Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2094 for Friday, December 15, 2017 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2094.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2094 with a release date of Friday, December 15, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams respond to the California wildfires. A group of Jewish radio operators make a wish at Hanukkah -- and in Illinois, a terminally ill ham gets the gift of a lifetime. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2094 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES SPUR HAM RESPONSE DON/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast with a report about amateur radio response to the California wildfires. As Amateur Radio Newsline went to production, firefighters were still struggling to contain the massive Thomas Fire in southern California, where residents were being evacuated. As more evacuations were being planned on account of winds spreading the blaze, the need for ham assistance remained an open situation, especially in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Hams were actively supporting shelter communications and staffing at least four evacuation centers. Amateur Radio Newsline will continue to follow this story and updates will be posted on our Facebook page and on Twitter. ** AMATEURS NOT SNOWED BY WINTER WEATHER IN U.S. SOUTH DON/ANCHOR: In other extremes of weather, hams stepped up recently to the challenge of major snow in the American South as we hear from Stephen Kinford N8WB. STEPHEN'S REPORT: The weather system that dumped the earliest snow that portions of Alabama have had in 54 years may have defied all reliable and trusted weather models but it was no match for amateur radio. The Dec. 8 snowfall surprised broadcast meteorologists and many at the National Weather Service but hams had already got down to helping the Alabama Emergency Management Agency pass along traffic from their various posts at EOC stations around the state. Hams staffing WA4EMA in Tuscaloosa County passed traffic to ARES members in the field across western Alabama throughout the day. One of the state's primary SKYWARN repeaters, the regional 2-meter station W4CUE in Birmingham, passed along reports that went to the Birmingham National Weather Service. In the east, WB4GNA, Alabama's highest 2-meter repeater at Cheaha (CHEE-HAH) Mountain, got reports from the east and west and even from Georgia. The Alabama State ARES Net frequencies were also buzzing, especially into Saturday as the snowfall was being tallied up. By Sunday, the city of Jacksonville Alabama had the distinction of the highest snowfall recorded - 12 inches - in Alabama. Jacksonville is located just west of the Georgia border. The rare snowfall turned out to be tough sledding for many in Alabama except, of course, the hams. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB. (BOBBY BEST WX4ALA) ** VISITING AS A MOBILE IN NEW BRUNSWICK? NOT SO FAST DON/ANCHOR: If your travels have you thinking of operating mobile from Canada's province of New Brunswick, Kent Peterson KC0DGY has this cautionary tale. KENT: Since 1952 Canadian and American Amateur Radio licensees have been able to operate in each others countries. But the language in a recently passed distracted driving law in the province of New Brunswick allows mobile radio operation to only licensed Canadian hams. Newsline spoke with George Dewar VY2GF who lives in the neighboring province, Prince Edward Island. GEORGE: I think the American amateurs should know that if they come to New Brunswick and use their microphone here that they could be held in violation of the highway traffic act. News Brunswick was the only one that came up with this business you can't use a microphone in a car There were certain exceptions like a CB in a semi trailer was OK, you could use it for commercial purposes. KENT: Dewar points out driving regulations are not set by the Canadian federal government and can vary from province to province. GEORGE: I think somebody would be doing a great service if they could draw up a matrix of Canadian provinces of what the rules are and how you might be caught in them. KENT: Dewar hopes a ham organization might be able to influence perhaps the New Brunswick tourism ministry. GEORGE: The third biggest industry here in Prince Edward Island is tourism. If the minister of tourism in New Brunswick got wind of the ARRL putting out a press release saying the 750,000 licensed amateurs in the US were to avoidance going to new Brunswick they'd get the message. KENT: And Dewar shared with me his opinion of the new regulation. GEORGE: The legislation is ill conceived and what the did was declared amateurs who have a long history of public service to be idiots, and as far as I'm concerned only an idiot texts while driving. KENT: Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY. ** GRANTING ONE HAM'S FINAL WISH DON/ANCHOR: Wish fulfillment holds a special place in everyone's hearts at this time of year. For one terminally ill amateur radio operator, the fulfillment of a wish to get on the air one more time meant everything, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO. PAUL: Spending time listening to certain parts of 20, 40 and 80 meters often makes you wonder about our hobby. But then something happens that reminds you why a lot of us got into amateur radio in the first place. The story of John Nugent, WA2EQJ, will hopefully restore your faith in your fellow hams. I spoke with Chris Brown, NY9X, of the Lake County, Illinois RACES organization about how granting a dying Vietnam veteran a final wish came to happen: BROWN: John is at the Federal Health Center over here at Great Lakes and has cancer and apparently does not have much time left. He had talked to his caseworker about being a ham radio operator and his love for the hobby. Hes been a ham for most of his life. He had a wish of getting on the air one more time and so the case worker started asking around as to how we could get this done, is there anybody who would be willing to help? PAUL: They finally got in touch with the hams at RACES who quickly came up with a plan to make that possible: BROWN: Our guys went over and set up a wire antenna outside on the grounds of the hospital and ran the coax in the front door and had a table there. They brought him down. We had a radio that was there he loves his Yaesu so they brought that down and just set it on the table next to him. PAUL: Brown next went looking for possible contacts: BROWN: I just went down the band - I went down 20 meters and there was a QSO just wrapping up. There was a guy from California and I broke in and said, Hey, is there any chance you can do me a favor and come up the band? I explained what was going on, that we were Lake County RACES, and before I knew it he was already up there and he was almost like net control for 10, 15 minutes with John. PAUL: The afternoon was a success and created a definite bright spot in the final days of the long life of one ham. BROWN: His son was on the air too and just thanked everybody and said the expression on Johns face was fantastic with what he could do and he was talking. PAUL: Hams helping another ham in time of need. That, at the core, is what this hobby is about. All of us here at Amateur Radio Newsline will keep John Nugent and his family in our thoughts as he nears the end of his journey. For Amateur Radio Newsline, Im Paul Braun, WD9GCO. ** SPOTTING THE SUNSPOTS OF LONG AGO DON/ANCHOR: It is said that there is nothing new under the sun - or even inside the sun, as Mike Askins KE5CXP tells us. MIKE: Sunspot patterns, it seems, have been a human obsession for at least 200 years -- at least that's what can be believed from a recent discovery made in the state of Maine. A report that appears on Space.com tells of a journal found inside a small house in that New England state with pages containing writings from some 200 years ago. The subject? Sunspots! The journal's contents in an academic paper coauthored recently by solar scientist William Denig of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and historian Michael McVaugh of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The 19th century devoted sun-watcher was a Congregational minister named Jonathan Fisher. The clergyman had at one time practiced a more scientific look at the heavens as a math and science student at Harvard University in the 18th century. When he graduated, however, he took up the clerical cloth. Still, he never forgot his lessons in science and when the Northern Hemisphere experienced what historians recall as a "year without a summer" in 1816, the reverend kept meticulous drawings of his observations in those now-faded pages. Clearly we have more advanced ways of tracking sunspots now but it's a comfort to know we hams aren't the only ones who have a tradition of keeping a watchful and sometimes nervous eye on the sky. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP (SPACE.COM) ** BREAK HERE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N5OZG repeater in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sundays at 8 p.m. ** HAMS HOPING FOR A HANUKKAH MIRACLE DON/ANCHOR: A group of Jewish amateur radio operators has big hopes for reviving a very old - and very beloved - net. Neil Rapp WB9VPG has that story. NEIL: The Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah is about miracles and one group of amateurs is hoping for a miracle or at least an unexpected opportunity to restart a beloved net begun long ago that linked Jewish amateurs across the miles. BOB: The organization was called Chaverim and its for Jewish hams, as we call ourselves the kosher hams. The organization had existed for many years. About 3 or 4 years ago because many of the members were getting old, the organization was more or less dissolved, although we did continue the nets. NEIL: That was Bob Schoenfeld, WA2AQQ. With only one chapter left and with original members growing older a Facebook group tried to resurrect more at one point. Bob has another suggestion too: BOB: We have been trying to get younger members. If they want to If anybodys interested when they hear this, they can contact me at my call, WA2AQQ@arrl.net and I will get in touch with them and we can arrange, you know, for either meeting eyeball meetings, or eyeball QSOs, or whatever. If things are looking good I can even arrange, since I dont have any equipment over here except that I can get on Echolink with my tablet or my cell phone, I might be able to arrange an Echolink net to start again. NEIL: Again, if you have an interest in reviving this net for Kosher hams, contact Bob at wa2aqq@arrl.net. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG. ** RADIO SCOUTS FILE FINAL JOTA REPORT DON/ANCHOR: Radio scout activations are fairly quiet this week but there's still Jamboree news, as we hear from Bill Stearns NE4RD. BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting, it's quiet on the activation front as the winter holiday season sets in, however we have our final report out for JOTA 2017, we're looking towards JOTA 2018, and we talk about a new callsign becoming active. JOTA 2017 numbers are in for the U.S., and activity was down from 2016, but they were right in line with 2014 & 2015. 7,872 scouts, 4,753 vistors and 958 Amateur Radio Operators, making 7,177 recorded contacts, made up the U.S. reportable numbers for this year. The feedback and comments received will go a long way into improving the guides we have for leaders and the advice we can pass on to future activators for making your event a success. With 2017 in the can, we have 10 months to prepare for JOTA 2018. It's time to take stock in what worked and what didn't. I, for one, will have to think about planning for wind in my 2018 activation. We were being hit by 25 to 40 mph winds at the park where we had our event, causing some of our equipment to go airborne. What changes are you going to implement in your 2018 plan? Now is the time to start that planning. A few people have started following some of the early chatter from the @NA1WJ_Scouting's twitter account. NA1WJ (or North America 1 World Jamboree) is the currently planned callsign and source of information on the radio scouting activation at the 2019 World Jamboree being held at The Summit in West Virginia. World Jamboree is held every four years at locations around the globe, and this time it has landed in North America. Please follow NA1WJ and K2BSA on this journey to make the World Jamboree a spotlight event for Scouting, STEM, and Amateur Radio. 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 ** GERMANY OPTS OUT OF NEW ENTRY LEVEL LICENSE DON/ANCHOR: It looks like hams in Germany won't be seeing a new entry level license anytime soon, as we hear from Ed Durrant DD5LP. ED'S REPORT: Hopeful radio enthusiasts who were counting on the introduction of a new entry level amateur radio license in Germany are going to have to wait a little longer - in fact, they're going to have to wait indefinitely. The license won't be happening, despite the fact that recent reports from Germany show that licensing is on the decline in that nation. Statistics show Germany having a peak of 80,000 licensed amateurs in 2002. By 2015 the number of license holders had slipped to 67,349. In recent years, the Deutscher Amateur Radio Club, or DARC, has been promoting amateur radio among young people and has been offering a free online training course. Figures show an increase in 2015 in the numbers of applicants taking license exams but, for now, there will be no entry-level category for radio operators. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. (SOUTHGATE) ** EVEN SANTA NEEDS A BREAK DON/ANCHOR: If this time of year has you believing in reindeer that fly and a bearded ham in a big red suit, you may want to hear this report from John Williams VK4JJW. JOHN'S REPORT: Where does Santa Claus stop to refuel on his journeys? If you said eastern Europe, that correct response would land you squarely on his "nice" list. A special event station in Romania, featuring Santa and his elves, is on the bands all month with the call signs YP2XMAS through YP9XMAS as well as YP0XMAS. The event is being sponsored by the Romanian Radioclub Association, which will also send QSL cards along with awards that are delivered electronicallly to any station working at least three different YP XMAS call signs. Sorin YO2MSB will be among those to reprise the role of Santa - and yes, he'll have his elves with him. Join the pileup and your name will be entered in this year's Yule Log. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW. (ROMANIAN RADIOCLUB ASSOCIATION) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, be listening for lots of signals coming from Vietnam. Dirk, DF2XG, is active as 3W9XG from Hai Phong where he is working as a project manager for an industrial venture. Listen for him on 40 meters through 10 meters. He will be running 20 watts and operating CW. For QSL information, visit QRZ.com. Also in Vietnam is John KB4FB, who will begin operating as 3W9FB from Da Nang sometime in early January. He will then move on to Laos and operate as XW4FB before returning to Vietnam in February. He will be on a number of different HF bands throughout. Send QSLs via LoTW. QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW in March 2018. In the Gambia, Przemyslaw, SP3PS, will be active as C5/SP3PS between the 30th of December and the 12th of January. Listen for him on 40, 20 and 10 meters. Send QSLs via his home callsign. ** KICKER: 'TWAS THE END OF THIS WEEK'S NEWSCAST DON/ANCHOR: Finally, we hope you enjoyed the