Students in Belize Introduced to Amateur Radio

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Following on from successfully promoting Amateur Radio to Boy Scouts, the Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has introduced amateur/ham radio to University of Belize (UB) engineering students. 

A recent BARC presentation included a summary of the club’s educational goals, a short video, and a lesson on Amateur Radio basics — such as propagation and the RF spectrum, and a question-and-answer session.

BARC President Emil Rodriguez, V31ER, encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities Amateur Radio offers to expand their skills in their fields of study — mechanical and electrical engineering. The introduction represented a first step toward establishing a partnership between BARC and the UB Engineering Department, which envisions that students will learn such skills as antenna construction, electronic circuits, radio theory, and radio procedures necessary to obtain an Amateur Radio license in Belize.

Following the BARC presentation, students and staff members expressed their intention to establish a UB Amateur Radio club and station. BARC said that, in addition to its educational benefits, a permanent ham station at UB would also allow students to become involved in supporting emergency communication during hurricane season. — Thanks to International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) and BARC.

Belize Amateur Radio Club - http://www.barc.bz

ARRL Wants Exclusion from California Law

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ARRL is recommending that Amateur Radio be specifically excluded from a California statute prohibiting the use of 'wireless communication devices' while driving 

ARRL Southwestern Division Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, is taking point on the effort to revise the statute, known by its legislative bill number AB 1785. It was signed into law last September, and it took effect on 1st January 2017, amending §23123.5 of the state’s Vehicle Code.

“ARRL has received a huge volume of inquiries and complaints about this statute in particular, since its enactment, I would urge that you present this letter at any meetings you have with California State legislators on this topic, thus to bring the issues contained herein to their attention.”
— ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, wrote in a letter to Woll to provide guidance in amending the California statute.

Imlay pointed out that that the prior statute excluded Amateur Radio by definition. The new law, which completely replaced the earlier statute, never mentions Amateur Radio, but instead contains an open-ended definition of an “electronic wireless communications device,” the operation of which while driving is prohibited. According to the statute, this “includes, but is not limited to, a broadband personal communication device, a specialized mobile radio device, a handheld device or laptop computer with mobile data access, a pager, or a two-way messaging device.”

“Because of the ‘not limited to’ language, such a device is whatever a law enforcement officer thinks might be included, and an Amateur Radio operator is not at all protected,” Imlay wrote. Such a broad definition could stymie “even the most diligent law enforcement officers,” who might interpret the new Vehicle Code language “more broadly than was intended.”

Full ARRL Story - 
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-weighs-in-on-new-california-driving-while-wireless-statute

UK exemption of two-way radio, such as Amateur Radio, is clearly given in 2 (4) -  
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/
pdfs/uksi_20032695_en.pdf

5000 Australian Spectrum Intruders

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Wireless Institute of Australia observers looking for intruders on the ‘Primary’ frequencies of the Amateur Service on high frequency bands in 2016 found more than 5,000 intrusions, and passed onto the regulatory agency in IARU member countries.

A resulting clamp down on the Indonesian ‘village radio’ stations was occurring with the government regulator progressively removing offenders.

The WIA reports intruders to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, but due to the itinerant nature of some intruders this can prolong the process for their removal.

It has been noted that some authorities seem to be ignoring requests for the removal of interfering services.

An increasing number of digital emissions are intruding, and the use of Software Defined Receivers have identified non-amateur digital systems that are frequency hopping. The Manly-Warringah Amateur Radio Society of New South Wales has a five-band SDR receiver system that greatly assists in monitoring activities.

The WIA Monitoring System is constantly looking for volunteers to assist.

Join WIA Monitoring System - http://www.wia.org.au/members/protecting/about/