KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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..radio Top Level Domain Name Ready for Launch

Posted: 20 Jan 2017 07:00 AM PST
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email


The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced in a press release that it
is launching a new Top Level Domain (TLD) name Â* .radio – for the radio
community which will progressively change the way people are reaching
internet resources linked to radio.
..radio can be used for web and email addresses and will be managed by the
EBU with the support of the other world broadcasting unions.
For four years the EBU and its partners have been preparing the launch
of .radio. The project was endorsed by all the leading radio organizations
in the world (including ABU, AER, AIB, AMARC, ASBU, AUB, CBU, EGTA, IAB,
NABA, OTI, and URTI).
Exceptionally for the internet world, this project is a Community TLD, run
for the benefit of the whole radio industry and amateur enthusiast and
reserved for people and companies with active interest in the radio sector.
We are proposing that the radio community may like to consider securing the
integrity of their web presence by requesting appropriate .radio domains
for defensive reasons initially,� says the EBU’s .radio TLD Manager Alain
Artero.
“The TLD will be focused on content and matters specific to radio and we
want to prevent speculators and cybersquatting in this TLD; this extension
will therefore rapidly become a high-value internet space for websites,
mail systems and other internet applications.�
The following categories will be accepted for the use of a .radio domain:



Radio broadcasting stations
Unions of Broadcasters
Internet radios
Radio Amateurs
Radio professionals (journalists, radio hosts, DJs, …)
Radio-related companies selling radio goods and services


More information is available in this LinkedIn post. The post notes,

The price for registering a .radio domain name will be different for
companies and individuals.Â*It will depend on the registrar offering the
product, since registrars themselves define their price and their marketing
policy. It also depends whether some additional services are included in
the yearly fee (like hosting, mailing).Â*For companies, we expect typical
prices between 200€ and 250€ per domain each year. For individuals, the
price will be much lower.

Unfortunately, it doesnt say how much lower. Id certainly be interested in
obtaining kb6nu.radio, but not if its going to cost a lot more than
the .com domain name that I currently own.


The post .radio Top Level Domain Name Ready for Launch appeared first on
KB6NUs Ham Radio Blog.


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Michigan VHF/UHF Society sponsors Golden Mitten Award

Posted: 19 Jan 2017 01:53 PM PST
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The Michigan VHF/UHF SocietyÂ*will soon announce that they will be
sponsoring the Golden Mitten Award. (Michigan is shaped like a mitten—get
it?) As stated in the draft version of the rules, the purpose of the
contest is to:

Promote operation on VHF+ bands, introduce Maidenhead grid squares,
encourage Elmering, and just plain have a good time.





The Michigan VHF-UHF Society (MIVUS) Golden Mitten Award is designed to
draw on several areas of Ham Radio to encourage all hams, new and old, to
expand their ham radio experience. The award encourages antenna
construction, base, mobile, and portable operations, the grid square
coordinate system, and Elmering of hams.

This will be a challenging award to obtain since it requires the operator
to work all grid squares in MI using VHF+ bands. In addition to introducing
the Maidenhead grid square coordinate system (and tools for determining the
coordinates), the award demonstrates just how far VHF+ signals can travel
even using easy to build, inexpensive antennas.





It will indeed be a challenging event. there are 24 grid squares in
Michigan, and operators must make all of their contacts from their home
grid square. Repeater and satellite contacts are not allowed, but stations
may use them for soliciting and coordinating contacts.

The award website is not yet live (Ill update this post when it is), but
when it is, it will include plans for several inexpensive and easy to make
antennas that greatly outperform the rubber ducky that comes with an HT and
can even be used with that all band HF/VHF/UHF radio that just gets used on
HF.

Its not completely clear whether it costs to join the Michigan VHF/UHF
Society, but theÂ*onlineÂ*membership formÂ*does not mention any dues. For more
information, contact, email PresidentÂ*Roger Cox, W8IO, rgcox2 (at)
gmail.com.



The post Michigan VHF/UHF Society sponsors Golden Mitten Award appeared
first on KB6NUs Ham Radio Blog.