Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2251, for Friday, December 18, 2020

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2251 with a release date of Friday, December 18, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ham Radio University and Winter Field Day gear up
for action, despite the pandemic. A government report calls RF the source
of workers' illnesses -- and a Christmas tradition here at Newsline's own shack. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2251,
comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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RF TRANSMISSIONS EYED AS SOURCE OF ILLNESSES

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with an ominous report from a U.S. agency
that believes RF transmissions may have contributed to the illnesses of numerous government employees overseas. Dave Parks, WB8ODF, tells us more.

DAVE: A report commissioned by the U.S. State Department has concluded that radiofrequency transmissions, including microwaves, may have been
responsible for neurological symptoms in American spies and diplomats
abroad in the past several years. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine called the headaches, dizziness and other ailments the result of so-called "sonic attacks" in its report published this month.

The findings by experts in medicine and related fields attempt to explain
what came to be known as "Havana syndrome" suffered by employees of the
U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Havana in late 2016. U.S. workers assigned to China, Russia and elsewhere also suffered similiar symptoms.

The report did not conclude, however, that the microwaves were transmitted
to cause deliberate harm but noted that such transmissions could indeed be used for those purposes.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks, WB8ODF.

(CNN, NYTIMES)

**

PREP CONTINUES FOR WINTER FIELD DAY

NEIL/ANCHOR: A number of activities are taking place despite the continued global pandemic. With barely a month to go, Winter Field Day organizers are getting ready for the big event, with allowances for COVID-19 precautions. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has that story.

KEVIN: The need for emergency preparedness doesn't drop when the
temperatures do, so organizers of the Winter Field Day event are putting
the final details in place for the next activations on the final weekend of January 2021. They have posted the official rules noting that there are no basic changes from last year's exercise - with the exception that COVID-19 rules are going to be in effect for clubs and groups. As always, modes that can transmit the exchange without a conversion table are being allowed. For this reason, FT8 and FT4 are excluded. Allowable modes include CW, SSB, AM, FM, D-STAR, C4FM, DMR, satellite and others that are posted on the Winter Field Day website. Remote station operation is also permitted.

Club members operating as a group, but not congregating on one site for the activation, are advised to check the rules on the website to ensure their scoring methods comply with the rules to simply the tallying of points.

For more details, visit winterfieldday dot com (winterfieldday.com). Winter Field Day, which began in 2007, is taking place on January 30th and 31st.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(WINTER FIELD DAY ASSOCIATION)

**

REGISTRATION FOR HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY, PROPAGATION SUMMIT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Another popular winter event, Ham Radio University, has opened registration to all its forums taking place on January 9th, 2021. HRU will
not be held in its usual location on Long Island but is going forward as a virtual event through GoToWebinar. This means, of course, you don't have to
be in New York to attend this annual daylong amateur radio convention. If
you are interested in attending you need to register individually for each
of the forums you wish to attend. Each forum's attendance is capped at 500 participants. Details are available at the website hamradiouniversity dot
org slash forums (hamradiouniversity.org/forums) That's hamradiouniversity
- one word - dot org slash forums.

Meanwhile, Contest University which was held as a virtual event in May, has
a free virtual propagation summit planned for the 23rd of January. It's
being held as a Zoom webinar and runs from 1600 UTC to 2000 UTC, covering
such subjects as HF ionospheric propagation, predictions for Solar Cycle
25, maximizing antenna performance with irregular terrain and an update on HamSCI activities for the year ahead. To register, visit contestuniversity
dot com (contestuniversity.com)

Don't forget Contest University itself. Registration for that begins on February 1st!

(CONTEST UNIVERSITY, HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2252, for Friday, December 25, 2020

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2252, with a release date of
Friday, December 25, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC goes after landlords with tenants
running pirate radio stations. Ham-Com calls it quits for good in Texas
-- and hams report new distance records for meteor scatter and
sporadic-E. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2252, comes your way right now.

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FCC HOLDS LANDLORDS ACCOUNTABLE FOR RADIO PIRATES

SKEETER: In our top story this week, the Federal Communications
Commission has a new crackdown in the U.S. but this time it's not aimed
at illegal radio operators - it targets their landlords. Jack Parker,
W8ISH, explains.

JACK: Using expanded powers recently granted by Congress, the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission has put property owners on notice,
telling them that they face stiff financial sanctions if they permit
pirate broadcasting on their premises. The agency sent out its first
so-called Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting to property
owners in New York City on December 17th, giving them 10 days to
respond.

Rosemary Harold, chief of the FCC's enforcement bureau, issued a
statement saying: [quote] "Pirate radio is illegal, and can interfere
with not only legitimate broadcast stations' business activities, but
also those stations' ability to inform the public about emergency information." [endquote] She noted that the PIRATE Act does not permit property owners to look the other way or ignore pirate operations. They
will be served with Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting which
will grant them time to eradicate the problem before enforcement action
goes forward.

Congress' recent enactment of the so-called PIRATE Act grants the FCC
tougher authority and the ability to order fines of as much as $2
million for property owners who knowingly violate the law and permit
illegal broacasting on their premises. Congress passed the measure
earlier this year after previous FCC warnings to landlords produced
little or no results.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(QRZ.COM, FCC)

**

TEXAS' HAM-COM CALLING IT QUITS

SKEETER: Hams in Texas have suffered a big loss with the announcement
that Ham-Com, which grew to become the state's biggest hamfest, is
calling it quits. After more than four decades, it has become yet
another casualty of COVID-19. the Ham-Com president Bill Nelson, AB5QZ,
posted on Ham-Com's Facebook page that pandemic restrictions, coupled
with the rising costs of producing the event, made it unsustainable. He
wrote: [quote] "The decision was not made lightly, but the safety and
wellness of our volunteers, vendors, clubs, presenters, and attendees
is our paramount concern." [endquote]

(HAM-COM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2253, for Friday, January 1st, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2253 with a release date of Friday, January 1st, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A satellite 'first' for a small island nation.
A California community rallies around a damaged radio tower - and hams
in the US face new fees for their licenses. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2253 comes your way right now.

**

HAM RADIO IS PART OF MAURITIUS' FIRST SATELLITE

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to a small island nation
in the Indian ocean that is poised to enter the world of amateur radio satellites in the new year. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has the details.

GRAHAM: Get ready for a history-making satellite to launch in February
of 2021: Mauritius is preparing to send MIR-SAT1, the nation's first
CubeSat, to the International Space Station. The nanosatellite will be carrying an amateur radio digipeater and a whole lot of national pride.
It is the creation of a team of engineers from Mauritius working with a
ham radio operator from the Mauritis Amateur Radio Society. The project
was also a collaboration with AAC-Clyde Space UK. "MIR" stands for
Mauritius InfraRed satellite.

According to the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, the
satellite will use the digipeater to enable experimental communication
with other islands via the satellite, both for emergency purposes and scientific research. The CubeSat will also collect land and ocean data. Management of ocean resources is a top priority of the government of
the Republic of Mauritius.

It is expected to be deployed in May or June from the Japanese
Experimental Module on board the ISS. MIR-SAT1 has an expected lifetime
of between two and three years and during that time it is expected to
make ground contact with Mauritius four to five times daily.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(AFRICA NEWS, MAURITIUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL)

**

NEW FCC FEE REQUIRES US HAMS TO PAY $35

PAUL/ANCHOR: In an action that many hams throughout the US had been
watching closely for months, the Federal Communications Commission is
now requiring amateurs to pay a $35 application fee for new licenses, renewals, and vanity call signs. The controversial move by the agency
is a modification of its earlier proposed fee of $50. The FCC announced
its decision on December 29th, after reviewing nearly 4,000 public
comments submitted. Commissioners said they determined that amateurs,
who previously paid no fees for their licenses, were not considered
exempt from such payments. In another action, US hams are also being
required to post their email addresses in the FCC's Universal Licensing System, or ULS, enabling the agency to email their licenses to them.
Hams may either log into the ULS itself or apply for an administrative
update through a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. This change is an
important step for hams, because the FCC plans to use email for all notifications to licensees.

(FCC)

**

COMMUNITY RALLIES TO REPAIR CALIFORNIA RADIO TOWER

PAUL/ANCHOR: Efforts are under way to help rebuild a California radio
tower that was devastated by wildfires in the summer of 2020. Ralph
Squillace, KK6ITB, has that story.

RALPH: When wildfires ignited by lightning swept through northern
California this past summer, they consumed more than 86,000 acres in
San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. The fires also left another
casualty: the Empire Grade Radio Tower and its equipment. The tower
provided critical connections for firefighters, hams and Community
Emergency Response Teams. The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz has
pledged $25,000 from its Fire Response Fund to the restoration of this important radio tower and is using the pledge to match donations, many
of which are being collected via the GoFundMe site.

The nonprofit organization wrote on the fundraising site: [quote] �The
loss of this tower has impacted several community organizations. Fire departments relying on the Alertwildfire camera; community fund-raisers
like bike and horseback rides that rely on the ham radio communicators
who used repeaters at the tower site; and emergency preparedness, like
the CERT teams and equine evacuation teams that also relied on the communication resources made possible by this tower.

According to the Salinas Valley Repeater Group website, the tower's destruction impacted the W6WLS 2 meter repeater, the W6DXW 70 cm
repeater, and the WB6ECE 70 cm simulcast repeater. The website said
that the W6WLS repeater returned to the air in October with a temporary
setup in the Santa Cruz mountains, running analog only and on battery
or generator power.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2257, for Friday, January 29th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2257 with a release date of
Friday, January 29th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The Bouvet Island team is on track. COVID
safety is a priority for Europe's major ham radio convention - and
NASA's probe has close encounters of the solar kind. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2257 comes your way right now.

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REBEL DX GROUP POISED FOR BOUVET ISLAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story brings an update on the Bouvet Island 3Y0I Dxpedition. All of the team are pushing to make it happen in 2021! John Williams, VK4JJW, has that story.

JOHN: Paperwork and equipment checks have kept some members of the
Rebel DX Group occupied since their arrival in Cape Town, South Africa
in early 2021. The team writes on the DX News website and their
Facebook page: [quote] "The Bouvet trip is on track!" [endquote] They
report that they are going forward with a 2021 DXpedition in spite of
not yet having the full operating budget, noting that they are not
applying to any DX foundations or clubs for assistance. Polish
DXpeditioner Dom 3Z9DX has organised this trip, which is the team's
second attempt at the sub-Antarctic island, one of the most coveted DXs
on the planet. The expeditioners' first attempt in 2019 was scrapped by
the ship's captain after a severe cyclone swept in, damaging the vessel,
and making a safe landing unlikely.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, there are reports in the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin
that Dom, 3Z9DX, has been heard on the air from South Africa recently, operating from Cape Town as ZS/3Z9DX. He has been heard on 80/20/17
meters. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS.

(DX NEWS, FACEBOOK, OHIO PENN DX)

**

INTREPID-DX GROUP SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR INTREPID SPIRIT AWARD

PAUL: Speaking of DX and DXpeditions, there is still time left to
nominate candidates for the Intrepid Spirit award given annually by the Intrepid-DX Group. This award is presented to an individual or a group
and it honors those who have activated rare, difficult and often
dangerous places, showing courage, generosity and dedication in their activities.

Deadline for the 2020 nominations is February 15th. Submit nominations
via email to intrepiddxgroup@gmail.com. The award will be presented in
May. It is given in memory of James McLaughlin, WA2EWE/T6AF. James was a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He was shot to death in
April of 2011 while working as a contractor for the U.S. government in
Kabul, Afghanistan.

(INTREPID-DX GROUP)

**

HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN OUTLINES COVID PRECAUTIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Not all organizers of amateur radio events are looking to
cancel their plans for 2021. With COVID-19 precautions in place,
Europe's major gathering is feeling optimistic about its summer plans.
Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us more.

ED: Mark your calendars for now: A COVID-19 safety and hygiene plan has
been drawn up to enable Ham Radio Friedrichshafen to take place between
June 25th and 27th in Germany. Details have been released by organisers
and the DARC who are hoping to avoid the second cancellation of the
largest amateur radio convention in Europe. The safety procedures are
outlined on the event website and give details about mask and
disinfectant use as well as cleaning, distancing and contact tracing
that will be taking place. The procedures also outline other ways to
avoid contact, which include the absence of greeting rituals and
cashless payment for anything purchased.

For a link to an online PDF outlining the precautions, see the printed
version of this week's ARNewsline script. The information will be
updated in the weeks ahead.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: tinyurl.com/yxnl9kg9

(HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2258, for Friday, February 5, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2258 with a release date of Friday, February 5, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. In Canada, a microwave solution for EmComm needs. Restoration begins on wartime code machines -- and the space station
contact that wasn't. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2258, comes your way right now.

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TECHNICAL TROUBLES FOIL ARISS SCHOOL CONTACT

JIM/ANCHOR: January 28th was supposed to be a day to remember for students
in Newcastle, Wyoming: They had an on-air date with the International
Space Station. It never happened due to technical troubles, however,
making it a day to remember for the crew and the ARISS program. Paul
Braun, WD9GCO explains.

PAUL: As students at Newcastle High School in Wyoming waited for their
chance for radio contact with the ISS, Jan, (YON) ON7UX, the Telebridge station in Belgium, called as ON4ISS as the spacecraft came up on his
horizon -- but only noise came back. Several minutes passed as Jan kept trying; still nothing. Science teacher Jim Stith, KI7URL, had helped prep
the students on radio protocol in anticipation of their questions to Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG. Ultimately, however, that contact never happened.

ARISS executive director Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said in a press release
later that a technical problem had apparently taken the ISS radio out of service. He said additional troubleshooting was needed but possibilities
point to trouble with the new external RF cable recently installed or
related to the interior coax cable. The press release said that NASA has opened a Payload Anomaly Report for the issue. In the meantime, ARISS has asked Sergey Samburov, who heads the Russian team, whether the Russians'
radio can be used for school contacts until the problems can be resolved.
The Wyoming students have been told that their contact will be
rescheduled.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(ARISS, YOUTUBE)

**

FRENCH AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE PART OF SPACEX RECORD LAUNCH

JIM/ANCHOR: The SpaceX launch late last month set records for the number
of satellites aboard but hams are especially interested in one, as Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us.

JEREMY: When a record number of small satellites left earth aboard a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday January 24th, France's UVSQ-SAT satellite carrying an FM amateur radio transponder was among them. The satellite is focusing on broadband measurements of Earth Radiation Budget and on Solar Spectral Irradiance in the Herzberg continuum. Amateur radio operators are being encouraged to contact the satellite as well. Toward this end, AMSAT-Francophone is providing hams with software to receive,interpret and upload telemetry to the AMSAT-F server or the SatNOGS database. The
software runs on both Linux and Windows platforms.

The satellite, designed by LATMOS, has had its frequencies coordinated by
the IARU. The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Radio-Club F6KRK was also involved
in the project.

It was among the 143 satellites carried on SpaceX's first dedicated
SmallSat Rideshare Program mission, which broke the previous record of 104 simultaneous launches aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in
2017.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(SPACEFLIGHT NOW, AMSAT, LATMOS)

**

DEVICE PREVENTS 'SPACE JUNK' BY ALTERING SATELLITE ORBITS

JIM:/ANCHOR: Let's face it, no one likes clutter: not in the shack and certainly not out in space where CubeSats and other amateur radio
satellites keep us connected. Well, help with cleanup has arrived. Neil
Rapp, WB9VPG, has the details.

NEIL: It's called the Iodine Thruster, and it hates "space junk" so much
that it's helping prevent it, using an unconventional, nontoxic
propellant: Iodine. The electronic thruster is being used to control a satellite's height above the Earth.

That means that when a satellite reaches the end of its mission, it can be sent down into the atmosphere where it can safely burn up rather than add
more dead clutter to the skies.

The device has already proven its worth: It successfully changed the orbit
of a commercial research nanosat that was launched last November.

Iodine is seen as an ideal propellant to use for this technology because
it is solid at room temperature and pressure, becoming gas when it's
heated without having to liquefy first. It also only takes up a small
space onboard on the satellite. This technology isn't just for dead and
dying satellites, however; experts speculate it can help small CubeSats
extend their mission lifetimes before dying because the thruster can raise
the satellites' orbits if they start to drift back toward earth.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(SOUTHGATE)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2259, for Friday, February 12, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2259, with a release date of Friday, February 12, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A local EmComm conference goes virtual and
possibly global. Hams in Austria challenge proposed rule changes -- and
can spinach transmit wirelessly? All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2259, comes your way right now.

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PANDEMIC GIVES LOCAL EMCOMM CONFERENCE INTERNATIONAL REACH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Regrouping to accommodate the pandemic, a respected
emergency communications event has been able to extend its reach far
beyond the Pacific Northwest. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, tells us what's happening.

CHRISTIAN: For the first time in its 20 years, Communications Academy is
going global. The pandemic has turned the two-day emergency preparedness conference in Pacific Northwest into a live online event with
possibilities for international participation. It's being held this year
on April 10th and 11th. Although it attracts a sizable number of hams, attendees needn't be amateur radio operators. In fact many of the
presenters are hams, including Tom Cox, VE6TOX, ICS Consultant for Alberta Emergency Management Agency; Jason Biermann, KI7KVP, director of
Snohomish, Washington's Department of Emergency Management; and Ward
Silver, N0AX, who will present on station grounding and bonding.

If you're anywhere in the world and want to sharpen your emergency communications skills, this is a free opportunity to receive training
while getting realtime access to presenters. Although the presentations
will be recorded, the experts will be available for live chat with
attendees in question-and-answer sessions.

Tim Helming, WT1IM, told Newsline in an email that Comm Academy is the
only surviving significant event in Washington state and was made possible
by switching to a virtual event. He said: [quote] "It promises to be a
great training Opportunity for all of us in Washington state and perhaps beyond." [endquote] Tim said graduates of the two-day academy often go on
to do good work, putting their knowledge into action - which is of course
what it's all about.

For details or to register, visit commacademy dot org (commacademy.org)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH.

(TIM HELMING WT1IM)

**

HAMS SEE THREAT IN PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO AUSTRIAN TELCOM LAW

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Austria's main amateur radio society is fighting back
against proposed laws it considers unfriendly to hams. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, brings us that story.

ED: The Austrian Amateur Radio Society, OVSV, is challenging proposed regulation changes by Parliament that the amateurs say would diminish privileges and spectrum allocations. Society president Mike Zwingl,
OE3MZC, told Newsline that a pending amendment to the Telecommunications
Act of 2020 contains language that would erode previous gains made by
radio amateurs, and fail to protect their licences.

Mike said that the new law's language institutes measures which would
impede hams' roles in emergency communications and passing welfare
traffic. The change would also raise costs for licences and impose larger fines for violations. The amendment also would leave amateurs with no protection against harmful interference. With lifetime licences abolished,
all new licences being issued would expire after 10 years. The radio
society would also lose the ability to administer license exams.

Mike told Newsline that hams enjoyed robust activity following the passage
in 2003 and 2007 of amateur radio laws favouring experimentation and new technologies.

He said a change in government in 2018 led to a new more complex Telecomms
Law that took over the administration of amateur radio laws as well.

The Austrian ham organisation is encouraging amateurs to contact the
ministry and telecommunications authority indicating their support for the group's position. Mike said the society had filed its comments earlier
with Parliament.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(MIKE ZWINGL OE3MZC)

**

FIELD DAY RULES MODIFIED AGAIN THIS YEAR FOR PANDEMIC

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: To ensure that clubs and individuals have adequate
planning time for Field Day this year, the ARRL has announced that the
same modified rules from last year's pandemic plan will be in place this
year, along with new power limits for Class D and Class E stations. Both
are home stations, with Class E operating on emergency power. Both will
have a limit of 150 watts PEP. As with last year's scoring, club scores
will be a sum of all individual entries attributing their points to a
club.

Field Day will be held on June 26th and 27th. Additional updates are
available on the Facebook page of the ARRL and the ARRL's own Field Day
page on its website arrl.org.

(ARRL)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2260, for Friday, February 19, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2260, with a release date of Friday, February 19, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The pandemic stirs a radio training surge in the
UK. Huntsville's Hamfest is back -- and an antenna reconnects Voyager 2 to earth. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2260,
comes your way right now.

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SURGE IN DEMAND FOR HAM RADIO IN UK

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week brings us back once again to COVID-19
and its impact on amateur radio. The news here, however, is good. Very,
very good. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains.

JEREMY: The challenge of a deadly pandemic has stirred unprecedented
interest in amateur radio in the UK.

As the COVID-19 crisis kept most of the country immobilised, last year the Radio Society of Great Britain rolled out remote invigilation of licence exams. Now, some of the free popular distance learning programmes are reporting a surge in applicants: for Foundation licence and upgrade exam training.

Approaching its 17th February application deadline, the Bath Based
Distanced Learning Team told Newsline its new Full Licence course has had
an overwhelming response. Team leader Steve Hartley, G0FUW, said, in an
email, that with 100 spaces available, the class is already oversubscribed,
as organisers sort through some 250 enquiries. This exceeds the previous
annual registration for the course - one of several offered by the Bath & District Amateur Radio Club. Steve continued, that some registrants for
the Full licence class are those who had trained in its intermediate class.

In another email, RSGB President, Dave Wilson, M0OBW, praised those
providing online training, saying the society website offers a list of
these groups. RSGB communications manager Heather Parsons added that
having more time to devote to radio now was only one reason amongst many
given for the upsurge in interest. In Nottingham, the South Notts Amateur Radio Club said enrollment for its Foundation, Intermediate and Full
licence online training classes have likewise attracted high levels of applicants. Club secretary Simon Strange, M0SYS, told Newsline that he now
has to lead training three nights a week to meet the intense demand. He
said the classes include men, women and children.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

PAUL/ANCHOR: To see the full list of organizations offering online
training in the UK, see the printed script of this newscast on our
website, arnewsline.org We also note that the RSGB has announced a consultation seeking views of a new direct Full License exam to run
parallel to the three-tier system in place. The Society's Examinations Standards Committee is keeping the consultation period open until the 14th
of March. A link to the proposed syllabus is also on our arnewsline.org website.

[FOR PRINT ONLY: www.rsgb.org/online-training]
[FOR PRINT ONLY: www.rsgb.org/direct-to-full]

(SIMON STRANGE M0SYS, RSGB, STEVE HARTLEY G0FUW)

**

HUNTSVILLE HAMFEST GOING FORWARD IN ALABAMA

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you'd like to go to a hamfest - really GO to a hamfest -
you'll get your chance this August at the Von Braun Center. Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has the details.

DON: Finally, some good news about ham radio conventions. On Tuesday, February 16th it was announced that plans are going forward for the
Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama. Mark Brown, N4BCD, Huntsville Hamfest
chairman made the following statement on the convention website,
hamfest.org.

The Hamfest Board has met with the Von Braun Center to learn about the
current rules & regulations for mass-gatherings. In short, the
insurmountable obstacles that prevented us from hosting a Hamfest last
year have relaxed to the point where we can host a safe and successful
event.

Additionally, our survey of commercial and flea-market vendors on their
plans to attend returned very encouraging sentiments.

Adjustments to the floor plan are being made to keep everyone safe, in particular 12' aisle spacing. Additional space will be utilized this year
to accommodate the commercial & flea-market vendors and visitors. Once
that floor plan is defined in a few weeks we'll open the web portal up for vendor registration.

We highly recommend visitors to purchase tickets on-line this year.
Will-Call windows will be set up to streamline the Saturday morning crush.
The ticket web portal will open in a few weeks.

The Hamfest Board is excited at the prospect of holding a live gathering
in a safe way for everyone attending and we look forward to seeing many of
our friends again.

Thanks and 73, Mark, N4BCD, Huntsville Hamfest chairman.

The Huntville Hamfest is a world class ham radio gathering and, since
1993, the home of the Newsline Young Ham of the Year presentation. Mark
your calendars for this one, and we will see you there August 21st and
22nd.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2254, for Friday, January 8th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2254 with a release date of
Friday, January 8th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC looks to add coordinators for increased license-testing. Japan studies satellites made of wood - and a probe
into the collapse of the Arecibo radiotelescope. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2254, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

FCC EYES ADDING VOLUNTEER EXAMINER COORDINATORS

STEPHEN: Our top story this week finds the Federal Communications
Commission asking: Is 14 enough? That's the current number of Volunteer Examiner Coordinator organizations who oversee VEs, or volunteer
examiners, hams who administer the US license exams. In a notice posted
on January 5th on the FCC website, the Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau announced it would like public input on whether it should
authorize additional coordinators - as many as five - to support the
volunteer examiners' ongoing work. Since 1983, VE coordinators have
overseen the accreditation of the volunteer examiners, managing
administrative tasks connected to the exams they give, and coordinating
when the tests are given.

The scene changed last year when new rules took effect in July
permitting VE Coordinators to conduct remote exam sessions. They did so
most recently this past December in Antarctica.

The FCC notice said: [quote]: "The Commission has long maintained 14
VECs, and now seeks to consider whether they continue to serve the
evolving needs of the amateur community, or whether there are unmet
needs that warrant considering expanding the number of VECs." [endquote]

Comments are due by the 4th of February. Details about filing
electronically or on paper are available on the FCC website.

(FCC.GOV)

**

BREXIT DOESN'T CUT ALL UK TIES TO EU SATELLITES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A late-December agreement has preserved the UK's
involvement in some European satellite programs, post-Brexit. Jeremy
Boot, G4NJH, picks up the story from here.

JEREMY: An agreement between the UK and the EU has clarified the post-
Brexit relationship between the two with regard to scientific research, permitting the UK's continued participation in Copernicus, the EU's
Earth monitoring programme. The deal also ensures that the UK and a
number of private satellite operators based there will also retain
access to the Space Surveillance and Tracking Programme established by
the EU for space situational awareness.

The deal, however, does not provide the UK with access to encrypted or
secure services on Galileo, Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Galileo was established to assist emergency response-services on Europe's roads making railways and roads safer. Although smartphone
users may not notice any difference, the UK itself will no longer have
access to the satellite services for defence or national infrastructure.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(GOV.UK, AMSAT, SCIENCEBUSINESS.NET)

**

WOODEN SATELLITES SEEN AS FIX TO 'SPACE JUNK'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: How do you build a satellite that is kinder to the environment? A partnership in Japan is exploring the answer - and Graham
Kemp, VK4BB, has those details.

GRAHAM: Solutions to the growing problem of "space junk" don't grow on
trees - or do they? Perhaps yes: In Japan, a forestry company has
partnered with Kyoto University to work on building a robust and
resilient satellite out of wood - something that would be Earth-friendly
as well as space-friendly. Their goal is to have one such satellite
ready for launch by 2023. The experimental work includes exposing
different varieties of wood to extreme temperature changes and sunlight,
to see how a wooden satellite might behave in space. An added plus: Upon re-entry, wooden satellites could return to Earth without releasing
harmful substances or debris on the way down.

Kyoto University professor Takao Doi, a Japanese astronaut, told the
BBC: [quote] "We are very concerned with the fact that all the
satellites which re-enter the Earth's atmosphere burn and create tiny
alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many
years." [endquote]

He said the next step is to develop the engineering model of the
satellite and after that, a flight model.

The BBC reports that nearly 6,000 satellites are now orbiting the Earth, according to figures from the World Economic Forum. Some 60 percent of
them are considered "space junk," meaning they are no longer in use.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(BBC)

**

SEA-PAC ANNUAL CONVENTION CANCELLED

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: COVID-19 precautions have led to the cancellation of yet another major amateur radio gathering. SEA-PAC, the 2021 ARRL
Northwestern Division Convention, has been called off as an in-person
event in Oregon where it was scheduled to be held in June. Chairman John Bucsek, KE7WNB, said alternative activities online, and on the air were
being explored.

(SEA-PAC)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2255, for Friday, January 15th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2255 with a release date of
Friday, January 15th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hamvention is cancelled for the second time.
Spain's satellite launch is postponed -- and propagation research gets
a new tool in Finland. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2255, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

*****

HAMVENTION 2021 CANCELLED

JIM/ANCHOR: With distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine falling behind
schedule in the U.S., organizers of Hamvention 2021 have called off
the annual event for the second consecutive year. The executive
committee posted the news on various social media outlets on Monday,
January 11th, citing several setbacks related to the pandemic, with
the vaccine delay named among them.

The posting said: [quote] "We make this difficult decision for the
safety of our guests and vendors. Those who had their tickets deferred
last year will be deferred again." [endquote]

The theme for this year's Hamvention was to have been "The Gathering." Instead, a Hamvention QSO Party is planned instead on the dates the
event was to have taken place.

The organizers added: [quote] "We'll be back next year!!!"

(HAMVENTION)

**

IARU EVENT ADOPTS THEME SPURRED BY PANDEMIC

JIM/ANCHOR: The same pandemic that has forced cancellation of so many
events has also given radio amateurs a reason to step up their game on
the air. One of the next big events has been announced by the
International Amateur Radio Union. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, has those
details.

JASON: The COVID-19 pandemic has provided inspiration for a World
Amateur Radio Day theme similar to a popular campaign in the UK. The
IARU has chosen the theme of "Home But Never Alone" when World Amateur
Radio Day kicks off on Sunday, April the 18th. The theme also carries
forward the activities that sprang up around the world last year, from
special event stations that reminded people to stay home and safe, to
local wellness nets where the elderly and others in isolation could
check in regularly.

According to the IARU, on-the-air activity reached unprecedented
levels and participation in major contests soared in 2020.

World Amateur Radio Day is observed every year on the 18th of April to
mark the date in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was
formed in Paris.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(IARU, SARL)

**

EARLY-BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR QSO TODAY'S 2ND VIRTUAL EXPO

JIM/ANCHOR: Early bird tickets have become available for the second
QSO Today Expo, which is being held online on March 13th and 14th.
Forty-eight hours of panel discussions, kit-building workshops and an
array of new speakers will be part of the experience, which is being
organized in partnership with the ARRL in the United States. The wide
range of topics includes 3D printer basics; Arduino in the shack; and DXpeditioning to the DXCC's Most Wanted locations.

Early bird tickets are $10. During the event itself, the tickets will
be $12.50. Tickets to the live event include access to the 30-day on-
demand period that follows, continuing until April 12.

The first QSO Today Expo held last August attracted more than 16,000 participants.

To register visit qsotodayhamexpo.com.

(QSO TODAY)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2256, for Friday, January 22nd, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256, with a release date of
Friday, January 22nd, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Will Arecibo rebuild its radiotelescope? A call
sign backlog nears its end in Australia - and American TV's 'Last Man
Standing' plans a lasting farewell. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

U.S. RESEARCHERS ENVISION AN ARECIBO REPLACEMENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week asks: Is an Arecibo replacement a
dream or a reality? With the ruins of the historic Arecibo telescope
still fresh in people's minds, there's already a movement to rebuild
one that's bigger and better. Jack Parker, W8ISH, picks up the story
from here.

JACK: Researchers have presented the National Science Foundation with
a proposal for a $400 million replacement of the Arecibo telescope - on
the same site where its iconic predecessor suffered its fatal collapse
late last year in Puerto Rico.

