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The Wirral & District Amateur Radio Club

Twice Winner of the RSGB Region 3

'Club of the Year' Trophy for 2013 & 2014

UK & World News Page

With all the latest Amateur Radio and Technical News
from Wirral, UK and around the World !

Click for the RSGB NEWS for Radio Amateurs & SWL's

Looking for an archived News Item from last 12 months to read again ? click ARCHIVED NEWS

During a Summits on the Air (SOTA) activation on May 24th, a new distance record was claimed to have been made between a ham (KE9AJ) in Michigan and another ham (MI0ILE) in Northern Ireland. Contact was made utilizing the SO-50 satellite and covered a distance of 5,584 km. That breaks the previous record by 61 km set back in 2018.

On Monday 5 June, Mike Richards, G4WNC will be giving a live presentation on Node-RED for radio amateurs.

The RSGB’s School Zone web page brings together radio amateurs in schools and colleges. We want to help people to share their experience and expertise of establishing and running a radio club for young people.

Annual RSGB trophy presentations 68
Around Your Region – Club events calendar 74
Around Your Region – Events roundup 78
British Science Week 2023 22
GB23C Report 54
High-speed Morse system on display at the NRC 83
New products 14
News 11
RSGB Commonwealth Contest 2023 70
RSGB Construction Competition 2023 66
RSGB Matters 6
Special Interest Groups News 15

Advertisers’ index 85
Antennas, Tim Hier, G5TM 18
Contest Calendar, Ian Pawson, G0FCT 65
Contesting, Roger Cooke, G3LDI 64
Data, Andy Talbot, G4JNT 16
GHz Bands, Dr John Worsnop, G4BAO 60
HF, Daimon Tilley, G4USI 56
LF, Dave Pick, G3YXM 39
Members’ ads 86
Propagation, Gwyn Williams, G4FKH 82
Rallies and events 87
The Last Word 88
VHF/UHF, Paul Marks, G8FVK 58

Chasing amateur radio awards, Lindsay Pennell, G8PMA 32
Radio blackouts and the severe March storm, Peter DeNeef, AE7PD 28

A DIY vertical antenna for the 2, 4, 6 and 10m bands, John Hill, G8HUY 50
Design Notes, Andy Talbot, G4JNT 36
EMC, Dr David Lauder, G0SNO 30
Reciprocity of HF radio waves, Gwyn Williams, G4FKH 34

Self taught Artie Moore was looked upon as a bit of an "oddball" but he actually picked up the distress signals of the Titanic from thousands of miles away in South Wales.

On hearing the signals he rushed to the local police station, but was met with incredulity.

Artie was already well known locally for his radio equipment a year before the Titanic sank.

The following is a QST. Deadly floods ravage a region in Italy. Hamvention 2023 is just a memory now -- and a tragic antenna accident claims a noted contester's life. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2378 comes your way right now.

Our top story this week takes us to Italy where deadly floods in one region have displaced and disrupted lives and the economy. This is to be the location of the World Radiosport Team Championship later this summer, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

Besieged by flooding that displaced more than 36,000 people and killed at least 14, Italy's Emilia-Romagna region has received some limited support from amateur radio. Greg Mossop, GØDUB, emergency communications coordinator for IARU Region 1, told Newsline that hams made use of local VHF repeaters to resume communications within affected towns until mobile and landline phone networks could be put back into service. He said the failures were not severe enough for local authorities to ask regional ham radio emergency networks to activate. Hams did remain on standby, ready to use HF, VHF and digital voice if necessary.
Greg said the IARU received the information from Alberto Barbera IK1YLO (Eye Kay Won Why El Oh) of the RNRE radio communications network. Alberto said the affected area asked for additional support from other countries in the region to provide extra pumping capacity and those teams made use of VHF/UHF commercial communications supported by Starlink satellite terminals.

Separately, organisers of the World Radiosport Team Championship, to be held this summer in Bologna - in this flood-impacted region -- were keeping an eye on the challenging conditions. Luca Aliprandi, IK2NCJ, who handles media and communications for the event, said on the WRTC Groups.io list that if some sites for WRTC are unusable, competitor stations may need to be relocated farther north of Bologna. He wrote [quote] "Our will and dedication to organising WRTC2022 will be stronger than any adversity." [endquote]
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(GREG MOSSOP, GØDUB, IARU REGION 1)

As Newsline went to production, the Australian Maritime College announced that it was severing its relationship with the Australian regulator for providing amateur licensee services. The college and the Australian Communications and Media Authority will go their separate ways in February 2024. Before the college's selection in 2019, services such as exams and callsign recommendations were provided through the Wireless Institute of Australia. The ACMA is to take the role of call sign allocation and examination syllabus control "in-house" to go with the licensing role which it already fulfills -- and to do this under the new class license framework. The ACMA said it would release a consultation on the new accreditation scheme this coming August at the same time as the new class licensing arrangements take effect.

(ACMA)

In the US, the FCC has a busy June ahead of itself: It's taking a second and perhaps a third look at spectrum allocations -- and there's a new candidate nominated to join them, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO.

In June, the US Federal Communications Commission will revisit ways the radio spectrum can be utilized more efficiently and study the propose testing of a few uses on part of the 42 GHz band in the so-called "greenfield spectrum." Greenfield spectrum refers to the part of the spectrum that is unutilized. The FCC's focus has been intensifying on this along with other parts of the spectrum because of the growing demand for its use by emerging wireless services -- and limited places to authorize their operation.

FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced this plan in the commission's June agenda, posting her message on the agency website on May 17th. She said the 42 GHZ band was an apt place for conducting experiments with various spectrum-access models because of the absence of licensed users there.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has nominated a longtime telecom lawyer for the government, to join the FCC. Anna Gomez must still be confirmed by the Senate. The president's previous nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew from consideration several months earlier.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(FCC)

This year's Dayton Hamvention was another success, with several vendors returning after an absence along with some great weather. The rain was mostly overnight on Friday and caused minimal disruptions. The main buzz was about 2 new handheld radios being announced, one from ICOM America and another from JVC/Kenwood who returned to Hamvention after being absent since the start of the pandemic.

2023 Hamvention Amateur of the Year Carsten Dauer, DM9EE, received a standing ovation in front of a large crowd attending his forum about his work to house evacuated Ukrainian family members as well as shipping donated radio gear, power banks, solar panels, and first aid kits for use to assist operators despite the partial Russian invasion.

Steve Morgan, W4NHO, was recognized with the Spirit of Amateur Radio award for his work in coordinating disaster relief communications during the recent Eastern Kentucky flooding. The Voice of America Museum in nearby West Chester, Ohio, had expanded hours during Hamvention and reported record attendance of nearly 400 visitors.

The youth socials at the YOTA booth were standing room only. And, many hams were greeted by the first known live duck to attend Hamvention, Mochi, accompanied by Junie, N1DUC who was promoting her new YouTube channel and educating people about domesticated ducks.

Finally, 2023 marked the return of our own Newsline Town Hall. Attendees heard international updates from Tim Ellam, VE6SH, the president of IARU. Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, returned to the town hall to talk about the ARRL Volunteer Monitoring program, while Mark Smith, N6MTS proposed a new open headset interconnect standard to assist with group activities and EMCOMM.

AM radio isn't quite dead yet among those selling cars in the US. One carmaker has shifted gears into reverse - literally. Here's Kent Peterson KCØDGY with an update.

KENT: In the United States, the Ford Motor Company has reversed an earlier decision to eliminate AM radios in its new cars, trucks and SUVs. The carmaker's announcement was made on Tuesday, May 23rd, on the heels of a bipartisan bill introduced in Washington, D.C., pressing for AM broadcast radio's retention as a public safety measure.

Ford CEO Jim Farley announced on social media that the reversal comes came after discussions with government policy leaders who believe the elimination of AM broadcast radio in vehicles will cut motorists off from essential emergency alerts transmitted on those frequencies.

The CEO wrote on Twitter that all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles would include AM radio. He added: [quote] "For any owners of Ford's EVs without AM broadcast capability, we'll offer a software update." [endquote] The update would restore AM functionality.

The US Federal Communications Commission has also thrown its support behind the proposed legislation that seeks to halt the trend toward automakers' removal of AM broadcast in US vehicles. The bill, introduced May 17th, is known as the "AM for Every Vehicle Act." The FCC cannot regulate what automakers do but was nonetheless vocal about the value AM radio has to motorists who may need to receive emergency alerts while on the road.

