It's known as the Snake, the nickname by which astronomers identify one dense, elongated filament in the center of our Milky Way galaxy. It apparently has suffered fractures in two places. As best as scientists can tell, a fast-rotating neutron star known as a pulsar collided with the Snake at a not-too-shabby 1–2 million miles per hour and caused a fracture that disrupted the Snake's magnetic field, releasing radio emissions from the site of the impact.
NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory and the MeerKAT radio array in South Africa studied the Snake, which is 230-light-years long, to get a better picture of what scientists compare to fractures in bones. Radio astronomers combined their findings with those of an observatory in San Agustin, Mexico and recently released a paper in the Monthly Notices of the London-based Royal Astronomical Society describing the event. Scientists study filaments such as the Snake to understand their roles in how stars are formed.
Whether the Snake can heal is another question altogether. Cosmic veterinarians don't make long-distance house calls.
Meanwhile, patient-privacy rules do not apply here - so you can see images of the injury on the CHANDRA X-Ray Observatory website. The link is in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org,
SPECIAL STATIONS CELEBRATE MAJOR HAM EXPO IN JAPAN
Members of the Japan Amateur Radio League are showing their support for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 in a big way: For the 184 days, they are calling QRZ with the callsign 8K3EXPO. The expo opened on April 13th with the first QSOs made by JARL president Koji Morita, JA5SUD. Volunteers throughout the organisation will continue the activation until its conclusion on the 13th of October.
According to the expo website, all the radio equipment for this station is being operated remotely, utilising optical fibre. A radio booth is set up next to one of the expo halls in the East Gate Zone and linked to the antenna tower elsewhere on the site.
Not everything is happening on site. At the same time the 8K3 station is on the air, the mobile station JA3XPO is also being operated by JARL. This is a special callsign that has been re-activated 55 years after its first use at the previous Osaka Expo in 1970. The mobile operation will travel to the six prefectures in the Kansai region.
Of course, if you think this expo is a big deal, wait until next year when JARL marks 100 years since its founding.
For additional information about the expo, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
CITY POLICE STATIONS PREPARE TO ADD AMATEUR RADIO
Two months of ham radio training began in late April for civic volunteers who assist at the 26 police stations throughout the city of Barrackpore. The sessions are being conducted by Srayan Mondal, VU3ZHF, Pashupati Mondal, VU3ODQ, Dipak Chakraborty, VU2TLW and Jayanta Baidya, VU2TFR -- all members of the West Bengal Radio Club.
The training is designed to prepare the volunteers for the exam leading to the ham radio certificate from the Ministry of Telecommunications. Radio shacks are expected to be set up at each of the 26 police stations and the police central office.
The police commissioner told local media that adding wireless communication to the various modes used by law enforcement will be especially helpful for disaster response.
IMAGE TRANSMISSION A HIGHLIGHT OF DISASTER TRAINING
Open Source Classes for Amateur Radio, also known as OSCAR India, has been working with the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority to sharpen responders' communication skills. In the most recent session, held in late April, participants celebrated a first for responders in the region in northeast India - they successfully used radio signals for image transmission, using the callsign AT2NE. District project associates who work for the disaster management authority were able to see the benefit of this image-transmission mode. They also received training in antenna-building and Morse Code.
OSCAR India's convenor, Nilkantha Chatterjee, VU2OII [Vee You Two Oh Eye Eye], told local media "This demonstration proves radio's vital role when modern networks fail. While we have conducted similar transmissions elsewhere, bringing this capability to Northeast India's unique landscape is particularly rewarding."
APRS POSTPONES MAY SUMMIT, RESCHEDULES FOR FALL
The APRS Foundation's inaugural education summit, originally scheduled to take place in May, has been postponed until the autumn of this year. The nonprofit group is developing a full day of programming that is geared to both seasoned operators and beginners - anyone interested in using the Automatic Packet Reporting System.
Discussions about packet radio will include the fundamentals but will also address cutting-edge applications and what's in store for the future. Best of all, guests can attend the online seminars and interactive Q&A sessions right from their home QTH.
Registration details will appear on the foundation website at aprsfoundation.org when they are available.
HAM2K PORTABLE LOGGER RECEIVES SOFTWARE AWARD
Ham2K Portable Logger has been a mainstay in the field for a growing number of portable operators since its development by Sebastian Delmont, KI2D. The Amateur Radio Software Award committee has chosen to honor the free downloadable logger, citing its "intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and a suite of convenient features." The software's support of Worldwide Flora & Fauna, Summits on the Air, Parks on the Air and the ARRL Field Day has helped grow its popularity. Details about the logger can be found at polo dot ham2k dot com (polo.ham2K.com).
Meanwhile, mark your calendars for the 7th through the 17th of November, when the committee will activate special-event stations K6A K6R and K6S - that spells ARS for Amateur Radio Software - to honor this year's winner and to solicit nominees for next year's award. The international award is given for open-source software projects that promote innovation and freedom in amateur radio.
THREE INDUCTED INTO CQ AMATEUR RADIO HALL OF FAME
The three newest CQ hall of famers, who were chosen following a nomination process that ended in April, include one Silent Key.The inductees are Wayne Overbeck, N6NB, who became a Silent Key last month, Angel M. Vazquez, WP3R and Jim Breakall, WA3FET.
Wayne, who became a Silent Key on April 18th of this year, was well known as a co-creator of the Quagi antenna, which is part-Yagi, part-quad. A top-performing contester, he was honored as Radio Amateur of the Year at the Dayton Hamvention in 1980 for his years of contributions to ham radio. Wayne was an educator and a former vice director with the ARRL's Southwestern Division.
Angel, who was named Amateur of the Year at Dayton Hamvention in 2021, had worked at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico since 1977. He had served as head of telescope operations and was the lead operator for 2010 moonbounce project at Arecibo -- a project that included, among others, fellow hall of fame inductee Jim Breakall. Angel works as the Puerto Rico Coordination Zone Administrator, managed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Jim is a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Pennsylvania State University and a leader in cutting-edge antenna technology. He is credited for his work with the Numerical Electromagnetics Code used in antenna analysis. A prolific author and busy contester, Jim has been involved in antenna designs at Arecibo and the HAARP facility in Alaska.
For more details about the recipients visit hamgallery.com
NEW GRANT BOOSTS DIGITAL LIBRARY OF AMATEUR RADIO & COMMUNICATIONS
The collection of digitized newsletters, magazines and online media at the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications keeps on growing — and now the library has something else to add to its hefty collection: a second grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications, the group that provided the original grant that first helped bring this library of amateur radio's international history to life.
Kay Savetz, K6KJN, the library's curator, said in the Zero Retries newsletter that the funding will permit the free library's continued operation for another two years. He said phase two of the library's operation will include acquiring and digitizing material from the California Historical Radio Society and the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention. The library's most recent acquisitions include the Wireless Institute of Australia's Amateur Radio Magazine from 1933 through 2012 and dozens of new issues of the DX Bulletin.
Still celebrating the support, Kay wrote in the newsletter: "Excuse the mess, there’s still confetti all over the floor of DLARC World Headquarters."
HAMVENTION PREPARES FOR OPENING DAY
As the days wind down towards opening day of Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio, organizers report brisk ticket sales and the hope to match or exceed last year's attendance of more than 35,000 guests over the three days. A team of 700-plus volunteers will be there starting on May 16th to make everyone welcome. This year's theme is "Radio Independence" and for three days it will pervade the four meeting halls where the forums are taking place.
Tickets can be purchased at the box office outside the main entrance gate. For additional details visit www.hamvention.org
The ARRL is also encouraging visitors to download the Hamvention app which includes the full program and affiliated events. Find the link to download the app in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
WEATHER-WATCHING SATELLITES ENTERING END-OF-LIFE STAGE
Three US government weather-watching satellites have been scheduled to formally enter the end-of-life stage on June 16th by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA has announced that the satellites - 15, 18 and 19 - which are part of the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites, or POES system, will no longer be updated or repaired.
