Amateur Radio to Participate in DoD Armed Forces Day Crossband Test

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Amateur Radio to Participate in DoD Armed Forces Day Crossband Test

Amateur radio operators will participate in the Department of Defence’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on 9th May 2026. The annual event will not impact any public or private communications.

For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have participated in this interoperability exercise between the amateur and government radio services. The AFD Crossband Test provides a unique opportunity to conduct two-way communication between military communicators and stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorised in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests present both opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario.

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ITU Corporation Re-purposes Linton Armoury Facility to House Iconic Amateur Radio Manufacturing

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ITU Corporation Re-purposes Linton Armoury Facility to House Iconic Amateur Radio Manufacturing

In a major expansion of its Indiana footprint, ITU Corporation has purchased the former Linton National Guard Armoury to serve as the new manufacturing hub for Hy-gain and Cushcraft. By acquiring these legendary brands from MFJ Enterprises, ITU is centralising production at the 15-acre Linton site. This new endeavour will bring between 20 and 50 new jobs to Linton.

Martin F. Jue, President and founder of MFJ Enterprises, Inc., is pleased to announce the sale of the renowned Hy-gain and Cushcraft antenna, rotator, and communication product lines to ITU Corporation, a 25-year-old Indiana engineering and manufacturing company.

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New Regulations for Hams in Norway

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New Regulations for Hams in Norway

NKOM – the Norwegian equivalent of PTS – has now published its update of the regulations for amateur radio in Norway. As we previously announced, the most important change is the introduction of a new entry-level certificate, or as it is called in the legal text, “limited license”. Just like our entry-level certificate, it will have simpler examination requirements than the “full license” (HAREC) but a number of limitations. Holders of a “limited license” are limited to a maximum of 10 W transmitter power. The frequency bands are all from 3.5MHz – 432MHz (but not the WARC bands 10MHz and 24 MHz). Compared to the previous revision version from November, some changes have been made. In addition to changing the name from “beginner license” to “limited license”, the most important things are:

The ban on remote control has been lifted for both "restricted licenses" as well as for stations in Norwegian "overseas" territories.

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