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WEEKEND EDITION:

27 degrees this morning on the rock.....I winterized the summer equipment by running and adding seafoam to the gas. I ran both generators just to keep them alive and well. I need to get some gas from the airport for the generator, on my short list of stuff to do....

The K7RA Solar Update

2025 Youth on the Air Camp Application Period Open

Building Experience and Circuits for Lithium Capacitors

For the cautious, a good piece of advice is to always wait to buy a new product until after the first model year, whether its cars or consumer electronics or any other major purchase. This gives the manufacturer a year to iron out the kinks and get everything ship shape the second time around. But not everyone is willing to wait on new tech. [Berto] has been interested in lithium capacitors, a fairly new type of super capacitor, and being unwilling to wait on support circuitry schematics to magically show up on the Internet he set about making his own.

The circuit he’s building here is a solar charger for the super capacitor. Being a fairly small device there’s not a lot of current, voltage, or energy, but these are different enough from other types of energy storage devices that it was worth taking a close look and designing something custom. An HT7533 is used for voltage regulation with a Schottky diode preventing return current to the solar cell, and a DW01 circuit is used to make sure that the capacitor doesn’t overcharge.

While the DW01 is made specifically for lithium ion batteries, [Berto] found that it was fairly suitable for this new type of capacitor as well. The capacitor itself is suited for many low-power, embedded applications where a battery might add complexity. Capacitors like this can charge much more rapidly and behave generally more linearly than their chemical cousins, and they aren’t limited to small applications either. For example, this RC plane was converted to run with super capacitors.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

FCC APPROVES SATELLITE-TO-CELL COVERAGE FOR STARLINK

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week comes from Washington, D.C., where Starlink satellites recently received the FCC's go-ahead to provide emergency service for mobile phones, particularly in emergencies. Kent Peterson KCØDGY brings us up to date.

KENT: SpaceX has received permission to provide Starlink satellite service to cellular phones in areas of the US where terrestrial cellular networks do not operate. The Federal Communications Commission gave its approval in late November for direct-to-cell capability, known as Supplemental Coverage from Space, using second-generation Starlink satellites that will be launched soon. There will be as many as 7,500 of these new satellites that will be capable of providing this kind of mobile phone service. SpaceX has a lease agreement with cellular provider T-Mobile for this service in the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. Earth-to-space communication will occur on the frequency range between 1910 and 1915 MHz; space-to-Earth communication will use the range between 1990 and 1995 MHz.

The FCC order, dated November 26th, said that direct-to-cell capability is designed to provide a more robust link to emergency services when severe weather or other conditions do not make conventional connections possible.

The FCC said that before Starlink can provide this service to mobile phones outside the United States, it would need permission and licenses from those countries' governments. The FCC said that various sub-bands between 1429 MHz and 2690 MHz would be used for this purpose.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(ARS TECHNICA, FCC)

**
FORUM IN SRI LANKA EXPLORES SATELLITES' NEW ROLES

PAUL/ANCHOR: A recent online forum hosted by the Radio Society of Sri Lanka takes a look at how low-earth orbit satellites are changing the world of communication. Graham Kemp VK4BB brings us up to date.

GRAHAM:  Satellites are playing a greater role throughout the world -- from communicating directly with mobile phones to providing a network that enables disaster response at different levels. On December 1st, a presentation hosted by the Radio Society of Sri Lanka outlined these revolutionary changes that have been happening in countries throughout the world and the roles that low-earth orbit satellites are playing. The guest speaker was Kusal Epa [pron: COO-SAL OPPA] 4S7KE/VK2KSL, a senior wireless architect based in New South Wales, Australia.

The 90-minute session, which was called "The Future of Connectivity," was livestreamed on YouTube and is available for viewing at the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

(YOUTUBE)

**
HAMSCI LAUNCHES FREE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

PAUL/ANCHOR: There's always something fascinating going on with the citizen science team at HamSCI and now there's a new way to keep track of what they're up to. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us how.

KEVIN: The amateur radio citizen science investigation team known as HamSCI has begun publishing a new quarterly newsletter focusing on hams and the scientific community.
The newsletter, which is delivered as a free download, contains updates on ongoing projects and any related activities.
HamSCI's founder, Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, expects that the new publication will enhance communication among supporters and observers.
In addition to bringing readers up to date on various projects, the inaugural issue features a number of profiles of volunteers deeply involved in HamSCI's work, including data analyst Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL. The WSPR enthusiast has been deeply involved in various propagation studies.
The newsletter download is available at hamsci.org/newsletter. You can also visit the HamSCI website at hamsci.org to add your name to the mailing list.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(HamSCI)

**
IN INDIA, BACK TO SCHOOL AND BACK TO BASICS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators aren't just communicators; they're teachers. Two groups of these radio teachers visited college campuses in India recently and imparted some important lessons. Here's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF with the details.

JIM: The first college in India to add amateur radio studies to its undergraduate curriculum hosted a seminar geared toward young ham radio operators on December 1st and administered a test to students seeking the required operating certificate. It was a final exam of sorts for 75 of the undergrads at the Ramakrishna [Rama Krishna] Mission Vivekananda Centenary College. The date of the programme was significant: It marks the 166th birth anniversary of the pioneering scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. The ham radio coursework began in July, conducted by hams of the Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management and the West Bengal Radio Club. Now all that's left for the students is to await their test results to learn whether they qualify for the Amateur Station Operator Certificate from India's Ministry of Telecommunications, allowing them to set up stations at home.

A few days earlier on a college campus in Kolkata, 156 students at the Women's Christian College received another kind of lesson in amateur radio. The same two organisations offered an overview of radio's essential role in disaster mitigation. The one-day workshop was led by Debdutta Mukherjee, VU3JXA, Suvonkar Saha, VU3XSO, Soumo Chakraborty, VU3FWK and Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA. The college principal said she expected to introduce amateur radio formally into coursework at the school soon.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(MILLENNIUM POST, STATESMAN, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**
RADIO SUPPORT IS FAMILY AFFAIR AT CONNECTICUT ROAD RACE

PAUL/ANCHOR: Half of the members of a community service-based amateur radio club in Connecticut turned out to recently provide radio support for a major fundraising road race. The radio team included the youngest member of the club, a newly licensed 10-year-old boy who teamed up with his grandfather. Dave Parks WB8ODF has that story.

DAVE: The Manchester Road Race isn't just an established fundraising tradition in Connecticut; it's now a family affair for Jack Robinson KA1GCZ and his 10-year-old grandson, Aiden Karp, KC1TWN. Both of them are members of the BEARS of Manchester. The club's acronym stands for Better Emergency Amateur Radio Service and has the club call W1BRS. On Thanksgiving Day, the 28th of November, the two amateurs helped their fellow club members relay information about the whereabouts and the well-being of the 12,000 participants running along the 4.7-mile course. They also kept a watchful eye on the more than 30,000 spectators.

