GRANT ASSISTS YOUNG AMATEURS IN MALAWI

A handful of new and newly upgraded amateur radio operators in Malawi are celebrating their achievement in late July: the young radio operators have passed their exams with support of a grant from the Yasme Foundation to cover all fees and related costs.

Foundation president Ward Silver, NØAX, announced in late July that there are now five new licensees and four amateurs with upgraded licenses. The Yasme Foundation has been assisting the Malawi Project, which was launched by members of the HacDC Amateur Radio Club, W3HAC, in Washington, DC, under the leadership of Don Jones K6ZO/7Q6M. The project works with aspiring young amateurs in Malawi, the Comoros and Uganda. It is now part of the Jeffrey Dahn Memorial Foundation, which promotes education in electronics to young people in Africa.

3YØK DXPEDITION CANCELS LOTTERY, CITING 'LEGAL ISSUES'

Even as the Bouvet Island 3YØK team begins packing and shipping their equipment and other supplies for next year's DXpedition, the team has called off its plans for a lottery to help raise funds. Organizers announced on the team website that the cancellation is the result of [quote] "legal issues brought to the team's notice." [endquote] The announcement did not offer any specifics.

Preparedness workshop and other activities still lay ahead for the operators well in advance of their scheduled departure date from Cape Town, South Africa on the 1st of next February. The 21-day DXpedition has a budget in excess of $1.6 million in US currency and had hoped the lottery would help cover expenses. The announcement of its cancellation included assurances that all tickets already purchased will be fully refunded through PayPal.

FLORIDA RETIREES GIRD FOR STORM SEASON WITH RADIOS

During Atlantic hurricane season, many residents of Sun City Center, Florida might feel as if they are living in Storm City Center instead. A disaster radio program, managed by the Kings Point Amateur Radio Club, has been growing strong within this retirement community to address those concerns.

Launched six years ago, the program has woven an increasingly robust safety net and now provides assurance to as many as 800 residents, most of them between 70 and 80 years of age. It is all overseen by Eileen Bishop, AB9T, the club's emergency communications chair.

Low-power FRS radios are provided to those who pay a $15 program registration fee at the community clubhouse. The little handheld transceivers, which do not require a license, connect them to any of 25 control stations around the community who can monitor and transmit on a common channel using their own licensed GMRS radios. According to club vice president Eric Nisenfeld WA4EMN, most of these operators are also hams. The control center, Radio Alpha, is based at the clubhouse and hams there monitor the system as well. The control stations and Radio Alpha can both summon the appropriate emergency service when necessary.

Eric said associates are asked to check in at weekly nets at least four times a year to receive signal reports and ensure all is working properly. HOA and community management are also being added to the network.

Sun City Center may not be able to stop the hurricanes but with the power of radio, they can help residents brace for them.

US LEGACY WEATHER SATELLITES BEING DECOMMISSIONED

As the US government had announced previously, the remaining satellites in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's legacy constellation of Polar Operational Environmental Studies are in the process of being decommissioned. The POES system satellite known as NOAA-15 was to be taken out of service on the 12th of August and another, NOAA-19, on the 19th of the month. Earlier this year, both were declared in the End of Life stage, along with a third constellation satellite, NOAA-18, which was decommissioned in June. For years, these satellites were relied upon by many for vital weather data via their 137 MHz APT transmissions, providing data used in monitoring the environment, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and global vegetation.

Although previous reports said that the satellites' transmissions would continue, an article on the RTL-SDR website said that the transmitters will be turned off. The end-of-life status means they are no longer eligible for repair or recovery efforts and NOAA advises that they should not be considered reliable sources of information for critical or emergency purposes. None of the satellites are scheduled for deorbiting. NOAA issued an advisory on its website saying " Direct users should make plans to discontinue use of POES data."

US NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REHIRING AFTER MASS FIRINGS

Hundreds of jobs that were eliminated by cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency are to be refilled at the National Weather Service, which has been told it can hire as many as 450 radar technicians, meteorologists and hydrologists. A CNN report said that the rehiring comes as the agency looks back on the deadly floods that ravaged Texas last month while preparing for the arrival of hurricane season in a few weeks. The CNN report noted that the cuts have led to many agency staffers taking on bigger workloads and longer hours and cited the reduction in data available to the weather service - the result of fewer launches of weather balloons.

Meteorologist, Louis Uccellini, former director of the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press that the hirings were [quote] "great news for the NWS and the American public" [endquote] adding that he would like to see them get under way. He was NWS director from 2013 until he stepped down in 2022.

