Parachute Mobile Ham Sets QSO Record→

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Parachute Mobile Ham Sets QSO Record

In an inspiring show of camaraderie, a tight-knit ham radio community of YouTubers rallied around Ranae Six (KR5SIX) on August 18th as she undertook a heart-stopping parachute jump on behalf of her husband Vern Six (KV5SIX). Vern, who had already completed an astounding 14 jumps prior in his life, found solace in the remarkable act performed by his wife.

Ranae was able to jump in tandem with the well-known parachute mobile ham operator KD9OLN, Carlos. You can find out more about KD9OLN on his YouTube channel, @lifeatterminalvelocity. KD9OLN agreed to the jump and assisted Ranae in completing this daring achievement.

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UK Radio Fans Launch Petition to Save BBCs Longwave Service

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Radio fans in the UK are raising their voices - and a petition - to convince the BBC to keep a longstanding favourite radio service.

A petition drive has been launched to press the BBC to reverse its plans to take its longwave service on 198 kHz off the air by 31st March 2024. The BBC made the announcement in May 2022 that it was closing its longwave transmitter, describing it as a dying technology.

“...a historic radio lifeline.”
— Change.org petitioners

According to the petitioners on the Change.org website, the single longwave transmitter at Droitwich is efficient, covering most of the UK and northern Europe. It is viewed as one of the more historic features of the BBC, and its planned shutdown would come a mere six months before it marked its 90 years on the air.

BBC Radio 4 has already begun a public information campaign to convince listeners to make the change from longwave to the broadcaster's other platforms. Those platforms are expected to carry many of the programmes now on Radio 4 Longwave, including Test Match Special, Yesterday in Parliament, Shipping Forecast and the Daily Church Service. The BBC has been following listeners' trend toward favouring digital radio and has acknowledged on its website that a wide range of alternative listening services have become available.

A Satellite Deployed a Drag Sail and Removed Itself from Orbit Five Years Early→

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A Satellite Deployed a Drag Sail and Removed Itself from Orbit Five Years Early

In an age of increasing “stuff” orbiting Earth one big concern is what happens if one satellite hits another. The result could be an explosion, or a chain reaction of collisions, or the closure of an orbit. That would be catastrophic. However, a small satellite called SBUDNIC just sent itself back to Earth earlier than expected. It’s goal: to demonstrate a low-cost way to take care of space debris.

SBUDNIC was the brainchild of a group of students at Brown University who were in a “Design of Space Systems” class taught by engineering Professor Rick Fleeter. It was a 3U CubeSat made of off-the-shelf components (including 48 Energizer batteries), a small camera, and a plastic drag sail. It joins a host of other CubeSats used (or proposed for use) at Earth and throughout the Solar System.

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