Last week, we presented a story about the new rules on the entry into force of the identification of unmanned aerial vehicles in the United States. If you missed it the article, the short story is that almost all drones will soon have to transmit their position, altitude, speed and serial number, as well as the position of their operator, probably via WiFi or Bluetooth. Changing FAA rules is not good with Wing, the subsidiary for the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles of the megacorporation Alphabet. According to them, the local broadcasting of flight data would be an invasion of privacy, as observers who eavesdrop on the traffic of remote identifiers could, say, conclude that a drone moving between a pharmacy and a neighbor’s home, it may mean that someone is ill. They make sense, but how a Google company managed to break through the thick clouds of irony to complain about privacy concerns and the rise in surveillance is staggering.
Speaking of regulatory burdens, it seems that obtaining an amateur radio license is no longer quite the way it once was. The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a $ 35 fee for new amateur radio licenses, license renewals, and changes to existing licenses, such as vain call signs. Although $ 35 isn’t cheap, it’s not the end of the world and is better than the $ 50 fee the FCC initially offered. Still, it seems a bit steep for something that is largely automated. In any case, it seems that we are still good to go with ours $ 50 ham series.
Staying for a minute on the topic of amateur radio, it seems there will be a new digital mode to explore soon. The change will come when version 2.4.0 of WSJT-X is released, the program that forms the heart of digital modes such as WSPR and FT8. The newcomer is called Q65 and is essentially a continuation of the current QRA64 weak signal mode. The Q65 is optimized for weak, fast-fading signals in VHF bands and higher frequencies, so it’s likely to be popular with Earth-Moon-Earth fans and those who like to do things like reject their meteor path signals. We would think that Q65 should activate bouncing plane too. We’ll want to try when it comes out.
You see, we know it’s hard to get used to writing the right year after a new one rolls, and that time has gained a relative feel in these pandemic times. But we’re pretty sure it’s not April yet, which is the most reasonable explanation for the claimed ad the wicked connection of a computer for games and fried foods to the mass market. We strongly suspect that this is just a marketing ploy between Cooler Master and Yum! Brands, but taken at face value, KFConsole – this is not a game console, but at best a pre-built gaming computer – should use the excess heat to keep your order warm from DoorDashed while you play. For a year full of incredibly stupid things, this one is clearly in the top five.
Finally, it seems that we can all sigh with relief that our airline pilots, or at least some of them, do not see things. Recently, there has been a steady stream of messages from pilots flying in and out of Los Angeles about a man in a jet buzzing around. Ok someone finally shot a video of the brave man, and although it is shaky and obscure – as all cryptide videos look at first glance – it certainly looks like a human-sized two-faced that flies upright. The description of the video says that it was filmed by a flight instructor 3,000 feet (914 meters) near Palos Verdes with Catalina Island in the background. It’s about 20 miles (32 km) from the mainland, so whatever this person is flying has incredible range. And, the pilot has incredible faith in the equipment – it’s a long way to fall into something with the same drag ratio as a brick.