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.
