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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2256 for Friday January 22nd
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2256 for Friday January 22nd 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256 with a release date of Friday
January 22nd 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Will Arecibo rebuild its radiotelescope? A call sign
backlog nears its end in Australia - and American TV's 'Last Man Standing'
plans a lasting farewell. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2256 comes your way right now.
***
BILLBOARD CART
**
U.S. RESEARCHERS ENVISION AN ARECIBO REPLACEMENT
NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week asks: Is an Arecibo replacement a dream
or a reality? With the ruins of the historic Arecibo telescope still fresh
in people's minds, there's already a movement to rebuild one that's bigger
and better. Jack Parker W8ISH picks up the story from here.
JACK: Researchers have presented the National Science Foundation with a
proposal for a 00 million replacement of the Arecibo telescope - on the
same site where its iconic predecessor suffered its fatal collapse late last
year in Puerto Rico.
Speaking in a January 14th post on the Science Magazine website, the
scientists described what they said would be a system that would prove
useful to astronomers as well as researchers who study the planets and the
atmosphere.
Anish (Ah-NEESH) Roshi, head of astrophysics at the observatory, outlined
the scope of the proposed replacement, known as the Next Generation Arecibo
Telescope. It was described as a flat, 300-meter-wide, rigid platform,
bridging the sinkhole, and studded with more than 1000 closely packed 9-
meter dishes. Hydraulics would make the telescope's disk steerable, tilting
it more than 45 degrees from the horizontal. Modern receivers would be built
into each dish, covering a broader frequency range than that of the previous
telescope. It would be designed to have almost twice the sensitivity of the
original telescope and four times the radar power.
The project would of course need funding from the U.S. Congress -- and as
the Science Magazine article points out, Puerto Rico's representative in
Congress is a nonvoting member. Nonetheless engineer Ramon Lugo said: "We
have to be optimistic that we will make this happen." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.
(SCIENCEMAG.ORG)
**
ACMA REPORTS PROGRESS ON CALL SIGN BACKLOGS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Officials have encouraging news for hams Down Under who are
awaiting call sign changes. Robert Broomhead VK3DN gives us more details.
ROBERT: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced that
processing backlogs affecting amateur radio call signs are close to being
resolved. The Australian Maritime College, which handles these changes for
the ACMA, was challenged by disruptions caused by COVID-19 as well as a
large influx of requests for call sign changes. The wave of requests
followed an announcement by the ACMA that hams would be permitted greater
flexibility in call sign choice. The changes included permitting Foundation
licensees the option of a three-letter call sign instead of one with four
letters, making the callsigns more compatible with the protocols of digital
communiciation.
The AMCA writes in a recent bulletin: [quote] "We understand that the AMC
has almost cleared the backlog of applications and will revert to normal
processing times shortly. We will continue to monitor processing times and
work with the AMC to ensure qualifications and call sign services are
provided for the benefit of the amateur radio community." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN.
(ACMA)
**
AMSAT CUBESAT PART OF UNUSUAL VIRGIN ORBIT LAUNCH
NEIL/ANCHOR: An unlikely launch system, one using a 70-foot rocket fired
from a converted jumbo jet, sent 10 small satellites into low-earth orbit on
Sunday, January 17th. One of those cubesats was AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox 1E,
the fifth and final FOX-1 satellite built by AMSAT. It was constructed under
a partnership between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University and carries a
radiation effects experiment. Hams will be able to decode data from
telemetry and experiments using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later.
The cubesat launch was a demonstration flight staged by billionaire Richard
Branson's California-based company, Virgin Orbit. The successful launches
from the Boeing 747 took place almost eight months after the failed try last
May.
(WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNBC)
**
CITY ANTENNA LAW UPTURNED BY FCC RULING
NEIL/ANCHOR: The FCC has invalidated one U.S. city's law challenging
satellite antenna installations. Andy Morrison K9AWM has the details.
ANDY: The FCC has declared that federal law protects the right of property
owners and tenants to install and use satellite dish antennas even if the
antennas are visible from the street. The panel's ruling on January 11th
invalidates an ordinance in the city of Chicago, Illinois that restricts
such installations. The FCC says that its rule - known as the Over the Air
Reception Devices rule, or OTARD - protects the antennas' use and allows
video consumers greater choice of content. Chicago had argued that its law,
enacted in 2012, was put in place to enforce "aesthetic standards" and that
the measure does not violate the federal ruling. The petition had been
brought by the Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association, DirecTV
and the DISH Network.
The Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule does not apply, however, to AM/FM
radio, CB radio or amateur radio.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(FCC)
**
PROPOSAL TO SUPPORT JAPAN'S STUDENT RADIO OPERATORS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Students in Japan could get more opportunities in amateur radio
if a requested change in national regulations wins approval. Graham Kemp
VK4BB has that story.
