HRN 477: 60 for 60

The FCC is finally about to act on the long-pending issues on 60 meters. In 2015, the WRC issued a set of allocations, giving hams a teeny-tiny 15 kHz wide ‘band’ and only 9 watts ERP. But in the US, the FCC made no changes to our 5 discrete ‘channels’ and 100-watt ERP power limit.

Now the FCC is about to act… by asking, once again, what we want. They are more or less proposing following the WRC’s allocation, but before they do that, they want more comments from hams. Should they make that change? Should they keep (or also keep the 5 channels). Should they adopt the 9-Watt power limit? What about modes? So many questions.

You get to comment on all that, starting any day now (if it hasn’t started already). You have 60 days, followed by a 30 day reply-comment windows. Then… someday… the FCC will adopt new rules.

LINKS:

• HamRadioNow’s YouTube Playlist of our previous shows on 60 meters

• FCC NPRM with Gary’s Notes

HRN 476: Back to Bouvet

Adrian Ciuperca KO8SCA returns to HamRadioNow’s David W0DHG, Jim NO1PC and Gary K4AAQ with some awesome video of the voyage to and operation on Bouvet Island back in February, and a Powerpoint presentation with all the details you’ve been wondering about.

The ProMorePlus

In the ProMorePlus (a new show category that Gary invented and may never be heard from again, and perhaps just a ploy to slow down the rapidly accumulating episode count), Gary K4AAQ did a product review – something we rarely do on HamRadioNow, apparently for good reason. Not a new or unobtaniumly new radio… just a lowly ‘FBI’ style headset for his HT. He gets mixed results. He also discovers an old (1980s era) DX Magazine article about a DXpedition that came under ‘enemy fire’ while trying to land their ship (in the wrong place). The ProMorePlus is only on YouTube and Facebook video – it’s not in the audio podcast… sorry.

LINKS:

• 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition YouTube Channel (includes the long version of the video we played in tonight’s show, but without Adrian’s narration 😐)

• HRN 454: Bouvet by Sailboat? (our first chat with Adrian about the DXpedition)

• DX Magazine “Disaster at Spratley” from 1983 (Gary was reading from this article in the ProMorePlus)

• QST Editorial: “Bouvet — A Very Tough Teacher” (David A. Minster, NA2AA, ARRL Chief Executive Officer, ruminates in his column about the safety of these extreme DXpeditions, and how we might think different about them)

HRN 475: Eclipse... Again (already)?

There's a 90% partial Eclipse coming for the western US on October 14 this year, and a total Eclipse for the Midwest and Northeast on April 8, 2024.

During the total Eclipse in 2017, hundreds of thousands of people flooded rural areas across the country in the relatively narrow ribbon of 'totality' (115 miles, but everyone wanted to be at the center line). They came over the course of hours or even days, but they all left at once when the show was over (and nobody cared about the next 90 minutes of the waning eclipse after they'd seen totality). All that created gridlock on the highways, and overload on the cell system.

The same is expected on April 8 next year, when a total eclipse moves from Texas through the Midwest and on to New England. And that presents an opportunity for hams to lend a hand with communications, if they're organized and prepared. Our guest is JM Rowe N5XFW, Arkansas Section Emergency Coordinator (among many other Emcomm titles). He's working on getting his state's hams ready, and coordinating with neighboring states as well.