Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2148 for Friday, December 28, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2148 for Friday, December 28, 2018 Audio Podcast - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2148.mp3


Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2148 with a release date of Friday, December 28, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams respond to devastation in Indonesia. The FCC takes action against illegal satellites -- and a holiday special event station marks the holiday of.....Festivus! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2148 comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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JIM: We begin this week with an update on the tsunami that struck Indonesia on the 22nd of December, sweeping away hotels, houses and hundreds of people on the coast near the Sundra Strait. Dani YB2TJV, Region 3 District Communications Coordinator for the IARU, reported on the association's website that amateur radio operators had been activated in Banten Province and responded to provide emergency communications as search and rescue continued. Earliest reports indicated that ORARI, the Indonesian amateur radio association, was making use of 7.110 MHz as well as an emergency frequency on VHF. Other hams were advised to leave the frequency clear.
The tsunami, which reached at least 65 feet – or 20 metres – inland, was set off after the Krakatoa volcano erupted in the region. We'll have details as this story develops.
(IARU REGION 3)
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AUSTRALIAN SCOUTS PREPARE FOR THE AIR
JIM/ANCHOR: Thousands of young Scouts in Australia are preparing for the 25th Jamboree where amateur radio is playing a big part. Here's Graham Kemp VK4BB.
GRAHAM: The 25th Australian Jamboree, known as AJ2019, is barely a week away. An estimated 8,000 Scouts younger than 15 will arrive at the Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend in South Australia where special event station VI25AJ will be a prominent part of the action. The Jamboree opens on the 4th of January and runs through to the 14th.
More than 2,000 Scouts are expected to be getting on the air from the special event station calling QR Zed. The station will also act as a showcase for the hobby. Operators expect to be on the air on the HF bands using SSB and the digital modes and will also make use of satellites, IRLP and EchoLink. The station was put together with the assistance of the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group, the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society and the SA & VIC Scout Electronics and Radio Team.
Organizers are also planning a course in Amateur Radio Direction Finding.
Hams attending the event are being encouraged to bring their HTs as well. An IRLP-linked repeater will be operating onsite.
Best of all, any licenced operators who would like to use the Jamboree as the occasion for an upgrade can arrange for an assessment while they are there. A number of the special event station’s operators are WIA assessors.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(WIA, JOTA/JOTI Scouts Australia)
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RADIO SCOUTS IN U.S. EYE PERMANENT STATIONS
JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, radio scouts in the U.S. are finishing up the year by planning ahead for permanent station installations. Bill Stearns NE4RD has the details.
BILL: This is the last week of Radio Scouting for 2018, and we're looking forward to an exciting 2019. Getting scout camps on the air is a great accomplishment. We thank all of the volunteers around the world that share their time, talent, and gear to make this happen. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the gear in place when you show up to camp?
One Scout Camp in the Alamo District has done just that thanks to the vision of Michael Crownover, Jr, AB5EB. The Bear Creek Scout Ranch is now sporting a permanant Rohn 25 tower, a JK Navassa 5 (6m-20m) beam, and a 40m dipole. Michael who is the Scoutmaster of Troop 222, an Eagle Scout, and has been a ham for 30 years, has had Scouting and ham radio as part of his life for a long time. As as Scout he would communicate at camp with 2m handhelds with his Troop, and as an Adult Leader Michael would take a portable station to camp to put his Scouts on the air.
It was then that he envisioned a permanent station at camp. While the Council didn’t help financially, they did approve the plan for the station. Michael and his dad, Mike AD5A, managed to get the tower, the antenna, and a 2nd hand Yaesu rotor and controller. Hector, AD6D/XE2K, did the tower construction and antenna installation. The station now only needs to have the final coax plumbing done and have the radios hooked up. The station's call will be KX5BSA.
Michael has been soliciting volunteers from the Scouter/Ham community for stints this summer to assist with the Radio Merit Badge. Fortunately, one of the Scouts on staff is a ham who will sit for his General exam in a few weeks. He will be our coordinator on the ground this first year. Four weeks of offering the radio merit badge is the target for 2019 summer camp. The plan is that other staff members in the future will be hams as Scouts are exposed to the hobby through the summer camp program. The station will also be activated during Camporees and other Council wide events to promote both the Radio Merit Badge and Amateur Radio.
Have you been taking your portable setup to camp every year? How about making 2019 the year of permanent installations at summer camp!
For more information Radio Scouting please visit our website at k2bsa.net.
For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
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CALIFORNIA TECH FIRM FINED $900,000 OVER SATELLITES
JIM/ANCHOR: A California tech firm has been fined by the FCC for its illegal launch of satellites. Here's Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
KEVIN: A Silicon Valley startup that caught the FCC’s attention in January 2018 after launching four experimental satellites from India has been fined $900,000 by the United States agency, a civil penalty for the unapproved launch and operation of the ultra-tiny so-called SpaceBEEs. The SpaceBEES were launched barely a month after the FCC denied the company’s application to deploy the quartet of satellites.
