Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2026, August 26, 2016


*** CLOSED CIRCUIT ADVISORY ****

The following is a closed circuit advisory and not for broadcast.
Please note that this edition of Amateur Radio Newsline #2026 is an
extended report containing three segments and two breaks. Now, here is
this week's anchor, Stephen Kinford, N8WB.

STEPHEN/ANCHOR:

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2026 with a release date of
Friday, August 26,2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond once more to raging fires in
California. Three companies plead guilty in a global investigation into
electronics price-fixing. We also hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's
Young Ham of the Year in a special report from the Huntsville Hamfest.
All of this coming your way in Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number2026.

***

BILLBOARD CART HERE

****

BREAKING NEWS: HAMS ACTIVATED AFTER QUAKE IN ITALY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This week's newscast begins with breaking news. Here's
Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

DON'S REPORT: As Amateur Radio Newsline went to production, an
earthquake of 6.2 magnitude struck central Italy early Wednesday,
August 24. Initial reports indicate there were more than 120
fatalities. As emergency personnel continued to search for survivors,
Italian amateurs began conducting emergency operations on the bands.
Hams throughout the region were instructed to keep 7060 KHz, plus or
minus 10 KHz, and 3643.5 KHz, clear. Offers of assistance have arrived
from France, Israel, Germany and other nations. Details were still
developing, and Amateur Radio Newsline will continue to follow this
story. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

(NYTIMES, CNN, DXNEWS, DXCOFFEE)

**
LINKED REPEATERS AID HAMS' CALIFORNIA FIRE RESPONSE

STEPHEN KINFORD/ANCHOR: We look now at amateur radio's response in
another crisis, the California fires. In San Bernadino County's fire
district, a ham group has been supplying support for two major
wildfires in just the past two weeks. As of Tuesday August twenty
third, the Blue Cut Fire has scorched nearly 58 square miles and closed
off some key transportation highways as well.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY spoke with Keith Morris
KC6ZGG.


KENT: Keith is the Chief Radio Officer for the San Bernardino County
Fire Office of Emergency Services

KEITH: San Bernadino county is the largest county in the united states
Larger than a couple of states. We do know that the last count was
105 single family homes were destroyed. This is our second major call
out this season staffing is a challenge we're not a huge group
considering the size of the area and with the pass being closed for a
few days, we had to rely on whoever was already in place.

KENT: Unfortunately weather conditions have again been good for new
fire development

KEITH: We have some monsoon flow bringing us thunder storms
unfortunately , not very wet but dry lightning and that starts
anotherfire.

KENT: The amateur radio volunteers work across the valleys, the
mountains and the desert areas all interconnected using the linked
repeaters of the Southern California Radio Network.

KEITH: a lot of our volunteers work as well they're not all retired
folk they are not independently wealthy They're regular working people
who had the calling to come and volunteer their time what they have
available to us. We managed to staff every shift we needed

KENT: Morris describes one key role the local amateur radio group fills

KEITH: We are the technical and logistical support group for the fire
department command post. When those get deployed we have the technical
team who are on the ready to support any of their needs in the field.
We relieve all the standard modes of communications whether it the
telephones or the fire department radios. We relieve the routine
traffic and leave Fire Brigade Staff for the more critical stuff.

KENT: He explains some of the responsibilities of their fire department

KEITH: They're an all needs fire department. They do everything from
fires to rescues. Our goal is to support them with anything they need.

KENT: Morris says the fire department appreciates the assistance from
the amateur radio community.

KEITH: They're very appreciative. We make sure they're taken care of
all of us live in this area so we've got an interest in giving them the
support that they need.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY

STEPHEN: It's worth noting that While the fire activity on the Blue Cut
Fire may be winding down, restoration of the infrastructure is just
beginning, especially in the region's critical Cajon Pass. Workers from
Southern California Edison, Caltrans District 8, BNSF Railway, Union
Pacific Railroad and other companies will be tending to damaged power
poles, train infrastructure, guard rails and related items in the area.
The Cajon Pass has miles of train track, high tension power lines and
the Interstate 15 which is a major thoroughfare to the High Desert, Las
Vegas and beyond.

**
GUILTY PLEAS IN WORLDWIDE PRICE-FIXING CASE

STEPHEN: There are new developments in the ongoing U.S. federal probe
into electronics price-fixing. Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun
WD9GCO has the details.

PAUL'S REPORT: In an ongoing U.S. Justice Department investigation,
three more electronics companies have agreed to plead guilty in an
international price-fixing conspiracy affecting the price of
electrolytic capacitors worldwide. The agreement by Rubycon
Corporation, Elna Co. Ltd. and Holy Stone Holdings Co., Ltd., brings to
five the total of companies pleading guilty in the probe. Guilty pleas
were previously entered by NEC TOKIN Corp. and Hitachi Chemical Co.Ltd.

One individual, Takuro Isawa, a former global sales manager for one of
the manufacturers of the capacitors, was indicted last year as well for
alleged participation in the conspiracy.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Snyder, of the justice
department's Antitrust Division, said millions of American consumers
were impacted by the price-fixing. In addition to their importance in
amateur radio, the capacitors are also found in such consumer
electronics as auto airbags and engines, computers, televisions, office
equipment and home appliances.

Each of the three companies has agreed to pay a criminal fine and
cooperate with the ongoing probe. The two previous companies have
already been sentenced to pay. NEC TOKIN was fined $13.8 million and
Hitachi Chemical was fined $3.8 million.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

(U.S. DEPT OF JUSTICE, ARRL)

**


IN ALASKA, PREPARING TO PLAY THE HAARP

STEPHEN: Why does the ionosphere behave as it does? At a newly reopened
research facility once owned by the U.S. military, university
researchers about to ask that same question. Here's more from Amateur
Radio Newsline's Jim Damron, N8TMW.

JIM's REPORT: High frequency radio researchers in Alaska are about to
embark on a behavioral study of the most powerful kind, but their work
has nothing to do with the habits or psychology of amateur radio
operators.

The scientists will be looking at the properties and behavior of the
ionosphere, utilizing what is believed to be the world's most capable
high-power HF transmitter. All this work is to be done at the
High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, facility when
it reopens in 2017.

The FCC has granted HAARP a pair of experimental service licenses to
conduct the research at the facility, which is now owned by the
University of Alaska at Fairbanks, which acquired it from the U.S.
AirForce.

HAARP's research involves beaming radio waves straight up for hundreds
of miles, sometimes with such power that the effects create an
artificial aurora. Much of the research has applications in satellite
communications and navigation.

UAF researcher Chris Fallen KL3WX told the ARRL that early next year
the research will begin. License WI2XFX will cover testing beetween
2.65 MHz and 8.1MHz, and license WI2XDV will cover the part of the
spectrum between 1 and 40 MHz.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

(ARRL, NPR.ORG, HAARP.NET)


**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including WD9HSY,
the Tri-Town Radio Amateur Club repeater in Hazel Crest, Illinois, on
Wednesdays.

**
*

ICOM DELIVERS A TOKYO SURPRISE

STEPHEN: If you're a leading manufacturer of amateur radio equipment,
there's no better place to release the news of long-awaited new
products than at the Tokyo Ham Fair, which recently concluded. Amateur
Radio Newsline's Mike Askins KE5CXP tells us what radio giant Icom had
in store there.

MIKE: Attendees at the Japan Amateur Radio League's Tokyo Ham Fair on
Aug. 20th and 21st got quite an eyeful from Icom Inc. The manufacturer
at long last trotted out the very samples it had been hinting at for
the past few weeks in its online campaign. Visitors got their first
glimpses of a few new products: Icom's IC-7610 will replace the IC-7600
as a 100-watt base station with built-in antenna tuner and capability
for HF and 50MHz. Icom also rolled out the IC-R8600 wideband receiver
to replace its IC-R8500. This receiver will operate in analog and
digital modes and have a frequency range from 0.01-3000MHz. Among
handhelds, Icom is introducing the IC-R30, an analog and digital model
which succeeds the IC-R20 and can decode D-STAR, P25, NXDN and dPMR
digital modes.

A special edition handheld model was also introduced: the ID-51 PLUS2,
which permits D-STAR calls through the Internet, even in areas without
access to D-STAR repeaters.

Though Icom revealed the samples, the company did not unveil details on
prices or the products' launch dates.

With more than 36,000 participants at the ham fair, you can be sure
there were a lot of eyes on Icom this year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.

(ICOM UK MARKETING)


**

ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIPS GO TO YOUNG AMATEURS

STEPHEN: Bright young student engineers deserve to be encouraged, and
the Ennes Educational Foundation Trust has done just that, with
scholarships. Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG, has the
details.

NEIL's REPORT: Two young radio amateurs are among the four winners of
this year's scholarships from the Ennes Educational Foundation Trust,
part of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Winners of the $1,500 scholarships include Clifford White W5CNW of
Tyler Texas, who has held an Amateur Extra license since he was 14. He
is presently studying electrical engineering at LeTourneau University
in Longview, Texas. Clifford was awarded the John H. Battison Founder's
Scholarship to further his studies.

The foundation's Youth Scholarship was awarded to Ruth Willet KM4LAO.
The Lawrenceville, Georgia, student will be double-majoring in
mechanical engineering and engineering physics at Kettering College in
Michigan.

The other recipients are James Copeland, a student engineer at his
college radio station at Kansas State University, where he is a junior
studying broadcasting. James, who was given the Robert Greenberg
Scholarship, is a collector of Collins and Heathkit radios. The winner
of the Harold E. Ennes Scholarship is Michael Frushour of Brookeville,
Illinois, a TV production student at Columbia College in Chicago.

These annual scholarships are given to qualifying students in broadcast
engineering and technology.

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

(RADIO WORLD, THE SOCIETY OF BROADCAST ENGINEERS)

**

NEW FREQUENCIES FOR LATVIAN AMATEURS

STEPHEN: Amateur radio operators in Latvia just got some new space on
the spectrum. We hear more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy
BootG4NJH.

JEREMY's REPORT: Two new bands opened up for amateurs in Latvia on
August the 9th: the 60 meter, 5 MHz allocation with 15w EIRP and the
630 meter band, between 472 and 479 KHz, with 1 watt EIRP.

The 60 meter band in particular opens up new operating space on the
spectrum in an area that has already been available to amateurs in the
United States, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. As with most new
allocations of this band this is a continuous range of frequency and
not channelised as many earlier allocations were.

Both bands are open for use by Latvia's top-level Category A licensees
but unlike other countries the 60 metre band is restricted to modes
with a maximum bandwidth of 800 Hz.

Sixty meters is also gaining traction in Australia, where the Wireless
Institute of Australia's request for the allocation, made last April to
the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has been graded as
Priority 1 by the authority. The ACMA acknowledges amateurs' interest
in gaining 60-meter access. The WIA's magazine, "Amateur Radio," is
preparing to publish a situation paper on the subject when space
becomes available.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH

(WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA, SOUTHGATE ARC)


**
STATION HONORS MARTYRED FRANCISCAN PRIEST

STEPHEN: Radio operators have honored a Polish priest who died during
World War II. Maximilian Maria Kolbe is considered the patron saint of
ham radio. Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD has more.

HEATHER's REPORT: Special Event Station K3M went on the air earlier
this month with a mission: to celebrate the life and the sacrifice of
Maximilian Maria Kolbe, the Franciscan Priest who became a martyr
during World War II. The global radio event which featured stations in
Pennsylvania, Maine, New Jersey and Virginia, drew thousands of
participants from Poland, as well as Spain, Puerto Rico, the U.S. and
Canada. The stations operated during the week of Aug. 14 to Aug. 20 to
mark the 75 years since the priest's death at the hands of the Nazis on
Aug. 14, 1941.

The role of radio holds special significance in honoring the priest,
who was founder of a monastery in Poland that had been dedicated to
communications and was the home operation for SP3RN, a short-wave radio
station. When the monastery was shut by the Nazis in 1941, Maximilian
Maria Kolbe was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where he died in a
starvation bunker.

The priest was canonized in 1982 and is considered the patron saint of
amateur radio operators.

The Saint Maximilian Kolbe Net, founded in 1997, operates every Sunday
at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on 3814 KHz.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

(SAINTMAXNET.ORG)

**

THE WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, listen for Bernie, ZS4TX, operating as 3B8TX from
Mauritius between September 16 to September 19th, as part of a 6m EME
DXpedition. His operation will favor NA/SA moonrise and ZL/VK mooonset.
He will also have a beacon during the daytime, seeking possible Tropo
openings towards Africa. He prefers QSL cards in LoTW but will accept
those sent to his home callsign.

Tom KC0W will be operating CW from Vanuatu where he will sign YJ0COW
until the 21st of September. Send QSL cards directly to his home call.

Two amateurs from Japan are operating from Pitcairn Island until the
3rd of September as VP6J. Listen for them on 160m to 10m operating CW,
SSB and RTTY. They are Nob JF2MBF and Ken JA2FJP. Send QSL cards
directly to JF2MBF. With the pair's departure on September 3, a German
amateur, Uli DL2AH, arrives and will be there until the 25th of
November.

And finally, listen for Ralf, DK8FA, operating as D44TUJ from Boa
Vista Island between September 15 and September 29th. He will be heard
mostly on 20 meters using the Digital modes. Send QSL cards to his home
callsign, direct or by the Bureau. Ralf does not accept eQSL or LoTW!

(IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY, OHIO PENN DX BULLETIN)

**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including W6DRA,
the Desert Radio Association repeater in Cathedral Springs, California
on Thursdays.


**
AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE HONORS YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

STEPHEN: Meet Skyler Fennell, KD0WHB, the promising young amateur from
Colorado who is this year's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year. In
this expanded final segment of Amateur Radio Newsline, we hear this
report from Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, who was at the Huntsville Hamfest
helping honor Skyler for his achievement.

DON'S REPORT:

DON: "Good afternoon everyone. My name is Don Wilbanks, I'm with
Amateur Radio Newsline, my call is AE5DW and we come together here
every year to recognize excellence in youth and amateur radio with the
Young Ham Of The Year Award."

