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|    30 Oct 14 22:02:56    |
      Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1942 - October 31 2014              Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1942 with a release date of October 31       2014 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.               The following is a Q-S-T. Several ham radio payloads are lost in a launch       mishap of an Orbital Sciences re-supply mission to the International Space       Station; Indonesia hams may play a part in that nations Ebola prevention       plan; Islands on the Air program to freeze all actions involving the Crimea;       a flea power pico balloon launched down-under is heard in the United States       and Sunspot A R 2192 says a temporary goodbye by sending two more X-class       flares our way. Find out the details are on Amateur Radio Newsline report       number 1942 coming your way right now.                     (Billboard Cart Here)                      **              RADIO FROM SPACE: TWO 70 CM EXPERIMENTAL SATELLITES LOST IN ANTARES LAUNCH       EXPLOSION              Two experimental payloads designed to operate in the 70 centimeter amateur       satellite band have been lost. This, after an Orbital Sciences Antares 130       launch vehicle on a re-supply mission to the International Space Station was       destroyed only a few seconds after it had cleared the launch tower.               The October 28th launch from NASA's Wallops Island Virginia facility at       first appeared to be going smoothly. But at about 8 seconds after liftoff       the Antares booster exploded in a hail of flames and fell back toward its       launch pad.               While there were no full or half duplex ham radio communications satellites       on-board, two of the microsats being carried to the International Space       Station for later deployment were designed to operate as data and beacon       downlinks in the 70 centimeter amateur satellite band.               One was the GOMX-2 which was a developmental concept microsat for aircraft       location. It was to transmit data on 437.250 MHz.               The other was to be the Radiometer Atmospheric Cubesat Experiment known by       the acronym RACE. It was co-developed by a student team at the Texas       Spacecraft Laboratory at the University of Texas in Austin in cooperation       with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This was to       be a technology microsat designed to transmit GMSK coding at 38.4 kilobytes       per second and CW telemetry on a downlink frequency of 437.525 MHz              The primary cargo on the Antares was food and other supplies to restock the       ISS day to day crew needs along with some restricted payload not identified       by NASA or the launch provider. Yet another part of the cargo was material       for scientific projects that included a Houston school's experiment on pea       growth, a study on blood flow in space. News reports say that NASA       officials have already apologized to those students who lost their       experiments. In all, nearly 1,600 pounds of science and research materials       were lost in the launch mishap.              (ARNewsline from published news reports)              **              RESCUE RADIO: INDONESIA HAMS MAY BE CALLED ON IF EBOLA HITS THAT NATION              Ham radio operators in Indonesia could become part of a response team if the       Ebola virus were to hit that nation. This as researchers from a study       program of the University of Gadjah Mada School of Engineering introduce       guidelines for anticipating and preventing the spread of the deadly disease       in that nation.              According to a professor of physics engineering at the college, Indonesia       lacks both the knowledge and the adequate health equipment needed to detect       Ebola early. Using a simulation created for such an event and in cooperation       with the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization and       the Indonesian Red Cross the three will work together to formulate a standard       operating procedure for tackling Ebola infections. This will be submitted to       the governor for his consideration.               According to the Jakarta Post, it is hoped that the proposal could provide       basic guidelines for an Ebola mitigation procedure on the national level.        The complete story can be found at tinyurl.com/hams-vs-ebola-part-1 (Jakarta       Post)              **              RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO AND THE CLEAN-UP FOLLOWING CYCLONE HUDHUD              The big clean-up continues in the wake of powerful cyclone Hudhud which       affected areas along India's Bay of Bengal coastline and ham radio continues       as a part of the effort. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has       the latest:              --              Cyclone Hudhud made landfall on October 12th. The storm packed wind gusts       estimated at up to 135 miles per hour and leaving a path of destruction in       its wake. Some media accounts putting the death toll as high as 46.              Amid the disaster scene ham radio operators worked to maintain the       communications for the public, the government and relief authorities. The       Amateur Radio Society of India National Coordinator for Disaster       communication is Jayu Bhide, VU2JAU. He says the area had trees uprooted,       railway lines blocked and both telephone lines and mobile phone towers       damaged in the area where the storm made landfall.               In his latest report VU2JAU said there were many radio amateurs active on an       emergency response net of 7 dot 145 MHz that was operational 24 hours a day.        Operators included VU3UFX, VU3PLP, and VU2AOR. Assigned to the Sambalpur       area were VU2DPI, VU2SIC and VU2PGU. Now, some three weeks later a group of       radio amateurs continue to assist both relief authorities and the general       public in regions where normal lines of communications have yet to be       restored.               VU2JAU says that while the worst is over for the time being that many       lessons on how to prepare for the next big storm have been learned. As the       National Coordinator for Disaster Communication in India, he plans to visit       the state of Odisha to help make ham radio as fail-safe as is possible during       an emergency. This includes the use of a repeater for VHF hand-held radio       communications.              For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, reporting from       Nelson, New Zealand.              --              The Bay of Bengal is well known for some of the world's strongest killer       cyclones. Meantime, amateur radio operators from West Bengal and Hyderabad       are on alert to establish radio communication in case their help is needed in       the wake of yet another storm. Cyclone Nilofar predicted to hit India about       the time this newscast goes to air. (VK3PC)              **              RADIO POLITICS: IOTA TO FREEZE ALL ACTIONS DEALING WITH THE CRIMEA              The Islands on the Air management has decided that due to the unresolved       political situation in Crimea, it has no course open to it except to freeze       certain actions connected with Crimea for a an initial period of one year.        This, in the routine management of the Islands on the Air program.               This means that it will not accept or issue credit for EU-180 operations       taking place after March 17th 2014 that use a non-Ukrainian callsign. Nor       will it accede to any requests from program participants for update of their       records, changes of callsign and/or checkpoint that involve a change of DXCC       entity.               The Committee says that it will review the situation after one year in the       light of developments.        The original announcement made on October 21st can be read at rsgbiota.org        (G3KMA, IOTA website)              **               DX UP FRONT: VIETNAM BY KM0O NOVEMBER 25 TO DECEMBER 24              In DX up front, word that KM0O will be operational as 3W3O from Vietnam       between November 25th and December 24th. His main activity will be the CQ       World Wide DX CW Contest on November 29th and 30th but expect him to be on       160 and 80 meters before and after the contest. QSL to KM0O direct, via the       bureau or electronically using Logbook of the World. (OPDX)              **              DX UP FRONT: TENERIFE FROM DECEMBER 9 TO JANUARY 8              Also, IK1PMR and PA3LEO will be on the air signing portable EA8 from       Tenerife Island between December 9th of this year and January 8th of 2015.       Activity will be on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via       HB9FKK or each operators home callsign direct or via the bureau. Electronic       QSL's go via Logbook of the World or direct e-mail. (OPDX)              **              BREAK 1              Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,       heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KB5ELV repeater       serving Eire, Pennsylvania.              (5 sec pause here)                     **              PROPAGATION: MORE X-CLASS FLARES FROM SUNSPOT AR2192              Space Weather reports that giant sunspot AR2192 we reported on last week       erupted again at 21:40 UTC on October 24th producing a powerful X3-class       solar flare. A pulse of extreme Ultra Violet radiation from the flare       ionized the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, causing a brief but strong       blackout of High Frequency radio communications over the dayside of Earth.        This was followed by an X 1class flare on Saturday October 25th at 1709 UTC       that had a similar effect.              Coronagraphic data from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory suggest       that the explosions did not hurl a significant Coronal Mass Ejection toward       our home planet. Also of interest is that so far none of the X-flares from       this active region has so far produced a major C-M-E.               Sunspot AR2192 is now approaching the Sun's western limb and by the time       many of you hear this it will be gone for its two-week transit on our home       star's far side. However, the odds of an Earth-directed radiation storm will       remain high for a while. This is because the western limb of the sun is       well-connected to Earth and solar magnetic fields springing out of that       region spiral back to our planet. If a sunspot passing through the area       explodes, those magnetic fields can funnel energetic particles in our       direction. (Spaceweather, Southgate)              **               RADIO LAW: IARU SEEKS TO REIN IN ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE              The International Amateur Radio Union Administrative Council has called upon       all International Telecommunications Union signatory nations to take steps to       ensure that the operation of electrical apparatus or installations of any       kind does not cause harmful interference to amateur radio operations. The       council said new technologies such as wireless power transfer are likely to       be deployed widely in the near future. As such, it expressed a deep concern       that present standards, regulations, and enforcement resources are inadequate       to protect radio services, including amateur radio, from harmful       interference. (WIA News)              **              RESCUE RADIO: FALSE FEMA ALERT MESSAGE ON ATT U-VERSE ON OCT 24              AT&T has confirmed that it accidentally relayed an incorrect emergency alert       message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to its U-verse customers       in parts of Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan and Mississippi.              