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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2359 for Friday January 13th,
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2359 for Friday January 13th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2359 with a release date of Friday
January 13th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. An Indonesian ham satellite scores a first for the
nation. The FCC studies spectrum space for drones -- and hams in Australia
prepare to pay higher fees. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2359 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
INDONESIAN SATELLITE IS NATION'S FIRST BY STUDENTS
DON/ANCHOR: An achievement by Indonesian students is being celebrated as a
"first" for that nation. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has those details.
JASON: Congratulations to the students of Surya University in Indonesia
following the deployment of their first satellite from the International
Space Station. Known as SS-1, for Surya Satellite 1, the CubeSat was sent
into space on its own successfully on Friday, January 6th. SS-1 is also
Indonesia's first student-built satellite. The university undergraduates
undertook the project with the support of the United Nations Office for
Outer Space Affairs, which recognised it in a design competition in 2018.
That achievement awarded it the chance to be deployed from the ISS.
The CubeSat's mission is to test communication between an Automatic Package
Reporting System payload and the ground using the amateur radio frequency
145.825 MHz. The university students were inspired to undertake the project
after seeing a presentation on amateur radio by the Indonesian Radio
Amateurs Organization, known as ORARI.
This is Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.
(AMSAT News Service)
**
FCC EYES 5GHz BAND FOR AERIAL VEHICLES
DON/ANCHOR: In the US, the FCC is taking yet another look at spectrum
allocation, this time in the 5GHz band. Kent Peterson KCØDGY tells us what
they have in mind.
KENT: A portion of the 5GHz spectrum could become available to unmanned
aerial vehicles, such as drones, under a proposal being considered by the US
Federal Communications Commission.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel issued a statement saying that an
assessment of spectrum resources dedicated to remote-piloted aircraft was
long overdue. The FCC is studying the range between 5.03GHz and 5.091GHz -
frequencies that are below the range typically used in the US and other
countries for other low-power, unlicensed wireless devices
using frequencies that start at 5.15GHz. In the US, the FCC limits the
maximum channel width used by unlicensed devices to prevent interference
with users on the licensed portion of the spectrum. The frequencies being
looked at by the FCC are not within the amateur band between 5.65 and 5.85
GHz.
The agency is seeking input on the proposal, which takes on added importance
as the commercial use of drones continues to surge in the United States. The
chairwoman said that the FCC also acknowledges that unmanned aircraft are
also vital to first responders and in disaster-recovery and wildfire
situations. She said the proposal was developed with input from the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Aviation
Administration.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(THE REGISTER, FCC)
**
LEND YOUR VOICE TO THE AM RALLY
DON/ANCHOR: It's time to get on the air and celebrate the first voice mode
used by amateur radio. Here's Andy Morrison K9AWM to tell us how.
ANDY: Anyone who uses Amplitude Modulation on the bands knows the warm sound
it brings to casual conversation and the historical importance of keeping
alive the first amateur voice mode. The AM Rally, an annual celebration of
this mode, is returning to HF and 6 meters from February 3rd through to the
6th. It's not necessary to have a boat anchor for full carrier amplitude
modulation. Modern radios, including software-defined rigs, as well as
military radios, modified broadcast radios and home brew models are capable
of helping operators take part in this event.
Information about logging your contacts and noting your rig and your output
power class, can be found on the website amrally dot com (amrally.com).
There are suggestions on how to prepare as well as a guide to where and when
you can find the most active AM action going on, from 6 to 160 meters. AM
cannot be used on 60 meters in the United States, however.
As organizer Clark, N1BCG, says: [quote] "It's a great opportunity for
newcomers to try the first phone mode and for experienced ops to be AM
Ambassadors." [endquote]
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
**
AUSTRALIAN AMATEURS FACING HIGHER FEES
DON/ANCHOR: A fee increase is about to have an impact on amateur radio
operators Down Under. Graham Kemp VK4BB explains what's happening.
GRAHAM: Hams in Australia will begin paying higher fees for amateur radio
services from the Australian Maritime College starting on Monday, February
6th. The Australian Communications and Media Authority approved a fee
increase of 5 percent to cover callsign services and amateur qualification
procedures. The fees have been implemented in keeping with the government's
Cost Recovery Guidelines, which permit authorities to charge nongovernment
entities for part or all of the costs involved in certain government
activities, such as regulation or services. The Australian Maritime College
manages amateur radio exam services for the ACMA at the proficiency levels
of Foundation, Standard and Advanced licence classes.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(WIA)
**
TECH CLASS OPERATORS WELCOME IN WINTERHEAT EVENT
DON/ANCHOR: An event known as Winterheat started on January 1st and is going
on all month here in the US. If you have a Technician class license, you're
especially welcome to join in, as we hear from Jack Parker W8ISH.
JACK: The very word itself - Winterheat - would suggest a name that
contradicts itself. Instead Winterheat has grown to stand for an event that
presents increasing opportunities for all amateur radio operators in the
United States, most especially those with a Technician class license.
Now in its fourth year, the month-long Winterheat challenges amateurs to
become active in the FM simplex band segments on VHF and UHF. The activity
also attracts operators on simplex DMR, D-STAR and Fusion. One of the
organizers, John Fulton, K9AI, told Newsline that Winterheat started
modestly in Illinois in 2019 but has since spread to other midwestern states
and outward toward both coasts. John said that last year's event drew
amateurs' participation in 38 states for a total of 134,000 contacts.
Winterheat makes its web-based logging and reporting system available to
registered operators and those operators can also view real time statistics
and propagation.
Licensed hams who are interested in being a part of Winterheat can register
to participate by signing up at www.hamactive.com.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.
(JOHN FULTON, K9AI)
**
SILENT KEY: CONTEST HALL OF FAMER FRED LAUN, K3ZO
DON/ANCHOR: A well-known contester and leader in the amateur radio community
has become a Silent Key. We hear more about him from Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.
KEVIN: Known worldwide for personal contributions to groups advancing
amateur radio, Fred Laun, K3ZO, was also an accomplished contester who was
inducted into the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 1993. Fred, a resident of
Temple Hills, Maryland, became a Silent Key on January 3rd, after falling
ill in mid-December. According to various reports, at the time of his death
he had been diagnosed with an infection and COVID.
A member of the ARRL's Maxim Society and a Life Member of the league, Fred
had been a director of the Yasme Foundation, which helps fund projects
advancing amateur radio. His lifelong commitment to ham radio began in 1952,
when he got his first license and was assigned WN9SZR as his call. A retired
foreign service officer, Fred was a member of the First Class CW Operators'
Club and the A1 Operator Club. He was also president of the National Capitol
DX Association and the Potomac Valley Radio Club.
RAST, the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand, penned a tribute on its website
to Fred, who also held the callsign HSØZAR. Fred had been a longtime advisor
to RAST. He became one of the young organization's earliest supporters after
its creation in the late 1960s when his work as a United States Foreign
Service Officer assigned him to a post in Thailand.
Tributes poured in on other websites too. Writing on the Reflector of the
Potomac Valley Radio Club, Ken K4ZW, said: "There was just something about
tuning the bands during a contest and hearing K3ZO. You knew everything was
right with the ham radio world." [endquote]
Fred was 85.
(K8CX HAM GALLERY, ARRL)
**
SILENT KEY: CUBAN JOURNALIST, BROADCASTER ARNIE ANTIC, CO2KK
DON/ANCHOR: A noted Cuban journalist and amateur radio operator has also
become a Silent Key. Arnaldo Coro Antich, CO2KK, died on January 8th.
According to the Shortwave Listening Post, his death was the result of
complications of various chronic illnesses. Hams around the world also knew
him as Arnie Coro.
Arnie was active in amateur radio since the age of 12 when he joined an
organization that was then known as the Radio Club de Cuba. He pursued a
career in journalism and carved out a strong reputation in both radio and in
print media. Even at his current age of 80, he remained an active part of
the team at Radio Habana Cuba with an English-language program known as
DXers Unlimited, which had a worldwide amateur radio listenership. In
addition to teaching journalism at two institutes in Cuba, he was active in
the Cuban Radio Amateurs Federation, which was formed in 1966.
Committed to emergency response work, he was the emergency coordinator for
Area C of Region 2 of the International Amateur Radio Union. Arnie was 80.
(SHORTWAVE LISTENING POST)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the AH6LE
repeater in Beavercreek and Wilsonville Oregon on Sundays at 6 p.m. local
time.
**
ARDC HOLDING COMMUNITY MEETING ON JAN. 21
DON: Amateur Radio Digital Communications invites everyone to its next
community meeting, which is being held on the Zoom platform on Saturday,
January 21st. Attendees will meet the new advisory committee members, learn
about grants given in 2022 and hear about the recently concluded 44Net
Assessment. To attend, you must register. See the link in the text version
of this week's Newsline script for the registration link.
