Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2117 for Friday, May 25 2018   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2117 with a release date of Friday,    
   May 25 2018, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. Hamvention 2018 has come and gone. North    
   Carolina amateurs go mobile in an ambulance -- and there are new hams in    
   China and South Africa. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline    
   Report 2117 comes your way right now.   
      
   **   
      
   BILLBOARD CART   
      
   **   
   HAMVENTION: MORE THAN FAIR AT THE FAIRGROUNDS   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With Hamvention 2018 a memory, plans for next year have    
   already begun - but first, Kevin Trotman N5PRE takes stock of this    
   year's experience.   
      
   KEVIN: Are you ready for Hamvention 2019? OK - not so fast - it's only    
   days since the big gathering in Xenia wrapped things up. General chair    
   Ron Cramer KD8ENJ told Newsline the final attendance count wasn't in    
   yet, but he expected this year's attendance to top the nearly 30,000    
   amateurs who visited the fairgrounds in 2017. The theme of "Amateur    
   Radio, Serving the Community" didn't just find its way into various    
   award ceremonies and forums but even turned up in informal gatherings    
   near the food trucks where hams from Puerto Rico and other storm-ravaged    
   places enjoyed eyeball QSOs for the first time with hams who shared last    
   year's storm assistance efforts with them. Ron said some of the greatest    
   strengths of the weekend event were the new weather-resistant tents and    
   the 767 volunteers who came in from around the world to keep operations    
   running smoothly. Meanwhile there were special hours at the Voice of    
   America Museum in nearby West Chester Ohio which opened its doors to    
   more than 250 hams from around the world who got immersed in broadcast    
   history and even got on the air. To quote Ron, when Newsline asked him    
   about the overall positive feedback so far: "If you have any complaints    
   about Hamvention 2018 you probably weren't there."   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kevin Trotman N5PRE.   
      
   (RON CRAMER KD8ENJ)   
      
   **   
   NEW CQ HALL OF FAMERS INDUCTED AT HAMVENTION   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Their contributions to the amateur community landed 11    
   notables in the limelight at Hamvention. Mike Askins KE5CXP has those    
   details.   
      
   MIKE: The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame inducted 11 new members during    
   Hamvention, including Silent Keys ranging from the late actor Marlon    
   Brando FO5GJ to the three astronauts killed in the Challenger shuttle    
   disaster of 2003: Laurel Clark KC5ZSU, David Brown KC5ZTC and Kalpana    
   Chawla KD5ESI.   
      
   The list also includes open-source QRP kit designer Ashhar Farhan    
   VU2ESE, Silent Key Grady Fox W4FRM, one of the pioneers of SSB;    
   African-American broadcaster and college radio supporter Wendell King, a    
   Silent Key who was formerly 2ADD and Fred Lloyd AA7BQ who founded    
   QRZ.com. The list also included well-known educator and youth advocate    
   Carole Perry WB2MGP; cybersecurity's Mark Pecen KC9X/VE3QAM and U.S.    
   Army photographer Ed Westcott W4UVS.   
      
   The Hall of Fame was created in 2001 by CQ Magazine and has since    
   inducted 321 members.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Mike Askins KE5CXP.   
      
   (CQ MAGAZINE)   
      
   **   
   THIS "HAMBULANCE" ANSWERS THE CALL   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Going mobile is part of the amateur radio experience -    
   and is there any better vehicle for public service than a refurbished    
   ambulance? One club doesn't think so and Kent Peterson KC0DGY tells us why.   
      
   KENT The Johnston County North Carolina ham club does what many clubs    
   do. They have around 65 members who support hurricane evacuees when they    
   come inland. They run and support a repeater. They participate in field    
   day.  And they have their very own "hambulance."   
      
   MARK: Somebody called it a hambulance (chuckles).   
      
   KENT That's right. They have a converted ambulance which once belonged    
   to the county. Club member Paul Dunn KD4BJD spotted an unused ambulance    
   as club president Mark Gibson N4MQU explains.   
      
   MARK: He kept seeing this ambulance parked and saw grass growing over it    
   they just weren't using it and he started asking asking questions one    
   thing led to another and Johnston County donated the ambulance.   
      
   KENT Mark says its still a work in progress, but currently has two    
   operating positions.  The truck has some Icom HF gear as well as the    
   ability to monitor public safety frequencies.   
      
   MARK The first part of April we put 10 mounts up on top and we can add    
   more operating positions if we need to.   
      
   KENT And the hambulance has also been tasked with educational outreach.   
      
   MARK:The general public doesn't know anything about communication and    
   that's the vision for the truck. We had some elementary school students    
   who have a ham radio club and they took a tour in the truck and were    
   fascinated by it.   
      
   KENT And they've driven it to a truck and tractor show to showcase    
   amateur radio as well.   
      
   MARK His vision is to help any community who needs it and we should be    
   able to hook up into their system, we're just excited as a club to help    
   them out with that.   
      
   KENT  For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY   
      
   **   
   AMATEUR EXAMS ARE A FIRST FOR ST. JOHN   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Another way to respond to emergencies effectively is to    
   Elmer candidates who want their licenses. That happened recently, for    
   the very first time, on the Island of St. John in the Caribbean. Here's    
   Andy Morrison K9AWM with more.   
      
   ANDY: There are many things the U.S. Virgin Islands are known for - blue    
   skies and clear water among them but - ham radio operators? Guess again.    
   The Island of St. John has doubled its modest amateur radio population    
   following the island's first VE session held May 6 in cooperation with    
   St. John Rescue and the islands of St. Croix and St. Thomas. After    
   September hurricanes Irma and Maria knocked out communications for the    
   remainder of 2017, Jennifer and Larry Pruss believed the island needed    
   more than 10 active hams. Motivated by last year's 100 days of    
   post-storm outages, there are now 18.   
      
   JENNIFER: "We had complete loss and blackout of all power and    
   communication services. So I think that made everyone heightened to the    
   fact that ham radio is extremely useful when all else fails."   
      
   ANDY: That was Jennifer Pruss who took - and passed - both her    
   Technician and General that day. She and her husband Larry NP2LP are    
   proud that their 12-year-old daughter, Skylar, got her Tech ticket that    
   day too. Larry says many of the hams expect to become active and useful    
   to St. John Rescue, which is providing the new hams with free radios.   
      
   LARRY: "My wife and I are both members of St. John Rescue and we were    
   going to do this regardless of their help however they stepped up and    
   offered to help pay for  materials and ultimately they are going to pay    
   for radios. They have given us a grant to pay of $4,000 for us to buy    
   handheld transceivers so people who have taken the study courses and    
   successfully passed are going to get a radio compliments of St. John    
   Rescue."   
      
   ANDY: With the help of volunteer examiners from sister islands as well    
   as the area ARRL section coordinator, Larry and Jennifer know this won't    
   be the only VE session ever to be held on the island.   
      
   LARRY: "The next step is to get them their radios and get the radios    
   distributed and programmed and to teach the General exam. Concurrent    
   with all that is to get the ARRL section coordinator to come over from    
   St. Croix. He has put together a grant for I think about $25,000 to get    
   some repeaters because our repeater system was damaged pretty severely    
   during the storm so we are going to be putting up new repeaters as well.   
      
   ANDY: They expect to have a lot more General class licensees by the time    
   storm season rolls around this year. 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 N50ZG repeater in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sundays at 8 p.m.,    
   following the net.   
      
      
   **   
   YOUNG HAMS PREP FOR DAVE KALTER MEMORIAL DX ADVENTURE   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: It's going to be a great summer for a group of young    
   amateurs. They're headed to Curacao and Neil Rapp WB9VPG tells us what    
   they're up to.   
      
   NEIL: Four young hams have been selected for the Dave Kalter Memorial    
   Youth DX Adventure this summer. This group will be headed to the famous    
   PJ2T contest station in Curacao from July 19th through July 24th. Each    
   year, a small group of young people and a parent travel to an exotic    
   location to be the DX, and work the pileups. Leading the team will be    
   Jim Storms, AB8YK and Ron Doyle, N8VAR.  Jim tells us about what they    
   hope to accomplish.   
      
