Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Nov 10 2017 05:39 pm
HONORING VETERANS ON THE AIR
JIM/ANCHOR: If you want to thank military veterans for their service
to the U.S., be listening November tenth through twelfth, for this
special event station. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, tells us how.
PAUL's REPORT: Most of us enjoy a good special-event station. And,
when it's tied into something remembering our veterans, it makes it
even more special. This weekend, Wentzville, Missouri, will be on the
air, celebrating a historic event, as organizer Larry Scantlan,
KE-Zero-KZ tells us:
LARRY: I live in Wentzville, Missouri, which is just West of St. Louis
proper, and back in 1967, December - I want to say the 12th, I believe,
they erected the very first Vietnam War memorial.
PAUL: Scantlan saw an opportunity to tie ham radio into the celebration:
LARRY: The city of Wentzville is planning a commemorative celebration
of that accomplishment, hosted by the VFW Post 5327, and so I saw that
as a great opportunity to partner with them as ham radio operators,
knowing how hams love special events. And since I myself am a Vietnam
veteran, I thought it was a perfect marriage, if you will.
PAUL: The station will be on the air as W-Zero-W starting on Friday, the
10th, through Sunday, the 12th, working as many of the HF bands as they
can, primarily single-sideband, with other modes if they have enough
operators. Scantlan sees this as not only fun for hams, but also as a
way to build public awareness of our hobby:
LARRY: It is drawing a lot of public attention - we expect to have all
three TV stations covering this. We're also opening this up to the
public, to let them come through, and see ham radio in action. For me,
I think that's the critical element, because I think we need to do a
lot more promoting of ham radio in the public sector.
PAUL: You can find out more on the event's QRZed page. Here's a chance
for a fun new contact, and a way to help celebrate an important event,
remembering our veterans and their sacrifices for our country. For
Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
**
A MIGHTY MICROWAVE ACHIEVEMENT
JIM/ANCHOR: One ham in South Africa has truly gone the distance -
achieving a record contact on microwave. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF has
more.
JIM MEACHEN's REPORT: South African amateur, Alex Artieda, ZS6EME,
feels like he's in the record-books - and indeed he is, at least in
the microwave record books. Alex logged the first microwave EME QSO
from South Africa on 10 GHz, in a contact with HB9Q in Switzerland,
on October 22nd. Alex was operating QRA64D, a new digital mode, on
50 watts. That was only the beginning for him. The very next day,
Alex was able to make 10 more EME QSOs on the same frequency. One
day later - on the 24th of October - Alex was on the air again at
5.7 GHz, and completed the first Digital EME QSO with PA3DZL in the
Netherlands. His good fortune continued, and he had 7 more QSOs
after that. Making note of his achievements, the South African Radio
League proudly announced that Alex was "putting South Africa back on
the world microwave map."
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE)
**
TEEN INSPIRES SCHOOL'S ASTRONAUT CONTACT
JIM/ANCHOR: Thirteen-year-old Dhruv (DROOVE) Rebba (REH-BAH), KC9ZJX,
and his father, Hari (HAH-ree), VU2SPZ, are hams who know that
sometimes, you have to try more than once to make a coveted contact.
The eighth-grader and his father, were among those who worked for two
years to help Chiddix Junior High School in Normal, Illinois get
selected for a QSO with the International Space Station.
According to Dhruv's former science teacher, Daniele Hopper, the
school applied to the ARISS program at the urging of father and son,
when Dhruv was in the sixth grade. It didn't happen. Undaunted and
undiscouraged, the two reached out to the Central Illinois Radio Club
W9AML, the Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College,
and the Children's Discovery Museum, and this year - success!
The contact with astronaut Joe Acaba (Uh-COB-buh), KE5DAR, happened
on Oct. 23. Hopper called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the
school, and the district. She said Dhruv worked many hours with Grant
Zehr, AA9LC, of the Central Illinois Radio Club, and was on the
planning commmittee for the big event for two years.
As for Hopper, she ended up with a lesson from Dhruv in what ham radio
is all about and, she said, she hopes his classmates will be inspired
to go for their licenses too.
(DANIELE HOPPER, WGLT RADIO)
---
� Synchronet � The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org
