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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2452 for Friday October 25th, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2452 with a release date of
Friday, October 25th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A shortwave radio giant in Austria is poised to
shut down. One of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers becomes a
Silent Key -- and a TV crime drama in Germany probes a ham radio murder mystery. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2452
comes your way right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
AUSTRIA'S SHORTWAVE GIANT FACES SHUTDOWN

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to Austria where a giant
among the world's shortwave stations is poised to go off the air at the
end of the year. Graham Kemp VK4BB has those details.

GRAHAM: After weeks of speculation, Austria's ORS Shortwave radio
station confirmed that its shutdown date will be December 31st. The
news came to the German national ham radio society's weekly Radio D A R
C programme on October 14th as was reported in their October 20th
programme.

The station recently lost its major broadcast client, Adventist World
Radio, which will end its transmissions this month. That leaves only a
handful of customers for the ORS station, including Radio D A R C, for
whom it carried a special worldwide broadcast of the World Radiosport
Team Championship in 2018.

The shortwave site was formerly the Radio Austria International
broadcast station and is well-known for having had Europe's largest
directional antenna system for shortwave broadcasts.

Various news reports, including those from Radio D A R C in Germany and
the British DX Club, had said that the Moosbrunn site was likely to be
shut down by the 31st of December.

ORS is among the few remaining shortwave broadcasters in Europe and has provided programming for listeners in the Near East, the Middle East
and Africa.

(RADIO DARC, BRITISH DX CLUB)

**
FOUR DIE IN HELICOPTER CRASH INTO RADIO TOWER

PAUL/ANCHOR: A helicopter crashed into a communications tower near
downtown Houston, Texas on Sunday, October 20th, Kent Peterson KC0DGY
brings us up to date.

KENT: Four people on board a helicopter died after it crashed into a
radio tower in Houston, scattering debris for miles and setting off a
grass fire in the immediate area.

Various media reports said that no one on the ground was injured,
either from the fiery crash or the subsequent collapse of the tower on
Sunday, October 20th. The city's mayor, John Whitmire, told local media
that it was fortunate that the tower, which had guy wires, collapsed
instead of toppling over. The mayor said that the explosion set off by
the crash was like [quote] "a fireball out of the air." [endquote] The
crash victims reportedly included a child.

Houston's ABC 13 news said that the tower was equipped with red
flashing lights designed to make it visible to aircraft but the lights
had a history of malfunctioning. KHOU Channel 11 said that the lights
were reported as not working on the 16th of October.

SBA Communications, which acquired the tower on September 6th, released
a statement on Monday, the 21st of October, addressing the issue of the
failed lights. The company said that it had filed a Notice to Air
Missions with the FAA, as is required when a tower presents potentially hazardous conditions that may have an effect on aircraft. The
statement said the notice was filed while the new ownership began work
to integrate the tower into its Network Operations Center. Antennas on
the tower included those of three Houston area radio stations.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(RADIO WORLD, CNN.COM, ABC 13)

**
TUNISIAN HAM CAMP FOR YOUNGSTERS GETS YASME GRANT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Good fortune smiled upon the recent Youngsters on the Air subregional camp in Tunisia. For one thing, the camp coincided with the
major worldwide scouting event, Jamboree on the Air. For another thing,
they received some important monetary support. We have those details
from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Young radio amateurs throughout the north of Africa enjoyed the
weekend subregional camp of Youngsters on the Air with the support of a
grant from the Yasme Foundation. The grant to the Association of
Tunisian Radio Amateurs was announced on the foundation website five
days before the camp itself got underway on the 18th of October. This
is the second year that IARU Region 1 YOTA has been able to organise an
African subregional camp.

This year's participants included two youngsters each from Mauritania,
Morocco, Egypt, Libya and Algeria. Young hams were also joined by
members of the Tunisian Scouts who were very familiar with the location
as a well-used international scout camp facility. Organisers said that
the inclusion of scouts this year will allow the hams to expand their
own network even more. Camp activities include building antennas, fox
hunting, solving problems and, of course, getting on the air.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(DX-NEWS, YOTA REGION 1)

**

SUCCESS FOR FRENCH EXPERIMENT IN LASER COMMUNICATION

PAUL/ANCHOR: Yet another experiment in the use of laser communication
to send data has been declared a success. We hear about it from Jeremy
Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: Defence officials in France have publicly praised an experiment
in high-speed optical satellite communication that they hope will
eventually become useful in the nation's military space strategy. The experiment resulted in successful space-to-earth laser communication
between a small ground station and Keraunos, a nanosatellite launched
late last year into low Earth orbit. It is yet another example of
scientists exploring the use of optical waves as an alternative to
using radio. The ground station was described as a white dome 4 metres
in diameter with a telescope sticking out. It was able to track and
receive transmitted data.

The French Defence Ministry released a statement in September extolling
the advantages of optical communication, which include "speed,
discretion and independence from regulations that coordinate the use of
radio waves. Even if this optical link can sometimes be perturbed by atmospheric turbulence, the Keraunos satellite is able to circumvent
them in order to achieve optimum transmission quality." The project is
the result of a collaboration between France's Defense Innovation
Agency and a small company known as Cailabs.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(BREAKING DEFENSE)

**
SILENT KEY: NAVAJO CODE TALKER, JOHN KINSEL SR., 107

PAUL/ANCHOR: One of the three remaining World War II veterans known as
Navajo Code Talkers has died. John Kinsel Sr. died in his sleep at his
Arizona home on Saturday, the 19th of October. He served the United
States military in the elite group of Marines who used their native
language as the basis of a code to securely transmit troop movement
information and other critical messages. The code was never broken by
the enemy.

According to various news reports, with his death only two of the
original Navajo Code Talkers remain.

John Kinsel Sr. was 107.

(NBC NEWS, THE GUARDIAN, THE NY TIMES)

**
YOUNG AMATEURS INVITED TO ENTER "DREAM RIG" ESSAY CONTEST

PAUL/ANCHOR: Using their imagination and their devotion to amateur
radio, young radio operators are once again being invited to enter the
Dream Rig contest sponsored by the Intrepid DX Group. Sel Embee KB3TZD
tells us what's involved.

SEL: Licensed amateurs who are 19 years of age and younger are being
given the challenge to describe the role and the benefits ham radio
brings to modern society. They're also being asked how more young
amateurs can be inspired to get on the air. It's not an easy question,
of course, but the sponsor behind the 5th annual "Dream Rig" essay
contest, the Intrepid DX Group, knows something about big challenges
itself. Through the years, the nonprofit group has been the force
behind major DXpeditions and other radio activities around the world.

Young amateurs with US or Canadian radio licenses - who live in either
country or in any of the US territories - are eligible. For details on
ways to submit the essay and to see rules for the competition itself,
visit the Facebook page of the Intrepid DX Group. Essays are due no
later than the 30th of November.

Winners will be announced in December.

This is Sel Embee KB3TZD.

(INTREPID-DX GROUP)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K9JX repeater of the Jacksonville Amateur Radio Society in
Jacksonville Illinois on Saturdays at 9 p.m.

**
VOLCANOES ON THE AIR ERUPTS IN NEW ZEALAND

PAUL/ANCHOR: In New Zealand, a new awards program has erupted - and we
really do mean really erupted: Volcanoes on the Air. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
has the details.

JIM: The city of Auckland isn't just home to the most people in New
Zealand; it is also where you'll find the most volcanoes - 53 to be
precise. The region, known as the Auckland Volcanic Field, has inspired
radio amateurs to launch a new programme - Volcanoes on the Air.
Although some hams have already had a jump start in calling CQ from the volcanic region, the QSOs begin in earnest with the official kickoff of
the programme on the 3rd of November.

The website ontheair dot nz (ontheair.nz) has been updated to provide information for the new Volcanoes on the Air awards scheme. The site
also contains details on a variety of other programmes such as HEMA,
POTA, SOTA, Lighthouses and IOTA.

An announcement on the Infoline of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters encourages hams to give it a try, noting that the activity
does not require a lot of hiking uphill. The website geo dot net
(geo.net) notes that the volcanic field is mostly utilised for public
parks and recreation and that the volcanoes are considered unlikely to
have any eruptions, especially since the last one on record was at
least 600 years ago.

