Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Mar 23 2018 10:00 am
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2108, for Friday, March 23, 2018
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2108, with a release date of
Friday, March 23, 2018 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Alabama hams take to repeaters as tornadoes
touch down. A ham in Colombia helps a German amateur in distress --
and does your pet know Morse Code? All this and more, as Amateur
Radio Newsline Report 2108, comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
HAMS RESPOND AS TORNADOES TOUCH DOWN IN ALABAMA
NEIL/ANCHOR: In our top story this week, tornadoes swept through
Alabama here in the U.S. on Monday, March 19th, the night before
the start of spring. Hams were on the air delivering information
and assisting in rescue efforts, as we hear from Bobby Best, WX4ALA.
BOBBY: Ham radio operators across north and east Alabama assisted in
passing ground truth storm reports to both the National Weather
Service offices in Huntsville and Birmingham. Amateur radio operators
and members of the North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee SKYWARN
groups linked up multiple repeaters to cover that entire region and
assisted the Huntsville NWS office with reports on multiple tornadoes
that struck north Alabama. Amateur radio operators in east Alabama on
the WB4GNA repeater atop Mount Cheaha, the tallest peak in the state,
assisted not only with passing storm reports, but also volunteer
efforts in the wake of a major tornado that struck the city of
Jacksonville, Alabama, as well as other portions of east Alabama late
Monday night. As of last report late Monday night, volunteers were
headed to Jacksonville from as far away as Anniston, Oxford, and
Birmingham, Alabama, to assist in rescue efforts. All in all, though,
considering the fact that the storm prediction center had much of
Alabama under a marginal risk for severe weather, things could have
been much worse. For Amateur Radio Newsline, reporting from
Jacksonville, Alabama, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA.
***
AMSAT's HAMVENTION TEAM NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
NEIL/ANCHOR: Here's another opportunity for hams to be helpful - and
it's even easier if you happen to be going to Hamvention this year.
Stephen Kinford, N8WB, explains.
STEPHEN: What are you doing May 17th through May 20th? If Hamvention
is included in any of your plans on those days, you may want to think
about helping out the AMSAT Hamvention Team, which is looking for help
in setting up, or staffing the AMSAT booth, during the big event at
the Greene County Fairground and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.
If you aren't sure how to assist at the booth when visitors stop by,
AMSAT has plenty of Elmers to train you. If you just want to help with
setup or tear-down, that's OK too.
Contact Phil Smith, W1EME, if you're interested in being a part of the
AMSAT presence in Ohio this year. Email him at w1eme at amsat dot org.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB.
(SOUTHGATE, AMSAT)
**
GERMAN AMATEUR'S CALL FOR HELP GOES GLOBAL
NEIL/ANCHOR: This next story is about a disabled radio operator, and
his cries for help that were heard - quite literally - around the world.
Here's Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
ED'S REPORT: Erding Radio Club member Lothar Frohlich, whose call signs
are DK8LRF, and HK3JCL, was on the air from his QTH in Colombia, South
America recently, talking to friends in New York and Germany, when he
heard a voice call out repeatedly. At first he thought it was someone
was trying to break into the QSO, but then he realized it was a ham in
distress. He recognized the voice - this was an amateur in Dingden on
the German-Dutch border, a ham with whom he enjoys ragchews often.
The ham, who is disabled and relies on a wheelchair, had fallen and was
home alone. His radio was on, fortunately with the transmitter in "VOX"
mode so his cries activated the microphone. Lothar called for any German
hams who could copy him, asking them to please notify local police. Then,
using EchoLink, he reached a repeater in Isen, east of Munich. A ham in
Eichst�tt in Bavaria responded, and also called police, who responded
immediately.
Ham radio had made distance vanish. The ham in distress was 5 metres from
the microphone, but his call went through anyway -- and those who assisted
astounded the police by the fact that the call was started by a ham in
Colombia on the other side of the world.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
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