Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2062 for Friday, May 5, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2062 with a release date of Friday, 
May 5 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. There's a tragedy in India - and hams respond. 
Morse Code's ruled unnecessary in Taiwan -- and in Ohio, the Voice of 
America Museum opens its doors for Hamvention. All this and more as 
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2062 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**

HAMS AID RESCUE ON THE RIVER

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the report of a sudden -- and 
tragic -- collapse of a jetty on a riverfront in India bustling with 
commuters. Local hams rushed to the scene to assist with the rescue 
efforts, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline' Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY's REPORT: Hams in West Bengal responded to a dramatic rescue 
effort on a riverfront outside Kolkata, India after an aging wooden 
jetty in disrepair collapsed, sending at least four people to their 
death and injuring more than a dozen. The jetty, which was in disrepair, 
was crowded with more than 150 commuters, including school children, at 
the time of its collapse in the Hooghly River about 22 miles north of 
Kolkata on April 26. The commuters were waiting for boats to ferry them 
to jetties on the opposite bank.

As local fishermen took their boats out into the water to pull victims 
from the water, and others dived in, members of the West Bengal Radio 
Club arrived on the scene with their 2-meter handheld transceivers and 
using EchoLink, contacted the club station VU2MQT 15 kilometers away to 
assist in the rescue effort. Rinku Nag Biswas VU2JFB was at the club 
station and able to relay information. The EchoLink station utilized the 
KM6EOM repeater of the Wanderers Amateur Radio Club in Los Angeles, 
California after contacting its custodian Greg KI6GIG.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(HINDUSTAN TIMES, SOUTHGATE)

**

WHAT, NO MORE MORSE?

NEIL/ANCHOR: Morse Code has become history once again. It's no longer a 
requirement for amateurs seeking their license in Taiwan. Here's more 
from Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN'S REPORT: Following the lead taken by so many other nations, 
Taiwan's National Communications Commission is preparing to do away with 
the Morse Code requirement for amateur licensees in that nation.
The change, which is contained in a recent amendment, has already been 
approved but won't take effect immediately because the amendment must 
first be presented for public view for two months.
The NCC's frequency and resources department deputy director Chen 
Chun-mu told the Taipei Times that in addition to dropping the code 
requirement, the amendment also extends the lifetime of an amateur 
license from five years to 10 and allows hams with expiring licenses to 
begin the renewal process as many as five months before the expiration 
date. Presently hams in Taiwan can only do this one month before 
expiration.
Commission data reflects that 42,900 licenses have been issued by the 
NCC for qualified operators between 2012 and 2016.
Morse Code became an optional part of global amateur radio after the 
World Radiocommunication Conference of 2003 when the International 
Telecommunications Union gave nations the right to decide individually 
whether Code proficiency would remain part of their licensing 
qualifications.
In the U.S. the FCC did away with the Morse Code requirement for the 
Technician class entry level license in 1991 and a change that took 
effect in 2007 eliminated the FCC code requirement from licenses 
altogether. Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and the UK also 
number among the many nations no longer requiring Morse.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW.


(THE TAIPEI TIMES, RADIO SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN)

**

MALTA, UAE GET ON 60 METERS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Been on 60 meters lately? Well listen up, you might hear 
some newcomers, as Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us.

JIM'S REPORT: It's getting a little bit busier on the air these days 
between 5351.5 kHz and 5366.5 kHz as hams in Malta and the United Arab 
Emirates get the green light to get on the band. The Malta 
Communications Authority's new national plan gives amateurs there access 
to the 60 meter band on a secondary basis. The maximum power permitted 
is 15w EIRP. Likewise, hams in the UAE are permitted to a maximum power 
of 15w EIRP. Malta and the UAE join a number of nations that have been 
enjoying privileges on 60 meters, including hams in the U.S. who were 
given access by the FCC in 2012 for the band's use on a channelized 
basis. Eight channels have also been available for hams in Israel since 
2013 for General and Extra class licensees. The Cayman Islands, the 
Dominican Republic and Greenland are among those nations also having 
access using channelized operation.

Since the agreement at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 
many countries who are new to the band are adopting the 15KHz band 
rather than channels along with the 15 watts effective isotropic 
radiated power limit.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF

**

K2BSA ON THE AIR IN OREGON AND CALIFORNIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: The K2BSA call sign is going camping again this week and 
will also be part of a net. Here are the details from Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Bill Stearns NE4RD.

BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting we have 2 activations of the 
K2BSA callsign, 1 activation from Scout Camps on the Air, a Scouters 
Net, and more.

Russ Mickiewicz, N7QR, will be the control operator for K2BSA/7 at the 
Sunset Trails District Camporee in Rainier, OR, on Saturday May 6th.  
This is the annual Camporee for the Sunset District of the Cascade 
Pacific Council which consists of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of the west 
Portland Oregon area.  Russ will have about 200 boys who will compete in 
patrols including various skills such as knot tying, tomahawk throwing, 
fire starting, canoe portaging among others.  One of the stops will be 
the amateur radio station where they will hear about the station and get 
points by answering questions and get bonus points for talking on the 
air.  Russ will have scouts on the air from 9am to 4pm PST probably 
starting out on 14.290 MHz. With the 7 area QSO party going on, there 
should be plenty of local activity, and hopefully contest participants 
will give this group some room.

