March, 2007

< Prev Page 8 Next >

Marconi transmission experiment ongoing
A reminder that a group of radio amateurs have been exploring how Guglielmo Marconi was able to copy a radio signal sent from Poldhu in Cornwall to Newfoundland in Canada in December 1901. This was the first time that a radio transmission had been copied across the Atlantic but there is still some confusion over how the radio maestro managed to do it, especially as there was a solar minimum at the time.
Over the past couple of months, the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club in the UK and the Marconi Radio Club in Canada have been attempting to re-enact the legendary transmission. Their aim is to shed new light on this landmark event in radio history. They decided to carry out the experiment now because the solar conditions at present are similar to when Marconi made his famous reception.
Since 1 November last year, the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club has used its 160m beacon - GB3SSS - to make regular two-minute transmissions on 1,960kHz. Radio amateurs in Newfoundland have sought to copy and analyse the transmissions. The 160m amateur band is being used for the experiment - rather than 800 and 900kHz, as used by Marconi - because the latter are now part of a very crowded part of the radio spectrum. The experiment is due to finish in February this year.

FSDXA St Brandon (3B7) DXpedition Receives ARRL Colvin Award
A planned September DXpedition to St Brandon (3B7) will benefit from a $5000 ARRL Colvin Award support grant. The Five Star DXers Association (FSDXA) team is scheduled to operate as 3B7C from Isle du Sud from September 7 until September 24. Located in the Indian Ocean, St Brandon (Cargados Shoals) is part of the Republic of Mauritius and was number 45 overall on the latest available most-wanted list of DXCC entities, although West Coast US DXers put it at number 18.

AMSAT-DC SPACE SEMINAR 2007
Excitement is brewing for the next annual local AMSAT meeting and space seminar to be held in the Maryland- DC area on Saturday, March 24, 2007. You are invited! There will be talks, demos, tutorials and plenty of socializing on amateur satellites, ground station set up, and high-altitude balloon experiments in the greater mid-Atlantic USA area.The event will be held in the Pioneer Hall at the Historical Electronics Museum (HEM) at 1745 West Nursery Road, Linthicum, Maryland (ZIP 21090) near BWI airport. Starting time is 11 A.M. local for the day long event.TALK-IN will be on 146.760 MHz with a 107.2 Hz tone in the two hours prior to the start time. For any late breaking updates go to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/fieldops/events.php

Microwave Update 2007 sets schedule, issues first call for papers
Microwave Update 2007 will take place Thursday through Saturday, October 18-20, in historic Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Mt Airy VHF Radio Club. Registration, accommodation and program information is available on the Microwave Update 2007 Web site. Register by September 1 and save! Papers, articles and presentations are invited on topics related to microwave theory, construction, communication, deployment, propagation, antennas, activity, transmitters, receivers, components, amplifiers, communication modes, LASER and practical experiences are welcome. Submit abstracts in MS-Word or as a PDF by June 1 and completed papers, articles and presentations (diagrams, photos and illustrations preferably in black and white; color accepted) by August 15 to Paul Drexler, W2PED, 28 W Squan Rd, Clarksburg, NJ 08510.

Southwest gives free power stations a try at Love Field
Dallas Love Field is among the airports featured this week in USA TODAY reporter Roger Yu's Airport Check-in column. In his column, Yu writes: "Southwest Airlines earlier this month began testing free power stations at Dallas Love Field, its home airport. The stations, one each at Gates 12 and 14, provide a countertop for customers to plug in and charge electrical devices such as laptops and cellphones. Each station has five outlets. If customers respond positively to the service, the airline says it will roll them out elsewhere."

March, 2007

< Prev Page 8 Next >