Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : ALL USERS From : DARYL STOUT Date : Thu Dec 10 2015 08:34 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1989, December 11, 2015 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1989, with a release date of Friday, December 11, 2015 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams in India struggle to help the nation's flooded south. The founder of Ham Radio Outlet becomes a Silent Key. Boston area amateurs are already planning for the city's big marathon. And, get ready to do some real DXing with Pluto, the so-called "dwarf planet." All this and more, in Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1989, coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) ** HAMS CHALLENGED BY INDIA'S FLOODS We open this week's newscast with a developing story, as flood-soaked Chennai, the fourth largest city in India, struggles in the aftermath of devastating floods -- and the hams who've been looking to give assistance are struggling too. Even radio amateurs who have been able to travel to the area to provide emergency communications are being challenged by a scarcity of available power, as many of the batteries in their portable gear have long since discharged. The International Amateur Radio Union in India told the ARRL that an emergency net was established on 7.070 MHz, and amateurs who are able to have also been making use of some local repeaters. Some news reports indicate that the band at 14.160 MHz has also been put into use for contact with the National Institute of Amateur Radio, with the special call sign AU2MTT. The president of the Amateur Radio Society of India, Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, reported, however, that with so many areas surrounding the city being underwater and cut off, ground transportation has been impossible, and even hams who want to travel to give assistance, have been unable to get out. Madhavan told the ARRL that QUOTE "efforts are being made to garner more hams into relief activity as soon as they are able to move out of their locales," ENDQUOTE, adding, QUOTE "the situation is grim." ENDQUOTE. He was optimistic at midweek that, with the floodwaters receding, the hams will soon be able to do more. (SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS, ARRL, HINDUSTAN TIMES) ** SILENT KEY: HAM RADIO OUTLET FOUNDER ROBERT FERRERO, W6RJ [JIM/ANCHOR:] The amateur radio community has lost a businessman, a friend, and a devoted advocate and DXpeditioner: Robert Ferrero, W6RJ, the founder of the national Ham Radio Outlet chain, became a Silent Key on Dec. 4. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, talked to Ferrero's longtime friend and associate, Chip Margelli, K7JA. [DON'S REPORT] ** MAKING A MARATHON EFFORT Even with the Boston Marathon still months away, local hams have already gone into training to build up some endurance of their own. The April 18, 2016 event will rely on the efforts of an estimated 300 Amateur Radio volunteers who will cover the 26-mile course with the assurance of reliable emergency communications. The Boston Athletic Association's Communications Committee is already warming up, and this year they'll be flexing some high-tech and digital muscle. Committee member Matthew Forman, K6MCF, told Amateur Radio Newsline in an email: "A major initiative of the Committee this year is to bolster the technology we use on Marathon Monday. To do so, we're forming a Technical Infrastructure Subcommittee and seeking Amateurs who can offer current skills in Analog and/or Digital modes (UHF/VHF), repeaters, and infrastructure. We'd like to have the TIS consist of one technically-seasoned member from Amateur Radio clubs in Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and the northern parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island." ENDQUOTE Committee member, Mark Richards, K1MGY, will work to get word out about the subcommittee among clubs and other special interest groups. By April, everyone should be in the running - especially the hams. ** [JIM/ANCHOR:] A new club for hams is starting up in the Ozarks of Missouri and it promises to be a much-needed resource for local amateurs. Matthew Chambers, N-R-ZERO-Q, has the details: [MATTHEW CHAMBERS REPORT]: Radio amateurs in the Missouri Ozarks are in the process of organizing a new amateur radio club. The Wright County Outlaws Amateur Radio Club members met in November, and elected a board of directors and officers. They will meet again in January to vote on a constitution and by-laws. Primary mission for the club will be SKYWARN and Amateur Radio Emergency Services communications in Wright County, Missouri. They will meet at the Wright County Emergency Management Agency in Hartville, Missouri. Reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Matthew Chambers NR0Q, in Mountain Grove, Missouri. ** FIRST OFCOM LICENSES REVOKED The UK has 530 fewer licensed radio amateurs as of this month. Following notice it gave to hams earlier this year, Ofcom has made good on its warning and revoked the first batch of licenses that went without the required validation process. The Ofcom website has a list of the call signs affected, and a copy of those notices of revocation. The office said there are at least 15,000 such licenses that still remain unvalidated and will, over the course of time, also be revoked. Ofcom requires radio amateurs to revalidate their license at least once every five years. So if you want to stay on the air, be sure to check that your license is current. And contact Ofcom for further details. (SOUTHGATE) BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including W-ZERO-E-F, the Twin City FM Club repeater in Plymouth, Minnesota, Saturday mornings at 9:30. --- BgNet 1.0a12 - The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org Little Rock, AR .