Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2044, December 30, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2044, with a release date of Friday, December 30, 2016, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond to the typhoon in the Philippines.
Radio Australia begins its shortwave shutdown -- and we talk to possibly
the oldest continuously operating phone net. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2044 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS RESPOND TO SUPER TYPHOON IN PHILIPPINES

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with an update on amateur
involvement in the deadly Super Typhoon Nock-Ten, a deadly Category 4
storm that raged through the Philippines at Christmas, killing at least
six, and stranding thousands. The Philippines Amateur Radio Association activated its Ham Emergency Radio Operations Network at the approach of
the storm, which caused mudslides, flooding, and power interruption, in
five provinces.

The hams kept communications open using both HF and VHF radios, as the
storm made landfall repeatedly. Authorities tuned into the emergency net
where amateurs sent them damage reports. Our thoughts are with them all,
as the nation begins the recovery process.

(ARRL)

**

RADIO AUSTRALIA ENDING SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS

NEIL: It's the end of an era in shortwave for one Australian broadcaster. Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, tells us more.

GRAHAM: There's only one month left in the lifetime of shortwave
broadcaster Radio Australia's transmissions in the Pacific. The
broadcasts, which are in the 31, 25, 19 and 16 meter bands, are expected
to cease on Jan. 31, 2017.

The Australian Broadcast Corporation said in a news release that the
decision was consistent with the broadcaster's desire to expand its
digital content offerings, and phase out technology that is no longer
current. Other Radio Australia programming will continue to be available
via satellite and streaming services.

The broadcaster's decision to drop shortwave was recently challenged by
Senator Claire Moore of Queensland, a member of the Australian Labor
party. Moore, who is Shadow Minister for International Development, and
the Pacific, is concerned that this decision will have a negative impact
on Australia. She recently expressed particular concern about what the
absence of Radio Australia would mean during cyclones if other nations' broadcasts do not step in to fill the void. There were also reports that
the public was being encouraged to press for a reversal through a
petition on Change.org urging the Australian government to cancel the
decision.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(ABC.NET.AU)

**

NO WALK IN THE PARK

NEIL/ANCHOR: One Arizona ham radio club is staging a demonstration in
two local parks, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins,
KE5CXP.

MIKE: The Queen Creek Amateur Radio Club is hoping for maximum
participation by radio amateurs, and maximum engagement with visitors,
during its public park event on January 7th, in Mesa, Arizona.

The club is calling it "Radio Under Sun Shade," and also "Radio In The
Park," and there are two locations where club members will be operating
at portable stations:

Dennis, KF7RYX, will be at the ballfield pavilion behind the Queen Creek
West Stake Center, near Hawes Road and Ocotillo Road. Doug, WB7TUJ, will
be in Emerald Park in Mesa.

According to the club, this isn't just a demonstration, but an open
invitation to anyone interested in trying out ham radio - and even
getting on the air. Hams will be on 2 meters simplex, as well as 40
meters, trying to make as many contacts as possible, using solar and
other off-the-grid power.

Visitors are welcome to join them from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2045, January 6, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2045, with a release date of Friday, January 6, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The International Space Station finds help for its
VHF radio crisis. American Indians get on the air for their first-ever
Net -- and are you ready for Winter Field Day? All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2045, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

GENEROSITY'S IN ORBIT WITH THE ISS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: We open this week's report with an encouraging outlook
for the International Space Station, and its VHF radio crisis. Here's
Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: As we reported earlier on Amateur Radio Newsline, plans have been
under way to replace the VHF radio aboard the International Space Station, which failed this past October. The Ericsson VHF handheld that has called
the Columbus module home for 17 years, came up with an error code as
astronaut Kate Rubins, KG5FYJ, was preparing for a contact with a school
in Nebraska. She was able to complete the contact by using a radio in one
of the Russian modules in the station. As a result of this radio's
failure, hams all over the planet no longer have the capability of APRS
and digipeating on VHF through the space station. A UHF radio is operating,
but contacts are much more difficult due to Doppler shift.

JVC Kenwood graciously donated a TM-D710GA mobile, dual band radio. Modifications have been made, and a special power supply prototype has
been built to facilitate using the radio in both US and Russian modules
of the space station. Production and certification are the next steps,
which costs an estimated $200,000.

So, now not only are the school contacts adversely affected, but every
ham who enjoys the digital communications bouncing off the station on VHF,
has lost that capability. This makes the urgency for donations to the
cause to be even more intense.

Some local clubs have stepped in to help, such as my home club, the
Bloomington Amateur Radio Club in Bloomington, Indiana. Rosalie White,
K1STO, the ARISS International Secretary-Treasurer, and also a member of
the club, explains:

ROSALIE: "The Bloomington Amateur Radio Club, voted to donate $100 to ARISS, and a club officer quickly matched that with his own check, as did 2 other
club members - and my own mother!! Several members contributed other
amounts to equal $200. I told them they made me want to cry happy tears!"

NEIL: And on December 28, the Quarter Century Wireless Association made a sizeable donation to the cause. Ken Oelke, VE6AFO, QCWA President, hopes
the funding will be a catalyst for individuals and other groups around the globe to follow suit, and donate to the radio system cause. He said, "I
truly believe this is a great opportunity for the QCWA to shine in the
Amateur Radio Community, and to carry out QCWA's mandate as described in
its constitution." Rosalie tells us about another happy donor.

ROSALIE: Dana Harding, VA6DJH, said "I'm happy to help support ARISS's
new radio effort. The whole thing is so cool -- who else gets to sit in
their living room, and just decide to call up the space station...and
then have it answer?! With ARISS, I can reach out and touch the ISS!"

NEIL: Individuals and groups interested in helping to make the ARISS
hardware reach the ISS can go to the AMSAT Website, www.amsat.org, and
give a tax-deductible donation by clicking the ARISS Donate button.
Donors giving $100 or more are awarded with a beautiful ARISS Challenge
Coin. Those wishing to make a much more substantial contribution should
contact Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, at ka3hdo@verizon.net.

Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

**

HAMS ASSIST AT HINDU GATHERING

SKEETER/ANCHOR: In India, amateur radio operators are about to take on
a special role during a Hindu pilgrimmage, as we learn from Amateur
Radio Newsline's John Williams, VK4JJW.

JOHN: As Hindu pilgrims gather, beginning January 13th, to take a holy
dip in the River Ganga in West Bengal, India, amateur radio operators
are being asked to stand by. The hams, members of the West Bengal Radio
Club, have been asked to be available to help locate anyone who goes
missing at the gathering, known as the Ganga Sagar Mela.

Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, secretary of the club, said the amateurs
will work with district police, local agencies, and non-governmental organizations, and information will be shared among them through a
central website. Officials told the Indian Express newspaper that every
year, people go missing at the festival, which constitutes the world's second-largest congregation of people. One official said hams were
brought in to assist with making key connections, using photographs of
anyone missing and being able to network over radio, to contact families.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2046, January 13, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2046, with a release date of Friday, January 13, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The Radio Club of America has embraced the role
of YLs in wireless. A special event station marks the presidential inauguration. Scouts are already preparing for Jamboree On The Air --
and our top story, a vital repeater in suburban New York faces eviction.

All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2046, comes your way
right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK REPEATER IMPERILED


DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with breaking news: a critical
repeater site that's served its suburban New York community for three
decades, and put to use in a number of disasters, is now being asked to
leave its location. Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO, has our
top story:

PAUL: A 30-year-old repeater site that is key to public safety in Long
Island, New York is facing possible eviction from new building owners.
I spoke with club president Pres Waterman, W2PW, about their plight:

WATERMAN: Basically, the repeater's been on top of a 10-story building
for almost 30 years. The arrangements under which it was up there have
been sort of lost to history - I mean, there have been so many management changes and regime changes and what not, that it kind of slipped into an undocumented status, but it's been there for a heck of a long time. It
covers really, really well in central Long Island.

I've got IRLP and D-STAR happening at the site and it's been used for a
number of public-service situations such as TWA 800 going down in the
Nineties, September 11th, Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy -- in fact, I
wasn't even home during Hurricane Sandy, because I was at the Red Cross
shelter doing communications duty, and then I found out I came back to
find my house had been wrecked in Sandy, so it's a real thing that affects
us here in Long Island, New York.

Basically, several months ago, an entity from out of town, named Delaware North, acquired the building with the intentions of opening up a casino,
and those plans are taking shape. I was told about a month-and-a-half ago
that the equipment had to go -- they didn't even know about it, which is
not surprising -- but had to go because the state gaming board would not
allow it unless it was used for the "building operations or the
government." So, I went directly to the gaming board and they said, "We
don't have a problem with that."

So, then I went back, and I was still told no, even so they still want it
off the building, so it just seems like a whack-a-mole game of reasons and excuses and what-not.

But, I did some research on the company, and they do have a global
footprint of their operations, and they do talk about stewardship, and
giving back to the community, and I'm reasoning that this is an excellent
way for the management to give back to the community by allowing the
repeater site to simply stay at no investment to them whatsoever!

PAUL: They are running short on time to get the corporation to reverse
their decision, and let the repeaters stay right where they are. Waterman
said he'll be contacting as many in the corporate headquarters as he can,
as well as enlisting the help of area first-responders and emergency organizations to help drive home the importance of the repeaters.
Waterman stated that there is no equivalent site for relocation.

If you'd like to sign the petition, please go to www.change.org and search
for "Keep the Amateur Radio Repeaters Operational."

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**

MEMORIAL PLAQUE NAMED FOR POPULAR UK CONTESTER

DON/ANCHOR: A ham who won many contesting honors during his lifetime is
now being paid a special tribute by organizers of one of his favorite
contests -- as a Silent Key. We learn more from Amateur Radio Newsline's
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: By the time Steve Cole, GW4BLE, became a Silent Key on Dec. 2,
2016, the Welsh amateur had a lifetime of achievements in contesting. He
ranked high on the ARRL's DXCC Honor Roll, and had high standings in
different events run by the Radio Society of Great Britain. His favorite contest of all, however, was the CQ World Wide SSB contest, where he
scored many wins over the course of 40 years.

CQWW has now added a plaque in his memory, to be given to the
highest-scoring European amateur station each year in the EU SSB Classic section. It will be managed by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation,
and will be available starting this year. Dave, G8FXM, told Ohio Penn DX
that only one other amateur in the UK has ever had an award named in his memory: Al Slater, G3FXB.

In this way, by honoring Steve, the noted achievements of "Bravo Lima
Echo" continue on, in the very spirit he brought to the competition.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(OHIO PENN DX, RADIO SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report #2047 for Friday, January 20th, 2017

*** CLOSED CIRCUIT ADVISORY ****

The following is a closed circuit advisory, and not for broadcast.

Newscast #2047 is an expanded edition of Amateur Radio Newsline,
containing a tribute to Charlie Emerson, N4OKL, of the Huntsville
Hamfest, who has become a Silent Key. This newscast has three segments,
and there are two breaks for identification.

And now, here's this week's anchor, Jim Damron N8TMW.

**

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2047, with a release date of Friday, January 20, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Congress gets a new Amateur Radio Parity Act.
There are new efforts to save an imperiled New York repeater -- and we
devote a special segment to Huntsville's Charlie Emerson N4OKL, Silent
Key. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2047, comes your
way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

BREAKING NEWS: DISCUSSIONS ATTEMPT TO SAVE LONG ISLAND REPEATER

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a late development on the fate of an imperiled Long Island, New York repeater. Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul
Braun, WD9GCO, has an update.

PAUL: A dialogue has begun between Delaware North, the new owner of the
hotel that is home to 2 Long Island repeaters, and John Melfi, W2HCB, the emergency coordinator for the nearby suburban Town of Babylon. Both sides
are hoping to resolve the issue, and prevent the repeaters' eviction. The parties are now in the process of drafting a memorandum of understanding,
in the hopes of keeping the threatened repeaters where they are. Nothing
has been resolved yet, however, and we continue to follow this story. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**

U.S. HOUSE GETS AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT

JIM/ANCHOR: There's also big news on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers on
Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill are calling it H.R. 555, but hams also
know it as the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The measure was reintroduced
on Friday, Jan. 13 into the 115th Congress, where it is sponsored by Congressman Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican. His cosponsors are Congressman Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat, and Congressman Greg
Walden W7EQI, a Republican from Oregon. Walden is also chairman of the
House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where the new bill is headed.
It will first get consideration in the subcommittee on Communications
and Technology.

The act directs the Federal Communications Commission to prohibit the application of deed restrictions that ban amateur radio operations.
Hams are hoping Walden's outspoken support of the bill's previous version
will help it gain traction again.

**

HISTORIC SHORTWAVE SITE TO BE CLEARED

JIM/ANCHOR: On a marshy section of New Jersey coastline known as Good
Luck Point, the final bits of radio history are about to disappear. We
hear more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: Luck has finally run out for the coastal New Jersey site, Good
Luck Point. It was home to Ocean Gate radio, the Atlantic coast hub for
the high seas shortwave service of American Telephone and Telegraph.
The service provided phone communications to ships at sea, and used the
call sign WOO.

Now, the federal government wants the site cleared.

Beginning in the early 1930s, it was home to a transmitter station
providing vital links between the shore and U.S. ships. Its operation
allowed mariners to make telephone calls simply by contacting the AT&T
marine operator. This was, of course, right up to the dawn of cellular
phone service. The transmitter worked with a receiver about 15 miles
south on the salt marsh, and both were also part of AT&T's national
"long lines" system.

The stations provided single-sideband radiotelephone service until AT&T
halted that practice in 1999. The New Jersey sites eventually were
abandoned, and Good Luck Point was bought in 2003 by a nonprofit trust
for donation to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The
refuge, which suffered major damage during superstorm Sandy in 2012, is
now being cleaned up and cleared out. That cleanup includes 500 antennas
and poles. Some poles, however, will remain on long after evidence of
radio activity is gone: They'll be used as platforms to support nests for osprey, which are federally protected.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(WORKBOAT.COM)

**

PORT ELIZABETH CONTEST A 44-HOUR RADIO FEST

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in the Republic of South Africa are focusing attention
on the VHF and UHF bands -- and maybe a little camping out too. Here's
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

JASON: Think of it as 44 hours of making long-distance contacts, setting records, and following changes in propagation on the VHF and UHF bands.
It's the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society's annual VHF and UHF
contest, where the ultimate goal is to stimulate activity on these bands, whether in digital or analogue mode. Because both 22-hour sessions are
designed to reflect changing propagation, operators are advised to watch
for Tropo Ducting or Meteor Scatter in the mornings or at night, on 2
meters and 6 meters, and to be mindful of Aircraft scatter, Sporadic-E,
and Rover stations during the day. The competition heats up on Friday,
Jan. 20th, and ends on Sunday, Jan. 22nd.

According to the Port Elizabeth organizers, the contest is also a great opportunity to do some camping, and set up field stations. If you are a licensed amateur in the Republic of South Africa, or any neighboring
states, this competition is for you.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(PORT ELIZABETH AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2048 for Friday, January 27, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2048, with a release date of Friday, January 27,2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. There's a new leader at the helm of the FCC. The Amateur Radio Parity Act scores a victory in the House -- and in Missouri, state lawmakers consider their local version of the federal bill. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2048, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

***

AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT PASSES IN HOUSE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story is the Amateur Radio Parity Act. Only days
after its introduction on Capitol Hill, the bill, also known as H.R. 555,
was passed by the House of Representatives on unanimous consent under a suspension of House rules. Under the measure, FCC rules would prohibit
deed restrictions by groups such as homeowners associations that bar
amateur radio communications.

ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, said in an email
message to members that he was encouraged by the swiftness of the
lawmakers' action. The measure moves next to the Senate, where its
predecessor H.R. 1301, died last year after overwhelmingly winning
approval in the House. Lisenco, who has been involved in the legislative
push, urged hams to raise their voices once again for its passage by
sending supportive emails to Congress.

In an email to members, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, pressed hams
to strengthen the grassroots effort nationally. He wrote in an email
message sent to members: QUOTE "Keep going. Now is the time to charge
forward with that same momentum to the Senate. We can do it!" ENDQUOTE

(ARRL)

**

MISSOURI LAWMAKERS CONSIDER STATE PARITY ACT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers have been holding hearings on
a state version of the parity act, as we learn from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Christian Cudnik, K0STH.

CHRISTIAN: House Bill 136, also known as the Missouri Amateur Radio
Parity Act, was before a committee hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.
It was the third hearing scheduled at high noon. Roughly, twenty Missouri
hams came to the Capital prepared to speak on behalf of the bill.

Due to time constraints, only four licensed amateurs were allowed to
testify -- one of which was Ward Silver N0AX.

Rep. Mike Moon, from District 157, voiced his basic support for the
amateur radio service, but raised his concern about "violating" private land-use agreements. Additional questions about the size of antennas were
asked from several district representatives.

Larry Scantlan, KE0KZ is one of the leading advocates of Bill 136. He
said: "I believe we could have done a better job in answering the
questions about antenna size. I believe that overall, the committee
received the information they needed to make a favorable decision to
pass it out to their committee."

The HOAs were also represented. Jim Durham testified in opposition.
However, in the end, he stated that he believed that [quote] "something positive could be worked out to satisfy everyone." [endquote]

Next, Bill 136 waits for the committee to bring it up for a vote.

In the meantime, organizers encourage Amateur Radio Operators in Missouri
to contact their representatives, and ask for their support. This
information, other ham radio related resources, and an interactive blog
can be found at marpa.us.

For Amateur Radio Newsline in Missouri, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH.

**

NEW CHAIRMAN AT HELM OF FCC

NEIL/ANCHOR: Back in Washington, D.C., the federal Amateur Radio Parity
Act has already drawn praise from the nation's new top telecommunications regulator, Ajit Pai, shortly after being named new chairman of the FCC
by President Donald Trump. Pai, the commission's senior Republican, had
only praise for the action taken by the House of Representatives in
passing H.R. 555, calling it an important piece of legislation.
Originally named to the commission under President Barack Obama, Pai is
an advocate of limited government involvement, and free-market forces.
His first open meeting of the FCC is set for Tuesday, Jan. 31.

(NPR)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2049 for Friday, February 3, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2049, with a release date of Friday, February 3, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Radio amateurs help out during Inauguration Week.
On Maui, a Volunteer Examiner hits the milestone of 100 license exams --
and World Radio Day is coming! All this and more, as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report 2049, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

IN WASHINGTON, D.C., HAIL TO THE HAMS!

ANCHOR/PAUL: We begin this week's report with a look back at Inauguration
Week through the eyes of some amateurs who were there in Washington,
helping manage communication and crowds. Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil
Rapp, WB9VPG, spoke to two of them.

NEIL: Jeff Dahn, KB3ZUK, of Rockville, Maryland, activated every National
Parks On the Air location in the Washington, DC area last year. That,
combined with his prior law enforcement experience, landed him as a radio operator for the National Park Service during the presidential
inauguration, as well as the Women's March on Washington. A net control
site was needed on three days notice, and Dahn was able to designate his
club's W3HAC facility to serve as the net control station site for
Amateur Radio operators helping those arriving for the Women's March.
They connected the club's command post with the National Park Service
Incident Command Post via ham radio.

Art Feller, W4ART, was the primary net control at W3HAC.

