Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2197 for Friday December 6th 2019

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2197 with a release date of Friday December 6th 2019 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. In Australia, vandals hit radio equipment aiding firefighters. YOTA Month expands into the Americas -- and Newsline announces the winner of its International Newsmaker Award for 2019. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2197 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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VANDALISM, THEFTS HAMPER AUSTRALIAN FIREFIGHTING EFFORT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the ongoing bushfire devastation in Australia. One vital team suffered a new challenge with its radio equipment - as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: As bush fires continue to threaten parts of Australia, the Northern Tablelands team of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service suffered a serious setback: 

Vandals struck a portable radio repeater trailer that firefighters and aircraft depend on for vital communication links. Radio equipment and numerous technical and mechanical components were stolen from inside the damaged trailer, which had been deployed southeast of Nymboida.

This has kept the trailer off line, placing fire crews in even more danger as they push back against the deadly blazes.
The Nymboida fires are some 400 miles north of Sydney, capital city of VK2.

As police continue their investigation into the vandalism and thefts, one woman in Newcastle announced on Facebook that she had combined her holiday party with a fundraiser to help with the losses. She reported on the 1st of December that she had raised nearly $1,200 at the event.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB

(THE GUARDIAN, FACEBOOK and 7NEWS)


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NEWSLINE ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Newsline proudly announces the winner of our newscast's first International Newsmaker of the Year Award - a group that has consistently shown leadership and commitment to the ham radio community. Here's Ed Durrant DD5LP with our deserving winner.

ED: What began 26 years ago in West Bengal, India as the result of one ham radio operator's commitment to community service and safety has blossomed into a powerhouse radio team of 285. The West Bengal Radio Club helps with critical communications during cyclones and earthquakes, reunites despairing families with missing members, transmits election results from rural polling places and teaches farmers who cannot afford lightning arresters to build their own life-saving devices. Each January they also serve as a safety net for the tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims who travel to the Bay of Bengal and the River Ganges for the holy mela festival. Most recently they helped put a stop to signal jamming that was blocking deep-sea fishermen's access to essential broadcasts of cyclone warnings.

Remarkably, the club accomplishes most of this operating simplex. Ambarish (OMBARISH) Nag (NOG) Biswas VU2JFA said the club's most urgent need is for a repeater. They have no money, no budget and oftentimes members borrow equipment from the National Institute of Amateur Radio, a large nonprofit club in Hyderabad (HY-dra-Bod).

We called Ambarish Nag Biswas, the club's founder and secretary, to tell him the club is this year's International Newsmaker Award recipient and here's what he had to say:

AMBARISH NAG BISWAS: "We are all so very much happy to say that we will do from the land of Jagadish Chandra Bose, we promise to we will do something for mankind using our radio hobby. Thank you."

Congratulations to the West Bengal Radio Club from all of us at ARN.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

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'TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' EVENT RETURNS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The popular "12 Days of Christmas" on-air event is back - and operators are getting ready. Jack Parker W8ISH gives us the details.

JACK: The Twelve Days of Christmas are once again going to bring 12 days of QSOs as last year's popular holiday event returns for its second year. Salli K2RYD and Lou NO2C (Enn Oh Two See) are preparing to go back on the air along with many of last year's operators from New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Oregon, Arizona and North Carolina.

Be listening for 12 days, starting on the 14th of December, for such call signs as W2P - for Partridges - and W2T for Turtle Doves. You will hear them on SSB, CW and satellite modes.

Then wait to unwrap your own holiday gift after January 1st, when a special certificate will be available for you to download. Organizers are proud of last year's total 12,200 contacts but hope to surpass that number this year.

Additional details are available on the QR Zed page of K2RYD.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

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SILENT KEY: LEADING ARIZONA AMATEUR MARK KESAUER N7KKQ

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A respected leader in the Arizona ham radio community has become a Silent Key. Mark Kesauer (KEZ-HOUR) N7KKQ died on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, of brain cancer. Mark was perhaps best known among friends and fellow hams as an active volunteer with the Amateur Radio Council of Arizona, having held almost every board position as often as needed. In 2004 he served as the Council's chairman. He and his wife Chris N7PVL, who is the Council's treasurer, shared the Council's Ham of the Year award in 1999. Mark was also well known for doing what needed doing, whether it was to serve as an awards coordinator, announcer, coordinator of volunteers or working on WiFi and PA systems. He is also credited rebuilding the Council's first Prowler Trailer.

Newsline extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends.

(STEVE MILLER W6SDM)

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SILENT KEY: PAUL RINALDO W4RI, FORMER ARRL CHIEF TECH OFFICER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another influential amateur -- and a leader at the ARRL has become a Silent Key. Paul Rinaldo W4RI died on November 29th. Paul had been a leading voice on the global stage in amateur radio and was responsible for establishing the ARRL's Technical Relations Office in 1992 near Washington, D.C. In 2004 he became the league's first Chief Technology Officer, a post he held until his retirement in 2008. For years he was a frequent face and voice at ITU conferences. He was also a board member of the United States ITU Association. The Virginia resident, who was first licensed in 1949, was 88.

