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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2318 for Friday April 1st, 2022

Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2318 with a release date of Friday
April 1st, 2022 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.

The following is a QST. A DXpeditioner and humanitarian becomes a
Silent Key. Radio triumph atop the Caribbean's highest point -- and
special report from Newsline's April Fool's Day correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number
2318 comes your way right now.

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BILLBOARD CART HERE

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SILENT KEY: YASUO "ZORRO" MIYAZAWA, JH1AJT, DXPEDITIONER AND
HUMANITARIAN

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with news of the death of a beloved DXpeditioner who touched the world in more ways than by radio. Ed
Durrant DD5LP has that story.

ED: Hams around the world are grieving the death of the noted
DXpeditioner and humanitarian known as Zorro, JH1AJT. Zorro, whose name
was Yasuo Miyazawa, { pronounced Ya Su oh Me ah za wa } became a
Silent Key at 72 years of age on March 22nd. He had been diagnosed with
cancer. Known as much for his optimistic outlook on life and his
generous heart, Zorro was a key part of DXpeditions in Yemen, Laos,
Ethiopia and Bhutan, to name a few. In 2015, Zorro received the
Intrepid Spirit Award from the Intrepid DX Group for his achievements
in Eritrea, Myanmar and Bangladesh. His many humanitarian efforts
include the establishment of a prep school in Japan that specializes in
the education of students with special needs and his gifts of thousands
of dollars to programmes in Myanmar to serve the nation's medical and educational needs. Zorro also created and endowed the Humanitarian Aid
Fund of the International DX Association.

A statement from one of that association's directors, Ralph Fedor K0IR,
lauded Zorro as a skilled operator who mentored and encouraged less
experienced operators. The statement also praised him for his humanity.
The statement said [quote] "Through his schools and his humanitarian
trips in Asia and Africa he brought a better life to all of those he
touched." [endquote] The statement went on to add: [quote] "The world
lost a great man...he was truly a brother to us all." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant DD5LP.

(INTREPID DX GROUP, OHIO PENN DX, PAUL EWINGX N6PSE, RALPH FEDOR,K0IR)

**

SHORTWAVE STATION SENDS MUSIC, MESSAGES TO COMFORT UKRAINE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Shortwave radio signals coming from the United States
have been sending comfort in the form of music and recorded messages of
hope to people in Ukraine and Russia. We hear those details from
Skeeter Nash N5ASH.

SKEETER: Using the power of a 100,000-watt shortwave transmitter in
Tennessee, two radio amateurs are using the additional power of rock
and roll to send some upbeat moments to the people of Ukraine and
Russia.

Ted and Holly Randall, WB8PUM and KG4WXV operate short-wave AM
Broadcast station WTWW located in a warehouse building from their
nearby home. The transmitter is overseen by the couple's son, David,
KG4WXW.

Music isn't the only thing the couple has been transmitting. They are broadcasting recorded messages left by callers to the radio station
carrying messages of hope and encouragement to be received on the small shortwave receivers many of the Ukrainian listeners have. Ted Randall
told the local TV station WVLT: [quote] "These people are listening in
bunkers. They are listening in shelters and those little radios, that's
the type of radio they are listening on." [endquote]

As a ham, Ted also recognizes that radio's power goes beyond any mere measurement in wattage. He told the TV station: [quote] "If we can
touch lives through radio, then that's our responsibility." [endquote]

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Skeeter Nash N5ASH.

(WVLT-TV, SOUTHGATE, NBC PHILADELPHIA)

**
RADIO TRIUMPH ATOP CARIBBEAN'S HIGHEST POINT

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: There was celebration in the Dominican Republic, where
one radio amateur achieved his longtime goal atop the Caribbean's
highest peak. Jim Meachen ZED L 2 B H F brings us his story.

JIM: There was nothing easy about the climb up Pico Duarte, the highest
point in the Dominican Republic -- indeed the highest point in the
Caribbean -- but Yeudy Marte HI5YJM wasn't looking for this to be easy.
When he set off on the morning of Saturday, March 12th with a group of
20 or so hikers, he was looking for a challenge. Yeudy found it there
in the Jose del Carmen Ramirez National Park. His goal was to
successfully make the climb and then activate the peak.

He and his fellow hikers battled a steep path and faced strong winds
-but within an hour of operating, Yeudy had a log he could be proud of.
He told Newsline in an email that, operating on 2 metres FM, he first
contacted Carlos HI5CBB, followed by Gabriel HI8GSP. He made 11
contacts within the hour. He had also hoped to operate on 20 metres QRP
but told Newsline that conditions made that impossible.

Pico Duarte has an elevation of 3,098 metres, or 10,164 feet -- and to
Yeudy, that marked the height of his success.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.

