Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2256 for Friday January 22nd 2021 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256 with a release date of Friday January 22nd 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Will Arecibo rebuild its radiotelescope? A call sign backlog nears its end in Australia - and American TV's 'Last Man Standing' plans a lasting farewell. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2256 comes your way right now. *** BILLBOARD CART ** U.S. RESEARCHERS ENVISION AN ARECIBO REPLACEMENT NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week asks: Is an Arecibo replacement a dream or a reality? With the ruins of the historic Arecibo telescope still fresh in people's minds, there's already a movement to rebuild one that's bigger and better. Jack Parker W8ISH picks up the story from here. JACK: Researchers have presented the National Science Foundation with a proposal for a $400 million replacement of the Arecibo telescope - on the same site where its iconic predecessor suffered its fatal collapse late last year in Puerto Rico. Speaking in a January 14th post on the Science Magazine website, the scientists described what they said would be a system that would prove useful to astronomers as well as researchers who study the planets and the atmosphere. Anish (Ah-NEESH) Roshi, head of astrophysics at the observatory, outlined the scope of the proposed replacement, known as the Next Generation Arecibo Telescope. It was described as a flat, 300-meter-wide, rigid platform, bridging the sinkhole, and studded with more than 1000 closely packed 9-meter dishes. Hydraulics would make the telescope's disk steerable, tilting it more than 45 degrees from the horizontal. Modern receivers would be built into each dish, covering a broader frequency range than that of the previous telescope. It would be designed to have almost twice the sensitivity of the original telescope and four times the radar power. The project would of course need funding from the U.S. Congress -- and as the Science Magazine article points out, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress is a nonvoting member. Nonetheless engineer Ramon Lugo said: "We have to be optimistic that we will make this happen." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. (SCIENCEMAG.ORG) ** ACMA REPORTS PROGRESS ON CALL SIGN BACKLOGS NEIL/ANCHOR: Officials have encouraging news for hams Down Under who are awaiting call sign changes. Robert Broomhead VK3DN gives us more details. ROBERT: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced that processing backlogs affecting amateur radio call signs are close to being resolved. The Australian Maritime College, which handles these changes for the ACMA, was challenged by disruptions caused by COVID-19 as well as a large influx of requests for call sign changes. The wave of requests followed an announcement by the ACMA that hams would be permitted greater flexibility in call sign choice. The changes included permitting Foundation licensees the option of a three-letter call sign instead of one with four letters, making the callsigns more compatible with the protocols of digital communiciation. The AMCA writes in a recent bulletin: [quote] "We understand that the AMC has almost cleared the backlog of applications and will revert to normal processing times shortly. We will continue to monitor processing times and work with the AMC to ensure qualifications and call sign services are provided for the benefit of the amateur radio community." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN. (ACMA) ** AMSAT CUBESAT PART OF UNUSUAL VIRGIN ORBIT LAUNCH NEIL/ANCHOR: An unlikely launch system, one using a 70-foot rocket fired from a converted jumbo jet, sent 10 small satellites into low-earth orbit on Sunday, January 17th. One of those cubesats was AMSAT's RadFxSat-2/Fox 1E, the fifth and final FOX-1 satellite built by AMSAT. It was constructed under a partnership between AMSAT and Vanderbilt University and carries a radiation effects experiment. Hams will be able to decode data from telemetry and experiments using FoxTelem version 1.09 or later. The cubesat launch was a demonstration flight staged by billionaire Richard Branson's California-based company, Virgin Orbit. The successful launches from the Boeing 747 took place almost eight months after the failed try last May. (WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNBC) ** CITY ANTENNA LAW UPTURNED BY FCC RULING NEIL/ANCHOR: The FCC has invalidated one U.S. city's law challenging satellite antenna installations. Andy Morrison K9AWM has the details. ANDY: The FCC has declared that federal law protects the right of property owners and tenants to install and use satellite dish antennas even if the antennas are visible from the street. The panel's ruling on January 11th invalidates an ordinance in the city of Chicago, Illinois that restricts such installations. The FCC says that its rule - known as the Over the Air Reception Devices rule, or OTARD - protects the antennas' use and allows video consumers greater choice of content. Chicago had argued that its law, enacted in 2012, was put in place to enforce "aesthetic standards" and that the measure does not violate the federal ruling. The petition had been brought by the Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association, DirecTV and the DISH Network. The Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule does not apply, however, to AM/FM radio, CB radio or amateur radio. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM. (FCC) ** PROPOSAL TO SUPPORT JAPAN'S STUDENT RADIO OPERATORS NEIL/ANCHOR: Students in Japan could get more opportunities in amateur radio if a requested change in national regulations wins approval. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story. GRAHAM: Elementary and junior high school students in Japan can expect greater opportunities in amateur radio. This under a proposal from the Japan Amateur Radio League. League president Yoshinori Takao JG1KTC has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for changes in regulations that would create greater chances for students interested in volunteering activities especially disaster communications. The change, if approved, would require a partial amendment to the Radio Law Enforcement Regulations. In a translation from the Japanese, posted on various news websites, Yoshinori said: [quote] "We would like to nurture a wide range of amateur radio operators who will lead the next generation." [endquote] The initiative is being undertaken in cooperation with the Japan Amateur Radio Development Association. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (SOUTHGATE, JARL) ** FCC REMINDER ISSUED DAYS BEFORE U.S. INAUGURATION NEIL/ANCHOR: With fears of further civil unrest in Washington, D.C. at the presidential inauguration on January 20th, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission issued a warning several days earlier in the form of an enforcement advisory to all licensed and unlicensed radio services stating that providing any support to such activity could be considered a criminal act. The advisory was directed at amateur radio operators, operators on the General Mobile Radio Service, Family Radio Service radios and Citizens Band. The advisory noted that this applies as well to messages that are encoded to mask their meaning. The advisory states: [quote] "Individuals using radios in the Amateur or Personal Radio Services in this manner may be subject to severe penalties, including significant fines, seizure of the offending equipment, and, in some cases, criminal prosecution." [endquote] (FCC) ** GOLD RUSH SPECIAL EVENT STATION IS MINING FOR CONTACTS NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, a special event station marking America's Gold Rush is mining for contacts, as we hear from Mike Askins KE5CXP. MIKE: You might say this event is as good as gold and, well, you wouldn't be exaggerating. The El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club is marking the discovery of gold in 1848 at Sutter's Mill -- a discovery which most students of American history know sparked the Gold Rush the following year. This year the mad rush on January 23rd and 24th will be on the HF bands. As hams look to strike QSO gold using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK-31 and JS8, they will be digging deep through all those pileups and hoping to log the club call sign AG6AU. By the way, it's no exaggeration to say you'll strike gold if you get a valid contact. The callsign suffix "AU" means gold on the periodic table of elements. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. (EL DORADO 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 and now being heard as well on the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club's W2GSB and WB2QGZ repeaters on Saturday mornings at 8, following the 7 a.m. check-ins of the club's new "Newsline With a Cup of Joe" Net. Newsline is also heard on Monday nights at 8 p.m. after the club's Info Net. ** UK TV CHANNEL RECOUNTS AMATEUR'S NOTORIOUS, BRUTAL KILLING NEIL/ANCHOR: The notorious killing of an amateur radio operator in the UK was revisited recently for TV viewers of a special three-part series. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about it. JEREMY: The brutal murder story broadcast over a three-day period on the UK's ITV channel was no fictional drama. The episodes, which were transmitted between Monday 11th and Wednesday13th January, recount the killing in June 1989 of Oxfordshire radio amateur Peter Dixon G0HFQ and his wife Gwenda. The couple were on holiday in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, where Peter had been operating as GW0HFO/M. The two were found dead, shot at point-blank range within half a mile of their campsite on 5th July. The Radio Society of Great Britain was asked by police to put out a QST asking amateurs to check their logbooks between the 29th June and the 5th July, police believing that Peter had made a contact with another mobile station on 28 MHz on the morning of Wednesday 28th June. They were looking for clues, any clues at all. Still, it took years of detective work before the case ended with an arrest and conviction: John Cooper, a former farm labourer, was found guilty of the killings in 2011. In an odd twist to the story, Cooper himself had appeared on ITV on a popular game show - just days before robbing and shooting the ham radio operator and his wife. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (ITV WEBSITE, 73 MAGAZINE/OCTOBER 1989) ** CALIFORNIA HAMS DEDICATE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, one amateur radio club gave a big thank-you to one of their own in the form of a special honor. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us what happened. RALPH: The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club values its resources: They include a state-of-the-art communications facility atop a reservoir in Santa Barbara County, California - and they include Bill Talanian W1UUQ, the ham who helped secure funding to make it a reality. Bill, a former trustee of the 150-member club, has been doing that kind of volunteer work for more than four decades. Earlier this month, the club held a formal dedication of the facility, naming it the Talanian Communications Facility. Such a facility provides the kind of ability club members need to respond to communities in crisis, as they did in 2017 when the Thomas Fire ripped through Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Club members helped pass traffic for emergency responders. The club also has a mobile rover vehicle as well as emergency radio communications stations at the Santa Barbara chapter of the American Red Cross and the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. Club members told the website Noozhawk that Bill played a key role in securing funds for the facility atop the Vic Trace Reservoir. Hams have considered it the hub of their communications network since 2011. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ralph Squillace KK6ITB. (NOOZHAWK) ** HAMS SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS AT INDIAN RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE NEIL/ANCHOR: An annual religious pilgrimage in India once again had the support of a local amateur radio club which, this year, also made use of a satellite. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF gives us that report. JIM: The callsign AT2GSI wasn't your average DX. It was being used between the 9th and the 19th of January by members of the West Bengal Radio Club in India where hams were calling QRZ from Sagar Island, designated IOTA AS-153. There was a lot more to this activation, however. The hams were also present on the island as they always are during the annual Hindu pilgrimage to where the Bay of Bengal meets the river Ganges. Using HTs and a ground station for the Qatar OSCAR 100 satellite made them even more capable this year of keeping emergency support communications open. More than 700,000 pilgrims had already arrived there by January 14th. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (MILLENIUM POST) ** RSGB NOMINATIONS DUE BY JAN. 31 NEIL/ANCHOR: Time is running out for nominations for the Radio Society of Great Britain's elections. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that story. JEREMY: Changes are ahead for the Radio Society of Great Britain, which is accepting nominations for its elections. The society is seeking candidates for president, one elected board director and one representative each in Regions 2, 6 and 12. Results will be announced at the annual general meeting on April 24th, where President Dave Wilson M ZERO OBW (M0OBW) is to retire, following three years in that post during his current tenure, which is his second term. That meeting will be held virtually. The RSGB positions are voluntary. Interested amateurs can learn more about these positions or how to nominate a candidate by visiting the website rsgb dot org stroke election (rsgb.org/election). Nominations are due no later than January 31st. Meanwhile, the RSGB board has appointed veteran BBC broadcaster Steve Richards G4HPE to fill the vacant post of GB2RS News Broadcast manager. Steve's voice is familiar to many listeners as a newsreader on the GB2RS report. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (RSGB) ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, Michael, HB9WDF, will be active as 8Q7AO from Vilamendhoo (Villa Mend Who) Island between January 25th and February 7th. Michael will be operating holiday style and only on the QO-100 satellite. QSL via the Bureau, eQSL, ClubLog or LoTW. In Antarctica, listen for Felix, DL5XL, operating as DP1POL from the German research station "Neumayer III" (NOY-MY-ERR THREE) where he is part of the wintering team as an electronics engineer. He will be there until mid-March. Listen on various HF bands, using the QO-100 satellite, using CW and the Digital modes. QSL via DL1ZBO, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW. Be listening too for GU4YDX operating from Guernsey in the CQ 160-metre CW Contest which is happening from January 29th through the 31st. QSL via LoTW or GU4YDX direct. (OHIO PENN DX) ** KICKER: LAST HURRAH FOR 'LAST MAN' NEIL/ANCHOR: Finally, we close with an update on the popular American TV show "Last Man Standing." When the show wraps up its final day of shooting this spring, it's going to be saying farewell ham radio style. The prime time show, which became a showcase for amateur radio through its main character Mike Baxter KA0XTT (Kay Ay Zero X TT), is leaving the air after nine years -- but not before it first gets ON the air on the amateur bands. Executive producer John Amodeo AA6JA told Newsline that a big farewell special event station is planned for KA6LMS between March 14th and March 30th, the last day of the show's production. At that point, the mailing address of the Last Man Standing Amateur Radio Club will also change to 11684 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 810, Studio City, California 91604. The show grew even more popular after star Tim Allen made things real by getting the callsign KK6OTD. It also featured guest radio operators on the set during meal breaks. John told Newsline: "Rather than have it slip away silently, we should have one more activation of KA6LMS now." With operators from the Great South Bay Amateur Radio club, the K2H special event station and the 12 Days of Christmas, the activation will give everyone a last chance to work KA6LMS in an ambitious special event. Be listening on CW, SSB, D-STAR, DMR, RTTY, PSK and FT-8. Consider it one last hurrah for "Last Man Standing." (JOHN AMODEO AA6JA) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT-UK; Andy Meyer N2FYE; the ARRL; Australian Communications and Media Authority; Bob Ringwald K6YBV; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; the FCC; ITV website; John Amodeo AA6JA; the Millennium Post; NoozHawk; Ohio Penn DX newsletter; QRZ.com; the Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.