Ray Dzek, N6DZK, will be the control operator for K2BSA/6 at the 
Scout-o-Rama for the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council at Historic 
Park in San Jose, CA on Saturday May 13th.  Ray will have a 100' tower 
with a Yaesu FT-991 into a Hex Beam.  They will be on the air from 10am 
to 4pm PST on 40, 20, or 15 meters depending on band conditions.

Stephen Shearer, WB3LGC, will be the control operator for KB3NCC at the 
Henson Scout Reservation in Rhodesdale, MD, on Friday May 5th through 
the 6th.  Stephen will be running 15 watts or less on 40/20 PSK on 
Friday and then joining into the state QSO parties on voice and CW in 
the 10-10 contest for Saturday.

The Radio Scouting Net will be on Thursday May 11th at 9pm Central on 
Echolink *JOTA-365*.  If you are interested in talking with some 
veterans of Radio Scouting, this is a great opportunity to have an 
informal discussion during the net.

Hamvention is approaching rapidly, and the K2BSA group will be present 
in building 2 in Booth 2205.  Please consider a visit to the booth to 
learn more about what you can do to get involved in radio scouting like 
getting scouts to your field day event and learn about our upcoming 
events like National Jamboree and Jamboree on the Air.

For more information on K2BSA and radio scouting, please visit 
http://www.k2bsa.net/.


For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this 
is Bill Stearns NE4RD.

**
STILL SEEKING YHOTY NOMINATIONS

NEIL/ANCHOR: One more reminder that the deadline approaches to nominate 
a candidate for Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak Memorial Young 
Ham of the Year Award. Do you know someone 18 or younger who 
particularly impresses you? This is Amateur Radio Newsline's commitment 
to honoring young talented radio operators. Find application forms on 
our website at arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close 
May 31 -- that's later this month!

Also be listening on Tuesday May 9 at 8 p.m. Central Time as Amateur 
Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks AE5DW joins Ted Randall WB8PUM on the QSO 
Radio Show, heard live on WTWW 5085 kHz.

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the 
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OH-KY-IN) Amateur Radio Society repeater, 146.670 
MHz, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

**

VOA MUSEUM, A HAMVENTION 'PLUS'

NEIL/ANCHOR: It's May and Hamvention is coming! And not more than an 
hour's drive from Dayton Hamvention is another popular gathering spot 
for amateurs: the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting 
located at the site of VOA's Bethany Relay Station in West Chester 
Township. If you're going to Hamvention and you're free after 5 p.m., 
check it out. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Akins KE5CXP has the details.

MIKE: It's not quite quite Hamvention after dark but the VOA Museum is 
still offering some incredible nightlife for amateurs visiting Ohio 
starting May 19th. Although the Bethany Relay Station stopped operating 
in 1994 and its towers have long since come down, its doors will be open 
to amateurs who'll want to experience its rich history in global radio. 
The museum's executive director, Jack Dominic, said there's plenty to 
see - and do.

JACK: If you think about it, it is kind of a must-see for someone who 
hasn’t been here before. If you are interested in ham radio, you are 
interested in shortwave and this facility is arguiably the most 
significant shortwave presence in the whole United States. At one time, 
six of the world's highest-power shortwave transmitters were located here.

MIKE: Take a tour and see one of the transmitters, a 1960 vintage 
Collins rig, visit the control room and see the antenna-switching matrix 
that once allowed transmissions to be aimed directly at Europe, North 
Africa and South America. The museum also contains equipment from Robert 
L. Drake's personal amateur radio collection. Museum board member Gary 
West K8DEV says yes, bring your license and you can even get on the air!

GARY: We have a club station here, the West Chester Amateur Radio 
Association. We are here in West Chester Township and WC8VOA is our call 
sign. We have got six operating stations and we do encourage people to 
get on the air when they are here. If they are interested, just let us 
know.

MIKE: The open house promises to be a celebration of wireless. Admission 
is $5 and the doors are open on May 19th and May 20th until 9 p.m. For 
Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.


**

NETS OF NOTE: THE AIR FORCE FLYERS CLUB NET

NEIL/ANCHOR: We bring you another installment in our occasional series, 
Nets of Note. This one has real historical significance - and it's 
high-flying too. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL'S REPORT: This week's "Net of Note" is a very special one with a 
lot of American history tied in. I spoke with group member Jon 
Stromsland, WA6LJS, about what makes their net special:

JON: It's called the Air Force Flyers Club Net and it's a historic and 
patriotic group of airmen from all wars and all branches of the military 
- Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard - who served as pilots, air crew, ground 
crew, missle crew and we've even got air traffic controllers in the net.

The net was started in 1989 by WA7IFX who's since become a silent key. 
Some of the original members are silent keys now, but the ones that 
started it were basically World War II pilots. The first member, Van 
Nordstrom was a B-17 gunner.

We have the distinction of having the youngest fighter ace in history 
there - we had November Three Golf Tango Tango, Dale Karger was his name 
- and he was 19 years old when he flew P-51's and he had eleven kills.

PAUL: This "net of note" has definitely had some "members of note," many 
of which were notable outside of the ham radio world:

JON: We also have some historic people that were in the net. People have 
heard of General Curtis LeMay - he was called the Father of Strategic 
Air Command, and in 1961 General LeMay was the Chief of Staff of the 
United States Air Force. He was also a ham radio operator and in 1957 he 
established single-sideband as the standard for high-frequency 
communications for SAC bombers.

PAUL: They have even had one former U.S. Senator:

JON: Barry Goldwater, who I╒m sure everybody╒s heard of, he used to 
check into the net way back when and he did phone patches for the troops 
back in the early 60╒s


PAUL: Membership has fallen off in recent years, according to 
Stromsland, but still remains very active:

JON: At one point, we had over 500 members and a lot of the old-time 
members of course, have become silent keys, but currently we have about 
69 active members.

PAUL: I asked Stromsland where you can find the net:

JON: The net meets on 20 meters every day, seven days a week, on 14.290 
at 1530 Zulu. And then on Tuesdays only, we have a 40 meter net that 
comes on right after the 20 meter net closes on 7.181 in the morning and 
on Tuesday in the evening at 7pm Pacific time we meet on 7.278.

PAUL: While you have to be either active military or a veteran in order 
to join the net, anyone is welcome to check into the net and join in the 
discussion. And, as always, we here at Amateur Radio Newsline thank all 
our military, past and present, for your service.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, if you know of a net with an interesting story 
to tell, email us at newsline at arnewsline.org and we might just 
feature it in our occasional series Nets of Note.


**

THE WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, we have a few CW operators who'll be calling QRZ. 
You have a few more days to listen for S79J operating from Mahe Island 
in the Seychelles Islands. The callsign is being used by Ivan LZ1PJ 
until the 10th of May. Listen for S79J operating in CW on the HF bands 
and on 6m. QSL to the home call.

Martin MW0BRO is operating from Qatar as A7/MW0BRO through the 18th of 
May. He is transmitting from the Qatar Amateur Radio Society club 
station in Doha. Listen for him operating in CW on 80 through 10m. QSL 
to his home call.

Gab HB9TSW is operating as Z68BG from Slatina Air Base in Pristina, 
Kosovo until the 23rd of May. He will use CW on 40m to 10m. QSOs with 
Kosovo do not count for the DXCC Award at the present time.

On Saint Martin Island, John K9EL is operating as FS/K9EL on SSB, CW and 
RTTY through the 15th of May. Listen for him on 80 meters through 6 
meters. Send QSL cards via the home call, OQRS, LoTW and eQSL.


(DXCOFFEE, IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)

**

KICKER: SKY HIGH TOY STORY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Finally, we end this newscast with the tale of a modest 
project in Australia that wasn't so modest after all -- finding a way to 
get kids interested in space travel and radio tracking with the help of 
a small animal. Well, OK, a plush toy small animal. Let's hear more from 
Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Can an echidna fly? Well, if you're a spiny anteater named 
Anstey and you're in the company of the Amateur Radio Experimenters 
Group in Adelaide, South Australia, you can not only fly, you can soar.

That was the fate of Anstey, a plush toy echidna who got a trip into 
space with the help of the radio amateurs group, including Mark Jessop 
VK5QI. Anstey went up into the sky via a high-altitude balloon - one of 
many the amateur group has launched over the years - as a way of 
grabbing the attention of young South Australians at the Tea Tree Gully 
library at the end of last year. The plush toy is the library's mascot 
and she became a mascot with a mission.

Anstey was sent up to a height of about 23 miles from a sports field in 
the Adelaide Hills and was tracked via radio to a somewhat soft landing 
a few days later in a wheat field about 75 miles from where she had been 
launched.Mark said she was buried in the tops of the wheat and wasn't 
visible until they literally stumbled upon her. The journey took the 
little plush toy into air temperatures estimated to be minus 68 degrees 
Fahrenheit.

The library, however, had a good warming feeling about the whole matter. 
ABC News Australia picked up on the story recently, as did other media. 
Now the celebrity echidna is back at the library for another appearance. 
On May 8, younsters will visit the library, learn about the journey, 
meet the well-traveled toy and celebrate the first echidna in space. 
Likely she won't be the last.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to ABC News Australia; Alan Labs; Amateur 
News Weekly; the ARRL; Chelmsford Weekly News; ;CQ Magazine; DX Coffee; 
Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the Hindustan Times; the IARU; Irish 
Radio Transmitters Society; the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association; the 
Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; the Taipei 
Times; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; 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 located 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana 
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.


***

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