Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2131 for Friday, August 31, 2018   
      
   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.   
      
   **   
   BILLBOARD CART   
   **   
      
   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)   
      
   **   
      
   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)   
   **   
   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.   
      
   **   
   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)   
      
   **   
      
   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.   
      
   **   
      
   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.   
      
   **   
   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)   
      
   **   
   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)   
      
   **   
   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.   
      
   **   
      
   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.   
      
   **   
      
   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.   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.   
      
      
      
   --    
      
      
      
   73   
   James-KB7TBT   
   www.arnewsline.org   
   www.ylsystem.org   
      
      
      
      
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