergency code for a nationwide suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. The report, mandated by the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018, finds that such a three-digit number “would ...

The Chinese DSLWP-B (LO-94) satellite that had been in lunar orbit provided a profile of Earth’s HF spectrum as seen from the moon. The microsatellite subsequently was crashed into the moon’s surface after having completed its mission. DSLWP stands for “Discovering the Sky at Longest Wavelengths Pathfinder.” Among other things, DSLWP-B was designed to test low-frequency radio astronomy and spac...

The Governing Council of India's Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) has conferred its Honorary Fellowship on noted researcher Ulrich Rohde, N1UL. The IETE is a prominent professional society in the field of electronics, telecommunication computer science/engineering, broadcasting, information technology, and related areas.

The Honorary Fellowship is accorded to an ...

Amateur Radio operations at some 400 lighthouses and lightships will commence on August 17 as the 22nd International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) activity gets under way. Germany and the US lead the field in registered operations.

New this year is the US Virgin Islands’ Buck Island Lighthouse, built by the Danish government shortly Denmark sold the islands to the US in 1917, and they beca...

The Nashua (New Hampshire) Area Radio Society (NARS) will conduct a free Ham Bootcamp at the ARRL New England Division Convention next month to encourage and assist new and inexperienced radio amateurs in becoming more active and engaged in the various facets of ham radio. NARS, the Dayton Hamvention® Club of the Year for 2019, operated a guest exhibit for ARRL at this year’s show. It will also...

The results of the 19th USA ARDF Championships and 10th IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships in Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) are now in the record books. The joint event was held earlier this month in North Carolina. Results from these championships will factor into the equation to determine the makeup of ARDF Team USA at the 20th ARDF World Championships, set for September 2020 in Serbia...

Applications for the 2020 ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program will be accepted between September 1 and December 31, 2019. All applicants must be FCC-licensed radio amateurs, and many scholarships have other specific requirements, such as intended area of study, residence within a particular ARRL Division, Section or state, and license class. Applicants should review the scholarships and check o...

The 9th annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) Summer Camp opened over the weekend with pomp, circumstance, and celebratory dancing. This year’s Summer Camp is taking place in Bankya, Bulgaria, under the sponsorship of the Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA), Bulgaria’s International Amateur Radio Union member-society. After welcoming words from BFRA and IARU Region 1 representatives, th...

The FCC this week issued a $39,278 Forfeiture Order against Ocean Hinson of Surry County, North Carolina, for intentional misuse of a local public safety radio communications network, in violation of §301 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

“Mr. Hinson impersonated first responders in unauthorized radio communications on Surry County’s licensed public safety frequency,” the FCC said. ...

Les W. Barclay, G3HTF, of Chelmsford, England, a radio wave propagation expert and academic who was well known in International Telecommunication Union (ITU) circles, died on July 31. He was 85.

“Les was Chairman of ITU-R Working Party 3L from 2012 until 2016, and provided key input into the technical discussions for World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 that resulted in the international 60-...

The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) has announced receipt of a $25,000 donation from contester Charles “Chick” Allen, NW3Y, of Seaford, Delaware. His contribution will be used at the discretion of the WWROF Board of Directors to promote and enhance youth involvement in contesting, WWROF said in announcing the contribution.

“It is truly an honor to work with WWROF by providing suppo...