Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Jan 05 2018 07:32 am

Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2097, for Friday, January 5, 2018

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2097, with a release date of
Friday, January 5, 2018, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A licensing exam puts more than 100 new hams
on the air in Cuba. An Australian amateur group marks 60 years -- and
a veteran grid square chaser recalls his successes! All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2097, comes your way right now.

**

BILLBOARD CART

**

ARRL'S INTERNATIONAL GRID CHASE HAS BEGUN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: As hams start the new year, learning the ins and outs
of the Maidenhead grid squares that mark locations for U.S. contacts,
one longtime radio operator in Texas, recalls his own chase across the
grid, and the hard-won success it ultimately brought him. Jim Damron,
N8TMW, has that story.

JIM: The dawn of a new year has brought the ARRL International Grid
Chase, which is challenging hams to operate on any band except 60
meters, in pursuit of as many different Maidenhead grid squares as
they can possibly work. Newsline managed to catch up with a veteran
of this kind of grid square victory - Pat Rose, W5OZI, of Junction,
Texas. In 2010, Pat became the second recipient of the ARRL's Fred
Fish Memorial Award. The award is given to hams who successfully work
all 488 grid squares in the contiguous United States. Pat became the
first ham to replicate on 6 meters what Fred Fish himself had
accomplished before becoming a Silent Key.

Pat told Newsline that he once believed working all 488 grids was
impossible. He said because it was a new award at the time, he thought
it would be fun to try. He wrote in his email to us: [quote] "I had no
strategy, but I thought that with a good antenna, and with a kilowatt
from a home-built linear amp, I would have a chance at competing
against some big-time six-meter ops."

He even ended up working some rare grids. He told us in his email:
[quote] "I finally worked KB8U, Russ in CM79 on June 17, 2010, for the
last one, when he went back-packing there. I worked him I think the
second day he was there. It was a  big surprise, and I have thanked
him over and over again for his trip." [endquote]

So, as you consider this year's event, remember Pat's success, and know
that persistence surely pays off: Pat has been licensed since 1948. He
was 17 years old when he hitchhiked from Austin, Texas to Dallas that
year to take the test. That was the first of his many successes since.
  
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW.

**

DX CONVENTION GOES THE DISTANCE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: April will be here before you know it - and so will
the International DX Convention, as we hear from Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

HEATHER: If you're wanting an early seat at the table for the
International DX Convention, you can secure yourself a spot in just a
few days. Registration opens on the 15th of January, for the 69th annual
event.

The convention is sponsored by the Southern California DX Club, and is
being held April 20th to 22nd at the Visalia Convention Center. The
keynote speech at Saturday's banquet will focus on the Bouvet Island
DXpedition 3-Y-0-Z. The team of hams is scheduled to leave later this
month for the rare island, which is second on the DXCC most-wanted
list. Other activities at the California weekend convention will feature
talks by some of the world's most accomplished DXpeditioners, sharing
their tips, and their stories. To get more details, visit their website
dxconvention dot org (dxconvention.org).

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An important part of that weekend's event is the
Intrepid Spirit Award, conferred by the Intrepid-DX Group. It is named
in memory of Silent Key James McLaughlin, WA2EWE/T6AF. James was among
a number of Americans killed in April of 2011, after an Afghan military
pilot opened fire. McLaughlin was working as a flight instructor in
Kabul at the time of his death.

Nominations for this year's award winner are being accepted through the
15th of January. The award will be given on April 21st, at the
International DX Convention.

Send nominations by email to intrepiddxgroup at gmail dot com
(intrepiddxgroup@gmail.com).
--- SBBSecho 3.03-Win32
 * Origin: RdoWxNet: The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org (802:2/3)
 þ Synchronet þ Temple of Doom BBS - tod.eothnet.com

.