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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2420 for Friday March 15th, 2024

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2420 with a release date of Friday
March 15th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Space junk from the ISS lands safely.
Hamvention announces its award winners for 2024 -- and the architect of
an important repeater network becomes a Silent Key. All this and more
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2420 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
DISCARDED "SPACE JUNK" FROM ISS FALLS TO EARTH WITHOUT INCIDENT

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story concerns debris from a massive package of
batteries discarded by the International Space Station. It had been
projected to hit parts of Europe. Thankfully it didn't. Here's Travis
Lisk N3ILS with a more detailed report.

TRAVIS: Tossed from the International Space Station in 2021, nine
batteries weighing a total of 2.6 metric tonnes re-entered Earth's
atmosphere on Friday, the 8th of March, in free-fall, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean between Guatemala and Florida.

In the days and weeks prior, the impending arrival of the so-called
"space junk" set off alarms in various parts of Europe, including
Germany and Luxembourg, with predictions being made of the damage the
debris might do if any of it arrived in populated areas there.

The European Space Agency's Space Debris and Independent Safety Offices provided updates to its member states throughout the day. In Bonn,
Germany, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief,
National Warning Center alerted the public to the possibility of
hearing a sonic boom or seeing luminous phenomena overhead.

At the time of the battery pack's release, it was considered the
largest object to be tossed from the ISS.

This is Travis Lisk, N3ILS.

(ESA, SPACE.COM)

**

ULTRA-SMALL SATELLITE HAS AMATEUR RADIO CAPABILITY

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, just a few days earlier, a few dozen satellite
were sent into space and among them was an ultra small CubeSat
available for amateur radio use. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us about it.

ANDY: Weighing just 1.3 kg, the small satellite known as Ectobius was
launched on the 4th of March in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 to
conduct radar detection of the Earth. It will also provide amateur
radio access. The creators, Care Weather and the Brigham Young
University Spacecraft Club, are calling this the smallest satellite
radar system ever in orbit. CareWeather said it is the first in its
fledgling series of weather satellite precursors. Ectobius, a 1U
CubeSat, was among 53 payloads on board SpaceX's Transporter-10.

The university club will be coordinating the sharing of amateur radio
activity. Hams will be able to use the CubeSat as a mailbox, digipeater
and telemetering station if they wish to study CubeSat thermals.

According to the CareWeather and BYU club website, Ectobius is expected
to have an orbital life of three years, although the duration of its
scientific mission is only two months.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(SATNEWS.COM, CAREWEATHER.COM)


**
GERMANY'S N-CLASS LICENSE HOLDERS TO GET "DN9" CALLSIGNS

JIM/ANCHOR: The German regulator has announced that the callsign
designation for the new, entry level "N" class license that takes
effect on the 21st of June will be DN9 - which adds a numeral to the
previously announced "DN" prefix. This is expected to have a capacity
of more than 18,000 callsign assignments available. The first
examinations the "N" class license will take place on the weekend of
June 28th at "Ham Radio Friedrichshafen." The license conforms to CEPT specifications for an entry level licence.

(FUNK TELEGRAMM)

**

**
SILENT KEY: ENGINEER DANNY HAMPTON, K4ITL, 2009 HAMVENTION AMATEUR OF
THE YEAR

JIM/ANCHOR: A North Carolina amateur who was named Hamvention Amateur
of the Year in 2009, has become a Silent Key. Danny Hampton, K4ITL, was considered an old-school radio operator who was the architect of the
Piedmont Coastal Repeater Network created in the early 1970s.

Danny had been a longtime engineering contractor for the Capitol
Broadcasting Company where, for WRAL-TV in North Carolina, he would
often climb a TV tower to troubleshoot or conduct repairs. According to
his obituary, he made his last climb in October of 2023. Danny, who was
legally blind, was honored at Hamvention in 2009 as a driving force
behind the Southeastern Repeater Association and the Piedmont Coastal
Repeater Network. Licensed at the age of 12, he was described in his
obituary as a keen problem-solver with a talent for fixing two-way
radios, HF radios and repeater systems.

In a YouTube video, members of the Piedmont Coastal Repeater Network 2
meter net can be heard during a tribute to him. According to net
control Charles Murray, KI4DCR, "there will be no final call because we
will never forget him." [endquote} Danny, who died on February 28th,
was 79.

(WRAL TV, NORTH CAROLINA AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS GROUP)

**

HAMVENTION ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS FOR 2024

JIM/ANCHOR: The awards chairman of Hamvention has announced the names
of those chosen to receive awards this coming May in Xenia, Ohio. We
learn who they are from Mark Abramowicz N3TV.

MARK: Three prominent US radio operators and an international club for
YLs are being honored during Hamvention for their achievements and contributions to amateur radio. Their names were announced recently in
a press release and on social media by awards chair Michael
Kalter,W8CI.

The special achievement award is being given to top contester, QRP
operator and ham radio educator Anthony Luscre, K8ZT. The Ohio ham has
shared his expertise with countless other hams, leading numerous
workshops at Contest University, the QSO Today Expo and at Dayton
Hamvention itself. His achievements include numerous first-place
finishes at the world and US levels in the CQ Worldwide SSB and CW QRP contests.

