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Default Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2037, Friday, November 11, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2037, Friday, November 11, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2037 with a release date of
Friday, November 11 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

**

The following is a QST. Lebanon awaits the licensing of its first new
hams in years. Ham radio's the star in a film produced by a team from
the U.S. and Cuba -- and our lead story: An important radio telescope
in West Virginia faces shutdown. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline's Report #2037 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART HERE

**


GREEN BANK OBSERVATORY IN DANGER OF CLOSING

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week brings word that the National
Science Foundation has been asked to unload the Green Bank Observatory
in West Virginia, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.
Here are the details from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Damron N8TMW.

JIM/ANCHOR: The largest fully steerable radio telescope in the
world--along with its entire facility in the National Radio Quiet Zone
at Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia has an uncertain
future, including the possibility of being dismantled. The 100-meter
radio telescope has been in operation since 2001, when it was built to
replace a previous radio telescope that collapsed in 1988. It operates
in a frequency range of 0.1 to 116 gigahertz. Radio telescopes study
naturally-occurring radio light from stars, galaxies, black holes, and
other astronomical objects.

The Green Bank Observatory has helped scientists worldwide in the study
of celestial objects that give off radio waves-enabling researchers to
learn more about the universe. It is open year-round with 40,000
visitors a year and has been in operation for over half a century.

Now the National Science Foundation, which funds the observatory, is
being asked by the government to consider divesting itself of the
facility. So it is considering several options: Continue National
Science Foundation funding for science-focused operations. Continue to
operate the facility by collaborating with funding from private and
public partners with reduced National Science Foundation funding.
Collaborate with interested parties for operation of the site as a
technology and education park. Mothball the facilities -- that is,
suspending operations in a manner such that they could resume at some
future date. "Deconstruction" of the facility, followed by "site
restoration."

Two public meetings were planned for Wednesday November 9 at the Green
Bank Observatory for comment on the proposed changes. However, public
comments can be sent by E mail until November 25, 2016 to
with a cc to .
Subject should read "Green Bank Observatory"

You may Google "Proposed Changes for Green Bank Observatory" for
complete details.

The Green Bank Observatory is an asset to the worldwide science
community and it is hoped support will be shown for its continued
uninterrupted operation.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW reporting from
Charleston, West Virginia


**

SUPER MOON DOESN'T ALWAYS BRING SUPER CONTACTS

ANCHOR/PAUL: Speaking of celestial things relevant to hams, let's
consider this month's supermoon. I recently did -- and I was joined by
an expert.

There has been a lot of talk about the upcoming so-called "supermoon"
on the evening of November 14th. A "supermoon" is when the moon passes
much closer to the Earth than is usual, and it appears to be much
bigger. Some are questioning how this will affect moonbounce, or E-M-E
amateur communications.

I spoke with Al Katz, K-2-U-Y-H, who is very active in moonbounce,
about the upcoming event. Will it have any effect?

AL KATZ: It has virtually no effect. You can still bounce radio signals
off the moon, even at HF. I know a Japanese EME'er who's got very nice
echoes at 21 megahertz/15 meters so it can be done. The reason that
people aren't as interested in it, of course, is that you can regularly
work long distances all the time and the advantage of getting these
weak signals off the moon - and they're still weak signals, even at 15
meters - even under bad conditions you're still better off using skip
and propagation if your only interest is working an interesting place
which is one of the exciting parts of amateur radio.

PAUL: Then according to Katz, it's interesting to watch, but otherwise
it's business as usual?

AL KATZ: That is correct. It's beautiful, and you see a full moon,
especially when it's near a horizon and it looks enormous and it even
looks more enormous during a "supermoon" - I've viewed supermoons
myself - but this is not the only one, they come along fairly
regularly.

PAUL: So take a few moments on the evening of the 14th to walk outside
and take a closer look at the Moon. And then go back inside and bounce
some radio waves off of it. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun
WD9GCO.

