Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2127 for Friday, August 3, 2018   
      
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2127 with a release date of Friday,    
   August 3, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.   
      
   The following is a QST. Hams step up as California wildfires burn. Dave    
   Kalter Youth DXers in Curacao release their log's final tally -- and    
   South Africa prepares for Youngsters on the Air. All this and more as    
   Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2127 comes your way right now.   
      
   **   
   BILLBOARD CART   
   **   
   HAMS STEP UP AS WILDFIRES SWEEP CALIFORNIA   
      
   PAUL: We begin this week with a report from California, where officials    
   were tallying up the damage from one of California's most devastating    
   wildfires. By August 1st, the Carr Fire consumed Shasta County, taking    
   with it more than 1,000 homes and at least eight lives at the last count.   
   As shelters opened and the Red Cross sought out communications help,    
   hams with the Shasta Tahama Amateur Radio Emergency Services, assisted    
   by hams from Sacramento ARES stepped in. One of them was Gary Sanda    
   KI6OMU, the finance manager of Shasta Tahama ARES. As Gary's family was    
   being evacuated to stay with friends, he deployed to help with what was    
   being called the Carr Fire, the largest of the 17 blazes to have hit the    
   state.   
      
   GARY: Initially it was a callup of local people from the Shasta Tahama    
   ARES or STARES and as the fire grew from one shelter to two shelters to    
   maybe five or six now -- and one of the places people were sheltering    
   was a casino 40 miles away -- we have been getting assistance from    
   Sacramento ARES. So we have been covering most everything. We certainly    
   could have used more people but we have all been scrambling to try and    
   cover everything we can.   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: By the first of August the Carr fire was declared 30    
   percent contained but people - including Gary's own family - were still    
   displaced. The hams were busy providing communications between shelter    
   managers and the Red Cross as needed since cell phone service remained    
   largely intact, although spotty in some areas.   
      
   GARY: The bulk of our communications is WINLINK because we are too far    
   north to have any real VHF voice or UHF voice. So we are using WINLINK    
   packet.   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, the fire had swept over    
   more than 112,000 acres and the hams were continuing to work their    
   shifts, sometimes for days. Gary said that any hams wanting to provide    
   assistance can get details by visiting the state's Communications    
   Reserve Unit website at acscalifornia dot org (acscalifornia.org)   
      
   (CNN, SHASTA TAHAMA ARES)   
      
   **   
      
   VOIP HURRICANE NET GETS NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In other areas of ham radio disaster response, the VoIP    
   Hurricane Net has someone new to help guide it, as we hear from Bobby    
   Best WX4ALA.   
      
   BOBBY:  The VoIP Hurricane Net has a new assistant director of    
   operations. Debby Gray WX9VOR, has been a part of the operation since    
   2016 when she joined the VoIP Hurricane Net as a net control operator.    
   Not long after coming on board, her skills were put to the test during    
   the historic Atlantic hurricane season in 2017, when she worked numerous    
   extended net control shifts and also managed to recruit additional net    
   controls – newcomers and veterans – during hurricanes Irma and Maria.   
      
   Debby fills the vacancy left after Jim Sellars N0UAM became a Silent Key    
   in May. She will be working with Dennis Dura K2DCD.   
      
   The announcement of her appointment was made by Rob KD1CY, the VoIP    
   Hurricane Net’s director of operations. He noted that Debby’s background    
   makes her ideally suited for the job. She has had more than two decades    
   experience as an IT consultant, educator and mission critical support    
   specialist, work that got her involved in disaster planning. She is also    
   emergency coordinator for the ARES group of Kane County Illinois and a    
   volunteer sergeant for the Naperville Illinois EMA Communications and    
   Weather units.   
      
   Debby also works as one of the senior members of the WX9LOT Ham Team    
   supporting NWS Chicago and the NWS Chicago SKYWARN program.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Bobby Best WX4ALA   
      
   (ROB KD1CY)   
      
   **   
   AT ILLW, AN OLD LIGHT BUT A BRIGHT LIGHT   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend has a    
   real "OM" among lighthouses registered - it's from the 12th century!    
   Here's Jeremy Boot G4NJH with details.   
      
