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99-489: A DX-pedition is an expedition to what is considered an exotic place by amateur radio operators and DX listeners, typically because of its remoteness, access restrictions, or simply because there are very few radio amateurs active from that place. This could be an island, a country, or even a particular spot on a geographical grid. DX is a telegraphic shorthand for "distance" or "distant" (see DXing ). Early DX-peditions were simply exploratory and geographical expeditions in

198-466: A call sign on the air to legally identify the operator or station. In some countries, the call sign assigned to the station must always be used, whereas in other countries, the call sign of either the operator or the station may be used. In certain jurisdictions, an operator may also select a "vanity" call sign although these must also conform to the issuing government's allocation and structure used for Amateur Radio call signs. Some jurisdictions require

297-452: A US citizen may operate under reciprocal agreements in Canada, but not a non-US citizen holding a US license. Many people start their involvement in amateur radio on social media or by finding a local club. Clubs often provide information about licensing, local operating practices, and technical advice. Newcomers also often study independently by purchasing books or other materials, sometimes with

396-441: A club or organization for a period of time before a higher class of license can be acquired. A reciprocal licensing agreement between two countries allows bearers of an amateur radio license in one country under certain conditions to legally operate an amateur radio station in the other country without having to obtain an amateur radio license from the country being visited, or the bearer of a valid license in one country can receive

495-464: A club or organization generally requires that an individual with a current and valid amateur radio license who is in good standing with the telecommunications authority assumes responsibility for any operations conducted under the club license or club call sign. A few countries may issue special licenses to novices or beginners that do not assign the individual a call sign but instead require the newly licensed individual to operate from stations licensed to

594-926: A country. For example, the peak envelope power limits for the highest available license classes in a few selected countries are: 2.25  kW in Canada; 1.5 kW in the United States; 1.0 kW in Belgium, Luxembourg , Switzerland, South Africa and New Zealand; 750 W in Germany; 500 W in Italy; 400 W in Australia, India, and the United Kingdom; and 150 W in Oman . Navassa Island Navassa Island ( / n ə ˈ v æ s ə / ; Haitian Creole : Lanavaz ; French : Île de la Navasse , sometimes la Navase )

693-608: A fee to obtain such a vanity call sign; in others, such as the UK, a fee is not required and the vanity call sign may be selected when the license is applied for. The FCC in the U.S. discontinued its fee for vanity call sign applications in September 2015, but replaced it as $ 35 in 2022. Call sign structure as prescribed by the ITU consists of three parts which break down as follows, using the call sign ZS1NAT as an example: Many countries do not follow

792-580: A few extinctions covered below, the island's land and offshore ecosystems have mostly survived the 20th century. In September 1999, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service established the Navassa Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 1,344 acres (5.44 km ) of land and a 12 nautical mile (22.2 km) radius of marine habitat around the island. Later that year, full administrative responsibility for Navassa

891-558: A given period of time. In addition to contests, a number of amateur radio operating award schemes exist, sometimes suffixed with "on the Air", such as Summits on the Air , Islands on the Air, Worked All States and Jamboree on the Air . Amateur radio operators may also act as citizen scientists for propagation research and atmospheric science . Radio transmission permits are closely controlled by nations' governments because radio waves propagate beyond national boundaries, and therefore radio

990-457: A group activity. The use of the Internet to upload logs (allowing quick confirmation of questionable contacts) and for QSLs (formal confirmation) has made the process somewhat easier. Holiday operations from locations where there are few resident operators are often more leisurely affairs. Nonetheless, the operator will seek to make as many contacts as possible in the operating time available, with

1089-611: A legal history for the island under U.S. law, unlike many other islands initially claimed under the Guano Islands Act. Haiti's 1987 constitution maintains its claim to the island, which is considered part of the department of Grand'Anse . Guano phosphate is a superior organic fertilizer that became a mainstay of American agriculture in the mid-19th century. In November 1857, Duncan transferred his discoverer's rights to his employer, an American guano trader in Jamaica, who sold them to

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1188-489: A lighthouse on Navassa, and in 1917 the Lighthouse Service built the 162- foot (49-meter) Navassa Island Light on the island, 395 feet (120 meters) above sea level . At the same time, a wireless telegraphy station was established on the island. A keeper and two assistants were assigned to live there until the Lighthouse Service installed an automatic beacon in 1929. After absorbing the Lighthouse Service in 1939,

1287-431: A loud signal worldwide and keep control of the inevitable pileups that occur. Operators may also receive and transmit on different frequencies, called split operation, to be heard by distant stations without interference to their signal from the pile-up. This can also help the operation to make a substantial number of contacts with parts of the planet that have unfavourable propagation from the area visited, lying perhaps in

1386-453: A national licensing process and may instead require prospective amateur radio operators to take the licensing examinations of a foreign country. In countries with the largest numbers of amateur radio licensees, such as Japan, the United States, Thailand, Canada, and most of the countries in Europe, there are frequent license examinations opportunities in major cities. Granting a separate license to

1485-432: A nuisance. The use of "ham" meaning "amateurish or unskilled" survives today sparsely in other disciplines (e.g. "ham actor"). The amateur radio community subsequently began to reclaim the word as a label of pride, and by the mid-20th century it had lost its pejorative meaning. Although not an acronym or initialism, it is often written as "HAM" in capital letters. The many facets of amateur radio attract practitioners with

1584-463: A number after to indicate the political region; prefix CY indicates geographic islands. Prefix VA1 or VE1 is Nova Scotia , VA2 / VE2 is Quebec , VA3 / VE3 is Ontario , VA4 / VE4 is Manitoba , VA5 / VE5 is Saskatchewan , VA6 / VE6 is Alberta , VA7 / VE7 is British Columbia , VE8 is the Northwest Territories , VE9 is New Brunswick , VY0

1683-409: A pool of at least 350. To pass, 26 of the 35 questions must be answered correctly. The Extra Class exam has 50 multiple choice questions (drawn randomly from a pool of at least 500), 37 of which must be answered correctly. The tests cover regulations, customs, and technical knowledge, such as FCC provisions, operating practices, advanced electronics theory, radio equipment design, and safety. Morse Code

1782-436: A separate license and a call sign in another country, both of which have a mutually-agreed reciprocal licensing approvals. Reciprocal licensing requirements vary from country to country. Some countries have bilateral or multilateral reciprocal operating agreements allowing hams to operate within their borders with a single set of requirements. Some countries lack reciprocal licensing systems. Others use international bodies such as

1881-749: A small limestone island located in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic . These islands were once centers of guano mining and are now nature reserves for the United States. Transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on Navassa Island. Still, it is uninhabited. Navassa has no ports or harbors, only offshore anchorages, and its only natural resource is guano. Economic activity consists of subsistence fishing and commercial trawling activities. A 2009 survey of fishermen in southwestern Haiti estimated some 300 fishermen, primarily from Anse d'Hainault Arrondissement , regularly fished near

1980-551: A wide range of interests. Many amateurs begin with a fascination with radio communication and then combine other personal interests to make pursuit of the hobby rewarding. Some of the focal areas amateurs pursue include radio contesting , radio propagation study, public service communication , technical experimentation , and computer networking . Hobbyist radio enthusiasts employ a variety of transmission methods for interaction . The primary modes for vocal communications are frequency modulation (FM) and single sideband (SSB). FM

2079-700: A year in the national capital and can be inordinately bureaucratic (for example in India) or challenging because some amateurs must undergo difficult security approval (as in Iran ). Currently, only Yemen and North Korea do not issue amateur radio licenses to their citizens. Some developing countries, especially those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America , require the payment of annual license fees that can be prohibitively expensive for most of their citizens. A few small countries may not have

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2178-411: Is Nunavut , VY1 is Yukon , VY2 is Prince Edward Island , VO1 is Newfoundland , and VO2 is Labrador . CY is for amateurs operating from Sable Island (CY0) or St. Paul Island (CY9). Special permission is required to access either of these: from Parks Canada for Sable and Coast Guard for St. Paul. The last two or three letters of the call signs are typically the operator's choice (upon completing

2277-648: Is 440 yards (400 m) from the southwestern coast or 655 yards (600 m) east of Lulu Bay. The terrain of Navassa Island consists mostly of exposed coral and limestone, the island being ringed by vertical white cliffs 30 to 50 feet (9.1 to 15.2 m) high, but with enough grassland to support goat herds. The island is covered in a forest of four tree species: short-leaf fig ( Ficus populnea var. brevifolia ), pigeon plum ( Coccoloba diversifolia ), mastic ( Sideroxylon foetidissimum ), and poisonwood ( Metopium brownei ). Navassa Island's topography, ecology, and modern history are similar to those of Mona Island ,

2376-561: Is a small uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea . Located northeast of Jamaica , south of Cuba , and 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) west of Jérémie on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, it is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute between Haiti and the United States, which administers the island through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . The U.S. has claimed the island as an appurtenance since 1857, based on

2475-553: Is accorded "entity" (country) status by the American Radio Relay League . The callsign prefix is KP1. Since it became a National Wildlife Refuge, amateur radio operators have repeatedly been denied entry. In October 2014, permission was granted for a two-week DX-pedition in February 2015. The operation, designated K1N, made 138,409 contacts. Navassa Island is about 2.1 square miles (5.4 km ) in area. It

2574-550: Is administered as part of the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex . Due to hazardous coastal conditions and to preserve species habitat, the refuge is closed to the general public, and visitors need permission from the Fish and Wildlife Service to enter its territorial waters or land. After World War II, amateur radio operators occasionally visited to operate from the territory. Navassa

2673-492: Is any location that is either politically separate or physically remote (or both) from other jurisdictions / locations. For example: While the ARRL criteria for new entities were rationalized in 1999, those entities introduced before that date under relatively lax rules remain on the list, so long as they satisfy the original criteria. Other DX-peditions focus on operation from islands with little or no local radio amateur activity, for

2772-621: Is established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through the Radio Regulations . National governments regulate technical and operational characteristics of transmissions and issue individual station licenses with a unique identifying call sign , which must be used in all transmissions. Amateur operators must hold an amateur radio license which is obtained by passing a government test demonstrating adequate technical radio knowledge and legal knowledge of

2871-590: Is in the Turks and Caicos Islands, VP6xxx is on Pitcairn Island, VP8xxx is in the Falklands, and VP9xxx is in Bermuda. Online callbooks or call sign databases can be browsed or searched to find out who holds a specific call sign. An example of an online callbook is QRZ.com . Non-exhaustive lists of famous people who hold or have held amateur radio call signs have also been compiled and published. Many jurisdictions (but not in

2970-458: Is located 35 miles (56 km) west of Haiti 's southwest peninsula, 103 miles (166 km) south of the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba , and about one-quarter of the way from mainland Haiti to Jamaica in the Jamaica Channel . Navassa reaches an elevation of 250 feet (76 m) at Dunning Hill 110 yards (100 m) south of the lighthouse, Navassa Island Light. This location

3069-508: Is no longer tested in the U.S. Once the exam is passed, the FCC issues an Amateur Radio license which is valid for ten years. Studying for the exam is made easier because the entire question pools for all license classes are posted in advance. The question pools are updated every four years by the National Conference of VECs. Prospective amateur radio operators are examined on understanding of

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3168-1008: Is not very difficult. Many Caribbean and Pacific island nations, as well as European micro-states, have very small populations, but have hotels, reliable power, and supplies, and are easy to gain operating permission in. Therefore, these states are regularly activated by amateurs, often in combination with a family holiday. Other jurisdictions take a more stringent view of individual access to communications equipment, and are rare because very few amateurs are licensed in those countries and visitors find it difficult or impossible to gain operating permits or import amateur radio equipment. Examples include North Korea , Mount Athos and Yemen . Some locations are also rare due to their extreme inaccessibility—examples include Peter I Island , Campbell Island , Clipperton Island , Navassa Island , or Desecheo Island . When amateurs travel to remote locations such as these they must first obtain permission to operate from that location from whatever political jurisdiction rules

3267-466: Is of international concern. Both the requirements for and privileges granted to a licensee vary from country to country, but generally follow the international regulations and standards established by the International Telecommunication Union and World Radio Conferences . All countries that license citizens to use amateur radio require operators to display knowledge and understanding of key concepts, usually by passing an exam. The licenses grant hams

3366-522: Is recognized for its superior audio quality, whereas SSB is more efficient for long-range communication under limited bandwidth conditions. Radiotelegraphy using Morse code , also known as "CW" from " continuous wave ", is the wireless extension of landline (wired) telegraphy developed by Samuel Morse and dates to the earliest days of radio. Although computer-based (digital) modes and methods have largely replaced CW for commercial and military applications, many amateur radio operators still enjoy using

3465-419: Is similar to Voice over IP (VoIP), but augments two-way radio communications rather than telephone calls. EchoLink using VoIP technology has enabled amateurs to communicate through local Internet-connected repeaters and radio nodes, while IRLP has allowed the linking of repeaters to provide greater coverage area. Automatic link establishment (ALE) has enabled continuous amateur radio networks to operate on

3564-587: Is the Wireless Institute of Australia , formed in 1910; other notable societies are the Radio Society of Great Britain , the American Radio Relay League , Radio Amateurs of Canada , Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication , the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters and South African Radio League . ( See Category:Amateur radio organizations ) An amateur radio operator uses

3663-684: Is typically found in the 70 cm (420–450 MHz) wavelength range, though there is also limited use on 33 cm (902–928 MHz), 23 cm (1240–1300 MHz) and shorter. These requirements also effectively limit the signal range to between 20 and 60 miles (30–100 km). Linked repeater systems, however, can allow transmissions of VHF and higher frequencies across hundreds of miles. Repeaters are usually located on heights of land or on tall structures, and allow operators to communicate over hundreds of miles using hand-held or mobile transceivers . Repeaters can also be linked together by using other amateur radio bands , landline , or

3762-619: Is valid only in the country where it is issued or in another country that has a reciprocal licensing agreement with the issuing country. In some countries, an amateur radio license is necessary in order to purchase or possess amateur radio equipment. Amateur radio licensing in the United States exemplifies the way in which some countries award different levels of amateur radio licenses based on technical knowledge: three sequential levels of licensing exams (Technician Class, General Class, and Amateur Extra Class) are currently offered, which allow operators who pass them access to larger portions of

