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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2360 for Friday January 20th, 2023
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2360 with a release date of Friday
January 20th, 2023 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Ten meters wakes up in time for popular events.
Puerto Rico gets new tools for disaster communications -- and get ready for
Bouvet Island on the air. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report
Number 2360 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
BOUVET ISLAND ON THE HORIZON
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this report with encouraging and long-awaited news for
DXers. The latest report from the Bouvet Island DXpedition, 3YØJ [THREE WHY
ZERO JAY], is that radio operations could start sometime between the 27th of
January and the 4th of February. The team intends to stay on the remote
island for three weeks. According to a post on DX-World.Net, Kenneth Opskar,
LA7GIA, has reported that the sail from Port Stanley began on the 17th of
January, just one day behind schedule. The operators said they are not
planning any /MM activity on the way; however you can track them using the
Garmin link shown on the Newsline website.
[DO NOT READ:https://share.garmin.com/3y0j ]
**
THINKING AHEAD TO THE 2026 CHAMPIONSHIP
JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, even with the big world radio championship coming to
Italy later this year, the event's organizing committee is already looking
for host venues for 2026. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us what's involved.
GRAHAM: While much of the amateur radio world awaits the start of the World
Radiosport Team Championship in Bologna, Italy this coming July, the WRTC
Sanctioning Committee is already looking forward to hearing from prospective
host sites for this prestigious event to be held in 2026.
Groups interested in serving as hosts for WRTC 2026 should submit a summary
proposal and a letter of intent. The information should include details
about principals in the committee making the proposal and a description of
how the competition will be conducted, including the number of entrant teams
to be allowed and the means by which competitors will be chosen. Details
must also be provided about housing arrangements available, travel options
and a tentative schedule. Although it is not yet necessary to submit a
budget, prospective hosts should provide an outline of expenses and their
fundraising plan. The proposal should also discuss the means by which the
event will be publicized and what kind of regional support the event will
have from regulators as well as amateur radio organisations in the area.
The deadline to submit letters of intent is March 31st. Send details
directly to Tine Brajnik, S5ØA, by email. The address is tine dot brajnik at
gmail dot com (tine.brajnik@gmail.com)
The committee hopes to announce the venue for the 2026 event at the
conclusion of the competition in Bologna.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(WRTC)
**
TWO PROMINENT INDIAN AMATEURS ARE SILENT KEYS
JIM/ANCHOR: In India, the ham radio community has lost two well-respected
veteran hams who became Silent Keys this month. Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells
us about them.
JASON: Two amateurs in the Indian radio community have become Silent Keys.
S, Venkataraman, VU2SV, was described in many online tributes as a "homebrew
legend." People posting their condolences in a number of online forums
expressed their gratitude for the assistance he gave them in many of their
own projects and for serving as an inspiration. A ham since 1962, he died on
January 3rd at the age of 88.
Amateurs in India and Sri Lanka were also grieving the loss of "Sun"
Shanmugasundram, VU2FOT. A well-known amateur, he was part of the team that
created a popular Sunday morning net in 1988. In the beginning it was known
as the SWL DX Net but on its tenth anniversary was renamed the BC DX Net, a
name that continues to this day. He died on January 12th at the age of 61.
This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(YOUTUBE, QRZ.COM, FACEBOOK)
**
FROM DRILL TO REAL-LIFE DISASTER
JIM/ANCHOR: Disaster drills are supposed to prepare radio operators for the
real thing - so imagine how hams felt in one California county when one of
their more recent drills played out as a real-life emergency. Randy Sly W4XJ
shares that experience.
RANDY: When Sacramento County ARES was invited to participate in an in-
person training exercise last summer, they had no idea that a few months
later the drill would play out as a real-life event. Most in-person
emergency training had come to a halt nationwide over the past few years due
to the pandemic, but Sacramento County emergency managers wanted to return
from table-top scenarios to in-person training with deployed incident
command posts. This in-person drill focused on the levee system of the delta
for the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. At one point, there was a
simulated communications blackout and ARES was called in to establish
contact between the EOC, command posts and people in the field using FM and
Winlink.
