| December, 2008 |  |
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Canadian Amateurs Receive Limited 500 kHz Privileges
On November 10, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) announced
that Industry Canada, which regulates
Amateur Radio in that country, has accepted an RAC proposal for selected Canadian radio amateurs to operate
in the vicinity of 500 kHz. The proposal states that RAC would recommend amateurs who would be licensed to
operate in the 504-509 kHz band with a maximum power of 20 W ERP and bandwidth up to 1 kHz. Stations operating
in this band would be technically operating under Special Developmental Licenses, although they would all be
radio amateurs. Distinct call signs would be used and the licenses would be renewable on an annual basis,
subject to the amateur demonstrating the research he has carried out. According to the RAC, these amateur
operations would support Canada's efforts to place a proposal on the agenda of the 2011 World Radio Conference (WRC-11), which, if adopted, would create an amateur allocation in the 600 meter band. The US, under the auspices of the ARRL's 500 kHz Experimental Station, WD2XSH, is also conducting research in this band. Canada is the eighth country to do experimentation on 500 kHz; along with the US and Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Romania are also participating. More information on the Canadian proposal will be posted to the RAC Web site as it becomes available.
Panasonic to buy Sanyo, more deals may follow
Panasonic Corp said it would acquire smaller rival Sanyo Electric Co, creating Japan's top electronics
maker and foreshadowing further consolidation in an industry hit by slowing consumer demand.
The acquisition, which one analyst estimated could cost about $8.8 billion, would fortify Panasonic's competitiveness in rechargeable batteries and solar power equipment as demand grows for greener
energy sources. Panasonic would at the same time become the world's second-largest conglomerate
with a major electronics division, behind General Electric and surpassing Hitachi Ltd as the biggest
electronics maker in Japan. But the deal carries risks and Panasonic has not said what it might pay
for Sanyo, or what it plans to do with the latter's loss-making businesses such as home appliances
and microchips. "Strategically (the deal) makes sense, though it doesn't necessarily make sense for
Panasonic to take on every single bit of Sanyo Electric," said Hannah Cunliffe, fund manager at
Germany's Union Investment, which holds Panasonic shares. "There has to be some relatively
aggressive restructuring." The announcement was well flagged and sources told Reuters last
weekend that Sanyo and Panasonic, which sits on $10 billion in cash, had agreed in principle to a
deal. Panasonic, the world's top plasma TV maker formerly known as Matsushita Electric, wants
Sanyo because of its leading position in rechargeable batteries, which are widely used in mobile
phones, PCs, music players and increasingly to power cars.
This is WIANews for week commencing Nov 2, 2008)
New equipment prices rising soon (in Australia)
With the shifting of value in the World’s currencies it was inevitable that Ham Radio equipment sourced from overseas
would eventually increase in price. Navcom Electronics, one of Queensland’s prime Ham Radio equipment dealers
has just advised that prices for ICOM equipment will be rising at least 10 percent from November 1st and an
announcement from Standard Vertex on price rises on Yaesu equipment is expected shortly. Whilst dealers like
Navcom will sell their currently held stocks at the current prices or arrange lay-by terms, it is expected that
a run on these equipment stocks will quickly force dealers to have to order in new stock at the higher prices. (via vk4zz)
WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication
In a joint statement, WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, and CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, announced that WorldRadio magazine will no longer be published as a print magazine. According to the announcement, CQ Communications Inc has acquired WorldRadio and plans to continue it as an online publication on CQ’s Web site. WorldRadio subscribers will have their subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized.
| December, 2008 | |
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