Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2017, June 24, 2016 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2017 with a release date of Friday, June 24, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. New Mexico ARES teams respond to deadly wildfires. There's upheaval inside the ARRL's National Traffic System. Some DXing friends prepare to take a big step. And it looks like the North Korea activation is about to happen! All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2017 coming your way right now. HAMS FACE NEW MEXICO WILDFIRE CHALLENGES JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's report with the deadly New Mexico wildfires which spurred evacuations and prompted activation of local Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers. The fires also put a number of Field Day operating sites at risk. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA, has that story. BOBBY: The Dog Head fire that began its deadly sweep on Tuesday, June 14, through more than 16,000 acres northwest of Tajigue, New Mexico, was still only marginally contained by the start of the week beginning Monday, June 20. As evacuation centers for both people and their pets were established in Bernalillo and Torrance counties, nearly 1,000 New Mexico responders stepped in - and New Mexico ARES members were among them. ARES teams were activated in Valencia and Torrance counties, with Sandoval County ARES placed on standby. The main emergency channels being used for Dog Head Fire responders have been the Capilla Peak 146.96 repeater and the Tapia Mesa 147.06 repeater. New Mexico Section Emergency Coordinator Bill Mader, K8TE told the ARRL that the repeater coverage was likely sufficient for communications needs in this emergency. Meanwhile, the fire continued its deadly progression as blasting record heat pressed down upon states in the desert southwest region. Fire officials said efforts to contain the wildfires were being complicated by the excessive temperatures. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA. JIM/ANCHOR: At press time, at least one Field Day site, to be operated by the Albuquerque DX Association W5UR group, had to be relocated, as others assessed their own situations. Officials said the cause of the fire was still under investigation as of Wednesday, June 22. HONORS AND UPHEAVAL IN THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM JIM/ANCHOR: Major upheaval has shaken the ARRL's National Traffic System, just a day after a key ARRL committee praised the NTS for its valued public service contribution. The league's executive committee has removed the system's Eastern Area Chair, Joe Ames, W3JY, who has also been relieved of his position as Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager. His ousting became effective immediately. According to the ARRL website, the executive committee determined that Ames acted on behalf of the NTS and ARRL without authority to do so, and had made commitments to FEMA, violating ARRL Field Organization rules and regulations which state that NTS communication with FEMA should happen only through authorized ARRL representatives. Ames' removal was announced barely 24 hours after the league's Programs and Services Committee asked the ARRL board to recognize the NTS for its public service role, calling its members QUOTE "the lifeblood of this important ARRL program." ENDQUOTE FRIENDS GO THE DISTANCE IN SEYCHELLES JIM/ANCHOR: What's better than starting out as a DXpeditioner? Doing it with friends! Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO, tells us about one group that's going the distance. PAUL'S REPORT: They're just a group of friends who like two main things: adventure and ham radio. And from July 1st through the 10th, they're going to combine both of them as they venture to the Seychelles to mount an expedition. I spoke with Martin Wennergren, A65DC, about their plan. MARTIN: I haven't been there before. I guess the reason why we are chosing the Seychelles is that -- as it says on the web we are a small group of hams from the United Arab Emirates and we want to do cooler and greater and bigger DXpeditions in the future. But we need to start somewhere. We are all kids in the beginning. So I guess the choice, we were playing around with Bhutan and Vietnam and some other places that might actually be slightly higher up on the list of wanted countries but the Seychelles came naturally. It's easy to get to from Dubai. PAUL: Wennergren spoke briefly about their radio setup. MARTIN: We have two stations running and one backup station with us that we hope we are not going to use. But two TS-590s are going to be operating all the time we hope. PAUL: He said that the best way to keep up with them and to see if you got in the log is to watch their website, A6DX.com MARTIN: Yeah absolutely. We will try to have the current operating frequencies, we will try to communicate what we are looking for. We will have kind of short windows into North America so we are going to communicate on our website where our antennas are headed at the moment and what we are looking for, for shorter periods of time. PAUL: So listen in and add a new island to your collection -- and keep an eye on this group of hams. They've got big plans for the future! For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. *** SCOUTS ARE OUT AND ABOUT JIM/ANCHOR: Once again, the young hams operating as K2BSA are on the move. Newsline's