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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2403 for Friday November 17th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2403 with a release date of Friday November 17th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. A plan to grow commercial use of the radio
spectrum in the US. The FCC removes outdated restrictions on the
digital modes - and a YL in India has a ham radio movie-star moment.
All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2403 comes
your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
US STRATEGY TARGETS 5 BANDS FOR EXPANDED SPECTRUM USE
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with word of an official plan to expand commercial use of the radio spectrum. A US agency is taking on an
ambitious study of how to accomplish it. Sel Embee KB3TZD brings us up
to date.
SEL: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
the US agency that advises the president on spectrum use, has released
a report focusing on the possible repurposing of five bands for
commercial use: the lower 3 GHz band, along with parts of the 5 GHz
band, 7 GHz band, 18 GHz band and the 37 GHz band, according to several published accounts. In all, 2,786 MHz of spectrum were identified by
the agency at a time when the nation's wireless industry is pressing
for the same kind of expanded spectrum access available to commercial
interests in other countries. Commercial uses include satellite
operations, navigation, wireless broadband, internet-connected vehicles
and drone management.
The NTIA expects to conduct a study to identify the bands further and
to develop a strategy within18 months for the FCC's allocation of users
on the bands. According to Reuters, most of the frequencies being
studied are reserved for various parts of the US government.
I'm Sel Embee KB3TZD.
(REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS)
**
FCC REMOVES OUTDATED RESTRICTIONS ON DIGITAL MODES
JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in an action that was long-awaited by many, the
FCC has removed what many considered to be outdated restrictions on
digital transmissions. The agency announced on Wednesday, November 13th
that it was establishing a 2.8-kHz bandwidth limitation on amateur
radio HF radio bands to replace the baud rate limitation. The move was much-sought-after particularly by amateurs involved in emergency communications. It will also encourage experimentation - a core
principle of ham radio. The FCC is still seeking comment on the
proposed removal of limitations on the baud rate - or symbol rate - in
the VHF and UHF bands as well as in the 2200-metre and 630-metre bands
and would like input on what the appropriate bandwidth limitation
mightbe.
(FCC)
**
FCC EXTENDS WINDOW FOR COMMENTS ON 60M PROPOSAL
JIM/ANCHOR: In other action, the FCC has extended the window to receive comments on its proposed changes to the 60-metre band. The new deadline
is November 28th. The FCC would like to make changes to the band that
would allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth between 5351.5 and 5366.5
kHz for amateur radio on a secondary basis. The proposed new band would
have a limit of 15 watts EIRP.
US General, Advanced and Extra Hams presently have five channels
available to them between 5332 and 5405 kHz - also on a secondary
basis. They are permitted an effective radiated power limit of 100
WPEP.
(FCC, ARRL)
**
VETERANS HONOR VETERANS VIA AMATEUR RADIO
JIM/ANCHOR: When more than 70 percent of your ham radio club's members
are either military veterans or on active duty, the US holiday known as Veterans Day is no small matter. Kevin Trotman N5PRE introduces us to
just such a club.
KEVIN: Fayetteville, North Carolina marked Veterans Day a few days
early on November 4th with its annual parade but not all the public
attention was focused on those representing the US military in the
annual march. The Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society was on active duty at
the parade too and when the hams called QRZ, people took notice.
Hector Gonzalez, KB4LOA, the society vice president, said visitors had
lots of questions as they heard the hams' QSOs with others who, like
them, were veterans of the armed forces or still in active service.
Almost three-quarters of the North Carolina club's members have
connections to the US military.
Hector told Newsline that the annual event in Fayetteville was designed
to honor those who served but the presence of the hams sparked extra
interest for those who were looking to get involved in radio. Hector
said the hams were especially grateful for the organizing efforts of
Don Talbot, WO4SFA, a retired chief warrant officer from the Special
Forces. Hector said the day's activation showed everyone that hams who
are also veterans still remain in the country's service. He said:
[quote] "This holds a special meaning to all of us as an organization
because not only did most of us serve the grateful nation but [in] one
way or the other we continue to do so by way of serving our community
by rehearsing emergency communications every time we get on the air." [endquote]
This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(HECTOR GONZALEZ, KB4LOA)
**
"ROGUE SATELLITE" IS BAG OF TOOLS DROPPED BY ISS ASTRONAUT
JIM/ANCHOR: The newest NASA satellite in orbit some 200 miles above the
Earth isn't one you can contact by radio. In fact, it's not an official satellite at all but a bag of tools missing from the International
Space Station. Kent Peterson KC0DGY tells us how it got lost in space.
