| |
PY2BIL > ARNR 08.09.23 14:01l 427 Lines 19509 Bytes #120 (0) @ WW
BID : 72472PY2BIL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2393 for Friday September 8th
Path: IW8PGT<I3XTY<I0OJJ<LU1DBQ<LU6DJ<LU9DCE<W0ARP<K5DAT<PY2BIL<PY2BIL
Sent: 230908/0852 @:PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM Sally 7.2.061 $:72472PY2BIL
From: PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2393 for Friday September 8th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2393 with a release date of Friday
September 8th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. The retail giant Radio Shack is poised for a US
comeback. NASA will test transmissions using laser light -- and hams in
Alabama mark a painful moment in American history. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2393 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
FORMER RETAIL GIANT RADIO SHACK POISED FOR COMEBACK
NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with news that many hams around the United
States have been waiting forever to hear: The beloved electronics retailer
Radio Shack, is returning to the US marketplace under new ownership.
The Radio Shack name is coming back from a difficult history that ended its
pervasive presence with more than 5,000 locations around the US. The company
filed for bankruptcy twice under its previous ownership and only a handful
of its franchised locations were able to maintain a market presence.
Now the brand's largest franchisee - the Unicomer Group, based in El
Salvador - has acquired the company. Although they aren't sharing much yet
about their plans, the vice president of franchises, Rudy Siman, released a
statement saying: "This acquisition will allow us to start another phase of
growth and innovation in the shopping experience with the latest
technology."
Stay tuned!
(RETAIL INSIGHT NETWORK, THESTREET, FORBES)
**
RAISING HAM RADIO AWARENESS IN INDIA
NEIL/ANCHOR: If you've ever found yourself answering the question - "Ham
radio? Do people still do THAT?" - the next story from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
will strike a familiar chord with you.
JIM: Organisers in India called it an Amateur Radio Awareness programme --
and as more than 250 attendees in West Bengal, India, soon found out,
amateur radio is thriving and doing good work to help society. Held on the
1st of September at the Ramakrishna (Rama Krishna) Mission school on the
west bank of the Hooghly River, the session devoted itself to the science
and technology that brings amateur radio alive on the air. The programme
also touched on the critical role ham radio plays during a disaster or
acting as an informal social services agency assisting families and
communities in crisis. This nontechnical portion of the presentation is
particularly relevant to those at the mission, where the school focuses on
humanitarian work in the community. Members of the West Bengal Radio, which
has a long history of community service work with amateur radio
communication, led the programme.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)
**
NASA READY FOR NEXT STEP TOWARD LASER LIGHT COMMUNICATION
NEIL/ANCHOR: The US Space Agency is ready to shed new light on ways to
supplement RF systems for communication. In this case, that light is laser
light and the experiment is testing higher-bandwidth data transfer. Kent
Peterson KCØDGY brings us up to date.
KENT: The mission is not NASA's first test of using optical communication
technology instead of RF to transmit data, but it is an important move in
making the technology part of regular space missions. A terminal known as
ILLUMA-T will arrive on the International Space Station via a SpaceX
Commercial Resupply mission where, once installed, it will send laser light
through an optical telescope to the Laser Communications Relay
Demonstration, or LCRD.
The LCRD is on board a US Defense Department satellite in a geosynchronous
orbit 22,000 miles from Earth. It is capable of transmitting data, pictures
and video at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second -- a rate comparable to some
optical-fiber internet connections. The LCRD has been on the satellite where
it has been beaming data to ground stations in Hawaii and California.
NASA believes a successful demonstration of optical communications will
provide an enhanced way to transfer information - and one day, perhaps
spoken communication from the ISS - through a smaller, lighter system that
also requires less power.
This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.
(NASA, SPACE.COM)
**
LESSONS LEARNED FROM HURRICANE IDALIA
NEIL/ANCHOR: In the US, emergency communicators are looking back on lessons
learned from Hurricane Idalia, as we hear from Randy Sly W4XJ.
RANDY: Just like winter snowflakes, no two hurricanes are alike, depending
on size, wind speed, rainfall and travel speed, so activations by emergency
personnel, including amateur radio operators, have to be flexible.
Last week’s Hurricane Idalia is a good case in-point. Bobby Graves, KB5HAV,
manager of the Hurricane Watch Net, told AR Newsline, “Going into Idalia,
knowing this was going to be a fast-moving hurricane, we did our best to
line up, well ahead of projected landfall, reporting stations, storm
shelters, and emergency operations centers. We were expecting this storm to
remain at least a Category 1 Hurricane into South Carolina. After it was
downgraded to a Tropical Storm, we changed gears and began calling for any
Post-Storm Reports.ö
One serious issue involved a very strong, wide signal causing interference
on the upper end of 20 meters. The FCC later confirmed that it was Over-the-
Horizon RADAR that originated outside the US and was not considered
intentional.
ARES in Northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were also activated. HF
operations linked counties to the state EOC in Florida and much of the
emergency communications activity took place through the linked UHF
repeaters of the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network.
This is Randy Sly, W4XJ
**
POTA ACTIVATION RECALLS 4 WHO DIED IN ALABAMA CHURCH BOMBING
NEIL/ANCHOR An amateur radio activation in Birmingham, Alabama, will be
recalling a painful history lesson that rocked the United States 60 years
ago. The callsign KØMIK will be on the air on September 15th and 16th from
the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Kelly Ingram Park, which
has the POTA designation K-3602. The park is across the street from the 16th
Street Baptist Church where on September 15th, 1963, while Sunday school
children inside were hearing a lesson in "A Love that Forgives," the church
was bombed. Four young women died that day. Their pictures are on the
monument that stands facing the church. KØMIK is the callsign of the OMIK
(PRON: O-MIKE) Amateur Radio Association, an international organization that
is the largest predominately Black amateur radio association in the US. The
activation will be primarily on 40, 20, 17 and 15m using CW, SSB, plus via
satellites. Tom Gaines KB5FHK told Newsline that anyone living in or
visiting the Birmingham area on those days is welcome to stop by the
activation, which is also part of OMIK's (O-MIKE's) ongoing POTA challenge.
(THOMAS GAINES, KB5FHK; JIMMY EARL, WB5MET)
**
RSGB CONVENTION EXTENDS EARLYBIRD RATES
NEIL/ANCHOR: There's still time to get earlybird admittance if you're
attending the Radio Society of Great Britain's annual convention, as we hear
from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: If you haven't already booked your attendance at the Radio Society
of Great Britain's convention next month, you still have a few days to take
advantage of earlybird pricing. Convention organisers have extended the
deadline for special pricing to the 14th September.
Although experts will be presenting on a variety of topics, from RF
electrical interference to radio astronomy, the keynote speaker is certain
to draw most of the attention. He is Colonel John Doody, a retired oficer of
the UK Royal Corps of Signals. He will share his vast knowledge on
cryptography, cyber security and information assurance.
The convention will take place at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in
Milton Keynes from October 13th to the 15th.
Additional details are available at rsgb.org/convention
(RSGB)
**
HAMS WITH DISABILITIES SERVED BY PROGRAM FOR 56 YEARS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams with disabilities who have received encouragement and
training through the Courage Handiham Program have something to celebrate
this month and Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us why.
KEVIN: For 56 years, the Courage Handiham Program has worked with people who
have disabilities, encouraging them to work toward their goal of becoming a
licensed radio amateur. The special event callsigns WØZSW and WØEQO will be
on the air on Monday, September 11th in a five-hour special event QSO party
that is part of this year's Handiham Radio Camp. The operators will be
marking the program's 56th anniversary by calling QRZ using CW and SSB on
10, 15, 20, and 40 meters. The hours of the QSO party will be from 1600 to
2100 UTC.
The callsign WØZSW was originally assigned to Rochester, Minnesota amateur,
Ned Carman, W0ZSW, who helped bring the Handiham program into being, based
on his work in a clinic with individuals who had severe physical
disabilities. The callsign WØEQO is assigned to the program's Camp Courage
North station and was originally used by the first Handiham station that
provided remote HF access to amateurs who had no other way of getting on the
air.
This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(AMATEUR RADIO DAILY, COURAGE HANDIHAM)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the WW8GM
repeater of the General Motors Amateur Radio Club in Detroit, Michigan on
Saturdays at 9 p.m. local time.
**
ASTRONOMY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ADVANCE AS HAMS
NEIL/ANCHOR: The first class of young participants in a program based at
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory are advancing as hams. Sel Embee
KB3TZD has those details.
SEL: The program known as ‘Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum with
Amateur Radio’ has inspired its first group of young participants to explore
something else following 20 weeks of instruction at the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory: They're planning to upgrade their Technician licenses
to General. They are also joining various amateur radio clubs, as well as
the ARRL, and engaging with a virtual amateur radio club on Discord.
The Observatory launched this two-year program for high school and college-
age students with a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications to
provide an educational outreach to members of the indigenous, people of
color, and LGBTQIA communities. The observatory is preparing to receive its
next group of students -- a total of 18 participants from across the United
States.
As with the first group, those running the program are hoping the curriculum
with its hands-on activities can be the entry point for many of the students
toward later careers in the STEM fields -- and of course, a window into the
rewards of being an amateur radio operator.
This is Sel Embee, KB3TZD.
(NATIONAL RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY)
**
AMATEUR ACTIVATION HONORS LEGACY OF RADIO LUXEMBOURG
NEIL/ANCHOR: In Europe an amateur radio activation is honoring the legacy of
a once-popular British pirate broadcast station. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us
that story.
JEREMY: Long before the British pirate broadcast station Radio Caroline took
to the airwaves from a boat off the Essex coast, there was Radio Luxembourg.
Much to the displeasure of the BBC, the English-language service was
launched 90 years ago and became one of Europe's most popular stations.
According to some reports, the long and medium-wave broadcast of its
programmes and its British presenters peaked at an estimated 78 million
daily listeners before Radio Luxembourg went off the air in December of
1991.
Since July, amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners are hearing
Radio Luxembourg again - this time symbolically, with the callsign LX 90 RTL
. The station is on the air until the end of this year. Various ham radio
operators throughout Luxembourg are calling QRZ to mark the anniversary of
that first broadcast. They can be heard on the HF bands using CW, SSB and
the digital modes. They can also be contacted via satellite.
The special event radio operators have been carefully listening too,
especially when the QSOs trigger moments of nostalgia. The operators write
on the station's page on QRZ.com: [quote] "Many of you told us about your
memories and the great time listening to Radio Luxembourg, especially the
great entertainment with the best music on the air over the years."
[endquote]
The DARC bureau will confirm all QSOs automatically and logs are being
uploaded to Club Log, Logbook of the World and eQSL.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(QRZ.COM, RSGB, TODAY.RTL.LU)
**
FCC SEEKING MEMBERS FOR TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COUNCIL
NEIL/ANCHOR: If you have expertise in engineering, technology or other areas
relevant to radio, there may be a seat for you on an FCC advisory body.
Interested? Patrick Clark K8TAC explains how to apply.
PATRICK: If you work in broadcasting or have a background in science,
engineering or technology, you may be interested in becoming a member of the
FCC's Technological Advisory Council. The TAC provides guidance to the
commission and looks into issues that could have an impact on emerging
technologies. The council's input is expected to help in the creation of
informed policies. Members will be expected to be able to weigh in on such
concerns as spectrum-sharing techniques, 5G and artificial intelligence.
The term lasts two years and there are four council meetings a year, which
are one-day sessions.
