Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1984 November 6 2015   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1984 with a release date of Friday,    
   November 6, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. A new White House report urges better    
   preparedness for geomagnetic storms. A radio amateur in upstate New York    
   works QRP to activate a marshland. The Philippine Amateur Radio    
   Association marks its 83rd year. And in separate preparedness exercises,    
   hams in Arizona, as well as South Africa, prove they can step in when    
   disaster strikes. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report    
   1984 coming your way right now.   
   (Billboard Cart Here and Intro)   
      
   **   
      
   CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS? SUPERSIZE ME!   
      
      
   [STEPHEN/ANCHOR]: We begin this week's newcast with a far-reaching White    
   House report on geomagnetic storms. It seems that hams aren't the only    
   ones concerned with damaging effects of coronal mass ejections. Now the    
   Obama Administration is formally saying: Be prepared. Amateur Radio    
   Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA, tells us more:   
      
      
   [BOBBY:] When massive solar flares -- known as coronal mass ejections --    
   disrupt the ionosphere, it spells loss of the bands for amateur    
   operators, who can be certain of disastrous QSOs or, more likely, no    
   QSOs at all. But those three letters - C-M-E - actually spell out a more    
   wide-ranging loss - a worldwide immobilization that the White House    
   recently deemed worth bracing for.   
      
   Late last month, the Obama Administration released contingency plans    
   that define roles everyone would play - from the largest federal agency    
   to the smallest local business - in the event a geomagnetic storm    
   strikes with epic magnitude.   
      
   The official gameplan was drawn up following officials' extensive study    
   of the so-called Carrington Event, a CME that ruptured global    
   communications in 1859 by exploding telegraph lines around the world.    
   Now, with so many nations electrified and connected by technology and    
   various intricate power grids, the impact of a similarly supersized CME    
   could have even more impact, knocking out satellites, GPS measurements    
   and stranding civilization in a world without an operating infrastructure.   
      
   Clearly, this is not solely the stuff of science fiction: The most    
   recent instance, on a small scale, occurred Sept. 28. An intense solar    
   flare erupted over South America, with the resulting UV radiation    
   creating a temporary blackout in low-frequency radio communications.   
      
   Exactly one month later -- on Oct. 28 -- the Obama administration    
   released its completed plans - the National Space Weather Strategy and    
   the National Space Weather Action Plan. And with that release came the    
   announcement of a global strategy for agencies, nonprofits and    
   individuals everywhere to cooperate and communicate. The release of the    
   plans comes a week or so before the Military Auxiliary Radio System's    
   simulated blackout exercise with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and    
   Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service between Saturday, Nov. 7 and    
   Tuesday, Nov. 10. Timing, it seems, is everything.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA, in Jasper, Alabama.   
      
      
   (DIGITALJOURNAL.COM, WHITEHOUSE.GOV BLOG, SPACE.COM)   
      
   **   
      
   ARTS, CRAFTS & QSOS IN ARIZONA   
      
   The Hassayampa Amateur Radio Klub - and yes, they spell "club" with a    
   "K" - is busy preparing for its HARKFEST, a tailgate hamfest in the    
   North Ranch Escapees RV Park in Congress, Arizona, on Nov. 14. For those    
   who can't wait for the fun to start at 8 a.m., when the four-hour    
   hamfest opens, organizers note that there is camping available with full    
   hookup, provided you pre-register. The hamfest will have an arts and    
   crafts show and lunch will also be available. And oh yes, there'll be    
   plenty of amateur radio gear and banter. Talk in on the club's 2-meter    
   repeater or on simplex at 146.580 MHz. For more details, visit the    
   club's website at http://harkaz.org   
      
      
   **   
      
   IN ARIZONA, QUESTIONS ABOUT QUAKES   
      
   A more serious effort got underway throughout Arizona on Wednesday, Nov.    
   4, with a statewide Arizona Ham Radio Exercise known as HAMEX. The    
   first-ever drill was designed to help radio amateurs understand their    
   communication roles when disaster strikes their various communities. But    
   the forces of nature may have conspired to drive that point home with an    
   even stronger hand, however, after a series of minor earthquakes rumbled    
   through the region just north of Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 1 - a    
   few days before HAMEX was schedule. The trio of quakes was considered    
   rare, of course, but radio amateurs were taking no chances.   
      
   Morgan Hoaglin, WW7B, communications coordinator with the Arizona    
   Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, and the Division of    
   Emergency Management, said the three real earthquakes, however small,    
   were certainly a surprise, considering the HAMEX mock disaster being    
   staged was also centered around an earthquake. He told Amateur Radio    
   Newsline QUOTE"This exercise caused us to make ready many many amateur    
   radio modes such as HF, VHF, UHF, WinLink, FLMSG, FNARS and VHF Packet.    
   We plan to make sure we keep all of the flexibility we display here for    
   the future."ENDQUOTE   
      
   He said 65 hams in Arizona and another 10 working HF out of state were    
   involved in the exercise and that the diversity of modes, both voice and    
   data, proved to be the greatest strength of the exercise.   
      
   And yes, more such drills are planned for the year ahead. As for its    
   importance of the Nov. 4 HAMEX, Hoaglin expected no one would question    
   its value or success: QUOTE:"With the actual Arizona earthquake taking    
   place a few days prior, we certainly did not have to justify the    
   realities or feasibility of the exercise."ENDQUOTE   
      
      
   **   
   CAREERS IN HAM RADIO   
      
   Sometimes, ham radio is more than just a hobby - in fact, it can be a    
   career. Consider these openings now available for qualified radio    
   amateurs looking to make the most of their talents, skills, interests    
   and professional development.   
      
   In Australia, the Wireless Institute of Australia is looking for an    
   executive administrator in its Bayswater, Melbourne location. Applicants    
   should be experienced in working for a nonprofit, community-service    
   membership organization and should have a good understanding of the WIA    
   and amateur radio. The deadline to apply for the job is Nov. 30. For    
   more details on specific job requirements, visit seek.com or the WIA    
   website, http://www.wia.org.au   
      
   In the United States, the ARRL is looking for a contest branch manager    
   to work out of league headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The ideal    
   candidate should have a minimum of five years experience in ham radio    
   contesting, and will be responsible for a team of about 20 log    
   adjudicators, results authors and data entry assistants, in and out of    
   the headquarters building. For more details about the job and    
   qualifications, visit the ARRL website and navigate to the Employment    
   Opportunities page.   
      
   And finally, if you're aiming high, really high, the ARRL is looking for    
   a new Chief Executive Officer to succeed David Sumner, K1ZZ. Sumner is    
   stepping down as CEO next May, and applications for his successor are    
   due no later than Nov. 16. The active radio amateur who is chosen for    
   this position will, among other things, oversee the day-to-day    
   management of the league and its fiscal operation. Applications, cover    
   letters and resumes should be sent to Monique Levesque at ARRL    
   headquarters. She can be emailed at mlevesque@arrl.org   
      
   (ARRL, WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA)   
      
   **   
      
   MY FAVORITE MARSH-MAN   
      
   [STEPHEN KINFORD/ANCHOR]: The Hamlin Marsh Wildlife Management Area in    
   New York's Adirondack region holds many things in its vast acreage of    
   wetland: aquatic birds, frogs, deer and various grasses. But it holds    
   something even more for one Syracuse area ham: endless radio    
   possibilities. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, has the    
   details:   
      
      
   [DON]: Since earlier this year, Steven Mussi, KD2ETP, has believed he    
   could enter the upstate New York wetland known as Clay Marsh and find    
   solid footing for a QRP adventure. So Sunday, Nov. 8, will find Mussi    
   canoeing out across the swampy landscape, climbing ashore on some    
   hospitable patch of land, and setting up his Elekraft KX3 and his two    
   antennas. His one-man special event is called Marshes On The Air. And    
   his goal is to work the bands, starting on 40 meters, logging as many    
   contacts QRP as possible until sundown. He told Amateur Radio Newsline,    
   in a recent phone call, that he has another goal too, one he's had since    
   getting his license three years ago: He said QUOTE"I want to do some    
   things that haven't been done, to go to places that are kind of    
   inhospitable."ENDQUOTE   
      
   Mussi is no stranger to the wildlife management area near his New York    
   home. He grew up near Onandaga Lake and has been part of an effort to    
   restore its cleanliness. He's also no stranger to off-the-beaten-paths    
   of radio transmitting: Last February, when it was 15 degrees below with    
   wind chill, he was heating up the airwaves from an ice shanty on that    
   very same lake, transmitting in an expedition he called FLOTA, for    
   Frozen Lakes On The Air.   
      
   For Mussi, these outings - like ham radio itself - are about opening up    
   the fun and the possibilities -- options as vast and promising as the    
   airwaves themselves. He says: QUOTE "Everyone climbs a mountain in some    
   park and that's great, I have done some SOTA work, but I think there are    
   other areas that might be interesting. Going off the beaten path just    
   requires a little more effort."CLOSE QUOTE  Effort, yes, and a lot more    
   imagination. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, in    
   Picayune, Mississippi.   
      
   BREAK HERE:   
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio    
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the    
   KD2SL repeaters and KC2VER 145.31 Fusion Digital Repeater in Syracuse,    
   New York, on Monday Nights at 8.   
      
   (5 second pause)   
      
   **   
      
   SOUTH AFRICA DRILLS FOR DISASTER   
      
      
   [STEPHEN/ANCHOR]: When a few dozen hams in South Africa were cut off    
   from civilization late last month, they had a few things going for them:    
   they had their radios and their antennas, propagation was terrific and,    
   it was, after all, an exercise to prepare for the real thing. Jeremy    
   Boot, G4NJH, has the details:   
      
   [JEREMY]: The Hamnet Summer Communications Exercise held in late October    
   in South Africa was such a total disaster - just as everyone had hoped -    
   that it proved to be a total success. Disaster was the whole idea, in    
   fact, since the 60 or so participating hams, working in teams, had    
   committed to operating their field stations in remote locations while    
   living off the grid, as if some cataclysm had struck. All activities,    
   including cooking, lighting and of course, radio communications were    
   done under simulated emergency conditions. But the 16 stations across    
   South Africa, and in Namibia, benefitted from fortunate propagation    
   conditions and the experiment went forward on Oct. 24 and 25 as planned.    
   To communicate, stations contacted one another via random two-word    
   messages transmitted over channels instead of specified frequencies,    
   comparing the results later.   
   Grant Southey, Z-S-ONE-G-S (ZS1GS), the exercise's principal organizer,    
   said the teams would be submitting reports about their experiences -    
   what worked for them and what didn't - and all participants can expect    
   to receive a questionnaire to help fine-tune procedures in time for the    
   next event. After all, next summer is only a year away. For Amateur    
   Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, in the UK.   
      
   (SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE, SOUTHGATE)   
      
   **   
      
   83 YEARS OF HAM RADIO   
   The Philippine Amateur Radio Association is marking its 83rd anniversary    
   with a celebration on Nov. 29 at the Marikina Polytechnic College.    
   Fox-hunting, license exams, lectures, demonstrations and even the    
   group's first-ever Ham Radio Go-Kit contest will round out the all-day    
   celebration for the national nonprofit group. The keynote speaker will    
   be JoJo Vicencio, DU1VHY, National Traffic System Chairman and PARA's    
   Secretary General.   
   One of the day's highlights will be the introduction of the Go-Kit    
   Contest, highlighting the need for emergency preparedness in the    
   Philippines, for typhoons and other disasters. Pre-registration for this    
   contest is required and forms can be downloaded from the website,    
   www.para.org.ph   
      
   **   
      
   NATIONAL PARKS COME ALIVE   
      
   The ARRL National Parks On The Air event is less than two months away,    
   marking the park service's centennial. But in the Australian state of    
   Victoria, national parks are getting ready to be activated Friday, Nov.    
   13 through Monday, Nov. 16 by hams pursuing the Keith Roget Memorial    
   National Parks Award.   
      
   The Roget Award, created in 1970, was created to spur amateurs to engage    
   in portable operations throughout Victoria's 45 national parks - from    
   French Island National Park to Wyperfeld National Park. It is made    
   available through Amateur Radio Victoria and is named for the late Keith    
   Roget, VK3YQ, a noted portable operator.   
      
   (www.amateurradio.com.au)   
      
   **   
      
   AUSTRALIAN HAMS ARE PUT ON NOTICE   
      
   Meanwhile, also in Australia, there's also a bit of license bookkeeping    
   to be done. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has been    
   sending revalidation letters to that country's amateurs 90 days before    
   their licenses are due to expire. The process allows licensees to check    
   their details, or modify them, or even surrender the license, if they    
   wish. The letters or emails to the hams will include the ACMA license    
   number but will not contain any individual callsigns.   
      
   Hams are advised that, if all the information in the mailing is correct,    
   and the license is not being surrendered, there is no need to take    
   action except to pay for renewals of any licenses, where appropriate.   
      
   Hams are advised to check with the ACMA to ensure their postal address    
   or email address is current. Otherwise, the ACMA warns, a license could    
   be cancelled and an amateur's callsign could be re-assigned to another ham.   
      
   The ACMA can be emailed at info@acma.gov.au   
      
   **   
      
   FROM POLAND TO NORTH KOREA   
      
   Polish radio amateur Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, who received permission to    
   operate in early 2016 from the Democratic People's Republic of North    
   Korea is busy preparing for his trip to what is the most elusive and    
   most wanted DXCC entity. His plans are to travel to the capital,    
   Pyongyang, in December and firm up his operation's guidelines with    
   officials there. He will be bringing his rig and a vertical antenna to    
   show them. He has been approved to operate with the callsign P5/3Z9DX on    
   three bands, using 100 watts. His goal is to concentrate on 20 meter    
   operation, working SSB, over the course of five days, but he may also    
   work 15 and 10 meters. Such an operation would be a major achievement    
   for any ham. The last DXCC-approved operation from North Korea was in    
   2001 and 2002. Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, of the Republic of Georgia worked    
   SSB and RTTY as P5/4L4FN. Giorgadze had been in the country at the time,    
   working for the UN's World Food Program in Pyongyang.   
      
   (ARRL, DXNEWS)   
      
   **   
      
   THE WORLD OF DX   
   Henning, O-Z-ONE-B-I-I (OZ1BII), will be active as 9H3EE from Malta    
   between Nov. 24 and 30th. He will work 160 through 10 meters with an    
   emphasis on 30/17/12 meters using CW only. He will also participate in    
   the CQ WorldWide DX CW Contest on Nov. 28 and 29th, working a    
   Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via OZ1BII or ClubLog.   
      
   Toshi, JA8BMK, is active as 4W/JA8BMK from Timor Leste until Nov. 9,    
   working 80 and 40 meters, using mainly CW. QSL via JA8BMK direct only.   
      
   Marking the National Rifle Association's 144th birthday, members of the    
   Yavapai Amateur Radio Club of Prescott, Arizona, will operate a special    
   event station November 17th. The operators will be at Gunsite Academy's    
   2,000-acre campus in Paulden, Arizona, using the callsign K7NRA. They    
   will work several HF frequencies and offer a certificate for successful    
   contacts. Send a QSL with a 9 x 12 stamped, self-addressed envelope to    
   YARC, P.O. Box 1199, Prescott, Arizona 86304.   
      
   Yuriy, N2TTA, will once again be active as NP2P during the CQWW DX CW    
   Contest on Nov. 28 and 29th as a Single-Op/All-Band/ Low-Power entry.    
   QSL via LoTW. During the same contest, Alfredo (Al), WP3C, will be    
   active as NP4A from Puerto Rico as a Single-Op/Single-Band (40m)/    
   High-Power entry. QSL via W3HNK.   
      
   (OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER)   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: THE ULTIMATE CHAT   
   Since late October, students in the ham radio club at Bloomington High    
   School South in Bloomington, Indiana have been able to do a bit of DXing    
   a little differently. There's no QRN  -- and there are QSL cards either.    
   The youngsters and their club have been starring in a 7-minute video    
   about their ham radio club, K9SOU. The video is a segment of a program    
   produced each week by the school's Mass Media Class and even though    
   Indiana is not on the DXCC list, anyone, near or far, can see the club    
   in action on YouTube.   
      
   In the video, the teens, including club president Ryan Cutshall, KD9DAB,    
   talk about their involvement in the hobby. And the video shows the young    
   hams working October's ARRL School Club Roundup. It was during that same    
   busy month that the students also participated in the CQ WorldWide SSB    
   DX contest.   
      
   The club's sponsor, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, told Amateur Radio Newsline that    
   the DX contest was a first for the club, which Rapp reawakened from its    
   dormancy in 2002 when he moved to Bloomington to teach AP Chemistry at    
   the school. He said the school is an ARRL Education & Technology Program    
   school, and that's how the club got its first station. Rapp adds:    
   QUOTE"The kids fundraised a 2 element SteppIR antenna a couple of years    
   ago, and our contesting efforts really blossomed."ENDQUOTE   
      
   The students have blossomed too. Last year's winner of the Young Ham of    
   the Year Award was Padraig Lysandrou, KC9UUS, who also received the ARRL    
   Goldfarb Scholarship, the Hiram Percy Maxim award, and spoke at the    
   Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum. And that's just for starters. Being a ham    
   runs in the family too. For the past two years, his younger sister,    
   Maria, KD9BUS, has been vice president of the Bloomington South club.   
      
   There are not quite 30 members in the club, Rapp says. But interest    
   continues to grow.   
      
   As does listenership and now, viewership. It seems that since the video    
   posted online, the club can do a bit of DXing on its own anytime it    
   wants, via YouTube. To see the video, visit our Amateur Radio Newsline    
   website and look for the link below this story. Best of all, you won't    
   have to worry about any pileups.   
      
      
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lczx3-E2Gjo   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE   
   With thanks to Alan Labs, AMSAT; Amateurradio.com Australia; the ARRL,    
   CQ Magazine, DXWorld, Hap Holly and the Rain Report; NASA, the Ohio-Penn    
   DX Newsletter; Ron Panetta, WB2WGH; Philippine Amateur Radio    
   Association; South African Radio League; Southgate Amateur Radio News,    
   Tony Hart, KC2VER; TWiT TV, QRZNOW, UPSTATEHAM.COM, and you our    
   listeners.  Our email address for news tips and comments is    
   arnewslinetips@gmail.com. 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, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WBX, in Wadsworth, Ohio, with Caryn Eve    
   Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our   
   news team worldwide 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   
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