[Attachment(s) from James KB7TBT included below]
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2086 for Friday, October 20 2017
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2086 with a release date of Friday,
October 20 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams step up and give support during
California's wildfires. Amateur donations help rebuild Caribbean
communications after Maria. It's Jamboree on the Air time - and it's
almost Halloween! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
2086 comes your way right now.
(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)
**
CALIFORNIA AMATEURS ASSIST WILDFIRE VICTIMS
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week focuses on the California
wildfires. Paul Braun WD9GCO spoke to some hams who found themselves in
key roles helping the affected communities.
PAUL: The wildfires in California have burned over 220,000 acres,
destroyed close to 6,000 structures and have killed over 40 people so far.
Once again, amateur radio operators have been called in to help with
communications support. In the Sonoma area, the Sonoma Auxiliary
Communications Service, or ACS, was pressed into duty supporting
shelters in the Petaluma area. I spoke with Steve Fischer, K6ETA, about
their role.
FISCHER: We've coordinated the delivery of over 500 cots, breakfasts
from the Redwood Empire Food Bank and many donations and volunteer
offers that the public has been generously bringing forward. Those sorts
of efforts actually can cause as much confusion as they can help, so we
helped do the triage and get the logistics folks just what they needed.
PAUL: The head of the main local food bank is also a ham, and he's been
working with ACS:
FISCHER: David, W9FOG, has been working with us over the local repeaters
to coordinate very large food deliveries. Actually the very first
morning they had their act together and were ready to serve breakfast to
all the new evacuees, so we had to coordinate with him and find out what
facilities they had at each of the shelters and line it all up.
PAUL: Part of ACS's function is to coordinate with community support:
FISCHER: The community at large was very helpful. We were the link
between the Salvation Army and the Petaluma logistics team. The Marin
RACES folks, our colleagues to the South, offered mutual aid and helped
us track down information about overflow when our evacuation shelters
reached max. Our logistics team needed information about the Marin
shelters and didn't have access to it. We used our contacts at Marin
RACES to answer those questions.
PAUL: According to Fischer, even when primary communications are still
online, there is a place for amateur radio:
FISCHER: The ACS is usually a secondary or tertiary communications
channel and usually we're called in when all else fails. So, we're sort
of the effort of last resort. But in this case, we had all of our
Internet and cell phones working. However, we were still needed to fill
in any gaps that existed due to the situational awareness challenges of
having multiple fires.
PAUL: The weather forecasts show possible rain moving into the Napa
valley, so hopefully the fires will finally be extinquished. But the
cleanup and recovery efforts will be ongoing and, as always, amateur
radio operators will be there. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul
Braun, WD9GCO.
**
REBUILDING COMMUNICATIONS IN DOMINICA
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: The ham radio community is known for its generosity
and right now no one knows that better than residents of storm-hit
Dominica as we hear from Bobby Best WX4ALA.
BOBBY: The damage done by Hurricane Maria's powerful punch continues to
ripple through the Caribbean where the long process of repair and
restoration enters its second month. Amateur radio organizations,
manufacturers and donors are rallying around Dominica, where the ham
radio capability was virtually wiped out by the storm. The effort is
being led by the Yasme Foundation, the Foundation for Amateur
International Radio Service, Yaesu USA's Amateur Division, and a group
of private pilots who are also hams, including Brian Machesney K1LI,
Dave Bridgham N1AHF and Brian Lloyd WB6RQN.
More than $30,000 worth of ham radio equipment has been deployed to
Dominica, where hams are now working with the Dominica Amateur Radio
Club and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in
Dominica to set up the stations and train new operators so Dominica is
better prepared in future emergencies.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Caribbean, post-Maria conditions have
prompted the cancellation of the 2018 ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention,
which was to be held on January 26th through 28th in Hatillo. Organizers
said the coliseum that was to be the convention's venue was too badly
damaged to be ready in time.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Bobby Best WX4ALA
(ARRL)
**
TWO MORE UK LICENSE EXAMS GO ONLINE
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: If you're in the UK, you can soon look forward to a
new option for taking your license exams, as Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us.
