Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Feb 17 2022 21:30:14

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2312, for Friday, February 18th, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312, with a release date of Friday,
February 18th, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Police identify the body of an Australian 
amateur. New insights into an RFI mystery -- and there's still time for a 
contact with Pluto...the special event, that is. All this and more, as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2312 comes your way right now.

**

AUSTRALIAN HAM'S BODY IDENTIFIED IN DOUBLE MURDER

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the tragic conclusion to a 
missing persons story reported here on Newsline on two years ago. The 
bodies of an amateur radio operator and his companion have been 
positively identified. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, brings us that story.

GRAHAM: Russell Hill, VK3VZP, and Carol Clay, disappeared two years ago 
in the Victorian bushland where the two had gone camping. The last 
message heard from Russell was on March 20th of 2020 when he made a QSO 
on one of the HF bands, reporting his location at Wonnangatta Valley in 
the Victorian Alps. No one heard from them again. One day later, campers 
discovered the radio operator's vehicle, and the couple's campsite 
destroyed by fire.

Forensic testing has now confirmed the identity of remains found last 
November as those of the radio ham and his friend. A pilot who worked for 
Jetstar Airways -- and who had been camping nearby --  was arrested last 
November and charged with two counts of murder. The pilot, Greg Lynn, 55, 
is due in court in May.

Police have described the couple's disappearance as one of their most 
high-profile cases.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.

(THE NEW DAILY, SKYNEWS.COM)

**

RFI ISSUES TIED TO PLANES' OLDER ALTIMETERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A further look into airliners' RFI problems following the 
recent launch of 5G service by US cellphone carriers has turned up an 
interesting technical finding. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, has that update.

KENT: Despite a protective guard band to separate frequencies used by 
cellphone carriers and airliners, signals from newly deployed 5G wireless 
service in the US are still capable of compromising commercial airplane 
safety in aircraft using older altimeters lacking filters, an expert 
witness told US lawmakers in Washington, DC. Dennis Roberson (ROE-BURR-
SON) told a subcommittee in the US House of Representatives that older 
radio altimeters lack filters that prevent that kind of risky signal 
conflict that can interfere with critical navigation, especially during 
landing. His testimony came following airlines' decision to ground or 
redirect some of their flights scheduled to land in airports near 5G 
cellphone towers. Carriers including AT&T and Verizon now operate on the 
C-band spectrum between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz. Altimeters are designed to 
operate on frequencies between 4.2 GHz and 4.4 Ghz. Roberson said this 
kind of interference is not believed to have been a factor in any crashes 
but the potential does exist because older altimeters are capable of 
picking up transmissions outside of their assigned band, such as those 
used by 5G service. He said that a guard band provided a "large cushion" 
between the carriers' and the altimeters' allocations on the spectrum, 
but nonetheless, without filters in place on the altimeters, signal 
conflicts could still occur.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(URGENTCOMM)

**

SILENT KEY: HAMVENTION VOLUNTEER GREGORY DEAN, N9NWO

PAUL/ANCHOR: This year's Hamvention will be going forward in Xenia, Ohio 
without one of its dedicated volunteers. He became a Silent Key this 
month, as we hear from Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

KEVIN: A well-respected volunteer at the annual Hamvention in Xenia has 
become a Silent Key. Greg Dean, N9NWO, died on February 5th in a 
Lafayette, Indiana hospital. According to QRZ.COM, Greg was a veteran of 
the US Army National Guard and Army Reserve with tours in Desert Storm, 
Bosnia, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. Licensed since 1968, he belonged to 
the Quarter Century Wireless Association and the Straight Key Century 
Club. Friends posted on his Facebook page, praising his volunteer work at 
Hamvention and the regular help he provided with QSLs for the W9IMS 
event.

Greg was 71.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.

(QRZ, FACEBOOK, HIPPENSTEEL FUNERAL SERVICE)
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