A Radio Homecoming, One Century Later

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A Radio Homecoming, One Century Later

Australia, where, for a few hours, one radio operator is returning ham radio to the former home of the first lady of radio in the state of Victoria. 

Elizabeth Hutchings, VK3HM, had the distinction of being the first YL licensed as an amateur radio operator in the state of Victoria, Australia. Radio apparently was in the family's genes -- in the 1920s, her son Alan held the callsign VK3HL and her daughter, Marjorie, was licensed as VK3HQ. 

Some 100 years later, on the Callawadda land where the family's old radio shack still stands, Geoff Smart, VK3GCM, is putting amateur radio back into action. He chose this property, known as Bryn Avon, as his QTH for the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association's annual competition. Geoff knew Bryn Avon from commercial consultancy work he had done, but he only learned of its connection to ham radio after reading an article by ALARA historian Jennifer Wardrop VK3WQ.

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Ocean Washes Away Almost All Expeditioners’ Equipment

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Ocean Washes Away Almost All Expeditioners’ Equipment

An enthusiastic team of operators felt swept away by the challenge of their recent Islands on the Air Expedition to the Pajaros [PAH hah rose] rocks off the Chilean coast. Then something else was swept away -- almost all of their equipment - by a steadily rising sea. 

A Honda generator. An IC 7000. Seven bandpass filters. Two multiband antennas. A 500-watt amplifier. This equipment -- and more - is all gone now from the Pajaros rock where the team on IOTA Number SA-100 began operating on the 18th of August as 3G1P. Ocean swells of up to 3 miles metres - considered the worst seen in five years - forced Cezar, VE3LYC; Felipe, XQ7IR and Johan PA3EXX to be evacuated by the Chilean Coast Guard three days later. Wearing wetsuits, the hams swam to the rescuers' boats, eyeing the carefully packed-up equipment they had to leave behind on the rock. Already, they were making plans to return for its retrieval.

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NASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Orion Spacecraft in 2026

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NASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Orion Spacecraft in 2026

A good way for space enthusiasts to get involved: NASA is looking for volunteers to track next year's Artemis II Orion spacecraft during the crewed mission's round-trip journey between the Earth and the Moon. Volunteers have until October 27th to contact NASA about their desire to participate.

The US space agency is asking for those with the necessary capabilities to observe the Doppler shift on the Orion's S-band return link carrier signal. The monitoring is designed to achieve and keep a carrier lock solely for purposes of tracking the spacecraft. Volunteers will not be transmitting or uplinking signals. Orion's S-band range is between 2200 and 2290 MHz.

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