XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated, rec.radio.amateur.policy, rec.radio.info

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2345 for Friday October 7th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2345 with a release date of Friday
October 7th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Two hams are added to next year's Starliner-1
launch. Sweden honors a noted tech entrepreneur -- and the
International Telecommunication Union marks a 'first' in leadership.
All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2345 comes
your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
TWO MORE HAMS TO BE ABOARD FOR STARLINER'S 1st FLIGHT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the US space program, which has selected two more amateur radio operators to be on board the maiden
voyage of the Boeing Starliner-1 next year as part of the agency's
Commercial Crew Program. Paul Braun WD9GCO reports.

PAUL: Two amateur radio operators were recently chosen to return to the International Space Station but this time they expect to arrive there
aboard the first flight of NASA's new Boeing Starliner-1.

Astronaut Scott Tingle KG5NZA will be its commander and Mike Fincke
KE5AIT of NASA will serve as the Starliner's pilot. They will join
Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU, who will be aboard as mission specialist. NASA
assigned her in August 2020 to join the crew.

There is no launch date yet for Starliner-1. It must complete NASA's
Boeing Crew Flight Test, which ensures the spacecraft can fly crewed
missions to the ISS on a regular basis. This is part of NASA's
Commercial Crew Program.

The first test flight is scheduled for early 2023.

I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(NASA)

**
SWEDISH AMATEUR TO RECEIVE GOLD MEDAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: High honors are being conferred upon an amateur radio
operator from Sweden who is well-known for the advances he has made in
growing the internet. We have those details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Congratulations to Swedish tech entrepreneur Peter
LÃPara.thberg SM4KEL/W4KEL, whose work in helping the internet get an
early foothold and grow in Sweden has won him a gold medal from the
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. King Gustaf is to
present the medal to him next month. Dubbed an "internet guru" by
Wired Dot Com (WIRED.COM) in 2007, he has given much sought-after
advice to industry giants such as Cisco and Sprint. With this gold
medal, Peter joins the ranks of scores of similarly decorated academy innovators. The academy (also known as the IVA) says on its website
that its vision is "Technology in the service of humanity," in the
belief that technical and economic science can make a positive
contribution to society. I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (IVA, SOUTHGATE)

**
GET READY FOR SCOUTING'S JOTA-JOTI EVENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're involved in Scouting, or know someone who is,
you know that October is a big month on the Scout calendar. Bill
Stearns, NE4RD, tells us what's happening in just a few days.

BILL: Jamboree-on-the-Air and Jamboree-on-the-Internet (JOTA-JOTI) is
the world's largest Scout event taking place on the internet and over
the airwaves. Held every year in October, the event connects millions
of young people around the world for a full weekend of online
activities that promote friendship and global citizenship. In 2022,
JOTA-JOTI takes place from 14 to 16 October. For the JOTA side of the
event, Scouts and Guides all over the world connect with each other by
means of amateur radio. Short-wave and digital radio signals carry
their voices to virtually any corner of the world. It's the sheer
excitement of having a live conversation with a fellow Scout or Guide
at some other place in the world that attracts so many young people to
this event.

Event planning information or resources can be found on the K2BSA
website at K2BSA.net. Register your station today at jotajoti.info and
check out the virtual campsite where you can find lots of activities
for this travel-free jamboree.

For the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.

**
FISTS CW CLUB PREPS FOR QSO PARTY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: October is also a big month for CW enthusiasts and one
club in the UK has picked a date for a big but very informal
get-together. Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.

JEREMY: Members of the FISTS CW Club in the UK know that you don't need
a reason to declare it's time for a QSO Party. So organisers have
declared the 22nd of October as the date for the club's official autumn gathering. The FISTS website says [quote] "This is simply an
opportunity to rekindle old friendships and make new ones." [endquote]
This means that nonmembers and radio ops who send QRS are just as
welcome as are FISTS regulars. The QSO party takes place on that date
between 1900 and 2359 UTC.

As the club points out on its website, this is an activity that won't
help anyone score points or add another certificate to their
ever-growing collection - but on the other hand, you might just make
some new friends. The website offers a few more encouraging words by
adding: [quote]: "Let's wheel out the homebrew, the military gear, the
old stuff and the new and let's just chat to each other." [endquote]

Details are available at fists dot co dot uk (fists.co.uk)

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

**
SKCC SEEKS DESIGNS FOR ANNIVERSARY QSL CARD

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another group of CW enthusiasts has reached out to its
members to showcase a talent that doesn't require a straight key,
cootie or bug -- just perhaps some pen, ink and a little imagination.
Kevin Trotman N5PRE has that report.

