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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2357 for Friday December 30th,
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2357 for Friday December 30th, 2022
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2357 with a release date of Friday
December 30th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams in Switzerland get use of the 4m band. Amateur
ranks grow on Prince Edward Island, Canada -- and get ready to jump into
the DX Ultra-Marathon. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2357 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
SWISS AMATEURS GRANTED ACCESS TO 4M BAND
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with good news for the new year. Starting
on the first of January, hams in Switzerland will be allowed to operate on
the 4m band using all commonplace simplex modes. The Swiss amateur radio
association USKA reported recently that their communications authorities
have granted approval to hams holding HB9 licenses for a maximum operating
power of 25 watts ERP. Hams may operate only on freqencies between 70 MHz
and 70.0375 MHz. They also have permission for the range between 70.1125 and
70.5000MHz.
Relays and Echolink gateways will not be permitted on the band and any
stations being operated via remote-control must get permission from the
regulator, OFCOM-CH.
(DARC, FEDERAL NETWORK AGENCY)
**
TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATIONS RENEWED IN GERMANY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There is also good news for hams in Germany as temporary
authorisations for certain bands have been renewed for another year. Jeremy
Boot G4NJH has the details.
JEREMY: In Germany, the Federal Network Agency, BNetZA, has extended
temporary allocations for amateur operation in part of the160 metre, the 6
and 4 metre and 13 and 6 centimetre bands. These permissions were to have
expired at the end of this year but are now granted anew until the 31st of
December 2023. According to a Google translation of the announcement in the
agency Gazette, 6 m band operation is allowed in the 50 to 50.4 MHz
frequency range. Class A licence holders may use a maximum of 750 watts PEP
and Class E licence holders can transmit with a maximum of 100 W PEP with
operation only permitted using horizontal polarisation. For the frequency
range between 50.4 and 52 MHz, only 25 watts PEP is allowed but contest
operation is permitted.
On the 4m band, operation is granted up to 25w ERP using horizontal
polarisation by Class A licence holders and on frequencies between 70.150
and 70.210 MHz. At the top end of 160 metres, Class both A and E licence
holders may use their permitted maximum transmission power, operating at
weekends within the frequencies 1.85 and 2.00 MHz. Contest operation on 160m
is only allowed on these frequencies and at the weekend.
Finally, holders of licence Class E are given access to the 13 and 6 cm
bands, from 2320 to 2450 MHz and 5650 to 5850 MHz with a maximum power of 5
W PEP so that they can take part in the Hamnet Mesh data network
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(FEDERAL NETWORK AGENCY)
**
HAM RANKS INCREASE ON PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AFTER STORMS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In one Canadian province, hams have noticed that the
aftereffects of the past storm season haven't all been bad. Sel Embee, KB3 T
Zed D is here to tell us about one big change for the better.
SEL: There are a lot of happy radio operators on Prince Edward Island
lately. Hams in this province of Atlantic Canada have discovered their ranks
are growing.
According to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, tropical
storm Fiona and the COVID-19 pandemic have created an environment that has
led island residents to discover the appeal of radio communications. Prince
Edward Island, also known among island chasers as IOTA Number NA-029, has
become a place to nurture new amateurs, according to members of the
Charlottetown Amateur Radio Club.
The club's president, Bill McMaster, VY2WM, told the CBC that the group's
membership has grown especially after amateur radio's profile grew during
tropical storm Fiona this past September. At the time of the storm, local
operators were helping with emergency response through the CANWARN emergency
communications network, joining the ongoing nets, providing status reports
and weather updates.
Organizers told the CBC that the hams on the island expect to have another
training program for license candidates by springtime.
This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.
(CBC)
**
CONTEST UNIVERSITY 2023 ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The course outline and professor biographies aren't up on
the website yet but you can still register for Contest University, which is
being held this coming spring during Dayton Hamvention in Ohio. Contest
University will take place on Thursday May 18th from 7 am to 5 pm at the
Hope Hotel, the day before Hamvention itself opens its doors. The Hope Hotel
will be the center of all activities related to contesting. Bookmark the
website contestuniversity.com - that's one word "contestuniversity" - to
keep track of the curriculum for the weekend and the roster of instructors.
Visit the website and register now.
(CONTEST UNIVERSITY)
**
PROPOSAL WOULD ELIMINATE FCC'S SYMBOL RATE LIMITS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A proposal called the Amateur Radio Communications
Improvement Act hopes to overhaul rules affecting data transmissions. Kent
Peterson KCØDGY brings us that report.
KENT: Saying that federal regulations need to keep pace with advances in
amateur radio technology, a United States lawmaker has proposed updating
rules governing data transmissions over the amateur bands. The proposed
Amateur Radio Communications Improvement Act would eliminate the current
symbol rate limits set by the FCC. The lawmaker, Debbie Lesko, an Arizona
Republican, writes on her website that regulation of symbol rates has become
outdated because newer technology permits the spectrum to handle greater
amounts of data. The proposed update of the FCC rules removes the symbol
rate limit and sets a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limit, which is already in place for
amateurs using 60 meters.
