Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2066 for Friday, June 2, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2066 with a release date of Friday, 
June 2, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. One ham gives a sky-high tribute to Amelia 
Earhart. In India, amateur radio reunites a family after four years -- 
and a former pirate goes legit. All this and more as Amateur Radio 
Newsline Report 2066 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

FAMILY REUNION, RADIO STYLE

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is about a ham radio rescue - one 
that didn't come in the aftermath of an earthquake, a cyclone or a 
flood. This rescue was a bit more personal. Here are the details from 
Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN'S REPORT: Ham radio has been known to help bridge vast geographic 
distances, but what about huge gaps in personal memory? For one woman in 
India, who lost the whereabouts of her family and the ability to recall 
what happened, ham radio has provided a solution and ultimately a 
reunion - at a distance some 900 miles away.

The woman, known as Visalakshi, had been under psychiatric care in a 
West Bengal hospital for the four years since she was found wandering 
about, disoriented and separated from her family. After her memory began 
to gradually improve recently, she asked hospital administrators to help 
locate her relatives. The hospital reached out to the West Bengal Radio 
Club, led by Ambarish Nag Biswas and a team of nine hams connected with 
six of their colleagues in Tamil Nadu, where Visalakshi's home is located.

They connected via EchoLink during one of their regular 9:15 p.m. nets 
and passed along the information. Hams spread the word to other hams and 
eventually one of the administrative officers in the woman's village 
located her brother. At that point, the brother contacted the hospital 
and shortly thereafter, plans were being made for a reunion - and to 
bring her home.

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

**

ONE HAM'S TRIBUTE TO AMELIA EARHART

PAUL/ANCHOR: Eighty years ago, Amelia Earhart -- the first woman to 
cross the Atlantic on a solo flight -- attempted to fly around the 
world. Now Project Amelia Earhart is honoring that attempt with a ham 
radio operator at the helm, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's 
Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.


KENT's REPORT:

BRIAN:  Two things I've been for a long time: A ham and a pilot. Both go 
back to before I can remember, love of radios and love of airplanes.

KENT: Brian Lloyd WB6RQN is taking off in June to commemorate the 80th 
anniversary of Amelia Earhart's famous attempt at circumnavigating the 
world. What sets this flight apart is Lloyd's plan to work hams on HF 
along the way.

BRIAN:  What does amateur radio have to do with it? Anytime you cross 
the ocean, you are required to have HF communications. Being a ham, I 
can use that for not only communicating with air traffic control but 
also with other hams. So I'll have it on and work people as I travel 
around the world.

KENT: Lloyd's ham rig will be a Motorola Micom 3 HF transceiver with 
Automatic Link Establishment or ALE.

BRIAN: Making a contact with ALE is nothing more than entering a 
person's call sign and the radio then figures out oh I can reach that 
person on this band.  Once it establishes  the connection it switches to 
SSB voice.  Its almost like dialing a telephone. I press a button to 
establish the call and we talk.

KENT: Lloyd hopes hams will give ALE a try.

BRIAN:  If you operate digital modes now, like Olivia or PSK31, you can 
pick up a copy of PC ALE and install that and you will be able to 
operate ALE and communicate with me that way.  It can be a bit tricky, 
but if you've operated the digital modes, it is really straight 
forward.  Mostly I'll be operating in the DX portions of 40 and 20 
meters depending on band openings.  You can track me directly. The web 
page is all one word:  project Amelia Earhart dot org, That web site 
links to the face book page. I hope to get a chance to work many of your 
listeners as I make my way around the world.

KENT: Lloyd hopes to finish his trek by landing on Monday July 24th at 
the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual gathering in Oshkosh, 
Wisconsin.

Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

**

FCC ACTS ON TWO INTERFERENCE CASES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Interference is the scourge of every amateur on the air. 
Recent actions from the FCC are taking on two more such instances. 
Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG has the details.

NEIL'S REPORT: On May 23rd, the Federal Communications Commission 
Enforcement Bureau issued an Order and Consent Decree which imposed a 
$90,000 fine, a compliance training program, mandated reporting, and 
other measures on a marketer of LED light fixtures which reportedly 
caused interference to radio transmissions. After an investigation, the 
FCC found that the product was in violation of the rules. AFX, 
Incorporated based in Waukegan, Illinois agreed to the order, and 
resolved to solve the interference problem to bring the devices into 
compliance. The FCC asserted its authority to prevent electronic 
equipment suppliers from legally marketing their products by denying 
equipment certifications.

In other enforcement news, the FCC issued a Notice of Unlicensed 
Operation to Bradley C. Pike of Dallas on May 17. The notice was issued 
in response to a complaint from Dallas County Consolidated Services 
regarding interference to their VHF public safety radio system. Agents 
used direction finding to determine the source of the interference. Pike 
then surrendered a radio signal jammer and admitted to causing the 
interference. Pike could face a fine, seizure of equipment, and criminal 
sanctions. He has 30 days to respond to the notice.

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

(FCC)

**
K2BSA CONTINUES PREP FOR JAMBOREE

PAUL/ANCHOR: The radio scouts of K2BSA are on the move again as Jamboree 
Day comes even closer. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns NE4RD gives 
us an update on their next activities.

BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting we have one activation of the 
K2BSA callsign, one activation from Scout Camps on the Air, and the 
National Jamboree is quickly approaching.

Jeffrey Phillips, KN4FRG, will be activating K2BSA/0 at a Merit Badge 
University in St Robert, MO, on Saturday June 3rd.  Scouts will be 
completing their on air component of this merit badge.

Gary Hinton, AC7R, will be activating KJ7BSA at Mesa East Stake Young 
Men Encampment at Camp Toone in Blue Ridge AZ, the week of June 12th 
through the 17th.  This camp will be active on HF, VHF, and UHF, and 
will also be doing ARDF.

Hamvention was a great success for K2BSA.  We enjoyed the many vistors 
to the booth and new venue.  We are now looking to our next major event 
which is the National Jamboree from July 15th through the 28th at The 
Summit Betchel Reserve, in West Virginia. We are almost fully staffed 
for the event at this time.  We will have the K2BSA callsign active on 
the HF bands, Echolink, and Satellite.  We are planning a balloon 
launch, a SOTA activation, and an ARISS contact.  We will be talking 
more about this event as it gets closer.

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.


**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur 
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including 
the W2GLD repeater in Pinckney, Michigan on Saturdays at 8 p.m.

****

WHEN PIRATES WERE IN THEIR PRIME

PAUL/ANCHOR: No one can look back on the history of radio without 
devoting a good bit of attention to pirate radio. A new project in 
Ireland hoping to do just that in a much more formal way, as we hear 
from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Pirates are almost always in search of buried treasure, but what 
kind of a treasure hunt is in search of PIRATE treasure? This is an 
important hunt being conducted by the Irish Broadcasting Hall of Fame, 
which is hoping to put together a pirate radio history gallery or 
full-scale pirate radio museum containing memorabilia from the era 
dating back to 1916. That was the year of the Easter Rebellion, or 
Easter Rising, which occurred while the UK was enmeshed in World War I. 
Easter Rising marked the birth of the first radio broadcasts from 
Dublin, which announced the declaration of an Irish Republic.

According to the hall of fame website, a meeting will be held on the 7th 
of June to discuss what the museum should contain and how to curate its 
exhibits. Broadcasters, former pirate radio employees or even radio 
enthusiasts and collectors are invited to brainstorm at the session 
which will be held at Branigan's Pub near St. Mary's Pro Cathedral.

For details, send an email to irishbroadcastinghalloffame@gmail.com

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH

PAUL/ANCHOR: The first UK offshore pirate radio station back in the 60s 
was Radio Caroline, which broadcast its Medium Wave AM signal from the 
converted ferry Frederica in the Thames estuary. Well, Caroline has 
officially closed the books on its pirate reputation. Ofcom has just 
granted Radio Caroline an AM community radio broadcasting license, 
allowing it to provide its classic 1960s rock format to its target 
audience of those aged 45 and older in Suffolk and northern parts of 
Essex in the UK. It should prove popular as ever since its pirate heyday 
in the mid-60s, Radio Caroline boasted having more listeners than the 
three BBC networks combined.

(OFCOM, IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)


**
THEY'RE SOUR ON HIS TOWER

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams are no stranger to unneighborly opposition when 
antennas or towers go up. Just ask one amateur in British Columbia. 
Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD with that report.

HEATHER: Brian Summers VE7JKZ of Saanich, British Columbia is finding 
his plans for a 50-foot ham radio tower to be a hard sell in the 
neighorhood. The locals have taken their case to the local council, 
saying his plans for the backyard tower are playing havoc with their 
property values, the aesthetics of the community - and even their privacy.

Neighbors say they have even circulated a petition that already has 
signatures from 25 neighbors who don't want the project to go forward.

Brian, however, has been a ham for more than 60 years and has put up 
towers before, at his former residence in Richmond, Calgary and Ottawa. 
He told the local Saanitch News paper that there's never been a problem 
with neighbors and he believes residents in Saanich wouldn't even notice 
it after a few days.

Although the local council has received input, planning authorities told 
the newspaper that the ultimate decision will rest with the agency known 
as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Agency spokesman 
Hans Parmar told the newspaper that the office is permitting 30 days of 
public comment in writing and will permit Brian 60 days to respond after 
that, before reaching a decision.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD.

(VICTORIA, B.C., SAANICH NEWS)

**

**
THE WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, be listening for Haru JA1XGI, using the call sign 
9H3XG from Malta between the 7th and 12th of June. Find Haru on 40 
through 15 meters using CW and RTTY. Send QSL cards via his home 
callsign or LoTW.

Reiner DL2AAZ, is active through the 7th of June as FG/DL2AAZ from 
Sainte Rose. Reiner is working holiday style and can be heard on 30-10 
meters using CW and SSB. Send QSL cards via DL2AAZ, direct or by the Bureau.

You can find Oliver, DK7TX, active as SV8/DK7TX from Erikoussa Island on 
June 9th and 10th. Listen for Oliver on various HF bands. Send QSL cards 
via his home callsign.

Scottish amateurs from the Stirling and District Amateur Radio Society 
are operating as HB0/GM4UYE from Liechtenstein from 1st to 6th June. QSL 
manager is M0OXO.

Thomas F4HPX is on St. Denis on Reunion Island and will operate holiday 
style as FR/F4HPX between the 4th and 16th of June. He plans to use 
digital modes and may even operate some CW.

For just a few more days, you can catch Vlad UA0FAM operating on 
Kunashir Island, which is IOTA AS-025. Vlad is using the callsign 
UA0FAM/P through Monday June 5.


(OHIO PENN DX BULLETIN, IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)


**

KICKER: A TALE OF TWO HOLLANDS

PAUL/ANCHOR: There are many kinds of mills - paper mills, or mills that 
grind wheat and corn. And then there are mills that generate contacts 
between amateurs, across continents and across oceans. In this case, 
both of them were in Holland - but in different parts of the world. 
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY'S REPORT: The springtime amateur radio event that has come to be 
known as Mills on Air is a natural for Holland, the land of windmills. 
On the weekend of May 13th and 14th, hams were active at windmills and 
pumping stations throughout the Netherlands and participated in the 
Mills on the Air event with other hams in Europe and even, this year, 
Australia. Using call sign PB17MILL, Dutch hams activated a mill in the 
northeast part of the Netherlands about 25 kilometers from the German 
border. The three operators, Frank PD5JFK, Mark PD0ME and Bernard PB7Z 
were active all weekend and according to Bernard, they made a total of 
725 QSOs in 53 DXCC entities, with the farthest contact being in Argentina.

While this was the ninth year for the Holland mill to be participating 
from the Netherlands, another Holland - this one in the U.S. - was 
making its debut. Bernard told Amateur Radio Newsline that he had been 
in touch with two American hams in Holland, Michigan - Phil K8PVH and 
Jeff KB8QAP - to help get their authentic Dutch Mill into the game. This 
year the mill, known as De Zwaan, made it, using the call sign K8DAA and 
operating on SSB, CW and PSK. The Mill was even on EchoLink.

Bernard said that, from a distant Netherlands, the Dutch hams couldn't 
be prouder of that mill. Built in Holland, it arrived in the U.S. during 
the 1960s. Now it's not just the only authentic Dutch mill operating in 
the U.S., but the only one operating on the radio spectrum!

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

(BERNARD PB7Z, WMUK.ORG PUBLIC RADIO)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; 
Bernard PB7Z; CQ Magazine; the FCC; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish 
Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; Ofcom; Ohio Penn DX Bulletin; Project 
Amelia Earhart; QRZ; Saanich News; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted 
Randall's QSO Radio Show; WMUK Public Radio; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO saying 73 and as 
always we thank you for listening.

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


***

As a Service to the HAM Radio Community and HAM Operators all over the world,
this Amateur Radio Newline(tm) message has been gated from the internet and
posted to you by Waldo's Place USA, fidonet node 1:3634/12. We hope you
enjoyed it!

Please address all comments and questions to the ARNewsletter editor as
described in this posting. If you have any specific questions related to the
actual posting of this message, you may address them to
hamfdn(at)wpusa.dynip.com.

Thank you and good day!

-73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42
(text/plain utf-8 quoted-printable)


 * Origin: (1:3634/12)