Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Jul 17 2020 11:44 am
BREAK HERE:
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the W2GSB repeater
in Lindenhurst, New York, and WR2UHF, in Farmingville, New York -- both
on Mondays at 8 pm, after the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club Info Net.
**
NEW ZEALAND RADIO OPERATORS FIND BIG POWER IN QRP
PAUL/ANCHOR: In New Zealand, low-power operators are getting ready for
their next event, which is high power only in its level of excitement.
Here's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, with the details.
JIM: Three years after a group of six low-power operators was first
organised in New Zealand, more than 100 members of the New Zealand
QRPers Group are now familiar faces on the hiking trails, and at
campsites around the country. Organiser Wayne Jacobsen, ZL2OZ, believes
that group members can achieve more with less, in their portable
operations. He encourages participation in the weekly 80m QRP Net on
Thursday evenings, and fosters enthusiasm for the various awards the
group presents. They include the Parks Award, the Pacific Islands Award,
and the Offshore Islands Award. Members are now getting ready for their
next big monthly "Go QRP Night," which will be held on the 25th of July,
starting at 8pm local time. Wayne himself takes the concept of doing
more with less quite seriously: Although he often uses an FT817, he told
Newsline his favourite rig is a very small 'QRPver 1v3', 80m monobander.
He operates it with an End fed half wave antenna, with a ZM-2 QRP ATU,
and three lithium ion rechargeable batteries. He told Newsline: [quote]
"All that gear fits nicely into a less-than-1-square foot by 4-inch thick
bag, and weighs less than 2 pounds." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
**
AMSAT-DL EYES EUROPEAN MOON LANDER FOR TRANSPONDER
PAUL/ANCHOR: Will a ham radio transponder end up on the European Moon
Lander now under development? Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us about one
such proposal.
ED: The European Space Agency has received a proposal from
AMSAT-Deutschland to include an amateur radio transponder, known as
LunaART, on board the Large European Lander, now under development
for a moon mission. AMSAT-DL says that inclusion of the LunaART
platform, would permit additional radio science experimentation
globally, on amateur radio frequencies, and provide a backup
communications option during a crisis, or when the ESA network is
busy. The goal would be for the LunaART, and its payloads, to interact
with international AMSAT groups, as well as schools, and STEM
organisations around the world.
In its formal proposal to the ESA, AMSAT-DL writes: [QUOTE] "Such a
challenging project will certainly motivate especially the next
generation to achieve personal goals in education, science, engineering,
and beyond." [ENDQUOTE)
The European moon lander is currently under development by ESA engineers,
and is envisioned as a multi-purpose project, ranging from supplying
cargo, to supporting further human exploration of the moon's surface.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
(EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY)
**
TWO EVENTS OFFER HAMS A VARIED VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
PAUL/ANCHOR: Just a reminder that there are two virtual ham expos coming
up fast on the calendar. As previously reported on Newsline, the QSO Today
Virtual Ham Expo, will be held on the 8th and 9th of August, and U.S. hams
who register by July 24th, will be eligible for early bird prizes. This
free 48-hour event was organized by the QSO Today podcast, hosted weekly
by Eric Guth, 4Z1UG. Details are available at qsotodayhamexpo dot com.
(qsotodayhamexpo.com)
For those who can't wait until August, a virtual hamfest and DX Academy
will also be held on Saturday, July 25th, hosted by DX Engineering.
Hamfest speakers will touch on such topics as public service, youth in
amateur radio and satellites. The DX Academy will be held in the
afternoon, and will include a discussion of the recent DXpedition to
Pitcairn Island. Details are available about this free event on the DX
Engineering website.
**
SILENT KEY: MICHAEL JOHN CALHOUN KI4KIC
PAUL/ANCHOR: A ham radio operator with a long history in commercial radio
in New England, and Washington, D.C., has become a Silent Key. Jim Damron,
N8TMW, tells us about him.
JIM: A Florida amateur radio operator, who also enjoyed a long career in
broadcast radio and journalism, has become a Silent Key. Michael John
Calhoun, KI4KIC, started as a disc jockey at two Vermont radio stations,
while still a student in high school and college, but eventually, broke
into news reporting at other stations in the state. He served as press
secretary to Senator Patrick Leahy in 1978, becoming part of the campaign
that led to Leahy's re-election in 1980. He moved to Washington, D.C.,
where he became a reporter, and then a news director at WRC radio there.
He combined print and broadcast journalism with radio station management
in subsequent jobs, but in his spare moments, he enjoyed amateur radio,
and held a General Class license. Michael was also an experienced sailor,
and once he retired from broadcasting, he became a volunteer trainer for
the American Red Cross.
Michael, who died on July 8th, was 68.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.
