Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2056 for Friday, March 24, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2056 with a release date of
Friday, March 24 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. South African hams take on the rising noise
floor. AM mode gets its day in the sun -- and you'll go nuts for the
world's smallest homebrew transmitter. All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report 2056 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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SPEAKING UP (LOUDLY) ABOUT RISING NOISE FLOOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with this report on noise.
The noise floor is rising on the bands and so are the efforts at
mitigation. In South Africa, a detailed study is about to get under way
and the South African Radio League is in search of input and expertise
to assist, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

JIM: In South Africa, it's time to start making some noise - some
complaining noise - to help make the bands more hospitable for amateur
radio. The South African Radio League is forming a study group to
monitor the rising RF noise floor on the bands and to identify ways to
mitigate noise from manmade sources that impacts the radio frequencies.

The radio league is collecting information from radio amateurs who may
have expertise or interest in providing input to the study in
preparation for a workshop being held on the 22nd of April. The open
meeting will take place at the National Amateur Radio Centre in
CapeTown.

For more details about the workshop on the rising noise floor, or to
express interest in being a part of the noise study, send an email to
sarlregwg-at-sarl-dot-org-dot-za )

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

**

FROM DUBLIN TO NEPAL AND BACK AGAIN

PAUL/ANCHOR: Call it a success! The Irish DXpeditioners who went to
Nepal are back home, returning with more than 30,000 QSOs completed, as
we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The Irish DXpedition 9N7NEI reports that it has completed its
goal of more than 30,000 QSOs during 10 days of operation before going
QRT on March 19. The team's shutdown came just in time - it was right
before a major power outage, the team reports on its website. In fact,
much of the DXpedition was plagued on and off by power outages,
electrical storms and noise issues. There were bright spots however,
that had nothing to do with a sky illuminated by lightning: Operators
got to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the team's QTH at the Sojourn
Himalaya Resort in Nepal. They also played host to a number of guests
including three students and their teachers from the Sweden's Sando
Rescue College, who had come to learn the logistics of setup and
operations, especially with a dozen operators on the air.

The team is grateful of course for exceeding its QSO goal and counts
itself lucky even as it counts those 30,366 contacts. All that remained
was the 22-hour trip back to Dublin.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(9N7NEI WEBSITE)

**
THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF AM ARE BACK

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you've never tried AM mode, now's your chance. Whatever
the age of your rig, this time-honored voice communication mode is
about to have an event all its own. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's
Heather Embee KB3TZD with more.

HEATHER: What could be better than high-fidelity amateur radio?
Nothing! How about enjoying this through a contest known as the AM
Rally, which takes place the weekend of April 1st and 2nd. The weekend
of AM QSOs not only pays homage to the oldest form of voice modulation,
which predates SSB, but encourages all amateurs - even first-timers
who've never used AM mode - to switch their rigs out of SSB. Hams are
asked to experience the rich sound their contacts have when their
signals contain a carrier with double sideband - perhaps for the first
time in their operating careers. The action is happening on 160, 80,
40, 20, 15, 10 and 6 meters and there's an opportunity to earn
certificates as well as learn more about this historic mode of
transmission. Hams with transistorized rigs, home-brew rigs, boat
anchors, software-based rigs and many other types of equipment can
participate. Even military rigs and rigs converted from AM broadcast
qualify; there are separate categories for each type. Please visit
www-dot-amrally-dot-com (www.amrally.com) for details, operating
frequencies and information about logging software.

Even if you're too young to remember the good old days of AM, if you're
licensed, you're old enough to go back in time for just a few hours and
experience AM.

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

(CLARK BURGARD N1BCG)

**

NETS OF NOTE: THE BROTHERS NET

PAUL: Newsline's occasional series, Nets of Note, takes a look at some
unusual on-air gatherings. This week's find is from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: On this week's "Nets of Note, we meet Phil Henline, KB0OPR, one
of the founding brothers of the Brothers Net on 40 meters. These guys
know how to throw a party... I mean... a net. Phil tells us how it all
got started.

PHIL: The net started quite by accident. My younger brother got me into
ham radio. Our father passed away in '93. He bribed me with my dad's
Kenwood 520S and a tuner and said "if you get your general license I'll
give those to you." So I got my license. I got on one night. I don't
remember what frequency it was, and I heard about three fellows
chatting, and I heard this one fellow say that he lived in Indiana but
he was originally from Wisconsin. So when they finished, I contacted
him and we had a little chat and we discovered that we each had
brothers still living in Wisconsin that were hams. So we would make
contacts every Saturday morning, and that went on for probably about
six or eight months. Then one day my brother Kurt said, "We should
start a brothers net."

NEIL: Very soon, though, the net was opened to everyone, brothers or no
brothers. And it just started to grow. Now there are 944 members in 41
states and 32 countries. Each night has a different theme.

PHIL: Monday night we do what we call tube night, which is old radio
night. You don't have to have an old radio to join us, but if you do
we'd like you to fire it up. Every other Tuesday night is Route 66,
where we talk about nothing but cars and Route 66 and things of that
nature. The opposite Tuesday night we have what we call rocket science
night. And we have another NCS that is into the scientific area, and he
does a net around that.

NEIL: Wednesday night is Canadian night. Thursday is for astronomy,
Friday is for trivia. Saturday is well, wide open! This net even has
its own mascot!

PHIL: My brother, Kurt, WA9KMB, in Medford, had an eagle nesting in one
of the trees on his property. So we called him Rudy, and eventually we
decided we should have a mascot. So Kurt found this beautiful stuffed
eagle that's about maybe 2 foot tall, very attractive, and we have what
we call a "handshake" every year. So every first week in June, we go to
Russellville, Kentucky to K4ELO. He has a farm there, and he hosts it.
We have about 40 people a year. And, Rudy the mascot then gets
auctioned off. Whoever wins Rudy has to take Rudy with them wherever
they go and they have to photograph Rudy in all these different places.
They'll submit the photographs to me, and I'll keep a constant
slideshow going on our website.

NEIL: For some brotherly advice, try the Brothers net on 7.192 at 7 pm
Eastern Monday through Saturday. And you can check out the pictures of
Rudy and get more information at their website, w9bro.net.

Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

ANCHOR/PAUL: Meanwhile, if you know of a net with an interesting story
to tell, email us at newsline at arnewsline.org and we might just
feature it as one of our next Nets of Note.

**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the
KD5DMT repeater of the Benton County Radio Operators club in Centerton,
Arkansas, which transmits Newsline at the end of its regular Thursday
evening net.

**

A YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR REMEMBERS 2011

PAUL/ANCHOR: For the past few weeks we've been reminding you that it's
time to submit your nominations for this year's Amateur Radio Newsline
Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. But our words can
only go so far and only say so much. So let's hear some words instead
from Alabama's Kaitlyn Cole KS3P. She was our youngest winner, at age
11, in 2011.

KAITLYN: Hi, I'm Kaitlyn Cole KS3P and I was the 2011 Amateur Radio
Newsline Young Ham of the Year. It was a gerat honor to be chosen as
the recipient of this internationally known award. I was the youngest
person to receive it at the age of 11. This award made it possible for
me to be an example to other young hams and the award also shows the
amateur radio community that young people are the future of amateur
radio and that we are doing great things in public service and
technical innovation along with being enthusiastic ambassadors for
amateur radio. I am really looking forward to meeting the 2017 Bill
Pasternak WA6ITF Amateur Radio Newsline YOung Ham of the Year at the
Huntsville Hamfest. 73 from Kaitlyn KS3P.

PAUL: Thank you Kaitlyn, we're proud of all you've accomplished. If any
listeners know of a promising your amateur like Kaitlyn, visit our web
page at arnewsline.org and click on the YHOTY tab to download a
nomination form. Candidates must be 18 or younger and reside in the
U.S. or any of its possessions or Canada. Application deadline is May
31. Find more details on our website.

**
GREATER HOUSTON HAMFEST'S HAPPENING

PAUL/ANCHOR: If anyone knows how to stage a hamfest, it's Houston. The
Greater Houston Hamfest and ARRL Texas State Convention isn't exactly
an event of modest proportions. Hams who attend on Saturday March 24
and Sunday March 25 are likely to remember plenty about the two days of
the group's 16th annual hamfest. The principal speaker will be Tim
Duffy K3LR, who is the chief operating officer of DX Engineering. He
will also be at the helm of two technical sessions - one on the K3LR
superstation and a second one on the value a reverse beacon network has
for DXers and contesters. Joe Eisenberg K0NEB, the kit editor for CQ
Magazine, will also lead a kit-building class for beginners.

So come to the hamfest at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in
Rosenberg, Texas. Stay for the fellowship and the forums and oh yes,
the two balloon launches. Things are looking up!

For more details, visit houstonhamfest.org

(RON LITT K5HM)

**

WHEN ALL THE WORLD'S A TRANSMITTER

PAUL/ANCHOR: If it feels like the whole world is on the air on April
18th, perhaps that's because hams are marking World Radio Day. What's
that? Amateur Radio Newsline's Jason Daniels VK2LAW explains.

JASON: If propagation is good, your signal is getting through and the
QSL cards are filling up your mailbox, you might feel like every day is
World Amateur Radio Day. Officially however this once-a-year event
takes place on April 18th, the date in 1925 marking the formation of
the International Amateur Radio Union in Paris. So if you feel you're
in need of a special occasion to operate, this is the one.

World Amateur Radio Day is set aside for IARU members to show public
pride in being a radio operator by contacting hams worldwide as a
gesture of global friendship. The Bahrain Amateur Radio Group will
operate for several days as A91WARD with a special QSL card for the
event. The Puerto Rico Field Day Group will be on the air on Amateur
Radio Day itself as KP4FD. Australia's Albury Wodonga Amateur Radio
Club will be operating for three days as VK2EWC.

For the third consecutive year, the World Friendship Net will also be
part of the action. The net is operating on ECHOLINK conference server
*WORLD* and IRLP node 9251. Last year it logged more than 300 check-ins
from 33 international stations and 18 different countries during its 10
hours of operation, making it the largest event on VOIP/ECHOLINK.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW

(IARU)

**

In the world of DX, a team of radio amateurs from the Netherlands will
be operating from Liechtenstein as HB0/homecall between the first and
8th of April. The operators are Mans/PA2HGJ, Robert/PA2RDK,
Frank/PA3CNO, Paul/PA3DFR, Henry/PA3HK, Gert/PE0MGB and Piet/PE1FLO.
Listen for them on all bands between 160 and 10 meters. They'll be
using mainly CW and some SSB/Digital modes. Much of their activity will
be on the new 60m band. Send QSL cards via PE1FLO.

Another ham is also operating from April 1st through the 8th. Bill K9HZ
will be operating from his villa in St. Lucia. He can be found on 160
through 6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. He is especially interested in
contacts into Alaska and Montana in the United States, to complete his
8P WAS. Send QSL cards to his home call sign. He also uses LoTW,
ClubLog and eQSL.

There are a few days left to contact Franz, OE2SNL, who is active until
the 30th of March working from Grenada as J3/OE2SNL. You can hear him
on 160 through 10 meters. Send QSL cards to his home callsign. (OHIO
PENN DX BULLETIN)

**

KICKER: TRANSMITTING, IN A NUTSHELL

PAUL: We end this week's newscast with the story of a very miniature
homebrew transmitter that was a tough nut to crack. Well....maybe not.
The transmitter is actually a very simple device for sending CW. It
operates QRP, drawing its power from a 9-volt battery. Of course, it's
so tiny that the battery actually has to be outside the device: the
transmitter is housed inside a walnut shell! Its creator, Jarno
(YARN-O) de Haan PA3DMI in Amsterdam, just happens to really like
walnuts -- and the ones he was eating from his neighbor's tree inspired
him to follow a design he had seen for a tiny CW transmitter. As he
told Amateur Radio Newsline in a recent email: QUOTE "looking at the
design and eating walnuts got me thinking what if....." ENDQUOTE

What if, indeed. He found four very tiny crystals on the Internet for
$10, added a few other super-small components, then added the most
miniature hinges he could find that would allow the nut to open and
close. When he hooked it up to a dummyload, out came 50 to 60
milliwatts!

After he posted a video of it on YouTube, the website Hackaday.com took
it viral. The rest is Internet and ham radio history. Followers have
gone, well.....nuts over it. As for Jarno (YARN-O), he's inspired now
to do more. He wrote Newsline to say: QUOTE: "I still have about a half
kilo of walnuts so I could make a receiver, an antenna tuner, a new
walnut CW-key - the possibilities are endless." ENDQUOTE

Amateur Radio Newsline congratulates Jarno (YARN-O) on revolutionizing
the wireless world of walnuts and asks that he please write us again
when he's had his first successful QSO with a squirrel.

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the
ARRL; Clark Burgard N1BCG; Hackaday.com; Hap Holly and the Rain Report;
the IARU; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; 9N7NEI Website; Ohio-Penn
DX Bulletin; QRZ.COM; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO
Radio Show; 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 2017. All rights reserved.