Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Mar 16 2018 09:39 am
SIX METER BAND LAUNCHED IN AUSTRALIA
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Australian hams in Central Victoria believe in magic -
so much so, that they're committed to a real magic net. Here's Graham
Kemp, VK4BB, with those details.
GRAHAM: Like many ham activities that get started over a casual cup of
coffee, this next one is no exception. Graeme Knight, VK3GRK, recalls
the morning chat that started it all, among members of the Bendigo
Amateur Radio and Electronics Club. They were keen to learn more about
the so-called "magic band", and discussed the possibility of a weekly
6 metre net, experimenting on the band with different modes, and
different antennas.
Facebook helped the group spread the word, and, as Graeme told us at
Newsline, before long, a group found themselves chatting with each other
after their weekly Thursday evening 80 metre Net. Graeme tells us
[quote]: "In keeping with true ham ingenuity, one member uses a simple
6 metre dipole made out of a pair of salvaged mop handles - and no, they
weren't made out of wood!" [endquote]
The Net meets on 52.250 MHz Upper Side Band. It's only been on the air
a short time, and comprises a small group of local hams -- but who knows
who may join them when the "magic band" opens? Look for them on the
Facebook group page for the Central Victorian Amateur Radio Newsletter.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB, and I cannot leave
this week's broadcast, without a HUGE thanks to Editor Caryn Eve Murray,
and the team of presenters on ARNewsline who passed on notes of
condolence, in the January loss of my YL, Sharon. Thanks one and all,
and special thanks to the donation made in her memory to Australia's
Gallipoli Cancer Research organization.
(BENDIGO AMATEUR RADIO AND ELECTRONICS CLUB)
**
HAM TRAPPED ON TOWER WHILE SECURING ANTENNA
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams are accustomed to being part of a rescue effort,
but not on the receiving end. Heather Embee, KB3TZD, explains.
HEATHER: With a big storm getting ready to slam New England, William
Welch K-one-I-O-C of Edgartown, Massachusetts, was only trying to make
his ham radio antenna more secure. So, he scaled his backyard tower,
and 20-feet up got his sneaker caught. The electrician, who is 80
years old, was trapped.
His wife, Betty, told the Martha's Vineyard Times, that Fire Chief
Alex Schaeffer was the first to arrive, and a ladder truck showed up
soon after. William was caught just below the apex, and a large pine
tree was blocking access to him. The firefighters gave him a helmet,
and a harness, which they fastened to the tower; after a few more
maneuvers, he was hoisted safely over the tree to the ground below,
where firefighters and EMTs met him, and he was taken by ambulance
for observation. His wife told the newspaper later that he was fine,
and that the incident was, as she called it, a fluke. She said he has
been climbing for most of his 80 years.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D.
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Just a reminder to Newsline listeners, to please follow
safety procedures if you're climbing.
(THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD TIMES)
**
HAM RADIO APPEARS ON TV's 'WALKING DEAD'
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur radio just landed in another popular TV show.
Mike Askins, KE5CXP, tells us how.
MIKE's REPORT: Sure, ham radio can save lives but....that apparently
doesn't count if you're a zombie. The March 11th episode of "The Walking
Dead," a popular American TV show, seemed to try to make that point - at
least for fans who tuned in that night. The episode marked the latest
appearance ham radio has made in a TV series - this one being a popular
post-apocalyptic drama.
Two of the show's protagonists, known as Father Gabriel and Carson,
discover an abandoned QTH, with radio equipment, and a script of messages
designed to reassure anyone who can copy the operator's signal. The men
also find a corpse on the ground - a zombified man, who had somehow
suffocated. He is presumed to have been the ham radio operator,
transmitting those messages.
While this popular American TV show is about the un-dead, it's somehow a
comfort that the script-writers recognize that ham radio is anything but
left to the realm of zombies. The fact that the deceased ham was relying
on good band conditions, tells us this is definitely fiction. Stay tuned,
perhaps there'll be a sequel. Not "The Walking Dead" but the
"Push-To-Talking Dead."
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP.
