Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Sep 17 2021 03:56:41

SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY OF VOA RELAY STATION

NEIL/ANCHOR: The "voice of freedom" transmitted its first words 
from West Chester, Ohio across the ocean in September of 1944 at 
the then-new Bethany Relay Station of the Voice of America. The 
West Chester Amateur Radio Association WC8VOA, which calls the 
iconic building its home, is celebrating the relay station's 
birthday this year with a special event station on September 25th 
and 26th. Jocelyn Brault KD8VRX/VA2VRX told Newsline that the 
club's shack is actually the original control room for the relay 
station. For the special event, be listening on 20 and 40 meters 
for SSB, FT8 and perhaps some CW as well. Those making a QSO are 
eligible for a downloadable certificate available 24 hours after 
the event.

(JOCELYN BRAULT KD8VRX/VA2VRX)

**

ULTRA-TINY BATTERY SHOWS POWER AND PROMISE

NEIL/ANCHOR: When it comes to batteries, tiny might just be the 
next big thing. Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, explains why.

KENT: The smaller the battery, the more powerful the 
possibilities? The designers of a new battery technology being 
used in a fitness tracker would like to think so. California-based 
Sila created the battery for a wristband tracker that experts say 
could revolutionize everyday electronics and perhaps have 
implications for modes of transportation too. For now, the ultra-
tiny powerhouses are in a niche-market item, a fitness tracker 
called the Whoop 4.0. According to a New York Times article, the 
battery has the same lifespan as the power source used in the 
previous model of that tracker but it's a whole one-third smaller.

Sila and Whoop together said the battery had potential for mass 
marketing in other devices in the next couple of years. Unlike 
lithium-ion batteries, which rely on the ionization and movement 
of lithium atoms, these new batteries use an anode made of silicon 
instead of graphite, requiring smaller space for the lithium atoms 
as they move from the anode side of the battery to the cathode.

Sila and another company, QuantumScape, told the New York Times 
that their batteries will likely be used in a few short years in 
smart eyeglasses, electric cars and maybe even flying cars one 
day.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

(NYTIMES)

**

SILENT KEY: CHARLIE BYARS, W5GPO, LONGTIME WEATHER SPOTTER

NEIL/ANCHOR: A well-known weather-spotter and amateur radio 
operator in north Texas has become a Silent Key. Randy Sly, W4XJ,
tells us about him.

RANDY: Charlie Byars, W5GPO, took the lead in tracking severe 
weather with his local Amateur Radio Emergency Services Skywarn 
group, which he helped create in 1974. A licensed ham since 1959,  
Charlie died Sunday, September 12th. Devoted to alerting people in 
Archer and Wichita counties about dangerous weather, Charlie was a 
part of the crucial information network in operation on April 
20th, 1979, when a deadly tornado swept through the region, 
killing 40 people, and destroying thousands of homes.

Over the years, Charlie's commitment to weather reporting found him 
in numerous roles, including ARES district coordinator for eight 
counties. According to a report in the Times Record News of 
Wichita Falls, he was also the recipient in 2005 of an award from 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Charlie Byars was 86.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ.

(THE WICHITA FALLS TIMES-RECORD NEWS)

**

BREAK HERE: 

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including 
the D-Star Reflector 91-C in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday 
nights at 7:30 local time.
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)

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