Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2129 for Friday, August 17, 2018

[Amateur Radio Newsline]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2129 for Friday, August 17, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2129 with a release date of
Friday, August 17, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Packet radio is returning to the International
Space Station. In India, hams help a family reunite - and a special
report on NASA's newly launched solar probe. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2129 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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NASA'S SOLAR PROBE BEGINS ITS JOURNEY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with our eyes turned to the sun and
NASA's recently launched solar probe. With that special report, we
welcome the newest member of our Newsline team, Science Editor Dr.
Tamitha Skov WX6SWW.

TAMITHA SKOV'S REPORT: The NASA Parker Solar Probe successfully
launched on a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral on
Aug. 12, 2018. The probe was named after one of the founding fathers of
Space Weather science, Dr. Eugene Parker, who at a young 91 years old,
was in attendance. Dubbed, "The mission to touch the Sun," The Parker
Solar Probe is viewed by many scientists as a miracle mission, as NASA
has been flirting with the idea of a solar probe since the 1960s. Until
recently the technology required to make the journey and survive while
grazing the hot solar atmosphere meant the mission was too costly to
design. Even today, the probe is poised to set many new records. It
will be the closest we have ever come to the Sun, at 3.8 million miles,
it will fly the fastest we have ever gone, at 430,000 mph, and it will
survive temperatures over 3 million degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest
environment we have ever known. Indeed the corona is hot, even 300
times hotter than the surface of the Sun. But the tenuous region called
the "corona," where the Sun's atmosphere changes into a driving solar
wind, is a mysterious place and it has refused to give up its secrets
to the casual observer. Data from this region is critical to advancing
models of the solar corona and the solar wind, and will extend
scientists' ability to predict the intensity of space weather.Events
such as solar storms, solar radio bursts, and radiation storms can
impact radio and satellite communications, causing radio blackouts, as
well as disrupting emergency communications and GPS navigation on the
ground. The probe's first close pass of the Sun will be in November
2018, with 23 ever-closer passes over the next 7 years. When the probe
finally runs out of fuel some 10-20 years in the future, it will fall
into the Sun and burn up-- all except for the carbon-based heat shield.
Long after the probe is gone, that carbon disk will continue orbiting
the Sun for many generations to come.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW.

**

PACKET RADIO RETURNING SOON TO SPACE STATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In just a few short months, something else will be
heading into space: packet radio for the International Space Station.
Robert Broomhead VK3DN has that report.

ROBERT: It looks like APRS and packet radio will be back aboard the
International Space Station sooner rather than later. NASA has given
the go-ahead for the launch of a new packet module to replace the one
that died aboard the space station in July of last year. The module has
been outfitted with a new battery and given sufficient testing to
verify that it is operational. A request has been made to send it up as
part of the manifest for supply mission 71P, which could come as early
as the 31st of October with a projected docking on November 2nd.
Meanwhile, the ARISS hardware team has been working on the space
station's new Interoperable Radio System which it now hopes can be
deployed in early 2019. As for the packet module, the crew will make an
attempt to get that installed as time permits. ARISS reports that it is
expected to be operational by late November.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN.

(ARISS)

**

SILENT KEY: FORMER AMSAT PRESIDENT BILL TYNAN W3XO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A noted figure in amateur radio satellite operations
has become a Silent Key, as we hear from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: William Tynan W3XO, who was known throughout the amateur radio
satellite world, has become a Silent Key. The Washington, D.C. native
had an early love of radio that led him to a career in broadcasting as
well as an affinity as a hobbyist for VHF and ham radio satellites. He
attended the first meeting of a group in 1969 that later became AMSAT,
a group he would serve as president in 1991. For two decades he was
also AMSAT's volunteer OSCAR Number Administrator, designating the
alphanumeric identities on amateur radio satellites. He stepped down
from that role only last month. As AMSAT's vice president for human
spaceflight, Bill lobbied hard for NASA to allow space shuttles to
permit ham radio operation. This launched the program known as Shuttle
Amateur Radio Experiment, or SAREX, which led eventually to the program
known as ARISS, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. He
was a strong advocate too for the ARISS interoperable radio system
project soon to get underway on the ISS. He served on AMSAT's board of
directors from 1986 to 2003 and was chairman for his final five years.
Many amateurs also remember his column "The World Above 50 MHz" which
ran in QST Magazine from 1975 to 1992. During that time he advocated
for the adoption of a grid system for VHF/UHF operators which led to
the option of the Maidenhead grid system and ultimately the ARRL's VUCC
operating award program for 50 MHz and above. A Life Member of ARRL,
AMSAT and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
Bill was Hamvention's Amateur of the Year in 1996. Bill Tynan, who
lived in Kerrville Texas, was 91. Vale Bill Tynan.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

(AMSAT)

**
MINING FOR GOOD CONTACTS ON HF

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: From the heights of space to the depths of the earth,
hams are always seeking good QSOs. Neil Rapp WB9VPG spoke with one
amateur who is mining for good contacts. Literally.

