Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2024, August 12, 2016 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2024 with a release date of Friday, August 12,2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams activate the national park just outside the White House. A steadily growing group of DXers in the UK mark their seventh year. Denmark's bicycling ham is on the final leg of his journey -- and amateurs in one Ohio town take it to the streets. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2024 coming your way right now. *** BILLBOARD CART HERE **** NPOTA: BIG DOINGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE JIM/ANCHOR: We open this week's newscast with a story from Washington, D.C., that's decidedly NON-political. Nine radio amateurs have just completed their successful race for the White House....well, OK, it was actually a challenge they mounted in President's Park, outside the White House. We hear the story of their triumphant National Parks on the Air activation from Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO. PAUL: You might remember our story a little while back about a group of hams who decided they wanted to get to the White House without mounting a long, expensive Presidential campaign. Well, it’s happened again. Only this time on a slightly more ambitious scale. On August 5th and 6th, members from the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club ventured from New York to Washington DC to activate President’s Park. According to Mike Sartoretti, KC2SYF: MIKE: When we saw that the ARRL was having their National Parks on the Air, we talked about it down at the club on Wednesdays and then I activated a few parks here in the New York area. And I had a lot of fun doing it. I bought it back to the club and said, "I want to activate the White House. Who would be in and interested? This way I don't waste my money putting in a permit." And I got a lot of hands that went up and said they would be interested. So we put the permit in. PAUL: They operated for two days, until lightning moved into the area. They were busy, though: MIKE: We had a total of about 1250 QSOs between satellite, CW, sideband and simplex operation. PAUL: They had no problems with the Secret Service, either. MIKE: We were welcomed at the park by the U.S. Secret service, they stopped by several times to check on us and make sure that we were doing well. PAUL: Although, there was one tense moment: MIKE: One time a Secret Service agent walked over to us and asked what time we were here until or what time we would be operating until and I wasn't sure if we were going to have a problem or not. I told them we had to be out of the park by 5:30 and that we were going to cease operations by about 5. "Oh," he said, "I have a two-hour drive home and I'm a ham and I wanted to work you guys." So we handed him an HT, he went for a little walk and he got to work us on simplex. There were nine licensed hams, eight from Long Island and one local from Washington, DC. They were Paul, N8HM; Phil KD2GFO; Eric KD2GXN; Lou NO2C; Sally K2RYD; Sam W2JDB; Tom KA2D; Howard WB2UZE; and Mike KC2SYF. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Paul Braun, WD9GCO ** CYCLING HAM'S FINAL ROUTE HOME JIM/ANCHOR: The famous bicycle-riding radio amateur from Denmark is about to begin the final leg of his journey. Amateur Radio Newsline's John Williams, VK4JJW, has the details. JOHN: After six years spent on the road and some of it also on the air, Thomas Andersen, OZ1AA, the bicycling ham from Denmark, has home well within his sights. A year ago this month, Amateur Radio Newsline caught up with him while he pedaled his way through the East Coast of the United States enroute to maritime Canada. As of this past Aug. 2, the scene was vastly different, as he made his way through Morocco in North Africa. One of the high points of his trip through the African continent was a chance to work some stations from the shack of a student radio club, ET3AA, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopa. Now, however, Thomas and his HT and his fat-tire bicycle are rolling their way into Spain and will follow a planned route through France and Germany, where he also hopes to be more active on the bands. That will take him back home to Copenhagen, where it all began. With that arrival, Thomas and his cycle will indeed have come full cycle -- unless, of course, the starting point for his next adventure involves a launch pad. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm John Williams, VK4JJW. (ARRL) ** SUMMER WRAPPING UP FOR K2BSA JIM/ANCHOR: The Boy Scouting hams of K2BSA are getting ready to wrap up summer - but not without a few more notable activations. We hear more from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Stearns, NE4RD. BILL: This week in Radio Scouting we have a report from scout camp, a special event in France, and JOTA updates. Philmont Scout Ranch is still on the air as K2BSA/5 while summer camp season wraps up. We received a report that there were Summits on the Air activated from the scout camp as well. Mike Crownover AD5A, did an 84 mile hike with his son, Roy AE5EB, and grandson, Logan KF5GYD, where they planned on activating two peaks in the 136,000 acre Scout Camp. He had a crew of 8 (2 Adults and 6 Scouts) on this trek which was classified as "Extremely Strenuous" according to the camp's rating system. They were able to work 39 chasers on the two peaks that they summited. RoverWay 2016, a gathering of 5,000 rovers in Jambville, France, is underway through August 14th. There will be Scouts on the air and online thanks to Radioscoutisme Français. Their call is TM16RW and they will be operating on 7090 and 14290 kHz. JOTA or Jamboree on the Air will be the weekend of October 14th through the 16th. Scout groups from all over the world will be on the air trying to contact each other and those interested in working scouts. The patch design is out, and now is the time to start planning your JOTA event with your local council and district. For more information on K2BSA, JOTA resources, and radio scouting, please visit http://www.k2bsa.net/. For Amateur Radio Newsline and the K2BSA Amateur Radio Association, this is Bill Stearns NE4RD. ** BOXBORO CONVENTION NEEDS VOLUNTEERS JIM/ANCHOR: Yes, there IS such a thing as a free lunch and you may find it at the ARRL New England Convention next month. Amateur Radio Newsline's Neil Rapp, WB9VPG explains. NEIL's REPORT: The ARRL New England Convention will have three days of banquets, classes, forums, a special event station, a flea market and a screening of the popular feature film, "Frequency." For some attendees, the convention will also present that mythical meal - known as the free lunch - to all amateurs who volunteer to work a two-hour shift during this major event running Sept. 9th through 11th. A variety of indoor and outdoor jobs are available for volunteers, some involving physical work and most involving long periods of sitting. The three-day convention will take place at the Holiday Inn Boxboro Woods in Boxborough, Massachusetts. If you think you can volunteer your time, contact Andy, KB1OIQ at one of two email addresses: kb1oiq@arrl.net or kb1oiq@mval.net For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. (FEMARA WEBSITE) ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including W-D-ZERO-H-W-T (WD0HWT), the Metro Area Repeater Association station in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on Sunday evenings. ** ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE GUIDES THE WAY JIM: In Canada, add the Wood Islands Lighthouse to the ever-growing list of lighthouses being activated for a big ham radio weekend this month. Amateur Radio Newsline's Mike Askins, KE5CXP, has more. MIKE: Passengers who have taken the ferry between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada are familiar with the Wood Islands Lighthouse. Now the world of radio amateurs gets to take a ride there too, if they're lucky enough to catch the next call. Using the call sign VY2PLH, a team of operators has added the historic lighthouse to the lineup of stations worldwide working the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend for the 48 hours beginning Friday, August 19. It will also be an opportunity for visiting guests at the lighthouse to try a QSO of their own, supervised by a licensed amateur, hitching a ride on a very different kind of wave - one that surfs the ionosphere. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Mike Askins, KE5CXP. (GEORGE DEWAR VY2GF, ILLW WEBSITE) ** A SUMMER CRUISE FOR PCARS JIM: It's been seven years since one group of amateurs has gone mobile and gone cruising, just for the fun of it. Well, they're about to do it again. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB. STEPHEN: Hams in northeastern Ohio are taking it to the streets on Wednesday, August 17, beginning at 6 p.m., and cruising throughout the night with their mobile rigs. The seventh annual mobile cruise-in, sponsored by the Portage County Amateur Radio Service, begins at the Ravenna A&W restaurant on East Main Street and ends when the last 7-3 has been sent. It's a night to show off your perfect installation, your ugly installation and your installation with the most functioning amateur bands. That means HF, UHF, VHF and whatever else you might be running. This night isn't just about pride - it is also about prizes - and the Portage ham group promises some surprises too. Finally yes, there will be root beer. After all, you can't leave the Ravenna A&W and be thirsty. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio. ** CHARLIE TANGO CELEBRATION IN THE UK JIM: The Ohio hams aren't the only ones marking seven great years. An ever-growing group in the UK, with membership well into the thousands, just finished its own festivities. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: The gathering wasn't the typical birthday party for a 7-year-old, but then Charlie - as in Charlie Tango DX Group - isn't your average youngster. The varied group of radio enthusiasts, which formed in 2009 in the UK, threw itself a weekend-long celebration, late July in Derbyshire. The guest list theoretically could have included all 5,800 active Charlie Tango members worldwide, since membership is open and free to all radio hobbyists, whether they are licensed amateurs or enthusiastic shortwave listeners -- or even on Citizens Band. There was no danger of running out of beer and snacks since closer to 40 members turned up, by the group's own best estimate. Customarily, Charlie Tango's gathering spot is the organization's website, www.charlietango.co.uk. There, no one will run out of drinks or, for that matter, even chairs. However, the Derbyshire festivities were such a success, Charlie Tango is already preparing for its party next year when the group marks its 8th year and when membership, no doubt, will have grown even more. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (SOUTHGATE, CHARLIE TANGO) ** THE WORLD OF DX: How about some Olympic style DX? Mario, PY2DV, will be operating as PY22DV until September 30 to celebrate the RIO 2016 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES in Brazil. QSLs can be sent via Logbook of the World, as well as via the Bureau or direct. Elsewhere, Nicola IU7GSN is on the air from Albania as ZA3/IU7GSN until the 23rd of August. He is working holiday style. Send QSLs to his home call sign. On St. Paul Island, a group of American and Canadian operators are operating as CY9C from August 19th to the 28th. Listen for them on all bands 160 – 6m, CW, SSB and RTTY. Send QSLs using Club Log OQRS or directly to WA4DAN. Four German amateurs are on the air through August 16th as OJ0DX, operating from Market Reef. Listen for them on 80 – 10m using CW and SSB. Send QSLs to their manager DL3DXX. (IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY, DX COFFEE) ** KICKER: HIS 'N HERS HAMS JIM/ANCHOR: And finally, we close this week's newscast with a story of partnership, a his-and-hers DXpedition dream team that conquers the world together - or at least makes thousands of QSOs with it. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO. PAUL: Most married hams, or hams in relationships, know that the typical response from your significant other to the phrase, “Let’s bring the radios on vacation with us!” is met with something like, “Then you can leave me at home.” But not for Rich Seifert, KE1B and his girlfriend Anna Sombor, W6NN. They’ve turned every vacation into a DXPedition. They weren’t both hams at the beginning. Seifert had a long, storied career in Silicon Valley technology. He was licensed at a young age, but went QRT for two decades while he worked. Finally, he got back on the air, and got his girlfriend interested: RICH: I put her on 20 meters phone and she'd call CQ and you know that YL voice is worth a couple of S-units. She'd have a pileup of Europeans and she'd be having QSOs in Hungarian, in Italian, in Russian, you name it, she speaks it! And she's having a blast. So she decides, hmmm.....I ought to get my own license. And we would start doing contests together as multi-single. PAUL: In their case, packing radios was actually Anna’s idea: RICH: She comes up with a fiendish plan: "Hey, I'd really like to go lay on a Caribbean beach." I say, "I don't want to lay on a Caribbean beach. That's not my idea of fun anyway." She says: "How about we go to a Caribbean beach and you bring a radio?" I say: "OK, no we're talking." So our first one, I didn't have a radio to bring along, our first holiday DXPedition we rented the house at PJ2T in Curacao. You can rent the house, which has living accommodations and it is a MAJOR contest station! PAUL: They soon realized that there was a limit to the available “rent-a-shacks,” so he designed a “Station-in-a-box” that could travel with them. And thus began the next phase of their lives: RICH: And so our first expedition like that I think was to VP5 in the Turks and Caicos, and what started there became our regular modus operandi. PAUL: Together, they’re living a ham’s dream, traveling and working all over the world. RICH: We started on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos and then to Tiga, Grenada and Malta in the Mediterranean. And the Canary Islands. We just came back from a dual trip in the Grenadines and Barbados. PAUL: Listen for their contest call, K6 Monkey Monkey Monkey, and get in on the fun. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Paul Braun, WD9GCO ** NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; DX Coffee; FEMARA; Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club; George Dewar, VY2GF; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; Irish Radio Transmitter Society; Ohio-Penn DX Bulletin; PCARS; QRZ; Southgate Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Wireless Institute of Australia; WTWW Shortwave; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. Please send emails to our address at newsline@arnewsline.org. More information is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org. For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York, and our news team worldwide, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, in Charleston, West Virginia saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.