Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2398 for Friday October 13th, 2023

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2398 with a release date of Friday
October 13th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Israeli hams work to locate the missing.
Flood-stranded students in India find a way out through ham radio --and
a volcano is active but not with lava or ash. All this and more as
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2398 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART

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ISRAELI HAMS' NETWORK WORKING TO LOCATE MISSING PERSONS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: We open with a special report about how amateur radio
is helping families locate those who have gone missing amid the
Israel-Hamas conflict. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about their
efforts.

KEVIN: We begin this week's report with a developing story in the
Middle East: The ongoing conflict between the Gaza-based militant group
Hamas and Israel that began on Saturday, October 7th with an attack by
Hamas that killed at least 900 people. As Israel responded to the Hamas
rocket launches with airstrikes of their own, there have been ongoing
media reports of Israelis, Israeli-Americans, Americans and others
being shot, kidnapped and taken hostage.

The Israeli Amateur Radio Club has been working to address the world's
concern for the well-being of friends and family members who they have
been unable to contact. The president of the club, David Ben Basat,
4X1WH, told Newsline that the hams have established an emergency
network that includes the use of the WhatsApp smartphone app to enable
people to reach out to amateurs in Israel to locate lost friends and
family amid the conflict. David said that amateurs wishing assistance
can email him directly at david b b b b at gmail dot com
(davidbbbb@gmail.com) His email address also appears in the text
version of this week's news report at arnewsline.org

This is Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(CNN, DAVID BEN BASAT, 4X1WH)

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HAMS HELP TRANSPORT AND GUIDE THOSE STRANDED BY FLOODS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: In India, young students and their guides who were
stranded by massive flooding in the northeast region, were able to
return safely after amateur radio operators stepped in. John Williams
VK4JJW shares their journey.

JOHN: Torrential rain caused a glacial lake to burst through a dam in
the Himalayan region of northeastern India on the 5th of October and
the death toll continued to rise as the icy floodwaters left hundreds
stranded and missing. Some of the more fortunate among those stranded
were guided to safety - or driven there - by amateur radio operators.

Those stranded included 140 Bharat Scouts & Guides who had traveled
from five schools for camping in West Sikkim. According to a report in
the Times of India, the students and those accompanying them were
rescued with the assistance of amateur radio operators after the hams
provided vehicles and created a network to guide those vehicles to
safety over the challenging terrain.

The students, who were between the ages of 10 and 15, were preparing to
depart the camp in Sikkim where they were staying since October 1st
when their leader realized the route to the scouts' return home by bus
was going to be impassable. The scout leader reached out to the West
Bengal Radio Club. The club's secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA,
told the Times of India that the club was able to round up 15 or 16
vehicles to be deployed for transport along the treacherous roads,
which were beset by mudslides and loose boulders.

The ham club also provided navigation assistance to 12 tourists from
Gujarat who had gone to Sikkim for a holiday. One of the tourists told
The Print of India that his longtime friend Soumik Ghosh, VU3IAZ, is a
member of that club and when he reached him by phone, he had been
monitoring weather conditions. The radio amateur provided the tourists'
driver with a safer route through lesser-known roads so they could
successfully reach Darjeeling.

This is John Williams VK4JJW.

(THE STATESMAN, THE TIMES OF INDIA, CNN, THE PRINT OF INDIA)

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RSGB HONORS LONGTIME VOLUNTEER

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Congratulations to this year's Volunteer of the Year
who was honored by the Radio Society of Great Britain at the National
Radio Centre. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about him.

JEREMY: Trevor Hughes, G4WKJ, has accrued more than one claim to fame
during his many years as a volunteer at the National Radio Centre at
Bletchley Park. He has donated his time on a weekly basis since the
centre's opening day in 2012 -- and he is the creator of the Snail
Morse Key, a simple and popular kit used by the RSGB to introduce
children to Morse Code.

On Friday, the 6th of October, RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas,
M1ACB, honoured Trevor for donating his many hours of time and
expertise as well as for his design and the introduction of the widely
used Morse Code kit.

