Also in GB2RS this week…
The AggieSat4 satellite carrying the University of Texas CubeSat Bevo-2 is expected to be deployed from the International Space Station on January 29. Both have amateur radio payloads. After release, AGS4 will eject Bevo-2 and perform relative navigation tasks as well as take pictures of the release of Bevo-2. The IARU has coordinated these frequencies for the amateur radio payloads. AggieSat4 transmits 9k6 or 153.6 kbps FSK on 436.250.MHz, and Bevo-2 transits CW and 38k4 FSK on 437.325MHz.
Papers for the forthcoming IARU Region 1 interim meeting that will be held in April are now available. Topics include HF, VHF, microwave and EMC matters. Comments from UK amateurs are invited via the RSGB IARU Consultations forum, which includes guidance and links to the papers.
VK amateurs are trialling an experimental digital retransmission of the Wireless Institute of Australia’s news service. Operating under its club callsign VK5ARG, the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group is transmitting via the FreeDV-1600 mode on 7.177MHz LSB from 2230UTC. There are several free, open source software packages compatible with FreeDV, which can be used to receive the transmissions. Following the news there is a callback net on the same frequency that gives amateurs the opportunity to experiment further with the mode. More information on the transmissions can be found at the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group website, www.areg.org.au and details of the mode can be found at www.freedv.org.
Staying with technology, a new app has been written for the Apple Watch that lets users compose SMS text messages using Morse code. The app was written by Patryk Laurent, a cognitive scientist working at the Brain Corporation in San Diego. So far the app does not appear to be available for download, but a screenshot seen online suggests its working title is “PAKLMORSE2”. There is no word yet on whether it can be interfaced with any amateur radio equipment, however it may point the way for a future possibility.
Category: GB2RS Headlines
