Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2258 for Friday February 5 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2258 with a release date of Friday
February 5 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. In Canada, a microwave solution for EmComm
needs. Restoration begins on wartime code machines -- and the space
station contact that wasn't. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2258 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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TECHNICAL TROUBLES FOIL ARISS SCHOOL CONTACT

JIM/ANCHOR: January 28th was supposed to be a day to remember for
students in Newcastle, Wyoming: They had an on-air date with the
International Space Station. It never happened due to technical
troubles, however, making it a day to remember for the crew and the
ARISS program. Paul Braun WD9GCO explains.

PAUL: As students at Newcastle High School in Wyoming waited for their
chance for radio contact with the ISS, Jan (YON) ON7UX, the Telebridge
station in Belgium, called as ON4ISS as the spacecraft came up on his
horizon -- but only noise came back. Several minutes passed as Jan kept
trying; still nothing. Science teacher Jim Stith KI7URL had helped prep
the students on radio protocol in anticipation of their questions to
Mike Hopkins KF5LJG. Ultimately, however, that contact never happened.

ARISS executive director Frank Bauer KA3HDO, said in a press release
later that a technical problem had apparently taken the ISS radio out
of service. He said additional troubleshooting was needed but
possibilities point to trouble with the new external RF cable recently
installed or related to the interior coax cable. The press release said
that NASA has opened a Payload Anomaly Report for the issue. In the
meantime, ARISS has asked Sergey Samburov, who heads the Russian team,
whether the Russians' radio can be used for school contacts until the
problems can be resolved. The Wyoming students have been told that
their contact will be rescheduled.

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

(ARISS, YOUTUBE)



J
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FRENCH AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE PART OF SPACEX RECORD LAUNCH

JIM/ANCHOR: The SpaceX launch late last month set records for the
number of satellites aboard but hams are especially interested in one,
as Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us.

JEREMY: When a record number of small satellites left earth aboard a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday January 24th, France's UVSQ-SAT
satellite carrying an FM amateur radio transponder was among them. The
satellite is focusing on broadband measurements of Earth Radiation
Budget and on Solar Spectral Irradiance in the Herzberg continuum.
Amateur radio operators are being encouraged to contact the satellite
as well. Toward this end, AMSAT-Francophone is providing hams with
software to receive,interpret and upload telemetry to the AMSAT-F
server or the SatNOGS database. The software runs on both Linux and
Windows platforms.

The satellite, designed by LATMOS, has had its frequencies coordinated
by the IARU. The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Radio-Club F6KRK was also
involved in the project.

It was among the 143 satellites carried on SpaceX's first dedicated
SmallSat Rideshare Program mission, which broke the previous record of
104 simultaneous launches aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle in 2017.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(SPACEFLIGHT NOW, AMSAT, LATMOS)

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DEVICE PREVENTS 'SPACE JUNK' BY ALTERING SATELLITE ORBITS

JIM:/ANCHOR: Let's face it, no one likes clutter: not in the shack and
certainly not out in space where CubeSats and other amateur radio
satellites keep us connected. Well, help with cleanup has arrived. Neil
Rapp WB9VPG has the details.

NEIL: It's called the Iodine Thruster and it hates "space junk" so much
that it's helping prevent it, using an unconventional, nontoxic
propellant: Iodine. The electronic thruster is being used to control a
satellite's height above the Earth.

That means that when a satellite reaches the end of its mission, it can
be sent down into the atmosphere where it can safely burn up rather
than add more dead clutter to the skies.

The device has already proven its worth: It successfully changed the
orbit of a commercial research nanosat that was launched last November.

Iodine is seen as an ideal propellant to use for this technology
because it is solid at room temperature and pressure, becoming gas when
it's heated without having to liquefy first. It also only takes up a
small space onboard on the satellite. This technology isn't just for
dead and dying satellites, however; experts speculate it can help small
CubeSats extend their mission lifetimes before dying because the
thruster can raise the satellites' orbits if they start to drift back
toward earth.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(SOUTHGATE)

**
RESTORATION BEGINS ON WORLD WAR II ENIGMA MACHINES

JIM/ANCHOR: If restoring old boat anchors, or even making ancient
straight keys usable, is a challenge that appeals to you, consider this
monumental task being undertaken in Germany right now. Ed Durrant DD5LP
tells us about it.

ED: It looks like restoration experts at Germany's State Archaeological
Museum in Schleswig-Holstein are looking at additional work. After
starting the one years desalination and restoration work on a World War
II enigma machine found in the Baltic Sea off the north east coast of
Germany in December last year, another six units have been found.
Unfortunately many of this find had been made unusable before they were
thrown into the sea from German Warships at the end of the second
worldwar.

