<*>[Attachment(s) from James-KB7TBT included below]   
      
   		   
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2018, July 1, 2016   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2018 with a release date of Friday,    
   July 1, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST.  Wildfires and floods imperil public safety and    
   challenge the amateur community. An Ohio ham takes one college    
   assignment to new heights. Germany hosts its 41st global amateur expo.    
   And Radio Caroline is back on the air.....well, sort of. All this and    
   more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2018 coming your way right now.   
      
   ****   
      
   BILLBOARD CART HERE   
      
      
   ****   
      
   DEADLY WILDFIRES CHALLENGE FIELD DAY EXERCISES   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: This week's report begins with the weather, all kinds of    
   extreme weather. There's the blazing heat, raging fire and elsewhere,    
   torrential flooding that can call radio amateurs into emergency action    
   or preparedness and, in some cases, even cancel plans for a long-awaited    
   Field Day. Our two reports are from Albquerque, New Mexico and Kanawha    
   County, West Virginia. We hear first from Amateur Radio Newsline's Kent    
   Peterson, KC0DGY, who's been following the wildfires out west.   
      
   KENT: We've all heard the horror stories about field day miseries.    
   Things like the tent blew over or that lightning made us disconnect our    
   antennas for five hours, but what about when a raging wild fire forced    
   evacuations from a site?  Well that happened to the Albuquerque DX    
   Association.  Bob Norton N5EPA explains.   
      
   BOB: There were just way too many uncertainties. Too much was still    
   happening. The evacuation orders were lifted only on Thursday before    
   Field Day. So when most field Days start setting up on Friday that's not    
   a whole lot of a window.   
      
   KENT: A raging wildfire was burning about 20 miles from Albuquerque.   
      
   BOB: It's probably an unbelievably rare situation. It's the first time    
   ever there was a threat to a Torrance County Park. This might be a    
   once-in-a-lifetime threat.   
      
   KENT: Norton explained what plans their association had in store for    
   this year's Field Day.   
      
   BOB: We intended to have a stand-alone CW station, a stand-alone side    
   band station as well as a VHF station, Kind of too optimistic for this year.   
      
   KENT: But the wildfire was bearing down on the Cedro Peak group campground.   
      
   BOB: A couple days after the fire started, they closed that entire    
   ranger district down so we looked at the alternate site. But back at    
   Torrance County Park, with the wildfire going, if we were to use the    
   park and the fire jumped the lines, they had concerns with evacuations.    
   With the wildfire going on, we didn't feel comfortable with using the    
   park. We could be a bigger problem for them. We didn't have a third    
   contingency location planned out, so we reluctantly passed on conducting    
   our own Field Day.   
      
   KENT: With some help from Mother Nature, firefighters were able to get    
   the upper hand on the blaze.   
      
   BOB: It's heavily wooded where they had the fire line. They were about    
   to stop the fire at the main state highway. There were some residents    
   that lost homes. If the fire had continued going northeast it would have    
   headed into a very heavily populated area. Fortunately on Wednesday and    
   Thursday just before Field Day, there were some fairly decent afternoon    
   thunderstorms which parked right over the fire burn area and that made    
   all the difference of turning around that fire.   
      
   KENT: In the end, all wasn't lost on this Field Day.   
      
   BOB: We had invites from other area clubs. Others just chose to say home    
   and operate a little Field Day from the home station. Which is what I    
   did. Because in the end, I was happy to still have a home. The fire line    
   for me was only four and a half miles and that was just too close for    
   comfort.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY.   
      
   **   
      
   HAMS ON STANDBY IN WEST VIRGINIA FLOODS   
      
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in flood-ravaged West Virginia, hams awaited    
   word of an emergency activation, but at press time, there was still no    
   need. We hear from Newsline's Jim Damron, N8TMW.   
      
      
   JIM: Severe storms on June 23 caused unprecedented flooding in West    
   Virginia, resulting in 24 deaths with homes, businesses - entire towns -    
   being destroyed. Gov. Earl Ray Tomlin declared a state of emergency in    
   44 of West Virginia's 55 counties. The President made a federal disaster    
   declaration in eight West Virginia counties. Amateur radio operators    
   have been ready and willing to assist but so far communications channels    
   remain open. ARRL West Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator Jim    
   Stephenson WV8JS explains:   
      
   JIM STEPHENSON: Even with the amazing amount of flooding that has    
   happened in the state, the wired telephone systems and the cellphone    
   systems have remained mostly operational�even in these areas where the    
   severe flooding was.  So we have had and still have no communications    
   emergency in WV and for that reason the ARES/RACES groups within the    
   state have not been activated or called out to do anything with    
   emergency communications.   
      
   JIM DAMRON: Earlier this week, WV8JS and Kanawha County ARRL Emergency    
   Coordinator Jason Means W8KTM helped install an HF and VHF amateur radio    
   station in the National Guard Charleston headquarters...to be ready to    
   provide any emergency communications which may be needed in coming days.   
      
   JIM STEPHENSON: They want a failsafe system and of course, we all know    
   that the only failsafe system that we know about is amateur radio.   
      
   JIM DAMRON: The National Guard has hundreds of its members deployed    
   throughout the flood-stricken areas, providing flood relief and    
   communications. I also talked with Phil Groves N8SFO�ARRL WV Section    
   Manager, who has been on the front lines.   
      
   PHIL GROVES: Some of the local ARES groups we had them on standby for    
   any help needed and some of us delivered food and some other    
   essentials�stuff like that to help out.  Just hope that people will    
   reach out any way they can and help out any way they can. We need to    
   help our neighbor.   
      
   JIM DAMRON: Phil also advised me that as far as he knows, no Field Day    
   activities were canceled in WV due to the flooding.  In fact, here in    
   flood-ravaged Kanawha County, the Kanawha Amateur Radio Club was able to    
   proceed with their planned Field Day.   
      
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I�m Jim Damron N8TMW reporting from    
   Charleston, West Virginia.   
      
   **   
      
   CYPRUS HAMS RESPOND TO ALL-CONSUMING FIRES   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: We should note that the wildfire crisis and amateur    
   response hasn't just been limited this season to the American west. The    
   Mediterranean island of Cyprus recently had one of its most dramatic    
   struggles in a long time. Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams,    
   VK4JJW, has those details.   
      
   JOHN: The largest forest fires to ever strike the Solea region on the    
   Island of Cyprus are finally over, and the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society    
   has cleared the area's two VHF repeaters for general use again. Cyprus    
   hams employed both club repeaters as well as APRS, with support also    
   provided by stations from the capital city of Nicosia. Firefighters    
   worked on the ground, as well as a team of international aircraft,    
   battling the blazes in high wind conditions and in soaring temperatures.   
      
   The deadly pine forest fires were historic for that region, considered    
   to be the largest part of the Mediterranean island. The raging fires    
   also resulted in what is believed to be the first firefighter deaths in    
   the line of duty in at least a decade, claiming two lives.   
      
   With the four-day emergency over, Nestor, 5B4AHZ, president of the    
   Cyprus Amateur Radio Society, declared the repeaters returned to general    
   use on the club website on Saturday 25 June.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.   
      
   (WASHINGTON POST, SOUTHGATE, CYPRUS AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)   
      
   **   
      
   POPE IN POLAND   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: When Pope Francis arrives in Poland toward the end of this    
   month, it will mark his first visit to that country. He will be there    
   for World Youth Days, a biannual event created by Pope John Paul II that    
   draws young Catholics from all corners of the world.   
      
   The youth-oriented program isn't the only high profile activity taking    
   place in Krakow, however: Amateur radio's special event station    
   H-F-ZERO-F will be on the air in that city to coincide with the Pope's    
   visit and will operate from July 25 to July 31st. QSL cards should be    
   sent to SP9BRP.   
      
   Pope Francis' visit comes 10 years after Pope Benedict's four-day trip    
   to Poland in May 2006.   
      
   (QRZ.COM, SOUTHGATE, POPE2016.COM   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE:   
      
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio    
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including WA9RDF,    
   the Mid-State Amateur Radio Club repeater on Sundays at 7 p.m. local time.   
      
   ***   
   THOUSANDS GATHER AT FRIEDRICHSHAFEN EXPO   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In the U.S., we have Dayton, but in Europe the big    
   gathering for the past four decades has been in Germany. We hear more    
   from Teemu Salminen, OH7T, who was there for Amateur Radio Newsline:   
      
   TEEMU's REPORT: While radio amateurs had their Field Day in the States,    
   in Europe, in Germany, in Friedrichshafen, there was a ham radio expo    
   with over 17,000 visitors from around the world. During the three days,    
   198 companies and associations from the 36 countries presented their    
   services and products related to radio and telegraphy in ham radio. The    
   many visitors were from the United States, Japan, Taiwan, China,    
   Australia and India and were all represented there. It opened, for its    
   41st year, with the new motto: "Amateur Radio - on land, on water and in    
   the air." For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Teemu Salminen, OH7T, in    
   Friedrichshafen, Germany.   
      
   **   
      
   IN OHIO, NO TRIAL BALLOON   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: College students who love what they're studying often take    
   their assignments higher than they need to go. One Ohio undergrad, a    
   radio amateur, took his sky-high. We hear from Newsline's Stephen    
   Kinford, N8WB.   
      
   STEPHEN: For Brandon Nilsson, KD8ZEI, a mechanical engineering student    
   at the University of Akron, what started as one project for his    
   Independent Study project morphed into a Field Day launch of another. In    
   his school assignment, Brandon chose a Morse Code beacon weather balloon    
   because, well, what ham can resist incorporating amateur radio into    
   their schoolwork? He programmed an Arduino microprocessor that allowed    
   the onboard transmitter to send, in CW, the words "W8UPD Weather    
   Balloon," bearing the call sign of the university's amateur radio club,    
   of which he is president. First mission accomplished!   
      
   Then came Field Day, and Brandon had even bigger plans: He wanted to    
   launch another weather balloon, this one carrying a cross-band repeater,    
   which he fashioned out of two Baofeng HTs. He programmed a raspberry Pi    
   to take photographs every 30 seconds and save them to an SD card. Then    
   as Field Day launched, so did the balloon.   
      
   Brandon told Amateur Radio Newsline QUOTE "I figured Field Day would be    
   the best day of the year to launch since the repeater would have the    
   most likely chance of being used with all the activity." ENDQUOTE   
      
   It worked. He told us his farthest contacts were 15 miles north of    
   Detroit, Michigan, into Ontario and also into Warren, Pennsylvania. As    
   for the balloon, it eventually made contact too - with the earth - and    
   was located on the ground in Sugar Creek, Ohio.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio.   
      
   **   
      
   THREE YOUNG HAMS HAVE CARIBBEAN DREAMS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: The summer of 2016 is going to be a memorable summer for    
   three young hams. They're bound for the Caribbean, but they're likely to    
   be more focused on SWR than sun and surf. Here's Amateur Radio    
   Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD, with their story.   
      
   HEATHER: The unspoiled Dutch Caribbean island of Saba (SAY-BAH) boasts    
   mountain rainforests, sailing and a chance to watch the antics of flying    
   fish. Oh yes, it's a terrific spot to launch your career as a DXer too.    
   It turns out that one trio of DXers headed to that island soon will be    
   using the callsign Papa-Japan-Six-Youth -- for good reason. Youth, it    
   turns out, is the operative word here: these three are young and    
   enthusiastic kids. They were chosen for the 2016 Dave Kalter Memorial    
   Youth DX Adventure, and they'll set out in August to operate at the    
   island station of Jeff Jolie, PJ6/NM1Y.   
      
   The young hams are Morgan Croucher, KD8ZLK; Ruth Willet, KM4LAO, and    
   Faith Hannah Lea, AE4FH. They will work from the island from August 2    
   through August 9.   
      
   The DX adventure is named to honor Dave Kalter, KB8OCP, who was a    
   founder of Youth DX Adventure in October 2009 and a member of the Dayton    
   Amateur Radio Association, one of the trip's many sponsors. Kalter    
   became a Silent Key in 2013.   
      
   The youngsters will be accompanied by Joe Binkley, KD8YPY; Sharon    
   Willet, KM4TVU, and James Lea, WX4TV. Previous youth trips have included    
   Curacao and Costa Rica.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD.   
      
   **   
      
   FROM AUSTRALIA TO ST. VINCENT, WITH CARE   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In another part of the Caribbean, a group of amateurs has    
   been busy testing equipment they recently got from Australia. They    
   expect all of it to play a key role in their emergency preparedness    
   plans. Amateur Radio Newsline's Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, tells us more.   
      
   JASON: The Rainbow Radio League, formed in the Caribbean in 1995 to help    
   St. Vincent and the Grenadines fulfil their emergency communications    
   needs, has entered into a two-year pact with Australia's Barrett    
   Communications, which is providing HF equipment toward that end. The    
   Perth, Western Australia-based company manufactures and supplies    
   commercial VHF and HF radio products, from transceivers and power    
   supplies to mobile antennas.   
      
   The nonprofit league will install, operate and maintain the equipment,    
   which comprises new as well as demonstration products. It hopes that    
   these additions will improve the league's work as a first responder in    
   crisis situations.   
      
   Everything is presently being tested in the legacy mode, paired with    
   different antennas and in different configurations to ascertain what    
   conditions allow the radios to work their best. The equipment is    
   expected to provide a big boost to the all-volunteer league, which    
   operates two VHF repeaters but has had an incomplete network on HF SSB    
   domestically.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.   
      
   (RADIO RESOURCE INTERNATIONAL, BARRETT COMMUNICATIONS)   
      
   **   
      
   OFFSHORE RADIO FLOATS SOME MEMORIES IN THE UK   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: If you don't remember Radio Caroline, one of many popular    
   off-shore broadcasters from decades ago, here's a chance to sample what    
   the experience was like, amateur-radio style. Newsline's Jeremy Boot,    
   G4NJH, tells us more:   
      
   JEREMY: What happens when a group of hams is waiting for their ship to    
   come in? In this case, what happens can result in a great tribute and    
   some radio nostalgia. That's what's taking shape next month with Special    
   Event station GB5RC, where the "R" and "C" stand for Radio Caroline.    
   Those who remember the era will recall Radio Caroline as the highly    
   popular offshore broadcast operation, complete with superstar DJs, who    
   revolutionized listening in the UK for about five decades.   
      
   That ship, by the way, has already come in: It is the MV Ross Revenge,    
   the site of the original Caroline broadcasts. It will be moored in the    
   River Blackwater in Essex. The Martello Tower Group, based in Essex, is    
   operating two stations aboard the craft from 5 August through 8 August.   
      
   This time around, though, there won't be any disc jockeys nor any    
   spinning records. But amateurs will be spinning the VFOs on their rigs    
   on most of the HF bands between 40 and  10 meters, including possible    
   operation on 17 and 12. Both stations will operate at the same time and    
   there will be a commemorative QSL card.   
      
   It's not such a far stretch for amateur radio to play such a key role in    
   celebrating broadcast radio:   
      
   Hams, after all, were very involved in many of the technical aspects of    
   keeping Radio Caroline up and running in the '60s and '70s.   
      
   Of course, the Caroline broadcasts on board the MV Ross Revenge stopped    
   in 1991. But the tributes go on and on.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the UK.   
      
   (SOUTHGATE ARC, MARTELLO TOWER GROUP, WWW.MDS975.CO.UK)   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: SK: MARGIE RAPP, WD9HEE, OF VINCENNES INDIANA   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: We close this week's newscast on a personal note, as we    
   take a moment to remember a Silent Key, Margaret Rapp, WD9HEE, of    
   Vincennes, Indiana. Margie, a member of the Old Post Amateur Radio    
   Society, died at her home on April 21 after several years of health    
   issues. She was the mother of Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp,    
   WB9VPG, and the wife of Del Rapp, WB9UKG. Inspired by her amateur radio    
   son and husband, Margie got her license in 1977, the year after her    
   husband and son received their tickets. She grew to became a strong    
   proponent of YLs on the air and was an active participant in the YL    
   International Sideband System on 40 meters.   
      
   In a recent podcast of his show, HamTalk live, Neil talked about his    
   mother and her love of a good ragchew on the local repeaters. He said    
   she once even helped a team track down a bootlegger's signal while she    
   was on the radio.   
      
   Margie was a retired beautician and telephone operator and, according to    
   her son Neil, QUOTE "a friendly voice to those passing through or    
   needing help." ENDQUOTE   
      
   If people did not know her by her voice, they surely knew her by her    
   callsign phonetics, WD9HEE, for "Happy Easter Egg." Margie Rapp was 82.   
      
   The Rapp family asks that memorial contributions be sent to the ARRL    
   General scholarship fund.   
      
   We here at Amateur Radio Newsline extend our sympathies to Neil and his    
   family.   
      
   **   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With this newscast, Amateur Radio Newsline marks 39    
   years - the beginning of its 40th year - of keeping the global amateur    
   community informed. We're proud of the legacy entrusted to us by the    
   late Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and we're grateful to all of you for your    
   listenership, contributions and news tips. This week we especially thank    
   Alan Labs; the ARRL; Barrett Communications; CQ Magazine; Ham Talk Live;    
   Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; Irish Radio Transmitter    
   Society; Martello Tower Group; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Pope2016.com;    
   Radio Resource International; 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 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 Paul Braun, WD9GCO in Valparaiso,    
   Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.   
      
      
   ***   
      
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   -73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42   
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