Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Dec 16 2016 11:51 am Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2042, December 16, 2016 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2042, with a release date of Friday, December 16 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. The FCC's chairman announces he'll resign. An earthquake rocks Indonesia, and hams step in. European radio operators put the spotlight on PSK31 -- and amateur radio helps Christmas kick off in Tennessee. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2042, comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** BREAKING NEWS: FCC CHAIRMAN TOM WHEELER STEPPING DOWN PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with breaking news. As Amateur Radio Newsline went to production, word came from Washington that the top regulator of communications in the U.S. would resign his post. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, an Obama appointee who championed the net neutrality policy, said his last day would be Jan. 20, the day Donald Trump takes the oath of office. The long-term impact on the agency and its regulations is the subject of speculation: Wheeler's departure leaves a tilted balance with fewer Democratic than Republican commissioners. A spokesman for Democrat Mignon Clyburn said on Thursday, Dec. 15, that her plan is to serve until mid-2017 when her term expires. Liberal Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel's term has ended, and she is expected to leave the FCC by Dec. 31. As president, Trump will appoint Wheeler's successor. Amateur Radio Newsline will be following these developments as the new administration prepares to take office. (THE WASHINGTON POST) ** HAMS PROVIDE INDONESIAN EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE PAUL/ANCHOR: We look now at Indonesia, where a powerful quake and aftershocks rocked one region. Hams were ready, and they responded. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, with that story. GRAHAM'S REPORT: A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake, that killed more than 100 in Indonesia, and injured hundreds more, drew the response of amateur radio operators following the December 7 quake. As the search went on for survivors amid the rubble, the hams from the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization stepped in to support emergency communications. One of the amateurs, Zainal Abidin, YC6FZ, was injured following the collapse of his home. He was taken for hospital treatment by a fellow ham, Ismul Huda, YB6AG. The communications team was led by Abdullah Ali, YB6AA. They passed emergency traffic on 40 meters and 2 meters FM as search-and-rescue went on and hundreds were escorted to shelters. Still more work remained to be done: Seventy-four aftershocks had been recorded as late as Sunday morning, December 11th, when two of them measured 3.5 and 5.3 in magnitude. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (ABC NEWS, IARU REGION 3, ANTARA NEWS) ** HAMS' CHALLENGE DURING GATLINBURG FIRES PAUL: The recent wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee were a testament to what can be accomplished, when all emergency personnel in a region coordinate and work together. This includes the amateur radio community, both ARES and RACES. Jim Snyder, AJ4NO was ready when the call came: JIM: I got first notified on Monday night by the Red Cross, asking if we could deploy an amateur radio asset to help in the shelter. So, we sent an operator up to that, and he was there sixteen hours, which is quite a long period of time... PAUL: Gatlinburg is in Sevier County, and usually works with RACES. However, in this case, they also called in surrounding area ARES groups to help. However, they needed the hams less for communications, and more for other duties: JIM: The call to me came from Lance Coleman, the EMA director of Blunt County. He was organizing the damage assessment for Sevier County. Their EMA director was in Gatlinburg to help with the response, so they used the amateur radio relationships to find people who'd been trained in damage assessment, and get them to turn out to help. PAUL: As we go to air, FEMA officials have so far estimated that the area suffered $500 Million dollars' worth of damage, and the cost of fighting the fires has topped $5 million dollars. If you would like to help or contribute, please contact the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce. That was Jim Snyder, AJ4NO, in Tennessee, recalling radio's emergency response during the treacherous Gatlinburg wildfires. Posted by VPost v1.7.081019 .