Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1975 September 4 2015 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1975 with a release date of Friday, September 4, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A 105-year-old radio amateur honored for 90 years of QSOs. YLs in the UK repurpose unused repeater time by establishing a net. The FCC takes back an Arizona ham’s vanity call sign. Digital mode users prep for a big QSO party Down Under AND a conference in The Windy City. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report 1975 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) ** ONE FOR THE AGES We begin this week’s newscast with the revelation that being an OM in ham radio isn’t always just a casual descriptive. For one New York radio amateur, it’s quite possibly the highest honor one can achieve in a lifetime on the air. Charles “Charlie” Hellman, W2RP, of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, was recently declared the oldest living amateur radio operator in the U.S., if not perhaps the globe. The 105-year-old has engaged in 90 years of QSOs, beginning with his first year as a new ticket in 1925, when he was 15 years old. The Quarter Century Wireless Association, whose members have all been active hams for at least 25 years, discovered Hellman’s unprecedented amateur record quite unexpectedly, during a recent update of the group’s member files. Webmaster Bob Roske, N-ZERO-U-F (N0UF), who was doing the update, stumbled upon Hellman’s listing, and learned he was not only licensed and active, but living in New York’s Westchester County, just north of New York City. What came next seemed only natural: The association chose to bestow on Hellman an honor that, like Hellman, had no equal -- A certificate marking 90 years as a ham. The document’s wording reads: QUOTE “The Quarter Century Wireless Association presents this 90th Anniversary Award to its Distinguished Member Charles “Charlie” Hellman, W2RP to commemorate Ninety Years of Service as a licensed Radio Amateur.” In addition to the certificate, Hellman also received a letter from QCWA president Ken Oelke, V-E-6-A-F-OH (VE6AFO), who wrote, in part: “I would also like to say how proud I am that you have kept active for these many years, and to proudly celebrate what many will not be able to achieve in their entire lifetime.” END QUOTE ?** THE CYCLE OF LIFE In August, Amateur Radio Newsline reported on Thomas Andersen, OH-Zed-1-Double-A-SLASH-K-9-D-X-X (OZ1AA/K9DXX), the Danish cyclist who, at the time, was bicycling his way north on the East Coast of the U.S., stopping to visit American ham friends along the way. Andersen now finds himself in Canada’s Maritime region, having logged more than 26,000 miles by bicycle since the start of his journey. Moving through Canada, he shares this recent reflection on his Facebook page: QUOTE “From the southernmost point in Key West, Florida to the easternmost point in Lubec, Maine, what an incredible ride through the US!” During his stay in Maine, Andersen had visited with some contesting enthusiasts like himself – Pat Sonnier, W5WMU and Scott Redd, K-ZERO-D-Q (K0DQ). Andersen says he hopes to visit Africa sometime after Christmas, and this time, plans to carry an HF radio with him. But for now, Andersen and his bicycle still have Canadian terrain to conquer. Canada is the 38th country on Andersen’s “Cycling the Globe” adventure which began when he left Copenhagen five years ago. He plans to wrap up his travels in North America soon, but first pay a visit to Newfoundland. Then he’ll fly home to Denmark for a three month break. And he adds: QUOTE: “To earn some money.”ENDQUOTE (ARRL) ** THE PRIDE OF DENMARK Meanwhile, another Danish radio amateur is really going the distance – and this time it’s not by bicycle: Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZed, becomes the first Danish astronaut in space this month, and his 10-day mission at the International Space Station includes help in the deployment of two European Space Agency CubeSats from Denmark featuring amateur radio payloads. The satellites, GOMX-3, which is a 3U CubeSat, and AAUSAT-5, a 1U CubeSat, were delivered to the ISS on August 19. GOMX-3 is designed for use in storytelling and teaching, with a downlink at 437.250 MHz and 1200-9600 baud GMSK data from a NanoCom AX100 using CSP protocol. AAUSAT-5 was built by a university team that received support from the ESA. It is carrying an educational payload but is also designed to receive ships’ position-location beacons. Its downlink is 437.425 MHz, GMSK telemetry. Radio amateurs and others are invited to follow Mogensen’s progress on Twitter. Just follow @Astro_Andreas. AMSAT NEWS SERVICE) ** THEY’VE GOT YL POWER A somewhat sleepy repeater near Chelmsford in the UK recently got a gentle wake-up call that has set in motion some new possibilities for the Essex Repeater Group, which operates it. The activity on the Danbury repeater, GB3DA, is considered to be fairly quiet when no nets are scheduled. It is perhaps those moments of silence that served as inspiration recently for Kelly Atkins, M6KFA, during an episode of her regularly scheduled online technology radio show, FrequencyCast. Taking a pause from the show on August 27, Kelly put out a call on the repeater, backing it up with social media shouts on Twitter and Facebook. What happened next was a spontaneous on-air gathering of about a dozen YLs, including Dorothy Stanley, M-ZERO-L-M-R (M0LMR). Now, the women have been talking – on the air and off – about starting up a regular net for YLs. (SOUTHGATE) ** RADIO AMATEUR CRIES ‘UNCLE’ The FCC has ruled that an uncle is not the same as a great-great uncle, and in the eyes of one radio amateur in Arizona, that may not be so great. In fact, he may end up crying uncle in a different way because the agency’s decision is costing him his vanity call sign. The FCC plans to cancel the W3JB license of Joshua A. Babb of Maricopa, Arizona, based on their finding that the previous license-holder, John K. Birch, a Silent Key, was not Babb’s uncle, after all, but his great-great uncle – his grandfather’s mother’s brother. Birch’s license had been cancelled on August 17, 2012 following his death that year. Babb applied for the W3JB call sign on June 21, 2014, within the two-year waiting period for the license, and it was granted on August 8, 2014, based on Babb’s assertion Birch was a close relative. The FCC otherwise would not have accepted applications for the call sign until August 18, 2014. However, now Babb’s license is being reassigned to his previous call sign, KD7HLX. The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s Mobility Division had been skeptical of Babb’s application since he had also filed four other vanity applications seeking a “JB” suffix 1 × 2 call sign, and W3JB was among them. All those applications were dismissed, either because of the two-year waiting period or because the FCC had already chosen a recipient. Responding to the Bureau’s request to document his relationship to the deceased former holder of W3JB, Babb replied that Birch was his “grandfather’s mother’s brother.” Said the FCC: QUOTE “This does not exempt Mr. Babb from the two-year waiting period for call sign W3JB. The exemption applies only to specified close relatives. The relationship claimed by Mr. Babb is too distant to qualify.”ENDQUOTE Babb will have an opportunity to file a written protest within 30 days before the agency issues its modification order. (ARRL) *** HELP FOR A HIKER It was supposed to be a camping trip among four friends and coworkers near Dinkey Creek, California, but it turned into a rescue mission made possible by a handheld ham radio: Four California state prison workers had just finished a ride on their ATVs last month when a hiker approached Avenal State Prison Officer Robert Tuck, seeking help for an injured friend, who’d fallen during their trek in the woods. While Tuck said no one had a cell phone, he told the hiker his coworker, Corrections Officer Jody Clarke, K-F-6-OH-P-J (KF6OPJ) had brought along his handheld ham radio. Clarke quickly set to work and using the nearby 2-meter repeater, put out a call to fellow ham Mike Rainwater, N-6-Y-I-C (N6YIC), the correctional plant supervisor at Pleasant Valley State Prison, who contacted the Forestry dispatch number and emergency services. Clarke also provided the GPS location of the campsite, and a description of the woman’s injuries, which appeared to be a broken wrist and possibly a broken jaw. Within the half-hour, help was there. The hiker was stabilized and taken for treatment. And the quartet of colleagues got back to the business of their vacation. (CALIF. DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS, Doug Snell, KK6IPK) ** ** FROM RAGCHEW TO RICHES It’s not unusual for hams to talk nonstop, but when they commit to doing it for 12 hours, great things can happen. That’s what special event station GB1BAF accomplished this past summer when the Llanelli Amateur Radio Society in South Wales, using that call sign, staged a talkathon to benefit Help for Heroes, a charity for the military. The June event, held on Armed Forces Day, made contact with 225 stations around the Europe, Brazil and South Africa, from the Welsh Swiss Valley region. The talkathon not only raised 443 pounds for the charity but raised hopes the group can do it again on Remembrance Sunday, November 8. The club will be active again as GB1BAF, ragchewing for the charity for 12 hours once more, in CW and digital modes, as well as phone on HF. ** DARE TO GO DIGITAL It’s time to give voice to some digital experimentation, and a group of hams in Australia is reserving the weekend of Sept. 12 and 13 for just that purpose. The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group in Australia is promoting the international use of a new digital voice mode, FreeDV HF Digital Voice, with a special two-day QSO party coordinated through the special event net control station VK100ANZedAC. FreeDV was developed by group of amateurs, led by David Rowe, VK5DGR. Rowe’s work on the mode, which uses an open source digital voice compression algorithm, recently won him the Ron Wilkinson Achievement Award. With this algorithm, the mode operates at low bitrates and narrow bandwidths, making it useful for HF frequencies. Its open source properties also encourage free experimentation. For schedule times and frequencies, visit the event website at http://www.areg.org.au. Type QSO Party in the search box. (Grant Willis VK5GR, The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group) ** ** MORE DIGITAL DOINGS Speaking of FreeDV and all other things digital, the 34th annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference, set to begin in the Chicago area on October 9, is still making attendee discounts available. The three-day event will offer forums on SDR, various modes of digital voice, digital satellite communications, HF digital modes, APRS, spread spectrum and other Part 15 license-exempt systems adaptable for amateur radio using TCP/IP networking over amateur radio. Pre-registration, with discounted fees, will close on Sept. 19, but online registration forms will continue to be available. Walk-ins, at full admission, will also be welcome. For more information, visit www.tapr.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 W4WVP repeater of the Arlington Amateur Radio Club of Arlington, Virginia. ** KEEPING IT SAFE A number of special event stations are marking Fire Prevention Week beginning Oct. 4 and running through Oct. 10, led by the Siemens Fire Safety USA Amateur Radio Club in Florham Park, New Jersey, KF2IRE. The Siemens club is promoting amateur radio in the workplace, as well as fire safety, and is hoping to get other November-Fox stations on board. They are also hoping that, after this year’s event, this will become an annual tradition. Currently assigned call signs are N1F, N2F and N8F. The club is hoping for a station lead and operators throughout the U.S., and reaching out in particular to workplaces involved in any aspect of safety. The contact is WX2S. For more information, visit the N2F page on QRZ. (Bob Jonas-WX2I) ** ** THE STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER In Brentwood, California, Chuck Graham, KI6DCD, is hoping to convince his friends and neighbors that ham radio can help keep them safe. Graham, training chairman for SATERN, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, is presenting an introduction to ham radio as an emergency tool on September 10 at the Brentwood Neighborhood Church. He wants to see increasing numbers of people who, like him, become licensed amateurs – with good reason. Graham tells the Contra Costa Times: QUOTE"I'm trying to interest people in getting involved in Citizens Emergency Response Team and emergency communication. The theory is that in a major earthquake or other disaster, police and fire may be days away, and you need some sort of organization to find out if everyone's OK. At some point you would use ham radio to relay the information to a more central spot."ENDQUOTE He will encourage people to study for their licenses and offer different options for test-preparation, including a one-day intensive class or a seven-week training course. Graham, who got his license only after retiring, also plans to tell area residents why he is such a believer, not just in ham radio but disaster preparedness. He says: QUOTE"My scenario is that we need to plan for a disaster in the next year or five years and I'm concerned that in many areas there's no disaster plan. I'm an old Marine and I want options on what I'm trained for so that when there's something happening I know what to do and what kinds of decisions to make with some background. That's why I share this."END QUOTE ** TRANSITION TO RADIO [ANCHOR:] A group of military veterans who are getting help readjusting to civilian life made use of a new tool to help ease that transition. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Healther Embee, KB3TZedD, reports on the effort that took place this past summer at the Eagle’s Nest at Sauk Centre in Minnesota: [HEATHER’S REPORT] “The Eagle’s Nest at Sauk Centre serves as a halfway house for veterans who have a hard time making their way back into civilian life. The typical stay is about six months although some veterans stay much longer. “Seven members of the Digital Amateur Radio Club based in Little Falls, spent a Sunday afternoon in July conducting an introduction to ham radio for the veterans at the “Nest.” Although many residents expressed interest, scheduling conflicts allowed only a half-dozen veterans to attend. Those that did watched a slide show and video presentation and participated in a Q&A session. They then progressed to live on-the-air contacts on HF, VHF, and UHF bands including links via EchoLink and AllStar. Operating modes included SSB, FM, and DSTAR. “Since the event took place only a few weeks after field day, the ham radio operators setup portable stations and temporary antennas. Some of the veterans were able to help erect the antennas. “The event ran for four hours and the vets were left with brochures, information sheets, and ARRL and Gordon West study guides for their technician and general class licenses. In a few weeks, there may be new hams on the air.” [ANCHOR]: That was Amateur Radio Newsline’s Heather Embee, KB3TZedD. (The Morrison County Record (Minnesota) ** ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT Boston’s Head of the Charles Regatta has been a tradition in that city since 1965, and so has the volunteerism that keeps the spectacle and its 11,000 athletes and 400,000 spectators safe. Organizers of the massive crewing event are looking for ham radio operators to assist with this year’s regatta, which is headquartered at the Cambridge Boat Club. Radio operators are needed to provide emergency services support. This year’s celebration of the sport of rowing is set for Oct. 17 and 18, and hams wanting to help out should register on the official website, www.hocr.org. (JEFF ARNOLD, K1EMS, HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA) ** WHEN STUDENTS AIM HIGH The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program, ARISS, is hoping schools and other educational entities will take this homework assignment seriously: Between now and Nov. 1, they are looking for both formal and informal proposals for QSOs with crew members in space. Those contacts are to be scheduled between July 1 and December 31 of next year. But because challenging homework sometimes requires a little tutoring, ARISS has scheduled some extra help sessions on line for prospective applicants – on Thursday, Sept. 17, on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The hourlong sessions will offer coaching on how to successfully propose a QSO with the space station. For more information about the online sessions, email ariss@arrl.org The ARRL website, www.arrl.org, has additional information on hosting an ARISS contact. ** THE WORLD OF DX The Mediterraneo International Dx Club Team, which will be operating from Da Nang City, Vietnam, as 3W3MD/P starting October 31, also plans to be active from Cham Island IOTA AS-162 for a few days. The rest of the team will continue to be on the air from the beach at Da Nang around the clock. They plan to work the low bands, WARC and digital mode as well. The Vietnam expedition ends November 10. SAMOA. Robin, ZL4IG, will be on Upolu Island (OC-097) until September 13, operating with the call sign 5-W-ZERO-R-M (5W0RM). Robin will work holiday style on 40 meters through 15 meters, using both CW and SSB. QSL via his home call sign, ZL4IG. COTIJUBA ISLAND. From September 17 through 20, a team will be on the air from the Cotijuba Island, IOTA SA-060, operating full time in CW, Digital and SSB from 6 through 40 meters. They will use the call sign PX8Z, the same call sign used in an expedition held in 2013 on the same island. Send QSL cards to PY8WW. EU-174. Laci, H-A-ZERO-H-W, (HA0HW), will be working Thassos Island as SW8WW until September 14. Laci will be operating mainly CW but will also work some SSB and RTTY. Find him on 40 through 10 meters and also on 6 meters. QSL via his home call sign, H-A-ZERO-H-W, (HA0HW), by the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society Bureau or the Online QSL Request ClubLog. ANDRES ISLAND. Joseph, LU1FM, will be active on San Andres Island, NA-033, as 5-J-ZERO-B (5J0B), from October 17 through the 27th. He will be accompanied by Daniel, LU9FHF. They will work 160 meters through 6 meters using SSB and digital modes. On October 24 and 25, they will participate in the CQWW DX SSB contest. QSL via Joseph’s home call sign, LU1FM. (Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter) ** KICKER: PUTTING A LID ON IT To wrap up this week’s report, let’s hear it for a group of amateurs who willingly call themselves LIDS – no, not those notorious radio rogues everyone tries to keep a distance from on the air. These LIDS are the good guys, and in fact, they want you to seek them out. The British collective’s acronym stands for Less Involved Data Society, and on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, when the UK has its National Hamfest at the Newark Showground, the LIDS will be there. They’ll be operating their club station on 40 meters with the call sign M-ZERO-L-C-W-SLASH-P (M0LCW/P), encouraging other hams to try their hand at CW. They’re even hosting a CW contest during the hamfest, inviting hams to contact their station using CW, whether they’re old hands with a key or radio rookies. Not only is there no minimum speed for code in this contest, you don’t even need to call the station: If you’re shy about it, just send a direct message to the LIDS’ Twitter account with your frequency and the club station will call you instead. It’s kind of like calling a ham taxi to take you to the nearest QSO. Well, as it says on the club’s website [QUOTE} “If that doesn’t persuade you to blow the dust off that Morse key then we really don’t know what will.” Because to these LIDS, no speed is ever too slow. And no LID too respectful or too polite and accommodating. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alan Labs, the ARRL, AMSAT CQ Magazine, California Department of Corrections, the Contra Costa Times; DX Coffee, DXWorld, Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Head of the Charles Regatta; Jeff Arnold, K1EMS; Bob Jonas, WX2I; LIDS; the Morrison County Record; the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter; Southgate Amateur Radio News, TWiT TV, the Quarter Century Wireless Association; QRZNOW and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our email address is newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW in New Orleans, saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1975 September 4 2015 - AUDIO http://www.arnewsline.org/storage/audio/2015/Report1975.mp3
