Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2390 for Friday August 18th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2390 with a release date of Friday August 18th 2023.

The following is a QST. Emergency-response challenges after the fires on Maui. A CW beacon in the UK is an asset for fans of meteor-watching -- and a full day of amateur radio helps India mark the anniversary of its independence.

All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2390 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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MAUI WILDFIRES SPUR LOOK AT FUTURE RADIO STRATEGY

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the Hawaiian island of Maui, which faces a long road back following the deadly sweep of wildfires. Amateur radio operators are evaluating what else emergency communicators can do to ensure that life-saving messages continue to get through. Randy Sly W4XJ has been following this story.

RANDY: Even as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service responded to the devastating wildfires that brought death and destruction to parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, emergency management agencies acknowledge that they were taken largely by surprise by the August 8th disaster. Swift to deal with hurricanes, tsunamis and other weather-related events, Hawaiian emergency management agencies on the island struggled to stay on top of conditions brought about by low humidity and high winds generated by Hurricane Dora, hundreds of miles to the south. Scores of people lost their lives and the town of Lahaina, a tourist favorite, was virtually destroyed by the next day.

With phone, internet and cell services seriously affected, the KH6COM interlinked repeater system and other repeaters on Maui, along with Winlink, and a 40 meter net were all activated to support local agencies.

Presenting an improved strategy for the future, the Hawaiian television station KHON broadcast a report focused on the importance of ham radio in times of emergency. Michael Miller, KH6ML, ARRL assistant section manager for the Pacific Section, showcased the capabilities of amateurs during disasters and urged the expansion of amateur radio response resources in Hawaii. He stressed that while hams are not first responders, they do provide a communications lifeline for those who are.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ


JIM/ANCHOR: Michael reminds Newsline listeners that donations to help Maui residents affected by fires are being accepted by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and Maui United Way. You can find the links to both organizations in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.

[FOR PRINT ONLY: www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong

 https://mauiunitedway.org/disasterrelief    ]


(KHON, ARRL, ARES)

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UK HAMS TUNE IN TO CW METEOR BEACON

JIM/ANCHOR: Although the peak viewing days for the Perseid (PERCY-IDD) Meteor Showers have passed, the shooting star show goes on for a little while longer, at least until the 24th of August. In the UK, a meteor beacon at the Sherwood Observatory of the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society, keeps its eye on the sky. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about it.

JEREMY: Hams in the UK have created the UK Meteor Beacon Project, GB3MBA, to give a better look at the dramatic activity in the sky overhead. The beacon's CW signals capture data on meteorites as they pass through a 400km wide section of sky over England and Wales.

The volunteer project was funded by the Radio Society of Great Britain with the support of the British Astronomical Association. Using circular polarisation, the beacon targets the part of the atmosphere some 80 to 100 km high where the meteors are burning up and generating ionisation.

The meteor echoes can be heard by any radio receiver capable of covering 50.408MHz, provided the antenna can receive meteor echoes. Software defined radios are considered preferable. Organisers of this project are hoping to realise its educational potential by helping the distribution of suitable radio receivers throughout the country, encouraging schools to build STEM-related programmes around the meteors. Ultimately the project has the ability to track meteors from anywhere in the world.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(UK METEOR BEACON.ORG, FAGEN WASANNI TECHNOLOGIES)

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AMATEURS NEEDED FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE QSO PARTY

JIM/ANCHOR: The first of two scheduled Solar Eclipse QSO Parties to be held by HamSI will take place in October. It may seem like months away but Sel Embee KB3TZD tells us why it's important to make your plans for it and register now.

SEL: You needn't live anywhere near the path of the next solar eclipse passing over North America to contribute data to the citizen science project being undertaken by HamSCI on the 14th of October. The Solar Eclipse QSO Party is a particular attraction for hams who can contribute valuable ionospheric data from anywhere in the world. Amateurs making QSOs using CW, SSB and digital modes on 160 through 6 meters can help researchers gain better insights into ionospheric variability. Shortwave listeners and AM DX'ers can also get in on the action by signing up for HamSCI's Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge. This challenge relies on CW and digital beacons - and modes such as WSPR and FST4W.

The HamSCI website reminds hams that researchers rely on amateur radio operators through initiatives such as these. The data that is collected helps researchers get a better grasp of how the HF bands behave, particularly at the time of a solar eclipse.

Registration is open for the Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge and the Solar Eclipse QSO Party at hamsci dot org (hamsci.org), that’s h-a-m-s-c-i dot org.

This is Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.

(HAMSCI.ORG, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)

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FULL DAY OF RADIO MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

JIM/ANCHOR: August 15th was a day of celebration in India - on and off the air. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what made the day so memorable.

JIM MEACHEN: Hams in India marked a full day of celebrating for the 76th anniversary of the nation's independence with activities on and off the air on the 15th of August. Well-wishers checked in to nets on 20 metres, 40 metres, 2 metres and Echolink - all using the callsign AT76IND.

Locally, about 100 students from local schools and colleges attended a technical workshop in Kolkata that provided guidance for building three types of antennas. The activities were organised by the West Bengal Radio Club and the Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management whose principal Posupoti Mondal VU3ODQ and vice principal Deepak Chakraborty VU3OKT, provided the technical guidance. The academy provides training and test-preparation year round for interested candidates who want to pursue their amateur radio license -- helping them achieve their own personal independence every day of the year.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(SABORNI NAG BISWAS, VU2JFC; AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

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DIGIPEATING SATELLITES SET FOR LAUNCH IN EUROPE

JIM/ANCHOR: Two satellites are getting ready to enter space from Europe and both have amateur digipeaters on board. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us what to expect.

JEREMY: Slovakia and Romania are preparing to launch digipeating satellites this autumn, following coordination of their frequencies by the International Amateur Radio Union. The Slovakian satellite, a 1U CubeSat, will have experimental slow-scan digital video as well as a digipeater operating around the clock on two different bands. Because the satellite has an educational role to fulfill, there will be messages transmitted in both CW and using AX.25 occasionally. The IARU has coordinated a downlink on 436.680 MHz.

The Romanian satellite is a picoSAT with the primary role of serving as a digital amateur radio repeater. A CW beacon will also be transmitted so that hams can measure various properties of the signals and detect its speed by using Doppler. The satellite will also transmit low-resolution SSDV images in GFSK mode.

The satellite will be using a downlink on 436.235 MHz. CW will be sent at 20 wpm. GFSK telemetry will be sent at 500 bps and GFSK SSDV will be sent at 5 kBps.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(ARRL, IARU)
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BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N9EOC repeater of the Central Indiana Amateur Radio Association in Noblesville Indiana on Sundays at 8 p.m. local time.

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SILENT KEY: RETIRED BROADCAST ENGINEER RON KAZDA, KC9NQD

JIM/ANCHOR: A ham whose long and varied broadcast career helped launch his amateur experience has become a Silent Key. We hear more about him from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: Ron Kazda's radio career took root in the world of commercial broadcasting, with Wisconsin stations such as WTCH, WHBY and WAPL. A broadcast engineer, he made subsequent moves to Doubleday Broadcasting in Colorado and in 1986 to Parker Communications in Minnesota. According to his page on QRZ.com, his favorite job was at Hubbard Communications and he remained there as director of engineering until 2002 when he retired.

His other favorite moments on the air were found in amateur radio. Ron got his license while working in the broadcast field and upgraded to Extra in 2008. After a lifetime on the commercial side, he embraced the amateur side after his retirement. He wrote on his page on QRZ.com [quote] "I should have done this years ago. I am having the time of my life with this new hobby." [endquote]

Ron died on the 3rd of August in Wisconsin. He was 86.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(RADIO WORLD, QRZ.COM)

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TRY SOME HAM RADIO HAIKU

JIM/ANCHOR: Do your QSOs inspire poetry? Is there a haiku perhaps waiting to be written about the last QSL card you got? Join the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. In the spirit of fun and perhaps a little bit of literary adventure, we invite you to share the joy of ham radio in the form of a haiku. On our website, arnewsline.org, you will find a submission form. To qualify, you need to follow traditional haiku form: The first line is five syllables, the second line is seven syllables and the finishing third line has another five syllables. We cannot accept any other formats.

Our team will pick from the best submissions that follow the 5/7/5 syllable rule and represent the love of amateur radio. Your prize? For now, bragging rights -- and a featured spot for your haiku on the Amateur Radio Newsline website. We may have a surprise for you at the end of the year, however. So visit our website at arnewsline.org and take a look at this week's winning ham radio haiku.

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LIQUID METAL BATTERY TO FLOW INTO THE COMMERCIAL MARKET

JIM/ANCHOR: The unending search for better battery power with improve storage capacity has led to yet another innovative design - and this one is about to be released for commercial use. We have the details from Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

KENT: A professor emeritus from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created a liquid metal battery that he will soon be introducing into the commercial market as a low-cost, long-life option.

Donald Sadoway is a materials scientist who has focused on developing affordable batteries throughout his years of research He cofounded his company, Ambri, in 2010, as a way to commercialize  his liquid metal battery, which contains molten metal electrodes and a molten salt electrolyte. The Massachusetts-based company will be working with Colorado-based Xcel Energy in early 2024. Ambri plans to install a 300-kWh system for the utility and expects it to be up and running late next year.

An article on the IEEE Spectrum website said that the liquid-metal battery could lead to a substantial reduction in energy costs.

The scientist credits the battery's alternative components for creating a system design different from that found in lithium-ion batteries. He told the IEE Spectrum [quote}: "“The concept of a liquid-metal battery makes it unique for stationary storage. It’s not flammable, unlike lithium. And it’s resistant to capacity fade. We’ve got data on thousands of charge cycles, which is years of operation. This thing should go 20 years and still retain 95 percent of its capacity." [endquote]

This is Kent Peterson KCØDGY.

(IEEE SPECTRUM)

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REMEMBERING THE PATRON SAINT OF AMATEUR RADIO

JIM/ANCHOR: History will not let anyone forget the horrors of the concentration camps of World War II. Hams in Mexico have devoted the month of August to remembering a Polish priest considered the patron saint of amateur radio. We have more details from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

KEVIN: The Franciscan friar, Maximilian Kolbe, was killed at Auschwitz in 1941, giving his life in exchange for saving a Polish army sergeant condemned by the Nazis to die. In remembrance of the priest, who was declared a saint in the Roman Catholic Church in 1982, the callsign 4A2MAX is on the air until the 31st of August.

Father Kolbe is considered the patron saint of amateur radio. Using the callsign SP3RN, he went on shortwave radio in 1938 from a station he built in the monastery to spread words of faith.

Throughout August, the special event station in Mexico has been calling QRZ in his memory on various bands using CW, SSB and the digital modes. Details are available on QRZ.com.

Hams unable to contact 4A2MAX this month can still check into the weekly St. Maximilian Kolbe Radio Net, operated on Sundays year-round on 80 metres, 20 metres and on the TGIF DMR Network Talk Group 3814. The net was founded in 1998 by a group of hams in the United States to commemorate the priest's martyrdom.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(QRZ.COM, SAINTMAXNET.ORG)

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WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Gary, GØFWX operating on SSB holiday style as V47FWX from St. Kitts, IOTA number NA-104, until the 26th of August. QSL via  MØURX's OQRS.

Yuris, YL2GM will use the callsign ZD9W from Tristan da Cunha, IOTA number AF-029 from the 24th of September to the 22nd of October. He will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on 160-10 metres. He will also operate FT8 on 6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Lau, PF3X, is on the air in Iceland on 160-6m using SSB and the digital modes.Listen for his callsign TF/PF3X between the 21st and the 25th of August from Reykjavik. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(DX WORLD.NET, 425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: WITH LOANERS, NEW HAMS NEEDN'T BE LONERS

JIM/ANCHOR: We end this week's newscast with a story about beginnings. They're rarely easy and often intimidating - but one club in North Carolina has established a way to make rough starts for new hams a bit smoother. Jack Parker W8ISH has that story.

JACK: Bringing new hams on the air and keeping them there is a priority for the Forsythe County Amateur Radio Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Test sessions are held just before general meetings - and passing the test earns the new ham a free one-year membership and welcome packet with detailed information about operating.

Club members without a rig, or an antenna analyzer or even an antenna are entitled to something else - the opportunity to borrow one from the club for a limited time and get on the air right away. According to club member Sam Poindexter, NI4TG, this loaner program is a formal update of one the club established number of years ago. This time, however, the loaner program focuses on the recognition that some operators need more than advice to get started.

Sam told Newsline in an email: [quote] "Our loaner program attempts to provide club value to membership, support recently licensed hams, allow members to try new things, learn, and grow in a documented fashion." [endquote] Equipment is not available, of course, during Field Day or hamfests and does not apply to the club station itself but there are gin poles, tuners and analyzers - and three HF transceivers - that would otherwise be idle most of the time. There is even a complete kit for POTA and other portable operations and instructions along with a folding wagon. While helping new hams check out any equipment, club officers get to know them better, learning their skill levels and offering advice.

Even after the equipment gets returned, there's still one thing the new hams do end up keeping - a lasting relationship with the club that helped them on their way.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(MARCIA THOMPSON, NC4MT, SAM POINDEXTER, NI4TG)

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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; 425DXNews; Fagen Wasanni Technologies; FCC; HamSCI.org; IARU; IEEE Spectrum; Marcia Thompson, NC4MT; Radio Society of Great Britain; Radio World; Saborni Nag Biswas, VU2JFC; St.MaxNet.org; Sam Poindexter, NI4TG; shortwaveradio.de; SPACE.COM; UK Meteor Beacon.org; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.  We remind our listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.