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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2339 for Friday August 26th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2339 with a release date of Friday
August 26th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Experts call a national emergency alert system vulnerable to hackers. Students in Romania return from a four-day SOTA
outing -- and Amateur Radio Newsline goes to Huntsville, Alabama to
present its Young Ham of the Year Award. All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2339 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
US EMERGENCY BROADCAST NETWORK DEEMED VULNERABLE TO HACKERS

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is about a word of warning experts
have issued to the US Emergency Broadcast Network, calling it
vulnerable to hackers. Andy Morrison K9AWM brings us those details.

ANDY: The United States' national broadcast network which transmits
child abduction alerts and severe weather warnings - is becoming
increasingly vulnerable to fake alerts from hackers unless state and
local governments fix security weaknesses in devices that connect to
that system.

That was the warning delivered recently by the nation's Department of
Homeland Security, which repeated its cautionary message about the US
Emergency Alert System at a recent session of DEFCON, a major hacking conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Homeland security officials said that ongoing vulnerabilities in the encoder/decoder devices enable hackers to transmit the bogus warnings
over radio and TV stations. Cybersecurity researcher Ken Pyle, who is
credited with discovering the vulnerability, told reporters recently
that without a necessary software update for these devices, hackers can pre-empt broadcast signals, exploit web servers and disrupt the
legitimate system. He said the problem has existed for several years
and has gone uncorrected.

Reporting on this issue, Cable News Network asked the Federal
Communications Commission for a tally of how many devices are running
the vulnerable software. The FCC had no immediate response.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.


(CNN, ARSTECHNICA)

**
NEWSLINE PRESENTS YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR AWARD IN HUNTSVILLE

JIM/ANCHOR: The Huntsville, Alabama Hamfest is history now and Newsline
was happy to be there to meet with this year's Young Ham of the Year
Award. Don Wilbanks AE5DW tells us all about it.

DON: "Good afternoon everyone, it is a little after two o'clock on
Saturday at Huntsville, that means it is time for the Young Ham of the
Year Award. My name is Don Wilbanks AE5DW, I'll be presenting the
Young Ham of the Year this afternoon to Audrey McElroy KM4BUN. We're
so proud of her, and first off I want to say that after two years of
being away, it is so good to be back at Huntsville, Alabama at the
hamfest!"

That was how the first in-person Young Ham of the Year presentation in
two years began Saturday, August 20th on the main stage at the
Huntsville Hamfest. I read off a short list of the many
accomplishments that earned Audrey this honor and then the floor
washers.

"Hello everybody, I am so happy to be here! Huntsville Hamfest is
definitely my favorite place to be! I'm sure a lot of you can agree.
I'm very honored to receive this award! My brother and I have worked
in amateur radio for many years now but I can't not thank the people
who helped me throughout this. Of course, my parents Tom McElroy
and Janet McElroy along with others like Carole Perry WB2MGP, Bill
Brown who is right there, WB8ELK, and tons of other people who have
been mentors to me and helpers to me because if it wasn't for them I
wouldn't be able to do the things I'm able to do. And so I hope in the
future I can continue pushing for bringing more youth into amateur
radio as well as bring more women into STEM and the wonderful world of
amateur radio. So, thank you all again."

Representatives from CQ Communications, Yaesu USA, Heil Sound,
RadioWavz Antennas and GigaParts had remarks and gifts for Audrey. Of
course, we mentioned the last two honorees, Christopher Brault KD8YVJ
from 2020 and Faith Hannah Lea KD3Z from 2021 who were presented their
awards virtually online. Sadly, neither could attend live this year
due to prior school commitments.

All of us at Newsline including our awards committee and judges wants
to congratulate Audrey. She is a shining example of why Bill Pasternak
was so committed to honoring the amazing young people in this hobby and service. She carries the torch high.

If you would like to hear the entire, unedited presentation audio you
can find it on our Extra page at arnewsline.org.

Speaking for our Young Ham of the Year committee chairman Mark
Abramowicz NT3V and our panel of judges, we can't wait for next year!
See you there.

I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW.

**
ROMANIAN STUDENTS RETURN FROM 4-DAY SOTA EXPEDITION

JIM/ANCHOR: Students in an amateur radio club in Romania have returned
home with full hearts and full logbooks after four days of activating
the countryside's beautiful mountains. More on their trip from Ed
Durrant DD5LP.

ED: Accompanied by their teacher Adrian YO5IA, and other mentors, a
group of young amateurs from the school radio club YO6KGS in Romania
set out from Râciu Village in late July for their latest adventure, a
four-day SOTA expedition in the Giumalau Mountains. After watching demonstrations by Csaba, YO6PIB, and Eva, YO6EVA, who activated their
first summit, Giumalău Peak, the students joined them on 20m and 17m.
Ranging in age from 12 to 20, many of the students had gone on previous activations with the school club and their advisors. Mihaela, YO5MCM,
could not be there in person this time but made sure to chase the group
from her QTH in Cluj about 200 km away. There was also a family
reunion, ham radio style, as Nico YO6YLJ, made a summit-to-summit
contact with his father, Mihai YO6SM, who was operating from Norway
using the call sign LB9HI. Mihai was able to give the other students
their chance for a summit-to-summit contact too. Everyone spent
comfortable nights in a mountain cottage and by the final night they
had earned some bragging rights: The whole team had activated Giumalău
summit, YO/EC-007, and logged summit-to-summit QSOs from Muncel,
YO/EC-527, to Giumalău on VHF and UHF. Daria YO6CDC wrote in her
online diary that until the next time: [quote] "We have the radio
waves, the contests, the radioclub where we meet, while the memories
last forever." [endquote]

