#RATPAC is on mastodon.radio:

@RATPAC

#hamradio

I got a few minutes to speak in the #RATPAC #ARRL presentation about #accessibility and inclusion. I appreciate the opportunity to speak, the supportiveness and the great question about our preferred format for accessible publications! #AmateurRadio #HamRadio

I'm listening to this #RATPAC presentation on the #ARRL and I'm finding it all quite discouraging. All I know is this: I can't abide a CEO who thinks providing #blind members only #QST summaries rather than full articles like everyone else constitutes #accessibility diversity and inclusion. I'm still a member, but I think it is long past major organizational cultural change so that everyone feels included rather than left out. #AmateurRadio #HamRadio

One of the items on the agenda for tomorrow's November #FCC Open Meeting was covered by a recent #RATPAC talk. Catch that presentation here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oDTaVS4VVaE

The Haunted Band #RATPAC #219MHz presentation is now live at

https://youtu.be/l6ds6RBufHI?si=vUbUZfI7wK3jsx30

Thank you to everyone that made this possible!

Please consider sending in your "notification" to #ARRL to show interest in activating this really neat band. Your support matters. Details in the image.

Thank you to all that came out for The Haunted Band presentation at #RATPAC tonight! Video recording will be on YouTube soon.

We had a fun time talking about #219MHz

Please consider sending in notification of your intent to transmit on 219 MHz, if you'd like to try to help banish the ghosts and clean up the cobwebs.

Details from part 97 in the screenshot:

I was able to step in as a replacement presenter for the Thursday evening #RATPAC session to talk about the #symbol rate rules change for US #hamradio, announced the day before.

Video recording below.

Please forgive any shortcomings. I had a couple of hours to put it together. Thank you to KB5MU, who read through the R&O and FNPRM with me to be prepared, and to all the people that came to this session that had a completely different topic than the one they expected :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDTaVS4VVaE

Our scheduled #RATPAC presenter last night had to cancel, so I stepped in and talked about the #FCC #symbol rate rules change. Recording should be up soon.

That's right, the #baud rate limit is going away. HF bands get a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit for data modes. That is in the report and order.

A request for comments about 2200 m, 630 m, VHF, and UHF #bandwidth limits is the second part of this rules change document.

Read it here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-397992A1.pdf

Documentation Day!

Some great news about #ribbit, #rfbitbanger, #Haifuraiya, #Neptune #DSG, and more coming out from all the folks at @OpenResearchIns

Thank you to everyone doing ambitious work!

Wednesday's #dumbbell antenna presentation to #RATPAC went very well and kicked off another set of modeling, to be delivered this coming Tuesday.

Join #RATPAC live on Thursday, October 12 for RATPAC Zoom presentation:
9:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EDT / 800 PM CDT / 7:00 PM MDT / 6:00 PM PDT / 5:00 PM AKDT / 4:00 PM HADT/ GMT 01:00 AM Thursday

Topic: ShakeOut 2023 - What It Is & How To Participate

ShakeOut is an emergency communications drill that uses earthquakes as the framework for the exercise.

Zoom links for the presentations can be found at https://www.ratpac.us/

The FCC has allocated 219-220 MHz to #hamradio use on a secondary basis. This allocation is only for fixed digital message forwarding. Amateur stations cannot cause interference to, and must accept interference from, primary services in this (and adjacent) bands.

For a variety of very good reasons, "no one goes there".

What does it take to operate the haunted house of amateur radio, the 219-220 MHz band?

Find out 1 Nov 2023.

(as always, this #RATPAC presentation will be recorded)

#RATPAC is working on a presentation about #ARRL insurance offerings.

Most members don't know a lot about the insurance offered by #ARRL, and we want to fix that.

#RATPAC reached out to #ARRL about this, and the presentation is moving forward.

The only sucky thing about #qsotoday is that #ratpac is scheduled across from #hamradio #workbench #podcast.

We'll just have to raid the workbench after we do our thing for #ratpac :D

"The Haunted Band: #219MHz" talk for #RATPAC has been scheduled for 1 November 2023. There will be a recording.

Brush the cobwebs aside and delve deeply into some dusty regs. Lurch through dozens of other puns as we explore a band that rumors say has never been activated.

There's something that's happened recently over at the #arrl, which is the national #hamradio organization for the USA.

ARRL identified, by name, clubs and organizations that produce educational videos as "being in competition with" the ARRL "Learning Center".

ARRL then retaliated against these clubs and organizations, calling them up and stating that these organizations *would be excluded from ARRL publications and partnerships*

Firsthand, #qsotoday and #ratpac are affected.

This is bad.

#RATPAC will be at #hamexpo academy 8 September at 1800 PST. It's a panel celebrating the positive impact of #hamradio and you are invited. 🛰 📡

https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/

@NO5IG one of the first things he did when he started the job was to send an unsolicited and unfriendly email to Dan Marler of #RATPAC. The gist of the letter was that somehow Dan was stealing #ARRL IP.

Later, David told a number of people Dan should be shut down, or at least shut out.

To this day, no one knows exactly what David was talking about, or why his very first communication with a successful section manager and community leader was so aggressively negative.

Through #RATPAC I learned about the Long Island CW Club.

Find out more about that here: https://longislandcwclub.org/

Similar vibe, similar way of doing things.

There are clubs, organizations, and foundations out there that *are not* a bedsore on the people #hamradio claims it wants to attract.

The people doing the work do it better when you know about it and get in touch.

Support what you want to see more of, when people step up and deliver. It makes a big difference.

There's been so many good #AmatuerRadio #hamradio experiences away from the legacy club scene, over the past year or so.

One of those experiences is serving #RATPAC, or the Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee.

Find out more at https://www.ratpac.us/

Formed as a response to #covid, it has grown and developed into a vibrant center of activity.

There's reasons for this.

There's repercussions for bad behavior. It's diverse. Members listen to and respect each other.