Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Oct 29 2020 20:49:28

BUSINESSMAN CLOAKS ANTENNAS SPROUTING UP IN NETHERLANDS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you think the next news item could be a great
opportunity for someone to help hams living in restrictive communities
to hide their towers and antennas, you're right. In fact, an
entrepreneur has done just that - in the Netherlands -- only he gets
hired mostly by telecomm companies. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, has the rest
of that story.

GRAHAM: The Dutch company appropriately called Camouflage BV, is in the
business of making it seem like all those antennas have gone away. The
company's chief, Anton Hermes, is an expert at hiding them.

Hermes has earned the nickname "Antenna Man" for good reason. He's
helping cloak many of the tens of thousands of antennas cropping up in
The Netherlands, including the new influx serving the growing 5G networks.

Antenna cloaking no longer means just pretending they are part of some
very tall trees. Hermes takes a more creative approach, using objects that
resemble a church spire, fake windows, or the roof of a clock tower. The
only catch is that the camouflage must be crafted of polyester, since
many building materials block radio waves.

Although these antennas are for commercial ventures, hams can relate to
what he recently told a reporter for the online newsletter Vice
Netherlands. Hermes said: "This war against antennas upsets me."

Hams might say he has plenty of company.

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

(VICE NETHERLANDS)

**

THE GERATOL NET IS BACK FOR WINTER OPERATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The GERATOL Net is back. A new season of operating has
begun on this Worked-All-States Net. Extra Class operators in the U.S.
gather on 3.668 MHz every evening starting at 0100 UTC. Visit their
website at geratol.net - spelled G E R A T O L - and then plan to check
in. Newcomers as well as old members are welcome.

(GERATOL.NET)

**

FRENCH AMATEUR LOGS RECORD CONTACTS VIA SATELLITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There have been some new records set for satellite
contacts logged - and Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, is here to tell us about them.

NEIL: Two thousand twenty has turned out to be a record year for Jerome
LeCuyer, F4DXV, and his satellite contacts. He and Casey Tucker, KI7UNJ,
told AMSAT that they have set a new record via the RS-44 satellite. On
October 19th, the French amateur completed a QSO of 8,402 km -- or 5,220
miles -- with Casey in Idaho. This broke the previous record of 8,357 km -
or just under 5,200 miles - set in May between a ham in Germany, and a
ham from Louisiana.

Meanwhile, Jerome reported another record-setting contact - this one on
AO-27, working Michael Styne, K2MTS, in New York. The distance of this
QSO was 5,904 km -- or 3,668 miles -- beating the previous record of
5,682 - or a little more than 3,500 miles - set in June between operators
in Russia and Thailand.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

(AMSAT)

**

SILENT KEY: CLIFF KAYHART W4KKP

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A ham radio operator who had just turned 109, has become
a Silent Key. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, shares this remembrance of him.

PAUL: Back in 2016 my editor, Caryn Eve Murray, gave me an assignment to
contact and interview a man, who was believed to be the oldest living ham.

Cliff Kayhart, W4KKP was 104 years old at the time and had been a licensed,
active ham for 79 years. He was an absolute delight to talk to, bright and
sharp, and still active on the air. Our conversation was mostly about his
age and activity, but that story led to talk about World War II, and his
experiences before, during, and after the war. As Newsline went to
production on Thursday, Oct. 29th, we learned that Cliff had become a
Silent Key on Oct. 26th, just a few days past his 109th birthday. Our
condolences to his family and all who knew him.

After our Newsline report ran, we posted an extended version of my
interview with Cliff on our website as an "Extra." You can listen by
following the link in the text version of this newscast.

[[https://www.arnewsline.org/extra/2016/9/1/amateur-radio-newsline-report-
2027-extra.html?rq=cliff%20kayhart]]

(above URL all on one line)

On a personal note, the phone call I had with him remains one of the
highlights of my career with Newsline, and one of the most memorable of
my life. W4KKP has gone QRT one last time.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**

BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline,
heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the WA2EHL
repeater in Burlington, New Jersey, on Fridays at 7 p.m. local time.
--- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (454:1/33)

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