Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2095 for Friday, December 22, 2017 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2095 with a release date of Friday, December 22, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. A ham radio operator's killer gets prison. Hams in Hong Kong mark an important anniversary - and Dayton Hamvention's getting a whole lot more space. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2095 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** PRISON FOR ILLINOIS HAM'S KILLER JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week brings a conclusion to a gruesome case, the killing of an amateur radio operator more than two years ago in rural Illinois. The killer has been sentenced, as we hear from Paul Braun WD9GCO. PAUL: The man who killed amateur radio operator Henry Murphy WB9TFX of Rockford, Illinois after robbing him, shooting his golden retriever and setting his home on fire in 2015 has been sentenced to 90 years in prison. Delano Foreman was convicted this past summer of fatally shooting Henry Murphy, a 67-year-old Army veteran. He also shot and killed the ham radio operator's dog, Shelby. According to the Rockford Register Star, Delano Foreman's attorney had urged Circuit Judge Ronald White to impose the minimum sentence of 20 years. The attorney, Erin Hannigan, asked the court to consider Foreman's difficult upbringing with a drug-addicted mother and a father in prison. The judge, however, said the killing reflected [quote] "a complete disregard for human life." [endquote] The attorney plans to file a motion for the sentence to be reconsidered. According to the Rockford Star Register, prosecutors had requested a 100-year prison sentence for the killer, saying he had a criminal record dating to 1996 in juvenile court and had been a gang member since the age of 10. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO. (ASSOCIATED PRESS, ROCKFORD STAR REGISTER) ** HAMVENTION'S NEW HOME GETTING AN OVERHAUL JIM/ANCHOR: May will be here before you know it and that means Hamvention 2018. It looks like Ohio's Greene County Fairgrounds will be providing hams with a whole lot more space, as we hear from Neil Rapp WB9VPG. NEIL: There is some building-up and some rearranging planned for the Greene County Fairgrounds in Ohio and much of it is being done with Hamvention 2018 in mind. The fairgounds, which made its debut in May as the new home of Hamvention, is getting a new Expo Center. Hamvention organizers announced on Wednesday, Dec. 20 that construction will begin soon and the project is moving forward with the goal of accommodating Hamvention 2018 this spring. Hamvention will also gain use of another building that is being vacated by longterm tenant Fairgrounds Furniture. The furniture store, which lost its lease in August, had been a fixture on the site and did business there for more than 40 years. Owner Melissa Smith told the Dayton Daily News that a major liquidation sale was under way. At the time the fairgrounds board of directors elected to end the store's lease, board president Jerry Liming was quoted in news reports as saying that negotiations to relocate the store to accommodate Hamvention had been unsuccessful. The store has until April to vacate. No details about the additional square footage available to Hamvention were given at the time this news was released but Hamvention organizers said they were assured that the additional floorspace will exceed the area of the tents that housed activities this past spring. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG (DAYTON HAMVENTION, DAYTON DAILY NEWS) ** SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE IN HONG KONG JIM/ANCHOR: If you happen to be DXing and you hear a call sign with the prefix VR20, listen up! Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains: JEREMY'S REPORT: The call sign prefix VR20 is an important one for hams in Hong Kong: it marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. On July 1, 1997, Britain ended its rule in Hong Kong and the former crown colony was reunified with the mainland. The British had acquired Hong Kong from China in 1842 at the conclusion of the first Opium War. By 1949, the island became a sanctuary for refugees fleeing communist rule. In 1984, after years of discussion, Britain and China finally came to terms with the fact that at some point Hong Kong should be handed back. That became a reality in 1997. So naturally the hams in Hong Kong are marking this important anniversary. They're able to use the new prefix on a purely voluntary basis through the 30th of June 2018. Be listening! For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE) ** SILENT KEY: MARGARET 'HOLLY' BEVAN N3MB JIM/ANCHOR: In Maryland, amateurs have been grieving the loss of a one-of-a-kind YL who had a major voice in the hobby. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us more. KEVIN'S REPORT: If you're a ham in the Maryland area, you have likely heard of The Holly Net. The Anne Arundel Radio Club's on-air gathering was run by Holly Bevan N3MB. The retired teacher was a lifetime member of the club, and at 101 years of age, the Extra Class licensee was a respected veteran YL. Holly became a Silent Key on the 9th of December. Her decades of activity with the amateur radio club included her work as a Volunteer Examiner and her work as a Field Day ambassador for the yearly event. On the occasion of her 100th birthday in March of 2016, she told the Capital Gazette newspaper that she had become a ham at a time when fewer YLs were involved in the hobby than they are today. The newspaper noted that she began studying for her license in 1979 at the encouragement of her son Michael who was serving the Navy on board a ship and wanted to stay in touch. She herself was a military veteran and became part of the first group of enlisted Navy WAVES in 1942. It was during her time in the service that her first name, Margaret, was substituted with the nickname "Holly," short for Holloway, her last name at the time. According to Mark Bova W2PAW, Holly Bevan's voice on the Davidsonville AARC repeater could be heard weekday mornings starting at 6 a.m. and earned her a following throughout the region. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (DX News; Reddit.com) ** SILENT KEY: ROLAND PEDDLE VE6RL JIM/ANCHOR: In Canada, the amateur radio community has lost a beloved Hall of Famer. Ed Durrant DD5LP has that story. ED's REPORT: Just weeks after his induction into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, Roland Peddle VE6RL has become a Silent Key. Roland, who had also held the call sign VO1BD, had most recently been honored on November 28th at his induction ceremony in Lethbridge Alberta. A native of St. John's, Newfoundland, the retired high school teacher began his radio experience as a shortwave listener before becoming licensed as a ham in 1952. His first call sign was VO1D which later became VO1BD after Newfoundland and Labrador reorganized their call signs. He had been president of the Newfoundland Radio Club, editor of their newsletter, emergency coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps and assistant Atlantic Director for Radio Amateurs of Canada and its predecessor, the CRRL. His book "Marconi to the Mobile Age: A History of Amateur Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador" is scheduled for publication in 2018. Upon learning earlier in the month of his Hall of Fame induction, Roland told Radio Amateurs of Canada [quote] "Amateur Radio is a wonderful activity and especially for young people learning new technology [endquote.] He said that [quote] "the best part is the people you'll meet along the way." [endquote] Roland died Dec. 7 at the age of 86. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. ** CLARIFYING NEWSLINE'S NEW BRUNSWICK STORY JIM/ANCHOR: Last week's Newsline report included a story about distracted driving regulations in the province of New Brunswick. Kent Peterson KC0DGY has an update as the nature of this story evolves. KENT: Radio Amateurs of Canada Atlantic Director Dave Goodwin VE9CB took exception to a number of points in a Newsline story released on December 15th on distracted driving regulations in New Brunswick Canada. Newsline has requested clarification on the driving regulations from the New Brunswick attorney general and will be preparing a follow-up story. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Petereson KC0DGY. ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the KJ3LR repeater in Bradenton, Florida, on Fridays at 10 p.m. ** DISTRACTED-DRIVING LAW EXEMPTION EXTENDED IN ONTARIO JIM/ANCHOR: In more distracted-driving newss---In Ontario, officials are giving ham radio operators a break behind the wheel. With those details, here's Heather Embee KB3TZD. HEATHER: Mobile ham radio operators in the Canadian province of Ontario are going to get the break they were seeking: Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has announced that it is extending the current exemption from its distracted-driving law for another three years, beginning January first. This means that amateurs will be able to drive while making use of handheld two-way radios in Ontario. Until now, that right was granted under a five-year exemption that would otherwise have expired on the first day of the new year. RAC Directors Phil McBride, V-A-3-Q-R, told Amateur Radio Newsline on December 15th that the extension was granted after much hard work and negotiation. Phil and Allan Boyd, V-E-3-A-J-B had been working with Ontario Transportation officials to see that some kind of exemption was preserved. It will now stay in place until January first, 2021. Although the RAC's goal is to achieve a permanent exemption, the group praised the MTO's action as being helpful. The RAC said it was nonetheless committed to achieving a more permanent solution for the province. It is important to note however that the use of handheld two-way radios by drivers is a permission granted by governments in each province and is does not fall under Canada's overall regulatory system. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD. (RAC) ** NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR YOUNG WISCONSIN HAMS JIM/DAMRON: If you're young, smart and live in Wisconsin - or know of a young ham who is - this next story from Geri Goodrich KF5KRN is for you. GERI'S REPORT: The Ozaukee Radio Club W9CQO in Wisconsin has funded a new ARRL Foundation scholarship to help a qualifying amateur radio operator who is a full-time undergraduate at a four-year degree-granting school. Applicants should be younger than 26 and must be U.S. citizens and residents of Wisconsin. The students applying should show a high academic level of performance in their studies, which can be in any field. The $2,000 scholarship from the Cedarburg, Wisconsin club will be administered by the ARRL foundation and can be used toward books, tuition, on-campus housing, school fees and any other costs related to the winner's college education. Applicants also need to submit recommendations and personal statements. The ARRL Foundation was established in 1973 and administers programs funded by radio amateurs and friends. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Geri Goodrich KF5KRN. ** TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO COURT CRACKS DOWN ON UNLICENSED OPERATION JIM/ANCHOR: An amateur radio operator in Trinidad and Tobago will learn in just a few weeks what the courts have in store for him, as we hear from John Williams VK4JJW. JOHN: The courts in Trinidad and Tobago are expected to rule in a little more than a month on sanctions being taken against a ham radio operator there who was transmitting without a license. The courts found Desi-Lee Bonterre guilty of operating without a license from his home in Point Cumana in Carenage in 2007. He was charged in September of that year. The Telecommunications Authority, TATT, eventually did grant him a license and his attorney Sastri Roberts requested leniency on behalf of Bonterre, saying that he was active in radio emergency response. Southgate Amateur Radio News notes that Bonterre is listed as an Extra class licensee in the U.S. and that he is a member of Radio Emergency Association Citizen Team, or REACT, and an American Red Cross volunteer. There is also a record of him holding a U.S. call sign in 2008. His QRZ profile lists him as an ARRL member, a resident of Brooklyn, New York and a master certified electronics technician. During his trial, Bonterre testified that he had told police, when they visited his home and found the transmitters, that he was repairing some of them at the time. The courts are set to make their ruling on his punishment in February. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams VK4JJW. (SOUTHGATE) ** FCC PROPOSES FINE AGAINST MANUFACTURER JIM/ANCHOR: An Atlanta company faces a stiff penalty from the Federal Communications Commission for failing to comply with technical regulations. Skeeter Nash N5ASH has those details. SKEETER: The FCC has proposed a $25,000 fine against a Georgia-based maker of fluorescent lighting ballasts for failing to label them as required by Part 18 rules in effect at the time of manufacture. The FCC said that the ballasts, two models in 2006 and one since 2009 - were required to have the FCC logo attached. At the time the models were manufactured, the logo was mandatory as a way of letting buyers know that the device had undergone compliance testing. Compliance with the rule has since become voluntary. The FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability against Acuity Brands Inc. of Atlanta on November 21st. The FCC said it raised its initial proposed penalty because Acuity continued to sell two of the models for a six-month period after it first notified the company of alleged noncompliance. The FCC noted that devices that are not in compliance with the agency's technical rules are capable of causing unwanted interference. A report on Southgate Amateur news said Acuity did submit test reports showing two of the ballast models met technical requirements but the company did acknowledge that for nearly a decade, three models of the ballasts were missing the FCC logo. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash N5ASH. (SOUTHGATE) ** WORLD OF DX Be listening through December 29th for Mauri, AG1LE operating as E51DXX from Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands. He is working holiday style on the HF bands using SSB, PSK31 and FT8. QSL to his home call. In the Solomon Islands, listen for Shane, VK4KHZ who is operating as H44DA until early January 2018. Listen for Shane on 80 to 10 meters, and satellite SO-50, but with a primary emphasis on 6 meters. QSL direct to home call. Rieder, HB9FIH is in the Canary Islands operating as EA8/HB9FIH until the end of March 2018. Be listening on 80 to 10 meters, and possibly 6 meters, where Rider will be using CW, RTTY, PSK and some SSB. QSL to home call. From the Republic of Korea, you can hear Special Event station DT23WOP who started their operation on December 1st. celebrating the Winter Olympic Games. They will run until February 28th of 2018. Send QSLs via HL1IWD. ** FLORIDA 'SANTA-HAM' SHOWS HOSPITAL BEDSIDE MANNER JIM/ANCHOR: Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be one more ham radio story about Santa Claus, along comes this report from Tampa, Florida, where a group of young hospital patients got the kind of medicine that can only be delivered via antenna and radio receiver. We'll let Mike Askins KE5CXP take it from here: MIKE: At this time of the year, almost all children want a little magic but perhaps no kids want it more than those who are in the hospital. Inside St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, the Child Life team partnered with the Bay Area Emergency Amateur Service for Santa to make a house call....er, a hospital call. In this case, the North Pole was a lot closer than you might think: the hams' station is actually housed inside the hospital's emergency communications center where it operates with the call sign W4TCH. That's where the hams are based all year long but at this time of year, for nine years counting, it has been turned into Santa Net Control. The Bay Area hams' coordinator Christopher Perry KJ4JHT said he never tires of the smiles it brings, not to mention the sense of reassurance to the kids that although they are hospitalized, they aren't forgotten. Radio: It's just what the doctor ordered. And at this time of the year, no one has a better bedside manner than Santa himself. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. (PR NEWSWIRE) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the Associated Press; CQ Magazine; the Dayton Daily News; Dayton Hamvention; DX News; the FCC; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; PR Newswire; Radio Amateurs of Canada; Reddit.com; the Rockford Star Register; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Space.com; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at www.arnewsline.org. 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 Charleson, West Virginia saying 73...and continued Christmas and New Year's Best Wishes. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.