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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2355 for Friday December 16th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2355 with a release date of Friday December 16th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams help a lost 5-year-old find her way home.
A hiking trail steps off with a boost from amateur radio -- and hams in Connecticut pay tribute to the transatlantic tests of 1921. All this
and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2355 comes your way
right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
HAMS HELP RETURN LOST 5-YEAR-OLD TO FAMILY

PAUL/ANCHOR: Last week we celebrated the Newsline's selection of the
West Bengal Radio Club as International Newsmaker of the Year. This
week our first story reports on their latest effort - reuniting a
family with the 5-year-old daughter who they had given up for dead.
John Williams VK4JJW has that story.

JOHN: A children's game of hide-and-seek at a railway station went very
wrong in August of 2020, when a 5-year-old girl chose an unfortunate
spot to hide from her three brothers: a train that pulled out of the
station shortly afterwards. She was eventually able to disembark
farther down the line at the Kolkata Railway Station but because she
spoke only Hindi and not Bengali, she could only explain her situation
with her tears when police found her crying at the station. According
to a report in the Millennium Post, a year passed in which the girl was
sent by an NGO to a children's care home and enrolled in school. She
gained fluency in Bengali and soon became an honors student in her
class. Unable to track down her parents all this time, the
administrators of the private home notified the West Bengal Radio Club
of the girl's predicament, according to Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA.
Club members utilised their network of contacts and were able to trace
her family to Jharkhand, a bordering state in eastern India.
Photographs shared with the family on the WhatsApp mobile platform
confirmed that this was indeed their missing daughter.

The little girl went home on Saturday, December 10th.

Ambarish Nag Biswas told the Indo Asian News Service: [quote] "When our contacts got in touch with the mother and we got her to connect with
her daughter through a video call, it was a heart-wrenching moment. The
woman had given up her child as dead. The little girl had given up all
hope of getting back to her family ever again." [endquote]


This is John Williams VK4JJW.


(MILLENNIUM POST, INDO ASIAN NEWS SERVICE)

**
VINTAGE TRANSMITTER IN TRANSATLANTIC TRIBUTE

PAUL/ANCHOR: In the US recently, hams teamed up for a radio activation
that turned out to be a living museum and a tribute to history. Kevin
Trotman N5PRE tells us about it.

KEVIN: Visitors to the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of
Connecticut were part of a celebration of history taking place on
Sunday, December 11th. They watched and heard as Bob Allison, WB1GCM,
got on the air using a repurposed Gates BC1T commercial transmitter
using the callsign W1VCM/1BCG for AM operation on 75 meters. Bob was
marking the 101st anniversary of amateur station 1BCG's contact with
Scotland during the ARRL Transatlantic Test of 1921. Bob, president of
the museum's amateur radio club, told Newsline: [quote] "December 11th
is a great day to celebrate Amateur Radio, as the day marks the many technological successes of the era: CW's efficiency and effectiveness
over spark, the use of a superheterodyne radio receiver, and the
directional Beverage Antenna." [endquote]

The tribute event had been organized by Clark Burgard, N1BCG, of
Greenwich, Connecticut. The original transmissions that made history
more than a century ago occurred in Greenwich, about 90 minutes
southwest of the museum, with operators sending CW across the ocean.

This year, more modern equipment joined the refurbished Gates
transmitter during Bob's three-hour activation, which also included
time spent on 40M and 2M sideband.

Before he left for the day and headed out into the snow, Bob made sure
he logged one more important contact: Bob talked to the museum visitors
who'd been observing him on the radio to share in the triumph of more
than a century ago.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(BOB ALLISON WB1GCM)


**
NEW INDIAN SPECIAL EVENT STATION HONORS RADIO PIONEER

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hundreds of contacts were made this year on the air by a
new special event station in India honoring that nation's noted radio
pioneer. We have that story from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: This year, Datta, VU2DSI, was not the only amateur activating a
special event station in late November to mark the birth of the
pioneering Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. Datta has operated
his special event AU2JCB for 17 years - but this year, Parks on the
Air-India organised their own separate tribute using the call sign
AT8JCB. It was a POTA activation as well, operating from Mohanpur
Forest Park in West Bengal India, POTA number, VU-0136. Parks on the
Air-India is a relatively new programme in India. It began barely a
year ago but according to POTA country administrator Arunava Dey,
VU3XRY, the team of operators made up for lost time with the Bose
tribute. He said the response was nothing short of "huge" and a great
success.

Arunava told Newsline that over the course of the eight-day activation,
AT8JCB logged more than 900 QSOs using SSB and FT8.

With QSL and eQSL cards being sent in mid-December to their various destinations, POTA-India has other activities in store for the rest of
the month. There are also more than 4,000 parks to be activated on the
list of qualifying POTA locations.

The man called by many to be the "father of radio communications" would
no doubt be proud of all the amateur radio activity these days inIndia.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(ARUNAVA DEY VU3XRY, POTA INDIA, QRZ.COM)

**
ROMANIAN EVENT MARKS HIKING TRAIL'S INAUGURAL YEAR

PAUL/ANCHOR: From now through the first half of the new year, amateurs
in Romania will be celebrating that nation's newest natural resource: a
hiking trail. We have more on that from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The journey of discovery that comes with hiking along Romania's
Via Transilvanica is an adventure for hikers cyclists and horseback
riders. It got under way on the 8th of October with the official
opening of the 1,400-km trail which had taken four years of
preparation.

The journey which marks the trail's inauguration is also one for
amateur radio operators. Radio Club YO6KGS is activating special event
station YR1400VT on the HF bands from now 'til the 30th of June 2023.
It's a celebration of the long-distance trail that Romania sees as its counterpart to the Appalachian Trail in the United States and El
Camiño de Santiago in Europe. While hikers hope to gain insights into
their own lives in a natural setting, amateur radio operators and
shortwave listeners around the world can work towards diplomas at
different levels according to the number of contacts with other
operators, many of whom will be young amateurs and members of the
YO6KGS School Radio Club.

Listen for their call sign on SSB and CW. CW speeds will not exceed
14wpm.

For details about the rules and awards visit the QRZ.COM page for
YR1400VT - and wherever you are, enjoy the journey.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH

(ADRIAN BACIU, YO5IA, QRZ.COM)

**
DMR RADIO AIDS RESCUERS SEARCHING FOR LOST HIKER

PAUL/ANCHOR: The lifesaving capabilities of DMR proved useful to a
hiker in New Hampshire recently. Sel Embee KB3TZD has that story.

SEL: A relaxing day with his dog turned into a dangerous trek for a ham
who was hiking the trails of central New Hampshire on Sunday, December
11th. He had become lost -- and the coming sunset and forecast of snow
put him in even greater danger, especially after the battery in his
cell phone died. He had been carrying his DMR HT, however, and placed a
call for help on the statewide talkgroup using a local repeater.

Bill Barber, N-E-one-B, heard the call and was able to contact the
man's wife. She notified police who joined firefighters in starting a
search. Bill also contacted Rick Zach, K-one-R-J-Zed, who knows the
area's trails. Rick stayed in touch with the lost amateur on the
statewide talk group while communicating with the search team.

At one point, the amateur unintentionally changed channels on his HT
but another amateur, Chuck Cunningham, K-one-M-eye-Zed, noticed this
had happened and was able to restore communications. The ham found his
way to a road and was picked up by the searchers at 6:30 p.m.

Telling this story on one of the QRZ.com forums, Raul (Rah-Oool) "Skip"
Camejo (cam ay HO), A-C-one-L-C, recommended that hikers carry DMR
radios because their batteries last longer.

Skip's story did not identify the ham but wrote that thanks to the
three amateurs who heard his call on DMR "the wayward ham is going to
be able to enjoy another Christmas holiday with his family."

This is Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.

(ARRL NEW ENGLAND DIVISION)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the ZS0MOT (Zed Ess Zero Em Oh Tee) repeater in Middelburg South Africa
on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. local time.

**
NEW QUESTIONS ON GENERAL TEST EXAM

PAUL/ANCHOR: In the US, the General Class operators' license test is
getting a new question pool. Stephen Kinford N8WB tells us what's
changing.

STEPHEN: If you are a ham in the United States looking to upgrade to
General next year, you can expect some changes in the new pool of
questions that take effect on July 1st of 2023. The 432 questions were
just released and the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner
Coordinators' Question Pool Committee says they reflect significant
changes: There are 51 new questions being introduced; 73 were removed.
The committee believes the questions' level of difficulty is more
balanced. These questions will be in use through June 30th of 2027.

Examiners can expect to see the new General exam booklets by mid-June
of 2023. The ARRL advises hams who are using the 9th edition of the
General Class License Manual or the 6th edition of the league's General
Class Q&A to take their exam no later than June 30th before the changed questions come in.

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(ARRL)

**
LONGTIME SPECTRUM GUARDIANS RETIRE IN NEW ZEALAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: Two veteran staffers at New Zealand's telecommunications
agency are leaving at the end of this year. Here's Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
with more about them.

JIM: Radio Spectrum Management in New Zealand is preparing to say
goodbye to two members of its radio investigations team who are among
those with the longest tenure. RSM has announced the retirement of Mike
Baird and Grant Wheaton who have both been part of the team since the
early 1970s. RSM said that the pair's efforts have played a big role
over the years in strengthening processes and technical abilities of
the investigations group.

In addition to following up on reports of radio frequency interference,
RSM manages the radio spectrum in New Zealand, handles licensing rules
and oversees compliance and enforcement of the Radiocommunications Act
of 1989. It is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(WIA, RSM)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Earl, WA3DX operating from Senegal
between December 22nd and January 20th, mainly using FT8. He will use
his home call with a prefix. In Dakar, he will use the prefix 6W1; in
Mbao, he will use 6W7 and on Kaolack and Saloum Islands (IOTA number
AF-045), his prefix will be 6W6. Send QSL direct to WA3DX or via LoTW.

A team consisting of S51V, S52OT, S54W, S57DX and others will be on the
air from Lampedusa Island, IOTA number AF-019 as IG9/S59A from January
23rd to the 31st. The operation will focus on the CQWW 160 metre CW
contest during the last full weekend of January. Outside of the
contest, be listening on all bands and all modes for the prefix IG9
(Eye G Nine) before their homecalls.

Andre, ON7YK is in The Gamba operating as C5YK until February 24th,
2023. Listen on 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m, mostly using the digital modes.
QSL via LoTW and eQSL, or to his home call direct or via the bureau.

Listen for the callsign TN8K from the Republic of Congo, activated by
the CDXP Group. The team from the Czech Republic expects to operate
between January 7th and the 19th. The operators will be on the HF bands
from 160m to 6m using CW, SSB, RTTY , FT8, FT4 and PSK. They will also
make use of the QO-100 satellite. QSL via OK6DJ, OQRS or LOTW.

(EINDHOVEN.SPACE BLOG, DX-WORLD.NET)

**
BOUVET ISLAND HAMS LAUNCH PROPAGATION POLL

PAUL/ANCHOR: Few of us need reminders that the Bouvet Island
DXpeditioners who'll be activating 3Y0J (Three Y Zero J) from the
remote island are setting sail in less than a month. The 22-day on-air operation is being led by Ken, LA7GIA; Rune, LA7THA; and Erwann, LB1QI
and the 12-member team is motivated to log more than 200,000 QSOs. With
Bouvet in the number two spot on the DXCC Most Wanted List, this is not
an impossible goal. While others have activated Bouvet over the years,
none have approached logging that many QSOs.

The team is committed to making contacts. If you visit the DXpedition
website at 3Y0J dot N O (3Y0J.no), you will find a propagation poll
under the tab labeled "Latest News." This will enable interested
DXpedition chasers to provide the team with details about their station
setup, including power and antenna, so that the operators can
approximate propagation to a certain region based on the stations
calling them from there.

(3Y0J)

**
KICKER: WHEN A HOMEBREW QSL CARD IS BEST

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin our final story this week by making an
observation: When you are an amateur radio operator, it's easy to make
someone else happy. That's what a retiree in Oregon and a youngster in Wisconsin both recently discovered. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us how
it happened.

RALPH: A late November day found Chris Billings, WA7RAR, activating a
local park near his Oregon home. It was Thanksgiving Day and in a
fitting mood for the US holiday, Chris was grateful to find 10 meters
open. He decided to call CQ on that small portion of the band where
Technician class operators can legally operate SSB on HF, hoping to
give newcomers a chance to work him. A young voice emerged from the
pileup: It was Bennett Bachman, KD9WCG, age 10. Chris learned that this
was an especially happy moment for the new ham from Wisconsin. This was
only his second QSO on 10 meters.

Chris mailed Bennett a QSL card along with a note that he wasn't
expecting Bennett to respond, especially if he had no QSL cards of his
own yet.

On December 8th, it was Chris' turn to have a happy moment: something
from Bennett arrived - a handmade QSL card. Bennett's father, Dave KV9O
(Kay Vee 9 Oh), said that Bennett designed the cards himself, sending
one to Chris and the other to his first 10m contact, Gordon West,
WB6NOA. Dave said the first contact was a joyful moment too because
Bennett had studied for his license using Gordon's Technician guide.
Bennett is now trying to start a ham radio club at school and is
studying for his General class license so he can be less dependent on
10m band openings.

Chris, however, is glad Bennett found him on that 10m opening on
Thanksgiving Day. Posting on Facebook, he publicly thanked Bennett for
the handcrafted card, adding [quote] "I love to find cards in my
mailbox and this is certainly one of the special ones!"[endquote]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(CHRIS BILLINGS, WA7RAR; DAVE BACHMAN, KV9OX; FACEBOOK)

**
NEWCAST CLOSE - DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

PAUL/ANCHOR: Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think
Newsline would be interested in? 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.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Adrian Baciu, YO5IA; Amateur Radio
Weekly; the ARRL; Arunava Dey, VU3XRY; Bob Allison, WB1GCM; Chris
Billings, WA7RAR; CQ magazine; Dave Bachman, KV9OX; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; Endhoven Space Blog; Facebook; FCC.gov; POTA India; shortwaveradio.de; Three Y Zero J; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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
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.

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