The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.
British Columbia Radio Amateur Copies Signal from Mars-Orbiting Satellite 02/17/2021
As reported on
Spaceweather.com, Canadian radio amateur Scott Tilley, VE7TIL, has snagged another signal from deep space. His latest conquest has been to copy the signal from China’s
Tianwen-1 (pronounced “tee-EN-ven”) probe, which went into orbit around Mars on February 10. Tilley told Spaceweather.com that the probe’s X-band signal was “loud and audible.”
“It was a treasure hunt,” Tilley told Spaceweather.com. He explained that while the spacecraft did post its frequency with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it was too vague for precise tuning (X band is between 8 GHz and 12 GHz).
Innovator Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, Donates Sophisticated Vector Signal Generator to ARRL 02/18/2021
ARRL Life Member Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, has donated a
Rohde & Schwarz SMBV100A vector signal generator to the ARRL Laboratory. The device offers internal signal generation for all major digital radio standards. “That is absolutely fabulous news and extremely generous,” ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, told Rohde.
ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, said the instrument will be a valuable addition to the Lab’s testing capabilities.
“We will be able to do more comprehensive tests on modern radios, almost all of which use software-define radio technology,” Hare said. “We will also be able to add testing of receiver’s digital capability. The flexibility of this generator will serve the Laboratory for years to come.”
ARES Volunteers Reported Responding to Severe Weather 02/16/2021
Weather gone wild might be an apt description of the conditions in many parts of the US, with sub-freezing temperatures in areas not prepared for that sort of thing. Aberrant weather seems to be happening across many US regions. Snow has fallen in Texas and Oklahoma, accompanied by record-setting temperature readings.
The severe weather has caused power and telecommunications outages, and ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in southern Texas have been called up by served agencies to help fill the resulting communication gap. The National Weather Service (NWS) says a weather system will help to create a new wave of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico that will become the next winter storm to track across the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
Fall DXpedition to Willis Island Set, Outing to Mellish Reef Postponed 02/16/2021
The Daily DX reports that a team from the Hellenic Amateur Radio Association of Australia (
HARAOA) is planning a November 3 – 13 DXpedition to Willis Island, which ranks #38 on Club Log’s
Most Wanted List. The group has put off plans to include a stint from Mellish Reef, last activated in 2017. “With time away from jobs a consideration for the ops, Mellish is being put off to 2022,” said team leader John Chalkiarakis, VK3YP.
The seven operators for this fall’s DXpedition will be from Australia and New Zealand. They’re in the process of obtaining a permit from Parks Australia, which is “required to ‘camp’ at these Australian Coral Sea marine parks.”