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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2303 for Friday December 17th, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2303 with a release date of Friday December 17th, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams on alert during deadly US tornadoes. Radio re-enacts historic transmissions - and everyone's on the air this
holiday season: even Santa. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2303 comes your way right now.

***
BILLBOARD CART

**
CENTRAL US TORNADOES BRING HAMS INTO ACTION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with deadly tornadoes that
devastated homes and lives recently in Kentucky and nearby states.
Randy Sly W4XJ shares those developments.

RANDY: SKYWARN nets were activated across much of the central United
States from Friday evening into early Saturday December 10th and 11th,
as a tornado outbreak of unprecedented proportion tore through
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Christine Weilgos (Well-gus), Warning Coordination
Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky,
which covers one of the hardest hit areas, reported that their SKYWARN
desk was manned by two local amateurs, Garry Wheatley, KD4GCY and Jeff
Estes, KM4LDP. The SKYWARN linked repeater system across Arkansas was
also active throughout the night.

At least 50 tornado reports were received by the NWS during the
evening. Of the four strongest tornadoes reported in western Kentucky,
the largest was tracked for over 200 miles on the ground. At least 88
people are known to have perished across five states. The highest
impact was in Kentucky, where the death toll stands at 74 with an age
span from 2 months to 98 years of age. There are reports that
approximately 100 people are still unaccounted for. Early estimates of
damages and economic losses have ranged into the billions of dollars.

ARES and other amateur emergency resources across the area are still
ready to go, should additional communications support be needed.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ

**
AMATEURS MARK 2 MARCONI ANNIVERSARIES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio operators on both sides of the Atlantic marked
two big moments in radio history as Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us.

JEREMY: The two Marconi anniversary activations had everything but
Guglielmo Marconi himself. Members of the Marconi Radio Club of
Newfoundland and the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club in Cornwall, England
paid tribute to Marconi's first experimental radio transmission across
the Atlantic. The Newfoundland amateurs contacted the Poldhu radio
operators marking December 12th, 1901, the day Marconi first heard a transatlantic transmission, Morse Code for the letter "s," sent from
Cornwall to Cabot Tower in Canada.

There was even more excitement, however, the previous day in Ardrossan, Scotland. Amateurs there received a duplicate of a message sent 100
years earlier from the US on amateur radio frequencies in the shortwave spectrum. Shortly after the re-enactment of the December 11th, 1921 transmission got under way in Connecticut, however, the replica of the
1BCG transmitter failed and went off the air. The replica, built for
the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic tests, had been restored
earlier this year by the Antique Wireless Association in Bloomfield,
New York.

The association's Mark Erdle, AE2EA, told Newsline in an email that
that the transmitter suffered a plate choke failure. He said the
association hopes to get it back on the air by February of 2022.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM, MARK ERDLE AE2EA)

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In case you missed this test re-enactment, up until
December 26th you can still work UK stations using a "/2ZE" (Slash Two
- ZED -E) suffix on their normal call signs. Until the end of December,
the special event stations GB2ZE (G B 2 ZED E) and GS2ZE (G S 2 ZED E)
will be on-air to celebrate Paul Godley's achievements back in 1921.

(RSGB)

**
MINNESOTA HAM GETS SPECIAL RECOGNITION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In amateur radio, where communication and public
service are core elements, some people really shine. One of them was
recently recognized for his efforts by the Civil Air Patrol's Minnesota
Wing. Kent Peterson KC0DGY has that story.

KENT: Matt Stepaniak N0TNL calls his recent honor one of the proudest
moments in his life. The Civil Air Patrol volunteer has been part of
the Minnesota Wing for 20 years. His dedication as a squadron
communications officer earned him honors in 2015 with the Robert Dunbar Memorial Award, presented for his use of his amateur radio technical
skills in his work. His latest honor came in October during National
Disability Employment Awareness Month with a new spotlight shining on
Matt, who's formally known as 1st Lt. Matthew Stepaniak. In addition to training other volunteers to use their radios, he has played a key role
in emergency response, coordinating his efforts with the local
Salvation Army. On Fridays at 9 p.m. he is dispatcher for the Viking
squadron's FM network. Matt has cerebral palsy and fulfills all these responsibilities and more from home, where his equipment includes his
ham shack as well as his Civil Air Patrol radio and antenna.

In the Civil Air Patrol announcement of his honor, Matt describes his
Civil Air Patrol work as a perfect channel for volunteerism and public
service - two things that remain strong to his core, thanks to
hamradio.

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

(CIVIL AIR PATROL)

**
INDIAN HAM CONVENTION IN HYDERABAD DRAWS CROWD

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In India, a crowd of enthusiastic attendees showed up
for a convention that had been cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
Here's Graham Kemp VK4BB with details.

GRAHAM: Billed as the first technical convention for ham radio
operators to be held following India's COVID lockdown, the Lamakaan
Amateur Radio Club's fourth convention attracted enthusiastic attendees
to Hyderabad on Saturday, Dec. 11th and Sunday, Dec. 12th. The
convention drew a full array of speakers to the Muffakham Jah College
of Engineering and Technology and was livestreamed via satellite built
by hams in India to those who were not among the 400 convention
attendees. Last year's event was cancelled because of the pandemic.
This year, the programme included forums on Cubesats, software defined
radio, DXing, satellites and the digital modes. Hams were encouraged to
share their experiences in experimenting with radio and other wireless technologies.

The college hoped that by hosting the event, students would also be
spurred to obtain their amateur radio licences. Professor Mohammed
Arifuddin Sohel, head of the school's Department of Electronics and Communications, said during the first day's opening remarks that he
believed the students would be inspired by what they saw and heard.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(YOUTUBE, TELAGANA TODAY, THE HINDU)

**
FOXHUNT ENTHUSIASTS PREP FOR BIG CHALLENGE IN TURKEY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With an ancient city as their backdrop, foxhunt
enthusiasts are preparing for a big challenge in Turkey. Here's Jason
Daniels VK2LAW with that report.

JASON: Get ready for a gathering of nations in Turkey for some serious foxhunting this month. Between December 20th and 26th, amateur radio
foxhunters will set off near the ruins of the 7th century Turkish city
of Side on the Mediterranean coast. The challenge is being called the
First International Radio-Orienteering Competition and it is being
hosted by the UA Foxhunters of Ukraine and the NEO Sports Club.
Although the contest follows all the IARU rules for staging and
scoring, this is not an official IARU championship. There will be two
Classic events, a sprint competition and radio orienteering over
the course of the seven days. For details visit the event website at wrocturkey.com

Meanwhile, plans are already in the works for the next IARU world
competition. That is most likely to be hosted by the Amateur Radio
Union of Serbia in September 2022. This will be the 20th IARU ARDF
World Championship and will closely follow World Cup competitions for individual foxhunters.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(HOMINGIN.COM, WROCTURKEY.COM)

**
HANDBOOK'S 76TH EDITION TO BE ITS FINAL ONE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A treasured broadcast handbook will soon be out of
print. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that report.

JEREMY: The World Radio TV Handbook an invaluable guide to broadcast
radio around the globe, has ceased publication. The publisher has
announced that its soon-to-be-released 76th edition will be its last.

A statement from the publisher, Nicholas Hardyman, read: [quote] "This
has been an extremely difficult decision and was only made after a lot
of thought and discussion. We know that many people rely on WRTH and
greatly enjoy getting the new edition every year. We realise that this
news will be disappointing for many people." [endquote]

The directory, with more than 600 pages of listings and maps, was
valued as a comprehensive compendium of medium wave, shortwave and FM broadcasts and included a section on clandestine broadcasters. Based in
the UK but providing global coverage, it has long been considered a
reliable guide for DXers and devoted radio listeners.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(YOUTUBE, EI7GL BLOG)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K5VOM repeater in Greenville, Texas on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

**
KIDS GIVE SANTA 10 OVER ON THESE NETS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Santa Net, hosted by the hams of the 3916 Nets, is
back on the air in the United States through December 24th. Radio
operators are providing youngsters with this on-air opportunity to let
Santa know what their top two or three gift wishes are. Hams are asked
to please remember to ensure the contact is in compliance with all FCC
Rules and Regulations governing third party traffic. Check-ins start at
7 p.m. Central Time on 80 metres. You can also reserve a spot by
visiting the website www.cqsanta.com where you'll find videos of past
QSOs with Santa.

Meanwhile, on Echolink, the 11th annual Santa Watch Net will take place
on Christmas Eve on the DoDropIn channel starting at 6 p.m. Eastern
Time. As the four-hour net gets under way, David N3NTV will be
using NORAD radar to track Santa. For details visit the website
dodropin.net

(DODROPIN, 3916 NETS)

**
HOP ABOARD THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another favorite holiday special event is already well
under way. Hope aboard the Christmas Train. Here's Jim Damron N8TMW
with details.

