LA5MDA - New Radio From Kenwood, TS-580

I just read Bjorn Vangstein LA5MDA's blog post on a new radio from Kenwood - the TS-580. I thought Kenwood had bit the dust in the HF market but it looks like they are coming out with a new rig. I wonder how this one will fare in the current HF rig ballgame.

I searched the Internet real quick but I couldn't find any other information on the TS-580, other than 3 pictures taken at the Tokyo Hamfair on the mods.dk site, one of which is shown here:




One thing I notice right away is the VFO knob. It looks like Kenwood did a good job with it. However, that doesn't mean it will be a good rig. Lets wait and see what happens with it!

Review of 3ord Party Regulations, FCC 97.115

I just wanted to toss this out there as a reminder to all Amateur Radio operators that there are limitations in the countries we can handle third party traffic with. Follow this link to the ARRL's list of current countries.

Under the FCC regulations for amateur radio third party communications, part 97.115 (page 14 of that PDF), (97.115(b)) anyone who is not licensed and is authorized by a licensed control operator may operate under the license class of the control operator as a third party operator. Also, by extrapolating the last sentence of the definition in 97.115(a)(2), any licensed operator of a station that is operating under the license class of a control operator, and outside of their own privileges, is a third party operator. In this case they are "not eligible" to be the control operator because their license class does not allow them privileges where they are operating.

This means that if you are operating at Field Day under an Extra's call and you are a General you are third party in the Extra segments.

If you are demonstrating Ham radio to someone who is not licensed (scouts, your neighbor, your brother) and allow them to talk on the radio they are third party.

Any third party traffic can only be passed by and any third party operator can only communicate with operators in countries with which we have a third party agreement.

I know it gets complicated, but keep this in the back of your head.