The alert messages began popping up on screens around 10 a.m. Eastern       Daylight Time on October 24th. Red banners appeared the television screens       of viewers in the affected areas alerting them to stand by for an important       message.               Soon after the incident FEMA spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre stated that there       had been an inappropriate playing of the national emergency alert       notification tones on a syndicated radio broadcast. He went on to state that       there is not a national emergency but that the broadcast triggered alert       notification in states where it had been played. Lemaitre said his agency       was working with the FCC to quantify the scale of the incident. (TechTimes)              **              RADIO LAW: ANOTHER DELAY IN BROADCAST SPECTRUM AUCTION              The Federal Communications Commission has once again postponed an auction       that would allow television broadcasters to sell a portion of their spectrum       to wireless carriers. This, due to ongoing legal issues surrounding the       auction.              Earlier this summer, the National Association of Broadcasters petitioned the       U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review some       aspects of the auction. They stated that they are concerned about the       potential impact that such an auction could have on TV stations.              Gary Epstein is the Chair of the FCC's Incentive Auction Task Force. In a       recent blog post Epstein stated the FCC is confident they will prevail in       court. That said, and given the reality of that schedule, the complexity of       implementation and many other aspects of the auction, the agency now       anticipates accepting applications in the fall of 2015 with an auction start       to take place in early 2016.              This is the second time the auction has been pushed back. It was originally       expected to get under way this year before being delayed until mid 2015.        More is on the web at tinyurl.com/spectrum-auction-delay (TechSpot.com)              **              HAM HAPPENINGS: W9L CELEBRATING VETERANS DAY NOVEMBER 11              Members of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club will operate station W9L       on November 11th which is Veterans Day 2014. W9L will be on the air from       1400 to 2100 U-T-C from the clubs national headquarters in Indianapolis,       Indiana.               The High Frequency operation will take place on 14.275 MHz. There will also       be local participation on 146.46 MHz simplex, the Hamilton County 145.17 MHz       repeater and an interconnection via IRLP node 4816.               Hams who make contact with W9L or shortwave listeners who hear the station       are eligible to receive a full color commemorative certificate. More about       this operation including QSL routing is at www.legion.org/hamradio (KJ9M)              **              HAM HAPPENINGS: KC9HYY/WSL3 COMMEMORATES SINKING OF HMHS BRITANNIC              Special event station KC9HYY stroke WSL3 which will operational in       remembrance of the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the HMHS Britannic.               The Britannic was the third and largest Olympic-class ocean liners of the       White Star Line. She was launched just before the start of the World War One       and soon converted to use as a hospital ship. On the morning of November       21st 1916, the Britannic was shaken by an explosion from an underwater mine       in the Kea Channel and sank 55 minutes later. There were 1,066 people on       board of which 1,036 survived.              Now, in remembrance of this event, callsign KC9HYY stroke WSL3 will be       taking to the ham radio bands from November 21st to the 24th operating 40       through 10 meters using SSB and some of the digital modes. More information       including QSL routing is on QRZ.com under the callsign listing for KC9HYY.        (KC9HYY)              **              HAM HAPPENINGS: CELEBRATION MARCONI EXPERIMENTS FROM YACHT ELETTRA              Also keep an ear open for special event station IY1IEY to be on the air       between November 1st and December 31st to commemorate the experiments       conducted by Gugliemo Marconi from his yacht Elettra between 1919 and 1936.        Operations will be on all of the High Frequency bands including 30, 17 and 12       meters. QSL IK1QBT direct. (OPDX)              **              HAM HAPPENINGS: REGISTRATION FOR ILLW 2015 GROWING              Its not even 2015 yet, but registrations for next August's International       Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend already stand at 75 with nearly half being       from Australia. Others already on the list represent Argentina, Canada,       England, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Puerto       Rico, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States.               It's never too early to register a lighthouse or lightship to take part in       this very popular yearly event. Simply take your web browser to illw dot net       and follow the simple instructions on the page.               And less we forget, the dates of the next International Lighthouse and       Lightship Weekend is August 15th and 16th of 2015. (VK3PC)              **              NAMES IN THE NEWS: INDONESIA INNAUGERATES RADIO AMATEURS AS IT NEW LEADERS              Indonesia's new national leaders are both amateur radio licensees. The ARRL       reports that President Joko Widodo, YD2JKW, holds a General class license.        Vice President Jusuf Kalla, YC8HYK, is an Advanced class licensee. Elected       in July, Jokowi and Kalla were inaugurated on October 20 in Jakarta.        Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy, with a population of       approximately 250 million. (ARRL)              **              NAMES IN THE NEWS: M0PHI NEW CHAIR OF RSGB TRAINING AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE              The Radio Society of Great Britain has announced the appointment of Philip       Willis, M0PHI as the new Chairman of its Training and Education Committee        Willis succeeds Steve Hartley, G0FUW.        (GB2RS)              **              NAMES IN THE NEWS: RADIO AMATEUR RECEIVES IEC 1906 AWARD              International Amateur Radio Union Electromagnetic Compatibility Coordinator       Thilo Kootz, who holds the call signs DL9KCE and AD7IY, has been presented       with the IEC or International Electromechanical Commission 1906 Award. This       award recognizes exceptional and recent achievement related to the activities       of the IEC and which contributes in a significant way to advancing the work       of the Commission. Kootz received the honor for his contributions in       developing the model for radiated emission limits in the frequency range       below 30 MHz. (Southgate)              **              BREAK 2              This is ham radio news for today's radio amateur. We are the Amateur Radio       Newsline with links to the world from our only official website at       www.arnewsline.org and being relayed by the volunteer services of the       following radio amateur:              (5 sec pause here)              **              RADIO NEAR SPACE: AUSTRALIAN FLOATER PICO BALLOON HERD IN THE UNITED STATES              A light weight micro power ham radio floater balloon launched in Australia       has been heard in the United States as we hear from WIA Newsman Graham Kemp,       VK4BB:              --              A party-type Pico balloon carrying a payload was launched from Melbourne on       Saturday October the 18th and tracked to Tamworth News South Wales, between       Sydney and Brisbane.              It was launched by Andy Nguyen VK3YT who says that during that flight solar        powered Pico balloon PS-23 balloon payload was heard on WSPR as far away as       the United States by W8AC James Martin in Ohio.              The tracking of the 25-Milliwatt balloon involved stations in VK1, VK2, VK3,       VK5, VK6, VK7 and ZL1 using Olivia and JT65 on 30m and 20m.              Andy VK3YT says PS-23 landed near Tamworth to be recovered by a team of       Scouts from the local JOTA, lead by Ashley VK2XSO and Ron VK2HRD.              It was launched again on Sunday but this time with Payload number 2 using        JT9. That flight landed in the Tasman Sea on Sunday night.              Andy VK3YT says the tests performed by the two payloads proved the viability       of using JT9 and JT65 types of weak signal digital modes for balloon       telemetry.              For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB, of the WIA News in       Australia.              --              According to VK4BB, both balloons were tracked all the way to ground level       by VK6XT near the city of Perth in Western Australia and ZL1RS in New       Zealand, both of whom are many thousands of kilometers away from where the       launch and the flights took place. (WIA News)              **              HAM RADIO IN SPACE: UK ASTROHAMS CAN USE GB1SS FROM ISS              United Kingdom telecommunications regulator Ofcom has confirmed that the       callsign GB1SS will be made available for issue to UK astronauts who wish to       operate from the International Space Station.               The first British astronaut slated to go on an expedition to the ISS is Tim       Peake who joined the corps in 2009 and hopes to go to the ISS in November       2015. Peake holds the United States callsign KG5BVI and has recently been       training in the use the Ericsson 2 meter handheld radio which is installed in       the Columbus module of the orbiting outpost.              Also hoping to visit the International Space Station but as a space tourist       is entertainer Sarah Brightman. As previously reported she will begin her       official training for a ten day visit early next year but its unknown if she       will take to the ham radio airwaves during her time on-orbit.              The very first United Kingdom astronaut ham was Helen Sharman, GB1MIR who       spent time aboard the Russian MIR space station. While there, Sharman made       contact with radio amateurs around the world including many with students in       school classes. (Ofcom, Southgate, others)              **              SPACE RESEARCH: THIRD MOCK MARS MISSION STARTS IN HAWAII              A small group of individuals will spend next eight months living in an       isolated dome-shaped building on a Hawaiian volcano. The NASA-financed study       is called the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation or Hi-Seas       Mission 3. It has been designed to examine how well a small isolated group       of people can get along and work together.              The study is a precursor for NASA's future manned-missions Mars to take       place in the 2030's. It will be a long journey as it will take astronauts       around six months to reach Mars. They will then spend at least 500 days on       the red planet followed by another six months to get back to Earth. The full       story is at tinyurl.com/hawaii-space-dome. Details of the two past simulated       Mars missions is at tinyurl.com/hi-seas-hawaii. (Uncover Michigan, Carol       Bailey)              **              ON THE AIR: HAM RADIO FALKLAND ISLANDS WWI COMMEMORATION                     The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society is sending an       expedition to the Falkland Islands to coincide with the 100th anniversary of       the WW1 'Battle of Falklands' on December 8th. VP8RAF stroke 100 and VP8FIR       stroke 100 will operate from the Joint Services Welfare Facility Amateur       Radio Station from December 5th through the 9th. Also, all VP8 