3861-526: The Guano Islands Act of 1856. Haiti's claim over Navassa goes back to the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 that recognized French, rather than Spanish, control of the western portion of the island of Hispaniola and other specifically named nearby islands. However, there was no mention of Navassa in the treaty detailing terms. Haiti's 1801 constitution claimed several nearby islands by name, among which Navassa

3960-708: The Internet . Amateur radio satellites can be accessed, some using a hand-held transceiver ( HT ), even, at times, using the factory "rubber duck" antenna. Hams also use the moon , the aurora borealis , and the ionized trails of meteors as reflectors of radio waves. Hams can also contact the International Space Station (ISS) because many astronauts are licensed as amateur radio operators. Amateur radio operators use their amateur radio station to make contacts with individual hams as well as participate in round-table discussion groups or "rag chew sessions" on

4059-530: The Internet . Amateur radio is officially represented and coordinated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which is organized in three regions and has as its members the national amateur radio societies which exist in most countries. According to an estimate made in 2011 by the American Radio Relay League (the American national amateur radio society), two million people throughout

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4158-543: The Order of Galilean Fishermen , raised money to defend the miners in federal court. The defense tried to build a case on the contention that the men acted in self-defense or the heat of passion and even claimed that the United States did not have jurisdiction over the island. E. J. Waring , the first black lawyer called to the Maryland bar , was a part of the defense's legal team. The cases, including Jones v. United States , went to

4257-643: The U.S. Supreme Court in October 1890, which ruled the Guano Act constitutional. Three of the miners were scheduled for execution in the spring of 1891. A grass-roots petition driven by black churches around the country, also signed by white jurors from the three trials, reached President Benjamin Harrison , who mentioned the case in that year's State of the Union Address . Among other things, he said: "There appeared on

4356-479: The high frequency bands with global coverage. Other modes, such as FSK441 using software such as WSJT , are used for weak signal modes including meteor scatter and moonbounce communications. Fast scan amateur television has gained popularity as hobbyists adapt inexpensive consumer video electronics like camcorders and video cards in PCs . Because of the wide bandwidth and stable signals required, amateur television

4455-649: The Amateur Radio spectrum and more desirable (shorter) call signs. An exam, authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is required for all levels of the Amateur Radio license. These exams are administered by Volunteer Examiners, accredited by the FCC-recognized Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) system. The Technician Class and General Class exams consist of 35 multiple-choice questions, drawn randomly from

4554-571: The American claim, calling for military action to enforce it. Navassa Island has since been maintained by the United States as an unincorporated territory (according to the Insular Cases ). The United States Supreme Court on November 24, 1890, in Jones v. United States , 137 U.S. 202 (1890), Id. at 224, found that Navassa Island must be considered as appertaining to the United States, creating

4653-521: The CW mode—particularly on the shortwave bands and for experimental work, such as Earth–Moon–Earth communication , because of its inherent signal-to-noise ratio advantages. Morse, using internationally agreed message encodings such as the Q code , enables communication between amateurs who speak different languages. It is also popular with homebrewers and in particular with "QRP" or very-low-power enthusiasts, as CW-only transmitters are simpler to construct, and

4752-580: The ITU convention for the numeral. In the United Kingdom the original calls G0xxx, G2xxx, G3xxx, G4xxx, were Full (A) License holders along with the last M0xxx full call signs issued by the City & Guilds examination authority in December 2003. Additional Full Licenses were originally granted to (B) Licenses with G1xxx, G6xxx, G7xxx, G8xxx and 1991 onward with M1xxx call signs. The newer three-level Intermediate License holders are assigned 2E0xxx and 2E1xxx, and

4851-457: The Islands on the Air (IOTA) award which is sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain . A small number of DX-peditions focus on activating specific, remote Maidenhead locator squares for the benefit of VHF and UHF operators. Many DX-peditions take place from locations with adequate access to power and supplies, often where the country has a small resident amateur population or where licensing

4950-499: The Isle of Man, "GJ" & "MJ" are Jersey and "GU" & "MU" are Guernsey. Intermediate licence call signs are slightly different. They begin 2#0 and 2#1 where the # is replaced with the country letters as above. For example "2M0" and "2M1" are Scotland, "2W0" and "2W1" are Wales and so on. The exception however is for England. The letter "E" is used, but only in intermediate-level call signs. For example "2E0" & "2E1" are used whereas

5049-455: The Organization of American States to facilitate licensing reciprocity. When traveling abroad, visiting amateur operators must follow the rules of the country in which they wish to operate. Some countries have reciprocal international operating agreements allowing hams from other countries to operate within their borders with just their home country license. Other host countries require that

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5148-582: The Phosphate Company had to abandon its operations on Navassa due to its proximity to Spanish Cuba and Puerto Rico. Company president John H. Fowler noted that the war made it impossible to find ships to deliver supplies to the island and expected his workers to be evacuated by June. Maryland senator Arthur Pue Gorman called for a naval warship to escort supply ships to the island to help evacuate workers. In July 1898, abrogating an agreement with Haitian Naval Admiral Hammerton Killick that would have allowed

5247-614: The Phosphate Company to withdraw equipment and supplies left on Navassa, a group of Haitians occupied the island and seized the company's assets. They were unable to operate the machinery, and mining ceased. The Navassa Phosphate Company went bankrupt and the island was sold at auction in the United States in September 1900. A dispute over the sale hampered efforts to restart mining on the island and left four contract workers virtually abandoned on Navassa from December 1900 to May 1901. Between 1857 and 1898, approximately 1 million pounds (450,000 kg) of phosphate deposits were removed from

5346-575: The RF spectrum, usually allowing choice of an effective frequency for communications across a local, regional, or worldwide path. The shortwave bands, or HF , are suitable for worldwide communication, and the VHF and UHF bands normally provide local or regional communication, while the microwave bands have enough space, or bandwidth , for amateur television transmissions and high-speed computer networks . In most countries, an amateur radio license grants permission to

5445-491: The U.S. Coast Guard serviced the light twice yearly. The U.S. Navy set up an observation post for the duration of World War II. The island has been uninhabited since then. Fishermen, mainly from Haiti, fish the waters around Navassa. As part of the Parish–Smithsonian Expedition to Haiti in 1930, Smithsonian naturalists Alexander Wetmore and Waston Perrygo stopped at Navassa to document and collect examples of

5544-428: The UK & Europe) may issue specialty vehicle registration plates to licensed amateur radio operators. The fees for application and renewal are usually less than the standard rate for specialty plates. In most administrations, unlike other RF spectrum users, radio amateurs may build or modify transmitting equipment for their own use within the amateur spectrum without the need to obtain government certification of

5643-552: The United Kingdom and Australia, have begun requiring a practical assessment in addition to the written exams in order to obtain a beginner's license, which they call a Foundation License. In most countries, an operator will be assigned a call sign with their license. In some countries, a separate "station license" is required for any station used by an amateur radio operator. Amateur radio licenses may also be granted to organizations or clubs. In some countries, hams were allowed to operate only club stations. An amateur radio license

5742-763: The air. Some join in regularly scheduled on-air meetings with other amateur radio operators, called " nets " (as in "networks"), which are moderated by a station referred to as "Net Control". Nets can allow operators to learn procedures for emergencies, be an informal round table, or cover specific interests shared by a group. Amateur radio operators, using battery- or generator-powered equipment, often provide essential communications services when regular channels are unavailable due to natural disaster or other disruptive events . Many amateur radio operators participate in radio contests, during which an individual or team of operators typically seek to contact and exchange information with as many other amateur radio stations as possible in

5841-741: The area they wish to travel to. Even in countries such as the United States, this permission can be difficult and costly to obtain. For example, a recent DXpedition to Jarvis Island in August 2024 required a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for access to and use of Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge , which cost the team $ 27,000. Once operating permission is assured, then transportation must be arranged. This can be both expensive and dangerous. Some locations are coral atolls that are almost submerged at high tide, such as Scarborough Reef ; others are sub-polar islands with inhospitable climates such as Peter I Island . The amateur must also take care of

5940-508: The basic Foundation License holders are granted call signs M3xxx, M6xxx or M7xxx. Instead of using numbers, in the UK the second letter after the initial 'G' or 'M' identifies the station's location; for example, a call sign G7OOE becomes GM7OOE and M0RDM becomes MM0RDM when that license holder is operating a station in Scotland. Prefix "GM" & "MM" are Scotland, "GW" & "MW" are Wales, "GI" & "MI" are Northern Ireland, "GD" & "MD" are

6039-514: The basic necessities such as food, water, and power. In addition to licensing and survival issues, DX-pedition participants devote much attention to the radio equipment they use. In an extremely rare location for a popular awards program like DXCC, hundreds of stations may be calling the DX-pedition at any one time (known as a 'pile-up'). Therefore, DX-peditioners will aim to use high power and gain antennas on as many bands as practical, to achieve

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6138-446: The call signs beginning G or M for foundation and full licenses never use the "E". In the United States, for non-vanity licenses, the numeral indicates the geographical district the holder resided in when the license was first issued. Prior to 1978, US hams were required to obtain a new call sign if they moved out of their geographic district. In Canada, call signs start with VA, VE, VY, VO, and CY. Call signs starting with 'V' end with

6237-606: The claim on the basis that the Guano Islands Act applies only to islands which, at the time of the claim, are not "appertaining to" the United States. The department's opinion said that Navassa is and remains a U.S. possession "appertaining to" the United States and is "unavailable to be claimed" under the Guano Islands Act. A 1998 scientific expedition led by the Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, D.C. , described Navassa as "a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity." Aside from

6336-501: The classroom to teach English, map skills, geography, math, science, and computer skills. The term "ham" was first a pejorative term used in professional wired telegraphy during the 19th century, to mock operators with poor Morse code -sending skills (" ham-fisted "). This term continued to be used after the invention of radio and the proliferation of amateur experimentation with wireless telegraphy; among land- and sea-based professional radio operators, "ham" amateurs were considered

6435-501: The definitive delimitation of the maritime zones between the United States and Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, as well as determining the maritime frontier at the point of confluence between Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. The island was disregarded for the purposes of determining equidistant boundary calculation with Cuba during the signing of the Cuba–Haiti Maritime Boundary Agreement in 1977; Cuba backs Haiti's claim to

6534-755: The early 20th century. The First Annual Official Wireless Blue Book of the Wireless Association of America , produced in 1909, contains a list of amateur radio stations. This radio callbook lists wireless telegraph stations in Canada and the United States, including 89 amateur radio stations. As with radio in general, amateur radio was associated with various amateur experimenters and hobbyists. Amateur radio enthusiasts have significantly contributed to science , engineering , industry, and social services . Research by amateur operators has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency. Ham radio can also be used in

6633-408: The equipment. Licensed amateurs can also use any frequency in their bands (rather than being allocated fixed frequencies or channels) and can operate medium-to-high-powered equipment on a wide range of frequencies so long as they meet certain technical parameters including occupied bandwidth, power, and prevention of spurious emission . Radio amateurs have access to frequency allocations throughout

6732-720: The first four remain common, with the next three likely extinct , and the last being possibly extirpated due to feral cats , dogs and pigs inhabiting the island. In 2012, Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral), a common reef-building coral of the Caribbean, was located underwater near the island. The remaining coral was found to be in good condition. The island, with its surrounding marine waters, has been recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of red-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds , as well as hundreds of white-crowned pigeons . The dispute has prevented

6831-423: The help of a mentor, teacher, or friend. In North America, established amateurs who help newcomers are often referred to as "Elmers", as coined by Rodney Newkirk, W9BRD, within the ham community. In addition, many countries have national amateur radio societies which encourage newcomers and work with government communications regulation authorities for the benefit of all radio amateurs. The oldest of these societies

6930-598: The host government's radio regulations. Radio amateurs are limited to a specific set of frequency bands, the amateur radio bands, allocated throughout the radio spectrum , but within these bands are allowed to transmit on any frequency using a variety of voice, text, image, and data communications modes. This enables communication across a city, region, country, continent, the world, or even into space. In many countries, amateur radio operators may also send, receive, or relay radio communications between computers or transceivers connected to secure virtual private networks on

7029-818: The human ear-brain signal processing system can pull weak CW signals out of the noise where voice signals would be totally inaudible. A similar "legacy" mode popular with home constructors is amplitude modulation (AM), pursued by many vintage amateur radio enthusiasts and aficionados of vacuum tube technology. Demonstrating a proficiency in Morse code was for many years a requirement to obtain an amateur license to transmit on frequencies below 30 MHz. Following changes in international regulations in 2003, countries are no longer required to demand proficiency. The United States Federal Communications Commission , for example, phased out this requirement for all license classes on 23 February 2007. Modern personal computers have encouraged

7128-686: The island's birds and other terrestrial and marine wildlife. From 1917 to 1996, Navassa was under the administration of the United States Coast Guard . In 1996, the Coast Guard dismantled the light on Navassa, which ended its interest in the island. Consequently, the Department of the Interior assumed responsibility for the civil administration of the area , and placed the island under its Office of Insular Affairs. For statistical purposes, Navassa

7227-467: The island, as part of the US Minor Outlying Islands , is ISO 3166-2:UM-76 . In 1504, Christopher Columbus , stranded on Jamaica during his fourth voyage, sent some crew members by canoe to Hispaniola for help. En route, they landed on the island, which had no water. They called it Navaza (from nava-, Spanish for 'plain' / 'field'), and mariners largely avoided it for

7326-605: The island. In 1905, the U.S. Lighthouse Service identified Navassa Island as a good location for a new lighthouse. However, plans for the light moved slowly. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, shipping between the American eastern seaboard and the Canal through the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti increased in the area of Navassa, which proved a hazard to navigation. Congress appropriated $ 125,000 in 1913 to build

7425-525: The island. There were eight species of native reptiles, all of which are believed to be, or to have been, endemic to Navassa Island: Comptus badius (an anguid lizard ), Aristelliger cochranae (a gecko ), Sphaerodactylus becki (a gecko), Anolis longiceps (an anole ), Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis (an endemic subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana ), Leiocephalus eremitus (a curly-tailed lizard ), Tropidophis bucculentus (a dwarf boa ), and Typhlops sulcatus (a tiny snake). Of these,

