RaDAR Portable Ops Challenge

/

RaDAR (Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio) is a portable operating challenge focused on a simple cycle: move, deploy, and make contacts. Held on the first Saturday of April and November, the challenge provides a four-hour window to test your ham radio skills and gear through multiple deploy, operate, and move cycles.

How it Works

The goal is to make five contacts (QSOs) at each location before moving the required distance to your next stop:

  • On foot: 1 kilometer

  • By bicycle: 2 kilometers

  • By motorized vehicle: 6 kilometers

Scoring

  • RaDAR to RaDAR: 3 points

  • POTA or SOTA: 2 points

  • Other contacts: 1 point

  • Final Score: (Total QSO points × Number of stops) + Bonus points

Rules

You may use any band or mode (HF, VHF, UHF, voice, CW, or digital), but repeaters are not permitted to ensure a focus on field-style, point-to-point operating.

The RaDAR concept was created by Eddie Leighton (ZS6BNE), and the RaDAR Rally is coordinated by Greg Lane (N4KGL). Registration is now open for the upcoming event.

Rules, roster, and registration details - http://radarrally.info

FO-29 Enters Full Sunlight: Veteran Satellite Sees Renewed Activity in 2026

/
FO-29 Enters Full Sunlight: Veteran Satellite Sees Renewed Activity in 2026

Fuji-OSCAR 29 (FO-29), also known as JAS-2, the Japanese amateur radio satellite launched in August 1996, has entered a new operational phase as of early March 2026. Now approaching its 30th anniversary in orbit, the satellite—long limited by failed batteries—relies entirely on solar panel illumination for power, meaning it only functions during sunlight periods and shuts down in eclipse.

In February 2026, the FO-29 control team (operated from Japan) continued scheduled activations of the linear transponder, with commands sent on specific dates to turn it on for limited windows. Operators noted the unstable situation due to the satellite’s age, with activations sometimes failing if the onboard voltage didn’t respond quickly enough. The transponder operates in Mode V/u (inverting SSB/CW): uplink LSB 145.900–146.000 MHz, downlink USB 435.800–435.900 MHz, with a CW beacon on 435.795 MHz.

Read More

New Indiana Law Protects Ham Radio Antennas, Towers

/

Starting on the 1st July 2026, amateur radio antennas, towers and feedlines cannot be restricted by homeowners' associations in residential communities in Indiana. A new law signed by Gov. Mike Braun will afford hams such protection on any property they rent, lease or own within the association’s purview.

This is not a green light for all amateurs, however. According to the measure’s language on the Indiana General Assembly website, House Bill number 1152 will only apply to homeowner’s associations that are formed or create documents containing such restrictions after 30th June 2026.

Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act, which would create protection nationwide, remains stalled in Washington, D.C. According to the website GovTrack.us, the bill was introduced into committee on the 6th of February, where it must be considered and voted on before it can move along to either of the two main houses of Congress.