Other manufacturers, including Volvo, Tesla and BMW, have indicated they were dropping AM radio from their new electric cars because of interference between the vehicles' electrical operating systems and the AM broadcast band. The Associated Press did not immediately receive comment from the other carmakers.

The bill's opponents, including The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents US automakers, called the AM radio proposal unnecessary. They said that the US warning system, operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, can also deliver safety warnings by other means, such as FM broadcast, satellite and cellular networks.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS, HOUSE.GOV, INSIDE RADIO, VARIETY)

Emergency preparedness got a needed boost in South Carolina and Kevin Trotman N5PRE has those details.

Dorchester County, South Carolina is getting ready for hurricane season on the ground and in the air. High atop a 226-foot tower, members of the county's emergency management office have been installing an antenna system that will allow the county's amateur radio response team a wider communication range with first responders during emergencies. The hams are members of DART, or the Dorchester Amateur Radio Team.

County officials told the local CBS TV station that the installation is designed to close a communications gap between Columbia and as far away as Charleston, South Carolina - a need that became apparent after Hurricane Ian struck the region last autumn. As storm season approaches again, the emergency management office is supplementing this antenna work high in the air by taking on some serious training on the ground. Emergency officials will soon be teaching classes to help get more volunteers prepared for their amateur radio technician license.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(NEWS2)

An antenna accident has claimed the life of another ham - a well-known DXer and contester. We have those details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

A noted DXer, contester and CW enthusiast from Germany has become a Silent Key. Bernhard Buettner, DL6RAI, who was known to everyone as Ben, was killed following an accident while doing antenna work at his QTH in Aruba. Writing about his friend's death, Martin DL5RMH, said that they were working together to prepare to change one of the antenna masts when the mast Ben was tending to buckled unexpectedly and Ben fell to the ground. He could not be revived despite immediate first aid and the work of an ambulance rescue crew.

Ben's own account of his ham radio life reflects a long and enduring love for active radio operation around the world. He fell in love with CW as a shortwave listener in 1978 after decoding a message he copied from a local ham. He worked to gain proficiency in Morse and by March of 1980, the 16-year-old radio enthusiast passed his license test, qualifying at 12 words per minute.

An avid traveler, he operated from at least 45 countries around the globe and became a serious contester using CW, RTTY and the digital modes. Between 2002 and 2005, he was the WAE DX contest manager for the DARC. From 2007 to 2019 he was president of the prestigious Bavarian Contest Club.

He purchased the QTH in Aruba in 2014 from another ham and was operating from there intermittently as P4/DL6RAI or P44X. His widow, Luise, is also an amateur, with the callsign DL2MLU.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

NEIL/ANCHOR: Newsline takes this opportunity to remind listeners to please follow safety precautions always when doing antenna work or any other radio activity that presents a potential hazard such as this.

(SOTA REFLECTOR, QRZ.COM)

In one Massachusetts community, amateur radio is helping shine a brighter spotlight on a public event for cancer-awareness. We have those details from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

While participants in the annual Relay for Life take thousands of steps around a college athletics track during a two-day fundraiser for cancer research, the Mohawk Amateur Radio Club will be taking steps too: These Massachusetts amateurs will be on the air as the two-day event steps off on Friday, June 9th, at 6 p.m. local time. They will be on the campus of the Mount Wachusett Community College, reaching out globally over the airwaves to raise awareness of the lifesaving work of the American Cancer Society.

The hams will be on 20 and 40 meters during the day and will switch to 80 meters at night.

As in the past, many of those answering the call of station N1WW are likely to have cancer survival stories of their own -- and some of the operators, such as Jack Burgoyne, W1PFZ, will be sharing theirs.

Jack and club president Kevin Erickson, N1ERS, spoke to the Gardner News website recently about the event and the club's history of providing support to it.

With a big turnout of spectators expected as individuals and teams in the relay make their rounds on the track, the ham club will also be raising its own profile. Kevin said the club hopes people will take a moment to visit the club trailer and check out the radios that are carrying that important message around the world.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, THE GARDNER NEWS)

The power of QRP isn't always measured in watts or even milliwatts. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF explains.

It started as a long-ago suggestion from the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, which suggested to IARU Region 3 in 1997 that QRP operation be given its day in the sun - literally. Since then, Region 3 societies have helped advance involvement in such QRP activities as QRP field days, QRP contests, instructions for QRP kit-building and publication of articles about QRP operating. That's all about to get even more intense on June 17th, which will once again be QRP Day throughout IARU Region 3.

Writing to IARU member societies' directors and liaison officers, Yuki JH1NBN, Region 3 secretary, encouraged promotion of QRP operation, particularly when it is highlighted on that day. He wrote in his letter that QRP [quote] "offers advantages
concerning, among others, the reduction of QRM on the amateur bands." [endquote]

The day promises a powerful outcome.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(IARU REGION 3)

The 100 Watts and a Wire community, which has been around since 2015, has chosen the weekend of June 9th, 10th and 11th as its Tune-Up weekend, its annual spring operating event. That means that operators will be on the air calling "CQ Tune-up" on June 9th, 10th and 11th on any band at anytime during those three days - and in any mode, including digital. If you're a member of the 100 Watts and a Wire community, exchange your membership numbers with one another - and if you're not a member, you can still make a contact and then check out the 100 Watts and a Wire podcast. Membership is free. As podcast producer Christian Cudnik KØSTH notes, the weekend event is a perfect time to test your equipment and operating skills in preparation for Field Day - and to get out of the shack for some fresh air while ON the air!

In the World of DX, be listening for members of the Rockall DXpedition, MMØUKI. They are hoping to set a new record on the air from the uninhabitable granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. This rare location has the IOTA designation of EU-189 and is Grid Square IO37DO (Eye Oh Three Seven Dee Oh). The team departed for the island on May 25th and will be on the air around the clock using SSB, CW and FT8 on 40 through 10m as well as 2m. Details and QSL information are on QRZ.com

(DX-WORLD.NET, 425 DX BULLETIN)

We remind our listeners that the window closes on May 31st to nominate a promising young radio amateur for this year's Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Young hams who live in the continental United States have an opportunity to make news of their own in the world. Think of an amateur radio operator 18 years of age or younger -- someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find the nomination form on our website arnewsline.org under the "AWARDS" tab. Time is about to run out!

For our final story, we ask you to imagine being missing and lost for three decades. Listen to this story of an older man's 30-year journey back to his family - thanks to ham radio. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has his story.

For one homeless grandfather from Nepal, this was a homecoming that was three decades in the making, with the help of a merchant in a busy Bengali business district and a group of ham radio operators in West Bengal.

The man, identified as Bir Bahadur Singh, had been spotted as a vagrant by a Bengali businessman who reached out to the West Bengal Radio Club. He knew the club's reputation of using their wide-ranging amateur radio network to reunite family members. Club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA contacted hams in Nepal who were able to locate the man's village, and eventually his wife. They learned that Bir Bahadur Singh had apparently fallen ill 30 years ago while he was transporting his son from Nepal to Delhi. From there, the man somehow disappeared.

The son, now grown and working in Delhi, was overjoyed his father had been found so many years later, according to media reports. He has been coordinating with the Nepal Consulate to bring his father home. Ambarish Nag Biswas told the Indo-Asian News Service: [quote] "He never doubted his father and always knew that the man must have suffered from some sort of mental illness to have left him alone." [endquote]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE)

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the American Cancer Society; ARRL; Associated Press; Australia Communications and Media Authority; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; 425 DX News; FCC; Gardner News; House.gov; IARU Region 1; IARU Region 3; Indo-Asian News Service; News2; 100 Watts and a Wire; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; SOTA Reflector; Variety; West Bengal Radio Club; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Union Kentucky saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

Keplerian Bulletin 38 ARLK038
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT May 23, 2023
To all radio amateurs

Special thanks to AMSAT-NA (AMSAT.ORG) for the following Keplerian data.

Decode 2-line elsets with the following key:
1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ
2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ
KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN
G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM

0 AO-07
1 7530U 74089B   23143.46275087 -.00000043 00000-0 16490-4 0 9997
2 7530 101.9462 129.9741 0012601 110.1885 14.2105 12.53664261220314
0 ISS
1 25544U 98067A   23143.83525416 .00015072 00000-0 27034-3 0 9991
2 25544 51.6410 89.2422 0005352 13.7851 79.6848 15.50120994398015
0 SO-50
1 27607U 02058C   23142.84716593 .00001416 00000-0 21106-3 0 9997
2 27607 64.5550 342.6136 0071309 229.7385 129.7469 14.77236862 98483
0 AO-73
1 39444U 13066AE 23143.42491694 .00005687 00000-0 63262-3 0 9990
2 39444 97.6705 108.4897 0053077 356.6581   3.4273 14.86488512512557
0 XW-2A
1 40903U 15049E   23112.43632650 .18814400 25108-5 15498-3 0 9990
2 40903 97.0819 181.5568 0011783 175.5276 309.8044 16.51931608427640
0 IO-86
1 40931U 15052B   23142.70555987 .00001250 00000-0 83501-4 0 9997
2 40931   6.0000 268.4069 0013591 293.2401 66.6296 14.77214742413462
0 CAS-4B
1 42759U 17034B   23143.50158277 .00009729 00000-0 49285-3 0 9998
2 42759 43.0154 252.8783 0011819 299.9073 60.0600 15.17062013327886
0 CAS-4A
1 42761U 17034D   23143.51777397 .00008469 00000-0 43040-3 0 9995
2 42761 43.0150 251.3213 0012632 301.3383 58.6228 15.17072746327897
0 AO-91
1 43017U 17073E   23142.93364258 .00006218 00000-0 43657-3 0 9990
2 43017 97.6333 28.2748 0235173 152.3285 209.0681 14.85749100297436
0 PO-101
1 43678U 18084H   23143.46462407 .00001796 00000-0 17697-3 0 9991
2 43678 98.0197 286.9424 0008425 239.0411 120.9981 14.93349724248570
0 QO-100
1 43700U 18090A   23142.89459088 .00000147 00000-0 00000-0 0 9997
2 43700   0.0148 330.4904 0001266 120.9181 136.6772 1.00270672 16430
0 JO-97
1 43803U 18099AX 23142.91132409 .00006490 00000-0 51798-3 0 9998
2 43803 97.5686 206.1344 0012487 177.5498 182.5789 15.00558081243905
0 CAS-6
1 44881U 19093C   23143.45880045 .00001267 00000-0 16414-3 0 9999
2 44881 97.8616 222.3311 0015411 154.0552 206.1437 14.82484089185131
0 RS-44
1 44909U 19096E   23142.89125592 .00000017 00000-0 30857-4 0 9999
2 44909 82.5236   4.7579 0216407 246.0285 111.8023 12.79720691158928
0 XW-3
1 50466U 21131B   23143.55355395 .00000713 00000-0 24580-3 0 9995
2 50466 98.5515 225.1754 0003908 197.0128 163.0929 14.38890902 73813
0 IO-117
1 53106U 22080B   23139.88081682 -.00000003 00000-0 00000-0 0 9990
2 53106 70.1627 329.5611 0008345 191.2921 168.7552 6.42557176 19931
0 FO-118
1 54684U 22167C   23143.55227629 .00010661 00000-0 59706-3 0 9990
2 54684 97.5596 281.3138 0014425 63.9947 296.2768 15.13517490 24956

Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW.

The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Friday, May 26, 2023, at 2330z on Baudot and BPSK31.

DX Bulletin 21 ARLD021
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 25, 2023
To all radio amateurs

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by HA7VK, OZ2I, The Daily DX, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

BAHAMAS, C6. Sergei, KN4NTX is QRV as C6AWA from Bimini, IOTA NA-048, until May 28. Activity is on the HF bands using CW. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL direct to home call.

HUNGARY, HA. Sanyi, HA7VK will be QRV as HG23TISZA as a Single Op/All Band/High Power entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL via LoTW.

SVALBARD, JW. Rafal, SQ9CNN is QRV as JW/SQ9CNN from Spitsbergen Island, IOTA EU-026, until May 29. He will be active as JW5E on either 20 or 15 meters during the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL to home call and JW5E via OH6VDA.

MONGOLIA, JT. Dima, RA9USU will be QRV as JT5DX in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL direct.

HAWAII, KH6. A group of operators will be QRV as NH6T during the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL via operators' instructions.

AMERICAN SAMOA, KH8. Oliver, W6NV and Lloyd, KH6LC plan to be QRV as KH8W as a Multi/Single entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. After the contest, they may be active as home calls/KH8. QSL via W6NV.

ARUBA, P4. John, W2GD is QRV as P40W until May 30. Activity is in his spare time on 30, 17, and 12 meters. This includes activity in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL via LoTW.

CURACAO, PJ2. Jim, WI9WI and Annette, KA9DOC are QRV as PJ2/home calls until May 29. Activity is on the HF bands, and possibly 6 meters, using CW and RTTY. Look for Jim to be QRV as PJ2T as a Single Op/All Band entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL direct to home calls, and PJ2T direct to W3HNK.

ICELAND, TF. Chris, DL1MGB is QRV as TF/DL1MGB until May 29. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters and includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL to home call.

ST. KITTS AND NEVIS, V4. John, W5JON is QRV as V47JA from St. Kitts, IOTA NA-104, until June 7. Activity is on the HF bands and 6 meters using SSB and FT8. QSL direct to home call.

MARSHALL ISLANDS, V7. Bob, N7XR is QRV as V7/N7XR from Kwajalein, IOTA OC-028, and is here until the end of June. Activity is in his spare time on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. QSL via LoTW.

MONTSERRAT, VP2M. George, K2DM is QRV as VP2MDM until May 29. Activity is on the HF bands and 6 meters using SSB and FT8. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL via LoTW.

TURKS AND CAICOS, VP5. John, K4BAI is QRV as VP5/K4BAI from Providenciales, IOTA NA-002, until May 30. Activity is on the HF bands. He and others will be QRV as VP5M in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL to home call, and VP5M direct to K4QPL.

VIET NAM, XV. Tom, DL7BO is QRV as XV9K near Phan Thiet. Activity is on 6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. QSL to home call.

MYANMAR, XZ. Akio, JE2QIZ is QRV as XZ2B from Yangon until the end of September. Activity is on 15, 12, 10, and 6 meters using CW. QSL via JE3SIF.

REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA, Z3. Henning, OZ2I is QRV as Z38EE from Tetovo until May 30. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW. This includes being active in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL to home call.

KOSOVO, Z6. Rene, DL2JRM is QRV as Z68XX from Gjilan until May 29. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using CW. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL to home call.

SOUTH SUDAN, Z8. Diya, YI1DZ is QRV as Z81D from Juba. Activity is in his spare time on 40 to 6 meters, and possibly 80 and 60 meters, using SSB and FT8. QSL via OM3JW.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest, NCCC FT4 Sprint, NCCC RTTY Sprint, NCCC CW Sprint and K1USN Slow Speed CW Test will certainly keep contesters busy this upcoming weekend.

The QCX CW Challenge, ICWC Medium Speed CW Test, OK1WC Memorial, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Phone Weekly Test, A1Club AWT, CWops Test, Mini-Test 40 and Mini-Test 80 are on tap for May 29 to 31.

Please see May QST, page 73, and the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest web sites for details.

NASA, Department of Education Partnership Strengthens STEM Education

May 24, 2023 - NASA and the U.S. Department of Education signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, strengthening the collaboration between the two agencies, including efforts to increase access to high-quality STEM and space education to students and schools across the nation.

NASA Mission to Study Ice Clouds, Help Observe Our Dynamic Atmosphere

May 22, 2023 - NASA has selected a new mission to help humanity better understand Earth’s dynamic atmosphere – specifically, ice clouds that form at high altitudes throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions. The PolSIR instrument – short for Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer – will study such ice clouds to determine how and why they change throughout

NASA to Provide Live Coverage of Space Station Cargo Launch, Docking

May 22, 2023 - NASA will provide live launch and docking coverage of the Roscosmos Progress 84 cargo spacecraft carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 69 crew aboard the International Space Station.

We are pleased to announce the team of young RSGB members who will be representing the Society and the UK at this summer’s Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) camp.

The RSGB Board has decided to co-opt Ian Shepherd, G4EVK as a Board Director until the 2024 AGM.

The RSGB is sad to report that RadCom Basics Editor Lee Aldridge, G4EJB wishes to retire later this year.

If you are interested in taking on the role of RadCom Basics Editor, please email radcom@rsgb.org.uk.

