<*>[Attachment(s) from James KB7TBT included below]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2077 for Friday, August 18, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2077 with a release date of Friday, 
August 18, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Disappointing news for shortwave fans in 
Australia. A special plea for QSL cards for a very ill youngster in 
Michigan -- and we meet a ham with a VERY high-flying antenna! All this 
and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2077 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
NO REVIVAL OF AUSTRALIAN SHORTWAVE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story comes from Australia. For a while hope was 
still alive for some radio listeners after the Australia Broadcasting 
Corporation pulled the plug on its shortwave service. Not anymore, 
however. With that update, here's John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN'S REPORT: There will be no restoration of shortwave service for the 
Australia Broadcasting Corporation. The Australian senate has voted down 
a measure that would have put the transmissions back on the air.

South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon was among those who fought for 
Radio Australia to go back on the air, following its termination in 
January. He called the shutdown a foreign policy failure, noting that a 
number of Pacific Island communities in remote areas, such as the 
Solomon Islands and Papua, New Guinea, relied on it. The transmissions 
covered remote parts of northern Australia as well.

At the time the service termination was announced, the ABC declared 
shortwave to be outdated and indicated its closure would save $1.9 
million which could be better spent on additional content and services 
to customers. It said it would reinvest that sum by expanding audience 
content and services.

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


(RADIO NEW ZEALAND)

**

BACK TO DAYTON: THIS TIME FOR THE AIR FORCE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Do you need another reason to go back to Dayton so soon 
after Hamvention? Well, there's a big event happening in September at 
the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and volunteer hams are needed. We 
hear more about it from Phil Thomas W8RMJ, who shares this report 
courtesy of Amateur News Weekly.

PHIL THOMAS: The U.S. Air Force Marathon is rapidly approaching. 
Approximately 65 radio operators will be needed to support the marathon 
on Saturday Sept. 16 at Dayton Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. 
This world class event has over 25 thousand participants, volunteers and 
spectators in attendance each year. This will also be the 70th 
anniversary for the U.S. Air Force, which was formed on Sept. 18, 1947. 
If you are a technician or higher class amateur and would like to help 
or if you have questions, contact Dave Crawford KF4KWW lead amateur 
volunteer via email at kf4kww@arrl.net.

NEIL/ANCHOR: That was Phil Thomas W8RMJ of Amateur News Weekly. For more 
news in the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana area, visit their website at 
amateurnewsweekly-dot-com (amateurnewsweekly.com)

**

RAC MEMBERS VOTE IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

NEIL/ANCHOR: Things are heating up in the province of Ontario where 
voting is beginning for the selection of a new regional director. Jeremy 
Boot G4NJH has more.

JEREMY: Balloting has opened to elect a new director for the Ontario 
South Region of the Radio Amateurs of Canada. The two candidates are 
Philip McBride, VA3QR/VA3KPJ and Igor Slakva, VE3ZF/VA3YDX. Ballots 
should be returned by regular mail to RAC Headquarters by noon on 
Friday, September 15. The address is: RAC Corporate Secretary, Radio 
Amateurs of Canada, 720 Belfast Road, Suite 217, Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z5

Philip is an IT consultant who has been an RAC member for 14 years and 
has been active in emergency communications planning for amateur radio. 
He is a member of the Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System. Igor is a 
network analyst and an RAC member who is an active DXpeditioner and 
contester. For a more detailed bio on both candidates visit the RAC 
website at wp-dot-rac-dot-ca (wp.rac.ca)

Meanwhile, RAC volunteers are in the process of sending ballot papers 
out to the membership in Canada.

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

(RAC)

**

A BOOST FOR BOUVET ISLAND DXPEDITION

NEIL/ANCHOR: Paying for a DXpedition can be as big a deal as the 
DXpedition itself - but the radio operators heading next year to Bouvet 
Island just got a major boost. Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us more.

JASON'S REPORT: Never mind what the calendar says - 2018 just got a 
whole lot closer for the Bouvet Island Dxpedition team 3Y0Z. The hams 
just received a $100,000 grant - the largest ever given by the Northern 
California DX Foundation - for their ambitious undertaking early next year.

The international team has been active on seven continents and, with a 
fundraising goal of $740,500, is looking to have its operators activate 
what some have called the world's most isolated island, one thousand 
miles north of Antarctic, where 97 percent of its surface is covered in 
ice. The team has already gotten support from the German DX Foundation, 
the Eastern Iowa DX Association, the Twin City DX Association and the 
Greater Milwaukee DX Association, among numerous others.

Bouvet Island, which has had a handful of activations, is presently the 
second most wanted entity on the DXCC list.

Expecting limited support from its ship, and operating at a high 
elevation, the team writes on its website [quote]: "This place will 
challenge our comfort zone." [endquote]

It will also challenge the world's amateurs who will key their mics and 
and hope for the best.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)

**

RSGB CONVENTION TEAMS UP WITH AMSAT-UK COLLOQUIUM

NEIL/ANCHOR: A gathering of amateurs and radio enthusiasts in Great 
Britain in October is going to be two events in one. Jeremy Boot G4NJH 
tells us about what's planned.

