Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2133 for Friday, September 14, 2018
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2133 with a release date of Friday,
September 15, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams deploy for storm communications. The Voice
of America’s Bethany Relay Station marks an anniversary – and a tribute
to Navajo Code Talkers. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report 2133 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
BREAKING NEWS: HAMS RESPOND TO ATLANTIC HURRICANE SYSTEMS
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with breaking news. As Newsline
went to production, hams in the U.S. were bracing to provide storm
response on several fronts. By Sept. 12, South Carolina ARES had been activated
and the ARRL had shipped Ham Aid kits to the state in advance
of Hurricane Florence. The Hurricane Watch Net was closely following
that hurricane as well as Tropical Storm Isaac and other systems. The Salvation
Army Team Emergency Network was also preparing for the
likelihood of an extended activation. With more details, here's Bobby
Best WX4ALA.
BOBBY: What just before the start of the official start of the hurricane season
was predicted to be an average to slightly above average season
by The National Hurricane Center, was later downgraded midseason to an
average to below average season, sure seems to have kicked off September
with a vengeance.
With one named storm, Tropical Storm Gordon already having made landfall
along the Alabama/Mississippi Gulf Coast, plus, as of this story being
filed, there were three named storms in the Atlantic basin; Hurricane Florence,
that is forecast to make landfall somewhere along the southern Atlantic Coast,
Hurricane Isaac that could affect the Caribbean, and
finally, of the named storms there's Hurricane Helene located just off
the coast of Africa.
There's also an area of concern that the National Hurricane Center is
monitoring that could ultimately affect the western Gulf in the coming
days.
This area of the Gulf of Mexico is very conducive for the potential of tropical
development at this time. So persons in this area or with
interest in the area need to closely monitor weather conditions.
Be sure to follow the National Weather Service and local media outlets
and heed the advice of local government officials. If evacuations are
suggested; follow those suggestions, please.
Additionally, follow the directions of your local ARES leadership before
and after landfall and monitor and report emergency traffic on the
National Hurricane Center and the various local SKYWARN NETS on their
respective frequencies through this event.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best; WX4ALA
**
ANTENNA GIVES BOOST TO FLEDGLING DXers IN UK
JIM/ANCHOR: Young members of an amateur radio club at one school in the
UK just got the gift of DX, as Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us.
JEREMY: If some of the students at the Sandringham School in St. Albans,
Hertfordshire, seem to be disappearing at lunchtime or after school,
it’s probable you’ll find them in the first-floor room that houses the
school’s amateur radio club station M0SCY.
At this secondary school for high-achievers, these particular youngsters
are looking for particularly high marks – not just in academics but also
in DXing. Members of the Sandringham School’s Amateur Radio Club, now in
its second year, they recently helped assemble and install a tri-band
beam antenna that had been donated by the school’s headmaster Alan Gray G4DJX.
With extra help from him and the school’s caretaker, the team of young
hams got the antenna in place early this month and added a donated
rotator with the support of a friend and Nevada Radio. Alan told
Newsline that the students went on the air and, immediately noticing the
improvement of the beam over the multi-band dipole they’d been using,
they wasted no time setting themselves up for their next assignment: the
challenge of completing DXCC by year’s end.
Alan noted that this won’t just be a ham radio achievement for the
youngsters but, with a nearby map, a geography lesson as well. He said
the students have their eyes on some contests in the coming months and
have begun entering the Radio Society of Great Britain’s 80 metre
cumulative contests. These high achievers have done well: the club’s September
entry made 68 contacts in an hour and a half, with only four operators. Best of
all, Alan said, the students are teaching one another
and working together. Now, he says, all he needs is a little extra help
around the shack to keep up the encouragement and the knowledge.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
**
SILENT KEY: LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY’S JIM WEIDNER K2JXW
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams are mourning the loss of a longtime amateur who was as devoted
to lighthouses as to radio, as Kevin Trotman N5PRE reports.
