Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2374 for Friday April 28th, 2023

[Amateur Radio Newsline]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2374 for Friday April 28th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2374 with a release date of Friday
April 28th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC's new Space Bureau releases its first
set of rules for satellites. ARRL members: Look for a possible hike in
dues soon -- and a new micro-supercapacitor could be a game changer.
All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2374 comes
your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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NEW SATELLITE BUREAU PRODUCES SPECTRUM RULES

PAUL/ANCHOR: A newly created bureau of the FCC has just produced its
first set of rules governing satellites. Sel Embee KB3TZD tells us what
this means.

SEL: Just days after the US Federal Communications Commission announced
the creation of its new Space Bureau on April 11th, the fledgling
department has already adopted new rules for spectrum-sharing among
satellites in non-geostationary orbit. The rules require operators with
licenses for these satellites to avoid interference with one another.
According to a report on the spacenews.com website, future licensees
must demonstrate how they will coordinate with their predecessors and
protect them from interference.

The FCC is asking licensees to coordinate their systems [quote] "in
good faith," [endquote] meaning that they are expected to share
information, even with competitors in the marketplace.

The regulator will be looking for comments from the public.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(SPACENEWS.COM)

**
ARRL INVITES COMMENTS ON INCREASE IN DUES

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you are a member of the ARRL, it's time to let them
know what you think about their proposal to increase membership dues.
Patrick Clark K8TAC tells us how to get your message across.

PATRICK: The ARRL is making an online survey available starting on May
1st, inviting all league members to share their thoughts on membership
benefits and the prospect of higher dues. In delivering his message in
the April issue of the ARRL magazine QST, CEO David Minster NA2AA
stressed the importance of participation by every ARRL member.

Before members can do so, however, they also need to review their
accounts on the league website to ensure it is still valid. On May 1st
you will be able to share your thoughts when the survey goes live.
Please see the text version of our newscast at arnewsline.org for a
link you can follow for more details.

The ARRL encourages members who are having difficulty with their log-in
process to call the league at 860-594-0200 or send an email to
membe...@arrl.org

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

[DO NOT READ: https://www.arrl.org/dues-survey ]

(ARRL)

**

UAE ASTRONAUT HAS 1ST QSO IN NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

PAUL/ANCHOR: Students enjoyed an amateur radio contact with an ISS
astronaut who, like them, is from the United Arab Emirates. It was a
"first" for a new educational program. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF shares the
details.

JIM MEACHEN: Twenty-five students from a number of schools in the
United Arab Emirates got a chance to connect over amateur radio with
ISS mission specialist Sultan Al Neyadi, KI5VTV. The call on April 18th
was the first of 10 scheduled educational sessions being arranged with
the communications engineer by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in
Dubai and the Emirates Literature Foundation in collaboration with the
Emirates Amateur Radio Society.

It was the first ham radio contact through this programme for the
astronaut, who is the second from the United Arab Emirates. As the ISS
passed over the region, the call utilised the Centre's ground station
to make the contact.

Like the international ham radio programme known as Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station, or ARISS, ELF in Space provides a
window into life aboard the space station and the various challenges
and projects undertaken by those on board. Perhaps just as importantly
for some, it also provides an amateur radio experience.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(GULF NEWS, EMIRATES NEWS AGENCY)

**
INDIAN RESEARCHERS DEVELOP MICRO-SUPERCAPACITOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: When it comes to super-capacitors, scientists in India are
calling their new development the smallest-of-the-small. We hear about
it from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: Scientists in India say that they have created the smallest
micro-supercapacitor to date, developing it out of two-dimensional
materials: graphene and molybdenum disulfide. This is considered
significant because as electronic devices continue to shrink - as is
the case with wearable sensors and smart devices - their energy storage
devices must be just as small. Supercapacitors are considered ideal for
this task because they not only store energy but can handle the kind of
rapid charge-discharge cycles beyond the ability of conventional
chemical batteries.

Misra said that she and her colleagues used two-dimensional materials
for the ultramicro-supercapacitor because they are semiconductors. Each
of the multi-layer electrodes acts as a field-effect transistor.

She told the IEEE Spectrum that the tiny device has a remarkably high
capacitance and an easy ability to integrate with electronic chips
because of its use of a gel electrolyte instead of a liquid.

The researchers are not stopping there, however. Their next challenge
is to create devices out of other two-dimensional materials in an
attempt to boost capacitance even further.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(IEEE SPECTRUM)

**
SILENT KEY: CALGARY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATOR JASON LOW, VE6SRT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in the amateur radio community - and the
community-at-large - in Calgary, Alberta, are grieving the loss of a
devoted public servant. Here's Andy Morrison K9AWM to tell us abouthim.

ANDY: It is difficult for those who knew him to imagine the emergency
communications community without Jason Low, VE6SRT, being there. Jason
had served Redwood Meadows Emergency Services in Calgary as a
firefighter, EMT and fire communications officer. Jason became a Silent
Key unexpectedly on April 15th.

