Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2412 for Friday January 19th, 2024 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2412 with a release date of Friday January 19th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Vandals destroy an Oklahoma radio tower. Text-messaging from space is now a reality -- and learn about a Cold War bunker that's still getting on the air. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2412 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** VANDALS DESTROY OKLAHOMA RADIO TOWER PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the deliberate destruction of a radio tower in Oklahoma. A tower is the most visible sign of an active radio station and this tower belonged to a commercial broadcast station subsequently knocked off the air by thieves seeking copper. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB has that story. RALPH: Country music station K95.5 suddenly and unexpectedly went silent on the 15th of January, its tower in ruins in a field not far from its Oklahoma studio. As the Chocktaw County Sheriff's office began its investigation, Will Payne of the Payne Media Group, which owns the station, assessed the scene, which he described in a Facebook video as one of "catastrophic damage." The video showed the tower down in the field, its guy wires cut as a means of taking its top section down. The nearby generator had been totaled. Wires were ripped out everywhere. The transmission lines, containing a wealth of copper on the inside, had been cut in several places. Payne Media Group made an appeal on Facebook to listeners and to the public in general to be on the alert for anything that might provide the sheriff with additional clues. As Newsline went to production it was not clear when the station with the callsign KITX, would be back on the air serving northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma. Listeners were being directed to its streaming programs at K955.com This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB. (PONCACITY.NOW, FACEBOOK) ** TEXT-MESSAGING FROM SPACE BECOMES A REALITY PAUL/ANCHOR: Newly launched Starlink satellites have successfully been put to the test, making text-messaging from space a reality for SpaceX. We have the details from Kent Peterson KCØDGY. KENT: It works. Text messages have been sent successfully on a mobile phone network in the US using Starlink satellite service. The test of the direct-to-device, or D2D, service took place on the 10th of January using the network of T-Mobile USA. This was the first step in realizing the plan by SpaceX to bring this service to a wider commercial market. The trial run took place only days after Starlink's first satellites for D2D were launched and deployed. The company declared shortly afterward: [quote] "The system works," adding that it has partnerships as well with mobile operators in Australia, Japan and Canada. Commercial availability is expected to begin later this year and the company is hoping voice, data and service for the Internet of Things will commence in 2025. The premiere of D2D via Starlink comes as a number of manufacturers of smartphones are preparing to produce devices with D2D service as well. Apple's iPhone already make this service available with the iPhone 14 in partnership with satellite operator Globalstar. This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY. (CNBC) ** CLASS LICENSE STRUCTURE ARRIVING IN AUSTRALIA PAUL/ANCHOR: In just a few short weeks, hams in Australia who previously held an apparatus license will become holders of the new class license. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that update. GRAHAM: The Australian regulator has sent letters to hams announcing that the transition to the new class licence structure takes effect on the 19th of February. The letter permits hams with valid apparatus licences to continue operating under the same band and licence conditions as before and assures hams who renewed the apparatus licence after the 9th of December that they are eligible for a pro-rated refund if they surrender the apparatus licence on or after the 19th of February. The ACMA plans to check every five years that assigned callsigns are still being used as authorised. Calls with a one-year expiry, such as special event callsigns, and those calls with a VK0 or VK9 prefix, will receive additional instructions in February regarding either renewals or expirations. These changes, which the regulator announce last year, also mean that there are no fees for the licences. The ACMA will also take oversight of the administration of amateur radio licence exams and callsign issuance previously delegated to the Australian Maritime College. This is Graham Kemp VK4BB. (ACMA) ** VERY LOW POWER DEVICES MAKING GAINS ON 6 GHZ PAUL/ANCHOR: The FCC is giving greater privileges on 6 GHz to very low power devices. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us what's going to happen next. JACK: Following a recent FCC ruling that allows VLPs - very low power devices - to operate on many of the 6 GHz frequencies, the regulator is seeking comments on additional rules that would grant higher-power VLPs access to the band as well under certain operating conditions. The rules for short-distance operation over high-connection speeds take effect on the 4th of March. Businesses including Amazon, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Google have been eager to make use of this part of the spectrum, which will become home for IOT, or internet of things, applications. These include wearable devices, short-range mobile hotspots, healthcare monitors, virtual reality devices and in-car connectivity. Innovation, however, is expected to rev up among businesses who have been waiting for this kind of spectrum availability. The FCC has asked for comments on the proposed rules to be submitted no later than the 7th of February, with reply comments to be filed no later than the 8th of March. Two of the main questions under consideration are whether higher-power VLPs should be given access to additional parts of the 6 GHz spectrum and whether a higher-power class of VLPs should be established. A link to the FCC document appears in the text version of this week's AR Newsline report. [DO NOT READ: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-23-86A1.pdf ] This is Jack Parker W8ISH. (FCC) ** ARISS ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE FEATURES 3 ASTRONAUTS PAUL/ANCHOR: The 40th anniversary conference of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station features a lineup of three influential astronauts. The latest to be added to the lineup is NASA's Tony England, WØORE, who is the first astronaut to transmit Slow-Scan TV from orbit - and the second astronaut to operate amateur radio from space. Tony joins the program with conference keynote speaker Richard Garriott, W5KQW, son of NASA's Owen Garriott, W5LFL, the first ham to make a QSO from space. The group also includes Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, who played an active role in the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment. The conference is being held at the Kennedy Space Center from the 22nd to the 24th of February. Its focus is the positive impact of ham radio on human spaceflight. (AMSAT, ARISS) ** PREPARE NOW FOR WINTER FIELD DAY PAUL/ANCHOR: Winter Field Day is a worldwide event that is taking place on January 27th and 28th. Despite its name, participation should leave you with a good warm feeling, as Patrick Clark K8TAC explains. PATRICK: Preparedness counts more than points do during Winter Field Day and organizers are encouraging ham radio operators worldwide to use the opportunity to sharpen their portable emergency communications skills. Snow, ice, freezing temperatures and other cold-weather hazards are part of the environment as hams get on the air using the HF, VHF and UHF bands and via digital voice. This year, "bonus points" are being reclassified as "objectives," and anyone activating is being encouraged to achieve as many objectives as they can. The maximum power allowed is 100 watts PEP and stations operating QRP are encouraged to transmit at less than 5 watts on CW or less than 10 watts on phone. The organizer, the Winter Field Day Association, is also encouraging the use of Winlink emails. Although the basic exchange contains simply callsign, location, class and category, operators are being asked to consider including temperature, weather conditions and signal reports. For details or to register your station, visit winterfieldday.org - that's one word "winterfieldday dot org" This is Patrick Clark K8TAC. (WINTER FIELD DAY ASSOCIATION) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KV3B repeater in Rockville, Maryland on Sundays after the net at 7:30 p.m. local time. ** HAMSCI WORKSHOP TO REVIEW ANNULAR ECLIPSE FINDINGS PAUL/ANCHOR: With October's eclipse behind us and April's eclipse ahead of us, the citizen scientists' group that has been studying both is inviting hams and researchers to its next workshop to discuss some findings. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us how to get on board. ANDY: Professional scientists and radio amateurs are being invited to HamSCI's sixth annual workshop, which will present findings yielded by ionospheric data collected during the annular solar eclipse last October. The workshop will be held on March 22nd and 23rd at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The citizen scientists' research group will also share how it is getting ready for the solar eclipse taking place on the 8th of April. This will be a total eclipse for the Cleveland area. The program will also include a discussion about how a college curriculum can successfully integrate studies of amateur radio. Ham radio has been at the forefront in much of the research being done by HamSci, which is examining ionospheric disturbances, sporadic E, geomagnetic storms, solar flares and of course, eclipses. For details about HamSCI, its work and the workshop, visit hamsci dot org (hamsci.org). This is Andy Morrison K9AWM. (HAMSCI) ** WRTC 2026 RECEIVES GRANT FROM YASME FOUNDATION PAUL/ANCHOR: The World Radiosport Team Championship has just received a major financial boost from a private foundation that will help the next event prepare for 2026 in England. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us more. JEREMY: The organising committee of the World Radiosport Team Championship 2026 has received a $7,500 grant, about £5,900, from the Yasme Foundation to support this goodwill gathering of the world's top amateurs. The WRTC UK will be held in 2026 in England, where the counties of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk will host 50 operating sites for qualifying teams. The private foundation's gift recognises the opportunity the WRTC offers to engaging top competitors from around the globe and providing a venue that showcases the skills as well of youth operators. The event taking place in July 2026 will be the 10th WRTC. The previous worldwide competition, WRTC 2022, was held in Italy in 2023, delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (DXNEWS.COM, WIA) PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, organizers of the World Radiosport Team Championship stirred up even more enthusiasm and support for the event by announcing that a bronze coin - the first of three in a series - is being made available to donors for contributions of 100 pounds or more in 2023 and 2024. The announcement was made on Monday, January 15th by Mark Haynes, MØDXR, chairman and program manager, appearing on "Tonight @ 8," a livestreamed webinar of the Radio Society of Great Britain. ** WORLD OF DX In the World of DX, listen for Felix, DL5XL, who is on the air as DP1POL in Antarctica, IOTA Number AN-016, from the German research station "Neumayer III." [PRONOUNCED: NOY-MY-ER Three ]He is using mostly CW, with some digital modes and SSB. He is on the air until the end of the month. See QRZ.com for QSL details. Special event callsign AT3SM is being activated during a multi-club joint IOTA DXpedition to the rarely activated St. Mary's Island, IOTA Number AS-096. This island has not been activated in six years. The hams operating from the 26th to the 28th of January are from three organizations: the National Institute of Technology radio club, the Mangalore Amateur Radio Club and the MIT radio club. They will also be participating in the national field day of the Amateur Radio Society of India. See QRZ.com for QSL details. Between the 24th of January and the 6th of February, Keith, G3WRO, will be operating holiday style as 8Q7WR from the Maldives, IOTA Number AS-013. Listen for Keith on 40-10 metres and possibly on 80 metres. He will be using SSB. QSL via his home call. Kevin, W1DED is active until the 21st of January as W1DED/C6A from Eleuthera, IOTA Number NA-001, in the Bahamas. See QRZ.com for QSL details. Listen for Tom, 9A2AA, throughout the year. He is on the air with the callsign 9A67AA in honor of 67 years of being on the air as a ham radio operator. QSL via his home call. (425 DX BULLETIN) ** KICKER: "UNDERGROUND RADIO" HAS DIFFERENT MEANING INSIDE BUNKER PAUL/ANCHOR: Our final story this week takes us underground where one amateur radio club puts a Cold War-era relic to good use. Jeremy Boot G4NJH introduces us to that club. JEREMY: A Cold War-era bunker that was one of the last to be taken out of service in the UK in 1991 has become a base for a ham radio club on the North Yorkshire Moors. Like so many radio operators before in the Royal Observer Corps, the hams are surrounded by concrete walls, 5 metres deep into the underground, as they transmit important information and take measurements. Now, however it is signal reports they are sending to other hams - not levels of radiation that would have followed the dreaded nuclear blast. The station GBØROC of the Guisborough & District Amateur Radio Club is underground radio at its finest. Like the other bunker sites, this location was once a secret. Now you can't miss its high visibility on the map of various amateur radio awards schemes: It is part of the Bunkers on the Air scheme as B/G-0919, within Parks on the Air number G0003, Worldwide Flora and Fauna area GFF-0012 and Worked All Britain square NZ60. Its video on YouTube also shows how the club welcomes visitors who walk in or, in this case, climb in - since access to the radio room requires careful descent down a metal ladder. The bunker is a restored symbol of history of a time when the world was on edge. Now its business of radioactivity is simply just that: friendly activity on the radio. This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH. [DO NOT READ: VIDEO AT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8HKixZuWKs&t=16s] (YOUTUBE) PAUL/ANCHOR: A link to the video can be seen in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline dot org. ** DO YOU HAVE NEWS? If you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would be interested in, send us a brief overview via the contact page at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it, we'll get back to you for more details. Meanwhile, if you're feeling even a little bit poetic, visit our website to learn more about the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. We have started a new year - and a new challenge! Use the entry form on our website and please follow the rules for the proper number of syllables when writing your three-line haiku -- and be sure to check out our previous winners! NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the ACMA; Amateur Radio Daily; Amateur Radio Digital Communications; AMSAT; ARISS; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNBC; David Behar K7DB; 425DXNews; FCC; HamSCI; Poncacity.now; QRZ.com; shortwaveradio.de; the WIA; Winter Field Day Association; YouTube; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. 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. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.