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DXER Ham Radio DX News

The latest dx news/current propagation and more. Visit mike's Amateur Radio Page at www.qsl.net/swlham

Thursday, March 28, 2019

DXER ham radio news 03/28/19

DXER ham radio news


(Source: Radio World via Ulis K3LU)
A prominent advocate for the AM band is petitioning the FCC to allow stations to use all-digital transmissions in the United States.
Bryan Broadcasting Corp. on Monday filed a petition for rulemaking asking the commission to initiate a proceeding to authorize the MA3 all-digital mode of HD Radio for any AM station that chooses to do so.
Permitting such modernization would “give AM broadcasters a needed innovative tool with which to compete” without harming others in the spectrum ecosystem, it wrote.
Bryan is licensee of four AM stations, five FMs and six FM translators in Central Texas. Ben Downs is the vice president and general manager, and submitted the petition along with the company’s attorney David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer. Downs also has served on the NAB board in the past, and he has been a vocal advocate for various regulatory steps to “revitalize” the AM band.
All HD Radio receivers in the market that have AM functionality would be able to receive such all-digital signals. But legacy AM receivers would not, which has long been a barrier to serious discussion of all-digital. Now, some observers say, the availability of FM translators for AM licensees has made something that once seemed unthinkable at least worth discussing.
There is one AM station in the country with special temporary authority to broadcast in all-digital. Hubbard’s WWFD in Frederick, Md., near the nation’s capital has been on the air since last summer. The station’s Dave Kolesar has been speaking in public about the ongoing experiment and will do so again at the upcoming NAB Show.[…]


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OSCAR-100

This spectrum monitor, hosted at Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall, shows the Qatar OSCAR-100 wideband transponder onboard the Es’hail-2 satellite.
You can read more about the WebSDR & Spectrum Viewer station at wiki.batc.org.uk/Es’hail-2 Ground Station


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2-way RX splitter

2-way RX splitter

March 09, 2019 No comments
The splitter or combiner is a very useful device. It can provide equal voltages, equal current, or equal power to matched or unmatched loads. Like all… Read more

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The post Qatar OSCAR-100 Wideband Spectrum Monitor appeared first on QRZ Now - Amateur Radio News.


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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jason Whiteley, who writes:
Hi Thomas,
[T]here is a really interesting interview with Radio France here around their DAB+ expansion and the possible shut down of FM in France later [click here to read].
I used Google Translate to bring it to English.
[Y]ou might also choose to link to this article about AM radio being dead in Europe (written in 2015):
https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/am-radio-dead-europe
The article is bang on though – AM radio is still very strong and thriving in Australia & the USA. Here in Australia at least, it’s DAB that has a minimal audience compared to traditional AM broadcast.
I just found both of these articles very interesting reading and thought you might like to put them up.
Have a great day,
Jason
Thank you very much for sharing these articles, Jason! Earlier today, we posted a note about digital AM here in the States (AM HD). There is a movement to increase this offering, but for true market penetration it would require car radios that can receive AM HD. Many a DXer dislikes AM HD because the digital signals are (unlike DAB+) inserted between analog signals. These band crowding sometimes causes interference to adjacent analog stations and certainly affects mediumwave DXing.


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NEWS UPDATE — The Amateur Radio Society of Kosovo, SHRAK, is proud to announce a youth activity in the WPX contest this coming weekend.  The youth of Kosovo and Turkey will join to work together and ultimately activate two station as; Z66Y (youth). The operators are Ahmet Bucko, Z63CAB, Donjeta Berisha, Z63DBB, Dardan Bojniku, Z63DBM, […]

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I sent in my $25.00 renewal to QRP-ARCI this morning. And I got to thinking how QRP has changed over the years.

When I originally joined back in the late 70s - the stated goal of the organization was to keep output power under 100 Watts, in order to mitigate QRM and needless interference. 100 Watts! Wow! We’ve come a long way from 100 Watts. It makes me wonder what the original founders would have said if someone had asked, “Hey ……. why not make that 5 Watts?” I can only imagine that stares that question would have received, at the time.

In a time when a lot of organizations seem to be raising their dues, QRP-ARCI has been pretty consistent. $25.00 is not a bad price to pay for “QRP Quarterly”, the organization’s magazine. It’s full of tips and technical stuff - I’m always learning something new. There’s also more “human interest” non-technical articles in there, from time to time, that just extol the fun of running QRP.

And even though I have never been, QRP ARCI does a bang up job of running “Four Days in May” every year at Hamvention.  I would dearly like to make it there one of these years in order to meet, face to face, the many QRP friends that I have made over the years. That would be grand, and is definitely on my “bucket list”.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
QRP-ARCI # 4488

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DXER ham radio news

Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers in Colorado stepped up as a mid-month “bomb cyclone” winter storm struck the state, with heavy rain shifting to heavy snowfall. The storm affected several states and led to significant flooding in Nebraska. Parts of Colorado recorded winds of nearly 100 MPH and record-low barometric pressure readings. ARES teams in Colorado began preparations a day ahead of the weather event.
Pikes Peak ARES alerted its personnel via email and a regularly scheduled Tuesday net and coordinated with the Special Communications Unit (SCU), a special cadre of radio amateurs in the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Most SCU members also belong to ARES, but when called up by the OEM, they wear their SCU hats. The SCU planned to deploy to the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) on March 12 and be ready to operate first thing in the morning.

At the time, the Red Cross did not anticipate needing Pikes Peak ARES support, so the ARES district planned to undertake weather spotting for the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Pueblo and relaying status information to the ECC. By the morning of March 13, however, the storm’s timing had changed, and the Red Cross requested ARES operators in four shelters, creating a problem with recruiting and deploying sufficient volunteers in time. Three ARES volunteers were identified, but by then the weather was so severe that only one was able to get through, amid difficulties.
At the request of NWS Pueblo, a formal weather net was called up and ran for more than 10 hours, even though the primary and back-up net control stations lost power for several hours. Some 70 operators provided reports during the storm and its aftermath. An informal net continued for another 16 hours until the SCU operators were released from the ECC.
“While the net started out as a weather net, it quickly became a common way for operators to report stranded motorists, requests for assistance, abandoned vehicles, Good Samaritan rescues — important so that the ECC could clear police, fire, rescue, and National Guard units from responding — shelter status, and requests about road conditions,” said John Bloodgood, KD0SFY, Pikes Peak ARES Emergency Coordinator and Public Information Officer (PIO). The storm stranded more than 1,000 motorists in El Paso County.
Neighboring Douglas and Elbert counties also took proactive measures on March 12, opening emergency operations centers (EOCs) in anticipation of the storm. Both counties count on ARES of Douglas and Elbert Counties (ARESDEC) radio to support communication in emergencies. Before the heavy rain turned to snow, the two counties had already begun to open shelters. The ARES team’s operations staff closely followed weather forecasts and knew this activation would be different.

“Our preferred procedure is to keep our operational periods to about 8 hours,” ARESDEC Operations Chief Denny Phillips, W0DDP, explained. “However, we knew that once our people were in place, especially on the eastern plains, that providing relief would not be possible. Our people would have ride out the storm in the shelters.”
As the storm progressed, it became clear to county officials that additional shelters would be needed. ARESDEC operators assisted the Red Cross in setting up shelters and organizing and managing food service.
“These were incredibly difficult circumstances for the people in the shelters,” said ARESDEC operator Dick Bush, WB0EVA. “I had a very good experience and would do this again in a minute.”
By the end of the storm, more than 1,100 people were hosted in eight shelters across the two counties. ARESDEC deployed 17 radio operators. Emergency Coordinator Jim Rooney, N4JJR, praised the volunteers’ performance, saying, “Our team performed well above expectations due to their commitment to training and willingness to serve.”
Colorado Section Emergency Coordinator Robert Wareham, N0ESQ, oversaw and took part in the overall response. — Thanks to Pikes Peak ARES EC and PIO John Bloodgood, KD0SFY, and ARESDEC PIO Ron Coffee, KD0TRY
Source:ARRL

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The post Colorado ARES Volunteers Muster for “Bomb Cyclone” Winter Storm appeared first on QRZ Now - Amateur Radio News.


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ARRL - The 3Y0I DXpedition to Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya) is off, at least for now. The skipper of the MV Atlantic Tuna determined it was not safe to continue its voyage to the remote Antarctic island after the vessel suffered some damage from severe storm conditions. The DXpedition had expected to arrive on the island on March 26 and be on the air by month’s end.
“The captain of the MV Atlantic Tuna had…


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The 3Y0I DXpedition to Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya) is off, at least for now. The skipper of the MV Atlantic Tuna determined it was not safe to continue its voyage to the remote Antarctic island after the vessel suffered some damage from severe storm conditions. The DXpedition had expected to arrive on the island on March 26 and be on the air by month’s end.
“The captain of the MV Atlantic Tuna had…


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ARRL - Starting on April 1, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will accept applications from US schools, museums, science centers, and community youth organizations (working individually or together) interested in hosting contacts with orbiting crew members on the International Space Station (ISS). Contacts will be scheduled between January 1 and June 30, 2020.
Each year, ARISS pr…


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Starting on April 1, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will accept applications from US schools, museums, science centers, and community youth organizations (working individually or together) interested in hosting contacts with orbiting crew members on the International Space Station (ISS). Contacts will be scheduled between January 1 and June 30, 2020.
Each year, ARISS pr…


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Nobby, G0VJG will be active as FW/G0VJG from Wallis Island, IOTA OC - 054, 8 - 22 May 2019.

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Primarily active during the CQ WPX SSB contest (March 30-31, 2019), look for ZL2AYZ & ZL2BGL from Chatham Islands as ZL7C. Activity outwith contest (March 28 to April 2) on 80-15m, CW/SSB/FT8/RTTY. Verticals and dipoles to be used. QSL via ZL4HU.

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From the Isle of Music, March 31-April 6, 2019
In a very special treat for our Russian-speaking listeners, our special guest this week is Robert Kel Torres, who has worked in Russia and sings some of his songs in Russian. In the second half, we listen to music by Chuchito Valdés.
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Sofia, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK) Station website: www.spaceline.bg
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0000-0100 UTC (New UTC) on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US).
Station website: www.wbcq.com
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
Station website: www.channel292.de
Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, March 31 and April 2, 2019:
That’s Odd, Uncle Bill!
Episode 106 is dedicated to the music of the late, great Don Ellis, a pioneer in several aspects of modern Jazz including the use of advanced odd meters.
The transmissions take place:
1.Sundays 2200-2230 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe
2. Tuesdays 2000-2030 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany for Europe.
Also recommended:
Marion’s Attic, a unique program produced and hosted by Marion Webster featuring early 20th Century records, Edison cylinders etc played on the original equipment, comes on immediately before UBMP on Sundays from 2100-2200 UTC on WBCQ 7490 Khz.


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