Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : ALL From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Jun 09 2016 07:36 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2015, June 10, 2016 *** CLOSED CIRCUIT ADVISORY **** The following is a closed circuit advisory, and not necessarily for broadcast. Just a brief reminder that time is running out for you, or your club, to nominate a deserving young radio amateur for our Bill Pasternak Newsline Young Ham Of The Year award. Nominations must arrive by midnight local time on June 30th of this year. That's just a couple of weeks away. Full information, and the nominating form, can be found on our website, arnewsline.org, under the YHOTY tab. And please note, the California mailing address is no longer valid. The new address is in New York, and is listed on the nominating form. If you've sent your nominating package to California, please resubmit it to the New York address. We hope to honor your amazing young radio amateur this August, as we award the 30th anniversary edition of the Young Ham Of The Year award. Also, this is a special, extended newscast, and will contain 3 segments, and 2 ID breaks. Thank you. Now here's Paul Braun, WD9GCO with Newsline# 2015. Paul? Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2015, with a release date of Friday, June 10, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. ARES volunteers are activated in Texas and Kentucky. A special lighthouse takes on a special mission. A Massachusetts ham club faces the loss of its home. And, on the first anniversary of the passing of Newsline creator/producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, we offer a tribute from friends in this expanded edition of Amateur Radio Newsline coming your way right now. **** BILLBOARD CART HERE **** ARES ACTIVATIONS NEEDED IN TEXAS, KENTUCKY PAUL: We begin this week's newscast with a somber reminder that one very vital aspect of amateur radio - the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, or ARES - springs into action most effectively in the aftermath of a tragedy or during a crisis. That was the case in Houston, Texas, last week, as the region was besieged by deadly flooding. We hear more from Mike Askins, KE5CXP. MIKE'S REPORT: Unrelenting floods in Harris County, Texas, and much of the southeastern region of the state spurred the county's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, to move to a level of Increased Readiness - Level 3 - activating the Amateur Radio Emergency Service in South Texas District 14 for a short while on June 2. The section's Emergency Coordinator, Frank Aguilar, N5SSH, said that in spite of the fact that communications were not disrupted, ARES efforts were nonetheless needed to deal with what he called "situational awareness issues" in the weather-drenched region. Flooded streets posed a particular problem, as the dangerous weather failed to let up. District 14 Emergency Coordinator Jeff Walter, KE5FGA, requested South Texas District 14 ARES volunteers to report through WebEOC or, lacking access, to use repeaters. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP. PAUL/ANCHOR: There was also a tragedy in Kentucky's Hardin County where ARES volunteers were activated on June 1 to assist in a different crisis - one involving a missing aircraft. Two days after the single-engine plane was reported missing on May 30, the hams joined emergency responders, law enforcement, the Red Cross, and the Civil Air Patrol in their search. The aircraft was bound for home at Owensboro Airport in Kentucky at the time it went missing. On June 1, the wreckage of the plane was spotted from a helicopter in a remote wooded area. The search team later recovered the body of the pilot, identified as retired physician Robert C. Dalzell of Owensboro. He was 70 years old. (WBKO-TV, ARRL) ** TRANSMITTING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHTHOUSE PAUL/ANCHOR: A recent activation of a small lighthouse on Canada's Prince Edward Island has become a shining example of how to promote good will and tourism - and even ham radio! We hear more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. NEIL'S REPORT: Because lighthouses serve as navigational aids for travelers who often cross great distances, the Souris Lighthouse was a natural choice for Bernie Cormier, VE9BGC, and his friend George Dewar, VY2GF, who activated the Prince Edward Island lighthouse for three days, during the first weekend in June. Thus, the small team of amateurs on Prince Edward Island became a true beacon themselves - using 15, 20 and 40 meters to draw attention to this small province in Atlantic Canada. Speaking recently with Amateur Radio Newsline, George said that despite challenging band conditions, the hams logged more than 100 contacts. Most were in the U.S., although signals from Croatia, France and Germany found their way to the lighthouse. There was even one ham from Melbourne, Australia who they worked with their 100 watts, and Bernie's vertical on 20 meters. The hams also attracted attention off the air, from foreign tourists visiting the lighthouse, who got to see some radio magic happen. But, operating as VY2PLH was more than just a means of identification, George said: It was the very conversation-starter they hoped for, as one station or another would ask "VY2 - where is THAT?" Being able to call attention to Prince Edward Island, an agricultural region known more for its potatoes and its mussels, was a good thing, he said. Connected to the rest of Canada by ferries and a single bridge, PEI just gained another navigational route via the ionosphere. Or, as George says, QUOTE "We are getting the place a little better known around the world. Hey you never can tell." For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. *** NOT JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE PAUL/ANCHOR: Although members of the Queen Anne's Amateur Radio Club, K3QAC, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, will also be participating in Field Day on Saturday, June 25, some hams are doing double duty by starting early in the morning to ensure the safety of as many as 400 bicyclists in the Two Rivers Bike Ride. The fifth annual ride is a benefit for the Wye River Upper School, which serves students with learning disabilities, and the Corsica River Conservancy, a nature preservation group. The scenic ride begins in Centreville, Maryland, with courses ranging from 15 to 100 miles. The hams will be working net control, keeping in contact with radio operators at seven rest stops. There will also be hams on roving vehicles that provide aid to cyclists in need. For more information about the benefit bike ride, visit wyeriverupperschool.org (MYEASTERNSHORE, MARYLAND) --- þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, AR - wx1der.dyndns.org .