This is Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(ADRIAN YO5IA)


**
TOP HONORS FOR CALIFORNIA AMATEUR'S DOCUMENTARY AT LOS ANGELES FILMFEST

JIM/ANCHOR: A documentary film celebrating the spirit of invention has
just won top honors at a Los Angeles Film Festival. Not surprisingly,
the film's creative team included a ham. We hear more from Mike Askins
KE5CXP.

MIKE: "Pathways to Invention," a newly released documentary film
directed and coproduced by a Santa Barbara, California amateur radio
operator, has been chosen as Best Documentary Feature at the Los
Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. Levi C. Maaia, K6LCM, is both
a teacher and a tinkerer who believes that technology can be a driving
force to power education. A proponent of the Maker movement, Levi and
his production partner Noah G. Mark follow 10 emerging innovators on
their journeys to become inventors. The film was made with the support
of the Lemelson Foundation. At the festival, the film also received
awards for best producer, best original music score and best director
of a documentary feature. The film is to premiere this year.

Levi has been active on the education committee of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. He is also a life member of AMSAT and a
board member of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club.

I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.

(LEVI C. MAAIA, K6LCM)

**
INDIAN AMATEURS MARK NATION'S 75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

JIM/ANCHOR: India has just marked its 75 years of independence and hams
have been busy celebrating on the air. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us some
of the ways they're marking the occasion.

JIM: Amateurs throughout India and beyond have been marking that
nation's 75 years of independence with special event stations and
commemorative nets. Special event station AT75CW will be on the air
using CW from September 1st trough October 2nd from northern India.
Rajesh, VU2CW, is the same operator who activated AT75RADIO earlier
this month on SSB.

Meanwhile, the Indian YL Net on the India Conference Server on Echolink
marked the nation's independence with a series of guest net control
operators during the week of Monday, August 15th. Guests net
controllers on this daily net included Dr. S. Sathyapal, VU2FI,
director of the Indian Institute of Hams, using the call sign AU75IIH,
and Omprakash Khiyani, VU2KOC, who runs a popular net in India. He used
the call sign AU75KOC.

India officially marked its independence on Monday, August 15th.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ, INDIAN YL NET)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, like the
George County ARES repeater in Lucedale, Mississippi Wednesdays at 7:37
p.m. local time.

**
ITCHING TO WORK THE SCRATCHIN' POST QSO PARTY

JIM/ANCHOR:If you want to have a QSO party, all you need is a reason.
Much like the World's Largest Teapot event that recently concluded,
this ARES special event station is just dripping in Southern charm.

DON: In coastal Mississippi exactly 40 miles north of the Gulf of
Mexico and 10 miles west of the Alabama state line lies the friendly
little town of Lucedale, Mississippi, founded in 1901, population
24,762. Right in the heart of downtown Lucedale on the corner of Mill
and Main you'll find a four-by-four wooden notched post known as The
Scratchin' Post. From 1937 until 1993 there was a very popular 24-hour restaurant at that site known as The Coffee Pot, renowned for its
5-inch tall merengue pies. The restaurant is long gone, a victim of
progress and rerouted highways, but The Scratchin' Post still stands
tall. And on Saturday, September 3rd, George County ARES will put it
on the amateur radio map with The Scratchin' Post QSO Party. You may
be asking why is it called The Scratchin' Post? It was a tradition
when entering and exiting the restaurant to scratch your back against
the post. Several famous spines found comfort in rubbing up against
that hunk of wood. Baseball legend Dizzy Dean. Country music legends Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ernest Tubb. Actors Kirk Douglas, Gene Autrey
and Roy Rogers. Even Ronald Reagan in his Hollywood days as well as
Tom Lester, "Eb" on "Green Acres." You can scratch that radio itch by listening for K5K on 20 and 40 meters phone as well as FT4 and FT8.
Operating hours are 1300 to 2300 UTC on Saturday, September 3rd. They
will be operating Field Day style from the downtown City Park.
If you're in that neck of the woods, stop by and enjoy some fine
Southern hospitality. Everything you need to know, as well as a
picture of The Scratchin' Post, can be found on the K5K QRZ page.
Sounds like the perfect excuse for a QSO party.

I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**
VOLUNTEER MONITORS SEND HAMS COMMENDATIONS, NOTICES

JIM/ANCHOR: A recent trip to the mailbox brought surprises for some
hams - some pleasant surprises, others not-so-pleasant. Sel Embee
KB3TZD explains.

SEL: The Volunteer Monitor Program, begun in 2020 as a cooperative
effort between the FCC and the ARRL, recently released its report for
July of this year. The program delivers commendations as well as
notices of improper operation to hams as a way of boosting compliance
with amateur radio license regulations.

The latest commendations include a ham in Columbia, South Carolina for
helping amateurs complete programs for the Community Emergency Response
Team and for assisting those involved in the county's Emergency
Operations Center. Commendations were also given to hams in
Poughkeepsie (poo-KIPP-See) New York for conducting the community
bulletin board on a local repeater. Hams in Roslyn, Pennsylvania were
also given commendations for involving the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club
in Field Day and MESH operations.

Meanwhile, notices for unlicensed operation were sent to logging
companies in Washington state for their use of 2-meter amateur
frequencies. Another notice for unlicensed operation was sent to an
operator in Indian Hills, California for operating 2m simplex APRS
during a high-altitude balloon flight, one year after the operator's
license had been cancelled by the FCC.

Notices for operating FT8 outside license privileges were issued to a Technician class operator in Martinez, California and a General-class
operator in Trenton, New Jersey. Notices for operating on SSB outside
their General class privileges were issued to hams in Massapequa (massa-PEE-KWAH), New York, and Trenton, New Jersey.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(ARRL)

**
SPECIAL 9/11 EVENT MARKS TERROR ATTACKS' 21st ANNIVERSARY

JIM/ANCHOR: Recalling the difficult day that was September 11th, 2001,
a group of US amateurs is marking that grim anniversary with a special
event starting very soon. Jack Parker W8ISH tells us what their
plansare.

JACK: Members of the Alabama Contest Group will be carrying the message
"Nine Eleven, Remembered Once More," during a special event being
activated to honor the victims of terrorism who perished 21 years ago
in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Stations will be using the callsign K4A starting at 0001 UTC on
September 8th and running through to September 12th, operating on all
bands and using CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY. Organizers are expecting many
hams to be calling in with stories of remembrances from September
11th,2001.

Planners have been busy on the Discord chat app making a schedule that
will be accessible to amateurs worldwide. An extra effort will be made
on CW and FT8 to help Pacific DX operators, especially in VK and ZL,
make contacts. Certificates will be available in addition to QSL cards.
QSOs are needed on four bands in any combination of modes to qualify
for a certificate. Outside of North America, only three bands are
needed.

According to the QRZ page for K4A, this event recognizes "peace-loving
people all over the world." Visit the page for K4A or WA1FCN for more
details.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH

(ALABAMA CONTEST GROUP)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, members of the Zagreb Amateur Radio Association
will activate the special callsign 9A24ZRF during the 24th ZagrebRadio
Fest on September 2nd and 3rd. QSL via the Bureau or LoTW.

In Malaysia, the Taiping Amateur Radio Club and the Malaysian Amateur
Radio Transmitter Society (MARTS), will be using the callsign 9M65MA
from August 30th through to September 1st. This is to mark the 65th
anniversary of Malaysia's independence. Listen on various HF bands for operators using CW, SSB, FM and the Digital modes. QSL via 9M2OHM
direct.

Trinidad and Tobago will be marking the 60th anniversary of their
independence with an amateur radio special event operated by members
of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society. They will be using
the callsign 9Y60TT between the 26th of August and the 2nd of
September. Listen on HF as well as the VHF bands where operators will
be using CW, SSB, Slow Scan TV, Digital Modes and Moonbounce. They will
also be making use of satellite contacts and APRS via the International
Space Station. Be listening as well on DMR, C4FM, D-Star and EchoLink.
QSLusing LoTW, ClubLog or QRZ.com.

(OHIO PENN DX)

**

KICKER: ONE ANTENNA THAT'S A-MAIZE-ING

JIM/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with a story about field day. No,
not THAT field day. For this story, we're going straight to the field
-the corn field, that is. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB brings us some kernels
of wisdom.

RALPH: If you're stalking the newest and most unusual kind of antenna,
look no further than the two 8-foot-tall green stalks that Kevin K0KLB harvested recently in an Iowa cornfield to create the homebrew vertical
he called the CornTenna. Relying on the combination of two stalks plus
their inherent conductive moisture, Kevin had a hunch that by joining
them and adding a copper wire, mounting them on a wooden batten and
adding radials, he might get an SWR acceptable enough for some QSOs on
20m. With a little adjusting, the CornTenna tuned right up in the field
and, well, things were soon popping. Operating at 5w QRP, he logged
two contacts in Texas and had a few other contacts that almost made it
into the log. Not quite smooth as silk, but for a Corn-Tenna? Downright a-maize-ing. You can see Kevin and the CornTenna in action on YouTube
at the link in the text version of this week's newscast at
arnewsline.org. He's got a real antenna farm and yes, he's having a
field day.

Meanwhile, one lingering question remains: Whether this innovative
vertical can hold its own in a real amateur radio DX CORNtest. We're
all ears.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

[FOR PRINT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG1e1K1RR-s&t=165s ]

(YOUTUBE)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Alabama Contest Group; the ARRL; Arstechnica; CQ Magazine; CNN; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; Indian
YL Echolink Net; Levi C. Maaia, K6LCM; Ohio Penn DX; QRZ.com; Southgate
Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; YouTube; 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West
Virginia saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

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