Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1993 with a release date of Friday, 
January 8, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Amateur radio equipment maker TEN-TEC gets yet 
another new owner. The Polish DXer who'll work North Korea this year has 
delayed his plans. The estate of a British Silent Key gives a gift to a 
local hospice. And the yearlong National Parks on the Air event is off 
and running! All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1993 
coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)


DISHTRONIX BUYS TEN-TEC'S ASSETS


We begin this week's newscast with word of the latest sale of 
beleaguered amateur radio equipment maker TEN-TEC. The assets of the 
company, founded in 1968, have been sold to Ohio-based Dishtronix, 
according to recent news reports. Although final details have yet to be 
disclosed, and neither company has formally announced the purchase, 
Dishtronix owner Steven M. Dishop, N8WFF, acknowledged the deal on the 
ARRL website. Dishop tells the ARRL that his vision for the business is 
QUOTE "strictly long term." ENDQUOTE And he reaffirmed his 17-year-old 
company's commitment to its continued financial stability despite what 
he called QUOTE "some tough decisions."

Toward that end, Dishtronix has contracted with former TEN-TECH 
engineering manager, John Henry, K-I-4-J-P-L, and initiated new service 
policies and related pricing. Dishop said TEN-TEC's service department 
had been operating at a loss.

TEN-TEC's asset sale is the latest for the beleaguered company, which 
began as the manufacturer of transceivers for QRP users. Last April, RKR 
Designs of Colorado announced it had purchased TEN-TEC's assets, along 
with those of Alpha Amplifiers, from RF Concepts. The two lines had been 
merged less than a year earlier in yet another asset sale.

Dishtronix, which committed to offering high-power, solid-state 
amplifiers and accessories to the amateur market in 2001, now has a 
variety of products in development and plans to introduce a new 
legal-limit, solid-state amplifier in May at the Dayton Hamvention.

(ARRL)

**

A DELAY FOR NOTED DXer

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Polish DXer Dom, 3Z9DX, is back in the news with his 
North Korea DXpedition. But this time, he's in the spotlight for being 
OFF the air. Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has more.

GRAHAM'S REPORT:

The well-publicized DXpedition of Polish amateur Dom, 3Z9DX, is still on 
- but the amateur world is going to have to wait a little bit longer for 
it to happen. Gryzb rocked the airwaves in late December with an 
unannounced on-air demonstration from North Korea which was a big 
success, despite problematic solar conditions. Even with little fanfare 
announcing  his presence, he managed to make almost 800 contacts, most 
of them in Asia.

When he departed North Korea to celebrate the holidays back home in 
Poland, he announced a hoped-for return in February to get back on the air.

His plans have since changed. He recently told DX World that he will now 
wait until late summer before launching his long-awaited DXpedition as 
P5. His goal, he says, is to find a location that will provide quieter 
operating conditions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(DXWORLD.NET, CQ AMATEUR RADIO)

**

NPOTA - THE FIRST CONTACT

[SKEETER:] Meanwhile, the ARRL's National Parks On The Air event has 
kicked off, as of 00:00 UTC New Years Day, January 1st and Newsline's 
Don Wilbanks, AE5DW was ready.  Listen:

[NPOTA AUDIO - 1:18)


[SKEETER:] That's Pat, N Zero Oh Oh at the mic for the W3HAC station set 
up at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. Pat and Don 
made that contact just 3 minutes into the event, making them two of the 
first to make NPOTA contacts.  At press time we haven't heard how many 
contacts W3HAC managed to log but the year-long event celebrating the 
National Parks System's centennial is just getting started so there's 
plenty of time to join the fun. You can be an activator or a chaser, or 
both.  Everything you need to know can be found at the National Parks On 
The Air page at arrl.org/npota, or the Facebook page.  Search ARRL 
National Parks On The Air.

**

WEATHERING A NEW SOUND

[SKEETER:] If you've been using NOAA Weather Radio to monitor the 
changing forecast, get ready for a new voice to deliver the 
meteorological message to you. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best, 
WX4ALA, has that story.

[BOBBY'S REPORT:]

What does the weather sound like? Starting Jan. 11, whether the outlook 
is sunny or stormy, the forecast is going to sound a whole lot different.

NOAA Weather Radio is about to deploy its first upgrade in 15 years of 
the system that produces its broadcast programs. And that upgrade will 
change the voice listeners hear delivering observations, warnings, 
watches and forecasts.

A number of weather service offices, including the ones in 
Greenville-Spartanburg,  South Carolina, will be involved in an 
operational test and evaluation period following the launch this month.

NOAA hopes the new voice, generated by a new computer system, weathers 
the flood of feedback it expects during this period, which is likely to 
last several months. If all goes well, the new system will have a 
nationwide rollout later in the year on all transmitters.

Comments can be sent to gsp.webmaster@noaa.gov.

(NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE)


SKEETER: That was Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA.

**

CRASH INJURES ARIZONA AMATEUR

Don Seibert N-2-M-OH-OH (N2MOO), vice president of the Sierra Nevada 
Amateur Radio Society, was injured in a motor vehicle crash on New Years 
Day and latest reports at press time listed him in critical condition in 
the intensive care unit of Renown Hospital in Reno.

Reports on the Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire website indicate that 
Seibert's condition was being assessed by doctors following surgery. The 
report said the accident occurred after a woman turned into the path of 
his vehicle after failing to heed a traffic signal.

Seibert had begun his third consecutive term as club Vice-President on 
the day the accident happened. Seibert is considered one of the 
principal architects creating the DMR system for the Sierra Nevada club. 
According to the Sierra Nevada website, the former truck driver retired 
from his profession after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The 
website said that a GoFundMe account has been set up to defray his 
medical expenses following the accident.


(NEVADA AMATEUR RADIO NEWSWIRE)

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around such as the Mingus Mountain 
Repeater Group, K7MRG, in Arizona, on Tuesday evenings.

**

ARRL AND RGSB: CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Big changes in leadership are coming for the ARRL and the Radio Society 
of Great Britain.

The ARRL Board of Directors expects to elect a new president and a 
number of other new officers at its annual meeting on Friday, January 15 
and Saturday, January 16, in Windsor, Connecticut. They will choose a 
successor to ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, who is stepping down 
after three 2-year terms.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and ARRL Chief 
Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, who are both retiring, will also 
be attending this meeting as their last with the ARRL.

Graham Coomber, G-ZERO-N-B-I (G0NBI), the General Manager of the Radio 
Society of Great Britain announced his retirement on January 4, 
prompting a search for his successor. He has been general manager since 
2012.


(ARRL, RSGB)

**

CALLING ALL "K" SIGNS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: If one of your contacts this year happens to be a ham 
from Cornwall in the UK, don't be surprised if they identify with a 
callsign with a bit of a different twist. Amateur Radio Newsline's 
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains:

JEREMY'S REPORT:


The year ahead holds special significance, and identity, for radio 
amateurs in Cornwall, who are starting 2016 with the ability to add a 
"K" to their call signs for the course of the year.

Approved by OfCom late last year, this Special "K" in a real sense 
acknowledges the national minority status granted to the Cornish people 
two years ago. The Poldhu Amateur Radio Club successfully lobbied for 
the process, known as Notice of Variation, or "NOV," under which 
amateurs can seek to modify their call signs. The designation, which is 
optional, is designed to be available to all of Cornwall's amateurs, 
regardless of club affiliation. Callsigns at the intermediate level 
replace the "E" with a "D."

Applications can be made throughout the year but all designations will 
expire on the 31st of December, 2016.

Advocates of the variation are hoping this recognition via call sign 
will boost on-air activity among hams in Cornwall, and a number of clubs 
are establishing a "Kernow Award, recognizing such activity. Details of 
which are available on the club website, www.gb2gm.org.

Meanwhile, amateurs await the opportunity to participate in a Special 
Event for St. Piran, the 5th century Cornish abbot who became the patron 
saint of Cornwall. That event will take place on St. Piran's Day, the 
5th of March, 2016.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the UK.


(SOUTHGATE ARC, POLDHU AMATEUR RADIO CLUB WEBSITE)

**

HAM SHACK SALE BENEFITS UK HOSPICE

The legacy of Michael Hall, 2E0MBJ, now a Silent Key, will no doubt 
provide care and comfort to many. His widow, with the help of the 
Banbury Amateur Radio Society, donated the proceeds of 380 pounds from 
the sale of his shack to Katharine House Hospice just outside Banbury in 
the UK.

The club's chairman, John Manley, M1CNJ, tells the Banbury Guardian 
newspaper: QUOTE "As always, it is difficult for close family members to 
know how to deal with technical possessions in these situations. It was 
on such an occasion that the Banbury radio society was contacted by Mrs 
Hall for advice..." ENDQUOTE

Michael Hall had been an active member of the Banbury Club, where he had 
taken his Foundation course and gotten his license.

(SOUTHGATE, THE BANBURY GUARDIAN)

**

MOONBOUNCE PIONEER BECOMES SILENT KEY

A veteran radio operator who was part of the first crew of Scottish 
amateurs to complete a moonbounce in 1965 became a Silent Key in late 
December. In 1965, working out of a remote site in the East Neuk of 
Fife, at a former RAF beacon station, Ken Street, GM3ENJ, had been part 
of a group from the Dunfermline Amateur Radio Society that contacted 
Arecibo in Puerto Rico via the moon, transmitting on CW on 70 cm. The 
group used the callsign GM3FYB, and the transmission was recorded on 
site where it had been received in Puerto Rico. Street, who lived in 
Dunfermline, was still an active amateur at the time of his death, and 
worked sideband mainly on 2 meters. He was 91.

(SOUTHGATE ARC)

**

A YEAR OF BRITISH SCIENTISTS

Another British radio group, The Phoenix Amateur Radio Club, seems to 
have anniversaries down to a science. In fact, the anniversaries 
themselves are all about science. The club is devoting 2016 to an array 
of special events celebrating notable British scientists throughout history.

More than 40 British scientists will be honored throughout the year, 
beginning with on Friday, January 8 marking the birthday of Stephen 
Hawking, and ending on Dec. 25 with Sir Isaac Newton. According to the 
17th century Julian calendar in effect when he was born, Newton would 
have been born on Christmas - although the physicist's birth is observed 
in modern times on Jan. 4.

All clubs in the UK are invited to participate, and the Phoenix club 
members are hoping there will be many with a local connection to some of 
the scientists. The special events, by the way, will also celebrate many 
of the notable ham radio contacts that are expected - and offer Bronze, 
Silver and Gold awards for qualifying amateurs.


(PHOENIX AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, SOUTHGATE ARC)

**

LIONS ROAR ON THE AIR

When does the roar of a Lion sound a lot like a friendly QSO? Only 
during a special event called Hunting Lions In The Air. The amateur 
event is designed to connect Lions Club International members with other 
members around the world who also have a radio license. This year, it 
kicks off Saturday, January 9 and continues through Wednesday, January 
13. The 13th is a significant date since it marks the birthdate, in 
1879, of Arizona native Melvin Jones. Jones, who later became a Chicago 
businessman, founded the service organization known as Lions Club 
International in 1917. Lions clubs support medical research, disaster 
assistance, services for the disabled, and other community causes.

Hams and Lions Club members are being encouraged to contact their local 
Lions Club to encourage participation in the on-air event.


(AMATEUR RADIO VICTORIA)

**


WORLD OF DX


Francis, F6BLP, is active through January 31 as 6W7SK from Saly 
Portudal, in Senegal. He is working holiday style, operating mainly CW 
with some SSB and RTTY on 160 through 6 meters. Look for his low band 
activity during his local sunrise and sunset. Send QSLs via F6BLP, 
direct or by the Bureau.

Marcelo, EA1HFI, is active through March 4 from Ziguinchor in Senegal, 
with an emphasis on SSB and the Digital modes. His activity is being 
done QRP, during his free time and weekends. QSL via his home callsign, 
direct or by the Bureau. Follow him on Facebook as Marcelo HFI and 
Twitter as @EA1HFI.

Look for Polish special event station 3Z6DOBRZEN through January 31. The 
station will be operated by the members of the Piastowski Short Wave 
Radio Club, SP6PAZ, and others. They are celebrating the fifth 
anniversary of short wave radio activities as part of the Dobrzen Wielki 
District Cultural Centre. Find the station on HF and VHF bands using CW, 
SSB and Digital modes. Send QSLs via SP6PAZ ONLY, by the PZK Bureau or 
direct.

(OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER)

**

KICKER: FROM CANADA WITH LOVE

Radio amateurs like Norway's Ole Forr, LA6EIA, are no doubt accustomed 
to scoring a big DX every now and again on the HF bands. But when the 
58-year-old dairy farmer tuned in late last year on the AM band for a 
program called "The Morning Edition with Sheila Coles" he ended up 
turning program host Sheila Coles into an unwitting DXer herself: He was 
listening to a popular CBC Saskatchewan program being broadcast for a 
Canadian audience.

It's not that good radio listening is hard to come by in Norway, of 
course. But the radio-obsessed Forr and his friends decided they'd try 
and take advantage of some prime conditions - a dark,remote location in 
the north of Norway -- and some long-range receiving antennas, just for fun.

They not only heard the Canadian program, Forr even captured it on an 
MP3 file - and sent the recording to the CBC to prove what his 
not-so-local ears had heard. The Canadian broadcasters, of course, gave 
Forr's recording a great reception.

And now CBC radio's Sheila Coles, who landed an enviable DX without even 
trying - thanks to Ole Forr - has got herself a new fan. He's somewhere 
out there on his farm in Norway, tuning up his receiver - and milking 
his cows.


(CBC)


**

NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur Radio Victoria; the ARRL; the Banbury 
Guardian; the CBC; CQ Magazine; DX.NET; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; 
The Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire; the Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Phoenix 
Amateur Radio Club; Poldhu Amateur Radio Club; Southgate Amateur Radio 
News; TWiT TV; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio 
Newsline. Our email address is newsline@arnewsline.org. More information 
is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located 
at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur 
Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, 
and our news team worldwide, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, in Topeka, Kansas, 
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

***

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