Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2091 for Friday, November 24, 2017 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2091.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2091 with a release date of Friday, November 24, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. The FCC commits to streamlining its approvals for wireless advances. Youngsters On the Air operators prepare for worldwide contacts -- and the youngest competitor in 2018's World Radiosport Team Championship shares holiday inspiration. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2091 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** FCC CHAIRMAN COMMITS TO FEWER DELAYS PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with good news for impatient innovators in the world of wireless. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has pledged to change the FCC's longstanding reputation for long delays in approving new technology, especially in the field of wireless. Approval often takes years, but in a speech he gave Nov. 17 in New York, the chairman said decisions for such approvals would now be made within a year. Pai said that his priority for the past 10 months at the FCC has been to review regulations so they reflect the market, even if that means streamlining or even eliminating some rules. He said the purpose of the move is to get government out of the way of private enterprise and innovation. He said "one of the most powerful forces in government is inertia. To ensure that innovators dont get sandbagged, were implementing a new process. If someone seeks approval of a new technology or service that falls within our jurisdiction, well make a decision within one year." In other words, there will be less waiting for everyone - or so we hope. (FCC, SOUTHGATE) ** ONE MORE LOOK BACK AT JAMBOREE ON THE AIR PAUL/ANCHOR: Our radio scouting report this week includes a top performing station during Jamboree on the Air. Here's more from Bill Stearns NE4RD. BILL: This week in radio scouting we have one activation of the K2BSA callsign, one activation from Scout Camps on the Air and congratulations to the team at K4V. Timothy Shoemaker AK4ZZ will be activating K2BSA/4 at the Central Florida Council Scouting Jamboree from Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, FL, on from December 1st through the 3rd. This event is described as an event like no other! Live Bands Friday and Saturday night, awesome interactive and hands-on program all day Saturday, Inflatables, demonstrations, career encounters, and much more! It can only get better with an amateur radio demonstration station. Charles McBride and the rest of the group from the BSA Troop 20 Amateur Radio Club WS5BSA are at it once again from Camp George Thomas in Boone, OK on December 9th. They'll start the morning on 40m and work their way up the bands as propagation changes through the day. They'll also be on VHF/UHF on the WX5LAW and KB5LLI repeaters and on EchoLink via N4RDB repeater connected to the *JOTA-365* node. Look for this active group on the bands. Jamboree on the Air Reports hit the closing date for the compilation of the annual report. Initial numbers are showing a decrease in participation although the traffic on the bands didn't quite feel like it. As well, Icom America's ID-51A Plus handheld was awarded to the K4V group. K4V was on the air from Louisville, TN and the Great Smoky Mountain Council. They've shared a few photos of their operation along with a delightful video that captures the excitement of getting on the air during JOTA. You can find links to the video and images on our website. Congratulations to George Shields and Stephen Carpenter of K4V for conducting a great Jamboree on the Air operation and in winning the HT for filing their station report. For more information on radio scouting, please visit our website at www.k2bsa.net. For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD ** NEIL and BRYANT CARDS PAUL/ANCHOR: A 13-year old ham radio operator has come up with a creative approach to his next big challenge, as we hear from Neil Rapp WB9VPG. NEIL: The World Radiosport Team Championship is coming up soon, and one newly upgraded to Extra class ham is excited about the opportunity to compete. Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO tells us about the trip. BRYANT: So WRTC is the World Radio Team Championship. It is held every four years. Its where two-person teams compete for 24 hours all in one location. Its a level playing field, because all the stations and competitors have the same terrain, region, power level and antenna setup. Next year, WRTC will be held in Wittenberg, Germany. I was chosen to compete in one of the three youth teams. I am the youngest competitor and the only youth from North America. NEIL: Its not easy to afford to get there especially when youre 13 years old. So he came up with a creative solution. BRYANT: In order to help cover some of the travel and equipment costs I have created some Christmas themed ham radio postcards that can be used as a Christmas QSL card or a personal greeting card. If you are interested in purchasing any of these fun postcards, please look me up on QRZ.com for more information. NEIL: The cards combine some holiday cheer with ham radio. For example, a reindeer with some yagis and a Buddipole for antlers! And a barn with a manger complete with a tower on top of the barn. For all the info check out KG5HVO on QRZ.com. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG ** DO DROP IN SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE PAUL/ANCHOR: In keeping with the holiday spirit of Bryant's cards, we also bring you this report from.....well........I guess from Santa. Are you there Mr. Claus? SANTA: HO HO HO, well boys and girls, it's my favorite time of the year again - it's time for the Santa Watch Net! DON: That's right, Santa will be making his rounds and once again for the seventh year in a row the gang at the Do Drop In will be watching the radar. Join the Santa Watch Net starting at 1800 hours Eastern Time SANTA: HO HO HO, and my little elf Dave N3NTV ... ooooooh he is such a cute little fellow! (I think he may have put on some weight.) He's going to be calling the net and keeping track of old Santa's location.....er, QTH........ DON: And just like last year, Santa has a radio in his sleigh and yeah, he'll chat with the kids again. SANTA: Oh that's right. Bring all the little ones and let's get them checked in. HO HO HO third party traffic is always on the 'nice' list. DON: Once again it's the Santa Watch Net, Christmas Eve, 1800 hours Eastern on the Do Drop In EchoLink Conference Server Node Number 355800. SANTA: HO HO HO Merry Christmas from me, old Santa and all my little elves here at the Do Drop In, HO HO HO. (DAVID VOWELL N3NTV) ** YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR PREPARES FOR DECEMBER PAUL/ANCHOR: The arrival of December means a lot of things to people - but if you're a young ham radio operator it means "get ready for action," as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: While most youngsters may anticipate December because it brings Christmas and a break from school, young amateur radio operators in IARU region 1 know what it means for them: The annual Youngsters on the Air or YOTA activity takes place where youngsters work the bands to make as many contacts around the world as they can with one another. Most countries have special YOTA stations. You'll know them when you hear them - their call signs will have Y-O-T-A as their suffix. You don't need to be in your 20s, or even younger, to make a contact. It might even make some OMs feel young again. Registered special calls already include South Africa ZS9YOTA, Russia R17YOTA, Sweden SH9YOTA and Slovakia OM9YOTA. If you're a young Ham and not yet registered, there is still time to get on the list - at least until December. Visit ham hyphen yota dot com (ham-yota.com) to register your call sign on-line. While it's not considered a contest there are definitely prizes - new friends, a new experience and a sense of accomplishment among them. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH (YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR) ** D-STAR RADIO WITHOUT THE RADIO? SURE! PAUL/ANCHOR: In Kentucky, one amateur radio operator has created an opportunity for others to try D-STAR. This report by Jack Prindle AB4WS comes to us courtesy of Amateur News Weekly. JACK PRINDLE'S REPORT: There are probably some of you out there who have heard about all the interesting things happening on the Kentucky D-STAR system and are interested in listening to the reflector 56 Bravo but you don't have a D-STAR radio. Now there is a way to monitor D-STAR Reflector 056 Bravo thanks to Ray KI4BM, the owner of Kentucky D-STAR Reflector 56. There's now a Broadcastify feed set up with the feed number 26910 or just go to broadcastify dot com and browse the feeds for Kentucky and Boyle County and you'll see the Reflector 56B feed. It is also available on Android and IOS apps which carry Broadcastify feeds. This will also help you listen to the Kentucky D-STAR Reflector 56 Bravo Net which is held every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. You can also get the latest information on the Kentucky D-STAR scene via Facebook. Barry K4MNF created and administers the Kentucky D-STAR Facebook group. Send a friend request to join the group today. Covering the Amateur Radio News in the Greater Cincinnati Area and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for Amateur News Weeklly this is Jack Prindle AB4WS in Big Bone Kentucky. PAUL/ANCHOR: For more news in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana, visit amateur news weekly dot com. (AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY) ** BREAK HERE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Muncie Area Amateur Radio Club's WB9HXG repeater in Muncie, Indiana during the weekly net on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. ** IN SWAZILAND, PROMISE THEM THE MOON PAUL/ANCHOR: There's big excitement in one African nation where a team of radio operators has been aiming at the moon. We learn more from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM MEACHEN: Now this is a big first for Swaziland. A group of amateurs operating in this southern African nation has conducted its first successful EME, or Earth-Moon-Earth communications. In early November, a temporary station set up in a rural area by John Sygo ZS6JON, Chris Ploeger and Lins Berben PA3CMC operated as Z21EME, managing contacts with about 500 stations in 50 different countries over the course of four days. Some of the hams who ended up in their log were in the U.S. and New Zealand. They bounced their signals off a moon approximately 350,000 kilomaters, or more than 217 thousand miles, from earth - a signal that did not return to earth until nearly 3 seconds later. According to their QRZ page, their operations were on 2m, 6m, 70cm and 23cm. The hams told the Times of Swaziland this was the first successful EME operation from that nation. They had promised their contacts the moon - and the moon delivered. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (THE TIMES OF SWAZILAND, QRZ) ** YASMA FOUNDATION HONORS HAMS AT GENEVA CEREMONY PAUL/ANCHOR: A number of hams received high honors from the Yasme Foundation recently for their service to amateur radio. Stephen Kinford N8WB tells us who won what. STEPHEN'S REPORT: The former president of the International Amateur Radio Club 4U1ITU was honored with the Diamond Award of the International Amateur Radio Union during a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland on November 9th. Attila Matas, HB9IAJ, was selected for the award based on his years of support for amateur radio and amateur satellite radio. The Yasme Foundation has presented a number of its Excellence Awards to hams for their service. Dale Hughes VK1DSH received the honor in appreciation for his work at the World Radiocommunication Conference in November of 2015. Nathaniel Frissell W2NAF and Magda Moses KM4EGE were honored for creating the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation - or HAMSCI - the group that sponsored the Solar Eclipse QSO Party. The Dayton Amateur Radio Association received an award for organizing Hamvention. Paul Verhage KD4STH and Bill Brown WB8ELK were given an award for their leadership and continued technical innovation in Amateur Radio high-altitude ballooning -- and the WSJT Development Team was honored by Yasme for producing digital weak-signal mode software. The awards have been given since 2008 by the nonprofit foundation. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB (WIA, ARRL) ** CANADIAN RADIO OPERATOR'S A HALL-OF-FAMER PAUL/ANCHOR: Another high honor went recently to an amateur in the Canadian province of Alberta. He's now in the hall of fame, as we hear from Geri Goodrich KF5KRN. GERI: Roland Peddle VE6RL of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada has been appointed to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. According to the Hall of Fame's bio of Roland, what began as a shortwave-listening hobby as a child led to early licensing in 1952 as VO1D. That call was later changed to VO1BD. The retired high school science teacher had been president of the amateur radio club in his native Newfoundland and editor of its newsletter. He was also emergency coordinator of the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps, editor of the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs newsletter and became assistant Atlantic director for the CRRL and Radio Amateurs of Canada when it was formed in 1993. Following numerous awards, he was named an honorary life member of the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs in 1996. Roland has book coming out in 2018: "Marconi to the Mobile Age: A History of Amateur Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador." His formal induction will take place shortly. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Geri Goodrich KF5KRN. (SOUTHGATE) ** RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA TAPS NEW LEADERSHIP PAUL/ANCHOR: The new year will bring new board members and officers to the Radio Club of America. All will serve two-year terms beginning the 1st of January. A number of these new leaders are amateur radio operators. The new officers are Barney Scholl, K3LA, to be vice president and counsel; Margaret Lyons, Secretary, and Ron Jakubowski, K2RJ, Treasurer.New Directors are Ernie Blair, WA4BPS; Karen Clark; Michael Clarson, WV2ZOW; Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW; Ray Novak, N9JA; Carole Perry, WB2MGP, and Elaine Walsh. Congratulations to everyone. ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, a group of Argentinian radio operators will be on the air as HC8LUT from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands from the 29th of November until the 8th of December. Listen for them on 160 through 10 meters where they will be using mainly SSB and the digital modes. They will also operate on the low earth orbit satellites on SSB and FM. Send QSLs via IK2DUW. Listen for Obaid/A61M operating as 5T1R and Fawaz/A92AA operating as 5T1A from Mauritania through the 20th of December. Hear them on 40-10 meters using SSB and FT8. QSL both callsigns via A92AA. They will be joined by Ahmad/9K2AI for an IOTA activation to Tidra Island as 5T5TI between the 1st and 7th of December. For the Tidra Island activation send QSLs via NI5DX, LoTW or ClubLog. Olof, G0CKV, will be on the air through the 11th of December from Rodriguez Island operating as 3B9HA. Olof will be working holiday style focusing on the low bands and CW. Send QSLs via M0OXO or LoTW. ** KICKER: BIRTH (AND LAUNCH) OF A NATION PAUL/ANCHOR: If you've ever wondered what it takes to launch a new nation, look to the launchpad itself. Here's Skeeter Nash N5ASH with our final story of the week, about a most unusual new nation. SKEETER'S REPORT: It's the size of a loaf of bread or perhaps a milk carton but in actuality, it's much more than than that. On Nov. 12 the Asgardia-1 nanosatellite seceded not from any nation or any continent but from Planet Earth itself. The satellite is a nation unto itself, a "space kingdom" with a population of 115,000 individuals from 200 nations here on Earth who have been given status as citizens. That gives them the privilege to upload their personal data onto the cubesat for safekeeping in space. So far 0.5 TB of data are on board -- family photographs and memorabilia along with the space nation's own flag, national symbols and constitution. The emerging nation of Asgardia was lifted through the atmosphere on Nov. 14 aboard a NASA commercial cargo vehicle to dock with the International Space Station for a one-month stay. In about three weeks, it will launch even higher into orbit. The space nation is the creation of billionaire Russian scientist Igor Ashurbeyli who modeled it to be what he calls a peaceful society making use of technology. It bears the name of a city in Norse mythology that resided in the skies - at a time before uploading of anything was ever invented. One of Ashurbeyli's next plans is to convince the UN to recognize Asgardia as a sovereign nation -- but for now its citizens - still at home here on Earth - will have to be content with the independence it won on the launchpad. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Skeeter Nash N5ASH. (SOUTHGATE, CNN) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN; David Vowell N3NTV; the FCC; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; Ohio Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ; Radio Club of America; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Times of Swaziland; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; Youngsters on the Air; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
