Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (D)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu May 04 2023 18:06:10

HAMS PREP FOR ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams are getting ready to participate once again in the Armed 
Forces Day Crossband Test - an exercise with an important mission. Jack 
Parker, W8ISH, explains.

JACK: From Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, to Camp Foster in Okinawa, 
military stations will be making two-way radio contacts with amateur radio 
operators on various ham frequencies as part of an important 
interoperability test that has united hams and government radio operators 
for a half century.

This year, the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test will be held on May 13th, 
testing two-way communications between hams and the military. It's an 
important exercise that does not have any impact on use of the bands by 
hams or other private radio operators. All communications are conducted on 
upper sideband unless the instructions specify otherwise. An internet 
search for DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day provides complete information, 
including participating stations, time periods and details about QSL 
cards.

Created in 1925, the Military Auxiliary Radio System, also known as MARS, 
relies on the skills of more than 3,000 civilians - most of them licensed 
ham radio operators - who assist the US military with communications at 
every level from local to international, especially in emergency 
situations.

This is Jack Parker, W8ISH.

(US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WWW.MARS.AF.MIL)

**

NOMINATE NEXT 'YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR'

JIM/ANCHOR: Time is running out to nominate your choice for Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year award. Candidates must 
reside in the continental United States and be a licensed ham 18 years of 
age or younger. We are looking for someone who has talent, promise and a 
commitment to the spirit of ham radio. Find application forms on our 
website arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations close on May 
31st - that's at the end of this month!

**

KICKER: FOR RADIO'S PROBLEM, THIS TOILET PAPER WAS ON A ROLL

JIM/ANCHOR: If you've ever been troubled by noisy speakers - no, we don't 
mean the kind you suffer through at an awards banquet - our final story of 
this week may be of interest to you. We should advise you, however, the 
solution to this problem is somewhat bizarre, even in the opinion of its 
creator. Here's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, with that story.

JEREMY: When Richard Langer received a second-hand DAB radio from a 
friend, he realized right away that listening to it at lower volume was 
going to be a challenge: there was a noticeable scratching sound that went 
away only if the radio volume was made louder.

Using the kind of ingenuity we amateurs also know quite well, Richard 
tried to find a way to fix the problem without the need to replace the 
speaker. Looking among some everyday household items, Richard ultimately 
got to the bottom - and yes, we do mean the bottom - of the situation. He 
reached for a roll of toilet tissue.

The speaker's paper cone had apparently warped, causing the voice coil to 
rub against the magnet assembly. The friction had worn out the insulation 
on the turns of the coil and taken it out of proper alignment. Crumpling 
the toilet tissue, he determined that if he inserted it at just the right 
spot between the cone and the metal housing, it would exert sufficient 
pressure to restore the alignment. The result? Good, noise-free sound.

Richard shared this simple solution in a recent video on his YouTube 
channel. The solution was picked up as well by the website Hackaday. With 
a clever permanent solution as close as one's own bathroom, Richard is no 
doubt pleased there will be no need for the little radio to be flushed.

This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

(HACKADAY, YOUTUBE)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: 

With thanks to the ACMA; Amateur News Weekly; AMSAT News Service; the 
ARDC; ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; Dignity Memorial; DX-World.net; 
the FCC; 425 DX News; Hackaday; Legacy.com; MARS; Maine Monitor; Mills on 
the Air; News Center Maine; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; 3916 Freewheelers 
Net; US Dept. of Defense; The Verge; YouTube; and you our listeners, 
that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.  

We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer 
non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. 
If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and 
know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you 
like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe 
to us. 

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and 
our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, in Charleston, West 
Virginia, saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. 

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.
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