Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Sep 09 2021 21:27:44 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2289, for Friday, September 10th, 2021 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2289 with a release date of Friday, September 10th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A rocket explosion destroys two European satellites. Hams help safeguard animals in a California wildfire -- and have you ever logged a contact with a hot-air balloon? All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2289, comes your way, right now. *** BILLBOARD CART ** RADIO OPERATORS SUPPORT WILDFIRE ANIMAL RESCUE DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with an update on the wildfires plaguing the US West Coast. In California, the Caldor Fire hasn't just left its impact on residents and business owners in the more than 200,000 acres it has destroyed: The animals who live there are suffering as well. Amateur radio operators are stepping in to help these victims of this historic blaze too. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, has the details. RALPH: As flames of the Caldor Fire began sweeping perilously close to their homes starting in mid-August, residents were quickly evacuated to safety, often having to leave behind their pets and livestock. That's where hams in the El Dorado County Amateur Radio club and members of its Neighborhood Radio Watch program have stepped in. They've been providing radio communications support to those who have not forgotten the animals. According to Alan Thompson, W6WN, the club's public information officer, radio operators have been assisting the South County Large Animal Rescue Group, El Dorado County Animal Services and the various emergency response agencies around California. The organizations are conducting welfare checks throughout the fire-damaged county, looking after animals who are sheltering in place—or facilitating a rescue when necessary. The hams themselves are getting support too: They're being joined by volunteers in the club's Neighborhood Radio Watch program, area residents using inexpensive General Mobile Radio Service, or GMRS, radios. Alan wrote to Newsline: [quote] "We desperately love our animal companions." [endquote] The club reminds people in the affected areas to contact El Dorado County Animal Services or the shelter if they have animals they are concerned about. You'll find the phone numbers in the printed script of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org. [PRINT ONLY, do not read: Western slope: 530-621-5795; the shelter: 530-621-7631; South Tahoe area: 530-573-7925] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB. (ALAN THOMPSON W6WN) ** GENESIS SATELLITES DESTROYED IN EXPLOSION DON/ANCHOR: Two European-built amateur radio satellites were destroyed in an explosion during their rocket's first test flight. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has details. ED: The pair of AMSAT-EA Genesis satellites that were aboard the first test flight of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha launch vehicle were destroyed when the rocket, fueled by kerosene, launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base north west of Los Angeles—and then exploded. The blast blew apart the GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N satellites that had been built in collaboration with the Universidad Europea and ICAI. The satellites were outfitted for amateur communications using Amplitude Shift Keying and CW. Earliest reports on Twitter described what happened two and a half minutes after lift-off, saying the vehicle [quote] "appeared to lose control and tumble moments before the fiery explosion." [end quote]. According to a report on SpaceNews, the lift-off occurred only after a first launch attempt was made an hour earlier but was aborted in the final seconds of the countdown. The two digital repeater satellites were among several on board the rocket built by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace. Firefly tweeted [quote] "Alpha experienced an anomaly during first stage ascent that resulted in the loss of the vehicle." [end quote] The company was previously known as Firefly Space Systems before entering bankruptcy, which it emerged from in 2017 with new owners. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP. (TWITTER; SPACENEWS, AMSAT) --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .