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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2439 for Friday July 26th, 2024 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2439 with a release date of Friday, July
26th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A newly launched NASA tool studies radio waves
coming from CMEs. Ham radio joins a college curriculum in India -- and
the Intercontinental Traffic Net needs your help. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2439 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
NASA TRACKS RADIO WAVES EMITTED BY SOLAR FLARES

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a look at solar storms - and as
almost everyone knows, we have had more than our share of CMEs in this
part of the solar cycle. NASA has begun trying to better understand
radio waves detected coming from coronal mass ejections -- and now they
have the tool to help them. We learn more about it from Ralph Squillace
KK6ITB.

RALPH: The unprecedented use of a research tool in space known as
low-frequency radio interferometry is helping NASA scientists track
radio waves emanating from coronal mass ejections. The mission is known
as CURIE, an acronym for CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment.
Designed by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley,
CURIE's two small spacecraft launched from French Guiana aboard a
European Space Agency Ariane 6 rocket making its inaugural flight. This
is the first space mission looking specifically at the origin of these
radio signals which are commonly detected during solar flares, CMEs and
solar storms. CURIE's two CubeSats are designed to capture the radio
waves and triangulate them to determine their point of origin.

Scientists are hoping that their findings can help better predict
disruptions in communications as a result of rough solar weather.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(NEXSTAR MEDIA, NASA)

**
COLLEGE IN INDIA ADDS HAM RADIO TO CURRICULUM

PAUL/ANCHOR: In the US, Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania
recently added amateur radio to its curriculum for engineering
students. Now, in India, another college has made that move. Jason
Daniels VK2LAW has that report.

JASON: Honours students in chemistry are being given the opportunity to
add amateur radio to their first-semester course load at a college in
West Bengal, India. The RK Mission Vivekananda [vivek-an-anda]
Centenary College announced recently that school officials believe
becoming a licensed ham will provide a gateway into the police force,
the paramilitary, airport traffic work and various divisions of the
Indian military. The class is being designed to prepare students for
the Amateur Station Operator Certificate issued by the ministry of communications.

The announcement by the private engineering school was reported on the
website of thestatesman.com. The school's principal said that although
only chemistry students will be eligible for enrollment at this time,
educators may expand the roster to include undergraduates focusing on
physics. The school also plans to set up an amateur radio station on
the campus.

Seventy students have enrolled in the course, which is being taught by
the Indian Academy of Communications.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW

(THE STATESMAN, AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**

GERMANY ISSUES NEW HAM FIRST CLASS N LICENSE

PAUL/ANCHOR: Congratulations to Christian Luven of Dulsberg, Germany.
Christian successfully passed his licensing exam on the 24th of June
and has become the country's first "entry level" Class N amateur radio operator. Class N amateurs have access to 70cm, 2m and 10m. They may
operate at a maximum of 10 watts.

(RADIO DARC)

**
ACTIVATORS NEEDED FOR EVENT HONORING ELMERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A ham in Connecticut has found an answer to this very
important question that's as old as ham radio itself: How do you say
thank you to the person - or the people - who helped you get on the
air? You do it by...getting on the air! Here's Travis Lisk N3ILS, who
tells us how to make it happen.

TRAVIS: On the QRZ.com page for his upcoming special event, Rich Marzo,
KB1FGC, publicly thanks the hams who have helped him: Steve, N1AOB (En
One A O B], Glenn, WG3F, Bill, W1FMX and Joe, AA2IL. Those are just the
main names on Rich's list and the thanks don't end there. For the third consecutive year, Rich has organized a three-day event in which he and
other hams can publicly thank their Elmers by operating one of three
callsigns - W1E, W3E and W4E. This year's event is happening on the
18th through to the 20th of October.

According to a press release from Rich, there are a dozen operators
already signed up but any ham who wants to express their gratitude and acknowledge those amateurs who have provided technical and moral
support are welcome to sign on as an Elmer Special Event operator. Rich
says that if he gets enough response from another call district not
represented by the existing three callsigns, he will apply for a
fourth.

Contact him via the email address found on the QRZ.com page for KB1FGC
or see the text version of this week's Newsline script.

[DO NOT READ: marzo7088@yahoo.com ]

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(RICH MARZO, KB1FGC)

**

SILENT KEY: HANS VAN DEN BERG, PA0JBB, 2014 'AMATEUR OF THE YEAR'

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams in the Netherlands are feeling a deep loss following
the death of one of the country's most prominent, active amateurs. We
learn more from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Hans van den Berg, PA0JBB, is being remembered as a dedicated
radio amateur who gave his devotion and his expertise to many local ham
radio clubs and related projects. Hans has become a Silent Key. He died
on the 20th of July and was discovered lying on the ground in his back
garden. He was wearing the climbing harness he customarily wore for
working on his tower. However, it is not known what happened to Hans immediately before his death.

Martin, PA2RUS, who shared the news on a forum on QRZ.com, told
Newsline in an email that Hans freely shared his electronics expertise
with fellow amateurs and spent hours assisting others in projects. He
helped restore the radio room aboard the sea tug Elbe, a sea-going
vessel significant in Dutch shipping history. He also managed the
medium wave transmitter technology and antenna installation at the
Hindustani radio station Vahon, which serves the Indian community.

Hans was a recipient of the Golden Pin from the Radio Amateur
Transmitting Society VRZA and was chosen Radio Amateur of the Year in
2014, one of the most prestigious awards for a Dutch radio amateur.
Hans also wrote articles frequently for Electron, the monthly magazine
of VERON, the Dutch national amateur radio society.

Martin told Newsline: [quote] "His passing is a significant loss not
only to his family but also to the amateur radio community." [endquote]
Hans was 78.

(MARTIN RUS, PA2RUS, QRZ.COM, VERON)

**
NET CONTROL STATIONS NEEDED BY INTERCONTINENTAL TRAFFIC NET

PAUL/ANCHOR: The Intercontinential Amateur Traffic Net, one of the
oldest continuing nets in the United States, needs your help. In a
posting in one of the QRZ.com forums, Holger, K2HES, said that the
20-meter net, also known as Intercon, needs additional net control
stations to cover a one-hour shift handling emergency communications.
The net receives priority and emergency traffic on 14.300 MHz daily
from 1200 UTC to 1700 UTC during standard time and from 1100 UTC to
1600 UTC during Daylight saving time in the United States.

Hams with at least a General Class US license are eligible to fill one
of the available slots as net control.

Visit intercontinentalnet dot org - that's intercontinentalnet - one
word - dot org for more details and to see the net-control schedule
with the shifts that are available. The net has been on the air
providing communication and goodwill since 1960.

(QRZ.COM, INTERCONTINENTALNET.ORG)

**

BREAK HERE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including the
N5OZG repeater in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sundays at 8 p.m.

**

CLIMBING COLORADO SUMMITS FOR ANNUAL '14-er' EVENT PAUL/ANCHOR: The
first full weekend of August brings back a tradition begun in 1991,
when Colorado amateurs decided it would be fun to activate mountains
with a minimum height of 14,000 feet. This year, hams are ascending the
heights once again but in the years that followed, they have added
scores of smaller mountains while keeping the original ones known as
the "fourteeners." Although the main activation days will be Saturday,
August 3rd and Sunday, August 4th, hams will be on the air on the
Friday before and the Monday after the big weekend. This is a tradition
that predates the arrival of the Summits on the Air awards scheme in
Colorado but has since become a part of it. For information about the
peaks and the frequencies being used, see the link in the text version
of this week's Newsline script.

[DO NOT READ: https://ham14er.groups.io/g/ham14er/wiki/ ]

(SOTA REFLECTOR)

**

UK REGULATOR EXPLORES DIRECT-TO-DEVICE FOR MOBILE

PAUL/ANCHOR: The UK regulator has begun exploring ways to provide
mobile devices with direct coverage - from the sky. We have those
details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Ofcom is looking for a means of allowing sky-based systems to
enhance connectivity for smartphones and similar mobile devices. The UK regulator seeks views on ways to implement direct-to-device services
for mobile coverage during outages of traditional networks and as a way
to provide service to underserved areas. This could mean technology
deployed from satellites, aircraft or additional airborne platforms.

Acknowledging that such technology will have an impact on the limited availability of the radio spectrum, the regulator is asking for input
from the public and will receive comments until the 13th of September.
A call-for-input form is available as a download from the Ofcom
website.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(OFCOM)

**
OFCOM SEEKS INPUT ON CHANGES WITHIN SHARED SPECTRUM

PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, Ofcom has announced it plans to permit smaller separation distances and greater maximum power for users of the part of
the spectrum between 3.8 and 4.2 GHz. Ofcom proposes allowing an
increase by 3 dB for the maximum power limit of so-called "low power"
devices. Ofcom called these changes "improvements" that are part of its
Shared Access framework which began in 2019 as a way of giving more
users access through shared spectrum. Ofcom also plans to allow
unlicensed low-power devices to be used indoors on the frequencies
between 2320 and 2340 MHz within the amateur radio 13cm shared band.
Many of these and related changes are expected to take effect in the
final quarter of the year. In the meantime, Ofcom is seeking input on
these proposals no later than the 18th of September.

(OFCOM)

**
DXPEDITION MARKS INDONESIA'S 79TH YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE

PAUL/ANCHOR: In Indonesia, a group of hams is preparing for a weekend DXpedition with a special callsign to mark the republic's independence
day. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF brings us the details.

JIM: Pari Island, a stingray-shaped island in Indonesia, is set for a DXpedition in August celebrating the 79th anniversary of the republic's independence. Some members of ORARI, the national society for amateur
radio, plan a full four-day weekend event beginning on the 16th of
August, with a flag ceremony on the 17th.

Operators will be calling CQ with the callsign 7E79RI on six HF bands
and one VHF band. The hams are members of ORARI's Local East Jakarta
group, YH0AD.

Announcing the trip in one of the forums in QRZ.com, M. Fayyas Suwanto,
YC0SJA, said that the Dxpedition could be combined with a family trip
since the island is also a popular spot for tourists. Pari Island is
part of the Seribu Island group, IOTA number OC-177.

Indonesian nationalists declared the republic to be free of rule by the
Dutch on the 17th of August, 1945. According to the United
States-Indonesia Society, it is the world's third largest democracy.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QRZ.COM, IOTA, UNITED STATES-INDONESIA SOCIETY)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, the Association Royale des Radioamateurs du Maroc
is marking Throne Day, a public holiday in Morocco, with callsigns that
have the special prefix 5C25 from the 25th of July to the 5th of
August. The national society, A R R A M, callsign CN8MC, will be
running the Silver Jubilee special event station with the call 5C25FT.
Throne Day honours the enthronement of the incumbent monarch and its official date is the 30th of July. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Michel, F8GGZ, on the air as TM24JOL between the 26th of
July and the 11th of August. Michel will also be on the air as TM24JPO
between the 28th of August and the 8th of September. The first
activation will be for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, followed by the
Paralympic Games. QSL via his home call.

Listen for the callsign TO8FP (TEE OH EIGHT EFF PEE) on the air from
Miquelon, IOTA Number NA-032, from the 10th to the 22nd of August. They
will be using CW, SSB and some digital modes on 80-6 metres. They will
also operate via satellite. QSL via Club Log or via DJ4MX.

A group of operators on Pellestrina Island will be using the callsign
IR3M on the 28th through the 30th of July. Pellestrina Island is IOTA
Number EU-131. QSL via the bureau and LoTW.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: AT SOTA CAMPOUT, HAMS REACH THE PEAK OF FRIENDSHIP

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our final story of the week proves that sometimes a bunch
of hams camping out is much more than just a bunch of hams camping out.
George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU, shares the campfire story of these SOTA
activators.

GEORGE: The third annual W7 Oscar /Pacific Northwest SOTA Campout
wasn't just about making QSOs. This event on the summits of southern
Oregon was about making memories, just as it had done for those
attending in its first two years. Forty-five operators made the trip
-some driving from as far away as North Carolina - to visit in person
with their on-the-air friends and to call CQ from on high in the nearby mountain ranges.

Using the Howard Prairie Lake Campground as their base, the amateurs
logged hundreds of QSOs in the nearby Cascade and Siskiyou Mountains
between the 12th and 16th of July. The operators completed
summit-to-summit QSOs on 2m and logged contacts with home-based
chasers, mostly on 2m. Some even experimented with using CW and SSB on
their 2m HTs.

Amy AG7GP, who organized the event with Robin, N7HAP, said that a
heatwave of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit proved to be particularly challenging -- but when you're calling CQ by after ascending a summit,
you necessarily get to rise above all that.

Amy told Newsline in an email: [quote] "Everyone has something to offer
in the ham radio world no matter where they are on the journey. One
thing I enjoy most is bringing people together for eyeball QSOs. At the campouts there is a lot of visiting and laughter and lifelong
friendships are made." [endquote]

Perhaps Derek W7DLZ and James WA7JNJ exemplify that best. They arrived
at the campground as strangers to one another but by the time everyone
was getting ready to pack up and go home, the duo had become an
activation team. They hiked together and completed 13 joint summit
activations.

This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.

(AMY HAPTONSTALL, AG7GP)

**
JUST SAY 'HI' TO HAIKU

If a good day of radio is like poetry to you, pick up a pencil and join
the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. Share your experience by
sending an original haiku to us here at Newsline. Use the entry form on
our website, arnewsline.org and please follow the rules for writing
your three-line haiku -- sorry but we cannot accept any entries that
aren't written in traditional haiku form. Share with fellow listeners
the poetry that is inspired by your ham radio experience!

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Daily; Ambarish Nag
Biswas, VU2JFA; Amy Haptonstall, AG7GP; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; 425DXNews; IntercontinentalNet.org; Martin Rus, PA2RUS; NASA; NexStar
Media; Ofcom; QRZ.com; Radio D.A.R.C.; Rich Marzo, KB1FGC;
shortwaveradio.de; SOTA Reflector; Statesman.com' United
States-Indonesia Society; VERON; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

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