NRC Coordinator Martyn, G0GMB, expressed his thanks to the 23 volunteers who came in over the two consecutive Bank Holiday weekends, all helping keep the NRC open and demonstrating amateur radio to visitors.

Friday 19th May 2023
The following is a QST. US hams prep for hurricane season. Getting a stubborn folding antenna to unfold - in space! And an early net marks 24,000 mornings of check-ins. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2377 comes your way right now.

As Newsline went to production, hams from all over the world were converging on a busy fairground in the US state of Ohio for Hamvention. Be sure to listen to our newscast next Friday, May 26th, for a Hamvention wrap up.

We begin this week with - what else? - the weather. It's storm season in many parts of the world and here in parts of the United States, amateurs are checking their hurricane season preparedness. We hear more about that from Randy Sly W4XJ.

It’s that time of year again, when amateurs check out their equipment and get ready for a new season of storms and storm-related activity. This is especially important for such stations as WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Florida. Their annual on-the-air communications test will take place on Saturday, May 27 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, says that the purpose of the event is to test the station’s equipment and antennas as well as operators’ home equipment prior to the 2023 Hurricane Season which runs from June 1st through November 30th.

The station will be operating on HF, VHF and UHF, including 2 and 30-meter APRS and Winlink.

Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, net manager of the Hurricane Watch Net, told AR Newsline that they will be active during that time, on or near their standard frequencies of 14.325 and 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation. The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate that day too from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Look for WX4NHC on the air or posted on DX Cluster. For more information, you can visit wx4nhc.org.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ

A ham who helped build enthusiasm for homebrew and other amateur radio practices in The Netherlands has become a Silent Key. We hear more details about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

Peter Stuart, PA3EPX, was well-known for his enthusiasm and creative spirit within the leadership and membership of VERON, the Dutch amateur radio society. Peter, who first became active in VERON at the end of the 1970s, became a Silent Key on the 16th of April.

He was remembered by colleagues as an advocate for teaching fox hunting and for his service on the VERON board as its secretary. An avid do-it-yourselfer, he was also a proponent of homebrew equipment and he encouraged others to build a variety of projects including an ATV transmitter.

Peter was 71.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(VERON)

There's antenna work..........and then there's antenna work. If your antenna is a folding antenna that won't unfold - and it's out in space - you're gonna need to do a little more than just climb up the tower to fix it. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what happened.

With the launch last month of the European Space Agency's JUICE mission - short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer - hopes were high for its antenna, which had been folded up inside the spacecraft ready for its eventual full deployment. The 16-metre-long antenna, known as RIME - for Radar for Icy Moons Exploration - was to completely unfold in its first week after the launch date and it did - that is, all but one final part.

According to various media accounts, a variety of remedies were tried without success until the flight control team finally freed the remaining part by delivering a shock that moved a tiny stuck pin that had left the antenna section jammed in its folded position. The shock came via a device known as a nonexplosive actuator that was located inside the bracket. What happened was disruptive enough to shake things up.

May 12th brought freedom as the stuck part became unstuck.

Now the antenna should be ready for an even bigger challenge - the moons around the giant planet Jupiter. The mission will use the antenna to study those icy moons as far down as 9 km, analysing both the surface and subsurface. What unfolds there may possibly deliver some shocks of its own.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY, DIGITAL TRENDS)

In the United States, an Arizona lawmaker has renewed hope for changing what many consider outdated rules by the FCC for digital communications. Sel Embee KB3TZD has those details.

A bandwidth limit would replace symbol rate limit for HF digital operations under a bill known as the Amateur Radio Communications Improvement Act. The bill was introduced on May 11 by Arizona congresswoman Debbie Lesko, a Republican, and is similar to a bill she had introduced last year, hoping to update rules by the FCC that focus on symbol rates. The bill, which is now in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, would set a bandwidth limit of 2.8 kHz instead. US advocates of the bill, including the ARRL, have long argued that a bandwidth limit was necessary because of crowded conditions on the HF bands. They have been concerned that protocols might be developed in the future that would possess wider bandwidth protocols than necessary.

The lawmaker said in a statement that updating the rules to accommodate modern technology is especially important in times of natural disasters, such as forest fires, floods and hurricanes, when messages need to be sent and received efficiently. Faster protocols already accomplish this in other countries.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(ARRL, REP. DEBBIE LESKO)

Newton Minow, who had been appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission by President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, has died. The attorney, who was a vocal critic of the emerging content of broadcast television in the US, died Saturday, May 6th, at the age of 97. He was also well-known as an advocate of the US space program. It was during his tenure in 1962 that the world saw NASA's launch of Telstar 1, the first communications satellite, developed by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, better known as AT&T.

(NPR)

A popular ham radio satellite launched a little less than eight years ago from China has left its orbit. Stephen Kinford N8WB brings us that report.

Satellite enthusiasts have one fewer satellite to rely on now. The orbit has decayed for the popular linear transponder satellite known as XW-2A. The satellite was sent into space in September of 2015 from China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellite does not leave space without sharing a little bit of glory: In August of 2022, two amateurs used XW-2A to achieve communication over a record distance for the 25 kg microsat. It was a transatlantic QSO between EA4NF in Spain and VE1CWJ in Nova Scotia, a memorable distance of 4,751 km.

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, CAMSAT)

Hams, start your engines. A big race - and a big special event station - is getting under way in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jack Parker W8ISH has the details.

Now that the dust has settled from the Indy Grand Prix race, members of the W9IMS Special Event Station are gearing up for another week of logging contacts leading up to the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race beginning May 22nd.

This is the 20th year for the W9IMS team to reach out and let ham radio operators be a part of the racing season in Indianapolis. For two decades they have logged over fifteen thousand contacts a year for the three race series at Indy. That is a lot of QSL cards.
Check the W9IMS page at QSL.com for more information.

Reporting from Indianapolis, this is Jack Parker, W8ISH.

If a great QSO feels like poetry to you, you might enjoy this new challenge from Amateur Radio Newsline. We're inviting listeners to channel their most creative selves and share the joy of ham radio in the form of a haiku. On our website, arnewsline.org, you will find a submission form for sending your most inspired offering. All haikus must follow the traditional form to qualify: The first line is five syllables, the second line is seven syllables and the finishing third line has another five syllables.

Our team will pick from the best submissions that follow the 5/7/5 syllable rule and represent the love of amateur radio. Your prize? Glory, of course! We will share our favorite haiku of the week on the Amateur Radio Newsline website.

If you're active in AMSAT and know someone who shows promise in the organization's leadership, consider nominating them for a spot on the board of directors. Four incumbent seats will soon expire and voting will be held in the third quarter of this year. Terms are for two years.

As many as two alternate directors may be chosen to serve one-year terms.

For nominations to be considered, they must be in writing and should be submitted by either one member society or five individual members who are in good standing. The nominee's name, callsign and contact information should be provided along with the same information for those individuals submitting the candidate. Email nominations are acceptable when sent to jdavis@amsat.org - otherwise postal mail may be used. Send to Jeff Davis, KE9VPO, Post Office Box 11, Yorktown, Indiana 47396.

The nomination deadline is the end of the day on June 15th. The four incumbents leaving behind vacancies are Jerry Buxton, NØJY (En Zero Jay Why), Joseph Armbruster, KJ4JIO, Robert Bankston, KE4AL and Zach Metzinger, NØZGO (En Zero Zed Gee Oh)

(AMSAT NEWS)

If you're still feeling festive after the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, Jeremy Boot G4NJH offers some ways to keep celebrating.

Coronation weekend has come and gone in the UK but the Radio Society of Great Britain believes in keeping a good moment alive. Special event callsigns are still on the air through to the end of June. Individual radio amateurs and clubs are eligible to use the GB23C callsign which was used first by the Cray Valley Radio Society which activated it in Greenwich. Information on how to obtain and use the call on the RSGB website.

Hams are also being encouraged to use one of hundreds of callsigns Ofcom is making available to celebrate the historic fire beacon network throughout the UK. Callsigns such as GB23BIR was activated by the Furness Amateur Radio Society and according to RSGB district representative Martyn, MØTEB, it was quite popular as a contact.

Visit rsgb.org/coronation for other details and to find out more about getting a Coronation QSL card or one of three RSGB Coronation awards.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

Ever have a QSO with a vampire? It's not so hard as you might think. Richard, VK2SKY, brings us this story about an Australian warship that makes it possible.

