Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Jan 20 2022 21:44:58

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2308, for Friday, January 21st, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2308, with a release date of 
Friday, January 21st, 2022, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. Disaster and a communications blackout in 
Tonga. Preserving DX access on remote central Pacific Islands -- 
and an online museum with some very old and very rare QSL cards. 
All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2308 
comes your way right now.

**

DISASTER CUTS TONGA'S COMMUNICATIONS WITH REST OF WORLD

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a developing story. As 
Newsline went to production, relief and communication efforts were 
coming slowly to the island nation of Tonga, which was left cut off 
from the rest of the world after two consecutive natural disasters. 
Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, fills us in.

JIM MEACHEN: The eruption of an underwater volcano triggered a 
deadly tsunami that devastated the nation of Tonga, throwing the 
Pacific island chain into a communications blackout. While military 
relief efforts struggled to bring clean water and basic supplies 
from Australia and New Zealand to residents, Tonga's apparent lack 
of active amateur radio operators spelled silence on those 
frequencies. As Newsline went to production amateurs in New Zealand 
who are also active first responders awaited word on what help was 
needed - by radio or other means. Don Wallace, ZL2TLL, a director 
of IARU Region 3, told Newsline in an email he and Andrew Bate,
ZL1SU, manager of the New Zealand Red Cross IT & Telecom Emergency 
Response Unit, were among those awaiting word on whether they would 
be deployed. Don said the Red Cross itself was already providing 
aid. In a public posting on Facebook, Mark Hanrahan, VK4DMH, 
president of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Society VK4WIG, said the 
only communications available from Tonga appeared to be via a few 
satellite phones, which were proving unreliable.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.

(BBC, DON WALLACE ZL2TLL; ANDREW BATE, ZL1SU, FACEBOOK)

**

RESEARCHERS BUILD WORLD'S SMALLEST ANTENNA USING DNA

PAUL/ANCHOR: While we hams work with conductive metal wire when we 
set out to build the best antenna for our purposes, a group of 
researchers in Canada used something else: DNA. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH,
has that story.

JEREMY: Researchers in chemistry at the University of Montreal have 
created what they call the world's tiniest antenna, one they have 
engineered using DNA to let them study structural changes that 
occur within proteins.

This nanoantenna uses light instead of the radio frequencies we 
hams are so accustomed to. Researcher Scott Harroun said in a 
report [quote]: "The DNA-based nanoantennas can be synthesised with 
different lengths and flexibilities to optimize their function." 
[endquote]

He added later: [quote]"By carefully tuning the nanoantenna design, 
we have created a five nanometre-long antenna that produces a 
distinct signal when the protein is performing its biological 
function." [endquote]

The researchers reported their findings recently in the journal 
Nature Methods. They compared the fluorescent nanoantenna's 
performance to that of a repeater: It receives light in one 
wavelength and transmits back at another, depending on what 
behaviour it detects in the protein.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
 
(TECHEXPLORIST.COM)

**

ISRAELI STUDENTS' SATELLITES ENTER ORBIT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Students in Israel recently experienced the thrill of 
seeing amateur radio satellites of their own design....sent into 
space! Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, has more on that story.

JASON: Eight satellites designed and built by students throughout 
Israel were sent into space on January 13th aboard SpaceX's FALCON 
launcher. The eight satellites, Tevel 1 through 8, have amateur 
radio FM transponders and beacon transmitters, all operating on the 
same frequency. They entered their planned orbits about 90 minutes 
after departing the launcher. The beacon transmissions can be heard 
on 436.400 MHz. The FM transponders are using an uplink frequency 
of 145.970 MHz and a downlink frequency of 436.400 MHz. The mission 
also carried AMSAT-EA's HADES and EASAT-2 satellites. HADES is 
using the callsign AM6SAT and EASAT-2 is using the callsign AM5SAT.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW.

(OBSERVATORIAL.COM, AMSAT)
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