Monthly Archives: June 2018

RNZ: “Push to fire up Radio Australia in the Pacific”

5 Replies

(Source: Radio New Zealand via Richard Cuff)

There is a push in Australia to re-establish Radio Australia’s services to the Asia/Pacific region.

Supporters of RA in Australia hope people around the Pacific will join them in sending submissions to inquiries underway in Canberra.

It comes after savage cuts at RA that included shutting down shortwave transmission, which is seen as a critical service in many parts of the Pacific, particularly during natural disasters.

It has recently been reported that those transmission frequencies have been taken over by China Radio International.

Former RA journalist Sean Dorney said the group, of which he’s part, is trying to convince the Australian government to get back into that space.

“So there is a bit of concern in Canberra about this and I suppose the group that I’m part of are trying to convince the Australian government that it’s time to re-focus our attention on the broadcast to the region.”

Click here to read the full article at RNZ.

Spread the radio love

Al decodes SSTV image from International Space Station

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Al Holt, who shares the decoded SSTV image above via Twitter and notes:

A two-fer, excellent!! Here’s what I caught during its pass over Florida @ ~0914z, a 3-star pass. Had my HT on freq. but dropped it on the floor and got a burp which produced the break in the upper 1/3 of the image…Doh! -73

Ha ha! Thanks for sharing, Al! Based on such a short gap in the image, you must have recovered that HT rather quickly!

Post readers: Has anyone else decoded SSTV during an ISS pass?

Spread the radio love

Discovering the Apollo Survival Radio

16 Replies

In a previous post, I mentioned that I visited the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama last week (a museum I highly recommend to anyone interest in spaceflight).

While perusing numerous displays in the Saturn V Hall at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, I noted this little radio in a case devoted to Apollo survival gear:

I found no detailed information about this survival radio at the display (not surprising), so I snapped a few photos and researched it when I got back to the hotel room that evening.

The Smithsonian Air And Space Museum was one of the few sources I found with a description of this radio:

Survival gear was provided to Apollo astronauts in the case they returned to Earth and there was a substantial delay in rescue and recovery operations. One item in the survival kit was a hand-held UHF radio. Beginning with the Apollo 12 survival kit the radio beacon was manufactured by the Cubic Corporation. It could operate either as a “beacon” or for two-way voice communications. Permanently set to operate at 243 MHz, the transceiver and its cylindrical battery pack were water-tight. It could operate in beacon mode for up to 24 hours. An extendable antenna, a second battery pack, and a spacecraft connector cable were also provided.

I love finding purpose-designed radios like the Apollo Survival Radio.

Post readers: Have you ever stumbled upon similar survival or purpose-built radios? Please comment!

Spread the radio love

Receive SSTV from space June 29-July 1

Leave a reply

(Source: Southgate ARC)

ARISS Russia is planning a special Slow Scan Television (SSTV) event  from the International Space Station Station around 09:00 GMT on Friday, June 29 and continuing until 18:30 GMT Sunday, July 1.

Supporting this event is a computer on the ISS Russian Segment, which stores images that are then transmitted to Earth using amateur radio, specifically the onboard Kenwood TM-D710E transceiver.

These images will commemorate the various satellites that were hand-deployed from the ISS. These will include the first satellite deployment from ISS: Suitsat-1/Radioskaf-1 which was developed by ARISS and deployed in February 2006.

The transmissions will be made on 145.800 MHz FM using the PD-120 SSTV mode.

Note the ISS transmissions use the 5 kHz deviation FM standard rather than the narrow 2.5 kHz used in Europe. If your transceiver has selectable FM filters try using the wider filter. Handheld transceivers generally have a single wide filter fitted as standard and you should get good results outdoors using just a 1/4 wave whip antenna.

The ISS Fan Club site will show you when the space station is in range http://www.issfanclub.com/

ISS SSTV information and links at
https://amsat-uk.org/beginners/iss-sstv/

If you receive a full or partial picture from the Space Station your Local Newspaper may like to know
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/july/now-is-a-great-time-to-get-ham-radio-publicity.htm

The RSGB produce a handy Media Guide and Template press release for anyone to download and adapt, see
http://rsgb.org/main/clubs/media-guide-for-affiliated-societies/

An example of the publicity you can get for the hobby by telling your Local Newspaper
https://amsat-uk.org/2015/04/15/iss-sstv-in-the-press/

Spread the radio love

The story behind the recent Bouvet Island 3Y0Z DXpedition attempt

1 Reply

(Source: Southgate ARC)

Bob, K4UEE, narrated an interesting PowerPoint presentation at both the recent DX Forum at the Dayton HamVention and the W5DXCC/HamCom.

This presentation includes a summary of the 3Y0Z DXpedition with stunning pictures, their Vessel vetting process, what they learned, planned refund of remaining funds, another attempt, and some personal observations of K4UEE.

Watch the Presentation:

Spread the radio love

Sangean HDR-18 HD Radio/FM-Stereo/AM Wooden Cabinet Table Top Radio

12 Replies

For those who might be interested, Amazon currently has this radio discounted more than I have seen previously. Current price is $137.75 – as always, this may be a limited time or limited amount of radios available at this price. Here is the link:

Sangean HDR-18

Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.

Spread the radio love