Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2376 for Friday May 12th, 2023

[Amateur Radio Newsline]

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2376 for Friday May 12th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2376 with a release date of Friday
May 12th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Hams in the Caribbean gear up for storm season.
Amateurs help a woman in India reconnect with her family -- and the
ARRL offers US hams assistance in evaluating their RF emissions. All
this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2376 comes your
way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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CARIBBEAN REGION HAMS GEAR UP FOR STORM SEASON

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to the Caribbean, where hams
await the storm season ahead with formal training and an emerging
disaster response network. John Williams VK4JJW brings us those
details.

JOHN: With the approach of this year's hurricane season in the
Caribbean region, emergency training exercises have got underway again
for amateurs in the Youlou Radio Movement/Rainbow Radio League in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines.

As always, amateurs will be relying largely on HF communications
because the mountainous terrain of the islands in the region provides
challenges for successful VHF signal paths. Youlou has been in the
process of growing its emergency network and now has 10 stations based
on the main island, including one near the airport.

The league's director, Donald de Riggs, J88CD, told local media outlets
that the hams are closer than ever to creating the island-wide HF
emergency network they have long envisioned. They are also looking to
support a more robust maritime rescue and air response network for
disasters throughout the region.

New equipment has been donated and one of their biggest benefactors has
been Australia-based Barrett Communications. The most recent of three
shipments from that company arrived in February, bringing SDR
transceivers and sturdy antennas, hopefully capable of surviving the
coming season of storms.

This is John Willliams VK4JJW.

(THE VINCENTIAN, AIR FORCE TECHNOLOGY)

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WEST BENGAL AMATEURS RECONNECT FAMILY AFTER 10 YEARS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: It took 10 years for a woman in India to find her way
back to the family she left behind when she married. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF
tells us how hams assisted her in her journey.

JIM: An early marriage and separation from her family kept Rubina Begum
apart from her family in Bengal for more than a decade. With the help
of police and the West Bengal Radio Club, the relatives have found one
another again.

According to reports in the Times of India and the Millennium Post, the
National Commission for Women, a government entity that advocates for
women, had been trying to assist her in tracing the family she had lost
touch with after marrying into a Kashmiri family at the age of 14. The
media reports said that the woman, who is now 24 years old, was
originally brought to the Baramulla sector in Jammu and Kashmir to be
married because her father was unable to bear the expense of raising
four children at home.

The woman's brother, Hassan Ali Sheikh, told the Times of India that in
the ensuing years they believed she was lost to them forever. But he
spoke with her, at long last, on Wednesday, May 3rd, after the women's
commission contacted state police who reached out to the hams in West
Bengal. The club has a long track record of facilitating such reunions.
After contacting the woman with the phone number provided, club
secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, reached out to a colleague
proficient in Hindi and Kashmiri and details of her story finally
emerged. Her brother is expected to travel and bring her home to Bengal
soon to be with the family she has missed so much.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(TIMES OF INDIA, MILLENNIUM POST)

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ARRL OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO HAMS FOR RF COMPLIANCE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you haven't already checked your station to evaluate
its compliance on RF exposure, the ARRL is offering some help. Dave
Parks WB8ODF has that story.

DAVE: The ARRL has reminded amateurs in the United States that it is
making its resources available to help licensees comply with FCC rules
on RF exposure limits. Those limits went into effect in 2021 and a
two-year transition period was granted to permit hams to conduct
evaluations and make necessary changes for stations that do not conform
to the exposure rules.

The ARRL issued its reminder to hams just as the transition period
ended on May 3rd. Hams are not exempt from conducting such evaluations
even if they transmit at very low power.

The league's resources include a video about RF exposure and
evaluation; an RF exposure calculator and an RF safety section
excerpted from the ARRL Handbook.

Perhaps most importantly, the league is encouraging all hams to make
use of these resources whether or not they belong to the ARRL or have
established a website account.

Visit arrl.org for more details.

This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(ARRL)

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DAVE KALTER MEMORIAL YOUTH DX ADVENTURE CANCELLED

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This year's Dave Kalter Memorial Youth Adventure has
been cancelled. Organizers at the Dayton Amateur Radio Association said
there was insufficient time for the kind of planning that would have
allowed everyone to obtain their necessary passports. No other details
were immediately available and there was no indication when the next
trip would be scheduled. This year's DX adventure was to have taken
place in Curacao.

The annual trip, which has brought young amateurs to the Dutch
Caribbean, Costa Rica and Curacao, is named in memory of Dave, KB8OCP,
who became a Silent Key in November of 2013.

(DARA)

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SILENT KEY: ARGENTINA'S PIONEERING YL, AZUCENA ALBARRACIN, LU9OY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A popular, lively voice in amateur radio in Argentina
has become a Silent Key. We learn more about her from Graham KempVK4BB.

GRAHAM: In the final year of her life Azucena Albarracin, LU9OY, was no
longer able to be on the air -- but until then, the 95-year-old was a
well-known and well-recognised voice in her home country of Argentina,
as well as in Chile and Uruguay. She became a Silent Key on Thursday,
the 13th of April at her home.

According to a news article in the YL Beam newsletter, she was an
almost constant presence on the air during the last 50 years and many
heard her exchanging greetings and information on 20 meters. Her
introduction to amateur radio came during the early 1960s and she
embraced operating on AM. She and another amateur Nelly Lopez, LU5OX,
now a Silent Key, were considered pioneers in being the first women
amateurs in the region. By the time she retired as a teacher, she had
become a major presence on sideband where she was well-respected as an
operator.

According to the news article, her 90th birthday was a great occasion
inspiring amateurs who had worked her from DX locations to travel and
attend the celebration.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB

(YL BEAM)

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AMSAT PRESIDENT'S CLUB RELEASES COMMEMORATIVE COIN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: AMSAT supporters who are deepening their commitment to
amateur radio in space by joining the President's Club have a special
commemorative coin that says "thank you." We hear more from Neil Rapp
WB9VPG.

NEIL: The AMSAT President's Club has released its commemorative coins
for 2023, with this year's coin marking the 40th anniversary of the
launch of the AMSAT OSCAR 10 satellite. The German amateur radio
microsatellite took to the sky from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 1
rocket on June 16th, 1983. According to the AMSAT-DL website, the
star-shaped satellite had an elliptical orbit that made it possible for
radio communications of several hours' duration to take place around
the world.

Members of the AMSAT President's Club will be receiving the coin along
with other recognition, including mention in the AMSAT Journal. The
President's Club is an annual membership organization and each year's
2-inch metal coin honors a different OSCAR satellite.

Visit amsat.org and look for details about the President's Club.

This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.

(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)

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NETS OF NOTE: APRS THURSDAY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This week, in our occasional series, Nets of Note,
Newsline takes a look at one net that provides an opportunity for all
licensed hams anywhere in the world to learn more about APRS. Patrick
Clark K8TAC has that story.

PATRICK: For one very enthusiastic group of amateurs worldwide, every
Thursday is net day. Check-in time on that day between 0000 and 2359
UTC and ensures that every amateur will receive all APRS net traffic
from any stations checking in during the 24-hour period that follows
their own check-in.

Organizers call it APRS Thursday and it's been going strong since
December of last year. The net is conducted over the Announcement
server service of KJ4ERJ and it is managed by Michael KC8OWL and Angelo
DU2XXR/N2RAC. Angelo, in the Philippines, is also the net manager of a
separate net, known as the APRSPH net.

Both Michael and Angelo hope that the Thursday check-ins will increase
familiarity with APRS for hams and grow this kind of message activity
around the world.

If you're curious about APRS or want to learn more, you can email
Michael at kc8...@yahoo.com

This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.

(APRS NET)

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NOMINATE NEXT 'YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The deadline is coming up fast for a chance to nominate
your choice for Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak Young Ham of
the Year award. Candidates must reside in the continental United States
and be a licensed ham 18 years of age or younger. We are looking for
someone who has talent, promise and a commitment to the spirit of ham
radio. Find application forms on our website arnewsline.org under the
"YHOTY" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the K3PSG repeater in Butler, Pennsylvania at 2 a.m. and 8 p.m. on
Tuesdays.

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DIGITAL LIBRARY OF HAM RADIO EXPANDS COLLECTION

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The numbers just keep growing into the tens of
thousands in the Internet Archive's Digital Library of Amateur Radio &
Communications. Jack Parker W8ISH gives us those details.

JACK: It's a virtual bookshelf of radio that seems to go on into
infinity: The addition of new documents from the Anchorage Amateur
Radio Club in Alaska, the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association, the Irish
Radio Transmitters Society and the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association
in Colorado has expanded a digital collection of shortwave and amateur
radio history to more than 75,000 items. This is the work-in-progress
known as the DLARC Radio Library. The library also contains more than
two dozen episodes of the RAIN Report that were believed to have been
lost. Yes, you will also find archived newscasts from Amateur Radio
Newsline.

Program manager of special collections Kay Savetz, K6KJN, said the most
recent additions include recorded presentations and talks, including
those from the MicroHams Digital Conference and the Radio Amateur
Training Planning and Activities Committee, known as RATPAC. The
library is especially pleased to have added episodes of International
Radio Report dating back 23 years. The collection also features
Continent of Media, which focuses on the range of media throughout the
American Continent.

