Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2059 for Friday, April 14, 2017

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2059 with a release date of Friday, 
April 14, 2017 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A young amateur reports back from his first 
DXpedition. Hams get busy with Marconi Day and the anniversary of Samuel 
Morse's birthday -- and we give you a preview of contesting at 
Hamvention! All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2059 
comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART


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IN INDIA, A REUNION BY RADIO

DON/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the story of ham radio at its best: 
It's the tale of a dramatic and emotional reunion played out in India 
after a local amateur radio club helped a lost and injured young man 
find his way back home to his worried family a good distance away. 
Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp VK4BB has that report.

GRAHAM: It took a month of searching, but a 25-year-old man who had been 
separated from his family during a religious fair in India, was reunited 
with them with the help of an amateur radio club.

The young man had been hospitalized with head injuries when Ambarish Nag 
Biswas, secretary of the West Bengal Radio Club, heard about his 
situation from Kolkata's health officer. Biswas told The Hindu newspaper 
that the man was hardly able to speak. With the help of an interpreter, 
they learned his name and that his family is from Vellore district. They 
also learned he ended up in Kolata by mistake. He was lost.

The amateur radio club put word out about him and distributed his photo 
on social media and in videos. Kolkata police helped in the search and, 
one month later, the man and his family were reunited - first by phone 
and then by bringing the family to Kolkata.

Biswas told the newspaper: "The idea is to put this radio into best use."

And what better purpose than this?

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB

(THE HINDU)

**
GOOD PROGNOSIS FOR HOSPITAL RADIOS

DON/ANCHOR: Hospitals exist to help us -- but who's out there helping 
the hospitals? Hams, of course! Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul 
Braun WD9GCO with the story of one such special effort.

PAUL: Emergency communications are a big part of what amateur radio is, 
and why it remains relevant in today's connected world. And one critical 
area is emergency healthcare, where many providers are turning to 
amateur radio as a backup.

Andy Finnick, W9FXT, has been involved in setting up amateur radio 
backup systems for hospitals in Northwest Indiana for almost twenty years.

ANDY: Yeah, I got involved in 1998 when St. Margaret's Hospital in 
Hammond, Indiana wanted some emergency communications so I put a 
repeater up there. And ever since then it grew. I put another repeater 
up there and they were real helpful - they gave me a nice climate room 
to put it in, they put a cage, put in emergency power, put a phone line. 
And then about 2007 they hired a man who was the bio-terrorism director, 
and by then things were starting to happen.

We started out with about ten or twelve people - some local law 
enforcement, the Schererville police chief, and other agencies - there 
was just a small group of us. And it grew and grew until the point where 
it became District One. There are ten districts in the State of Indiana.

PAUL: Eventually, the system involved more than just on-site repeaters:

ANDY: What I was told was that the State and Federal government mandated 
amateur radio for backup and emergency communications. So, we start 
installing radio stations in there besides repeaters. One reason we 
install them at the hospital is so that any licensed amateur can walk in 
there and operate that station.

PAUL: I asked Finnick if there were any special requirements to 
volunteer for his group:

ANDY: We don't refuse any help, but we would like them to join RACES so 
that we have a structure to it. But anyone that wants to help out, 
please do.

PAUL: If you are in the Northwest Indiana area and want to get involved, 
or if you want more information on how you can start a similar program 
in your area, you can contact Andy via email at w9fxt at sbcglobal dot net.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Paul Braun, WD9GCO

**


FOR K2BSA, IT's MORSE AND MORE

DON/ANCHOR: Scouts are busy on the radio again this week and there's 
even a fun code competition thrown into the mix. For more details on 
that, let's hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns NE4RD.

BILL: This week in Radio Scouting we have 1 activation of the K2BSA 
callsign and 1 activation from Scout Camps on the Air.

Ben Kuo, KK6FUT, will be the control operator for the K2BSA portable 6 
station at the Ventura County Council Conejo Valley District Camporee in 
Moorpark, California on April 22nd and 23rd. This the the third 
activation of the camp by the ham radio operators from the Conejo 
(co-ney-ho) Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC).  In the spirit of Boy 
Scout Camporees, where scouts compete to show off their scouting skills, 
the group is sponsoring a competition for scouts to decode a message in 
Morse Code to win a blister pack of FRS radios and an ARRL Technician 
License Manual.  Ben, who has been organizing the event and regularly 
works with scouts as a scout leader and Radio Merit Badge counselor, 
said that, surprisingly, one of parts of ham radio which attracts the 
most interest from scouts is Morse Code. Although it’s no longer 
required for a license, the scouts have an enormous interest in decoding 
and sending Morse code, even more than talking on the radio. After last 
year’s event, scouts were sending Morse code messages by flashlight all 
over camp, and scouts were specifically coming to the group’s tent to 
learn about Morse code. Last year, the group showed off ham radio to the 
over 600 participants in the Camporee, with 65 scouts decoding their 
first Morse code message and entering the contest and helping dozens of 
scouts make contacts on the air.   The group is hoping to do the same 
this year, with another Morse Code contest and first contacts for 
scouts. The group plans to be on HF on 20m, 40m, 15m, and 10m primarily 
on phone and digital, depending on band conditions, and local VHF 
repeaters.

