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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2460 for Friday December 20th, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2460 with a release date of
Friday, December 20th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An artificial solar eclipse offers some
lessons. New stewardship for the CQ Hall of Fame -- and YLs in
Australia mark a half-century on the air. All this and more as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2460 comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
ESA SATELLITES CREATING ARTIFICIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a closer look at the
ionosphere. With the help of HamSCI, many of us learned more about
ionospheric changes that occur during a solar eclipse -- but what's to
be learned when researchers create an ARTIFICIAL solar eclipse? Two
satellites are trying to help answer that question. Here's Jim Meachen
ZL2BHF with that story.

JIM: Two satellites were launched from India in early December to study
the sun's corona, creating artificial solar eclipses that will enable
image capture of the sun's outer atmosphere. Flying in formation 150
metres apart, the two European Space Agency's Proba-3 satellites,
Occulter and Chronograph, will work in tandem to create a
precisely-controlled shadow from one platform to the other and capture high-frequency images that will assist in the study of plasma waves and
jets believed to heat the corona and have an impact on solar wind

The satellites are focusing on a part of the corona that conventional instruments have not been able to study so far. The insights gained are expected to expand researchers' knowledge of elements of solar weather,
such as coronal mass ejections and the acceleration of solar wind.

ESA's director general, Josef Aschbacher, called Proba-3 [quote] "an
important step toward more complex space operations. This mission shows
how smaller spacecraft can work together to achieve goals that were not possible before." [endquote]

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
HAMSCI PLANS CONFERENCE FOR ITS 'BIG YEAR'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Speaking of HamSCI, the citizen science investigation
community is expecting a big year. In fact, that's the name of its next conference, as we hear from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

KEVIN: HamSCI is asking everyone to "save the date" and plan to attend
its conference in March at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in
Newark, New Jersey. Hams and the various communities of professional researchers will be sharing their thoughts during technical and
scientific presentations that will be available both in-person and
virtually. The conference theme is "HamSCI's Big Year," and the dates
are March 14th and 15th. The discussions, as always, will include how
amateur radio techniques can help illuminate the study of ionospheric disturbances and other phenomena including solar flares, sporadic E and geomagnetic storms.

Those attending in person on Friday, March 14th, will be able to go to
the banquet dinner with a currently unannounced keynote speaker.

The Friday program will offer an array of traditional science
workshops. Saturday's lineup of talks will be directed at the various
roles that ham radio operators, as volunteers, play in HamSCI's
research efforts.

Their website is at hamsci.org for registration updates and other
developments.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(HAMSCI)

**
WHISTLER GROUP, MAKER OF SCANNERS, SHUTS DOWN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Whistler Group, a well-known electronics
manufacturer with a product line that included radio scanners and power inverters, shut unexpectedly this month. A message on the website of
the Bentonville, Arkansas business indicated that the website was
[quote] "currently unavailable" [endquote] but gave no other details.

The privately held company, which was founded in 1971, maintains its
presence on LinkedIn and its YouTube channel, where a number of its
products are showcased in videos.

(LINKEDIN, WHISTLERGROUP.COM)

**
INDEXA TO SEEK NOMINEES FOR CQ HALL OF FAME

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Nominations open soon for hams to be considered for the
CQ DX Hall of Fame. This award program was once overseen by CQ magazine
and is now going forward under new stewardship, as we hear from Jack
Parker W8ISH

JACK: The International DX Association will be taking over the
management of the CQ DX Hall of Fame, a program of CQ magazine until
publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, became a Silent Key last April. Bob
Schenck, N2OO, vice president of INDEXA, has announced that the
nomination period opens on the 1st of January for inductees for 2025.
Since 1967, hams whose names appear on the roll have done more than
activate from challenging and remote locations. In many instances they
have been organizers of the trips and skillful navigators of political
and environmental challenges in those locales, promoting goodwill and
avoiding controversy.

The nomination period closes on March 1st. Names of potential
inductees, along with supporting documents, can be sent to Bob, who is
also a member of the CQ DX Hall of Fame and was DX Editor of CQ
magazine. His email address is N2OO at comcast dot net
(n2oo@comcast.net). The subject line of the email must include the
words "CQ DX HALL OF FAME." Inductees' names will be announced during
the Southwest Ohio DX Association. Dayton DX Dinner in May.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(DX NEWS)

**
SILENT KEY: HUMANITARIAN, AWARD-WINNING DXER ANTONIO GONZALEZ, EA5RM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An award-winning DXer who combined his love of radio
with the generous spirit of humanitarianism, has become a Silent Key.
We hear about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Antonio Gonzalez, EA5RM, was a DX hunter and DXpeditioner whose accomplishments landed him in the CQ DX Hall of Fame in 2020. His
travels included the 9X0R DXpedition to Rwanda in 2008, the ST0R
DXpedition to South Sudan in 2011 and most recently an activation as
1A0C from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, where he'd had three
previous activations. His status in the CQ DX Hall of Fame was echoed
by inclusion in numerous other rolls of honour but he also
distinguished himself with the humanitarian work he combined with his
love of radio.

Communities in the Amazon rainforest will recall how they benefited
from the dozen or more trips he made to Bolivia to provide HF
communications between the remote villages and the medical facilities
in the region during which stays he would operate in his spare time as
CP1XRM. His volunteer work supporting various NGOs, including
Solidaridad Medica Espana, earned him the ARRL's International
Humanitarian Award in 2015 and the Intrepid DX's Humanitarian Award
in2017.

Antonio became a Silent Key on the 8th of December at the age of 56.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
INTREPID DX GROUP YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Congratulations to the winners of the Intrepid DX Group
Youth Essay Contest. Their names were announced by Paul Ewing, N6PSE,
the Intrepid group's president. Top prize goes to 16-year-old Katie
Campbell, KE8LQR, who wins an ICOM IC-7300. Second place winner is
14-year-old Lila Shearer, KK7RRV, whose prize is an ICOM ID52A mobile
radio with D-STAR. The third prize winner is 15-year-old Michael Simon,
KK7KLG, who receives an ICOM T-10 dual band HT. The youngsters' essays addressed the topic of amateur radio's place in society and ways to
attract other young amateurs in their age group. The winners of this
5th annual contest were selected from among 34 essays received.

(INTREPID DX GROUP)

**

ALARA MARKS HALF-CENTURY IN A BIG WAY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association is
about to mark a half-century of bringing YLs together to celebrate
amateur radio. They're hoping to gather some stories - and some photos
of years past, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: ALARA is turning 50 in 2025 and the big celebration will be in
July at the Novotel Glen Waverly in Victoria - but there's plenty of
work to be done beforehand. Organisers are assembling photographs of
ALARA members through the years, pictures showing them at various ALARA
events or simply operating portable and in their home shacks. These
images are, after all, the story of ALARA and how it grew to have a
roster of more than 200 members, according to its website. A number of
those members are overseas and have joined by being sponsored by YLs
living here in Australia.

Anyone with photos to share should contact ALARA's president at the
email address, president at alara dot org dot au
(president@alara.org.au)

Meanwhile, to finish up the business of 2024, ALARA members will once
again close out the year by presenting the newscast for the Wireless
Institute of Australia on the 22nd of December. Be listening!

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(WIA, ALARA)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the DX2AAA repeater of the Association of Active Amateurs
International, affiliated with the Philippine Amateur Radio
Association. Newsline airs at 7 p.m. on Saturdays on 2 metres and can
be accessed via Allstar and Echolink.

**
ALEXANDERSON ALTERNATOR SENDING MESSAGE FROM SWEDEN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: It is always a celebration whenever the historic
Alexanderson alternator in Sweden gets on the air. On Christmas Eve
morning, it's happening again - and Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us how to
hear it.

JEREMY: If you tune to 17.2 kHz on Tuesday, 24th December at 08:00 UTC,
you should be able to hear the traditional Christmas Eve message from
SAQ Grimeton.

The message of peace will be transmitted to the world using Morse Code
from the 100-year-old, 200 kW Alexanderson alternator. This radio
station is a World Heritage site that will also be welcoming visitors
locally.

A livestream will begin on YouTube at 07:25 UTC with the transmission
to follow once the transmitter has been started up and tuned. Use the
link that appears in the text version of this week's newscast to
navigate to the SAQ Grimeton YouTube channel.

The transmitter was last on the air on the 1st of December, marking the occasion of its centennial. The message sent was written by descendants
of inventor Ernst F.W. Alexanderson, who built the transmitter.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

[DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CQZmW_vE00 ]

**
CIVIL AIR PATROL BOOSTING ITS USE OF HF RADIO IN ALASKA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Alaska, the Civil Air Patrol sees hope and
possibilities for improved emergency response. They're finding it in HF
radio. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us what comes next.

ANDY: In the hopes of increasing its responsiveness to emergencies
throughout Alaska, the Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is expanding
its HF radio capability to make it more robust. Major General Torrence
Saxe, commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs,
said that the state has a highly strategic geographic location, giving
it prominence in homeland defense matters. He said that the ability to communicate better within the Alaska Wing is, in his words, "paramount"
in both natural disasters and emergencies.

He said that expanding their HF capability is expected to improve communications with local, state, regional and national agencies during
those scenarios.

Major General Saxe set a goal for testing and deployment of equipment
and operators no later than March of 2026. He said the first priority
will be to establish reliable redundancy on HF radio systems using
basic voice. Data transmission could come later.

Meanwhile, four of the new HF radios were used in a recent
communications exercise and successfully contacted states as far away
as New Hampshire, Alabama, Colorado and Arizona. The Civil Air Patrol
is now looking to identify members of various squadrons who are willing
to be trained to participate in emergency HF communications.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(THE FRONTIERSMAN)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, the Israel Association of Radio Communication is celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah with special event stations
4X8NER and 4Z8NER starting on the 25th of December through to the 2nd
of January. See QRZ.com for QSL details. A certificate will be
available.

The bands are busy with calls from Santa Radio, OF9X, Old Father Nine
Xmas, until the 31st of December. Listen on 160-6 metres for CW, SSB
and FT8 signals. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

The annual Russian New Year Radio Marathon will be on the air from the
29th of December to the 8th of January with special callsigns R2025NY
and UE25NY. The event is being run by the Miller DX Club. QSL via RQ7L.

Get ready for Ham Radio University in the United States. Club station
W2HRU will be on the air from Long Island, New York from the 30th of
December through to the 4th of January, when the educational all-day
event takes place for its 26th year. See QRZ.com for details. A
printable QSL certificate will be available.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HAM RADIO STYLE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this newscast with a Newsline holiday tradition
- a ham log instead of a yule log. This much-loved adaptation of the
Clement Clarke Moore classic is proof that 10 meters isn't the only
place where magic happens. It surrounds us in the season and the
community of amateur radio as Jim Damron N8TMW reminds us.

JIM: Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack The rig
was turned off and the mic cord lay slack

The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear had
long ceased to burn.

I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of
Armchair DX-- When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed out
the door to see what was around.

The moon shone down brightly and lighted the night. For sure
propagation for the low bands was right.

I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket and there was
some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket!

I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy: Just who WAS this
stranger? di di dah dah di dit?

He looked very much like an FCC guy who'd come to check up on some
badTVI.

I shouted to him: "Old man...QR-Zed?" "Hey you by the chimney all
dressed up in red!"

I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle The guy on the rooftop
was Jolly Kris Kringle

He had a big sack full of amateur gear which was a big load for his
prancing reindeer. Transmitters, receivers, for cabinets and racks Some
meters and scopes and a lot of coax.

He said not a word 'cause he'd finished his work. He picked up his sack
and he turned with a jerk. As he leaped to his sleigh, he shouted with
glee And I knew in a moment he'd be QRT.

I heard him transmit as he flew o'er the trees "Merry Christmas to all,
and to all seventy-three."

"Ho Ho Ho"

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

**

If you haven't sent in your amateur radio haiku yet for Newsline's
haiku challenge, what's stopping you? It's as easy as writing a QSL
card. Set your thoughts down using traditional haiku format - a
three-line verse with five syllables in the first line, seven in the
second and five in the third. Submit your work on our website at
arnewsline.org

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Alexanderson Association; Australian
Ladies Amateur Radio Association; Amateur Radio Daily; AMSAT News
Service; BBC; David Behar K7DB; DXNews; the Frontiersman; HamSci;
425DXNews; QRZ Forums; shortwaveradio.de; Space.com; Wireless Institute
of Australia; YouTube; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

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