eHam.net News

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Chance Encounters of the Space Kind Give Radio Buff a Chance to Help NASA:

Posted: 07 Jun 2016 05:06 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36922


Mackay man Shane Lynd was tinkering with his radio equipment 18 years ago
when a chance encounter with space changed everything. Mr Lynd made radio
contact with Andy Thomas, the first Australian member of NASA's astronaut
corps, who was on board the Russian Space Station Mir at the time. "That
sparked my interest," Mr Lynd said. He soon began thinking of opportunities
for schools to link with space. It was another series of chance encounters
that took Mr Lynd a step closer to his goal. He was invited to join Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), a project that helps
students engage with amateur radio and make contact with the International
Space Station (ISS). The person driving the project worked for NASA, and Mr
Lynd was invited to join NASA as a volunteer -- one of only three in
Australia.


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Cascadia Threat Raises Urgency for Ham Operators:

Posted: 07 Jun 2016 05:05 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36921


SEASIDE -- It was hot this weekend at the convention center, but sales were
hotter on the floor of the SEA-PAC convention, the Northwest's largest
amateur ham radio show. Before midday Saturday, Bill Eaton of Ham Radio
Outlet in Tigard had sold out of the season's most coveted item, the ICOM
IC-7300. They go for $1,499, "but they're gone." What makes this device so
special? "It's the new, great DSP (digital signal processing) filtering
receiver, transmitter with SDR (software defined radio) built into it --
it's got a nice color touch screen," Eaton said. "We had 16, they were gone
in the first hour." Radio communications are expected to play an important
role in the event of a disaster that brings down utilities. From June 7-10,
ham radio operators will participate in Cascadia Rising, the emergency
preparedness exercise simulating the first four days following a Cascadia
earthquake or tsunami. "It doesn't matter where you are," SEA-PAC Public
Information Officer Nicole Crosby said. "There are earthquakes in
California, flooding in the Midwest and hurricanes in the East. Each one is
its own problem area."


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Peoria Gets Long-Distance Call to Space:

Posted: 07 Jun 2016 11:31 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36920


The Peoria Riverfront Museum will have a direct line to the International
Space Station this next month. The museum was chosen as one of only 17
worldwide locations to participate in the U.S. Amateur Radio on the Space
Station program. Students will get a chance to participate in a live call
to speak with crew members aboard the space station. This opportunity is
part of the Peoria Riverfront Museum's children's summer programming and
ties in with the "Be the Astronaut" exhibit opening June 18th.