Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1982 for Friday, Oct. 23, 2015

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1982 with a release date of Friday, 
Oct. 23 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond to typhoon disaster victims' needs 
in the Philippines. A new documentary showcases the life and times of 
radio wizard Arthur Collins. Ofcom proposes revoking hundreds of 
unvalidated amateur licenses. And the International Amateur Radio Union 
declares young hams a top priority. All this and more in Amateur Radio 
Newsline report 1982 coming your way right now.

[Billboard Cart Here and Intro]

**

HAMS MOBILIZE IN STORM-STRUCK PHILIPPINES

Typhoon Koppu slammed the northern Philippines the weekend of Oct. 18 
and by the time it was downgraded to a tropical storm last Monday, it 
had already left its deadly imprint. Torrential downpours and landslides 
led to dozens of deaths and tens of thousands of evacuations. But 
disaster response from radio amateurs was just as rapid, and the 
National Telecommunications Commission worked with the Philippine 
Amateur Radio Association to meet the challenge. Hams mobilized to keep 
tabs on all affected areas and relay information as needed. The 
Philippine amateurs' Ham Emergency Radio Operator network focused 
special attention on the eastern side of Luzon, the main island battered 
by the Category 4 storm. Koppu is being called the second most powerful 
storm to hit the island nation this year.

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, ARRL, and BBC NEWS)

**
IARU: KEEPING AMATEUR RADIO YOUNG AND GROWING

By the time the International Amateur Radio Union's Region 3 conference 
wrapped up on Oct. 16, directors had clearly agreed that the single most 
effective way of keeping amateur radio vibrant is by engaging the next 
generation. Directors throughout the region noted that programs such as 
Youngsters On the Air, in Region 1, and ARRL Kids Day, in Region 2, are 
already successfully energizing young licensees. In a report presented 
to the conference, Region 3 directors also had praise for Australia's 
recent introduction of its Foundation License, an entry-level ticket, 
that has begun opening the airwaves to youth on the air in that nation.

In her report to the Region 3 Conference, Region's 1 Youth Working Group 
Chairwoman Lisa Leenders, PA2LS, said the first Youngsters On the Air 
summer program has already inspired more radio activity for young people 
on the national and local level. Leenders recommended that organizers 
consider a second YOTA summer event.

Of course, Region 3's directors also recognized other ways to keep 
amateur radio on the upswing, such as reaching out to attendees at 
Do-It-Yourself Maker Fairs, and encouraging radio amateurs whose tickets 
have lapsed to consider becoming relicensed.

But in the end, directors looked to youth as radio's brightest, most 
shining future, sharing that conclusion in a report that reads, in part, 
QUOTE"An underlying theme for all of us is where will the next 
generation of radio amateurs come from, so that what we enjoy today can 
continue to provide benefits to the community."ENDQUOTE

(ARRL)

**
CELEBRATING ARTHUR COLLINS
[ANCHOR]: Amateur radio's storied past, however, would not be complete 
without an acknowledgement of Oklahoma native Arthur Collins, 
W-ZERO-C-X-X (W0CXX). The founder of Collins Radio Company was known as 
an amateur radio wizard. He was the creator of innovative equipment and 
radios that would eventually make history, including the radio that 
landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and carried the astronaut's voice 
back to Earth. Collins' legacy is being celebrated in a just-released 
documentary. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins, K-E-5-C-X-P, 
(KE5CXP), talked to one of the film's creators:
[MIKE'S REPORT]

**

DEADLINE FOR ARISS CONTACTS IS NOV. 1

ARISS - the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program - 
has a message for schools everywhere: Your homework is due in two weeks.

November 1 is the deadline by which formal and informal proposals can be 
submitted by educational organizations, schools and related groups who 
are looking to host an amateur radio contact with a member of the Space 
Station crew in 2016. Because crew schedules and, of course, orbits 
determine the exact dates, ARISS can only say that the QSOs would be 
scheduled sometime between July 1 and December 31 of next year.

Applicants need to show how they will integrate the Space Station 
contact into a larger, more comprehensive education plan and, at the 
same time, draw participation of a large number of students and other 
people.

For more information, visit www.arrl.org or the ARISS website.


(ARRL, ARISS)

**

UK HAM LICENSES, GOING, GOING, GONE

[ANCHOR:] Speaking of deadlines, if you're a licensed radio amateur in 
the UK - and want to stay that way - check the date you were supposed to 
revalidate your license. You may be in for a surprise. Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has the story:

[JEREMY]: In the UK, procrastination may have cost you your amateur 
radio license. Ofcom is preparing to revoke 10,000 unvalidated licenses, 
the first in a series of such cancellations the agency has planned. The 
first licenses to be acted on are those that missed their due date for 
revalidation between September 2012 and January 2013. Ofcom will be 
contacting license-holders using the last known postal address on record 
with the office to make them aware of the pending action. According to 
its website, the office is required to tell the radio amateur why the 
license is being revoked and give the license-holder time to respond 
before Ofcom makes its final decision.
There is a Nov. 17 deadline for amateurs to comment on these proposed 
cancellations. Amateurs wishing to retain a valid license are being 
urged by the agency to contact their office in London as soon as 
possible. Details can be found at the website http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/
Although a lifetime license was introduced in December 2006, all 
licenses issued prior to that time required renewals. Ofcom reports that 
almost half of all amateur radio licenses - 47% to be exact -- were left 
unvalidated at the end of 2013.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH reporting from 
Nottingham in the UK.
***
BREAK HERE:
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Mid 
State Amateur Radio Club repeater station, WA9RDF, in Johnson County, 
Indiana, which broadcasts our report on Sundays at 7 pm.

** **

HAMS ARE BIG WHEELS AT BICYCLE FEST

[ANCHOR]: Hams who ordinarily might be more preoccupied with the solar 
cycle - or even cycles per second - kept their eyes fixed earlier this 
month on more terrestrial cycles - in this case, more than 1,000 
two-wheelers - during the 41st annual Mount Dora Bicycle Festival in 
Florida's Lake Country. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, 
tells us more about this 3-day benefit event:


[HEATHER]:

Following the riders is a 25-year tradition for the Florida hams who 
provide critical communication to keep cyclists safe during the Mount 
Dora Bicycle Festival. Cyclists follow 12 separate routes of varying 
lengths, but all have the same purpose - to raise money for the local 
food pantry. While the cyclists followed their routes this year, once 
again the Lake Amateur Radio Association and Lake County, Florida ARES 
followed the cyclists.
With 1,325 cyclists from around the country riding this year, the hams 
were kept busy. The longest route was 100 miles and the shortest just 
12. Many featured Lake County's trademark challenging hills. Even early 
morning fog and Florida humidity did not get in the way of the riders. 
Nor did anything get in the way of the hams who kept close watch at rest 
stops and in radio-equipped motor vehicles. The vehicles transported 
cyclists whose bicycles had broken down and, in one case, a rider who 
suffered a broken collarbone.
Plans are already in the works for the 2016 Mount Dora Bicycle Festival, 
which will run from Oct. 7 through Oct. 9. Yes, the hams will be ready too.
I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD, in Berwick, Pennsylvania.

(ARRL)

**

UN CELEBRATING 70

It's not exactly a QSO Party, but it IS a celebration of international 
proportions: the Union Nations amateur radio club station, 4U1UN, will 
mark the UN's 70th anniversary by operating on the weekend of Oct. 24 
and 25 with the call sign 4U70UN. The club's station will set up in a 
garden area on the ground level of the UN's Manhattan headquarters and 
operate during daylight hours only. Operators plan to be on as many 
bands, in as many modes, as possible. Satellite operation will also be 
included. DXers, take note: 4U1UN is considered a separate DXCC entity. 
Visit www.qrz.com for QSL card details. Please do not send QSL cards to 
the UN.

(ARRL, AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, QRZ.COM)

**

PLUGGING THE HOLES IN CALIFORNIA'S SAFETY NET

Hams in the Laguna Woods, California area now have a wireless network to 
use for data transmissions in extreme emergencies. Three new antennas 
just went up in the region, creating the Amateur Radio Emergency Data 
Network, also known as "hamnet."

Dave Southworth, KS6RFI, secretary of the Laguna Woods club, describes 
it as QUOTE"very similar to the Internet in that you can send email and 
everything else. But you can't go out and send it to mom and pop out in 
Wisconsin." It's a mesh network, with each antenna performing the same 
role a router might perform for the Internet. And it provides speeds for 
data transmission that outpaces even the voice of a radio operator. Yes, 
it's THAT fast - and it should be. It's the area's safety net for 
communications.

Southworth adds, QUOTE"it's an alternate communication path. If there 
was a big earthquake where the earth shifted and cut Internet cables, 
then we'd use our radios and hamnet capabilities to communicate between 
other hamnet meshes." It could even transmit pictures of areas needing 
emergency services, giving first-responders an idea of what's needed.

And it's one of many such projects throughout California's Orange 
County. With this hamnet, the region's safety net has just widened a 
little bit more.

(THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER)

**
A 'FIRST' FOR NEPAL
Ham radio is involved in yet another safety project -- this one in 
Nepal, which has just received its first 2 meter repeater with a newly 
installed IRLP node. The repeater and node were created by the Bay-Net 
amateur radio club in California working with Tribhuvan University in 
Kathmandu. They are expected to be particularly useful following the 
recent earthquake that struck Nepal. The earthquake last April killed 
more than 9,000, and injured more than 23,000, by some estimates. The 
Bay-Net Club, WW6BAY, is a club most active in establishing repeater 
systems for use by the Red Cross and other public service organizations. 
The club credited Kent Johnson, W7AOR, and Keith Goobie, VA3YC, for 
their special assistance.
(www.bay-net.org)
**

INDIA: ELECTION HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

In the Indian state of Kerala (KERR'-a-lah), this year's election is 
going to look a lot like the one in 2010. But it's because of the hams 
involved, not the candidates. In a remote, heavily forested area known 
as Edamalakkudy (edda-mala-KUDDY), administrators have brought in radio 
operators to create a communications network of VHF radios that will 
connect the local polling places with the district election office, 
miles away. Election officials say this is the only method that works - 
not even mobile phone connections can be made in the region.

Thirty hams from around Kerala will monitor the polling process, hitting 
the repeaters that will then transmit the results to the district. The 
region has voting population of 1,407, of which 925 are women.

(THE HINDU Newspaper)

**
THE WORLD OF DX

Tack, J-E-ONE-C-K-A (JE1CKA), will be active as 4W/JE1CKA from Timor 
Leste through Oct. 28, working 160-10 meters using mainly CW. He may be 
on SSB during the CQ WorldWide DX SBB contest, however, on Oct. 24 and 
25. QSL via his home call sign.

Masa, J-A-ZERO-R-Q-V (JA0RQV) is operating from Neiaf, Vava'u Island 
from Tonga as A35JP/P through Nov. 2. He is working on 40 through 6 
meters using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign, by the Bureau, 
direct, Logbook of the World or ClubLog.

Find John/ZS5J and YL Beth/2W0VOW in Mozambique on a DXpedition through 
Nov. 3. Their call sign is C91B. Beth is operating primarily SSB and 
John is operating CW. Activity is on all HF bands from 160 through 6 
meters. Visit QRZ.com for more details.

And finally a special event: To commemorate Guglielmo Marconi's 120th 
anniversary of his first wireless message, members of the ARI Lecce 
continue operating under the special callsign IY7LE until Dec. 31. They 
will also use IY7LE/P from different locations for the different Italian 
diplomas. Details on awards and diplomas can be found on www.arilecce.it 
under "Contest and Diplomas." QSL via the Bureau, direct or LoTW.

(OHIO PENN DX NEWS)

**

KICKER: SCOUTING FOR ANSWERS

In the state of Michigan, the football rivalry between the Michigan 
State Spartans and the University of Michigan Wolverines is legendary. 
So when the teams both took the field on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Michigan 
Stadium in Ann Arbor, not too many people gave thought to the fact that 
there was a third rival in this Big Game, waiting on the sidelines: The 
Boy Scouts were having their 2015 Jamboree on the Air, and hams at the 
local club station, WA2HOM, at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, awaiting 
the arrival of the Scouts. And waiting. And yes, waiting.
Writer Dan Romanchik, KB6NU, a club member and ham radio blogger, 
recalls, one day later, in his blog: QUOTE"Yesterday, I prepared to 
entertain some Boy Scouts for the 2015 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) at 
WA2HOM, our club station at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. The museum 
folks had notified the local Scout groups, and they thought they were 
going to get a big turnout. Instead, no one showed up. I was there from 
10:00 am until 1:30 pm, and not a single Scout showed up."ENDQUOTE
At the stadium, however, the teams showed up for the afternoon game. So 
did the fans. And everyone played hard.
Romanchik, being a realist, knew that even decent band conditions - for 
a change - were no match for optimum football conditions and a rivalry 
that dates to the 19th century. The largest event in Scouting didn't 
stand a chance against the largest event in Michigan college football.
Talk about dealing with serious radio interference.
The final score, by the way, was Michigan State, 27; U of Michigan, 23. 
And sadly, Scouts, Zero.
(KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog, Oct. 18 2015, DETROIT FREE PRESS)
**

NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, the ARRL, AMSAT News Service; CQ Magazine; 
Detroit Free Press, DX Coffee; the FCC; The KB6NU Ham Radio Blog; Jim 
Linton, VK3PC; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the Hindu newspaper; Irish 
Radio Transmitters Society; the Orange County Register; the Ohio-Penn DX 
Newsletter; QRZ.COM; Southgate Amateur Radio News, TWiT TV; the Wireless 
Institute of Australia; and you our listeners, that's all from the 
Amateur Radio Newsline. Our email address is newsline@arnewsline.org. 
More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official 
website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or 
support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita, 
CA 91350.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, 
and our news team worldwide, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in New Orleans, 
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.


***

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