Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2016, June 17, 2016

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2016 with a release date of
Friday, June 17, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A noted DXer dies after a fall from a tower.
Amateurs and CB radio operators team up - seriously! - to watch the
weather. Another NASA astronaut becomes a ham and a California city
takes earthquake lessons from Nepal. All this and more in Amateur Radio
Newsline Report Number 2016 coming your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART HERE


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MILT JENSEN, N5IA: DEATH OF A DXer

STEPHEN: This week's newscast opens with word of a tragic accident that
has hit hard within the international ham radio community: Well known
DX-peditioner and DXer Milt Jensen N5IA of Virden New Mexico died on
June 9th after falling from a ham radio tower. Newsline's Kent
Peterson KC0DGY spoke with Jensen's wife Rulene (Roo Lean), KB5VTM

RULENE: He was just an avid DXer contest person, if we got in the car
he was on the radio all the time. He loved building new things. The
challenge of building a better antenna system.

KENT: Newsline reached out to Milt Jensen's wife Rulene KB5VTM who
shared some of her memories of Milt's DX-peditions.

RULENE: Actually he did three, He went to Myanmar twice ... the first
time I went along with him, that was an eye opener to me. He had me
get on. I think I had two minutes and everybody was getting irritated
with me because I didn't know what I was doing and I got off and gave
it back to him He loved it. They were there to do the 160 part, that
was his main joy he loved doing 160. Other than Myanmar he went to
Ducie Island with an international group. I got on his Facebook over
the past couple of days. They all responded to it from Germany,
Lithuania. I always teased him about living on Gilligan's island.
That's what that island looked like to me with the pictures.

KENT: Rulene got her ham license just to stay in touch with Milt.

RULENE: He was always gone to a mountain top to do something. We
didn't have cell phones back then. He convinced me to get my license. I
got my license so that I could get hold of him when I needed to, that
didn't always work either.

KENT: Milt worked for a power utility and learned climbing safety
fromthem.

RULENE: He was trained in all the safety stuff, he always said ... Tie
off ... Tie off ... Tie off. Have your gear on. He wasn't careless
about climbing.

KENT: On June 9th Milt was in Tuscon to help a fellow ham.

RULENE: The tower he was working on was for a friend and fellow ham
that lives in Tuscon that doesn't climb and so he went to do do
whatever tower work was needed on his tower for him.

KENT: Besides Rulene two of Milt's sons also have ham licenses.

RULENE: My husband had told our oldest son sometimes his hand went to
sleep and he couldn't hang on and so we're thinking that's what it was
because he stressed safety. If that was the case I'm going to slap him
when I get up to Heaven.

KENT: Milt Jensen K5IA was 73 years old. For Amateur Radio Newsline,
I'm Kent Peterson, KC0DGY.

STEPHEN: As a postscript to Milt's passing, we also note that a day
later, in Radcliff, Kentucky, police reported that a man was seriously
injured after a fall of about 30 feet from an amateur radio tower. He
remained conscious while emergency workers transported him to a
hospital in Louisville where, at press time, there were no further
updates on his condition or what led to his fall. With both these
stories in mind, Amateur Radio Newsline urges listeners, on a personal
note, to please adhere to strict safety practices when doing any
towerwork.

(THE NEWS ENTERPRISE)


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UNLIKELY PARTNERS, LIKELY WEATHER-WATCHERS

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Can CBers and ham radio operators work hand-in hand?
The answer is yes, in one Alabama County, where we hear more from
Newsline's Bobby Best, WX4ALA.

BOBBY'S REPORT: In the community of weather watchers, the critical
information passed by storm spotters who receive formal training from
the National Weather Service is known as "ground truth." Those details
are lifelines. When serious weather and tornados hit places like Dixie
Alley, comprising much of the Southeast, the weather is severe and
right now the region is bracing for the Atlantic hurricane season,
which just started on June 1.

