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India-Bhutan Satellite Ground Station Inaugurated at Thimphu:

by AB7RG  2023-03-15
The small satellite was jointly developed by engineers from ISRO and Bhutan. The primary payload on the satellite is the NanoMx multispectral optical imager, is to help Bhutan with natural resource management. The secondary payload was developed by the Department of Information Technology and Telecom in Bhutan, and is an Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) repeater to serve the amateur radio community, relaying realtime information about the region. The ground station that ISRO worked with the scientists from Bhutan on, is equipped to receive the signals from the satellite.

RSGB: Saint Patrick's Day Award Event:

by AB7RG  2023-03-14
The annual Saint Patrick's Day Award event takes place over a 48 hour period from 1200UTC on 16 March 2023 to 1200UTC on 18 March 2023 to allow worldwide participation in all time zones. The Saint Patrick's Day Award is 48 hours of non-competitive fun. Everyone can participate in the event, whether they are licensed or not.

Community Service Means More than Just Volunteer Work for KN4RPA:

by AB7RG  2023-03-13
For Scott Larimer, community service is a family tradition. He likes to say it is ingrained into his DNA. Looking back on his youth growing up in the central Pennsylvania town of Bellefonte, his father’s sense of service laid the community service foundation for Larimer. Charles "Rusty" Larimer was a union worker for the telephone company. Being in the union meant the possibility of a strike every three years. "I remember one year there was a strike and my dad went three months without his regular source of income," Larimer recalled. "But, he was still doing community service work, helping other people and doing things for the town. For community service to be that important to him, it seemed to me to be something worth doing in my own life." Larimer joined the Rappahannock Valley Amateur Radio Club (RVARC) after earning his license and his KN4RPA call sign in January 2019. The group provides communication services for events in the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania and Stafford. Through the RVARC, Larimer volunteered his time and skills at area events like the state basketball tournament for the Special Olympics and the Marine Corps Historic Half. Through his volunteer efforts, Larimer became an ambassador of sorts for amateur radio. When kids at the Special Olympics events ask him about his radios, he makes time to let them send messages over the network. "I tell them what to say, and they deliver the report. Getting to talk on the radio just makes their day. The feeling I get from that just can't be beat,"” he said. Larimer volunteers for approximately 40 events every year. His efforts have brought him a great deal of recognition. In September 2019, the Amateur Radio Relay League, the national amateur radio organization, appointed him the emergency communications coordinator for the City of Fredericksburg.

FreeDV Aims to Bring Open-Source HF Digital Voice Into the Mainstream:

by AB7RG  2023-03-11
ARDC grant will fund development, documentation, and promotion of this important open-source amateur radio technology. San Diego, CA, March 09, 2023 -- (PR.com) -- To advance the state of the art in HF digital voice and to promote its use, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has awarded 420,000 dollars to the FreeDV Project. With this grant, the FreeDV Project team will:

Electric Cars are Ditching AM Radio -- a Critical Safety Tool:

by NN4X  2023-03-14
Some electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers are eliminating AM radios from their cars, which government officials fear could put people at risk in an emergency.

W1AW 2023 Spring/Summer Operating Schedule:

by AB7RG  2023-03-13
W1AW 2023 Spring/Summer Operating Schedule:

Amateur Radio System Expands in Calvert County:

by AB7RG  2023-03-12
Committee member Bob Sheskin added, "It has a very large geographical footprint." The new system increases amateur radio communication coverage for all of Calvert County and much of the surrounding area including large portions of the Chesapeake Bay as well as portions of the Patuxent River. Designed to operate independently of the internet and cellular systems, the K3CAL radio system will remain completely operational even if those systems fail. A UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radio system transmitting on a frequency of 444.950 MHz, was installed in the south end of the county at a Lusby tower site. A second system, a VHF (Very High Frequency) radio system transmitting on a frequency of 146.985 MHz, was installed in the north end of the county at a Sunderland tower site. Both sites are on emergency backup power. Additional equipment interconnects the two locations by using a third radio system to provide a radio link.

Propagation Forecast Bulletin #10 de K7RA:

by AB7RG  2023-03-10
So far this month, two new sunspot groups appeared on March 1, another one on March 2, three more on March 3, one more on March 5, two more on March 6, and another on March 7, then two more on March 9. Average daily sunspot numbers rose from 126.3 to 143.6. Average daily solar flux changed from 158.2 to 181.6. Average daily planetary A index declined from 27.7 to 14.6, and average middle latitude numbers went from 18.9 to 10.7, reflecting the quieter conditions following the upset the week before.