This kind of public service radio became a regular family affair after Aiden got his license last December, joining his three cousins as well as his aunt and uncle as hams. Jack said Aiden, who is an active member of BEARS, also enjoys fox hunting activities that the club hosts and keeping a watchful eye on the weather as a SKYWARN spotter.

Aiden is the youngest amateur to have ever provided this kind of support for the road race -- but because the sixth-grader has inspired other kids, that might just change soon. Jack told Newsline that ever since Aiden was seen in the spotlight with his radio, lots of area youngsters will be signing up to study for their license.

**

PRESENTERS NEEDED FOR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're involved in using digital modes to deliver vital information during a crisis - or want to learn more about how others do it - the Utah Digital Communications Conference might be a good place to start. Conference planners are also looking for presenters to share their ideas and methods. Here's Sel Embee KB3TZD with the details.

SEL: Amateurs with insights into some of the roles that digital modes can play in emergency communications are invited to be presenters at the 8th annual Utah Digital Communications Conference. The one-day event will take place on Saturday the 22nd of February on the Miller campus of the Salt Lake Community College in Sandy, Utah.

The organizers hope to be able to offer an array of topics, including the use of Winlink, VARA FM and the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network, or AREDN.

The conference is being held in collaboration with the Utah VHF Society.

There is an online form for submitting proposals on the conference website, where you can also find information about attending. Guests under the age of 18 are admitted for free.

See the link to the website in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

**

MEET THE NEWEST OP IN AUSTRALIA: SANTA!

PAUL/ANCHOR: Yes there a lot of opportunities at this time of the year to work Santa Claus on the air -- but have you ever thought of a QSO with Santa from his QTH near the SOUTH Pole? Amateur radio can make it happen - and John Williams VK4JJW tells us about the magic involved.

JOHN: If you believe in Santa Claus - and who doesn't, am I right? - you probably believe that he lives only at the North Pole. Wrong! Santa has a summer home and here in Australia, you can find him in Wangara, Western Australia, where he is in his shack, excited to have finally got his Australian callsign. It's VK6SANTA and he's making good use of it right now through to the 24th of the month by hosting the VK6 Santa Amateur Radio Net.

Santa is a very happy new Australian op and he is spreading holiday cheer.

Visit his page on QRZ.com and you'll find that Santa is eager to work local hams as well as some DX - he's on 2 metres as well as 10, 20 and 40 metres. If all you want for Christmas is to get Santa in your Yuletide Log, you might just get your wish.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(NEWSWEST, QRZ.com)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for the Bahrain Amateur Radio Society using the callsign A91ND through to the 16th of December to mark the Kingdom of Bahrain's  National Day. QSL via EC6DX. Other amateur radio groups will be joining the celebration on the air, including the Emirates Amateur Radio Society, calling QRZ as A60BHR from the 11th through to the 16th of December. The Saudi Amateur Radio Society will be on the air as HZ1BHR, the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society will be calling as 9K9BHR and the  Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society will be using A43BHR. See QRZ.com for individual callsigns for activation and QSL details.

Listen for Take [Tah-Kay], JI3DST, calling QRZ as JS6RRR from Miyako Island, IOTA Number AS-079 through to the 31st of March 2025. Take will be using a variety of callsigns throughout the stay, including JJ5RBH/6,  JR8YLY/6,  JS6RRR/6 and JS6RRR/p on FT8. Visit the JS6RRR page on QRZ.com for QSL details.

On Wake Island, IOTA Number OC-053, Allen, KH7AL, is operating as KH7AL/KH9 holiday style. Listen for him on SSB and some CW on 40, 30, 20, 17, 15 and 10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

The special event callsign PH24XMAS will be on the air to celebrate Christmas and the New Year from the 6th to the 28th of December. The callsign PH25HNY will follow from the 28th of December through to the 5th of January. See QRZ.com for details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: ROUNDING OUT SOME ACTION ON LOCAL REPEATERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: For motorists here in the US, a roundabout is another word for a traffic circle, the kind of road that isn't always easy to navigate. In two western states, however, ham radio operators recently enjoyed a repeater roundabout -- and it became a happy weekend journey for an ever-widening circle of friends. For our final story this week, we turn to George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.

GEORGE: For the third year in a row, hams in Idaho and Washington state took a special adventure together on dozens of the region's VHF and UHF repeaters. The event was known as the Repeater Roundabout and this year's roundabout - held on the weekend of November 23rd and 24th - was put together with 186 regional repeaters and 70 radio groups.

The event's creator, Quentin K7DRQ, said the goal has always been simple since the first year: getting hams to meet new people and work repeaters they don't ordinarily make use of. Quentin said it is also a great way to introduce ham radio contesting to those operators who use repeaters. Unlike the roundabouts of the two previous years, which counted contacts made on Echolink, IRLP, Allstar, DMR and D-STAR, this year's event was FM-only. To help everyone prepare and learn to practice programming their rigs with the repeaters' frequencies, Quentin said participants were provided with a CHIRP file.

Both Quentin and co-organizer Matt, KI6KTE could readily see that even before all the logs were submitted, there was one early -- and immediate - measure of the roundabout's success: Quentin told Newsline [quote] "This year, a new ham made his very first contact during the event." [endquote]

That turned this particular roundabout.....into a Winner's Circle.

THURSDAY EDITION: No news today...

The man who lived with no brain

How do you live in a world that makes no sense at all? How do you exist when every second of your life is an unsolvable puzzle, and the tiny bits you do manage to recognize can’t come out?

That was the life of Lev Zasetsky, a man who suffered a brain injury fighting in World War II. The 3,000-page diary Zasetsky kept following his injury became one of the most valuable, insightful texts on the study of the human brain in the history of biological science. Zasetsky suffered from aphasia, a disorder that impairs a person’s ability to understand and communicate. Zasetsky’s form of aphasia resulted in him being able to write, but not read his own writing or even understand all of what he had written.

Alexander Luria, one of the Soviet Union’s most accomplished neuropsychologists, was assigned to care for Zasetsky and found that the young soldier “simply could not write and … had suddenly become illiterate.” Luria pinpointed Zasetsky’s injury to “the second major block of the brain located in the posterior sections of the large hemispheres.” This portion of the brain’s entire job is to “act as a block for receiving, processing, and retaining information a person derives from the external world.”

The precise location of the shrapnel injury meant that “a very important function [had] been seriously impaired: he [could] not immediately combine his impressions into a coherent whole; his world [became] fragmented.” And that’s how the world existed for Lev Zasetsky: fragmented. But he didn’t give up. His fascinating story and dauntless attitude can reframe our modern understanding of psychology, history, language, communication, and the human spirit.   ARTICLE

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts at the club this morning...

Bella Vista Radio Club Wins First Place at 2024 ARRL National Field Day:

Giving Tuesday: How You Can Impact ARRL and Amateur Radio

 

TUESDAY EDITION:  Damn cold out and I have a physical this morning, Christmas party is coming up at the Chinese restaurant next to HRO in Salem, NH for the NE 3828 crew soon....

Marconi anniversary at Poldhu Amateur Radio Club in Cornwall

Radio enthusiasts from Cornwall will be celebrating the 123rd anniversary of the first radio transmission across the Atlantic this month.

