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TUESDAY EDITION: Enjoy the day..

Ham Radio in the Internet Age

Even if you are relatively young, you can probably think back on what TV was like when you were a kid and then realize that TV today is completely different. Most people watch on-demand. Saturday morning cartoons are gone, and high-definition digital signals are the norm. Many of those changes are a direct result of the Internet, which, of course, changed just about everything. Ham radio is no different. The ham radio of today has only a hazy resemblance to the ham radio of the past. I should know. I’ve been a ham for 47 years.

You know the meme about “what people think I do?” You could easily do that for ham radio operators. (Oh wait, of course, someone has done it.) The perception that hams are using antique equipment and talking about their health problems all day is a stereotype. There are many hams, and while some of them use old gear and some of them might be a little obsessed with their doctor visits, that’s true for any group. It turns out there is no “typical” ham, but modern tech, globalization, and the Internet have all changed the hobby no matter what part of it you enjoy.

Radios

One of the biggest changes in the hobby has been in the radio end. Hams tend to use two kinds of gear: HF and VHF/UHF (that’s high frequency, very high frequency, and ultra-high frequency). HF gear is made to talk over long distances, while VHF/UHF gear is for talking around town. It used to be that a new radio was a luxury that many hams couldn’t afford. You made do with surplus gear or used equipment.

Globalization has made radios much less expensive, while technological advances have made them vastly more capable. It wasn’t long ago that a handy-talkie (what normal folks would call a walkie-talkie) would be a large purchase and not have many features. Import radios are now sophisticated, often using SDR technology, and so cheap that they are practically disposable. They are so cheap now that many hams have multiples that they issue to other hams during public service events.

Because these cheap ($20-$40) radios often use SDR, they can even be hacked. These radios aren’t typically the highest quality if you are used to repurposed commercial gear, but when you can replace the radio for $20, it hardly matters.

HF radios are a different story. Thanks to software-defined radio, superpowerful computers, and FPGAs, even relatively inexpensive HF radios have features that would have seemed like magic when I first got my license.

The ICOM IC-7300 is considered a “starter” radio!

While some hams like to build gear or use simple or older gear, modern transceivers, like the IC-7300 from Icom shown here, have incredible RF filtering done in software, spectrum analyzers, and scopes built in. The 7300, by the way, isn’t considered a “top of the line” radio by any means. But it has features that would have been a dream on a state of the art unit before the advent of DSP.

Having these kind of tools changes how you operate. In the old days, you’d tune around to see if you could hear anyone. Now, glancing at the screen will show you all the signals on a band and how strong they are. Touch one, and you tune it in immediately. Digital noise reduction is very helpful these days with so much interference, and, of course, you can control the whole thing from a PC if you want to.

The receivers are exceptional compared to what even a high-end radio would offer a few decades ago. Specialized filters used to be expensive and limited in options. Now, you can design any filter you want on the fly and it will be nearly perfect.

Granted, these radios aren’t in the impulse buy category like the handheld radios. Still, you can find them new for around $1,000 and used for less. There are also other similar radios for much less. Just as you can buy imported handheld VHF and UHF radios, there are imported HF radios that put out a lower wattage (20 watts vs 100 watts is typical). These still have plenty of features, and you can get them for about half the cost of the name-brand 100W rigs. [K4OGO] has a video (see below) about several popular radios in that price range and you’ll notice that many of them have similar displays.

Digital Modes

Paradoxically, you might not need as hot a receiver, or as big of an antenna, or as much power as you might think. Hams have long known that voice communication is inefficient. Morse code could be the earliest form of digital radio communication, allowing a proficient operator to copy signals that would never make a voice contact. However, hams have also long used other digital modes, including TeleType, which is more convenient but less reliable than a good Morse code operator.

That changed with computer soundcards. Your computer can pull signals out of a hash that you would swear was nothing but noise. Modern protocols incorporate error detection and correction, retries, and sophisticated digital signal processing techniques to pull information from what appears to be nowhere.

What kind of sound card do you need? Almost any modern card will do it, but if you have the Icom IC-7300 pictured above, you don’t need one. It turns out, it is a sound card itself. When you plug it into a PC, it offers audio in and out for ham radio programs. It can even send IQ signals directly to the PC for common SDR programs to work with.

Some digital modes are conversational. You can use them like you might a radio-based chat room to talk to people you know or people you’ve just met. However, some modes are more specialized and optimized to make and confirm contact.

Computer Logging

There was a time when every ham had a log book — a notebook to write down contacts — and a stack of QSL cards. Operators would exchange cards in the mail to confirm contact with each other. Many of the cards were interesting, and collecting enough cards could earn an award (for example, working all 50 US states or over 100 foreign countries).

Things are different now. Many people use a computer to track their contacts. While you could just use a spreadsheet, there are many ways to log and — more importantly — share logs online.

The advantage is that when you make a contact and enter into the system, it can match your entry up with your partner’s entry and immediately confirm the contact. This isn’t perfect, because there are several systems people use, but it is possible to interoperate between them. No more waiting for the mail.

DX and Propagation

I mentioned that having a display of the entire ham band changes how you operate. But there is even more help out there. Many people enjoy working rare foreign stations or special event stations held at parks or historical locations. These days, if you hear a station like that on the air, you can report it on the Internet so other people can find them. In some cases, the operator will report themselves, even.

A real-time view of beacon reception across the globe.

Suppose you want to make contact with someone in Kenya because you haven’t done it, and you are working towards an award that counts how many countries you’ve contacted. Instead of searching endlessly, you can simply watch the Internet for when a station from that country appears. Then turn on your radio, use the digital tuning to go exactly to their frequency, and try your luck.

Of course, radio propagation isn’t foolproof. But you can use beacons to determine how propagation is near you. There are many tools to manipulate the beacon data to better understand radio conditions. In fact, if you use digital modes or Morse code, you can find out who’s hearing you on the Internet, which can be very useful.

Why Not You?

Some old hams say the Internet is ruining ham radio. I say it is changing ham radio just like it has changed virtually everything else. Some of those changes aren’t that drastic anyway. For years, people chasing awards, trying to work long distances, or participating in contests have very short contacts. You typically would exchange your name, location, and how strong your signal is and then make way for the next person to make contact. The digital mode FT8 automates all that. It is true that it isn’t very personal, but those kinds of contacts were never personal to start with.

What’s more is that you don’t have to use any of this if you don’t want to. I operate a lot of Morse code with no mechanical assistance. If I hear a big pileup, I might go look at the computer to see who has been spotted on that frequency. But I don’t have to. I could figure it out the old-fashioned way.

Hams work with advanced signal processing software, satellites, moon bounce, support communities, design antennas, foster school education, work during disasters, and push the envelope on microwave communication. No matter what your interests, there’s something you’ll enjoy doing. For many years now, you don’t even have to pass a test for Morse code, so if you didn’t want to learn the code, you don’t have to.

In many ways, hams were the original hackers, and you might be surprised by how many hackers you know who are hams already. I don’t know what ham radio will look li

Handbook 101: A New Generation of Amateur Radio

New space: University of Scranton amateur radio station links others, home for atmospheric research

Nathaniel Frissell put out a call and waited for a response.

“Hello, CQ, CQ, CQ, CQ, this is whiskey 3 uniform sierra romeo.”

An amateur radio operator from Virginia answered the call from the University of Scranton’s new amateur radio station — call sign W3USR.

Frissell, a University of Scranton associate professor of physics and engineering, and his students make connections around the world while conducting groundbreaking research about the earth’s upper atmosphere.

“Ham radio is a really exciting way to understand communications and many of the technologies that we interact with every day,” Frissell said.

With ham radio enthusiasts and researchers from across the country, the university dedicated the new radio station on Friday.

The group, along with students and community members, gathered at the station on Thursday night. Steve Cerwin, a physicist who traveled to the dedication from Texas, works with Frissell on the research. Cerwin called the facility a “world class amateur radio station.”

“Few of them are in this caliber, this high, this big antenna, this type of equipment,” Cerwin said. “These are things people dream about.”

The communications come through a 40-foot tower with a Skyhawk High Frequency antenna for 14, 21, and 28 MHz, as well as VHF/UHF satellite and microwave antennas, some with rotating mounts. The station also features heavy-duty controllers, all-mode transceivers, speakers, desktop microphones and other components.

From the fifth floor — the “penthouse” of the Loyola Science Center — floor-to-ceiling windows provide sweeping views of the campus and city. The voices of radio operators hundreds, even thousands of miles away, can be heard in the hallway.

The university’s W3USR Amateur Radio Club hosts club nights, open to the community, on Thursdays when classes are in session. The station is also used for physics courses and research by students and faculty participating with the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) project led by Frissell.

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a $1.8 million collaborative grant to Frissell to provide sophisticated atmospheric measuring equipment to the nationwide network of ham radio enthusiasts and citizen scientists that he developed.

