Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2029, Sept. 16, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2029 with a release date of
Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Ohio hams stage their own "parks on the air"
celebration. A number of radio amateurs are among this year's Radio
Club of America honorees. An Arizona library adds some critical ham
radio equipment -- and our top story: HR 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity
Act, passes in the House of Representatives. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2029 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART HERE


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HOUSE PASSES AMATEUR RADIO PARITY ACT

PAUL: We begin this weekÕs report with the big announcement out of
Washington, D.C. that the House of Representatives passed HR 1301,
otherwise known as the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The measure now goes
to the Senate for similar discussion and vote.

While this is great news and brings hams one step closer to potential
freedom from restrictive land-use rules and covenants, one ham would
like us to remember that we also need to work on our state legislatures
to pass companion bills to strengthen the message of HR 1301.

Larry Scantlan, KE Zero K Zed, has been directly involved with a
similar bill in Missouri. Scantlan moved back from Florida when he
retired and into the house where his new wife had been living in
Wentzville, Missouri. Shortly thereafter, he decided to become active
in ham radio again. And then came a surprise:

LARRY: A friend of mine gave me a vertical antenna and I put it against
my deck. My wife and I went on vacation to Branson and when I came back
I had received a letter in the mail from the City of Wentzville
informing me that I was in violation of city ordinance with this
antenna. Well, I thought that was rather strange. You know, I was well
aware of HOA issues but not with the city. But the bottom line is I was
able to successfully get them to change the ordinance in favor of ham
radio operators. Not just me but there are approximately 100 licensed
ham radio operators in Wentzville on the books. Not only did their
ordinance restrict antennas but it was written in such a way that you
couldn't even have amateur radio equipment inside of your home unless
you filed a request to have that equipment in your house.

PAUL: That experience opened his eyes to the potential plight of
others:

LARRY: In that process I discovered the reality is that I am not the
only one who deals with these kinds of issues and more importantly,
with respect to the HOAs. And as I became more familiar with the
Amateur Radio Parity Act on the federal side of things I felt like
oftentimes it's the states who end up determining things anyway. We are
independent, united states and oftentimes even though there may be
federal legislation it's often helpful to have companion legislation at
the state level.That gives it that much more weight in the legal course
of action that ends up happening.

PAUL: Scantlan and his team managed to get a bill sponsored by their
local representatives and then got good news, followed by bad news:

LARRY; We were able to get through the House. We successfully won all
the votes, all of the challenges, through the two committees they had
to go through as well as the full House floor debate and vote which we
felt was pretty incredible. And then it was submitted to the Senate and
we started the long hard process again of trying to relay to these
senators just how important this was. It was submitted to committee.
And on the committee there were 2 or 3 people who were very pro what we
were trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, the chairman of that
committee, for whatever reason, took a position to table the matter and
said there wasn't enough public interest. I found it very concerning
that one man could make a unilateral decision even after the House of
Representatives, after all that, and there were several people who were
on his own committee who were wanting this to move forward into debate.
He alone made this decision.

PAUL: Larry intends to keep fighting, and will work to get the bill
brought back up before the Senate. He wanted to emphasize that even if
restrictions donÕt affect you now, you never know when life may dictate
that you move, and you may very well end up without the ability to
practice amateur radio. So itÕs important to all hams to get behind
efforts such as these and what the A-Double-R-L is doing in Washington.

He also said it was crucial for all hams to get the word out to the
community about what amateur radio really is, how we are all tested and
licensed, and provide a crucial communications service in times of
emergency. In other words, we all need to work to build up our image.

For the full conversation, please go to our website, triple-w dot
arnewsline dot org and click on the ÒExtraÓ tab.

We also encourage you to write to your Senators in support of HR 1301,
as this is critical to the future of our hobby here in the United
States.

**

DESPITE RAIN, OHIO STATE PARKS GET ON AIR

PAUL/ANCHOR: The National Parks on the Air centennial doesn't offer the
only ham radio celebration of beautiful places in the great outdoors.
There are plenty of parks in Ohio that recently got into the act, too.
Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB.

STEPHEN: Organizers of the 9th annual Ohio State Parks On The Air
contest were counting on more operators than ever this year on
Saturday, September 10, as 59 of the state's 74 parks were being
activated. What they hadn't counted on was the storm front that swept
through Ohio halfway through the eight-hour contest. Hail, rain, wind
and lightning prompted most of the stations to halt operations and only
a few got back on the air after the weather had cleared.

Like its counterpart at the national parks level, which it helped
inspire, the Ohio state contest encourages outdoor and portable
operations and is also viewed as a good way for hams involved in
emergency communications to assure that their gear is functioning. It
was created in 2008 by the Portage County Amateur Radio Society.

According to the event's chairman, Tom KB8UUZ, even as organizers await
arrival of final scores and statistics by November 1, they are already
working on the event for 2017, which will be held September 9. They're
hoping for the usual high level of participation, and definitely better
weather.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in
Wadsworth,Ohio

(OHIO STATE PARKS ON THE AIR)

**

RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA HONORS HAMS

PAUL: In just a few weeks, radio amateurs are going to share the
spotlight with broadcast professionals and others in the wireless
world, as the Radio Club of America confers honors at its 107th annual
banquet. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA.

BOBBY: The Radio Club of America, the world's oldest group of wireless
communications professionals, has set aside November 18th as its day to
honor a number of men and women for their contributions to and
achievements in radio and a number of radio amateurs are on that list.
They'll be among the recipients of awards being given at the RCA's
107th banquet in Manhattan on that day.

One of them, William T. Murphy, W0RSJ, will receive the Sarnoff
Citation for his work in electronic communication. Joseph H. Taylor,
K1JT, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award, for his
life's work with wireless technology. The Fred M. Link Award will go to
Dan Clark, W9VV, for his work in land mobile radio communication.
Stanley Reubenstein, WA6RNU, will receive the Barry Goldwater Amateur
Radio Award, for his contributions to Amateur Radio.

The Ralph Batcher Memorial Award will be given to Marc F. Ellis, N9EWJ,
for his work in keeping the history of radio and electronic
communications preserved. For his devotion to military communications
work, Robert A. Rude, K0RAR, will be given the Frank A. Gunther Award.

Another radio amateur, John E. Dettra Jr, WB4NBF, has been selected to
receive the President's Award for his work devoted to the Radio Club of
America itself.

The club is also elevating a number of people to Fellow, and the newest
group of Fellows will count several amateurs among its membership.

For more details about the banquet and the award recipients, visit the
club website, radioclubofamerica.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA.

(RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA)


**
HAMS NEEDED FOR CHARITY RIDE

PAUL: When the Ride to Defeat ALS steps off on Sunday the 25th of
September in Worcester, Massachusetts, organizers are hoping to give
participants the best assurance of safety: the watchful eyes of amateur
radio operators. If you are in the Worcester area and and could
volunteer your time, the Worcester Emergency Communications Team would
welcome you. The 70-mile bicycle route is more of a charitable event
than a true competitive race. It begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.,
but some stations open as late as 9 a.m. and close as early as 11 a.m.,
so contact Ben NB1H at if you're interested.

Bring your HT. The event makes use of both 2m and 70cm linked
repeaters.

(WORCESTER EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM)

**

HAMS NEEDED FOR MARINE CORPS MARATHON

PAUL: Hams are also needed to assist with communications at the 41st
running of the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon in the Washington, D.C. area
on Sunday, October 30. An estimated 25,000 runners step off near
Arlington National Cemetery and continue into Washington itself, ending
at the Marine Corps War Memorial back in Arlington after completing
26.2 miles. Because the race travels past so many monuments, it is
nicknamed "The Marathon of the Monuments."

Hams will be needed to staff mile markers, water points, food stops,
medical aid stations and other locations as well as help with
logistical communications in cooperation with law-enforcement and
emergency workers. For more information, contact Howard WD5DBC, the
marathon's communications director, at

(ARRL)

**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
SPARC club repeater for the Sportsman's Paradise Amateur Radio Club,
K4WAK, in Wakulla County, Florida in time for the Friday afternoon
commute.

**

NO MYSTERY TO THIS ENIGMA

PAUL: The Enigma Machine that played a key role during World War II is
now serving as an inspiration for an exercise in encryption that draws
participation from hams worldwide. We hear more from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: During World War II, Germany made wide and successful use of
its notorious and highly complex message-coder known as the Enigma
Machine. These days, among radio amateurs, the concept of enigma has
come to mean something else -- a fun challenge at deciphering
communications and a test of one's ability at finding meaning in code.
At least, that's how it has been since 2014 when the Enigma event, an
international on-air exchange of encrypted messages began as a
cooperation between the Marine Museum of La Spezia in Italy and the
Cultural Association Rover Joe in Fidenza. It has also received major
support from the Italian Radio Amateur Association.

This year's formal Enigma Reloaded Contest begins on the 17th of
September and runs through the 1st of October. On that final day of the
event, in October, the exchange will involve encrypted messages.
Despite the encryption, the messages are designed to be easy to solve
and the content will be made publicly available, either through a
web-based Enigma emulator or some other means.

It doesn't take much deciphering however, to appreciate the real goal
of the annual event: to get as many radio amateurs around the world as
possible involved and on the air.

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

(ENIGMA RELOADED WEBSITE)

**

TIGNISH LIGHTHOUSE SPEAKS TO THE WORLD

PAUL: The allure of a contact with a lighthouse never dims, especially
if the lighthouse is in a rare and special location such as Prince
Edward Island, Canada. Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams, VK4JJW,
explains.

JOHN: You don't need to wait for next year's International Lighthouse
and Lightship Weekend in August to add to your collection of lighthouse
contacts. In fact, if you are especially hoping to collect contacts
with lighthouses in somewhat rare locations and even add to your list
from Islands on the Air, this lighthouse will be a beacon for both of
those pursuits. On Friday, September 23 through Sunday afternoon,
September 25, members of the Prince Edward Island Amateur Radio Group
are activating the Tignish Run lighthouse in the Fisherman's HavenPark.

The three-story lighthouse, which was built in 1880 and decommissioned
in 1997, has been designated as CAN-036 by the Amateur Radio Lighthouse
Society.

