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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2268 for Friday April 16 2021
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2268 for Friday April 16 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2268 with a release date of Friday
April 16 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Volcanic eruptions stir hams on St. Vincent to
activate. The FCC sets deadlines for RF exposure assessments -- and
receiving the QSL of a lifetime. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2268 comes your way right now.
***
BILLBOARD CART
**
ISLAND HAMS ON ALERT AMID VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week comes from the Caribbean. Just weeks
after receiving an emergency supply of batteries to assist with
communications during a volcanic disaster, hams in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines are now facing that exact scenario. Randy Sly W4XJ has that
story.
RANDY: St. Vincent islanders knew the eruptions were coming. The La
Soufriere volcano had been dormant for 42 years on the Caribbean island
until Friday, April 9th. As the volcanic unrest began and the pace of
evacuations quickened, local hams maintained daily contact with regional
disaster agencies.
Carlos Alberto Santamaria, CO2JC, the IARU's Region 2 Emergency Coordinator,
told Newsline in an email that hams throughout the region have been on the
air around the clock, mainly using HF frequencies on 80 and 40 meters. Hams
are also in contact with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
Winston Jeffery J88AZ is maintaining an Echolink gateway on 2 meters while
another VHF repeater is being used for domestic communications. As Newsline
reported just a few weeks ago, hams living in the Red Zone were given
emergency batteries at the request of Donald De Riggs J88CD, director of the
Rainbow Radio League/Youlou Radio Movement amateur radio club.
Ash is also blanketing the nearby island of Barbados. According to a report
on CNBC, the West Indies Seismic Center said eruptions could continue for
weeks or months.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Randy Sly W4XJ.
(CNBC, Carlos Alberto Santamaria CO2JC, The Daily DX)
**
FCC REQUIRES RF EXPOSURE EVALUATIONS STARTING MAY 3
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Starting May 3rd, hams and many other radio users in the US
are being required to evaluate human exposure to RF at their stations. The
April 2nd public notice from the FCC does not change any RF exposure limits
but sets a deadline for such evaluations at stations that are new or have
added or modified their existing antennas or power. Amateurs will need to
determine if their existing stations retain the same exemptions they had
under the old rules. Hams who have already performed these evaluations
needn't repeat them unless changes have been made to their stations.
The FCC has set a two-year period in which to conduct the exposure
assessment. A free downloadable booklet about RF exposure, and other details
about RF safety are available at the ARRL website.. Details about the FCC's
policy on human RF exposure are available at the agency's website. See the
printed version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org for links to both
web pages.
FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ:
http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure
https://www.fcc.gov/general/fcc-policy-human-exposure
(ARRL, FCC)
**
TENNESSEE REPEATER SYSTEM AIDS STRICKEN HIKER
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A linked repeater system in Tennessee provided a
communications lifeline for a woman hiking in a national park. Kevin Trotman
N5PRE brings us that story.
KEVIN: A woman in distress while hiking with a group inside the Great Smoky
Mountain National Park was brought to safety late on Sunday night, April
11th, with the help of communications over the W4KEV repeater system in
Tennessee. With no cellular service available in the park, hiker Timothy
Luttrell KA9EBJ used his HT to hit the repeater in Gatlinburg which was
linked to one in Knoxville which was being monitored by David Manuel W5DJR.
Timothy told David that a woman in the hiking party had suffered exhaustion
and possibly dehydration and needed assistance. David notified Emergency
Medical Service as well as a medic who was part of the park search team to
help assess her condition via a series of questions. Meanwhile, phone calls
were placed to the hiker's family. With questions relayed over the repeater,
the medic determined the woman was stable enough to accompany the other
hikers as they continued slowly down the trail, maintaining contact when
possible. Arrangements were made for the hikers to meet with search and
rescue officers in a parking area – and ultimately for the woman's safe
pickup by her family.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(KEVIN DUPLANTIS W4KEV)
**
HISTORIC SITES BEING ACTIVATED FOR MARCONI DAY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio stations in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada and
elsewhere will be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Guglielmo
Marconi and their connection to the wireless pioneer as International
Marconi Day stations get on the air on Saturday April 24th. The annual event
is sponsored by the Cornish Radio Amateur Club, operating as GB4IMD.
Stations from around the world may contact operators who are on the air at
historic Marconi sites using special call signs to mark the day. In New
York, a consortium of amateur radio stations on Long Island will be on the
air at such sites as the original Marconi wireless telegraph station in the
Village of Babylon, where they will operate as K2S. Station K2M will be at
the Marconi Tower in Binghamton New York. In the UK, GB4LD will operate at
the site of the old Marconi Hut in Cornwall and VP8VPC will be operating
from the Falkland Islands. Awards are available for shortwave listeners as
well as amateur radio operators. For details about awards and a list of the
registered Marconi Day stations, visit the website of the Cornish Radio
Amateur Club at gx4crc.com
(CORNISH AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, WALT GROSSER W2TE)
**
WRTC PLEDGES TO GO FORWARD WITH BOLOGNA EVENT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The organizers of a prestigious worldwide amateur radio
competition are proceeding with a means to hold it safely next year in
Italy. Ed Durrant DD5LP picks up the story from here.
ED: Recognising that challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may still remain
next year when the World Radiosport Team Championship takes place in
Bologna, Italy, organisers have pledged to go forward with plans for the
competition. The committee announced on its website that the qualifying
events and schedule remain the same as printed in the qualification rules
but that different options are being looked at as the impact of the pandemic
remains uncertain. The committee also acknowledged that travel and other
factors have been affected differently around the world and this is, of
course, a consideration in such a global contest. Board president Carlo De
Mari IK1HJS wrote on the website: [quote] Please continue with your plans as
best you can for now. We will make announcements here on the WRTC 2022
reflector as soon as they can be made public." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(WRTC WEBSITE)
**
YOUTH CAMP FOR HAMS MOVES AHEAD CAUTIOUSLY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another long-awaited amateur activity–this one for
youngsters in IARU Region 2– is moving ahead with an eye on the pandemic as
well. Here's Jack Parker W8ISH.
JACK: The first Youth on the Air camp for young amateurs in North, Central
and South America is moving ahead with its plans to open in July. Camp
organizers said in a press release that the camp, which was postponed by the
pandemic in 2020, will comply with state and federal COVID-19 restrictions
and guidelines. A maximum of 30 youngsters will be able to attend the camp
from July 11th through July 16th at the National Voice of America Museum of
Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. Camp staffers are either fully
vaccinated or in the process of completing the vaccine series by the end of
April. Campers themselves may be asked to take a COVID-19 test or self-
quarantine before arriving, depending on guidelines being recommended in
July.
Twenty-eight campers have already registered. The application period ends
June 1st and there is no fee to apply. The cost of the camp is 000 plus
transportation and scholarships are available for campers who cannot afford
the camp's cost.
For more details, download the camp brochure available online at
YouthOnTheAir.org. Or, you can also contact Camp Director Neil Rapp,
WB9VPG at director@youthontheair.org.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.
**
SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Don't forget that the Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur
Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year award is looking to honor a deserving
young ham. Think of a young amateur whose commitment to community and whose
enthusiasm for radio has inspired you and others and submit their name.
Nominees must 18 or younger living in the United States, its possessions or
any Canadian province. Downloadable nomination forms are due no later than
May 31st and can be found on our website arnewsline.org
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the NM5EM
repeater in Grants New Mexico on Thursdays at 8 p.m. local time.
**
WSPR SIGNALS CONFIRM DOOMED AIRLINER'S ROUTE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you think Weak Signal Propagation Reporting is of great
benefit only to hams, guess again – and listen to this story from Graham
Kemp VK4BB.
GRAHAM: The memory of the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is seared
into the memory of many who recall the ill-fated Boeing 777. The Beijing-
bound aircraft vanished somewhere over the Indian Ocean on the 8th of March
in 2014 with 239 people on board. Two separate searches for wreckage and
clues came up empty, although more than 30 pieces of debris have turned up
in various places.
Now radio, in the form of Weak Signal Propagation Reporting, or WSPR, may be
offering some clues to its flight path. Hams, of course, often make use of
this one-way, low power transmission mode created by Princeton physicist Joe
Taylor, K1JT to test propagation. Now it is being used by aviation expert
Richard Godfrey of The Independent Group in the search for the long-missing
plane. He said recently that he believes the aircraft set off eight WSPR
tripwires over the Indian Ocean validating previous flight-path analyses of
drift modeling and Inmarsat satellite data.
According to various news reports, MH370's final moments were in the
southern part of the Indian Ocean, in a spot that can now be more precisely
identified.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(SPUTNIK NEWS, AIRLINE RATINGS WEBSITE)
**
COMM ACADEMY'S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE A HIT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A free emergency communications training conference went
virtual for the first time this year and the response was overwhelming.
Christian Cudnik K0STH has that report.
CHRISTIAN: Comm Academy, the free annual training conference for emergency
communicators, exceeded its geographic boundaries this year and in doing so,
exceeded expectations. This month's two-day conference marked the first time
it has been held virtually, allowing for worldwide participation. According
to Tim Helming WT1M, the number of viewers watching live often exceeded 1400
and never dropped below 950. The format offered pre-recorded presentations
with live Q&A afterward. Going online allowed the 20-year-old conference to
expand its more traditional regional reach within the Pacific Northwest
community out to a worldwide audience.
Tim told Newsline: [quote] "It was a vast amount of work, but we're all
really pleased with how it came out." [endquote] Although organizers hope to
return to the in-person format next year, Tim said there is no turning back
now on inviting the world to attend once again and organizers are exploring
various options. He told Newsline: [quote] "It's clear that there's a big
hunger out there for this kind of training and community." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH.
(TIM HELMING WT1IM)
**
TOP HONORS IN GERMANY FOR PIONEER IN HF, SDR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A businessman, ham radio operator and pioneer in software-
defined radio has been honored in Germany for his achievements. Ed Durrant
DD5LP gives us the details.
ED: Ulrich Rohde, developer of the SDR technology, has been recognised in
Germany for advancing the use of microwave and high frequency radio. He has
been given the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on the
recommendation of Markus Söder, Minister-President of Bavaria. Ulrich holds
the call sign DJ2LR in Germany and N1UL in the US.
Ulrich, a respected professor, is a partner in the Munich-based technology
company, Rohde & Schwarz, which deals in HF technologies. According to the
biography on his company website, his many previous honours include the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Club of America, the Industrial
Pioneer Award of the IEEE and the IEEE Region 1 Award for his work in the
design and use of RF technology.
He has been granted numerous honorary professorships and doctorates around
the world. Last year in Germany, a special call sign DL35SDR was issued,
recognizing his presentation 35 years ago of SDR technology at a conference
in 1985. He has also been a leader at numerous US-based companies, serving
as president of the Rohde & Schwarz USA subsidiary in Fairfield, New Jersey
and creating the New Jersey-based Synergy Microwave Corporation in 1985.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(DARC, ROHDE & SCHWARTZ WEBSITE)
**
NORWAY AMATEUR LEAGUE HOLDS DIGITAL GENERAL MEETING
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Presentations by radio experts are the highlight of a
convention being hosted virtually in Norway. Let's hear more from Jeremy
Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: A digital HamConvention will be under way between the 18th and 26th
of April in connection with the digital general meeting of Norway's national
amateur radio society, the NRRL. The eight-day programme includes lectures
from amateur radio experts, including various technical subjects and a
presentation on the NRRL's role in a rescue operation during the December
2020 landslide in a Norwegian village. For the more adventurous radio
operators, there is also a how-to session from a team of Norwegian
DXpeditioners. Additional details are available in Norwegian on the league's
website nrrl.no.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(SOUTHGATE)
**
MEMBERSHIP REBOUNDS IN JAPAN'S RADIO LEAGUE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Japan, even as the ranks of licensed amateur radio
operators has declined, the Japan Amateur Radio League reports a
remarkable—and welcome—turnaround in membership. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has that
report.
JIM: Struggling against steadily declining membership for nearly three
decades and a drop in licensed amateurs in that nation, the Japan Amateur
Radio League has posted some encouraging news about its growing ranks. By
the end of the previous fiscal year, ending March 7th, the league gained 574
members, compared to the same period of the previous year. The JARL declared
this was the first steady year-on-year increase since 1994.
It is a particular source of pride to the league since the growth comes
against the backdrop of a global pandemic that has all but shut down most
in-person activities supporting amateur radio. During this time, JARL
leadership has fortified its membership campaigns and engaged in more robust
public relations on its own behalf. The league said that with ham radio
licenses declining throughout the nation it will now commit its efforts to
promoting amateur radio overall, hoping to boost the overall numbers of
licensees.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(JARL, SOUTHGATE)
**
KICKER: THE QSL CARD OF A LIFETIME
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: When you're expecting a QSL card you really want, the wait
can seem forever. But what is it like when you receive the QSL card of a
lifetime–or in this case, TWO lifetimes? Find out in this story from Ralph
Squillace KK6ITB.
RALPH: The father and son not only shared a name – Byron Sell – but a
lifelong hobby: amateur radio. They saw the world together by communicating
to that world together from inside the home shack. Byron Sell KB3CQX lost
his father and radio buddy when the elder Byron W8VPF became a Silent Key in
2012. This month, the Pennsylvania amateur was given something else that
belonged to his father, a piece of his dad's own personal amateur radio
history: It was a QSL card marking the elder Sell's first amateur radio
contact 80 years ago, as a youngster. The Horseshoe Amateur Radio Club had
received it as a donation from a card collector in Michigan, and presented
it earlier this month to a very grateful Byron Sell, a longtime club member.
The card confirms the contact with a Michigan amateur at 8:07 p.m. local
time on April 8th, 1941. The young amateur added this message: [quote] "You
are my first contact." [endquote]
In an interview with the Altoona Mirror newspaper, Byron recalled his father
and their radio days together, saying "we've made a lot of memories along
the way.ö [endquote] Now he doesn't just have the memories; he has a
keepsake too.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(ALTOONA MIRROR)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Airline Ratings website; Altoona Mirror;
Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT; the ARRL; Carlos Alberto Santamaria CO2JC; CQ
Magazine; Cornish Amateur Radio Club; the Daily Dx; DARC; David Behar K7DB;
the Japan Amateur Radio League; Kevin Duplantis W4KEV; Ohio Penn DX
newsletter; QRZed.com; Rohde& Schwartz; Southgate Amateur Radio News;
shortwaveradio.de; Sputnik News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Tim Helming
WT1IM); Walt Grosser W2TE; WRTC; WTWW Shortwave; 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 at arnewsline.org.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our
news team worldwide, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73.
As always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 16-abr-2021 07:49 E. South America Standard Time
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