Hamfest India will take place at Ahmedabad Science City in 2023 on November 25th and 26th.

Since 1991, Hamfest India has been a national convention of amateur radio enthusiasts made up of a trade show, flea market, and other activities.

Science City is an ambitious initiative of the government of Gujarat to trigger an inquiry of science in the mind of a common citizen with the aid of entertainment and experiential knowledge. Covering an area of more than 107 hectares, the idea is to create imaginative exhibits, virtual reality activity corners, and live demonstrations in an easily understandable manner.

Science City features a robotics gallery, amphitheater, energy park, IMAX 3D, and more.

Source: Hamfest India

During a Summits on the Air (SOTA) activation on May 24th, a new distance record was claimed to have been made between a ham (KE9AJ) in Michigan and another ham (MI0ILE) in Northern Ireland. Contact was made utilizing the SO-50 satellite and covered a distance of 5,584 km. That breaks the previous record by 61 km set back in 2018.

Source: AMSAT

The Northern California DX Foundation is preparing to offer $100,000 in grants to help mitigate deliberate interference in amateur radio activities.

"NCDXF will entertain grant proposals from individuals and/or groups that specifically outline their approach to identify bad actors. A group of directors led by Craig Thompson (K9CT) and Don Greenbaum (N1DG) will weigh the probability of success of these proposals as well as monitor the progress of the grantees.

Funding is available for [research and development] as well as implementation of the technology. It is hoped that manufacturers will also assist us with equipment and resources."

Source: Northern California DX Foundation

"...the Australian Maritime College (AMC), has decided not to extend its deed for the provision of amateur licensee services beyond February 2024."

Services will revert to the Australian Communications and Media Authority which will include new licensing classes and a new network of license examiners.

It's believed that these changes will improve the timeliness and complexity of the service.

Source: Australian Communications and Media Authority

Fleet Week special event station W2F will be on the air May 24th through May 30th 2023.

Radio Operators from in and around NY and NJ will be operating throughout the week from various locations to celebrate the annual visit of ships to NY Harbor.

QSL cards will be available!

Source: QRZ