Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2256, for Friday, January 22nd, 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256, with a release date of
Friday, January 22nd, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Will Arecibo rebuild its radiotelescope? A call
sign backlog nears its end in Australia - and American TV's 'Last Man
Standing' plans a lasting farewell. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2256, comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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U.S. RESEARCHERS ENVISION AN ARECIBO REPLACEMENT
NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week asks: Is an Arecibo replacement a
dream or a reality? With the ruins of the historic Arecibo telescope
still fresh in people's minds, there's already a movement to rebuild
one that's bigger and better. Jack Parker, W8ISH, picks up the story
from here.
JACK: Researchers have presented the National Science Foundation with
a proposal for a $400 million replacement of the Arecibo telescope - on
the same site where its iconic predecessor suffered its fatal collapse
late last year in Puerto Rico.
Speaking in a January 14th post on the Science Magazine website, the
scientists described what they said would be a system that would prove
useful to astronomers, as well as researchers who study the planets,
and the atmosphere.
Anish (Ah-NEESH) Roshi, head of astrophysics at the observatory,
outlined the scope of the proposed replacement, known as the Next
Generation Arecibo Telescope. It was described as a flat,
300-meter-wide, rigid platform, bridging the sinkhole, and studded
with more than 1000 closely packed 9-meter dishes. Hydraulics would
make the telescope's disk steerable, tilting it more than 45 degrees
from the horizontal. Modern receivers would be built into each dish,
covering a broader frequency range than that of the previous telescope.
It would be designed to have almost twice the sensitivity of the original
telescope, and four times the radar power.
The project would, of course, need funding from the U.S. Congress -- and
as the Science Magazine article points out, Puerto Rico's representative
in Congress is a nonvoting member. Nonetheless, engineer Ramon Lugo said:
"We have to be optimistic that we will make this happen." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.
(SCIENCEMAG.ORG)
**
ACMA REPORTS PROGRESS ON CALL SIGN BACKLOGS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Officials have encouraging news for hams Down Under who are
awaiting call sign changes. Robert Broomhead, VK3DN, gives us more details.
ROBERT: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced
that processing backlogs affecting amateur radio call signs, are close to
being resolved. The Australian Maritime College, which handles these
changes for the ACMA, was challenged by disruptions caused by COVID-19,
as well as a large influx of requests for call sign changes. The wave of
requests followed an announcement by the ACMA that hams would be permitted
greater flexibility in call sign choice. The changes included permitting
Foundation licensees, the option of a three-letter call sign, instead of
one with four letters, making the callsigns more compatible with the
protocols of digital communiciation.
The AMCA writes in a recent bulletin: [quote] "We understand that the AMC
has almost cleared the backlog of applications, and will revert to normal
processing times shortly. We will continue to monitor processing times,
and work with the AMC to ensure qualifications and call sign services are
provided for the benefit of the amateur radio community." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead, VK3DN.
(ACMA)
**
AMSAT CUBESAT PART OF UNUSUAL VIRGIN ORBIT LAUNCH
NEIL/ANCHOR: An unlikely launch system, one using a 70-foot rocket fired
from a converted jumbo jet, sent 10 small satellites into low-earth orbit
on Sunday, January 17th. One of those cubesats was AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox
1E, the fifth and final FOX-1 satellite built by AMSAT. It was constructed under
a partnership between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University, and carries a radiation
effects experiment. Hams will be able to decode data from
telemetry, and experiments using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later.
The cubesat launch was a demonstration flight staged by billionaire
Richard Branson's California-based company, Virgin Orbit. The successful
launches from the Boeing 747 took place almost eight months after the
failed try last May.
(WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNBC)
--- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (57:57/10)
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