Amateur Radio Daily

Air Force MARS Special Event

Air Force MARS will hold a special event from November 5 to November 11 celebrating 75 years of operation.

12 callsigns will make up the event operating SSB, CW, and digital modes. Certificates will be available.

Source: Air Force MARS open_in_new

Special Event Station Celebrates European DX Foundation

Special event station AX37EUDXF will be active through November 30th to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the European DX Foundation.

Source: RSGB open_in_new

ARISS to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Amateur Radio and Human Spaceflight

40 years ago, [one mission] transformed astronaut communications from space forever, allowing amateur radio operators (hams) and the public to communicate with people in space.

As the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) team approaches the threshold of the 40th anniversary of human spaceflight amateur radio, we would like to gather the volunteer teams, astronauts, space agency officials, educators, and space and amateur radio enthusiasts to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to recognize and celebrate the past forty years of this inspiring, educational, and free service and to share the excitement of what’s to come.

The conference entitled “The Positive Impact of Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight: 40th Anniversary Conference” will be held February 22-24, 2024, at the Center for Space Education: Astronauts Memorial Foundation, located adjacent to the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center.

Source: ARISS open_in_new

ISS SSTV Verification Test October 27 - November 1

The SSTV system in the [International Space Station] Service Module will be activated to attempt to verify a replacement piece of hardware during the period of October 27 until November 1.

Source: AMSAT UK open_in_new

Tennessee Wildfires Disable Amateur Radio Repeaters

Wildfires on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee have destroyed tower site cabling disabling several amateur radio repeater systems as well as a broadcast FM station.

About 250 acres burned earlier this week before being contained by local emergency agencies.

Several repeaters at the High Point Repeater Site run by the Lookout Mountain Amateur Radio Community (N4LMC) have been offline after the cable run between the building and tower were damaged or destroyed. Systems affected include a Wires-X repeater, a 220MHz repeater, and an APRS digipeater & igate.

Areas of Tennessee, including Chattanooga, are currently experiencing severe drought and elevated fire conditions.

Source: WTVC open_in_new

FCC Adds Amateur Radio to November Open Meeting Agenda

In addition to agenda items focusing on increasing access to broadband internet, empowering survivors of domestic violence, and implications of artificial intelligence as it relates to robocalls and robotexts, the FCC also called out amateur radio as an agenda item for its upcoming November Open Meeting:

We’re bolstering amateur radio. We will vote on a proposal to incentivize innovation and experimentation in the amateur radio bands by removing outdated restrictions and providing licensees with the flexibility to use modern digital emissions.

"Outdated restrictions" likely refers to recent discussion and proposed legislation to repeal HF digital symbol rate limits.

Source: FCC open_in_new

ARDC Recruiting for 2024 Committees

Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is seeking applicants to serve on committees for the 2024 term.

ARDC supports amateur radio through grants and the administration of 44Net. Committees seeking applicants include the Grants Advisory Committee, the Technical Advisory Committee, the Conduct Review Committee, and the Grants Evaluation Team.

View more information on the application process.

Source: ARDC open_in_new

Revision of the RST standard for signal reporting

Thanks to Tom Pierce (K8EBR) for submitting this thoughtful proposal for a new signal reporting system.

Source: Tom Pierce K8EBR open_in_new

GigaParts to expand Huntsville Store, Expand Product Lines

GigaParts will be expanding to a new Hunstville location featuring 55,000 square feet of space. In addition to the larger storefront, GigaParts will expand its product lines to include photography, astronomy, general aviation, and maker components for the first time. GigaParts has been a major ham radio equipment supplier in the US for more than 25 years.

More information is available from their official press release (PDF).

Source: GigaParts open_in_new

RaDAR Rally 2023 Accepting Registrations

RaDAR is Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio. The RaDAR Rally adds movement to portable operating with a time constraint.

Objective: Use your ham radio knowledge, portable equipment, and physical skills to challenge yourself during an unforgettable four-hour experience. The four-hour duration creates an urgency that demands optimized equipment and operating strategies.

Learn more about RaDAR Rally.

Source: RaDAR Rally open_in_new