<*>[Attachment(s) from James KB7TBT included below]   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2044, December 30 2016   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2044 with a release date of Friday,   
   December 30, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST.  Hams respond to the typhoon the Philippines. Radio   
   Australia begins its shortwave shutdown -- and we talk to possibly the oldest   
   continuously operating phone net. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline   
   Report 2044 comes your way right now.   
   	   
   **   
   BILLBOARD CART   
      
   **   
   HAMS RESPOND TO SUPER TYPHOON IN PHILIPPINES   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with an update on amateur   
   involvement in the deadly Super Typhoon Nock-Ten, a deadly Category 4 storm   
   that raged through the Philippines at Christmas, killing at least six and   
   stranding thousands. The Philippines Amateur Radio Association activated its   
   Ham Emergency Radio Operations Network at the approach of the storm, which   
   caused mudslides, flooding and power interruption in five provinces.   
      
   The hams kept communications open using both HF and VHF radios as the storm   
   made landfall repeatedly. Authorities tuned into the emergency net where   
   amateurs sent them damage reports. Our thoughts are with them all as the   
   nation begins the recovery process.   
      
   (ARRL)   
      
   **   
   RADIO AUSTRALIA ENDING SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS   
      
   NEIL: It's the end of an era in shortwave for one Australian broadcaster.   
   Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.   
      
   GRAHAM: There's only one month left in the lifetime of shortwave broadcaster   
   Radio Australia's transmissions in the Pacific. The broadcasts, which are in   
   the 31, 25, 19 and 16 meter bands, are expected to cease on Jan. 31, 2017.   
      
   The Australian Broadcast Corporation said in a news release that the decision   
   was consistent with the broadcaster's desire to expand its digital content   
   offerings and phase out technology that is no longer current. Other Radio   
   Australia programming will continue to be available via satellite and   
   streaming services.   
      
   The broadcaster's decision to drop shortwave was recently challenged by   
   Senator Claire Moore of Queensland, a member of the Australian Labor party.   
   Moore, who is Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific,   
   is concerned that this decision will have a negative impact on Australia. She   
   recently expressed particular concern about what the absence of Radio   
   Australia would mean during cyclones if other nations' broadcasts do not step   
   in to fill the void. There were also reports that the public was being   
   encouraged to press for a reversal through a petition on Change.org urging   
   the Australian government to cancel the decision.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.   
      
   (ABC.NET.AU)   
      
   **   
   NO WALK IN THE PARK   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: One Arizona ham radio club is staging a demonstration in two   
   local parks, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins KE5CXP.   
      
   MIKE: The Queen Creek Amateur Radio Club is hoping for maximum participation   
   by radio amateurs and maximum engagement with visitors during its public park   
   event on January 7th in Mesa, Arizona.   
      
   The club is calling it "Radio Under Sun Shade," and also "Radio In The Park,"   
   and there are two locations where club members will be operating at portable   
   stations:   
      
   Dennis, KF7RYX, will be at the ballfield pavilion behind the Queen Creek West   
   Stake Center near Hawes Road and Ocotillo Road. Doug, WB7TUJ, will be in   
   Emerald Park in Mesa.   
      
   According to the club, this isn't just a demonstration but an open invitation   
   to anyone interested in trying out ham radio - and even getting on the air.   
   Hams will be on 2 meters simplex as well as  40 meters, trying to make as   
   many contacts as possible using solar and other off-the-grid power.   
      
   Visitors are welcome to join them from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.   
      
   **   
   SILENT KEY: ALAN HEATHER  G0PQA   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: As the old year ends, another notable veteran ham has become a   
   Silent Key, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.   
      
   JEREMY:  Alan Heather G0PQA, a longtime radio amateur whose radio contacts   
   included King Hussein of Jordan JY1 and Helen Sharman GB1MIR, the UK's first   
   astronaut, has died.   
      
   Alan was the author of a biography of Oliver Heaviside, the mathematician and   
   electrical engineer whose work included discovery of a layer of ionized gas   
   above the ground that reflects radio waves, allowing signals to travel past   
   the horizion. The layer is known as the Kennelly-Heaviside Layer. The   
   scientist died in 1925, before Alan was born but he was considered a distant   
   cousin whose career influenced Alan's own life later.   
      
   Alan's local work in commercial radio as well as on citizens' band was to   
   later earn him the nickname "Radio Man." The former newspaper reporter,   
   historian and broadcaster was 88.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.   
      
   (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, THE TORQUAY HERALD EXPRESS)   
      
   **   
   SILENT KEY: CANADA'S WILLIAM JAMES 'BILL' GILLIS VE1WG   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: We also note the passing of William James 'Bill' Gillis, VE1WG,   
   the former president of Radio Amateurs of Canada. Bill died on Monday, Dec.   
   26. He had been president of the RAC from 2002 to 2003 and was director of   
   the Maritimes Region. He was also a two-term president of the Moncton Area   
   Amateur Radio Club and a member of the Montreal Amateur Radio Club and the   
   Oakville Radio Club. Bill was 87.   
      
   (ARRL)   
   **   
      
   HAMS KEEP PACE IN PARADISE   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: What's better than running a marathon in paradise? Doing it with   
   amateur radio support, as Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Damron N8TMW tells us.   
      
   JIM: The 44th running of the Honolulu Marathon had the power of radio to keep   
   them on the move. The Honolulu Marathon on December 11th wasn't just a feat   
   of endurance for the more than 30,000 runners. The hams who provided   
   communications and safety for the race's 44th running also went the distance   
   in their own way. According to the ARRL Pacific Section, radio operators went   
   on the air as early as 4 a.m. and some stayed on the air for as many as 18   
   hours for this, the fourth largest marathon in the U.S.   
      
   With Net Control operated by Ralph Toyama NH6PY, 35 hams operated on both 2   
   meters and 70 centimeters. Some were also on the air using 800 MHz digital   
   radios - nonamateur radios but nonetheless crucial in providing those links   
   to aid stations, medical teams, transportation vehicles and police.   
      
   Hams were also at the finish line, feeling just as victorious as if they'd   
   run the race themselves which, in a way, they did.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW   
      
   (ARRL PACIFIC SECTION)   
      
   **   
   NO QTH TO CALL THEIR OWN   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: As 2016 was winding to a close, we revisited the Massachusetts   
   amateur radio club that is facing homelessness in the new year. Here's   
   Newsline's Paul Braun WD9GCO   
      
   PAUL: Earlier this year we spoke with Sumner Weisman, W1VIV, about the   
   Framingham, Massachusetts amateur radio club and their urgent search for a   
   new home. The city building that they had been located in for 38 years had a   
   boiler failure, and the city had determined that it was too expensive to fix.   
   Unfortunately, as of this week, the club still hasn't found a new home. I   
   spoke again with Weisman about where the situation stands:   
      
   WEISMAN: We have a "mentor," I guess you could call her an Elmer in ham radio   
   terms, who's a Town Meeting member - she's an attorney - and she came to us   
   and said, "Help me help you." And she advised us to get a hundred signatures   
   on a petition and go to the Town Meeting, which we did, and the Town Meeting   
   gave us $500 towards a new home which we're appreciative of, but it really   
   doesn't get us a new home.   She's been working with us, and I went to the   
   Board of Selectment meeting with her advice and asked them for some time in   
   one of their upcoming meetings and they gave us fifteen minutes to explain   
   what our dilemma is. They were very sympathetic - they gave us twenty,   
   twenty-five minutes and they didn't watch the clock. We had a good   
   discussion. I had asked that as many club members as possible show up to show   
   that we're serious and they were quite impressed - we had twenty to   
   twenty-five of our members   
   there and they commented on that. Generally, I think they were quite   
   sympathetic. We need a point of contact and we asked who that should be, and   
   they said, "Contact the Town Manager after the first of the year" which I   
   fully intend to do.   
      
   PAUL: They have gotten some support from the city:   
      
   WEISMAN: What we're looking for - I told them if we had a broom closet we   
   could set up a radio station - but we're really looking for something larger,   
   perhaps twelve by twenty or twenty by thirty, something like that would be   
   ideal because that would allow us to have enough room to hold VE tests and   
   also to give lessons there to people who want to upgrade.   
      
   PAUL: Weisman also explained why they are looking for rent-free,   
   city-sponsored space:   
      
   WEISMAN: Our big fundraising event is a swap meet or flea market in April and   
   what we do with that money is that it helps support the club, but we like to   
   take about half of it and use it for college scholarships for kids.   We give   
   three or four college scholarships a year. The college scholarship chairman   
   of our club has told me that we've given away over $20K already.   
      
   PAUL: According to Weisman, If you are in that area, the best thing you can   
   do to help is to attend club meetings to show support, and also show up to   
   council meetings so that they understand the amount of interest. More   
   information can be found on their website at www.w1fy.org.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO   
      
   **   
   BREAK HERE:  Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio   
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KB3LSM   
   repeater in Evans City, Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh.   
   **   
      
   VIRGINIA FONE NET, AN 'OM' AMONG NETS   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: As we talk about time marching on in the new year, how about a   
   look back at an AM PHONE net that got its start in the 1930s?   
      
   JIM OWEN: We think that it's the oldest continuously operating phone net in   
   the United States maybe in the world. no one operated during the war so we   
   were off the air then, but when amateurs could operate, we've been   
   continuously on there.   
      
   KENT:  That's  Jim Owen K4CGY of the Virginia Fone Net.  Jim started checking   
   into the net in 1960 but became a regular net control in about 1964   
      
   JIM: I probably hold the record for the most net controls, I'm up to 2162 now.   
      
   KENT: According to research by Phil Sager WB4FDT there were two nets formed   
   in January 1934 both called Virginia phone net  Jim describes what phone   
   operation might have been like in the 1930s.   
      
   JIM: It was experimental I know from talking to some of the old guys. they   
   came up with  just about any scheme they could to modulate their CW   
   transmitters.  They didn't have money for modulation transformers so they   
   used screen grid modulation and a few even used antenna modulation where you   
   put a carbon microphone in the antenna lead. That's way before my time, but   
   they worked They got them on the air and eventually new things improved and   
   especially after the war there was a lot of gear available.   
      
   KENT: Jim says the net has run nearly continuously   
      
   JIM: The only times we've ever skipped is when one of the emergency nets took   
   over the frequency.   
      
   KENT: The net has slowed down a bit   
      
   JIM: As most phone nets go these days, there's not a whole lot of traffic   
   from the public. 30-40 years ago someone wanted to get a message to grandma   
   on the west coast they would come to us because they didn't want to spend the   
   money to a phone call. Now they just text. Its morphed into a net for old   
   friends and new friends. Whatever you'd talk about on ham radio .   
      
   KENT: Jim recalled hearing about the very early days of the net   
      
   JIM: One of the members, W4BAD Doc Tamer was on spark in 1916. Doc passed in   
   the mid 1970s.  He gave a lot of information on how they were operating back   
   then and what he was running.  These old timers were good to talk to. Now I   
   guess I'm one of the old timers, hey that's the way it goes people come and   
   go and nets are the same way. Fortunately we've managed to make it all these   
   years and we hope to go a while longer.   
      
   KENT: The words of Jim Owen K4CGY talking about what might be the worlds   
   oldest phone net, the Virginia Fone Net.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY   
      
   **   
   THAT'S THE SPIRIT! LOOK OUT FOR INTREPID DX AWARDS   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams prepare to honor the notable DXers of 2016 while preparing   
   for a major international DX convention in 2017 in Visalia, California.   
   Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD.   
      
   HEATHER: If you're a DXer and know a fellow DXer who's got a spirit that's   
   fearless, generous, bold, innovative and dedicated - and that's just for   
   starters! - you may want to nominate them for the 2016 Intrepid Spirit Award.   
   The honor is conferred annually in recognition of an individual or a group   
   who possesses these qualities.   
      
   Winners will join the ranks of noted DXers such as Zorro Miyazawa JH1AJT, the   
   2015 honoree and   
   Dmitri Zhikharev RA9USU who was chosen in 2014.   
      
