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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2438 for Friday July 19th, 2024 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2438 with a release date of Friday, July
19th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The ARRL provides details about the recent
cyberattack. NASA discovers a possible new factor causing radio signal disruptions -- and a tribute to the Apollo 11 mission promises hams the
moon. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2438
comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
ARRL: RANSOMWARE ATTACK EXPOSED EMPLOYEES' SENSITIVE DATA

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week revisits the security breach at
ARRL headquarters this past spring. The ARRL has provided a public
official in New England with more details about what happened and Andy
Morrison K9AWM shares them with us now.

ANDY: In a letter that appears on the attorney general's website for
the state of Maine, the ARRL has acknowledged that the attack on the
league's computer systems this past spring was accomplished through the
use of sophisticated ransomware that gained access to the personal and confidential data of as many as 150 of its employees.

The letter said the ransomware was deployed by an "unauthorized third
party," which the letter did not identify. The data breach was
described as having left the league's computer systems encrypted.

The message from league CEO David Minster, NA2AA, appears as a
downloadable file on the attorney general's website. The website lists
July 1st as the date of the CEO's letter. His letter recaps the hacking incident that occurred in mid-May, noting that the league took its
affected systems offline, secured its network and called in forensic specialists. Although the ARRL does not store personal or credit card
data from league members, the CEO acknowledged that staffers' personal information, including their Social Security numbers, may have been
exposed. Saying that [quote] "data security is one of our highest
priorities," [endquote] the letter offered employees 24 months of
identity monitoring services at no charge.

The league assured employees, however, that there was no evidence so
far that any of their personal data has been misused.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(AMATEUR NEWS DAILY, MAINE ATTORNEY GENERAL)

**
FCC CHARGES 13 LANDOWNERS IN CONNECTION WITH PIRACY

JIM/ANCHOR: The FCC has charged 13 landlords in the NYC area in
connection with illegal radio broadcasting. Sel Embee KB3TZD has that
report.

SEL: Thirteen New York area property owners have been put on notice by
the Federal Communications Commission which is charging them with
permitting individuals to engage in illegal radio broadcasts. The
properties were identified by the FCC as being in Manhattan, Brooklyn,
the Bronx and Spring Valley which is north of New York City. The FCC
also sent notices to land owners in Newark and Irvington, New Jersey,
to the city's immediate west.

The enforcement action taken on July 11th was done under the PIRATE Act
which strengthens the agency's powers of sanction and sets higher
penalties for violations. An FCC press release said that if the
property owners continue to permit illegal radio activity, they could
face fines of as much as $2.4 million.

The acronym stands for Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through
Enforcement Act, which took effect in April of 2021.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(FCC)

**
SILENT KEY: MAINSTAY OF PENNSYLVANIA EMCOMM, FRANK COLE N3TN

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in western Pennsylvania are mourning the death of a
key member of the emergency communications system who was also a friend
and mentor. We have details about his life and contributions from
Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: A devastating tornado charted the course of the amateur radio
career of John Franklin Cole, N3TN, who was known to his friends as
Frank. The tornado swept through Beaver County, Pennsylvania in 1985,
three years after Frank became licensed. That same tornado swept
Frank's radio future in the direction of community service and he
devoted himself to helping get the word out in emergencies.

Frank became a Silent Key on Wednesday the 10th of July.

Throughout his years on the air, Frank served as the ARES Emergency
Coordinator for Beaver County and was active as a RACES officer. He
belonged to the Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association and the Triple
"A" Amateur Radio Association, Inc. His longtime friend Eddie KB3YRU
said that his deep, resonating voice could be heard often on many nets throughout the region.

A final radio call for Frank was held at the start of the Western
Pennsylvania Phone Traffic Net on Friday the 12th of July.

Eddie told Newsline: "Frank always had a story to tell and now we will
carry his stories on as we share them with others."

Frank was 77.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(EDDIE MISIEWICZ, KB3YRU)

**
DAVE KALTER YOUTH DX GROUP JOINS IOTA CONTEST

JIM/ANCHOR: A new adventure will begin on the 27th of July for the
young radio operators who are part of the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure.The young amateurs will be using the special event callsign
K3Y on the HF bands during the RSGB IOTA contest that weekend. For the
second consecutive year, they will be hosted by the K3LR Contest Group
station in western Pennsylvania - one of the world's largest contest
stations. The youth team will be Ian, KI8NA, and Lily, W8LIL. They will
be accompanied by youth mentors Katie, KE8LQR and Grace, KE8RJU. A
press release from the Youth DX Adventure organization said that there
were housing issues this year for the team's planned internationaltrip.

For details, visit youthdxa dot org (youthdxa.org)

(JIM STORMS, AB8YK)

**
VIDEO OFFERS DEEPER LOOK AT OFCOM LICENCE CHANGES

JIM/ANCHOR: Although new ham license conditions have been in effect in
Great Britain since February, some of the regulator's changes are still baffling to many amateurs Jeremy Boot G4NJH has a report about a new
video designed to make things clearer.

JEREMY: Five months ago, Ofcom put new licence conditions in place for
radio amateurs in the UK, affecting a range of factors including
callsigns and power limits. Hams who are still uncertain about the
impact of these changes can get a fuller explanation by watching a new
video summary released by the Radio Society of Great Britain. Available
on both the website and the YouTube channel of the RSGB, the video
looks at changes for Foundation licensees, including the ability to
operate their stations remotely via the Internet -- and the privilege
granted to unlicensed persons to operate under supervision of a licence
holder.

The three-minute video also explores the next changes Ofcom has
planned. Follow the links in this week's ARNewsline script to see
thevideo.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

[DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_sYPZ9T18

https://rsgb.org/main/news/special-focus/licence-review/ ]

**
POTA'S SUPPORT YOUR PARKS WEEKEND ARRIVES

JIM/ANCHOR: Parks on the Air's summer edition of Support Your Parks
weekend arrives on the 20th and 21st of July and the bands are likely
to be busy with activators and chasers. This is one of POTA's five
official events conducted throughout the year. The next Support Your
Parks weekend will be on October 19th and 20th. Participants in Support
Your Parks weekend events are eligible for downloadable certificates.

(POTA)

**
NASA: IONOSPHERE'S PLASMA 'BUBBLES' TIED TO INTERFERENCE

PAUL/ANCHOR: We amateurs aren't the only people who sometimes scratch
our heads over the bizarre behavior of the ionosphere. Even the experts
at NASA have their moments of doubt. Kent Peterson KC0DGY tells uswhy.

KENT: The images of two oddly shaped ionospheric plasma "bubbles" ave
been captured by a NASA spectrograph project and scientists are saying
that they may be tied to disruptions in radio communications. They are
hoping for a better understanding of these electrically charged shapes
- and why they occur - in their search for clues into how to make radio communications more resilient during disturbances such as major solar
storms.

The images of these rarely seen shapes were captured by a NASA mission
known as Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, known by the
acronym GOLD. GOLD is a two-channel spectrograph launched six years ago
with the mission to capture images of ionospheric weather.

NASA scientists believe that storm activity in the ionosphere created
the oddly shaped plasma bubbles that they saw. GOLD has captured them previously but only during extreme space or terrestrial disturbances.
They are shaped like the letter "C"-- or its reverse -- and sometimes
the letter "X.." They typically form near the magnetic equator of our
planet. Normally, plasma bubbles are long and straight, leading
scientists to believe these odd shapes are the result of forces such as terrestrial winds.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY. (POPULAR MECHANICS, SCIENCE.NASA.GOV)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K7ECI repeater of the Elmore County Amateur Radio Club in Mountain
Home, Idaho on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. local time.

**
FROM HACKERS TO HAMS? SURE!

JIM/ANCHOR: Ham radio lecturer and educator Dan Romanchik KB6NU came to
New York City to help those in the hacker and STEM/STEAM community
blaze a trail into amateur radio. By the time he had finished teaching
his one-day course, "Ham Radio for Hackers," on July 13th, 25 hackers
had passed the Technician test. The Hackers On Planet Earth, or HOPE, conference turned out to be a ripe place for nurturing amateurs along
this nontraditional path to radio. Ed, N2XDD and Nicole, AD2IM, who
were part of the Volunteer Examiner team, told Newsline that the new
licensees included a 9-year-old girl. They said they shared Dan's hope
that the worlds of hackers and hams will continue to merge
successfully.

(ED, N2XDD, NICOLE, AD2IM; BLOG OF DAN KB6NU)

**
NEW ZEALAND CW OPS TO DEMONSTRATE BASIC SENDING

JIM/ANCHOR: CW op in New Zealand are getting ready for a repeat
performance of a successful public demonstration held last year. Jim
Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what they've got planned.

JIM: Based on their successful demonstration of a CW radio station last
year at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Western Springs,
members of the Franklin Amateur Radio Club and the NZ Net are planning
to do it again. When the visitors get on the air on the 18th of August,
under the supervision of licensed hams, the message they will send will
be a simple one: their own names, which they will send using a Morse
key. As the signal goes out on 40m, Neil ZL1NZ, and Paul, ZL1AJY, will
be listening and will respond by sending the person's name back tothem.

Peter Henderson, ZL1PX, president of the Franklin Amateur Radio Club,
told Newsline that the popular event grew out of a request from the
museum itself after staffers noticed that the most popular exhibit in
the Telecom Exhibition Centre was the Morse code key and buzzer. The
museum had told Peter last year that many families stopped to try it
out and to practice sending messages. That's what inspired the idea of
a live, on-the-air event.

