BASIC HAM RADIO: Skydive operation cited for using ham frequencies

FCC issues notice to California business for use of 70-centimeter band

The Federal Communications Commission has targeted a California skydiving operation for using an amateur radio frequency on multiple occasions in the past year. Interestingly, this notice comes out on the weekend of ham radio’s biggest event of the year, the Dayton Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio.

Cadet Kai Burgman of the U.S. Army Military Academy class of 2023 practices a six-way jump with the West Point Parachute Team in preparation for the National Collegiate Parachuting Championships at Skydive Elsinore in California. The military trains skydivers at the facility. | Photo courtesy of U.S. Army

The Los Angeles Regional Office of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau in Cerritos, California, sent a letter to the business this week detailing alleged infractions of FCC rules.