Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Jun 17 2021 19:34:32 BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the WG8ARS repeater of the Germantown Amateur Radio Society in Germantown, Ohio on Sundays after the 9 p.m. net. ** WIA ASKS AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR TO REVIEW EXAMS PAUL/ANCHOR: Is ham radio as accessible as it can be to newcomers in Australia? The country's largest amateur radio society is asking a few questions about that and hopes the nation's regulator will have some answers. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, tells us more. JASON: The Wireless Institute of Australia has asked for a review of the ham radio licence exam and the management of the amateur operator's certificate of proficiency in response to what the WIA deems stagnant growth in the country's newly licensed operators. The WIA is concerned that even as pandemic conditions inspired many new hams in other nations to become licensed, the number of hams in Australia has shown no growth, particularly throughout 2020. The WIA report did not cite specific numbers in the news report on its website, calling it only [quote] "a lack of growth." [endquote] The WIA is asking the Australian Communications and Media Authority to review the amateur service examination system and find a new model for managing the certificate of proficiency's syllabus to encourage more amateur involvement. At the same time, the WIA continues to press for standard class licensees, the equivalent of the US General or UK Intermediate licences, to be given access to the six metre band between 50 MHz and 52 MHz in addition to the 52-54MHz that they already have. Advanced licensees already have access to the full 4 MHz. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW. (WIA) ** ISS PREPS TO DEPLOY CUBESAT FROM MAURITIUS PAUL/ANCHOR: Satellite-watchers, the small island nation of Mauritius is about to have its proud moment. John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us more. JOHN: The first amateur radio CubeSat from Mauritius is about to be deployed from the International Space Station where is being carried in the Japanese Experimental Module. MIR-SAT1 (Meer-SAT-ONE) was sent on June 3rd from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is scheduled for deployment on Tuesday, June 22nd. Its initials stand for Mauritius Imagery and Radiotelecommunication Satellite, 1 and it is a creation of researchers from the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council. The project went forward with support from the local amateur radio society and experts from technology provider AAC-Clyde Space UK. The CubeSat's missions include engaging in experimental satellite communication with other islands using an amateur radio digipeater. The V/U 9600bps GMSK digipeater will be available to hams around the world when the satellite is not in use for this or any other of its other missions. There is a downlink on 436.925 MHz. Decoders to be downloaded for free by schools and the world's amateur radio community were developed by Chris, AC2CZ, and Daniel, EA4GPZ. Visit the AMSAT bulletin board and the Space Mauritius website for links. 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 John Williams VK4JJW. (AFRICA NEWS, MAURITIUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COUNCIL) ** REVIEW: 'HAM RADIO FOR DUMMIES' BY WARD SILVER N0AX PAUL/ANCHOR: Still confused by a few things in this hobby called amateur radio? Ward Silver, N0AX, has updated a book he wrote to serve as a guide to hams at all levels of proficiency. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, has read the book, and brings us this review. NEIL: The fourth edition of "Ham Radio for Dummies" is now available. Ward Silver, N0AX, is once again the author. Since the previous edition, a lot has happened in ham radio. Every chapter has been updated in some manner. Many topics have been added and updated including software defined radios, many new digital modes and digital voice modes, and remote license testing. This book is not meant to be a study guide. Rather, it's a written reference Elmer. The book contains a lot of information, but broken up into small chunks for easier comprehension. "Ham Radio for Dummies" is a great introduction to ham radio for those who might be interested or just getting started. But, there's also some things for the experienced ham as well. Some of my favorite parts of reviewing this book were the labeled photos of all kinds of connectors, from RF to audio. The pictures and diagrams in this book are a huge help for those learning about ham radio for the first time. Also, the book is jam packed with quality hyperlinks to web sites with more information on the topics than will fit into a single book. It also has an extensive glossary. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG in Union, Kentucky. --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .