MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 6870d060   
   PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b   
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2489 for Friday, July 11th, 2025   
       
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2489 with a release date of Friday, July   
   11th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1   
      
   The following is a QST.  A POTA activator suffers a tragic death. ClubLog is   
   getting an upgrade -- and Hamshack Hotline prepares to say farewell. All this   
   and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2489 comes your way right now.   
      
   **   
   POTA ACTIVATOR ELECTROCUTED IN NORTH CAROLINA   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Our top story this week takes us to the scene of a tragedy in   
   North Carolina in which a well-known Parks on the Air activator died after   
   being electrocuted. We have more details from Jim Davis, W2JKD.   
      
   JIM: Tripp Owens, N4NTO, a well-regarded POTA activator died on Friday, July   
   4th, when, according to investigators, his antenna mast made contact with an   
   overhead power line at the Chicora Civil War Cemetery near the Averasboro   
   [pron: aver-us-burro] Battlefield Historic Site, US-11375. According to   
   several local news reports, emergency crews were called to the scene after   
   Tripp was found unconscious in the parking lot. One news report said that fire   
   crews found him with his foot touching the mast beneath the power lines. Power   
   company crews turned off the power to give the responders access. Tripp was   
   pronounced dead at the scene.   
      
   A report on the QRPer.com website relayed information from Dave W4JL, who said   
   Tripp had been spotted on the Reverse Beacon Network between 12:02 and 12:13   
   UTC that morning but noted on the POTA spots page that he was going QRT.   
   QRPer's Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL added: [quote] "This is heartbreaking news   
   for those of us in the Parks on the Air and WWFF communities. Tripp was a   
   well-known and well-loved North Carolina POTA operator?a dedicated hunter and   
   activator whose callsign appears in my logs many times over the years."   
   [endquote]   
      
   Tripp's death was ruled accidental. Within hours of the news, the ham radio   
   community offered condolences to his family on social media and shared   
   memories of a man who they praised for his spirit of mentorship and his gentle   
   sense of humor. Mark Gibson, N4MQU, praised him for his achievements as a top   
   CW operator and a devoted contester.   
      
   He had been a ham since 1985. "Ambrose 'Tripp' Owens the third was 57 years   
   old.   
      
   This is Jim Davis, W2JKD.   
      
   (ABC-11, WRAL NEWS, QRZ.COM, QRPer.COM)   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: On a personal note, Newsline would like to remind all our   
   listeners, especially those operating portable stations, to please exercise   
   utmost caution especially during setup and takedown.   
      
   **   
   HAMSHACK HOTLINE TO BE DISCONTINUED   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Say goodbye to Hamshack Hotline, the free VOIP telecomm service.   
   The service announced it would be discontinued, effective the 29th of August.   
   The project began in 2018 and grew to be a global communications network with   
   a peak establishment of 7,000 interconnections across numerous servers.   
   Hamshack Hotline's board of directors said it will donate whatever cash   
   reserves it may have to a charity that supports military veterans.    
      
   (HAMSHACK HOTLINE)   
      
   **   
   FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT TO SPEAK AT DALLAS 'MOON DAY'   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: In Dallas, Texas, a former NASA astronaut will be the guest   
   speaker at an educational event that marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11   
   moon landing and celebrates advances in space exploration. Sel Embee KB3TZD   
   has that story.   
      
   SEL: Retired Colonel Carl Walz, formerly K-C-5-T-eye-E, will deliver the   
   keynote address at the Dallas Frontiers of Flight Museum during Moon Day,   
   which celebrates space exploration and encourages attendees to participate in   
   activities involving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Moon   
   Day is taking place on the 19th of July, a date close to the July 24th   
   anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. The Ohio native, a former   
   ISS astronaut, spent more than 18 hours conducting spacewalks to evaluate   
   tools for the refurbishment of the Hubble Space Telescope.   
      
   AMSAT Ambassador Thomas Schuessler (Shoose-slur), N-5-H-Y-P, will join with   
   satellite enthusiasts from North Texas to demonstrate CubeSats using models   
   and a simulator, and talk about amateur radio in space. Members of the Dallas   
   Amateur Radio Club will be on hand to also share amateur radio's role in   
   supporting science education.   
      
   For details about attending - or if you live nearby and want to volunteer -   
   email Tom at N5HYP-at-arrl-dot-net. (n5hyp@arrl.net)   
      
   This is Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.   
      
   (AMSAT NEWS)   
      
   **   
   YOTA AMERICAS CAMPERS LAUNCH FARTHEST BALLOON TRIP   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Thirty two campers traveled from all over the world to Thornton,   
   Colorado in June to attend the annual Americas wide camp for amateur radio   
   operators aged 15 to 25 called Youth On The Air.  Jack McElroy, KM4ZIA, has   
   been the leader of the YOTA balloon launch team since he was 14 years old at   
   the camp's first in person event in the Americas.   
      
   In 2022, Newsline shared Jack's story of one of his personal balloons becoming   
   the closest any amateur radio balloon has been to the South Pole.  At this   
   year's YOTA camp, the youth team in cooperation with Edge of Space Sciences   
   launched a high altitude balloon, tracked it by APRS, and brought back video   
   from near space after reaching a height of 96,600 feet.  But, thunderstorms   
   prevented the launch of the two pico balloons scheduled for that afternoon.   
      
   Instead, the balloons were transported to NIST radio station WWV in Fort   
   Collins the next day, where the campers were taking a tour of the facility and   
   operated portable stations.  The wide open spaces and clear sky at WWV proved   
   to be a great launch site for these balloons as they started the longest   
   journey of any YOTA Americas balloons yet.  At the time of recording this   
   edition of Newsline, one balloon is flying over Hawaii and is closing in on an   
   entire orbit around the Earth, while the other balloon made it to western Iran   
   before returning to the ground.   
      
   Jack told Newsline, "This all would not have been possible without the   
   curiosity and efforts of the campers, for they were the ones assembling,   
   balancing, and launching the balloons.  I hope that through experiences like   
   this, youth can be inspired to bring their amateur radio expertise into areas   
   that they never thought possible, from research projects to future careers."    
   The balloon launch was sponsored by the North Fulton Amateur Radio League.    
   You can follow the trek of these balloons on WSPRNET.ORG under KM4ZIA and on   
   APRS.FI under W?Y-1 and W?Y-11.   
      
   (YOUTH ON THE AIR)   
      
   **   
   SILENT KEY: AUSTRIAN MILITARY RADIO SOCIETY's MONIKA WLCEK, OE3YUP   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: An active and influential YL in Austria has become a Silent Key.   
   We hear more about her from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   JEREMY: A near-fatal shooting in the head during an armed robbery in Vienna   
   more than three decades ago nearly claimed the life of Monika Wlcek, OE3YUP.   
   She ultimately emerged from a coma and recovered, though she was left   
   partially paralyzed for the rest of her life. Her love of amateur radio, which   
   she shared with her husband Helmut, OE3HCB, kept her in the forefront of the   
   amateur radio community until she became a Silent Key on the 10th of June of   
   this year. Her death was reported recently in the YL Beam newsletter.   
      
   Monika was an active member of the Forest District of the Austrian Military   
   Radio Society and an active participant in YL activities each year at Ham   
   Radio Friedrichshafen.   
      
   Monika was 79.   
      
   This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   (YL BEAM)   
      
   **   
      
   NYC PROPERTY OWNER GETS "PIRATE" LETTER FROM FCC   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: In New York City, which the FCC considers one of the most active   
   locations for unlicensed radio activity, another broadcaster has been charged   
   with radio piracy. Kent Peterson KC?DGY has the details.   
      
   KENT: The Federal Communications Commission has sent a letter to a property   
   owner in the New York borough of the Bronx, charging them with permitting   
   unlicensed broadcasting from that location. The FCC cited complaints about a   
   broadcast on 89.3 FM coming from an apartment above ground-floor retail   
   establishments in June and November of 2024 and again this past January.   
      
   The letter was sent under the PIRATE Act of 2020, which strengthened the FCC's   
   enforcement authority and raised possible penalties against pirate   
   broadcasters. The property owners are required to respond to the agency within   
   10 days.   
      
   Under the PIRATE Act, the FCC can issue a maximum fine of $2.5 million if the   
   broadcasts continue after the response period has passed.   
      
   The RadioWorld website, which carried the report, said one of its readers in   
   New York City identified the broadcast as coming from an entity known as   
   "Digital FM WDYM."   
      
