Field Day is coming up fast! We really hope you’ll join us; it’s going to be a new experience at our new, air-conditioned location.

There’s really not much else on our calendar for the next couple of weeks. We’re getting ready for Field Day, arranging for time off from work, and checking the radios we bought at Ham-Com. There’s no separate Lecture and Lab event this month; we’ll be having an educational event at Field Day instead.

Remember, if you have announcements you’d like to share, just let the club know and one of our members will update this news post—even during the net.

In news from the world of ham radio:

The latest beta version of FT-4 has been a big success. It won’t be ready for prime time at Field Day, but it should be ready for action later this summer.

There’s a new and unusual amateur radio satellite, built by Chinese amateurs, expected to be launched in the near future. I’m not sure what they expect from their stabilization balloon. Will a gravity gradient point the balloon away from the Earth? Or, will drag keep the balloon pointed to the west? Their official documentation is not clear.

In news from the world of science:

Ornithology has been a depressing field this week: large numbers of birds in California are being euthanized to contain the spread of a destructive virus.

Really, its easy to make mistakes in science journalisim, but there are quite a few news stories that are just a bit overblown this week. Although Jupiter is slightly bigger and brighter than usual, you can ALWAYS see its moons through binoculars, even if a telescope will help you learn more. Go outside and take a look! You’ll be glad you did.

The Parker Solar Probe continues to do well, and it may even be able to test a theory about the origin of the solar wind that was developed after its launch.