prefix       stations will be able to use stroke 100 between 1st November and 15th       December 2014 (GB2RS)              **              ON THE AIR: DIGITAL ONLY OPERATION TO CELEBRATE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF NOTED       INDIAN SCIENTIST              And listen out for the special callsign AT1JCB from India between November       21st through December 9th. This in celebration of the birth of Scientist       Aacharya Jagdish Chandra Bose and of his many scientific achievements. This       will be a digital-only operation by VU2EXP using PSK31, PSK63, PSK125, JT65       and other digital modes on 40 through 10 meters. QSL via VU2EXP direct or       electronically using Logbook of the World or eQSL. (VU2EXP)              **              DX              In DX, PG5M has announced that he will be operational as CE0Y stroke PG5M       from Easter Island between November 23rd to the 28th. This will be a       holiday-style operation with further details forthcoming. QSL via his home       callsign direct, via the bureau.               Members of the F6KOP Team and Lyon DX Gang are activating Tromelin Island       between as FT4TA through November 10th. They plan to have 4 stations on the       air for 10 days on 160 through 10 meters using SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via       F1NGP.               Members of the 9M2SE Malaysian Special Expedition Team will be active from       Pangkor Island between 0800 UTC on November 7th and 0100 on November 9th.        Activity will be on 40 through 10 meters using SSB and CW. No QSL       information was provided in the announcement.              UA3IPL will be active as stroke JW from Spitsbergen Island for 4 months       starting October 30th. His operation will be on the High Frequency bands       using slow speed Morse, SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and JT65. QSL via RW6HS direct.              Lastly, G8OFQ will be active stroke HC8 from the Galapagos Islands from July       1st to September 30th of 2015. Operations will be on 160 through 6 meters       but no times or modes have been mentioned. QSL via HA3JB              (This weeks DX news courtesy of the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter)              **              THAT FINAL ITEM: 15 YEAR OLD HAM WORKS CYCLONE HUDHUD EMCOMM              And finally this week, when Cyclone Hudhud swept through the India's city of       Visakhapatnam it took out all normal means of communications. As already       reported, ham radio operators were called on to create a communications       network to fill the void. One of those responding was 15-year-old Tom K.       Jose, VU3TMO. Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB, has his story:              --              Taking time off from school, Tom K. Jose, VU3TMO was stationed in the       emergency response control room set up at Visakhapatnam Police Commission.        There he spent hours collecting messages from other team members spread over       the cyclone affected areas that he passed on to the administrators in charge       of relief measures.               VU3TMO who is a first year student at Little Flower Junior College received       his amateur radio license at the age of 13. Together with the first response       team he operated under adverse conditions, often skipping meals and spending       long hours on the radio, waiting for messages. Some days VU3TMO and the       others in the team handled upward of 500 health, welfare and direct relief       messages directly related to the cyclone.               Tom K. Jose, VU3TMO comes from a ham radio family. According to his page on       QRZ.com, his parents are VU2JOS and VU3LMS, his brother is VU3TNI and his       grandfather is VU2ACN. He is a member of India's National Institute of       Amateur Radio and the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and one of the       youngest active radio amateurs in his nation.              For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, reporting.              --              The complete story of the assistance provided by VU3TMO and the other       volunteers provided in the wake of cyclone Hudhud is in cyberspace at       tinyurl.com/young-cyclone-communicator (The Hindu On-Line)              **              NEWSCAST CLOSE              With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, The Hindu       on-line, the Ohio Penn DX Bulletin, Rain, the RSGB, the South African Radio       League, the Southgate News, TwiT-TV, Australia's WIA News and you our       listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our e-mail address is       newsline (at) arnewsline (dot) org. More information is available at Amateur       Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can       also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue,       Santa Clarita California, 91350..              For now, with Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, at the editors' desk, I'm Jim Davis,       W2JKD, saying 73 and we thank you for listening.               Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.              ***              As a Service to the HAM Radio Community and HAM Operators all over the       world, this Amateur Radio Newline(tm) message has been gated from the       internet and posted to you by Waldo's Place USA, fidonet node 1:3634/12.       We hope you enjoyed it!              Please address all comments and questions to the ARNewsletter editor as       described in this posting. If you have any specific questions related       to the actual posting of this message, you may address them to       hamfdn(at)wpusa.dynip.com.              Thank you and good day!              -73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42       (text/plain utf-8 base64)                      * Origin: (1:3634/12)    |
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