7524-472: The islands, an amateur radio operator kept contact with, and sent QSL cards to, experimenters in the United States. The participation of radio amateurs in geographical expeditions was resumed after World War II, e.g. the participation of Bill Snyder, W0LHS, and Bob Leo, W6PBV, in the Gatti - Hallicrafters expedition in Africa of 1948. The most unusual expedition to place reliance on amateur radio for communications

7623-570: The key concepts of electronics, radio equipment, antennas, radio propagation , RF safety, and the radio regulations of the government granting the license. These examinations are sets of questions typically posed in either a short answer or multiple-choice format. Examinations can be administered by bureaucrats , non-paid certified examiners, or previously licensed amateur radio operators. The ease with which an individual can acquire an amateur radio license varies from country to country. In some countries, examinations may be offered only once or twice

7722-463: The landing point at Lulu Bay, where it was put into sacks and lowered onto boats for transfer to the Company barque , the S.S. Romance . The living quarters at Lulu Bay were referred to as ' Lulu Town ', as appears on old maps. Railway tracks eventually extended inland. In September 1875, the fierce 1875 Indianola hurricane swept over the island, destroying much of the company's infrastructure, including

7821-524: The late 1920s and 1930s, in which one or more radio amateurs participated to provide long-distance communications. At the same time they communicated with fellow radio amateurs who wanted to contact a new country. Most notable are the Antarctic expeditions of Admiral Byrd. Another example is the voyage of the schooner Kaimiloa , which traveled the South Pacific in 1924. While the ship's wealthy owners enjoyed

7920-417: The license holder to own, modify, and operate equipment that is not certified by a governmental regulatory agency. This encourages amateur radio operators to experiment with home-constructed or modified equipment. The use of such equipment must still satisfy national and international standards on spurious emissions . Amateur radio operators are encouraged both by regulations and tradition of respectful use of

8019-521: The licensing test, the ham writes three most-preferred options). Two-letter call sign suffixes require a ham to have already been licensed for 5 years. Call signs in Canada can be requested with a fee. Also, for smaller geopolitical entities, the numeral may be part of the country identification. For example, VP2xxx is in the British West Indies, which is subdivided into VP2Exx Anguilla, VP2Mxx Montserrat, and VP2Vxx British Virgin Islands. VP5xxx

8118-573: The most famous of these is the DX Century Club (DXCC) award sponsored by the ARRL . The base level of this award involves contacting and confirming 100 distinct geographical entities defined by the ARRL – usually politically distinct countries, and sometimes well-separated administrative or geographical regions within them, such as outlying islands. There are currently 340 separate entities recognized for award purposes. An "entity" for such purposes

8217-484: The newly formed Navassa Phosphate Company of Baltimore . After an interruption for the American Civil War , the company built larger mining facilities on Navassa with barrack housing for 140 black contract laborers from Maryland , houses for white supervisors, a blacksmith shop, warehouses, and a church. Mining began in 1865. The workers dug out the guano by dynamite and pick-axe and hauled it in rail cars to

8316-506: The next 350 years. In 1798, Médéric Louis Élie Moreau de Saint-Méry , a member of the French Parliament best known for his publications on Saint-Domingue , referred to "la Navasse" as a "small island between Saint-Domingue and Jamaica". From 1801 to 1867, the successive constitutions of Haiti claimed sovereignty over adjacent islands, both named and unnamed, although Navassa was not specifically enumerated until 1874. Navassa Island

8415-426: The power requirements for amplifiers and the ease of refueling versus recharging a battery. When the individual or group arrives at the DX-pedition destination, they must set up their station and get on the air. DX-peditions are usually group affairs since the desire is to make as many contacts as possible from the location. Round-the-clock operations on multiple HF bands simultaneously are typical, which necessitates

8514-892: The privilege to operate in larger segments of the radio frequency spectrum, with a wider variety of communication techniques, and with higher power levels relative to unlicensed personal radio services (such as CB radio , FRS , and PMR446 ), which require type-approved equipment restricted in mode, range, and power. Amateur licensing is a routine civil administrative matter in many countries. Amateurs therein must pass an examination to demonstrate technical knowledge, operating competence, and awareness of legal and regulatory requirements, in order to avoid interfering with other amateurs and other radio services. A series of exams are often available, each progressively more challenging and granting more privileges: greater frequency availability, higher power output, permitted experimentation, and, in some countries, distinctive call signs. Some countries, such as

8613-474: The rail line and workers' homes. In total, the storm caused an estimated $ 25,000 (equivalent to $ 690,000 in 2023) in damage on the island. Hauling guano by muscle power in the fierce tropical heat, combined with general disgruntlement with conditions on the island, eventually contributed to a riot in 1889, in which five supervisors died. A U.S. warship returned 18 of the workers to Baltimore for three separate trials on murder charges. A black fraternal society,