And what a great representative we have for 2016. Skyler Fennell,
KD0WHB from Littleton Colorado. An exceptional, brilliant young man.

SKYLER: "Thank you so much Don. It's really nice to be here and a
pleasure meeting you all. I'd like to thank Carole Perry and Paul
Veal, WB2MGP and N0AH for the nomination, and the STEM school for
helping get that all done. I'd really like to say thanks to all my
Elmers and everyone who has really inspired me in the hobby to work on
projects and learn about all the different things. It's really nice to
be here and thank so much."

DON: We shared the stage with some friends. Our corporate sponsors.
First up, Rich Moseson, W2VU of CQ Communications.

RICH: "I say this every year, what an honor it has been for me in the
past 20 years to be on the judging committee for the Young Ham of The
Year award program. We hear so much from people saying that there are
no young hams getting into the hobby anymore and those that do are not
really doing anything significant. Well every year I have the
privilege of meeting some young hams who are doing incredible things.
Skyler, you are joining a long line of incredible young hams. If
anybody questions what we're talking about, just look at this little
box! He's got a 900 MHz repeater that he's walking around with, and
it's working, and it's linked! It has Internet connectivity, and
it's amazing!"

DON: Amazing indeed! Next from Yaesu USA, Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV.

DENNIS: "What we've learned about these amazing young hams, like
Skyler, is they're on the move! They're all over the place! Physically
besides everything else going on in their life. Hou many people here
have a 900 MHz radio? That's a problem, isn't it Skyler? That's your
job in the future, to change that as these people get more crowded on
the other bands. They need people like you to show us why we can do
that. congratulations on behalf of Yaesu and wish you many years.
I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful time as you go forward.
Thank you."

DON: Representing Heil Sound, Gordon West, WB6NOA.

GORDON: "Wow! Skyler, you outdid yourself! All of us here are so
appreciative of your hard work. First, your Pass ribbon that gets you
to the head of any line! You just show them that ribbon and you're
there! Let's give Skyler a big hand for a great job!"

DON: Next, Emmett Hohensee, W0QH of RadioWavz Antennas.

EMMETT: "Skyler, honestly I am impressed. Just looking at the 900 MHz
repeater that you've got walking around with the networking and all
this neat stuff - I'm impressed! I'm encouraged! And I'm hoping that
with more examples of people such as yourself that you continue to
achieve, that you continue to spark new initiatives and new ideas, and
bridge the gap between the old and the new. I really appreciate that.
I want you to continue to do what you're doing and don't stop! Continue
to move on."

DON: Impressive doesn't begin to cover it all. I can't wait to meet
next year's Young Ham Of The Year. And we will next August in
Huntsville Alabama. Thanks to CQ Communications, Yaesu USA, Heil
Sound, RadioWavz and the Huntsville Hamfest. Till next year, I'm Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW for the Amateur Radio Newsline.

STEPHEN: There's more! You can hear the ceremony honoring Skyler in its
entirety by visiting our website, arnewsline.org, where we have posted
it for you to hear as a Newsline Extra this week.

** KICKER: MESSAGE FIT FOR A QUEEN

STEPHEN: Our last story goes back a few years. More than a century, in
fact. It's about telegraphy, royalty, the presidency and, of course,
ham radio. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Imagine, for a moment, U.S. President James Buchanan and Great
Britain's Queen Victoria exchanging QSL cards. Imagine too the 19th
century world figures giving one another signal reports. It didn't
quite happen that way but in August of 1858, the president and the
queen communicated across the Atlantic, as Victoria sent the president
an invitation to visit Buckingham Palace. Her message began: QUOTE
"Come, let us talk together" - as clear an opening for a ragchew if
ever we heard one.

It was the first transatlantic telegraph message between the two and
the president received it at the summer White House in Pennsylvania.

To commemorate that telegraph's anniversary, hams from the Bedford
County Amateur Radio Society in Pennsylvania, using the callsign N3B,
sent an ARRL Radiogram on Aug. 16 to Queen Elizabeth II. It was
delivered to GB3RS at the Radio Society of Great Britain's National
Radio Centre Bletchley Park. The message was sent in CW on 20 meters by
Lloyd Roach K3QNT and Bernie Frank W3DRW.

Band conditions weren't optimal but in the UK, Trevor Hughes, G4WKJ and
Andy Roberts M0GYK, were still able to copy the good wishes and forward
them on to Buckingham Palace where, despite poor signal reports that
had challenged the amateurs, it was never the less well-received.

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

(ARRL, BEDFORD COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; the Bedford County
Amateur Radio Society; CQ Magazine; CNN; DXNews; DXCoffee; HAARP.NET;
Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Icom; the IARU; Irish Radio Transmitter
Society; the New York Times; NPR.org; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ;
SaintMaxNet.org; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio
Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; and you our
listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send
emails to our address at . 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 Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth
Ohio, saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

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