Solar Eclipse Lights Up Airwaves

(Photo by Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB)

The total solar eclipse of August 21 proved very popular with hams, who participated by the thousands in various radio-related experiments and the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP). SEQP Coordinator Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, told the ARRL that hundreds of thousands of spots were recorded on both the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) and PSK Reporter during the eight-hour-long operating event. He says a scientific analysis of the paths that were (and weren’t) open before, during and after the eclipse will take months, but that preliminary results should be available by around the end of October.

 

In addition to the hams helping with ionospheric research during the eclipse, at least one group took part in a more traditional way. Oregon’s Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper reports that about four dozen hams from different parts of the state helped provide equipment and communications for the Grant County emergency management agency. The newspaper says that in addition to providing communications help, some of the visiting hams “repaired and programmed several radio installations for different government agencies…” The path of totality in the continental U.S. began in Oregon.

Project Amelia Earhart a Success

Pilot and ham Brian Lloyd, WB6RQN, successfully completed his round-the-world flight in early August as a tribute to aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Lloyd followed the path of Earhart’s ill-fated round-the-world flight attempt in 1937, following her planned flight path for the portion of the journey that she never finished. Along the way, according to the ARRL Letter, he logged hundreds of amateur radio contacts. The trip, in his single-engine Spirit aircraft, took 66 days and covered 34,463 miles.

NCDXF Makes Major Contribution to Bouvet DXpedition

The Northern California DX Foundation has made its largest-ever grant - $100,000 – to help fund the 3Y0Z DXpedition to Bouvet Island planned for next January. 

The ARRL Letter reports that the total cost of the trip to activate the #2 DX entity on ClubLog’s most-wanted list is expected to be nearly $750,000, of which the team’s 20 participants have already contributed more than half.

Contesting Pioneer Boris Stepanov, RU3AX, SK

Russian contesting legend and CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame member Boris Stepanov, RU3AX (ex-UW3AX), became a Silent Key on July 28 at age 76. The ARRL Letter reports that he had been been ill for quite a while. 

A 2016 hall of fame inductee, Stepanov  was a longtime deputy editor of Russia’s Radio magazine, was a pioneer of computerized contest logging and log-checking, developed the prototype for the World Radiosport Team Championships (WRTC) and was the first to propose the “glass cockpit” for ham transceivers, combining frequency readout and a spectrum scope on the front-panel display.

Ham to Be Honored With Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award

Robert Ross, N2OML, will be honored next spring by the National Academy of Television Arts and

Sciences with a lifetime achievement Technology and Engineering Emmy Award. Ross recently retired as Senior Vice President of East Coast Operations for CBS.

In his nearly ten years in that position, according to Studio Daily, Ross oversaw the conversion of the CBS Broadcast Center to high definition, installation of a new emergency power generator for the facility, rebuilds of the network’s Media Distribution Center and Satellite Distribution Systems, conversion from videotape to digital distribution for programs, restoration of the Ed Sullivan Theater for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and much more. He is also a member of the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.
 

Ross will share the stage at the April 8 ceremony at the National Association of Broadcasters convention with Richard Friedel, Fox’s Engineering and Operations Executive Vice President and General Manager, who is also receiving a lifetime achievement Emmy Award.

K5WE Wins Single-Op Cass Award; Multi-Op Award to Be Offered as of Next Year

Jeff Martin, K5WE, receives Cass Award plaque from
Oklahoma DX Association President Steve Duskin, NE5SD.
(Photo courtesy Cass Award committee)

Jeff Martin, K5WE, has been awarded the 2016 Cass award for his one-man DXpedition last May and June from Easter Island. The award, named in memory of former West Coast DX Bulletin publisher and editor Hugh "Cass" Cassidy, WA6AUD (SK), is sponsored by Club Log, DX Lab and the Northern California DX Club. It recognizes DXpeditions that work the greatest number of different stations over a two-week interval. K5WE, operating for 12 days as XR0YS, logged 7,040 separate callsigns during his time on Easter Island. (CQ will have an article about a different Easter Island one-man DXpedition in its October 2017 issue.)
 

The awards to date have honored only individual DXpeditioners. Starting next year, the sponsors say a second "unlimited" award will be added to honor the multi-operator DXpedition that works the greatest number of  different stations. For more information, visit www.cassaward.com.

Several Hams Among RCA Honorees

The Radio Club of America (RCA) issues a series of awards each year for contributions to the radio art. Several amateurs are among this year's honorees, including: Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, Lifetime Achievement Award; James Breakall, WA3FET, Sarnoff Citation, for his antenna designs, including the OWA, or optimized wideband antenna; Peter Madsen, K2PM, Fred M. Link Award for achievement in land mobile communications; Michael Kalter, W8CI, Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award for his longtime work with the Dayton Hamvention®; Robert Hobday, N2EVG, for long-term contributions to radio broadcasting; and Charles Kirmuss, W0CBK, for his contributions to the RCA Youth Activities Program.
 

In addition, the following hams were named RCA Fellows: David Bart, KB9YPD; Nathan "Chip" Cohen, W1YW; Brent Finster, K6BEF; James Roden, W5JR, and Bruce Roloson, W2BDR.

Satellite Roundup

Two of the three Russian cubesats launched in August
(AMSAT-UK Photo)

Three Russian cubesats were deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) during a spacewalk on August 17. According the AMSAT News Service, one of the three satellites has casings made with 3D-printed materials and will test the effects of low-Earth-orbit on their composition and durability. A second satellite transmits recorded greetings in 11 different languages, and the third marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1 as well as the 160th birthday of noted Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovskly. 

The crossband repeater on the ISS was being used to relay signals from two of these cubesats, as controllers feared they were spinning more than expected and hoped that the receiver on the ISS repeater could pick up and relay telemetry that wasn't making it back to Earth. As of late August, hams were being asked not to try to use the ISS repeater to avoid interference with this relay.

 

In late June, six tiny "Sprite" satellites were launched from India. The ARRL Letter, referencing an article in Scientific American, said each Sprite consisted of a 4-gram circuit board packed with different experiments and are carried as secondary payloads by larger satellies. Signals from at least one of them (all three are on the same frequency) have been received back on Earth.

 

AMSAT's RadFxSat/Fox-1B satellite has been integrated into a deployment container called a P-POD and is now ready for launch. The AMSAT News Service says the launch is currently scheduled for November 10. Such dates, of course, are always subject to change.

SWLing: Radio Caroline is Back, but Radio Australia Won't Be

Famed 1960s offshore broadcaster Radio Caroline is back on the air from the British ship Ross Revenge, this time with a medium-wave license from the UK. The reactivation of the station came 50 years to the day from when the British government in 1967 started attempting to shut down all offshore broadcasters under the "Marine Broadcasting (Offenses) Act," according to Newsline. Hams connected with the Martello Tower radio group ran a special event station on the ham bands to commemorate the anniversary and rebirth of Radio Caroline. If you've got a medium wave receiver and a really good antenna, you can listen for Caroline's 1,000-watt signal on 648 kHz.

 

Meanwhile, Radio New Zealand reports that an Australian Senate committee in August voted down a bill that would have required the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) to restore its shortwave services. Radio Australia's shortwave service went off the air this past January, much to the distress of shortwave listeners and particularly residents of Pacific islands who depended on it for news and emergency information. The committee defeat essentially kills the bill, as it will not be considered by the full Senate. 

Coast Guard Emergency Contact Info for Harvey

As Tropical Storm Harvey approaches its second landfall, we share the following, provided by Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, Director of Emergency Management for Altus, Oklahoma:

-----

Please let your friends in the affected area know this Coast Guard information.

911 first

EOC second

Coast Guard third

Obviously, if they can call you, you can call for them.  You will need their name, address, including zip code, and telephone number so responders can call them back.

Humanity Road is monitoring social media for urgent needs.

Be safe

Hurricane Harvey Update from the Hurricane Watch Net (www.hwn.org)

(Update: Saturday, August 26, 2017 @ 1:00 AM CDT (0600 UTC) 
Around 8:00 PM CDT – 0100 UTC, Harvey began moving onshore of the middle Texas coast.  By 10:00 PM CDT – 0300 UTC, the eye of Category 4 Harvey made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb (27.70 in) and moving to the northwest or 325 degrees at 7 mph.  Prior to landfall and throughout the day, forward speed was 10 mph.

Harvey is the first Major Hurricane to make US landfall since Wilma in October of 2005 and the first Category 4 Hurricane to make US landfall since Katrina on August 29, 2005.

According to the National Hurricane Center, “Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 15 to 30 inches and isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast through next Wednesday.  During the same time period Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 15 inches in far south Texas and the Texas Hill Country over through southwest and central Louisiana.  Rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding”.

