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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2387 for Friday July 28th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2387 with a release date of Friday
July 28th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams call QRZ to help a flood-damaged region of
Italy. Dangerous conditions cancel a second activation on Rockall --and
a successful orbit for CubeSATS from the Philippines. All this and
more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2387 comes your way
rightnow.

**
BILLBOARD CART

**
CALLING QRZ TO RESTORE FLOOD-DAMAGED EMILIA-ROMAGNA

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Italy's flood-devastated region of Emilia-Romagna faces
a long period of reconstruction and hams are involved in providing
their own kind of support. Jeremy Boot G4NJH brings us the details.

JEREMY: Although some hams may be more familiar with the Emilia-Romagna
region of northern Italy as the host of the recent World Radiosport
Team Championship, it is actually now in the amateur radio spotlight
for another reason. Remember the callsign 1A0C (One Ay Zero C). Hams
will be calling QRZ until the 2nd of August to focus attention on the charitable work being done there by the Italian Relief Corps of the
Order of Malta, focusing on the badly damaged Emilia-Romagna region of
Italy. The historic deadly floods in May displaced thousands of
families, destroyed communities and threatened to wreck many local
industries. A multinational team of amateurs will be on the air from
the radio station at the Magistral Villa on the Aventine Hill. The
Order of Malta's humanitarian projects are known throughout the world, assisting 120 nations with medical, social and humanitarian needs. The operators include Fernando EA5C, Simone IK5RUN, Jun JH4RHF, Dmitry
RA9USU and others.

At the time Newsline was being produced, the team's website was under construction. Visit the QRZ.com page of 1A0C for updates.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(425 DX BULLETIN, QRZ, ORDER OF MALTA)

**
A TRIBUTE TO BELOVED SOTA SILENT KEY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: SOTA activators are planning an international tribute
to recall the treasured friendship of a ham who became a Silent Key
last year. Ed Durrant DD5LP gives us the details.

ED: From his shack in Poland, Jarek SP9MA, is leading the way among his
fellow SOTA supporters. He has issued a call to all friends of the
beloved ham known as Guru who became a Silent Key in March of 2022.
Jarek wrote on the SOTA reflector that he will begin using the callsign SP59GURU on January 11th of next year, which would have been Guru's
59th birthday. The callsign will remain active through to March 11th,
the anniversary of his death. The loss of Jose-Antonio Gurutzarri
Jauregi EA2IF to cancer rocked the SOTA community last year, most
especially in Europe, where his commitment to radio on the summits
began in his native Spain in 2013.

Jarek has put out a call to SOTA activators worldwide to join him in
this special event activation and to start making plans now, well in
advance of January.

Though there will be no diplomas or awards for QSOs, Jarek believes the
contact itself will provide a memorable moment. In that way, Guru, who
left his mark also as a top contester and CW operator, will get another
moment with his SOTA brothers and sisters.

Or, as Jarek wrote on the SOTA reflector: [quote] "I just think that as
many hearts as possible would connect with the Guru at that time."
[endquote]

This is Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(SOTA REFLECTOR)

**
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS CANCEL REPEAT ROCKALL ACTIVATION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radios and other equipment remain on Rockall Island,
where a second attempted activation has failed. Jeremy Boot G4NJH
brings us up to date.

JEREMY: A second - and very brief - activation of the remote granite
islet known as Rockall was called off after hazardous conditions in the
North Atlantic had forced the team to return to the mainland.

Cam Cameron, Emil Bergmann DL8JJ and Nobby G0VJG set sail on the 16th
of July only to turn back three days later after making several passes
at Rockall. The hams were hoping to have a second activation - three
hours of CW and SSB - during their return trip.

The trio was traveling to recover radio equipment left there during the
June activation of MM0UKI. Emil and Nobby had called QRZ for several
days before their departure, leaving Cam on Rockall. In a challenge to
benefit charity, Cam was hoping to break the previous 45-day stay
record set in 2014. He had called for rescue in late June after 32 days
of exhaustion and hypothermia.

Describing the team's failed attempt to return, Emil wrote on the
Rockall DXpedition's Facebook page: [quote] "Nature has said NO. We
reach[ed] the Rockall without difficulty, but the waves [were]
extremely high. That's the way of life." [endquote] Don't be
discouraged: The team plans another recovery attempt.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(FACEBOOK, DX-WORLD.NET)

**
RADIO OPERATOR NEEDED FOR INDIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: India's government is looking for a radio operator to
join the team at the country's research station in the Antarctic. If
you like cold weather, Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what's involved.

GRAHAM: A qualified radio operator is among the many posts being
advertised for the next Indian Antarctic Expedition with preference
being given to Ham or maritime radio operators. The National Centre for
Polar and Ocean Research has been interviewing candidates for a variety
of contract positions to work at its Antarctic research base beginning
in November or December of this year. The research season ends sometime
in 2025. Radio communication is considered an essential component of
this 43rd expedition, which hopes to look at the ecosystem as well as
satellite communication, ionospheric studies, stellar observations and
climate change. The government has been seeking a candidate proficient
in English.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(NCPOR)

**
SUCCESSFUL ORBIT FOR CUBESATS BUILT IN PHILIPPINES

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Students in the Philippines are feeling proud that
their two ham radio cubesats have entered orbit. Jason Daniels VK2LAW
tells us about their mission.

