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Introducing the Radio Club of America
Founded in 1909, the Radio Club of America is the oldest, most prestigious group of wireless communications professionals in the world, with members across the globe. Its members are dedicated to the wireless art and science for the betterment of society. The Radio Club of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all contributions made to RCA are tax exempt.
Learn more about RCA’s three exciting major initiatives: Creating the Future, Ensuring the Present, Honoring the Past
RCA will return to Pittsburgh on Friday, November 20, 2020 to help celebrate KDKA’s 100th anniversary
KDKA will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first commercial broadcast in the U.S. On Nov. 2, 1920 KDKA broadcast the presidential election results of the Harding-Cox election , making them the first commercial broadcast station.
Another tour of the KDKA facilities, which was so successful in 2017, is being planned, as well as several other historic activities. RCA is working in conjunction with a number of other organizations to make this a “don’t miss” event. Pittsburgh hotels and restaurants are less expensive than NYC, so this is another reason to plan now to attend our Technical Symposium and Banquet on Friday November 20th. The KDKA special events are planned to be on Saturday November 21st.
In the meantime, you may be interested in several historical links about KDKA:
3 minute YouTube clip on KDKA history
Detailed excerpt from a broadcasting book, plus bios on key KDKA persons
Audio clip on the Harding-Cox broadcast on Nov. 2, 1920
A short early history of wireless including KDKA
RCA’s 2019 Annual Awards Banquet Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker on Saturday November 23rd was John Miller, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism. Commissioner Miller has also held positions as FBI Assistant Director of Public Affairs, as an ABC News reporter, and a as a senior news correspondent for CBS News. He has been on CBS This Morning and 60 Minutes, and is often remembered as the ABC reporter who interviewed Osama bin Laden in 1998.
A live stream of the Keynote can be found at HERE (then click on Videos to start with the latest ones from 2019).
More information can be on our keynote speaker can be found HERE.
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2020 IWCE Breakfast Registration
RCA’s 2019 Awards Banquet and Technical Symposium
New! This year for those unable to physically attend the Banquet, we live streamed the Keynote Speaker and new group of Fellows and some of the Awards. Go to the RCA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RadioClubOfAmerica/).
For details on RCA’s 2019 Fellows click HERE.
2019 Technical Symposium: Attendees said this was the best Tech Symposium ever! We had presentations on hot topics including Massive MIMO, Network Virtualization, and Connected Vehicles. We saw a series of interesting presentations on space including the Explorer I story from Dr. Henry Richter who oversaw it all; the Apollo 11 TV broadcast from the moon; AMSAT’s cubesat; and the current state of space from a young Ph.D. candidate. Click HERE for the details.
Check out the photos from the 2019 Technical Symposium and Banquet on our Shutterfly Page HERE.
Thanks to our 2019 Technical Symposium and Banquet sponsors!
RCA at the Dayton Hamvention
RCA was at the Dayton Hamvention (May 17-19), and Director Carole Perry held her 32nd annual Youth Form.
SOME PHOTOS FROM DAYTON 2019:
RCA Director Carole Perry at Dayton Youth Forum
See a complete video of the event (2.5 hours) by clicking HERE.
Congratulations to RCA’s New Officers and Directors for 2019-2020
Click here for the press release
NEW!! MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
We are adding a new feature to the RCA Website: a short feature on a current member, what they are doing, and what their wireless interests are. The member that is featured will be changed regularly.
If you are interested in being spotlighted, please send a brief summary of your wireless interests, a brief bio, your contact information, and a picture to info@radioclubofamerica.org. We cannot guarantee that every member will be spotlighted, but we will attempt to spotlight as many as we can.
Introducing RCA Member
Robert Lopez
Robert A. Lopez, P.E., (Rob) is the owner and principal of RLA Communications Engineering LLC. RLA is a private, independent and vendor agnostic consulting engineering company established in 2016. RLA specializes in indoor and outdoor wireless communications and the provisioning of the wireless network planning software – LMR Planner ® (www.LMRplanner.com). Rob is a licensed professional engineer in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California and Florida. He has been in the wireless telecommunications industry for 35 years, starting with an engineering position working for Motorola. Rob’s career has involved the design and testing of Public Safety radio communications systems, E911 location accuracy systems, distributed antenna systems (DAS) for first responders and commercial cellular. Among RLA’s valued and esteemed clients are CenterPoint Energy, General Dynamics, Chesapeake Energy, NY Thruway Authority, Related Companies, Brookfield Properties, AvalonBay, Vision Metering, Stantec Engineering, Jacobs Engineering and Tri-Unity Engineering. Rob holds BSEE and MSEM degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and is a proud member of the IEEE, Safer Building Coalition, APCO and NEDAS.
Email: rlopez@RLAcommunications.com
- How long have you been in the wireless industry? I’ve been in the wireless industry since I joined Motorola as a student intern in 1984, that is, 36 years.
- What are your specific interests or wireless areas of expertise? I had my start in Land Mobile Radio as a Systems Engineer with Motorola where I had the proud opportunity to be on the design team for the first 800 MHz trunked radio system in New Jersey for the State Police. I’ve worked on radio propagation methods and modeling over the years, addressing such issues as co-channel interference, time-delay interference, intermodulation, propagation model tuning with signal measurements, among others. In the past 10 years, I have focused on designing, developing specifications and testing in-building distributed antenna systems (DAS) for First Responders and commercial cellular.
- How many years have you been an RCA member? I’ve been a member since January 1, 2012
- What caused you to join RCA? I was proud to have been invited and sponsored by an esteemed colleague, Mr. Frank Rodriguez.
- Where do you live and work? I live in North Bergen, NJ about 4 miles from Manhattan where I do about 90% of my business. I have my own company, RLA Communications Engineering LLC which was formed in 2016.
- Is there a specific benefit from the RCA “Member Spotlight” that you are hoping for? (e.g. ‘to meet other members with an interest in X’, or ‘to meet other members in my area’, etc.) I welcome the opportunity to connect with people that share similar interests such as advances in land mobile radio technology, radio propagation modeling and coverage testing methodologies for indoor and outdoor systems.
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RCA History
The history of our Club is one with which every member should be familiar.