Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2260 for Friday February 19 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2260 with a release date of Friday
February 19 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The pandemic stirs a radio training surge in
the UK. Huntsville's Hamfest is back -- and an antenna reconnects
Voyager 2 to earth. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2260 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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SURGE IN DEMAND FOR HAM RADIO IN UK

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week brings us back once again to
COVID-19 and its impact on amateur radio. The news here, however, is
good. Very, very good. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: The challenge of a deadly pandemic has stirred unprecedented
interest in amateur radio in the UK.

As the COVID-19 crisis kept most of the country immobilised, last year
the Radio Society of Great Britain rolled out remote invigilation of
licence exams. Now, some of the free popular distance learning
programmes are reporting a surge in applicants: for Foundation licence
and upgrade exam training.

Approaching its 17th February application deadline, the Bath Based
Distanced Learning Team told Newsline its new Full Licence course has
had an overwhelming response. Team leader Steve Hartley G0FUW said, in
an email, that with 100 spaces available, the class is already
oversubscribed, as organisers sort through some 250 enquiries. This
exceeds the previous annual registration for the course - one of
several offered by the Bath & District Amateur Radio Club. Steve
continued, that some registrants for the Full licence class are those
who had trained in its intermediate class.

In another email, RSGB President, Dave Wilson M0OBW, praised those
providing online training, saying the society website offers a list of
these groups. RSGB communications manager Heather Parsons added that
having more time to devote to radio now was only one reason amongst
many given for the upsurge in interest. In Nottingham, the South Notts
Amateur Radio Club said enrollment for its Foundation, Intermediate and
Full licence online training classes have likewise attracted high
levels of applicants. Club secretary Simon Strange, M0SYS, told
Newsline that he now has to lead training three nights a week to meet
the intense demand. He said the classes include men, women and
children.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

PAUL/ANCHOR: To see the full list of organizations offering online
training in the UK, see the printed script of this newscast on our
website, arnewsline.org We also note that the RSGB has announced a
consultation seeking views of a new direct Full License exam to run
parallel to the three-tier system in place. The Society's Examinations
Standards Committee is keeping the consultation period open until the
14th of March. A link to the proposed syllabus is also on our
arnewsline.org website.


[FOR PRINT ONLY: www.rsgb.org/online-training] [FOR PRINT ONLY:
www.rsgb.org/direct-to-full]

(SIMON STRANGE M0SYS, RSGB, STEVE HARTLEY G0FUW)

**
HUNTSVILLE HAMFEST GOING FORWARD IN ALABAMA

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you'd like to go to a hamfest â-" really GO to a
hamfest â-" you'll get your chance this August at the Von Braun Center.
Don Wilbanks AE5DW has the details.

DON: Finally, some good news about ham radio conventions. On Tuesday,
February 16th it was announced that plans are going forward for the
Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama. Mark Brown N4BCD, Huntsville
Hamfest chairman made the following statement on the convention
website, hamfest.org.

The Hamfest Board has met with the Von Braun Center to learn about the
current rules & regulations for mass-gatherings. In short, the
insurmountable obstacles that prevented us from hosting a Hamfest last
year have relaxed to the point where we can host a safe and
successfulevent.

Additionally, our survey of commercial and flea-market vendors on their
plans to attend returned very encouraging sentiments. Adjustments to
the floor plan are being made to keep everyone safe, in particular 12'
aisle spacing. Additional space will be utilized this year to
accommodate the commercial & flea-market vendors and visitors.
Once that floor plan is defined in a few weeks we'll open the web
portal up for vendor registration.

We highly recommend visitors to purchase tickets on-line this year.
Will-Call windows will be set up to streamline the Saturday morning
crush. The ticket web portal will open in a few weeks.

The Hamfest Board is excited at the prospect of holding a live
gathering in a safe way for everyone attending and we look forward to
seeing many of our friends again.

Thanks and 73, Mark N4BCD, Huntsville Hamfest chairman.

The Huntville Hamfest is a world class ham radio gathering and, since
1993, the home of the Newsline Young Ham of the Year presentation. Mark
your calendars for this one and we will see you there August 21st and
22nd.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Don Wilbanks AE5DW.

**
VARIETY OF EVENTS MARK WORLD RADIO DAY CELEBRATIONS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A lot of celebrating took place around the world and on
the air during the weekend of February 13th and 14th. It was the 10th
anniversary of UNESCO's World Radio Day, recognizing radio as the
single most-consumed medium with an ability to reach the world's
largest and most diverse audiences. Amateur radio was, of course, a big
part of the global activities. In Spain, call signs were activated with
the suffix WRD from the 12th to the 14th of the month. Hams throughout
India had a variety of activities on tap. In the southern Indian state
of Kerala (KER-uh-luh), the Institute of Amateur Radio had hams on the
radio reminding people of the rescue and disaster assistance hams
provide during floods, cyclones and other events. A radio festival
displayed antique and unusual equipment, from handhelds to rare
transmitters. Hams also got busy preparing for a two-day Field Day in
India on the 27th and 28th of February where emergency communications
will be given a test run. The website, weather.com, even got into the
act by posting an article reminding people of hams' unique ability to
assist in emergencies even when commercial power has been cut off. One
celebration began over the weekend and will continue at least for a
while longer. Be listening for the callsign 4U13FEB until the 28th of
February. Members of the UN Global Service Center ARC in Brindisi,
Italy, are calling QR Zed until then to promote World Radio Day.
Meanwhile, get ready for the next big event specifically for hams:
Sunday, April 18 is World Amateur Radio Day.

(SOUTHGATE, WEATHER.COM, INDIAN EXPRESS)

**
REVIVED ANTENNA RECONNECTS WITH VOYAGER 2

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you've ever been off the air for a year or so, you know
that your first contact has got to be a good one. Especially if it's
serious DX like the one we hear next about from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: The completion of a complicated upgrade of an aging antenna at
the Deep Space Network in Canberra, Australia has restored full contact
between Earth and the Voyager 2 probe. The trailblazing spacecraft,
which was launched 44 years ago by NASA, had been crossing the heavens
in relative silence after a 70-meter dish there known as DSS 43 was
shut down and dismantled for a needed refreshing. In space as on Earth,
however, few things are immune to the impact of the global pandemic.
The ordinarily large team of experts NASA would have sent to Canberra
for the makeover was limited to four for safety reasons â-" and the
reduced size of the team delayed the upgrade's progress. With DSS 43
being the only antenna capable of communicating with Voyager 2, the
probe had few options for communicating: It could only transmit to the
smaller dishes in Canberra but was unable to receive any commands,
especially those that could have fixed problems if any had been
detected on board.

After a test message was sent last October when DSS 43 was partially
reassembled, NASA and other experts were optimistic.

Now with DSS 43 back in business, the long silence is over but two-way
contact still requires something of a wait: Round-trip communication
between Earth and the far-away Voyager 2 takes 35 hours.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(NYTIMES)

**
SILENT KEY: LIGHTHOUSE ACTIVATOR HANDEL 'ANDY' BLUER G3UUZ

PAUL/ANCHOR: A ham known for years of powerful operations at
lighthouses throughout the UK has become a Silent Key. Jeremy Boot
G4NJH tells us about him.

JEREMY: Handel Bluer G3UUZ, who was also known as Andy, is perhaps best
recalled by hams throughout in the UK for the remarkable longwire
antennas he would string from atop whatever lighthouse he happened to
be activating. That included those times he operated from Bishop Rock
between 1976 and 1980 where he worked pileup after pileup, according to
his son Redders M5ACT. Redders told Newsline he remembered his father
saying that he was able to work stations in America from there long
before anyone else in the UK was able to do so.

Andy became a Silent Key this month at the age of 92. He had achieved
recognition in The Short Wave Magazine in July of 1971 for his noted
abilities in Top Band operation from such lighthouses as Nash Point in
South Wales. Andy's fondness for lighthouse operations earned him a
profile in the March 2000 issue of Practical Wireless magazine where
the authors of the article said they were pleased to be shared his
insights into [quote] "finding a happy medium between being a
lighthouse keeper and a radio amateur." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(REDDERS BLUER M5ACT, THE SHORT WAVE MAGAZINE, PRACTICAL WIRELESS)

**
BREAK HE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K7ECI repeater of the Elmore County Amateur Radio Club in Mountain
Home, Idaho on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. local time.

**
YOUNGSTERS' FORUM IN IARU REGION LOOKS AT SOTA, IOTA, WWFF

PAUL/ANCHOR: Who doesn't want to get outdoors? Young hams in IARU
Region 1 are making plans to do just that and holding an online forum,
as we hear from Ed Durrant DD5LP.

ED: Summits on the Air, Islands On the Air, Worldwide Flora and Fauna
and other radio-friendly outdoor activities will be the focus of
discussion among young amateurs during the next YOTA Online session
this month. It's being held by the Youth Working Group of IARU Region
1. The programme will begin at 1900 UTC on Thursday, the 25th of
February. This episode is called "Gone exploring" and shares different
ways to enjoy outdoor activations. The Youth Working Group Chair
Philipp Springer DK6SP writes on the ham-yota.com website that, as with
previous episodes in the series, there will be a question-and-answer
period afterwards.

YOTA Online is a monthly presentation by Region 1's youngest amateurs.
The events are livestreamed on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook and the
organisers are also hoping to stream the proceedings via the QO-100
geostationary satellite in DATV mode.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(IARU REGION 1 WEBSITE)

**

U.S. HAMS RESPOND TO WINTER WEATHER EXTREMES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Recent weather extremes throughout much of the United
States put hams' preparedness to the test, as we hear from Randy
SlyW4XJ.

RANDY: Sleet, winter storms and other severe weather systems plus power
and telecommunications outages challenged hams across the nation, even
as temperatures fell to record lows in parts of the U.S. South. Arctic
conditions prevailed through much of the central region of the country
as well. The ARRL's emergency response director Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW,
reported on the league website that an ARES net was set up in Texas to
track rolling blackouts taking place as the power grid there became
overwhelmed by customer demand. The net also handled health and welfare
needs and vehicle accident reports. Hams responded to similar
conditions as well in Alabama where the Section Emergency Coordinator
David Gillespie W4LHQ also reported on the league website that the
region was dealing with power outages and temperatures below freezing.
Although not every region activated an ARES group, hams were standing
by just in case as the threat of the return of severe weather hung over
many regions.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Randy Sly W4XJ.

