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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2353 for Friday December 2nd, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2353 with a release date of Friday December 2nd, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A troubled orbit detours a project to put
amateur radio on the moon. It's almost time for the 12 Days of
Christmas Special Event - and a happy ending for the producer of a ham
radio documentary. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2353 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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ORBIT TROUBLES FOR AMATEUR RADIO MOON LANDER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week in space, where a troubled orbit has detoured a Japanese amateur radio project that was heralded as the
world's smallest moon lander. Jason Daniels VK2LAW brings us that
report.

JASON: OMOTENASHI, developed by the JAXA Ham Radio Club in Japan,
carried the promise of putting amateur radio on the moon's surface when
it launched on November 16th from Kennedy Space Center in the US. Now
the chance to transmit a beacon in the amateur radio 70cm band from a
lunar QTH has been put into question.

The CubeSat was a secondary payload aboard NASA's Artemis 1 mission. In
English translation from Japanese, the ham radio club's website for
JAXA, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency, reports that orbital errors
have resulted in an unstable radio signal for its communications. The
website also reports that the solar cells face away from the sun,
making it problematic to charge OMOTENASHI's batteries.

Having missed the chance for a moon landing, organisers are regrouping.
The website reports that data from OMOTENASHI will be analysed to
unearth a possible cause of what happened. The report said that the
team believed that the axis of rotation is stable and that the
spacecraft will get sunlight when the direction of the sun changes.
They expect that will happen next March.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(JAXA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**

HOMEBREW CUBESATS ARE A 'FIRST' FOR LAUNCH IN INDIA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Indian radio amateurs and space enthusiasts had a proud
moment when a rocket launch for an ocean-monitoring satellite had a
pair of homegrown amateur radio CubeSats along for the ride. Here's Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF with details.

JIM: Members of the Star Fleet Amateur Radio Club, National Institute
for Amateur Radio, Indian Institute of Hams, West Bengal Radio Club
and the Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management were
among the hundreds of amateurs across India watching eagerly on
Saturday, November 26th as an Indian Space Research Organisation
mission lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Although the
primary payload was an ocean observation satellite, the varied
secondary payload also included two satellites that Indian news media
were praising as the nation's first homegrown amateur satellites to be
launched aboard an Indian space vehicle.

The nanosatellites had been built in Hyderabad (Hy-Dra-Bod) by Druva
Space, founded by four radio amateurs 10 years ago. The CubeSats have a combined mass of 1.45 kilograms and each is no larger than 10 by 10 by
5 centimeters. Hams will be able to use their store-and-forward
messaging system.

Dhruva's CEO Sanjay Nekkanti AB3OE / VU3ISS told one news outlet that
this mission was extremely important to those who designed and built
the satellites and said the hams will be testing them out following
their deployment into low earth orbit. Sanjay said [quote] "This is a
way for us to give back to the ecosystem." [endquote] He said he hoped
the mission would also encourage more people to get involved in amateur
radio and the sciences.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(THE PRINT, REPUBLIC WORLD, NASA SPACEFLIGHT.COM)

**
SWITZERLAND PREPARES FOR SHUTDOWN OF FM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Just as the nature and the technology of amateur radio
keeps evolving so too is the landscape changing for broadcast FM.
Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that story.

JEREMY: Switzerland is preparing for the shutdown of its FM radio
services as Swiss listeners join the ranks of those in Norway and in
the UK who now tune into DAB+

The nation's switchover from FM/analogue to DAB+/digital radio was the
subject of discussion at the recent WorldDAB Summit, a digital radio
industry forum held in London in early November. Norway's P4 radio led
the charge in that nation more than five years ago, embracing the
multiple channels from one transmitter, a lower cost way to keep
station programming on the air.

Switzerland's move comes just as the broadcast licences for the
nation's radio stations expire at the end of 2024. Broadcasters see the
switch as a way to save money while increasing the reach and the
variety of the programme content. There will be no simulcasting on FM
and digital.

In a report in Radio World magazine, Swiss broadcaster Nicola Bomio
said he was worried that the change would cost the stations
listenership. Others said they wondered whether listeners living on the
border with France would simply tune in to stations there.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RADIO WORLD MAGAZINE)

**
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SPECIAL EVENT IS BACK

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're counting down the days until Christmas,
here's a little help with counting things down. Just count to twelve
-for the return of the popular 12 Days of Christmas Special Event. Mike
Askins KE5CXP tells us how to get in on the action.

