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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2393 for Friday September 8th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2393 with a release date of Friday September 8th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The retail giant Radio Shack is poised for a US comeback. NASA will test transmissions using laser light -- and hams in
Alabama mark a painful moment in American history. All this and more
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2393 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART
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FORMER RETAIL GIANT RADIO SHACK POISED FOR COMEBACK

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with news that many hams around the
United States have been waiting forever to hear: The beloved
electronics retailer Radio Shack, is returning to the US marketplace
under new ownership. The Radio Shack name is coming back from a
difficult history that ended its pervasive presence with more than
5,000 locations around the US. The company filed for bankruptcy twice
under its previous ownership and only a handful of its franchised
locations were able to maintain a market presence.

Now the brand's largest franchisee - the Unicomer Group, based in El
Salvador - has acquired the company. Although they aren't sharing much
yet about their plans, the vice president of franchises, Rudy Siman,
released a statement saying: "This acquisition will allow us to start
another phase of growth and innovation in the shopping experience with
the latest technology." Stay tuned!

(RETAIL INSIGHT NETWORK, THESTREET, FORBES)

**
RAISING HAM RADIO AWARENESS IN INDIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you've ever found yourself answering the question -"Ham
radio? Do people still do THAT?" - the next story from Jim Meachen
ZL2BHF will strike a familiar chord with you.

JIM: Organisers in India called it an Amateur Radio Awareness programme
-- and as more than 250 attendees in West Bengal, India, soon found
out, amateur radio is thriving and doing good work to help society.
Held on the 1st of September at the Ramakrishna (Rama Krishna) Mission
school on the west bank of the Hooghly River, the session devoted
itself to the science and technology that brings amateur radio alive on
the air. The programme also touched on the critical role ham radio
plays during a disaster or acting as an informal social services agency assisting families and communities in crisis. This nontechnical portion
of the presentation is particularly relevant to those at the mission,
where the school focuses on humanitarian work in the community. Members
of the West Bengal Radio, which has a long history of community service
work with amateur radio communication, led the programme.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**
NASA READY FOR NEXT STEP TOWARD LASER LIGHT COMMUNICATION

NEIL/ANCHOR: The US Space Agency is ready to shed new light on ways to supplement RF systems for communication. In this case, that light is
laser light and the experiment is testing higher-bandwidth data
transfer. Kent Peterson KC0DGY brings us up to date.

KENT: The mission is not NASA's first test of using optical
communication technology instead of RF to transmit data, but it is an
important move in making the technology part of regular space missions.
A terminal known as ILLUMA-T will arrive on the International Space
Station via a SpaceX Commercial Resupply mission where, once installed,
it will send laser light through an optical telescope to the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD.

The LCRD is on board a US Defense Department satellite in a
geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles from Earth. It is capable of
transmitting data, pictures and video at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per
second -- a rate comparable to some optical-fiber internet connections.
The LCRD has been on the satellite where it has been beaming data to
ground stations in Hawaii and California.

NASA believes a successful demonstration of optical communications will
provide an enhanced way to transfer information - and one day, perhaps
spoken communication from the ISS - through a smaller, lighter system
that also requires less power.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(NASA, SPACE.COM)

**
LESSONS LEARNED FROM HURRICANE IDALIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: In the US, emergency communicators are looking back on
lessons learned from Hurricane Idalia, as we hear from Randy Sly W4XJ.

RANDY: Just like winter snowflakes, no two hurricanes are alike,
depending on size, wind speed, rainfall and travel speed, so
activations by emergency personnel, including amateur radio operators,
have to be flexible.

Last week's Hurricane Idalia is a good case in-point. Bobby Graves,
KB5HAV, manager of the Hurricane Watch Net, told AR Newsline, "Going
into Idalia, knowing this was going to be a fast-moving hurricane, we
did our best to line up, well ahead of projected landfall, reporting
stations, storm shelters, and emergency operations centers. We were
expecting this storm to remain at least a Category 1 Hurricane into
South Carolina. After it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, we changed
gears and began calling for any Post-Storm Reports."

One serious issue involved a very strong, wide signal causing
interference on the upper end of 20 meters. The FCC later confirmed
that it was Over-the-Horizon RADAR that originated outside the US and
was not considered intentional.

ARES in Northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were also
activated. HF operations linked counties to the state EOC in Florida
and much of the emergency communications activity took place through
the linked UHF repeaters of the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio
Network.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ


**
POTA ACTIVATION RECALLS 4 WHO DIED IN ALABAMA CHURCH BOMBING

NEIL/ANCHOR An amateur radio activation in Birmingham, Alabama, will be recalling a painful history lesson that rocked the United States 60
years ago. The callsign K0MIK will be on the air on September 15th and
16th from the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Kelly Ingram
Park, which has the POTA designation K-3602. The park is across the
street from the 16th Street Baptist Church where on September 15th,
1963, while Sunday school children inside were hearing a lesson in "A
Love that Forgives," the church was bombed. Four young women died that
day. Their pictures are on the monument that stands facing the church.
K0MIK is the callsign of the OMIK (PRON: O-MIKE) Amateur Radio
Association, an international organization that is the largest
predominately Black amateur radio association in the US. The activation
will be primarily on 40, 20, 17 and 15m using CW, SSB, plus via
satellites. Tom Gaines KB5FHK told Newsline that anyone living in or
visiting the Birmingham area on those days is welcome to stop by the activation, which is also part of OMIK's (O-MIKE's) ongoing POTA
challenge.