JEREMY: Get ready for more online licensing tests in the UK. The Radio
Society of Great Britain has given the OK for Foundation and
Intermediate licensing exams to be administered online. The action comes
on the heels of positive feedback from exam centers, clubs and license
candidates following the online launch of Full examinations this past
March. Now, starting November 1st, applications will be accepted by the
society's exams department for intermediate exam-taking online. The
application process will begin on January 2nd of next year for online
exams for Foundation licenses.
Of course, this doesn't mean you can take your test in the comfort of
your own home. Like paper exams, these online counterparts must still be
overseen at designated exam centers with the same level of supervision.
The Radio Society calls the decision a win-win in that it reduces
paperwork on their end and gives more immediate results to test-takers
waiting to hear their fate.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH
(WIA)
**
SIRENS GO OFF BUT IT'S ONLY A TEST
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: Planning and drilling for emergencies is one of the
things amateurs do best. A group in Arizona is getting ready for their
turn as we hear from Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT.
CARYN: Imagine a meltdown at a U.S. nuclear power plant. Hopefully
that's all you may ever need to do - imagine it - but a group of hams in
Arizona are taking it one step further next month by simulating a
meltdown or other accident by testing the warning sirens that alert the
public near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. On November 8th,
a team from the West Valley Amateur Radio Club, the Tri-City Amateur
Radio Club, Arizona ARES and other hams will be stationed at 58 sirens
going off during the test. David N7TWT, who has been at the helm of this
mandatory exercise since 2007, says he is counting on some dedicated
volunteers - husbands, wives, retirees and others - to show up as usual
with their 2 meter radios at the starting point, Buckeye Municipal Airport.
DAVID: We start going out at 10 in the morning to get to the sirens and
it takes til almost noon to get everyone on the sirens covered. We will
do a countdown "10.....9...." and we wll count down and then they turn
the sirens on. Within a few minutes you hear all the sirens going off.
They go for about three minutes and then they stop. If a person calls
into me and says "my siren did not go off," we do some troubleshooting
and do some checking and then we set it off again at 12:30 and if it
goes off at that time, we can diagnose what's going on.
CARYN: The public is notified well in advance that it's only a test. As
for the hams, they start their day early coordinating with the Maricopa
County Department of Emergency Management and other offices. They get
water and earplugs during the exercise -- and afterward they get a real
nice thank you.
DAVID: Oh yeah, a nice meal from Dillon's! It's catering - they come
out. APS always comes out with nice thank you gifts every year for the
people who come out and do it. They don't restrict me as to how many
people come out. If I have 10 or 15 extra people they don't care, they
understand because it's difficult. Some people may just go out together
because they know I have extra people. Most people say we can still do
everything we need to do and and enjoy the day.
CARYN: Another group of hams doing good public service work. Sirens
aside, everyone seems to have a real blast. For Amateur Radio Newsline,
I'm Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT.
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: The test is one of many around the U.S. relying on
amateur radio participation near nuclear power plants. Another one is
scheduled for the Limerick Power Plant in Pennsylvania which will take
place on Nov. 14, coordinated by the Reading (REDDING) Radio Club.
**
FCC TO FINE NY MAN $400,000 FOR INTERFERENCE
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: The FCC has announced that it will be assessing a
$400,000 fine against a New York City man who they said has failed to
respond to an April Notice of Apparent Liability from the agency. The
FCC action against Jay Peralta of Queens, New York, was prompted by
malicious interference on police radio frequencies, including false
distress calls and false bomb threats. The agency said the 20-year-old
admitted to the interference, which the FCC said occurred between April
and August of 2016. Peralta is presently in custody on related charges
and is awaiting trial. He and two other men were arrested in the fall of
2016. The FCC said that the Justice Department will begin collection
proceedings if no payment is received within 30 days.
(ARRL)
**
BREAK HERE
Time 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. after the ARES Net,
during the KARC Club Net, following check-ins.
**
UK REPEATER GROUP SHUTTING DOWN NETWORK
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: In the UK, one repeater group is calling it quits and
Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us why.
JEREMY: The decision to close down a repeater is never taken lightly so
when the South Yorkshire Repeater Group elected recently to close the
seven repeaters in its network, the move was unprecedented. The group's
announcement, which was also made on its Facebook page, said that it was
simply unable to continue service at the level it has maintained for a
number of years. The seven stations to cease operations include four
D-Star repeaters, one Fusion repeater and two analog voice repeaters. In
making its decision, the group said it hoped that interested parties
might have the time or funding to take over operation of one or more of
the repeaters and encouraged them to write them at comms at
southyyorkshirerepeatergroup dot co dot uk
(comms@southyorkshirerepeatergroup.co.uk
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH
(SOUTH YORKSHIRE REPEATER GROUP)
**
AT LAST, JAMBOREE ON THE AIR
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: The worldwide event Scouts have been waiting for just
lit up the calendar between Friday October 20th and Sunday October 22nd.
Here's Bill Stearns NE4RD.
BILL'S REPORT: This week in radio scouting is all about this weekend on
the air and on the internet. Jamboree on the Air starts Friday October
20th and goes through Sunday October 22nd. Over 3,300 stations from all
over the world will be getting scouts on the air. This event will go
throughout the weekend so expect a lot of young voices making their way
to your station while tuning around the scouting frequencies. In
addition to voice traffic, expect a lot of these scouts to experience
the various digital modes that amateur radio provides.
Since we're mentioning digital modes, we did have one concern reported
about the new FT8 frequency on 17 meters overlapping the existing PSK31
frequency on that band. Remember that these are suggested frequencies,
so feel free to tune the dial a little bit to give yourself some
separation on that band.
In addition to K2BSA being on the air in all the call districts, we're
hearing from our neighbors overseas about their operations. VK3CUB from
Australia will be on the air with the Bendigo District Scouts in
Longlea, Victoria. SC�UT and SC�JAM from Sweden will be on the air with
the RadioScouts of Stockholm. ST60JOTA will be on the air from Sudan
with the Sudan Technological Scouts. What a great opportunity to connect
with youth all over the world using Amateur Radio.
The internet will also be busy with scouts on October 21st for Jamboree
on the Internet. Scouts will be busy chatting with other scouts through
IRC, Skype, Teamspeak, and other modes of internet-based communications.
If you haven't registered your station yet, head over to our website and
follow the instructions for station registration like the other 437
stations in the U.S. have done.
For more information on JOTA and Radio Scouting visit our website at
www.k2bsa.net.
For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this
is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
**
VIRGINIA AMATEUR CONFIRMED FOR DEFENSE POST
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: David Trachtenberg, N4WWL, an active member of the
Pentagon Amateur Radio Club, has been confirmed by the Senate for a
position in the Department of Defense. The 60-year-old radio amateur has
served in other posts within the department and in his new post will be
principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for Policy. David lives in
Burke Virginia and is president and CEO of the national security
consulting company based there, Shortwaver Consulting LLC. He is also
Northeast Division Director and national planning coordinator for the
U.S. Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System.
(ARRL)
**
CHINESE SPACE LAB ON CRASH COURSE WITH EARTH
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: Look out below! Well, maybe. China's space laboratory
is headed toward Earth, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM: The Chinese space laboratory Tiangong 1, launched in 2011, is on a
crash course with Earth, according to a Harvard astrophysicist, Jonathan
McDowell. He said he expects that the decay in the space station's orbit
to bring it back to earth later this year or perhaps in early 2018.
Communications was lost with the spacecraft last year and by all
accounts, there is apparently no way to halt the crash landing.
At the time of its launch, the Chinese had hopes that Tiangong 1 would
serve as a symbol of that nation's abilities in space and solidify its
status there as a superpower. The Chinese space agency used the
spacecraft for a variety of missions, some of them manned, and had
referred to space lab as the "Heavenly Palace." One of the scientists to
work aboard the space lab was, Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut.
She was on board in 2012.
The spacecraft is expected to break up upon entering the atmosphere,
with some of the resulting debris weighing as much as 100 kilograms or
220 pounds. The Chinese have assured the United Nations that there is
only a remote chance that anyone will be harmed by the debris.
For Amateur Radio Newslie, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(THE INDEPENDENT)
**
THE WORLD OF DX
Be listening as the Liberia Radio Amateur Association hosts three IOTA
enthusiasts between the 30th of October and the 3rd of November for the
first activation of Baiyah Island, a new IOTA designation, AF-111. Col
McGowan MM0NDX will operate as EL2EL; David Deane EI9FBB will operate as
EL2BB and Jeremy Sheehan EJ5GM will operate as EL2GM. This is described
as the first Islands on the Air operation from the island. The
DXpedition call sign will be 5L3BI.
A special event station is operating from October 20th through November
20th, marking the 79th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Listen for operators on
all the HF bands using CW, SSB and the digital modes. A bronze, silver
and gold diploma will be available. The 10 call signs will include
TC10A, TC10F, TC10T, along with numberous others.
On Mauritius, Jean-Paul HB9ARY will be active as 3B8HC between the 4th
and 18th of November, working holiday style. Find him on 80 through 6
meters, though he will concentrate on 80, using mainly SSB. He will also
work some slow CW. QSL via NI5DX direct.
If you want to work Kuwait, be listening for Abdallah, 9K2GS who will be
operating from there in the CQ WW DX SSB Contest on the 28th and 29th of
October. He'll be using the call sign 9K2K. QSL via Logbook of the World
only.
(OHIO PENN DX)
**
KICKER: ON THE WATCH FOR SASQUATCH
CHRISTIAN/ANCHOR: Our final story was just made for Halloween. It
involves amateur radio operators deep in the woods - and a monster known
as Bigfoot. Here's Mike Askins KE5CXP.
MIKE: Now here's a Halloween question for hams: When you're operating
out in the wild, sitting around a campfire and telling ghost stories
while pursuing good signal reports, what do you need more than favorable
band conditions? How about.....bravery?
It's the 50th anniversary of a documentary film that is said to have
captured footage of the Bigfoot monster at Bluff Creek, Oregon. The
controversial 1967 account by Bob Gimlin and Roger Patterson is the
inspiration behind the Bigfoot Radio Net Expeditionary Team's sojourn
this month into the woods of southeastern Oklahoma. The hams will be
calling QRZ on the HF bands, wondering about the likelihood of good copy
by Sasquatch himself.
Maybe the melting Smores will draw him out into the open? Or maybe the
smell of good campfire coffee? Look for details about the team's
adventures and keep current on their operating frequency on their
Facebook Page. Then listen for them on the air. The Bigfoot Radio Net's
field operation begins October 23rd. It runs through the 28th....at
least unless Bigfoot has other plans for them. It is, after all, almost
Halloween.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP in Shawnee, Oklahoma
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;
the Associated Press; CQ Magazine; The FCC; Hap Holly and the Rain
Report; the Independent; K2BSA; the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin; South
Yorkshire Repeater Group; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's
QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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.
We also close this report by also offering congratulations from all of
us at Amateur Radio Newsline to our colleagues at the ICQ Podcast, which
just completed its 250th edition, and the SolderSmoke podcast which just
marked its 200th. Well done, and we wish you many more 5 and 9 reports
on your shows.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,
and our news team worldwide, I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH saying 73 and as
always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved
--
73
James-KB7TBT
www.arnewsline.org
www.ylsystem.org
Attachment(s) from James KB7TBT:
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news.mp3
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Posted by: James KB7TBT
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***
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