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Subj: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2445 for Friday September 6th,
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From: PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM

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.

** 
BILLBOARD CART

**
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 were down. 

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 ABFSL2HM$4 for some special types of callsigns that have a 12-month 
assignment period. Those receiving a contest callsign will be charged 05. 
Those transferring a callsign to another amateur will be charged 05. Hams 
with a VK9 or VKØ callsign representing Australian external territories are 
the ones who will pay ABFSL2HM$4. 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%20call%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 WBØQXW 
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 0.4 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 Kinford N8WB.

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.ö [endquote]

This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(ARDC) 

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, be listening for Col, MMØNDX and Steve, MMØSAJ using the 
callsign 3A/MMØNDX and 3A/MMØSAJ 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.

73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM

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BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 06-set-2024 08:05 E. South America Standard Time





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