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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2445 for Friday September 6th, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2445 with a release date of
Friday, September 6th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams assist during deadly floods in Bangladesh.
Two special events reflect on key moments in US history -- and some electrifying news about honeybees. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2445 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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INFORMAL RADIO NETWORK AIDS BANGLADESH FLOOD RESCUE

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to Bangladesh where one amateur's
distress call led to an informal but highly effective network of rescue communicators. Graham Kemp VK4BB describes the scene.

GRAHAM: In Bangladesh, an informal group of community-based hams
mobilised to provide vital communication in the region surrounding Feni district following deadly floods that began on the 19th of August. Hams
in the capital city of Dhaka rallied to assist after hearing from a
fellow amateur via social media that he was trapped by rising water
levels with no emergency response in sight. Abdullah Al Fahad, S21AF,
stayed in touch with the amateur and monitored his situation while
alerting other area hams. He said in an email: [quote] "We knew we had
to act quickly." [endquote] Traditional means of communication
weredown.

By the 22nd of August, the team's base station was set up at a 15-story building in Feni and a control room established at the office of Feni's
deputy commissioner. There, the first group of amateur radio responders coordinated with the office of the deputy commissioner to help in the deployment of rescue and relief teams. Many hams continued to join the
effort, bringing along their own personal equipment so the response
network could extend its reach. Stations were set up at two army camps
so that the deputy commissioner had communication with the army and
field rescue teams. Fahad said that another base was set up at a scout headquarters in Dhaka and still another at his QTH.

Over a four-day period the hams kept communication open across a
70-kilometer radius. It was estimated that they helped bring more than
375 rescue operations to fruition - some in remote areas.

With flood water receding, authorities in Bangladesh have since turned
their attention to the spread of waterborne illnesses. Some of the hams
moved on to assist the flood situation in Noakhali. Fahad told the
website, tbsnews.net [quote]: "Even though we weren't under any
official banner, just a group of friends doing what we could, we made a
real difference." [endquote] The amateur who had sent out the original
distress call to Fahad was rescued after four days.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(TBS NEWS NET, INDIA TODAY, ABDULLAH AL FAHAD S21AF)

**
RASPBERRY PI SEEN AS KEY IN UNDERWATER TRANSMISSION

JIM/ANCHOR: Scientists are hopeful that a Raspberry Pi may be a key
component in making underwater communication more effective. Jeremy
Boot G4NJH has that story.

JEREMY: A Raspberry Pi is being used as one of three main components of
a modem that is under development by researchers in Italy to make
underwater communications more effective and less expensive.

As described in a recent article in the IEEE (EYE Triple E) Spectrum,
the Raspberry Pi is the modem's base. There is also a sound card
hardware attachment which generates and records audio signals. For
undersea operations, most modems use acoustical signals instead of
radio because despite the slower rate at which they move, these signals
can cover greater distances. Researchers at the University of Padova
believe the modem will be a much more affordable alternative for
communication with submarines, sensors or other entities. According to
the Spectrum article, current modems typically cost at least ten
thousand US dollars.

The researchers, Filippo Campagnaro and Michele Zorzi, are also
developing a transducer for conversion of energy into acoustic signals
and back again. Their more-affordable device is a modification of
something typically used to monitor the sounds of marine mammals and
costs hundreds, instead of thousands, of US dollars.

By making this technology more affordable, the scientists believe its
uses can be extended beyond the military or the offshore oil and gas
industries into the realms of biodiversity studies and climate change.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(IEEE)


**
SILENT KEY: RICHARD RYBA, WQ3Q, ADVOCATE FOR CANCER RESEARCH, PATIENT ASSISTANCE

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams in Pennsylvania and beyond are grieving the loss of a
friend who was an advocate for cancer research and cancer patient
assistance. We hear about him from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: A little more than a year ago, Richard Ryba, WQ3Q, put out a
call to his fellow hams asking for them to join the on-air team for
N3P, a special event station to raise awareness and donations for
pancreatic cancer research.

On Thursday, September 5th, the Skyview Amateur Radio Society issued
another call during their 2-metre evening net on Richard's behalf. It
was a final call: Richard became a Silent Key on the 31st of August,
five years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the same
illness that took the life of his younger brother years earlier. An
advocate for supporting research, Richard had been the driving force
behind an annual special event station that went on the air throughout
the US in conjunction with a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania walk-a-thon to
benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

He was well-known for his devotion to radio as a member and former
officer of the Skyview Amateur Radio Society and the Breezeshooters
Club of Western Pennsylvania. He recently joined the Southwestern
Pennsylvania SKYWARN and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and
Snow Network. Richard was known as the designer of the QSL card for
K2M, the Pennsylvania colony of the annual 13 Colonies Special Event
station, for each of the past four years. He also had a unique way of identifying himself: Because his callsign contained the character
combination "Q3Q," he often referred to his QTH as the "shack of
quack."

Eddie Misiewicz KB3YRU, net control for the Skyview Thursday night
net, said: [quote] "His hope and his positive attitude will continue in
all of us." [endquote]

Richard, who had been licensed since 2013, was 74.

This is Travis Lisk, N3ILS.

(EDDIE MISIEWICZ, KB3YRU)

**
SILENT KEY: PAUL GRAVELINE, K1YUB, AMSAT JOURNAL ASSISTANT EDITOR

JIM/ANCHOR: Hams are also mourning the loss of the assistant editor of
the AMSAT Journal. We hear more about him from Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

NEIL: As both an editor and contributor, Paul Graveline, K1YUB, began
his seven-year tenure as an assistant editor for the AMSAT Journal with
the publication of the July/August 2017 issue. His deep involvement
with AMSAT included being a member of the CubeSatSim Educational
Materials Team that is part of AMSAT's educational relations program,
using the CubeSat simulator as a learning tool.

Paul, who was born in 1947, became a Silent Key on the 19th of August.

His ham radio career had its roots in his activities as an enthusiastic shortwave listener starting in 1960. Three years later he became an
amateur radio operator with a special interest in CW. His love for
short-wave listening was undiminished and with a friend he later
assisted in the rejuvenation of the listeners' group known as the
Boston Area DXers.

Paul wrote about Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, for a January/February 2022
cover story in the AMSAT Journal. He was also coordinator for her Super Community Project, which seeks to spread a better understanding of
space weather.

This is Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. (AMSAT NEWS)

**
ACMA BEGINS FEE COLLECTION FOR CALLSIGNS WITH 12-MONTH ASSIGNMENT

JIM/ANCHOR: Some hams in Australia may have already noticed some new
fees associated with their callsigns - John Williams VK4JJW is here to
explain them.

JOHN: Beginning on the 1st of September, hams in Australia will be
paying a new fee of $34 for some special types of callsigns that have a 12-month assignment period. Those receiving a contest callsign will be
charged $15. Those transferring a callsign to another amateur will be
charged $15. Hams with a VK9 or VK0 callsign representing Australian
external territories are the ones who will pay $34. The ACMA will send
these callsign holders a reminder to renew after the 12-month period; otherwise, the callsign will be made available for re-allocation on the registry.

Meanwhile, hams having two-letter, three-letter and F-series call signs
are required to confirm active use of their call every five years but
there are no longer any annual fees involved.

An explanation of the new fees and policy from the Australian
Communications and Media Authority can be seen on their website in the
amateur radio callsign policy document. See the link in the text
version of this week's Newsline script.

[DO NOT READ: https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/Amateur%20radio%20c all%20sign%20policy_September%202024.pdf ]

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(ACMA)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the WB0QXW repeater in St. Louis, Missouri, following the Monday night
net at 7 o'clock Central Time.


**
ROUTE 66 AND 9/11 SPECIAL EVENTS ON THE AIR

JIM/ANCHOR: Two special events are on the air marking very different
occasions in US history. The 2024 Route 66 On The Air special event
will be active September 7th through to the 15th, celebrating the
highway known as the Mother Road. Listen for twenty-three 1x1 callsigns
that begin with "W6." From September 8th through to the 12th, hams are
marking a more somber moment in history with the K4A Special Event, commemorating the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001. See QRZ.com
for details of both events.

**
DIGITAL RADIO INTRODUCED FOR NEW ZEALAND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

JIM/ANCHOR: New Zealand is taking the first steps in providing digital
radio service for its emergency response teams. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
brings us up to date.

JIM M: A digital radio service for emergency responders has begun its
rollout in New Zealand, putting four of the nation's emergency service
agencies on the same network for the first time in history. The
transmissions on the new Land Mobile Radio network will be used by
police, fire and emergency, Wellington Free Ambulance and Hato Hone St.
John Ambulance. The push-to-talk transmissions will be fully encrypted.

The rollout of the LMR network will begin in Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland in 2025 and the goal is to ultimately serve 11 regions across
New Zealand by 2026.

LMR becomes part of the Public Safety Network, joining cellular
roaming, which has been in service for the responders since July 2023.
The Public Safety Network is spending 10 years and $1.4 billion to
bring new devices into play for emergency response.

The announcement by Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden did not
mention other emergency responders such as LandSAR, the Coast Guard or
Civil Defence. According to Next Generation Critical Communications,
which is developing New Zealand's Public Safety Network, there is room
for other government agencies to come on board later.

This is Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(NZ NET NEWSLETTER, NEXT GENERATION CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS)

**
FREE ONLINE STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE FOR US TECH, GENERAL LICENSE

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're looking to upgrade your license - or to simply
make a start as a Technician - a new online resource has become
available, and it's free. We hear the details from Stephen KinfordN8WB.

STEPHEN: Hopeful candidates for the US Technician and General amateur
radio licenses can now turn to a free, self-paced study guide being
made available on the educational platform known as SuperKnova. The
courses were developed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
with the help of a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications.
Both the Technician course and the upgrade to General Class focus
heavily on the fundamentals of the electromagnetic spectrum and the
basics of radio waves and propagation. The observatory said that this
makes the material valuable for those in disciplines outside amateur
radio too, such as individuals involved in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math careers. The coursework makes use of license study materials from the ARRL.

Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS, the project instructor, said in a press
release that [quote] "This is a great opportunity to share amateur
radio with a new generation of potential ham radio enthusiasts. We've
designed this course to introduce learners to the electromagnetic
spectrum while developing radio skills and knowledge." [endquote]

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(ARDC)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Col, MM0NDX and Steve, MM0SAJ
using the callsign 3A/MM0NDX and 3A/MM0SAJ from Monaco until the 9th of September. They are focusing on the low bands during their evening
hours and on 6 metres QSL both calls via EB7DX and LoTW.

Michele [pron: MEE-KELL], IZ8PWN is active holiday style as 8Q7WN from
the Maldives, IOTA number AS-013, through to the 13th of September,
using SSB and FT8 on 40-10 metres. QSL via I8KHC.

Listen for Greg, N9GB will be active holiday style as J3/N9GB from
Grenada through to the 10th of September using CW and SSB on 40-10
metres and some operation on 6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

A team of operators using the callsign EJ7NET (namely EI3HA, EI3ISB,
EI5KO, EI6FR and EI9JF) will be on the air from the 7th through to the
11th of September from Inis Mor, Aran Islands, IOTA Number EU-006. They
will be using CW, SSB and FT8 on the HF bands. QSL direct to EI6FR.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: AN ELECTRIFYING DISCOVERY ABOUT BEES

JIM/ANCHOR: For our final story, the buzzword is "electricity" - and it
really, really, IS the BUZZWORD, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: The University of Bristol's Botanic Garden in Stoke Bishop was
all abuzz with bees on the 24th and 25th of August as visitors learned
about the importance bees have as pollinators and agents of change in
the overall environment. It was not so long ago, though, that the
university's researchers made a sweet and surprising discovery about
something else: They found that swarms of honeybees are capable of
generating electrical charges in the atmosphere, ones that rival those
of thunderstorm clouds. In fact, the more dense the swarm, the bigger
the electrical charge.

The scientists recorded currents from swarms passing over a campus
field station during 3-minute intervals. They recorded as many as 1,000
volts per metre.

The research was published nearly two years ago in the Smithsonian
magazine and the journal, iScience. Don't get too excited about
applying bee power to any amateur radio operation going portable in the vicinity of an apiary. According to an article in the magazine, Popular Science, 50 billion bees would be needed to provide power to an LED
light. That means even the smallest of the small rigs could not even
hope to get on the air, operating Q R Bee.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(PLANETBEE.ORG, SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE)

**

DO YOU HAIKU?

Don't forget the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. If you're not
too busy tuning your antennas or chasing the latest DXpedition, pick up
a pencil and 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 Abdullah Al Fahad S21AF; Amateur Radio
Weekly; Amateur Radio Digital Communications; AMSAT News; ARRL;
Australian Communications and Media Authority; David Behar K7DB; Eddie Misiewicz, KB3YRU; 425DXNews; IEEE; India Today; Next Generation
Critical Communications; NZ Net Newsletter; PlanetBee.Org; QRZ.com;
Smithsonian Magazine; TBT News Net; shortwaveradio.de; 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 2024.
All rights reserved.

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