In Jefferson County, Alabama -- the most populated county in that
southern state - a unique kind of partnership has become paramount.
Amateur radio operators, passing along this vital "ground truth"
alongside another group of radio operators as part of what some might
consider an unlikely team. These other spotters, who are also trained
by the weather service, work on the 11-meter band. That's right, you
can find them on CB radio. The deployment of CB'ers and hams has been a
priority for the Sylvan Springs Amateur Radio Club in western Jefferson
County and they're proud of their effort.

According to James Keller KF4JQP, a charter member and current
president of the club, QUOTE "We've reached out to members of the
community that are NWS trained spotters, but that don't hold an Amateur
Radio license and invited them into our meetings and circles"... "While
we would hope that one day they will become interested in gaining their
Amateur Radio license, but until that day comes, there is a way that
they can assist at saving lives!" ENDQUOTE

The Sylvan Springs Amateur Radio Club has installed at their E.O.C. an
11-Meter or CB radio base station with its antenna located high atop
their ham tower. Keller added; "whenever we go into a stand-by alert
status, in addition to monitoring our own 2-Meter repeater, as well as
other severe weather NETS, we also monitor 27.065 Mhz or channel 9,
which is a reserved and restricted channel, by The FCC, for emergency
communication only!" Any information we receive that meets The NWS'
criteria for severe weather, damage reports, or any other emergency
traffic, we can then immediately pass on via Amateur Radio, to stations
at; The NWS, The EMA, The Red Cross, or even to Alabama's State E.O.C.
via 80-Meters on our state's designated HF emergency frequency on 3.965
Mhz" ENDQUOTE

CB and ham radio operators may seem, at times, to be on different parts
of the spectrum - in more ways than one - but the idea of this kind of
teamwork is catching on in Jefferson County, Alabama!

From the perspective of this meteorologist, such creative deployment of
radio operators can only lead to expanded weather coverage and, in
Dixie Alley, that's a good thing.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bobby Best, WX4ALA in Jasper, Alabama.

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HONORS FOR WEATHERING THE STORM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Speaking of weather, one New York ham's devotion to
watching for storm systems has won him special recognition. Here's
Newsline's Heather Embee, KB3TZD.

HEATHER'S REPORT: Dave Robinson, N-4-U-A-R, of Oswego County, New York,
isn't exactly a fair-weather friend. What would be the point of that,
anyway? His skills and volunteer efforts are especially needed when bad
storm systems roll in. He is a trained weather spotter in the SKYWARN
program of the National Weather Service and a member of the county's
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services.

More recently, Dave became an emergency communications honoree,
receiving this year's RACES Service Award for his work in central New
York, where he joined RACES in 2008. That work has not just garnered
him honors; it has also kept him busy and made him a leader during
drills as well as real weather emergencies.

Dave was praised at a recent RACES meeting by Radio Officer Fred Koch,
K-A-2-H-P-G. Fred said: QUOTE "Dave is one of the first to show up for
RACES work details. He is a quiet individual who is invaluable to the
group as a leader and mentor." ENDQUOTE

He now has the award to remind him of that - just in case he gets too
busy during the storm season ahead.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee, K-B-3-T-Z-D.


(OSWEGO COUNTY TODAY)

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IN THE AIR AND ON THE AIR

STEPHEN: There's a new ham in town. Actually ABOVE town. He's way, WAY
above town! He's NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, now known as KG5NZA.
Having passed his technician exam on June 3, he is now getting ready to
join the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS,
program.

Although amateur radio studies are optional during the two years of
astronaut training he began in Russia, his interest in ham radio grew
during his studies and he was determined to exercise that option.

Meanwhile, three amateurs aboard the ISS are to be back home on Earth
by Saturday, June 18. They are Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra,
KE5UDN; Flight Engineer Tim Peake, KG5BVI/GB1SS, and Yuri Malenchenko,
RK3DUJP. So with the crew up there always in transition, Scott Tingle
can expect to find plenty of room when he launches with the Expedition
53 crew in the fall of 2017.

