Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2264 for Friday March 19 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2264 with a release date of Friday
March 19 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. ARISS is back on the air from the Columbus
module. Hams activate during a record storm in Colorado -- and there's
optimism for two major radio events later this year. All this and more
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2264 comes your way right now.

***
BILLBOARD CART
**

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with good news for U.S.
astronauts aboard the International Space Station: their amateur radio
came back on the air just in time to keep a date with some youngsters
in Australia. Paul Braun WD9GCO tells us more.

PAUL: The return to service of the ARISS Columbus radio was especially
good news to school children in Adelaide, Australia who were able to
keep their date with astronaut Shannon Walker KD5DXB on March 17th.
During a spacewalk with Victor Glover KI5BKC just a few days earlier,
astronaut Mike Hopkins KF5LJG restored the cabling outside the ISS to
its original configuration. A test of the equipment in Packet Mode, as
the ISS passed over the West  Coast of the United States, was a
success: The signals were almost immediately heard in Idaho, Utah and
California - and later in South America and the Middle East. The radio
had been out of service since a malfunction was detected in late
January just as the ISS attempted a QSO with students in Wyoming.
Fortunately, hams were able to conduct subsequent ARISS contacts with
schools using the cosmonauts' radio in the Service Module, thanks to
Sergey Samburov RV3DR.

Now that the radio's antenna connection is fixed, the grateful students
at Goodwood Primary School have become the first phone contacts made
with the newly reconnected Columbus module radio. Next up will be
students at the Oakwood School in Morgan Hill, California on Monday,
March 22nd; and then, two days later, it's back to Down Under with
students at the School of Information Technology & Mathematical
Sciences, in Mawson Lakes, South Australia.

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

(FRANK BAUER KA3HDO, DAVID JORDAN AA4KN, ROSALIE WHITE K1STO)
**
TIME-KEEPING BROADCAST SYSTEM GETTING UPGRADE

NEIL/ANCHOR: Don't worry, time isn't going to stand still anytime soon
but it is definitely going to be undergoing an upgrade. Well, maybe not
time itself but the time-keeping broadcast system of WWVB, the radio
station of the National Institute of Standards and Technology near Fort
Collins, Colorado. An announcement on its webpage reports that because
of work begun on March 9th, the transmitter may be operating on a
single antenna at about 30 kW of radiated power for periods of several
days. There may even be occasional outages. The web page notes: [quote]
Periods of reduced power operation lasting longer than 30 minutes will
be logged on the WWVB Antenna Configuration and Power web page, and any
outage longer than five minutes' duration will be recorded on the WWVB
Outage web page." [endquote]

Don't worry: The upgrade being undertaken is designed to improve the
reliability of the signal, so things are bound to get better by March
31st when the upgrade is expected to be finished.

(NIST website)

**
ARES TEAM DIGS IN DURING COLORADO BLIZZARD

NEIL/ANCHOR: A record snowstorm hit Colorado and one local ARES team
was able to dig in and help. Here's Amanda Alden K1DDN with those
details.

AMANDA: Members of Arapahoe County ARES were deployed and ready for a
snowstorm in Colorado that was declared Denver's fourth largest since
1881 - and the second-largest ever in March. After spending Saturday,
March 13th on standby, 19 hams went into action the next morning,
providing reports on weather and road conditions even as the snow
continued unabated. Mike Curta KD0UFO, the severe weather coordinator
for the ARES group, said that nearly 28 inches of snow fell in a little
more than 24 hours and winds kicked up to 40 miles per hour. By Monday,
March 15th, the hams had logged more than 260 hours working in support
of the county sheriff's department as well as the city of Aurora. They
assisted local agencies as officials got busy handling numerous
storm-related crises, including the rescue of as many as 200 people who
were left trapped in their cars.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Amanda Alden K1DDN.

(MIKE CURTA KD0UFO)

**
GERMAN 'HEALING' DEVICE BANNED OVER RFI

NEIL/ANCHOR: In Germany, a device marketed for its alleged healing
powers has been banned for interfering with amateur radio
communications. Ed Durrant DD5LP picks up the story from here.

ED: Marketers selling an electronic device in Germany claimed that for
the steep price of 8 thousand Euro - the equivalent of more than $9,000
US dollars - it could awaken the healing powers of the human body by
revitalising its water content.

Apparently what it really awakened was amateur radio interference. A
recent news report by the Associated Press said that the device being
sold by the Swiss company Wassermatrix AG uses frequencies allocated
for amateur radio operators. According to the DARC website, RFI has
been reported by hams using the low end of 2 meters in the weak signal
/ EME segment.

A posting on the QRZ.com forum cited claims made by the device's
developers that operation was based on principles used by Nikola Tesla
and Georges Lakhovsky, claiming that it was especially effective
because the human body is comprised of a high percentage of water.

The RFI complaints are what set the regulator's actions in motion. The
device's sale and use are now banned in Germany. Use of already
purchased units would be a prosecutable offence.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS, QRZ.COM)
**
MAJOR HAM EVENTS MAKE ON-SITE PLANS CAUTIOUSLY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Plans are moving forward cautiously for major on-site
amateur radio events in Germany and in the UK. Ed Durrant DD5LP fillsus
in.

ED: Even as the organisers of Ham Radio Friedrichshafen proceed with
plans for a COVID-compliant in person conference in June, they are also
advising caution that plans may need to be modified to be a hybrid
event with an online component. In a statement, organisers said they
were taking into account the slow vaccination rate in Germany and how
quarantine restrictions or test requirements could impact the number of
foreign attendees. The 45th event is scheduled for June 25th
through27th.

Meanwhile, organisers of the UK's National Hamfest also remain somewhat
optimistic about their event to be held in September. The directors
said on the event website: "We are closely monitoring the ever changing
health landscape, government guidance and roadmap steps coming out of
lockdown, and are optimistic that we can arrive at a decision in June
for this year's event."

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(SOUTHGATE)

**
RSGB ELECTIONS BEGIN

NEIL/ANCHOR: For members of the Radio Society of Great Britain, it's
decision time again, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Voting has begun for the Radio Society of Great Britain's
elections and will continue until 9 a.m. local time on Thursday the
22nd of April. Election details are available in the April issue of
RadCom which is currently being sent to RSGB members. The Society is
also preparing for its annual General Meeting which will be held online
and will be available on livestream on Saturday the 24th of April. If
members have questions for any of the directors they will be able to
submit them in advance using the form available on the society's
website at rsgb.org.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

**
PLANS FOR 2 x 1 CONTEST CALL SIGNS IN AUSTRALIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, hams in Australia will be pleased to learn that
the Australian Maritime College has indicated system changes are in the
works to enable them to issue 2x1 contest call signs. The changes,
however, are expected to take several months.

(AUSTRALIAN MARITIME COLLEGE)

**
STARLINK FLEET ADDS 60 NEW SATELLITES

NEIL/ANCHOR: High up above the Earth, the Starlink fleet of satellites
is growing, and Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us about the newest additions.

JIM: Sixty additional internet satellites were added to the Starlink
fleet after a March 11th launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
The satellites, however, weren't the only things of interest on board.
A number of radio enthusiasts have been reporting on reddit.com,
Hackaday and similar websites that they were able to receive the Falcon
9 spacecraft's telemetry downlink on 2232.5 MHz. Some of the innovators
reported that they were able to demodulate the signal, convert it into
binary data and then plain text. Two hackers in particular were
reported to have received the transmissions using a repurposed
satellite dish and an open source SDR peripheral known as a HackRF.

Of course, while they were all listening and decoding, most of the rest
of us were simply waiting to learn that in the skies just 180 miles
south of New Zealand, 60 newcomers now raised the total of the Starlink
fleet to total to 1,265 satellites.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(HACKADAY)

**
CONTACT THE 'LAST MAN STANDING' SPECIAL EVENT

NEIL/ANCHOR: Just a reminder: Don't forget to get on the air between
March 24th and March 30th as the amateur radio community says "thanks"
and "goodbye" to American TV's popular "Last Man Standing" show which
put amateur radio back in prime time with main character Mike Baxter
KA0XTT. The show is ending its 9-year run. Be listening for special
event station KA6LMS as operators coast-to-coast in the U.S. and in
Canada call QRZ. If you're near your radio anywhere in the world be
listening on SSB, CW, FT8, DSTAR, DMR, YSF, Satellite, Echolink,
AllStar and more. For details visit the website g s b a r c dot o r g
slash l m s (gsbarc.org/lms)

**
BREAK HE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K6SIS repeater in Siskiyou County, California on Fridays at 7:30
p.m. local time.

**
RADIO PROVIDES TRAFFIC REPORTS FOR COVID VACCINATIONS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Do you remember last week's report about a Washington,
D.C., Traffic Information Station that was broadcasting a highway
advisory that was 8 years old? We are happy to report this week that a
similar low-power AM radio station in another U.S. city was used to
broadcast an especially timely message, directing people to a
drive-through clinic to get their COVID-19 vaccine. The message went
out on 1630 AM in Denver, Colorado, transmitting prerecorded
information in English and Spanish. It helped thousands of older
Colorado residents arrive for their appointments at Coors Field, where
10,000 doses were given out.

(RADIO WORLD)

**
UK AMATEURS QUICK TO WELCOME 'SLOW CW'

NEIL/ANCHOR: A group of hams in the UK believes that slow CW provides
the fast track to improving skills in code. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: Their numbers are not quite 500 strong but these CW enthusiasts
are hoping to attract new members and change all that: They are radio
amateurs living primarily in the UK â-" and when they send CW, they
send it slowly. The group is known on Facebook as "SLOW CW UK" but
despite its base of operations in the UK, anyone from anywhere in the
world is welcome to join.

The hams meet most evenings on or near 3.555 MHz between 1930 and 2030
UTC and can often be heard calling "CW SLOW," sending at about 10 words
per minute. Their goal isn't just to have a QSO but to improve sending
and communications skills.