Peter reported about the last year's event in the NZ Net newsletter of
the New Zealand CW Net, saying[quote] "I can't think of a nicer way to
spend a Sunday." [endquote] With luck, this year's event will be a
repeat of another nice Sunday.

Meanwhile, he said, a much larger version of the event is in the
planning stages for October at a steam-train attraction.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(FRANKLIN AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**
TEAM PREPS FOR ST. PAUL ISLAND DXPEDITION

JIM/ANCHOR: A DXpedition team is getting ready to operate from Canada's
St. Paul Island - and it might be the last visit for a while, according
to Dave Parks WB8ODF.

DAVE: A wind-swept, environmentally sensitive, treeless island in
Canada is about to become home to a team of 10 DXpeditioners. They will
be getting on the air on the 26th of August and remain until the 5th of September. This is the St. Paul Island CY9C DXpedition, which has been
granted access to the island by the Canadian Department of Fisheries
and Oceans for this short window of time.

The island, which is off the coast of Nova Scotia in the Cabot Strait,
has designations in three award schemes: POTA, as CA-0122; Lighthouse, STP-002; and IOTA, NA-094. This is a return trip for many on the team,
who will be focusing on CW but also operating SSB, FT8 and RTTY. There
will also be satellite and moonbounce operation.

The hams received a grant from the Northern California DX Foundation to
help sponsor this DXpedition, which is still raising funds. According
to the team, this is the most expensive CY9 DXpedition to date. The
team writes on its web page: [quote] "This could well be the last CY9
St. Paul Island operation for many years to come." [endquote]

For details about the DXpedition, visit QRZ.com

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(QRZ.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Haru, JA1XGI, operating as JA1XGI/6 from
Minami Daito Island, IOTA Number AS-047, from the 21st through to the
23rd of July, using CW and FT8 on 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10 metres. He will
also be operating via the GreenCube satellite. QSOs will be uploaded to
Club Log.

Listen for special event station CR6B which will conclude operation on
the 21st of July, marking the 42nd International Motorcycle Rally in
Faro, Portugal. Listen on 160-6 metres for CW, SSB and the digital
modes. QSL via CT1EHX.

Ennio, IW1RBI [EYE W ONE R B EYE] is using the callsign IS0/IW1RBI
from Arbus, Sardinia, IOTA Number EU-024, until the 25th of July. Ennio
is operating holiday style and can be heard mainly using SSB on 80-6
metres. QSL via home call.

A team of five operators plans to be on the air as MM0UKI from the
uninhabited group of Flannan Islands, IOTA Number EU-118, starting on 1
August. If weather permits, they will be returning around the 4th of
August. They will be on 40-6 metres operating CW and SSB with three
stations. Operators are Nobby G0VJG, John G4IRN, Paul G4PVM, Mike
GM5AUG and Jamie M0SDV. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: SSTV TRANSMISSIONS PROMISE - AND DELIVER - THE MOON

JIM/ANCHOR: Our final story celebrates the triumph of landing
astronauts on the moon. These hams marked the occasion by landing
images on the moon, as we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Every year since 2019 - the 50-year anniversary of the Apollo
moon landing - the EME SSTV moon landing QSO party has celebrated the achievement by transmitting and bouncing images off the surface of the
moon. Doing EME on Slow Scan TV poses challenges: radio operators need
a strong signal and are always battling fast fading on the EME path,
which results in missing pixels on the moonbounced image.

Jan, PA3FXB, who was part of team PI9CAM, told Amateur Radio Newsline:
[quote] "That's part of the fun." [endquote]

This year's PI9CAM moonbounce party was held on Saturday the 13th of
July using a 25m dish at the C.A. Muller Radio Astronomy Station in the Netherlands. That date was chosen instead of the actual July 21st
anniversary because the moon's position was more advantageous for EME
contacts.

Moon-related images that were sent by the station included a portrait
of the Apollo 11 crew, their launch and the lunar rover. Perhaps the
most special image of all was that of a man who made it to the moon via
radio long before Apollo 11: Allen Katz, K2UYH. Al, a founding father
of moonbounce and the longtime publisher of the monthly EME Newsletter.
He became a Silent Key on June 20th at the age of 81. Jan told
Newsline: [quote]: "He will be deeply missed." [endquote]

The transmission of the tribute to the moon mission and Al were a
success. Jan said the images were received by the 5m dish antenna
ofI0NAA.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(JAN PA3FXB)

**
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 haiku
form. Share with fellow listeners the poetry that is inspired by your
ham radio experience!

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Daily; AMSAT; Blog of Dan Romanchik, KB6NU; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DXWorld; Ed Wilson,
N2XDD; Eddie Misiewicz, KB3YRU; 425DXNews; FCC; Franklin Amateur Radio
Club; Jan PA3FXB; Jim Storms, AB8YK; Maine Attorney General; Nicole
Adams, AD2IM; QRZ.com; Radio Society of Great Britain;
shortwaveradio.de; 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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