GRAHAM: Elementary and junior high school students in Japan can expect
greater opportunities in amateur radio. This under a proposal from the Japan
Amateur Radio League. League president Yoshinori Takao JG1KTC has asked the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for changes in regulations
that would create greater chances for students interested in volunteering
activities especially disaster communications. The change, if approved,
would require a partial amendment to the Radio Law Enforcement Regulations.
In a translation from the Japanese, posted on various news websites,
Yoshinori said: [quote] "We would like to nurture a wide range of amateur
radio operators who will lead the next generation." [endquote] The
initiative is being undertaken in cooperation with the Japan Amateur Radio
Development Association.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(SOUTHGATE, JARL)
**
FCC REMINDER ISSUED DAYS BEFORE U.S. INAUGURATION
NEIL/ANCHOR: With fears of further civil unrest in Washington, D.C. at the
presidential inauguration on January 20th, the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission issued a warning several days earlier in the form of an
enforcement advisory to all licensed and unlicensed radio services stating
that providing any support to such activity could be considered a criminal
act. The advisory was directed at amateur radio operators, operators on the
General Mobile Radio Service, Family Radio Service radios and Citizens Band.
The advisory noted that this applies as well to messages that are encoded to
mask their meaning. The advisory states: [quote] "Individuals using radios
in the Amateur or Personal Radio Services in this manner may be subject to
severe penalties, including significant fines, seizure of the offending
equipment, and, in some cases, criminal prosecution." [endquote]
(FCC)
**
GOLD RUSH SPECIAL EVENT STATION IS MINING FOR CONTACTS
NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, a special event station marking America's Gold
Rush is mining for contacts, as we hear from Mike Askins KE5CXP.
MIKE: You might say this event is as good as gold and, well, you wouldn't be
exaggerating. The El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club is marking the
discovery of gold in 1848 at Sutter's Mill -- a discovery which most
students of American history know sparked the Gold Rush the following year.
This year the mad rush on January 23rd and 24th will be on the HF bands. As
hams look to strike QSO gold using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK-31 and JS8, they will
be digging deep through all those pileups and hoping to log the club call
sign AG6AU. By the way, it's no exaggeration to say you'll strike gold if
you get a valid contact. The callsign suffix "AU" means gold on the periodic
table of elements.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.
(EL DORADO AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world and now being heard as
well on the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club's W2GSB and WB2QGZ repeaters
on Saturday mornings at 8, following the 7 a.m. check-ins of the club's new
"Newsline With a Cup of Joe" Net. Newsline is also heard on Monday nights at
8 p.m. after the club's Info Net.
**
UK TV CHANNEL RECOUNTS AMATEUR'S NOTORIOUS, BRUTAL KILLING
NEIL/ANCHOR: The notorious killing of an amateur radio operator in the UK
was revisited recently for TV viewers of a special three-part series. Jeremy
Boot G4NJH tells us about it.
JEREMY: The brutal murder story broadcast over a three-day period on the
UK's ITV channel was no fictional drama. The episodes, which were
transmitted between Monday 11th and Wednesday13th January, recount the
killing in June 1989 of Oxfordshire radio amateur Peter Dixon G0HFQ and his
wife Gwenda. The couple were on holiday in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales,
where Peter had been operating as GW0HFO/M.
The two were found dead, shot at point-blank range within half a mile of
their campsite on 5th July. The Radio Society of Great Britain was asked by
police to put out a QST asking amateurs to check their logbooks between the
29th June and the 5th July, police believing that Peter had made a contact
with another mobile station on 28 MHz on the morning of Wednesday 28th June.
They were looking for clues, any clues at all.
Still, it took years of detective work before the case ended with an arrest
and conviction: John Cooper, a former farm labourer, was found guilty of the
killings in 2011. In an odd twist to the story, Cooper himself had appeared
on ITV on a popular game show - just days before robbing and shooting the
ham radio operator and his wife.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(ITV WEBSITE, 73 MAGAZINE/OCTOBER 1989)
**
CALIFORNIA HAMS DEDICATE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY
NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, one amateur radio club gave a big thank-you to
one of their own in the form of a special honor. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB
tells us what happened.
RALPH: The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club values its resources: They
include a state-of-the-art communications facility atop a reservoir in Santa
Barbara County, California - and they include Bill Talanian W1UUQ, the ham
who helped secure funding to make it a reality. Bill, a former trustee of
the 150-member club, has been doing that kind of volunteer work for more
than four decades.
Earlier this month, the club held a formal dedication of the facility,
naming it the Talanian Communications Facility. Such a facility provides the
kind of ability club members need to respond to communities in crisis, as
they did in 2017 when the Thomas Fire ripped through Ventura and Santa
Barbara Counties. Club members helped pass traffic for emergency responders.
