Subj : Newsline Part 3
To : ALL
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Jul 08 2016 06:17 pm
IN CANADA, A FAKE QUAKE BUT REAL RESPONSE
PAUL/ANCHOR: Amateur radio's response has to be real, whether the
earthquake is the real thing too, or just simulated, as was the case in
western Canada. Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams VK4JJW, has that
story.
JOHN'S REPORT: The special effects company spared no effort when it came
to simulating the devastating after effects of a magnitude 9 earthquake,
but this Pacific Coast scene wasn't conjured up by some Hollywood script.
This was the West Coast of Canada's Vancouver Island, where disabled
landlines and knocked-out cellular service could have been real, but
weren't. What WAS real, however, were the Canadian Forces patrol planes
flying over the Rockies, and the ham radio operators on the ground,
relaying disaster and rescue information to them using amateur radio
frequencies.
The fictional earthquake was followed by at least two equally fictional
tsunamis, bringing disaster to Port Alberni, northwest of Victoria,
Canada. That region is home to about 18,000 people -- and that part is
NOT fiction. Hence the need for the drill, called Exercise Coastal
Response.
In all, more than 600 people and 60 organizations, took part in the
three-day response staged by the government of British Columbia, and
thankfully, not Mother Nature.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW.
PAUL/ANCHOR: In the Philippines, a simulated earthquake scenario was also
held late last month by the National Telecommunications Commission there.
Members of the Philippines Amateur Radio Society established field
stations on high ground, and worked on VHF, UHF and HF, relaying emergency
messages. Association spokesman Jojo Vicencio, DU1VHY, said it was the
second drill of its kind, and drew its lessons from a previous, similar
drill.
(The PROVINCE newspaper; IARU Region 3)
**
UPGRADES FOR K2BSA
PAUL: Boy Scouts on the air as K2BSA aren't just operating, they're
upgrading. Here's the story from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns
NE4RD.
BILL'S REPORT: This week in Radio Scouting we have 3 scout camps on the
air as K2BSA, an upcoming radio scout net, and the scout loan stations
are being upgraded.
Our portable zero station is still active at Camp Geiger in St. Joseph
MO, and will continue to be through July 22nd. Our portable five station
at the Philmont Scout Ranch continues as well in NM through September 1st.
Finally, our portable 8 station at Camp Wynadot in Wakeman, OH will
continue to be active on Wednesdays through July 21st.
Chris Overbey, KB5UBT, has volunteered to host a monthly Radio Scouting
Net on the second Thursday of every month. His first net will be at 10 PM
Central time, Thursday, July 14 (which is also 0300 UTC Friday, July 15).
Frequency is 7.190 MHz, +- the QRM. Chris is located in the Dallas, Texas,
area.
Icom America has provided 10 complete stations for loan to local councils
since 2012. They are now in the process of updating their kits, replacing
the IC-7200 with the new IC-7300. With it's touch screen and panadapter
display, it meets Scouts where they live, with their smartphone.
Please help support this activity, and others involving youth in amateur
radio, by working and spotting them on the air and online. For more
information on K2BSA and radio scouting, please visit
http://www.k2bsa.net
For Amateur Radio Newsline, and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this
is Bill Stearns, NE4RD.
**
WORLD OF DX
DXers should keep their receivers tuned to hear Aurelio, IZ8EGM, in Monaco,
where he is active as 3A/IZ8EGM until July 15th. He's working on a variety
of HF bands. Send QSLs via his home callsign.
Martinez, HK3Y, will be active between July 18 and July 23 as 5J0Y from
San Andres Island. He'll be working a few of the HF bands, so listen up.
He's on the air to commemorate Colombian independence. Send QSLs to HK3Y.
Ady, DK5ON, is working as EA6/DK5ON holiday style from Mallorca Island
until July 22nd. Send QSLs via DK5ON, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW.
**
HERE COMES THE SUN
PAUL/ANCHOR: In Mississippi, one group of hams finally found the perfect
site for their much-needed repeater. Perfect -- except it had no power
source, other than the sun shining overhead. Amateur Radio Newsline's
Kent Peterson, KC0DGY tells what happened next.
MATT HICKMAN: We're hoping to get the word out about the solar-powered
repeater. I think it is very exciting. The state of Mississippi has just
fired up its first solar-powered repeater, and we hope to get good use
out of it over the next few years.
KENT: That's Matt Hickman, AF5FM, of Pontotoc, Mississippi. He was looking
for repeater sites in his county, and found one.
MATT: It's an abandoned farm with four grain elevator silos, and that is
where we have the antenna mounted 92 feet above the ground.
KENT: With absolutely no AC power on that abandoned farm.
MATT: Initially, we were going to use a site with power, but availability
just wasn't there.
KENT: So Matt designed a solar-charging battery system to power his UHF
repeater.
MATT: We have so far put together two separate arrays totaling 225 watts.
The first array powers just the radio. The second array powers just the
controller.
KENT: Matt says he has some voltage-monitoring relays so should one side
of the solar-charging battery system drop below a prescribed level, it
will switch over to the other battery, assuring the repeater will stay
on the air.
MATT: We started out trying to determine the integrity of the system. The
system has to run at least 24 hours continuous use. One of the biggest
factors was how much changing output one gets in summer vs winter.
KENT: His project will continue to grow.
MATT: As we approach September we're looking to add another 225-watt array.
We'll have to double the array to get through the winter months.
KENT: After figuring in the duplexer and feed line losses, and the gain of
the antenna, Matt's repeater is pushing out a bit below 100 watts effective
power.
MATT: We're getting out about 18 miles, and that's pretty much right to
the borders of the county. As it stands, I think it will be going for a
very long time. We've really learned a lot, and what demands the system
calls for when you're trying to acquire your energy from the sun.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kent Peterson KC0DGY
PAUL/ANCHOR: The AF5FM repeater operates on 444.500, with a positive
offset and tone of 131.8.
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