ARRL

In ex parte comments filed on September 17 in WT Docket 16-239, ARRL renewed its request that the FCC delete symbol-rate limits for data transmissions in the Amateur Service rules. As it did in its initial filing, ARRL asked the FCC to couple the removal of the symbol rate limits with the adoption of a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit. In response to a 2013 ARRL Petition for Rulemaking (RM-11708), the F...

HamSCI and the Case Amateur Radio Club of Case Western Reserve University (W8EDU) will sponsor a “Festival of Frequency Measurement” on WWV’s centennial, October 1, from 0000 to 2359 UTC (starting on Monday evening, September 30, in the Americas). The event invites radio amateurs, short-wave listeners, and others capable of making high-quality frequency measurements on HF to participate and pub...

The Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club (MDARC) Disaster Recovery Program for the 2018 Carr and Camp Fires has made a $1,000 grant to the California Amateur Radio Linking Association (CARLA) toward the cost of rebuilding one of its destroyed sites. The CARLA network of repeaters provides coverage across California and Western Nevada to provide reliable communication during significant local, region...

The Taurus-1 (Jinniuzuo-1) CubeSat carrying an Amateur Radio FM-to-Codec-2 transponder was launched on September 12 from China’s Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The CubeSat was developed by Aerospace System Engineering Research Institute of Shanghai for youth education and Amateur Radio. The transponder is similar to that used on the LilacSat-1 (LO-90) CubeSat and can use the same software, on...

Well-known Canadian radio amateur J Allen, VY1JA, of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, has announced that he’s retiring from ham radio, citing long-term health issues and hearing loss. The familiar VY1JA call sign also has been retired. Allen will begin dismantling his station and antennas as early as this weekend. His last contact was with KA4UPI on September 14. He has uploaded his logs to Logbook...

Radio World reports that the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) has resumed testing digital radio broadcasting on the 80-meter amateur band after a 2-year absence. North Korea is transmitting with the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) protocol. The latest transmissions on 3.560 MHz began in mid-August.

“It appears unclear at this time, however, whether the current series of transmiss...

Starting on Monday, September 16, WWV and WWVH will broadcast a US Department of Defense message to mark the centennial of WWV and to announce the WW0WWV special event from September 28 until October 2 at the WWV transmitter site near Fort Collins, Colorado. The DoD message transmissions will air until October 1.

Kevin Utter, N7GES, a member of the WW0WWV Centennial Committee, recorded the audio...

Listen to the new episode of ARRL Audio News on your iOS or Android podcast app, or online at http://www.blubrry.com/arrlaudionews/. Audio News is also retransmitted on a number of FM repeaters. Click here and then scroll down to see the list.

[UPDATED: 2019-09-17 @ 1450 UTC to provide additional detail and clarity.] Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has announced what’s being called “a very generous grant” to Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) to help fund its next-generation Interoperable Radio System (IORS) and associated infrastructure improvements and enhancements. ARISS said the IORS will replace...

No sunspots this week. Average daily sunspot numbers declined from 3.4 to zero. At the same time, average daily solar flux rose from 67.4 to 69.4.

Geomagnetic activity quieted, with average daily planetary A index declining from 19.9 to 8.9, while average daily mid-latitude A index went from 16.7 to 7.7.

Predicted solar flux is 68 on September 13-22, 69 on September 23 through October 5, 68 on Oc...

The FCC is asking for public comments on procedural changes that, if adopted, would streamline many administrative hearings under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.

“Currently, these hearings typically are conducted like trials in civil litigation and include, among other things, live testimony before an administrative law judge, cross-examination of witnesses, and an initial decision b...

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has announced that nine schools and organizations have been selected to host Amateur Radio contacts with International Space Station crew members during the first half of 2020. The selected host organizations must now complete equipment plans that demonstrate their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once a plan is approved, the fin...

Tim Duffy, K3LR, reports that after checking out available facilities in the Dayton/Xenia area to host contest-related activities during the 2020 Dayton Hamvention®, the contester Super Suites will remain at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Dayton.

“Local authorities have given assurances that there will be improvements during our stay for 2020,” Duffy said, noting that hotel security issues have be...

ARRL and International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) President Emeritus Larry E. Price, W4RA, of Statesboro, Georgia, died on September 10. An ARRL Life Member, he was 85.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was first licensed as WN5TIA at age 16 and subsequently held several other call signs before becoming W4RA. After earning BSEE, MBA, and PhD degrees, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenan...

The Amateur Radio Newsline Amateur Radio Club, WA6ITF, has adopted the call sign of Newsline cofounder Bill Pasternak, who died in 2015. Pasternak was a familiar voice in Amateur Radio news media, and a frequent presence at hamfests and conventions. He and Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP, established the Amateur Radio Newsline™(initially The Westlink Report) ham radio newscast. Pasternak served as Newsl...

The FCC is seeking comment on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that is part of an overall plan to transition completely to electronic filing, licenses, authorizations, and correspondence. The notice proposes to make all filings to the Universal Licensing System (ULS) completely electronic, expand electronic filing and correspondence elements for related systems, and require applicants to ...