   For more details, see the website at www.intrepid-dx.com   
      
   While we're on the subject of DX, don't forget the 68th annual International   
   DX Convention being held in California April 21st through 23rd. Registration   
   is now open for the gathering, which is sponsored by the Northern California   
   DX Club. Planning is still under way and convention events are still taking   
   shape but already there are DX and technical seminars on the schedule as well   
   as basic and advanced level training on contesting.   
      
   Get updated details at www.dxconvention.com   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD   
      
   (NORTHERN CALIF. DX CLUB, INTREPID DX GROUP)   
      
   **   
      
   SCOUT MERIT BADGE FINDS NEW DIRECTION   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: There are some big changes in the Radio Merit Badge program for   
   Boy Scouts, as we learn from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns NE4RD.   
      
   This week in Radio Scouting we have updates to the Radio Merit Badge program   
   to announce.   
      
   A big new addition to the Radio Merit Badge is a new option of Amateur Radio   
   Direction Finding.  This combines orienteering and foxhunting and opens a new   
   interactive component to this program.  Cellular telephone topics have been   
   added and different types of radio modulation have been included.  Key   
   requirement changes were dropping open, closed, and short circuits as well as   
   schematic symbols and components as these are covered in the Electricity and   
   Electronics merit badges.   
      
   Other revisions include: minor edits and reordering of requirements in the   
   Amateur Radio option; Radio Broadcasting option now includes Internet   
   streaming, regulations, and power levels; Medium Wave and Shortwave Listening   
   option includes both types of listening as well as listening via streaming   
   services on your smartphone.   
      
   These updates will take effect in 2017, and those scouts working on the   
   previous set of requirements generally can finish them up the same year.   
      
   For this and more information on K2BSA and  Radio Scouting, please visit   
   www.k2bsa.net.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is   
   Bill Stearns, NE4RD   
   **   
      
   WORLD OF DX   
      
   In the world of DX, you can hear DXpeditioner Mek SP7VC in the Azores until   
   January 3rd. He will operate on all bands from 10m to 160m using the callsign   
   CU2/SP7VC. Activity will be mainly on SSB. Send QSLs to his home call sign   
   and via Logbook of The World.   
      
   Listen for Neven LZ1COM in the Maldive Islands through the 5th of January,   
   operating as 8Q7ND on the HF bands. Send QSLs to his home call sign.   
      
   Between January 1st and 7th, an IOTA expedition will operate from Al Safliyah   
   Island near Qatar using the callsign A70X. (A Seven Zero X). Expect large   
   pileups: The island has not been activated since 1995. QSL manager is M0OXO.   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: A NET GAIN FOR THE SANTA NET   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: And finally, with Christmas 2016 behind us, we reflect on   
   Santa's popularity. It's big, because he has his own 80-meter Net. Amateur   
   Radio Newsline's Jim Damron N8TMW has more:   
      
   JIM: Christmas is over and the results are in: Santa is apparently more   
   popular than ever on ham radio. The 3916 Nets, which run the annual Santa   
   Net, connecting youngsters to the voice of Santa on ham radio, reports that   
   426 stations and 656 children spoke to the big elf this year. According to   
   Pete Thomson KE5GGY the stations were from all over the U.S. and into Canada.   
   Best of all, the number represents an increase of 54 percent over the   
   check-ins in 2015. No doubt this gives the Santa Net operators, and even   
   folks at the North Pole, a lot of ho-ho-hope for Christmas next year.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.   
      
   **   
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN; Hap   
   Holly and the Rain Report; Intrepid DX Club; Irish Radio Transmitter Society;   
   Northern California DX Club; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; the Santa Net of the 3916   
   Tailgaiters and Freewheelers; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO   
   Radio Show; The Torquay Herald Express; WTWW Shortwave; and you our   
   listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to   
   our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at   
   Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org.   
      
   For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our   
   news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington, Indiana saying 73   
   and as always we thank you for listening.   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. 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 quoted-printable)   
      
      
    * Origin: (1:3634/12)