An Award for Hams who Help Others Reach DXCC

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The Southwest Ohio DX Association has launched a new program that recognizes the hams who help other radio operators achieve their first 100 confirmed DX entities. The amateur receiving the assistance must be under the age of 30. The DX association has specifically designed the award this way to target those who help younger amateurs and ensure they continue to be encouraged and active in the hobby even after receiving their ARRL run DXCC certificate.

The intent of targeting this audience of younger amateurs is to attract and retain those operators who are most likely to remain engaged in the hobby after achieving DXCC. The DX Mentor Recognition Program has the support of the Northern California DX Foundation and the International DX Association. Both groups are providing representatives on the judging committee. The award will be presented during Dayton Hamvention in May at the Southwest Ohio DX Association dinner.

Bill to Replace Symbol Rate Limit with Bandwidth Limit

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Bill to Replace Symbol Rate Limit with Bandwidth Limit

Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 9664) on December 21, 2022, to require that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replace the current HF digital symbol rate limit with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit.

After being petitioned by ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® in 2013 (RM-11708) for the same relief, in 2016 the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (WT Docket No. 16-239) in which it agreed that the HF symbol rate limit was outmoded, served no purpose, and hampered experimentation. But the Commission questioned whether any bandwidth limit was needed in its place. Most amateurs, including the ARRL, objected to there being no signal bandwidth limit in the crowded HF bands given the possibility that unreasonably wide bandwidth digital protocols could be developed, and since 2016 there has been no further FCC action.

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Bill to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio

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Bill to Eliminate Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio

Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-6) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.9670) on Thursday 22nd December 2022, to eliminate private land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of an Amateur Radio Operator from operating and installing amateur station antennas on property subject to the control of the Amateur Radio Operator.

The exponential growth of communities subject to private land use restrictions that prohibit both the operation of Amateur Radio and the installation of amateur station antennas has significantly restricted the growth of the Amateur Radio Service. These restrictions are pervasive in private common interest residential communities such as single-family subdivisions, condominiums, cooperatives, gated communities, master-planned communities, planned unit developments, and communities governed by community associations. The restrictions have particularly impacted the ability of Amateur Radio to fulfil its statutorily mandated duty of serving as a voluntary noncommercial emergency communications service.

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