HamTV is Active on the International Space Station

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The installation of new equipment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to reenable HamTV appears to be successful. ARISS reports on Mastodon that ground stations over Europe had successfully received the HamTV carrier signal on July 29th. Carrier transmissions are expected to continue over the next few days. Additional reports are expected from North American hams.

Documentation on receiving HamTV from the ISS is available from The British Amateur Television Club (BATV). ARISS provides a live feed of video when the ISS is in range of HamTV receiver stations.

More Information - https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/

Radio Alpha, the ARRL Museum and Research Library

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Radio Alpha, the ARRL Museum and Research Library

There’s a new resource from ARRL documenting the history of ham radio. Radio Alpha is the ARRL® Museum and Research Library. Radio Alpha is envisioned as a Wikipedia-like project, administered by a trusted group of volunteers. 

It aims to serve as a definitive repository of information, offering detailed descriptions and contextual data on pivotal figures, influential organisations, pioneering companies, transformative inventions, and iconic equipment that have shaped the amateur radio landscape. Radio Alpha addresses the critical need for a centralised, reliable, and easily navigable archive of amateur radio's past. 

Recognising the fragmented nature of existing historical data, this database will consolidate diverse information sources into a single, cohesive platform. Users will find meticulously researched entries, cross-referenced to provide a holistic understanding of the connections and evolutions within the hobby. A core principle of Radio Alpha is universal accessibility. Therefore, the database will be entirely free to access, ensuring that researchers, historians, enthusiasts, and the public can explore its contents without barriers. 

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India, Sweden Introduce New Callsign Suffixes, Prefixes

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In India, newly licensed amateur stations have been assigned new suffixes since the 25th of June. Although the existing, older callsigns have not changed, new General Grade licenses, which are assigned a VU2 prefix, now get a combination of numbers and letters, creating callsigns such as VU22DX or VU29AR. Likewise, Restricted Grade licenses, which are assigned a VU3 prefix, receive suffixes of two numbers and three letters, creating callsigns such as VU33ABS.

“These new prefixes are a practical measure to accommodate the increasing number of amateur radio enthusiasts in India by expanding the available callsign combinations while still adhering to the country’s internationally allocated prefix block.”
— Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, assistant director of the National Institute of Amateur Radio

Meanwhile, in Sweden, amateurs who have received the new entry-level class certificate are identifying themselves with the country's new callsign prefix, "SH." These amateurs can be heard on 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2 metres, where they are permitted to use a maximum of 25 watts of power.