Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1993, January 8, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1993 with a release date of
Friday, January 8, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Amateur radio equipment maker TEN-TEC gets yet
another new owner. The Polish DXer who'll work North Korea this year
has delayed his plans. The estate of a British Silent Key gives a gift
to a local hospice. And the yearlong National Parks on the Air event is
off and running! All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report
1993 coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)


DISHTRONIX BUYS TEN-TEC'S ASSETS

We begin this week's newscast with word of the latest sale of
beleaguered amateur radio equipment maker TEN-TEC. The assets of the
company, founded in 1968, have been sold to Ohio-based Dishtronix,
according to recent news reports. Although final details have yet to be
disclosed, and neither company has formally announced the purchase,
Dishtronix owner Steven M. Dishop, N8WFF, acknowledged the deal on the
ARRL website. Dishop tells the ARRL that his vision for the business is
QUOTE "strictly long term." ENDQUOTE And he reaffirmed his 17-year-old
company's commitment to its continued financial stability despite what
he called QUOTE "some tough decisions."

Toward that end, Dishtronix has contracted with former TEN-TECH
engineering manager, John Henry, K-I-4-J-P-L, and initiated new service
policies and related pricing. Dishop said TEN-TEC's service department
had been operating at a loss.

TEN-TEC's asset sale is the latest for the beleaguered company, which
began as the manufacturer of transceivers for QRP users. Last April,
RKR Designs of Colorado announced it had purchased TEN-TEC's assets,
along with those of Alpha Amplifiers, from RF Concepts. The two lines
had been merged less than a year earlier in yet another asset sale.

Dishtronix, which committed to offering high-power, solid-state
amplifiers and accessories to the amateur market in 2001, now has a
variety of products in development and plans to introduce a new
legal-limit, solid-state amplifier in May at the Dayton Hamvention.

(ARRL)

**

A DELAY FOR NOTED DXer

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Polish DXer Dom, 3Z9DX, is back in the news with his
North Korea DXpedition. But this time, he's in the spotlight for being
OFF the air. Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has more.

GRAHAM'S REPORT:

The well-publicized DXpedition of Polish amateur Dom, 3Z9DX, is still
on - but the amateur world is going to have to wait a little bit longer
for it to happen. Gryzb rocked the airwaves in late December with an
unannounced on-air demonstration from North Korea which was a big
success, despite problematic solar conditions. Even with little fanfare
announcing his presence, he managed to make almost 800 contacts, most
of them in Asia.

When he departed North Korea to celebrate the holidays back home in
Poland, he announced a hoped-for return in February to get back on
theair.

His plans have since changed. He recently told DX World that he will
now wait until late summer before launching his long-awaited DXpedition
as P5. His goal, he says, is to find a location that will provide
quieter operating conditions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (DXWORLD.NET, CQ
AMATEUR RADIO)

**

NPOTA - THE FIRST CONTACT

[SKEETER:] Meanwhile, the ARRL's National Parks On The Air event has
kicked off, as of 00:00 UTC New Years Day, January 1st and Newsline's
Don Wilbanks, AE5DW was ready. Listen:

[NPOTA AUDIO - 1:18)


[SKEETER:] That's Pat, N Zero Oh Oh at the mic for the W3HAC station
set up at the base of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. Pat
and Don made that contact just 3 minutes into the event, making them
two of the first to make NPOTA contacts. At press time we haven't
heard how many contacts W3HAC managed to log but the year-long event
celebrating the National Parks System's centennial is just getting
started so there's plenty of time to join the fun. You can be an
activator or a chaser, or both. Everything you need to know can be
found at the National Parks On The Air page at arrl.org/npota, or the
Facebook page. Search ARRL National Parks On The Air.

**

WEATHERING A NEW SOUND

[SKEETER:] If you've been using NOAA Weather Radio to monitor the
changing forecast, get ready for a new voice to deliver the
meteorological message to you. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best,
WX4ALA, has that story.

[BOBBY'S REPORT:]

What does the weather sound like? Starting Jan. 11, whether the outlook
is sunny or stormy, the forecast is going to sound a whole lot
different.

NOAA Weather Radio is about to deploy its first upgrade in 15 years of
the system that produces its broadcast programs. And that upgrade will
change the voice listeners hear delivering observations, warnings,
watches and forecasts.

A number of weather service offices, including the ones in
Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, will be involved in an
operational test and evaluation period following the launch this month.


NOAA hopes the new voice, generated by a new computer system, weathers
the flood of feedback it expects during this period, which is likely to
last several months. If all goes well, the new system will have a
nationwide rollout later in the year on all transmitters.

Comments can be sent to .

(NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE)


SKEETER: That was Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA.

**

CRASH INJURES ARIZONA AMATEUR

Don Seibert N-2-M-OH-OH (N2MOO), vice president of the Sierra Nevada
Amateur Radio Society, was injured in a motor vehicle crash on New
Years Day and latest reports at press time listed him in critical
condition in the intensive care unit of Renown Hospital in Reno.

Reports on the Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire website indicate that
Seibert's condition was being assessed by doctors following surgery.
The report said the accident occurred after a woman turned into the
path of his vehicle after failing to heed a traffic signal.

Seibert had begun his third consecutive term as club Vice-President on
the day the accident happened. Seibert is considered one of the
principal architects creating the DMR system for the Sierra Nevada
club. According to the Sierra Nevada website, the former truck driver
retired from his profession after being diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis. The website said that a GoFundMe account has been set up to
defray his medical expenses following the accident.

(NEVADA AMATEUR RADIO NEWSWIRE)

**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around such as the Mingus Mountain
Repeater Group, K7MRG, in Arizona, on Tuesday evenings.

**

ARRL AND RGSB: CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Big changes in leadership are coming for the ARRL and the Radio Society
of Great Britain. The ARRL Board of Directors expects to elect a new
president and a number of other new officers at its annual meeting on
Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16, in Windsor, Connecticut.
They will choose a successor to ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, who
is stepping down after three 2-year terms.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and ARRL Chief
Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, who are both retiring, will also
be attending this meeting as their last with the ARRL.

Graham Coomber, G-ZERO-N-B-I (G0NBI), the General Manager of the Radio
Society of Great Britain announced his retirement on January 4,
prompting a search for his successor. He has been general manager
since2012.


(ARRL, RSGB)

**

CALLING ALL "K" SIGNS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: If one of your contacts this year happens to be a ham
from Cornwall in the UK, don't be surprised if they identify with a
callsign with a bit of a different twist. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, explains:

JEREMY'S REPORT:


The year ahead holds special significance, and identity, for radio
amateurs in Cornwall, who are starting 2016 with the ability to add a
"K" to their call signs for the course of the year.

Approved by OfCom late last year, this Special "K" in a real sense
acknowledges the national minority status granted to the Cornish people
two years ago. The Poldhu Amateur Radio Club successfully lobbied for
the process, known as Notice of Variation, or "NOV," under which
amateurs can seek to modify their call signs. The designation, which is
optional, is designed to be available to all of Cornwall's amateurs,
regardless of club affiliation. Callsigns at the intermediate level
replace the "E" with a "D."

Applications can be made throughout the year but all designations will
expire on the 31st of December, 2016.

Advocates of the variation are hoping this recognition via call sign
will boost on-air activity among hams in Cornwall, and a number of
clubs are establishing a "Kernow Award, recognizing such activity.
Details of which are available on the club website, www.gb2gm.org.

Meanwhile, amateurs await the opportunity to participate in a Special
Event for St. Piran, the 5th century Cornish abbot who became the
patron saint of Cornwall. That event will take place on St. Piran's
Day, the 5th of March, 2016.

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

(SOUTHGATE ARC, POLDHU AMATEUR RADIO CLUB WEBSITE)

**

HAM SHACK SALE BENEFITS UK HOSPICE

The legacy of Michael Hall, 2E0MBJ, now a Silent Key, will no doubt
provide care and comfort to many. His widow, with the help of the
Banbury Amateur Radio Society, donated the proceeds of 380 pounds from
the sale of his shack to Katharine House Hospice just outside Banbury
in the UK.

The club's chairman, John Manley, M1CNJ, tells the Banbury Guardian
newspaper: QUOTE "As always, it is difficult for close family members
to know how to deal with technical possessions in these situations. It
was on such an occasion that the Banbury radio society was contacted by
Mrs Hall for advice..." ENDQUOTE

Michael Hall had been an active member of the Banbury Club, where he
had taken his Foundation course and gotten his license.

(SOUTHGATE, THE BANBURY GUARDIAN)

**

MOONBOUNCE PIONEER BECOMES SILENT KEY

A veteran radio operator who was part of the first crew of Scottish
amateurs to complete a moonbounce in 1965 became a Silent Key in late
December. In 1965, working out of a remote site in the East Neuk of
Fife, at a former RAF beacon station, Ken Street, GM3ENJ, had been part
of a group from the Dunfermline Amateur Radio Society that contacted
Arecibo in Puerto Rico via the moon, transmitting on CW on 70 cm. The
group used the callsign GM3FYB, and the transmission was recorded on
site where it had been received in Puerto Rico. Street, who lived in
Dunfermline, was still an active amateur at the time of his death, and
worked sideband mainly on 2 meters. He was 91.

(SOUTHGATE ARC)

**

A YEAR OF BRITISH SCIENTISTS

Another British radio group, The Phoenix Amateur Radio Club, seems to
have anniversaries down to a science. In fact, the anniversaries
themselves are all about science. The club is devoting 2016 to an array
of special events celebrating notable British scientists throughout
history.

More than 40 British scientists will be honored throughout the year,
beginning with on Friday, January 8 marking the birthday of Stephen
Hawking, and ending on Dec. 25 with Sir Isaac Newton. According to the
17th century Julian calendar in effect when he was born, Newton would
have been born on Christmas - although the physicist's birth is
observed in modern times on Jan. 4.

All clubs in the UK are invited to participate, and the Phoenix club
members are hoping there will be many with a local connection to some
of the scientists. The special events, by the way, will also celebrate
many of the notable ham radio contacts that are expected - and offer
Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for qualifying amateurs.


(PHOENIX AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, SOUTHGATE ARC)

**

LIONS ROAR ON THE AIR

When does the roar of a Lion sound a lot like a friendly QSO? Only
during a special event called Hunting Lions In The Air. The amateur
event is designed to connect Lions Club International members with
other members around the world who also have a radio license. This
year, it kicks off Saturday, January 9 and continues through Wednesday,
January 13. The 13th is a significant date since it marks the
birthdate, in 1879, of Arizona native Melvin Jones. Jones, who later
became a Chicago businessman, founded the service organization known as
Lions Club International in 1917. Lions clubs support medical research,
disaster assistance, services for the disabled, and other community
causes.

Hams and Lions Club members are being encouraged to contact their local
Lions Club to encourage participation in the on-air event.


(AMATEUR RADIO VICTORIA)

**


WORLD OF DX


Francis, F6BLP, is active through January 31 as 6W7SK from Saly
Portudal, in Senegal. He is working holiday style, operating mainly CW
with some SSB and RTTY on 160 through 6 meters. Look for his low band
activity during his local sunrise and sunset. Send QSLs via F6BLP,
direct or by the Bureau.

Marcelo, EA1HFI, is active through March 4 from Ziguinchor in Senegal,
with an emphasis on SSB and the Digital modes. His activity is being
done QRP, during his free time and weekends. QSL via his home callsign,
direct or by the Bureau. Follow him on Facebook as Marcelo HFI and
Twitter as @EA1HFI.

Look for Polish special event station 3Z6DOBRZEN through January 31.
The station will be operated by the members of the Piastowski Short
Wave Radio Club, SP6PAZ, and others. They are celebrating the fifth
anniversary of short wave radio activities as part of the Dobrzen
Wielki District Cultural Centre. Find the station on HF and VHF bands
using CW, SSB and Digital modes. Send QSLs via SP6PAZ ONLY, by the PZK
Bureau or direct.

(OHIO PENN DX NEWSLETTER)

**

KICKER: FROM CANADA WITH LOVE

Radio amateurs like Norway's Ole Forr, LA6EIA, are no doubt accustomed
to scoring a big DX every now and again on the HF bands. But when the
58-year-old dairy farmer tuned in late last year on the AM band for a
program called "The Morning Edition with Sheila Coles" he ended up
turning program host Sheila Coles into an unwitting DXer herself: He
was listening to a popular CBC Saskatchewan program being broadcast for
a Canadian audience.

It's not that good radio listening is hard to come by in Norway, of
course. But the radio-obsessed Forr and his friends decided they'd try
and take advantage of some prime conditions - a dark,remote location in
the north of Norway -- and some long-range receiving antennas, just
forfun.

They not only heard the Canadian program, Forr even captured it on an
MP3 file - and sent the recording to the CBC to prove what his
not-so-local ears had heard. The Canadian broadcasters, of course, gave
Forr's recording a great reception.

And now CBC radio's Sheila Coles, who landed an enviable DX without
even trying - thanks to Ole Forr - has got herself a new fan. He's
somewhere out there on his farm in Norway, tuning up his receiver - and
milking his cows.

(CBC)


**

NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur Radio Victoria; the
ARRL; the Banbury Guardian; the CBC; CQ Magazine; DX.NET; Hap Holly and
the Rain Report; The Nevada Amateur Radio Newswire; the Ohio-Penn DX
Bulletin; Phoenix Amateur Radio Club; Poldhu Amateur Radio Club;
Southgate Amateur Radio News; TWiT TV; 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. You can
also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin
Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,
and our news team worldwide, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH, in Topeka,
Kansas, saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

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