| April, 2007 |  |
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UK offers "special research permits" for 501 kHz experimentation
Amateur Radio Full licensees in the UK may obtain special
research permits to experiment in the vicinity of 501 to 504 kHz, the
Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) reports.
Telecoms regulator Ofcom
will grant a limited number of Amateur Radio Full licensees permission
to operate between 501 and 504 kHz for 12 months, starting March 1,
2007. The RSGB says special research permits under a Notice of Variation
may be available to Full Amateur Radio licensees on a case-by-case
basis to applicants who can demonstrate a genuine interest in LF
experimentation and provide adequate supporting documentation. The RSGB
says Ofcom will take applicants' prior low-frequency (LF) experience
into consideration in an effort to minimize potential interference and
will monitor interference reports and limit the number of special
research permits if necessary. In any case, Ofcom will not permit ERP
levels greater than -10 dBW (0.1 W). A standard application form
(OFW306)
is available from the Ofcom Web site.
Australia's WIA applies for 500 kHz amateur allocation
The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA)
has applied to the Australian Communications and Media Authority
(ACMA)
for experimental access to a small band of frequencies near 500 kHz.
Amateur Radio operators in the United States, the UK, Sweden and
Germany have recently been granted experimental or provisional access
to frequencies just above 500 kHz. The New Zealand Amateur Radio
Transmitters also has applied for access to the band. "We conducted a
poll last year of Australian radio amateurs to ascertain if there was
an interest in a similar allocation in Australia," WIA Director Glenn
Dunstan, VK4DU, said. "We received numerous enthusiastic responses."
The WIA requests a temporary/experimental amateur allocation of 505-515
kHz, in line with current medium-frequency allocations available to
radio amateurs and experimenters in Europe and the US. The WIA
requested a temporary amateur allocation, rather than an experimental
license, because many administrations prohibit communication between
amateur and non-amateur stations, Dunstan explained. The WIA proposes a
maximum necessary bandwidth of 200 Hz, which limits operation to CW and
robust data modes such as PSK31. It's also proposed that normal amateur
output power limits be permitted. In the US, a group of 21 radio
amateurs are operating in the vicinity of 505 kHz under experimental
license WD2XSH, issued to the ARRL last year
Ham-astronauts retract balky antenna during spacewalk
International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 14 Commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK (photo),
and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT, retracted a stuck antenna on a Progress cargo spacecraft
during a more than six-hour spacewalk February 22. The antenna failed to retract last October when
the Progress docked to the station's Zvezda Service Module. Moving the antenna was necessary to
ensure it wouldn't interfere with the Progress undocking in April. Wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits,
the pair completed several other tasks during the spacewalk from the Pirs docking compartment. It marked
the fifth such excursion for Expedition 14.
Pehuensat-1 gets OSCAR designation
AMSAT OSCAR Coordinator Bill Tynan, W3XO, has announced that AMSAT
has issued an OSCAR number to Argentina's Penuensat-1 satellite. It
will be known as Pehuensat-OSCAR-63, or PO-63. The second Argentine
Amateur Radio satellite, Pehuensat-1 is in a 635 to 640 km
sun-synchronous polar orbit (97.92 degree inclination). It was launched
January 10 from India. Pehuensat-1 will transmit voice messages in
three languages -- English, Hindi and Spanish -- on 145.825 MHz
followed by AX.25 1200 bps packet. Named after the native Patagonian
Pehuen tree, Pehuensat-1 was developed by the Argentina School of
Engineering at the National University of Comahue, the Argentina
Association for Technology and Space and AMSAT-LU. More information is
on the AMSAT-LU Web site.
Reception reports are welcome.
| April, 2007 | |
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