Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2494 for Friday, August 15th, 2025

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2494 with a release date of Friday, August 15th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The US National Weather Service rehires after mass firings. A grant assists new young amateurs in Malawi -- and a Bouvet Island fundraising project is called off. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2494 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
US NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REHIRING AFTER MASS FIRINGS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a report about a dramatic turnaround of the staffing in a major US government weather agency, just as Atlantic hurricane season begins gathering momentum. Randy Sly W4XJ has that story.

RANDY: Hundreds of jobs that were eliminated by cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency are to be refilled at the National Weather Service, which has been told it can hire as many as 450 radar technicians, meteorologists and hydrologists. A CNN report said that the rehiring comes as the agency looks back on the deadly floods that ravaged Texas last month while preparing for the arrival of hurricane season in a few weeks. The CNN report noted that the cuts have led to many agency staffers taking on bigger workloads and longer hours and cited the reduction in data available to the weather service - the result of fewer launches of weather balloons.

Meteorologist, Louis Uccellini, former director of the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press that the hirings were [quote] "great news for the NWS and the American public" [endquote] adding that he would like to see them get under way. He was NWS director from 2013 until he stepped down in 2022.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.


(CNN.COM, ASSOCIATED PRESS, NWS)

**
US LEGACY WEATHER SATELLITES BEING DECOMMISSIONED

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The remaining older satellites in a constellation identified earlier this year as being in end-of-life status, are now being decommissioned by the US government. Jen DeSalvo W9TJX has that report.

JEN: As the US government had announced previously, the remaining satellites in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's legacy constellation of Polar Operational Environmental Studies are in the process of being decommissioned. The POES system satellite known as NOAA-15 was to be taken out of service on the 12th of August and another, NOAA-19, on the 19th of the month. Earlier this year, both were declared in the End of Life stage, along with a third constellation satellite, NOAA-18, which was decommissioned in June. For years, these satellites were relied upon by many for vital weather data via their 137 MHz APT transmissions, providing data used in monitoring the environment, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and global vegetation.

Although previous reports said that the satellites' transmissions would continue, an article on the RTL-SDR website said that the transmitters will be turned off. The end-of-life status means they are no longer eligible for repair or recovery efforts and NOAA advises that they should not be considered reliable sources of information for critical or emergency purposes. None of the satellites are scheduled for deorbiting. NOAA issued an advisory on its website saying [quote] " Direct users should make plans to discontinue use of POES data." [endquote]

This is Jen DeSalvo, W9TJX.

(NOAA, RTL-SDR)

**
FLORIDA RETIREES GIRD FOR STORM SEASON WITH RADIOS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Florida, one retirement community is facing this coming hurricane season the way it has faced the last half-dozen hurricane seasons: with a robust radio network. Jack Parker W8ISH explains.

JACK: During Atlantic hurricane season, many residents of Sun City Center, Florida might feel as if they are living in Storm City Center instead. A disaster radio program, managed by the Kings Point Amateur Radio Club, has been growing strong within this retirement community to address those concerns.

Launched six years ago, the program has woven an increasingly robust safety net and now provides assurance to as many as 800 residents, most of them between 70 and 80 years of age. It is all overseen by Eileen Bishop, AB9T, the club's emergency communications chair.

Low-power FRS radios are provided to those who pay a $15 program registration fee at the community clubhouse. The little handheld transceivers, which do not require a license, connect them to any of 25 control stations around the community who can monitor and transmit on a common channel using their own licensed GMRS radios. According to club vice president Eric Nisenfeld WA4EMN, most of these operators are also hams. The control center, Radio Alpha, is based at the clubhouse and hams there monitor the system as well. The control stations and Radio Alpha can both summon the appropriate emergency service when necessary.

Eric said associates are asked to check in at weekly nets at least four times a year to receive signal reports and ensure all is working properly. HOA and community management are also being added to the network.

Sun City Center may not be able to stop the hurricanes but with the power of radio, they can help residents brace for them.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(ERIC, WA4EMN)

**
3YÃK DXPEDITION CANCELS LOTTERY, CITING 'LEGAL ISSUES'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Bouvet Island 3YÃK DXpedition is going forward -- but one of its attempts to raise funds to support the trip is not. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF explains.

JIM: Even as the Bouvet Island 3YÃK team begins packing and shipping their equipment and other supplies for next year's DXpedition, the team has called off its plans for a lottery to help raise funds. Organizers announced on the team website that the cancellation is the result of [quote] "legal issues brought to the team's notice." [endquote] The announcement did not offer any specifics.

Preparedness workshop and other activities still lay ahead for the operators well in advance of their scheduled departure date from Cape Town, South Africa on the 1st of next February. The 21-day DXpedition has a budget in excess of $1.6 million in US currency and had hoped the lottery would help cover expenses. The announcement of its cancellation included assurances that all tickets already purchased will be fully refunded through PayPal.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(3YÃK WEBSITE; DX WORLD)

**

GRANT ASSISTS YOUNG AMATEURS IN MALAWI

STEPHEN ANCHOR: The newest ham radio operators in Malawi are celebrating their success - and a few are celebrating their upgraded licenses John Williams VK4JJW tells us about this growing community of hams in this African nation.

JOHN: A handful of new and newly upgraded amateur radio operators in Malawi are celebrating their achievement in late July: the young radio operators have passed their exams with support of a grant from the Yasme Foundation to cover all fees and related costs.

Foundation president Ward Silver, NÃAX, announced in late July that there are now five new licensees and four amateurs with upgraded licenses. The Yasme Foundation has been assisting the Malawi Project, which was launched by members of the HacDC Amateur Radio Club, W3HAC, in Washington, DC, under the leadership of Don Jones K6ZO/7Q6M. The project works with aspiring young amateurs in Malawi, the Comoros and Uganda. It is now part of the Jeffrey Dahn Memorial Foundation, which promotes education in electronics to young people in Africa.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(DXNEWS, JEFFREY DAHN FOUNDATION)

**
CELEBRATING A PARK'S CENTENNIAL BY PUTTING IT ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Indiana amateurs are preparing to celebrate a 100-year-old park the best way hams know how. Andy Morrison K9AWM gives us a full report.

ANDY: There is a rich history in Pokagon State Park, one that dates back to its designation as the fifth state park in Indiana in 1925. What was originally known as Lake James State Park was renamed to honor Leopold and Simon Pokagon, the father and son leaders of the Potawatomi Native American tribe who made their home in the region in the 19th Century.

The Land of Lakes Amateur Radio Club is joining with Friends of Pokagon on the 23rd of August to mark the park's centennial. Special event station K9P will be on the air from the park from 9 a.m. until dusk.

The celebration acknowledges the importance of the park, where the government's Civilian Conservation Corps lived and worked from 1934 to 1942, helping shape the park's wooded hills, wetlands and open meadows through the addition of landscaping elements built from natural stone and logs. The park is on the shores of Lake James and comprises 1,260-acres. It carries the POTA designation of US-4182.

This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.

(THE OUTDOOR WIRE, INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the AA9RT repeater in Shiloh, Illinois, during the Prime K9JHQ Club net on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.

**
UK HAMS TAKE ON CHALLENGE TO BUILD TRACKER FOR BALLOON

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Tracking a balloon is challenging enough -- but building the tracker? That's the real challenge - and that's the challenge facing some adventurous hams in the UK, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: On Saturday, the 20th of September, a high-altitude balloon will be launched with a cross-frequency LoRa APRS Digipeater as its payload. Ben Lloyd, GW4BML, a director of the Radio Society of Great Britain, will send the balloon on its way () at 11 a.m. local time from Welshpool in Powys. The balloon is expected to be in the air for about two hours, reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet.

The challenge for amateur radio operators is to build or re-code a LoRa tracker using instructions provided on the RSGB website - then try to get the farthest signal from the launch site. Successful transmissions will reach the airborne relay and be retransmitted to one of the Internet gateways local to the launch site.

Individual hams and some ham clubs may boost their chances through the use of a high-gain antenna or by operating from a summit or other high ground at the same time to get a line-of-sight advantage. If your tracker build is successful, it will beam up packets to the airborne relay to be retransmitted.

The event is part of National Coding Week, in which the RSGB is participating in during the third week of September.

For details, visit the website rsgb.org

(RSGB)

**
YOUNG AMATEURS IN AUSTRALIA PREP FOR 1ST YOTA CONTEST

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Although it seems that YOTA Month is a long way off - December is, of course, a few months away yet - young amateurs in Australia are getting ready for an inaugural event this year. Graham Kemp VK4BB has those details.

GRAHAM: The VK YOTA Contest is coming to shacks Down Under as the Fisher's Ghost Amateur Radio Club has announced it will be hosting the event, encouraging hams anywhere in the world to join in. The contest is being held in cooperation with Youngsters on the Air, a programme of Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union. The purpose isn't so much to be the highest-scoring operator but to simply be on the air enjoying new contacts and renewing some old ones.

In other words, rag chews are absolutely encouraged! The contest begins 00:00 UTC on the 1st of December and ends at 23:59 UTC on the 31 of December.There will be a bit of overlap with the YOTA contest organised by the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society. Three days before the Fisher's Ghost club contest ends, Round 3 begins for the YOTA contest hosted by the Hungarian operators. That's on December 29th beginning at 10:00 UTC and ending at 21:59 UTC.

It looks like December is already heating up down here in Australia.

This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.


STEPHEN/ANCHOR: For details about the VK YOTA Contest see the link in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org

[DO NOT READ: https://yota.fgarc.org.au/pages/about.php ]


(WIA, FISHER'S GHOST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, listen for Aldir, PY1SAD, on the air as 8R1TM from Guyana until the 23rd of September. He is using CW, SSB and digital modes on all HF bands, and via satellite. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Darrell, N3JWJ, is on the air as SV5/N3JWJ from Rhodes Island, in the Dodecanese Islands, IOTA Number EU-001, until the 25th of August. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

Yuris, YL2GM, and Eugene, EA5EL, will be using the callsign 3CÃW from Annobon Island, IOTA Number AF-039, for two weeks in September. They are awaiting final dates from the ferry service they will be using. Listen for them also as 3C3W from Bioko Island, IOTA Number AF-010, in Equatorial Guinea. They will be using CW, SSB and FT8 on 160-6 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.

There will be a number of special event stations in some Malaysian states and federal territories celebrating their National Day on the 31st of August and Malaysia Day on the 16th of September. In West Malaysia they include 9M25MA, 9M25MB, 9M25MC and 9M25MD, among others. In East Malaysia, listen for 9M25MS and 9M25MQ. QSL via operators' instructions.

(425 DX BULLETIN)

**
KICKER: IT'S TIME FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY - BUT WHAT TIME, EXACTLY?

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Now it is time for our final story -- but first, take a look at your watch or your UTC clock - what time is it, really? With so many time zones and the need to convert to UTC, hams sometimes STILL find the whole issue of time confusing, as we hear from John Williams VK4JJW.

JOHN: It's that time of year when many hams prepare for the Remembrance Day Contest, a major amateur radio event here in Australia on the Saturday closest to the 15th of August. It marks the signing of the Armistice and Japan's unconditional surrender, ending the second World War in 1945. It honours amateurs who died in that conflict.

However, another potential conflict persists - one of time. The contest starts at 1300 Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is 0300 UTC on the 15th of the 8th month -- August - but observers of history know that the Armistice was signed later that year.

The answer is: radio! Although history records the signing correctly on September 2nd of that year, this important contest makes note instead of the time and date that Japan's Emperor Hirohito broadcast his nation's surrender over radio. He delivered an announcement at noon on the 15th of August. With Japan's time being UTC plus 9 hours, that places its timing at 0300 UTC. With AEST being UTC plus 10, that places the time at 1300 UTC.

Got that? We thank Michael Johnston, VK2HFN, president and secretary of the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club, for sorting this one out, all the while keeping an eye on the clock before the contest started.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(CCARC, WIA)

**
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; Associated Press; Central Coast Amateur Radio Club; CNN; David Behar K7DB; DXNews; Eric WA4EMN; 425DX Bulletin; FCC; Fisher's Ghost Amateur Radio Club; Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Outdoor Wire; Radio Society of Great Britain; RTL-SDR.com; shortwaveradio.de; 3YÃK Website; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio 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.

** Avilable for download in .mp3 format at bbs2.catracing.org 6840

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
Blog and Forums - www.catracing.org
IMAGE BBS! 3.0 - bbs.catracing.org 6400
C-Net Amiga BBS - bbs.catracing.org 6840
--- CNet/5
* Origin: The Rat's Den BBS (1:135/250)