From Newsgroup: rec.radio.amateur.misc

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2533 for Friday, May 15th, 2026 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2533 with a release date of Friday, May
15th, 2026 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Unlocking the mysteries of Sporadic E-Skip. An
amateur radio tribute saying goodbye to three BBC long-wave
transmitters -- and in New Zealand, a recruitment drive begins in the
aftermath of a cyclone. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report Number 2533 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
PROJECT PURSUES MYSTERIES OF SPORADIC E-SKIP

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a new project by a ham radio
operator who is trying to unlock the mysteries of sporadic E-skip. Andy Morrison K9AWM tells us what the project is looking at - and how you
can look at it too.

ANDY: Loyd Van Horn, W4LVH, is a fan of mysteries and there are perhaps
few ham radio mysteries greater than that of Sporadic E-skip which
makes its appearance on VHF in the Northern Hemisphere every year at
about this time.

Loyd is the force behind DX Central, a resource for DXers that does,
among many things, data analysis. This month he unveiled SEDAP, an
acronym for his Sporadic Es Data Analysis Project. It can be found at fmdxdata.com and is free to use by hams, educators and anyone with a
hobbyist's interest in this special season that turns propagation
magical in the eyes of many.

He writes on the website SWLing Post that he compiled more than 95,000
FM broadcast logs from North America to get the data relevant for the
project, which goes beyond simple spreadsheets by adding interactive visualizations.

He writes: [quote] "SEDAP allows us to physically watch ionospheric
clouds spawn, compress and track across the continent in real-time. We
can finally see what a typical season looks like on a macroscopic
level." [endquote]

He told the Radio World website that he also plans to include amateur
radio data from 6 metres. He said that will permit analysis of days
that had no propagation alongside days with active openings - days on
which the maximum usable frequency did not reach the FM broadcast band.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(SWLING POST, RADIO WORLD)

**
UK HAMS PLAN TRIBUTE TO BBC TRANSMITTERS MARKED FOR SHUTDOWN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's always been a strong affinity between amateur
radio and our colleagues in broadcasting. So whenever there's a change,
or an end to things, hams take notice - as they will be doing in the UK
this year where the BBC is shutting down its long-wave radio service on
June 27th. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us what's next.

JEREMY: Commissioned in 1934, the BBC's Droitwich long-wave transmitter
went on the air delivering programming at what was to become a major
facility. It played an important role in occupied Europe during
wartime. Over the decades that followed, its broadcast programmes
became the background to so many lives throughout the UK.

Responding to the BBC's announcement of this year's shutdown of the
Droitwich Transmitter, as well as Long Wave transmitters at Burghead
and Westerglen in Scotland, amateur radio operators have plans to mark
the end of the era. The BBC Amateur Radio Group and the Radio Society
of Great Britain are planning an on-air event and are looking for hams
around the UK to participate.

Meanwhile, hams are being asked to let organizers know they are
interested by emailing contestclub at rsgb dot org
(ContestClub@rsgbcc.org)

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(SCOTLAND ON AIR, RSGB, BBC, KEEPLONGWAVE.CO.UK)

**
AUSTRALIAN RADIOCOMMUNICATION LICENSES GET NEW WEBSITE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Australia, the nation's regulator has introduced a
new website for radiocommunication licenses, as we hear from John
Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN: A new website for broadcast and other radiocommunication licences
has gone live in Australia, with changes designed to simplify searches
by offering a variety of filters along with customisable options for
the export of data.

This replaces the older website, which the Australian Communications
and Media Authority will keep online until the 10th of June during the transition period. The new site does not contain data about any class
licences, which include citizens band and amateur radio. Australia
introduced the amateur class licence in February of 2024 in a sweeping
change that replaced individual amateur radio licences.

The ACMA has also designed the new site a resource for broadcast
licence applicants, who may see what frequencies are available and
other relevant information.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(ACMA)

**
NEW ZEALAND CYCLONE REVS UP RECRUITMENT DRIVE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A recent cyclone that hit New Zealand has left its mark
- not just on the country's East Coast but among emergency
communicators there, who are stepping up their recruitment efforts as a
result. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has those details.

JIM: Volunteers from Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Tauranga
answered the call in April when the severe storm known as Cyclone
Vaianu approached the coast. Tair-Uwhiti Emergency Management in
Gisborne was asking that the hams keep communication lines open
throughout that tense weekend. AREC members were able to staff the
emergency centre radios which are connected to remote community civil
defence teams.

The volunteers were reminded that this is the very purpose for which
AREC was established in 1932 and the reason it has since evolved into
something that Civil Defence, Search and Rescue and police can rely on.
Last month, three of the Tauranga volunteers went to Gisborne and
worked in shifts around the clock to ensure welfare checks were made
and community contact was maintained, especially in the most remote
areas. One community ended up having a power failure - and their backup
power did not function either - and so the AREC volunteers got that
addressed.

AREC also created a nationwide safety net on the HF bands.

The team is now hoping to grow even stronger by adding trained
volunteers and put out a call through local media to ask that
interested people contact them.

Group leader Joanne Watson ZL1JDR told the SunLive website: [quote]
"You never know when your skills might be the link that keeps someone connected." [endquote]

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(NZNET, SUNLIVE)

**
SILENT KEY: ROSS MERLIN, WA2WDT. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An important and influential figure in disaster
communications in the United Stated has become a Silent Key. We learn
about his contributions from Travis Lisk N3ILS.

TRAVIS: If you are involved in emergency communications or security, it
is likely you're familiar with the name of Ross Merlin, WA2WDT.

Ross became a Silent Key on the 3rd of May.

A former radio communications professional with National Disaster
Medical Services, he had a long government career that also included
serving as manager of the National Emergency Radio System of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. He had also been a board member of
the Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, which funds and operates Winlink.
Ross is credited with being one of the creators of a Winlink network on
a number of government radio channels.

Ross wrote the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide
published by the US Department of Homeland Security and later served as
program manager of the department's Shared Resources HF Radio Program.

Licensed in 1974, he enjoyed DXing, contesting, automatic link
establishment and the digital modes. He had also held a General
Radiotelephone Operator License.

He was 67.

This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.

(ARRL LETTER, QRZ.COM, HAMVENTION 2019)

**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world -- and this
week only, you will hear selected stories featured on the Hamvention Information Station WPVW-207 on 1620 AM in and around Xenia, Ohio. If
you're in Xenia, you can find the station itself in Booth #1002 in
Building #1.

**
TIME TO NOMINATE THE NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We're into the second half of May. If you haven't yet
nominated a candidate for the Amateur Radio Newsline Bill Pasternak
WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year award, you're running out of
time. You only have until the 31st of May -- and it is coming up fast!
Nominees must be licensed hams who are 18 years of age or younger and
they must reside in the continental United States.

Visit our website - arnewsline-dot-org and find the nomination form
under the awards tab. Submit the documentation that tells us how your
nominee has played an important role, not just in the community of
fellow amateurs but in the community at large.

**

OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE MODEM CALLED A VARA REPLACEMENT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A US-based company has developed an open-source
software modem for HF Digital and other uses, as we hear from Paul
Braun WD9GCO.

PAUL: Developers have announced the release of Mercury, an open-source
software modem that they are calling a replacement for Vara. Mercury is
a digital radio OFDM protocol, which can be used for HF broadcast and peer-to-peer ARQ connections with compatible TCP interfaces.

According to Peter Bloom, general coordinator of the developer
Rhizomatica, Mercury is compatible with Windows, Linux and a number of non-Intel architectures.

Peter told Newsline that Mercury, the newest element of Rhizomatica's
HERMES software suite, it is built for reliable store-and-forward email
and file transfer over HF radio links. He said it is compatible with
most HF transceivers and it complies with ham radio use. The project coordinator is Rafael Diniz, PU2UIT.

He said that Mercury has a number of advantages over Vara, including
improved performance over high-SNR links.

There is no license fee. Find additional details at the website that
appears in the text version of this week's report at arnewsline.org

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

[DO NOT READ: https://www.rhizomatica.org ]

**
WIA ASKS FOR CHANGES IN SUB-ANTARCTIC CALL PREFIXES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Australian regulator is being asked to change some
callsign prefixes in the sub-Antarctic, as we hear from Graham
KempVK4BB.

GRAHAM: The Wireless Institute of Australia has responded to the
regulator's request for input on its Five-Year Spectrum Outlook,
spanning 2026 through to 2031, and its Work Program, spanning
2026-2027. It is asking that the Australian Communications and Media
Authority improve spectrum access to support experimentation and
emerging technologies; modernise regulation of repeaters and beacons;
and develop a staged EME competence framework that will give amateurs
greater access to operating at increased power safely. The WIA has been actively seeking greater power for hams since 2013. It told the ACMA
that increased power for the class licence should be backed up by
training, certification and communications industry best practices.

The WIA has also asked that the callsign prefixes be changed in the sub-Antarctic, restoring VK0 for operations on Heard Island and
Macquarie Island, which are now assigned the VK9 prefix of Australian
external territories. The WIA is also proposing that the VK9 prefix be
restored for Lord Howe Island, which is presently assigned VK2.

The response to the consultation highlights ham radio's key role in
STEM, innovation and emergency communications, noting that a number of
the issues it has raised address barriers to ham radio's growth and
operators' participation and efficiency.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(WIA)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Nobu JA0JHQ will be on the air from Palau as T88PB
from the 27th through to the 31st of May and again from the 20th
through to the 22nd of June. Nobu will participate in the CQ WPX CW
contest and the All Asian DX CW contest.

Dave. G4WXJ, will be using the callsign ZC4RH from UK Sovereign Base
Areas from May 23 through to the 30th. He will operate CW, SSB, FT4
andFT8.

Pete, M1PTR, and Kieron, M5KJM / EI6KP, will be on the air from
Aranmore Island, IOTA Number EUr-'121, from the 21st through to the
23rd of May, using the callsign EJ6KP. Listen on 15, 20 and 40 metres
where they will be using SSB.

The Radio Amateur Association of Western Greece, SZ1A, is using special callsign SZ40A until the 31st of May to mark its 40 years serving the
amateur radio community. Operators will be on the HF bands using
several modes.

For QSL details and other operating information, visit each station's
page on QRZ.com

(RSGB, DX WORLD)

**
KICKER: A-ROVING THEY WILL GO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week with the thought that, if one park is
fun to activate, two parks are twice as much fun Operators in Ireland
are trying for five times as much fun by doing their first Parks on the
Air rove - as a group activity. Dave Lee M7TLB takes us along for
theride.

DAVE: Members of the TOG Hackerspace and South Dublin Radio Club are no strangers to experimentation. Tinkerers, amateurs, makers and
experimenters all find a welcome home in Dublin where the ham radio
club station, EI0TOG, has its headquarters.

The radio operators are now working on yet another experiment - their
first POTA Rover Day - in the hope of activating five POTA designated
parks in a single UTC day, qualifying them for the POTA Rover
WarthogAward.

Their shared daylong adventure is planned for Sunday the 31st of May.
While they're not looking to bag an actual warthog - the tusks and
tempers of these sub-Saharan mammals can be quite intimidating - they
are going for five successful activations and as many QSOs as possible.
As club members note on the TOG Hackerspace website: [quote] "This
could be a great idea, or it could totally fall apart, but that is all
part of the fun. Amateur radio has always had that experimental side to
it, and a day like this has a real sense of adventure." [endquote] One
ham plans to take the spirit of adventure to the extreme. He hopes to
make the trip on his bicycle.

Be listening for EI0TOG and help them catch that warthog. This would
not only be the first such award for the club, it would be the first
warthog - wild or figurative - to actually find a habitat in the
Republic of Ireland.

This is Dave Lee M7TLB.

(TOG HACKERSPACE, SOUTH DUBLIN RADIO CLUB, IRTS)

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE

With thanks to the ACMA; Amateur Radio Daily, AMSAT News; the ARRL
Letter, David Behar, K7DB; DX World; FCC; 425DX News; Hamvention 2019;
the IRTS; NZNet; QRZ.com; Radio World; Radio Society of Great Britain; Rhizomatica; ScotlandOnAir; shortwaveradio.de; South Dublin Radio Club; SunLive; SWLing Post; TOG Hackerspace; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio
saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio
Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2026. Amateur Radio Newsline retains
ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights
are reserved.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2