Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2091 for Friday, November 24, 2017
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2091 with a release date of Friday,
November 24, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. The FCC commits to streamlining its approvals
for wireless advances. Youngsters On the Air operators prepare for
worldwide contacts -- and the youngest competitor in 2018's World
Radiosport Team Championship shares holiday inspiration. All this and
more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2091 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
FCC CHAIRMAN COMMITS TO FEWER DELAYS
PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with good news for impatient
innovators in the world of wireless. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has pledged
to change the FCC's longstanding reputation for long delays in approving
new technology, especially in the field of wireless.
Approval often takes years, but in a speech he gave Nov. 17 in New York,
the chairman said decisions for such approvals would now be made within
a year.
Pai said that his priority for the past 10 months at the FCC has been to
review regulations so they reflect the market, even if that means
streamlining or even eliminating some rules. He said the purpose of the
move is to get government out of the way of private enterprise and
innovation.
He said [QUOTE] "one of the most powerful forces in government is
inertia. To ensure that innovators dont get sandbagged, were
implementing a new process. If someone seeks approval of a new
technology or service that falls within our jurisdiction, well make a
decision within one year." [ENDQUOTE]
In other words, there will be less waiting for everyone - or so we hope.
(FCC, SOUTHGATE)
**
ONE MORE LOOK BACK AT JAMBOREE ON THE AIR
PAUL/ANCHOR: Our radio scouting report this week includes a top
performing station during Jamboree on the Air. Here's more from Bill
Stearns NE4RD.
BILL: This week in radio scouting we have one activation of the K2BSA
callsign, one activation from Scout Camps on the Air and congratulations
to the team at K4V.
Timothy Shoemaker AK4ZZ will be activating K2BSA/4 at the Central
Florida Council Scouting Jamboree from Osceola Heritage Park in
Kissimmee, FL, on from December 1st through the 3rd. This event is
described as an event like no other! Live Bands Friday and Saturday
night, awesome interactive and hands-on program all day Saturday,
Inflatables, demonstrations, career encounters, and much more! It can
only get better with an amateur radio demonstration station.
Charles McBride and the rest of the group from the BSA Troop 20 Amateur
Radio Club WS5BSA are at it once again from Camp George Thomas in
Boone, OK on December 9th. They'll start the morning on 40m and work
their way up the bands as propagation changes through the day. They'll
also be on VHF/UHF on the WX5LAW and KB5LLI repeaters and on EchoLink
via N4RDB repeater connected to the *JOTA-365* node. Look for this
active group on the bands.
Jamboree on the Air Reports hit the closing date for the compilation of
the annual report. Initial numbers are showing a decrease in
participation although the traffic on the bands didn't quite feel like
it. As well, Icom America's ID-51A Plus handheld was awarded to the K4V
group. K4V was on the air from Louisville, TN and the Great Smoky
Mountain Council. They've shared a few photos of their operation along
with a delightful video that captures the excitement of getting on the
air during JOTA. You can find links to the video and images on our
website. Congratulations to George Shields and Stephen Carpenter of K4V
for conducting a great Jamboree on the Air operation and in winning the
HT for filing their station report.
For more information on radio scouting, please visit our website at
www.k2bsa.net.
For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this
is Bill Stearns, NE4RD
**
NEIL and BRYANT CARDS
PAUL/ANCHOR: A 13-year old ham radio operator has come up with a
creative approach to his next big challenge, as we hear from Neil Rapp
WB9VPG.
NEIL: The World Radiosport Team Championship is coming up soon, and one
newly upgraded to Extra class ham is excited about the opportunity to
compete. Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO tells us about the trip.
BRYANT: So WRTC is the World Radio Team Championship. It is held every
four years. Its where two-person teams compete for 24 hours all in one
location. Its a level playing field, because all the stations and
competitors have the same terrain, region, power level and antenna
setup. Next year, WRTC will be held in Wittenberg, Germany. I was chosen
to compete in one of the three youth teams. I am the youngest competitor
and the only youth from North America.
