Episode 3 - September 14, 2023

The main idea of this information is about the importance of AM radio in cars for news, community engagement, entertainment, and public safety information. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has launched a campaign to highlight the importance of AM radio as some automakers have stopped including it in certain vehicle models. They urge people to contact their representatives in Washington and their state to support the AM radio for every vehicle act. The NAB has also produced audio clips that radio stations can use to promote the importance of AM radio. Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the supporters of the bill. The legislation being considered is known as the AM radio for every vehicle act. The information also includes news about the International Amateur Radio Union World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship and students at Bowman Middle School talking to an astronaut on the International Space Station. On the highway And welcome to another edition of On the Airways with your host Brad Lowe K5BDL. You can reach me at k5bdl at arrl.net and also we'll have links for other shows we've had in the past radio k5bdl.blogspot.com well we've had this um pretty good weather this past week things are getting cooler looking forward to not being 100 plus each day so coming in back into fall so good to be having some of that. As I begin this episode I want to share with you a campaign that's been highlighted by the National Association of Broadcasters or NAB. They announced back in April 2023 a new campaign highlighting the importance of AM radio in the car for news community engagement entertainment and vital public safety information and their website nab.org they have a lot of the information about what this is what's happening is that this campaign is being launched as some automakers have now started not including AM radio in certain vehicle models and so they want to have people be aware of what's going on with that because as you know AM radio is very important for getting out information to the public as for public safety it is the backbone of the nation's emergency alert system and so then all of us out here depend on AM radio and we urge you to contact your representatives in Washington and in your state you can text AM to 52886 for more information that will be sent to you and also our friends over at CKUT Sheldon Harvey and Sheldon Turno have more about that. We have a little bit more news on the movement to retain AM radio services. The National Association of Broadcasters is highlighting the importance of AM radio with a bunch of new audio clips that stations anywhere can pick up and use. The NAB has produced a series of six new broadcast ready spots three in English and three in Spanish that can be used by radio stations to promote the importance of retaining AM radio service in the United States. So we're going to let you listen to the three English ones that they've produced and you may start hearing some of these on your local radio stations. More than 80 million Americans depend on AM radio each month for news weather and emergency information. A new bill in Congress would make sure AM radio remains in cars because when cell and internet services are down this free service could be your only lifeline. Text AM to 52886 and tell Congress to support the AM radio for every vehicle act. Message and data rates may apply. You may receive up to four messages a month and you may text stop to stop. This message furnished by the National Association of Broadcasters. For over a century AM radio has evolved to meet the needs of our community. More than 80 million listeners depend on AM radio each month. It's also the backbone of the emergency alert system keeping us safe in dangerous times. A new bill in Congress would ensure this free reliable service remains in cars. Text AM to 52886 and tell Congress to support the AM radio for every vehicle act. Message and data rates may apply. You may receive up to four messages a month and you may text stop to stop. This message furnished by the National Association of Broadcasters. AM radio provides always on news sports talk traffic and weather reports. It also delivers vital emergency information when your community needs it most. A new bill in Congress would ensure AM radio stays in your car because when cell and internet services are down, this free emergency service is critical. Text AM to 52886 and tell Congress to support the AM radio for every vehicle act. Message and data rates may apply. You may receive up to four messages a month and you may text stop to stop. This message furnished by the National Association of Broadcasters. Some nice little ads there that kind of define what AM radio is all about and how it can help and of course don't forget to text Congress. Yep and let them know that you're in support. There was one piece of information I just saw this morning. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. She's one of the supporters of senators behind the bill. She spoke out this week in Minnesota emphasizing AM's critical role in public safety and communications information. So she is out there pushing forward the bill as well. So there's a lot of activity going on. I'm sure Congress has been bombarded by a lot of people in a lot of groups and what better timing as we are in hurricane season and tornadoes popping up and that sort of thing to show the importance of it. And our thanks once again to Sheldon Turnow and Sheldon Harvey at CKUT for that bit of information. And the legislation that is being considered in Congress is known as the AM radio for every vehicle act. I'll be posting link to this information from the National Association of Broadcasters for links on how to get in touch with Congress to show your support in this very important, as Jill and Sheldon mentioned, that we're not through with hurricane season, not until November. And of course, around here in East Texas, always severe thunderstorms can pop up and AM radio, especially our own local KTBB, 600 kilohertz AM, is very important as a regional station for getting out information to everyone and keeping the public alert for everything going on around here. The word amateur, the word can mean a lack of skill, but it can also mean someone that does it simply for love of the activity. Like in amateur sports, AM radio people are amateurs in the best way. For over 70 years, they have provided emergency communications for free, bringing thousands of dollars of their own equipment, hundreds of people and serving their communities all for free. The amateur radio emergency services are amateurs in the best sense of the word. And as we do each week, it is now time for the weekly ARRL audio news brought to you by the American Radio Relay League. Find out more about AM radio and the league at ARRL.org. This is ARRL audio news, your weekly summary of news highlights from the world of amateur radio. If you retransmit audio news through a repeater, listen for the Morse code K character, followed by four seconds of silence. That's your cue to stop transmitting so that your repeater timer can reset. I'm John Ross, KD8IDJ, and this is the ARRL audio news for Friday, September 8th, 2023. From the mountains of North Bohemia to the International Space Station, we've got it all for you this week, and amateur radio is along for the ride. At the 21st International Amateur Radio Union World Amateur Radio Direction Finding, ARDF Championship in Czech Republic, USA competitors won a silver medal for an individual competition as well as two bronze team medals. ARDF, also known as radio orienteering, is a multi-skilled sport that involves running and navigation using only a map and compass. Competitors use two meter or 80 meter radio receivers to locate multiple transmitters hidden in a forest, and that sport directly applies to important activities such as search and rescue, wildlife tracking, airborne and seaborne navigation and communications. The competition involved mountainous terrain, intricate navigational challenges, and periods of rain and elite racing. The USA fielded its largest team ever, including 21 athletes, with seven competing in a world championship for the first time. The IARU and Czech Radio Club hosted the event in the mountainous region of North Bohemia, with 28 countries and nearly 400 racers attending. Ruth Brommer WV4QZG won a silver medal in the W65 category during the 3.5 megahertz fox soaring event that combines orienteering and transmitter fox hunting. Nadia Sharloud KO4ADV and Natalia Leone earned a bronze team medal in the W55 category for 144 megahertz classic competition. Several USA athletes also finished within the top 10 results in nearly all of the classes, including two fourth place finishes by Sharloud. ARRL's ARDF committee chair Charles Sharloud NZ0I, who also raced, has a positive take on the USA team. They successfully navigated well-designed courses on rugged terrain against a field of skilled and experienced competitors. The USA Radio Orienteering Championship will be held in Michigan on October 7th to the 13th in 2024, and Team USA will select its team members for the 2025 USA Championship, and that team will travel to Lithuania in 2025 to compete in the 22nd World ARDF Championship. Thanks to the ARRL ARDF committee and event director Joseph Burkhart KE8MKR for the information contained in this story, and you can read more at ARRL.org. On August 28th, students at Bowman Middle School in Bakersville, North Carolina talked to NASA astronaut Steve Bowen KI5BKB, who was on board the International Space Station. For months, 22 students had been preparing for a 10-minute window to ask Bowen about his time and experiences on the ISS. They were able to ask 13 questions like, what is it like to be in space, and is the crew doing any research on diseases that affect humans? Section manager of the ARRL North Carolina section Marv Hoffman WA4NC presented the Supporting Upgrading Growing Amateur Radio Sugar Award to the school and to STEM teacher Dan Hobson for arranging that ISS contact. Hobson said the watching and static are suspenseful, but when you hear the man's voice or that person's voice come over the air, the kids know it is really happening. Bowen, by the way, returned to Earth with the SpaceX crew on September 