RAC Ontario Sections Bulletin for February 03, 2024
Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with this week’s bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- First Amateur Station on the Moon, JS1YMG, Now Transmitting
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed their Smart Lander for
Investigating Moon (SLIM) on January 19, 2024. Just before touchdown, SLIM released two
small lunar surface probes, LEV-1 and LEV-2.
LEV-2 collects data while moving on the lunar surface, and LEV-1 receives the data.
The JAXA Ham Radio Club (JHRC), JQ1ZVI, secured amateur radio license JS1YMG for LEV-1,
which has been transmitting Morse code on 437.41 MHz since January 19. The probe uses a 1 W
UHF antenna with circular polarization and is transmitting “matters related to amateur business.”
Radio amateurs have been busy analyzing JS1YMG’s signal, with Daniel Estévez’s, EA4GPZ, blog
introducing the method and extraction results for demodulating Morse code from the signal, as well
as extracting the code string.
It’s unclear how long signals will be heard. JAXA has said that SLIM was not designed to survive a
lunar night, which lasts about 14 days, and is due to return in a few days.
SLIM’s landing made Japan the fifth country to achieve a soft touchdown on the moon. The landing
was achieved with exceptional precision — within 180 feet of its targeted touchdown location.
–arrl news
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
- YLISSB Celebrates 61 Years On the Air
February 8, 2024, marks the 61st anniversary of the YL System, now known as the
YL International Single Side-band System (YLISSB), founded by Vera Tallman, K4ICA (SK), in 1963.
Though the system’s name includes “YL,” the amateur radio term for “young lady,” membership is open
to both women and men. YLISSB is a community of radio amateurs who provide support, service, and
fellowship to one another and to the rest of the amateur radio community. YLISSB also encourages
amateur radio skill development through both personal and system-wide support programs.
The YLISSB operates on 14.332 MHz every day of the year. On February 8 – 11, from 1323Z to 1323Z,
special event station K4ICA will operate on 14.240 – 14.340 MHz and 7.230 – 7.260 MHz to
commemorate the system’s 61st anniversary.
— arrl news
- Raspberry Pi Net each Sunday on EchoLink and AllStarLink
The official Raspberry Pi Net takes place each Sunday at 5:00 PM Eastern / 22:00 UTC on the
ROC-HAM EchoLink Conference node 531091 and on AllStar node 2585, 47620, 47918, 531310.
Join W2JLD/John, GW8SZL/Dave, or W4RFJ/Chief each Sunday where they talk about Raspberry
Pis, Linux, AllStar, Supermon, programming, and everything else Raspberry Pi.
With a wide cast of characters and plenty of Pi to go around, join us as we sit back and enjoy great
fellowship and most of all have fun while learning something new. We often have a question and topic
to get the net started. Loads of info is to be had. You bring the coffee, we will supply the Pi….
Many slices… One Pi.
— From ROC-HAM Radio Network:
- Two Arrested After Theft of Copper From Destroyed Radio Tower
Two people have been arrested in Texas in connection with the recent theft of copper from a broadcast
tower in Hugo, Oklahoma last month. The Choctaw County Sheriff said that the two were identified by
scrap yard employees in Paris, Texas, where one day after the January 15th incident, they tried to sell
copper wiring from the coax line. Authorities said that Payne Media Group, the broadcast station’s
owner, was contacted and confirmed that the copper had come from the tower for KITX, a 50,000-watt
station serving southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas. Paris, Texas, is one of the communities in the
station’s coverage area.
The station has been live streaming and operating with limited broadcast range following the destruction
of the tower. Its guy wires had been cut and its backup generator also was destroyed.
— Amateur Radio Newsline
This concludes this week’s bulletin.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC