Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1984 November 6 2015

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1984 with a release date of Friday, 
November 6, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A new White House report urges better 
preparedness for geomagnetic storms. A radio amateur in upstate New York 
works QRP to activate a marshland. The Philippine Amateur Radio 
Association marks its 83rd year. And in separate preparedness exercises, 
hams in Arizona, as well as South Africa, prove they can step in when 
disaster strikes. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report 
1984 coming your way right now.
(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)

**

CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS? SUPERSIZE ME!


[STEPHEN/ANCHOR]: We begin this week's newcast with a far-reaching White 
House report on geomagnetic storms. It seems that hams aren't the only 
ones concerned with damaging effects of coronal mass ejections. Now the 
Obama Administration is formally saying: Be prepared. Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA, tells us more:


[BOBBY:] When massive solar flares -- known as coronal mass ejections -- 
disrupt the ionosphere, it spells loss of the bands for amateur 
operators, who can be certain of disastrous QSOs or, more likely, no 
QSOs at all. But those three letters - C-M-E - actually spell out a more 
wide-ranging loss - a worldwide immobilization that the White House 
recently deemed worth bracing for.

Late last month, the Obama Administration released contingency plans 
that define roles everyone would play - from the largest federal agency 
to the smallest local business - in the event a geomagnetic storm 
strikes with epic magnitude.

The official gameplan was drawn up following officials' extensive study 
of the so-called Carrington Event, a CME that ruptured global 
communications in 1859 by exploding telegraph lines around the world. 
Now, with so many nations electrified and connected by technology and 
various intricate power grids, the impact of a similarly supersized CME 
could have even more impact, knocking out satellites, GPS measurements 
and stranding civilization in a world without an operating infrastructure.

Clearly, this is not solely the stuff of science fiction: The most 
recent instance, on a small scale, occurred Sept. 28. An intense solar 
flare erupted over South America, with the resulting UV radiation 
creating a temporary blackout in low-frequency radio communications.

Exactly one month later -- on Oct. 28 -- the Obama administration 
released its completed plans - the National Space Weather Strategy and 
the National Space Weather Action Plan. And with that release came the 
announcement of a global strategy for agencies, nonprofits and 
individuals everywhere to cooperate and communicate. The release of the 
plans comes a week or so before the Military Auxiliary Radio System's 
simulated blackout exercise with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and 
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service between Saturday, Nov. 7 and 
Tuesday, Nov. 10. Timing, it seems, is everything.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA, in Jasper, Alabama.


(DIGITALJOURNAL.COM, WHITEHOUSE.GOV BLOG, SPACE.COM)

**

ARTS, CRAFTS & QSOS IN ARIZONA

The Hassayampa Amateur Radio Klub - and yes, they spell "club" with a 
"K" - is busy preparing for its HARKFEST, a tailgate hamfest in the 
North Ranch Escapees RV Park in Congress, Arizona, on Nov. 14. For those 
who can't wait for the fun to start at 8 a.m., when the four-hour 
hamfest opens, organizers note that there is camping available with full 
hookup, provided you pre-register. The hamfest will have an arts and 
crafts show and lunch will also be available. And oh yes, there'll be 
plenty of amateur radio gear and banter. Talk in on the club's 2-meter 
repeater or on simplex at 146.580 MHz. For more details, visit the 
club's website at http://harkaz.org


**

IN ARIZONA, QUESTIONS ABOUT QUAKES

A more serious effort got underway throughout Arizona on Wednesday, Nov. 
4, with a statewide Arizona Ham Radio Exercise known as HAMEX. The 
first-ever drill was designed to help radio amateurs understand their 
communication roles when disaster strikes their various communities. But 
the forces of nature may have conspired to drive that point home with an 
even stronger hand, however, after a series of minor earthquakes rumbled 
through the region just north of Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 1 - a 
few days before HAMEX was schedule. The trio of quakes was considered 
rare, of course, but radio amateurs were taking no chances.

Morgan Hoaglin, WW7B, communications coordinator with the Arizona 
Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, and the Division of 
Emergency Management, said the three real earthquakes, however small, 
were certainly a surprise, considering the HAMEX mock disaster being 
staged was also centered around an earthquake. He told Amateur Radio 
Newsline QUOTE"This exercise caused us to make ready many many amateur 
radio modes such as HF, VHF, UHF, WinLink, FLMSG, FNARS and VHF Packet. 
We plan to make sure we keep all of the flexibility we display here for 
the future."ENDQUOTE

He said 65 hams in Arizona and another 10 working HF out of state were 
involved in the exercise and that the diversity of modes, both voice and 
data, proved to be the greatest strength of the exercise.

And yes, more such drills are planned for the year ahead. As for its 
importance of the Nov. 4 HAMEX, Hoaglin expected no one would question 
its value or success: QUOTE:"With the actual Arizona earthquake taking 
place a few days prior, we certainly did not have to justify the 
realities or feasibility of the exercise."ENDQUOTE


**
CAREERS IN HAM RADIO

Sometimes, ham radio is more than just a hobby - in fact, it can be a 
career. Consider these openings now available for qualified radio 
amateurs looking to make the most of their talents, skills, interests 
and professional development.

In Australia, the Wireless Institute of Australia is looking for an 
executive administrator in its Bayswater, Melbourne location. Applicants 
should be experienced in working for a nonprofit, community-service 
membership organization and should have a good understanding of the WIA 
and amateur radio. The deadline to apply for the job is Nov. 30. For 
more details on specific job requirements, visit seek.com or the WIA 
website, http://www.wia.org.au

In the United States, the ARRL is looking for a contest branch manager 
to work out of league headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The ideal 
candidate should have a minimum of five years experience in ham radio 
contesting, and will be responsible for a team of about 20 log 
adjudicators, results authors and data entry assistants, in and out of 
the headquarters building. For more details about the job and 
qualifications, visit the ARRL website and navigate to the Employment 
Opportunities page.

And finally, if you're aiming high, really high, the ARRL is looking for 
a new Chief Executive Officer to succeed David Sumner, K1ZZ. Sumner is 
stepping down as CEO next May, and applications for his successor are 
due no later than Nov. 16. The active radio amateur who is chosen for 
this position will, among other things, oversee the day-to-day 
management of the league and its fiscal operation. Applications, cover 
letters and resumes should be sent to Monique Levesque at ARRL 
headquarters. She can be emailed at mlevesque@arrl.org

(ARRL, WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA)

**

MY FAVORITE MARSH-MAN

[STEPHEN KINFORD/ANCHOR]: The Hamlin Marsh Wildlife Management Area in 
New York's Adirondack region holds many things in its vast acreage of 
wetland: aquatic birds, frogs, deer and various grasses. But it holds 
something even more for one Syracuse area ham: endless radio 
possibilities. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has the 
details:


[DON]: Since earlier this year, Steven Mussi, KD2ETP, has believed he 
could enter the upstate New York wetland known as Clay Marsh and find 
solid footing for a QRP adventure. So Sunday, Nov. 8, will find Mussi 
canoeing out across the swampy landscape, climbing ashore on some 
hospitable patch of land, and setting up his Elekraft KX3 and his two 
antennas. His one-man special event is called Marshes On The Air. And 
his goal is to work the bands, starting on 40 meters, logging as many 
contacts QRP as possible until sundown. He told Amateur Radio Newsline, 
in a recent phone call, that he has another goal too, one he's had since 
getting his license three years ago: He said QUOTE"I want to do some 
things that haven't been done, to go to places that are kind of 
inhospitable."ENDQUOTE

Mussi is no stranger to the wildlife management area near his New York 
home. He grew up near Onandaga Lake and has been part of an effort to 
restore its cleanliness. He's also no stranger to off-the-beaten-paths 
of radio transmitting: Last February, when it was 15 degrees below with 
wind chill, he was heating up the airwaves from an ice shanty on that 
very same lake, transmitting in an expedition he called FLOTA, for 
Frozen Lakes On The Air.

For Mussi, these outings - like ham radio itself - are about opening up 
the fun and the possibilities -- options as vast and promising as the 
airwaves themselves. He says: QUOTE "Everyone climbs a mountain in some 
park and that's great, I have done some SOTA work, but I think there are 
other areas that might be interesting. Going off the beaten path just 
requires a little more effort."CLOSE QUOTE  Effort, yes, and a lot more 
imagination. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in 
Picayune, Mississippi.

BREAK HERE:
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the 
KD2SL repeaters and KC2VER 145.31 Fusion Digital Repeater in Syracuse, 
New York, on Monday Nights at 8.

(5 second pause)

**

SOUTH AFRICA DRILLS FOR DISASTER


[STEPHEN/ANCHOR]: When a few dozen hams in South Africa were cut off 
from civilization late last month, they had a few things going for them: 
they had their radios and their antennas, propagation was terrific and, 
it was, after all, an exercise to prepare for the real thing. Jeremy 
Boot, G4NJH, has the details:

[JEREMY]: The Hamnet Summer Communications Exercise held in late October 
in South Africa was such a total disaster - just as everyone had hoped - 
that it proved to be a total success. Disaster was the whole idea, in 
fact, since the 60 or so participating hams, working in teams, had 
committed to operating their field stations in remote locations while 
living off the grid, as if some cataclysm had struck. All activities, 
including cooking, lighting and of course, radio communications were 
done under simulated emergency conditions. But the 16 stations across 
South Africa, and in Namibia, benefitted from fortunate propagation 
conditions and the experiment went forward on Oct. 24 and 25 as planned. 
To communicate, stations contacted one another via random two-word 
messages transmitted over channels instead of specified frequencies, 
comparing the results later.
Grant Southey, Z-S-ONE-G-S (ZS1GS), the exercise's principal organizer, 
said the teams would be submitting reports about their experiences - 
what worked for them and what didn't - and all participants can expect 
to receive a questionnaire to help fine-tune procedures in time for the 
next event. After all, next summer is only a year away. For Amateur 
Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, in the UK.

(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE, SOUTHGATE)

**

83 YEARS OF HAM RADIO
The Philippine Amateur Radio Association is marking its 83rd anniversary 
with a celebration on Nov. 29 at the Marikina Polytechnic College. 
Fox-hunting, license exams, lectures, demonstrations and even the 
group's first-ever Ham Radio Go-Kit contest will round out the all-day 
celebration for the national nonprofit group. The keynote speaker will 
be JoJo Vicencio, DU1VHY, National Traffic System Chairman and PARA's 
Secretary General.
One of the day's highlights will be the introduction of the Go-Kit 
Contest, highlighting the need for emergency preparedness in the 
Philippines, for typhoons and other disasters. Pre-registration for this 
contest is required and forms can be downloaded from the website, 
www.para.org.ph

**

NATIONAL PARKS COME ALIVE

The ARRL National Parks On The Air event is less than two months away, 
marking the park service's centennial. But in the Australian state of 
Victoria, national parks are getting ready to be activated Friday, Nov. 
13 through Monday, Nov. 16 by hams pursuing the Keith Roget Memorial 
National Parks Award.

The Roget Award, created in 1970, was created to spur amateurs to engage 
in portable operations throughout Victoria's 45 national parks - from 
French Island National Park to Wyperfeld National Park. It is made 
available through Amateur Radio Victoria and is named for the late Keith 
Roget, VK3YQ, a noted portable operator.

(www.amateurradio.com.au)

**

AUSTRALIAN HAMS ARE PUT ON NOTICE

Meanwhile, also in Australia, there's also a bit of license bookkeeping 
to be done. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has been 
sending revalidation letters to that country's amateurs 90 days before 
their licenses are due to expire. The process allows licensees to check 
their details, or modify them, or even surrender the license, if they 
wish. The letters or emails to the hams will include the ACMA license 
number but will not contain any individual callsigns.

Hams are advised that, if all the information in the mailing is correct, 
and the license is not being surrendered, there is no need to take 
action except to pay for renewals of any licenses, where appropriate.

Hams are advised to check with the ACMA to ensure their postal address 
or email address is current. Otherwise, the ACMA warns, a license could 
be cancelled and an amateur's callsign could be re-assigned to another ham.

The ACMA can be emailed at info@acma.gov.au

**

FROM POLAND TO NORTH KOREA

Polish radio amateur Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, who received permission to 
operate in early 2016 from the Democratic People's Republic of North 
Korea is busy preparing for his trip to what is the most elusive and 
most wanted DXCC entity. His plans are to travel to the capital, 
Pyongyang, in December and firm up his operation's guidelines with 
officials there. He will be bringing his rig and a vertical antenna to 
show them. He has been approved to operate with the callsign P5/3Z9DX on 
three bands, using 100 watts. His goal is to concentrate on 20 meter 
operation, working SSB, over the course of five days, but he may also 
work 15 and 10 meters. Such an operation would be a major achievement 
for any ham. The last DXCC-approved operation from North Korea was in 
2001 and 2002. Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, of the Republic of Georgia worked 
SSB and RTTY as P5/4L4FN. Giorgadze had been in the country at the time, 
working for the UN's World Food Program in Pyongyang.