**

TEAM FROM CUBA AND U.S. MAKE FILM FEATURING HAM RADIO

PAUL: Since a moon is often found surrounded by stars, amateurs will
definitely be interested in one particular star - ham radio itself - in
a new movie made by a U.S.-Cuban production team. Here's Amateur Radio
Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

HEATHER: Warmer relations between the U.S. and Cuba led to a
Cuban-American team of contesters in the CQ World Wide SSB contest in
October of 2015 -- and now it seems the nation's ever-growing
friendship has led to a new movie. "Sergio and Sergei," which is
scheduled to be released in 2017, is the story of a cosmonaut stranded
on the Mir Space Station because the collapsing Soviet Union cannot
afford to bring him back to Earth. Not unexpectedly, ham radio is the
star of the film because it saves the day. The cosmonaut uses the
on-board radio and contacts a professor in Cuba for help. The
professor, in turn, reaches out to a journalist in the U.S. who covers
NASA. The storyline isn't only an example of a U.S.-Cuba partnership
--the film itself is a collaborative effort between the two nations.
Deadline Hollywood quotes producer Ron Perlman as saying this is the
first Cuban-American co-production of a such a film in 60 years. The
film echoes a 1999 movie, "Mir Friends," made in Ireland, based on the
true story of Russian cosmonaut Serge´y Krikalov (krik-ka-lev)
U-Zed-3-A-K-slant-U-5-M-I-R and his long-distance radio friendship with
Irish amateur Manus Joe McClafferty E-I-7-E-Q. Manus McClafferty became
a Silent Key earlier this year. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather
Embee KB3TZD.

(DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD)

**

JAMBOREE ON THE AIR RELEASES ITS NUMBERS

BILL: This week in radio scouting the USA JOTA Flash numbers are in
for2016!

Although radio counts and registered stations saw a drop this year, the
USA put on 10,761 total Scouts, a 51% increase, 6,668 total visitors, a
30% increase, and 1,120 amateur radio operators, a 14% increase. The
registrations were marred a bit by the cumbersome registration process,
which hopefully will be resolved for next year's running of JOTA.

Jim Wilson, K5ND, will be doing further analysis on the data and will
be working on a finalized report for publication which should available
within a month. He also said "Thanks again to everyone who got on the
air, shared the fun, technology, and magic of amateur radio with
Scouts.'

For more information on K2BSA and radio scouting, please visit
http://www.k2bsa.net/.

For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association,
this is Bill Stearns NE4RD.

(K2BSA)

**
BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
KB6OZX repeater in Riverside, California on Tuesdays.


**

HOPEFUL HAMS AWAIT TEST RESULTS IN LEBANON

PAUL/ANCHOR: For hams in Lebanon who took the nation's first license
exam in more than a decade, it's all over but the waiting, as we hear
from Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW. JOHN's REPORT: For
anxious amateurs and prospective amateurs in Lebanon, it seemed like
forever until they could sit for an exam that would license or upgrade
them. It had been more than a decade since the Lebanese Ministry of
Communications had offered a test session for those seeking the
nation's OD5 call sign. Now, having taken the test a little more than
two weeks ago, the 50 or so hopeful applicants are waiting again - this
time, for the results.

Hani Raad OD5TE, president of the Radio Amateurs of Lebanon, is
credited with being the prime mover in getting the exam scheduled
according to Ghassan Chammas AC2RA. Ghassan, formerly HJ6SQQ and
HK6SQQ, was among those taking the test in Beirut.

He said in a recent email to Amateur Radio Newsline [quote] "I hope to
get an OD5 very soon." [ENDQUOTE]

Amateur Radio Newsline will be waiting with him for the results - and
we look forward to working the new licensees.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.

(GHASSAN CHAMMAS AC2RA)

**

ANOTHER SOTA 'SUPER ACTIVATION'

PAUL/ANCHOR: It's time to put more summits on the air -- and the next
"super activation" is coming, this time between North America and
Europe. Amateur Radio Newsline's Ed Durrant DD5LP has the details.

ED's REPORT: North American and European Summits on the Air "Super
activation" November 19th -- After the success of the Australia-Europe
Summit-to-Summit event in October, Gerald G4OIG suggested a similar
event, this time between Europe and North America. The SOTA community
has rallied behind him.

Both ends of the event will have to deal with wintery weather, but
despite that, at the time of writing just under two weeks before the
event twenty six stations located in Europe, North America and even one
in Africa, have indicated on the sotawatch.org website that they intend
to participate. Many activators can only confirm the day before and
others don't post alerts at all, so the final number of summits is
likely to be even higher.

Instead of the early morning activations the Europeans had in the VK
-EU event, this time it will be those in North America who will need to
set the alarm clock. For Europe the 1400 - 1700 UTC time slot makes
this a nice afternoon activation. In the US and Canada this equates to
0900 - 1200 on the East Coast and 0600-0900 local time on the
WestCoast.

The full details are as follows: Date: Saturday 19th, November 2016
Time: 1400 to 1700 UTC Bands: any that are open Modes: any that you can
operate from a summit. As well as SSB and CW we have three activators
who plan to use PSK31.

Most stations will be running low power. A few, however, plan to take
100-watt capable rigs onto the summit. Antennas in general are
wire-based - both horizontal and vertical polarised.

The aim of the event is to get as many Summit to Summit - "S2S"
-contacts as possible. The summit contacts can be between North America
and Europe or within the regions themselves. Home-based "chasers" are
also welcome to contact the summit activators but are being asked to
defer to the S2S contacts.

So if you have portable equipment and you are in North America or
Europe, why not take a look at the SOTA.ORG.UK website to find your
nearest summit and the award scheme's rules and join in the fun on the
19th. of November. Even if you don't have portable equipment, you can
still take part as a chaser from your home station. The more the
merrier on the 19th.

There's even talk now of an Australia to North America Summit-to-Summit
event, that would then complete the circle around the World by Summits
on the Air!.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP

**

PUTTING THE 'RADIO' IN HAM RADIO

PAUL/ANCHOR: What beats the thrill of getting your ham radio license?
Getting your first radio - free! Amateur Radio Newsline's Skeeter Nash
N5ASH has those details.

SKEETER: The Livingston County Amateur Radio Klub in Michigan has come
up with a unique way to generate interest in ham radio.

LES: We're offering residents of the County that are 21 years or
younger, that get their amateur radio license, it they pass the test,
we're giving them a dual-band handheld radio. And if you're over 21 and
you're in the county, if you pay for 2 years' membership to the club,
we'll also give you a radio, if you pass your test, or an upgrade.

SKEETER: That's Les Butler W8MSP, Technical Director for the Livingston
County Amateur Radio Klub, or LARK. I asked Les, who came up with
theidea?

LES: The board members of the club. We were thinking of ideas to get
more younger people involved, and more people in general. Our
membership's pretty good, and we've got pretty good participation in
our meetings; we have a few young people, but we'd like to see a
fewmore.

SKEETER: Has there been a noticeable difference since this program
started earlier in the summer?

LES: Not yet; I think it's going to now because it's getting a lot more
publicity. We did a local radio station interview here in the county.
We generally have two to five people show up for our test sessions
every month. We test the second Tuesday of every month. Walk-ins are
welcome, you don't need to make an appointment. And many months we have
five, six or seven people. Generally, it's two to five people.

SKEETER: So, if you know someone in Livingston County, Michigan, who is
interested in getting or upgrading their license-and could use a free
dual-band hand-held transceiver, go to W8LRK dot com to learn more
about the club's testing program. But hurry-this is a limited-time
offer that expires at the end of 2016. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm
Skeeter Nash N5ASH, in Topeka, Kansas.

(LIVINGSTON COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**

HAM IN BERMUDA HONORED BY HURRICANE WATCH NET

PAUL/ANCHOR: The sun is shining for one radio amateur in Bermuda who
just received big honors for his work with the Hurricane Watch Net.
Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best WX4ALA.

BOBBY: Thirty-one years of devoted and reliable reporting has paid off
big for Antony "Tony" Siese VP9HK. Tony's decades of volunteer efforts
with the Hurricane Watch Net have won him the title of Honorary Member
of the Net and the distinction of being the first non-manager to be
given that honor.