JASON: Two amateur radio cubesats from the Philippines are now in
orbit. Maya-5 and Maya-6 were built by university students with the
goal of helping the nation keep its momentum going on satellite
development while using locally sourced materials.The primary mission
of the cubesat pair is to give the amateur radio community a digital
message relay service through the Automatic Packet Reporting System, or
APRS. The onboard APRS digipeaters use the frequency of 145.825 MHz for transmitting as well as receiving. The cubesats are also demonstrating
a data/message store-and-forward system compatible with Universal
Amateur Radio Text and E-mail messaging.

The International Space Station released the cubesats on the 19th
ofJuly.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(AMSAT NEWS, STAMINA4SPACE)

**
CHURCHES AND CHAPELS ON THE AIR GETS FOOTHOLD IN US

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular ham radio activity that activates churches
and chapels, mainly in the UK, is getting a foothold in the US. Kevin
Trotman N5PRE tells us more about it.

KEVIN: The amateur radio community and the church community in the UK
have enjoyed a one-day convergence each September since 2006. That was
the year in which John G3XYF, suggested that CHOTA - Churches and
Chapels on the Air - could be as viable and important an activity as Lighthouses, Mills, Islands, Summits, Railways and other "on the air"
entities. The activity began simply with his own church in East
Yorkshire, where John operated with the special callsign GB0LOW. CHOTA,
which is organized by the World Association of Christian Radio Amateurs
and Listeners, has since grown to include between 20 and 30 churches in
the UK and, in some instances, a few churches in the Czech Republic and Germany.

This year's event is taking place on Saturday the 9th of September -and
just as CHOTA grew in the years following 2006, it leaps across the
ocean now to the Highlands Presbyterian Church in Mississippi where
Frank Howell will be calling QRZ under his own callsign K4FMH. Other
hams, using their own calls as well, are expected to join him on the
16-acre church campus. Frank expects the event to feature stations for
SSB, CW and FT8. There will also be VHF/UHF and satellite operations.
Frank told Newsline in an email [quote] "This is a great fit for our
church of about 1,100 members because we seek to reach out to the
community to bring them to our campus." [endquote]

He said that a number of area clubs are involved as are some hams in
the congregation. The church is so ham-friendly, in fact, that the administrator and an administrative assistant are planning to take
their technician license exam soon.

Frank has already received emails from other US churches inquiring
about joining September's activation. Interested churches should email
John and let him know the name and location of the church and the
callsign being used. John's email appears in the text version of this
week's newscast.

CHOTA is not a contest but there are certificates for contacting the
stations - and there are rewards for just being part of this goodwill
event that's now gone intercontinental.

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

[DO NOT READ: John G3XYF email address: jhwresdell@gmail.com )

(JOHN WRESDELL G3XYF; FRANK HOWELL, K4FMH, WACRAL)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the K9DEW repeater in Warsaw Indiana on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.


**
DO YOU HAIKU? ROGER ROGER!

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: What's the one ham radio competition you can enter
without turning your rig on? The Amateur Radio Newsline haiku
challenge. We've been inviting listeners to channel their most creative
selves and share the joy of ham radio in the form of a haiku. On our
website, arnewsline.org, you will find a submission form. Follow
traditional haiku form and send in your entry: The first line is five syllables, the second line is seven syllables and the finishing third
line has another five syllables. We cannot accept any other formats.

We will pick from the best submissions that follow the 5/7/5 syllable
rule and represent the love of amateur radio. Your prize? For now,
bragging rights -- and a featured spot for your haiku on the Amateur
Radio Newsline website. We may have a surprise for you at the end of
the year, however. So visit our website at arnewsline.org and take a
look at this week's winning ham radio haiku.

**
'MOON DAY' PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HAM RADIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Although the event at the Frontiers of Flight Museum
was called "Moon Day," amateur radio shared the spotlight with the help
of AMSAT and two area ham clubs. Moon Day was held at the Dallas, Texas
museum at Love Field on July 22nd - the anniversary of the Apollo 11
mission in 1969. The educational event celebrated ham radio
communications through satellites while acknowledging the great strides
that have been made since that historic lunar landing. AMSAT ambassador
Tom Schuessler, N5HYP, told Newsline in an email that AMSAT's
presentations focused on amateur radio in space and with the help of
AMSAT's Virginia Smith, NV5F, Calvin Gluck, W7KYG and Tony Medina,
NT5TM, guests learned about the technology behind these communications.
The keynote speaker was retired NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough KE5HOD.

Working alongside AMSAT, the Dallas Amateur Radio Club, W5FC,
demonstrated the use of repeaters, Morse Code and the HF bands. A
number of young Scouts were able to work toward their radio and
exploration merit badges. This was the 15th annual Moon Day held at the
museum and Tom told Newsline it will be back again next year.

(TOM SCHUESSLER, N5HYP)

**
RADIO 'BUMBLEBEES' TAKE FLIGHT USING CW

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Sunday, July 30th, has been set aside for bumblebees.
Those the the radio operators who'll be operating QRP as they call CQ.
Randy Sly W4XJ tells us how to "BEE" ready for them.

RANDY: The Adventure Radio Society is hoping for a swarm of bumblebees
on Sunday, July 30th -- or at least, that's the buzz. For the four-hour
period between 1700 and 2100 UTC, the organizers of a casual CW contest
called The Flight of the Bumblebees are encouraging portable operators
to walk, bicycle, row - using any means of engine-free travel - and set
up at a field site. There, they will call CQ with their callsign and a
unique identifying Bumblebee Number assigned to them. For bumblebees,
being in the field is important. The society, which was created in
1996, tries to foster the practice of radio operations in an
ecologically responsible manner.

Now remember: bumblebees are small, so this is going to be a QRP event
and no one will be transmitting more than 5 watts. Typically, these
radio bumblebees can be found on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, around
standard QRP frequencies. Who'll be looking for them? Other bumblebees,
of course, but home-based stations who are also operating QRP can chase
the bees or one another.

For details, rules and other information, visit arsqrp dot blogspot dot
com (arsqrp.blogspot.com). Bumblebees and home-based stations will be
eligible for commendations based on points but additional recognition
will be given to those busy bees who operate from attractive sites,
have an unusual adventure or perhaps operate with some notable
equipment.

As with previous such contests, this one is sure to create a hive of
activity.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(ADVENTURE RADIO SOCIETY, MONITORING TIMES 1999)

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Francesco, IK6QON operating as
IA5/IK6QON from Isola del Giglio, IOTA Number EU-028, until the 31st of
July. He is on HF using CW and SSB. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for JA1QQU/6 operating from Yoron Island, IOTA Number AS-023
from the 27th through to the 30th of July. He will be on 10 and 6
metres using FT8 between 2300 and 0200 UTC and again from 1000 through
to 1400 UTC. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Lance, W7GJ, will be conducting a 6-metre DXpedition as 3B9GJ from
Rodrigues Island, IOTA Number AF-017, from the 27th of August to the
7th of September. He will be operating on the HF bands as well as doing
EME. See QRZ.com under Lance's home call for additional details and QSL information.

Frans, DJ0TP, will be operating as TK/DJ0TP from Corsica's main island,
IOTA number EU-014 from the 27th of July to the 3rd of September. See
QRZ.com for QSL details.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: ONE LAST POTA FOR JACK

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our final story takes us to a park in Florida where a
group of POTA activators gathered to share stories and remember the
friend who no longer joins them. Dave Parks WB8ODF brings us thatstory.

DAVE: Amateur radio was there for Jack Hales W1BBU following the loss
of his wife six years ago after a lifetime of nearly 50 years together. Returning to radio restored the grieving widower into a vibrant circle
of life.

On Sunday, July 23rd, amateur radio was there for Jack again. This time
the hams were offering a memorial activation at Sawgrass Lake Park in
Florida. It was a familiar and frequent operating spot for Jack and his
friends doing Parks on the Air until Jack's unexpected death on June
13th at the age of 80.

One of the four radio operators during those three hours was Lisa
Neuscheler, KC1YL. She said the days' tally of 108 SSB contacts were
rich with memories from many POTA enthusiasts who had written Jack's
callsign several times in their logs. They traded stories along with
signal reports. All contacts from the Sunday activation will receive certificates. The four operators' names and callsigns appear on them as
well as a photo of Jack, the man whose travels in the military left his
mark around the world, including Indonesia where he'd helped establish
a fledgling amateur radio society.

Even as a Silent Key, Jack is also launching another prospective ham
career: His granddaughter Haley, who had accompanied him and his St.
Petersburg Amateur Radio Club friends, is studying for her license. She
will likely use her grandfather's shack equipment and - she is hoping
-his callsign, the same call that belonged to Jack's father.

No doubt, like her grandfather, you will soon find her among the tall
antennas under the sun at Sawgrass Lake Park.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(QRZ.COM, LISA NEUSCHELER, KC1YL)

**
DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

Do you have a piece of Amateur Radio News that you think Newsline would
be interested in? We are not talking about advertising your club's
upcoming hamfest or field day participation, but something that is out
of the ordinary. If so, send us a brief overview via the contact page
at arnewsline.org. If it's newsworthy and we would like to cover it,
we'll get back to you for more details.

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Adventure Radio Society; Amateur
Radio Daily; AMSAT News Service; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB;
425DXNews; Lisa Neuscheler KC1YL; the Monitoring Times; National Centre
for Polar and Ocean Research; QRZ.com; RockallExped.com;
shortwaveradio.de; SOTA Reflector; Tom Schuessler, N5HYP; URESAT-SAT1
website; 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 2023. All rights reserved.

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