Speaking in a January 14th post on the Science Magazine website, the
scientists described what they said would be a system that would prove
useful to astronomers, as well as researchers who study the planets,
and the atmosphere.

Anish (Ah-NEESH) Roshi, head of astrophysics at the observatory,
outlined the scope of the proposed replacement, known as the Next
Generation Arecibo Telescope. It was described as a flat,
300-meter-wide, rigid platform, bridging the sinkhole, and studded
with more than 1000 closely packed 9-meter dishes. Hydraulics would
make the telescope's disk steerable, tilting it more than 45 degrees
from the horizontal. Modern receivers would be built into each dish,
covering a broader frequency range than that of the previous telescope.
It would be designed to have almost twice the sensitivity of the original telescope, and four times the radar power.

The project would, of course, need funding from the U.S. Congress -- and
as the Science Magazine article points out, Puerto Rico's representative
in Congress is a nonvoting member. Nonetheless, engineer Ramon Lugo said:
"We have to be optimistic that we will make this happen." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(SCIENCEMAG.ORG)

**

ACMA REPORTS PROGRESS ON CALL SIGN BACKLOGS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Officials have encouraging news for hams Down Under who are awaiting call sign changes. Robert Broomhead, VK3DN, gives us more details.

ROBERT: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced
that processing backlogs affecting amateur radio call signs, are close to
being resolved. The Australian Maritime College, which handles these
changes for the ACMA, was challenged by disruptions caused by COVID-19,
as well as a large influx of requests for call sign changes. The wave of requests followed an announcement by the ACMA that hams would be permitted greater flexibility in call sign choice. The changes included permitting Foundation licensees, the option of a three-letter call sign, instead of
one with four letters, making the callsigns more compatible with the
protocols of digital communiciation.

The AMCA writes in a recent bulletin: [quote] "We understand that the AMC
has almost cleared the backlog of applications, and will revert to normal processing times shortly. We will continue to monitor processing times,
and work with the AMC to ensure qualifications and call sign services are provided for the benefit of the amateur radio community." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead, VK3DN.

(ACMA)

**

AMSAT CUBESAT PART OF UNUSUAL VIRGIN ORBIT LAUNCH

NEIL/ANCHOR: An unlikely launch system, one using a 70-foot rocket fired
from a converted jumbo jet, sent 10 small satellites into low-earth orbit
on Sunday, January 17th. One of those cubesats was AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox
1E, the fifth and final FOX-1 satellite built by AMSAT. It was constructed under a partnership between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University, and carries a radiation effects experiment. Hams will be able to decode data from
telemetry, and experiments using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later.

The cubesat launch was a demonstration flight staged by billionaire
Richard Branson's California-based company, Virgin Orbit. The successful launches from the Boeing 747 took place almost eight months after the
failed try last May.

(WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNBC)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2261, for Friday, February 26, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2261, with a release date of Friday, February 26, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Earthquake researchers partner with hams.
Australian hams weigh in on a proposed license change - and it's time to
think about nominating the Young Ham of the Year for 2021. All this and
more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2261, comes your way right
now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

EARTHQUAKE STUDIES EMPLOY AMATEURS' WINLINK

DON/ANCHOR: In our top story for this week, a United States government
agency is relying increasingly on amateur radio operators to further their understanding of devastating earthquakes. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, gives
us the details.

RALPH: Ham radio operators are partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey
in helping to report realtime details about seismic activity and
earthquake damage, especially when other means of communication have gone offline: They're using the radio email platform Winlink to carry data from
the survey's questionnaire-based system known as DYFI, for "Did You Feel
It?"

ARES members transmit the DYFI reports even if an earthquake has knocked
down the region's internet. Receiving stations outside the earthquake
region receive the data contained in the Winlink transmission and forward
it to the USGS via their own internet access. The DYFI system gathers macroseismic intensity data, allowing scientists to more accurately
pinpoint where people felt the earthquake and at what intensity.
Researchers also rely on the reports' data to further their general study
of earthquakes.

According to an article on the website EOS, an estimated 90 percent of
DYFI reports are sent by observers within the first hour of an earthquake. Hams can transmit the reports over VHF, HF and even local high-speed mesh networks, many of which have the ability to interface with satellite-
connected cells-on-wheels. Cells-on-wheels have proven useful in emergency response already during the California wildfires of 2017 and 2018. ARES is
now promoting the DYFI protocol and training hams in California,
Washington, Arizona, Hawaii, and Mexico.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(EOS)

**

WIA POLLS AUSTRALIAN HAMS ABOUT ACMA'S LICENSE PROPOSAL

DON/ANCHOR: Hams throughout Australia are being asked to weigh in on a fundamental license change being contemplated. John Williams, VK4JJW,
tells us what will happen next.

JOHN: As the Australian Communications and Media Authority seeks input on whether to replace amateur radio operators' apparatus licence with a class licence, the Wireless Institute of Australia has asked for feedback from members and other interested amateurs. The WIA's formal polling opens this week. The ACMA has stated that it would like to see the Class Licence established. The licence would be available without a fee and would not
change any amateur privileges but it would no longer ensure protection
against interference.

WIA president Greg Kelly, VK2GPK, wrote members calling the proposal
[quote] "a non-trivial change" saying it had long-range impact on amateur radio in Australia. In 2004, the ACMA's predecessor, the ACA, did not implement a proposed move to such a licence.

The ACMA supports the change, however, saying it hopes to reduce its regulatory burden and make costs more bearable for licensees.

The WIA poll is available to all radio amateurs in Australia. A link to
the online registration is available in the script of this newscast on the
AR Newsline website, arnewsline.org

Hams who register will receive their copy of the poll in their email.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: tinyurl.com/wiapoll

(ACMA, WIA)

**

MAJOR ELECTRONICS RETAILER SHUTTING IN U.S.

DON/ANCHOR: In the United States, another major retailer that was a
mainstay for amateur radio operators is shutting its doors. Fry's
Electronics, which did business online and at retail centers through the western U.S., announced that online competition and the effects of the pandemic were too much to overcome. The 36-year-old chain had 31 stores in nine states, with seven of them in California.

(KCAL LOS ANGELES)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2262 for Friday March 5 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2262, with a release date of Friday,
March 5, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Wyoming students finally get their space QSOs. A
solar panel promises more energy for Earth -- and a new video tells the
story of a classic broadcast transmitter's rescue. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2262 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

***

WYOMING STUDENTS GET QSO WITH ISS AT LAST

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the story of a promise fulfilled: In
the language of space, Perseverence isn't just the name of a rover on
Mars. It's a quality that paid off among students in Wyoming who - after
a failed attempt in January - finally got their QSO with the International Space Station. Here's Mike Askins, KE5CXP, with the details.

MIKE: Students at Wyoming's Newcastle High School were flying high, at
least in spirit, on Monday, March 1st. Their amateur radio contact with
ISS Commander Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, was a success at last, after their
first try failed as a result of technical troubles with the U.S. astronauts' radio. With that radio down for repairs, the QSO took place via the
Russians' 2-meter rig instead and the students' questions rolled in fast, making the most of their precious 10-minute window for contact.

After hearing how bok choy and mustard is grown in space, how astronauts gently toss a football around for amusement and how a microgravity
environment can cause fluid in the ears, the students wrapped things up
by saying 73.

The contact, accomplished with the help of a multi-point telebridge
network, was a triumph for the high school as much as the ARISS program:
It marked the first time in the ARISS program's 20-year history, that it
has organized a QSO with students in Wyoming.

To hear the QSO, visit the YouTube site that appears in the printed
version of this week's script.

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EYvX27Ujo]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.

DON/ANCHOR: In the meantime, ARISS chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, announced
that efforts were under way to identify the issue that caused the radio
to fail in January, and a team is working with NASA and the European
Space Agency on a solution.

(ARISS, YOUTUBE)

**

SPACEWALKING AMATEURS PREP FOR POWER UPGRADE

DON/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, big things have been happening OUTSIDE the ISS,
too. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, picks up the story from here.

PAUL: For two amateur radio operators aboard the International Space
Station, it was their moment in the sun. Literally. NASA flight engineers
Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, and Victor Glover, KI5BKC, took the first moves
toward a power upgrade for the space station, during a seven-hour and four-minute spacewalk to outfit the new solar arrays with modification
kits.

If the view for observers was a little more spectacular than usual,
consider that Rubins' helmet held a high definition video camera for the
first time and was streaming the action live. Videos had been taken
previously using a helmet cam, of course, but only with standard
definition.

NASA was quick to point out that the present solar arrays on the ISS are working fine but they're degrading and are approaching the end of their
useful life. The spacewalk was designed to prepare for the installation
of new solar arrays which are expected to be sent to the ISS aboard a
SpaceX vehicle starting in June.

Meanwhile, there is still work to be done. NASA officials said that the upgrade is to be completed by Friday March 5th, with Rubins returning accompanied by another amateur radio operator: Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(CNN, SPACE.COM)

**

RF INTERFERENCE REPORTS DRAW RAPID RESPONSE FROM OFCOM

DON/ANCHOR: In the UK, the telecommunications regulator recently
delivered a rapid response to a report of radio interference - but this
wasn't exactly an amateur radio crisis. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains.

JEREMY: It took barely a half-hour as Ofcom, the telecommunications
regulator in the UK, responded swiftly to an urgent report of widespread
RF interference, calling it a high priority case. Even the local police
got involved and awaited the arrival of a spectrum engineer dispatched
from Ofcom's Spectrum Management Centre, which operates around the clock.

The crisis at hand wasn't jammed signals reported by radio operators but
the failure of shoppers at a Hertfordshire superstore to use their key
fobs to unlock their vehicles in the car park. Because the key fobs use
radio spectrum at very low power they are subject to interference issues
the same as other radio equipment.

Using his spectrum analyser, the engineer was unable to pinpoint the
source of the interference, which could have been simply lightbulbs or a malfunctioning doorbell. The situation had already resolved itself by the
time he arrived.

Hams in the UK should report any and all interference to Ofcom, via the
web address given in the text version of this report at
arnewsline.org.... even if their vehicle's key fob is working fine.

[PRINT ONLY: Don't read out:
https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/ ]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(SOUTHGATE, OFCOM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2263, for Friday, March 12, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2263, with a release date of
Friday, March 12, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A digital amateur TV experiment soars in
Australia. Big changes for ham tests in France -- and hams
troubleshoot an inoperable radio on the Space Station. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2263, comes
your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

EXPERIMENTERS LAUNCH AN EYE IN THE SKY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the story of a long-awaited accomplishment: a successful high-flying experiment conducted by a
group of innovative amateurs in Australia. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has
that story.

GRAHAM: Members of the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group in Adelaide,
Australia are celebrating the much anticipated launch of Horus 55, a high-altitude balloon sent aloft on the morning of March 7th with a
digital amateur radio TV transmitter as its payload. As the balloon
soared skyward, after a brief launch delay due to rain, it relayed
its TV signal to YouTube in a livestream that was broadcast worldwide.

The TV transmitter payload, which was the main experiment, required
extensive testing before launch day, especially with regard to its
tolerance for low temperatures. It utilised a Raspberry Pi Zero W
which captured and compressed video for the modulation of a 445 MHz
DVB-S transmission generated by a LimeSDR Mini.

Team members Mark, VK5QI, Matt, VK5ZM, Pete, VK5KX, and Grant, VK5GR,
shared the triumph of the project. According to the AREG website, the challenges included devising a transmitter system that could provide
sufficient signal and still withstand the thin atmosphere at high
altitudes. There was also the small detail of getting the signal from
the high-performance receive system uploaded to the internet.

Shortly into the one-hour flight, signal reports arrived from
receiving stations from around the region, including Ian, VK5ZD, near
Kapunda, and Joe, VK5EI, in Adelaide.

Horus 55 also carried an experimental LoRaWAN tracking payload
transmitted position data into TTN, the Things Network, which has
receiver stations across Australia. It too was a success, according
to the AREG website. Built by Liam, VK5LJG, its performance exceeded expectations.

To watch the experiment unfold and soar, visit the YouTube site that
appears in the script of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

[FOR PRINT: DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYcVRWrdhs]

(AREG)

**

ARISS RADIO TROUBLESHOOTING CONTINUES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were preparing for two spacewalks to
troubleshoot and restore the full functionality of the Columbus
Interoperable Radio System for ham radio contacts. Technical issues -
what ARISS is calling a "radio anomaly" - turned up on January 28th
after a failed radio contact with students in Wyoming.

At a press conference on Wednesday, March 10th, ARISS' Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO, and Oliver Amend, DG6BCE, outlined in detail how the
investigation identified three probable areas where the failure may
have occurred, including a break in one of the cables, trouble with
one of the connectors or improper alignment of the connector with the
system itself. Michael Hopkins, KF5LJG, and Victor Glover, KI5BK,
were scheduled to continue the troubleshooting outside the ISS on
Saturday, March 13th, and Sunday March 14 - work that was to include reinstalling the cable that had been swapped out during the January
27th spacewalk.

Frank said that if there were still problems after the weekend, there
were other options to investigate, including another possibly suspect
cable or the radio itself.

(ARISS)

**

FRANCE OVERHAULS AMATEUR RADIO TESTING

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Regulators in France have announced major modifications
to the nation's amateur radio exam. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has the details.

ED: There are big changes in amateur radio testing in France. The
government's official journal has released an outline of the changes,
which were eight years in the making. France's radio exam contains 40 questions, with a total time limit of 45 minutes, combining technical
theory with rules and regulations. The material in France's only level
of Amateur radio licence is compatible with CEPT HAREC full licence requirements, and a recent addition to the syllabus are questions on
digital signal processing.

Candidates need to get at least half of the questions correct in both
the technical theory segment and the rules and regulations segment
before they can attain a pass.

The changes do not take effect for another three months.

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, radio exams are returning for the first
time since November of last year. The Radio Exams Foundation is
permitting the tests to go forward. News reports say there is a backlog
of about 200 candidates waiting. We wish them all luck.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(SOUTHGATE)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2264, for Friday, March 19, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2264 with a release date of Friday,
March 19, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. ARISS is back on the air from the Columbus module. Hams activate during a record storm in Colorado -- and there's optimism for two major radio events later this year. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2264 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with good news for U.S. astronauts aboard the International Space Station: their amateur radio came back on
the air just in time to keep a date with some youngsters in Australia.
Paul Braun, WD9GCO tells us more.

PAUL: The return to service of the ARISS Columbus radio was especially good news to school children in Adelaide, Australia who were able to keep their date with astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, on March 17th. During a
spacewalk with Victor Glover, KI5BKC, just a few days earlier, astronaut
Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, restored the cabling outside the ISS to its original configuration. A test of the equipment in Packet Mode, as the ISS passed
over the West Coast of the United States, was a success: The signals were almost immediately heard in Idaho, Utah and California – and later in South America and the Middle East. The radio had been out of service since a malfunction was detected in late January just as the ISS attempted a QSO
with students in Wyoming.

Fortunately, hams were able to conduct subsequent ARISS contacts with
schools using the cosmonauts' radio in the Service Module, thanks to Sergey Samburov, RV3DR.

Now that the radio's antenna connection is fixed, the grateful students at Goodwood Primary School have become the first phone contacts made with the newly reconnected Columbus module radio. Next up will be students at the Oakwood School in Morgan Hill, California on Monday, March 22nd; and then,
two days later, it's back to Down Under with students at the School of Information Technology & Mathematical Sciences, in Mawson Lakes, South Australia.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(FRANK BAUER KA3HDO, DAVID JORDAN AA4KN, ROSALIE WHITE K1STO)

**

TIME-KEEPING BROADCAST SYSTEM GETTING UPGRADE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Don't worry, time isn't going to stand still anytime soon but
it is definitely going to be undergoing an upgrade. Well, maybe not time itself but the time-keeping broadcast system of WWVB, the radio station of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology near Fort Collins, Colorado. An announcement on its webpage reports that because of work begun
on March 9th, the transmitter may be operating on a single antenna at about
30 kW of radiated power for periods of several days. There may even be occasional outages. The web page notes: [quote] Periods of reduced power operation lasting longer than 30 minutes will be logged on the WWVB Antenna Configuration and Power web page, and any outage longer than five minutes' duration will be recorded on the WWVB Outage web page." [endquote]

Don't worry: The upgrade being undertaken is designed to improve the reliability of the signal, so things are bound to get better by March 31st when the upgrade is expected to be finished.

(NIST website)

**

ARES TEAM DIGS IN DURING COLORADO BLIZZARD

NEIL/ANCHOR: A record snowstorm hit Colorado and one local ARES team was
able to dig in and help. Here's Amanda Alden, K1DDN, with those details.

AMANDA: Members of Arapahoe County ARES were deployed and ready for a snowstorm in Colorado that was declared Denver's fourth largest since 1881
-- and the second-largest ever in March. After spending Saturday, March
13th on standby, 19 hams went into action the next morning, providing
reports on weather and road conditions even as the snow continued unabated.

Mike Curta, KD0UFO, the severe weather coordinator for the ARES group, said that nearly 28 inches of snow fell in a little more than 24 hours and winds kicked up to 40 miles per hour. By Monday, March 15th, the hams had logged more than 260 hours working in support of the county sheriff's department
as well as the city of Aurora. They assisted local agencies as officials
got busy handling numerous storm-related crises, including the rescue of
as many as 200 people who were left trapped in their cars.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Amanda Alden, K1DDN.

(MIKE CURTA KD0UFO)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2265, for Friday, March 26, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2265, with a release date of Friday,
March 26, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A leader in the shortwave radio community dies in
a fire. A first time Dxpedition is in the works -- and our April Fool's correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg, is back. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2265, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

SHORTWAVE-LISTENING LEADER GEORGE ZELLER DIES IN FIRE

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week marking the tragic death of a well-known
member of the shortwave-listening community. Stephen Kinford, N8WB, tells
us about this leader among radio hobbyists.

STEPHEN: The world of shortwave-listening enthusiasts has lost one of its
long time leaders tragically in a house fire in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland.com said the victim was George Zeller. George was a radio
hobbyist since the early 1960s and spent decades reporting on hundreds of pirate radio operators and other shortwave stations. His column had an
active following in "The Journal," the monthly publication of the North American Short Wave Association. He was a contributing editor to a number
of other radio publications and was a longtime contributor to the
publication of the Association of Clandestine Radio Enthusiasts. George
was also a popular host of the pirate radio forum at the annual Winter
SWL Fest since its early years.

His reputation earned him an induction into the North American Pirate
Radio Hall of Fame in 2011. His personal website, georgezeller.com, gives
the details of what he considered his best QSL verification letter in all
his years of radio listening: It was a confirmation from the FCC that
he'd copied the enforcement action on the air of WHBH radio in February
of 1990.

By profession, George was an economist, who carefully watched his home
state's financial health, and was quoted often in the mainstream media.
His other love was sports, particularly baseball and football. According
to the Cleveland.com website, the fire department determined that the
blaze was set off by an overloaded extension cord. George Zeller was 71
years old.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB.

(SWLReport, THE FREE RADIO NET WEBSITE, CLEVELAND.COM)

**

FCC GRANTS CONTINUED ACCESS BETWEEN 3.3 - 3.45 GHz

JIM/ANCHOR: There's good news for hams who enjoy operations on the
frequencies between 3.3 and 3.45 GHz. Amateur radio operators may
continue using this segment of the band indefinitely. The FCC's
announcement this month is seen by many, including the ARRL, as an
alternative to ham radio's removal from the entire band. It also adds
50 more MHz than the FCC's original proposal for amateurs' secondary operations on the band.

Meanwhile, auctions seeking commercial 5G buyers have begun for
frequencies between 3.45 and 3.55 GHZ and amateurs have been told to
cease secondary operation in the 3.45 – 3.50 GHz band 90 days after
public notice is given that the auction has closed, and licensing has commenced. The FCC has identified 3.45 GHZ as the frequency at which the
band will be split. Hams will continue to operate in the band's lower frequencies while the FCC reviews whether or not to reallocate that part
of the spectrum later.

(FCC, ARRL)

**

HAMS IN UK GET PREVIEW OF NEW LICENSE DOCUMENT

JIM/ANCHOR: The amateur radio license is getting a new look in the UK,
and hams there are getting a sneak peek. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us
more.

JEREMY: Hams in the UK can get a preview of what the new amateur radio
licence will look like by visiting the website of Ofcom. It is available
there in draft form and comments are being accepted until the 18th of
April. The new licence will become effective on the 18th of May, and
contains a number of changes, including details about Electromagnetic
Field exposure compliance.

The EMF wording has been somewhat controversial among some amateurs,
who consider its inclusion unnecessary. Ofcom has also opted to delete
the reference to the old Full Reciprocal licence that was abolished in
2016.

See the printed version of this script at arnewsline.org to find the URL
where you can download a PDF of the draft licence, or to submit your
comments.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: New draft licence

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/214116/emf-draft- amateur-licence-terms-and-conditions.pdf

Comment submissions:

https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormLicensingEMFEnquiry]

(OFCOM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2266, for Friday, April 2, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2266, with a release date of Friday,
April 2, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The UK prepares to resume in-person license exams.
A worldwide balloon launch marks the equinox -- and the "Last Man Standing" special event goes out with a bang. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2266, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

ARCTIC DXPEDITION PACKS UP BENEATH NORTHERN LIGHTS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to a frozen Arctic island, where the rewards of a physically grueling DXpedition included something even more
than the thousands of contacts logged by the team. Graham Kemp, VK4BB,
brings us that story.

GRAHAM: The RI0Q (R EYE ZERO Q) DXPeditioners have arrived back on the mainland following a challenging but successful activation of the rare
Arctic IOTA, AS-152. The island, named Bol'shoy Begichev (BEG-i-chev) after its discoverer Nikifor Begichev in 1908, held many discoveries for the team during their one-week activation. Challenges included making a large part
of the trip by snowmobile. Once they arrived on March 20th, they remained constantly vigilant for polar bears, wolves and incoming blizzards
especially as they were setting up for operations.

By March 26th, as the activation was winding down, they were able to enter into their online diary that they'd logged 6,913 QSOs representing more
than 4,000 unique callsigns.

Their departure came just as a blizzard was supposed to come blasting in. There was one event they did not miss, however, nor did they want to miss
it — because it was spectacular. DXworld-net reported on its Twitter feed
on March 27th: [quote] "The RI0Q team are already back on the mainland. As they left the island, the Northern Lights started to show. Looks like they left at the right time!" [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(DXWORLD-NET, RI0Q DIARY)

**

'LAST MAN STANDING' TRIBUTE WRAPS UP ACTIVATION

NEIL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to the activators of the "Last Man Standing" special event which went QRT on Wednesday March 30th. Starting on March
24th, the team logged more than 85,000 QSOs, contacting 1,850 counties in
50 states and 138 countries. There were 134 contacts using moonbounce;
and yes, there were pileups. The multi-mode effort was also a multi-media
one, featuring livestreaming of operators as they navigated pileups. Coordinated by Lou Maggio, NO2C, and Salli Rosato, K2RYD, of the Great
South Bay Amateur Radio Club, and the show's executive producer, John
Amodeo, AA6JA, it was an experience many of the dozens of operators in
both the US and Canada said will remain with them even as the studio
goes dark after the show's final day of production. "Last Man Standing" featured Tim Allen, KK6OTD, as Mike Baxter KA0XTT, and was celebrated
for putting amateur radio in a positive light in the public eye.

**

IN-PERSON EXAMS TO RESUME IN UK

NEIL/ANCHOR: In the UK, the Radio Society of Great Britain has resumed
booking in-person exams. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, gives us those details.

JEREMY: Examiners in the UK have begun planning the resumption of exams for amateur radio candidates wishing to sit them in a club setting with in-
person invigilation.

With this in mind, the Radio Society of Great Britain said it anticipates bookings for the in-person exams from club examination secretaries once the government has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in their part of the UK.
The booking process is expected to be more streamlined than previously. The remote invigilations, which began last year during the pandemic lockdown,
will continue as an option.

Mandatory practical assessments at Foundation level will remain suspended until a review led by the Examinations Standards Committee and Exam and Syllabus Review Group can determine their long-term future, clarifying
whether they should continue and, if so, in what form.

In yet another sign of post-COVID life in the UK, the RSGB Contest
Committee began accepting portable entries in contests from stations in England, provided the stations strictly follow local COVID measures.
England dropped its "Stay at Home" restriction on the 29th March, meaning portable operations can resume. The RSGB cautions however, that portable multi-operator entries must comprise people from the same households
because vans, cars and tents are considered indoor environments and indoor mixing of households is still prohibited.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

NEIL/ANCHOR: In other business that has caught Newsline's attention: Paul Devlin, G1SMP, the joint winner with the Radio Society of Great Britain of
the 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline International Newsmaker of the year award
for the "Get on the air to care" public campaign, is standing for election
as a director of the RSGB board at the upcoming AGM in April. As there are
two nominees for two positions, I think we can say Paul will be elected and
we at Newsline would like to be the first to congratulate Paul and wish him well in his new role.

(RSGB)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2267, for Friday, April 9, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2267, with a release date of Friday,
April 9, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Get ready to work Bouvet Island later this year. Antarctica gets an unexpected activation -- and a renowned hexbeam creator becomes a Silent Key. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2267 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

PAIR OF DX GROUPS SET EYES ON BOUVET ISLAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a big DXpedition update - and you
know that has to mean Bouvet Island. But - TWO DXpeditions? John Williams, VK4JJW, brings us the details.

JOHN: The date is set - December 15th of this year - for the Rebel DX
Group to depart Cape Town, South Africa for Bouvet Island and the Three Y
Zero Eye (3Y0I) activation. The team said it is as ready as ever, following the cancellation of their 2019 DXpedition when they were within sight of
the remote island and turned back during a cyclone for safety reasons. The team of eight, led by Polish DXpeditioner Dom, 3Z9DX, expects to be on
Bouvet for as many as 30 days and will operate eight stations on 160
through 6 metres, using CW, SSB, FT4/FT8, RTTY and operations through the Qatar-Oscar 100 satellite. The team has continued to appeal for donations
to meet its remaining need for $32,000.

Meanwhile, the Intrepid-DX Group has announced that they will be activating the island as well using the call sign Three Y Zero Jay (3Y0J). Their 20-
day stay on the island is set for January 2023. The team's immediate goal
is to continue fundraising to meet their budget of $764,000 before their planned trip aboard the MV Braveheart.

The Rebel DX Group, in response to the other team's announcement, said in a press release: [quote] "We would like to wish the recently announced 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition all the best for a successful activity in 2023. There is enough space for even 3 more activities from Three Y Zero land. We know how much detailed planning goes into a project like this and cross fingers for them." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(INTREPID DX WEBSITE)

**

ANTARCTIC ASSIGNMENT EVOLVES INTO DXPEDITION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Occasionally there's a DXpedition that didn't start out quite
so ambitiously. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has this story about one ham whose activation of Antarctica just grew from its humble beginnings.

GRAHAM: For Paul Daniels, VK2PAD, this was the Antarctic DXpedition that,
well ... just sort of happened. An instrument electrician and trades supervisor, Paul was assigned to work at Casey Station in Antarctica where
he expects to be for the next nine months or so. Of course, he brought his radios and lots of wire for some antennas. Initially, he just wanted to
chat with people on the air: that's what he told Newsline. A conversation
with the Australian World Wide Flora & Fauna manager changed all that.
Being a SOTA activator, he was game for adventure, and he was convinced to activate the WWFF park he was in, as well as the continent.

He's using the callsign VK0PD, and trying his best on HF, including two
bands new to him: 17 and 24 metres.

Paul told Newsline: [quote] "Somehow this quickly morphed into what feels
like being a rare contest station. My usual style is halfway between a
quick QSO and a ragchew. I like to get to know people and make friends, so this fast-paced action is not a familiar thing for me." [endquote] The activation has shown Paul that the peaks of SOTA summits have got nothing
on the peaks of massive pileups for a coveted DX location. Email him if
you want to learn more about his availability. His email address is in the printed version of this week's Newsline script.

VK0PD only operates on the weekends but is eager to - what else? - break
the ice.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

FOR PRINT ONLY: Paul's email is exile06_1980@hotmail.com

**

ANOTHER 'FIRST' FOR HAMS ON THE ISS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Commercial spaceflight logged another first on Monday, April
5th, as the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward port
and moved to the zenith port of the ISS with the crew of four amateur radio operators aboard. The complex maneuver was the first of its kind undertaken
by a commercial crew and it makes way for the next Crew Dragon spacecraft's docking at the ISS later this month. On board Crew Dragon "Resilience"
during the undocking were NASA's Mike Hopkins, KF5LJG, Victor Glover,
KI5BKC, Shannon Walker, KD5DXB, and JAXA's Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP. The relocation was carried live on NASA TV.

The new four-member crew will consist of NASA's Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD,
and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, and Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG, from the European Space Agency.

(SPACENEWS.COM, NASA, AMSAT)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2268 for Friday, April 16, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2268 with a release date of
Friday, April 16, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Volcanic eruptions stir hams on St. Vincent
to activate. The FCC sets deadlines for RF exposure assessments --
and receiving the QSL of a lifetime. All this and more, as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2268 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

ISLAND HAMS ON ALERT AMID VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week comes from the Caribbean.
Just weeks after receiving an emergency supply of batteries to
assist with communications during a volcanic disaster, hams in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines are now facing that exact scenario. Randy
Sly, W4XJ, has that story.

RANDY: St. Vincent islanders knew the eruptions were coming. The La
Soufriere volcano had been dormant for 42 years on the Caribbean
island until Friday, April 9th. As the volcanic unrest began and the
pace of evacuations quickened, local hams maintained daily contact
with regional disaster agencies.

Carlos Alberto Santamaria, CO2JC, the IARU's Region 2 Emergency
Coordinator, told Newsline in an email that hams throughout the
region have been on the air around the clock, mainly using HF
frequencies on 80 and 40 meters. Hams are also in contact with the
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

Winston Jeffery, J88AZ, is maintaining an Echolink gateway on 2
meters while another VHF repeater is being used for domestic
communications. As Newsline reported just a few weeks ago, hams
living in the Red Zone were given emergency batteries at the request
of Donald De Riggs, J88CD, director of the Rainbow Radio
League/Youlou Radio Movement amateur radio club.

Ash is also blanketing the nearby island of Barbados. According to a
report on CNBC, the West Indies Seismic Center said eruptions could
continue for weeks or months.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

(CNBC, Carlos Alberto Santamaria CO2JC, The Daily DX)

**

FCC REQUIRES RF EXPOSURE EVALUATIONS STARTING MAY 3

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Starting May 3rd, hams and many other radio users in
the US are being required to evaluate human exposure to RF at their
stations. The April 2nd public notice from the FCC does not change
any RF exposure limits but sets a deadline for such evaluations at
stations that are new or have added or modified their existing
antennas or power. Amateurs will need to determine if their existing
stations retain the same exemptions they had under the old rules.
Hams who have already performed these evaluations needn't repeat
them, unless changes have been made to their stations.

The FCC has set a two-year period in which to conduct the exposure
assessment. A free downloadable booklet about RF exposure, and other
details about RF safety are available at the ARRL website.. Details
about the FCC's policy on human RF exposure are available at the
agency's website. See the printed version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org for links to both web pages.

FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure

https://www.fcc.gov/general/fcc-policy-human-exposure

(ARRL, FCC)

**

TENNESSEE REPEATER SYSTEM AIDS STRICKEN HIKER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A linked repeater system in Tennessee provided a communications lifeline for a woman hiking in a national park. Kevin
Trotman, N5PRE, brings us that story.

KEVIN: A woman in distress while hiking with a group inside the
Great Smoky Mountain National Park was brought to safety late on
Sunday night, April 11th, with the help of communications over the
W4KEV repeater system in Tennessee. With no cellular service
available in the park, hiker Timothy Luttrell, KA9EBJ, used his HT
to hit the repeater in Gatlinburg which was linked to one in
Knoxville, which was being monitored by David Manuel, W5DJR. Timothy
told David that a woman in the hiking party had suffered exhaustion
and possibly dehydration and needed assistance. David notified
Emergency Medical Service as well as a medic who was part of the
park search team to help assess her condition via a series of
questions. Meanwhile, phone calls were placed to the hiker's family.
With questions relayed over the repeater, the medic determined the
woman was stable enough to accompany the other hikers as they
continued slowly down the trail, maintaining contact when possible. Arrangements were made for the hikers to meet with search and rescue
officers in a parking area - and ultimately for the woman's safe
pickup by her family.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(KEVIN DUPLANTIS W4KEV)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2274 for Friday May 28, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2274, with a release date of Friday,
May 28, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams mobilize in search for preteen boy. There
are six new inductees in the CQ Hall of Fame -- and Bletchley Park is reopening. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2274 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

INDIANA HAMS MOBILIZE IN SEARCH FOR YOUNG BOY

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with an account of amateur radio responsiveness in a human drama that turned to tragedy: a sweeping search
for a missing 12-year-old boy with autism which ended with the discovery
of his body in the Little Calumet River. Members of the Amateur Radio Association of Newton County, Indiana, were among the hundreds of
volunteers aiding the search for Kyrin Carter, the Missouri youth who was
last seen on May 15th leaving the Indiana hotel where his family had been staying. Club president Mike Swiader [pronounced: SWAYDER], KA9E, told Newsline that the hams provided VHF digital communications and GPS for
the northwest Indiana's K9 search and rescue teams, serving as their communications branch. Working inside the association's mobile
communications unit, the hams logged coordinates from the teams while
they were deployed, providing digital tracking to help create a search
map. Meanwhile, other searchers were deployed on foot, on horseback, by helicopter and by boat and were joined by the FBI and police from Indiana
and nearby Illinois. On Monday, May 24th, the body of the little boy was
found in the river, and dive teams pulled him out.

By then, Mike said, the hams' team had been demobilized because the
nature of the search had changed. They learned of the boy's death through their liaison to local law enforcement.

(MIKE SWIADER KA9E, NW INDIANA TIMES)

**

HAMS INVITED TO JOIN IN HONORING WORLD WAR II HERO

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams are being invited to help honor the last surviving
recipient of the most prestigious military award given after World War
II. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us how.

KEVIN: Not everyone has a United States Navy warship commissioned in
their honor but Hershel "Woody" Williams, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Medal of Honor recipient was present in Norfolk, Virginia for just such a ceremony last year.

This year, amateur radio operators are planning a unique gesture of their
own at a birthday reception for Woody. Woody, the nation's last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II, turns 98 on October
2nd.

Donna Snow, W5SML, known for the American reality TV show "Texas Flip N
Move," has begun collecting QSL cards and birthday greetings to be
presented to him at the reception in Texas on October 13th.

Woody received the Medal for bravery during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He continues his service through the Woody Williams Foundation, which
assists Gold Star Families, people whose family members have lost their
lives in service to their country..

Amateur radio operators who want to help honor Woody can send a QSL card
with their wishes to the address at the bottom of Donna's page on
QRZ.com. Donna also writes: [quote] "Don't worry about sending too many,
I have BIG trailers!" [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

Jim: Woody is from right here in West Virginia, I'm proud to say.

(REX KING W5EAK, QRZ)

**

SENDING A MESSAGE TO SAMUEL F.B. MORSE

JIM/ANCHOR: If you could contact Samuel F.B. Morse, what would you tell
him? Newsline's Randy Sly, W4XJ, posed that question to mark an important anniversary.

RANDY: On May 24, 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first telegraph
message from Washington, DC to Alfred Vail in Baltimore, Maryland. In
addition to helping invent the telegraph, Morse also developed the code
he sent.

Today, the preservation of Morse Code has been left primarily in the
hands of amateur radio operators. On this anniversary, Amateur Radio
Newsline asked a few hams what they would say to Samuel Morse if he were
alive today.

Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE, co-founder of the Long Island CW Club said:
"Thank you so much for having the forethought and vision to create one of
the most internationally beneficial modes of communication still in use
177 years later."

Steve Szabo, WB4OMM, of the North American QRP CW Club said: "No one
could have envisioned the future communications technology that you originated. I'm in awe that low power Morse Code using a simple
transceiver and a wire can span the globe."

Finally, Stew Rolfe, GW0ETF, President of the CW Operators Club said:
"Well Sam, I bet you never thought your simple code would be heard across
the airwaves well into the 21st century, kept alive and lovingly cared
for by a bunch of hobbyists in pretty much every country of the world!"

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Randy Sly, W4XJ. Thank you, Mr. Morse for giving us the original digital mode.
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2290 for Friday, September 17th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2290 with a release date of
Friday, September 17th, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Tokyo's ham fair is cancelled because of
COVID. A special event station marks a birthday for a Voice of
America station -- and 1,000 new parks join the POTA program. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2290 comes
your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

COVID SPURS CANCELLATION OF TOKYO HAM FAIR

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the cancellation of Tokyo
Ham Fair 2021, the world's largest ham radio event. Yoshinori
Takao, JG1KTC, chairman of the Japan Amateur Radio League,
announced that JARL had been committed to holding the ham fair as
planned on October 2nd and 3rd using extreme preventative measures
against COVID-19 but new waves of infection made it necessary to
call everything off. He expressed hope for better chances in 2022.
The 2020 ham fair was also called off due to the pandemic.
According to the JARL website, more than 42,000 people attended
the fair in 2019 over the course of two days.

(JARL)

**

IARU REGION 3 OPTS FOR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

NEIL/ANCHOR: The IARU Region 3 is also responding to the pandemic
—by holding its first digital regional conference. Jason Daniels,
VK2LAW, brings us that story.

JASON: The IARU Region 3 Conference kicks off on September 20th
and for its hosting organisation, RAST, it was supposed to be
three days of business and fellowship in Bangkok, Thailand. It
will instead be held digitally: a first for Region 3, but a
necessary response to the extraordinary circumstances of the
COVID-19 pandemic. RAST's president, Jack Hantongkom, HS1FVL,
writes on the conference website: [quote] "We are excited about
the opportunities of holding an innovative virtual conference."
[endquote] As such, the member societies will still meet in
working groups to deal with technical, operational and policy
matters, typical of any such conference except that this, the 18th
regional conference, will take place on the Zoom platform. The
tentative list of participants on the conference website includes
attendees from ORARI, the Indonesian amateur radio society; the
Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League; the Chinese Radio Amateurs
Club; the American Radio Relay League and the Malaysian Amateur
Radio Transmitters Society, among others. Jack writes further:
[quote] "This conference will bring us together at what is a very
difficult time for us all. " [endquote]

For full details of the conference go to the URL given in this
weeks script at arnewsline.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://www.iarur3conf2021.org/ ]

(IARU REGION 3)

**

AMSAT SYMPOSIUM MOVES FROM HOTEL INTO VIRTUAL MODE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, AMSAT has also announced a
change in plans for its 2021 Space Symposium and Annual Meeting.
Originally scheduled to take place at the Crowne Plaza hotel in
Bloomington, Minnesota, it will instead be held on Zoom on
Saturday, October 30th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. The
program will be a mix of live Q&A sessions and pre-recorded video
segments. Registration is required through the AMSAT member
portal. AMSAT plans to make the event available for public viewing
later on its YouTube channel. AMSAT announced the changes, citing
concerns about safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(AMSAT)

**

SPACEX RECOVERY VESSELS NAMED FOR 'BOB AND DOUG'

NEIL/ANCHOR: Remember Bob and Doug? No, not the fictional McKenzie
brothers, but the NASA astronauts. SpaceX is remembering them and
Paul Braun, WD9GCO, tells us how.

PAUL: In August of 2020, Bob Behnken, KE5GGX, and Doug Hurley,
became the first astronauts launched aboard a crew Dragon
spacecraft in a historic commercial flight. This year, Bob and
Doug were to play key roles in the splash-down stage of another
history-making mission called Inspiration4. Well....at least their
namesakes were ready: Two vessels in SpaceX's recovery fleet
were named for the pair, in a nod to last year's mission which
helped signal a new era in spaceflight. The ships bearing their
names became part of the recovery fleet for Inspiration4, which
-- with a crew of four private citizens aboard -- marked the
world's first all-civilian space flight.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(NASA, SPACE.COM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2291, for Friday, September 24th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2291, with a release date of
Friday, September 24th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hospitalized children talk to the ISS via ham
radio. Researchers call for new regulations for satellites -- and
youthful SOTA activators in Romania have a meeting with meteors. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2291 comes your
way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN CONTACT ISS VIA HAM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story that shows the power
that amateur radio can have in the lives of children, especially those
who have been hospitalized for serious illness. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE,
brings us that report.

KEVIN: It was a remarkable 10 minutes that students and patients at the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., are not likely to
forget: a question-and-answer exchange on Tuesday, September 21st,
between an ISS astronaut and the young patients in the pediatric acute
care hospital in America's capital city.

According to Bob Koepke, AA6TB, the event's technical mentor, the ARISS contact was arranged with Seacrest Studios, the educational space
inside the hospital to continue patients' education while they are
receiving treatment there. The space and communications component is coordinated with the help of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, NASA
and the local Alexandria Amateur Radio Club. Bob said the hospital's
proposal for the ISS contact had been accepted in March of 2020 but
concerns for COVID safety changed the shape of the event. Instead of
using an on-site amateur radio station for the contact, it would rely
instead on a multi-point telebridge with Claudio Ariotti, IK1SLD, in
Italy, eliminating the need for a large gathering of people. The
patients stayed in their rooms, connecting to the action via an iPad
and the help of a hospital staffer.

JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, was ready and fielded 16
questions, using the callsign OR4ISS, during the 10-minute pass. More
than 1,300 students and patients from kindergarten to 12th grade
enjoyed the event, along with 500 parents and 400 professionals. A
recording of the contact is available on YouTube at the link that
appears in this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

Meanwhile, the application period begins on October 1st for proposals
for ARISS contacts in 2022.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKDjGxmcE-Y

(ARISS, BOB KOEPKE, AA6TB)

**

RESEARCHER BLAMES SATELLITES FOR NIGHT SKY 'POLLUTION'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Look! Up in the sky! That is, if you can. Light
pollution is becoming an issue and researchers in Canada have what they
hope is a solution. With that story, here's Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

ANDY: A Canadian astronomer is urging that international regulations be established to set limits on permissible levels of satellite brightness. Samantha Lawler of the University of Regina (ruh-JYE-nuh) in Saskatchewan
said the ever-increasing population of communications satellites, such as
those launched by SpaceX's Starlink, generate the kind of light pollution
that hampers astronomers' research. The scientist was part of a team that included researchers from the University of British Columbia and the
University of Toronto who studied the optical brightness of thousands
of satellites, including those in so-called megaconstellations.

The team concluded that in the not-too-distant future one in every 15
points of light in the sky will actually be a satellite. The research
team also expressed concern about the crowding of satellites in orbit, increasing the possibility of more collisions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(GLOBAL NEWS, SOUTHGATE, CJWW RADIO)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2293, for Friday, October 8th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2293 with a release date of Friday, October 8th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A breakthrough in licensing for several British islands and territories in the South Atlantic. In the US, the Appalachian Trail comes alive with amateur radio - ham radio gets a supporting role in
a new short film. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2293, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

NEW CALLSIGN PREFIX SETTLES FALKLANDS ISLAND DILEMMA

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with report of a development that spells
good news for DXpeditioners and chasers: At long last a new callsign
prefix has evolved out of a long-simmering issue over licensed operations
in the former Falkland Islands Dependencies. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, brings
us that report.

JIM: Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, has agreed to use of a
new prefix for the former Falkland Islands Dependencies, which had been mistakenly omitted from the Falkland Islands Communications Ordinance in
2017. The prefix Victor Papa Zero, VP0, has been assigned to these territories, and the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator, which was
part of the discussions with Ofcom, is to administer these licenses on
behalf of the governments of the British Antarctic Territory and South
Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. The prefix will also apply to the
British sector of the Antarctic mainland, including the Antarctic
Peninsula and nearby islands as well as the South Orkney and South
Shetland Islands. This brings welcome news to DXpeditioners and others who have been unable to use VP8 licenses in these former dependencies for
years. The new call signs will only be issued with three-letter suffixes.

Hams assigned VP8 call signs under the old Falkland Islands Communications Ordinance will remain valid until the licenses require revalidation. At
that time, they will be reassigned a VP0 call sign.

Hams may coment on the draft of this policy until the 18th of October, Falklands Island Time. Follow the link that appears in the script for this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: www.gov.gs/amateur-radio-licences-policy- consultation/]

(above URL all on one line)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(OHIO PENN DX, SOUTHGATE)

**

WEST BENGAL HAMS ASSIST MOTHERS OF NEWBORNS

JIM/ANCHOR: In India, West Bengal hams turned their efforts recently to aiding two displaced mothers of newborn babies. John Williams, VK4JJW, has more.

JOHN: Relying on their amateur radio skills and the vast network of connections that enables members to reconnect missing persons with their families, members of India's West Bengal Radio Club came to the
asssistance of two women shortly after they had given birth.

According to a report in the Sujanya News, a woman who was in the advanced stages of pregnancy was taken to Diamond Harbour Super Specialty Hospital
in West Bengal by police who found her at the local railway station and noticed she appeared to be mentally challenged. The child was born on September 10th, and according to the news account her family was located
in Punjab after police requested intervention by the amateur radio club. Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the club, said the connection was made
with the help of Satnam Singh Birdi, VU2COR, in Punjab state. According to
the newspaper story the woman's brother told the hams she had been missing
for more than two months and that her husband also appeared to be
suffering from mental illness. The brother made the trip to the hospital, accompanied by other relatives, to retrieve the woman and her newborn
baby.

In another more challenging case, however, the fate of another mother and
her newborn child at that same hospital is less certain. The West Bengal
hams learned that the woman, who also appeared to be mentally challenged,
is a widow and the mother of two older children who are now being cared
for by neighbours. Ambarish Nag Biswas told the newspaper that no one has stepped forward to bring the woman home, claiming her pregnancy was the
result of sexual assault, and a stigma to her family.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(SUJANYA NEWS, WEST BENGAL RADIO CLUB)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2294 for Friday October 15th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2294, with a release date of Friday, October 15th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A new California ham radio station has a very terrestrial mission. Students in India receive a gift that opens the
airwaves to new licensees - and the first modern microsatellite turns
40. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2294,
comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

NEW CALIFORNIA HAM STATION HAS EDUCATIONAL MISSION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is about a new amateur radio
station on the West Coast of the US that is designed to be used by hams
—but also nonhams. Its goal is to expand appreciation for what goes on on-the-air as well as terrestrially. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, has the
details.

RALPH: A $35,550 grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications is
helping fund the creation of an amateur radio station at the new
Chrisman California Islands Center in Carpinteria, California. Amateur
radio station K6TZ will function as an educational outreach facility and become part of the center's exhibit gallery. The Santa Barbara Amateur
Radio Club and the Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation will make the
station available to the public when it is not on the air so that
visitors to the nonprofit center can access in in the gallery. They can
view an interactive presentation about amateur radio and other forms of wireless technologies, especially as those technologies relate to
researchers and travelers on the islands off that part of the coast.
Webcams will be connected via the club's microwave data network, giving gallery visitors a look at the islands themselves.

Club trustee Levi Maaia, K6LCM, said in a press release that the station
will be open next year. The club website describes the station as
[quote] "a fully-functional HF-VHF-UHF and microwave amateur radio
station." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(DAN ROMANCHIK KB6NU)

**

GIFT PUTS STUDENT CLUB ON AIR IN INDIA

PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile in India, another new amateur radio station is
being put together for a newly formed student club. This club has also benefitted from a generous benefactor. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, picks up that
story for us.

GRAHAM: For more than three dozen students at a government school in
India's Nalgonda District, lessons are about to become more than just academic. Forty-three newly licensed radio amateurs are creating their
club on campus and have just received equipment for their shack from the nearby Lamakaan Amateur Radio Club in Hyderabad (Hydra-Bod). The Dindi
Amateur Radio Club's faculty supporter is Sayed Jilani, VU3OND, the
teacher who encouraged and coached the students to take the exam for
their restricted grade amateur radio licenses.

The shack's new equipment, however, is a gift from the Lamakaan Club,
whose vice president is Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE. Ashhar is a well-known experimenter and accomplished homebrewer, whose designs for the microBITX open-source HF SSB transceiver have brought him a global reputation. The
club presented the equipment to the student club earlier this month. The students are now QRV with a microBITX transciver, a power supply, an
antenna and coax cable. Calling CQ from a school in their village in Telangana, the students are ready to take on the world.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(TELANGANA TODAY)

**

DEEP SPACE ATOMIC CLOCK ENDS MISSION

PAUL/ANCHOR: NASA has ended the mission of an experimental navigation
aid that transmitted from deep space for two years. Kent Peterson,
KC0DGY, brings us the details.

KENT: NASA has a message for its Deep Space Atomic Clock, the ultra-
precise spacecraft-navigation aid that's been in test mode for two
years: Your time -- however precise it may have been -- is up.

To its credit, the instrument outlived its original one-year test
mission that began with its launch in June of 2019 on board General
Atomics - Orbital Test Bed spacecraft. On September 18th of this year,
that journey came to an end when NASA turned the clock's power off. Its ambitious function was not without some high points: NASA credits it
with breaking the record for stability among atomic clocks sent into
space. Hosted on board a spacecraft, the clock had the same mission as
its ground-based counterparts: keeping time measurements to aid in the calculations of a spacecraft's journey, factoring in that radio signals
travel at the speed of light, 300 thousand kilometres per second. As spacecraft travel farther and farther from Earth, onboard atomic clocks
such as this one are seen as preferable to the current ground-based instruments.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory say the clock has one
more mission to complete, however. Its data will be used in the
development of Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 another tech demo. Clock-2 is
to be onboard NASA's Venus mission set for 2028.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(NASA)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2282, for Friday, July 23, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2282 with a release date of Friday,
July 23, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ham radio at the ready in flooded parts of
Europe. Radio responds to Cuba's humanitarian crisis - and the FCC OKs an experimental station on 40 MHz. All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2282 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS AT THE READY AFTER WESTERN EUROPE FLOODING

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Europe where nations in the
western part of the continent have suffered disastrous flooding. As
Newsline went to production, amateur radio operators were on alert and awaiting word on possible deployment. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us more.

ED: As record rainfall and some of the worst flooding in decades
devastated an area in the west of Europe, amateur radio operators stood
by to help. As the death toll rose and the search continued for those missing,Germany took the worst hit. Belgium, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands suffered, with Belgium holding a national day of mourning on
July 21st. In part of Belgium where water submerged an antenna vital for crisis communication, hams stepped up to volunteer in three provinces.

Meanwhile as the European Civil Protection mechanism was activated, the
Dutch Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the Belgian Amateur Radio
Emergency Service and the emergency communications unit of the DARC,
awaited word as to whether additional communications help would be
needed.

Greg Mossop, G0DUB, emergency communications coordinator in IARU Region
1, told Newsline in a recent email that Germany's deployment of soldiers
to assist in relief efforts bolstered the Technisches Hilfswerk, the
nation's Civil Protection organisation which had thousands of volunteers working to remedy the physical damage.

Greg told Newsline that the situation continued to evolve as bursting
rivers damaged power and communications networks along with bridges. An
update on the IARU Region 1 website said [quote] "This emergency will
last for some time as infrastructure is repaired and the threat from
damaged dams and more rainfall is reduced." [endquote] Meanwhile, in
Germany's southeast, water flowing down from the Alps stirred mudslides
and overflowing rivers, causing yet another disaster area. Casualties
were reported to be less than those affected in the northwest.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(IARU REGION 1, GREG MOSSOP G0DUB, BBC)

**

INDIAN AMATEURS HELPING WITH DISASTER RESPONSE TRAINING

PAUL/ANCHOR: In India, amateurs are helping train additional volunteers
to respond to their region's disasters. John Williams, VK4JJW, brings us
up to date.

JOHN: A new educational partnership has been formed between civil defence officials in coastal West Bengal, India and amateurs in the West Bengal
Radio Club. Hoping to improve communications and emergency response
following intense cyclones and other disasters in remote regions,
officials have asked for training from the Indian Academy of
Communication, the ham club's educational wing. Going online with the
Google Meet platform, hams will train a total of more than 90 civil
defence volunteers. Posupoti Mondal, VU3ODQ, will lead the instruction
under the guidance of the academy's secretary Rinku Nag Biswas, VU2JFB.

Officials decided that ham radio training is essential for civil defence volunteers after previous efforts by the West Bengal Club proved
invaluable in earlier disasters.

West Bengal club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, said eventually
there will be more than 90 students.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS VU2JFA, MILLENNIUM POST)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2285, for Friday, August 13, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2285 with a release date of
Friday, August 13, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams step up to help in California's deadly
Dixie Fire. Amateur radio catches a ride on the Perseids meteor shower
-- and a World War II veteran gets IN the air. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2285 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

BREAKING NEWS: HAMS RESPOND AS ALGERIAN FIRE GROWS

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with breaking news. As Newsline went to production on August 12th, hams from the Algerian National Society ARA
had begun assisting with emergency communications as deadly forest
fires swept through the northern region. The International Amateur
Radio Union Region 1 reported that at least 65 lives were claimed by
the blaze raging in the town of Ouacif (wa-SEEF) in the Province of
Tizi Ouzou (Tee Zee OO ZOO). Operating on 7.110 MHz, 3.650 MHz and
14.300 MHz, hams were establishing communications between the mobile
station in Ouacif and the crisis centre in Tamda. Watch Newsline's
Twitter feed and Facebook page for updates.

(GREG MOSSOP G0DUB, IARU, REGION1 )

**

CALIFORNIA AMATEURS STEP UP DURING DEADLY DIXIE FIRE

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, in Northern California, nearly one
month after its flames began, the Dixie Fire has become the second
largest wildfire in the state's history. One group of radio amateurs
stepped up to keep the lines of communication open for local
firefighters when communications failed. Randy Sly, W4XJ, has that
story.

RANDY: With the Dixie Fire knocking out communications, wiping one town
off the map, and forcing thousands in northern California to evacuate,
a group of amateur radio operators helped emergency responders continue
to get the word out. The Lake Almanor [PRONOUNCE: Al-muh-noor]
Emergency Radio Net was on the air trading realtime information with
one another and neighbors. Hams were monitoring 7.199 MHz and
conducting their emergency net on 147.420 simplex. They also jumped in
to help the Peninsula Fire Department troubleshoot their problems when
the main firehouse radio failed, along with repeater issues. Mark
Burnham, K6FEJ, one of the net's members, said that modified 2-meter
radios had to be installed in the fire chief's vehicle for backup and
at the firehouse crew's quarters. Mark said the Yaesu radio was
modified by Ron, NB6X, to operate on fire department frequencies and a
12-volt power supply and J-pole were added outside the building. The
hams also set up a scanner on the main fire frequency near the
firefighters' sleeping quarters so they would be able to hear calls.
Another member of the net, Dale, KM6BQY, remained in the mandatory
evacuation zone, because he is also involved in search and rescue work.

By the middle of the second week of August, the Dixie Fire was declared
the largest wildfire burning in the United States. It had already
destroyed nearly 500,000 acres and was only 21 percent contained.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

(NPR, NBC, MARK BURNHAM K6FEJ)

**

CATCHING A RADIO RIDE ON THE PERSEIDS

JIM/ANCHOR: If you haven't tried meteor scatter, now's the time. The
Perseid Meteor shower is here. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, spoke to someone
who's having a whole lot of fun with them right now.

PAUL: One of the hottest topics in amateur radio today is the digital
mode developed by Dr. Joe Taylor K1JT, that is, FT8 and its relatives.
But the upcoming Perseid meteor shower should bring the mode's origins
into focus as Dr. Taylor originally developed it specifically to work moonbounce and something called meteor scatter. Mike White, K7ULS, from
Utah is an experienced moonbounce and meteor-scatter operator. I asked
him about this facet of the hobby. He said that the object is to bounce
the signal off of the ionized trail that a meteor leaves. I asked what
bands are used the most to work that and he told me:

WHITE:  Six meters is the easiest, and then two meters is the next
hardest one. But with the upcoming Perseids meteor scatter shower on
the 12th through the 13th you should have at least one hundred meteors
per hour.

PAUL: I asked White about the other VHF and UHF choices, but he
confirmed that while the others can work, the size of the antenna and
the power required goes up quite a bit. As far as six meters goes:

WHITE: Yeah, it's the best option. You can use as small as a three-
element Yagi.

PAUL: I then asked White about what kind of antenna setup he used. He explained:

WHITE: I use an elevation system on my antenna because I don't have big
towers here. I actually have everything mounted on the back of an RV
trailer. I just tilt it up into the meteor stream, and away we go.

PAUL: I can vouch for that. I had to work our interview in between
rounds of EME or moonbounce activity over several days.

White said that if conditions are right, you can often work a station
up to 900 miles away bouncing the signal off of the meteor trails.

So, this weekend, you may want to just crane your neck skyward and
watch the meteors as they pass by, or you may want to fire up the radio
and the computer and point your antenna skyward and try your luck with
meteor scatter.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2286, for Friday, August 20, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2286, with a release date of Friday, August 20, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Sorting out the tragedy in Haiti after an
earthquake and a tropical storm. The FCC delays its new $35 fee -- and
the Intrepid DX Group drops its Bouvet plans. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2286 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAITI IN TURMOIL AFTER EARTHQUAKE, TROPICAL STORM

STEPEHN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story that was still developing
as Newsline went to production on Thursday, August 19th. Rocked by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on August 14th and battered afterward by Tropical
Storm Grace, the island nation of Haiti was still planning on amateur
radio assistance.

Jean-Robert (Zzzzhon-Ro-Bear) Gaillard (Guy Yard), HH2JR, president of
the Radio Club of Haiti told the IARU's Region 2 emergency coordinator
Carlos Alberto Santamaria Gonzalez, CO2JC, that a number of churches around the island would be willing to be active because their membership included licensed hams but they needed donations of modern equipment. Jean-Robert
told Carlos in an email that meanwhile the hams were helping in other ways, distributing medicine and supplies and aiding with transportation when possible.

According to various media reports, by August 18th, the death toll had
climbed past 2,000 and was expected to continue to rise. Jean-Robert
wrote: [quote] "I am afraid the worst is yet to happen." [endquote]

Region 2 of the IARU asked meanwhile that hams in the Americas keep
emergency frequencies clear at 3.750 MHz, 7.150 MHz and 14.330 MHz.

(BBC, WASHINGTON POST, CARLOS GONZALEZ CO2JC, ARRL)

**

INTREPID DX GROUP CALLS OFF BOUVET PLANS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Bouvet Island is no longer in the sights of one of the
world's most prominent DXpedition teams. John Williams, VK4JJW, gives us
the details.

JOHN: The Intrepid DX Group's planned trip to activate Bouvet Island
would have been the third such activation by a group in the next few
years -- but now it has been called off. Paul Ewing, N6PSE, the group's president, made a brief statement that appeared in the Daily DX saying
that the Intrepid DX Group is instead taking a fresh look at the 10 most-wanted DX entities. He said [quote] "We plan to activate a different
rare and much-needed entity in January/February 2023. That is now our
focus." [endquote].

He said that with teams set to sail to the island this year and next
year, being the number three team is [quote] "not comfortable for us." [endquote] He added that the group wishes a "safe and productive" journey
in November of 2022 for its former 3Y0J (Three Y Zero Jay) teammates, now reconstituted and headed by co-leaders Ken, LA7GIA, Rune, LA7THA, and
Erwann, LB1QI. Meanwhile, the Three Y Zero Eye (3Y0I) team expects to set
sail later this year

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(DAILY DX)

**

FCC DELAYS STARTUP FOR COLLECTING NEW HAM LICENSE FEES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The FCC has reported a delay in implementing its new $35
fee for US hams receiving new licenses, hams renewing or modifying
existing licenses, as well as hams applying for vanity call signs. The
fees were supposed to take effect this summer. According to the ARRL,
however, Volunteer Examiner Coordinators learned during a recent virtual meeting with FCC staff that the agency still needs to make changes to its Universal licensing System software and adjust other procedures before it
can begin receiving the fees.

The announcement appeared on the ARRL website on Monday, August 16th.

The fees are not expected to take effect until early 2022. They are to be
paid directly to the FCC, with the help of the agency's online system
known as the FCC Pay Fees System.

(ARRL)

**

ROMANIA PROPOSES LICENSE CHANGES WITH BROADER IMPACT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in Romania have proposed some changes that could
have an impact on radio license portability throughout Europe. Ed
Durrant, DD5LP, has the details.

ED: The CEPT's Working Group for Frequency Management are studying
whether member states throughout Europe should accept presentation of
amateur radio licences in a digitally signed electronic PDF format. The
group has given permission for a feasibility study based upon the
positive responses to a questionnaire submitted to the CEPT working group
last year from officials in Romania. Romania is hoping to make its own
radio licence documents available as PDFs. Using the digital document
format would allow hams the capability to travel Europe without needing
paper copies of their licences. Using mobile devices to display the
documents would allow official checking in CEPT countries by reference to
a central CEPT database.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(SOUTHGATE, CEPT WGFM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2287, for Friday, August 27, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2287, with a release date of
Friday, August 27, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A dispute over a medical device and suspected
RFI. NASA plans a radio telescope on the moon -- and in New York, a
special event station marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2287, comes
your way, right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

DISPUTE OVER SUSPECTED RFI AND INSULIN PUMP

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week involves suspected RF interference
that appears to be affecting a medical device. But does this point to
ham radio? Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, explores that question.

RALPH: A ham radio operator in Florida is off the air, following a
challenge by a neighbor in his retirement community, that his amateur
radio station is causing life-threatening interference to the wireless communications in her insulin pump.

According to a report by WFTV Channel 9 Orlando, an independent
consultant hired by the residential community known as On Top of the
World, near Ocala, Florida, believes that RF from the ham station
"could have produced" interference with the pump's delivery of measured
insulin doses.

WFTV reported that the woman, Michelle Smith, is a Type 1 diabetic,
who claims that David Birge, WB9UYK, had put her health at risk by
operating his station.

David is now off the air in compliance with the community board's order
to him. It remains unclear, however, whether the consultant's findings definitively proved that RFI was a factor. In 2019, the US Food and
Drug Administration issued an alert that some models of insulin pumps
with unencrypted wireless connectivity had cybersecurity flaws that
left them vulnerable to hacking that could modify the settings.

Eric Koester, KA0YWN, an electrical design engineer in Minnesota, who
is not involved in the Florida dispute, told Newsline in an email, that
he has been familiar with RF emissions testing and RF immunity testing
since 1995. He said that the more subtle kind of changes Michelle Smith reported seeing in her insulin pump are inconsistent with the larger
scale reactions he has seen documented in devices compromised by RF interference.

Meanwhile, the WFTV report noted that the Florida community's board of directors has already modified its regulations on antennas in a way
that would permit operations by licensed radio amateurs living there.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(WFTV, FDA, ERIC KOESTER KA0YWN)

**

NASA MAKING PLANS FOR A 'LUNAR ARECIBO' DISH

PAUL/ANCHOR: Radio astronomers' beloved Arecibo dish is no more - at
least not in Puerto Rico. But how about a replacement that's....not
of this earth? Kent Peterson, KC0GDY, explains.

KENT: How do you top Arecibo, the iconic radio telescope that collapsed
last December, leading to its dismantling?

You build one similar to it - and you do it on the far side of the moon.

The Lunar Crater Radio Telescope is just a concept for now, but in
theory, its massive dish would be capable of detecting those radio
waves that eluded even the best of the telescopes here on earth. Better
yet, that reception wouldn't be competing against the atmospheric
interference that challenge earth-based telescopes. The lunar telescope
would be able to more clearly detect radio waves above 10 metres, which
were inaccessible to the Arecibo dish.

Joseph Lazio, one of the NASA radio astronomers on the lunar radio
telescope project, was quoted on the Business Insider website as
saying [quote] "With a sufficiently large radio telescope off Earth,
we could track the processes that would have led to the formation of
the first stars, maybe even find clues to the nature of dark matter."
He made his remarks in a press release about the project, which is
still considered very preliminary. This past spring, NASA awarded
$500,000 for further research and development on the telescope, which
will be designed to rest inside a lunar crater on the far side of the
moon.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(BUSINESS INSIDER, EARTH SKY)

**

AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: AMSAT's 39th space symposium and annual general meeting
is now accepting registrations for the event, which is taking place
Friday, October 29th through Sunday October 31st, in Bloomington,
Minnesota. Students are also invited to register. AMSAT is issuing
a call for papers by presenters. Last year's event was held virtually,
but this year's symposium is to take place at the Crowne Plaza hotel
at Minneapolis International Airport.

See the link to the registration website in the printed version of this newscast at arnewsline.org

https://launch.amsat.org/Events

To submit a paper, see details that are in this week's newscast script.

https://www.amsat.org/2021-amsat-symposium-proceedings-call-for-papers

(AMSAT)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2288 for Friday, September 3rd, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2288, with a release date of Friday, September 3rd, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. US hams respond to a devastating hurricane in the
Gulf region. Solar storms are called a threat to the internet - and the Newsline team suffers a personal loss. All this and more, as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2288, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

US HAMS STEP IN AS HURRICANE SWEEPS GULF REGION

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with Hurricane Ida. The storm battered the state of Louisiana, and the Gulf region in the US -- and hams were ready. Here's Randy Sly, W4XJ, with that report.

RANDY: As Hurricane Ida approached the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday morning, August 29, amateur radio operators were already active
with the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), VOIP Hurricane Net, and local
emergency nets in the affected areas.

It was the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, when this new contender headed inland near Grand Isle, Louisiana. With winds over 148 mph at
landfall, Ida devastated areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, before
moving north and east, dumping torrential rains as it went. This Category
4 hurricane left four people dead, and millions of utility customers
without power.

Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, net manager of Hurricane Watch Net, told Amateur
Radio Newsline that weather models warned him this storm would be
serious. The net was active for 26 hours, with 47 reporting stations.
More than 120 reports were sent to the National Hurricane Center through WX4NHC. According to Rob Macedo (Mah-see-doh), KD1CY, director of
operations for the VOIP Hurricane Net, the net provided the hurricane
center with additional details as hams checked in with traffic from
weather stations, social media outlets, public safety outlets and
contacts in the affected areas.

Amateur radio and government also worked hand-in-hand as FEMA declared Channels 1 and 2 on 60 meters available for interoperability as late as September 6th if needed. As before, the FCC authorized a higher symbol
rate than the 300-baud limit for hams' hurricane-related transmissions.

If you would like to volunteer to help the American Red Cross, or any of
the amateur radio groups mentioned in this report, please see contact information in the printed version of this week's newscast on our
website, arnewsline.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

For the American Red Cross, Contact Steve Irving, DST Lead, Louisiana
Region, Cell: (225) 933-4993, steve.irving2@redcross.org.

For the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness, Auxiliary Communications Support and Amateur Radio Station WB5LHS, matthew.anderson3@redcross.org

For the Hurricane Watch Net (www.hwn.org), Bobby Graves, KB5HAV - Net
Manager, kb5hav@hwn.org

For the VOIP Hurricane Net, Rob Macedo, KD1CY - Director of Operations rmacedo@rcn.com

**

SOLAR STORMS CALLED THREAT TO INTERNET

JIM/ANCHOR: Most of us know what solar storms can do to our plans for DX
or even a friendly ragchew when they mess with the earth's geomagnetic
field. Well, according to one California researcher, internet-users could
soon be sharing our pain. Here's Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, to explain.

RALPH: If you rely on the internet as much as you rely on your amateur
radio, you may have twice as many reasons for being wary of space
weather, according to a California professor. Sangeetha [Son-Geeta] Abdu [Ab-Doo] Jyothi [Joe-Tee], a computer scientist as the University of California, Irvine, believes that major solar storms are capable of compromising the internet's global infrastructure -- and probably will.

It's not that a coronal mass ejection can disable the fibre optic cables
that form the foundation of the internet. They can't: Those cables remain unaffected and local internet service would remain intact. But, the
researcher said, a global network of undersea communications cables that
boost the internet's international signals -- the equivalent of
repeaters -- would suffer directly from electromagnetic fluctuations
brought on by severe solar eruptions. In a recently released research
paper, the professor speculated that this could knock nations off the internet, isolating them for as long as several weeks. The professor
presented her findings in a paper in late August at a conference held virtually by the Association for Computer Machinery. She noted that astrophysicists say there is a likelihood of between 1.6 percent and 12 percent that a strong enough storm of this sort will occur within the
next decade.

For many, her findings describe a future version of the Carrington Event,
a geomagnetic storm in September of 1859, that damaged the earth's ozone layer, and disrupted telegraph lines around the world.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(FROM JENNY TUPPER, the DAILY MAIL, ACM SIGCOMM)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2289, for Friday, September 10th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2289 with a release date of
Friday, September 10th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A rocket explosion destroys two European
satellites. Hams help safeguard animals in a California wildfire --
and have you ever logged a contact with a hot-air balloon? All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2289, comes your
way, right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

RADIO OPERATORS SUPPORT WILDFIRE ANIMAL RESCUE

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with an update on the wildfires
plaguing the US West Coast. In California, the Caldor Fire hasn't
just left its impact on residents and business owners in the more
than 200,000 acres it has destroyed: The animals who live there are
suffering as well. Amateur radio operators are stepping in to help
these victims of this historic blaze too. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB,
has the details.

RALPH: As flames of the Caldor Fire began sweeping perilously close
to their homes starting in mid-August, residents were quickly
evacuated to safety, often having to leave behind their pets and
livestock. That's where hams in the El Dorado County Amateur Radio
club and members of its Neighborhood Radio Watch program have
stepped in. They've been providing radio communications support to
those who have not forgotten the animals. According to Alan
Thompson, W6WN, the club's public information officer, radio
operators have been assisting the South County Large Animal Rescue
Group, El Dorado County Animal Services and the various emergency
response agencies around California. The organizations are
conducting welfare checks throughout the fire-damaged county,
looking after animals who are sheltering in place—or facilitating a
rescue when necessary. The hams themselves are getting support too:
They're being joined by volunteers in the club's Neighborhood Radio
Watch program, area residents using inexpensive General Mobile Radio
Service, or GMRS, radios.

Alan wrote to Newsline: [quote] "We desperately love our animal
companions." [endquote] The club reminds people in the affected
areas to contact El Dorado County Animal Services or the shelter if
they have animals they are concerned about. You'll find the phone
numbers in the printed script of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org.

[PRINT ONLY, do not read: Western slope: 530-621-5795; the shelter: 530-621-7631; South Tahoe area: 530-573-7925]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(ALAN THOMPSON W6WN)

**

GENESIS SATELLITES DESTROYED IN EXPLOSION

DON/ANCHOR: Two European-built amateur radio satellites were
destroyed in an explosion during their rocket's first test flight.
Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has details.

ED: The pair of AMSAT-EA Genesis satellites that were aboard the
first test flight of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha launch vehicle were
destroyed when the rocket, fueled by kerosene, launched from the
Vandenberg Air Force Base north west of Los Angeles—and then
exploded. The blast blew apart the GENESIS-L and GENESIS-N
satellites that had been built in collaboration with the Universidad
Europea and ICAI. The satellites were outfitted for amateur
communications using Amplitude Shift Keying and CW. Earliest reports
on Twitter described what happened two and a half minutes after
lift-off, saying the vehicle [quote] "appeared to lose control and
tumble moments before the fiery explosion." [end quote]. According
to a report on SpaceNews, the lift-off occurred only after a first
launch attempt was made an hour earlier but was aborted in the final
seconds of the countdown. The two digital repeater satellites were
among several on board the rocket built by Texas-based Firefly
Aerospace. Firefly tweeted [quote] "Alpha experienced an anomaly
during first stage ascent that resulted in the loss of the vehicle."
[end quote] The company was previously known as Firefly Space
Systems before entering bankruptcy, which it emerged from in 2017
with new owners.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(TWITTER; SPACENEWS, AMSAT)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2303, for Friday, December 17th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2303, with a release date of
Friday, December 17th, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams on alert during deadly US tornadoes.
Radio re-enacts historic transmissions - and everyone's on the air
this holiday season: even Santa. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2303, comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

CENTRAL US TORNADOES BRING HAMS INTO ACTION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with deadly tornadoes that
devastated homes and lives recently in Kentucky and nearby states.
Randy Sly, W4XJ, shares those developments.

RANDY: SKYWARN nets were activated across much of the central
United States from Friday evening into early Saturday, December 10th
and 11th, as a tornado outbreak of unprecedented proportion tore
through Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri,
Ohio, and Tennessee.

Christine Weilgos (Well-gus), Warning Coordination Meteorologist for
the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, which covers one
of the hardest hit areas, reported that their SKYWARN desk was manned
by two local amateurs, Garry Wheatley, KD4GCY, and Jeff Estes, KM4LDP.
The SKYWARN linked repeater system across Arkansas was also active
throughout the night.

At least 50 tornado reports were received by the NWS during the
evening. Of the four strongest tornadoes reported in western Kentucky,
the largest was tracked for over 200 miles on the ground. At least 88
people are known to have perished across five states. The highest
impact was in Kentucky, where the death toll stands at 74, with an age
span from 2 months to 98 years of age. There are reports that
approximately 100 people are still unaccounted for. Early estimates of
damages and economic losses have ranged into the billions of dollars.

ARES and other amateur emergency resources across the area are still
ready to go, should additional communications support be needed.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

**

AMATEURS MARK 2 MARCONI ANNIVERSARIES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio operators on both sides of the Atlantic marked
two big moments in radio history as Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us.

JEREMY: The two Marconi anniversary activations had everything but
Guglielmo Marconi himself. Members of the Marconi Radio Club of
Newfoundland and the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club in Cornwall, England
paid tribute to Marconi's first experimental radio transmission across
the Atlantic. The Newfoundland amateurs contacted the Poldhu radio
operators marking December 12th, 1901, the day Marconi first heard a transatlantic transmission, Morse Code for the letter "s," sent from
Cornwall to Cabot Tower in Canada.

There was even more excitement, however, the previous day in Ardrossan, Scotland. Amateurs there received a duplicate of a message sent 100
years earlier from the US on amateur radio frequencies in the shortwave spectrum.

Shortly after the re-enactment of the December 11th, 1921 transmission
got under way in Connecticut, however, the replica of the 1BCG
transmitter failed and went off the air. The replica, built for the
75th anniversary of the transatlantic tests, had been restored earlier
this year by the Antique Wireless Association in Bloomfield, New York.

The association's Mark Erdle, AE2EA, told Newsline in an email that
that the transmitter suffered a plate choke failure. He said the
association hopes to get it back on the air by February of 2022.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM, MARK ERDLE AE2EA)

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In case you missed this test re-enactment, up until
December 26th you can still work UK stations using a "/2ZE" (Slash
Two - ZED -E) suffix on their normal call signs. Until the end of
December, the special event stations GB2ZE (G B 2 ZED E) and GS2ZE
(G S 2 ZED E) will be on-air to celebrate Paul Godley's achievements
back in 1921.

(RSGB)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2304, for Friday, December 24th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2304 with a release date of Friday, December 24th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A first-time activation of a South Pacific Island.
A solar probe 'touches' the sun -- and Newsline's annual Christmas card to
our listeners. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2304 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**

NEW IOTA ACTIVATED BY TEAM FROM INDIA

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with a group of adventurous DXpeditioners. They have succeeded in activating a new Island on the Air in the South Pacific, in a quest worthy of the 19th century science fiction masterwork, "Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne. Here's Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: It is not science fiction, but radio fact, that the Manic Monkeys
team of radio operators made a 600 kilometre journey this month from Bangalore, India to Sao Jorge Island, designated AS-177 by IOTA, activating the remote island for the first time. They had gone in search of the
fictional Lincoln Island that appears in Jules Verne's classic novels but
the adventuresome hams with the callsign AT7SJ were also in search of QSOs. Between December 3rd and December 6th, they logged 1,600 such contacts on
SSB, CW and FT-8, while camped in difficult terrain, according to team
leader Madhu Prasad, VU3NPI. Madhu told Newsline of other discoveries:
[quote] "The island had mysterious propagation conditions: the signals
would go up and down like the tide and mysteriously close abruptly on all bands with S9 noise." [endquote]

Madhu said that the team had been landlocked in India for two years by the pandemic and were still grieving the loss of the team's Elmer, Dev, VU2DEV,
to cardiac arrest. Now they can proudly add this uninhabited, thickly forested, island to their earlier activations of St. Mary's Island AS-096
and Danushkodi Island AS-173.

Madhu told Newsline that the team unfortunately did not find mysterious Lincoln Island, nor did they locate the Aquaphone, the fictional wireless device used by Jules Verne's protagonist, Capt. Nemo. They're leaving that quest - and Lincoln Island - for 2022.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(MADHU PRASAD, VU3NPI)

**

NASA SOLAR PROBE 'TOUCHES' THE SUN

DON/ANCHOR: With Solar Cycle 25 upon us, who isn't even a little bit
obsessed with the sun? So this news from NASA is well-timed, as we hear
from Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: NASA has announced a milestone moment in the life of the Parker Solar Probe: this year it reached the corona of the sun, a move into the solar atmosphere that is expected to yield more - and more detailed - insights
into space weather. The US space agency is commenting only now on the achievement, which happened last spring, three years after the probe's
launch, following the publication of a recent paper in the Physical Review Letter, which discussed the latest chapter of the Parker probe's journey.
NASA said the probe's entry into the super-hot corona meant it was [quote] "flying into the eye of a storm." [endquote] Once there, it studied solar
wind and examined magnetic patterns known as "switchbacks" which have their origins on the surface of the sun itself.

The paper's lead author, Justin Kasper, was quoted by National Public
Radio, as saying that entry into the corona lasted for several hours and
was an expected and much-anticipated occurrence. The probe, which is built
to tolerate more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, is expected to re-enter the corona in January of 2022.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, SPACE.COM)

**

OPEN SOURCE WORKSHOP AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE

DON/ANCHOR: YouTube once again provides an opportunity for those who missed
an amateur radio event. This one's on Open Source CubeSats. Here's Ed
Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: If you missed a chance to attend the Open Source CubeSat Workshop held virtually on December 9th and 10th, you can still view the two days of presentations by visiting the Libre Space Foundation Channel on YouTube.
This virtual workshop held on Zoom was its fifth iteration since its launch four years ago in Germany.

The opening remarks by Artur Scholz, DO4ALS, of the Open Source CubeSat Workshop Committee, stressed the importance of open-source CubeSats as a
means of conducting small space missions. Developers and mission operators attended the online sessions to collaborate, compare notes and build community. As with previous sessions, attendees participated as members of research institutes, businesses, learning institutes or as individuals.

See the link to the two days of presentations in the text version of this week's script at arnewsline.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

[FOR PRINT: DO NOT READ, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCzrYL9QmZiR7vmiQBZYV9E2WGyDmiC3m]

(AMSAT, YOUTUBE)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2308, for Friday, January 21st, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2308, with a release date of
Friday, January 21st, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Disaster and a communications blackout in
Tonga. Preserving DX access on remote central Pacific Islands --
and an online museum with some very old and very rare QSL cards.
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2308
comes your way right now.

**

DISASTER CUTS TONGA'S COMMUNICATIONS WITH REST OF WORLD

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a developing story. As
Newsline went to production, relief and communication efforts were
coming slowly to the island nation of Tonga, which was left cut off
from the rest of the world after two consecutive natural disasters.
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, fills us in.

JIM MEACHEN: The eruption of an underwater volcano triggered a
deadly tsunami that devastated the nation of Tonga, throwing the
Pacific island chain into a communications blackout. While military
relief efforts struggled to bring clean water and basic supplies
from Australia and New Zealand to residents, Tonga's apparent lack
of active amateur radio operators spelled silence on those
frequencies. As Newsline went to production amateurs in New Zealand
who are also active first responders awaited word on what help was
needed - by radio or other means. Don Wallace, ZL2TLL, a director
of IARU Region 3, told Newsline in an email he and Andrew Bate,
ZL1SU, manager of the New Zealand Red Cross IT & Telecom Emergency
Response Unit, were among those awaiting word on whether they would
be deployed. Don said the Red Cross itself was already providing
aid. In a public posting on Facebook, Mark Hanrahan, VK4DMH,
president of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society VK4WIG, said the
only communications available from Tonga appeared to be via a few
satellite phones, which were proving unreliable.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(BBC, DON WALLACE ZL2TLL; ANDREW BATE, ZL1SU, FACEBOOK)

**

RESEARCHERS BUILD WORLD'S SMALLEST ANTENNA USING DNA

PAUL/ANCHOR: While we hams work with conductive metal wire when we
set out to build the best antenna for our purposes, a group of
researchers in Canada used something else: DNA. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH,
has that story.

JEREMY: Researchers in chemistry at the University of Montreal have
created what they call the world's tiniest antenna, one they have
engineered using DNA to let them study structural changes that
occur within proteins.

This nanoantenna uses light instead of the radio frequencies we
hams are so accustomed to. Researcher Scott Harroun said in a
report [quote]: "The DNA-based nanoantennas can be synthesised with
different lengths and flexibilities to optimize their function."
[endquote]

He added later: [quote]"By carefully tuning the nanoantenna design,
we have created a five nanometre-long antenna that produces a
distinct signal when the protein is performing its biological
function." [endquote]

The researchers reported their findings recently in the journal
Nature Methods. They compared the fluorescent nanoantenna's
performance to that of a repeater: It receives light in one
wavelength and transmits back at another, depending on what
behaviour it detects in the protein.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(TECHEXPLORIST.COM)

**

ISRAELI STUDENTS' SATELLITES ENTER ORBIT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Students in Israel recently experienced the thrill of
seeing amateur radio satellites of their own design....sent into
space! Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, has more on that story.

JASON: Eight satellites designed and built by students throughout
Israel were sent into space on January 13th aboard SpaceX's FALCON
launcher. The eight satellites, Tevel 1 through 8, have amateur
radio FM transponders and beacon transmitters, all operating on the
same frequency. They entered their planned orbits about 90 minutes
after departing the launcher. The beacon transmissions can be heard
on 436.400 MHz. The FM transponders are using an uplink frequency
of 145.970 MHz and a downlink frequency of 436.400 MHz. The mission
also carried AMSAT-EA's HADES and EASAT-2 satellites. HADES is
using the callsign AM6SAT and EASAT-2 is using the callsign AM5SAT.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(OBSERVATORIAL.COM, AMSAT)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2309, for Friday, January 28th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2309 with a release date of Friday, January 28th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. There's progress in restoring some of Tonga's communications. Researchers create a new transistor that uses sound
waves - and hams in the UK prepare for the Queen's platinum jubilee. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2309, comes your
way right now.

**

PROGRESS IN RESTORING TONGA'S COMMUNICATIONS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the struggling
island nation of Tonga, which is still cut off from the world following back-to-back natural disasters. Hams continue to keep a watchful eye.
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, picks up the story from here.

JIM: Efforts have been ongoing to restore communications to Tonga, where
an undersea volcano left a vital fibre-optic cable broken beneath the
ocean, isolating the island nation. According to a BBC report, 2G
wireless service has been set up on the archipelago's main island with
the help of a satellite dish from the University of the South Pacific.
Other than the intermittent service of satellite phones, however,
outside contact has been limited as the country struggles with a
contaminated water supply and other concerns brought on by a subsequent tsunami.

Tonga apparently has no active amateur radio operators and hams in the immediate Pacific region have reported that the amateur HF bands are
presently unusable. Some marine VHF bands are said to be active. Hayden Honeywood, VK7HH, is among those amateurs using YouTube and other social
media channels to provide updates whenever possible. One of Hayden's
most recent accounts came from Roly, ZL1BQD, whose friend in Tonga
operates a 1-kilowatt broadcast radio station at 91.3 FM. The station
was unaffected by the tsunami and is carrying public service messages.

0Meanwhile, New Zealand's ministry of foreign affairs estimate it will
take at least a month, if not more, before the cable can be fixed.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(HAYDEN HONEYWOOD VK7HH, BBC)

**

FAA SETTLES INTERFERENCE ISSUE WITH MAJORITY OF AIRCRAFT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The US FAA has made major progress on the issue of interference between 5G transmissions and airline altimeters. Kent
Peterson, KC0DGY, brings us this update.

KENT: For some models of Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft, radio interference isn't just an annoyance; it has the potential for deadly consequences. That was at the root of the US Federal Aviation
Administration's concern about 5G cell phone signals, which use the same C-band spectrum as some of the airliners' altimeters.

The FAA said planes landing in low-visibility conditions risked
interference from mobile phones, naming Verizon and AT&T as two of the carriers. Now, in a dramatic turnaround of its position, the FAA has
said that more than three-quarters of planes have altimeters that can
filter out 5G transmissions and are in the clear. Some telecom and
consumer advocates, such as attorney Harold Feld, publicly criticized
the FAA for taking too long to evaluate altimeters after the FCC
approved the cellular carriers' use of the C-band in 2020.

According to an article on the ArsTechnica website, the FAA only began
vetting the altimeters in February 2021 once the FCC had auctioned off
the spectrum to the carriers. The ArsTechnica article said that in 40
other countries where C-band spectrum is in use for cellular service,
there have been no reports of 5G causing trouble with altimeters.

In the US the FCC standards place a 200 MHz guard band between the
cellular carriers and the frequencies used by the altimeters.

More approvals are expected soon.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(ARS TECHNICA)

**

PORTUGAL CRACKS DOWN ON RADIO INTERFERENCE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the Portuguese communications regulator
cracked down late last year on what it called abuse and interference on
a number of frequencies, including maritime mobile and amateur bands.
IARU Region 1 reported that ANACOM, the Portuguese Communications
Authority, in partnership with the Maritime Police, sought to verify the proper and legal use of radios by conducting inspections on vessels
between the ports of Caminha and Peniche. According to the report, unauthorized use of frequencies was the most common violation. The
report indicated that such practices, in addition to being illegal, can
cause interference, especially to radios being used for emergency
response. ANACOM noted in the report that it was leaving the matter of sanctions to the Maritime Police.

(SOUTHGATE, IARU REGION 1)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2310, for Friday, February 4th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2310 with a release date of Friday, February 4th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Radio adventure in the sea north of Russia. Japan reaches out to young amateurs -- and hams honor one of America's best-
known presidents. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2310, comes your way right now.

**

PLANS ARE ON ICE (AND SNOW) FOR RUSSIAN ISLAND ACTIVATION

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a tale of adventure. While many of
us in the Northern Hemisphere may be bitterly complaining about winter's
bite, here are some amateurs who are actively seeking out the most wintry
of winters -- north of Russia. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has the details.

JEREMY: It is little more than a month before a team of six adventurers
from the Russian Robinson Club departs for Rykachev Island in the Kara
Sea. The island, which is number AS-104 in the Islands on the Air awards scheme, bears the name of the late Russian meteorologist who was devoted
to the study of Russia's northern seas. The team departs on March 3rd,
and will travel to their activation site by snowmobile, setting up camp,
and using the call sign R150WS. The call sign is a nod to the 150 years
that have elapsed since Rykachev Mikhail Alexandrovich and other
scientists founded the Russian weather service. According to a Twitter
posting by Andy, EU7A, the team may also try to operate enroute from
Isachenko Island, IOTA number AS-050. If they are successful, they will
be active there as RI0BI. This adventure is the sixth in the club's
series of "Legends of the Arctic" DXpeditions. According to the club's
website, they are also planning a video documentary similar to those
created on previous Dxpeditions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RUSSIAN ROBINSON CLUB, OHIO PENN DX)

**

CARIBBEAN ISLAND HAMS MARK 27 YEARS SINCE CLUB'S FOUNDING

DON/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the much warmer Caribbean, amateurs are
marking nearly three decades of success for their club in Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines. John Williams, VK4JJW, has that report.

JOHN: The view of Mount St. Andrews could not have been more perfect
for members of the Youlou Radio Movement in Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines. On January 22nd, members of the ham radio organisation
and their families gathered within view of that important summit to
mark 27 years since the group was founded atop that peak -- 2,000 feet
above sea level -- by five amateurs. Known originally as the Rainbow
Radio League, its purpose remains the same today: providing a team of volunteers available for disaster communications by radio. Sean
Patterson, J88CU, one of the original five, spoke at the recent
celebration, sharing the story of the hams' first portable operation
as a formal group in 1995. The anniversary celebration, included the
induction of two honoured guests - Ira Harris, VP2EIH, from Anguilla,
and Donald Howe, 9Z4FV, from Trinidad - as Youlou members. The next day,
the celebration continued as some of the hams visited Mary Barnard,
J88AM, and Martin Barnard, J88AA, to thank the two longtime hams for
their years of personal assistance to Youlou. Moving forward, the
group's next step is to consider a name change to the Youlou Amateur
Radio Association, and make plans for several SOTA and POTA activations
this year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(SOUTHGATE, YOULOU RADIO MOVEMENT, SEARCHLIGHT NEWSPAPER)

**

STRAIGHT KEY MONTH MARKS 16TH YEAR OF SPECIAL EVENT

DON/ANCHOR: CW enthusiasts: Were you busy with your straight key for
the first few weeks of the year? You're likely in the log for a very
successful event by the Straight Key Century Club. Randy Sly, W4XJ,
is here to tell us more.

RANDY: "The Party's Over," says the welcoming message on the Straight
Key Century Club website. That means that January's Straight Key Month,
the club's 16th annual event, ended in a flurry of final contacts fast approaching a total of almost 50,000, according to their website. In
addition to congratulating all club members who signed up to be operators
for this special event, the club also thanked Justin, KF0GZB, for
submitting the design that is being featured in this year's Straight
Key Month QSL card. The event also marked the 16th anniversary of the
Straight Key Century Club, which encouraged all operators to celebrate
the original tools of the early days of radiotelegraphy by using straight
keys, bugs or cootie keys during their shifts on the air. Official
stations operated in all 13 US regional call areas. Separate stations
were on the air from six IARU continental regions along with those in
Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ, operating this year as
K3Y/0.

(SKCC)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2311, for Friday, February 11th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2311, with a release date of Friday, February 11th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A peak moment for a SOTA activator in Argentina. A preeminent microphone company changes hands -- and an APRS pioneer becomes
a Silent Key. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2311, comes your way right now.

**

ONE HAM'S HF RADIO 'FIRST' ON HIGHEST PEAK IN THE AMERICAS

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the story of a ham who has
just achieved a peak experience atop another peak - this one in South
America. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us about him.

ED: An Argentine amateur radio operator has accomplished the first HF activation of the highest peak in the Summits On the Air programme,
fulfilling a long-standing goal. On January 10th, Diego Lizarraga, LU9MZO, operated from Aconcagua (Pron:a.kon.ta.gwa), which at nearly 7,000 metres
high and is also the highest peak in the Americas. This is the first time
any amateur radio operator has made contacts from Aconcagua using one of
the HF bands (the previous and first activation in 2019 was executed using
2 metres FM). According to reports, he spent an hour and a half on the air using 40 metres and found time as well to work some stations on VHF and
UHF. His total for the day was 64 contacts, with 15 of them on HF. He was heard as far away as Buenos Aires, San Luis (Pron:San Luise), Mendoza provinces in Argentina as well as into Chile. His dream of operating from there on HF had been a few years in the planning and the timing worked out well for him. As he descended from the peak to a base camp some 4300
metres below, snow had already begun to fall. On January 12th, he returned
to the entry of Aconcagua Park where he was cheered on by friends and relatives.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(SOTA, THE YL BEAM)

**

PROMINENT US MIC COMPANY HEIL SOUND IS SOLD

JIM/ANCHOR: In the United States, Heil Sound, which has been run by Bob
Heil, K9EID, and his wife, Sarah, for decades, has been sold. The Heils announced the purchase of the well-known professional microphone company
by Ash Levitt and Steve Warford. Ash, the company's president and CEO, and Steve, director of operations, are veterans of the business, having worked with Bob since they were teenagers. Bob will remain with the company as founder and CEO emeritus, continuing to do product design for the amateur radio market. Heil Sound has been in business since 1966.

(HEIL SOUND)

**

INDIA'S NEWEST HAMS PREP FOR DISASTER

JIM/ANCHOR: In India, a group of newly licensed hams is about to prep for
the worst with a mock disaster drill. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has those
details.

GRAHAM: Civil defense volunteer Dipak Giri is awaiting his new call sign
and a new assignment. He was recently among the more than two dozen
volunteers who successfully completed the three-month amateur radio
training course online with the Indian Academy of Communication and
Disaster Management in West Bengal. Rinku Nag Biswas, VU2JFB. secretary of
the academy, is proud of all the graduates, who like Dipak, now face their next challenge: a mock disaster drill that will be held in March by the
local government to test their capabilities in handling real-life crises.
In a real disaster, such as a tornado, earthquake or cyclone, they would
be the first responders in an area near the Sundarbon Forest which has no internet or mobile phone service. According to Ambarish Nag Biswas,
VU2JFA, many of the academy's students received their field training
during January's Ganga Sagar Mela, a religious pilgrimage that draws
thousands to West Bengal from across India. Ambarish Nag Biswas is
secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club whose hams have traditionally
provided emergency communication during this massive gathering.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(WEST BENGAL RADIO CLUB)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2312, for Friday, February 18th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312, with a release date of Friday, February 18th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Police identify the body of an Australian
amateur. New insights into an RFI mystery -- and there's still time for a contact with Pluto...the special event, that is. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312 comes your way right now.

**

AUSTRALIAN HAM'S BODY IDENTIFIED IN DOUBLE MURDER

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the tragic conclusion to a missing persons story reported here on Newsline on two years ago. The
bodies of an amateur radio operator and his companion have been
positively identified. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, brings us that story.

GRAHAM: Russell Hill, VK3VZP, and Carol Clay, disappeared two years ago
in the Victorian bushland where the two had gone camping. The last
message heard from Russell was on March 20th of 2020 when he made a QSO
on one of the HF bands, reporting his location at Wonnangatta Valley in
the Victorian Alps. No one heard from them again. One day later, campers discovered the radio operator's vehicle, and the couple's campsite
destroyed by fire.

Forensic testing has now confirmed the identity of remains found last
November as those of the radio ham and his friend. A pilot who worked for Jetstar Airways -- and who had been camping nearby -- was arrested last November and charged with two counts of murder. The pilot, Greg Lynn, 55,
is due in court in May.

Police have described the couple's disappearance as one of their most high-profile cases.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(THE NEW DAILY, SKYNEWS.COM)

**

RFI ISSUES TIED TO PLANES' OLDER ALTIMETERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A further look into airliners' RFI problems following the
recent launch of 5G service by US cellphone carriers has turned up an interesting technical finding. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, has that update.

KENT: Despite a protective guard band to separate frequencies used by cellphone carriers and airliners, signals from newly deployed 5G wireless service in the US are still capable of compromising commercial airplane
safety in aircraft using older altimeters lacking filters, an expert
witness told US lawmakers in Washington, DC. Dennis Roberson (ROE-BURR-
SON) told a subcommittee in the US House of Representatives that older
radio altimeters lack filters that prevent that kind of risky signal
conflict that can interfere with critical navigation, especially during landing. His testimony came following airlines' decision to ground or
redirect some of their flights scheduled to land in airports near 5G
cellphone towers. Carriers including AT&T and Verizon now operate on the C-band spectrum between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz. Altimeters are designed to
operate on frequencies between 4.2 GHz and 4.4 Ghz. Roberson said this
kind of interference is not believed to have been a factor in any crashes
but the potential does exist because older altimeters are capable of
picking up transmissions outside of their assigned band, such as those
used by 5G service. He said that a guard band provided a "large cushion" between the carriers' and the altimeters' allocations on the spectrum,
but nonetheless, without filters in place on the altimeters, signal
conflicts could still occur.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(URGENTCOMM)

**

SILENT KEY: HAMVENTION VOLUNTEER GREGORY DEAN, N9NWO

PAUL/ANCHOR: This year's Hamvention will be going forward in Xenia, Ohio without one of its dedicated volunteers. He became a Silent Key this
month, as we hear from Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

KEVIN: A well-respected volunteer at the annual Hamvention in Xenia has
become a Silent Key. Greg Dean, N9NWO, died on February 5th in a
Lafayette, Indiana hospital. According to QRZ.COM, Greg was a veteran of
the US Army National Guard and Army Reserve with tours in Desert Storm, Bosnia, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. Licensed since 1968, he belonged to
the Quarter Century Wireless Association and the Straight Key Century
Club. Friends posted on his Facebook page, praising his volunteer work at Hamvention and the regular help he provided with QSLs for the W9IMS
event.

Greg was 71.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(QRZ, FACEBOOK, HIPPENSTEEL FUNERAL SERVICE)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2313 for Friday February 25th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2313, with a release date of Friday, February 25th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ukraine bans ham radio before Russian invasion.
An amateur in Pennsylvania faces criminal charges -- and a historic
Marconi hut goes digital in England. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2313, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

UKRAINE BANS AMATEUR RADIO AS PART OF STATE OF EMERGENCY

NEIL/ANCHOR: A decree by Ukrainian officials imposing a state of
emergency, including a ban on amateur radio operation, took effect on Thursday, February 24th. Officials had announced the previous day that
they would do so in anticipation of a Russian military invasion. The
decree can last as long as 30 days, with an option to be extended.

The International Amateur Radio Union was monitoring the events. Greg
Mossop, G0DUB, IARU Region 1's emergency communications coordinator, told Newsline in an email [quote] "The events in Ukraine are obviously fast
moving and although there were early reports of telecommunications
failures it appears these may have been due to the volume of calls on the networks. Webcams in the area are functioning and people do seem to be
able to make calls. Sadly, the Ukrainian National Society has reported
that a ban on the operation of amateur stations in Ukraine has been put
in place for 30 days commencing February 24th. IARU Region 1 and its
member societies are monitoring the situation closely but remind all
amateur radio operators they must follow their national laws and
regulations." [endquote]

The US news website Politico quoted Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, describing the actions
as [quote] "preventive measures to keep calm in the country." [endquote]

The declaration is not in effect in the political subdivisions of eastern Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been occupied by Russian-backed
separatists since 2014.

(GREG MOSSOP, G0DUB; IARU REGION 1; POLITICO)

**

PENNSYLVANIA HAM CHARGED WITH FALSE INFORMATION, BOMB THREATS

NEIL/ANCHOR: In the United States, a ham faces serious criminal charges
for on-the-air activities. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, has that story.

SEL: An amateur radio operator in Erie, Pennsylvania has been charged
with transmitting false weather emergencies on the radio and making bomb threats, according to published reports.

The Erie Times-News identified the ham as Richard L. Wagner, whose call
sign is listed as N3BWG on QRZ.COM. The newspaper said that Erie County detectives charged him with reporting bogus weather emergencies while on
the air and with making threats against other hams who told him to stop.
The news report said that a criminal complaint was filed on Monday,
February 14th, alleging that between the 19th of December and February
13th, he went on air with threats to bomb public buildings, including the
city police station and the county courthouse.

There were no details about any involvement in the case by the US Federal Communications Commission.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 3rd.

(ERIE NEWS-TIMES)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2314, for Friday, March 4th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2314, with a release date of Friday, March 4th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Medium and shortwave carry messages into embattled Ukraine. A transatlantic triumph for a replica transmitter - and what
lengths would you go to with a portable antenna? All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2314, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

MEDIUM and SHORTWAVE CARRY MESSAGES TO EMBATTLED UKRAINE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the medium wave and shortwave bands, where broadcasters are responding to the ongoing crisis
in Ukraine. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, brings us those details.

KEVIN: With amateur radio banned in Ukraine following the Russian
invasion, broadcasts on the medium wave radio frequencies have taken on increasing importance in the past week. In the US, the Miami, Florida commercial shortwave station WRMI has been carrying broadcasts six days a
week of Radio Ukraine International, the official overseas service of
Ukraine radio on 510 kHz. There are no Friday broadcasts. The schedule can
be found on the website at wrmi dot net.

There are also reports that the BBC World Service has begun carrying
shortwave broadcasts directed towards Ukraine. According to the website hfunderground dot com, those broadcasts began on February 24th, covering
news events.

In Italy, the NEXUS International Broadcasting Association, an apolitical, global organization, announced on its website that it has increased its transmitter power on 1323 kHz medium wave into Central and Southern Europe
and has a good reach into the area of conflict as well as Poland, Romania, Belarus and Western Russia. A note on the website says: [quote] "We have increased our special news coverage, adding repeats of the most
informative and inspirational programs in English to support displaced
people and cover the latest events in Ukraine and nearby countries."
[endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(WRMI, HFUNDERGROUND, SWLING POST, NEXUS-IBA)

**

IARU REGION 1 EMERGENCY TEST TAPS INTO SATELLITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In an environment of global challenges, emergency communication becomes even more critical. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us
about an international exercise that succeeded recently in sharpening ham radio's preparedness.

JEREMY: IARU Region 1 conducted its first test of the newest tool in its emergency communications toolbox on the 26th of February. Stations representing 14 countries around the region included use of the
geostationary satellite QO-100 as part of their response to a simulated
global emergency. There were 22 stations in all demonstrating how the
amateur radio community can be effective, passing messages despite the inevitable language barriers and equipment failures. According to Greg
Mossop, G0DUB, the IARU's emergency communications coordinator, the
exercise was a success, underscoring how amateur radio stations can
respond across a region that stretches from South Africa north through to Europe and into the United Kingdom. The next test is planned for October.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(GREG MOSSOP, G0DUB)

**

HAMS IN EMCOMM GROUP FEAR NEW FEE WILL HAMPER OPERATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A proposed fee to be levied on communications equipment in federal forests is a major concern for one group of hams in Michigan. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, has that story.

CHRISTIAN: Hams in Michigan who provide emergency communications have told local officials that because they rely on the use of a tower located
inside a national forest, they may now face a new fee of $1,400 to
operate. According to a report in the Manistee News, the Manistee County Amateur Radio Operators Club received notice from the US Forest Service
that there might be a fee for their use of the tower. Forest Service
officials announced in December that they have proposed such fees for any communications users, including cellular phone providers, maintaining permanent equipment on Forest Service land.

The agency has reopened the public comment period on the proposal through March 31st. Comments can be posted online at federalregister dot gov (federalregister.gov)

The American Radio Relay League has filed comments asking for hams radio operators to be exempt from the fee.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH.

(MANISTEE NEWS)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2315 for Friday March 11th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2315 with a release date of Friday,
March 11th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A look at receivers' role in rejecting RFI. A
ham is killed in war-torn Ukraine -- and Hawaii needs amateurs for a
statewide emergency drill. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline,
Report Number 2315, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

FCC TO STUDY RECEIVERS' ROLE IN REJECTING RFI

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story is about the ongoing issue of RFI that
plagues us all. In the US, the head of the FCC recently announced a new approach to studying it, as Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, tells us.

SKEETER: The chairwoman of the US Federal Communications Commission has pledged that the agency will take a closer look at the role receivers
play in rejecting the increasing levels of RF interference. Speaking at
the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on March 1st, Chairwoman
Jessica Rosenworcel said that until now, most discussions of RFI have
focused predominantly on transmitters, with rules put in place regarding transmitter performance to remove RFI. She said this approach was being rethought at the FCC, adding [quote] "wireless communications only
exists when transmitters are connected to receivers. Both are vital.
Both matter. And going forward policymakers need to consider both
transmitting and receiving. Not just the former at the expense of the
latter." [endquote]

She said she expected to move forward on an inquiry into receiver
performance next month. The goal is to explore regulations, guidelines
and incentives for better performance on specific frequencies or across
all bands. She said she is seeking [quote] "a more transparent and
predictable radiofrequency environment for all spectrum users - new and
old." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.

(FCC)

**

HAMS AFFECTED BY WEST BENGAL INTERNET OUTAGES

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams in the Indian state of West Bengal are adapting to the temporarily intermittent use of internet-assisted radio modes. Jim
Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the details.

JIM: Hams throughout West Bengal state in India are experiencing limited access to Echolink and other internet-assisted amateur radio services
through the 16th of March. The hams are among hundreds of others
affected after the state government announced the restrictions to
contain what they called illegal activities on the internet. News
reports gave no specific details beyond the announcement itself. The
report on the India TV News website quoted an official in the Home and
Hill Affairs Department in announcing that [quote] "The government has received intelligence reports that unlawful activities can be carried in certain areas over internet transmissions and voice over internet
telephony and hence restrictions are being imposed on the use of the internet." [endquote]

Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club,
told Newsline that daytime use of the internet is off limits, but there
is still access in the evenings. He said everyone in West Bengal state
has been affected.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS VU2JFA, INDIA TV NEWS)

**

SILENT KEY: IVAN LYSENKO UR8GX, POPULAR DXER

NEIL/ANCHOR: The global amateur community has been rocked by the tragic
death of a well-known ham in Ukraine. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about
him.

JEREMY: A popular DXer and CW enthusiast known for his expeditions with
his fellow hams in the Ukraine has become a Silent Key. DXWorld.net has reported that Ivan Lysenko, UR8GX, was killed in his home city of
Kherson amid the fighting following its invasion by Russian troops.
Ivan's many adventures included the expedition in the summer of 2019 to
the Kalanchakskiye Islands for the IOTA contest. He participated with
fellow members of the Ukrainian Radioclub Sputnik UR6GWZ. Ivan also
served as the QSL manager for UR1G, the callsign for the club's team of operators. His death was reported on the Facebook page of DXWorld.net, prompting hams from around the world to post their condolences and
remember their QSOs with him, particularly his many DX contacts.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(DXWORLD.NET, FACEBOOK, QRZ.COM)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2316 for Friday, March 18th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2316, with a release date of Friday, March 18th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A push for shortwave broadcasts to a war zone.
COVID cancels a youth ham camp in Germany -- and Hamvention announces its award-winners. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2316 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

GRASSROOTS PUSH TO BEAM SHORTWAVE TO RUSSIA, UKRAINE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our top story this week focuses on the war between Russia
and Ukraine and a grassroots push in the United States to keep the people
of both countries informed via shortwave radio. Dave Parks, WB8ODF, has
that report.

DAVE: Voice of America news programming may soon be beaming from the
United States to overseas listeners via shortwave - most particularly
Russia and Ukraine - through a citizen-based effort known as Shortwaves
for Freedom.

The US Agency for Global Media, the umbrella under which VOA and Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty operate, is not involved in any of these planned transmissions. Instead, Shortwaves for Freedom is making use of the fact
that VOA programming is public domain and easily downloadable from the
VOA website for transmission over the air. According to a report on Washington, DC-based political news website, The Hill, Miami Radio International in Florida has already agreed to transmit the broadcasts.
The Hill's story said that Shortwaves for Freedom is receiving technical assistance from Gerhard Straub, who retired as director of broadcast technologies at the VOA's parent agency.

The general manager of Miami Radio International told The Hill that his
radio station is already transmitting the VOA program "Flashpoint
Ukraine," which is in English. The same news report said there are plans
to add programming in Ukrainian and expand the broadcasts.

Voice of America was originally part of the United States State
Department. In 1947, VOA commenced shortwave transmissions of Russian-
language programming into what was then the Soviet Union.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks, WB8ODF.

(THE HILL, POLITICO)

**

NASA: US ASTRONAUT, RUSSIANS TO RETURN TO EARTH TOGETHER

SKEETER/ANCHOR: High above the Earth, a US astronaut who's been active in numerous amateur radio contacts, will share the return trip to Earth with
two Russian cosmonauts. We hear more from Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

KENT: Despite terrestrial tensions dividing the nations, US astronaut Mark Vande Hei, KG5GNP, is preparing to return to Earth from the International Space Station this month with two cosmonauts on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The scheduled landing in Kazakhstan on March 30th is being
planned in cooperation with the Russian space agency Rocosmos. According
to several news reports, the three crew members' return comes amid
fiercely growing tensions between the two countries - tensions that have reportedly spilled over into the space program, particularly with the head
of Russia's space agency, Dmitri Rogozin, being a longtime supporter of Russian president Vladimir Putin. However, despite the fact that SpaceX vehicles are now being used for travel to and from the ISS, NASA confirmed
on Monday, March 14th that plans continue to go forward for the three men
to return to the Earth together.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(CNN, ABC NEWS)

**

COVID PRECAUTIONS CANCEL FRIEDRICHSHAFEN HAM CAMP

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Citing caution over the continued pandemic, organizers
have cancelled the annual ham camp that was scheduled to be held in
Germany for young amateurs this summer. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has that story.

ED: The young amateurs who had hoped to attend "Ham Camp" during Ham Radio Friedrichshafen this coming June will have to wait another year. Although
Ham Radio Friedrichshafen, Europe's largest ham radio event, is still
taking place on June 24th through the 26th, organizers have said the
logistics of housing more than 100 youngsters and supervisors in close quarters during the same weekend would prove risky under COVID-19
conditions. The IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group wrote on the IARU
website that the organizers said their decision was not taken lightly and
is based on the need to protect participants of minor age and under supervision. The camp is expected to be held in 2023.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(IARU REGION 1)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2317 for Friday March 25th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2317 with a release date of Friday,
March 25th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. China's space station makes room for amateur
radio. Russia and Belarus are suspended from CEPT -- and hams help other
hams after Australia's wide-ranging flood damage. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2317 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

CHINA'S SPACE STATION TO PUT HAMS IN ORBIT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the space station that
China is building, module by module. The latest word is that one of
those modules will have room for amateur radio. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has
those details.

JIM: China's Tiangong space station, which is being constructed in low
Earth orbit following the launch of its first module last May, is
expected to have room for astronauts, experiments and now, amateur
radio. The IARU's satellite frequency coordination panel reports that it received an application on March 8th for an amateur radio payload to be
on board. The station is being proposed by the Chinese Radio Amateurs
Club in cooperation with the Aerospace System Engineering Research
Institute of Shanghai and the Harbin Institute of Technology. Previous
news reports have noted that the Chinese Manned Space Agency plans to
have three astronauts on board continuously for a minimum of 10 years.
One module will house the astronauts; the space station expects to use
the remaining two of its three modules to host scientific experiments of researchers from all nations of the UN.

The amateur radio station is applying to use portions of the VHF/UHF
amateur radio band and will consist of communications by voice,
repeater, AFSK digipeater and SSTV or other digital imaging modes. Not
unlike the radios on board the International Space Station, the ham
radios on the Chinese space station are intended for a variety of uses, including contacts with students to inspire careers in science,
technology, engineering and math. According to the application, the
payload would launch in the third quarter of this year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(SPACE.COM, AMSAT-UK)

**

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE SUSPENDS RUSSIAN, BELARUSIAN MEMBERSHIP

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams from Belarus and the Russian Federation are feeling
the impact after their nations' memberships were suspended from the
European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has an update.

ED: The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications
Administrations has indefinitely suspended the membership of Belarus
and the Russian Federation, in a sweeping action that has an impact on
amateur radio operators. An agreement within the conference, known as
CEPT, grants amateur radio privileges to qualifying hams traveling
between signatory countries without the need to obtain additional
permits or licences. The CEPT was formed to foster cooperation among its member nations with regards to postal and electronic communications.

The suspension, which comes in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
took effect on the 18th of March. The Russian Federation joined CEPT in
1994. Belarus became a member in 2003.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

**

SILENT KEY: GILES READ, G1MFG, RSGB's TECHNICAL EDITOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Radio Society of Great Britain has suffered a great
loss with the death of one of its key team members. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH,
has that story.

JEREMY: Giles Read, G1MFG, had been the technical editor for RadCom
magazine, the widely read publication sent free every month to Society
members throughout the world. The Society announced that Giles, who had
been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer just days earlier,
became a Silent Key on Friday, March 18th. No further details were
immediately available. We here at Amateur Radio Newsline extend our condolences to his family and friends.

The Society will be posting additional details about Giles on its
website at rsgb.org/sk

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(RSGB)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2318, for Friday, April 1st, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2318, with a release date of Friday,
April 1st, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A DXpeditioner and humanitarian becomes a Silent
Key. Radio triumph atop the Caribbean's highest point -- and special
report from Newsline's April Fool's Day correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg.
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2318, comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

SILENT KEY: YASUO "ZORRO" MIYAZAWA, JH1AJT, DXPEDITIONER AND HUMANITARIAN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with news of the death of a beloved DXpeditioner who touched the world in more ways than by radio. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has that story.

ED: Hams around the world are grieving the death of the noted DXpeditioner
and humanitarian known as Zorro, JH1AJT. Zorro, whose name was Yasuo
Miyazawa, { pronounced Ya Su oh Me ah za wa } became a Silent Key at 72
years of age on March 22nd. He had been diagnosed with cancer. Known as
much for his optimistic outlook on life and his generous heart, Zorro was
a key part of DXpeditions in Yemen, Laos, Ethiopia, and Bhutan, to name a
few. In 2015, Zorro received the Intrepid Spirit Award from the Intrepid
DX Group for his achievements in Eritrea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. His
many humanitarian efforts include the establishment of a prep school in
Japan that specializes in the education of students with special needs,
and his gifts of thousands of dollars to programmes in Myanmar to serve
the nation's medical and educational needs. Zorro also created and endowed
the Humanitarian Aid Fund of the International DX Association.

A statement from one of that association's directors, Ralph Fedor, K0IR, lauded Zorro as a skilled operator who mentored and encouraged less experienced operators. The statement also praised him for his humanity.
The statement said [quote] "Through his schools and his humanitarian
trips in Asia and Africa he brought a better life to all of those he
touched." [endquote] The statement went on to add: [quote] "The world
lost a great man...he was truly a brother to us all." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(INTREPID DX GROUP, OHIO PENN DX, PAUL EWINGX N6PSE, RALPH FEDOR, K0IR)

**

SHORTWAVE STATION SENDS MUSIC, MESSAGES TO COMFORT UKRAINE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Shortwave radio signals coming from the United States
have been sending comfort in the form of music and recorded messages of
hope to people in Ukraine and Russia. We hear those details from Skeeter
Nash, N5ASH.

SKEETER: Using the power of a 100,000-watt shortwave transmitter in
Tennessee, two radio amateurs are using the additional power of rock and
roll to send some upbeat moments to the people of Ukraine and Russia.

Ted and Holly Randall, WB8PUM, and KG4WXV, operate short-wave AM
Broadcast station WTWW located in a warehouse building from their nearby
home. The transmitter is overseen by the couple's son, David, KG4WXW.

Music isn't the only thing the couple has been transmitting. They are broadcasting recorded messages left by callers to the radio station
carrying messages of hope and encouragement to be received on the small shortwave receivers many of the Ukrainian listeners have. Ted Randall
told the local TV station WVLT: [quote] "These people are listening in bunkers. They are listening in shelters and those little radios, that's
the type of radio they are listening on." [endquote]

As a ham, Ted also recognizes that radio's power goes beyond any mere measurement in wattage. He told the TV station: [quote] "If we can touch
lives through radio, then that’s our responsibility.” [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.

(WVLT-TV, SOUTHGATE, NBC PHILADELPHIA)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2319, for Friday, April 8th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2319 with a release date of Friday,
April 8th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Two hams face criminal charges in the US and
France. The FCC clarifies its new license fees -- and get ready for
World Amateur Radio Day. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2319, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

FRENCH AMATEUR SENTENCED FOR ON-AIR THREATS

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with two stories about amateur radio
operators charged with using their licenses for criminal purposes. The
first story comes to us from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, and concerns a radio
amateur in France.

JEREMY: A French radio amateur was found guilty of making threats,
insults and homophobic remarks on the air, has been sentenced to a year
in prison suspended for two years and put on probation, according to
various reports in the French media. He was also ordered off the air and
to pay a fine of �5,000, and further pay compensation to two plaintiffs.

The ham, who is 65 years old, was identified only as "G�rard" in the
news reports. His callsign, which he had apparently used on the air to identify himself, was not provided. The court of Versailles sentenced
him on Monday the 28th of March. The complaints against him included
both death threats and a false report of someone's death. He had been
arrested a number of times, going back to late 2020 when his radio
equipment was seized. But according to news reports, he then went on to purchase yet more radios.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(OUEST FRANCE, SOUTHGATE)

**

PENNSYLVANIA AMATEUR FACES NEW CRIMINAL CHARGES

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile in the United States, a ham charged earlier this
year with using the airwaves for criminal activity is back in the news
with new charges filed against him. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, has the details.

SEL: Richard Wagner - the Erie, Pennsylvania radio amateur charged with
making bomb threats and bogus weather reports over the air late last
year and earlier this year - faces new charges of again using the
airwaves for criminal purposes. According to a report in the ERIE TIMES-
NEWS, detectives in Erie County filed charges on Tuesday, March 29th,
saying the radio amateur used emergency frequencies in late March to
make threats against witnesses, victims and a judge who had presided
over his earlier criminal cases. Richard Wagner's callsign is listed as N-3-B-W-G on Q-R-Zed-dot-com.

Meanwhile, all but two of the 37 criminal charges in those earlier cases
had been dropped on March 3rd and the bond money holding him in prison
was substantially reduced.

In the latest development, detectives claim that Wagner made the new threatening transmissions over frequencies used by the county Emergency Management office and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. He
was arrested and placed in Erie County Prison on $175,000 bond, and now
faces charges of bomb threats and retaliation against a prosecutor or
judicial official.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(ERIE TIMES-NEWS)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2320, for Friday, April 15th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2320 with a release date of Friday,
April 15th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. New software for the world's largest radio
telescope. Young hams start thinking about amateur radio camp - and the amateur community gives advice to one YL in these troubling times. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2320, comes your
way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

SOFTWARE PROJECT TO GUIDE WORLD'S LARGEST RADIO TELESCOPE

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story that doesn't get much
bigger than this: the world's largest radio telescope, an array of
antennas and dishes that spans the hemispheres, is getting software to
help in its operation. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, picks up the developments
from here.

JEREMY: Prototype software for the world's biggest radio telescope will
be built by a group of universities and labs in the UK with money just released by the UK government's Science & Technology Facilities Council (SFTC). The software for the Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, will direct
the telescope's gaze at the sky, translate its signals into data and
diagnose issues. BBC news reported that on Monday, the 11th of April,
the Council released 15 million pounds, the equivalent of more than
$19.5 million in US currency for the work that will involve teams at
Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester universities as well as those at the
STFC's own labs in Edinburgh, Daresbury, and Harwell.

The SKA is an array of 197 dishes and 130,000 antennas in both Australia
and South Africa, and the software will allow astronomers to interpret
what is received by the SKA, at an intensely high resolution and it is a
most sensitive radio signal receiving device.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(BBC)

**

GET READY FOR WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Events, on and off the air, are marking the global
celebration that is World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April, the
date the IARU was founded. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has that roundup.

JIM: April 18th will be a day of pile-ups and celebration for hams
around the world marking World Amateur Radio Day. In Denmark, hams are activating the callsign 5P0WARD. They are also making special awards
available for contacts with stations having different suffix extensions.
This year's global celebration also marks the return of the TEN-TEC
Legacy Nets, which will be posting operating schedules on their
groups.io page. A Clean Sweep endorsement is available for check-ins on
all three bands. The South African Radio League will be issuing a commemorative certificate to radio amateurs who make QSOs on April 18th
and submit a log sheet. In India, meanwhile, more than 65 new license
holders are expected at a VHF/UHF disaster operations workshop cohosted
by the West Bengal Radio Club and the Indian Academy of Communication
and Disaster Management. Attendees will build antennas and use them
afterwards in a fox hunt. Also don't forget the World Amateur Radio Day VOIP/Echolink Net. Using the callsign W2W, the 16-hour global net starts
at 9 a.m. US Eastern Daylight Time on April 18th on the ROC-HAM Echolink Conference node 531091. A special QSL card will be available to hams who
send a stamped self-addressed envelope. Details are available at r o c
hyphen h a m dot net (www.roc-ham.net)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY WEBSITE)

**

DX MARATHON IN SEARCH OF NEW MANAGER

NEIL/ANCHOR: CQ magazine's popular DX Marathon is looking for a new
manager to help things run smoothly. Jack Parker, W8ISH, asks: Could
this be you?

JACK: It is time to pass the torch for the CQ magazine DX Marathon and
its longtime manager, John, K9EL, is looking for a successor. John has
been at the helm of the contest since its creation in 2005 is hoping to
find someone who can infuse the competition with a fresh look, and new
tools to encourage this pursuit of DX. In a special statement on the DX Marathon website, he wrote that the marathon has reached a turning point
and many of the processes that have supported it all these years need to migrate away from being handled manually. He wrote: [quote] "In summary,
the DX Marathon needs a fresh look, some updated tools, and some serious
work on evaluating submitted logs." [endquote] This is John's final year managing the marathon. The search is on for an individual or group to
carry this popular contest forward. For additional details, visit dxmarathon.com

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(DXMARATHON)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2321 for Friday April 22nd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2321 with a release date of Friday,
April 22nd, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ham radio's solo crossing of the Pacific.
Amateur radio gatherings prepare in Germany, Australia and Dayton, Ohio
-- and special event stations mark a moon-landing anniversary. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2321 comes your way
right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

HAM RADIO GOES SOLO ON THE HIGH SEAS OF THE PACIFIC

SKEETER/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with a story of ham radio
and high adventure on the open seas. Japan's most well-known yachtsman,
an octogenarian adventurer, is hoping to become the oldest person to
cross the Pacific Ocean alone - with a radio, of course. Jim Meachen,
ZL2BHF, catches us up on his journey.

JIM: In 1962, Kenichi Horie became the first man to cross the Pacific
Ocean alone, nonstop. He was 23 when he ended his journey from Japan 94
days later, docking his yacht in the US city of San Francisco. Now at
the age of 83, the seasoned sailor is on his way - and ahead of schedule
- to becoming the oldest person to cross that ocean again. Sixty years
later, he is making the trip in reverse. He left San Francisco on March
26th on a yacht measuring 19 feet, or 5.8 metres, stocked with food,
water, a satellite phone and his preferred method of communication, an
amateur radio. Although no call sign was listed for him on QRZ.com,
Southgate Amateur Radio News reported it as JR3JJE. According to a
report in the Asahi Shimbun, the prospect of a contact with him had
amateurs back home in Japan adding extra large antennas in the hopes of scoring some big DX. According to news reports, propagation has been
something of a challenge for most. There's still time for a QSO,
however: Kenichi was spotted near Hawaii on April 17th -- and he doesn't expect to arrive home until early June.

Track his progress on a map you'll find on his website. The address
appears in the text version of this week's newscast script at
arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: furuno.com/special/jp/horie-challenge/ ]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, SOUTHGATE)

**

TESLA CENTER HOSTS WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY FORUM

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The next best thing to talking ON radio is to talk ABOUT
radio - and that's how one group of hams marked World Amateur Radio Day.
Jim Damron, N8TMW, has that report.

JIM: A celebration of all things wireless, from Marconi and Tesla to
modern times, graced the screens of viewers on YouTube and Facebook as
the Tesla Science Center on Long Island, New York marked World Amateur
Radio Day, Monday April 18th. For nearly an hour and a half three
active, prominent amateurs on different life paths shared their personal experiences and their hopes for radio's future with viewers and program
host, Marc Alessi, the center's executive director. Ed Wilson, N2XDD,
vice president of the Suffolk County Radio Club; Ted Rappaport, N9NB, developer of 5G wireless communications; and Major League Baseball
legend Joe Rudi, NK7U, described why they prized radio for its emergency capabilities, its role as a spark for experimentation and for the
environment it creates to educate the next generation.

