Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Mon Sep 04 2017 09:53 am ECLIPSE COUNT: HERE COMES THE SUN JIM/ANCHOR: So how did radio amateurs do during the big solar eclipse last month? We have a report from Jack Parker, W8ISH, courtesy of Amateur News Weekly. JACK'S REPORT: The 2017 Solar Eclipse QSO Party is history now. Although the final numbers are not yet in, according to SEQP, the special event QSO party planners, preliminary reports estimate that over 670 thousand spots were detected by the reverse beacon network, and over 542 thousand spots were reported by the PSK Automatic propagation reporter. All of this data is being compiled by the event coordinator Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, of HamSci. Frisell is an associate research professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Frissell and others are investigating whether the sudden absence of sunlight during the eclipse had any effect on ham radio propagation. Reporting for Amateur News Weekly, this is Jack Parker, W8ISH. JIM/ANCHOR: Thank you, Jack. For more news of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana area, visit the website amateurnewsweekly.com ** SOURIS SPEAKS TO THE WORLD JIM/ANCHOR: In Canada, one group of amateurs is about to let one of its most historic lighthouses shine. We hear more from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend may be over, but for some amateurs, the weekend of September 15th through September 17th, may be considered Souris Lightouse Weekend. Members of the Maritime Lighthouse Amateur Radio Group will be activating the historic Prince Edward Island lighthouse, which is considered a rare catch for hams, who are collectors of lighthouse contacts. Souris Lighthouse carries the designation of CAN-464 from the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society, which lists a total of more than 15 thousand lighthouses around the world. The hams will also be welcoming visits by members of the public, who will be able to get on the air under supervision of licensed amateurs. The Souris lighthouse was built in 1880, and the wooden tower is a symbol of the town of Souris. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. ** REMEMBERING A LIFE DEDICATED TO RADIO JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, another lighthouse is shining bright as a memorial to a ham who played a big role in his Louisiana community. We hear more from Stephen Kinford, N8WB. STEPHEN: In the Town of Berwick in Louisiana, the recent International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend took on an added importance for the Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Services, and other area hams. At a pavilion not far from the Berwick Southwest Reef Lighthouse, officials dedicated the new Ray Rasberry Memorial Radio Tower, and Flagpole in a formal ceremony. The flagpole was donated by the Silent Key's family. The tower is to be used by amateur radio operators - as it did during the lighthouse weekend. Ray Rasberry, WB5LKR, who had been a member of the St. Mary Parish Amateur Radio club, a volunteer firefighter and fire chief, became a Silent Key in 2008. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB. (KQKI NEWS, ST. MARY NOW) ** SISTERS' ACHIEVEMENTS FLY HIGH AGAIN JIM/ANCHOR: Two Seattle sisters, inspired by their ham radio dad, have accomplished another launch of their radio-equipped weather balloon. The results were, well, a little different this time, as we hear from Mike Askins, KE5CXP. MIKE: You may remember Winston Yeung, KI7CSK, proud father of daughters Rebecca and Kimberly. The girls' successful weather balloon launch project landed them at the White House in 2015 for the National Science Fair. Well, the Seattle siblings were at it again during the recent solar eclipse. Eclipse day found them in Wyoming, to once again launch their balloon -- this time into the eclipse shadow. They had hoped to gather camera images from the stratosphere just as the moon's passage over the sun created that celebrated moment of total darkness. They were also conducting a solar panel experiment. The mission, however, was only partially successful. The girls told Geekwire that the on-board cameras had shut down - due partially to the cold temperatures encountered at such altitudes. Their on-board solar panel experiment also hit an obstacle. They had hoped to determine how an eclipse would affect power generation -- but that study was killed by a loose wire. The balloon reached an altitude of 96,371 feet and eventually the payload landed 30 miles away in Nebraska, parachuting safely to its mission's conclusion. The balloon's next stop is an exhibit in Seattle's Museum of History and Industry. After three trips into the stratosphere, the girls have decided to keep their project a little closer to terra firma. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP. --- þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org .