Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu May 20 2021 19:27:52 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2273, for Friday May 21, 2021 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2273 with a release date of Friday, May 21, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. China lands a rover on Mars. An amateur radio foundation helps a prominent academic resource—and battery technology takes a big leap forward in Australia. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2273 comes your way right now. *** BILLBOARD CART ** CHINA'S ZHURONG ROVER EXPLORES MARS DON/ANCHOR: For our top story this week, we look skyward: Hams and others with an amateur interest in astronomy have been tracking the journey of the rover that China sent to Mars. It landed there recently; and Paul Braun, WD9GCO, picks up the story with this update. PAUL: Although the China National Space Administration remained tight- lipped about its Tianwen-1 mission which landed that nation's first rover on Mars, amateur astronomers had been monitoring the spacecraft's signals intensely. They were listening for encouraging signs regarding the deployed capsule that was carrying the rover Zhurong to the planet's surface. The Chinese rover's arrival on May 15th (which was Friday, May 14th in the US) follows the arrival of the Americans' Perseverance rover in February. While Zhurong goes about its business on the surface of Mars, the Chinese orbiter will be relaying signals between ground controllers in China and the rover. Zhurong is equipped with cameras, a magnetic field detector, ground-penetrating radar and a weather station. Having landed on Mars, China's next venture into space will be sending three astronauts to the nation's new space station. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. (CNET, SPACE FLIGHT NOW, TECH TIMES) ** ARDC GRANT HELPS PRESERVE USE OF MIT'S 'RADOME' ON CAMPUS DON/ANCHOR: In the US, an unprecedented grant from a major foundation that supports experimentation in amateur radio has helped save an important tool on one prominent college campus. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, has that report. SEL: Amateur radio generosity has played a major role in saving an important part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A beloved part of the campus skyline (the radar dome, or "radome," as it is known) has been spared, thanks to a student-led fundraising campaign and an unprecedented grant from the nonprofit foundation Amateur Radio Digital Communications. ARDC has provided $1.6-million—the largest gift in its history—to replace the aging fiberglass radome and renovate the 18- foot-wide, steerable parabolic dish it houses. The radome and dish were to be removed permanently to enable new roofing to be installed on the campus' tallest building, which has been its home since 1966. The fiberglass radome and its dish, which were once used for weather research, have been used most recently by the MIT Radio Society, W1MX, for microwave experiments, moonbounce communication and other radio- related activities. According to the MIT website, it most recently took on a new role beyond contacts with deep space lunar CubeSats and low- earth orbit satellites. During the pandemic, it also allowed students to conduct radio astronomy experiments remotely. ARDC director Bob McGwier (pron: Mugwire), N4HY, issued a statement saying: [quote] "We also hope this contribution helps get the message out that ARDC is excited to support amateur radio and digital communications projects of all sizes - including big ones, especially when the results will be so long-lasting." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Sel Embee, KB3TZD. (MIT, ARDC) ** SILENT KEY: MILE SEKULOVSKI Z31JY, MACEDONIA'S OLDEST HAM DON/ANCHOR: A noted radio amateur known throughout Macedonia for his longevity on the air has become a Silent Key. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about him. JEREMY: The amateur radio community in Macedonia has lost its most senior member: Mile Sekulovski, Z31JY, who became a Silent Key recently at the age of 95. Mile was widely admired and respected for his proficiency in CW, which he sharpened up during a World War II military telegraphy course. According to his biography on the web page of the Radio Amateur Society of Macedonia, he worked for the post office as a telegraph operator after the war and later became employed as a telegrapher in civil aviation. He was also a dedicated homebrewer of electronic keys, transmitters, receivers, antennas and linear amplifiers. According to his QRZ page, Mile—who was active on the air even into his later years - was the first ham in the former Yugoslavia to receive the individual call sign YU5JY in 1950. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (QRZ, RADIO AMATEUR SOCIETY OF MACEDONIA) --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .