Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1954 February 27 2015   
      
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1954 with a release date of Friday,   
   February 27th, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
      
   The following is a QST. Ham radio responds as a pair of tropical cyclones   
   hit Australia; the FCC and the Food and Drug Administration look the future   
   of medical remote electronics; printed FCC issued ham licenses come to an   
   end; stunning images received from the latest ISS slow scan television   
   experiment and the nominating period opens for the 2015 Amateur Radio   
   Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award. Find out the details on Amateur Radio   
   Newsline report number 1954 coming your way right now.   
      
      
   (Billboard Cart Here)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   RESCUE RADIO: HAM RADIO RESPONDS AS TWO CYCLONES HIT AUSTRALIA   
      
      
   Hams down under offered up a quick response after a strong cyclone came   
   ashore. Here is Graham Kemp VK4BB with more;   
      
      
   [GRAHAM:] Amateur Radio volunteers with Australia's Central Queensland   
   Amateur Radio Association called up emergency response nets on both the High   
   Frequency and VHF bands in the wake of category 5 cyclone Marcia that came   
   ripping ashore the weekend of February 20th. After making landfall, Marcia   
   swept across Queensland state leaving 1,500 homes damaged, while downing   
   trees and power lines. Upward of 50,000 residents were without electrical   
   mains power and the cyclone also interrupted several normal lines of   
   communications including telephone service. Also impacted was the Optus   
   wireless mobile network in some cyclone affected areas of Queensland.    
      
      
   Ham radio was quick to respond with volunteers from the Central Queensland   
   Amateur Radio Association reported active on 40 meters at 7098 KHz and on 2   
   meters. At the same time, several Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network   
   or WICEN groups were on stand-by alert to assist emergency responders if   
   called on to do so. The nature of traffic being passed was not specified.    
      
      
   News reports say that Marcia which packed winds of up to 155 miles an hour   
   when it made landfall was one of two cyclones which hit northern Australia   
   within hours of one another. The first was tropical cyclone Lam. It impacted   
   remote communities in the Northern Territory near Elcho Island, some 300   
   miles east of the city of Darwin. Cyclone Lam was soon downgraded to a   
   tropical depression.    
      
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB reporting from   
   Queensland, Australia.   
      
      
   [JIM:] If there is any good news out of all of this, it is that no deaths   
   were reported as a result of either storm, but clean-up efforts and the   
   restoration of electricity in a number of storm ravaged areas will likely   
   take some time. (VK3PC, sunshinecoastdaily.com, gizmodo.com)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   REGULATORY: FCC AND FDA TO HOLD JOINT WORKSHOP ON USE OF WIRELESS MEDICAL   
   DEVICE TEST BEDS   
      
      
   The Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration   
   will join forces on March 31st to host a public workshop on the role of   
   wireless medical test beds and their influence on the development of   
   converged medical technology for clinical and non-clinical settings. We get   
   more on the story from Heather Embee KB3TZD:   
      
      
   [HEATHER:] A wireless test bed is an environment where devices can be   
   evaluated across a range of interference scenarios. As the rapid pace of   
   innovation blurs traditional boundaries between consumer health technology,   
   medical devices, and communications, the two agencies seek to better   
   understand how wireless test beds can be used and configured to meet the   
   challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities this convergence   
   presents. Consumers are increasingly using wireless health and care   
   management tools at home and the emergence of the hospital in the home   
   concept opens new areas of medical technology innovation that must take into   
   account the need for wireless devices to co-exist.   
      
      
   The workshop is another step in the ongoing Federal Communications   
   Commission and Food and Drug Administration collaboration in promoting   
   innovative medical technologies and is being organized by the Connect 2   
   Health FCC Task Force, the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, and the   
   F-D-A Center for Devices and Radiologic Health. Topics may include the need   
   for and scope of wireless medical device test beds, an overview of current   
   public and private test bed programs and initiatives, a discussion of ideal   
   features, functions and gaps of such programs, and how best to drive   
   innovation and safe co-existence of wireless medical technologies.    
      
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD in Burwick,   
   Pennsylvania.   
      
