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Iraq to Be Back on the Air November 20
Diya Sayah, YI1DZ, President of the Iraqi Amateur Radio Society (IARS),
announced today that effective November 20, all Amateur Radio activity will be “back to normal” in Iraq. Sayah
said, “All Amateur Radio operators in Iraq who carry a valid Iraqi license will be able to use their radios
according to regulations of IARU Region 1 and the IARS.” Amateur Radio activity in Iraq was
suspended in March of this year, with the suspension
affecting both Iraqi citizens as well as any foreigners — including military personnel and contractors — who have
been on the air from Iraq. The request to halt all ham radio activity and the issuance of licenses in Iraq
originated with a letter from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as part of
a new security plan, Sayah said.
Irish Amateurs Now Able to Apply for Permission to Operate on 5 MHz
Four 3 kHz channels at 5 MHz are being granted to Irish amateurs, according to the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS), Ireland’s IARU Member-Society. These frequencies are centered on 5.280, 5.290, 5.400 and 5.405 MHz (the suppressed-carrier frequency for USB is 1.5 kHz lower). This follows extensive contacts with the military authorities and with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) by the IRTS (Ireland’s equivalent of the FCC). The facility will be available for an initial trial period of a year and individual application is required. The power allowed will be 23 dBW (200 W) to an antenna with not more than 0 dBd gain (e.g. a dipole). Some or all of these channels are also in use in the UK, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Canada and the US. Some administrative details remain to be attended to by ComReg but it is anticipated that the first variations of licenses could be issued at the end of November or early December. The IRTS stresses that individuals must apply to operate at these 5 MHz frequencies. Permission for a 5 MHz beacon has been granted; a call sign and frequency are in the works.
AARP Endorses Amateur Radio
Amateur Radio and the ARRL received a significant public relations boost from the AARP this week. Promoting
life-long learning for their members, Susan Ayers Walker wrote “Finding Your Hobby Online” for the AARP
Web site. What’s the first and most prominent activity listed to keep the mind active and functional?
Amateur Radio! Here’s what the article had to say: “Long before the internet was created, the Amateur
Radio network was the way people from all over the world could connect. Amateur, or ham, Radio operators
created vast social networks by talking long distances to other radio enthusiasts, making distant friends
and exchanging calling cards. It is this linkage of radio enthusiasts that is ready to help communication
flow in case of a disaster or weather emergency. The ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio, has
an informative website with lots of news and information, plus info on getting started or finding a chapter
in your area.” You can read more at
http://www.aarp.org/learntech/computers/life_online/finding_your_hobby_online.html.
FCC “Admonishes” Ambient over BPL Issues
The FCC, in a letter to Yehuda Cern,
Chief Engineer for Ambient Corporation, concluded their investigation
into whether Ambient’s BPL operation caused “harmful interference” to Amateur Radio stations in Briarcliff Manor,
New York. The Commission found that “Ambient’s BPL operation has violated the radiated emission limits of Section
15.109? of the FCC Rules “and the terms of its experimental license, call sign WD2XEQ.” The FCC’s letter went on
to say that “we hereby admonish Ambient.” No findings were made, however, as to whether or not the system
actually caused interference to Amateur Radio, and the Enforcement Bureau left open the issue of future
experimental BPL operations at Briarcliff Manor.
Tuesday, December 18,
7:15 PM; Pikesville Library
| December, 2007 | |
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