According to the 10:00 PM CDT – 0300 UTC advisory and discussion, the eye of Harvey should continue tracking to the northwest or 325 degrees for the next several hours, which would bring it inland over southeastern Texas.  After 12 hours or so, the hurricane should become embedded in an area of weak steering currents and become nearly stationary.  It is unclear at this time whether the center of Harvey will emerge over the Gulf of Mexico, as the guidance is in poor agreement on that.  It is clear, though, that Harvey will remain over southeastern Texas or the adjacent waters through the forecast period, thus producing a major rainfall andflooding threat.

The Hurricane Watch Net remains at Alert Level 5 – Catastrophic Response Mode meaning a Major Hurricane is currently affecting land within the HWN area of interest.  Net operations will continue on both 14.325.00 MHz and 7.268.00 MHz until further notice.

Our Net remains available to provide backup communications to official agencies such as Emergency Operations Centers, the American Red Cross, Non-Governmental Agencies, and other vital interests in the affected area. We will be interested to collect and report significant damage assessment data back to FEMA officials stationed in the National Hurricane Center.

Please keep everyone in the path of this dangerous storm in your thoughts and prayers!

Sincerely
Bobby Graves - KB5HAV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hurricane Harvey Makes Landfall as Cat 4 Storm; Hurricane Watch Net in Catastrophic Response Mode

Update from the Hurricane Watch Net, via CQ Emergency Communications Editor Walt Palmer, W4ALT:

From Hurricane Watch Net
Harvey has just been upgraded to a Category 4 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and a barometric pressure of 941 mb (27.79 in).  The Hurricane Watch Net remains at Alert Level 5 – Catastrophic Response Mode.

Net operations continue on both 14.325.00 MHz and 7.268.00 MHz.  We will remain active on 14.325.00 MHz for as long as propagation holds.  We will continue operations on 7.268.00 MHz until further notice.

Please keep everyone in the path of this dangerous storm in your thoughts and prayers!

Sincerely
Bobby Graves - KB5HAV

Hurricane Watch Net Active for Harvey on 14,325 & 7.268 - Please Keep Clear

From Hurricane Watch Net, via CQ Emergency Communications Editor Walt Palmer, W4ALT:

NOTE: The National Weather Service has upgraded Hurricane Harvey to Category 3 as of 1915 UTC Friday

(Update: Friday, August 25, 2016 @ 10:30 AM CDT (1530 UTC)

Harvey is still a powerful Category 2 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.  Conditions remain favorable for Harvey to become a Cat 3 Hurricane today.

Due to poor propagation on 14.325.00 MHz, we will resume 40 meter operations on 7.268.00 MHz at 11:00 AM CDT – 1600 UTC.  Operations on 14.325.00 MHz will continue as well.

As with any net activation, we request observed ground-truth data from those in the affected area (Wind Speed, Wind Gust, Wind Direction, Barometric Pressure – if available, Rainfall, Damage, and Storm Surge).  Measured weather data is always appreciated but we do accept estimated.

We are also available to provide backup communications for official agencies such as Emergency Operations Centers, the Red Cross, and other vital interests in the affected area. We will also be interested to collect and report significant damage assessment data back to FEMA officials stationed in the National Hurricane Center.

Lastly, the Hurricane Watch Net will remain active until further notice.

Please keep everyone in the path of this dangerous storm in your thoughts and prayers!

Sincerely
Bobby Graves - KB5HAV

Notes from CQ:

WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center will be on the air and monitoring the HWN as of 2100 UTC (5 PM EDT) today (Fri., 8/25)

Watch for updates via the following:
Hurricane Watch Net: www.hwn.org
WX4NHC: www.wx4nhc.org
National Hurricane Center:  www.nhc.noaa.gov

CQ White Paper - Pros and Cons of the Amateur Radio Parity Act

A CQ White Paper
August 2017
 

 Pros and Cons on
The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017
(H.R. 555/S. 1534)

__________________________

Background
Radio amateurs who live in housing developments controlled by homeowners' associations (HOAs) or on property subject to Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs or deed restrictions) are facing increasing restrictions on putting up outdoor antennas or even operating at all. In addition, a growing number of new housing developments fall into the HOA/CC&R category.