Frissell will serve as the lead principal investigator of the collaborative grant and will work with colleagues at Case Western Reserve University, the University of Alabama and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The enhanced capabilities to collect data on the earth’s ionosphere for this project builds on the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station network of licensed amateur radio operators who have helped measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of earth’s atmosphere through a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Frissell.

“We're trying to build a network of ground-based receivers that citizen scientists can use to study the effects of space weather on earth,” Frissell said.

When Northeast Pennsylvania could see the aurora borealis earlier this month, radio communication sounded fluttery and “hollow.” During April’s solar eclipse, Frissell and his students collected data on how the event impacted the earth’s ionosphere.

The ionosphere is located 50 to 400 miles above sea level and is home to all the charged particles in the earth's atmosphere. It is impacted by weather on earth and in space.

Amateur radio operators bounce radio signals off the ionosphere for communication. The strength of the bounce provides many clues about the ionosphere, such as its height, density and dynamics, according to NASA.

“We've already made some inroads to techniques for measuring the ionosphere from the bottom side that hasn't been done before, and we're getting new insights,” Cerwin said. “This is the only spectrum capable of worldwide communications without an appliance like a satellite or a cell phone infrastructure … It’s a natural resource that needs to be protected because if we get a severe solar event or something that brings down a great deal of the infrastructure, this communication is going to be what's left.”

At the weekly club night, Scouts Avery and Jordyn Flannigan made connections with operators elsewhere, including in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“Our QTH (location) is Scranton, Pennsylvania … back to you,” 12-year-old Jordyn said.

Gerard Piccini, an electrical engineering student from Monroe Twp., New Jersey, serves as club president. He welcomed visitors Thursday night.

“Pretty much everything we do nowadays, everything that's wireless, uses radio,” he explained. “Amateur radio is just a great way to understand how that works.”

MONDAY EDITION: Cold start to the day here on Cape Ann

Save A Packet, Use Cheap Co-Ax!

Anyone who works with radio transmitters will know all about matching and impedance, and also about the importance of selecting the best co-axial cable connecting transistor and antenna. But here’s [Steve, KD2WTU] with a different take, he’s suggesting that sometimes a not-so-good co-ax choice can make the grade. He’s passing up expensive 50 ohm cable in favour of the cheap and ubiquitous 75 ohm RG6 cable used in domestic TV and satellite receiver installations.

Fighting that received wisdom, he outlines the case for RG6. It’s cheap and it has a surprisingly low loss figure compared to some more conventional choices, something that shouldn’t be a surprise once we consider that it’s designed to carry GHz-plus signals. Where it loses is in having a lower maximum power rating. Power shouldn’t be a problem to a shoestring ham for whom 100W is QRO. Another issue is that 75 ohm coax necessitates a tuner for 50 ohm transmitters. It also has the effect of changing the resonance of some antennas, meaning a few mods may be in order.

So we’re convinced, and with the relatively QRP shack here we can’t see RG6 being a problem. Maybe it’s something to try in out next antenna experiment. Meanwhile if you’re interested in some of the background on co-ax impedance choices, we’ve been there before.

Dream Rig Contest Underway

FRIDAY EDITION: 10 meters was open last night, Japan was an easy score....best mobile radios

Solar Eclipse QSO Party Contest Winners Announced

The Solar Eclipse QSO Party provided hams an opportunity to operate during both the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses. In addition to the contest, the event contributed to scientific studies focusing on the ionosphere’s reaction to the eclipse. The 2024 contest results have been released with Dennis Egan (W1UE) taking the top spot in the single op category and Souris Valley Amateur Radio Club (K0AJW) taking the top spot in the multi op category. More information and full results are available on the HamSCI website.

Source: HamSCI

Amateur Radio Daily – Read More

Replacing Selenium Rectifiers

Old radios often had selenium rectifiers to convert AC to DC. The problem is that the old units, dating back to 1933, are prone to failure and to release dangerous chemicals like hydrogen selenide. [M Caldeira] has a new board made to fit a particular rectifier and also allows a varying voltage drop. The circuit consists of a few diodes, a MOSFET, and a pot for adjusting the voltage drop. An IRF840 MOSFET provides the adjustment.

Did it work? It did. The good news is that if it fails — which shouldn’t happen very often — it won’t release stinky and noxious fumes

We wondered if he should 3D print a fake case to make it look more the part. If you haven’t seen a real selenium rectifier, they were made of stacks of metal plates coated with bismuth or nickel. Then, a film of doped selenium was annealed to the surface to form cadmium selenide. Each plate could handle about 20 V and the more plates you used, the more reverse voltage the device could withstand.

Selenium was also found in old photocells. If you fancy replacing other parts of an old radio, you might consider a faux magic eye or even one of the main tubes.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

2024 Pacificon Inspires Next Generation of Radio Amateurs

THURSDAY EDITION: I got the car and truck waxed before winter rolls in  yesterday....At the club, we hooked up the new Yaesu rotor on the bench, works fine, and will fish the cable thru the ceiling so we are ready for the boom truck to replace the old with new. We also tested a 6 meter Cushcraft 3 element beam we had in stock to replace existing 6 meter beam with high swr as well. Thankfully we got the instruction manual online with the rough adjustments for tuning. We will tune for 51.5 for a low swr as it is being used for ssb or cw...

Playing with the 6 meter beam at the club yesterday

Latest FreeDV GUI Includes RADE HF Digital Voice Mode

The latest version of FreeDV includes a new digital voice over HF mode titled Radio Autoencoder (RADE). Previous updates have abbreviated the mode as RADAE. The new mode has been in development since early 2024 and is now entering a phase of real time, over the air testing. A September FreeDV update includes recorded samples of the mode from over the air tests. The samples include QSOs ranging from 800-13,000 km and 2-5db SNR.

Editor’s note: To this ham’s ear, the voice quality from the provided examples sound far superior to any previously released FreeDV HF digital voice modes!

RADE description from the GitHub project:

A hybrid Machine Learning/DSP system for sending speech over HF radio channels. The RADAE encoder takes vocoder features such as pitch, short term spectrum and voicing and generates a sequence of analog PSK symbols. These are placed on OFDM carriers and sent over the HF radio channel. The decoder takes the received PSK symbols and produces vocoder features that can be sent to a speech decoder. The system is trained to minimise the distortion of the vocoder features over HF channels. Compared to classical DSP approaches to digital voice, the key innovation is jointly performing transformation, prediction, quantisation, channel coding, and modulation in the ML network.

FYI: Russia amplified hurricane disinformation to drive Americans apart, researchers find

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has helped amplify and spread false and misleading internet claims about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government's response, part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate America's political discourse before the presidential election, new research shows.

The content, spread by Russian state media and networks of social media accounts and websites, criticizes the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, exploiting legitimate concerns about the recovery effort in an attempt to paint American leaders as incompetent and corrupt, according to research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The London-based organization tracks disinformation and online extremism.

In some cases, the claims about the storms include fake images created using artificial intelligence, such as a photo depicting scenes of devastating flooding at Disney World that never happened, researchers say.

The approach is consistent with the Kremlin’s long-standing practice of identifying legitimate debates and contentious issues in the U.S. and then exploiting them. Previous disinformation campaigns have harnessed debates about immigration, racism, crime and the economy in an effort to portray the U.S. as corrupt, violent and unjust.

U.S. intelligence officials and private tech companies say Russian activity has increased sharply before the Nov. 5 election as Moscow tries to capitalize on an opportunity to undermine its chief global adversary.

By seizing on real concerns about disaster recovery, Russia's disinformation agencies can worm their way into U.S. discourse, using hot-button issues to undermine Americans' trust in their government and each other.

“These are not situations that foreign actors are creating," said Melanie Smith, director of research at ISD. “They're simply pouring gasoline on fires that already exist.”

The content identified by ISD included English-language posts obviously meant for Americans, as well as Russian-language propaganda intended for domestic audiences. Much of the disinformation took aim at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. She is her party's nominee in the White House race against former President Donald Trump.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine remains the Kremlin's prime motivation for spreading lies about the hurricane response. If Russia can persuade enough Americans to oppose U.S. support for Ukraine, that could ease the way for a Moscow victory, officials and analysts have said.

U.S. intelligence officials have said Russia's disinformation seems designed to support Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and disparaged the NATO alliance and Ukraine's leaders. Posts linked to Russia routinely denigrate Harris, saying she is ignoring the pleas of storm victims. By contrast, a recent post from Russian state media company RT called Trump “a mystical figure of historic proportions.”

Intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday that Russia created a manipulated video to smear Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Russia has rejected claims that it trying to meddle in the U.S. election. The Russian Embassy hasn't responded to messages this week seeking comment about recent allegations by researchers and intelligence officials.

Researchers at ISD found that Russian disinformation agents exploited weak content moderation on U.S.-owned social media platforms such as X to spread their content far and wide. Before it was purchased and renamed by Elon Musk, the platform once known as Twitter required labels on content from authoritarian state media. Musk rescinded that rule and gutted the platform's content moderation efforts, leading to a surge in foreign propaganda, hate speech and extremist recruitment.

