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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2276 for Friday June 11, 2021

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2276 with a release date of Friday
June 11, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The ISS gets into the act for Field Day. NASA experiments with using laser waves to supplement radio - and a radio
expedition goes in search of Bigfoot! All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2276 comes your way right now.

***

BILLBOARD CART

**
ISS CROSSBAND REPEATER READY FOR FIELD DAY OPERATORS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story this week may just help you prepare for
Field Day. If you're looking to score some bonus points during those
two days, try making a contact via the International Space Station. The InterOperable Radio System on board the ISS will remain in crossband
repeater mode during Field Day on the 26th and 27th of June. This is a
change from the original plan to switch operation from crossband back
to APRS packet during the second week of June. That changeover has been postponed until after Field Day.

By using the repeater, you don't just get a Field Day QSO point but
bonus points. In fact, crossband repeater contacts can also be used
that same weekend for AMSAT Field Day for satellite operations. The
repeater frequencies are 145.990 MHz FM up, 67 Hz tone and 437.800 MHz
down. ARISS recommends pre-Field Day practice sessions for any hams
who've never used the repeater before.

(ARISS)

**
NASA TO TEST DATA TRANSFER VIA LASER COMMUNICAIONS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're interested in an alternate communications
mode, consider the option that NASA is exploring. Kent Peterson KC0DGY
brings us those details.

KENT: Welcome to the age of optical communications. This month NASA is launching the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration or LCRD, as a
payload on a US satellite in geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles
from Earth. This demonstration will test higher bandwidth transfer
using optical communications which may supplement traditional data
transfer using radio.

The infrared light used for laser communications differs from radio
waves because the laser packs the data into significantly tighter waves increasing the data throughput 10 to 100 times more than that of radio frequency systems. Laser communications systems are also smaller and
weigh less. The LCRD is expected to use a data rate of 1.2 gigabits per
second in its communications with ground stations in California and
Hawaii.

NASA said on its website that radio technology's limits are being
challenged by newer technologies. At this data rate, one could download
a two-hour movie in about 20 seconds.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(NASA, PHOTONICS.COM)

**
PRIDE RADIO GROUP PROJECT HELPS SHACK STARTUP COSTS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: For some hams in Australia, the cost of starting in
amateur radio just got a little easier. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us why.

GRAHAM: In Australia, the Pride Radio Group is working to take the
financial sting out of becoming a ham. The group is making free kits
with basic equipment available to Pride members who qualify for the
assistance and live in Australia. Pride is also providing tutorials on
how to get started with the kits. The kits contain, in part, an FM/DMR
Handie Talkie, a NanoVNA with RF Demo board, a hotspot, cables and
adapters along with several other basic essentials.

Michaela Wheeler, VK3FUR/VK4XSS, the group's founder, said this is one
way to offset the high cost of starting in amateur radio in Australia,
an effort that can carry a price tag of about $195 Australian dollars.
Pride Radio Group, which was formed last year as a welcoming
organisation for amateur radio operators in the LGBTQ community, has
shown a consistent growth in membership and now has a roster of 241.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(MICHAELA WHEELER, VK3FUR/VK4XSS)

**
NEW UK HAM CLUB SCHEDULES FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: For one of the newest clubs in the UK, the next meeting
will not only be in person meeting but will be their first. Jeremy Boot
G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: Even as the pandemic was forcing people into isolation last
year, one of the newest amateur radio clubs in the UK was making plans
to bring radio operators together â-" at least in spirit if not in
person.

Paul M0XZT and Andi 2E0GGX started up the East Ardsley Radio Society
G3EAR to fill a need for local hams wanting to be together. Now the
newly created club, known informally as "EARS," is preparing for its
first in-person meeting on 25th June at the East Ardsley Cricket Club.

The painting and redecorating have already been done and, as Paul told
Newsline [quote] "We are ready to open for our first proper club
meeting." [endquote]. If government restrictions are not lifted by
that time, Paul said, the hams will meet outside the club shack instead
for a bit of socialising. That's likely to be a lot easier than the
Facebook messenger chat they've been using all this time.

Paul and Andi hope to be joined by fellow founders Bob 2E0RMW, David
G1NYN, Marc 2E0VTN, Darren 2E0VBL and Mick M6MWP.

Paul told Newsline the long term goal is to cater to local hams at all
levels of experience and open their doors to anyone wanting to try for
a contact on HF, DMR, D-STAR, Fusion or someone perhaps wanting to
learn Morse.

