Astronaut Shares 'Awesome' ISS Experiences During Visit to NASA Glenn:

GLENN RESEARCH CENTER, Ohio -- Astronaut Jack Fischer's favorite word is Awesome. And why not? If your job consists of rocketing into orbit aboard a Soyuz spacecraft and spending 136 days on the International Space Station (ISS), the word awesome is probably an accurate descriptor. Shortly after arriving at the ISS on April 5, 2017 as part of Expedition 51, Fischer and his new crewmates gathered for a brief video communication session with ground controllers and the astronauts' families. When Fischer's wife asked him how it felt to finally be in space, Fischer replied without hesitation, "It's a burrito of awesomeness smothered in awesome sauce, baby! It's so beautiful." Fischer shared this same enthusiasm and passion for his work during a visit last week to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The visit was part of Fischer's official post-mission debriefing following his return from ISS Mission 51-52 on Sept. 3, 2017. Fischer is visiting a number of NASA centers not only to share his recent experiences in space, but to talk with and thank some of the scientists and engineers who contributed experiments and hardware to his mission. Also on hand to see Fischer at NASA Glenn were groups of Girl Scouts from northeast Ohio who had spoken to Fischer during his mission via the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. The effort is a cooperative effort between volunteer ham radio operators and NASA that connects young people to astronauts orbiting aboard the ISS. Fischer spoke to the Girl Scouts on June 23 of last year, during a summer camp event that attracted more than 400 people.

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The FT8 Digital Mode Used By Many:

The FT8 keyboard-to-keyboard text mode has taken over from the weak signal JT65, which had been previously favored. The WIA Statistician Marc Hillman VK3OHM in analysing the award system data says about 20 per cent of all QSOs in 2017 were in the FT8 mode. The WIA does not issue DXCC on the basis of FT8 mode alone. QSO using FT8 mode would contribute to the "Digital" mode section. However, Marc VK3OHM finds there are 7 people who have achieved 100+ DXCC entities using the FT8 mode only.

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XT2MAX – Burkina Faso

Max, DK1MAX will be active holiday-style from Burkina Faso as XT2MAX between March 23rd to April 2nd, 2018. QRV all bands, all modes. QSL via LoTW and eQSL only.

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NASA Launches Satellite to Study the Edge of Space:

A new satellite called Global Observations on the Limb and Disc, or GOLD, was sent aloft this week to study the upper boundary of the Earth's atmosphere, where space begins. It is a very active and poorly studied region where weather from our planet meets weather from space. The very top layer of our atmosphere, from 80 to 900 kilometres up, is poorly studied because it is too high and thin for aircraft or balloons to fly through. Yet the upper portion is where some satellites and the International Space Station travel. The extremely rarefied air in this region interacts directly with powerful radiation from space, and is bombarded by high speed electrically charged particles streaming out from the sun called the solar wind. One beautiful side-effect of this onslaught from above is the eerie display of the aurora, the northern and southern lights. The GOLD instruments will scan this region from high above. It will monitor interactions that go beyond aurora, measuring chemical changes taking place in the uppermost regions of our atmosphere. Sunlight is so powerful at this altitude that it can strip electrons away from atoms, creating ions, which are electrically charged. Together, those ions are called the ionosphere. Ham radio operators are able to bounce their radio signals off this charged layer to communicate halfway around the planet.

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James Malone, (WA3LBI) Founder of Total RF and a Wireless Visionary (SK):

James Malone, founder of Total RF and a global visionary in the field of live wireless video and audio systems, passed away unexpectedly on January 25. He is is survived by his wife Anna Malone, mother Marie Malone Street, four children, Shannon, Erin, Justin, and Tara, and two stepchildren Kasia Parker and Greg Buczkiewicz. In 1991, Malone was a founder of Total RF, one of the first companies offering technology to TV stations and networks that gave them an unsurpassed ability to cover breaking news and sports. Considered a grand master of the application of wireless technology to the art of broadcast production, Malone and Total RF were presented with nine Emmy Awards over the years for Technology Innovation and Production Excellence. His career began at KYW-TV and then he spent 13 years at WCAU in Philadelphia, where his entrepreneurial fervor ultimately took hold. A lifelong ham radio enthusiast and operator (WA3LBI) he was an important part of the national network of radio "first responders."

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ZL Hams Get 60 Meter Limited Operation:

NZART is pleased to announce that it has negotiated with RSM and the New Zealand Defence Force to obtain a licence to allow limited operation by ZL amateur operators on 60 m on a trial basis.

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Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, Appointed ARRL Pacific Division Vice Director:

Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, of Fremont, California, has been appointed Pacific Division Vice Director, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has announced. The appointment came upon the recommendation of Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, who succeeded long-time Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, upon Vallio's election as ARRL Second Vice President.

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Fox-1D (AO-92) Now Commissioned, Open for Amateur Use:

AMSAT Vice President-Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, has declared that Fox-1D (AO-92) is now open for general Amateur Radio use. That word followed an announcement from AMSAT Vice President-Engineering Jerry Buxton, N0JY, that AO-92 had been commissioned and formally turned over to AMSAT Operations.

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Propagation Forecast Bulletin #04 de K7RA:

Low solar activity continued over the past reporting week (January 18-24) with zero sunspots visible after January 19. Average daily sunspot number changed from 7 over the previous seven days to 3.3 this week. Average daily solar flux was down slightly from 70.7 to 70. Geomagnetic indicators were also quiet.

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ZC4A – Cyprus SBA

UPDATE — Antenna erection progress was slow yesterday due to high winds and heavy rain. Remaining antennas are going up this morning. We operated 160/80/40 metres overnight but suffered receive problems particularly on 160m as only the TX vertical antenna was available and we suffered from heavy rain static at consistently S9+ with lightning crashes […]

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Ham Radio in the Digital Age:

Even in the digital age, at least one 'retro' form of communication still remains popular. Amateur Radio. Otherwise known as Ham Radio. "There are more ham radio operators now than ever before," said Tom Pachner, manager of Ham Radio Outlet on Milwaukee's northwest side. "We're quite happy." One reason for the popularity is the civic duty, according to Pachner. Ham radios continue to be used for disasters. "Hams (short for ham operators) will deploy and provide emergency communications," Pachner explained. "If cellphones go out, if the internet goes out, if electricity goes out, we're ready." Plus, he says it's the most unique way to meet someone.

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What Does Your Modern Homebrew Look Like?

And this reader says digital and analog radio are like oil and water:

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Just Ahead In Radiosport:

Just Ahead In Radiosport:

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ARRL's Rick Roderick, K5UR, Re-Elected; Barry Shelley, N1VXY, is New CEO:

Incumbent ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has been re-elected by the League's Board of Directors for a second term. The Board convened for its Annual Meeting January 19-20 in Windsor, Connecticut. President Roderick, the League's 16th President, received 9 votes, while the only other nominee, New England Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, received 6 votes.

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ARRL Board of Directors Agrees to Review of Conduct Code for Directors:

Meeting January 19-20, the ARRL Board of Directors adopted a motion to a review the entire code of conduct for Board members, known officially as the ARRL Policy on Board Governance and Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors and Vice Directors. ARRL Officers, Directors, and Vice Directors will review the code of conduct and complete a final draft version by mid-May for the July Board meeting.

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PR, US Virgin Island Hams are International Humanitarian Award Winners:

The ARRL Board of Directors has conferred the 2018 International Humanitarian Award jointly on the Amateur Radio population of Puerto Rico -- served by ARRL Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF -- and the radio amateurs of the US Virgin Islands, served by ARRL Section Manager Fred Kleber, K9VV. Radio amateurs in Puerto Rico and in the US Virgin Islands aided in the relief and recovery after a punishing hurricane season in the Caribbean.

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The Doctor Will See You Now!

"Antenna Wire" is the topic of the current (January 18) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast. Listen...and learn!

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Amendment to ARRL DXCC Rules Expands DXCC List:

The ARRL Board of Directors approved a motion to amend the DXCC Rules, when it met January 19-20. Section II, Subsection 1 of the DXCC Rules now will include a new Subsection (d): The entity has a separate IARU member society and is included on the US State Department Independent States in the World.

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Nominations Solicited for Six ARRL Awards:

ARRL invites nominations for awards that recognize educational and technological pursuits in Amateur Radio. Nominations are also open for the League's premier award to honor a young licensee -- the Hiram Percy Maxim Award.

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AREDN Donates Mesh Networking Equipment to ARRL:

The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN -- pronounced "R-den") project team has donated several pieces of High-Speed Multimedia Mesh (HSMM) hardware to the ARRL Laboratory. HSMM technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, due to the development efforts of the AREDN open-source project.

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