In December 1901 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi and two assistants travelled from Poldhu Wireless Station near Mullion, in Cornwall, to the Canadian province of Newfoundland.  

It was on December 12 that history was made, when a pre-arranged signal of three dots (the letter ‘S’ in Morse code) was heard by Marconi on Signal Hill at St John’s, Newfoundland - having been transmitted from Poldhu. 

In doing so, Marconi was able to disprove the previously common held belief that radio waves could only travel in straight lines. 

His work laid the foundation for the development of radio, television and all modern wireless communication systems since. 

To mark the anniversary of this momentous occasion, visitors are invited to join members of the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club on Thursday, December 12

From 9am until 4pm, visitors will be able to learn about the major part which Cornwall played in the history of wireless communications.

The K7RA Solar Update

MONDAY EDITION: HRO in Salem will be wild today in person and on the phone taking orders.....25 degrees here on the island, sunny and no ocean wind...I heard a  Yaesu FTDX- 101D on the air last night, N1YSE just bought one from HRO and it sounded sweet into his Mercury Lux amplifier....FYI: It's the most wonderful time of the year. December YOTA Month! Listen for these callsigns from the Americas from December 1st-31st.  Website : https://youthontheair.org/.....Rube Goldberg machine

The Santa Net will return to the airwaves beginning November 29th and remain active through Christmas Eve. The net will take place each evening at 7:00 PM Central Time on 3.916 MHz. Operators interested in participating may check-in up to a half hour before the 7:00 start time. 

An app promises to do what humans have wondered about forever: tell you the exact day you’ll die. The Death Clock, launched in July, claims to predict your death date using artificial intelligence.

It has already pulled in over 125,000 downloads, according to Sensor Tower, and it’s backed by data from over 1,200 life expectancy studies covering 53 million participants.

 

Trending headlines this week

1. AMSAT: AMSAT OSCAR-7 50th Anniversary — The Space Age, Morse Code and STEM Innovation
2. AMSAT: ASRTU-1 Designated ASRTU-OSCAR 123 – Update on PARUS-T1A Satellite
3. AMSAT: Air Leak on ISS Russian Module Is Getting Worse
4. AMSAT: Satellite Shorts From All Over
5. WIA: Co-Inventor Of The BASIC Programming Language SK
6. ARRL: ARRL 2023 Annual Report Now Available
7. ARRL: How To Let Kids Talk With Santa Over Ham Radio This Holiday Season
8. ARRL: Ed Menasian, N8LPQ Receives 2024 ARRL Technical Service Award
9. ARRL: Giving Thanks On Giving Tuesday
10. ARRL: Civil Air Patrol Will Be Commemorated With Special Event Station W9CAP
11. ARRL: YOTA Members Will Be On The Air Around The World In December
12. FCC: FCC Approves SpaceX and T-Mobile’s Direct-to-Cell Service
13. China Builds World’s Largest Fully Steerable Radio Telescope
14. New Rules For Vehicle Safety Alerts On The 5.9 GigaHertz Band Proposed By The FCC
15. As Austrian Shortwave Fades Out Shortwave In The U.K. Activates
16. Amateurs In Pennsylvania Assist With Operation Toy Train
17. The United Kingdom Prepares Summits On The Air Activators For GaulFest
18. New Amateur Radio Digital Communications Appointee To Overlook Grants and Awards
19. EI2CL Michael McNamara, DXer, and Island Activator, SK
20. Three Mars Orbiters Are Contacted By A Radio Telescope In The Netherlands
21. Upcoming RadioSport Contests and regional Convention listing
22. Smokey Mountain Amateur Radio Club lowers its dues to help out members financially
23. AMSAT: SpaceX Dragon fires thrusters to boost the Space Station orbit for the first time
24. WIA: Amateur Radio appears in a German television crime drama on ZDF/Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
25. ARRL: Committee at the league proposes changes to ARRL By Laws 42 & 46
26. ARRL: ARRL fall season Section Manager election results are announced
27. ARRL: Hawaii clubs are preparing for the 83rd commemoration of the December 7th Pearl Harbor attack
28. 30th year since Voice of America went silent from its Ohio transmitter site
29. ARRL: ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinators implement changes
30. FCC: FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel tenders her resignation

WEEKEND EDITION: Some great sale items at HRO especially the for $2699....

YAESU FTDX-101D

HF 6M HF SDR TRANSCEIVER ATU 100 WATTS

Regular Price: $3,899.95

HRO Discount Price: $2,699.95^*

 I hope you all had a low key Thanksgiving. It was all about the food and family....Our two meter repeater is still unusale due tp power line interference, I am going to call Senator Tarr for some help. Bruce is in our radio club and lives in Gloucester and was the reason we got the first bad pole transformer replaced only to find more noise up the street....There are a few bargains on the HRO website for Black Friday if you have a few bucks leftover.

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

**
ONGOING ISS AIR LEAK MYSTIFIES SPACE AGENCIES

DON/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us into outer space where there's a mystery aboard the ISS: Part of the spacecraft continues to be leaking air. John Williams VK4JJW tells us how the US and Russian space agencies are dealing with it.

JOHN: An air leak in the Russian section of the International Space Station has apparently worsened since it was first discovered five years ago, according to SpaceNews.com

The leak is in the vestibule that connects the Russian module with a docking port. Bob Cabana, who chairs the ISS Advisory Committee, said that even as the Russian team looks for - and hopes to remedy - the cause, Roscosmos believes that there is no immediate danger to the crew or the spacecraft. NASA, on the other hand, maintains that the leak compromises the safety of the Russian service module, saying that a little more than 2 pounds of air has been escaping daily.

AMSAT News Service reports that, according to NASA's Office of the Inspector General, Roscosmos believes it can take sufficient safety precautions on behalf of the service module if the risk from the leak grows too great. Both space agencies agree that the hatch to the service module should be shut permanently at that point. AMSAT News Service said that this would mean one fewer docking port available to receive cargo from spacecraft arriving to make a delivery to the ISS.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
FCC EYES NEW RULES FOR VEHICLE SAFETY ALERTS ON 5.9 GHz BAND

DON/ANCHOR: The FCC has intensified its focus on the 5.9 GHz band where new rules are being finalized for the use of cellular delivery of communications to and from cars and trucks on the road. Kent Peterson KCØDGY brings us the details.

KENT: Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS, scored a big gain in late November as the FCC voted on a proposal enabling the use of "cellular vehicle-to-everything" or C-V2X, on the 5.9 GHz band.
This would establish new rules for the use of ITS within 30 MHz of that spectrum. The system is already in use by many automakers, sending and receiving messages over existing 5G cellular networks with alerts about traffic issues, weather conditions, road hazards or speeding cars. The FCC measure also sets out the technical parameters for the use of C-V2X, including power and emission limits. The system permits vehicles to communicate with roadside infrastructure and the cellphones of pedestrians, cyclists and road workers, enabling safety communications even when there are no line-of-sight warnings.

