Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : ALL USERS From : DARYL STOUT Date : Fri Feb 19 2016 12:11 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1999, February 19, 2016 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1999, with a release date of Friday, February 19, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Orlando Hamcation is over, but hams are still talking about it. Hams in Minnesota activate a frozen lake - yes, a very icy one. Ohio hams open state borders for Antenna Day. And a mock earthquake shakes things up in Utah. All this, and more, in Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1999, coming your way, right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) ** JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week's newscast with a look back at this month's Orlando Hamcation, the second largest gathering of amateurs after Dayton Hamvention. It wasn't just the 70th such Hamcation; it was also the 2016 ARRL National Convention. And it was so much more - as we hear now from Amateur Radio Newsline's Gordon West, WB6NOA, who clearly had a great time. [GORDON'S REPORT] ** JIM/ANCHOR: Of course, if you prefer some place a little bit cooler than sunny Florida, consider the spot chosen by hams during the recent long Presidents Day weekend. It was a frozen lake. In frozen Minnesota. Amateur Radio Newsline's Kent Peterson, KC0DGY, breaks the ice with that hardy bunch: [KENT'S REPORT ON FROZEN LAKE ELMO]: ** [ANCHOR/JIM:] Moving on to Ohio, there's something decidedly different about this year's Antenna Day being held there - and organizers are hoping for far-reaching results. Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB, explains: [STEPHEN KINFORD's REPORT]: The Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Antenna Day in Ohio isn't necessarily just an Ohio event anymore. ARRL's Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, wants the April 23 ARES event opened up to include stations in neighboring states. He's also hoping to set up anchor stations around Ohio so consistent signal reports can be offered to others participating in the public safety prep exercise. Broadway explained that Antenna Day is more of a research exercise than a contest, Last year's event attracted a number of operators and EOCs, working to establish which NVIS antennas were the best to use for emergency communications. This year's event begins at 1500 UTC on April 23, allowing teams to contact one another, and compare the performance of their antennas. At the conclusion of the event, participants will file reports with call sign, location, operators, number of contacts, and all antenna design and deployment details. Broadway said [QUOTE] "We would really like to make this a regional event in 2016, with stations in their state EOCs and around the Ohio border to test their own capabilities." [ENDQUOTE] NVIS antennas are growing in popularity for emergency regional communication because of their close-up radiation patterns on HF. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio. ** SILENT KEY: CAPT. DAVID LEFAVOUR, W7GOX The amateur community is mourning the death of David Lefavour, W7GOX, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, who was a member of the Hurricane Watch Net for more than 20 years, and who served as its net manager between 2006 and 2009. He had also served as a net controller for the Maritime Mobile Service Network. In 2013, he was given the status of receiving manager emeritus for the Hurricane Watch Net. The Net manager, Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, credited him for his effective leadership on the air. He said QUOTE "Dave was one of the few I've met who had a very calming and reassuring voice during any emergency situation." ENDQUOTE The former Navy fighter pilot was 82 at the time he became a Silent key on Feb. 8. ** BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including the 16 repeaters of the Peak Radio Association serving Western Oregon's my513 Net. ** JIM/ANCHOR: It's no secret that sometimes being a ham brings out the very best in a person. We hear now about an amateur from Spain who's being recognized for being the very best that he can be - as a ham and a humanitarian. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH: [JEREMY'S REPORT]: In the eyes of the ARRL, Antonio Gonzalez, EA5RM, isn't just a noted DXer, but a very notable humanitarian. So when it was time for the ARRL Programs & Services Committee to recommend someone for the league's 2015 International Humanitarian Award, there was no question the panel would put Senor Gonzalez's name in for consideration before the board of directors. Senor Gonzalez was originally nominated by Paul Ewing, N6PSE, president of the Intrepid-DX Group. Ewing wrote this about Senor Gonzalez: QUOTE "He is a devoted family man and public servant in Spain. He is a keen DXer, and he regularly organizes DXpeditions to remote and rare places. Antonio pays for all of this travel from Spain to Bolivia." ENDQUOTE Senor Gonzalez, who has been a volunteer with Radio Amateurs Without Borders, helping them build, test and maintain solar-powered HF amateur radio equipment in the remotest spots in Bolivia since 2007. He has also visited the Bolivian Amazon six times supporting the introduction of medical assistance and sanitation facilities. The well-known Dxer has served as chief pilot station for the VP8STI/VP8SGI DXpedition to South Sandwich and South Georgia. The award is considered a recognition of a radio amateur's effort to help the welfare of others. Upon learning he would receive the award, Gonzalez was quoted as simply saying "What a surprise!" For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, in Nottingham, the UK. (ARRL) --- BgNet 1.0a12 - The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org Little Rock, AR .