For other details or to submit a nomination send an email to TAC at fcc dot
gov (TAC@fcc.gov.).
Nominations are being received until the 22nd of September. The council
expects to meet in December.
This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.
(RADIO WORLD)
**
BE LISTENING FOR HAMS AS INVICTUS GAMES BEGIN
NEIL/ANCHOR: The inaugural Invictus Games were held in Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park in London in 2014 as an international celebration of wounded
members of the military achieving marking a triumph over their various
challenges.
This year the games are taking place in the German city of Duesseldorf,
cohosted by the German Federal Armed Forces.
As veterans and serving members of the military compete in archery, cycling,
power lifting, swimming and other activities, amateur radio is also playing
a big role in the arena. As the games enter their second week, special event
station DQ23IVG continues to be on the air, making contact to celebrate this
triumph of the human spirit. More than 500 competitors have arrived from 21
nations and are competing in 10 disciplines. To recognize their
achievements, hams are calling QRZ until the 16th of September. See QRZ.com
for additional information.
(QRZ.COM)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, listen for Torsten, DL4APJ, and Udo, DL2AQI operating as
MD/DL4APJ and MD/DL2AQI, respectively, from the Isle of Man, IOTA Number EU-
116 on the 10th through the 19th of September. They will operate using CW,
SSB and the digital modes on 80-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
Listen for Randall, KD8JN/4, operating from Hatteras Island, IOTA Number NA-
067, from the 10th to the 15th of September. He will be using CW and SSB on
or around the usual IOTA frequencies. QSL via his home call.
Be listening for a team of radio operators from the Rebel DX Group who are
using the callsign T22T from Tuvalu, IOTA Number OC-015, from the 21st of
September to the 9th of October. The team will be on 160-6m using SSB and
FT8 either in normal or fox-hound mode. Visit the QRZ.com page for T22T for
further details.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
**
KICKER: THE CHANGING SHAPE OF THINGS UNSEEN
NEIL/ANCHOR: This week's final story looks at something that we cannot see
-- but, of course, we're going to look at it anyway. Here's Ralph Squillace
KK6ITB.
RALPH: There is beauty in the unseen. Ask any ham radio operator who has
sent voice, code or data into space with the hope that its path finds a
receptive, friendly destination. It never fails to engage our imagination
when the message arrives, undetected by the unassisted eye.
In the US, the roadmap of the FCC's frequency allocations is always
evolving. One of its most recent printed versions has captivated a New York
City ham radio operator, Jon Keegan, KE3GAN.
Early this year, Jon wrote about a large colorful poster on his blog,
Beautiful Public Data, and called this roadmap [quote] "a crazy, beautiful
chart." [endquote] Indeed, the multicolored poster is a painter's palette of
the unseen spectrum from 9 kHz to 300 GHz. The multicolored poster is
produced by the National Telecommunications Information Administration
which, together with the FCC, manages radio frequency assignments for
different users - among them, aviation, broadcast, satellite and ham radio.
The US government printing office sells it for in US currency.
Jon's blog reports that the chart of frequency allocations is also popular
among US lawmakers who pass regulations that affect the spectrum and need to
better understand its uses. The latest version of this chart, produced in
2016, is expected to be due for an update soon, according to an NTIA
specialist who spoke with Jon. With changes in technology, it's possible
that these many colors of the frequency allocation chart may change again --
and like the spectrum itself, it will surely be in ways that are as-yet
unseen.
This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC DATA blog)
**
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 pag e 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 - five
syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the
third.
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; Ambarish Nag Biswas,
VU2JFA; Beautiful Public Data blog; Courage Handiham; CQ Magazine; David
Behar K7DB; 425DXNews; FCC; Forbes; Jimmy Earl, WB5MET; NASA; National Radio
Astronomy Observatory; Radio Society of Great Britain; Radio World; Retail
Insight Network; shortwaveradio.de; SPACE.com; TheStreet; 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 08-set-2023 08:52 E. South America Standard Time
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