The ARRL previously pressed the FCC to remove HF symbol rate limits claiming
that, among other things, it was an obstacle to experimentation. Although
the FCC has previously questioned the need for any bandwidth limit at all,
the ARRL has said there is a need for such limits because digital protocols
could be developed that have excessively wide bandwidths. The ARRL issued a
statement saying the league hoped the FCC would remove the restriction on
its own without waiting for the bill to be passed.
With lawmakers in Washington DC concluding the 117th Congress, there was no
further action taken on the bill.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(DEBBIE LESKO WEBSITE, ARRL)
**
LAWMAKER CHALLENGES ANTENNA RESTRICTIONS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In another action in Washington, DC, one lawmaker introduced
a bill just before Christmas that proposes protection for amateurs and their
antennas - the same protection already available to other forms of wireless
communication such as television, satellite and internet. That update comes
to us from Jim Damron N8TMW.
JIM: An Ohio congressman is seeking to provide relief for home-based amateur
radio operators who are unable to easily operate in private residential
neighborhoods such as condominiums, gated communities and some single-family
subdivisions. The measure introduced by Congressman Bill Johnson, a
Republican, would grant hams the same pre-emption given in 1996 to consumers
of broadcast TV antennas, satellite dishes, multichannel multipoint
distribution services and wireless internet. The American Radio Relay League
has previously urged the Federal Communications Commission to give the same
relief to hams but the FCC has told the league that such action can only
come from Congress. John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, noted on the ARRL website
that a joint resolution by members of Congress in 1994 supported the use of
ham radio from private residences, recognizing it as a public benefit in
keeping with the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act.
This is Jim Damron N8TMW.
(BILL JOHNSON WEBSITE, ARRL)
**
SHORTWAVE SIGNALS USED IN PROBE OF ASTEROID
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: When is it better to transmit on the shortwave bands than on
microwave? Ralph Squillace KK6ITB has the answer.
RALPH: It was only a test transmission but the signals being transmitted
from Gakona, Alaska to the West Coast of the United States were being done
with a specific purpose. Before the receiving antenna arrays near Socorro,
New Mexico and Bishop, California were to receive the chirping signals
transmitted at around 9.6 MHz, they were bounced off an asteroid known as
2010 XC15 (twenty-ten XC15). With the asteroid twice as far away as the moon
is from Earth, this was more challenging a feat than moon bounce.
The longer-wavelength-than-normal transmissions on December 27th were from
the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, in Alaska. It
was HAARP's first involvement in probing the interior of an asteroid,
something NASA had hoped would be possible as part of preparation for the
anticipated arrival of a much larger asteroid coming closer to Earth, in
2029. Scientists say that the best way to successfully hit and deflect an
oncoming asteroid and protect the Earth from damage is to learn how the
asteroid's mass is distributed.
Hams and amateur radio astronomers were invited to listen and submit their
reception reports to HAARP. QSL cards were to be sent to those who emailed
their findings. Now that's some rare DX.
This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(U OF ALASKA GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE, QRZ)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W9BCC
repeater in Wausau Wisconsin on Sundays at 9 p.m. during the Rib Mountain
Repeater Association's Sunday Night Swapnet.
**
HONORING THOSE WHO INSPIRE OTHERS' DX ACHIEVEMENTS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A new program launched by an Ohio DX group honors those who
inspire others in their pursuit of DX. Andy Morrison K9AWM has those
details.
ANDY: Achieving DXCC is an honor - but what about the hams who work so hard
behind the scenes helping other amateurs achieve that coveted status of DXCC
award-winner? The Southwest Ohio DX Association has launched a new program
that recognizes the hams who help other radio operators achieve their first
100 confirmed DX entities. The amateur receiving the assistance must be
under the age of 30. The DX association has specifically designed the award
this way to target those who help younger amateurs and ensure they continue
to be encouraged and active in the hobby even after receiving their DXCC
certificate.
The intent of targeting this audience helping younger amateurs is to attract
and retain those operators who are most likely to remain engaged in the
hobby after achieving DXCC. The DX Mentor Recognition Program has the
support of the Northern California DX Foundation and the International DX
Association. Both groups are providing representatives on the judging
committee. The award will be presented at Dayton Hamvention in May at the
Southwest Ohio DX Association dinner.
For more information about the DX Mentor Recognition Program or to download
an application, visit the website in the text version of this week's
newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ: https://www.swodxa.org/DX-Mentor-Program/ ]
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(425 DX NEWS)
**
IDEAS NEEDED FOR RADIO'S ROLE MARKING KING'S CORONATION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in the UK are being asked to contribute their ideas for
radio's role in marking the King's coronation. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us
more.
