Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2253, for Friday, January 1st, 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2253 with a release date of Friday, January
1st, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. A satellite 'first' for a small island nation.
A California community rallies around a damaged radio tower - and hams
in the US face new fees for their licenses. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2253 comes your way right now.
**
HAM RADIO IS PART OF MAURITIUS' FIRST SATELLITE
PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to a small island nation
in the Indian ocean that is poised to enter the world of amateur radio
satellites in the new year. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has the details.
GRAHAM: Get ready for a history-making satellite to launch in February
of 2021: Mauritius is preparing to send MIR-SAT1, the nation's first
CubeSat, to the International Space Station. The nanosatellite will be carrying
an amateur radio digipeater and a whole lot of national pride.
It is the creation of a team of engineers from Mauritius working with a
ham radio operator from the Mauritis Amateur Radio Society. The project
was also a collaboration with AAC-Clyde Space UK. "MIR" stands for
Mauritius InfraRed satellite.
According to the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, the
satellite will use the digipeater to enable experimental communication
with other islands via the satellite, both for emergency purposes and
scientific research. The CubeSat will also collect land and ocean data.
Management of ocean resources is a top priority of the government of
the Republic of Mauritius.
It is expected to be deployed in May or June from the Japanese
Experimental Module on board the ISS. MIR-SAT1 has an expected lifetime
of between two and three years and during that time it is expected to
make ground contact with Mauritius four to five times daily.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.
(AFRICA NEWS, MAURITIUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL)
**
NEW FCC FEE REQUIRES US HAMS TO PAY $35
PAUL/ANCHOR: In an action that many hams throughout the US had been
watching closely for months, the Federal Communications Commission is
now requiring amateurs to pay a $35 application fee for new licenses, renewals,
and vanity call signs. The controversial move by the agency
is a modification of its earlier proposed fee of $50. The FCC announced
its decision on December 29th, after reviewing nearly 4,000 public
comments submitted. Commissioners said they determined that amateurs,
who previously paid no fees for their licenses, were not considered
exempt from such payments. In another action, US hams are also being
required to post their email addresses in the FCC's Universal Licensing System,
or ULS, enabling the agency to email their licenses to them.
Hams may either log into the ULS itself or apply for an administrative
update through a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. This change is an
important step for hams, because the FCC plans to use email for all
notifications to licensees.
(FCC)
**
COMMUNITY RALLIES TO REPAIR CALIFORNIA RADIO TOWER
PAUL/ANCHOR: Efforts are under way to help rebuild a California radio
tower that was devastated by wildfires in the summer of 2020. Ralph
Squillace, KK6ITB, has that story.
RALPH: When wildfires ignited by lightning swept through northern
California this past summer, they consumed more than 86,000 acres in
San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. The fires also left another
casualty: the Empire Grade Radio Tower and its equipment. The tower
provided critical connections for firefighters, hams and Community
Emergency Response Teams. The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz has
pledged $25,000 from its Fire Response Fund to the restoration of this
important radio tower and is using the pledge to match donations, many
of which are being collected via the GoFundMe site.
The nonprofit organization wrote on the fundraising site: [quote] ôThe
loss of this tower has impacted several community organizations. Fire
departments relying on the Alertwildfire camera; community fund-raisers
like bike and horseback rides that rely on the ham radio communicators
who used repeaters at the tower site; and emergency preparedness, like
the CERT teams and equine evacuation teams that also relied on the
communication resources made possible by this tower.
According to the Salinas Valley Repeater Group website, the tower's destruction
impacted the W6WLS 2 meter repeater, the W6DXW 70 cm
repeater, and the WB6ECE 70 cm simulcast repeater. The website said
that the W6WLS repeater returned to the air in October with a temporary
setup in the Santa Cruz mountains, running analog only and on battery
or generator power.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB.
(SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL)
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