KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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Amateur radio in the news: Eugene woman wants to bounce signals off the moon, Morse Code making a comeback with kids, can amateur radio help with climate change?

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This is a great story that shows you don’t have to be a tech nerd to appreciate amateur radio….Dan

On The Air: An unlikely conversion puts a Eugene woman in touch with a new world

I want to touch the moon.

OK, not actually. Not a hand-print-in-moon-dust kind of touch. I want to use the moon to bounce a radio signal from me to someone in Switzerland.

Up until a year ago, I didn’t know this was a thing that could be done, and I had no idea that I would want to do it. Then I got an amateur radio license, also known as ham radio. Now I am on a steep learning curve in the art and practice of ham.

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Also check out the sidebar, “Using Morse Code can improve your brain health, study reveals.”

Morse Code is making a comeback!

Forget TikTok and Instagram – children and teenagers want to learn Morse Code!

Despite being created 180 years ago and not being a requirement for amateur radio operators to learn since 1990, it has been kept alive by radio enthusiasts – and now more young people are getting involved.

A combination of pandemic lockdowns forcing youngsters to learn something new, and the use of Morse Code by popular K-Pop bands, has led to ‘a renaissance’ in teens wanting to learn the once groundbreaking form of communication.

From five-year-olds to 99-year-old war veterans, people all over the world are tapping in to communicate with others on the radio.

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Climate change is affecting telecommunications infrastructure. Ham radio might be able to help

As Atlantic Canada gears up for another hurricane season after a year of unprecedented disasters linked to climate change — including post-tropical storm Fiona last September — amateur radio operators say a simple technology can play a part in the response to disasters across the region.

When Fiona hit Nova Scotia, it affected electrical grids and telecommunications networks, leaving some people unable to call for help. That experience in particular prompted a renewed interest in amateur radio — also known as ham radio — which allows non-professional users to send messages without requiring the internet or cell phone networks.

“I think it’s kind of an unsung hero in communications that gets forgotten in the noise of disaster when it comes to, ‘Well, how do we get that message out?'” said John Bignell, president of the Halifax Amateur Radio Club.

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Amateur radio in the news: ARISS reaches students in the Middle East, amateur radio part of Taiwan’s civil defense, club reaches out to community

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Final ham radio session with UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi ends

Sparking imagination and firing up the spirit of exploration among UAE’s younger generation, the seventh and final ham radio session under ‘A Call from Space’ series was successfully held by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre at the Emirates Amateur Radio Society in Sharjah. The initiative was held in partnership with the Emirates Amateur Radio Society (EARS) and concluded with a 10-minute live interaction with astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Drawing in over 30 attendees at the concluding session, the ham radio series has engaged more than 500 students from various age groups, grades and schools across the UAE along with space enthusiasts throughout its previous sessions. The outreach programme was held at locations such as the MBRSC, Mushairif School, Cycle 1-Ajyal in Ajman, GEMS Wellington International School in Dubai, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, and the Emirates Amateur Radio Society in Sharjah.

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Forging Taiwan’s civil defense with airguns, ham radios, first aid training

Taipei, July 30 (CNA) Amid the threat of conflict from an increasingly assertive China or even the growing risk of a major natural disaster due to the climate crisis, civil defense in Taiwan is taking on greater importance than ever before.

Taiwan has a professional military supported by young conscripts who perform mandatory military service and national reservists to defend its territory against a possible attack by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

If war were to break out, however, Taiwanese civilians would also likely have to contribute to the war effort, and several groups have formed to prepare people for a possible conflict either as potential combatants or emergency first responders.

That preparation can take many forms, whether learning to shoot a weapon, communicate by radio, or develop first aid skills.

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This is a nice profile of the Dayton Hamvention’s 2023 Club of the Year…..Dan

Ham radio club reaches out to the community with monthly events

The Delaware Valley Radio Association hopes to be heard loud and clear during events scheduled during the month of August. Established in 1930, the all-volunteer amateur station based in Ewing is one of the oldest in the nation and has approximately 150 members.

The Delaware Valley Radio Association is the Hamvention 2023 Amateur Radio Club of the Year. Pictured above are Michael Kalter W8CI, Hamvention Awards Chair with Greg Mauro K3EA and Dom DiClementi N3DD, both past presidents of the DVRA, and Rich Freedman N2EHL, DVRA Treasurer.

