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PY2BIL > ARNR 17.09.21 14:42z 365 Lines 16912 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2290 for Friday September 17t
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2290 for Friday September 17th, 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2290 with a release date of Friday
September 17th, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Tokyo's ham fair is cancelled because of COVID. A
special event station marks a birthday for a Voice of America station -- and
1,000 new parks join the POTA program. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2290 comes your way right now.
***
BILLBOARD CART
**
COVID SPURS CANCELLATION OF TOKYO HAM FAIR
NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the cancellation of Tokyo Ham Fair
2021, the world's largest ham radio event. Yoshinori Takao, JG1KTC, chairman
of the Japan Amateur Radio League, announced that JARL had been committed to
holding the ham fair as planned on October 2nd and 3rd using extreme
preventative measures against COVID-19 but new waves of infection made it
necessary to call everything off. He expressed hope for better chances in
2022. The 2020 ham fair was also called off due to the pandemic. According
to the JARL website, more than 42,000 people attended the fair in 2019 over
the course of two days.
(JARL)
**
IARU REGION 3 OPTS FOR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
NEIL/ANCHOR: The IARU Region 3 is also responding to the pandemic—by holding
its first digital regional conference. Jason Daniels VK2LAW brings us that
story.
JASON: The IARU Region 3 Conference kicks off on September 20th and for its
hosting organisation, RAST, it was supposed to be three days of business and
fellowship in Bangkok, Thailand. It will instead be held digitally: a first
for Region 3, but a necessary response to the extraordinary circumstances of
the COVID-19 pandemic. RAST's president, Jack Hantongkom, HS1FVL, writes on
the conference website: [quote] "We are excited about the opportunities of
holding an innovative virtual conference." [endquote] As such, the member
societies will still meet in working groups to deal with technical,
operational and policy matters, typical of any such conference except that
this, the 18th regional conference, will take place on the Zoom platform.
The tentative list of participants on the conference website includes
attendees from ORARI, the Indonesian amateur radio society; the Chinese
Taipei Amateur Radio League; the Chinese Radio Amateurs Club; the American
Radio Relay League and the Malaysian Amateur Radio Transmitters Society,
among others. Jack writes further: [quote] "This conference will bring us
together at what is a very difficult time for us all. " [endquote]
For full details of the conference go to the URL given in this weeks script
at arnewsline.org
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://www.iarur3conf2021.org/ ]
(IARU REGION 3)
**
AMSAT SYMPOSIUM MOVES FROM HOTEL INTO VIRTUAL MODE
NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, AMSAT has also announced a change in
plans for its 2021 Space Symposium and Annual Meeting. Originally scheduled
to take place at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, it will
instead be held on Zoom on Saturday, October 30th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Time. The program will be a mix of live Q&A sessions and pre-
recorded video segments. Registration is required through the AMSAT member
portal. AMSAT plans to make the event available for public viewing later on
its YouTube channel. AMSAT announced the changes, citing concerns about
safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(AMSAT)
**
SPACEX RECOVERY VESSELS NAMED FOR 'BOB AND DOUG'
NEIL/ANCHOR: Remember Bob and Doug? No, not the fictional McKenzie brothers
but the NASA astronauts. SpaceX is remembering them and Paul Braun WD9GCO
tells us how.
PAUL: In August of 2020, Bob Behnken KE5GGX and Doug Hurley became the first
astronauts launched aboard a crew Dragon spacecraft in a historic commercial
flight. This year, Bob and Doug were to play key roles in the splash-down
stage of another history-making mission called Inspiration4. Well....at
least their namesakes were ready: Two vessels in SpaceX's recovery fleet
were named for the pair, in a nod to last year's mission which helped signal
a new era in spaceflight. The ships bearing their names became part of the
recovery fleet for Inspiration4, which—with a crew of four private citizens
aboard— marked the world's first all-civilian space flight.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO.
(NASA, SPACE.COM)
**
SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY OF VOA RELAY STATION
NEIL/ANCHOR: The "voice of freedom" transmitted its first words from West
Chester, Ohio across the ocean in September of 1944 at the then-new Bethany
Relay Station of the Voice of America. The West Chester Amateur Radio
Association WC8VOA, which calls the iconic building its home, is celebrating
the relay station's birthday this year with a special event station on
September 25th and 26th. Jocelyn Brault KD8VRX/VA2VRX told Newsline that the
club's shack is actually the original control room for the relay station.
For the special event, be listening on 20 and 40 meters for SSB, FT8 and
perhaps some CW as well. Those making a QSO are eligible for a downloadable
certificate available 24 hours after the event.
(JOCELYN BRAULT KD8VRX/VA2VRX)
**
ULTRA-TINY BATTERY SHOWS POWER AND PROMISE
NEIL/ANCHOR: When it comes to batteries, tiny might just be the next big
thing. Kent Peterson KC0DGY explains why.