The Tesla Science Center is named for inventor Nikola Tesla, whose lab
was once located there. The center has been giving special priority to promoting the vast still-untapped potential of radio. Ed told Newsline
that he is helping jump-start an amateur radio group based at the center
with a focus on attracting younger operators.

Beyond the hams' personal stories of rescue by radio and their hopes for future projects, they shared their enthusiasm for getting more people on
the air. When Marc Alessi noted he is not presently a ham, Ed quickly
jumped in to say [quote] "Not yet Marc, not yet." [endquote]

To view the recorded program on YouTube, use the link that appears in
this week's text version of the newscast on our website arnewsline.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://youtu.be/d0JdUKWRot4]

(YOUTUBE, GROUPS.IO)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2322, for Friday, April 29nd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2322, with a release date of Friday,
April 29th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An earthquake in Bosnia brings rapid radio
response. The FCC takes a fresh look at receiver interference -- and a ham radio workshop in India covers the basics. All this and more, as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2322 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE


**

BOSNIA'S EARTHQUAKE BRINGS RAPID RADIO RESPONSE

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a deadly earthquake in the Balkans -
and a rapid response from area amateurs. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has that
report.

ED: Hams responded quickly in Bosnia-Herzegovina following a deadly
earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 that struck late on Friday, April 22nd.
As hundreds fled their homes, one person was reported dead and at least
three others were injured, according to some news reports. IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, reported that
within minutes, the Association of Radio Amateurs of Bosnia and
Herzegovina activated its emergency communications service and hams were mobilised. E70ARA established digital connections between Sarajevo and
Zenica using Winlink and also set up a network using UHF and VHF repeaters including portable cross-band equipment. On HF, digital and voice modes
were being used on 80m and 40m.

Meanwhile, ongoing reports on the situation were sent via Winlink using
the IARU message format. The emergency networks stayed in place until the danger from aftershocks had passed.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(IARU REGION 1, SOUTHGATE, ASSOCIATED PRESS)

**

FCC SEEKS COMMENT ON IMPROVING RECEIVERS' REJECTION OF RFI

DON/ANCHOR: In the US, regulators are looking at ways to improve radio receivers' rejection of RFI. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, brings us up to date.

SEL: The US Federal Communications Commission is asking for public input
on ways to achieve RF interference immunity in receivers of radio signals.
In a notice of inquiry adopted this month, the FCC has committed itself to explore options for improvement in this area. The commissioners are
seeking comment on such things as recent technical advancements in the
design of receivers; better ways to assess and rate receiver performance parameters; and insights into industry standards for these measurements
that may have been created by the IEEE (I Triple E), ANSI, 3GPP and other standardization organizations.

Until now, most FCC spectrum management efforts have concentrated on regulations governing transmitter performance. The FCC said in a press
release that its goal is [quote] "to lay the foundation for future actions that could help create a more transparent and predictable radio frequency environment for all spectrum users." [endquote] The commission has
expressed its concern most recently as new wireless services are added
around the United States, making it all the more critical that service receivers already in place are capable of rejecting signals from outside
their intended frequency band. One such ongoing case involves the Federal Aviation Administration's attempts to prevent 5G wireless transmitter
towers from interfering with airplane navigation systems.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(FCC)

**

FCC CRACKS DOWN ON 'HAZARDOUS' DRONE TRANSMITTERS

DON/ANCHOR: In other actions by the same agency, commissioners are
cracking down on what they say are drone transmitters that pose a hazard.
Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, picks up the story from here.

KENT: The US Federal Communications Commission is claiming that public
safety could be imperiled by the operation of unauthorized drone
transmitters and is seeking more than $3-million in combined fines from
the devices' distributor. The agency's complaint, filed in US District
Court in Portland, Oregon, charges that at least 65 models of the
transmitter were never FCC certified. Certification would have ensured its
RF signals did not interfere with the Federal Aviation Administration's aeronautical radar systems or any government transmissions. The FCC's
civil complaint against the distributor, Hobby King, states that at least
15 of the transmitters [quote] "created a threat to public safety."
[endquote]

The FCC also said that the devices do not serve a legitimate amateur radio purpose.

According to a report posted on the Oregon Live website, Hobby King has
told the FCC that it believed no marketing rules exist specifically for
this kind of equipment, which is capable of transmitting on amateur and non-amateur frequencies. The FCC countered, however, that its rules forbid radio frequency devices to be sold without first being labeled and
authorized, consistent with its rules.

The agency is asking for $2.8-million from Hobby King for its violations.
It is also seeking an additional $39,278 plus interest for Hobby King's failure to respond to earlier orders. Hobby King has stated that a
required response from the company would have violated its Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(OREGONLIVE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2323, for Friday, May 6th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2323 with a release date of Friday,
May 6th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ham radio assists in a human-trafficking rescue. Testing continues for wireless transmission of electrical power -- and
Belgium studies the feasibility of a new amateur band. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2323, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

HAM RADIO ASSISTS IN HUMAN-TRAFFICKING RESCUE

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a harrowing tale of abduction that
ended with amateur radio assistance. According to the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is on the rise in South Asia.
In India, one woman was rescued from that fate thanks to amateur radio.
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, brings us that story.

JIM: Amateur radio operators in West Bengal, India, helped police locate
and rescue a woman who told them she had been abducted and tortured as
part of a human trafficking operation. News accounts in The Times of India
and The Hindu newspaper both reported that the woman, who is in her 20s
and from Bangladesh, had arrived for a visit in Kolkata when she was
forcibly taken to a train station for transport. The news reports did not
say how she found her way to a telephone but said that she contacted her brother, an amateur radio operator in Bangladesh. Members of the West
Bengal Radio Club then received a call from the woman's family. Ambarish
Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, of the radio club, said that police in Pendurthi (pen- DOOR-Tee) in Andhra Pradesh state were called. Other hams, including those with the National Institute of Amateur Radio, aided the search for her. A member of the Dolphin Amateur Radio Repeater Club, who was not identified
in news reports, told The Hindu newspaper that the woman was soon located
and following her rescue May 2nd through a window, police took a man and
woman into custody. Ambarish Nag Biswas said another ham, Sai Likhit,
VU3EFN, accompanied the young woman to the police station.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(THE HINDU, THE TIMES OF INDIA)

**

NEW TEST OF WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER CALLED A SUCCESS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the United States, military researchers' latest test of wireless power transfer over microwave frequencies has been called
a success. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, brings us the update.

KENT: The still-experimental practice of beaming power over microwave frequencies to transfer electrical power using so-called "ground bounce"
has completed its most successful test to date. The United States Naval Research Laboratory recently completed a trial in which 1.6 kilowatts of
power was transmitted terrestrially using a 10-GHz beam over a distance of
1 kilometer, or six tenths of a mile. This kind of point-to-point transfer
of electrical power is an emerging technology that is becoming increasingly favorable for scientists looking to expand its application. An IEEE (I
Triple E) paper published late last year said the use of the ground-based transmitter is part of ongoing exploration that researchers hope will eventually open the door to space-to-earth wireless transmission of power. Scientists believe that limiting the frequencies in use to those below
10GHz will lessen the loss of power during transmission.

Paul Jaffe, KJ4IKI, the project lead, said in an April 20th press release
that the systems have been developed keeping safety limits in mind for
animals and people.

The 10 GHz band is already well-used by the amateur radio community on a secondary basis. Amateurs may operate between 10 and 10.5 GHz with amateur satellites operating at frequencies between 10.45 GHz and 10.5 GHz.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(US NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY, IEEE)

**

BIG RESPONSE TO LATEST AUSTRALIAN BALLOON LAUNCH

PAUL/ANCHOR: Ham radio experimenters in Australia have reported great
success with their latest balloon launch, despite a last-minute adjustment
to their gameplan. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, has more.

JASON: There was a slight change in plans for the high-altitude balloon
launch in Australia by Project Horus, a part of the South Australia-based Amateur Radio Experimenters Group. The weather balloon had a successful
launch on Sunday the 1st of May, but this was a telemetry-only trip. The imagery portion of the flight was postponed for another weekend. According
to the AREG website, the forecast and the expected cloud cover did not
make for ideal conditions for imagery. The experimenters' group said the flight's goal was to provide receivers in the Central South Australia
region with a chance to receive the telemetry using the "Horus-GUI"
software. The balloon carried a single 70cm beacon on board.

The experimenters' group noted on their website: [quote] "Every piece of telemetry data is valuable to the flight tracking and recovery teams." [endquote]

Despite the adjustment in plans, organisers proclaimed the flight a
success. An enthusiastic Mark Jessop, VK5QI, the lead member of Project
Horus, announced on Twitter: [quote] "Great to see so many stations receiving!" [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(AREG)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2324 for Friday May 13th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2324 with a release date of Friday,
May 13th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Illegal use of amateur radio suspected in Japan. Brazil gets pro-active on solar panel RFI -- and pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart is honored on both sides of the Atlantic. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2324, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**

REPORT: HAM RADIO USED ILLEGALLY ON TOUR BOAT THAT SANK

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to Japan where a report
about a fatal tour boat accident says the operator may have made use of amateur radio illegally. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, takes up the story from
here.

JIM: A Japanese tour boat that sank last month, killing 11 of the 26
people on board, was making use of amateur radio illegally as one of its
main communications methods, according to a report in one of Japan's
main daily newspapers. Japan's Radio Act forbids the use of amateur
radio for profit-making purposes but according to a report on the
Mainichi Shimbun news site, the Yazu I tour boat relied often on ham
radio to communicate with the office, other tour operators and other
ships.

The boat sank on April 23 off the Shiretoko Peninsula of Hokkaido in the northern Japanese waters. The news account said that it was believed
that the captain of the boat was unable to get a signal on his mobile
phone and the onboard satellite phone was broken. The news report said
that another cellphone was used to summon help but did not identify who
it belonged to.

The report did not say what kind of distress led to the boat's sinking,
nor did it say whether anyone also used amateur radio that day to summon
help.

Anyone found guilty of violation of the Radio Act faces a possibility of
as much as one year in prison or a fine of 1 million yen, the equivalent
of $7,700 in US currency.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(MAINICHI SHIMBUN, WASHINGTON POST)

**

BRAZIL PASSES REGULATION LIMITING SOLAR PANEL RFI

NEIL/ANCHOR: Brazilian lawmakers have passed a tough new law limiting RF interference from solar panels. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us the
details.

JEREMY: Brazil took an important step in the containment of solar panel
RFI by adopting new regulations and requirements that took effect on the
2nd of May. The ordinance governs the generation, conditioning and
storing of electricity in photovoltaic systems. The move by Brazil's
National Institute of Metrology and Quality was hailed by amateur radio operators, including members of the Spectrum Management and Defense
Group of The Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Rádio Emissão or LABRE, the Brazilian national amateur group. The Brazilian organisation provided
guidance and feedback to the national institute with the help of the electromagnetic compatibility coordinator of the IARU and the ARRL.

A statement in English translation on the LABRE website praises the new regulation which exceeds the language of its 2011 version by providing
this kind of RFI protection for the first time. In translation into
English, LABRE praised the measure, calling it [quote] "an effective
advance in the protection of radiocommunications in Brazil against interference generated by photovoltaic systems." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(SOUTHGATE, LABRE)

**

SILENT KEY: AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY CREATOR PHIL THOMAS, W8RMJ

NEIL/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Newsline has lost a friend, a supporter and a colleague: Phil Thomas, W8RMJ, has become a Silent Key. Jack Parker,
W8ISH, tells us about him.

JACK: Members of the Germantown Amateur Radio Society in Ohio learned of
the death of Phil Thomas, W8RMJ, in an email from the club's president, Phyllis Moyer, KE8CPM. According to the note, Phil became a Silent Key
on Thursday night, May 5th. Phil was known more widely in the Ohio- Kentucky-Indiana area as the creator of Amateur News Weekly, a regional
news report bringing local hams updates about amateur radio activities. Although he had put production of the newscast on hold recently because
of health issues, he had hoped to restart the reports when his condition improved. Listeners to Amateur Radio Newsline were also familiar with
Phil's voice: He was an occasional contributor to our weekly global
newscast.

Phil was first licensed in 1980 and later took the callsign of his late father, Clem. Phil and wife, Rilda, N8LJB, were licensed at the same
time. Phil was a cofounder of the Germantown Amateur Radio Society and
had been active in the MidCars Amateur Radio Service. The MidCars
website lists him as one of the net's regular service control operators.

At the time of his death he had been looking forward to attending
Hamvention later this month. Phil was 70 years old.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2325, for Friday, May 20th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2325, with a release date of Friday,
May 20th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The US military expands its use of HF. Get ready
for a hurricane readiness test -- and a new challenge for entry level
hams in the UK. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2325, comes your way right now.

**

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**

US MILITARY EXPLORES WIDER USE OF HF IN INDO-PACIFIC

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our top story this week puts HF radio in the spotlight
with some new recognition for its increased importance in national
defense. In the United States, the military is exploring ways to expand
its use of the HF bands in one region of the world. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE,
has that report.

KEVIN: HF radio is making a comeback for the United States military,
which has been struggling with reliable means of over-the-horizon communication in the Indo-Pacific. That massive region's communications
needs are served largely by undersea fiber cables and satellites, both of which are deemed vulnerable to both deliberate and accidental damage. The
U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency is eyeing HF as a reliable backup should an interruption occur in either of the other two delivery modes.

Officials acknowledge that HF's slower data transmission rate and the military's use of a smaller bandwidth would not make HF ideal for
fulltime connectivity but it is nonetheless a viable alternative when no
other option exists.

According to an article in Signal, a publication of the nonprofit AFCEA, testing is already underway in the part of the Pacific that includes
Malaysia, Australia, Fiji and Singapore. The Indo-Pacific Command's
relief network has been testing HF out as part of its humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief work, using a transmitter in Oahu.

Meanwhile, a combat communications squadron of the United States Air
Force, based in Guam, is working with the single sideband shortwave transmitters of the Air Force High Frequency Global Communications System
for voice communications.

Elsewhere, modes used in the annual Pacific Endeavor interoperability
exercise are being widened to include newer HF technologies for basic
data communications. One official told the Signal website that these
actions are being taken to expand the mode's reliability.

Beyond compensating for satellite and fiber optic vulnerability,
officials say they also look forward to the next generation of HF
technology which will allow higher speeds and wideband transmission,
making full-motion video possible for surveillance, airborne intelligence
and related activities from the air.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(THE AFCEA SIGNAL)

**

AMATEURS IN US PREP FOR HURRICANE READINESS TEST

SKEETER/ANCHOR: If you live in a hurricane-prone part of the United
States - or you are interested in being of assistance, this next report
from Sel Embee, KB3TZD, is for you.

SEL: The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida and the VoIP
Hurricane Net will be conducting a test on May 28th that is designed to
let amateurs everywhere evaluate their shack's storm-readiness.
Propagation permitting, the Hurricane Watch Net W-X-4-N-H-C will be on
the air on 7-decimal-268 MHz and 14-decimal-325 MHz from 1300 UTC to 2100
UTC. Postings on the spotting networks will indicate if operators need to
QSY. The VoIP Hurricane Net will be active from 2000 UTC to 2100 UTC on I-R-L-P Node 9219 and EchoLink Conference Node 7203.

Atlantic hurricane season begins on the United States' East Coast on June
1st and continues through November 30th. During the test, operators will exchange signal reports, location information, and basic weather data.

W-X-4-N-H-C will also be on the air on VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS,
and Winlink with the email address w x 4 n h c at winlink dot org (wx4nhc@winlink.org) The subject line must contain stroke stroke W L Two
K ("//WL2K"). Contacts will also be made on Florida's Statewide Amateur
Radio Network, the SARNet.

QSL cards will be available from Julio Ripoll, W-D-4-R.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.

(WX4NHC)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2326, for Friday, May 27th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2326, with a release date of Friday,
May 27th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hamvention returns to Xena and so do the hams. Amateurs make contact with China's Mars Mission -- and CQ magazine
welcomes this year's Hall of Fame inductees. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2326, comes your way right now.

**

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**

HAMVENTION RETURNS TO XENIA AFTER TWO-YEAR ABSENCE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This week's newscast offers expanded coverage of the
first Hamvention to be held in the United States after two years of
pandemic cancellations. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, was among those there - and
he gives us a wrap-up of the weekend.

PAUL: Thousands of hams once again converged on the Greene County
Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio as Hamvention returned after a two-year
absence due to COVID-19. Judging by reports from attendees, people were definitely ready to come back. The weather was typical for Hamvention,
and a storm did come through late on Saturday, but anyone who's been to Hamvention knows that rain is nothing unusual.

The Hamvention committee, along with all of the volunteers from the
Dayton Amateur Radio Association, planned a full schedule of events and
forums that were well-attended. The vendor buildings were fairly full,
with a few noticeable vendors from years past absent, but those that did
set up had, by all accounts, a good amount of traffic.

The legendary Hamvention flea market did seem slower than in recent years according to eyewitnesses. However, with the threat of storms and the still-uncertain COVID conditions, coupled with higher-than usual gas
prices, it didn't seem out of line.

There were also many offsite events, including open houses at DARA and
the National Voice Of America Museum of Broadcasting.

Our congratulations to the Hamvention Committee and all of the DARA
volunteers on a job well done. It was good to see Hamvention return, and
we at Newsline hope to return to Hamvention next year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO, reporting from Xenia, Ohio.

**

CQ MAGAZINE INDUCTS 2022 HALL OF FAME MEMBERS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The annual Dayton contest dinner held during the
Hamvention weekend on May 21st saw the induction of two new members into
the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. Recipient David Pascoe, KM3T, is well-known
for his championships and record scores as well as his charitable work as
a volunteer pilot for those with medical needs. Craig Thompson, K9CT, developer of the North American Collegiate Championship program, was the
other recipient, recognized for his work with Contest University and
numerous other initiatives. CQ's Amateur Radio Hall of Fame added seven
new names, three of whom are Silent Keys. They are the late jazz pianist Robert Ringwald, K6YBV; Franklin Antonio, N6NKF, philanthropist and
cofounder of chipmaker Qualcomm; and Wolf Harranth, OE1WHC/OE3WHC, Radio Austria International broadcast journalist. The other inductees are R.
Scott Wright, K0MD, Mayo Clinic physician leading the team developing
COVID-19 treatment with convalescent plasma; Peter Marks, AB3XC, the
physician leading the team at the US Food and Drug Administation
overseeing COVID-19 vaccines, treatment and testing; Les Kramer, WA3SGZ, developer of prosthetic devices for lower limbs and Roy Lewallan, W7EL,
author of the EZNEC antenna modelling software that has set standards for
ham radio antenna design.

(SOUTHGATE, CQ MAGAZINE)

**

A NEW CHAPTER FOR LIBRARIES ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Elsewhere in Ohio, amateurs have been gearing up to
activate a place known mostly for offering study and quiet contemplation:
the local public library. Jack Parker, W8ISH, tells us about this
upcoming event.

JACK: Now here's one for the books - in this case, the library books as
well as the log books. It's an activation by the Western Reserve Amateur
Radio Club called Libraries on the Air. It's happening on Saturday, June
18th at the Youngstown Public Library Main Branch in Ohio. This first-
time activation is inspired in part by the working relationship the hams already have with the county library system, which has been hosting the
club's holding workshops, license classes and testing sessions.

Just like any popular library book, this event has started to go into circulation. Amanda Farone, KC3GFU, the club's secretary, told Newsline
that a club in Missouri plans to participate on the same day and activate
one of their local libraries. There's also been interest from a club in Kentucky. Amanda told Newsline: [quote] "We would love for this to go nationwide at some point and get as many libraries activated as
possible." [endquote]

Amanda said the event is being run in a style similar to Parks on the Air
but for now, paper logs and Excel-type spreadsheets are being accepted
until a logging software can be developed in time for next year's event. Amanda said that if the event gains enough traction, the club's
activation can expand beyond the main branch to all 11 libraries in the county. Hams will be on the air from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. You
won't need to carry a library card, but keep those QSL cards handy.

For additional details, send an email to libraries o t a at gmail.com (librariesota@gmail.com)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(AMANDA FARONE, KC3GFU)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2327 for Friday June 3rd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2327, with a release date of Friday,
June 3rd, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. RFI rears its head, even on the dark side of the
moon. Australia approves remote-testing for kids seeking ham licenses -
and get ready for Youth on the Air camp. All this and more, as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2327 comes your way right now.

**

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**

MOON'S DARK SIDE NO REFUGE FROM RFI

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the question: Just how far
would you be willing to go to get away from RFI? Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells
us of one far-reaching attempt to do so -- that, unfortunately, didn't go
far enough.

GRAHAM: There were high hopes for the radio telescope aboard China's
Chang'e 4 lander when it touched down on the dark side of the moon three
years ago. Chinese scientists believed that such a remote, unilluminated location would be free of radio noise because the moon is a shield against
RFI from the Earth. They were wrong about the absence of noise altogether, however: The low-frequency radio spectrometer on board the lander's relay satellite cannot do its work to unlock the mysteries of the universe until another mystery is solved: How to block the noise from the moon lander's
own radio emissions. Knowing early on that these emissions would pose an issue, scientists took preventive measures but they apparently have not succeeded. One of the causes is apparently the electromagnetic leakage
from the lander's power source. According to an academic paper cited in
the South China Morning Post, the lander's noises are two to three times greater than the signals that the radio telescope had hoped to observe and even block the strongest pulses emitted by the sun.

Researchers are now studying a mathematical solution that they hope will
boost the sensitivity of the radio telescope, which is designed to receive frequencies under 30 MHz.

As an aside, according to Chinese mythology their Goddess of the Moon
bears the name "CHANG'E

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)

**

HAM RADIO CANDIDATES 18 AND YOUNGER CAN TEST REMOTELY

PAUL/ANCHOR: Good news for the youngest ham radio candidates in Australia. Remote testing has been approved. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, shares the
details.

JASON: In a reversal of their earlier policy, the Australian Communications
and Media Authority and the Australian Maritime College have announced
they will permit amateur radio candidates under the age of 18 to sit an
exam session remotely. Online sessions for these younger candidates had previously been prohibited, even as those older than 18 were able to
complete their exams in this manner to comply with health concerns during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes are being allowed under certain
conditions, including the requirement that a parent or guardian be
present in the room while the test is under way. Remote exams are
conducted by AMC Level 3 assessors.

The Wireless Institute of Australia praised the decision, calling it a big
win for everyone.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(WIA)

**

STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT COMES TO NEw ZEALAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: CW enthusiasts in New Zealand are getting ready to turn back time, turn off the amps and put everything but their straight keys into storage for the night. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us what's going on.

JIM: If you're in New Zealand, set aside the second Sunday in June and be
in the shack between 8 and 9 p.m. local time. Winter Straight Key Night
will be going strong - at least as strong as the 100-watt limit - and
amateurs will be paying tribute to sending code the old-fashioned way.
Listen for radio operators calling CQ SKN or just SKN. The exchange will
be RST, Location, Name, Key, Transmitter and Power.

Straight Key Night is being held with the support of the New Zealand Morse Code Telegraph Key Directory. Remember, it's a casual event and there
won't be any certificates awarded. There will be lots of QSOs, however,
and a whole lot of nostalgia.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(NZART)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2328 for Friday June 10th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2328 with a release date of Friday,
June 10th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A big leap for parachute mobile. The BBC visits Marconi's original test site -- and when is a QSL card more than that? All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2328, comes your
way right now.

**

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**

HAM CHARGED WITH INTERFERENCE FACES RECORD FINE

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with breaking news. An Idaho amateur
radio operator is facing a record fine of its kind from the Federal Communications Commission for what the agency said was deliberate
interference with aircraft battling a 1,000-acre wildfire.

The agency's notice of apparent liability, issued June 8th, called the proposed $34,000 fine the largest known for this charge of endangering
public safety. The "Johnson Fire" raged last year near Elk River on
national forest land where the US Forest Service and the Idaho Department
of Lands were trying to contain it.

According to Radio World Magazine, Jason Frawley, WA7CQ, told the FCC he
was attempting to help the firefighters. The FCC's statement, however,
claims that the eight unauthorized transmissions were received on
government frequencies from someone who identified himself as "Comm Tech."
The FCC said Frawley holds eight microwave licenses, one business radio license, and is the owner of a company called Leader Communications.

According to the FCC, Frawley has said he was attempting to help by
providing additional details to guide firefighters. The FCC said that
the communication, however, still constituted interference and awaits Frawley's response before taking further action.

(RADIO WORLD MAGAZINE)

**

PARACHUTE MOBILE OPERATOR TAKES BIG LEAP FOR NEWCOMERS

JIM/ANCHOR: Now, here's an imaginative leap. Literally. It isn't always
easy for new ops to take that big leap into HF operations as a Technician class operator in the US. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, tells us about one ham in Indiana, who took that leap with them.

ANDY: Carlos Felix, KD9OLN, has spent 12 years as a skydiver in Indiana
and three of those years as a skydiving ham on the air. He started jumping from a plane holding an HT making 2m activations and progressed later to a small mobile rig with more power. This year, however, Carlos landed - or rather he leaped - into operating parachute mobile on 10m, specifically on 28.419MHz. He said his first attempt last month didn't work out because of
a damaged feedline. Carlos more than made up for it on Friday, June 3rd,
by jumping twice from 13,000 feet, calling CQ parachute mobile. Among
those answering his call was someone taking a big leap of their own while keeping both feet on the ground: a Technician class operator making a first-time contact on HF. Carlos said that's the whole point. He chose the
10m band to give Technicians a taste of HF and encourage them to go
forward to the next level. Many of his other HF jumps have used
frequencies on 20m where Technicians have no privileges.

He said he couldn't do it without the support of the TOADS and Ham Radio Clubhouse Discord groups, who help coordinate and hold the frequency for
him. It also helps that Carlos is a skydiving instructor and is qualified
to teach tandem and accelerated free-fall. Mainly, though, he is just a
ham taking a leap of faith, so that others will too.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(CARLOS FELIX, KD9OLN)

JIM/ANCHOR: Carlos later told Newsline he logged a total of nine QSOs
during the June 3rd jump. The farthest distance was in southeast Georgia,
a contact with KN4MMA. Well done!

**

BBC HIGHLIGHTS PORTABLE OPERATION WHERE MARCONI TEST OCCURRED

JIM/ANCHOR: Television viewers in the UK got a chance to experience the portable side of amateur radio thanks to a BBC program visiting the island where Marconi's first test occurred over water. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has
those details.

JEREMY: On Flat Holm, an island in the UK's Bristol Channel, a BBC camera
team found an amateur radio operator busy with an afternoon of contacts.
The choice of location is not insignificant: The island is the first site where Marconi conducted tests of wireless communication over bodies of
water.

Significant too was that the presenters of the popular BBC One TV show "Countryfile," covering Island life, should show a particular interest.
The cameras watched as Ben Lloyd GW4BML made contact with other Summits on
the Air operators activating hills elsewhere in England, Scotland and
Wales. Ben's contacts, however, may have had a wider reach than just
across the amateur bands.

This was a proud moment for SOTA to be in mainstream media: Ham radio held
the spotlight in a popular national TV programme broadcast on Sunday 5th
June, the episode is available for on-demand viewing for the next 11
months on the BBC's iPlayer website.

Unfortunately, while Mr. Marconi's later tests succeeded in crossing the ocean, this programme cannot. Programmes on the BBC iPlayer are only
capable of being seen by viewers in the UK.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(ESSEX HAM, ARN CORRESPONDENT)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2329 for Friday June 17th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2329, with a release date of Friday,
June 17th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams help reunite a family in India. A disaster
drill goes forward in Washington State -- and German amateurs roll out a national emergency-response plan. All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2329, comes your way right now.

**

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**

DISASTER-RESPONSE PROGRAM DEBUTS IN GERMANY

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with disaster preparedness. As the world focuses increasingly on changing weather and geologic hazards, a disaster-response program with wide-ranging potential has made its debut
in Germany. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, brings us the details.

ED: Germany's amateur radio community is launching a wide-ranging
programme of disaster response. The pilot project is being led by the
German Amateur Radio Club, the DARC, in cooperation with Notfunk
Bodensee, a Lake Constance radio response group. The need for broader and improved response was underscored recently by the devastating floods in
the Ahr Valley. The new network has started to be rolled out near Lake Constance in Markdorf, where a donated emergency communications vehicle
is being put into service. Organisers say that the effective radio
response during the 1999 avalanche in Galtür proved to be a good model
for Germany's amateur radio response but in the intervening years, communications capability has progressed even more. The initiative is
expected to expand next into Ravensburg and Lindau. Greater detail will
be unveiled at Ham Radio Friedrichschafen on Friday, June 24th.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

**

HAMS PLAY PROMINENT ROLE IN WASHINGTON STATE EMERGENCY DRILL

DON/ANCHOR: Meanwhile in the US, a disaster drill switched formats and reported some rewarding results. The Cascadia Rising prepareness exercise
in the Pacific Northwest region tests emergency response by government, business and volunteers in the face of an earthquake and subsequent
tsunami. This year's exercise, however, was unprecedented: With the
region's resources stretched from historic wildfires, periods of intense
rain and the ongoing pandemic, organizers opted to hold this year's
Cascadia Rising as a discussion-based drill. It was conducted virtually
on Microsoft Teams rather than as the customary simulation of previous
years. Robert Sabarese, assessment and exercise programs supervisor with
the Washington State Emergency Management Division, told Newsline that
during the drill, which ran from June 13th to 16th, amateur radio emerged
with even greater potential for deeper involvement. He said there was new clarity in how hams can be further deployed beyond their critical early
roles aiding transportation and resource-delivery to disaster victims.

(ROBERT SABARESE)

**

WEST BENGAL HAMS REUNITE FAMILY AFTER 2 YEARS

DON/ANCHOR: In West Bengal, India, a hospitalized woman was reunited with
her family in Bangladesh nearly two and a half years after falling ill
and becoming separated from them - and amateur radio provided the vital connection. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has that story.

JIM: When authorities contacted members of the West Bengal Radio Club in
India several months ago to assist a hospitalised woman in the city of Jhargram, the hams knew they would have to accomplish something they'd
done so many times before: reunite a family with a missing member.
According to a news report in the Millennium Post, a woman who was found
by the side of the road 30 months earlier was found to be suffering from
a mental condition and was hospitalised to begin a lengthy course of treatment. She was unable to provide information on the whereabouts of
any family members. Local officials reached out to the radio amateurs and asked them to get involved. After eight months of searching, they finally located the woman's brother in Bangladesh. The woman confirmed that she
knew him and expressed a desire to return home. This month, three of the
hams who were able to accompany her to the border of the two countries to reunite with her brother. Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, the club's
secretary, identified the hams as Nirmalendu Mahato, VU3IQW, Parimal Roy, VU3ZIM, and Sujata (soo-JOTTA) Goswami (Ghos-WAMMI), VU3XBR.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(MILLENNIUM POST)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2330 for Friday June 24th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2330, with a release date of Friday,
June 24th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ham radio reaches out to low-income youngsters.
The World Radiosport Team Championship gets an important gift -- and
Kansas amateurs have a high-altitude balloon with a mission. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2330, comes your way right
now.

