eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
FCC Dismisses Two Petitions from Radio Amateurs:

Posted: 06 Jan 2017 06:28 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38376


The FCC has turned down two petitions filed in 2016, each seeking
similar changes in the Part 97 Amateur Service rules. James Edwin
Whedbee, N0ECN, of Gladstone, Missouri, had asked the Commission to
amend the rules to reduce the number of Amateur Radio operator
classes to Technician, General, and Amateur Extra by merging
remaining Novice class licensees into the Technician class and all
Advanced class licensees into the Amateur Extra class. In a somewhat
related petition, Jeffrey H. Siegell, WB2YRL, of Burke, Virginia,
had requested that the FCC grant Advanced class license holders
Morse code operating privileges equivalent to those enjoyed by
Amateur Extra class licensees.


///////////////////////////////////////////
GigaParts Opens Las Vegas Location:

Posted: 06 Jan 2017 06:29 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38375


Huntsville, Alabama, January 6, 2017 --
After Amateur Electronic Supply went out
of business in July, GigaParts began
hiring the AES staff in Las Vegas and
working on moving the operation to a new
location less than 5 minutes from the
famous Las Vegas Strip and just 3 miles
from the former AES building. Although the
retail showroom won't be ready for
visitors for another few months, starting
today, the Las Vegas store becomes the
primary distribution center for GigaParts
shipments to the western half of the US.
That means fast, affordable shipping to
the huge population of hams in California
and other western states, without sales
tax!


///////////////////////////////////////////
Propagation Forecast Bulletin #1 de K7RA:

Posted: 06 Jan 2017 03:38 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38373


The Sun was quieter this reporting week compared to the previous
seven days. There were 4 zero-sunspot days, Thursday December 29,
Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, plus a fifth on the following
Thursday, January 5. Geomagnetic numbers were also lower.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2045, January 6, 2017:

Posted: 06 Jan 2017 03:17 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38372


The following is a QST. The International Space Station finds help for its
VHF radio crisis. American Indians get on the air for their first-ever Net
-- and are you ready for Winter Field Day? All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report 2045 comes your way right now.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Licensed Ham Radio Operators Sought in Farmington Hills & Farmington:

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38371


From City of Farmington Hills: The Cities of Farmington Hills and
Farmington, in cooperation with the Emergency Preparedness Commission, are
looking for a few "hams." In the event of a City-wide emergency, licensed
operators of amateur radios (also known as hams) can provide vital
assistance if existing communications systems become overwhelmed. Ham radio
operators would help to increase the Cities' effectiveness in getting
important messages out to the public during a disaster. Ham radio operators
would perform the following tasks:


///////////////////////////////////////////
Roland Man Tapping Into Global Airwaves:

Posted: 05 Jan 2017 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38370


ROLAND - For more than 15 years, Mike Cole's blindness has failed to dilute
his still-growing passion for the amateur-radio world. A 1974 Southside
High School graduate who has lived in Roland since 1987, the 60-year-old
Cole has used his ham radio equipment to communicate with fellow ham
operators who live in Canada, Japan, Afghanistan, Argentina, Germany,
Aruba, Amsterdam, New Zealand and, in his words, "over the North Pole in
arctic Russia," among other regions. More than 30,000 of Cole's ham radio
contacts are stored in his amateur radio system, which includes
store-bought equipment that rests alongside computers, transmitters and
receivers he has rebuilt over the years. "Amateur radio gives me something
to do; it's a hobby, and it's also a useful tool for the community," said
Cole, whose ham handle is W5TMC. "With amateur radio, you get to get on the
air and talk to people who are from all over the country, and with people
from all over the world. When some of those people come stateside, they
will call me and my wife, Melisia, and we will go meet them to go eat with
them. "You make a lot of friends through amateur radio, and you get to meet
a lot of fascinating people," he added. "You have teachers, doctors,
attorneys, law enforcement, retired individuals and more involved in
amateur radio. Even professional like Ronnie Milsap and Eagles member Joe
Walsh are amateur radio operators."