PROJECT KUIPER UNVEILS ANTENNA DESIGN
PAUL/ANCHOR: As any ham will tell you, when it comes to a good signal
it's all about the antenna. That wisdom is also a guiding principle for Project
Kuiper, the Amazon satellite constellation designed to provide internet access
from space. Here's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, with that
report.
KENT: Following development and testing this past fall, Amazon has
unveiled its single aperture phased-array design antenna it plans to
use on customer terminals with the company's Project Kuiper satellite
constellation. The details were made public on December 16th, revealing
a small, light antenna no more than 12 inches across and with the
capacity of a maximum throughput of as much as 400 Mbps. The small size
has been designed to keep production costs low.
Amazon's planned deployment of the 3,236 low-earth orbit satellite
group got the go-ahead this past summer from the Federal Communications
Commission. The project's goal is to provide low-latency broadband
internet access with a focus on serving communities in remote regions
without traditional high-speed internet access.
The project's senior manager of hardware and antenna development, Nima
Mahanfar, has said in published reports that the single-aperture
antenna design is unprecendented for the Ka-band, which is in the
microwave range where the transmit and receive frequencies are very far
apart. Project Kuiper boasts a major advancement here, combining
transmit and receive phased-array antennas into one aperture.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.
(THE VERGE, SATELLITE TODAY, AMAZON)
**
SILENT KEY: TORONTO'S ALBERT VANDERBURG VE3ARV
PAUL/ANCHOR: A ham who made many contributions to amateur radio in the
Toronto, Canada, area has become a Silent Key. Dave Parks, WB8ODF,
tells us more about him.
DAVE: Albert Vanderburgh, VE3ARV, who was known in the ham community as
Van, was described as one of the core members of the Toronto FM
Communications Society. Paying tribute in his post on Ham Radio
Canada's Facebook page, Michael Walker, outlined some of Van's further
accomplishments. He said Van had also been part of a group that
designed a repeater-linking controller in the 1970s that was so
advanced at the time that the professional engineering association, the
IEEE (Eye Triple E) wrote about it.
In the mid-1960s, Van had been a partner in a startup tech company
called Teklogix. It was there that he helped develop wireless
controlled conveyor systems and handheld devices used to manage
inventory back in the days before electronic barcodes came on the
scene.
Van was 96.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks, WB8ODF.
(LEGACY.COM, FACEBOOK)
**
SILENT KEY: CW MENTOR ROY CLAYTON G4SSH, SOTA MAINSTAY
PAUL/ANCHOR: The SOTA community is grieving the loss of one of its
mainstays and mentors. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about him.
JEREMY: Roy Clayton, G4SSH, has become a Silent Key. According to a
notice on the SOTA Reflector, Roy died on Christmas Day, another
casualty of COVID-19.
In posting the memorial to Roy, John, G4YSS, recalled that Roy had been
a ship's op on Shell Tankers and other marine radio shacks and the UK's
chief Morse Examiner for a good decade. Roy excelled in CW and John
described him as a CW mentor to many, including to himself.
He was also devoted to the mentoring of the next generation. As John
wrote: [quote] "It was Roy's idea. The Scarborough Special Event Group
gave a lot of pleasure and enjoyment over the years as avid collectors
of a series of colourful QSL cards will testify. It also taught several
youngsters how to run a GB station and handle a pile-up, some of which
were massive." [endquote]
John wrote that Roy's affections also extended to Citizens Band radio,
where he ran The Chairman Network near Scarborough on Channel 17-FM.
John said: "He would give advice and loan equipment there too, even
sending around a monthly news-letter and was very much looked up to."
[endquote]
Roy was 84.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
(SOTA REFLECTOR)
**
'GET ON THE AIR' CW KEY AUCTION BENEFITS UK CHARITY
PAUL/ANCHOR: The Get on the Air to Care campaign in the UK, which won
this year's Amateur Radio Newsline International Newsmaker Award, has
won another victory for encouraging increased radio contacts during
lockdown. The Radio Society of Great Britain, which partnered with the
UK's National Health Service in this campaign, has raised more than
2,000 pounds - or nearly $2,800 in equivalent US currency, following
its charity auction. An anonymous CW enthusiast made the winning bid of
1,025.99 pounds for a handcrafted Bug CW Key made by Roy Bailey, G0VFS.
The RSGB is matching the funds and donating the sum to the NHS
Charities Together fund. Meanwhile, the related campaign, Get on the
Air for Christmas, continues until January 9th, encouraging holiday
QSOs as a way to ease isolation.
(RSGB)
--- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (57:57/10)
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