**

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**

BRINGING AMATEUR RADIO TO A MORE DIVERSE COMMUNITY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a look at a special project that
is creating amateur radio opportunities for a more diverse community of enthusiasts, starting with the very youngest among them. We hear from
Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, how this initiative is putting ham radio - and science - into the hands of children of color in lower-income
neighborhoods.

RALPH: Get ready for Jasmine and Jose, two school kids who fell in love
with amateur radio after visiting a family friend who's a ham. Now the
friends want to build a simple radio of their own. While these two
children are fictional characters in a book that tells their story in
both Spanish and English, the magnetic - or should we perhaps say electromagnetic? - draw of kids to amateur radio is very real. That's why
the science educators at the California-based nonprofit group, Science is Elementary, is preparing to publish this tale of the youngsters' amateur
radio journey as a book in their new series. "Jasmine and Jose Build a
Radio" is geared to 7-year-old readers and will be produced with
accompanying kits for 2,240 youngsters. The project is being funded with
a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications. The grant will include publication of companion readers for adults and will cover the costs of school-based activities in which the kids build radios of their own. The
books and kits will be provided free to youngsters attending school in low-income communities in the San Francisco Bay area. If you don't live
in the region, take heart: Everyone else will be able to download the
book and the adult reading companion for free as PDFs.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.

(DAN ROMANCHIK, KB6NU)

**

CARRIERS DELAY PART OF 5G ROLLOUT AFTER INTERFERENCE CONCERNS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Concerns about radio interference have prompted two US wireless carriers to delay part of the rollout of their 5G service. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY brings us that report.

KENT: Despite findings from the Federal Communications Commission that 5G wireless service poses no risks to aircraft sharing different parts of
the same C-band, two major US cellular carriers have announced they are delaying their 5G rollout near airports with regional carriers. The
Federal Aviation Administration announced on June 17th that Verizon and
AT&T have agreed to postpone parts of the rollout to enable airlines to
assess whether their altimeters are free from interference and undertake
any necessary upgrades. Aviation experts have said that some altimeters, particularly those used by regional aircraft, could be vulnerable to interference without a retrofit of RF filters on existing altimeters or installation of newer ones. The agreement delays the completion of the
rollout until July of 2023. An article in Aviation Today said that a
number of altimeter manufacturers are presently working on the
development and testing of filters and installation kits.

The trade group, Airlines for America, criticized the agreement for
setting what it called an "arbitrary deadline" and expressed concern over
what might happen if the altimeter modifications were not available by
July of next year. The CEO of the trade group, Nicholas Calio, told the
FAA's acting administrator Billy Nolen that he considered the agreement a [quote] "rushed approach to avionics modifications amid pressure from the telecommunications companies." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS, AVIATION TODAY)

**

WRTC ORGANIZERS DONATE EQUIPMENT FOR NEXT YEAR'S EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The spirit of "paying it forward" is alive and well among organizers of the World Radiosport Team Championship - and Ed Durrant,
DD5LP, has this story about a gift to help with next year's big event.

ED: Operating tips and the wisdom of experience aren't the only things
being dispensed at the Contest Forum during HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen, Germany starting on the 24th. Organisers of 2018's World Radiosport Team Championship will be at the forum on June 25th to present funds and
important equipment for use during the world championship to take place
in July of 2023 in Bologna, Italy. The gift will include 70 kits of
emergency and monitoring equipment that had been used during WRTC 2018 in Germany. Each kit has a DCF77 radio-controlled clock, power sensor for
two radios, an SCC score-collecting computer and a Nokia cell phone. The donation from the 2018 event will be presented by WRTC 2018 president
Chris, DL1MGB.

Writing on the WRTC 2022 reflector, committee member Claudio Veroli,
I4VEQ, thanked the benefactors from the German event, calling the
donation "a huge help to the organisation of WRTC 2022."

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(WRTC 2022 REFLECTOR)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2331, for Friday, July 1, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2331, with a release date of
Friday, July 1, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams gather for Field Day in North America
and for Friedrichshafen in Germany. A special event honors an
amateur radio humanitarian -- and look, up in the air, it's Kite
POTA! All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2331, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

AMATEURS IN US, CANADA, GET OUTDOORS FOR FIELD DAY

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week remembering Field Day. From the
Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society in California to the Great
South Bay Amateur Radio Club in New York, and all points in between,
plus in Canada, the ARRL Field Day lit up the bands on June 25th and
26th. As always, Field Day put amateur radio on display to the
public as visitors everywhere stopped by where clubs and individuals
were operating outdoors, curious to learn about the equipment and
the antennas, or to watch Morse Code and phone operators in action.

In central Florida, the Lake Monroe Amateur Radio Society got an
extra boost from the efforts of a station set up for use by club
members who are blind, specifically to make as many CW contacts as
possible. The ARRL noted on its website that operators could receive
100 bonus points simply by sharing their details in posts on the
ARRL Field Day Facebook Group or elsewhere on all social media by
using the hashtag #ARRLFD.

Regardless of the score, for everyone everywhere, it was a day for
learning, and for fellowship.

The ARRL had set a deadline for logs to be submitted by July 26th so
watch for the results.

(WESH CHANNEL 2, RAMONA SENTINEL, ARRL WEBSITE)

**

HAM RADIO EXPO RETURNS TO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

NEIL/ANCHOR: In Europe, Ham Radio Expo made a triumphant return, and Newsline's Ed Durrant, DD5LP, was there.

ED: Last weekend saw the 45th Ham Radio Expo in Friedrichshafen, the
first after three years of lockdowns and two cancelled events. All
were eager to get back to the "Neue Messe" in Friedrichshafen on
Lake Constance in the south of Germany.

Turnout was expected to be around 10,000 compared to just under
14,000 in 2019. After the effects of the pandemic and with the
current inflation levels this is not a bad showing. While the main
hall seemed a little less full than normal due to the stands of
Kenwood and Yaesu not being there along with the large WIMO
retailer, the flea market in its two Zeppelin-sized halls was fuller
than in 2019.

Talking with dealers and manufacturers, I learned they were all glad
to have, it seems, come through the pandemic. Several, however,
said it was close and another lockdown would have meant the end of
their businesses. Many are worried about parts supply and while most
have stockpiled components, their stock is dwindling.

Talking with the national societies and the IARU, I learned there is
concern on how we will keep our band allocations especially in the
microwave frequencies and a need is seen to have the hobby change
and be open to new technologies and possibilities to attract more
people.

There were positive notes too: The Austrian national society's
president, Michael Zwingl, OE3MZC, was very enthusiastic over
several new projects.

An institute will be a platform for hams, makers and professionals
to work together on new technology projects in Austria.

WRAN, will supply a way for access from 6 metres, 2 metres and 70
centimetres into the Europe-wide HamNet, which is a 2.4 and 5 GHz
ham radio high-speed RF data network.

A Lora-based network linking low power IOT devices using the QO-100
satellite will enable data communications between devices across a
third of the world's surface.

Overall, there was a very positive feel at HAM RADIO 2022 and as
this year's motto said, it was indeed "A reunion with friends."

On Amateur Radio Newsline, we can only bring you a brief overview of
the event. For a more detailed report with interviews take a listen
to our friends at ICQPodcast.com for their coverage.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed, DD5LP.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2332 for Friday July 8, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2332 with a release date of Friday,
July 8, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The amateur radio world loses two prominent
innovators in India. The Hawaiian islands prep for a disaster drill --
and commercial CW is revived for one special night. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2332 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAM KNOWN AS 'INDIAN MARCONI' BECOMES SILENT KEY

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast reporting on two major losses
in the amateur radio community in India. These are losses that are being
felt around the world as well. The first Silent Key is the man known to
many as "The Indian Marconi." Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells us about his
life.

GRAHAM: Rama Mohan Rao, VU2RM, was a radio pioneer in India, celebrated
for the many first throughout his long life. According to an announcement
by the Institute of Amateur Radio in Kerala, the retired communications engineer became a Silent Key on June 29th following cardiac arrest while hospitalised with a lung infection. The institute recalled that Rama
Mohan Rao was one of a handful of amateurs to hold a licence in India's earliest days of amateur radio. Although he was known for a wide array of homebrew equipment including many used in satellite communications, hams remember him best as the first Indian amateur to build a SSB tranceiver
that put affordable equipment in the hands of those unable to pay for
more expensive rigs. The transceiver, the RM96, was built using locally available components. Homebrew was his calling and according to his QRZ
page, he was one of the first hams to work the OSCAR satellites using all homebrew equipment.

A fan of 6-metre operation, he was the first Indian amateur to operate on
the band in 1959. He had also been an adventurous DXpeditioner and his
travels took him to the Andaman Islands in 1960 as part of the first
DXpeition there, where the team used all homebrew equipment and antennas.

The institute in Kerala recalled the nickname given him: "The Indian
Marconi."

Rama Mohan Rao was 91.

(QRZ.COM, INSTITUTE OF AMATEUR RADIO IN KERALA)

**

SILENT KEY: SATELLITE INNOVATOR GURUDATTA PANDA VU3GDP

DON/ANCHOR: A tragic accident has claimed the life of a young innovator
in India, known for his work with satellite communications. We hear more
from Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

JIM: Gurudatta Panda, VU3GDP, an engineer who helped launch India into a prominent status in space communications, has become a Silent Key.
According to several reports, Gurudatta was killed in a tragic traffic accident on June 26th. The young engineer was best known for constructing small satellites, many of which were deployed to assist with communications during natural disasters. Most notable was the ExseedSat CubeSat, created
with an eight-member development team that included cofounder Ashhar
Farhan, VU2ESE, in Hyderabad, India. The 10-centimetre satellite had an
APRS digipeater and an amateur radio FM transponder and was India's first private satellite, launched in December 2018 by the US-based SpaceX
company. AMSAT designated it VO-96.

Gurudatta also advocated young people's involvement in amateur radio.
Active in disaster communications and disaster drills, Gurudatta assisted
with many major operations including the 2013 cyclone in the Ganjam
district in India.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(FACEBOOK, ARRL, AMSAT-UK)

**

EXPERIMENTAL TRANSCEIVER NEEDS NO BATTERIES

DON/ANCHOR: A laboratory in Tokyo is the scene of some innovative work on
a transceiver that doesn't rely on batteries. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY,
brings us the details.

KENT: Researchers in Japan are working on the prototype of a transceiver
that is able to receive power wirelessly at the same time it sends and receives data, according to a report in the IEEE Spectrum.

Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology believe the 64-element millimeter-wave-band phased-array transceiver could become the first of
its kind that no longer is dependent on cables, plugs or batteries.

The IEEE Spectrum article said Atsushi Shirane delivered the research
results in June at an IEEE symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii. He said that
the transceiver, which has a 64-element phased array of antennas on its
front side, is capable of short transmission distances and is able to
receive power from a fixed direction. It also contains a circuit board on
the back where four RF integrated circuit chips are wired into one of
four quadrants containing the antennas.

Shirane said the initial goal is for the transceiver to be used in 5G
service. He told the Spectrum [quote] "We aim to expand the technology as
a batteryless 5G relay transceiver to extend the service area coverage of millimeter-wave 5G communications." [endquote] He said after DC power generation is increased, scientists hope to find a way for the
transceiver to be used with battery-free devices tied to the Internet of Things.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(FROM IEEE SPECTRUM)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2333, for Friday, July 15, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2333, with a release date of Friday,
July 15, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The James Webb Space Telescope sends its first
images. Indonesia prepares to send its first ham radio satellite into space
-- and meet our Young Ham of the Year for 2022. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2333 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

WEBB TELESCOPE SENDS FIRST IMAGES TO EARTH

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with one of the most groundbreaking radio transmissions ever to reach the Earth from space. We hear those details
from Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

PAUL: July 11th was a huge day for fans of space, astronomy, and science in general as NASA revealed the first images from the James Webb Space
Telescope. The first deep-field image released to the public, the highest-resolution infrared view of the universe to date, shows a cluster
of distant galaxies so dense that they act as a gravitational lens to
magnify even more distant galaxies. Given the time it takes the light to travel, the photo also shows some of the oldest objects ever observed.

The Webb telescope, which has been in development since 1996, differs from
the Hubble, which it is meant to replace. It's designed to see farther into the infrared spectrum and can capture objects far dimmer than Hubble can
see. The 21-foot-diameter main mirror is mounted on a space platform which places it clear of infrared interference from Earth's atmosphere.

NASA has promised even more amazing imagery in the coming days. While the telescope is not tied directly to amateur radio, it does use radio to
transmit the data back to Earth, and we here at Newsline can't resist an exciting space story.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(CNN, NASA)

**

INDONESIA READY FOR LAUNCH OF ITS FIRST HAM RADIO SATELLITE

JIM/ANCHOR: There's some other big news involving space - this time from Indonesia. We have those details from Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

JASON: After six years in development, Indonesia's Surya Satellite-1 - the nation's first satellite - has begun the first leg of its journey into
space: shipment to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. In
October of this year the amateur radio cubesat, which has an APRS
digipeater on board, will be launched from Japan for its journey to the International Space Station. The ISS will release the satellite into orbit
in November.

It was developed by students at Surya University, and had support of the Satellite Technology Research Center at the country's National Research and Innovation Agency. Experts at the Aeronautics and Space Research
Organization in Indonesia heralded the satellite as a pioneer of nano satellites for Indonesia and expressed hope it would inspire other
Indonesian universities to complete similar projects.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(SOUTHGATE, ORARI, UN OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS)

**

SWISS AUTHORITIES GRANT EXEMPTION TO HOMEBREW TRANSMITTERS

JIM/ANCHOR: Back home on Earth, authorities in Switzerland have just given some good news to hams who enjoy building their own transceivers. Ed
Durrant, DD5LP, has more on that story.

ED: It is now official: The European CE certification requirement for
amateur radio built homebrew transmitters has been removed in Switzerland. Although this has been the accepted practice in the country for some time,
a recent publication by Swiss regulator Ofcom has formally declared the exemption acceptable and legal. Exemptions are also granted for commercial equipment that is modified for personal home use. Kits to build
transmitters may also be imported for amateurs' own personal use. Imported radios for amateurs even those that do not possess an European CE certification mark are allowed.

The hams remain responsible to ensure that all of their equipment complies with regulations governing spurious emissions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(USKA, SOUTHGATE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2334 for Friday, July 22, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2334, with a release date of Friday,
July 22, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Young DXers return from Curacao as record-
breakers. The Webb telescope sustains damage considered unfixable -- and
an Ohio ham gives a museum the gift of home-brew. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2334, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

YOUTH DX ADVENTURE TEAM BREAKS RECORD

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story of celebration. Young
teammates from the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure are back home
from Curacao, and feeling victorious. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, has more.

NEIL: The Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure team is back home after making 8,216 contacts over a long weekend in Curacao, breaking their
previous record of 6,583. Team members Candace, KE8MMS; T.J., KO4FFA;
and Brennan, K6BFL, worked through the pileups on SSB and CW, despite
being without an internet connection and the ability to do digital modes
due to technical difficulties. Candace tells us about one of her
favorite parts of the trip.

CANDACE: ...but I really enjoyed meeting everyone... it's really nice
seeing more youth in ham radio, just 'cause back where I am at home I
really don't know a lot of youth. And then, just getting to know
everybody, and the weather out here is absolutely gorgeous. The view is beautiful.

NEIL: Co-Leader Jim Storms, AB8YK, reported that once the travel
difficulties were over, the operation otherwise ran smoothly and that
they have another fabulous group of young operators. Their PJ2Y
operation was hosted by the PJ2T Caribbean Contest Consortium. Jim also mentioned that the expenses are considerably higher this year compared to previous trips. If you'd like to donate, or know a young person to
recommend for next year, or to see the QSL information, see their website
at qsl.net/n6jrl . For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you'd like to hear more details about the trip, tune in
to Neil's full interview on Ham Talk Live! Episode number 301.

**

WEBB TELESCOPE SUSTAINS UNCORRECTABLE DAMAGE

PAUL/ANCHOR: The James Webb Space Telescope, which recently transmitted
its first color images to us here on Earth, has suffered serious damage following a micrometeoroid strike. Scientists said in a recent report
that the impact sustained in late May may have disrupted the space
telescope's operation more than first believed. The scientists wrote that
they believe that the problems are not correctable. Their biggest concern
is the longterm effect on the primary mirror, which scientists believe
will be degraded as a result of the meteoroid strike.

(SPACE.COM, FORBES)

**

GRANT SUPPORTS SATELLITE PROJECT IN SPAIN

PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio satellite enthusiasts in Spain got some good
news recently that will benefit a project built with the help of
university students. For details we turn to Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: A nonprofit organisation in Spain known for providing grants for projects involving the arts and sport has made an unusual gift in support
of an amateur radio satellite project. The group, known as the Salvatore
009 Association, is providing funds to help cover development costs and
launch of the satellite in early 2023. The satellite is known as URESAT-1
and it is an initiative of the Unión de Radioaficionados Espa�oles,
Spain's national amateur radio society. The project is being managed by AMSAT-EA with support from businesses involved in the space industry and
a number of university students.

According to a post on the AMSAT-UK website,the satellite is likely to
have an FM voice repeater, support for FSK communications and some type
of on-board experiment, such as an SSDV-capable camera. It is also
supposed to carry a project that will permit hams to play chess against
the satellite's on-board computer using FSK frames.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(AMSAT-UK, SOUTHGATE)

**

GRANT WILL HELP EXPAND NETWORK SERVING ALABAMA HEALTHCARE

PAUL/ANCHOR: An expanded WinLink network will be built soon in Alabama to serve health care and emergency response agencies throughout the state
with the help of funding from Amateur Radio Digital Communications. The planned expansion is the project of the Healthcare Community Amateur
Radio Club, KK4BSK, comprising hams who volunteer or are employed in health-related agencies and participate in drills, public events and
realtime disasters. The purchase and installation of new fixed stations
will fill the gaps that now exist in the WinLink network. According to an announcement on the ARDC website, a grant for $126,564 will fund the
purchase and installation of portable stations. A grant for $72,382 will
be used for fixed stations.

(ARDC)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2335, for Friday, July 29, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2335, with a release date of Friday,
July 29, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Russia announces its withdrawal from the ISS.
Proposed new requirements in Brazil stir controversy -- and in the UK
there'll be a new fast track to a full license. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2335, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW FROM ISS FLIGHTS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the International
Space Station. We hear from Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

PAUL: The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had announced that the
nation's cosmonauts will no longer participate on any ISS flights after
2024. News of a possible broken partnership had observers questioning how
the operation of the ISS would continue without Russia's participation.
NASA officials said, however, that despite the July 26th announcement,
the US space agency had not yet received any formal declaration of intent
from Russia.

Cosmonauts have joined astronauts from many other nations as part of the
team in orbit conducting important research and making contacts through Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. The ISS was intended to
stay operational until 2030. Roscosmos' new director-general, Yuri
Borisov, said that Russia hopes to focus now on establishing an orbiting station of its own.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, SPACENEWS)

**

BRAZIL REGULATOR PROPOSES MANDATORY LOTW FOR UPGRADES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's controversy in Brazil over proposed amateur regulations that include mandatory use of Logbook of the World for
upgrades. That report comes to us from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: In a move being opposed by Brazil's national amateur radio
society, use of the ARRL's Logbook of the World would become mandatory
for any radio amateurs in that country who are seeking licence upgrades, according to an online report. Brazil's national amateur radio society,
Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de R�dio Emiss�o, announced that the
national regulator ANATEL proposes that hams wishing to advance to a
Class A or Class B licence from a Class C, would be required to confirm
QSOs by using LoTW. This proposal is designed as one component in an alternative being considered to replace the CW test. It is being called
the experience test and it mandates that LoTW be used to document
contacts that prove the upgrade applicant has sufficient experience to
warrant the change in licence class. Separately, applicants would also
have to fulfill the experience requirement by showing participation in
courses and radio-related activities.

The proposed use of the free online QSO authentication service has drawn
some controversy: In an online statement, LABRE claims its use would constitute outsourcing to a foreign entity because the service is
provided by the American Radio Relay League. LABRE also believes this
proposed mandate puts applicants at a disadvantage if they do not engage
in contesting or DXing.

ANATEL has been seeking written comments and plans to schedule a public hearing on the proposal.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(LABRE, SOUTHGATE)

**

OBSERVATORY'S RADIO CURRICULUM FOR MINORITIES GETS ARDC GRANT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory, part of the US National Science Foundation, is launching a program in January that is designed to provide amateur radio training and education on the electromagnetic spectrum to members of the LGBTQIA, Black, indigenous and people of color communities.

The two-year program, known as Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum,
has received a grant of $315,123 from Amateur Radio Digital
Communications to support its mission to serve minority students who are underrepresented in the sciences. Students will be introduced to radio technology and will work toward their technician and general class
amateur radio licenses.

The observatory's director Tony Beasley released a statement saying:
[quote] "Amateur radio continues to be incredibly important to the nation
and global communications, and NRAO is excited to be working with ARDC to bring a new generation and diverse communities to the field." [endquote]

(ARDC)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2336, for Friday, August 5th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2336, with a release date of
Friday, August 5th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond to deadly floods in
Kentucky. Amateurs in Canada get new frequencies on 60 metres --
And YLs pay tribute to a telegraphy pioneer. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2336 comes your way,
right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS RESPOND TO DEADLY FLOODS IN KENTUCKY

DON/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Kentucky, where parts of
the state have been hit by deadly floods. Randy Sly, W4XJ, brings
us up to date.

RANDY: The last week of July found amateur radio operators on
alert in Eastern Kentucky as a trail of thunderstorms brought
flooding that left at least 37 people dead. Jack Hedges, KY4TPR,
told Amateur Radio Newsline that he and a team of hams operated
on ARES frequencies from the State Emergency Operations Center in
Frankfort. He was assisted by Mike Swigert, KE4YRI, Dennis Lutz,
W2QN, Patrick Compton, KF4FMZ, and Odis Carroll, W4IOD, who
served as an official relay station for the EOC.

Woody Hartlove, KO4UMQ, Harlan County EC and SKYWARN Coordinator,
reported that SKYWARN was activated for the Jackson Weather
Forecast Office three times in his area due to flash flooding. He
and another ham were also deployed with the Red Cross to provide communications for their disaster action teams.

In addition to causing loss of life, the flood wreaked havoc on
the electric service, waterlines and roads. As flood waters
recede, residents in many areas of Eastern Kentucky continue to
remain stranded due to the destruction of scores of small bridges
linking roadways.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ.

***

NY ELECTRONICS MARKETER FACES NEARLY $700,000 FCC FINE

DON/ANCHOR: A Brooklyn, New York marketer of wireless microphones
has been fined nearly $700,000 by the US Federal Communications
Commission for what the agency said is a decade-long practice of
selling these devices, which are not RF-compliant. The FCC said
that 32 microphones sold by Sound Around failed to comply with
FCC requirements governing emissions power and use of the
spectrum, rules that protect against harmful interference to
other spectrum users. The FCC has rejected the business'
assertion that the dollar amount of the proposed fine was too
high, that a decade of warnings and notices sent by the FCC was
insufficient and that photos of the company's marketing websites
did not provide proof that the item was available for purchase.
According to a press release from the FCC, the US Department of
Justice will be given the case to handle if Sound Around fails to
pay the fine.

(FCC)

**

AMATEURS IN CANADA GAIN EXPANDED ACCESS ON 60M


DON/ANCHOR: In Canada, amateurs have new privileges on 60 meters.
Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has those details.

KEVIN: Amateurs in Canada have been granted a new band for
operating in an official update from Innovation Science and
Economic Development Canada. The announcement on July 28th said
that hams in that country are now able to use the worldwide
allocation on 60m that spans 15 kHz between 5351.5 and 5366.5
kHz. The band fits between the existing Canadian amateur
channelised privileges at 5332, 5348, 5373 and 5405 kHz and gives
hams secondary user privileges to transmit at a maximum of 100
watts and a bandwidth of no more than 2.8 kHz on a non-
interference basis.

This is Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

**

ILLINOIS CLUB GETS GRANT FOR ORIENTEERING PROJECT

DON/ANCHOR: Radio orienteering is about to get a whole lot more
popular in the US state of Illinois, and Andy Morrison, K9AWM,
tells us why.

ANDY: An amateur radio club in Illinois has received funds to
support an array of radio orienteering events they will be
hosting to share the activities with outdoor enthusiasts,
youngsters and members of the public. This will also be designed
to serve as a hoped-for gateway to amateur radio. The grant given
to the Sangamon Valley Radio Club from Amateur Radio Digital
Communications will underwrite the club's costs for supply of
low-power transmitters, controllers, handheld directional radio
receivers, compasses, maps and related items for the fox-hunting
activities.

According to a press release from the ARDC, the club's experience
will extend even farther into the community: After a number of
events, club members will create a list of equipment other clubs
would need to start activities of their own that sharpen people's direction-finding skills. The club will also offer other clubs
guidance. ARDC said in its press release [quote]: "While the
sport is very popular in Europe, as well as parts of Asia, growth
in the United States and Canada has been slow." [endquote]. The
Sagamon club will begin its activities here in the US with Scout
groups and the Civil Air Patrol, starting this summer and
continuing into the fall. More events are planned in 2023.

This is Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(ARDC)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2337, for Friday, August 12th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2337 with a release date of
Friday August 12th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An amateur satellite built by Indian
schoolgirls suffers a failed deployment. A South African ham
offers a rare chance for an EME contact with Angola -- and ooops,
that James Webb telescope image isn't what it seems. All this and
more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2337, comes your
way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

STUDENTS' AMATEUR SATELLITE SUFFERS FAILED LAUNCH

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week was supposed to be a success
story for India's new satellite launch vehicle, which had on
board a small ham radio satellite built by schoolchildren.
Something went wrong in its deployment, however, as Graham Kemp,
VK4BB tells us.

GRAHAM: Failure and disappointment marked the debut of India's
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle which lifted off on Saturday
August 6th only to deploy two satellites into the wrong orbits.
One of the satellites was a much-anticipated project built by 750
schoolgirls in India as part of SpaceKidz India. It carried an
amateur radio payload.

The Indian space agency said that the satellites were sent into
an elliptical orbit instead of the intended circular orbit 356
kilometres, or 221 miles, above the Earth. The elliptical orbit
meant that at some point the satellites' orbits would come as
close to earth as 76 km, or 47 miles.

Officials from the ISRO said the error was caused by a sensor
failure that could not be detected in time. Five hours after
liftoff, the mission was declared a failure.

The maiden voyage of the launcher was a much-celebrated event
which also commemorated India's 75th year of independence.

This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(SPACE.COM, THE HINDU)

**

ANGOLA DXPEDITION PROMISES AMATEURS THE MOON

NEIL/ANCHOR: The activation of Angola using EME this month has
been years in the planning for one South African amateur. It's
expected to be a major first. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, tells us
what's in store.

JASON: Going on the air as D2TX from Angola as a portable EME
operator is expected to be an unprecedented experience. Bernie,
ZS4TX, told Newsline in an email that he is unaware of any of the
popular EME bands having been used to activate Angola, as he is
doing on 2 metres between the 12th and 16th of August. It's a
long road trip - more than 2800 kilometres over the course of
four days. The final 220 kilometres is on dirt roads and will
take six hours. Bernie said the advantage is road travel means
the station will be able to use a larger-than-usual array of 2-
by-18 element M2 Yagi antennas. Bernie also said that stations
with a 12-element Yagi, 250 watts and a decent low-noise
amplifier can likely work him and that recent developments in
digital modes available from WSJTX may make it possible for even
the most modest stations. With a couple of moon passes, Bernie
hopes to be able to work 300 or so stations.

Licensed since the age of 17, Bernie learned about 2-metre EME
from Hal, ZS6WB, and Chris, ZS6EZ, in the early '90s when he and
Chris worked Dave, W5UN, on CW EME from Botswana during a VHF
expedition trip. He later worked W5UN from Lesotho for one of his
last entities for the first 2M DXCC award ever issued.

Bernie urges EME enthusiasts to listen for him. He said [quote]
"Use this opportunity. It may be a very long time before Angola
is activated again. It could be the chance of a lifetime."
[endquote]

This is Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you are new to working EME, there is some helpful
guidance on W7GJ's website, including detailed instructions on
how to set up your station and make contacts. Find the link in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/emetips.htm ]

(BERNIE VAN DER WALT ZS4TX)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2338 for Friday, August 19th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2338, with a release date of
Friday, August 19th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The International Space Station operates voice repeater and APRS at the same time. Young hams take an inaugural
activity global -- and an 8-year-old girl in England has a dream QSO.
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2338, comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

ARISS OPERATES ON VOICE REPEATER, APRS AT SAME TIME

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story of the week looks skyward. There is a bit
of celebration going on inside the International Space Station, where
the ARISS Voice Repeater and digital APRS communications are operating simultaneously. It is a big development, as we hear from Neil Rapp,
WB9VPG.

NEIL: It's taken the ARISS teams from Russia and the US several weeks
of collaboration to prepare the Service Module radio for APRS
operations but APRS packet operation is now happening at the same time
as transmissions on the space station's voice repeater. According to an
ARISS press release Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, was the team lead
coordinating with mission control to get the service module radio ready
for APRS. Voice repeater transmissions are being made with a JVC
Kenwood D710GA in the Columbus module. The same model radio is being
used for APRS packet operation in the service module. Packet operations
are on 145.825 MHz.

The call sign in the Columbus Module is NA1SS. The Service Module radio
is using RS0ISS. Both radios will be operating full-time except when
ARISS is making contacts with schools, or during dockings, undockings
and EVAs.

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS international chairman called the
development [quote] "a key element of our ARISS 2.0 initiative,
providing interactive capabilities 24/7 that inspire, engage and
educate youth and lifelong learners — especially life-long learning in
ham radio operations.” [endquote]

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(ARISS)

**

INAUGURAL EVENT FOR WORLDWIDE YOUNG AMATEUR CLUB

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Get ready for an inaugural event by a group of young
radio amateurs who are launching it globally next month. Sel Embee,
KB3 T Zed D, has the details.

SEL: The Young Amateurs Radio Club, which was founded in 2017 on a
server of the Discord app, has grown to be an international gathering
of younger operators that is recognized by the FCC as an amateur radio
club.

Using the call sign WY4RC, operators from all 10 US call zones will be
on the air from September 1st through the 15th, inviting hams to accept
the challenge of working all Young Amateur Radio Club zones. This is
the club's inaugural "worked all zones" event and organizers are
looking for young operators or other clubs who would like to join them
on the air, activating the callsign in September. The callsign will be
WY4RC with a stroke mark, followed by the operator's region. Operators
must use a minimum of 20 watts during the event.

Visit the website y a r c dot world (yarc.world) and click on the link
to "events" for additional details.

