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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2280 for Friday July 9, 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2280 with a release date of Friday
July 9, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Ham radio at the top of the world: the North
Pole. A powerful radiotelescope spans two continents â-" and a
California man's mobile antenna takes him down the road to trouble. All
this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2280 comes your
way right now.
***
BILLBOARD CART
**
DXPEDITION TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week combines science, art,
adventure and amateur radio as a Russian artist, writer and Russian
Orthodox archpriest sets sail to activate a polar station adrift in the
Arctic Ocean. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story.
GRAHAM: Imagine an ice floe more than 3 meters thick set up as a shack
for the multi-purpose amateur radio DXpedition. The Poseidon
Expeditions team sets sail on July 11th with Russian writer and artist
Fedor Konyukhov R0FK on board. Fedor is making his fourth trip to the
North Pole, where he will study ice-melt patterns and drift routes and
perform other scientific observations with the help of equipment from
the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and
other organisations.
Using 100 watts, Fedor will also activate R0FK/POLE on 20 meters and
hopes to transmit on or around 14.333 MHz. Details about his activation schedule can be obtained from the RA5G Club Station.
In translation from Russian, the 69-year-old traveler writes on his
website [quote] "The station will allow me not only to do science, but
also I will paint pictures, keep a diary. I love our planet."
[endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(DX-WORLD.NET)
**
OBSERVATORY RADIOTELESCOPE TO SPAN TWO CONTINENTS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: So you think you've got a top-notch antenna farm. Try
matching your collection of towers, beams and long wires to this work-in-progress. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has the details.
JASON: The Square Kilometer Array Observatory has been 30 years in the
planning stage and now work has commenced to build it as the world's
largest radiotelescope comprising a network of dishes and antennas on
two continents. Two different parts of the telescope - the SKA Low
Array and the SKA Mid Array are under construction in Australia and
South Africa, respectively. The South African site will have 200 large
dish receivers and western Australia will be home to more than 131,000
small antennas spread throughout the region north of Perth.
When completed, the telescope's collecting area will be 1 square
kilometer with the ability to receive signals in the range between 70
MHz to at least 25 GHz. Chiara Ferrari, who is director of a French organisation involved in the project, called the radio telescope "a game-changer in many different fields." She said: [quote] "It will be
uniquely positioned to answer some outstanding questions about the
evolution of galaxies and offer us a unique opportunity to start
studying the raw material behind the formation and evolution of bright
sources from the cosmic dawn to current years." [endquote]
The announcement of its progress was made recently at the annual
meeting of the European Astronomical Society. Scientists claim it will
study the universe at a depth never before achieved by any radio
telescope.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW
ANCHOR: Scientists have followed up with this announcement by
acknowledging what they call "an extremely concerning threat" of radio frequency interference from many of the new satellite constellations
such as StarLink and OneWeb and China's proposed Chinese Guowang
constellation. Philip Diamond, the observatory's director general, said
that discussions were in progress with the satellite operators for
mitigation measures.
(SPACENEWS.COM, SPACE.COM, INDIA TODAY)
**
SILENT KEY: IARU's FAISAL AL-AJMI 9K2RR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateurs in Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio
Union are grieving the loss of an influential ham from Kuwait. Ed
Durrant DD5LP tells us about him.
ED: An influential and well-respected leader in IARU Region 1 has
become a Silent Key. Faisal Al-Ajmi, 9K2RR, had been the region's vice president since the General Conference in 2014. He died from COVID-19
following a lengthy hospitalisation.
Known as an accomplished contester and an advocate for amateur radio in
the Arab world, he was the voice of the IARU at ITU World Radio
Conferences and in Arab Spectrum Management Group meetings. According
to his QRZ page, he was also vice president of the Gulf Amateur Radio
Union and the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society, also serving as licence
examiner and a trainer in CW. He was a team leader during the World
Radiosport Team Championship in Russia in 2010. Faisal was also the
creator of the 9KCC HF contest in the Arab world. He held the US
callsign W2RRR.
IARU Region 1 president Don Beattie G3BJ issued a statement remembering
him as a "valued member of the executive committee and of the Region
1team."
Vale Faisal Al-Ajmi, 9K2RR.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.
(IARU, QRZ)
**
SILENT KEY: INDIA'S MAHABALA HEGDE VU2HEG
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A ham considered a pioneer in amateur radio in his part
of India has become a Silent Key. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us abouthim.
JIM: Mahabala Hegde was known as a teacher, a tinkerer and an amateur
radio mentor to many in coastal Karnataka, India. The retired senior
bank manager, who was 83, died at his home on Friday, July 2nd, of old
age, according to a report in the Mangalorean News. A veteran of the
Indian Air Force, he had a lifelong interest in radio that began with
shortwave listening. A life member of the Amateur Radio Society of
India, he got his license in 1978 and operated for four decades, most
recently with the call sign VU2HEG. He also inspired his son Abhay
VU2ABU to become licensed. Through his interest in supporting other
hams, especially the next generation, he cofounded the Mangalore
Amateur Radio Club, where he was a life member, and he supported the
VU2REC Ham Radio Club at the National Institute of Technology in
Karnataka.
In a condolence message posted on the Mangalorean News website, Mahesh
Raj Malpe VU3FDT, a member of the Mangalore club, referred to him as a
father figure who taught communication and etiquette for hams operating
on the HF, VHF and UHF bands.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(MANGALOREAN NEWS, QRZ)
**
NEW SUNSPOT EXPLOSION CAUSES SHORTWAVE BLACKOUT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you happened to notice some unusual propagation on
July 3rd, you can look to the sun, of course, for the reason behind it. According to NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a new sunspot exploded, ionizing the top of the Earth's atmosphere. The C-7 class solar flare
also created a blackout on the shortwave frequencies over the Atlantic
Ocean. If you were among those operating just below 30 MHz at around
14:29 UTC, you likely noticed it. You were in good company: so did
those at sea, those piloting planes and even the operator of a space
weather observatory in Norway, who said the flare disturbed all his instruments.
According to a report at the Spaceweather.com website, the un-numbered
sunspot, which is near the sun's northwestern limb, continues to grow.
(SPACEWEATHER.COM)
**
SPAIN'S AMATEUR MAGAZINE MAKES DIGITAL ARCHIVE AVAILABLE
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're saving a collection of older editions of your favorite amateur radio magazine and have run out of shelf space, you
may be interested in learning about a new option for hams in Spain.
Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us more about it.
JEREMY: Imagine having more than 70 years' worth of amateur radio
magazines at your fingertips while still having plenty of room on your bookshelves.
Spain's national amateur radio society, URE, has just made that
possible for their amateurs. The organisation has digitised issues from
1949 to 2020 and created PDFs that are downloadable from their website.
Each PDF of the Spanish magazine is approximately 200 megabytes. The
files are readily available if you live in Spain or are simply
interested in their amateur radio history.
The URE website says that by making the archives available in this way
it hoped that its history would gain greater visibility. The next step
is to create an index and search system to locate the various articles.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(URE website)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the W8WKY repeater in Doylestown, Ohio on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. local
time, right before the weekly SARA net at 8:00 p.m.
**
PLUTO SPECIAL EVENT IS BACK IN ORBIT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Whoever said there was no such thing as a second chance obviously hasn't heard this next report about a special event station
that was held earlier this year and is coming back, for a few days, in
just a few weeks. Randy Sly W4XJ explains.
RANDY: Is Pluto still in your orbit? Did you participate in the special
event in February that launched the 10-year countdown to the 100th
anniversary of Pluto's discovery? Or did you mean to....and just never
got around to it? According to Bob Wertz NF7E, one of the organizers,
the event was such a success that not everyone got to work W7P this
year so the special event is getting back on the air for three more
days. On Friday August 6th through Sunday August 8th, the Northern
Arizona DX Association is putting W7P back on the air to mark the
anniversary of Pluto's discovery by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Just as in February, you will also have a chance to work the late
astronomer's nephew, Doug Tombaugh who'll be using the callsign W7P/0.
After that, be listening each year on the Saturday preceding February
18th. The special event will conclude in 2030, which marks 100 years
since the discovery. For details about QSL cards and certificates,
visit the association website at n a d x a dot com. (nadxa.com)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Randy Sly W4XJ.
(NADXA, BOB WERTZ NF7E)
**
ONLINE EDITION UPDATED FOR FRENCH AMATEUR DIRECTORY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio operators looking for the most up-to-date
information about French amateurs have just received a new resource.
Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.
JEREMY: France's National Frequency Agency has published the latest
edition of its online directory of radio amateurs, enabling users to
locate radio club addresses, find managers of repeaters and search
regular and special event callsigns throughout France.
A search tool enables users to filter criteria for more exact results.