The Net's manager, Bobby Graves KB5HAV, announced late last month that
the Bermuda resident had more than earned the title since the start of
his involvement in 1985. Even with having taken one year off - last
year - he has kept busy. Honorary membership is not the only
distinction conferred on Tony. His reports on Hurricane Fabian in 2003
won him the Message-In-A-Bottle Award for that year's hurricane season
after he reported critical ground-truth information about the storm's
activity in Bermuda.

Tony has been a ham since the 1970s when he was licensed as G4CIL in
the UK.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best WX4ALA

(HURRICANE WATCH NET, ARRL)

**

MONK APOLLO BACK ON MOUNT ATHOS

PAUL/ANCHOR: We have updated word on a monk who is one of the world's
more popular DXers. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The happy news is that Monk Apollo SV2ASP/A is back on Mount
Athos following his recent hospitalization and major surgery. The
unwelcome news is that if you think you worked him between the 16th and
18th of October, you're mistaken. His call sign was apparently pirated
while the well-known DXer was undergoing medical treatment. A report
from Kostas SV1DPI in the Daily DX notes that someone was on 20 meters
CW purporting to be Monk Apollo during that time period. There are
also other reports that contacts with him on the 22nd and 23rd of
October may also not be authentic. Most recent word from Mount Athos is
that Monk Apollo may be ready for new QSOs soon so be on the bands and
keep listening! The next time will likely be for real!

(DX WORLD, THE DAILY DX, SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)

**

THE WORLD OF DX


Elsewhere in the world of DX, Maurizio IK2GZU is on the air from
Tanzania until the 2nd of December and in his spare time he is
operating as 5H3MB. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and
QSLs should go via the home call.

Listen for 6V1IS from Dakar, Senegal and as 6V1IS/P from two different
islands in the IOTA AF-045 group. A group of operators from Italy is on
the air from those locations until the 20th of November. Their QSL
Manager is IK7JWX.

Willi DJ7RJ is operating as 3B8/DJ7RJ from Mauritius until the 6th of
December on all HF bands, from 160 to 10 meters. He asks that topband
enthusiasts look for him on 1826.6 khz.

(IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)

**

KICKER: ON THE AIR WITH KB2GSD, WALTER CRONKITE (SORT OF)

PAUL/ANCHOR: We close with a story that amateur radio operators of a
certain age - actually, anyone of a certain age - might appreciate.
It's about a beloved network anchorman who had been a noted ham too.
For this, we turn to Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins KE5CXP.

MIKE: THE Metro DX Club in suburban Chicago put legendary newsman
Walter Cronkite KB2GSD back on the air recently, only it was the late
journalist himself who was making amateur radio news this time. On the
occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday, the club operated
Special Event Station W9C between Monday, October 31st and Sunday
November 6th.

The CBS newsman, who became a Silent Key in July of 2009, was once
known as the "most trusted man in America" and it was his voice and his
expertise that the ARRL called upon in its 2003 video, "Amateur Radio
Today," to acquaint non-hams with the hobby.

Metro DX Club president Jim Mornar N9TK told Amateur Radio Newsline
that the National Parks on the Air centennial activity inspired him to
look for other 100-year anniversaries. Walter Cronkite's birthday came
up high on the list he found. He told us [quote] "Since he was a ham
and known to most of the ham demographic, I thought it would be a real
winner. And so it has!" [ENDQUOTE] Thousands of QSOs had been tallied
up by Saturday, November 5th. Jim called that day the highlight of the
event as 15 or so club members worked from the super station of Jerry
WB9Z and Val NV9L in Crescent City, Illinois, and had a potluck lunch
that gave them strength to handle the pileups.

And THAT - as Walter Cronkite himself might say - is the way it is.

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

(METRO DX CLUB OF SUBURBAN CHICAGO)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; DX
World; the Daily DX; Deadline Hollywood; Ghassan Chammas AC2RA; Hap
Holly and the Rain Report; Hurricane Watch Net; K2BSA; Metro DX Club of
Suburban Chicago; Irish Radio Transmitter Society; Ohio-Penn DX
Bulletin; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show;
the VOA Museum of Broadcasting; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso,
Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

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

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