Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Jul 11 2019 11:00 pm
NEW WIRELESS NETWORK USES RADIO AS ALTERNATIVE TO CELLULAR
JIM/ANCHOR: A California company is developing a new wireless alternative
to cellular service. Stephen Kinford, N8WB, has details.
STEPHEN: A San Francisco-based wireless network developer is working with
an estimated $51 million in cumulative funding to fuel its plans, already
under way, to launch a wide-range Internet of Things wireless network,
that it hopes will become an alternative to 5G and other cellular
communications.
The company, Helium, was founded in 2013. It has used radio technology
for data transport in earlier projects, making use of the Industrial
Scientific and Medical Band, or ISM band, between 902 MHz and 928 MHz,
to capitalize on the band's propagation characteristics.
The FCC has reserved the band for low-power unlicensed devices and
consumer use, but those same frequencies are also used for amateur radio
on a secondary basis.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB.
(TECH CRUNCH, NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION,
FIERCE WIRELESS)
**
FAA REVIEWING TOWER-SAFETY MEASURE FOR LOW-LEVEL FLIGHTS
JIM/ANCHOR: Proposed federal regulations are under review in the United
States that would have an impact later this year on certain types of
towers that are between 50 feet and 200 feet tall, and could affect
agricultural and other low-level flight operations. A July 8 report in
General Aviation News, noted that this mainly refers to meteorological
evaluation towers, commonly used in rural areas to measure wind speed.
Those towers must be entered into an FAA database, and also be visibly
marked. Ian Gregor, communications manager in the FAA's Pacific
Division, said in an email that the provision does not mention amateur
radio towers specifically, but noted that owners of any communication
tower that falls within the law's criteria - but is not a meteorological
evaluation tower - must choose to either mark the tower, or register it
in the FAA database. Towers are excluded from provision, however, if they
are already registered with the Federal Communications Commission under
the Antenna Structure Registration program. The database is being
developed by the FAA for pilots, to consult before flying at low altitudes,
and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires it to be in use by
October.
**
K2B PREPS FOR WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE
JIM/ANCHOR: It's summer, and Radio Scouts are camping it up! We hear more
from Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
BILL: This week in Radio Scouting, we are in the middle of Summer Camp
Season, and World Scout Jamboree kicks off officially in 10 days.
Walt Beattie, AA3WB, is continuing to activate K2BSA/3 from the Camp
Horseshoe Summer Camp in Rising Sun, MD. One day each week, usually on
Tuesdays, a portable amateur radio station will be activated from
approximately 10:00 am to 8:30 pm Eastern, running voice and digital
operations.
Mike Newman, K3MJN, will be activating K3R from the Rodney Scout
Reservation in North East, MD from July 14th through the 20th. Troop
44, from Lititz, PA, will be heading to summer camp for the week, and
decided to activate it. Catch them on the air next week!
The 24th World Scout Jamboree opens on July 22nd, however, the team that
will be supporting the Amateur Radio Operation, NA1WJ, will be hitting
the road and skyways this weekend and early next week, to begin setting
up the station that will support the operation. With radios from Icom
America, antennas from DX Engineering, and JK Antennas, and supporting
equipment from MFJ Enterprises and Geochron, this will be a very well
equipped and active station. Station activation and testing begins
towards the end of next week.
For more information on this and radio scouting, please visit our
website at k2bsa.net.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this
is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
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