Author: Ken Hawkins

FCC Grants Temporary Waiver to Permit Higher Symbol Rate Data Transmissions for Hurricane Ida Traffic

Sunday, August 29, 2021 The FCC has granted an ARRL emergency request for a temporary waiver intended to facilitate relief communications in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The waiver was orally granted on Saturday, August 28, and immediately permitted amateur data transmissions related to Hurricane Ida traffic to employ a higher symbol rate for data […]

Following Earthquake in Haiti, Radio Amateurs Asked to Keep Frequencies Clear

August 14, 2021 | ARRL In a statement received by ARRL on August 14, 2021, Region 2 of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU-R2) has requested that radio amateurs in the Americas keep the following frequencies clear to support emergency communications in Haiti following an earthquake this morning: 3750 kHz, 7150 kHz and 14330 kHz. […]

First-Time Amateur Radio Exam Applicants Must Obtain FRN Before Taking Exam

Beginning May 20, 2021, all amateur examination applicants will be required to provide an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the Volunteer Examiners (VEs) before taking an amateur exam. This is necessary due to changes the FCC has made to its licensing system. Amateur candidates who already have an FCC license, whether for amateur radio or […]

American Red Cross “Operation Unify” SET is this Saturday, May 8th

There’s a busy weekend (May 8 + 9, 2021) coming up for US amateur radio operators. In addition to the DOD crossband (see previous post) tests on both Saturday and Sunday, there will be a nationwide American Red Cross (ARC) communications exercise on Saturday afternoon. Titled “Operation Unify”, the emcom scenario focuses on response to […]

Cell Tower Attacks by Malign Domestic Groups Reported

Police report that white supremacists are attacking cell phone towers in the United States. According to The Intercept, conspiracy theorists and far-right white supremacist groups are increasingly targeting cellphone towers and other critical infrastructure ‘to incite fear, disrupt essential services, and cause economic damage with the United States and abroad.’ The Hill summarizes the findings: […]

The ARRL International DX Contest Is This Weekend

The ARRL International DX Contest is coming up this weekend 0000Z March 6th until 2400Z March 7th, 2021. You’ll find contest times and full rules through the links at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php#11303 . The HF airwaves will be full of DX stations and they’re aiming their beams at U.S. operators. BTW – Oregon is a sought after […]

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