Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Apr 15 2021 22:39:39 WSPR SIGNALS CONFIRM DOOMED AIRLINER'S ROUTE STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you think Weak Signal Propagation Reporting is of great benefit only to hams, guess again - and listen to this story from Graham Kemp, VK4BB. GRAHAM: The memory of the doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is seared into the memory of many who recall the ill-fated Boeing 777. The Beijing-bound aircraft vanished somewhere over the Indian Ocean on the 8th of March in 2014 with 239 people on board. Two separate searches for wreckage and clues came up empty, although more than 30 pieces of debris have turned up in various places. Now radio, in the form of Weak Signal Propagation Reporting, or WSPR, may be offering some clues to its flight path. Hams, of course, often make use of this one-way, low power transmission mode created by Princeton physicist Joe Taylor, K1JT to test propagation. Now it is being used by aviation expert Richard Godfrey of The Independent Group in the search for the long-missing plane. He said recently that he believes the aircraft set off eight WSPR tripwires over the Indian Ocean validating previous flight-path analyses of drift modeling and Inmarsat satellite data. According to various news reports, MH370's final moments were in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, in a spot that can now be more precisely identified. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (SPUTNIK NEWS, AIRLINE RATINGS WEBSITE) ** COMM ACADEMY'S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE A HIT STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A free emergency communications training conference went virtual for the first time this year and the response was overwhelming. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, has that report. CHRISTIAN: Comm Academy, the free annual training conference for emergency communicators, exceeded its geographic boundaries this year and in doing so, exceeded expectations. This month's two-day conference marked the first time it has been held virtually, allowing for worldwide participation. According to Tim Helming, WT1M, the number of viewers watching live often exceeded 1400 and never dropped below 950. The format offered pre-recorded presentations with live Q&A afterward. Going online allowed the 20- year-old conference to expand its more traditional regional reach within the Pacific Northwest community out to a worldwide audience. Tim told Newsline: [quote] "It was a vast amount of work, but we're all really pleased with how it came out." [endquote] Although organizers hope to return to the in-person format next year, Tim said there is no turning back now on inviting the world to attend once again and organizers are exploring various options. He told Newsline: [quote] "It's clear that there's a big hunger out there for this kind of training and community." [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH. (TIM HELMING WT1IM) ** TOP HONORS IN GERMANY FOR PIONEER IN HF, SDR STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A businessman, ham radio operator and pioneer in software-defined radio has been honored in Germany for his achievements. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, gives us the details. ED: Ulrich Rohde, developer of the SDR technology, has been recognised in Germany for advancing the use of microwave and high frequency radio. He has been given the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on the recommendation of Markus S”der, Minister-President of Bavaria. Ulrich holds the call sign DJ2LR in Germany, and N1UL in the US. Ulrich, a respected professor, is a partner in the Munich-based technology company, Rohde & Schwarz, which deals in HF technologies. According to the biography on his company website, his many previous honours include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Club of America, the Industrial Pioneer Award of the IEEE and the IEEE Region 1 Award for his work in the design and use of RF technology. He has been granted numerous honorary professorships and doctorates around the world. Last year in Germany, a special call sign DL35SDR was issued, recognizing his presentation 35 years ago of SDR technology at a conference in 1985. He has also been a leader at numerous US-based companies, serving as president of the Rohde & Schwarz USA subsidiary in Fairfield, New Jersey and creating the New Jersey-based Synergy Microwave Corporation in 1985. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP. (DARC, ROHDE & SCHWARTZ WEBSITE) ** NORWAY AMATEUR LEAGUE HOLDS DIGITAL GENERAL MEETING STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Presentations by radio experts are the highlight of a convention being hosted virtually in Norway. Let's hear more from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: A digital HamConvention will be under way between the 18th and 26th of April in connection with the digital general meeting of Norway's national amateur radio society, the NRRL. The eight-day programme includes lectures from amateur radio experts, including various technical subjects and a presentation on the NRRL's role in a rescue operation during the December 2020 landslide in a Norwegian village. For the more adventurous radio operators, there is also a how-to session from a team of Norwegian DXpeditioners. Additional details are available in Norwegian on the league's website nrrl.no. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE) --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (454:1/33) .