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 9XØR DXpedition to Rwanda in 2008, the STØR DXpedition to South Sudan in 2011 and most recently an activation as 1AØC 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 in 2017. 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 bad TVI. 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. 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