Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2222 for Friday May 29 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2222 with a release date of Friday May 29 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A DMR radio manufacturer files for bankruptcy. Slow-scan TV steps in after an Indian cyclone -- and a Russian satellite helps two hams set a record. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2222 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** HYTERA'S U. S. SUBSIDIARY FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the bankruptcy filing by Hytera Communications America, whose DMR radios were the focus of a $765-million lawsuit by Motorola Solutions. On Thursday, May 27th, the longtime rival of Motorola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In February, a federal jury in Chicago awarded Motorola damages based on their successful arguments that Hytera America engaged in copyright infringement and trade-secret theft in the production of its DMR radios. The jury award included $345.8 million in compensatory damages and $418.8 million in punitive damages, the maximum amount Motorola had requested. Motorola also announced it would seek a worldwide injunction against Hytera's further production of radios using the stolen trade secrets. Hytera described its filing as a "routine financial restructuring" related to the litigation as well as the pandemic's impact on business. A report in the Critical Communications Review added: [quote] "Hytera is confident its operation will remain viable in the American market after the restructuring process is completed." (BLOOMBERG LAW) ** SLOW-SCAN TV ASSISTS FAMILIES AFTER INDIAN CYCLONE PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators once again stepped in to assist after a powerful storm in Bangladesh and Eastern India - but this time it was slow-scan TV providing peace of mind in the aftermath of powerful Cyclone Amphan (OM FON). Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story. GRAHAM: Video messages transmitted via amateur radio Slow Scan TV have been able to reassure more than 70 families in West Bengal who'd lost contact with their relatives after Cyclone Amphan swept through the state. Amateurs such as Dibas Mandal VU3ZII of the West Bengal Radio Club have visited families living on storm-wracked Sagar Island, Mousuni Island and elsewhere to take pictures for later re-transmission. According to club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA the Indian government gave the club the call sign AU2AC for storm-related operations which he said facilitated communications with amateurs all over the world. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (INDIAN EXPRESS) ** RUSSIAN SATELLITE ENABLES RECORD-SETTING QSO PAUL/ANCHOR: Among satellite enthusiasts there's been another record-setting radio moment. The Russian satellite RS-44 has enabled a record distance-setting QSO between Hams in Oregon and Spain according to AMSAT. On May 17, signals traveling a distance of 8,314 kilometers, or more than 5,100 miles, enabled a contact between Casey KI7UNJ and Jose EB1AO. AMSAT reports that both stations had negative elevation. Congratulations to both. (AMSAT) ** HAMFEST INDIA CANCELS NOVEMBER EVENT PAUL/ANCHOR: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hold a grip on the planet, organizers of ham radio events likewise continue cancelling some of their most-anticipated events. John Williams VK4JJW tells us about one of the latest to be called off. JOHN: Hamfest India 2020, which was scheduled to take place on the 21st and 22nd of November in Kerala (Ker-Uh-Luh), has been cancelled. A notice on the event website said that registration has been closed and anyone who has already registered will have their money fully refunded. The website said the cancellation was being done in the interest of public safety, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the event was still in the planning stages, organisers had said they expected a large number of delegates to mark this as the 100th year of amateur radio activities in India. The committee said members will now focus on making plans for Hamfest India 2021. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW. PAUL/ANCHOR: And in the U.S., another popular regional event won't be happening. Here's Phil Thomas W8RMJ with that report. PHIL: The COVID-19 Pandemic has claimed another amateur activity. DX Engineering has canceled its Hamfest scheduled for Saturday, August the 8th. Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX-Engineering CEO explains: TIM: It became abundantly clear that trying to maintain the CDC recommendations for social distancing and knowing how hams like to touch various radio equipment it did not appear to us, that it would be a prudent thing to hold. It may not be even be allowed in the state of Ohio depending on how large a group. We felt with people making plans, we would get out ahead of this. DX-Engineering has a showroom located inside Summit Racing in Tallmadge, Ohio. Plans are moving ahead with the resumption of their hamfest in 2021. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Phil Thomas, W8RMJ. ** MORE AMATEUR ACTIVITIES SWITCH TO VIRTUAL EVENTS PAUL/ANCHOR: Not all organizers are cancelling or postponing plans. The European Radio Amateurs' Organization (EURAO), is going ahead with its 2020 General Assembly originally planned to take place at the now-cancelled Ham Radio Friedrichshafen event. When it convenes on June 27th however it will be online. The move to a virtual environment is the latest in a series of transitions made to amateur radio events so they can take place while providing a safe environment for attendees during the current pandemic. With all physical YOTA events for young amateurs cancelled or postponed through September, YOTA Online! kicks off on May 28th at 1800 UTC. This free programme of regular monthly events was created by the Youth Working Group within IARU Region 1, which includes the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The online event is not limited to young hams in the region, however, and organisers have encouraged all young hams in the Americas, Asia and Australasia to participate as well. For those who miss it, sessions will be recorded for viewing on the HamYOTA YouTube channel. And while SEA-PAC, the ARRL Northwestern Division Convention, will not be happening as scheduled in Oregon, the SEA-PAC QSO Party is going forward. It begins on Saturday June 6th at 1600 UTC and runs until June 7th at 0400 UTC. As with the cancelled Hamvention, which also hosted a QSO Party instead, SEA-PAC organizers are hoping that on-the-air togetherness will make up for the absence of eyeball QSOs this year. For details visit seapac.org ** VIRTUAL TEAMS TAKE ON 100WAW TUNE-UP PAUL/ANCHOR: You don't need to be in a crowded venue - or even beside your teammates - to enjoy this next event - it's the 100 Watts and a Wire tuneup. Kevin Trotman N5PRE explains. KEVIN: The 100 Watts and a Wire podcast is encouraging hams to try a new take on social distancing by participating in its next activity as part of a virtual team. Tune-Up - which is an activity, not a contest - will be held on June 12th through the 14th and teammates' locations can be scattered across the map. The tune-up is designed to provide an opportunity to test out emergency communications procedures, much as the annual ARRL Field Day does. The rules are basically: any band, any mode, any time. Although it's preferable to activate a portable operation, if you can't do that, operate from your shack using no more than 100 watts of power. Just get on the air. Here's the exchange: Your call sign, Your 100 Watts and a Wire ID Number if you have one, Your State, Province or DX Country and a true signal report. For additional details, visit 100wattsandawire dot com. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. ** LI CW CLUB LAUNCHES YL-ONLY CODE CLASS PAUL/ANCHOR: Although the Long Island CW Club was created in 2018 to help more New York area hams learn Morse Code, it has long since made room in its virtual classrooms for amateurs of all ages, anywhere in the world. On Saturday May 23, the club scored another "first" by creating a CW learning environment exclusively for YLs. The weekly evening instruction, done in a casual, friendly style, is led by Jennifer Moore KF4INA in Alabama and Leanne Bulger W4LEA in North Carolina. Howard Bernstein WB2UZE, cofounder of the club along with Rich Collins K2UPS, said that it was a logical step to take since club membership has grown to include more than 21 YLs. For more information, visit the website at longislandcwclub dot org (longislandcwclub.org) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K9JX repeater in Jacksonville Illinois on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ** HAMS REPORT FIRST CONTACT ON FT8 USING MOONBOUNCE PAUL/ANCHOR: An amateur in the Netherlands and an amateur in New Jersey are feeling like they're over the moon right now. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us why. JACK: Two hams may have completed what's believed to be the first FT8 contact via Moonbounce, or EME. According to Joe Taylor K1JT, the contact between Paul W2HRO and Peter PA2V was made using WSJT-X 2.2.0-rc1, a beta-release candidate for version 2.2 of the program WSJT-X. Joe noted that conditions weren't the best and degradation was around 3 dB, with the sun only 20 degrees from the moon. Joe said the copy was solid on both sides of the contact. He said that FT8 uses 8-GFSK modulation with tones separated by 6.25 Hz. At the time of the QSO, however, the expected Doppler spread on the path of the two hams' contact was 8 Hz, which causes some additional loss of sensitivity. Still, everyone is celebrating what was clearly a good successful contact. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. ** (SOUTHGATE) UK TESTING ROLLS OUT AUTOMATED RESERVATIONS PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're in the UK and hoping to book your next amateur radio exam, you have a new option. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has those details. JEREMY: Get ready for a new way to book licence exams through the Radio Society of Great Britain. The RSGB is ready to roll out an automated system to reserve a place in the queue for July licence exams. The system is set to go live on the first of June. The rollout follows the announcement that 600 exam slots - an unprecedented number - have already been booked for June and all of them are now filled. The exams are being conducted with remote invigilation, meaning the candidates can sit the exams in their own homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This change has seen a boost in the number of candidates for the Foundation licence. According to the RSGB, demand for tests is now more than four times previous level, which averaged 125 a month.
 For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (RSGB) ** COUNTDOWN FOR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR PAUL/ANCHOR: A final reminder for all of our listeners: May 31st is the deadline for us to receive nominations for Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak WA6ITF YOung Ham of the Year Award. This is an excellent opportunty to recognize an exceptional young ham living in the United States or Canada. Candidates should be 18 or younger and show a strong commitment to community and radio activities. Visit our website arnewsline.org for details. ** MICROWAVE SIGNAL TRACED TO MASSIVE BLACK HOLE PAUL/ANCHOR: Do you ever wonder where a signal is coming from? Researchers in Japan have tracked down one from a pretty unusual QTH, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM M: Scientists in Japan have discovered a flickering microwave radio signal that they have traced to a supermassive black hole in the center of the universe. The researchers noticed the variations in the 230 GHz signal thanks to a collective of radiotelescopes known as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA. The radiotelescopes observe electromagnetic radiation and provide improved detection over previous methods. The scientists theorize that the flickering is being produced by rotation of gas around the black hole's surface. The scientists' findings were reported recently in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Although other radio flareups were reported previously, they were larger and slower. Now with the ALMA as their tool, scientists can detect far more minute emanations than was previously possible - in essence, a better signal report. There's just no place yet to send that QSL card. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL3BHF. (SCIENCE ALERT, THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS) ** RSGB SEEKS INTERFERENCE REPORTS FROM AMATEURS PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in the UK are being urged to let Ofcom and the Radio Society of Great Britain know about HF interference caused by broadband internet. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the rest of that story. JEREMY: The Radio Society of Great Britain has urged amateurs to contact Ofcom if they are suffering from interference on the HF bands that may be caused by VDSL interference. VDSL, or very high-speed digital subscriber line, provides residential broadband internet in the UK and according to the RSGB the regulator is not aware of the widespread interference issue. Ofcom has said that it receives perhaps six complaints annually about it and has no plans to attempt to remedy the situation. The request was made in a letter in the May edition of the society's RadCom magazine, which has been made available as a free sample downloadable PDF copy on the society's website so that UK amateurs can access it whether or not they are RSGB members. In the letter, president Dave Wilson M0OBW said hams need to make the regulator more aware of the pervasive problem on the bands at frequencies up to and including 20 metres. The RSGB is asking hams to email a copy of their complaints to the society so they can track them and follow them up with Ofcom. The address for that is vdsl at rsgb dot org dot uk (vdsl@rsgb.org.uk). For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. ** COURT OKS SALVAGE OF TITANIC'S TELEGRAPH STATION PAUL/ANCHOR: The Marconi telegraph station aboard the ill-fated Titanic may see the light of day this summer for the first time since the British ocean liner sunk after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912. A federal judge in Virginia recently granted permission to the salvage company which had told the court the radio transmitter could in time be damaged irreparably because of the time the ship's been underwater. The telegraph sought by the company, the R.M.S. Titanic Inc., is the one used to send distress calls. The salvage company's mission has been challenged by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others who believe the wreckage should be left untouched. The private company has exclusive salvage rights to the ship. (ASSOCIATED PRESS) ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, plan on listening for Bryden, KC1KUG, using the call sign KL7/KC1KUG from Fire Island, Alaska, in the Cook Inlet Group. He'll be on the air between June 2 and 27th, mostly on 40 and 20 metres and possibly on 80, 30 and 17 metres. He will be operating mainly using SSB, with some CW or FT8. Send QSLs to KC1KUG. There are two special event stations in India: Listen for Dinesh "Pandir," VU2DCT, using the special callsign AT0II (AY TEE ZERO EYE EYE) for "improve immunity." Operating from Lucknow, India, he is hoping to raise awareness of challenges posed by COVID-19. Send QSLs to his home callsign. In Habra, India, listen for Utsav, VU3ZIG, using the special callsign AT2SON (for "Save Our Nation") in tribute to the men and women helping out on the front lines during the pandemic. He is on the air through August 18th. Send QSLs to his home call sign. (OHIO PENN DX) ** KICKER: MOUNTAINTOP MEMORIES FOR COLORADO AMATEUR PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, everyone has at least one good ham radio buddy for their adventures. Steve Galchutt was lucky enough to have two. You can guess from his call sign - WG ZERO AT - who they were. Kent Peterson KC0DGY tells us about him. KENT: In photographs and videos and especially in his memory, Steve Galchutt WG0AT climbs the Colorado summits with his lightweight radio equipment and two companions named Rooster and Peanut. Though Summits on the Air never conferred upon Peanut or Rooster the coveted designation of Mountain Goat, by birth the two were worthy goats nonetheless. Full of personality and perseverance, they needed no help from any hiking boots to show agility and grace in those climbs with their friend Steve. As he prepared to call out to the world in low-power CW from the summits, it was a trip they happily made even after Steve no longer needed them to pack his once-heavy gear. When Rooster died a few years ago, Steve and Peanut carried on without him, two buddies in the wild. Then Peanut passed away this past April, leaving a void as deep as the loss of a Silent Key. There is a third goat - Boo - and Steve is still training him for the trail -- but sometimes Steve is out there on the mountain top with Peanut and Rooster, if only in memories now. And on those trips, they carry now is in his heart. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY. PAUL/ANCHOR: To see some of Steve's adventures with Rooster and Peanut, visit his YouTube channel by searching for The Goat Hiker. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; the Associated Press; the Astrophysical Journal Letters; Bloomberg Law; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; the Indian Express; Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.COM; Radio Society of Great Britain; Science Alert; shortwaveradio.de; Southgate Amateur Radio News; 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 at 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 in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.