Visit the Facebook page "SLOW CW UK" for more details.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(FACEBOOK)

**
INDIAN HAMS MARK 100 YEARS OF RADIO

NEIL/ANCHOR: This is a big year for amateur radio in India. Jason
Daniels VK2LAW tells us why.

JASON: Since January, radio amateurs throughout India have been
celebrating the 100th year since the first ham radio licence was issued
in that nation. It has been a busy year as well for Nilkantha
Chatterjee VU3ZHA and Amrita Bose Chatterjee VU3VCV who have been
involved in training throughout India through a group known as OSCAR,
Open Source Classes for Amateur Radio. Nilkantha told Newsline in an
email that OSCAR has been providing online webinars, homebrew sessions,
coaching institutes for YLs and, when possible, antenna-building
workshops, also with a special emphasis on teaching YLs. OSCAR, which
is part of the Smart Future Foundation initiative, also has its own
smartphone app in English, downloadable from Google Play. In addition,
Nilkantha has been operating with the special callsign AT2YAR, marking
the 100-year celebration.

India's first licenced amateur was Amarendra Chandra Gooptu who had the
call sign 2JK 100 years ago. He was followed later that same year by
Mukul Bose with the call sign 2HQ. By the 1930s, India still had only
50 licenced operators, a number that grew to 1,500 by 1980. Much
later, India's former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was not only a
supporter of amateur radio but a licensed operator himself with the
call sign VU2RG. India launched its first amateur radio satellite, the
HAMSAT, in 2005. There are now more than 45,000 licensed hams in India
as it moves into its second century on the air.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(NILKANTHA CHATTERJEE VU3ZHA)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Mats, SM6LRR, will be active as 8Q7MS from the
Maldives between March 28th and April 10th. He is operating holiday
style on mainly 40-15 meters using CW, but he will also be using some
SSB too. He does not plan to be on either 160 or 80 meters and will
post QSL information soon.

Be listening for the special callsign DQ11WCA to be active from Germany
until April 17th. Hams are activating different areas in the World Wide
Flora Fauna and World Castle Award programs and successful contacts
earn points in both awards schemes. The station also has a DOK-region
number of WCA11 for the DLD award of the German Amateur Radio club.
There is no need to send QSL cards; all QSOs will be confirmed
automatically via the Bureau.

Bodo, HB9EWU, is on the air in Zambia where he is on a humanitarian
mission. He is using the call sign 9J2BG and is active on 20 meters.
Send QSLs to HB9EWU, direct or by the Bureau. He is unsure of the
length of his activation but will send QSL cards in 2022 when he
returns to Switzerland.

Members of the International Amateur Radio Contest DX Club are active
as C7A during March for the World Meteorological Organization, a
specialized agency of the United Nations. Operators are on 60 through 6
metres, including the WARC bands and are using CW, SSB and the Digital
modes. You can also hear them in the CQWW WPX SSB Contest being held
March 27th to 28th. Send QSLs to UA3DX, direct or by the Bureau.
According to the group's Q R Zed.com page at press time, the DXCC
status of this station based in Vienna, Austria is not yet defined by
the DXAC or ARRL.

(OHIO PENN DX, SOUTHGATE)

**
KICKER: HIS CALL SIGN'S JUST THE TICKET

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our final story of the week is for all of you who think it
would be impossible - just impossible - to EVER forget to renew your
license. Here's Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

KENT: The last name Garriott isn't one you easily forget if you're a
ham and you follow the US space program. The late astronaut Owen
Garriott, W5LFL, is credited with having made the first QSO from space
on amateur radio. That was in 1983 when he was aboard the Space Shuttle
Columbia. His son is astronaut Richard Garriott, who was assigned the
callsign W5KWQ and who in proud tradition has also used amateur radio
from space, as part of the ARISS program.

Richard has a lot of other accomplishments to his credit: He is the
first person to have visited both the North and the South poles and
last month he traveled to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest
ocean trench on Earth.

As accomplished as he may be, Richard still has some unfinished
business and it relates to amateur radio. His call sign apparently
expired recently. So he took to Twitter on the 7th of March and in a
reply to Trevor M5AKA, acknowledged that his status as an "ex" ham was
only going to be temporary. Acknowledging the lapse, he tweeted:
[quote] "Will correct ASAP!" [endquote]

His return to the ham bands should come a whole lot sooner than another
goal he's got his eye on: Richard recently applied to be part of the
dearMoon project, a private lunar tourism mission. The trip is planned
aboard a SpaceX Starship in 2023.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(TWITTER, AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT News
Service; the ARRL; Associated Press; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB;
David Jordan AA4KN; Frank Bauer KA3HDO; Hackaday; Mike Curta KD0UFO;
Nilkantha Chatterjee VU3ZHA; the NIST; Ohio Penn DX newsletter;
QRZ.com; Radio World; Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur
Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Twitter; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show;
the Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 at
arnewsline.org.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and
our news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana
saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.

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