Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2131 for Friday, August 31, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2131 for Friday, August 31, 2018 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/nsln2131.mp3


Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2131 with a release date of Friday, August 31, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams respond to a hurricane in Hawaii and an earthquake in Venezuela; the ARRL’s new president talks about “rebranding” the league – and Honduras expands its safety net with newly donated radios. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2131 comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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BREAKING NEWS: ARRESTS MADE IN DEATH OF CALIF. AMATEUR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with breaking news. As Newsline went to production, police in California released information about the death of amateur radio operator Henry Stange WA6RXZ and announced that they have charged two people with homicide. Henry's body was found on June 2 in a shallow grave in Joshua Tree National Park. An three-month investigation by the Murrieta Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff resulted in the arrests of Curtis Krueger, age 30, and Ashlie Stapp, age 27, on the 29th of August.
Further details about the killing were not immediately available.
Henry Stange, who lived in Murrieta, was 54 years old.
(MURRIETA POLICE DEPARTMENT)
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RADIO RESPONDS TO EMERGENCIES IN VENEZUELA AND HAWAII
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With the recent earthquake in Venezuela and hurricane in Hawaii, it’s been a challenging time for hams involved in emergency communications. We turn to Kevin Trotman N5PRE for this recap on Venezuela.
KEVIN: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake rocked the northern coast of Venezuela and parts of the Caribbean on August 21st and shock waves could be felt as far east as Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Grenada and as far west as Bogota, Colombia. The U.S. Coast and Geological Survey said because of its depth of nearly 77 miles the quake did not cause major damage or lead to any casualties in Caracas but buildings were evacuated nonetheless. Scattered power outages were reported. The YV5RNE National Emergency Network of the Radio Club Venezolano activated on 7.088 MHZ but officials later reported there was no loss of life and damage was limited. Although cellular communications and scattered outages had been reported, hams networks functioned well on HF, VHF and even EchoLink.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Hawaii, emergency amateur radio operations became active after Hurricane Lane stormed into the region. Hawaii ARES and the Salvation Army Emergency Radio Network were among those responding to keep communications open and WinLink was used for formal handling of messages. Although the storm dumped as much as 19 inches of rain on parts of Hawaii’s Big Island, the region was spared the worst of a direct hit and the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm by the 24th of August. At Newsline’s production time, residents and hams alike were keeping an eye out, however, for the next event on the horizon: Tropical Storm Miriam.
(IARU REGION 1)
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ARRL PRESIDENT SPEAKS AT WEST VIRGINIA CONVENTION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Should the ARRL rebrand itself to appeal to a new generation? The organization’s new president posed that possibility at a recent appearance in West Virginia. Jim Damron N8TMW was there.
JIM DAMRON: The 60th annual West Virginia State ARRL convention was held August 25th in Central West Virginia at the WVU Jackson’s Mill Conference Center near Weston. A highlight of the convention was an address by ARRL president Rick Roderick K5UR. In his 45-minute keynote speech to a capacity crowd, president Roderick asked:
RODERICK: Are we even relevant anymore as ham radio operators? Well, let’s see: We’re world communicators. We provide public service. We help in emergencies and disasters. We help save lives. We talk to the jungles of Africa...to the beaches of the South Pacific. We bounce signals off the moon. We talk to astronauts. We promote technology. We do positive things. So absolutely—we are relevant.
JIM: What about change in the hobby….?
RODERICK: We’ve got to accept change and we’ve got to adapt if we’re going to bridge that gap to that next generation. So the question that I have here that I have challenged my colleagues at ARRL with is this: is it time to rebrand ham radio? Maybe we need to rebrand the American Radio Relay League. That’s a pretty profound statement.
JIM: Roderick offered a closing challenge:
RODERICK: Well I think we ought to get out there and stir things up. That’s what I think we ought to do. I think you ought to go back and rejuvenate your club. Over the next year, get somebody into ham radio. The second thing I want you to do....I want you to help a ham that needs your help. And the third thing I want you to do is—if you’re not a member of the American Radio Relay League, you need to join today…because you know that whether you like us or not, we’re all you’ve got; ain’t nobody else in Washington DC helping us. I want you to ask yourself this question: don’t you think it’s time to give something back? Now I believe as a group, if we all did that we’ll make a difference in this hobby as we go forward. Be a champion of ham radio. Let’s work together and get it done. Thank you very much.
JIM: That was ARRL president Rick Roderick K5UR. Reporting from Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia for Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jim Damron N8TMW.
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OHIO QSO PARTY: PROGRESS DESPITE PROPAGATION
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: You can’t fight Mother Nature and so hams participating in this year’s Ohio QSO Party decided to go with the solar flow. Jack Parker W8ISH has those details.
JACK: Every QSO party has its highs and lows but for this year’s Ohio QSO Party on Saturday, August 25th that same description best fit the day’s propagation. The Mad River Amateur Radio Club, which sponsors the annual event, had big hopes despite the challenges. Event chairman Jim K8MR said the activity began with the customary poor summertime conditions – not unexpected for a low sunspot year. There were hopes that sporadic E skip might boost conditions but he said that never happened. Then thunderstorms hit northwest Ohio but as the day went on the storm swept out and QRN wasn’t reported to be too much of a major problem. Jim told Newsline that for the early part of the QSO party, the only contacts to be had on 15 and 10 meters were local. Then, in late afternoon, things picked up and by 6 p.m. 40 meters sprang to life. Short skip helped hams make contacts within the state and into some nearby states. By late evening – into the final hours of the QSO Party – hams were still calling QRZ when a geomagnetic storm hit, bringing the K index to 7 toward the end of the contest.
So how did everyone do?
Jim told Newsline that some of the top Ohio scores seem to have gone up a bit this year, and he suspects this is because less productive higher bands sent more radio operators to 80 meters where people in Ohio could work more Ohio county multipliers than usual. So in spite of it all, no one’s complaining. By Monday night, August 27th, the club had received 243 logs – on a par with last year.
Even if the propagation itself can’t be planned, the club is already organizing next year’s QSO Party, set for August 24.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jack Parker W8ISH.
(MAD RIVER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)
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IN CHICAGO, DX ASSOCIATION CONVENTION TIME DRAWS NEAR
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: September brings the convention of the Northern Illinois DX Association to Chicago and organizers have an ambitious schedule planned. Here’s Heather Embee KB3TZD.
HEATHER: There’s a full agenda awaiting hams at the 66th annual W9DXCC DX Convention and Banquet in suburban Chicago. The Northern Illinois DX Association has scheduled presentations on the Baker Island DXpedition, ham response to storm-damaged Puerto Rico, Kosovo’s long journey to become a DXCC entity and the attempted 3Y0Z DXpedition to Bouvet Island.
The convention will be held September 14th and 15th at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg Illinois. Registration is still open for a little longer.
DXpeditioner Bob Schenck N2OO, who is also president of the International DX Association and the DX editor for CQ Magazine, will deliver the keynote address at the banquet. Bob is also a CQ DX Hall of Famer.
For additional details or to register visit w9dxcc dot com (w9dxcc.com)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Heather Embee KB3TZD.
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the N8VAA repeater of the Potomac Highlands Amateur Radio Club in Moorefield West Virginia on Monday nights at 8 local time.
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RADIOS ARRIVE BY SPECIAL DELIVERY IN HONDURAS
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio emergency response is about to get a lot better in Honduras. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us about a special delivery that will help with preparations for the next disaster.
JIM MEACHEN: Radio equipment vital to emergency communications in Honduras has been donated by the International Telecommunication Union as part of its project to improve radio response in South America during times of crisis. The delivery was made on August 22nd and given to COPECO, the commission in Honduras that coordinates public and private disaster response. The radios had been received first by the National Telecommunications Commission of Honduras.
Officials said that high priority would be given to use of WinLink with amateur radio. The National Commission Minister for COPECO, Lisandro Rosales, said that radio communications had grown even stronger recently in the nation and that 95 percent of its territory has emergency radio access. The minister said that the new radios would not just be for aid after disaster but to give early warnings of imminent danger and then assist in any reconstruction efforts that follow.
The equipment donation is part of an agreement to provide additional training in emergency response with involvement by Honduran radio amateurs.
Omar Paredes, HR1OP, secretary of the radio club in Honduras known as CRACH, said that the added use of HF will be critical for first responders especially when digital communications failures and power outages occur.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(WIRELESS INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA)
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DIGITAL RADIO RALLIES FOR EMERGENCY COMMS IN COLORADO
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In Colorado, another type of radio is being deployed to assist with emergency response. These are digital radios that will also be used for public service events. Here's Andy Morrison K9AWM with more.
ANDY: A partnership between Rio Blanco County, the sheriff’s office, the State of Colorado AuxComm Division and a Rocky Mountain Ham Radio club has led to the installation of amateur radio equipment that is available for use in public service communications in northwest Colorado. The new radio installation was reported in the Herald Times newspaper, which said the digital radios will also be installed by the ham club at radio towers for use during this year’s Rally America automobile performance event. The installation is the result of discussion that began more than two years ago between Sheriff Anthony Mazzola and the Auxiliary Communications division of the state about that year’s Rally America being held in Rangely. These rallies often rely on hams for operations and emergency communications during the event but at the time those formative discussions were taking place there were no towers near the site.
The next step is to grow the number of interested and qualified operators. At a meeting scheduled for September 15th in Rangely, hams – and anyone interested in becoming a ham – are invited to hear how the radios can also support the community during emergencies. The meeting will be led by Russell Granger W0CDE, regional Amateur Radio Emergency Service section chief.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Andy Morrison K9AWM
(THE HERALD TIMES)
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TWO MORE WAYS TO CONTACT K2BSA
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Radio Scouting is back on the air in the week ahead and counting the weeks until Jamboree on the Air. Bill Stearns NE4RD brings us the latest update.
BILL: This week in Radio Scouting we have two activations of the K2BSA call sign, two activations from Scout Camps on the Air, and we're just a month and half away from Jamboree on the Air!
Frederick Donkin, KA7MMM, will be activating K2BSA/7 from the Centennial Jamboral at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park in South Jordan, Utah on September 14th and 15th. It was in 1918 when the first Boy Scout Council was created in the Salt Lake Valley and the Great Salt Lake Council is celebrating a century of honor at this camp.
Gregory Pioppi, KB2ANG, will be activating K2BSA/3 from a Merit Badge Weekend at Braden Air Park in Easton, Pennsylvania on September 21st through the 23rd. Again this year, Troop 41 and Crew 41 of the Minsi Trails Council along with the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 70 and the Lehigh & Northampton Airport Authority will be hosting the fun and exciting Aviation Merit Badge Weekend held at Branden Air Park. Scouts will not only get to earn the Aviation Merit Badge but also get an opportunity to get some actual "stick-time” with one of the EAA Chapters. Seventy members and their aircraft as they get a fly-over of the Lehigh and Delaware Valleys. As part of the event an amateur radio station is set up at the airport by KB2ANG and his crew, as an introduction to Ham Radio and how the two subjects can complement each other.
Thomas Barker, WA1HRH, will be activating a special event call sign W1M from the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell, Massachusetts on September 22nd. This will be an outdoor adventure weekend that is open to scouts and the public. A special QSL card is available for a 4x6 stamped self-addressed envelope. Operators will be updating their Facebook pages with details of the operation throughout the day.
David M Hinkley, KA0SOG, will be activating W0HRB from the H Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Iconium, Missouri on September 22nd. This will be a Webelos Weekend focused on STEM activities being held at the local council’s summer camp. Please stop by if you can help the kids learn about amateur radio
Jamboree on the Air is just a short month and half away. Hopefully all your plans have been solidified and you have successfully registered your station over on the JOTAJOTI website or through our shortcut of jota2018.k2bsa.net. Six-hundred twenty-eight stations from all over world are currently registered, with only 104 stations located in the United States. The registration process has been greatly simplified, so please head over and announce your plans by registering there today.
For more information on JOTA or Radio Scouting, please visit our website at k2bsa.net.
For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
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KICKER: SMALL RESCUE, BIG HEART
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our last story is another tale of a ham's involvement in a rescue operation - but this one was very different, as we hear from Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT.
CARYN: On a recent broadcast of “To Tell the Truth,” an American TV quiz show, Rick Gruber KD7NHM of Phoenix, Arizona told the truth – and a story. It’s the story of a very special rescue that happened four years ago when he spotted a drowning victim in a swimming pool he had come to repair. At first there was frantic struggling and splashing...but then it stopped.
RICK: I walked over to him and I could see he had no movement at all. So I reached over with a pipe and pulled him closer to the edge of the pool. I brought him out and laid him on the ground and thought: “The poor guy. It hasn’t been that long, it’s only been about a minute or so, I wonder if I could give him CPR.”
CARYN: Rick had saved a tiny ground squirrel – now limp and unconscious. Draping him over a PVC pipe, Rick put his CPR and first aid training to use – and began capturing it on video.
RICK: I just started doing some compressions on the side of his ribs with my fingers and eventually after 30 or 40 seconds or so I saw a little bit of water come out of his mouth and he spit it up, almost hiccupped, and so I kept doing and I thought “wow it is actually working on him.”
CARYN: As the squirrel came to, Rick stayed by his side.
RICK: I tried to talk to him real nice and comfort him and keep him as calm as I could to show him I wasn’t a threat to him until he was fully recovered.
CARYN: An hour later, the squirrel had revived completely and scampered off. Once the video hit YouTube, this selfless act went viral, grabbing the attention of CNN, the Steve Harvey Show in Chicago and even a morning news show in Australia. This year, it landed Rick on TV’s “To Tell the Truth” on August 12. Meanwhile, Rick has been receiving hundreds and hundreds of emails thanking him for his life-saving kindness.
So what does this have to do with amateur radio? Well…..nothing, really – except that Rick has been a ham since 2001 and enjoys 2 meters, DMR, DXing and climbing the local mountaintops to call QRZ. Ah, and thanks to that little squirrel, he’s now got some company on those outdoor trips:
RICK: “One of the best things to come out of that squirrel video is that’s how I met my wife.”
CARYN: A woman in England, moved by the video, became his Facebook friend, then his real-life friend and eventually – his life partner. Her father, it turns out, had been a ham radio operator too.

The squirrel, however, did score an award for most QSLs, says Rick.
RICK: “I’ve made more QSOs from Facebook and from people messaging me from around the world on Facebook because of the squirrel video than any QSOs I’ve ever had on ham radio.”
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT.
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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the Herald Times; IARU Region 1; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA; the Mad River Radio Club; Northern Illinois DX Association; 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 Stephen Kinford N8WB in Wadsworth Ohio saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
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