As quoted in the blog USradioguy.com, NOAA said that this means signals will continue to be transmitted but should not be used by anyone for purposes involving safety or other critical matters. Hobbyists will still be able to download weather satellite imagery either via Automatic Picture Transmission on 137 MHz with a V-dipole antenna or via High Resolution Picture Transmission on 1.7 GHz with a tracking dish antenna.
Like the other POES satellites, this trio had provided data that was used in monitoring the environment, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and global vegetation.
WEATHER-BALLOON WASTE CHALLENGES AUSTRALIAN COAST
Remnants of latex rubber weather balloons and foam boxes with scientific instruments washed up recently on the southwest coast of Victoria, where they were discovered by beach patrol crews. According to local media, the half-dozen or so balloons were carrying a radiosonde to measure temperatures, wind speed, wind direction and relative humidity. The balloons had been launched from Tasmania for a research project hosted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the US Department of Energy. The launch site on the northwest tip of Tasmania is considered the location of the planet's purest air, making it a preferred spot for scientists' climate studies.
Heath Powers, the project's operations manager, said in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report that scientists are testing more eco-friendly ways to conduct these studies without creating such an impact on marine life.
FCC TO PUSH FOR US-BASED TESTING OF SOME IMPORTED ELECTRONICS
The FCC plans to tighten its requirements for the testing of electronic devices manufactured in countries such as China before they can be sold to US consumers. The commission will review an order this month that bans device-testing conducted by labs that are [quote] “owned, controlled or directed by entities that pose national security risks,” according to a statement by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. He identified China as one example of such a country,
He said it was important that US-based labs begin taking on the responsibility to certify such equipment. According to Carr’s statement, Chinese labs test about three-quarters of all electronics sold in the US.
The commission will consider the new order at its open meeting on May 22nd.
THIS ANTENNA'S ELEMENTS HAVE AN ELEMENT OF HISTORY
There are just 14 remaining elements from the original 32-element Alford Antenna that once worked its magic atop New York City’s Empire State building. When the antenna was decommissioned in 2019, some of the elements were offered - free for the taking - to interested parties. Now, however, the remaining elements are being put back to work for a cause. The Society of Broadcast Engineer’s NYC chapter is auctioning them off to raise money for the general scholarship fund of the society’s Ennes Educational Foundation Trust.
This is not your average vertical antenna. It is, in a way, the King Kong of antennas even though the Alford didn’t yet exist when the famous giant gorilla romanced the terrified actress Fay Wray in the classic 1933 film. This became the first master antenna system in the US when it was installed in 1965. At one time, as many as 16 FM stations used it, earning it the distinction of being the world’s largest combined FM station system. The antenna was relegated to auxiliary status in 1990 and by 2017, it was no longer needed.
Bidding, which ended on April 30th, started at $300 per element. It remains to be seen whether, like King Kong, those bids ascended to impressive heights. Winners will be asked to take delivery in New Jersey - at ground-floor level.
BBC RECHARTING COURSE BEFORE CHARTER EXPIRATION
With its charter set to expire in 2027, the BBC is using this year and next to examine its relationship with audiences across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. BBC account holders have begun receiving questionnaires to complete online to let the broadcaster know how they see its future. Tim Davie, BBC director general, said that the questionnaire, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, is the first of the BBC's two-part research process, to include later audience polling, and the results will contribute towards the BBC's Charter Review process.
The BBC says in its written introduction to the questionnaire: [quote] “The BBC belongs to all of us. That’s why it matters that we understand what you want the BBC to offer you and your family, and the UK overall." [endquote]
It is planned to publish the findings from the questionnaire later this year.
THREE BANDS OK'D FOR ITALIAN AMATEUR EXPERIMENTATION
Hams in Italy have been granted permission for experimental activity on three radio bands for the remainder of the year. The Italian regulator ARI made the announcement on the 18th of April that it was giving an eight-month extension to the previous period which ran from late August 2024 until the end of this past December.
Italian amateurs may operate with a maximum of 10 watts on 40.660 MHz to 40.700 MHz, 8 metres, the same range used for industrial, scientific and medical purposes. This permission coincides with the peak of the Sporadic E season.
