Apr 1
According to an announcement just out on the IARU website, from today contacts made using QSONet and HamSphere are now officially amateur radio contacts and can count towards amateur radio awards.

The announcement says: “There is an ever increasing use of computer and internet technology to facilitate the making of contacts between amateur radio operators. For many years use of the DX Cluster has been permitted to locate DX contacts to work and many operators now use internet sites to arrange skeds for needed contacts. We also see the development of new digital modes that can make possible contacts between stations that neither side can even hear. Permitting the use of VOIP modes to make contacts is simply an extension of the use of this facilitating technology, by removing the unreliability caused by the behaviour of the ionosphere. This move will also be welcomed by the many radio amateurs living in antenna-restricted locations who are no longer able to be active on what have traditionally been regarded as ‘the airwaves’.”

Addressing the criticism that no radio is actually used when making contacts via QSONet or HamSphere, the statement says: “Many amateur operators nowadays use laptop computers which are connected to the internet via a wi-fi router. This does, of course, involve the use of radio. Initially, therefore, only contacts made using a laptop with a wireless connection will be allowed to count under this new ruling. The frequency should be logged as 2.4GHz. This restriction will be reviewed at a later date.”

More information on this development will apparently be posted on the site at midday today.

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Julian, G4ILO
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Apr 1

The Office for Communication (Ofcom) today announced plans to progress with the UK’s digital switchover by pushing for all UK amateur radio repeaters to switch to digital by the end of 2011. The switch is being driven on by the increased demand for radio frequencies for use during the 2012 London Olympics.

While the announcement this morning came as a shock to many of the UK’s amateur radio users it was welcomed by the Radio Society of Great Britian (RSGB). A spokesperson for the society commented “Amateur radio is a thriving hobby in the UK and as such it embraces technological advances which promote the hobby”. It is understood that the RSGB are to work closely with radio manufactures to ensure that the switch over can be achieved in such a way to ensure minimal disruption to its membership. A spokesperson for Icom (UK), manufactures of digital radios in the UK stated “Digital radio technology has been available to radio amateurs across the globe for several years and Icom are proud to have lead the way with their D-STAR radio system.”

This report came to us from the Royal Society of Great Britain, which has since retracted the story after learning it was an April 1st joke.

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