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   ARNewsline poster to all   
   arnewsline   
   28 Aug 15 01:17:04   
   
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1974 with a release date of Friday,    
   August 28, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. Amateur radio comes through in two far-reaching    
   emergencies wildfires in Washington State and in a Great Britain air    
   tragedy. The FCC cracks down on an Ohio ham charged with malicious    
   interference. Tennessee amateurs get ready for their annual QSO Party.    
   And a science museum in India honors ham radio's heyday in the city of    
   Bangalore. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report 1974    
   coming your way right now.   
      
   (Billboard Cart Here and Intro)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAKING NEWS:   
   We begin with breaking news out of Washington State, where the largest    
   wildfires in the state's history have left three dead, consumed more    
   than half a million acres and destroyed at least 200 homes. The fires    
   surrounding the central Washington town of Twisp, where three    
   firefighters died, were considered among the hardest to contain. Amateur    
   Radio Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, spoke with two hams in the Town    
   of Twisp -- Dave Corrigan, KB7SVP, and Police Chief Paul Budrow, KG7PTU    
   - about how a collective of relatively new hams in the police    
   department, working with hams in the community, has allowed residents to    
   help one another by keeping those all-important channels of    
   communication open.   
      
   --AUDIO ONLY--   
      
   Chief Budrow noted too that the town's police department is now entirely    
   made up of licensed ham radio operators.   
      
   **   
      
   AIRSHOW ASSISTANCE:   
   In another example of radio amateurs performing critical services under    
   daunting and dangerous circumstances, a team of British hams stepped in    
   to help restore order and assure public safety after an air show    
   demonstration turned deadly. Fourteen were injured and as many as 11    
   died perhaps more, according to news reports -- after a Hawker hunter    
   aircraft, doing a demonstration for thousands of spectators on Saturday,    
   Aug. 22, crashed into cars traveling on a busy road near the Shoreham    
   Airport grounds. The South Sussex RAYNET group joined with members of    
   the South Kent RAYNET, to assist emergency services, directing people    
   and equipment where needed. The RAYNETS are part of their respective    
   counties Radio Amateur Emergency Network. At the time of the crash, they    
   had already been on site, providing communications support to the    
   event's organizers.   
   (SOUTHGATE, CNN, TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER)   
      
   **   
      
   OHIO HAM CENSURED:   
   Ohio radio amateur Daniel R. Hicks, K-B-8-YOU-Y-Z (KB8UYZ), is being    
   charged by the FCC with malicious interference with other radio    
   operators communications and failure to properly identify, subject to a    
   combined fine of $8,000. The agency said that, beginning last year, the    
   Cincinnati ham's actions disrupted activity primarily on a number of VHF    
   repeaters. The FCC's Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Apparent    
   Liability for Forfeiture on Aug. 20, citing complaints dating to April    
   2014. Tom Delaney, W8WTD, speaking on behalf of the Greater Cincinnati    
   Local Interference Committee, said the interference was initially    
   described as a nuisance but later escalated into racist and obscene    
   remarks. The enforcement bureau's initial investigations did not succeed    
   in locating the source of the transmissions but according to the FCC,    
   ongoing disruptions prompted a return visit some months later and    
   verified Hicks address as the source. The NAL document said the agent    
   heard several recorded messages for about 90 minutes, with the station    
   identifying itself with another licensee's call sign.   
      
   Delaney told the that short transmissions, sent across several    
   repeaters, used he called a "sophisticated" synthesized voice. The    
   proposed fine is $7,000 for malicious interference, with an additional    
   $1,000 for failure to identify properly.   
      
   **   
      
   BOSTON ON THE MOVE:   
   Hams are hitting the road in Boston to assist with two important public    
   events for the benefit of that city's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.   
   The first event, the Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk, steps off on Sunday,    
   September 27. The all-day trek, along the 26-mile route, follows the    
   same path as the Boston Marathon, with hams providing administrative    
   communications as well as emergency communications for medical tents and    
   the sweep vehicles deployed to them. Hams are needed to operate on 2    
   meters and 440. To participate, send an email to Bob at W-A-ONE-EYE-D-A    
   at arrl.net (WA1IDA@arrl.net).   
      
