Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Dec 31 2020 19:49:16 PROJECT KUIPER UNVEILS ANTENNA DESIGN PAUL/ANCHOR: As any ham will tell you, when it comes to a good signal it's all about the antenna. That wisdom is also a guiding principle for Project Kuiper, the Amazon satellite constellation designed to provide internet access from space. Here's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, with that report. KENT: Following development and testing this past fall, Amazon has unveiled its single aperture phased-array design antenna it plans to use on customer terminals with the company's Project Kuiper satellite constellation. The details were made public on December 16th, revealing a small, light antenna no more than 12 inches across and with the capacity of a maximum throughput of as much as 400 Mbps. The small size has been designed to keep production costs low. Amazon's planned deployment of the 3,236 low-earth orbit satellite group got the go-ahead this past summer from the Federal Communications Commission. The project's goal is to provide low-latency broadband internet access with a focus on serving communities in remote regions without traditional high-speed internet access. The project's senior manager of hardware and antenna development, Nima Mahanfar, has said in published reports that the single-aperture antenna design is unprecendented for the Ka-band, which is in the microwave range where the transmit and receive frequencies are very far apart. Project Kuiper boasts a major advancement here, combining transmit and receive phased-array antennas into one aperture. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY. (THE VERGE, SATELLITE TODAY, AMAZON) ** SILENT KEY: TORONTO'S ALBERT VANDERBURG VE3ARV PAUL/ANCHOR: A ham who made many contributions to amateur radio in the Toronto, Canada, area has become a Silent Key. Dave Parks, WB8ODF, tells us more about him. DAVE: Albert Vanderburgh, VE3ARV, who was known in the ham community as Van, was described as one of the core members of the Toronto FM Communications Society. Paying tribute in his post on Ham Radio Canada's Facebook page, Michael Walker, outlined some of Van's further accomplishments. He said Van had also been part of a group that designed a repeater-linking controller in the 1970s that was so advanced at the time that the professional engineering association, the IEEE (Eye Triple E) wrote about it. In the mid-1960s, Van had been a partner in a startup tech company called Teklogix. It was there that he helped develop wireless controlled conveyor systems and handheld devices used to manage inventory back in the days before electronic barcodes came on the scene. Van was 96. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks, WB8ODF. (LEGACY.COM, FACEBOOK) ** SILENT KEY: CW MENTOR ROY CLAYTON G4SSH, SOTA MAINSTAY PAUL/ANCHOR: The SOTA community is grieving the loss of one of its mainstays and mentors. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about him. JEREMY: Roy Clayton, G4SSH, has become a Silent Key. According to a notice on the SOTA Reflector, Roy died on Christmas Day, another casualty of COVID-19. In posting the memorial to Roy, John, G4YSS, recalled that Roy had been a ship's op on Shell Tankers and other marine radio shacks and the UK's chief Morse Examiner for a good decade. Roy excelled in CW and John described him as a CW mentor to many, including to himself. He was also devoted to the mentoring of the next generation. As John wrote: [quote] "It was Roy's idea. The Scarborough Special Event Group gave a lot of pleasure and enjoyment over the years as avid collectors of a series of colourful QSL cards will testify. It also taught several youngsters how to run a GB station and handle a pile-up, some of which were massive." [endquote] John wrote that Roy's affections also extended to Citizens Band radio, where he ran The Chairman Network near Scarborough on Channel 17-FM. John said: "He would give advice and loan equipment there too, even sending around a monthly news-letter and was very much looked up to." [endquote] Roy was 84. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (SOTA REFLECTOR) ** 'GET ON THE AIR' CW KEY AUCTION BENEFITS UK CHARITY PAUL/ANCHOR: The Get on the Air to Care campaign in the UK, which won this year's Amateur Radio Newsline International Newsmaker Award, has won another victory for encouraging increased radio contacts during lockdown. The Radio Society of Great Britain, which partnered with the UK's National Health Service in this campaign, has raised more than 2,000 pounds - or nearly $2,800 in equivalent US currency, following its charity auction. An anonymous CW enthusiast made the winning bid of 1,025.99 pounds for a handcrafted Bug CW Key made by Roy Bailey, G0VFS. The RSGB is matching the funds and donating the sum to the NHS Charities Together fund. Meanwhile, the related campaign, Get on the Air for Christmas, continues until January 9th, encouraging holiday QSOs as a way to ease isolation. (RSGB) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .