SILENT KEY: COLIN HORRABIN G3SBI

NEIL/ANCHOR: A well-known innovator, and the creator of a low-noise receive mixer known as the H-Mode mixer, has become a Silent Key. Jeremy Boot,
G4NJH, tells us about him.

JEREMY: Colin Horrabin, G3SBI, an amateur radio operator known for his development of the H-Mode mixer used in many HF radios, died in late
November at his home in the UK, one month after being diagnosed with
cancer. Colin, who was employed by the Daresbury Nuclear Physics Laboratory before retiring, had been a licenced ham since the age of 16. He held his current call sign since 1963. He notes on his profile page on QRZ.com that although he was enthusiastic about operating mobile SSB, his bigger
interest was in CW, particularly on the LF bands.

The board of the Radio Society of Great Britain awarded him the Bennett
Prize in 1994 for his innovative contributions to the art of radio.

According to the RSGB, his H-Mode mixer formed the core of the CDG2000 high-performance transceiver he co-designed with Dave, G8KBB, and George, G3OGQ. That design was recognised with the Ostermeyer Trophy from the RSGB
in 2003.

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

(RSGB, ARRL, QRZ.COM)

**

REMEMBERING FIRST HAM RADIO SATELLITE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Happy 59th birthday OSCAR 1! OSCAR, which stands for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio, became the first ham radio satellite following its launch on December 12th, 1961. Its orbit was a brief one, lasting only 22 days, but it was embraced by hams around the world. Though
its orbit decayed quickly, more than 570 hams in 28 nations still had time
to report their observations to AMSAT's predecessor, known as Project
OSCAR.

(AMSAT)

**

NEW VHF HANDBOOK AVAILABLE FROM IARU

NEIL/ANCHOR: A new edition of the International Amateur Radio Union's VHF Handbook has recently been published, and it's downloadable as a PDF. This
is version 9 of the handbook and it is based on the actions taken at the
2020 IARU Region 1 virtual General Conference. It contains all the
decisions made regarding the bands at VHF and higher. The handbook's band
plan also shows changes made to 436-438 MHz and covers 145 MHz satellite allocations.

You can find the link for downloading the handbook in this newscast's
printed script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: DO NOT READ] https://tinyurl.com/ANS-341-Handbook

(AMSAT-UK)

**

BRAZILIAN REGULATOR CLARIFIES EQUIPMENT APPROVALS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams in Brazil who enjoy operating with vintage equipment are likely to breathe a sigh of relief at the latest government announcement. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, explains.

JASON: Regulators in Brazil have assured amateur radio operators that an approval process is in place to permit the continued use of older radio equipment past the end-of-year deadline. ANATEL, the national regulator,
had been asked by Brazil's amateur radio organisation, LABRE, to ensure
that an approval process will still continue after this year's December
31st deadline. Hams were concerned that no time period had been identified
for that process. The fate of such equipment became unclear because in some cases, such radios and other devices lack an FCC-ID and are not included on the government's approved list.

In a translation provided on Southgate News, LABRE wrote: [quote] "We now
have the guarantee that old equipment will continue to be type approved in
the current way indefinitely." [endquote] The approval process includes presentation of the manual for any equipment that lacks international certification.

In making the announcement, LABRE reminded all operators that effective January 1st, everyone must still receive approval for continued use of
older equipment.

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

(SOUTHGATE, LABRE)
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SOMETIMES SATELLITES GROW ON TREES TOO

SKEETER: Another Christmas tree - this one in Canada - is sending its
holiday message via satellite. Well, sort of. It was a project of one
amateur radio club in British Columbia. For that report, we turn to
Newsline's newest team member, Randy Sly, W4XJ.

RANDY: The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a museum in a 19th century
building that highlights the history of the fishing industry on
Canada's West Coast. Inside the building, one of the Christmas trees on display for the cannery's holiday festival puts a spotlight on amateur
radio, using ornament designs that represent CubeSats, transmitted
signals and amateur radio operators themselves. The Richmond Amateur
Radio Club calls its tree "Communicating to One World" and its message
is that amateur radio is a universal experience that uses high tech to
connect people. In keeping with ham ingenuity, many of the ornaments
were homebrew. Club members created them from coasters, printer
cartridges, parts of ballpoint pens, pull tabs from canned food and
other household items.

Although the festival and display ended on December 24th, the interest
in the trees will continue through to the end of the holiday season.
Visitors to the cannery as well as people viewing the trees on Facebook
and Instagram, were encouraged to vote for their favourite tree. The
club is, of course hoping its tree will get a good signal report.

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

(RICHMOND NEWS)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station, we are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
K7EFZ repeater in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. local time,
after Eagle Rock Emergency Practice Net.

**

EUROPE PREPS FOR SATELLITE CONSTELLATION

SKEETER: Will the new year bring Europe its own system of low-earth
orbit satellites? Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, explores that possibility.

RALPH: With 2021 about to get underway, officials in a number of
European Union nations will begin a feasibility study for a
constellation of low-earth orbit satellites similar to the Starlink
project under way by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Europe's version of the U.S. satellite constellation is envisioned as being able to give people in
isolated areas access to the internet and permit more secure
communications for governments. It would reportedly cost $7.3 billion
in U.S. currency or 6 billion euros.

The development could lead to a rivalry in space broadband coverage as SpaceX's own beta version is said to begin service to Europe by
February or March of 2021. Starlink's goal has been to deploy as many
as 42,000 satellites to bring high-speed internet to different parts of
the globe. Its public beta service presently serves only the northern
U.S. and southern Canada.

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

(BUSINESS INSIDER, YAHOO)

**

CHINA'S RADIOTELESCOPE WELCOMES THE WORLD

SKEETER: With the Arecibo Observatory gone following its tragic
collapse, China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or
FAST, is quickly opening its doors to the world's astronomers. FAST is
the world's largest radiotelescope, taking that status from Arecibo
after its construction was completed in 2016.

According to the French news agency AFP, China's giant telescope is
taking on another role once associated with Arecibo. It is giving the international community of astronomers access to its antennas and radio receivers so they can study radio waves emitted from black holes,
galaxies and stars and even transmit and reflect signals to see what
bounces back.

(AFP, SPACE.COM)

**

RADIO EQUIPMENT STOLEN FROM RUSSIAN 'DOOMSDAY' PLANE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: As hams, we can sympathize with anyone who's got a
serious craving for good radio equipment, but there are times when that craving can go to extremes. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, explains.

ED: The disappearance of military radio equipment at an airfield in the southern region of Rostov, Russia, remains a mystery. All that is known
is that thieves broke into an airplane that was there undergoing
repairs and stole electronics, that included five radio boards and
other equipment.

Perhaps more significantly, the aircraft was a highly classified
Ilyushin Il-80, known as the "doomsday plane." It is one of four such
planes designed to be used in the event of nuclear war. That means that
it would serve as an airborne post for the Russian president who could
get on the air and order the launch of intercontinental ballistic
missiles or issue other orders.

The theft is believed to have occurred sometime between the 26th of
November during the plane's last inspection, and the 4th of December
when the theft was reported to local police.

Further details have not been publicly disclosed about the stolen
equipment but investigators collected shoeprints and fingerprints from
the plane's interior for a possible criminal investigation.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(BBC, SOUTHGATE)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
K3ALG repeater in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.
local time.

**

JAPAN'S HAM COMMUNITY SHRINKS BUT SOUTH AFRICA GAINS NEWCOMERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's been a discouraging year for amateur radio in Japan
-- but in South Africa, new amateur radio operators are celebrating
their new privileges. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, reports on both stories.

JASON: The number of licenced amateur radio stations has decreased once
again in Japan, according to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. There were 389,343 licenced hams this past December, a
drop of 12,837 from December 2019 figures. In that month, there were
402,180 licensed stations but that number as well signified a drop of
about 15,000 from the previous year.

The majority of Japanese radio operators hold a Class 4 licence, which
was introduced as an entry level licence in the 1950s.

Meanwhile, a new group of licenced amateurs is ready to get on the air
in South Africa. Test results are in and the South African Radio League reports there was a 95 percent pass rate for those who sat for the
exam. That means 81 new hams. Two of the candidates took the exam for a
Class B licence, which is the entry level license and is assigned a ZU
prefix.

The next radio amateur exam will be given on May 22, 2021.

Congratulations to all the new hams.

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

(SARL, HIDEO KAMBAYASHI JH3XCU)

**

SWISS REGULATOR CHANGES LICENSE PROCEDURES

PAUL/ANCHOR: The new year brings some changes for amateur radio
operators in Switzerland but it's mostly procedural. Ed Durrant, DD5LP,
has that story.

ED: In Switzerland, changes have been made under the new
Telecommunications Act affecting the administration of amateur radio operations and related costs. The Swiss regulator Ofcom is moving to a licence-exempt model that will require hams to have a certificate of
ability after passing a qualifying examination. Hams will be charged
110 Swiss francs, or about $122 in US dollars for call sign issuance.
Swiss hams will be required to pay an reduced annual fee of 50 Swiss
francs, or $55 in US dollars, down from 96 Swiss francs for their
annual license. Repeater and remotely operated stations continue to
need to be registered and they will pay a one-time fee of 70 Swiss
francs, or nearly $78 dollars. The same one-time registration fee
applies to systems operating above 1 GHz such as those hams wishing to
use the QO-100 satellite system.

In short, many procedures remain largely unchanged, according to
Switzerland's national amateur radio society. The USKA said in an announcement: [quote] "The path to amateur radio is still the same and
for the already active radio amateurs everything remains as it was.
Only the management of frequencies and the associated terms have been rearranged." [end quote] The changes are in effect beginning January
1st, 2021.

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

(SOUTHGATE, USKA)

**

SWLs AND HAMS AWAIT YOTA AWARDS

PAUL/ANCHOR: December YOTA Month is over and now the wait begins for
the awards. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, picks up the story from here.

ANDY: Youngsters on the Air closed out a very active December YOTA
Month by announcing some good news for hams and shortwave listeners who
chase YOTA stations. YOTA is now providing awards for SWLs as well as transmitting hams. SWLs need to register on the YOTA event website
where they can log QSOs they heard on the air, qualifying them for
awards at bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels. SWLs are also able
to use the website to request QSL cards after entering data about the
QSO they heard. To receive these cards, listeners must have an SWL
callsign and belong to a national society to use its QSL service.

Meanwhile, as December YOTA Month wrapped up its activity, organizers announced that award plaques were going to be presented in seven
categories: Most Stations Contacted in CW; Most Stations Contacted in
SSB; Most Stations Contacted in Digital and Most Stations Contacted.
Awards will also be given to Best Overall Score OM; Best Overall Score
YL and Best Overall Score Youngster for operators younger than 26.

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

(YOTA)
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FRENCH MILITARY SEEKS RADIO RECEIVERS, JAMMERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: When is jamming a signal actually desirable? When it's The
French military. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has more on the story:

ED: The French Defence Ministry has a tender out for radio jammers that
can be drone-mounted The government's Defence Innovation Agency has put
out a request for proposals in search of a small, low-power warfare
device that can find radio communication transmitters while mounted on a
fixed or rotary-wing drone and possibly disable the signals through
jamming. Proposals were due no later than the 18th of January and demonstrations of prototypes will follow over the course of the next
seven months.

The devices are expected to be capable of detecting any number of
transmitters operating between 30 MHz and 6 GHz and able to transmit
their findings in real-time to a receiving station on the ground.
Bidding is being limited to companies within the European Union.

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

(UPI, THE DEFENSE POST)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
KB3AWQ repeater in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Thursdays at 9 p.m.
local time.

**

YOTA MONTH ACTIVATIONS TOP TOTALS FROM PREVIOUS YEAR

PAUL/ANCHOR: The numbers are in: The total contacts made by young
amateurs during December YOTA month outpaced those made the previous
year. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, tells us more.

SEL: For the 24 young amateur radio operators in the Western Hemisphere
who were part of December YOTA Month, the numbers added up in a big way.
The Youth on the Air operators logged 14,699 QSOs while calling QRZ with special event callsigns. The contacts, made using SSB, CW, digital modes
and satellites, dramatically topped the previous year's total of 12,487.
Some of the operators, such as Michael, W3MLJ, said his favorite part of
the activation was being able to run five radios at the same time, all
logging contacts on digital modes such as FT-8. Calin K8MTJ got a
special kick out of working ZR1ADI in South Africa using FT8.

The hams, all younger than 26, had their efforts coordinated by Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, who worked with YOTA month manager Tomi, HA8RT. The
event was a prelude to the first YOTA camp to be held in the Western Hemisphere this summer. That's planned for July 11th through 16th.

Meanwhile, more than 2,100 operators of all ages received awards based
on the number of YOTA Month contacts they'd made. Unclaimed awards can
be downloaded at events dot ham hyphen yota dot com. (events.ham-
yota.com)

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

(YOTA)

**

MICHIGAN AMATEUR ISSUES PLEA FOR KIDNEY

PAUL/ANCHOR: A longtime radio amateur in Michigan has been reaching out
on social media for a life-saving donation. Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, tells
us about him.

DON: Philip Ross, AB8PR, who has been a licensed ham since 1971, has
been looking lately for something a whole lot more than some rare DX or
a good signal report. The Michigan grandfather learned recently he has end-stage kidney disease and needs a living donor to make a transplant possible. He tells his story on various social media sites and his own
website papaphilcan dot com (papaphilcan.com) in the hopes that someone
will come forward to help him. He notes that dialysis - his only other
option - is not a cure but a form of disease management that leads to a shorter life with greatly lessened quality. His website reads: Papa Phil
Can; His Kidneys Can't. Even if AB8PR is not in your logbook, if you
think you can include him in your own plans to help, visit his website
to learn more. That's papaphilcan dot com.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
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CLUB OFFERS MICROWAVE NETWORK TO BOOST BRITISH COLUMBIA EMCOMM

JIM/ANCHOR: For one ham club in Canada, emergency response doesn't just consist of HTs, repeaters and HF radios. Radio operators there are hoping
they can soon assist local responders by getting their microwave network
in the game. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, has that story.

CHRISTIAN: The Kamloops Amateur Radio Club, which already provides
emergency support on the ground throughout its region in British Columbia, sees even more potential in their mountaintop-to-mountaintop broadband network. They're offering to open its use to the TNRD, the regional
governing body, in the hopes that the microwave links' internet
connectivity and large data bandwidth can provide an additional resource
for local Emergency Operations Centres in the case of wildfires or other calamities.

Club president Myles, VE7FSR, said the idea of providing the TNRD, or Thompson-Nicola Regional District, with a higher level of assistance was inspired by a 2017 wildfire in the region. He and some friends in the
British Columbia Wireless Amateur Radio Network recalled how the blaze had hampered the Emergency Operations Centers' abilities to communicate vital information.

Myles told Newsline that for the region's various municipalities to
utilize the club's high speed microwave system, they'd need to first
establish that they have line-of-sight with the mountaintops and then
install dishes there to connect with the EOCs below. Myles said this sort
of operation has come of age. EOCS, he said, are more dependent than ever
on internet access because the data bandwidth is so much greater there
than on VHF, UHF and especially HF.

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

(MYLES BRUNS VE7FSR)

**

GEORGIA AMATEURS DEMONSTRATE RADIO SCIENCE ON FIELD DAY

JIM/ANCHOR: Winter Field Day was a little bit different this year for some hams in Georgia. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us how they spent it.

KEVIN: The Macon, Georgia shopping mall known as the Shoppes at River
Crossing became part of a Winter Field Day activity � and even the mall's security department got in on the action. Hams were using the occasion to demonstrate analog and digital HF operations as well as UHF/VHF and D-
STAR. According to David Johnson, KF4ALH, emergency coordinator for Macon-
Bibb ARES, this field day activity was more about scoring big points on education and public relations instead of points in a contest. Hams from Macon-Bibb County ARES were joined by the Macon-Bibb County EMA Volunteer Group, Macon Amateur Radio Club, the Monroe County ARES Group and the
Monroe County Amateur Radio Society.

The hams gave science lessons and history lessons, along with a basic look
at how amateur radio works and the role it plays when hurricanes sweep through.

David said a few visitors seemed interested in learning more and doing
more. He added: "If even one new person gets the Amateur Radio bug from
our event, I consider that a bonus."

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

(DAVID JOHNSON KF4ALH)

**

SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS MARK ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CENTENARY

JIM/ANCHOR: A special event is celebrating 100 years since the creation of
the Royal Australian Air Force. Robert Broomhead has that story.

ROBERT: A call has been put out for enthusiastic recruits to serve the
Royal Australian Air Force -- no, not for military duty but to become
airborne nonetheless via the radio as part of one of two special event stations marking the 100th anniversary of the RAAF.

Hams will be using the call signs VI100AF and VK100AF from the 1st of
March to the 29th of May, for 100 days. The Air Force's actual birthday is March 31st. On that date in 1921, the RAAF became an independent service
from the Army. It is the world's second-oldest air force. Its roots are
with the Australian Flying Corps, which sent troops during World War I to serve in the Middle East and European theatres.

Activations can be done at the home QTH, at a club or even a park or SOTA location. There are plans to operate from four Air Force Bases as well.

Time for Aussie hams to register is short. Organisers are hoping to
release the roster for both call signs sometime around the 5th of
February.

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

(CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, AIRFORCE.GOV.AU)

**

OFCOM CLARIFIES LICENSE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR VP8 HAMS

JIM/ANCHOR: Word from Ofcom in the UK has clarified some longstanding confusion over licensing responsibilities in the British Antarctic
territory region. Hams seeking new VP8 licences to operate in the
Antarctic and South Georgia have learned they will only be able to use
those licences on the Falkland Islands. On the other hand, hams with
existing VP8 calls may use them temporarily in the British Atlantic Territories, South Sandwich and South Georgia as well as in the Falklands until the licensing responsibilities are better defined.

Ofcom noted that the British Atlantic Territories, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands cannot lissue their own licences or assign call signs.

Ofcom left the option open for those locales to ask the Falkland Islands
to administer licensing and call signs on their behalf as had been the
case up until early 2020.

(OPENFALKLANDS.COM)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Utah Amateur
Radio Club's W7SP repeater, on Sundays as part of the club's 9 p.m. net.

**

HAMSCI PROPOSAL DEADLINE APPROACHES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Organizers are still looking for amateurs' ideas for presentations at next month's HamSCI Workshop – but the deadline is
almost here. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, explains.

SEL: With this year's HamSCI Workshop coming up on March 19th and 20th,
the deadline is approaching fast for hams, scientists and other experts to submit presentation abstract proposals. This year's theme is midlatitude ionospheric sensing but presentations are not required on that subject.
The workshop will again be held virtually on Zoom, as it was last year, in cooperation with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and sponsored
by the National Science Foundation.

A team meeting will also be held for HamSCI's Personal Space Weather
Station project. This project's goal is the creation of a citizen science instrument that enables space weather to be studied right from your QTH.

Abstracts for presentations are due by the 15th of February. They can be
sent via the conference webpage at hamsci dot org (hamsci.org), that's ham-s-c-i-dot-org.

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

(HAMSCI)

**

AUSTRALIA'S WYONG FIELD DAY REPLACED BY 'MAYHAM' EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The popular Wyong Field Day in Australia has been
cancelled due to COVID precautions, but Ed Durrant, VK2JI, tells us what
will be happening in its place.

ED: In light of the recent new COVID events across Australia and the situation's changeable nature at present, the executive committee of the Central Coast ARC, with input from a survey of club members, has decided
not to run the Wyong Field Day 2021 which was planned for Sunday the 28th
of February. This is a decision that was not easy, and was taken
considering the safety of the club members, traders and those who attend
the day.

However, open your calendar's as the club wishes to announce the Central
Coast Amateur Radio Club "Mayham" event which will be held on Sunday the
30th of May 2021 at the Wyong Race Course. We would like to see this one-
time event attract as many visitors as the Field Day does every year, who knows, this could be the largest gathering of radio amateurs in the
Southern Hemisphere this year!

Traders have already been contacted and informed of the new date and we
expect the exhibitor and lecturer variety to be just as broad as was
planned for the 2021 Field Day.

Full details and information regarding this event will be updated on the
clubs website at ccarc (dot) org (dot) au and through social media as it becomes available.

Looking forward to NO MAYHEM at the MayHam event, For the Central Coast
ARC, this was Ed, VK2JI.

(CCARC)

**

CANADIAN SATELLITE CONSTELLATION WOULD PROVIDE NEW INTERNET ACCESS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A Canadian satellite operator has become the latest player
to join the low-earth orbit action over Earth's skies. The company Telesat announced on February 9th that it intends to build a constellation of 300 satellites in order to deliver high-speed internet worldwide in the next
two years. Known as Lightspeed, it will be designed to serve fixed and
mobile network operators, aeronautical and maritime users, enterprise customers, and governments. Consumers wishing to use Lightspeed's services would purchase their service from one of Lightspeed's direct customers.

The company said financing still needed to be finalized. If Telesat is successful, that would make the company the latest seeking to offer satellite-based internet services. The most well-known one perhaps is
SpaceX's Starlink service which is already serving parts of North America. Project Kuiper (KIE-PURR) has also announced it is moving forward but has
had no launches yet.

(FORTUNE MAGAZINE)

**

RSBG ANNOUNCES AWARD-WINNERS

STEPHEN:/ANCHOR: The Radio Society of Great Britain has announced the
winners of its construction competition held during lockdown and Jeremy
Boot, G4NJH, has the results.

JEREMY: The Radio Society of Great Britain has announced the winners of
the construction competition held for projects created during the autumn
2020 lockdown, the Christmas and New Year holiday period and the early
part of this year.

Response exceeded the society's expectations and the decision was made to
name four winners instead of one.

Congratulations to: first-prize winner Gordon Lean, G3WJG ; runner-up Paul Graham, M0PGX; third-prize winner Laurence Fletcher, G4SXH, and to Robert Lynch, M0NVQ, who was chosen as highly commended.

Learn more about their projects in the April RadCom, and on the RSGB
website at the URL given in the written text on the arnewsline.org
website.

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

www.rsgb.services/gota2c-construction-competition].

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
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YOUNGSTERS' FORUM IN IARU REGION LOOKS AT SOTA, IOTA, WWFF

PAUL/ANCHOR: Who doesn't want to get outdoors? Young hams in IARU Region 1
are making plans to do just that and holding an online forum, as we hear
from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: Summits on the Air, Islands On the Air, Worldwide Flora and Fauna and other radio-friendly outdoor activities will be the focus of discussion
among young amateurs during the next YOTA Online session this month. It's being held by the Youth Working Group of IARU Region 1. The programme will begin at 1900 UTC on Thursday, the 25th of February. This episode is
called "Gone exploring" and shares different ways to enjoy outdoor activations. The Youth Working Group Chair Philipp Springer, DK6SP, writes
on the ham-yota.com website that, as with previous episodes in the series, there will be a question-and-answer period afterwards.

YOTA Online is a monthly presentation by Region 1's youngest amateurs. The events are livestreamed on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook and the organisers
are also hoping to stream the proceedings via the QO-100 geostationary satellite in DATV mode.

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

(IARU REGION 1 WEBSITE)

**

U.S. HAMS RESPOND TO WINTER WEATHER EXTREMES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Recent weather extremes throughout much of the United States
put hams' preparedness to the test, as we hear from Randy Sly, W4XJ.

RANDY: Sleet, winter storms and other severe weather systems plus power
and telecommunications outages challenged hams across the nation, even as temperatures fell to record lows in parts of the U.S. South. Arctic
conditions prevailed through much of the central region of the country as well. The ARRL's emergency response director Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW, reported
on the league website that an ARES net was set up in Texas to track
rolling blackouts taking place as the power grid there became overwhelmed
by customer demand. The net also handled health and welfare needs and
vehicle accident reports. Hams responded to similar conditions as well in Alabama where the Section Emergency Coordinator David Gillespie, W4LHQ,
also reported on the league website that the region was dealing with power outages and temperatures below freezing. Although not every region
activated an ARES group, hams were standing by just in case as the threat
of the return of severe weather hung over many regions.

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

(ARRL)

**

AUSTRALIAN HAM GROUP HELPS MEMBERS SOLVE ACMA ADDRESS REQUIREMENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Australia, one radio group has directed its problem-
solving toward hams unable to fulfill the regulator's requirement for a permanent address. Here's Robert Broomhead, VK3DN, with more.

ROBERT: The ACMA's requirement that hams in Australia provide a public
postal address to be certified and licensed left some amateurs with a
dilemma: they do not have a fixed address at the moment because they have
been traveling or are perhaps in a vulnerable segment of the population.
Leave it to amateur radio ingenuity and problem-solving to resolve this
issue. The Pride Radio Group, created last year as a welcoming
organisation for amateur radio operators in the LGBTQ community, has
arranged a free mail redirection service for its members in Australia. It provides a post box address that can be publicly listed and is separate
from the address of the ham's QTH. The radio group's founder Michaela (Mick-EYE-ALE-A) Wheeler VK3FUR/VK4XSS, said Pride is providing the mail redirection service free to its members with the help of the provider HotSnail. Michaela said members receive an address to use on their registration paperwork. If mail arrives at that address, HotSnail scans it
and forwards it to the email address the ham has provided. While this
service cannot be used for QSL cards, Michaela said it does solve the
address problem for the ACMA's required paperwork.

Michaela said that because Pride Radio Group operates as a virtual entity, using HotSnail made the most sense because the service can be managed remotely.

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

(MICHAELA WHEELER VK3FUR/VK4XSS)

**

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP SENSITIVE, EFFICIENT TERAHERTZ DETECTOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: Researchers in Moscow have developed a terahertz detector
with unprecedented sensitivity and it shows promise in several areas of science. Jack Parker, W8ISH, has the details.

JACK: A development from researchers in Moscow has presented what
researchers consider good prospects for radio astronomy, wireless communications, medical diagnostics and security systems. It involves the
use of something called quantum-mechanical tunneling in graphene. The scientists have used it to create a highly sensitive terahertz detector.
This solves the problem of inefficiency when mobile systems make use of extremely high frequencies beyond the traditional ones used today. Most transistors in use today in typical wireless receivers aren't fast enough
to recharge at those frequencies: Wi-Fi receivers typically use signals at about 5 GHz and 5G mobile can transmit as high as 20 GHz - but going much higher usually poses a challenge.

What researchers in Moscow and the University of Manchester have created
is a device much more sensitive to those in commercial use now, which are based on semiconductors and superconductors. In this new development, the application of even very low voltage to the control contact or gate in a tunneling transistor aligns energy levels of the source and channel, permitting current to flow.

On the website Phys.Org, one of the Moscow researchers, Dennis Bandurin writes: [quote] "The current characteristics give rise to great hopes for
the creation of fast and sensitive detectors for wireless communications." [endquote]

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

(PHYS.ORG)
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SILENT KEY: JAMES GOLDEN KD0AES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular net control operator with the Handiham Program
for disabled amateurs has become a Silent Key. Christian Cudnik, K0STH,
tells us about him.

CHRISTIAN: James Golden, KD0AES, a Life Member of the Handiham Program,
was perhaps best known as net control for the Tuesday Handiham Radio
Club net, a busy gathering place for disabled amateurs like him.
According to his obituary in the Nevada Daily Mail, the Nevada, Missouri
radio operator, who had cerebral palsy, brought such enthusiasm to his
on-air responsibilities that at one point he served as net control for
three nets a week. Grateful for his skill in handling busy traffic in an always-polite manner, a number of amateurs pooled their money to
purchase a Handiham Life Membership for him.

James continued with his activity until two weeks before his death on
December 9th. James Golden, who was 46, died of COVID-19.

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

(HANDIHAM, NEVADA DAILY MAIL)

**

SILENT KEY: LOGGING SOFTWARE DEVELOPER DAVE PRUETT K8CC

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We also report the death of NA Contest Logging Software Developer Dave Pruett, K8CC. Dave became a Silent Key on the 29th of
December. A chairman of the Michigan QSO Party and a log-checker for the ARRL's 10-meter and 160-meter contests, Dave's most widely known
contributions were perhaps in the area of contest log development. Early
on, he was the developer of a program for RadioShack computers that
checked logs for duplicate contacts. He also created the NA contest
logging software which is capable of handling a number of contests. He
was also a former editor of the National Contest Journal.

Dave was 66.

(ARRL)

**

SILENT KEY: FORMER RAC PRESIDENT FARRELL (HOPPY) HOPWOOD VE7RD

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An influential member of the Canadian Amateur Radio
Community has become a Silent Key. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us about
his long career.

JOHN: Farrell Hopwood, VE7RD, who had been president of RAC, and a
member of the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, has become a Silent
Key. Known as Hoppy, he died on December 8th. The son of a telegrapher
father and a Teletype-operator mother, Hoppy began his long career in telecommunications in his native British Columbia in 1948. In 1955,
Hoppy became an amateur radio operator with the call sign VE7AHB. Those
who attended Expo 86 in Vancouver saw the amateur radio station and
exhibit there that was created by Hoppy and his team. An avid DXer, he
was also involved in VHF/UHF linking and packet.

Hoppy became an early member of the Canadian Radio Relay League and the Canadian Amateur Radio Federation, rising through its ranks into
leadership. He also became involved in key discussions to merge the two organisations into the RAC. Hoppy later became president of the RAC,
retiring from the post in 1998 after serving three terms.

He was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2015.

Hoppy was 91.

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

(RAC)

**

NOVA SCOTIA CONTEST WEATHERS THE STORM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A recent winter contest hosted by one Canadian amateur
radio club turned out to be a disaster -- and the members couldn't have
been happier. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has those details.

KEVIN: The Halifax Amateur Radio Club called their contest the "2-Meter
Get on the Air Winter Event," and it was designed to challenge the hams' ability to stay connected in the face of an emergency. For four hours on January 2nd, it was a dry run for disaster for John Bignell, VE1JMB, the club's director-at-large, and 50 or so other club members. It also
turned out to be a frozen run: the contest went forward despite a heavy snowfall that covered much of Nova Scotia. John, who is also an EHS
Advance Care Paramedic, said the contest underscored the need for hams
to have a reliable communications network when disaster strikes, as it
did in 2017 when Bell Aliant suffered a connection outage of landlines
and cellphones in Eastern Canada.

John told the Saltwire Network website that the contest was also about
having fun but it's important to remember too that when the Red Cross,
rescue teams or ground-search personnel need communications backup, hams should be there and ready. That makes everyone a winner in every
contest.

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

(JOHN BIGNELL VE1JMB)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
N2XPM repeater in Cedarhurst, New York, on Saturdays, at noon local
time.

**

HAMCATION NAMES NEIL RAPP WB9VPG 'EDUCATOR OF YEAR'

JIM/ANCHOR: This next story is a personal one, celebrating one member
of our Newsline family. Our anchor and correspondent, Neil Rapp,
WB9VPG, who teaches high school chemistry in Indiana, has been named
Carole Perry Educator of the Year by Orlando HamCation. Newsline
editor Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, spoke to Neil about his commmitment
to amateur radio education.

CARYN: Licensed since the age of 5, Neil Rapp knows better than most
of us that ham radio is the best teacher.

NEIL: Especially when I got into high school, ham radio helped me
understand science. When I got to Chemistry, when everybody else was
having a hard time, I already knew my metric system, when I got to
Physics, I already knew Ohm's law -- because I did all of that when I
was 5.

CARYN: Those early lessons became the foundation for the path his life
took as sponsor of school ham clubs, in the ARRL Teacher Institute and
as one of the founders and camp director of Youth on the Air for IARU
Region 2. For Neil, ham radio doesn't get old -- it gets YOUNG.

NEIL: Yeah, we do have youth in ham radio, and we do have kids doing
great things with it. There are some opportunities to make sure this continues. It amazes me that the kids that are really into CW at a
time when a lot of people didn't want to learn CW and that's what kept
them out of the hobby. They're also into all these cool new digital
modes that are becoming more efficient and setting the pace for the
commercial radio industry and cell phones and public service and all
the digital stuff. A lot of that came from ham radio.

CARYN: His next project? A Youth on the Air mini-camp that mixes
science with the science of socializing.

NEIL: What we are trying to do is build some of those social
connections between the kids and that's why there is a lot of YOTA
time that's at an amusement park, at Dave & Buster's, at this place
and that place that may not have a thing to do with ham radio because
it's social interaction time. The whole YOTA thing isn't just learning
about radio and learning about technology; it's getting the social
aspect there so that kids know other kids. We have seen in Europe that perpetuates the hobby. That keeps the kids in the hobby.

CARYN: So congratulations Neil. Your well-deserved Carole Perry trophy
will now sit beside your autographed oscillator from Carole's Youth
Forum at Hamvention.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT.

**

COUNTDOWN TO PLUTO'S BIG ANNIVERSARY

JIM/ANCHOR: Whether or not you still think of Pluto as a planet, its
discovery is still something to celebrate. Randy Sly, W4XJ, tells us
why.

RANDY: The Northern Arizona DX Association is about to launch the
first event in its 10-year special event countdown to the 100th
anniversary of its discovery in the Kuiper (KY-PURR) Belt. Be
listening for club members operating between February 13th and the
21st as W7P. They'll be at the Lowell Observatory from which Pluto was
first spotted and their home QTHs. One of the operators will be Doug
Tombaugh, N3PDT, nephew of Pluto's discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh. He will
operate as W7P/0.

There will be special QSL cards each year leading up to the 100th
anniversary event. A certificate with endorsement stickers for each of
the 10 years of the special event and for a contact with Doug and his
team will be available later as well, Visit the QRZ.COM page for more
details.

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

(QRZ)
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UK TV CHANNEL RECOUNTS AMATEUR'S NOTORIOUS, BRUTAL KILLING

NEIL/ANCHOR: The notorious killing of an amateur radio operator in the
UK was revisited recently, for TV viewers of a special three-part series. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about it.

JEREMY: The brutal murder story, broadcast over a three-day period on the
UK's ITV channel, was no fictional drama. The episodes, which were
transmitted between Monday 11th and Wednesday 13th January, recount the
killing in June 1989 of Oxfordshire radio amateur Peter Dixon, G0HFQ,
and his wife, Gwenda. The couple were on holiday in Pembrokeshire, South
West Wales, where Peter had been operating as GW0HFO/M.

The two were found dead, shot at point-blank range within half a mile of
their campsite on 5th July. The Radio Society of Great Britain was asked
by police to put out a QST, asking amateurs to check their logbooks
between the 29th June, and the 5th July, police believing that Peter had
made a contact with another mobile station on 28 MHz on the morning of Wednesday 28th June. They were looking for clues, any clues at all.

Still, it took years of detective work, before the case ended with an
arrest and conviction: John Cooper, a former farm labourer, was found
guilty of the killings in 2011. In an odd twist to the story, Cooper
himself had appeared on ITV on a popular game show - just days before
robbing and shooting the ham radio operator and his wife.

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

(ITV WEBSITE, 73 MAGAZINE/OCTOBER 1989)

**

CALIFORNIA HAMS DEDICATE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY

NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, one amateur radio club gave a big thank-you
to one of their own, in the form of a special honor. Ralph Squillace,
KK6ITB, tells us what happened.

RALPH: The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club values its resources: They
include a state-of-the-art communications facility atop a reservoir in
Santa Barbara County, California - and they include Bill Talanian, W1UUQ,
the ham who helped secure funding to make it a reality. Bill, a former
trustee of the 150-member club, has been doing that kind of volunteer
work for more than four decades.

Earlier this month, the club held a formal dedication of the facility,
naming it the Talanian Communications Facility. Such a facility provides
the kind of ability club members need to respond to communities in
crisis, as they did in 2017, when the Thomas Fire ripped through Ventura
and Santa Barbara Counties. Club members helped pass traffic for
emergency responders. The club also has a mobile rover vehicle, as well
as emergency radio communications stations at the Santa Barbara chapter
of the American Red Cross, and the Santa Barbara County Office of
Emergency Management.

Club members told the website Noozhawk that Bill played a key role in
securing funds for the facility atop the Vic Trace Reservoir. Hams have considered it the hub of their communications network since 2011.

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

(NOOZHAWK)

**

HAMS SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS AT INDIAN RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE

NEIL/ANCHOR: An annual religious pilgrimage in India once again had the
support of a local amateur radio club which, this year, also made use
of a satellite. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, gives us that report.

JIM: The callsign AT2GSI wasn't your average DX. It was being used
between the 9th and the 19th of January, by members of the West Bengal
Radio Club in India, where hams were calling QRZ from Sagar Island,
designated IOTA AS-153. There was a lot more to this activation,
however. The hams were also present on the island, as they always are
during the annual Hindu pilgrimage, to where the Bay of Bengal meets the
river Ganges. Using HTs and a ground station for the Qatar OSCAR 100
satellite, made them even more capable this year of keeping emergency
support communications open. More than 700,000 pilgrims had already
arrived there by January 14th.

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

(MILLENIUM POST)

**

RSGB NOMINATIONS DUE BY JAN. 31

NEIL/ANCHOR: Time is running out for nominations for the Radio Society
of Great Britain's elections. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that story.

JEREMY: Changes are ahead for the Radio Society of Great Britain, which
is accepting nominations for its elections. The society is seeking
candidates for president, one elected board director, and one
representative each, in Regions 2, 6, and 12. Results will be announced
at the annual general meeting on April 24th, where President Dave Wilson,
M ZERO OBW (M0OBW) is to retire, following three years in that post
during his current tenure, which is his second term. That meeting will
be held virtually.

The RSGB positions are voluntary. Interested amateurs can learn more
about these positions, or how to nominate a candidate, by visiting the
website rsgb dot org stroke election (rsgb.org/election). Nominations
are due no later than January 31st.

Meanwhile, the RSGB board has appointed veteran BBC broadcaster Steve
Richards, G4HPE, to fill the vacant post of GB2RS News Broadcast
manager. Steve's voice is familiar to many listeners as a newsreader on
the GB2RS report.

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

(RSGB)
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TOWERING VICTORY FOR VERMONT AMATEUR

DON/ANCHOR: A New England ham's battle to put up radio towers is over and
at last, he can start construction. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, tells us what
it took for him to win his case.

KENT: Zach Manganello, K1ZK, may well consider himself the recipient of a towering victory in every sense of those words. The longtime amateur spent
the greater part of 2020 defending his proposal to install two radio
towers on his property the rural part of Vermont. Last summer, neighbors objected to his original proposal for the 84-foot towers saying they were
too high and were damaging to their views. Zach downsized his plans and
tried again.

He even conducted visual impact tests floating a balloon to simulate the height of the tower to ensure neighbors' views would remain unaffected.
This month, the Telecommunications Review Board of the Town of Shelburne granted Zach the right to go ahead with two towers, one at 40 feet and the other 60 feet, both supported by guy wires.

According to a report in the Burlington Free Press, the local board
decided to give its support to Zach's tower project after being convinced
that having backup emergency communications in the neighborhood was a
local asset. The report said the panel was impressed as well by Zach's willingness to share the educational aspects of amateur radio with the
greater community.

All of this came as the hoped-for good news for Zach, a lifelong radio enthusiast since his childhood in Maine and a ham since the age of 14.

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

(BURLINGTON FREE PRESS)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the WD8IIJ repeater
of the Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club on Fridays at 8 p.m. local
time in the hometown of the late great Dean Martin, Stuebenville, Ohio.

**

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HAMSCI SPACE WEATHER PROJECT

DON/ANCHOR: The space weather project launched by the HamSCI collective
has been getting some pretty prominent notice. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, is
here with the details.

ANDY: Amateur radio's volunteer space weather watchers have been getting
some recognition from the pros lately. A February 9th article in "Eos:
Earth & Space Science News" gives a respectful nod to the space weather
sensor network created worldwide by Ham Radio Science Citizen
Investigation, or HamSCI, a collective created by Nathaniel Frissell,
W2NAF.

The article praises the crowdsourced data hams are able to collect from
radio signals as those signals are influenced by changes in ionospheric propagation. It was co-written by Nathaniel along with David Kazdan, AD8Y,
and Kristina Collins, both of Case Western Reserve University, W8EDU. Eos
is a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

The authors discuss how hams monitor what responses the Earth's atmosphere
has to different solar activity and the activity's impact on telecommunications and electrical utilities, among other things. The
article advocates increased reliance on what hams and their amateur
stations can offer. [quote] They write: "With open-source instrumentation cheaper and more plentiful than ever before, the time is ripe for amateur scientists to take distributed measurements of the ionosphere — and the amateur radio community is up for the challenge.” [end quote]

With support from the National Science Foundation, HamSCI has launched a Personal Space Weather Station project to support hams who wish to collect such data to be used in space science research. Publication of the article comes just weeks before HamSCI's virtual workshop which is being held on
March 19th and 20th.

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

(EOS: EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE NEWS)

**

YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP BEGINS PRIORITY REGISTRATION

DON/ANCHOR: If you know a young radio amateur who can't wait for camp
season, Jack Parker, W8ISH, has some good news for you.

JACK: Organizers have reaffirmed their commitment to hosting this year's
Youth on the Air camp, even as campers from across the Americas who were accepted into last year's cancelled camp are completing priority
registration now. The camp is scheduled to be open in Ohio from July 11th
to the 16th with COVID-19 safety restrictions in place.

Camp director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, said in an announcement that a final
decision will be made in April about whether the camp must be postponed
for another year. In the meantime, applications will be accepted in March
for any prospective campers who were not a part of last year's group. The
camp will host a maximum of 30 youngsters.

Neil wrote: [quote] "We are truly hopeful that we can proceed with the
camp this summer. We have some exciting plans! We are also looking at an operating event in the summer. Stay tuned." [endquote]

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

(YOTA AMERICAS CAMP)
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SARL PARTNERSHIP TO ASSIST KENYA'S NEWEST HAMS

DON/ANCHOR: Hams in South Africa are partnering with hams in Kenya to
help that nation's newest amateurs. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, brings us that
story.

JIM: The Communication Authority of Kenya has approved a memorandum of understanding that will allow the South African Radio League to assist
the Radio Society of Kenya by administering the technical parts of the
amateur licence exam. Regulator approval of the agreement was announced
in late February. The memorandum outlines how the Kenyan radio society
will continue to administer the regulations and operating procedure
portions but states that the South African group will conduct online
courses for training of the Kenyan amateurs and provide the training
manuals and presentation material as well. The arrangement, which had
been worked out during the past six months, can now go forward. SARL has similar agreements in place with Namibia and Botswana.

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

(SARL NEWS BULLETIN)

**

AMSAT-DL TRACKS MARS SPACE PROBE

DON/ANCHOR: When it copied signals recently from two space probes near
Mars, AMSAT Germany was listening for a special reason. Ed Durrant,
DD5LP, explains.

ED: AMSAT-DL, which has a long-term goal to launch a space probe to Mars,
has been listening meanwhile to probes from China and the Emirates that
are in orbit around the planet. Using the Bochum Observatory dish at the Sternwarte Bochum Institute, the German AMSAT organisation has copied
signals from Tianwen-1 and EMM/Hope, both of which are transmitting on
8.4 GHz. AMSAT-DL makes use of the dish on a regular basis to receive transmission from the NASA/NOAA weather satellites.

Built in 1965 to provide ground support for the Apollo missions, the dish
was renovated in 2003 with the help of amateur radio operators who added phase-locked receivers in the 2.3 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 10.4 GHz amateur
bands, along with the 8.4 GHz receiver. The dish also has an S-band, 2.4
GHz amateur transmitter with 250 watts PEP output. The dish, which is 20 -metres, or 65.6 feet, in diameter, copied signals from Voyager 1 in
2006.

AMSAT Germany's plan for a probe of its own dates to 2002, when
preparations began for a way to circle Mars, conduct experiments and
leave a payload on the planet's surface. Scientists hope the German P5-A
probe will be capable of transmitting on amateur radio frequencies
receivable on Earth using a 2- to 3-metre parabolic antenna.

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

(AMSAT-DL)

**

HAMS IN BRAZIL CHALLENGE REGULATOR'S LACK OF RESPONSE

DON/ANCHOR: Hams in Brazil have challenged the nation's regulator, saying
its lack of response is keeping hams off the air. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has
that story.

JEREMY: Brazil's amateur radio society LABRE has told the nation's communications regulator ANATEL that problems communicating with them and their website have been standing in the way of many who wish to operate legally on the ham bands.

In a letter dated the 23rd February, the radio organisation LABRE
acknowledged that the recent introduction of online licence testing had
eased some of the difficulties in getting on the air but hams are now
thwarted by the bureaucracy they face in order to complete the process.
The letter cited excessive days waiting and a lack of communication from ANATEL. LABRE said that these difficulties have been reported by newly licensed amateurs as well as those qualifying for upgrades.

In a report of the letter, which appeared on Southgate Amateur Radio
News, there had been no immediate response from the Brazilian regulator.

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

(SOUTHGATE)

**

OPEN REGISTRATION BEGINS FOR YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP

DON/ANCHOR: It's time to think about amateur radio camp - and the
application period is now open for young hams throughout North, Central,
and South America. The Youth on the Air camp will take place from July
11th through July 16th at the National Voice of America Museum in West Chester, Ohio and will welcome as many as 30 campers ages 15 through 25. Scholarships are available for those who cannot afford the $100 camp fee.
The window to apply closes on March 21st at 2359 UTC. For details or to download a brochure visit YouthOnTheAir.org

Organizers will announce in April whether camp needs to be rescheduled in response to COVID-19 restrictions but for now the plans are going
forward.

**

NOMINATE A YOUNG HAM FOR NEWSLINE'S AWARD

DON/ANCHOR: Speaking of young hams, we have opened the nomination period
for our annual Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline
Young Ham of the Year award. Think of a young amateur whose commitment to community and whose enthusiasm for radio has inspired you and others and submit their name. Nominees must 18 or younger living in the United
States, its possessions or any Canadian province. Downloadable nomination forms can be found on our website arnewsline.org
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COVID CONCERNS MODIFY IARU REGION 1 YOUTH EVENTS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Concerns over COVID-19 have altered some plans for
young amateurs in IARU Region 1, as we learn from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: While planning remains carefully optimistic in the United
States for the first youth ham radio camp in the Americas, organisers
elsewhere in IARU Region 1's Youth Working Group have announced a
modified schedule in response to COVID-19 measures. In-person IARU
Region 1 youth events on the calendar before the end of June will
not take place, and any activities set for later in the year are
subject to review as conditions evolve. Youngsters on the Air in
Region 1 has meanwhile been hosting a number of online workshops
including a recent session on SOTA, WorldWide Flora and Fauna, and
other outdoor operating activities.

The announcement by Alex, IV3KKW, on the IARU Region 1 website,
noted that the rollout of vaccines will be monitored, as will the
development of further variants of the coronavirus. Events on the
calendar for the second half of the year will remain in place for
the time being.

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

(IARU, SOUTHGATE)

**

SPECIAL EVENT STATION TO HELP AILING AMATEUR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In a special event station getting under way on
March 13, hams are reaching out to help one of their own. Dave
Parks, WB8ODF, tells us about it.

DAVE: Amateur radio operators around the country are joining
Christian Cudnik, K0STH, and Alexander Valladares (pronounced:
Via - dar - us), W7HU, in a seven-day special event on the bands
to highlight the urgent need facing fellow amateur Phil Ross,
AB8PR, who is in need of a kidney from a live donor.

Special event station K4P - which stands for Kidney For Phil -
will be operating on 17, 20, 40, and 80 meters, from March 13
to March 20, sharing the story of the Michigan grandfather,
who is in end stage renal failure. The hams will be calling QRZ
on single sideband and in FT8. Special event QSL cards and a
downloadable digital certificate will be available for confirmed
contacts.

Phil has been told that unless a matching kidney can be located
from a living donor soon, he will require dialysis, a time-consuming intervention that is not considered a cure. For details on the
special event, visit the QR Zed page for K4P. Cudnik and Valladares
have also been focusing attention on Phil's situation on their
respective YouTube channels, "100 Watts and a Wire" and "W7HU Alex."

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

**

HAMVENTION AWARD-WINNERS ANNOUNCED

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Hamvention Awards Committee has announced this
year's honorees and one of our Newsline colleagues is a recipient.
Here's Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, with the details.

KEVIN: Congratulations to Newsline's own Science Editor, Tamitha
Mulligan Skov, WX6SWW, winner of the Technical Achievement award
from the Hamvention Awards Committee. Tamitha was among those chosen
for this year's honors by Hamvention co-chairs Michael Kalter, W8CI,
and Frank Beaford, WS8B, who called her [quote] "a real space pioneer." [endquote]

Newsline listeners know her from her solar weather reports here, as
well as on HamNation, YouTube, the Weather and History channels, and
for her work in the MIT Technology Review and in Popular Science
magazine. Licensed since 2018, Tamitha is a research scientist for
the Aerospace Corporation, and has also been an instructor at Contest University numerous times. The Hamvention co-chairs wrote: [quote]
"She is always seeking new ways to bring an awareness of Space Weather
and its effects into the mainstream, and hopes to herald in a new era
of TV weather broadcasting before the end of Solar Cycle 25."
[endquote]

Honors are also being given to Wesley Lamboley, W3WL, who is
receiving the Special Achievement Award for his work in youth
coaching, membership recruiting and technical problem assistance.
Angel M. Vazquez, WP3R, is receiving the Amateur of the Year Award,
for his work as one of the principal support engineers at the Arecibo
parabolic dish antenna that was operational in Puerto Rico until its
collapse late last year. Club of the Year has been given to the Vienna
Wireless Society, K4HTA, for its educational efforts and public service
for 58 years in the Washington, D.C. area.

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

(HAMVENTION.ORG, QRZ.COM)

**

GRANTS AVAILABLE FROM CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Digital Communications, a California
nonprofit foundation that supports technical innovation, is
encouraging individuals and organizations with projects involving
digital communication and amateur radio to apply for grants.

Executive director Rosy Wolfe, KJ7RYV, said philanthropic grants
are given to schools, universities, public charities, and others
involved in nonprofit endeavors, who submit a request. The subject
areas may also also include internet technologies, and the
communication sciences. Past recipients have included the Foundation
for Amateur Radio, the Chippewa Valley Amateur Radio Club, the ARRL
Foundation, and the Hoopa Valley Tribe.

For more details, visit the website ampr.org

(AMPR)
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STARLINK FLEET ADDS 60 NEW SATELLITES

NEIL/ANCHOR: High up above the Earth, the Starlink fleet of satellites is growing, and Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us about the newest additions.

JIM: Sixty additional internet satellites were added to the Starlink fleet after a March 11th launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The
satellites, however, weren't the only things of interest on board. A number
of radio enthusiasts have been reporting on reddit.com, Hackaday and
similar websites that they were able to receive the Falcon 9 spacecraft's telemetry downlink on 2232.5 MHz. Some of the innovators reported that they were able to demodulate the signal, convert it into binary data and then
plain text. Two hackers in particular were reported to have received the transmissions using a repurposed satellite dish and an open source SDR peripheral known as a HackRF.

Of course, while they were all listening and decoding, most of the rest of
us were simply waiting to learn that in the skies just 180 miles south of
New Zealand, 60 newcomers now raised the total of the Starlink fleet to
total to 1,265 satellites.

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

(HACKADAY)

**

CONTACT THE 'LAST MAN STANDING' SPECIAL EVENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Just a reminder: Don't forget to get on the air between March 24th and March 30th as the amateur radio community says "thanks" and
"goodbye" to American TV's popular "Last Man Standing" show which put
amateur radio back in prime time with main character Mike Baxter, KA0XTT.

The show is ending its 9-year run. Be listening for special event station KA6LMS as operators coast-to-coast in the U.S. and in Canada call QRZ. If you're near your radio anywhere in the world be listening on SSB, CW, FT8, DSTAR, DMR, YSF, Satellite, Echolink, AllStar and more. For details visit
the website g s b a r c dot o r g slash l m s (gsbarc.org/lms)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K6SIS repeater
in Siskiyou County, California on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. local time.

**

RADIO PROVIDES TRAFFIC REPORTS FOR COVID VACCINATIONS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Do you remember last week's report about a Washington, D.C., Traffic Information Station that was broadcasting a highway advisory that
was 8 years old? We are happy to report this week that a similar low-power
AM radio station in another U.S. city was used to broadcast an especially timely message, directing people to a drive-through clinic to get their COVID-19 vaccine. The message went out on 1630 AM in Denver, Colorado, transmitting prerecorded information in English and Spanish. It helped thousands of older Colorado residents arrive for their appointments at
Coors Field, where 10,000 doses were given out.

(RADIO WORLD)

**

UK AMATEURS QUICK TO WELCOME 'SLOW CW'

NEIL/ANCHOR: A group of hams in the UK believes that slow CW provides the
fast track to improving skills in code. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains.

JEREMY: Their numbers are not quite 500 strong but these CW enthusiasts are hoping to attract new members and change all that: They are radio amateurs living primarily in the UK — and when they send CW, they send it slowly.
The group is known on Facebook as "SLOW CW UK" but despite its base of operations in the UK, anyone from anywhere in the world is welcome to join.

The hams meet most evenings on or near 3.555 MHz between 1930 and 2030 UTC
and can often be heard calling "CW SLOW," sending at about 10 words per minute. Their goal isn't just to have a QSO but to improve sending and communications skills.

Visit the Facebook page "SLOW CW UK" for more details.

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

(FACEBOOK)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K6TZ repeater
in Santa Barbara, California, on Wednesdays, at 7 p.m. local time.

**

NETS OF NOTE: THE FOOD NET

JIM/ANCHOR: Our occasional series, Nets of Note, turns to another popular obsession among amateur radio operators. You guessed it: food. Here's Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

PAUL: This time on "Nets Of Note," we bring you the Food Net, started by
Daryl Stout, WX4QZ. As evidenced by the fact that any time a group of hams
get together, there will be food involved, this is one net that should
appeal to all of us. I asked Stout to tell me more.

STOUT: Food Net was founded on the premise that "H.A.M." stands for "Have Another Meal" and you don't call us Late For Dinner. And on some nets when some hams talk about what's cooking...invariably, one will chime in with something like, "I'll be there in 5 minutes!!"

Before COVID-19, food was a major part of hamfests and Field Day, and hopefully these activities will be able to resume.

The net itself discusses cuisines, recipes, meals, cooking methods, et
cetera. The bottom line is that everyone has to eat.

One ham said his wife marinated pork chops in an Instant Pot with Coca-Cola and cooking them. He said they were the best pork chops he had ever eaten.

The Net meets on the Quadnet Array on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 4PM Eastern. For details go to https://openquad.net for connection options via D-Star, DMR, WIRES-X, and Fusion.

PAUL: The next net will be on Saturday, April 17th. Stout said that if you
go to the website referenced on his QRZ page, you can find spreadsheets
with information on many other nets that he's involved with.

Now, please excuse me while I go eat dinner. For Amateur Radio Newsline,
I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**

HAMS TO ASSIST AT POLLING STATIONS IN REMOTE AREAS

JIM/ANCHOR: In West Bengal, India, amateurs will be bringing their radios
to some polling stations at election time. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us
why.

JIM M: Just as they did in 2016 and 2019, amateur radio operators in West Bengal, India are assisting at polling stations in remote locations to help with reporting votes to the Election Commission. The commission has
accepted the offer from the West Bengal Radio Club to relay results in
areas lacking a strong mobile communications network. The hams' involvement recently won approval from the Wireless Planning and Communication Wing of
the Department of Telecommunications located within the Ministry of Communications. Amateur radio is regulated by the ministry. According to
club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, 30 hams will be deployed to a total 130 polling stations in the Sunderbans area which is a remote part of Bengal. They will be using the special call sign AU2ECI, between March 29th through to April 1st. All the participants assisting with communications
have received training from the Indian Academy of Communication and
Disaster Management. Votes are to be counted on May 2nd.

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

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS VU2JFA, TIMES OF INDIA, MILLENNIUM POST)

**

SUMMIT AWARD SCHEME EXPANDS TO SOUTHERN GERMANY

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're hearing this newscast this in southern Germany, get ready for a new operating challenge coming your way starting April 5th. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has those details.

ED: The mountain award scheme known as HEMA is about to arrive in southern Germany. Created 10 years ago in the UK, it appeals to hams interested in
the range of operating challenges that exist between the Global Mountain
Award and Summits on the Air schemes. In fact, HEMA hams are more
interested in achieving interesting contacts with or between summits than merely collecting points. Inclusion of the new Alpine "DL" area means that
any hams interested in getting their first contact as a chaser or activator should be near their radios on Easter Monday, the 5th of April onwards. For rules, see the HEMA webpage at hema dot org dot uk (hema.org.uk)/ where you can register and access the spotting page. Then, keep your eye out for activations of those newly authorised summits.

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

**

SOYUZ ROCKET DEPLOYS NEW AMATEUR SATELLITES

JIM/ANCHOR: Fourteen new amateur radio satellites are in orbit following
their launch on March 22nd from Kazakhstan. They were deployed by a Soyuz rocket. All are operating on bands allocated to the amateur satellite
service and have been coordinated by the IARU Satellite Frequency
Coordination Panel. Three other satellites launched with them: KMSL from Korea, UNISAT-7 and WildTrackCube-Simba from the University of Rome -- do
not have amateur missions.

(SOUTHGATE, AMSAT-UK)
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AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR SEEKS INPUT ON 5-YEAR PLAN

NEIL/ANCHOR: Do you have an opinion on radio spectrum use in Australia?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority wants to hear from you. Here's John Williams, VK4JJW.

JOHN: The ACMA is looking for input on a draft of its five-year spectrum
plan, a key document that will guide its priorities in allocating and
managing frequencies in the years ahead. The proposed changes are being
drawn up in consultation with members of the telecommunications industry, radio hobbyists and others in the community. This is the first such draft
to be created under the Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform
and Modernisation) Act 2020.

Priorites are expected to be heavily impacted by the ACMA's goal to support deployment of 5G services throughout Australia. A review is also ongoing to replace apparatus licences with non-assigned amateur licensing arrangements
as a way of keeping licensees' costs affordable and to reduce the burden on regulators. The ACMA has a number of options for replacing the current apparatus licence but prefers the establishment of non-assigned amateur and outpost stations under a class licence. The agency also plans to review the prospect of creating licences for higher-power operations and intends to consult with the amateur community on this issue.

Feedback may be submitted to the ACMA no later than April the 28th.

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

(ACMA)

**

UTAH AMATEURS CELEBRATE CENTENNIAL

NEIL/ANCHOR: The Ogden Amateur Radio Club, one of Utah's oldest ham radio clubs, bears the call sign of its founder Dr. W. Glen Garner, W7SU. He
became its first president shortly after its founding 100 years ago this
May.

The club is marking its centennial with an array of activities, including a special event station in May and a centennial QSL card contest for its members. Newsline congratulates the Ogden amateurs on 100 great years.

(OARC WEBSITE)

**

IARU REGION 1 EYES INVOLVEMENT BY YOUNGER GENERATION

NEIL/ANCHOR: IARU Region 1 is assessing its future and hoping for a younger perspective. Here's Ed Durrant, DD5LP, to tell us what's up next.

ED: Faced with eroding enrollment in many of its member societies, IARU
Region 1 has begun organising a workshop on keeping amateur radio vibrant
as its licensees age. Discussions about the workshop were held at its
General Conference on March 24. The workshop itself will be held in October
of this year, hosted by the Serbian Amateur Radio Society. If COVID restrictions are still in place at the time, the workshop will be conducted virtually instead.

Participants are particularly concerned about the lack of top leadership
among amateurs 35 and younger. The committee wrote on the IARU website: [quote] "The IARU Region 1 Executive Committee shares that it's time for change and we need to start moving forward. Working together and changing
the current trends. We need to focus our thinking and way of operating." [endquote]

Towards that end, the committee said it was committed to bringing new
people into the discussion.

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

(IARU REGION 1)

**

MISSILE RANGE DEEMED VULNERABLE TO INTERFERENCE

NEIL/ANCHOR: RF control links being used at 420 and 430 MHz to set up a
linked repeater system in New Mexico are being cited as potential sources
of interference to critical systems at the nearby White Sands Missile
Range, the largest open air test range of the United States Department of Defense. The department's Regional Spectrum Coordinator, the FCC and the
ARRL worked together to track down the amateur radio communications, which were discovered to come from the repeater system's RF control links on 70 centimetres. Amateur radio is a secondary service on the band. The owners
of the control links have been asked to re-coordinate the frequencies by
May 31st.

(SOUTHGATE, ARRL)

**

NEW ZEALAND YOUTH NET EXPANDS ITS REACH

NEIL/ANCHOR: A popular net among the youngest amateurs in New Zealand just
got a little bigger and a little more ambitious. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells
us how they're growing.

JIM: Like everything that starts out in life young and small, the net
formerly known as Young Transmitters New Zealand has grown up. It has rebranded and expanded to become the YOTA Oceania Net. The net's founder Thomas Bernard, ZL3TOM, announced the change in a recent newsletter,
telling Newsline that the net is now run in partnership with Youngsters on
the Air, recognising that participants hope to connect with other hams in
more regions than before. The net is held Mondays at 0600 UTC on All-Star
and Echolink. Tom uses the special event callsign ZL6YOTA during the net to encourage more young amateurs to check in.

For more information about the net, and ways to join this growing
community, visit his website at zl3tom dot com [zl3tom.com]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
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CONTEST FOR YOUNG HAMS MAKES DEBUT IN REGION 1

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Youth Working Group of the IARU Region 1 has announced a
new contest, as we hear from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: Young amateurs in IARU Region 1 are hoping for a big turnout in May
for the debut of the YOTA contest, an initiative designed to get more young amateurs on the air around the world. The 12-hour competition will be held three times a year, with the first one happening on the 22nd of May. There
are eight categories, including ones for hams 25 and younger and the
contest exchange will be the operators' ages.  Activity will be on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10-metre bands in CW and SSB modes. The later contests will be
in July and December.

The Youth Working Group has arranged the event with the cooperation of the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society. Details are available on the website shown
in this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org.

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

PRINT ONLY: https://ham-yota.com/contest

(YOUTH WORKING GROUP IARU REGION 1)

**

ECHOLINK NET TO MARK WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

PAUL/ANCHOR: Speaking of the IARU, it's almost time to mark its 96th anniversary. The worldwide celebration includes this one happening on Echolink. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us about it.

KEVIN: Like the International Amateur Radio Union itself, one net
celebrating the IARU's founding has undergone plenty of changes since its inception. The net began modestly on Echolink in 2015 when John DeRycke
(Duh Rikey) W2JLD said he noticed there were no celebrations being held in that mode to mark the IARU's founding in Paris in 1925. It has grown in subsequent years to include other modes and extended hours of operation.
This year's net will span 16 hours with 10 to 12 net controllers from
around the world and the special event call sign W7W. Hams will be checking
in on the ROC-HAM Echolink conference node 531091 and on Allstar 2585.
Other conferences will be linked in including the *DODROPIN* NODE 355800, WALES NODE 485040 and the South Wales Digital Group node 676659. Users of
DMR, and the Hamshack Hotline will also be able to check in.

For full details of the celebration, visit the QRZ page for W7W, and to
view the QSL card marking the event.

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

**

TWO-WAY RADIOS HELP NEW ZEALAND SEARCH AND RESCUE

PAUL/ANCHOR: In New Zealand, there's promise for extra search-and-rescue success using drones outfitted with two-way radio. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF,
tells us more.

JIM: Take a highly directional microphone array and processor, a team of drones and a wild landscape with the potential for the danger of getting
lost and you have a promising search-and-rescue communications tool.

At least that's what executives at Dotterel, a company in Auckland, New Zealand are hoping. Outfitting drones with this kind of audio payload is providing two-way radio capability that can conduct search-and-rescue over large areas by hearing people's cries for help. This adds one more tool to
the versatile toolbox of public safety operations which already contains
the ability to use thermal imaging, cellphone signals and visual imagery. According to an article in DroneLife, this radio installation will permit two-way communications with people on the ground calling for aid and who
can provide details of their injuries..

Shawn Edlin, the company's CEO, said in a press release that the
microphones are able to receive highly directional audio on the ground as
the signal remains uncompromised by drone propeller noise and other sounds.

Brandon McCarthy, Auckland search and rescue leader, said audio will
provide an extra capability for the team's operations going forward.

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

(DRONELIFE)

**

CONTEST UNIVERSITY TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY AGAIN

PAUL/ANCHOR: With Hamvention being held virtually again this year, there
are two programs figuring prominently on the calendar. We hear about them
from Stephen Kinford, N8WB.

STEPHEN: Hamvention's Contest University will be held virtually again this year, just like Hamvention itself. Classes get under way at 9 a.m. Eastern Time, or 1300 UTC, Thursday May 20th on Zoom. Registration is free and you
can start signing up from the 20th of April.

Please check contestuniversity.com for updates and a course outline.

Lessons of a different sort continue the next day as Hamvention's 2021
Award winners make 45-minute presentations followed by a Q&A - again, all conducted virtually on Zoom. Presenters are Newsline's science editor
Tamitha Mulligan Skov (SKOVE) WX6SWW, winner of the Technical Achievement Award; Wesley Lamboley W3WL, winner of the Special Achievement Award; Angel Vazquez, WP3R, Amateur of the Year; and the Vienna Wireless Society K4HTA
Club of the Year.

Don't forget the Hamvention QSO Party on Saturday, May 22nd from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. Eastern Time.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, K8WB.

(HAMVENTION)
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WSPR SIGNALS CONFIRM DOOMED AIRLINER'S ROUTE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you think Weak Signal Propagation Reporting is of
great benefit only to hams, guess again - and listen to this story
from Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: The memory of the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is
seared into the memory of many who recall the ill-fated Boeing 777.
The Beijing-bound aircraft vanished somewhere over the Indian Ocean
on the 8th of March in 2014 with 239 people on board. Two separate
searches for wreckage and clues came up empty, although more than 30
pieces of debris have turned up in various places.

Now radio, in the form of Weak Signal Propagation Reporting, or
WSPR, may be offering some clues to its flight path. Hams, of
course, often make use of this one-way, low power transmission mode
created by Princeton physicist Joe Taylor, K1JT to test propagation.
Now it is being used by aviation expert Richard Godfrey of The
Independent Group in the search for the long-missing plane. He said
recently that he believes the aircraft set off eight WSPR tripwires
over the Indian Ocean validating previous flight-path analyses of
drift modeling and Inmarsat satellite data.

According to various news reports, MH370's final moments were in the
southern part of the Indian Ocean, in a spot that can now be more
precisely identified.

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

(SPUTNIK NEWS, AIRLINE RATINGS WEBSITE)

**

COMM ACADEMY'S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE A HIT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A free emergency communications training conference
went virtual for the first time this year and the response was
overwhelming. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, has that report.

CHRISTIAN: Comm Academy, the free annual training conference for
emergency communicators, exceeded its geographic boundaries this
year and in doing so, exceeded expectations. This month's two-day
conference marked the first time it has been held virtually,
allowing for worldwide participation. According to Tim Helming,
WT1M, the number of viewers watching live often exceeded 1400 and
never dropped below 950. The format offered pre-recorded
presentations with live Q&A afterward. Going online allowed the 20-
year-old conference to expand its more traditional regional reach
within the Pacific Northwest community out to a worldwide audience.

Tim told Newsline: [quote] "It was a vast amount of work, but we're
all really pleased with how it came out." [endquote] Although
organizers hope to return to the in-person format next year, Tim
said there is no turning back now on inviting the world to attend
once again and organizers are exploring various options. He told
Newsline: [quote] "It's clear that there's a big hunger out there
for this kind of training and community." [endquote]

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

(TIM HELMING WT1IM)

**

TOP HONORS IN GERMANY FOR PIONEER IN HF, SDR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A businessman, ham radio operator and pioneer in software-defined radio has been honored in Germany for his
achievements. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, gives us the details.

ED: Ulrich Rohde, developer of the SDR technology, has been
recognised in Germany for advancing the use of microwave and high
frequency radio. He has been given the Order of Merit of the Federal
Republic of Germany on the recommendation of Markus S�der,
Minister-President of Bavaria. Ulrich holds the call sign DJ2LR in
Germany, and N1UL in the US.

Ulrich, a respected professor, is a partner in the Munich-based
technology company, Rohde & Schwarz, which deals in HF technologies.
According to the biography on his company website, his many previous
honours include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Club
of America, the Industrial Pioneer Award of the IEEE and the IEEE
Region 1 Award for his work in the design and use of RF technology.

He has been granted numerous honorary professorships and doctorates
around the world. Last year in Germany, a special call sign DL35SDR
was issued, recognizing his presentation 35 years ago of SDR
technology at a conference in 1985. He has also been a leader at
numerous US-based companies, serving as president of the Rohde &
Schwarz USA subsidiary in Fairfield, New Jersey and creating the New Jersey-based Synergy Microwave Corporation in 1985.

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

(DARC, ROHDE & SCHWARTZ WEBSITE)

**

NORWAY AMATEUR LEAGUE HOLDS DIGITAL GENERAL MEETING

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Presentations by radio experts are the highlight of
a convention being hosted virtually in Norway. Let's hear more from
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: A digital HamConvention will be under way between the 18th
and 26th of April in connection with the digital general meeting of
Norway's national amateur radio society, the NRRL. The eight-day
programme includes lectures from amateur radio experts, including
various technical subjects and a presentation on the NRRL's role in
a rescue operation during the December 2020 landslide in a Norwegian
village. For the more adventurous radio operators, there is also a
how-to session from a team of Norwegian DXpeditioners. Additional
details are available in Norwegian on the league's website nrrl.no.

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

(SOUTHGATE)
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2020's YHOTY CHRIS BRAULT KD8YVJ WINS ARDC SCHOLARSHIP

JIM/ANCHOR: Congrats to Amateur Radio Newsline's Young Ham of the Year
for 2020, Chris Brault, KD8YVJ. The ARRL announced that he was among the
more than 200 deserving winners of scholarships through the ARRL
Foundation. Chris is the recipient of a $10,000 Amateur Radio Digital Communications scholarship. Chris will be attending St. Louis University
with a major in Aeronautics and a minor in computer science. He's also
weeks away from earning his private pilot license. We here at Newsline
wish this deserving young amateur all the best.

**

DEADLINE CLOSING FOR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

JIM/ANCHOR: Speaking of the Young Ham of the Year Award, May 31st at
midnight Eastern time is the deadline to submit your nominations for this year's recipient. If you know of an outstanding licensed radio amateur
under the age of 18 in the US, Canada or any of the US possessions,
please download the nomination form from our website, complete it and
email it back to newsline@arnewsline.org

The award will be presented at the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama in
August.

**

CALIFORNIA AMATEURS LAUNCH BOATS ON THE AIR

JIM/ANCHOR: What's better than having boats in the water? Try having
Boats on the Air. Well, one group in California is making it happen. Dave Parks, WB8ODF, explains.

DAVE: In the same tradition as POTA, SOTA, and IOTA, now there's BOTA --
that is, Boats on the Air, an activation that its organizers hope will
set sail as an activity worldwide. The inaugural Boats on the Air is
leaving the dock on Saturday, June 5th, and operators from the San
Francisco Amateur Radio Club will be activating watercraft of all kinds.
For the organizers, including Kent Carter, AJ6NI, the floating shack will
be a sailboat called the Auriah (AH-RYE-AH). Part of the challenge, he
said, is to bring mobile ham radio gear into a marine environment and get
on FM, AM, CW, SSB, digital voice, or digital data modes.

Chasers and activators will be on the air for three hours beginning 2000
UTC. A boat is considered to be activated if it completes four QSOs. The
event website says: [quote] "Join us to activate any moving floating
object on any body of water." [endquote]

In short, that means the boat can be powered by motor, by sail -- even by human effort or....well, use your imagination. In other words, whatever
floats your boat.

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

(KENT CARTER AJ6NI)

**

RADIO SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN CHANGES 50MHz AWARDS

JIM/ANCHOR: Changes are coming to some awards being given by the Radio
Society of Great Britain. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, gives us the details.

JEREMY: The RSGB will be merging the 50MHz 2-Way Countries award and the
50MHz DX Countries award soon, having determined that the two awards significantly duplicate one another. The new award will be released as
the 50MHz Countries award and it will retain the incremental levels of
award present in the two it will replace. Hams who have been working
towards either of the current 50MHz awards will have until the end of
this year to complete them while the RSGB works toward launching the new award.

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

(RSGB)

**

POPULAR D-STAR NET CHANGES CHECK-IN TIME

JIM/ANCHOR: Here in the US, a popular D-STAR Net is starting check-ins
two hours earlier, and has big plans to get involved in emergency
response. Here's Andy Morrison, K9AWM, with those details.

ANDY: The Illinois D-STAR Net is on the move. Starting on Wednesday, June
2nd, it is starting two hours earlier. Hams will be able to check in at 7
p.m. Central Time. Net control Steven Reiners, KC9SIO, told Newsline that
there are two benefits to moving the time of the Net, which meets on
Reflector 51 D. Steven said he is hoping that the move will attract new members, bring back many of the original ones, and fulfil the Net's
original mission to foster conversation among stations throughout the
state. He said the other goal of the move is to have the Net join a
statewide system for emergency communications, eventually attracting the participation by hams in all 102 counties.

Meanwhile, the KB0ZSG International D-Star Net continues to take check-
ins on Sundays at 7 p.m. Central Time in the US on Reflector 91C. The net carries the name and callsign of founder Connie Ballantyne, who became a Silent Key in February, 2020.

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

(STEVEN REINERS KC9SIO)

**

GET READY FOR 'TUNE-UP' EVENT

JIM/ANCHOR: If you can't wait for ARRL Field Day, you don't have to. The
100 Watts and a Wire community is encouraging hams to go portable on June
11th through June 13th as part of the annual Tune-Up Activity. It's a way
to test your portable antennas and stations in preparation for the big
event. If you don't have a portable station, you can still get on the
air. Work as an individual or as part of a team, operating on any band
and in any mode. The exchange is your Call sign, your 100WattID if you
have one, your state, province or DX Country and a true signal report.
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

REPLICA TRANSMITTER BEING PREPPED FOR DECEMBER EVENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Big plans are being made to mark the day radio
amateurs proved they could send signals across the Atlantic. Jack
Parker, W8ISH, tells us what's happening.

JACK: December 11th, 1921 was a significant day for amateur radio:
It was the day of the Transatlantic Test Project, when hams'
shortwave frequencies showed themselves to be capable of
transatlantic radio communications, even at 200 meters or less.
The experimental transmission of station 1BCG, using a tube-based
transmitter, was conducted by the Radio Club of America on 1.3 MHz
and resulted in successful reception in Scotland.

One hundred years later, December 11th, 2021 will be an equally
significant day. A replica of that transmitter will be used to
re-enact that CW transmission on 160 meters not far from the spot
in Connecticut from which the original CW transmission was sent.
Longtime Antique Wireless Association member Bob Raide, W2ZM, now
a Silent Key, (SK) built the replica for a special event 25 years
ago. AWA volunteers have spent lots of time lately refurbishing
it, wiring a plate supply, building a filament power supply and
sorting out usable tubes.

For a day that comes along once every hundred years, radio
operators -- and the transmitter -- need to be ready.

AWA trustee, Joe Stoltz, K2AEI, told Newsline: [quote] "We have
had the transmitter powered up and are able to get 350 watts RF on
160 meters with one amplifier tube. The next step is to construct
a 160 meter antenna so we can do some actual on-air testing before
December." [endquote] Then be listening for the contact of the
century.

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

(ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION, JOE STOLTZ K2AEI)

**

US, UK STATIONS ALSO MARK TRANSATLANTIC ANNIVERSARY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Some equally important modern-day contacts are being
planned for the big anniversary and they involve radio societies
in the US and the UK. Here's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, with those
details.

JEREMY: The Radio Society of Great Britain also has big plans for
the centenary of the first transatlantic personal message between
radio amateurs. Nick Totterdell, G4FAL, the society's HF contest
committee chairman, told Newsline that the ARRL and RSGB members
are organising a number of activities surrounding the anniversary.
There will also be a Transatlantic QSO Party to be held on the
13th and 14th of November, being sponsored by the Radio Club of
America. Nick said other activities will be disclosed soon on the
society's website and will appear in the society's RadCom
magazine. The society is hoping to maximise participation in the
US and the UK and increase worldwide awareness of this achievement
100 years ago.

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

**

POTA ADDS MORE THAN 1,000 PARKS TO ITS SYSTEM

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you activate or even chase Parks on the Air,
you'll want to hear the first of this new monthly POTA report from
Vance Martin, N3VEM.

VANCE: This month in Parks on the Air news, we have two exciting
updates to share with everybody. Our first: We are excited to
announce that we have recently added over 1,000 parks to the Parks
on the Air System. For the last several months we've had a small
contingent of volunteers combing through user requests to add
additional parks, validating that those requested parks meet the
criteria for inclusion in POTA and formatting the list so they
can be added to the system. After hundreds of volunteer hours the
lists are now in the system and ready for you to go activate.
Check out the maps and search pages at the POTA.APP website to see
if any of these new units are in your area.

Also in POTA news, we are excited to share that we are formalizing
a Parks on the Air support desk. You can always continue to get
community support via the Facebook group or via the POTA Help
Channel in the POTA Slack Group. But we have a small group of
volunteers who have agreed to be on a rotating schedule to help
you with your official technical support questions. To reach the
official POTA support desk, all you need to do is send an email to help@parksontheair.com

We have coverage for most days of the week so you will usually get
a response within 24 hours but no worse than 48 hours based on our
volunteers' schedules. We won't solve every problem that fast but
you'll know that we're on it. Issues requiring Level 2 support are
generally resolved within the week.

This is N3VEM. Be sure to visit Parks On the Air dot com for more
info about the program and POTA.APP for spotting, park
information, leaderboards and more.

(VANCE MARTIN, N3VEM, POTA)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
linked repeaters of the Desert Amateur Radio Club KK7AJB, in La Paz
County, Arizona, on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 6:45 p.m. local
time.

**

NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE POSTED ON YOUTUBE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're devoted to weather-watching, you might want
to take a look at the 2021 Virtual National Hurricane Conference
Amateur Radio Workshop. It was held in June, and is now posted on
Youtube. The conference lasts four hours and eight minutes, but if
there's a particular workshop you're interested, you can find an index
and the approximate start times below the video on the site. Workshops
include a discussion of surface reports; overviews of the National
Hurricane Center and the Hurricane Watch Network; and best practices in SKYWARN for tropical systems.

Find the link to the video in the script of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ecZRKVgIG0]

(LLOYD COLSTON KC5FM)

**

IARU REGION 1 HONORS SIX FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Six prominent radio amateurs in IARU Region 1 have been recognized for their years of contributions. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells
us about them.

JEREMY: Six hams in Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union
have been awarded medals for their years of work contributing to the
IARU. They are Tore Worren, LA9QL, who recently stepped down as Region
1 EMC Committee Chairman but remains on the committee. Tore is being recognised for bolstering IARU's presence in electromagnetic
compatibility matters. Medal recipient Jacques Verleijen, ON4AVJ, is
being recognised for developing the Contest Working Group and
coordinating work on VHF, including revision of the handbook. He is a
member of the Political Relations Committee and secretary to the VHF
Plus (VHF+) committee. Hans Welens, ON6WQ, is being honoured for
supporting smaller societies, most especially in Africa and creating
the concept of Support to the Amateur Radio Service, or STARS, which he chaired until 2011. The medal to Dave Court, EI3IO, celebrates his work
on the Spectrum and Regulatory Liaison Committee which he chaired until recently. His work, among other things, helped lead to the regionwide allocation to the amateur service of a 2 MHz segment at 50 MHz. Hilary Claytonsmith G4JKS, is being credited for the region's successful work
in EMC matters. Hilary is an EMC committee member and served as its
secretary for nearly 25 years. A medal was also given to Peter Jost,
HB9CET, deputy coordinator for the IARU Monitoring System, for his work
with the monitoring system's newsletters.

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

(SOUTHGATE, DON BEATTIE, G3BJ)

**

POPULAR HAMFESTS HOSTED AGAIN WITH CAUTION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you've been in the mood for a hamfest lately, and
you're going to be in the area just north of New Orleans, Don Wilbanks
AE5DW, has a recommendation for you.

DON: Two busy days of amateur radio activities are on tap for attendees
of the Slidell (SLY-Dell) EOC Hamfest sponsored by the Ozone Amateur
Radio Club. It's going to be held in the Slidell Auditorium with doors
opening at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 8th and at 8 a.m. on Saturday,
October 9th. Entrance for the public is through the lobby doors.
Hamfest chairman Dave Hartley, K5OZ, reminds everyone that masks are
mandatory for all indoor activities in Louisiana so they will be
required to attend the hamfest.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

(DAVE HARTLEY K5OZ)

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, even as hams in Louisiana prepare for their hamfest, members of the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club in Illinois are celebrating the fact that they just finished enjoying the return of
their Superfest. It took place on September 18th and 19th, and according
to news reports, there are two other reasons to feel encouraged: The
club also saw an uptick in membership, especially among YLs.

(PAARC)
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APPALACHIAN TRAIL ACTIVATIONS LIGHT UP AIRWAVES

JIM/ANCHOR: When POTA, SOTA and Worldwide Flora and Fauna operators
activated sites along the Appalachian Trail in the eastern United States recently, the airwaves above apparently blazed a few trails of their own.
Dave Parks, WB8ODF, brings us that report.

DAVE: Saturday, October 2nd, was a busy day for Appalachian Trail
activations, as more than 60 stations called CQ from points along more
than two thousand miles of trail. David, ND1J, and Mike, KB7THL, operated
POTA stations in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, respectively, and
Jonathan, W4UYE, and Bob, AC1Z, activated SOTA summits in Georgia and Virginia, respectively. According to organizer Mike, WB2FUV, the day ended with at least 25 unique SOTA summits activated and at least 26 POTA
partipants in 11 of the 14 states. Mike himself was operating QRP CW on
West Mountain along the original section of the trail and logged 77
contacts. He said many SOTA stations were also making summit-to-summit contacts with W7A SOTA stations on the 10 point peaks in Arizona.

The event marked the trail's 100th anniversary. But the celebration
extended beyond the US: Preliminary results on the event website showed
that the farthest DX went to Heinz, OE5EEP/p in the Austrian mountains. He broke through the stateside pileups to work two SOTA stations on the
trail.

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

(MICHAEL MORAN WB2FUV)

**

RESULTS ARE IN FOR PORTABLE OPERATIONS CHALLENGE

JIM/ANCHOR: The results are in for the Portable Operations Challenge held
in Sepember. Here's Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: The Portable Operations Challenge 2021 took place on September 4th and
5th and the overall winner showed what can be done from a great portable location and using very low power. With just six contacts and running at one-watt CW on twenty metres, Jack Haefner, NG2E, took out the top spot
with a grand total of 615,924 points. His six contacts were from all
around the US, plus one that went all the way from his Hogback Mountain
SOTA summit W4V/SH-007 in Virginia to French SOTA chaser Christian,
F4WBN, near the French/Spanish border. All contacts took place within 32 minutes of operating, in session two of the contest.

The most efficient contact measured in kilometres per watt used was that
same Virginia - France contact with 6,340 kilometres per watt achieved.

So, this year both the overall winner and the furthest km/watt contact
title go to one person - Jack Haefner, NG2E. WELL DONE, Jack!

The number of entrants was a little disappointing. There were only
eighteen, far more had been hoped for in this, the second year, of the challenge.

Of those entering however, there were a wide variety of power levels and
modes both from home and portable locations.

Of the eighteen entrants, fifteen were from the US, two from Europe and
one from Australia.

For the portable operations challenge, and ARNewsline, this has been Ed,
DD5LP.

**

CHINA ANNOUNCES LOSS OF SATELLITE

JIM/ANCHOR: China had great hopes for a satellite launched late last month
but following a malfunction, has declared it lost. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW,
has that story.

JASON: China's Shiyan-10 satellite was declared lost shortly after its
launch on Monday, September 27th. In releasing the news, Chinese state
media reported that the spacecraft did not function properly despite
having had a normal flight one day earlier. A report on Twitter said a
flash was seen in the sky above New South Wales, Australia. According to SpaceNews, the flash was believed to be a sign that the launch was on
course and that this was a visible burn of the upper stage of the Long
March 3B rocket that carried the satellite as payload. The satellite was
to have entered a geosynchronous orbit around Earth. It was said to have malfunctioned during the launch and by Tuesday, September 28th, was
officially declared a failure.

Shiyan-10's launch closely followed the liftoff of China's Jilin-1 Gaefen
02D satellite, which was reported to have achieved successful orbit.

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

(SPACE.COM, SPACENEWS)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

WRTC COMPETITOR LIST RELEASED

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Italian WRTC 2023 organization has released the list of competitors for this four-yearly competition of the best contesters in
ham radio "The Olympics of Amateur Radio." The event has been delayed
by a year because of COVID-19. The list's URL can be found in the script
of this week's newscast at arnewsline dot org.

(https://www.wrtc2022.it/score_redirect.asp?alltl=1 )

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
N7OEI repeater, in Arizona's Navajo and Apache Counties, on Thursdays at
7 p.m. local time.

**

ALEXANDERSON ALTERNATOR TO TRANSMIT ON UN DAY

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Alexanderson Association is once again marking United Nations Day - Sunday the 24th of October - by transmitting a global
message in Morse Code on the historic Alexanderson alternator at the
World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden. This year's message was written by Parul Sharma, a Swedish human rights lawyer and a proponent
for sustainability.

The CW message will be transmitted on 17.2 kHz. The transmitter uses the
call sign SAQ. Test transmissions will be conducted on the 22nd of
October between 1100 and 1400 UTC and listeners are invited to submit
comments to info at alexander dot n dot se.

The event itself will be carried live on the association's YouTube
channel.

(THE ALEXANDERSON ASSOCIATION)

**

IRELAND'S HAM EXAM MAY GET NEW OVERSEER

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Ireland, the regulator is seeking applicants to oversee
the amateur radio exam there. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has the details.

JEREMY: Ireland's communications regulator, ComReg, is looking for organisations to oversee the country's amateur radio exams after the
current agreement expires with the Irish Radio Transmitters Society on
the 21st of December. The Harmonised Amateur Radio Certificate, or
HAREC, is to be set, organised and corrected by whoever enters into the
new agreement with the regulator afterward. ComReg is expected to
publish its invitation to the tender process shortly on its website. The
IRTS has been administering the 60-question HAREC exams on paper. There
has been no option to take the exams online. A report on the Southgate
Amateur Radio News website noted, however, that the Radio Society of
Great Britain has been using a Dublin-based provider for its own online
exams.

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

(SOUTHGATE, COMREG)

**

AUSTRALIA BEGINS ALLOCATION OF 2x1 CONTEST CALLS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The allocation of the new 2x1 contest callsigns has begun
in Australia. Be listening sometime soon for 2x1 calls with the prefixes
VK, VJ and VL followed by the state number and the letters A through
Zed. The applications for these callsigns started being accepted on the
13th of October by the Australian Maritime College on behalf of the
Australian Communication and Media Authority.

They will cost 70 Australian Dollars, and are limited to only contest use during a 12-month period, after which all Advanced licence holders can
apply for them, no reservation of the call for a further year will be
allowed.

(ACMA)
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FCC OKS EXPERIMENTAL 40 MHZ STATION FOR HAM IN GEORGIA

PAUL/ANCHOR: The FCC has given the go-ahead to an amateur in Georgia who
is operating an experimental station on 40 MHz. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE,
brings us those details.

KEVIN: For the next two years, anyone tuning to the frequency 40.662 MHz
is likely to hear a two-minute Weak Signal Propagation Reporter
transmission coming from an omnidirectional antenna in Atlanta, Georgia
in the United States. Experimental station, WL2XUP, went on the air in mid-July under an experimental license granted through July 1st, 2023 by
the FCC. Gregory Holcomb, NI4Y, who is assigned the new callsign, will be conducting tests on the band and his two-minute transmissions occur every
10 minutes. He is permitted a maximum output of 400 watts Effective
Radiated Power.

Details about the station were reported in the EI7GL blog, where the
author, John wrote: [quote] The really big challenge now is trying to
raise awareness amongst the amateur radio community in North America and making them aware of the 40 MHz band and the activity on it. [endquote]

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

(EI7GL BLOG)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the W4EDP and
N4LMC repeaters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. local
time.

**

COMMERCIAL TELEVISION INDUSTRY RETIRES LAST NTSC TRANSMITTER

PAUL/ANCHOR: The commercial TV industry has retired the last of its transmitters employing the original system used for black-and-white and
early color TV. Jack Parker, W8ISH, gives us the details.

JACK: Those of us who love our straight keys, our boat anchors, our tube radios and other parts of early ham radio have it easy. We can still use
the technology from which our roots have sprung. Television, however,
recently hit a milestone in the United States, where the industry retired
the last few remaining commercial transmitters that use the system
developed by the National Television Standards Committee. The NTSC
system, which first defined black-and-white transmissions and later
color, generated pictures comprising 525 lines displayed at nearly 30
frames per second. This produced the familiar analogue TV broadcasts that delivered programming to American audiences for more than 70 years. Now,
in an age of digital and HDTV, NTSC screens have gone dark.

The Hackaday blog, which reported the development in its July 14 post,
wrote: [quote] "We have to admit to being sorry to see the passing of
analogue TV, it was an intricate and fascinating system that provided a testbed for plenty of experimentation back in the day. Perhaps as we see
it slip over the horizon it's worth pondering whether its digital
replacement will also become an anachronism in an age of on-demand
streaming TV. " [endquote]

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

(HACKADAY)

**

ARRL REOPENS CONNECTICUT HEADQUARTERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The ARRL's headquarters is back in business. Sel Embee,
KB3TZD, gives us the details of the ceremonial reopening of the doors.

SEL: The doors are open again in Newington, Connecticut, home to the
American Radio Relay League. The ARRL hosted a rededication ceremony
there on July 15th to coincide a return to business as usual as pandemic restrictions have eased. Members of the ARRL's board of directors were in
town from around the country to attend board and committee meetings and
were present at the ceremony.

The league shut its building at the close of the day on March 23, 2020 in response to the governor's executive order for businesses. It was just
days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. Many ARRL staffers worked remotely instead. Other services,
such as the W1AW bulletin and the code-practice transmissions continued.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, said he was pleased to see the league's services and staffing bounce back. He said [quote] "This speaks to the resilience and dedication of our staff, board members and volunteers." [endquote]

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

(THE BRISTOL PRESS, ARRL)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

QSO TODAY VIRTUAL EXPO RETURNS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Get ready for the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo. It's back
after retooling its platform and as Stephen Kinford, N8WB, tells us, organizers are optimistic.

STEPHEN: The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo is returning on the 14th and
15th of August, and will be based on the original platform used for the successful expo held in August of 2020. Organizer Eric Guth 4Z1UG, host
of the QSO Today podcast, said the move back to a single-platform
experience will avoid the widespread problems reported previously when
the conference attempted to integrate two virtual convention platforms provided by different vendors.

Eric said the platform, known as vFairs, has implemented such upgrades
as a video meeting lounge, and said he anticipates what he is calling a "flawless user experience." He said he hopes to exceed the expectations
of the more than 14,000 attendees at the live online event. He said a
preview of the platform will be made available from 8 a.m. Pacific Time
on August 1st through 5 p.m. Pacific Time on August 3rd so that
prospective attendees can experience the environment without cost. The
URL for the preview is in the printed script of this week's Newsline
report at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://qsotest.vfairs.com ]

Eric said the platform will have a lobby, auditorium, exhibit hall, and lounges, as well as a variety of speaker presentations.

For ticket information or to register, visit qsotodayhamexpo.com

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

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
K7MMA repeater, in Spokane, Washington, on Fridays at 5 p.m. Pacific
Time.

**

VP4 PREFIX REPORTEDLY CONSIDERED FOR FORMER FALKLANDS DEPENDENCIES

NEIL/ANCHOR: The dilemma over assigning prefixes to amateurs operating
from certain locations near the Falklands Islands continues. We have an
update from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: The Falklands government, which no longer issue new VP8 licences for amateur operation from the former Falkland Islands Dependencies,
including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, is reportedly favouring the assignment there of the VP4 prefix formerly used in
Trinidad and Tobago. According to various reports, the prefix would be
used in the remote regions by subdividing the suffix with VP4 Axx for
South Georgia and South Sandwich and VP4 Bxx for British Antarctic Territories. The VP8 prefix ceased to be used in those regions recently
as a result of new communications legislation in the Falklands.

VP8 licences were formerly used by DXpeditioners wishing to activate
South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands as well as the Antarctic peninsula, South Orkneys and South Shetlands. There has been no public consultation sought by the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator on
this issue. The British Antarctic Territories, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands cannot issue their own licences or assign call signs.
Ofcom in the UK has left the option open for those locales to ask the
Falkland Islands to administer licensing and call signs on their behalf
as had been the case up until early 2020.

The report, which appeared on several news websites, is credited to DXpeditioner Alan Cheshire, VK6CQ/VP8PJ.

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

(SOUTHGATE, OHIO PENN DX)

**

NAVAJO CODE TALKER EVENT MOVES TO OPERATORS' QTHS

NEIL/ANCHOR: The annual Navajo Code Talker special event is going
forward in spite of a COVID-19 closure of their usual site, the Navajo
Nation itself. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, has those details.

RALPH: Although the Navajo Nation in Arizona remains closed as a result
of COVID-19 precautions, the annual special event station honoring the
Navajo Code Talkers of World War II will be on the air as scheduled
between the 10th and 14th of August. This is the 17th annual celebration
of the Native American members of the military who thwarted Japanese interception of their messages by using their language in their coded transmissions in the South Pacific.

THe special event station N7C will operate instead from the home QTHs of
Ray, W7USA, Bob, K7BHM, John, W5PDW, and Herb, N7HG. Herb's father. John Goodluck, was among the original 29 Code Talkers in the United States
Marine Corps who developed the code. John Goodluck died in 2000 at the
age of 76.

Be listening for N7C on 40, 20 and 17 metres. For additional details and
QSL information, visit the station's page on QRZ.COM.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

SPACEX ACQUIRES FIRM COFOUNDED BY RADIO AMATEUR

JIM/ANCHOR: A firm cofounded by a radio amateur has just merged with
the SpaceX technology giant. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, has more on that.

SEL: SpaceX, Elon Musk's giant California-based space technology
company, has acquired a satellite communications company cofounded by
an amateur radio operator. The merger makes Swarm Technologies a wholly
owned subsidiary of SpaceX. Swarm, which specializes in Internet-of-
Things technology and low-cost satellite connectivity, has asked the
Federal Communications Commission to transfer control of its earth and
space station licenses. Swarm was founded in 2016 by Ben Longmier, K-
F-5-K-M-P and Sara Spangelo. In 2020, the company launched its first
dozen commercial satellites, established ground stations in Alaska, New Jersey, Washington State, Guam, the Azores and elsewhere and began
expanding market access. Swarm is licensed in non-voice, non-
geostationary mobile satellite service, operating in the bands between 137-to-138 MHz and 148-to-149-decimal-95 MHz.

In 2020, Swarm Technologies placed second in the most Innovative Space Companies list created by Fast Company. The top spot went to SpaceX.

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

(SPACE EXPLORED.COM, FASTCOMPANY.COM)

**

HOMEBREWERS IN HYDERABAD HELP QO-100 SATELLITE USERS

JIM/ANCHOR: Two inventive amateurs in India have come up with a clever
way to communicate with the QO-100 satellite. Robert Broomhead, VK3DN,
tells us about their accomplishment.

ROBERT: Hams in Hyderabad have found a homebrew solution to make
communication via the QO-100 satellite easier for other amateurs. They
have designed prototype converters that will enable the hams to use the transponders on board the geosynchronous satellite. The prototypes
include both up converters and down converters. Homebrewers Sasi
Bhushan, VU2XZ, and A. Amarendra, VU2AAP, told the Telangana Today
newspaper that the converters eliminate the need for such expensive
equipment as software-defined radios. They said the system works in a
way similar to a TV set-top box that receives programmes beamed from satellites, converting radio waves into signals for the TV. The circuit
boards within the converter are designed to communicate via the 10 GHz frequency for downlink and the 2.4 GHz frequency for uplink.

Sasi said the first hams to be given the opportunity to use the
converters are members of the Lamakan Amateur Radio Club in Hyderabad.
A transverter is also in the works, combining uplink and downlink
capability.

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

(TELANGANA TODAY)

**

RULE CHANGES PERMIT SCOUT, GUIDE GROUPS IN YL CONTEST

JIM/ANCHOR: The youngest of the YLs will be getting in on the action
this year as women in Australia get ready for a big annual contest. We
hear more from Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

JASON: A change in rules this year is permitting some new first-timers
to get on the air for the 41st annual contest of the Australian Ladies
Amateur Radio Association this month. The newest entrants are YLs who
are in Scout and Guide groups and they'll be using their club's
equipment and callsign. Lynda, VK7QP, writes in the ALARA newsletter,
"The YL Beam," that the event on August 28th and 29th is [quote] "a
friendly contest and a chance to start learning how to operate a
contest." [endquote] YLs of all ages will clearly have the run of the
field here. YLs get to work everyone; OMs are only eligible to work
YLs. The 24-hour event will offer a combination of SSB and CW contacts. Contacts over Echolink will be accepted and all other operations will
be on the HF bnds except for 160 metres and the WARC bands. All
licensed operators around the world may enter.

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

(YL BEAM)

**

UK BROADBAND SERVICES PLAN NEW CONNECTIONS VIA WATER PIPES

JIM/ANCHOR: A change is afoot in how companies in the UK deliver
broadband services and it might just make ham radio operators happy
too. Here's more from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: There's encouraging news for broadband subscribers in rural
areas of the UK: communications companies have been given the official go-ahead to use water pipes instead of having to dig new trenches to
connect homes and businesses to the internet using fibre optic cable
services. According to the government website, gov.uk, the rollout is
expected to take place throughout the UK, ending in March 2024, with an emphasis on rural areas.

Stephen Unger, commissioner at the Geospatial Commission, issued a
statement saying: [quote] "Our ambition must be for reliable broadband
to become as easy to access tomorrow as drinking water is today."
[endquote]

The announcement is good news to those concerned about the traditional installation where roads and land are dug up. It is also good news for
amateur radio operators who may have reported RFI from broadband's
copper wires carrying VDSL Broadband services.

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

(GOV.UK)
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SILENT KEY: FIRST RESPONDER COLIN McFADDEN KB1YYG

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A young amateur radio operator with a strong volunteer
spirit has become a Silent Key in his Connecticut hometown. Kevin
Trotman, N5PRE, tells us about him.

KEVIN: Hams and first responders in Connecticut are grieving the loss of
a valued member of the emergency response team in Bristol, Connecticut.
Colin McFadden, KB1YYG, a volunteer firefighter, died on Thursday, August 12th, two days after he suffered a brain hemorrhage while fighting a
blaze at a historic building in New Hartford. According to his obituary
on the Funk Funeral Home website, he died two days after emergency
surgery at the local hospital. Fire officials said doctors discovered
that Colin had a form of leukemia that had been undiagnosed. Connecticut Community Emergency Response Team considered him a vital part of their operation. The group posted on its Facebook page that Colin was not only
the team's ham radio specialist but could always be counted on to
participate when needed, including in community service events. According
to the website of the Bristol CERT, Colin was especially active on the 2
meter Cross Community Net on Thursdays.

A member of the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department, he was also an
advocate for people with autism.

He got his amateur radio license with the support of the Insurance City Repeater Club and later became its vice president. Most recently, Colin's community service work as a ham included providing traffic control for
COVID testing sites in Bristol and for the Farm to Families food
distribution.

Colin McFadden was 26 years old.

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

(NBC CONNECTICUT, FUNK FUNERAL HOME, BRISTOL CERT WEBSITE)

**

VOUCHERS GOOD FOR RSGB MEMBERS AT BLETCHLEY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A perk has been restored for members of the Radio Society
of Great Britain. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has the details.

JEREMY: Members of the Radio Society of Great Britain are once again
eligible to use free entry vouchers for Bletchley Park. The voucher also provides free access to the RSGB's National Radio Centre. Because the
protocol for visiting has changed, anyone coming to the site must book a
date and time slot in advance using the Bletchley Park website. The RSGB
has full instructions for visiting on its website, rsgb.org.

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

**

HAM RADIO JOINS AQUINO TANK WEEKEND AT ONTARIO MUSEUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A big weekend celebrating Canada's Ontario Regiment will
be getting under way next month and this year's event is adding something
new: amateur radio. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, picks up the story from here.

ANDY: The Ontario Regiment Museum, home to the largest collection of
working military vehicles in North America, is about to mark an amateur
radio "first." The North Shore Amateur Radio Club, VE3OSH, will be
operating during the museum's Aquino Tank weekend taking place on
September 17th to the 19th. Club president Laird Solomon, VE3LKS, told Newsline that the idea to add ham radio to the museum's annual weekend
evolved from of a dialogue between the museum and one of the club's
members who works there as a volunteer: They loved his suggestion that
radio become a part of the activities which commemorate the key role the Ontario Regiment played in 1944 during the Battle of Aquino in Italy.

Laird said the museum will be placing one of its WW II communications
trucks at the activators' location and hams will be operating CW from
there. Operators will also be on the air at three other stations using
SSB, FT8 and Yaesu Fusion/AllStar/DMR. Laird told Newsline: [quote] "We
hope to be able to display the evolution of radio from WWII to today." [endquote]

Oshawa, the city where the museum is located, has strong ties to the
Second World War. Laird told Newsline that not far from there a secret
spy training and high-power radio facility called Camp X was set up on
the shores of Lake Ontario. It was at that location, where Hydra, a
powerful radio station, would exchange coded messages with Allied
headquarters in the US and Britain. So many years later, the North Shore amateurs still have ties to this site too: Laird said that the club was
formed by some of the wartime operators who had been assigned to the
Hydra station.

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

(LAIRD SOLOMON VE3LKS)

**

WORLD'S LARGEST TEAPOT EVENT TOTALS UP THE CONTACTS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The tea-totaling is done and the special event for the
World's Largest Teapot has some impressive numbers. Here's Jim Damron, N8-TEEEEE-MW with the results of this first-time nationwide activation.

JIM: The World's Largest Teapot in Chester, West Virginia, has a long
history as a public attraction dating to the early 1900s. Now thanks to amateur radio it can claim one more distinction: a one-week special event activation that had 9,013 QSOs, contacting all states in the US, as well
as 68 countries. There was even a decoded SSTV signal from the
International Space Station on Saturday, August 7th, during the
community's Teapot Festival.

This was the first year this formerly local radio event was a coast-to-
coast activation and operators reported massive pileups. Organizer Justin Shaw, W8LPN, of the Hancock Auxiliary Communications Team said there are
plans in the works next year to include a bonus station from the UK. Meanwhile, the teapot itself, situated near West Virginia's border with
Ohio and Pennsylvania, continues to be steeped in fame and glory. A
number of radio operators who are not from the West Virginia area said
during their QSOs that they now have plans to visit this unusual - and obviously very inspirational - teapot.

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

(JUSTIN SHAW W8LPN)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K4LYL repeater
in Bedford, Virginia on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.
local time.

**

WEST BENGAL HAMS MARK 100 YEARS OF RADIO

PAUL/ANCHOR: This year has brought double the celebration for hams in
India. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, tells us there's still time to attend
some of the programs - virtually.

JASON: Indian amateurs aren't just marking 100 years of ham radio;
they're also celebrating 75 years of their nation's independence.
A full weekend of celebration was hosted by the West Bengal Radio
Club on August 14th and 15th, highlighted by an online tech talk
with noted home brewer Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE, creator of the Bitx
and micro BITX open source transceivers. The programme, hosted by
Saborni Nag Biswas, VU2JFC, was followed by a webinar on the first
century of Indian amateur radio led by S. Ram Mohan, VU2MYH, and
Sriramamurthy Suri, VU2MY, both of the National Institute of Amateur
Radio and S. Satyapal, VU2FI, of the Indian Institute of Hams.

Both events were livestreamed. If you were unable to attend virtually
while the programmes were taking place, they are available for viewing
on YouTube. The links appear in the script of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekQe98ccurM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQpy1t-xLoE

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

(WEST BENGAL RADIO CLUB)

**

ACMA SEEKS INPUT ON 2x1 CALLSIGNS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Australian officials are looking for hams' input on their
review of 2x1 callsigns. Robert Broomhead, VK3DN, has more.

ROBERT: The Australian Communications and Media Authority is asking
hams to share their thoughts on allocation arrangements for 2x1
callsigns. The callsign allocations are to be handled by the
Australian Maritime College, which already manages allocations for
amateur beacons, repeaters, special event callsigns, and normal
callsigns. The ACMA have posted a survey, and are interested in
hearing hams' thoughts on the issue and use of the two-by-one
callsigns. The authority wants to know, for instance, whether the
callsigns should be made available only to clubs and Advanced level
amateurs, or whether any level of licence can have access.

Hams have until the 31st of August to complete the short five-question
survey. According to the authority, hams will be able to use the 2x1
callsigns without having to get a new licence, or make changes to their existing licence.

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

(ACMA)

**

ACMA REVIEWS ARRANGEMENTS FOR AMATEUR REPEATERS, ASSIGNED BEACONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The authority is also reviewing its plans for assigned
amateur beacon and repeater stations. More details on that from Graham
Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: The Australian Communications and Media Authority is in the
middle of sorting through more than 800 responses to its consultation
on a review of non-assigned amateur and outpost licensing arrangements.
The ACMA's review is also taking a look at accreditation for repeater
and amateur beacon assignments.

The ACMA has been trying to implement a licensing procedure that will
minimise the burdens of regulation, and allow benefits for hams to
continue at an affordable price.

According to the consultation paper outlining the proposed changes
earlier this year, three options are under consideration. In the
first, the ACMA would not change apparatus licensing arrangements
and conditions. In the second, the authority would simplify existing
licensing arrangements and licence conditions. In the third, which is
the preferred option for the AMCA, operation of non-assigned amateur
stations would be authorised for holders of Foundation, Standard, and
Advanced level qualifications through a class licence, rather than an
apparatus licence. This would involve creation of an amateur class
licence authorising amateur station operation by those holding
Foundation, Standard, or Advanced level qualifications, and would
include individuals visiting Australia, and having overseas equivalent qualifications or licences.

Meanwhile, operation of assigned amateur beacon and repeater stations
would remain authorised under apparatus licensing arrangements.

In a recent advisory, the ACMA has indicated it will provide updates
via its e-bulletin.

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

(ACMA)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

SILENT KEY: NEWSLINE'S ROBERT SUDOCK WB6FDF

JIM/ANCHOR: The next story is a personal one. One of the earliest members
of the Newsline family, has become a Silent Key. Here's Don Wilbanks,
AE5DW, with some memories of him.

DON: We've just learned of the passing of one of our Newsline family. One
that dates back to the very beginnings of Newsline. Robert Sudock,
WB6FDF, passed away on July 7th, in Long Beach, California at the age of
74. He had been in poor health for some time.

Bob was there when Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP, formulated the idea to drive to the top of a mountain, and report on the
state of the Westlink 220 repeater system in the Los Angeles area. That
became the Westlink Report, and you know it now as Amateur Radio
Newsline.

Bob, like Bill Pasternak, hailed from Brooklyn, New York. When a young
Bill Pasternak, then WA2HVK, moved to LA, Bob was one of his first
contacts. Their lifelong friendship began with that first contact. He had
a long career in broadcast engineering including stops at KZH channel 31,
and KLON radio in Long Beach, and KTTV channel 11 in Los Angeles. It was
there where he worked alongside Bill Pasternak. He served on the board of
the Southern California Frequency Coordinating Committee. From 1974 to
1976, Bob edited and reported the Mt. Wilson Repeater Association news
and was an original member of Newsline. Bob subbed for Newsline's Graham
Kemp, VK4BB, as anchor of the Wireless Institute of Australia's "News"
when Graham went on holiday. Bob was heard often on Newsline, and when
Bob Heil began Ham Nation, he asked Newsline to be part of the show. Bob Sudock was the original news presenter on Ham Nation. When he fell ill, I filled in for him, firmly expecting to just keep his seat warm. That was
10 years ago.

Bob and I sat down via Skype a few years ago, and we had a long
conversation about the beginnings, and little-known facts of Newsline for report #2000. You can find that on our website, arnewsline.org under the
Extra tab. Scroll about halfway down for that audio.

I never met Bob Sudock, but we talked on the phone many times. He was a
gentle soul with a big heart, and a deep, resonant voice. After Bill
passed away, he was invaluable in helping us pick up the pieces, and keep Newsline going. Robert Sudock was truly one of The Good Guys.

Good DX, Bob. Tell Bill hello for us.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**

NORTH CAROLINA RADIO MUSEUM MARKS 20 YEARS

JIM/ANCHOR: How do you mark 20 years of devotion to radio? If you happen
to have your very own museum, you broadcast your joy with a party. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us about the celebration.

KEVIN: On Saturday, September 11th, everyone is invited to the Asheville
Radio Museum in North Carolina to help it mark two decades of preserving
radio history. What grew into a regional home for radio history of all
kinds began with founders Clint Gorman, K4KRB, and the late Carl Smith,
N4AA. Carl and his wife, Miriam, rescued a 1930s-era radio receiver in
need of a fix-up. Miriam, who was also a ham, then suggested they add to
their collection, with the help of some other ham radio operators. Out of
that grew an exhibit that became the Southern Appalachian Radio Museum.

Now the museum, located on a college campus, showcases all facets of
radio technology, from cellphones and Bluetooth to GPS and, of course,
vintage commercial and amateur radios. There is even an early 1900s spark
gap transmitter for Morse Code.

The public celebration is from noon to 3 p.m. on the campus of the Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, and details are available on the museum's website which is a v l radiomuseum.org.

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

**

HAMS RAISE PROFILE OF GROUP THAT AIDS DISABLED VETERANS

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in Illinois are getting on the air to support a group
that aids disabled veterans. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, tells us about their special event station.

ANDY: Disabled US military veterans have found a friend in an
organization known as Healing Of Our American Heroes, or HOOAH. For
years, an Illinois organization known as HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes has provided wounded former soldiers with access to outdoor activities and
paid all their expenses. The Illinois program will gain even more
momentum on September 4th, 5th and 6th because they too have found a
friend: the Chicago Suburban Radio Association, W9SW, which is showing
its support by activating a special event station during the group's fundraiser. The hams will be on the air calling W4V - We're 4 Veterans -
from Hickory Hills campground.

Ron Delpiere-Smith, KD9IPO, the club's vice president, said those dates,
which mark Labor Day Weekend, will be the club's first special event for
the veterans group. Be listening on 10 through 80 metres.

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

(RON DELPIERE-SMITH, KD9IPO)
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IN SWITZERLAND, HIGH-FLYING QSOS IN HOT AIR BALLOON

DON/ANCHOR: Hams who are up for some high adventure in Switzerland
are taking their ambitions seriously by operating from a hot-air
balloon. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us about their plans.

ED: Plans for the Helvetia Telegraphy Club's next big activation are
up in the air. In fact, the radio operators hope to get up in the
air and stay there for at least two hours aboard a hot-air balloon.
Their scheduled launch date is the 14th of September when they hope
to start operating sometime after 0530 UTC. The callsign HB9HC/AM
will be activated by members of the USKA/HTC National Mountain Day
Commission as hams ascend to the sky over Switzerland, operating all
the while on 40m, 30m and 20m. They will be transmitting with 15
watts of CW power, making use of vertical dangling antennas. If
you're interested in a contact, watch the Reverse Beacon Network or
the DX clusters. You can also use APRS if you're interested in
tracking the balloon's exact position. Are the radio operators'
hopes perhaps a bit overinflated? Probably not: They're already
advising everyone to get familiar with such important Q codes as QAH
for Altitude, and QAL for Landing.

All details are on their website at the URL given in the script on
our arnewsline.org website.

(DO NOT READ:
https://hb9htc.clubdesk.com/hb9htc5/aktivitaeten/hb9hcam_on_air)

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

(QRZ.COM, SOTA REFLECTOR, HELVETIA TELEGRAPHY CLUB)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
K7MMA repeater in Spokane, Washington, on Fridays at 5 p.m. Pacific
time.

**

BBC INTERVIEWS DEVELOPER OF WORLD'S FIRST MICROSATELLITE

DON/ANCHOR: If you're a satellite enthusiast, you owe a bit of
thanks to one notable homebrewer, tinkerer and distinguished
professor in the UK. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about a recent BBC
interview with him.

JEREMY: With an imagination fueled by NASA's Apollo missions a
decade earlier, Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, went on to launch a new era
in space himself: the age of microsatellites, which began as a
homebrew project built partly at home and partly on the University
of Surrey campus. That first, very basic microsatellite - U0Sat-1,
the granddaddy of all that would come later - was eventually
launched by NASA in 1981. Martin, an amateur radio operator since
his student years, recalls in a new interview with the BBC what it
was like being the creator of the first microsatellite in a pre-
internet era. More than amateur radio communications tools, today's microsatellites aid the world in navigation, scientific research,
weather and environmental monitoring. As satellite mega-
constellations now revolutionize communications yet further, Martin,
a Distinguished Professor of Space Engineering at the university,
also makes a plea to clean the skies of the hazard of space junk.
The BBC posted the half-hour interview on its website.

That URL is available in the script of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org

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

[FOR PRINT: DO NOT READ www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct2h26]

(BBC SOUNDS)

**

YL AWARDS INTRODUCED INTO OCEANIA DX CONTEST

DON/ANCHOR: The Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association is
introducing a new twist or two on an old favorite DX contest now in
its 76th year. With those details, here's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

JIM: If you're looking for contacts with stations in the Oceania
region and you happen to be a YL, you're in luck. The Oceania DX
Contest is taking place on two consecutive weekends - October 2nd
and 3rd for phone and October 9th and 10th for CW - and this year,
the spotlight includes two awards being introduced specifically for
YLs. Both awards, sponsored by ALARA, the Australian Ladies Amateur
Radio Association, are being given to a single-operator YL who
achieve the highest combined score in phone and CW. YLs inside the
Oceania region are eligible for the Florence McKenzie Award, named
for Australia's first known licensed female ham radio operator who
received the callsign A2GA in 1925. YLs in the rest of the world are
eligible for the Austine Henry Award, named for a prize-winning
homebrewer who was a member of the YASME Foundation, the RSGB, NZART
and the ARRL. She became Australia's third licensed YL in 1930 when
she received the callsign VK3YL.

YLs who want to be considered for either award should select the YL
box on their entry form when they submit their log.

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

(YL BEAM)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the VK8MA 2-meter repeater in Australia's Northern Territory on
Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**

ALL EYES ON WESTERN AUSTRALIA'S FIRST HOMEMADE CUBESAT

DON/ANCHOR: In Western Australia, all eyes are on the state's
first homemade Cubesat. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us what
happens next.

JOHN: Students at Curtin University in Western Australia proudly
watched as their homemade satellite, Binar-1, was sent into Low
Earth Orbit from the ISS in early October. Now the Cubesat has
other work to do.

Ben Hartig, Binar's program manager, said that the amateur radio
community is expected to make use of the satellite on the UHF
frequencies between 430 MHz and 440 MHz. Students will also be
listening and decoding signals the satellite is sending to
determine the satellite's location and performance. The satellite,
which has two cameras on board, is circling Earth once every hour
and a half at a distance of 400 kilometres, or nearly 250 miles,
above the Earth.

Phil Bland, director of the university's Space Science and
Technology Centre, said that as Western Australia's first
homegrown spacecraft, Binar-1 has a key role in the centre's space
programme, which includes getting six more satellites launched
during the next 18 months.

A statement on the BinarSpace website declares its mission. It
says [quote]: "As Western Australia's first spacecraft, this marks
the start of our state's journey into space. The use of amateur
frequencies on this satellite forms the backbone of an exciting
opportunity to engage the community and STEM students. Our
outreach program aims to inspire bold projects in space
exploration." [endquote]

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

(PHYS.ORG, BINAR SPACE WEBSITE)

**

RADIO CLUB ARGENTINO MARKS CENTENNIAL WITH SPECIAL EVENT

DON/ANCHOR: The world's third amateur radio association marked its
centennial on the 21st of October. Listen on the air for special
event station L21RCA -- and listen to this report from Jason Daniels,
VK2LAW.

JASON: Members of the Radio Club Argentino have a number of
reasons to be proud. The national amateur radio society of
Argentina was the sole Latin American organisation to be in Paris
in 1925 when the International Amateur Radio U nion was created.
When the IARU's Region 2 came into being, the radio society had a
presence in Mexico City in 1964 and became a part of that historic
moment. The Argentine radio society turns 100 years old this year
and its web page offers a retrospective in photographs of its
evolution over the years.

Licenced Hams aren't the only radio enthusiasts who can enjoy
being part of this year's big celebration. The society's
Centennial Certificate Program has opened its awards program to
shortwave listeners as well. For information on how to qualify,
visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org

[PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://www.lu4aa.org/wp/certificado- del-centenario-para-radioescuchas/ ]

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

DON/ANCHOR: According to association secretary Carlos Beviglia,
LU1BCE, special event station L21RCA had already made more than
100,000 QSOs by October 25th.

(RADIO CLUB ARGENTINO, CARLOS BEVIGLIA, LU1BCE)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the AH6LE repeater
in Beavercreek and Wilsonville, Oregon, on Sundays at 6 p.m. local time.

**

SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER BALLOON FLIES HIGH

SKEETER/ANCHOR: In South Africa, a high-flying balloon carried some
projects - and some high hopes - into the sky, as we hear from Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Under the sunny skies of South Africa on the 30th of October, the Secunda Radio Club, ZS6SRC, released a high-altitude weather balloon that
was ultra-light but carried some heavy-duty payloads. Among those sharing
the trip into near space were a variety of experiments, a crossband FM repeater, Slow Scan TV, and the new AMSAT-SA AfriCUBE linear transponder,
with APRS and a CW beacon on 2m.

This was the latest of the club's projects known by the acronym BACAR, for Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio. The club's ongoing weather balloon
initiative has been heralded in the past for its contributions to STEM education through the programme's cooperation with local schools.
According to the club website, the curriculum includes programming of microcontrollers, digital electronics and, of course, radio
communications.

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

(GERT BOTHA ZS6GC, SECUNDA RADIO CLUB WEBSITE)

**

COMMENTS SOUGHT FOR NEW VP0 PREFIX IN BRITISH TERRITORY

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Regulators are looking for comments on use of a new prefix
in the British Antarctic Territory. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the details.

JIM: While formal details are still being worked out with respect to the
new Victor Papa Zero callsign prefix for hams operating in the Antarctic region, the government of the British Antarctic Territory is seeking input
no later than November 10th on draft legislation specific to the British Antarctic Territory which includes the South Orkney and South Shetland
islands as well as the mainland sector of the Antarctic continent.

The Victor Papa Zero prefix is also to apply to hams operating on the
British sector of the Antarctic mainland and the South Sandwich Islands
but authorities have not yet determined how the transition will be made
there from existing VP8 licences.

The recent announcement of the new prefix for these former Falkland
Islands Dependencies was heralded as a welcome development for
DXpeditioners and chasers after the use of VP8 licenses was no longer permitted there.

To see the consultation and find out how to comment, visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

https://britishantarcticterritory.org.uk/consultation-amateur-radio-
licensing/ ]

(above URL all on one line)

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

(OHIO PENN DX)


**

WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, be listening for the Eureka Amateur Radio Club VY0ERC
on the air from the Eureka weather station in Nunavut on Canada's
Ellesmere Island, IOTA NA-008. Operators will be calling QRZ until the
22nd of November on all HF Bands. Send QSLs to M0OXO (Em Zero Oh Ex Oh),
Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World.

Remo, HB9SHD, is using the callsign 8Q7RM from the Maldives, IOTA AS-013, throughout November. Listen for him on FT8. He will also be using slow CW
and SSB on the bands from 6m to 40m. Send QSLs to his home call, either
direct or via the bureau, Club Log’s OQRS and Logbook of the World.

Ken, LA7GIA, the noted DXpeditioner, is operating from Bangui in the
Central African Republic as TL7M until the 15th of November. He will be operating on all bands and all modes. According to the QRZ page for TL7M
he will also make the first activation of 60m in the Central African
Republic under a special permit. Send QSLs to M0OXO.

(IRTS, DX-WORLD.NET)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KA1AAA
repeater and Echolink Conference server in Bradenton, Florida, on Sundays
at 0000 UTC.

**

FRANCE DROPS FEE FOR AMATEUR EXAM

DON/ANCHOR: There is some good news for candidates for the amateur radio
exam in France: They can put away their wallets. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH,
gives us the details.

JEREMY: Candidates for the amateur radio exam in France no longer pay a
fee for the test and the operator certificate. France's National
Frequency Agency made the announcement recently on its website, advising
hams who have already paid that they may be eligible for reimbursement.
The qualifying terms of that reimbursement will shortly be posted on the agency's portal. Letters will also be sent out to qualify amateurs,
enabling them to apply for a return of the fees.

This announcement is the latest reduction in costs for ham radio
operators in France. In 2019, the ANFR removed the annual fee for the
radio licence itself.

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

(SOUTHGATE, ANFR, ICQ PODCAST)

**

NETS OF NOTE: THE ILLINI NET'S BUSY WITH POSTGRADUATE ACTIVITIES

DON/ANCHOR: Our occasional series, "Nets of Note," looks at how and where
hams gather on the air. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, introduces us to a dedicated collective of university alumni with an especially dedicated net control.

PAUL: We love to celebrate our seniors in the hobby, and Earl Finder
W9CGZ, at 98 years old, definitely qualifies. Yes, he's been licensed
since 1947, but what brought him to our attention was the fact that he's
been running the Illini Net out of Champaign/Urbana, Illinois daily since 1976! According to Finder, it all started when he retired:

FINDER: When I retired, I made arrangements with a ham who had lived here
but moved to California to get on the air the next day. And we did - we thought we’d just get on the air once in a while, but eventually it got
to the point where we were on there every day!

Eventually it got pretty widespread around the country with a lot of
people from Champaign/Urbana, Illinois where I live, and graduates from
the University of Illinois, and people who were stationed at Chanute
Field for many years and little by little it just grew until we had quite
a few people from all over the country who would check in.

PAUL: Finder told me it's not just for U of I graduates or people from
that area:

FINDER: We have all kinds of people - we have PhDs, research scientists,
NASA engineers, we've had people contact us while flying airliners over
the US, military pilots while they were in the air, people on ships and on-the-road truck drivers, too. All kinds of people.

PAUL: If you want to check out the Illini Net, it starts every day at
11:30 AM Central on 14.320MHz, plus or minus. Sounds like a great way to
meet a wide variety of hams.

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

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for the callsign HF150KCH and 3Z150PO
(Three Zed One Fifty Pee Oh), activated by the Klubu (Clue-Boo) Lacznosci (Watch-Nawgee), SP2KFQ, from their club station until November 30th. The activation is part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the
first railway line in Chojnice (Hoy-Kneetsuh), where their club station
is located. QSL to the PZKBureau OT09 to SP2KFQ. See the club's QR Zed
webpage for details on how to apply for the award for the 150th
anniversary of the railway line.

Be listening for Vladimir, OK2WX, who is on the air as 5H3WX from
Zanzibar until the 3rd of December. Listen on 80 through 10 metres where
he will be using CW and SSB. Send QSLs to HA3JB.

Listen for John Paul, KN6NNF, in Uganda where he is using the callsign
5X3Z on 20 and 10 meters using FT8. QSL to 5X3Z via LoTW.

(OHIO PENN DX)
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HANDBOOK'S 76TH EDITION TO BE ITS FINAL ONE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A treasured broadcast handbook will soon be out of
print. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that report.

JEREMY: The World Radio TV Handbook an invaluable guide to broadcast
radio around the globe, has ceased publication. The publisher has
announced that its soon-to-be-released 76th edition will be its last.

A statement from the publisher, Nicholas Hardyman, read: [quote]
"This has been an extremely difficult decision, and was only made
after a lot of thought and discussion. We know that many people rely
on WRTH, and greatly enjoy getting the new edition every year. We
realise that this news will be disappointing for many people."
[endquote]

The directory, with more than 600 pages of listings and maps, was
valued as a comprehensive compendium of medium wave, shortwave, and
FM broadcasts, and included a section on clandestine broadcasters.
Based in the UK, but providing global coverage, it has long been
considered a reliable guide for DXers and devoted radio listeners.

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

(YOUTUBE, EI7GL BLOG)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K5VOM repeater in Greenville, Texas, on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

**

KIDS GIVE SANTA 10 OVER ON THESE NETS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Santa Net, hosted by the hams of the 3916 Nets,
is back on the air in the United States through December 24th. Radio
operators are providing youngsters with this on-air opportunity to
let Santa know what their top two or three gift wishes are. Hams are
asked to please remember to ensure the contact is in compliance with
all FCC Rules and Regulations governing third party traffic. Check-ins
start at 7 p.m. Central Time on 80 metres. You can also reserve a spot
by visiting the website www.cqsanta.com where you'll find videos of
past QSOs with Santa.

Meanwhile, on Echolink, the 11th annual Santa Watch Net will take place
on Christmas Eve on the DoDropIn channel starting at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.
As the four-hour net gets under way, David, N3NTV, will be using NORAD
radar to track Santa. For details visit the website dodropin.net

(DODROPIN, 3916 NETS)

**

HOP ABOARD THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another favorite holiday special event is already well
under way. Hope aboard the Christmas Train. Here's Jim Damron, N8TMW,
with details.

JIM: The special event Christmas Train may have its station in West
Virginia, but this is a train that can cross the United States and
even pull into some DX locations on a moment's notice. The HF bands
are its express tracks. Listen for the Christmas train, callsign K8C,
on 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters, using both SSB and CW. The
train is making stops right up through Christmas Day, when it will
operate on a partial schedule. You already have your ticket: so....
hop aboard the train!

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

(QRZ)

**

FINNISH HAMS PUT OF9X AND HIS 'ELVES' BACK ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: At this time of the year, we need to ask: do you
believe in the magic of DX? There are few DXes more elusive or rare
than this one. Here's Ed Durrant, DD5LP, to tell us about it.

ED: Are you ho-ho-hoping to score one big DX, before 2021 shuts its
door? The Finnish Amateur Radio League, S.R.A.L., may be able to help
make that happen. The league has been on the air as OF9X and OF2YOTA
since early this month, and will continue through to the end of
December. Here's a hint: OF9X is compiling his log and checking it
twice -- and his phonetics are "Old Father Nine Christmas." Are you
feeling the holiday spirit yet? Even if you only believe in the powers
of CW, SSB, or Digital, you can still add OF9X to your wish list of
contacts. You can also work his elves who are using the callsign of
OF2YOTA. The league is marking its centennial year, so that means you
get an extra present under your tree: Both callsigns, along with the
callsign OI3AX, active earlier this month, count toward the S.R.A.L.
Jubilee award.

Send QSL cards for OF9X to OH2BH. Send QSL cards for OF2YOTA to OH5CZ.

Now get on the air, and let your rig's screen light up like a Christmas
tree.

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

QRZ.COM
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DUTCH REGULATORS CRACK DOWN ON ANTI-5G DEVICES

DON/ANCHOR: Fearing radioactive transmissions from 5G mobile networks'
towers, people in the Netherlands may have placed themselves in greater
danger by wearing what they believe to be protective devices. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that story.

JEREMY: The very devices such as necklaces, bracelets and sleep masks that have made claims to shield people from what some fear is radioactivity from
5G mobile networks' towers, according to Dutch officials, have themselves
been emitting ionising radiation at hazardous levels.

A report in the BBC says that the Dutch authority for nuclear safety and radiation protection (ANVS) have issued a warning about the products,
telling people there could be long term hazardous effects. The agency has ordered a halt to the sale of these devices.

The BBC report quoted the World Health Organization's assertion that like amateur radio signals, 5G mobile networks make use of non-ionising radio
waves that do not pose a danger, adding that they are similar to the 3G and
4G networks already in use.

Some people fear damage to their DNA from such transmissions and in extreme cases, this has led to attacks on the transmitters and towers.

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

(BBC)

**

ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS IS SOME DX

DON/ANCHOR: A father and son in Washington State have been celebrating the holiday season, ham radio style. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, has that report.

RALPH: There's little question what might have been on Jacob Hoschar's Christmas list this year. The Washington State youngster had already celebrated having his first wish fulfilled: getting upgraded from
Technician to General Class. That made KY7HAM a very happy 11-year-old
indeed. Now he's ready for the world of HF and all of its adventures. The journey began a year ago when Jacob's school was shut during the pandemic.
He and his father, Andrew, studied together to become hams together and got their licenses one week apart from one another. Their father-son journey is documented on the YouTube channel set up by proud father, K7OWN. One of the videos shows Jacob making his first contact via satellite. Now with his appetite sufficiently whetted for DX, he's ready to cross oceans and continents via radio and start filling that log. For this freshly minted General Class operator, the world is his, this holiday season.

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

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, members of the Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society in
the UK are using the following special callsigns to celebrate Christmas in Market Harborough and saying farewell to 2021. They'll be on the air
through December 31st. Be listening for GB1XMS on 30 meters using CW;
GB2XMS, on HF using SSB and FT8; GB5XMS , mainly using Data as well as CW
and SSB; and GB9XMS, using mainly FT8. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Be listening throughout January for special event station OZ50Q. Danish
Radio Amateurs will be marking the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty
Margrethe II, the Queen of Denmark's, accession to the throne. Send QSLs to OZ1ACB, ClubLog's OQRS, eQSL or LoTW.

Get ready for an international radio marathon called Russian New Year 2022. The Russian Union of Radio amateurs, the Miller-DX-Club and the
HAMLOG.ONLINE portal will begin the marathon starting at 0000 UTC on
December 25th and finish at 2100 UTC on January 14th. Callsigns include,
but are not limited to, RG22NY, RJ22NY, RK22NY, RL22NY and RM22NY. For the full list see the website mdxc.ru. The QSL manager for all the special callsigns is RQ7L.

Bob, PY6TV, and a small team of Brazilian radio operators will be using the callsign ZY6A from Friars Island, Brazil, between January 20th and the
23rd. Listen on all HF bands for all modes.

(OHIO PENN DX)
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PARKS ON THE AIR TALLIES UP ITS 2021 CONTACTS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Parks on the Air activators and chasers had a busy year
in 2021. Vance Martin, N3VEM, gives us the year's numbers.

VANCE: In Parks on the Air News, with 2021 now in the books, Parks on
the Air would like to thank the nearly 4,000 activators, and 122,000
hunters who combined forces to make over 2.6 million contacts from
over 10,000 parks in 45 different DXCC entities for 2021.

Of particular note, we would like to congratulate Bill, K4NYM, who
completed 1,260 activations for the year and David, NG5E who activated
421 different parks. Congratulations are also due to Gene, NT2A, who
hunted 5,458 parks, and Joe, N3XLS, who made 11,467 hunter QSOs in
2021.

We also want to give special acknowledgment to two hunters, N5HA,
Kenneth Bailey, and W9AV, Clint Sprott, who managed to hunt at least
one park every day in 2021. There are several folks including myself
who are going to attempt the same feat in 2022, so stay tuned to the
monthly POTA updates to see how the 2022 Bailey-Sprott Park-a-Day
challenge is progressing, or follow along on twitter on instagram
using the hashtags #baileysprott and #parkaday

This is November 3 Victor Echo Mike with your 2021 December and Year
End Parks on the Air Update. Be sure to visit parksontheair.com for
information about the program, and pota.app for spotting, park
information, leader boards, and more.

(POTA)

**

PRIDE RADIO GROUP TO HOST FIRST CONTEST

NEIL/ANCHOR: Pride Radio Group, an Australian group with an
international membership, is getting ready to host its first
contest. Luke Erlacher, VK3UKW, brings us that story.

LUKE: Pride Radio Group has been a home and a champion for
underrepresented groups in amateur radio for a little more than
a year, and we are now planning our first contest.

The international CQ Pride contest will run through the first weekend
of June to celebrate Pride Month 2022.

The contest is open to all amateurs worldwide as single or multi
operator entries, with bonus points for working diversity oriented
amateur radio groups, newly licensed amateurs, and low-power operation.

Some details such as log submission are still being finalised, but mark
June 4 to June 6 on your calendars.

Pride Radio Group is an international group that aims to further
acceptance and inclusion for underrepresented groups in amateur radio.

This has been Luke, VK3UKW, for Pride Radio Group, VK3PRG.

NEIL/ANCHOR: Find the contest rules in the text version of this week's
Newsline script.

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://prideradio.group/contest]

(PRIDE RADIO GROUP)

**

DXING COMES TO THE DESERT AT QUARTZFEST

NEIL/ANCHOR: As amateurs gear up for the big Quartzfest gathering in
Arizona, some hams are ready to go the distance -- the biggest
distance they can. Here's Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, with the details.

RALPH: Think of the upcoming competition as "DXing in the desert,"
because that's just what it is -- and think of two of the contest's
past winners, such as Fred Scully, K0VK, and Richard McGaver, NK9G,
as being ready to rumble later this month. It's all friendly fun,
really, which is what amateur radio and camping out in Arizona's
Sonora Desert should be. During the one-week ham radio event known
as QuartzFest, a small but active club known as the Northern Arizona
DX Association is challenging everyone there to see just how far their
signals can reach while operating out among the tall cacti. The founder
of the Distance Challenge, Bob Wertz, NF7E, said this will be the DX challenge's third year: He was inspired to suggest it after he attended QuartzFest in 2018, and with the help of co-chairman Ron Gerlak, KG7OH,
the club made it happen. This year, QuartzFest takes place between the
23rd and the 29th of January. The challenge itself will take place on
the three days: Monday, January 24th; Tuesday, January 25th; and
Thursday, January 27th. Be there - or at least, be listening. You could
be the next big DX that makes someone a winner.

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

(BOB WERTZ, NF7E)

**

HAMSCI WORKSHOP GETS GRANT, SEEKS PRESENTERS

NEIL/ANCHOR: The National Science Foundation has just given a grant to
HamSCI, which is meanwhile looking for presenters for its March workshop. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, brings us that story.

KEVIN: Congratulations to Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, founder of the Ham
Radio Science Citizen Investigation, or HamSCI, on being selected to
receive a National Science Foundation grant of nearly $50,000 toward
HamSCI's next workshop in March. The workshop will be held at the US
Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama on the 18th and 19th of
March, and will feature in-person as well as virtual activities. Its
focus this year is HamSCI's Personal Space Weather Station project,
which was previously granted $1.3 million from the National Science
Foundation. One of the project's goals is to gauge the impact weather
has on upper levels of the Earth's atmosphere. The findings are expected
to rely heavily on input from amateur radio operators.

Meanwhile, the workshop is calling for abstracts from prospective
presenters. Abstracts should be submitted no later than February 1st,
and successful speaker candidates will be notified by February 16th.
To submit an abstract, upload the document using the button that can
found at hamsci dot org stroke hamsci2022 (hamsci.org/hamsci2022)

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

(HamSCI)
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AUSTRALIAN CLUB BEGINS DISASTER COMMUNICATION SESSIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's only a beginning, but one amateur radio club in
Australia has taken the important first steps in helping residents
in local districts, or shires, to communicate better during
disasters. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, brings us that story.

GRAHAM: Radio's resiliency during trying times has become the focus
of a new Special Interest Group convened by the Bendigo Amateur
Radio and Electronics Club. The group held its first meeting on
Saturday, January 15th, focusing on needs in the Shire of Mt.
Alexander. Using the Zoom platform, the meeting drew
representatives from a disaster-preparedness group, other amateur
radio clubs in Victoria and a number of candidates studying for
their amateur radio licence.

Coordinator Tony Falla, VK3KKP, told Newsline that there were even
some attendees who are not intending to become hams but nonetheless
want to be able to listen to the amateur frequencies and pass along
messages, sometimes by citizens band radio, when disaster strikes.
Tony is calling the special interest group the Mt. Alexander Radio
Watch and said its purpose is to create a network of listeners, not
to launch a rescue group. He said the Bendigo club is also working
with the Greater Bendigo Council to create a mechanism to link area
residents with the local council if they experience difficulties
during disasters.

Tony said the process will be ongoing in Mt. Alexander and that
other special interest groups are being organised shire by shire.
Meanwhile he said he hopes other shires will set up similar groups
of their own and perhaps send a representative to the next Mt.
Alexander meeting.

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

(TONY FALLA, VK3KKP)

**

SVALBARD ACTIVATION TO INCLUDE SATELLITE CONTACTS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Braving the cold, a group of DXpeditioners is heading
to the Arctic Ocean for an island activation that includes some
hoped-for satellite contacts. John Williams, VK4JJW, brings us that
report.

JOHN: Svalbard, which is considered the world's northernmost
habitable place, is home to about 2,000 residents and - for better
or worse - more than 3,000 polar bears. In April it will also
become home to a team of amateur radio operators who are launching
the first DXpedition from that location to make use of the QO-100
satellite. According to the team's website, although it will prove
daunting enough to operate CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4 and FT8 following a
snowmobile trip to their location in temperatures as cold as minus
25 degrees Celsius, the team will face the bigger challenge of
completing QSOs via satellite. The team's website states that this
region is on the very edge of the satellite's footprint and permits
a view of QO-100 at only 3 degrees above the horizon. Erik de Mey,
ON4ANN, and Max van Rymenant, ON5UR, considered such a challenge
early last year with Svalbard in mind. The team will be using the
callsign JW100Q0 for its satellite contacts between April 22nd and
24th. HF contacts will be made with the callsign JW0X between April
19th and 26th. Mark your calendar.

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

(AMSAT, DX ADVENTURE WEBSITE))
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SILENT KEY: SPACE ADVOCATE CHUCK BIGGS SR., WA5GNB/KC5RG

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A Texas amateur known for his devotion to NASA programs
and to the Military Auxiliary Radio System, or MARS, has become a Silent
Key. Chuck Biggs Sr., WA5GNB and KC5RG, died on January 18th in hospice
care in Houston. The Arkansas native was a US Air Force veteran who took
a civilian position with NASA's then-new Manned Spacecraft Center, which
was later to be renamed the Johnson Space Center. His three decades of
effort with NASA led him to ultimately become vice president of the
Manned Space Flight Education Foundation. Chuck had also been involved
in SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment and OSCAR, the Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio programs. The Space Center named him
ham radio operator of the year in 1987.

A bronze plaque hangs at the Space Center today, bearing his name and likeness. Chuck was 84.

(LEGACY.COM)

**

RESEARCHERS' TRANSISTORS OPERATE USING SOUND WAVES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Imagine a transistor that uses sound waves. Researchers
have done more than imagine it: they've created it. Andy Morrison,
K9AWM, explains.

ANDY: They're called acoustic topological transistors and unlike devices presently in use, they operate using sound waves, not electrons.
Researchers say that one of the transistors' key assets is its ability
to function with almost no dissipation of energy. The electrons are
designed to flow with no resistance.

According to a January 19th post on the IEEE Spectrum website, the
creation of these transistors was made possible with the use of
acoustical topological insulators. This follows the development in 2007
of something related: electronic topological insulators. These
insulators protect electrons' flow from any disturbances. Oxford
University researcher Harris Pirie said the development of these newest transistors will find applications in such fields as one-way acoustic propagation, ultrasound imaging, acoustic noise reduction, echolocation, acoustic cloaking and acoustic communications.

He said that because the physics of sound waves and the physics of light
waves are so alike, the same design principles that scientists used for creating acoustic topological transistors would be useful as well for
similar devices using light.

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

(IEEE SPECTRUM)

**

CYBERATTACK HITS GERMANY RADIO CLUB WEBSITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in Germany are being reassured that their personal
data has not been affected by a cyberattack on the DARC website. Ed
Durrant, DD5LP, tells us more.

ED: The Deutscher Amateur Radio Club is reassuring hams in Germany that
a cyberattack on the group's website, which exploited the vulnerability
of a plug-in, does not appear to have compromised any members' data. The
DARC said it successfully halted the January 15th attack and will not
restore the full website to online status until it is convinced the site
is completely secured again. A statement by the DARC board reaffirmed to members that their personal data is kept in folders that are distinct
from the website and members' passwords to the website itself are stored encrypted. The board said it believed the attack was automated and was
not launched specifically to collect members' data. Meanwhile, an IT
company has been asked to conduct a forensic investigation.

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

(DARC)

**

NORDIC RADIO SOCIETY PLANS FOR LATEST HF CONFERENCE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Nordic Radio Society's HF Conference promises to be
an international event, as we hear from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: Thirty-three years after their first HF Conference, the Nordic
Radio Society is preparing to host a return to F�r�, [pronounced:
Foor-� ] the small Swedish island in the Baltic Sea where all previous
such events have taken place.

This year's conference is scheduled from 15th to 17th August and should,
as usual, draw a substantial international attendance; they have been
held consistently every three years. Organisers note on their webpage
that the popularity of the programme has grown substantially since the
first in 1986, the agenda now including exhibits and talks, with
participants from all around the world. The society encourages
interested attendees to submit presentation papers now, the deadline
being 15th February. Previous conferences have addressed such subjects
as propagation, building resiliency for HF networks, achieving higher efficiency using low bandwidth links, and robust communications through
HF skywave channels using a filter bank spread spectrum technique.

To learn more about the conference, visit the link that appears in the
text version of this week's newscast.

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

(NORDIC RADIO SOCIETY)

[Note: link is missing - will be re-added later -- the editor has been
emailed. DS]
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AMATEURS CLAIM NEW QSO DISTANCE RECORDS USING SATELLITES

DON/ANCHOR: Some new long-distance records are being claimed for contacts using amateur radio satellites. Congratulations to Juan Felipe, A65GC, and Jerome, F4DXV, for their QSO on HO-113 made on the 13th of January between
the United Arab Emirates and France. Their contact at 1952 UTC reportedly spanned a distance of 5,298 km, or nearly 3,300 miles. Jerome, F4DXV, also reported a contact with Sergei, ES4RM, which would be a new record for AO-
109.

That contact between Estonia and France on the 22nd of December last year, they believe covered 2,445 km, or 1,500 miles, setting a new record for
that satellite. Their contacts were reported on the AMSAT News Service.
Well done!

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**

SPECIAL EVENT MARKS 90 YEARS OF AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORP

DON/ANCHOR: Australian amateurs are paying tribute to nine decades of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. They're doing it by - what else? - getting on the air. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has those details.

JIM: Just weeks after hams in the UK began operating with a special
callsign marking the 100th anniversary of the British Broadcasting
Corporation, similar on-the-air festivities are taking place Down Under:

Ham radio operators in Australia are using the callsign VK90ABC to mark
the 90-year anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It's
a nod to that memorable moment when the nation's airwaves came alive on
the 23rd of November in 1923, with Australia's first licensed public
radio broadcast, which featured the St. Andrews Choir. All amateur radio operators throughout Australia will be eligible to use the callsign, but
must apply for it first through an email to info at vk 90 abc dot net. (info@k90abc.net)

According to the callsign's QRZ page, there will be no QSLs sent direct
or by the bureau. Contacts are to be confirmed via LoTW and eQSL, with
logs uploaded once a month.

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

(VK90ABC.NET)

**

SPECIAL EVENT STATION BEING HELD AT LINCOLN HISTORIC SITE

DON/ANCHOR: Another special event, this one in the US, marks the life
of an American president, as we hear from Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.

SKEETER: There's a lot of history in the logs of the log cabin in Lerna, Illinois, home of the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. The cabin
was home to Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother
of Abraham Lincoln, the lawyer who was to become the 16th president of
the United States. The National Trail Amateur Radio Club is marking
Lincoln's February birthday by putting two callsigns on the air between February 7th and 13th. Be listening for K9L, which will be used by
members operating from their home QTH; and W9L which will be used at
the historic site itself.

There will be commemorative QSL cards for successful contacts on all
bands in all modes. The 86-acre historic site is no stranger to
important moments in history, and this amateur radio event expects to
be one of them. To learn more about how to get in the log - the radio
log, in this case - visit the QRZ page for either call sign.

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

(NATIONAL TRAIL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**

MYSTERIOUS PULSES DETECTED BY AUSTRALIAN RADIO TELESCOPE

DON/ANCHOR: What's that up in the sky? A radio telescope in Australia
has picked up some unusual signals and Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what
they might just be.

GRAHAM: We've all heard strange transmissions on the air but perhaps
none as strange as these: A radio telescope in Western Australia has
been picking up highly polarised signals in a repeating series of
pulses, suggesting that the bright object which appears to be its
source possesses a strong magnetic field. The scientists at the
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research are detecting the
radio waves at a rate of three times an hour. An astrophysicist at
Curtin University believes this might be a magnetar, something that
only existed in theory until recently. Researchers have known about
the bright object since it was first seen in March of 2018.

The more than 4,000 low-frequency antennas of the Murchison Widefield
Array are picking up transmissions, which originate some 4,000
light-years away from Earth. Curtin University astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker has stated that no, this isn't coming from aliens. To
solve the mystery, researchers at the Pawsey Supercomputing Center in
Perth will be exploring data from similar pulsing objects to compare
to this one.

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

(INTERESTINGENGINEERING.COM)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W8GK repeater in Charleston, West Virginia on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. local time after check-
ins during the Kanawha Amateur Radio Club Two Meter Net.

**

TIME TO APPLY FOR YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP

JIM/ANCHOR: It's time to apply for Youth on the Air camp. Stephen Kinford, N8WB, explains how.

STEPHEN: The application period has opened for the Youth on the Air camp
being held June 12th through June 17th. Young amateurs in IARU Region 2
who are ages 15 through 25 are welcome to attend this year's camp which
will take place again at the National Voice of America Museum of
Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. Application deadline is March
1st and the application process is free. Campers will be notified by March 15th if they are accepted, and those accepted will need to send a $100 deposit. The camp is encouraging young amateurs to attend from different
areas of North, Central and South America. For information about
scholarships, waivers and travel assistance, visit the website YouthOnTheAir.org

If there are changes in the COVID-19 pandemic status or CDC guidelines, organizers are committed to notifying everyone as much in advance as
possible if that has an impact on the camp.

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

(YOUTH ON THE AIR)

**

CONTEST SEEKS YOUNG AMATEURS WITH COMMUNITY SPIRIT

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, a special honor is awaiting a young amateur who has shown extraordinary care and initiative in helping the community on and
off the air. The Young Ham Lends a Hand Contest is being by Carole Perry, WB2MGP, director of Youth Activities for the Radio Club of America. It is sponsored by the RCA and the Quarter Century Wireless Association. Any
young amateur can be nominated for their volunteer efforts, whether the youngster has aided someone in the military, the community, a senior -- or even has acted as a mentor to other amateurs. The application forms are
due in by the first of April and the winner receives a $100 stipend.

The winner will be announced at the Youth Forum held at Hamvention in
Xenia, Ohio. For details contact Carole Perry at wb2mgp@gmail.com

(CAROLE PERRY, WB2MGP)

**

RSGB PUBLISHES NEW BAND PLANS

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're in the UK, look for the release of the new band
plans. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us more.

JEREMY: The band plans published each year by the Radio Society of Great Britain are now available.

They are based on the band plans of IARU Region 1, but allow for national variations and special amendments. The 2022 plans can be found in the
February edition of RadCom, the RSGB's magazine. There is also a master version published online as an Excel file which includes all the notes of changes made.

Acting on feedback from amateur radio operators, the Society has added new tabs in the Excel version, labelled by frequency, but hams who prefer the earlier version of labelling by wavelengths retain that option too. The
band plan is expected to be reviewed during the course of the year.

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

(RSGB)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KB3AWQ
repeater in Williamsport Pennsylvania on Thursdays at 9 p.m. Eastern
Time.

**

REGISTER NOW FOR ST. PATRICK'S SPECIAL EVENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: February is a short month so it's not too early to start
thinking about St. Patrick's Day - and that's just what some hams around
the world have been doing. Here's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, with the details.

JEREMY: Amateurs and shortwave listeners around the world have signed up
to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day and vie for special awards during the 48 hours between the 16th and 18th of March. Organisers of the special St. Patrick's Awards event have created a web page with details that include categories in which radio operators and listeners can compete -- and explanations of how they can qualify for awards. All participants need to visit the web page and register if they plan to apply for an award. All
awards are available as downloadable PDFs after the event has concluded.

Stations in Ireland, Canada and the United States are among those who
have already begun registering. The website lists when they will be on
the air and in what modes, including DMR, PSK and even on the Hamshack Hotline.

The website is stpatricksaward dot com - that's stpatricksaward - all one
word - dot com. (stpatricksaward.com)

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

(ST PATRICK'S AWARD)

**

AMSAT SEEKS VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS FOR PROJECTS

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're an engineer with some free time to devote to two
of AMSAT's projects, you might just be one of the volunteers they're
looking for. Jack Parker, W8ISH, brings us the details.

JACK: If you're interested in being part of AMSAT's all-volunteer team
working with its FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs, AMSAT is interested
in hearing from you. The FOX-Plus program needs an electrical engineer
with RF experience who can help design and build the RF communications
for the low-earth orbit CubeSats. Candidates should be familiar with
analog and digital communications protocols and will be working with
digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and
telemetry channels. The FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs also need mechanical engineers whose responsibilities may include analysis of
thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and oversight of the environmental testing procedure. AMSAT requires US citizenship or proof of permanent residency for all candidates for these volunteer positions. CubeSat
experience and a ham radio license is also preferred but not necessary.
For details, send an email to volunteer at amsat dot org. (volunteer@amsat.org)

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

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**

TIME TO SIGN UP FOR ARDF YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

PAUL/ANCHOR: There's a big contest planned in Romania to test youngsters' amateur radio direction finding skills -- and the time to sign up is now.
Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us how.

ED: Letters of intent are due soon for teams wanting to participate in
the 4th IARU World Youth Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship
being held this summer in Romania. The event is being hosted by the
Romanian Federation of Radio Amateurs. All letters of intent must be
received no later than March 1st at the email address wyac2022 at gmail
dot com (wyac2022@gmail.com).

The championship will take place June 29th through to July 3rd and will include hunts on 80 and 2m along with an 80m sprint. Saturday will see an awards ceremony and a hamfest.

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

(IARU)
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VOICE OF AMERICA EVENT LOGS 3,665 QSOs

NEIL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to the organizers of the Voice of America
80th anniversary special event station. Operators logged 3,665 QSOs at stations W3V, W8O and W4A, according to Jocelyn Brault KD8VRX/VA2VRX of
the West Chester Amateur Radio Association. He said that all digital
cards have been sent and certificates will be emailed shortly. Paper QSLs
are expected to be sent out sometime in March.

**

HISTORIC MARCONI HUT DEPICTED IN VIRTUAL 3D MODEL

NEIL/ANCHOR: In England, radio is about to embrace one digital mode yet unknown on the amateur bands: Digital art. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that
story.

JEREMY: Hams in the UK have played a big role in celebrations of the
BBC's centenary this year. The most recent special event station was
heard on the 14th of February as radio operators in Chelmsford called QRZ
as station GB100 2MT [pronounced as GB100 2MT], marking the historic
first transmission from the Marconi Company's Writtle Hut there. The hut
is now going digital with the help of an artist who is creating a digital model of it for inclusion at the Chelmsford Museum. The artist, Sian Fan,
and the museum are calling the exhibit Forecast22 - the Birth of British Broadcasting. The virtual 3D model will include a replica of the 2MT transmitter as well as contents of the building. The exhibit opens in
October.

If you can't get to Chelmsford to take a step inside history, don't
worry. You can take part in the Forecast22 on your mobile phone wherever
in the world you might be. It's a different kind of 'digital DXing' but a fitting option for a celebration that changed the shape and the sound of British broadcasting.

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

(CITYLIFE CHELMSFORD)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the word, including the K5DUR repeater
in Dallas, Texas, on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**

AUSTRALIA PREPARING FOR A WHOLE LOT OF 'MAYHAM'

NEIL/ANCHOR: There are big happenings planned for hams in New South
Wales, Australia. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, brings us that report.

JASON: Mayham, the largest amateur radio gathering in the Southern
Hemisphere, has an equally large and ambitious agenda for Sunday the 1st
of May. In addition to planning the usual activities, such as pedestrian
and mobile fox hunts, organisers from the Central Coast Amateur Radio
Club are looking for lecturers to deliver talks on a variety of subjects.
Each 45-minute presentation will be followed by no more than 15 minutes
of questions and answers. Formerly known as Wyong Field Day, it has run
over 60 years without a break, even through these COVID years. Mayham is scheduled to be held at the customary location of the Wyong race course.
If you have a presentation you'd like to share with some of Australia's
most enthusiastic radio amateurs, contact Col, VK2ZCO, by emailing ccarc
at ccarc dot org dot au (ccarc@ccarc.dot.org.au) and describe your
proposed lecture. If you're looking to upgrade - or even get - your first licence, contact education coordinator of the club at education at ccarc
dot org dot au (education@ccarc.dot.org.au)

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

(CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**

ARISS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ISS CONTACTS

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you're interested in learning more about setting up,
hosting and participating in a contact with the ISS through Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station you may want to attend an introductory webinar being hosted by ARISS. It will be held on UTC March 4th - which
is the evening of March 3rd for attendees in North America. The webinar
will help give schools, science centers, museums and other institutions information they need to apply for a contact with the space crew.
Registration for the seminar is required.

Applications for a space-crew contact should be submitted no later than
the 31st of March. Such a contact would ideally draw a large number of attendees and participants and be included in an educational plan
focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Visit the ARISS-USA website for more details. All contacts are being scheduled for January the 1st through June 30th of 2023.

(ARISS-USA)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the N7OEI repeater
in Navajo and Apache counties, Arizona, on Thursdays at 7 p.m. local time.

**

IN NEW ZEALAND, GOING TO ANY LENGTH FOR A QSO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Many, many amateurs search for the "Biggest and best
antenna." At their recent field day, however, some hams in New Zealand
proved they would go to ANY lengths - and we do mean ANY lengths. Jim
Meachen, ZL2BHF, brings us that story.

JIM: "That's not an antenna! THIS IS AN ANTENNA!" Chris, ZL4RA, led a
group on the South Island of New Zealand, looking to try something
"different" in the 2022 Jock White Memorial Field Day on the last weekend
in February.

Chris had scouted out a ZL3 SOTA Summit. He, Russ, ZL4JW, and Jim, ZL4JI,
had a plan: operating portable with a quarter-kilometre long-wire. Yes, portable. The antenna was to cross a gully pointing north-northeast to
cover NZ and perhaps into VK as well. That's three wavelengths on 80
metres and six on 40 metres! Or, as Chris describes it, "ridiculously
long." It took some effort to install the 20-foot masts in the wind and
rain and to run the wire. One back stake support was a problem due to the strain on it from this length of wire, but it survived."

The results? Success, even with just 100 watts maximum power. Although the antenna bandwidth was a bit narrow, both transmit and receive signals were strong. Saturday brought some unexpected QRM but by Sunday the antenna was truly "going the distance." And that's the long and short of it!

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

(CHRIS RIO ZL4RA)

**

REGISTRATION OPENS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE SYMPOSIUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If the technical side of amateur radio interests you, this next report from John Williams, VK4JJW, might be of special interest.

JOHN: Registration has begun for the South African Radio League's
technical symposium, which will explore amateur radio technology. The
virtual event is being held on Saturday the 9th of April on the Bluejeans platform. Presenters include Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, president of IARU
Region 1, who will talk about software defined radio and various ham radio applications. Cor Rademeyer, ZS6CR, will discuss ways to analyse GPS
position data to detect RF propagation disturbances. Brian Jacobs, ZS6YZ,
will update everyone on the league's next-generation beacon project. Other discussions will cover the AMSAT-South Africa AfriCUBE satellites and
SARL100 project, which is preparing for the league's centennial celebration.

The symposium is free for members of SARL and AMSAT-South Africa. Find the link to register in this week's text version of this Newsline report.

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/rapc2kdu ]

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

(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE)

**

THOUSANDS MAKE CONTACT DURING PLUTO SPECIAL EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The pileups have quieted down and it's all over, but the counting after the Pluto Anniversary Special event held last month. Randy
Sly, W4XJ, has the numbers.

RANDY: Over 6,500 hams reached for the stars last month but were happy to reach a dwarf planet instead. From February 14th to the 21st, amateur
radio operators celebrated the discovery of Pluto by contacting W7P and
W7P/Ø for the Pluto Anniversary Special Event. This annual countdown will last until the centennial of the discovery in 2030. Most of the operation
took place from a trailer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona
where Clyde Tombaugh changed the understanding of our solar system on
February 18th, 1930.

Held in conjunction with the "I Heart Pluto Festival" at the observatory,
the event is in its second year, organized by the Northern Arizona DX Association, under the coordination of Bob Wertz, NF7E.

The final tally may show as many at 7,500 contacts logged by the 18
operators on W7P and the five operators on W7P/0, which was led by Doug Tombaugh, N3PDT, nephew of the famed astronomer. The team was contacted by stations from all 50 US states and 57 countries. For QSL information, look
up W7P on QRZ.com.

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

**

ACTIVATORS GET TO NAME NEW UNNAMED SUMMITS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you claim it and it has no name, you name it: that's
the concept behind a new challenge from managers of the international HEMA summit awards scheme. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us what's going on.

ED: The Southern Bavaria Association of HEMA added 101 summits to its list
of those that can be activated under the award scheme on February the
26th. HEMA summits have a prominence of between 100 and 150 metres. They
all have a code with a latitude and longitude designation but several are lacking a name. The new option allows the first activator of any summit currently described as "No Name" to give that summit a name within the
HEMA system. The name cannot be rude, slanderous or contain any words that
are trademarked. Otherwise, use your best operating strategy when you're
on the summit and then....come back down and use your imagination: Submit
your log, along with a proposed name.

For details of the scheme, visit HEMA dot ORG dot UK.

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

(DD5LP ASSOCIATION MANAGER HEMA DL)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

HAWAIIAN HAMS PREP FOR STATEWIDE DRILL

NEIL/ANCHOR: Organizers in Hawaii are looking for amateurs to
participate in an important statewide emergency drill in April.
Christian Cudnik, K0STH, brings us that report.

CHRISTIAN: For hams in Hawaii, the three-hour emergency communications exercise being held by the Hawaii Amateur Radio Emergency Service on
April 16th will be like none of the others held several times each year.
The drill will be conducted following the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, which standardizes terminology, methodology and
policy used during the exercise. It will simulate a period of
catastrophic rain and wind covering the islands, taking down power,
internet and cell towers. According to Hawaii ARES spokesman Stacy
Holbrook, KH6OWL, a planning team has developed a full incident action
plan using the forms and format of the program's Incident Command System Structure. Stacy told Newsline in an email he was unaware of any other statewide exercises being done in this manner.

Using on-air nets, social media and local clubs, organizers are reaching
out to the more than 3,800 licensed amateurs throughout Hawaii, hoping
to get as many hams as possible on board. The drill is an all-mode, all-
band exercise that makes use of analog, simplex and Digital modes as
well as VHF, UHF and HF. Hams using WINLINK will have the additional
support of an ongoing Zoom meeting to assist with any troubleshooting.

Stacy told Newsline: [quote] "We would love to build relationships with
the fire chiefs, police chiefs, and served agencies in our area so they
know they have another asset they could use if needed." [endquote] He
said the goal is to use the ICS system so everyone is on the same
training level and gets the needed experience with the command structure
and forms.

There is additional information and a signup form on the website hawaiiares.net.

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

(STACY HOLBROOK, KH6OWL)

**

LEADER NEEDED FOR RSGB CONVENTION

NEIL/ANCHOR: The Radio Society of Great Britain needs someone to chair
its upcoming convention. Could that be you? Here's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: A hybrid convention is on the cards this year for the Radio
Society of Great Britain, which hopes to combine a return to an in-
person event with the best of the online conventions held these past two years.

Planning is already under way but the organisers are in need of a
convention chair. According to the RSGB website, this leader should be
someone familiar with all developments going on in amateur radio and
should be comfortable planning for online events as well as those in
person.

Meanwhile, the team is seeking input from anyone and everyone who would
like to help shape the event which will be held in October. A survey is
posted online for amateurs to share their ideas with the organisers.
It's not necessary to be a member of the RSGB to participate in the
survey. As with the previous two online conventions, the hybrid version
will be providing access to people attending from outside Great Britain.

Visit the website rsgb dot org stroke convention (rsgb.org/convention)
to provide your input and learn more about the vacancy.

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

(RSGB)

**

YOUTH CATEGORY ADDED TO CQ MAGAZINE'S DX MARATHON

NEIL/ANCHOR: Young hams may want to be aware of a new category
introduced this year by CQ magazine in its DX Marathon, which is already
under way. The Youth Category is an overlay category open to any
operator born on January 1st, 1997 or later. There are certificates for
the highest scorer among young operators in each of the six continents.
Visit the rules section of the website at dxmarathon dot com
(dxmarathon.com). And, good luck, everyone!

(CQ MAGAZINE)

**

NOMINATE YOUNG AMATEURS FOR NEWSLINE AWARD

NEIL/ANCHOR: We here at Newsline are asking listeners to think of a
young amateur radio operator with talent, promise and heart. Consider nominating them for Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak Memorial
Young Ham of the Year Award. This is our commitment to honoring young
talent 18 years of age or younger who reside in the United States, its possessions, or any Canadian province. Find application forms on our
website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close May
31st.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

SILENT KEY: SATELLITE ENTHUSIAST RAY SOIFER, W2RS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: A lifelong amateur whose achievements with ham radio satellites could be traced to his years as a New York City teenager, has become a Silent Key. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, tells us about him.

RALPH: Ray Soifer, W2RS, is credited with achieving the first ham radio
QSO via satellite ionization trail reflection. It was 1960 and Ray, then K2QBW, and his friend Perry Klein, then K3JTE, made the contact together
as high school students who were enthralled by satellites. Ray became a
Silent Key on March 1. He was living in Arizona at the time of his death.

After Perry Klein became founding president of AMSAT, Ray took on a number
of posts with the organization, including executive vice president, acting president and member of the board of directors. Ray's consistent devotion
to satellite operation led him in 1975 to achieve the first reported inter-satellite relay communication, making use of AMSAT-OSCAR 7 and AMSAT-OSCAR 6 when the two were in close orbit to one another. Ray was chairman of the annual IARU Satellite Forum between 1995 and 2005, a
member of the IARU's Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel; and was
secretary and later chairman of the IARU Region 2's VHF/UHF Committee.

He also wrote frequently on satellite-related topics for the AMSAT
Journal, QST and RadCom, the magazine of the Radio Society of Great
Britain.

Ray was 79.

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

(AMSAT)

**

SILENT KEY: SOTA'S JOSE-ANTONIO GURUTZARRI JAUREGI, "GURU," EA2IF

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The close-knit community of SOTA activators is grieving
the loss of a well-known friend to many, on and off the summits. Ed
Durrant, DD5LP, has his story.

ED: Jose-Antonio Gurutzarri Jauregi was better known as Guru, or by his callsign, EA2IF. A ham since his teens in native Spain, he embraced participation in Summits on the Air in 2013, combining his love of
portable activation with his affinity for hiking. Guru became a Silent Key
on March 11. His death from cancer was announced by Ignacio, EA2BD, on the SOTA Reflector.

Radio and friendship were common threads throughout his life. Starting
with a friend, Esteban EA2BYG, who introduced him to CB radio in 1980 as a teenager. Another friend, Jose-Ramon, EA2AD, later brought him into the
world of amateur radio. Guru became an adept contester and CW operator and over the years placed in the top three spots for such competitions as the
CQ World Wide DX contest and the ARRL International DX CW competition. By 2018, after a few years in the SOTA programme, he was invited to join the
SOTA Global Publicity Team.

According to Ignacio, at the time of Guru's death he was 26 points short
of one last goal he sought despite his terminal diagnosis: He wanted to achieve Mountain Goat status in the SOTA awards scheme. Paying tribute to
his friend, Ignacio wrote on the reflector: [quote] "In our hearts, after
so many activations - 415 - you are already in the herd, Guru...73 my
friend." [end quote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP, and I am proud to have known Guru. Vale Guru, EA2IF ..... you will be sorely missed by the SOTA community.

(SOTA REFLECTOR, QRZ.COM)

**

UK BEACON PROJECT GAINS FUNDING FROM RSGB

SKEETER/ANCHOR: In the UK, a beacon project that will help in the study of meteors has gained some financial support. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has the details.

JEREMY: A partnership between radio astronomers and the amateur radio community has been recognized by the Legacy Committee of the Radio Society
of Great Britain, which will be providing funds for a 50 MHz beacon to
assist in the study of meteors above the UK.

According to the RSGB website, the beacon will operate from the Sherwood Observatory of the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society. It will make
use of circular polarization and will beam up vertically.

The announcement noted that because meteors entering the Earth's
atmosphere create an ionized trail reflecting transmissions at 50 MHz,
that band is extremely useful for the planned range of STEM and citizen science projects.

The amount of the Legacy Committee gift was not disclosed.

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

(RSGB)

**

WIA WELCOMES YOUTH CORRESPONDENT TO AMATEUR NEWSCAST

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Newsline would like to congratulate Alec, VK2APC, of Sydney, Australia for joining the Wireless Institute of
Australia's National News team. Alec is 12 years old, got his license last year and is the son of Pete, VK2LP. Alec will be reading youth-related
news for listeners of the weekly WIA report.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/9)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
Butler County Amateur Radio Public Service Group's K3PSG repeater, in
Butler, Pennsylvania, on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. local time

**

FCC HAM RADIO LICENSE FEE TAKES EFFECT APRIL 19TH

PAUL/ANCHOR: Get ready for April 19th. If you're looking to upgrade,
renew, or change your callsign, you have until that date to do so without having to pay a fee. The FCC has announced its new $35 application fee
for US amateur radio licenses takes effect on that date. The agency said
the fees can be paid by using the Commission's Universal Licensing
System on the FCC website. The FCC posted a public notice on its website
on March 23, announcing it would begin collecting the fees, which it has
said will cover the costs of processing the applications. For hams, the
fees apply to new licenses, renewals, upgrades, sequential call sign
changes and applications for vanity calls. It does not apply to such administrative updates as change of email or other mailing address.

(FCC)

**

OREGON LAUNCHES STATE'S FIRST SATELLITE

PAUL/ANCHOR: The team behind Oregon's first satellite gets bragging
rights this week after its successful launch from Alaska. Ralph
Squillace, KK6ITB, brings us that story.

RALPH: Space enthusiasts are celebrating the launch of Oregon's first satellite, which carried amateur radio into low Earth orbit on a
spacecraft no larger than a box of tissues. Known as OreSat0, it is an
open source CubeSat built by the Portland State Aerospace Society, an interdisciplinary group of students at Portland State University. With
solar panels, batteries, a color camera and of course amateur radio on
board, it was launched on March 15th from Kodiak, Alaska.

The group's faculty advisor, Andrew Greenberg, KD7CJT, said on the
university website [quote]: "Our small group of space hipsters gathered
in the rocket room to watch the launch with fancy bagels and pour-over
coffee, and then collectively held our breath for more than an hour." [endquote] After some nervous moments, they learned the flight had gone smoothly. Its mission, which is to test the cubesat system itself, is
expected to last several years. Fear not, this won't be the first and
the last for Oregon. The group is already hard at work on OreSat0.5
(OreSat Zero Point Five), and it's scheduled for launch this summer. It
will be a larger satellite for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and will
carry equipment gathering data for global climate science, studying the distribution of high altitude cirrus clouds.

Meanwhile if you'd like to track the pride of Oregon's space fans, see
the link in the text version of this week's script at arnewsline.org

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

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

https://uniclogs-cesium-megqz.ondigitalocean.app/ ]

**

NORWAY'S BEGINNERS' LICENSE GAINS TRACTION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Norway is moving forward with a plan to introduce a new
amateur radio license for beginners. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that story.

JEREMY: Norway has plans to introduce a 10-watt entry level certificate
for young hams. It has the financial support of one million Kroner, or
nearly $114,000 US dollars, from the Norwegian Research Council with the
input of hams throughout the nation.

The proposal, introduced last year, was discussed at Norway's
Hammeeting, an annual amateur radio convention. Attendees included the communications regulator NKOM, and the Norwegian Radio Relay League. The
NRRL, the Research Institute of Forsvaret and Torbj�rn, LA4ZCA, are
working together on a plan to introduce the subject formally into school curricula. The proposed certificate would become available to 12- and 13-year-old enthusiasts operating at low power on limited bands.

The entry level licence has the support of such groups as the Academic
Radio Club, or ARK, which has already been making classes available. The
ARK is Norway's oldest amateur radio club for students.

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

(ARK, SOUTHGATE)
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RSGB REOPENS NATIONAL RADIO CENTRE AT BLETCHLEY PARK

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park has opened
its doors again following a brief COVID-related closure. Jeremy Boot,
G4NJH, brings us up to date about returning to visit.

JEREMY: Visitors are again welcome at the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park. The centre reopened on Monday, the 28th of March having
been shut after many members of its volunteer team had fallen ill with COVID-19. While visitors are still encouraged to wear face masks, they
are not now mandatory.

Amateur radio operators will have to wait a little longer to operate from
the GB3RS amateur radio station on site, however, as it remains
unavailable.

The radio room itself is open, however; and groups may visit in small
numbers. RSGB members will be allowed to use their vouchers for free
entry to the centre and it is no longer necessary to book arrival times
in advance.

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

(RSGB)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the J88CU repeater
on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. local time in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

**

HAMVENTION WEEKEND BANQUET WILL HONOR APRS PIONEER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're going to Hamvention, get your tickets early for
the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet. The dinner is honoring a pioneer who became a
Silent Key this year. Jack Parker, W8ISH, has the details.

JACK: One of the highlights of Dayton Hamvention weekend this May is
expected to be the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet which is being held in honor of
APRS pioneer Bob Bruninga (BREW nin guh), WB4APR. Bob, who became a
Silent Key in February, developed the widely used packet system more than
a quarter century ago, enabling real-time tracking and data transfer over amateur radio frequencies. The dinner is taking place on Friday, May 20th
at 6:30 p.m. local time and will showcase Bob's life and achievements.
Tickets are $57 each, and must be pre-purchased no later than Friday, May
13th from the AMSAT store; they will not be sold at the AMSAT booth. The banquet will take place at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering, Ohio, a 20-minute drive from Hamvention at the fairgrounds in Xenia.

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

(AMSAT, TAPR)

**

TELESCOPE'S DETAILED IMAGES CAPTURE 'ODD RADIO CIRCLES'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With the help of a radio telescope in South Africa,
mysterious radio circles in space are becoming a little less mysterious. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells us about that telescope's recent discovery.

GRAHAM: The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory has captured the
most detailed images to date of what are known as ORCs, for "odd radio circles," in a discovery astronomers are calling unprecedented. The
circles themselves are nothing new: The first three were discovered in
2019 by astronomers at Australia's national science agency CSIRO using
the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Archival data from
radio telescope imagery in India in 2013 contained the fourth image. The Australian radio telescope identified a fifth one last year. Scientists
are curious as to why ORCs show up in radio waves but are undetected by optical or X-ray telescopes.

Astronomers theorise that the huge circles take about 1 billion years to
reach their maximum size. Their diameter is said to be 10 times the
diameter of the Milky Way, measuring about a million light-years across.
Some have a galaxy at their centres.

ORCs beam out radio signals every 18 minutes on average but little else
is known about them. That could change. Scientists said that with the
newest images from South Africa's high resolution radio telescope, they
may be a bit closer to understanding them better.

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

(NATURE, CNN)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
East Coast Reflector on Sundays at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, where
more than 240 repeaters and simplex nodes rebroadcast our newscast.

**

SUMMITS ON THE AIR BEGINS ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

JIM/ANCHOR: This is an exciting year for amateurs who are active in the Summits on the Air awards scheme. We hear what's going on from Ed
Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: Just as hams in the Summits on the Air award scheme rise through the
tier of awards to increase their standing, so too has the awards scheme
scaled new heights. For the past month, SOTA has been marking its 20th anniversary in England and Wales, the birthplaces of the programme,
which now has more than 24,000 participants on all the major continents. During April, SOTA management team member Tom Read, M1EYP, will be
operating special event station GB20SOTA from the summit of "The Cloud",
which is designated as G/SP-015 in the SOTA award scheme. Additional
special event calls will be on the air throughout this year as hams in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the United States mark the occasion. The celebration kicked off last month with summit activations by GW association manager Roger Dallimore, MW0IDX, under the GB2OTA call sign in Wales. Free commemorative certificates will be available.

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

**

LICENSE DELAYS TEST PATIENCE OF BRAZIL'S RADIO APPLICANTS

JIM/ANCHOR: Impatient over ongoing delays, applicants for Brazil's
amateur radio license are applying even more pressure on officials.
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us that update.

JEREMY: In Brazil, the long wait has become even longer as applicants
waiting for their radio amateur licence report that at least six months
have passed in some cases and they are growing impatient.

Brazil's national amateur radio society has asked ANATEL, the nation's regulator, to act promptly and resolve the delays for the waiting
candidates. The group is asking the regulator to modernise its computer
system and standardise processes across all of the Brazilian states. The amateur organisation, known as Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Rádio
Emissão (LABRE), believes the system incompatibility has resulted in
long wait times that have discouraged candidates from seeking licences.

The Brazilian amateurs' latest plea comes in the form of a petition,
following unsuccessful attempts at progress during meetings held in
person as well as remotely between LABRE and ANATEL.

The petition can be seen at the website that appears in the text version
of this week's newscast. It is in Portuguese with a Google translation
to English available.

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

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:

https://www.change.org/p/radioamadores-unidos-exigem-celeridade-e- moderniza%C3%A7%C3%A3o-dos-sistemas-da-anatel ]

(above URL all on one line)

(LABRE, SOUTHGATE)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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NOMINATE YOUNG AMATEURS FOR NEWSLINE AWARD

NEIL/ANCHOR: It's time to think about the next generation of radio
operators and appreciate their skill and dedication. Perhaps one of them
will be the next recipient of the Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Consider nominating an amateur
radio operator 18 years of age or younger in the continental United
States with talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio.
Find application forms on our website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY"
tab. Nominations close May 31st.

**

AMATEUR RADIO VETERAN FOCUSES ON SHARING WELL-HONED SkILLSET

NEIL/ANCHOR: Many hams use the opportunity of retirement from their
paying jobs to "pay it forward" to the amateur radio community. Paul
Braun, WD9GCO, tells us about one such amateur.

PAUL: One of the challenges many amateur radio clubs face is finding a constant flow of presenters to keep meetings interesting. John Portune,
W6NBC, a former electronics industry writer and educator, as well as a frequent contributor to QST and other related publications, is offering
a partial solution. Portune has developed a series of presentations on a variety of topics and has made himself available to present them.
Portune said he was looking for something to do now that he's retired,
so he decided that volunteering to teach on a variety of ham topics fit
right in with his skillset.

Portune gave a presentation to the Porter County Amateur Radio Club in
Indiana on Friday, April 8th. His topic was the design and construction
of a 10-meter Moxon antenna. If you'd like to see it, check the link in
the printed version of this week's report. He can be reached through his website, w6nbc.com

FOR PRINT ONLY: https://youtu.be/wdyLRprTJRU

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

**

POTA OPERATORS ACTIVATE "SUPPORT YOUR PARKS" EVENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Parks activators are celebrating spring in a big way. Vance Martin, N3VEM, tells us what they've been up to.

VANCE: In Parks on the Air News, we hope you'll join us in just a few
days for the spring "Support Your Parks" event on April 16th and 17th
UTC. If the past is any indication, there could be anywhere from six to
eight hundred operators putting parks on the air for the weekend event.
This is a great opportunity to get out portable and activate some parks
as the weather turns warm, or just stay home and have plenty of parks to chase. It's also an excellent opportunity to practice and prepare for
the summer's big activity - our annual plaque event. This year, that
happens on July 16th and 17th UTC. All of our plaques, including the
three new DX activator plaques, are now fully sponsored thanks to a
number of generous hams. More information about the summer event will be coming over the next couple months, so stay tuned to these monthly POTA updates, and the plaque event section of pota.app. This is November
Three Victor Echo Mike.

(POTA)

**

DX ASSOCIATION NAMES HUMANITARIAN FUND FOR ITS FOUNDER, NOW A SILENT KEY

NEIL/ANCHOR: The fund created by a noted DXer and humanitarian now
carries his name. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, gives us the details.

JASON: Out of grief has come a renewed commitment to generosity. Still mourning the recent loss of friend and benefactor Zorro Miyazawa,
JH1AJT, the International DX Association has added his name to the humanitarian aid fund Zorro created and endowed in January of 2016.
INDEXA's Humanitarian Aid Fund is now known as The Zorro Miyazawa,
JH1AJT, Hams with Hearts Fund. The funds are used to provide assistance
to any humanitarian aid projects undertaken by amateurs during their DXpeditions. The announcement on the INDEXA website noted that the
tagline reflects "Zorro's character and values," adding [quote] "INDEXA
is proud and grateful to be able to sustain Zorro's legacy through this
fund." [endquote] Zorro, who was known as much for his role as a
humanitarian as a ham, became a Silent Key in March.

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

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

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W-ZERO-EF
repeater in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.

**

ONLINE COURSE GETS UNDER WAY FOR CANADIAN LICENSE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Classes are getting started for Canada's basic operating certificate -- and the course is being offered online. Dave Parks,
WB8ODF, has the details.

DAVE: Candidates for Canada's basic level amateur radio operator
certificate are beginning their studies on Sunday, April 24th and will continue through Thursday, June 30th. This is an online course for
anyone interested in a Canadian operating certificate, including
candidates in overseas countries. The classes are being conducted with
the help of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club of Nova Scotia. The coursework prepares candidates for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Basic Qualification Level Operator Certificate exam.
Al Penney, VO1NO, is the instructor for the three-hour classes which
meet on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. To enquire about costs
and registration, contact the course administrator via email at
basiccourse - that's one word - at rac dot ca (basiccourse@rac.ca.) The sessions are being recorded so should anyone miss a class they may catch
up on the material.

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

(RADIO AMATEURS OF CANADA)

**

TEEN EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM GETS HIGH GOVERNMENT HONORS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: An emergency-response team of teens - some of them
amateur radio operators - has received an award from a top U.S.
government agency. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has the details.

KEVIN: A high school emergency response team that includes several
amateur radio operators has been recognized by federal officials for
their crisis preparedness work. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management
Agency, or FEMA, has presented its Region 6 Youth Preparedness Award to
the Clovis High School Teen Community Emergency Response Team in Clovis,
New Mexico. The team is known by the acronym CERT. The team has been
training under the guidance of the city's emergency management director,
Dan Heerding, KG5DTV, who shares the award with them. According to a
news story on the KCBD-TV website, the young CERT members have already
been deployed to three community events and collectively donated 856
hours of their time.

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

(SOUTHGATE, KCBD-TV)

**

NASA SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS HONOR APOLLO 16 ANNIVERSARY

SKEETER/ANCHOR: It's been 50 years since the historic moon mission known
as Apollo 16. Amateurs around the US will agree: that's reason to
activate some special event stations. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, has those
details.

PAUL: If you remember NASA's Apollo 16 moon mission - or even if you
weren't around back then - you don't want to miss the 50th anniversary celebration of that historic journey, which was the fifth moon landing mission. NASA on the Air special event stations around the United States
will be on the bands between Saturday April 23rd and Wednesday April
27th marking the milestone. Different local NASA radio clubs will be
active at different hours so check the spotting clusters or the NASA on
the Air wordpress blog site. The many participating clubs at NASA sites include the Ames Research Center Amateur Radio Club, NA6MF, in
California; the Glenn Research Center club, NA8SA, in Ohio; the Goddard
Space Flight Center club, WA3NAN, in Maryland and the Stennis Space
Center club, N5SSC, in Mississippi.

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

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, NASA ON THE AIR BLOG, NASA)
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HAMS PREP FOR ARMED FORCES DAY CROSS-BAND EXERCISE

DON/ANCHOR: May is a busy month in the United States on the amateur radio calendar. There's Hamvention opening on the 20th of May - and just a week before, on May 14th, there's the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band exercise.
Jack Parker, W8ISH, has the details.

JACK: Ham radio and government radio operators will be sharing messages
and testing their operating efficiency starting at 1300 UTC on May 14th in
an exercise hosted by the US Army Military Auxiliary Radio System, or
MARS. They'll be taking part in the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band exercise,
an interoperability event with a history that goes back more than 50
years. Hams will be listening for stations on US military frequencies and transmitting on nearby amateur frequencies. Participating hams will be
able to confirm their contacts with a QSL card. Hams copying messages from
US Army and US Navy stations can request a QSL card online using the form
at the website that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

FOR PRINT ONLY: https://www.usarmymars.org/events ]

Hams seeking a QSL card from US Air Force stations whose messages they
have copied should send a request by mail to the Armed Forces Day
Celebration, Chief, Air Force MARS, 203 West Losey Street, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225.

According to the Department of Defense website, the numerous military
stations transmitting messages will include Travis Air Force Base in California, the Newport Naval Radio Station Museum in Newport, Rhode
Island, the US Coast Guard Base in Alameda, California, the Pentagon in Washington DC and the Barrow Army Reserve Center in Kentucky.

Although Armed Forces Day is May 21st, the test is being run a week
earlier to accommodate Hamvention.

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

(US DEPT OF DEFENSE)

**

MAINE AMATEURS RECEIVE TRAINING TO ASSIST DISASTER RESPONDERS

DON/ANCHOR: A group of amateurs in the state of Maine feels a little more ready for the next big emergency to come along. They've just completed
some important training. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, tells us more.

KEVIN: Members of the Aroostook [pronounced: uh-ROO-stick] County Amateur Radio Emergency Services just got another tool to add to their amateur
radio kit: Training to function as CERT, the acronym for Citizen Emergency Response Team.

Brian Goff, KC1NHJ, the community outreach planner for the county's
emergency management agency, told WAGM-TV that the CERT members provide support to search and rescue personnel as well as those administering
first aid. He said even if the hams are not directly involved in providing
the actual hands-on assistance, their use of radios is invaluable in
getting the word out especially if cell towers may not be working.

Their training took place on a Saturday in the middle of April. The CERT members' first big test will come in just a matter of weeks when they will test their new skills by participating in an emergency drill.

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

(WAGM-TV)

**

FCC FILING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN ON FIRST DAY OF NEW FEE

DON/ANCHOR: On the day the FCC's new ham radio license application fees
took effect, a system outage halted the agency's electronic batch filing system and files could not be processed. The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator sent out a notice to league members making them aware of the shutdown that occurred on Tuesday, April 19th. The FCC had asked that no further files be submitted for exam sessions or license applications until
the issue could be resolved. The system was back on line, however, a few
days later. The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator sent a notice to league
members on Saturday, April 23rd saying that processing was restored and business could proceed as usual. The FCC was expected to begin reducing
the backlog even as new files arrived. The FCC has previously said that
the new $35 charge was necessary to cover staff costs associated with the application process, even though the review system is largely automated.

(ARRL, FCC)

**

INDIAN ENGINEERING SCHOOL HOSTS 2-DAY INTRO TO AMATEUR RADIO

DON/ANCHOR: One of India's pre-eminent engineering universities was the
scene of a workshop on amateur radio basics. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, gives us
that report.

GRAHAM: More than three dozen engineering and science students and their instructors were introduced to amateur radio and all its elements during a workshop held April 5th and 6th in Gujarat, India. Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, regional coordinator of AMSAT-India, gave the presentation at PDEU, one of
the Indian state's top engineering schools.

In addition to gaining familiarity with various types of amateur radio equipment and the modes of communication, the students watched practical demonstrations, including Slow Scan TV, PSK-31 and Morse Code and learned
to operate an HT. They also heard the stories behind many of the QSL cards
on display throughout the two-day programme. Some careful planning ahead allowed the students to experience amateur radio contacts using the AO-91 Cubesat and had prearranged QSOs with Lucky, VU2LBW, and Kaustav, VU2UUU.

Rajesh wrote that both four-hour days had a packed schedule and he hoped
the students had gained insights into amateur radio's popularity and possibilities.

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

(SOUTHGATE)
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YOUNG HAM AWARD NOMINATING WINDOW TO CLOSE SOON

PAUL/ANCHOR: The clock is ticking on the time you have left to send in
your nominations for the Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio
Newsline Young Ham of the Year award. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark
Abramowicz (pronouncer Abram-a-vich) NT3V is chairman of the award
committee, and has more.

MARK: We're looking for candidates - 18 years or younger from the
continental United States.

Details under the awards tab at our website: arnewsline.org.

We're looking for someone who has a real love of the hobby - perhaps
through a public service role in amateur radio. Maybe that young ham you
know serves as a net control for a local net.

Or they like working with other young people, helping expose them to the
fun and excitement of ham radio.

Maybe - thanks to Elmers or other mentors - they really have developed a
love of contesting, or chasing DX and sharing those experiences with
others.

Are they active in your radio club?

Have they ever been to Dayton or made a presentation there or someplace
else?

How about introducing amateur radio at school?

Maybe establishing a school radio club.

Or have they helped set up and taken part in a contact with the
International Space Station?

Time to act now.

Deadline for nominations is May 31st.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.

**

HAM STATIONS WARMING UP FOR INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR RACES

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're getting revved up for the annual special event
station at the Indianapolis Speedway, you're not alone. Jack Parker,
W8ISH, takes us for a test drive.

JACK: As spring temperatures warm up so do the radios at W9IMS, the
official special event station at the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway. Starting early Monday May 9th, you can make contact with the special event station for the Indy Grand Prix race the following weekend. That's seven
days of continuous access on 20 and 40 meters.

This is the first of three races and the special event stations for the
racing season at the famed two-and-one-half-mile oval in Speedway,
Indiana.

Later this month, beginning May 23rd, you can make a second contact with
W9IMS for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race. They will
be logging contacts until race day. According to station coordinator Bill Kennedy, WY9T, this is the 19th year for the Indy 500 special event
station.

After a short breather, the W9IMS men and women will rev up the radios
again for the NASCAR 200 race beginning July 25th.

Each contact will receive a custom designed QSL card for each race. Those
hams logging all three special event stations are eligible for a special three-race certificate this fall.

You can find more details of the times and dates by logging onto W9IMS at
QRZ. Com.

Reporting from Indianapolis, for Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Jack
Parker, W8ISH.

**

YOUNGSTERS PREP FOR DX ADVENTURE IN CURACAO

PAUL/ANCHOR: The three youngsters who were scheduled for a big DX
adventure in 2020 are two years older - and two years more eager to get
going and get on the air. They're ready for the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth
DX Adventure that will land them in CURACAO as PJ2T between July 14th and 19th. Created in 2008, the adventure group provides a DX experience,
education and some travel experience for young licensees between the ages
of 12 and 17 at no cost to them. It is supported entirely by donations
from individuals, clubs and other organizations. If you're heading to Hamvention later this month, stop by booth number 2602, and meet the trio
of young operators and their team. Tickets will also be sold for a raffle drawing on an HF rig to help support their trip. The trio of young radio amateurs are the same ones chosen for the 2020 trip before it was
cancelled because of the pandemic. The youth DX group's last adventure
was held in 2019, and set a program record of 6,569 QSOs.

(DAVE KALTER MEMORIAL YOUTH DX ADVENTURE)

**

SCOUT CAMP ACTIVATION AT WEST POINT RETURNS AFTER 2 YEARS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A special event station for young Scouts in the United States
is back after two years, and it logged an impressive array of contacts.
For that story we turn to Newsline's newest correspondent, George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU.

GEORGE: You might consider special event station W2P the official station
of the Comeback Kids. The 58th annual Scout Camporee at the West Point Military Academy in New York had to be cancelled for two consecutive years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the weekend of April 22nd to 24th, it returned and got on the air, making 577 contacts on CW and phone, covering
41 states and 25 DXCC entities on three continents. James Gallo, KB2FMH,
one of the organizers, told Newsline that organizers and the West Point Scoutmaster's Council saw that the camporee itself made up for lost time,
even with the usual number of 6,000 attendees reduced to 4,000 as a COVID precaution. The radio station had about 13 operators working in rotation
on five stations on Saturday and three stayed on with James to finish up
the activation the next day. James said the contacts were devoted to mini-ragchews, giving everyone a chance to share memories of being in
Scouting or the military. Many of the operators, who were from the Fair
Lawn Amateur Radio Club in New Jersey, handled the pileups and engaged
their contacts in a lively conversation. He said the most memorable
contact was logged in the middle of the night on 20 meters: a 5-watt
station with the call sign R5AJ. The operator told James he'd been a Scout
as a boy and when he found the listing on QRZ he had to make the call. He
gave the Scouts a signal report of 5 and 8.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU.

(JAMES GALLO, KB2FMH)

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you worked W2P or heard it as a shortwave listener, QSL
with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the mailing addresss of W2TMR
no later than May 9th.
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

90TH ANNIVERSARY ACTIVATIONS REMEMBER AMELIA EARHART

NEIL/ANCHOR: Few things can touch history and relay its message better
than amateur radio, especially across an ocean. Two groups of hams on
opposite sides of the Atlantic plan to do just that, as we hear from
Dave Parks, WB8ODF.

DAVE: Amelia Earhart, the American pioneering aviator, crossed the
Atlantic Ocean nonstop on May 20 and 21 in 1932, becoming the first
female pilot to do so. On the 90th anniversary of that achievement, some
radio waves will accomplish the same thing, coming from transmitters in Atchison, Kansas and Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Hams in Londonderry
will activate the callsign GB0AEL between the 13th and 30th of May, celebrating the pioneering pilot whose single-engine plane touched down
on the very field where they will be calling QRZ. Operators will be
amateurs from the North West Group Amateur Radio Club, MN0NWG.

Meanwhile in Kansas - Earhart's hometown - operators Steve, KC0VYS, and
Chuck, KB0TOT, will be on the air on May 20th and 21st at what is now
the Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. Both stations will be offering commemorative certificates for hams who make successful contacts. Steve
wrote on his QRZ page that the hams in Kansas will be using his callsign
and promoting the Irish activation too.

The "AEL" in GB0AEL stands or "Amelia Earhart Legacy." Hams in the North
West group have written [quote] "By making contact with GB0AEL, you will
also be making history." [endquote]

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

(QRZ, SOUTHGATE)

**

UK ORGANIZERS PREP FOR SUMMER 'VILLAGE OF GEEKS'

NEIL/ANCHOR: Organizers in the UK are preparing for a summer camping
festival they describe as [quote] "a temporary village of geeks,
crafters and technology enthusiasts." [endquote] Jeremy Boot, G4NJH,
tells us what's going to happen - and when.

JEREMY: More than 2,000 people are expected this summer at Electromagnetic Field which will bring technology, scientific curiosity and a special
event amateur radio station to Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire.

The volunteer-run, not-for-profit event is taking place between 2nd and
5th June and will include an Amateur Radio Village GX1EMF and AMSAT-UK Village GB4EMF. Campers will be able to arrive as early as the Thursday
before in order to set up and they needn't take down their camp until
the Monday following.

In addition to speakers and workshops on everyone's favourite tech
topics, there will also be music and other entertainments. The event is
held every two years although the 2020 field day was cancelled because
of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ticket prices and other information is available at the website emfcamp
dot org. That's emfcamp - one word - dot org.

Those attending only for the day are eligible for free admission.

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

(EMFCAMP.ORG)

**

PARKS ON THE AIR ADDS 3 DX HUNTER CATEGORIES

NEIL/ANCHOR: The Parks on the Air awards scheme has added three new
categories for DX Hunters. Vance Martin, N3VEM, brings us that report.

VANCE: In Parks on the Air News, due to popular demand and a willing
supply of sponsors, we have added 3 new DX Hunter Categories to the
summer plaque event, to compliment the new DX Activator plaques. This
brings the total number of plaques available to win up to 17. To have a
shot at winning of these plaques, join the fun on July 16th and 17th.
More details are available from the "Plaque Event" menu item at pota dot
app. If you're a ham that happens to be into free and open source social
media platforms as an alternative to the offerings of the large
corporate interests, we're pleased to share that Parks on the Air and
several of its volunteers now have a presence on the Fediverse. Look for
us using the handle @parksontheair@mastodon.radio

This is November Three Victor Echo Mike.

(POTA)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K5DUR repeater
in Rowlett, Texas, on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**

NOMINATION DEADLINE NEARS FOR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR AWARD

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The nomination deadline is closer than you think for the Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year
Award. This honor is given to a young radio operator with the kind of
skill and dedication so valued by Newsline's late cofounder Bill
Pasternak WA6ITF. Perhaps one of these youngsters will be the next award recipient. Consider nominating an amateur radio operator 18 years of age
or younger in the continental United States with talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find application forms on our
website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close May
31st - and that is coming up fast.

**

SCOUTS OFFER HAMVENTION LANYARDS AND TICKET LAMINATION

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Are you headed to Hamvention? If you're looking for an inexpensive but extremely handy Hamvention souvenir, the Boy Scouts
Venture Crew 73 has just what you need, and Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has what
you need to know.

DON: Once again, the best Hamvention souvenir is one of the least
expensive and most useful. It's the 2022 Hamvention lanyard available
from the Boy Scouts Venture Crew 73, led by George Ewing, WD8NHI. As you
get ready to pass inside the main gate at the Greene County Fairgrounds
look for the Venture Crew tent. Go inside and for just $5 you can get
your Hamvention 2022 lanyard and have your Hamvention ticket laminated to
hang around your neck. No more fumbling for your ticket at the entrance
to the tents and buildings, your ticket is right there and visible for security to see. Best of all, you can't lose your ticket! While you're
at it go ahead get the full color Hamvention 2022 patch from the Scouts,
also $5. This patch features a loop so you can hang it securely from,
you guessed it, your lanyard! If you're in too much of a hurry to get
inside the gate, you can pass by booth 4011 in the building with the
prize drum and get your lanyard and patch there. It also makes a great
gift for your ham friends who couldn't make it to Hamvention this year
and as gifts for the next club meeting or prizes for the next hamfest.
Support Venture Crew 73 and get one of the most useful and least
expensive items at Hamvention. That's a win all the way around.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**

HAM RADIO JOINS SWISS 'ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE'

SKEETER: TunBasel (Tunn Bah-Zull), an interactive adventure experience
for young people in Switzerland, is encouraging children to engage in
playful experiments with everything from soap to digital avatars to
amateur radio. Youngsters from 7 to 13 years of age will combine
recreation with learning in this science-focused environment over the
course of several days. On May 22nd, the Union of Swiss Shortwave
Amateurs, or USKA, will be among the presenters, which includes an array
of noted universities. The hams will demonstrate shortwave, UHF and VHF communications and guide the children through a kit-building exercise.
The TunBasel website says the event is designed to showcase and nurture
young talent.

(SOUTHGATE)

**

AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR MAKES FEE-CALCULATION TOOL AVAILABLE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: The sometimes confusing task of figuring out the correct
fee for an apparatus license in Australia could become a little less
confusing soon. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, explains.

GRAHAM: Hams in Australia have a new tool to help them calculate the
apparatus licence fee for their shacks. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has made a fee calculator available to help find what the
AMCA is calling "the most cost-efficient licence option" for amateurs and holders of other radio licences. The fees relate to the operation of a radiofrequency transmitter or receiver.

The ACMA has said that the calculator will receive regular updates with respect to pricing and other options. For a link to the calculator, see
the text version of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: http://www.openspec.com.au/fee-calculator ]

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ACMA)
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AMATEURS RECEIVE TRANSMISSIONS FROM CHINA'S MARS MISSION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Almost a year after its launch, China's Mars mission has
made contact with hams here on Earth. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, has those
details.

ED: AMSAT-DL reports that it has successfully received transmissions from Tianwen-1, the Chinese Mars mission. According to a recently published
report, this took place at Bochum Observatory in Germany using a 20-meter antenna and GNU radio. GNU radio is free open-source software used to
create software-defined radios. The report, written by Daniel Est�vez,
EA4GPZ, Mario Lorenz, DL5MLO, and Peter G�lzow, DB2OS, said that the
Chinese spacecraft has been successfully tracked using a real-time GNU
radio decoder that has stored 10 months' worth of transmitted telemetry information. By interpreting the telemetry variables, the GNU radio was
able to track the mission, which began with its launch on July 23rd of
last year.

The paper was first published for GNU Radio Conference 2021 held last September in North Carolina. The radio conference for 2022 is scheduled
for September in Washington, D.C.

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

(SOUTHGATE)

**

SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE HISTORY PROJECT NEEDS HELP

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: History isn't always what it seems and so the South
African Radio League is reaching out to amateurs there who may have
documents and artifacts that better tell the story of how the league was created. John Williams, VK4JJW, brings us that story.

JOHN: Amateur radio forever looks forward to the next generation to
ensure its survival but the South African Radio League has begun looking
back - way back - to better discover its identity. Sorting through the scrapbooks in the garage of a Silent Key has led some league members to conclude there's more to its history than was previously known. That has
led to a project at the National Amateur Radio Centre, the league's headquarters, involving a bit of a treasure hunt. Amateurs in South
Africa are asked to sort through old magazines and other materials they
have that contain insights into the league and its predecessor
organisations. Hams are also being asked to look at programmes from past years' annual general meetings as well as photos taken there. The project would welcome original material or anything that can be scanned or photographed or perhaps brought to the National Amateur Radio Centre. If
you have anything to share, please contact the centre.

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

(WIA)

**

SOUTH AFRICAN CLUB SCHEDULES YOUNGSTERS' FOX HUNT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: While some hams in South Africa may be hot on the trail
of radio history, members of the Sandton Amateur Radio Club ZS6STN have
been more concerned with tracking two radio foxes named Fred and Fiona.
The club has organized a fox-hunting event for amateurs and their
families scheduled for Sunday the 29th of May. The foxes are carrying VHF emergency rescue beacons but according to the club's scenario, will be
lost in the park and in need for the youngsters to be their rescuers. Participants are asked to bring their HTs, an antenna and oh yes, their appetites for lunch afterward. Hopefully, Fred and Fiona will be found in
time to share in the menu too.

(SOUTHGATE)

**

PRIDE RADIO GROUP PREPS FOR INTERNATIONAL CONTEST

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Get ready for the first international contest being
organized by the Pride Radio Group. It's a big moment for this still-
young Australia-based organization, as Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells us.

GRAHAM: Barely two years after its founding, the Pride Radio Group is
hosting its first contest for hams worldwide during pride month, which
begins in June. The contest, CQ Pride, will be held from June 4th to June
6th. It is open to amateurs in single and multi-operator categories on
all HF non WARC, VHF and UHF bands and using all usual modes.

Organiser Michaela, VK3FUR, said that the Pride Radio Group event is a celebration of diversity within the amateur radio community. Michaela
said that small clubs and individual newcomers are especially welcome. Contacts can be on CW, phone and digital and may be made using
satellites, repeaters, hotspots and internet links provided RF is
involved in at least one hop. Participants may spot other stations but
not themselves.

Additional details are available at the link provided in the text version
of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org.

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://prideradio.group/contest ]

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

(PRIDE RADIO GROUP)
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FCC REMINDS AMATEURS TO CREATE ACCOUNT IN NEW REGISTRATION SYSTEM

PAUL/ANCHOR: In the US, the FCC has issued a reminder to all amateurs that
the agency's legacy Commission Registration System, known by the acronym CORES, is being retired effective July 15th. Hams who are already using
the current version of CORES, also known by the name CORES2, are not
impacted by the retiring system. Legacy CORES users must make the
transition by establishing a username account and then accessing CORES2 to associate their registration numbers with their usernames.

(FCC)

**

QUEEN'S JUBILEE REFLECTED IN SOME UK CALL SIGNS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateurs in the UK have the opportunity to celebrate the
Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II simply by calling QRZ. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us those details.

JEREMY: The arrival of June has brought an extra element of distinction
for amateur radio operators in the UK who are looking to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the air. Hams who have applied for a notice of variation from Ofcom will be inserting a "Q" into their call signs
throughout the month to mark the occasion. Those who have not applied for
the NoV can still add /70 (slash-70) to the end of their call signs as an alternative.

Be listening on the bands for that extra touch for the royal celebration.
The opportunity has been made available to hams at Foundation,
Intermediate and Full licence levels. The addition of Q to call signs had
also been authorised for the Queen's earlier jubilees in 2012 and 2020.

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

**

SPECIAL EVENT STATION A HIGHLIGHT OF YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP

PAUL/ANCHOR: There will be lots to do for youngsters attending Youth on
the Air camp this month in Ohio. The good news is that there's also plenty happening for those of us who aren't even campers. Sel Embee, KB3TZD,
explains.

SEL: Even if you're no longer young enough to go to summer camp anymore,
you can still be a part of the action happening this month at the Youth on
the Air Camp for young hams from North, Central, and South America. You
can try to get into the log when the young operators activate the special-event callsign W-8-Y while the camp is in session between Sunday,
June 12th and Friday, June 17th. If you wish to attend the opening and
closing ceremonies, these will be live streamed on YouTube on the “Youth
on the Air” channel.

The camp is taking place this year at the National Voice of America Museum
of Broadcasting in Ohio and at a nearby hotel. Nathaniel Frissell, W-2-N-
A-F, founder of HamSCI will speak at the opening ceremony on Sunday, June
12th starting at 2100 UTC. Closing ceremonies will begin at 1700 UTC on Friday, June 17th.

For details, visit the webpage youthontheair dot org (YouthOnTheAir.org).

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

(YOUTH ON THE AIR)
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TEXAS EMERGENCY RESPONSE GROUP GETS GRANT FOR EQUIPMENT UPGRADES

JIM/ANCHOR: A welcome infusion of grant money is going to make all the difference in the world for one Texas group of amateurs involved in
emergency response. Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, tells us about their plans.

SKEETER: New radios, antennas and related communication equipment are in
the future for a Texas emergency response team with the help of $11,349 in Community Development Partnership funds. The hams who volunteer with the
Lee County Amateur Radio Emergency Services have operated since 2019,
serving as backup communications for the county during disasters. The
amateur radio group will add $3,500 of its own funds, with the goal of expanding the size of the area it serves and enhancing its operating resiliency.

According to a report on the KWHI News website, the grant was among 36 provided through the partnership funds, which are designed to help such nonprofit service organizations as fire departments and emergency
responders. The grant is courtesy of the Lower Colorado River Authority
and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

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

(KWHI NEWS)

**

JAMSAT PREPARES FOR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE THIS MONTH

JIM/ANCHOR: An AMSAT conference will be held this month in Japan, but it's being held virtually. Of course, you are all invited. Graham Kemp, VK4BB,
tells us how to attend.

GRAHAM: Anyone who wants to attend the annual symposium of JAMSAT, the
AMSAT organisation of Japan, is welcome to attend simply by logging onto
Zoom. A full programme of speakers is planned, along with a social
gathering and a virtual banquet, which will make for a busy day on June
25th. JAMSAT's station, JS1YAQ, is scheduled to be on the air while the symposium is in session.

To participate, send an email to ja3nas at gmail dot com
(ja3nas@gmail.com) and include your name, call sign and the best email
address to reach you at.

You can find a link to the symposium programme in the text version of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: jamsat.or.jp ]

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

(JAMSAT)

**

100 WATTS AND A WIRE 'TUNE UP' WEEKEND ARRIVES

JIM/ANCHOR: What ham doesn't want a good excuse to get on the air - maybe
even OUT in the open air? What ham doesn't want to show there is a purpose
for firing up that rig? For three days - Friday, June 10th, Saturday June
11th and Sunday June 12th - you will have that opportunity. It's the 100
Watts and a Wire Tune Up. Organized by the popular podcast, the outdoor operating event will begin at 00:00 UTC Friday and wrap up on Sunday at
23:59 UTC. The exchange will be your call sign, your 100 Watts and a Wire
ID if you have one, the state you reside in and a true signal report. If you're operating CW, be sure to send "C-Q T-U" so others will recognize
you.

(100 WATTS AND A WIRE)

**

OHIO NET INVITES THE WORLD TO CHECK IN

JIM/ANCHOR: A new net has been launched to accommodate night owls here in
the United States and others around the world at whatever time of day it happens to be. Stephen Kinford, N8WB, has those details.

STEPHEN: The Silvercreek Amateur Radio Association in Ohio has issued an invitation to hams around the world, inviting them to check into the
group's new Beacon Net. The net launched on Sunday, June 5th at 10 p.m.
local time, and is held each week on Sundays and Wednesdays at that hour
and Fridays at 9:30 p.m. local time.

Although the net can be heard on the local W8WKY repeater, check-ins also
take place on the club's Allstar Hub node number 48496 and their Echolink W8WKY-R channel. The net plans to add more repeaters and Allstar hubs
later.

HF operators get a chance at their own version of The Beacon Net on
Fridays, starting at 9:30 p.m. local time. The frequency is 3.834 MHz,
plus or minus, depending on conditions.

For Amateur Radio and the Silvercreek Amateur Radio Association, I'm
Stephen Kinford, N8WB.

(SILVERCREEK AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the W8SRC repeater
in Dexter, Michigan, on Fridays at 9 p.m.

**

EU COUNTRIES TO STANDARDIZE CHARGERS FOR HANDHELD ELECTRONICS

DON/ANCHOR: Life for users of handheld electronics in EU countries is
expected to get a little bit simpler, as we hear from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: Electronics users in the EU nations will soon only be permitted to
use one kind of charger with their smartphones, headphones, tablets and
many other handheld electronic devices. The European Commission, the
executive branch of the EU, said that standardisation of all handheld
devices to use the same USB-C port by 2024 will make products more
sustainable and generate less electronic waste. Observers immediately
noticed that the move will have an especially big impact on companies
with proprietary chargers, such as Apple. Makers of laptops are being
given until later to complete the transition to universal charging ports.

The tentative agreement was reached June 7th and amends the Radio
Equipment Directive. The agreement will undergo a formal vote after the
summer recess has ended.

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

(WASHINGTON POST, NPR, TECHMONITOR)

**

ITU's AMATEUR STATION MARKS 60 YEARS ON AIR

DON/ANCHOR: Congratulations to 4U1ITU, the amateur radio station of the International Telecommunications Union, which is marking 60 years of
operation as part of the United Nations specialized agency for
communication. Its first QSO in June of 1962 was with DL4VK in Germany
and that contact marked the start of a busy 24 hours in which more than
1,300 contacts worldwide were logged. The station has since logged more
than a million contacts in CW, SSB and digital modes, including its first
use of the weak signal mode software WSJT, which bounced signals off the
moon. That activation was made by Nobel laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, the software's creator and was logged on the occasion of the station's golden anniversary. In recent years 4U1ITU has logged contacts with astronauts
aboard the International Space Station and participated in the ARISS
program with students in Switzerland.

(ITU)

**

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED IN IARU REGION 1 HAM CHALLENGE

DON/ANCHOR: Judges in the IARU Region 1 Ham Challenge have identified the
five finalists, and Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, is here to tell us who they are.

JEREMY: As the IARU Region 1 Ham Challenge 2022 comes to its conclusion,
the five finalists have been announced. The jury has chosen these
proposals in keeping with the competition's goal to solicit ideas that
will draw more people into amateur radio and invigorate the hobby for
those already involved.

The finalists will continue in the competition at Ham Radio
Friedrichshafen, either online or in person, in a question-and-answer
forum. They are Nestor, 5B4AHZ, for a project known as "Escape Rooms," Gustavo, EA4HDN, for "AM BoB," Christian, HB9FEU, for "A public database
of fun projects for innovation," Luca, IU2FRL, for "UrgenSat" and Guy,
ZS6GUY, for "A Workbook that will showcase various aspects of the hobby."

Their next task is to prepare a video about their project and a document giving details on how they plan to make it a reality. Both the video and
the paper are due by the 22nd of June.

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

(IARU REGION 1)

**

SABLE ISLAND DXPEDITION LAUNCHES WEBSITE

DON/ANCHOR: If you're hoping to work the team on Sable Island off the
Canadian coast this fall, you can now track their progress with their
newly launched website. Here's Dave Parks, WB8ODF, with details.

DAVE: On a small North Atlantic island southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada,
you can expect to find gray seals, wild horses and ... amateur radio operators. Well, the third group will only be in temporary residence
there on Sable Island, which is also known as the Sable island National
Park Reserve. The team plans a seven- or eight-day DXpedition in October
and November as CY0S.

A website was launched earlier this month to keep DX enthusiasts up to
date and it will be adding new information on a regular basis. The
website is c y 0 s dot com (cy0s.com) and continues to be updated by
webmaster Chaz, W4GKF, and Randy N0TG. The team, which includes three DX
Hall of Famers, expects to operate in a very small area on the island so
as not to have any impact on the animals.

Visit the website regularly for updates.

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

(SABLE ISLAND DXPEDITION WEBSITE)
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SWEDISH HAM RADIO OPERATOR TO BECOME ARCHBISHOP

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There are many prominent positions radio amateurs have achieved over the years, from United States Senator, to the monarchy in nations like Jordan or Thailand. In Sweden, Defence Minister Peter
Hultqvist holds the amateur radio callsign SM4HCF. Now you can add the
Church of Sweden's incoming archbishop to that list, as we hear from
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: The Church of Sweden has elected Martin Modeus, SM5LVQ, to be the
71st Archbishop of the Church of Sweden. According to the Swedish Society
of Radio Amateurs, Martin already serves the church as bishop of the
Diocese of Link�ping, the fifth largest city in Sweden, located in the
south of the country. Martin will be received as archbishop during a
service to be held in December at Uppsala Cathedral, which has been the
see of the Church of Sweden's archbishop since the 12th Century. Martin
is to succeed Antje Jackelen, Sweden's first female archbishop, who is retiring.

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

(SWEDISH SOCIETY OF RADIO AMATEURS)

**

SPECIAL EVENT IN AUGUST TO HONOR ABANDONED, ABUSED PETS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you think amateur radio is going to the dogs, you're
right - but those dogs are getting plenty of company, as we hear from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED: The dog days of August will soon be upon us, and so too will August
26th, known as International Dog Day. A number of hams around the world
have decided to run with the pack by getting special event call signs and getting on the air to publicize the needs of abandoned and abused pets
who have ended up in shelters - dogs as well as cats. Hanz, YL3JD, wrote
in a QRZ.com forum that he will be operating CW from his shack in Latvia
using the call sign YL1DOG starting on Monday the 22nd of August until
the 26th. Hanz wrote: [quote] "I feel obligated to give exposure to this.
In my power as a radio amateur and animal lover bringing attention to
these abandoned pets is the least I can do." There are plans for other
call signs to be on the air too, including Joop, PG4I, signing as PF6DOG,
and Edwin, PD0SOT, signing as PD6DOG. International Cat Day is being celebrated on August 8th. Yevgeny, YL2TD, will be among those on the air
from the 7th until the 9th of August. He will be using the call sign
YL1CAT.

The list is growing but organizers are looking for even more operators to
call QRZ on behalf of shelter animals. Visit the website catsanddogsontheair.com to get the details. Then email Hugo, CT7AOV, to
have your station included on the list.

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

(QRZ, CATSANDDOGSONTHEAIR.COM)

**

TWO GRANTS SUPPORT OPEN-SOURCE PROJECTS FOR HAM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Two grants have strengthened the practice of sharing and experimenting through open-source programs used for amateur radio. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, tells us what's going on.

ANDY: Amateur Radio Digital Communications has announced two grants
supporting open-source initiatives in amateur radio. One is a grant
focusing on software-defined radios, designed to help simplify the use of
the open-source software development kit, GNU Radio, on Windows
computers. The grant is also being given to support an upgrade of GNU
Radio's graphical user interface, known as GNU Radio Companion. These
funds will permit the hiring of developers, including a usability expert
to improve the experience of using GNU Radio Companion. Other expected improvements include better documentation for GNU Radio, easier
installation on MacOS and Windows computers and easier installation of out-of-tree modules. The contract workers will receive guidance from
volunteer mentors who are with the GNU Radio group.

The other grant will support experiments by students at Bradley
University in Peoria, Illinois, who are experimenting on the 33 cm band, developing an open-source 915 MHz digital transceiver system. Both the hardware and software are open-source and the design supports multiple
FSK/ASK modulation standards. According to the ARDC, the project will
permit low-cost experimentation with digital protocols on this
underutilized band and will fill a need that exists for available open-
source and open-hardware modules for digital radio modes.

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

(DAN ROMANCHIK KB6NU)
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THIRTEEN COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT RUNS THROUGH JULY 8TH

NEIL/ANCHOR: Get ready for the annual mad dash for a Clean Sweep
with the 13 Colonies Special Event. Jim Damron, N8TMW, brings us
that report.

JIM: The Thirteen Colonies Special Event, one of the amateur radio
calendar's most popular activities, starts calling QRZ starting
Friday, July 1st at 1300 UTC. Operators will be based on each of the
original 13 US colonies and at bonus stations in England,
Pennsylvania and France. The event runs through July 8th at 0400
UTC. The event honors the original 13 colonies that fought for
American independence and honors military veterans, and those still
active in the service.

This 14th annual nonprofit event is also dedicated to Tom Francis,
W1TEF, who had served as the state manager for South Carolina, which
is using the special event call sign K2L. Tom became a Silent Key in
March of 2020.

For further details on the event, including the modes being used,
visit the website www.13colonies.us - that's w w w numeral ONE,
numeral THREE colonies dot us. You can also visit the QRZ page for
any of the colonies or for bonus station TM13COL in France, GB13COL
in England, and WM3PEN in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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

(13 COLONIES SPECIAL EVENT)

**

SHOPPING FOR QSOS AT WALMART

NEIL/ANCHOR: One of the more zany on-the-air events is back for its
third run. WalMart Parking Lots on the Air will be held on July 2
from 0000Z to 2359Z to coincide with the birthday of the famous
chain of American stores. The exchange must take place on an
amateur radio satellite and include the callsign and either the
WalMart store number or grid square. Activators -- or "associates"
as they are called by the event organizers -- are asked to use the
store number to reduce duplicate contacts. Rules and award
information are online at wmplota.org. So don't miss out on bonuses
like the birthday special or the MacGyver. Put on your pajamas and
aluminum foil hat, grab the rig, and head to a store parking lot
near you.

**

SOUTH AFRICA ANNOUNCES NEWEST LICENSEES

NEIL/ANCHOR: South Africa has announced its newest licensed radio
amateurs. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has that report.

JIM: South Africa has welcomed its newest amateur radio operators,
following exam sessions for Class A and B licences that were held
recently. Seventy-four who took the Class A exam on May 21st
successfully completed its 60 multiple-choice test questions,
according to the South African Radio League.The Class A licence
permits a maximum of 400 watts of power.

A Class B exam was held on the 11th of June hosted by the ZS3ZU
Hammies. All seven young operators who took the 30-question exam
passed. To mark the occasion, three of the new amateurs took part in
the Hammies Sprint being held the next day - Sunday the 12th of June
- running the ZS3ZU station. The Class B licence, issued to
operators younger than 21, permits a maximum output of 100 watts of
power on HF, VHF and UHF bands. The licence is only valid until
holders reach their 25th birthday..

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

(SOUTHGATE, SARL)

**

WORKSHOP EXPLORES DISASTER COMMUNICATION AND THE PRESS

NEIL/ANCHOR: A workshop held jointly by groups in India and Japan
took an in depth look at communicating with the press during
disasters. We have more details from John Williams, VK4JJW.

JOHN: Amateur radio operators were among those in attendance during
a disaster-risk workshop held jointly on Friday, June 24th, by
organisations in India and Japan. Attendees were there to tackle the
challenge of communicating with the press about disasters.
Specialists from Japan and India teamed up for the full day of
presentations hosted by the Press Club of Kolkata. Both nations'
governments gave their support to the event, which also marked 70
years of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. Described as
a media sensitisation program, it united responders, government
agencies and media managers to discuss various aspects of handling
information and news coverage about risks during disasters.

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

(ASIAN COMMUNITY NEWS, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

DISASTER EXERCISE SET FOR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

DON/ANCHOR: Hams throughout Hawaii are getting ready for a disaster drill
that needs as many participants as possible. We hear more from Kevin
Trotman, N5PRE.

KEVIN: To help hams in Hawaii ensure that they can be prepared when
hurricanes or other disasters strike the islands, Hawaii ARES is
conducting a disaster exercise on Saturday the 16th of July. Amateurs who volunteer to participate will make use of their radios as well as their computers to send messages in a variety of ways. That will include the
use of Winlink to transmit emails with simulated hurricane reports. Other messages will also simulate reports from area Red Cross shelters and will provide field situation and damage reports.

Michael Miller, KH6ML, appeared on a recent KITV newscast in Hawaii to
share the details and ask for all licensed amateurs to get involved. Hams
who participate in SKYWARN, CERT, and other emergency response programs
are welcome, as are those who may not be involved in RACES, ARES or any
club. In this statewide exercise, the hams will follow the standardized Incident Command System that is in use throughout the United States. The exercise presumes that each of the Hawaiian islands has lost internet,
cell phone service and electrical power as a result of a hurricane.

For details on how to get involved visit the website hawaiiares.net

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

(HAWAIIARES.NET, KITV HAWAII)

**

TRADITIONAL CW CELEBRATED DURING 'NIGHT OF NIGHTS'

DON/ANCHOR: Listen up: Commercial Morse Code is about to return to the
air, if only for a night. Randy Sly, W4XJ, explains.

RANDY: In the early years of the 20th century, there was nothing more reassuring for a lonely radio officer on a storm-tossed ship than the
response of a coastal station to their call. The last of these Morse
messages was sent on July 12, 1999. On that date, the founders of the
Maritime Radio Historical Society established their organization with the specific goal of returning coast station KPH to the air as a means to
honor the men and women who made the profession of radiotelegrapher one
of honor and skill. On July 12, 2022, the MRHS will hold its 23rd annual
Night of Nights, commemorating the tradition of commercial Morse code
once thought dead.

Each July 12th, since the year 2000, transmitters are brought online for
this special event from the original Marconi/RCA transmission site in
Bolinas, California. KPH and KFS will be operating on assigned commercial frequencies while K6KPH will be operating on several HF amateur radio
bands. For operational times, frequencies and QSL information, please
check the Maritime Radio Historical Society website at radiomarine.org.

(MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY)

Newsline's Randy Sly, W4XJ reporting.

**

POTA OPERATORS UPLOAD OWN LOGS

DON/ANCHOR: Hams active in Parks on the Air received upbeat news on the
POTA website recently: From 1200 UTC on July 1st activators have been
able to upload their own logs rather than rely on regional volunteer coordinators to do so. Hams logging onto the POTA site should now see a
menu option called "My Log Uploads." The feature became active on July
1st, following a period of successful beta testing. Posting on the
website QRPer, Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL, said the option was a welcome
change for activators.

The system update comes just in time for the POTA Annual Support Your
Parks Plaque Event on the 16th and 17th of July where there will be
shields to be won for various classes of operation.

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

HAMS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA HOST 'CRUISE IN' FOR MOBILE

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're one of those hams who likes to operate while mobile, you're in good company, as we hear from Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

SEL: Inspired by a group of American amateur radio operators in Wisconsin, Surrey Emergency Program Amateur Radio V-E-7-S-A-R is hosting its first
mobile cruise-in for hams in British Columbia, Canada. It's an opportunity
to show off creative approaches to mobile operation, whether the portable shack is maritime mobile, pedestrian, bicycle or even horseback.

A post on the Surrey group's blog said that the local event will be held on August 14th and is modeled after the one that has been held for a dozen
years by the Portage County Amateur Radio Service in Wisconsin. The Surrey club's members are hoping to see creative approaches to operators' grab 'n'
go kits as well as more formal installations. Prizes will be awarded for
most bands covered and neatest installation. Entries will be judged by the Surrey fire and police services. The club is hosting it in the parking lot
of the A&W Restaurant in Surrey.

For more details visit v-e-7-s-a-r-dot-net (ve7sar.net)

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

(SURREY EMERGENCY PROGRAM AMATEUR RADIO)

**

CAR MAKERS REPORT DECLINE IN AM RADIOS

JIM/ANCHOR: Is AM mode going away? Well, certainly not in amateur radio,
but there has apparently been some action among automakers who are making
the transition to electric car manufacture. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, brings
us that story.

KENT: Amplitude modulation - so loved by radio amateurs for being the first voice mode -- is apparently becoming the last-choice commercial radio
option for some automobile manufacturers who are having second thoughts
about retaining AM radio in their new cars, many are citing electric-motor interference. They claim that the electric motors that provide the power to the drive wheels mess with terrestrial AM radio reception, creating such issues as distortion, static and signal loss.

Tesla has already cut AM radios from its vehicles, starting with its
original Model S. BMW pulled it from both its i3 and i8 sedans -- and no
Audi models that are fully electric are equipped with AM radios either.

A representative for Audi explained on the consumerguide.com website that drivers can make up for the loss by opting to stream those stations via digital signals on a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. An article on the
website, thedrive.com, also noted that AM is practically gone from the broadcast radio scene in Europe as well, overtaken by the DAB format.

In the US, however, where AM radio still remains popular, it will be a challenge, especially for those long-distance drivers who most especially
love the commercial radio version of DXing. In fact, as one author wrote on the website of incompliancemag.com: [quote] " Woe to those drivers who have fond memories of listening to an ever-changing array of AM radio stations
as they traveled across the country in wood-paneled station wagons!" [endquote]

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

(CONSUMERGUIDE.COM, THEDRIVE.COM, INCOMPLIANCEMAG.COM)

**

PARKS ON THE AIR PREPS FOR SUMMER PLAQUE AWARDS

JIM/ANCHOR: The Parks on the Air awards program is hosting its Summer
Plaque Event, and preparing for its big awards ceremony to be held online
on the POTA YouTube channel. Vance Martin, N3VEM, has the details.

VANCE: Don't miss the Summer Plaque event, coming up July 16th and 17th,
UTC. This is our busiest weekend every year, and it's your chance to win
one of 17 high quality plaques for your shack!

Once the event is over, be sure to upload your activation logs using POTA's new self-upload service, and then be on the lookout at the annual plaque
event section from the menu at pota dot app for details on the award
ceremony where an esteemed list of guests will join us on the official POTA YouTube channel to help us announce the winners. Guest presenters for this year's awards show include individuals from :

AR Newsline
Ham Radio Crash Course
ICQ Podcast
Ham Radio Live! & WRMI Shortwave "CQ Calling Show"
Ham Radio Workbench Podcast
Parks on the Air

I am personally excited to announce that Matt Here, N3NWV, whom many of you know from our official POTA 101 videos will be taking over the reins of
these monthly updates beginning in August. I've had a lot of fun recording these updates, but I'm looking forward to handing the reins over to our official media-manager as we continue to grow the program.

As always, the team at Parks on the Air wishes you safe activations, and
happy hunting. 73. This is November Three Victor Echo Mike.

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

RADIO SEIZED FOR INTERFERING WITH POLICE TRANSMISSIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Texas, authorities cracked down after a hand-held radio
caused emergency intereference with police transmissions. Mike Askins,
KE5CXP, brings us those details.

MIKE: Authorities in Graham, Texas, seized a handheld radio that they
said had been transmitting illegally for months on emergency frequencies
used by the Young County Sheriff's Office. According to local media
reports, the transmissions on the dispatch channels often included the
voices of a man, woman and some children yelling at one another and the
sounds of a barking dog. A story in the Olney Enterprise newspaper said
that the police were so hampered in using their own assigned frequencies
that they often had to use cellphones instead to communicate.

Sheriff Travis Babcock contacted the Federal Communications Commission
which provided him with an official statement to read on the emergency
channel but that failed to bring the transmissions to a halt. The news
report said that on July 8th two officers patroling in their car heard
the unauthorized traffic and were able to track down the radio and its
owner. The owner of the radio was not identified.

It was not clear what charges would be filed against the owners of the
radio, which is now the property of the county sheriff's office. Charges
could range from a misdemeanor for interfering with public duty to a
federal offense for interfering with emergency communications.

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

(THE OLNEY ENTERPRISE, GRAHAM LEADER)

**

WISCONSIN EVENT CELEBRATES FLIGHT, HOSTS SPECIAL EVENT STATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Aviation enthusiasts are getting ready to head to Wisconsin,
or point their antennas in that direction, for a special event - and a
special event station - celebrating flight. Randy Sly, W4XJ, brings us
the details.

RANDY: More than 10,000 aircraft and a half-million flight enthusiasts
will descend on Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from July
25th to July 31st, turning it into the busiest airport in the world. It's
time for AirVenture, sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Once again this year, it will not only involve being in the air but on
the air…

The ARRL has supported AirVenture since 2018 with an exhibit encouraging pilots and aviation aficionados to discover radio communications and technology through amateur radio. Kids will get a chance to experience
ham radio too: Volunteers at KidVenture will give youngsters an
opportunity to build and take home a radio receiver capable of listening
to air traffic and other nearby transmissions in the 65 - 140 MHz range.

If you aren't able to personally fly in or even drive in, you still have
a chance to check in: A special event station, W9W, sponsored by the EAA Warbirds of America, will be operating on HF, VHF and UHF during
AirVenture. More information about frequencies and operations of W9W can
be found in the text version of this week's newscast at ARNewsline.org.

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

TEXT VERSION ONLY:

The special event station will be located on the Warbirds' grounds near
their headquarters, against the backdrop of the display of historic and
vintage ex-military aircraft. Look for W9W on 40 - 10 meters near 7.225, 14.250, 21.235, and 28.425 MHz. The station will also operate on the
2-meter and 440 MHz bands, simplex. A special event QSL card will be
issued for contacts with W9W.

**

STATIONS SIGNING UP FOR LIGHTHOUSE AND LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND

PAUL/ANCHOR: Most of us already know about beacons and the jobs they do
for us as hams but what about the original beacons, the ones that have
helped guide sailors by using beams of light? Amateur radio operators are again preparing to celebrate the world's lighthouses and lightships with
an international weekend in August. Here's John Williams, VK4JJW, with
the details.

JOHN: Though many of the world's lighthouses now operate by automation
instead of the efforts of lighthouse keepers, there will be live
operators at historic lighthouses around the world on the weekend of
August 20th and 21st. They'll be operating radios instead of lighthouses
but in doing so, they will honour them.

This is the annual event known as the International Lighthouse and
Lightship Weekend, which since 1993 has publicised the need to ensure
these structures are not forgotten and are kept in good repair. What
began as an event with 11 operations at lighthouses eventually grew to
include 544 lighthouses and lightships across 56 countries in 2011. The 48-hour activation begins at 0001UTC on August 20th, on all frequencies
and in all modes. Radios will either be set up inside the lighthouses or directly nearby.The amateur radio event will be happening on the same
weekend that the International Lighthouse Heritage Weekend is held by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, whose members are committed to
preserving lighthouse heritage.

Most importantly, it is not a contest. It is, in a way, a beacon in its
own right, shining a light on these important treasures that have long
served ships at sea for so long.

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

(ASSOCIATION OF LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS, ILLW)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the WD8IIJ
repeater of the Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club on Fridays at 8
p.m. local time in the hometown of the late great Dean Martin,
Steubenville, Ohio.

**

HAMS IN BELGIUM TAKE QSO PARTY TO THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Belgium, a group of hams will be taking their next QSO party to the air. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us what they've got planned.

ED: When is a QSO party more than just a QSO party? When it gets an extra
lift from a hot air balloon operating on 2 metres, 2,500 feet above the Belgian province of East Flanders. It's a club-wide project overseen by Jurgen, ON8VC, Niels, ON3NSB, and Bernard, ON5MB, members of the radio
club Zottegem, ON6ZT. The launch for the flight, which will last about an
hour and a half, is scheduled for August 10th at about 6 p.m. local time.
It is of course weather-dependent.

Jurgen said there will be two pilot ground stations. Erwin, ON7XF, and
Theo, ON4CLF, will handle logging for all stations worked. Dominique,
ON3DDH, and Chris, ON6ME, will be documenting the event in photos by
following the balloon by car. The QSL cards will feature many of the
photos.

Jurgen told Newsline in an email that the club has a QSO party each month
on VHF, mostly with local stations operating on 145.550. The hams decided
a few months ago to try and incorporate a hot air balloon into the
activity.

Stations are expected to spot their contacts on dxsummit.fi but amateurs outside the region of this very local event can still follow the action
on APRS. Club manager Benard ON5MB will run an APRS tracker that can be followed at APRS.fi.

Jurgen said this QSO Party is a kind of test flight: He said there are
already plans in the works to try this on HF in 2023.

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

(JURGEN ON8VC)

**

SPANISH MAGAZINE SPONSORS INTERNATIONAL YL EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An amateur radio magazine published in Spain has announced
a YL Diploma contest that's going to be a worldwide event. Neil Rapp,
WB9VPG, brings us up to date.