For the past several years, the ARRL has been working hard in Washington to persuade Congress to pass legislation directing the FCC to write rules that would provide amateurs with the same rights to operate and erect outdoor antennas that it provides to hams living elsewhere (so-called PRB-1 rights). The "Amateur Radio Parity Act" was first introduced in 2014 in an effort to achieve this goal.


The Amateur Radio Parity Act
The original bill was strongly opposed by the Community Associations Institute (CAI), the trade organization

representing homeowners' associations. The ARRL worked with CAI to find compromise language that would satisfy major HOA concerns while still providing hams with the ability to set up reasonable outdoor antennas at HOA/CC&R-controlled homes. We applauded those efforts at the time. The revised bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously in 2016 but was not voted on by the Senate prior to the end of the last Congress.

The amended language was re-introduced in the current Congress as H.R. 555 in the House of Representatives <http://bit.ly/2vOn8Jq>, where it again passed unanimously; and is now being considered in the Senate as bill S. 1534. The ARRL is making a major push to encourage its members and other hams to contact their senators and urge support of the bill.


Concerns Arise
However, as some hams with legal and legislative backgrounds began reading the bill closely, they pointed up significant concerns that the bill's revised language may hurt hams as much as it might help them, including adding new requirements to seek permission to put up antennas and the possibility that new or existing  "stealth" antennas might become violations of federal law.

We published a summary of those concerns, as set forth by former FCC attorney Jim Talens, N3JT, in a "Food for Thought" article in the August 2017 issue of CQ, titled "Why H.R. 555 is Not Good (Enough) for Hams." Click here to view.

Within a week of its publication, the ARRL responded (without specifically mentioning the Talens CQ article) with a "Frequently Asked Questions" document claiming to "debunk" the "myths" raised by Talens, titled "The Amateur Radio Parity Act: Setting the Record Straight." The League posted it online at <http://bit.ly/2upYEqA>, and ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, e-mailed all League members, urging them to read the document and to contact their senators if they hadn't already done so.

Jim Talens quickly issued a rebuttal to the League's "FAQ," pointing out what he sees as the flaws in the ARRL's reasoning. Click here to view his complete rebuttal. Talens was joined in rebutting the League's comments by communications attorney Fred Hopengarten, K1VR. Fred is the author of the ARRL book, Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur, and is considered by many to be today's leading authority on amateur radio antenna law. Fred says he is a strong supporter of the ARRL but opposes this bill. Click here to view his statement.

Your Turn . . . 
We urge all amateurs to:
a) Read the bill: <http://bit.ly/2vOn8Jq>
b) Read N3JT's "Food for Thought" article: Click here to view
c) Read the ARRL's response: <http://bit.ly/2upYEqA>
d) Read N3JT's rebuttal: Click here to view
e) Read K1VR's rebuttal: Click here to view 
f) Make up your own mind about whether you support this bill as written or whether it needs more work before final Congressional consideration.


This white paper provided as a service to the amateur community by CQ magazine (www.cq-amateur-radio.com) to assure that all valid concerns are heard on this issue of major importance to the future of amateur radio. 


CQ Amateur Radio 17 West John Street, Hicksville, NY 11801 www.cq-amateur-radio.com

Marty Sullaway, KC1CWF, Named 2017 Young Ham of the Year

Marty Sullaway, KC1CWF, of Newton, Massachusetts, has been selected as the 2017 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year. Marty,15, is the son of Robert  Sullaway and Gail Schulman. CQ is a corporate co-sponsor of the Young Ham of the Year award.

2017 Newsline Young Ham of the Year Marty Sullaway,
KC1CWF

Marty was first licensed as a Technician in November 2014. He quickly worked his way to General earning his ticket in February 2015. He became an Extra Class operator this past February.

Marty is co-founder of the Eastern Massachusetts Contesting Club and trustee of its call sign KR1DX. Marty created the club to get more young people involved in amateur radio in the suburban Boston area. He has helped teach and mentor many young people, sparking interest in HF contesting. Marty is a member of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and very active in the contest community. He currently serves on the American Radio Relay League Contest Advisory Committee. KC1CWF's efforts in contesting have netted many accolades, including the 2015 CQWW SSB USA "Rookie" plaque. His score of 1,312,305 operating from K1VR still stands as the CQWW rookie record.

Marty also is QSL manager for three stations in the Yukon and is a board member of the Clay Center Amateur Radio Club which promotes amateur radio at the Dexter/Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts. He runs his own podcast, presented at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum, and appears regularly on the W5KUB "Amateur Radio Roundtable" webcast. He even serves as a back-up studio when technical issues arise.