Many amateur clubs' newsletters which were never posted online before
are now available and are full text-searchable and available for
download. The library, which was created with a grant from Amateur
Radio Digital Communications, is always looking for new material to add
to the collection. See the link in the text version of this week's
newscast at arnewsline.org

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(KAY SAVETZ, K6KJN)

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NEW HAM RADIO MUSEUM OPENS IN OHIO

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Congratulations to Ohio's new amateur radio museum.
It's the Waller-McMunn Museum in Cambridge that has opened to visitors
in a restored radio station building after years of work by volunteers
assembling the collection of ham radio gear and related items. The
museum is the pride of the Cambridge Amateur Radio Association, W8VP.
The name of the museum honors Homer McMunn who built the first radio
receiver in Cambridge in 1912; it also pays tribute to his
brother-in-law, Roy Waller who is credited with being the first to copy
signals from a US Navy station operating in Arlington, Virginia that
year. The two men were known as experimenters who built receivers and
transmitters and operated a wireless station in town. Their enthusiasm
eventually led to the creation of the Wireless Association of
Cambridge.

(THE DAILY JEFFERSONIAN, GYPSY ROAD TRIP.COM)

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RESEARCHERS CREATE THINNER, DENSER COMPUTER CHIPS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Researchers in the United States have created thinner,
denser computer chips with big possibilities. We learn more from Kent
Peterson KC0DGY.

KENT: Denser and more powerful computer chips may soon be possible
thanks to findings in a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Researchers there have developed a means of working with 2D
materials so slender that they are no more than three atoms thick. By
layering them atop a fully fabricated silicon chip, they are able to
create a denser integration.

According to the MIT news website, this low-temperature growth and
fabrication technology does not result in damage to the chip. Damage
was a major concern during previous attempts to achieve this
integration atop a silicon CMOS wafer because the process customarily
requires temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius. Temperatures above 400
degrees Celsius could cause the transisitors and circuits to breakdown.

The news website also reported that this technology reduces the growth
and integration process on an 8-inch wafer from more than a day to less
than an hour. A shortened growth time is seen by researchers as
particularly attractive for industrial fabrications because of its
efficiency.

Researchers also said they want to explore use of this process for such
flexible surfaces as textiles, polymers or papers, raising the prospect
of integrating semiconductors into clothing, paper notebooks and other
everyday items.

This is Kent Peterson KC0DGY.

(MIT)

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WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, be listening for Harold, DF2WO, on the air as 9X2AW
from Rwanda until the 15th of May. Harold will be using CW, SSB and the
digital modes on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS.

Look for Pete M1PTR, Tom M0DCG and Kieron M5KJM on the air from Great
Basket Island, IOTA Number EU-007, using the callsign EJ6KP/p until the
18th of May. They are using SSB on the HF bands during local daylight
hours. Check QRZ.com for QSL details.

Listen for Giorgio, IU5HWS, using the callsign 5UA99WS from Niger until
the 15th of June. He will be on 40 through 10 metres using FT8 and SSB.
QSL via LoTW, or via EA5GL.

You have until May 31st to log the special event callsign VI2023HRH in
Australia. Members of the Wireless Institute of Australia are calling
QRZ with that call, through the end of the month, to celebrate the
coronation of King Charles III of England. QSL via the operator's
instructions.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

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KICKER: COFFEE-LOVING HAM WORKS JAVA BUT IT'S NOT DX

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: OK, grab a cup of hot coffee for this week's story. Sit
back and let's listen to Randy Sly W4XJ.

RANDY: For many of us there's nothing better than working DX or calling
CQ in a contest while sipping on a fresh hot cup of coffee. But what if
that coffee was known as "Ham Shack House Blend," "Key Up Cowboy," or
"Morse Code Mocha?"

Steve Eilers, W3BIZ, believes we can have our ham radio and drink it
too! Early in 2023, Steve began the Homebrew Coffee Company, combining
his love for coffee with his love for ham radio. This coffee is not
someone else's brand that he re-labeled but his own original coffee
blends that are roasted and shipped the same day -- no matter the
propagation. He is an entrepreneur who takes his business seriously:

STEVE: "We source our beans from Bali, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia,
you name it... Ethically sourced beans, fair trade... that's a huge
thing for me, is to make sure we're doing it right. These people are
getting compensated for their farms and everything's fair...."

RANDY: His blends are made to resonate with a variety of tastes, from a
donut shop style to a dark Italian roast or something with a french
vanilla or mocha flavor. All these and more await you at
homebrewcoffee.com.

When he's not making coffee, you can find Steve hunting POTA, chasing
DX, rag chewing or operating SKYWARN and ARES in Kent County, Michigan
-- and of course, drinking coffee.

This is Randy Sly, W4XJ

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DO YOU HAVE NEWS?

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: 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 Air Force Technology; MSAT News Service;
the APRS Net; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN.COM; Dave Altman, KO4YLZ; David
Behar K7DB; The Daily Jeffersonian; 425 DX News; GypsyRoadTrip.com; the
IEEE Spectrum; Kay Savetz, K6KJN; Massachusetts Institute of
Technology; the Millennium Post; QRZ.COM; shortwaveradio.de; the Times
of India; the Vincentian; the YL Beam; 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.