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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2386 for Friday July 21st, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2386 with a release date of Friday
July 21st, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Changes in band access await hams in Australia.
A much-loved electronics supplier is closing after 50 years -- and a
ham marks a DXCC achievement of two lifetimes. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2386 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
BAND-ACCESS CHANGES AWAIT AUSTRALIAN AMATEURS

JIM/ANCHOR: There are gains and losses for amateurs in Australia as the nation's regulator moves ahead with proposed changes to spectrum
access. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story.

GRAHAM: Advanced amateurs in Australia and overseas equivalents will be
losing their access to frequencies between 3.4 and 3.6 GHz, which have
been identified for reallocation to commercial interests and for use by
earth station protection zones. While proposing those changes, the
Australian Communications and Media Authority is expanding standard
amateurs and overseas equivalents access to frequencies between 50 and
52 MHz, in addition to the current 52 to 54 MHz. These modifications
are contained in the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions Omnibus
Amendment Instrument 2023, Number 1. The ACMA took its action following
the submission of public comments to the consultation. The regulator
said it received only six such comments, with the majority supporting
the changes.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ACMA)

**
RSGB VIDEO EXPLAINS SWEEPING CHANGES AT OFCOM

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile in the UK, hams are getting some help in
understanding the changes that Ofcom has in the works. We have those
details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: As Ofcom undertakes the first sweeping changes in ham radio
licensing and call sign policy in 25 years, the Radio Society of Great
Britain has been hoping to make things simpler. The society is offering guidance on this consultation through a variety of materials that
include a newly released video by Murray Niman, G6JYB, the society's
spectrum and licensing expert.

The RSGB is hoping that clubs will share the video at their meetings
and assist hams in understanding the work underway. The video can be
found on the RSGB's YouTube channel or on the consultation web page of
the society at the link found in the text version of this week's
newscast.

The regulator is seeking feedback and has set a deadline of the 4th
September for comment.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

[DO NOT READ: rsgb.org/licencereview ]

**
SILENT KEY: COMPUTER HACKER KEVIN MITNICK, N6NHG

JIM/ANCHOR: A computer hacker who was once on the FBI's "most-wanted"
list - and who described himself as possessing the world's most
expensive amateur radio license, has become a Silent Key. Here's Sel
Embee KB3TZD to tell us about him.

SEL: Kevin Mitnick, N6NHG, whose computer-hacking skills landed him a
federal prison term with hundreds of supporters pressing for his
freedom, has become a Silent Key. Kevin died on Sunday, July 16th, of pancreatic cancer.

According to several online obituaries, by the time he was 16 years
old, Kevin had already sharpened his software skills, gaining
unauthorized access to computer systems. Ultimately, it was his illegal download of software from Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1980s
that led to a massive manhunt, his conviction and five-year prisonterm.

Having become a ham radio operator at the age of 13, he wished to
return to the air once he was released from prison and spent more than
$16,000 in legal fees to petition the FCC for a license renewal. He
succeeded, saying afterward that, as a result, he possessed the most
expensive amateur radio license in the world.

Kevin was 59.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.


**

INDIA'S MOON LANDER MAKES SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH

JIM/ANCHOR: India is hoping to become the fourth nation to achieve a
controlled moon landing and, at last reports, its spacecraft was well
on its way. John Williams VK4JJW has that report.

JOHN: The launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission was a historic one for
India, which is aiming to achieve a soft lunar landing after the
previous mission in 2019 failed. The Indian Space Research Organization declared its trajectory a "precise orbit" shortly after its launch on
Friday, the 14th of July. The name of the spacecraft is Sanskrit for
"moon craft." It is expected to live up to that name when it makes its
intended arrival on the south pole of the lunar surface in late August.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(CNN, ISRO)

**
ELECTRONICS SELLER, A FAVORITE OF HAMS, CLOSING DOORS

JIM/ANCHOR: Another much-loved source of electronics supplies for radio amateurs is about to join the growing list of companies shutting down.
It's scheduled to happen next month. We have those details from Ralph
Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: All Electronics in Van Nuys California, has provided at least
two generations of hobbyists, radio amateurs and tinkerers with a
variety of surplus electronics parts and manufacturers' overruns for
their projects. The legendary seller will be closing its doors in the
next few weeks - likely by the end of August. When All Electronics
announced earlier this year that it was calling it quits, the business
had already scaled back its previous seven-day-a-week operation for
walk-in customers, keeping its doors open on weekdays only. The company
notes on its website that its mail-order business has been brisk lately
as the 56-year-old enterprise attempts to close out its warehouse in
time for final shutdown.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(QRZ.COM, ALL ELECTRONICS)

