KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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Amateur radio in the news: Connecting with strangers,

Posted: 23 May 2021 05:07 AM PDT
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Connecting with strangers over ham radio cleared my family’s static: Going
analog boosted my marriage’s reception during a year of pandemic isolation.

On a rainy October night during the pandemic, my husband, David, searches
for a faint voice in the distance. He doesn’t know who’s calling, but he
knows he wants to speak to them. David adjusts the tuning knob on the
decades-old transceiver ever so slightly, as if cracking a safe. Outside, a
homemade antenna bobs in the wind. On his computer, pulsating lines tell
him the voice is one of hundreds calling out on this busy night. The voice
gets clearer: “CQ,� the magic letters he’s been awaiting — the amateur
radio operators’ invitation for a response — followed by a call sign. David
jumps on his mic, repeating the stranger’s call sign and adds: “This is
KB1TOY, Kilo-Bravo-1-Tango-Oscar-Yankee. You’re light but I can hear you!�
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ASU student-built spacecraft to interact with the public


Â* NASA has selected an Arizona State University-designed spacecraft to fly
as an auxiliary payload aboard a rocket launching between 2022 and 2025. It
is among 14 small research satellites, called CubeSats, that were chosen
for this opportunity through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative.

The ASU CubeSat, namedÂ*LightCube, is about the size of a toaster and will
be deployed to low-Earth orbit (LEO). Its unique feature is that it can be
commanded by anyone with an amateur radio license and a ham radio to set
off a xenon flash from the spacecraft that will be visible from the ground.
An artists rendition of the spacecraft LightCube in orbit. Credit: ASU/NASA
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HARA assists in placing flags on veterans’ graves

On a beautiful Friday evening, several members of the Highland Amateur
Radio Association gathered at Hillsboro’s rolling tree-covered cemetery to
assist the cemetery board by placing flags on the graves of the 1,000
veterans whom are buried there.


The Club was joined by three other civic-minded organizations all wishing
to honor those who served to protect our freedoms.

According to cemetery board and HARA member John Willis, KE8JEM, the
project was completed in a record less than one hour. HARA members will
return to the cemetery after June 14’s Flag Day to assist removing the
flags.
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