FAA Update to 5G and FAA

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The Federal Aviation Administration released the list of 50 airports that will have buffer zones when wireless companies turn on new 5G C-band service on January 19. The agency sought input from the aviation community where the proposed buffer zones would help reduce the risk of disruption. Traffic volume, the number of low-visibility days and geographic location factored into the selection.

Many airports are not currently affected by the new 5G deployment, even though they are not on this list. These include airports not in the 46 markets where the new service will be deployed and airports that do not currently have the ability to allow low-visibility landings.

The wireless companies agreed to turn off transmitters and make other adjustments near these airports for six months to minimize potential 5G interference with sensitive aircraft instruments used in low-visibility landings.

The FAA continues to work with the aerospace manufacturers and wireless companies to make sure 5G is safely deployed and to limit the risk of flight disruptions at all airports.

List of 50 Airports - https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/airports-5g-buffers

ARRL Surveying Field Day Participants

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ARRL Surveying Field Day Participants

The ARRL Programs and Services Committee is seeking input from stations and groups that participated in ARRL Field Day 2020 and 2021 and has posted a survey. The committee said the survey results may help shape the development of Field Day rules for 2022 and beyond. The survey has already been sent via email to some 13,000 Field Day participants, more than 2,400 Affiliated Clubs, and to the CQ-Contest and VHF-Contesting Reflectors.

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New EMC Rules for Electronic Devices to Benefit Radio Hams

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New EMC Rules for Electronic Devices to Benefit Radio Hams

All electrical and electronic devices in South Africa that do not have radio frequency modules must now have valid electromagnetic compatibility certificates recognised by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)

The new rules should go a long way to take electronics off the market that cause radio interference, electronics like switch mode power supplies, LEDs and electronic equipment where noise suppression circuitry has been omitted to save cost. The new rule comes after the SABS and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) were met with criticism after they tried to implement a new compliance regime in 2017.

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