ART: In a population the size of a good sized city, you expect normally problems to occur. And in fact, they did. There were times that the crowd
got so dense, that we got a call from the National Park Service saying
please spread them out, and they took care of that. So mostly, well it's entirely, looking after people, and helping the managers keep everyone
healthy, safe, and well.

NEIL: Jeff Dahn noted that ham radio was an essential means of
communication for the march.

JEFF: There were things that happened that just simply would not have
happened without the service of the hams. And even the march organizers,
and things; that was their only way to communicate many times was because
they had a ham radio operator at their hip. At one point they said, you
know, "We're gonna march!" And then another time they said, "We're not
gonna march. There's just too many people." And then the mayor of D.C.
showed up and said, "No! We are gonna march! We didn't come here not to
march." So there were all these start again, stop again things. And, all
of these things happened; that I mean I could go on and on. I was there
for 32 hours between 3 days. But, particularly like I said, there was a
lot of involvement that the ham radio operators did.

NEIL: The crowds grew, which created a safety concern.

JEFF: At one point, the crowd was so large that we were notifying people
just for officer safety and first responder safety that if they going to
go into those areas, there was a strong likelihood that they may not be
able to get out quickly. So we passed that information over to the W3HAC command center and to the net control so that their folks could pass that
on to the volunteer march marshals and volunteers.

NEIL: Despite cellular telephone services bringing in additional networks
to attempt to handle the communications of the crowd, the phone system
became overloaded. Hams were there to communicate when all else failed.

JEFF: You know, we as hams; we know what we do. But the general public,
they just don't understand how valuable it was. And when you double the
size of a city in a day, you know; typical resources that are there to
deal with that, are just not available. And that's where hams step in and
fill the void. And it's just amazing what they do.

NEIL: For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

**

SILENT KEY: NYC MARATHON'S ALLAN STEINFELD W2TN

ANCHOR/PAUL: Allan Steinfeld W2TN never ran the New York City Marathon,
but he was always with its athletes every step of the way. The longtime
radio licensee, who was the marathon's former race director, became a
Silent Key on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

An avid athlete himself who had run in the Honolulu and Boston Marathons, Steinfeld worked alongside New York City race founder Fred Lebow, starting
as technical director of the marathon, and later as its president. The
race had a significant amateur radio component since the 1970s, when the
late Steve Mendelsohn W2ML, formerly WA2DHF, mobilized a team for radio support. Allan, licensed since 1959, upgraded to Amateur Extra in later
years, and chose W2TN as his call.

A sprinter more than a long-distance runner, he never took part in New
York's own famous race. But he served the race over the years as
timekeeper, president and then CEO, stepping down in 2005 for health
reasons. Runner's World magazine described him as an "innovative technical genius." He had been responsible for the amateur radio communications
network that served the race's 26.2-mile route.

Allan Steinfeld was 70.

(NEW YORK TIMES, ARRL)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2051, February 17th, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2051, with a release date of Friday, February 17th, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Intensive studies of the ionosphere are resuming
at last at a high-profile research site in Alaska. A group of DXers in the
U.S. gets a ham in the North Cook Islands on the air after three decades -
and shortwave listeners prepare for their 30th annual gathering. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2051, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

***

PAUL: We open this week's report with word that the ionosphere, the very
thing that lets us hams BE hams, is about to go back under formal
scientific scrutiny this month at a former military site in Alaska. Now,
of course, the study is an academic exercise, as we learn from Amateur
Radio Newsline's Jim Damron, N8TMW.

JIM'S REPORT:: The University of Alaska at Fairbanks is about to embark
on its first radio research project later this month at the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program site. The experiments will occur within
HAARP's transmitter tuning range of 2.7 to 10 MHz. According to university researcher Chris Fallen, KL3WX, the transmissions are likely to be audible outside Alaska, and may even be visibly detected within the state.

He said that if conditions are favorable, HAARP radio transmissions may
also be heard from virtually anywhere in the world using an inexpensive shortwave radio. The transmissions' exact frequencies will not be
determined until right before the experiment, and will be posted on
Twitter as soon as they are known. Listeners are advised to follow the
site by its Twitter handle, which is at-U-A-F-G-I (@UAFGI).

The work is being done under a grant from the National Science Foundation.
The university took over the Gakona, Alaska site 18 months ago from the
U.S. Air Force, which had used the 40-acre grid of antennas and powerful
array of HF transmitters to conduct research into the properties and
behavior of the ionosphere.

Later experiments will include a look at over-the-horizon radar and satellite-to-ground communications.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

(UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, ARRL)

**

NO RADIO SILENCE IN ANTARCTICA

PAUL: In another cold place, on the opposite end of the planet, hams still await signals from hams at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. There are,
however, alternatives as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY'S REPORT: The ice hasn't melted in Antarctica, but there appears to
be something of a thaw anyway - at least in terms of amateur radio communications. The KC4USV operation at McMurdo Station hasn't been on the
air in two years but if you've been listening during the last few weeks,
you might have heard someone else - KC4AAA -- at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott
South Pole Station. Sure enough, there was activity on SSB on 40 meters.
Even though the station wasn't on the air too often during 2016, it was
active in December and January, and will be sending out QSL cards in
March, according to the QSL Manager Larry Skilton K1IED
(KAY-ONE-EYE-EE-DEE).

If you can't get through to KC4AAA, try Mikhail "Mike" Fokin, RI1AND, at Novolazarevskaya Base, Antarctica. He has been working stations in the
U.S. on 40 and 20 meters using PSK31. You also have a few more days -
until the 22nd of February, to contact Oleg Neruchev, ZS1OIN/UA3HK. He
is active as RI1ANN from the Russian Progress station.

Meanwhile, McMurdo Station KC4USV is waiting for a thaw of its own and
K1IED requests, on its QRZ page, that hams contact the National Science Foundation and press them to put the station back on the air.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(THE DAILY DX, QRZ)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2052 for Friday, February 24, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2052, with a release date of Friday, February 24, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams in the UK mark a broadcast station's birth
95 years ago. Australian amateurs receive honors from the navy -- and
there's big news for the International Space Station. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2052 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

NEW AMATEUR RADIO ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

JIM/ANCHOR: This week's report opens with good news for the International
Space Station: They're expecting a special delivery. It's a new radio
that's been very much needed for several months now. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins, KE5CXP, with the story.

MIKE's REPORT: The newest amateur radio aboard the International Space
Station is on its way: It's an Ericsson 2 meter VHF radio, and it took
off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center with the launch of a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday, February 19th. Its mission? To replace
the Ericcson radio that failed aboard the space station several months
ago. The Ericsson will be used for contact with educational groups and
schools, and for amateur packet radio in the Columbus module.

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS' International Chairman, reports that the
Ericsson will be installed in the Columbus module, and will take the
place of the UHF radio that has been used in the meantime for some school contacts and APRS packet. Frank announced in a statement that he believed
ARISS was making QUOTE "great progress on the development of the new interoperable radio system that we hope to use to replace our aging radio infrastructure in the Columbus module and the Service module." ENDQUOTE

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.

(ARISS)

**

ARISS: BOOK EARLY, DON'T GET LOST IN SPACE

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're part of a school or other educational institution
that's hoping for student radio contact with the crew on board the ISS,
you'll want to plan ahead - but first you'll want to hear this report
from Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL'S REPORT: Educators and school officials have only until April 15
to apply for a chance to make radio contact with the International Space Station in 2018. ARISS is already looking to book its crew's schedule
between January 1st and June 30 of next year. Applicant schools should
be able to engage large numbers of participants, and show how the radio
contact will be used as part of an overall education plan. As the
astronauts and cosmonauts answer questions about living and working in
space, students will also get to learn about space research, radio
science, satellite communication, and wireless technology. The contacts
over FM are expected to last about 10 minutes. If you need guidance
putting your application together, ARISS has information sessions online
which last about an hour. The next sessions will be on Monday, March 6,
at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, and Tuesday March 16th, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

For further details, contact ARISS directly by emailing
ariss-at-ariss-dot-org (ariss@ariss.org)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(ARISS)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2053, for Friday, March 3, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2053, with a release date of Friday,
March 3, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Australian hams turn a retired public bus into a classroom and ham shack. Texas amateurs donate books to inspire and teach
new licensees -- and amateur radio becomes a tool for police in India.

All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2053, comes your way
right now.

**

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**

HAM RADIO ADDED TO POLICE RESOURCES IN INDIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes a look at how one police organization in India has been busy integrating amateur radio into its well-established strategy of radio response. That's going to mean more
ham radios - and more licensed hams! Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: The Assam Police Radio Organization, which uses wireless
communication for law enforcement and crises, is working to integrate
amateur radio use more deeply into its operations, particularly for
disaster preparedness. According to a recent article in the Assam
Tribune, the strategy gained traction during a February APRO seminar
on disaster response, and planners said priority needed to be given to communication methods that did not rely on the existing communications
grid.

The director general of Assam's police, Mukesh Sahay, said during the
seminar that the need for more trained and licensed amateur radio
operators is paramount.

The police will be working with S. Ram Mohan VU2MYH, director of the
National Institute of Amateur Radio in Hyderabad, to develop a system.
Police in Assam have used various forms of wireless communications
since 1946, and an independent communications network was expanded
following India's independence the following year. Disaster response
was taken to a new level in 2005 when the Amateur Radio Center, VU2VKP,
was opened at the APRO Training School.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(ASSAM TRIBUNE, ASSAM POLICE, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AMATEUR RADIO)

**

WORLD-CLASS PLANNING FOR HF CONTEST

NEIL/ANCHOR: Staging a world-class HF contest takes a lot of planning
and preparation, so organizers of next year's World Radiosport Team Championship in Germany can't start too soon. With some milestones
already under their belts, planners still have a few more to go -- as
we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT.

CARYN'S REPORT: It's around 500 days to the 2018 World Radiosport Team Championship, and preparations are well under way. A successful test
was already performed on one of the planned sites in July 2016, and
now, from June 23rd to the 25th, several stations will be set-up and
taken down in the Jessen/Wittenberg area of North East Germany, where
the 2018 event will take place.

From antenna and mast assembly through power supplies and tents,
everything will be tested to find any possible problems. The processes
for the volunteers supporting the event will be "fine tuned" and
documented so that when the pinnacle of HF contesting comes to Germany
next year all will be ready and everything will run smoothly.

For anyone wishing to help with the financing of this major event full
details of how to sponsor the event, a team or a tent can be found on
the WRTC2018 website at W R T C TWO ZEROONE EIGHT DOT D E.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT.


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2054 for Friday, March 10, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2054, with a release date of Friday,
March 10, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A ham in Maine tracks down some unconventional interference. A Morse Code operator is honored for her service in World
War II -- and a Hurricane Watch Net founder becomes a Silent Key. All this,
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2054, comes your way right now.

**

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**

SHEDDING LIGHT ON AN RFI ISSUE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our report begins this week with an RFI detective story.
We've all experienced interference on the bands - but one ham in Maine
followed its trail, and found a rather unconventional source. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC-ZERO-DGY (KC0DGY), spoke to him.

ROGER: It first started about three years ago. I have a pan adapter and
was looking at the 160 meter band, which is the band I operate most. I
noticed down at the end of the band was a strange looking signal down
there, and wondered what heck was that? Then, later on, as the season
went on, this signal gradually kept increasing.

KENT: That's Roger Johnson, N1RJ, of Limington, Maine, talking about his discovery of RFI on his favorite ham band.

ROGER I went on the web, and found out it was pretty much the signature
of a switched mode power supply. I found out this was probably a grow
light. Since these grow light ballasts operate at power levels up to
thousand watts. A lot of them are ordered from the far east, and have
fake FCC compliance stickers, so there's no filtering built into these
things at all.

KENT: Johnson's hunt for the interference was on.

ROGER I started to do some DFing. I made a SDR receiver, and started
driving around, until I found the guy. I went up and talked with him.
A nice young guy, who was astonished to find out he was creating
interference to someone a mile away. He showed me all around his grow operation, he has a marijuana grow license, and he's very proud of his operation. I got to thinking about that, I don't want to report him to
the FCC, because they'll issue him to cease and desist order, he'll have
30 days, solve the problem, or or shut down. How is he going to solve the problem, he's not an RF guy? He bought these ballasts in good faith, but
they have a false FCC sticker on them. If he goes out and buys new
ballasts, there is nothing assuring him he'll not get another batch of
bad ballasts. He's providing a service, and he's doing it honestly, and complying with Maine law.

KENT: Johnson estimated this guy could be looking at an additional
thousand dollar expense to filter his ballasts. He went on to tell me
he proposed legislation to get the state to ban ballasts that produced interference. His suggestion was for out-of-compliance ballasts to be
refunded or replaced with a units that doesn't produce noise, but that
proposal died in the Maine Senate. Johnson pointed out the FCC had about
300 field engineers back in 1960, today that number now sits at 43.

ROGER: What are the chances getting a field engineer to drive five or six hundred miles on a complaint some ham has to interference complaint from
grow lights? I think it is nil.

