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PY2BIL > ARNR 26.05.23 15:16l 420 Lines 19786 Bytes #3 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2378 for Friday May 26th, 2023
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2378 for Friday May 26th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2378 with a release date of Friday May
26th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Deadly floods ravage a region in Italy. Hamvention
2023 is just a memory now -- and a tragic antenna accident claims a noted
contester's life. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2378 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
FLOODS RAVAGE REGION OF ITALY HOSTING WRTC
NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to Italy where deadly floods
in one region have displaced and disrupted lives and the economy. This is to
be the location of the World Radiosport Team Championship later this summer,
as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.
GRAHAM: Besieged by flooding that displaced more than 36,000 people and
killed at least 14, Italy's Emilia-Romagna region has received some limited
support from amateur radio. Greg Mossop, GØDUB, emergency communications
coordinator for IARU Region 1, told Newsline that hams made use of local VHF
repeaters to resume communications within affected towns until mobile and
landline phone networks could be put back into service. He said the failures
were not severe enough for local authorities to ask regional ham radio
emergency networks to activate. Hams did remain on standby, ready to use HF,
VHF and digital voice if necessary.
Greg said the IARU received the information from Alberto Barbera IK1YLO (Eye
Kay Won Why El Oh) of the RNRE radio communications network. Alberto said
the affected area asked for additional support from other countries in the
region to provide extra pumping capacity and those teams made use of VHF/UHF
commercial communications supported by Starlink satellite terminals.
Separately, organisers of the World Radiosport Team Championship, to be held
this summer in Bologna - in this flood-impacted region -- were keeping an
eye on the challenging conditions. Luca Aliprandi, IK2NCJ, who handles media
and communications for the event, said on the WRTC Groups.io list that if
some sites for WRTC are unusable, competitor stations may need to be
relocated farther north of Bologna. He wrote [quote] "Our will and
dedication to organising WRTC2022 will be stronger than any adversity."
[endquote]
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(GREG MOSSOP, GØDUB, IARU REGION 1)
**
ACMA, COLLEGE END RELATIONSHIP FOR AMATEUR LICENSING
NEIL/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, the Australian Maritime College
announced that it was severing its relationship with the Australian
regulator for providing amateur licensee services. The college and the
Australian Communications and Media Authority will go their separate ways in
February 2024. Before the college's selection in 2019, services such as
exams and callsign recommendations were provided through the Wireless
Institute of Australia. The ACMA is to take the role of call sign allocation
and examination syllabus control "in-house" to go with the licensing role
which it already fulfills -- and to do this under the new class license
framework. The ACMA said it would release a consultation on the new
accreditation scheme this coming August at the same time as the new class
licensing arrangements take effect.
(ACMA)
**
FCC TO REVISIT SPECTRUM ALLOCATIONS
NEIL/ANCHOR: In the US, the FCC has a busy June ahead of itself: It's taking
a second and perhaps a third look at spectrum allocations -- and there's a
new candidate nominated to join them, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO.
PAUL: In June, the US Federal Communications Commission will revisit ways
the radio spectrum can be utilized more efficiently and study the propose
testing of a few uses on part of the 42 GHz band in the so-called
"greenfield spectrum." Greenfield spectrum refers to the part of the
spectrum that is unutilized. The FCC's focus has been intensifying on this
along with other parts of the spectrum because of the growing demand for its
use by emerging wireless services -- and limited places to authorize their
operation.
FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced this plan in the commission's
June agenda, posting her message on the agency website on May 17th. She said
the 42 GHZ band was an apt place for conducting experiments with various
spectrum-access models because of the absence of licensed users there.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has nominated a longtime telecom lawyer
for the government, to join the FCC. Anna Gomez must still be confirmed by
the Senate. The president's previous nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew from
consideration several months earlier.
This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.
(FCC)
**
A SUCCESSFUL HAMVENTION 2023 IS IN THE LOG
NEIL/ANCHOR: This year's Dayton Hamvention was another success, with several
vendors returning after an absence along with some great weather. The rain
was mostly overnight on Friday and caused minimal disruptions. The main
buzz was about 2 new handheld radios being announced, one from ICOM America
and another from JVC/Kenwood who returned to Hamvention after being absent
since the start of the pandemic.
2023 Hamvention Amateur of the Year Carsten Dauer, DM9EE, received a
standing ovation in front of a large crowd attending his forum about his
work to house evacuated Ukrainian family members as well as shipping donated
radio gear, power banks, solar panels, and first aid kits for use to assist
operators despite the partial Russian invasion.
Steve Morgan, W4NHO, was recognized with the Spirit of Amateur Radio award
for his work in coordinating disaster relief communications during the
recent Eastern Kentucky flooding. The Voice of America Museum in nearby West
Chester, Ohio, had expanded hours during Hamvention and reported record
attendance of nearly 400 visitors.
The youth socials at the YOTA booth were standing room only. And, many hams
were greeted by the first known live duck to attend Hamvention, Mochi,
accompanied by Junie, N1DUC who was promoting her new YouTube channel and
educating people about domesticated ducks.
Finally, 2023 marked the return of our own Newsline Town Hall. Attendees
heard international updates from Tim Ellam, VE6SH, the president of IARU.
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, returned to the town hall to talk about the ARRL
Volunteer Monitoring program, while Mark Smith, N6MTS proposed a new open
headset interconnect standard to assist with group activities and EMCOMM.
**
US AUTOMAKER WON'T ELIMINATE AM RADIO IN NEW CARS
NEIL/ANCHOR: AM radio isn't quite dead yet among those selling cars in the
US. One carmaker has shifted gears into reverse - literally. Here's Kent
Peterson KCØDGY with an update.
KENT: In the United States, the Ford Motor Company has reversed an earlier
decision to eliminate AM radios in its new cars, trucks and SUVs. The
carmaker's announcement was made on Tuesday, May 23rd, on the heels of a
bipartisan bill introduced in Washington, D.C., pressing for AM broadcast
radio's retention as a public safety measure.
Ford CEO Jim Farley announced on social media that the reversal comes came
after discussions with government policy leaders who believe the elimination
of AM broadcast radio in vehicles will cut motorists off from essential
emergency alerts transmitted on those frequencies.
The CEO wrote on Twitter that all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles would
include AM radio. He added: [quote] "For any owners of Ford's EVs without AM
broadcast capability, we'll offer a software update." [endquote] The update
would restore AM functionality.
The US Federal Communications Commission has also thrown its support behind
the proposed legislation that seeks to halt the trend toward automakers'
removal of AM broadcast in US vehicles. The bill, introduced May 17th, is
known as the "AM for Every Vehicle Act." The FCC cannot regulate what
automakers do but was nonetheless vocal about the value AM radio has to
motorists who may need to receive emergency alerts while on the road.
Other manufacturers, including Volvo, Tesla and BMW, have indicated they
were dropping AM radio from their new electric cars because of interference
between the vehicles' electrical operating systems and the AM broadcast
band. The Associated Press did not immediately receive comment from the
other carmakers.
The bill's opponents, including The Alliance for Automotive Innovation,
which represents US automakers, called the AM radio proposal unnecessary.
They said that the US warning system, operated by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, can also deliver safety warnings by other means, such as
FM broadcast, satellite and cellular networks.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, HOUSE.GOV, INSIDE RADIO, VARIETY)
**
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION RANGE EXPANDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
NEIL/ANCHOR: Emergency preparedness got a needed boost in South Carolina and
Kevin Trotman N5PRE has those details.
KEVIN: Dorchester County, South Carolina is getting ready for hurricane
season on the ground and in the air. High atop a 226-foot tower, members of
the county's emergency management office have been installing an antenna
system that will allow the county's amateur radio response team a wider
communication range with first responders during emergencies. The hams are
members of DART, or the Dorchester Amateur Radio Team.