   [JIM:] Since exact spectrum that might be used to implement some of these   
   wireless medical test beds is not yet a part of the discussion, the way in   
   which decisions made at this and any future gatherings might impact on bands   
   assigned to use by amateur radio cannot be speculated. But with all spectrum   
   from DC to light under intense scrutiny by numerous interests it will be   
   important for the political leaders of the ham radio community to keep a   
   close eye as this issue. (Adapted from FCC Press Release)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   RADIO LAW: NO MORE PRINTED AMATEUR RADIO LICENSES BEING ISSUED BY FCC   
      
      
   In case you have not yet heard, waiting to receive your ham license in the   
   mail is now a thing of the past, unless you have specifically requested it.   
   As of February 17, the FCC stopped routinely issuing paper license documents   
   to amateur licensees, noting that inclusion in the Commission's online   
   database has for several years been the official record of a ham's   
   authorization to operate.   
      
      
   Amateur radio licensees may print out official copies as well as unofficial   
   "reference copies" of their licenses via the FCC's Universal Licensing System   
   database or may request the issuance of a paper document.   
      
      
   In its commentary filing while the matter was in its proposal stage, the   
   ARRL had asked that new licensees continue to receive paper licenses, along   
   with instructions on how to set up their Universal Licensing System accounts   
   for future license renewals and upgrades. But the FCC declined, saying   
   applicants or licensees who include e-mail addresses with their applications   
   will receive an official electronic authorization via e-mail. '   
      
      
   The Commission says the change will save it over $300,000 a year. (CQ)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   HAM RADIO IN SPACE: STUNNING IMAGES RECEIVED FROM ISS SSTV   
      
      
   The latest International Space Station Slow Scan Television transmissions   
   have already produced some great pictures!   
      
      
   [DON:] According to a posting on the AMSAT Bulletin Board, Greg Dolkas,   
   KO6TH, of Auburn, California, says that he never received a clearer SSTV   
   picture from anywhere, let alone outer space.   
      
      
   The transmitter on the ISS uses 5 kHz deviation FM. If your radio has   
   selectable FM filters make sure you choose the wider setting designed for 20   
   or 25 kHz channel spacing, usually marked FM or FM Wide. Most newer FM   
   transceivers contain this feature. The Slow Scan mode used PD180, with a   
   three minute off time between transmissions.   
      
      
   At least a dozen different images depicting Yuri Gagarin who was the first   
   human to orbit Earth were transmitted on 145.800 MHz during this test.   
   According to Clint Bradford, K6LCS, also writing on the AMSAT Bulletin Board,   
   receiving SSTV from the ISS really can be simple. Bradford noted that for his   
   first time ever, he simply fired up a $3 iOS application and held his iPod   
   Touch near a Yaesu FT-60R's speaker. That in turn let him download one of the   
   images from the ISS.    
      
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW in South Mississippi.   
      
      
   [JIM:] Pictures received so far by radio amateurs world-wide can be viewed   
   on-line at tinyurl.com/february-ariss-sstv. This is a stunning display of the   
   best that Slow Scan Amateur Television has to offer. (Southgate, AMAT-BB,   
   spaceflightsoftware.com)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   DX UP FRONT: EI8A FROM IRELAND MARCH AND APRIL   
      
      
   IN DX up Front, word that ON4EI will be in Ireland from March 2nd through   
   the end of April where he will use the call EI8GQB, He will also be on the   
   air as E-eye-one-A during the ARRL International DX SSB, the Russian DX and   
   CQ World Wide contests. QSL's go direct or via the bureau. For electronic   
   QSL's file via Logbook of the World. (OPDX)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   DX UP FRONT: VK2IAY/9 FROM LORD HOWE ISLAND IN DECEMBER   
      
      
   And G0UIH who also holds the callsigns VK2IAY and 3D2FE will be operating   
   holiday-style from Lord Howe Island as VK2IAY/9 from December 16th to the   
   23rd. He plans to use SSB only on 20, 17, 15 and 10 meters, although other   
   bands could be added. On returning to Australia in January of 2016 there is a   
   good chance of him activating other Islands on the Air references, although   
   nothing has yet been confirmed. A special QSL sponsored by Vortex Antenna   
   Systems will be available in early 2016. QSL is via G0UIH direct or via the   
   bureau. (Southgate)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   BREAK 1   
      
      
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,   
   heard on bulletin stations around the world including the KD2SL repeaters   
   serving Syracuse, New York.    
      
      
   (5 sec pause here)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   WITH NEWSLINE; NOMINATING PERIOD OPEN FOR 2015 YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR AWARD   
      
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline is seeking nominations for its 2015 Young Ham of the   
   Year Award. For consideration, a nominee must have used amateur radio in some   
   way that has benefited his or her community or encouraged technological   
   development directly or indirectly related to communications.    
      
      
   Nominees must be 19 years or younger, and reside in the United States   
   including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, or any of the Canadian Provinces..   
   The individual must also hold a currently valid United States or Canadian   
   Amateur Radio license.   
      
      
   This award is not a contest. The person selected as Young Ham of the Year is   
   judged on his or her overall accomplishments and contributions. Any prizes   
   awarded are secondary in nature.    
      
      
   For example, a youngster whose only claim to fame is that of being licensed   
   as an extra at age 5 would not necessarily be judged as having made a   
   significant contribution to the Amateur Radio Service. On the other hand, a   
   14 or 15 year-old Technician running a Net during a major disaster or whose   
   experimentation has advanced the state of the art in science or technology   
   would definitely be given consideration.   
      
      
   The deadline for submitting an application is May 30th 2015 and the decision   
   of the judging committee is final. To obtain an application, send a self   
   addressed, stamped envelope to 2015 Young Ham of the Year Award c/o Amateur   
   Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Ave. Santa Clarita, CA 91350. You can also   
   download a form in Microsoft Word format at www.arnewsline.org/yhoty/ and   
   clicking on the word "here." Instructions on what documentation is required   
   and how to file is included on the nominating form. (ARNewsline)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   ENFORCEMENT: FCC SAYS NO TO VENUES BLOCKING WI FI HOTSPOTS   
      
      
   The Federal Communications Commission has issued an Enforcement Advisory   
   stating that venues blocking Wi-Fi in hotels is unequivocally prohibited.   
   Stephan Kinford N8WB has more:   
      
      
   [STEPHAN:] In its release, the regulatory agency said that its Enforcement   
   Bureau has seen a disturbing trend in which hotels and other commercial   
   establishments block wireless consumers from using their own personal Wi-Fi   
   hot spots on the commercial establishment's premises. As a result, the Bureau   
   is protecting consumers by aggressively investigating and acting against such   
   unlawful intentional interference.    
      
      
   The statement issued in late January is a definitive one that leaves no room   
   what so ever for interpretation, It bluntly states that persons or businesses   
   causing intentional interference to Wi-Fi hotspots are subject to enforcement   
   action.    
      
      
   As previously reported, in October of 2014 the FCC fined Marriott $600,000   
   for blocking customers personal Wi-Fi hotspots at a Nashville, Tennessee,   
   branch. Although Marriott paid the fine it also filed a request for   
   rulemaking with the commission, asking that Wi-Fi blocking be permitted.   
   Marriott's reasoning was that it could better manage the security of its own   
   network if it blocked unauthorized Wi-Fi broadcasts.    
      
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephan Kinford N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio.   
      
      
   [JIM:] The entire FCC order is at tinyurl.com/p67lveu   
      
      
   (FCC)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   RESCUE RADIO: WASHINGTON DC MAYOR ORDERS FIRE RADIOS OPERATE UNENCRYPTED   
      
      
   Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered the D.C. fire department to   
   stop encrypting its emergency radios. The order came on February 12th in the   
   wake of the deadly smoke incident aboard a Metro train last month, but the   
   mayor said that the order was not in reaction to the incident.   
      
      
   Metro officials and firefighters had stated previously that there were   
   communication problems. According to the firefighters union, the encryption   
   system played a part in those issues.    
      
      
   However, Mayor Bowser's administration says that the radio system was under   
   review before her inauguration weeks before the incident at Metro. But the   
   radios came under intense scrutiny when firefighters at the scene of the   
   incident inside the Metro station couldn't communicate with crews above the   
   ground. The radio communications are now open to the public, according to the   
   mayor's spokesperson. (EMSI, other published news reports)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   EDUCATION: MOUSER TEAMS WITH TI TO SPONSOR INNOVATION CHALLENGES FOR   
   UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING STUDENTS    
      
      
   Mouser Electronics has announced that for the third year in a row the   
   company will sponsor Texas Instruments Innovation Challenge European Design   
   Contest. This is a competition to encourage engineering students in specific   
   parts of the world to submit design projects that utilize Texas Instruments   
   technology. First prize is $10,000 with the second place winner receiving   
   $5000. Prizes will be awarded to the best entries as determined by the   
   judges.    
      
      
   The contest is open to individuals and teams of up to five undergraduate and   
   graduate students at all accredited universities in Europe, the Middle East   
   and Africa. To compete, students must use two or more Texas Instruments   
   analogue ICs and a Texas Instruments Processor in their design project.   
   Entries will be judged on five criteria. These are originality and creativity   
   of design, real world application, level of engineering analysis, usage of   
   Texas Instruments ICs and processors and a working demonstration of design in   
   a video.   
      
      
   Mouser is also sponsoring the Texas Instruments Innovation Challenge North   
   American Design Contest. This competition which has similar rules is open to   
   students at all accredited universities in Canada, Mexico and the United   
   States including Puerto Rico. It has a $10,000 first prize, a $7500 second   
   place prize and a $5000 third place award. Complete information on the North   
   American competition including an on-line registration form and a video   
   explaining the contest is on the web at   
   tinyurl.com/mouser-ti-innovation-challenge (Power Systrems Design)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   ON THE WEB: NEW INTERVIEW ABOUT CQ MAGAZINE ON HAM RADIO NOW   
      
      
   "CQ Comes Clean" is the title of a video interview conducted at the recent   
   Orlando Hamcation by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, of Ham Radio Now with the magazine's   
   editor Rich Moseson, W2VU. In it, Moseson very candidly talks about the   
   current status of CQ explaining the publication problems the company has   
   faced, and what's being done to catch up on delivery of the print edition of    
   the magazine.    
      
      
   [W2VU] "We are this close to getting ourselves on schedule. We do encounter   
   a new obstacle every now and then that throws us back a step but we are   
   reaching closer as we go there."   
      
      
   Moseson and Pearce also delve into the problems facing virtually every   
   publication attempting to enter the digital world.   
      
      
   [W2VU] "It's been a very challenging year. Its a tough time tough time to be   
   in the publishing business. Nothing of whats going on is unique to us. Its an   
   experience that's being shared by publishers of magazines being published all   
   over the place.    
      
      
   "So its a very tough time to be in the magazine business. Print is having   
   its difficulties but digital isn't really catching fire to compensate for it   
   both in terms of people wanting to read magazines on their digital devices or   
   in terms of advertisers wanting to advertise in a digital only format."    
      
      
   [Jim] The two also discuss those now coming into amateur radio and finding   
   ways to try and get them to try other aspects of the hobby other than the   
   singular interest that brought them in.    
      
      
   The interview runs just a bit over an hour and is episode 190 at the Ham   
   Radio Now website. The direct link is tinyurl.com/CQ-video-update. (HRN,   
   Southgate)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   HAM READING: FREE CQ-DATV 20 MAGAZINE OUT NOW   
      
      
   The latest issue of the free electronic amateur television magazine CQ-DATV   
   is now available. Included in the latest issue are articles dealing with DATV   
   on 2 meters, Known DATV DX Records, SSB with a 10 GHz Low Noise LNB amplifier   
   plus the latest DATV news. To download your copy simply go to   
   tinyurl.com/cq-datv-20, (Southgate)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   RADIO EDUCATION: HAM RADIO SATELLITE TUTORIAL VIDEOS RELEASED   
      
      
   David Casler, KE0OG, has released a series of tutorial videos for the US   
   Extra class license two of which cover amateur radio satellites. The first   
   deals with Orbital Mechanics and the second covers the radio aspects of   
   amateur satellites. You can see these and all the others on-line at   
   tinyurl.com/dave-casler-video (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)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   HAM HAPPENINGS: SOUTH EAST VHF SOCIETY CONFERENCE IN APRIL   
      
      
   The 2015 Southeastern VHF Society conference will be held April 24th and   
   25th at the Morehead State University Space Science Center in Morehead,   
   Kentucky. Conference registration form, hotel information, call for papers   
   and other information can be found at svhfs.org. (W4KXY)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   HAM HAPPENINGS: UK 6 METER GROUP CREATING GLOBAL 6 METER REPEATER LIST   
      
      
   The United Kingdom Six Meter Group is expanding its current 6 meter repeater   
   list to include 50 MHz repeaters operating anywhere in the world. As such, it   
   is looking for a volunteer in each nation that permits 6 meter amateur radio   
   operations to gather this information and collate such a list for their   
   country. Once completed, the information should be sent by e-mail to G8FXM at   
   webmaster (at) uksmg (dot) org. More is on line at uksmg.org/landing.php   
   (G8FXM)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   HAM HAPPENINGS: K5B TO COMMEMORATE BATAAN DEATH MARCH   
      
      
   Special Events Station K5B will be in operation on March 22nd. This   
   operation will be for the 26th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon   
   event and held at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The event   
   honors the victims and survivors of the Bataan Death March that took place in   
   the Philippines during World War II and will operate from several different   
   locations in the Las Cruces area. More information is available on the web at   
   www.bataanmarch.com http://www.bataanmarch.com/ (WB4AEJ)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS: FCC CHAIRMAN TOM WHEELER TO ADDRESS 2015 NAB SHOW    
      
      
   Some names in the news. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will speak at the 2015   
   National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, on   
   Wednesday, April 15th His address will take place from 9 to10 a.m. local time   
   where Wheeler is expected to provide insight into the FCC's policy and   
   regulatory objectives related to broadcasting, technology and communications   
   law generally. Tom Wheeler became the 31st Chairman of the Federal   
   Communications Commission in November of 2013. (Broadcast Quarterly)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS: RECORD HOLDING US ASTRONAUT HAM RENEWS LICENSE   
      
      
   Astronaut Michael Fincke, KE5AIT recently renewed his Amateur Radio license   
   through February 18, 2025. Fincke served on ISS Expedition 9 from April 18th   
   to October 23rd of 2004 as well as Expedition 18 that began on October 12,   
   2008 and ended April 8th 2009. His last venture into space was on the STS-134   
   flight of the space shuttle Endeavor. That mission ran May 16th to June 1st,   
   2011 and delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics   
   Carrier to the International Space Station. As such, at 381.6 days, KE5AIT   
   currently holds the American record for the most time in space. (ANS,   
   Wikipedia, NASA)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   NAMES IN THE NEWS: N1UL TO RECEIVE I.I. RABI AWARD FROM IEEE   
      
      
   And congratulations to Dr. Ulrich Rohde, N1UL, on his being named by the   
   Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to receive the prestigious   
   I. I. Rabi Award for 2015. The award recognizes outstanding contributions   
   related to the fields of atomic and molecular frequency standards, and time   
   transfer and dissemination. Dr. Rohde, who is the chairman of Synergy   
   Microwave Corporation and President of Communications Consulting Corporation,   
   will receive the Rabi Award at the 2015 Joint Conference of the IEEE   
   International Frequency Control Symposium and European Frequency and Time   
   Forum, held April 12th through the 16th in Denver, Colorado. (IEEE, ARRL)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   RADIO FROM SPACE: JPL PLANS 2401 MHZ LUNAR RANGING EXPERIMENT MARCH 3   
      
      
   NASA's Pasadena, California-based Jet Propulsion Lab will transmit a narrow   
   band signal at about 2041 MHz to illuminate a spot on the moon probably   
   centered on the Tycho crater. The experiment will take place early in the   
   morning of March 3rd between about 06:30 to 09:00 UTC.   
      
      
   JPL will be transmitting about 20 kilowatts from a 34 meter aperture   
   antenna. They are planning to have three distinct transmission modes. Two   
   will be a CW carrier, and a third will include a PN ranging code on the   
   signal, probably changing every 45 minutes. The signals should be easy to   
   detect with even a small receive antenna. (ANS)   
      
      
      
