Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2044, December 30 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2044 with a release date of
Friday, December 30, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams respond to the typhoon the Philippines.
Radio Australia begins its shortwave shutdown -- and we talk to
possibly the oldest continuously operating phone net. All this and more
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2044 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART

**
HAMS RESPOND TO SUPER TYPHOON IN PHILIPPINES

NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with an update on amateur
involvement in the deadly Super Typhoon Nock-Ten, a deadly Category 4
storm that raged through the Philippines at Christmas, killing at least
six and stranding thousands. The Philippines Amateur Radio Association
activated its Ham Emergency Radio Operations Network at the approach of
the storm, which caused mudslides, flooding and power interruption in
five provinces.

The hams kept communications open using both HF and VHF radios as the
storm made landfall repeatedly. Authorities tuned into the emergency
net where amateurs sent them damage reports. Our thoughts are with them
all as the nation begins the recovery process.

(ARRL)

**
RADIO AUSTRALIA ENDING SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS

NEIL: It's the end of an era in shortwave for one Australian
broadcaster. Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.

GRAHAM: There's only one month left in the lifetime of shortwave
broadcaster Radio Australia's transmissions in the Pacific. The
broadcasts, which are in the 31, 25, 19 and 16 meter bands, are
expected to cease on Jan. 31, 2017.

The Australian Broadcast Corporation said in a news release that the
decision was consistent with the broadcaster's desire to expand its
digital content offerings and phase out technology that is no longer
current. Other Radio Australia programming will continue to be
available via satellite and streaming services.

The broadcaster's decision to drop shortwave was recently challenged by
Senator Claire Moore of Queensland, a member of the Australian Labor
party. Moore, who is Shadow Minister for International Development and
the Pacific, is concerned that this decision will have a negative
impact on Australia. She recently expressed particular concern about
what the absence of Radio Australia would mean during cyclones if other
nations' broadcasts do not step in to fill the void. There were also
reports that the public was being encouraged to press for a reversal
through a petition on Change.org urging the Australian government to
cancel the decision.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ABC.NET.AU)

**
NO WALK IN THE PARK

NEIL/ANCHOR: One Arizona ham radio club is staging a demonstration in
two local parks, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins
KE5CXP.

MIKE: The Queen Creek Amateur Radio Club is hoping for maximum
participation by radio amateurs and maximum engagement with visitors
during its public park event on January 7th in Mesa, Arizona.

The club is calling it "Radio Under Sun Shade," and also "Radio In The
Park," and there are two locations where club members will be operating
at portable stations:

Dennis, KF7RYX, will be at the ballfield pavilion behind the Queen
Creek West Stake Center near Hawes Road and Ocotillo Road. Doug,
WB7TUJ, will be in Emerald Park in Mesa. According to the club, this
isn't just a demonstration but an open invitation to anyone interested
in trying out ham radio - and even getting on the air. Hams will be on
2 meters simplex as well as 40 meters, trying to make as many contacts
as possible using solar and other off-the-grid power.

Visitors are welcome to join them from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

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

**
SILENT KEY: ALAN HEATHER G0PQA

NEIL/ANCHOR: As the old year ends, another notable veteran ham has
become a Silent Key, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy
Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: Alan Heather G0PQA, a longtime radio amateur whose radio
contacts included King Hussein of Jordan JY1 and Helen Sharman GB1MIR,
the UK's first astronaut, has died.

Alan was the author of a biography of Oliver Heaviside, the
mathematician and electrical engineer whose work included discovery of
a layer of ionized gas above the ground that reflects radio waves,
allowing signals to travel past the horizion. The layer is known as the
Kennelly-Heaviside Layer. The scientist died in 1925, before Alan was
born but he was considered a distant cousin whose career influenced
Alan's own life later.

Alan's local work in commercial radio as well as on citizens' band was
to later earn him the nickname "Radio Man." The former newspaper
reporter, historian and broadcaster was 88.

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

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, THE TORQUAY HERALD EXPRESS)

**
SILENT KEY: CANADA'S WILLIAM JAMES 'BILL' GILLIS VE1WG

NEIL/ANCHOR: We also note the passing of William James 'Bill' Gillis,
VE1WG, the former president of Radio Amateurs of Canada. Bill died on
Monday, Dec. 26. He had been president of the RAC from 2002 to 2003 and
was director of the Maritimes Region. He was also a two-term president
of the Moncton Area Amateur Radio Club and a member of the Montreal
Amateur Radio Club and the Oakville Radio Club. Bill was 87.

(ARRL)
**

HAMS KEEP PACE IN PARADISE

NEIL/ANCHOR: What's better than running a marathon in paradise? Doing
it with amateur radio support, as Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Damron
N8TMW tells us.