KEVIN: The Straight Key Century Club is asking its members to call upon
a skill that requires a good hand and a good eye instead of a good fist
and a good ear. The club is preparing for activities marking the 17th anniversary of its founding -- and that means it needs a new and unique
QSL card for a special event. Every year the SKCC designates January as Straight Key Month and starting on the 2nd of January, operators get on
the air using the special event call sign K3Y.

Members have until the 14th of December to submit their designs and
then the club gets to vote on the submissions, which are displayed on
the event webpage. The design with the most votes becomes the design of
the official K3Y QSL card and many of the others become part of the
SKCC print calendar for 2023.

No, it's not too early to start thinking about 2023 or this special
event. If you're a club member who likes to design QSL cards - or if
you want to try - this is your chance. Designers are permitted to
submit their cards from previous competitions in the hopes of making it
to the top this year. For details, see the link the text version of
this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[PRINT ONLY: https://skccgroup.com/k3y/k3y-qsl-vote.php ]

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(SKCC)

**
1st WOMAN TO LEAD ITU IS AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Members of the ITU have chosen their next leader and
she's not just the first woman - she's a ham. Dave Parks WB8ODF has
details.

DAVE: The International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations
agency that coordinates telecommunications operations globally, has
elected an amateur radio operator from the US as its new
secretary-general. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, KD2JTX, will be the first
woman to hold that office when she succeeds Houlin Zhao on January 1st.

Her campaign page on the US Department of State website lists her deep involvement with the ITU, most recently as director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. The website listed her
accomplishments in bringing about upgrades that better embrace digital advances, and that her work in the role supported global efforts to
promote school connectivity and greater involvement of youth. Under her leadership, the ITU focused on giving youth more of a voice in strategy
and programs.

She posted on her Twitter account on September 19th: [quote] "Immensely
proud to be the first woman ever elected to the post of ITU
Secretary-General. We've finally smashed a 157-y.o. glass ceiling! -and
I hope this result inspires women and girls everywhere to dream big and
make those dreams a reality!"

Her rival for the post was Rashid Ismailov of Russia, who lost in a
vote of 139 votes to 25.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(US DEPT OF STATE, BBC NEWS)

**
DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR CLUB GRANT PROGRAM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This is a reminder that there is a little less than one
month left for interested clubs to apply to the ARRL Foundation Club
Grant Program. Deadline for applications is November 4th. The program
is run with the help of a grant from Amateur Radio Digital
Communications and allows clubs to expand such programs as those
focused on education and training, especially new radio amateurs. A
total of $500,000 is available to clubs and as much as $25,000 can be
provided to any one club for a worthy project. Ham clubs requiring more
than that amount are being asked to apply directly to the ARDC.

Additional details about the ARRL program can be found at the link in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[PRINT ONLY: arrl.org/club-grant-program ]

(ARRL)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the W3NTT repeater in Palmerton Pennsylvania at 9 p.m. on Sundays.

**
AMSAT-INDIA GIVES ENGINEERING STUDENTS AN INTRO TO HAM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio was the big lesson of the day recently on
one university campus in India. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what
everyone talked abouthappened.

JIM: There was perhaps no better way to mark the occasion of
Engineering Day in September than to hold an amateur radio workshop on
a university campus and provide some eye-opening lessons for tech
students there.

AMSAT-India's regional coordinator, Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP, did just
that at Marwadi University in Gujarat, and in four hours the 80
students from the Information and Communications Technology Department,
along with a special team assigned to a student project, gained
insights into amateur radio as well as ham radio satellites. For that
one special team of students, the timing could not have been better:
The university recently announced that they will be building a
satellite to be launched by the ISRO. The workshop provided some bonus preparatory work for them. The more terrestrial-minded demonstrations
-from digital modes and VHF FM to SSTV - were conducted with the help
of Sakshi Vagadia, VU3EXP, and Shyama Vagadia, VU3WHG, who is also part
of the student satellite team. Workshops also covered such topics as
the jargon of amateur radio, operating in the POTA and IOTA award
programmes, high-altitude balloon tracking and, of course, CW.

Just as every amateur contact on the air is usually followed up with a
QSL of some sort, this workshop is not the end of the contact with this
campus. Rajesh reported that the university administrators were so
pleased that AMSAT-INDIA can expect to come back to conduct more
programmes.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ.COM)

**
EXTRA CLASS 'GERATOL' NET TURNS 50

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular Extra Class net is back on the air after
taking a break for a few months. We hear about their plans from Sel
Embee KB3 T Zed Dee.

SEL: The GERATOL Net is back. That's spelled G E R A T O L, which
stands for Greetings Extra Radio Amateur Tired of Operating Lately,
except after a few months of NOT operating lately, the net is back on
the air. You can find Extra Class operators checking in every night on
3.668 MHz, starting at 0100 UTC. Now in its 50th year of operation, the
net is marking the occasion by adding an anniversary award to the array
of awards it already confers to qualifying hams. To be eligible, hams
must make 50 contacts - one for each year of the net's lifetime -during
a session of the GERATOL Net. These contacts must be logged during the
period of the net's anniversary year. The contacts must include the
club staton W0NL.

For details about the award or additional information on how to find
and check into the net, visit the website g e r a t o l dot net
(geratol.net)

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(GERATOL NET)

**
STUDENTS IN UKRAINE AWAIT THEIR SATELLITE'S LAUNCH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A student-built CubeSat is being prepared for launch
next month and its young creators in UKraine have included amateur
radio operators in their plans. Ed Durrant DD5LP brings us up to date.

ED: Students at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Ukraine
are looking forward to the November launch of an educational satellite
they built with a group of space-exploration enthusiasts. The students'
Cubesat is designed to work on a variety of scientific and technical
issues related to research at the institute's school, the National
Technical University of Ukraine.

The Cubesat, QBUA01, will be in a sun-synchronous orbit and accessible
to hams around the world who can receive telemetry, beacon and science
payload data.

The nano-satellite project will focus its studies on near space and
will explore the operation of solar sensors, magnetometers, gyroscopes, electromagnets and flywheels used in stabilization and orientation in
space. Research will also focus on thermal regulation of a payload
using heat pipes and on new software for controlling satellite systems
and obtaining telemetry. Frequencies to be used are still being
finalized.A 9k6 GMSK UHF downlink is proposed using AX25.

This is Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(IARU)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Didier, F6BCW, is active from the Marquesas
Islands, IOTA number OC-027, using the call sign TX7G until the 15th of October. Listen on 80-10m, where Didier will be using CW, SSB and
possibly FT8 and RTTY. QSL via F6BCW.

Don K6ZO will again be active from Malawi as 7Q6M from October 19th
through to the end of November. You can listen for him on 160-6m. He
will also operate during the CQWW SSB and CW contests. See QSL details
on the QR Zed dotcom page for 7Q6M.

Be listening for Helmut, DF7EE, who will be operating from Madeira
after the 25th of October as CT9/DF7EE along with CT9/D D 8 Zed X. He
will be using the callsign CQ3W for the CQWW SSB contest. See QSL
information on QRZ.com.

In Antarctica, Oleg, ZS1OIN [Zed Ess 1 Oh Eye Enn], will be on the air
on the HF bands as RI1ANU from Novolazarevskaya (No-Voh Lazza Rev Sky
Yuh) Station at the end of October. QSL to his home call.

(DX-WORLD.NET)

**
KICKER: WITH HAMS' HELP, A FESTIVAL OF HOMECOMING JOY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with a story of how hams
helped bring about a well-timed family reunion in India. Graham Kemp
VK4BB tells us how it happened.

GRAHAM: The annual festival of Durga Puja is a big source of
celebration in India, especially in eastern states such as West Bengal.
It marks the journey of the goddes Durga as she returns to her family
home. For the Satpute family in the Indian state of Maharashtra,
however, there was a more immediate return home that brought them joy:
The family's 73-year-old patriarch, who went missing 15 years ago and
was presumed to be dead, came home with the help of a network of
amateur radio operators.

It was an extra source of happiness, too, for members of the West
Bengal Radio Club, who specialise in accomplishing reunions such as
these -- especially because it happened during this holiday.

Club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA told Newsline that he was
contacted by Dipankar (DEE-PANK-ARR) Chatterjee, a retired member of
the Indian Air Force, who was out walking with friends when he noticed
the man eating scraps of food off the street. The friends guided the
man to a location where he could get food and clean clothing.
Chatterjee reached out to the hams, explaining he believed the man to
be mentally challenged. Club members were able to determine that that
the man was from a part of Maharashtra, nearly 12,000 kilometres away.
It did not take long for hams in Maharashtra to respond to the West
Bengal amateurs' calls and to track down the family. Suddenly, the
holiday took on even more meaning as the Satpute family prepared for a
long overdue reunion.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE, WEST BENGAL RADIO CLUB)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA; the ARRL;
BBC News; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.Net; GERATOL Net;
IARU; Indo-Asian News Service; NASAp QRZ.com; SKCC; Southgate Amateur
Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; US Department of State; West Bengal
Radio Club; 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 2022. All rights reserved.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)