The FCC said in a press release that the new spectrum rules would [quote] "accelerate the automotive industry and state and federal government plans for transitioning from dated technology to the more advanced C-V2X automobile safety technology." [endquote]

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(FCC, THE VERGE)

**
SOTA ACTIVATORS IN UK PREPARE FOR GAULFEST

DON/ANCHOR: Portable operators who have lofty goals - in this case, goals to scale the heights of regional SOTA summits - are getting ready for Gaulfest 2024, which is set to take place in late December in the UK. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the details.

JEREMY: Organisers will be watching the weather forecast in the days between Christmas and the New Year to see what day is most suitable for the return of Gaulfest, a SOTA tradition first held in 2003. Over the years, the event's purpose has become one-half SOTA and one-half social. Since the beginning, activators have set up operations on summits in the Shropshire area or on summits near the border of England and Wales, staying close enough to one another for a convenient meet-up afterward in Church Stretton for coffee and cake.

Organisers Tom, M1EYP, and Jimmy, MØHGY, are hoping for a turnout that even attracts SOTA first-timers. They expect lots of opportunities for summit-to-summit contacts. If you wish to participate, Tom advises following the discussion thread on the SOTA Reflector to coordinate with other activators as to which summits everyone is going to be on.

By the way, Tom explains that the name for the event actually originates from the ancient name for Wales: "Pay de Galles" - but someone misspelled it when the first SOTA event was launched. Gaul - spelled "G A U L" was actually the name for a region of western Europe. Tom said no one ever bothered to correct the mistake and so the name Gaulfest simply became permanent. He and Jimmy hope the event itself becomes permanent too.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(SOTA REFLECTOR, TOM, M1EYP; JIMMY, MØHGY)

**
SHORTWAVE IN ENGLAND STEPS IN AS AUSTRIAN SHORTWAVE FADES OUT

DON/ANCHOR: One of Europe's few remaining shortwave broadcasters is not going QRT quietly. Austria's ORS Shortwave radio station in Moosbrun is poised to go off the air on the 31st of December, as Newsline reported in October -- but before it does it wil have its final 100 kW marathon on 6070 kHz on the 26th of December.

The marathon on the AM station will begin with Radio D. A. R. C. programming at 0900 UTC and continue through other programs until Radio Power Mobile concludes at 1459 UTC. Meanwhile, Radio D. A. R. C. has announced that starting Sunday, January 5th, its broadcasts will continue to be carried on shortwave thanks to an agreement signed with the station in the BBC broadcast complex in Woofferton, England. Listeners across Europe and the Middle East will be able to hear the programming on 9670 kHz. The high-gain antenna system at the complex is expected to give the 125 kW transmission an effective radiated power of nearly 4 megawatts. Meanwhile, the radio amateur-owned and -run 'Channel-292' 10kW transmitter near Ingolstadt in Germany will continue to use the 6070 kHz frequency for more local reception of Radio D.A.R.C. 's program.

The ORS station was formerly the Radio Austria International broadcast station and is well-known for having had Europe's largest directional antenna system for shortwave broadcasts.

(RADIO D. A. R. C.)

**
"OPERATION TOY TRAIN" GETS HELP FROM HAMS IN PENNSYLVANIA

DON/ANCHOR: A group of hams from eastern Pennsylvania boarded a special train to join Santa in collecting toys for the needy during a nearly five-mile ride through Amish (Ahhh-mish) and Mennonite (Men-no-Night) farm country. At the same time, they operated a special event station to promote their charitable mission. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Mark Abramowicz NT3V has the story.

MARK: Members of the Alburtis Amateur Radio Club and East Penn Amateur Radio club joined forces to organize the Operation Toy Train event in northeastern Berks County, PA in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program on Sunday, Nov. 24th - the last Sunday of November.

The team, led by Nicholas Hoffke KC3SGN and Walt Skavinsky KB3SBC, activated W3A aboard a Conrail caboose pulled by a train operating along the Allentown and Auburn Railroad.

The duo set up a homemade inverted-L antenna stretched over the roof of a flat rail car to make HF contacts on 20 and 40 meters. They also employed a 2-meter radio and antenna to make VHF contacts with local hams along the route.

During the five-hour period, the group collected more than 160 toys at three stops along the rail line and made more than 75 contacts using the W3A call, including QSOs with stations across the continental U.S., Puerto Rico and even Great Britain..

Skavinsky said one guest operator – whose handle is Sierra Alpha November Tango Alpha – was particularly thrilled to learn that all those who made contacts with W3A were on his “nice list.”

Skavinsky says Santa was happy with the donations of so many toys brought by those who came out to greet the train and check out the activities of his ham friends. Santa thanked them all and promised he would make sure the toys find homes this Christmas.

I’m Mark Abramowicz NT3V in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.

**

SILENT KEY: MICHAEL McNAMARA EI2CL, DXER, ISLAND ACTIVATOR

DON/ANCHOR: Ireland's national ham radio society recently lost a friend and a longtime advocate. We hear about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Working behind the scenes for the Irish Radio Transmitters Society, Michael McNamara, EI2CL, left his imprint. Having joined the society in 1965 - first as a shortwave listener - he later took up the responsibility for collecting and sorting the incoming QSL cards and other items of correspondence. Michael got his ham licence in May of 1973 and became a society committee member. One of his accomplishments was to draw up the rules for the Worked EI Counties Award in the mid-80s.

Outside of his society responsibilities, Michael became well-known as a high-scoring chaser of DXCC, IOTA and Summits on the Air awards, and, before the 1991 collapse of the USSR, he actively chased contacts with all the Russian oblasts.

An enthusiastic activator himself, he would also travel with teams to Irish offshore islands. In the 1970s, he was a contest station operator for EI1AA, which was widely known as the Irish Leprechaun Contest Group.

Michael was 83.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

**
ARDC STAFFER TO OVERSEE GRANT AWARDS

DON/ANCHOR: Ham radio clubs and others seeking grants from Amateur Radio Digital Communications will be able to turn to someone new on staff there to assist them in processing their paperwork. We have those details from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: Adam Zimmel, WØZML, has joined Amateur Radio Digital Communications as its grants and administrative associate. The ARDC made the announcement on its website, saying that Adam will work to help them handle the grant process and also provide support for some of the other internal operations at the ARDC. He has been on board since late October. Adam has a strong background in cybersecurity and IT policy. ARDC awards grants to qualifying applicants whose projects fit into one of three main categories: research and development; education; and the support and development of amateur radio.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(ARDC)

**
RADIO TELESCOPE IN NETHERLANDS CONTACTS 3 MARS ORBITERS

DON/ANCHOR: Contacts made by a very sensitive radio telescope in The Netherlands are showing scientists tremendous promise, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: Radio amateurs made successful contacts with three Mars orbiters during a recent test of a single dish radio telescope in The Netherlands. In early November, the C.A. Muller Radio Astronomy Station, PI9CAM, conducted its first tests on X-band with an 8.4 GHz feed created by Dutch amateur Bert Modderman, PE1RKI. This is the band researchers typically use for communications with satellites doing deep space explorations.

