Brandmeister DMR Network to Stop Supporting Some DMR IDs

Beginning this summer, the Brandmeister DMR network will no longer support certain devices with DMR IDs that begin with the number 1. Hams utilizing the Brandmeister network with affected DMR IDs are encouraged to request a new ID from RadioID. Brandmeister is requiring their users to obtain DMR IDs that adhere to a Mobile Country Code (MMC) standard to help facilitate automated process that make up the Brandmeister network.

5-digit CAP+ IDs will stop working June 1st. 7-digit personal radio IDs starting with 1 will stop working January 1, 2026. Repeaters with 6-digit radio IDs starting with 1 will continue to work indefinitely.

Brandmeister Network - https://news.brandmeister.network/

Lawmakers Reconsider Measure To Protect Antennas In HOAs

The US Congress has also returned to considering a measure giving hams the right to install antennas that, until now, have been banned or restricted by homeowner associations.

A proposed law has been reintroduced in Washington, D.C. to restrict the power that homeowner associations, or HOAs, have to prevent ham radio operators from installing antennas outside their residences.

This is the latest version of the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act, which has been considered by US lawmakers over the past several years without taking any action.

The measure prohibits HOAs from writing rules that ban amateur radio antennas, which are recognized as part of an essential disaster communications system for public safety. The act also provides hams with a means of resolving disputes that arise in connection with their antennas.

The sponsors are US Senators Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Richard Blumenthal a Connecticut Democrat. Opponents of the measure in previous years have raised concerns that large antennas spoil the aesthetics of a community. Many of the measure's supporters have countered that ham radio antennas should be given the same consideration as satellite dishes and TV antennas, which many HOAs permit.

As Dogs Pull Sleds, Hams Pull Long Shifts On Air

Winter racing fans in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula finally got what they waited two years for: enough snow in the region for the return of a sled-dog race that is a qualifier to the world-famous Iditarod. Hams weren’t pulling sleds but they were on the scene anyway, pulling down some big responsibilities to ensure participant safety. This is very different from a road rally with cars, a boat race, a race with cyclists or even a road-runners’ race – all races that request hams’ communication assistance.

This is the UP200 and its 228-mile snow-covered path through near-wilderness, creek crossings and challenging terrain in northern Michigan brings out sled dogs, racing fans and amateur radio operators. Sufficient snowfall this year also put two smaller, concurrent races back in action: the Midnight Run and the Jack Pine.

The races between the 13th - 17th of February challenged the four-footed athletes, the sledders’ navigational skills and some 30 radio amateurs responsible for keeping everyone as safe and as on-track as they could. Radio communication was coordinated by Tom Perry, KE8TPT, and many of the hams were from the Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association.

Tom told local media outlets that the success of the system drew heavily on having a robust linked repeater system in the region. This allowed everyone to hear all the other radio operators. With cell phone access not being an option, that kept everyone - including the hams - in the race. The Iditarod, a major sporting event in Alaska, will be held next month in Anchorage.

Source - ARNewsline