Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2205 for Friday January 31st 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2205 with a release date of Friday January 31st 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. An earthquake rocks Turkey. A grieving DXpeditioner thanks the world's hams - and get ready for an Amateur Radio Newsline special event. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2205 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** HAMS STEP IN TO ASSIST AFTER TURKEY'S EARTHQUAKE PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the earthquake that rattled Turkey on Friday January 24th. Local hams played an important role here, as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM M: Buildings collapsed, people ran for cover and rescue efforts got under way following the earthquake, even as aftershocks began to strike in eastern Turkey. Although no foreign assistance was immediately called in to aid in the disaster, hams made sure communication was not hampered, according to Aziz Sasa TA1E, who is involved as a Telecommunication Service Group Solution Partner in the National Emergency Response Plan. Aziz told Newsline in an email that amateurs conducted tactical communication in the affected area and supported the Ministry of Health. They installed a repeater on one of the mountaintops and got it operational. Aziz noted that there was no need at the time for any immediate deployment from Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. PAUL/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, the region was still bracing for more disturbance. A 4.8 magnitude quake was recorded in western Turkey on Tuesday, January 28th. Officials there reported no further damage or losses at that time. (CNN, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AZIZ SASA TA1E) ** TURKEY'S QUAKE BELIEVED TO SHAKE UP PROPAGATION FOR NET PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the Friday quake was felt in a very different way in parts of North America, where hams were just about to check into a popular Net. ANDY: The powerful and deadly earthquake that struck eastern Turkey on January 24th left at least 30 people dead and caused numerous buildings to collapse. Tremors were also reported in nearby Iran, Lebanon and Syria. The magnitude 6.8 quake was also recorded officially by the United States Geological Survey -- but hams preparing to check into the popular Noontime Net in North America on 7.2835 MHz had their own unofficial indicator that something had gone very wrong somewhere. The quake, which was reported at 17:55 UTC, created an attenuation of the amateur bands, disrupting the 40 metre net. The informal part of the net begins at 10 a.m. local Pacific Time. The advent of the quake had actually been detected by seismograph at 16:30 UTC, more than an hour before the tremors started in earnest. Researchers have been studying the impact quakes have on propagation with evidence growing that there may be ways to detect impending earthquakes by reviewing changes in the ionosphere. One NASA physicist quoted in an earthmagazine.org article said that in the time preceding a quake, stresses on rocks located along faults are known to release positive ions into the atmosphere. Those ions rise, causing anomalies in the ionosphere. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM. (NASA.GOV, QRZ.COM) ** PILOTS ON ALERT DURING U.S. NAVY JAMMING EXERCISE PAUL/ANCHOR: Deliberate signal jamming is more than just a bad practice on the amateur radio frequencies. For the U.S. military, it's sometimes a deliberate and even required practice on the air. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about a recent exercise by the U.S Navy. KEVIN: If you were the pilot of a small plane in the southern United States recently, you might have wanted to pay special attention to an advisory issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The warning alerted pilots to an exercise by U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 4 which was conducting GPS jamming from its Norfolk, Virginia station. The government told pilots to be aware the training exercises might render their GPS signals unreliable -- or just plain unavailable. According to an article in the Military Times, the GPS interference testing is mandatory. Similar flight warnings for testing were also issued in areas affected by exercises out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona and Fort Hood, Texas. The government was not expecting any interference with ground-based GPS systems, such as those used by motorists. Warren Morningstar of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said in an internet report on January 14th: [quote] "Well here we go again," [end quote]. He told pilots that if this latest test caused flight safety issues that they should contact air traffic control immediately. He said [quote] "ATC will tell the military to knock it off." [endquote] While these latest Navy exercises proceeded as usual, we should note that the FCC website declares intentional GPS jamming to be illegal. The website says: [quote] "Operation of a jammer in the United States may subject you to substantial monetary penalties, seizure of the unlawful equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (FCC.GOV, THE AVIATIONIST, MILITARY TIMES) ** DXPEDITIONER RESPONDS TO HAMS WHO ACKNOWLEDGED SON'S DEATH PAUL/ANCHOR: A grieving father has shared his gratitude with the amateur radio community which responded with warmth, sympathy and a lot of heart following his son's drowning during the Rotuma DXPedition. Following his return home to Fiji, Antoine 3D2AG posted the message on his QRZ.com page and as open letter on DX World to hams everywhere. The message reads, in part: [quote] "To know that I have so many genuine friends all over the world is really a humbling experience and a wonderful tribute to the solidarity of our great hobby in