New Microwave Capabilities for the NRC

New Microwave Capabilities for the NRC

Icom UK has donated to equip the National Radio Centre (NRC) with the IC-905 All-Mode Transceiver as part of its ongoing support for the RSGB and the Amateur radio community. This latest addition ensures that volunteers and visitors at the prestigious Bletchley Park facility have access to the latest VHF, UHF and SHF technology.

The IC-905 is an industry-first providing seamless multimode coverage across the 144, 430, 1200, 2400, 5600 MHz, and 10 GHz bands. The arrival of the IC-905 opens up new avenues for the centre, from linking local repeaters to monitoring radio beacons for the study of microwave propagation.

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Judge Orders Voice Of America Back On The Air

Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in the District Of Columbia reversed actions taken last year by the Trump administration to shutter the Voice Of America and ordered VOA's journalists to return to work and the news service to resume broadcasting. Judge Lamberth had earlier ruled that the appointment of Kari Lake, who was in charge of the layoffs and shutdown, was done illegally and effectively voided all layoffs.

The VOA, founded in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda in World War II, had been broadcasting in 49 languages to over 360 million people around the world when it was shut down. If Judge Royce's ruling stands, VOA’s goal is to return to that level.

The judgement has no impact on the Voice Of America museum and amateur radio club in Westchester, Ohio, a popular attraction during Hamvention.

Hams Help Forecasters with Real-Time Data on Northeast Blizzard

Hams Help Forecasters with Real-Time Data on Northeast Blizzard

A historic blizzard paralysed much of the Northeast in late February, and amateur radio operators were on the air to help forecasters keep track of the storm’s impact. Southeastern New England was one of the hardest-hit areas.

A severe blizzard left its mark on Southeast New England with massive amounts of snow, vehicles and even plows getting stuck, damaging winds gusts to hurricane force causing ~350,000 customers to lose power in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and some coastal flooding issues at high tide. The blizzard broke Rhode Island’s state record for snowfall with 37.8 inches of snow in Providence. ARES-SKYWARN Nets across southern New England were activated with the WX1BOX amateur radio team to support the National Weather Service (NWS) Boston/Norton office, as well as local and state emergency management and broadcast media, with timely updates on the storm.

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