(YEUDY MARTE, HI5YJM, SOTA REFLECTOR)

**
CLUB ASSIGNED CALLSIGN OF SILENT KEY IN HER HONOR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The former callsign of a friend, leader and influential
YL who became a Silent Key two years ago is now the callsign of the
club she called home. Dave Parks WB8ODF brings us the details.

DAVE: You can detect the presence of Connie Ballantyne twice among her
friends in the CIRCLE Amateur Radio Club. You'll find her in the name
of the club itself, which is an acronym for Connie's International
Radio Communicators Linking Electronically. And now you'll find it in
the club's callsign too: KB0ZSG, which had been Connie's callsign until
she became a Silent Key in February 2020 from breast cancer. Connie's
worldwide legacy included an international D-STAR Net held Sundays at 7
p.m. Central Time in the US. As many as 150 hams check in regularly
from around the world.

Club president Steven Reiners, KC9SIO, told Newsline that during the
seven-hour net that followed shortly after Connie's death, hams pressed
for the net's name to be changed to honor her. They asked if her
callsign could be obtained for the club. Steven said: [quote] "They
have all given me the best advice throughout this long, difficult
process." [endquote]

Steven, who had been Connie's main back up as net control since 2013,
is now working with club members on a third way to keep Connie's
presence among them: establishing a D-Star Repeater bearing her
callsign to be permalinked to Reflector 91C. He said the net has been
hosted there for nearly two years thanks to Clayton VK7ZCR, Ian, VK3JS,
Nigel, VK3GY; and Phil, VK3PG. It's no surprise: The reflector is known affectionately as Ninety-One "C" for Connie.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks WB8ODF.

(STEVEN REINERS KC9SIO)

**
LICW CLUB LAUNCHES TALKGROUP ON DMR

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: When they're not sending CW, many hams just like to
chat -- and sometimes those ragchews are about CW. Now there's a new
home for discussions such as these. Jim Damron N8TMW tells us more.

JIM: Morse Code enthusiasts around the world have been checking into a
new DMR Talk Group that's been launched by the Long Island CW Club.
Talk Group 59973 is on the TGIF Network and is open to anyone with an
interest in - or curiosity about â-" using CW. Traffic is slowly
building on the Talk Group and activity goes on around the clock. Hams
engage in general ragchews, handle technical questions or use the Talk
Group to make a date to get on one of the HF frequencies for a QSO
using CW. Hams with hotspots as well as those with TGIF repeater access
are able to check in once they have registered their DMR ID with the
network at tgif dot network (tgif.network). Then they simply push to
talk and put their call sign out there.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Damron N8TMW

(GROUPS.IO)

**
RSGB REOPENS NATIONAL RADIO CENTRE AT BLETCHLEY PARK

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park has opened
its doors again following a brief COVID-related closure. Jeremy Boot
G4NJH brings us up to date about returning to visit.

JEREMY: Visitors are again welcome at the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park. The centre reopened on Monday, the 28th of March having
been shut after many members of its volunteer team had fallen ill with COVID-19. While visitors are still encouraged to wear face masks, they
are not now mandatory.

Amateur radio operators will have to wait a little longer to operate
from the GB3RS amateur radio station on site, however, as it remains unavailable.

The radio room itself is open however and groups may visit in small
numbers. RSGB members will be allowed to use their vouchers for free
entry to the centre and it is no longer necessary to book arrival times
in advance.

For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jeremy Boot G4NJH.

(RSGB)

**

BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world including
the J88CU repeater on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. local time in Kingstown,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

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HAMVENTION WEEKEND BANQUET WILL HONOR APRS PIONEER

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: If you're going to Hamvention, get your tickets early
for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet. The dinner is honoring a pioneer who became
a Silent Key this year. Jack Parker W8ISH has the details.

JACK: One of the highlights of Dayton Hamvention weekend this May is
expected to be the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet which is being held in honor of
APRS pioneer Bob Bruninga (BREW nin guh), WB4APR. Bob, who became a
Silent Key in February, developed the widely used packet system more
than a quarter century ago, enabling real-time tracking and data
transfer over amateur radio frequencies. The dinner is taking place on
Friday, May 20th at 6:30 p.m. local time and will showcase Bob's life
and achievements. Tickets are $57 each and must be pre-purchased no
later than Friday, May 13th from the AMSAT store; they will not be sold
at the AMSAT booth. The banquet will take place at the Kohler
Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering, Ohio, a 20-minute drive from Hamvention at the fairgrounds in Xenia.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker W8ISH.

(AMSAT, TAPR)

**
TELESCOPE'S DETAILED IMAGES CAPTURE 'ODD RADIO CIRCLES'

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: With the help of a radio telescope in South Africa,
mysterious radio circles in space are becoming a little less
mysterious. Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us about that telescope's recent
discovery.

GRAHAM: The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory has captured the
most detailed images to date of what are known as ORCs, for "odd radio circles," in a discovery astronomers are calling unprecedented. The
circles themselves are nothing new: The first three were discovered in
2019 by astronomers at Australia's national science agency CSIRO using
the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. Archival data from
radio telescope imagery in India in 2013 contained the fourth image.
The Australian radio telescope identified a fifth one last year.
Scientists are curious as to why ORCs show up in radio waves but are
undetected by optical or X-ray telescopes.

Astronomers theorise that the huge circles take about 1 billion years
to reach their maximum size. Their diameter is said to be 10 times the
diameter of the Milky Way, measuring about a million light-years
across. Some have a galaxy at their centres.

ORCs beam out radio signals every 18 minutes on average but little else
is known about them. That could change. Scientists said that with the
newest images from South Africa's high resolution radio telescope, they
may be a bit closer to understanding them better.

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

(NATURE, CNN)

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POTA ACTIVATION MARKS A SCOUTING 100TH ANNIVERSARY

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: An anniversary celebration for Scouting gets on the air
on Saturday April 2nd in the form of a Parks on the Air activation. The
Ten Mile River Scout Camp Amateur Radio Club and the Fair Lawn Amateur
Radio Club will be operating with the callsign K2T from Bear Mountain
State Park, POTA Park K-2010, in Rockland County, New York. The hams
are marking 100 years since the founding of the New York City Boy Scout Foundation by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was governor of New York State
at the time. It will be a multi band / mode operation. A
commemorative QSL card will be available. See K2T's page on QRZ for
details.

**

WORLD OF DX

In the World of DX, Israel is celebrating its 74 years as an
independent nation and hams are using special prefixes 4X74 and 4Z74
between the 5th and 11th of May. QSL cards via LoTW or indivdual
operators. You may also hear the callsigns during the Holyland Contest
on April 15th and 16th.

In West Malaysia, Alex, SQ9UM, is using the callsign 9M2/SQ9UM from
Kuala Lumpur until March 31st. Be listening on 40-6 meters where Alex
will be using CW, SSB and FT8/FT4. QSL via his home callsign.

In Nepal, Matjaz, S57MK, will be calling QRZ on various HF bands as
9N7MK during the trekking sessions on Mt. Everest between April 2nd
and 23rd. Watch his QRZ page for QSL details.

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KICKER: APRIL FOOL! HERE'S A RIG THAT CAN TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE

STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Finally, with the arrival of April 1st, April Fool's
Day, Newsline brings our special April Fool's Day correspondent, Pierre Pullinmyleg, out of retirement. We offer his very special report here.

PIERRE: Good day to you mes amis, it is I, Pierre Pullinmyleg with yet
another Amateur Radio Newsline exclusive report - so exclusive is this
that no one - not even the people in zis story - know that this is
news. So exclusive that not even YOU - our listeners - know that this
is news. I, Pierre Pullinmyleg, do not even know that this is news. But
we announce this week that history is made: the makers of the world's
amateur radios have signed a contract with the makers of the world's automobiles to build zee Rigmobile, an HF transceiver that seats up to
four passengers with plenty of cargo space -- and has an optional roof
rack and bobblehead doll on the dashboard. Now you can work DX and
drive there afterward to deliver your QSL card personally. Why rely on
zee lousy post office? Now on acceleration? She is fantastic! You will
reach speeds of 300,000 kilometres per second - zee speed of light
--and no authorities except zee communications regulators can make you
stop!! After all, you already have your ticket. Zee Rigmobile means no
more annoying hours spent wiring your car and cursing. Get behind its
wheel and "Q R Z" is as close as your accelerator pedal! What could be
better? <clears throat> Well....sources have told Pierre Pullinmyleg
that there are talks now with makers of the world's small passenger
airplanes for a flying transceiver, Zee SkyRig. Zat seems zee best way
to bust zat pileup we're expecting on Bouvet Island. For now, this is
Pierre Pullinmyleg saying "au revoir mes amis."

**
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to AMSAT; ARRL; CQ Magazine; CNN; David
Behar K7DB; DXWorld.net; Facebook; Nature.com; Ohio Penn DX; Paul
Ewing, N6PSE; QRZ.com; the Radio Society of Great Britain; Ralph Fedor,
K0IR; Southgate Amateur Radio News; shortwaveradio.de; SOTA Reflector;
Steven Reiners, KC9SIO; TAPR: Twitter; Yeudy Marte, HI5YJM; and you our listeners, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline. You can write to
us at newsline@arnewsline.org. We remind our listeners that Amateur
Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs
expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please
visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate youall.

For now, with Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and
our news team worldwide, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth Ohio
saying 73. As always we thank you for listening.

Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

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