Often the false or misleading claims come from fake accounts or websites that mimic Americans or legitimate news outlets, making it difficult to determine their true origin. Unsuspecting Americans then repost and spread the content.

In July, American intelligence officials warned that “unwitting Americans” were helping do Russia's work for it.

Vast armies of fake or automated accounts help spread the material further.

Researchers at the Israeli tech firm Cyabra analyzed popular posts on X that criticized FEMA for its storm response. A significant number could not be verified as belonging to a real person; one-quarter of all the responses to popular posts were deemed fake. The posts were seen by users over half a billion times.

In response, a spokesperson for X pointed to the platform's system that allows users to add context to posts with false claims. The company did not respond to questions about its labeling policy.

“The false claims, ranging from FEMA diverting funds to aid migrants to conspiracy theories about weather manipulation, undermine public trust in government as we near election day, which could seriously impact voter confidence," Cyabra researchers said in a report.

Politicians also have helped spread Russia's talking points.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., gave an interview to the Russian state media outlet Sputnik News for a piece that played up criticism of the hurricane response. He told Sputnik that the federal response was "nonexistent," a claim easily debunked by photos and videos of FEMA recovery workers as well as the firsthand accounts of local leaders and residents in hard-hit regions.

Gosar repeated another misleading claim that “billions of FEMA disaster funds” had been given instead to immigrants without legal status. In truth, money that funds U.S. border control and immigration programs comes from a different source than disaster funds.

 

 

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts day at the club. ...A good day to hookup the new rotor and check the swr on the new 6 meter beam tht is going up on the tower next week...

New tech enables 3D printing electronics without semiconductors

Researchers at MIT have unexpectedly stumbled upon a way to 3D print active electronics – meaning transistors and components for controlling electrical signals – without the use of semiconductors or even special fabrication technology.

That goes far beyond what we can currently do with 3D printers. And if perfected, this method could eventually spell the beginning of a new wave in prototyping, experimentation, and even DIY projects for tinkerers at home.

With 3D printing, any of a range of materials including thermoplastic filaments, resin, ceramic, and metal, are laid down in successive thin layers to form a three-dimensional object. That means you can print all kinds of things, from action figures to jewelry to furniture to buildings.

 What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs?

It’s been said that the best way to stifle creativity by researchers is to demand that they produce immediately marketable technologies and products. This is also effectively the story of Bell Labs, originally founded as Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. in January 1925. As an integral part of AT&T and Western Electric, it enjoyed immense funding and owing to the stable financial situation of AT&T very little pressure to produce results. This led to the development of a wide range of technologies like the transistor, laser, photovoltaic cell, charge-coupled cell (CCD), Unix operating system and so on. After the break-up of AT&T, however, funding dried up and with it the discoveries that had once made Bell Labs such a famous entity. Which raises the question of what it would take to create a new Bell Labs?

As described in the article by [Brian Potter], one aspect of Bell Labs that made it so successful was that the researchers employed there could easily spend a few years tinkering on something that tickled their fancy, whether in the field of semiconductors, optics, metallurgy or something else entirely. There was some pressure to keep research focused on topics that might benefit the larger company, but that was about it, as the leadership knew that sometimes new technologies can take a few year or decades to come to fruition.

All of this came to an rapid stop following the 1982 court-ordered breakup of AT&T. Despite initial optimism at Bell Labs that things could remain much the same, but over the following years Bell Labs would be split up repeatedly, with the 1996 spinning off of Western Electric into Lucent Technologies that took much of Bell Labs with it being the first of many big splits, ending for now with five pieces, with Nokia Bell Labs (formerly Lucent Bell Labs) and AT&T Labs being the largest two. To nobody’s surprise, among all these changes funding for fundamental and theoretical research effectively vanished.

A blue LED held up by its inventor, [Shuji Nakamura].The article then raises the question of whether Bell Labs was a historical fluke that could exist solely due to a number of historical coincidences, or that we could create a new ‘Bell Labs’ today. Theoretically billion-dollar companies such as Google and Apple are more than capable of doing such a thing, and to a certain extent they also are, funding a wide range of seemingly unrelated technologies and business endeavors.

Ultimately Bell Labs would seem to have been at least partially a product of unique historical circumstances, especially the highly specialized field of telecommunications before the same transistors and other technologies that Bell Labs invented would make such technological fields something that anyone could get started in. It’s possible that even without court order, AT&T would have found itself facing stiff competition by the 1990s.

The short answer to the original question of whether Bell Labs could be recreated today is thus a likely ‘no’, while the long answer would be ‘No, but we can create a Bell Labs suitable for today’s technology landscape’. Ultimately the idea of giving researchers leeway to tinker is one that is not only likely to get big returns, but passionate researchers will go out of their way to circumvent the system to work on this one thing that they are interested in. We saw this for example with [Shuji Nakamura], who cracked the way to make efficient blue LEDs, despite every effort by his employer to make his research unnecessarily difficult.

If there’s one thing that this world needs more of, it are researchers like Nakamura-san, and the freedom for them to pursue these passions. That, ultimately could be said to be the true recreation of Bell Labs.

Blog – Hackaday Read More

UNSUNG HEROES: Local radio club connects people during Helene

POLK COUNTY—When Hurricane Helene knocked out power, Internet and cell service to much of the region, including Polk County, the Thermal Belt Amateur Radio Club stepped in. They provided a valuable means of communication for people needing to connect in the crisis.  Amateur radio operators, known as hams, use what are called radio repeaters to receive and send VHF and UHF signals for communication. “The radio repeaters provided a critical pathway for other hams to contact appropriate resources and personnel for aid, whether it be for health and welfare checks of loved ones that were unable to be contacted, tree removal, emergency supplies and essentials, road clearance, and a myriad of other needs when the cell service disappeared,” says Gary Wells, the club’s treasurer. 

Read more at: https://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2024/10/22/unsung-heroes-local-radio-club-connects-people-during-helene/

TUESDAY EDITION: Another bonus weather day here....

ARRL HQ Experiencing Local Power Outage

MONDAY EDITION: Beautiful day on the island, Sunny and 70 predicted....10 and 15 still the place to be...a wire and 100 watts and you can work the world...

QTH Ad: Worked fine before the flood. May be able to find the mike somewhere in the neighborhood. Should work fine after it dries out. No returns due to parts swappers...$300 or BO

Winamp Taken Down: Too Good For This Open Source World

If you picked today in your hackerspace’s sweepstake on when Winamp would pull their code repository, congratulations! You’re a winner! The source for the Windows version of the venerable music player was released on GitHub three weeks ago, and after some derision over its licence terms, a bunch of possible open source violations, and the inadvertent release of some proprietary third-party code, it’s been taken down. We’re sure that if you still have a burning desire to look at it then it won’t be too difficult to find a copy through your favorite search engine, leaving the question of what really just happened.

It’s fairly obvious that the owners of the code lacked some level of understanding of just what open source really is, based on their not-really-open licence and all those code leaks. They did back down on not allowing people to create forks, but it’s evident that they didn’t anticipate the reaction they got. So were they merely a bit clueless, or was it all just a publicity stunt involving a piece of software that’s now of more historical than practical interest? It’s possible we’ll never know, but the story has provided those of us sitting on the fence eating popcorn with some entertainment.

Results of the 2024 USA/IARU Region 2 Radio Orienteering Championships

The 23rd USA and 12th IARU Region 2 Radio Orienteering Championships, held October 5 – 13, 2024, brought together more than 50 competitors from 13 U.S. states, as well as participants from Canada, Australia, Uganda, and China.

Set in the scenic parks and forests near Chelsea, Dexter, Pinckney, and Brighton, Michigan, the event was organized by the Southern Michigan Orienteering Club (SMOC), with…

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

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

PROPOSAL MOVES AHEAD TO HARMONIZE 40M BAND IN REGION 3

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to IARU Region 3 where a study of the 40m band's varied allocations has produced a proposal to harmonize the band. The recommendations could ultimately have a far-reaching effect in other regions. Graham Kemp VK4BB brings us up to date.

GRAHAM: A proposal to harmonise use of the 40m band across Region 3 of the IARU will be taken up by members at the next conference, in the hopes that this may lead to even broader harmonisation with IARU Regions 1 and 2.

The IARU's proposal is the result of a recent consultation by the Wireless Institute of Australia with the goal of finding band plans for various modes that could ultimately form the basis of a global agreement. The committee noted in its report that one of its biggest challenges was to settle on an equitable redistribution of use of the spectrum based on activity and demand within the various modes. The proposal noted that very little spectrum is set aside for the digital modes and discusses the potential use of channelisation of the bands for digital modes. To deal with the challenge of allocations that include SSB and CW, the committee studied, among other things, activity shown on ClubLog.

In addition to its intent to change some things, the committee reaffirmed the need to retain certain longstanding rules: the start of CW operation from the bottom of the band and SSB operation from the top, with data modes occupying the boundary area between the two.