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Amateur radio in the news: Halifax ARC Field Day featured on community TV, teaching a new generation, NASA interns

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Halifax ARC Field Day featured on community TV

Teaching a new generation: Amateur radio group holds summer class

The Paducah Amateur Radio Association is working toward getting the younger generation interested in ham radio operation with its new summer class.

The ham radio class has met since July 8 and will last through July 29, with lessons from 2-5 p.m. every Saturday.

There are a total of 10 participants in the class, including students aged 5-14 and their parents. The class is covering basic knowledge of ham radio, etiquette on the radio, and basic knowledge of electronics.

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Meet the NASA Interns Advancing Space Communications & Navigation

This news article features an intern who is also a radio amateur. At the end of the piece, there is information on how you or someone you know can apply for this program….Dan

This summer, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Internship Project (SIP) is hosting several students across the agency at NASA Headquarters in Washington; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. SCaN oversees the operations and advancement of NASA’s two primary communications networks – the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network – which enables spacecraft to send data to and from Earth. SCaN’s interns contribute to the development of network enhancing technologies.

Over a ten-week session, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students work with mentors to complete a summer project that furthers the agency’s capabilities while also gaining professional development experience. Interns leverage backgrounds in engineering, computer science, mathematics, marketing, writing, project management, and more to contribute to NASA’s mission and vision in a meaningful way. Three of NASA SCaN’s 80 interns are highlighted below. These students join NASA with diverse backgrounds and work on different projects – demonstrating the breadth of opportunities available through NASA internships.

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Amateur radio in the news: Field Day spurs 4th-grader’s interest, family of hams, San Benito EOC relies on ham radio

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First contact: Rising fourth-grader’s interest in ham radio bolstered by ARRL Field Day

CARTERSVILLE, GA—While her transmission lasted mere seconds, Brooklyn Colding’s first radio contact is a moment she will always treasure.

The rising fourth-grader corresponded with an amateur radio operator in New York June 24 while she was participating in American Radio Relay League’s annual Field Day. At 9, she was one of the youngest attendees at the event — presented by Cherokee Amateur Radio Society — at Rob Long Farm in Taylorsville.

“My interest started about a year ago,” Brooklyn said. “Our family friend Chad Cone, whose call sign is KY4KP, introduced me to it. He started teaching me how it works and invited my family and I to Hamfest in August of 2022. I like that I can communicate with people all over the world.”

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Communications from a family of hams

FLAGSTAFF, AZ—It was a thrill making contact with volcanic Bouvet Island, says local ham operator Bob Wertz, marking a 47-year quest and the final confirmed contact with all 340 countries and independent entities.

“Very few hams in the world have done this and I only know of eight others in Arizona that have ever contacted all 340 entities,” he said. “This is amazing to me, as there are about 22,000 Hams just in Arizona.”

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City stresses importance of EOC

SAN BENITO, TX—One might be wondering what are all those antennas atop of the City’s Municipal Building.

These are ham-radio antennas, and are the keys for providing a direct link to various federal, state, local agencies and the weather bureau on what is happening in San Benito in the event the internet goes down. Amateur radio does not depend on the internet or cell service to transmit and receive messages.

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Yet another *OTA: Scout Camps on the Air

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From K2BSA:

K2BSA has established a SCOTA committee that is currently working on an award program. Watch for an announcement by the end of 2023.

 7/3/2023

The work of the Scout Camps on the Air (SCOTA) Committee is well underway. It has been over a decade since Matt KR8E had the idea of SCOTA, the program is finally getting the necessary attention. The most recent additions to the SCOTA Committee have been three active youth Radio Scouters. Their ideas and energy have been a great addition. Currently, the Committee is working on building the database of BSA owned camps/leased and is reaching out to each council for this information. The program’s purpose is to encourage the general radio amateur population to contact Scout stations as well as encouraging station preparedness and camp to camp communications.

The program is being built around the concept of BSA owned/leased camps (SCOTA) and scout radio activities outside of BSA owned/leased camps defined as Scout Stations on the Air. (SSOTA). Each council will likely start with one SSOTA which covers all the area of a council outside of a SCOTA. Below are some of the initial thoughts around the award structure. Feedback to the committee is appreciated.