STALKING SOME QSOS IN HIS FIELD OF DREAMS

The smiling radio operator greeting viewers of his YouTube videos calls himself "Cornfield Kevin," and yes, Kevin KØKLB is outstanding in his field -- which happens to be an Iowa cornfield. There, in August of 2022, Kevin harvested two SSB contacts between Iowa and Texas while operating on 5 watts using a 20m vertical antenna fashioned ... from cornstalks. He called his creation "The CornTenna."

This year, Kevin is making the QSOs -- and the corn -- pop all over again. In his latest video, he shows how he put cornstalks back to work recently, this time using stalks from a fresh harvest to build a horizontal 20 metre dipole. He tested the corn-tenna over a two-day period and, sadly, made no contacts on the first day. The next day, after cutting fresh new stalks, he worked his brother Bruce, KEØQQE, on 10 metres. Bruce, who was nearby, gave him a 5 5. Then a POTA activator in Ohio copied him and gave him a 4 4, telling him he was [quote] "down in the weeds." [endquote]

Well those weren't exactly weeds Kevin was standing in but the POTA op was correct about the challenging RST. Nonetheless, satisfied with his project, Kevin is sharing the build on his YouTube channel, "Ham Radio QRP - KØKLB." While you're there, check out Kevin's earlier project for the original vertical corn-tenna. After all, when you're a ham on a farm in Iowa, every day can be field day.

ENIGMA MACHINE-STYLE EVENT CHALLENGES DECODING SKILLS

The Enigma machine that the Germans used during World War II to create encoded secret messages is about to be put back into action. KPH, the maritime radio station in California, will be transmitting messages using Enigma encryption for broadcast via both CW and RTTY. Listeners copy the message and then, using an actual Enigma machine they may have in their shack or a simulated one available online, work to decrypt the message which will be sent in groups of five letters each.

This annual tradition recalls the hard work of World War II era cryptographers who ultimately cracked the code.

Certificates are awarded for proof of successful decode, first to decode and for use of original or replica hardware.

The broadcast begins at 2000 UTC on the 30th of August on all KPH CW and RTTY frequencies.

For more details, visit the link in the text version of this weeks newscast at arnewsline.org

KATIE CAMPBELL, KE8LQR, PRESENTED WITH NEWSLINE'S YHOTY AWARD

On Wednesday, July 30th it was my honor to present the 2025 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year award to Katie Campbell, KE8LQR. As Katie will be in Germany as a foreign exchange student for her senior year in high school on the weekend of the Huntsville Hamfest, we presented the award live on Ham Nation, a first for us. Our corporate partners Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and RadioWavz Antennas will have some gifts to show their appreciation.

Appearing with Katie, along with our Ham Nation regulars Josh Nass KI6NAZ, Amanda Alden K1DDN and Gordon West WB6NOA, were Young Ham of the Year committee chairman Mark Abramowics NT3V, judge Rich Moseson W2VU, Newsline editor Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG, DX Engineering's Tim Duffy K3LR and Huntsville Hamfest chairman Mark Brown N4BCD.

If you missed it live, you can watch the replay on YouTube on the Ham Radio Crash Course channel, or just type Ham Nation in the YouTube search bar. Our sincere congratulations go out to Katie for her amazing contributions to the amateur radio hobby and service. We're looking forward to next March when we again open nominations for the 2026 Young Ham of the Year award. Again, many thanks to our corporate partners Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and RadioWavz, as well as you, our listeners and

ARRL'S RADIO ALPHA MUSEUM TRACKS HAM RADIO'S EVOLUTION

What began as the project of Chuck Penson, WA7ZZE, is slowly growing into Radio Alpha, a ham radio museum and research resource hosted by the ARRL. The historian's vision is to build a tool where documents detailing amateur radio equipment and technology - and its evolution - can be accessible to everyone in a central location.

Announcing the project on the ARRL website, Chuck wrote: [quote] "This database will be a living resource, regularly updated and expanded through ongoing research and community contributions, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of amateur radio's profound impact on communication, technology, and society,” [endquote] Chuck is looking for volunteers to assist him in building and collecting the content, especially hams with deep knowledge of particular product brands or operating modes.The project is being supported by the ARRL's Historical Preservation Fund

If you are interested in assisting him, he can be emailed at radioalpha at arrl dot org [radioalpha@arrl.org] That's radioalpha - one word - at arrl dot org

To see how the collection has already grown, visit the link in the text version of this week's newsline script at arnewsline.org

SILENT KEY: FORMER ARRL SE DIVISION DIRECTOR FRANK BUTLER, W4RH

A longstanding and well-respected member of the amateur radio community has become a Silent Key. Frank Butler, W4RH, had been active in ham radio since the 1940s, when he received his commercial and his amateur licenses. He spent part of his professional career as a broadcast engineer at several radio stations. By many accounts, he gave back generously to amateur radio over many decades. He served for nearly 30 years as the Southeastern Division director of the ARRL until he stepped down in 2007. He had begun his service with the league in 1957 as communications manager for the Western Florida Section.

According to a posting on the Facebook page of the Alabama section of the ARRL, Frank became a Silent Key on Tuesday the 5th of August. He was 100 years old.

On March 6th of this year, on the occasion of his becoming a centenarian, the Okaloosa County Board in Florida proclaimed the date "Frank M. Butler Jr. Day."

Hams throughout the division and beyond posted on social media, recalling him as a gentleman and a frequent and prominent guest at Huntsville and other hamfests. His generous spirit was also widely known: He was a member of the ARRL Maxim Society, which recognizes donors for their extraordinary monetary gifts to the league.

PROJECT BY INDIAN STUDENTS, HAMS SEEKS PATENT

Leave it to ham radio operators to know how destructive, and even fatal, a lightning strike can be. That's why a number of years ago educators at a school in rural West Bengal, India, sought input from local hams for a project by physics students to help protect farmers when they are caught in the fields during storms and lightning strikes. According to reports in the Indian media, the homebrew, affordably built device, which resembles a bicycle’s wheel, has been evaluated by the Central Power Research Institute. It also received recognition in 2020 at the National Children's Science Congress, a national showcase for innovative technology devised by youngsters between the ages of 10 and 17. Newsline described the simple device in its first report on the project in November of 2019, noting that it affixes a wheel-like component to the top of a high bamboo pole. An electrical wire connects it to metal in the earth to ground it.

The secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club said in media reports that 40 such devices have already been put in place at 40 locations throughout northern Bengal where the fields for the farmers and their animals are moist and marshy.

Now the waiting begins: The Times of India reported that the patent application for the project was filed on the 27th of July.

SPECIAL EVENT HONORS NAVAJO CODE TALKERS OF WW2

Although the 14th of August has been designated as Navajo Code Talkers Day, a group of proud amateur radio operators are taking several days to honor this special unit of brave Marines who served in the US military during the second World War.

Few of these hams could be prouder than Herb Goodluck N7HG, whose late father, John V. Goodluck, had been one of the Marines who used their own Navajo language to craft a wartime code that could not be broken.

Herb will be among those calling QRZ from the 10th to the 15th, using the callsign N7C. Operators will be using CW, phone and FT-8. Additional details, including operating frequencies, can be found on QRZ.com

The hams will be operating from Window Rock, Arizona at the Navajo Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial.

CREW-11 ARRIVES, BEGINS WORK ABOARD ISS

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 arrived at the International Space Station in the early hours of Saturday, the 2nd of August after a launch that suffered a one-day weather delay due to poor weather

Commander Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN and pilot Mike Fincke, KE5AIT were accompanied by two mission specialists, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. During their seven-month tenure aboard the orbiting laboratory, the team will conduct experiments on the impact of microgravity on bacteria-killing viruses. They will also study plant-cell division and human stem cells.

The ISS assignment marks the first time in space for both Zena Cardman and Oleg Platonov.

AST SPACEMOBILE DEFENDS PROPOSED AMATEUR-SPECTRUM USE

A Texas telecommunications company asking for FCC permission to use amateur radio frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz has submitted a response to the US regulator, defending itself against concerns from ham radio operators over interference. The letter, written by AST SpaceMobile assures the agency that its satellites are designed to "mitigate interference." The company also said it would shut down its use of the band if interference was found. The company's filing, reported on the PC Magazine website, reads in part that the FCC has found that AST SpaceMobile’s prior demonstrations of no interference conform to ITU regulations and are "sufficient to authorize a limited, nonconforming use.”

The PC Magazine website noted that the FCC has received more than 2,500 comments in protest of the company's proposed use of the band.

JOINT INDIA-US SATELLITE FOCUSES ON NATURAL DISASTERS

An unprecedented joint satellite project between the Indian Space Research Organization and NASA is giving researchers the hope of better studying the Earth's climate and helping improve responses to natural disasters by monitoring the most subtle changes on Earth, including in its glaciers and wetlands.

The satellite is known as NISAR, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission. Its launch aboard an ISRO spacecraft on the 30th of July from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, sent it on its mission to send microwaves to collect data from different surfaces on the planet. When processed, the data will be visible in an exceptionally high resolution. An estimated 80 terabytes of data will be collected daily. Scientists have said that the method has "unprecedented accuracy." Researchers and governments around the world will be able to view the data via a cloud platform where they will have open access.

