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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2453 for Friday November 1st, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2453 with a release date of
Friday, November 1st, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Delays announced for new changes to UK amateur licenses. Hams plan on-air tributes for wireless pioneers in India and
Brazil -- and a New York club remembers a Silent Key who was there
from the very start. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2453 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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OFCOM DELAYS PLANNED CHANGES TO AMATEUR LICENSES

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story comes to us from the UK, where ongoing
changes to amateur radio licenses have come to a halt. Additional
changes set for later this year have been delayed as the result of what
the regulator calls "system development issues." We have the details
from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Hams in the UK who have been expecting additional changes in
the licence system before the end of this year are going to have to
wait a bit longer for them to take effect, according to regulator
Ofcom. A recent announcement by Ofcom said that Phases 2 and 3 of the licensing-platform modifications were being delayed instead of going
forward later this year and in early 2025. The planned changes include
limits being set on the number of callsigns an individual amateur can
hold - in this case, only one personal licence per individual. This
will require hams who advance to the next licence class to surrender
their previous licence.

Ofcom had hoped to introduce the M8 and M9 call signs for those passing
the Intermediate licence exam to replace the "2" series and as an
optional change for Intermediate licence holders currently holding 2E0
and 2E1 callsigns. It is expected that at some unknown point, however,
Ofcom will take back all numeral "2" call sign prefixes.

Also when these changes take effect, hams will be permitted to change
their callsign but not more than once every five years.

The delay also affects changes to the application process for special
events, which Ofcom has said will become simpler, fully automated and
quicker.

Ofcom did not give a date for when these changes would go forward

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)

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HAMS RESPOND AS CYCLONE DANA HITS INDIA

NEIL/ANCHOR: As Cyclone Dana descended upon India recently, hams were
deployed to keep messages getting through in case the information
network was knocked out. We have more on that story from Jim Meachen
ZL2BHF.

JIM: As Eastern India prepared to be battered by Cyclone Dana on the
night of October 23rd, amateur radio operators were getting in place to
ensure lines of communication stayed open in the states of Odisha and
West Bengal. Relief workers were deployed and 1.5 million people were
evacuated and moved out of harm's way.

The West Bengal Radio Club quickly established two amateur radio mobile stations at the request of the district magistrate. The hams also set
up three base radio operations at governmental offices, powered with
backup battery power in case the weather took out the information infrastructure.

With its arrival, the cyclone brought wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph,
or 62 to 68 miles per hour, snapping power lines and uprooting trees.
Airports and schools were shut down. The cyclone's wind gusts reached
as high as 120 kph, or 75 miles per hour before weakening.

Early reports from officials in Odisha indicated that there was no loss
of life; unfortunately, one person was reported killed in Bengal.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(THE KATHMANDU POST: THE STATESMAN, MILLENNIUM POST)

**
AN ON-AIR TRIBUTE TO INDIA's JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE

NEIL/ANCHOR: India's foremost wireless pioneer is once again front and
center in a month-long on-air tribute that lasts until mid-December.
Want to work the station? Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us how.

JASON: For the past 17 years, Datta, VU2DSI, has celebrated the pride
of wireless communication in India. Born on the 30th of November, 1858, Jagadish Chandra Bose, was a scientist who gained global respect for
his work in botany, physics and electromagnetism. He melded the many
worlds of science in different ways to bring various discoveries to
light. According to Brittanica, his experiments in the 1890s with very
short radio waves would eventually contribute insights for later
researchers working in the realm of solid-state physics. He is perhaps
best known among India's amateurs as "the father of wireless
communication." His discoveries were made with homebrew equipment.

The scientist, who died in 1937, has touched the heart and imagination
of Datta who is once again calling CQ as AU2JCB to honour him. This
year he will be putting the special-event callsign on the air from the
15th of November through to the 16th of December.

