[continued from previous message]   
      
   This is Jeremy Boot GF4NJH.   
      
   (EI7GI  BLOG, QRZ.COM, SWLING POST)   
      
   **   
      
   UNIVERSITY IS W. BENGAL'S 1ST TO HAVE HAM CLUB STATION   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Students and faculty in India are celebrating the   
   establishment of the first state-of-the-art shack on a West Bengal   
   state university campus. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.   
      
   GRAHAM: Aliah University, a state university that created for the   
   education of many of India's minority populations, is about to become   
   the first university in West Bengal with its own state-of-the-art ham   
   radio club station. The announcement was made in late February in   
   connection with a seminar held on the Kolkata campus introducing   
   students and faculty to various aspects of amateur radio. The one-day   
   session, held on the 24th of February, covered emergency communications   
   and radio technology and included hands-on experience for the estimated   
   250 attendees. It was led by members of the West Bengal Radio Club, the   
   Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management and organized   
   by the school's Department of Electronics and Communication   
   Engineering. A number of  other schools have hosted similar amateur   
   radio workshops throughout the region, which is a coastal area subject   
   to violent storms and other natural disasters that rely on alternate   
   forms of communication.   
      
   This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.   
      
   (MILLENNIUM POST)   
      
   **   
      
   BROADCAST TRADE SHOW DROPS RECEPTION FOR HAMS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams will no doubt be among those visiting the National   
   Association of Broadcasters annual trade show again this year but   
   something will be missing,  as we learn from Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.   
      
   RALPH: The annual trade show of the National Association of   
   Broadcasters is welcoming industry professionals once again this year   
   to Las Vegas in April. One traditional event will be missing from this   
   year's show, however: There will be no separate reception for amateur   
   radio operators.   
      
   Hams, of course, are still welcome. Indeed, many broadcast   
   professionals - especially those on the engineering side - enjoy an   
   active and robust time on the air on the amateur bands. A posting on   
   the Radio World website said that this year's ham reception was not on   
   the schedule. The reception had been hosted for a long time by Bob Heil   
   K9EID, who became a Silent Key last year.   
      
   The article said that organizers are hoping to [quote] "reinvent the   
   event for next year by exploring fresh partnerships and innovative   
   ideas." [endquote]   
      
   In the meantime, licensed hams who work in the industry can still look   
   forward to the usual opportunities for networking and learning about   
   new technology. The NAB Show takes place between April 5th and 9th at   
   the Las Vegas Convention Center.   
      
   This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.   
      
   (RADIO WORLD)   
      
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur   
   Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including   
   the WB3GXW repeater in Silver Spring, Maryland and simultaneously on   
   EchoLink Conference Server Node 6154 on Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays   
   at 7 PM Eastern time.   
      
   **   
      
   DX INDIA FOUNDATION PREPARES FOR DXPEDITION   
      
   NEIL/ANCHOR: In India, there's a new DX foundation that has lots of   
   energy and ambition - and plans for a rarely activated island. We learn   
   more from Jason Daniels VK2LAW.   
      
   JASON: It's still early in the game for the newly organized   
   not-for-profit DX India Foundation but the team has already announced   
   ambitious plans to increase India's presence on the DX map. As part of   
   its mission to activate rare IOTA islands,  conduct DXpeditions and   
   provide DX and POTA chasers with a chance to work different entities in   
   India, the team has its sights set on Arnala Island, IOTA number   
   AS-169, which is near Mumbai. According to an announcement from the   
   team, the island has had no amateur radio activity since 2006. Hams   
   from the DX India Foundation have applied to use the callsign AU2M and   
   hope to be on the air from the 29th of May through to the 1st of June.   
   Later plans include a 10-day adventure to the Lakshadweep archipelago   
   off the coast of Kerala [CARE-ruh-luh] in southern India.   
      
   The DX India Foundation has also established an online forum in   
   groups.io to encourage a sense of international community for chasers   
   and activators. In between trips,  the foundation's activity will be   
   focused on training and mentoring other radio operators.   
      
   This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.   
      
   (DX INDIA FOUNDATION)   
      
   **   
      
   HUNTSVILLE'S â-˜SIGNALS' MUSEUM OPENS IN ALABAMA   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Huntsville, Alabama, home of the Huntsville Hamfest, has a   
   new way to celebrate technology and, of course, amateur radio. To   
   welcome the museum and honor the spirit and advancements made in   
   technology, Newsline is departing from the norm this week. This report   
   is being read via artificial intelligence and a correspondent known as   
   AI-Drew.   
      
   AI-DREW: On March 1st, the SIGNALS Museum of Information Explosion   
   opened its doors to what founders hope will be an immersive and   
   hands-on environment for visitors. The museum, housed a short drive   
   from where the Huntsville Hamfest is held each year, has an array of   
   exhibits devoted to communications technology in all its forms   
   throughout history. Amateur radio operators who are visiting will be   
   particularly interested in the ham shack, a welcoming space for   
   regional radio clubs and other radio operators to meet or work on   
   building equipment. The museum also has an on-site radio tower.   
      
   Whether you live in the area or plan to visit Huntsville this year, the   
   museum will welcome you. Visit their website at signals hyphen museum   
   dot org. (signals-museum.org)   
      
   This is AI-Drew.   
      
   (SIGNALS MUSEUM)   
      
   **   
      
   SILENT KEY: GERRY MURPHY, K8YUW, FOUNDER OF THE HURRICANE WATCH NET   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Atlantic hurricane season is still a few months away but   
   hams and forecasters will be going forward into this year's season   
   without the man who created the Hurricane Watch Net 60 years ago. He   
   has become a Silent Key, as we hear from Randy Sly W4XJ.   
      
   RANDY: It can be said that the seeds of the Hurricane Watch Net were   
   planted in 1965 as Hurricane Betsy raged its way through the Bahamas,   
   making landfall in the US that September. Gerald Murphy, K8YUW, who was   
   stationed by the US Navy in Rhode Island at the time, was also handling   
   messages and phone patches for the Intercontinental Amateur Radio Net.   
   When hurricane-specific traffic started to overwhelm the regular net's   
   messages on their 20m frequency, Gerry suggested that those messages be   
   handled 5 kHz higher. Marcy Rice, KZ5MM, who was in the Panama Canal   
   Zone QSY'd with him up to 14.325 MHz and that was the genesis of the   
   Hurricane Watch Net.   
      
   The net has become the backbone of a robust communications system   
   during storm season. Trained hams share advisories, data and post-storm   
   damage information in affected areas with national hurricane centers in   
   the US and, when needed, Canada.   
      
   Gerry, who became a Silent Key on the 25th of February at the Ohio   
   Veterans Home in Sandusky,  leaves behind this vibrant legacy. He   
   served as net manager from September of 1965 until February of 1988,   
   staying on afterward as assistant net manager. Health issues compelled   
   him to retire from the net in March 1991.   
      
   The Hurricane Watch Net has been planning an on-air special event in   
   September to mark its 60th anniversary. Net manager Bobby   
   Graves,KB5HAV, told Newsline [quote] "I was hoping and praying Jerry   
   would make it to see his creation's 60th Anniversary this coming Labor   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)