KEVIN: Just as Jim Weidner K2JXW showed his devotion to historic beacons
of safety for maritime travelers when he founded the Amateur Radio
Lighthouse Society, he too was seen as a beacon of friendship to those
who knew him. Jim, who founded the organization in 2000 and watched it
grow to a worldwide membership of nearly 1,700, has become a Silent Key.
His death was announced on the website of the society on September 7th.
A resident of Merchantville, New Jersey, Jim had retired from a career
of more than 30 years as an English teacher in the Northern Burlington
County Regional School District. He was also active in the U.S. Coast
Guard Auxiliary and the Office of Emergency Management for the Borough
of Merchantville. The organization website noted that it was founded in
part to honor the heritage of lighthouses and lightships but also to
recognize lighthouse keepers as maritime heroes. Jim had been a licensed
amateur since 1954.
In an online tribute on the society website, John KX4O, to whom Jim had
passed the baton, wrote: [quote] “Jim’s friends are numerous and many
continue to help me fulfill his goals of the ARLHS….so in a very real
way, Jim lives on in all of us as we continue to make ARLHS what it is today.”
[endquote]
Jim Weidner, who died on the 1st of September, was 77.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(AMATEUR RADIO LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY)
**
HAM RADIO HELP FOR SCOUTS
JIM/ANCHOR: Everyone needs a little extra help sometimes, and Scouts
pursuing their Merit Badges just got another resource as we hear from
Neil Rapp WB9VPG.
NEIL: Help for scout troops pursuing the radio merit badge and operating
Jamboree on the Air is now available. Scott Newman, KC3KKW, from Troop
512 in Springfield, Pennsylvania tells us more about it.
SCOTT: Well, there have been a couple of assistant scoutmasters and I
have banded together to create what's called Troop Resource. It is
basically a program that reaches out to other troops to help them,
especially if they are under resourced. What we are doing right now is curating
videos, Power Point shows, and we actually put on this live, internet, what we
call a TV, show. We've got one coming up which will be
all about ham radio and Jamboree on the Air.
NEIL: The group produces a live, call-in show on Facebook live about
various scouting topics. But this month, it's about ham radio.
SCOTT: And, we're having people in. We're having the executive director
from the Education Alliance for Amateur Radio. He's going to be on the
show telling us about what they are going to be doing for JOTA in
October on the weekend of the 20th and 21st. But, they basically come in
and they offer scouts, and any other interested party who happens to be
there, education on ham radio. And they give them the opportunity to use
ham equipment. And they're an awesome group in that they actually bring
all of their radio equipment and a 40 foot antenna with them in a
military trailer. And, they pull up and unload the equipment and get everything
ready.
NEIL: As this newscast goes to air, the live show has already happened.
But, you can find this and all of their shows archived on YouTube. Just
search for Troop Resource to find their channel. And for more
information about this program, visit TroopResource.org.
Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the W4GSO repeater in Greensboro, North Carolina on Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
**
AN OCCASION TO CELEBRATE AT THE VOA
JIM/ANCHOR: If you’re in the shack anytime on September 22 between 1300
and 2100 UTC, tune to 20 meters or 40 meters and help the Bethany Relay Station
of the Voice of America mark the 74th anniversary of its
commissioning on Sept. 23, 1944. WC8VOA will be operating a special
event station, offering both a QSL card and a downloadable commemorative
certificate. Afterward, in another part of the distinctive Art Deco
building in West Chester, Ohio, the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting
will be hosting a fundraising event from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. local time
to support needed building renovations.
If you can’t get there however get on the air. While WC8VOA’s HF
equipment and antennas aren’t the original ones dating back to 1944, the
spirit of VOA history is surely still there on the air.
**
AIRSHOW INCLUDES RADIO SHOW IN SONOMA COUNTY, CALIF.
JIM/ANCHOR: In California’s Sonoma County, organizers are combining an airshow
with a radio show – special event station K6W. Here’s Andy
Morrison K9AWM.