Bill Stearns, NE4RD, brings us this Radio Scouting update. BILL: This week in Radio Scouting, we have 5 activations of the K2BSA callsign in MI, MO, NM, OH, and VA, as well as a father and his son activating their camp QRP. Our portable zero station is still active at Camp Geiger in St. Joseph MO and will continue to be through July 22nd. Our portable five station at the Philmont Scout Ranch continues as well in NM through September 1st. Fred Stieg, KT6K, will be the control operator for the portable 6 station at the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network's Field Day setup in Yucaipa, CA. Fred will be operating the GOTA station with scouts from the Arrowhead and Greyback districts. Edward Evans, WV8ED, will be the control operator for the portable 4 station at Camp Powhatan in Haiwasee, VA from June 27th through June 30th. Ed will be running a solar powered HF station on 10 through 40 meters as conditions allow. Richard Zarczynski, AC8FJ, will be the control operator for the portable 8 station at Camp D-Bar-A Scout Ranch in Metamora, MI from June 26th through July 2nd. Richard will be offering a first time radio merit badge course at this very successful Trail to Eagle program. Jeremy Adler, KG6YFT, will be attending summer camp with his son, Jacob Adler KK6MYW, at Camp Chawanakee in Shaver Lake, CA from June 26th through July 2nd. Jeremy and Jacob will be getting scouts on the air in the afternoons with their portable QRP station. Please help support this activity, and others involving youth in amateur radio, by working and spotting them on the air and online. For more information on K2BSA and radio scouting, please visit http://www.k2bsa.net/. For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns NE4RD. ** RACING FOR A BENEFIT NEAR BOSTON JIM/ANCHOR: On Independence weekend, the New England Patriots won't have an MVP at Gillette Stadium....but a group of hams might. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. NEIL: Seats at a stadium's 50-yard line are often coveted spots because they offer the best view of the action. But there's another reason for all eyes to be on the 50 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts this coming Independence Day weekend. The kickoff on July 3 will be a benefit run for One Mission, the pediatric cancer foundation based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Both a 5K and a 10K event will step off that evening, with the 50-yard line as the finish line. Hams are needed to get in the running -- not to race but to bring their HTs and monitor runners' safety as the athletes tackle both the football field and the various ramps throughout the stadium itself. If you've got a dual-band HT and a few hours to spare the evening of July 3, consider helping out between 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. To sign up, contact Brett Smith of the Boston Amateur Radio Club at pubserv@brettcsmith.org or phone him on 859-466-5915. Once the event is over, there'll be a fireworks display at 9 p.m., just right for celebrating our nation's freedom -- and perhaps one day too, freedom from childhood cancers. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. (FINISH AT THE FIFTY.COM, DAVID WOLFE KG1H) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Triangle Repeater Association's WB5ITT repeater in Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange, Texas on Monday nights at 7:30 central time. *** THE MOST WANTED DX MOVES FORWARD JIM/ANCHOR: If you're still hoping to work that prized DX in North Korea, you may get your chance at last. Newsline's Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, has more. JASON: The latest news reports are saying that the North Korean government has given approval for Dom, 3Z9DX, to return for his long-anticipated operation from the world's most-wanted DX spot. The Polish DXer has apparently been authorized to operate from P5 for as many as five days. Though there are not many details yet, he will apparently be working single sideband only, possibly 20, 15 or 10 meters. Dom had surprised the amateur world last December with an unannounced activation from North Korea on the 20th and 21st of December, working mostly on 15 meters. He made 780 contacts during that operation, which was a demonstration for the North Korean officials. He had hoped to return in midwinter for a more formal, planned activation but that did not happen. And now, apparently, that is about to change. More details as we learn them. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW. (SOUTHGATE) JIM/ANCHOR: Please note too: Dom's activation will be permitted on one band only, and at short notice. ** KOSOVO HAMS ARE UP TO THE CHALLENGE JIM/ANCHOR: For a long time, hams in Kosovo had their eyes on membership in the International Amateur Radio Union. Now they've got their eyes on the prize. Newsline's John Williams, VK4JJW, tells us what's next. JOHN'S REPORT: Admitted just this past December into the International Amateur Radio Union, the Amateur Radio Society of Kosovo is busy preparing for its first IARU HF Championship event. Station Z60A will be jumping into the mix from its home station in the capital city of Pristina between 6 July and 11 July. Callsign Z60A represents a new HQ multiplier in the international event. In going for the big score, the Kosovo operators will have plenty of help from a team of visiting hams, including Kim Ostman, OH6KZP, who will be in town to lecture at the local university on RF microelectronics circuit development. The competitors plan to make use of equipment donated by Force-12 and the Chiltern UK DX Foundation: a Force-12 XR6 beam antenna with a Yaesu G1000DXC rotator mounted high atop the university building. The Kosovo radio society, or SHRAK, is based on the campus of the Technical University of Pristina where most of the SHRAK members are also located. For these championship newcomers, however, this exercise promises to be anything but academic. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW. (IARU REGION 1) ** THE WORLD OF DX In other DX operations, be listening for Vladimir/RV1CC and Mike/UA1QV who are active as RV1CC/P and UA1QV/P, respectively from Kashin Island until June 27th, They will be on 40 meters through 15 meters, also making use of the Russian St. Petersburg University club callsign -- RC1M/p. QSL via their home call signs. You have until June 29 to catch Dave/W9DR and Tom/W9AEB as FJ/W9DR and FJ/W9AEB operating from Saint Barthelemy Island. Be listening for Dave as FJ/W9DR on 6 meters only, doing CW/SSB with a 6m Beacon. Tom is working as FJ/W9AEB on 40 through 10 meters CW/SSB. QSL via their home callsigns. Martin, DL5RMH, is working holiday style through June 25th as LA/DL5RMH from Lofoten Island. Listen for him on various HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW. (OHIO PENN DX BULLETIN) ** KICKER: MEN'S SHEDS HAVE THEIR WATERSHED MOMENT JIM/ANCHOR: And finally, this week's newscast closes with a story about men's sheds in the UK. They're not exactly garden sheds, but they are definitely places for cultivating something important. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY'S REPORT: Most everyone has heard of a ham shack. But how about a ham SHED? While not unheard-of, it's not exactly commonplace either -- at least not yet. One ham in Scotland, David Searle, GM8WNY, is hoping to change all that. The shed movement itself, which has evolved over the years in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, typically concerns itself with groups who gather to share information about woodworking, metalworking, gardening and engineering. David, whose New Zealand call sign had been ZL3DWS, and in Australia, VK2DWS, was a part of the movement, even starting a shed of his own in New Zealand, with a diverse group ranging in age of 5 to 83. When he and his wife relocated a few years ago to her native Scotland, David decided to keep the movement going. He's now trying to assemble a project called Electronics in Men's Sheds. He wants to see amateur radio and electronics get more of a foothold under the roof of sheds such as those in the UK. These nonprofit sheds resemble gardening sheds but are somewhat larger. What David hopes will grow and flourish inside them is the kind of innovation and enthusiasm that has kept amateur radio buoyant. David not only wants to find like-minded hams - or electronics enthusiasts - but individuals who have some of the electronic components or hand tools to help everyone get their projects started. He asks that interested amateurs contact him by email at mensshedelectronics@gmail.com Typically these sheds are the domain of older men, but in some locales they are actually not limited by age or gender. Taking what he calls "small steps" for now, David is counting on enthusiastic amateurs to provide the spark for this small project to grow among older men. David told Amateur Radio Newsline, in an email, he considers it QUOTE "a sort of skills transfer. It might even create new hams and more voices on the bands one day. I do hope so!" ENDQUOTE The goal is, after all, to build not just a knowledge base but a community. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the UK. (SOUTHGATE, UK MEN'S SHEDS ASSOCIATION, DAVID SEARLE, GM8WNY) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Accuweather; Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; David Wolfe, KG1H; David Searle, GM8WNY; Facebook; Finish at the Fifty.com; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; KOB-TV, NBC-TV; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; UK Men's Sheds Association, 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 located at www.arnewsline.org. And a final reminder: June 30th is a few days away. That's it: our deadline to nominate candidates for the Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year Award is here. Please visit our website at arnewsline.org and click on the tab that says "Y-H-O-T-Y" for information and an application. Remember to mail your applications to the New York address printed on the application. And may the best Young Ham win. 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 2016. All rights reserved. Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2017, June 24, 2016 - AUDIO http://www.arnewsline.org/storage/audio/2016/Report2017.mp3
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2017, June 24, 2016 - AUDIO http://www.arnewsline.org/storage/audio/2016/Report2017.mp3
Shouldn't make fun of any QTH, but this Monty Python skit comes to mind. I hope everyone takes it as just gentle humor.
Until I was stationed at White Sands Missile Range, NM, I would have pronounced Capilla the way WX4ALA did. Capilla is pronounced as Capia and Bernalillo is pronounced as Bernalio. I didn't start it but that is the way these places are pronounced as they are in this area. 73, Larry WB8LBZ in El Paso, TX
