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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2394 for Friday September 15th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2394 with a release date of Friday
September 15th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams in Belgium gain new 8-metre access. Wideband
communications gets tested above 100 GHZ -- and there's a new challenge
facing the recovery of the wireless from the Titanic's wreckage. All this
and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2394 comes your way right
now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
HAM DEPLOYMENT UNCLEAR IN MOROCCAN, LIBYAN CRISES
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with two developing stories: the aftermath of
a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco on September 8th and deadly massive
flooding in northeast Libya. According to reports from Region 1 of the
International Amateur Radio Union, there was no apparent organized amateur
radio deployment in Morocco where the quake death toll was reported to be in
the thousands. The IARU continues to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, ham
deployments were considered less likely in Libya, where floods from a storm
left more than 5,200 dead. According to the IARU website, Libya does not
have an active member amateur society. Newsline will update these stories as
circumstances warrant.
(IARU REGION 1)
**
US MILITARY EXPLORES WIDEBAND ABOVE 100 GHZ
JIM/ANCHOR: Despite their potential for use in communications, radio
frequencies in the terahertz and sub-terahertz ranges - that is, those above
100 GHz - are considered underutilized. The United States Air Force is about
to share its plans for a radio they are hoping could change all that. Kent
Peterson KCØDGY tells us about it.
KENT: A project in the works in the US Air Force Research Laboratory is
exploring the potential that radio frequencies above 100 GHZ have for secure
wideband communications. The military is looking to develop an ultra-
broadband radio that can adjust output power, data rate and even carrier
frequency and are hoping to find defense contractors in the industry who can
assist with the project.
Although frequencies in those ranges, which can be used for 6G
communications, have a high level of atmospheric absorption that can
restrict how far the transmissions travel, the military is hoping to
capitalize on the frequencies' ability to accommodate secure channels. The
Air Force is hosting an informational day for the industry next month and
will be looking for defense contractors who are US citizens to get on board
the project.
Early experiments have already proven successful, according to a report on
the Inside Towers website. Last December, communication was achieved at
frequencies higher than 300 GHZ during flight experiments by the Air Force,
which has been exploring these options for almost a decade.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(INSIDE TOWERS, MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS)
**
US GOVERNMENT BLOCKS SALVAGE OF TITANIC'S WIRELESS
JIM/ANCHOR: In the latest chapter surrounding controversial salvage
operations at the wreckage of the Titanic, the US government is challenging
a company's plans to recover the doomed ocean liner's wireless telegraph.
JACK: The planned recovery of the Marconi wireless telegraph from the
wreckage of the doomed luxury liner Titanic is being blocked by the United
States government, citing federal law and an agreement with Great Britain
that the ship should be treated as a gravesite.
The salvage company RMS Titanic Inc., based in Georgia, had announced its
plan to visit the wreck site next May to recover items - including the radio
and telegraph used to send the distress call in 1912.
Attorneys for the U.S. government claim the expedition would violate a pact
with Great Britain that classifies the wreckage as a memorial. The
government also maintains that the salvage trip would violate protections
that the US Congress granted the TItanic site. The RMS TItanic company has
particular interest in the Marconi room, where messages in Morse Code were
transmitted, signaling that the ship was damaged after striking an iceberg
in the North Atlantic while enroute to New York from Southampton, England.
RMST, which had been granted salvage rights earlier by the court, told the
Associated Press recently [quote] "The company will continue its work,
respectfully preserving the memory and legacy of Titanic, her passengers and
crew for the future generations." [endquote] The company plans to put the
radio in an exhibit that tells the story of the lost liner. In May 2020, the
court gave RMST permission to recover the radio because of its historical
significance but the US government challenged the plans for the expedition
that year. The expedition was called off.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
**
HAMS IN BELGIUM HAVE NEW 8M ACCESS
JIM/ANCHOR: There's new access on the 8M band for amateurs in Belgium.
Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us more.
JEREMY: Hams in Belgium have been given privileges on the 40 MHz band,
joining radio operators in South Africa, Slovenia and Ireland with 8-metre
access. The Belgian regulator informed the UBA, the Royal Belgian Amateur
Radio Union, that hams with a Class A operating certificate, the HAREC
licence, are granted the use of frequencies between 40.660 and 40.690 on a
secondary basis. Operators' power is limited to 5 watts ERP and operating
bandwidth cannot exceed 3 kHz. Hams will also be required to keep a log of
all transmissions and must submit it to the regulator at year's end. The UBA
had petitioned the BIPT some time ago to grant this limited portion of the
band for amateurs' use and, following a period of consultation, anticipated
that the regulator would favour it.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(UBA WEBSITE, WIA)
**
EXPERIMENTAL LOW-PASS FILTER MAKES DEBUT IN LONDON
JIM/ANCHOR: A different kind of RF filter has just been introduced by a
defense company in Sweden to assist in military communications. Again,
here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: It is being called the Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Screen-Frequency
Selected Surface, and it introduces a new capability for soldiers'
communications in the field. It is a filter that permits certain radio
frequencies to pass through the mesh of a camouflage net protecting military
vehicles. The surface, which is not yet in service, was introduced by the
Swedish defense company Saab earlier this month.
