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My DX Summit goes live

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 04:26 AM PDT
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...e&goto=newpost


My DX Summit goes live



DX Summit once changed the DX hunt. Today hardly anyone
is using the traditional Search and Pounch approach. Everyone is connected
to a DX cluster locally or over the Internet. Easy to use and operated by
Radio Arcala (OH8X), DX Summit maintains its position as one of Amateur
Radio's largest web portals, but it will now be refreshed - big time!



DX Summit is modernized for a second time around, and MY
DX SUMMIT will now go online today for limited dedicated pre-user testing.
We will welcome some 200 pre-users who are prepared to try it out and
provide immediate feedback to the development team. The aim of this
exercise is to serve as the final debug phase and to enhance user
experience to maximum satisfaction before tens of thousands suddenly fire
their browsers to help them in their future DX hunt.



We ask you if would you like to be one of the few to
have this experience today? If you say “yes”, please kindly be prepared
not only to test but to provide a timely response.

Send a note to and we will give
you guidance to get started.



What to expect? Adding to the traditional spot
functions you can create own cluster view to monitor a selected callsign
or multiple callsigns real-time for band and mode specific spots. Or you
can exclude everything from your DX Summit view you're not interested in.
Also you can open several of those windows and you can have past and
current spots showing together. Basically you have full flexibility to
customize your DX Summit easily to show exactly what you're interested in.



Additionally, an advanced propagation tool powered by
VOACAP is laid out in such a way that it tracks your location as a
starting point, and when clicking a spot it shows your propagation to that
location as of that moment but also for an entire period of 24 hours on
all bands. You can instantly understand whether your best chances for a
QSO are gone or just coming up. This will also be a great educational tool
for those wishing to gain insight into the total propagation picture,
including the existing radio propagation.

Additionally, a DX News section is integrated for your
viewing pleasure while spending your time at MY DX SUMMIT.



Just send us a note and you will be part of a new phase
in the DX Hunt!



MY DX SUMMIT DEVELOPMENT TEAM



MY DX SUMMIT can be found on: http://new.dxsummit.fi/















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Schools - submit your ISS contact proposals

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 04:05 AM PDT
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...s&goto=newpost


Schools - submit your ISS contact proposals



ARISS encourages schools to apply now for Space Station
ham radio contact opportunities



The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) program has announced that the application window is open for
proposals from formal and informal educational institutions and
organizations to host an Amateur Radio contact with an ISS crew member.



The deadline to submit proposals is December 15.
Educational entities may apply individually or in concert with other
institutions or organizations. ARISS anticipates that ham radio contacts
with the space station will take place between May 1 and December 31, 2015.



"Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the
exact contact dates," the ARISS announcement explained. "To maximize these
radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will
draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a
well-developed education plan."



Since December 2000, crew members aboard the
International Space Station have taken part in scheduled Amateur Radio
contacts with students on Earth. Contacts typically last about 10 minutes
-- depending upon the ISS orbit -- and follow a question-and-answer format.



Schools and educational organizations are encouraged
to partner with a local Amateur Radio club or group to handle the
technical aspects of the contact.



An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication
opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the
space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford
education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts
what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space
research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to
learn about "satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio
science."



The ARRL website has more information about the
program, including details on expectations, audience, proposal guidelines
and application form, and dates and times of informational sessions.
Contact ARISS with any questions or for additional information.



ARISS is a cooperative educational initiative of the
ARRL and AMSAT, in partnership with NASA and other international space
agencies.



For more information, please see ...

http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-on...-space-station

ARRL, AMSAT-NA













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Bandplan released for 146 MHz

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 03:59 AM PDT
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...z&goto=newpost


Bandplan released for 146 MHz



Friday, October 31 was the formal
start of the 146-147 MHz 'experiment' for Full licence holders with NoV's,
the RSGB has released a bandplan



The bandplan has an allocation for digital modes
with up to 500 kHz bandwidth and 12.5 kHz channels for narrowband digital
modes including digital voice.



Users of wideband modes may need to use bandwidth
tailoring to ensure no RF extends into the weak signal satellite segment
at 145.8-146.0 MHz (the Lunar 4M JT65B beacon uses 145.980 MHz) or goes
above 147.0 (or 146.93750 where applicable).



Download the bandplan from

http://rsgb.org/main/files/2014/10/1...l-Bandplan.pdf



Some amateurs will be active in the early hours of
Friday with the digital voice mode FreeDV which uses Codec2, download
FreeDV from

http://freedv.org/tiki-index.php



Apply now for your NoV at

http://rsgb.org/main/operating/licen...hz-147mhz-nov/



146-147 MHz Usage and Band Planning FAQ

http://amsat-uk.org/2014/10/28/146-1...planning-faqs/



RSGB 146 MHz Information

http://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-...ctrum-release/















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Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1942 October 31 2014

Posted: 30 Oct 2014 06:57 PM PDT
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php...4&goto=newpost


Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1942 – October 31 2014



Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1942 with a release date of October 31
2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.



The following is a Q-S-T. Several ham radio payloads are lost in a launch
mishap of an Orbital Sciences re-supply mission to the International Space
Station; Indonesia hams may play a part in that nations Ebola prevention
plan; Islands on the Air program to freeze all actions involving the
Crimea; a flea power pico balloon launched down-under is heard in the
United States and Sunspot A R 2192 says a temporary goodbye by sending two
more X-class flares our way. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio
Newsline report number 1942 coming your way right now.





(Billboard Cart Here)





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RADIO FROM SPACE: TWO 70 CM EXPERIMENTAL SATELLITES LOST IN ANTARES LAUNCH
EXPLOSION



Two experimental payloads designed to operate in the 70 centimeter amateur
satellite band have been lost. This, after an Orbital Sciences Antares 130
launch vehicle on a re-supply mission to the International Space Station
was destroyed only a few seconds after it had cleared the launch tower.



The October 28th launch from NASAÂ’s Wallops Island Virginia facility at
first appeared to be going smoothly. But at about 8 seconds after liftoff
the Antares booster exploded in a hail of flames and fell back toward its
launch pad.



While there were no full or half duplex ham radio communications satellites
on-board, two of the microsats being carried to the International Space
Station for later deployment were designed to operate as data and beacon
downlinks in the 70 centimeter amateur satellite band.



One was the GOMX-2 which was a developmental concept microsat for aircraft
location. It was to transmit data on 437.250 MHz.



The other was to be the Radiometer Atmospheric Cubesat Experiment known by
the acronym RACE. It was co-developed by a student team at the Texas
Spacecraft Laboratory at the University of Texas in Austin in cooperation
with NASAÂ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This was to
be a technology microsat designed to transmit GMSK coding at 38.4 kilobytes
per second and CW telemetry on a downlink frequency of 437.525 MHz



The primary cargo on the Antares was food and other supplies to restock the
ISS day to day crew needs along with some restricted payload not identified
by NASA or the launch provider. Yet another part of the cargo was material
for scientific projects that included a Houston school's experiment on pea
growth, a study on blood flow in space. News reports say that NASA
officials have already apologized to those students who lost their
experiments. In all, nearly 1,600 pounds of science and research materials
were lost in the launch mishap.



(ARNewsline from published news reports)



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RESCUE RADIO: INDONESIA HAMS MAY BE CALLED ON IF EBOLA HITS THAT NATION



Ham radio operators in Indonesia could become part of a response team if
the Ebola virus were to hit that nation. This as researchers from a study
program of the University of Gadjah Mada School of Engineering introduce
guidelines for anticipating and preventing the spread of the deadly disease
in that nation.



According to a professor of physics engineering at the college, Indonesia
lacks both the knowledge and the adequate health equipment needed to detect
Ebola early. Using a simulation created for such an event and in
cooperation with the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Amateur Radio
Organization and the Indonesian Red Cross the three will work together to
formulate a standard operating procedure for tackling Ebola infections.
This will be submitted to the governor for his consideration.



According to the Jakarta Post, it is hoped that the proposal could provide
basic guidelines for an Ebola mitigation procedure on the national level.
The complete story can be found at tinyurl.com/hams-vs-ebola-part-1
(Jakarta Post)



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RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO AND THE CLEAN-UP FOLLOWING CYCLONE HUDHUD



The big clean-up continues in the wake of powerful cyclone Hudhud which
affected areas along IndiaÂ’s Bay of Bengal coastline and ham radio
continues as a part of the effort. Amateur Radio NewslineÂ’s Jim Meachen,
ZL2BHF, has the latest: