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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2312 for Friday February 18th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312 with a release date of Friday February 18th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Police identify the body of an Australian
amateur. New insights into an RFI mystery -- and there's still time for
a contact with Pluto...the special event, that is. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312 comes your way right now.

**
AUSTRALIAN HAM'S BODY IDENTIFIED IN DOUBLE MURDER

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the tragic conclusion to
a missing persons story reported here on Newsline on two years ago. The
bodies of an amateur radio operator and his companion have been
positively identified. Graham Kemp VK4BB brings us that story.

GRAHAM: Russell Hill VK3VZP and Carol Clay disappeared two years ago in
the Victorian bushland where the two had gone camping. The last message
heard from Russell was on March 20th of 2020 when he made a QSO on one
of the HF bands, reporting his location at Wonnangatta Valley in the
Victorian Alps. No one heard from them again. One day later, campers
discovered the radio operator's vehicle and the couple's campsite
destroyed by fire.

Forensic testing has now confirmed the identity of remains found last
November as those of the radio ham and his friend. A pilot who worked
for Jetstar Airways -- and who had been camping nearby -- was arrested
last November and charged with two counts of murder. The pilot, Greg
Lynn, 55, is due in court in May.

Police have described the couple's disappearance as one of their most high-profile cases.

For Amateur Radio NewLine I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(THE NEW DAILY, SKYNEWS.COM)

**
RFI ISSUES TIED TO PLANES' OLDER ALTIMETERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A further look into airliners' RFI problems following the
recent launch of 5G service by US cellphone carriers has turned up an interesting technical finding. Kent Peterson KC0DGY has that update.

KENT: Despite a protective guard band to separate frequencies used by
cellphone carriers and airliners, signals from newly deployed 5G
wireless service in the US are still capable of compromising commercial airplane safety in aircraft using older altimeters lacking filters, an
expert witness told US lawmakers in Washington, DC. Dennis Roberson (ROE-BURR-SON) told a subcommittee in the US House of Representatives
that older radio altimeters lack filters that prevent that kind of
risky signal conflict that can interfere with critical navigation,
especially during landing. His testimony came following airlines'
decision to ground or redirect some of their flights scheduled to land
in airports near 5G cellphone towers. Carriers including AT&T and
Verizon now operate on the C-band spectrum between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz.
Altimeters are designed to operate on frequencies between 4.2 GHz and
4.4 Ghz. Roberson said this kind of interference is not believed to
have been a factor in any crashes but the potential does exist because
older altimeters are capable of picking up transmissions outside of
their assigned band, such as those used by 5G service. He said that a
guard band provided a "large cushion" between the carriers' and the
altimeters' allocations on the spectrum, but nonetheless, without
filters in place on the altimeters, signal conflicts could still occur.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(URGENTCOMM)

**
SILENT KEY: HAMVENTION VOLUNTEER GREGORY DEAN, N9NWO

PAUL/ANCHOR: This year's Hamvention will be going forward in Xenia,
Ohio without one of its dedicated volunteers. He became a Silent Key
this month, as we hear from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

KEVIN: A well-respected volunteer at the annual Hamvention in Xenia has
become a Silent Key. Greg Dean, N9NWO, died on February 5th in a
Lafayette, Indiana hospital. According to QRZ.COM, Greg was a veteran
of the US Army National Guard and Army Reserve with tours in Desert
Storm, Bosnia, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. Licensed since 1968, he
belonged to the Quarter Century Wireless Association and the Straight
Key Century Club. Friends posted on his Facebook page, praising his
volunteer work at Hamvention and the regular help he provided with QSLs
for the W9IMS event.

Greg was 71.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(QRZ, FACEBOOK, HIPPENSTEEL FUNERAL SERVICE)

**
SOLAR STORM DISABLES SOME STARLINK SATELLITES

PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellites destined for the Starlink constellation were
lost just a day after launch as the result of a solar storm. Andy
Morrison K9AWM picks up that story.

ANDY: A geomagnetic storm disrupted nearly 50 SpaceX Starlink
satellites that were in low-earth orbit following their deployment one
day earlier. The satellites went into safe mode to minimize atmospheric
drag's effects on their orbits but Starlink said as many as 40 of them
would likely be lost, becoming little more than space debris when they
dropped out of their allocated orbit. According to several news
reports, the storm made the atmosphere too dense for the satellites to
make their way to the higher altitudes of their planned orbits. The
February 3rd launch sought to add the new satellites to the 2,000 or so
already in the Starlink constellation providing space-based internet
access. According to CNN, there are about 145,000 Starlink subscribers
in 25 countries.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(CNN, SPACE.COM)

**
UK HAMS MARK 100 YEARS OF BRITISH BROADCASTING

PAUL/ANCHOR: Even as the London BBC Radio Group marks 100 years of
British broadcasting by operating its special event station GB100BBC, a
second group of hams in the UK is creating its own party. Jeremy Boot
G4NJH brings us those details.

JEREMY: The Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society is marking the centenary
this month of a programme aired on the 14th of February 1922, one
hundred years ago, from a hut not far from Chelmsford.

Preceded by the familiar station announcement of "This is Two Emma
Toc," the programme itself featured talk and occasional piano music
-all transmitted at 200 watts on a frequency of 428 kHz. This
entertainment broadcast helped bring about the creation of what was to
become the BBC in 1922.

The Chelmsford hams will be on HF, VHF and UHF and are operating all
month as GB1002MT. They will confirm QSOs via eQSL and LoTW only.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(SOUTHGATE, CHELMSFORD AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)

**

AMSAT SOUTH AFRICA SEEKS PAPERS FOR SYMPOSIUM

PAUL/ANCHOR: AMSAT South Africa is looking for presenters for its
virtual symposium being held in July. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has
thatstory.

JASON: With the COVID-19 pandemic still a major concern, AMSAT South
Africa will be holding its annual space symposium as a virtual event
again this year. The one-day event will take place on Saturday the 23rd
of July, showcasing the theme "Space, the next frontier for expansion
of amateur radio."

Organisers are still seeking proposals for papers and are asking that
all prospective presenters send in their submissions by the 31st of
March. Each presenter will receive a time slot of 20 to 30 minutes and
will be given a 10-minute period for questions and answers. Topics may
range from the basics on how to use hand-held transceivers to work
satellites all the way to more complex issues, such as building
satellites or conducting space research with a space weather station.

Accepted presentations are due in by the 1st of July in Microsoft Word
and PowerPoint format. For details, email organisers at admin at
amsatsa dot org dot za ([email protected]).

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(AMSAT-SA, SARL)

**
SPECIAL EVENT BRINGS PLUTO A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME

PAUL/ANCHOR: Want to work Pluto? Well there's still time and it's not
the kind of DX contact you think. Here's Randy Sly W4XJ to tell youhow.

RANDY: When tuning across the ham bands, you never know what you'll
encounter. This week, for instance, you might hear operators talking
about the planet Pluto and its discovery. The Northern Arizona DX
Association is, again, hosting its annual Pluto Anniversary Countdown, celebrating the discovery of the planet by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. This
is the second year for the special event from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. The special event will end in its centennial year of 2030.

You may hear stories like some from last year, when contacts talked
about meeting the famed astronomer at their grade school, at star
parties or through an astronomy course. One contact, Uno Carlsson,
KC3EJS, was an aerospace engineer and part of the team for the New
Horizons project that did a fly-by of Pluto in 2015.

Look for W7P on the air through February 21st. You might even have a
chance to talk with Doug Tombaugh, N3PDT, nephew of the man whose
discovery changed a bit of how we look at our galaxy. Doug and four
other hams are operating as W7P/0.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the KB3AWQ repeater in Williamsport Pennsylvania on Thursdays at 9 p.m.
Eastern Time.


**
REGISTER NOW FOR ST. PATRICK'S SPECIAL EVENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: February is a short month so it's not too early to start
thinking about St. Patrick's Day - and that's just what some hams
around the world have been doing. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with the
details.

JEREMY: Amateurs and shortwave listeners around the world have signed
up to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day and vie for special awards during
the 48 hours between the 16th and 18th of March. Organisers of the
special St. Patrick's Awards event have created a web page with details
that include categories in which radio operators and listeners can
compete -- and explanations of how they can qualify for awards. All participants need to visit the web page and register if they plan to
apply for an award. All awards are available as downloadable PDFs after
the event has concluded.

Stations in Ireland, Canada and the United States are among those who
have already begun registering. The website lists when they will be on
the air and in what modes, including DMR, PSK and even on the Hamshack
Hotline.

The website is stpatricksaward dot com - that's stpatricksaward - all
one word - dot com. (stpatricksaward.com)

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(ST PATRICK'S AWARD)

**
AMSAT SEEKS VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS FOR PROJECTS

PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're an engineer with some free time to devote to two
of AMSAT's projects, you might just be one of the volunteers they're
looking for. Jack Parker W8ISH brings us the details.

JACK: If you're interested in being part of AMSAT's all-volunteer team
working with its FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs, AMSAT is
interested in hearing from you. The FOX-Plus program needs an
electrical engineer with RF experience who can help design and build
the RF communications for the low-earth orbit CubeSats. Candidates
should be familiar with analog and digital communications protocols and
will be working with digitally synthesized audio for FM modulated
VHF/UHF/SHF voice and telemetry channels. The FOX-Plus and GOLF CubeSat programs also need mechanical engineers whose responsibilities may
include analysis of thermal characteristics of the CubeSat and
oversight of the environmental testing procedure. AMSAT requires US
citizenship or proof of permanent residency for all candidates for
these volunteer positions. CubeSat experience and a ham radio license
is also preferred but not necessary. For details, send an email to
volunteer at amsat dot org. ([email protected])

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
TIME TO SIGN UP FOR ARDF YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

PAUL/ANCHOR: There's a big contest planned in Romania to test
youngsters' amateur radio direction finding skills -- and the time to
sign up is now. Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us how.

ED: Letters of intent are due soon for teams wanting to participate in
the 4th IARU World Youth Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship
being held this summer in Romania. The event is being hosted by the
Romanian Federation of Radio Amateurs. All letters of intent must be
received no later than March 1st at the email address wyac2022 at gmail
dot com ([email protected]). The championship will take place June
29th through to July 3rd and will include hunts on 80 and 2m along with
an 80m sprint. Saturday will see an awards ceremony and a hamfest.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(IARU)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, if you consider working China to be an
Oympian-style challenge, here's your chance. The Chinese Radio Amateurs
Club has activated a special event station operating on CW, SSB and FT8
in support of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Hams will be calling QRZ until the end of the Paralympic Winter Games.
The call sign is BY1CRA/WO22. The QSL manager is BA4TB. See QRZ.COM for available awards.

Be listening for Rob, DM4AO, who is on the air from Cabo Verde as D44AO
until the 25th of February. He is using mostly CW and operating on 80
through 10 metres. He will participate in the ARRL CW DX contest on
February 19th and 20th. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Yuri, VE3DZ, operating from Martinique as FM/VE3DZ until the
24th of February. He will be using the callsign TO4A in the ARRL CW DX
contest. QSL to his home callsign or via ClubLog.

Karel, OK2WM and Vlad, OK2WX are on the air from Innahura island,
Maldives as 8Q7WM and 8Q7WX until March 8th. Listen for them on 160, 80
and 40 metres using CW and SSB. Send QSLs to their home callsigns.

(DX-WORLD.NET, SOUTHGATE)

**
KICKER: IN PENNSYLVANIA, HERE'S TO THE NEXT 100 YEARS

PAUL/ANCHOR: In a small town made world famous by a railroad property
on the classic American board game Monopoly, they're getting ready to
celebrate 100 years of radio activity. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark
Abramowicz (pronouncer - Abram-a-vich) NT3V has our final story for
this week.

MARK: It's a centennial being marked by more than candles on a cake.
The Reading Radio Club in the town of Reading, Pennsylvania - about 55
miles north and west of Philadelphia - is reflecting on its past and
hopes for the future. Joe Pietruszynski, AC3DI, is the club president.
He said a small community of wireless radio hobbyists in Reading were
part of ham radio's infancy. "Thirty people or so that were
experimenters," Pietruszynski explained. "In fact, back in those days
they used what they called spark gaps." West Reading resident William
Wagner, was listening at the right time. "(The)Titanic had a spark-gap transmitter," Pietruszynski said. "In fact, one of the local hams had
heard the distress call." Wagner became the first Reading area resident
granted a federal ham radio license - 3KL -in 1913. The group's history
records Harold Landis, 3LP, who also got his license just after Wagner,
as gathering a group of hobbyists to form the Reading Radio Club in
1921. They gained official recognition in 1922 when the club affiliated
with the American Radio Relay League. Pietruszynski said like many
radio clubs, interest and membership has had its ups and downs. "I
think we're on a cycle now where more and more interest is coming in,"
he said. "Youth are where ham radio is going to wind up being." What
kind of impact will they have? The next 100 years may hold the answer.

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Reading, Pennsylvania.
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society;
CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DX-World.net; the IARU; Ohio Penn DX;
QRZ.com; QSO Today; Radio Society of Great Britain; the St. Patrick's
Award; South African Radio League; SOTA; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; and you our
listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to
us at [email protected]. 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 youall.

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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