Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2081 for Friday, September 15, 2017 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2081.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2081 with a release date of Friday, September 15, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams help after Hurricane Irma sweeps through Florida. Two New York amateurs operate an on-air tribute station to 9/11. And a partnership between India and Russia gives rise to a new satellite. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2081 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** NEIL/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes to sweep through the Atlantic region. Kent Peterson KC0DGY spoke with one of the amateur radio coordinators providing assistance in hard-hit Florida. STEVE: My city manager was at one of our city staff meetings and we've been through a lot of these and he looked over to me and said, "You don't like this storm" and I said, "No I don't." KENT: Irma was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the state of Florida. Steve Szabo WB4OMM is the North Florida section manager for the ARRL. STEVE: Right now I'm waiting for the state of Florida EOC state CERT to send me amateur radio requests for deployment in the field. We will be soliciting ham radio operators nationwide, anyone who wants to volunteer and help. They will need to sign up at our volunteer website and when they register as we have deployments that are as requested, we will send information out to folks. Basically they are deployments to public safety command centers. We're looking for amateur radio operators with dual band HTs, spare batteries and chargers and obviously they need to be self-contained for several days. They will provide shower and sleeping facilities in most cases, but generally we're looking for HTs and outboard antenna something that will increase the range to provide communications capabilities to shelters and hospitals and the like. KENT The website to sign up to volunteer is VOLUNTEER FLORIDA DOT ORG that's all one word, volunteerflorida.org STEVE: It looks like most of the Florida Keys will have the greatest need in the state as well as the Naples area and maybe some in the center of the state KENT Szabo says an emergency coordination plan can most effectively address needs STEVE The biggest request I can make as all of us got together years back we all have a common operating plan down here. A lot of well wishers are sending information down but please don't be offended if we don't acknowledge you.Do not self deploy. Once agencies in the center of the state are coordinated, they can supply resources where they're best needed. We are looking at unmet needs and not unmet wants. KENT Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY. ** HAMS HELP WHIDBEY ISLAND WITH EMERGENCY PREP NEIL/ANCHOR: As this year's weather events have demonstrated, you can never be too prepared. Hams on tiny Whidbey (Wid-BEE) Island in Washington State helped local residents understand the extra value of radio at critical times. Here's Kevin Trotman N5PRE with those details. KEVIN'S REPORT: WIth an earthquake in Mexico, wildfires in the pacific NorthWest and hurricane season plaguing the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf regions, emergencies are everywhere. So it was good timing when hams in tiny Whidbey Island in Washington State demonstrated the value of disaster preparedness recently. The hams were part of a Safety and Emergency Prep Fair held in Island County, where attendees were reminded that living on an island further complicates any difficult scenario. The fair was organized by Puget Sound Energy and it showcased various government departments and other offices that help with preparedness as well as response to serious weather events that take down power lines and have other consequences. Vince Bond K7NA, public information officer of the Island County Amateur Radio Club and Dave Fish W7DAF, explained the various ways that hams keep people connected when conventional communications go out. Organizers stressed that residents should prepare for events, such as an earthquake or tsunami, that could leave them stranded - something that's on everybody's minds a whole lot more these days. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE. (THE SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD) ** REMEMBERING 9/11's LOST and FIRST RESPONDERS NEIL/ANCHOR: Who can forget the image of New York City's Twin Towers or the ravaged Pentagon building in Washington, D.C.? These buildings, and the plane wreckage in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, are forever symbols of September 11 2001. In New York City, two amateurs remembered as well, with a special event station. Here's more from Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT. CARYN's REPORT: Jim WA2DNI and his friend Andy KC2GOW aren't likely to forget Sept. 11, 2001. The retired New York City police officer and the paramedic were among those who worked side by side in the months following the nightmare attack on the Twin Towers that killed nearly three thousand and reduced the landscape to a heap of ash. The friends teamed up again this month to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 by operating Special Event Station WA2NYC. I asked Jim about this year's response. JIM: It's a lot of thanks for working the station, for remembering what happened here 16 years ago. Actually when the QSL cards come in, we get some very nice letters from people writing stuff on the back of the QSL cards thanking us for operating the station from last year. CARYN: Jim said that despite