8712-606: The region on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it—its antipodal point . Examples would be the Central Pacific from Europe, or the Caribbean from Japan. For smaller operations to remote locations, smaller radios which run off of a 12 V DC power supply and antenna systems which are more easily transported are favored over larger and more difficult to transport equipment. However, generators are usually used because of

8811-546: The result that contacts are often extremely brief, limited just to an exchange of signal reports. Many DX-peditions are organized around various radio contests that happen throughout the year. This is often done so that the DX-pedition station can gain an advantage in contests and maximize the number of contacts that they make during the DX-pedition, since the radio bands are the most active during contests. List of DXpeditions Amateur radio The amateur radio service ( amateur service and amateur-satellite service )

8910-497: The spectrum to use as little power as possible to accomplish the communication. This is to minimise interference or EMC to any other device. Although allowable power levels are moderate by commercial standards, they are sufficient to enable global communication. Lower license classes usually have lower power limits; for example, the lowest license class in the UK (Foundation licence) has a limit of 10 W. Power limits vary from country to country and between license classes within

9009-487: The trial and otherwise came to me such evidences of the bad treatment of the men that in consideration of this and of the fact that the men had no access to any public officer or tribunal for protection or the redress of their wrongs I commuted the death sentences that had been passed by the court upon three of them." Guano mining resumed on Navassa at a much-reduced level. In 1898, during the Spanish–American War ,

9108-442: The use of digital modes such as radioteletype (RTTY) which previously required cumbersome mechanical equipment. Hams led the development of packet radio in the 1970s, which has employed protocols such as AX.25 and TCP/IP . Specialized digital modes such as PSK31 allow real-time, low-power communications on the shortwave bands but have been losing favor in place of newer digital modes such as FT8 . Radio over IP , or RoIP,

9207-506: The visiting ham apply for a formal permit, or even a new host country-issued license, in advance. The reciprocal recognition of licenses frequently not only depends on the involved licensing authorities, but also on the nationality of the bearer. As an example, in the US, foreign licenses are recognized only if the bearer does not have US citizenship and holds no US license (which may differ in terms of operating privileges and restrictions). Conversely,

9306-627: The world are regularly involved with amateur radio. About 830,000 amateur radio stations are located in IARU Region 2 (the Americas) followed by IARU Region 3 (South and East Asia and the Pacific Ocean) with about 750,000 stations. A significantly smaller number, about 400,000, are located in IARU Region 1 (Europe, Middle East, CIS , Africa). The origins of amateur radio can be traced to the late 19th century, but amateur radio as practised today began in

9405-433: Was claimed for the United States on September 19, 1857, by Peter Duncan, an American sea captain, under the Guano Islands Act of 1856, for the rich guano deposits found on the island and for not being within the lawful jurisdiction of any other government, nor occupied by another government's citizens. Haiti protested the annexation, but on July 7, 1858, U.S. President James Buchanan issued an Executive Order supporting

9504-534: Was grouped with the now-obsolete term United States Miscellaneous Caribbean Islands and is now grouped with other islands claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act as the United States Minor Outlying Islands . In 1997, an American salvager, Bill Warren, claimed Navassa to the Department of State based on the Guano Islands Act . On March 27, 1997, the Department of the Interior rejected

9603-598: Was not listed, but also laid claim to "other adjacent islands", which Haiti maintains included Navassa. The U.S. claim to the island, first made in 1857, asserts that Navassa was not included among the unnamed "other adjacent islands" in the 1801 Haitian Constitution. Since the Haitian Constitution of 1874, Haiti has explicitly named "la Navase" as one of the territories it claims. It maintains that it has continuously been claimed as part of Haiti since 1801. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for

9702-657: Was that of Kon-Tiki organized by Thor Heyerdahl in 1947 and using call sign LI2B. The activity of dedicated DX-peditions was pioneered by one-time ARRL president Robert W. Denniston , W0DX. Mr. Denniston's 1948 DX-pedition, using call sign VP7NG, was to the Bahamas and was called "Gon-Waki" à la Thor Heyerdahl 's Kon-Tiki expedition the previous year. DX-peditions are planned and organized to help operators who need to contact that area to obtain an amateur radio award. There are several awards sponsored by various organizations based on contacting many different countries. Perhaps

9801-597: Was transferred from the Office of Insular Affairs to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge protects coral reef ecosystems, native wildlife, and plants and provides opportunities for scientific research on and around Navassa Island. Navassa Island features large seabird colonies, including over 5,000 nesting red-footed booby ( Sula sula ). Navassa is home to four endemic lizard species. Two other endemic lizards, Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis and Leiocephalus eremitus , are extinct. Navassa Island NWR

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