Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2249 for Friday December 4th 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2249 with a release date of Friday December 4th 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A collapse destroys the Arecibo radiotelescope. Welcome to December - YOTA month! And meet Newsline's winner of this year's International Newsmaker Award. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2249 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** COLLAPSE DESTROYS NOTED ARECIBO RADIOTELESCOPE JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with news that the noted Arecibo radiotelescope, famous in groundbreaking scientific research and seen in a number of Hollywood movies, is no more. Kent Peterson KC0DGY has the details. KENT: The historic Arecibo radiotelescope in Puerto Rico, once the largest in the world, has collapsed before its scheduled demolition could begin. The telescope, which had been shut by the U.S. National Science Foundation following storm damage, was credited with unlocking numerous astronomical mysteries for more than 50 years. On Tuesday, December 1st, the telescope�s 900-ton receiver platform fell 400 feet, landing on its reflector dish. It was the final blow to the radiotelescope, where an auxiliary cable had snapped in August, causing damage to the reflector dish and receiver platform. Then last month, a main cable broke. Built in the 1960s, the telescope was part of a 1974 research project into gravitational waves that led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993. The telescope also followed asteroids on their earthbound paths but became quite an attraction itself, drawing some 90,000 visitors a year. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY. (GUARDIAN, NOBELPRIZE.ORG, NPR) ** WELCOME TO DECEMBER - IT'S YOTA MONTH JIM/ANCHOR: Nothing speaks so well to the future of ham radio than hearing young voices calling QRZ. Jason Daniels VK2LAW lets us in on what's happening. JASON: If you listen on the air through the month of December, you'll be hearing the voices of the future. December is YOTA Month - Youngsters on the Air - and teams of operators younger than 26 are hoping for pileups. They're calling from Pakistan, Serbia, Iceland, Sweden, Bulgaria and places beyond. Each team carries the suffix "Y O T A" along with the hope that their logs will be filled with call signs from around the world. This is a chance to showcase amateur radio for the unlicensed and help those newly licensed to gain confidence. Stations include TF3YOTA in Iceland, DB0YOTA in Germany, GB20YOTA in the UK and II1YOTA in Italy. You will hear them on HF, repeaters and even satellites. Because so many YOTA summer camps were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, these young operators are more eager than ever to show what they can do. Support the world's future amateur community and who knows? You may become eligible for a bronze, silver, gold or platinum award just for working as many YOTA stations on as many bands and modes as you can. The teams have their own collective goal as well: to beat last year's total of 130,000 QSOs logged by 47 participating stations. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW. JIM/ANCHOR: Also be listening for Youth on the Air stations in the United States, where the call signs will be K8Y, K8O, K8T and K8A. For more information about Youth on the Air in the Americas, visit the website youthontheair dot org (youthontheair.org) (YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR) ** FCC CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI STEPPING DOWN IN NEW YEAR JIM/ANCHOR: Here in the United States, Ajit Pai, who has been chairman of the Federal Communications Commission since 2017, has announced he will be stepping down on January 20th, the day President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated. Pai served the commission for five years as an appointee of then-President Barack Obama previous to being named commissioner by President Donald Trump. He was hailed as the first Asian-American chairman of the agency. His term was scheduled to expire in June of 2021. His announcement, made on Monday November 20th, comes as the FCC reviews its proposal to charge a $50 fee for each application for an amateur radio license. (CNBC) ** DISCOVERY EXTENDS LIFESPAN OF SOLAR PANELS JIM/ANCHOR: There's some good news for hams who use solar panels when they operate portable. Well, it's good news - but it's still in the future. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has the details. JIM: Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have announced their discovery of a means of extending the lifespan of perovskite-based solar cells, using a method that is also environmentally friendly. Perovskite, which is used as a semiconductor, is light-sensitive material that degrades over time. The researchers are calling their finding a cost-saving measure because it allows perovskite-based cells to be recycled. The process renews the cells' ability to absorb light by restoring a panel's photovoltaic capability. One of the PhD students on the research team in the Department of Applied Physics told the Jerusalem Post that the key is the use of a layer of stable oxides. The student, Avi (Ah-Vee) Schneider said the layer [quote] "acts as an electrode of the cell but it's also a stable material that allows for us to be able to remove any degraded perovskite." [endquote] He said that perovskite is the most sensitive component in the solar cell and the most likely to suffer damage over time. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (JERUSALEM POST) ** MARKETER OF MOBILE RADIOS AND HTS CHARGED BY FCC JIM/ANCHOR: The FCC has cracked down on a California-based company, saying it sold radios capable of transmitting illegally. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us more. JACK: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has charged a radio marketer with the sale of six models of mobile and handheld two-way radios that allowed transmission outside authorized frequencies. The November 24th action by the agency's Enforcement Bureau notified Rugged Race Products, also known as Rugged Radios, that the California company must immediately stop selling the radios in the U.S. or face fines. According to the FCC citation, the agency's inquiry of the company's marketing dates back to its initial contact in August of 2018 in response to complaints. The citation says Rugged Radios acknowledged that it marketed each of the six models identified in the letter of inquiry, dating as far back as February 2014. The citation further says: [quote] "Rugged Radios acknowledged that all six models were 'sold with the capability of being face-programmable to allow a user to enter new operating frequencies' and that the associated manufacturer or supplier delivered the radio to the Company with this capability." [endquote] The FCC acknowledges, however, that after the first letter of inquiry, Rugged Radios did take steps to comply with agency rules and halted its marketing of four of the six models and later ensured that new models included the appropriate FCC ID and labeling information. The company also made firmware changes that disabled face-programming changes on the two remaining models but ultimately pulled them from the market as well in May of 2020. The FCC has given the company 30 days to respond to the citation. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. (FCC) ** CHANUKAH SPECIAL EVENT LIGHTS UP THE AIRWAVES JIM/ANCHOR: If you're looking to grab some DX from Israel, you'll have nine special days and nights in December. John Williams VK4JJW has that story. JOHN: Get ready for a number of Israeli radio amateur stations to light up the airwaves throughout Chanukah, the festival of lights, for nine days beginning at 1400 UTC on December 10th. The special event stations will include 4X1C, which will be activated by a team of hams as the first candle of the holiday is lit. On the next night, 4X2H will join 4X1C on the air as the second candle is lit. Subsequent activations will be by 4Z3A, 4X4N, 4X5U and others, with the number in each call sign representing the number of candles to be lit on that day. All new stations will join the ones previously activated. The team activating 4X0NER will be on for the duration of the special event. Be listening on all the HF ham bands including the WARC bands and the QO-100 satellite. Operations end at 2159 UTC on December 19th. There are special certificates available for Israeli amateurs, European amateurs and hams from outside Europe. The certificates are digital downloads provided by the Israel Amateur Radio Club. The club is also offering a prize for best menorah and invites hams to email pictures of menorahs in and around their QTH from their part of the world. For details about the certificates and the photo contest, visit the club website at iarc.org/iarc. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW. (ISRAEL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K6SOA repeater in Laguna Beach California on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. local time. ** MEET ARN'S INTERNATIONAL NEWSMAKER AWARD WINNER FOR 2020 JIM/ANCHOR: Last year, Newsline conferred its inaugural International Newsmaker of the Year Award with great pride to the West Bengal Radio Club in India. This year, we are pleased to present it to a team comprising health service workers and amateur radio operators in the UK, all responding together to the COVID-19 crisis. Here's Ed Durrant DD5LP who shares our pride in making this announcement. ED: The winner of Newsline's second annual International Newsmaker of the Year Award is the Get on the Air to Care project, conceived of by Paul Devlin G1SMP and operated jointly by the UK's National Health Service and the Radio Society of Great Britain. Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign has decreased social isolation in the UK and around the world by encouraging amateurs to Get On The Air 2 Care - with inactive hams returning and those who always wanted to, becoming newly licenced amateurs. It also gave rise to this season's Get On the Air 4 Christmas initiative. Most importantly, though, #GOTA2C has accomplished something amateurs work so hard to achieve: the campaign has placed amateur radio front and centre in such mainstream media channels as the BBC, ITV Wales and major newspapers, raising amateur radio's profile and attracting new licence-holders even in this era of remote-testing. Congratulations to Paul Devlin G1SMP, who conceived of the idea as part of the NHS England Emergency Care Improvement Support Team and to the Radio Society of Great Britain and the National Health Service who have implemented it. You'll be hearing more from Paul Devlin next week when Newsline chats with him. Meanwhile, the RSGB and the NHS have added yet another element to their campaign: an NHS Charity auction beginning December 9th and ending December 19th at the start of the Get on the Air for Christmas campaign. One item for auction should surely help amateurs get on the air to care, even after the holidays. It is a Morse Code key handcrafted and donated by Roy Bailey, G0VFS, of Trowbridge and District Amateur Radio Club. Having based his design on the noted semi-automatic Vibroplex, he has dubbed his creation the Virus-PerpleXed Bug and an engraved decal bears its name. If you wish to participate visit the Society's website for details. The URL appears in the printed version of this script on the arnewsline website. [DO NOT READ, FOR PRINT ONLY: rsgb.org/gota4c] For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. (RSGB) ** IN LONDON, A TOWER OF GRATITUDE JIM/ANCHOR: How do you say "thank you?" Try sending Morse Code, as London's tallest building is doing. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH to tell us more. JEREMY: The Shard building, which defines the London skyline, has been the symbol of the city since its completion seven years ago. It recently became transformed into a symbol of gratitude - in a way that ham radio operators, more than most people, can comprehend. At 306-metres in height, it is the UK's tallest building, which makes its important message - flashing in blue and white LED lights at the very top - hard to miss. That message is in Morse Code. The 575 lights flash, spelling "Thank You," two words directed to the National Health Service workers whose efforts have helped protect the British public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. City dwellers and visitors have stopped to marvel at the light show since it began on the night of Thursday, November 26th. But even London's tallest building isn't above needing a little help. That help came from the Radio Society of Great Britain. The RSGB stepped in to verify that all those high profile dits and dahs were indeed being sent correctly, ensuring that the message's delivery enjoyed a towering triumph. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE) ** U.S. POST OFFICE SUSPENDS ACCEPTING SOME INT'L MAIL JIM/ANCHOR: Bagged some big DX? Well if you're in the U.S., don't run to the mailbox with those QSL cards just yet. Stephen Kinford N8WB tells us why. STEPHEN: If you're a busy DXer in the United States and you're writing a stack of QSL cards you may want to slow down a bit on some of them. The U.S. Postal Service has suspended international mail acceptance for certain destinations. Service to Panama, Libya, Madagascar and Turkmenistan has been halted as a result of foreign postal operator service shutdown. In other locations, including Brunei, Angola, Cuba, Sierra Leone, French Guiana, Maritius, Yemen, Guadeloupe and South Sudan service is suspended temporarily as a result of transportation not being available. This is not a complete list so please visit the U.S. Postal Service website whose URL appears in the print version of this newscast's script for a full list and any updates. Until then, postal officials ask that items addressed to these countries not be mailed. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB. [FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/sxvuqwb] ** HONORING RADIO'S FIRST VOICE TRANSMISSION JIM/ANCHOR: If you prefer your mic to a straight key or some other device in your shack, you owe it to inventor Reginald Fessenden to work this next special event, which celebrates the human voice. Kevin Trotman N5PRE lends his voice to this report. KEVIN: When special event station W4F gets on the air later this month, you can expect to hear operators calling QRZ from their home stations on all bands and in all modes - but if you can hear them on AM, that's especially significant. The Vienna Wireless Society in Virginia is operating in honor of Reginald Fessenden whose experiments in wireless telegraphy in the early 20th century led to his development of a way to transmit the human voice by modulating the radio wave's amplitude into the shape of a sound wave. That's the very principle behind AM. On December 23rd, 1900, the inventor used this technique to transmit a brief voice message between two stations about a mile apart on Cobb Island in the Potomac River in Maryland. Club member Bill Mims W2WCM said that the location is just south of the club's QTH and the time seemed right to mark the 120th anniversary of the transmission. He said the idea was inspired by a recent Monday night VHF net in which the net control Nancy N1GFV posed a question about the first wireless voice transmission. The idea grew from there. Station W4F will be on the air between the 18th and 24th of December. There will be a special QSL card for all confirmed contacts. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (BILL MIMS W2WCM) ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, be listening for Alexey, RX6A, who will be in Antarctica and will be on the air as RX6A/MM from December 7th to the 25th and as RI01ANT from December 25, 2020 to May 30, 2021. Alexey will be using CW and FT8 on 40-15m, with 50 watts. For QSL information visit QRZ.COM. The Bima DXpedition Team is active as 7C9B from the Indonesian island of Sumbawa until the 10th of December. Listen for team members on 10m to 160m using SSB and FT8. Send QSLs to DL3KZA. (DX-WORLD.NET) ** KICKER: HAM RADIO SAVES THE BACON (AND OTHER GROCERIES) JIM/ANCHOR: We wrap up this week's newscast with this very personal story of how ham radio recently saved the bacon - along with some other groceries - for one of our own Newsline team members. It happened to her when she arrived at her local store to pick up the order she had placed in advance. Unfortunately, when she arrived she discovered she'd left her cellphone at home and couldn't call to say she was parked outside and ready for delivery. So Amanda Alden K1DDN reached for her mobile radio and did what hams do best: [INSERT 3 SECOND PLEA FOR HELP AUDIO] AMANDA: Robert KF0BVR, whose QTH is 35 minutes away, responded to my distress call. The freshness of our fruits and vegetables was at stake. Oh and even our steak was at stake. [INSERT 5 SECOND ANSWER AUDIO] AMANDA: Robert phoned the grocery store and got us checked in so they could bring the groceries out to the car. [INSERT 2 SECOND "YOU'RE CHECKED IN" AUDIO] [INSERT 3 SECOND THANK YOU AUDIO] AMANDA: When all else fails - including your own memory to carry your cellphone - there's always ham radio. For Amateur Radio Newsline, with a happy and full refrigerator, I'm Amanda Alden K1DDN. ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; Andy Meyer N2FYE; the ARRL; Bill Mims W2WCM; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX World Net; the Guardian; Israel Amateur Radio Club; NobelPrize.Org; NPR; Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.COM; Radio Society of Great Britain; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.