Author: Ken Hawkins

On September 14th, in what could be a game changer, it’s believed that Apple will announce its’ new iPhone 13 with satellite technology support for sending messages in emergency situations, and possibly, the potential of bringing cellular service to rural America. Stay tuned…

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 […]

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. […]

FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this month. The national test will consist of two segments, to test EAS and WEA. Both tests are set to begin at 1820 UTC on Wednesday, August 11. The WEA portion of the […]

An IARU post writes that “Woodsat” will have several amateur radio experiments on board as well as photo downlinking, as well as yes – a selfie stick. Here’s the story from the U.K.’s “Independent” newspaper… https://tinyurl.com/285bvb96

If you’ve been in amateur radio in Portland no – Oregon um – the USA – maybe the world, you know the callsign N6TR. Larry Tyree or “Tree” as he’s affectionately known is recognized as a tech guru, a tower builder and a serious (WRTC type) contester. But all that aside, the reason we really […]

Field Day 2021 is right around the corner. This year’s dates are June 26th + 27th and thats a mere six weeks away. For all things you’ve ever wanted to know about Field Day 2021 – and more – we’ve attached a PDF here…

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 […]

The US Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test, Friday and Saturday, May 7-8, in recognition of Armed Forces Day on May 15. The event is open to all radio amateurs. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this exercise, designed to include […]

The 2021 Comm Academy is one for the books but if you missed it, not to worry! The entire event has been archived and is available on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/scvfctaz . There you can subscribe to stay up to date on extra content, future videos and have the ability to browse the archives of previous […]

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 QSO Today “Virtual Ham Expo” takes place this weekend and if you register now you can save with the Early Bird Discount. The Early Bird cost is only $10 (ends March 11th) and “at the door” the cost is only $12.50. Registration at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/tickets.html#!/~/

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 […]