Marty also is involved in amateur radio public service activities, including serving as a net control operator for the Boston Marathon. He is also the owner of his own consulting company, "Newtown Mass Tech," where he handles such tasks as home computer installation to VOIP connections for clients throughout the Boston area.

Marty is entering his sophomore year at Meridian Academy in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, this fall where he has been active in the Model United Nations program for four years and has earned multiple awards, including best delegate. Marty is currently vice president of his  United Synagogue Youth chapter and is involved in an Israeli folk dance group.

His nominator, CQ Kit-Building Editor Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, described Marty as an "extraordinary young man," noting that "Marty has accomplished things at age 15 that many hams take years to do. And he is only beginning."

Marty will be recognized during the Huntsville Hamfest on August 19 in the Von Braun Center, Huntsville Alabama.

The Young Ham of the Year Award was inaugurated by William Pasternak, WA6ITF, in 1986. Upon his passing in 2015, Bill's name was added to the award as a memorial to his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of young people to the amateur radio service.

In addition the Amateur Radio Newsline, CQ magazine and Yaesu USA are primary sponsors, along with Heil Sound Ltd. and Radiowavz Antenna Company.

FCC General Counsel to be Named Commissioner

UPDATE: The nominations of both Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel were confirmed on August 3 by the U.S. Senate, bringing the FCC back to full strength.

(FCC Photo)

President Trump has announced that he plans to nominate FCC General Counsel Brendan Carr to a seat on the Commission. Carr is a key ally of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, according to Newsline, and a strong proponent of Pai's efforts to roll back the "net neutrality" rules that had been approved when the commission was under Democratic control. 
 

Carr's nomination would need Senate confirmation, as does the already pending nomination of former Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel to return to the Commission.

ARRL Launches Lobbying Drive for Passage of Parity Act

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, is urging all League members to contact their U.S. Senators, encouraging them to support S. 1534, the Senate version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, which already passed the House as H.R. 555. The bill is intended to loosen restrictions on amateur radio antennas in deed-restricted and/or homeowner association-controlled developments. 

[Not everyone feels this bill is a good deal for hams - see N3JT's "Food for Thought: Why H.R. 555 is Not Good (Enough) for Hams" in our August issue. - ed.]

Dateline DX Assn. Picked for Baker Island DXpedition

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has selected the Dateline DX Association to conduct a

Two of Baker Island's signature brown boobies
(US Fish and Wildlife Service photo)

DXpedition to Baker Island at a date to be determined. Several groups had applied to the FWS Pacific Islands Refuges and Monuments Office after the service determined earlier this year that amateur radio operation on the ecologically-sensitive island "is a use that assists in management of the resources indirectly" by bringing public attention and support to the Baker Island National Wildlife Refuge. 

According to the ARRL Letter, the DDXA previously conducted DXpeditions on neighboring Howland Island (2009) and Wake Island (1998). The group will be allowed on Baker for up to 14 days, with a maximum of 12 days for radio operation. Baker and Howland Islands (KH1) are #4 on ClubLog's DXCC Most-Wanted List.

Project Amelia Earhart Flight in Final Phase

Part of WB6RQN's flight path
(Courtesy Project Amelia Earhart website)

Howland Island is believed to be the last place aviatrix Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan attempted to land on their ill-fated 1937 attempt to fly around the world. Earhart fan and radio amateur Brian Lloyd, WB6RQN, took off June 1 to try to follow Earhart's route and make a full circumnavigation. According to the ARRL, Lloyd began the final phase of his flight on July 26, leaving Honolulu for Oakland, California and eventually ending at the Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison, Kansas. His flight from Pago Pago to Hawaii included a flyover of Howland Island, where he dropped a floral wreath in Earhart's and Noonan's memory.

IOTA Launching New Website

Speaking of islands, the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program is expected to launch a new website in September as part of its ongoing move to operating independently of the Radio Society of Great Britain, the program's original sponsor. 

At press time in late July, the URL of the new website was not yet available, but the ARRL reported that once it goes online, anyone going to the old <www.rsgbiota.org> address would be automatically sent to the new site.

