Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2124 for Friday, July 13, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2124 with a release date of Friday, July
13 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. South African amateurs are on the move. Cuban
licensees score big on their exams -- and in the U.S. hams provided needed
connections as wildfires swept Colorado. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report 2124 comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**
HAMS HELP AS WILDFIRES STRIKE COLORADO

PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with an update on the more than a 
dozen wildfires that have swept through the state of Colorado in less than
two weeks and the amateurs who've been able to help. Our report comes
courtesy of Amanda Alden K1DDN who has been working with ARES in connection
with those fires, which resulted in the evacuation of more than 3,000
homes.

Amanda tells us that Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams were called
in quickly for many sites once the fires flared so ARES was not called in for
all of them. ARES was activated, however, for the Quarry Fire, which was
ignited by lightning on the evening of Saturday July 7th, two miles west of
Canon City, Colorado. The fire began in rough terrain but also threatened
cell tower sites in addition to an important ham radio repeater site. The
same lightning caused at least one other spot fire which was extinguished
quickly but also struck near two people on the Royal Gorge Bridge.

Fremont County Incident Management Team asked the R5D1 ARES team to assist
with comms for the local wildfire team as well as the fire protection
district. As Amanda told us [quote] "We actually fulfilled more of an AuxComm
role for the fire." [endquote] The amateur team monitored narrowband VHF fire
frequencies, tactical command and air-to-ground.  Incident Command also
required hourly weather updates. The ARES comm van also provided IP
connectivity and a live camera feed on flare-ups and hot spots. By July 8,
air attacks had done their job and ARES was able to demobilize that evening.

One wildfire team member, who is also a ham, was injured and has since
recovered. As Amanda reminded Newsline [quote]: "ARES isn't always about
using amateur radio.  When you have these small rural teams fighting a fire,
it's about assisting any way possible.  If that includes using public safety
radio, that's what we do".

The Quarry Fire is now 100 percent contained. As of Newsline production time,
however, the Spring Fire - the second largest in the state's history,
continued to burn.

(AMANDA ALDEN K1DDN)

**
IRISH HAMS MARK ROLE OF RADIO IN SPORTS

PAUL/ANCHOR: A group of amateurs in Ireland are showing that radio operators
have always been good sports when it comes to sports. Here's Jeremy Boot
G4NJH.

JEREMY: With the World Radiosport Team Championship about to kick off in
Germany and with the World Cup going on in Russia, it's worth noting that a
sporting event 120 years ago also involved the use of radio. In 1898,
Guglielmo Marconi was invited to set up a wireless station aboard a boat
anchored at the finish line of that year's Kingstown Regatta in Dublin. The
goal was to be able to transmit the race results to the harbour master's
office in Kingstown and from there, phoned into newsrooms from where special
editions of the newspapers could be printed and on the newstands well before
the yachts returned to port.

The 120th anniversary of this important "first" in sports reporting by
wireless is being commemorated on the 21st of July by amateurs in Ireland
using the call sign EI0MAR. They will be operating from the Martello Tower
and offering a special QSL card for HF contacts. The station will also
monitor 145.525 MHz. Operations will be from about 1000 to 1600 UTC.


For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.


**
HONORING THOSE WHO DIED ON THE USS SAN DIEGO

PAUL/ANCHOR: In New York, hams are marking another historic event on the
water - in this case, a tragic event. Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT has that story.

CARYN: What do you do when history happens right on your doorstep - or in the
case of one ham club, right on your shoreline? For the Great South Bay
Amateur Radio Club in Lindenhurst, New York, the answer to that question was
easy: You operate a special event station. One hundred years ago on July 19
six U.S. sailors lost their lives when an explosion on board the USS San
Diego sank the vessel off the coast of a barrier island known as Fire Island.
Club president John Melfi W2HCB explains why this event hits so close to home.

JOHN: Being that we are the Great South Bay Club, the Great South Bay is a
body of water that is on the north side of the barrier island, which is the
island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay. The San Diego
unfortunately sank ten miles off of Fire Island after its onboard radio
failed.

CARYN: Starting on July 14 and through the end of the month, Special Event
Station W2NMY will operate on all bands in all modes honoring the six who
perished aboard the only major warship the U.S. lost after its involvement in
World War I. Successful contacts will earn a special certificate bearing the
sailors' names and a photo of the ship. John said enthusiasm has been
widespread but most especially among one group.

JOHN: We are hoping possibly to get a lot of military veterans who are ham
radio operators collecting that very special certificate.

CARYN: The call sign is also historic. It had been used by the U.S. Coast
Guard at the HF station near Fire Island Lighthouse. John said the club is
proud to bring it alive again.

JOHN: Just look for that call sign W2NMY, that's whiskey two november mike
yankee.

CARYN: For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, and a member
of the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club.

