Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2012, May 20, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline report number 2012 with a release date of
Friday, May 20, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. One of SATERN's founders becomes a Silent Key.
A veteran ham's Dayton Dreams. National Parks on the Air from down
under ... the bridge! And a sad goodbye to a tireless promoter of
amateur radio. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report
2012 coming your way right now.

(Billboard Cart Here and Intro)


**

SATERN COFOUNDER BECOMES SILENT KEY

JIM/ANCHOR: We open this week's report with news that hams throughout
the Salvation Army's international emergency response network known as
SATERN, are grieving the loss of one of SATERN's founding fathers, Maj.
Patrick E. McPherson, WW9E. Here's Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

PAUL: Maj. Patrick E. McPherson, WW9E, who cofounded the disaster
response and relief arm of the Salvation Army has become a Silent Key.
SATERN, or the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, began in
1988 as a project McPherson undertook with three other radio amateurs.
It has long since grown to be an international emergency communication
and assistance organization, and an official program of the
SalvationArmy.

In fact, barely two months after its creation, SATERN already secured a
prominent place on the disaster-assistance map by facilitating
communications between Jamaica and the United States during 1988's
Hurricane Gilbert.

McPherson had been SATERN's director for more than 23 years, leaving
the post only 5 years ago. He died on May 14 in St. Joseph, Michigan.
His legacy continues, however: The SATERN Net meets weekdays on 14.265
MHz at 1500 UTC. McPherson is also slated for a posthumous honor: He
will be given the Salvation Army Certificate in Recognition of
Exceptional Service - a national-level award he was scheduled to have
been presented with later this year.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO.


JIM/ANCHOR: SATERN has grown to have a global presence in North
America, Asia, the Caribbean and elsewhere. McPherson's reach has not
only touched the world, but influenced his own family. We should note
that his wife, Carmella, is also a ham, with the call sign KB9YSQ, as
is his brother Larry, call sign KA0QEO. Maj. Patrick E. McPherson was
70 years old.

(SATERN, ARRL)


**

NPOTA: A BRIDGE TO GOOD CONTACTS

JIM/ANCHOR: Our next story follows up on a recent special event station
operating as part of the year-long National Parks on the Air
celebration. This one was set up in West Virginia and I'm happy to say
I was a part of it. But I did take time out to file this report for
Amateur Radio Newsline.

JIM'S REPORT: The National Parks on the Air Special Event Station under
the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia on Saturday,
May 15, was a great success. Ten hams were part of this unique event,
using the West Virginia DX Association call W8AH. I was privileged to
be one of the operators and took time out to talk to event organizer
Randy Damron, N8XEA.

RANDY: (N8XEA Sound Bite)-Well, today we're known as amateur radio
trolls, because we are indeed under the bridge! It's been a great day
for us. It all started with an idea back in December. I
happened to catch the ARRL website about promoting the partnership with
the National Park Service 100th anniversary, and they were encouraging
amateur radio operators to pick their favorite national park. In West
Virginia, we have two-one up in the panhandle and, of course, the New
River Gorge National River-.and over the New River Gorge National River
is the New River Gorge Bridge that is 3036 feet long and the middle of
the arch is 876 feet off the river. It's a very unique structure.
We're very proud of it here in the state. It's also featured on our
state quarter. It seemed to make sense not just to be under the
bridge for our station-but the unique thing about our station today is
that we're suspending two end-fed antennas under the catwalk of the
bridge. That makes us pretty unique. We're running 20 meters, 40
meters-we're also running VHF on two meters, and we've had some six
meter contacts as well.

JIM: Randy says over 300 contacts were made during the six-hour event
-- a successful day, in spite of the wind, rain and cold!

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW, reporting.

(WEST VIRGINIA DX ASSOCIATION)

**

40M CONTEST BEATEN BY THE BAND

JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, hams in the UK had high expectations for the
recent 40 meter Counties Contest. But the forces of nature had other
plans. We hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH.

JEREMY: Amateurs in Ireland had been hopeful for good scores in the 40
meter Counties Contest held on 8 May by the Irish Radio Transmitters
Society. But a geomagnetic storm that hit earlier that morning changed
everything. During the three-hour period of contesting, hams struggled,
especially the ones operating EI and GI stations. And the valuable
contest multipliers suffered as they worked for contacts with one
another.

There were better results with signals from overseas stations however -
and those contacts did improve toward the final hour. But organizers
report that, in the week following the contest, submission of contact
logs was sparse. The IRTS urges all hams who participated to submit
their logs by the deadline of Sunday 22 May. Yes, even logs with
limited results.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the
UK.

(IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)

**


A VETERAN HAM'S DAYTON DREAMS

JIM: Amateur Radio has gone the distance for 76 of his nearly 94 years,
and that's partly what's sending Arthur Kunst, W3WM, from his
Pennsylvania shack back to Ohio this year for yet another Dayton
Hamvention. Shortly before making the trip with his son, Don, W3LNE, he
spoke with Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GC0.

PAUL: Ever wonder what it was like in the old days of Amateur Radio?
Arthur Kunst, W3WM, was actually there in those days! Arthur was first
licensed in 1939 and has remained active as a ham all through the
years. In fact, as he approaches 94 years old, he's getting ready for
another trip to Dayton.

ARTHUR: I've been interested in Dayton for a long time. So I've had the
opportunity to go there, in fact, I've probably been there at least 20
times. I can tell you that on one occasion, my wife, who always went
with me, went with a ladies' group to keep herself interested and
happy, and she won the Grand Prize for the ladies in that particular
year. It was a big outdoor roadshow-type thing. And we had difficulty
bringing it back in the automobile. I've been a longtime member of
QCWA, and in one of the chapters in Florida I learned we had we had one
of the original founders of the Dayton hamfest. And he would tell us
about how it all got started a long time ago. He said initially it was
a very small thing, a small concept, a local type of a thing, and he
said they would make all the plans around the kitchen table. And that
was all that was necessary to do in those days. Well, it grew and grew
and grew and the kitchen table did not suffice anymore.

PAUL: Amateur radio has always been a family affair for Kunst.

ARTHUR: My wife is involved, my grandson is involved, my son, who is
W3LNE, which is a call sign I had about 50 years ago before I became a
two-letter call, and a brother of mine was a radio amateur. And so we
have had amateur radio disease running through our family for many
years.

PAUL: And he certainly hasn't let technology pass him by. He was an
electrical engineer by profession - and that kept him experimenting
with radio!

ARTHUR: I'm very interested in the newer technologies, all modes of
communication, simple devices compared to the devices we had a long
time ago -- or it was impossible to appreciate them a long time ago.

PAUL: Arthur Kunst is a ham with a fascinating story to tell and a
lifelong fascination with amateur radio. We can all hope that we're
still going strong when we turn 94. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm
Paul Braun, WD9GCO.

**
BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
WR9ARC repeater of the Riverland Amateur Radio Club in LaCrosse,
Wisconsin on Sundays.

**

BACK TO THE FUTURE AT CERATODUS

JIM/ANCHOR: The Australian hams who spent part of Easter weekend on the
banks of the Burnett River in Queensland weren't there for a day of
operating outdoors. They had come in search of something even more
adventurous. John Williams, VK4JJW, explains:

JOHN: For the radio amateurs in central Queensland, Australia, it was a
once-in-a-lifetime gathering. Well actually, for some, it was a
TWICE-in-a-lifetime gathering because most reunions are that, at the
very least. And this was a 50-year reunion of hams and friends and
family. It took place at Ceratodus, on the banks of the Burnett River
near Eidsvold, the meeting point of 5 decades ago. As before, it
happened on Easter weekend, and it was a time for eyeball QSOs,
camping and fellowship.

Geoff Bonney, VK4GI, who was there at the first gathering, told Amateur
Radio Newsline he was in good company at the reunion weekend: There was
Dave Maclean, VK4EE, and Kev Blanch, VK4MKB. And lots of first-timers
who perhaps have a 50-year reunion in their own future someday. Bonney
declared the gathering to be QUOTE "fantastic." ENDQUOTE

Ultimately, the weekend, which marked the enduring bonds people forge
from being on the air together, turned out to be more of a terrestrial
celebration. Bonney said most of the on-air activity took place at
7.060 MHz and 146.500 MHz for reunion attendees enroute the reserve -
and on their way back home.

He said QUOTE "when all participants arrived, face-to-face conversation
quickly took over." ENDQUOTE

But with all the changes in the last 5 decades - from SSB outpacing AM
in popularity, to changes in Australia's Foundation License - it left
little doubt as to what all the conversation was about.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, this is John Williams, VK4JJW. (GEOFF
BONNEY, VK4GI)


**


PARTNERSHIP IN SEARCH AND RESCUE

The exercise held by the Ellis County Amateur Radio Club, WD5DDH,
wasn't just a simulated search-and rescue session. It was a real-life
question-and-answer session too.

Working with the Ellis County Amateur Radio Emergency Services group,
hams deployed microwave, mobile and WinLink modes throughout the Texas
county, simulating search and rescue, along with damage assessment.
Hams also got answers to their questions about how things are done, and
learned the drill. The Dallas-area radio club and the Ellis County ARES
are close partners, working together in emergencies and simulations,
such as this one in late April. The amateur radio club is also
interested in learning more about the use of search dogs in a crisis.
They have been receiving an introduction to this phase of search and
rescue work by local businessman Jerry Seevers.

The club meets in Waxahatchie at 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the
month at the Sheriff's office training center.


(WAXAHATCHIE, TEXAS, DAILY LIGHT)


**
THE WORLD OF DX

John, W5JON/V47JA, will be active from Calypso Bay, St. Kitts as V47JA
from June 14 to July 15. He will work 160-6 meters, including 60m,
using SSB. He will also be a Single Op/All band entry during the IARU
HF World Championship Contest on July 9th and 10th. Send QSL cards to
W5JON direct or via LoTW. He is not accepting bureau QSLs.

Merv N6NO is using the call sign VK9OL while working from Lord Howe
Island. He will be there through May 29. He is using mainly CW and
focusing on the WARC bands. QSL direct to N6NO.

Look for Phil, TN2MP and Joe TN2BJ, operating from the Congo,
considered a semi-rare DX. They will be operating there until May 23.
QSLs go via F5MVB and F5AOW respectively.

On May 28 and May 29, be listening for members of the Lough Erne
Amateur Radio Club, working from the Marble Arch Caves Geopark in
County Fermanagh, Ireland to celebrate European Geoparks Week. They
will be using the call sign GB2MAC and operating SSB on all the HF
bands. Send QSL cards via LoTW, eQSL and Bureau.

(SOUTHGATE ARC, IRTS)


**

KICKER: FAREWELL TO A LONGTIME FRIEND, DAVE BELL, W6AQ, SK

JIM: Finally, we say a sad goodbye to a tireless promoter of amateur
radio, an Emmy award winning filmmaker and close friend and supporter
of Amateur Radio Newsline. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Don
Wilbanks, AE5DW.

DON: Dave Bell, W6AQ, passed away Friday, May 13th. He was 84. A ham
for 65 years, Dave was a filmmaker and television producer. He is
known in entertainment circles for his work producing TV movies,
specials and documentaries for all of the broadcast networks including
cable giants USA Network, HBO and Showtime. He even made a couple of
feature films - "Nadia" and "The Long Walk Home." His documentary
series, "Missing- Have You Seen this Person?" was nominated for an Emmy
and became the basis for the legendary NBC series "Unsolved Mysteries."
His CBS production of "Do You Remember Love" starring JoAnn Woodward
and Richard Kiley won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama/comedy Special in
1985. The list goes on and on. So prolific was Dave Bell's work, it's
been said that anyone over 50 who has worked in reality TV at some
point worked for or with Dave Bell. But we remember Dave not as a
television executive but as W6AQ. And before he got rolling in
entertainment films in the '80s, he was making documentaries about
amateur radio as far back as the late '50s. His first ham radio film
was "The Ham's Wide World."

Here's Dave Bell: "The Ham's Wide World" featured several major
celebrities who were big-time hams. If you know these names you qualify
for the Old Old Timer's Club. Arthur Godfrey, K4LIB, Bill Leonard,
W2SKE and Barry Goldwater, K7UGA."

He recruited some major star power for "The World Of Amateur Radio."

[Dick Van Dyke audio]

In 2002, he produced "Amateur Radio Today" featuring an iconic voice of
a generation as the host:

[Walter Cronkite audio]

One of the voices you heard in that clip was Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF,
Newsline's founder. Bill and Dave worked together for decades on those
ARRL films. They were more than colleagues, they were the best of
friends. Dave Bell was a supporter of our Young Ham Of The Year award,
purchasing the plaque for the winner. I had the great fortune of
presenting Dave Bell and a retrospective of those films at the 2014
Dayton Hamvention. I was awestruck, something that never happens to me.
Dave was just as gracious as he could be and we had a fantastic time
that I will treasure for the rest of my days.

Dave Bell is survived by Alice, better known as Sam, his wife of 61
years, her call is W6QLT.

Dave Bell's legacy will live on in these films. I encourage you to
visit arrl.org and learn more about these films. They're all available
for purchase from the league. Remembering our good friend Dave Bell,
W6AQ, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

**

NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine; Dayton
Daily News; Don Kunst, W3LNE; DX.NET; Geoff Bonney, VK4GI; Hap Holly
and the Rain Report; Irish Radio Transmitter Society; SATERN; Southgate
Amateur Radio News; Ted Randall's QSO Radio Show; Waxahatchie, Texas
Daily Light; West Virginia DX Association; 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
. More information is available at Amateur Radio
Newsline's only official website located at www.arnewsline.org.

We also remind our listeners that there's still time to nominate
candidates for the 2016 Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year Award.
This honor recognizes licensed amateurs who are no older than 19 and
living in the U.S., Puerto Rico or Canada, and who have made
significant contributions to ham radio and their community. To download
an application form, visit our website, www.arnewsline.org, and click
on the tab for "Y-H-O-T-Y." Completed applications should be sent to:
The Young Ham of the Year Award, in care of Amateur Radio Newsline
Inc., Editorial Office, P.O. Box 451, Huntington Station, New York
11746.

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.