5th. U.S. Congressman Virginia Fox also attended the event. She called that experience a stellar opportunity. ARRIS is a cooperative venture of the International Amateur Radio Societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the U.S., participating organizations include NASA's Space Communication and Navigation Scan Program, the ISS National Laboratory, Space Station Explorers, ARRL, and AMSAT. September 2023 has been proclaimed National Preparedness Month and to raise awareness of the importance of being prepared for sudden disasters and emergency. That's what that's all about. President Biden's proclamation issued on August 31st stressed the need to work together to help prepare for and recover from disasters. That proclamation stated, in America, we pride ourselves on emerging from every crisis stronger than we entered it. That is because our people are resilient and when we invest in preparing them for disasters and unforeseen disasters, we can meet every challenge together. ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnson, KE5MHV, said National Preparedness Month is a good time for HAMS to make sure they are ready for emergencies. Johnson offered the following advice. During the months of September, we encourage HAMS to check their preparedness and ensure they are ready for any type of event. Check your go kit, charge your batteries, and ensure everything is working properly and ready to go if the need arises. And that could be right at home and your backup gear or your go kit may be all you need to get on the air. Johnson also advised HAMS to check more than just radio gear, stating make sure you have enough food and water to get by for a period of time. Have your medications listed and pack that list in your go kit or somewhere you will have it available. Prepare for anything. It is important to make sure your family is safe before you begin any possible activation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has announced that their 2023 Ready Campaign theme, Take Control 1-2-3, focuses on preparing older adults in communities that are disproportionately impacted by all hazard events. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said, with the Atlantic hurricane season now underway, it is imperative that we advocate for the well-being of our nation's older adults and champion them as valued, honored, and respected members of our communities. Emergency managers and all those who work with and support older adult communities now have access to new FEMA web pages in English and Spanish at FEMA.gov. And you can read President Biden's full proclamation for the National Preparedness Month and more on this story at ARRL.org. Bruce Page, KK5D0, is here this week with his AMSAT report. Bruce? Thanks, John. Have you thought about roving and working satellites but do not really know what you will need? This can be done with very little equipment or with a lot of equipment. You can start out with a dual-band HT and an Arrow, Elk, or similar antenna. A headset will make it a bit easier to hear. Adding a digital recorder to the output and you will not have to log all those contacts, plus you will have the time the recording started. To grow on this setup, you can add a second HT. Now you have one for TX and one for RX. Now, to get a little more on the expensive side, plus much easier to operate, you can get a satellite-ready radio like the older ICOM 810, 910, 9100, or the newer 9700. A Chemwood TS2000 will also work fine. Along with that, some type of controller for Doppler. There are a few on the market. I mentioned the satellite-ready radios because they tune in one-hertz steps. This allows you to tune without missing anything that you might with an HT tuning step, which are much, much larger. You can get out there and rove very easily or make it a nice roving station. Whatever works for you. I have done it with a single HT, dual HTs, and taking my base station radio. Whichever setup you choose, practice a bit beforehand so that you are familiar with changing frequencies, pointing your antenna at the satellite, and pressing your push-to-talk at the same time. This is Bruce Page, KK5DO. Back to you, John. As always, Bruce, thanks for that report. The Collins Amateur Radio Club Station, W0CXX, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is planning three special events to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Collins Radio. Arthur A. Collins, 1909 to 1987, founded Collins Radio Company in 1933 and produced shortwave equipment before supplying equipment for the commercial broadcast industry. The company also built radios for amateur radio use, of course. After several mergers and acquisitions, the company began producing avionics for the aviation and aerospace industries and is now Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. On September 9th, W0CXX will host a special event station celebrating Arthur Collins' birthday. That will be from 1400 UTC to 2000 UTC. On October 14th, a special event station will be in operation from 1400 UTC to 2000 UTC to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Collins Radio. Then, on November 18th, the third special event station will operate from 1500 UTC to 2100 UTC to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club's charter. More information is available on the club's website, W0CXX. A silent key to report this week, David Dave Lee Koons, WTAW, former director of the ARRL Great Lakes Division, passed away on September 2nd, 2023. Koons joined ARRL in 1963 and was a member of the ARRL Diamond Club. According to his obituary published in the Dayton Daily News, Koons was a disabled veteran of the United States Navy, having served during the Korean War. Koons served in numerous volunteer roles within the amateur radio community, including vice director of the ARRL Great Lakes Division from 1996 to 1998, and director from 1998 to 2000. He was also a volunteer examiner through the ARRL VEC. Koons was a member of the ARRL Diamond Club. He was also a member of the ARRL Great Lakes Division from 1996 to 1998, and director from 1998 to 2000. He was also a volunteer examiner through the ARRL VEC. Koons was active in leadership of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, where he served as president, vice president, and secretary at different times, and he also served as chairman of the Dayton Hamvention Flea Market Committee and on the Communications Committee. Dave Koons was 92 years old. In radio sport this week, the year-long VOTA event, ARRL Volunteers on the Air, continues. At their website, you can see the state activation schedule for weekly W1AW portable operations, including September 6-12, Oregon, W1AW Slash 7, and Maine, W1AW Slash 1. September 16-22, Vermont, W1AW Slash 1, and Oklahoma, W1AW Slash 5. Upcoming contests on September 9th, the VHF FOC QSO Party, that's CW. September 9-10, the ARRL EME Contest, CW, phone and digital. Also on September 9-10, the WAEDX Contest, single sideband. September 9th, the Ohio State Parks on the Air, that is phone. September 9-10, the Alabama QSO Party, CW and phone there. And also on September 9-10, the Ohio State Parks on the Air, that is phone. September 9-10, the ARRL September VHF Contest, that's CW, phone and digital. And a reminder, you can visit the ARRL contest calendar for more events and information. Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions on September 10th, it's the ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention and Hamfest, that's in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. September 22nd through the 23rd, the HRO Superfest, hosting the ARRL Wisconsin State Convention, that's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And September 23rd, the Red River Radio Amateurs 2023 Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL Dakota Division Convention, that's in West Fargo, North Dakota. And finally this week, thanks to the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club in Bonham, Texas for airing the ARRL audio news on their repeater. 7-3. And that concludes ARRL Audio News for this week. Our thanks to all contributors to this week's report. ARRL Audio News is produced by the American Radio Relay League, the National Association for Amateur Radio. For more information on amateur radio or the ARRL, visit us on the web at ARRL.org. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter by searching for ARRL. If you have a question or comment about ARRL Audio News, email us at audionews at ARRL.org. This program is copyright ARRL, all rights reserved. 73, and thanks for listening. And our thanks once again to our friends at ARRL for that report. Coming up this next weekend, September 16th and 17th, Saturday and Sunday, is the Texas QSO Party. Operating time for Saturday is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central Daylight Time, and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Daylight Time. And you can count on both me, K5BDL, and my wife, K5PFL, Peggy, to be on the air to hand out Smith County for the contest, so check us out there. I mean, I'd love to work you there. The word radio. You are listening to a radio. Your cell phone is a radio. The wireless devices you have are all radios. Radio is all around you every day, and who were the first people to experiment with radio? Who had these mobile phones and digital wireless before you even heard of them? Amateur radio operators. Ham's used these long before the public, and you should see the future they are experimenting with now. Ham radio people love radio. And as I finish this episode of On the Airwaves, I want to share with you the silent key report of Larry Childress, KI5HUP, who passed away on August 7th of this year. It's August 7th, 2023, after a lengthy illness. Larry was a very active member of the Tyler M. Radio Club and a past president and a very good friend of ours. We sure miss you, Larry, but we know that you're making the ultimate queso with God right now with us, and I want to read to you Revelation chapter 21, verses 1 through 4 for Larry. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there is no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And we know, Larry, that you are up there with God. We'll see you there and have more quesos there. Love you, brother. And this will be K5BDL saying 73, and see you next time on the airwaves.