(ARRL)

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NEW HAMS: THE VERY JUNIOR AND THE VERY SENIOR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: When is the right age to become a ham? Ask the newcomers in this next report from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: Amateur radio is as ageless, it seems, as the rookie radio operators it attracts. A recent report in the Courier newspaper in Iowa notes that Jane Buck of Cedar Falls recently passed her General Class exam after three very earnest tries, and now shows off her call sign KE0RKO on her car's license plate. She was inspired and encouraged by her son Wayne KE0GTF. Jane Buck, rookie radio operator, is 78.

Meanwhile, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 9-year-old Ciandra Scarborough and 10-year-old Jhawanie Laidlow became the southern Caribbean nation's youngest candidates to pass the technician class test after completing a one-week series of free classes from the Rainbow Radio League and partly sponsored by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission. They were among 13 license candidates in their class. Like Jane Buck, these amateur radio candidates also had their share of encouraging words throughout the process: Veteran hams stopped by during the one week of training to give moral support and cheer them on.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(THE COURIER, THE SEARCHLIGHT)

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EFFORTS TO GET MORE YOUTH ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: December is the month for celebrating young operators on the air. While plans are under way for a Region 2 youth radio camp this summer, young hams are already tuning up this month, as Paul Braun WD9GCO tells us.

PAUL: The “Youth On The Air” organization is growing every year, and this year it’s even bigger. Newsline’s own Neil Rapp WB9VPG is organizing a Region 2 YOTA camp, and our 2018 Young Ham of the Year, Bryant Rascoll KG5HVO, is very much involved in this month’s event, as he explains:

RASCOLL: I am currently the YOTA Month coordinator for Region 2. Region 1 started the YOTA Month activity in 2013 and they’ve had a very successful program of encouraging youth to get on the radio, especially during the month of December which is commonly known as “Youngsters On The Air Month” or “Youth On The Air Month.”

This year, since the announcement of “Youth On The Air Region 2,” we thought we would join Region 1 as well as Region 3 and have a joint special-event operation that involves youth from all over the world. So the goal is mainly to get youth on the radio. “Youth” is defined as an operator under 25 years old. 

PAUL: Rascoll explained that since we can’t use 4-letter suffixes here in the USA, they have four separate 1 by 1 calls, each with a letter that together spells out “YOTA.” You can find out more at the website, YOTAregion2 dot org - that’s with the numeral 2. We encourage everyone to try and work all of the stations involved in this month’s event.

All of us at Newsline would also like to congratulate Bryant on achieving the level of Eagle Scout, earning it with a service project that includes amateur radio.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K8SCH repeater of the Oh-Ky-In Amateur Radio Society in Cincinnati Ohio on Wednesdays at 9 p.m.


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SCOUTS RELEASE REPORT FOR U.S. JAMBOREE ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Organizers of this year's Jamboree on the Air have released their report for participation in the United States. Bill Stearns NE4RD tells us more.

BILL: This week in radio scouting the 2019 U.S. Jamboree on the Air report is out! Based on the 201 station reports received following the event: 9,106 Scouts and 4,677 Visitors participated this year.  The collective totals show a slight decrease in overall participation however based upon the lower number of reporting stations this is an increase in participation at event stations of 24% or 13 more participants per station.  

The highlighted report comes from the WN7BSA station where they had 140 Cub Scouts and 85 Scouts.  They operated two HF stations, three 2m stations and one 33cm station.  Only a few contacts were made on 20 meters, but 40 meters was fairly active. VHF and UHF contacts through local repeaters made up the deficit but the real "star" was DSTAR through the KR7ST repeater in Sahuarita, AZ.  See more of this report on the K2BSA website.

The IcomAmerica ID-51A Plus 2 HT prize was selected via RandomPicker.com and it goes to Robert Crow, KA8CDC, who was the control operator and reporter of the K2BSA/8 station.  Congratulations Robert and thank you to IcomAmerica for supporting Scouting.

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

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

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NEW ZEALAND MAN INJURED IN HAM RADIO TOWER ACCIDENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: From New Zealand comes another cautionary tale urging tower safety. Here's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: In the North King Country town of Otorohanga the collapse of a ham radio tower on the 1st of December left one person trapped, according to local media reports. Police and four fire engines responded to the scene, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand. There were no further details about the collapse or the person involved but according to media accounts, by the time the emergency personnel arrived, the individual was free. Media reports said that a St. John's spokeswoman reported that they received a call for someone who needed treatment for moderate injuries.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. 

STEPHEN: Newsline again reminds all hams doing tower work to observe safety procedures and not to work alone.