NEIL: Its not easy to afford to get there especially when youre 13
years old. So he came up with a creative solution.
BRYANT: In order to help cover some of the travel and equipment costs I
have created some Christmas themed ham radio postcards that can be used
as a Christmas QSL card or a personal greeting card. If you are
interested in purchasing any of these fun postcards, please look me up
on QRZ.com for more information.
NEIL: The cards combine some holiday cheer with ham radio. For example,
a reindeer with some yagis and a Buddipole for antlers! And a barn with
a manger complete with a tower on top of the barn. For all the info
check out KG5HVO on QRZ.com.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG
**
DO DROP IN SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE
PAUL/ANCHOR: In keeping with the holiday spirit of Bryant's cards, we
also bring you this report from.....well........I guess from Santa. Are
you there Mr. Claus?
SANTA: HO HO HO, well boys and girls, it's my favorite time of the year
again - it's time for the Santa Watch Net!
DON: That's right, Santa will be making his rounds and once again for
the seventh year in a row the gang at the Do Drop In will be watching
the radar. Join the Santa Watch Net starting at 1800 hours Eastern Time
SANTA: HO HO HO, and my little elf Dave N3NTV ... ooooooh he is such a
cute little fellow! (I think he may have put on some weight.) He's going
to be calling the net and keeping track of old Santa's location.....er,
QTH........
DON: And just like last year, Santa has a radio in his sleigh and yeah,
he'll chat with the kids again.
SANTA: Oh that's right. Bring all the little ones and let's get them
checked in. HO HO HO third party traffic is always on the 'nice' list.
DON: Once again it's the Santa Watch Net, Christmas Eve, 1800 hours
Eastern on the Do Drop In EchoLink Conference Server Node Number 355800.
SANTA: HO HO HO Merry Christmas from me, old Santa and all my little
elves here at the Do Drop In, HO HO HO.
(DAVID VOWELL N3NTV)
**
YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR PREPARES FOR DECEMBER
PAUL/ANCHOR: The arrival of December means a lot of things to people -
but if you're a young ham radio operator it means "get ready for
action," as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: While most youngsters may anticipate December because it brings
Christmas and a break from school, young amateur radio operators in IARU
region 1 know what it means for them: The annual Youngsters on the Air
or YOTA activity takes place where youngsters work the bands to make as
many contacts around the world as they can with one another.
Most countries have special YOTA stations. You'll know them when you
hear them - their call signs will have Y-O-T-A as their suffix. You
don't need to be in your 20s, or even younger, to make a contact. It
might even make some OMs feel young again.
Registered special calls already include South Africa ZS9YOTA, Russia
R17YOTA, Sweden SH9YOTA and Slovakia OM9YOTA. If you're a young Ham and
not yet registered, there is still time to get on the list - at least
until December. Visit ham hyphen yota dot com (ham-yota.com) to register
your call sign on-line.
While it's not considered a contest there are definitely prizes - new
friends, a new experience and a sense of accomplishment among them.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH
(YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR)
**
D-STAR RADIO WITHOUT THE RADIO? SURE!
PAUL/ANCHOR: In Kentucky, one amateur radio operator has created an
opportunity for others to try D-STAR. This report by Jack Prindle AB4WS
comes to us courtesy of Amateur News Weekly.
JACK PRINDLE'S REPORT: There are probably some of you out there who have
heard about all the interesting things happening on the Kentucky D-STAR
system and are interested in listening to the reflector 56 Bravo but you
don't have a D-STAR radio. Now there is a way to monitor D-STAR
Reflector 056 Bravo thanks to Ray KI4BM, the owner of Kentucky D-STAR
Reflector 56. There's now a Broadcastify feed set up with the feed
number 26910 or just go to broadcastify dot com and browse the feeds for
Kentucky and Boyle County and you'll see the Reflector 56B feed. It is
also available on Android and IOS apps which carry Broadcastify feeds.
This will also help you listen to the Kentucky D-STAR Reflector 56 Bravo
Net which is held every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. You can
also get the latest information on the Kentucky D-STAR scene via
Facebook. Barry K4MNF created and administers the Kentucky D-STAR
Facebook group. Send a friend request to join the group today. Covering
the Amateur Radio News in the Greater Cincinnati Area and the
Commonwealth of Kentucky for Amateur News Weeklly this is Jack Prindle
AB4WS in Big Bone Kentucky.
PAUL/ANCHOR: For more news in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana, visit amateur
news weekly dot com.
(AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY)
**
BREAK HERE
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club's WB9HXG repeater in Muncie, Indiana
during the weekly net on Sundays at 9:30 p.m.
**
IN SWAZILAND, PROMISE THEM THE MOON
PAUL/ANCHOR: There's big excitement in one African nation where a team
of radio operators has been aiming at the moon. We learn more from Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM MEACHEN: Now this is a big first for Swaziland. A group of amateurs
operating in this southern African nation has conducted its first
successful EME, or Earth-Moon-Earth communications.
In early November, a temporary station set up in a rural area by John
Sygo ZS6JON, Chris Ploeger and Lins Berben PA3CMC operated as Z21EME,
managing contacts with about 500 stations in 50 different countries over
the course of four days. Some of the hams who ended up in their log were
in the U.S. and New Zealand. They bounced their signals off a moon
approximately 350,000 kilomaters, or more than 217 thousand miles, from
earth - a signal that did not return to earth until nearly 3 seconds
later. According to their QRZ page, their operations were on 2m, 6m,
70cm and 23cm.
The hams told the Times of Swaziland this was the first successful EME
operation from that nation. They had promised their contacts the moon -
and the moon delivered.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(THE TIMES OF SWAZILAND, QRZ)
**
YASMA FOUNDATION HONORS HAMS AT GENEVA CEREMONY
PAUL/ANCHOR: A number of hams received high honors from the Yasme
Foundation recently for their service to amateur radio. Stephen Kinford
N8WB tells us who won what.
STEPHEN'S REPORT: The former president of the International Amateur
Radio Club 4U1ITU was honored with the Diamond Award of the
International Amateur Radio Union during a ceremony in Geneva,
Switzerland on November 9th. Attila Matas, HB9IAJ, was selected for the
award based on his years of support for amateur radio and amateur
satellite radio.
The Yasme Foundation has presented a number of its Excellence Awards to
hams for their service. Dale Hughes VK1DSH received the honor in
appreciation for his work at the World Radiocommunication Conference in
November of 2015. Nathaniel Frissell W2NAF and Magda Moses KM4EGE were
honored for creating the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation - or
HAMSCI - the group that sponsored the Solar Eclipse QSO Party. The
Dayton Amateur Radio Association received an award for organizing
Hamvention. Paul Verhage KD4STH and Bill Brown WB8ELK were given an
award for their leadership and continued technical innovation in Amateur
Radio high-altitude ballooning -- and the WSJT Development Team was
honored by Yasme for producing digital weak-signal mode software. The
awards have been given since 2008 by the nonprofit foundation.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB
(WIA, ARRL)
**
CANADIAN RADIO OPERATOR'S A HALL-OF-FAMER
PAUL/ANCHOR: Another high honor went recently to an amateur in the
Canadian province of Alberta. He's now in the hall of fame, as we hear
from Geri Goodrich KF5KRN.
GERI: Roland Peddle VE6RL of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada has been
appointed to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. According to the
Hall of Fame's bio of Roland, what began as a shortwave-listening hobby
as a child led to early licensing in 1952 as VO1D. That call was later
changed to VO1BD. The retired high school science teacher had been
president of the amateur radio club in his native Newfoundland and
editor of its newsletter. He was also emergency coordinator of the
Amateur Radio Emergency Corps, editor of the Society of Newfoundland
Radio Amateurs newsletter and became assistant Atlantic director for the
CRRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada when it was formed in 1993.
Following numerous awards, he was named an honorary life member of the
Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs in 1996.
Roland has book coming out in 2018: "Marconi to the Mobile Age: A
History of Amateur Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador."
His formal induction will take place shortly.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Geri Goodrich KF5KRN.
(SOUTHGATE)
**
RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA TAPS NEW LEADERSHIP
PAUL/ANCHOR: The new year will bring new board members and officers to
the Radio Club of America. All will serve two-year terms beginning the
1st of January. A number of these new leaders are amateur radio
operators. The new officers are Barney Scholl, K3LA, to be vice
president and counsel; Margaret Lyons, Secretary, and Ron Jakubowski,
K2RJ, Treasurer.New Directors are Ernie Blair, WA4BPS; Karen Clark;
Michael Clarson, WV2ZOW; Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW; Ray Novak, N9JA; Carole
Perry, WB2MGP, and Elaine Walsh.
Congratulations to everyone.
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, a group of Argentinian radio operators will be on
the air as HC8LUT from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands
from the 29th of November until the 8th of December. Listen for them on
160 through 10 meters where they will be using mainly SSB and the
digital modes. They will also operate on the low earth orbit satellites
on SSB and FM. Send QSLs via IK2DUW.
Listen for Obaid/A61M operating as 5T1R and Fawaz/A92AA operating as
5T1A from Mauritania through the 20th of December. Hear them on 40-10
meters using SSB and FT8. QSL both callsigns via A92AA. They will be
joined by Ahmad/9K2AI for an IOTA activation to Tidra Island as 5T5TI
between the 1st and 7th of December. For the Tidra Island activation
send QSLs via NI5DX, LoTW or ClubLog.
Olof, G0CKV, will be on the air through the 11th of December from
Rodriguez Island operating as 3B9HA. Olof will be working holiday style
focusing on the low bands and CW. Send QSLs via M0OXO or LoTW.
**
KICKER: BIRTH (AND LAUNCH) OF A NATION
PAUL/ANCHOR: If you've ever wondered what it takes to launch a new
nation, look to the launchpad itself. Here's Skeeter Nash N5ASH with our
final story of the week, about a most unusual new nation.
SKEETER'S REPORT: It's the size of a loaf of bread or perhaps a milk
carton but in actuality, it's much more than than that.
On Nov. 12 the Asgardia-1 nanosatellite seceded not from any nation or
any continent but from Planet Earth itself. The satellite is a nation
unto itself, a "space kingdom" with a population of 115,000 individuals
from 200 nations here on Earth who have been given status as citizens.
That gives them the privilege to upload their personal data onto the
cubesat for safekeeping in space. So far 0.5 TB of data are on board --
family photographs and memorabilia along with the space nation's own
flag, national symbols and constitution.
The emerging nation of Asgardia was lifted through the atmosphere on
Nov. 14 aboard a NASA commercial cargo vehicle to dock with the
International Space Station for a one-month stay. In about three weeks,
it will launch even higher into orbit.
The space nation is the creation of billionaire Russian scientist Igor
Ashurbeyli who modeled it to be what he calls a peaceful society making
use of technology. It bears the name of a city in Norse mythology that
resided in the skies - at a time before uploading of anything was ever
invented.
One of Ashurbeyli's next plans is to convince the UN to recognize
Asgardia as a sovereign nation -- but for now its citizens - still at
home here on Earth - will have to be content with the independence it
won on the launchpad.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Skeeter Nash N5ASH.
(SOUTHGATE, CNN)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;
CQ Magazine; CNN; David Vowell N3NTV; the FCC; Hap Holly and the Rain
Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; Ohio Penn DX Bulletin;
QRZ; Radio Club of America; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's
QSO Radio Show; Times of Swaziland; Wireless Institute of Australia;
WTWW Shortwave; Youngsters on the Air; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
***
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