Amateur

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2436 for Friday July 5th, 2024 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2436 with a release date of Friday, July
5th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST.  Hams step up as Hurricane Beryl rips through
the Caribbean. Logbook of the World is back in business - and we
proudly introduce you to this year's Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial
Amateur Radio Young Ham of the Year. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2436 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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HAMS STEP UP AS HURRICANE BERYL ROLLS IN

JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week is the amateur radio response to a
history-making storm that stirred the Caribbean. Randy Sly W4XJ brings
us the details.

RANDY: As this edition of Amateur Radio Newsline finished production,
Hurricane Beryl had hit the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico after causing
severe damage to the Windward Islands in the Atlantic, Jamaica and the
Cayman Islands. Within the next couple of days, high winds and heavy
rain were expected for south Texas as the storm was expected to turn to
the northwest.

Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, net manager for the Hurricane Watch Net, reported
that the net was activated for each of the storm's predicted landfalls,
collecting reports from the affected areas for the National Hurricane
Center in Florida. Carlos González, CO2JC, IARU Region 2 Emergency
Coordinator, reported from Cuba that communication was maintained
through WhatsApp and emergency amateur radio frequencies for countries
in or near the affected areas.

From the very beginning, Beryl was making history. Early in its rampage

on Monday night, Beryl became the season's earliest Category 5 storm,
with 165 mph winds, the strongest July Hurricane on record.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(BOBBY GRAVES, HWN; CARLOS GONZALES, VIA FACEBOOK; THE WEATHER CHANNEL,
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER)

**
LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD IS BACK

JIM/ANCHOR: Logbook of the World is back after being knocked out of
service following a security breach at the ARRL several weeks ago.

In announcing the logbook's restoration on the 1st of July in a letter
to members, the ARRL gave no insights into the direct cause of the
outage and offered no details of any additional security being put in
place to protect against future hacking. The league cautioned members
to wait a week or two before uploading particularly large files, such
as those from a DXpedition, so that the system can catch up with the
backlog. The ARRL said that any logs containing too many duplicates
will be rejected.

Additional downtimes are to be expected, according to the announcement
The ARRL will be using those times to review operations and implement
improvements. LoTW users are being asked to direct their questions to
the email address LoTW hyphen help at arrl dot org.
(LoTW-help@arrl.org)

(ARRL)

**''
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN A WELL-ATTENDED EVENT IN GERMANY

JIM/ANCHOR: Southern Germany welcomed thousands of amateur radio
operators to Europe's biggest gathering of amateurs -- and Newsline's
Ed Durrant DD5LP was there.

ED: With the sounds of the Zeppelin airships flying overhead, the Ham
Radio event in Friedrichshafen ran calmly last weekend over three sunny
days on the shores of Lake Constance in Southern Germany.

As usual, Europe's biggest Ham gathering -  welcomed around 13,000
paying attendees from all over the world to the world-class facilities
of the "Neue Messe." Three of the 13 Zeppelin-size halls held traders,
exhibitors and flea markets. In the conference centre presentation
streams ran and private IARU meetings with national societies
tookplace.

ICOM, Yaesu and JVC-Kenwood were there and Flex and Elecraft had joint
stands with their European distributors. There were no new radios
announced at the show but from talking to these companies, it seems
that the parts shortages that they and smaller companies have faced, is
now becoming a thing of the past.

The national regulator, "BNetZA", ran licence exams for the three
classes of the German amateur radio licence including the new entry
level Class "N" and were happy to give regulations advice to all.

For those living in Germany a new feature was a job market with
representation from several hi-tech companies hoping to find skilled
people.

Friedrichshafen wouldn't be Friedrichshafen without food and drinks. As
well as the large outside beer garden serving traditional pork and
chicken dishes and the best beer in the world, inside there was a
canteen for a variety of snacks and meals and (my favourite) several
Ice Cream and cake stalls.

This was Ed Durrant DD5LP.

