Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2120 for Friday, June 15, 2018 Audio - https://www.arnewsline.org/s/Report2120.mp3 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2120 with a release date of Friday, June 15, 2018, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Australian amateurs catch Field Day fever; YLs prep for their big convention this summer - and a radio amateur gets a government post in Spain. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2120 comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** AUSTRALIA HAS FIELD DAY FEVER JIM/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast with the question: do you have Field Day fever yet? If you're hearing this report in Australia, a fair distance from the ARRL event of the same name, the answer is probably yes. Graham Kemp VK4BB explains. GRAHAM: Don't look now but we're barely a week away from Field Day - no, not the summer contest going on in that other hemisphere. Here in Australia it's a winter event known as VHF-UHF Field Day and hams are gearing up for it on the 23rd and 24th of June. The competition promotes amateur operation on VHF and microwave bands as well as portable operation - or, as the Wireless Institute of Australia puts it - "head for the hills." Hams can even move from location to location throughout the contest. The 24-hour operation does not exclude home stations, either - they simply have their own section for competition. Field Day does preclude operation making use of satellites or repeaters: Work it simplex or not at all. Although the first VHF-UHF Field Day was a test undertaken in January of 1989, Winter VHF-UHF Field Day came along much later. This year it marks its tenth year. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB. ** YOUNG LADIES' RADIO LEAGUE PREPS FOR CONVENTION JIM/ANCHOR: With all our recent reports of Dayton Hamvention and Friedrichshafen behind us, we take a look now at big plans being made by an amateur radio group in which YLs help YLs. To tell us more, here's Paul Braun WD9GCO. PAUL: Hamfest and convention season is upon us once again. I think it's safe to say that most hams enjoy a good gathering of the tribe so they can catch up with old friends, meet new ones, enjoy some food and prowl through the swap meet looking for that one special piece of stuff that they can't live without. Most ham radio gatherings, however, tend to be, well, guy-heavy. There is one, however, that is specifically for women hams to learn from and to help other women hams and that is August 2018 meeting of the YLRL. I spoke with Michelle Carey, W5MQC about the organization: CAREY: The YLRL is the Young Ladies' Radio League. The club has actually been around since 1939. It started with an ad in QST Magazine where one YL was looking for "where are all the other YL's?" The response to that ad was twelve ladies and that's what they're calling the "Founding Mothers." PAUL: Carey said that the group holds a convention every three to four years at various locations around the country. According to Carey, the last one was in Washington state, and before that Ohio and Alabama and this year it's going to be in Oklahoma. CAREY: The convention is going to take place at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. At the convention we're going to have some really incredible speakers. We're going to have Ria, N2RJ - she's going to talk to us all about digital modes, Andrea Slack, K2EZ is going to get us all rovering - you know, she's one of the top rovers. Our banquet keynote speaker is Nancy Hall, KC4IYD, a research scientist with NASA and she's the district representative for District 8 of the YLRL. Carol Milazzo, KP4MD, she's going to get us all ready to go on a remote vacation with her DXPedition. We're also going to have some Elmira-ing sessions where we can all get together and help each other so whether it's Echolink, setting up your first HF rig, logging your contacts, DMR, FT8, how do you program your radio, we're going to have some testing sessions and we're all going to have a little fun. PAUL: Carey said that men can attend the convention, but that they must accompany a licensed woman. She said that the focus is primarily on YLs. So, if this all sounds fun to you, please check out the convention's website at triple-w Y-L-R-L_convention dot org. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO. ** A SPORTING WAY TO SCORE AT THE WRTC JIM/ANCHOR: The radio athletes are ready for the big World Radiosport Team Championship taking place July 12 through 16. So how is everyone going to know the score? Ed Durrant DD5LP explains. ED: How's the competition going? Who is ahead? Where is a particular team? Answers to these questions interest competitors and spectators alike, in every sport - including radio sports. It's about speed not only in the operators at the WRTC stations but also with results reporting. On-line presentation of the current scores requires a lot of technical effort behind the scenes! Ben Büttner, DL6RAI, who leads the responsible IT team at WRTC 2018, says: "We want to make sure that from all the competition locations, the on-going results in minute intervals are available on a scoreboard similar to a Football league table and at the same on the Internet published on www.wrtc2018.de. "In order for this to work, special attention is attached to unwanted RF radiation, thermal stability and redundant power when we build the Score Collection Computers." The SCCs, which are built on a RaspberryPi base, collect the information required for the presentation of the results from the relevant logbook software at each site and transfer this data via the mobile phone network to a central server. From the results gathered there, the current position table is created and made visible on the Internet for everyone. The idea of a current scores table is not new. The scoreboards were already available in 2002 "on-line", but only current on an hourly basis. At that time, the referees sent messages via SMS, which were then published to the Internet. At the time it was extraordinary and a novelty. At WRTC 2014 in Boston, Bob Raymond, WA1Z and Dave Pascoe, KM3T, developed the SCC concept. When used in 2014, however, it became clear that not all locations could be reliably reached via the local mobile phone network. "You can watch the top people driving each other during the contest. This scoreboard is also interesting and useful for normal radio ops as often there are competitors with similar station capabilities to the normal Op. This is fun and transforms the contest into a new kind of direct head-to-head competition," comments Michael Höding, DL6MHW. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP. ** HAM NAMED MINISTER FOR SCIENCE IN SPAIN JIM/ANCHOR: It's not unusual for government officials to also be licensed as hams. Think of King Hussein of Jordan JY1. Think of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater K7UGA. Well, now Spain has an influential amateur as one of its own in government. Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with those details. JEREMY: Spain's new Socialist government not only has a record number of women -- 11 -- in its 17 cabinet posts but it has one amateur radio operator as well: Pedro Duque, 55, KC5RGG / ED4ISS is the new minister of science. Pedro was among those sworn in recently by Spain's King Felipe VI. The former astronaut has been well-grounded since his last space mission in 2003 on board the International Space Station where he spent a week and completed two ARISS contacts with schools in Spain. His first trip into space came in 1998 as part of NASA's STS-95 mission from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery and he was a mission specialist. The new science minister is an aeronautical engineer who will now concern himself with more earthly matters. FOr Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE, BBC) ** A LIFE-SAVING PACT IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JIM/ANCHOR: Atlantic hurricane season has begun and preparedness is on everyone's minds in that region. The Dominican Republic is taking no chances - it's reaffirming its partnership with hams. Here's Andy Morrison K9AWM with more. ANDY MORRISON: In the Dominican Republic, which has seen its share of weather disasters, Radio Club Dominicano has signed an agreement with Dominican Civilian Defense. The May 30 pact cements the relationship between the two, ensuring enhanced cooperation during emergencies. The two will work together with Dominican Civil Defense relying on the radio club for emergency communications during disaster response. The club notes that the agreement comes just as the Atlantic hurricane season gets underway. The Dominican Republic was among the places devastated last year during Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison K9AWM. ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the K7EFZ repeater in Firth Idaho on Friday evenings at 9:30 local time during the weekly net. ** SILENT KEY: YASME FOUNDATION DIRECTOR/SECRETARY KIP EDWARDS W6SZN JIM/ANCHOR: The influential Yasme Foundation and its supports are mourning the death of an amateur who was its lifeblood. Stephen Kinford N8WB has that report. STEPHEN'S REPORT: The director and secretary of the Yasme Foundation, a nonprofit that supports amateur radio projects worldwide, has become a Silent Key. DXpeditioner and DX contester G. Kip Edwards W6SZN, of Indianola, Washington, died on June 6. Yasme Foundation president Ward Silver, N0AX, told the ARRL that Kip was the prime mover behind a number of important grant programs and brought a sharp sense of organization to several amateur radio organizations. A lawyer by training, he retired in 2013 from a San Francisco practice where he had been a partner. He relocated to Washington state. A member of the DXCC Honor roll, Kip got his earliest amateur radio license at the age of 11 in Kansas. He rekindled an interest in the hobby as an adult after years of inactivity. He eventually became president of the Northern California Contest Club and editor of its newsletter. He was honored by the club as Contester of the Year in 1982. He was also a member and one-time president of the Northern California DX Club. He was a life member of the ARRL and a member of the ARRL Maxim Society. Kip was 71. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB. (YASME FOUNDATION, ARRL) ** SILENT KEY: JAPAN AMATEUR RADIO LEAGUE PAST PRESIDENT SHOZO HARA JA1AN JIM/ANCHOR: In Japan, ham radio operators are marking the death of an influential past president and CQ Hall of Famer. We have that report from Robert Broomhead VK3DN. ROBERT: The past president of the Japan Amateur Radio League and a member of the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame has become a Silent Key. Shozo Hara JA1AN, who had trained as an electrical engineer at Waseda University, died on June 9. The Nagasaki prefecture native became a director of the league in 1972 and then was chosen as president. He served for 41 years, stepping down in 2011. He had also been the first president of the Japan Amateur Radio Development Association. CQ inducted him into the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Shozo Hara, who had also been an accomplished equestrian, was 91. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead VK3DN. ** THAILAND PUTS AMATEUR RADIO EXAMS ON LINE FOR SAMPLING JIM/ANCHOR: Sure you've got your license in your home country - but do you ever wonder if you could qualify elsewhere? Jason Daniels VK2LAW helps answer that question. JASON: Could you qualify for your amateur license in Thailand? If you aren't one of that nation's 110,000 radio amateurs and want to see if you could make the grade, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Thailand's communications agency, has posted sample exams online for the world to see and perhaps sample. For years, any exams other than those for the basic license were unavailable - but now the intermediate and advanced tests are among those posted online. The tests are timed, by the way. You have 90 minutes to answer 100 questions for the basic and intermediate license and two hours for the 100 questions on the advanced license examination. They don't count for a real license but they give you a good idea of what would be involved if you sat for the test. Meanwhile, those who have their license are getting an opportunity to use a special event call sign now through Oct. 31. Be listening for stations using HS50IARU which commemorates the 50th anniversary of Region 3 of the International Amateur Radio Union. Thailand is among a number of countries whose amateur societies belong to Region 3. For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW. (SOUTHGATE) ** WORLD OF DX In the world of DX, be listening for Tatsuko, JJ1BDT from Palau in Micronesia using the call sign T88YL. She is operating holiday style from June 22nd through June 27th on 40, 17 and 15 meters SSB. She is new to the HF bands and asks everyone's patience. Send QSLs via JR1FKR. Dave, W9DR is active as VP5/W9DR from the Caicos Islands from the 13th to the 25th of June. He is on 6 meters only, operating SSB and CW. Send QSLs direct to his home call. John, W5JON, will once again be active as V47JA from his vacation home at Calypso Bay, St. Kitts, from June 22nd through July 20th. Listen for him on 160-6 meters, including 60 meters, on SSB. He will also be in the Phone Section of the IARU SSB Contest July 14th and 15th. Send QSLs to W5JON direct or via LoTW. No bureau QSLs please. Listen for Special station VP8HDM on the 16th and 17th of June from the Historic Dockyard Museum in Stanley in the Falkland Islands. You can hear the station on FT8 and SSB. Send QSLs via VP8LP, direct only. (OHIO-PENN DX) ** 100 WATTS AND A WIRE TOTALS 1,630 CONTACTS JIM/ANCHOR: We here at Newsline would also like to congratulate one of our own - Christian Cudnik K0STH - on a successful Tune-Up Weekend June 8th through 10th. He reports that 56 states and provinces and 21 countries were worked for a total of 1,630 total contacts -- most of them on SSB. ** KICKER: DEATH OF A NAVAJO CODE TALKER JIM/ANCHOR: Finally, we mark the death of one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers. Samuel Tom Holiday died in the Southern Utah Veterans Home on June 11 at age 94. He was one of hundreds of Navajos to utilize an unbreakable code during World War II - a code based on the Navajo language which the Japanese were never able to crack. According to various news reports, there are fewer than 10 Code Talkers remaining from that era. Samuel Tom Holiday, a native of Utah, served with the United States Marine Corps. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called him a "true American patriot and hero" for his service to the allied forces. He had been the recipient of a Congressional Silver Medal and the Purple Heart. He was to be buried on the Navajo Reservation, in Kayenta, Arizona beside his wife. His honor lives on in the library and media center of the Kayenta Middle School which was dedicated in his name last November. Thank you for your service Samuel Tom Holiday. (FOX 10 PHOENIX, NATIVE NEWS ONLINE) ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; BBC; CQ Magazine; DX World; Fox 10 Phoenix; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Native News Online; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZNOW.COM, Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; Yasme Foudation 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 Jim Damron N8TMW in Charleston West Virginia saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
The death of the last code taker is a piece of history, often overlooked. Their contributions in the Pacific Theater saved thousands of lives. They were the first real encrypted voice communicators. May they not be forgotten. PLH USN
