Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2107 for Friday, March 16, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2107 with a release date of Friday, 
March 16 2018, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The FCC halts the planned launch of four 
satellites. A ham in the UK connects with the QSL card of an uncle who 
inspired him -- and wait, are those ZOMBIES on the air? All this and 
more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2107 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
FCC RESCINDS PERMISSION FOR SATELLITES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast with the story of a setback 
for a Silicon Valley company that builds communications satellites. The 
FCC has rescinded permission for the firm's launch next month - citing 
serious reasons, as we hear from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

KEVIN'S REPORT: The Federal Communications Commission has raised 
concerns about four small experimental satellites that were sent into 
space from India on Jan. 12. The four so-called SpaceBees are said to 
have been among the array of secondary CubeSats aboard the Polar 
Satellite Launch Vehicle. The FCC says these four satellites were 
unauthorized by the agency.

The four communications satellites are a project of Swarm Technologies, 
a Silicon Valley startup manufacturer. They were designed to test out an 
Internet-of-Things communications network from space by communicating 
with ground stations and swapping data for as long as eight years.

Swarm's application to operate them from space, however, was rejected by 
the FCC in December, with the agency citing concerns about their 
possible collision with other craft in space. The FCC noted that the 
miniature nature of the SpaceBees' technology would make them difficult 
to track to prevent such collisions.

In an apparent move against the company, the FCC has since revoked 
permission it previously gave Swarm for its next four satellites, 
according to a CNBC report. Those satellites were to have been launched 
in just a few weeks in April.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.


(IEEE, CNBC)

**
AT 8, SHE'S LICENSED TO LOVE RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio has a role in our lives, whether we're very young 
and discovering it or older and REdiscovering it. Jim Damron N8TMW 
introduces us to a YL in the throes of discovery.

JIM:  Seeing a pony-tailed second grader holding a directional antenna 
towards the sky is not exactly what you’d expect.  But then Lacy Beckett 
W4LCY is not what you’d expect in a ham, either.  This eight year old 
resident of Blacksburg, Virginia was shown demonstrating 
satellite-antenna-technique in an article in the Radford Virginia News 
Journal shortly after she acquired her Technician license this past 
January.  But if you think that’s an accomplishment—wait!  Lacy just 
upgraded to General two weeks ago. Her aunt and uncle drove her to 
Charleston, West Virginia—a 2 and a half hour ride—for the VE test 
session.   I was honored to be a part of that VE team.  Let me tell you, 
we were all cheering her on—quietly, of course.  I talked to Lacy and 
she told me how her uncle Malcolm NB3T, and Aunt Jessica KW4GH, both 
Extra Class operators, helped her get interested in ham radio.

Lacy:  We were going out and we were working the satellites and I wanted 
to do it by myself, so I decided that I wanted to go and get my 
license…and I just wanted to use my own call sign and do it myself.  I 
wanted to go on the ISS when I grow up and I thought it would be cool to 
talk to the ISS now.

Jim:  And why did you decide to upgrade to General so quickly?

Lacy:  If I got my General, I could just be on the big radio!

Jim:  I understand you’re now studying Morse Code?

Lacy:  Morse Code is really fun.  It’s just pressing buttons.  I 
probably shouldn’t be pressing buttons, but who cares!

Jim:  So Lacy, how would you explain ham radio to someone?

Lacy:  The way I would explain it is you have hard work at first but 
then after you pass the test, you get your license and then you can talk 
on the radio.  It’s just like that!

Jim:  So are you going to upgrade to Extra soon?

Lacy:  I might do it later.

Jim:  But not next month?

Lacy:  Probably not!

Jim:  And what’s your favorite part of ham radio?

Lacy:  Field Day.  That’s what’s my favorite part of  the summer. Well, 
maybe the pool is!

Jim:  We can tell you, Lacy—pool or not—you’ve made a big splash in ham 
radio! Eight year old Lacy Beckett, W4LCY.  For Amateur Radio Newsline, 
I’m Jim Damron, N8TMW.

**
FOR THIS HAM IT'S RADIO REDUX

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There are also radio returnees, embracing what they once 
loved so long ago. Paul Braun WD9GCO caught up with a ham who's enjoying 
rediscovery.