MIKE: Is that a partridge in the pear tree, or did someone just hang a
dipole in its place? And are those nine drummers really drumming....or
are they actually DXing? With the return of the 12 Days of Christmas
Special Event this year, you just can't be sure what those nine
drummers, ten pipers or seven swans are up to, but we do know that
hundreds of hams around the world will be listening for them. Their special-event call signs will be on the air for a fourth year starting
on December 14th and ending on Christmas Day, December 25th. Operators
will be using CW and SSB and making use of one satellite. As in
previous years, they will be using 1 x 1 calls that begin with either a
W or a K -- but this year things will be easier for those who wish to
rotate their beams: The calls will also contain a stroke and the
operator's numerical call area. So get ready to start listening for all
those calling birds -- and earn a downloadable certificate to make the
season as bright as those five golden rings.

This is Mike Askins KE5CXP.

(SALLI ROSATO, K2RYD)

**

DECEMBER IS YOTA MONTH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: December is going to be a busy month for the younger
generation of amateur radio operators around the world. Using the YOTA
suffix - Y O T A - in their call signs, hams ages 25 and younger will
be on all the bands using all the modes at various times of the day and
night. At any given time you will be able to hear Argentina's young
amateurs using LR1YOTA, hams in Honduras using HQ2YOTA or young
operators in El Salvador calling QRZ as YS1YOTA. Here in the United
States, the call signs will be K8Y, K8O, K8T and K8A, with the
single-letter suffixes spelling "YOTA."

Last year's young amateurs logged 119,516 QSOs. Can they top that
thisyear?

The month will also present them with challenge of Round 3 of the YOTA
contest, which will take place on the 30th of December from 1200 to
2359 UTC.

For more details, follow the link in the text version of this week's
newscast script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT ONLY: DO NOT READ https://events.ham-yota.com/ ]

(YOTA.COM)

**
AUSTRALIANS ON THE MOVE WITH A PTOTA ACTIVATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio can be very portable and very public, as
we know. Now an awards program created by a group of amateurs in
Australia combines both -- in a very practical way. John Williams
VK4JJW explains.

JOHN: You can trade the trails and the treetops for trains and trams
thanks to an awards programme from the School Amateur Radio Club
Network, VK3SRC. It's called Public Transport On The Air - PTOTA
(pronounced "puh-toe-tah") - and it encourages students and other
commuters to grab their handhelds and call CQ while enroute to their destination on some means of public transportation. Contacts can be
made via digital or analogue voice modes and can utilise any netwok or
device. The only requirement is to have the QSO on an amateur band.

Based in Australia, the club network unites schools in which students
belong to an amateur radio club. The clubs are promoted and assisted by
Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP. SARCNET administers a number of programme
awards, including PTOTA. PTOTA awards are issued as annual
certificates. Participants' points are re-set every 1st of the year.

The SARCNET website encourages students to make ham radio visible to
the public in this way but does offer two important caveats: Before
leaving the train or tram, check your seat for any equipment you may
have left behind -- and perhaps, more importantly, try to avoid morning
and afternoon rush hour.

Additional details are available at sarcnet.org

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(WIA, SARCNET)

**
BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Silvercreek Amateur Radio Association's 2 meter repeater, W8WKY,
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM local time in Doylestown, Ohio.

**

YOUTH ON THE AIR CAMP APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Young amateur radio operators in North, Central and
South America are being invited to plan for a memorable time in Canada
this coming July: Applications are now open for the third Youth on the
Air camp, which is open to licensed radio amateurs between the ages of
15 and 25. The camp will be held on the campus of Carleton University
in Ontario, Canada from July 16th through to July 21st.

The application process is free and allocations are being held for
campers from each of the three Americas to allow for attendance from
countries throughout IARU Region 2. For the best chances at being
chosen, prospective campers are being encouraged to apply by January
15th. The application process will however continue through to May31st.

To apply - and to read details about making separate arrangements for transportation - visit YouthOnTheAir dot org (YouthOnTheAir.org) (YOUTH
ON THE AIR CAMP)

**

OFCOM EXTENDS EXPERIMENTAL ACCESS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The telecommunications regulator in the UK delivered
some good news to amateurs who enjoy experimenting on the air. Jeremy
Boot G4NJH tells us what they learned.

JEREMY: Amateurs who hold a Full licence in the UK will be eligible to
use the frequencies between 146 to 147MHz after receiving a Notice of
Variation from Ofcom. In some restricted areas operational limitations
exist. The notice is available on a temporary basis only and is subject
to a 30-day notice period that it is being changed or withdrawn.

By making this part of the spectrum available, Ofcom is hoping to
encourage experimentation by radio amateurs, allowing them to
experiment with new technologies such as digital voice and data
transmissions having moderate bandwidth. Ofcom defines "moderate" as
being up to 500 kHz wide.