The proposal asks for accommodations for emergency traffic so as to limit the possibility of QRM from other amateur activity.

To download the full proposal in PDF format, visit the link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

**
ROMANIAN TEEN SETS NEW RECORD FOR CW CALLSiGN COPY

JIM/ANCHOR: Congratulations were given freely in Tunisia to a young Romanian ham who set a new world record while competing in the 20th IARU High Speed Telegraphy World Championship. Thirteen-year-old Ianis Scutaru, YO8YNS, won a gold medal and broke the record he set last year in the category of Callsign Receiving. According to the competition's website, his total score of 311,192 points represent his maximum copy speed of 1,126 characters per minute - an equivalent just exceeding 225 words per minute.

An announcement on the championship's website said: [quote] "This remarkable achievement showcases not only Ianis's dedication and skill but also the talent of the Romanian ham radio community." [endquote]

His father, Lucian, YO8SLC, told Newsline in an email that Ianis has been a ham for a little less than six years.

(IARU HST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, LUCIAN YO8SLC)

**
ARDC NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

JIM/ANCHOR: A veteran of software development has been named the new director of technology for Amateur Radio Digital Communications. We hear about him from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: Congratulations to software developer Schuyler Erle NØGIS who has joined the team at Amateur Radio Digital Communications as its new director of technology. Announcing his arrival on their website, ARDC called Schuyler uniquely qualified for the post because of his long history in open source software development, ham radio and wireless technology and engineering management. He has been a licensed ham since 2011 and is a former member of the Auxiliary Communications Service in San Francisco, California, which operates in times of crisis.

Schuyler is the coauthor of "Mapping Hacks," published in 2005 by O’Reilly Media. The book explores the potential held by Free / Open Source geographic information systems. In Sonoma County, California, he was able to establish a cooperative that helped bring high-speed Internet access to a rural community living in the coastal hills.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(ARDC)

**
WRTC 2026 ANNOUNCES UK EVENT HEADQUARTERS SITE

JIM/ANCHOR: Organizers of the World Radiosport Team Championship to be held in the UK in 2026 have announced the location of the headquarters hotel. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us the news.

JEREMY: Organisers of the prestigious World Radiosport Team Championship have announced that its headquarters will be Wyboston Lakes in Bedford in the east of England. Mark MØDXR, chairman of the UK organising committee, said that anyone interested in attending the event as a spectator will be able to book their place through the WRTC 2026 website starting in 2025. The WRTC will feature 50 competing two-person teams operating throughout the counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(WRTC)

**
SKCC SEEKS QSL CARD DESIGNS FOR STRAIGHT KEY MONTH 2025

JIM/ANCHOR: It's not too early to start thinking about January 2025 and Straight Key Month, an event run by the Straight Key Century Club. Randy Sly W4XJ explains why.

RANDY: If you think that the Straight Key Century Club may have designs on the future, you're right. As the club does every year, it is extending an invitation to its members to submit an imaginative and attractive QSL card to be sent out following the annual Straight Key Month activity in January. The K3Y event will mark the club's 19th anniversary.

In mid-December the submitted designs will be presented to club members for a vote. The most popular design will appear on the official K3Y QSL card and, as before, 12 other top selections will appear in the SKCC's print calendar.

The popular event, which begins on the 2nd of January - following the ARRL's Straight Key Night - features club members calling CQ from all 13 regional call areas in the US and from countries in six IARU continental regions.

If you don't have a copy of this year's calendar and want to see some of the most popular designs created by members, visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

**
NEW HAM SHACK ON PENNSYLVANIA CAMPUS IS ALSO RESEARCH TOOL

JIM/ANCHOR: Having a new ham radio shack is always something worth celebrating, but what if your new shack also happens to be a valuable research tool and a center for the education of university students? Travis Lisk N3ILS takes us to one such shack on the campus of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

TRAVIS: The new radio shack inside the Loyola Science Center at the University of Scranton offers a vast view of the city five floors below. The state-of-the-art amateur radio equipment that make up this station offers a view of the world beyond and the electromagnetic activity above that provides the means by which we radio amateurs make HF contacts.

This is the new shack for the W3USR Amateur Radio Club, which was founded four years ago. This is not just a headquarters for student operators on campus but a research resource for students and faculty members who are involved in HamSCI, the citizen-scientist investigation group led by university professor Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF. The shack will become a busy place as HamSCI conducts its experiments funded by benefactors such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and Amateur Radio Digital Communications. Outside, a 40-foot tower has antennas for HF, VHF/UHF satellite and microwave frequencies, with some antennas on rotators.

The shack officially opens its doors on Friday the 25th of October. The open house includes a public dedication ceremony and a lecture, followed by a buffet dinner for those who hold tickets to that event.

**
SPECIAL EVENT RECALLS MARITIME DISASTER IN 1922

JIM/ANCHOR: Shipwrecks have always fascinated one radio amateur in Wisconsin -- but none more than the sinking of a rail car ferry that killed everyone on board in 1922. The activation of a special event tells its story, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: From the time he was a youngster, maritime stories and disasters always held a fascination for Nathan Banks, KC9HYY. When he recently learned of the tragic sinking of the SS Milwaukee Rail Car Ferry, the October 22nd, 1922 disaster hit close to home for this Milwaukee area native. This wasn't like the Titanic, the Andrea Doria or the Lusitania - this was a local story that held him spellbound. Nathan, who has been a ham for two decades, will be on the air for the inaugural special event station N9M from the 21st through to the 23rd of October. A special QSL card will be available for those working the station either on SSB, FT8, FT4 and possibly CW.

Nathan hopes to spread the word about the ship's long career transporting train cars and the stories about the crew members who died when the vessel was swallowed up by Lake Michigan. There were no survivors. The wreck lies at the lake's bottom, 3 miles offshore, north of Milwaukee.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(NATHAN BANKS, KC9HYY)

**
BROADCASTER IN STOLEN-TOWER CASE DIES

JIM/ANCHOR: The Alabama broadcaster who told police his AM radio station's tower was stolen last February, has died. Brett Elmore, owner and general manager of WJLX in Jasper, Alabama, made headlines after reporting to authorities that the station’s transmitter and 200-foot stainless-steel AM tower had been stolen mysteriously overnight.

The case has not been solved. News reports gave no cause of the broadcaster's death. He was 41.

(RADIO WORLD, WIAT-TV)

**
HOT AIR BALLOON CRASH DESTROYS RADIO TOWER

JIM/ANCHOR: In New Mexico, more trouble for broadcast radio towers: The tower of an AM radio station in Albuquerque collapsed after being struck by a hot air balloon from the nearby International Balloon Fiesta on Friday October 11th. The talk radio station, KKOB-770 AM, shut its 50,000-watt transmitter as the pilot and his passengers, two young boys, descended a ladder on the tower near where the balloon had become entangled. No injuries were reported.. The station stayed on the air at 96.3 FM. Local news media reported that, ironically, it was 20 years ago to the day that another balloon, also bearing the likeness of Smokey Bear, crashed into the same tower.

(RADIO INSIGHT, KRGE.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Kazu, MØCFW on the air as 3B9/MØCFW from Rodrigues Island, IOTA number AF-017, from the 22nd through to the 30th of October. Listen for him during the CQ WW DX SSB Contest. operating as 3B9KW. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Bernie, ZS4TX, and John, ZS6JON will be on the air from Lesotho on 70 cm EME using the callsign 7P8Z. The grid square is KG30. They will do two moon passes starting on Friday the 18 of October at 18:00 UTC moonrise and ending Sunday the 20th of October at 05:00 UTC moonset. They will also do some satellite passes which include the ISS, if available, RS-44 and SO-50. QSL via PA3CMC and LoTW.

Listen for Vasco 7Q7CT, Jorge CT1BOL, Vasco D2ACE and Fran EC7R who will be using the callsign 7Q1 - Seven Quebec One - from Malawi between the 23rd of October and the 2nd of November. Listen for them in the CQ WW DX SSB Contest. QSL via EA7FTR.

Saty, JE1JKL will be operating as 9M6NA from Labuan Island, IOTA number OC-133, in East Malaysia from the 23rd of October to the 25th of November. Listen for him in the CQ WW DX SSB Contest and the CQ WW DX CW Contest. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: REPEATER TRANSMITS A SPIRIT MIGHTIER THAN ANY HURRICANE

JIM/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to the mountains of North Carolina, where the voices on the Mount Mitchell repeater carry hope amid hurricane wreckage. Andy Morrison K9AWM shares their story.

ANDY: Many of the hams who call rural North Carolina home consider the region's Mount Mitchell repeater their home as well. The repeater, owned by Randy Johnston, N2GE, also became their refuge and their lifeline while the deadly force of Hurricane Helene tore their communities and their lives apart. Lynn Moose, KI4ZEK, was on the repeater on Friday, September 27th, as neighbors checked in to say they'd survived the winds and the floodwaters - as many looked for loved ones and sought help. Later, Dan K2DMG, who is part of Iredell County Emergency Communications, stepped in to relieve Lynn as net control as Lynn went to assess damages at his own home. Dan was able to pass emergency traffic until he found himself on the road to Florida where his parents were awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Milton. At that point, Vicki AD3I got on the air to help coordinate volunteers and resources.

The repeater, however, passed more than traffic and reassurance during the two weeks of rescue and recovery. During moments when the repeater was less active, Lynn read a poem that his wife had found posted on Facebook, written by a North Carolina woman named Elizabeth Greene Silvers. With that poem, the repeater now transmitted hope to a devastated community. These words are a part of that affirmation - [quote]: "Yet we still rise, with mountains high, for in these hills, our spirits fly." [endquote]

FRIDAY EDITION:

Static Electricity And The Machines That Make It

Static electricity often just seems like an everyday annoyance when a wool sweater crackles as you pull it off, or when a doorknob delivers an unexpected zap. Regardless, the phenomenon is much more fascinating and complex than these simple examples suggest. In fact, static electricity is direct observable evidence of the actions of subatomic particles and the charges they carry.

While zaps from a fuzzy carpet or playground slide are funny, humanity has learned how to harness this naturally occurring force in far more deliberate and intriguing ways. In this article, we’ll dive into some of the most iconic machines that generate static electricity and explore how they work.

Fail of the Week: The Case of the Curiously Colored Streetlights

What color are the street lights in your town? While an unfortunate few still suffer under one of the awful colors offered by vapor discharge lamps, like the pink or orange of sodium or the greenish-white of mercury, most municipalities have moved to energy-saving LED streetlights, with a bright white light that’s generally superior in every way. Unless, of course, things go wrong and the lights start to mysteriously change colors.

If you’ve noticed this trend in your area, relax; [NanoPalomaki] has an in-depth and surprisingly interesting analysis of why LED streetlights are changing colors. After examining a few streetlights removed from service thanks to changing from white to purple, he discovered a simple explanation. White LEDs aren’t emitting white light directly; rather, the white light comes from phosphors coating the underlying LED, which emits a deep blue light. The defunct units all showed signs of phosphor degradation. In some cases, the phosphors seemed discolored, as if they experienced overheating or chemical changes. In other LEDs the phosphor layer was physically separated from the backing, exposing the underlying LEDs completely. The color of these damaged modules was significantly shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum, which was obviously why they were removed from service.

Now, a discolored LED here and there does not exactly constitute a streetlight emergency, but it’s happening to enough cities that people are starting to take notice. The obvious solution would be for municipalities to replace the dodgy units Even in the unlikely event that a city would get some compensation from the manufacturer, this seems like an expensive proposition. Luckily, [NanoPalomaki] tested a solution: he mixed a wideband phosphor into a UV-curable resin and painted it onto the lens of each defective LED in the fixture. Two coats seemed to do the trick.

We have to admit that we have a hard time visualizing a city employee painstakingly painting LEDs when swapping out a fixture would take an electrician a few minutes, but at least it’s an option. And, it’s something for hobbyists and homeowners faced with the problem of wonky white LEDs to keep in mind too.

What Is It?

Before we look at the fancy science gear, we should actually define what we’re talking about here. In simple terms, static electricity is the result of an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. While positively-charged protons tend to stay put, electrons, with their negative charges, can move between materials when they come into contact or rub against one another. When one material gains electrons and becomes negatively charged, and another loses electrons and becomes positively charged, a static electric field is created. The most visible result of this is when those charges are released—often in the form of a sudden spark.

Since it forms so easily on common materials, humans have been aware of static electricity for quite some time. One of the earliest recorded studies of the phenomenon came from the ancient Greeks. Around 1000 BC, they noticed that rubbing amber with fur would then allow it to attract small objects like feathers. Little came of this discovery, which was ascribed as a curious property of amber itself. Fast forward to the 17th century, though, and scientists were creating the first machines designed to intentionally store or generate static electricity. These devices helped shape our understanding of electricity and paved the way for the advanced electrical technologies we use today. Let’s explore a few key examples of these machines, each of which demonstrates a different approach to building and manipulating static charge.

The Leyden Jar

An 1886 drawing of Andreas Cunaeus experimenting with his apparatus. In this case, his hand is helping to store the charge. Credit: public domain

Though not exactly a machine for generating static electricity, the Leyden jar is a critical part of early electrostatic experiments. Effectively a static electricity storage device, it was independently discovered twice, first by a German named Ewald Georg von Kleist in 1745. However, it gained its common name when it was discovered by Pieter van Musschenbroek, a Dutch physicist, sometime between 1745 and 1746. The earliest versions were very simple, consisting of water in a glass jar that was charged with static electricity conducted to it via a metal rod. The experimenter’s hand holding the jar served as one plate of what was a rudimentary capacitor, the water being the other. The Leyden jar thus stored static electricity in the water and the experimenter’s hand.

Eventually the common design became a glass jar with layers of metal foil both inside and outside, separated by the glass. Early experimenters would charge the jar using electrostatic generators, and then discharge it with a dramatic spark.

The Leyden jar is one of the first devices that allowed humans to store and release static electricity on command. It demonstrated that static charge could be accumulated and held for later use, which was a critical step in understanding the principles that would lead to modern capacitors. The Leyden jar can still be used in demonstrations of electrostatic phenomena and continues to serve as a fascinating link to the history of electrical science.

The Van de Graaff Generator

A Van de Graaff generator can be configured to run in either polarity, depending on the materials chosen and how it is set up. Here, we see the generator being used to feed negative charges into an attached spherical conductor. Credit: Omphalosskeptic, CC BY-SA 3.0

Perhaps the most iconic machine associated with generating static electricity is the Van de Graaff generator. Developed in the 1920s by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff, this machine became a staple of science classrooms and physics demonstrations worldwide. The device is instantly recognizable thanks to its large, polished metal sphere that often causes hair to stand on end when a person touches it.

The Van de Graaff generator works by transferring electrons through mechanical movement. It uses a motor-driven belt made of insulating material, like rubber or nylon, which runs between two rollers. At the bottom roller, plastic in this example, a comb or brush (called the lower electrode) is placed very close to the belt. As the belt moves, electrons are transferred from the lower roller onto the belt due to friction in what is known as the triboelectric effect. This leaves the lower roller positively charged and the belt carrying excess electrons, giving it a negative charge. The electric field surrounding the positively charged roller tends to ionize the surrounding air and attracts more negative charges from the lower electrode.

As the belt moves upward, it carries these electrons to the top of the generator, where another comb or brush (the upper electrode) is positioned near the large metal sphere. The upper roller is usually metal in these cases, which stays neutral rather than becoming intensely charged like the bottom roller. The upper electrode pulls the electrons off the belt, and they are transferred to the surface of the metal sphere. Because the metal sphere is insulated and not connected to anything that can allow the electrons to escape, the negative charge on the sphere keeps building up to very high voltages, often in the range of hundreds of thousands of volts. Alternatively, the whole thing can be reversed in polarity by changing the belt or roller materials, or by using a high voltage power supply to charge the belt instead of the triboelectric effect.

The result is a machine capable of producing massive static charges and dramatic sparks. In addition to its use as a demonstration tool, Van de Graaff generators have applications in particle physics. Since they can generate incredibly high voltages, they were once used to accelerate particles to high speeds for physics experiments. These days, though, our particle accelerators are altogether more complex. 

The Whimsical Wimshurst Machine

Two disks with metal sectors spin in opposite directions upon turning the hand crank. A small initial charge is able to induce charge in other sectors as the machine is turned. Credit: public domain

Another fascinating machine for generating static electricity is the Wimshurst machine, invented in the late 19th century by British engineer James Wimshurst. While less famous than the Van de Graaff generator, the Wimshurst machine is equally impressive in its operation and design.

The key functional parts of the machine are the two large, circular disks made of insulating material—originally glass, but plastic works too. These disks are mounted on a shared axle, but they rotate in opposite directions when the hand crank is turned. The surfaces of the disks have small metal sectors—typically aluminum or brass—which play a key role in generating static charge. As the disks rotate, brushes made of fine metal wire or other conductive material lightly touch their surfaces near the outer edges. These brushes don’t generate the initial charge but help to collect and amplify it once it is present.

The key to the Wimshurst machine’s operation lies in a process called electrostatic induction, which is essentially the influence that a charged object can exert on nearby objects, even without touching them. At any given moment, one small area of the rotating disk may randomly pick up a small amount of charge from the surrounding air or by friction. This tiny initial charge is enough to start the process. As this charged area on the disk moves past the metal brushes, it induces an opposite charge in the metal sectors on the other disk, which is rotating in the opposite direction.

For example, if a positively charged area on one disk passes by a brush, it will induce a negative charge on the metal sectors of the opposite disk at the same position. These newly induced charges are then collected by a pair of metal combs located above and below the disks. The combs are typically connected to Leyden jars to store the charge, until the voltage builds up high enough to jump a spark over a gap between two terminals.

It is common to pair a Wimshurst machine with Leyden jars to store the generated charge. Credit: public domain

The Wimshurst machine doesn’t create static electricity out of nothing; rather, it amplifies small random charges through the process of electrostatic induction as the disks rotate. As the charge is collected by brushes and combs, it builds up on the machine’s terminals, resulting in a high-voltage output that can produce dramatic sparks. This self-amplifying loop is what makes the Wimshurst machine so effective at generating static electricity.

The Wimshurst machine is seen largely as a curio today, but it did have genuine scientific applications back in the day. Beyond simply using it to investigate static electricity, its output could be discharged into Crookes tubes to create X-rays in a very rudimentary way.

The Electrophorus: Simple Yet Ingenious

One of the simplest machines for working with static electricity is the electrophorus, a device that dates back to 1762. Invented by Swedish scientist Johan Carl Wilcke, the electrophorus consists of two key parts: a flat dielectric plate and a metal disk with an insulating handle. The dielectric plate was originally made of resinous material, but plastic works too. Meanwhile, the metal disk is naturally conductive.

An electrophorus device, showing the top metal disk, and the bottom dielectric material, at times referred to as the “cake.” The lower dielectric was classically charged by rubbing with fur. Credit: public domain

To generate static electricity with the electrophorus, the dielectric plate is first rubbed with a cloth to create a static charge through friction. This is another example of the triboelectric effect, as also used in the Van de Graaff generator. Once the plate is charged, the metal disk is placed on top of it. The disc then becomes charged by induction. It’s much the same principle as the Wimshurst machine, with the electrostatic field of the dielectric plate pushing around the charges in the metal plate until it too has a distinct charge.

For example, if the dielectric plate has been given a negative charge by rubbing, it will repel negative charges in the metal plate to the opposite side, giving the near surface a positive charge, and the opposite surface a negative charge. The net charge, though, remains neutral. But, if the metal disk is then grounded—for example, by briefly touching it with a finger—the negative charge on the disk can drained away, leaving it positively charged as a whole. This process does not deplete the charge on the dielectric, so it can be used to charge the metal disk multiple times, though the dielectric’s charge will slowly leak away in time.

Though it’s simple in design, the electrophorus remains a remarkable demonstration of static electricity generation and was widely used in early electrostatic experiments. A particularly well-known example is that of Georg Lichtenberg. He used a version a full two meters in diameter to create large discharges for his famous Lichtenberg figures. Overall, it’s an excellent tool for teaching the basic principles of electrostatics and charge separation—particularly given how simple it is in construction compared to some of the above machines.

Zap

Static electricity, once a mysterious and elusive force, has long since been tamed and turned into a valuable tool for scientific inquiry and education. Humans have developed numerous machines to generate, manipulate, and study static electricity—these are just some of the stars of the field. Each of these devices played an important role in furthering humanity’s understanding of electrostatics, and to a degree, physics in general.

Today, these machines continue to serve as educational tools and historical curiosities, offering a glimpse into the early days of electrical science—and they still spark fascination on the regular, quite literally. Static electricity may be an everyday phenomenon, but the machines that harness its power are still captivating today. Just go to any local science museum for the proof!

 

Amateur Radio Newsline Report

PROPOSAL MOVES AHEAD TO HARMONIZE 40M BAND IN REGION 3

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to IARU Region 3 where a study of the 40m band's varied allocations has produced a proposal to harmonize the band. The recommendations could ultimately have a far-reaching effect in other regions. Graham Kemp VK4BB brings us up to date.

GRAHAM: A proposal to harmonise use of the 40m band across Region 3 of the IARU will be taken up by members at the next conference, in the hopes that this may lead to even broader harmonisation with IARU Regions 1 and 2.

The IARU's proposal is the result of a recent consultation by the Wireless Institute of Australia with the goal of finding band plans for various modes that could ultimately form the basis of a global agreement. The committee noted in its report that one of its biggest challenges was to settle on an equitable redistribution of use of the spectrum based on activity and demand within the various modes. The proposal noted that very little spectrum is set aside for the digital modes and discusses the potential use of channelisation of the bands for digital modes. To deal with the challenge of allocations that include SSB and CW, the committee studied, among other things, activity shown on ClubLog.

In addition to its intent to change some things, the committee reaffirmed the need to retain certain longstanding rules: the start of CW operation from the bottom of the band and SSB operation from the top, with data modes occupying the boundary area between the two.

The proposal asks for accommodations for emergency traffic so as to limit the possibility of QRM from other amateur activity.

To download the full proposal in PDF format, visit the link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

**
ROMANIAN TEEN SETS NEW RECORD FOR CW CALLSiGN COPY

JIM/ANCHOR: Congratulations were given freely in Tunisia to a young Romanian ham who set a new world record while competing in the 20th IARU High Speed Telegraphy World Championship. Thirteen-year-old Ianis Scutaru, YO8YNS, won a gold medal and broke the record he set last year in the category of Callsign Receiving. According to the competition's website, his total score of 311,192 points represent his maximum copy speed of 1,126 characters per minute - an equivalent just exceeding 225 words per minute.

An announcement on the championship's website said: [quote] "This remarkable achievement showcases not only Ianis's dedication and skill but also the talent of the Romanian ham radio community." [endquote]

His father, Lucian, YO8SLC, told Newsline in an email that Ianis has been a ham for a little less than six years.

(IARU HST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, LUCIAN YO8SLC)

**
ARDC NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

JIM/ANCHOR: A veteran of software development has been named the new director of technology for Amateur Radio Digital Communications. We hear about him from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: Congratulations to software developer Schuyler Erle NØGIS who has joined the team at Amateur Radio Digital Communications as its new director of technology. Announcing his arrival on their website, ARDC called Schuyler uniquely qualified for the post because of his long history in open source software development, ham radio and wireless technology and engineering management. He has been a licensed ham since 2011 and is a former member of the Auxiliary Communications Service in San Francisco, California, which operates in times of crisis.

Schuyler is the coauthor of "Mapping Hacks," published in 2005 by O’Reilly Media. The book explores the potential held by Free / Open Source geographic information systems. In Sonoma County, California, he was able to establish a cooperative that helped bring high-speed Internet access to a rural community living in the coastal hills.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(ARDC)

**
WRTC 2026 ANNOUNCES UK EVENT HEADQUARTERS SITE

JIM/ANCHOR: Organizers of the World Radiosport Team Championship to be held in the UK in 2026 have announced the location of the headquarters hotel. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us the news.

JEREMY: Organisers of the prestigious World Radiosport Team Championship have announced that its headquarters will be Wyboston Lakes in Bedford in the east of England. Mark MØDXR, chairman of the UK organising committee, said that anyone interested in attending the event as a spectator will be able to book their place through the WRTC 2026 website starting in 2025. The WRTC will feature 50 competing two-person teams operating throughout the counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(WRTC)

**
SKCC SEEKS QSL CARD DESIGNS FOR STRAIGHT KEY MONTH 2025

JIM/ANCHOR: It's not too early to start thinking about January 2025 and Straight Key Month, an event run by the Straight Key Century Club. Randy Sly W4XJ explains why.

RANDY: If you think that the Straight Key Century Club may have designs on the future, you're right. As the club does every year, it is extending an invitation to its members to submit an imaginative and attractive QSL card to be sent out following the annual Straight Key Month activity in January. The K3Y event will mark the club's 19th anniversary.

In mid-December the submitted designs will be presented to club members for a vote. The most popular design will appear on the official K3Y QSL card and, as before, 12 other top selections will appear in the SKCC's print calendar.

The popular event, which begins on the 2nd of January - following the ARRL's Straight Key Night - features club members calling CQ from all 13 regional call areas in the US and from countries in six IARU continental regions.

If you don't have a copy of this year's calendar and want to see some of the most popular designs created by members, visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

[DO NOT READ: https://skccgroup.com/k3y/k3y-docs/SKCC_Calendar_2024.pdf ]

(SKCC)

**
NEW HAM SHACK ON PENNSYLVANIA CAMPUS IS ALSO RESEARCH TOOL

JIM/ANCHOR: Having a new ham radio shack is always something worth celebrating, but what if your new shack also happens to be a valuable research tool and a center for the education of university students? Travis Lisk N3ILS takes us to one such shack on the campus of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

TRAVIS: The new radio shack inside the Loyola Science Center at the University of Scranton offers a vast view of the city five floors below. The state-of-the-art amateur radio equipment that make up this station offers a view of the world beyond and the electromagnetic activity above that provides the means by which we radio amateurs make HF contacts.

This is the new shack for the W3USR Amateur Radio Club, which was founded four years ago. This is not just a headquarters for student operators on campus but a research resource for students and faculty members who are involved in HamSCI, the citizen-scientist investigation group led by university professor Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF. The shack will become a busy place as HamSCI conducts its experiments funded by benefactors such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and Amateur Radio Digital Communications. Outside, a 40-foot tower has antennas for HF, VHF/UHF satellite and microwave frequencies, with some antennas on rotators.

The shack officially opens its doors on Friday the 25th of October. The open house includes a public dedication ceremony and a lecture, followed by a buffet dinner for those who hold tickets to that event.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

**
SPECIAL EVENT RECALLS MARITIME DISASTER IN 1922

JIM/ANCHOR: Shipwrecks have always fascinated one radio amateur in Wisconsin -- but none more than the sinking of a rail car ferry that killed everyone on board in 1922. The activation of a special event tells its story, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: From the time he was a youngster, maritime stories and disasters always held a fascination for Nathan Banks, KC9HYY. When he recently learned of the tragic sinking of the SS Milwaukee Rail Car Ferry, the October 22nd, 1922 disaster hit close to home for this Milwaukee area native. This wasn't like the Titanic, the Andrea Doria or the Lusitania - this was a local story that held him spellbound. Nathan, who has been a ham for two decades, will be on the air for the inaugural special event station N9M from the 21st through to the 23rd of October. A special QSL card will be available for those working the station either on SSB, FT8, FT4 and possibly CW.

Nathan hopes to spread the word about the ship's long career transporting train cars and the stories about the crew members who died when the vessel was swallowed up by Lake Michigan. There were no survivors. The wreck lies at the lake's bottom, 3 miles offshore, north of Milwaukee.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(NATHAN BANKS, KC9HYY)

**
BROADCASTER IN STOLEN-TOWER CASE DIES

JIM/ANCHOR: The Alabama broadcaster who told police his AM radio station's tower was stolen last February, has died. Brett Elmore, owner and general manager of WJLX in Jasper, Alabama, made headlines after reporting to authorities that the station’s transmitter and 200-foot stainless-steel AM tower had been stolen mysteriously overnight.

The case has not been solved. News reports gave no cause of the broadcaster's death. He was 41.

(RADIO WORLD, WIAT-TV)

**
HOT AIR BALLOON CRASH DESTROYS RADIO TOWER

JIM/ANCHOR: In New Mexico, more trouble for broadcast radio towers: The tower of an AM radio station in Albuquerque collapsed after being struck by a hot air balloon from the nearby International Balloon Fiesta on Friday October 11th. The talk radio station, KKOB-770 AM, shut its 50,000-watt transmitter as the pilot and his passengers, two young boys, descended a ladder on the tower near where the balloon had become entangled. No injuries were reported.. The station stayed on the air at 96.3 FM. Local news media reported that, ironically, it was 20 years ago to the day that another balloon, also bearing the likeness of Smokey Bear, crashed into the same tower.

(RADIO INSIGHT, KRGE.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Kazu, MØCFW on the air as 3B9/MØCFW from Rodrigues Island, IOTA number AF-017, from the 22nd through to the 30th of October. Listen for him during the CQ WW DX SSB Contest. operating as 3B9KW. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Bernie, ZS4TX, and John, ZS6JON will be on the air from Lesotho on 70 cm EME using the callsign 7P8Z. The grid square is KG30. They will do two moon passes starting on Friday the 18 of October at 18:00 UTC moonrise and ending Sunday the 20th of October at 05:00 UTC moonset. They will also do some satellite passes which include the ISS, if available, RS-44 and SO-50. QSL via PA3CMC and LoTW.

Listen for Vasco 7Q7CT, Jorge CT1BOL, Vasco D2ACE and Fran EC7R who will be using the callsign 7Q1 - Seven Quebec One - from Malawi between the 23rd of October and the 2nd of November. Listen for them in the CQ WW DX SSB Contest. QSL via EA7FTR.

Saty, JE1JKL will be operating as 9M6NA from Labuan Island, IOTA number OC-133, in East Malaysia from the 23rd of October to the 25th of November. Listen for him in the CQ WW DX SSB Contest and the CQ WW DX CW Contest. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: REPEATER TRANSMITS A SPIRIT MIGHTIER THAN ANY HURRICANE

JIM/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to the mountains of North Carolina, where the voices on the Mount Mitchell repeater carry hope amid hurricane wreckage. Andy Morrison K9AWM shares their story.

ANDY: Many of the hams who call rural North Carolina home consider the region's Mount Mitchell repeater their home as well. The repeater, owned by Randy Johnston, N2GE, also became their refuge and their lifeline while the deadly force of Hurricane Helene tore their communities and their lives apart. Lynn Moose, KI4ZEK, was on the repeater on Friday, September 27th, as neighbors checked in to say they'd survived the winds and the floodwaters - as many looked for loved ones and sought help. Later, Dan K2DMG, who is part of Iredell County Emergency Communications, stepped in to relieve Lynn as net control as Lynn went to assess damages at his own home. Dan was able to pass emergency traffic until he found himself on the road to Florida where his parents were awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Milton. At that point, Vicki AD3I got on the air to help coordinate volunteers and resources.

The repeater, however, passed more than traffic and reassurance during the two weeks of rescue and recovery. During moments when the repeater was less active, Lynn read a poem that his wife had found posted on Facebook, written by a North Carolina woman named Elizabeth Greene Silvers. With that poem, the repeater now transmitted hope to a devastated community. These words are a part of that affirmation - [quote]: "Yet we still rise, with mountains high, for in these hills, our spirits fly." [endquote]

 

THURSDAY EDITION: 10 meters to be the best bang for your buck in ham radio....worked dozens of countries yesterday without the amplifier,,,,try a few repeaters on 10 as well, they are a hoot!

Turn Your Android Phone into a Ham Radio with this Open-Source Project

A clever hack to make your phone more useful!

A ham radio, or amateur radio, as it is known more formally, is a type of radio communication device that is used by many people to communicate over large distances for a multitude of things.

 

The most popular use case for such devices is for relaying emergency communication during natural/man-made disasters, facilitating information sharing between first responders and people trapped in a remote disaster-struck area.

Of course, there are more casual uses for ham radios too. Many people connect with other ham radio operators from around the world to have a conversation, learn about the person/people on the other end, enter contests, and more.

 

However, traditional ham radio setups are bulky, sitting on top of a desk with antennas, a mic, and the radio itself.

What if I told you that there is an open source project that allows you to convert your Android smartphone into a portable ham radio?

Join me as I take you through an interesting DIY project.

Amateur Radio Daily: HAARP Active for Routine Tests and Maintenance

Date: October 14, 2024
To: Amateur Radio & Radio Astronomy Communities
From: HAARP Program Office
Subject: Notice of Transmission

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) will be performing routine systems
testing and maintenance on October 15-17 UTC, with operating times specified in the table below.
Operating frequencies will be 3.3 MHz, 5.8 MHz, and 9.6 MHz. All information is subject to change.
For more information on research at HAARP, see the online HAARP FAQ at
https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/faq.

October 15
1700-2400 UTC
3.3, 5.8, 9.6 MHz

October 16
1700-2400 UTC
3.3, 5.8, 9.6 MHz

October 17
1700-2400 UTC
3.3, 5.8, 9.6

Each frequency will be transmitted in four different directions.

There are no specific data collection requests for these transmissions, but reception reports are welcome and may be submitted to uaf-gi-haarp@alaska.edu.

Source: HAARP

WEDNESDAY EDITION: Coffee and donuts at the club today if you are in the area...Dave at HRO, change the 75 foot to 100 foot on the rotor cable please....

SpaceX notches 100th launch of 2024 with Starlink mission on Falcon 9 rocket

SpaceX broke its own record for number of orbital launches performed by one company, which it set at 96 in 2023. The Starlink 10-10 mission put SpaceX at 97 orbital flights with two-and-a-half months still remaining in the year.

The Falcon 9 launch also marked SpaceX’s 100th total launch of 2024, including three suborbital launches of its Starship rocket from southern Texas. Liftoff happened at 2:10 a.m. EDT (0610 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1080 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for an 11th time. It previously flew two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (Axiom-2 and Axiom-3), two Cargo Dragon missions to the ISS (NG-21 and CRS-30) and the Euclid space telescope for the European Space Agency (ESA).

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1080 touched down on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ This marked the 81st booster landing for ASOG and the 353rd booster landing to date.

Onboard the mission are 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. This was the first launch of Starlink satellites since the upper stage anomaly occurred during the Crew-9 mission on Sept. 28. The last batch of Starlink satellites launched during the Starlink 9-8 mission on Sept. 25.

During the Crew-9 mission, after the Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft separated from the upper stage, the Merlin Vacuum Engine fired for an additional 500 milliseconds during the deorbit burn, which caused the stage to move outside of its planned landing zone to burn up over the Pacific Ocean.

The issue was investigated by SpaceX in a mishap investigation overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration and checked by NASA in an independent review. Since the mishap, SpaceX successfully launched both a Falcon 9 rocket on the Hera asteroid mission for ESA and a Falcon Heavy rocket on the Europa Clipper mission for NASA.

