Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2132 for Friday, September 7th, 2018 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2132.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2132 with a release date of Friday, September 7th, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. An AMSAT satellite is plagued by QRM. Hams in Kenya find their clubhouse burglarized -- and an amateur in Northern Ireland gets a surprise message. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2132 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** AMSAT BATTLING SATELLITE QRM PAUL/ANCHOR: We open this week's report with some QRM -- which is exactly what's been plaguing a new AMSAT satellite, as we hear from Neil Rapp WB9VPG. NEIL: AMSAT is looking for some help in tracking down some interference to the uplink frequency of its newest satellite. Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, Vice President of operations at AMSAT, tells us what's happening. DREW: We've been having issues on AO-92 recently with QRM on the uplink frequency. You can tell that it's DMR. But because it's being filtered through the computer on the satellite and the audio process, we can't decode it right now. We have a pretty good idea of where it is. Most likely in the Midwest or maybe the Colorado mountain area. We're not hearing it on real low West Coast passes, and we're not hearing it on passes that are east of, say, the Appalachians. So, it's mid-America somewhere. And it's fairly strong when it's there. NEIL: If you're operating anything... a hotspot, repeater, or just running simplex in the satellite subbands, which are 145.8 to 146.0 and 435 to 438 MHz, AMSAT is putting out a plea for those stations to move off those frequencies. DREW: If anybody does hear it locally and not through the satellite, please let us know. Any help that we can get from satellite users or people who just happen to be listening and hear and know where it is would be very welcome. NEIL: This particular case of QRM is believed to be near 435.36 MHz. If you have a report to make, please email it to ko4ma@amsat.org. DREW: One of the things that we've investigated and ran by some people that are very familiar with regulations... we had some initial pushback from people that said, "Who are you to tell us that we can't operate there?" We're no one to tell you that you can't operate there. However, hotspots would fall under what's considered an auxillary station in the Part 97 rules. Auxillary stations are specifically exempted from the satellite sub-bands. They can not operate there according to FCC regulation. So it's not just us trying to clear off frequencies for the satellites. It's FCC regulation that protects those. So, we would like everybody to cooperate and clear those frequencies up and move their auxillary stations where they belong. But, the request does have some legal authority behind it. NEIL: Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. ** CASE STILL OPEN IN KILLING OF HENRY STANGE WA6RXZ PAUL/ANCHOR: In a recent newscast, Newsline reported an investigation into the death of California amateur Henry Stange WA6RXZ whose body was found in a shallow grave in Joshua Tree National Park in June. Although police did arrest two suspects - a Marine first lieutenant and his wife - on August 29th, the Riverside County district attorney declined to file charges against them and they were released two days later. A report in the Desert Star newspaper identified them as Curtis Krueger, 30, and Ashlie Stapp, 27. The investigation continues. ** CLUB SHACK IN NAIROBI, KENYA BURGLARIZED PAUL/ANCHOR: In Nairobi Kenya, hams were shocked to discover their club shack burglarized - for the second time - as Ed Durrant DD5LP reports. ED: Members of the Radio Society of Kenya have reported that burglars struck their shack in Nairobi again this summer and while most of the equipment and supplies taken were of little value, two valuable items used as amateur radio awards have gone missing. Ted, 5Z4NU, the society’s secretary, told Amateur Radio Newsline in an email that the building, a former pumping station, was broken into after window bars and then creating a large hole in the wall by pulling out the main fuse board. Ted said the shack’s interior was extensively damaged and a report was made to the police by Hemant 5Z4HP, who made the discovery. Ted said that much of the radio equipment stolen was old, unusable and without any sale value and that the clubhouse was used mainly for monthly meetings. He said the club’s station 5Z4RS has not been operational for some time and the local membership is limited to only five or six licensees in Nairobi. The burglars did take a World War Two-era military Morse Code key that the club gave annually as a CW operator’s award as well as a glass vase used as an award for hams making contacts with stations in Scandinavia. The club also lost an antenna rotator control, an old multimeter and other outdated equipment. He said the damage to the clubhouse interior was extensive and because the fuse board had been pulled from the wall the clubhouse alarm never went off. The few remaining pieces of furniture consisted of some chairs, he said. Ted said he was not optimistic anything would be found, or an arrest made, adding that the location has been a target like this on and off for the past several years. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Ed Durrant DD5LP. ** SILENT KEY: MALAYSIAN AMATEUR FEROZ KHAN 9W2JOH PAUL/ANCHOR: In Malaysia, hams are remembering a generous friend who has become a Silent Key. Here's Jason Daniels VK2LAW. JASON: Hams throughout Malaysia are grieving the loss of Feroz Khan 9W2JOH. The ham radio community learned on August 30th that he had become a Silent Key. Feroz was known particularly for his generous spirit among young Radio Scouts and their activities - and for an enthusiasm that would not be dampened even when he undertook projects with his fellow hams that seemed especially difficult. Piju 9M2PJU shared with Newsline some social media postings made by Feroz’s close friend Jaya 9W2BUG. Jaya’s posts noted that Feroz always showed tremendous generosity in loaning out his radio equipment to those who needed it, particularly for scouting events. He played key roles in a number of “firsts” in radio scouting, including the first international Jamboree on the Air in 2008 that included scouts from Singapore and Indonesia. Jaya also recalled one project that same year involving a helium balloon with a G5RV antenna which contacted the NASA’s Houston operations center. Jaya wrote that he will always remember his friend as a positive thinker who got things done. No doubt he speaks for many. For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (FACEBOOK, PIJU 9M2PJU) ** SILENT KEY: MOMOKU SAKURA JI2EIT PAUL/ANCHOR: In Japan, we report another Silent Key: a YL who was also a successful artist. Here's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM MEACHEN: Though many fans of Japanese manga comics came to know Momoko Sakura as a pre-eminent artist and illustrator, amateur radio operators knew her by her call sign JI2EIT. The well-known creator of a popular anime (ANN-NIM-MAY) series on Fuji TV became a Silent Key on the 15th of August. Momoko got her radio license while still in school and later illustrated covers of Japan’s CQ Ham Radio magazine. Her animated TV series, which was about a curious little girl named Maruko, even featured amateur radio in one of its episodes, with Maruko asking to obtain her license. The hit show, which made its debut in 1990, is still in production and local news reports indicate it will continue. Momoko Sakura died of cancer. She was 53. For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (SOUTHGATE, HAMLIFE.JP, THE JAPAN TIMES) ** DIGITAL ENTHUSIASTS HOLDING ANNUAL CONFERENCE PAUL/ANCHOR: If your specialty is digital communications, you'll want to hear this report from Dave Parks WB8ODF. DAVE: If you’re a digital radio enthusiast and haven’t registered yet for the 37th annual ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference taking place September 14th through 16th in Albuquerque New Mexico there’s still time. The agenda features two days of technical forums on that Friday and Saturday with introductory forums on Saturday followed by what organizers are calling a “Sunday morning seminar deep dive.” The two banquet speakers will be Philip J. Erickson W1PJE assistant director and head of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences group at MIT’s Haystack observatory and Nathaniel Frissell W2NAF, assistant research professor at the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. TAPR is amateur radio’s leading digital technology organization. For details or to register, visit tapr dot org forward slash dcc (tapr.org/dcc) For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Dave Parks WB8ODF **** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KV3B repeater in Rockville, Maryland on Sunday nights at 8. ** IN NORTHERN IRELAND, HAM'S SPECIAL DELIVERY FROM N. KOREA PAUL/ANCHOR: A recent radio contact with Northern Ireland got a most unexpected response, as Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us. JEREMY: Sometimes a QSL card, or an SWL card just isn’t enough. Jordan Heyburn MI6JVC found that out this summer when his rig picked up a broadcast from the state-run Voice of Korea in North Korea and he did what most any radio enthusiast might do: he sent a reception report. What he got back in the mail to his Northern Ireland home, however was so much more than he was expecting. An account in the Daily Mail newspaper notes that the station responded to his gesture with a generous package – one that contained an assortment of newspapers and magazines, an English-language program for the radio broadcast and a personal note about everyone’s favorite subject, the weather. He said the parcel’s arrival caused quite a stir at his local post office when he picked it up – everyone noted the return address was Pyongyang. The newspapers that were sent even included a story that covered the meeting this past June between U.S. President Donald Trump and Korea’s Kim Jong-Un in Singapore. The note concludes with a weather report from Korea and the heartfelt message: “Send our best regards to all your family.” . The station hoped to hear from him again. For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (DAILY MAIL) ** KOREAN POSTAGE STAMP COMMEMORATES ARDF CHAMPIONSHIPS PAUL/ANCHOR: There's some popular postage meanwhile in South Korea, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB. GRAHAM: Hams competing in the Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championships in Korea may have something to write home about – and now they have a special postage stamp they can use to send their message home from Korea. A report by the Korea Stamp Society shows the commemorative postage stamp being issued by the Korea Post to mark the 19th global event concluding September 8th. At least 30 nations were represented in the challenge, which takes places every two years. The stamps have been printed as a sheet of 16, with each stamp carrying a value of 330 South Korean won, or about 30 cents in U.S. currency. It shows two competitors engaged in the contest’s activities, which include the search for hidden transmitters, or fox hunting. This year’s event was hosted by the Korean Amateur Radio League. For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Graham Kemp VK4BB. (KOREA STAMP SOCIETY) ** CANADIAN SPECIAL EVENT STATION CELEBRATES REGATTA PAUL/ANCHOR: How do you mark 200 years of a noted sporting event? John Williams VK4JJW tells us. JOHN: When the St. John’s Regatta in Newfoundland Canada ran its 200th event, making it North America’s longest running sporting event, special event station CY1R completed over 30 days 3,395 QSOs with 126 countries in 610 grid squares including all 50 U.S. States. That’s a big accomplishment for the on-air event put on by the North Atlantic Radio Project supported by Chris VO1IDX and Sam VO1CBL, who also holds the K3KLC call. Chris told Amateur Radio Newsline that the numbers also included 510 counties in the U.S. and every continent on the globe over the course of the month. The hams were also able to take part in the RTTY Contest mid-month which gave Chris his first contact with Japan on RTTY. He told Newsline that not all the excitement happened in front of one of the Flex and Elecraft rigs, however. During a big social gathering on one of the special event days, hams worked together – fighting extreme wind - to lift a vertical antenna with a helium balloon. This marked the first time, Chris said, something like this had ever been done in Newfoundland. The station went QRT and as Newsline went to production, the QSO count was still being confirmed as more operators continued to upload to LoTW. He was confident that the count – like the helium balloon launched during the big event – would most certainly rise. For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m John Williams VK4JJW. **. GET ON BOARD THE 'FLYING SCOTSMAN' PAUL/ANCHOR: Ham radio is also helping mark railroad history, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: The locomotive’s website calls it a ‘National Treasure’ – and few would argue with that, even if they’re not train enthusiasts or fans of the Flying Scotsman. Built in Doncaster for the London and North Eastern Railway, the Flying Scotsman went into service in 1923, and became one of the most powerful express trains in service at that time. So many years later, it’s getting its own Amateur Radio Special Event station, GB0FS. The operators on the 15th of September, will be in a carriage pulled by this famous train. Its name was made in 1928 by providing the first non-stop service between London and Edinburgh – a long trip that was reduced to eight hours’ travel time. The radio station is a collaborative effort between the Bury Radio Society and the Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society. The journey will take the hams from Bury, Lancashire to Holyhead, in Anglesey, North Wales and back. Organizers Dave M0LMN and Mo M0TXK note on the GB0FS page that this is the first Special Event Station to take place mobile on the main UK railway network. They will be operating simplex on 2m and 70 cm and can also be heard on DMR and Fusion repeaters. So, All aboard! For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (BURY RADIO SOCIETY, QRZ) ** KICKER: THE 'BOOMERANG RADIO' COMES HOME PAUL/ANCHOR: We end this week on a personal note from one of our own here at Newsline. This is a story about the love of an old radio - and something more. This story belongs to Neil Rapp WB9VPG. NEIL’S KICKER: Here at Newsline at the end of each report, we usually end with a funny or heartwarming story from someone. This week is no exception. But this time, the story is one of my own. Last week, I was picking up an amplifier that had been upgraded for K9SOU, the high school station located where I teach. Joe Fitter, K7JOE, my cohort at the amateur radio club at Indiana University, made the updates for us. But in addition to picking up the amplifier, he brought me a rather large receiver. It was a Hallicrafters S-40B that he told me about. He had been trading some equipment, as he often does. Then he said, "I think this belonged to your Dad." Dad became a silent key a little over a year ago. So Joe tells me to open up the lid, and inside was a small card from when the receiver had been repaired. It had my mom and dad's names on it, their callsigns, Vincennes, Indiana (my hometown), and at the bottom the name of a very close friend in my childhood, Paul Kent, W9CQ who mentored me in RTTY. I barely remember this receiver, as I was only five years old at the time and Dad bought a newer receiver with general coverage not long before I earned my novice license. But, indeed it was in his hands at one time. Whether he repaired it or sold it is still not clear yet. I'm still trying to connect the dots for the entire story, but I seem to remember that he sold it and the Heathkit transmitter we started out with in order to get some money for an amplifier. Joe had bought it from Paul Kent's nephew, and figured out some of its history from the card. He was gracious enough to give it to me last week. And now, this receiver is back home... 42 years later. Some have called it the "boomerang" radio, others have said it's a message Dad is trying to send like on the movie "Frequency.” As for me, I'm just truly grateful. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG in Bloomington, Indiana. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; the Bury Radio Society; CQ Magazine; Daily Mail; Hamlife.JP; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; the Japan Times; Korea Stamp Society; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ; Southgate Amateur Radio News; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