   JEREMY: Well before there was the discovery of radio, well before    
   Marconi, well before Samuel F.B. Morse and well before such a thing as    
   the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, there stood a    
   lighthouse on Lindau Island in Lake Constance, Bodensee, Germany. The    
   structure was built circa 1180 as a fortified tower to protect Lindau    
   and, history reports, it also served as a lighthouse. That beacon’s job    
   was replaced by a lighthouse on the West mole at the entrance to Lindau    
   Harbour in 1856 but both structures are not only still standing – both    
   are part of this year’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend    
   which takes place on August 18th and 19th. They have the honour of    
   constituting the 300th entry and, in the case of the 12th century    
   structure, being the oldest in the worldwide event. On a personal note,    
   our own Ed Durrant DD5LP will be part of the activation along with    
   Thomas DK1TK – so be listening!   
   Organisers for the event said momentum is building for this    
   international celebration, which is not a contest. The current leaders    
   for registrations are Germany with 55, Australia with 46 and the USA    
   with 40. Other interesting lighthouse entrants are Namibia with 2,    
   Mexico with 1, Latvia with 2 and Iceland and Gibraltar with 1 each. Many    
   more registrations are expected in the next two weeks.   
   For Amateur  Radio Newsline, I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
      
   (KEVIN MULCAHY VK2CE)   
      
   **   
   SOUTH AFRICAN HAMS HAVE THINGS DOWN TO A SCIENCE   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: In South Africa, there's a growing number of radio science    
   citizen investigators. John Williams VK4JJW has that story.   
      
   JOHN: If you haven’t yet heard of the Amateur Radio Science Citizen    
   Investigation or HamSCI SA, expect to begin hearing more about it soon.    
   It’s a new umbrella association being launched jointly by South Africa's    
   AMSAT SA and the South African Radio League. It’s an ambitious    
   partnership involving cooperation between radio amateurs and    
   professional scientists in a variety of research disciplines, including    
   physics and electronics. The organisation’s current project is to    
   support research into propagation on 5MHz with respect to the noise    
   floor and its causes and mitigation. HamSCI SA will not conduct the    
   research itself but lend support to the relevant research of others    
   where it can. The researchers’ concerns include the very real    
   possibility that noise will ultimately disable the weakest of signals on    
   the radio spectrum and then, perhaps, even stronger transmissions. The    
   new organisation’s work is explained in greater detail in a July 26th    
   online magazine story in EngineerIT, written by Hans van de Groenendaal    
   ZS6AKV.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m John Williams VK4JJW.   
      
   (SARL)   
      
   ***   
      
   YOUTH DXers COUNT MORE THAN 6,000 CONTACTS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Young hams from the Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure have    
   some numbers to share from their log, and Stephen Kinford N8WB has those    
   numbers.   
      
   STEPHEN: If you were among the lucky ones to work PJ2Y, the Dave Kalter    
   Youth DX Adventure in Curacao, you’re one of 6,261 contacts in the    
   team’s log, according to the team’s website. As you can imagine it was a    
   busy time for the four youngsters and four adults with them. They often    
   didn’t get on the air until 10 in the morning and usually operated until    
   about midnight. Team leader Jim Storms AB8YK reports that one of their    
   major challenges was a power loss that cost them about eight hours on    
   the air – but the rest of the time they were busy operating on SSB and    
   CW. They also made an effort to get their FT8 station on the air as much    
   as possible. Congratulations to 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. The    
   DXpedition went off the air on July 23 and if you’re waiting for your    
   QSL card, be patient. One is expected to be designed and sent soon.    
   Meanwhile, the team’s log is now available on LoTW and Club Log.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Stephen Kinford N8WB.   
      
   (DAVE KALTER YOUTH DX ADVENTURE)   
      
   **   
   BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur    
   Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including    
   the K7EFZ repeater on Tuesday nights at 9 local time in Idaho Falls, Idaho.   
      
   **   
   RUSSIAN AMATEURS CAMP IT UP WITH CODE   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: CW operators are getting ready to pack up and head to a    
   campground just outside Moscow and Jason Daniels VK2LAW tells us why.   
      
   JASON: The outdoor assembly of Code enthusiasts in Russia, just outside    
   Moscow, may look like Field Day but it’s not. It’s being called the    
   International Convention of CW Operators and its organisers are members    
   of the U-QRQ-C club. While the very casual three-day event from August    
   24th to 27th is free and open to whole families as well as individual    
   operators, attendees are being asked to bring their own accommodation    
   for sleeping outdoors – and of course, their radios. The location in    
   Radograd is the same as for last year’s event. Anyone wanting to attend    
   – or needing questions answered - can contact the club via email at    
   uqrqc at mail dot ru (uqrqc@mail.ru)   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Jason Daniels VK2LAW.   
      
   **   
      
   SOUTH AFRICA BECOMES QTH FOR YOTA PARTICIPANTS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Youngsters on the Air 2018 is coming to South Africa and    
   Jeremy Boot G4NJH tells us what the young hams' week will be like.   
      
   JEREMY: Just as it happened in Great Britain last year, South Africa is    
   about to become the home QTH for teams of young amateurs from throughout    
   Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union. Starting on the 8th    
   of August, participants in Youngsters on the Air from Europe and Africa    
   will arrive for a week of activities that include building radio kits as    
   well as building bridges and friendships between nations. The group of    
   70 includes hams as young as 16 and as old as 25 representing 30 or so    
   different countries. The teams will create a mini Cube Sat and launch it    
   into near space using a high-altitude balloon that they will track.    
   They’ll build radio kits and, of course, they will put special event    
   station ZS9YOTA on the air. There will also be an opportunity to sit for    
   the South African Radio Amateur Examination and to work on their    
   contesting skills. This is the first time any African nation has hosted    
   this programme which will take place in South Africa’s central region of    
   Gauteng.   
   By the 15th of August it will all be done and everyone will be packed up    
   for the return home. With the 8th YOTA programme complete, the planning    
   begins for the ninth such gathering next year.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.   
   (SARL)   
      
   **   
      
   QRZ ANNOUNCES ‘WORLD RADIO FRIENDSHIP AWARD’   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Things just got even friendlier on the air with a new    
   operating award from QRZ.com. Here’s Kevin Trotman N5PRE.   
      
   KEVIN: Awards are one of the extra benefits of being a skilled and    
   effective radio operator. QRZ.com has recently announced its newest    
   operating award in recognition of its own 25th anniversary. It’s called    
   the World Radio Friendship Award. Unlike QRZ’s other awards, such as the    
   DX World Award, the United States Award and the World Continents Awards,    
   this award is based only on contacts made with other users of QRZ. It’s    
   an international award – and to qualify, a ham must have successfully    
   logged on-air contacts with 25 QRZ members.   
   QRZ notes that as of its most recent statistics, its logbooks contain    
   more than 245 million QSOs. That stands for a lot of good contacts in    
   the three years since QRZ launched its operating awards program. In    
   those three years, QRZ has issued more than 64,000 awards.   
   To determine if you qualify for the World Radio Friendship Award, visit    
   QRZ’s Awards Analyzer online.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Kevin Trotman N5PRE   
   (QRZ)   
      
   **   
   IN MALAYSIA A TRAIL OF HOPE -- AND HAMS   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: A big fundraising event in Malaysia is still a few months    
   away but hams are already putting the pieces together, as we hear from    
   Jason Daniels VK2LAW.   
      
   JASON: With its long commitment to community service, the Sabah Amateur    
   Radio Society is once again among those organizations supporting the    
   Salt Trail Challenge, a fundraising run in its fifth year. A lot of    
   planning is going into this massive event which will take place in    
   October at the historic Crocker Range Park in Malaysia.This year’s    
   challenge is the “Trail of Hope,” featuring a 16K and 25K run for both    
   men and women. The event is a joint effort of the radio club, Sabah    
   Parks and the Pacos Trust. The run supports the activities of the Mercy    
   Malaysia Sabah Chapter, which has been a major healthcare provider since    
   2003, including helping with disaster relief and water and sanitation    
   issues. The Sabah Amateur Radio Society was formed in 1978 and according    
   to its website, has an established association with community service    
   events such as this.   
      
   For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jason Daniels VK2LAW   
      
   (SABAH AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY)   
      
   **   
   WORLD OF DX   
   Be listening through the end of the year for Mike VE2XB who is operating    
   on Baffin Island in northern Canada. He is using the callsign VY0BRR.    
   The IOTA reference is NA-047.   
      
   Listen for Przemslaw SP7VC, visiting two of the British Channel Islands    
   from Poland throughout the month of August. He will sign MU/SP7VC from    
   Guernsey from 5th – 11th August and the move on to Jersey where he will    
   operate as MJ/SP7VC from the 11th – 14th August. Be listening on all    
   bands from 160 – 10m and some of the VHF bands.   
      
   Listen for Roly, ZL1BQD, on the air as A35RR from Togatapu between the    
   8th and 17th of August. He'll be on 160 to 10 meters using mostly JT65    
   and FT8. He is not ruling out use of SSB or CW if conditions permit.    
   Send QSLs via ZL1BQD.   
      
   In Tonga, be listening for Hardy DL7JLL who will operate from the    
   Kingdom of Tonga   
   during the months of August and September. The callsign A35JLL will be    
   what he uses in August. Listen on 40/20/15/10 meters. You can expect him    
   to operate from August 8th to 15th from Nuku Alofa. QSL via DL7JLL    
   direct or by the Bureau.   
      
   (IRTS, OHIO PENN DX)   
      
      
   **   
   KICKER: A HOLIDAY LIKE NO OTHER   
      
   PAUL/ANCHOR: Finally, we end this week's report in a holiday mood. Ham    
   Holiday descended upon Oklahoma City in late July - and Don Wilbanks    
   AE5DW has the details.   
      
   DON: There are holidays…and then there are Ham Holidays. One week before    
   the YLRL convention touched down in Oklahoma City, 650 hams from    
   Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma took over the city’s    
   Tower Hotel on July 27th and 28th. The educational forums were    
   standing-room-only, whether the subject was DMR, youth involvement,    
   programming radios or actitivies for YLs. And the banquets were, of    
   course, eating-room-only. Special guest Jerry Rosalius WB9Z told    
   attendees about his experiences during the recent Bouvet Island    
   DXpedition and Valerie Hotzfeld NV9L shared her amateur radio journey    
   through contesting, emergency service and her Hurricane Maria deployment    
   to Puerto Rico.   
   Yes, like all major holiday seasons, there were even important rituals    
   to be observed, such as the Wouff Hong ceremony.   
   Perhaps best of all, the crew of Volunteer Examiners oversaw 20 tests    
   for 16 candidates -- all without fees. In fact there was a bonus to be    
   had in this test session: candidates who passed their first exam got a    
   full rebate on their admission ticket to the regional fest. Of course,    
   there was one more holiday bonus they got to take home and keep: the    
   ability to get on the air.   
   For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Don Wilbanks AE5DW.   
   (MARK KLEINE N5HZR)   
      
   **   
   NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;    
   CQ Magazine; CNN; Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure; Hap Holly and the Rain    
   Report; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; Kevin Mulcahy VK2CE; Mark    
   Kleine N5HZR; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ; Sabah Amateur Radio Society;    
   Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Rob KD1CY;    
   South African Radio League; Shasta Tahama ARES; 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 Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana    
   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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