Management Restructure at HRD

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Following recent customer service issues, Ham Radio Deluxe have restructured their management team.

““Ham Radio Deluxe software would have been abandoned in 2011 without Rick’s partnership. Rick’s day-to-day leadership in running the business has contributed to the vitality and functionality of Ham Radio Deluxe.””
— HRD co-owner Dr Michael Carper.

Rick Ruhl, a co-owner since buying the code base in 2011 has decided to pursue other interests.

The company has acted after users who publicly posted negative reviews of the product suffered when their software licence was disabled remotely.

Ruhl accepted responsibility for the poor customer service, initially blaming outsourced customer service issues.

There have been claims that Ruhl had threatened customers who had spoken critically of the product with legal action.

Ruhl has suggested that his health and medication had affected his judgement and that he is seeking medical advice.

A new end user agreement will be sent to customers to advise the changes the company will make to resolve the issues

Media Story - http://go.theregister.com/tl/1684/-5273/devops-and-continuous-delivery?td=wptl1684bt

10 GHz for 3 Euros

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Dutch Amateur / Ham Radio operator Peter Knol PA1SDB has enabled a  10 GHz transmitter with weak software beacon Opera, costing €3.

Peter describes how he used the €3 HB100 Miniature Microwave Motion Sensor which is an X-Band Bi-Static Doppler transceiver module. Using the free Opera software and dish antennas he was able to decode the 10 GHz signal at distances up to 32km.

Read the article in Google English - http://tinyurl.com/10GHz-for-3Euros

Article in Dutch - http://home.deds.nl/~knol/HB100/

Opera - https://rosmodem.wordpress.com/

FCC Rejects Amplifier Waiver Request

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FCC has denied a request from Expert Linears for an exception waiver of 15 dB gain restriction on linear amplifiers 

The waiver request, filed in June 2016, would have allowed Expert Linears to import an amplifier capable of exceeding the current 15 dB gain limitation as it awaits FCC action on its April petition (RM-11767) to revise the same Amateur Service rules. That petition remains pending.

““In light of the conflicting comments regarding the desirability of eliminating the 15 dB limitation, we conclude that waiving the limitation at this stage of the rulemaking proceeding would prejudice the rulemaking proceeding and prematurely dispose of commenters’ concerns. Moreover, we agree with FlexRadio that granting Expert’s waiver request while the rulemaking petition remains pending would provide an unfair market advantage for one equipment model over other manufacturers’ RF power amplifiers that would still be limited by [the existing rules].””
— FCC