Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2208 for Friday February 21st 2020

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2208 with a release date of Friday
February 21st 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Motorola wins millions in DMR lawsuit. A
college radio station turns 100 -- and a satellite's mission comes to
an end. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2208
comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
MOTOROLA WINS $765 MILLION IN LAWSUIT AGAINST HYTERA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In our top story this week, a jury rules in favor of
Motorola in a lawsuit against a Chinese rival. With those details,
here's Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

KENT: A jury in Chicago has awarded Motorola $765 million in the
company's lawsuit against Hytera Communications Corporation. The award,
announced on Friday February 14th, is the full amount the company had
been seeking and includes $345.8 million in compensatory damages and
$418.8 million in punitive damages. Motorola claimed the Chinese
company stole its trade secrets along with its copyrighted source code
for the manufacture of its digital two-way radios. Its original
complaint was filed in March 2017.

Hytera attorneys said they plan to appeal. The Chinese company filed an
anti-trust lawsuit against Motorola in December 2017, accusing Motorola
in driving out the competition in the DMR marketplace. Hytera, a former
distributor of Motorola radios, has acknowledged hiring engineers who
formerly worked there. Hytera has said however it developed its radios
independently.

Meanwhile, Motorola's attorneys have vowed to seek an order halting
sale of Hytera radios in the United States. The company is also
planning to ask for a worldwide injunction preventing Hytera from
further copyright infringement and use of stolen trade secrets.

Motorola Solutions also has a patent-infringement case pending against
Hytera. That trial is expected to commence later this year or early
next year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(BLOOMBERG BUSINESS NEWS, BUSINESS WIRE, HYTERA WEBSITE)

**

FCC'S COMMENT DEADLINE ON 5.9 GHz IS MARCH 6

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Time is short for you to share your thoughts on the
future of the band at 5.9 GHZ, as we hear from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: The FCC is taking a second look at the 5.9 GHz band, where it has
proposed two changes. The agency would like to make a 45MHz sub-band
from 5.850 to 5.895 GHz available for unlicensed operations such as
Wi-Fi. The agency is also hoping to reserve 5.895 to 5.925 GHz for
communications related to transportation and vehicle safety. Amateur
radio has a secondary status between 5.650 and 5.925 GHz and the FCC
has indicated it has no plans to change that. Hams wishing to weigh in
on this proposal, known as the Notice of Proposed Rule Making in WT
Docket 19-138, will have until the 6th of March to file their initial
comments. Reply comments must be submitted no later than April 6.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

(FCC.GOV)

**
CHECKING IN WITH A MARATHON CHALLENGE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Ever served as net control for what seemed like
forever? One ham in Canada is turning that experience into a marathon
in just a few weeks. Here's Heather Embee KB3TZD with that story.

HEATHER: Martin Swinimer VE1KLR is in training to become a marathon
man. At least that's what he hopes to be after serving as net control
in April on the 420hamradio dot network (420hamradio.network). On April
20th, Marty will be calling for check-ins for at least 24 consecutive
hours. He told Newsline in an email he'll be starting at 0:00 Atlantic
Standard Time on that date and is looking to set a world record for the
longest single-operator net.

Marty is the operator of the 420HamRadio.Network which was created as
an extension of the EchoLink Node VE1KLR-L. He told Newsline he would
love to have as many check-ins as possible, especially among newcomers
to amateur radio. As he told Newsline [quote] "as amateur radio
operators we all enjoy a good ragchew." [endquote]

In fact, Marty said ragchews are always welcome - even when he's not
trying to set a new record. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather
Embee KB3TZD.

**
AMSAT'S OSCAR 85 REACHES END OF ITS MISSION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Goodbye AMSAT-OSCAR 85. While satellite optimists still
believe its life may not be over completely, AMSAT reports that it
believes AO-85's batteries have deteriorated and can no longer power
its transmitter. According to Drew Glasbrenner KO4MA (pronounced: Kay
Oh 4 Em Ay), AMSAT's vice president for operations, the first AMSAT
cubesat is officially at the end of its mission. He noted: [quote]
"Should some future event cause a cell to open, it is possible the
satellite may be heard again."

(AMSAT)


**

THIS BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS A MAINE EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The celebration in Maine is not even a month away, but
marking a bicentennial takes time, as we hear from Jim Damron N8TMW.

JIM D: The Wireless Society of Southern Maine and two hams from the
PenBay Amateur Radio Club have put together an event that gives special
recognition to the state's original 9 counties. It's a bicentennial
celebration that runs from March 16th to March 22nd.

Special stations will also be on the air for the town of Portland as
K1P, Jameson Tavern in Freeport as K1J and the nearby city of Boston as
K1B - all recognizing contributions each locale had made to Maine's
statehood. Maine had been a province of Massachusetts until 1819, when
legislators in Massachusetts granted Maine its statehood, which became
official in 1820.

Stations will operate on HF, 6m, 2m, and 70cm using CW, SSB, and the
Digital modes. Certificates will be awarded for operators as well as
chasers.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Damron N8TMW.