**

HAMS ARE ON THE MOVE IN SOUTH AFRICA

PAUL/ANCHOR: In just a few days, the practice of operating portable will take
on new meaning for some hams in South Africa. Here's Jason Daniels VK2LAW
with more.

JASON: Amateur radio operators in South Africa can expect to be on the move -
quite literally - for the second Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio challenge,
known by the acronym RaDAR. Some enthusiasts even call this form of portable
operation a "shack in a sack."

The challenge set for Saturday July 14th features hams operating in the
categories of fixed, field or moving. The practice encourages hams to be able
to operate with self-sufficiency for extended periods of time, bringing along
their rigs and power supplies as well as shelter, food, water and protective
clothing.

According to the RaDAR Ops website, Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio was
launched in August of 2009.

The one-day challenge permits hams to use CW, SSB, FM, satellite or any legal
amateur radio digital mode - but no repeaters.

The important part of the challenge isn't just to keep making those contacts,
but to keep things moving.

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

PAUL/ANCHOR: We also want to congratulate Magda Swart ZS6MMS. She recently
became the second YL in South Africa in the SOTA program to achieve 100
points for her summit activations. Magda reached that milestone on the 28th
of June, joining another YL, Adele ZS5APT who had achieved those points
earlier.

(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE, RAPID DEPLOYMENT AMATEUR RADIO)

***
NEW CUBAN LICENSEES SCORE BIG ON EXAM

PAUL/ANCHOR: It pays to study hard for your license exam - and some new
amateurs in Cuba are celebrating, as we hear from Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

KEVIN: What's better than a good signal report? How about a 96 percent
success rate for new amateur licensees? Cuba gets the bragging rights to
this: In a recent report for FRC, the Cuban amateur radio association, the
country boasts an overall pass rate of 95.97 percent so far this year for
exams taken. Of the 323 who have sat for their exams so far, 310 learned they
would be getting their license.

Add to that another bit of good news: The number of candidates sitting for
the exam in 2018 has increased over last year.

So be listening for those new prefixes from Cuba, CL, CM and CO - and welcome
them.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.

(SOUTHGATE)


**
BREAK HERE:

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline
heard on bulletin stations around the world including the W1AEC repeater of
the Southeastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association in Dartmouth,
Massachusetts on Sunday nights at 8.

**

HAM RADIO PAIRS WITH FRS FOR MARYLAND EMCOMM

PAUL/ANCHOR : Stories about how Amateur Radio operators get involved in
emergency communications frequently cross the news desk here. This one,
however, has a twist. Marty Pittinger, KB3MXM is the ARRL Section Manager for
the Atlantic/MDC area. He is working with community groups in his area to tie
other services, such as the Family Radio Service or FRS, into ham radio
emcomm operations. As an active member of ARES and RACES, Pittinger  knows 
that  nonham  groups  in  the  community  can  have  their  own  emergency 
networks  too  -  thanks  to  this  inexpensive  unlicensed  form  of  radio 
communication.  Local  groups  distribute  these  radios  in  areas  where 
they're  needed  to  create  instant  connectivity,  even  for  people 
without  phones  -  and  this  is  something  hams  can  tap  into  as  well.
How  does  it  work?  Pittinger  gave  an  example:

PITTINGER: This lady who was on oxygen - the power went off one night and she
picked up her FRS radio and she said, "Can anybody hear me?" and an amateur
radio person who happened to be monitoring FRS said, "Yes, I do."She says,
"Well the power went out, I was wondering how long it was going to be." The
ham on the other side said, "Let me find out." A little while later, said,
"It's only going to be off for about an hour-and-a-half," and she said, "Oh,
that will be fine. The battery will last that long," and that was the end of
it. Now, to some, that may not seem substantial, but I go one step further.
You have a community that are sometimes in need of information, situational
awareness that they don't have ready access to. Not everybody has a smart
phone. Not everybody has reliable power at their house. Well, if the power
goes off, they don't have situational awareness when it comes to, let's say
weather situations or power situations. That information that was passed
along eliminated the need of sending a health and welfare check or medical
services to remove this lady from her house perhaps and take her to a medical
facility. She may be there for a long time - puts an undue strain on her
family or her close friends or relatives. So the information was passed to
her and she was satisfied with it.

PAUL: Pittinger  sees  these  radios  as  a  simple,  inexpensive  vehicle 
for  widening  radio  networks  during  an  emergency,  especially  in  areas
without  a  significant  ham  population.  He  recommends  that  all  hams 
who  are  involved  in  emcomm  in  some  way  also  pack  an  FRS  radio  in
their  goªkit  and  monitor  it  as  they  would  any  of  the  ham  or 
civil  defense  frequencies.  For  Amateur  Radio  Newsline,  I'm  Paul 
Braun  WD9GCO

**
GLOBAL EVENT LIGHTS OUR WAY FOR 21 YEARS

PAUL/ANCHOR: There are some newcomers in this year's International Lighthouse
and Lightship Weekend and organizers consider them to be shining stars, as we
hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB.

