Cool New Dualband Rig

I picked up a new rig the other day. It is a dualband handheld radio that supports the latest digital formats. It has a number of innovative features that are not very common in ham radio equipment. The text messaging feature allows you to send simple ASCII messages to other radio users. The built-in MP3 … Read more

Work All Colorado on VHF

The ARRL June VHF QSO Party is next weekend June 9-11. Complete rules are at http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/june-vhf.html The Rocky Mt VHF Plus group is doing a number of things to promote VHF activity during the June VHF QSO Party this year. Since parts of Colorado have more cows than ham operators, we often have grids that … Read more

ARRL Files Appeal of FCC BPL Rules in Federal Court

The ARRL has taken the next step on challenging the FCC’s sloppy rule making concerning Broadband over Power Line (BPL): NEWINGTON, CT, May 24, 2007 — The ARRL has filed a federal appeals court brief outlining its case and requesting oral arguments in its petition for review of the FCC’s broadband over power line (BPL) … Read more

Bill McArthur KC5ACR at Dayton Hamvention®

I had previously reported that Bill McArthur KC5ACR was very active on 2M FM from the International Space Station (ISS) using the ISS callsign NA1SS. Bill took up the challenge of completing WAS and WAC (and accomplished it). The high point for me was working NA1SS on Dec 5, 2005. Bill was at the Dayton … Read more

Regulation by Bandwidth Goes Down in Flames

The ARRL has withdrawn the petition to the FCC which calls for “Regulation by Bandwidth” (RM-11306) in the Amateur Radio Service. NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 27, 2007 — The ARRL has announced it’s withdrawing its controversial November 2005 Petition for Rule Making (RM-11306) calling on the FCC to establish a regulatory regime to segment bands by … Read more

The Great Colorado Grid Run

The ARRL June VHF QSO Party (June 9-11) is a great opportunity to try out your gear for the VHF and higher bands. See the complete information on the contest here. Under the theory that activity breeds more activity on the VHF bands, I am proposing a coordinated effort to activate all Colorado grids during … Read more