solar flares and poor band conditions, he and Andy logged more than 900 contacts in all from their two Staten Island locations, many from hams with 9/11 memories of their own. JIM: I've spoken to a couple of first responders who were actually down there at that time at the Trade Center. A lot of the guys from FEMA, I cannot remember their calls off hand. One of the FEMA guys said he was down there and I said 'We probably crossed paths at some time when I was down there.' There's quite a few first responders who are actually involved in amateur radio and you may cross paths with somebody and you might not even know it. Then you talk to them three or four years later and say 'Yeah, we were down there at the Trade Center, and you hold a little bit of a conversation - but with the pileups you want to work as many people as you can, so many times it's a quick 5-9, thanks for working the station and you move on to the next person. CARYN: Regardless, said Jim, the response this year, as in previous years, makes the friends' effort something that won't be forgotten. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT in New York. ** DEADLINE FOR CANADA'S HAM OF THE YEAR NEIL: If you are in Canada, there is still time - but not much time - left to nominate the RAC Radio Amateur of the Year." This is an honor conferred by Radio Amateurs of Canada recognizing outstanding work and contributions to the amateur community. Deadline is September 29th to submit nominations and supporting documents to the RAC Corporate Secretary at RAC headquarters. Candidates should show a consistent record of contributions to benefit amateur radio in the last year or consistently over a period of several years. The winner will be selected by a majority vote by the board of directors and notified by mail. A formal presentation of an award plaque will follow sometime later. (RADIO AMATEURS OF CANADA) ** NATIVE AMERICAN AMATEURS ON THE AIR NEIL/ANCHOR: Be listening for Special Event Station W7NTV on September 18th through 22nd. The National Tribal Amateur Radio Association, which promotes the use of ham radio on American tribal lands, will be calling QRZ on 20 and 40 meters from the National Tribal Emergency Management Conference in Leemore, California. This is a good time to connect with American Indian amateurs and to support their work. The association held its first special event station last year, making more than 300 contacts over the course of 5 days. For details about this year's event, visit the QRZ page for W7NTV. ** BREAK HERE Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the Condor Connection network of linked repeaters in California, Arizona and Nevada on Monday nights at 1900 Pacific Time. ** STUDENT-BUILT CUBESAT UNITES INDIA, RUSSIA NEIL/ANCHOR: The diplomatic relationship between Russia and India is about to reach new heights: a team of youngsters from both nations is building a satellite. Jeremy Boot G4NJH has the details. JEREMY'S REPORT: Twenty students from the Moscow Aviation Institute have teamed up with nine youngsters from various cities in India to create a communications satellite that will be taken to the International Space Station next month for launch by a cosmonaut. Known as the 1-U CubeSat Iskra-5, the satellite - which will weigh less than a kilogram - will be sent into orbit shortly after arrival during a spacewalk. The young team of satellite builders was created through the program known as Space Kidz India. The technical work has been going on at the Moscow Aviation Institute, where the Iskra series of satellites has a long history - amateur radio operators and students have been collaborating on such satellites at the institute since the 1980s. According to Space Kidz India, the outer cube of the satellite was designed by the Indian students while the Russian youngsters concentrated on the subsystems. The satellite is designed to provide amateur radio communications including SSTV and it will operate for a period of three to five months after its launch. A ground station in Russia will keep track of all relevant data while it is orbiting. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE, TIMES OF INDIA) ** SATELLITES AS GUARDIANS OF THE MILITARY NEIL/ANCHOR: Communications satellites of a different kind play a very important role in the usefulness of a new device created in Australia. For that report we hear from Graham Kemp VK4BB. GRAHAM's REPORT: Most of us know what a beacon can do for amateur radio but a new device to be worn by members of the military give beacon operation a bit more of an urgent role. Its creators are calling it "The Fight Recorder" and it's to be worn by soldiers in combat, enabling low-earth-orbit satellites to pinpoint casualties when they occur. In addition to its geolocation function, the Fight Recorder will also collect data useful in reconstructing whatever encounter may have preceded the casualty. The device is the result of a partnership between Australia's Ministry for Defence Industry and two companies. Myriota, an Adelaide telecommunications company, is teaming up with IMeasureU an Auckland, New Zealand company that deals in wearable technology. The Fight Recorder�bringing �dustoff' to a great new height! For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. ** K2BSA ACTIVATING 2 STATIONS NEIL/ANCHOR: Scouting's Jamboree on the Air is coming soon but until then, we have 2 more busy stations activating the K2BSA callsign, as we hear from Bill Stearns NE4RD. BILL'S REPORT: This week in radio scouting we have two activations of the K2BSA callsign, one activation from Scout Camps on the Air, and we're five weeks out from Jamboree on the Air! David Hinkley, KA0SOG, will be activating K2BSA/0 from the Kansas City Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, from September 22nd through the 25th. This councilwide weekend jamboree hosts around 14,000 Scouts and Scouters where they will participate in many activities include the STEM area where an extensive Amateur Radio setup will be offering different HF, VHF, and UHF operating modes for the Scouts to experience. They will also have an ARISS contact with the International Space Station, where a few lucky boys will get to ask questions with an astronaut. Gregory Pioppi, KB2ANG, will be activating K2BSA/3 from Braden Airpark N43 in Easton, Pennsylvania, from September 29th through October 1st. This is a great opportunity for Scouts to get their Aviation MB, but also a great time to get on the air. Gregory's team started this two years ago in order to offer Scouts an activity while they wait for their flights. They setup an HF and VHF station and provide a little introduction before getting Scouts on the air. Terry Gampper, N0BXQ, will be activating KN0BSA from Camp Wakonda in Bellevue, NE, on September 23rd. This is a Webelows cub scout event and will be operating on the JOTA frequencies. Speaking of Jamboree on the Air, we are only 5 weeks away from the largest Scouting activity in the World. This is 60th anniversary of the event this year where over 1 million Scouts participate across 150 plus countries. This is the month that you finalize your activation plans by having your participant certificates and logs printed out, prepare and print QSL cards, finalize your roster and donations, and if you haven't registered your station, you need to do that now. If you want to reserve the K2BSA callsign for your activity, now is also the time to do that. We have a few call areas left! For more information on K2BSA and radio scouting, please visit our website at www.k2bsa.net. For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Association, this is Bill Stearns, NE4RD ** KENTUCKY CANOE CHALLENGE NEEDS HAMS' SUPPORT NEIL/ANCHOR: If you're in or near Kentucky and like being by the water, you and your HT might play a useful role in this event. Jack Prindle AB4WS of Amateur News Weekly shares this report with us. JACK's REPORT: Ham radio operators are needed on Saturday September 23 for the Cumberland River Challenge canoe and kayak race which is an annual event hosted by Union College, U-Canoe and Barbourville Tourism. The race consists of 15 miles of river, ranging from calm water to beginning level rapids. The race starts on the Knox County line bordering Bell County and finishes in Knox County at the Thompson RV Park. Annual bragging rights and awards are presnted at the end of the race. Ham radio operators are needed to help with event communiations. If you are interested contact KM4VHI@arrl.net. Covering your amateur radio news in the greater Cincinnati area and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for Amateur News Weekly, this is Jack Prindle AB4WS in Big Bone, Kentucky. NEIL/ANCHOR: For more news of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state area, visit the website amateurnewsweekly.com (AMATEUR NEWS WEEKLY) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, be listening for David G4NRT operating as Z21NRT in Zimbabwe until September 29th. He'll be on 80 through 6 meters SSB, CW and Digital. QSLs can go to his home call. You can work E6AG through the 25th of September. The operator is VK5GR and he is on the island of Niue. He will be operating holiday style. QSLs go via Club Log OQRS to M0OXO. Be listening for JW/OM6TC from Longyearbyen, Svalbard through September 20th. QSLs go to to his home call. Three Russian amateurs are operating as A25BI, A25SP and A25BE in northeastern Botswana through the 25th of September. Listen for them on 160 through 6 meters using CW and SSB. In Mauritania, a group of Czech operators will operate as 5T5OK until the 28th of September. Be listening for them on SSB, CW and RTTY. Send QSLs to OK6DJ. The group will upload logs to Logbook of The World. (IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTER SOCIETY) ** KICKER: HAM'S LOW-KEY, LOW-POWER POLITICAL CAMPAIGN NEIL: Finally, we have this story of one amateur radio operator who's running for office in a political campaign that could well be described as QRP. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF tells us more. JIM: As a licensed radio amateur in New Zealand, Basil Lawrence ZL2LBJ, knows how to communicate. So when he announced he was running in this month's parliamentary election, he stated clearly what he wanted to do: give the average person a choice different to that offered by the big party candidates. According to local media reports, Basil hasn't bothered with billboards, mailings or newspaper ads for this campaign. In fact, he doesn't even have much of a budget. He is, however, a ham and as every amateur knows, there's nothing like a good ragchew. So he's been bolstering his campaign with eyeball QSOs - by chatting with friends and neighbors and speaking at local candidates' meetings. It's not all that optimistic for him winning a seat in Parliament but at least he can count on a 5 and 9 wherever he takes his campaign. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF. (FAIRFAX MEDIA DIGITAL) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Fairfax Media Digital; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; Ohio Penn DX Bulletin; Radio Amateurs of Canada; South Whidbey Record; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; 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. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.
