Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2416 for Friday February 16th, 2024

[Amateur Radio Newsline]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2416 for Friday February 16th, 2024

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2416 with a release date of Friday
February 16th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams in South Carolina rally for antenna
rights. Australia prepares for its new licensing arrangements -- a
simplex net provides a safety net in Hawaii. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2416 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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PROPOSED LAW WOULD PROTECT HAM ANTENNAS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week in South Carolina, where hams are
planning to rally on the 21st of February for a bill that would remove
private land restrictions for some amateur radio antennas. This is one
state of many throughout the US where such restrictions are a paramount
concern. Kevin Trotman N5PRE has that report.

KEVIN: A rally is planned at the State House in Columbia, South
Carolina, as a show of support for the Amateur Radio Antenna Protection
act, which eight Republican lawmakers are introducing into session that
day. The bill is designed to ensure amateur radio operators' rights to
install antennas that let them get on the air effectively. According to
an email sent to amateurs in the state from E. Gordon Mooneyhan, W4EGM,
of the ARRL's South Carolina Section, a strong presence by radio
operators will go a long way toward making several points in favor of
the measure's passage. Calling ham radio a [quote] "incubator for
education, exploration and experimentation within the Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields," Gordon also noted that
active hams have provided some 6,000 hours of volunteer community
service during the past two years. He said that although most log
periodic antennas and satellites used for TV reception over the air are
more obtrusive, Homeowners Associations, or HOAs, have imposed
restrictions that bar even the simplest amateur radio antennas,
providing an obstacle to short- and long-range emergency
communications.

The widespread concern about HOAs and amateur radio in many states
throughout the US has led to introduction of the Amateur Radio Parity
Act, which would provide antenna protection on the federal level. The
US Congress has not yet acted on the bill, which is opposed by
manyHOAs.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(E.GORDON MOONEYHAM, W4EGM; CONGRESS.GOV)

**
LAWMAKERS SEEK FEDERAL PROTECTION FOR HAM RADIO ANTENNAS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a new effort to grant
sweeping protection across the country was introduced in the US Senate.
The bipartisan measure would mandate that private homeowners
associations accept the installation of outdoor ham radio antennas. The
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act of 2024 was presented by
Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Senator Richard
Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. The measure underscores the value
of ham radio's lifesaving potential during natural disasters and other
emergencies such as the hurricanes that are common in both of the
sponsoring lawmakers' home states.

(WICKER.SENATE.GOV)

**

NEW LICENSE PROCEDURES TAKING EFFECT IN AUSTRALIA

PAUL/ANCHOR: A new way of handling and issuing amateur radio licenses
is about to take effect in Australia. John Williams VK4JJW tells us
what's changing - and what's not.

JOHN: A new era in amateur radio licences dawns in Australia on the
19th of February as the Australian Communications and Media Authority
implements the new Class Licence arrangements. The transition from
apparatus licences requires no action for most hams but holders of
recently renewed amateur apparatus licences may be eligible for a
pro-rated refund upon surrender of those licences. The changes include
the administration of examination services by the ACMA and a new
accreditation process for examiners that is intended to increase the
availability of assessors to those wishing to sit the exams. That
process includes working with volunteer assessors who previously
supported from the Australian Maritime College to bring them on board
with the new ACMA arrangements. The college's services to the ACMA do
not extend past the 18th of February.

The Overseas Amateurs Visiting Australia Class Licence is to be
available to those amateurs whose licence is conformant with the HAREC
standard under CEPT arrangements. Operators from overseas whose
licences are not HAREC compliant may be eligible, upon application, to
operate under an amateur class licence for 365 days if they meet
certain qualifications.

The arrangements have been designed to minimise the cost of licences
for ham radio operators and to reduce the regulatory burden on the
ACMA. Repeater and beacon licensing remains unchanged as apparatus
licences.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(ACMA, WIA)

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EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SEEKS HAM INPUT ON PROPOSED SATELLITE PAYLOAD

PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellite partners in Europe will soon be reaching out to
hams for suggestions for the next payload in geostationary orbit. We
have those details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The European Space Agency expects to engage in dialogue soon
with amateur radio operators about a proposal for a geostationary
satellite payload that would serve as a follow-up to QO-100. The ESA,
the IARU and various members of the AMSAT community began pursuing the
concept last year. At the recent FOSDEM 2024, held on the first weekend
of February in Brussels, the ESA's Frank Zeppenfeldt, PD0AP, announced
that ESA's satellite communications group is now actively seeking the
ham community's input, especially from those operators familiar
withSDRs.