JEREMY'S REPORT: When the Radio Society of Great Britain holds its 
annual convention at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton 
Keynes in October it will share the spotlight with the AMSAT-UK 
International Space Colloquium. That is expected to bring a bonus of 
speakers focused on AMSAT-UK activities. The subjects will include the 
recent International Space Station contact with the Youngers on the Air 
activation at Gilwell Park. There will also be a talk by ISS Amateur 
Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom N5VHO who will cover almost 
anything and everything about the ARISS program.

A presentation on amateur satellites will be given by David Johnson 
G4DPZ who will give tips on how hams can get started. Open Source 
software-defined radio will be discussed by Alexandru Csete, OZ9AEC.

Both the RSGB and AMSAT-UK will be holding dinners on Saturday, October 
14th, each catering to their own groups. The two-day event concludes on 
the 15th of October.

For more details, visit the website at 
amsat-hyphen-uk-dot-org-slash-colloquium (amsat-uk.org/colloquium).

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH


**
ECLIPSE HAS GOT SOLAR POWER

NEIL/ANCHOR: Like most of the rest of North America, if not the world, 
we are awaiting reports on the impact of the sun, Earth and moon's 
alignment for a few moments on Monday, Aug. 21. A number of amateur 
radio teams will be experimenting with transmission everywhere, from 
operators at the new Texas Museum of Broadcasting & Communications in 
Texas to the Great American Eclipse Special Events Station W4E, in the 
center of the eclipse's path, during the Eclipse QSO Party.

All eyes - carefully shielded, of course - will be looking toward a sun 
that isn't there - for a few moments, anyway.

Find information before, during and after at eclipse2017.nasa.gov and be 
listening for results.

(KILGORE NEWS HERALD)


**

BREAK HERE

Time to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline heard 
on bulletin stations around the world including the K7TMF repeater on 
Fridays at 5 p.m. local time in Spokane, Washington - right in the Zone 
of Totality for this year's solar eclipse.

**

QSL CARDS BECOME BIRTHDAY CARDS FOR AILING LITTLE BOY

NEIL/ANCHOR: A critically ill little boy in Michigan has just inspired a 
new reason to send QSL cards. In this case the cards don't confirm a 
successful contact - they hopefully can initiate one. This is a QST from 
Christian Cudnik K0STH, host of the 100 Watts and a Wire podcast, - and 
he explains why he's reaching out:

CHRISTIAN: Oakley is a 6-year-old little boy from Alma Michigan that I 
‘ve never met. He was born with a rare birth defect called Prune Belly 
Syndrome. It’s so rare his future is unknown. As a parent, it’s the 
unthinkable.

His story surfaces in a flood of news that focuses on things that divide 
us.

On September 3rd,  Oakley turns 7.  With all of the challenges in his 
life, all he is asking for is birthday cards. Mom says receiving mail 
keeps him busy and it makes him happy.

I am asking the amateur radio community to repurpose their QSL cards. 
Normally, we send cards after a contact. Let’s use them as birthday 
cards and do something that’s positive for a little boy and a family 
that really needs it right now.

We all want a better future for our children. Maybe this simple act can 
help us get closer to the things that bring us together, and maybe… 
he’ll write back!

NEIL/ANCHOR: Thank you, Christian. To send a QSL card and some cheer to 
Oakley you can write him at Oakley Savickas, P.O. Box 201, Alma, 
Michigan, U.S.A. 48801.

**
ARDF: A-HUNTING THEY WILL GO


NEIL/ANCHOR: Ham radio operators of all ages went into an Ohio forest 
recently, where they found transmitters - and a new group of worldwide 
friends.  For the story, here's ARRL's ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell (MELL) 
K-zero-O-V.

JOE'S REPORT: They came from all over the USA, plus Australia, Canada, 
Germany and Ukraine.  They ranged in age from 13 through 75.  They took 
to the courses with eagerness and many went home with medals.  I'm 
talking about the Seventeenth USA National Championships of Amateur 
Radio Direction Finding (that's ARDF), which took place near Harrison, 
Ohio from August 3 through 6.  The 4,000-acre Miami Whitewater Forest 
and other nearby wooded sites attracted over eighty fans of the sport, 
which is also called foxtailing and radio-orienteering.

Rules for ARDF competitions are established by the IARU.  The object is 
always to find as many of the required transmitters as possible in the 
shortest time and then navigate to the finish line, using only one's own 
direction-finding equipment plus a compass and the provided map.  There 
were classic competitions on separate days on the two-meter and 80-meter 
bands with up to five transmitters to find.  Course lengths, from start 
to each required transmitter and then to the finish, ranged from 2.8 to 
7.1 kilometers, depending on the age/gender category of the participant.

Organizing and staging these championships were members of the OH-KY-IN 
Amateur Radio Society.  Additional volunteers were members of 
Orienteering Cincinnati (OCIN), which also provided the event maps.

Competitors in all events were divided into six age categories for males 
and five for females, with medals awarded to winners in each category.  
The four championship events were preceded by three days of informal 
training in other nearby parks.

USA's national championships are open, meaning that radio-orienteers 
from other countries are welcome on the courses. These visitors compete 
for individual medals in a separate division.  This year, that division 
included approximately forty middle- and high-school students from 
southern China, along with some instructors and parents.

Complete results of all events in these Championships are available 
online in at www.ardfusa.com.  Many photos are being posted at 
www.homingin.com, where there is also much more information about the 
growing sport of ARDF.  That's homingin, as one word, homingin.com.

Plans are already under way for next year's national championships.  
They are expected to take place in early June, in time for selection of 
ARDF Team USA, which will travel to Korea for the 19th ARDF World 
Championships in September 2018.  Team members will be selected from the 
best of USA's performers at the 2017 and 2018 USA Championships.

For Amateur Radio Newline, this is Joe Moell, K-zero-O-V.

**

SCOUTS PREP FOR WORLDWIDE EVENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Barely two months after this summer's Boys Scouts of 
America Jamboree, scouts around the world are preparing for even more 
QSOs. We have those details from Ed Durrant DD5LP.

ED'S REPORT: Scouts in South Africa await their turn for a jamboree 
experience, which will come on the weekend of October 20th through 22nd. 
Their participation in the worldwide scouting event promises to pack 
some extra promise this year. Based on last year's statistics in South 
Africa, the 2016 Jamboree saw the number of young licensees in South 
Africa rise by a dramatic 400 percent. Those statistics were released by 
Richard Hooper ZS6RKE, the National JOTA/JOTI Coordinator for Scouts 
South Africa, who will be accepting South African registration for the 
event in just another week or so.

Over the next few weeks Scout organizers are encouraged to plan to host 
events and to participate.  Those young radio operators will be in good 
company on the air and online. The worldwide event is marking 60 years 
of connections and at least 1 million youngsters representing more than 
150 nations will be involved.Richard asks that anyone in South Africa 
with questions about organizing, or simply assisting, to contact him 
directly via email at richard-dot-hooper-at-scouts-dot-org-dot-za. 
(richard.hooper@scouts.org.za)

For Amateur Radio Newsline this is Ed Durrant DD5LP.


(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, SCOUTS SOUTH AFRICA)


**
WORLD OF DX

Doug, W6HB, will be active as E51DLD between Aug. 27 and Sept. 8 from 
Rarotonga Island. Listen for Doug on 160-10 meters using SSB. He will be 
operating holiday style. Send QSLs via his home callsign. He only wants 
QSL cards, no LoTW, no eQSLs or QRZ.com logs.

In French Polynesia, listen for Heinz, DF1YP, operating as FO/DF1YP from 
Moorea Island between September 6th and October 1st. Activity will be 
holiday style and on 20/17/15 meters using SSB and the Digital modes. 
Send QSLs via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau, which is 
preferred.

Listen for a pair of South African operators in the Sani Pass area of 
Lesotho until the 21st of August. They are using the callsigns 7P8VRR 
and 7P8QM and operating on 40, 20 and 15m.

In Samoa, be listening for Bert CX3AN between the 19th and 26th of 
August. His callsign is 5W0HA and he is on 40 and 30m CW and 20 and 17m 
SSB. QSLs go via his home call.

(IRTS, OHIO PENN DX)


**
KICKER: A HAM WITH A HIGH-FLYING ANTENNA

NEIL/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with this story of a ham in the 
British Isles who likes to get his signal out no matter which way the 
wind is blowing. That's because Nigel Utting GJ7LJJ 
[Gee-Jay-Seven-Ell-Jay-Jay), sometimes uses a portable kite antenna so 
if the wind is blowing it takes his wire straight into the sky. Clearly 
his antenna doesn't fly as high as the signals he hopes to be 
transmitting but recently the Jersey-based ham got a little extra on-air 
help: He became part of a televised broadcast report by ITV news weather 
presenter Sophia Bird. She interviewed him as part of her five-day 
forecast and asked about his kite antenna.

Nigel told her that on that particular day, he was able to copy plenty 
of other stations but wasn't really having a good day getting his signal 
out. Think again, Nigel! In those few moments, everyone who was tuned 
into ITV News knew exactly who you were - and gave you and your kite 
antenna a 5 and 9.

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, ITV NEWS)

**


NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; 
CQ Magazine; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitters 
Society; ITV News; the Kilgore, Texas News Herald; Ohio Penn DX 
Bulletin; Scouts South Africa; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted 
Randall's QSO Radio Show; Radio Amateurs of Canada; Radio New Zealand; 
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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