Robert Swain, W5APO, will be the control operator for special event 
station W0A at the Southern Area 4 Section Order of the Arrow Conference 
hosted by Uh-To-Yeh-Hut-Tee Lodge at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in 
Brooksville, FL, on April 22nd.  The event will host close to 1000 
scouters and scouts, and will be a great opportunity to show off amateur 
radio!

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.

**

BREAKING THE ICE....IN ICELAND

DON/ANCHOR: Does ham radio leave you cold? Well it did for one youngster 
from North Carolina who got back recently from his first DXpedition - to 
Iceland. Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp WB9VPG talked with him.

NEIL: Mason Matrazzo, of Clemmons, North Carolina, was on the air from 
Iceland as TF/KM4SII in the middle of March. This was his first 
DXpedition. He took along a Buddistick, an FT-450, and 25 feet of coax 
on a trip to Iceland with his mother. Mason is just 14 years old. Mason 
explains the difficulties he ran into operating on the trip.

MASON: Mother nature was none too kind during this expedition, and I 
only got really one day where I could get the antenna set up the whole 
time we were there… maybe actually technically speaking two. But, 
there’s a bunch of problems.

NEIL: Problems getting the antenna mounted outside the hotel and extreme 
weather conditions definitely got in his way.  Mason wasn’t very happy 
with the amount of contacts he was able to get, but he still had a great 
time and learned a lot.

MASON: I managed to work 15 countries, and it was only like - I don't 
know - 20 something maybe no more than 25 QSOs. It was very painful, 
I’ll say, when you when you're trying to work somebody through S9, S9+10 
noise. So I couldn't actually hear if a frequency was clear very easily. 
But fortunately, I had Internet access. So I got on one of the online 
SDRs in Europe, and found a clear spot, and I just started calling CQ 
there and eventually I got spotted by someone in Russia and I got some 
callers. It was slow going, but I did manage to pull some of them out of 
the S9 noise. That was the first night, and the second night I was on 
the air, it was a little bit late and the band had gone really long and 
funky, and I wasn't getting any callers coming back to my CQ, at least 
that were audible. So I just spent the rest of the night in search and 
pounce mode.

NEIL: Mason plans on trying another DXpedition soon.

MASON: Like I said, this is the first I've ever been internationally. 
So, it was a good first time. Next time I'm hoping that I operate where 
I get myself a quieter location and a warmer location. I think somewhere 
tropical would be good next, because it was… it was cold!

NEIL: And Mason, I can’t blame you for that.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.

**

KNOW A POTENTIAL YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR?

DON/ANCHOR: Speaking of young hams, this is just another reminder that 
the deadline approaches to nominate a candidate for Amateur Radio 
Newsline's Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year Award. Do you 
know someone who particularly impresses you? Nominations are open to 
amateurs 18 or younger who reside in the United States, its possessions 
or any Canadian province. This is Amateur Radio Newsline's commitment to 
honoring young talented radio operators. Find application forms on our 
website at arnewsline.org under the "YHOTY" tab. The award will be 
presented on August 19th at the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama.

Visit our website for details. Nominations close May 31 and that date is 
coming up fast!

**

BREAK HERE: Time to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio 
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the 
W2GLD repeater in Pinckney, Michigan on Saturdays at 8 p.m. local time.

**

MARKING THE DAY OF MARCONI

DON/ANCHOR: Are you up to date on your radio history? If you are, you'll 
remember that Marconi Day is coming, and that's as good a reason as any 
to get on the air, as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot 
G4NJH.

JEREMY: International Marconi Day is not a contest, but a global 
tribute. Organized by the Cornish Amateur Radio Club, it's about as 
close as any radio operator may get these days to having the "Marconi 
experience." On April 22 - which will be April 21 in the United States - 
hams are encouraged to get on the HF bands and make as many contacts as 
possible with the dozens of stations that have registered as so-called 
"award stations."

This is the 30th International Marconi Day and it will include the 
participation of a number of special event stations celebrating 
Guglielmo Marconi's birth on April 25, 1874. Participation is in two 
categories: for transmitting amateurs completing contacts with 15 of the 
official award stations, and for shortwave listeners logging two-way 
communications made by 15 of those stations.

Award stations include the Kerry Amateur Radio Club in Ireland, 
operating as EI6YXQ at the former Marconi station site at Ballybunion. 
In Binghamton, New York, in the U.S., operators can listen for special 
event station K2M. The Binghamton site is where Marconi demonstrated in 
1913 that communciation was possible with a fast-moving train. The site 
contains the remaining tower Marconi used. Other North American 
stations, with links to Marconi's historic work, include Cape Cod, 
Massachusetts, operating as WA1WCC and KM1CC and Nova Scotia as VE1IMD.