ANDY: Sonoma County, California, has struggled to rise above the ashes
of the recent wildfire devastation and on September 22nd and 23rd, the
county’s spirit gets a boost from dozens and dozens of wings – the kind
of wings you’ll find at the airshow taking place at the Charles M.
Schulz-Sonoma County Airport on those two days. The Wings over Wine
Country Airshow will feature aerobatic performances, the U.S. Air Foce
Academy skydiving team and fly-bys of historic planes from World War Two.
Just as the aircraft overhead put on their own shows, the Sonoma County
Radio Amateurs will be demonstrating on the ground. Special Event
callsign K6W will be activated on 20 and 40 meters, depending on band
conditions.
No wonder the event theme is “Rising Together: A celebration of recovery
in Sonoma County.” After a challenging season, everyone there will want
to know that things are looking up.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(Darryl Paule KI6MSP)
**
A CELEBRATION OF MARCONI – DOWN UNDER
JIM/ANCHOR: It’s been 100 years since Australia and the UK connected via
wireless - so something special is being planned, as we hear from Graham
Kemp VK4BB.
GRAHAM: Every five years, the first successful exchange of messages
between Australia and the United Kingdom via wireless in 1918 is marked
by contact between the Dragon Amateur Radio Club in Wales and the
Hornsby Amateur Radio Club together with the Ku-ring-gai Historical
Society. This year, 100 hundred years after the original experimental
transmission between the two nations, the experiment is about to occur
again – this time on the 22nd of September as a re-enactment of the
original Morse Code message and a broader celebration.
With this being a 100-year anniversary, the Ku-ring-gai Municipal
Council is planning to host a celebration that will include displays in
the nearby St. Andrew’s Church hall as well as an amateur radio station
operated by the Hornsby and District Amateur Radio Club with the call
sign VK100MARCONI. At the same time in Wales, the Dragon Amateur Radio
club will operate its own HF station from the site of the Marconi
transmitter there, using the call sign GB2VK.
The day’s activities will include replication of the original message
sent from Wales by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes to Ernest
Fisk, who was at home at his wireless station in Wahroonga.
Why wait until the 22nd of the month? The Wireless institute of
Australia has been celebrating all month and hams are being allocated
state- and territory-based special event call signs for the duration of
the observance. The call signs have the prefix “VI” and the suffix
“MARCONI” with the appropriate number in between designating each state
or territory.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Graham Kemp VK4BB.
**
YLs TO OPERATE ON BOARD USS BATFISH
JIM/ANCHOR: A group of YLs plans to honor 2 submarines lost in World War
Two and is looking for even more YLs to join them. Here’s Heather Embee
KB3TZD.
HEATHER: The USS Batfish Amateur Radio Club is getting ready to welcome
a group of YLs on board the submarine in Oklahoma to call CQ as WW2SUB
in October. The YLs will be honoring the USS Wahoo and the USS Dorado
which are among the 52 U.S. submarines lost during the Second World War.
The lost subs are being honored by the Batfish’s amateur club.
The YLs will be operating from Oct. 12th through the 14th, even sleeping
on board and experiencing life on the submarine, which now houses an
exhibit that honors military veterans and is permanently kept in
Muskogee, Oklahoma’s War Memorial Park.
The YLs aren’t just looking for contacts and QSL cards – they’re also in
search of other YLs who’d like to join them on the air. Michelle Carey
W5MQC said that any YL who wants to join the operation that weekend
should send an email to her at w 5 m q c at yahoo dot com
(w5mqc@yahoo.com). Michelle said that the YLs will most likely be
operating on 20 and 40 meters – mostly SSB. According to club trustee
Wade Harris KF5IF, although YLs have operated from the Batfish before,
this is the first time for a group of YLs to do so as a formal event.
The weekend operation is being done under the auspices of the Young
Ladies Radio League, the YLRL, where Michelle is District 5
representative, but any YL can participate regardless of whether she is
a member of the league or not. Michelle also noted that any YL who does
not yet have her license but is interested in experiencing what it’s
like to be on the air can also stop by and receive some guidance from a
licensee.
She called the USS Batfish weekend operation [quote] “a unique
opportunity for us to come together and help each other out while
calling CQ and honoring those lost during World War Two.” [endquote] For
more information about the Batfish radio club visit their website at w w
two sub dot org (ww2sub.org)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Heather Embee KB3TZD.
**
WORLD OF DX
In this week’s World of DX, Claudio, HB9OAU is on the air as SV5/HB9OAU
from Karpathos, Dodecanese through the 20th of September. He is
operating SSB and FT8 on 80 through 10 meters. QSL via home call (direct
or bureau), LoTW or eQSL; also on Club Log.
Members of the Saudi Amateur Radio Society are marking Saudi Arabia's
88th National Day by being on the air from the 16th to the 30th of
September with the callsigns HZ88ND, 7Z88ND and 8Z88ND. They will be
operating from Riyadh. The celebration marks the September 23rd
anniversary of the kingdom’s unification by royal decree in 1932. QSL
via HZ1BF. Look for
the logs to be uploaded to ClubLog and LoTW.
Stu, K4MIL, is operating from Guantanamo Bay as KG4SS starting September
25th and through October 9th. Listen for him on 160-10 meters using CW,
SSB, RTTY and FT8. You will also find him in the CQWW DX RTTY Contest
between September 29th and 30th. QSL via home callsign or LoTW.
Hans, PA3HGT is operating as 3B8/PA3HGT from Mauritius through the 24th
of September. He will be on SSB and possibly some digital modes on 40,
20 and 10 meters. QSL via home call, direct or Bureau.
**
KICKER: A PROUD SON CALLS QRZ FOR THE NAVAJO CODE TALKERS
JIM/ANCHOR: You’ve probably heard of the Navajo Code Talkers. Paul Braun
WD9GCO talked with the proud son of one of them and learned how this ham
recently honored his dad.
PAUL: One of the most fascinating stories to come out of World War II,
at least to me, is that of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of Native Americans
who were recruited by the military to exchange tactical
messages in a code based on their native language. It was a practically
unbreakable code due to the obscurity of the Navajo language and the
limited number of people who actually knew it.
The Code Talkers have been getting some recognition in recent years, but
one man, Herb Goodluck N7HG, a Navajo himself, organized a special event
to honor them:
GOODLUCK: I started this in 2004 in commemoration of the Navajo Code
Talkers. My late dad, he was the one who was doing the code talking back
in the South Pacific Theatre. A group of Native Americans were enlisted
into the United States Marine Corp. What they were used for was to pass
messages from a battleship to onshore islands.
PAUL: Goodluck is the son of the late John V. Goodluck and wanted to
bring awareness to their story:
GOODLUCK: Since my father had become a silent key in the year 2000, I
was trying to figure out how to keep the legacy going and this is the
only way I know as far as ham radio. And each year I've been sending out
QSL cards - different ones - and last year and this year we do have
certificates available.
PAUL: Goodluck already has next year's event scheduled, at least for the
first day:
GOODLUCK: The commemoration is located in Window Rock, Arizona, the
Navajo Nation Veteran Park. Next year we're going to have it again on
August the 14th, 2019. That's just one day in Window Rock and then we're
going to figure out how many days we're going to actually run, maybe a
whole week again.
PAUL: Goodluck said the event is usually listed as N7C in QST and on the
ARRL website. We would also suggest that you take some time to research
and read up on the story of the Code Talkers, Navajo or otherwise. Those
brave men contributed a lot to the war effort and deserve the recognition.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the
Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Darryl Paule
KI6MSP; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Michelle Carey W5MQC; Ohio-Penn
DX Bulletin; QST Magazine; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's
QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; and you
our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send
emails to our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available
at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at www.arnewsline.org.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,
and our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston, West
Virginia saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
--
73
James-KB7TBT
www.arnewsline.org
www.ylsystem.org
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