G'day, Amateur Radio Newsline listeners, this is Richard VK2SKY in Sydney, Australia, with a little vampire story for you. Yes, I know, Halloween is months away, but I think you’ll like this story anyway.

A team of amateurs, led by Colin VK2JCC, has set up shop in the radio room aboard HMAS Vampire. “HMAS” stands for His Majesty’s Australian Ship, and the Vampire is located at the Australian National Maritime Museum here in Sydney. The radio room is part of the museum, and thus open for visitors to learn about the importance of radio communications, both in wartime and in peace.

The Vampire team has been active for a few weeks now, using the callsign Victor Kilo Two Victor Mike Papa (VMP - Vampire, get it?). If you’ve never worked a warship before, now is a great time to start!

So far, eight amateurs are on the roster to keep Vampire on the air, using CW and Sideband on 20 and 40 metres, and the station is now a permanent fixture on the ship.

But wait, there’s more! Over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th June, the Vampire will be active for 24 hours for a special event, Museum Ships on the Air. You’ll find the station on or near 14.250 MHz. Vampire will join many other ships around the world for this fun event.

So, listen out for Victor Kilo Two Victor Mike Papa on board HMAS Vampire in Sydney, Australia. And check out the VK2VMP page on qrz.com. Hope to catch you on the air!

(AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, MANLY WARRINGAH RADIO SOCIETY)

We remind our listeners that you still have an opportunity to nominate a promising young radio amateur - but time runs out at the end of this month. Young hams who live in the continental United States have an opportunity to make news of their own in the world, if they aren't already doing so, by being a recipient of this year's Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Think of an amateur radio operator 18 years of age or younger -- someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio. This is your chance to help honor and acknowledge that person who will, no doubt, go on to teach and inspire others. Find the nomination form on our website arnewsline.org under the "AWARDS" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.

In the World of DX, be listening for special event station GBØAEL which is on the air until May 26th. Hams with the North West Group Amateur Radio Club are marking the anniversary of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight. In May of 1932 she became the first woman to make that trip solo and nonstop, departing from Canada and landing 15 hours later in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. QSL instructions are on QRZ.com

Listen for Vincent, HB9VCJ, using the callsign 8Q7VJ from the Maldives, IOTA Number AS-013 from May 20th through to June 4th. His QRP operation will be SSB and various digital modes on 40-6 metres, and FM on 10 metres. QSL instructions are on QRZ.com

Ivan, YT4RA/IV3CTS, and his brother Goran, YT7AW/SA7DXR will be operating from Malta, IOTA Number E U-023, from the 24th to the 29th of May, with their biggest activity to be during the CQ WW WPX CW Contest. They plan to use the callsign 9H6WPX. QSL via LoTW.

Be listening for T41DX on the island of Cuba, IOTA Number NA-015, from May 18th through to the 22nd. The Guani DX Group will be operating CW, SSB and various digital modes on 80-10m. QSL manager is RW6HS.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

Friday 19th May 2023

We end this week with an installment from our occasional series, Nets of Note. We revisit a very proud group of early morning radio enthusiasts who Newsline first interviewed back in 2017. Jim Damron N8TMW tells us why they're so proud right now.

The early risers who have been meeting on 80 meters at 6 a.m.. local time since 1957 are about to celebrate a milestone and this isn't exactly chicken feed. The Rooster Net, as the group is known, will be marking 24,000 daily sessions on the air on May 26th.

The check-ins - that's check-ins, NOT chickens - can expect to get pretty lively that day on 3.990 MHz. The rooster roster claims amateurs from as far north as Canada, as far south sometimes as South America and as far west as Arizona and Montana. So congratulations to these hams who leave the nest early to get up with the sun - and with one another. That's something to crow about.

This is Jim Damron N8TMW.

(ARRL)

Friday 19th May 2023

Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would be interested in? We are not talking about advertising your club's upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it, we'll get back to you for more details.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the American Cancer Society; AMSAT News Service; ARRL; Australian National Maritime Museum; CAMSAT; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; 425 DX News; Gardner News; IARU Region 3; QRZ.COM; Manly Warringah Radio Society; National Public Radio; Radio Society of Great Britain; shortwaveradio.de; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW in Picayune Mississippi saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

Keplerian Bulletin 36 ARLK036
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT May 16, 2023
To all radio amateurs

Special thanks to AMSAT-NA (AMSAT.ORG) for the following Keplerian data.

Decode 2-line elsets with the following key:
1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ
2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ
KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN
G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM

0 AO-07
1 07530U 74089B   23136.51745979 -.00000031 00000-0 91614-4 0 9995
2 07530 101.9461 122.9826 0012541 123.0604 349.1913 12.53664236219200
0 ISS
1 25544U 98067A   23136.61813858 .00012913 00000-0 23168-3 0 9994
2 25544 51.6405 125.0040 0006442 354.5246 117.9986 15.50256007396897
0 SO-50
1 27607U 02058C   23136.00966480 .00001145 00000-0 17459-3 0 9995
2 27607 64.5556   3.5735 0071864 231.0805 128.3878 14.77217306 97475
0 AO-73
1 39444U 13066AE 23136.49142293 .00004899 00000-0 54643-3 0 9994
2 39444 97.6690 101.7976 0053962 19.3491 340.9757 14.86412530510933
0 XW-2A
1 40903U 15049E   23112.43632650 .18814400 25108-5 15498-3 0 9990
2 40903 97.0819 181.5568 0011783 175.5276 309.8044 16.51931608427640
0 IO-86
1 40931U 15052B   23136.42664755 .00001385 00000-0 10212-3 0 9990
2 40931   5.9994 313.3055 0012612 207.8826 152.0758 14.77207530412652
0 CAS-4B
1 42759U 17034B   23136.54308830 .00011311 00000-0 57302-3 0 9995
2 42759 43.0169 291.5317 0011851 260.5355 213.7836 15.16934914326837
0 CAS-4A
1 42761U 17034D   23136.55384029 .00010025 00000-0 50879-3 0 9996
2 42761 43.0170 290.0061 0012749 261.4581 182.6380 15.16961656326842
0 AO-91
1 43017U 17073E   23136.19848801 .00004977 00000-0 35177-3 0 9990
2 43017 97.6355 21.8068 0234927 174.4975 185.8910 14.85669125296434
0 PO-101
1 43678U 18084H   23136.42907067 .00002585 00000-0 25218-3 0 9990
2 43678 98.0172 279.7695 0008093 265.7027 94.3280 14.93332130247526
0 QO-100
1 43700U 18090A   23136.54016749 .00000141 00000-0 00000-0 0 9999
2 43700   0.0133 278.1269 0001497 171.6154   4.5073 1.00273319 16376
0 JO-97
1 43803U 18099AX 23136.10939235 .00005790 00000-0 46367-3 0 9992
2 43803 97.5699 199.5112 0011904 203.6340 156.4338 15.00478844242881
0 CAS-6
1 44881U 19093C   23136.43920401 .00001462 00000-0 18849-3 0 9991
2 44881 97.8611 215.4306 0014731 176.1690 183.9629 14.82468267184094
0 RS-44
1 44909U 19096E   23136.16758740 .00000030 00000-0 82785-4 0 9991
2 44909 82.5246   9.2254 0216324 261.8331 95.8183 12.79720568158060
0 XW-3
1 50466U 21131B   23136.53018476 .00000626 00000-0 21787-3 0 9990
2 50466 98.5515 218.1743 0003484 220.3311 139.7618 14.38880778 72809
0 IO-117
1 53106U 22080B   23130.54224914 -.00000003 00000-0 00000-0 0 9991
2 53106 70.1661 332.8054 0008272 193.3243 166.7199 6.42557278 19338
0 FO-118
1 54684U 22167C   23136.56801736 .00014179 00000-0 79561-3 0 9999
2 54684 97.5573 274.3867 0014856 86.0717 45.5097 15.13370592 23893

Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW.

The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Friday, May 19, 2023, at 2330z on Baudot and BPSK31.

DX Bulletin 20 ARLD020
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 18, 2023
To all radio amateurs

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by AB2E, W2GD, The Daily DX, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

MALDIVES, 8Q. Vincent, HB9VCJ will be QRV as 8Q7VJ from Lhaviyani Atoll, IOTA AS-013, from May 20 to June 4. Activity will be on 40 to 6 meters using SSB. QSL to home call.