JIM: The special event Christmas Train may have its station in West
Virginia but this is a train that can cross the United States and even
pull into some DX locations on a moment's notice. The HF bands are its
express tracks. Listen for the Christmas train, callsign K8C, on 80,
40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters, using both SSB and CW. The train is
making stops right up through Christmas Day, when it will operate on a
partial schedule. You already have your ticket: so....hop aboard
thetrain!

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

(QRZ)

**
FINNISH HAMS PUT OF9X AND HIS 'ELVES' BACK ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: At this time of the year, we need to ask: do you
believe in the magic of DX? There are few DXes more elusive or rare
than this one. Here's Ed Durrant DD5LP to tell us about it.

ED: Are you ho-ho-hoping to score one big DX, before 2021 shuts its
door? The Finnish Amateur Radio League, S.R.A.L., may be able to help
make that happen. The league has been on the air as OF9X and OF2YOTA
since early this month and will continue through to the end of
December. Here's a hint: OF9X is compiling his log and checking it
twice -- and his phonetics are "Old Father Nine Christmas." Are you
feeling the holiday spirit yet? Even if you only believe in the powers
of CW, SSB or Digital you can still add OF9X to your wish list of
contacts. You can also work his elves who are using the callsign of
OF2YOTA. The league is marking its centennial year so that means you
get an extra present under your tree: Both callsigns, along with the
callsign OI3AX, active earlier this month, count toward the S.R.A.L.
Jubilee award.

Send QSL cards for OF9X to OH2BH. Send QSL cards for OF2YOTA to OH5CZ.

Now get on the air and let your rig's screen light up like a
Christmastree.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

QRZ.COM

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Zalo, XE3N, is on the air as 4C10M from Playa del
Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, through December 20th. Listen for him on
SSB and the Digital modes and QSL via LoTW.

Lars, PH0NO, is using the special callsign PG44FF to promote the
World-Wide Flora & Fauna award program and the Dutch program "PAFF"
through early 2022. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS. See QRZ.com for more
details.

The new year is going to be a good one for members of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society. Hams will be using the special callsign EI90IRTS
to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of Ireland's national
society. Listen for the EI90IRTS callsign throughout 2022. QSL
viaEI6AL.

Members of the Saudi Association of Radio Amateurs (SARA) will be on
the air until December 28th as HZ19SAT to celebrate the launch of a
Saudi satellite. The significance of the callsign is that it been 19
years since the Saudis launched their first CubeSat. QSL to HZ1SAR.

(OHIO PENN DX)

**
KICKER: THE BEST CARDS AREN'T ALWAYS QSL CARDS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week with a story for the season: They
don't know it yet but some South Carolina second-graders are about to
get a lesson in geography, friendship and Christmas spirit thanks to
amateur radio operators around the US. Kevin Trotman N5PRE brings us
the details.

KEVIN: Students at The Oakbrook Prep School in Spartanburg, South
Carolina were looking forward to receiving Christmas cards from all 50
US states for a classroom lesson on states and capitals that their
teacher had begun in November. Their teacher networked as best she
could, contacting friends and other teachers, current and retired.
Retired second-grade teacher Ann Backys, K9ANN, was among those to send
a card as a favor to a friend who was helping support the project. When
the Tennessee YL learned recently the class was still short of its
goal, it was time for amateur radio to come to the rescue. Using a
strategy similar to one she followed two years earlier for a different
school's project collecting postcards, Ann reached out to ham radio
operators and ARRL section managers far and wide and made her case. The
hams responded - relaying the message even farther - and sending
thecards.

Ann told Newsline that she learned that [quote] "the teacher is blown
away by the response. She never dreamed she'd get all this. They are
going to hear from all fifty states, I just know it. In fact, they'll
probably get duplicates." Just in case you want to add your home state
to the mix, send a Christmas card with your name, city and state to the Oakbrook Prep School, Mrs. Colvard's second grade class, 190 Lincoln
School Road, Spartanburg SC 29301. Oh and don't forget to say Merry
Christmas.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(ANN BACKYS K9ANN)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the ARRL; the BBC; Civil Air Patrol; CQ Magazine; CNBC; David Behar K7DB; the DoDropInn; the EI7GL blog; the
Hindu newspaper; HomingIn.com; Mark Erdle AE2EA; Ohio Penn DX; QR
Zed.com; QSO Today; Radio World; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Telangana Today; the 3916 Nets; YouTube; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to
us at newsline@arnewsline.org. 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 youall.

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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