Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2239 for Friday September 25 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2239 with a release date of Friday September 25 2020 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hara Arena is coming down. Disaster-preparedness goes global - and a popular ham shack for visitors to Sweden is closing. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2239 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** DEMOLITION SET FOR HARA ARENA NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the end of an era - and the planned demolition of a Dayton, Ohio building that since 1964, symbolized one of amateur radio's biggest international gatherings. Hara Arena, already deteriorating by the time it was left damaged by tornadoes in May of 2019, had been home to Dayton Hamvention until 2017 when it was moved to the Greene County Fairgrounds in nearby Xenia, Ohio. The arena property will also be rezoned to allow for manufacturing and distribution use once the legendary building has been taken down. (WHIO) ** GLOBAL EMERGENCY-PREP PROGRAM SEEKING HAMS NEIL/ANCHOR: A global emergency-preparedness initiative is under way and has put a call out to ham radio operators. They're being asked to assist with preparedness and safe response and educating the next generation. Christian Cudnik K0STH has that story. CHRISTIAN: The most effective disaster plans involve training tomorrow's EmComm operators and according to Gregory Lee KI6GIG, hams, more than anyone, can take an active role in this while helping communities respond to so-called geo-hazards. Greg says hams can educate the very youngest students, right up to those of college age, on the geography and hazards of their region. The basis of this education is his free downloadable article, "Are You Living in a Potential Disaster Zone?" Newsline has a link to the article in the printed version of this week's script at arnewsline.org Hams should also become aware of whether their country is a signatory on the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and engage teachers in awareness of this formalized global response. Greg said that COVID-19 should not get in the way of this kind of training. He said the Amateur Radio Society of Bangladesh recently asked him to assist with development of a national EmComm network and he was able to do a presentation to them in Dhaka from his QTH in Arizona. He told Newsline that in the schools, preparedness studies can complement class lessons as students learn how math, science and other disciplines play into weather forecasting, radio science and effective communication. He encourages interested hams to write him at g e c o r a d i o at gmail dot com (gecoradio@gmail.com) For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Christian Cudnik K0STH. (GREGORY LEE KI6GIG) [PRINT ONLY: https://vocal.media/wander/are-you-living-in-a-potential-disaster-zone] NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile hams in Austria are preparing for a nationwide off-the-grid exercise to be held on October 3rd. The annual drill will begin, as always, with the sounding of the emergency sirens. Hams will be putting their emergency communications readiness to the test and will be joined by members of the military, public broadcasters, the Red Cross and energy suppliers. ** HOLDING OUT HOPE FOR 'SUPERBATTERY' NEIL/ANCHOR: Do you believe in superheroes? Well, the next big thing might just be a superhero among batteries. At least that's what scientists are hoping. Ed Durrant DD5LP has that story. ED: A German research university is working with an ultracapacitor specialist in Estonia to develop what scientists are calling a groundbreaking graphene battery. They're calling it the SuperBattery. While it is not energy-dense enough to be a replacement for lithium-ion batteries, it is being eyed for complementary use. Skeleton Technologies in Estonia and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany say the battery will have a charge time of 15 seconds, with hundreds of thousands of charging cycles. The rapid charging time is being attributed to the battery's use of Skeleton’s patented Curved Graphene carbon material. For Amateur Radio Newsline this is Ed Durrant DD5LP. (INSIDE EVS) ** PRIDE RADIO GROUP LAUNCHES IN AUSTRALIA NEIL/ANCHOR: We all take pride in who we are as amateur radio operators. Now a new club is forming as a virtual collective, hoping to provide a welcoming spirit to amateurs who are also part of the world's LGBTQI community. Robert Broomhead VK3DN has that story. ROBERT: The Pride Radio Group launched itself on the 13th of September and within the first week alone it had become a group of 50. A virtual community organised by Michael Wheeler VK3FUR, the group encourages discussions on SDR, antenna design and HF operating -- much of it on the Discord app for now -- and it promises what Michael calls a "safe and friendly environment." Michael said the group's origins are rooted in the hope to provide representation for radio operators in the LGBTQI community in Australia and the Oceania region and that it just grew from there. While the group awaits its Australian call sign to be granted, plans are in the works for a future with special event activations, DMR talkgroups and a pride-focused contest, likely for June of 2021. Michael said other ham clubs have already reached out asking how their own organisations can become more inclusive and welcoming. Michael told Newsline: [quote] "I've had a number of people personally reach out to me to tell me that a group like this might be just the sort of thing they need to get back on the air." [endquote] For more details about this emerging group, visit the website prideradio dot group (prideradio.group) For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN. (QRZ FORUMS, MICHAEL WHEELER VK3FUR) ** 'GET ON THE AIR' CAMPAIGN DRAWS NATIONAL EXPOSURE, NEW HAMS NEIL/ANCHOR: In the UK, the Get On the Air To Care campaign has accelerated since the Radio Society of Great Britain and the NHS teamed up to highlight ham radio as an antidote to the malaise of pandemic lockdown. In fact, national media, such as the BBC and the "i" newspaper, have shared such stories as this next one, as Jeremy Boot G4NJH explains. JEREMY: Caitlin Field M6XTT is the third generation ham in her family - and its first YL. She joins grandfather Don G3XTT and father Ed 2E0WWF in her fascination with radio and science. When lockdown happened, Caitlin made the most of her time by studying the Foundation course provided online by Essex Ham. Using Zoom, Don supplemented his granddaughter's studies with regular tutoring sessions and proclaimed her an eager student. It also gave the two some quality "grandpa-and-granddaughter time" which they both thoroughly enjoyed during an otherwise isolating lockdown. On her third try, Caitlin passed the exam given by remote invigilation by RSGB president and exam quality manager Dave Wilson M0OBW. Soon the 10-year-old was the holder of her father's old Foundation call sign. Getting on the air to care - or caring enough to help someone new get on the air in the first place - is the essence of this joint campaign with the health service, according to Steve Thomas M1ACB, the RSGB's general manager. Now, it seems, that mainstream media also cares - and cares enough to put amateur radio stories like this on the air. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. NEIL/ANCHOR: We also mention that the RSGB has begun making remote invigilation available for applicants for the Full license. On Thursday, September 24th the society began accepting exam bookings for all three levels of license. Exams are now being booked for Wednesday October 21st and beyond. (STEVE THOMAS M1ACB, DON FIELD G3XTT) ** VISITORS' AMATEUR STATION TO SHUT IN SWEDEN NEIL/ANCHOR: A popular ham station for guest operators in Sweden has become another casualty of the global pandemic. Graham Kemp VK4BB has those details. GRAHAM: There's little more than two months to go before SI9AM, the Visitors Amateur Radio Station in Utanede Sweden closes its doors permanently. It was established 20 years ago and is owned by eight radio clubs in Sweden's third call area. There have been no guest operators, however, since the COVID-19 pandemic and its board has opted to cease operations on the first of December. Since the visitors station opened on July 19, 2000 it has logged about 160,000 QSOs. The station is known as the King Chulalongkorn (Chew Luh Long Korn) Memorial Amateur Radio Visitors station and is located near the Thai Pavilion that opened in 1998 to honor the Thai king's visit to the Swedish town in 1897. SI9AM president Jörgen SM3FJF made the announcement, adding that all QSL cards and SI9AM awards will still be sent for confirmed radio contacts. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. (SI9AM) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the K4LYL repeater in Bedford Virginia on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time. ** CITIZEN SCIENCE CONTRIBUTES TO SPACE WEATHER STUDY NEIL/ANCHOR: When it comes to predicting coronal mass ejections, occasionally it's better NOT to be a scientist. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us why. JEREMY: Citizen science has proven invaluable to researchers at the University of Reading in their search for a more accurate way to forecast coronal mass ejections. Thousands of volunteer participants in the Stormwatch citizen science project have been sending researchers their observations about previous CME images captured by special wide-angle cameras on spacecraft since the project began in 2010. The scientists then combined these observations with their own forecasting methods, making use of the additional information. According to an article in Science Daily, this model increased accuracy of solar storm predictions by 20%, supporting researchers' theory that the inclusion of imaging cameras on future space weather monitoring missions by ESA and NASA would be beneficial. The team also found that forecasts' uncertainty was reduced by 15 percent as a result of the volunteers' input which provided a better sense of the trajectory and shape of the solar storm. The results of the study were originally published in AGU Advances. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SCIENCE DAILY) ** CW CONTEST IS SLOW SPEED BUT FAST-GROWING NEIL/ANCHOR: What are you doing on Sunday nights? Try slowing down! Kevin Trotman N5PRE explains. KEVIN: The K1USN Radio Club doesn't believe good things should be rushed - not even contests. That's why their new slow-speed CW contest - known as the SST - will go at as leisurely a pace as radio operators need it to be. Based on feedback from its inaugural one-hour event held on September 13th, the contest is being held every week at 0000 to 0100 UTC Mondays, which in the United States takes place from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays. According to the club website, the leisurely pace also allows for friendly greetings between operators and not just a hasty exchange of information. The nonprofit club comprises civilian radio enthusiasts as well as former and active members of the military. The contest is designed to be especially welcoming to those who are new at CW. For more details visit triple w dot kay one you ess en dot com (www.k1usn.com) For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (K1USN) ** NEW AUSTRALIAN AMATEURS GET NEW ONLINE RESOURCE NEIL/ANCHOR: There is a new resource in Australia for licensees who have more questions than answers right now. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF picks up the story from here. JIM: Newcomers have more questions than answers when they first get their licence to get on the air and clubs can't be everywhere, offering the one-on-one support most newbies need. The Radio Amateur Society of Australia has made an online collection of knowledge-based articles available to newcomers, hoping it will help fill the support gap many of them encounter. The free resource is called the Amateur Radio Tech Support Service and it offers detailed information on how to set up a station, how to understand what kind of antenna you may need, DXing, complying with regulations and of course dealing with interference. There is also an online guidebook for newcomers called "Welcome to Amateur Radio." The website notes that the service is presently in the pilot stage and if it proves successful it may be expanded. Look for the link to this tech support service in the printed version of this script on our website arnewsline.org For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. [PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://amateurradiotechsupport.freshdesk.com/support/home ] (SOUTHGATE) ** AN AUTUMN ACTIVITY HAMS WILL 'FALL' FOR NEIL/ANCHOR: As sure as the autumnal equinox has arrived in the northern hemisphere, the 100 Watts and a Wire "FALLOUT" activity has returned too. Stephen Kinford N8WB has those details. STEPHEN: Here in the United States, while the leaves may be coming down from the trees, antennas are still going up. That means fallout -- the good kind -- the annual autumn portable operating event hosted by the 100 Watts and a Wire podcast. This year it's taking place on October 9th, starting at 0000 UTC and concludes on Sunday October 11th at 2359 UTC. The exchange is simple: Call sign, state, province or DX Country, true signal report and your 100 Watts ID number. Sure, you can operate from your shack if you'd rather stay indoors but if you operate portable you get the added benefit of testing your equipment and your readiness for next year's Field Day. There are other extras too: Contacting bonus stations will let you get extra points and at the end of the event, submit your totals and be automatically entered into a random drawing for prizes. One of them is a complete QRP station. To qualify, stations must have a minimum of 25 contact points and be in the continental U.S. So get out - and FALL out! For more details visit the website 100wattsandawire.com For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB. NEIL/ANCHOR: One hundred Watts and a Wire is also a presence now on YouTube where it has its own channel, featuring videos and livestreams. Now you can see the podcast as well as hear it. (100WATTSANDAWIRE) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, Dave M0VDL is on the air as M0VDL/P from Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel between September 26th and October 1st on 40 and 20 metres using SSB and FT8. You may possibly find him as well on 80 metres. Be listening primarily in the morning and late afternoon or evening UK time. QSLs can be sent via eQSL. Be listening for members of the Charente DX Group who will be using the call sign TM7R from Ré Island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle between September 26th and October 3rd. The hams will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB and the digital modes. QSL via ON4ZD, direct, by Bureau or ClubLog. Operators are being encouraged to use Clublog's OQRS as much as possible. Jerry F4HJO will be active as F4HJO/P from Brehat Island off the northern coast of Brittany between October 17 and 24th. Be listening on 80/40/20/17 meters where Jerry will be using mainly SSB. QSL to F4HJO, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW or ClubLog's OQRS, which is preferred. (OHIO PENN DX) ** KICKER: WHEN 40 METERS KIND OF 'GROWS' ON YOU NEIL/ANCHOR: Finally, if you've got a favorite operating band -- one that kind of "grows" on you -- you might have something in common with a weed known as the thale cress. Mike Askins KE5CXP explains. MIKE: If scoring a good contact on 40 metres leaves you feeling energized, consider what it does to the thale cress, an annual weed native to Asia, Europe and North Africa. Thale cress apparently LOVES 40 metres - so much so, in fact, that it gets downright excited in the presence of its radio waves. Researchers at Sorbonne University in Paris exposed seedlings of the plant to weak doses of RF at 7 MHz and waited. No, they weren't standing by for a signal report - or even a QSL card. They just watched and paid careful attention, the reported the results in a recent issue of New Scientist magazine. Apparently the signal report on 40 was pretty good: the radio waves appear to have accelerated the seedlings' growth by altering a biological protein receptor governing that function. Scientists believe if the findings can be confirmed this phenomenon could prove useful in farming as well as medicine. So does that make 40 metres the new "magic band?" Perhaps we'll know soon enough. Perhaps making better use of that 40m dipole might just find you standing a little taller when it's time for Field Day 2021. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP. (WIA, NEW SCIENTIST) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Daryl Stout WX4QZ; David Behar K7DB; Don Field G3XTT; Greg Lee KI6GIG; K1USN; Michael Wheeler VK3FUR; the New Scientist; Ohio Penn DX; 100WattsandaWire; QRZ.COM; Science Daily; shortwaveradio.de; SI9AM; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Steve Thomas M1ACB; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at arnewsline.org. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.