QATAR, A7. Anton, RN1B is QRV as A71/RN1B and is here for several weeks. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via RW3RN.

ARMENIA, EK. Abie, AB1F is QRV as EK/AB1F from Stepanavan, Lori Marz. Activity is on 20, 15, and 10 meters, and possibly on 80 and 40 meters using SSB. QSL via LoTW.

FRENCH POLYNESIA, FO. Didier, F6BCW is QRV as FO/F6BCW from Huahine Island, IOTA OC-067, until October 25. Activity is on 80 to 6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via F6EXV.

NORTHERN IRELAND, GI. Members of the North West Group ARC are QRV with special event station GB0AEL until May 26 to commemorate the 91st anniversary of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight. QSL via MI0HOZ.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA, HL. Hojoong, DS1TUW is QRV as DS1TUW/p from National Marine Park, POTA HL-0004, until May 21. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using CW with some SSB. QSL via LoTW.

GUINEA BISSAU, J5. Carlos, CT2GQA is QRV as J5JUA until the end of May. Activity is on 15 to 10 meters using mostly FT8. QSL to home call.

MARKET REEF, OJ0. Look for operators LA1UW, LA3WAA, LB5SH, and LB0VG to be QRV as OJ0/homecalls from May 20 to 27. Activity will be on 80 to 4 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8 with three stations active. QSL to home calls.

FAROE ISLANDS, OY. Alberto, IW1PRT plans to be QRV as OY/IW1PRT from May 22 to 25. Activity will be in his spare time on 12 and 10 meters using SSB, FM, and FT8. QSL vis LoTW.

ARUBA, P4. John, W2GD will be QRV as P40W from May 23 to 30. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW. This includes being an entry in the upcoming CQ World Wide WPX CW contest as a Single Op/All Band entry. QSL via N2MM.

MARSHALL ISLANDS, V7. Bob, N7XR is QRV as V7/N7XR from Kwajalein, IOTA OC-028, and is here until the end of June. Activity is in his spare time on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. QSL via LoTW.

ANGUILLA, VP2E. Rich, KE1B and Anna, W6NN will be QRV as VP2EAQ and VP2EAR, respectively, from May 25 to June 1. Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. This includes being an entry as VP2EAQ in the upcoming CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. QSL via LoTW.

BERMUDA, VP9. Darrell, AB2E will be QRV as AB2E/VP9 from May 24 to 29. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters, with a focus on 30, 17, and 12 meters, using CW, SSB, and FT8. This includes being an entry in the upcoming CQ World Wide WPX CW contest as a Low Power entry. QSL via LoTW.

INDONESIA, YB. Huzen, YE3BYE is QRV as YE3BYE/p from Gili Ketapang Island, IOTA OC-027, until May 21. Activity is on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters using SSB. QSL direct to home call.

SOUTH SUDAN, Z8. Diya, YI1DZ is QRV as Z81D from Juba. Activity is in his spare time on 40 to 6 meters, and possibly 80 and 60 meters, using SSB and FT8. QSL via OM3JW.

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The NCCC RTTY Sprint, NCCC CW Sprint, K1USN Slow Speed CW Test, SARL VHF/UHF Digital Contest, UN DX Contest, NZART Sangster Shield 80-Meter CW Contest, His Majesty King of Spain CW Contest, EU PSK DX Contest, Arkansas QSO Party, Feld Hell Sprint, Baltic 80-Meter Contest and the FISTS Sunday CW Sprint are scheduled for this upcoming weekend.

The Run for the Bacon QRP CW Contest, QRP ARCI Hootowl CW Sprint, K1USN Slow Speed CW Test, ICWC Medium Speed CW Test, OK1WC CW Memorial, RSGB FT4 Contest, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, SKCC CW Sprint, Phone Weekly Test, A1Club AWT, CWops Test, Mini-Test 40 and the Mini-Test 80 are all on tap for May 22 to 24.

Please see May QST, page 73, and the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest web sites for details.

"Today, we are excited to announce Blue Origin will build a human landing system as NASA's second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface"

said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "We are in a golden age of human spaceflight, which is made possible by NASA's commercial and international partnerships.

Together we are making an investment in the infrastructure that will pave the way to land the first astronauts on Mars"

ITU-R WRC-23 Agenda Item 9.1b: Measures to be applied in the frequency band 1240-1300 MHz to ensure the protection of the radionavigation-satellite service (RNSS) in accordance with Resolution-774.

Although the Coronation itself has taken place, our Coronation activities run until the end of June 2023.

After serving for nine years, the RSGB Trophy Manager is retiring and so we are looking for a new volunteer for this role.

If you are interested in applying for the role or would like to find out more, please email gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk.

Please send a photo and a brief story to comms@rsgb.org.uk by Monday, 22 May 2023.

The following is a QST. Hams in the Caribbean gear up for storm season. Amateurs help a woman in India reconnect with her family -- and the ARRL offers US hams assistance in evaluating their RF emissions. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2376 comes your way right now.

Our top story takes us to the Caribbean, where hams await the storm season ahead with formal training and an emerging disaster response network. John Williams VK4JJW brings us those details.

With the approach of this year's hurricane season in the Caribbean region, emergency training exercises have got underway again for amateurs in the Youlou Radio Movement/Rainbow Radio League in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

As always, amateurs will be relying largely on HF communications because the mountainous terrain of the islands in the region provides challenges for successful VHF signal paths. Youlou has been in the process of growing its emergency network and now has 10 stations based on the main island, including one near the airport.

The league's director, Donald de Riggs, J88CD, told local media outlets that the hams are closer than ever to creating the island-wide HF emergency network they have long envisioned. They are also looking to support a more robust maritime rescue and air response network for disasters throughout the region.

New equipment has been donated and one of their biggest benefactors has been Australia-based Barrett Communications. The most recent of three shipments from that company arrived in February, bringing SDR transceivers and sturdy antennas, hopefully capable of surviving the coming season of storms.

This is John Willliams VK4JJW.

(THE VINCENTIAN, AIR FORCE TECHNOLOGY)

It took 10 years for a woman in India to find her way back to the family she left behind when she married. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us how hams assisted her in her journey.

An early marriage and separation from her family kept Rubina Begum apart from her family in Bengal for more than a decade. With the help of police and the West Bengal Radio Club, the relatives have found one another again.

According to reports in the Times of India and the Millennium Post, the National Commission for Women, a government entity that advocates for women, had been trying to assist her in tracing the family she had lost touch with after marrying into a Kashmiri family at the age of 14. The media reports said that the woman, who is now 24 years old, was originally brought to the Baramulla sector in Jammu and Kashmir to be married because her father was unable to bear the expense of raising four children at home.

The woman's brother, Hassan Ali Sheikh, told the Times of India that in the ensuing years they believed she was lost to them forever. But he spoke with her, at long last, on Wednesday, May 3rd, after the women's commission contacted state police who reached out to the hams in West Bengal. The club has a long track record of facilitating such reunions. After contacting the woman with the phone number provided, club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, reached out to a colleague proficient in Hindi and Kashmiri and details of her story finally emerged. Her brother is expected to travel and bring her home to Bengal soon to be with the family she has missed so much.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(TIMES OF INDIA, MILLENNIUM POST)

If you haven't already checked your station to evaluate its compliance on RF exposure, the ARRL is offering some help. Dave Parks WB8ODF has that story.

The ARRL has reminded amateurs in the United States that it is making its resources available to help licensees comply with FCC rules on RF exposure limits. Those limits went into effect in 2021 and a two-year transition period was granted to permit hams to conduct evaluations and make necessary changes for stations that do not conform to the exposure rules.

The ARRL issued its reminder to hams just as the transition period ended on May 3rd. Hams are not exempt from conducting such evaluations even if they transmit at very low power.

The league's resources include a video about RF exposure and evaluation; an RF exposure calculator and an RF safety section excerpted from the ARRL Handbook.

Perhaps most importantly, the league is encouraging all hams to make use of these resources whether or not they belong to the ARRL or have established a website account.

Visit arrl.org for more details.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(ARRL)

This year's Dave Kalter Memorial Youth Adventure has been cancelled. Organizers at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association said there was insufficient time for the kind of planning that would have allowed everyone to obtain their necessary passports. No other details were immediately available and there was no indication when the next trip would be scheduled. This year's DX adventure was to have taken place in Curacao.