The Es'hail-2/Qatar-QO-100 satellite was launched in November 2018,
carrying the first amateur radio transponders to be in
geostationaryorbit.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(AMATEUR RADIO DAILY, FOSDEM)

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LIFETIME AWARD FOR 50 YEARS OF RADIO COMMITMENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to Jose [PRON: JOES] Jacob, VU2JOS, who
received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Bengal Amateur
Radio Society for 50 years of involvement in radio that included
broadcast DXing and later, amateur radio. The award was presented to
him on the 13th of February, which was World Radio Day. Licensed since
1985, he has participated in nearly a dozen DXpeditions by the National
Institute of Amateur Radio.

(NORTH BENGAL AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY, QRZ.COM)

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SILENT KEY: CQ DX HALL OF FAMER BOB ALLPHIN, K4UEE

PAUL/ANCHOR: An accomplished DXpeditioner and veteran contester has
become a Silent Key. We hear about him from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: When it came to contesting or participating in DXpeditions, Bob
Allphin [PRON: ALL FIN], KN4UEE, could often be found at the center of
activity. He had been involved in DXpeditions that traveled to most of
the DXCC top 10 most wanted locations. He was also a CQ DX Hall of
Famer and a competitor in two World Radiosport Championships.

Bob became a Silent Key on the 10th of February at his home in Georgia
of kidney failure and Merkle Cell carcinoma.

According to a posting on DX World, Bob's participation in 10 major
DXpeditions over the years helped the team log more than 1.25 million
QSOS, many of them from rare locations. He was also an avid contester,
qualifying for the WRTC events in 1996 and 2000. Thirty-eight of his
Dxpeditions during the mid-80s and into the early 200s were for
contesting. He also held the callsign VU3RQA and was a member of the
VU7RG Lakshadweep DXpedition organized by the National Institute of
Amateur Radio in India.

Bob was a member of the First CLass Operators Club and the Southeastern
DX Club Hall of Fame. At the time of his death Bob served as president
of the KP1-5 Project, which advocates for the use by amateur radio of
the environmentally sensitive Navassa and Desecheo islands by
coordinating efforts with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Bob was 79.
This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(DX-WORLD)

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SILENT KEY: DMR's TGIF FOUNDER MITCH SAVAGE, EA7KDO

PAUL/ANCHOR: One of the founders of the DMR Network known as TGIF has
become a Silent Key. A notice posted on the network website reports
that Mitch Savage, EA7KDO, died on the 6th of February. No other
details were given. The TGIF net that was held on Friday, February 9th
was dedicated to him.

Mitch wrote on his page on QRZ.com that he got his amateur radio
license in 1964 and was an active ham, gravitating into digital radio
starting in 2016. He was most active on DMR, Fusion D-Star, P25, NXDN
and WiresX. He relocated to Spain from Texas in 2017 and in October
2018 he became one of the founding fathers of the TGIF Network, which
grew out of a net the group originally held on a Brandmeister
TalkGroup.

A message on the TGIF site said: [quote] "Mitch leaves behind a
remarkable contribution to ham radio and beyond." [endquote]

(QRZ.COM, TGIF)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the North Coast Amateur Radio Club's N8NC repeater in northeast Ohio on
Sundays at 8 p.m. local time during the Weekly Information Net.

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HIGH MARKS FOR PROTOTYPE ANTENNA SYSTEM AND SATELLITES

PAUL/ANCHOR: An antenna system has received high marks for its ability
to communicate with large numbers of satellites around the clock. Dave
Parks WB8ODF gives us those details.

DAVE: Tests of a digital phased array antenna system in Fairbanks,
Alaska, showed it to be capable of handling more than 300 satellite
contacts daily - and doing it around the clock, according to the
company that developed it. In reporting the results on the 7th of
February of its three months of testing, L3Harris Technologies said
that the prototype system also demonstrated the ability to handle as
many as eight contacts at the same time.

L3Harris senior scientist Brian Haman later issued a statement saying
that the company was very pleased with the results.

L3Harris has said that this kind of technology will prove especially
useful in helping to achieve simultaneous horizon-to-horizon
communications. It is also able to reduce any RFI it locates. L3Harris
developed the array in response to government and commercial customers'
needs to reach constellations in different orbital planes as well as
large constellations in low-Earth orbit.

The research and development was done in agreement with the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Satellite and Information
Service to develop a means of collecting data from an increasing number
of satellites in a cost-effective way.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(SPACENEWS.COM)

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SIMPLEX RADIO NET SEEN AS SAFETY NET IN HAWAII

PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateurs in Hawaii are rediscovering the power of simplex,
especially when they need to rely on making connections in an
emergency. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us how they're accomplishing this.

GRAHAM: It's just for practice - and it's just for fellowship too - but
a monthly meetup of hams on the Hawaiian island of Oahu holds greater
potential than just the regular check-ins and discussions of local news
events. This is the Leeward Simplex Radio Net and it grew from a
ragchew into a net after the radio operators realized their on-air
activity presented a great opportunity to keep the community, county
and state connected during a crisis on the island without relying on
repeaters. Stacy Holbrook, KH6OWL, one of the net control operators,
told Newsline that during a recent impromptu Friday night net, one
station made a 26-mile contact to the north shore of the island - an
important connection that could prove vital in passing traffic and
information in emergencies.

The next Leeward simplex net will be held on Friday, the 23rd of
February. Stacy and the other net control operators, Todd, KH6TOD, and
Allan, WH6GRO, are hoping to see the number of participants grow so
everyone is prepared in an emergency.

The hams believe in simplex so much that they participate in a separate
net using WINLINK to send emails or messages from their computers over
the radio digitally without relying on external power or the internet.
The next scheduled simplex WINLINK net will be on Sunday, February 18th
and the operators will practice sending safe-at-home messages.

Stacy told Newsline that these small nets play a big role in making
this island more resilient. He said that a heavily populated place like
Hawaii, with such an isolated location in the middle of the Pacific,
must always be prepared.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(STACY HOLBROOK KH6OWL)

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W. VIRGINIA FIRST RESPONDERS ORGANIZE NEW HAM CLUB

PAUL/ANCHOR: Sometimes an emergency response plan isn't complete
without amateur radio. Recognizing this, a number of first-responders
in West Virginia are looking to change things. Patrick Clark K8TAC has
that report.

PATRICK: When emergencies happen, the Upshur County Department of
Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Upshur County Community
Emergency Response Team are at the ready. Now, however, they're looking
to become even more responsive by adding amateur radio to their
resources. The groups recently announced a new effort to create a club
that would include amateur radio operators and others with an interest
in ham radio. In an announcement made jointly on social media, they
opened the door to anyone living in Upshur and surrounding counties.
The group's first meeting will be held on the 21st of February at the
Buckhannon Public Safety Complex. An amateur radio license is not
required to join the new club, which will provide classes, hold public
events and provide training in emergency communications. The club
organizers hope to affiliate eventually with the ARRL and Amateur Radio
Emergency Services.

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

(FACEBOOK)

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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Bernard, DL2GAC, who is operating
as H44MS in the Solomon Islands until the end of April. He is on HF,
using SSB and FT8. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.

Listen for Borut, S53BV, on the air holiday style as 5R8BV from Nosy
Be, IOTA Number AF-057, Madagascar, from the 17th of February until the
3rd of March. He is operating on 80 and 40 metres using CW and SSB. QSL
via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to home call.

David, OK6DJ, will be on the air from the 20th to the 27th of February
from Mauritius Island, IOTA Number AF-049. He is using the callsign
3B8/OK6DJ. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.

Listen for Sylvia, OM4AYL, who is on Pemba Island, IOTA Number AF-063,
Tanzania, using the callsign 5H4AYL. Sylvia will be on the air from the
18th to the 28th of February on 80 through 10 metres using SSB, CW and
FT8. For QSL details visit QRZ.com.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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HAMS TEST ORIGINAL VOICE MODE IN AM RALLY

PAUL/ANCHOR: We end this week by sharing an event the evokes nostalgia
- and good warm sound on the air. If you took part in this year's AM
Rally, the annual celebration of the original ham radio voice mode, you
were not alone, as we hear from Sel Embee KB3TZD.

SEL: There was a strong showing among hams who took part in the
operating event known as the AM Rally on February 3rd through the 5th.
For some operators, it celebrated the special fondness they have for
the voice mode that predates single sideband. Other operators were
curious to see how their homebrew, tube, military or modern rigs would
perform and many ended up making their first AM contacts.

Organizers said weekend participation was strong on 20, 40 and 75
metres. Clark N1BCG, one of the organizers, said he heard one AM
contact from the UK on 10 metres. Extra excitement was generated by the
participation of W1AW, the station at the headquarters of the ARRL in
Connecticut.

Hams were encouraged to log contacts but it wasn't required. Friendly
ragchew and good memories were, of course, mandatory.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(CLARK BURGARD, N1BCG)

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DO YOU HAIKU?

Don't forget the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. If you're not
too busy tuning your antennas or chasing the latest DXpedition, pick up
a pencil and share your experience by sending an original haiku to us
here at Newsline. Use the entry form on our website, arnewsline.org and
please follow the rules for writing your three-line haiku -- sorry but
we cannot accept any entries that aren't written in traditional
haikuform.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Australian Communications and Media
Authority; Amateur Radio Daily; ARRL; Clark Burgard, N1BCG; CQ
Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DXWorld; E. Gordon Mooneyham, W4EGM;
425DXNews; FOSDEM; North Bengal Amateur Radio Society; QRZ.com;
shortwaveradio.de; Spacenews.com; Stacy Holbrook, KH6OWL; TGIF Network;
Wireless Institute of Australia; Worldwide DX; YouTube; 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 Copyright 2024. All
rights reserved.