Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Dec 11 2020 08:30:38 ARISS CONTACT TOUCHES DOWN IN OKLAHOMA STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In a part of Oklahoma with a proud space legacy, a new generation is touching the sky, this time via amateur radio. Here's Mike Askins, KE5CXP. MIKE: There's been a nice bit of astronaut history going on for years in Tucumseh, Oklahoma, and perhaps no one knows that better right now than the students in the Tecumseh High School Amateur Radio Club, K5THS. On Friday, December 4th, they added themselves to that local history book when they spoke over amateur radio with ISS astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB. The nine-minute Q&A happened over a 2-meter station built by 20 ham radio operators. Teacher Bill Crow, K5LUO, led the group in its effort to get the station, with its beam and rotators, up and running. One by one, the students quickly stepped up to the microphone inside the school auditorium to deliver their questions to Shannon Walker, who this year became the first woman to fly inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. You can see a video of the exchange in the printed version of this report's script on the Amateur Radio Newsline website. [arnewsline.org] [FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/y3kofh36] Making space history seems to be a natural for this part of Oklahoma. Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was a native of nearby Shawnee, and attended Shawnee High School, where he played on the school's football team. Gordon Cooper Drive is named for the space pioneer, and it runs between Shawnee and Tecumseh. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP. (MARK KLEINE N5HZR, W5NOR.ORG) ** '12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS' RETURNS FOR 3RD YEAR STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In just a few days, the 12-day countdown to Christmas begins - and so does a popular holiday special event. Jim Damron, N8TMW, tells us how to get involved. JIM: If Salli Rosato, K2RYD, is feeling a little bit like Mrs. Santa Claus right now, there's good reason: For weeks now, she's been getting wish lists from hams everywhere, and it seems they're all asking for the same present: Another chance to work the operators in the Annual 12 Days of Christmas Special Event. Well, that wish has been granted. The third annual special event begins on December 14th at 00:00 UTC, and runs until Christmas Day at 23:59 UTC. Operators from the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club on Long Island will be back on the air, as will operators from Michigan, Arizona, and Virginia. As you've all been good little OMs and YLs, you're getting an extra special present: Some of the operators will be calling QRZ with two call signs - so you can grab your French hens, and your turtle doves at the same time, and qualify more easily for that Clean Sweep certificate. Be listening on 10 through 160 meters on SSB and CW. There will also be satellite operations. The party, however, doesn't end there. On Christmas Day, get back on the air, and work K2B, the Christmas Birthday Special Event, and celebrate with three amateur radio operators who will be a year older on December 25th. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW. ** CHRISTMAS EVE A SILENT NIGHT FOR SAQ TRANSMITTER STEPHEN/ANCHOR: COVID precautions have cancelled the traditional Christmas Eve transmission from Grimeton (pronounced: GRIMMA-ton) Sweden by the Alexander Association. The SAQ transmitter's message is sent every year on 17.2 kHz. The association website posted a notice saying: [quote] "We find it sad to have to make this decision, but see it as a necessary measure to protect everyone involved." [endquote] The website directs fans of the historic transmitter to clips on YouTube where previous transmissions can be heard. (GRIMETON WORLD HERITAGE FOUNDATION) ** FORMER HAM IN ILLINOIS GETS PRISON FOR CHILD PORN STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A judge has ordered an 80-year-old former ham radio operator who was also a Scout leader to prison. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, has the rest of the story. ANDY: A former amateur radio operator and Scout leader in Illinois, who had helped more than 300 young men attain the rank of Eagle Scout over 40 years, has been sentenced to prison for child pornography, according to various news reports. A U.S. District Court judge ordered Milton Forsberg, formerly K9QZI, to prison for 6 and a half years, a shorter sentence that the judge said takes into account his age and poor health. Forsberg pleaded guilty in August of this year. A report in the News-Gazette said that Forsberg told the judge, during a sentencing done via video, that he was ashamed of himself. The prosecutor said police had also received tips about inappropriate behavior when he was a Scout leader but he has not been criminally charged. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM. (NEWS GAZETTE, WCIA) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .