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PY2BIL > ARNR 18.02.22 12:03l 378 Lines 16961 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2312 for Friday February 18th
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2312 for Friday February 18th, 2022
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312 with a release date of Friday
February 18th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Police identify the body of an Australian amateur.
New insights into an RFI mystery -- and there's still time for a contact
with Pluto...the special event, that is. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2312 comes your way right now.
**
AUSTRALIAN HAM'S BODY IDENTIFIED IN DOUBLE MURDER
PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the tragic conclusion to a
missing persons story reported here on Newsline on two years ago. The bodies
of an amateur radio operator and his companion have been positively
identified. Graham Kemp VK4BB brings us that story.
GRAHAM: Russell Hill VK3VZP and Carol Clay disappeared two years ago in the
Victorian bushland where the two had gone camping. The last message heard
from Russell was on March 20th of 2020 when he made a QSO on one of the HF
bands, reporting his location at Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps.
No one heard from them again. One day later, campers discovered the radio
operator's vehicle and the couple's campsite destroyed by fire.
Forensic testing has now confirmed the identity of remains found last
November as those of the radio ham and his friend. A pilot who worked for
Jetstar Airways -- and who had been camping nearby -- was arrested last
November and charged with two counts of murder. The pilot, Greg Lynn, 55, is
due in court in May.
Police have described the couple's disappearance as one of their most high-
profile cases.
For Amateur Radio NewLine I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(THE NEW DAILY, SKYNEWS.COM)
**
RFI ISSUES TIED TO PLANES' OLDER ALTIMETERS
PAUL/ANCHOR: A further look into airliners' RFI problems following the
recent launch of 5G service by US cellphone carriers has turned up an
interesting technical finding. Kent Peterson KCØDGY has that update.
KENT: Despite a protective guard band to separate frequencies used by
cellphone carriers and airliners, signals from newly deployed 5G wireless
service in the US are still capable of compromising commercial airplane
safety in aircraft using older altimeters lacking filters, an expert witness
told US lawmakers in Washington, DC. Dennis Roberson (ROE-BURR-SON) told a
subcommittee in the US House of Representatives that older radio altimeters
lack filters that prevent that kind of risky signal conflict that can
interfere with critical navigation, especially during landing. His testimony
came following airlines' decision to ground or redirect some of their
flights scheduled to land in airports near 5G cellphone towers. Carriers
including AT&T and Verizon now operate on the C-band spectrum between 3.7
and 3.98 GHz. Altimeters are designed to operate on frequencies between 4.2
GHz and 4.4 Ghz. Roberson said this kind of interference is not believed to
have been a factor in any crashes but the potential does exist because older
altimeters are capable of picking up transmissions outside of their assigned
band, such as those used by 5G service. He said that a guard band provided a
"large cushion" between the carriers' and the altimeters' allocations on the
spectrum, but nonetheless, without filters in place on the altimeters,
signal conflicts could still occur.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(URGENTCOMM)
**
SILENT KEY: HAMVENTION VOLUNTEER GREGORY DEAN, N9NWO
PAUL/ANCHOR: This year's Hamvention will be going forward in Xenia, Ohio
without one of its dedicated volunteers. He became a Silent Key this month,
as we hear from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
KEVIN: A well-respected volunteer at the annual Hamvention in Xenia has
become a Silent Key. Greg Dean, N9NWO, died on February 5th in a Lafayette,
Indiana hospital. According to QRZ.COM, Greg was a veteran of the US Army
National Guard and Army Reserve with tours in Desert Storm, Bosnia, the Gulf
War and Afghanistan. Licensed since 1968, he belonged to the Quarter Century
Wireless Association and the Straight Key Century Club. Friends posted on
his Facebook page, praising his volunteer work at Hamvention and the regular
help he provided with QSLs for the W9IMS event.
Greg was 71.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(QRZ, FACEBOOK, HIPPENSTEEL FUNERAL SERVICE)
**
SOLAR STORM DISABLES SOME STARLINK SATELLITES
PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellites destined for the Starlink constellation were lost
just a day after launch as the result of a solar storm. Andy Morrison K9AWM
picks up that story.
ANDY: A geomagnetic storm disrupted nearly 50 SpaceX Starlink satellites
that were in low-earth orbit following their deployment one day earlier. The
satellites went into safe mode to minimize atmospheric drag's effects on
their orbits but Starlink said as many as 40 of them would likely be lost,
becoming little more than space debris when they dropped out of their
allocated orbit. According to several news reports, the storm made the
atmosphere too dense for the satellites to make their way to the higher
altitudes of their planned orbits. The February 3rd launch sought to add the
new satellites to the 2,000 or so already in the Starlink constellation
providing space-based internet access. According to CNN, there are about
145,000 Starlink subscribers in 25 countries.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(CNN, SPACE.COM)
**
UK HAMS MARK 100 YEARS OF BRITISH BROADCASTING
PAUL/ANCHOR: Even as the London BBC Radio Group marks 100 years of British
broadcasting by operating its special event station GB100BBC, a second group
of hams in the UK is creating its own party. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us
those details.