NEIL: Portable operation is sweeping the planet. While some locations
on the air events have been around for a long time, many have popped up
after the success of National Parks on the Air. Some of them include
Islands, Summits, Jamboree, National Parks, Walmart Parking Lots, Pubs,
NASA, Lighthouses, Windmills, Beaches, and Moats. Craters is being
planned for this fall. But today, we're talking about Mines on the
Air. John Fuller, WJ0NF took a few minutes to talk with me about
theevent.

JOHN: Actually, I thought of it before I got my license. But then I
did a lot of research online, watching YouTube and stuff, and I thought
this would be great to combine with some of my other hobbies. I like to
go ATV riding, and hiking, and do some exploring- and then there's so
many mines in this area that I was trying to research. I thought wow,
this would be great. I could take my radio and I could talk to people.
And I had been looking at that time, we had National Parks on the Air
and it just seemed like a great idea- even if nobody else wanted to
participate, I figured I'd have fun doing it as well. I like to do a
little photography, so it really just combined a whole bunch of hobbies
together and started me on this path to create Mines on the Air, which
is basically going out to mines- whether they are current mines,
abandoned mines, or historical mines and then setting up and activation
just like you would a park or a SOTA type of activation.

NEIL: While there isn't an award program at least yet, you can score
some very unique QSL cards working the mines.

JOHN: If I activate a mine, I take a bunch of pictures and I document
that mine. And, I create custom QSL cards and send those to like the
first 20 people or how many ever that I've contacted. So they get a
unique QSL card with a picture of that mine in the location, and then a
little bit of information on it.

NEIL: John encourages those who might be interested to go to
MinesOnTheAir.com for more information, including safety.

JOHN: A couple of key things is obviously safety. Just like doing a
SOTA activation or an island activation or anything, you want to be
safe. You have to use some common sense and not go into mines and
things like that. But I've got some documentation on the web site with
some good ideas. Even if they're just interested in seeing the
pictures, there's a lot of very cool pictures and locations on thesite.

NEIL: John says Mines on the Air is a great way to enjoy the outdoors
along with ham radio.

Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

**

NO PERMANENT 4M AMATEUR USE IN GERMANY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Germany, the temporary allocation of 70.150 to
70.180 MHz in the 4 metre band comes to an end at the end of this
month. In response to an email BNetzA, the government regulator, has
told AR Newsline correspondent Ed Durrant DD5LP that no permanent
allocations of frequencies in the 4 metre band to radio amateurs are
currently being considered. So amateurs in Germany can only hope for
another test period during next year's sporadic-E season.

**

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 Tuesday nights at 9
following the Eagle Rock Emergency Practice Net.

**

2 METERS CAN LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you keep your 2-meter rig handy, this low-key
special event is for you. Jim Damron N8TMW explains.

JIM DAMRON: At 7 p.m. local time Sunday on the 26th of August, turn on
your radio and listen to the sound of 2 meter FM simplex. Then -- key
the mic. It's that simple - and that's what Joseph Durnal NE3R is
hoping hams will do to mark an event he's calling "Light Up Two Meters
Night." It's an activity that he's reviving after years of dormancy. He
told Amateur Radio Newsline he'd discovered the event 14 or so years
ago when it was promoted by a now-defunct yahoo group. Joseph told us
[quote] "There are no points or awards, just the satisfaction that the
QSO was something you made happen on your own." [endquote] Weather
permitting, he'll be out there operating mobile on a hilltop with a
small yagi on a mast outside his car. But whether you use a handheld to
have some ragchews or you go portable and try it in combination with
Summits On the Air, Joseph says "light up the night."

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Damron N8TMW.

**
AUSTRIANS OBJECT TO PROPOSED CHANGES IN RADIO LAWS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in Austria are raising serious concerns about what
might happen to amateur radio services if a set of proposed changes
becomes law. Ed Durrant DD5LP has been following this story.

ED: More than 500 amateurs in Austria have registered their objections
to the unexpected announcement that the Austrian Government plans to
remove the current Amateur Radio-specific laws and reallocate Amateur
Radio under the TKG, or (Telecommunications Act). Officials report that
as of the end of July 572 objections were filed including the continued
objection from the national society the ÖVSV. The radio society has
been fighting this and similar suggested changes since 2014.

Many of those objecting have cited the following consequences from the
proposed removal of the existing Amateur Radio laws and regulations:

Amateur radio will lose its status as a service and be relegated simply
to be a hobby which will impact its ability to cooperate with rescue
organizations during disasters. Information transferred by radio
amateurs during emergencies will also be restricted.

The amateur bands will lose protection they now have from interference
from unauthorised sources and the use of remote stations will become
even more difficult legally than it is today.

The process of amateur radio exams and licensing will no longer be
defined and will require additional red-tape to be able to happen.
There will also be no more reminders of expiry of licences every five
years which will lead to call signs being reallocated to other
amateurs. Licence extensions after five years will no longer be
automatic, or could be refused or delayed

Hearing these and other complaints, the Ministry of Infrastructure has
agreed to talk with the ÖVSV and it is hoped a clearer picture will be
available in around 4 weeks as to whether these changes can be avoided
or not.

>From across the border in Germany, For Amateur Radio Newsline this is
Ed Durrant DD5LP.

**

LOST AND FOUND IN INDIA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateurs in India have once again been able to help
reunite a family with a missing member - in this case it was a woman
missing for three years. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Thanks to amateur radio operators in India, a mentally
challenged woman got a big farewell from the hospital where she was
being treated - and a big welcome home from the family she had not seen
in three years. According to a Telegraph India newspaper report,
Maziran Khatun had been admitted to a hospital in West Bengal in late
July but was unable to recall very much about her life until after
receiving psychiatric treatment. When the 25-year-old woman finally
recalled where she was from, the hospital reached out to the West
Bengal Radio Club which got in touch with Taheruddin Ahmed VU2TUO, vice
president of the Amateur Radio Club of Assam. He contacted police and
began seeking out her family members in a village in Barpeta district
in lower Assam. According to news reports, the woman's mother was able
to identify her from photos and later spoke to her on the phone. The
mother told authorities that her daughter, herself the mother of two
children, had suffered a mental breakdown and went missing not long
after her divorce. Hospital authorities bought her train tickets for
the trip home and gave their former patient a grand farewell. She was
reunited with her family on Saturday, August 11th. For Amateur Radio
Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(TELEGRAPH INDIA)

**

WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, listen for Jose, NP4G, using the call
sign CE0Y/NP4G from Rapa Nui, Easter Island between the 26th and 29th
of August. He will be operating holiday style on 40-10 meters using CW
and FT8. Send QSLs via LoTW or NP4G.

Members of the DX World team are joining with Norman/5B4AIF to activate
the island Ayios Yeoryios in the Cyprus Coastal Islands Group between
August 25 and 27th. They will use the callsign C4II. Listen on 80-10
meters and possibly 6m. They will be using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via
LoTW. QSL Manager will be announced later.

Don't forget this weekend, it's the International Lighthouse and
Lightship weekend, to see if there's an activation near you, check the
list at ILLW. NET. This fun international event which promotes the
conservation of lighthouses and publicises amateur radio has even
attracted some of the Amateur Radio Newsline crew with Caryn KD2GUT and
the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club activating lighthouse US0019 on
Fire Island, New York on Saturday/Sunday starting around 8:30 a.m.
local time and over in Germany Ed DD5LP is activating DE0138 Westmole
and DE0140 Mangturm in Lindau on Lake Constance in Southern Germany
from around 11 a.m. local time on Sunday.

(OHIO PENN DX)

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KICKER: TWO RESCUES, 90 YEARS APART

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with the story of two
rescues, 90 years apart - both made possible by radio. Here's Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM MEACHEN: It has been 90 years since the Zeppelin "Italia" crashed
on the way home from an expedition to the North Pole, killing several
members of the crew of explorers and leaving survivors stranded on an
ice pack 120 km northeast of Svalbard. Ninety years later, a North Pole
expedition sponsored by the Air Ship Italia Search Expedition and
planned in tribute to that disaster met with a harrowing fate as well.
On August 2nd, the expedition yacht Mea Lux with special event call
sign II0PN/MM (India India Zero Papa November) encountered a serious
storm off the south coast of Svalbard, Norway and waves measuring 5 to
6 meters high - or as high as 20 feet - left the craft rudderless as it
caught fire and began to take on water. Neither cell phone nor
satellite phone service worked but the 20 meter Marine Net heard the
calls for help from Simone Orlandini IU5KUH and the Norwegian Coast
Guard was dispatched. All on board were airlifted to safety by
helicopter. The expedition and the yacht, however, were abandoned.
Fortunately, there is also a rescue story associated with the historic
zeppelin incident -- and it too came about because of radio. A Russian
radio amateur ultimately heard signals from the stranded crew being
transmitted by Giuseppe Biagi using the emergency transmitter and
receiver he had salvaged from the airship. Using a makeshift
quarter-wave antenna and a counterpoise he was able to get out a
distress call. Although the support ship never received the signals,
Russia's Nikolai Schmit did, a dozen days later. An international
rescue effort was launched. It became the first air and sea polar
rescue. Those rescued included the airship's commander Umberto Nobile
but the Swedish meteorologist Finn Malmgren died before being rescued.
As for the modern-day rescue from the yacht, crew member Alberto IT9MRM
posted on DX-World.Net that it was sadly [quote] "ungovernable and at
the mercy of the waves." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF.

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT;
ARISS: the ARRL; CQ Magazine; DX-World.Net; Facebook; Hap Holly and the
Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin;
QST Magazine; 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 news...@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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.