(ARRL, DXNEWS)

**

THE WORLD OF DX
Henning, O-Z-ONE-B-I-I (OZ1BII), will be active as 9H3EE from Malta 
between Nov. 24 and 30th. He will work 160 through 10 meters with an 
emphasis on 30/17/12 meters using CW only. He will also participate in 
the CQ WorldWide DX CW Contest on Nov. 28 and 29th, working a 
Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via OZ1BII or ClubLog.

Toshi, JA8BMK, is active as 4W/JA8BMK from Timor Leste until Nov. 9, 
working 80 and 40 meters, using mainly CW. QSL via JA8BMK direct only.

Marking the National Rifle Association's 144th birthday, members of the 
Yavapai Amateur Radio Club of Prescott, Arizona, will operate a special 
event station November 17th. The operators will be at Gunsite Academy's 
2,000-acre campus in Paulden, Arizona, using the callsign K7NRA. They 
will work several HF frequencies and offer a certificate for successful 
contacts. Send a QSL with a 9 x 12 stamped, self-addressed envelope to 
YARC, P.O. Box 1199, Prescott, Arizona 86304.

Yuriy, N2TTA, will once again be active as NP2P during the CQWW DX CW 
Contest on Nov. 28 and 29th as a Single-Op/All-Band/ Low-Power entry. 
QSL via LoTW. During the same contest, Alfredo (Al), WP3C, will be 
active as NP4A from Puerto Rico as a Single-Op/Single-Band (40m)/ 
High-Power entry. QSL via W3HNK.

(OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER)

**

KICKER: THE ULTIMATE CHAT
Since late October, students in the ham radio club at Bloomington High 
School South in Bloomington, Indiana have been able to do a bit of DXing 
a little differently. There's no QRN  -- and there are QSL cards either. 
The youngsters and their club have been starring in a 7-minute video 
about their ham radio club, K9SOU. The video is a segment of a program 
produced each week by the school's Mass Media Class and even though 
Indiana is not on the DXCC list, anyone, near or far, can see the club 
in action on YouTube.

In the video, the teens, including club president Ryan Cutshall, KD9DAB, 
talk about their involvement in the hobby. And the video shows the young 
hams working October's ARRL School Club Roundup. It was during that same 
busy month that the students also participated in the CQ WorldWide SSB 
DX contest.

The club's sponsor, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, told Amateur Radio Newsline that 
the DX contest was a first for the club, which Rapp reawakened from its 
dormancy in 2002 when he moved to Bloomington to teach AP Chemistry at 
the school. He said the school is an ARRL Education & Technology Program 
school, and that's how the club got its first station. Rapp adds: 
QUOTE"The kids fundraised a 2 element SteppIR antenna a couple of years 
ago, and our contesting efforts really blossomed."ENDQUOTE

The students have blossomed too. Last year's winner of the Young Ham of 
the Year Award was Padraig Lysandrou, KC9UUS, who also received the ARRL 
Goldfarb Scholarship, the Hiram Percy Maxim award, and spoke at the 
Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum. And that's just for starters. Being a ham 
runs in the family too. For the past two years, his younger sister, 
Maria, KD9BUS, has been vice president of the Bloomington South club.

There are not quite 30 members in the club, Rapp says. But interest 
continues to grow.

As does listenership and now, viewership. It seems that since the video 
posted online, the club can do a bit of DXing on its own anytime it 
wants, via YouTube. To see the video, visit our Amateur Radio Newsline 
website and look for the link below this story. Best of all, you won't 
have to worry about any pileups.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lczx3-E2Gjo

NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT; Amateurradio.com Australia; the ARRL, 
CQ Magazine, DXWorld, Hap Holly and the Rain Report; NASA, the Ohio-Penn 
DX Newsletter; Ron Panetta, WB2WGH; Philippine Amateur Radio 
Association; South African Radio League; Southgate Amateur Radio News, 
Tony Hart, KC2VER; TWiT TV, QRZNOW, UPSTATEHAM.COM, and you our 
listeners.  Our email address for news tips and comments is 
arnewslinetips@gmail.com. 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, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WBX, in Wadsworth, Ohio, with Caryn Eve 
Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our
news team worldwide saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.


***

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