ARRL Adopts Many CQ Contest Rules as "Best Practices"

The ARRL's Contest Branch has adopted a series of rule changes and clarifications to League-sponsored contests that branch manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says "reflect current 'best practices' in the contest community." Many of them echo changes in CQ contest rules over recent years, including a 5-day log submission deadline for HF contests, public posting of all submitted logs, encouragement to list specific frequencies for all contacts and encouragement to use a web app for uploading log files.

In addition, clubs will be required to submit up-to-date membership lists before a contest and only logs from listed members will be applied to club competition scores; and operators of remotely-controlled stations in the U.S. or its possessions will be required to hold a U.S. license with sufficient privileges for all operations. 

Additional information is available at <http://bit.ly/2eUfsPb>.

FCC to Again Ask About Felony Convictions

The FCC is rolling out a revised application form this month for several licensed services, including the amateur service. According to the ARRL Letter, the new Form 605 will ask all applicants whether they have ever been convicted of or pled guilty to a felony. Applicants answering "yes" will also need to provide explanations and their applications will be placed in the "pending file for review" category. 

FCC and ARRL officials point out that this question has actually been required for many years but was inadvertently omitted from the current Form 605.

WWV Seeking 25 MHz Reception Reports

WWV is now using a circularly-polarized turnstile antenna on its 25-MHz transmitter and is asking for

The WWV transmitter building in Fort Collins, Colorado
(Nat'l Institute of Standards and Technology photo)

reception reports on signal quality. The time and frequency standard station shut down its 25-MHz transmitter in 1977 and resumed operation in 2014 on an "experimental basis," according to the ARRL Letter. 

WWV lead engineer Matt Deutch, N0RGT, said he hoped that the switch to circular polarization would be helpful to anyone studying propagation during August's total solar eclipse. Reception reports should be e-mailed to <wwv@nist.gov>.

Friedrichshafen "Ham Radio" Show Draws 17,000

Two attendees enjoy an exhibit at HAM RADIO 2017
in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
(Photo courtesy Messe Friedrichshafen)

The "Ham Radio" show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, combined with Maker Faire Bodensee, attracted 17,100 visitors this year, according to show officials. That's nearly identical to last year's reported attendance of 17,230. The show featured 196 exhibitors from 33 countries, as well as an additional 100 exhibitors at the co-located Maker Faire. Ham Radio is the largest hamfest in Europe and is held each June in the southern German city of Friedrichshafen.

More HAARP "Music" Planned for September

A few of the HAARP antennas in Alaska, with majestic mountains in the background
(U. of Alaska-Fairbanks photo)

A new ionospheric "research campaign" from the University of Alaska/Fairbanks' High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility is planned for mid-to-late September, according to UAF Space Physics Group Assistant Research Professor Chris Fallen, KL3WX. The ARRL Letter reports that September's planned transmissions will be similar to the university's first round of experiments this past February, except that "another column of transmitter shelters" will be active, increasing both transmitted power and antenna gain, so the signals may be audible by more listeners to its signals on 2.8 and 3.3 MHz. The university took over the research facility in 2015, after the U.S. Air Force - which had built it - shut it down and announced plans to dismantle it.

"BIRDS" Cubesats Deployed from Space Station

 A cluster of five cubesats, known collectively as "BIRDS-1," was deployed from the International Space Station in early July. The five tiny satellites each contain an amateur radio transmitter (all using the same frequency) but no transponders for signal relays. The mission's main project, according to the ARRL Letter, is to "use the constellation to carry out radio communication experiments via a network of VHF/UHF amateur radio ground stations around the world." You can listen for them on 437.375 MHz.

BIRDS-1 Cubesat Constellation Deployed from the
International Space Station (ISS photo)

The satellites will be transmitting with CW, FM audio, 1.2k BPS FM AFSK and 9.6k BPS GMSK.

Illinois Man Convicted of Murdering Ham and His Dog

A Rockford, Illinois, man has been convicted of murder in the death of an Illinois army veteran and amateur radio operator, also of Rockford. The Winnebago County prosecutor's office said 31-year-old Delano Foreman was convicted on 16 counts that included first-degree murder, burglary, concealment of a homicidal death and aggravated animal cruelty.  

According to Newsline, prosecutors told the jury that Foreman first robbed 67-year-old Henry Murphy, WB9TFX, in 2015 before shooting to death both Murphy and his golden retriever, Shelby, and then setting their house on fire. The verdict was announced on June 30. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for mid-August. Foreman could face up to 60 years in prison on the various charges.