JEREMY: The Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society is marking the centenary this
month of a programme aired on the 14th of February 1922, one hundred years
ago, from a hut not far from Chelmsford.
Preceded by the familiar station announcement of "This is Two Emma Toc," the
programme itself featured talk and occasional piano music - all transmitted
at 200 watts on a frequency of 428 kHz. This entertainment broadcast helped
bring about the creation of what was to become the BBC in 1922.
The Chelmsford hams will be on HF, VHF and UHF and are operating all month
as GB1002MT. They will confirm QSOs via eQSL and LoTW only.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(SOUTHGATE, CHELMSFORD AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)
**
AMSAT SOUTH AFRICA SEEKS PAPERS FOR SYMPOSIUM
PAUL/ANCHOR: AMSAT South Africa is looking for presenters for its virtual
symposium being held in July. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has that story.
JASON: With the COVID-19 pandemic still a major concern, AMSAT South Africa
will be holding its annual space symposium as a virtual event again this
year. The one-day event will take place on Saturday the 23rd of July,
showcasing the theme "Space, the next frontier for expansion of amateur
radio."
Organisers are still seeking proposals for papers and are asking that all
prospective presenters send in their submissions by the 31st of March. Each
presenter will receive a time slot of 20 to 30 minutes and will be given a
10-minute period for questions and answers.
Topics may range from the basics on how to use hand-held transceivers to
work satellites all the way to more complex issues, such as building
satellites or conducting space research with a space weather station.
Accepted presentations are due in by the 1st of July in Microsoft Word and
PowerPoint format. For details, email organisers at admin at amsatsa dot org
dot za (admin@amsatsa.org.za).
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(AMSAT-SA, SARL)
**
SPECIAL EVENT BRINGS PLUTO A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME
PAUL/ANCHOR: Want to work Pluto? Well there's still time and it's not the
kind of DX contact you think. Here's Randy Sly W4XJ to tell you how.
RANDY: When tuning across the ham bands, you never know what you’ll
encounter. This week, for instance, you might hear operators talking about
the planet Pluto and its discovery. The Northern Arizona DX Association is,
again, hosting its annual Pluto Anniversary Countdown, celebrating the
discovery of the planet by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. This is the second year
for the special event from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. The special
event will end in its centennial year of 2030.
You may hear stories like some from last year, when contacts talked about
meeting the famed astronomer at their grade school, at star parties or
through an astronomy course. One contact, Uno Carlsson, KC3EJS, was an
aerospace engineer and part of the team for the New Horizons project that
did a fly-by of Pluto in 2015.
Look for W7P on the air through February 21st. You might even have a chance
to talk with Doug Tombaugh, N3PDT, nephew of the man whose discovery changed
a bit of how we look at our galaxy. Doug and four other hams are operating
as W7P/Ø.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Randy Sly, W4XJ.
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KB3AWQ
repeater in Williamsport Pennsylvania on Thursdays at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
**
REGISTER NOW FOR ST. PATRICK'S SPECIAL EVENT
PAUL/ANCHOR: February is a short month so it's not too early to start
thinking about St. Patrick's Day - and that's just what some hams around the
world have been doing. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with the details.
JEREMY: Amateurs and shortwave listeners around the world have signed up to
celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and vie for special awards during the 48 hours
between the 16th and 18th of March. Organisers of the special St. Patrick's
Awards event have created a web page with details that include categories in
which radio operators and listeners can compete -- and explanations of how
they can qualify for awards. All participants need to visit the web page and
register if they plan to apply for an award. All awards are available as
downloadable PDFs after the event has concluded.
Stations in Ireland, Canada and the United States are among those who have
already begun registering. The website lists when they will be on the air
and in what modes, including DMR, PSK and even on the Hamshack Hotline.
The website is stpatricksaward dot com - that's stpatricksaward - all one
word - dot com. (stpatricksaward.com)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(ST PATRICK'S AWARD)
**
AMSAT SEEKS VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS FOR PROJECTS
PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're an engineer with some free time to devote to two of
AMSAT's projects, you might just be one of the volunteers they're looking
for. Jack Parker W8ISH brings us the details.
JACK: If you're interested in being part of AMSAT's all-volunteer team
working with its FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs, AMSAT is interested in
hearing from you. The FOX-Plus program needs an electrical engineer with RF
experience who can help design and build the RF communications for the low-
earth orbit CubeSats. Candidates should be familiar with analog and digital
communications protocols and will be working with digitally synthesized
audio for FM modulated VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. The FOX-
Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs also need mechanical engineers whose
responsibilities may include analysis of thermal characteristics of the
CubeSat and oversight of the environmental testing procedure. AMSAT requires
US citizenship or proof of permanent residency for all candidates for these
volunteer positions. CubeSat experience and a ham radio license is also
preferred but not necessary. For details, send an email to volunteer at
amsat dot org. (volunteer@amsat.org)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.
(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)
**
TIME TO SIGN UP FOR ARDF YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP
PAUL/ANCHOR: There's a big contest planned in Romania to test youngsters'
amateur radio direction finding skills -- and the time to sign up is now. Ed
Durrant DD5LP tells us how.
ED: Letters of intent are due soon for teams wanting to participate in the
4th IARU World Youth Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship being held
this summer in Romania. The event is being hosted by the Romanian Federation
of Radio Amateurs. All letters of intent must be received no later than
March 1st at the email address wyac2022 at gmail dot com (wyac2022
@gmail.com).
The championship will take place June 29th through to July 3rd and will
include hunts on 80 and 2m along with an 80m sprint. Saturday will see an
awards ceremony and a hamfest.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(IARU)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, if you consider working China to be an Oympian-style
challenge, here's your chance. The Chinese Radio Amateurs Club has activated
a special event station operating on CW, SSB and FT8 in support of the
Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Hams will be calling QRZ
until the end of the Paralympic Winter Games. The call sign is BY1CRA/WO22.
The QSL manager is BA4TB. See QRZ.COM for available awards.
Be listening for Rob, DM4AO, who is on the air from Cabo Verde as D44AO
until the 25th of February. He is using mostly CW and operating on 80
through 10 metres. He will participate in the ARRL CW DX contest on February
19th and 20th. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
Listen for Yuri, VE3DZ, operating from Martinique as FM/VE3DZ until the 24th
of February. He will be using the callsign TO4A in the ARRL CW DX contest.
QSL to his home callsign or via ClubLog.
Karel, OK2WM and Vlad, OK2WX are on the air from Innahura island, Maldives
as 8Q7WM and 8Q7WX until March 8th. Listen for them on 160, 80 and 40 metres
using CW and SSB. Send QSLs to their home callsigns.
(DX-WORLD.NET, SOUTHGATE)
**
KICKER: IN PENNSYLVANIA, HERE'S TO THE NEXT 100 YEARS
PAUL/ANCHOR: In a small town made world famous by a railroad property on the
classic American board game Monopoly, they’re getting ready to celebrate 100
years of radio activity. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Mark Abramowicz
(pronouncer – Abram-a-vich) NT3V has our final story for this week.
MARK: It’s a centennial being marked by more than candles on a cake.
The Reading Radio Club in the town of Reading, Pennsylvania - about 55 miles
north and west of Philadelphia - is reflecting on its past and hopes for the
future.
Joe Pietruszynski, AC3DI, is the club president.
He said a small community of wireless radio hobbyists in Reading were part
of ham radio’s infancy.
“Thirty people or so that were experimenters,ö Pietruszynski explained. “In
fact, back in those days they used what they called spark gaps.ö
West Reading resident William Wagner, was listening at the right time.
“(The)Titanic had a spark-gap transmitter,ö Pietruszynski said. “In fact,
one of the local hams had heard the distress call.ö
Wagner became the first Reading area resident granted a federal ham radio
license – 3KL – in 1913.
The group’s history records Harold Landis, 3LP, who also got his license
just after Wagner, as gathering a group of hobbyists to form the Reading
Radio Club in 1921.
They gained official recognition in 1922 when the club affiliated with the
American Radio Relay League.
Pietruszynski said like many radio clubs, interest and membership has had
its ups and downs.
“I think we’re on a cycle now where more and more interest is coming in,ö he
said. “Youth are where ham radio is going to wind up being.ö
What kind of impact will they have? The next 100 years may hold the answer.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Reading,
Pennsylvania.
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society; CQ
Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; the IARU; Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.com;
QSO Today; Radio Society of Great Britain; the St. Patrick's Award; South
African Radio League; SOTA; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de;
Wireless Institute of Australia; and you our listeners, that's all from the
Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at newsline@arnewsline.org. 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.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our
news team worldwide, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73.
As always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
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BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 18-fev-2022 07:48 E. South America Standard Time
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