New EMC Rules for Electronic Devices to Benefit Radio Hams

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New EMC Rules for Electronic Devices to Benefit Radio Hams

All electrical and electronic devices in South Africa that do not have radio frequency modules must now have valid electromagnetic compatibility certificates recognised by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)

The new rules should go a long way to take electronics off the market that cause radio interference, electronics like switch mode power supplies, LEDs and electronic equipment where noise suppression circuitry has been omitted to save cost. The new rule comes after the SABS and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) were met with criticism after they tried to implement a new compliance regime in 2017.

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Physics Professor Awarded NSF Grant for Workshop

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant of nearly $50,000 to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton.

The grant will support “The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) 2022 Workshop,” which will take place 18-19 March 2022 at The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference, which will take place in-person, also has a virtual format option.

The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) is a collective of professional researchers and licensed amateur radio operators (a.k.a. hams) with the objective to foster collaborations between the amateur and professional communities for the purposes of advancing scientific research and understanding, encouraging the development of new technologies to support this research, and to provide educational opportunities for the amateur radio community and the general public.

The workshop will serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Dr. Frissell. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.

The theme for the two-day HamSCI workshop is “The Weather Connection.” The fifth annual workshop will feature prominent leaders in space weather, atmospheric weather and the connection between them.

More Information - https://news.scranton.edu/articles/2022/01/news-faculty-frissell-nsf-hamsci-2022.shtml

Comreg Amateur Radio License Negotiations

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Comreg Amateur Radio License Negotiations

On September 10th 2021 ComReg published in document 21/90 inviting comments on their proposed strategy for managing the spectrum in the years 2022 to 2024. The Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS) and a number of clubs as well as individual amateur licensees submitted comments. ComReg published an assessment of these comments on December 17th 2021 in document 21/136a. Highlights of the document are as follows.

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