(THOMAS GAINES, KB5FHK; JIMMY EARL, WB5MET)

**

RSGB CONVENTION EXTENDS EARLYBIRD RATES

NEIL/ANCHOR: There's still time to get earlybird admittance if you're
attending the Radio Society of Great Britain's annual convention, as we
hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: If you haven't already booked your attendance at the Radio
Society of Great Britain's convention next month, you still have a few
days to take advantage of earlybird pricing. Convention organisers have extended the deadline for special pricing to the 14th September.

Although experts will be presenting on a variety of topics, from RF
electrical interference to radio astronomy, the keynote speaker is
certain to draw most of the attention. He is Colonel John Doody, a
retired oficer of the UK Royal Corps of Signals. He will share his vast knowledge on cryptography, cyber security and information assurance.

The convention will take place at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in
Milton Keynes from October 13th to the 15th.

Additional details are available at rsgb.org/convention

(RSGB)

**
HAMS WITH DISABILITIES SERVED BY PROGRAM FOR 56 YEARS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams with disabilities who have received encouragement and training through the Courage Handiham Program have something to
celebrate this month and Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us why.

KEVIN: For 56 years, the Courage Handiham Program has worked with
people who have disabilities, encouraging them to work toward their
goal of becoming a licensed radio amateur. The special event callsigns
W0ZSW and W0EQO will be on the air on Monday, September 11th in a
five-hour special event QSO party that is part of this year's Handiham
Radio Camp. The operators will be marking the program's 56th
anniversary by calling QRZ using CW and SSB on 10, 15, 20, and 40
meters. The hours of the QSO party will be from 1600 to 2100 UTC.

The callsign W0ZSW was originally assigned to Rochester, Minnesota
amateur, Ned Carman, W0ZSW, who helped bring the Handiham program into
being, based on his work in a clinic with individuals who had severe
physical disabilities. The callsign W0EQO is assigned to the program's
Camp Courage North station and was originally used by the first
Handiham station that provided remote HF access to amateurs who had no
other way of getting on the air.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (AMATEUR RADIO DAILY, COURAGE HANDIHAM)


**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the WW8GM repeater of the General Motors Amateur Radio Club in Detroit, Michigan on Saturdays at 9 p.m. local time.

**

ASTRONOMY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ADVANCE AS HAMS

NEIL/ANCHOR: The first class of young participants in a program based
at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory are advancing as hams. Sel
Embee KB3TZD has those details.

SEL: The program known as â-˜Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum
with Amateur Radio' has inspired its first group of young
participants to explore something else following 20 weeks of
instruction at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory: They're
planning to upgrade their Technician licenses to General. They are also
joining various amateur radio clubs, as well as the ARRL, and engaging
with a virtual amateur radio club on Discord.

The Observatory launched this two-year program for high school and
college-age students with a grant from Amateur Radio Digital
Communications to provide an educational outreach to members of the
indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQIA communities. The observatory
is preparing to receive its next group of students -- a total of 18 participants from across the United States.

As with the first group, those running the program are hoping the
curriculum with its hands-on activities can be the entry point for many
of the students toward later careers in the STEM fields -- and of
course, a window into the rewards of being an amateur radio operator.

This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.

(NATIONAL RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY)

**
AMATEUR ACTIVATION HONORS LEGACY OF RADIO LUXEMBOURG

NEIL/ANCHOR: In Europe an amateur radio activation is honoring the
legacy of a once-popular British pirate broadcast station. Jeremy Boot
G4NJH brings us that story.

JEREMY: Long before the British pirate broadcast station Radio Caroline
took to the airwaves from a boat off the Essex coast, there was Radio Luxembourg. Much to the displeasure of the BBC, the English-language
service was launched 90 years ago and became one of Europe's most
popular stations. According to some reports, the long and medium-wave
broadcast of its programmes and its British presenters peaked at an
estimated 78 million daily listeners before Radio Luxembourg went off
the air in December of 1991.

Since July, amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners are hearing
Radio Luxembourg again - this time symbolically, with the callsign LX
90 RTL . The station is on the air until the end of this year. Various
ham radio operators throughout Luxembourg are calling QRZ to mark the anniversary of that first broadcast. They can be heard on the HF bands
using CW, SSB and the digital modes. They can also be contacted via
satellite.

The special event radio operators have been carefully listening too,
especially when the QSOs trigger moments of nostalgia. The operators
write on the station's page on QRZ.com: [quote] "Many of you told us
about your memories and the great time listening to Radio Luxembourg, especially the great entertainment with the best music on the air over
the years." [endquote]

The DARC bureau will confirm all QSOs automatically and logs are being
uploaded to Club Log, Logbook of the World and eQSL.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM, RSGB, TODAY.RTL.LU)

**
FCC SEEKING MEMBERS FOR TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COUNCIL

NEIL/ANCHOR: If you have expertise in engineering, technology or other
areas relevant to radio, there may be a seat for you on an FCC advisory
body. Interested? Patrick Clark K8TAC explains how to apply.