KENT: NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, KI5WSL, and Loral O'Hara,
KI5TOM, were conducting a spacewalk on November 1st. They were tending
to a solar alpha rotary joint that helps the ISS track the sun and they
were conducting maintenance work on a communications antenna. That's
when it happened: the suitcase-size tool bag they were using slipped
free of Moghbeli's grasp and went off into space on a mission of its
own. According to various media accounts, the bag, which has an
exterior that reflects the sun, is now hurtling along at a few thousand
miles an hour on a journey that is expected to end when, just as with
another toolbox lost in 2009, it enters the Earth's atmosphere and
burns up.
So no, you can't make radio contact with this particular rogue
satellite but a number of people, including Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, have been able to see it -- and at one point it was directly
over Mount Fuji. It is apparently not difficult to find if you have a
telescope or high-power binoculars. If you've seen this free-floating
toolbox and captured its image, the website EarthSky is hoping you'll
share it with them. All images can be uploaded using the link that
appears in this week's text version of the newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ:
https://earthsky.org/community-submissions/ ]
This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.
(INDIANAPOLIS STAR, EARTHSKY.ORG)
**
SPECIAL CALLSIGN CELEBRATES WIA'S 90TH YEAR IN PRINT
JIM/ANCHOR: For many of us, if we aren't on the air, we're either
talking about it or reading about it. Hams in Australia are celebrating
a magazine that has helped them do all three - for 90 years. Graham
Kemp VK4BB has the details.
GRAHAM: Amateur Radio Magazine, the Journal of the Wireless Institute
of Australia, has had real staying power - in fact, it is marking its
90th year in 2023 - but the special callsign honouring the magazine
won't be around for too much longer. You have until the 31st of
December to contact special event station VK90AR (VK-ninety-AR), which
is being operated on a roster basis by hams in Australia.
You never know who you're going to work when you answer the call. One
of the operators is Sergio, VK3SO, who designs and lays out each
68-page issue. The magazine has come a long way from its earliest
24-page issue, conceived of by the WIA's then-president, George
Thompson VK3TH. It cost six pence - the price of two ice cream cones in
1933. That is a fraction of the US dollar.
Hams who make a successful contact can count on getting something else
to read courtesy of Amateur Radio Magazine: A commemorative QSL card
from Down Under.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
**
ARRL ANNOUNCES 1ST 'WAS' WINNER ON 33cm BAND
JIM/ANCHOR: The ARRL announces the first Worked All States winner on
the 33 cm band. Here's Patrick Clark, K8TAC.
PATRICK: Congratulations to Al Ward, W5LUA, who is the recipient of the
ARRL's first Worked All States certificate for the 33-Centimeter Band.
The FCC opened the frequencies between 902 MHz and 928 MHz to amateurs
in 1985 and Al immediately began working toward the award. According to
the ARRL website, Al completed his 38-year challenge on the 21st of
October with a QSO with Peter Van Horne, KA6U, in Wisconsin, in an Earth-Moon-Earth contact. The FCC has permitted secondary use of the
band to amateurs on the condition that they accept interference from
such primary users as medical, scientific and industrial equipment and
agree to create no interference of their own. The ARRL described Al's
station as a 5-metre dish with 400 watts of power from a pair of 300 W
Motorola amplifiers in parallel. He is using a dual polarity patchfeed.
This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the WM3PEN repeater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesdays at 8
p.m. local time
**
HER RADIO, HER LIFE - AND HER MOVIE
JIM/ANCHOR: The story of an influential YL, happy among her family of
hams and inspiring others around the world, would make a great subject
for a feature film -- and now it has. John Williams VK4JJW tells us
about her and the new documentary.
JOHN: Even if she doesn't feel like a movie star, Bharati Devapullavi
is generating a lot of excitement on the film screen in a new one-hour documentary, "My Radio, My Life," that premiered on Friday the 10th of
November at the Africa International Film Festival. The team of
filmmakers from Pune [Poo-Nay] India take a sweeping yet very personal
view of the medium in all its varied forms, from shortwave enthusiast
to commercial broadcaster to amateur radio operator, focusing on a
handful of its most ardent practitioners.
As someone who has been a radio amateur for more than half of her life,
Bharati VU2RBI, plays a central role in the film, giving the camera
crew access to her shack in Hyderabad (Hydra-BOD) earlier this year and introducing the many members of her very large ham radio family,
including her husband, VU2DBP; her daughter, VU2DTR; and her son,
VU3DVS. The veteran DXpeditioner, who has assisted widely in disaster management communications and received many awards worldwide, is an
advocate and educator for amateur radio education, particularly forYLs.
The documentary, which is expected to arrive in India sometime in 2024,
is scheduled to appear at other festivals around the world, where it
will be among many films vying for awards. For Bharathi, the title
couldn't be more perfect: "My Radio, My Life" is her story.
This is John Williams VK4JJW.
