Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Report 1983 October 30 2015 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1983 with a release date of Friday, October 30, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams in India prepare to aid Afghan earthquake victims. A look at hams’ response to Mexico’s Hurricane Patricia. The Fox 1-A transponder is back! And Puerto Rico may ask for a DXers’ island paradise to be returned. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline report 1983 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) ** URGENCY AFTER EARTHQUAKE Amateur radio operators in India are preparing to step in quickly to provide help across the ravaged landscape in northeastern Afghanistan, which suffered a deadly 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Monday, Oct. 26. The tremors were so strong, in fact, they rumbled across Pakistan and north India as well. The team of experienced rescue operators from the West Bengal Radio Club is the same group to provide critical support during operations after last spring’s quake in Nepal. Ambarish Nag Biswas, the West Bengal club’s secretary, tells one newspaper in India, QUOTE “Communication is key to running rescue operations but in such cases, cellphone networks and services collapse. Our job is to set up a parallel network.”ENDQUOTE As of Wednesday, Oct. 28, the amateurs were awaiting the official OK from the Indian government before departing for Kabul. (THE DECCAN HERALD, THE TIMES OF INDIA) *** HAMS PREPPED FOR PATRICIA [ANCHOR]: Amateur communications also played a paramount role in the Americas, when the most powerful storm ever to hit the western hemisphere struck the Pacific coast of Mexico a week ago. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Jim Damron, N8TMW, has the details: [JIM]: Amateur radio emergency frequencies are back to normal, although it will take a while to recover from the flooding, downed trees and other damage Hurricane Patricia inflicted last week in western Mexico. Hams, however, did their part. Mexico's amateur radio association, FMRE, reported on Monday, Oct. 26, that the nation's emergency net frequencies, including 7.060 MHz, were finally clear of traffic that responded to the weekend's Category 5 hurricane. The National Hurricane Center considered the storm the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the western hemisphere. Mexico's National Emergency Net was activated as Patricia approached land and winds ripped through the country at just below 200 miles an hour. Emergency coordinators were at the ready, as were those in the southwestern United States. The hurricane coincided with an already intense time on the HF bands, as the CQ WorldWide SSB DX Contest was getting under way. That prompted a plea from the International Amateur Radio Union on Friday, Oct. 23 for hams to keep the emergency frequency open, and prepare as well to clear additional frequencies on both 40 and 80 meters if needed. The State of Guanajuato Amateur Radio Association used social media, announcing on its Facebook page where frequencies needed to be cleared on 80, 40 and 20 meters. The National Hurricane Center in Miami had called the storm “potentially catastrophic.” It was finally downgraded on Saturday, Oct. 24. By Monday, Oct. 26, storm-induced downpours had begun drenching much of the Gulf Coast region and the South, as the now-weakened weather system made its way east. In the end, tens of thousands had been evacuated in Mexico, where the government reported an apparent death toll of zero. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jim Damron, N8TMW, in Charleston, West Virginia. (ARRL, SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, CNN, THE WEATHER CHANNEL) ** THE FOX RETURNS, SAREX MAKES AN EXIT Speaking of things getting back to normal, the Fox-1A (AO-85) Transponder is back in business. Launched on Oct. 8, it proved to be popular immediately with radio amateurs, who made ample use of its transponder until it was taken out of service for a period of testing and evaluations on Oct. 19. It is back as of Friday, Oct. 23. AMSAT Vice President for Engineering Jerry Buxton, N-ZERO-J-Y (N0JY) reports that version 1.01 of the FoxTelem telemetry software is also available as a patch release. The patch and the full FoxTelem program are available in Windows, Mac, and Linux versions. Download of the software are available at www.amsat.org Meanwhile, AMSAT’S SAREX reflector will be closed as of Sunday, Nov. 1, according to AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. SAREX’s functions will be folded into the AMSAT-BB list. Amateurs subscribed to both SAREX and AMSAT-BB need to take no action but existing SAREX-only subscriptions will not automatically be carried over. (AMSAT, ARRL) ** PARADISE LOST? Desecheo Island, 14 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico, has held a longstanding spot on the radio amateur’s list of Most Wanted DXs. Part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System, the island, known to amateurs as KP5, has been a notable part of the KP1-5 Project’s successful DXpeditions for years. Now, it seems, the island is also most wanted by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. According to a published report, Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives has approved two measures requesting the island’s release from United States jurisdiction. The news of the vote was reported in the Oct. 26 edition of the Puerto Rican newspaper, El Nuevo Dia. Hernandez Lopez’s remarks to fellow lawmakers, translated in the newspaper’s online story, say in part: QUOTE“Our desire is to provide the additional space western area for sightseeing, this time, environmental tourism that allows people to enjoy the natural attractions." The measures were approved in the House, 27-21. Puerto Rico’s Senate will now consider the matter. As for the world’s DXers, they’ll be listening too. (EL NUEVO DIA, ANGEL SANTANA-DIAZ, WP3GW) ** TEAMWORK FOR THE TRIBES [ANCHOR}: A collective of groups and individuals specializing in helping American Indians, Alaskan natives and other tribal people through disasters and emergencies is meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The focus will be sharing tools, techniques and tactics to help respond to and manage a crisis. The organization is called the Tribal Assistance Coordination Group, and while the “A” in its name stands for assistance, on Thursday, Nov. 5, it will also stand for Amateur Radio. Amateur Radio Newsline’s Mike Askins, KE5CXP, gives us the details: [MIKE]: It takes more than 45 minutes to explain why amateur radio is such a critical tool when disaster strikes and communication networks are down, but Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, the ARRL’s Oklahoma Section Manager, is more than up to the task. His 45-minute talk at the national Tribal Assistance Coordination Group workshop in Tulsa will cover all the essentials. Colston, who is also vice president of the Virtual Emergency Management Association, as well as the Emergency Management director for the City of Altus, Oklahoma, will explain how the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, the Military Auxiliary Radio Service, and SKYWARN can assist tribes when disasters strike. And he will even touch on social media and its complementary role. Amateur radio will share the spotlight at the wide-ranging conference with other emergency responders, including the Red Cross, FEMA, FirstNet, the Department of Homeland Security and the Oklahoma Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Council. Steve “Sid” Caesar, NH7C, the chief of the division of emergency management in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told Amateur Radio Newsline that amateur radio already enjoys an established presence at these national workshops. But its role has largely been showcased through informal meetings and on-site tabletop exercises. He said that Colston’s talk on Thursday, Nov. 5 constitutes the first official, formal amateur radio presentation at the national workshop. Caesar said: QUOTE“With the inclusion of Amateur Radio … the intention was to raise awareness of the capabilities of Amateur Radio, specifically with the federal, state, Local, Tribal, NGO, and private sector partners. We hope that the outreach to Tribes will increase the numbers of Amateur Radio operators in Tribal communities, making for safer and better prepared Tribal communities.”ENDQUOTE That’s certainly making the most of 45 minutes. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Mike Askins, KE5CXP, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. (LLOYD COLSTON, KC5FM, STEVE CAESAR, NH7C) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Utah Amateur Radio Club repeater, N7HVF, in Salt Lake City. ** ** CME: THIS IS ONLY A TEST BUT . . . Imagine a massive coronal mass ejection and an equally massive impact on the HF bands. A blackout, even. It’s only an exercise, but it could just as easily happen, and between Nov. 7 and Nov. 10, hams will be dealing with just that disaster scenario. The Military Auxiliary Radio System will work with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service during a similated CME event, helping radio operators train for a major CME and how to handle its impact on HF propagation. Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, told the ARRL that the exercise scenario will simulate a CME event and focus on actions that radio operators should take prior to and following such an event. English said some active duty military groups will join about 50 ARES/RACES affiliates for the drill, which will not only include a blackout of the radio bands but infrastructure damage. Radio amateurs, as well as ARES and RACES teams, can contact MARS if they wish to participate. Emails can be directed to MARS at mars.exercises@gmail.com (ARRL, MARS) ** AN OREGON CITY’S TOWERING ISSUE The Brookings, Oregon City Council was poised to give its expected approval of taller ham radio towers in the city’s residential neighborhoods, but the definitive vote has instead been postponed. The proposed ordinance permitting towers as tall as 70 feet was high on the published agenda for lawmakers’ Monday, Oct. 26 meeting. But Joyce Heffington, city recorder, told Amateur Radio Newsline in a recent phone call, QUOTE“It was delayed until the council has an opportunity to review a letter we received from a legal firm.”ENDQUOTE Area residents have raised objections to the ordinance allowing taller towers, citing what they call safety and aesthetic reasons. City Attorney Martha Rice has said previously, in published reports in the Curry Coastal Pilot newspaper, that Oregon law doesn’t prohibit communications towers simply because of their appearance. The Council had recently given the measure its tentative approval. Heffington said the formal vote will be placed back on the Council agenda as soon as the city’s attorney has had a chance to review the letter and report on it. (AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, JOYCE HEFFINGTON, CURRY COSTAL PILOT) ** DICTIONARY WANTS TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS If you speak Afrikaans, the South African Radio League would like to have a word or two with you. Actually, the league would like