The project is being praised as the first collaborative satellite mission of its kind between the Indian and US space agencies.

SOUTH AFRICAN AWARDS SCHEME FOCUSES ON HERITAGE, HISTORY

HOTA - an awards programme that originated with the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club in South Africa - has its origins as Heliographs on the Air. The original concept, credited to Jannie Smith, ZS3CM, was to encourage amateur radio operators to activate sites where members of the military once sent coded messages to the troops by reflecting sunlight off mirrors. Other club members soon expanded the programme’s scope to focus on a broader array of historical sites. What was renamed History on the Air soon morphed into Heritage on the Air, the programme as it is known today. Using a spreadsheet developed by Steve Brooks ZS3SB, activators and chasers alike keep track of their contacts and ultimately their cumulative score which they submit at the end of each year.

Organisers believe that the exercise offers a greater opportunity to learn about history, either by chasing, activating or proposing new sites for inclusion. Proposals are required to be well-researched applications that explain the historical significance of the location, which must be connected to war, telecommunications or general history. The sites must have a significance dating back at least 75 years.

As for modes, well, that’s a nod to history too: operators can use SSB, AM, FM CW and yes, even heliographs. Of course.

HAMS COACH INDIAN POLICE ON AMATEUR RADIO'S CRISIS ROLES

In India, law enforcement personnel from the remote region of Darjeeling and the coastal area of the Sunderbans joined with police in Kolkata for a one-day session on how amateur radio can assist them when conventional communications systems are compromised.

The regulations governing radio - and the technical side of operating - were covered in the one-day session held on Friday the 25th of July in Kolkata. The training was conducted by Jayanta Baidya VU2TFR, Arnab Roy Chowdhury VU2TFT and Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA - all from the West Bengal Radio Club.

Remote regions of India can be particularly challenged when natural disasters strike but even in the heart of a city like Kolkata, law enforcement has concerns about how useful their radios are. The hams noted that high rise buildings, such as those under construction in Kolkata, can interfere with the wireless frequencies used by the police radios.

The seminar is the latest to be organised and hosted by the club, which often does such training for law-enforcement personnel.

PAKISTAN HIKES RADIO-RELATED FEES

Calling its existing fee structure outdated, Pakistan's government has approved its first change to the fee structure for radio-based services in 25 years. More than 1,100 licence holders, including amateur radio operators and private radio networks, are being affected by a fee hike. According to media reports, fees remained unchanged until now despite Pakistan's inflation rising by more than 700 percent.

Pakistan's amateur licence is initially issued for a one-year period but can be renewed for a five-year period afterward. The fee is increasing from 450 rupees to 5,000 rupees - or, in US currency, from $1.60 to $18 for the term of the licence.

The change was approved in late July by the Economic Coordination Committee. The ECC acted after being told by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority that fees no longer cover the expenses for managing licenses and overseeing use of the spectrum.

FIELD DAY WAS 'MERIT BADGE DAY' FOR THEM

Operators with the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club W6SD do a lot of planning each year for Field Day but this year their plans included something else for the first time - the inclusion of Scouts from Troop 415 who were there to observe, learn about amateur radio and perhaps qualify for scouting's Radio Merit Badge. Fourteen of them did just that - in a single day - as they learned about radio communication and watched the hams make QSOs at the activation site at the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills. Some of the Scouts even experienced the thrill of HF by getting on the GOTA station - the so-called "Get On The Air" station provided at many Field Day sites to allow them to have a QSO or two under supervision of a licensed ham.

The Scouts had other inspiration to draw on too. Club secretary Bernard KG6FBM told Newsline that one of the Scout's fathers, Eric Arevalo, KO6KFL, had just received his Tech license after taking a class with Roozy, W1EH.

Bernard said the club is very proud of the Scouts, whose ages range from 11 to 17. As to whether a merit badge eventually leads to a license, Bernard said: "Some scouts did show interest. Maybe someday they'll follow up."

HAMTV BACK ON THE AIR FROM THE ISS

The most popular digital amateur TV show in space is back and better than ever. With its installation completed recently by ISS astronauts, HamTV resumed its transmissions on Tuesday, the 29th of July. In Salisbury, Southern England, Dave G8GKQ was among the happy radio operators to report to the British Amateur TV Club that he had good copy during the first pass of the ISS with HamTV turned on again. HamTV had been out of service since 2019, so its welcome-back from Dave and other fans was clearly a warm one.

To see a live stream of HamTV when it is near the receiver stations, follow the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org