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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2422 for Friday March 29th, 20
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2422 for Friday March 29th, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2423 with a release date of Friday
March 29th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Illegal sales of radio jamming equipment found in
the US. An Australian amateur is honored for discovering new comets -- and
our April Fool's correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg, is back with a special
report on antennas you can grow. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2423 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
NETWORK NEWS REPORT DISCLOSES RETAILERS' SALE OF ILLEGAL JAMMERS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story comes from a US broadcast network, which
reported recently about illegal sales of radio jammers in the US. Kent
Peterson KCØDGY brings us up to date.
KENT: In the US, the Federal Communications Commission has revealed that the
agency has been investigating a number of online retailers and other sellers
over possible marketing of wireless radio frequency jammers, which are
illegal under federal law.
The disclosure by the FCC's Will Wiquist came following a report by NBC News
that wireless jammers that were being offered for sale were being marketed
as devices to interfere with the operation of drones. Federal law prohibits
both the sale and use of devices that deliberately interfere with the
signals of GPS units, mobile phones and other consumer devices. Such jamming
devices have the potential to interfere as well with security cameras, Wi-Fi
and emergency communications.
The FCC posts an explanation of its policy on its website, saying: [quote]:
“Unlike other radio transmitting equipment, jamming equipment cannot be
authorized by the FCC because the main purpose of jamming equipment is to
interfere with radio communications." [endquote]
The FCC made its revelation about conducting probes only after the news
network released its own report about the sales of the jammers by more than
a dozen companies.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(NBC, CNN, FCC)
**
POTA COMPLETES GLOBAL PARK RELABELING, CHINA RETURNS TO PROGRAM
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Parks on the Air program had a welcome announcement
recently for fans of portable operation. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF shares this
development.
JIM: There's good news for POTA hunters: As POTA completes its conversion of
labels to conform to the ISO-3166-2 standard, China has returned to
participating in Parks on the Air. China's re-entry follows a number of
discussions to resolve what POTA describes as "simple language barriers."
According to documentation on the POTA website, the misunderstanding over
POTA's reorganisation of its code system resulted in an unfortunate
breakdown in communications because of these language issues
On Monday, March 25th, POTA announced on its website: [quote] "We are happy
to be able to reactivate China so quickly!" [endquote]
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(POTA)
**
SILENT KEY: HAMVENTION 2022 AWARD RECIPIENT, ADAM FARSON VA7OJ/AB7OJ
ANCHOR: An amateur who was a respected re for technical expertise on a wide
range of HF transceivers and amplifiers - and was honored at Hamvention two
years ago -- has become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Jack Parker
W8ISH.
JACK: Hams everywhere sought out the wisdom and expertise of Adam Farson,
VA7OJ/AB7OJ, whether they needed guidance on buying a particular HF radio or
an amplifier. Adam's website and his array of published articles in
different journals, contained years of his wisdom and hard work. Adam died
on the morning of March 12th. A friend, Matt Erickson, KK5DR, wrote in a
QRZ.com forum that Adam had been in failing health since the 1st of January,
complicated by a relapse of pneumonia.
Much of Adam's technical expertise is shared on his website, which he
created more than three decades ago. Matt said the site would continue to be
maintained online for a time by the North Shore Amateur Radio Club where
Adam was a longtime member. The retired telecomm engineer was a senior life
member of the IEEE and was first licensed in 1962 with the callsign ZS1ZG
while studying at the University of Cape Town.
In 2022, Adam received the Technical Achievement Award at Hamvention and was
celebrated for his published work and for providing one of the internet
resource amateurs turn to most for high technical details about a variety of
radios.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.
(QRZ.COM, ARRL)
**
NASA SUNGRAZER PROGRAM HONORS HAM FOR COMET-HUNTING SUCCESS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: NASA's Sungrazer program is honoring an amateur radio
operator in Australia for having tracked down previously unknown comets by
studying spacecraft imagery. We hear about him from John Williams VK4JJW.
JOHN: Congratulations to Peter Berrett, VK3PB, who has been recognised by
the NASA Sungrazer programme as one of the top successful volunteer comet-
hunters. Sungrazer is a NASA-funded citizen science programme that
encourages anyone to participate in the discovery and reporting of
previously unknown comets. According to Sungrazer, Peter was the first to
locate a comet in imagery from the Parker Solar probe launched by NASA in
2018. Using a computer programme he wrote for this purpose, he has also
identified comets in archived images that were collected by four spacecraft.
NASA Sun & Space made the announcement about Peter earlier this month on
social media. Viewers of Amateur Logic TV may be most familiar with Peter
through his previous appearances there.
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
(STARGAZER PROJECT)
**
SKYWARN TEAM TESTS RESILIENCE OF SIMPLEX OPERATION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In western Pennsylvania, a team of SKYWARN operators has
been testing the resilience of simplex operation to prepare for emergencies.
Randy Sly, W4XJ, spoke to one of the organizers.
RANDY: What would you do if you wanted to check into the local SKYWARN net
with a severe storm report and the repeaters in your area suddenly went
down? The obvious answer is working simplex...but how and where?
The Southwest District Skywarn Team Of Western Pennsylvania has started
working on a more strategic answer by conducting a monthly series of simplex
drills to coordinate frequencies and best operating practices in case of a
scenario like this. Eddie Misiewicz (Mi-shé-vitz - short e), KB3YRU,
president of the group, told AR Newsline, <quote> “We are working on and
improving a communications plan one step at a time. In addition to improving
radios, mast height and antennas, we have also learned to assign portable
and mobile stations to strategic locations and positions.ö <endquote> He
said the hilly terrain and ridges in the area are presenting some
significant challenges for an effective solution to ensure better simplex
coverage.
The Southwest District SKYWARN team is also spreading the word at hamfests
and other events about using simplex in emergency situations. They are
inviting their fellow amateurs to prepare ahead of time for severe weather
events while developing the right equipment and skills for successful
simplex operations whether HF, VHF or UHF. The next drill is scheduled to be
held Saturday, April 13th at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
This is Randy Sly, W4XJ
**
IOTA GRANT PROGRAM EXPANDS TO MORE LOCATIONS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Island on the Air has expanded a program that will help fund
activations of more rare locations. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us what this
means.
JEREMY: The Islands on the Air DXpedition Fund created last year to support
activations in rare locations with no activity for at least 15 years has
expanded its qualifications to include additional islands and island groups.
The fund's original announcement last September said it would provide grants
to assist operations from IOTA references confirmed by fewer than one-
quarter of IOTA members in the last decade. This has now been broadened to
include operations to those locations confirmed by fewer than 30 percent of
IOTA members on IOTA's Most Wanted List. Both categories must have had no
activations for at least 15 years.
IOTA Ltd. believes that having two categories will provide an advantage for
DXpeditions to an estimated 250 IOTA groups. Applicants should note the
rarity of the IOTA reference they plan to activate, how long they will be
there, how many operators they will have, the estimated number of contacts
they expect to log, the bands to be used and, of course, the estimated cost
of the DXpedition.
For an application and more details, visit the IOTA website using the link
in the text version of this week's Newsline script.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
[DO NOT READ: https://www.iota-world.org ]
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Utah
Amateur Radio Club's W7SP repeater on Sundays as part of the club's 9 p.m.
net.
**
FCC IMPLEMENTS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION FOR REGISTRATION SYSTEM
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In an effort to make its online registration system more
secure, the Federal Communications Commission is introducing two-factor
authentication while signing on. As of the 29th of March, those wishing to
access to the Commission Registration System known as CORES will need to
request a six-digit secondary verification code to be sent to their email
address. They will be required to enter the code into the system before they
can go forward with logging in. This requirement will affect anyone looking
to reset a password, request a new Federal Registration Number or to pay any
application or regulatory fees.
(ARRL, FCC)
**
FCC AUCTION PROGRAM RECEIVES EMMY AWARD
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Emmy Awards, best known for their celebrity recipients,
has a new well-known recipient among the ranks: The US Federal
Communications Commission. That report comes to us from George Zafiropoulos
KJ6VU.
GEORGE: In the US, the Emmy Awards bestowed by the National Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences, are best known for acknowledging stellar
achievements in the television industry. This year, however, a somewhat
unconventional award recipient stood out among the more typical award-
winners in entertainment and sports programming.
The Federal Communications Commission, the US government regulatory agency,
was the recipient of a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for having held a
broadcast auction. The auction, which took place over several years, opened
the door for TV stations to receive incentive payments in exchange for their
return of underutilized parts of the broadcast spectrum. The funds the
stations received enabled them to reinvest in their own operations while the
newly available spectrum was auctioned off to wireless broadband carriers,
to use for 5G or other services.
The auction brought in a gross total of 09.8 billion in US currency. Fifty
broadcasters received a total of 00.05 billion in payments. Another .3
billion went into the US Treasury to help reduce the federal deficit.
This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU
(FCC)
**
NOMINATE OUR NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Do you know a promising young radio amateur who'd be a good
candidate for the Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year award? Let
Newsline know! Candidates must live in the continental United States and be
18 years of age or younger. Tell our judges about your nominee's talent,
promise and commitment to the spirit of ham radio. This is your chance to
help honor and acknowledge that person who will, no doubt, go on to teach
and inspire others. Find the nomination form on our website arnewsline.org
under the "AWARDS" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.
**
HAMSCI HOLDS WEEKEND WORKSHOP FOR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Just two weeks ahead of its Solar Eclipse QSO Party, members
of HamSCI - the ham radio citizen science investigation organization - met
with STEM educators, researchers and ham radio operators for its seventh
annual workshop. It was hosted on March 22nd and 23rd on the campus of Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and online. Workshop topics
ranged from a review of ionospheric data collected during last year's
annular solar eclipse to various aspects of space weather. A major topic of
the weekend was "Alignments between the Sun, Moon and Earth," in preparation
for the April 8th total eclipse of the sun over North America.
(HAMSCI, ED WILSON, N2XDD)
**
HAMS PREP FOR WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: What are you doing on April 18th? There's something to
celebrate, as Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us.
GRAHAM: Twenty-five countries formed the International Amateur Radio Union
in Paris in 1925. There are now three regions across the world and 160
member societies. World Amateur Radio Day is being marked on April 18th and
this year's celebration has been given a theme in anticipation of the IARU
reaching its centenary next year. Organisers are calling it "A Century of
Connections: Celebrating 100 Years of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community
and Advocacy." The name acknowledges that ham radio became popular even
before the IARU was created as an advocate for hams' roles in global
communication and to defend amateur frequency allocations.
On April 18th, be listening for amateurs across Canada operating official
stations ending in the suffix RAC, for Radio Amateurs of Canada. A more
expanded on-air celebration is planned in Greece, where the Radio Amateur
Association of Greece will be using the callsign SZØWARD to mark the
occasion from April 15th to the 30th. Be listening around for other
organisations in other nations and regions as they join the global
celebration.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(IARU)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, be listening for ER3ØARM, a special callsign marking the
30th anniversary of the Amateur Radio Society of Moldova, ER1KAA.
Operators will be on the air until the 30th of April. See QRZ.com for QSL
details.
Felipe, CE3SX, is active as CB0ZIX from the Juan Fernandez islands until the
4th of April. You can hear him on 6 metres SSB and FT8 in fox-hound mode.
See QRZ.com for QSL details.
Pete, GØTLE is using the callsign V4/GØTLE from St Kitts, IOTA Number NA-
104, until the 5th of April, operating CW and SSB on 40-10m. QSL details can
be found on QRZ.com.
Listen for Torsten, DL9GG, active as ZD7GG from St. Helena Island, IOTA
Number AF-022 until the 30th of March. Torsten is using CW and some SSB on
160-10 metres. QSL via home call, or eQSL.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
**
KICKER: SEEDS FOR YAGIS AND DIPOLES? ANTENNAS ARE A GROWTH INDUSTRY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week's newscast with a special report from our
April Fool's Day correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg. Pierre has spent the
last several decades as an investigative reporter for Newsline and he has a
groundbreaking report that will change the lives of hams living in
communities that impose antenna restrictions. This report is a Newsline
exclusive. Pierre?
PIERRE: Ah, cherie, we must rejoice: After years of research and
experimentation zee famous French scientist, Jacques N. d'Beanstalk, has
created not just ham radio's best engineered antennas but ham radio's first
genetically engineered antennas - zeese are antennas you can grow from seed!
You can now plant Yagis, hex beams, quads and longwires and as zay spring up
from zee earth, zeese will all look like zee green beans, zee sunflowers,
zee Big Boy tomatoes. Zee homeowner association president, ah, she will
never know you are growing a true antenna farm! Zeese Brussels sprouts can
get you DX in Brussels! Zeese tall French green beans will get you a contact
with.........Moi, Pierre Pullinmyleg, living just outside of Marseille,
where I am growing my own crop of tender end-fed half-wave dipoles. Ah, and
if after trimming your antenna, you still cannot get good SWR, simply keep
trimming and turn your antenna into a salad!!!!! Ooooh! Oooh! Ooooh la lah!
Now Pierre is so very hungry. Au revoirs, mes amis, I must go fricassee my
J-pole.
This is Pierre Pullinmyleg.
**
DO YOU HAIKU?
Don't forget the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. If you're not too
busy tuning your antennas or chasing the latest DXpedition, pick up a pencil
and share your experience by sending an original haiku to us here at
Newsline. Use the entry form on our website, arnewsline.org and please
follow the rules for writing your three-line haiku -- sorry but we cannot
accept any entries that aren't written in traditional haiku form. Share with
fellow listeners the poetry that is inspired by your ham radio experience!
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN;
David Behar K7DB; DXNews; DXWorld; Ed Wilson, N2XDD; FCC; 425DXNews; NBC;
HamSCI; Islands on the Air; Parks on the Air; QRZ.com; shortwaveradio.de;
Stargazer Project; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio
Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-
volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued
operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at
arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our
listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating
wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the
news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB
in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur
Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 29-mar-2024 12:10 E. South America Standard Time
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