GRAHAM: They say there's a first time for everything and nowhere could that
be truer than in amateur radio. International Lighthouse and Lightship
Weekend which happens the third full weekend in August is marking its 21st
anniversary. It has welcomed 250 registered lighthouses so far this year but
it's also celebrating the debut of a number of new participants. They include
the Ashdod and Mount Carmel lighthouses in Israel, the Shabla Lighthouse in
Bulgaria, Porthcawl Breakwater in Wales and Tanjung Datu in Malaysia. Yes,
there are even more lighthouses new to the game in Mexico and Cuba. Organizer
Kevin Mulcahy VK2CE said the event begins on August 18th at 0001 UTC. That is
still a few weeks off and so, as always, the pace of entries is expected to
gather momentum in the days ahead.

Registered participants also include one of South Africa's most historic
lighthouses, which will be activated by the Boland Amateur Radio Club during
the event. The club is marking its own milestone - their 70th anniversary -
with the special event call sign ZS70BAK.

Kevin and Ted W8TTS maintain the list of lighthouses and expect the list to
reach more than 500 by the final week. That's a rate of growth you might say
is almost at the speed of lighthouse.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.

(KEVIN MULCAHY VK2CE)

**
MELBOURNE STUDENTS READY FOR JULY 17 DATE WITH ISS ASTRONAUT

PAUL/ANCHOR: Youngsters at one Australian primary school have been waiting
for a date with an astronaut - and now they have it. Robert Broomhead VK3DC
tells us more.

ROBERT: It's a date! That would be Tuesday July 17th - that's when the
students at the Essex Heights Primary School in Melbourne, Australia will get
their long-awaited moment with astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT on
board the International Space Station. The hour will be 6:24 p.m. local time,
which is 08:24 UTC. While the students have their interaction via telebridge,
the rest of the world can get in on the action by participating on the
internet. There is a livestreaming link for worldwide viewing and it will be
published on the school's website. Just visit www dot essexheightsps dot vic
dot edu dot au (www.essexheightsps.vic.edu.au)

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN.

**

WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, listen for Carsten, OZ4CG  operating through the 31st of
July as OZ4SOP from  Bornholm Island for the Sea Of Peace Award. Send QSLs
via Club Log, LoTW and eQSL.

Eric, SM1TDE is active as SJ1SOP from  Gotland Island through the 31st of
July also for the Sea of Peace Award. Send QSLs via home call, LoTW and eQSL;
or search  on Club Log.

Pierre, VE3KTB is active through the 21st of July as VY0ERC. He is at the
Eureka Amateur Radio Club station located in the weather station on Ellesmere
Island. Send QSLs via M0OXO's OQRS.

Listen for Bruce KD6WW and Mike K9AJ operating primarily in CW as KD6WW/VY0
and K9AJ/VY0 from Fafarad Island from the 19th to the 23rd of July. The last
operation from this rare  IOTA Group was 18 years ago. Listen on 40 meters
through 17 meters. They also plan some SSB and possibly FT8. QSL via Club
Log's OQRS, or via home calls, both direct and via the bureau.

(OHIO PENN DX)

**

KICKER: THAILAND CAVE RESCUE WAS A RADIO OPERATION TOO

PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, the world is breathing a little easier now with the
success of the recent Thailand cave rescue operation -- but did you know that
even this has a ham radio connection? Here's Don Wilbanks AE5DW.

DON: Thirteen young people in Thailand are alive today partly because of
radio - a radio system, in fact, that was designed by a British ham nearly 20
years ago. The radios are specialized handhelds that transmit and receive on
upper side band at the ultra-low frequency of 87 kHz -- and they were
instrumental in making contact with the 12 young members of a football team
and their assistant coach who were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for
nearly three weeks. The radios are called HeyPhones, bearing the name of John
Hey G3TDZ, now a Silent Key. He designed the bulky, do-it-yourself system 17
years ago for use in cave rescues in the UK. The radios allow divers to
transmit through solid rock and between cave and surface as well. The ones in
Thailand, sent by the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation, allowed divers to
make contact with the trapped team as the world held its breath.

The boys and their coach are safe now. While some observers may say Hey's
original design has long since been rendered obsolete by more modern
counterparts, no doubt hams like John Hey himself would say instead: this is
the kind of radio rescue that never gets old.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW.

(WIA, WIRED, BCRC WEBSITE, HACKADAY)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; Amanda Alden
K1DDN; ARISS: the ARRL; British Cave Rescue Council; CQ Magazine; Great South
Bay Amateur Radio Club; Hackaday; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio
Transmitters Society; Kevin Mulcahy VK2CE; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Rapid
Deployment Amateur Radio; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO
Radio Show; South African Radio League; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana 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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