| |
PY2BIL > ARNR 04.03.22 12:04l 380 Lines 18094 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 49016PY2BIL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2314 for Friday March 4th, 202
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RBS<DB0ERF<OK0NAG<OK0NBR<OK2PEN<PY2BIL<PY2BIL
Sent: 220304/0756 @:PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM Sally 7.2.055 $:49016PY2BIL
From: PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2314 for Friday March 4th, 2022
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2314 with a release date of Friday
March 4th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Medium and shortwave carry messages into embattled
Ukraine. A transatlantic triumph for a replica transmitter - and what
lengths would you go to with a portable antenna? All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2314 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART HERE
**
MEDIUM and SHORTWAVE CARRY MESSAGES TO EMBATTLED UKRAINE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the medium wave and
shortwave bands, where broadcasters are responding to the ongoing crisis in
Ukraine. Kevin Trotman N5PRE brings us those details.
KEVIN: With amateur radio banned in Ukraine following the Russian invasion,
broadcasts on the medium wave radio frequencies have taken on increasing
importance in the past week. In the US, the Miami, Florida commercial
shortwave station WRMI has been carrying broadcasts six days a week of Radio
Ukraine International, the official overseas service of Ukraine radio on 510
kHz. There are no Friday broadcasts. The schedule can be found on the
website at wrmi dot net.
There are also reports that the BBC World Service has begun carrying
shortwave broadcasts directed towards Ukraine. According to the website
hfunderground dot com, those broadcasts began on February 24th, covering
news events.
In Italy, the NEXUS International Broadcasting Association, an apolitical,
global organization, announced on its website that it has increased its
transmitter power on 1323 kHz medium wave into Central and Southern Europe
and has a good reach into the area of conflict as well as Poland, Romania,
Belarus and Western Russia. A note on the website says: [quote] "We have
increased our special news coverage, adding repeats of the most informative
and inspirational programs in English to support displaced people and cover
the latest events in Ukraine and nearby countries." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(WRMI, HFUNDERGROUND, SWLING POST, NEXUS-IBA)
**
IARU REGION 1 EMERGENCY TEST TAPS INTO SATELLITE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In an environment of global challenges, emergency
communication becomes even more critical. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about
an international exercise that succeeded recently in sharpening ham radio's
preparedness.
JEREMY: IARU Region 1 conducted its first test of the newest tool in its
emergency communications toolbox on the 26th of February. Stations
representing 14 countries around the region included use of the
geostationary satellite QO-100 as part of their response to a simulated
global emergency. There were 22 stations in all demonstrating how the
amateur radio community can be effective, passing messages despite the
inevitable language barriers and equipment failures. According to Greg
Mossop, GØDUB, the IARU's emergency communications coordinator, the exercise
was a success, underscoring how amateur radio stations can respond across a
region that stretches from South Africa north through to Europe and into the
United Kingdom. The next test is planned for October.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(GREG MOSSOP, GØDUB)
**
HAMS IN EMCOMM GROUP FEAR NEW FEE WILL HAMPER OPERATION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A proposed fee to be levied on communications equipment in
federal forests is a major concern for one group of hams in Michigan.
Christian Cudnik KØSTH has that story.
CHRISTIAN: Hams in Michigan who provide emergency communications have told
local officials that because they rely on the use of a tower located inside
a national forest, they may now face a new fee of 0,400 to operate.
According to a report in the Manistee News, the Manistee County Amateur
Radio Operators Club received notice from the US Forest Service that there
might be a fee for their use of the tower. Forest Service officials
announced in December that they have proposed such fees for any
communications users, including cellular phone providers, maintaining
permanent equipment on Forest Service land.
The agency has reopened the public comment period on the proposal through
March 31st. Comments can be posted online at federalregister dot gov
(federalregister.gov)
The American Radio Relay League has filed comments asking for hams radio
operators to be exempt from the fee.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH.
(MANISTEE NEWS)
**
TRANSATLANTIC TRIUMPH FOR REPLICA TRANSMITTER
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A transmitter that was built to honor the one used 100 years
ago during the famous Transatlantic Tests scored big during brief QSO Party
on Saturday, February 26th. Kent Peterson KCØDGY tells us about it.
KENT: It was a memorable moment as the 100-year-old vacuum tubes inside a
replica of the Transatlantic Test transmitter powered a signal that once
again spanned an ocean -- and perhaps even time. For three hours, three
museum volunteers put callsign W2AN/1BCG on the air, marking the successful
completion of repairs done since the replica's activation for the December
centennial of the historic December 1921 test. Ed Gable, K2MP, Peter Schuch,
WB2UAQ and Bill Hopkins, AA2YV, operated for three hours from upstate New
York feeding a T-antenna with lots of radials. The moment seemed right: Ed
told Newsline that [quote] "a very nice thing happened." [endquote] He said
operators crowding the bands in the weekend's 160m SSB contest appeared to
move aside and make room for the important 375-watt transmission. Some high
points:Reaching farther west in the US to log W8KGI in New Mexico -- and
crossing the ocean once more, logging OH1XX in Finland and YO2VG in Romania.
