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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2384 for Friday July 7th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2384 with a release date of Friday
July 7th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Gains in attendance at Europe's largest
hamfest. Sri Lanka loses a respected member of the amateur community
--and there are big plans ahead for radio at Scout camps. All this and
more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2384 comes your way
rightnow.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
GAIN IN ATTENDANCE AT HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to Germany. With Ham
Radio Friedrichshafen (Pron: Freed Ricks Harfen) completing two weeks
ago, the attendance figures have been announced and there's some good
news. Over to our European Correspondent Ed Durrant DD5LP who
attended.

ED: This year's attendance at Ham Radio, Europe's largest Hamfest, was
up by 10% to 11,100 and the number of traders by 15% compared to last
year, despite predictions that Hamfests may suffer due to the increase
in online sales during and following the pandemic.

It was clear there was an increase in the number of people both at the
indoor flea market halls and in the main trader and exhibitor hall.
While there were no new major radio announcements -- other than we
already know of from Hamvention -- it was good to see Kenwood back with
a stall but a shame that only Yaesu's agents represented them. ICOM was
there with their usual impressive large display area and competing in
size was a new company to the amateur radio market - Aaronia a
manufacturer of high quality test equipment.

All in all, it was a very uplifting event.

Just as important was the announcement that the required legislative
document had just been signed to implement the new German entry level
"N class" amateur radio licence. The regulations will come into force
on the 21st of June 2024, the week before next years "Ham Radio" event
between the 28th and 30th and indeed the very first examinations for
this new class of licence will take place at "HAM RADIO 2024." The new
licence will allow access to 70cm, 2m and 10m running a maximum of 10
watts and will conform to CEPT specifications for an entry level
licence.

This is Ed Durrant DD5LP.

**
FCC SEEKS INPUT ON COMMERCIAL USE OF HF SPECTRUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Following years of experimental use of the frequencies
between 2 and 25 MHz - a range the FCC considers underutilized -members
of the Shortwave Modernization Coalition have asked the agency for rule
changes that would permit fixed, long-distance, time-sensitive
transmission of data by commercial entities. The FCC is requesting
public comment on the proposed rule change, which the Commission said
would not have an impact on that part of the spectrum used exclusively
by amateur radio, maritime or aeronautical services.

A rule change would make the frequencies available to regular
commercial operations. At present only 61 of the 21,507 active licenses
for frequencies between 2 and 25 MHz are for industrial and business
use, according to the FCC.

The businesses seeking access have relied until now on satellite,
fiber, microwave and millimeter wave wireless transmissions.

Shortwave Management Coalition members, who include such entities as
companies in the financial markets, believe a rule change could widen
access to other industries such as mining, petroleum and manufacturing.

Comments are due to the FCC within the month.

(FCC, SWLING POST)

**
FCC TO CONSIDER KEEPING FM6 RADIO FOR LOW-POWER TV

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In other action in Washington, it is shaping up to be a
busy month for the Federal Communications Commission, which is
considering whether low power analog TV stations that have a Channel 6 allocation can continue to broadcast analog FM radio. Kevin Trotman
N5PRE tells us what's behind the issue.

KEVIN: In a small number of US markets, FM broadcast audio has long
been available from TV stations making use of a subcarrier 250 kHz from
the top of the Channel 6 frequencies. At the FCC's open meeting on July
20th, the FCC will look at an option it favors: permitting these
low-power TV stations to continue this practice as a supplementary
service even after the TV stations' conversion to digital.

The FCC believes that preserving the operations for those 13 low-power
stations would benefit the public interest, noting as well that there
is no record of TV interference with the adjacent FM channels, known as
FM6 stations. The FCC wrote in a fact sheet on its website that it has
not received complaints with credible evidence showing anything to the contrary.

FM6 radio is permitted to operate only on 87.75 MHz and the service may
only be offered within the low-power TV station's coverage area and on
a non-interference basis.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(FCC)

**
CLIPPERTON ISLAND DXPEDITION TO INCLUDE SATELLITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In case you've marked your calendar for January of next
year, hoping to make contact with the Clipperton Island DXpedition,
there's extra good news if you are a satellite enthusiast. Neil Rapp
WB9VPG explains.

NEIL: When members of the Perseverance DX Group call QRZ in January of
2024 from Clipperton Island, they'll have an extra way to make contact.
The team just announced that the TX5S DXpedition will include satellite operations. The team's satellite station manager, Andreas N6NU,
reported in a recent press release that the team hopes to use the
IO-117 GreenCube satellite, which not only has a generous footprint
over the island but has passes that last more than an hour.

The uninhabited atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean will be home for the
team for 16 days as they use SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8. This is the 38th
most wanted DX according to Clublog - and it is IOTA number NA-011.

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(AMSAT, CLIPPERTON ISLAND WEBSITE)

**
HONORS FOR FILM ABOUT HAM CLUB IN SCOTLAND

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's nothing like a good contest to bring out the
thrill of competition in some hams. In Scotland, however, one amateur
radio group is enjoying the status of being one of the top winners at
-of all things - a film festival. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains what
happened.

JEREMY: Hams in the Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society had the kind of
performance you might not see in a DX contest, a sprint or even in a
QSO party. They were among the top winners at this year's Doric Film
Festival, an event that shines a light on filmmakers who celebrate
Doric culture and language in their work. The five-minute production is colorful, lively and entirely in the Doric language. Interestingly
enough, this is not the radio society's first appearance in a film. A
12-minute film, "Hams," was released in 1961 and is available for
viewing online in the Moving Image Archives of the National Library of Scotland. That film, however, is in black and white - and in English.

Doric, once the official language of Scotland, is still widely spoken
in the country's Northeast. The festival's winning films were screened
last month at the awards ceremony on the campus of Robert Gordon
University in Aberdeen.

The stars of the radio society's film are, of course, the many
operators in the club and they are seen sending Morse Code and talking
to the International Space Station. There is even a cameo appearance by
a pig. Of course, you'll have to watch the film on YouTube to
understand why. See the link to the society's film in the text version
of this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN5v8xkHIXo ]

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(DORIC FILM FESTIVAL, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN AMATEUR
RADIO SOCIETY)


**
RADIO AMATEUR CHOSEN AMONG ENGINEERING'S "WOMEN OF INFLUENCE"

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A prominent West Coast business journal has named an
active California YL among those who have left an impact on modern-day engineering. We get those details from Jack Parker W8ISH.

JACK: A third generation amateur radio operator, inspired by her father
and her grandfather, has been selected for inclusion in the San Diego, California, Business Journal's list of Women of Influence in
Engineering.

Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, a licensed ham for 25 years, belongs to the
FCC's Technical Advisory Council and works on amateur satellite service regulatory reform. A Life Member of the ARRL, she is technical
specialist for the ARRL Field Organization's Southwestern Division.

She writes on her page on QRZ.com: [quote] "Amateur radio is why I
became an engineer and is the motivation for a large amount of the
volunteer work I do. I give back to ARRL, IEEE, DEFCON, and many other organizations." [endquote] In 2018 she and two cofounders created the
nonprofit Open Research Institute. ORI conducts open source research
and development for amateur radio and other areas and provides its
findings free.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(WIA, QRZ)

**
SILENT KEY: ASOKA DA SILVA, 4S5BAK, VHF NET'S 'WEATHERMAN'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A well-respected amateur in Sri Lanka, and a familiar
voice on a popular evening net, has become a Silent Key. We hear about
him from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: The Radio Society of Sri Lanka held a special tribute VHF
Tribute Net to honor Asoka da Silva, 4S5BAK, who became a Silent Key on
the 26th of June, two months after his 75th birthday. The retired
banker, who rose to prominence in the financial sector, was remembered
by many who checked in on VHF or via Echolink during the one-hour net.
The net was recorded by the society to present to Asoka's family as
agift.

A mainstay of the daily 9 p.m. net for the past three years, Asoka was
a familiar voice who would share with his fellow hams a thorough, well-researched weather report that many looked forward to hearing. His
last check-in on the net took place on the 9th of April. According to
the radio society, even in the difficult final months of his life,
Asoka was determined to upgrade the amateur radio licence he had first
acquired following his retirement. Despite frequent hospitalizations,
he successfully sat the General and Advanced exams and qualified for
that sought-after upgrade.

The VHF tribute net allowed hams from elsewhere, including the United
States, Canada and India, to check in with Victor Goonetilleke (goo-nuh-till-ecke) 4S7VK as net control. They shared memories of
Asoka, remembering him fondly as the net's "weatherman," and expressed
their condolences to his family.

The radio society's own tribute online said [quote] "We have lost a
dear friend, and his untimely departure leaves an immense void that
will be difficult to fill." [endquote]

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(RSSL, YOUTUBE)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the IRLP Western Reflector Channel 9258 on Mondays at 7 p.m.

**
PROGRAM ROLLOUT FOR SCOUT CAMPS ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A sweeping new program is in the works to encourage
hams everywhere to make contacts with young hams involved in Scouting.
Think of it as a push for hams to do a bit of scouting for Scouts.

It's called Scout Camps on the Air and it started as the dream of Matt
KR8E. He saw it as a way for the ham population to have QSOs with Scout stations - stations based on camps that are owned or leased by the
Scouting organization or those not at any camps but still known as
Scout Stations on the Air.

Though the program is still a work in progress, the committee has added
three active scouts who are deeply involved in amateur radio, hoping to
add to the momentum. The committee has been asking Scout councils to
provide input. Organizers are meanwhile developing an multi-level
awards program to recognize licensed hams worldwide everywhere who have successful radio contacts with the Scouts.

You can follow the progress of Scout Camps on the Air, or get involved,
by following the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. See the
text version of this week's newscast script at arnewsline.org for the
Twitter and Instagram handles of Scout Camps on the Air.

[DO NOT READ: Twitter handle is @SCOTA_k2bsa Instagram handle is
scota_k2bsa ]

(SCOUT CAMPS ON THE AIR)

**

WEST BENGAL HAMS ASSIST IN MISSING MOTHER'S RETURN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio operators in India have once again used
their extensive network of contacts to bring about a family reunion.
Graham Kemp VK4BB gives us their story.

GRAHAM: A mother in India who went missing at a fair 17 years ago while
her three children were on an amusement ride is heading back home to
Bihar thanks to local radio amateurs. Following the separation, the
children had come to believe their mother had long since died. Their
fears were proven wrong, however, after police enforcing the recent
COVID-19 lockdown saw her wandering the streets outside her home
village, unable to speak. They took her for hospital evaluation. From
there she was transferred to the Missionaries of Charity Home where she remained until the home asked the West Bengal Radio Club for
assistance. Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, the club's secretary, told the
website etvbharat.com (E TEE VEE BARRAT DOT COM) that the radio club
sent pictures to amateur radio operators they know throughout India. A
reply ultimately came from the woman's daughter in Bihar, though the
hams there. The daughter told the West Bengal hams she had been seeking
her mother for years and that she was feared dead. At the time the
family's story appeared in the local media, a reunion was being
planned.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ETVBHARAT.COM)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Rag, LB3RE, operating on 40-6
metres as DU1/LB3RE from Luzon Island, IOTA number OC-042, until the
18th of July. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Be listening for a six-member team of activators using the callsign
RI1OR (R Eye One Oh R) from Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, IOTA number
EU-066, from the 25th to the 29th of July. They will operate CW, SSB
and digital modes on 160-10 metres. Send QSLs via RZ3EC.

Chasers of World Wide Flora & Fauna activations may want to listen for
Bruno, F4JIK. He is touring Finland in his camper van and is on the air
as OH/F4JIK/p until the 13th of July. Listen for him on SSB on 40, 20
and 15 metres from several Finnish Flora & Fauna locations.

Listen for Ben, PE5B, who will be active as PJ7/PE5B from Sint Maarten,
IOTA number NA-105, from the 7th to the 14th of July. He will be
operating SSB and RTTY while doing training and demonstrations of ham
radio and HF EmComm to local groups. QSL via LoTW.

(DX WORLD.NET, 425 DX BULLETIN)

**

KICKER: WHEN THE "INTELLIGENCE" IS NOT FOR REAL

ANCHOR: Imagine AI - artificial intelligence - behind the radio mic? Well.....it has already arrived in broadcasting and that's giving us
here at Newsline something to think about too. Here's Ralph Squillace
KK6ITB to explain.

RALPH: In Portland, Oregon, the radio DJ known as Ashley Z Elzinga has
some company in the studio: herself. The station, "Live 95.5" KBFF has
begun using an artificial version of her voice to produce segments,
using Futuri Media's RadioGPT during midday programming. Ashley Z is a syndicated talent heard on a number of other stations, including ones
in Michigan and Seattle. The Oregon station is calling her "AI Ashley"
and it even quotes her in the station's press release expressing her
commitment to being the world's first AI DJ.

Meanwhile, students at the University of Florida have used RadioGPT to
create an AI personality they have named "Q." Q is featured on the
College of Journalism and Communications audio research and development platform, GHQ. According to a report in RadioWorld, RadioGPT generates
scripts about relevant topics by scanning online content and social
media and then voices the script using AI.

It does leave us wondering, however: How long before something called
HamGPT is developed and learns to scan the solar reports, the
propagation maps, the DX clusters and even our personal details on
QRZ.com, handing out "5 9" and "7 3?"

Perhaps for that answer - for now - we'll have to Google it.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(RADIOWORLD, RADIOINSIGHT.COM)

**
DO YOU HAIKU? ROGER ROGER!

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We hope our listeners have been enjoying the Amateur
Radio Newsline haiku challenge. We certainly have! In the spirit of fun
and perhaps a little bit of literary adventure, we've been inviting
listeners to channel their most creative selves and share the joy of
ham radio in the form of a haiku. On our website, arnewsline.org, you
will find a submission form for sending your most poetic offering. To
qualify, you need to follow traditional haiku form: The first line is
five syllables, the second line is seven syllables and the finishing
third line has another five syllables. We cannot accept any other
formats.

Our team will pick from the best submissions that follow the 5/7/5
syllable rule and represent the love of amateur radio. Your prize? For
now, bragging rights -- and a featured spot for your haiku on the
Amateur Radio Newsline website. We may have a surprise for you at the
end of the year, however. So visit our website at arnewsline.org and
take a look at this week's winning ham radio haiku.


DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would
be interested in? We are not talking about advertising your club's
upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out
of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page
at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it,
we'll get back to you for more details.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; AMSAT News Service;
ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; FCC; 425DXNews; ETVBHARAT.com QRZ.COM; RadioInsight.com; Shortwave Listening Post; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 2023. All rights reserved.

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