to have a few hundred words or more with you. There’s a project underway to compile an Afrikaans dictionary for those radio amateurs who speak the language, and volunteers are needed to provide expertise and help compile it. Anyone wanting to help put the project together should email Etienne Naude, ZS6EFN, at etienne@afrigrid.com (THE SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE) ** LOOKING UP TO “FUNFLIGHT” Australia’s national FunFlight Day being held on Sunday, Nov. 8 reaches out to disadvantaged kids by giving them wings to fly: Pilots and flying clubs provide free flights and access to the planes for youngsters at the event. The Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club will also be putting kids on the air – using radios instead of airplanes. They’re setting up an amateur radio station at the Bendigo Flying Club and by tuning into 40 meters, other radio clubs will be connecting with the FunFlight station and the kids. For more information on FunFlight, go to www.funflight.org (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA) ** NAMES IN THE NEWS It’s not surprising that Larry Lambert, N-ZERO-L-L (N0LL), and Lance Collister, W7GJ, might just believe in magic. The two are the latest to qualify for the ARRL’s Fred Fish Memorial Award, an honor conferred on amateurs who work and confirm all 488 Maidenhead grid squares in the 48 contiguous states – working them all on 6 meters. The award is named for the late Fred Fish, W5FF. One of Fish’s accomplishments, before becoming a Silent Key in April of 2010, was to make and confirm those 488 contacts himself. Collister and Lambert are the first since 2011 to receive the 6-meter achievement award for duplicating the noted VHF operator’s efforts on the so-called “Magic Band.” (ARRL) ** SPECTRUM SPECULATION In the UK, Ofcom has announced plans to auction part of the radio spectrum formerly used for ham radio. Their hope is that part of the band could be utilized by ever-growing high-speed mobile broadband services. The auction won’t happen until early 2016, and includes a total of 190MHz of high-capacity spectrum on 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz. (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS) ** THE WORLD OF DX Saty, JE1JKL, will be working the HF bands as 9M6NA from Labuan Island between November 26 and 29th. He will also be active in the CQWW DX CW Contest on November 28 and 29th as a Single- Op/All-Band entry. QSL via his home callsign or Logbook of the World. Gary, K9AW, will be active as J6/K9AW from St. Lucia (NA-108) between November 24th and December 7th and will also participate in the CQWW DX CW Contest on November 28 and 29th). QSL via K9AW, direct or by the Bureau. Bill, K-H-6-OH-OH (KH6OO), is celebrating his 60 years as a licensed radio amateur by operating as T32DX from Kiritimati Island in East Kiribati through November 3. He will be joined by his sons Will, W-ZERO-Z-R-J (W0ZRJ) and John N-ZERO-P-J-V (N0PJV). They will work all the bands from 10 meters to 40 meters on SSB, CW and RTTY. Three Japanese operators are active from the island of Palau through November 5. Their call signs are T88ZE, T88KK and T88SH and they will be working all bands 160m to 6m on CW, SSB and RTTY. (IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTER SOCIETY) KICKER: HAMS AGAINST HALLOWEEN HUMBUG And finally, Happy Halloween. As spooky as the celebration can get sometimes, hundreds of hams in New York are working with State Troopers to make sure this late October holiday doesn't turn into a real horror show. The hams, along with citizens band radio operators, are volunteers in a public-service project known as the Pumpkin Patrol. On the evenings of Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, they'll hit the road to make sure the pumpkins don't. Dispatching hams and citizens band operators in their personal vehicles, the patrol and communications network, overseen by the state police, hopes to ensure that pumpkins don’t have a ghost of a chance of being tossed from any overpasses along the 570-mile-long New York State Thruway. Members of the Liverpool Amateur Radio Club, the Madison-Oneida Amateur Radio Club and the Rochester Amateur Radio Association are among those providing volunteers. In fact, almost every county throughout New York State has had hams involved. The effort began in 1976 with a Montgomery County, New York woman who was talking on her citizens band radio with a truck driver as a tossed pumpkin shattered his window, injuring him. The state police have been overseeing the effort since 1990. Hopefully, the only thing smashing on Halloween Evening and Night will be this effort’s success. Which only goes to prove that when you find hams on the air, you won’t find pumpkins IN the air. (UPSTATEHAM.COM, NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY AUTHORITY) ** ** NEWSCAST CLOSE With thanks to Alan Labs; AMSAT; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN; El Nuevo Dia; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; The Irish Radio Transmitter Society; MARS; NYS Thruway Authority; the Ohio-Penn DX Newsletter; Angel Santana-Diaz; The South African Radio League; Southgate Amateur Radio News; the Times of India; TWiT TV; The Weather Channel; UpstateHam.Com; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Our email address is newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. You can also write to us or support us at Amateur Radio Newsline, 28197 Robin Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW in Picayune, Mississippi, saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. 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