Calling All Payphone Users - Thousands of Call Boxes Set for Protection

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Calling All Payphone Users - Thousands of Call Boxes Set for Protection

Thousands of vital phone boxes around the UK will be protected from closure, under Ofcom plans announced today.

With 96% of UK adults now owning a mobile phone, and mobile signal improving significantly in recent years, the way people make calls is changing.

As part of the move to digital phone lines, which will require investment to upgrade phone boxes, BT is currently assessing which ones are no longer needed and can be decommissioned. But under the current process for removing payphones, some that are needed by local communities risk being withdrawn.

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Alike, but Not Alike: Broadcast vs Ham Radio

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Starting in the 1920s and through the ’60s, almost every broadcast engineer was a licensed amateur radio operator. That has changed a bit, but the importance of being a ham has not.

Both environments involve getting an RF signal from Point A to Point B. But it is interesting to note that radio broadcast and amateur radio are similar and yet so different.

What I find valuable is applying what I know about amateur radio in my work as a broadcast engineer.

And, of course, it works both ways. Forward power, reflected power, transmission line loss, antenna gain, transmitter power amplifier efficiency and path loss are all dictated by the same rules. The mysteries and science of RF propagation to a new broadcast engineer are facts of life for radio amateurs.

Hams deal with the wave propagation challenge every day. Communicating across the world via radio waves may be lost on the internet/millennial generation, but it can be a real challenge for those who want more out of life.

Full Article - https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/tech-tips/alike-but-not-alike-broadcast-vs-ham-radio

Ireland and India Join Parks on the Air

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Portable radio enthusiasts are thrilled with the news that Parks on the Air has added two new countries.

In Parks on the Air News, in October we welcomed Ireland and India to Parks on the Air! So please join me in saying dia duit and namaste to our newest POTA friends! October was another record-setting month, with an all-time high for both number of activators and number of QSOs, with 1,630 activators making a combined 329,019 QSOs.

In our last news item for the month, POTA is excited to officially announce that for our 2022 summer plaque event, we will be adding several plaques for DX QSOs. There will be up to 6 DX plaques available, pending sponsorship – one each for the most QSOs made as an activator outside of the continental United States for IARU Regions 1, 2, and 3, and 1 each for hunters who make the most QSOs with activators in those same regions. If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring one of these new DX plaques in 2022, please send an email to n3vem@parksontheair.com for details.

This is November 3 Victor Echo Mike with your October Parks on the air Update. Be sure to visit parksontheair.com for information about the program, and pota.app for spotting, park information, leader boards, and more.