Now fast forward to early January. This time, what was happening was not a
training exercise: a winter storm with pounding rain was wreaking havoc
throughout the coastal counties of central and southern California.
Sacramento County activated and included ARES to assist in reporting
flooding of the rivers, particularly in the delta region. Sacramento County
EC, Jay Ballinger, N6SAC, told AR Newsline that, thanks to the drill, the
familiarity the hams had gained with roads around the river region as well
as with county emergency management allowed ARES to effectively deploy and
report.
This is Randy Sly, W4XJ
**
IN THE US, FIELD DAY: IN THE WINTER?
JIM/ANCHOR: So have you started planning for this year's Field Day? You may
be thinking to yourself, there’s plenty of time for that. Right? But that’s
not what Amateur Radio Newsline’s Mark Abramowicz (Abram-o-vich) tells us as
US ham clubs and groups are already planning for a different kind of Field
Day – Winter Field Day.
MARK: I’d be willing to wager a lot of hams listening to this report haven’t
ever heard about Winter Field Day.
Sure, maybe a few have read stories in the magazines over the years about
groups of amateurs going out somewhere in the woods during the winter –
especially in snow - and setting up tents with one or two stations, wire
antennas and gathering a hardy group of “polar bears,ö I mean operators, to
activate them.
But there really is a Winter Field Day and it’s coming up fast – Saturday,
Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 29.
You may be surprised to know it’s an activity that dates back to 2007. That
year, a group of Texas hams came up with a plan to stir up some activity on
the bands during the winter while challenging operators to set up stations
similar to those activated for the ARRL’s Field Day in June.
A loosely knit group calling itself The Society for the Preservation of
Amateur Radio was behind the first few Winter Field Day events. But, its
small group of members quickly realized they needed some help and handed
over the activity in 2015 to the newly formed Winter Field Day Association.
That group set up some basic rules and categories that have led to a
blizzard of competition that has spread across the U.S. and beyond.
The Winter Field Day Association’s mission is simple: It believes hams
should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments
because of the special challenges presented by freezing temperatures, snow,
ice and other hazards. WFD is designed to sharpen preparedness under those
subpar conditions.
Last year, more than 2,500 logs were submitted. This year, the 16th year for
the event, the organizers are hoping for at least that or more.
You can find more at the Winter Field Day website included in the script for
this story at our website, arnewsline.org.
Oh, and one more thing. As with the ARRL’s Field Day, you don’t have to
actually leave your home shack to take part.
Make yourself a nice cup of hot chocolate or your favorite hot beverage,
fire up the HF radio, and get on the air and contact those stations that are
“out there in the coldö looking for you and other “polar bearsö during this
24-hour event.
I’m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V.
[FOR PRINT ONLY, DO NOT READ: https://www.winterfieldday.com ]
**
KFF MARATHON CHALLENGE GETS IN THE RUNNING
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams operating in natural settings or chasing QSOs there have
just embarked on a year-long challenge to score big. Stephen Kinford N8WB
tells us about this radio marathon.
STEPHEN: The fourth annual KFF Marathon Challenge kicked off on the first of
January, encouraging participants in the Worldwide Flora and Fauna awards
program to strive for their best scores once again this year, either as
activators or hunters. KFF is the designation of the WWFF program for
activation sites within the United States and its territories. Awards are
available for the Top North American Hunters, Top DX Hunters, and Top
Activators. Some of the more interesting sites include the Hawaiian Islands
National Wildlife Refuge, the Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Yukon Flats
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge in
Puerto Rico. Other parks, islands, caverns and protected areas are located
throughout the United States mainland.
For details visit the WWFF-KFF page on Facebook.
This is Stephen Kinford N8WB.
(WWFF)
**
BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N5OZG (N
5 OH ZED G) repeater in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sundays at 8 p.m.
**
WEST BENGAL HAMS ENSURE PILGRIMS' SAFETY
JIM/ANCHOR: A massive religious pilgrimage in India has just concluded and
as always the safety of the thousands attending was assured with the help of
amateur radio as we hear from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM: A record number of pilgrims turned out this year for the largest
religious gathering in India, the Gangasagar Mela, and the West Bengal Radio
Club was there as always to assist with public safety, communications and
coordination for individuals who fell ill and needed airlifting from the
island to area hospitals. More than a dozen people were reported missing at
the massive gathering and the hams assisted in reuniting them with their
families on the island. Officials told the Hindu newspaper that they had the
support of about 42 amateur radio operators.
The mela began on the 5th of January and ended on the 17th.
While they were there, the hams were also able to make contacts as part of
Islands on the Air from the island, which is in the Bay of Bengal and has
the designation of AS-153. They used the callsign AT2WBRC.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS, VU2JFA, THE HINDU)
***
BBC FEATURES THE LEADING VOICES OF CW EDUCATORS
JIM/ANCHOR: In the UK, broadcast radio isn't about to start getting rid of
its voice programming and replacing it with CW but this month, the BBC
embraced the mode gladly. Twice, in fact. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us about
it.
JEREMY: The BBC has run programming before that examined Morse Code as a
form of communication but this month the broadcaster revisited the subject
with one ham from the United States who is a leading CW educator. On the
afternoon current affairs programme, PM on BBC Radio 4, Howard Bernstein,
WB2UZE, cofounder of the Long Island CW Club, spoke with presenter Evan
Davis about the mode's growing popularity in the United States and people's
efforts to learn it. The LICW has membership around the world availing
themselves of the club's free instruction.
Meanwhile, the voice of CW enthusiast Mervyn Foster, G4KLE, can be heard on
BBC Three Counties Radio. Mervyn, a volunteer at the National Radio Centre,
appeared on the breakfast programme of Andy Collins on the 13th of January.
A lifelong fan of CW, Mervyn told Andy about its resurgence in the UK and
its usefulness even outside amateur radio.
To hear either or both of these interview, visit the links that appear in
the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org
I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
[Howard interview: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001h638 ]
[Mervyn interview: https://tinyurl.com/h9ny9dsp ]
**
RADIO RELAY INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS ITS REACH
JIM/ANCHOR: Puerto Rico just got another safety net to protect the island
when disaster strikes, as we hear from Christian Cudnik KØSTH.
CHRISTIAN: The global ham radio emergency-response network known as Radio
Relay International has expanded to provide crisis communications in Puerto
Rico. RRI announced that the expansion of its Digital Traffic Network
infrastructure into the island comes after a year of working with volunteers
there to upgrade emergency preparedness through training courses. The area
digital coordinators for RRI have also been giving the volunteers one-on-one
assistance and technical support.
RRI's Digital Traffic Network is a modified hybrid mesh network that uses
primarily HF but is also involved in creating VHF and UHF gateways for local
support. The system has the advantage of universal interoperability between
voice and CW and digital platforms. RRI handles traffic as radiograms in
voice, CW and digital modes via the Digital Traffic Station function.
Message traffic can also be routed between Winlink and RRI's own system.
James Wades, WB8SIW, RRI's emergency management director, credited Victor
Rivera, WP4QZH, and Emmanuel Cruz, NP4D, for their work in Puerto Rico,
along with numerous other team members. Puerto Rico becomes part of a larger
service of RRI's Digital Traffic Network connections that also include Asia,
Oceania and Europe.
This is Christian Cudnik KØSTH.
(JAMES WADES, WB8SIW)
**
YOUTH DX ADVENTURE GROUP RETURNING TO CURAÇAO
JIM/ANCHOR: Is there a trip to Curaçao in the future for a young hopeful DX
adventurer you may know? If so, you will want to hear this report from Andy
Morrison K9AWM.
ANDY: The Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure group is returning to
Curaçao this year and is inviting young amateurs to be part of the
operation. The application period has opened. The trip will take place
between July 13th and 18th with the goal of forming a DX team of amateurs
between the ages of 12 and 17.