Martyn Baker, G0GMB, the centre's coordinator, said the immense amount
of time Trevor has donated to the centre has helped ensure its
successtoday.

This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

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ARRL DEBUTS ITS NEWSLETTER FOR TRAFFIC HANDLERS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: There's a new free newsletter in circulation serving
amateurs who participate in various nets and pass emergency traffic.
The publication was released on October 3rd by the ARRL. Here's Jack
Parker W8ISH with the details.

JACK: The NTS Letter is a monthly digest keeping hams up to date on the
ARRL's National Traffic System, a landscape that its editor, Marcia
Forde, KW1U, knows well. Marcia is section traffic manager for the
ARRL's Eastern and Western Massachusetts and Rhode Island sections and
is a longtime handler of traffic.

The NTS involves both new and experienced hams in emergency
communications and allows newcomers to receive training in the skills
of sending and receiving vital messages. This training can then be put
to use in real emergencies when amateur radio can provide lifesaving
links to emergency personnel and agency partners. The system
encompasses voice and CW traffic as well as messages sent via the
digital modes.

ARRL members can receive the NTS Letter free by visiting the link at A
R R L dot ORG stroke OPT HYPHEN IN HYPHEN OUT. (arrl.org/opt-in-out)
You must be logged in as a member on the ARRL website to complete the
subscription process.

The newsletter makes its debut only days before the ARRL's annual
Simulated Emergency Test took place throughout the country on October
7th and 8th.

This is Jack Parker W8ISH.

(ARRL)

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ZOMBIE SHUFFLE'S A MONSTER HIT WITH CW OPERATORS

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Horrors! In some parts of the world, it's THAT time of
year again. The special pre-Halloween event known as the Zombie Shuffle
is back from the dead. Here with the gruesome details is Don
WilbanksAE5DW.

DON: Are you one of those awkward CW operators whose fist is a real
horror show? You'll fit in just fine on October 27th with the annual CW
QRP event known as The Zombie Shuffle. For the past 26 years, the
organizers have been promoting this event, reassuring even the most
out-of-practice CW ops that you don't have to operate until it kills
you. Even a handful of well-placed contacts with other QRP operators
will be sure to lift your spirits.

There is an established exchange and it helps to have a Zombie Number
assigned to you since that's part of the exchange. See the website in
the text version of this week's Newsline for more details on how to
apply for one. You are also encouraged to select a Zombie name for
yourself to use on the air.

Like all good Zombie-related activities, this event springs to life
quite suddenly in the afternoon. Zombies begin shuffling on the bands
at 1500 local time across all time zones. Then when the clock strikes
midnight, it's all over. So don't be haunted by your own regrets at
sitting this one out.

This was Don Wilbanks AE5DW.
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the Lookout Mountain Amateur Radio Community's N4LMC repeater and
digital systems in Georgia on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. local time.

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A "PEAK" EXPERIENCE FOR HAMS ALONG HISTORIC SCENIC BYWAY

SKEETER/ANCHOR: Hams in Colorado too a trip back in time to mark a big
anniversary for a local scenic route. We hear more about this from Andy
Morrison K9AWM.

ANDY: It only takes a few hours to travel by car along Colorado's Peak
to Peak Scenic Byway that runs from Interstate 70 in the south to Estes
Park in the north. At this time of the year it delivers spectacular
autumn foliage. On the 30th of September, seven groups of radio
amateurs traveled that distance - and beyond - for eight hours by being
on the air. The Longmont Amateur Radio Club was among those marking the
105th anniversary of the highway, which has been presenting spectacular
mountain views since it was built in 1918.

Chuck K0ITP, president of the Longmont club, said seven clubs sent
operators, including the Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club, the Mile
High DX Association and the Indian Peaks Radio Club. A look at the log
reveals 604 non-duplicate contacts and even with some of the same
contacts being made on different bands, there were still 572 distinct
callsigns in the logbook, most of them made on SSB.