   Just a few weeks later, on Sunday, Oct. 11, the Boston Athletic    
   Association's annual Half-Marathon, which also raises funds for the    
   cancer institute's Jimmy Fund, will set out along the Emerald Necklace    
   in Boston. Amateur radio volunteers are needed to provide communications    
   at medical and water stations until early afternoon. Registration can be    
   done on the athletic association's website. For questions, contact the    
   ham radio team's captain, Brett Smith, of the Boston Amateur Radio Club,    
   A-B-ONE-R-L, (AB1RL), at ab1rl@brettcsmith.org.   
   (BOSTON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE:   
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio    
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the    
   W4WVP repeater of the Arlington Amateur Radio Club of Arlington, Virginia.   
      
   **   
      
   BRIGHT LIGHTS:   
   Registration for International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend can be    
   described in one word: Shining. Organizers say the numbers topped 500    
   this year: A total of 506 registrants from 32 countries took part in the    
   annual event on August 15 and 16, and the greatest participation was    
   seen in England, Australia and Germany. Other nations showing increased    
   growth in participants included Canada, Cuba, Bulgaria, France, Portugal    
   and Scotland.   
      
   In the United States alone, there were 70 lighthouses and lightships    
   registered for the event. Thirteen sites were registered from Cuba,    
   which has been normalizing its relations with the United States.    
   Although the numbers were good, organizers said that 2014 was still the    
   best year, when 544 entrants signed up to operate.   
   The next Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend will be held on August 20 and    
   21 in 2016. The event is off to a good start: It already has 30    
   registrations.   
   (ARRL)   
      
   **   
      
   TENNESSEE SET TO PARTY:   
   Tennessee is ready to get this party started, and on Sept. 6 and Sept.    
   7, all antennas around the world will be rotated in the direction of    
   that state or so the hams there have been hoping. The Tennessee QSO    
   Party, organized by the Tennessee Contest Group, operates in CW, phone    
   and digital modes as well as VHF/UHF. And yes, there will be party    
   favors. The contest group awards plaques and certificates for different    
   categories, as well as magazine subscriptions and even radio kits. For    
   more information visit the QSO party's website at tnqp.org   
      
   **   
      
   RELIVING HAMS HEYDAY IN INDIA:   
   India's world class science museum, the Visvesvaraya (VIZ-VEZ-VER-AYAH)    
   Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore, is marking its 50th    
   year with special exhibits, one of which pays tribute to ham radio's    
   popularity in that city. In addition to new displays of a meter gauge    
   steam locomotive engine and Nobel Prize milestones, the museum devotes    
   space to the history of amateur radio in India. The museum has had a    
   radio station on the premises since the 1970s, when licensed amateurs    
   were a rapidly growing community in the region, and many hopeful hams    
   took classes, and then their licensing exams, at the museum.   
      
   The display includes transmitters and other equipment that is now    
   considered hard to come by. Museum curator Madan Gopal tells the    
   Bangalore Mirror the acquisition of those radios was quite a feat for    
   its time. "Back then, even to import an international magazine on    
   science took at least three months and we had to seek several clearances    
   from the government. You can only imagine how hard it was to import a    
   transistor."   
      
   The museum, which is part of India's Ministry of Culture, draws 1    
   million visitors annually.   
   (BANGALORE MIRROR)   
      
   **   
      
   HOMEBREW SWEET HOMEBREW:   
   Elsewhere in India, hams from the South India Amateur Radio Society were    
   marking a historic first: Hams from the South India Amateur Radio    
   Society gathered on Aug. 22 and 23 for a home-brewers meetup and field    
   day at the YMCA Camp in Yelagiri, not far from the capital city of    
   Chennai. The focus was on home-brewing but activities eventually moved    
   into a night of chasing DX using some of the hams own home-brew    
   antennas. There was also a bit of Elmering, with the help of Dev Rama    
   Prabhu, VU2DEV, from Bangalore.   
      
   Two home-brews projects were in the spotlight: OM Prabin, VU3MJF, from    
   Bangalore, shared the creation of his transmitter and another ham from    
   Bangalore, OM Sudhindra Rajaurs, VU3PWT, spoke about the automation    
   system he designed and built.   
   Of course, the gathering wasn't complete without at least one more    
   important project befitting the occasion: a good strong cup of tea    
   home-brew, of course.   
   (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)   
      
   **   
      
   WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?:   
   With this month already gone, the ARRL is already looking toward next    
   August, specifically to spark new interest in its August UHF Contest.    
   The ARRL's Ad Hoc Subcommittee on VHF and Above Revitalization is asking    
   the amateur community to suggest ways to boost involvement in the annual    
   late-summer competition and want input no later than October 1. The    
   committee is seeking details about hams involvement on the UHF/VHF bands    
   and thoughts on how to increase participation in the contest. Submit    
   ideas, suggestions or other comments via email to    
   V-H-F-DASH-INPUT-AT-ARRL-DOT-ORG (vhf-input@arrl.org)   
      
   **   
      
   THE POLITICS OF RADIO:   
   Election season is in high gear in the ARRL's Northwestern Division,    
   where both the current director and vice director face challengers.    
   James Pace, K7CEX, presently the director from Centralia, Washington, is    
   being challenged by William Balzarini, KL7BB, of Auburn. Meanwhile, Vice    
   Director Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ, of Sheridan, is facing rival Delvin    
   Bunton, N7QMT, from Vancouver, Washington. The election is for the term    
   running from 2016 to 2018. Ballots will go into the mail on Oct. 1 to    
   all division members in good standing as of Sept. 10. Only paper ballots    
   will be used. Winners will be announced on Nov. 20. All other remaining    
   division office-holders were unchallenged and have been declared    
   re-elected.   
   (ARRL)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE:   
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio    
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the    
   W7TA repeater of the Sierra Nevada Radio Society, high atop the Grand    
   Sierra Resort Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada.   
      
   **   
      
   HUNGARY PUTS 5MHz TO THE TEST:   
   Hungarian radio amateurs can now apply for permits to operate in the    
   band from 5350 kHz to 5450 kHz, on a secondary basis. The National Media    
   & Infocommunications Authority, Hungary's telecommunications register,    
   is granting the three-month permits largely for propagation research,    
   with support from the Hungarian National Amateur Radio Society.   
      
   The temporary permits, which are renewable, permit power of as much as    
   100 watts with a maximum bandwidth of 3kHz. Although the permits are    
   issued by the telecommunications register, hams apply through the    
   amateur radio society, which is coordinating the details. The band    
   already has a CW beacon at 5357 kHz, using the call sign H-A-7-S-OH    
   (HA7SO).   
   (SOUTHGATE ARC NEWSLETTER)   
      
   **   
      
   THE WORLD OF DX:   
   Pedro, OH-N-7-W-P (ON7WP), has been operating as C5WP in Buntu, Gambia    
   where he is working with the private charity group, Smile Gambia,    
   supporting a small remote village in the central part of the nation. He    
   is focusing on WARC band operation but will also be active on 6 meters.    
   He is hoping for 40 and 80 meters as well until he concludes his    
   operations on Sept. 1. QSL directly to his home address in Belgium.   
      
   David F-ZERO-C-R-S (F0CRS) and Freddy F-FIVE-EYE-R-O (F5IRO) will be in    
   French Guyana for the next four months, active on the HF bands, CW and    
   PSK. Both operators can be sent QSL cards via F5KIN.   
      
   The Manx Kippers will be on the air from the Isle of Man, on 80 through    
   10 meters, during SSB Field Day on Sept. 3 and 4, using the call sign    
   G-D-ZERO-E-M-G-SLASH-P (GD0EMG/P). If time permits, they will try to be    
   active on 30 meters as well. Send cards to M-ZERO-B-E-W (M0BEW).   
      
   The Amateur Radio Club at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm    
   is marking its 50th anniversary and using a special call sign for the    
   event. They will take part in the Scandinavian Activity Contest on SSB    
   from Sept. 24 to Sept. 25 using the call sign SA50L. QSLs should be sent    
   via S-K-ZERO-B-U (SK0BU)   
      
   Alan Rovner, K7AR, is heading to Rarotonga Island (IOTA OC-013) where he    
   will be on the air from Sept. 24 to Sept. 29 as E-FIVE-ONE-A-A-R    
   (E51AAR). He will be on 80 meters through 10 meters, participating in    
   the CQ Worldwide RTTY contest on Sept. 26 and 27. Send QSLs via his home    
   call sign, K7AR, Logbook of the World, or the Online QSL Request System.   
      
   K2HVN returns to Iceland, and is operating as TF/K2HVN between Aug. 31    
   and Sept. 7, holiday style. He'll be on 30 meters through 10m, using CW    
   and SSB. Send QSL cards via his call sign. He is not accepting Logbook    
   of the World or eQSLs.   
   (OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER, DXCOFFEE)   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: 10 YEARS AFTER KATRINA;   
   As this newscast goes to air Hurricane Katrina was coming ashore in    
   Buras, LA and later on the Louisiana-Mississippi border exactly 10 years    
   ago.  It was a storm that claimed, by some estimates, at least 2,000    
   lives, and forever changed the shape of life for tens of thousands more,    
   including mine.  We lived in Chalmette, about a 10 minute drive from the    
   New Orleans Superdome in 2005.  I evacuated my family to Little Rock,    
   Arkansas for what we thought would just be a long, unscheduled weekend    
   trip, like so many other storms before. Two weeks later we departed for    
   our then-weekend home in Picayune, Mississippi, 50 miles northeast of    
   New Orleans.  That has been our home for the last 10 years.  While in    
   Little Rock Bill Pasternak asked me to file a report.  He said just say    
   what you want.  I picked up a microphone and just started talking.  No    
   script, no editing, just my thoughts while the flooding was unfolding.     
   There was no cell service, only this new fangled thing called texting.    
   Finding satellite maps online was tedious at best, but I had a Yaesu    
   FT-817 that I had bought just the week before at the Huntsville    
   Hamfest.  That little radio allowed me to get on the local repeaters    
   and, more importantly, listen to what was happening back in New Orleans    
   and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  Here is that report:   
      
   -AUDIO ONLY-   
      
   I don't mind telling you that it's a bit surreal listening to that again    
   after 10 years.  Something I don't want to go through again. So, in    
   closing, I'd like to thank all the ham radio operators, first responders    
   and everyone around the country and around the world who put their lives    
   on hold and traveled down to the Gulf Coast to help with the rescue and    
   the rebuilding.  It was a team from Canada that made it to my house, way    
   before the local folks got there.  And to the great people and radio    
   amateurs of North Little Rock, thank you.  We will never forget how you    
   made us feel welcome.   
      
   **   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE   
   With thanks to Alan Labs, the ARRL, the Bangalore Mirror, the Boston    
   Amateur Radio Club, CQ Magazine, CNN, DX Coffee, DXWorld, Hap Holly and    
   the Rain Report; LIDS, the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter; Southgate Amateur    
   Radio News, TWiT TV, QRZNOW and you our listeners, that's all from the    
   Amateur Radio Newsline.  Our email address is newsline@arnewsline.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,    
   CA 91350.   
      
   For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,    
   and our news team worldwide, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW in New Orleans,    
   saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2015. 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 7bit)   
      
      
    * Origin: (1:3634/12)   

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