The radio telescope at Dwingeloo successfully detected the carrier signal of the orbiters Tianwen-1 from China's space agency as well as NASA's MAVEN and MRO. A post on the observatory's blog reported that signals were also copied from the European Space Agency's HERA spacecraft and the NASA probe Europa Clipper. The scientists were also able to decode data from signals received from Stereo-A, NASA's space-based observatory.

The telescope's sensitivity played a key role here, as it did this past fall when the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope functioned as an online ‘Earth Moon Earth’ relay station during the Scouting organisation's Jamboree On The Air. The telescope successfully received the otherwise weak EME signals, which it fed to its webSDR for online listening.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(CAMRAS.NL)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Ralf, DB4REB, operating as CN2REB while on holiday in Morocco from the 30th of November until the 30th of January. He will be using CW, SSB and FT 8 on a variety of HF bands and plans to activate some POTA sites. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for a team of eight operators using the call T46W will be on the air from Cayo Santa Maria, IOTA number NA-204, from the 1st through to the 10th of December. Find them operating on a variety of modes from 160 through to 6 metres. QSL via LoTW.

As the 43rd edition of the Italian Naval Old Rhythmers [RITH-MURRS] Club contest gets under way on the 7th and 8th of December, listen for the club’s own station using the callsign IQ1NM. The operators will be using CW. The club is dedicating this year’s contest to the memory of one of its members, Serafino De Filippi, IT9CKA. Be listening in 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. See QRZ.com for more details.

From the 28th of November through to the 3rd of December, listen for a team of operators active from Saipan, IOTA number OC-086. The operators include KH0/JA8VE, KH0/JO1ABS, KH0/W1VX, KH0/WB6Z, KH0D and NH0E. They will be using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4 on 160-6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: SANTA NETS GIVE KIDS A CLAUS FOR CELEBRATION

DON/ANCHOR: When a DX begins with the word “Santa,” you can expect pileups and more than just a little excitement. Think of Santa Maria in the Azores or Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands. This time of year, however, the real prize is a contact with another entity named “Santa,” and the chase begins on November 29th. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB is a true believer and he shares the details with us in our final story for this week.

RALPH: In the US, where the Thanksgiving holiday ushers in the most festive season of the year, hams in clubs around the world get into the spirit by sharing the magic of amateur radio with children – and maybe a few adults? - who still believe in Santa Claus. There are three Santa Nets starting this week in the US.

The bearded character will be on the air from the north of Colorado where he’ll be making use of the repeaters used by the Longmont Amateur Radio Club, the Alford Memorial Radio Club and the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club. Santa will be using the callsign NØP. Youngsters who aren’t in Colorado - or even in the US - can still reach Santa through Echolink node WØENO-R 8305, W4BOC-R or 330246.

In Kansas, the Cowley County Amateur Radio Club will be hosting Santa on the Sunflower Net. Listen for the callsign KFØMRO on the air November 30th and again on December 14th and 21st.

Meanwhile, Santa will also begin delivering the gift of a radio contact on 80 metres with the help of the 3916 Nets. The QSOs start every night on that frequency at 7 p.m. Central Time from the 29th of November. They end on the 24th of December because, as we know, Santa has other business to tend to that night.

As with all third-party contacts over the amateur bands, rules and regulations apply. Visit www.3916nets.com for HF contacts and visit the QRZ.com page of NØP for details about contacts over the repeaters or Echolink. The Sunflower Net's details are at www.SunflowerNet.us

Here’s ho-ho-hoping for a 5 9 all around. That would be….a Claus for celebration.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

ARRL 2023 Annual Report Now Available

How to Keep RF Out of Your Rig

   If you are getting RF Feedback on your microphone and get squealing when you transmit, you probably don’t have a good match to your antenna. You probably have high SWR and your microphone is trying to be part of your counterpoise. The best solution is to fix your antenna.

When you have a marginal ground, which you might have when operating POTA or Sota: 

1. You can try a clamp-on ferrite bead. This will keep RF from being picked up by your microphone, or from your FT8 Computer or Modem.

2. Use shielded cable for your microphone or paddle or data cable and make sure it has a separate ground return wire for the microphone or data input.

3. If that doesn’t work and you have really high levels of RF here is a sure-fire way to eliminate the RF feedback. You must be using shielded microphone or data cable, then you wind up the cable to make a trap to keep RF out.

For 20 meters, wind 4 turns of the cable into a loop (3 inches in diameter), cut back the insulation to expose the braid on each side of the coil, and resonated it with a capacitor. It took about 100 pF for 20 meters. See picture. You will need a unique trap for each band.

HOW TO SOUND LIKE A LID
by Rusty Bumpers, N4LID

In many areas I have noticed a tendency of people making a distinct effort to sound like a "LID" on the local repeater. Since this appears to be the new style in Amateur Radio, I thought I would present this incomplete guide to radio LID-dom. The following is what I call: "How to sound like a Lid in one easy lesson."

1) Use as many Q signals as possible. Yes, I know they were invented solely for CW and are totally inappropriate for two-meter FM, but they're fun and entertaining. They keep people guessing as to what you really meant. For example, "I'm going to QSY to the kitchen." Can you really change frequency to the kitchen? QSL used to mean "I am acknowledging receipt," but now it appears to mean "yes" or "OK." I guess I missed it when the ARRL changed the meaning.

2) Never laugh, when you can say "hi hi." No one will ever know you aren't a long time CW ragchewer if you don't tell them. They'll think you've been on since the days of Marconi.

3) Utilize an alternative vocabulary. Use words like "destinated" and "negatory." It's OK to make up your own words here. "Yeah Bill, I pheelbart zaphonix occasionally myself."

4) Always say "XX4XXX" (Insert your own call) "for I.D." As mentioned in Step One, anything that creates redundancy is always encouraged. That's why we have the Department of Redundancy Department. (Please note that you can follow your call with "for identification purposes" instead of "for I.D." While taking longer to say, it is worth more "LID points".

5) The better the copy on the repeater, the more you should use phonetics. Names should be especially used if they are short or common ones. I.E. "My name is Al... Alpha Lima" or "Jack.. Juliet Alpha Charlie Kilo." If at all possible use the less common HF phonetics "A4SM... America, Number Four, Sugar Mexico." And for maximum "LID points", make up unintelligible phonetics. "My name is Bob... Billibong Oregano Bumperpool."

6) Always give the calls of yourself and everyone who is (or has been) in the group, whether they are still there or not. While this has been unnecessary for years, it is still a great memory test. You may also use "and the group" if you are an "old timer" or just have a bad memory. Extra points for saying everyone's call and then clearing in a silly way - like "This is K2xxx, Chow, Chow."

7) Whenever possible, use the wrong terminology. It keeps people guessing. Use "modulation" when you mean "deviation", and vice-versa. And even if the amplifier you're using is a Class C type amp, and thus not biased for linear amplification, be sure to call it your "linear." Heck, refer to all FM-style amplifiers as "linears." You'll be king of the "wrong terminology" hill. Or better yet, refer to them as "lin-e-yars."