JEREMY: Long before there was radio, the UK had its fire beacons, torchlight
relays that served as warnings of invasions in earlier centuries. As the
Radio Society of Great Britain makes its plans to help mark the coronation
of King Charles III and his Queen Consort next May, the society hopes to
give this ancient tradition a role as well. A number of events will be
organised for the occasion with an eye toward demonstrating amateur radio to
the public. The society's Coronation Lead, Alan Messenger, GØTLK, is looking
for ideas about what shape the special events will take and most
particularly how the fire beacons can be included, as a way of honouring
tradition. UK hams are being asked If they have suggestions for these events
or any other thoughts, to contact Alan at special dot projects at rsgb dot
org dot uk (special.projects@rsgb.org.uk)
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(RSGB)
**
THE 2023 DX ULTRA-MARATHON HAS BEGUN
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The marathon is on! Starting January 1st, 2023, if you're a
DXer, you can be in the running. Neil Rapp WB9VPG tells us how.
NEIL: Since it was founded in June 2018 the True Blue DXers Club has
acknowledged that, long path or short path, there is no easy path to good
DXing. Beyond having good equipment, DXing takes skills and patience. The
club continues to nurture its appreciation for DXing accomplished via CW and
SSB. It has announced its latest year-long operating event that begins on
January 1st. This is their 2023 DX Ultra-Marathon and it is encouraging CW
and sideband operation in as many DXCC entities and WAZ Zones as possible.
If you wish to be in the running during the 2023 marathon, you needn't join
the club itself but you are required to register. The link for registration
can be found in this week's text version of our newscast at arnewsline.org
Then start making QSOs as early as January 1st and begin uploading your logs
on January 15th.
The club's website notes that like any worthy marathon, this event requires
operators to push their limits and make an investment in time and in effort.
This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.
[ FOR PRINT ONLY: www.tbdxc.net/marathon ]
(425 DX NEWS, TRUE BLUE DXERS CLUB)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, special stations SP9ØENIGMA and SP9ØENG are active until
15 January to mark the 90th anniversary since Polish cryptologists first
broke the Enigma cipher. For SP90ENIGMA, send QSL via SP3PGR. For SP9ØENG,
QSL via SP3PDO.
The Marconi Club is holding the fifth edition of its QSO Party Day on the
7th of January. Operators will be on the air from 0700 to 18000 UTC on 80,
40 and 20 metres, using CW. The ARI Loano (LOW-ANNO) Marconi Club is a
member of the International CW Council. Operators will be calling "CQ MCD."
Special callsigns R2023NY and UE23NY are active on the HF bands until the
8th of January for the annual "Russian New Year" radio marathon organized by
the Miller DX Club. QSL via RQ7L.
Be listening for HH75RCH on the bands from January 1st through the 1st of
May. This is the special callsign marking the 75th anniversary of the Radio
Club d'Haiti, established on March 29th 1948. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or
via N2OO (N 2 OH-OH).
(425 DX NEWS)
**
KICKER: A HOLIDAY NET THAT'S A SAFETY NET
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our final story for this week is about one holiday net that
is also, for many, a kind of safety net. Don Wilbanks AE5DW has that story
for us.
DON: Sometimes we get on the air looking for more than just a signal report.
As the holiday season draws to a close, ONTARS, the Ontario Amateur Radio
Service, has stepped in twice to do just that. Known for the daily net it
holds on 3.755 MHz, ONTARS also provided a gathering place for amateurs who
spent this past Christmas in need of company. That net, known as Sam's
Christmas Cracker, was conducted by Sam Jones, VE3ZSZ, as he has done for
the past six years with the support of Barry Lisoweski, VE3ISX, the ONTARS
manager. Sam shared this year's net on December 25th on 80 metres at 4 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time with Kevin VA3RCA.
Sam told Newsline in an email that the net added some holiday brightness for
people who may have suffered a death in the family or perhaps were left
trapped by the recent blizzard that struck in the northeastern regions of
the United States and Canada. He said [quote] "It was about 120 minutes of
just funny jokes and funny stories." [endquote]
Together everyone checked in and found a common meeting ground on the air.
Sam said he plans to hold another net on New Year's Day, January 1st. This
will be on 7.185 MHz lasting from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It will
be called the Positive Vibrations Net.
Sam told Newsline [quote]: "It's important. I try to bring smiles across the
miles." [endquote]
This is Don Wilbanks AE5DW.
(SAM JONES, VE3ZSZ)
**
NEWCAST CLOSE - DO YOU HAVE NEWS?
STEPHEN/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 the Alexanderson Association; Amateur Radio
Weekly; the ARRL; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Congresswoman Debbie
Lesko; Contest University; CQ magazine; the DARC; David Behar K7DB; the 425
DX News; Sam Jones, VE3ZSZ; shortwaveradio.de; the True Blue DXers Club;
University of Alaska Geophysical Institute; Wireless Institute of Australia;
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 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 30-dez-2022 10:45 E. South America Standard Time
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