Saab says that until now, camouflage nets' ability to reduce enemy sensors'
detection of equipment has also prevented GPS signals and other
communications passing through, jeopardizing soldiers who then must move out
of camouflage cover to perform certain tasks. At times that has even meant
sticking antennas through the mesh in order to transmit or receive signals.
Johan Jersblad, a Saab senior development engineer, told reporters that the
surface functions as a low-pass filter, which allows transmitted or received
signals to penetrate the camouflage screen but retains the screen's ability
to be undetected by higher-frequency radar.
The surface was on display for visitors at the DSEI Defence Exhibition held
in London from the 12th to the 15th of September.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(DEFENSE NEWS)
**
SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES HISTORIC TOWN'S 275TH BIRTHDAY
JIM/ANCHOR: So what do three sons of William Penn - founder of the state of
Pennsylvania in the United States - have to do with a special event station
being activated in the town of Reading [pronounced REDDING]? Mark Abramowicz
NT3V has the story.
MARK: While history records William Penn as the man who established the
American colony first known as Penn’s Woods and later Pennsylvania, it was
his sons – Thomas, Richard and John - who laid out the first streets of the
town of Reading, just north and west of Philadelphia.
The city is celebrating its 275th birthday this year thanks to the work of
the Penn brothers.
On Saturday, Sept. 23rd, members of the Reading Radio Club will mark the
occasion by activating the club’s call sign - W3BN - as a special event
station.
Club members will put three HF stations on the air from the Reading area for
a 12-hour-period to commemorate the town’s historic milestone.
Reading’s storied past includes the Reading Railroad, breweries, pretzel-
making, and the first factory outlets.
It is also recognized as home to one of the nation’s most successful minor
league baseball teams long associated with the Philadelphia Phillies.
But Reading is best known for its Pagoda, an actual reproduction of a
Japanese structure, which was built atop Mount Penn overlooking Reading in
the early 1900s.
The popular tourist attraction became a historic landmark and a symbol for
the town.
There's more about the Reading Radio Club’s special event station and how
you can get in on the fun at QRZ.com. Search for W3BN.
And check out the colorful certificate that will look great on the wall of
your shack.
In Reading, Pennsylvania, I’m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K2ADA
repeater in Ocala Florida on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.
**
BUYERS REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN HAMTESTONLINE
JIM/ANCHOR: The popular online instruction program HamTestOnline may not be
going out of business after all. The creator and owner of the company, John
W1AI (W-ONE-AY-EYE) announced earlier this year that he was planning to
retire and would be shutting the website unless a purchaser came forward to
continue the license-exam coursework that John had begun. John announced in
his most recent newsletter that several organizations have since expressed
an interest and that he would be negotiating with one of them soon. He said
it was his hope that HamTestOnline would be able to ultimately continue
without interruption.
(HAMTESTONLINE)
**
SILENT KEY: ARRL FORMER DIVISION DIRECTOR DAVID COONS, WT8W
JIM/ANCHOR: A former director of the ARRL's Great Lakes Division has become
a Silent Key. We hear about him from Stephen Kinford N8WB.
STEPHEN: A radio amateur with a long history as an ARRL, club and Hamvention
volunteer has become a Silent Key. Dave Coons, WT8W, died on the 2nd of
September.
Throughout his long association with the ARRL he had served as vice director
and director of the Great Lakes Division and was a Volunteer Examiner
through the ARRL's VEC. Locally, Dave was a leader in the Ohio amateur radio
community, serving as president, vice president and secretary of the Dayton
Amateur Radio Association through the years. At Dayton Hamvention he was
chairman of the Flea Market Committee and was on the Communications
Committee. His volunteer spirit won him the Frank J. Kirkpatrick Memorial
Award in 1993 from the Clark County Amateur Radio Association, where he was
also a member.
Dave was a veteran of the Korean War and served in the United States Navy.
He was a retired postmaster of the Miamisburg, Ohio post office.
Dave Coons was 92.
This is Stephen Kinford, N8WB.
(ARRL, DAYTON DAILY NEWS)
**
HAMS REUNITE WOMAN WITH PARENTS AFTER 16-YEAR ABSENCE
JIM/ANCHOR: In India, amateur radio operators have helped a young mother
locate her parents, ending 16 years of searching for one another. Jason
Daniels VK2LAW brings us those details.
JASON: A 27-year-old woman in India who had been taken by a relative from
her parents' home in West Bengal 16 years ago has ended her long search for
her family with the help of local radio amateurs.