The annual trip, which has brought young amateurs to the Dutch Caribbean, Costa Rica and Curacao, is named in memory of Dave, KB8OCP, who became a Silent Key in November of 2013.

(DARA)

A popular, lively voice in amateur radio in Argentina has become a Silent Key. We learn more about her from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

In the final year of her life Azucena Albarracin, LU9OY, was no longer able to be on the air -- but until then, the 95-year-old was a well-known and well-recognised voice in her home country of Argentina, as well as in Chile and Uruguay. She became a Silent Key on Thursday, the 13th of April at her home.

According to a news article in the YL Beam newsletter, she was an almost constant presence on the air during the last 50 years and many heard her exchanging greetings and information on 20 meters. Her introduction to amateur radio came during the early 1960s and she embraced operating on AM. She and another amateur Nelly Lopez, LU5OX, now a Silent Key, were considered pioneers in being the first women amateurs in the region. By the time she retired as a teacher, she had become a major presence on sideband where she was well-respected as an operator.

According to the news article, her 90th birthday was a great occasion inspiring amateurs who had worked her from DX locations to travel and attend the celebration.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB

(YL BEAM)

AMSAT supporters who are deepening their commitment to amateur radio in space by joining the President's Club have a special commemorative coin that says "thank you." We hear more from Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

The AMSAT President's Club has released its commemorative coins for 2023, with this year's coin marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of the AMSAT OSCAR 10 satellite. The German amateur radio microsatellite took to the sky from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 1 rocket on June 16th, 1983. According to the AMSAT-DL website, the star-shaped satellite had an elliptical orbit that made it possible for radio communications of several hours' duration to take place around the world.

Members of the AMSAT President's Club will be receiving the coin along with other recognition, including mention in the AMSAT Journal. The President's Club is an annual membership organization and each year’s 2-inch metal coin honors a different OSCAR satellite.

Visit amsat.org and look for details about the President's Club.

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

This week, in our occasional series, Nets of Note, Newsline takes a look at one net that provides an opportunity for all licensed hams anywhere in the world to learn more about APRS. Patrick Clark K8TAC has that story.

For one very enthusiastic group of amateurs worldwide, every Thursday is net day. Check-in time on that day between 0000 and 2359 UTC and ensures that every amateur will receive all APRS net traffic from any stations checking in during the 24-hour period that follows their own check-in.

Organizers call it APRS Thursday and it's been going strong since December of last year. The net is conducted over the Announcement server service of KJ4ERJ and it is managed by Michael KC8OWL and Angelo DU2XXR/N2RAC. Angelo, in the Philippines, is also the net manager of a separate net, known as the APRSPH net.

Both Michael and Angelo hope that the Thursday check-ins will increase familiarity with APRS for hams and grow this kind of message activity around the world.

If you're curious about APRS or want to learn more, you can email Michael at kc8owl@yahoo.com

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

(APRS NET)

The deadline is coming up fast for a chance to nominate your choice for Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year award. Candidates must reside in the continental United States and be a licensed ham 18 years of age or younger. We are looking for someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find application forms on our website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.

The numbers just keep growing into the tens of thousands in the Internet Archive’s Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications. Jack Parker W8ISH gives us those details.

It's a virtual bookshelf of radio that seems to go on into infinity: The addition of new documents from the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club in Alaska, the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society and the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association in Colorado has expanded a digital collection of shortwave and amateur radio history to more than 75,000 items. This is the work-in-progress known as the DLARC Radio Library. The library also contains more than two dozen episodes of the RAIN Report that were believed to have been lost. Yes, you will also find archived newscasts from Amateur Radio Newsline.

Program manager of special collections Kay Savetz, K6KJN, said the most recent additions include recorded presentations and talks, including those from the MicroHams Digital Conference and the Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee, known as RATPAC. The library is especially pleased to have added episodes of International Radio Report dating back 23 years. The collection also features Continent of Media, which focuses on the range of media throughout the American Continent.

Many amateur clubs' newsletters which were never posted online before are now available and are full text-searchable and available for download. The library, which was created with a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications, is always looking for new material to add to the collection. See the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

[VISIT THE LIBRARY AT https://archive.org/details/dlarc ]

(KAY SAVETZ, K6KJN)

Congratulations to Ohio's new amateur radio museum. It's the Waller-McMunn Museum in Cambridge that has opened to visitors in a restored radio station building after years of work by volunteers assembling the collection of ham radio gear and related items. The museum is the pride of the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association, W8VP. The name of the museum honors Homer McMunn who built the first radio receiver in Cambridge in 1912; it also pays tribute to his brother-in-law, Roy Waller who is credited with being the first to copy signals from a US Navy station operating in Arlington, Virginia that year. The two men were known as experimenters who built receivers and transmitters and operated a wireless station in town. Their enthusiasm eventually led to the creation of the Wireless Association of Cambridge.

(THE DAILY JEFFERSONIAN, GYPSY ROAD TRIP.COM)

Researchers in the United States have created thinner, denser computer chips with big possibilities. We learn more from Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

Denser and more powerful computer chips may soon be possible thanks to findings in a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Researchers there have developed a means of working with 2D materials so slender that they are no more than three atoms thick. By layering them atop a fully fabricated silicon chip, they are able to create a denser integration.

According to the MIT news website, this low-temperature growth and fabrication technology does not result in damage to the chip. Damage was a major concern during previous attempts to achieve this integration atop a silicon CMOS wafer because the process customarily requires temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius. Temperatures above 400 degrees Celsius could cause the transisitors and circuits to break down.

The news website also reported that this technology reduces the growth and integration process on an 8-inch wafer from more than a day to less than an hour. A shortened growth time is seen by researchers as particularly attractive for industrial fabrications because of its efficiency.

Researchers also said they want to explore use of this process for such flexible surfaces as textiles, polymers or papers, raising the prospect of integrating semiconductors into clothing, paper notebooks and other everyday items.

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(MIT)

Saturday 13th May 2023

In the world of DX, be listening for Harold, DF2WO, on the air as 9X2AW from Rwanda until the 15th of May. Harold will be using CW, SSB and the digital modes on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL via MØOXO's OQRS.

Look for Pete M1PTR, Tom MØDCG and Kieron M5KJM on the air from Great Basket Island, IOTA Number EU-007, using the callsign EJ6KP/p until the 18th of May. They are using SSB on the HF bands during local daylight hours. Check QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Giorgio, IU5HWS, using the callsign 5UA99WS from Niger until the 15th of June. He will be on 40 through 10 metres using FT8 and SSB. QSL via LoTW, or via EA5GL.

You have until May 31st to log the special event callsign VI2Ø23HRH in Australia. Members of the Wireless Institute of Australia are calling QRZ with that call, through the end of the month, to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III of England. QSL via the operator's instructions.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

Saturday 13th May 2023

OK, grab a cup of hot coffee for this week's final story. Sit back and let's listen to Randy Sly W4XJ.

For many of us there’s nothing better than working DX or calling CQ in a contest while sipping on a fresh hot cup of coffee. But what if that coffee was known as “Ham Shack House Blend,” “Key Up Cowboy,” or “Morse Code Mocha?”

Steve Eilers, W3BIZ, believes we can have our ham radio and drink it too! Early in 2023, Steve began the Homebrew Coffee Company, combining his love for coffee with his love for ham radio. This coffee is not someone else's brand that he re-labeled but his own original coffee blends that are roasted and shipped the same day -- no matter the propagation. He is an entrepreneur who takes his business seriously:

"We source our beans from Bali, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, you name it… Ethically sourced beans, fair trade… that’s a huge thing for me, is to make sure we’re doing it right. These people are getting compensated for their farms and everything’s fair…."

His blends are made to resonate with a variety of tastes, from a donut shop style to a dark Italian roast or something with a french vanilla or mocha flavor. All these and more await you at homebrewcoffee.com

When he’s not making coffee, you can find Steve hunting POTA, chasing DX, rag chewing or operating SKYWARN and ARES in Kent County, Michigan -- and of course, drinking coffee.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ

Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would be interested in? We are not talking about advertising your club's upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it, we'll get back to you for more details.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Air Force Technology; MSAT News Service; the APRS Net; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN.COM; Dave Altman, KO4YLZ; David Behar K7DB; The Daily Jeffersonian; 425 DX News; GypsyRoadTrip.com; the IEEE Spectrum; Kay Savetz, K6KJN; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Millennium Post; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; the Times of India; the Vincentian; the YL Beam; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

Keplerian Bulletin 35 ARLK035
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT May 12, 2023
To all radio amateurs

Saturday 13th May 2023

Special thanks to AMSAT-NA (AMSAT.ORG) for the following Keplerian data.