PAUL'S REPORT: As one who got involved in ham radio as a teenager and 
then went inactive for a few decades before getting back in, I am always 
interested in people with similar stories. I recently spoke with Alan 
Thompson, AJ6AR who was originally licensed as a Novice and then a 
Technician in 1962. I asked Thompson how he got started:

THOMPSON: I'd have to owe a debt to my father. He owned a TV repair shop 
in Whittier, California and during the daytime, my mom was also working 
so he'd kind of babysit me in a way. They had a big shop in the back and 
they'd work on repairing radios and TV sets so I just kinda grew up with 
electronic gear around me.

PAUL: And then, as is the case with many young boys, as our own Don 
Wilbanks, AE5DW said, he was overcome by fumes - car fumes and perfumes. 
His license eventually expired and he was out of amateur radio for 55 
years. And then, suddenly, it came back into his life:

THOMPSON: I think what started it was that I do VSAT - Very Small 
Aperture Terminals for satellite internet. I started to look at the 
marketplace that's out there for disaster mitigation, emergency services 
and so on and I thought, "You know, there's a real need for this, to be 
able to have a mobile communications rig to be able to go out and 
provide internet communications with some of these remote fire camps and 
things like that," and of course with the hurricanes and all that that 
pretty well underscored that.

So it was kind of a short step from there as I started to think about 
that type of communication and I'd think, "You know, I used to do this 
stuff. I used to do it with ham radio, used to talk all over the world 
and that was a great way to run out there in an emergency and throw 
something up there in a tree and get some communications when other 
types of communications simply wouldn't work. That just made me think, 
"You know, this is something that I love to do when I was a kid, I had a 
passion about it." I made the determination that I was going to go for 
it again only this time around I promised myself that I was going to 
just go straight to the top and get an Extra so I studied for all three 
exams to take them all at once, I didn't want to fool around and I 
didn't want to have any restrictions on my license capabilities.

PAUL: Thompson is active in the El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club in 
California. He's enjoying exploring all that modern ham radio has to 
offer while getting comfortable in the shack again. His business is 
communications and electronics, so he's finding it a very good fit.  For 
Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**
FINDING FAMILY TREASURE IN A QSL CARD

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Ham radio is the story of connections. Jeremy Boot G4NJH 
has this story of one connection that was deferred for decades - until now.

JEREMY'S REPORT: Peter G0GPH credits his uncle Alan Haycock GD2HCX with 
opening his eyes and ears to ham radio. At 13, he first watched his 
uncle operate from his shack on 80 meters with a Collins 75A4 receiver 
and a homebrew transmitter into a trapped dipole that ran down into the 
garden. Uncle Alan also gave Peter's older brother an army receiver 
which Peter used for listening to 80 meters at night. That was the birth 
of Peter's love of radio - and of 80 meters. By the time Peter became 
licensed in the 1980s, his uncle had relocated to the Isle of Man and 
the two did get to sit together again to chat about radio. Then Uncle 
Alan, who had been in failing health, became a Silent Key.

In February of this year, Peter was on 80 meters in a QSO with David 
G3ZPF and mentioned he was in search of anyone who might have known his 
late uncle. David, who maintains the website for The Radio Amateurs Old 
Timers Association, posted a message there. Within two days Mike G3TEV 
responded in a note. Mike, it seems, had been a good friend of Peter's 
uncle, starting in the 1960s. The men shared old radio parts, a love of 
angling and membership in an 80 meter net.

As it turns out, Mike offered just what Peter had been seeking for so 
long: a chance to see his uncle's QSL card. Mike scanned and attached a 
copy of the card with the G2HCX call sign Alan Haycock had used when he 
lived in England. It was the highlight of his experience, Peter said.

Sometimes when you're making the search of a lifetime, you don't need to 
turn to Scotland Yard - just a fellow amateur.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

**

BREAK HERE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline 
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Montgomery 
Amateur Radio Club's KV3B repeater in Rockville Maryland on Sundays at 
7:30 p.m. local time.

**
SIX METER BAND LAUNCHED IN AUSTRALIA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Australian hams in Central Victoria believe in magic - 
so much so that they're committed to a real magic net. Here's Graham 
Kemp VK4BB with those details.

GRAHAM: Like many ham activities that get started over a casual cup of 
coffee, this next one is no exception. Graeme Knight VK3GRK recalls the 
morning chat that started it all among members of the Bendigo Amateur 
Radio and Electronics Club. They were keen to learn more about the 
so-called "magic band" and discussed the possibility of a weekly 6 metre 
net, experimenting on the band with different modes and different antennas.

Facebook helped the group spread the word and, as Graeme told us at 
Newsline, before long, a group found themselves chatting with each other 
after their weekly Thursday evening 80 metre Net. Graeme tells us 
[quote]: "In keeping with true ham
ingenuity, one member uses a simple 6 metre dipole made out of a pair of 
salvaged mop handles - and no they weren't made out of wood!" [endquote]

The Net meets on 52.250 MHz Upper Side Band. It's only been on the air a 
short time and comprises a small group of local hams -- but who knows 
who may join them when the "magic band" opens? Look for them on the 
Facebook group page for the Central Victorian Amateur Radio Newsletter.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB and I cannot leave this 
week’s broadcast without a HUGE thanks to Editor Caryn Eve Murray and 
the team of presenters on ARNewsline who passed on notes of condolence 
in the January loss of my YL Sharon. Thanks one and all and special 
thanks to the donation made in her memory to Australia’s Gallipoli 
Cancer Research organisation.

(BENDIGO AMATEUR RADIO AND ELECTRONICS CLUB)

**
HAM TRAPPED ON TOWER WHILE SECURING ANTENNA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams are accustomed to being part of a rescue effort but 
not on the receiving end. Heather Embee KB3TZD explains.

HEATHER: With a big storm getting ready to slam New England, William 
Welch K-one-I-O-C of Edgartown Massachusetts was only trying to make his 
ham radio antenna more secure. So he scaled his backyard tower and 
20-feet up got his sneaker caught. The electrician, who is 80 years old, 
was trapped.

His wife Betty told the Martha's Vineyard Times that Fire Chief Alex 
Schaeffer was the first to arrive and a ladder truck showed up soon 
after. William was caught just below the apex and a large pine tree was 
blocking access to him. The firefighters gave him a helmet and a 
harness, which they fastened to the tower; after a few more maneuvers he 
was hoisted safely over the tree to the ground below, where firefighters 
and EMTs met him and he was taken by ambulance for observation. His wife 
told the newspaper later that he was fine and that the incident was, as 
she called it, a fluke. She said he has been climbing for most of his 80 
years.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Just a reminder to Newsline listeners to please follow 
safety procedures if you're climbing.

(THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD TIMES)

**
HAM RADIO APPEARS ON TV's 'WALKING DEAD'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio just landed in another popular TV show. 
Mike Askins KE5CXP tells us how.

MIKE's REPORT: Sure, ham radio can save lives but....that apparently 
doesn't count if you're a zombie. The March 11th episode of "The Walking 
Dead," a popular American TV show, seemed to try to make that point - at 
least for fans who tuned in that night. The episode marked the latest 
appearance ham radio has made in a TV series - this one being a popular 
post-apocalyptic drama.

Two of the show's protagonists, known as Father Gabriel and Carson, 
discover an abandoned QTH with radio equipment and a script of messages 
designed to reassure anyone who can copy the operator's signal. The men 
also find a corpse on the ground - a zombified man who had somehow 
suffocated. He is presumed to have been the ham radio operator 
transmitting those messages.

While this popular American TV show is about the un-dead, it's somehow a 
comfort that the script-writers recognize that ham radio is anything but 
left to the realm of zombies. The fact that the deceased ham was relying 
on good band conditions tells us this is definitely fiction. Stay tuned, 
perhaps there'll be a sequel. Not "The Walking Dead" but the 
"Push-To-Talking Dead."

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP

(BUSTLE.COM)

**
RADIO SCOUTS PLAN FOR SUMMER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Radio Scouting, summer plans are getting under way, 
as we hear from Bill Stearns NE4RD.

BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting we have 1 activation of the 
K2BSA callsign, summer camps callsign reservations are starting to come 
in, and the executive committee seeks comments on some new and expanding 
initiatives.

Chris Clark, W6CBC, will be activating K2BSA/6 at Camp Emerson 
Leadership Camp in Idyllwild, CA from March 24th to March 26th. This 
leadership camp will prepare new unit leaders with the Introduction to 
Leadership Skills for Troops curriculum.  Chris always runs a great 
operation, and this will introduce and demonstrate Radio Scouting to 
these new leaders.

We're starting to see several summer camp operations starting to appear 
on our calendar and over on our Scout Camps on the Air site.  One that 
stands out so far due to the length of operation is William Coverdell 
WD0BC's operation as K2BSA/0 at Camp Geiger in St. Joseph, MO.  They 
will be doing 6 weeks of Radio Merit Badge classes and activating the HF 
bands from their Scout owned station on camp that was built through 100% 
donations.  In addition to the Merit Badge, they'll be introducing 
Scouts to the emergency aspect of Ham Radio and Morse Code.  We look 
forward to seeing them on the air this summer as well as your summer camp!

The executive committee of the K2BSA met earlier this month and talked 
about some new initiatives and expansions of current projects.  These 
include developing a best practices guide to doing Radio Merit Badge at 
Summer Camp,  develop an incentive program that increases interest and 
participation in getting Scout Camps on the Air,
develop information on how to set up and operate a council level 
committee for radio scouting, and determine how to raise funds to 
support council/camp station construction.  We're currently seeking 
input on these projects, so check out our latest member newsletter for 
more details.

For more information on radio scouting, please visit our website at 
www.k2bsa.net.

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

**
NOMINATE NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We remind all listeners that we are accepting 
nominations for the 2018 Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year award. If 
you know a promising young amateur who is 18 or younger and lives in the 
U.S., its possessions or Canada, please download a nomination form from 
our website, arnewsline dot org, under the YHOTY tab. Nominations are 
due May 31 and the award will be presented in August at the Huntsville 
Hamfest.

**
WORLD OF DX

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In the World of DX, Will W0ZRJ and Bill KH6OO are active 
until March 17th in Tahiti using the call sign TX5X. They are operating 
on CW and in Digital modes. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

The Italian DXpedition Team is in Cameroon until the 29th of March using 
the call sign TJ3TT. Be listening on 160 – 10m CW, SSB and Digital. QSL 
direct to I2YSB. For additional QSL information visit their web page at 
i2ysb dot com

Listen for a small group led by Zorro JH1AJT from Bhutan. They will be 
there until the 18th of March activating their A5A callsign while they 
operate on SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

(IRTS)

**

KICKER: NO HANG-UPS HERE ABOUT ANTENNAS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We close with a story of a creative homebrew competition 
in Australia. It's a fun challenge -- that is, once you get the hang of 
it, in every sense of the word. Here's John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN: When it comes to amateur radio, have you ever felt like hanging it 
up? If you're in Central Victoria, that option just became a reality. 
Hams attending AntennaPalooza, a two-day club event next month just east 
of Dandenong, will be encouraged to enter an antenna-building 
competition using metal coat hangers.

That's right, those very same things you've got in your closet keeping 
your jackets and shawls from getting wrinkled. Using a pair of pliers 
and some creativity, homebrew enthusiasts will get to grab as many as a 
dozen hangers and work their magic. Their goal? To create an antenna 
useful for the 2m or 70 cm band. Judges will score them on originality, 
attractiveness, gain and, of course, SWR. This is the first time in its 
five-year history that the AntennaPalooza gathering has set this kind of 
challenge. The event usually concentrates on more conventional antennas 
like dipoles, loops and beams. If this year's coat hangers are a 
success, perhaps next year they can move on to umbrella stands.

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

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; Bendigo Amateur 
Radio and Electronics Club; BUSTLE.COM; CNBC; CQ Magazine; Hap Holly and 
the Rain Report; the IEEE; the Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; 
the Martha's Vineyard Times; the Norwegian Radio Relay League; Ohio-Penn 
DX Bulletin; Peter Butterworth G0GPH; South African Radio League; 
Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Waverley 
Amateur Radio Society; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio 
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.


***

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