NEIL: Every month, a Spanish magazine known as Selvamar Noticias transmits friendship, goodwill and radio education - not over the amateur bands, but through the pages of its free publication. Created by Manel, EA3IAZ, and
Juan Jos�, EA3IEW, it has devoted itself to environmental issues, and to celebrating the achievements of the youngest members of the amateur radio community. The magazine also supports YLs deeply involved in the hobby.
The August edition of the magazine shines the spotlight on those YLs by devoting one third of its articles to YLs and their accomplishments. The magazine is also sponsoring a YL Diploma contest that runs from August
15th through to the 21st. Citizens Band stations and SWLs are also able
to participate. Stations will also be using Echolink and the digital modes.

Manel and Juan Jos� told Newsline in an email that the event is open to operators in all countries. The diploma will be presented as a downloadable PDF.

A link to additional details about the event can be found in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

Although since starting publishing two years ago, the magazine has been translated into several languages including an accessible version for the disabled, the August edition will only be available in Spanish.

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

(Note: Due to the long URL's, they won't fit into the lines for the BBS
ham radio echoes. Please go to www.arnewsline.org -- click on SCRIPT,
then open the file in Notepad or a similar utility to read it. DS).

**

PROGRAM OFFERS HANDS-ON LEARNING TO FOUNDATION LEVEL HAMS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: One amateur club in the UK is providing hands-on learning
to newcomers now that those lessons are no longer required by the license exam. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us the details.

JEREMY: Although the practical exam is no longer a requirement for a Foundation licence in the UK, practical experience is still a vital part
of getting started on the air. Members of the Sutton and Cheam Radio
Society in Surrey are providing that to newcomers with a hands-on session
on the 11th of September in Surrey. New licence-holders will learn how to adjust an aerial for various frequencies, make contacts on VHF and HF and learn how to set up a station. They will also get a chance to hear - and
learn more about - Morse Code. Many of these demonstrations were once
elements in the formerly mandated practical exam.

The practical proficiency test requirement was removed so that online
testing could take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practicals for the Intermediate exam were eliminated the previous year.

Those attending will be asked to pay a �10 fee which is to cover use of
the headquarters of the 7th Banstead Scouts.

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

(SUTTON AND CHEAM RADIO SOCIETY)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

DV SCOTLAND, PHOENIX UK MERGE DMR NETWORKS

DON/ANCHOR: A merger between two popular DMR networks has
promised users the best of both. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us that
update.

JEREMY: The DV Scotland and Phoenix UK DMR networks have merged,
simplifying integration with other networks - both digital and
analogue. With both networks having a wide array of repeaters,
reflectors and servers, the two were considered complimentary and
a natural for such a merger. This had been a work in progress for
many weeks. The new network now benefits from a variety of DMR,
D-Star and Yaesu System Fusion repeaters as well as Allstar hubs
and analogue simplex gateways.

Eric, G6FGY, told Newsline in an email that current users will
not notice any changes and the new network DVScotland-Phoenix
will continue hosting a variety of nets accessible by various
modes each week. Eric said the merger reflects rather a change in
the management structure to operate the network.

A list of the nets hosted on this newly merged network can be
seen using the link that appears in the text version of this
week's newscast. The multimode network also supports Peanut,
Echolink and HamShack Hotline. Computer and mobile users can also
listen in by using the link asl dot dvscotland dot uk
(asl.dvscotland.uk)

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

[FOR PRINT ONLY: https://www.dvscotland.net/multimode-nets ]

(DVSCOTLAND, ERIC G6FGY)

**

ALARA CONTEST ENCOURAGES INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP

DON/ANCHOR: For more than 40 years, YLs in Australia have been
hosting a contest that doesn't just involve scorekeeping - it
also encourages international communication. Graham Kemp, VK4BB,
explains how it works.

GRAHAM: Yes there are awards to be had in the 42nd contest
sponsored by the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association.
There are even certificates and trophies - but organisers want
participants around the world to know that the real goal of the
42nd annual ALARA Contest on the 27th and 28th of August is to
get all licensed ham radio operators around the world - OMs and
YLs alike - talking to one another. By spotting on the clusters
and even on Facebook, all the competitors actually work together
to make it easier to make those important contacts. Competition?
Yes! But friendly competition. Be listening too for some of the
newest licenced YLs as well as Girl Guides and Scouts. Some
contacts are expected to be made on Echolink as well.

Visit the ALARA contest page for more details. The link is in
this week's text version of the newscast script. You'll find the
rules and any other details you need to know to get into the
contest.

I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

[FOR PRINT ONLY: alara.org.au/contests/index.html ]


**

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRIP TO WARM UP THE BANDS

DON/ANCHOR: It's time to strap on those cross-country skis -- if
you're in Australia, that is -- and grab your radio equipment.
Hams are set for high adventure in the Victorian Alps, as we hear
from Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

JASON: There's nothing like a winter trip through the snow-filled
Victorian Alps to bring some Winter warmth to the bands. That's
what a team of cross-country skiing radio amateurs in Australia
is hoping for as they call QRZ between Friday August 5th and
Tuesday August 9th. The activators include Stephen, VK3SN,
Gerard, VK3GT, Bronwen, VK3FIRH, and others and they will be on
the HF bands, 80 through 10m, using SSB and FT8. They will also
be on 2m and 70 CM simplex and on repeaters. They'll be using
lithium batteries and light solar panels for power. This isn't
the first time many of these hams have been making this kind of
winter trip. Past travels have been quite an adventure, involving
operations from igloos and a number of remote peaks.

Listening for them promises to be quite an adventure too.

This is Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(STEPHEN, VK3SN)

**

INDIAN SCHOOLGIRLS' SATELLITE LAUNCHED WITH 75 EXPERIMENTS

DON/ANCHOR: A satellite built by girls in India has been stirring
some excitement. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us why.

JOHN: A small satellite built by 750 schoolgirls in India, will
be on board for the maiden flight of the Indian Space Research
Organization's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle this month. The
students were mentored by SpaceKidz India in the construction of
this 8-kilogram satellite. It carries 75 small experiments, a
camera to study solar panels in space and a variety of long range communications transponder experiments. The satellite also has a
messaging system for amateur radio operators.

Although this is not the first student satellite built with the
help of SpaceKidz India, this one is dfferent because it carries
its own power systems and batteries to power an anticipated six-
month-long orbit. This satellite is not, of course, the main
payload for the launch vehicle. The rocket will also be carrying
the Microsat 2A, which is designed to assist in the mapping of
parcels of land.

At the time Newsline went to production, the launch was scheduled
for August the 7th.

This is John Williams, VK4JJW.

(SPACE KIDZ INDIA, REPUBLICWORLD.COM)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the WA2EHL repeater in Burlington, New Jersey, on Fridays at 7
p.m. local time.

**

IARU REGION 1 ANNOUNCES WINNERS IN 1st HAMCHALLENGE CONTEST

NEIL/ANCHOR: There are two top winners sharing the glory in the
first Hamchallenge competition of Region 1 of the International
Amateur Radio Union. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, tells us about their
achievements.

ED: The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 has chosen two
hams to share top honours equally in their Hamchallenge
competition. The contest, which was introduced for the first time
on April 30th, asked participants to propose game-changing ideas
that would help grow the international amateur radio community.
Nestor, 5B4AHZ, and Christian, HB9FEU, were chosen as first-place
winners. Nestor's winning project was "Ham Radio Escape Room," a
virtual escape room inspired by the pandemic. Teams use radio
instead of webcams to communicate. Christian's project was a
public database of fun projects for innovation and technology-
oriented hobbyists. Many of the activities accommodated those
with very little experience or available equipment.

The third place winner was Luca, IU2FRL, and the Youth Prize went
to Guy, ZS6GUY. IARU Region 1 said it will be in touch with the
winners to help them turn their proposals into actual working
models. Hamchallenge will return in 2023.

This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(IARU, SOUTHGATE)

**

RADIO PREPAREDNESS PROJECT BEGINS IN TRIPURA

NEIL/ANCHOR: A new emergency-preparedness strategy by officials
in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura is giving high
priority to amateur radio. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has that story.

JIM: As many as nine new amateur radio stations are being set up
by the government of Tripura in India in an attempt to improve
communications during disasters. The State Disaster Management
Agency told reporters during a recent press conference an
estimated 1500 trained volunteers have already stepped forward to
operate the stations as they become available. The first station
will be ready to go on the air shortly and will be based at the
State Emergency Operation Centre in the Secretariat Complex. The
remaining eight still require proper licences from the Ministry
of Communication. The state officials said that ten more
automated rain gauges and seven automated weather stations will
also be installed in urban areas by India's Meteorological
Department.

Officials said they had hope that these additional measures would
increase all teams' abilities to provide lifesaving response in
the state, which is prone to a variety of catastrophes, including
flash floods, strong winds and heat waves.

This is Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(NORTHEAST TODAY)

**

HAMS TOLD TO SHARE FREQUENCIES DURING PARIS OLYMPICS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams in France will need to share many of their
frequencies with broadcasters and others involved in the Paris
2024 Olympic Games. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us those details.

JEREMY: Just as some amateur frequencies were opened to other
users during the Olympics in London in 2012, amateur frequencies
are to be shared during the 2024 Olympics in France.

According to recent news reports, some VHF and UHF frequencies
are to become available between 26th June and 15th September 2024
to accommodate the Organising Committee for the Paris Games and
thus requiring amateur radio operators to limit their activities
on those bands.

The National Frequency Agency of France, which is responsible for
allocations in that country, said frequencies are being made
available during the games for private mobile radio voice
communications, mostly by walkie-talkie. Amateur radio operators
are considered primary users on 2 metres by the ITU. On other
bands, 1240 MHz to 1260 MHz will be used for programme-making and
special events, or PMSE services. These frequencies are open to
hams on a secondary basis. Frequencies on the 2.3 GHz band, also
open to hams on a secondary basis, will be used for video links.

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

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

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
WB5ITT repeater of the Triangle Repeater Association in Houston,
Texas, on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

**

SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCE KEY TO SMALLER CAPACITORS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Physicists in Europe say they have found a key to
creating smaller capacitors for electronics. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, has
that report.

KEVIN: Researchers believe they have found a means of building smaller capacitors, allowing for some electronic devices to be greatly
miniaturized. The IEEE Spectrum reports that scientists are saying
these capacitors could even be as small as one-hundredth the size of
many of the ones presently in use. They are creating them with
materials they call superlattices and they are made from materials that
mimic antiferroelectrics. Antiferroelectrics are important because they
have positive and negative poles -- electric dipoles -- pointed in
opposing directions, creating zero electric polarization. Exposed to an electric field having sufficient strength, antiferroelectrics can
become highly polarized, which results in the large energy densities
needed.

Because there are few antiferrelectric materials that occur naturally, scientists have created and used artificial ones and report in the
Journal, Science, that their work with the superlattices shows promise
for working on a much smaller scale: their ability for energy storing
is 100 times greater than conventional capacitors. Physicists believe
they will someday be used to create these ultra-tiny capacitors.

Physicist Hugo Aramberri of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and
Technology said: [quote]: "It would be interesting to measure other properties, like how much voltage they can withstand, their endurance
in long-term use, and ultimately commercial viability." [endquote]

I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(IEEE SPECTRUM)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Fred, DL5YM, and his XYL Tina,
DL5YL, operating as HB0/DL5YM and HB0/DL5YL, respectively, from
Lichtenstein between September 7th and 27th. They will hike during the
daytime and later operate on 160-6 metres using mostly CW, with some
SSB and RTTY. You may also hear them in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest on
September 24th and 25th. QSL via their home callsigns, direct, via the
DARC Bureau or ClubLog.

Be listening for Giuseppe, IK5WWA, operating as IM0M (Eye Em Zero Em)
from La Maddalena between September 1st and 13th on various HF bands
plus 6 metres. He will also participate in the I.I.A. Italian Island
Award. Send QSLs to his home callsign, via the bureau or direct.

Alex, AK4AM, will be active as AK4AM/p from Atlantic Beach, Bogue Banks
off the coast of North Carolina between September 2nd and 6th. This is
IOTA NA-112. Alex will be on 160 metres through 6 metres. Additional
details are available on QRZ.com. QSL via LoTW.

Satoshi, JH2EUV, can be heard on the air from Timor-Leste (OC-148) as 4W/JH2EUV. He is operating on 10, 12 and 15m FT8. It is unclear how
long his stay will be. QSL via LoTW or the bureau.

Be listening for Harald, DF2WO, operating from Burkina Faso as XT2AW
from September 4th to the 18th. He will be on the HF bands using CW,
SSB and the digital modes. He will also be using the QO-100 satellite.
QSL via QRZ.com instructions.

Here's a reminder too, for the weekend of the 20th and 21st of August.
It's the 25th annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend.
With 360 lighthouses around the world registered at the time of writing
to take part in this event they will be active across the HF and VHF
bands on all modes. This is not a contest so call and have a chat! Full details at ILLW dot NET.

(OHIO PENN DX, DX-WORLD.NET)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (316:36/20)

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, like the George County ARES repeater in Lucedale, Mississippi, Wednesdays at 7:37 p.m. local time.

**

ITCHING TO WORK THE SCRATCHIN' POST QSO PARTY

JIM/ANCHOR:If you want to have a QSO party, all you need is a reason. Much like the World's Largest Teapot event that recently concluded, this ARES special event station is just dripping in Southern charm.

DON: In coastal Mississippi exactly 40 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico
and 10 miles west of the Alabama state line lies the friendly little town
of Lucedale, Mississippi, founded in 1901, population 24,762. Right in the heart of downtown Lucedale on the corner of Mill and Main you'll find a four-by-four wooden notched post known as The Scratchin' Post. From 1937
until 1993 there was a very popular 24-hour restaurant at that site known
as The Coffee Pot, renowned for its 5-inch tall merengue pies. The
restaurant is long gone, a victim of progress and rerouted highways, but
The Scratchin' Post still stands tall. And on Saturday, September 3rd,
George County ARES will put it on the amateur radio map with The Scratchin' Post QSO Party. You may be asking why is it called The Scratchin' Post?
It was a tradition when entering and exiting the restaurant to scratch your back against the post. Several famous spines found comfort in rubbing up against that hunk of wood. Baseball legend Dizzy Dean. Country music
legends Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tubb. Actors Kirk Douglas, Gene
Autrey and Roy Rogers. Even Ronald Reagan in his Hollywood days as well as
Tom Lester, "Eb" on "Green Acres." You can scratch that radio itch by listening for K5K on 20 and 40 meters phone as well as FT4 and FT8.
Operating hours are 1300 to 2300 UTC on Saturday, September 3rd. They will
be operating Field Day style from the downtown City Park. If you're in
that neck of the woods, stop by and enjoy some fine Southern hospitality. Everything you need to know, as well as a picture of The Scratchin' Post,
can be found on the K5K QRZ page. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a QSO party.

I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**

VOLUNTEER MONITORS SEND HAMS COMMENDATIONS, NOTICES

JIM/ANCHOR: A recent trip to the mailbox brought surprises for some hams - some pleasant surprises, others not-so-pleasant. Sel Embee, KB3TZD,
explains.

SEL: The Volunteer Monitor Program, begun in 2020 as a cooperative effort between the FCC and the ARRL, recently released its report for July of this year. The program delivers commendations as well as notices of improper operation to hams as a way of boosting compliance with amateur radio
license regulations.

The latest commendations include a ham in Columbia, South Carolina for
helping amateurs complete programs for the Community Emergency Response
Team and for assisting those involved in the county's Emergency Operations Center. Commendations were also given to hams in Poughkeepsie (poo-KIPP-
See) New York for conducting the community bulletin board on a local
repeater. Hams in Roslyn, Pennsylvania were also given commendations for involving the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club in Field Day and MESH operations.

Meanwhile, notices for unlicensed operation were sent to logging companies
in Washington state for their use of 2-meter amateur frequencies. Another notice for unlicensed operation was sent to an operator in Indian Hills, California for operating 2m simplex APRS during a high-altitude balloon flight, one year after the operator's license had been cancelled by the
FCC.

Notices for operating FT8 outside license privileges were issued to a Technician class operator in Martinez, California and a General-class
operator in Trenton, New Jersey. Notices for operating on SSB outside their General class privileges were issued to hams in Massapequa (massa-PEE-
KWAH), New York, and Trenton, New Jersey.

This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(ARRL)

**

SPECIAL 9/11 EVENT MARKS TERROR ATTACKS' 21st ANNIVERSARY

JIM/ANCHOR: Recalling the difficult day that was September 11th, 2001, a
group of US amateurs is marking that grim anniversary with a special event starting very soon. Jack Parker, W8ISH, tells us what their plans are.

JACK: Members of the Alabama Contest Group will be carrying the message
"Nine Eleven, Remembered Once More," during a special event being activated
to honor the victims of terrorism who perished 21 years ago in New York
City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Stations will be
using the callsign K4A starting at 0001 UTC on September 8th and running through to September 12th, operating on all bands and using CW, SSB, FT8
and RTTY. Organizers are expecting many hams to be calling in with stories
of remembrances from September 11th, 2001.

Planners have been busy on the Discord chat app making a schedule that will
be accessible to amateurs worldwide. An extra effort will be made on CW and FT8 to help Pacific DX operators, especially in VK and ZL, make contacts. Certificates will be available in addition to QSL cards. QSOs are needed on four bands in any combination of modes to qualify for a certificate.
Outside of North America, only three bands are needed.

According to the QRZ page for K4A, this event recognizes "peace-loving
people all over the world." Visit the page for K4A or WA1FCN for more
details.

This is Jack Parker, W8ISH

(ALABAMA CONTEST GROUP)
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RSGB PREPARES FOR RE-ENACTMENT OF TRANSATLANTIC CENTENARY TESTS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Get ready for the Transatlantic Centenary Tests, coming this December to an HF frequency near you. The Radio Society of Great Britain
has already started to get things rolling, as we hear from Jeremy Boot,
G4NJH.

JEREMY: With the support of Ofcom, the Radio Society of Great Britain
have reactivated five callsigns that date back to the 1920s, at the dawn
of amateur radio communication across the Atlantic. The call signs are
going back on the air for all of December during the Transatlantic
Centenary Tests, which took place between 1921 and 1923. The call sign
G5WS is being used from the 1922 tests, as the first to make the ocean crossing. Its signal from South London was heard in North America on the
24th of December in 1922.

Other call signs will be G5AT and G6XX, both used for the 1923 tests,
G6ZZ, used for tests in 1924 on a moving rail train, and the Scottish Highlands call GM3DR.

These tests will differ from the original ones in that they will engage stations in two-way communications with UK and Crown Dependency-based stations. Stations will be in England, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey, the
Isle of Man, Jersey and Northern Ireland.

So get ready for what lies ahead. Additional details can be found on the
RSGB website. See the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

[PRINT ONLY: https://rsgb.org/transatlantic-tests/ ]

(RSGB)

**

EAST COAST RADIO OPERATORS PUT APPALACHIAN TRAIL ON THE AIR

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams are signing up to activate POTA and SOTA sites along
the Appalachian Trail in the eastern United States. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE,
tells us about the event and its participants.

KEVIN: Imagine being part of an event that covers six national parks,
eight national forests, more than 40 SOTA summits and over 65 state parks
and forests that have POTA designations. It's a stretch of land known as
the Appalachian Trail and it's considered a major national treasure in
the United States. For the second year in a row it will be where you can
find activators participating in the second annual Appalachian Trail On
the Air event. It's also where chasers around the country, if not the
world, will be pointing their antennas.

The trail itself has a POTA national designation of K-4556 and on the
weekend on Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2, activators will be
posting their POTA schedules and SOTA alerts. Activators can plan ahead
and sign up in advance now by going to the website www dot A T ontheair
dot net (www.atontheair.net) and complete the form that appears on screen
when you click the button that says "RSVP."

This event was begun last year as the inspiration of Mike WB2FUV, an
amateur living in the mountains of upstate New York. According to his QRZ page, he fell in love with operating QRP from the mountains and trails of
the northeast two years ago. He writes on his page that last year's event attracted more than 50 activators on SOTA summits and POTA parks in 11
states all along the Trail. Chasers were answering their calls from
throughout North America and Europe.

This is Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(QRZ, SOTA REFLECTOR, NORTHEAST SOTA CLUB)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including D-STAR Reflector
91 C in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Australian
Eastern Time.

**

W1AW MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF ITS SHACK'S DEDICATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to W1AW, the headquarters station of the
American Radio Relay League. The station is marking the anniversary of
the dedication of the brick building in Newington, Connecticut, that
became its shack on September 2nd, 1938. The league's official station
has the callsign of its founding president, Hiram Percy Maxim, who became
a Silent Key in 1936. Following his death, the league applied to replace
its callsign of W1MK with Maxim's. The busy station is known around the
world for the welcome it gives to guest operators as well as for its
bulletin transmissions and on-air practice sessions of Morse Code.

(ARRL)

**

YOUTH PLAQUES ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN OCEANIA DX CONTEST

PAUL/ANCHOR: There's extra excitement for younger amateurs in this year's Oceania DX contest. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells us why.

GRAHAM: Two new, youth-related, plaques have been added to the phone
section of this year's Oceania DX contest on October 1st from 0600 UTC, sponsored by Oscar Reyes, VK3TX, a noted DXer and an IARU Region 3
director.

The two new plaques are intended to engage younger hams. The "World Youth Phone plaque" will recognise the highest-scoring amateur of 25 years or younger from outside of Oceania. The "Australia Youth Phone plaque" will recognise the highest-scoring amateur 25 years of age or younger from
within Australia.

This is the 77th running of the contest whose aim is to get non-Oceania stations to contact those around the Pacific region and the bands promise
to be busy with VK and ZL operators calling CQ Oceania DX contest.

This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(OCEANIA DX CONTEST, WIA)

**

OBSERVATORY EDUCATOR HONORED FOR WORK IN ASTRONOMY

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hard work in the field of astronomy education paid off
recently for one longtime educator who's been honored for her years of advocacy at facilities around the United States. We hear more from Sel
Embee, KB3TZD.

SEL: The assistant director for education and public outreach at the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory has been honored for her work by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Suzanne Gurton is being recognized
with the Klumpke (Klumm-Key) Roberts Award for nearly four decades of her effort helping educators develop and present astronomy programs to
further the public's understanding. Before joining the Observatory in
2016, Suzanne Gurton worked at a number of planetariums around the United States and also served as an astronomy lecturer at the Griffith
Observatory in Los Angeles. She is a former writer and producer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Previous recipients of this award have included Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Timothy Ferris, and Walter Sullivan.

The observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation.

I'm Sel Embee, KB3TZD.
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UK AMATEURS ACTIVATE FOR RAILWAYS ON THE AIR

PAUL/ANCHOR: All aboard: It's time to celebrate Britain's heritage steam railways, and Jeremy Boot, G4NJH has just the ticket.

JEREMY: The Moorlands and District Amateur Radio Society has a special
link to the Foxfield Light Railway as that is where the club is based. Foxfield, which is run by a preservation society, is one of Britain's
oldest heritage steam railways. Club members are putting it on the air
during the Railways on the Air event on September 24th and 25th using
the callsign GB1FLR. Railways on the Air is an annual celebration of the
role that these trains played in the nation's heritage. Be listening on
HF and VHF phone as the Foxfield amateurs operate from locator square
IO82. The club welcomes QSL cards via eQSL, direct or through the
bureau. Full details are on the GB1FLR qrz.com page.

For details about the event and a list of other stations, visit rota dot
barac dot org dot uk. (rota.barac.org.uk)

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM)

**

REGISTRATION OPENS FOR TASSIE HAM RADIO CONFERENCE AND EXPO

PAUL/ANCHOR: Registration has opened for a major amateur radio
conference Down Under. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us what's happening
in Tasmania.

JOHN: Speakers from around the world will be presenting lectures on a
wide range of amateur radio topics during the Tassie Ham Radio
Conference and Expo in November. Registration has opened. The two-day
event, which is being organised by the Radio and Electronics Association
of Southern Tasmania, will be held on the Sandy Bay campus of the
University of Tasmania. The conference will be held on Saturday the 5th
of November and presentations will include such topics as interference mitigation, remote station operation, low-power portable EME, promoting
your amateur radio club and youth engagement.

The expo will be held the next day.

Registration is mandatory for those who wish to attend. See the link in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

[PRINT ONLY:
reast.asn.au/news-events/tassie-ham-radio-conference-and-expo/ ]

This is John Williams, VK4JJW.

(REAST)

**

CUB SCOUTS TO GET HAM RADIO PREVIEW

PAUL/ANCHOR: When youngsters meet up on Saturday, October 1st at the
Peterloon Scout Camp in Cincinnati, they will be getting a preview of
two things: These 10-year-old boys, known in Scouting as Webelos (wee- buh-lows) will see what awaits them when they leave the rank of Cub
Scout and become full-fledged Scouts. They will also get a preview of
amateur radio. Be listening for a special event station being operated
by the West Chester Amateur Radio Association operating all day from the
scout camp with the call sign N8P. Hams will be on the air using the
club's Go-Box, calling CQ and looking for future hams in Scouting.

(JOCELYN BRAULT, KD8VRX/VA2VRX)

**

UK HAM LOGS FIRST-TIME 8M CONTACT WITH SOUTH AFRICA

PAUL/ANCHOR: Imagine being the first amateur to log a DX contact on a
band that is experimental in your country. Well, that happened to one
ham recently in England. We hear about him from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: For Paul, G7PUV, it was an experiment that worked. The East
Sussex amateur, who holds an Innovation and Trial licence to use 40 MHz, announced that he has made the first SSB contact on the band between the
UK and South Africa, where 8 metres is a standard ham frequency which
gives amateurs a primary allocation with a maximum of 400 watts output
between 40.675 and 40.685 MHz.

Paul reports that he accomplished this Trans Equatorial Propagation
contact with Willem, ZS6WAB.

He writes on his QRZ.com page that Ofcom has permitted him access to the
band on frequencies between 40 and 42 MHz for testing purposes.

Paul posted a video of the 17th of September contact on his Twitter
feed. You can watch it by following the link that appears in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY:
https://twitter.com/AceBlaggard/status/1571161819846164482 ]

I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(TWITTER, SOUTHGATE)
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FAMILY OF HAMS LAUNCHES EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ROMANIA

JIM/ANCHOR: A new amateur radio education project in Romania has begun reaching thousands of students -- as well as their families. Ed Durrant,
DD5LP, tells us more.

ED: Enjoying amateur radio is a family priority for Petrica (Patricka)
YO9RIJ, his wife, Alina (R-leen-A), YO9RYJ, and their son, Rares
(raresz), a short-wave listener with the call sign YO9 -001. Since the
spring, however, spreading the word about amateur radio has become an additional priority. Alina (R-leen-A), a college professor, believes that
the science of radio is an important part of students' education,
inspiring Petrica (Patricka) to develop an educational curriculum with
lessons mixing science and amateur radio. Called RadioScience 2.0, it was
one of six projects to win funding from the Romanian American Foundation
this past spring. By May, students were receiving lessons in the schools
and even in the parks, with hams from the Romanian Contest Team
participating to share their experiences too. Petrica (Patricka) told
Newsline in an email that nearly 5,000 youngsters and teenagers - and
even parents and grandparents - have since attended classes to learn and
to explore kit-building. Most recently, more than 50 young people took
their ANCOM exam a little more than a week ago, testing to earn their
licence.

Petrica (Patricka) said this is just the beginning. His dream is to build
a ham radio science centre in Buzau (BuzzOw) City. He said it is: "A real challenge but we have hope!"

This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

**

AM QSO PARTY CELEBRATES ORIGINAL VOICE MODE

JIM/ANCHOR: The annual AM QSO Party sponsored by the Antique Wireless Association isn't so much a contest as a challenge: It invites hams to
get on the air using radio's original form of voice communication:
amplitude modulation. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, tells us about this year's
event.

ANDY: Ron Skipper, W8ACR, coordinator of the AM QSO Party for the Antique Wireless Association, considers this year's event a success. The weekend operation introduced hams to amplitude modulation - or reminded long-
timers that AM is still a viable option. During the two-day activity on September 24th and 25th, Ron himself made 40 or so contacts during the
QSO party. He told Newsline that three of those operators he logged said
they were experiencing either their first or second time using AM mode.

Ron told Newsline [quote] "I think that once a ham operator uses AM successfully, he realizes that it is a viable alternative to SSB, and not
just an outdated mode of communication." [endquote]

Ragchews were encouraged and, for others, so was simply listening. Ron
reminds hams that there's plenty of time now to prepare for the next AM
QSO Party. If your rig already has AM mode, try it out. If have vintage
gear at home, dust it off. Or, if you are a home brewer, get busy.

This is Andy Morrison, K9AWM.

(RON SKIPPER, W8ACR)

**

RSGB UNVEILS UPDATED TOOL TO MEASURE EMF

JIM/ANCHOR: To help amateurs in the UK comply with EMF exposure limits,
the Radio Society of Great Britain has updated its calculator - and is
also looking for input on the changes. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, brings us the details.

JEREMY: An updated tool has become available to help hams comply with
Ofcom licence requirements to monitor their stations' electromagnetic
field exposure. The Radio Society of Great Britain has made changes to
both its online calculator and web app and are seeking feedback on the
new versions, which have been launched on a trial basis. The new
calculators enable hams to determine EIRP as well as compliance
distances. According to the RSGB website, the updated calculators no
longer have the previous versions' 10 MHz minimum frequency restriction
or the minimum separation of the near field boundary. They recommend a compliance distance of 2.4 metres to keep people from coming into contact
with the antenna. The new version also calculates limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection for 1998
and 2020.

Additional details are available on the Society's website at rsgb.org

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(RSGB)
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W3NTT repeater
in Palmerton Pennsylvania at 9 p.m. on Sundays.

**

AMSAT-INDIA GIVES ENGINEERING STUDENTS AN INTRO TO HAM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio was the big lesson of the day recently on
one university campus in India. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us what
everyone talked about happened.

JIM: There was perhaps no better way to mark the occasion of Engineering
Day in September than to hold an amateur radio workshop on a university
campus and provide some eye-opening lessons for tech students there.

AMSAT-India's regional coordinator, Rajesh Vagadia, VU2EXP, did just that
at Marwadi University in Gujarat, and in four hours the 80 students from
the Information and Communications Technology Department, along with a
special team assigned to a student project, gained insights into amateur
radio as well as ham radio satellites. For that one special team of
students, the timing could not have been better: The university recently announced that they will be building a satellite to be launched by the
ISRO. The workshop provided some bonus preparatory work for them.

The more terrestrial-minded demonstrations - from digital modes and VHF
FM to SSTV - were conducted with the help of Sakshi Vagadia, VU3EXP, and Shyama Vagadia, VU3WHG, who is also part of the student satellite team. Workshops also covered such topics as the jargon of amateur radio,
operating in the POTA and IOTA award programmes, high-altitude balloon tracking and, of course, CW.

Just as every amateur contact on the air is usually followed up with a
QSL of some sort, this workshop is not the end of the contact with this campus. Rajesh reported that the university administrators were so
pleased that AMSAT-INDIA can expect to come back to conduct more
programmes.

This is Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(QRZ.COM)

**

EXTRA CLASS 'GERATOL' NET TURNS 50

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular Extra Class net is back on the air after taking
a break for a few months. We hear about their plans from Sel Embee,
KB3 T Zed Dee.

SEL: The GERATOL Net is back. That's spelled G E R A T O L, which stands
for Greetings Extra Radio Amateur Tired of Operating Lately, except after
a few months of NOT operating lately, the net is back on the air. You can
find Extra Class operators checking in every night on 3.668 MHz, starting
at 0100 UTC. Now in its 50th year of operation, the net is marking the occasion by adding an anniversary award to the array of awards it already confers to qualifying hams. To be eligible, hams must make 50 contacts -
one for each year of the net's lifetime - during a session of the GERATOL
Net. These contacts must be logged during the period of the net's
anniversary year. The contacts must include the club staton W0NL.

For details about the award or additional information on how to find and
check into the net, visit the website g e r a t o l dot net (geratol.net)

This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(GERATOL NET)

**

STUDENTS IN UKRAINE AWAIT THEIR SATELLITE'S LAUNCH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A student-built CubeSat is being prepared for launch next month and its young creators in UKraine have included amateur radio
operators in their plans. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, brings us up to date.

ED: Students at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Ukraine
are looking forward to the November launch of an educational satellite
they built with a group of space-exploration enthusiasts. The students' Cubesat is designed to work on a variety of scientific and technical
issues related to research at the institute's school, the National
Technical University of Ukraine.

The Cubesat, QBUA01, will be in a sun-synchronous orbit and accessible to
hams around the world who can receive telemetry, beacon and science
payload data.

The nano-satellite project will focus its studies on near space and will explore the operation of solar sensors, magnetometers, gyroscopes, electromagnets and flywheels used in stabilization and orientation in
space. Research will also focus on thermal regulation of a payload using
heat pipes and on new software for controlling satellite systems and
obtaining telemetry. Frequencies to be used are still being finalized.A
9k6 GMSK UHF downlink is proposed using AX25.

This is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

(IARU)
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