Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri May 14 2021 08:41:01 PARKER PROBE EXPLORES SUN'S IMPACT ON VENUS' IONOSPHERE STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Much farther out in space, a probe has unlocked some mysteries that will surely pique the interests of watchers of solar weather. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, gives us the details. PAUL: As it moves through its solar cycle, the activity of the sun causes changes in the ionosphere of the planet - but the planet we're talking about here is Venus. The Parker Solar Probe, in a flyby of the planet last summer, picked up a naturally occurring low-power radio signal and determined that the Venusian ionosphere is thinner during solar minimum than during solar maximum. Last summer's flyby happened six months after solar minimum. The probe found changes that had occurred in Venus' upper atmosphere since data collection nearly three decades ago by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter in 1992 during a high activity period. Although the Parker probe's primary mission is to study the sun, it does interact with Venus because it uses gravity assist from the planet to bend th orbit of the probe and bring it closer to the sun. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. (CNN) ** NEW ZEALAND AMATEURS APPROVED FOR 60M OPERATION STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's good news in New Zealand for hams who have been hoping to make contacts on the 5 MHz band. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has that report. JIM: Amateurs in New Zealand have won the right to use 60 meters on a secondary basis operating as sub-licencees of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters. NZART's president Mark Gooding, ZL2UFI, announced the decision, which followed successful talks with the regulator, RSM. This approval is being treated as the precusor to adding the 5 MHz band to the General User Radio Licence at the end of 12 months. This would eliminate the need for any further sub-licences for use of the band. In the interim, RSM will assess interference issues before moving forward. Hams who hold the old sub-licence are being advised that it will not be grandfathered in under the new agreement and they must complete the new application and send it to NZART headquarters. All hams are being asked to review a list of frequently asked questions which can be found on the NZART website, nzart dot org dot nz (nzart.org.nz) For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF. (NZART) ** RSGB ADDS RESOURCES FOR RADIATION MEASUREMENTS, OPERATOR EXAMS STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The website of the Radio Society of Great Britain has added new material to guide hams in two areas of their biggest concerns: safety and licensing. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has been following that development. JEREMY: New resources are available on the website of the Radio Society of Great Britain to help amateurs with upcoming examinations and to assist as well with the new requirement to measure their stations' electromagnetic radiation. Two new videos assist with measuring a station's electromagnetic radiation as is now required by Ofcom for public safety and which explain the reasons behind the new rules. Stations with power of more than 10 watts must perform these measurements and calculations as part of their licence requirement. Both videos feature EMC Chairman John Rogers, M0JAV, who explains the procedure in one video - and in the other, demonstrates how to use the downloadable calculator. Meanwhile, the Society's Examinations and Syllabus Review Group has updated its collection to include two new mock exams for the Full licence, adding PDFs that show the questions' answers and explanations for each. The Society notes that these are not the same questions that would appear in a Full licence exam and are provided merely as a study aid. Mock exams for Foundation and Intermediate level licences will be added later. Links to both videos as well as the mock exams can be found in the print version of this script on our website arnewsline.org For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. PRINT ONLY: To see both videos go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lL_gdUU3Wo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9NYlQwbCZQ PRINT ONLY: For exams, www.rsgb.org/mock-exams (RSGB) --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .