– LOOKING BACK AT HAMVENTION 2019
– MORE FROM DAYTON: NEW HALL OF FAMERS
– IT’S AUSTRALIA’S TURN WITH WIA CONFERENCE WEEKEND
– SILENT KEY: QRP PIONEER JOE EVERHART N2CX
– TOWER TRAGEDY IN MISSISSIPPI
– EYE ON 60 METRES FOR AUSTRALIA?
– FORTIFY YOUR EFFORTS FOR CASTLES ON THE AIR
– NEW RESOURCES FOR HAMS IN DUNDALK, IRELAND
– TASMANIAN PARKS GET WITH THE PROGRAM
– DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR IARU YOUTH CONTEST PROGRAM
– STILL TIME TO NOMINATE YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
– WORLD OF DX
– ANTENNAS GO RIGHT TO THIS YL’S HEAD
Amateur Radio Newsline 2169 for Friday May 24 2019
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2169 with a release date of Friday, May 24, 2019 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Dayton Hamvention 2019 is history now. A QRP pioneer becomes a Silent Key — and only a few days remain to nominate your candidate for Young Ham of the Year. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Number 2169 comes your way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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LOOKING BACK AT HAMVENTION 2019
NEIL/ANCHOR: With Dayton Hamvention 2019 now in the books, we take a look back at some of the highlights. Before Hamvention even began, several groups held their own events on Thursday. Contest University was a packed house once again this year, as were the Four Days in May QRP events. AMSAT sponsored its first Academy offering hams a full day devoted to satellite operations. On Friday, things started early with a long line of cars and a short period of rain. Elecraft announced a new HF radio, and the rain went away for a pleasant day at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Dr. Tamitha Skov WX6SWW, the space weather woman – and Amateur Radio Newsline’s Science Correspondent – and Tim Cunningham N8DEU, the satellite guy, addressed instructors of amateur radio classes. On Saturday, the sun showed up and brought the heat. Eight young speakers addressed the annual youth forum hosted by Carole Perry, WB2MGP, and there was a surprise guest: Jet Jurgensmeyer, KE0UWZ, who plays Boyd Baxter on the TV show “Last Man Standing.” Meanwhile at the HamSCI area, talks covered radio propagation, the youth contesting program and more. Sunday’s temperatures dropped, but the wind arrived. The gates were blown wide open to the public and for the first time admission was free. There were plenty of activities and loads of prizes were given away. Nearby, the Voice of America Museum set new attendance records with 330 visitors throughout Hamvention weekend. While the Hamvention official attendance wasn’t available at the time Newsline went to production, the crowds looked as good, if not better, than last year.
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MORE FROM DAYTON: NEW HALL OF FAMERS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, one ceremonial dinner during Hamvention weekend changed the lives of a number of prominent amateurs. Dave Parks WB8ODF has that story.
DAVE: The CQ Contest Hall of Fame has inducted three new members. They are Bruce Horn WA7BNM, Dean Straw N6BV and Kresimir “Chris” Kovarik 9A5K, who became a Silent Key earlier this year. They were formally inducted by CQ Magazine on Saturday the 18th of May at the contest dinner held in Dayton during Hamvention weekend. The honor is a recognition of the hams’ excellence on the air as well as their spirit and generosity in giving back to the hobby. Bruce, who developed the 3830Scores dot com website (3830Scores.com) and the current National Contest Journal website, is manager of the North American QSO Party. Dean, who is an editor, writer and ARRL staffer, developed the High Frequency Terrain Analysis software for antenna system planning. He has been deeply involved with the propagation prediction program VOACAP, or Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program. Chris, who became a Silent Key in February, was a past president of the Croatian Amateur Radio Association and vice chairman of IARU Region 1’s HF Committee. A competitor in the World Radiosport Team Championship, Chris developed the KLog and DXLog programs.
The contest hall of fame, created in 1986, now has 74 members.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Dave Parks WB8ODF.
NEIL/ANCHOR: CQ Magazine also announced it was inducting weak-signal pioneer Joe Taylor K1JT into the CQ DX Hall of Fame. He shared the honor with inductees Silvano Borsa I2YSB and the Italian DXpedition team. These hall of famers were honored at the Dayton DX Dinner on May 17th.
(CQ MAGAZINE)
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IT’S AUSTRALIA’S TURN WITH WIA CONFERENCE WEEKEND
NEIL/ANCHOR: As Newsline went to production, the next big amateur radio conference was getting under way in Sydney, Australia. Organizers announced three more scheduled presentations Down Under. One was to be a comprehensive talk about Summits on the Air by Andrew Davis VK1DA, a leader in the Australia SOTA program. Later, Rob Dolphin VK2DIO was to discuss AllStar Linking and Alex Stewart VK2PSF was to present an overview of digital mode hotspots.
(WIA)
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SILENT KEY: QRP PIONEER JOE EVERHART N2CX
NEIL/ANCHOR: QRP enthusiasts are grieving the loss of a well-known member of the community who shared his wisdom in low-power operation freely in his writings, podcasts and talks. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about him.
