Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Aug 28 2020 16:45:11 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2235, for Friday, August 28, 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2235 with a release date of Friday, August 28, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Gulf Coast hams mobilize as hurricanes come crashing in. Crisis hits a wartime epicenter for code-breaking -- and the DX of a lifetime for one ham in India. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2235, comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** HAMS ACTIVATE AS HURRICANE SLAMS U.S. GULF REGION NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with an update on Hurricane Laura, considered one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S. in recent history. It made landfall in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, focusing on Texas and Louisiana, shortly before Newsline went to production on Thursday, August 27th. The Hurricane Watch Net, and the VOIP Hurricane Net had both activated a day earlier, to begin reports to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center using Skywarn criteria. Hams began reporting in via HF, as well as EchoLink, IRLP, AllStar, DMR, and D-STAR, among other modes. The Hamshack Hotline was also actively receiving reports. The ARRL reported that the Amateur Radio Emergency Service teams in the region were also preparing for overwhelming damage. This story was still developing as this report got underway. Follow Newsline on Twitter and Facebook for additional updates. (LLOYD COLSTON KC5FM, ARRL, CNN) ** FINANCIAL CRISIS FOR CODE-BREAKERS' HEADQUARTERS NEIL/ANCHOR: One of the latest institutions facing a crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic is a national treasure in the UK, with a reputation for being the epicenter of wartime code-breaking. Jeremy Boot G4NJH picks up the story from here. JEREMY: The Bletchley Park Trust has said it lost more than 95 percent of its income between March and July as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has proposed a restructuring that would include elimination of as much as one-third of its workforce. Bletchley Park, like so many other heritage organisations, shut its doors on the 19th of March, and reopened on a limited basis on the 4th of July. An estimated 85 percent of the Trust's staff was furloughed, and added funding was obtained through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The museum celebrates the heritage of the codebreakers of World War II, who operated there at the Milton Keynes country house. It has since become home to the Radio Society of Great Britain's National Radio Centre, which operates an educational communications exhibit in partnership with the Bletchley Park Trust. It is also home to NRC's amateur radio station GB3RS. The National Radio Centre, however, remains closed until further notice. In a number of media reports, Bletchley Park CEO Iain Standen described the proposed cuts, saying: [quote]: "I had hoped that we might avoid the need to do this, but we find ourselves with no other choice if we are to secure the future of the Bletchley Park Trust.� [endquote] For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (MKCITIZEN, SOUTHGATE, BLETCHLEYPARK.ORG) ** AMATEUR ACCUSED OF ESPIONAGE IN GREECE NEIL/ANCHOR: Sanctions against radio operators can range from operating out of band, to malicious interference, to operating without any license at all -- and then there's the case of this amateur from Germany, charged by Greek police with espionage. Ed Durrant, DD5LP, picks up that story. ED: The German tourist wanted only to have a relaxing holiday, and like many hams, brought along his radio equipment, hoping for portable operations -- that is, until his arrest on August 9th. Police in Rhodes charged him with espionage, after finding amateur radio equipment in his rental car. According to published reports in the Greek City Times, and the Europost, the 51-year-old ham, whose identity and call sign were not given, had equipment that included cables, an antenna, a transceiver, and a laptop - but was not carrying a license from any relevant telecommunications authority. Rhodes is one of the focal points of national tension with nearby Turkey, and police, being extra vigilant, charged the man with spying saying he violated a law that covers use of electronic communications. The man told authorities he had been on the air with about 250 other hams - most of them from Germany, like him, and had been operating legally on frequencies reserved for amateur radio use. The charges were dismissed in court after authorities said they did not have enough evidence to support their claims of espionage. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP. (EUROPOST, GREEK CITY TIMES) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .