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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2375 for Friday May 5th, 2023
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2375 for Friday May 5th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2375 with a release date of Friday May
5th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams in Australia have only another month to weigh
in on a new class license. The FCC proposes changes to the 60 metre band --
and a controversial bill about RF emissions has hams in Maine worried. All
this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2375 comes your way
right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
PLAN TO STUDY 5G IN MAINE WORRIES STATE'S AMATEURS
JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the state of Maine, where
hams are expressing concern over a telecommunications bill that proposes a
study on radio frequency emissions. Andy Morrison K9AWM has an update.
ANDY: Ham radio operators in the state of Maine are keeping an eye on a bill
in which lawmakers call for a study of radio frequency radiation emissions
and the environmental impact of 5G technology. The bill is stalled for now
in the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology but according to a
recent story in the Maine Monitor, hams in the state are concerned that such
a study of 5G holds the potential for unintended restrictions of frequencies
shared by amateur radio operators. Phil Duggan, N1EP, the ARRL section
manager for Maine, told Newsline in an email that amateurs are seeking
wording to be added to the bill that exempts amateur radio and public safety
communications. Phil said that ARRL New England Division Director Fred
Kemmerer, AB1OC, had advised hams to be on the alert as anti-5G bills are
introduced in a number of state legislatures, with wording that could impact
ham radio.
The bill in Maine, introduced by Republican lawmaker Tracy Quint, targets
the telecommunications industry specifically and its language does not
mention amateur radio. Hams nonetheless have submitted written testimony
protesting the bill, noting that hams are already required to conduct
evaluations of their radio frequency radiation in compliance with FCC
regulations that ensure safety.
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(NEWS CENTER MAINE, MAINE MONITOR)
**
FCC PROPOSES CHANGES TO 60 METER BAND
JIM/ANCHOR: The US Federal Communications Commission has changes planned for
the 60m band and wants to hear from you. Patrick Clark K8TAC tells us more.
PATRICK: Following the lead set at the World Radiocommunications Conference
in 2015 and adopted most recently by Canadian regulators, the US Federal
Communications Commission has proposed changes to the 60m band that would
allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth between 5351.5 and 5366.5 kHz for
amateur radio on a secondary basis.
US General, Advanced and Extra Hams presently have five channels available
to them between 5332 and 5405 kHz - also on a secondary basis - with an
effective radiated power limit of 100 W PEP The proposed new bandwidth would
set a limit of 15 watts EIRP.
The FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was released on April 21st and
aligns itself with terms advocated for by the ARRL.
The band's primary user in the US is the federal government.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration favors
adoption of the new proposed bandwidth, with hams losing the ability to use
four of the five permitted channels. The remaining channel would be included
within the new contiguous portion of the 60m band.
The ARRL, however, previously asked the FCC to keep the four 60-meter
channels that fall outside the new band and to retain the 100w power limit.
The notice is to be published in the Federal Register in May and comments
from the public are due no later than 60 days after the notice appears.
This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.
(FCC, ARRL)
**
AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR MOVES AHEAD ON NEW CLASS LICENSE
JIM/ANCHOR: The Australian communications regulator is moving ahead with a
proposed new class license. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what's involved.
GRAHAM: Amateurs with a VK license have until Thursday the 1st of June to
have their say on proposed changes by the Australian Communications and
Media Authority that would create a class license with considerations for a
staged implementation of higher power authorization. The ACMA states on its
website that intends to implement the proposed class licensing arrangements
starting on the 1st of July and expects to give the amateur community ample
notice before this change comes into effect.
The ACMA also says that the revised class license proposal was created by
incorporating suggestions from representative bodies, amateur radio clubs
and individual amateurs.
The Wireless Institute of Australia does not support this change, however,
saying it could only support the change on a "no disadvantage" basis.
On May 1st, the ACMA website published submissions from the public that were
not made anonymously.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur satellite and SHF enthusiasts in Australia can expect to
lose all or part of the 9cm band under another proposal by the Australian
Communications and Media Authority. The regulator has been looking at the
frequencies between 3.4 GHz and 3.6 GHz for possible use in long-term earth
station protection zones. As with other ACMA proposals, the deadline for
public comment to the regulator is July 1st.
(ACMA)
**
GRANT FUNDS STUDENT COURSE ON SPECTRUM AT OBSERVATORY
JIM/ANCHOR: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West
Virginia, is offering a select group of young students an opportunity to
study the electromagnetic spectrum, as we hear from Sel Embee KB3TZD.
SEL: Twenty science-minded students between the ages of 18 and 20 are being
given an opportunity to enroll in an intensive course about the
electromagnetic spectrum being hosted by the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. This is the second year the
observatory has conducted the course, which begins in September of this year
and runs through May of 2024. The program is being overseen by the
observatory's director of Diversity & Inclusion and is funded by a grant
from Amateur Radio Digital Communications. A special effort is being made to
find enrollees who are Black, indigenous or people of color as well as
students from the LGBTQIA community who wish to gain experience,
particularly as it applies to amateur radio and any future careers in
science, technology, engineering and math. Students accepted into the 40-
week program will receive a stipend of ,000.
Lyndele von Schill, director of Diversity & Inclusion, can be reached for
questions at her email address at lvonschi@nrao.edu
The observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation.
This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.
(ARDC)
**
SILENT KEY: JOHN KNIPPING, AA9KC, OF THE 'FREEWHEELERS NET' ON 80M
JIM/ANCHOR: A founding member of a popular net that is a fixture on 80m has
become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
KEVIN: John Knipping, AA9KC, was one of the original "Freewheelers" on 3916
kHz. In November of 1998 he answered a call put out by Ken Odom, W4FCW, on
3916 kHz and out of that early QSO bloomed a friendship and ultimately a
popular net where everyone was welcome.
John became a Silent Key on April 29th at the age of 92.
According to his online obituary he was a Korean War veteran, a musician and
a member of the Egyptian Radio Club.
The tradition of easy camaraderie lives on, however: The net continues
making new friends and welcoming old ones every night on 80m, starting at 10
pm Eastern Time.
This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(LEGACY.COM, 3916 FREEWHEELERS NET)
**
JOIN US AT THE NEWSLINE "TOWN HALL FORUM" IN DAYTON
JIM/ANCHOR: Just a reminder to our listeners that there's more to Amateur
Radio Newsline this month than just this newscast. If you're going to Xenia,
Ohio for Hamvention, be sure to stop in Forum Room 2 on Friday, May 19th,
starting at 11:35 a.m. local time. The popular Town Hall forum is back after
many years, and we have three guests. Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, will take
questions about the ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program. IARU President Tim
Ellam, VE6SH, will discuss issues facing the IARU that affect amateurs
worldwide -- and Mark Smith, N6MTS, will take questions about a proposal to
standardize headset connectors for interoperability. Come along and join us!
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard in bulletin stations around the world including the
shortwave broadcast station of shortwaveradio.de in Lower Saxony, Germany on
6160 kHz AM. The station's European summer schedule will be 07:00 to 17:00
UTC on weekends, 15:00 to 17:00 UTC Monday to Friday. Broadcasts can also be
heard from 17:00 to 23:00 UTC daily on 3975 kHz AM.
**
MILLING ABOUT ON THE AIR FOR A SPECIAL RADIO EVENT
JIM/ANCHOR: In Australia and in the UK, hams will be milling about -
literally - for this outdoor special event. We learn the details from John
Williams VK4JJW.
JOHN: There's more to mills than wheat, corn or flour. Some mills can
produce QSOs. Well, at least that's going to be the case in Australia during
the Mills on the Air radio event being held in conjunction with the Mills on
the Air taking place at the same time in the UK. That would be the 13th and
14th of May. Hams are on the air activating the mills and also hoping to
score points at the same time for SOTA, POTA and World Wide Flora and Fauna.
The Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club is proud to be the first to
get things started in 2017 with the activation of Andersons Mill in Smeaton,
Victoria - but now mill activation are grinding along quite nicely
throughout Australia.
They will be joining more than 300 windmills and watermills being activated
throughout the UK to celebrate its industrial heritage. If you wish to
receive a certificate from the Denby Dale Amateur Radio Society, which
organises the event in the UK, be sure to register there at the link in the
text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ: www.ddars.net/register.html ]
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
(DDARS.NET, MILLS ON THE AIR)
**
CELLPHONE USERS LOG DIRECT CONTACT VIA SATELLITE
JIM/ANCHOR: A space-based cellular phone network that relies on satellites
instead of towers may not be so far off as you think. Kent Peterson KCØDGY
has that story.
KENT: Imagine being able to have a cellphone signal delivered directly to
your mobile device from space instead of from a cell tower. Two smartphone
users reported recently that they had just that experience. A call between a
phone user in Texas and another in Japan was reportedly routed through a low
Earth orbit satellite manufactured by AST SpaceMobile. These were standard,
unmodified smartphones: a Samsung Galaxy S22 in Texas and an iPhone in
Japan. The BlueWalker3 satellite that made the call possible is powerful
enough to pick up cellphone signals from over 1,000 miles away thanks to an
array of 100,000 individual antenna elements on board.
Smartphones and satellites typically do not share the same part of the
spectrum for direct communication, leaving phones to rely on local cell
towers instead. According to an article in The Verge, AST SpaceMobile was
able to adapt its network architecture so it was similar to 3rd Generation
Partnership Project, or 3GPP, standard that cell networks use.
Some smartphones are already capable of message-based satellite routing
solutions in emergencies but a full-service call with a voice connection
like this is said to be breaking new ground. The article said there will be
further testing.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(THE VERGE)
**
UK HAMS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF 'DAM BUSTERS RAID'
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in the UK are marking the 80th anniversary of the famous
World War II "Dam Busters Raid," and Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us what's
involved.
JEREMY: The Royal Air Force sent a squadron of bombers into the night to
complete a mission known as Operation Chastise, but better known as the Dam
Busters Raid. Its targets, in the heart of industrial Nazi Germany’s Ruhr
Valley, were three dams for destruction, but which were heavily protected
from any underwater or air assault.
The successful mission, which set off on the 16th of May in 1943, is being
commemorated from the 14th to 16th of May this year by the Stockport Radio
Society with the callsign GBØDBA.
Stockport is an industrial town in Greater Manchester, a region with strong
ties to the mission that employed the now-famous "bouncing bombs." The
planes, modified to carry the bombs, were manufactured at Chadderton and
assembled at Woodford. The aircrew trained over the Derwent Reservoir.
Manchester University has a building dedicated to Barnes Wallis, the creator
of the bouncing bomb -- and to Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who was later
proposed as a candidate for the UK Parliament.
Listen on the HF bands, with a focus on 20 and 40 metres, for operators
using SSB, CW and RTTY. There will also be radio activity on VHF using FM,
C4FM and FT8 on 2 metres, and SSB and CW using the QO-100 satellite.
Please visit the QRZ.com page of GBØDBA for QSL details.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(QRZ.COM)
**
HAMS PREP FOR ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams are getting ready to participate once again in the Armed
Forces Day Crossband Test - an exercise with an important mission. Jack
Parker W8ISH explains.
JACK: From Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, to Camp Foster in Okinawa,
military stations will be making two-way radio contacts with amateur radio
operators on various ham frequencies as part of an important
interoperability test that has united hams and government radio operators
for a half century.
This year, the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test will be held on May 13th,
testing two-way communications between hams and the military. It's an
important exercise that does not have any impact on use of the bands by hams
or other private radio operators. All communications are conducted on upper
sideband unless the instructions specify otherwise. An internet search for
DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day provides complete information, including
participating stations, time periods and details about QSL cards.
Created in 1925, the Military Auxiliary Radio System, also known as MARS,
relies on the skills of more than 3,000 civilians - most of them licensed
ham radio operators - who assist the US military with communications at
every level from local to international, especially in emergency situations.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.
(US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WWW.MARS.AF.MIL)
**
NOMINATE NEXT 'YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR'
JIM/ANCHOR: Time is running out to nominate your choice for Amateur Radio
Newsline's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year award. Candidates must
reside in the continental United States and be a licensed ham 18 years of
age or younger. We are looking for someone who has talent, promise and a
commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find application forms on our website
arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close on May 31st - that's
at the end of this month!
**
KICKER: FOR RADIO'S PROBLEM, THIS TOILET PAPER WAS ON A ROLL
JIM/ANCHOR: If you've ever been troubled by noisy speakers - no, we don't
mean the kind you suffer through at an awards banquet - our final story of
this week may be of interest to you. We should advise you, however, the
solution to this problem is somewhat bizarre, even in the opinion of its
creator. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with that story.
JEREMY: When Richard Langer received a second-hand DAB radio from a friend,
he realized right away that listening to it at lower volume was going to be
a challenge: there was a noticeable scratching sound that went away only if
the radio volume was made louder.
Using the kind of ingenuity we amateurs also know quite well, Richard tried
to find a way to fix the problem without the need to replace the speaker.
Looking among some everyday household items, Richard ultimately got to the
bottom - and yes, we do mean the bottom - of the situation. He reached for a
roll of toilet tissue.
The speaker's paper cone had apparently warped, causing the voice coil to
rub against the magnet assembly. The friction had worn out the insulation on
the turns of the coil and taken it out of proper alignment. Crumpling the
toilet tissue, he determined that if he inserted it at just the right spot
between the cone and the metal housing, it would exert sufficient pressure
to restore the alignment. The result? Good, noise-free sound.
Richard shared this simple solution in a recent video on his YouTube
channel. The solution was picked up as well by the website Hackaday. With a
clever permanent solution as close as one's own bathroom, Richard is no
doubt pleased there will be no need for the little radio to be flushed.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(HACKADAY, YOUTUBE)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the ACMA; Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT News
Service; the ARDC; ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; Dignity Memorial;
DX-World.net; the FCC; 425 DX News; Hackaday; Legacy.com; MARS; Maine
Monitor; Mills on the Air; News Center Maine; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de;
3916 Freewheelers Net; US Dept. of Defense; The Verge; YouTube; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia 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
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BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 05-mai-2023 08:20 E. South America Standard Time
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