On behalf of the Data Analysis Working Group chaired by Pasha Ponomarenko, Evan Thomas has announced a new release of the Radar Software Toolkit (RST). The new version is labelled RST 4.2 and includes a number of new features (see 'Read More'). Archives of RST 4.2 may be downloaded using these links:
https://github.com/SuperDARN/rst/archive/v4.2.zip
https://github.com/SuperDARN/rst/archive/v4.2.tar.gz
A citable DOI is again available for this version of the software (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1403226) and updated documentation is available at the link below:
https://superdarn.github.io/rst/
Many thanks to those who contributed to this new release: P. V. Ponomarenko (our WG chair), D. D. Billett, E. C. Bland, A. G. Burrell, K. Kotyk, A. S. Reimer, M. Schmidt, S. G. Shepherd, K. T. Sterne, and M.-T. Walach

As announced by Mark Lester at the 2018 SuperDARN Workshop in Banyuls-sur-mere (France) SuperDARN PI Professor Jim Wild will give the 2018 Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) James Dungey Lecture. The presentation will be made at the Ordinary Meeting scheduled for December 14 at the Geological Society, Burlington House, London. Jim took his doctorate at Leicester University and is now Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics. The RAS citation can be found at

https://www.ras.org.uk/images/stories/awards/winners/2018/James%20Dungey%20Lecturer%20-%20Jim%20Wild.pdf

Congratulations to Jim on this high honour!

Yoshi Miyoshi (ISEE/Nagoya University) and Iku Shinohara (ISAS/JAXA) have announced the availability of Level-2 CDF files of Arase (ERG) data. Arase (ERG) is a mission to elucidate acceleration and loss mechanisms of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts during geospace storms. Collaborations with SuperDARN researchers are encouraged.

The particle, plasma, plasma waves, and electromagnetic fields in the inner magnetosphere are measured by the onboard instruments of Arase. The Level-2 CDF files of all eight instruments and the SPEDAS Plug-in modules to handle these CDF files are available at the ERG Science Center.

For a complete listing of links and a message from the ERG project team, click 'Read More'

An article featuring intern Kelly Strecker and the SuperDARN radar facility located on the grounds of Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in western Kansas has appeared in the FHSU magazine 'Roar'. Kelly is an FHSU undegraduate in physics originally from Colorado. She was appointed to her position as SuperDARN intern by Dr. Gavin Buffington, chair of the Department of Physics at FHSU. As part of her duties she minds the radar site and reports back on issues to Virginia Tech personnel. Currently she is visiting the Virginia Tech SuperDARN Lab in Blacksburg, Virginia and has participated in a repair trip to the Blackstone radar. To read the FHSU magazine article click on the link
https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_spr18_web
Note that Kelly is featured on the cover framed by antenna support poles and the article is on pages 32-35. The SuperDARN internship program at FHSU provides research experience to undergrads and is supported by the NSF via subcontract from Virginia Tech.

After a trip in March 2018, the next steps in making repairs to the antenna array would be the removal of the old reflector wires as well as the upper and lower horizontal guy wires. A trip was made to the site in mid-May as the availability of personnel and a lift from Wallops Island’s facilities coincided at this time. Thanks needs to be given to Philip Smith with NASA/Wallops Island for coordinating a lift for us. A majority of materials ordered following the March 2018 trip would also be on hand by this time which would facilitate the initial steps needed for the repairs.

Following the April 2018 overnight trip to Blackstone when many of the transmitters were repaired, a trip was needed to make some repairs to the antenna array. On leaving the radar during the April trip, there were more transmitters in working condition that there were antennas. A trip was organized in order to make repairs to the antenna array including antenna feeder cables, antenna wires, baluns, resistor boxes, and reflector wires. Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi, Paul Kennedy, and Kevin Sterne made 2-day trip to the site in order to make these repairs and investigate any other issues along the antenna arrays.