      
   **   
      
      
   ON THE AIR: ERITREA PROJECT 2015 FROM MARCH 6 To 17   
      
      
   On the air, the SEISA Foundation for Global Children has announced that its   
   next operation will be Eritrea Project 2015. As part of this project, the   
   group will conduct a DXpedition from Asmara, Eritrea, from March 6th to 17th.   
   A multi-national team consisting of Team Leader Zorro Miyazawa, JH1AJT, and   
   eight other operators will use four transceivers with ACOM amplifiers.   
   Antennas will be beams on the higher bands with verticals on 160 through 30   
   meters. Their callsign will be assigned on their arrival in Asmara. QSL's go   
   via M0URX. (JA1TRC)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   DX   
      
      
   In DX, A Uruguay DX Group will be operating from the Red Cross Headquarters   
   in St. Maarten as PJ7C through March 9th. Activity will be holiday style with   
   2 stations running 500 watts into 3 elements plus 1/4 wave verticals on lower   
   bands. Modes will be CW and SSB, and on 80 through10 meters. QSL via the   
   operations manager EB7DX.    
      
      
   HB9EBT will be active as D44TEG from Tarrafal, Sao Tiago Island between   
   March 15th to the 27th. Operations will be on 40 through 10 meters CW only.   
   QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the bureau.    
      
      
   NL8F will be active stroke from HP3AK QTH in Chiriqui, Panama through March   
   9th. Operations will be on the High Frequency bands only. QSL via K8NA    
      
      
   WS5K is active as PJ4F from Bonaire until March 15th. Activity is on the   
   various HF bands. QSL via M0URX or electronically using Logbook of the World.    
      
      
   (This weeks DX news courtesy of the Ohio Penn DX Newsletter)   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   THAT FINAL ITEM: VOA RADIOGRAM HAS BROADCAST ITS 100TH PROGRAM   
      
      
   And finally this week, if you just happen have access to an older analog   
   shortwave broadcast transmitter and are wondering what to do with it, just   
   ask the Voice of America. That's because its found a novel use of one of its   
   own and created a program for it as we hear from Kim Andrew Elliott, KD9XB:   
      
      
      
      
   [KIM:] VOA Radiogram has broadcast its 100th program. VOA Radiogram is an   
   experimental Voice of America program on which digital text modes familiar to   
   amateur radio are transmitted on a 50-year-old analog AM shortwave broadcast   
   transmitter in North Carolina. The half-hour show is on the air four times   
   each weekend.   
      
      
   The idea is that shortwave radio can be used to communicate text and images   
   when the Internet is disrupted by dictators, disasters, or other factors.   
      
      
   In the early weeks of VOA Radiogram, digital modes were tested side by side,   
   including the various flavors of BPSK, QPSK, MT63, Olivia, and Thor. Reports   
   have been received from shortwave listeners and radio amateurs throughout   
   Europe and North America, as well as Latin America and Asia, and even from   
   New Zealand, 14000 kilometers from the transmitter.   
      
      
   Ultimately, it was MFSK that worked best on the shortwave broadcast   
   transmitter. Specifically, MFSK32 so far provides the best combination of   
   speed, 120 words per minute, and performance under typical shortwave   
   reception conditions. Furthermore, MFSK can be used to transmit images as   
   well as text.   
      
      
   Digital text works on any existing shortwave transmitter, with no   
   modifications necessary. And it can be received on any radio, including cheap   
   portables with no sideband capability.   
      
      
   The results show that digital text via analog shortwave transmitter often   
   results in 100 percent copy even in conditions where voice broadcasts are   
   difficult to understand. Digital text via analog shortwave has even been   
   effective against jamming.   
      
      
   For more information about the program, including the transmission schedule,   
   visit the website voaradiogram.net.    
      
      
   For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kim Andrew Elliott, KD9XB, in Arlington,   
   Virginia.   
      
      
   [Jim]: Again, the website for more information about VOA Radiogram is at   
   voaradiogram.net.   
      
      
   **   
      
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE   
      
      
   With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT, the ARRL, CQ Magazine, the FCC, 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, for producers Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF in Los Angeles and Skeeter   
   Nash, N5ASH in Topeka, plus our news team world wide, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW,   
   in Charleston, West Virginia, saying 73 and as always we thank you for   
   listening.    
      
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline is copyright 2015 and all rights are reserved.   
      
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   world, this Amateur Radio Newline(tm) message has been gated from the   
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   We hope you enjoyed it!   
      
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   Thank you and good day!   
      
   -73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42   
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