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Recent articles
There are some interesting employment opportunities popping up on the FCC web site these days for those of us with technical interests. It’s no secret that technical employment opportunities often go unfilled because of the lack of up and coming students and intern applicants with solid technical skills.
FCC Engineer-in-Training (EIT) Program to be held during 2006/2007
FCC legal and non-legal internship opportunities
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The FCC is facing a serious brain drain, as are many technical organizations, due to the large number of early baby boomers who are retiring out of the employee pool. This is especially critical in the tech fields, as the early baby boomers frequently came from military and classical engineering backgrounds, fields falling far short in graduation rates today.
The labor shortage predicted for 2010 seems to be showing up a few years early, and the job market is already heating up rapidly on the west coast.
Some of you might remember my rant a few weeks ago, asking contributors to our forums to maintain a positive and encouraging attitude when discussing experimental broadcasting. If you missed it, you can see it here:
http://part15.us/node/952#comment-2155
I think it’s equally important to stress experimenting responsibly.
Here’s the newest copy of the FCC Enforcement Inspection Fact Sheet:
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/otherinfo/inspect.html
Here’s a list of recent actions:
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices
What’s encouraging is that I don’t see too much enforcement against AM operators, so it looks like, even with matching coils and modulating transformers, it’s still a great way to go
The ease with which an experimenter can set up an illegal operation should not be ignored, and we should all be careful to be mindful of the regulations that govern our activities in the broadcast spectrum. We are guests, and as long as we behave as guests we should be able to continue to enjoy an interesting hobby.
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I’m writing this today because, after reviewing the latest batch of FCC press releases about recent NOUOs (Notice Of Unlicensed Operations) I’m a little disappointed in my fellow experimenters. The NOUO is the first step in FCC enforcement now, and I think the FCC has shown a great deal of flexibility in establishing this level of enforcement.
The governmental equivalent of “Hey! Knock it off, dummy!” NOUOs are triggered when the FCC is made aware of an unlicensed operation and are issued once the responsible party is identified. The Enforcement Inspection Fact Sheet gives good advice about how to respond lawfully should an agent come to see you.
Specs attached
http://part15.us/files.p15/IT1.pdf
I recently ordered and assembled this little broadband amp kit. Arrived in good condition in about 10 days.
More…
Schematic and assembly instructions (sorry, no foil pattern)
Click any image for an enlarged view
This kit is based on the 400mw 100MHz RF Amplifier by Harry Lythall – SM0VPO as featured on his web site.
The consumer kit comes from KitsRus in the near east, and I purchased it from Quasar Electronics, here:
http://www.quasarelectronics.com/3171.ht
My hat is off to Quasar, by the way, the first mail order firm that really, really didn’t abuse my eamil address in some way! It’s been about 4 months since I placed my order, and not a speck of spam of any kind. I enthusiastically support vendors like Quasar.
The kit included a PCB with solder mask and silk screen.
All the required parts for assembly and clear instructions were included.
Assembly was simple and easy
EDM 10 mW Stereo Transmitter with the 250 mW Amplifier
