Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2096 for Friday, December 29, 2017 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2096.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2096 with a release date of Friday, December 29, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Short wave service returns to part of Australia. A West Virginia school ham club has a special role -- and get ready for Contest University! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2096 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** NEW 60 METER SHORT WAVE LAUNCHES in AUSTRALIA PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with word that 60 meter short wave service is now operating in a part of Australia that have been without short wave for almost a year. This is welcome news to listeners, as we hear from John Williams VK4JJW. JOHN'S REPORT: At last, short wave radio station 4KZ is on the air at 5055 kHz from Queensland, Australia. Signal reports are coming in from New Zealand and parts of North America. Al Kirton VK4FFKZ general manager of NQ Radio, reports that transmissions started on the 20th of December and currently will be at half-power, or 500 watts, until repairs can be made of one of the RF boards. The station will then operate regularly at its 1 kW of power using an inverted V antenna at a site in Tropical North Queensland. Although the 60 meter transmissions are intended for the listening audience in the northern outback and the Cape York area, signal reports have come in from as far away as New South Wales, Victoria, New Zealand, Canada's province of Alberta and even Monterey, California in the U.S. Australian Broadcasting Corporation ended its short wave transmissions to the northern outback in January. If you're interested in listening for the signal and want to receive a 4KZ shortwave QSL card, be listening from 0500 to 2300 hours UTC and send your report to Al Kirton by writing to Al at nqradio dot com dot au (al@nqradio.com.au) or to Radio 4KZ, P.O. Box 19, Innisfail Queensland 4860 Australia. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW. (WIA) ** IRISH HAMS' TRIBUTE TO A DOOMED FLIGHT PAUL/ANCHOR: In Ireland, a special event station is getting ready to mark a particularly somber event. It was the biggest tragedy in the country's aviation history, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: Mystery still surrounds the deadly crash in 1968 of Aer Lingus Flight 712, an event that came to be known as the Tuskar Rock tragedy. The 61 people on board the Vickers Viscount 803 aircraft perished when it crashed into the Irish Sea, making it the worst air disaster in Irish civil aviation history. Starting on the 22nd of January and continuing through the 24th of March - the fiftieth anniversary of the crash, Special Event Station EI50AOM will remember that flight from Cork, which was bound for London's Heathrow Airport when tragedy struck. The amateur radio operators are devoting each day to a different victim. The passengers and crew were from Sweden, the Netherlands, the U.S., Switzerland, Britain, Belgium and Ireland. According to various news reports, only 14 bodies were ever found. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (IRTS, QRZ) ** NEW SCHOOL HAM CLUB IS ANYTHING BUT ACADEMIC PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio is all about communications but as one group of students in West Virginia is learning, it can mean so much more. Neil Rapp WB9VPG explains. NEIL: It’s always exciting to hear about a new high school ham radio club getting on the air. But this one had a little twist. In fact, it took me a while to get in touch with this group that has introduced ham radio to Pocahontas County High School in Dunmore, West Virginia because they have no cellular telephone service. It’s /not necessarily by choice. The entire county is inside the United States National Quiet Zone near the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. So when students had the chance to talk to the rest of the world on something other than a cable… they were more than interested. I had a chance to speak with Rudy Marrujo, KD8WPG about the visit to the school from the Eight Rivers Ham Club. RUDY: We want to show these kids, hey… Pocahontas County is not the only place in the world. It’s a big world. And, you know, when a child talks to someone in London or Australia, imagine looking at the smile between their ears. It’s ear to ear! NEIL: When the Eight Rivers Ham Club members visit the school, they are teaching not only how to communicate with the outside world, but also how to build the antennas and equipment to do so. And, they have a limited amount of time available. RUDY: [We have] two times a month that we can do it for an hour, each class. We have to summarize everything that we can give to a student. So we make a major impact in one hour. NEIL: An HF rig and some handhelds are already in a classroom at the school, and all the students who pass the license exam will be given a free handheld radio. Best of luck to yet another school sharing the love of ham radio with students, and in this case sharing an entire world that otherwise might not be well-known. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the New York suburb of West Islip, Long Island, another high school group will soon know the same excitement they're feeling in West Virginia. Students at West Islip High School have just been assigned a call sign and are awaiting approval of their requested vanity call WI2HS. Ben Piecora KD2NOU and teacher Brian Buonomo KD2FKP, the club trustee, are working together to help moves things forward. The weeks ahead will be spent setting up logbooks and other details in anticipation of getting the new call sign and, of course, antennas and radios. There's never been a ham club in the school, said Ben, who has promised to keep Newsline updated. We can't wait to hear what comes next in the new year for this new school club. ** IN DAYTON, IT'S SCHOLARSHIP SEASON PAUL/ANCHOR: If you happen to be a student, it's not too early to start thinking about applying for a scholarship to one of the most competitive universities in the ham radio universe - Contest University. Here's Heather Embee KB3TZD. HEATHER'S REPORT: Registration has opened for Dayton Contest University which is holding classes on Thursday the 17th of May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dayton Ohio, one day before Hamvention kicks off in Xenia. Students who are 25 and younger can apply for scholarships which are available through the Northern California DX Foundation. Discounts on registration are also available for attendees who are presenting a talk at Hamvention or have presented any educational session for hams at a hamfest since May 17 of 2017. In the 12 years since Contest University has taken place, more than 7,000 amateurs have attended to pick up tips and sharpen their skills. For additional information, visit the website at contest university dot com (contestuniversity.com), and then get ready to search and pounce! For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD. (CONTEST UNIVERSITY) ** NEW ARRL SECTION MANAGER PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in North Dakota are welcoming a new ARRL section manager, Nancy Yoshida, KG0YL, who will take on her role on January first. Nancy is an ARRL Life Member and has served as North Dakota Section Emergency Coordinator since 2011. Her interest in ham radio began after she volunteered to help with communications for Alaska's Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Nancy takes over from Lynn Nelson W0ND, who has been elected ARRL Dakota Division Vice Director (AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE) ** SILENT KEY: EDUCATOR, SCOUT LEADER LYNDA DAVIDSON KI6AWI PAUL/ANCHOR: In California, hams are grieving for a YL who took a special interest in radio -- and radio Scouting. Stephen Kinford N8WB has that story. STEPHEN'S REPORT: The California amateur radio community has lost a teacher, a mentor and a friend. Lynda Davidson KI6AWI became a Silent Key on Dec. 3 after a lifetime spent as a career educator and a volunteer Elmer of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in the hobby. She was especially active in the Venture Scouts, a coeducational program for teens who enjoy outdoor adventures. She also served as assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 27 and Crew Advisor for Crew 27. Lynda also devoted her time to being a Merit Badge Counselor. According to her longtime friend Donn Lovell K8DLL, she believed in giving back to Scouting in any way she could but most especially using radio through her association with amateur radio station K2BSA and the local Scouting radio club using call sign KZ6BSA. She spent much of her career as a teacher in both secondary public and private schools in Washington and California and was a founding member of the Crossroads Enrichment Center. Lynda Davidson was 70. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB (DONN LOVELL K8DLL) ** BREAK HERE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Cookeville Repeater Association's W4HPL repeater in Cookeville, Tennessee on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Central Time. ** MISSOURI AMATEUR HONORED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE PAUL/ANCHOR: While community service amateur radio isn't about recognition and prizes, when honors come, they're extra important because they put radio operators in the public spotlight. That's what recently happened in Missouri, as we hear from Christian Cudnik K0STH. CHRISTIAN: The emergency coordinator for Johnson County's Amateur Radio Emergency Services isn't just a Missouri resident dedicated to assisting in times of crisis, he's an amateur radio operator with a strong volunteer spirit. Rick Ebbesen KB0VZP has become this year's recipient of the State of Missouri Volunteer of the Year award for his work and his contributions according to a report in the Daily Star-Journal. The newspaper notes that the Johnson County ARES trailer was created with funding from him. The vehicle has the capability of tying its mobile camera into a "mesh network" used to transmit data, text messages and VOIP and during severe situations, such as storms. His most recent project consists of helping emergency managers make the move from simplex radio communications to a repeater system to expand countywide coverage. The agency's executive director Gloria Brandenburg told the newspaper that Ebbeson's volunteer tenure dates to 2002 when she was in charge of the American Red Cross office. She said he later split his time between the Red Cross and the county until the Red Cross office closed. His time has been invested well: The communications trailer assisted in Henry County when a telephone outage caused ambulance service to lose touch with the 911 call center. Rick also provided a radio charging facility and communications for first-responders during the search for a lost child in Johnson County. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH. (THE DAILY STAR-JOURNAL) ** THIS CALL SIGN IS A 'CAPITOL' IDEA PAUL/ANCHOR: As the state of Alabama prepares for its bicentennial celebration, public officials aren't the only ones getting into the act. Hams are too, as we hear from Bobby Best WX4ALA. BOBBY: Maybe she isn't a ham radio operator - at least not yet - but Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey sure knows how to activate a new call sign. On the state's 198th birthday, the public official became the first person to use call sign AL2C, which will be in use by amateurs until 2019, which marks the state's bicentennial. The governor's contact was with the Lee County Emergency Management Agency and she spoke about the state's bicentennial plans with Otto Arnoscht N4UZZ, the trustee of the call sign. The QSO took place from a D-Star VHF station in the Old House Chamber in the Capitol building in Birmingham - a station set up by the Alabama Bicentennial Amateur Radio Club. Since the bicentennial isn't for a little while yet, that gives the governor time to plan for her ticket - and this time we don't mean the political one. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best WX4ALA (ARRL) ** VACANCY FILLED IN CRITICAL MONITORING SYSTEM PAUL/ANCHOR: An important post has just been filled at a vital monitoring system that identifies intruders on the amateur bands. John Williams VK4JJW has those details. JOHN'S REPORT: The ARRL/IARU Monitoring System, which keeps an eye out for inappropriate signals on the bands, has filled a vacancy in IARU Region 2. On January first, Carlos Beviglia LU1BCE of Buenos Aires, Argentina, becomes the Monitoring System coordinator for that region. He will be responsible for keeping track of intruder reports, verifying them and if necessary, enlist the help of other hams and short-wave listeners to investigate further. Typical sources of intrusion on the ham bands include unlicensed operators, Over the Horizon Radar and shortwave broadcasters. Carlos has been licensed since the age of 16 and is a third-generation ham in his family. He has been president of the Radio Club of Argentina and in 2016 he was involved in the club's Summer Antarctic Campaign at LU1ZI in the South Shetland Islands. His preferred mode of operation is CW. The monitoring system is a global service designed to protect the amateur services on the air. Each of the IARU's regional organizastions chooses a local coordinator. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW (IARU) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, you have until the 5th of January to contact Mauro EA8/IV3HAX operating from the Canary Islands. Mauro can be found on various HF bands with an emphasis on 160 and 80 meters using CW, RTTY and FT8. Send QSL cards to IV3HAX direct, LoTW or ClubLog's OQRS. Members of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society are active as A70X from Al Safliyah Island from the first of January through the sixth. Listen for them on various HF bands using CW, SSB and the digital modes. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS. Between the 3rd and 16th of January you can listen for Ken LA7GIA and Adrian KO8SCA operating as Six-Oh-Six-Oh from Somalia. They will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. Send QSL cards via M0OXO and his OQRS. This is a DXpedition that is raising money for Doctors Without Borders and its work in Somalia. In Israel, Larry K2LS will operate as 4X/K2LS from Ramat Bet Shemesh between the 10th of January and the 6th of February. He will be using mainly CW. QSL via K2LS, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW. ** KICKER: COCKER SPANIEL PUP GETS TO 'PARK AND BARK' PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, we close our report with this question: What happens when a well-behaved puppy gets introduced to a pretty well-behaved group of hams? Jeremy Boot G4NJH answers that question for us now. JEREMY'S REPORT: The purpose of the North Cheshire Amateur Radio Club is stated clearly on its website: members gather to talk about all aspects of radio, to experiment with equipment and try new things and of course, to socialize and perhaps even gossip. The club's website notes that visitors are very welcome. So it should be no surprise when one of its more recent visitors to be welcomed was a cocker spaniel puppy. The 10-week-old pup named Connie was brought to the club's meeting on Sunday the 17th of December as part of her training. No, she wasn't preparing for a Foundation license exam or even hoping to upgrade an existing license. She was, however, definitely on track for the next stage of her development - to become a Hearing Dog for the deaf. According to club member Terry Roeves G3RKF such service dogs must display good behavior and a calm manner under all circumstances. Where better to test out a dog's promise than in a room full of talkative, enthusiastic amateur radio operators? Any dog who can handle THAT kind of QRM is sure to enjoy a successful career helping someone who is deaf or hearing-impaired. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH (THE WILMSLOW.CO.UK WEBSITE) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Contest University; the Daily Star-Journal; Donn Lovell K8DLL; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; the Irish Radio Transmitters Society; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; the Wilmslow UK website; WTWW Shortwave; 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 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.
It's great to hear that much of the Aussie Outback will have a radio service once again. The bureaucrats in Canberra have a history of making stupid decisions, from what I've read over the years, and closing Radio Australia was a doozy. A lot of people don't understand just how EMPTY big deserts like the Outback and USA's Great Basin can be. Much of the area simply has NOTHING out there except the ruins of old mining towns (USA) and widely scattered cattle ranches. At least the Great Basin has enough small towns scattered about that AM BCB radio is a viable means of coverage. The Outback lacks even that. I will try and log 4KZ at stated 0500z s/on, since I appear to be located in their signal line. Here in California 0500z is 2200 (10 pm) local time.
The capitol of Alabama is in Montgomery where the QSO with the Governor took place. For the record, I have activated the AL2C call multiple times via amateur satellites. If you hear the call on one of the birds, work me and get the AL2C QSL card and log the call on LoTW.
I'm curious as to why there is no cell service in Dumore, WV, but they can have HF and (I'm assuming VHF/UHF FM) handhelds. I also know, unless things have changed, that Marlington WV, also in Pocahontas County, has mobile phone service.