This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(YOUNG AMATEURS RADIO CLUB)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2339 for Friday, August 26th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2339, with a release date of Friday, August 26th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Experts call a national emergency alert system vulnerable to hackers. Students in Romania return from a four-day SOTA
outing -- and Amateur Radio Newsline goes to Huntsville, Alabama to present its Young Ham of the Year Award. All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2339, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

US EMERGENCY BROADCAST NETWORK DEEMED VULNERABLE TO HACKERS

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is about a word of warning experts have issued to the US Emergency Broadcast Network, calling it vulnerable to hackers. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, brings us those details.

ANDY: The United States' national broadcast network which transmits child abduction alerts and severe weather warnings - is becoming increasingly vulnerable to fake alerts from hackers unless state and local governments
fix security weaknesses in devices that connect to that system.

That was the warning delivered recently by the nation's Department of
Homeland Security, which repeated its cautionary message about the US Emergency Alert System at a recent session of DEFCON, a major hacking conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Homeland security officials said that ongoing vulnerabilities in the encoder/decoder devices enable hackers to transmit the bogus warnings over radio and TV stations. Cybersecurity researcher Ken Pyle, who is credited
with discovering the vulnerability, told reporters recently that without a necessary software update for these devices, hackers can pre-empt broadcast signals, exploit web servers and disrupt the legitimate system. He said the problem has existed for several years and has gone uncorrected.

Reporting on this issue, Cable News Network asked the Federal
Communications Commission for a tally of how many devices are running the vulnerable software. The FCC had no immediate response.

This is Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(CNN, ARSTECHNICA)

**

NEWSLINE PRESENTS YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR AWARD IN HUNTSVILLE

JIM/ANCHOR: The Huntsville, Alabama Hamfest is history now, and Newsline
was happy to be there to meet with this year's Young Ham of the Year Award. Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, tells us all about it.

DON: "Good afternoon everyone, it is a little after two o'clock on
Saturday at Huntsville, that means it is time for the Young Ham of the Year Award. My name is Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, I'll be presenting the Young Ham of
the Year this afternoon to Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN. We're so proud of her,
and first off I want to say that after two years of being away, it is so
good to be back at Huntsville, Alabama at the hamfest!"

That was how the first in-person Young Ham of the Year presentation in two years began Saturday, August 20th on the main stage at the Huntsville
Hamfest. I read off a short list of the many accomplishments that earned Audrey this honor and then the floor was hers.

"Hello everybody, I am so happy to be here! Huntsville Hamfest is
definitely my favorite place to be! I'm sure a lot of you can agree. I'm
very honored to receive this award! My brother and I have worked in
amateur radio for many years now but I can't not thank the people who
helped me throughout this. Of course, my parents Tom McElroy and Janet McElroy, along with others like Carole Perry, WB2MGP, Bill Brown who is
right there, WB8ELK, and tons of other people who have been mentors to me
and helpers to me because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to do
the things I'm able to do. And so I hope in the future I can continue
pushing for bringing more youth into amateur radio as well as bring more
women into STEM and the wonderful world of amateur radio. So, thank you
all again."

Representatives from CQ Communications, Yaesu USA, Heil Sound, RadioWavz Antennas and GigaParts had remarks and gifts for Audrey. Of course, we mentioned the last two honorees, Christopher Brault, KD8YVJ, from 2020, and Faith Hannah Lea, KD3Z, from 2021 who were presented their awards virtually online. Sadly, neither could attend live this year due to prior school commitments.

All of us at Newsline, including our awards committee and judges wants to congratulate Audrey. She is a shining example of why Bill Pasternak was so committed to honoring the amazing young people in this hobby and service.
She carries the torch high.

If you would like to hear the entire, unedited presentation audio you can
find it on our Extra page at arnewsline.org.

Speaking for our Young Ham of the Year committee chairman Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, and our panel of judges, we can't wait for next year! See you there.

I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2340, for Friday, September 2nd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2340, with a release date of Friday, September 2nd, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Cambodian equipment rules challenge amateurs
there. Plans are in the works to re-enact historic transatlantic HF
tests -- and get ready to celebrate Route 66, America's so-called "Mother Road." All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2340,
comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

EQUIPMENT RULES CHALLENGE CAMBODIAN AMATEURS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week concerns regulations that are having
an impact on whether amateur stations can stay on the air in Cambodia.
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, brings us those details.

JIM: Amateurs in Cambodia are struggling to comply with recent government regulations that they believe may prevent amateurs from being able to
renew their operating certificates. The rules, passed in 2020, state that certificates will only be renewed for amateurs whose transceivers have
been granted the approval of the Cambodian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications by proving they meet government-set standards for operating, safety and health. The approval is known as a TA.

According to a post in the QRZ.com forums from Dave Taylor,
XU7AKG/ZL3AIK, hams believe the additional layer of security placed on amateurs in 2020 will have the effect of banning their equipment. Dave's
post said that because the process of approval appears to be complex,
current efforts are focusing on just one model of transceiver for now:
getting the proper documents for the Yaesu FT-891.

Dave reports that, in the meantime, hams living in Cambodia and those
visiting and wishing to get on the air have been unable to renew their Cambodia Amateur Certificates.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ)

**

IARU RAMPING UP ADVOCACY OF AMATEUR USE OF 23CM BAND

NEIL/ANCHOR: The IARU is intensifying its advocacy of amateur use of the
23cm band, in preparation for next year's World Radiocommunication
Conference. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has the latest developments.

ED: In advance of next year's World Radiocommunication Conference in
Dubai, the International Amateur Radio Union is preparing for one
especially critical item on the agenda: defence of hams' use of the 23cm
band, where EME and Amateur TV operations are popular. Discussion next
year is expected to centre on amateur coexistence with the radio
navigation satellite service, or RNSS, on those frequencies. The IARU
already presented its case at the EME conference held in Prague in
August, advocating for continued amateur use.

Barry Lewis, G4SJH, chairman of Region 1's Spectrum and Regulatory
Liaison Committee, reports on the Region 1 website that the IARU
acknowledges that compromises will likely have to be made but negotiators
are committed to finding a way to retain amateur presence on the band.
Further studies are expected to take place in early September when
technical details will be explored more deeply.

WRC-23 is scheduled to take place between the 20th of November and the
15th of December of 2023.

I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(SOUTHGATE, IARU REGION 1)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2341, for Friday, September 9th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2341, with a release date of Friday, September 9th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Radio waves bring remarkable images from the
James Webb telescope. Romanian students embark on a first-time satellite challenge -- and statistics from Brazil provide encouraging news for
amateurs. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2341 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

WEBB TELESCOPE TRANSMITS DIRECT IMAGES OF EXOPLANET

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story comes to us from space. Radio waves have transmitted something remarkable to astronomers here on Earth -- long-
awaited imagery from outside our solar system. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, has
more on that story.

KENT: The James Webb Space Telescope's first direct image of a planet
outside of our solar system has been transmitted to scientists, offering promise for deeper research into exoplanets. NASA reported that
astronomers received the image of the planet in orbit around a star
estimated to be 385 light-years from Earth. The image was taken with a near-infrared camera and the Mid-Infrared Instrument, which each focus on different portions of the infrared spectrum.

There have been only a few dozen direct imaging of exoplanets such as
this one. Astronomers have identified over 5,000 exoplanets, but only by
an indirect method of observing starlight dimming as the planet passes in front of the star they are observing.

NASA expressed hope that these new infrared images will be a gateway to
deeper study of exoplanets.

This is Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(NASA, SPACE.COM)

**

SATELLITE WILL BE FIRST OF ITS KIND FOR ROMANIAN STUDENTS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Construction is to begin in Madrid on a small ham satellite
that will be a "first" for the Romanian teenagers who designed it. Ed
Durrant, DD5LP, gives us a closer look.

ED: AMSAT-EA is giving its support to a small amateur radio satellite
designed by students in Romania, a project considered the first of its
kind for Romanian students. Known as the ROM-2 mission, the satellite,
built with the support of the Romanian organisation ROMSpace, is to be assembled in Madrid at the AMSAT-EA facilities. AMSAT-EA, which has
registered the satellite internationally, will be responsible for the satellite once it has entered orbit.

The satellite's maintenance data will be transmitted via CW. The
satellite will fulfill its mission to take photographs with a 2 MegaPixel camera and transmit them to hams who will be able to retransmit them from their own stations using the SSDV protocol. They will use the frequency
of 436.235 MHz. SSDV packets will be transmitted from the satellite
using GFSK.

The students attend the International Computing High School in Bucharest
and are between the ages of 15 and 18.

This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(AMSAT-EA)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2343 for Friday September 23rd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2343 with a release date of Friday, September 23rd, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond as Hurricane Fiona bears down.
China prepares to launch another ham radio satellite -- and Youth on the
Air camp heads to Canada in 2023. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2343 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS AID IN EFFORTS AFTER HURRICANE FIONA

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is Hurricane Fiona, which brought devastation to the islands of the Caribbean. Amateur radio operators
were part of the team responding to the vast needs of the region.

RANDY: As Hurricane Fiona ravaged the region, amateur radio operators
were hard at work in areas of the Eastern Caribbean and Western
Atlantic. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks and Caicos islands, suffered severe flooding, catastrophic wind damage and major
power outages as the storm, which grew to Category 4, made its way
toward Bermuda. In addition to local communications support, the
Hurricane Watch Net was activated and Salvation Army Team Emergency
Radio Network was handling health and welfare traffic.

William Planas-Montes, NP3WP, ARES section emergency coordinator for
Puerto Rico reported that around 45 ham radio operators were working
with different government municipalities and ARES personnel were setting
up equipment in anticipation of additional activity.

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, emergency coordinator for the Bermuda area of
IARU Region 2, told AR Newsline that, at the time of this report,
planning was still underway by their executive team for that area.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ

**

SWITZERLAND AMATEURS SHARPEN THEIR RADIO READINESS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Disaster preparedness, even when there is no immediate
disaster, is also a big part of amateur radio. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells
us how hams in Switzerland worked recently with their radio teammates to polish their skills.

ED: Hundreds of hams, citizens band operators and owners of private
mobile radios teamed up throughout Liechtenstein and Switzerland in a wide-ranging emergency-response drill on Saturday, September 18th. The fictional scenario was similar to the simulated regional power shortage
that played out three times before. The radio event has come to be known
as the Swiss Emergency Contest but it is less of a true competition than
a measure of readiness if all or part of the power grid fails. Hams in
the Union of Swiss short wave Amateurs, the USKA, have taken the lead in
this effort.

Only days earlier, at its board of directors meeting, the leadership
announced it was developing an operating framework for hams and those
using other types of radios to assist during blackouts and power
shortages when communication during emergencies takes even higher
priority.

The latest exercise employed a variety of equipment and modes and used
such alternate power sources as solar panels and batteries.

This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(BERNARD WEHRLI, HB9ALH; USKA)

**

CHINA PREPS NEXT AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE

PAUL/ANCHOR: China is preparing to send a new ham radio satellite into
orbit in the next few weeks. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the details.

JIM: The CAS-10 amateur radio satellite is set to go into space from
China's Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in early November, where it
will be sent to the Tiangong Space Station aboard the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft. The satellite, which carries a V/U linear transponder, will
become operational sometime after its deployment from the space station
around the 15th of December. The transponder is expected to operate all
day throughout the satellite's lifetime, using a VHF uplink and UHF
downlink with a 30 kHz bandwidth. CAS-10 is also equipped with a camera.
Hams will be able to send DTMF commands to download photos taken by the
camera and stored in the satellite's flash memory. Satellite telemetry
data will be sent via Morse Code.

For additional details and frequencies, visit the AMSAT-UK link in the
text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: http://www.amsatuk.me.uk/iaru/finished_detail.php?serialnum=858 ]

I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(AMSAT-UK, SOUTHGATE)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2344, for Friday, September 30th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2344, with a release date of Friday, September 30th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams take to the airwaves for Hurricane Ian. A
new report offers insights into the collapse of the Arecibo radio
telescope -- and radio rides along for a bicycle climb up an iconic
mountain. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2344, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS MUSTER SUPPORT DURING HURRICANE IAN

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week looks at amateur radio's response as
a life-threatening hurricane brought destruction in the southern United States. Randy Sly, W4XJ, brings us those details.

RANDY: As Hurricane Fiona left Canada's Maritime provinces as a tropical depression, another hurricane was beginning to form in the Caribbean
tracking toward western Cuba, the Cayman Islands and the western shores
of Florida. The handoff between the two storms gave little time to relax
for amateur radio operators working with the Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP
Net, Salvation Army Emergency Radio Network, and emergency communications groups, such as ARES.

By the time Ian reached the Florida coast near Fort Myers, it was a
Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour. This catastrophic storm caused significant damage along with storm surge, torrential rains, flooding, power outages, and spin-up tornadoes.

Bobby Graves, manager of the Hurricane Watch Net, said that the net would remain in full emergency mode to assist with any emergency, medical, or priority traffic as well as working with SATERN, the Salvation Army's
network, to help in handling any outgoing health and welfare traffic. The
net was to remain active after Ian's downgrade so hams could assist with post-storm reports for the National Hurricane Center. The FCC has also
adopted a 60-day waiver that permitted hams to use a higher symbol rate
for data transmissions - above the legal limit of 300 baud -- when
assisting Hurricane Ian traffic.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ.

**

REPORT PINPOINTS FACTORS IN ARECIBO COLLAPSE

JIM/ANCHOR: A new report has pinpointed some contributing causes behind
the collapse of what was once the largest radio telescope in the world.
Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, brings us up to date.

KENT: Engineers have identified a number of key factors that led to the
2020 collapse of the Arecibo Telescope, once the world's largest radio telescope. A forensic examination by the New York-based firm Thornton Tomasetti identified issues that included design of the cable system with relatively low safety factors for gravity loads as well as the force of naturally occurring events in the environment. Those included Hurricane
Maria in 2017 and the January 2020 earthquake tremors in Puerto Rico
where the telescope was located. The report said that despite having a hurricane-resistant design, Arecibo's cable system had already led it to suffer stress under its own weight whenever storms hit. The engineers recommended higher safety factors for cable systems under such
conditions.

Although the investigators said they found the telescope to be generally
well maintained, they did note in their report that they found that
moisture had intruded, paint had degraded and individual wires had broken within the cable system.

This is Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(THORNTON TOMASETTI, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION)

**

AMATEURS HELP WITH REUNION ACROSS BORDERS

JIM/ANCHOR: A family in Bangladesh has been reunited with a long-missing relative, thanks to hams on both sides of the border with India. Graham
Kemp, VK4BB, gives us the rest of this story.

GRAHAM: It took 12 years and, ultimately, two groups of amateur radio operators to return a man to his home and his family in Bangladesh. The reunion took place on September 21st, allowing the man to leave the
state-run home in Kolkata where he had been following a lengthy hospitalization. His family reported that he had gone missing a dozen
years ago. He had apparently crossed the border into West Bengal.

Press accounts in the Millennium Post and other media outlets described
the 27-year-old man as mentally challenged and thus unable to provide information about his origins either to hospital personnel or later to
those at the state home. Authorities at the home contacted the West
Bengal Radio Club. Club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, visited
the man and determined he was from Bangladesh. He reached out for help to
Anup Bhowmick [ANOOP BOWMICK], S21TV, secretary of the Amateur Radio
Society of Bangladesh. The two clubs arranged for a video call between
the man and his family and after that, details were worked out for his
return home.

This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(MILLENNIUM POST, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2345, for Friday, October 7th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2345, with a release date of Friday, October 7th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Two hams are added to next year's Starliner-1
launch. Sweden honors a noted tech entrepreneur -- and the International Telecommunication Union marks a 'first' in leadership. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2345 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

TWO MORE HAMS TO BE ABOARD FOR STARLINER'S 1st FLIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the US space program, which has selected two more amateur radio operators to be on board the maiden
voyage of the Boeing Starliner-1 next year as part of the agency's
Commercial Crew Program. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, reports.

PAUL: Two amateur radio operators were recently chosen to return to the International Space Station but this time they expect to arrive there
aboard the first flight of NASA's new Boeing Starliner-1.

Astronaut Scott Tingle, KG5NZA, will be its commander, and Mike Fincke,
KE5AIT, of NASA, will serve as the Starliner's pilot. They will join
Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU, who will be aboard as mission specialist. NASA
assigned her in August 2020 to join the crew.

There is no launch date yet for Starliner-1. It must complete NASA's
Boeing Crew Flight Test, which ensures the spacecraft can fly crewed
missions to the ISS on a regular basis. This is part of NASA's Commercial
Crew Program.

The first test flight is scheduled for early 2023.

I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(NASA)

**

SWEDISH AMATEUR TO RECEIVE GOLD MEDAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: High honors are being conferred upon an amateur radio
operator from Sweden who is well-known for the advances he has made in
growing the internet. We have those details from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: Congratulations to Swedish tech entrepreneur Peter L�thberg, SM4KEL/W4KEL, whose work in helping the internet get an early foothold
and grow in Sweden has won him a gold medal from the Royal Swedish
Academy of Engineering Sciences.

King Gustaf is to present the medal to him next month.

Dubbed an "internet guru" by Wired Dot Com (WIRED.COM) in 2007, he has
given much sought-after advice to industry giants such as Cisco and
Sprint.

With this gold medal, Peter joins the ranks of scores of similarly
decorated academy innovators.

The academy (also known as the IVA) says on its website that its vision
is "Technology in the service of humanity," in the belief that technical
and economic science can make a positive contribution to society.

I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(IVA, SOUTHGATE)

**

GET READY FOR SCOUTING'S JOTA-JOTI EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're involved in Scouting, or know someone who is,
you know that October is a big month on the Scout calendar. Bill Stearns, NE4RD, tells us what's happening in just a few days.

BILL: Jamboree-on-the-Air and Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTA-JOTI) is the world’s largest Scout event taking place on the internet and over the airwaves. Held every year in October, the event connects millions of
young people around the world for a full weekend of online activities
that promote friendship and global citizenship. In 2022, JOTA-JOTI takes
place from 14 to 16 October. For the JOTA side of the event, Scouts and
Guides all over the world connect with each other by means of amateur
radio. Short-wave and digital radio signals carry their voices to
virtually any corner of the world. It's the sheer excitement of having a
live conversation with a fellow Scout or Guide at some other place in the world that attracts so many young people to this event.

Event planning information or resources can be found on the K2BSA website
at K2BSA.net.

Register your station today at jotajoti.info and check out the virtual campsite where you can find lots of activities for this travel-free
jamboree.

For the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2346, for Friday, October 14th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2346, with a release date of
Friday, October 14th, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A never-before contact with Antarctica - from
space! Lessons learned from Hurricane Ian -- and hams in Australia go bicycle-mobile for charity. All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2346, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART


**

ISS LOGS A QSO WITH STUDENTS IN ANTARCTICA

NEIL/ANCHOR: Who among us hasn't wanted to work Antarctica? Who among
us has succeeded so far? Well now you can add to that list the name of astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS. John Williams, VK4JJW, opens this
week's newscast with that report.

JOHN: Kjell [pronounced CHELL] Lindgren, KO5MOS, can enter Antarctica
into the log of contacts for him and the ISS. This was the ultimate DX
from space, in fact, as the US astronaut held a scheduled question-and-
answer session on Friday, October 7th, with students living on the
Esperanza Antarctic base, an Argentine research station on the frozen continent. For the contact, the astronaut used the callsign OR4ISS.
This unprecedented ARISS contact was accomplished with the help of
ON4ISS, AMSAT Belgium, which provided a Telebridge. According to
various websites, there are 16 students enrolled in the school and they
range in age of 3 to 21. The school, which has two teachers, was
established in 1978,

One student, apparently feeling a kinship about the relatively remote locations on both sides of the QSO, asked the astronaut: [quote] "An Icebreaker ship brought us here. How did you get to the International
Space Station?" [endquote] Acknowledging the similiarity of their
desolate environments, the astronaut said [quote] "you are explorers in
your own right." [endquote] He also accepted the students' invitation
to visit someday. The best followup to this kind of first-time DX would naturally be an eyeball QSO to remember.

This is John Williams, VK4JJW.

NEIL/ANCHOR: To hear the QSO between the ISS and the Antarctic base
students, follow the link in the text version of this week's script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jprWFFaLUBc ]

(AMSAT ARGENTINA, YOUTUBE)

**

APPLY NOW FOR CONTACTS WITH ASTRONAUTS IN 2023

NEIL/ANCHOR: Is there a contact with the ISS in your future? The window
of opportunity is still open and Paul Braun, WD9GCO, tells you how to
help make it happen.

PAUL: If you've ever wanted a radio contact with someone aboard the International Space Station, and haven't had one yet, 2023 might just
be your year. Teachers and other educators have until November 13th to
submit a proposal to ARISS for a scheduled contact that would be set up between July 1st and December 31st of next year. ARISS is looking for educational institutions with a formal curriculum that could easily
integrate this kind of space-related amateur radio communication.

The contacts usually last 10 minutes, and take place as a question-and-
answer format between the students and the astronauts.

For additional details, follow the ARISS link in the text version of
this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY:

https://ariss-usa.org/hosting-an-ariss-contact-in-the-usa/ ]

This is Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2347 for Friday, October 21st, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2347, with a release date of
Friday, October 21st, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An emerging science and technology center gets
a major financial boost. A new book takes a deeper look at QSL cards --
and some surprises for Halloween, as the holiday approaches. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2347, comes your way
right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

BOOST FOR MAKING TESLA LAB A GLOBAL SCIENCE CENTER

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with news that the former
laboratory of inventor Nikola Tesla has received major funding to
further its development into a major science and technology center.
Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has that story.

KEVIN: Designed by the noted architect Stanford White at the turn of
the previous century and a welcoming place today for scientists,
historians and amater radio operators, the former laboratory of 20th
century innovator Nikola Tesla has been chosen to receive a $500,000
grant from the National Parks Service and the National Endowment of the
Arts. The funds will be used to help pay for restoration of the Long
Island, New York property and transform it into a museum and educational science center honoring the spirit of Tesla's groundbreaking work.

Known as Wardenclyffe Lab, it became the home to many of Tesla's
discoveries in radio and other aspects of technology. He had created
the Long Island lab as a kind of "radio city" with the goal of
transmitting electricity and information wirelessly. The site was
especially well-known for a transmitter tower that was 187 feet high
above ground and reached 120 feet below ground level. That tower is
long since gone.

This is Tesla's only surviving laboratory and it is a landmark, having
been added to the US National Historic Register in 2018. Amateur radio
has an active interest in the property as well and the site recently
hosted the 75th anniversary celebration and special event station of
the Suffolk County Radio Club.

I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(LONG ISLAND BUSINESS.COM)

**

BOOK SHOWCASES QSL CARDS' DESIGN AND TYPOGRAPHY

JIM/ANCHOR: If you enjoy sending and receiving QSL cards, you're not
alone. This next story from Jack Parker, W8ISH, celebrates the art of
those still-popular cards.

JACK: The legacy of Charles Hellman, W2RP, continues. At the time
Charlie became a Silent Key in 2017, the 106-year-old New York amateur
was considered the oldest amateur in the US and likely the longest
licensed. Active almost right up to the year he died, Charlie amassed a collection of QSL cards that, so many years later, is now carrying a
different message to the world, one about graphic design and
communication between people.

One hundred fifty cards in Charlie's collection, which were later
purchased by a designer visiting a local antique shop, are now the
subject of a soon-to-be published book on typography and graphics. Its
title: "QSL: Do you Confirm Receipt of My Transmission?" The
collection's owner, Roger Bova, made the cards available to Standards
Manual, an independent publisher in Brooklyn, New York that specializes
in books about design history. The book features the simple, bold
design of the card from RBØHZ, confirming a 1986 contact on 20m, SSB.
In contrast, there is a whimsical, cartoonish card from DM3EJ for a
1979 SSB contact on 10m. Many of the pages are full and rich and
colorful.

The publisher's cofounder, Jesse Reed, told PrintMag.com in a recent
interview that the cards are as much a study in design as in
communication in the age before the internet took hold. They are
presented, in the book, in chronological order.

No doubt Charlie, a retired New York City educator, might be pleased to
know he is still providing a means for people everywhere to expand
their knowledge.

This is Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(STANDARDS MANUAL, PRINTMAG.COM, QCWA)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2348, for Friday, October 28th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2348, with a release date of
Friday, October 28th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond as a cyclone ravages parts of
Bangladesh. An Australian club revives a flood aid program -- and
Silent Keys get a tribute event courtesy of amateurs in Poland. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2348, comes
your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

DEADLY CYCLONE SLAMS BANGLADESH

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a developing story. As Newsline
went to production, a deadly cyclone had enveloped parts of Bangladesh
where the death toll continued to rise, according to reports from
Reuters and other news sources. Mass evacuations preceded the arrival
of Cyclone Sitrang and while there are not yet any published reports
offering details of amateur radio assistance, Newsline learned
informally that some stations in the country were attempting to help
via VHF radio, as power was lost. At production time, Newsline was
still awaiting details from the IARU and other organizations. We hope
to have more details in our next newscast about the cyclone response.

(REUTERS, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**

AUSTRALIAN HAM CLUB REVIVES AID FUND

PAUL/ANCHOR: As devastating flood conditions persist in parts of
Australia, particularly Victoria and much of New South Wales, one
amateur radio club is reviving an outreach initiative begun during
floods that hit at the start of this year. Graham Kemp, VK4BB,
tells us about the effort.

GRAHAM: The North East Victoria Amateur Radio Club, which responded
with financial support when historic floods ravaged so many towns
earlier this year, has revived its funding initiative as parts of
Victoria and New South Wales battle new flood conditions. Begun in
early 2022 as the brainchild of committee members Gary Reeve, VK2XF,
and Matt Bilston VK3VS, this emergency-response effort shows that
not all amateur assistance is necessarily accomplished with radios
alone.

Club secretary Frank Scott, VK2BFC, told Newsline that the earlier
initiative began with $2,000 from the club and quickly grew to more
than $3,000 with donations from inidividual amateurs and other
clubs. As before, the club is asking members of the community who
have had losses in the current flooding to apply to the club for an
e-gift card that can be taken to supermarkets or other retail
outlets to replace some of what was lost. Community members are
being encouraged to apply for the cards, which are valued at an
average of $100.

He said that the club is also prepared to work directly with hams
who lost equipment or towers in the flood to help them replace what
is needed and re-establish their stations. Because many hams also
belong to the local emergency services, the club saw this as an
extension of its public service mission.

Frank said that after seeing the destruction from the latest wave
of flood water, club members decided that the most appropriate
response was to conduct the assistance programme once again.

He told Newsline, "As we say 'When floods happen, we rise above
them as a ham community.'"

This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(WIA, FRANK SCOTT VK2BFC)

**

LATEST HAARP EXPERIMENT TO INCORPORATE HAMS' INPUT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Researchers in Alaska will soon be sifting through the
results of some major atmospheric experiments - ones that included
input from hams around the world. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, brings us
those details.

SEL: Following an intense 10-day period of experiments that were to
be concluded by Friday, October 28th, scientists at the High-
frequency Active Auroral Research Program plan to be studying their
results along with observations from participating amateur radio
operators.

Hams had been invited to monitor daily transmissions that included
HF ocean scatter, interactions between satellites and the
ionosphere, moon bounce and an unprecedented attempt to bounce a
signal off of Jupiter. The scientists were also exploring possible
reasons behind the airglow phenomenon known as Strong Thermal
Emission Velocity Enhancement, or by the acronym STEVE, and testing
whether radio transmissions could be used to measure the interiors
of near-Earth asteroids.

The program manager, Jessica Matthews, called the research the most
diverse to ever take place at the Alaska facility and contained the
highest number of experiments to date. She said researchers were
relying on citizen scientists around the world. The research was
funded by a $9.3-million grant from the National Science
Foundation.

Participating hams were able to file their reports electronically
to the lab, making them eligible for QSL cards.

This is Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.

(ALASKA NATIVE NEWS, HF UNDERGROUND)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2349, for Friday, November 4th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2349, with a release date of Friday, November 4th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams on alert during the Philippine's latest
cyclone. Bouvet Island Dxpeditioners announce their pilot team -- and a
New York club looks at people who wrote the book - or books - on ham
radio. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2349,
comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS AT THE READY IN PHILIPPINE CYCLONE

DON/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the Philippines where a radio group called Ham Radio Emergency Operations was preparing for the region's
latest cyclone. John Williams, VK4JJW, brings us up to date.

JOHN: A tropical cyclone delivered deadly flooding and landslides in the Philippines in late October, as dozens died and thousands of others
sought shelter. Romy Isidro, DU1SMQ, chairman of the National Traffic
System in the Philippines, said that Ham Radio Emergency Operations, or
HERO, began monitoring emergency frequencies and awaiting further instructions.

Romy said that reports from cities and provinces indicated that much of
the traffic over emergency frequencies were from the various localities
for flooding, commercial electricity, impassable roads, destroyed bridges
and requests for ambulance aid. When a wall collapsed, an amateur radio operator in Central Luzon, in Region 3, volunteered to relay word of that
to the nearest Disaster Risk Reduction Office, which was already
monitoring the emergency frequencies.

Romy said however that most of casualties and fatalities were reported in
very poor regions of the Philippines where the lack of HF radios can complicate emergency communication. Offers of aid to the hardest-hit
provinces came in from the United States, China, Japan, and Australia.

This is John Williams, VK4JJW.

(ROMY ISIDRO, DU1SMQ; REUTERS)

**

PILOTS SELECTED FOR 2023 BOUVET ACTIVATION

DON/ANCHOR: As the time draws closer for the Bouvet Island activation,
new members of the team are being put into place as pilots. We have that update from Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

JIM: In preparation for the Three Y Zero Jay (3Y0J) DXpedition to Bouvet Island in early 2023, the team has announced the addition of pilots.
These hams provide a critical role as intermediaries between the
DXpedition team and the DX chasers. They will be keeping an eye on
propagation in their designated parts of the world to help facilitate contacts. The chief pilot and pilot for Europe is Morten, LA3MHA; North America's East Coast will be covered by Steve, N2AJ. The West Coast of
North America will have Rich, KE1B, as pilot. South America's pilot will
be Siso, HK3W. Hams in VK/ZL/OC will have Lee, VK3GK, as pilot; and in
Asia and Japan, hams will rely on Champ, E21EIC.

The team expects to activate from the sub-Antarctic island between
January 13th and February 28th.

This is Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(OHIO PENN DX, FACEBOOK)

**

SILENT KEY: PORTABLE OP PROPONENT JANKO SLIVKA OM3WZ/OM3WCF

DON/ANCHOR: Hams in the radio community in the Slovak Republic have lost
a leader and a friend. We hear about him from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: Hams in the Slovak Republic are grieving the loss of a respected
leader: Janko Slivka OM3WZ/OM3WCF, the former president of the Radio Club OM3VSZ, who has become a Silent Key. His death was announced on a number
of online ham radio forums and on Facebook. The club's current president, Vlado Ludrovsky, OM3TWM, remembered him as a radio operator who combined
his love of amateur radio with his love of outdoor sports, including
cycling and marathon running. He also noted that Janko was an
enthusiastic CW operator.

No further details were available.

I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(FACEBOOK, CQ.SK website)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)