**
YOTA CAMP SHACK NAMED IN MEMORY OF BOB HEIL, K9EID/SK

JIM/ANCHOR: Young operators attending YOTA camp in Nova Scotia have
been calling CQ from a shack newly named to honor the memory of Bob
Heil, K9EID. We hear more from Andy Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: If you log the callsign VE1YOTA anytime between Sunday the 7th of
July and Friday the 12th, you will have the privilege of working young
operators inside the newly named Bob Heil K9EID Memorial YOTA Camp
Amateur Radio Shack. The Youth on the Air camp, hosted by Radio
Amateurs of Canada, is taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Bob became a Silent Key this year and Youth on the Air camp organizers
are honoring him and his company, Heil Sound, for his years of
generosity and support to young campers. A press release announcing the
tribute to Bob recognized his support for the camp starting in 2019,
its first year. The press release said: [quote] "Regardless of what was
needed for camp, Bob would never fail to send what we needed and more
to use at camp. Youth on the Air will forever remember his legacy in
the amateur radio community and his support for YOTA in the Americas."
[endquote]

Campers are also scheduled for a contact with the International Space
Station and will be activating a number of POTA locations including the
Georges Island National Historic Site, on Thursday the 11th of July.

Don't miss a moment of the excitement on the Youth on the Air YouTube
channel and meanwhile, be listening for VE1YOTA.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(YOUTH ON THE AIR)

**
RSGB ADDS NEW CHALLENGE TO IARU HF CHAMPIONSHIP

JIM/ANCHOR: If you're chasing stations in the IARU HF Championship this
year, you may want to pay special attention to the callsign GR2HQ,
which is offering an additional challenge for chasers, as we hear from
Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: In the UK, the IARU HF Championship contest has become two
events in one this year. The larger event is the global competition
being run by the ARRL on the 13th and 14th of July. The more local
event is a new awards programme known as the GR2HQ challenge
administered by the Radio Society of Great Britain. GR2HQ is the RSGB's
headquarters station participating in the contest and it comprises a
dozen or so stations on the air throughout the UK and on its islands.

The RSGB is encouraging individuals and clubs to work the GR2HQ
stations in as many bands and modes as possible. This serves two
purposes: it introduces a special challenge accessible even to
non-contesters - and it helps boost the RSGB's standing in the global
HF championship.

According to the press release, the society's station was placed third
last year and it is hoping for an even better score this time around.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

**
SPECIAL EVENT REMEMBERS 2 LITHUANIAN-AMERICAN AVIATORS

JIM/ANCHOR: The special event callsign SN91LOT is on the air this month
to mark the tragic deaths of two pioneering Lithuanian-American
aviators. The "91" in the callsign notes that 91 years have passed
since their doomed transatlantic crossing. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us
their story.

JIM: In July of 1933, two Lithuanian-American aviators successfully
crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small airplane from New York City bound
for what was then the capital city of Lithuania. On July 17th, two days
after their departure, the plane, known as the Lituanica crashed 650
kilometres short of that destination. The wreckage was found in eastern
Germany.

The pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas, did not survive.
According to several websites, it was never clear what caused the crash
after the successful ocean crossing.

This year, as in previous years, a special callsign is on the air
through to the end of July to commemorate the aviators' doomed effort.
Be listening on the HF bands. QSL via SP1PMY.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(425 DX BULLETIN, QRZ.COM)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the low-power FM station WIOH in Clinton County, Ohio, streaming live
on the internet on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. local time and on Wednesdays at
11:30 a.m. local time.

**
SPACEX AWARDED CONTRACT TO DE-ORBIT ISS

JIM/ANCHOR: The year 2030 is not so far away - and for the
International Space Station that doesn't just mean retirement but
destruction. Paul Braun WD9GCO tells us how it's expected to happen.

PAUL: NASA's plan to de-orbit the International Space Station by the
year 2030 now has an active partner in the process. The US space agency
has awarded Elon Musk's SpaceX 843 million US dollars to develop a
vehicle that will destroy the orbiting space laboratory. The ISS, which
has been in orbit since 1998, has also been the home of Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station, or ARISS, since late 2000, when the
first ham radio contact was made with the Expedition-1 crew.

According to various media reports, SpaceX will design the de-orbit
vehicle and set the stage for safe dismantling and disposal away from
populated areas on Earth. NASA hopes it will find its final resting
place somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and South
America.

This is Paul Braun WD9GCO.

(NASA, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, FORBES, BBC SCIENCE FOCUS)

**
DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR CLUB GRANTS FROM ARRL

JIM/ANCHOR: This is a reminder to all amateur radio clubs that the
deadline is fast approaching to apply for an ARRL Foundation Club
Grant. You only have until Friday the 26th of July to send in your
application. Clubs can apply for as much as $25,000 to support
initiatives that are designed to nurture the development of ham radio
operators through education and training and to motivate hams through
promotion Clubs do not have to be affiliated with the ARRL, nor do they
have to be 501 (c) (3) nonprofits.

For additional details about the foundation grant program, see the link
in the text version of this week's Newsline script. You will also find
an application form there.

