BALLOONS ARE JAMBOREE HEADLINERS FOR INDIANA SCOUTS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Remember last week's big balloon launch by students from around
the United States? Well those balloons just gained some company up in the
sky. Boy Scouts in Indiana did a launch as part of Jamboree on the Air - and
Andy Morrison, K9AWM, shares those details.
ANDY: Boy Scout Troop 1 in Jeffersonville Indiana places a special emphasis
on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math skills. So when the scouts
hosted their local council's Jamboree on the Air event on Saturday, October
17th, they naturally had everything down to a science. Or perhaps - UP - to
a science is a more accurate description: In addition to making HF contacts,
fox-hunting and playing Morse Code games, the scouts launched lightweight
helium balloons, each carrying a payload of no more than 13 grams. Now
they're tracking them using APRS in the hopes they can follow the planned
circumnavigation of the Earth in the jet stream. Using the callsign N9BWT-
12, the balloons transmit their location every two minutes.
The project is nothing new to this science-minded group of scouts. During
last year's JOTA event, the lightweight balloon made its way around the
world one and three-quarter times before it was lost in a thunderstorm
in southern California.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(STEVEN DRIVER N9BWT)
**
COMPETITION IS IN THE CARDS FOR STRAIGHT KEY CENTURY CLUB
NEIL/ANCHOR: For members of the Straight Key Century Club, the competition's
in the cards - the QSL cards, that is. Skeeter Nash N5ASH explains.
SKEETER: CW enthusiasts who've had their fill of sprints, QSO Parties,
marathons, and other on-air contests, are being invited to take their
competitive spirits off the air for a little while, and express themselves
with something other than their straight keys. This is a QSL Card contest,
and it's for members of the Straight Key Century Club, which is marking
its 15th anniversary in 2021.
Members are being asked to provide designs for QSL cards to be used during
the club's annual Straight Key Month, which begins on January 2nd, 2021. The
call sign for the event is, once again, K3Y.
If you belong to the club and have an idea for a catchy card, submit your entry
no later than December 14th. Members will vote online for their
favorite designs starting on December 15th. The most popular design is the
one that gets the distinction of being the official K3Y QSL card for
Straight Key Month. Even if you don't win the top honors, if your QSL card
lands among the top 12 in popularity, it will be among those featured in the
club's printed calendar for the new year.
Members of the Straight Key Century Club should send their images to Drew at
AF2Z at skccgroup.com (drew@skccgroup.com)
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.
**
THE LAST OF TV'S 'LAST MAN STANDING'
NEIL/ANCHOR: Attention TV fans, Tim Allen, KK6OTD, is going QRT on the Fox
Network. The American TV sitcom "Last Man Standing" will begin its ninth and
final season on the network early next year. The Fox network has carried the
series since May 2018, following its cancellation by ABC a year earlier. The
show features Tim as amateur radio operator Mike Baxter, KA0XTT.
Producer John Amodeo, AA6JA, told Newsline in an email that cast and crew
are now in the process of shooting 21 shows to begin airing in January. All
is not lost, however: As John noted, even after Season 9 is done, the show's
194 episodes will live on in syndication.
(TV LINE)
**
DEADLINE APPROACHES TO APPLY FOR ARISS CONTACTS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Only a few weeks remain for teachers and other educators to be
a part of the next series of radio contacts with the International Space
Station. Here's Paul Braun, WD9GCO, with those details.
PAUL: If you are an educator or part of an educational organization, this is
a reminder that you only have a little more than a month to apply for a ham
radio contact with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The
proposal window closes on the 24th of November. Contacts are now being
planned to take place between July 1st and December 30th of next year. ARISS is
looking in particular for organizations that will attract a high number
of participants and intend to use the experience as part of a larger
education plan.
Visit the website ariss dot org (ariss.org) for more details and to find a
proposal form.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (57:57/10)
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