BREAK HERE:
Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
K3ALG repeater in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.
local time.
**
JAPAN'S HAM COMMUNITY SHRINKS BUT SOUTH AFRICA GAINS NEWCOMERS
PAUL/ANCHOR: It's been a discouraging year for amateur radio in Japan
-- but in South Africa, new amateur radio operators are celebrating
their new privileges. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, reports on both stories.
JASON: The number of licenced amateur radio stations has decreased once
again in Japan, according to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications. There were 389,343 licenced hams this past December, a
drop of 12,837 from December 2019 figures. In that month, there were
402,180 licensed stations but that number as well signified a drop of
about 15,000 from the previous year.
The majority of Japanese radio operators hold a Class 4 licence, which
was introduced as an entry level licence in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, a new group of licenced amateurs is ready to get on the air
in South Africa. Test results are in and the South African Radio League reports
there was a 95 percent pass rate for those who sat for the
exam. That means 81 new hams. Two of the candidates took the exam for a
Class B licence, which is the entry level license and is assigned a ZU
prefix.
The next radio amateur exam will be given on May 22, 2021.
Congratulations to all the new hams.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.
(SARL, HIDEO KAMBAYASHI JH3XCU)
**
SWISS REGULATOR CHANGES LICENSE PROCEDURES
PAUL/ANCHOR: The new year brings some changes for amateur radio
operators in Switzerland but it's mostly procedural. Ed Durrant, DD5LP,
has that story.
ED: In Switzerland, changes have been made under the new
Telecommunications Act affecting the administration of amateur radio operations
and related costs. The Swiss regulator Ofcom is moving to a licence-exempt
model that will require hams to have a certificate of
ability after passing a qualifying examination. Hams will be charged
110 Swiss francs, or about $122 in US dollars for call sign issuance.
Swiss hams will be required to pay an reduced annual fee of 50 Swiss
francs, or $55 in US dollars, down from 96 Swiss francs for their
annual license. Repeater and remotely operated stations continue to
need to be registered and they will pay a one-time fee of 70 Swiss
francs, or nearly $78 dollars. The same one-time registration fee
applies to systems operating above 1 GHz such as those hams wishing to
use the QO-100 satellite system.
In short, many procedures remain largely unchanged, according to
Switzerland's national amateur radio society. The USKA said in an announcement:
[quote] "The path to amateur radio is still the same and
for the already active radio amateurs everything remains as it was.
Only the management of frequencies and the associated terms have been
rearranged." [end quote] The changes are in effect beginning January
1st, 2021.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
(SOUTHGATE, USKA)
**
SWLs AND HAMS AWAIT YOTA AWARDS
PAUL/ANCHOR: December YOTA Month is over and now the wait begins for
the awards. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, picks up the story from here.
ANDY: Youngsters on the Air closed out a very active December YOTA
Month by announcing some good news for hams and shortwave listeners who
chase YOTA stations. YOTA is now providing awards for SWLs as well as
transmitting hams. SWLs need to register on the YOTA event website
where they can log QSOs they heard on the air, qualifying them for
awards at bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels. SWLs are also able
to use the website to request QSL cards after entering data about the
QSO they heard. To receive these cards, listeners must have an SWL
callsign and belong to a national society to use its QSL service.
Meanwhile, as December YOTA Month wrapped up its activity, organizers announced
that award plaques were going to be presented in seven
categories: Most Stations Contacted in CW; Most Stations Contacted in
SSB; Most Stations Contacted in Digital and Most Stations Contacted.
Awards will also be given to Best Overall Score OM; Best Overall Score
YL and Best Overall Score Youngster for operators younger than 26.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM.
(YOTA)
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* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (57:57/10)
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