04/22/2021 (from the ARRL.org) ARRL and the American Red Cross (ARC) have renewed their long-standing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for another 5 years. The MOU spells out how ARRL and the American Red Cross will work cooperatively during a disaster response. “We are pleased to extend our partnership with the American Red Cross,” ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said. “This agreement details how ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) volunteers will interface with Red Cross personnel within the scope of their respective roles and duties whenever the Red Cross asks ARES volunteers to assist in a disaster or emergency response.” The MOU calls on both parties to maintain open lines […]
K6NED
Almost all residents in the Red Zone have been evacuated 04/13/2021 Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, island residents were awakened to another column of volcanic ash creating a thick blanket, obscuring part of the eastern sky as the volcano continues to erupt violently. “Almost all residents in the Red Zone have been evacuated, save for a few diehards who will not move, for reasons unknown,” he said. Since the effusive eruption began last December, local hams have been […]
What: 2021 World Amateur Radio Day Who: All amateur radio operators worldwide When: Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 0000 UTC until Monday, April 19, 2021 at 0000 UTC Where: A global event covering all regions of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Why: World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president. Amateur radio experimenters were the first […]
Spacewalk Could Return ARISS Ham Station in International Space Station back on the Air 03/09/2021 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) reports that efforts to determine what’s keeping the ham station in the ISS Columbus module off the air have been unsuccessful thus far. The radio equipment works, but no signal appears to be reaching the external ARISS antenna. The station, typically operated as NA1SS, has not been usable since new RF cables were installed during a January 27 spacewalk extravehicular activity (EVA) to support the commissioning of the Bartolomeo payload hosting platform installed last spring. During the January EVA, the […]
02/03/2021 The Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) has announced dates in 2021 during which MARS members will operate on 60 meters for interoperability with the amateur radio community. Some dates coincide with quarterly Department of Defense Communications Exercises (COMEX). All exercises will begin on channel 1 as the initial calling channel and move to other 60-meter working channels as may be appropriate. “In addition to voice calls, I want to introduce passing ICS 213 messages in both voice and digital modes to enhance the overall interop experience,” said US Army MARS Chief Paul English, WD8DBY. “Our exercises will yield the frequencies to other scheduled exercises or […]