Southgate Amateur Radio News

Amateur Radio Daily

07 December 2023

• HamSCI Publishes Initial Observations from October Annular Solar Eclipse

  Hundreds of amateurs participated in the HamSCI event by getting on the air. Combining their data with contacts from other amateur contest activities, citizen-science cooperation contributed to one of the largest participatory days ever in amateur radio history.

  ...observations show that signals from [medium wave] AM stations located to [the] north across the annular eclipse path showed significant signal strength enhancements associated with the eclipse, whereas signals from AM stations to the south did not.

  Visit the HamSCI website for A full report [PDF] with charts and images.

  Source: HamSCI

• ISS SSTV Event December 7-8

  Russian cosmonauts will be active on the International Space Station conducting a partial global slow scan television (SSTV) event.

  Images honoring cosmonaut graduate Yuri Usachov will be transmitted on 145.800 MHz FM Thursday December 7, 08:55 UTC to 14:25 UTC and Friday December 8, 08:15 UTC to 14:10 UTC.

  Source: AMSAT

• ARISS 40th Anniversary Conference named ARRL Specialty Conference

  The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) recently named the 40th anniversary celebration planned by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) an ARRL-sanctioned Specialty Conference. This special designation from ARRL will provide additional marketing opportunities for the ARISS event including mentions in the ARRL weekly email and monthly journal.

  The ARISS 40th Anniversary Conference will celebrate the positive impact of amateur radio on human spaceflight. The event takes place at the Center for Space Education at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center in Titusville, Florida February 22-24, 2024.

  Amateur radio operation on human spaceflight first occurred in 1983 when astronaut Owen Garriott (W5LFL) made contact with amateur radio operators from the Space Shuttle Columbia.

  Source: ARISS

• AMSAT Canada Officially Incorporated

  Amateur Radio Satellites and Systems - Canada (AMSAT-CA) has officially been incorporated to support amateur radio in space. Over the next few months, AMSAT-CA will establish processes around its online presence as well as membership opportunities.

  The first major effort from AMSAT-CA will be to develop a paper in support of the European Space Agency's proposal for a European and Canadian geosynchronous amateur radio satellite project.

  Source: AMSAT-CA

• VP9 QSL Bureau Discontinued

  The Radio Society of Bermuda will be discontinuing its QSL bureau service for VP9 stations beginning December 31st, 2024. Activity will be phased out over the next year.

  Source: VP9NA

• ITU-R Recommends 23cm Amateur Service Operations

  ITU-R has recommended an approach for amateur radio operators to continue working alongside non-amateur services on the 23cm satellite bands. Specifically, there has been concern that amateur radio might lose access to spectrum alongside the co-frequency radio navigation satellite service (RNSS).

  The recommendation represents 4 years of advocacy on behalf of IARU and will be discussed at WRC-23 through mid-December.

  Source: IARU

• NASA Highlights Ham Radio on International Space Station

  The first and longest running educational outreach program on the space station is ISS Ham Radio. An organization known as Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS, helps run the program. ARISS is a partnership between NASA, the American Radio Relay League, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, amateur radio organizations, and multiple international space agencies.

  Read the full article on NASA.gov.

  Source: NASA

• Mini Digital Communications Conference December 9th

  TAPR will host a Mini Digital Communications Conference (DCC) on December 9th. The online conference will feature several presentations including Open Source wideband HF receiver design, Open Source digital voice, FreeDV ESP32 based radio, and more.

  Keep an eye on tapr.org for links to join the online presentations.

  Source: TAPR

• Ham Radio WorkBenches On The Air Special Event

  The popular Ham Radio Workbench podcast will be hosting a special event this weekend, December 3rd from 1pm to 5pm Eastern time.

  Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air encourages listeners to get on the air and make contacts with the podcast's hosts. Certificates and prizes will be announced on the 200th episode of the podcast.

  More details including points and schedule details are available on the HRWBOTA website.

  Source: Ham Radio Workbench

• My Radio My Life Documentary Screening in Washington DC

  From VU2RBI, featured in My Radio My Life documentary film:

  Exciting news for Hams in Washington DC and nearby areas! 📢

  My documentary film, 'My Radio My Life,' will be screening at the South Asian Film Festival on December 2nd at 3:00 pm EST, hosted at AMC Montgomery 16 in Bethesda. Reach out to VU2DTR Mahathi Devulapalli in Virginia for more details; she's active on social media. Free tickets if you contact Mahathi! Radio hams in the area, let's plan get-togethers during this time. 73s and namaste! 📻🎥

  Source: My Radio My Life

• FOSDEM Seeks Amateur Radio Related Presentations

  The Free and Open Source Developer’s Meeting (FOSDEM) is calling for amateur radio related presentations. FOSDEM 2024 will take place in Brussels February 3 - 4 featuring a track on FOSS-powered Radio.