8) If someone asks for a break, always finish your turn, taking as long as possible before turning it over. Whenever possible, pass it around a few times first. This will discourage the breaker, and if it is an emergency, encourage him to switch to another repeater and not bother you.

9) Always ask involved questions of the person who is trying to sign out. Never let him get by with a yes or no answer. Make it a question that will take a long time to answer.

10) The less you know about a subject, the more you should speculate about it on the air. The amount of time spent on your speculations should be inversely proportional to your knowledge of the subject.

11) If someone on the repeater is causing interference, you should talk about that person at great length, making sure to comment on at least four out of six of the following: (1) His mental state; (2) His family; (3) His intelligence, or lack of same; (4) His sexual preference; (5) His relationship to small animals, his mother, or both; (6) His other methods of self entertainment.

12) If you hear two amateurs start a conversation on the repeater, wait until they are 20 seconds into their contact, and then break-in to use the patch. Make sure that it's only a simple routine phone call. It's also very important that you run the autopatch for the full three minutes. This way, once the two re-establish contact, they won't even remember what they were talking about.

13) You hear someone on the repeater giving directions to a visiting amateur. Even if the directions are good, make sure you break-in with your own "alternate route but better way to get there" version. This is most effective if several other Lid trainees join in, each with a different route. By the time the amateur wanting directions unscrambles all the street names whizzing around in his head, he should have mobiled out of range of the repeater. This keeps you from having to stick around and help the guy get back out of town later.

14) Use the repeater for an hour or two at a time, preventing others from using it. Better yet, do it on a daily basis. Your quest is to make people so sick of hearing your voice every time they turn on their radio, they'll move to another frequency. This way you'll lighten the load on the repeater, leaving even more time for you to talk on it.

15) See just how much mobile flutter you can generate by operating at handheld power levels too far from the repeater. Engage people in converations when you know they won't be able to copy half of what you're saying. Even when they say you are uncopyable, continue to string them along by making further transmissions. See just how frustrated you can make the other amateur before he finally signs off in disgust.

16) Give out wacky radio advice. When a newcomer's signal is weak into the repeater, tell him he can correct the problem by adjusting the volume and squelch knobs on his radio. Or tell people they're full quieting except for the white noise on their signal. Or....well, you get the idea.

17) Use lots of radio jargon. After all, it makes you feel important using words average people don't say. Who cares if it makes you sound like you just fell off of Channel 19 on the Citizen's Band? Use phases such as "Roger on that," "10-4," "I'm on the side," "You're making the trip," and "Negatory on that."

18) Use excessive microphone gain. See just how loud you can make your audio. Make sure the audio gain is so high that other amateurs can hear any bugs crawling on your floor. If mobile, make sure the wind noise is loud enough that others have to strain to pick your words out from all the racket.

19) Be as verbose as possible. Never say "yes" when you can say "He acquiesced in the affirmative by saying 'yes'." (No kidding, I actually heard that one.)

20) Start every transmission with the word "Roger" or "QSL." Sure, you don't need to acknowledge that you received the other transmission in full. After all, you would simply ask for a repeat if you missed something. But consider it your gift to the other amateur to give him solace every few seconds that his transmissions are being received.

21) When looking for a contact on a repeater, always say you're "listening" or "monitoring" multiple times. I've always found that at least a half dozen times or so is good. Repeating your multiple "listening" IDs every 10 to 15 seconds is even better. Those people who didn't want to talk to you will eventually call you, hoping you'll go away after you have finally made a contact.

22) Give out repeater FM signal reports using the HF SSB R-S system ("You're 5 by 9 here"). Sure it's considered improper for FM operation and you may even confuse some people, but don't let that spoil your fun!

23) Always use a repeater, even if you can work the other station easily on simplex -- especially if you can make the contact on simplex. The coverage of the repeater you use should be inversely proportional to your distance from the other station.

24) If you and the other station are both within a mile or two of the repeater you are using, you should always give a signal report. ("I'm sitting under the repeater and I know you can see it from there, but you're full quieting into the repeater. How about me?")

25) In the same vein as the previous step, when monitoring a repeater, you should always give signal reports as if the repeater didn't exist. ("Yep, I'm right under the repeater. You've got a whopping signal. You're S-9 plus 60. That must be a great rig.")

26) On repeaters with courtesy tones, you should always say "over." Courtesy tones are designed to let everyone know when you have unkeyed, but don't let that stop you. Say "over," "back to you," or "go ahead." It serves no useful purpose, but don't worry -- it's still fun.

27) Think up interesting and bizarre things to do to tie-up the repeater. The goal here is not to facilitate communications, but to entertain all the scanner listeners out there. Do something original. Try to hum CTCSS (PL) tones. Sing pager tones. You're getting the idea.

28) Use the repeater's autopatch for frivolous routine calls. While pulling into the neighborhood, call home to let them know you'll be there in two minutes. Or call your spouse to complain about the bad day you had at work. After all, the club has "measured rate" service on their phone line, so they get charged for each autopatch call. Your endeavor is to make so many patches in a year that you cost the club at least $20 in phone bills. That way you'll feel you got your money's worth for your dues.

29) Never say "My name is....". It makes you sound human. If at all possible, use one of the following phrases: A) "The personal here is...." B) "The handle here is...." Normally, handles are for suitcases, but it's OK to use them anyway. Don't forget, this has worked just fine for CBers for years. The best retort I ever heard: "My handle is pink, my name is..."

30) Use "73" and "88" incorrectly. Both are already considered plural, but add a "s" to the end anyway. Say "best of 73's" or "88's". Who cares if it means "best regards" and "love and kisses." Better yet, say "seventy thirds"! Or be funny and say "seventy turds." Or talk like a 1960s CBer and sign off with "Threeeeeeees to ya!". (By the way, 70 thirds equals about 23.3, the average CBers IQ.)

31) Make people think you have a split personality by referring to yourself in the plural sense. When you're in conversation and are alone at your radio, always say "We're" or "We've" instead of "I'm" or "I've" (i.e. "we've been doing this...", "we're doing that...", "we're clear"). Everyone knows you're by yourself, but when they ask you who is with you, make up somebody important like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bill Clinton.

32) Always attempt to use the higher functions of the repeater before you have read the directions. Nothing will work, but you'll have great fun and get lots of people to give you advice.

33) Test repeater functions repeatedly (that's why they call it a repeater). Test your signal strength from the same location several times every day. Concentrate on testing the things that really matter, like the number of time the repeater has been keyed-up. That stuff is fun to track. Test the outside temperature, or the transmitter heat sink termperature as often as possible. The farther the temperature goes from the norms, the more often you should test it. Also, if you get a pager set to the repeater's output frequency, as soon as you receive it set it off every 30 seconds or so until the battery runs down. Better yet, interrupt conversations to test it.