So the only things active in this volcanic field are likely to be the
radio amateurs themselves calling CQ.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(INFOLINE NZART, WIA)

**
NOVEMBER SPECIAL EVENT MARKS 76 YEARS OF AIR FORCE MARS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The US Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System will be
marking its 76th year with a special event from the 5th through to the
11th of November. Stephen Kinford N8WB tells us how to get involved.

STEPHEN: The celebration of Air Force MARS and its 76 years on the air
is open to licensed amateurs in all three US classes. Operators will be
using CW, SSB and digital modes on 80 through 6 metres in the parts of
the bands assigned to General and Technician Class licensees.
Operations are identified by 10 geographic regions called
Communications Wings. There will also be operators on the air from the
Pentagon MARS station in Washington, DC; Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado; Hancock Field Air National Guard in New York and the Travis
Air Force Base MARS Station in California.

For a list of the special event callsigns and a description of the
exchanges that will be used, visit the link that appears in the text
version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://community.apan.org/wg/afmars/air-force-mars-76th-special-event]

The Air Force MARS system was created to assist US military and
civilian government with communications when needed.

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(ED DONNELLY, KB2UNZ)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Neil, G0RNU, operating holiday style as
6Y/G0RNU from Jamaica, IOTA Number NA-097 from the 23rd of October
through to the 6th of November. He will operate SSB and digital modes
on 40-6 metres. QSL via eQSL.

Steve, NY3B, is on the air as J68SS from St Lucia, IOTA Number NA-108,
until the 29th of October. He will also be one of the J62K operators
during the CQ WW DX SSB Contest on October 26th and 27th. See QRZ.com
for QSL details.

Tev, TA1HZ, is operating from Tabor, Tanzania until late 2025 as 5H8HZ.
Listen for him on the air, holiday style on 40-10 metres. He will focus
on 40, 30, 12 and 10m. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

In Uganda, Don, G3XTT, will operate as 5X1DF, using CW and some FT8;
and Alan, G3XAQ will operate as 5X1XA, using CW, from the 13th through
to the 27th of November. Listen for them in the CQ WW DX CW Contest,
where they will participate as single-band entrants. See QRZ.com for
QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: IN GERMAN TV DRAMA, THE BANDS WEREN'T DEAD BUT THIS HAM WAS

PAUL/ANCHOR: The American film and TV industry isn't the only creative community adding amateur radio into its cast of fictional characters.
Amateur radio found its way recently into an episode of a popular TV
crime drama in Germany. While that's good news for ham radio -- it
didn't have the best outcome for one of the fictional TV hams. We learn
why from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

RALPH: Very early on in Season 16, Episode 2 of the ZDF German crime
drama, "SOKO Stuttgart," Hartmut, DH4NO, becomes a Silent Key rather
quickly, rather violently and quite mysteriously. It happens in the
middle of a 2-metre QSO he is having with a friend as both are playing
the two-person board game, Battleship. The friend, Schrotti, a new ham
with the callsign DR5TI, hears the contact go dead - quite literally.
He summons police and that sets the SOKO team - the team of the series
title - into action. SOKO is the acronym in German for the regional
special police task force.

As the crime squad focuses its probe on the amateur radio club the men
belonged to, any hams viewing the show can immediately recognise the
rigs, which were supplied by the DARC Stuttgart radio club. There are
also familiar lessons in propagation and, of course, that important
call, "CQ." It's a bit unclear as to why some unlicensed operators in
this prime-time drama are seen transmitting on some of the ham
equipment -- but this is, after all, fiction, and unlike this
particular story, not all mysteries were meant to be solved.

For those who want to practice their German, the show can be seen in
the ZDF video store at the address given in the text version of this
script on our website, arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ:
https://www.zdf.de/serien/soko-stuttgart/schrotti-funkt-100.html ]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(ZDF)

**
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 ABC-13; Amateur Radio Daily; Breaking
Defense; British DX Club; CNN.com; David Behar K7DB; Ed Donnelly,
KB2UNZ; 425DXNews; FCC; the Guardian; InfoLine NZART; Intrepid DX
Group; NBC News; QRZ.com; Radio D. A. R. C.; Radio World;
shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; YOTA Region 1; ZDF
[Zed Dee Eff]; 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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