Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2004, March 25, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 2004 with a release date of
Friday, March 25, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. New York area hams take on malicious
interference. American Indians are taking radio into tribal lands. A
veteran broadcaster celebrates his roots on the amateur airwaves. And
the Heard Island DXpedition is a go! All this and more in Amateur Radio
Newsline Report 2004 coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)


**
UNJAMMING THE AIRWAVES

We begin this week's newscast with a report that hams in the New York
metropolitan area are ramping up their fight against malicious
interference plaguing the region's VHF and UHF bands. And they're
hoping that hundreds of others will add some valuable input.

In a recent email to ARRL Hudson Division members, division director
Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, is urgently pressing hams and their clubs to help
create a wide-ranging database documenting the problems throughout New
York City, Long Island, Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Rockland
counties. Lisenco is asking all hams who have already filed complaints
with the FCC about the malicious interference to pass along the
complaint number, as well as the date it was sent and any action that
was taken. And he is asking repeater owners, trustees and other hams
everywhere in the region to document their first-hand complaints with
as much detail as possible - even if these complaints duplicate what
others have heard.

To bolster the effort, New York Congressman Peter King has written FCC
Chairman Tom Wheeler, pressing the agency to step in and act against
the interference. In the meantime, the division is directing database
contributors to an online report form that can be found on its website
at hudson.arrl.org. There is a link that says "End Hudson Jamming"
which allows access to the form.

Lisenco wrote, in his email, the more reports the better: QUOTE "We
need quantity. In other words, constant reports from everyone who is
experiencing jamming on VHF and UHF as it's happening." ENDQUOTE In a
followup email he further urged: QUOTE "One report is not enough. We
need hundreds. Thousands." ENDQUOTE

(ARRL HUDSON DIVISION)

***

PUTTING INDIAN COUNTRY ON THE AIR

DON: A national group of American Indians who are also licensed
amateurs is harnessing ham radio's power to help those living on
America's tribal lands. Amateur Radio Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY,
spoke with the group's president.

[KENT'S REPORT:]

NATHAN NIXON: In Arizona we have 22 tribal nations here in our state,
those 22 tribal nations make up 29 percent of the land base in Arizona,
so more than a quarter of our state is all tribal lands.

KENT PETERSON: A plan to increase amateur radio's presence in Tribal
lands is the mission of the National Tribal Amateur Radio Association.
Their president is Nathan Nixon N7NAN.

NATHAN: Having been a licensed ham for 22 years and working in Indian
country for the last six years I can tell you there are not a lot of
amateur radio operators that I've met

KENT: Nixon says amateur radio can be a valuable resource to
interconnect smaller villages.

NATHAN: For a long time a lot of the things your counterparts in the
city or county had we didn't have, You've got these tiny villages here,
and they're blocked by so many things and yet if you can find the
highest point and you may be able to cover those tiny villages. and you
put a ham radio repeater up there with 100 watts you may be able to
cover those villages here's my cell phone and yet I can pull out this
radio running 5 watts and they're 80 miles away from me. That to me is
just amazing. They're going to have that backup communication system.

KENT: The association has three main goals

NATHAN: To further amateur radio in Indian country. Hey, we want
equipment in our emergency operations center -- that's our second goal
to assist with that. But the third goal is to bring STEM into those
Indian schools. The example I use all the time: look at our astronauts.
Most all are licensed amateur radio operators and those kids from our
schools could pave the way to do that.

KENT: And the group hopes to expand

NATHAN: I would like to see NTARA have a footprint into all 567 tribal
nations within five years.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY

**

HAMVENTION ANNOUNCES 2016 AWARD WINNERS

DON: Some of the brightest stars to shine at this year's Dayton
Hamvention in May will be the honorees at the annual awards
convocation. Amateur Radio Newsline's Amanda Alden-Carrier, K1DDN, has
more about the proud, deserving recipients announced by chairman Frank
Beafore, WS8B.


[AMANDA'S REPORT]

Frank Beafore, WS8B, chairman for the 2016 Hamvention� awards has
announced the winners for the annual Hamvention awards ceremony.

Amateur of the Year winner is Joe Taylor, K1JT.

Joe was first licensed in 1954. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1993 for discovery of the first orbiting pulsar, leading to
observations that established the existence of gravitational waves.
After retirement he has been busy developing and enhancing digital
protocols for weak-signal communication by Amateur Radio, including
JT65 and WSPR. (otherwise known as whisper

Technical Achievement goes to ? John S. Burningham, W2XAB first
licensed in 1970 John has been involved with amateur repeaters for over
40 years. He is a life member of the ARRL and QCWA and has belonged to
AMSAT and TAPR in addition to a number of local clubs as he moved
between ten different states.

John is currently active in the DMR community, having published a
beginner?s guide [http://guide.k4usd.org] and a DMR article in
QST and a contributing author in the ARRL 2016 Handbook. He has also
presented a number of forums at ham fests including at Hamvention
promoting DMR.

Special Achievement Award ? Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU Stan is recognized for
being an advocate of cutting edge technologies that are now commonly
used in amateur radio.

Stan has also authored five books and wrote over 1,200 pieces for the
ARRL and TAPR while evangelizing the use of home computers, packet
radio, APRS, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Software Defined Radio
(SDR) in amateur radio. Licensed in 1969,

Stan also known as LOU has served in a variety of roles including
Section Manager of Connecticut and is presently the director and
secretary for TAPR and serves as editor of TAPR?s newsletter (PSR) Club
of the Year winner goes to ? Rocky Mountain Ham Radio, N0SZ Rocky
Mountain Ham Radio is not your typical Amateur Radio club.

The organization is based in Denver, Colorado and offers its services
to other Ham radio clubs as well as A.R.E.S. groups to help them be
successful. Technical assistance, classroom training on a myriad of
subjects, mentoring, equipment/system design and public service are
among the services provided.

Rocky Mountain Ham Radio is not in competition with anyone else, but
exists to serve everyone! When asked how he felt about the award,
RMHAM President Jeff Ryan had this to say.

?We are an organization in service to other Amateur Radio groups and it
is wonderful to see that our efforts have been recognized by the
Hamvention Committee.?

Being a proud member of RMHAM myself, I?d like to give the club a big
congratulations!

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I?m Amanda Alden-Carrier, K1DDN

**
BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
SPARC club repeater for the Sportsman's Paradise Amateur Radio Club,
K4WAK, in Wakulla County, Florida in time for the Friday afternoon
commute.

**

**
DIGGING ART BELL'S AMATEUR ROOTS

DON: Professional broadcaster Art Bell has had a lifelong affinity for
the airwaves that have provided him with a lively career. But it all
began, for the late night talk show host, in amateur radio. Bell, whose
call sign is W6OBB, got his first license a young teenager. Speaking on
the podcast, QSO Today with host Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, the broadcast
veteran recently shared how ham radio's magic affected the course of
his family life and professional life. Here is an excerpt:

[EXCERPT:]

"It has impacted my family life always .[ENDING WITH]... Itis not just
a hobby, it is an absolute love."


DON: The entire interview with Art Bell is available as Episode 85 on
the QSO Today website. Hap Holly's RAIN Report will also present Eric
Guth's interview in two segments: Part One will run Friday, March 27
and Part Two can be heard the following week.

**
HEARD ISLAND

DON: Heard Island, off the western coast of Australia, is a nature
lover's delight. But for the next few weeks, this coveted DXCC entity
is once again a DXers' paradise. We hear more from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: The Braveheart has landed! On Tuesday, March 22, the DXpedition
team, VK0EK, emerged from two days of travel through foggy conditions
and sighted their ultimate home base: Heard Island. They were filled
with as much wonder over the bird life and natural beauty that greeted
them as the prospect of a successful DXpedition that is to run for
about three weeks from the Indian Ocean island, southwest of Western
Australia. The ship anchored in Atlas Cove, and the team got busy
preparing to activate what is the fifth most wanted DXCC entity.

The team plans to coordinate with the FT4JA DXpedition team from
France, which will also be on the island at the end of March through
mid-April. DXers are being encouraged to check back frequently to the
website VK0EK.org for updates on band plan and operating modes.

Already, however, they seemed to be off to a good start. As Bill
Mitchell, AE0EE, wrote on the DXexpedition website on Tuesday, March
22: The team's maritime mobile operation enroute to Heard Island,
operating as ZL/ZS9HI/MM, ended up with 7745 contacts, with 5011 unique
stations, representing 101 DXCC entities.

The best is yet to come.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.


(VKOEK.ORG)

**
TWO ALASKAN AMATEURS BECOME SILENT KEYS

The State of Alaska has lost two noted radio amateurs: Arlene "Buddy"
Clay, KL7OT, and Gary Senesac, AL9A. Arlene Clay became a Silent Key on
Feb. 11, and the amateur community lost Gary Senesac on March 15.

Arlene Clay, who was 103 years old, became a licensed amateur in 1948
and for years called the Thursday night Snipers Net for the Matanuska
Amateur Radio Association - even after she moved into a Wasilla, Alaska
retirement community home in 2011. A native of Maine, she was a retired
magistrate judge in the Alaska Court System and was inducted into the
Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2015. Before her career in the courts,
she had been an air traffic controller with her husband, Earl, KL7EM.

