WRTC 2018 Plans Greater Youth Participation

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The 8th World Radiosport Team Championship, WRTC 2018 being held in July 2018 in Germany will offer seats on three teams for contesters who are 25 or younger at the time of the event. Prospective participants need only to apply.

The international event running from 12-16 July 2018, will feature 42 competing teams. This will mark Germany's first time hosting WRTC, which takes place in conjunction with the IARU HF Championship event on over the weekend of 15-16 July 2018. The IARU contest provides a framework for the WRTC; the rules for each event differ.

Managing preparations for this WRTC is a 12-member organising committee, headed by Chris Janssen, DL1MGB.

The WRTC 2018 sites, all in the relatively flat Jessen-Wittenberg region south of Berlin in the former East Germany, have yet to be evaluated, but organisers aim to offer comparable operating sites for all participants. 

Malta Arrive on 5 MHz

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The Malta Communications Authority – the island’s telecoms regulator, published its new National Frequency Plan (NFP) in April 2017.

This includes the new WRC-15 60m amateur secondary allocation of 5351.5 to 5366.5 kHz. Maximum power permitted is 15W EIRP

National Frequency Plan (NFP) in April 2017- http://www.mca.org.mt/regulatory/authorizations_licensing/national_frequency_plan

NFP Intro with WRC-15 60m announcement - 
http://www.mca.org.mt/sites/default/files/pageattachments/NFP_edition%205-4.pdf

ISS Packet Digipeater Back on 145.825 MHz

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ARISS have announced that packet radio from the International Space Station is back on 145.825 MHz FM 

A few months back, the ARISS Team did the footwork and paperwork to launch the final copy of the Ericsson VHF handheld radio to the ISS.  This work was began in October after the unit onboard the ISS failed.  ARISS has been using the Ericssons for 16 years. In the last days of February, the launch vehicle, SpaceX 10's Dragon, flew to the ISS.  Then the ISS crew had the odious job of unloading and unpacking 5,500 pounds of cargo along with the Ericsson HT.

ARISS now confirm that VHF capability back working in the Columbus module.  Followers of ISS Fan Club have already posted that they've heard and used the transmitted packets.