The RSGB Volunteer Leadership Team (VLT) has been looking at a One-stop Training Portal for exam candidates A brief report on the VLT meeting held on November 16 is available at https://rsgb.org/main/blog/vlt_key_messages/2020/01/14/11-2019-vlt-meeting/

A type of explosion in space called “magnetic reconnection” can happen much closer to Earth than previously thought. That’s the conclusion of researchers who published their findings in the Jan. 13th issue of Nature Physics. The paper examines a powerful near-Earth reconnection event in Dec. 2015 that delivered 20 times …

On January 12th, DX-World first made reference to an IOTA DXpedition to Alejandro Selkirk Island, SA-101NEW. Today, we can reveal more info. Nando, IT9YRE and Mike, K9AJ hope to be active from Alejandro Selkirk Island (SA-101NEW) during February 3-5, 2020 as CB0Z. QRV on CW/SSB; 40, 30, 20, 17 and …

01/17/2020 The Alexanderson alternator 2019 Christmas Eve transmission on 17.2 kHz from SAQ in Grimeton, Sweden, was heard by more than 400 listeners. SAQ reported conditions were very good, with clear, dry weather, and the vintage transmitter functioned flawlessly. Lars Kålland, SM6NM, was at the key to deliver the Christmas …

01/17/2020 The Lagunaria DX Group is planning a “large-scale DXpedition” to Timor-Leste (4W) in the October/November 2020 timeframe. “We currently have one team member in Timor-Leste negotiating with different ministries, companies, and accommodation facilities,” said team member Chris Janssen, DL1MGB. “Right now, we have positive feedback from all. We even …

Australia’s WICEN NSW Forward Commander, Compton Allen, was interviewed on the BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme where he spoke of the role amateur radio operators are playing as part of the emergency response in the Aussie bushfire crisis. Listen to the podcast on the BBC World Service on https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csy67g

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS is happy to announce a proposal window which will open February 1, …

At the end of December 2019 and in early January 2020, the southwestern part of the island of Puerto Rico was struck by a series of strong earthquakes, including six that were of magnitude 5 or greater. The largest and most damaging of this sequence occurred on January 7 at …

Switzerland’s national amateur radio society USKA is preparing its response to OFCOM’s consultation regarding the new Article 37a on ham radio antennas in the FMG Telecommunications Act The revised FMG Telecommunications Act, which was passed by the Swiss Parliament on March 22, 2019, now contains Article 37a “Amateur Radio”. It …

Amateur radio features in the ITU Guidelines for national emergency telecommunication plans, published by the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) The ITU Guidelines for national emergency telecommunication plan’s pages 80-81 note:   Radio amateurs have supported communications in emergency situations on a voluntary basis since the beginning of radio communications. They …