Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Apr 17 2020 08:24:51 ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST CANCELLED PAUL/ANCHOR: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed plans for a drill that was to be held next month by the Military Auxiliary Radio System. Jack Parker, W8ISH, has that report. JACK: Ordinarily, hams, and members of the military, would be getting ready just about now, for the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 9. Like so many other radio events around the world, however, this exercise conducted by the Military Auxiliary Radio System, or MARS, has been postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MARS interoperability test involves military stations using selected military frequencies to announce what amateur radio frequencies they are monitoring to enable cross-band contacts to be made. Armed Forces Day test planners said that government stations involved in the event may not necessarily be available, because of the worldwide crisis. Planners are instead looking at scheduling a similar event in November in conjunction with Veterans Day. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH. (MARS) ** YOTA REGION 2 SUMMER CAMP CANCELLED PAUL/ANCHOR: The much-anticipated inaugural Youth on the Air Summer Camp in IARU Region 2 has also been cancelled. The camp was to have been held in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area on June 21st to 26th. Organizers are trying to plan for an online event as an alternative in June, if possible. The camp itself will be postponed until June, 2021. ** FCC TO ACT ON FUTURE OF 6 GHz BAND PAUL/ANCHOR: The FCC is about to meet in Washington, D.C., and the 6 GHz band is on the agenda, as we hear from Andy Morrison, K9AWM. ANDY: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to act this month on changes that would open new frequencies on the 6 GHz band for use by Wi-Fi devices. Companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Google have eyed the opportunities on this part of the spectrum as a way to ensure faster internet connections. The commissioners are scheduled to meet next on April 23, and a recent report in Bloomberg News, said the 6GHz vote is on the agency's agenda. One of the major opponents of opening up the band is the utility sector. Utilities have said network reliability could suffer if Wi-Fi networks are given access to 6GHZ, because they will cause interference. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai proposed the change last year, saying that increased access to the radio spectrum would be an asset for future 5G development. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM. (BLOOMBERG NEWS) ** TOWERS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN NETHERLANDS PAUL/ANCHOR: Arson and sabotage are believed to be behind the destruction of some cellular broadcast towers in the Netherlands. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, shares the details. ED: Hams are not the only users of the radio spectrum, who often find themselves defending their towers. In the Netherlands, new protests have erupted, with the launch of a 5G data network - and this time, the angry opponents vandlised, and set the towers alight, according to news reports. A report in the Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, said that fire consumed much of the structure of the cellular broadcast towers in Beesd, Nuenen, Liessel, and Rotterdam. Obscenities were reportedly scrawled on the transmission box at one site. The Dutch government's NCTV, which is a security and counterterrorism body, said it believed that opposition to the 5G plan was behind the arson and sabotage. The NCTV said it was aware of similar attacks recently in the UK. The fight against the towers is nothing new in the Netherlands. Opponents have been claiming that, among other things, the radio waves imperil public health, and could potentially violate people's privacy. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP. (DW AKADEMIE) ** IN SEARCH OF NEWSLINE'S YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR PAUL/ANCHOR: Please don't forget that Newsline is in search of a talented young amateur radio operator to honor in the spirit of our late cofounder, Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF. Bill established the Young Ham of the Year Award in 1986. Nominations are being accepted for talented, community-conscious amateurs, 18 or younger, living in the US, or Canada. Submission deadline is May 31. For details, and this year's nomination form, visit our website arnewsline.org --- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (454:1/33) .