holiday gift Amateur Radio Newsline gave you last year at this same time because, well....we're giving you the same gift again this year as we close this week's newscast. It's the popular amateur radio interpretation of a Clement Clarke Moore classic -- and we promise to deliver with no QRM. Here's Jim Damron N8TMW: JIM: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack The rig was turned off and the mic cord lay slack The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear had long ceased to burn. I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of Armchair DX When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed out the door to see what was around. The moon shone down brightly and lighted the night. For sure propagation for the low bands was right. I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket and there was some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket! I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy: Just who WAS this stranger? di di dah dah di dit? He looked very much like an FCC guy who'd come to check up on some bad TVI. I shouted to him: "Old man...QR-Zed?" "Hey you by the chimney all dressed up in red!" I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle The guy on the rooftop was Jolly Kris Kringle He had a big sack full of amateur gear which was a big load for his prancing reindeer. Transmitters, receivers, for cabinets and racks Some meters and scopes and a lot of co-ax. He said not a word 'cause he'd finished his work. He picked up his sack and he turned with a jerk. As he leaped to his sleigh, he shouted with glee And I knew in a moment he'd be QRT. I heard him transmit as he flew o'er the trees "Merry Christmas to all, and to all seventy-three." "Ho Ho Ho" (over Santa): For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Bobby Best WX4ALA; the Capital Gazette; CQ Magazine; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Mark Bova W2PAW; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Romanian Radioclub Association; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Space.com; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 Don Wilbanks AE5DW in Picayune, Mississippi saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
Here is an e-mail message I just sent to KC0DGY and ARNewsline: Kent: I am the Atlantic Director for the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national organisation representing Radio Amateurs in Canada. I reside in New Brunswick, and I represent New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador on the Board of Directors of RAC. I am writing to ask ARNewsline to retract your story concerning New Brunswick's Distracted Driving legislation and to apologise. The interview you published with George Dewar VY2GF contains speculation and falsehoods, mixed in with elements of truth. 1. There is no "new legislation" on this matter. The amendment to the Highway Traffic Act was passed by the legislature and given Royal Assent in 2014, over three years ago. That amendment was a major advance because it explicitly exempted Radio Amateurs. It defined Radio Amateurs by a Canadian qualification, and that was a reasonable thing for the law to do. George's remarks were based on the speculation by one NB civil servant on the matter, not on any legal opinion. That speculation was written by that civil servant in an e-mail over two years ago. There is no jurisprudence that shows even one US Radio Amateur ever having been charged with an offence. The story in Amateur Radio Newsline, provided by George, is unnecessarily alarming in that it sounds like US Amateurs will be targeted by this legislation. Two quotes in particular stand out: - "If the minister of tourism in New Brunswick got wind of the ARRL putting out a press release saying the 750,000 licensed amateurs in the US were to avoidance going to new Brunswick they'd get the message." This is just wild speculation by George. There is no indication of ARRL contemplating or circulating any such press release. George made that up, and you reported his speculation without caveat. - "The legislation is ill conceived and what the did was declared amateurs who have a long history of public service to be idiots..." This legislation did no such thing. Again, George made that up, and you reported it without caveat. In your subsequent communication with [a named Canadian Radio Amateur], you asserted that there was no clear reference to the Canada-USA reciprocal operating treaty in New Brunswick's legislation. You will find there is no such reference in the legislation or regulations of any other province, territory, or even any US state. Even your reference to the treaty was faulty: it was not an agreement between FCC (a US government agency) and RAC (the Canadian IARU society). The treaty was between your country and mine. You have conflated one person's speculation with legislation and circulated a misleading story highlighting a non-existent threat to New Brunswick's tourism industry. You should be ashamed of your behaviour. The very least you can do is retract the story. An apology would be appropriate. I will also post this on ARNewline's "contact us" page. 73, Dave Goodwin VE9CB RAC Atlantic Director