times of crisis. Whilst the pain of the loss of my dear little boy is with me every moment at this time, the words and gestures of comfort and support will never be forgotten. My son, as with his younger brother, had a great interest to become an amateur radio operator, and we can only pray that the wishes of my remaining child be one day fulfilled, and his emotional wounds healed." [endquote] (DX WORLD) ** HAMS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF LITTLE-KNOWN WORLD WAR TWO BATTLE PAUL/ANCHOR: In the Netherlands, hams aren't just wanting lots of contacts during this next special event - they also want to get the word out about the battle it commemorates. For more on that, we turn to Ed Durrant DD5LP. ED: Considered by many to be a little-known military action during World War II, Operation Veritable is marking 75 years since that sweeping action in The Netherlands. Also known as the Battle of the Reichswald and the Great Allied Rhineland Offensive, it is being commemorated all year by special event station PA75OV with 22 radio operators - many of whom were part of another commemorative station 5 years ago. The operation, which took place between February 8th and March 11th in 1945, was American General Dwight Eisenhower's plan to clear German forces out of the Rhineland, in an area east of the Germany/Netherlands border. Radio operators will also stage a special live event during the activation in the old town hall of the city of Gennep between February 14th and 16th. Visitors are being invited, as they were five years ago. The station will be operating throughout the year on various HF bands, as well as VHF/UHF terrestrial and satellite frequencies. It's already been a busy time for them. The radio operators note on their website that as of Saturday January 25th, they had already logged nearly 2400 QSOs and consumed more than 800 cups of coffee. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. (PA75OV WEBSITE) ** AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE CELEBRATES BILL PASTERNAK WA6ITF PAUL/ANCHOR: Excuse us for being a bit self-indulgent here at Newsline, but we want you to know about an event that's very close to our hearts and - in this case - our radios. Let's hear more from Don Wilbanks AE5DW. DON: Happy birthday Bill Pasternak WA6ITF. Bill created the original Amateur Radio Newsline as the Westlink Radio Network long before  many of us were hams - although there are just as many who already had their license who may remember listening to his reports. Bill became a Silent Key five years ago. He would have been 72 years old on Friday February 7th. On that day and into the weekend, the Amateur Radio Newsline Amateur Radio Club is planning its first activation of WA6ITF, which has become our club call sign. This is an informal activation. Be listening for any and all of the Newsline staffers on the HF bands as well as DMR, D-STAR, Fusion and EchoLink. We'll be spotting on DXSummit to help you find us. What a great gift of communication for all of us, remembering and celebrating Bill. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW. ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world - including the newest to carry our report, the Norwegian website radiokom dot no (radiokom.no), which delivers Newsline on demand through its podcast player. ** FCC APPROVES PART OF 9 CENTIMETER BAND FOR WIRELESS PAUL/ANCHOR: Wireless and broadband are gaining new real estate on part of a microwave band formerly used by the military. Jack Parker W8ISH has the details. JACK: The FCC has approved giving 5G wireless services and broadband access to the 3.5 GHz band, enabling next-generation services to operate there. The frequencies on the microwave band are between 3.55 and 3.7 GHz, adjacent to the amateur allocation of 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. The commission's approval came as no surprise since the move was eight years in the making for this part of the 9-centimeter band, which had previously been used for radar and other military purposes. In a public notice released on Monday, January 27th, the FCC named four companies as Spectrum Access System administrators for the frequencies They are Google, Sony, Federated Wireless and Commscope. Meanwhile, the FCC adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking in December asking for comments on its plan to end amateur access to the adjacent frequencies on 9 centimeters. The FCC has said it would like to open up more spectrum for advanced wireless services. The ARRL Board of Directors has asked its FCC counsel to speak out in opposition. Initial public comments on that December notice are due by February 21st. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. (FCC.GOV, ARRL) ** BAVARIAN CONTEST CLUB CHOOSES NEW PRESIDENT PAUL/ANCHOR: There's a new leader at the helm of one of the world's preeminent contest clubs. Ed Durrant DD5LP has that story. ED: Congratulations to Christian Janssen, DL1MGB, who was unanimously elected president of the Bavarian Contest Club. Chris succeeds Bernard "Ben" Büttner DL6RAI, whose tenure as leader of the 335-member club lasted 13 years. Speaking after the January 18th election, Chris praised his predecessor, crediting Ben with having grown the group into one of the world's top contest clubs during his tenure. Christian is known world-wide through his tireless work leading the very successful organisation of the last World Radio Teamsport Championship in Wittenberg in 2018. The club, which has members throughout the world, has consistently had strong showings in a number of international competitions - and enjoyed numerous first place victories. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP, proud ex-member of the WRTC2018 Media team, reporting from Bavaria. (BAVARIAN CONTEST CLUB) ** A DOUBLE CELEBRATION FOR AMATEURS IN POLAND PAUL/ANCHOR: There's twice as much reason for amateurs in Poland to get on the air with a special event in February. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains. JEREMY: February is a big month for celebrations amongst Polish amateurs, who are marking both the 95th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union and the 90th anniversary of PZK, the Polish Amateur Radio Union. Hams will be activating special event stations throughout the month. Six stations will have the callsigns containing 90PZK, two stations will have 2020PZK and six other stations will have callsigns containing 95IARU. Prefixes will be 3Z, HF, SN, SP, SQ and SO. Although the PZK was founded in 1930, it went idle during World War II when ham radio activities ceased in Poland. In 1957, the PZK returned and for a time membership was a requirement of holding an amateur radio licence. This is no longer the case, however, and the PZK today is wholly financed by members and donors. For details about the event, visit 90.pzk.org.pl . For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE) ** SUCCESSFUL FIELD TEST FOR HAMS IN INDIA PAUL/ANCHOR: A group of hams in India has just completed a field event - using as little power as possible Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what they accomplished. GRAHAM: Although the mobile and fixed stations at the recent QRP HF Field Event of the Pune Hams and Amateur Radio Club VU2PHQ transmitted at between 5 and 7 watts, the exercise had a somewhat amplified impact. The 40-metre operation was designed to train hams to quickly set up and get on the air with QRP field stations with limited battery power and to better comprehend weak signal propagation. The hams were also testing out a variety of different antennas, from a homebrew vertical to an inverted V and even a multiband trap dipole. The club also set up an experimental CW beacon on 7.005 MHz. Club secretary Udayah Patil VU2UPQ told Newsline in an email that the event on January 19th was one of two or three such field exercises held each year. This latest event enabled participants to try out a number of Go Kits for quick field deployment. Eleven hams and two shortwave listeners participated. Udayah went on to say in the email: [quote] "The event gave the participants a good field experience. It gave them the confidence that not only will such setups be useful when one travels out of one's shack on business or for leisure but can also be used to provide communication backup in case of an emergency." He said the next such field event will be held in mid-March. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (UDAYA PATIL VU2UPQ) ** GET READY FOR THE VP8PJ DXPEDITION PAUL/ANCHOR: Are you ready for the VP8PJ DXPedition? Here's an update from John Williams VK4JJW. JOHN: The Perseverance DX Group is moving closer to the day the team activates the South Orkney Islands for the VP8PJ DXPedition. The group expects to be on the air from Signy Island from February 21st through March 5th, giving hams around the world a chance to make contacts on ClubLog's 16th most wanted DX entity. The team reports that its equipment arrived recently in Punta Arenas in Chile and is in storage for the time being. The team will arrive on the Indian Ocean island from Punta Arenas aboard the RV Braveheart, which is based out of New Zealand. This South Orkney Islands DXpedition is the first of its kind to activate the location in 9 years. In 2011, the Micro-Lite Penguin Expedition Team VP8ORK logged almost 64,000 contacts there. For more details about the DXpedition or to contribute toward fundraising of the $325,000 expedition, visit the website sorkney dot com (sorkney.com). For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW. ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, listen for Sadao, JA1PBV on Cuyo Island as DU1S through early February. Listen on 40 to 6 metres for Sadao using CW and FT8. QSL to the home call sign. A reminder that Ali EP3CQ is again active from Somalia as 6O1OO (Six-Oh-One-Oh-Oh)until February 5, 2020. QRV mainly on FT8. Note: 6O1OO is the only active and licensed amateur radio station in Somalia. Paolo, IK7UXW is on the air from Gombe, Kinshasa as 9Q1C until early March. Listen for him on 40-17metres sending slow CW. Send QSLs to his home call sign. Willy, 6W7/ON4AVT will be on the air from Warang, Senegal from mid-February to the 30th of March. Willy will be on 20 metres using CW, SSB and the digital modes. Send QSLs to his home call. (DX WORLD) ** KICKER: WHEN YOUR 'BENCH' IS OUT IN SPACE PAUL/ANCHOR: Our final story for the week is about a project two of the hams undertook on board the International Space Station -- except of course they weren't exactly ON board at the time. To explain, here's Mike Askins KE5CXP. MIKE: So you think you face challenges on a crowded bench where it's hard to work on projects in an organized manner? Consider the task that recently faced Andrew Morgan KI5AAA and Luca Parmitano KF5KDP. They had all the room in the world - or beyond the world, actually - because they were spacewalking as they worked. These two astronauts were partners on Saturday January 25th as they plugged a leak in a coolant line of the cosmic ray detector outside the International Space Station. This wasn't your typical homebrew project: the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is a $2 billion device. Of course Andrew and Luca aren't your typical hams: their QTH for now is the International Space Station where they've also been engaging in QSOs back home on earth as part of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. The spectrometer has a job to do too out there in space: its mission is to find antimatter and dark matter. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; the Associated Press; the Aviationist; Aziz Sasa TA1E; the Bavarian Contest Club; CNN; DX World; FCC.GOV; the Military Times; NASA.GOV; the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Udaya Patil VU2UPQ; 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.