CQ Amateur Radio

JUNE DEN HELDER, NETHERLANDS–Dutch Navy Radio Amateur Club (MARAC) will hold the Museum Ship Weekend on Saturday, June 3 on the Abraham Crijnssen, moored off the Navy Museum at Hoofdgracht 3, 1781 AA. Contact: Willem Van Essen, PA3CNI. Email: <pa3cni@hotmail.com>. Website: <http://www.marac-radio.nl/>. HILTON, NEW YORK–The Rochester Amateur Radio Association will hold the Rochester Hamfest 2023 on Saturday, June 3 at the Hilton Exempt Club137 South Ave. Contact: Tim Guyot, KB1POP. Email: <timguyot@gmail.com>. Phone: (585) 210-8910. Website: <https://rochesterham.org>. HUDSONVILLE, MICHIGAN–The Independent Repeater Association will hold the IRA Hudsonville Hamfest from 8:00 a.m. to noon., Saturday, June 3 at Hudsonville Fairgrounds 5235 Park Ave. Contact: Tom Bosscher, K8TB. Email: <hamfest@w8ira.org>. Phone: (616) 209-9296. Website: <http://www.w8ira.org >. Free VE testing. MANASSAS PARK, VIRGINIA–The W4OVH Ole Virginia Hams will hold the W4OVH Ole Virginia Tailgate from 8:00 a.m.…

New RF Exposure Rules Take Full Effect–Station Evaluations Required The FCC’s latest rules on RF exposure evaluations, which were announced two years ago, took full effect this May, meaning that all amateurs must now conduct evaluations of their current stations and do it again anytime there is a change that might affect RF exposure measurements. The ARRL has online tools available to help with making assessments. According to the ARRL Letter, its RF exposure landing page at <www.arrl.org/rf-exposure> offers a variety of resources, including an RF exposure calculator into which you can enter information about your station and your operating practices to see if you are in compliance. The Letter notes that these resources are available to all, regardless of ARRL membership. FCC Looks for Input on 60 Meters The FCC is asking…

Sixty Meters, DXCC and More I’ve got a few things floating around my brain this month, none of which can (or should) fill up a whole page, so we’ll just make a quick visit to each of them, trying not to get lost while navigating the vast empty spaces in between … Sixty Meters The FCC is in somewhat of a quandary about the amateur allocation on the 60-meter (5-MHz) band. As you are probably aware, 60 meters is unique among ham bands in that it is channelized, with five distinct channels available on a secondary basis as long as we don’t interfere with the primary (mostly federal government) users. For the record, there have been zero documented reports of interference since the band became available for hams 20 years ago. Hams in…

The same scientists who correctly predicted that Solar Cycle 25 would be a strong one (as opposed to the virtual repeat of Cycle 24 predicted by the “official” prognosticators) are now suggesting that the cycle may reach an early peak–later this year or the first half of next year–rather than the official prediction of a peak in 2025.1 In a paper published in the January 2023 issue of Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences,2 solar physicists Scott McIntosh, Robert Leamon, and Ricky Egeland also predict a peak sunspot number between 121 and 247 (with 95% confidence) or more likely between 167 and 201 (with 68% confidence), both ranges based on a center point of 184.3 Their full paper may be found online at <https://tinyurl.com/y333eyak>. Notes: 1. The NOAA/ESA “Solar Cycle Consensus Prediction” calls for…

One of the advantages of Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) is the ability to take our equipment on vacation and remain in contact with our friends back home. One way to do this is by using repeaters close to your current location with wide area talk groups or Brandmeister. Another method is to utilize a hotspot connected back to your home area via the internet. In this article we are going to assume that you already have an operational hotspot. Our focus is going to be on establishing the internet connection for your hotspot. I use a ZUMspot (Photo A) that is available from Ham Radio Outlet and others. If you are using a hotspot at home connected to your Wi-Fi, all you needed to do was enter into the hotspot’s configuration the…

Ecuador’s telecommunications regulator, ARCOTEL, recently proposed a fee of USD $450 for the “use and exploitation of the radio spectrum” on all licensees, including radio amateurs. In addition, the agency is planning to assess a USD $22.50 for the “Value of the Rights for Granting and Renewal of Enabling Titles,” coming to a total of USD $472.50. While the fee covers a 10-year license term, it would need to be paid up front, something that is impossible for many of the approximately 700 licensed hams in Ecuador, as the country is currently in the midst of one of its toughest economic crises of recent years. There is also concern that other nearby countries may follow Ecuador’s lead and impose similar fees. To learn more about this topic, Contributing Editor At-Large Martin…