PODCAST: This Week in Amateur Radio #1424

**George Bowen** (0:02)
Heard every week on amateur radio bands all around the world, broadcast on low power AM and FM stations all across the United States, and one of the first podcasts on the internet, we are This Week in Amateur Radio, the worldwide premier amateur radio and technology news magazine and bulletin service of the air. Here are the stories for release around the earth as we come to air with edition number 1424 of This Week in Amateur Radio.

**George Lama** (0:32)
ITU Corporation acquires Ameritron and Mirage RF power amplifiers from MFJ.
Washington State's governor highlights amateur radio volunteers ahead of ARRL field day.
AMSAT submits a letter of intent to NASA for carriage and launch of amateur radio CubeSats on upcoming Artemis missions. A US radio station copper thief is arrested. Astronauts return to the space station after the leak that was venting air into space is repaired. The ARRL reminds amateurs to prepare for the upcoming kids' day on the air. The Orlando HamCation is seeking nominations for its 2027 awards. The Irish Amateur Radio Transmitter Society is seeking operators for the HF World Championship. And, employees at a radio station form a new amateur radio club and they do a lot of amateur radio self-promotion on the air on the station. You will hear all of these stories and a lot more coming up in today's edition of This Week in Amateur Radio.

**George Bowen** (1:41)
These headline stories will come to you in a moment along with this week's special features. We'll visit with Bruce Paige, Kk5Do and get an update from AMSAT and what's new with all those amateur satellites in orbit. Australia's own Ono Binshop, VK6FLAB and Foundations of Amateur Radio continues with part 20 of his Bald Yak project. This edition continues his adventures with Soapy Audio and is entitled More Pie with Soap.
Our own amateur radio historian, Will Rogers, K5WLR returns with another edition of A Century of Amateur Radio. This week, Will takes us back to the summer of 1924, which brought the first explorers to four new shorter wavelength bands that were opened up to amateur use in July of that year. This is the final wrap up of this edition, which is entitled DX Records and Shortwave Reflections, or The Heavy Side Road to the Antipode. We will stop by and visit with Bill Salyers, AJ8B in the DX Corner with all the latest news on DXpeditions, DX, upcoming contest and much more.
We will have a look at this month's Volunteer Monitoring System Report. That's all straight ahead as North America's premier amateur radio and technology news magazine and bulletin service. This Week in Amateur Radio takes to the air right now.

**Mike Nikolich** (3:15)
Reporting from our studios in beautiful Orland Park, Illinois, where I am on my way to Alaska. This will mark the 50th state I have visited during my 68 years here on the planet. I'm Mike Nikolich, K9DxMike.

**Joshua Marler** (3:30)
And reporting from our news bureau just outside Rochester, New York, along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, this is George, Kilo Charlie 2, Oscar, X-Ray, Juliet.

**Chris Perrine** (3:40)
And reporting this week from our news bureau in Cortlandville, New York, I'm Chris Perrine, Kb2Faf.

**Marvin Turner** (3:48)
And reporting from our news bureau in western Wisconsin, where the antenna farm is growing faster than the corn. I'm Marvin Turner, W0Met.

**George Bowen** (3:57)
And reporting from the Hamshack TV studios in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I just got my special event call sign for field day. I'm Josh Marler, Aa4Wx.

**Ed Johnson** (4:08)
From the sunny space coast in Florida, I'm Ed, W2PH.

**Eric Zittel** (4:13)
And reporting from our Troy, New York, News Bureau, where it's starting to get humid up here, I'm Eric, Kilo Delta 2, Romeo, Juliet X-ray.

**Will Rogers** (4:22)
And reporting from our news bureau in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where spring and summer are performing their annual dance, I'm Will Rogers, K5Wlr.

**George Lama** (4:34)
Hello, everyone. Before we get into this week's newscast, I'd like to tell everyone that This Week in Amateur Radio now has its own Discord server. That's right, a place online where we can discuss everything technology and amateur radio. So join us. Just go to Discord on your computer or download the Discord app on your portable device and search for TWIAR or This Week in Amateur Radio.
We look forward to seeing you on the new This Week in Amateur Radio Discord server.

**Mike Nikolich** (5:09)
Leading off our news this week is a story that makes me very happy. ITU Corporation this week announced the acquisition of two additional Premiere amateur radio and communications brands from MFJ Enterprises, Ameritron and Mirage RF amplifiers and electronics. These are FCC registered and approved high-quality RF amplifiers up to legal limit. In addition to amplifiers, Ameritron's lineup also includes antenna tuners, switching units and several other electronic communication devices. This move expands upon ITU's earlier 2026 acquisition of the iconic Highgain and Cushcraft antenna brands. These two additional product lines will be a very nice addition to ITU's portfolio of Premiere communications brands, says Dave Carpenter, president of ITU Corporation. Martin Jew and I have become very good friends over the last few months. His trust in my team to carry on the legacy of these iconic international brands challenges us to continue improving the processes and quality across all four companies. The manufacturing operations for Highgain, Cushcraft, Ameritron and Mirage are being consolidated and relocated from Starkville, Mississippi to ITU Corporation's 15-acre facility in Linton, Indiana. The complex transaction is well underway with full product production scheduled to begin by the end of 2026