ARRL license manual author Ward Silver, N0AX, is to receive the
Technical Achievement Award. Trained as an electrical engineer, Ward
has been the lead editor for the ARRL Handbook and the Antenna Book and
has written numerous study guides. A two-time recipient of the Bill Orr Technical Writing Award, Ward's long-running monthly column that once
appeared in QST magazine is now in book format. A cofounder of the
World Radiosport Team Championship, Ward was inducted into the CQ
Contest Hall of Fame in 2015.

Michigan amateur Edward Engleman, KG8CX, is Dayton's Amateur of the
Year. A cofounder of the Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team, or
YACHT, Ed is a strong advocate for youth in amateur radio. With a
background in public school education, Ed has helped young amateurs get involved in presentation to other youth at events such as Hamcation and Hamvention. According to the press release [quote] "Ed is proud to be
part of the future of amateur radio by paying forward his interest in
amateur radio by developing the next generation of hams." [endquote]

The Young Ladies' Radio League, the YLRL, has been chosen Club of the
Year. The honor comes during the 85th anniversary of this international
group that fosters friendships, assists in helping newcomers and
organizes contests. The group has also provided assistance in
emergencies.

Congratulations everyone. Hamvention will be held in Xenia, Ohio, from
May 17th to May 19th.

This is Mark Abramowicz N3TV.

**
YASME FOUNDATION PRESENTS SUPPORTING GRANTS, AWARDS

JIM/ANCHOR: The Yasme Foundation has announced the latest round of
grants and awards. Kevin Trotman N5PRE brings us up to date on the
deserving recipients.

KEVIN: Two ham operators have been named recipients of the Yasme
Foundation's Excellence Award, which honors groups or individuals for
their significant contributions at the technical, operating or
organizational level. The latest awards are being given to Philip
Gladstone, N1DQ, and Paul Schreier, HB9DST. Philip maintains the PSKReporter.info website, also known as the Digimode Automatic
Propagation Reporter, which he created. His work has contributed much
to ionospheric research through citizen science. "The Gladstone Signal
Spotting Challenge" bears his name.

Paul Schreier is a steadfast promoter of Summits on the Air and CW
operations. He is a board member of the Helvetia Telegraphy Club for CW enthusiasts in Switzerland and an organizer of various amateur radio
events.

The foundation's board also announced a $5,000 grant each to the
Foundation for Amateur Radio and ARRL Foundation scholarship programs.

Supporting grants of undisclosed amounts were given to Contest
University at Dayton; the YOTA/HamSci Hamvention activities.

The Yasme Foundation also provided a grant of an undisclosed amount to
Merzuke Gediktas, TA7YLY. The foundation has provided the funds to help
her promote amateur radio in Turkey, particularly to women and girls.

Earlier this year, the foundation gave a $7.500 supporting grant to the organizing committee of the World Radiosport Team Championship which
will take place in 2026 in England.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(YASME FOUNDATION, DX NEWS)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K7MMA repeater in Spokane, Washington on Fridays at 5 p.m.
Pacifictime.

**

NOMINATE OUR NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

JIM/ANCHOR: We're asking our listeners to nominate a promising young
radio amateur to become the Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the
Year for 2024. Candidates must live in the continental United States
and be 18 years of age or younger. Tell our judges about your nominee's
talent, promise and commitment to the spirit of ham radio. This is your
chance to help honor and acknowledge that person who will, no doubt, go
on to teach and inspire others. Find the nomination form on our website arnewsline.org under the "AWARDS" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.

**
FCC CHARGES LANDLORDS WITH SUPPORT OF RADIO PIRACY

JIM/ANCHOR: Empowered by a law that broadened its enforcement abilities concerning pirate radio, the FCC has taken action against two
landlords. We have more from Sel Embee KB3TZD.

SEL: Two property owners in the United States have received notices of
illegal pirate radio broadcasting from the Federal Communications
Commission, warning them that agents have traced illegal broadcast
signals to their addresses. In response to a complaint the FCC received
in 2022, Charles Wyatt of Greenville, South Carolina, was sent the
so-called "pirate letter," indicating that agents confirmed that
signals were being transmitted on 87.9 MHz from his property. The FCC
stated there are no license records for broadcast operations at that
site. According to a story in Radio World, the FCC did not explain why
it took no action during the two years since the complaint was made. Separately, a property owner in Maplewood, New Jersey received a
similar letter which followed investigations of a complaint about
illegal broadcasting on 91.7 MHz. The FCC confirmed that the property
owner is Somerset Maplewood LLC and that, likewise, there are no
records of a broadcast license on file. Under the PIRATE Act, which
became law in 2020, third parties who permit such illegal broadcasts
can be fined a maximum of $2.4 million. The FCC however, is not
empowered to collect penalties. Collection is referred to the US
Department of Justice. The act's acronym stands for Preventing Illegal
Radio Abuse Through Enforcement.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(FCC, RADIO WORLD)

**
ARDC GRANT BOLSTERS NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORK

JIM/ANCHOR: A recent grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications is
helping a club effort led by an Indiana father and son to develop an emergency-response network of clubs that focuses on flexibility. Our
own Paul Braun, WD9GCO, who is president of one of those clubs,
explains:

PAUL: We recently reported that the ARDC was accepting grant
applications again. This time we're going to share a success story with
the recent recipient of one of those grants.