For more details, see the QRZ page for AU2JCB.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(DATTA, VU2DSI)

**
HAMS IN BRAZIL HONOR PIONEER OF WIRELESS TELEPHONY

NEIL/ANCHOR: Although many amateur radio special events focus on the
earliest pioneering efforts that established communication via
telegraphy, hams in Brazil are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the
first wireless transmission of the human voice. The inventor-scientist
was a Catholic priest. We hear more about him from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY Listen throughout the month of November for PR5LM on the air.
The "L" and the "M represent the name of Padre Landell de Moura, an
ordained priest and and inventor fascinated with the concept of
transmitting the human voice - and later, images - wirelessly. Before
his death in 1928, Padre de Moura had successfully transmitted both
music and voice on the electromagnetic spectrum - a feat celebrated
throughout Brazil since his accomplishment in 1899. The declaration of
National Amateur Radio Day in Brazil on November 5th honours his work
and as well as the 1924 government decree that established regulation
of amateur radio stations in Brazil. By then, the priest had already
been granted a US patent while he was in New York City in 1904 for what
was known as a wave transmitted. It used a form of modulation that we
know today as amplitude modulation.

Amateurs in Brazil will be active on all the HF bands using CW, SSB,
RTTY and FT8 and hope to make contacts as well via the QO100 satellite.
They hope each contact will pay tribute to the man who successfully
navigated that delicate territory balancing religion and science.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(QRZ.COM, LANDELLDEMOURA.ORG, AMINHARADIO.COM, 425DXBULLETIN)

**
SWL COMMUNITY LEADER ANKER PETERSEN DIES IN DENMARK

NEIL/ANCHOR: The world's shortwave listeners and DXers have been
grieving the loss of a great friend. We hear more about him from Graham
Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: Anker Petersen was devoted to DX listening, shortwave radio and
to others who loved them too. Shortly after his death in Denmark was
reported in late October, hams, shortwave listeners and other friends
flocked to social media to share their memories of the man they
recalled with fondness and respect. The radio enthusiast played a
significant role in the Danish Short Wave Club International, which he
served for a time as chairman. He was also editor of the Domestic
Broadcasting Survey and Tropical Bands Monitor. Anker's voice could be
heard as one of the presenters on the club's international shortwave
news and music programme "DX-Window." The club disbanded in 2016.

Anker was remembered as having founded the European DX Council in June
of 1967. The council's membership eventually grew to include DX clubs
and listeners in Asia and elsewhere in the Pacific region.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(FACEBOOK, EUROPEAN DX COUNCIL)

**
BOEING-BUILT SATELLITE EXPLODES IN ORBIT

NEIL/ANCHOR: In the latest blow to Boeing, one of its Intelsat
communication satellites blew up in late October while in geostationary
orbit and has been declared "a total loss." The fragments are being
tracked by the US Space Force and Roscosmos but US officials said that
they have detected no immediate threats to other satellites.

The development is yet another setback for Boeing which is already
dealing with a variety of issues, including its troubled Starliner
spacecraft which NASA brought back to Earth without its two-person
test-flight crew on board because of thruster failures.

No cause for the explosion was disclosed. The satellite is frequently
used for internet, telephone and satellite TV and radio broadcast
signals. According to published reports, its launch in 2016 had been
delayed by three months after it developed problems with its primary
thruster.

(ENGADGET, AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K6PVR repeater in Ventura, California on Sundays at 6:30 p.m.
localtime.

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NEW ENGLAND HAM, N.D. CLUB ARE ECLIPSE QSO PARTY TOP SCORERS

NEIL/ANCHOR: A Massachusetts ham and a North Dakota amateur radio club
have been declared top scorers for their participation in HamSCI's
Solar Eclipse QSO Party this past April. Here's Dave Parks, WB8ODF.

DAVE: Congratulations to Dennis Egan, W1UE, who claimed the highest
score in the category of single op during HamSCI's Solar Eclipse QSO
Party. He shares the glory with the Souris Valley Amateur Radio Club,
K0AJW, in North Dakota, which claimed the number one spot in the
multi-op category. HamSCI, the citizen science investigation
organization, made the announcement on its website on the 24th of
October and thanked all amateur radio operators who got on the air.
Those QSOs helped generate data for space physics research about the
eclipse's impact on the HF radio spectrum and, of course, that makes
science itself the biggest winner.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(AMATEUR RADIO DAILY; HAMSCI)

**
PICO BALLOON BREAKS ITS SILENCE OVER THE ANTARCTIC

NEIL/ANCHOR: A hydrogen balloon from Arizona has ended its months of
silence with transmissions that were picked up by a ground station in Antarctica. John Williams VK4JJW has more on what happened.

