Cloudy skies with some rain and a high of 74F here today.

We’ll be watching to see what’s new from Hamvention this week. Only rumor I’ve heard is Kenwood may have a replacement for the discontinued TH-D74 handheld. Given that the company didn’t even show up last year that would be kind of a big deal. I don’t know what else to expect but there are always a few interesting surprises. As usual there are some good looking days in the weather forecast and a few chances for rain. What can you do, it’s Dayton in May.

Complying with New RF Exposure Evaluation Rules:

The ARRL has reminded amateurs in the United States that it is making its resources available to help licensees comply with FCC rules on RF exposure limits. Those limits went into effect in 2021 and a two-year transition period was granted to permit hams to conduct evaluations and make necessary changes for stations that do not conform to the exposure rules.

The ARRL issued its reminder to hams just as the transition period ended on May 3rd. Hams are not exempt from conducting such evaluations even if they transmit at very low power.

I enjoyed learning that the Rooster Net will soon celebrate 24,000 daily sessions on 3.990 MHz. That’s a long time!

Saw a news item this morning about Americans keeping their cars longer than usual due to sky-high prices and increased borrowing costs. My vehicles are old, I rarely buy new and keep them until they fall apart. One personal trait that has probably saved me a fortune over my lifetime is my disgust for automobiles. A bad day for me is when I finally have to purchase a replacement. I dread everything about the selection and purchasing process and I hate dealing with the insurance, license plates, and then watching birds crap on it. How dumb must we be to pay $40,000 for a car at noon that’s only worth $30,000 come dinner time the same day?