The one-year Notice of Variation was first made to full licensees in
October 2014. The Radio Society of Great Britain said that it is
pleased that Ofcom has accepted its latest request to extend the
agreement. NoV applications are made via the RSGB website at rsgb dot
org slash nov (rsgb.org/nov)

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

**
MUSEUM'S HAM STATION GETS ARDC GRANT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Museum of Information Explosion in Huntsville,
Alabama, is getting a modernized amateur radio station that will
feature digital technology to complement the more traditional gear
being showcased in the museum's other exhibits. The station is being established with the help of a $16,000 grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications and is designed to show how ham radio is surviving by
changing with the times. The museum is set to open early next year.
Various local ham radio clubs, including the Radio Club of the Museum
of Information Explosion, will serve as docents for visitors and will
also go on the air from the station.

(ARDC)


**

OTTAWA OPERATOR ADDED TO HALL OF FAME

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An amateur radio operator from Ottawa, Canada has just
been chosen for the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Dave Parks,
WB8ODF, tells us about him.

DAVE: The name of Bryan Rawlings, VE3QN, is being added to the roster
of those who have contributed to amateur radio consistently over the
years as both an advocate and a participant. First licensed in 1959 as
VE2AME, Bryan returned to active participation in Canadian amateur
radio in 2002 after years of living overseas. Radio Amateurs of Canada
cites his consistent work in the preparation for and attendance at the International Telecommunications Union's World Radio Conferences in
2012, 2015 and 2019. The RAC has credited him with being a key member
of the Canadian delegation at ITU meetings. The Hall of Fame chairman
of the board Frank Davis VO1HP, writes on the RAC website that Bryan's
work on the national and international levels involved helping hams
gain access to frequencies at both 60 meters and 630 meters. Frank
acknowledges Bryan's successes as well in establishing and maintaining
a good working relationship with Innovation Science and Economic
Development Canada, the nation's regulator.

Congratulations to Bryan.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(WIA, RAC)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Tony, JH1FFW, on the air from Palau as
T88RC until December 5th. You can hear him on the HF bands, using SSB
and FT8. QSL via eQSL or LoTW.

Look for Giorgio, 5UA99WS, who will be on the air from Niger (nye-Jeer)
until the 23rd of December. He will be on 15 and 20 metres using SSB
when time permits. QSL via his LoTW manager, IK5SRF.

Listen for Sergey, RX3APM, on the air from the Maldives as 8Q7BB from
December 4th through to the 17th. He will participate in the ARRL 10m
contest which is taking place on December 10th and 11th. At other times
he will be operating on 80 through 10 metres. QSL to his home call.

Be listening for Joe, VE3BW, operating from Costa Rica as TI7/VE3BW
between December 23rd and January 4th. He will be on the air on 160-6m,
using CW, SSB and FT8. See his page on QRZ.com for details.

(DX-WORLD.NET)

**
KICKER: HAPPY ENDING FOR PRODUCER OF HAM RADIO DOCUMENTARY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Sometimes the best movies are the ones in which it's
impossible to guess the ending. Our final report in this week's
newscast tells us about one such movie, a documentary, and the student filmmaker who created it. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB brings us her story.

RALPH: The 30-minute documentary that made its TV premiere on Montana
Public Broadcasting on Thanksgiving Day was a production by Grace
Wolcott, a University of Montana student working with Media Arts
students at the school. The film has a one-word title: "Ham." Grace
told Newsline it was inspired by a class assignment and, in part, by
the small portable shortwave radio she listens to. It's the story of
Montana's ham radio community and the reason for radio operators'
devotion.

She called the documentary a learning experience with everyone willing
to work outside their comfort zones. Grace was producer, director and
assistant editor. The production also offered moments of radio magic.
In one of her favorite moments, the crew was interviewing a ham in his
shack when another ham could be heard on the air -- and then there was
yet another. A QSO got under way and each learned that they'd all been interviewed for Grace's film. Grace told Newsline: [quote] "I felt in
that moment, even if this documentary isn't a masterpiece or nobody
sees it, I am glad that, just like amateur radio, we are bringing
people together." [endquote]

So can you guess the ending? Grace, who aspires to be an independent filmmmaker, now has another goal. She wants to become a ham. She's
already studying with the help of Lance Collister, W7GJ, the amateur
seen in the opening scenes of the film. She said: [quote] "Everyone I
met in the community is patiently waiting for me to get my license and
I will not let them down!" [endquote]

She gets her diploma at the end of this semester and hopes to get on
the air next year.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you ]'d like to see Grace's documentary, it's
available on the Montana PBS website. See the link in the text version
of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

[FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://www.montanapbs.org/programs/ham/ ]

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the ARRL; CQ magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; JAXA Amateur Radio Club; Facebook; Montana PBS; NASA Spaceflight.com; The Print; QRZ.com; Radio World magazine; the RSGB;
Republic World; SARCNet; shortwaveradio.de; Youth on the Air Camp;
Wireless Institute of Australia; YOTA; and you our listeners, that's
all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that
Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that
incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us,
please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate
you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast,
please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. 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 2022. All rights reserved.

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