ROGER: With Maine, and more and more states legalizing these grow of marijuana, I can see these small time guy, these are going to spring up
like mad. These things legally cannot be imported, since they don't meet
the rules for conducted radiated interference. But no one is minding the
store, They're bringing in these things by the thousands, if these grow operations take off. It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
If they just keep issuing letters to these offenders, they're going to run
out of stationery pretty soon, because there's going to be too many of
them.

Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2055 for Friday, March 17, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2055, with a release date of Friday,
March 17, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A longtime amateur supplier of crystals is closing
its doors. South African youngsters find new friends on the air -- and hams climb to summits around the world, to face challenging contacts. All this,
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2055, comes your way right now.

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CRYSTAL MANUFACTURER SHUTTING AFTER 6 DECADES

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is about International Crystal Manufacturing. The longtime supplier to the amateur radio community is
going out of business, as we hear from Newsline's Mike Askins, KE5CXP.

MIKE'S REPORT: International Crystal Manufacturing, once one of the
suppliers of crystals for Collins Radio, will be closing its doors by the
end of May. The Oklahoma City company manufactures precision crystals,
quartz crystals, oscillators, filters, and other products, and has been
in business since 1950.

A letter on the company's website from Royden Freeland Jr., W5EMH, the
son of the company's founder, said the company will honor all pending
orders, and would try to fill a limited number of new orders, depending
on the availability of raw materials.

International Crystal is considered one of the few remaining makers of
crystal products based in the U.S. ICM expanded from crystals into other electronics in the 1980s, following the 1978 death of the founder, and
his wife, in an airplane crash. It eventually went back to its core
manufacture of crystals in the 1990s, after selling much of its
distribution and equipment business.

In addition to being a Collins supplier, ICM also provided materials to RadioShack, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time,
and announced that many of its 5,900 employees, and 1500 remaining stores
would be impacted.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP, in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

**

MONIX: THE LONG AND SHORT OF SHORTWAVE

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Shortwave listeners and scanner enthusiasts in and around Cincinnati, are making use of a resource to monitor themselves, as well as radio signals. We hear more from correspondent Jack Prindle, AB4WS, in
this report, courtesy of Amateur News Weekly.

JACK: In the greater Cincinnati area, there is a group of avid radio
monitors, who listen to all kinds of RF. Calling themselves MONIX, they
have been a base for SWL and scanner listeners in the area for years.
MONIX was founded in 1983 as an informal club of scanner enthusiasts,
shortwave listeners, DXers, and others, who share an interest in the hobby
of radio monitoring. MONIX is a full spectrum, all-mode club, covering all aspects of radio monitoring, from DC to daylight. MONIX covers the Cincinnati-Dayton metro area, southwest Ohio, southeast Indiana, and
northern Kentucky. Monix is an open group. Anyone anywhere may join! If
you're a radio hobbyist, this is the place to be. They have a group on Yahoogroups and Facebook, which can be found by searching yahoogroups for MONIX. For more information visit the MONIX website at M-O-N-I-X dot N-E-T.

Covering your amateur radio news in the greater Cincinnati area, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, for Amateur News Weekly, this is Jack Prindle,
AB4WS, in Big Bone, Kentucky.

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Our thanks to Amateur News Weekly for that report.
Additional reports on the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky region, can be found
at www.amateurnewsweekly.com


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2056 for Friday, March 24, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2056, with a release date of Friday,
March 24, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. South African hams take on the rising noise floor.
AM mode gets its day in the sun -- and you'll go nuts for the world's
smallest homebrew transmitter. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2056, comes your way right now.

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**

SPEAKING UP (LOUDLY) ABOUT RISING NOISE FLOOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with this report on noise. The
noise floor is rising on the bands, and so are the efforts at mitigation.
In South Africa, a detailed study is about to get under way, and the South African Radio League is in search of input and expertise to assist, as we
hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

JIM: In South Africa, it's time to start making some noise - some
complaining noise - to help make the bands more hospitable for amateur
radio. The South African Radio League is forming a study group to monitor
the rising RF noise floor on the bands, and to identify ways to mitigate
noise from man made sources, that impacts the radio frequencies.

The radio league is collecting information from radio amateurs who may have expertise, or interest in providing input to the study in preparation for a workshop being held on the 22nd of April. The open meeting will take place
at the National Amateur Radio Centre in Cape Town.

For more details about the workshop on the rising noise floor, or to express interest in being a part of the noise study, send an email to sarlregwg-at-sarl-dot-org-dot-za (sarlregwg@sarl.org.za)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

**

FROM DUBLIN TO NEPAL AND BACK AGAIN

PAUL/ANCHOR: Call it a success! The Irish DXpeditioners who went to Nepal
are back home, returning with more than 30,000 QSOs completed, as we hear
from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: The Irish DXpedition, 9N7NEI, reports that it has completed its
goal of more than 30,000 QSOs during 10 days of operation, before going QRT
on March 19. The team's shutdown came just in time - it was right before a major power outage, the team reports on its website. In fact, much of the DXpedition was plagued on and off by power outages, electrical storms, and noise issues. There were bright spots however, that had nothing to do with
a sky illuminated by lightning: Operators got to celebrate St. Patrick's
Day at the team's QTH at the Sojourn Himalaya Resort in Nepal. They also
played host to a number of guests, including three students and their
teachers from the Sweden's Sando Rescue College, who had come to learn the logistics of setup and operations, especially with a dozen operators on the air.

The team is grateful, of course, for exceeding its QSO goal, and counts
itself lucky, even as it counts those 30,366 contacts. All that remained
was the 22-hour trip back to Dublin.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(9N7NEI WEBSITE)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2057 for Friday, March 31, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2057, with a release date of Friday,
March 31 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Amateur radio continues its advances in digital technology. In Italy, one amateur creates a detailed online map that
locates repeaters -- and it's time for an exclusive report from our roving correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg, who's back to break some exclusive
April Fool's Day news! All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2057, comes your way right now.

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WHEN SOUND CARDS ARE A SOUND IDEA

JIM/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast with two stories about digital advances which continue to transform amateur radio. We hear first from correspondent John Bartholomew, KD9ECH. His report comes to Newsline
courtesy of Amateur News Weekly.

JOHN BARTHOLOMEW: Amateur Radio operators have been on the cutting edge
of technology since the beginning of the hobby. When the hams were sent
above 200 meters in the early part of the 20th century, they proved that communications around the world was possible. They pioneered single
sideband transmission and satellite communications. Now the computer is
playing a vital role in emergency communications. Recently the Indiana
Elmer Network, under the umbrella of the Laurel Amateur Radio Club,
sponsored a workshop and demonstration of the various digital soundcard
modes. Bob Burns, W9BU, was one of the presenters, and says the technology
uses the soundcard in a computer to send data over the airwaves. A short
time ago, this technology did not exist, but leave it to the hams to
figure out how to develop it.

BOB: As more and more personal computers had soundcards in them, the hams
that were technically astute started figuring out ways to interface these soundcards with their radios, and use them to send and receive data. For
the most part, these modes have been developed by amateur radio operators
and it is part of the technical basis of amateur radio.

JOHN: Burns says that while this started out as purely experimental, there
are other reasons to use it.

BOB: If you are in an auxiliary communications situation where you have to
move a large amount of data, you want that data to be accurate. Also, most
of the sound card modes are fairly narrow in bandwith, narrower than a
single sideband signal, and that way you can pack more signals into a
given amount of spectrum.

JOHN: One scenario for using the digital modes would be a hospital
receiving a large amount of patients, and the facility is running low on supplies.

BOB: The hospital folks put together a list of things that they need, you
can send that information using voice, and take a lot of time and maybe
have trouble getting things spelled correctly -- or you can use the
soundcard digital modes to send it as a piece of data, and then you don't
have to worry about the spelling, and everything gets through accurately,
and in a minimum amount of time.

JOHN: What new technologies will come forth in the coming years remains to
be seen, but you can bet if it involves communciations, amateur radio
operators will have a hand in it. Reporting for Amateur News Weekly, this
is John Bartholomew, KD9ECH.

JIM/ANCHOR: Our thanks to Amateur News Weekly for providing that report.
For more of Amateur News Weekly, visit their website at
amateurnewsweekly.com

**

DIGITAL CROSSES THE FINISH LINE

JIM/ANCHOR: In this next report on digital radio modes, we hear about one amateur radio club in Ireland that took this new technology for a test run
in County Galway, and found it roadworthy. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains.

JEREMY'S REPORT: Runners in the annual Kinvara Rock and Road Half Marathon
and 10K run in County Galway, Ireland, can always expect a stunning finish
as the race winds up on the quay in Kinvara. In this year's contest,
however, another group celebrated a fine finish of their own: Hams in the Galway VHF Group were providing radio assistance to runners along the
seaside route, and these hams ended up feeling like winners too: This was
the club's first time making use of C4FM technology -- and the effort was deemed a success. It may have been the club's first all-digital operation
for an Amateur Radio Emergency Network-supported event, but it won't be
their last. According to the club, it has been decided that similar
operations in the future will feature DMR radios, or radios equipped with
Yaesu Fusion.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(KINVARA ROCK AND ROAD MARATHON, GALWAY VHF GROUP, IRTS)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2058 for Friday, April 7, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2058, with a release date of Friday,
April 7, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond to natural disasters in Australia and Colombia. The Radio Communication Museum opens in the UK -- and you're all invited to activate a lighthouse in Atlantic Canada! All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2058, comes your way right now.

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AUSTRALIA'S TROPICAL CYCLONE DRAWS AMATEUR RESPONSE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story is a special report from Australia, where
Queensland is still repairing massive damage and counting losses from
Tropical Cyclone Debbie, which hammered North and Central Queensland on Tuesday, March 28th. Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, gives
us the details, which have been provided to us by Gavin, VK4ZZ, in
Townsville, one of the affected areas.

GRAHAM: Amateur radio responded, despite challenges of its own, as
Tropical Cyclone Debbie battered the tourist and agricultural centers
in North and Central Queensland. The storm knocked out the power infrastructure, halting mining operations, destroying buildings, bridges, roadways, and crops; and wiping out essential amenities in the resort
regions.

Hams along the cyclone track, experienced in storm response, made
preparations -- most especially in the regions of Bowen, Mackay, Central Highlands and Townsville, according to Gavin, VK4ZZ, who lives in
Townsville. They checked radio gear, dismantled fragile antenna systems,
and ensured they had enough fuel to run emergency power generators. Gavin
told Newsline that by Sunday the 26th of March, hams with HF antennas
still aloft boosted call-in numbers on the local nets. He said members of
the Townsville Amateur Radio Club who were out providing communications
support for an autosports Hillclimb during the day, still kept an eye out
on the predicted storm track updates.

On Monday the 27th of March, counter-disaster authorities, which included
some embedded hams, tweaked their pre-deployment plans according to Gavin. Bowen, one of the affected towns, was able to provide VHF repeater coverage throughout the Cyclone -- and indeed was on the air despite lack of power
in the town -- thanks to the Bowen Radio Amateur Group, and in particular Geoff/VK4JDW, who was powering the repeater off the emergency generator at
his house, where the repeater is situated. The antenna system survived
winds of as much as 125 miles per hour. Further inland, the Central
Highlands Linked Repeater System remained functional, but its northern
coastal node, the Midge Point Repeater, was disabled by structural and
power system damage.

Gavin said many hams became part of the recovery efforts, embedded with
the Queensland State Emergency Service and other responders. As the
cyclone swept out, hams put their HF antennas back up, and have joined
the nets with stories of either dodging the bullet, or being on the
recovery trail. He said all eyes are now on the city of Rockhampton,
where there were some evacuations, as the city deals with post-cyclone
flooding from the Fitzroy River.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(GAVIN CHARLES REIBELT VK4ZZ)

**

COLOMBIAN HAMS AFTER FLOODS, LANDSLIDE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams were also on the scene in a Colombian mountain town threatened by flooding and subsequent landslides. We hear more from
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

JIM MEACHEN: An amateur radio emergency response network was activated on
40 meters in Colombia to assist with recovery efforts there following
flooding, and a massive landslide outside the mountain town of Mocoa (Muck-KO-a), near the border with Ecuador. With more than 200 dead, and
many others missing or injured - and all electricity cut off - the
amateurs have been deployed to assist local fire departments and other emergency responders, according to Roberto Rey, HK3CW.

A state of emergency was declared after the Mocoa River and two
tributaries overflowed their banks into the town, where it devastated residents' homes. The flood is considered one of the worst natural
disasters in Colombia in the last two decades.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(IARU REGION 2, ASSOCIATED PRESS, ARRL, NPR)


Posted by VPost v1.7.081019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2059 for Friday, April 14, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2059, with a release date of Friday,
April 14, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A young amateur reports back from his first
DXpedition. Hams get busy with Marconi Day, and the anniversary of Samuel Morse's birthday -- and we give you a preview of contesting at Hamvention!
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2059, comes your way,
right now.

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**

IN INDIA, A REUNION BY RADIO

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the story of ham radio at its best:
It's the tale of a dramatic and emotional reunion, played out in India
after a local amateur radio club helped a lost and injured young man find
his way back home to his worried family a good distance away. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has that report.

GRAHAM: It took a month of searching, but a 25-year-old man who had been separated from his family during a religious fair in India, was reunited
with them with the help of an amateur radio club.

The young man had been hospitalized with head injuries, when Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club, heard about his situation
from Kolkata's health officer. Biswas told The Hindu newspaper that the
man was hardly able to speak. With the help of an interpreter, they
learned his name, and that his family is from Vellore district. They also learned he ended up in Kolata by mistake. He was lost.

The amateur radio club put word out about him, and distributed his photo
on social media, and in videos. Kolkata police helped in the search and,
one month later, the man and his family were reunited - first by phone and
then by bringing the family to Kolkata.

Biswas told the newspaper: "The idea is to put this radio into best use."

And what better purpose than this?

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(THE HINDU)

**

GOOD PROGNOSIS FOR HOSPITAL RADIOS

DON/ANCHOR: Hospitals exist to help us -- but who's out there helping the hospitals? Hams, of course! Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun,
WD9GCO, with the story of one such special effort.

PAUL: Emergency communications are a big part of what amateur radio is,
and why it remains relevant in today's connected world. And, one critical
area is emergency healthcare, where many providers are turning to amateur
radio as a backup.

Andy Finnick, W9FXT, has been involved in setting up amateur radio backup systems for hospitals in Northwest Indiana for almost twenty years.

ANDY: Yeah, I got involved in 1998, when St. Margaret's Hospital in
Hammond, Indiana wanted some emergency communications, so I put a repeater
up there. And, ever since then, it grew. I put another repeater up there,
and they were real helpful - they gave me a nice climate room to put it in, they put a cage, put in emergency power, put a phone line. And then about
2007, they hired a man who was the bio-terrorism director, and by then
things were starting to happen.

We started out with about ten or twelve people - some local law
enforcement, the Schererville police chief, and other agencies - there
was just a small group of us. And, it grew and grew, until the point where
it became District One. There are ten districts in the State of Indiana.

PAUL: Eventually, the system involved more than just on-site repeaters:

ANDY: What I was told was that the State and Federal government mandated amateur radio for backup and emergency communications. So, we start
installing radio stations in there besides repeaters. One reason we install them at the hospital, is so that any licensed amateur can walk in there,
and operate that station.

PAUL: I asked Finnick if there were any special requirements to volunteer
for his group:

ANDY: We don't refuse any help, but we would like them to join RACES, so
that we have a structure to it. But anyone that wants to help out, please
do.

PAUL: If you are in the Northwest Indiana area, and want to get involved,
or if you want more information on how you can start a similar program in
your area, you can contact Andy via email at w9fxt at sbcglobal dot net.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.


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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2060 for Friday, April 21, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2060, with a release date of Friday,
April 21, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. VHF's back on board the International Space Station. Australia prepares for a new shortwave service -- and YLs in Japan are
marking a milestone event. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report 2060, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART HERE

****

VHF PACKET DELIVERS ON THE SPACE STATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: We open this week's report with cause for rejoicing to the
skies. So if you follow the International Space Station - or are hoping
for a contact someday with one of its astronauts - listen carefully to
this report from Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: There's good news from outer space! The International Space Station
is back on the air on VHF from the Columbus module! After a failure of a
VHF handheld in October, a UHF replacement was retrieved from storage,
and put into use temporarily. Because failure is not an option, the ARISS
team began the process of getting the 17-year-old replacement handheld
radio up to the space station until the new mobile radio is ready and certified. At the end of February, the SpaceX 10 launch vehicle, Dragon,
flew to the ISS with the HT on board. On Friday, April 14th, it was
finally unpacked. Rosalie White, K1STO, ARISS International Secretary,
shared the good news with us the day it happened.

ROSALIE: The ARISS team was notified this morning that the radio was set
up and turned on to 145.825 as the crew just found time finally after
unpacking that 5,500 pounds of cargo that got delivered. So, we're back
in business again!

NEIL: Followers of ISS Fan Club have already posted that they've heard
and used VHF packet, and are thrilled to have it again! Rosalie reminds
us that they don't know how long the radio will last, and work is still progressing on a permanent replacement.

ROSALIE: The Ericsson that we sent up was the very last one that was in
storage at Houston. It's only 6 watts, and our new system that we're
developing is 25 watts. It's going to make it so much nicer. The audio
will be so much better for the school kids. And that system is in the
works. We've got the Kenwoods, but the power supplies are in the process
of being built, and because they have to be space-certified parts inside,
they are extremely expensive. So, if anyone is interested in helping out
with some of those costs, they can go to the AMSAT website www.amsat.org
or the ARISS www.ariss.org site and contribute. If you are enjoying the
use of the packet, we hope to be able to continue that for you and could
sure use a hand.

NEIL: So if you need your space... consider donating to the cause.
Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

**

IN CORNWALL, FROM TITANIC TO MARCONI

PAUL/ANCHOR: As hams in Cornwall, England prepared for International
Marconi Day on Saturday, April 22nd, they were already deeply involved
in operating for another on-air commemoration: the 105th anniversary of
the sinking of the Titanic, the ill-fated ocean liner that had a Marconi station on board. Amateur Radio Newsline's Ed Durrant, DD5LP, worked
Cornwall special event station GB2GM, and shares this report.

ED'S REPORT: April 22nd is a very special day in the world of radio. It's
the day that we celebrate the birth of the great inventor, Marconi,
without whom radio communications would not be what it is today.

There are many stations around the world who will take part in
INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY. One of those stations I happened to come
across on Good Friday commemorating another historical event where
Marconi radio operators were involved. The sinking of the Titanic
happened when it hit an iceberg 105 years ago. GB2GM is the special
event station run by the Poldhu Radio Club from the Marconi Centre in
Poldhu, Cornwall, England. Here's my short conversation with Malcolm,
GM0DBW, while he was operating the club station.

------ Audio clip from IC-7300 of QSO in here------

ED: So, when tuning around on April 22nd if you hear GB2GM GB2 Golf Mike
on the bands, give them a call, and you'll be talking to the museum
located in the old Marconi station hut in Poldhu, Cornwall, the site of
the first ever transatlantic wireless communication! Full information
about the Poldhu Radio Club can be found on their web site at GB2GM.ORG.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Ed Durrant, DD5LP.


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