Decode 2-line elsets with the following key:
1 AAAAAU 00 0 0 BBBBB.BBBBBBBB .CCCCCCCC 00000-0 00000-0 0 DDDZ
2 AAAAA EEE.EEEE FFF.FFFF GGGGGGG HHH.HHHH III.IIII JJ.JJJJJJJJKKKKKZ
KEY: A-CATALOGNUM B-EPOCHTIME C-DECAY D-ELSETNUM E-INCLINATION F-RAAN
G-ECCENTRICITY H-ARGPERIGEE I-MNANOM J-MNMOTION K-ORBITNUM Z-CHECKSUM

0 AO-07
1 07530U 74089B   23132.19803453 -.00000019 00000-0 16719-3 0 9995
2 07530 101.9461 118.6344 0012503 131.1528 294.9669 12.53664042218669
0 ISS
1 25544U 98067A   23132.42640824 .00014922 00000-0 26744-3 0 9995
2 25544 51.6400 145.7781 0006355 339.7698 124.4230 15.50147384396243
0 SO-50
1 27607U 02058C   23132.28623884 .00001515 00000-0 22443-3 0 9999
2 27607 64.5559 14.9868 0072177 231.8303 127.6284 14.77207108 96921
0 AO-73
1 39444U 13066AE 23131.84645901 .00007912 00000-0 87915-3 0 9999
2 39444 97.6694 97.3154 0054489 34.5062 325.9672 14.86355253510244
0 XW-2A
1 40903U 15049E   23112.43632650 .18814400 25108-5 15498-3 0 9990
2 40903 97.0819 181.5568 0011783 175.5276 309.8044 16.51931608427640
0 IO-86
1 40931U 15052B   23132.37572076 .00001435 00000-0 10915-3 0 9990
2 40931   6.0005 342.1939 0012493 146.0485 214.0525 14.77201543412053
0 CAS-4B
1 42759U 17034B   23132.52290049 .00011134 00000-0 56590-3 0 9992
2 42759 43.0181 313.8556 0011099 238.8141 216.5264 15.16840374326224
0 CAS-4A
1 42761U 17034D   23132.47296751 .00010662 00000-0 54166-3 0 9997
2 42761 43.0166 312.6716 0012214 237.9524 214.9387 15.16878882326223
0 AO-91
1 43017U 17073E   23132.42665102 .00007378 00000-0 52028-3 0 9995
2 43017 97.6347 18.1845 0234674 186.9332 172.8622 14.85621048295876
0 PO-101
1 43678U 18084H   23132.34170816 .00001904 00000-0 18740-3 0 9997
2 43678 98.0165 275.6021 0008215 282.3283 77.7034 14.93306952246918
0 QO-100
1 43700U 18090A   23132.31065840 .00000139 00000-0 00000-0 0 9993
2 43700   0.0022 103.2214 0001607 340.0920 284.1317 1.00271608 16328
0 JO-97
1 43803U 18099AX 23132.17478379 .00007079 00000-0 56659-3 0 9999
2 43803 97.5695 195.6806 0011748 219.3348 140.7023 15.00427367242298
0 CAS-6
1 44881U 19093C   23132.45690048 .00001427 00000-0 18421-3 0 9997
2 44881 97.8611 211.5163 0014289 189.4023 170.6945 14.82455928183506
0 RS-44
1 44909U 19096E   23132.18031426 .00000013 00000-0 14418-4 0 9993
2 44909 82.5250 11.8745 0216317 271.2084 86.4245 12.79720481157553
0 XW-3
1 50466U 21131B   23132.42740378 .00000829 00000-0 28385-3 0 9993
2 50466 98.5515 214.0845 0003274 235.4958 124.5920 14.38874852 72217
0 IO-117
1 53106U 22080B   23130.54224914 -.00000003 00000-0 00000-0 0 9991
2 53106 70.1661 332.8054 0008272 193.3243 166.7199 6.42557278 19338
0 FO-118
1 54684U 22167C   23132.52225442 .00015224 00000-0 85659-3 0 9992
2 54684 97.5569 270.3756 0014777 98.8948 325.5982 15.13256881 23281

Keplerian bulletins are transmitted twice weekly from W1AW.

The next scheduled transmission of these data will be Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 2330z on Baudot and BPSK31.

DX Bulletin 19 ARLD019
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT May 11, 2023
To all radio amateurs

This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by The Daily DX, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

KENYA, 5Z. Vladimir, UA4WHX is currently QRV as 5Z4/UA4WHX. Activity is on the HF bands. His length of stay is unknown. QSL to home call.

WEST MALAYSIA, 9M2. Team 9M4KI is QRV from Pulau Songsong Island, IOTA AS-058, until May 14. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using SSB. QSL via 9M2YGF.

RWANDA, 9X. Harald, DF2WO is QRV as 9X2AW until May 15. Activity is on 40 to 6 meters using CW and FT8. QSL via M0OXO.

PHILIPPINES, DU. Look for DV1ODC to be QRV on May 14 from the Makiling Forest Reserve Laguan Park, DU-0036. Activity will be on 40 and 15 meters using SSB. QSL via bureau.

ARMENIA, EK. Abie, AB1F is QRV as EK/AB1F from Stepanavan, Lori Marz. Activity is on 20, 15, and 10 meters, and possibly on 80 and 40 meters using SSB. QSL via LoTW.

POLYNESIA, FO. Didier, F6BCW is QRV as FO/F6BCW from Huahine Island, IOTA OC-067, until October 25. Activity is on 80 to 6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via F6EXV.

LIECHTENSTEIN, HB0. Look for stations HB0/PH0NO/p, HB0/PE5TT/p, and HB0/PD7YY/p to be QRV on May 13 and 14 from at least four different nature reserves. Activity will be on 80 to 6 meters using CW with two stations active. QSL via bureau.

GUINEA BISSAU, J5. Carlos, CT2GQA is QRV as J5JUA until the end of May. Activity is on 15 to 10 meters using mostly FT8. QSL to home call.

BELGIUM, ON. Members of UBA Mechelen are QRV with special event station OS23SOM until May 31 in celebration of the Special Olympics Belgium's annual National Games being held this year in Mechelen. QSL via OQRS.

NETHERLANDS, PA. Special event call signs PA100K, PA100M, and PA100PCG are QRV until June 30 to commemorate the two-way telegraph service that started up from Radio Malabar to Radio Kootwijk. QSL via bureau.

PALAU, T8. Operators JA6EGL and JH6HZH are QRV as T88SM and T88ZH, respectively, from Koror Island, IOTA OC-009, until May 17. QSL to home calls.

AUSTRALIA, VK. Members of the Wireless Institute of Australia are QRV with special event call sign VI2023HRH until May 31 to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. QSL via operator's instructions.

INDONESIA, YB. Special event station 8A100K is QRV until May 13 to commemorate the 100 years of long-range telegraph communications in the Netherlands. QSL via operators' instructions.

GIBRALTAR, ZB. Special event station ZQ2HRH is QRV until May 31 to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III. QSL only direct, see QRZ.com .

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The NCCC RTTY Sprint, NCCC CW Sprint, K1USN Slow Speed CW Test, Portuguese Navy Day Contest/CT1DBS Memorial, VOLTA World Wide RTTY Contest, CQ-M International DX Contest, SKCC Weekend CW Sprintathon, FISTS Saturday CW Sprint, Canadian Prairies QSO Party and the 50 MHz Spring Sprint are scheduled for this upcoming weekend.

The 4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint, K1USN Slow Speed CW Test, ICWC Medium Speed CW Test, OK1WC CW Memorial, Worldwide Sideband Activity Contest, Phone Weekly Test, A1Club AWT, CWops Test, VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, Mini-Test 40, Mini-Test 80 and the RSGB 80-Meter Club Data Championship are all on tap for May 15 to 17.

Please see May QST, page 73, and the ARRL and WA7BNM Contest web sites for details.

This page will be regularly updated to reflect Club News and Activities and both UK and World News Items deemed to be of interest to members. If you have an announcement which you think would interest Club members and would like it mentioned here, please send details to:- webmaster@wadarc.com