Of course, in the UK, the Cornish club's members will also be operating, 
using the call sign GB4IMD. Cornwall was where Marconi did much of his 
formative work. Marconi himself might appreciate this event as a day 
that should be filled with big discoveries.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH

(CORNISH AMATEUR RADIO CLUB)

**
ON THE FRONT PORCH OF RADIO HISTORY

DON/ANCHOR: For a little bit more radio history, head to New York 
State's Hudson Valley, where dots and dashes are taking center stage. Or 
at least.....the front porch. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather 
Embee KB3TZD with that story.

HEATHER: The Samuel Morse estate in New York's Hudson Valley was the 
summer home of the noted inventor and 19th century telegrapher. The 
historic house and grounds, known as Locust Grove, is marking the 227th 
anniversary of Morse's birth by doing the very thing Morse himself made 
possible - communicating in code. On April 29, the Hudson Valley QSY 
Society will be operating in CW from the porch of the old house, making 
radio contacts in Morse Code to demonstrate to the public how effective 
a mode it still is. Guests at the home will also be welcome to visit the 
historic home's telegraph gallery which contains reproductions of early 
electromagnetic telegraphs similar to those developed and used by Morse.

Locust Grove is located in Poughkeepsie (Poo-KIP-See) New York and the 
event, which is free, begins at 10 a.m. Visit the website at lgny.org

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee KB3TZD.

(LOCUST GROVE HISTORIC ESTATE)

**

PLANNING FOR DAYTON: HOW SUPERSUITE IT IS!

DON/ANCHOR: Are you ready for Dayton Hamvention? This year, of course, 
it's in Xenia, Ohio but there's one big contest activity that's still 
happening in Dayton in a suite of hotel rooms. It just got a fresh new 
website, to boot. We learn more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen 
Kinford N8WB.

STEPHEN:  Scott KA9FOX has already been more preoccupied than most of us 
with this year's Dayton Hamvention and with good reason - he's just 
launched the new website that showcases one of the hottest events being 
run in conjunction with this year's event in Xenia, Ohio: It's the 
Contest Super Suite, hosted by the Mad River Radio Club, North Coast 
Contesters and the Frankford Radio Club. Find all the contest action in 
the Harding, McKinley, Garfield and Harrison Rooms of the Crowne Plaza 
Hotel in Dayton on Wednesday the 17th of May through Saturday the 20th. 
This is a contest event that's going to have everything on it - just 
like some of the pizza being served each evening - and on Friday night 
at 10 p.m, expect yet another Hamvention-quality performance by the 
Spurious Emission Band. So, if you can't wait to visit Hamvention, you 
can at least visit the website now at www.contestsupersuite.com

Be sure to look under the tab for "Contest Related Events" to see more 
related activities.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford N8WB.

(TIM DUFFY K3LR)

**
WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, Helmut DJ7CF is using the call sign 6Y5/DJ7CF from 
Greenwood, Jamaica until April 28th. Be listening for him on SSB, CW and 
PSK31. QSLs go via his home call.

Between the 21st and 28th of April, be listening for operators 
David/OK6DJ and Petr/OK1FCJ using the call sign 5V7P from Lome in Togo. 
Find them on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. Send QSL 
cards via OK6DJ, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW.

In the Galapagos Islands, listen for Tim, LW9EOC, who will be on the air 
from May 15th through the 29th as HC8/LW9EOC. He will be on Isabela 
island, active on 160 through 6 meters, with an emphasis on 
30/17/12meters, using SSB, CW and RTTY. Send QSL cards via his home call 
sign, direct or LoTW.

**
KICKER: ESSEX HAMS IN A LATHER

DON: We end this week's newscast with a story of ham readiness. Hams, as 
we all know, are accustomed to being prepared - we assist at marathons 
and half-marathons, we provide a communications safety net at boating 
events, hiking events and cycling events. So in Maldon, England, when 
the Essex RAYNET was called in to assist at a fundraising fun run around 
Maldon Promenade Park, the hams there were prepared. After all, not 
every amateur gets to assist at a mad dash through a fortress of colored 
bubbles. Actually, there were four such bubble stations and as the 
runners came charging through each, streams of colorful bubbles were 
shot in their direction, the thick lather rising as high as 4 feet.

It was the hottest day of the year so far - Sunday, April 9 - and an 
estimated 1,000 runners nonetheless turned up to raise money for a local 
hospice. The event was sold-out and with the help of Essex RAYNET and 
its UHF repeater, it was proclaimed a great success.

No doubt organizers who'd worked so hard got a chance to celebrate 
afterwards. Maybe they even broke out a bit of the....bubbly.

(ESSEX HAM WEBSITE)

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; 
Cornish Amateur Radio Club; Essex RAYNET; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; 
the Hindu newspaper; the IARU; Irish Radio Transmitters Society; K2BSA 
Amateur Radio Association; Locust Grove Historic Estate, Ohio-Penn DX 
Bulletin; QRZ.COM; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio 
Show; Tim Duffy K3LR; 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 Don Wilbanks AE5DW in Picayune, 
Mississippi saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.


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