News
Longest-Serving Satellite OSCAR-7 Marks 50 Years in Orbit:
by AB7RG 2024-11-13Launched on November 15, 1974, OSCAR-7, a microsatellite, continues its mission 50 years after its launch, serving as a vital asset for amateur radio operators globally. It holds the title of the oldest operational satellite, predating the launch of NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 by three years. OSCAR-7 belongs to a series of amateur radio satellites known as OSCARs (Orbital Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio), built by volunteers from the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). Many of these contributors have affiliations with significant U.S. space organizations such as the Goddard Space Flight Center. AMSAT's innovation led to the novel use of secondary payloads to stabilize the center of gravity during launches. Despite being constructed primarily on basement workbenches by AMSAT volunteers, OSCAR-7 had to meet rigorous space-readiness standards to be integrated alongside the primary payload, NOAA-4/ITOS-G. Engineered with CMOS technology, OSCAR-7 was initially projected by NASA engineers to last just one to three years due to its non-radiation-hardened components. However, the satellite not only outlasted its expected lifespan but also contributed notable advancements. It enabled early ground-to-satellite-to-satellite-to-ground communications by orbiting close to its predecessor, OSCAR-6, facilitating unique message relays between satellites.
Ham Radio: A Practical and Historical Perspective:
by AB7RG 2024-11-13Danvers Historical Society welcomes Brandon Hockle NQ1W, President of Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association: Presentation will feature 2 or 3 short films highlighting the hobby of amateur radio through the decades from the 1930s to the present and a brief history of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association and historic clubhouse in Gloucester MA.
Couple to Recount Mexico to New Zealand Sailing Trip Using Ham Radio:
by AB7RG 2024-11-12Learn all about ham radios and why they work when everything else fails in a 2-part series starting with So, You Want to be a Ham Radio Operator? The series will kick off from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Hailey Town Center West, 116 S River St. Long time operator and instructor Joe Yelda has taught and certified over 300 individuals in more than 35 years as an operator and enjoys chatting with people all over the world. He will be joined by Todd and Ellen Mandeville, who will share a slide show of their sailing trip from Mexico to New Zealand using a ham radio as their only form of communication.
How Amateur Radio Operators Play a Critical Role in Emergency Communication
by AB7RG 2024-11-10COLORADO -- Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, operators play a critical role in emergency communication. They use their skills to help the community in extreme, or lengthy, winter storms like this one. Peter Choi explains how an old-school technique -- is helping the community. Terry Kift is a radio operator in Colorado Springs - talking to people on the other side of the city. He says what he does is not just a hobby, but it could save someone - especially during brutal winter storms. These radio operators are located throughout Colorado Springs and are always ready to lend a hand when they're needed.
SAQ to Air on Dec 1st Anniversary:
by AB7RG 2024-11-13On December 1st, 1924, the VLF transmitter, with call sign "SAQ" at Grimeton Radio Station, was put into commercial operation, with transmissions across the Atlantic ocean, to the receiving station at Riverhead and the replying transmitter station at Rocky Point, both on Long Island, NY, USA. On December 1st 2024, one hundred years later, SAQ will air to commemorate this event. The unique Alexanderson alternator from 1924, with the call sign SAQ, is scheduled for one transmission over the antenna on VLF 17.2 kHz CW.
Boca Raton WWII Vet's Unique Skill as Teenager Kept Him Off Front Lines:
by AB7RG 2024-11-12BOCA RATON -- Arthur Polacheck still remembers receiving the message, in Morse code, that World War II was coming to an end. "I was privileged to get a code that the Japanese were at the point of calling it quits," he said. He was 17 years old and stationed in Okinawa, an island of Japan, as a radio operator for the United States Army. At the time, he knew that if he'd waited until he turned 18, he would have been immediately drafted as a foot soldier into the army. "I had skills," said Polacheck, 96, who lives in Boca Raton and has lived in South Florida for the past 40 years. "I thought I could better serve my country in a field that I was very well-versed in. Electronics and radio repair." He'd spent three of his teenage years building up those skills. Since he was 15, Polacheck had his own ham radio station (the use of the radio frequency spectrum for non-commercial message exchanges) -- he'd earned his license for it and was permitted to operate it on two wavelengths.
Cape Ann Club to Offer Ham Radio Talk, Demo:
by AB7RG 2024-11-11DANVERS -- On Wednesday, the president of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association, will deliver a presentation on and give a demonstration of ham radio in Danvers. Brandon Hockle, NQ1W, will present "HAM Radio: a Practical and Historical Perspective" at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Tapley Memorial Hall, 13 Page St. in Danvers. The presentation will feature two or three short films highlighting the hobby of amateur radio from the 1930s to the present and a brief history of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association and its historic clubhouse in Gloucester.
Volunteer 'Hams' on Hand if Natural Disaster Strikes:
by AB7RG 2024-11-09If a major earthquake strikes Taranaki or the mountain erupts, communication could depend on a network of volunteer radio operators around the region. One of them is Dave Sargent, of Manaia, who has been an amateur radio enthusiast, or radio ham as they're known, for 57 years. He's a patron of the South Taranaki Amateur Radio Club and one of several dozen experienced volunteer radio operators in Taranaki ready to help in a disaster if internet and cellphone communications go down.
