Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Jun 26 2020 09:15 am
VINTAGE RADIO MUSEUM CURATOR BECOMES SILENT KEY
PAUL/ANCHOR: There is a sad silence inside a special radio museum in
Ireland, whose curator has died. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about him.
JEREMY: Pat Herbert, curator of the Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of
Vintage Radio in Howth, Ireland, has become a Silent Key. Pat
established the museum in 2003, inside the refurbished Martello tower,
as a home for his vast collection of radio equipment which he'd begun
assembling during the 1950s. The museum is described by Tony Breathnach,
EI5EM, of the Howth Martello Radio Group as [quote] "a magical, quirky,
and welcoming Aladdin's Cave." [endquote]
The museum is considered a welcoming facility, and perhaps no one has
felt more welcome than amateur radio station EI0MAR, which began
operating on the premises, thanks to Pat. His story, and that of the
museum was the subject of a 10-minute award-winning film in 2014,
"Hurdy Gurdy Man."
Pat, who was perhaps the most enthusiastic volunteer at the museum,
died June 18th. He was 83.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.
(SOUTHGATE, HURDY GURDY MUSEUM)
**
HAMS HELP INDIAN YOUNGSTER REJOIN FAMILY
PAUL/ANCHOR: A young boy in India who became separated from his family
is back home, thanks to local hams. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, has the details.
JIM: Reuniting families has become something of a specialty for the West
Bengal Radio Club in India, and on a recent Saturday, the latest reunion
was a homecoming for a 10-year-old boy. The club's secretary Ambarish
Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, told Newsline that he was contacted by ham club
member Parimal Kumar Roy, VU3ZIM, after the child had turned up on the
street near a hospital the previous day. Social workers intervened, and
the youngster, who appeared to have suffered a head injury, was given an
exam at the hospital, and kept there as a precaution. Administrators
located the boy's family in West Bengal. After giving him medical
clearance some days later, they were able to accompany him home.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
(AMBARISH NAG BISWAS VU2JFA)
**
RESEARCHERS FIND POWER IN TROPICAL HUMIDITY
PAUL/ANCHOR: Summer has arrived in many parts of the world, but before
you curse the humidity that often accompanies the season, think of what
that water vapor might be able to do for your operating power with your
radio. Graham Kemp, VK4BB, reports on some promising research going on
in Israel.
GRAHAM: What happens when water molecules interact with metal surfaces?
The result is nothing short of electric! So say researchers at Tel Aviv
University, who've just completed a study into how the atmosphere's water
vapor might just provide a renewable energy source. SOTA enthusiasts, and
other portable radio operators, are you listening?
The study from the university's Porter School of the Environment and
Earth Sciences, published recently in Nature Scientific Reports, pursued
the evolution of electricity in thunderstorms, noting how it morphs from
vapor to droplets to ice and eventually spurs formation of the electricity
we know as lightning. The researchers used a small low-voltage battery to
determine voltage buildup between two discrete metal surfaces, and found
that when the environmental humidity dropped below 60 percent, so did the
voltage.
With humidity able to charge surfaces to as high as 1 volt, researcher
Colin Price says he believes this process could eventually help develop
batteries that could be recharged using water vapor in the air - provided
the humidity is a very tropical 60 percent or higher.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB.
(AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY)
**
REMEMBERING ARIZONA'S FIREFIGHTING HEROES
PAUL/ANCHOR: An Arizona special event station will be getting on the air
to mark the heroism - and the deaths - of 19 firefighters in 2013. Skeeter
Nash, N5ASH, tells us more.
SKEETER: On June 30, 2013, 19 specially trained firefighters in Arizona,
died as heroes as they fought the now-infamous Yarnell Hill fire in
Yavapai County. On June 30 of this year, first responders, and wildland
firefighters everywhere, will be honored, along with this special group
of Granite Mountain Hotshots, as special event station N7GMH goes on the
air. The Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Radio Club was created in
tribute to those lost to the smoke and flames, and they have operated
every year on the HF bands to recall the group's bravery. If conditions
permit, HF frequencies ending in "1 9" will be used whenever possible
for both SSB and CW contacts.
A special certificate will be awarded to stations who make contact
during this activation, and share in the tribute to a group, who will
not be forgotten.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.
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