23cm Restrictions To Be Imposed In Europe

The 67th CEPT Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) Plenary Meeting held March 24-27 approved ECC Decision (25)01 restricting Amateur and Amateur Satellite operation in the 23 Band (1258-1300 MHz) with effect from December 27, 2025.

The meeting minutes record:

6.2 APPROVAL FOR PUBLICATION OF DRAFT ECC DECISION (25)01 ON GALILEO AND ITS PROTECTION IN 1258-1300 MHZ FROM RADIO AMATEUR

The WG FM Chairman introduced the draft ECC Decision (25)01 on Galileo and protection measures in 1258-1300 MHz in Annexe 06 to 026, which was endorsed by WG FM for publication by the ECC.

24 administrations indicated their intention to implement this Decision, while 1 administration indicated their intention to implement it partially.

Germany stated that they have to determine how to implement this Decision at the national level.

The United Kingdom informed the meeting that it will implement Decision 1 (designation of the frequency bands for Galileo) but will not apply the technical conditions on amateur and amateur-satellite in Decision 2.

ARRL Section Changes

The ARRL have announced the following section changes

Sacramento Valley Section

Jay Ballinger, N6SAC, of Antelope, California, has been appointed Section Manager of the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section, effective 16th July 2025. He will serve the remainder of a term that expires on 30th September 2027.

He replaces Dr. Carol Milazzo, MD, KP4MD, who was appointed as Pacific Division Vice Director. Dr. Milazzo has served as Section Manager since 2015.

Atlantic Division

Martin “Marty” Newingham, AG3I, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has been appointed Vice Director of the ARRL Atlantic Division, effective 15th July 2025. Newingham will serve the remainder of a term that expires 31st December 2026.

He replaces Martin J. “Marty” Pittinger, KB3MXM, who resigned from the position in April.

Newingham is an ARRL Life Member and a Gold level contributor to the ARRL Diamond Club.

The ARRL Atlantic Division is comprised of the ARRL Sections of Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland-DC, Northern New York, Southern New Jersey, Western New York and Western Pennsylvania.

Pacific Division

Dr. Carol Milazzo, MD, KP4MD, of Citrus Heights, California, has been appointed Vice Director of the ARRL Pacific Division, effective 9th July 2025. She replaces John Litz, NZ6Q, who acceded to the position of Director in May. She will serve the remainder of a three-year term ending 31st December 2025.

Since 2015, Dr. Milazzo has served as Section Manager of the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section. She is a Volunteer Examiner and an ARRL Life Member.

The ARRL Pacific Division is comprised of the ARRL Sections of East Bay, Sacramento Valley, San Francisco, San Joaquin Valley, Santa Clara Valley, Nevada, and Pacific.

RSGB STEM Champion Appointed

RSGB Board Director, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML has appointed Ian Stevenson, G3YNU as the volunteer RSGB STEM Champion. This new role fits with the RSGB’s strategy to bring amateur radio to new audiences and to highlight the link between amateur radio and science, technology, engineering and maths.

Ian brings a wealth of experience to this role having been a mathematics teacher for ten years, with a further 23 years in Higher Education as a Senior Lecturer in ICT and Education. Ian also played a pivotal role in establishing the RSGB School Links Project, which introduced classroom activities that connect amateur radio with the school curricula. The project was established following Tim Peake’s Principial mission to the International Space Station, which included ten UK ARISS school contacts during Tim’s time in space.

In his new RSGB role, Ian is enthusiastic about fostering close ties with STEM organisations and STEM ambassadors across the UK, including those already engaged with the RSGB. If you’d like to contact Ian to share suggestions that may enhance the RSGB’s STEM outreach programme, you can contact him via stem.champion@rsgb.org.uk