Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Jul 22 2021 19:33:24 FCC OKS EXPERIMENTAL 40 MHZ STATION FOR HAM IN GEORGIA PAUL/ANCHOR: The FCC has given the go-ahead to an amateur in Georgia who is operating an experimental station on 40 MHz. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, brings us those details. KEVIN: For the next two years, anyone tuning to the frequency 40.662 MHz is likely to hear a two-minute Weak Signal Propagation Reporter transmission coming from an omnidirectional antenna in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. Experimental station, WL2XUP, went on the air in mid-July under an experimental license granted through July 1st, 2023 by the FCC. Gregory Holcomb, NI4Y, who is assigned the new callsign, will be conducting tests on the band and his two-minute transmissions occur every 10 minutes. He is permitted a maximum output of 400 watts Effective Radiated Power. Details about the station were reported in the EI7GL blog, where the author, John wrote: [quote] The really big challenge now is trying to raise awareness amongst the amateur radio community in North America and making them aware of the 40 MHz band and the activity on it. [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE. (EI7GL BLOG) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the W4EDP and N4LMC repeaters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. local time. ** COMMERCIAL TELEVISION INDUSTRY RETIRES LAST NTSC TRANSMITTER PAUL/ANCHOR: The commercial TV industry has retired the last of its transmitters employing the original system used for black-and-white and early color TV. Jack Parker, W8ISH, gives us the details. JACK: Those of us who love our straight keys, our boat anchors, our tube radios and other parts of early ham radio have it easy. We can still use the technology from which our roots have sprung. Television, however, recently hit a milestone in the United States, where the industry retired the last few remaining commercial transmitters that use the system developed by the National Television Standards Committee. The NTSC system, which first defined black-and-white transmissions and later color, generated pictures comprising 525 lines displayed at nearly 30 frames per second. This produced the familiar analogue TV broadcasts that delivered programming to American audiences for more than 70 years. Now, in an age of digital and HDTV, NTSC screens have gone dark. The Hackaday blog, which reported the development in its July 14 post, wrote: [quote] "We have to admit to being sorry to see the passing of analogue TV, it was an intricate and fascinating system that provided a testbed for plenty of experimentation back in the day. Perhaps as we see it slip over the horizon it's worth pondering whether its digital replacement will also become an anachronism in an age of on-demand streaming TV. " [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH. (HACKADAY) ** ARRL REOPENS CONNECTICUT HEADQUARTERS PAUL/ANCHOR: The ARRL's headquarters is back in business. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, gives us the details of the ceremonial reopening of the doors. SEL: The doors are open again in Newington, Connecticut, home to the American Radio Relay League. The ARRL hosted a rededication ceremony there on July 15th to coincide a return to business as usual as pandemic restrictions have eased. Members of the ARRL's board of directors were in town from around the country to attend board and committee meetings and were present at the ceremony. The league shut its building at the close of the day on March 23, 2020 in response to the governor's executive order for businesses. It was just days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. Many ARRL staffers worked remotely instead. Other services, such as the W1AW bulletin and the code-practice transmissions continued. ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, said he was pleased to see the league's services and staffing bounce back. He said [quote] "This speaks to the resilience and dedication of our staff, board members and volunteers." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Sel Embee, KB3TZD. (THE BRISTOL PRESS, ARRL) --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .