Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (D)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Oct 13 2017 08:21 am

A PORTABLE CHALLENGE FOR SUMMITS ON THE AIR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Summits on the Air operators have a challenge on
Oct. 21, and it's not the upward climb. Here's Ed Durrant, DD5LP.

ED's REPORT: Within Summits on the Air, participants from time to time
plan activities. The next event is to try to get contacts between
Europe and the Antipodes. While band conditions are slowly improving,
allowing home station-to-home station contacts using long path on
twenty and forty metres, and even allowing portable to home station
contacts, the most difficult are portable-to-portable contacts, and
this is exactly what is being planned.

Stations located on Summits in the UK, Continental Europe, New Zealand,
Australia, and Japan, with simple antennas and low power, will be
trying to make Summit to Summit or "S2S" contacts. While those using
CW or the new FT-8 data mode will probably have some success, the real
challenge will be for SSB contacts.

As always though, even in these low sunspot times, you never know what
is possible until you try.

We wish the best of luck to all taking part in this event, on Saturday,
October the 21st. If you hear someone calling CQ SOTA, from about 0600
UTC on the 21st, why not give 'em a call. I know it'll be appreciated.

For details of the SOTA award scheme, and a link to their spotting
cluster SOTAWatch, please go to SOTA dot ORG dot UK.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is SOTA Activator, and Chaser, Ed
Durrant, DD5LP.

**

KICKER: HAPPY SPECIAL EVENT BIRTHDAY OSCAR NORRIS W4OXH

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Our final report is about a once-in-a-lifetime birthday
gift to a 100-year-old ham. We'll let Paul Braun, WD9GCO, tell this
story of generosity and brotherhood.

PAUL: Birthdays are like milestones in a person's life. It's a big deal
when you turn one year old. Or when you turn 16, and get your driver's
license. Your first beer at 21. Turning 30, and then 50.

But not many make it to their 100th birthday. If you do, it is most
definitely something to celebrate, which was exactly the thought that
Dan Kern, W-Zero-D-F-U, had during a conversation earlier this year,
on a DMR talkgroup. I talked to Kern about his adventure:

DAN KERN: Back in, we'll call it April-ish or May of this year, I had
made a DMR contact with Oscar Norris, whose callsign is W4OXH, and he
was introducing himself to me, telling me he's from Gastonia, North
Carolina, and that in September, he'd be turning 100. Now, he doesn't
sound 100 on the air.

And so I said, "That is awesome! What are you doing for your 100th
birthday?"

He said, "Well, I live here in an assisted-living home, and just don't
really have any plans." So I think, "Oh, no! This is terrible!" because
the call that preceded mine, he told the gentleman that he was going to
be turning 100, and the gentleman from England said that the Queen
either personally calls, or sends a letter to their centenarians.

After hearing that, and talking to him, I just felt compelled to do
something special, not only because he's a fellow ham, but also because
he's one of our seniors. I contacted ARRL, and also got a special-event
callsign set aside for him, which was November 1 Charlie. He opted for
November 1 Charlie meaning to him "Norris 1 Century." He said it was his
best birthday present, having his own special callsign.

PAUL/ANCHOR: Kern worked with the local club in Gastonia, and arranged
to use a church hall for the event, with food, friends and radio.
Norris was touched:

DAN KERN: He sat down with me, and he and I were sitting there talking,
and it was more than just a handshake - he grabbed my hand during the
entire conversation, he wouldn't let go! He was so tickled that this
event came together, and that we were celebrating his 100th.

PAUL/ANCHOR: Despite bad band conditions, Kern said they made around
1000 contacts, and the event was a success:

DAN KERN: He was getting calls from all over the world, wishing him a
happy birthday, and at the very end, they took a group picture, and he
said his thank-you's and then he said, "Oh! I have one more thing to
tell you guys. I just love you all!"

PAUL/ANCHOR: All of us here at Newsline, would like to thank Dan Kern,
for his thoughtfulness, and a very happy 100th birthday to Oscar Norris!
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; Amateur News Weekly; the ARRL;
CQ Magazine; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; KGW.COM; New York Daily
News; Ohio Penn DX Bulletin; Rob Fenn KC6TYD; Ron Wright W7ERY;
Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; WTWW
Shortwave; and you, our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio
Newsline. Please send emails to our address at [email protected].

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 Stephen Kinford, N8WB, saying 73, and
as always, we thank you for listening.

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


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