eHam.net News

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Radio Club Offers Incentive To Residents To Become Licensed Operators:

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 05:03 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37623


A local club is hoping to encourage amateurs to become licensed radio
operators by offering an incentive. The Livingston County Amateur Radio
Klub, or LARK, is giving away a new Dual Band radio to anyone who
successfully passes their exam to become a licensed radio operator. LARK
Technical Director, Les Butler, says "being an amateur radio operator is a
fun and very rewarding hobby". Amateur Technician Class licenses are issued
by the Federal Communications Commission. With that type of licenses,
operators can communicate with others that are hundreds of miles away.
Butler says those FM communications can even reach astronauts at the
International Space Station.


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Review of the Australian Radiofrequency Spectrum Plan:

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 05:03 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37622


The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has opened
consultation on its proposed update of the Australian Radiofrequency
Spectrum Plan. The ACMA announced it on its website on 22 September 2016.
The Authority has issued a discussion paper and related documents,
referring directly to possible changes, and invites submissions before 24
October 2016. The Spectrum Plan includes a table of frequency allocations
from 8.3 kHz through to 420 terahertz (THz) that divides up the spectrum to
show the general purpose of each band, to which services they are
allocated, and associated footnotes relevant to particular allocations. It
was last reviewed in 2013. The Spectrum Plan reflects Australia's treaty
obligations following the International Telecommunications Union's World
Radiocommunications Conference in late 2015. The ACMA acknowledges that
Australia was a signatory to the decisions of that ITU conference, was
working with those affected domestically, but due to various factors, all
foreshadowed changes may not occur by the end of 2016.


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WIA: Amateur Reciprocal Qualifications Review:

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 05:02 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37621


The Australian Communications and Media Authority has reset the
qualification equivalency of the US Technician Licence for new applications
to that of the entry level Australian Foundation Licence. The majority of
submissions to the ACMA inquiry fully agreed that the Foundation Licence
was the most appropriate for reciprocal licensing purposes. Before the
review it was set at the highest Advance Licence. The ACMA said a report
prepared by the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) indicated that the US
Technician Class Licence was no longer equivalent to the Advanced Licence.
The WIA sought to lower the level of reciprocity to the Foundation Licence.
It also reflected the ACMA's confirmation by independent inquiry that the
basis on which the US Technician Class Licence was conferred had changed
over time. The ACMA review asked: Do you support the ACMA and the WIA's
stance that the US Technician Class licence is no longer equivalent to the
Advanced Licence and that the Foundation Licence is the most appropriate
for reciprocal licensing purposes? A total of 23 submissions received, 15
agreed, seven disagreed and one neither agreed nor disagreed with the
proposal.


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Geomagnetic Blitz of September 1941:

Posted: 26 Sep 2016 11:03 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37620


Seventy-five years ago, a massive geomagnetic
storm disrupted electrical power, interrupted
radio broadcasts, and illuminated the night sky
in a World War II battle theater.