Similar use was also granted for 70 to 70.400 MHz, 4 metres, and 1.810 to 1.830 MHz. The 8m band is expected to be the busiest of the three.
SILENT KEY: CHARLES KITCHIN, N1TEV, WRITER, "GURU" OF THE RE-GEN RECEIVER
Charles Kitchin, N1TEV, was a tinkerer and builder from an early age, when his enthusiasm for radio often split his attention between shortwave and amateur radio. A widely published author of technical articles and books, he earned the nickname among readers and followers as the “guru” of Re-Gen radios.
Charles became a Silent Key on March 17th. No cause of death was listed in his online obituary.
As with many hams, Charles combined his passion with his profession. After being discharged from the US Air Force he worked as a radio engineer at a classical music radio station WCRB and would also serve as recording engineer for the live broadcasts of the Boston Sympathy Orchestra at Tanglewood in Massachusetts and for other music ensembles. He later became a hardware applications engineer at Analog Devices Semiconductor Division in Massachusetts.
He was perhaps most widely known as the popular and prolific contributor to QST magazine and other publications sharing designs of his own creation.
Charles was 77.
TURNING 100, BELL LABS PREPS FOR RELOCATION
As it turns 100, Nokia Bell Labs is turning elsewhere to continue its important research in the field of technology and science The company announced that within the next two years it will relocate to a smaller but more modern facility in New Brunswick, New Jersey and out of the labs' longtime home in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Over the years, Bell's scientists have been credited with developing the transistor, making advances in radio astronomy and being in the vanguard to usher in the digital age. The company has been the recipient of numerous Turing Awards and Nobel prizes. Its core business continues to be mobile and optical networks and network-system support. One of its most recent innovations was the development of circuit boards printed on glass. These are for use in beam-steering antennas to get less signal loss in point-to-point fixed wireless. This is considered an important development as wireless communications moves increasingly toward 6G.
FCC SAYS FLORIDA LPFM STATION EXCEEDED LEGAL LIMITS
Florida low-power FM station WZPP has been charged with boosting its licensed 100-watt signal on 96.1 FM to as high as 1,022 watts. According to an FCC notice of violation made public in late April, the station, known as the "Voice of the Caribbean," was operating at 811 percent of its authorized power when field agents from the enforcement bureau measured its signal strength in May of 2024. The station has been on the air since 2014 featuring sports, news, music and commentary that serves the Caribbean-American community.
The noncommercial station, which is operated by the Broward Jewish Alliance, has been told to respond to the FCC within 20 days of the notice's release date.
AMATEUR LEADS GROUP BEHIND NEW LPFM RADIO STATION
If you want to hear a limited sampling of what will soon be broadcast on Colorado's newest low-power FM radio station, you can tune in online for now. In early April, the FCC gave a green light to the Colorado Society of Wireless and Broadcast Engineering, a collective that described itself to the FCC as local university students, amateur radio operators and engineers. The group has proposed a 100-watt station on 107.1-FM. The website that previews some of the programming belongs to the society's founder, Vlad Fomitchev, KX4TH.
The station's December 2023 application was approved by the FCC after rejecting claims from the license-holder of a nearby translator station that the minimum separation distance between the translator and the proposed low-power FM station was not met.
According to a report on the Radio World website, the low-power station is designed to benefit its participants as well as its listeners by providing training in audio, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering. The group has also said that it hopes to present community programming, collaborative programming from the nearby university and will experiment with open-source digital HD Radio.
If you want to hear a preview of what will eventually be on the air, visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
BRAZIL'S HAMS GAIN CB PRIVILEGES, LOSE CW REQUIREMENT
The Brazilian regulator will no longer require Morse Code for amateur licences under changes that have been under consideration since 2020. The regulator will update content in its exams for its three licence classes. This is one of several changes contained in a resolution released on April 28th by ANATEL. The resolution also grants hams the ability to operate on Citizens Band 11-metre frequencies. They must identify with their callsigns and are limited to 10 watts of power in AM and 25 watts of power in SSB. They must also stay within authorized channels.
The regulator expects to move ahead with these changes after a six-month period in which supplementary regulations will also be issued.
