UK, NZ Hams Mark 100 Years of Two-Way Radio Communication

Hams in the UK and New Zealand are getting ready to activate special callsigns to mark the first trans-global two-way radio communication and will be operating from the locations where it happened: the Mill Hill School in North London where young Cecil Goyder, G2SZ, made radio contact with Frank Bell, Z4AA, a ham in Shag Valley, Otago. The date of the hour-long CW contact was the 18th of October 1924.

Cecil's callsign will be back on the air in hopes of contacting hams around the world as operators call CQ from the school from the 14th through to the 20th of October. Frank's original callsign has been modified to ZL4AA for the New Zealand operation which will be on the air from the 12th through to the 20th of October.

The big day, of course, is the 18th of October, when hams will re-enact that first contact, using a frequency as close as possible to the 1924 original, which was around 92 metres).

Meanwhile, be listening as well for other stations taking part in the celebration: GB2NZ is on the air through the 26th of October 2024 throughout the UK. ZM100DX is on the air through the 26th of December throughout New Zealand. The New Zealand station will be using CW, SSB and several other modes. The QSL manager for all four special-event calls is MØOXO

More Information - http://www.GB2NZ.com

US Lawmakers Wait to Vote on AM Radio Legislation

The US House of Representatives is expected to consider a measure that mandates AM radio in all new cars sold in the US, whether they are manufactured domestically or imported. The bill, known as the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act, moved to the full floor for lawmakers' consideration following a 45-2 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Observers say that a House vote could happen as early as the next few weeks before the US elections take place in November -- or it would be delayed.

The US Senate version of the bill has already been approved by that chamber's Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It still awaits a full floor vote but has a majority of lawmakers supporting it on both sides of the aisle.

The issue of AM radio's necessity in vehicles has escalated the debate over public safety, as proponents such as the National Association of Broadcasters and federal emergency officials have advocated in favour of retaining AM radio for its public safety role, especially when carrying alerts in rural areas.

Some manufacturers of electric cars are looking to eliminate AM radio from their vehicles, claiming that RF interference from their cars' electronic systems compromises AM radio reception.

Hamsci Researcher Reports on Space-Weather Monitoring Tool

Scientists and amateur radio operators are proud to announce that a member of the HamSCI scientific team has released a research paper that delves into the development of a low-cost magnetometer system permitting coordinated space-weather monitoring. The author of the paper, Dr. Hyomin Kim, PhD, KD2MCR, is an assistant professor of physics at the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, a component of New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Institute for Space Weather Sciences.

The paper is a key example of how HamSCI's work melds the world of professional research with the activities of amateur radio operators. A magnetometer measures changes and anomalies in the magnetic atmosphere of the Earth.More Information - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067224000749