[DO NOT READ:  www.arrl.org/club-grant-program   ] (ARRL)

**
WORLD OF DX

The Bosnia and Herzegovina IARU member society is on the air as
E7100RADIO . The society is marking "100 years of amateur radio
innovation, community and advocacy." See QRZ.com for details about a
printable QSL card.

The Tour de France is being commemorated by special event callsign
TM111TDF, marking the 111th edition of the famous cycling race. Listen
on the 17th through to the 21st of July on the HF bands. QSL via F8GGZ.

Listen for special event stations during EURO 2024, the 17th edition of
the UEFA European Football Championship. They are on the air through to
the 14th of July. Each callsign suffix spells EURO - "E" "U" "R" "O."
Listen for DL 2024 E, DL 2024 U, DL 2024 R, and DL 2024 O. QSO via the
bureau.

Listen for Zsolt, operating holiday style as S79/HA8PX from Mahe, IOTA
Number AF-024, Seychelles, from the 5th to the 10th of July, using
mainly CW. He may use some SSB and FT8. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

(EHAM, 425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: MEET OUR YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR: GRACE PAPAY, K8LG

JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Newsline is proud to announce the winner of
the 2024 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young
Ham of the Year award. Mark Abramowicz (Abram-o-vich) NT3V is chairman
of the award program and has the story...

GRACE: Wow! Thank you so much!

MARK: And that was the reaction of Grace Papay K8LG of Holland,
Michigan near Grand Rapids, our 2024 Young Ham of the Year.Grace is 18
and the daughter of Doug Papay K8DP and Carrie Papay K8CLP.Grace says
her dad encouraged her a few years ago to become a ham like someone
else very special in her life.

GRACE: So I got licensed originally to honor my grandfather. My
grandfather is K8YSE. He was celebrating 60 years of being an amateur
radio operator. And, then I got involved in amateur radio satellites. I
got on the air. And, now it has turned into something from honoring my
grandfather to a hobby I'm on every day and I love.

MARK: It was March 2021 when Grace earned her Tech license. A year
later, Grace passed her Extra Class license test.Proud grandpa John
Papay K8YSE - a well-known operator in the ham satellite community -
sparked his granddaughter's ham radio extraterrestrial exploits,
including encouraging her to earn her DX Century Club award for
contacts exclusively via satellites.

GRACE: Amateur radio satellites is what I've been very involved with
since Day One. It's very important to me because anyone can do it with
a Tech license. And you can talk around the country and around the
world with amateur radio satellites. So, you don't have to be stuck to
your local repeater.

MARK:But then came opportunities to attend Youth on the Air camps in
Cincinnati in 2022 and Ottawa in 2023.

GRACE:Being able to learn from other youth and having someone that can
teach you that's around your age and understand where you're coming
from was really helpful.

MARK: Those experiences, she says, encouraged her to pursue even bigger
adventures in the world of contesting.

GRACE: I've been able to be part of many single-op operations from my
home as well as multi-ops from K3LR and J62K in St. Lucia. And, those
have been great experiences for me to learn. But, one of my favorite
contests that I'm most proud of currently is the ARRL DX Sideband
contest where the raw results have me in first place for my section and
category.

MARK: Grace has been a regular speaker at the Dayton Hamvention Youth
Forum in recent years and volunteer at the YOTA and AMSAT booths.Just
weeks ago, she spoke at the Dayton Hamvention Contest University
forum.Grace just graduated with honors from Holland Christian High
School in Holland, MI and is enrolled this fall at Cedarville
University, Cedarville, OH, the alma mater of both of her parents. Her
plan is to study electrical engineering, a career path she says opened
by her amateur radio hobby.

GRACE: I wanna be someone who makes the future better. So, being able
to create something that could help somebody or create something that
will help the safety of our country is very important to me.

MARK:We here at Amateur Radio Newsline have no doubt we'll be hearing a
lot about Grace in the months and years to come. Congratulations,
Grace! I'm Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.

**
DO YOU HAIKU?

If a good day of radio is like poetry to you, pick up a pencil and join
the Amateur Radio Newsline haiku challenge. 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 Amateur Radio Daily; ARRL; BBC Science
Focus; Bobby Graves, KB5HAV; Carlos Gonzales, CO2JC; CQ Magazine; David
Behar K7DB; eHam; Forbes; 425DXBulletin; Hurricane Watch Net; NASA;
National Hurricane Center; QRZ.com; Radio World; Radio Society of Great
Britain; Scientific American; shortwaveradio.de; Weather Channel; Youth
on the Air; 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
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