34) If the repeater is off the air for service, complain about the fact that it was off the air as soon as it's turned back on. Act as though your entire day has been ruined because that one repeater wasn't available when you wanted to use it. Even thought you have never donated a penny to help out with the upkeep of it, and despite the fact that you have all 42 local repeaters programmed into your mobile radio.

35) Find ways to get around the "no business" rule on autopatches. Your plan is to try and fool the repeater control operators. Invent code words your secretary at work will understand to disguise any business talk so it sounds like personal chatter. Or get to be friends with the local Domino's Pizza manager. Make it so that when you call him on the patch and ask him to bring over the "floppy disk" you need to your house, he shows-up 30 minutes later with a piping hot large pepperoni and sausage pie. The possibilities are endless....

36) Always make sure you try to communicate with only a handheld and a rubber duck antenna. Also, make sure you work through a repeater that you can hear very well, but it cannot hear you. This will put out a kind of "LID mating call": "Well, Joe, I can hear the repeater just fine here. I wonder why it can't hear me?" You will score maximum LID points if you are mobile, and with the radio lying in the passenger seat.

37) If an annoying station is bothering you, make sure your other "LID" buddies have a "coded" frequency list. Even though "CODES" are strictly forbidden on Amateur Radio, it's really neat to practice "James Bond" tactics.

38) Always use the National Calling Frequency for general conversations. The more uninteresting, the longer you should use it. Extra points are awarded if you have recently move from an adjacent frequency for no reason. Make sure when DX is "rolling" in on 52.525 that you hang out there and talk to your friends five miles down the road about the good old CB days!

39) Make sure that if you have a personal problem with someone, you should voice your opinion in a public forum, especially a net. Make sure you give their name, call, and any other identifying remarks. For maximum points, make sure the person in question is not on the repeater, or not available.

40) Make sure you say the first few words of each transmission twice, especially if it is the same thing each time. Like "roger, roger" or "fine business, fine business". I cannot stress enough about encouraging redundancy.

41) If you hear a conversation on a local repeater, break in and ask how each station is receiving you. Of course they will only see the signal of the repeater you are using, but it's that magic moment when you can find a fellow "LID", and get the report. Extra points are awarded if you are using a base station, and the repeater is less than five air miles from you.

These easy steps should put you well on your way to "LID-Hood". I hope these helpful hints will save you some time in your quest to sound like the perfect "LID". I should also note that these steps can also apply to simplex operation, but nobody really cares because that pawn-shop HTX-202 isn't going to get out too far with just a rubber duck.

73,

Rusty Bumpers, N4LID

P.S. "Rusty Bumpers" is a pen name. He maintains anonymity so he can sit peacefully at club meetings and avoid the wrath (and breath) of the uninformed.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING- I am taking the day off for good behavior...

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts at the club this morning and completing the delta loop we put up last week. We need to attach the corners of the antenna more permanently to a tree on the property. ...

YouTube Telethon to Raise Money for ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is growing next year, and a number of social media stars are coming together to help it happen. On Saturday, November 30, a live fundraiser telethon is set to take place on the Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel. Host Josh Nass, KI6NAZ, will be joined by several web-famous hams to talk radio and raise money. The proceeds benefit the ARRL Ed…

American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources – Read More

 25th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day December 7, 2024

SKYWARNTM Recognition Day is December 7, 2024. The annual event is celebrating its 25th anniversary. SRD was established in 1999 by the National Weather Service and ARRL® to commemorate the contributions of SKYWARN volunteers. Using amateur radio and other means of communication, SKYWARN spotters provide real time ground truth to NWS offices. The ham-volunteers can also provide vital communications between NWS and local emergency management officials when other means go down.

In a video posted to the SRD web page, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, WX4KEG, said the information ham radio operators and other SKYWARN volunteers provide is critical. “I, along with the entire National Weather Service, want to acknowledge and thank you for your invaluable service to the communities we serve.”

There will be a SRD special event from 0000 – 2359 UTC on the day. The objective is for all amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as many Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and National Weather Service Stations as possible on the 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands.

ARRL will be on the air during the event from the ARRL Radio Laboratory station, W1HQ, using the call sign WX1AW. ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, said SRD is a great opportunity to welcome non-ham SKYWARN volunteers to explore amateur radio. “Storm spotting was my original draw into ham radio. I watched a large tornado tear up my community on May 3, 1999, and was listening via my mom’s 2-meter mobile radio to spotter reports being relayed to the NWS Norman, Oklahoma, office. I knew I wanted to be a part of that and within months I was licensed. Amateur radio was my path into that community service and has been the hobby of a lifetime ever since,” she said.

ARRL has a web page to help those interested with getting licensed. Find details at https://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed.

TUESDAY EDITION: I don't see any black Friday specials on the HRO webpage, what's going on?

Mysteries in polar orbit – space’s oldest working hardware still keeps its secrets

Opinion The oldest functional off-Earth space hardware? Well, that is a great question for those into pub quizzes, aka bar trivia. 1977’s Voyagers hold some impressive records beside those golden discs, just not that one. Any guesses?

Astronomers are still bouncing range-finding lasers off the reflectors left on the Moon by Apollo 11, but fancy mirrors hardly count.

Nope. The best contender is from 1974 and wasn’t even launched by NASA or the Soviets. It’s still in orbit, still functioning remarkably well, it celebrates its 50th birthday this month, and, lastly, has the suitably prize-winning name of Oscar. 

Its full name is AMSAT-OSCAR 7, known to its friends as Oscar 7, and it is remarkable for many reasons – not least of which are two great mysteries that may never be resolved. For a tiny box built on a budget that shames shoestrings for their conspicuous wealth, it pioneered some amazing technologies, got amazingly lucky more than once, and repaired itself after two decades of being dead (perhaps). 

Read more – The Register: https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/25/amsat_oscar_7_anniversary

Solar Orbiter Takes Amazing Solar Pictures

MONDAY EDITION: Well sports fans, NE got their asses kicked by Miami on Sunday. It looks like they will be lucky to get out of the season alive never mind getting anymore wins....32 this morning and blustery..

The drama and farce of the Baker Street bank heist

In the autumn of 1971, a group of men came together who would carry out one of the most astonishing bank raids in history.

Skill, audacity and patience, criminal connections, a fair amount of luck, and inspiration from a Sherlock Holmes story culminated in a weekend of high drama and barely believable farce.

A weekend in which a gang tunnelled into a secure vault and made off with the contents of hundreds of secure deposit boxes, while all the time being listened to by an amateur radio operator who was trying to tune in to pirate radio.

A weekend in which police officers were on one side of the vault's door while the gang were on the other, and nobody thought to check inside.

As Lloyds Bank announces the upcoming closure of its Baker Street branch in central London, this is the story of how one of the most secure locations in the country was plundered - and even now, remains partly unsolved.   STORY

FRIDAY EDITION: For four decades, since the height of the Cold War, a mysterious radio signal has been broadcast out of Russia — baffling ham radio fans, scientists and spies alike. Some speculate it's part of the Russian government's own secret SETI program or even actively communicating with a visiting alien species.  Others believe it might be a 'Dead Hand' doomsday trigger, ready to launch nuclear weapons if Russia's leadership is knocked out of commission. STORY

Does Making It Easier to Get Licensed Really Grow Our Hobby?

