Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1995, January 22, 2016   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1995 with a release date of Friday,    
   January 22, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. New leaders are chosen at the ARRL. Australian    
   hams prepare for a national celebration. CW enthusiasts get a whole    
   month devoted to code. And teamwork on a cold Florida night keeps the    
   homeless warm. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1995    
   coming your way right now.   
      
   (Billboard Cart Here and Intro)   
      
      
   **   
      
   DON/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast boasting a bit of pride for the    
   home team: At the ARRL's recent board meeting in Connecticut, the    
   organization gave leadership roles to two hams who were past winners of    
   Amateur Radio Newsline's Young Ham of the Year award. Amateur Radio    
   Newsline's Amanda Alden, K1DDN, has all the election news:   
      
   [AMANDA's REPORT]:   
      
   The Annual ARRL Board Meeting took place on January 15 and 16th of this    
   year. The board held several important elections during the meetings.   
      
   Some of the results made our Newsline team extremely proud. Amateur    
   Radio Newsline's 1997 YHOTY recipient, Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, was    
   elected as Vice President of the ARRL. Mileshosky was currently serving    
   as the Rocky Mountain Division Director and to fill his shoes in that    
   role is Vice Director Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, who will become the new Rocky    
   Mountain Division Director.   
      
   When Brian was asked how he felt about his newly elected position, he    
   had this to say: We YHOTY kids are sure causing some good trouble...   
      
   AR Newsline's 2004 YHOTY recipient Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, was elected    
   by the board to another term as Director on the ARRL Foundation. Andrea    
   was not available for a statement before press time.   
      
   n other election news: With ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN stepping    
   down after 3 terms, a new president and several other officers have also    
   been elected during the annual board meeting. Rick Rodererick K5UR,    
   previously the First Vice President has been elected as the next    
   President for the ARRL.  Greg Widin, K0GW, previously the Dakota    
   Division Director was elected as First Vice President Filling Widin's    
   previous position as Director is Kent Olson, KA0LDG The board also    
   re-elected the following officers:   
      
   International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB;Chief Financial    
   Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, and  ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan    
   Price, N4QX. The Board also elected one new member to the Executive    
   Committee, which can act on the behalf of the Board between its two    
   yearly meetings in January and July. Delta Division David Norris, K5UZ,    
   will replace New England Division Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, on the    
   panel. The other Board members are Hudson Division Director Mike    
   Lisenco, N2YBB; West Gulf Division Director Dr David Woolweaver, K5RAV;    
   Pacific Division Director Bob Vallio, W6RGG, and Great Lakes Division    
   Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK. ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold    
   Kramer, WJ1B, also was attending his final meeting in an official    
   capacity. Kramer retires on March 1 after about 10 years at ARRL    
   Headquarters. Still to come is the announcement of a successor to ARRL    
   CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ who is retiring this spring after 44 years on the    
   ARRL Headquarters staff.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Amanda Alden, K1DDN   
      
   [DON]: Best of luck to everyone in the challenging term ahead. And to    
   Brian and Andrea, we'd like to remind you both that we're all glad to    
   have known you "way back when."   
      
   **   
      
   FLORIDA HAMS AND NON-HAMS GET TEAMWORK DOWN COLD   
      
   Speaking of teamwork, a recent dip in the temperatures showed a group of    
   hams and non-hams that cross-training isn't just for athletes. On    
   Monday, Jan. 18, when Florida temperatures plummeted, Hendry County    
   Florida Emergency Management deployed workers to two cold weather    
   shelters on either side of the huge county. They included Andrew Frame,    
   WD4RCC and his wife, Brandi, as well as Frank Harris Sr., WA4PAM. Both    
   Frank and Andrew are EM Reservists as well as hams. All the while, EM    
   Director Brian Newhouse, KJ4WIC, transported supplies, the area's    
   homeless and did troubleshooting.   
      
   With local municipal support, the hams, working with a trained group of    
   non-hams, kept things running smoothly, according to Andrew Frame. He    
   credits the recent emphasis on cross-training county emergency service    
   responders and radio amateurs. And he said, this cold snap was the first    
   test of how well that cross-training across multiple disciplines really    
   worked. He said QUOTE"it put everyone more or less on the same page, or    
   at least the same chapter in the book."ENDQUOTE   
      
   One of the next stages in cross-training: getting the Community    
   Emergency Response Team volunteers ready for their Technician license exam.   
      
   (ANDREW FRAME, WD4RCC)   
      
   **   
      
   TAPPING INTO STRAIGHT KEY ACTION   
      
   DON: If you think all the New Year's CW action has taken a short,    
   seasonal break, guess again. The Straight Key Century Club is keeping    
   the excitement of Straight Key Night going strong, right through the    
   month of January. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG,with    
   the details:   
      
   [NEIL RAPP'S REPORT]:   
      
   January is turning out to be a key month, in more ways than one, for The    
   Straight Key Century Club. The club's annual month-long event, K-THREE-Y    
   (K3Y), got underway on January 2 and continues through January 31. But    
   this year it also marks the 10-year anniversary for this club of CW    
   enthusiasts. The Straight Key Century Club was founded in 2006 following    
   the ARRL's Straight Key Night event that same year.   
      
   The on-air party is an invitation to all hams to experiment with their    
   Morse Code skills, using straight keys, bugs, and side swipers. K3Y    
   operators will be working stations in each of the U.S. call areas, and    
   there will be other stations in each of six IARU continental regions    
   using call signs with KH6, KL7 and KP4.   
      
   QSL cards and, of course, sweep certificates, will also be available.   
      
   By the way, there's no need to RSVP to this party - just get on the air.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, in Bloomington, Indiana.   
      
   (STRAIGHT KEY CENTURY CLUB)   
      
   **   
      
   THE UK'S NEWEST RECORD-SETTERS   
      
   Speaking of CW, there is reportedly a new record in distance for CW    
   contacts in the UK, as reported on Southgate Amateur Radio news by the    
   hams who say they've accomplished it: Ian Lamb, G8KQW, and John Hazell,    
   G8ACE. claim to have set a new UK distance record for Code on 134 GHz.   
      
   The record-breaking contact is said to have occurred on January 16, with    
   the two amateurs  utilizing a line-of-sight path from Chute Causeway    
   near Andover, all the way to Cheesefoot Head near Winchester.   
      
   The distance covered? 35.6 kilometers, which is a little more than 22    
   miles. The previous UK record on 134 GHz was 19.2 km, and had been set    
   by G8KQW and G8ACE on September 20, 2015.   
      
   (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)   
      
      
   **   
   A FIRST FOR A CW CONTEST   
      
   And one more bit of news for CW enthusiasts, especially those who are    
   proud to have a competitive edge. The UK and Ireland Contest Club will    
   have its first annual DX CW Contest on January 23 and January 24 - a    
   24-hour competition that starts at noon, local time, on Saturday.   
      
   UK and EI districts are multipliers, as are other DXCC countries on each    
   band from 80 to 10m. The exchange is your Serial and 2-character    
   District Code. Hams competing in EI and UK districts will need to know    
   their district codes, which are listed in the rules at ukeicc.com.   
      
   The contest will NOT have an exchange. Good luck!   
      
      
   (IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTER SOCIETY)   
      
   **   
      
   BANQUET TICKETS GOING FAST   
      
   You may not be hungry for dinner right now but it pays to plan ahead.    
   Especially if you're planning to enjoy the banquet on Saturday Feb. 13    
   at the ARRL National Convention at the Orlando HamCation in Florida.    
   Tickets are still available but the cutoff date is Jan. 31. The evening    
   banquet's keynote speaker will be ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, who is    
   retiring this spring. Master of Ceremonies will be ARRL's Southeastern    
   Division Director Doug Rehman, K4AC.   
      
   Both the convention and HamCation will offer a menu of other events    
   beyond the banquet. But the dinner gathering is going to be a big deal,    
   so you need to plan. So reserve now: Banquet tickets, like the banquet    
   itself, will be all gobbled up soon.   
      
   (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    
   KB9WSL repeater in Rochester, Indiana, following Thursday's 7 pm weekly net.   
      
   **   
      
   PRELUDE TO AN AUSTRALIAN PREFIX   
      
   DON: It's not that Australian hams will be having an identity crisis on    
   January 26. It's just that they'll be celebrating Australia Day. So that    
   means something special happens to their call signs. Amateur Radio    
   Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, explains:   
      
   GRAHAM:   
      
   That's not a call sign - THAT's a call sign! VK........to AX!   
      
   Happy Australia Day - well, almost.   
      
   The national celebration of culture and country - not to mention    
   fireworks - arrives Tuesday, January 26 this year, and with this feeling    
   of patriotism comes an opportunity for radio amateurs to make history    
   too. On Australia Day, they get to substitute their callsign's VK prefix    
   with AX. And it's done automatically.   
      
   Thus, as national flags fly and barbecues are lit, hams will be raising    
   the banner of this special prefix, just as they will get to do again    
   later this spring -- both on ANZAC Day, April 25 and International    
   Telecommunications Day, May 17.   
      
   The Australian Communications and Media Authority automatically grants    
   amateurs use of the prefix for the duration of the celebration.   
      
   Australia Day, Jan. 26, marks the First Fleet's landing in Australia and    
   the establishment of a settlement at Port Jackson - Sydney Harbor- as    
   Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag in 1788.   
      
   And, as before, it will also be a day for amateurs worldwide to try for    
   a special QSL card bearing the commemorative prefix.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB or -- on Jan. 26, AX4BB   
      
   (WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA)   
      
      
   **   
   LUXEMBOURG HAMS HONOR ROYALTY   
      
   Another special call sign - this one in Luxembourg - is being activated    
   through June to mark the 95th anniversary of His Royal Highness the    
   Grand Duke Jean of Luxenbourg.   
      
   Some members of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Union will be working as    
   LX1AM on single sideband and as LX1EA and LX3X in digital modes.   
      
   There is a special QSL card that will be sent via the Bureau. QSOs will    
   also be confirmed on LoTW and eQSL.   
      
   For more details, visit QRZ.COM.   
      
      
   (QRZ.COM)   
      
   **   
   MAKING IT IN MUNICH   
      
   Ham radio is romancing the tinkerers and the Makers again -- this time,    
   in Germany. The Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club, Germany's nat ional    
   nonprofit radio organization, took its place at a Maker and Hacker event    
   in Munich earlier this month in an attempt to capture the imagination    
   and creativity of the more than 7,500 attendees.   
      
   The two-day hobbyist fair, known as Make Munich, is a major    
   do-it-yourself festival where lovers of technology and tinkering with    
   technology stretch their dreams in new directions. According to a report    
   on DARC's webpage, which quotes Markus Heller, DL8RDS, the group's booth    
   attracted numerous inquiries about amateur license courses and exams.    
   The same report noted that many visitors signed the DARC guestbook, and    
   included the call sign they already had - even from their home    
   countries, such as the U.S. and Finland.   
      
   (SOUTHGATE ARC and MAKE MUNICH)   
      
   **   
      
   10 DAYS OF CONTESTING IN IRAN   
      
   The first Iranian ham contest kicks off on February 1 and runs to    
   February 11, marking the 37th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic    
   revolution. The contest's goal is simple: Organizers want to encourage    
   and increase new contacts with Iranian hams, and they're placing a    
   special emphasis on DXing. Find the action on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters,    
   in Single Side Band, RTTY and CW modes. QSL cards and certificates will    
   be available.   
      
   For further information, send an email to epcontest-dot-2016@gmail.com    
   (that's epcontest.2016@gmail.com)   
      
   (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)   
      
   **   
   WORLD OF DX   
      
   The Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club will participate in SOS Week and    
   activate during the last two weekends in January. Club members, using    
   the call sign, MN-ZERO-VFW (MN0VFW) will be operating on HF, VHF and UHF    
   bands.   
      
   Gene, N9SW, will be active from January 28 to Feb 9 as FJ/N9SW from St.    
   Barthelemy. He will work holiday style on 40-6 meters, mainly in CW. QSL    
   via his home callsign.   
      
   Stig, SM3PHM, is working as J79M from Dominica, holiday style, until    
   February 3rd. He is working CW only. QSL via SM3PHM.   
      
   And finally, Thilo, DL9NBJ, is working from Curacao beginning Jan. 19    
   through Feb. 9, using the call sign PJ2/DL9NBJ. He will work both Single    
   Side Band and CW on the HF bands. QSL only via ClubLog's OQRS.   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: NEW HAM CONTACT   
      
   DON: And finally, we ask you to recall your first QSO as a new ham.    
   Well, there's a teenager in the UK who will probably never have trouble    
   remembering hers. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, ends our    
   newscast with this story:   
      
   JEREMY:   
      
      
   Things could not have been more exciting for students at the Sandringham    
   School in Hertfordshire, England, earlier this month. During a week-long    
   Space Festival being held at the school, the 11- through 19-year-olds    
   learned about space and space travel, attended rocket workshops, heard a    
   spacecraft engineer's presentation, and even participated in an amateur    
   radio build-a-thon.   
      
   But just when the students thought they'd heard it all - those talks    
   about Mars and discussions about cosmonauts - they tuned into 145.800    
   MHz and heard something completely different. Operating with the call    
   sign, GB1SAN, reached out and contacted GB1SS, astronaut Tim Peake,    
   aboard the International Space Station.   
      
   And that's when things truly couldn't get anymore exciting: Jessica    
   Leigh, a Year 10 pupil, was the first student to talk to the astronaut    
   during the QSO on the 8th of January.   
      
   But it was a first for Jessica in another way. The Sandringham student    
   is a newly qualified amateur, having just passed her Foundation class    
   exam right before Christmas. Her call sign is M6LPJ.   
      
   And so Jessica's classmates not only got the thrill of a chat in space,    
   but in witnessing a launch.In this case, it was the launch of one of the    
   UK's newest amateurs, Jessica Leigh. And, needless to say, she was    
   flying high.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in the UK.   
      
   (ARRL, EHAM.NET)   
      
      
      
   **   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; DX.NET;    
   Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitter Society; Make    
   Munich; the Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ.COM, Southgate Amateur Radio    
   News; Straight Key Century Club; TWiT TV; Wireless Institute of    
   Australia; 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 Picayune,    
   Miss.,saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.   
      
      
   ***   
      
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   Thank you and good day!   
      
   -73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42   
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