Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2126 for Friday, July 27, 2018   
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2126 with a release date of Friday,    
   July 27, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
   The following is a QST. A ham in Japan achieves his goal after 4    
   decades. More than 300 lighthouses prepare for activation – and meet    
   Amateur Radio Newsline’s Young Ham of the Year for 2018! All this and    
   more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2126 comes your way right now.   
   **   
   BILLBOARD CART   
   **   
   TRIUMPH ON 6 METERS AND BEYOND   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story of personal triumph. One    
   ham. One goal. One award. And 41 years. With those details, here’s John    
   Williams VK4JJW.   
   JOHN: Say the words “worked all states” to hams who have ambitions for    
   this ultimate ARRL award in American contacts and they’ll likely tell    
   you stories of perseverance, pileups and no doubt, dreams. Ask Tac    
   Hirama, JA7QVI, a radio amateur in Japan, and he’ll tell you that he    
   finally got to live that dream. On the 17th of June, almost 41 years to    
   the day after he began his Worked All States journey on 6 meters, Tac    
   had a successful QSO with New Jersey ham Andy N2NT via EME, or moon    
   bounce. It completed the protracted effort he began on June 11, 1977 in    
   a QSO with Fred W6PVB.   
   Tac told Amateur Radio Newsline in an email that his chase for a New    
   Jersey contact took a decade and he had expected it would be, like the    
   other 49 states, either via F2 or Sporadic E propagation. Moon bounce,    
   however, did the trick.   
   He hasn’t just collected an award however: Along the way Tac has amassed    
   a number of friends – Dan K1TO, Andy N2NT, John N2NC, Morris N1IBM,    
   Dr.Joe K1JT among them.   
   We note that there’s a little bit more to this adventure: With this    
   recent 6 meter accomplishment, Tac now boasts Worked All States awards    
   on 10 bands from 160 meters to 6 meters.   
   It pays, he said, not to give up on one’s dreams.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m John Williams VK4JJW.   
   **   
   WHEN RADIO IS A BRIDGE TO THE WORLD   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Get ready to hear hams calling QRZ from bridges,    
   honoring a very special style of structure, as Jack Parker W8ISH tells us.   
   JACK: If amateur radio is a bridge to the world, well, it’s only natural    
   to expect to find hams on or near bridges on the 18th of August. In    
   Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ohio, they’ll be setting up stations on or    
   near covered bridges. In Ohio, clubs such as the Miami County Amateur    
   Radio Club and the Highland Amateur Radio Association will be among many    
   activating these bridges and calling QRZ to mark Covered Bridge Day. The    
   Miami County club will be operating at the Eldean Covered Bridge in    
   Troy, out of the nearby shelter house. The bridge itself was declared a    
   National Historic Landmark in 2017. It was built in 1860 and is    
   recognized as the longest “long truss” style bridge in the U.S. The    
   Highland club amateurs have a list of 7 bridges to be activated,    
   including the Blackwood Covered Bridge in Lodi Township and the    
   Lynchburg Covered Bridge. Meanwhile that same day in New York’s Thousand    
   Islands region, hams will be marking the 80th anniversary of the opening    
   of that region’s International Bridge System. The Thousand Islands    
   Repeater Club KC2TI will be on the air from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time.    
   The International Bridge System runs between Collins Landing, New York,    
   to the Ontario mainland, spanning 8.5 miles.   
   The weekend of August 18th and 19th promises to be a busy one since the    
   bridge activations are taking place at the same time hams will be taking    
   part in the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend activations.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jack Parker W8ISH.   
      
   (THOUSAND ISLANDS REPEATER CLUB, MIAMI COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)   
   **   
   LIGHTHOUSE NUMBER 300 IS REGISTERED   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: As hams prepare to activate lighthouses in August, the    
   numbers keep growing, as we learn from Ed Durrant DD5LP.   
   ED: Kevin VK2CE, one of the organisers of the International Lighthouse &    
   Lightship Weekend, sent the following report to ARNewsline regarding the    
   event that will take place in just three weeks time: Almost right on    
   schedule the 300th entry for this year’s event came in from Germany and    
   it is the lighthouse on the West Mole harbour wall at Lindau on Lake    
   Constance. This lovely and much-photographed lighthouse is accompanied    
   by a Lion on the East Mole both sheltering the town's harbour.   
   The lighthouse was built and operated by the railroad (now called    
   Deutsche Bahn) until the railroad dropped its ferry routes and sold its    
   Lindau harbor facilities to Stadtwerke Konstanz, which operates the    
   ferry service from Lindau to Meersburg on the German side and Romanshorn    
   on the Swiss side of the lake. In 2010 the town of Lindau acquired the    
   lighthouse and opened it to the public as a museum. The museum and the    
   tower are open daily except when bad weather makes the pier unsafe.   
   Kevin told ARNewsline that he often gets 150 or more registrations in    
   the last three weeks, sometime as late as the weekend itself or even    
   after the event. The record so far was in 2014 with 544 lights    
   registered from 56 countries. Whether this total will be beaten this    
   year remains to be seen, the main point is to get out there, demonstrate    
   amateur radio to the public and promote conservation of these important    
   parts of all our histories.   
   This year’s highly popular fun event takes place on the 18-19 August    
   coinciding with the International Association of Lighthouse Keepers    
   annual open day on the Sunday. It is not a contest, logs are not    
   required all that is needed is some portable gear and permission to site    
   yourselves somewhere "near" to the Lighthouse or Lightship. Some clubs    
   get a special event callsign to go with their operation but that is in    
   no way mandatory. Full information and the online registration form are    
   at I L L W (dot) net .   
   For AR Newsline this has been Ed Durrant DD5LP, getting ready to do his    
   lighthouse activation in just three weeks’ time.   
   (KEVIN VK2CE)   
   **   
   YHOTY   
   STEPHEN: speaking of awards, the judges reviewed an outstanding crop of    
   nominations and have finally reached their decision on who will be    
   presented the Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Amateur Radio Newsline    
   Young Ham of the Year award. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mark Abramowicz    
   (Abramo-vich), NT3V, the chairman of the committee, has the story...   
   MARK:   
   3:00   
   **   
   BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur    
   Radio Newsline heard on bulletin stations around the world including the    
   ZS0MOT repeater in South Africa on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. local time.   
   **   
   A BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE FOR A BLOCKBUSTER CONTEST   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Imagine a storyline of both friendship and intense    
   competition against a backdrop of picturesque European scenery. It has    
   the makings of a movie, no? Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us that radio    
   amateurs can expect exactly that following the recent World Radiosport    
   Team Championship in Germany.   
   ED: After an extreme high level of activity during the WRTC 2018 in    
   Wittenberg, the work was not finished with the core team staying on for    
   a few more days to double check all sites were cleared, everything was    
   put back to normal in the HQ Hotel and all non-sold equipment returned    
   to the warehouse where it was packed and shipped off before the    
   warehouse itself was cleaned and handed back to its owners. Even then    
   the work is not finished with such a large event: Paperwork and    
   financial matters will take some time to complete. On a lighter note    
   more creative work is also under way. A film about the WRTC in the    
   Wittenberg & Jessen area is being made as is an official book with many    
   photos and stories from all parts of the event. It is hoped that both of    
   these projects will be completed before years-end.   
      
   The WRTC 2018 will remain in people’s memories for some time to come and    
   now with the film and the book, it will be possible to get a permanent    
   reminder of one of the largest Amateur Radio projects in Europe for many    
   years.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Ed Durrant DD5LP   
   (WRTC)   
   ****   
   NEW TEAM TO MONITOR AIRWAVES IN GREAT BRITAIN   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Radio Society of Great Britain is making changes in    
   how operator behavior gets monitored. Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us more.   
   JEREMY: In Great Britain, an official team of volunteers that has been    
   reporting problematic on-air behaviour and equipment issues is being    
   disbanded.   
   The Radio Society of Great Britain, the RSGB, has long relied on the    
   efforts of the Amateur Radio Observation Service for second opinions on    
   a variety of these issues and has decided to re-focus on how to address    
   these important operating matters.   
   During the next few months the Society will convene a new team called    
   the Operating Advisory Service, or OAS. OAS participants will monitor    
   the bands for such misuses as call-sign pirating, abuse of repeaters and    
   on-air harassment of amateurs. Announcing the change, the Society said    
   it had taken a hard look at the previous way of doing things and decided    
   to give the new team responsibility for developing written    
   recommendations to be published on the website. The team will    
   concentrate on ideas for best practice.   
   The RSGB noted that this change does not have any impact on Intruder    
   Watch which is the Society’s portion of the overall IARU monitoring    
   system that reports on non-amateur signals that are heard on the HF    
   amateur bands.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH   
   (RSGB)   
   **   
   CALIFORNIA CLUB’S TRADITION OF TEACHING AND REACHING   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A special event station operating at California’s Sonoma    
   County Fair has a special mission, as Paul Braun WD9GCO tells us.   
   PAUL: When the Sonoma County Radio Amateurs show up to do their radio    
   demonstrations at the Sonoma County Fair on the 3rd and 4th of August in    
   Santa Rosa, California, members will be keeping with an eight-year-old    
   tradition of reaching out to the community and showing what ham radio    
   can do. Operators will be on SSB on 40, 20 and 10 meters and also    
   showing how to transmit in CW, APRS and possibly satellite. Darryl    
   Paule, KI6MSP, the club’s outreach coordinator, said the 186-member club    
   has been growing steadily during the last few months and this is yet    
   another way to show what radio can do under emergency and non-emergency    
   conditions. So be listening for Special Event Station K6P on both days    
   between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. Yours might be the contact that    
   impresses a potential newcomer.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Paul Braun WD9GCO.   
   (DARRYL PAULE KI6MSP)   
   **   
   QRP AND HOMEBREW BY THE BAY   
   STEPHEN: Another outdoor event, this one a winter outing by the water,    
   is being held just south of Melbourne, Australia. Robert Broomhead VK3DN    
   has the details.   
   ROBERT: For Peter Parker VK3YE the event started with the realisation    
   that, at the time, there were no organised gatherings of hams who enjoy    
   QRP. That was almost five years ago. Now, says Peter, the afternoon    
   happening known as QRP By the Bay, has gathered momentum. Although it is    
   traditionally held twice a year at Victory Park in Chelsea when it’s a    
   bit warmer, winter doesn’t stop these enthusiasts from showing up on the    
   Melbourne waterfront for at least three hours. One previous outing    
   focused on amateur satellite operation. At the one on Saturday, July    
   28th the focus is Bitx/uBitx [Bitx Micro-Bitx] kits.   
   Peter said that people bring their homebrew projects, their rigs and    
   their antennas and they get on the air but the real point of it all is    
   just being together as friends. He invited this year’s attendees by    
   saying [quote] “bring a project, an interesting item or an idea.”    
   [endquote]   
   Even for hams who will always prefer 5 to 10 watts, it’s an idea that    
   has grown in power.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Robert Broomhead VK3DN   
   (PETER PARKER VK3YE)   
   **   
   WORLD OF DX   
   Be listening for Tev TA1HZ who will be operating as 9H3HZ from a bed and    
   breakfast in Malta for the 2018 IOTA contest July 28th and 29th. He will    
   be operating as an "Island Station-Dxpedition" on 100 watts. He also    
   hopes to operate FT8 while on Malta. QSL direct via his home call sign;    
   LoTW preferred.   
   Listen for members of Japan’s Nara DX Association as they operate from    
   Micronesia as V6J until the 31st of July. They are on all bands 40 – 6m    
   on SSB, CW, FT8 and RTTY and are focusing on contacts into Europe and    
   North America. QSL via Club Log OQRS.   
      
   We also want to make note of a 10-year anniversary. This week marks one    
   decade since the first ICQ Podcast, a UK-based podcast “for amateurs by    
   amateurs.” Congratulations to our colleagues!   
   **   
   KICKER: CANADIAN SIGNAL MAKES WAVES IN NORTHERN IRELAND   
   STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In our final story we ask: Turn on the radio and what do    
   you expect? Jeremy Boot G4NJH has that answer.   
   JEREMY: Not too long ago, Paul Logan spent a nice evening listening to a    
   radio programme on CBC Radio 1 from Newfoundland. Nothing unusual about    
   that, right? Except Paul MI3LDO is an avid FM DXer and he was tuning in    
   from Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It was 21:35 UTC, or    
   22:35 local time for Paul and his adventure in North American listening    
   was especially unusual because it was on 88.5 MHz. Strong multi-hop    
   sporadic E signals aren’t all that uncommon on 28 and 50 MHz but on this    
   night 88 MHz was the maximum usable frequency.   
   As John Desmond EI7GL reported in his blog: [quote] “this really is a    
   remarkable catch.” Paul managed this bonus DX across 3200 kms – or not    
   quite 2,000 miles - with an SDR receiver and a 5 element beam. The blog    
   noted that this is the fourth time since 2003 that Paul has heard a    
   station from Canada on the band between 88 and 108 MHz.   
   Paul himself notes on his QRZ page that his interest in radio dates to    
   the early 1980s and back then it involved mostly listening on the    
   broadcast bands. However, he writes, he also enjoys transmitting on his    
   Icom 703 or his Yaesu FT-817 – and when he does – you can expect to hear    
   him at 5 watts or perhaps even less. Who knows? Next time perhaps the    
   CBC will be on the receiving end of his very QRP signal.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH   
   (BLOG OF JOHN DESMOND EI7GL)   
   **   
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;    
   CQ Magazine; Darryl Paule KI6MSP; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; Irish    
   Radio Transmitters Society; John Desmond EI7GL; Kevin Mulcahy VK2CE;    
   Miami County Amateur Radio Club; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; Peter Parker    
   VK3YE; QRZ; Radio Society of Great Britain; Southgate Amateur Radio    
   News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; the Thousand Islands Repeater Club;    
   Wireless Institute of Australia; WRTC; 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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