From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2493 for Friday, August 8th, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2493 with a release date of Friday, August
8th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. An international partnership creates a
satellite to aid disaster response. Hams honor the Navajo Code Talkers
of World War II -- and finding a 20m dipole in a cornfield! All this
and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2493 comes your way
right now.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
JOINT INDIA-US SATELLITE FOCUSES ON NATURAL DISASTERS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to space where a satellite created
through the partnership of two nations will provide a window into some
of the natural disasters plaguing us here on Earth. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
has the details.

JIM: An unprecedented joint satellite project between the Indian Space
Research Organization and NASA is giving researchers the hope of better studying the Earth's climate and helping improve responses to natural
disasters by monitoring the most subtle changes on Earth, including in
its glaciers and wetlands.

The satellite is known as NISAR, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission. Its launch aboard an ISRO spacecraft on the 30th of July from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, sent it on its mission to send
microwaves to collect data from different surfaces on the planet. When processed, the data will be visible in an exceptionally high
resolution. An estimated 80 terabytes of data will be collected daily. Scientists have said that the method has [quote] "unprecedented
accuracy." [endquote] Researchers and governments around the world
will be able to view the data via a cloud platform where they will have
open access. The project is being praised as the first collaborative
satellite mission of its kind between the Indian and US space agencies.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(CNN, AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

**
AST SPACEMOBILE DEFENDS PROPOSED AMATEUR-SPECTRUM USE

PAUL/ANCHOR: A Texas telecommunications company asking for FCC
permission to use amateur radio frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz has submitted a response to the US regulator, defending itself against
concerns from ham radio operators over interference. The letter,
written by AST SpaceMobile assures the agency that its satellites are
designed to [quote] "mitigate interference." [endquote] The company
also said it would shut down its use of the band if interference was
found. The company's filing, reported on the PC Magazine website, reads
in part that the FCC has found that AST SpaceMobile's prior
demonstrations of no interference conform to ITU regulations and are
[quote] "sufficient to authorize a limited, nonconforming use."
[endquote]

The PC Magazine website noted that the FCC has received more than 2,500 comments in protest of the company's proposed use of the band.

(PCMAG)

**

CREW-11 ARRIVES, BEGINS WORK ABOARD ISS

PAUL/ANCHOR: Elsewhere in space two more hams have arrived aboard the
ISS after a brief delay of their launch, as we hear from Travis
LiskN3ILS.

TRAVIS: NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 arrived at the International Space
Station in the early hours of Saturday, the 2nd of August after a
launch that suffered a one-day weather delay due to poor weather

Commander Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN and pilot Mike Fincke, KE5AIT were
accompanied by two mission specialists, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. During their seven-month tenure
aboard the orbiting laboratory, the team will conduct experiments on
the impact of microgravity on bacteria-killing viruses. They will also
study plant-cell division and human stem cells.

The ISS assignment marks the first time in space for both Zena Cardman
and Oleg Platonov.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(NASA, CBS)

**
SPECIAL EVENT HONORS NAVAJO CODE TALKERS OF WW2

PAUL/ANCHOR: Although the 14th of August has been designated as Navajo
Code Talkers Day, a group of proud amateur radio operators are taking
several days to honor this special unit of brave Marines who served in
the US military during the second World War.

Few of these hams could be prouder than Herb Goodluck N7HG, whose late
father, John V. Goodluck, had been one of the Marines who used their
own Navajo language to craft a wartime code that could not be broken.

Herb will be among those calling QRZ from the 10th to the 15th, using
the callsign N7C. Operators will be using CW, phone and FT-8.
Additional details, including operating frequencies, can be found on
QRZ.com

The hams will be operating from Window Rock, Arizona at the Navajo
Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial.

(QRZ,COM)

**
PROJECT BY INDIAN STUDENTS, HAMS SEEKS PATENT

PAUL/ANCHOR: In rural India, students at a school for boys are being
rewarded for their faith in the technical expertise of amateur radio
operators. The lightning-arrester project they have been collaborating
on for several years with the hams is ready to be considered for a
patent. GrahamKemp VK4BB tells us what comes next.

GRAHAM: Leave it to ham radio operators to know how destructive, and
even fatal, a lightning strike can be. That's why a number of years ago educators at a school in rural West Bengal, India, sought input from
local hams for a project by physics students to help protect farmers
when they are caught in the fields during storms and lightning strikes. According to reports in the Indian media, the homebrew, affordably
built device, which resembles a bicycle's wheel, has been evaluated by
the Central Power Research Institute. It also received recognition in
2020 at the National Children's Science Congress, a national showcase
for innovative technology devised by youngsters between the ages of 10
and 17. Newsline described the simple device in its first report on the
project in November of 2019, noting that it affixes a wheel-like
component to the top of a high bamboo pole. An electrical wire connects
it to metal in the earth to ground it.

The secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club said in media reports that
40 such devices have already been put in place at 40 locations
throughout northern Bengal where the fields for the farmers and their
animals are moist and marshy.

Now the waiting begins: The Times of India reported that the patent
application for the project was filed on the 27th of July.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(TIMES OF INDIA, ANALYST IP)

**
SILENT KEY: FORMER ARRL SE DIVISION DIRECTOR FRANK BUTLER, W4RH
PAUL/ANCHOR: A longstanding and well-respected member of the amateur
radio community has become a Silent Key. Frank Butler, W4RH, had been
active in ham radio since the 1940s, when he received his commercial
and his amateur licenses. He spent part of his professional career as a broadcast engineer at several radio stations. By many accounts, he gave
back generously to amateur radio over many decades. He served for
nearly 30 years as the Southeastern Division director of the ARRL until
he stepped down in 2007. He had begun his service with the league in
1957 as communications manager for the Western Florida Section.

According to a posting on the Facebook page of the Alabama section of
the ARRL, Frank became a Silent Key on Tuesday the 5th of August. He
was 100 years old.

On March 6th of this year, on the occasion of his becoming a
centenarian, the Okaloosa County Board in Florida proclaimed the date
"Frank M. Butler Jr. Day."

Hams throughout the division and beyond posted on social media,
recalling him as a gentleman and a frequent and prominent guest at
Huntsville and other hamfests. His generous spirit was also widely
known: He was a member of the ARRL Maxim Society, which recognizes
donors for their extraordinary monetary gifts to the league.

(FACEBOOK, OKALOOSA COUNTY BOARD)

**

ARRL'S RADIO ALPHA MUSEUM TRACKS HAM RADIO'S EVOLUTION

PAUL/ANCHOR: A museum project being hosted online by the ARRL is
tracking amateur radio's life story and its impact on society. We have
more details from George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.

GEORGE: What began as the project of Chuck Penson, WA7ZZE, is slowly
growing into Radio Alpha, a ham radio museum and research resource
hosted by the ARRL. The historian's vision is to build a tool where
documents detailing amateur radio equipment and technology - and its
evolution - can be accessible to everyone in a central location.

Announcing the project on the ARRL website, Chuck wrote: [quote] "This
database will be a living resource, regularly updated and expanded
through ongoing research and community contributions, fostering a
deeper appreciation and understanding of amateur radio's profound
impact on communication, technology, and society," [endquote] Chuck is
looking for volunteers to assist him in building and collecting the
content, especially hams with deep knowledge of particular product
brands or operating modes.The project is being supported by the ARRL's Historical Preservation Fund

If you are interested in assisting him, he can be emailed at radioalpha
at arrl dot org [radioalpha@arrl.org] That's radioalpha - one word - at
arrl dot org

To see how the collection has already grown, visit the link in the text
version of this week's newsline script at arnewsline.org

This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.

[DO NOT READ: arrl.org/radioalpha or arrl.org/museum]

(ARRL)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the AH6LE repeater in Beavercreek and Wilsonville, Oregon, on Sundays
at 6 p.m. local time.

**
KATIE CAMPBELL, KE8LQR, PRESENTED WITH NEWSLINE'S YHOTY AWARD

PAUL/ANCHOR: Viewers of the Ham Nation podcast shared a proud moment
with Newsline's Young Ham of the Year, and Don Wilbanks AE5DW is here
to tell us about it.

DON: On Wednesday, July 30th it was my honor to present the 2025 Bill
Pasternak WA6ITF Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year award to
Katie Campbell, KE8LQR. As Katie will be in Germany as a foreign
exchange student for her senior year in high school on the weekend of
the Huntsville Hamfest, we presented the award live on Ham Nation, a
first for us. Our corporate partners Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and
RadioWavz Antennas will have some gifts to show their appreciation.

Appearing with Katie, along with our Ham Nation regulars Josh Nass
KI6NAZ, Amanda Alden K1DDN and Gordon West WB6NOA, were Young Ham of
the Year committee chairman Mark Abramowics NT3V, judge Rich Moseson
W2VU, Newsline editor Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Newsline's Neil Rapp
WB9VPG, DX Engineering's Tim Duffy K3LR and Huntsville Hamfest chairman
Mark Brown N4BCD.

If you missed it live, you can watch the replay on YouTube on the Ham
Radio Crash Course channel, or just type Ham Nation in the YouTube
search bar. Our sincere congratulations go out to Katie for her amazing contributions to the amateur radio hobby and service. We're looking
forward to next March when we again open nominations for the 2026 Young
Ham of the Year award. Again, many thanks to our corporate partners
Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and RadioWavz, as well as you, our listeners
and the folks who continue to nominate the best of the best young radio amateurs.

I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**
ENIGMA MACHINE-STYLE EVENT CHALLENGES DECODING SKILLS

PAUL/ANCHOR: This next story is straightforward and, we hope, easy to understand but it's about a radio-transmitted message that is
deliberately -- very deliberately -- cryptic. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB
tells us why.

RALPH: The Enigma machine that the Germans used during World War II to
create encoded secret messages is about to be put back into action.
KPH, the maritime radio station in California, will be transmitting
messages using Enigma encryption for broadcast via both CW and RTTY.
Listeners copy the message and then, using an actual Enigma machine
they may have in their shack or a simulated one available online, work
to decrypt the message which will be sent in groups of five
letterseach.

This annual tradition recalls the hard work of World War II era
cryptographers who ultimately cracked the code.

Certificates are awarded for proof of successful decode, first to
decode and for use of original or replica hardware.

The broadcast begins at 2000 UTC on the 30th of August on all KPH CW
and RTTY frequencies.

For more details, visit the link in the text version of this weeks
newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://tinyurl.com/4hfb2y5c ]

This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.

(MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, two Scout stations are finishing up their
activations. Scout station CR5OCEAN is on the air until the 9th of
August, operating from the National Maritime Scout Camp "Oceanos" at
the Alqueva Dam in southern Portugal. Be listening on 40 and 20 metres.
QSL via CR6CNE. In Slovenia, another Scout station, S50ZLET, is being
operated by members of Radioclub Sezana, S59ABL, and Radioclub Koper,
S59CST, until the 8th of August for the Slovenian National Jamboree.
See QRZ.com for details.

Operators with the Sommers Island Expedition, IOTA Number EU-133, are
on the air until the 14th of August. They are using the callsign RI1E
[R EYE ONE EE]. Listen for Vasily, R7AA and Mikhail, RA1ALA operating
CW, SSB and the digital modes on 40-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL
details.

The special event callsign 9A169TESLA is on the air until the 31st of
December marking the 169th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla.
See QRZ.com for QSL details.

In Canada, members of the Atlantic Coast DX & Contest Group are
celebrating the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio
Union by going on the air throughout August as CG9IARU. They will
activate POTA , World Wide Flora & Fauna and Canadian Historical Sites
On the Air locations. See QRZ.com for QSL and other details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: STALKING SOME QSOS IN HIS FIELD OF DREAMS

PAUL/ANCHOR: You don't need to be a farmer to celebrate corn season
this time of year, Neil Rapp WB9VPG, introduces us to one home brewer
in Iowa who says it's not just corn season -- but antenna season!

NEIL:The smiling radio operator greeting viewers of his YouTube videos
calls himself "Cornfield Kevin," and yes, Kevin K0KLB is outstanding in
his field -- which happens to be an Iowa cornfield. There, in August of
2022, Kevin harvested two SSB contacts between Iowa and Texas while
operating on 5 watts using a 20m vertical antenna fashioned ... from cornstalks. He called his creation "The CornTenna."

This year, Kevin is making the QSOs -- and the corn -- pop all over
again. In his latest video, he shows how he put cornstalks back to work recently, this time using stalks from a fresh harvest to build a
horizontal 20 metre dipole. He tested the corn-tenna over a two-day
period and, sadly, made no contacts on the first day. The next day,
after cutting fresh new stalks, he worked his brother Bruce, KE0QQE, on
10 metres. Bruce, who was nearby, gave him a 5 5. Then a POTA activator
in Ohio copied him and gave him a 4 4, telling him he was [quote] "down
in the weeds." [endquote]

Well those weren't exactly weeds Kevin was standing in but the POTA op
was correct about the challenging RST. Nonetheless, satisfied with his
project, Kevin is sharing the build on his YouTube channel, "Ham Radio
QRP - K0KLB." While you're there, check out Kevin's earlier project for
the original vertical corn-tenna. After all, when you're a ham on a
farm in Iowa, every day can be field day.

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(YOUTUBE)

**
We hope you've been enjoying the ham radio haikus that our listeners
have sent in - have you written one yet? The Newsline haiku challenge
is as easy as writing a QSL card. We can only accept the correct haiku
format - that is, 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; AMSAT News Service; Analyst IP;
ARRL; CBS; CNN; David Behar K7DB; Facebook; 425DX Bulletin; FCC;
Jeffrey Dahn Foundation; Maritime Radio Historical Society; NASA;
Okaloosa County Board; PC Magazine; shortwaveradio.de; Times of India;
Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; 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. Amateur Radio Newsline retains
ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights
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