Noted contester Gary Senesac, also of Wasilla, Alaska, was an Illinois
native who moved to Alaska in 2003 after retiring from the Caterpillar
Corp. His contest activities, which were especially strong in the modes
of CW and RTTY, included working as W1AW/KL7 during the recent ARRL
Centennial. He also made himself available to any amateurs needing an
Alaskan contact for an operating award. Said fellow Alaskan ham,
Corliss Kimmel, AL1G, QUOTE "Seems like he was in just about every
contest. He was also very technically knowledgeable and helpful to
anyone who needed advice." ENDQUOTE A veteran of the U.S. Air Force,
Gary Senesac was 72.

(ARRL, ALASKA WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME)


**

INTRUDERS ON THE AIR

The International Amateur Radio Union, Region 1, reports the latest
instances of intruders on the amateur bands. They include a 50 kHz-wide
Russian over-the-horizon radar on 80 meters, often found in the CW
portion of the band. Another over-the-horizon signal, about 13 kHz
wide, turns up in the range on 40 meters between 7000 and 7100 kHz. As
high as 7200 kHz, there is also PSK, FSK and a Codar-like radar signal.
That radar is also turning up on 20 met ers, along with some broadband
over-the-horizon radar signals from China and some digital traffic.

(IARU, Region 1)

**

THE WORLD OF DX

In addition to Heard Island, there's lot more DXing going on:

Listen for John, K3JZ and Marjorie, N7SOF in a number of locations in
the Society Islands of French Polynesia until April 21. Keep an ear out
for them as FO/K3JZ and FO/N7SOF on CW, RTTY, and JT65. They will
upload all logs to LoTW and Club Log after they return. QSL card
requests via Club Log OQRS or Direct.

Richard, BG9GXM is working from Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region, China as BG9GXM/3 until March 29. During the CQ WPX contest on
March 26 and 27, his callsign will be BG3ITB. Be listening on 40-10
meters, possibly 80 and 6 meters too. He is working mainly SSB and
JT65, but possibly CW.

Elvira/IV3FSG and Angelo/IK2CKR are working the HF bands as E44YL from
Bethlehem until April 7. Elvira will be on SSB and digital modees, and
Angelo will work CW. Elvira and Lui/YT3PL will also be in the CQWW WPX
SSB Contest on March 26 and 27 as a Multi-Single entry. QSL all SSB and
Digital mode QSOs via IK3GES. QSL all CW QSOs via IK2CKR.


(OHIO PENN DX BULLETIN, DX-WORLD.NET)


**

KICKER: GRADUATING MAGNA CUM LICENSE

DON: We close this week's newscast with an appreciation of some
especially devoted students of amateur radio, young adults who are
seeking a license to have fun. Literally. Here's that story from
Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: While you can't exactly get a degree in amateur radio, you can
get the next best thing on the Berkeley campus of the University of
California: a modest curriculum in ham radio science, in the Department
of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, that has been a magnet
for an ever-growing crop of new, young licensees.

Professor Michael Lustig, KK6MRI, teaches two classes to the next
generation of hopefuls: An entry level Hands-On Ham class at the
sophomore level, and a Digital Signal Processing course for juniors and
seniors.

Lustig says that the classes fill quickly on registration day, with a
strong showing among students majoring in nuclear, biological and
mechanical engineering. In addition to text books, students also get
plenty of air time. The courses set them up with inexpensive hand-helds
that became their ticket to some 2 meter ragchews.

The courses also have the full support of the EECS Department as well
as W6BB, the ham club on the Berkeley campus.

As for a formal graduation ceremony, well, the campus also hosts, as a
followup, one final exam that can be considered a kind of graduation: A
VE session. The most recent one, this past semester, was held March 16
and produced 50 new Technician Class licensees, 3 General Class
licensees and 5 Extra Class licensees. They can now all go to the head
of the class - and get on the air.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, in Bloomington,
Indiana.

(ARRL)
**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Alaskan Women's Hall of Fame;
the ARRL; CQ Magazine; DX.NET; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish
Radio Transmitter Society; the New Zealand Association of Radio
Transmitters; the Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QSL.NET; QRZ.COM., Southgate
Amateur Radio News; TWiT TV; Wireless Institute of Australia; and you
our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our email
address is . More information is available at
Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at
www.arnewsline.org. A reminder that the nominating period for the Bill
Basternak Young Ham Of The Year award is now open. Full details and
the nominating form is available right now on our website,
www.arnewsline.org. Click the YHOTY tab.

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,
Mississippi, saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.