Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!panix!.POSTED.panix6.panix.com!rri.panix.com!robomod!not-for-mail From: newsline@arnewsline.org (Amateur Radio Newsline) Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.moderated,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.info Subject: Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2485 for Friday, June 13th, 2025 Followup-To: rec.radio.amateur.moderated,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.amateur.policy Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2025 09:00:04 EDT Organization: Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) Approved: RRAM Approval Key , RRI Admin Message-ID: <4bJfcw5fQTz1ZT1@panix2.panix.com> Injection-Info: reader1.panix.com; posting-host="panix6.panix.com:166.84.1.6"; logging-data="29791"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@panix.com" X-RRI-Policy: https://www.panix.com/~rram/usenet/rri/index.html X-RRI-Info-1: Send submissions to rec-radio-info@panix.com X-RRI-Info-2: Send technical complaints to rec-radio-info-request@panix.com X-RRI-Info-3: Send complaints about policy to rec-radio-info-request@panix.com X-Comment-1: The moderators do not necessarily agree or disagree with this article. X-Comment-2: Moderators do not verify the accuracy of posted information. X-Comment-3: Acceptance does not convey approval of any external references. X-Robomod: STUMP, ichudov@algebra.com (Igor Chudov), C++/Perl/Unix Consulting X-Moderation-1: Hassle-Free commercial hosting of moderation sites available X-Moderation-2: See http://www.algebra.com/~ichudov/stump X-Spam-DCC: : X-Auth: PGPMoose V2.0 PGP rec.radio.amateur.moderated iJwEAQECAAYFAmhMINQACgkQSO8RITXCfvvBJAP/WNinEagK9b1A/cjborn6dOSz jJNCZfW+NDkOVFyuURKESOl7rJBSk/Xv75DY4xMqwX5Vt5sIuaecpPM2dOYLAG4h dibXahUu2F6c9lB2hWfwOiyzNOTZ5bJerzbTZhQO5xiIKNQYxC+BasUcWs8CM3SA tvolhC9sR9DBSkvZmSY= =6PTf Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2485 for Friday, June 13th, 2025 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2485 with a release date of Friday, June 13th, 2025 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1 The following is a QST. Hams in Iran give an on-air history lesson to DX stations. An Indiana EMCOMM group goes digital - a 6-metre activity conjures some special magic. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2485 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** SPECIAL EVENT IN IRAN HIGHLIGHTS PERSIAN GULF HISTORY STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A small group of amateurs living in different cities throughout Iran joined together over the airwaves recently to give the world its first ham radio history and cultural lesson about the Persian Gulf. John Williams VK4JJW brings us that report. JOHN: It was a proud moment for 11 ham radio operators in Iran who got on the air on June 7th, calling CQ on SSB as special event station EP2PG. Using modest, home-based equipment with 100 watts of power or less, the operators faced less-than-ideal conditions on the HF bands during their 16-hour operation. Still, it was a proud moment as the hams of Echo Papa two Persian Gulf celebrated the historical and cultural significance of the Persian Gulf itself and shared it with the world. One of the operators, Morteza EP5APP, told Newsline that the team's focus was on making as many DX contacts as possible in the interest of friendship and unity and, of course, to share the story of the gulf, which is one of the world's oldest maritime regions. The team achieved that goal, logging more than 360 QSOs from, 60 DX countries across Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Morteza told Newsline [quote]: "This activity was entirely self-funded and carried out by volunteers with a shared passion for radio and a strong desire to make the voice of Iran heard in a positive, non-political, and welcoming way." [endquote] They're ready to do it again next year - hoping to exchange even more stories and of course QSL cards. This is John Williams VK4JJW. (MORTEZA, EP5APP; QRZ.COM) ** INDIANA EMCOMM GROUP SWITCHES FROM ANALOG FM TO DIGITAL STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With emergency communications embracing digital modes more and more, operators increasingly find themselves navigating the tricky landscape of system access and compatibility. Randy Sly W4XJ tells us how this played out for a group of amateurs in Indiana. RANDY: In April of this year the Dubois County Office of Emergency Management in Indiana made the decision to migrate from analog FM to C4FM digital for their 147.195 repeater during activations. The change was made to reduce noise during operation and increase the quality of copy. According to Gary Fritz, WB9LIB, operations officer for the EMA, "Our new Fusion repeater system was thoroughly tested to confirm its superior performance when using C4FM." When the announcement was made to the Patoka Valley Amateur Radio Club, not all the club members were enthusiastic. Since some of them did not own a Fusion compatible radio, this decision would exclude them from emergency operations with SKYWARN. Fritz told AR Newsline that the change has brought about the desired results in message quality, as proven by recent SKYWARN activation during severe weather. "We found that by using C4FM,...our units are now able to check in crystal clear from locations that were previously impossible." A number of local amateurs remain unconvinced regarding the move to digital. Reuben Montgomery, KA9RCM, told Newsline that his main concern is centered primarily on the lack of access to the emergency communications by hams without Fusion radios and by visitors who are passing through the area. With the variety of digital platforms, he also sees great difficulty in picking one mode to the exclusion of all others. Regarding participation, Fritz reported that the public and all amateur radio operators can continue to monitor net communications through audio streaming over Broadcastify. This is Randy Sly, W4XJ ** WHIDBEY ISLAND BROADENS ITS RADIO SAFETY NET STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The largest island in the state of Washington is Whidbey Island, connected to the United States mainland by bridge and ferry and - perhaps even more importantly these days - by radio. George Zafropoulos explains why. GEORGE: As of the weekend ending on Sunday, June 8th, 8 new amateur radio operators have received their licenses on Whidbey Island. These newcomers are contributing to an important momentum on this island in Puget Sound, where ham radio operators from the Island County Amateur Radio Club have been giving top priority to emergency preparedness, following a recent conference on the subject held by the South Whidbey Fire/EMS. Response from that conference inspired the hams to host the weekend test-preparation class which ended with the amateur radio exam itself. One of the instructors, Bob Keeton K7MHJ, told Newsline that with the new amateurs on board, the next step is to get island neighborhoods organized for improved radio response in a crisis. A neighborhood representative with a GMRS radio would be able to communicate with a ham who also holds a GMRS license and together they would gather damage-assessment data and pass that along to the county. Bob, a retired police officer, said that the hams have the ability to use Winlink Peer 2 Peer and VarAC FM to reach the emergency operations center. As volunteer civilian coordinator between the hams and the Island County Department of Emergency Management, Bob knows that living near an earthquake-prone fault line such as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, requires this kind of readiness. He said [quote]: "Anytime we can add another link in our amateur network I am happy." [endquote] This is George Zafiropoulos. (SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD, BOB KEETON K7MHJ) ** GET READY FOR YOTA CAMP IN COLORADO STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Be listening for the callsign W0Y between the evening of Sunday, June 15th and late afternoon on Friday, June 20th. You'll be getting so much more than a QSO with a young radio operator, as we hear from Andy Morrison K9AWM. ANDY: A lot of activity will be packed into the Bob Heil K9EID Memorial YOTA Camp Amateur Radio Shack in Thornton, Colorado, between the 15th and 20th of June. Young operators from the Youth on the Air Americas Camp will be calling CQ remotely and in person from there with the callsign W0Y. As well as a scheduled contact with the International Space Station, and making satellite contacts, they will be operating portable making SOTA and POTA activations and visiting the timekeeping radio station WWV and a Buc-ee's truck stop. If you miss any chance to contact them - or just want to follow along with their activities - don't miss the opening and closing ceremonies and the ISS contact, all of which will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The channel will also feature daily videos of some of the campers' activities from the previous day. It's almost as much fun as being a camper yourself -- we did say "almost." For more details or to see the operating schedule, visit QRZ.com This is Andy Morrison K9AWM. (YOUTH ON THE AIR) ** DX FOUNDATION GIVES GRANTS TO 3 DXPEDITIONS STEPHEN/ANCHOR: DXpeditioners heading to Micronesia, Equatorial Guinea and Wallis Island are getting a financial boost from the Northern California DX Foundation. We have details from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. JIM: The 9-member team of German operators planning the V6D DXpedition to Micronesia in September has been named as one of the latest recipients of grant money to assist their activation. The team has scheduled operations from September 22nd through to October 6th. This is a group of seasoned DXpeditioners who have had a number of other successful radio adventures together. ========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========