(NEW ZEALAND HERALD, SOUTHGATE)
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PHILIPPINES AUTHORITIES GRANT AMNESTY FOR UNLICENSED RADIOS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's good news for hams in the Philippines - it's a period of amnesty to let them register their equipment. John Williams VK4JJW has that story.

JOHN: The National Telecommunications Commission in the Philippines is giving hams with unregistered repeaters, mobile radios or portable radios and HF rigs a chance to register them until the 23rd of December without penalties or surcharges. A November memorandum from NTC officials offered guidelines for those wishing to come into compliance with mandatory national registration. Under this amnesty program the equipment can be registered at any NTC regional or district office or during any mobile-licensing activities. The equipment must be owned and operated by those holding a valid licence to do so.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW.

(SOUTHGATE)

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SINGLE-LETTER CALLSIGN SUFFIX COMES TO SPAIN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Contesters in Spain just got a welcome approval from authorities about their call signs. Ed Durrant DD5LP has that development.

ED: Don't be surprised if you hear a ham from Spain calling QRZ and his call sign has a single-letter suffix. The Spanish Amateur Radio Union, or URE, recently secured approval for amateur radio operators to be granted call signs with a suffix containing a single letter. The announcement in late November on the URE website marks the successful conclusion of the radio union's five-year battle with the General Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Technologies and the Ministry of Economy and Business. Meanwhile, there is disappointing news from Switzerland where the national amateur radio society, the USKA, learned of Ofcom's rejection of its request for ham radio call signs for trainees. The Swiss proposal is modelled after a system in Germany that allows trainees to gain on-air operation experience under supervision of their mentor who holds the training licence.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP and holder of the DN5LP training callsign.

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CANADIAN AMATEUR RADIO HALL OF FAME ADDS W. VANCOUVER HAM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's a new name among the notables in the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has those details.

JEREMY: His years of contributions and hard work have earned Ed Frazer VE7EF a place in the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. The West Vancouver ham was appointed by Radio Amateurs of Canada's trustees for his long record of service to the amateur community. He cofounded the British Columbia Amateur Radio Coordination Council and has served it both as director and officer. He has also been RAC director for the British Columbia and Yukon region and chairman of the RAC's administration and finance committee. Ed also has been president of the UBC Amateur Radio Club and the North Shore Amateur Radio Club (NSARC).

Ed was also a former employee at British Columbia Telephone Company and former chairman of the Vancouver Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

For eight years, he had chaired the Board of Trustees for the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame -- the very entity where his name will now be listed among so many others.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
 
(RAC)

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WORLD OF DX

Gerard, F2JD, will be on the air as HR5/F2JD in Honduras from December 12th through to April 4th. Listen for Gerard on 160-6 metre using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. Send paper QSLs direct to F6AJA or via the REF Bureau. Logs will be posted on the LNDX website.

Brad, VK2BY, will be active as HS0ZNR from Thiland between the 14th of December and the 8th of January. Listen for Brad on 80 through 10 metres using SSB and FT8. QSL to VK2BY. Brad will upload his log to Club-Log and LoTW. 

Harald DF2WO is on the air from Burkina Faso through the 20th of December. Listen for him as XT2AW on all bands 160 – 6m. Send QSLs to M0OXO OQRS.

Members of the Hope Hill Contesters group are using the callsign TO9W from St. Martin in the Caribbean through the 13th of December. Send QSLs to W9ILY.

Matt IZ4YGS will be on the air from Ghana until the 28th of December. He is using the callsign 9G5GS on all bands 160 – 15m on FT8 and SSB. QSL to his home call.

(OHIO PENN DX, IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)


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KICKER: LONG-DISTANCE DEDICATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're a DXer, the date of December 11th should have a special meaning for you. In our final story of the week, Mike Askins KE5CXP explains why.

MIKE: Happy 98th birthday to DX! No that's not someone's initials - you all know better than that - it's the long-distance communication so many of us can be found chasing late at night or in the early hours of the morning -- and even from mountaintops and lighthouses. It's been a feverish pursuit for so many radio amateurs especially since December 11th, 1921 when the first "Transatlantic tests" event was held, pushsing the limits of amateur frequencies. The idea was to see if low power stations could get their message across the ocean and into Europe. 

Yes, it worked, didn't it? Radio Club of America station 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut made contact with Scotland. To mark 98 years of mostly good DX since then, the ARRL's station W1AW at the Newington, Connecticut headquarters will operate on December 11th from 1300 to 0000 hours UTC. Teams of volunteer operators will help commemorate the milestone while underscoring how radio can connect us, wave by wave, in the United States and Europe. Operating frequencies will be posted on the message board and on web-based SDR at k3fef dot com colon 8901 (k3fef.com:8901) 

Be listening on that day for two other initials: CQ, CQ.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.

(ARRL)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE:

With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; the Courier CQ Magazine; the Guardian; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; New Zealand Herald; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ.com Forums; Radio Amateurs of Canada; the Searchlight; 7News; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; WTWW Shortwave; and you our listeners, that's all for 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.

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