You have probably seen the statement: “ham radio is dying”. Is it really dying or just changing? I am a “baby boomer”; I was introduced to the hobby by my grandfather who presented me with a crystal set when I was 9 years old. I spent many, many years as an SWL before getting licensed. While still a teenager I became a solder smoke addict as I built my own radio projects using good old-fashioned tubes and then some with those newfangled devices called transistors. While growing up, and before HOAs were a thing, I had my own antenna restriction authority – my mother. But I carried on. My personal opinion: yes ham radio has evolved to the point where I almost don’t recognize it any more. Why?

Did we make it too easy?

Here in Canada the authorities have almost reached the point of giving away ham radio licenses in packs of breakfast cereal. Ok, I exaggerate – just a little. We have three classes of license: Basic (VHF/UHF only), Basic with Honours (full spectrum HF privileges) and Advanced (higher power limit, able to own a repeater). A new ham can become licensed with full spectrum HF privileges by passing a 100 question multiple choice test with a score of at least 80%. And, in Canada, licenses are granted for life without any fee whatsoever,

I call myself a new ham – I have been licensed for just under a quarter of a century. Why new? Because, after passing my Basic exam, I earned my HF ticket by passing a Morse Code test at 5 words per minute. That was in the days before the “Basic with Honours” license class was made available. I earned my Basic ticket the cheap and easy way, by self-study and by rehearsing the written exam using online “practice exams”. I had already been passionate about radio technology for several decades and had worked as an electronics engineer for years so it was very easy for me.

My Advanced license exam was even easier. There were only 50 multiple choice questions. Once again I self-studied and took multiple “practice exams” until I was consistently scoring 100%. I took the test at a hamfest and, to the examiner’s astonishment, I scored 100%. But I actually felt a sense of guilt that I had qualified for the highest level of license with so little effort.

I remember the interview for my first job as an electronic design engineer. The recruiter was not going to make it easy. Maintaining a blank expression on his face he pushed a pencil and paper across the desk and said “draw a circuit diagram for an oscillator”. As an electronic hobbyist I had recently built an astable multivibrator that alternately lit two flashlight bulbs. Gathering my thoughts for a moment I tried to recall the circuit I had built. I sketched what I remembered and it was close enough to satisfy the man who became my new boss; I was hired.

Now imagine if that same kind of test was required to earn an amateur radio license – as it once was – how many would pass? Would our hobby have any appeal at all to people who are not already passionate about radio? And, if so, would that be a good thing or a bad thing? Can we keep the hobby alive by making it ever easier to get licensed?

To answer that question we need to examine the reasons people want to get into ham radio. Here are the main reasons I can think of:

• Ham radio is the original social medium. Some people get into the hobby to rag chew with friends old and new.
• When all else fails there is ham radio. Many people are motivated by the idea of helping others during times of emergency.
• Radio is an experimental science. There remains much to be discovered about the science of radio and emerging radio technologies.
• Skills improvement. Some people enjoy challenging themselves to learn more, to learn new skills and improve skills they already have.

I am sure there are other motivations but let’s examine these four. Before we do let’s consider one very important fact: the radio spectrum is limited and very valuable. Commercial interests are willing to pay millions of dollars for a slice of the spectrum. Amateur radio operators get generous slices of that limited spectrum entirely free. Why are the authorities willing to do that? A good answer can be obtained by examining the US FCC’s Part 97.1 rules for the “Amateur Radio Service” – and remember that terminology, we’ll come back to it later.

“The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

• (a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
• (b) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
• (c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.
• (d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
• (e) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s unique ability to enhance international goodwill.”

Clearly the government sees the Amateur Radio Service as a voluntary resource available to assist, as required, in times of emergency. It is also expected that we will strive to continuously improve our skills and contribute to the advancement of radio technology. Nowhere does Part 97 endorse using spectrum purely as a social medium. Confession: I enjoy a weekly rag chew on 80m CW with a couple of friends. A message to all fellow rag chewers: let’s make sure we don’t focus too much on the social side of the hobby.

Let’s examine Part 97.1 (d) for a moment:

“Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.”

Is this compatible with making it ever easier to become licensed? Maybe driving to an FCC office, sitting in front of an examiner and being asked to draw circuit diagrams makes candidates better qualified to meet the requirements of Part 97.1 (d) than learning the question bank answers and regurgitating them during a multiple choice written test. Even if we succeed in boosting the number of new licenses issued by lowering the requirements, will the new recruits stay in the hobby if they are don’t have radio in their DNA?

Can we satisfy Part 97.1 (d) by recruiting enough new ham radio licensees in the hope that, among the new licensees, there will be a sufficient percentage of genuine techies to meet the FCC’s requirement of “expanding the reservoir”? That seems to be the strategy nowadays; let us hope it works.

Ham radio is a very broad hobby with room for all kinds of operators with a diverse range of interests. While I agree with that sentiment it would be wise to continuously look over our collective shoulder because we should not take our present access to high value spectrum for granted. Governments are always hungry for money and commercial interests are always hungry for spectrum. The world is changing rapidly and one day, if we are not careful, that could sneak up and bite us on the butt.

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Schooling ChatGPT on Antenna Theory Misconceptions

We’re not very far into the AI revolution at this point, but we’re far enough to know not to trust AI implicitly. If you accept what ChatGPT or any of the other AI chatbots have to say at face value, you might just embarrass yourself. Or worse, you might make a mistake designing your next antenna.

We’ll explain. [Gregg Messenger (VE6WO)] asked a seemingly simple question about antenna theory: Does an impedance mismatch between the antenna and a coaxial feedline result in common-mode current on the coax shield? It’s an important practical matter, as any ham who has had the painful experience of “RF in the shack” can tell you. They also will likely tell you that common-mode current on the shield is caused by an unbalanced antenna system, not an impedance mismatch. But when [Gregg] asked Google Gemini and ChatGPT that question, the answer came back that impedance mismatch can cause current flow on the shield. So who’s right?

In the first video below, [Gregg] built a simulated ham shack using a 100-MHz signal generator and a length of coaxial feedline. Using a toroidal ferrite core with a couple of turns of magnet wire and a capacitor as a current probe for his oscilloscope, he was unable to find a trace of the signal on the shield even if the feedline was unterminated, which produces the impedance mismatch that the chatbots thought would spell doom. To bring the point home, [Gregg] created another test setup in the second video, this time using a pair of telescoping whip antennas to stand in for a dipole antenna. With the coax connected directly to the dipole, which creates an unbalanced system, he measured a current on the feedline, which got worse when he further unbalanced the system by removing one of the legs. Adding a balun between the feedline and the antenna, which shifts the phase on each leg of the antenna 180° apart, cured the problem.

We found these demonstrations quite useful. It’s always good to see someone taking a chatbot to task over myths and common misperceptions. We look into baluns now and again. Or even ununs.