[Attachment(s) from James KB7TBT included below]
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2069 for Friday, June 23, 2017
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2069 with a release date of Friday,
June 23, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams enjoy the longest radio day of the year in
England. Schools begin prepping for Space Station contacts -- and
hurricane season is upon us! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report 2069 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
HURRICANE SEASON COMES STORMING IN
JIM/ANCHOR: Don't look now but Hurricane Season has just gotten under
way. As we start this cautious time of year on the Atlantic Coast of the
U.S., our first report comes to us courtesy of Phil Thomas W8RMJ of the
Amateur News Weekly podcast. Phil reports on the recent release of the
2017 Hurricane Outlook from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
PHIL'S REPORT: June the first marks the official start of the 2017
Hurricane Season which continues through November the 30th. In an
average season, based on data from 1981 to 2010, twelve named tropical
cyclones should be expected, with six of these reaching hurricane
intensity and three developing into major hurricanes. The outlook is a
general guide to the overall activity during the upcoming hurricane
season. It is not a seasonal hurricane landfall forecast nor does it
predict levels of activity for any particular location. The official
NOAA 2017 Hurricane Season Outlook indicates a 45 percent probability of
an above-normal season. The outlook calls for between 11 and 17 named
storms. This already includes pre-season Tropical Storm Arlene which
occurred in April. Of these named storms, between five and nine could
reach hurricane intensity, with between two and four of these becoming a
major hurricane. FEMA is encouraging residents and businesses to prepare
by understanding the risks, planning for the entire family and
downloadint the FEMA app. The app contains important information on what
to do before and after a hurricane. The app also allows users to receive
weather alerts from NOAA's National Weather Service including
life-saving safety tips. To learn more, go to www.hurricanes.gov.
JIM/ANCHOR: That was Phil Thomas W8RMJ of Amateur News Weekly. For more
news from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana area, visit amateurnewsweekly.com
(AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY)
**
"LAST MAN STANDING" BREATHES ITS LAST
JIM/ANCHOR: True fans may already know this but TV's "Last Man Standing"
appears to have breathed its last. The show, which was cancelled by ABC,
was in talks to be revived on CMT but media reports indicated that
negotiations with 20th Century Fox Television, as of June 20, had broken
down. According to the Hollywood Reporter website, talks fell apart over
cost.
The ratings hit, which ran for six seasons on ABC, featured Tim Allen as
an amateur radio operator. The show eventually prompted the actor to get
his own real-life license, KK6OTD. At least for now, his character Mike
Baxter KA0XTT, appears to have become a Silent Key.
(FOX NEWS, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
**
SOLSTICE: RADIO'S LONGEST DAY
JIM/ANCHOR: The Northern Hemisphere's longest day is June 21st and one
group of hams in the UK think that makes a perfect opportunity for a
long day of radio. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot G4NJH spoke to
the Essex Ham group prior to the event to hear just what their plans
were going to be.
JEREMY: On the day of the summer solstice, some people may choose to
dance at Stonehenge but in another part of the UK amateurs plan on
making the most of the longest day of the year by making it a full day -
a VERY full day - of amateur radio.
PETE: It's a little bit of tradition now for some of our guys who've
been doing it for a few years now. It is, of course, the longest day so
if you are going to do a day's worth of amateur radio do the longest
day. Why not?
JEREMY: That was Pete M0PSX of Essex Ham, the group that plans on
marking the solstice with three activations this year: Sunday the 18th
of June, Wednesday the 21st of course, and Saturday the 24th of June.
Special Event Station GB1JSS operates from sun-up to sun-down - at a
central location in Chelmsford - where there are passers by, a nice pub
-- and some radio history.
PETE: Chelmsford is what we call the birthplace of broadcasting. So 1922
was where all the braodcasting was started in the UK and we are not all
that far away, 4 or 5 miles away from where it all started.
JEREMY: It all seems a good fit for the calendar and the location, which
is what its creator Charlie M0PZT of Essex Ham had in mind when he first
suggested the event - by that we mean the special event station, not the
Solstice. They've been planning for a long day on the air!
PETE: We will do as much as we possibly can on Saturday. For the U.S. it
will be 9 a.m. GMT will be the start of our activities on Saturday. We
normally tweet as soon as we are set up so if people want to find out
what we're up to, if they follow "at-essexham" (@essexham) or look on
Facebook we always announce the frequencies we're operating on. If
anyone wants to work us, brilliant. If we can set up a sked if someone
would be keen to make that connection in Chelmsford, let us know. Really
the twitter feed is the active one for us. We also have a Facebook page
and a website which is www.essexham.co.uk and yes we will keep you all
updated, we will be on as many bands as we can. Typicall 40 20 30 we do
CW as well as voice and we even have DMR, some of the digital radio
stuff as well normally. So if we know people are out there and trying to
work us, we will make sure we let you know where we are.
JEREMY: As the hams in Essex would say: Who needs Stonehenge anyway? For
Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH
JIM/ANCHOR: We're happy to say that Amateur Radio Newsline's European
correspondent Ed Durran DD5LP caught up with the special event station
on the longest day of the year, and here's a small part of his contact.
ED's AUDIO:
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams were expected to get one more try on Saturday June 24
for contact with GB1JSS.
(ESSEX HAM)
**
ALABAMA'S ARISS MOMENT
JIM/ANCHOR: There's big excitement in Pinson, Alabama right now as
Pinson Valley High School prepares for what it hopes will be its Space
Station Moment. Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG has that story.
NEIL: Pinson Valley High School in Alabama has become one of 13
educational facilities in the U.S. to be chosen for the Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station program. What happens next? The school
needs to submit its proposal and equipment plan for ARISS review and
demonstrate that the school can be available at those moments between
next January and June when NASA can arrange for amateur radio contact
opportunities with one of the astronauts on board. English teacher
Jennifer Moore, who is leading the faculty team behind the project, said
the experience is designed to make the sciences real to students in a
meaningful way and encourage careers in related fields of technology,
engineering and mathematics. The school's partners in the Space Station
venture will include the Southern Museum of Flight, the U.S. Space and
Rocket Center and the Birmingham Amateur Radio Clubs Amateur Radio
Advancement Group.
The excitement is real elsewhere too: Students and teachers are doing
the same in a dozen other schools this year, including Mill Springs
Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia; Freeport Public Schools in Freeport, New
York and Bellefonte Area Middle School in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. This
is one effective way of getting students to aim high.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG.
**
GIPPSTECH WINDOW IS CLOSING
JIM/ANCHOR: A few weeks before the Friedrichshafen ham radio event,
Australian and New Zealand amateurs will gather in Churchill, about 105
miles east of Melbourne, Australia for GippsTech 2017. The event is
organized by the Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club. Amateur Radio
Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW tells us more:
JOHN'S REPORT: GippsTech 2017 is a conference in Victoria, Australia,
that focuses on microwave, UHF and VHF operations, particularly for
weak-signal operations. Amateurs will attend the annual gathering this
year on July 1st and 2nd.
The conference, which has been held for 20 years, is organized by the
Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club. Peter Freeman VK3PF, chairman of
GippsTech, told Amateur Radio Newsline that it is modeled after similar
events in the U.S. that allow hams to share techniques for various
weak-signal operations. Peter said the Eastern Zone club itself has a
number of enthusiastic members who are interested in these modes of
communication and GippsTech became an outgrowth of that.
What started as a one-day event is now a formal two-day conference
drawing amateurs from most of the states throughout Australia and even
New Zealand and elsewhere. At the 2003 event, Joe Taylor K1JT presented
his WSJT software, which was then still new.
This year the agenda will include some microwave activations and there
will be reports on previous years' proceedings available for purchase.
The conference is making a Partners' Program available with a minibus
providing sightseeing in the local area.
If you want to be among this year's attendees, please note that
registration closes June 25. Download a registration form at
vk3bez.org/conference
For more details contact Peter VK3PF at vk3pf-at-wia-dot-org-dot-au
(vk3pf@wia.org.au)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW.
(WIA, EASTERN ZONE AMATEUR RADIO 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 WR9ARC Repeater of the Riverland Amateur Radio Club in La Crescent,
Minnesota, as part of the Sunday Night Net at 8 p.m. local time.
**
SECOND TEST DAY PREPS FOR WRTC 2018
JIM/ANCHOR: It's never too early to start testing equipment and setup
for a big event and in Germany that's what hams are doing to prepare for
the World Radiosport Team Championship, or WRTC. Here's Amateur Radio
Newsline's Ed Durrant DD5LP.
ED'S REPORT: In preparation for WRTC 2018, the second test day will take
place from the 23rd to the 25th of June around Jessen, in central
Germany. The focus will be on testing logistics and training of the
volunteer support teams along with looking for any possible process
improvements. Nearly 100 volunteers are coming from all over Germany to
build the fifteen stations.
On Saturday after completing their training on Friday, the fifteen teams
will go to their allocated sites to assemble the test stations. The goal
is to assemble all structures quickly and smoothly, while documenting
any areas where the process can be optimized. After each site is set up,
radio operation is planned. This will not only test the on-line
scoreboard system but also act as publicity for WRTC 2018. It is
expected that there will be a lot of DX traffic on 20 or 15 meters on
Saturday evening which coincides with the ARRL Field Day.
A special diploma for contacts with the test stations is planned. For
details about the diploma and how to submit a request, monitor the
WRTC2018.de website.
On Sunday, all sites will be dismantled, the material checked and stored.
During the tests live pictures will be posted to Facebook.
The test weekend should help the organizers evaluate the best techniques
and new possibilities before WRTC 2018.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Ed Durrant DD5LP.
**
SOTA'S BIG DAY AT FRIEDRICHSCHAFEN
JIM/ANCHOR: European amateurs are preparing for a major global gathering
of hams in Germany this month and Summits on the Air will be a big part
of it. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT with more
details.
CARYN's REPORT: Now that Hamvention is behind us, it's time for Europe
to put on a world-class Amateur Radio event.
"Ham Radio" in southern Germany, like Dayton attracts Hams and vendors
from around the world.
"Ham Radio" takes place at the convention and exhibition center in
Friedrichshafen (Freed-Ricks-Ha-Fenn), located on Lake Constance which
forms the border between Germany and Switzerland.
The town is used to hosting the largest trade events in Europe and Ham
Radio uses only a fraction of the space available at the center. All
sellers, including the flea market, are inside the well-ventilated,
Zeppelin-sized, halls. The air-conditioned lecture rooms host multiple
parallel lecture streams across all three days.
As you'd expect, outside you find the Bier Gardens and there are several
food outlets to give you the energy to explore the three Amateur Radio
and one Maker Faire halls. Many international groups use the event for a
once-a-year meet-up and one of those is the worldwide SOTA community,
for whom this year, Saturday, June 24 will become "SOTA-Day."
After the annual meet-up at noon by the QSL wall, lectures run from 2 to
3:45pm, followed by an activation of a local SOTA summit. To finish out
the day, there's a SOTA dinner where, thanks to SOTABeams, a prize of a
WSPRLite unit will be awarded to the attendee wearing the most original
SOTA clothing item.
So if you're in Europe between July 14th and 16th, why not try to get
down to "Ham Radio" at Fredrichshafen, especially if SOTA is your "thing."
Amateur Radio Newsline's own European correspondent, Ed Durrant DD5LP,
will be attending and promises to produce a report. Ed asks if you see
him at the show in his blue ARNewsline staff polo shirt, please come up
and say hello and - who knows - you may be included in the report!
For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT.
**
WORLD OF DX
In the world of DX, as Azerbaijan hosts the Formula One Grand Prix in
its capital city of Baku, several special event stations are active. Be
listening for 4JF1EU, 4JF1BAKU, 4KF0NE and 4KF1BAKU from the 23rd of
June to the 25th. Send QSLs direct or via LoTW.
Hams belonging to the Cuban amateur radio association, FRC, will be
using the call sign CO9KAA marking the 50th anniversary of an annual
cultural event honoring the 19th century poet Cristobal Napoles Fajardo,
from June 28th until July 3rd. Listen on 80/40/20/15/10/6 meters where
hams will be using CW and SSB. A digital certificate is available for
amateurs contacting CO9KAA on at least 3 bands in either mode.
The Chinese Radio Amateur Club, CRAC, will be active as B7CRA between
June 26th and July 2nd from the rare Yongxing Island in the Paracel
Islands. The ship's schedule may adjust the operations slighly,
depending on conditions. Be listening on 80-6 meters - except for 30
meters. Hams will be operating on CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via
BA4TB or ClubLog's OQRS.
Be listening for Eddy, DM5JBN, operating as 9A/DM5JBN from both Hvar
Island and Brac Island. He'll be on Hvar Island from June 28th to July
2nd and then move on to Brac Island starting July 4th through the 9th.
He will be operating mainly using CW and RTTY. QSL via his home
callsign, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW or eQSL.
(OHIO PENN DX SOUTHGATE, IRTS)
**
KICKER: PHYSICIST'S GIFT IS HEAVEN SENT
JIM/ANCHOR: And finally: Promise her the moon perhaps but deliver her an
asteroid. Swedish radio amateur Asta Pellinen-Wannberg SM3UHV, has done
her job so well that the International Astronomical Union thought she
needed a show of appreciation. Well, there was no wrapping paper large
enough for this gift: her very own personal celestial body. It's known
as Asteroid 11807 Wannberg and it's hers and hers alone.
SSA, the Swedish national amateur radio society, noted that the physics
professor's work using scattering radar to study meteors is in use by at
least 10 stations around the world. The scattering radar assesses
meteors that become activated after small particles penetrate the
atmosphere, enhancing scientists' ability to study particles and flows
in the atmosphere. The physicist's specialty is studying small bodies in
space, especially meteors that interact with the earth's atmosphere.
Asta is chair of the Swedish National Committee for Radio Science, where
she is responsible for helping to promote research, development and
education in the field of radio. She also represents Sweden in the
International Union of Radio Science. Now she's even got a little
asteroid to call her very own. Hopefully it's just the right size and
color and she won't try to exchange it for a planet instead.
(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;
the Associated Press; CQ Magazine; Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club;
Essex Ham; the FCC; Fox News; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the
Hollywood Reporter; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; Ohio Penn DX
Bulletin; Reuters; the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association; Southgate
Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of
Australia; WMUK Public Radio; WTWW Shortwave; and you our listeners,
that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to our
address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,
and our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston, West
Virginia saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
***
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