The West Bengal Radio Club was contacted by authorities and was able to make
the reunion happen. The woman had been living in Rajasthan with her husband
and three children.
According to a report by the Indo-Asian News Service, the husband told
police he first encountered the woman as an 11-year-old girl alone and
weeping at a railway station, asking where her parents had gone. A close
relative had reportedly taken her from the home in the hopes of having her
find a better life.
The husband told police recently that he took the young girl to his own
home, where he was living with his mother at the time, and tried without
luck to trace her family. He told police that the girl remained in the home
but that she did not become his wife until much later - and that it was the
wish of his dying mother that he marry her.
The news report said that the woman confirmed the man's story to the police,
saying that her husband has treated her well.
The West Bengal Radio Club was able to make the necessary connections back
in West Bengal after the authorities contacted them, providing photos and
copies of an official government identity card. Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA,
the club's secretary, told Newsline in a text message that after the hams
located her family, mother and daughter were reunited on September 7th in a
video call. He said that, upon seeing one another, both began crying.
This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(DAIJIWORLD.COM, IANS, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)
**
GERMAN RADIO CHANNEL TO DEBUT FULLTIME AI PROGRAMMING
JIM/ANCHOR: Earlier this year, Newsline told listeners about a US radio
station on the West Coast that had begun using AI to replicate the voice of
a popular DJ by using something called RadioGPT. A channel in Germany has
just taken that technology a few steps further. Here's Andy Morrison K9AWM
with the details.
ANDY: Artificial intelligence is now responsible for fulltime programming on
Antenne Deutschland, which calls the format Absolut Radio AI. The DAB+
multiplex channel in north-central Germany is using Radio.Cloud, which the
broadcaster has already been using in its online streaming version. The AI
is capable of providing the on-air voice as well as scheduling the necessary
breaks and other elements. The broadcaster's managing director told the
RadioWorld.com website that they are hoping to eventually find a nationwide
market for the programming.
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(RADIOWORLD.COM)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, Sajid, VA3QY, is on the air as A22EW from Botswana from
the 16th of September to the 8th of October. He will be on 20 through 10
metres and possibly 6m. QSL via eQSL.
Be listening for special callsigns during the 2023 Rugby World Cup hosted by
France. The games will continue through to the 28th of October. The
callsigns are TM23RBY, TM23RUGB and TM63RWC. See the QRZ.com pages for the
individual calls for QSL details.
Don, M0CVZ is active holiday style as 6Y5DH from Jamaica, IOTA number NA-
097, through to the 30th of September. He is using SSB on 40, 20, 17, 12 and
10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
**
KICKER: A GRAND IDEA FOR A NET
JIM/ANCHOR: Our last story for this week is about family and the future of
radio. For some amateurs who are old enough to know the joy of being
grandparents, showing the grandkids another big joy - radio - makes for a
natural combination, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM: On Sunday, the 1st of October, the magic hour will be 3 p.m. local time
in New Zealand. The magic frequency will be 146.625 MHz -- and the magic
combination for Peter Henderson, ZL1PX, will be the company of his
grandsons, Alex and Dan, sitting with him in his radio shack. October 1st is
Grandparents Day in New Zealand - so earlier this year, Peter, who is vice
president of the Franklin Amateur Radio Club, thought that hams in ZL might
make good use of that special occasion to pass on the joys of amateur radio
to the very youngest generation. Amateurs throughout New Zealand will be
getting on their local 2m repeaters to kick off the first
Grandparents/Grandkids Net in each region. Peter will be using the callsign
ZL1SA on his local repeater in the Auckland region. After everyone has
checked in, the young and the young-at-heart will take turns sharing their
best grandparent joke, best grandchild joke, stories about their grandmum or
granddad - and so on.
Peter suggests starting the day by inviting the grandkids over for Sunday
dinner first. Once the meal is done, it will be time for the net.
Ah, but what if you don't have a grandchild? No problem: Peter suggests that
you borrow one!
This is a chance to create a memory and - as Peter says, who knows? Maybe
even create the next generation of amateurs who, one day, will be
grandparents sharing amateur radio with grandkids of their own.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(PETER HENDERSON, ZL1PX, WIA, NZART)
**
DO YOU HAVE NEWS?
If you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would be
interested in, send it on! We are not talking about advertising your club's
upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out of
the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page at
arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it, we'll get
back to you for more details. Meanwhile, visit our website to learn more
about the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. Use the entry form on our
website and please follow the rules for writing your three-line haiku.
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; Ambarish Nag Biswas,
VU2JFA; ARRL; the BBC; CQ Magazine; Dayton Daily News; David Behar K7DB;
425DXNews; HamTestOnline; Indo-Asian News Service; New Zealand Amateur Radio
Transmitters; Peter Henderson, ZL1PX; Radio World; Royal Belgian Amateur
Radio Union; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia 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
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BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 15-set-2023 08:15 E. South America Standard Time
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