JIM: The 44th running of the Honolulu Marathon had the power of radio
to keep them on the move. The Honolulu Marathon on December 11th wasn't
just a feat of endurance for the more than 30,000 runners. The hams who
provided communications and safety for the race's 44th running also
went the distance in their own way. According to the ARRL Pacific
Section, radio operators went on the air as early as 4 a.m. and some
stayed on the air for as many as 18 hours for this, the fourth largest
marathon in the U.S.

With Net Control operated by Ralph Toyama NH6PY, 35 hams operated on
both 2 meters and 70 centimeters. Some were also on the air using 800
MHz digital radios - nonamateur radios but nonetheless crucial in
providing those links to aid stations, medical teams, transportation
vehicles and police.

Hams were also at the finish line, feeling just as victorious as if
they'd run the race themselves which, in a way, they did.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW

(ARRL PACIFIC SECTION)

**
NO QTH TO CALL THEIR OWN

NEIL/ANCHOR: As 2016 was winding to a close, we revisited the
Massachusetts amateur radio club that is facing homelessness in the new
year. Here's Newsline's Paul Braun WD9GCO

PAUL: Earlier this year we spoke with Sumner Weisman, W1VIV, about the
Framingham, Massachusetts amateur radio club and their urgent search
for a new home. The city building that they had been located in for 38
years had a boiler failure, and the city had determined that it was too
expensive to fix. Unfortunately, as of this week, the club still hasn't
found a new home. I spoke again with Weisman about where the situation
stands:

WEISMAN: We have a "mentor," I guess you could call her an Elmer in ham
radio terms, who's a Town Meeting member - she's an attorney - and she
came to us and said, "Help me help you." And she advised us to get a
hundred signatures on a petition and go to the Town Meeting, which we
did, and the Town Meeting gave us $500 towards a new home which we're
appreciative of, but it really doesn't get us a new home. She's been
working with us, and I went to the Board of Selectment meeting with her
advice and asked them for some time in one of their upcoming meetings
and they gave us fifteen minutes to explain what our dilemma is. They
were very sympathetic - they gave us twenty, twenty-five minutes and
they didn't watch the clock. We had a good discussion. I had asked that
as many club members as possible show up to show that we're serious and
they were quite impressed - we had twenty to twenty-five of our members
there and they commented on that. Generally, I think they were quite
sympathetic. We need a point of contact and we asked who that should
be, and they said, "Contact the Town Manager after the first of the
year" which I fully intend to do.

PAUL: They have gotten some support from the city:

WEISMAN: What we're looking for - I told them if we had a broom closet
we could set up a radio station - but we're really looking for
something larger, perhaps twelve by twenty or twenty by thirty,
something like that would be ideal because that would allow us to have
enough room to hold VE tests and also to give lessons there to people
who want to upgrade.

PAUL: Weisman also explained why they are looking for rent-free,
city-sponsored space:

WEISMAN: Our big fundraising event is a swap meet or flea market in
April and what we do with that money is that it helps support the club,
but we like to take about half of it and use it for college
scholarships for kids. We give three or four college scholarships a
year. The college scholarship chairman of our club has told me that
we've given away over $20K already.

PAUL: According to Weisman, If you are in that area, the best thing you
can do to help is to attend club meetings to show support, and also
show up to council meetings so that they understand the amount of
interest. More information can be found on their website at
www.w1fy.org.

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

**
BREAK HE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the KB3LSM repeater in Evans City, Pennsylvania, just north of
Pittsburgh.
**

VIRGINIA FONE NET, AN 'OM' AMONG NETS

NEIL/ANCHOR: As we talk about time marching on in the new year, how
about a look back at an AM PHONE net that got its start in the 1930s?

JIM OWEN: We think that it's the oldest continuously operating phone
net in the United States maybe in the world. no one operated during the
war so we were off the air then, but when amateurs could operate, we've
been continuously on there.

KENT: That's Jim Owen K4CGY of the Virginia Fone Net. Jim started
checking into the net in 1960 but became a regular net control in
about1964

JIM: I probably hold the record for the most net controls, I'm up to
2162 now.

KENT: According to research by Phil Sager WB4FDT there were two nets
formed in January 1934 both called Virginia phone net Jim describes
what phone operation might have been like in the 1930s.

JIM: It was experimental I know from talking to some of the old guys.
they came up with just about any scheme they could to modulate their
CW transmitters. They didn't have money for modulation transformers so
they used screen grid modulation and a few even used antenna modulation
where you put a carbon microphone in the antenna lead. That's way
before my time, but they worked They got them on the air and eventually
new things improved and especially after the war there was a lot of
gear available.

KENT: Jim says the net has run nearly continuously

JIM: The only times we've ever skipped is when one of the emergency
nets took over the frequency.

