Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2216 for Friday April 17 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2216 with a release date of Friday April 17 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Ham Radio Friedrichshafen is cancelled in Germany. Radio operators deploy as storms ravage a region of the American South -- and New York amateurs prepare for a huge on-air thank-you to the heroes of the state's pandemic. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2216 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN IS CANCELLED PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story is the cancellation of Ham Radio Friedrichshafen (Pron: Freed Ricks Har Fen). This major global amateur radio event was scheduled for the 26th through the 28th of June in southern Germany. New regulations announced by Chancellor Angela Merkl and Bavaria's President Markus Söder have ended prospects for any large events at least through to the end of August. Newsline will provide more information as it becomes available. ** AMATEURS ASSIST DURING ALABAMA STORMS PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile in Alabama, residents in COVID-19 lockdown were also dealing with severe weather. This report was written by Newsline correspondent Bobby Best WX4ALA. Bobby writes: Alabama amateur radio operators were deployed Easter Sunday afternoon and evening in advance of a severe weather outbreak to assist the National Weather Service and individual county offices of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. As this story was being written, at least 7 tornadoes had been confirmed across North and Central Alabama though that number could rise. One particularly hard-hit area was Walker County, just northwest of Birmingham. Local hams there passed Skywarn traffic on the WB4ACN ARES repeater regarding at least two separate tornadoes that struck, one with speeds of between 86 and 110 miles per hour and another with speeds of between 111 and 135 miles per hour. Station K4NWS in the weather service's Birmingham office received hams' reports of winds downing trees across the county. Further North in Huntsville, hams staffed WX4HUN at the weather service's Huntsville Office and received traffic from hams on the North Alabama and the Southern-Middle Tennessee Skywarn Net. That net is made up of 7 linked repeaters covering a 14-county area. As of midweek, only 3 tornadoes had been confirmed plus widespread wind damage reports. This weather wasn't anything unusual for these areas. April is the peak month of the Spring severe weather season across all of "Dixie-Alley" and Alabama hams are always prepared step up and assist. (BOBBY BEST WX4ALA) ** NY HAMS PREPARE A RADIO THANK-YOU TO PANDEMIC HEROES PAUL/ANCHOR: In New York, hams are preparing a statewide thank-you to those on the front lines of this unprecedented pandemic. Jim Damron N8TMW has that story. JIM: Hams in New York State, which has more COVID-19 patients than any other U.S. state - and more cases than any other nation - are giving the world's biggest amateur radio "thank you" to the men and women on the front lines. The Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club in Lindenhurst, New York, is coordinating the activation of special event station K2H - that's "H" for heroes - starting May 1st and running through May 31st. This is a statewide activation, with hams in every county throughout the state operating in the spirit of gratitude for the police, firefighters, mortuary workers, medical professionals and food-service workers - the people who keep things moving while the world itself seems to have stopped. If you're in New York State and wish to join them, please email the organizers at k 2 h heroes at gmail dot com (k2hheroes@gmail.com) for details -- that's k2h followed by the word "heroes" at gmail dot com. If you're hearing this report anywhere in the world, be listening for K2H on all bands and in all modes. Downloadable certificates will be available -- as will big thank-yous for everyone. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW. (GREAT SOUTH BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB) ** ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST CANCELLED PAUL/ANCHOR: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed plans for a drill that was to be held next month by the Military Auxiliary Radio System. Jack Parker W8ISH has that report. JACK: Ordinarily hams and members of the military would be getting ready just about now for the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 9. Like so many other radio events around the world, however, this exercise conducted by the Military Auxiliary Radio System, or MARS, has been postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MARS interoperability test involves military stations using selected military frequencies to announce what amateur radio frequencies they are monitoring to enable cross-band contacts to be made. Armed Forces Day test planners said that government stations involved in the event may not necessarily be available because of the worldwide crisis. Planners are instead looking at scheduling a similar event in November in conjunction with Veterans Day. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. (MARS) ** YOTA REGION 2 SUMMER CAMP CANCELLED PAUL/ANCHOR: The much-anticipated inaugural Youth on the Air Summer Camp in IARU Region 2 has also been cancelled. The camp was to have been held in the Cincinnati Ohio area on June 21st to 26th. Organizers are trying to plan for an online event as an alternative in June if possible. The camp itself will be postponed until June 2021. ** FCC TO ACT ON FUTURE OF 6 GHz BAND PAUL/ANCHOR: The FCC is about to meet in Washington, D.C., and the 6 GHz band is on the agenda, as we hear from Andy Morrison K9AWM. ANDY: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to act this month on changes that would open new frequencies on the 6 GHz band for use by Wi-Fi devices. Compmanies such as Apple, Facebook and Google have eyed the opportunities on this part of the spectrum as a way to ensure faster internet connections. The commissioners are scheduled to meet next on April 23 and a recent report in Bloomberg News said the 6GHz vote is on the agency's agenda. One of the major opponents of opening up the band is the utility sector. Utilities have said network reliability could suffer if Wi-Fi networks are given access to 6GHZ because they will cause interference. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai proposed the change last year saying that increased access to the radio spectrum would be an asset for future 5G development. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM. (BLOOMBERG NEWS) ** TOWERS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN NETHERLANDS PAUL/ANCHOR: Arson and sabotage are believed to be behind the destruction of some cellular broadcast towers in the Netherlands. Ed Durrant DD5LP shares the details. ED: Hams are not the only users of the radio spectrum who often find themselves defending their towers. In the Netherlands, new protests have erupted with the launch of a 5G data network - and this time the angry opponents vandlised and set the towers alight, according to news reports. A report in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf said that fire consumed much of the structure of the cellular broadcast towers in Beesd, Nuenen, Liessel and Rotterdam. Obscenities were reportedly scrawled on the transmission box at one site. The Dutch government's NCTV, which is a security and counterterrorism body, said it believed that opposition to the 5G plan was behind the arson and sabotage. The NCTV said it was aware of similar attacks recently in the UK. The fight against the towers is nothing new in the Netherlands. Opponents have been claiming that, among other things, the radio waves imperil public health and could potentially violate people's privacy. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. (DW AKADEMIE) ** IN SEARCH OF NEWSLINE'S YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR PAUL/ANCHOR: Please don't forget that Newsline is in search of a talented young amateur radio operator to honor in the spirit of our late cofounder, Bill Pasternak WA6ITF. Bill established the Young Ham of the Year Award in 1986. Nominations are being accepted for talented, community-conscious amateurs 18 or younger living in the US or Canada. Submission deadline is May 31. For details and this year's nomination form visit our website arnewsline.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 Denton County Amateur Radio Association repeater W5NGU in Denton County, Texas Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. central time. ** NEW HAM ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PAUL/ANCHOR: Welcome aboard to the newest amateur radio operator in space: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, arrived on board the International Space Station along with two Russian cosmonauts on Thursday, April 9th. Having completed their four-orbit, six-hour flight from Kazakhstan to the ISS, the three are settling in, bringing the ISS population back up to six. Chris is to become the commander for Expedition 63 later this month. He will be posting updates of his time in space on his Instagram feed under the account name astro underscore seal (astro_seal). (AMSAT, NASA) ** AUSTRALIAN CALL SIGN SUFFIX PROPOSAL UNDER REVIEW PAUL/ANCHOR: Australian call sign suffixes are getting a second look, as requested by the Wireless Institute of Australia. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has that story. JASON: The Australian Maritime College has been asked to review proposed changes in radio call sign structure that would enable any amateur in Australia to be allocated any available three-letter suffix regardless of licence class. The proposal is the result of a survey by the Wireless Institute of Australia, with the maritime college which manages call sign issuance, reviewing it on behalf of the national regulator, the ACMA. Around 60 percent of survey respondents expressed a preference for removing the relationship between suffixes and licence class. If enacted, the change would mean that hams upgrading their class could still retain their call sign. This proposal is the latest review of call sign procedures and follows a March announcement that hams moving from one state in Australia to another need no longer apply for new call signs to reflect their new QTH. The ACMA and AMC are also reviewing an application from the Radio Amateur Society of Australia to permit hams to use the prefix "AX" during the period of lockdown resulting from the current pandemic. This mirrors a recent announcement in New Zealand that hams there may use the "ZM" prefix instead of the standard "ZL." For Amateur Radio NewLine I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (WIA) ** WIA POLL SEEKS INPUT ON FOUNDATION LICENCE SYLLABUS PAUL/ANCHOR: The Wireless Institute of Australia has just received input from amateurs responding to a poll about the Foundation license syllabus. Graham Kemp VK4BB has those details. GRAHAM: With the hope of making the Foundation licence even more accessible and attractive to newcomers, the WIA recently completed a poll of holders of a VK call sign, asking about changes that could be made to the syllabus. The poll contained recommendations from the WIA's Syllabus Review Panel, which was formed last year. All Australian amateurs were asked to weigh in on such changes as the introduction of new knowledge elements to the test -- which the review team opposed -- and whether exams should utilise pre-defined Australian Standard schematic symbols in cases where ISO/IEC Standard symbols are not available. The review panel told the poll-takers it recommended that change. The WIA panel is also recommending that amateur radio be redefined as a service instead of a hobby. The WIA poll was conducted in response to an enquiry from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which created an Amateur Radio Syllabus Review Panel last year. The results of the survey will be forwarded to the Australian Communications and Media Authority. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (WIA) ** SPACE STATION 'STORY TIME' TELLS A HAM RADIO TALE PAUL/ANCHOR: Who hasn't ever said "read me a story?" Children and adults love to hear tales read aloud - and now a program on the International Space Station has a story of particular interest to kids who love ham radio. Here's Heather Embee KB3TZD. HEATHER: A collaborative educational program known as Story Time from Space has a lot of youngsters feeling over the moon, quite literally, because it lets kids watch videos of astronauts reading children's books while on the International Space Station. Now hams are also over the moon about it too: the latest book to be added to the list of stories available in the video'd reading sessions is a book by Emily Calandrelli KD8PKR. Emily is the author of "Ada Lace, Take Me To Your Leader," the story of a YL and the many QSOs she has on a radio she'd repaired. Astronaut Anne McClain reads the book in three video segments. There's an extra treat thrown in for good measure in the second segment: kids get a tour of the radio station used for contacts using Amateur Radio from the ISS. The final segment includes a video of astronaut Sunita Williams KD5PLB who also talks about the ARISS program. To get a good read on this latest story from space, visit storytimefromspace - that's "storytimefromspace" one word - dot com (storytimefromspace.com) For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD. (ARISS, STORYTIME FROM SPACE) ** NEW DIRECTOR FOR CQ WPX CONTESTS PAUL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to Joseph "Bud" Trench, AA3B, of Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Bud was named the new director of the CQ WPX SSB and CW Contests, succeeding interim director Randy Thompson K5ZD. A serious contester himself, he finished first placed 15 times in the CQ World Wide DX CW Contest in the Single Op Low Power category using call sign V26K -- and set the current world record. Bud is an officer of the Frankford Radio Club and Pennsylvania QSO Party Association, and a member of the First Class CW Operators' Club, among his many radio activities. Before taking the helm for next month's big CW weekend, Bud's first task will be to assist Randy as they process the results of last month's WPX SSB weekend. (CQ MAGAZINE) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, the United Nations Amateur Radio Club will be on the air via a limited remote operation during the period of lockdown that has closed the UN headquarters in New York City. The club's president James K2QI, said his activation will be limited to FT8 mode only and on low power. There will be no Fox/Hound operation. Be listening for Kenji JA4GXS operating as JA4GXS/6 from Amami Oshima Island between May 9th and 11th. Kenji will be calling QRZ on 40-17 metres using CW, SSB and FT8. Send QSLs to JA4GXS direct or by the bureau. There's DX to be had as well during the Radio Society of Great Britain's Hope QSO Party. This is a series of 90-minute-long daytime contests designed to attract worldwide participation among radio amateurs isolated at home. Participants are encouraged to call "CQ Hope QSO Party" or "CQ HQP" on any of the five contest bands, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. This series, which is not linked to any RSGB affiliated club contests, is not restricted to RSGB members. A single mode will be used for each day of the QSO Party. The next events will be on April 20th through the 24th, with a different mode of operation each day. For more details visit rsgbcc dot org (RSGB, UNARC, FACEBOOK) ** KICKER: PLANNING FOR THE MOST "DX" OF THE DXPEDITIONS PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, if you've been dreaming lately of a DXpedition that is the most DX of them all - one that's not even on earth itself - Mike Askins KE5CXP has some advice for you. MIKE: Let's face it. If you're listening to this on planet Earth, which is pretty likely, you know that your prospects for going on a DXpedition - or even chasing a contact with a DXPedition - is pretty much as remote as some of those islands. While we're all physically in lockdown, though, our imaginations and even our aspirations can still soar. So here's a suggestion from AMSAT, which recently shared a link to a Starship Users Guide released last month by SpaceX. SpaceX, or the Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is already known for its work with NASA, conducting cargo resupply and return missions to and from the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX also hopes to someday transport crew to the ISS too. AMSAT hints at the possibilities for DXpeditioners to go to the moon or Mars. Well, why not? This very basic guide to the starship travel experience is easy to read on the Spacex dot com (spacex.com) website and can help with your planning before you board. As the users guide says: [quote] "SpaceX was founded with the goal of making life multiplanetary." [endquote] Well that life just might include a multi-op experience from Mars. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. (AMSAT) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; Bloomberg News; Bobby Best WX4ALA; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DW Akademie; the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club; MARS; Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.COM; Radio Society of Great Britain; shortwaveradio.de; Storytime from Space; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; the United Nations Amateur Radio Club; 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.