Ham Radio, Scanner & Emergency Comms Watch

Why this is recommended

A city encrypting police dispatch, an FCC fee change before a renewal, or a satellite messaging feature that works on an existing phone each is worth the fee to someone who cares about staying connected.

What the Tab covers

Who it is for

The 750,000 licensed US amateur radio operators, the 1 million scanner listeners, and the preparedness-minded households that want communication when cell service fails.

When it runs

FCC rule changes and license fee changes take effect on fixed dates, Field Day and major contests run on set weekends, and satellite messaging features launch with phone OS releases

Scope

FCC rulemaking and fee schedules; ARRL announcements, Field Day and contest calendars; NCVEC question pool changes; city and county radio encryption decisions; Apple, Google, Garmin and Starlink Direct to Cell satellite messaging; FEMA IPAWS and Wireless Emergency Alert changes; Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Baofeng, Uniden and Whistler products and recalls; Meshtastic and AREDN

Suggested task

The objective your Tab starts with. You can edit every line of it once the Tab is yours.

FCC amateur, GMRS and FRS rule and fee changes, license exam session and question pool changes, police and fire radio encryption decisions by city, satellite SOS and messaging feature launches on phones and devices, emergency alert system changes, radio and scanner sales and recalls, Field Day, contest and hamfest dates, and repeater and mesh network developments, with the rule or device first.

Track radio and emergency communications for US operators and listeners. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: FCC amateur, GMRS, FRS and Part 97 rule changes, license fee changes and enforcement actions with effective dates; license exam question pool and session changes; police, fire and EMS radio encryption or system migration decisions in cities over 100,000; satellite SOS, messaging and Direct to Cell feature launches and coverage changes at Apple, Google, Garmin, T-Mobile and Starlink; FEMA IPAWS and Wireless Emergency Alert changes; radio and scanner product launches, sales over 20 percent and recalls at Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, Baofeng, Uniden and Whistler; ARRL Field Day, major contest and hamfest dates; and Meshtastic, AREDN and repeater network developments. Prefer FCC, ARRL, city, carrier, manufacturer and FEMA sources; ignore unverified forum reports. Put the rule or device first in the title. Use high severity for an FCC rule taking effect within 60 days, an encryption decision in a major city, or a recall. Return no more than 8 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what changed, who it affects, the date, what to do, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.