KENT: The net has slowed down a bit

JIM: As most phone nets go these days, there's not a whole lot of
traffic from the public. 30-40 years ago someone wanted to get a
message to grandma on the west coast they would come to us because they
didn't want to spend the money to a phone call. Now they just text. Its
morphed into a net for old friends and new friends. Whatever you'd talk
about on ham radio .

KENT: Jim recalled hearing about the very early days of the net

JIM: One of the members, W4BAD Doc Tamer was on spark in 1916. Doc
passed in the mid 1970s. He gave a lot of information on how they were
operating back then and what he was running. These old timers were
good to talk to. Now I guess I'm one of the old timers, hey that's the
way it goes people come and go and nets are the same way. Fortunately
we've managed to make it all these years and we hope to go a while
longer.

KENT: The words of Jim Owen K4CGY talking about what might be the
worlds oldest phone net, the Virginia Fone Net.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY

**
THAT'S THE SPIRIT! LOOK OUT FOR INTREPID DX AWARDS

NEIL/ANCHOR: Hams prepare to honor the notable DXers of 2016 while
preparing for a major international DX convention in 2017 in Visalia,
California. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD.

HEATHER: If you're a DXer and know a fellow DXer who's got a spirit
that's fearless, generous, bold, innovative and dedicated - and that's
just for starters! - you may want to nominate them for the 2016
Intrepid Spirit Award. The honor is conferred annually in recognition
of an individual or a group who possesses these qualities.

Winners will join the ranks of noted DXers such as Zorro Miyazawa
JH1AJT, the 2015 honoree and Dmitri Zhikharev RA9USU who was chosen
in2014.

For more details, see the website at www.intrepid-dx.com

While we're on the subject of DX, don't forget the 68th annual
International DX Convention being held in California April 21st through
23rd. Registration is now open for the gathering, which is sponsored by
the Northern California DX Club. Planning is still under way and
convention events are still taking shape but already there are DX and
technical seminars on the schedule as well as basic and advanced level
training on contesting.

Get updated details at www.dxconvention.com

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD

(NORTHERN CALIF. DX CLUB, INTREPID DX GROUP)

**

SCOUT MERIT BADGE FINDS NEW DIRECTION

NEIL/ANCHOR: There are some big changes in the Radio Merit Badge
program for Boy Scouts, as we learn from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill
Stearns NE4RD.

This week in Radio Scouting we have updates to the Radio Merit Badge
program to announce.

A big new addition to the Radio Merit Badge is a new option of Amateur
Radio Direction Finding. This combines orienteering and foxhunting and
opens a new interactive component to this program. Cellular telephone
topics have been added and different types of radio modulation have
been included. Key requirement changes were dropping open,
closed, and short circuits as well as schematic symbols and components
as these are covered in the Electricity and Electronics merit badges.

Other revisions include: minor edits and reordering of requirements in
the Amateur Radio option; Radio Broadcasting option now includes
Internet streaming, regulations, and power levels; Medium Wave and
Shortwave Listening option includes both types of listening as well as
listening via streaming services on your smartphone.

These updates will take effect in 2017, and those scouts working on the
previous set of requirements generally can finish them up the sameyear.

For this and more information on K2BSA and Radio Scouting, please
visit www.k2bsa.net.

For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association,
this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD
**

WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, you can hear DXpeditioner Mek SP7VC in the Azores
until January 3rd. He will operate on all bands from 10m to 160m using
the callsign CU2/SP7VC. Activity will be mainly on SSB. Send QSLs to
his home call sign and via Logbook of The World.

Listen for Neven LZ1COM in the Maldive Islands through the 5th of
January, operating as 8Q7ND on the HF bands. Send QSLs to his home
callsign.

Between January 1st and 7th, an IOTA expedition will operate from Al
Safliyah Island near Qatar using the callsign A70X. (A Seven Zero X).
Expect large pileups: The island has not been activated since 1995. QSL
manager is M0OXO.

**

KICKER: A NET GAIN FOR THE SANTA NET

NEIL/ANCHOR: And finally, with Christmas 2016 behind us, we reflect on
Santa's popularity. It's big, because he has his own 80-meter Net.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jim Damron N8TMW has mo

JIM: Christmas is over and the results are in: Santa is apparently more
popular than ever on ham radio. The 3916 Nets, which run the annual
Santa Net, connecting youngsters to the voice of Santa on ham radio,
reports that 426 stations and 656 children spoke to the big elf this
year. According to Pete Thomson KE5GGY the stations were from all over
the U.S. and into Canada. Best of all, the number represents an
increase of 54 percent over the check-ins in 2015. No doubt this gives
the Santa Net operators, and even folks at the North Pole, a lot of
ho-ho-hope for Christmas next year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN;
Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Intrepid DX Club; Irish Radio
Transmitter Society; Northern California DX Club; Ohio-Penn DX
Bulletin; the Santa Net of the 3916 Tailgaiters and Freewheelers;
Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; The Torquay
Herald Express; 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington,
Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

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