   JIM: What we want them to do is actually experience being the DX. We    
   call it an adventure, because we don’t take everything... we stay in    
   hotels and we fly in. But, we want them to be the DX, hear that first    
   pile up, and it is so much fun to watch their eyes when they hear it the    
   first time. And then start beating through it. And then watch as they    
   grow and learn how to do pileup management and how to pick the right    
   antennas and point the right areas at the right time. That’s what we try    
   to do is help them grow in their radio knowledge plus give them a great    
   experience and hopefully light that fire to actually be on a DXpedition    
   sometime in the future.   
      
   NEIL: This year's youngsters include 13 year old Violetta Latham, KM4ATT    
   of Greencastle, Pennsylvania; 13 year old Dhruv Rebba, KC9ZJX of Normal,    
   Illinois; 14 year old David Samu, VE7DZO of Prince George, British    
   Colombia; and 15 year old Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII of Clemmons, North    
   Carolina. Mason tells us about finding out that he was selected for the    
   trip.   
      
   MASON: They sent me an email, the YDXA people, and it was like 11    
   o’clock at night. I was just checking my email one more time before I    
   went to bed. And it came through right as I was about to close the    
   computer, and literally did a happy dance and kinda ran a couple of laps    
   around the bedroom and things like that. I was definitely extremely    
   excited when I found out.   
      
   NEIL: When I asked Mason what part of the trip he's looking forward to    
   the most, this is what he had to say:   
      
   MASON: I'm pretty much looking forward to everything down there,    
   especially getting to operate from such a nice station as PJ2T is. I    
   hear them in contests all the time, and they always have one of the big    
   signals on the band so being able to operate from that kind of station    
   is going to be super exciting. And, there will be quite sizable pileups    
   I’m sure... and I kind of have an addiction to running pileups so that’s    
   going to be extremely enjoyable to say the least.   
      
   NEIL: Listen for these young hams running the pileups this summer from    
   Caracao, and be sure to give them a call. It will be an experience of a    
   lifetime.   
      
   Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp WB9VPG   
      
   **   
   NEW BANDS FOR AMATEUR USE IN IRELAND   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Things are about to get a little roomier on the amateur    
   bands for radio operators in Ireland, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   JEREMY: Hams in Ireland are looking forward to making use of two new ham    
   radio bands and a lot more spectrum under a new band plan being worked    
   out by the Irish Radio Transmitters Society. The proposal would create 8    
   metres between 30 and 49 MHz and 5 metres between 54 and 69.9 MHz.    
   Digital television would also be accommodated, among other modes, on the    
   expansive 5 metre band. The IRTS calls the draft plans a focus for input    
   and discussion on the national use of the expanded bands and welcomes    
   views and suggestions. Those thoughts can be sent via email to    
   newspectrum at irts dot ie (newspectrum@irts.ie) up until the 30th of June.   
      
   Meanwhile, effective immediately, use of the 4 metre band has been    
   extended making 69.9 MHz to 70.5 MHz available for amateur use. This    
   also establishes an FM calling channel of 70.450 MHz.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   (IRTS)   
      
   **   
   VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS IN CALIFORNIA   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're within easy traveling distance from Long    
   Beach, California, the organizers and athletes in the Special Olympics    
   could use a little - or a lot - of your time. For that story, here's    
   Jack Parker W8ISH, the newest addition to our Newsline family.   
      
   JACK: Let the games begin - but not without amateur radio operators! The    
   Special Olympics Summer Games are set to kick off in Long Beach,    
   California on June 9th and 10th on the campus of California State    
   University. Hams are needed to assist with 2 meter communications on    
   both days between 8 am and 4 pm. Even if you can only cover for half a    
   day, you are welcome to volunteer. The organizers are looking to provide    
   communications coverage for events such as track and field, flag    
   football and swimming along with Games headquarters as well as medical    
   and supply sites. If you're a first-timer at passing messages at these    
   kinds of events, same-day training will be provided. It's a good chance    
   to learn emergency and event communications and experience what it's    
   like working in a high-traffic controlled net. Hams will be covering    
   routine communications as well as any more urgent needs. For details    
   contact ke6tnm at scran dot org (ke6tnm@scran.org)   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.   
      
   (MARK LIDIKAY KE6TNM)   
      
   **   
   NEW LICENSEES GET ON THE AIR IN CHINA AND SOUTH AFRICA   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Licensing exams were held recently in China and South    
   Africa and Ed Durrant D5LP has the results.   
      
   ED'S REPORT: China's first Class C licensing exam has been held for    
   amateurs, resulting in 35 new holders of the license, which is the    
   highest class in the nation. Class C licensees are permitted as much as    
   1 kW of power on frequencies below 30 MHz and 25 watts on higher bands.    
   The Chinese Amateur Radio Club administered the test to a total of 56    
   candidates. The organizers report that the exam marked the first use of    
   an identification card image recognition system to verify the    
   test-takers' identities.   
      
   Meanwhile, in South Africa, there are 17 new young licensees. The South    
   African Radio League reports that 17 youngsters from the Bhisho Scout    
   Group who attended a boot camp have successfully tested in that rural    
   community. They are now holders of the Class B license, which is an    
   introductory level license carrying a ZU prefix and is the equivalent of    
   the Foundation license in the UK. It is issued to amateurs younger than 25.   
      
   Congratulations to everyone.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline this is Ed Durrant DD5LP.   
      
   **   
      
   WORLD OF DX:   
      
   In the world of DX, Mike, VK4DX, will be active as VK4DX/P from Russell    
   Island in the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, between June 1-3rd. Listen    
   for him on 80-20 meters where he will be using CW and SSB. QSL via    
   VK4DX, direct, LoTW or OQRS.   
      
   Listen for Eric, K0EAP, Eric, active as KH6/K0EAP from the Big Island of    
   Hawaii through June 2nd. He is on 40/30/20/15   
   meters using CW and SSB and has plans to activate at least 1 SOTA and    
   WWFF. QSL via LoTW, QRZ, by the   
   Bureau or Direct.   
      
   On Bonaire Island, Lauren/W0LD and Jon/N0JK will be active on 6 meters    
   with a special PJ4 callsign from the PJ4G station during the ARRL VHF    
   Contest which is June 9 and 10th). Before and after the contest, find    
   them on HF and 6m using CW, SSB   
   and FT8. QSL via W0LD.   
      
   (OHIO PENN DX)   
      
   **   
      
   KICKER: THEIR FAMILY HOME IS THEIR FAMILY SHACK   
      
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We end this week's newscast with the story of a ham    
   family adventure. You'll recognize one of the names in this report -    
   Neil Rapp WB9VPG mentioned her in his report just a few minutes ago. Now    
   let's hear the rest of the story from Don Wilbanks AE5DW.   
      
   DON'S REPORT: It seems the Latham family almost didn't need to leave    
   their home to attend Hamvention in nearby Ohio. Every day at their house    
   in Greencastle, Pennsylvania is Hamvention. Of the seven children, six    
   have licenses as do parents Rachel KM4ATS and Shannon KA8JRQ. The    
   Lathams were all at Xenia together recently and Violetta, KM4ATT, who is    
   13, spoke at the Saturday morning Youth Forum. The family's youngest ham    
   is Aaron KM4LEJ, who's 10 but has had his ticket for two years. Ohio,    
   however, is a short trip compared to one of their next journeys -    
   they're heading to Curacao. Don't expect to find the Lathams lounging on    
   the beach, however. They're going on DXpedition and the only waves    
   they'll be surfing are radio waves.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Don Wilbanks AE5DW.   
      
   (SOUTHGATE)   
      
   **   
      
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Dayton    
   Hamvention; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Mark Lidikay KE6TNM;    
   Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ; Ron Cramer KD8ENJ; Southgate Amateur Radio    
   News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; the 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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