Ed, the museum's curator emeritus, said this ends the 100-year-celebration.
He said [quote] "The transmitter now goes into display mode at the museum
and will wake up sometime in someone else's future." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(ED GABLE, K2MP/W2AN)
**
GERMAN YL BECOMES NEW YOUNGEST ADVANCED LICENSEE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The newest advanced class license-holder in Germany is a YL
barely in her teens. Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us about her.
ED: A 13-year-old girl in Germany can now join the rest of her family on the
air and celebrate her recent achievement: Congratulations to Frederike
Dötsch, DH9FD, who has become the country's youngest person to currently
hold a Class A radio amateur licence. She follows in the footsteps of
another bright YL, Laura Bergmann, DL2JJ, who was only 10 years old in 2017
when holding her previous callsign of DO9JJ, upgraded her licence from
novice to full, joining both her parents on the air.
Frederike passed her license exam administered by BNetzA, the Federal
Network Agency and now joins her parents and her grandfather as active hams.
According to a press release from the DARC, she has been a member of the
German amateur radio club since late last year. With her new advanced level
of licence, she is permitted to transmit on all ham radio frequencies in
Germany. Be listening for her on the air.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(DARC)
**
NEWSLINE'S YHOTY 2022 NOMINATIONS OPEN
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Online nominations are now being accepted for the Bill
Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year
award. Newsline’s Mark Abramowicz (pronouncer- Abram-uh-vich) NT3V is the
chairman of the YHOTY award committee and has this report.
MARK: Our founder, the late Bill Pasternak WA6ITF, established this award 45
years ago to recognize the outstanding achievements of young people – boys
and girls - through amateur radio.
It brought him great joy to read the many nominations he forwarded to a
select group of judges to choose the winner. He insisted an independent
panel of amateur radio’s best to pick from the nominees.
I can tell you, Bill was always thrilled with the results.
I know this because Bill asked me to fill a board vacancy and serve as the
chairman of the award and judging committee in 2002.
I was honored when Josh Abramowicz KB3GWY, now KK4WDP, my son, was nominated
by a fellow Scouter to receive the award and we met in Huntsville where Bill
presented it.
We lost Bill in 2015.
However, his legacy lives on as the Amateur Radio Newsline staff unanimously
agreed to attach his name to the award to honor his memory.
Now, it’s up to you! We here at Newsline need your help to identify a young
person 18 years or younger living in the Continental USA to nominate for the
2022 award.
The nomination form and details are available on our website –
arnewsline.org. We only accept online nominations to speed the process and
make it easier for you to compile photos, letters, emails, and anything else
you can think of to help us get to know the young person you’re endorsing.
The most important link right now in all of this is you.
Don’t wait until the last minute because a good nomination packet takes time
to prepare. The deadline for nominations is May 31.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the N7OEI
repeater in Navajo and Apache counties, Arizona, on Thursdays at 7 p.m.
local time.
**
IN NEW ZEALAND, GOING TO ANY LENGTH FOR A QSO
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Many, many amateurs search for the "Biggest and best
antenna." At their recent field day, however, some hams in New Zealand
proved they would go to ANY lengths - and we do mean ANY lengths. Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF brings us that story.
JIM: "That's not an antenna ! THIS IS AN ANTENNA!" Chris ZL4RA led a group
on the South Island of New Zealand, looking to try something "different" in
the 2022 Jock White Memorial Field Day on the last weekend in February.
Chris had scouted out a ZL3 SOTA Summit. He, Russ ZL4JW, and Jim ZL4JI had a
plan: operating portable with a quarter-kilometre long-wire. Yes, portable.
The antenna was to cross a gully pointing north-northeast to cover NZ and
perhaps into VK as well. That's three wavelengths on 80 metres and six on 40
metres! Or, as Chris describes it, "ridiculously long." It took some effort
to install the 20-foot masts in the wind and rain and to run the wire. One
back stake support was a problem due to the strain on it from this length of
wire, but it survived."
The results? Success, even with just 100 watts maximum power. Although the
antenna bandwidth was a bit narrow, both transmit and receive signals were
strong. Saturday brought some unexpected QRM but by Sunday the antenna was
truly "going the distance." And that's the long and short of it!
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(CHRIS RIO ZL4RA)
**
REGISTRATION OPENS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE SYMPOSIUM
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If the technical side of amateur radio interests you, this
next report from John Williams VK4JJW might be of special interest.
JOHN: Registration has begun for the South African Radio League's technical
symposium, which will explore amateur radio technology. The virtual event is
being held on Saturday the 9th of April on the Bluejeans platform.
Presenters include Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, president of IARU Region 1, who
will talk about software defined radio and various ham radio applications.
Cor Rademeyer, ZS6CR, will discuss ways to analyse GPS position data to
detect RF propagation disturbances. Brian Jacobs, ZS6YZ, will update
everyone on the league's next-generation beacon project. Other discussions
will cover the AMSAT-South Africa AfriCUBE satellites and SARL100 project,
which is preparing for the league's centennial celebration.
The symposium is free for members of SARL and AMSAT-South Africa. Find the
link to register in this week's text version of this Newsline report.
[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: ttps://tinyurl.com/rapc2kdu ]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW.
(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE)
**
THOUSANDS MAKE CONTACT DURING PLUTO SPECIAL EVENT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The pileups have quieted down and it's all over but the
counting after the Pluto Anniversary Special event held last month. Randy
Sly W4XJ has the numbers.
RANDY: Over 6,500 hams reached for the stars last month but were happy to
reach a dwarf planet instead. From February 14th to the 21st, amateur radio
operators celebrated the discovery of Pluto by contacting W7P and W7P/Ø for
the Pluto Anniversary Special Event. This annual countdown will last until
the centennial of the discovery in 2030. Most of the operation took place
from a trailer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona where Clyde
Tombaugh changed the understanding of our solar system on February 18th,
1930.
Held in conjunction with the “I Heart Pluto Festivalö at the observatory,
the event is in its second year, organized by the Northern Arizona DX
Association, under the coordination of Bob Wertz, NF7E.
The final tally may show as many at 7,500 contacts logged by the 18
operators on W7P and the five operators on W7P/Ø, which was led by Doug
Tombaugh, N3PDT, nephew of the famed astronomer. The team was contacted by
stations from all 50 US states and 57 countries. For QSL information, look
up W7P on QRZ.com.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Randy Sly, W4XJ.
**
ACTIVATORS GET TO NAME NEW UNNAMED SUMMITS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you claim it and it has no name, you name it: that's the
concept behind a new challenge from managers of the international HEMA
summit awards scheme. Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us what's going on.
ED: The Southern Bavaria Association of HEMA added 101 summits to its list
of those that can be activated under the award scheme on February the 26th.
HEMA summits have a prominence of between 100 and 150 metres. They all have
a code with a latitude and longitude designation but several are lacking a
name. The new option allows the first activator of any summit currently
described as "No Name" to give that summit a name within the HEMA system.
The name cannot be rude, slanderous or contain any words that are
trademarked. Otherwise, use your best operating strategy when you're on the
summit and then....come back down and use your imagination: Submit your log,
along with a proposed name.
For details of the scheme, visit HEMA dot ORG dot UK.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(DD5LP ASSOCIATION MANAGER HEMA DL)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, there's less than a year to go for the 3YØJ Bouvet
Island DXpedition, according to an announcement from the team. Operators
have confirmed that January 6 2023, is their scheduled date to leave Cape
Town, South Africa for their destination aboard the vessel SV Marama. The
DXpedition is expected to be active for 44 days in all. The operators are
building in a contingency week. Bouvet is the second-most-wanted DXCC
entity.
Be listening for Wies, SP1EG; Hans, DK8RE; Frank, DM5WF; and Hans, DL8UUF
operating as OHØEG from Fasta Aland, the largest island in the Finnish
archipelago. They will be on the air between April 1st and 9th, operating on
160 through 10 metres. Station OHØEG will participate in the Polish SP DX
Contest on April 2nd and 3rd, using CW and SSB during the contest. Outside
of the contest, operators may also use the callsigns as OHØ/DM5WF and
OHØ/DK8RE.
(OHIO PENN DX)
**
KICKER: IN AUSTRALIA, A WATERBORNE CONTEST STAYS AFLOAT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Last week we ended our newscast with a story about boat
anchors. This week, Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us something about some other
boats that occasionally become useful to hams in Australia: the ferries in
Sydney.
JASON: Now here's an amateur radio contest that has managed to stay afloat
for a number of years but, let's face it, these hams have traditionally had
a bit of help: They have boarded ferries in and around Sydney Harbour for
what has customarily been a six-hour competition on UHF and VHF with their
HTs. This year's event by the Waverley Amateur Radio Society is still
afloat, of course, but the pandemic has taken it mostly to dry dock and
shortened it to a four-hour contest. Hams, as always, adapt to
circumstances. Competitors for the Sunday March 6th event were asked to
operate on land or their own boats within sight of the harbour and to avoid
mingling with ferry passengers. The contest rules allow operators to use
repeaters or to make their contacts simplex. The rules even permitted
operating from home or a mobile station.
In the tricky waters of this global pandemic, the Waverly Club has adjusted,
realising that what works is whatever floats your boat....or not.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(SOUTHGATE, WAVERLY AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Antique Wireless Museum; ARRL; the BBC;
CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; the DARC; Ed Gable, K2MP/W2AN; NEXUS-IBA;
Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.com; the Radio Society of Great Britain; South African
Radio League; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; SWLing Post;
Waverly Amateur Radio Society; WRMI; YouTube; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio 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
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 04-mar-2022 07:56 E. South America Standard Time
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
