Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri May 31 2019 10:26 am
Amateur Radio Newsline 2170 for Friday, May 31, 2019
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2170, with a release date of
Friday, May 31, 2019, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. A tornado destroys a Hamvention icon. Indiana
repeater operators call it quits -- and get ready for a global gathering
in Germany. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Number 2170,
comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
TORNADOES DESTROY FORMER HAMVENTION HOME
PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin our report this week as Ohio and several surrounding
states recover from the destruction of violent tornadoes that left one
person dead, and scores of others injured. Another casualty: Hara Arena,
Hamvention's former home, which was already slated for demolition. Hams,
as always, stepped up to help the region in whatever way they could.
NEIL: Hara Arena, which hosted its final Hamvention in 2016, is gone, a
casualty of a deadly tornado that was among 40 or so that spurred the
activation of ARES groups throughout the region. Stan Broadway, N8BHL,
told the ARRL, that the hams would remain active during the recovery
process, as power outages struck pumping stations, leaving the Dayton
area without usable water, and put at least one hospital on generator
power. Ohio ARES was operating on HF, on both SSB and digital modes, and
on various VHF repeaters, and DMR, and the hams were expected to remain
active for several more days.
Meanwhile, footage online and on TV, showed the remnants of Hara Arena,
the venue ripped apart in the state's hard-hit Miami Valley. The National
Weather Service confirmed that winds that struck around the already
crumbling arena were clocked at about 140 miles per hour, classifying the
tornado as an EF-3. A state of emergency was declared in the Trotwood area
where the arena is located. National Weather Service officials said
surveying the damage thoroughly throughout the region was expected to take
several days.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG.
PAUL/ANCHOR: It should be noted too that while Greene County, Ohio, was
hit hard by the same strong forces that ripped into Hara Arena, damage at
the fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio was reported to be considerably less.
(ARRL, WRGT-TV, DAYTON DAILY NEWS)
**
INDIANA REPEATER SYSTEM IS GOING DARK
PAUL/ANCHOR: For hams, repeaters are a key component in ensuring public
safety, but one Indiana group is calling it quits at maintaining theirs.
Jack Parker, W8ISH, has been following that story.
JACK: Fighting physical age, increased costs, and future interests, the
Indianapolis, Indiana I-C-E Group, is pulling the plug on their network
of high profile repeaters. FM and digital repeaters offering voice, APRS,
D-Star and cross-band functions will cease to exist by Thanksgiving this
year.
The ICE group began building their systems in 1975. According to Dale,
WB9YCZ, "We have tried to have great coverage system on all the FM bands,
6 meters through 1.2 Gigahertz." Dale says, "everything has a length of
time to exist."
The group is hopeful some younger individuals will step up, and take the
challenge of providing equipment, and fighting for tower space on
suitable sites around Central Indiana.
According to Bill, K9YDO, all of the retirees are looking at other
interests now, and don't want to commit the time, energy, or physical
efforts to continue. This seems to be a growing trend across the county,
as the amateur radio community moves into retirement, leaving a huge gap
with technically qualified younger hams.
One of those affected organizations is Indiana Skywarn, which advises the
National Weather Service with severe weather reports. And, one critical
area of coverage is the Freetown, Indiana remote base, which links
southern and southwestern Indiana communities with the Indianapolis base.
For over a decade, this link has been vital to the National Weather Service
in providing Skywarn reports from rural Indiana communities.
Bill, K9YDO, says they plan to sell the repeater equipment, as each site
goes dark in the coming months.
Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, this is Jack Parker, W8ISH.
**
ON JUNE 1, A TEST OF HURRICANE READINESS
PAUL/ANCHOR: Hurricane season is here - are you ready? Geri Goodrich,
KF5KRN, tells us how to find out.
GERI: With the arrival of hurricane season in the United States, WX4NHC,
the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami,
Florida, has been encouraging hams to test their readiness, their shack
equipment, their antennas and computers.
Part of that preparedness is a test on June 1, encouraging hams worldwide
to make brief contacts with WX4NHC, exchanging signal reports, and basic
weather information. The station's operation will include HF, VHF, UHF,
2 and 30 metre APRS, and WinLink, as well as the Hurricane Watch Net on
14.325 MHz. The exercise will include contacts on the VoIP Hurricane Net
on IRLP node 9219, and the EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203.
Assistant coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, noted that this is the station's
39th year of operations at the Miami center. Hurricane season runs through
November 30th.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Geri Goodrich, KF5KRN.