This is one coveted contact however, that carries the added bonus of
being an island location. Prince Edward Island, in Atlantic Canada, is
listed with Islands On The Air as NA-029.

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

(GEORGE DEWAR, VY2GF, PEI LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY)

**

MORE THAN BOOKS AT ARIZONA LIBRARY

PAUL: One Arizona library is adding something unusual to its vast
collection: an antenna and a repeater. We hear more from Amateur Radio
Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

NEIL: The latest addition to the Centennial Public Library in La Paz
County, Arizona isn't a new wing or multi-media room or even a first
edition of a collectible book -- it's going to be a ham radio antenna
and radio repeater. On September 6, the county's Board of Supervisors
voted to allow the installation of the radio equipment, after hearing
from Dave Anderson, K1AN, president of the group applying and the
Arizona Amateur Radio Association. Dave said the ham radio group gives
special priority to encouraging youngsters to participate in ham radio.
He'd asked the supervisors for permission to install the antenna and
repeater so his group could bring services into the McMullen Valley,
which has challenging, mountainous terrain.

According to the Parker Pioneer newspaper, Anderson told the
supervisors that his group's genesis came about a year ago when it
became apparent to him that the youngsters living in the county's 22
communities were not only struggling with poverty but also the
geographic isolation of that region of Arizona, which has fewer than 1
child per square mile in the county. He envisioned amateur radio as a
way of linking the children into a cohesive community able to talk with
one another. The strategy worked, he added: There are now 34 young
amateur radio licensees who got their tickets within the last eight
months.

Anderson said the vote of support meant the group could increase its
coverage beyond the present 12 communities using the My La Paz Radio
System and of course the public library.

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

(PARKER PIONEER NEWSPAPER)


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THE WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, a special event station is underway through Nov. 15
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Members of the Radio Club Kakanj, E73EKK,
and Cement factory Kakanj are activating the callsign, E703QLA, in what
they are calling the "Third Ecological Project in organization of
Heidelberg Cement Group." Find them using CW, SSB and RTTY on
80/40/20/17/15/12 and 10 meters. Incoming QSL cards should be sent via
QSL manager, E71CQ. The club asks as well for IRC or 2 U.S. dollars to
cover direct mailing costs, with a self-addressed envelope.

Andre, IZ1MHY, will be on the air as 8Q7MD from the Alimatha Resort,
Felidhoo Atoll between October 2nd and 12th, working holiday style on
40-10 meters. He will be using SSB, JT-65, SIM31, RTTY and possibly
other Digital modes. Send QSL cards via 9A8ARS by the Bureau, LoTW,
eQSL or directly to IZ1MHY.

Listen for Herb, N4RG, in Namibia and possibly Ascension Island until
September. 29th. His call sign from Ascension Island is ZD8RG. It was
announced at press time what his Namibia call sign was going to be. He
will be operating during his spare time on 160 meters through 10
meters, working CW and SSB. Send QSL cards to his home call sign.

Finally, listen for Frank, PH2M, in the Canary Islands. He will be
active as EA8/PH2M from Lazarote Island from September 25th through
October 6th, working holiday style on 40-10 meters. Frank will be using
SSB only. Send QSL cards via his home callsign or by the Bureau.

(OHIO PENN DX BULLETIN)


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KICKER: A SEPT. 11 REMEMBRANCE

PAUL: Finally, we look at an annual ritual for one ham who understands
- as any radio operator might - that often the best tribute one can pay
is through audio, no matter how painful it might be to hear. Such is
the case with this year's 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror
attacks. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins, KE5CXP, with
thatstory.

MIKE: The September 11 terror attacks of 2001 included the destruction
of New York City's Twin Towers and nearly 3,000 lives in New York alone
on that day.

An Air Force and Army veteran and husband of an active Air Force member
who is also a ham, Mark Lacy W5TXR turns part of his website over, each
year, to air some audio that is forever frozen in time. These are the
logging tapes of the calls that went out to New York City's emergency
responders on that day, as buildings collapsed, as people became
trapped and as help arrived, sometimes to no avail. In many cases, the
voices that remain on these recordings belong to people who vanished
forever.

The website also includes the FAA-NORAD audio featuring communications
between air traffic control and the doomed airliners as the attacks
unfolded.

Mark told Amateur Radio Newsline recently that he shares the audio on
his website each year because QUOTE "I am a patriot. And I don't want
people to forget." ENDQUOTE

This is how things happened. Every year, we listen and we remember.
Visit www.w5txr.net and click on "historical audio archives" until the
25th of September and you can hear it too, thanks to Mark. It is
unforgettable which is, of course, the whole point. When we think
collectively of that single painful day, no, we can never forget.

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

(MARK LACY, W5TXR)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; Amateur Radio
Europe; CQ Magazine; Gizmodo; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU;
Irish Radio Transmitter Society; Mark Lacy W5TXR; Ohio-Penn DX
Bulletin; QRZ; Ohio State Parks on the Air; Parker Pioneer Newspaper;
PEI Lighthouse Society; Radio Club of America; Southgate Amateur Radio
News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia;
Worcester Emergency Communications Team; 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.