A December 20 report in Gizmodo also noted that additional investigation by the agency unearthed a number of weather balloon-to-ground station tests by the company that were also unauthorized, along with tests of satellite and ground station equipment. The FCC noted that such unauthorized operations pose a risk of radio frequency interference as well as collisions in space and imperil the satellite operations of commercial enterprises and government. The FCC noted that Swarm Technologies has admitted it acted without proper authorization and will pay the penalty and implement a five-year plan of compliance.
Amateur Radio Newsline first reported on the company’s unauthorized satellite operations in March 2018 after the FCC also revoked permission it had previously given to Swarm for its next four scheduled satellites, which had originally been earmarked for launch in April of 2018.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(GIZMODO)
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NEW FREQUENCIES OK'D FOR WEST COAST CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY
JIM/ANCHOR: Yet another FCC action just gave public safety a boost in Washington state. More from Jack Parker W8ISH.
JACK: The city of Rainier in Washington state has gained approval for two new radio frequencies in the public safety part of the UHF band with the help of local amateur radio operators.
Ed Braaten N7EKB, the ARRL-appointed ARES Emergency Coordinator for the East Thurston County ARES Team assisted the city, which is one of the agencies served by ARES. Ed told Newsline in an email that by having the new public safety channel, the city will be able to expand its ability to respond to emergencies and deploy individuals to shelter locations who are not amateur radio operators. Ed said that by removing the need to have hams at each shelter, amateurs can instead focus their resources at the city’s Emergency Operations Center. Ed said that hams with the East Thurston County ARES team will be training the shelter volunteers so they can gain fluency with the basic radio communication skills they’ll need.
He said the team will also be authorized by the city to operate as a relay station on their "EOC Net" using the new public safety radio frequency. The hams will be able to pick up traffic and relay information to the county’s emergency management officials or the state EOC using amateur nets and frequencies.
Although Rainier’s license remains in “pending status” with the FCC right now, officials expect it to be granted by mid to late January.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.
(ED BRAATEN N7EKB)
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NEW NET FOR CHRISTIAN AMATEUR RADIO FELLOWSHIP
JIM/ANCHOR: The start of the new year is bringing a new net for participants in the Christian Amateur Radio Fellowship: It’s a VoIP Net and it will have its first meeting on the first Saturday of 2019 – that’s January 5th -- at 2 p.m. Central Time in the U.S. The net is being made possible with the help of the DigicommCafe and the Alabama Link and can be found on Echolink, Allstar, and D-STAR. For more details visit the website at carf dot net (carf.net). The fellowship also has an HF net Monday through Saturday on 3.930 MHz at 7 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. Everyone is welcome regardless of denomination.
(LLOYD COLSTON KC5FM)
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K7EFZ repeater in Idaho Falls Idaho on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. local time.
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FCC MAKING CHANGES TO REGISTRATION SYSTEM
JIM/ANCHOR: Change is coming to the FCC's registration system, as Paul Braun WD9GCO explains.
PAUL: The FCC has announced changes being made to its Commission Registration, or CORES System, that will affect applicants taking amateur radio exams or making changes to their licenses. CORES, which maintains FCC Registration Numbers known as FRNs, is being updated as of March 1, 2019.
As a result of the changes, applicants for an FRN will need to create a CORES account first before requesting an FRN. The creation of a CORES account will require the applicant to respond to an email that confirms the registration. This means that applicants who want to apply for and receive an FRN while present at an exam session will have greater difficulty doing so.
At some point in the future, all applicants will be required to have an FRN because the FCC will no longer accept Social Security Numbers.
Meanwhile, with the partial government shutdown in the U.S., the FCC announced on December 22nd that its offices will remain open through Wednesday, January 2nd. Brian Hart, director of the FCC’s office of Media Relations said funding was available to keep the staff paid through that date.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Paul Braun WD9GCO.
(FCC)
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SILENT KEY: P.H. RAMA PRABHU VU2DEV
JIM/ANCHOR: In India, hams are shaken by the loss of a well-known operator, an Elmer to many, as we hear from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
JASON: Amateur radio operators in India are grieving the loss of a well-known ham who was described as both an Elmer and a benefactor to India’s amateur community. P.H. Rama Prabhu VU2DEV became a Silent Key on Friday the 21st of December, according to news accounts. Satayan Sarath VU3MES reported on DX News that the noted amateur was attending a programme at Ramanashree Academy when he went into cardiac arrest. Satayan wrote that Rama Prabhu was a homebrewer who always encouraged and cultivated new hams. Members of the Bangalore Amateur Radio Club were particularly affected by the loss of the Bengaluru resident and considered him an inspiration. Originally from Hyderabad, he was affectionately known as Delta Echo Victor – or Dev – the suffix of his call sign. A report in the Telangana News newspaper noted that Dev was a frequent guest at amateur radio club meetings across the country and many relied on his expertise when homebrewing transceivers and building antennas.
Vale VU2DEV.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(TELANGANA TODAY)
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GOOD NEWS FOR GERMAN AMATEURS USING 4 METER BAND
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in Germany received some good news recently regarding their permission to use the 4m band, as Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us.
ED: Hams in Germany who received access to part of the 4 metre band between May until the end of August in 2018 have received an extended
section from 70.15MHz through 70.2MHz effective from the 19th of December 2018 with authorisation through to the end of 2019.
Operation is permitted on all modes with a bandwidth less than 12kHz and a maximum of 25 watts ERP horizontally polarised signals from home
stations only. Hams have been permitted to use 4 metres for experimental purposes in previous years. The German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) granted access most recently during the Sporadic E season of 2018 but Hams in Germany first had access to 69.950 MHz in 2007 through 2010 under a special experimental licence and then full licensees have had access to 70.15 through 70.18MHz between May and August in 2014, 15, 17 and 18.
In a similar way to 6 metres, 4 metres will now require annual renewal by BNetZa if it is to become a semi-permanent band allocation in Germany.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(BNetzA)
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WORKED ALL BRITAIN GROUP NOW WORKS A HALF-CENTURY CELEBRATION
JIM/ANCHOR: How do you mark 50 years of giving out awards? By giving out more awards! Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.
JEREMY: When you make it to the half-century mark, that’s cause for celebration – and that’s why the Worked All Britain Awards Group is introducing three new awards that will be available only in 2019. They are known as the Golden Squares Award, the 50th Anniversary Award and the Fifty Squares Awards.
The celebration will commence on the 1st of January with special event station GB50WAB. The station will begin a year-long operation with a two-week activation from Square C62 in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, GB9WAB will operate for the month of January from Square SK51 in Leicestershire. GB50WAB will continue its operation until the end of the year from various locations and there will be other regional special event stations. Designations of C62 and SK51 represent “Worked All Britain” squares, which are 10 kilometres by 10 kilometres in size. QSL cards are not required for awards.
Meanwhile, the Worked All Britain Christmas Party, which began on the 26th of December, will conclude on the 6th of January. The party is taking place on the HF and VHF bands.
For more details about either event visit the Worked All Britain website at worked dash all dash Britain dot org dot uk (worked-all-britain.org.uk)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB, WORKED ALL BRITAIN)
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And now a shout-out for one of our own: Ed Durrant DD5LP who proofreads most of the pieces contained in the ARNewsline broadcast as well as reading the occasional news item has been acknowledged for his work in the Summits On The Air award scheme being given the SOTA Sherpa Award for 2018. Ed tells us that he got involved in SOTA about 7 years ago when he was still living in Australia and was one of a team mapping out summits in the, then new, VK2 SOTA association. Along with activating from hill and mountain tops, Ed also chases from his home in Southern Bavaria.
He told us that when moving back to Germany from Australia one of the things in his airline baggage was his SOTA equipment so that he could get on the air as soon as possible and make contacts with European Hams and those friends back in "Oz" as well.
We wish Ed continuing success in SOTA. Ed's blog can be found at DD5LP (dot) com.
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KICKER: SPECIAL EVENT "FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US"
JIM/ANCHOR: Finally, as we wrap up this festive season with all its special event stations, Newsline reminds you that there's still a chance to work one more station - callsign N1F - created to mark the holiday of Festivus. What *is* Festivus, you ask? Well, it's a holiday of sorts that originated on the American TV sitcom "Seinfeld" in 1997. Festivus symbolizes, among other things, the anti-commercialism of the season. Tom Alessi K1TA who is president of the Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club in Connecticut, told Newsline that he discovered four years ago that club members loved the idea of operating a station that honored the holiday known for its slogan "Festivus for the Rest of Us." That's how N1F came to be born. N1F's devoted practitioners operate from shacks in Connecticut all the way south to Florida from December 22nd through January the 3rd. Listen for them calling QR Zed on 75 through 20 meters on SSB, CW and FT8. The traditions of Festivus, as per the "Seinfeld" show, include the airing of grievances, the display of feats of strength and the decoration of a simple alumimum Festivus pole - although in this case, the airing of callsigns and the decorating of a dipole will do.
Yes, Festivus cards will be sent - in this case, they are QSL cards. Tom says the station logs about 800 QSOs each year. If you want to be among them, visit the QR Zed dot com page for N1F and - let's keep the "festive" in Festivus!
(TOM ALESSI K1TA)
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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Gizmodo; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; IARU; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; JOTA/JOTI Scouts Australia; Lloyd Colston KC5FM; QRZ.COM; Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Telengana Today; Tom Alessi K1TA; Wireless Institute of Australia; Worked All Britain; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia saying 73... and Happy New Year! As always we thank you for listening.
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