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 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 sensitive content from public inspection. Sometimes the FCC exposes this material anyway.
Even when the FCC grants requests for confidentiality, we can sometimes extract meaningful data from media sources and other material in the applicant's file.
Why the callsigns?
The callsign can help the reader search further for information. It usually confirms that a license was issued, that the licensee is expected to conduct experiments and has made legal promises to the government. Sometimes the FCC will issue a callsign while the 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 Associate for Defense & Security at CACI International and Guidehouse Inc., supporting public emergency alerting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Free subscription
Subscribe for free. Unsubscribe at any time. ERN is 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 email you the newsletter. As a subscriber, to read ERN on this website, sign in with your email 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.
Thank You and please share ERN with others
If you'd like to support my work, you're invited to buy me a coffee. 😋
Experimental Radio News is ©2019-2025, Bennett Z. Kobb.