Continue reading »]]> Last week the ARRL Letter and Web page
reported:
“After much testing, the ARRL will release a new version of
Trusted QSL, the open-source development project responsible for developing and maintaining the three Logbook of the World (LoTW) client-side applications: TQSL, TQSLCert and the TrustedQSL library.

“After
six weeks of public beta testing, version 1.14 is ready for official
release and will be available for download from the ARRL website beginning
Monday, May 20th.”

For details on improvements, see:
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-announces-new-version-of-LoTW-software

However, on May 21st, the League reported that they found three defects
in the software:
•Incorrect behavior when the user specifies the wrong ITU zone
•Incorrect behavior when TQSL is invoked via command line without
the –l switch present
•Incorrect behavior when processing an ADIF file containing duplicate
QSOs when TQSL is running on MacOS

These defects have been corrected, but they must test the corrected
version before publicly releasing it. Expect the public release within
the next 10 days (by the end of the month).

For more details and the
download for the fixed version, go to:
http://www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world

Continue reading »]]> A Small Satellite Developer Workshop featuring Amateur Radio is taking place July 8-13 in Chennai, India

The amateur radio segment is being conducted by the National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR).

Other topics include
• Software Designed Receiver
• Basics of Spacecraft Technology
• Team Design Project

Further details at
http://www.spaceschool.co.in/

Dhruva Space on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/DhruvaSpace

Continue reading »]]> In an article about solar storms the Deccan Chronicle talks to radio amateur K. Rajesh VU3RGK

He tracks solar storms on a regular basis, and is quoted as saying that solar storm block radio signals and as airline pilots still use high frequency (HF) radio signals for communication with air traffic controllers solar storms would turn out to be a great threat for their contact with ground station during the flight.

“But the current solar storm is not directed towards Earth so we hope it would not cause any big impact on the communication and power networks, but if the storm continues two more days we cannot rule out the possibility of a black out,” he adds.

Read the Deccan Chronicle story at
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130524/news-current-affairs/article/solar-storm-not-immediate-threat

Continue reading »]]> Hello DXers all over the world! This time I
am not announcing a new DXpedition (don’t worry, the planning for the next
one has already started). This time I want to call your attention to a
campaign a colleague of mine (Tobias Höher) and me initiated.

We are going to participate in the Dodentocht
which takes place on August 9th, 2013, around the city of Bornem in Belgium. The Dodentocht is a 100 km hike which has to be finished by foot in minimum
10 and maximum 24 hours.

100 km or 24 hours can get very long, and we will have definitely our
lows. So we decided to find as many supporters as possible, who are willing
to donate a pre-determined amount of money for every commenced kilometer.
These donations will go 100% to the Kinderkrebshilfe Berchtesgadener Land
und Traunstein e.V. (Children’s Cancer Aid), an incorporated society with
a lot of voluntary helpers. They are giving advise, help and financial
support not only to children having cancer but also to children and
teenagers whose parents suffer from cancer or already died as a result
of cancer.

What has it to do with DXing? — At first glance nothing. I will not
carry any radio with me giving out ON / Belgium to the deserving. At
second glance maybe. Going on a DXpedition is not only taking a plane
or boat, going to a remote place, sit there and work pile-ups. The work
to around it (carrying equipment, building antennas and stations and
even sitting in front of the radio with 45 °C inside the tent) can be
physically demanding. So if you don’t want to fail, you have to be fit.
And my way to stay fit is: Walking.

What can you do? — You may come to Belgium. We still need some cheer-leaders for the second 50 km But mainly you should support our campaign
with your donations. The most interesting way is to make your donation
dependent on how far we will go at the Dodentocht.
Just go to http://www.100-km.org/ and learn more about our campaign and
register to commit your willingsness to donate.

Thank you very much for your support! ….

73
Chris DL1MGB

OPDX

Continue reading »]]> The SEBA-3 amateur radio balloon with a 29.494 MHz RTTY transmitter launches May 25, other balloons with 434 MHz transmitters are also launching this weekend

One of the 434 MHz balloons will have live video streaming of the launch and from the chase car via the British Amateur TV Club website at http://www.batc.tv/ (select “Live Events” then UKHAS Balloon Launches).

The IARU Region 1 website announcement regarding SEBA-3 says:

On Saturday May 25 at 1000 UT (1100 BST), the team from the club SP9PDF – directed by Tomasz, SP9UOB – will conduct another experiment of flight of an unmanned stratospheric balloon.

The balloon, with the code name SEBA-3, will start from the place of the nationwide amateur radio picnic named “ŁOŚ” (long.: 18.6689 E, lat.: 51.0399 N, QTH locator: JO91IA).

A telemetry transmitter with 500mW power, placed in the capsule of the balloon, will operate on RTTY 50 baud on 29.494 MHz USB with the shift 240 Hz, 7N2. ATV transmission from the camera in the capsule of the balloon is also planned.

Detailed instructions in English for configuring the software are available on the website: http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide

We invite everyone to follow the flight through listening to the tracker, or to visit the website: http://spacenear.us/

•  •  •

Among the 434 MHz balloons launching this weekend are:

– PIE launching on Sunday from Brightwalton with live streaming of launch and from the chase car at http://www.batc.tv/
The PIE balloon will be transmitting images using Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV)
Callsign: PIE
Frequency: 434.075 MHz and 434.650 MHz 600Hz shift 600 Baud 8 bits no parity 2 stop bits

– BABSHAB from Great Tew, Oxfordshire
Exact location: Within 500m radius around latitude 51.956468, Longitude -1.416999
Callsign: BABSHAB
Frequency: 434.075 MHz RTTY 450 shift 50 Baud 7 ascii bpc No parity and 2 stop bits.

Tracking site
http://spacenear.us/

Slow Scan Digital Video (SSDV) Guide
http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:ssdv

The free balloon software dl-fldigi can decode many different amateur radio digital modes, download Windows, Mac or Ubuntu Linux versions at
http://wiki.ukhas.org.uk/projects:dl-fldigi

To get details of upcoming balloon launches subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address:
ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Continue reading »]]> The Dorset Echo reports Police are appealing for witness to an alleged incident involving a van with a large amateur radio aerial.

The newspaper says a 35-year-old Portland man has been arrested after an alleged road rage incident at 6pm on Thursday, May 16, which involved a white VW transporter van.

Read the story at 
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10431274.
Police_appeal_after_alleged_road_rage_on_Portland/