The club also has a mobile rover vehicle as well as emergency radio
communications stations at the Santa Barbara chapter of the American Red
Cross and the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
Club members told the website Noozhawk that Bill played a key role in
securing funds for the facility atop the Vic Trace Reservoir. Hams have
considered it the hub of their communications network since 2011.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(NOOZHAWK)
**
HAMS SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS AT INDIAN RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE
NEIL/ANCHOR: An annual religious pilgrimage in India once again had the
support of a local amateur radio club which, this year, also made use of a
satellite. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF gives us that report.
JIM: The callsign AT2GSI wasn't your average DX. It was being used between
the 9th and the 19th of January by members of the West Bengal Radio Club in
India where hams were calling QRZ from Sagar Island, designated IOTA AS-153.
There was a lot more to this activation, however. The hams were also present
on the island as they always are during the annual Hindu pilgrimage to where
the Bay of Bengal meets the river Ganges. Using HTs and a ground station for
the Qatar OSCAR 100 satellite made them even more capable this year of
keeping emergency support communications open. More than 700,000 pilgrims
had already arrived there by January 14th.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(MILLENIUM POST)
**
RSGB NOMINATIONS DUE BY JAN. 31
NEIL/ANCHOR: Time is running out for nominations for the Radio Society of
Great Britain's elections. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that story.
JEREMY: Changes are ahead for the Radio Society of Great Britain, which is
accepting nominations for its elections. The society is seeking candidates
for president, one elected board director and one representative each in
Regions 2, 6 and 12. Results will be announced at the annual general meeting
on April 24th, where President Dave Wilson M ZERO OBW (M0OBW) is to retire,
following three years in that post during his current tenure, which is his
second term. That meeting will be held virtually.
The RSGB positions are voluntary. Interested amateurs can learn more about
these positions or how to nominate a candidate by visiting the website rsgb
dot org stroke election (rsgb.org/election). Nominations are due no later
than January 31st.
Meanwhile, the RSGB board has appointed veteran BBC broadcaster Steve
Richards G4HPE to fill the vacant post of GB2RS News Broadcast manager.
Steve's voice is familiar to many listeners as a newsreader on the GB2RS
report.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(RSGB)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, Michael, HB9WDF, will be active as 8Q7AO from
Vilamendhoo (Villa Mend Who) Island between January 25th and February 7th.
Michael will be operating holiday style and only on the QO-100 satellite.
QSL via the Bureau, eQSL, ClubLog or LoTW.
In Antarctica, listen for Felix, DL5XL, operating as DP1POL from the German
research station "Neumayer III" (NOY-MY-ERR THREE) where he is part of the
wintering team as an electronics engineer. He will be there until mid-March.
Listen on various HF bands, using the QO-100 satellite, using CW and the
Digital modes. QSL via DL1ZBO, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW.
Be listening too for GU4YDX operating from Guernsey in the CQ 160-metre CW
Contest which is happening from January 29th through the 31st. QSL via LoTW
or GU4YDX direct.
(OHIO PENN DX)
**
KICKER: LAST HURRAH FOR 'LAST MAN'
NEIL/ANCHOR: Finally, we close with an update on the popular American TV
show "Last Man Standing." When the show wraps up its final day of shooting
this spring, it's going to be saying farewell ham radio style. The prime
time show, which became a showcase for amateur radio through its main
character Mike Baxter KA0XTT (Kay Ay Zero X TT), is leaving the air after
nine years -- but not before it first gets ON the air on the amateur bands.
Executive producer John Amodeo AA6JA told Newsline that a big farewell
special event station is planned for KA6LMS between March 14th and March
30th, the last day of the show's production. At that point, the mailing
address of the Last Man Standing Amateur Radio Club will also change to
11684 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 810, Studio City, California 91604.
The show grew even more popular after star Tim Allen made things real by
getting the callsign KK6OTD. It also featured guest radio operators on the
set during meal breaks. John told Newsline: "Rather than have it slip away
silently, we should have one more activation of KA6LMS now." With operators
from the Great South Bay Amateur Radio club, the K2H special event station
and the 12 Days of Christmas, the activation will give everyone a last
chance to work KA6LMS in an ambitious special event. Be listening on CW,
SSB, D-STAR, DMR, RTTY, PSK and FT-8. Consider it one last hurrah for "Last
Man Standing."
(JOHN AMODEO AA6JA)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT-UK; Andy Meyer
N2FYE; the ARRL; Australian Communications and Media Authority; Bob Ringwald
K6YBV; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; the FCC; ITV website; John Amodeo
AA6JA; the Millennium Post; NoozHawk; Ohio Penn DX newsletter; QRZ.com; the
Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News;
shortwaveradio.de; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; WTWW Shortwave; and you our
listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to
our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at arnewsline.org.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our
news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana saying 73.
As always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
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BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 22-jan-2021 07:53 E. South America Standard Time
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