Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2175 for Friday July 5, 2019 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2175 with a release date of Friday, July 5 2019 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A ham has an unprecedented QSO via a transponder in lunar orbit. Military auxiliary hams conclude a nationwide drill -- and a grid-square activation in Northern Ireland becomes a rescue operation. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Number 2175 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** UNPRECEDENTED 2-WAY QSO WITH TRANSPONDER IN LUNAR ORBIT STEPHEN/ANCHOR: On the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, the moon is back in the news in a big way - this time it's making amateur radio headlines with a ham in Germany who achieved a "first" on Tuesday, July 2nd. Ed Durrant DD5LP picks up that story. ED: An unprecedented two-way contact has been made from an amateur radio operator here on Earth via a transponder orbiting the moon. Reinhard Kuehn DK5LA logged the QSO with BG2BHC via DSLWP-B, which was launched by China as secondary payload on the lunar relay satellite on May 20 2018. Wei BG2BHC was at the Club station of the Harbin Institute of Technology, BY2HIT in northern China. The Harbin Institute had announced earlier that QSL cards had been designed for different phases of the DSLWP mission's flight in hopes hams would get involved in receiving telemetry or making contacts. Writing in his blog, Spanish engineer and researcher Daniel Estevez EA4GPZ/M0HXM noted that difficulties in using the GMSK-to-JT4G repeater, particularly in respect to signal power, needed to be overcome on the uplink. Daniel noted that Reinhard had hoped to achieve the contact some months earlier but it was not possible. With barely a month to go before DSLWP-B crash-lands on the surface of the moon, he extended his congratulations to Reinhard for the confirmed contact. And so do we here at Newsline. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. ** LIGHTSAIL2 TALKS TO MISSION CONTROL IN CALIF. STEPHEN/ANCHOR: More excitement in space: A very jubilant team at mission control in California has heard the first signals from Lightsail 2, a crowdfunded CubeSat that had been sent into space on June 25 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. According to the Planetary Society website, the mission team received the first signals from its CW beacon on the 2nd of July at 0834 UTC as it passed over California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, home to mission control. Built by students at Georgia Tech, Lightsail2 is a project of the Planetary Society and hopes to be the first spacecraft to orbit Earth while propelled by sunlight. Listeners will hear a beacon packet transmitted every few seconds. Once decoded it will become 238 lines of text telemetry describing the spacecraft's health, battery status and other relevant details. The spacecraft will transmit its call sign WM9XPA every 45 seconds on 437.025 MHz, which is within the amateur radio 70-centimeter band. (THE PLANETARY SOCIETY) ** SABLE ISLAND DXPEDITION MAKING PROGRESS STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An encouraging word has come for another DXpedition off the Canadian shore, as we hear from Kent Peterson KC0DGY. KENT: The green light for the Sable Island DXpedition just got a little greener: The team's leader, Murray WA4DAN, will be making a trip in October to prepare for the 2020 activation on the remote crescent-shaped island in the North Atlantic, which is one of Canada's farthest offshore islands and a national park reserve. Murray will be making the trip in October to review logistics with Parks Canada personnel. Of particular concern are the wild horses inhabiting the island, as well as the seals, birds and vegetation that must not be disturbed while the ham radio team is active. The team will be required to flag all its guy wires and antennas and to use extra care routing coax to the antennas. Accessible only by boat or airplane, Sable Island is known for its fragile ecosystem. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY. ** SILENT KEY: FORMER IARU REGIONAL DIRECTOR SANGAT SINGH 9M2SS STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A satellite enthusiast and leader in Malaysia's ham community has become a Silent Key. Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us more. JASON: A former director of Region 3 of the International Amateur Radio Union and former member of the Malaysian Government's Space Committee has become a Silent Key. Sangat Singh 9M2SS, who was first licensed in 1962, was also a satellite enthusiast since the mid-1980s when he first began to track them. He later operated a Satellite Ground Station that regularly made radio contacts between schoolchildren and hams aboard the International Space Station through the ARISS programme. According to his profile on QRZ.COM, he was an active operator on all current digital mode amateur satellites. He had served the IARU's Region 3 as director from 1987 to 2000. Sangat had distinguished himself in his professional career as the first Sikh to do planting at rubber plantations in Malaysia. He eventually became a senior plantation manager, a position he retired from in 1988. He was also a pioneer member of the nonprofit Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia, a youth organization for Sikhs in Malaysia. A native of what is now Pakistan, Sangat Singh was 86. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (QRZ.COM, INDIA OF THE PAST, THE NEW STRAITS TIMES) ** SILENT KEY: RTTY CONTESTER, REFLEcTOR MODERATOR BILL TURNER W6WRT STEPHEN/ANCHOR: RTTY contesters and visitors to the RTTY Reflector discussion group are grieving the loss of an amateur who played a major role among those using the mode. Bill Turner, W6WRT, has become a Silent Key. Licensed since 1957 at the age of 14, he was drawn later to RTTY contesting and DXing. He wrote on his QR Zed profile page that he was especially fond of the challenge of RTTY on 160 meters and had been hoping for a Worked All States award there. He moderated the RTTY Reflector, one of the oldest discussion groups on the internet, between 2007 and 2016. The California resident was reported inactive for the past year. Bill was 77. (FACEBOOK, QRZ.COM) ** MARS MEMBERS UPBEAT OVER RECENT NATIONAL EMERGENCY DRILL STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The U.S. Mililtary Auxiliary Radio System has just completed an important drill - and Paul Braun WD9GCO fills us in. PAUL: Amateur radio operators and MARS stations - part of the U.S. Military Auxiliary Radio System - reaffirmed their cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense during a nationwide emergency preparedness exercise. Known as COMEX 19-2, the 48-hour drill carried the code name "Fog of War" and presented MARS members with an additional challenge requiring that they operate off the grid for the first 24 hours as they received traffic from hams around the country and passed it along encrypted to defense offices. Michael J Molloy W9MJM, the national public information officer for MARS Air Force, said that the exercise posed additional challenges to radio readiness by introducing security breaches into the exercise, requiring operators to correctly identify some of the fake military call signs in use. Michael said that with no specific hour identified as the official start of the drill, operators were also given very little time to prepare - just 12 hours' prior notice that activity was to commence at the time of local sunrise, a start time that varied depending on operators' location. Michael, who also holds the military call signs AFN9I and AFA9BV, said that while it will still take more time to compile and assess all the activity between June 18th and 21st, participation was up among members of both Army and Air Force MARS. Michael told Newsline in a phone call: {quote} "From the preliminary results, we are very happy with how it went." [endquote} For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO. ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the IRLP Western Reflector Channel 9258 on Mondays at 7 p.m. ** AUSTRALIAN AUTHORITIES SEEK COMMENT ON AMATEUR RADIO ISSUES STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Authorities in Australia are waiting to hear hams' thoughts on a number of licensing issues. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story. GRAHAM: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has invited public comment on a number of requests from ham radio operators. They include a proposal that would allow Foundation class licencees to operate rigs that are homebrew or made from kits -- a permission which they are presently denied. The proposal would also give Foundation licensees access to digital modes such as D-STAR, DMR and Fusion, as well as digital data mode such as FT8, PSK31 and RTTY, from which they are presently restricted. Along with the latter request is a proposal that a new call sign structure for Foundation licencees be created in place of the 4-letter one which is not compatible with operating digital. The regulator is also looking for further input on changing power levels for Foundation and Standard class licensees. The ACMA is not against permitting 400 watts PEP output and access to all primary amateur bands for all classes of licence however they note that the AR community may prefer to preserve the graduated power allowances and band access restrictions currently in place to differentiate between licence classes to maintain the incentive to progress to higher licence levels. The ACMA is inviting comments on this item before making any final decision. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. ** NEW COORDINATOR TAKES ON LEADERSHIP FOR DIRECTION-FINDING COMPETITION STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The United States has a new coordinator for Amateur Radio Direction Finding, as we hear in this report from Newsline's Joe Moell (MELL), K-zero-O-V JOE: The League's president has appointed Jerry Boyd, WB8WFK as ARRL's new ARDF Coordinator, effective July first. Jerry has been involved in the sport for many years and has been a frequent medal winner at USA's championships. He led the organizers of USA's ARDF championships in 2001, 2005 and 2011 in his home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was on ARDF Team USA that traveled to the ARDF World Championships of 2004, 2006 and 2010. The ARRL ARDF Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that USA's national championships take place every year. He leads the selection of the members of USA's team for the World Championships in even-numbered years, and he works with his counterparts in other countries to promote the sport of on-foot transmitter hunting under international rules. WB8WFK replaces Joe Moell K0OV (yes that's me!), who has served as ARDF Coordinator since 1998. Championship ARDF has taken place here in the states every year since then, and participation continues to increase. This year's championships take place near Raleigh, North Carolina with practice sessions starting on July 28 and championship events beginning August 1. Sponsors are members of the Backwoods Orienteering Klub, led by Joseph Huberman K5JGH and Ruth Bromer WB4QZG. Anyone who can safely travel through the woods with a map, compass and direction finding equipment is eligible to attend and compete. Find out more about how you can participate in ARDF and this year's championships on the web at www.homingin.com. That's HomingIn, as one word. I hope to see you at an ARDF event soon. From southern California, this is Joe Moell K0OV for Amateur Radio Newsline. ** IARU REGION 2 INTRODUCES YOUTH ON THE AIR STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Region 2 of the IARU has launched an array of activities for ham radio's youngest contesters, scholars and Scouts. Neil Rapp WB9VPG has that story. NEIL: You've heard of Youngsters on the Air in IARU Region 1? Well Youth on the Air has arrived in IARU Region 2. If you're looking for information for young people in amateur radio, be sure to stop by YOTAregion2.org. The new web site has links to all youth activities including the YARC Youth Contesting Program, Radio Scouting, Youth DX Adventure, Scholarships, Newsline's own Young Ham of the Year Award, and more. The group also has accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to promote youth activity and announce upcoming events from a variety of hosts. Look for YOTA Region 2 on these social media outlets. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, be listening throughout the month of July for members of the Asociacion de Radioaficionados in Spain using the call sign (AY-OH-FIVE-ZERO-EM-OH-OH-EN) AO50MOON to celebrate the 50th anniversary of APOLLO 11 moon landing. QSL via EA1RCI, direct or by the Bureau. In the Mariana Islands, be listening for KH0/KC0W, using the call sign K0W from Saipan until the 14th of July. QSL direct to his home callsign. Rick, AI5P, will be active as FO/AI5P from French Polynesia between July 22nd and 29th. Be listening on 40 metres through 17 metres where he will be using CW and FT8. QSL via AI5P, direct or by the Bureau. Shigeru, JI3CEY, will be active as JI3CEY/0 from a new Island on the Air -- Sado Island -- between July 20th and 22nd. Activity will be holiday style on various HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign. (OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER) ** KICKER: WORKING ALL BRITAIN, HELPING ALL WHO NEED IT STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our final story is about a grid-square activation in Northern Ireland that turned into a rescue effort. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: Perhaps no one could have taken the motto of the Worked All Britain Awards more seriously than Esther Harper GI0AZA {pronounced GEE-EYE-ZERO-A-ZED-A}. The Worked All Britain group, an affiliated member of the Radio Society of Great Britain, operates in the spirit of selflessness with the motto "To assist others." Esther, a member of the RAYNET North West Northern Ireland emergency comms group, acted in the spirit of that motto while activating grid squares from Fermanagh with her husband Ian GI0AZB {pronounced GEE-EYE-ZERO-A-ZED-Bee}. She had just finished a QSO on 40 metres when she heard a call for help on the frequency. Richard Haynes MW6RBH was reporting that an injured cyclist in a remote part of Wales needed assistance but the area lacked mobile phone coverage. He provided the grid reference to Esther who reached emergency services and asked that an Air Ambulance be sent The injured cyclist was airlifted out within the hour. Esther told Newsline {quote} "Richard was fantastic in that he was able to provide such accurate information regarding the location." {endquote} No doubt the couple's son Joe 2I0JIE {pronounced TWO-EYE-ZERO-JAY-EYE-EEE} and daughter Jen MI6JHE {pronounced EM-EYE-SIX-JAY-AITCH-EEE} are feeling proud too -- and there's no doubt too that the unnamed cyclist is grateful -- and hopefully on the mend by now. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; Facebook; India of the Past; New Straits Times; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; the Planetary Society; QRZ.COM; Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; 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 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 2019. All rights reserved.