Southgate Amateur Radio Club News, 20 Jan 2019

U.S. Islands Awards Program celebrates 25 years
This year the U.S. Islands Awards Program (USI) is 25 years old. And to celebrate this they are offering a special, 25th Anniversary award for both chasers and activators

QSO Today – Ray Waldemar – WA6NVL
Ray Waldemar, WA6NVL, is an early adopter of electronic technologies that find their way into amateur radio including the first Apple 1 computer, first instances of repeaters, remote base stations, digital modes, D-Star, and now DMR

Radio hams ready if disaster strikes
In an emergency, a converted ambulance will be Marysville’s communication hub

Secunda Radio Club – field station event
The Secunda Radio Club, ZS6SRC will be active on the air from 18 – 27 January 2019 at the Trichardtsfontein Dam Yacht Club, a few kilometres from Secunda in Mpumalanga

Lime SDR (and PLUTO, too) sends TV
If you have experienced software defined radio (SDR) using the ubiquitous RTL SDR dongles, you are missing out on half of it. While those SDRs are inexpensive, they only receive. The next step is to transmit

Emergency Grid Down Communications Winter Edition
Extreme weather and grid down disasters seem to be happening more often, and with greater intensity. More often than not, when we organize off grid emergency communications training with our portable radio gear, it usually takes place in fair weather conditions. What about training for a winter snow storms, the aftermath of a hurricane or tornado..?

Ham radio regulation changes in Bulgaria
On January 18, 2019, new Amateur Radio regulations were published by the Bulgarian Ministry of Communication

AmateurLogic 126: Blue Thumb DV & 1/4 Wave Stubs
Tommy reviews the Blue Thumb DV. George and the crew pull out the test equipment and experiment with 1/4 wave stubs. This live demonstration helps clear up some of the mystery. Mike, VE3MIC sits in for the Cheap Old Man to help keep expenses under control

WIA Board Comment
This week’s comment from the board of the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA), by Director Justin VK7TW, highlights VHF/UHF/uW operating and YOTA

VK6WIA NewsWest
This week is all about new amateurs. We welcome those new to the hobby and have suggestions of how to enter at foundation level or to improve your privileges and responsibilities

RSGB launch Photo Friday on Twitter
The Society is now publishing pictures from the RSGB Archives on Twitter every Friday morning

Propagation de K7RA
No sunspots seen since January 6, so average daily sunspot numbers declined from 7.7 to 0 for the current reporting week, January 10-16. Average daily solar flux dropped from 71.6 to 69.4 over the same period. Average daily planetary A index went from 7.4 to 4.9, and average mid-latitude A index went from 6.1 to 4

Foundations of Amateur Radio #189
The reported death of Amateur Radio due to FT8 is an exaggeration
In 2017 a new digital amateur mode called FT8 joined the ranks of inventions related to our hobby. Since then it’s taken the amateur world by storm, filled the bands with contacts and attracted a strong following among radio amateurs across the planet. Making contacts with low solar cycle numbers has never been so easy

Earth’s shifting magnetic poles are affecting your phone
Earth’s magnetic field is changing so quickly that researchers have been forced to update to the World Magnetic Model ahead of schedule

Amateur radio tax abolished in France
French national society REF has confirmed that the annual amateur radio tax (license fee) has been abolished

2019 Rally Diary filling up fast
G4RGA’s Rally Guide for 2019 is filling up fast. Check it out and find a rally near you

Reports on death of two New Zealand radio hams
The deaths have been reported of two New Zealand radio amateurs, 97-year-old Reg Motion ZL2LX and 81-year-old John Duncan ZL2JD

Long-range RFID with feedback
Not long ago, Hackaday published an article about researchers adding sensor data to passive RFID tags, and a comment from a reader turned their heads to a consumer/maker version which anyone can start using right away

Infringing Hytera products banned from importation to United States
Orders prohibiting importation, sale or marketing of Hytera products in the United States have taken effect (Motorola press release)

YOTA in VK ?
Wireless Institute of Australia Director Marcus VK5WTF commented recently on the Youth on the Air or YOTA program that has received attention at IARU level

DX News from the ARRL
The American Radio Relay League’s round-up of the forthcoming week’s DX activity on the amateur radio bands