Amateur Radio in the News

Amateur radio in the news: MFJ sells HyGain and Cushcraft, Pitt students track Artemis, amateur radio in Bangladesh

April 14, 2026 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

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

In a major expansion of its Indiana footprint, ITU Corporation has purchased the former Linton National Guard Armory to serve as the new manufacturing hub for Hy-gain and Cushcraft. 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.

“I am thrilled to pass the torch of these legendary antenna brands to Dave & Kambi Carpenter and their team at ITU Corporation,” said Martin F. Jue, President of MFJ Enterprises.

“After nurturing these brands for decades it was vital to me that hy-gain and Cushcraft – – premier brands that have served radio operators and stations worldwide for generations – – landed in the hands of someone who understands their legacy.”

Pitt students track Artemis II spacecraft in worldwide NASA test

Pitt students track the Artemis II Orion spacecraft in real time from the rooftop of Benedum Hall. (Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)

A 4 a.m. test Thursday put University of Pittsburgh engineering students and the school’s ham radio club on a global stage.Pitt was one of eight educational institutions worldwide selected by NASA to study the Artemis II mission and track the Orion spacecraft.

“The big win is the student experience, and to be able to have university students take all these theoretical things we taught them in the classroom and track the spacecraft,” said Samuel Dickerson, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Pitt. “The students had to do all of it, to carry out this kind of task.”

Talking to the world from a rooftop in Dhaka: The story of Bangladesh’s amateur radio community

The room looks rather unassuming from outside. On the first floor of a residential building in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, it is cluttered in the way only a certain kind of person’s room becomes cluttered — purposefully, lovingly.

Shelves sag under transceivers, coils of cable, and half-assembled circuit boards. A fluffy orange cat surveys the chaos from a workbench by the window. On a nearby laptop screen is a dense circuit schematic.

This is the home station of Fazley Rabby — callsign S21RC — and it is, in the most literal sense, a window to the world.

Amateur radio in the news: AD2HS, N9UKS, W5XU SK

January 25, 2026 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

Man smiling. — Terry Gilpatrick, AD2HS

Terry Gilpatrick, AD2HS

Terrence “Terry” M. Gilpatrick, of Westtown, NY, died unexpectedly on January 14, 2026. He was 75. Terry was a Ham radio enthusiast and was a member of the Orange County Amateur Radio Club and a past member of Minisink Hose Co. #1 Unionville Fire Department, Unionville, NY. For those who were lucky enough to be on his Christmas list, he was the maker of the best peanut brittle in the world, which he lovingly crafted with his family for over 40 years.

Older man with beard. — John Lawler, N9UKS

John Lawler, N9UKS

John Dennis Lawler, 87, of Kokomo, passed away peacefully Wednesday evening, January 14, 2026, at Community Howard Regional Health Hospital in Kokomo with his family by side.

John enjoyed electronics, home stereo systems, and listening to classic rock and bluegrass. John loved tinkering and repairing things. He amused and annoyed his wife and kids with his frugalness, letting projects drag on for years because he wouldn’t buy all the required pieces at one time. He was a huge fan of sports cars, especially Jaguar E-types and Camaros.

John had his amateur radio license, was a member of the Kokomo HAM radio club, and enjoyed the storm chaser classes. Although he didn’t like to transmit, he loved listening to his friends on radio and was very grateful to the guys who strung up a new antenna in the backyard for him. John loved going to HAMfests, both to shop and just hang out with the guys.

Man smiling. — David Assaf, III, W5XU

David Assaf III, W5XU

Taken too soon from family and friends, David Assaf, III departed this world on January 18, 2026.

In 1963, [his high school] newspaper noted that David had his “own home workshop in which he performs experiments in the phases of science.” Indeed, it was during high school that he began a lifelong hobby as an electronics tinkerer and amateur radio operator, aka a “ham”.

