25 November 2020

• Coast Guard Proposes to Discontinue HF Voice Watchkeeping

  The US Coast Guard has invited comments by January 21, 2021, on a proposal to discontinue HF voice watchkeeping. The proposal appeared on November 20 in the Federal Register. The USCG proposes to cease monitoring 4125, 6215, 8291, and 12,290 kHz, in the contiguous US and Hawaii, due to a lack of activity.

  “We believe this change would have a low impact on the maritime public, as commercial satel...

• Universal Radio Announces Closing

  Ham Radio retailer Universal Radio, headquartered in Worthington, Ohio, is closing its store on November 30, although all existing orders will be filled, and the Universal Radio website will remain open to sell off “remaining stock, publications, and some select products.” Owners Fred Osterman, N8EKU, and Barbara Osterman, KC8VWI, are retiring.

  “I am very fortunate to have been in the radio busi...

• IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Approves Dues Reductions for Member-Societies

  The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2) Executive Committee (EC) approved dues reductions and holidays for member-societies in Region 2 (the Americas). The action came as the R2 EC held its fifth and final virtual meeting of the year on November 18 to complete outstanding business from its three October sessions and to approve the 2021 operating budget.

  “Recognizing that the pan...

• New York City-Long Island Section Manager Re-Elected in Fall Balloting

  New York City-Long Island Section Manager Jim Mezey, W2KFV, has been re-elected in the fall election cycle. Mezey, of Carle Place, received 527 votes to 136 for challenger Donnie Katzovicz, W2BRU. The race for NYC-LI SM was the only contested election. Mezey begins a new 2-year term of office on January 1, 2021. He has served as New York City-Long Island Section Manager since 2013.

  In the West C...

• Former West Virginia Section Manager Ann Rinehart, KA8ZGY, SK
• FEMA Seeking Reserve Telecommunications Operators

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking telecommunications operator reservists to assist in emergency recovery efforts on an intermittent, on-call basis. The deadline to apply is December 8, but FEMA will not take any applications beyond the first 200, which may come sooner than that.

  These FEMA reservist positions seem well suited to radio amateurs. Duties include sending, rec...

• Dayton Hamvention Announces its 2021 Theme — “The Gathering”

  “The Gathering” will be the theme for the 2021 Dayton Hamvention®. Hamvention General Chair Rick Allnutt, WS8G, said the theme reflects what has been missing from our lives most of this year.

  “We have spent the last 6 months being bound to our houses and small groups,” he said. “We are very optimistic that when May arrives, we will be allowed to get together.”

  Allnut, a medical doctor with a mast...

• Still Time to Apply for Foreign Service Information Management Technical Specialists-Radio Positions

  The deadline to apply for US Department of State Foreign Service Information Management Technical Specialists-Radio (IMTS-R) positions is December 1, 2020.

  Foreign Service IMTS-Rs design, install, and maintain radio and telecommunications systems. They provide radio support for presidential, congressional, and other VIP visits. These radio specialists work from a regional location, overseas, or...

• ARRL Announces Director, Vice Director Election Results

  The ARRL Dakota Division will have a new Director, and the Great Lakes and Midwest Divisions will have new Vice Directors on January 1. The results of four contested elections for Director and Vice Director in three ARRL Divisions were announced on November 20, after ballots were tallied at ARRL Headquarters.

  In the Dakota Division, incumbent Matt Holden, K0BBC, lost his re-election bid to chall...

• The K7RA Solar Update

  Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, reports: As solar flux declined over the past week, I noticed less long-distance propagation on 10 meters reported on pskreporter.info from my local grid square, CN87. Propagation on 12 meters was quite strong, however. After 0100 UTC on November 15, transequatorial propagation was evident between East Asia and Australia on 10 meters. 

  Solar activity declined dramaticall...

• ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone Contest is this Weekend!
• Arizona Congresswoman Introduces National Amateur Radio Operators Day Resolution

  US Representative Debbie Lesko of Arizona has introduced a resolution designating April 18, 2021, as National Amateur Radio Operators Day, to recognize the important contributions of amateur radio operators.

  “Amateur radio operators are critical in times of crisis and our communities are safer thanks to their dedication to sharing important information with the public,” Lesko said. She was appr...

• New IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Appointed

  The International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) Executive Committee has appointed Carlos A. Santamaria, CO2JC, as the new Region 2 Emergency Coordinator (EMCOR). He succeeds Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P, who retired after 12 years of service.

  Santamaria has extensive experience serving as Federacion de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC) National Emergency Network coordinator. He oversaw the netwo...

• Damaged Giant Radio Telescope at Arecibo Observatory Deemed Beyond Repair

  The damaged 305-meter radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will be decommissioned due to safety concerns, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on November 19. The iconic dish has served as a backdrop for several science fiction movies. The Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club, KP4AO, is headquartered at the research facility, and several radio amateurs are employed...

• ARRL Seeks Waiver of Proposed FCC Amateur Application Fees

  ARRL has urged the FCC to waive its proposed $50 amateur radio application fee. The Commission proposal was made last month in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking(NPRM) in MD 20-270. The proposal already has drawn more than 3,200 individual comments overwhelmingly opposed to the plan. The fees, directed by Congress and imposed on all FCC-regulated services, are to recover the FCC’s costs of handli...

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25 November 2020

• Australian radio amateurs reminded about respect and basic courtesy
  Communications regulator, the ACMA, has asked Australian radio amateurs not to use threats, abuse or offensive language when contacting staff at the AMC which deals with callsigns
• Was the C-and-G RAE easier than today’s amateur radio exams?
  Essex Ham looks at the old City and Guilds Radio Amateurs Exam and compares it to today's 3-tier system
• Guidelines for operating a multi-station special event
  It's always fun to work a special event where there is more than one callsign, or the same callsign on several bands, required to receive an award. For the award seeker, this brings out the excitement of the chase
• More young radio amateurs in India
  The Bangalore Mirror newspaper reports two 13-year-olds, Smrithi Hegde and Prama Rao, have become the youngest female radio amateurs in India
• RadioShack to be reborn
  The good news is that as of today RadioShack has officially been purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), giving the troubled company a new lease on life
• Israel special event
  Members of the 'Holy land DX Group' will operate from the heart of Tel Beersheba's site between December 25-26th, 2020, using the callsign 4X7T
• RSGB release Board Proceedings for October 17
  The RSGB has released proceedings for the October 17 Board meeting which discussed Amateur Radio Exam Fees
• IOTA News from the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
  Weekly IOTA News - compiled by Andreas, DK5ON of the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club
• QSO Today - Ralph Haller - N4RH
  Ralph Haller, N4RH, started his ham radio journey as a nine year old with a knack for electronics leading to his first amateur license
• 40 MHz in UK 'unlikely'
  The EI7GL blog reports in a response to an informal query, Ofcom indicated to the Royal Society of Great Britain (RSGB) that an allocation at 40 MHz for radio amateurs in the near future was unlikely
• National Amateur Radio Day resolution introduced into Congress
  ARRL reports 12-year-old Raymond, N7KCB, asked Representative Debbie Lesko of Arizona to introduce a resolution into Congress designating April 18, 2021, as National Amateur Radio Operators Day
• LABRE responds to ANATEL's amateur radio consultation
  Brazil's national amateur radio society LABRE has responded to the ANATEL Public Consultation 65 (CP65) that had proposed abolishing amateur radio exams
• Huge new sunspot
  A new sunspot several times wider than Earth is rotating over the sun's eastern limb today. This brings the sunspot count to its highest level in years, and more sunspots appear to be in the offing
• ARRL announces Director, Vice Director election results
  The ARRL Dakota Division will have a new Director, and the Great Lakes and Midwest Divisions will have new Vice Directors on January 1. The results of four contested elections for Director and Vice Director in three ARRL Divisions were announced on November 20, after ballots were tallied at ARRL Headquarters
• EANET Sprint Contest 2020: final results
  The so-called EANET Sprint Contest, for short, was held last November 8 for the tenth time with the record of participants in radio amateur category

25 November 2020

• Congressional Resolution--Help Needed
• Amateur Radio Newsline headlines for Ham Nation. November 25, 2020.
• HR2.0 - Xiegu REVEALS the GSOC Controller for G90 and X5105
• QSO Today Interviews Ralph Haller N4RH
• New Sunspot Several Times Wider Than Earth Rotating Into View
• December YOTA Month activity – DYM 2020
• Emergency Communications with Wade Smith, VK1MIC
• Universal Radio Closing: Retirement
• RF-Kit Earns FCC Amplifier Certification
• NewsWest for Sunday 22nd November 2020 - Anything Goes Edition
• The ARRL Letter, November 19, 2020
• Arecibo Observatory to be Demolished
• ARRL Proposes FCC Waive Amateur Radio Fees
• Hamvention 2021 Theme "The Gathering"
• Inverted L vs Double Bazooka 40 Meters WSPR 24-hours