Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2019, July 8, 2016   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2019 with a release date of   
   Friday, July 8, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST.  BREAKING NEWS: Amateur Electronic Supply is   
   closing at the end of the month. National Parks on the Air goes to the   
   White House -- and hams mount a tribute to 19 who died in an Arizona   
   wildfire. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number   
   2019 coming your way right now.   
      
   ****   
      
   BILLBOARD CART HERE   
      
      
   ****   
      
   A TRIBUTE TO DAVE BOOTH, KC6WFS, SK   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Before this week's report, we have a personal note, and a   
   somber one for many of us at Amateur Radio Newsline, and in the larger   
   community of amateurs. Here's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.   
      
   DON: We've lost another member of the Newsline family.  To my   
   knowledge his voice was never heard an any Newsline newscast but he   
   was no less important.  His name is Dave Booth, KC6WFS.  Dave passed   
   away June 29th.   
      
   Dave was Bill Pasternak's neighbor and close friend.  They were   
   colleagues both professionally and in amateur radio.  They shared a   
   love of 6 meters, among many other common interests.  Bill was a   
   camera buff and video engineer, Dave was a camera operator for Disney.   
   Dave Booth worked with Bill and the late Dave Bell, W6AQ on one of the   
   more recent ARRL amateur radio videos, 2011's The DIY Magic of Amateur   
   Radio.  Dave Booth was the principal videographer.  Dave did a lot of   
   back stage and behind the scenes work for Amateur Radio Newsline as   
   well, but it was as Bill Pasternak's sounding board and confidante   
   where Dave shined brightest.  I can't tell you how many times I   
   answered the phone over the last 20 years to be greeted by Bill's   
   cheerful hello, only to be followed closely by "Dave is here, say hi   
   to Dave".  That was always a treat.  Those high level Newsline   
   planning meetings with Bill and Dave were most often held in a very   
   special location... Dave's hot tub.  Ah, Southern California living at   
   it's best.   
      
   As for my memories of Dave Booth, I only had the fortune to meet him   
   once and spend a Huntsville Hamfest weekend with him and Bill.  It was   
   sometime around 1997 I think.  Dave traveled with Bill to Huntsville   
   for the Young Ham Of the Year award presentation.  It was standard   
   practice for Bill to fly into Birmimgham because it was less   
   expensive.  He would stay the night with David Black, KB4KCH and, as   
   my route from south Louisiana took me through Birmingham, Bill would   
   ride with me the 100 miles north to Huntsville.  Dave was a lot of fun   
   to hang around with that weekend.   
      
   Dave and I shared a love of fast cars and motorcycles.  Dave did a V8   
   conversion on a Datsun 240Z and shot lots of drag race pics over the   
   years.  He owned a 1968 Camaro SS/RS.  Knowing our shared love of   
   Camaros and Firebirds, it was a no brainer to call Dave when I found   
   my dream car, a 1973 Firebird Trans Am for sale online.  The car was   
   located in Huntington Beach, California.  Dave offered to drive 90   
   minutes to inspect the car and video the test drive for me.  As this   
   was 1999, pre-YouTube, that video tape, in VHS-C format, and the   
   adaptor required for me to play it on my full size VHS VCR, was   
   FedExed overnight to me by Dave.  I bought the car based solely on   
   that video and Dave's opinion of the car.  Were it not for Hurricane   
   Katrina I would still own that car.  That's the kind of guy Dave Booth   
   was.  Always ready and willing to help out however and whenever he   
   could.   
      
   Dave battled chronic pain and depression for most of his life.  He was   
   devastated when Bill passed away and Dave Bell's passing only made   
   that worse.  Dave and I spoke regularly in the year since Bill's   
   passing about matters related to Newsline and Bill's estate.  I last   
   spoke with him only a week or two before he died.  He leaves behind a   
   wife and daughter.  He is in a better place now.  Likely a hot tub in   
   Heaven with Bill and Dave Bell.   
      
   Dave Booth, KC6WFS.  He was a good man.   
      
   We'll miss you, Dave.   
      
   PAUL: That was Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW,   
   remembering Dave Booth, KC6WFS, now a Silent Key.   
      
   ***   
      
   BREAKING NEWS:   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: This week's newscast begins with Breaking News: Amateur   
   Electronic Supply, the second-largest ham radio dealer in the U.S., is   
   closing. The Milwaukee-based seller plans to shut its doors at the end   
   of the this month after more than 50 years of serving the amateur   
   radio community. Amateur Electronic Supply has four locations: Its   
   corporate headquarters in Milwaukee; the Cleveland area; Las Vegas and   
   Orlando, Florida.   
      
   The business began as a venture by a then-18-year-old Terry Sterman,   
   W9DIA, in Milwaukee in 1957. It was founded as Amateur Electronic   
   Supply, LLC in 1998, according to business records, including   
   Bloomberg. Terry Sterman became a Silent Key in 1999.   
      
      
   **   
      
   REMEMBERING THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Arizona's tragic Yarnell Hill fire isn't likely to be   
   forgotten and neither are the 19 firefighters whose lives were claimed   
   in the 2013 blaze. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins, KE5CXP,   
   reports on some hams who are making sure those memories stay fresh.   
      
   MIKE: In Prescott, Arizona, June 30 marks a painful anniversary: On   
   that date in 2013, wildfire-fighting specialists known as the Granite   
   Mountain Hotshots set out to safeguard the former gold-mining town of   
   Yarnell from an advancing blaze. That brave effort left the hotshot   
   unit virtually destroyed, with only 1 of the 20 men surviving their   
   mission. This past June 30 also marked another anniversary: the third   
   year of the Yavapai (Yah-Vah-Pie) Amateur Radio Club's special event   
   station operated in memory, and in honor, of those who perished. The   
   amateurs worked the bands with the call N7GMH and despite poor   
   conditions on several of them, completed almost 300 contacts, mostly   
   from points east.   
      
   By all accounts it was an emotional tribute. Said Don Bauer, WB7TPH,   
   QUOTE "Quite a few of our contacts are from people who are or have   
   been either firefighters or wildland firefighters. They, of course,   
   share in the loss of these men." ENDQUOTE   
      
   Doug Freeman, KV8TD, said the event's success is measured not just in   
   its contacts but in the sense of appreciation the community had for   
   the on-air activity. Freeman said that before the station began this   
   year's operation, he got to speak to Brendan McDonough, the sole   
   survivor of the 2013 fire, and to two women who worked with the   
   firefighters' families. Of McDonough, Freeman said, QUOTE "if he had   
   not been out of town, Brendan would have joined us at the station."   
   ENDQUOTE   
      
   N7GMH worked out of the club station and at one of several coordinated   
   home stations. The contacts stayed as local as Prescott on 2m, and as   
   far away as New York, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Canada and even Venezuela.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.   
      
   **   
   A VERY PRESIDENTIAL NPOTA   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Marking the National Parks' centennial, one group of   
   Washington, D.C. area hams recently elected themselves to the White   
   House. That is to say, they elected to operate there on the grounds.   
   Here's my report on those hams with not-quite presidential ambitions.   
      
   PAUL: If your goal is to get to the White House in an election year,   
   it usually means a lot of campaigning, debating, shaking hands and   
   expensive television ads, unless you happen to be the HACDC Amateur   
   Radio Club in Washington, D.C. Then all you need is a portable radio,   
   a small antenna and permission. They recently operated from the White   
   House grounds which is an actual national park. I recently spoke with   
   Don Jones, K6ZO, who said they had a whole lot of fun -- in fact they   
   had so much fun...   
      
   DON: ...We had so much fun we're going to come back on the 25th of   
   August for a full-blown day. Aug. 25 is the day that the National   
   Parks celebrates their 100th anniversary.   
      
   PAUL: Jones said that for the short time they were on the air this   
   first time they made quite a few contacts.   
      
   DON: We were on 20 meters CW mainly and we were there doing a   
   demonstration for about 30 minutes and we made 22 contacts. We had a   
   special call sign, which was Whiskey-Three-Hotel, for White House.   
   Propagation was really good.   
      
   PAUL: They plan to return. The next time they want it to be much bigger.   
      
   DON: we just flit in and out with a backpack and a portable station,   
   but we are going to go down and find out from the National Parks what   
   we need to do, because we want to set up a tent, a banner, and sort of   
   celebrate the centennial with the parks service.   
      
   PAUL: If you're in the Washington, D.C., area and want to find out   
   more about the club, visit their website at hacdc.org and listen for   
   them to be on the air again this August. They still won't have to buy   
   television time or kiss any babies though.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.   
      
   **   
      
   BREAK HERE:   
      
   Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio   
   Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the   
   K7MRG repeater in Prescott, Arizona on Tuesday evenings.   
      
   ***   
   IN CANADA, A FAKE QUAKE BUT REAL RESPONSE   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio's response has to be real, whether the   
   earthquake is the real thing too, or just simulated, as was the case   
   in western Canada. Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW, has   
   that story.   
      
   JOHN'S REPORT: The special effects company spared no effort when it   
   came to simulating the devastating after effects of a magnitude 9   
   earthquake, but this Pacific Coast scene wasn't conjured up by some   
   Hollywood script. This was the West Coast of Canada's Vancouver   
   Island, where disabled landlines and knocked-out cellular service   
   could have been real, but weren't. What WAS real, however, were the   
   Canadian Forces patrol planes flying over the Rockies, and the ham   
   radio operators on the ground, relaying disaster and rescue   
   information to them using amateur radio frequencies.   
      
   The fictional earthquake was followed by at least two equally   
   fictional tsunamis, bringing disaster to Port Alberni, northwest of   
   Victoria, Canada. That region is home to about 18,000 people -- and   
   that part is NOT fiction. Hence the need for the drill, called   
   Exercise Coastal Response.   
      
   In all, more than 600 people and 60 organizations took part in the   
   three-day response staged by the government of British Columbia and   
   thankfully, not Mother Nature.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In the Philippines, a simulated earthquake scenario was   
   also held late last month by the National Telecommunications   
   Commission there. Members of the Philippines Amateur Radio Society   
   established field stations on high ground and worked on VHF, UHF and   
   HF relaying emergency messages. Association spokesman Jojo Vicencio   
   DU1VHY said it was the second drill of its kind and drew its lessons   
   from a previous, similar drill.   
      
   (The PROVINCE newspaper; IARU Region 3)   
      
   **   
      
   UPGRADES FOR K2BSA   
      
   PAUL: Boy Scouts on the air as K2BSA aren't just operating, they're   
   upgrading. Here's the story from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns   
   NE4RD.   
      
   BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting we have 3 scout camps on   
   the air as K2BSA, an upcoming radio scout net, and the scout loan   
   stations are being upgraded.   
      
   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.  Finally, our portable 8 station at Camp Wynadot in   
   Wakeman, OH will continue to be active on Wednesdays through July   
   21st.   
      
   Chris Overbey, KB5UBT, has volunteered to host a monthly Radio   
   Scouting Net on the second Thursday of every month. His first net will   
   be at 10 PM Central time, Thursday, July 14 (which is also 0300 UTC   
   Friday, July 15). Frequency is 7.190 MHz, +- the QRM. Chris is located   
   in the Dallas, Texas, area.   
      
   Icom America has provided 10 complete stations for loan to local   
   councils since 2012. They are now in the process of updating their   
   kits, replacing the IC-7200 with the new IC-7300.  With it's touch   
   screen and panadapter display, it meets Scouts where they live, with   
   their smartphone.   
      
   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.   
      
   **   
      
   WORLD OF DX   
      
   DXers should keep their receivers tuned to hear Aurelio, IZ8EGM, in   
   Monaco, where he is active as 3A/IZ8EGM until July 15th. He's working   
   on a variety of HF bands. Send QSLs via his home callsign.   
      
   Martinez, HK3Y, will be active between July 18 and July 23 as 5J0Y   
   from San Andres Island. He'll be working a few of the HF bands so   
   listen up. He's on the air to commemorate Colombian independence. Send   
   QSLs to HK3Y.   
      
   Ady, DK5ON, is working as EA6/DK5ON holiday style from Mallorca Island   
   until July 22nd. Send QSLs via DK5ON, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW.   
      
      
   **   
      
   HERE COMES THE SUN   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In Mississippi, one group of hams finally found the   
   perfect site for their much-needed repeater. Perfect -- except it had   
   no power source, other than the sun shining overhead. Amateur Radio   
   Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY tells what happened next.   
      
   MATT HICKMAN: We're hoping to get the word out about the solar-powered   
   repeater. I think it is very exciting.  The state of Mississippi has   
   just fired up its first solar-powered repeater and we hope to get good   
   use out of it over the next few years.   
      
   KENT: That's Matt Hickman AF5FM of Pontotoc, Mississippi.  He was   
   looking for repeater sites in his county and found one.   
      
   MATT: It's an abandoned farm with four grain elevator silos and that   
   is where we have the antenna mounted 92 feet above the ground.   
      
   KENT: With absolutely no AC power on that abandoned farm.   
      
   MATT: Initially we were going to use a site with power but   
   availability just wasn't there.   
      
   KENT: So Matt designed a solar-charging battery system to power his   
   UHF repeater.   
      
   MATT: We have so far put together two separate arrays totaling 225   
   watts. The first array powers just the radio. The second array powers   
   just the   
   controller.   
      
   KENT: Matt says he has some voltage-monitoring relays so should one   
   side of the solar-charging battery system drop below a prescribed   
   level, it will   
   switch over to the other battery assuring the repeater will stay on the air.   
      
   MATT: We started out trying to determine the integrity of the system.   
   The system has to run at least 24 hours continuous use. One of the   
   biggest   
   factors was how much changing output one gets in summer vs winter.   
      
   KENT: His project will continue to grow.   
      
   MATT: As we approach September we're looking to add another 225-watt   
   array.  We'll have to double the array to get through the winter   
   months.   
      
   KENT: After figuring in the duplexer and feed line losses and the gain   
   of the antenna, Matt's repeater is pushing out a bit below 100 watts   
   effective   
   power.   
      
   MATT: We're getting out about 18 miles and that's pretty much right to   
   the borders of the county. As it stands, I think it will be going for   
   a very long time. We've really learned a lot and what demands the   
   system calls for when you're trying to acquire your energy from the   
   sun.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: The AF5FM repeater operates on 444.500 with a positive   
   offset and tone   
   of 131.8.   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: IT'S GREEN FOR "GO"   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Speaking going green, we close this week's newscast with   
   another story about the power of green energy on the air. Operating on   
   the power of sun and wind at a site in Ireland, one noted contester   
   has his hopes as high as the hill he works from. Here's Newsline's   
   Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.   
      
   JEREMY: It's summer, and Olivier ON4EI/EI8GQB is back on his familiar   
   hilltop in Ireland. More than any other radio amateur, he is truly in   
   his elements. In his case, these elements happen to be mostly wind and   
   sun -- and he is using both to power his station.   
      
   Olivier has big plans. His blog on QRZ.COM describes his antenna park   
   and the rest of his station, reminiscent of a Field Day setup: He'll   
   be on the air from now until the 12th of August, using six antennas   
   and two radios operating on five bands.   
      
   Any successes he has he will owe to band conditions, skilled operation   
   and green energy as he competes in the IARU HF World Championship with   
   the call sign EI1A on 9 July and 10 July, and in the Island on the Air   
   Contest from 30 July to 31 July.   
      
   Olivier writes in his blog: QUOTE "Wow! What a pleasure to be back   
   again on the hill and being alone for two weeks in the middle of   
   nature. This place is my lonely paradise where I can refill my social   
   batteries." ENDQUOTE   
      
   Of course, he will also be recharging his scorecard's batteries. He'll   
   need them to qualify for the World Radiosport Team Championship in   
   Germany. As ambitions go, that's pretty powerful too, green energy or   
   not.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the UK.   
      
   (QRZ, IRTS)   
      
   **   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; Bloomberg; CQ   
   Magazine; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; Irish Radio   
   Transmitter Society; the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association; Ohio-Penn DX   
   Bulletin; The Province newspaper; QRZ; Southgate Amateur Radio News;   
   Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW   
   Shortwave; the Yavapai Amateur Radio Club; 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.   
      
      
      
      
   James   
   KB7TBT   
   www.arnesline.org   
      
   ***   
      
   As a Service to the HAM Radio Community and HAM Operators all over the   
   world, this Amateur Radio Newline(tm) message has been gated from the   
   internet and posted to you by Waldo's Place USA, fidonet node 1:3634/12.   
   We hope you enjoyed it!   
      
   Please address all comments and questions to the ARNewsletter editor as   
   described in this posting. If you have any specific questions related   
   to the actual posting of this message, you may address them to   
   hamfdn(at)wpusa.dynip.com.   
      
   Thank you and good day!   
      
   -73- ARNTE-0.1.0-OS2 build 42   
   (text/plain utf-8 8bit)   
      
      
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