The machines, which resemble old typewriters, have inner workings that
include three interchangeable rotors used to scramble messages. These
messages were then sent using Morse code to another ship or land
station that had another enigma machine to decode the message. Restored
enigma machines have been shown and operation demonstrated both at
Friedrichshafen and Dayton Hamfests.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(LIVESCIENCE, PHYS.ORG)

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HAMS IN INDIA HELP ID MISSING MAN AS AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN

JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators in India are being credited with
helping make an important contact in Australia but the communication
here has nothing to do with DXing. Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us what
happened.

JASON: A man who had been found wandering disoriented on the streets of
Kolkata, India several weeks ago has been identified as an Australian
citizen with the help of local amateur radio operators. According to a
report in the Times of India, the 69-year-old man, who is of Indian
origin, is from Sydney, Australia. He has been in one of the local
state-run hospitals since he was found.

The West Bengal Amateur Radio Club intervened at the request of local
health department officials who wanted the man's family located and
knew the club has a long track record of helping reunite families.

Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA, club secretary, said that although there
were still many missing details, paperwork found in the man's
possession indicated he was residing in Sydney but had formerly owned
property in India. The newspaper report said the man speaks English but
appears to have some kind of mental disorder. The Australian Deputy
High Commissioner's Office in Kolkata told the newspaper that efforts
are under way to contact his family members.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(TIMES OF INDIA)

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BREAK HE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K3ALG repeater in Palmerton, Pennsylvania on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.
local time.

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CLUB OFFERS MICROWAVE NETWORK TO BOOST BRITISH COLUMBIA EMCOMM

JIM/ANCHOR: For one ham club in Canada, emergency response doesn't just
consist of HTs, repeaters and HF radios. Radio operators there are
hoping they can soon assist local responders by getting their microwave
network in the game. Christian Cudnik K0STH has that story.

CHRISTIAN: The Kamloops Amateur Radio Club, which already provides
emergency support on the ground throughout its region in British
Columbia, sees even more potential in their mountaintop-to-mountaintop
broadband network. They're offering to open its use to the TNRD, the
regional governing body, in the hopes that the microwave links'
internet connectivity and large data bandwidth can provide an
additional resource for local Emergency Operations Centres in the case
of wildfires or other calamities.

Club president Myles VE7FSR said the idea of providing the TNRD, or
Thompson-Nicola Regional District, with a higher level of assistance
was inspired by a 2017 wildfire in the region. He and some friends in
the British Columbia Wireless Amateur Radio Network recalled how the
blaze had hampered the Emergency Operations Centers' abilities to
communicate vital information.

Myles told Newsline that for the region's various municipalities to
utilize the club's high speed microwave system, they'd need to first
establish that they have line-of-sight with the mountaintops and then
install dishes there to connect with the EOCs below. Myles said this
sort of operation has come of age. EOCS, he said, are more dependent
than ever on internet access because the data bandwidth is so much
greater there than on VHF, UHF and especially HF.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH.

(MYLES BRUNS VE7FSR)

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GEORGIA AMATEURS DEMONSTRATE RADIO SCIENCE ON FIELD DAY

JIM/ANCHOR: Winter Field Day was a little bit different this year for
some hams in Georgia. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us how they spent it.

KEVIN: The Macon, Georgia shopping mall known as the Shoppes at River
Crossing became part of a Winter Field Day activity - and even the
mall's security department got in on the action. Hams were using the
occasion to demonstrate analog and digital HF operations as well as
UHF/VHF and D-STAR. According to David Johnson KF4ALH, emergency
coordinator for Macon-Bibb ARES, this field day activity was more about
scoring big points on education and public relations instead of points
in a contest. Hams from Macon-Bibb County ARES were joined by the
Macon-Bibb County EMA Volunteer Group, Macon Amateur Radio Club, the
Monroe County ARES Group and the Monroe County Amateur Radio Society.

The hams gave science lessons and history lessons along with a basic
look at how amateur radio works and the role it plays when hurricanes
sweep through.

David said a few visitors seemed interested in learning more and doing
more. He added: "If even one new person gets the Amateur Radio bug from
our event, I consider that a bonus."

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(DAVID JOHNSON KF4ALH)

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SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS MARK ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CENTENARY

JIM/ANCHOR: A special event is celebrating 100 years since the creation
of the Royal Australian Air Force. Robert Broomhead has that story.

ROBERT: A call has been put out for enthusiastic recruits to serve the
Royal Australian Air Force -- no, not for military duty but to become
airborne nonetheless via the radio as part of one of two special event
stations marking the 100th anniversary of the RAAF.

Hams will be using the call signs VI100AF and VK100AF from the 1st of
March to the 29th of May, for 100 days. The Air Force's actual birthday
is March 31st. On that date in 1921, the RAAF became an independent
service from the Army. It is the world's second-oldest air force. Its
roots are with the Australian Flying Corps, which sent troops during
World War I to serve in the Middle East and European theatres.

Activations can be done at the home QTH, at a club or even a park or
SOTA location. There are plans to operate from four Air Force Bases
aswell.

Time for Aussie hams to register is short. Organisers are hoping to
release the roster for both call signs sometime around the 5th of
February.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN.

(CENTRAL COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, AIRFORCE.GOV.AU)

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OFCOM CLARIFIES LICENSE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR VP8 HAMS

JIM/ANCHOR: Word from Ofcom in the UK has clarified some longstanding
confusion over licensing responsibilities in the British Antarctic
territory region. Hams seeking new VP8 licences to operate in the
Antarctic and South Georgia have learned they will only be able to use
those licences on the Falkland Islands. On the other hand, hams with
existing VP8 calls may use them temporarily in the British Atlantic
Territories, South Sandwich and South Georgia as well as in the
Falklands until the licensing responsibilities are better defined.

Ofcom noted that the British Atlantic Territories, South Georgia and
South Sandwich Islands cannot lissue their own licences or assign call
signs. Ofcom left the option open for those locales to ask the Falkland
Islands to administer licensing and call signs on their behalf as had
been the case up until early 2020.

(OPENFALKLANDS.COM)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for the members of the Kuwait Amateur Radio
Society operating as 9K60NLD throughout the month of February. This is
a special event celebrating Kuwait's 60th National Day, which is
February 25th, and Liberation Day, which is February 26th). QSL
via9K2RA.

In Mozambique, Bruno, CS7AMN, will be using the call sign C91BVA from
Maputo starting on February 18th. Be listening on 80/40/20/15 and 10
meters where he will be using SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via LoTW,
by the Bureau (via CS7AMN), ClubLog or eQSL.

In Germany, members of the Local Branch Kerpen (G29) have begun
operating with the special event callsign DC220GERKE and will remain on
the air through April 31st. They are celebrating the 220th birthday of
Friedrich Clemens Gerke, who revised the Morse Code telegraphy system
into the standardized form we know today as the International Morse
code. QSL via DJ6SI direct or by the Bureau.

(OHIO PENN DX)

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KICKER: HIGH-FLYING HUNGER HITS THE ISS

JIM/ANCHOR: Finally, if you've got an appetite for a good story, our
final report this week is about some high-flying hunger in space that
led the hams on board to engage in a bit of dietary diplomacy. Mike
Askins KE5CXP serves this one to us:

MIKE: Whoever said hams love a good meal so much that they're unwilling
to share their food may have eaten their way through more than a few
hamfests -- but they haven't been aboard the International Space
Station. Astronauts and cosmonauts not only appreciate one another's
space-friendly cuisine but are required by NASA to do pre-flight
sampling of the international goodies for the sake of their in-flight
stomachs. So when the US astronauts heard their Russian colleagues
learned would have a two-month delay in their next shipment of food,
meal-sharing was the only solution. Kate Rubins KG5FYJ, Victor Glover
KI5BKC, Mike Hopkins KF5LJG, and Shannon Walker KD5DXB stepped up to
the plate, so to speak. Sergey (SUR-GAY) Ryzhikov (RIZ-HIGH-KOV), one
of the two cosmonauts, reported that the 13 containers of the
Americans' food were even provided free of charge. That should be
sufficient for the two cosmonauts until February 15th. According to a
report from the Russian state-owned news site RIA Novosti, that's when
the next shipment is scheduled.

With the ISS traveling at speeds of up to 17,100 miles an hour, you
might even consider this to be fast-food. Very fast food.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.

(NASA, RIA NOVOSTI)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the ACMA; Airforce.Gov.Au; Amateur News
Weekly; AMSAT; ARISS; the ARRL; Central Coast Amateur Radio Club; CQ
Magazine; David Behar K7DB; David Johnson KF4ALH; LATMOS; LiveScience;
Phys.Org; Myles Bruns VE7FSR; NASA; Ohio Penn DX newsletter;
OpenFalklands.com; QRZ.com; Southgate Amateur Radio News;
shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; RIA
Novosti; Spaceflight Now; The Times of India; the Wireless Institute of
Australia; WTWW Shortwave; YouTube; 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 at arnewsline.org.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and
our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleson West
Virginia saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.