In Brief -- VK3ADW Receives Michael J. Owen, VK3KI, Memorial Award, Plus News Shorts From All Over!
06/18/2014
- Dr David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, Receives Michael J. Owen, VK3KI, Memorial Award: Former IARU Vice President Dr David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, received the Michael J. Owen, VK3KI, Memorial Award during a recent reception at Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) headquarters. Wardlaw, the second of the two inaugural recipients of the honor, was recognized for his contributions to the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, received the Michael J. Owen Award last month. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, who presented the award, called Wardlaw “an effective representative of both Amateur Radio and the Australian administration at the ITU.” Owen, who served as the IARU Region 3 chairman and WIA president, died in 2012. With Owen, Wardlaw was part of Australia’s delegation to World Administrative radio Conference 1979 (WARC-79), in which Amateur Radio gained access to 30, 17, and 12 meters. In the 1980s and 1990s Wardlaw served as an IARU Region 3 director before becoming Vice President. Ironically, it was Wardlaw who, years earlier, got a young Michael Owen interested in ham radio. The IARU Administrative Council unanimously chose Nietyksza and Wardlaw last fall as joint recipients of the Owen Award. — Thanks to Jim Linton, VK3PC
- Astronaut’s Initial ARISS Contact Will Be with Two Schools in Different Countries European Space Agency Astronaut Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO, will answer questions from groups of students in two different countries on June 20, when he picks up the NA1SS microphone for the first time as part of the Expedition 40/41 ISS crew increment. He came aboard the ISS in late May. One group of youngsters will be at Focus Camp in Candriai, Italy, while the second will be at the Euro Space Center in Belgium. The students in Italy will ask the odd-numbered questions, while the students in Belgium will pose the evens. The Amateur Radio contact with the International Space Station will be conducted via ARISS telebridge station IK1SLD, in northern Italy. Audio to and from both event sites and IK1SLD will be handled via ground-based telecommunication facilities. Signals from the ISS will be audible over Europe on 145.800 MHz FM. The event will be broadcast on EchoLink AMSAT (node 101 377) and JK1ZRW (node 277 208) conference servers, as well as on IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010. Focus Camp is a summertime science camp aimed at children aged 8 to 13. At the Euro Space Center, some 150 youngsters from all over Europe taking part in Mission X, an international education project that encourages children to take part in a challenge, adopting a life style reflecting astronaut training
- JARL Has a New President: The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) has elected a new president. He is Toshihiko Yamanouchi, JA7AIW. Elected as vice presidents at the JARL’s annual assembly on 15 were Kimio Maegawa, JA9BOH, and Yoshinori Takao, JG1KTC. Hiroyoshi Tamama, JA1SLS, will serve as Executive Director and IARU liaison. The JARL will be among the exhibitors at the ARRL National Centennial Convention, July 17-19, in Hartford, Connecticut. — Thanks to JARL International Ken Yamamoto, JA1CJP
- ITU Handbook on Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services Available: The 2014 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Handbook on Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services is now available for download as a PDF file. The Handbook, produced by the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau (ITU-R), provides general information about the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite services, including Amateur Radio allocations and band plans, extracts of Radio Regulations, and ITU-R questions, recommendations and other texts relevant to the Amateur Service.
- W1AW/0 QSYs Waaaay Up to Earn VUCC on the Microwaves While W1AW was in Minnesota as part of the ARRL Centennial QSO Party, members of the Northern Lights Radio Society (NLRS) provided W1AW/0 with VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC) on four microwave bands — 3.4, 5.7, 10, and 24 GHz. A station must work five grid squares to earn VUCC on the bands 3.4 GHz and higher. On June 13 Glen Overby, KC0IYT, operated W1AW/0 from EN25xb near Howard Lake, Minnesota, and worked WA2VOI/0, W0AUS (W0ZQ op), and N0KP in five grid squares to cap the award requirements. Of the four bands, 24 GHz is the most challenging, because signals start to become affected by the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.
- Summer Solstice on June 21 Inspires UK Special Event Station: Special event station GB1JSS will be active on HF, VHF, and Amateur Radio satellites during the summer solstice on Saturday, June 21 — the longest annual period of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere. On that day there will 16 hours, 38 minutes, 19 seconds of daylight. Members of the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) will operate from grid square JO01FQ. GB1JSS will be on the air on 40 through 10 meters plus 2 meters, on SSB, CW, PSK31 and RTTY. The day coincides with the first half of the 50 MHz Trophy Contest, so there may be some 6 meter activity. Wind permitting, G3SUY hopes to deploy a kite supported antenna to use on 160 meters.
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