New US Personal Radio (Part 95) Rules Take Effect

The FCC's rewrite of its rules for the Part 95 Personal Radio Services takes effect from 28th September 2017.

Major changes include removing the 155-mile distance limit on CB contacts (which had virtually never been observed anytime the band was open in the past 50 years); addition of new Family Radio Service (FRS) channels (shared with GMRS, the General Mobile Radio Service); GMRS power restrictions on the channels newly shared with FRS, and allowing GMRS licensees to send text messages in addition to voice transmissions. (See July CQ, p. 26, for a more comprehensive look at the changes in various personal radio services.) 

Federal Register announcement -
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/08/29/2017-17395/personal-radio-service-reform

Part 95 Report & Order - https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-344617A1.pdf

Ham Plans Community Station

Geoff Osborne VK5HEL of the Lower Murray Amateur Radio Club, Australia is hoping to establish a community radio station in Murray Bridge

“The problem I found when I moved here was that there are a lot of small clubs that can’t get their message or voice out and are not connected to each other in any way. A community radio station would give them a platform to share their plans and events and communicate with the public.”

— Geoff Osbourne VK5HEL

In November 2016, Mr Osborne requested an FM frequency through the Australian Community Media Authority (ACMA) to get the station off the ground.

In 1925, the LMARC built 5MU, which remains the leading radio station for the Murraylands, it is hoped the new station will last nearly another 100 years.

Mr Osborne was advised by the ACMA that he was unsuccessful in getting a frequency this round, but he said this was not the end of the station.

Media Story - http://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/4908194/voice-for-the-people/

Falconsat-3 Available for Amateur Radio

The US Air Force Academy satellite Falconsat-3 is now open for amateur radio use as a digital store-and-forward system

FalconSAT-3 was built throughout 2005 and 2006 by cadets and faculty in the Space Systems Research Center at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, and launched in 2007 on an Atlas V.

After serving in scientific and training roles, the Academy has now made the satellite available for Amateur radio use.

The satellite is in a 35.4 degree inclination orbit, with an approximate altitude of 465 to 476 km. The Packet Bulletin Board System is operating at 9600 baud with a 145.840 uplink, and 435.103 downlink. Output power is 1 watt, and the downlink is continuously on. Digipeating is enabled for live QSOs, but unattended digipeating operations is not authorized at this time. Current Keplerian elements can be found in the AMSAT distributed Keplerian elements.

More information - https://www.amsat.org/falconsat-3/