County officials told the local CBS TV station that the installation is
designed to close a communications gap between Columbia and as far away as
Charleston, South Carolina - a need that became apparent after Hurricane Ian
struck the region last autumn. As storm season approaches again, the
emergency management office is supplementing this antenna work high in the
air by taking on some serious training on the ground. Emergency officials
will soon be teaching classes to help get more volunteers prepared for their
amateur radio technician license.
This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(NEWS2)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KJ3LR
repeater in Bradenton Florida on Fridays at 10 p.m.
**
SILENT KEY: CONTESTER, DXER, BERNHARD "BEN" BUETTNER, DL6RAI
NEIL/ANCHOR: An antenna accident has claimed the life of another ham - a
well-known DXer and contester. We have those details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: A noted DXer, contester and CW enthusiast from Germany has become a
Silent Key. Bernhard Buettner, DL6RAI, who was known to everyone as Ben, was
killed following an accident while doing antenna work at his QTH in Aruba.
Writing about his friend's death, Martin DL5RMH, said that they were working
together to prepare to change one of the antenna masts when the mast Ben was
tending to buckled unexpectedly and Ben fell to the ground. He could not be
revived despite immediate first aid and the work of an ambulance rescue
crew.
Ben's own account of his ham radio life reflects a long and enduring love
for active radio operation around the world. He fell in love with CW as a
shortwave listener in 1978 after decoding a message he copied from a local
ham. He worked to gain proficiency in Morse and by March of 1980, the 16-
year-old radio enthusiast passed his license test, qualifying at 12 words
per minute.
An avid traveler, he operated from at least 45 countries around the globe
and became a serious contester using CW, RTTY and the digital modes. Between
2002 and 2005, he was the WAE DX contest manager for the DARC. From 2007 to
2019 he was president of the prestigious Bavarian Contest Club.
He purchased the QTH in Aruba in 2014 from another ham and was operating
from there intermittently as P4/DL6RAI or P44X. His widow, Luise, is also an
amateur, with the callsign DL2MLU.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
NEIL/ANCHOR: Newsline takes this opportunity to remind listeners to please
follow safety precautions always when doing antenna work or any other radio
activity that presents a potential hazard such as this.
(SOTA REFLECTOR, QRZ.COM)
**
MASSACHUSETTS HAMS STEP UP FOR 'RELAY FOR LIFE'
NEIL/ANCHOR: In one Massachusetts community, amateur radio is helping shine
a brighter spotlight on a public event for cancer-awareness. We have those
details from Andy Morrison K9AWM.
ANDY: While participants in the annual Relay for Life take thousands of
steps around a college athletics track during a two-day fundraiser for
cancer research, the Mohawk Amateur Radio Club will be taking steps too:
These Massachusetts amateurs will be on the air as the two-day event steps
off on Friday, June 9th, at 6 p.m. local time. They will be on the campus of
the Mount Wachusett Community College, reaching out globally over the
airwaves to raise awareness of the lifesaving work of the American Cancer
Society.
The hams will be on 20 and 40 meters during the day and will switch to 80
meters at night.
As in the past, many of those answering the call of station N1WW are likely
to have cancer survival stories of their own -- and some of the operators,
such as Jack Burgoyne, W1PFZ, will be sharing theirs.
Jack and club president Kevin Erickson, N1ERS, spoke to the Gardner News
website recently about the event and the club's history of providing support
to it.
With a big turnout of spectators expected as individuals and teams in the
relay make their rounds on the track, the ham club will also be raising its
own profile. Kevin said the club hopes people will take a moment to visit
the club trailer and check out the radios that are carrying that important
message around the world.
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, THE GARDNER NEWS)
**
QRP DAY COMES TO IARU REGION 3
NEIL/ANCHOR: The power of QRP isn't always measured in watts or even
milliwatts. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF explains.
JIM M: It started as a long-ago suggestion from the New Zealand Association
of Radio Transmitters, which suggested to IARU Region 3 in 1997 that QRP
operation be given its day in the sun - literally. Since then, Region 3
societies have helped advance involvement in such QRP activities as QRP
field days, QRP contests, instructions for QRP kit-building and publication
of articles about QRP operating. That's all about to get even more intense
on June 17th, which will once again be QRP Day throughout IARU Region 3.
Writing to IARU member societies' directors and liaison officers, Yuki
JH1NBN, Region 3 secretary, encouraged promotion of QRP operation,
particularly when it is highlighted on that day. He wrote in his letter that
QRP [quote] "offers advantages
concerning, among others, the reduction of QRM on the amateur bands."
[endquote]
The day promises a powerful outcome.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(IARU REGION 3)
**
100 WATTS AND A WIRE SCHEDULES SPRING TUNE-UP
NEIL/ANCHOR: The 100 Watts and a Wire community, which has been around since
2015, has chosen the weekend of June 9th, 10th and 11th as its Tune-Up
weekend, its annual spring operating event. That means that operators will
be on the air calling "CQ Tune-up" on June 9th, 10th and 11th on any band at
anytime during those three days - and in any mode, including digital. If
you're a member of the 100 Watts and a Wire community, exchange your
membership numbers with one another - and if you're not a member, you can
still make a contact and then check out the 100 Watts and a Wire podcast.
Membership is free. As podcast producer Christian Cudnik KØSTH notes, the
weekend event is a perfect time to test your equipment and operating skills
in preparation for Field Day - and to get out of the shack for some fresh
air while ON the air!
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, be listening for members of the Rockall DXpedition,
MMØUKI. They are hoping to set a new record on the air from the
uninhabitable granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. This rare location
has the IOTA designation of EU-189 and is Grid Square IO37DO (Eye Oh Three
Seven Dee Oh). The team departed for the island on May 25th and will be on
the air around the clock using SSB, CW and FT8 on 40 through 10m as well as
2m. Details and QSL information are on QRZ.com
(DX-WORLD.NET, 425 DX BULLETIN)
**
NOMINATE OUR NEXT 'YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR'
NEIL/ANCHOR: We remind our listeners that the window closes on May 31st to
nominate a promising young radio amateur for this year's Amateur Radio
Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Young hams who
live in the continental United States have an opportunity to make news of
their own in the world. Think of an amateur radio operator 18 years of age
or younger -- someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit
of ham radio. Find the nomination form on our website arnewsline.org under
the "AWARDS" tab. Time is about to run out!
**
KICKER: LOST AND FOUND WITH THE HELP OF HAMS
NEIL/ANCHOR: For our final story, we ask you to imagine being missing and
lost for three decades. Listen to this story of an older man's 30-year
journey back to his family - thanks to ham radio. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has
his story.
JASON: For one homeless grandfather from Nepal, this was a homecoming that
was three decades in the making, with the help of a merchant in a busy
Bengali business district and a group of ham radio operators in West Bengal.
The man, identified as Bir Bahadur Singh, had been spotted as a vagrant by a
Bengali businessman who reached out to the West Bengal Radio Club. He knew
the club's reputation of using their wide-ranging amateur radio network to
reunite family members. Club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA contacted
hams in Nepal who were able to locate the man's village, and eventually his
wife. They learned that Bir Bahadur Singh had apparently fallen ill 30 years
ago while he was transporting his son from Nepal to Delhi. From there, the
man somehow disappeared.
The son, now grown and working in Delhi, was overjoyed his father had been
found so many years later, according to media reports. He has been
coordinating with the Nepal Consulate to bring his father home. Ambarish Nag
Biswas told the Indo-Asian News Service: [quote] "He never doubted his
father and always knew that the man must have suffered from some sort of
mental illness to have left him alone." [endquote]
This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the American Cancer
Society; ARRL; Associated Press; Australia Communications and Media
Authority; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; 425 DX News; FCC;
Gardner News; House.gov; IARU Region 1; IARU Region 3; Indo-Asian News
Service; News2; 100 Watts and a Wire; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; SOTA
Reflector; Variety; West Bengal Radio Club; and you our listeners, that's
all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur
Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs
expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please
visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We
also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a
5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray
KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Neil
Rapp WB9VPG in Union Kentucky saying 73. As always we thank you for
listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights
reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 26-mai-2023 10:09 E. South America Standard Time
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