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO NEWS)
**

BREAK HE

Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio
Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the
W4WVP repeater in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday nights at 7.

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AUSTRALIA HAM WITH NASA PROGRAM

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In amateur radio, as in most things, it's not just what
you know but WHO you know. One ham in Queensland, Australia found that
out a few years ago when the "who you know" ended up being an astronaut
from Australia. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB,
with that story.

GRAHAM: Shane Lynd, VK4KHZ, of central Queensland didn't exactly have
high-flying ambitions on that day, 18 years ago, when his signal was
picked up unexpectedly by Australia's man in space, Andy Thomas,
VK5MIR, on board the Russian space station Mir.

It turned out to be more than just a memorable QSO: That radio
connection got him to thinking about his personal connections to space
and how many learning opportunities await in the great, vast void above
the earth.

Not long after, Shane was invited to join as one of three Australian
volunteers, working with NASA, supporting Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station. Surely Shane could relate to the thrill
students would have connecting with voices in space, since he'd
experienced that himself. He would also be on standby, having his shack
available to NASA in case of an emergency, such as a lost
communications link with the space station.

Along the way, Shane made some important ground-based connections too.
Now, in local schools, he brings and demonstrates one of his tracking
stations to students and helps them have the same space experience he
enjoyed with Andy Thomas.

That happened recently, when he helped students at Glenmore State High
School in Rockhampton contact Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, commander of the ISS.
As part of the ARISS volunteer team, he is working to help plan plenty
more connections like that. If space is a void, Shane Lynd hopes to be
out there personally, doing his very best to fill that void -- with the
sound of ham radio, of course.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB

(ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA)

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM NEPAL

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There's a great distance between Nepal and the state of
California, but when it comes to being vulnerable to earthquakes, the
two are a lot closer than most people can imagine. Here's Amateur Radio
Newsline's Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.

SKEETER's REPORT: The story of the 2015 Nepal earthquake is a story
worth telling again and again -- not just because it's important to
remember the horror of that April day, but to learn from the response
by radio amateurs who stepped in.

That was the narrative that one of the amateurs from Kathmandu shared
earlier this month on a visit to Santa Clara, California. Sanjeeb
Panday, 9N1SP, made his presentation to an audience of about 100,
comprising Santa Clara firefighters, ARES and RACES members, Bay-Net
participants and others in that city. Panday's visit was arranged to
help in fine-tuning earthquake response in this California region,
especially since the Kathmandu Valley where the April 2015 quake
occurred, has a pattern of fault lines similar to those beneath this
Silicon Valley city.

Panday told his listeners: QUOTE "The Nepali people have gone through a
tremendous ordeal. If our experience can help others in different parts
of the world [to] better prepare for disasters, then this can be
regarded as a positive outcome." ENDQUOTE

Panday had come to the U.S. for the International Microwave Symposium,
where he talked about ham radio in post-secondary education. But he was
pleased to be able to share how ham radio provided emergency response
and continued to make post-quake relief available. The magnitude 7.9
quake is considered to be the worst to hit Nepal in 80 years.

His hosts and listeners had something to share with him as well. He was
given two hand-held transceivers as gifts to Scouts in Nepal from local
Scout leader Richard Silkebakken, KM6CPH, and members of the Monterey
Bay Council's Cub Scout Pack 32. The Global Nepali Professional Network
also received a certificate of recognition from Congress, presented by
Rep. Mike Honda. It was the Network's Radio Mala program that built two
ham radio repeaters which were the only ones able to operate in Nepal
during the quake.

Speaking of repeaters, Panday made note of their successful operation
and encouraged licensed hams attending the presentation to join him and
his fellow hams on the 9N1SP repeater via IRLP and EchoLink. They'll be
listening - as always.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Skeeter Nash, N5ASH.

(CITY OF SANTA CLARA WEBSITE, ARRL)

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GRIEF FOR MOHD RIZAL MAHMUD, 9M2RDX, SILENT KEY

STEPHEN: Hams in Malaysia associate the callsign 9M2RDX with a top
DXer, a mentor, a friend. This month, however, he became a Silent Key.
Here's Newsline's Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, with more.

JASON's REPORT: Members of the Malaysian Amateur Radio Transmitters
Society are grieving the loss of Mohd Rizal Mahmud, 9M2RDX, who became
a Silent Key on the 12th of June in a Malaysian hospital. The
award-winning DXer was a noted contester and beloved Elmer who was also
active in Scouting. Since becoming licensed in 2006, he filled his life
with amateur-radio activities.

His friend, Piju 9M2PJU, who notified Amateur Radio Newsline of Rizal's
death, described him as QUOTE "a great man, down to earth, humble. A
motivated and dedicated QSL manager. Also a Scout leader. A great
motivator [who] used to hold ham radio introduction classes and [was]
involved in emergency communications. He helped his local ham radio
community and also our national ham radio club."

ENDQUOTE

A hospital medical assistant by profession, he was described by his
friend Piju as a "kind and helpful guy." As seen on his profile page on
QRZ, he was also unfliching in his love of amateur radio. The very
bottom of his biography page displays this sentiment: "Life is simple.
Eat. Sleep. DX."

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.

(PIJU, 9M2PJU, QRZ)


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THE WORLD OF DX

In the world of DX, there are still a few remaining days to work Koji
JM1CAX, who will stay on in Gambia as C5NX until June 18. QSLs should
be directed to Logbook of The World.

Nobuaki JA0JHQ is active as 9N7NH from Katmandu, Nepal from June 16th
to 20th, and will participate in the All-Asian DX Contest on June 18
and 19. QSL via his home call.

Using the callsign 3B8/M0RCX, Robert M0RCX is operating holiday style
from Mauritis until July 14th. QSL Manager is EB7DX.

Listen for John K9EL working as FS/K9EL from St. Martin Island until
June 23rd. He is on all bands 80 to 6m working CW, SSB and RTTY. QSLs
can be obtained via Club Log OQRS.

(IRISH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SOCIETY)

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KICKER: ALL AT SEA

There's nothing like kicking back on a sunny day, afloat in the South
Pacific, doing a little low-power transmitting on 30 meters. As the
weather turns warmer, what ham WOULDN'T envy this kind of privilege?

OK, well, that call sign doesn't belong to any OM or even a YL, but a
marine buoy with the call sign ZL1SIX. That's spelled B-U-O-Y, for
marine buoy. This is a solar-powered buoy, being carried steadily on
the waters of the Pacific Ocean, where it was launched from a yacht
this past May 17.

Being at sea like this can be a good thing. In this case, the ocean
floater is helping track sea currents and propatation. New Zealand
amateur Bob Sutton, ZL1RS, noted in a published report that its weak
signal on WSPR and JT9 modes has been reporting on the tides, current
and wind, also sending its battery voltage, position and information
about the temperature.

To tune in, try dialing to 10.1387 MHz for WSPR. For JT9 signal, be
listening just above the "WSPR band" at 1730Hz on the waterfall.

You'll get everything but that nice South Pacific breeze.

(SOUTHGATE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, QSL.NET)
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NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Alan Labs; the ARRL; CQ Magazine;
Facebook; Hap Holly and the Rain Report; the IARU; Monica Grimaldo of
Tucson News Now; QSL.Net, 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 . More information
is available at Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website located
at www.arnewsline.org.

June 30th will be here before you know it. That's our deadline to
nominate candidates for the Bill Pasternak Young Ham of the Year Award.
Please visit our website at arnewsline.org and click on the tab that
says "Y-H-O-T-Y" for information and an application. Remember to mail
your applications to the New York address printed on the application.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT, at the news desk in New York,
and our news team worldwide, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO, in Valparaiso,
Indiana saying 73 and as always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.