Maritime Radio Day is Set for April

The 10th anniversary of Maritime Radio Day (MRD) will take place from 1200 UTC on April 14 to 2200 UTC on April 15. The annual event commemorates nearly 90 years of wireless service for seafarers. Radio amateurs and shortwave listeners are welcome and should register in advance by April 1.

Stations such as coastal radio stations and ships may participate only if operated by former commercial or Navy operators, or by radio technicians who worked on the installation and/or maintenance of naval equipment. Former Merchant Marine Radio Operators or former Ship’s Electronic Technicians are encouraged to participate.

All traffic must occur around the following international naval frequencies on amateur radio bands: 1824 kHz; 3520 kHz; 7020 kHz; 10,118 kHz; 14,052 kHz; 21,052 kHz, and 28,052 kHz. The primary working frequency is 14,052 kHz. There is no power limit. Participants exchange QSA (signal strength, 1-5), QRK (readability, 1-5), name, call sign of last or favourite ship/aircraft/maintenance company, and “additionally a tr, msg and/or a QTC, if you like.”

Maritime Radio Day - http://mrd.sfk-bremen.com/mrd_attention.php

NHS Lauds ‘Get on the air to care’

A report about the hugely successful RSGB and NHS ‘Get on the air to care’ campaign has been publicised on the NHS Networks website this week.

We have committed to keep ‘Get on the air to care’ running as long as the restrictions exist, in order to support radio amateurs and to share the benefits of amateur radio with the general public.

We are about to launch a number of new initiatives and resources as part of the campaign, so look out for announcements shortly.

Get on the Air to Care Campaign - https://www.networks.nhs.uk/editors-blog/uk2019s-national-health-service-teams-up-with-the-radio-society-of-great-britain-to-improve-health-and-wellbeing/view

Saint Petersburg Special Event

Look for special event callsign R125PR from to be active between 1-31st March 2021.

Activity is to honor the world's first radiogram ever sent.

The special callsign was requested by the "Association of Radio Amateurs of St. Petersburg" to commemorate the 125th anniversary of wireless signal transmission demo.

On 24th March 1896, Alexander Popov completed first ever radio transmission at the Russian Physical and Chemical Society of Saint-Petersburg Imperial University. The radiogram consisting of two words "Henrich Herz" transcended a distance of 250 meters. Alexander Popov was present when indescribable exhilaration seized the audience after the words were received, decoded and chalked out on the blackboard. This was the world's first transmission of an intelligible text by wireless telegraphy.

QSL via R1AU.