In making the announcement the agency said that the directory complies
with the General Data Protection Regulation that allows amateurs to not
be included in the list by registering to opt out. Hams will also be
able to dispute any information on their listing that they challenge as inaccurate. The website provides a link through which hams can send an
email to correct their information. The URL for the online directory
appears in the printed version of this week's newscast at arnewsline
dot org.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
[FOR PRINT ONLY:
https://annuaire-amateurs.anfr.fr/ ]
(ANFR)
**
LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY HONORS 3 WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Congratulations to three hams who have received the
Lifetime Achievement Award of the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society: Jim Buffington K5JIM, Jim Elliott KA3UNQ and Dan Hatcher KD3CQ. Jim
Buffington has had a long career in professional broadcasting and has
served the lighthouse society as vice president and chairman. He has
activated lighthouses along the US East Cast and Gulf Coast Eastern
Seaboard and the Gulf Coast. He activated his first lighthouse in
Biloxi in 2001.
Jim Elliott has activated more than 200 East Coast lighthouses and has
chased and contacted more than 1,450 others. He received the society's
first Activator of the Year award in 2009. He also developed a weekly
chat room on the society webite.
Dan has activated 178 lighthouses in 15 states, with 72 of them being first-time activations. He has also chased and confirmed almost 1,800 lighthouses in the US, Canada and in DX locations. Dan belongs to the
society's Advisory Council.
The society was founded in 2000 by Jim Weidner, K2JXW.
(AMATEUR RADIO LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY)
**
WORLD OF DX
Listen for Frank, K3TRM, operating as VP2V/K3TRM from Tortola, British
Virgin Islands until the 17th of July. Be listening on 40-6m where he
will be using SSB, RTTY, FT8 and also on the satellites. QSL via his
home call.
Be listening between July 17th and 25th for members of the Quito Radio
Club who will be on the air as HD1QRC90. The club is marking its 90th anniversary. They will be on the air on all bands and all modes. QSL
via EA5GL.
A Russian Robinson Club IOTA/RRA Expedition will be using the callsign
RI0FWA (R Eye Zero F W A) between July 24th and 29th from Kunashir
Island, IOTA AS-025. Their activation will include the RSGB IOTA
contest. Send QSLs to R Zed 3 F W (RZ3FW), who is a member of the team.
(DX-WORLD.NET)
**
KICKER: MOBILE ANTENNA HITS A BUMP IN THE ROAD
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with the story of a mobile
antenna and traveling down the road to trouble. Mike Askins KE5CXP
tells us how it happened.
MIKE: There's nothing like the freedom of having a mobile antenna and
many hams who have at least one will tell you it's a game-changer when
they're on the road. But when is an antenna TOO MUCH antenna?
According to the California Highway Patrol, it's too much antenna when
it's a satellite dish attached to the hood of your car. On July 2nd, a
motorist with just that configuration was pulled over by an officer who identified it as a [quote] "visual obstruction." The police said the
dish seemed to be an antenna like those that connect to the Starlink
service which SpaceX introduced in its beta stage late last year.
According to news accounts in the New York Post newspaper and CNBC, the motorist explained to the officer that the antenna was used for
business and it provides a necessary Wi-Fi connection for the car. When
the officer asked whether it impeded driving in any way, the motorist reportedly said that visibility was an issue only when making
rightturns.
He was given a ticket for a moving violation. A post on the highway
patrol's Facebook page for Antelope Valley, recounted the story too,
citing a section of the California Vehicle Code which makes the
mounting of visual obstructions on the hood of a vehicle to be illegal.
That apparently applied to this vehicle, which was a red Toyota Prius.
Perhaps the driver would have had better luck if he'd been driving
something older, say, one from the 1960s or 1970s. We're thinking of
one Chrysler Motors model in particular: It was called the Plymouth
Satellite.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.
(NYPOST and CNBC)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; Amateur Radio
Lighthouse Society; the ARRL; Bob Wertz NF7E; CNBC; CQ Magazine; David
Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; IARU; India Today; the New York Post;
QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; Spacenews.com; Spaceweather.com; Ted
Randall's QSO Radio Show; WTWW Shortwave; Wireless Institute of
Australia; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio
Newsline. You can write to us at
newsline@arnewsline.org. For more
information or to support us visit our official website at
arnewsline.org. Be sure to follow some of these stories as they get a
more indepth look on the YouTube Channel of 100 Watts and a Wire.
Search for the video segment with the title "Two Stories."
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. As always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
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