Big Promise from Ultra-Tiny Battery

Battery technology continues to change, and the latest evolution announced recently is a super-small rechargeable "micro-battery" with a high tolerance for variations in temperature - and a lifespan of between one and two decades. Kent Peterson KCØDGY tells us about this new development and what scientists are saying about it.

A company in France believes it has come up with the latest solution to provide battery power for micro-power devices. The company, ITEN, has developed an ultra-small rechargeable lithium battery. At first glance, the surface-mount solid-state battery might easily be mistaken for an SMD chip as its housing is only slightly larger than the battery's own dimensions of 3.2 by 2.5 mm. They are, of course, not chips: These batteries have a capacity of between 0.1 mAh and 0.5 mAh. They were found capable of tolerating temperatures between minus 40 degrees Celsius, or minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, all the way to 85 degrees Celsius, or 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Their ability to deliver peak currents make them especially useful for powering RF transmissions such as Bluetooth, Sigfox and LTE, to deliver packets of data via sensors. The website, CNX software, also sees the batteries as being useful for sensor data loggers, beacons and backup power supplies for microcontrollers.

The solid-state technology is considered another plus contributing toward a usable lifespan of between 10 and 20 years. The company has said the batteries are also fast-charging.

“We’d be particularly interested to learn about their temperature sensitivity when it comes to soldering, as we’ve taken to heart the warnings about soldering to more traditional lithium cells.”

— Hackday

The website noted that there are apparently some evaluation kits available directly from the company in France.

Santa HF Net is Coming to Town

More than one thousand children are expected to have their moment on the air this year as the 3916 Nets kicks off its 17th year of the Santa Net. When this beloved holiday tradition began 17 years ago, only a handful of youngsters checked in with the assistance of licensed amateur radio operators. If you've been a very good ham this year, you can help a young person be a third-party operator and get that important contact on 3.916 MHz. The net begins on Friday 25th November at 7:15 p.m. Central Time, or 0115 UTC. Santa will be on the air every night on the same frequency and at that same time until Christmas Eve, 24th December 2022.

Just as Santa himself might say, this is a team effort. Organizer Pete Thomson, KE5GGY, said that radio operators who belong to the 3916 Network as relays to ensure everyone gets heard. This is, understandably, the favourite time of year on 3.916 MHz for these operators.

You can even check in before the net at cqsanta.com. Everyone is ho-ho-hoping for good propagation.

Filmmaker makes a Documentary - Documentary makes a Future Ham

The 30-minute documentary that made its TV premiere on Montana Public Broadcasting on Thanksgiving Day was a production by Grace Wolcott, a University of Montana student working with Media Arts students at the school. The film has a one-word title: "Ham." Grace tells it was inspired by a class assignment and, in part, by the small portable shortwave radio she listens to. It's the story of Montana's ham radio community and the reason for radio operators' devotion.

She called the documentary a learning experience with everyone willing to work outside their comfort zones. Grace was producer, director and assistant editor. The production also offered moments of radio magic. In one of her favourite moments, the crew was interviewing a ham in his shack when another ham could be heard on the air -- and then there was yet another. A QSO got under way and each learned that they'd all been interviewed for Grace's film.

“I felt in that moment, even if this documentary isn’t a masterpiece or nobody sees it, I am glad that, just like amateur radio, we are bringing people together.”

— Grace Walcott

So can you guess the ending? Grace, who aspires to be an independent filmmaker, now has another goal. She wants to become a ham. She's already studying with the help of Lance Collister, W7GJ, the amateur seen in the opening scenes of the film.

“Everyone I met in the community is patiently waiting for me to get my license and I will not let them down!”

— Grace Walcott