KENT: The smaller the battery, the more powerful the possibilities? The
designers of a new battery technology being used in a fitness tracker would
like to think so. California-based Sila created the battery for a wristband
tracker that experts say could revolutionize everyday electronics and
perhaps have implications for modes of transportation too. For now, the
ultra-tiny powerhouses are in a niche-market item, a fitness tracker called
the Whoop 4.0. According to a New York Times article, the battery has the
same lifespan as the power source used in the previous model of that tracker
but it's a whole one-third smaller.
Sila and Whoop together said the battery had potential for mass marketing in
other devices in the next couple of years. Unlike lithium-ion batteries,
which rely on the ionization and movement of lithium atoms, these new
batteries use an anode made of silicon instead of graphite, requiring
smaller space for the lithium atoms as they move from the anode side of the
battery to the cathode.
Sila and another company, QuantumScape, told the New York Times that their
batteries will likely be used in a few short years in smart eyeglasses,
electric cars and maybe even flying cars one day.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.
(NYTIMES)
**
SILENT KEY: CHARLIE BYARS, W5GPO, LONGTIME WEATHER SPOTTER
NEIL/ANCHOR: A well-known weather-spotter and amateur radio operator in
north Texas has become a Silent Key. Randy Sly W4XJ tells us about him.
RANDY: Charlie Byars, W5GPO, took the lead in tracking severe weather with
his local Amateur Radio Emergency Services Skywarn group, which he helped
create in 1974. A licensed ham since 1959, Charlie died Sunday, September
12th. Devoted to alerting people in Archer and Wichita counties about
dangerous weather, Charlie was a part of the crucial information network in
operation on April 20th, 1979, when a deadly tornado swept through the
region, killing 40 people and destroying thousands of homes.
Over the years Charlie's commitment to weather reporting found him in
numerous roles, including ARES district coordinator for eight counties.
According to a report in the Times Record News of Wichita Falls, he was also
the recipient in 2005 of an award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Charlie Byars was 86.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Randy Sly W4XJ.
(THE WICHITA FALLS TIMES-RECORD NEWS)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the D-Star
Reflector 91-C in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday nights at 7:30 local
time.
**
REPLICA TRANSMITTER BEING PREPPED FOR DECEMBER EVENT
NEIL/ANCHOR: Big plans are being made to mark the day radio amateurs proved
they could send signals across the Atlantic. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us
what's happening.
JACK: December 11th, 1921 was a significant day for amateur radio: It was
the day of the Transatlantic Test Project, when hams' shortwave frequencies
showed themselves to be capable of transatlantic radio communications, even
at 200 meters or less. The experimental transmission of station 1BCG, using
a tube-based transmitter, was conducted by the Radio Club of America on 1.3
MHz and resulted in successful reception in Scotland.
One hundred years later, December 11th, 2021 will be an equally significant
day. A replica of that transmitter will be used to re-enact that CW
transmission on 160 meters not far from the spot in Connecticut from which
the original CW transmission was sent. Longtime Antique Wireless Association
member Bob Raide, W2ZM, now a Silent Key, (SK) built the replica for a
special event 25 years ago. AWA volunteers have spent lots of time lately
refurbishing it, wiring a plate supply, building a filament power supply and
sorting out usable tubes.
For a day that comes along once every hundred years, radio operators—and the
transmitter—need to be ready.
AWA trustee, Joe Stoltz, K2AEI, told Newsline: [quote] "We have had the
transmitter powered up and are able to get 350 watts RF on 160 meters with
one amplifier tube. The next step is to construct a 160 meter antenna so we
can do some actual on-air testing before December." [endquote] Then be
listening for the contact of the century.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.
(ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION, JOE STOLTZ K2AEI)
**
US, UK STATIONS ALSO MARK TRANSATLANTIC ANNIVERSARY
NEIL/ANCHOR: Some equally important modern-day contacts are being planned
for the big anniversary and they involve radio societies in the US and the
UK. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with those details.
JEREMY: The Radio Society of Great Britain also has big plans for the
centenary of the first transatlantic personal message between radio
amateurs. Nick Totterdell, G4FAL, the society's HF contest committee
chairman, told Newsline that the ARRL and RSGB members are organising a
number of activities surrounding the anniversary. There will also be a
Transatlantic QSO Party to be held on the 13th and 14th of November, being
sponsored by the Radio Club of America. Nick said other activities will be
disclosed soon on the society's website and will appear in the society's
RadCom magazine. The society is hoping to maximise participation in the US
and the UK and increase worldwide awareness of this achievement 100 years
ago.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
**
POTA ADDS MORE THAN 1,000 PARKS TO ITS SYSTEM
NEIL/ANCHOR: If you activate or even chase Parks on the Air, you'll want to
hear the first of this new monthly POTA report from Vance Martin N3VEM.
VANCE: This month in Parks on the Air news we have two exciting updates to
share with everybody. Our first: We are excited to announce that we have
recently added over 1,000 parks to the Parks on the Air System. For the last
several months we've had a small contingent of volunteers combing through
user requests to add additional parks, validating that those requested parks
meet the criteria for inclusion in POTA and formatting the list so they can
be added to the system. After hundreds of volunteer hours the lists are now
in the system and ready for you to go activate. Check out the maps and
search pages at the POTA.APP website to see if any of these new units are in
your area.
Also in POTA news, we are excited to share that we are formalizing a Parks
on the Air support desk. You can always continue to get community support
via the Facebook group or via the POTA Help Channel in the POTA Slack Group.
But we have a small group of volunteers who have agreed to be on a rotating
schedule to help you with your official technical support questions. To
reach the official POTA support desk, all you need to do is send an email to
help@parksontheair.com
We have coverage for most days of the week so you will usually get a
response within 24 hours but no worse than 48 hours based on our
volunteers' schedules. We won't solve every problem that fast but you'll
know that we're on it. Issues requiring Level 2 support are generally
resolved within the week.
This is N3VEM. Be sure to visit Parks On the Air dot com for more info about
the program and POTA.APP for spotting, park information, leaderboards and
more.
(VANCE MARTIN, N3VEM, POTA)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the world of DX, Dom, 3Z9DX, will be on Conway Reef west of Fiji
activating as a one-man DXpedition to this, the 41st most wanted DXCC
entity. Dom, who belongs to the Rebel DX Group, expects to be on the air by
the 17th of September and will be using the callsign 3D2CR. Be listening on
160 through 6 meters where he will be using CW, SSB and FT8/FT4 for about a
two-week period. See QRZ.COM for QSL details.
Kiyo, JA7NQQ, is on the air from Katmandu, Nepal as 9N7NQ until the 23rd of
September. This is not a DXpedition so he will be operating only during his
free time, likely 23:00 to 0100 UTC and 12:00 to 15:00 UTC). Be listening on
40 to 10m where he will be using mostly FT8 mode. His QSL information is at
QRZ.com.
Brian, N3OC, and Bud, AA3B, are on Antigua operating as V26OC and V26K,
respectively, until September 20th. Be listening on the HF bands and 6m. QSL
via their home callsigns, LoTW or Club Log OQRS.
Mike, VK4DX, will be on the air from Russell Island OC-137 between September
23rd and the 26th, operating on 40-15m. He will be using CW, FT8 and SSB.
Bo, OZ1DJJ, is active as OX3LX from Greenland until the 21st of September,
operating on the low bands with a vertical antenna. Send QSLs via OZ0J. (Oh
Zed Zero Jay)
(DX-WORLD.NET)
**
KICKER: WITH CW, IT'S NO SPEED? NO PROBLEM!
NEIL/ANCHOR: Our final story is a retelling of the old fable that "slow and
steady wins the race." For one Australian club, it's especially true for
fans of CW. Graham Kemp VK4BB picks up the story....slowly.
GRAHAM: The Peel Amateur Radio Group believes there's no business like Slow
Business, especially when it comes to CW. The club, based on Mandurah,
Western Australia, has been on a mission to get CW to flourish among its
newest members and to rekindle the keyers of oldtimers among them. They
credit one member, Tony VK6DQ, with leading the charge through his nighttime
coaching sessions. The club itself has already run a pair of Slow CW
contests on 80 metres this year for members and nonmembers alike. The third
event, on Saturday September 18th, extends the competition throughout all of
the Oceania region.
It's actually not a competition at all. It's about being friendly
and.....Taking. Your. Time. In fact, downloadable guidelines on the club's
website tell readers [quote] "You’ll make mistakes and you’ll hear others
making mistakes while they’re learning too – relax, have fun and don’t sweat
the small stuff!" [endquote]
It's not that the club is in any big rush to find slow senders—but members
DO want to encourage the slowest of the slow to get in on the action. In
fact, members David Millett VK6FAAZ and Mark Bosma VK2KI/VK6QI have written
in a Facebook post: [quote] "Please give it a go, no matter how bad you
think you are, it's all about having a go and having some fun." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(PEEL AMATEUR RADIO GROUP)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; the Antique Wireless Association; the
ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.Net; IARU; Japan Amateur Radio
League; Joe Stoltz K2AEI; NASA; NY Times; Ohio Penn DX; Peel Amateur Radio
Group; QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great Britain; the SOTA Reflector;
Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; Ted Randall's
QSO Radio Show; Wichita Falls Times-Record News; WTWW Shortwave; and you our
listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us
at newsline@arnewsline.org. For more information or to support us visit our
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 Union, Kentucky 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
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 17-set-2021 11:34 E. South America Standard Time
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