About ERN

Experimental Radio News highlights experiments of special interest, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington, D.C. These are stations in the Experimental Radio Service or granted Special Temporary Authorization.

ERN reviews large numbers of such licenses and chooses a few standouts for each issue.

They include stealth-mode and startup companies, research and educational projects, product development and demonstrations. Topics include consumer electronics, satellites, autonomous systems, high-frequency stations, security systems and mobile communications on land, sea or in the air.

Many experimental licenses are Wi-Fi or 5G related, vehicle radar, video production or defense contracts. ERN does not usually cover these routine items.

Isn't this material confidential?

A license applicant may ask the FCC to withhold commercially sensitive content from public inspection. Even when the FCC grants such requests it is often possible to extract meaningful information from media sources and other material in the applicant's file.

Why the callsigns?

The callsign usually confirms that a license was issued, that the licensee is expected to conduct experiments and has made legal promises to the government. Sometimes a callsign is granted while a license is still pending.

A callsign may help you identify a station on the air. Some are exempt from, or may ignore, the station identification requirement.

Where are issues 1 and 2?

ERN 1 and 2 were published on another platform and no longer available.

About the editor

As a reporter, editor and publisher, Bennett Kobb has covered technology news for more than 40 years. He holds a M.S. in telecommunications from the University of Colorado. Bennett is a Senior Member and a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

During 2020-2024, he was a Senior Public Relations Associate at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where he supported the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS).

Free subscription

Subscribe for free. Unsubscribe at any time. ERN is a personal project, independent of any company or agency. It is published as time permits.

No passwords

ERN uses the Ghost platform which does not need passwords. It will mail you the newsletter. As a subscriber, to read ERN on this website, sign in with your E-mail address. Ghost will mail you a link to the full site.

Your address is used only to send the newsletter and give you access to the site. The RSS feed is at this link.

Thanks for your support

Please share ERN with others. If you'd like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. 😋

Experimental Radio News is ©2019-2025, Bennett Z. Kobb.