(ARRL)

**

AUSTRALIAN HAM GROUP HELPS MEMBERS SOLVE ACMA ADDRESS REQUIREMENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Australia, one radio group has directed its
problem-solving toward hams unable to fulfill the regulator's
requirement for a permanent address. Here's Robert Broomhead VK3DN
withmore.

ROBERT: The ACMA's requirement that hams in Australia provide a public
postal address to be certified and licensed left some amateurs with a
dilemma: they do not have a fixed address at the moment because they
have been traveling or are perhaps in a vulnerable segment of the
population. Leave it to amateur radio ingenuity and problem-solving to
resolve this issue. The Pride Radio Group, created last year as a
welcoming organisation for amateur radio operators in the LGBTQ
community, has arranged a free mail redirection service for its members
in Australia. It provides a post box address that can be publicly
listed and is separate from the address of the ham's QTH. The radio
group's founder Michaela (Mick-EYE-ALE-A) Wheeler VK3FUR/VK4XSS, said
Pride is providing the mail redirection service free to its members
with the help of the provider HotSnail. Michaela said members receive
an address to use on their registration paperwork. If mail arrives at
that address, HotSnail scans it and forwards it to the email address
the ham has provided. While this service cannot be used for QSL cards,
Michaela said it does solve the address problem for the ACMA's required
paperwork.

Michaela said that because Pride Radio Group operates as a virtual
entity, using HotSnail made the most sense because the service can be
managed remotely.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN.

(MICHAELA WHEELER VK3FUR/VK4XSS)

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RESEARCHERS DEVELOP SENSITIVE, EFFICIENT TERAHERTZ DETECTOR

PAUL/ANCHOR: Researchers in Moscow have developed a terahertz detector
with unprecedented sensitivity and it shows promise in several areas of
science. Jack Parker W8ISH has the details.

JACK: A development from researchers in Moscow has presented what
researchers consider good prospects for radio astronomy, wireless
communications, medical diagnostics and security systems. It involves
the use of something called quantum-mechanical tunneling in graphene.
The scientists have used it to create a highly sensitive terahertz
detector. This solves the problem of inefficiency when mobile systems
make use of extremely high frequencies beyond the traditional ones used
today. Most transistors in use today in typical wireless receivers
aren't fast enough to recharge at those frequencies: Wi-Fi receivers
typically use signals at about 5 GHz and 5G mobile can transmit as high
as 20 GHz - but going much higher usually poses a challenge.

What researchers in Moscow and the University of Manchester have
created is a device much more sensitive to those in commercial use now,
which are based on semiconductors and superconductors. In this new
development, the application of even very low voltage to the control
contact or gate in a tunneling transistor aligns energy levels of the
source and channel, permitting current to flow.

On the website Phys.Org, one of the Moscow researchers, Dennis Bandurin
writes: [quote] "The current characteristics give rise to great hopes
for the creation of fast and sensitive detectors for wireless
communications." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

(PHYS.ORG)

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KICKER: A MARS LANDING FOR PENNSYLVANIA CLUB CALL SIGN

PAUL/ANCHOR: We conclude this week's report by asking: Can YOUR call
sign go the distance? For one Pennsylvania amateur radio club, the
answer is a resounding: YES! Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us why.

RALPH: This could be the world's tiniest QSL card for the world's
rarest DX thus far: The Perseverance Rover arriving on Mars to look for
signs of past microbial life and collect climate and geographic data
will be carrying the name of the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club with it.
The Pennsylvania club's name and call sign WM3PEN is one of almost 11
million names on board, stenciled into one of three tiny silicon chips
by an electron beam as part of NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars"
campaign. The club is perhaps best well-known for running the annual 13
Colonies Special Event that takes place around America's Independence
Day celebrations each year.

Sure, the club had more than enough company on its journey when the
launch took off at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last summer -- but
how many of them are space-travel veterans like the Holmesburg hams?
Club trustee Bob Josuweit WA3PZO, told Newsline that this is the second
trek to Mars for the club's call sign. The first journey was in 2011 on
board the rover named Curiosity where the club's call sign joined some
1.2 million names. Bob told Newsline the club decided it was worth
going along for the ride again. Talk about perseverance!

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(NASA, BOB JOSUWEIT WA3PZO)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; Bob
Josuweit WA3PZO; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; EOS; HAMSci; Indian
Express; Michaela Wheeler VK3FUR; NASA; New York Times; Ohio Penn DX
newsletter; PHYS.ORG; QRZ.com; Practical Wireless; Radio Society of
Great Britain; Redders Bluer M5ACT; Short Wave Magazine; Simon Strange
M0SYS; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Southgate;
Steve Hartley G0FUW; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; the Wireless
Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; YOTA; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana
saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.

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