Ria's Ham Shack News for July 25, 2023
ARRL board meeting and dues increase, New ham radio rules in Ukraine, ARDC community meeting, Kevin Mitnick N6NHG SK
Welcome and some upcoming travel notes
Welcome to Ria’s Ham Shack news! This newsletter covers curated news and events in amateur radio and radio communications. I will be headed to Tokyo for the JARL ham fair in mid August. I hope to have some news reports from the fair. This is a pretty exciting trip as the Japanese radio manufacturers sometimes choose to reveal their new offerings in Japan first. Of course, I will be representing ARDC along with a couple of others including Wojciech SP5WWP from the M17 project.
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IN THIS ISSUE
ARRL holds board meeting, hikes annual dues, suspends life membership
New amateur radio rules in Ukraine
ARDC holds community meeting
Kevin Mitnick N6NHG SK
The FCC is hiring field agents
All electronics closing
Auxcomm gets recognized
ARRL holds board meeting, hikes annual dues, suspends life membership
The ARRL held its second Board meeting on July 21-22, 2023. It included a number of items including a significant dues increase. For US members the annual dues will increase from $49 to $84 including a monthly printed QST magazine or bimonthly On The Air magazine sent via USPS bulk mail. If you do not opt in to the magazine, the dues amount is $59. The rate is being priced as $59 plus $25 for a printed magazine.
New life memberships were suspended as of July 21, 2023. Existing life memberships will be honored. Life members will need to contact ARRL HQ to continue receiving a printed QST magazine each month or their membership will default to the digital only magazine option. ARRL has indicated that they are “undertaking work to determine revenue neutral pricing for Life Memberships.”
Other items that passed included pro-secrecy motions and bylaw changes which would reduce members’ visibility into League affairs and how their Division Director voted on a particular issue. We will have a full analysis when the minutes are released.
New amateur radio rules in Ukraine
From Wlad, US7IGN via QRZ.com
Over the past couple of years, radio amateurs in Ukraine have experienced difficult times. Due to the chaotic changes in the legislation, for some time there was no state body authorized to issue licenses, due to the state of emergency there was a ban on transmitting. Finally, everything calmed down a bit and the new Regulations were adopted. So, the main changes are:
- three new categories introduced:
1) A - corresponds to the highest qualification of radio amateurs (HAREC);
2) B - corresponds to the qualification of a novice radio amateur (NOVICE);
3) C - corresponds to the qualifications of a student radio amateur (Entry-Level).
- The maximum power for category A was increased from 100 to 200 W.
There are also other changes and shortcomings, but I want to write here about the rules for foreign citizens who want to come to Ukraine and make QSO here.
Foreign radio amateurs can import (with return export) transmitters (transmitters) of amateur radio stations in the presence of an operational document (license) of CEPT or an operational document of an amateur radio station on the territory of Ukraine. The operation of this radio equipment by foreign radio amateurs in Ukraine is carried out in accordance with Clause 6 of Chapter VI of these Regulations.
A foreigner or a stateless person who has a permit operating document (license) of CEPT and is temporarily in the territory of Ukraine (up to three months), has the right to carry out amateur radio communication in the frequency bands, radiation classes and with the power specified by this Regulation.
A foreigner or a stateless person who has a CEPT operating document (license) and plans to stay in the territory of Ukraine for more than three months must apply to the head office of the Ukrainian Radio Broadcasting Corporation (URBC) with an order to obtain a harmonized operating document of an amateur radio station for a foreigner or a stateless person staying in the territory of Ukraine (Appendix 14 to these Regulations).
A foreigner or a stateless person residing in the territory of Ukraine and having an operational document (license) of an amateur radio station of another country or a HAREC (NOVICE) certificate must apply to the head office of URBC with an order to obtain a harmonized operational document of an amateur radio station for a foreigner or a stateless person residing in the territory of Ukraine (Appendix 14 to these Regulations).
A foreigner or a stateless person residing in the territory of Ukraine adds to the order for obtaining a harmonized operating document of an amateur radio station in the territory of Ukraine:
a copy of the CEPT operating document (license) (HAREC or NOVICE certificate, corresponding operating document (license) of another country);
a copy of the passport document.
Within a period not exceeding fifteen working days from the date of registration of the order, the URBC sends the customer an invoice for the payment of the work on the preparation and execution of the harmonized operational document of the amateur radio station. The harmonized operational document of the amateur radio station is provided no later than three working days after receipt of payment to the relevant account of the URBC.
The qualification of radio amateurs of other countries is determined taking into account Recommendation ECC (05) 06 and Annex II of Recommendation CEPT T/R 61-01.
The harmonized operating document of the amateur radio station is issued for a stipulated period of no more than three months, while it should not exceed the validity period of the visa, with the right to extend it.
In case of conducting radio communication sessions on the territory of Ukraine, radio amateurs of other countries add the letters "UT" before the personal call sign through the "/" sign.
ARDC holds community meeting
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) held its community meeting on July 15, 2023. The new communications manager, Rebecca Key, KO4KVG was introduced along with the new code of conduct.
Kevin Mitnick N6NHG SK
Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG is now a silent key after succumbing to Pancreatic Cancer. Mitnick became famous after being arrested in 1995 and convicted of hacking, after a two-and-a-half-year period of computer hacking that included computer and wire fraud. Mitnick’s first callsign was WA6VPS, and he later became N6NHG. Mitnick was the Chief Hacking officer of KnowBe4, a firm that specialized in defense against phishing and other cyberattacks and social engineering. He was 59 years old.
That’s a wrap
That’s all I have for this week! See you around.