Chris Lattimer, N9MMR, and his 13-year-old son Tavas, KD9NSC, have been building a new club tied to a fire department in their town and
building an emergency communications network tied to another
established regional club that meets at a first-responder training
facility. I spoke to Lattimer about the project:

LATTIMER: Essentially we'll have two locations, each outfitted with
radios for HF/VHF/UHF capabilities. Each location can be turned into an emergency operations center, and then we have all of the people through
both clubs and facilities trained to use those radios.

PAUL: Lattimer's plan is to enlist new hams from public-service
facilities and coordinate between them and the clubs:

LATTIMER: The Northwest Indiana Amateur Radio Partnership is a
conjunction of the Ogden Dunes Amateur Radio Club and the Porter County
Amateur Radio Club coming together to support emergency communication,
to facilitate public safety communications and to promote the
advancement of education in wireless technology through amateur radio.


PAUL: The partnership plan has real benefits for all involved -- and a
small network like this brings an enhanced flexibility that isn't just
an asset to the hams involved, but a vital resource for the community.

For Amateur Radio Newsline and the Porter County Amateur Radio Club,
I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO.

**
IOTA PUBLISHES ITS HONOR ROLL FOR CHASERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Islands on the Air awards program has published its
honor roll of chasers. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about that list.

JEREMY: Seven hundred and forty-five callsigns from around the world
are listed on the newly released Honour Roll of the Islands on the Air
awards progamme, now in its sixtieth year. This annual list is
published to recognise top chasers whose verified scores meet or exceed
50 percent of the total of numbered IOTA groups. Those totals do not
include provisional numbers.

The top radio operator listed in the Honour Roll for 2024 is 9A2AA in
Croatia, with a score of 1,133. The second and third spots,
respectively, are held by two stations in Italy: I2YDX with 1,132; and
I1JQJ with 1, 131.

Islands on the Air is administered in partnership with the Radio
Society of Great Britain. There are an estimated 1,200 designated IOTA
ocean island groups within the awards programme.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(IOTA)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Stefan, DL7AOS, operating holiday
style as 5P5K from Romo Island, Denmark, IOTA Number EU-125, between
the 23rd of March and the 6th of April. Stefan may also participate in
the CQ WW WPX SSB Contest. He will operate SSB and digital modes on
80-6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Chris, VK2YUS, who is using the callsign YJ0CA from Port
Vila, IOTA Number OC-035, Vanuatu (VANN-OO-AHH-TU) until the 21st of
March. He is operating on SSB on 40-10 metres, mainly between 2100 UTC
and 1000 UTC. QSL direct to his home call.


**
KICKER: AT THIS LIBRARY, CHECK OUT HAM RADIO AS WELL AS BOOKS

JIM/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with a visit to the library - in
this case a branch library in Madison County, Mississippi, where the
community is able to check out books, CDs and movies. This time, they
were checking out amateur radio. Randy Sly W4XJ takes us there.

RANDY: The hams who belong to the Jackson Amateur Radio Club are a
veritable living library of information about getting on the air, so
what better place to share their knowledge with the community than at
the local library itself? On Saturday morning, March 2nd, it was story
time and members including Clay, AC5Z, Mike K5XU, Rick, N5ZNL and
Frank, K4FMH, shared their personal narratives as CW ops, builders,
satellite chasers and experimenters. There were no cloak-and-dagger
mystery stories here. This session, the first in a series, was designed
to demystify what amateur radio is all about. The quarterly program is
called Get S.M.A.R.T. - for Saturday Morning Amateur Radio Time.

The hams' involvement with the library doesn't end with these quarterly sessions for the community. The club is also hoping to help at least
one library staffer at each branch to get a license and perhaps set up
a ham station as well on the premises. Frank wrote in a March 5 post on
his blog: [quote] "It underscores the interest by libraries to catalyze
their STEM programming efforts." [endquote]

The next Get S.M.A.R.T. session is expected to include an activation
from the garden area behind the library. What better way to cultivate a
hobby for newcomers?

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(FRANK HOWELL, K4FMH)

**
DO YOU HAIKU?

Don't forget the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. If you're not
too busy tuning your antennas or chasing the latest DXpedition, pick up
a pencil and share your experience by sending an original haiku to us
here at Newsline. Use the entry form on our website, arnewsline.org and
please follow the rules for writing your three-line haiku -- sorry but
we cannot accept any entries that aren't written in traditional
haikuform.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; AMSAT; CQ Magazine;
David Behar K7DB; DXWorld; European Space Agency; FCC; Frank Howell,
K4FMH; 425DXNews; Funk Telegram; Islands on the Air; North Carolina
Amateur Radio Repeaters Group; QRZ.com; Radio World; SATNEWS.com; shortwaveradio.de; SpaceNews; WRAL-TV; Yasme Foundation; 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 2024. All rights
reserved.

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