Ria’s Ham Shack News for May 7, 2023

Health and welfare news, RF Exposure rules come roaring back, ARRL surveys dues increase, Dayton Hamvention countdown, a Moonshot for ham radio, trouble in Maine, ARISS SPARKI and more!

Have a hot news tip? Send it to ria@n2rj.com.

Note: sending this one out early due to some of the news being timely.

In this issue:

Health and welfare:

• Bill Hudzik, W2UDT update

• Andy Kirschenbaum, WA2CDL, silent key

General ham radio news:

• RF Exposure rules come roaring back

• ARRL surveys members about a dues increase

• Countdown to Hamvention!

• Moonshot - hams on board Artemis II mission

• Trouble in Maine? Residents push back on ham radio antenna installations

• ARISS SPARKI bridges the gap between kids and space

• RSGB looking for a new technical editor for Radcom

Bill Hudzik, W2UDT update

Bill Hudzik, W2UDT is the past vice-director of the ARRL in the Hudson Division and a close friend. He is currently facing some health challenges, having been diagnosed with Parkinsons a couple of years ago. Please keep him and his wife Maryann in your thoughts and prayers.

Andy Kirschenbaum, WA2CDL, Silent Key

Andy sadly passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2023. He has been a fixture at many hamfests in the New York area and has been fixing radios since the 1960s. He ran a popular test table at the hamfest where radio buyers could get their “new to me” radios checked out. He was also a good friend with solid enthusiasm for amateur radio and a good sense of humor. He will be missed. (Ed Wilson, N2XDD)

RF Exposure rules come roaring back

The FCC’s updates rules for RF Exposure as applied to the amateur radio service came into effect on May 3, 2021. Radio amateurs who previously were in compliance were given a 2 year grace period to perform the required evaluation. That grace period came to an end on May 3, 2023.

All radio amateurs now have to perform RF exposure evaluations. The results do not have to be submitted to the FCC, but it is recommended to keep records with your license and station documentation.

I have a video on this topic:

ARRL surveys members about a dues increase

ARRL is conducting a survey of the current and future proposed dues structure, with the potential for a significant increase in the annual dues. Questions about the dues structure, bundling of printed magazines and member benefits were all part of the survey. A link to the survey is here, but it is only for ARRL members who must be logged in to the ARRL website.

An interesting discussion about the dues and member benefits took place on the Ham Radio Clubhouse YouTube channel. I joined halfway through.

I also talked about it on this week’s radio show, which aired on Friday 6PM ET (2100 UTC) on WRMI Legends 5050kHz. You can catch replays on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

Countdown to Hamvention!

Dayton Hamvention is a week and a half away! The theme this year is innovation. I will be there reporting on everything I can. It will be held at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio on May 19, 20 and 21, 2023. See you there!

Moonshot - hams on board Artemis II mission

(Source: NASA)

NASA is going back to the moon! Artemis II is the first recent crewed mission to the moon and is part of NASA’s path to establish long term presence on the Moon for exploration and science. The crew of four has three licensed amateur radio operators.  

Three out of four of the crew are licensed amateur radio operators, but it is not clear whether amateur radio equipment will be on board the mission. Given that amateur radio serves as an important backup communications function for the ISS and other space activities, there may be a good chance that amateur radio will be on board. It also presents an excellent learning opportunity as ARISS has done.

Owen Garriott, W5LFL was the first radio amateur to transmit from space in 1983. Ever since, amateur radio has been a constant presence in space activities.

Trouble in Maine? Residents push back on ham radio antenna installations

Blueberries have been a staple crop in Maine, but lately that crop has given way to aluminum. Aluminum, as in amateur radio antennas. And some local residents are not happy.

At issue is a remote contest station owned by Krassy Petkov, K1LZ in Jonesboro. The station has several 200 foot towers with stacked beam antennas. A recent article indicates that residents are opposed, due to the visual prominence of the antennas. Legislation is being proposed to require permits and restrict height. However, it is doubtful that it will stand up to legal scrutiny as the FCC’s PRB-1 preemption provides for “reasonable accommodation” for amateur radio antennas.

Maine is a sought after station location for amateur radio and even shortwave broadcast due to the proximity to Europe, and clear shot over the water. Remote amateur station network operators Remote Ham Radio and BeLoud have built several stations in various parts of coastal Maine. Shortwave broadcaster WBCQ has several transmitters in Maine, including a 500,000 watt transmitter and massive steerable antenna array by Ampegon. The station is often used to broadcast programming about a flat Earth around the globe.

ARISS SPARKI bridges the gap between kids and space

Source: ARDC

ARISS has been a very successful tool for inspiring kids about amateur radio, STEAM and space. One of its recent projects is the Space-Pioneers Amateur Radio Kit Initiative or SPARKI, which is a toolkit that gives teachers the ability to teach about waves and frequency, basic electronics, codes and ciphers, and software-defined radio.

The kits include several tools including slinkys, snap circuits kits, morse code keys, SDR hardware, a Raspberry Pi and a MicroSD card that contains SPARKI-OS which is based on Raspberry Pi OS (formerly known as Raspbian). More information is at this comprehensive blog post from ARDC.

RSGB looking for a new technical editor for Radcom

Source: RSGB

The RSGB is looking to hire a new technical editor for Radcom.

The successful candidate will report to the Managing Editor, and will need a wide range of radio and electronic knowledge, including amateur radio.

The society is looking for someone who is “positive, enthusiastic about technology, has an excellent command of English and a good eye for detail.”

For more information about the role and how to apply, visit the website

And now for the final…

I hope you enjoyed the newsletter, as much as I enjoyed making it! If you are at Dayton, check out my social media for where I’ll be at, and maybe stop by and have a chat.

As always, peace and 73.