MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 68a02b9d   
   PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b   
   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.   
      
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