Microsoft Azure CTO: US data centers will soon hit size limits

The data centers that make generative AI products like ChatGPT possible will soon reach size limits, according to Microsoft Azure Chief Technology Officer Mark Russinovich, necessitating a new method of connecting multiple data centers together for future generations of the technology.

The most advanced AI models today need to be trained inside a single building where tens (and soon hundreds) of thousands of AI processors, such as Nvidia’s H100s, can be connected so they act as one computer.

But as Microsoft and its rivals compete to build the world’s most powerful AI models, several factors, including America’s aging energy grid, will create a de facto cap on the size of a single data center, which soon could consume multiple gigawatts of power, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of homes.  STORY

TUESDAY EDITION: Sunny and cold, fine by me....

The morning after Hurricane Helene pummeled the eastern seaboard of the U.S., Thomas Witherspoon inspected the damage to his western North Carolina home. The night before, he listened to the wind whip down trees and snap power lines along the two-mile access road connecting his family to their few neighbors in Buncombe County.

Like the tens of thousands of other North Carolina residents, the power to Witherspoon’s neighborhood was completely out. It was impossible to communicate with the house down the road, let alone anyone several miles away. Unable to send text messages or make phone calls, radio became the one form of communication left in rural North Carolina. After fixing what he could on his own property, Witherspoon, a lifelong amateur radio enthusiast, began distributing handheld radios to his neighbors.

“Amateur radio is one of those things you get into because of your love of radio communications and the technical aspects of it or the community and the challenges that you can overcome,” Witherspoon said. “It’s a lot of fun, but underlying all of that is this prime directive with amateur radio that it’s always there as emergency communications when all else fails.”

Other amateur radio enthusiasts have helped out as well. Two weeks ago, operators fielded requests for medications, like insulin, and announced when grocery stores, like Sam’s Club, reopened. Most of the messages were to let friends and family know that they’re OK.

“Mom, your son is OK. No phone service. Happy birthday,” one caller asked an operator to send his mother during a livestream of the broadcast.

Hurricanes have wreaked havoc on the United States over the past month. More than 200 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Helene and many more have gone missing, making it the most destructive U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005. Nearly a week after Helene made landfall, cell service dead zones plagued the Carolinas, leaving thousands of residents unable to reach their friends, families, and even emergency responders. As Hurricane Milton built in the Gulf of Mexico last week, radio operators in Florida were also preparing to launch their net — a group of operators communicating live over the air. Scott Roberts, an amateur radio section manager for northern Florida, said that operators in his area started checking their equipment and making plans to deploy to shelters as of last Monday.

There are more than 1 million licensed radio amateurs in the U.S. like Witherspoon and Roberts, according to a Federal Communications Commission spokesperson. Some amateur radio bands are short bands, reaching only small communities of people, while others cover hundreds and even thousands of miles. When communication infrastructure fails, like cellular networks during a natural disaster, the FCC allows for amateur radio operators to assist in recovery efforts.

Gordon Mooneyhan, spokesperson for the American Radio Relay League, said he knows of three main repeaters being used to convey messages inside the disaster area from Hurricane Helene, including the Mt. Mitchell Repeater, which is located at the highest point in North Carolina at 6,600 feet and boosts localized radio broadcasts to a wider network. This is where Witherspoon read off supply requests and road closures.

Messages are sent digitally using what is essentially a modem, linking a computer to the radio and turning the messages into a form of high-speed morse code with the Winlink Global Radio Email system.

“You type the message, and it will automatically calculate the word count and send it to the next station,” said Mooneyhan. “The next station automatically sends back what the word count is supposed to be, so it’s all verified and there aren’t any errors.”

Whether a message out of the disaster zone is bound for a neighboring state or a family member in Asia, there are operators everywhere capable of getting it where it needs to go.

“You wanna go to Texas? They’ll find a net that’s taking traffic to Texas, sign in, relay the message, and deliver it,” said Mooneyhan.

As of last Monday, telecommunications companies were still putting up temporary towers to restore cell phone connectivity in North Carolina. AT&T and T-Mobile had deployed mobile units where residents could drive to connect their phones to Wi-Fi and send messages. For many residents, the simplest method of reaching a loved one was speaking into a handheld radio.

As Hurricane Milton grew into a category 5 storm last Monday, amateur radio operators in Florida were already preparing to respond if the state’s communications infrastructure fails.

“Florida amateur radio operators are perfectly equipped to handle Hurricane Milton, even just after Hurricane Helene,” said Josh Johnston, the director of emergency management for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. “They have the systems in place and have a well-refined action plan in each county, as well as at the state level. They’re quite accustomed to busy storm seasons, and ready to provide critical information to served agencies as Milton comes through.”

“It’s not as nice as getting a phone call from a loved one,” said Mooneyhan, “but if you’re in an area where the cell service and land lines are totally disrupted, a message saying ‘I’m OK, everyone’s fine, don’t worry,’ that beats the heck out of not knowing.”

The K7RA Solar Update

 

MONDAY EDITION: I just had $700 of tree work done at the club so the second tower beams can swing without hitting limbs. I need to replace the rotor and I don't climb anymore nor do any of the guys in the club, all 130 of them. I need to find someone to swap a rotor out, next issue....tower is only 30 feet tall and tied to the building, standing on the roof would do the trick.

Celebrations mark first transglobal two-way radio communication

This week marks the centenary of the world’s very first transglobal two-way radio communication.

On 18 October 1924 Frank Bell, 4AA, from New Zealand, and Cecil Goyder, 2SZ, from North London, changed the way in which we communicate forever by making contact on the amateur bands.

To commemorate this historic contact, special call signs will be active, and awards and QSL cards will be available for those who make contact with these special stations. GB2NZ and ZM100DX have already been active since the start of the month. Starting Monday, 14 October 2024 until 20 October 2024 calls reflecting Goyder’s call sign, G2SZ, and Bell’s, ZL4AA, will be active. This will include activity here in the UK from Mill Hill School in North London which is the original location from which Goyder made his contact.

On Friday, 18 October, radio amateurs will also be recreating and reenacting the first contact between Goyder and Bell. It is hoped that the QSO will be made on a wavelength close to that used in 1924.

To find out more about this unique celebration go to the GB2NZ webpage

 

FRIDAY EDITION: Fall is here, I have one truckload of leaves for the dump today. I do the leaves as they come down, it makes things a lot easier, we have a 170 foot long tree lined driveway of beech and oak trees. Aurora was beautiful to see last night and had a definite effect on signals on 75 last night, spooky....

A Wisconsinite Heads into Milton’s Path on Purpose

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – A local is in Florida preparing now to help with hurricane Milton relief, and he’s brought crucial communication tools with him.

A Wisconsinite hit the road ahead of Milton’s landfall and made his way to Tampa, Florida. He’s there now helping with a unique and essential need… communication. As cell phone coverage goes out, it can be days to even a week before your family or loved ones even know if you are dead or alive.

“What I’m offering is communications to talk to the outside world.”

Dan Vanevenhoven is a volunteer with Amateur Radio Emergency Services, he lives in the Fox Valley area and a former Tampa Bay area resident.   STORY

Perkins retires emergency coordinator post

Allen Perkins, N1ATS, has retired from his position as Cumberland County amateur radio emergency coordinator.

A member of the Cumberland Plateau Amateur Radio Club, Perkins stepped into the post several years ago. He has also served as assistant emergency coordinator for 13 counties in District 6.

"Through the years, I have been the direct contact with the amateurs that are set up at the National Weather Service to relay actual and current weather to them from our county," he said. "I have used a map of the county that has been squared off in quadrants so as to locate very close to any possible situations that needed emergency assistance. We have club members throughout the county in those squares that can relay actual and current severe weather at the time of occurrence."

Perkins added, "This has been my calling and I regret that I am stepping down as EC, but I will let the person that takes my place that I will still be available if needed and will still be net control for severe weather."

Perkins and his wife, Sandy, moved to Cumberland County in January 2009, months after he retired from Irving Oil LLC of Canada and USA. A former assistant emergency coordinator in Cumberland County, ME, he said part of his retirement plans was to devote time to his beloved hobby of amateur — or ham — radio.

"After a few months here I was advised that many amateurs would meet at the Dairy Queen Monday-Friday in the morning for a chat session," he said. "It was there I met Wayne Alley K4MGE. He was at the time the EC for the county and after our friendship bloomed, he asked me if I would like to accept a passion as AEC for the county. Being involved in law enforcement many years ago and 33 years' military experience, I accepted his invitation."

Perkins remembers Alley was well known and respected at the county Emergency Management Agency office. He introduced Perkins to Keith Garrison, then EMA director, who Perkins describes as down to earth and dedicated to his position and Cumberland County.

Working with Garrison, he transmitted to the National Traffic Service, the nation's information center for amateur radio.

When Garrison retired, Perkins continued his work with EMA and Garrison's successor, Rick Smith.