**

HAMS TO PLAY ROLE IN WW2 DRILL RE-ENACTMENT

JIM/ANCHOR: To ensure they are prepared for emergencies and extreme
weather, many hams are accustomed to sharpening their responses through regularly scheduled drills. But the drill that's taking place next
month in Mobile, Alabama is for a major event that actually happened
more than 70 years ago: It was World War II. Jack Parker W8ISH fills in
the details.

JACK: There will be a "Call to Battle Stations" sounded on Saturday,
August 12th, and those aboard the battleship USS Alabama and submarine
USS Drum will be ready for what is to follow in Battleship Memorial
Park. Vintage enemy aircraft will do a flyover in a mock attack. The
crew on board the ships will fire the vessels' 20mm guns. Meanwhile,
radio communications will go forward with members of the Deep South
Amateur Radio Club, also on board, calling QRZ on 20m and 40m. They
will be using the club callsign K4DSR and the callsign K5LDA. Unlike
the radio amateurs, the crewmen are all re-enactors. Dressed in
WWII-era Navy uniforms, they will conduct weapons briefings and
demonstrations while reliving some of the stories of that time. This is
a Living History Crew Drill designed to show the public just how things
were in the heat of war so many years ago.

What the members of the Living History Crew share with the hams is that
they are all volunteers. They show that they appreciate the spirit of volunteerism and education by conducting these drills, to bring history
to life again, a few times each year.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(WPMI, FACEBOOK, QRZ)

**
GRANT WILL UPGRADE AMATEUR STATION AT RADIO MUSEUM

JIM/ANCHOR: An infusion of money is helping an all-volunteer museum in
New England upgrade its on-site ham radio station. Andy Morrison K9AWM
tells us what changes are in store.

ANDY: The Amateur Radio Club of the Vintage Radio and Communications
Museum of Connecticut is about to expand its reach with the help of a
grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications. The on-site club,
which has the callsign, W1VCM, intends to add new antennas as well as earth-space capability to its operations. The club plans to have a
high-gain antenna system, a satellite transceiver and
computer-controlled tracking giving better access to QSOs through the International Space Station and several low-earth orbit amateur
satellites.

Bob Allison, WB1GCM, president of the amateur radio club, said in a
press release that the club's demonstrations of amateur radio have
provided encouragement to visitors, some of whom decide they want to
become hams too.

This all adds up to a big plus for the museum as well, according to its director John Ellsworth. He said that the availability of a working
radio station complements the museum's role in telling the story of communication. The museum, which has showcased communications history
for 33 years, is run entirely by volunteers, providing opportunities
for children to build crystal radio sets and attend other hands-on
classes that bring history - as well as more modern-day technology
-into their lives.

Bob told Newsline in an email: [quote] "The spirit of amateur radio is
live and well at the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of
Connecticut."

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(BOB ALLISON, WB1GCM)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K4EX repeater in Dade City Florida on Tuesdays after the 7 p.m.net.

**
OFCOM SEEKS COMMENT ON 'HYBRID SHARING' FOR UPPER 6 GHZ BAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you have a UK amateur license, you may want to weigh in
on this issue affecting the 6 GHz band. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains the
proposed changes.

JEREMY: Ofcom is exploring a system of what it calls "hybrid sharing"
of the upper portion of the 6 GHz band to accommodate both licenced
mobile use and low-power licence-exempt Wi-Fi in the UK. The regulator
wants to find an appropriate system that would increase capacity
successfully because of industry interest in supporting an ongoing
growth in traffic.

Ofcom believes that because Wi-Fi routers are based indoors and mobile transmitters are mostly outdoors, hybrid-sharing mechanisms can and
should be developed that allow the users to coexist. The regulator also believes there is also potential for what it calls international
harmonisation of hybrid sharing on the band.

Industry members or others with a stake in the use of this band can
submit comments to Ofcom no later than the 15th of September.

See a link to the full article in the text version of this week's
newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2023/sharing-6-ghz-spectrum-for-wi -fi-and-mobile ]


This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)

**
FCC TO VOTE ON POWER INCREASE FOR DIGITAL FM

JIM/ANCHOR: In the US, the Federal Communications Commission is getting
ready to consider a request from broadcasters to permit the highest
allowable power for digital FM stations. Kent Peterson KC0DGY has
thatstory.

KENT: The FCC is preparing to vote early next month on permitting some
digital FM stations to broadcast using the highest allowable power
levels by adopting a change in the way such levels are determined on
the upper and lower digital sidebands.

The request for change is being made by the National Association of Broadcasters, a trade group representing radio and TV entities and
Xperi, the company that developed and licenses HD Radio technology.
Xperi estimates that there are 2,600 stations in the US that use HD
Radio technology.

Both the NAB and Xperi say their goal is to improve the digital
signals' quality and coverage. They are petitioning for the acceptance
of a new formula that would permit an increase over the present level, currently authorized at a digital ERP of -14 dBc, or decibels relative
to carrier. The approved increase would not require prior FCC
authorization.

Although a number of major media groups support the petition, saying it
is good for businesses as well as listeners, Press Communications LLC
in New Jersey has told the FCC that a power increase could pose
difficulties for smaller FM stations and LPFM, low-power FM service.

The vote is expected to take place on August 3rd.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIOWORLD)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Giuseppe, IK5WWA, is on the air as IM0C [pronounce:
EYE EMM ZERO SEA] from San Pietro Island, IOTA number EU-165, until the
30th of July. Listen for him on 40-2 metres and perhaps on 80m. QSL via
his home call.

Jarno, OH6NJ, will be active as OH6NJ/8 from Hailuoto Island, IOTA
number EU-184 between the 24th and 31st of July. He will be using CW,
SSB and FT8 mainly on the higher bands. QSL via his home call.

In Guatemala, Dennis, KT8X, will be active holiday style as TG4/KT8X
from the 23rd of July to the 4th of August. He will be using CW, FT8
and possibly some SSB on 40-6 metres. QSL via LoTW only.

Listen for Ron, DL1RNW, operating as OZ/DL1RNW from Sandkas, Maidenhead
Square JO75jg on Bornholm Island, IOTA number EU-030. He will be on the
air from the 23rd of July to the 5th of August on 6 metres and the HF
bands. QSL via eQSL.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: A DXCC ACHIEVEMENT OF TWO LIFETIMES

JIM/ANCHOR: Our final story isn't just about the DX achievement of a
lifetime; it's about a personal tribute. Patrick Clark K8TAC brings us
that story now.

PATRICK: For some, a contact with Bouvet Island - considered the most
remote island on earth - is like winning the lottery but for Bob Wertz,
NF7E, it means so much more in the amateur radio lexicon. The QSO he
logged earlier this year with the 3Y0J DXpedition ended his 47-year
journey to log all 340 independent DXCC entities. The ARRL requires
contact with only 331 such entities for any ham to be included on its
DXCC honor roll. Clearly, Bob had his sights set on a higher mountain
-his personal challenge begun nearly a half-century ago.

Speaking of mountains, the impressive log he amassed toward that end
includes another remote contact - Mount Athos in Greece - where the
operator was Monk Apollo. Their QSO, using CW, took place in 2016. Monk
Apollo, who is now a Silent Key, was viewed by DXers as one of the most sought-after contacts. Bob at one point thought it might end up being
the most difficult contact since he became a ham in 1976.

Bouvet, however, filled that role nicely. It also allowed him to
fulfill a very personal - and perhaps most meaningful - goal. In an
interview with Flagstaff Business News, he said he considers his
completion of the challenge to be a tribute to his father, who held the callsign KA9ACS, and is now a Silent Key.

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

(FLAGSTAFF BUSINESS NEWS, QRZ.COM)

**
TRY YOUR HAND AT OUR HAIKU CHALLENGE

JIM/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; the Australian Communications and Media Authority; Bob Allison
WB1GCM; CNN; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; Facebook;
Flagstaff Business News; FCC; 425DXNews; Indian Space Research
Organization; Ofcom; QRZ.COM; Radio World; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; WPMI; 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 2023. All rights reserved.

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