**
COLLEGE RADIO CLUB MARKS CENTENNIAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Who's 100 years old this year and still popular on a
college campus? Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us.

ANDY: Congratulations and happy 100th birthday to W5YD. That's the call
sign for the Mississippi State University Amateur Radio Club. The club
received a permit with the call sign 5YD from the U.S. Department of
Commerce in 1920. The "W" was added later by the federal government
when it brought all U.S. radio stations into compliance with agreements
on station identification around the world.

That history makes W5YD one of the oldest, continuously active ham
radio clubs in the United States.

There's another call sign that's carries significance in this club's
history. It's W5EPW and it once belonged to school alumnus William P.
Gearhiser. Before becoming a Silent Key in 2004 at the age of 93, he
had been a licensed ham for more than 75 years and was at one time the
faculty sponsor for the club. As a tribute to him for helping make club
what it is today, club members designated their on-campus meeting room
the W.P. Gearhiser Ham Radio Club Room. That honor came just a year
before his death.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY)

**
PROGRESS FOR STUDENT-BUILT SATELLITE IN ARIZONA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A student satellite project in Arizona is about to
benefit from a half-million dollars' worth of support in a newly inked
contract. Neil Rapp WB9VPG has details.

NEIL: An inflatable high-gain satellite antenna project built by
students at the University of Arizona is moving forward toward its
launch next year. The ultra-lightweight antenna is actually for a
nano-satellite known as CatSat and is based on work done at the
university. It was developed by FreeFall Aerospace, a company founded
in Tucson, Arizona as a spinoff from the university.

The university recently signed a contract worth an estimated $465,000
with the North American subsidiary of GomSpace Group AB for support and
satellite elements in connection with the project. The payload will
also include a compact Software Defined Radio from Rincon Research.
Known as an AstroSDR, it will establish a high-bandwidth telecom link
with the Earth and perform high-rate signal and HD image-processing.

The mission was chosen last year by NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative
for launch in early 2021. According to the NASA website, the mission
will include deployment of a whip antenna to measure the Earth�s
ionosphere.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(SPACEWATCH.GLOBAL, NASA)

**
PHOENIX CUBESAT NEEDS HAMS TO TRACK ITS PATH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, members of the Phoenix CubeSat team in
Arizona are asking hams to be listening on 437.35 MHz following their
satellite's successful deployment from the ISS on Wednesday, February
19. Project manager Sarah Rogers KI700Y (pronounced: Kay Eye Seven Oh
Oh Why) asks that amateurs help track the spacecraft, which is the
school's first student-led CubeSat in space.

You'll find a link on how to decode packets - and other details - in
the printed version of this week's newscast on our website
arnewsline.org

[for print only, do not read:
http://phxcubesat.asu.edu/content/amateur-operations]

(SARAH ROGERS KI7OOY)

**

BREAK HE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K5DUR repeater in Rowlett Texas on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**

SILENT KEY: GERALD KLATZKO ZS6BTD, ARISS TELEBRIDGE OPERATOR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The ARISS program has lost a ham who had been a
mainstay of its earliest contacts between the ISS and schools. Gerald
Klatzko ZS6BTD of Parklands South Africa became a Silent Key on the 1st
of February. Gerald served often in those early years as a radio
telebridge operator, providing a direct radio link so schools could
make successful contacts with astronauts even without an amateur radio
operator on site. Gerald Klatzko was 95.

**

AM QSO PARTY IS A HIT WITH HAMS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams who participated in an AM QSO Party are among
those rediscovering the joys of radio's first voice mode. Kevin Trotman
N5PRE has that story.

KEVIN: Challenging band conditions did not discourage fans of AM from
showing up for the annual AM QSO Party held by the Antique Wireless
Association February 15th and 16th. The activity is a celebration of
this easy-listening mode which many hams are rediscovering - or
discovering for the first time, regardless of the age of the equipment
they're using. According to Ron W8ACR, who was one of the organizers,
many hams said it was their first taste of this operating mode, the
original voice mode for amateur radio. Everyone was listening to get
W2AN in their log. That's the official call sign of the Antique
Wireless Association, which included the station at the AWA museum in
Bloomfield New York and the station operated by Ron in Knox, North
Dakota. Although not all the logs are in yet, Ron said three lucky hams
in North America also made at least one DX contact, logging Kevin M0XLT
(pronounce: Em ZERO X L T) from across the Pond. Don't worry: The
party's not over. The AWA has other operating events throughout the
year and holds weekly nets.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(RON W8ACR)

**
MUSEUM RAISES FUNDS AND RADIO-CONSCIOUSNESS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Now here's an inventive way to raise money for a
museum: help non-radio people learn what radio is all about. Mike
Askins KE5CXP has those details.

MIKE: If you're anywhere near Bellingham in Washington State on the
last weekend in February, you might consider joining a celebration of
radio discovery and invention to benefit the SPARK Museum of Electrical
Invention. The museum's artifacts need no words to tell the story of
the emergence of radio: the collection includes items dating back to
the 17th century through to the Golden Age of Radio. There are Leyden
jars, a Hughes telegraph, Edison light bulbs and early telephones as
well as thousands of radios that include the early "Herzian wave"
models. There is also a massive collection of various 19th century
electromagnetic devices.

The museum is hosting its third annual fundraiser and auction on the
29th of February on the campus of Bellingham Technical College.
Organizers are calling the program "Ignite the Night" and hope it
allows the museum to continue inspiring the next generation of citizen
scientists. Perhaps one day it will be their innovations joining the
collection.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.


(SPARK MUSEUM)

**
MANITOBA AMATEUR HONORED FOR RADIO EFFORTS IN CANADA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio Amateurs of Canada has named its latest Amateur
of the Year. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about him.

JEREMY: Congratulations to Cary Rubenfeld, VE4EA who was named Amateur
of the Year by the board of directors of Radio Amateurs of Canada. In
making the announcement, the RAC called Cary "the face of VE4 on the
international scene." He has been a strong presence both at Dayton
Hamvention and at the 2018 World Radiosport Team Championship event
held in Wittenberg, in Germany.

An avid DXer and contester, Cary is a founding member of Radiosport
Manitoba which he helped to create in his home province in 2013. He has
been its vice president and education coordinator as well as a major
player and organiser for Field Day at the Winnipeg Amateur Radio Club
of which he is also a member. The RAC board notes that he recruited top
contesters from around Canada to be present to mentor newcomers to HF
who were experiencing their first Field Day. In 2016, Cary helped with
the presentation of "The HF Experience," designed to entice amateurs at
all levels of experience to participate in more activity on thosebands.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RAC)

**
CONSIDER A LIGHTHOUSE QTH ON PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: You may think August is far off on the calendar but
guess again. Some hams on Canada's Prince Edward Island are already
getting ready for the annual event that celebrates the province's
lighthouses. Dave Parks WB8ODF explains.

DAVE: The Maritime Lighthouse Amateur Radio Group isn't looking for
company on the air during the International Lighthouse Lightship
Weekend this summer. The hams want company in the lighthouses where
they'll be activating VY2PLH on August 22nd through the 24th. Those
lighthouses include Point Prim, the province's oldest lighthouse and
possibly Cape Bear, which is also home to a Marconi museum. Those
locations will be among the more than 500 entries from around the world
in this popular event where the only prize is the satisfaction in being
with other hams in a picturesque location talking to other radio
operators. The club is extending a welcome to hams everywhere to visit
Prince Edward Island and help activate one of the lighthouses in the
province. The Prince Edward Island Lighthouse Society lists more than
50 eligible sites. If you want to make one of them your QTH for the
August's event, contact George Dewar VY2GF at vy2gf at rac dot ca
) or d e w a r g at bellaliant dot net
).

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(GEORGE DEWAR VY2GF)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, Pat N2IEN, Lee WW2DX, Rock WW1X and Ray W2RE are
active as FJ/ their home call signs, respectively, from St. Bart's in
the Caribbean until February 22nd. Activity will be holiday style on
various HF, VHF and UHF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, EME and satellites.
QSL via the operators' home call-signs.

Willy, ON4AVT, is on the air as 6W7/ON4AVT from Senegal until March
27th. He is mainly on 60/40/20 and 10 meters using mostly FT8/FT4, with
some CW and SSB. Send QSLs via the Bureau.

Also in Senegal, listen for Dani, EA4ATI, operating as 6W1/EA4ATI from
Dakar until February 26th. Dani will be on 40/20/15 and 10 meters using
SSB. QSL to EA4R or via LoTW.

(OHIO PENN DX)

**

KICKER: FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF FLIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our final story this week is about traveling fast. The
speed of radio waves and of airplanes. Here's Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: Radio waves: they travel at the speed of light. But something
special sometimes happens at the speed of FLIGHT. The flight in this
case is British Airways Flight 112 which made the trip from New York to
London on February 8th in a heart-stopping 4 hours and 56 minutes. That
trip set a new record for subsonic flight.

The stellar performance in the sky, accomplished by surfing the jet
stream, shortened the journey, which had the bonus that it exposed
passengers to 30 percent less cosmic radiation than usual.

This isn't the first such achievement: A Norwegian passenger plane made
a record-setting flight in January of 2018 when it went from New York
to London at 779 mph. Virgin Atlantic topped that last year, going from
Los Angeles to London at 801 mph. All thanks to the jet stream.

Of course hams may not all be that impressed. We regularly travel at
the speed of light which - at least in a vacuum - is 186,282 miles per
second - or 299,792 kilometres per second. What about the radiation?
Well, hopefully that's safely reduced too if our rigs and antennas are
properly installed and shielded.

Take THAT, airline industry!

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(SPACEWEATHER.COM)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; Bloomberg
Business News; Business Wire; David Behar FCC.GOV; Hytera Website;
NASA; shortwaveradio.de; Radio Amateurs of Canada; Ron Skipper W8ACR;
Southgate Amateur Radio News; SpaceWeather.com; SPARK Museum; Ted
Randall's QSO Radio Show; the U.S. Marine Corps; the Wireless Institute
of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; SpaceWeather.com; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio
saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.