  Recommended topics include:

  • SDR frameworks and the tools that make them useful
  • New SDR-based developments in ham radio modes
  • Amateur radio operator software tooling
  • Free / Open radio hardware
  • Entertaining wireless hacks
  • SDR & ham radio in mass and higher education
  • Satellite, spacecraft and interplanetary communication

  The submission deadline is December 1, 2023.

  Source: GNURadio

• 3916 Santa Net Active Through Christmas Eve

  The 3916 Santa Net continues for the 16th year and will be active each evening now through Christmas Eve on 3.916 MHz at 7PM Central time.

  Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, "Christmastime is a very special time for our nets every year. We enjoy helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they'll always remember. And we're thrilled to introduce young people to the excitement of amateur radio."

  Pre-net check-ins are encouraged at https://www.cqsanta.com/check-in

  Source: Santa Net

• NASA Launches Spot the Station App

  ...NASA launched a new app to make it easier than ever to spot the International Space Station in the night sky. NASA has long operated the Spot the Station website, but its new app, available on both iPhone and Android, brings augmented reality features and a handy interface to learn more about the orbiting laboratory. Find the app at the Apple App Store or at Google Play.

  The app will send notifications each time the station passes over your location, both day and night. A great utility reminder to jump on the APRS or voice repeater.

  Source: AMSAT

• SKYWARN Recognition Day December 2

  SKYWARN Recognition Day returns December 2nd, 2023. For 24 hours, participants are encouraged to make contact with as many Weather Service offices and SKYWARN spotters as possible. This event is designed to call out the service that amateur radio operators provide when relaying critical weather information back to the National Weather Service when severe weather strikes.

  Visit the National Weather Service for details on how to participate.

  Learn more about SKYWARN and how to become a storm spotter.

  Source: National Weather Service

• Disruption of SOTA Services Possible from Volcanic Eruption

  Andy (MM0FMF), a member of the SOTA Management Team, communicated the potential for disruption of SOTA services such as the SOTA Cluster and SMS services should a volcanic eruption occur in Grindavik, Iceland. The data center containing SOTA services is located just outside the town of Grindavik.

  With thousands of small earthquakes occurring and large cracks appearing on roads over the past few days, experts warn that a volcanic eruption is possible.

  Source: SOTA

• FCC Adopts New Rules for Amateur Radio, Drops Symbol Rate for HF

  The Report and Order adopted today eliminates the baud rate limitation—the rate at which the carrier waveform amplitude, frequency, and/or phase is varied to transmit information—in certain amateur radio bands. Instead, the Commission establishes a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limitation in the applicable amateur radio bands. The changes will enable the amateur radio community to operate more efficiently, including in support of emergency situations when appropriate, and foster experimentation, which is a core principle of the amateur radio service.

  The FCC also adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which proposes and seeks comment on the removal of the baud rate – sometimes called the symbol rate—limitation in the VHF and UHF bands and in the 2200 meter and 630 meter band...

  The full Report and Order is available for viewing in PDF format.

  Source: FCC

• The Communicator November - December Issue Available

  Surrey Amateur Radio Communications has published the November - December issue of The Communicator, a popular and content-rich bi-monthly newsletter. This issue includes:

  • The Orca DX and Contest Club
  • Fuses and the ‘crowbar’ circuit
  • A Yaesu FT-857D off-grid portable kit
  • Antenna adventures
  • ARDF World Championships—Team Canada

  And more! Direct PDF download link.

  Source: SARC

• New Satellite Distance Record set with SO-50

  Jérôme LeCuyer, F4DXV, set yet another distance record on October 15th when he worked Scott Richardson, N1AIA, on SO-50. Jérôme was located in JN14ch while Scott was in FN43rh, a distance of 5,645.3 km. This eclipses the previous record of 5,548 km set by KE9AJ and MI0ILE in May.

  Source: AMSAT

• Special Event Celebrates First Transatlantic Amateur Contact

  The Swiss Air Force Museum HAM Radio Club will be on the air with callsign HB8DELOY to celebrate the first transatlantic contact between two amateur radio operators.

  [On] 27 November 1923, at 9.30pm EST, two-way short-wave radio contact took place for the first time between radio amateurs on either side of the ocean, between Hartford, Connecticut, USA and Nice, in the south of France.

  The special event will run through the end of December this year.

  Source: Swiss Air Force Museum HAM Radio Club

• Special Event Celebrates Father of Wireless Communication

  Special event station AU2JC will be paying homage to the Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose November 23 through December 11 2023.

  Considered the "Father of Wireless Communication," Bose was a pioneer in microwave optics, and demonstrated wireless communication as early as 1895.

  The special event will operate on the following modes and frequencies:

  • 10M: 28545, 28510, 28490, 29700
  • 21M: 21235, 21310, 21350, 21360
  • 20M: 14210, 14250, 14310
  • 40M: 7040, 7150
  • 80M: 3710
  • 6M FM: 50800, 51500

  Source: AU2JCB