Amateur Radio Newsline 2334

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2334 for Friday July 22, 2022 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2334 with a release date of Friday July 22, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Young DXers return from Curacao as record-breakers. The Webb telescope sustains damage considered unfixable -- and an Ohio ham gives a museum the gift of home-brew. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2334 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** YOUTH DX ADVENTURE TEAM BREAKS RECORD PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story of celebration. Young teammates from the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure are back home from Curacao and feeling victorious. Neil Rapp WB9VPG has more. NEIL: The Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure team is back home after making 8,216 contacts over a long weekend in Curacao, breaking their previous record of 6,583. Team members Candace, KE8MMS; T.J., KO4FFA; and Brennan, K6BFL worked through the pileups on SSB and CW, despite being without an internet connection and the ability to do digital modes due to technical difficulties. Candace tells us about one of her favorite parts of the trip. CANDACE: ...but I really enjoyed meeting everyone... it's really nice seeing more youth in ham radio, just 'cause back where I am at home I really don't know a lot of youth. And then, just getting to know everybody and the weather out here is absolutely gorgeous. The view is beautiful. NEIL: Co-Leader Jim Storms, AB8YK, reported that once the travel difficulties were over, the operation otherwise ran smoothly and that they have another fabulous group of young operators. Their PJ2Y operation was hosted by the PJ2T Caribbean Contest Consortium. Jim also mentioned that the expenses are considerably higher this year compared to previous trips. If you'd like to donate, or know a young person to recommend for next year, or to see the QSL information, see their website at qsl.net/n6jrl . For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. PAUL/ANCHOR: If you'd like to hear more details about the trip, tune in to Neil's full interview on Ham Talk Live! Episode number 301. ** WEBB TELESCOPE SUSTAINS UNCORRECTABLE DAMAGE PAUL/ANCHOR: The James Webb Space Telescope, which recently transmitted its first color images to us here on Earth, has suffered serious damage following a micrometeoroid strike. Scientists said in a recent report that the impact sustained in late May may have disrupted the space telescope's operation more than first believed. The scientists wrote that they believe that the problems are not correctable. Their biggest concern is the longterm effect on the primary mirror, which scientists believe will be degraded as a result of the meteoroid strike. (SPACE.COM, FORBES) ** GRANT SUPPORTS SATELLITE PROJECT IN SPAIN PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio satellite enthusiasts in Spain got some good news recently that will benefit a project built with the help of university students. For details we turn to Jeremy Boot G4NJH. JEREMY: A nonprofit organisation in Spain known for providing grants for projects involving the arts and sport has made an unusual gift in support of an amateur radio satellite project. The group, known as the Salvatore 009 Association, is providing funds to help cover development costs and launch of the satellite in early 2023. The satellite is known as URESAT-1 and it is an initiative of the Unin de Radioaficionados Espaoles, Spain's national amateur radio society. The project is being managed by AMSAT-EA with support from businesses involved in the space industry and a number of university students. According to a post on the AMSAT-UK website,the satellite is likely to have an FM voice repeater, support for FSK communications and some type of on-board experiment, such as an SSDV-capable camera. It is also supposed to carry a project that will permit hams to play chess against the satellite's on-board computer using FSK frames. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (AMSAT-UK, SOUTHGATE) ** GRANT WILL HELP EXPAND NETWORK SERVING ALABAMA HEALTHCARE PAUL/ANCHOR: An expanded WinLink network will be built soon in Alabama to serve health care and emergency response agencies throughout the state with the help of funding from Amateur Radio Digital Communications. The planned expansion is the project of the Healthcare Community Amateur Radio Club, KK4BSK, comprising hams who volunteer or are employed in health-related agencies and participate in drills, public events and realtime disasters. The purchase and installation of new fixed stations will fill the gaps that now exist in the WinLink network. According to an announcement on the ARDC website, a grant for $126,564 will fund the purchase and installation of portable stations. A grant for $72,382 will be used for fixed stations. (ARDC) ** US LAB'S SOLAR CELL BREAKS EFFICIENCY RECORD PAUL/ANCHOR: Scientists in a US military lab have announced that a newly developed solar cell has broken a record for efficiency. Kent Peterson KCDGY has more on that story. KENT: You might call it the brightest world record under the sun. You wouldn't be wrong, either: A US Department of Energy laboratory has broken the record for solar-cell efficiency, creating a solar cell that is 39.5 percent efficient under lighting conditions equivalent to that of the sun. The achievement was reported in a recent issue of the journal Joule. Scientists in the department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory are also testing the solar cell for its usefulness in powering such devices as communications satellites which require high cell efficiency. Under those conditions, efficiency dropped somewhat to 34.2 efficiency. Although a 41.1 efficiency has been reported with other experimental solar cells, those levels were reached by cells using highly concentrated light. In an article on the website Interesting Engineering, the principal investigator, Myles Steiner, said: [quote] "The new cell is more efficient and has a simpler design that may be useful for a variety of new applications, such as highly area-constrained applications or low-radiation space applications." [endquote] For now, however, the bright light of promise is overshadowed by one factor that cannot be overlooked: Production costs are prohibitive. Researchers are apparently working on that too. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KCDGY. (INTERESTING ENGINEERING) ** SILENT KEY: MENTOR, EDUCATOR HERB COLEMAN, W4AVX PAUL: The ham radio community in Alabama is grieving the loss of an amateur who was considered an educator, an inspiration and a friend. The Birmingham Amateur Radio Club announced the death of Herb Coleman, W4AVX, on July 18th. Licensed in 1953, Herb is credited with the establishment of the first net for teenage amateurs in Alabama in 1955. He taught Morse Code to many amateurs in the early 1960s and played a major role in getting Birmingham's first 2m repeater on the air. A public posting on the club's Facebook page said [quote] "He was a patient and encouraging Elmer for many of us." [endquote] We here at Newsline send our condolences. (BIRMINGHAM AMATEUR RADIO CLUB) ** AMATEUR NUMBERS DECLINE IN AUSTRALIA PAUL/ANCHOR: There are discouraging numbers reported for the amateur radio population in Australia. Graham Kemp VK4BB has that story. GRAHAM: While hams are reported to be growing steadily in numbers in the United States and the UK, here in VK, the Australian amateur radio population appears to be getting smaller. The Wireless Institute of Australia, which issued the report on July 17th, cited no numbers or percentages of decline but said that during a recent board meeting, members noted that the number of exams and licences had dropped. Figures from the Ham Radio DX channel showed, however, that in early 2022, the numbers stood at just over 13,400, down steadily over the years. In 2016, there were 14,619 licence holders. This trend was noted just as the board announced it was preparing to receive a batch of updated manuals for the Foundation licence level. The board also made a commitment to continue working with ham radio organisations around the world to ensure that Australian amateurs visiting outside the country have expediated processing for their applications to get temporary reciprocal licences. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (WIA, ARRL, HAMRADIODX PODCAST) ** HF PROPAGATION PROJECT GOING FORWARD PAUL/ANCHOR: A US project that makes use of sensors on satellites in very low Earth orbit is looking for proposals that will help develop a better way to predict HF propagation in the ionosphere in real-time. The program is known as Ouija (wee-Jah) and is being undertaken by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, or DARPA, which is part of the United States military. The agency wants to monitor the ionosphere locally and continuously and believes that it will achieve its stated goal. The program focuses on the section of the ionosphere that is between 125 miles and 185 miles in altitude, or 300 to 400 kilometers high. In announcing the project this past spring, DARPA said a more predictable environment for communications will be an aid for military communication which includes among its obstacles solar flares and the 11-year solar cycle. (IARU REGION I, SPACE.COM) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the WB0QXW Repeater System in Saint Louis, Missouri on 145.210 Mhz Mondays after the World Friendship Net beginning at 7 pm Central time. ** RADIO SEIZED FOR INTERFERING WITH POLICE TRANSMISSIONS PAUL/ANCHOR: In Texas, authorities cracked down after a hand-held radio caused emergency intereference with police transmissions. Mike Askins KE5CXP brings us those details. MIKE: Authorities in Graham, Texas, seized a handheld radio that they said had been transmitting illegally for months on emergency frequencies used by the Young County Sheriff's Office. According to local media reports, the transmissions on the dispatch channels often included the voices of a man, woman and some children yelling at one another and the sounds of a barking dog. A story in the Olney Enterprise newspaper said that the police were so hampered in using their own assigned frequencies that they often had to use cellphones instead to communicate. Sheriff Travis Babcock contacted the Federal Communications Commission which provided him with an official statement to read on the emergency channel but that failed to bring the transmissions to a halt. The news report said that on July 8th two officers patroling in their car heard the unauthorized traffic and were able to track down the radio and its owner. The owner of the radio was not identified. It was not clear what charges would be filed against the owners of the radio, which is now the property of the county sheriff's office. Charges could range from a misdemeanor for interfering with public duty to a federal offense for interfering with emergency communications. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. (THE OLNEY ENTERPRISE, GRAHAM LEADER) ** WISCONSIN EVENT CELEBRATES FLIGHT, HOSTS SPECIAL EVENT STATION PAUL/ANCHOR: Aviation enthusiasts are getting ready to head to Wisconsin, or point their antennas in that direction, for a special event - and a special event station - celebrating flight. Randy Sly W4XJ brings us the details. RANDY: More than 10,000 aircraft and a half-million flight enthusiasts will descend on Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from July 25th to July 31st, turning it into the busiest airport in the world. Its time for AirVenture, sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association. Once again this year, it will not only involve being in the air but on the air The ARRL has supported AirVenture since 2018 with an exhibit encouraging pilots and aviation aficionados to discover radio communications and technology through amateur radio. Kids will get a chance to experience ham radio too: Volunteers at KidVenture will give youngsters an opportunity to build and take home a radio receiver capable of listening to air traffic and other nearby transmissions in the 65 - 140 MHz range. If you aren't able to personally fly in or even drive in, you still have a chance to check in: A special event station, W9W, sponsored by the EAA Warbirds of America, will be operating on HF, VHF and UHF during AirVenture. More information about frequencies and operations of W9W can be found in the text version of this weeks newscast at ARNewsline.org. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Randy Sly W4XJ. TEXT VERSION ONLY: The special event station will be located on the Warbirds' grounds near their headquarters, against the backdrop of the display of historic and vintage ex-military aircraft. Look for W9W on 40 - 10 meters near 7.225, 14.250, 21.235, and 28.425 MHz. The station will also operate on the 2-meter and 440 MHz bands, simplex. A special event QSL card will be issued for contacts with W9W. ** STATIONS SIGNING UP FOR LIGHTHOUSE AND LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND PAUL/ANCHOR: Most of us already know about beacons and the jobs they do for us as hams but what about the original beacons, the ones that have helped guide sailors by using beams of light? Amateur radio operators are again preparing to celebrate the world's lighthouses and lightships with an international weekend in August. Here's John Williams VK4JJW with the details. JOHN: Though many of the world's lighthouses now operate by automation instead of the efforts of lighthouse keepers, there will be live operators at historic lighthouses around the world on the weekend of August 20th and 21st. They'll be operating radios instead of lighthouses but in doing so, they will honour them. This is the annual event known as the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, which since 1993 has publicised the need to ensure these structures are not forgotten and are kept in good repair. What began as an event with 11 operations at lighthouses eventually grew to include 544 lighthouses and lightships across 56 countries in 2011. The 48-hour activation begins at 0001UTC on August 20th, on all frequencies and in all modes. Radios will either be set up inside the lighthouses or directly nearby.The amateur radio event will be happening on the same weekend that the International Lighthouse Heritage Weekend is held by the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, whose members are committed to preserving lighthouse heritage. Most importantly, it is not a contest. It is, in a way, a beacon in its own right, shining a light on these important treasures that have long served ships at sea for so long. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm John Williams VK4JJW. (ASSOCIATION OF LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS, ILLW) ** PROS TO MENTOR TEEN RADIO ENTHUSIASTS PAUL/ANCHOR: A new program is creating a yearlong partnership between radio professionals and teens -- and Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us how it works. ANDY: Founded as the Junior Wireless Club more than a century ago by a group of teenage radio enthusiasts, the world's oldest professional wireless radio organization is now reaching out to teen hobbyists in a new formal role: pairing them with mentors. The Radio Club of America already has an array of initiatives focusing on young people: a Youth Activities Program launched three decades ago focuses on STEM studies through ham radio; a college scholarship program supports students in engineering and related fields; a Young Professionals program boosts the careers of those under the age of 30. The club's Mentorship Program brings young people and veteran RCA members together for an intensive year of one-on-one support. The RCA's president, John Facella, K9FJ, said in a statement: [quote] RCA recognized that an important new value for our membership was to have our more experienced members provide help to members who were relatively new to the wireless industry." [endquote] The program recognizes the need for diversity and inclusion and will encourage both mentors and mentees to outline goals and expectations as their year together gets under way. The program's co-chairs are Paul Scutieri and David Witkowski W6DTW. Additional details are available on the RCA website at radioclubofamerica.org For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM. (RADIO WORLD, RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA) ** KICKER: WHEN HOME-BREW GIVES A TASTE OF HISTORY PAUL/ANCHOR: Our last story is about amateur radio generosity. An Ohio ham with a gift for home-brew has now shared that gift with a radio museum. Jack Parker W8ISH concludes this week's report with that story. JACK: When Robert Gunderman, W8INO, built his home-brewed radio equipment in the post-World War II era, he did so in the tradition of radio's earliest pioneers. Recently those radios found a new QTH where they now educate future generations by giving visitors a glimpse of radio's roots from a home-brewer's perspective. The move took place with the help of John Levo W8KIW and other members of the Highland Amateur Radio Association, this year's Hamvention Club of the Year. With their assistance, David Gunderman, K8DG, was able to provide a relevant museum with this carefully built collection from his father Robert. Robert is relocating and will no longer have room for the equipment in his new home. Robert's collection has found a welcoming home of its own now at the West Virginia Museum of Radio and Technology in Huntington where president and curator Geoffrey Bourne told Newsline the equipment is already on display. The items include a 2-inch oscilloscope, a CRT rejuvenator for black and white TV images, a power supply and a converter - and a transmitter and receiver, both capable of operating on 10 through 80 meters. Geoff told Newsline in a phone call that the craftsmanship shows true artistry. He said [quote] "the quality of the construction is unbelievable." At the time Geoff spoke to Newsline, nothing had been powered up yet, but the equipment was already doing its job anyway, carrying its message of homebrew pride, the kind that amateurs respect most. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH. (JOHN LEVO W8KIW, GEOFFREY BOURNE) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the AMSAT-UK; ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; Forbes; Geoffrey Bourne; the Graham Leader; John Levo W8KIW; IARU Region 1; Ohio Penn DX; Olney Enterprise; QRZ.com; Radio Club of America; Radio World; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; 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. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.