   This is Kent Peterson KC?DGY.   
      
   (RADIO WORLD, FCC)   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio   
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the multimode   
   Jacksonville Hub which connects to such modes as the AB4KK-R Echolink node   
   number 626636, Allstar 510740 and TGIF TalkGroup 33333.   
      
   **   
   BRAZILIAN SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES 105-YEAR-OLD YL   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: At 105 years of age, the Brazilian radio operator known as   
   "Grandma Alda" still keeps the word "young" in YL. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us   
   about the on-air celebration held for her.   
      
   GRAHAM: The special event callsign PP105ASN was on the air for 11 days in June   
   - but the YL being honoured has been on the air for 49 years - and she has   
   been on the planet for 105. Her name is Alda Schlemm Niemeyer, who is known   
   widely as "Grandma Alda."    
      
   To mark her 105th birthday this past spring, her fellow members in the   
   Blumenau Amateur Radio Club used SSB and FT8 on HF -- as well as 2m FM   
   simplex. The club's president, Mauro Cerqueira Leite, PP5BSD, told Newsline   
   there were a total of 1,200 QSOs and they were acknowledged via digital QSL,   
      
   This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.   
      
   (YL BEAM, BLUMENAU AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)   
      
   **   
   'NIGHT OF NIGHTS' HONORS LONG-GONE MARITIME TRADITION   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Every year, devoted volunteers return the tradition of maritime   
   radio to the air in California. Ralph Squillace KK6ITB tells us how.   
      
   RALPH: The silencing of the last maritime radio station in the US in   
   California in 1999 gave voice to an effort to create the Maritime Radio   
   Historical Society, K6KPH, to preserve its treasured Morse Code tradition.   
      
   Every year, the event, "Night of Nights," celebrates this tradition on the   
   anniversary of the day that the station signed off - ensuring that July 12th   
   would not mark the station's final signoff, after all. Broadcast engineers,   
   radio operators and history enthusiasts have seen to that. They volunteered to   
   bring new life to the receive site at the Point Reyes National Seashore and to   
   the Bolinas Radio transmitter site - returning Morse service to the station   
   known as KPH/KFS.    
      
   This year's 26th edition of "Night of Nights" is a collaboration of modern   
   skills and classic style equipment, including "Marconi T" type antennas at   
   both the transmitter and receive sites. KPH and KFS will be operating on   
   assigned commercial frequencies while K6KPH will be operating on several HF   
   amateur radio bands. For times, frequencies and QSL information, please check   
   the Maritime Radio Historical Society website at radiomarine.org.   
      
   This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.   
      
   (MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY; QRZ.COM)   
      
   **   
   DOUBLE CENTENARY FOR AMATEURS IN JAPAN   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: The practice of amateur radio in Japan is feeling its age - 100   
   years old next year - and hams there are ready to send a message that the best   
   is yet to come. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us what's planned.   
      
   JIM: Japanese amateurs are marking a double anniversary - both spanning 100   
   years: They're celebrating the establishment of the Japan Amateur Radio League   
   in June of 1926. The league was created to assist innovators and experimenters   
   who were conducting their radio research without benefit of a licence. That   
   changed in September of the following year, when the callsign JXAX was   
   assigned by the government to the first of what would soon become a handful of   
   radio telegraph and telephone stations. Ham radio kept growing so that just   
   before the Second World War, the nation had 300 such stations.   
      
   Hams in Japan will be marking those two formative moments in history during a   
   celebration designed to last 16 months -- the same time period between the   
   events 100 years ago. Awards, ceremonies, special event stations, contests and   
   an anniversary book are among the activities planned.   
      
   Clearly there's a lot to celebrate in that 100-year stretch which last year   
   landed Japan in the Guinness Book of World Records for putting JS1YMG, the   
   first amateur radio station, on the moon.   
      
   This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.   
      
   (JAPAN AMATEUR RADIO LEAGUE, AMATEUR RADIO DAILY)   
      
   **   
   GRANT WILL HELP WITH CLUBLOG OPERATIONS UPGRADE   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: Expect improved operations soon from ClubLog, thanks to some   
   grant money to cover the costs. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with the details.   
      