First, however, they simply look forward to opening their doors.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(PAUL DRIVER M0XZT)
**
DATA NETWORK GROUP CHALLENGES FCC BID TO TAKE SPECTRUM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An FCC move that would take an amateur emergency
network off part of the 5 GHz band is getting some pushback. Andy
Morrison K9AWM brings us up to date.

ANDY: The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network has taken the next step
in its challenge to an FCC order that would eliminate the network's
access to the upper part of the 5 GHz band. The FCC intends to allocate
those frequencies instead for intelligent transportation systems and
for unlicensed use such as Wi-Fi.

On June 2nd, the network filed comments with the agency, reaffirming
radio operators' critical need to retain use of the band between 5.895
GHz and 5.925 GHz. The AREDN's attorney filed the comments one month
after submitting a petition asking the FCC to withdraw the order. The
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking dates to December 2019 when the FCC
announced its intention to reassign the band's upper 30 megahertz.

The AREDN is a high speed data network supplying public safety agencies
with digital communications support through its email, text and
audio-video capabilities. It relays messages in emergencies such as
forest fires and natural disasters and has also been used in public
service events.

Meanwhile, the FCC is also seeking comment on its proposal to give
additional spectrum to private space launch companies on the amateur
radio frequencies between 420 and 430 MHz and 5.65 to 5.925 GHz. Hams
have a secondary allocation on these frequencies on the 70cm and 5cm
bands, respectively. The 70cm frequencies are widely used by hams for
repeater links and amateur television and a portion of the 5 GHz
spectrum is used by the AREDN.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(FCC, PAUL STRAUSS, WD6EBY)

**

MUSEUM SHIPS WEEKEND SAILS TO SUCCESS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The annual Museum Ships Weekend was a scaled-down event
due to propagation and the pandemic but there was nothing scaled-down
about its success. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about it.

KEVIN: Having long since traded their military careers for roles as
public museums, an international array of battleships, aircraft
carriers, minesweepers, destroyers and cargo ships was determined to
have fun in spite of challenging conditions. That's just what they did
for 48 hours on June 5th and 6th. The annual Museum Ships Weekend got
on the air with hams calling QRZ from the Netherlands to Australia all
the way to Camden, New Jersey, home of the Battleship New Jersey
Amateur Radio Station, the event's sponsors. Although pandemic
precautions reduced the number of participating ships to 81, radio
operators were busy nonetheless. Harry Bryant AA2WN, the club
president, said preliminary results showed on the New Jersey ship
alone, the 9 operators -- operating two at a time -- logged 554 HF
contacts from 10 countries and 38 states. Using one of the ship's
satellite antennas as an enclosure for a 2m/440 antenna array, the
operators also were able to make contacts on VHF for the first time.
Harry said that band conditions were less than optimal for this year's
event but the hams made the best of 40, 30 and 20 meters operating as
NJ2BB. Harry said that despite the pandemic and propagation [quote] "We
still had a fun and satisfying event. We are ever hopeful that normalcy
will prevail next year with many more ships, operating hours, operators
and better band conditions." [endquote]

These ships, after all, have seen greater challenges.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(HARRY BRYANT AA2WN)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the VK8MA repeater in Australia's Northern Territory on the simplex
frequency 146.750 MHZ on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**
HAMVENTION FORUM VIDEOS AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hamventionâ-"had it happenedâ-"would have lasted two to
three days. You are now able to participate in two highlights of that
weekend held virtually in May by spending a little more than eight
hours on YouTube. Contest University, held May 20th, and many of the
Hamvention Forums, held May 21st, are now available on YouTube. They
include the CQ Contest Hall of Fame presentation by John K1AR; youth in contesting, presented by Phillip DK6SP, contesting from Russia by Willy
UA9BA; "There is Nothing Magic about Propagation" by Jose CT1BOH, and a memorial reading of the Silent Keys.

(YOUTUBE)

**
FOUNDATION GRANT WILL HELP EUROPEAN HAMNET TO GROW

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A high-speed amateur network in Europe has just become
the first international recipient of a grant from a California
foundation. Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us about their plans.

ED: Amateur Radio Digital Communications, a private foundation based in California, has provided its first international grant to assist in
expansion of the European HAMNET, a high-speed amateur radio multimedia network. The funding, which will go through the Deutscher Amateur Radio
Club in Germany, will provide sponsored hardware for radio links to
make use of the Amateur Packet Radio Network IP space in Europe.

With this grant, DARC becomes the first non-US organisation to be given
an ARDC grant.

ARDC president Phil Karn KA9Q issued a statement saying that ARDC's
goal has long been to give grants like this to qualifying non-profit organisations outside the US. DARC president Christian Entsfellner
DL3MBG issued a statement adding [quote]: "We are highly excited that
with this grant we can give the European HAMNET project a huge boost." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(ARDC)

**
SILENT KEY: ARECIBO'S GORDON PETTENGILL W1OUN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A noted educator, researcher and amateur radio operator
who specialized in radar as a tool for space exploration has become a
Silent Key. Here's Jim Damron N8TMW to tell us more.

JIM: Many on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and beyond are mourning the death of professor emeritus and radio
astronomy pioneer Gordon Pettengill W1OUN. He had been director of the
then-new Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico before stepping down in
1970. At MIT he became a professor of planetary physics and director of
the MIT Center for Space Research. Gordon's work also involved
repurposing military radar technology for science and space
exploration. At MIT he also used the Lincoln Laboratory Millstone Hill
radar to create the first two-dimensional radar map of the moon. The
map was a critical component used by NASA in its plans for the Apollo
moon landings that were to come later.

Gordon was an avid ham radio operator throughout his life, starting
with his high school years. Gordon was a World War II veteran and after
the war ended, he continued his involvement in communications through
his assignment to the US Army's Signal Corps, stationed in Austria.

He died in May at the age of 95 of congestive heart failure.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Damron N8TMW.

(MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Adrien, F4IHM, who is using the
callsign 5UAIHM until June 27th from Niger. He is on 40m and 20m using
CW and SSB. QSL to F4IHM, direct or by the Bureau.

Be listening for the callsign GB1ORC, a special event callsign of the
Online Amateur Radio Community. OARC is marking the one-year
anniversary of its founding as an online amateur radio club based in
the UK. GB1ORC will be on the air until June 20th. The club will also
use GB0ARC until June 24th.

In Scotland, listen for Paul, G4PVM, using the callsign GM4PVM from the
Isle of Lismore (IOTA EU-008) between June 29th and July 4th. Paul will
be on the air holiday style using 40m to 10m, both CW and SSB. Send
QSLs via LoTW, eQSL or ClubLog for IOTA.

Listen for the special event callsign TM57COV between the 15th and 29th
of June. A team of French amateur radio operators will be on the air to
pay tribute to those who have died from COVID-19 or are currently
struggling to recover. The station also pays tribute to the caregivers
who are working with COVID cases. For QSL details visit the station's
page on QRZ.com

(OHIO PENN DX, SOUTHGATE)

**
KICKER: TAKING MANY SMALL STEPS TO FOLLOW SOME BIG FEET

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: What is better than a rare DX? How about scoring a rare sighting right where you've set up your portable station? Mike Askins
KE5CXP has that report for us.

MIKE: When the hams in the Bigfoot Radio Net go on a field expedition,
as they did just a few weeks ago in the Ouachita National Forest in
Oklahoma, they're looking to log a big contact. You might say a
big-footed contact. To some he's known as Bigfoot. To others,
Sasquatch. On everything from weeklong special events to overnight solo investigations, Brent Boydston KF5THB has been on the hunt since 2016
for the legendary creature. No, Bigfoot doesn't have a callsignâ-"at
least not yetâ-"but then this part of the hunt doesn't happen while
they're on the air or cooking under the canopy of stars. Brent says
that when not calling QRZ, he looks for the classic oversized muddy
footprint or certain rock formations said to comprise his habitat.

Brent told Newsline that while in Oklahoma's Winding Stairs Mountains
recently, he and his brother [quote] "looked for Bigfoot, we listened
for Bigfoot and we smelled for Bigfoot." [endquote] The expeditions are
the natural spinoff of the weekly Bigfoot Radio Net on Wednesdays at
2000 Central Time on 7.155 MHz. He said ham radio and Bigfoot go
together because the ragchew topics are usually about someone's close encounters.

Quoting Brent: "Calling CQ means never knowing what you may find.
Similarly, looking for a mythical creature in a vast wilderness means
the same." [endquote] That turns every adventure into a sasq-WATCH.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.

(BRENT BOYDSTON, KF5THB)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT; ARISS; the
ARRL; Brent Boydston KF5THB; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; FCC; HARRY
BRYANT AA2WN; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MICHAELA WHEELER, VK3FUR/VK4XSS; NASA; Ohio Penn DX newsletter; Paul Strauss, WD6EBY;
Paul Driver, M0XZT; Photonics.com; QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great
Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Ted Randall's
QSO Radio Show; WTWW Shortwave; YouTube; and you our listeners, that's
all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to us at newsline@arnewsline.org. For more information or to support us visit
our official website at arnewsline.org. Be sure to follow some of
these stories as they get a more indepth look on the YouTube Channel of
100 Watts and a Wire. Search for the video segment with the title "Two Stories."

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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