JIM/ANCHOR: A short trailer for the documentary can be seen on Vimeo at
the link in the text version of this week's newscast. If you live in
the Washington, D.C., area or plan to visit, you can see the film on
December 1st through the 3rd at the 12th annual DC South Asian Film
Festival.
[DO NOT READ:
https://vimeo.com/840719183 ]
**
TIMEKEEPER PROPOSES ALTERNATIVE TO ELIMINATING "LEAP SECONDS"
JIM/ANCHOR: Fans of keeping Universal Coordinated Time, or UTC, intact,
take note: The International Telecommunications Union is discussing one prominent timekeeper's proposal for global standard-setters to
institute something called the "leap minute" - and whether it should be introduced in light of the recent decision to eliminate the "leap
second." Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains.
JEREMY: The ITU's World Radiocommunications Conference opens on
November 20th in Dubai with an ambitious agenda that includes
discussion of a US timekeeper's proposal to address the planned
elimination of "leap seconds" starting in 2035. Leap seconds were
originally implemented to synchronise the Earth's irregular rotation
with the ultra precise method of atomic timekeeping. It is this form of timekeeping that is reflected in UTC, the very time standard that radio amateurs, scientists and many others depend upon worldwide. The leap
second was marked for elimination in a vote last year by the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures to address its complex
impact on technology and other fields.
An alternate timekeeping method to be discussed in Dubai suggests that
"leap minutes" be used instead, every 50 years or so, as needed, to
align clocks more closely with the variable movement of the Earth. This alternative form of time adjustment is a concept from Judah Levine of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United
States.
It is unclear what kind of reception this new controversial remedy may ultimately receive by from the International Bureau of Weights and
Measures itself. We will know, of course, in due time.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(ARS TECHNICA)
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, be listening for Datta, VU2DSI, operating again
this year with the special event callsign AU2JCB to pay homage to the
noted Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose, a pioneer in wireless communication. He will be on the air from the 23rd of November to the
11th of December, operating on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 metres on SSB and
on 6 and 10 metres in FM mode. This year he will be joined by VU2EVU
and VU2XPN who will be calling QRZ with the callsigns AU3JCB and AU5JCB respectively. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
On the Chatham Islands, ZL7A will be on the air until the 22nd of
November. Listen for them on 160 to 6 meters where they will be using
SSB, CW, FT8, and FT4 with three stations. QSL via LoTW.
Listen for Kazu, M0CFW/JK3GAD, operating from Rodrigues Island as 3B9KW
during the CQWW CW contest taking place November 25th and 26th. You may
also hear him before and after the contest, starting on November 19th,
as 3B9/M0CFW. QSL via LoTW.
(EHAM, DXWORLD)
**
KICKER: FOR ONE HAM, A QSL CARD FOR LIFE
JIM/ANCHOR: Almost everyone can tell a story about a favorite - or
memorable - QSL card they have hanging in their shack. But what if it's
an 87-year-old card that holds a piece of your personal ham radio
history? Paul Braun WD9GCO tells us about it.
PAUL: On November 1st, Eric Peterson, N1IVC, received a birthday card
from his uncle, who had wrapped another kind of card inside before
sealing the envelope: It was a QSL card that had, in bright red
printing, W1JUE - the callsign that was held by Eric's late great-uncle
Jean (pronounced; GENE).
Jean, who lived in Rhode Island, had mailed the card in 1936 to a ham
in New Jersey as confirmation of a CW contact on May 31st of that year.
Eric first saw the card earlier this year while browsing eBay and
casually mentioned his surprising discovery in a post to some family
members on Facebook. The second time he saw the card, it was in his
hands. Eric hadn't thought to buy the card off eBay for himself when he
saw it but his uncle David - realizing this was a piece of family
history - did. The card is a tangible reminder of how this much-older
relative helped fire up the imagination of a young boy who had become
enchanted by electronics at an early age. Jean, who eventually helped
him prepare for the Novice license exam, died in his 70s, just as Eric
was entering his teens.
Some time ago, after reviving his license which had lapsed over the
years, Eric applied successfully to the FCC to get a vanity callsign:
He asked for N1IVC. It's the Novice callsign he received so long ago,
thanks to W1JUE, the Silent Key whose QSL card now hangs framed in
hishome.
This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.
**
DO YOU HAVE NEWS?
If you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would
be interested in, send it on! 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. Meanwhile, if you're
feeling even a little bit poetic, visit our website to learn more about
the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. Use the entry form on our
website and please follow the rules for writing your three-line haiku
-- and be sure to check out our previous winners!
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; ARRL; Ars Technica;
CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DXWorld; EarthSky.org; eHAM; Eric
Peterson, N1IVC; FCC; 425DXNews; Hector Gonzalez, KB4LOA; Indianapolis
Star; NTIA; QRZ.com; shortwaveradio.de; the Statesman; Times of India;
Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 2023. All rights reserved.
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