PATRICK: If you work in broadcasting or have a background in science, engineering or technology, you may be interested in becoming a member
of the FCC's Technological Advisory Council. The TAC provides guidance
to the commission and looks into issues that could have an impact on
emerging technologies. The council's input is expected to help in the
creation of informed policies. Members will be expected to be able to
weigh in on such concerns as spectrum-sharing techniques, 5G and
artificial intelligence.

The term lasts two years and there are four council meetings a year,
which are one-day sessions.

For other details or to submit a nomination send an email to TAC at fcc
dot gov (TAC@fcc.gov.).

Nominations are being received until the 22nd of September. The council
expects to meet in December.

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

(RADIO WORLD)

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BE LISTENING FOR HAMS AS INVICTUS GAMES BEGIN

NEIL/ANCHOR: The inaugural Invictus Games were held in Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park in London in 2014 as an international celebration of
wounded members of the military achieving marking a triumph over their
various challenges.

This year the games are taking place in the German city of Duesseldorf, cohosted by the German Federal Armed Forces.

As veterans and serving members of the military compete in archery,
cycling, power lifting, swimming and other activities, amateur radio is
also playing a big role in the arena. As the games enter their second
week, special event station DQ23IVG continues to be on the air, making
contact to celebrate this triumph of the human spirit. More than 500 competitors have arrived from 21 nations and are competing in 10
disciplines. To recognize their achievements, hams are calling QRZ
until the 16th of September. See QRZ.com for additional information.

(QRZ.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Torsten, DL4APJ, and Udo, DL2AQI
operating as MD/DL4APJ and MD/DL2AQI, respectively, from the Isle of
Man, IOTA Number EU-116 on the 10th through the 19th of September. They
will operate using CW, SSB and the digital modes on 80-10 metres. See
QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Randall, KD8JN/4, operating from Hatteras Island, IOTA
Number NA-067, from the 10th to the 15th of September. He will be using
CW and SSB on or around the usual IOTA frequencies. QSL via his home
call.

Be listening for a team of radio operators from the Rebel DX Group who
are using the callsign T22T from Tuvalu, IOTA Number OC-015, from the
21st of September to the 9th of October. The team will be on 160-6m
using SSB and FT8 either in normal or fox-hound mode. Visit the QRZ.com
page for T22T for further details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: THE CHANGING SHAPE OF THINGS UNSEEN

NEIL/ANCHOR: This week's final story looks at something that we cannot
see -- but, of course, we're going to look at it anyway. Here's Ralph
Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: There is beauty in the unseen. Ask any ham radio operator who
has sent voice, code or data into space with the hope that its path
finds a receptive, friendly destination. It never fails to engage our imagination when the message arrives, undetected by the unassisted eye.

In the US, the roadmap of the FCC's frequency allocations is always
evolving. One of its most recent printed versions has captivated a New
York City ham radio operator, Jon Keegan, KE3GAN.

Early this year, Jon wrote about a large colorful poster on his blog,
Beautiful Public Data, and called this roadmap [quote] "a crazy,
beautiful chart." [endquote] Indeed, the multicolored poster is a
painter's palette of the unseen spectrum from 9 kHz to 300 GHz. The multicolored poster is produced by the National Telecommunications
Information Administration which, together with the FCC, manages radio frequency assignments for different users - among them, aviation,
broadcast, satellite and ham radio. The US government printing office
sells it for $6 in US currency.

Jon's blog reports that the chart of frequency allocations is also
popular among US lawmakers who pass regulations that affect the
spectrum and need to better understand its uses. The latest version of
this chart, produced in 2016, is expected to be due for an update soon, according to an NTIA specialist who spoke with Jon. With changes in
technology, it's possible that these many colors of the frequency
allocation chart may change again -- and like the spectrum itself, it
will surely be in ways that are as-yet unseen.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA blog)

**
DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

If you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would
be interested in, send it on! We are not talking about advertising your
club's upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that
is out of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact
pag e at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover
it, we'll get back to you for more details. Meanwhile, visit our
website to learn more about the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge.
Use the entry form on our website and please follow the rules for
writing your three-line haiku - five syllables in the first line, seven
in the second line, and five in the third.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; Ambarish Nag
Biswas, VU2JFA; Beautiful Public Data blog; Courage Handiham; CQ
Magazine; David Behar K7DB; 425DXNews; FCC; Forbes; Jimmy Earl, WB5MET;
NASA; National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Radio Society of Great
Britain; Radio World; Retail Insight Network; shortwaveradio.de;
SPACE.com; TheStreet; and you our listeners, that's all from the
Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio
Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs
expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please
visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you
all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please
leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with
Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Union Kentucky saying 73. As always
we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright
2023. All rights reserved.

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