ARRL Amateur Radio News

Hams Called to Action in Aftermath of China Quake

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:41:00 +0000

On Monday, May 12 at 0628 UTC, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Sichuan, China. According to the Chinese Radio Sports Association, the Chinese IARU Member-Society, the following frequencies are reserved for emergency services involved in the rescue: 14.270, 7.050 and 7.060 MHz.

W1HQ Snake Gets Name, Call Sign

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:22:44 +0000

With more than 400 votes tallied, the W1HQ snake finally has a name. Sean Kutzko, KX9X, president of The Laird Campbell Memorial HQ Operators Club, announced that the snake not only has a name, but a call sign, as well.

ARRL EXPO at Dayton Hamvention®, May 16-18

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Find the latest details about the ARRL EXPO at the Dayton Hamvention, including an activities guide, news, blogs and other event information. If you are coming to Dayton, look for new features in the ARRL EXPO, including the Movie Room! All purchases of $10 or more in the ARRL bookstore will receive a complementary reusable eco-friendly bag; all new and renewing ARRL members will also receive this new bag. If you can't make it to Dayton this year, keep up with all the fun on our live Web blog. Get the latest Hamvention news right here on the ARRL Web site.

No ARRL Audio News on Friday, May 16

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:55:00 +0000

There will be no ARRL Audio News on Friday, May 16; however, The ARRL Letter will be released on that day. ARRL Audio News will return on Friday, May 23.

Ronald A Parise, WA4SIR (SK)

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Ronald A. Parise, PhD, WA4SIR, passed away Friday May 9, 2008 after a very long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 57. Parise flew as a payload specialist on two space shuttle missions: STS-35 on Columbia in December 1990 and STS-67 on the Endeavour in March 1995. These two missions, ASTRO-1 and ASTRO-2 respectively, carried out ultraviolet and x-ray astronomical observations, logging more than 614 hours and 10.6 million miles in space. Parise was one of the first astronomers to operate a telescope from space, making hundreds of observations during the mission. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, said Parise's personal contributions to these two missions provided scientists with "an unprecedented view of our universe, expanding our understanding of the birth, life and death of stars and galaxies."

Leaving on a Jet Plane to Dayton Hamvention®

Fri, 9 May 2008 17:16:00 +0000

"As the song says, 'All our bags are packed and we're ready to go' -- well, almost," said ARRL Hamvention Coordinator Katie Breen, W1KRB. "The ARRL EXPO area is packed up into seven shipping skids and they are in a truck on their way to Dayton. We here at headquarters are not only breathing a huge sigh of relief, but many of us are still wrapping up our individual final details." The Dayton Hamvention® will run from May 16-18 at Hara Arena, just outside Dayton, Ohio.

The K7RA Solar Update

Fri, 9 May 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Again this week, we saw a new, but brief sunspot, sunspot 993. Judging from the polarity of the spot, it looks to be from new Solar Cycle 24; this spot was south of the solar equator, so it has the same polarity as any Cycle 23 spot that was north of the equator. After two days it was gone, not from drifting over the edge of the visible solar disk -- it just disappeared.

Surfin': Destination: Dayton

Fri, 9 May 2008 12:00:00 +0000

This week, discover how you can attend the Dayton Hamvention without trekking to the Gem City.

FCC Looks to Raise Vanity Call Sign Fees

Thu, 8 May 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (NPRM) on May 8 seeking to raise fees for Amateur Radio vanity call signs. Currently, a vanity call sign costs $11.70 and is good for 10 years; the new fee, if the FCC plan goes through, will go up to $12.30 for 10 years, an increase of $.60. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. Instructions on how to comment on this NPRM are available on the FCC Web site.

Colorado Group Receives D-STAR Equipment

Thu, 8 May 2008 12:18:00 +0000

The Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (CCARC) recently teamed up with Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) in Denver to donate a 2 meter, 70 cm and 23 cm D-STAR system stack. According to ARRL Colorado Section Manager and CCARC Board Member Jeff Ryan, K0RM, the two groups hit upon the idea of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Colorado radio amateurs. "The RFP required the D-STAR systems to be installed and maintained on-the-air for five years, after which the winning group would retain ownership of the equipment," Ryan said. "We received three excellent proposals, and on March 21, CCARC and HRO awarded the D-STAR system to the Colorado D-STAR Association, a consortium of Denver area individuals, clubs and ARES groups."

ARRL Audio News: May 9, 2008; Vol 27 Number 18

Fri, 9 May 2008 20:00:56 GMT

ARRL Audio News--OPEN--In this edition . . .; Leaving on a Jet Plane to Dayton Hamvention; Look for the June Issue of QST in Your Mailbox; ARRL Audio News ID--Satellite Update--BREAK; FCC Denies Two Amateur Radio Petitions for Rulemaking; Veteran Wireless Operators Association Honors Two Hams; New NASA Tool Allows Exploration of Ionosphere from Inside; ARRL Audio News--News Briefs--CLOSE