Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2493 for Friday, August 8th, 2025
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2493 with a release date of Friday, August 8th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. An international partnership creates a satellite to aid disaster response. Hams honor the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II -- and finding a 20m dipole in a cornfield! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2493 comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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JOINT INDIA-US SATELLITE FOCUSES ON NATURAL DISASTERS
PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to space where a satellite created through the partnership of two nations will provide a window into some of the natural disasters plaguing us here on Earth. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has the details.
JIM: An unprecedented joint satellite project between the Indian Space Research Organization and NASA is giving researchers the hope of better studying the Earth's climate and helping improve responses to natural disasters by monitoring the most subtle changes on Earth, including in its glaciers and wetlands.
The satellite is known as NISAR, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission. Its launch aboard an ISRO spacecraft on the 30th of July from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, sent it on its mission to send microwaves to collect data from different surfaces on the planet. When processed, the data will be visible in an exceptionally high resolution. An estimated 80 terabytes of data will be collected daily. Scientists have said that the method has [quote] "unprecedented accuracy." [endquote] Researchers and governments around the world will be able to view the data via a cloud platform where they will have open access.
The project is being praised as the first collaborative satellite mission of its kind between the Indian and US space agencies.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(CNN, AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)
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AST SPACEMOBILE DEFENDS PROPOSED AMATEUR-SPECTRUM USE
PAUL/ANCHOR: A Texas telecommunications company asking for FCC permission to use amateur radio frequencies between 430 and 440 MHz has submitted a response to the US regulator, defending itself against concerns from ham radio operators over interference. The letter, written by AST SpaceMobile assures the agency that its satellites are designed to [quote] "mitigate interference." [endquote] The company also said it would shut down its use of the band if interference was found. The company's filing, reported on the PC Magazine website, reads in part that the FCC has found that AST SpaceMobile?s prior demonstrations of no interference conform to ITU regulations and are [quote] "sufficient to authorize a limited, nonconforming use.? [endquote]
The PC Magazine website noted that the FCC has received more than 2,500 comments in protest of the company's proposed use of the band.
(PCMAG)
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CREW-11 ARRIVES, BEGINS WORK ABOARD ISS
PAUL/ANCHOR: Elsewhere in space two more hams have arrived aboard the ISS after a brief delay of their launch, as we hear from Travis Lisk N3ILS.
TRAVIS: NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 arrived at the International Space Station in the early hours of Saturday, the 2nd of August after a launch that suffered a one-day weather delay due to poor weather
Commander Zena Cardman, KJ5CMN and pilot Mike Fincke, KE5AIT were accompanied by two mission specialists, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. During their seven-month tenure aboard the orbiting laboratory, the team will conduct experiments on the impact of microgravity on bacteria-killing viruses. They will also study plant-cell division and human stem cells.
The ISS assignment marks the first time in space for both Zena Cardman and Oleg Platonov.
This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.
(NASA, CBS)
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SPECIAL EVENT HONORS NAVAJO CODE TALKERS OF WW2
PAUL/ANCHOR: Although the 14th of August has been designated as Navajo Code Talkers Day, a group of proud amateur radio operators are taking several days to honor this special unit of brave Marines who served in the US military during the second World War.
Few of these hams could be prouder than Herb Goodluck N7HG, whose late father, John V. Goodluck, had been one of the Marines who used their own Navajo language to craft a wartime code that could not be broken.
Herb will be among those calling QRZ from the 10th to the 15th, using the callsign N7C. Operators will be using CW, phone and FT-8. Additional details, including operating frequencies, can be found on QRZ.com
The hams will be operating from Window Rock, Arizona at the Navajo Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial.
(QRZ,COM)
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PROJECT BY INDIAN STUDENTS, HAMS SEEKS PATENT
PAUL/ANCHOR: In rural India, students at a school for boys are being rewarded for their faith in the technical expertise of amateur radio operators. The lightning-arrester project they have been collaborating on for several years with the hams is ready to be considered for a patent. GrahamKemp VK4BB tells us what comes next.
GRAHAM: Leave it to ham radio operators to know how destructive, and even fatal, a lightning strike can be. That's why a number of years ago educators at a school in rural West Bengal, India, sought input from local hams for a project by physics students to help protect farmers when they are caught in the fields during storms and lightning strikes. According to reports in the Indian media, the homebrew, affordably built device, which resembles a bicycle?s wheel, has been evaluated by the Central Power Research Institute. It also received recognition in 2020 at the National Children's Science Congress, a national showcase for innovative technology devised by youngsters between the ages of 10 and 17. Newsline described the simple device in its first report on the project in November of 2019, noting that it affixes a wheel-like component to the top of a high bamboo pole. An electrical wire connects it to metal in the earth to ground it.
The secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club said in media reports that 40 such devices have already been put in place at 40 locations throughout northern Bengal where the fields for the farmers and their animals are moist and marshy.
Now the waiting begins: The Times of India reported that the patent application for the project was filed on the 27th of July.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(TIMES OF INDIA, ANALYST IP)
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SILENT KEY: FORMER ARRL SE DIVISION DIRECTOR FRANK BUTLER, W4RH
PAUL/ANCHOR: A longstanding and well-respected member of the amateur radio community has become a Silent Key. Frank Butler, W4RH, had been active in ham radio since the 1940s, when he received his commercial and his amateur licenses. He spent part of his professional career as a broadcast engineer at several radio stations. By many accounts, he gave back generously to amateur radio over many decades. He served for nearly 30 years as the Southeastern Division director of the ARRL until he stepped down in 2007. He had begun his service with the league in 1957 as communications manager for the Western Florida Section.
According to a posting on the Facebook page of the Alabama section of the ARRL, Frank became a Silent Key on Tuesday the 5th of August. He was 100 years old.
On March 6th of this year, on the occasion of his becoming a centenarian, the Okaloosa County Board in Florida proclaimed the date "Frank M. Butler Jr. Day."
Hams throughout the division and beyond posted on social media, recalling him as a gentleman and a frequent and prominent guest at Huntsville and other hamfests. His generous spirit was also widely known: He was a member of the ARRL Maxim Society, which recognizes donors for their extraordinary monetary gifts to the league.
(FACEBOOK, OKALOOSA COUNTY BOARD)
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ARRL'S RADIO ALPHA MUSEUM TRACKS HAM RADIO'S EVOLUTION
PAUL/ANCHOR: A museum project being hosted online by the ARRL is tracking amateur radio's life story and its impact on society. We have more details from George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.
GEORGE: What began as the project of Chuck Penson, WA7ZZE, is slowly growing into Radio Alpha, a ham radio museum and research resource hosted by the ARRL. The historian's vision is to build a tool where documents detailing amateur radio equipment and technology - and its evolution - can be accessible to everyone in a central location.
Announcing the project on the ARRL website, Chuck wrote: [quote] "This database will be a living resource, regularly updated and expanded through ongoing research and community contributions, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of amateur radio's profound impact on communication, technology, and society,? [endquote] Chuck is looking for volunteers to assist him in building and collecting the content, especially hams with deep knowledge of particular product brands or operating modes.The project is being supported by the ARRL's Historical Preservation Fund
If you are interested in assisting him, he can be emailed at radioalpha at arrl dot org [
radioalpha@arrl.org] That's radioalpha - one word - at arrl dot org
To see how the collection has already grown, visit the link in the text version of this week's newsline script at arnewsline.org
This is George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU.
[DO NOT READ: arrl.org/radioalpha or arrl.org/museum]
(ARRL)
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the AH6LE repeater in Beavercreek and Wilsonville, Oregon, on Sundays at 6 p.m. local time.
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KATIE CAMPBELL, KE8LQR, PRESENTED WITH NEWSLINE'S YHOTY AWARD
PAUL/ANCHOR: Viewers of the Ham Nation podcast shared a proud moment with Newsline's Young Ham of the Year, and Don Wilbanks AE5DW is here to tell us about it.
DON: On Wednesday, July 30th it was my honor to present the 2025 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year award to Katie Campbell, KE8LQR. As Katie will be in Germany as a foreign exchange student for her senior year in high school on the weekend of the Huntsville Hamfest, we presented the award live on Ham Nation, a first for us. Our corporate partners Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and RadioWavz Antennas will have some gifts to show their appreciation.
Appearing with Katie, along with our Ham Nation regulars Josh Nass KI6NAZ, Amanda Alden K1DDN and Gordon West WB6NOA, were Young Ham of the Year committee chairman Mark Abramowics NT3V, judge Rich Moseson W2VU, Newsline editor Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG, DX Engineering's Tim Duffy K3LR and Huntsville Hamfest chairman Mark Brown N4BCD.
If you missed it live, you can watch the replay on YouTube on the Ham Radio Crash Course channel, or just type Ham Nation in the YouTube search bar. Our sincere congratulations go out to Katie for her amazing contributions to the amateur radio hobby and service. We're looking forward to next March when we again open nominations for the 2026 Young Ham of the Year award. Again, many thanks to our corporate partners Yaesu USA, Heil Ham Radio and RadioWavz, as well as you, our listeners and the folks who continue to nominate the best of the best young radio amateurs.
I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
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ENIGMA MACHINE-STYLE EVENT CHALLENGES DECODING SKILLS
PAUL/ANCHOR: This next story is straightforward and, we hope, easy to understand but it's about a radio-transmitted message that is deliberately -- very deliberately -- cryptic. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us why.
RALPH: The Enigma machine that the Germans used during World War II to create encoded secret messages is about to be put back into action. KPH, the maritime radio station in California, will be transmitting messages using Enigma encryption for broadcast via both CW and RTTY. Listeners copy the message and then, using an actual Enigma machine they may have in their shack or a simulated one available online, work to decrypt the message which will be sent in groups of five letters each.
This annual tradition recalls the hard work of World War II era cryptographers who ultimately cracked the code.
Certificates are awarded for proof of successful decode, first to decode and for use of original or replica hardware.
The broadcast begins at 2000 UTC on the 30th of August on all KPH CW and RTTY frequencies.
For more details, visit the link in the text version of this weeks newscast at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ:
https://tinyurl.com/4hfb2y5c ]
This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY)
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WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, two Scout stations are finishing up their activations. Scout station CR5OCEAN is on the air until the 9th of August, operating from the National Maritime Scout Camp "Oceanos" at the Alqueva Dam in southern Portugal. Be listening on 40 and 20 metres. QSL via CR6CNE. In Slovenia, another Scout station, S5?ZLET, is being operated by members of Radioclub Sezana, S59ABL, and Radioclub Koper, S59CST, until the 8th of August for the Slovenian National Jamboree. See QRZ.com for details.
Operators with the Sommers Island Expedition, IOTA Number EU-133, are on the air until the 14th of August. They are using the callsign RI1E [R EYE ONE EE]. Listen for Vasily, R7AA and Mikhail, RA1ALA operating CW, SSB and the digital modes on 40-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
The special event callsign 9A169TESLA is on the air until the 31st of December marking the 169th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla. See QRZ.com for QSL details.
In Canada, members of the Atlantic Coast DX & Contest Group are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union by going on the air throughout August as CG9IARU. They will activate POTA , World Wide Flora & Fauna and Canadian Historical Sites On the Air locations. See QRZ.com for QSL and other details.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
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KICKER: STALKING SOME QSOS IN HIS FIELD OF DREAMS
PAUL/ANCHOR: You don't need to be a farmer to celebrate corn season this time of year, Neil Rapp WB9VPG, introduces us to one home brewer in Iowa who says it's not just corn season -- but antenna season!
NEIL: The smiling radio operator greeting viewers of his YouTube videos calls himself "Cornfield Kevin," and yes, Kevin K?KLB is outstanding in his field -- which happens to be an Iowa cornfield. There, in August of 2022, Kevin harvested two SSB contacts between Iowa and Texas while operating on 5 watts using a 20m vertical antenna fashioned ... from cornstalks. He called his creation "The CornTenna."
This year, Kevin is making the QSOs -- and the corn -- pop all over again. In his latest video, he shows how he put cornstalks back to work recently, this time using stalks from a fresh harvest to build a horizontal 20 metre dipole. He tested the corn-tenna over a two-day period and, sadly, made no contacts on the first day. The next day, after cutting fresh new stalks, he worked his brother Bruce, KE?QQE, on 10 metres. Bruce, who was nearby, gave him a 5 5. Then a POTA activator in Ohio copied him and gave him a 4 4, telling him he was [quote] "down in the weeds." [endquote]
Well those weren't exactly weeds Kevin was standing in but the POTA op was correct about the challenging RST. Nonetheless, satisfied with his project, Kevin is sharing the build on his YouTube channel, "Ham Radio QRP - K?KLB." While you're there, check out Kevin's earlier project for the original vertical corn-tenna. After all, when you're a ham on a farm in Iowa, every day can be field day.
This is Neil Rapp WB9VPG.
(YOUTUBE)
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We hope you've been enjoying the ham radio haikus that our listeners have sent in - have you written one yet? The Newsline haiku challenge is as easy as writing a QSL card. We can only accept the correct haiku format - that is, a three-line verse with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third. Submit your work on our website at arnewsline.org - each week's winner gets a shout-out on our website, where everyone can find the winning haiku.
NEWSCAST CLOSE
With thanks to Amateur News Daily; AMSAT News Service; Analyst IP; ARRL; CBS; CNN; David Behar K7DB; Facebook; 425DX Bulletin; FCC; Jeffrey Dahn Foundation; Maritime Radio Historical Society; NASA; Okaloosa County Board; PC Magazine; shortwaveradio.de; Times of India; Wireless Institute of Australia; YouTube; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2025. Amateur Radio Newsline retains ownership of its material even when retransmitted elsewhere. All rights are reserved.
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