The Committee is also working with multiple social media platforms to increase awareness of SCOTA among the general amateur radio population. This will likely become a global effort and the SCOTA committee looks forward to working along with other National Scouting Organizations to develop a true World Radio Scouting program.

You can join the SCOTA IO (google group)  interest group by emailing [email protected].

Scout Camps On The Air (SCOTA) Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/scoutcamps

Scout Camps On The Air (SCOTA) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scoutcamps

Twitter: @SCOTA_k2bsa

Instagram: scota_k2bsa

The Committee is looking for help with software development.

For more information, go to https://k2bsa.net/scout-camps-on-the-air/.

We’re missing the STEM boat

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I subscribe to an email newsletter named Model D that covers community news in Detroit. The company that publishes it also publishes other email newsletters that cover similar news around the state of Michigan.

In the last issue of Model D there was an ad for the SC4 STEM Fest. I thought to myself that this kind of event would be perfect for some kind of amateur radio involvement. So, I emailed our ARRL Section Manager and asked if he might know if anyone in the amateur radio community was exhibiting at the event, and if not, what we might do in the future to find out about upcoming events and to get involved with them.

I received the following response:

Thanks for the heads up I have forwarded this to the club up in Port Huron. If they can make it great, if not we will look a little further in advance and see if any local clubs can support. It would be perfect to introduce amateur radio at this one since a former astronaut will be there.

While this is an understandable response, I think it’s missing the boat. I think that someone in the ARRL organization should be keeping on top of these things and making sure that amateur radio has a presence at them. Not only that, we need to come up with some kind of exhibit that will be engaging enough so that kids will be attracted to our hobby, and if not our hobby, electronics and communications engineering.

This is really more than a small amateur radio club can handle. An effort like this really needs to be addressed on a statewide, if not a national level. I asked our section manager what he would think about starting some kind of Michigan Section STEM Committee, but I haven’t received a reply yet.

Having said all this, here are a few questions:

  • Do you know if the ARRL has any kind of program for finding out about this kind of STEM event and any kind of exhibit that could be displayed at them? I know that the ARRL conducts the Wireless Institute, but that’s really a thing for teachers, not students.(Right after I post this, I’m going to email Steve, K5ATA, ARRL’s Education and Learning Manager about this.)
  • Have you been involved with any of these STEM programs? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
  • Is there a list of STEM events somewhere that we could consult to find upcoming events?
  • Do  you have any ideas for what kind of exhibit would be a hit with the students and/or the teachers that attend these events?

I know this is all kind of partly baked, but I think that this could be a good way to get more youth involved in amateur radio. So, I say, “Let’s get on board with STEM!”

Amateur radio in the news: 83 year old uses ham radio on solo voyage, school uses ham radio to prepare students for STEM careers

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Solo voyager Horie, 83, passes Hawaii 3 weeks into Pacific trip

HAWAII–Octogenarian Kenichi Horie, who aims to become the oldest solo voyager to cross the Pacific, passed Hawaii on April 17, a week ahead of schedule and apparently in good shape and spirit.

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Although Horie carries a satellite phone, communicating with others through a ham radio remains one of his favorite pastimes.

“March 31: I spotted a tanker on the sea’s horizon this morning for the first time since I set out. The vessel was traveling eastward. Tomorrow, I am going to use the ham radio.”

Amateur radio fans across Japan tried to communicate with Horie on April 1, with some setting up large antennas. But they could not reach him due to the poor conditions for radio wave transmission. The following day, some could.

Kenichi Horie waves on his yacht, Suntory Mermaid III, as he sails off Honolulu. (© Kenichi Horie)

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Launch into more: Gloversville school club prepares students for more than careers in STEM

GLOVERSVILLE, NY – Once a weather balloon is launched – payload attached – Gloversville Middle School science teacher Chris Murphy is behind the wheel, ready to drive to wherever the landing site might be. In the backseat are students following the airship on computers and punching in data that helps determine his directions.

The advisor for the school district’s High Altitude Achievement club has been going on these adventures with students since 2013, and ham radio operators along the route and someone at a home base help direct, too. The experience varies from a car caravan to a single vehicle, and from students on a second or third launch to their very first. The seventeenth, and most recent launch, on March 17 was, however, a first. It was the beginning of a launching era including eighth graders in the experience.

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Ham radio operator reflects on 40 years in the hobby

Peru resident Bill McAlpin said he vividly remembers being a kid and someone giving his father a shortwave radio.

Shortly after acquiring it, McAlpin’s family strung an antenna up between his house and his grandparents’ house next door, and he’d sit for  hour listening to communications from all over the world.

And McAlpin’s been hooked on amateur (ham) radio ever since.

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Amateur radio videos: 6-year-old ham on David Letterman, KB6NU on Operator of the Week, how to make your own DMR codeplug

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Young ham on David Letterman

Veronica Harrington, KC6TQR, appeared on March 26, 1992. She was six years old at the time. David Letterman actually had a ham license at one point.

KB6NU on Operator of the Week

Yours truly appeared on the podcast, Operator of the Week by WA7PBE. It’s always fun to appear on podcasts like this.

Make your own DMR codeplug

This video by BridgeCom aims to take some of the mystery out of DMR codeplugs. The video talks about the Anytone radios that Bridgecom sells, but you should be able to set up your own after viewing the video. If you need more info, the YouTube page lists a bunch of other videos explaining how to do this.

Amateur radio in the news: Ukrainians jam Russian military frequency, Columbiana HS students learn STEM skills with amateur radio, ham radio still connecting people

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Ukrainian, Russian radio enthusiasts battle over alleged Russian military frequency

The frequency of a suspected Russian military shortwave radio broadcast, known as the “buzzer” for its recognizable repeating channel marker, has become the battleground for rival Russian and Ukrainian radio enthusiasts, who have been attempting to hijack the frequency to play memes and propaganda.

The UBV-76 transmission, which can be listened to at 4625khz on shortwave radio, is suspected to be used by the Russian military for relaying coded messages to military forces. The signal has been transmitted since the late 1970s, during the height of the cold war.

With tensions between Russia and Ukraine mounting, enthusiasts noted that the encrypted radio messages were becoming much more frequent.

Since the end of November, listeners reported that encrypted radio messages had become a frequent occurrence. The cryptic messages can be picked up hundreds of miles away using strong antennae.

Following this flurry of military radio activity, enthusiasts decided to take to the airwaves themselves, flooding the frequency with memes, propaganda, and pirated music. Radio enthusiasts, including many users suspected to be based in Ukraine, are using internet-based radio transmitters to blast songs such as Korean viral-hit “Gangnam Style”, MGMT’s “Little Dark Age”, and other hits.

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Columbiana students gain STEM skills with ham radio

COLUMBIANA, OH — While serving as a school resource officer Sergeant Wade Boley took an interest in students’ lessons involving the electromagnetic spectrum. Boley approached middle school science teacher Ashlee Sherwood and offered to help.

“I offered to do a lab for the teacher on the electromagnetic spectrum,” Boley explained. “The kids loved it.”

Boley introduced night vision, alternative light sources and other tools showing how the items use the electromagnetic spectrum.

In Fall of 2018 Boley started the Columbiana Clippers Amateur Radio Club known as K8LPS.

Now, every Tuesday students gather around a HF ham radio with 100 watts of power output donated by Graft Electric in the high school biology room.

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Ham radio is still connecting people around the world today

ARKANSAS, USA — Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us had to get creative when it came to staying connecting to friends, family and work.

From social distancing to zoom calls, we often ended up creating memories in ways we never expected. For some, the memories were created turning to a technology originally created in the 1800s, ham radio, and it’s still connecting people around the world today.

Some say the renaissance of ham radio can be attributed to the pandemic related lock downs and social distancing.

…link

NASA features ARISS in 2021 recap

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Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is featured on NASA’s recently published web page, Best Space Station Science Pictures of 2021. The first photo (see below) shows NASA astronaut Shannon Walker and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi pose for a photo during an Amateur Radio on International Space Station (ARISS) ham radio session with students at Hisagi Junior High School, Zushi, Japan.

The second photo shows NASA astronaut Raja Chari as he spoke with students from Colegio Pumahue in Chile.

These photos are also part of the YouTubevideo made from the images. The ARISS photos appear at the 1:58 mark.