This year, the timing of the trip has an added bonus: Because this year's DX
adventure overlaps somewhat with the Youth on the Air Camp taking place in
Canada in July, the young hams in Curaçao can expect to have some scheduled
contacts with the YOTA campers as well. The PJ2T site in Curaçao will once
again be the QTH for the Caribbean activation. According to the Youth DX
Adventure website, the team is applying to once again use the call sign PJ2Y
Application forms can be downloaded from the website that appears in this
week's text version of Newsline.
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
[DO NOT READ: qsl.net/n6jrl ]
[JIM STORMS, AB8YK]
**
TEN METERS PUTS OUT ITS WELCOME MAT
JIM/ANCHOR: A stretch of days with great conditions on 10 meters has
provided a bonus for a number of events on the band lately. In Germany, the
DARC held its 10-meter contest on January 8th with hams getting on the air
using CW and SSB. The Nordic Radio Amateur Union's 10m activity contest will
be held on February 2nd, with CW ops on the air from 1800 to 1900 UTC; SSB
users on from 1900 to 2000 UTC; FM users competing between 2000 UTC to 2100
UTC and Digital competitors getting in on the action from 2100 to 2200 UTC.
Just two days later, entrants in this year's Ten-Ten International Winter
QSO Party will hope to make good use of favorable band conditions for
operators using SSB on February 4th and 5th. The nonprofit organization, the
Ten-Ten International Net, was created in 1962 to encourage activity on the
10m band and promote good operating practices.
(TEN-TEN INTERNATIONAL NET, NORDIC RADIO AMATEUR UNION)
**
KICKER: SQUIRRELING AWAY SOME GREAT QSOs
JIM/ANCHOR: We end this week's newscast with the story of a net that puts
squirrels on the air. Not flying squirrels on the air. These are radio
squirrels. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us about their chatter.
GRAHAM: As anyone who lives in Australia knows, there are no native
squirrels living here. Or.....are there? If you ask Linda GØYLM, a member of
the North West Fusion Group in the UK, she might insist there are - and for
good reason: She has had plenty of QSOs with them. Linda and her husband,
Ian, GØVGS, participate in the group's daily morning Squirrel Net, where
Linda is net control. The squirrels are all the hams who check in starting
at 0700 UTC from New Zealand, Australia, The Netherlands, Ireland, Sri Lanka
and even the United States.
Ian told Newsline that the net was inspired by early-morning walks the
couple would take in the local park in the early days of the pandemic.
Radios in hand, they would chat with friends as they strolled. Ian said:
[quote] "From time to time we would see a squirrel and mention it on the
air. This moved to logging the first squirrel sighted each morning, and the
Squirrel Net was born." [endquote]
Conversation topics vary from day to day and the chatter often gets as
lively as the group's furry little namesakes. Because hams are almost always
in danger of timing out, the award of the Golden Acorn is conferred
virtually on any ham who passes the conversation along just in time.
You can find the Squirrel Net in WIRES-X room 41755 and on the GB-NWFG
reflector, YSF 26499. As Ian told Newsline, everyone is welcome to join the
peanut gallery - even those elusive Australian squirrels.
This is Graham Kemp VK4BB.
(NORTH WEST FUSION GROUP)
**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Weekly; Ambarish Nag Biswas,
VU2JFA; the BBC; CQ magazine; David Behar K7DB; the 425 DX News; The Hindu
newspaper; Ian Maude, GØVGS; Jim Storms, AB8YK; North West Fusion Group;
shortwaveradio.de; 3YØJ (THREE WHY ZERO JAY) Website; Wireless Institute of
Australia; Winter Field Day Association; Worldwide Flora and Fauna; and you
our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our
listeners that Amateur Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit
organization that incurs expenses for its continued operation. If you wish
to support us, please visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we
appreciate you all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our
newscast, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. 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.
As always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.
73 de Bill, PY2BIL
PY2BIL@PY2BIL.SP.BRA.SOAM
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BBS: PY2BIL - Timed 20-jan-2023 08:07 E. South America Standard Time
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