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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2471 for Friday, March 7th, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2471 with a release date of Friday, March
7th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A survey reveals some important trends in
Brazilian amateur radio. Huntsville's new museum of communications and technology is open -- and the founder of the Hurricane Watch Net
becomes a Silent Key. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2471 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
SURVEY GIVES DETAILED SNAPSHOT OF HAM RADIO IN BRAZIL

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Brazil where a recent survey is providing a detailed look at trends among hams in South America's
largest nation. Jeremy Boot G4NJH shares some of its findings.

JEREMY: An important snapshot of the state of amateur radio in Brazil
has provided the national ham radio society and the telecommunications regulator with insights into relevant trends. The sampling of 940 hams
in 27 states and 350 cities was conducted in May of 2024 by Guillermo Crimerius, PY2BIL, a member of the board of the Sao Paulo chapter of
LABRE, the Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Rádio Emissão. Guillermo
told Newsline that the findings are also being shared with the
regulator ANATEL.

He said that the findings held no surprises but many details were
nonetheless significant. Brazil's ham radio community remains
predominantly male, with women comprising only 2 percent of the hobby.
Survey results also showed that hams are an aging population in Brazil:
72% are between 40 and 70 years old, with most of them between 40 and
60. While new licensees continue to join Brazil's ham community every
year, there is low membership in clubs and associations, giving little opportunity for the networking and skills training usually provided by
them. Guillermo writes: [quote] "This scenario has had an impact on new generations of hams, who face difficulties in learning the essential
technical matters and especially the operational and cultural
activities." [endquote]

For a full copy of the report, which is downloadable, visit the link in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(GUILLERMO CRIMERIUS, PY2BIL)

**

NOMINATE THE NEXT "YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR"

PAUL/ANCHOR: We remind our listeners that young hams who live in the continental United States have an opportunity to make news, if they
aren't already doing so, by being a recipient of this year's Amateur
Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award.
Consider nominating an amateur radio operator 18 years of age or
younger -- someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the
spirit of ham radio. Find application forms on our website
arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. Nominations are now open. We are accepting nominations through May 31st.

**

BRANDMEISTER DMR PHASING OUT SOME RADIO IDS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Certain Radio IDs that have been in use on the
Brandmeister DMR network are going away later this year. Sel Embee
KB3TZD explains.

SEL: The Brandmeister DMR network has announced that it is phasing out
its support of certain Radio IDs that do not comply with the Mobile
Country Code, or MCC, numbering system. This means that by June, radio operators with certain DMR IDs will need to request new numbers to be
assigned to their radios. The first phase of these changes will begin
on the 1st of June, when Brandmeister will stop supporting five-digit
CAP+ IDs. Starting on the 1st of January, 2026, radios with seven-digit personal radio IDs that begin with the numeral 1 will also stop working
on the network. In making this announcement, Brandmeister assured
repeater operators that it will continue indefinite support of
repeaters that have six-digit radio IDs.

Brandmeister said in its announcement in late February that this an
effort to address improperly numbered Radio IDs - something
Brandmeister has been trying to contain for seven years. It said on its website: [quote] The Brandmeister DMR platform is a constantly evolving
system, requiring regular optimizations and maintenance to ensure its efficiency, reliability, and alignment with global open standards."
[Endquote]

New IDs can be obtained through Radio ID (Radio Eye Dee) dot net
(Radioid.net).

For further instructions visit the Brandmeister link that appears in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

[DO NOT READ: news.brandmeister.network]

(NEWS.BRANDMEISTER.NETWORK, AMATEUR NEWS DAILY)

**
3 IRISH "KILMOLIN CLUSTER" BEACONS GO QRT TO RELOCATE

PAUL/ANCHOR: A trio of beacons in Ireland have been taken out of
service in preparation for being moved, as we hear from Jeremy
BootG4NJH.

JEREMY: In Ireland, three beacons that have been operating from a site
south of Dublin have gone QRT to allow for their relocation. The EI4RF,
EI1KNH and EI0SIX beacons have been part of what is known as the
Kilmolin cluster. They had been hosted by Paddy Geoghegan, EI5HS, who
became a Silent Key last year.

The beacons, which have a new owner, went off the air in mid-February
and are expected to slowly come back. According to reports on groups.io
and the SWLing Post blog, the EI4RF 4-metre beacon is expected to be
the first to return, perhaps by May just as sporadic-E season begins.
The EI0SIX beacon is expected to follow sometime afterward on 6-metres.
It was unclear how and when service will be restored on the EI1KHN
beacon, which operated on 40 and 60 MHz. It is also unclear whether
this beacon will need to be assigned a new callsign.

This is Jeremy Boot GF4NJH.

(EI7GI BLOG, QRZ.COM, SWLING POST)

**

UNIVERSITY IS W. BENGAL'S 1ST TO HAVE HAM CLUB STATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Students and faculty in India are celebrating the
establishment of the first state-of-the-art shack on a West Bengal
state university campus. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.

GRAHAM: Aliah University, a state university that created for the
education of many of India's minority populations, is about to become
the first university in West Bengal with its own state-of-the-art ham
radio club station. The announcement was made in late February in
connection with a seminar held on the Kolkata campus introducing
students and faculty to various aspects of amateur radio. The one-day
session, held on the 24th of February, covered emergency communications
and radio technology and included hands-on experience for the estimated
250 attendees. It was led by members of the West Bengal Radio Club, the
Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management and organized
by the school's Department of Electronics and Communication
Engineering. A number of other schools have hosted similar amateur
radio workshops throughout the region, which is a coastal area subject
to violent storms and other natural disasters that rely on alternate
forms of communication.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(MILLENNIUM POST)

**

BROADCAST TRADE SHOW DROPS RECEPTION FOR HAMS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams will no doubt be among those visiting the National Association of Broadcasters annual trade show again this year but
something will be missing, as we learn from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: The annual trade show of the National Association of
Broadcasters is welcoming industry professionals once again this year
to Las Vegas in April. One traditional event will be missing from this
year's show, however: There will be no separate reception for amateur
radio operators.

Hams, of course, are still welcome. Indeed, many broadcast
professionals - especially those on the engineering side - enjoy an
active and robust time on the air on the amateur bands. A posting on
the Radio World website said that this year's ham reception was not on
the schedule. The reception had been hosted for a long time by Bob Heil
K9EID, who became a Silent Key last year.

The article said that organizers are hoping to [quote] "reinvent the
event for next year by exploring fresh partnerships and innovative
ideas." [endquote]

In the meantime, licensed hams who work in the industry can still look
forward to the usual opportunities for networking and learning about
new technology. The NAB Show takes place between April 5th and 9th at
the Las Vegas Convention Center.

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(RADIO WORLD)


**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the WB3GXW repeater in Silver Spring, Maryland and simultaneously on
EchoLink Conference Server Node 6154 on Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays
at 7 PM Eastern time.

**

DX INDIA FOUNDATION PREPARES FOR DXPEDITION

NEIL/ANCHOR: In India, there's a new DX foundation that has lots of
energy and ambition - and plans for a rarely activated island. We learn
more from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: It's still early in the game for the newly organized
not-for-profit DX India Foundation but the team has already announced
ambitious plans to increase India's presence on the DX map. As part of
its mission to activate rare IOTA islands, conduct DXpeditions and
provide DX and POTA chasers with a chance to work different entities in
India, the team has its sights set on Arnala Island, IOTA number
AS-169, which is near Mumbai. According to an announcement from the
team, the island has had no amateur radio activity since 2006. Hams
from the DX India Foundation have applied to use the callsign AU2M and
hope to be on the air from the 29th of May through to the 1st of June.
Later plans include a 10-day adventure to the Lakshadweep archipelago
off the coast of Kerala [CARE-ruh-luh] in southern India.

The DX India Foundation has also established an online forum in
groups.io to encourage a sense of international community for chasers
and activators. In between trips, the foundation's activity will be
focused on training and mentoring other radio operators.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(DX INDIA FOUNDATION)

**

HUNTSVILLE'S Γ-ÿSIGNALS' MUSEUM OPENS IN ALABAMA

PAUL/ANCHOR: Huntsville, Alabama, home of the Huntsville Hamfest, has a
new way to celebrate technology and, of course, amateur radio. To
welcome the museum and honor the spirit and advancements made in
technology, Newsline is departing from the norm this week. This report
is being read via artificial intelligence and a correspondent known as
AI-Drew.

AI-DREW: On March 1st, the SIGNALS Museum of Information Explosion
opened its doors to what founders hope will be an immersive and
hands-on environment for visitors. The museum, housed a short drive
from where the Huntsville Hamfest is held each year, has an array of
exhibits devoted to communications technology in all its forms
throughout history. Amateur radio operators who are visiting will be particularly interested in the ham shack, a welcoming space for
regional radio clubs and other radio operators to meet or work on
building equipment. The museum also has an on-site radio tower.

Whether you live in the area or plan to visit Huntsville this year, the
museum will welcome you. Visit their website at signals hyphen museum
dot org. (signals-museum.org)

This is AI-Drew.

(SIGNALS MUSEUM)

**

SILENT KEY: GERRY MURPHY, K8YUW, FOUNDER OF THE HURRICANE WATCH NET

PAUL/ANCHOR: Atlantic hurricane season is still a few months away but
hams and forecasters will be going forward into this year's season
without the man who created the Hurricane Watch Net 60 years ago. He
has become a Silent Key, as we hear from Randy Sly W4XJ.

RANDY: It can be said that the seeds of the Hurricane Watch Net were
planted in 1965 as Hurricane Betsy raged its way through the Bahamas,
making landfall in the US that September. Gerald Murphy, K8YUW, who was stationed by the US Navy in Rhode Island at the time, was also handling messages and phone patches for the Intercontinental Amateur Radio Net.
When hurricane-specific traffic started to overwhelm the regular net's
messages on their 20m frequency, Gerry suggested that those messages be
handled 5 kHz higher. Marcy Rice, KZ5MM, who was in the Panama Canal
Zone QSY'd with him up to 14.325 MHz and that was the genesis of the
Hurricane Watch Net.

The net has become the backbone of a robust communications system
during storm season. Trained hams share advisories, data and post-storm
damage information in affected areas with national hurricane centers in
the US and, when needed, Canada.

Gerry, who became a Silent Key on the 25th of February at the Ohio
Veterans Home in Sandusky, leaves behind this vibrant legacy. He
served as net manager from September of 1965 until February of 1988,
staying on afterward as assistant net manager. Health issues compelled
him to retire from the net in March 1991.

The Hurricane Watch Net has been planning an on-air special event in
September to mark its 60th anniversary. Net manager Bobby
Graves,KB5HAV, told Newsline [quote] "I was hoping and praying Jerry
would make it to see his creation's 60th Anniversary this coming Labor Day....We will endeavor to make it even more special." [endquote]

Gerry was 88.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(BOBBY GRAVES, KB5HAV; EDDIE MISIEWICZ, KB3YRU)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Chris, WA7RAR, is on the air until the 16th of
March from Barbados, IOTA Number NA-0021. He is using the callsign
8P9CB, operating SSB and CW on 20-10 metres. Some of his locations are
POTA sites. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Rockwell, WW1X, is using the callsign VP5/WW1X from Providenciales,
IOTA Number NA-002 in the Turks and Caicos Islands from the 8th through
to the 15th of March. This is a QRP operation using only SSB, although
Rockwell has not ruled out occasional use of FT8. QSL viaLoTW.

Listen for Aldir, PY1SAD, who is using the callsign 8R1TM from
Georgetown, Guyana, between the 11th of March and the 26th of April.
Aldir is using CW, SSB and the digital modes on the HF bands. He
is also operating via satellite. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Members of the Korean Amateur Radio League are on the air in March and
April to celebrate the centenary of the International Amateur Radio
Union. They are using the callsign HL100IARU. See QRZ.com for QSL
details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**

KICKER: ECHOES OF A DIFFERENT WAY TO LEARN CW

PAUL/ANCHOR: We end this week's report with an alternate way in which
some hams in New Zealand got to learn and practice CW while having real
QSOs. We'll let Jim Meachen ZL2BHF explain how it happened.

JIM: If you've ever wondered whether Echolink is a viable mode for
teaching or learning CW, just ask Ted ZL1BQA, who is proud to have
logged a respectable number of CW contacts during the recent Jock White Memorial Field Day in New Zealand. Studying CW for almost a year with
the Franklin Amateur Radio Club, Ted was able to restart his long-ago
code skills in sessions led by the club president Peter Henderson
ZL1PX. It was done over Echolink.

Ted had enrolled last May along with three younger members who were
first-time learners - Francois, ZL4FJ, Steve, ZL1TZP and Steve ZL1SPR.
With only Ted able to copy Peter's signal over HF, the club followed a suggestion made by Gary ZL1GAC: try Echolink, a computer-based ham
radio mode that incorporates VoIP technology. Loading CW software onto
his computer, Peter was able to send the code intended for each
session, confident that everyone had an equal chance of copying
clearly.

Weekly sessions soon expanded to twice a week as the students
concentrated on letters, then numbers - and eventually basic
punctuation.

After a break in the action, the club is back on Echolink with CW
sessions three nights a week. As for Ted, he's on a roll. Peter told
Newsline in an email that he has resumed making CW contacts on a daily
basis on HF using the Vibroplex that once collected dust instead
ofQSOs.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(QUA, Peter Henderson, ZL1PX)

**
Have you sent in your amateur radio haiku to Newsline's haiku challenge
yet? It's as easy as writing a QSL card. Set your thoughts down using traditional haiku format - a three-line verse with five syllables in
the first line, seven in the second and five in the third. Submit your
work on our website at arnewsline.org - each week's winner gets a
shout-out on our website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.


NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur News Daily; Bobby Graves,
KB5HAV; Brandmeister; David Behar K7DB; DX India Foundation; Eddie
Misiewicz, KB3YRU; EI7GI Blog; Guillermo Crimerius, PY2BIL; Millennium
Post; Peter Henderson, ZL1PX; QRZ.com; QUA Newsletter; Radio World; shortwaveradio.de; SWLing Post; Wireless Institute of Australia; 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 2025. All
rights reserved.

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