JOHN: Many months after it marked its first anniversary of orbiting the
Earth, the WB6RER Pico Balloon was spotted over the Antarctic.
Germany's Antarctic station Neumayer III (Pron: Noy My Err three),
DP0GVN/1 provided the good news following a period of concern when the
balloon appeared to have gone silent for five months. The October 15th
spot by the Antarctic scientific research station showed that the
balloon was flying at an altitude of 45,735 feet, with its solar panel measuring 3.88 volts. Weighing 11 grams, the hydrogen-gas-filled
balloon was launched in May of 2023 from Golden Valley, Arizona by the
Hualapai [WALLA-PIE] Amateur Radio Club. One of its greatest challenges
during its year in orbit has been to overcome damage to its 20m dipole
antenna.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(QRZ.COM)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Alex, K6VHF will be using the callsign K6VHF/HR9
from Roatan Island, Honduras, IOTA Number NA-057, from the 3rd through
the 9th of November, operating mainly digital modes on various bands.
See QRZ.com for QSL details.

The 4U1GSC Amateur Radio Club is using the special callsign for an
event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Global
Service Centre in Brindisi, Italy. Listen for operators between the
15th of November to the end of the year. QSL via 9A2AA.

Makoto, JI5RPT, is on the air as JD1BLY from Chichijima, Ogasawara,
IOTA Number AS-031, from the 7th through the 10th of November, using
FT8, CW and SSB. Be listening on 40-6 metres and through the
satellites. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

The ONZ Oostkust Radioclub, ON6HC, is using the callsign OT80CLM [OH
TEE EIGHT ZERO SEE ELL EMM] from the 1st through the 11th of November.
This callsign recognises the Canadian Liberation March, which marks the liberation of the Belgian town of Knokke-Heist from German occupation
on November 1st, 1944 and honours the soldiers who were a part of it.
See QRZ.com for QSL information.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: NY CLUB ACTIVATES IN MEMORY OF A FOUNDER AND A FRIEND

NEIL/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to Robert Moses State Park, a
beachfront park on Long Island, New York. This is where the Atlantic
Ocean meets the island's southern shore -- and it's where one amateur
radio club is preparing a special event tribute to a Silent Key who had
been one of the club's founders and presidents. We hear about this
special event - and this special radio operator - from Paul Braun
WD9GCO.

PAUL: Even long after he became legally blind in 2016, Walt Grosser,
W2TE, would still find a ham friend who could bring him to Robert Moses
State Park so he could experiment with his many antennas by the ocean
and indulge in one of his favorite obsessions: dxing. Licensed since
November of 1948, Walt was the son of Raymond Grosser, 3WB, and the
father of John Grosser, W2ATE. He was an avid and proficient CW
operator who belonged to the Long Island DX Association and the Long
Island CW Club. Walt loved boating, aviation and all things Marconi
-traveling with his friend Tom, KA2D, to the World Radiosport Team
Championship in Bologna, Italy, to make a kind of pilgrimage to the
radio pioneer's birthplace in 2023.

This past July, at the age of 92, Walt became a Silent Key.

His legacy includes the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club in Babylon,
New York. He was present at its first organizational meeting in the
summer of 1974 - months before the club even chose its current name. He eventually served as the group's second president, succeeding the
founding president, Bob Myers, K2TV. On Saturday, November 9th, Great
South Bay members will be on the HF bands from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
localtime.

Although they will be calling QRZ with the club callsign W2GSB, with
every QSO their thoughts will be of W2TE - a founder and a friend,
forever missed.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO. (GREAT SOUTH BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB; BOB
MYERS, K2TV, QRZ.COM)

**
JUST SAY 'HI' TO HAIKU

If a good day of radio is like poetry to you, pick up a pencil and join
the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. 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 Radio Daily; Aminhararadio.com;
AMSAT News Service; Bob Myers, K2TV; Datta, VU2DSI; David Behar K7DB;
Engadget; European DX Council; 425DXNews; Great South Bay Amateur Radio
Club; Kathmandu Post; LandelldeMoura.org; Millennium Post; Ofcom;
QRZ.com; Radio World; shortwaveradio.de; the Statesman; 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
Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Union Kentucky saying 73. As always we thank you
for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

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