This week's BG radio news

This week has brought both new ways to communicate and more reasons to switch on the station. From ISS pictures and digital experiments to autumn DX activity, there is plenty for listeners and active operators alike to follow.

Satellite pictures and upcoming space activity

The announced ISS SSTV event runs from October 2 to 6 and is Series 33, the first from Expedition 75, with images expected to focus on education. The more detailed ARISS report specifies Robot 36 on 437.500 MHz, allowing for Doppler shift; the source texts therefore differ from the VHF information in the summaries. Received pictures may be submitted to the ARISS SSTV Gallery. AMSAT’s ANS-270 bulletin gives the start as October 2 at 09:00 UTC and also covers the ERMINAZ-2 trio’s planned October 1 launch and ARICA-2’s message-relay mission opening on September 29.

Meanwhile, weather satellite Elektro-L3 is drifting west towards 14.5°W, with arrival expected around October 12. Evidence of the move currently comes from amateur TLE observations rather than an official confirmation that relocation has begun. The satellite could restore unencrypted LRIT/HRIT imagery on 1691 MHz to Western Europe, although Denmark is not among the countries listed for coverage. In an astronomy aside, NASA’s image of five supernova remnants shows the gas clouds left by stellar explosions rather than a new on-air activity.

Digital modes for keyboards and voice

JTTY in WSJT-X 3.2 was announced on September 23 with version 3.2.0-rc1. It transmits as keys are pressed and displays incoming text continuously instead of using fixed transmission periods. The aim is RTTY-style operation with better weak-signal performance and fewer errors, a point also highlighted in DARC’s JTTY report. This remains a release candidate, and the developers are asking for on-air testing and feedback.

For voice operation, the RADE coverage describes FreeDV’s Radio Autoencoder, which the source says occupies half the bandwidth of an SSB signal. ARRL’s separate RADE report also highlights more natural speech, though that does not establish it as a new standard. At M17, work on ECDSA signatures continues: Wojciech Kaczmarski has reduced signing time from 27 to 14 ms at 100 MHz in emulated tests. The optimisation is intended to bring authentication support in OpenRTX closer, making it relevant to operators following open digital radio systems.

Receivers, analysis tools and field equipment

KhanfarRX for the PortaPack H4M combines a band plan, band lock and EIBI information about current shortwave broadcasts in a free external Mayhem app. It also selects modes automatically and plots received FT8 messages on a map. For recorded signals, Demod Analyzer offers analysis and decoding of formats including BPSK, QPSK and 16-QAM from SDR IQ files.

A different demonstration comes from Efe Işık, TA1EEI, whose smartphone project produces VHF Morse using emissions from the speaker amplifier. An inaudible 21 kHz audio signal produces harmonics around 144–146 MHz that can be received in AM close to the speaker grille. This is a near-field experiment, not evidence of conventional VHF range. More traditional portable operation features in K4SWL’s TR-25 field report, with a CW transceiver forming part of a compact pencil-case POTA kit.

DX from the Pacific to the Arctic

The Pacific features prominently, with both FW1P from Wallis & Futuna and FW3GT from the same island group. They are joined by KH8/AG4ZP and 5W0ZP, operating from American Samoa and Samoa respectively. These give Danish DXers specific callsigns to watch for, although the supplied reports contain no fixed frequencies or operating schedules. Further south, 3Y0L to Peter I Island remains in the planning stage.

In the Caribbean, reports cover FS/K0CD from Saint Martin and PJ4K from Bonaire, with activity on several HF bands and modes. Gérard, F2JD, is operating as HR5/F2JD from Honduras and is known for CW and SSB operation. For IOTA chasers, HD4W is activating Cojimies Island off Ecuador, reference SA-056.

Africa is represented by plans for S9R from São Tomé and Príncipe and the report of 3DA0GY from Eswatini. Closer to Denmark are 9H6C from Malta and ZC4OL from the British Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, with ZC4 counting as a separate DXCC entity. To the north, JW6VM, JW7XK and JW9DL on Svalbard are reported active on HF.

Planning is supported by DX-World’s October timeline. It is complemented by the weekly DX bulletin and RSGB’s DX news. These bring together current and upcoming activity, while the individual reports supplied here do not include QSL routes.

Contests and the HF outlook

DARC’s week 40 calendar includes the Oceania DX Contest on SSB, the Russian Digital Contest on RTTY/PSK63 and the IARU-R1 UHF/µW Contest from 432 MHz upwards. RSGB’s contest news provides further coverage of competitions and entry categories. Meanwhile, SSA reports continuing debate over WRTC, although the material does not identify the specific points in dispute.

DARC’s October propagation forecast expects frequent openings on 10, 12 and 15 metres, with 20 and 40 metres remaining reliable DX bands. Its calculations use a smoothed sunspot number, R12, of 75, with strong geomagnetic disturbances remaining a caveat. ARRL’s solar update mentions nine active sunspot groups and the possibility of minor M-class flares. For shorter-term planning, there are both DARC’s weekend forecast and its FunkWX report on moderate conditions.

Societies, regulation and the weeks ahead

The IARU Region 1 conference in Vienna has concluded after addressing spectrum protection, band plans and international cooperation. International work also features in ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA’s appearance on The DX Mentor, episode 103. In the United States, the FCC and HHS have opened RF-exposure proceedings; the report describes no immediate rule changes for radio amateurs.

In the coming days, the ISS pictures on October 2–6 and feedback from JTTY testing are particular developments to follow. Elektro-L3’s possible arrival around October 12 also merits attention, though commissioning and any test transmissions remain uncertain. On HF, the October activity guides provide a basis for planning without promising particular contacts.