KEVIN: Joe Everhart N2CX is being remembered as a builder, designer, antenna expert and QRP guru, a ham radio operator who loved to share his knowledge in writing and in person. Joe has become a Silent Key. He died at his home in Brooklawn, New Jersey on May 14th. He had been scheduled to be a copresenter at the QRP Event in Dayton, Ohio during the recent Hamvention and had most recently been interviewed on the QSO Today podcast’s episode number 245 in April. A former electrical engineer for RCA and L3 communications, he belonged to the Gloucester County Amateur radio Club and the New Jersey QRP Club.
The blog by John EI7GL quotes this statement from Joe’s longtime friend and podcast cohost George Heron N2APB.
George wrote: [quote] “His love of communicating the results of his latest outing or antenna test was always clear, sometimes concise, and always humorous. He had a punny way of making technical points and was unmatched in his writings over the years in 73, Sprat, QRP Quarterly, QEX, QST, QRP Homebrewer and more. His dry, skeptical, and at-times irreverent humor was unique within our ranks.” [endquote]
George described his friend as “an engineer’s engineer.” Joe Everhart was 73.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Kevin Trotman N5PRE.
(LEGACY.COM)
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TOWER TRAGEDY IN MISSISSIPPI
NEIL/ANCHOR: Tower safety: It’s something no ham or radio technician can take for granted. Christian Cudnik K0STH reports on the latest tragedy at a tower.
CHRISTIAN: Federal workplace safety investigators and local police are looking into what led to one man’s fatal fall from a radio tower in southwest Mississippi on May 16th. According to local news reports, Christopher Chase Hawkins of Caraway, Arkansas, was working with another tower technician when he apparently slipped and fell from the top of the 280-foot structure. The Lincoln County coroner told the Daily Leader newspaper that the two workers were doing regular maintenance which involved changing out lightning rods. The coroner said that for some unknown reason, Hawkins unhooked his safety harness and slipped. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Christopher Chase Hawkins was 34 and the father of two.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Christian Cudnik K0STH.
(KATV-Channel 7, The Daily Leader, Wireless Estimator)
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EYE ON 60 METRES FOR AUSTRALIA?
NEIL/ANCHOR: In Australia, amateurs have got their eye on 5 MHz operations and are hoping to move things forward. Jim Meachen ZL2BHF picks up the story.
JIM: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has been asked by a national amateur radio society to permit ham activity on the 60 metre band on a trial basis. The Radio Amateur Society of Australia has written to the regulator, asking for a channelised arrangement to be authorised similar to the use of the 5 MHz amateur band granted in New Zealand, the UK and the United States.
The group is hoping hams will receive the OK to operate on the existing commercial allocations in Australia – 5351, 5355 and 5360 kHz. The group’s president Glenn Dunstan VK4DU said RASA would like the regulator to approve use of Upper Sideband with a maximum bandwidth of 2.8 kHz. The group has also asked for a trial digital allocation in the segment of the band between 5363 and 5365 kHz.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(SOUTHGATE)
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including the Indianapolis Repeater Association W9IRA on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. local time in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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FORTIFY YOUR EFFORTS FOR CASTLES ON THE AIR
NEIL/ANCHOR: Feeling like your on-air activities need a little fortification? This 10-year-old event might be for you. Ed Durrant DD5LP has the details.
ED: This year, the World Castles Award programme hits its 10-year mark since its founding in 2009 by a group of amateur radio operators in Russia. The castles the activity celebrates, however, are so much older than that. Consider Fortress Calamita, an ancient edifice existing now only as ruins in Crimea. Or picture Castello di Montisi di San Giovanni in Italy. There are also the many German castles that are part of the annual German Castles Day amateur radio program that took place on the 1st of May. All of these castles and others are part of the worldwide activity that launches on the 1st of June and runs through to the 30th with hams operating from fortresses, castles and other fortifications. The program was created by the RZ1CWC Radioclub. So even if your shack isn’t your castle, you can operate from one anyway and become one of this year’s award winners. For more details visit wcagroup dot org (wcagroup.org).
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Ed Durrant DD5LP.
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NEW RESOURCES FOR HAMS IN DUNDALK, IRELAND
NEIL/ANCHOR: The bookshelves inside the shack of one amateur radio group in Ireland just got a whole lot busier, as we hear from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: There’s a new collection at the headquarters of the Dundalk Amateur Radio Society EI7DAR. It doesn’t comprise dozens of additional QSL cards or even radios of every shape and size: it’s a generously sized library designed to assist hams at all levels of proficiency. As the club reports on the Irish Radio Transmitter Society website, the lending library of manuals, journals, magazines and books was assembled thanks to donations from club members. The reference material contains volumes that are useful to those just starting out in the hobby but there is also reading material to assist more seasoned hams with decades of expertise. The collection is housed at the club facilities at Marconi House in County Louth.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(IRTS)
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TASMANIAN PARKS GET WITH THE PROGRAM
NEIL/ANCHOR: Tasmania doesn’t just have pride in its public parks — it has a few dozen more parks for hams to activate as part of a popular worldwide programme, as we hear from Robert Broomhead VK3DN.
ROBERT: The list of parks that can be activated under the World Wide Flora and Fauna Program keeps growing throughout Australia, just like all the flora and fauna thriving in each of the country’s six states and two territories. Tasmania has just added 43 more parks to this popular program, raising the total possible parks for activation there to 142.
Three types of VKFF awards are presented under this program: They are given to qualifying activators operating portable within the official sites throughout Australia, to hunters who make successful contacts with them and to shortwave listeners who put the activators in their log.
Australia has more than 680 national parks and because it is isolated geographically, much of its flora and fauna is unique from those found elsewhere in the world. That makes for plenty of good listening on the radio too.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Robert Broomhead VK3DN.
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DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR IARU YOUTH CONTEST PROGRAM
NEIL/ANCHOR: If you are 26 or younger and live in IARU Region 1, there’s still time to apply for a big contesting program taking place from Spain. Here’s Jeremy Boot G4NJH with details.
JEREMY: Saturday the 15th of June is the deadline for young amateurs who want to be a part of the IARU’s Youth Contesting Program at EC2DX in Spain. If you are younger than 26 and belong to an IARU member society in Region 1 you can apply to be part of the weekend activities on June 22nd and 23rd. Hams will learn how to operate the contest station while sharpening their skills.
Participants don’t need to be seasoned contesters – in fact, many are often first-timers when it comes to working a so-called “big gun” station. Although participants must fund their own travel to the location, all other costs are paid for. Member societies have been asked to select candidates for the contest.
More information can be found at ham hyphen yota dot com (ham-yota.com)
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR)
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STILL TIME TO NOMINATE YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
NEIL/ANCHOR: Speaking of deadlines, you have until May 31st to nominate your candidate for Amateur Radio Newsline’s Young Ham of the Year Award named in memory of Bill Pasternak WA6ITF. If you know a bright young U.S. or Canadian radio amateur who gives of himself or herself to the hobby and the community, check out our website, arnewsline.org, under the YHOTY tab and download a nomination form. The award will be presented on August 18th at the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville Alabama.
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WORLD OF DX
In this week’s World of DX, be listening between May 25th and June 3rd for the FGC Radio Team E-THREE-ONE-A (E31A) operating from Eritrea. Zorro JH1AJT will accompany the team to support the Eritrea National Olympic Committee. Zorro will not be operating for health reasons but be listening for Franz DJ9ZB, David WD5COV, Johannes PA5X and others. They will be on 160-6 metres using CW, SSB and FT8 (Fox and Hound mode). QSL via Zorro. See details on the team’s page on QRZ.com
A team of operators will be active as AN1WHS from Salvora Island between the 24th and 26th of May. Listen for Manolo EA1BNF, Fredo EA1FBU, Pepe EA1UY, Berto EA1IQM and others on various HF bands and 6 metres using CW, SSB and the digital modes. QSL via EC1DD.
Listen for Hrane YT1AD and Dusko ZL3WW operating as 5W7A from Samoa as they prepare to embark on the ZK3A DXpedition which will take place in October. QSL 5W7A via YT1AD.
Be listening in August for Gil IZ2DLV operating as 8Q7GB in the Maldives. He’ll be there operating holiday style from August 6th to the 18th. Find him on 80 through 15 metres using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World.
(OHIO PENN DX)
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KICKER: ANTENNAS GO RIGHT TO THIS YL’S HEAD
NEIL/ANCHOR: What happens when a really great antenna goes right to your head? Forget quarter-wave monopoles and half-wave dipoles. Now we have the head-turning, head-topping full wave-of-hair vertical. That’s just what folks at Hamvention got to see this year in Xenia, Ohio. Beneath this towering installation of over-the-top scalp decor was Kristen Andrews KB3OQV of Atwater, Ohio. Kristen was sporting her annual radio-themed coiffure, a bright blonde sculpture of hair and ham hardware that was anchored less by guy wires and more by gobs of hair gel.
The 5/8 wavelength vertical, which sits on a magnetic base, actually works! With a mini antenna as her crowning glory, Kristen didn’t complain once about signal loss, or for that matter even about hair loss. She told one local newspaper she has been Hamvention’s very own Antenna Hair Girl since 2011 when the convention was still taking place in its previous location. Ah, but why split hairs over the change of venue? Perhaps while there, she’d simply taken the name of HAIR-A Arena to heart. Or head.
(XENIA GAZETTE)
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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to the Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; the Daily Leader; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; KATV-Channel 7; Legacy.com; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; QRZ.COM; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall’s QSO Radio Show; Radio Society of Great Britain; the Wireless Estimator; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; Xenia Gazette; Youngsters on the Air; 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 arnewsline.org.
For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I’m Neil Rapp WB9VPG in Bloomington Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.
Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.
