Registration Opens For Ham Radio Bootcamp

An amateur radio society in New Hampshire has a message for radio amateurs regardless of whether they are Technician, General or Extra class: If you want to get on the air more, start by getting online -- especially on one particular day next month.

On the 10th of May, the Nashua Area Radio Society is hosting its free Ham Bootcamp on the Zoom platform from 10 am to 6 pm Eastern Time. Demonstrations and tutorials will cover emergency communications, satellite operations, FT 8 and equipment for VHF/UHF operating.

Hams will also learn how to build a station so they can get on the air. In fact, one of the main purposes of the bootcamp is to help hams overcome many of the most common obstacles that keep them off the air - everything from how to select the right HT to participating in foxhunting or contesting.

More Information - https://www.n1fd.org/ham-bootcamp/

Ham Radio Friedrichshafen Selects "Remote" Theme

If you are planning to attend Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen this June, you'll be asked to consider some remote possibilities. In this case "remote" refers to "remote radio," which is the theme of the international amateur radio exhibition this year. 

The weekend of 27th June will be devoted to the usual in-person contacts between old friends, with plenty of workshops, seminars and new-product displays in the mix of activities. The motto for this year's exhibition in Germany, however, is all about NOT being there. The theme of "Remote Radio - Connecting the World" focuses on how radio operators are no longer required to be in the same place as their equipment in order to transmit successfully. This kind of remote operation has already been demonstrated in a number of high-profile DXpeditions using the Radio-in-a-Box. These stations are controlled remotely over the Internet, opening up more opportunities for those who wish to experiment and allowing DXpeditions to take place in environmentally sensitive areas where human presence is forbidden or restricted.

Last year's event attracted more than 11,300 attendees from 58 nations. For full details about the programme and accommodation for Europe's largest ham radio trade fair, see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

Ham Radio 2025 - https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/

Islanders say they cannot escape the mysterious humming

Islanders in the Outer Hebrides say their lives are being disrupted by a mysterious low frequency humming sound that can be heard day and night.

Lauren-Grace Kirtley, who has set up a Facebook page dedicated to the "Hebridean Hum", said about 200 people on Lewis have reported hearing the noise.

Ms Kirtley said the sound had prevented her from sleeping properly for several weeks, adding: "It's impossible to ignore - it is like somebody shouting in your face constantly for attention."

Marcus-Hazel McGowan, who has been using amateur radio techniques to try and find the source, added: "It's just trying to narrow it down and hoping nobody loses their mind completely over it."

The local council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said it had received reports relating to low frequency sounds from a small number of islanders.

A spokesperson said: "As with any other reports of this nature the comhairle's environmental health team is investigating and will liaise with those who have reported issues."

Ms Kirtley told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme the hum could be heard across Lewis, adding that it was less noticeable in the centre of the island and strongest on the east coast.

She said it had been recorded at a low frequency of 50hz.

“It is a very low humming, droning, pulsating noise. It’s incredibly intrusive and distressing. I haven’t slept a night through for weeks and have problems concentrating. I get a lot of fluttering in my ears. It’s making me dizzy and giving me headaches.”

— Ms Kirtley

Mr McGowan, who moved to the island partly because of the peace and quiet it offered his family, is determined to find the source.

He said electricity company SSEN's Battery Point Power Station in Stornoway had been ruled out as a cause, and he believed it was unlikely to be coming from boats.

The power station is only operated at certain times, while the hum has been reported as a constant problem.

Mr McGowan has heard the noise himself and told Good Morning Scotland: "It is one of those you cannot escape from."

Theories posted on the Facebook page include the cause being a TV mast or tinnitus, a condition that causes ringing and other noises in a person's ear.

It has been suggested the noise of ferries operating between Lewis and the mainland could be carried on a persistent easterly wind.

Data used by BBC Weather suggests there has often been an easterly component to the wind over the past month.

Mating fish

Low-frequency noise has disturbed residents in other places in the past.

Last year, North East Lincolnshire Council said the source of a mysterious humming noise that plagued residents of Immingham may never be discovered.

People said they had heard the low-level sound for a number of years.

In 2013, New Forest District Council investigated reports of a drone-like sound heard on the south coast of England.

One theory advanced at the time was that it might be the mating calls of a certain species of fish.