Featured photo taken by Stefan Klein, 2016 near Eads, CO. We’re excited to announce that the Colorado Severe Weather Watch net is coming to the SkyHubLink System. The Colorado Severe Weather Watch Net is dedicated to the discussion, forecasting and nowcasting of severe weather across Colorado and beyond. We believe in using all amateur radio…
Category: Ham Radio News
German man arrested for directing air traffic with radio
The COVID-19 lockdown has us a little bored, and a little stir crazy. However, we all need to keep reality in check. This was not the case with a 32-year-old Berlin man who was arrested in the capital’s eastern Koepenick district this week on allegations he impersonated aviation officials. The man is said to have…
The one place on earth where radio signals are banned
December is a tough time of year for ham radio operators. Many struggle with neighbors wiping out HF reception with their LED-illuminated holiday decorations. But what if I told you there was a place that had no RFI. It’s not a dream. It’s called the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ). What is the National Radio…
Massive sunspot rotating towards Earth Thanksgiving weekend
Thanksgiving weekend is shaping up to be active on the High Frequency (HF) bands. It’s time to fire up your HF radio and log some new contacts thanks to the beginning of Solar Cycle 25 and sunspot AR2786 rotating towards earth. AR2786 is a sunspot twice the size of earth. It’s the first large sunspot…
Nearly 2000-mile record-setting contact on 433Mhz in South Atlantic
Propagation is a fun thing — especially when you’re talking thousands of miles on UHF! On October 16, 2020 a 1,950 mile contact was made on 433Mhz FM between the Island of St. Helena (U.K.) and Plumstead, South Africa. The two stations involved in the contact were Garry, ZD7GWM and Tom, ZS1TA in South Africa….
Solar Cycle 25 has officially begun
Ham radios operators around the world rejoice — Solar Cycle 25 has officially begun! The Royal Observatory of Belgium has reported the solar minimum likely occurred in December of 2019. The solar minimum marks the lowest point of sunspot activity and is the official start of a new cycle. Amateur radio and shortwave enthusiasts alike have…
KDKA special event station begins operations Nov. 1
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of Pittsburgh radio station KDKA. KDKA would evolve from private point-to-point communication to being known as the first commercial radio station in the United States after airing the Harding-Cox presidential results on November 2, 1920. And the rest they say, is history. The success of the KDKA broadcast and of…
FCC will take away another ham band in 2021
Say goodbye to another amateur radio band. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has ruled that it will revoke amateur radio privileges on the 3300-3500 MHz (9-cm Microwave band). The FCC will auction the band to wireless telecom companies to support 5G rollouts across the United States. The dates when amateur radio privileges will “sunset” have…
USFS portable repeater vandalized in Rocky Mountain backcountry
Vandals took aim at an unlikely target last week in Grand County, Colorado. Firefighters’ battling the 14,000+ acre Williams Fork wildfire suddenly noticed their radios stopped working. The size of the fire is so large simplex communication wasn’t feasible. The U.S. Forest Service deployed a portable repeater to allow firefighters in the field to communicate…
Baofeng saves the life of ham radio operator
Ham radio is often portrayed as irrelevant. A dying hobby in the age of the cell phone. Ham radio operators know nothing could be further from the truth. One operator who would be the first to back that up is Alden Summers Jones, KC1JWR, from Vermont. During the Summer of 2020, Alden decided to take…