Man Fined for Writing 'I Am An Engineer'

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An electronics engineer says he found a flaw in traffic lights. The Oregon engineering board fined him for it.

In September 2014, Mats Järlström, an electronics engineer living in Beaverton, Oregon, sent an email to the state's engineering board. 

The email claimed that yellow traffic lights don't last long enough, which "puts the public at risk." "I would like to present these facts for your review and comments," he wrote.

This email resulted not with a meeting, but with a threat. The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying responded with this dystopian message: "ORS 672.020(1) prohibits the practice of engineering in Oregon without registration … at a minimum, your use of the title 'electronics engineer' and the statement 'I'm an engineer' … create violations."

In January 2017, Järlström was officially fined $500 by the state for the crime of "practicing engineering without being registered."

Media Story - https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/man-fined-dollar500-for-crime-of-writing-i-am-an-engineer-in-an-email-to-the-government

Armed Forces Day Crossband Military/Amateur Radio Communications Test

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The US Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard will sponsor the traditional military/amateur radio communication tests on Saturday 13 May 2017 to mark the 66th annual Armed Forces Day (AFD). Armed Forces Day is May 20, but the AFD Crossband Military-Amateur Radio event will take place a week earlier in order to avoid schedule conflicts with those attending Hamvention.

The annual celebration is a unique opportunity to test two-way communication between radio amateurs and military stations (authorised under Part 97.111 of the Amateur Service rules). It features traditional military-to-amateur crossband SSB voice, CW, practice using legacy interoperability waveforms, and the opportunity for participating hams to utilise more modern military modes, such as MIL-STD Serial PSK and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). Military stations and Amateur Radio stations are authorised to communicate directly on certain 60-meter interoperability channels - 5,330.5, 5346.5, and 5,371.5 kHz.

These tests give Amateur Radio operators and shortwave listeners a chance and a challenge to demonstrate individual technical skills and to receive recognition from the appropriate military radio station. QSL cards will be available for stations successfully contacting participating military stations.

The Armed Forces Day message will be transmitted via Military Standard radio teletype modes (MIL-STD 188-110A/B). 

Software is available to demodulate the military serial PSK waveform, and detailed instructions can be downloaded - http://www.n2ckh.com/MARS_ALE_FORUM/MSDMT.html

Utilising this mode with sound card equipment can be challenging; review the instructions carefully.

A short practice transmission will be sent at 1930 and 2330 on 6, 7, 10 May 2017 and 12 May on 13.506.5 MHz USB and 17.443.0 MHz USB.

Military FSK is Baudot at 850 Hz, 75 baud, low mark, and 2000 Hz centre. Most RTTY programs can be set to decode this mode. To achieve low mark while receiving in USB, select reverse shift.

QSL cards are available for individuals that receive the Armed Forces Day test message. To receive a card, copy the printed text of the test message as received from the military station, and include it in your report. No attempt should be made to correct possible errors.

Stations copying Armed Forces Day messages transmitted from US Army and US Navy stations and requesting a QSL card, can complete the QSL report form online - http://www.usarmymars.org/

Stations copying the Armed Forces Day message transmitted from US Air Force stations and seeking a QSL card should send a request to Armed Forces Day Celebration, Chief, Air Force MARS, 203 W. Losey St, Scott AFB, IL 62225.

Include a transcript of the received text, time observed, frequency observed, military station call sign, your full name and Amateur Radio call sign (if applicable), full mailing address (including ZIP code).

Stations with Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) capability can contact a military station on specific half duplex cross band channels established for this purpose. ALE is a selective calling and linking method utilised by the government, military, and amateur radio communications.

Military stations will scan and receive certain amateur HFLINK ALE frequencies and transmit on the corresponding military ALE frequency. Military stations will also transmit ALE station identification (soundings) on each military frequency at 30- to 90-minute intervals.

Amateur stations may scan military frequencies and monitor the soundings to build the LQA database or select the channel manually. Amateur stations will call military stations using ALE selective calling on one of the paired cross band channels.

Complete information, including military stations, modes, and frequencies, is available on the US Army MARS website - http://www.usarmymars.org/home/announcements

New MF and LF US Bands Not Available Yet

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The new 630-meter and 2200-meter bands are not yet available for Amateur Radio use. The effective date of the recent FCC Report and Order (R&O) granting these allocations has not yet been determined, and until the start date has been set, it is not legal under an Amateur Radio license to transmit on either band.

The fact that the new rules contain a new information-collection requirement - notification of operation to the United Telecoms Council (UTC) - complicates the matter of determining an effective date. According to the FCC R&O, the Office of Management and Budget (under the Paperwork Reduction Act) must first approve the information-collection requirements in Part 97.303(g)(2), which must be in place before radio amateurs can use the new bands.

Once that happens, the FCC will publish a notice in The Federal Register "announcing such approval and the relevant effective date."

ARRL will announce the UTC notification procedures and the effective date to use these new bands as soon as these are known.

R&O - (pdf format) - https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-33A1.pdf