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Subject: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2472 for Friday, March 14, 2025
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Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2025 08:00:06 EDT
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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2472 for Friday, March 14, 2025 Amateur
Radio Newsline Report Number 2472 with a release date of Friday, March
14, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. The official US climate agency faces an
uncertain future. Ham radio becomes a tool to handle rampaging wildlife
-- and a triumph for navigation systems on the moon. All this and more
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2472 comes your way right now.

** 
BILLBOARD CART

**
QUESTIONS LOOM AFTER CUTS AT US WEATHER AGENCY

JIM/ANCHOR: We begin with a developing story here in the US. With the
Atlantic hurricane season on the horizon, ongoing job cuts at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, are throwing
the agency's future into question among forecasters, scientists,
SKYWARN spotters and other hams responding to weather disasters around
the nation. Randy Sly W4XJ brings us up to date.

RANDY: Published reports about the downsizing of a number of US federal
agencies indicate that NOAA, the government's climate and weather
agency, is bracing for another 1,000 job cuts on top of its recent loss
of an estimated 1,300 staffers. The National Weather Service, which is
part of NOAA, announced earlier this month that it was temporarily
halting launches of some of its weather balloons because of staffing
shortages. Data gathered by the weather balloons have been, among other
things, an important source of data used by hams and others who
regularly track the solar cycle.

Sources told the Washington Post that the government may not renew the
leases for NOAA's weather and climate center in Maryland and for its
radar operations center in Oklahoma.

According to a report in the New York Times, additional cuts will mean
a reduction in NOAA's staffing by 20 percent. The Washington Post said
that the National Weather Service now has fewer than 4,000 on staff,
the smallest roster in recent history.

A number of amateur radio nets, including the Hurricane Watch Net and
the Maritime Mobile Service Net, interact with the National Weather
Service during storms and other emergencies, passing traffic and
transmitting critical bulletins. It was unclear what impact these
staffing cuts will ultimately have on amateur radio's role in safety
communications during times of crisis.

This is Randy Sly W4XJ.

(WASHINGTON POST, ABC NEWS, NY TIMES)

**
RADIO EYED AS ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATION AGAINST WILDLIFE RAMPAGE

JIM/ANCHOR: Amateur radio emergency response varies from location to
location but the need for effective communication remains the same
everywhere -	whether a region is dealing with a wildfire, a cyclone
or something else. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us about a response team in
India that recently started up to deal with rampaging wildlife.

JIM: A handful of villages on the edge of the Buxa Tiger Reserve now
have additional assurance that they will be better informed about
dangers posed by wildlife on the move. The North Bengal Amateur Radio
Society has assisted a group of youths from five villages near the
tiger reserve so, as licensed hams, they can watch out for potential
deadly encounters between humans and animals.

The young amateurs began this effort after the last monsoon in which
two young villagers were attacked and killed by elephants in a remote
village of Chepani, according to a report on the website of the Indian
publication, the Telegram. The young team received guidance from Swarup
Saha, VU3KOX, secretary of the North Bengal ham society. Mobile
connectivity is unreliable in remote areas of the region and villagers
were often unable to warn one another about dangers to their homes,
their crops and their lives.

Three months after the small team of hams was formed, radios have been
set up in each small village near the tiger reserve. Villagers told the
Telegram they were much more confident now that they will be better
able to protect themselves and their homes.

This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(THE TELEGRAM)

**
HAM RADIO BECOMES TOOL FOR FARMERS, FISHERMEN IN INDIA

JIM/ANCHOR: Farmers and fishermen in India are also learning how ham
radio can assist them, as we hear from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

JASON: In West Bengal, India, hams responding to natural disasters in
the coastal region of that state have long witnessed the struggle of
farmers and fishermen in the aftermath of each of these cyclones and
other disturbances. While the radio operators' response has
traditionally been to initially step in and assist with emergency
communications, the West Bengal Radio Club knew its members had to do
something more - and could.

At a one-day seminar this month at Neotia University in cooperation
with agriculture and communications department officials, three
speakers from the club gave insights and instruction to those who work
the land and the sea. They learned how they might use radio to better
prepare in protecting their livelihoods in this difficult climate.

Club secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas VU2JFA told Newsline that after
conducting the awareness program and instruction, the hams will assist
with the installation of community radios, with the support of
government officials. More than 350 students from eight states and 17
districts attended the one-day seminar and workshop.

This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA)

**
NEWSLINE'S NEIL RAPP, WB9VPG, AND 3 OTHERS ARE HAMVENTION HONOREES

JIM/ANCHOR: In bringing you this next story, Newsline indulges in a bit
of personal pride. The Hamvention Awards committee has chosen our own
Neil Rapp WB9VPG, as Amateur of the Year. You may know him as a
Newsline anchor and correspondent -- and as creator and host of the
former HamTalk Live! webcast - but the ham world first heard from Neil
at the age of 5 when he became one of the youngest licensed hams ever
in 1976.

A visiting professor of chemistry at Xavier University and a former
high school chemistry teacher, Neil has a long commitment of bringing
ham radio to kids - first as a school ham club sponsor and as cofounder
and camp director of Youth On The Air Americas. Neil is a contributing
editor at the National Contest Journal and a member of the ARISS USA
Education Committee

We are so proud of you, Neil!

Neil will share the stage in May during the Hamvention Awards in Xenia,
Ohio, with three other recipients: One of them, Dr. Kristina Collins,
KD8OXT, is chief operations scientist for the HamSCI Personal Space
Weather Station Network. She is being given the Technical Achievement
Award. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, is being given the Special Achievement
Award. Julio is co-founder of amateur radio operations at the National
Hurricane Center and is assistant coordinator. He has managed emergency
communications during Caribbean hurricanes and the Haiti earthquake of
2010. The Club of the Year award recipient is the RV Radio Network,
which has more than 450 members who combine amateur radio with the joy
of travel in recreational vehicles, hosting educational forums, rallies
and seminars along their journeys.

(MICHAEL KALTER, W8CI)

**
STATION IN AUSTRIA ADDS RADIO DARC PROGRAM

JIM/ANCHOR: A station in Austria has been the latest shortwave
broadcaster to air a program by Germany's national amateur radio
society, as we learn from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

JEREMY: If you've been listening to Radio D A R C's shortwave
programmes broadcast on the 31-metre band from Woofferton, England or
from Ingolstadt, Germany on Radio Channel 292 - a ham-owned AM
broadcast station - you now have another option. The programme produced
by Germany's national amateur radio society is now being carried on a
test basis by the "Museums Radio Plattenkiste" transmitter in Bad
Ischl, Austria run by OE5TPM. During the month of March you can listen
from 1900 to 2000 CET on Saturdays on 1476 kHz. The D A R C welcomes
reception reports for the 1 kW station, and these should be emailed
directly to radio at D A R C dot de.

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