For the rest of his life, David would continue to keep a workshop (affectionately called “the shack”) in every place he called home, chock full of radios and electronics in various phases of repair, especially his favorite Drake brand transmitters and receivers. With his radios, his trusted Morse code keyer, a thousand watts, and a modified Yagi antenna of his own design, he would bounce radio waves off the ionosphere to communicate with other hams on the other side of the planet, a practice known as “DX” in ham parlance. During Hurricane Betsy in 1965, he provided emergency communication via his amateur radio station, a service for which he was recognized by the city of New Orleans.

Amateur radio in the news: Can ham radio help Taiwan survive?, repeaters now solar-powered, ham radio connects

January 17, 2026 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

Could ham radio help Taiwan survive wartime internet outage?

In Taiwan, a nonprofit civil defense group, Ganghu, has started training people on how to communicate using amateur radio, also known as ham radio, if the internet is unavailable. This comes as Beijing, which claims democratically self-governed Taiwan as its own territory, faces allegations of sabotaging and damaging Taiwan’s undersea internet cables.

Ham radio repeater now powered by solar

The Fredericksburg Repeater Operators Group (w5fbg.com), a group of licensed amateur radio operators in Gillespie County, announces its 2-meter, 1.25-meter, and 70-centimeter amateur radio repeaters are now operational on solar power.The solar power system was provided by a grant from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Foundation. Dee Hester (K7UD), Dennis Robertson (W5FBG), Barb Schuyler (N9NM), Pete Schuyler (N9OF), Keith Jenkins (KI5DFU), J.B. Neans (KL5GR) and Jim Lindley, (K5EWS) were all contributors. This team designed and implemented the repeaters and the solar power system.

Ham radio operators meet over a shared hobby that becomes a lifeline during emergencies

A field of large parabolic antennas, followed by a constant piercing sound lingering in the background, is a classic combo in science fiction movies, especially when earthlings receive a message from outer space. On screen, it builds uneasiness and suspense for the viewer.

But for amateur radio (or ham radio) operators, the radio waves around the Earth create connectivity. People use antennas and transceivers to communicate with each other without Wi-Fi or phones. Non-commercial radio not only connects people worldwide but it can be an important tool in emergencies, when other means of communication, such as phones and internet, go down.

Amateur Radio in the News: Magic of ham radio, hamfest has biggest year, are kids still looking for tech careers?

November 27, 2025 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

Ham Radio—There’s Still Magic In It. Ask 3 Million People

Many believe that the hobby of ham radio is dying with all of the modern communications technology. Not so. There are currently three million hams around the world, a quarter of them in America.

…

There is a magic in hearing the echoes, pulsed fading and static as short-wave radio signals travel through the air waves that one can’t get on email – and in knowing that you built the contraption and antenna that allowed you to do so.

Hamfest sees its biggest year as interest grows

The Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio Club’s annual Northeast Nebraska Hamfest brings people from all corners of Nebraska and beyond to share their love for ham radios. At last weekend’s Hamfest at the Knights of Columbus Hall located at 105 West Elm Ave. in Norfolk, 21 vendors were present at the event, offering a variety of items for radio enthusiasts. Aaron Mathis, with the Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio Club, said the event had sold more tables and had more attendees than ever before. “This is an awesome event, and it keeps growing every year,” Mathis said.

Are Kids Still Looking for Careers in Tech?

Today’s high school students face an uncertain road ahead. AI is changing what skills are valued in the job market, and the Trump administration’s funding cuts have stalled scientific research across disciplines. Most professions seem unlikely to look the same in 10 years, let alone 50. Even students interested in STEM subjects are asking: What can my career look like, and how do I get there?

Amateur radio in the news: Club edition

March 29, 2025 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

Here are four stories about amateur radio clubs that recently made their local newspapers. I think that each of them has a lesson that could help your club be successful.

The first lesson is to include food in your club activities. Food brings out members.

SaddleBrook Amateur Radio Club Monthly Breakfast

The SaddleBrooke Amateur Radio Club met at SaddleBrooke Ranch on Friday, February 21 for a monthly breakfast at Bistro Veinte. Fourteen members attended the popular club breakfast gathering. The excellent food and service served in a conference room adjacent to the cafe was enjoyed by all.

The second lesson is to provide some kind of public service. In this case, the Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club is donating a set of amateur radio books to their public library. The catch is that some libraries will not accept this kind of donation. Our library here in Ann Arbor, MI is one of them.

Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club Donates Books To Local Library, GC Makers Space

The Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club is hoping to spur more local interest and public awareness of amateur radio operations. The club recently presented several educational books on the subject to the Greeneville-Greene County Public Library and to Greene County Makers Space. Two sets of books were purchased and donated to both the library and the GCMS, club officials note in a news release.

When your club earns recognition of any kind, issue a press release. It raises the club’s profile and could draw in some new members.

HC Amateur Radio Club earns recognition

The Hill Country Amateur Radio Club has been recognized as a “Special Service Club” by the American Radio Relay League, the country’s primary educational, advocacy and representative organization of the craft of Ham Radio. Hill Country Amateur Radio Club serves the greater Hill Country region, with training, outreach and emergency communications, and has done so for decades.

This is an example of a club profile. You can sometimes get a local paper to write such a profile by pitching the story to them.

Nothing amateur about radio

Good afternoon. Welcome to the AA0RC Repeater. The time is 3:33 p.m. The automated greeting crackles through the radio on Dan “WZ9W” Schnaare’s desk in response to a call sent by Rick “KF0JCP” Smith from a handheld radio just outside of Schnaare’s Ham Shack in Centralia. The signal traveled about 20 miles to the Radio Repeater in Mexico, before being sent back.

“KF0JCP, WZ9W,” Schnaare confirms.

Schnaare and Smith are members of Audrain Emergency Communications Inc. serving as vice president and treasurer, respectively.

AECI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization consisting of 30 amateur radio operators who meet monthly at the Help Center in Mexico. They are dedicated to their craft, teaching and practicing nearly every day.

Amateur radio in the news: Use WSPR to find crashed plane?, BBC’s Time to Transmit

December 23, 2024 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

How ghost radio signals could hold the key to finding missing flight MH370

Transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts may hold the key to locating the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished a decade ago in one of the greatest aviation mysteries.

BBC: Time to Transmit

BBC reporter Stephen Coates travels to Tunisia to meet contestants in the International Morse Code championships in Tunisia. For a week, they will face each other off tapping at tiny Morse machines so fast that it sounds almost like a sung language.

The Belarusians are the team to beat. But the Romanians are hot on their heels. And you never know what the Albanians might pull off at the last minute. Or the competitor who has just arrived from Tokyo.

…listen to the report

Amateur radio is one of the options mentioned in this article…..Dan

Communication technology: Options for staying connected for next year’s storm season

With the end of hurricane season having just passed, Floridians look back at the flurry of severe storms that hit Florida’s Gulf Coast and anticipate the potential strength and frequency of storms to come. While many people know to get non-perishable food and clean water before a hurricane, not as many people consider how they can be technologically prepared for the storm and the days the follow.

…read more or listen to the report

Amateur radio in the news: MFJ, turn an Android phone into an HT, Delta County emcomm

November 2, 2024 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

Starkville man ends reign as king of ham radio parts: ‘It was rough trying to say goodbye’

In 1972, Martin Jue was a young entrepreneur who decided to use his electrical engineering expertise to start a new business, MFJ Enterprises, in Starkville, his adopted hometown.

The cottage industry he cultivated grew into a global enterprise that catered to ham radio enthusiasts, which will be missed now that he has shut down manufacturing operations and is gradually unloading the remaining merchandise.

Turn your Android phone into a ham radio with this open-source project

Vance Vagell, an experienced UX professional at Google, is the brains behind the kv4p HT project. Distributed under the GPL 3.0, the kv4p HT is a homebrew VHF ham radio that can be attached to an Android smartphone via a USB-C port for turning it into a portable radio transceiver.

Delta County ham radio group ready for emergencies

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) – An old form of communication is vital in hurricane recovery efforts as amateur radio operators across North Carolina and Florida connect rural areas with needed resources. A similar safety net operates across Michigan and the Upper Peninsula to keep residents safe.

Bob Petersen, a licensed amateur or ham radio operator, says his “shack in a box” can mobilize emergency radio communications in just 15 minutes. “It works great for emergency communications because I can quickly and easily go where the communication is needed,” Petersen said.

While Petersen‘s “shack” is portable, the main radio shack is in the Antique Village at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. That’s where Petersen and other amateur radio operators in the Delta County Amateur Radio Society coordinate communications on the state-wide emergency radio net.

…read more (and watch video)

Amateur radio in the news: ARRL pays $1 million to hackers, hacker hams harassed, OM80SNP celebrates Slovak National Uprising

August 24, 2024 By Dan KB6NU 4 Comments

According to BleepingComputer.Com, “On Wednesday, ARRL revealed that it had indeed paid the attackers a [$1 million] ransom not to prevent stolen data from being leaked online but to obtain a decryption tool to restore systems impacted during the attack on the morning of May 15.”

A member bulletin detailing the situation was sent to members on Wednesday, August 21. The text of this bulletin can be read online.

Las Vegas hacker convention attendees complain of harassment by Resorts World staff

The hotel of Resorts World Las Vegas played host to many attendees of the convention this year, which ran from Thursday to Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and attendees of the cybersecurity conference complained that they were being treated like criminals by security.

In notices from Resorts World shared on social media, the casino-hotel warned guests of “room checks on all stay over rooms” in the block reserved for DEF CON attendees. Guests have also shared their own personal stories to social media, complaining of harassment by overzealous security staff with the intention to intimidate.

…

Some DEF CON attendees shared their negative experiences on forums, such as Hacker News. One, known by the username FickleRaptor, said security demanded their ID and threatened to have them arrested for trespassing. “The issue was that my colleague was one of the amateur radio VEs for the Ham Radio Village and happened to have his handheld with him,” they explained, adding that the guard was “aggressive, entitled, and arrogant.”

OM80SNP celebrates 80th anniversary of Slovak National Uprising

While listening to the August 21, 2024 podcast of Radio Slovakia International’s daily English show, I was surprised to hear a report on OM80SNP, a special event station commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (Slovenské Národné Povstanie).

This station has been operating since August 1 and will continue through August 31, 2024. A special QSL card is available.

Being Slovak-American, I wish I’d known about this sooner. I still have a chance to work them and get a QSL card, though.

Amateur radio in the news: A teen’s passion for radio, a ham’s view of the Boston Marathon, pico balloon makes it to Italy

May 7, 2024 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

A Stroudsburg teens’ passion for radio

[Stroudsburg, Monroe County, PA (WBRE/WYOU)] In this week’s Here’s to You Kid segment, 28/22 News met a young ham radio operator. It’s not only his hobby, what he does also involves helping save lives.

Young man operating a radio. — Samuel Thrall, W3GZ, has a passion for radio.

14-year-old Samuel Thrall, W3GZ, is a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association (EPARA.) He passed three levels of the FCC Amateur Radio Licensing exam and now helps at the Monroe County Public Safety Center.

What interested him in ham radio in the first place is simple. “The scientific aspect of it is very interesting because it’s a technology we use on a daily basis. Our phones are all powered by radio just with computers built into them,” Samuel explained.

…read more and watch the video

As a ham radio operator, Lacy, of Middleburgh, had interesting perspective on Boston Marathon

[Middleburgh, MA] There are an estimated half a million spectators along the Boston Marathon course in any given year. If you’ve run the race, you know what a half-million voices stretched over 26.2 miles of Massachusetts roads sound like.

Of the over 9,000 volunteers that work Boston, over 300 serve as the voice of the marathon in their own way, but also serve as the eyes and ears. For the last two years, Matt Lacy of Middleburgh has been one of them. On Monday, he took up his assigned station at Mile 11 as one of the amateur (ham) radio operators who play an important role from start to finish by providing a communication network that supplements the other public safety personnel and resources vital to this massive enterprise.

“For the ham radio folks, it’s the premiere public service event, the chance for us to get the experience doing one of these events, having to report to whatever levels we need to, working within the confines of whatever section of the course we’re on,” Lacy said on Wednesday.

TAG students launch solar-powered balloon

[Iowa Falls, IA] Riverbend Middle School TAG (Talented and Gifted) students launched a solar-powered balloon on April 5 from the school, after a presentation and help from amateur ham radio operator Jim Emmert of Pella. The balloon named PENS-p22 traveled across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, Algeria the Mediterranean Sea, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea.

The “pico balloon” launched by the students made it all the way to Italy.

“I am constantly on the lookout for guest speakers, fascinating projects or unique things that we could learn about,” TAG teacher Amanda Fjeld said. “I value exposing students to new topics and projects of any kind. I am constantly brainstorming ideas and often ask others for engaging project ideas. My friend Jen, who is from Pella, told me about Jim’s Solar Balloon program, so I reached out to him. I was especially excited because I lack knowledge in the world of solar technology and weather patterns but want to expose students to more science-related opportunities.”

Emmert is a retired teacher who lives in Pella and travels to different schools teaching students about amateur radio, earth science, balloons, and GPS technology. He also launches Pico balloons and gives predictions and tracking to the students.

“Our students spent about three hours on the morning of April 5 learning and launching the balloon,” Fjeld said. “It was one of the few times I have had all of the students in TAG in 6th, 7th and 8th grade come together on one project, so it was encouraging to see them interact and work together.”

Amateur radio in the news: Hackable ham radio, ham radio at the museum, club hosts Scouts

April 5, 2024 By Dan KB6NU Leave a Comment

The Most Hackable Handheld Ham Radio Yet

The [Quansheng] UV-K5, released last year, might be the most hackable handheld ever, with a small army of dedicated hams adding a raft of software-based improvements and new features. I had to have one, and $30 later, I did.

Like Baofeng’s 5R, Quansheng’s K5 as a radio transceiver is fine. (I’m using K5 here to refer to both the original K5 and the new K5(8) model.) The key technical distinction between the 5R and K5 is a seemingly minor design choice. With Baofeng’s 5R, the firmware resides in read-only memory. But Quansheng stores the K5’s firmware in flash memory and made it possible to rewrite that memory with the same USB programming cable used to assign frequencies to preset channels.

ICHMS collaborates with IRARC

CASPIAN, MI – The Iron County Historical & Museum Society (ICHMS) will have two new exhibits this summer thanks to a collaboration with the Iron Range Amateur Radio Club (IRARC) and a grant from the Crystal Falls/Dickinson Area Community Foundation. “We couldn’t be any more excited about this collaboration and the exhibits that will come from it”, states museum director Kathlene Long. The club members are in here helping build the exhibits and are bringing their expertise along with their own artifacts to build these exhibits in time for this coming summer season.

Railroad depot building — The Stager Depot at the Iron County Historical Museum in Caspian, MI.

The Club is building a working ham radio station in the museum. It will be fully functional. Museum visitors will be able to see the exhibit and signs will help visitors understand the importance ham radios – and amateur operators – have played in our county’s, and our country’s history. They will also learn why they continue to be so important. In addition, the Club is recreating a display of a vintage WIKB studio from pieces they have collected over the years. All of this is being paid for, in part, from a $500 grant from the Crystal Falls/Dickinson Area Community Foundation. “All in all, this is a lot of moving parts finally coming together to make this happen.” Long explains.

SIERA hosts Scout amateur radio merit badge day

METROPOLIS, IL — Boy Scouts talked to amateur radio operators as far away as Puerto Rico and Arizona during a radio merit badge class hosted by the Southernmost Illinois Emergency Radio Association (SIERA). Five scouts from Troop 2007, out of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Paducah, attended the class on Saturday, March 23, at Trinity Church in Metropolis.

Scouts experimented with tuning forks and a wave generator and had the opportunity to talk on both handy-talkie and high-frequency base radios during the class. They also learned about the science and mechanics of radio as well as important safety measures.