December, 2006

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UK authorities to permit experimental Internet/HF speech gateway
The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) says UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has granted a unique Notice of Variation (NoV) to Steve Richards, G4HPE, to operate an experimental Internet/HF speech gateway. The NoV would allow two-way communication between the Internet and the Amateur Radio HF bands. The RSGB assisted Richards in obtaining the authorization. "The purpose of the research is to explore the many technical and operational challenges that such a system poses for emergency communications," the RSGB said. "It is also hoped that the project will shed light on how Internet-based networks can aid Amateur Radio emergency communications." The NoV is a first in the UK because it allows full frequency agility over the lower HF bands and the use of significant power levels, the RSGB said. According to the Society, the gateway is not intended as a permanent Amateur Radio Service facility and will likely only be operated on a predetermined test schedule. Only Amateur Radio licenses will have access the gateway, which will be fully attended at all times. The International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) -- a worldwide group of radio amateurs who use voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) facilities to connect disaster areas to points of support -- also is involved in this project.

First US Contact Reported on 500 kHz
U.S. hams operating under an experimental license from the FCC report making their first two-way contact on 500 kHz. The contact came on September 21, between stations in North Carolina and Tennessee, over a distance of about 300 miles, according to the ARRL Letter. One-way reception reports of up to 1500 miles have been recorded. For more about the experiments on 500 kHz, see the Propagation column in the December issue of CQ.

Attention All Amateurs...
League Seeks FCC's WRC-07 Support for 150-kHz 60-Meter Amateur Allocation
The ARRL wants the FCC to throw its support behind a Draft Proposal seeking to have World Radiocommunication Conference 2007(WRC-07) delegates consider a worldwide, secondary Amateur Radio allocation from 5260 kHz to 5410 kHz. The ARRL included the request in comments it filed October 27 in IB Docket 04-286, "Recommendations approved by the Advisory Committee for the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference." WRC-07 Agenda Item 1.13 will review allocations to all services between 4 and 10 MHz. The League told the FCC that a contiguous band of frequencies in the range of 5 MHz is an important goal of the amateur community -- domestically and internationally.

ARRL Foundation scholarship application window is open
The application period for ARRL Foundation scholarships remains open until February 1, 2007. The ARRL Foundation has announced the addition of three new scholarships for the 2007 awards: The Zachary Taylor Stevens Scholarship, The Richard W. Bendicksen, N7ZL, Memorial Scholarship and The Gary Wagner, K3OMI, Scholarship. These new scholarship awards bring the total number of ARRL scholarships to 44 -- some providing multiple awards. Following an evaluation of all applications, the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee will announce the 2007-2008 academic year ARRL Foundation scholarship recipients next spring. Important: Applicants must include high school or college academic transcripts with scholarship applications. Those applying for the four-year William R. Goldfarb Memorial Scholarship must include a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a transcript.

December, 2006

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