[DO NOT READ: www.ampr.org/community-meeting-registration/ ]
(ARDC)
**
INTERNATIONAL ATTENDANCE AT HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY
DON/ANCHOR: The popular annual event known as Ham Radio University returned
this year as an online event and attracted international attendance. Paul
Braun WD9GCO has the wrap-up on that.
PAUL: Saturday, January 7th, was a back-to-school day for more than 1,000
radio amateurs who signed up for a seat in the virtual classrooms of Ham
Radio University. The day of education and fellowship marked the third time
this event has been held online since the first one was held on Long Island,
New York 23 years ago. The fact that it was held in a virtual space meant it
could open its doors to visitors beyond the New York metropolitan area and
welcome amateurs from Bulgaria, Germany, Lebanon, Greece, Thailand and Korea
as well as many other nations.
Organizers said that in all, 1,662 hams registered and of those, 1,082
attended the free event, taking advantage of the various forums, which
included Software Defined Radios, Parks on the Air, grounding in the ham
shack and the role of Raspberry Pi Computers in amateur radio.
Did you miss a forum or perhaps you weren't available to attend at all? This
year's presentations were recorded and will soon be available for viewing on
Ham Radio University's YouTube Channel. Meanwhile, the hard work has already
begun on next year's event, which organizers hope will be available as a
combination of virtual and in-person classes.
This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.
(DIANE ORTIZ, K2DO, TOM CARRUBBA KA2D)
**
POTA REPORTS A ROBUST YEAR FOR 2022 ACTIVATORS
DON/ANCHOR: Parks on the Air administrators have spent the past few days
tallying up activator totals for 2022. Matt Heere, N3NWV, is here to share
the final numbers.
MATT: Howdy POTA Folks I'm Matt, N3NWV and this is the December 2022 monthly
POTA update which is our 2022 year-end wrap-up so instead of December
statistics let's talk about how 2022 stacked up against 2021. In terms of
total activations there were 141,477. That's 195 percent increase over the
previous year. Seven thousand one hundred eighty-seven activators
participated in these activations, which is 171 percent increase over 2021.
In total, 14818 parks were activated, a 134 percent increase over 2021.
These parks are spread out across 72 DXCC entities, a 147 percent increase
over 2021.
And drum roll please; we logged over 6.26 million QSOs in 2022. That's a
220 percent increase, more than double what we logged in 2021.
And as you might expect with the maturity of the POTA program a lot of the
growth is happening outside of the United States. In IARU Region 1 we had
5,940 activations. That's a 418 percent increase over 2021. Fantastic
numbers for Region 2 outside of the Continental US as well. Eleven thousand
six hundred thirty activations represents a 267 percent increase over 2021.
Last, but by no means least, Region 3's 8,780 QSOs represents a 283 percent
increase over 2021.
(POTA)
**
KING'S CORONATION INSPIRES OPERATOR AWARD IN BRITAIN
DON/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators in the UK have become very involved in
planning for the coronation of the next king. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us
about one award group that has launched an event that continues right
through to the end of the year.
JEREMY: The Coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey in May has
inspired the Worked All Britain awards group to create a year-long event
honoring the new monarch of the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth realms.
The King Charles III Coronation Award is open to any amateur radio operator
who is able to log contacts within the various geographical squares inside
the UK throughout 2023. Hams may operate on all licenced frequencies and
modes, to qualify. According to the group's website, the initial
certificate will be awarded for 10 points. There are endorsements for each
10 after that. Finally, each multiple of 100 points earns the operator a new
certificate and a trophy.
Details about the scoring methods are available on the website at the
address that appears in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
[DO NOT READ: http://wab.intermip.net/Coronation%20Award.php ]
(WORKED ALL BRITAIN)
**
ACTIVATORS PLAN SUMMIT CAMPING TRIPS
DON/ANCHOR: In some parts of North America, where winter has taken hold,
many people are making plans to go into the mountains for a weekend of
hiking or skiing. Then there are the hams who activate summits and look at
those same mountains as places they'll activate this spring and summer. Sel
Embee KB3TZD tells us what they've got planned.
SEL: We may only be in January, but two clubs in the northeastern United
States are already deep in the planning stages of campouts that combine
eyeball QSOs with summit activations. The Northeast SOTA Club has scheduled
its first campout for this spring. Hams will be meeting up in Woodstock, New
York, which is nestled in the Catskill Mountain region. The campout will
take place between May 19th and May 22nd; amateurs will be able to use one
of the 45 campsites available at the Woodland Valley Campground. There is
also an option to bring an RV. The club is advising early reservations for
those planning to attend. Contact AJ at the email address found in the text
version of this week's newscast.
Meanwhile, east of the Catskills, campers are looking forward to returning
to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the sixth annual W1 SOTA
campout. These SOTA enthusiasts will be gathering from June 1st to June 5th.
One of the organizers, Bob, A-C-one-Zed, writes on the SOTA Reflector:
[quote] "Join in for the entire four-night campout or for as many nights as
you can or just stop by for a while!" [endquote] Email Bob for details or to
let him know your plans. His email address can be found in the text version
of this week's newscast.
This is Sell Embee KB3TZD.
[DO NOT READ: aj2i@outlook.com]
[DO NOT READ: bobac1z.nh@gmail.com ]
This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.
(SOTA REFLECTOR)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX be listening for AT18BSG, a special event station that
will be on the air until the 15th of January in India. The station is
marking the 18th National Jamboree of the Bharat Scouts and Guides.
According to the event's page on QRZ.com, thousands of scouts, guides and
adult leaders will be active. QSL via VU2NRO.
Whether or not you are a soccer fan, be listening for special callsign 7U7C
being used by operators who belong to the Great Desert Djelfa Radio Amateur
Club 7X2VFK. The club is on the air marking the seventh African Nations
Championship taking place in Algeria from the 13th of January until the 4th
of February. This biennial football tournament is organized by the
Confederation of African Football. See QRZ.com for details.
In central Africa, Roland F8EN is operating as TR8CR from Gabon until March
15, 2023. He is on the air using CW on 30 to 10 meters. QSL via F6AJA.
Many special event stations are on the air announcing the upcoming World
Radiosport Team Championship to be held in Italy. Here are two in particular
to listen for as they operate in Indonesia and New Zealand. Listen for
8BØRARI and ZL6WRTC on various HF bands where operators will be using CW and
SSB. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
(DX WORLD, 425 DX BULLETIN, QRZ.COM)
**
KICKER: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
DON/ANCHOR: For our final story we ask: how does a radio operator pursue 3
SOTA summits, 6 island activations and 2 lake activations in the space of
seven days? Answer: he goes with the flow - in this case, the flow of a
river in New Zealand. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF takes us on that ride.
JIM: It was a seven-day journey along the length of the Clutha River in New
Zealand and Matt ZL4NVW was more than up to the challenge. He had his
packraft, his kayak, his radio and his gameplan. Writing on the SOTA
reflector later, Matt shared the details of how he collected peaks and some
summit-to-summit contacts along the way. He battled band conditions as well
as scrub from the wild landscape. Entering the river south of Alberttown
with his gear safely packed and waterproofed, he braced for the river
equivalent of a solar storm: rapids, whirlpools and boils. The trip
afterward was marked by alternating moments of extreme peace and
temperamental waters -- though he suffered a wrist injury at one point.
He advised readers to file his story [quote] "under the lengths someone will
go to activate a 1-point summit." [endquote] That would be one of the stops
he made to climb Tyrwhitt Peak on Mou Waho island in Otago, the summit
designated ZL3/OT-493.
Perhaps just a single point earned here, but the total adventure points for
this trip were off the charts.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(SOTA REFLECTOR)
**
NEWCAST CLOSE - DO YOU HAVE NEWS?
ANCHOR: Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline
would be interested in? We are not talking about advertising your club's
upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out of
the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page at
arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it, we'll get
back to you for more details.
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Weekly; AMSAT News Service; the
ARRL; ARDC; CQ magazine; David Behar K7DB; Diane Ortiz, K2DO; the K8CX Ham
Gallery; FCC; the 425 DX News; John Fulton, K9AI; Parks on the Air; the
Register; Shortwave Listening Post; shortwaveradio.de; the SOTA Reflector;
Tom Carrubba, KA2D; Wireless Institute of Australia; Worked All Britain; and
you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind
our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit
organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish
to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we
appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our
newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. 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 Picayune Mississippi saying 73. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright
2023. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 12-jan-2023 19:30 E. South America Standard Time
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