Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Aug 16 2019 12:39 pm
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2181, for Friday, August 16th, 2019
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2181, with a release date of
Friday, August 16th, 2019, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. In India, flood disaster brings out the best
in new hams. New details emerge about a fatal tower accident -- and
a global expert in radio propagation becomes a Silent Key. All this
and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Number 2181, comes your way right
now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
NEW HAMS IN INDIA PROVIDE BIG ASSIST IN FLOODS
JIM/ANCHOR: Our top story this week reports on the deployment of
amateur radio operators to assist with communications in one
flood-ravaged part of India for the first time. Ham radio operators
are helping relief workers in North Karnataka's (Karna-TAKKA's)
Belagavi district, something hams have not previously been deployed
to do in this flood-ravaged area, according to the city's Indian
Institute of Hams. Their radio communication has been based out of
a variety of vehicles including a mobile control station inside an
SUV. News reports noted that 50 of the hams had been trained earlier
in the month for just this kind of intervention during a mock disaster
drill, and that these are relatively new hams as the local postal
department only started its amateur radio club last year.
(THE HINDU, BANGALORE MIRROR)
**
SILENT KEY: RADIOWAVE PROPAGATION EXPERT LES BARCLAY G3HTF
JIM/ANCHOR: An influential amateur radio operator, educator, and
engineering expert in the global arena, has become a Silent Key.
Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us more.
JEREMY: Officers of the International Telecommunication Union, and
hams worldwide, are grieving the loss of an influential amateur,
who shared his valuable expertise in radio propagation throughout
his long career. Les Barclay, G3HTF, of Chelmsford, England, became
a Silent Key on the 31st of July.
Les was credited with key input that shaped technical discussions at
World Radiocommunication Conference 2015, leading to the international
secondary allocation for amateurs on 60 metres. Former ARRL Chief
Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, called his expertise in
ionospheric propagation invaluable and much-sought-after.
He was given the ITU's Silver Medal in 1993, for chairing the first
Radiocommunication Assembly. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of
Engineering, and a recipient of numerous honours, including the
Institution of Engineering and Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award,
the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1994, for his work in
radiocommunication, the Polar Medal for Antarctic propagation research,
and the IGY Gold Award in 2007. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of
Engineering, and the IET.
Les Barclay was 85.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
(ITU)
**
NEW DETAILS EMERGE AFTER N.H. TOWER ACCIDENT
JIM/ANCHOR: More details have emerged following the tower accident
that claimed the life of one ham, and injured another, late last month
in New Hampshire. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, has that update.
PAUL: As Newsline reported last month, a 40-foot tower collapsed on
July 27th, taking the life of Joe Areyzaga (Array-SAGGA), K1JGA, and
seriously injured Mike Rancourt, K1EEE, as the two worked to take the
tower down at Mike's QTH. It was a used tower, that had only been
installed three years ago. An update posted on the Yankee Clipper
Contest Club discussion board, and written by Mark Pride, K1RX, adds
the following new details.
Mark wrote that the general reason given for the collapse of the Rohn
tower, was corrosion at the junction of the hinged base short legs,
where one leg had been previously repaired, but not with galvanized
material. Mark wrote that the structure had become weakened, and the
first point of failure was that leg. When the guy wires were removed
from their anchor points - a necessary action to remove the top
section - the tower became free-standing. Both climbers were 35 feet
high, wearing safety belts, when the base failed. He wrote: {quote}
"Subsequent movement by climbers at the top of the unguyedtower, led
to breakage at the base." {endquote}
He said that normally all hardware associated with the hinge plate are
galvanized to protect against the elements. Water or ground contaminants
had collected in gaps under the plate, contributing to the corrosion of
the previously repaired short leg.
Mark suggested the following safety procedure: attach a set of additional
guy wires, at either the 10 feet or 20 feet level, prior to any work on
the tower, to further stabilize the base, and reduce stress on the legs.
He named this procedure in honor of Joe, K1JGA, the Silent Key.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.
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