   JEREMY: ClubLog, a service that has become a mainstay for DXers worldwide, has   
   received an $8,000 grant in US currency for a hardware upgrade to improve   
   operations. The funding from the Northern  California  DX  Foundation is being   
   given to Michael, G7VJR, ClubLog's author. In a DX foundation press release,   
   ClubLog reminded users that the expensive upgrade of its servers is necessary   
   to support expanded activity.  Michael said: [quote] "...once the new servers   
   are deployed, Club Log will be using cutting edge servers which are faster,   
   more energy efficient and ready for years of high-endurance 24/7 work. "   
   [endquote]   
      
   According to a press release from the DX foundation, the free ClubLog   
   statistics service supports an estimated 130,000 callsigns worldwide and   
   stores records of 1.25 billion QSOs.    
      
   This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   (425 DX BULLETIN)   
      
   **   
   WORLD OF DX   
      
   In the World of DX, Nicolas, F5TGR will be on the air from Iceland as TF/F5TGR   
   from July 26th through to August 9th on 40, 30, 20, 15, 12 and 10m. Nicolas   
   will be using CW, SSB and FT8. See QRZ.com for QSL details.   
      
   Andre, HB9HLM is on the air holiday style as CN2NE from Morocco from the 15th   
   through to the 22nd of July.  Listen for him on 40-6 metres from grid locator   
   IM63. See QRZ.com for QSL details.   
      
   Special callsign TM5VDL is on the air through to the 19th of July from   
   Dunkirk. This activation is taking place during the second stage of the Tall   
   Ships Races. QSL via F8KGS.   
      
   Take [TAH-KAY], JI3DST, is using the callsign JI3DST/1 from Shikine [SHUH KEE   
   NAY] Island, IOTA number AS-008, on the 24th through to the 28th of July and   
   will be in the IOTA Contest. See QRZ.com for details.   
      
   Listen for Vlad, OK2WX, using the callsign JW?V from Longyearbyen, IOTA number   
   EU-026, Svalbard from the 14th through to the 23rd of July. Vlad will be using   
   CW, SSB and FT8 on 80-10 metres. See QRZ.com for QSL details.   
      
   (425 DX BULLETIN)   
      
   **   
   KICKER: HEADQUARTERS FIELD DAY FOR OUR 2022 YHOTY WINNER   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: On the amateur radio calendar, ARRL Field Day is one of the most   
   anticipated days of the year. For one YL in particular - and for Amateur Radio   
   Newsline, the late-June event was one for the logbooks. Our final story for   
   this week is about her - as we hear from Don Wilbanks AE5DW.   
      
   DON: With 1,536 sites in ARRL's Field Day locator, one in particular stands   
   out: Headquarters station W1AW in Newington, Connecticut. Operators at the   
   Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station were, of course, calling "CQ Field Day" but   
   if you were lucky enough to log this 6F-class station on Saturday, June 28th   
   there's a good chance you may have worked Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN. Audrey was   
   the Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the   
   year for 2022. The Georgia resident has been in Connecticut working on an   
   internship in support of her electrical engineering studies at Georgia Tech.   
   Audrey is, of course, a Field Day veteran and a former operator for the Dave   
   Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure to Curacao. Dayton Hamvention attendees may   
   have also met her in Xenia, Ohio, as a presenter.   
      
   This year's Field Day at W1AW was a proud moment for us here at Newsline and   
   we wish Audrey continued success and, of course, good DX.   
      
   This is Don Wilbanks AE5DW.   
      
   (ARRL)   
      
   **   
   IT'S HAM RADIO HAIKU TIME   
      
   A good QSO can be like poetry - sometimes! So why not write a haiku about   
   amateur radio and join the Newsline haiku challenge? It's 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 ABC News; Amateur News Daily; AMSAT News; ARRL; Blumenau   
   Amateur Radio Club; David Behar K7DB; DX World; 425DX Bulletin; FCC; Japan   
   Amateur Radio League; Maritime Radio Historical Society; QRPer.com; QRZ.com;   
   Radio World; Shortwaveradio.de; Wireless Institute of Australia; WRAL News; YL   
   Beam; YOTA Americas Camp; Zero Retries Newsletter; 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 Neil Rapp WB9VPG   
   in Union, Kentucky saying 73. As always we thank you for listening. Amateur   
   Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.   
      
   ** MP3 of this report has been uploaded to The Rat's Den AMIGA.   
      
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