According to the Redwood Meadows Emergency Services website, Jason
could not be revived despite the best efforts of his colleagues and
emergency medical personnel. Chief Rob Evans wrote on the website that
the team was "devastated."

According to Vince d'Eon, VE6LK, and Ian Burgess, VA6EMS, Jason - known
to everyone as Jay - worked tirelessly to ensure the quality of
emergency communications and shared his expertise in radio as well as
the computer dispatch system.

Ian told Newsline that Jay was a lifelong radio enthusiast who was
introduced early on to the hobby by his scanner. He later got his ham
license and used his skills to help communities in the Calgary area
connect to the fire department's dispatch.

Vince wrote in an email: [quote] "Jay was generous with his time and
expertise, offering solutions across the province, the country, and the
continent. There is no way to know how many people were safer and
better cared for thanks to Jason." [endquote]

Jay was 50.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(VINCE D'EON, VE6LK; IAN BURGESS, VA6EMS)

**
SILENT KEY: STEVE SZABO, WB4OMM

PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateurs in the Florida community and beyond are mourning
the death of a leader and an Elmer whose deep involvement in ham radio
touched many lives over the years. We hear about him from Kevin
TrotmanN5PRE.

KEVIN: Well-known for his enthusiasm for QRP, Steve Szabo, WB4OMM,
served as a powerful influence on the many amateurs he knew personally
or had come to know on the air. Steve, a past president of the North
American QRP CW Club, became a Silent Key on April 23rd. He had been
diagnosed with lung cancer.

His involvement with amateurs ran deep throughout his years on the air.
He was a Life Member of the AARL, which he served as a volunteer
examiner and QSL card checker and he had been Northern Florida Section
Manager for four years. Steve also belonged to the Quarter Century
Wireless Association and numerous local and national clubs, including
the Dayton Beach Amateur Radio Association, where he held numerous
leadership roles. According to a post by Kevin, KK4BFN on QRZ.com,
Steve started the Daytona Beach CERT Amateur Radio Team Group in 2005
and served as its president until illness earlier this year compelled
him to step down.

Steve was 70.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(QRZ, WB4OMM WEBSITE, DIGNITY MEMORIAL)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the AH6LE repeater in Beavercreek and Wilsonville, Oregon, on Sundays
at 6 p.m. local time.

**

NETS OF NOTE: THE HOUSTON AMSAT NET

PAUL/ANCHOR: A devoted group of satellite enthusiasts in Houston,
Texas, has something to celebrate. Their weekly 2-meter net, has
surpassed the 1500 mark. Neil Rapp WB9VPG tells us more about thegroup.

NEIL: On the Houston AMSAT Net, talk usually centers around satellites
and balloons but soon migrates to other topics. It's a long-running
conversation that dates back to before the 1990s. In recent years the
net has gained even more participants by being carried on Echolink on
the AMSAT Conference Node. It is also available as a livestream while
the net is in progress at amsatnet.com. There is also a link to nets
recorded during the previous four weeks. You have even more ways to
listen than that: the net is available as a podcast on popular services
such as Apple Podcast and on 1860 kHz AM.

The AMSAT News Service recently recognized the group for having held
its 1,506th net. Keep the conversation going!

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**

BOOK REVIEW: "THE CW WAY OF LIFE," BY CHRIS RUTKOWSKI, NW6V

PAUL/ANCHOR: Sometimes, the only thing that comes close to being on the
air is ... reading about being on the air. Here's one of our occasional
book reviews -- it's from Randy Sly W4XJ, and it's all about CW.

RANDY: Whatever your level of CW proficiency, Chris Rutkowski, NW6V has
something for you. Chris recently released a great book about Morse
Code called "The CW Way of Life." He provides 232 pages full of
meaningful and entertaining content that is well written. With each
page, all I could think about was that familiar phrase, "and there's
more!"

Chris first takes us through the basics of CW and operating with a
straight key... and there's more! He talks about how we approach
process and understand Morse Code. Do you want to explore a unique
approach to strengthening your copy skills, try his chapter on Code
Talking... and there's more! He gives us a special way to notate code,
some drills, and a whole section on Morse Code lingo, including
standard exchanges, protocols, and operating etiquette... and still
there's more! Finally, he leads us through advanced key training,
looking at bugs, paddles and the rest.

Available through Amazon, this is a great book for hams or non-hams
interested in the original digital. I give it a 5 9 9.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ.

**
HAMS WORLDWIDE MARK WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

PAUL/ANCHOR: This year's World Amateur Radio Day celebrated the 98th
anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union,
using the theme Human Security for all. Around the world, hams in every
nation marked the day in their own way. John Williams VK4JJW tells
usmore.

JOHN: For hams in South Africa, World Amateur Radio Day - officially
the 18th of April - turned into a month-long celebration. Amateurs in
the South African Radio League activated the special event callsign
ZS9WARD from the first day of April and will continue to do so until
the last. In Canada, the theme was "Get on the Air on World Amateur
Radio Day" and Radio Amateurs of Canada's official stations operated
from one coast to the other with numerous callsigns such as VA2RAC,
VE4RAC, VO1RAC and VY1RAC.

The IARU webpage acknowledged the participation of stations around the
world on the big day itself. Hams in Denmark used the callsign 5P0WARD,
in the United States the calls were NU1AW, W1W, W4A, K4A and N4A,
Belgium had OT23WARD and Slovenia had S50ARD.

In India, the celebration took on an added level of meaning as one ham,
Hari, VU3UCR announced that on World Amateur Radio Day he accomplished
the first-time activation of Bandipur National Park in Karnataka for
Parks on the Air India. He announced on Facebook this also makes him
the third person in India to activate a national park in POTA, an
awards scheme that is still new and growing in popularity in that
nation.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(FACEBOOK, IARU, SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE)

**
NOMINATE NEXT 'YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR'

PAUL/ANCHOR: There is only a month left to nominate your choice for
Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year award.
Candidates must reside in the continental United States and be a
licensed ham 18 years of age or younger. We are looking for someone who
has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find
application forms on our website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab.
Nominations close on May 31st.

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Kasimir, DL2SBY will be using the callsign 8Q7KB
from the Maldives, IOTA Number AS-013, until the 7th of May using CW,
SSB and FT8/ FT4 (using MSHV). He will concentrate on 30, 17, 12, 10
and 6 meters. QSL via LoTW, Club Log's OQRS, or direct to home call.

On April 26th this year, it will be 100 years since the first amateur
radio contact between New Zealand and Australia was made, between Frank
Bell of Shag Valley Station, Waihemo in Otago and Charles Maclurcan,
2CM in Sydney.

Listen for the callsign ZL100 from now until the 25th of July. Members
of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters will be on the HF
bands with this callsign commemorating the 100th anniversary of the
first trans-Tasman Radio contact between Australia and New Zealand.

Members of the Russian Robinson Club are using the special call CO30RRC
from Cayo Coco Island, IOTA Number NA - 086, until the 4th of May.
Listen on the HF bands. QSL via N7RO, LoTW, or Club Log. QSL for hams
with RU and EW prefixes via RW3RN.

During May 16th through to the 18th, listen for Pete M1PTR, Tom M0DCG
and Kieron M5KJM/EI6KP on the air from Great Blasket Island, Iota
Number EU-007, in the North Atlantic. They will use the callsign
EJ6KP/P. QRV on HF SSB operating during local daylight hours. QSL
viaLoTW.

(WIA, DXNEWS.COM, 425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: THEY'RE 'PUTTING THE DIGIT BACK IN DIGITAL'

PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, with International Morse Code Day just having
passed on April 27th, we celebrate Morse Code. In fact, a recent
magazine article published by a world class institution does just that
- and it uses a language that needs no decoding. Kent Peterson KC0DGY
takes a look with us.

KENT: Smithsonian magazine is published by the Washington, D.C.-based
Smithsonian Institution, considered the largest museum, education, and
research complex in the world -- and while you might rightfully expect
telegraph keys and other communications equipment to be featured as
museum pieces, Morse Code itself is hardly the stuff of archives.
That's the whole point of the article, in fact: It notes that the dits
and dahs of the original digital communications system - which had its
beginnings two centuries ago - are not only part of a very vibrant code
but one that is experiencing a resurgence.

As one would expect from anything by the Smithsonian, the article gives
a clear history of the code's evolution from American Morse to
International Morse, explaining its mechanics, its appeal and yes even
its purported medical benefits for brain health.

With references to the ARRL, the Long Island CW Club and the Straight
Key Century Club, the article extolls the practice as an enduring form
of communication that is [quote] "putting the digit back in digital
communication." [endquote] There are even instructions, complete with
diagrams, telling non-hams on how to build a Morse Code generator so
they can practice their dits and dahs with the help of their
smartphone.

To see the article, follow the link in the text version of this week's
newscast at arnewsline.org

[PRINT ONLY:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/morse-code-back-looking-ditch
-twitter-180981309/ ]

The article is encouraging: While CW might not ultimately replace
Twitter - as the headline suggests - it may just turn radio
communications on its ear.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE)
**
DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

PAUL/ANCHOR: Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think
Newsline would be interested in? We are not talking about advertising
your club's upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something
that is out of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the
contact page at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to
cover it, we'll get back to you for more details.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Software Award; Amateur
News Weekly; AMSAT News Service; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN.COM; Dave
Altman, KO4YLZ; David Behar K7DB; Dignity Memorial; DX-World.net;
Emirates News Agency; 425 DX News; Ian Burgess, VA6EMS; Gulf News; the
IARU; the IEEE Spectrum; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; Smithsonian
Magazine; South African Radio League; spacenews.com; Vince D'Eon,
VE6LK; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio
Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an
all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its
continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our
website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also
remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a
5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. 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. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
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