Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Apr 27 2018 09:52 am SKYDIVING HAM LEAPS TO NEW DX RECORD PAUL/ANCHOR: In California, DXing just reached a new record height, as we hear from Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT. CARYN: So what exactly does a QSO sound like when it's eight to 12 thousand feet in the air? [SHORT AUDIO OF PILEUP] CARYN: That was the pileup on 20 meters, greeting ham-skydiver Mark Meltzer, AF6IM, on his Yaesu FT-817 on March 31. One of a team of Parachute Mobile hams, Mark had just stepped out of a plane over Byron, California, picking his way through the local pileup, when this happened: [AUDIO CLIP OF QSO] "W3IUU.....W3IUU........W3IUU Thanks for the QSO." CARYN: That was Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, in the Kensington, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.. Yes, Maryland. When you're on the air, and IN the air in California, that counts as DX, and a record for this team. Lloyd, a blind amateur radio operator in Maryland, accustomed to pileups in contests and DXing, said he'd heard about the Calfornia jump in an online group of other blind amateurs - and decided to go for it. LLOYD: "So I quickly cranked my FT-950 up to that frequency, turned my beam to the west, and listened, and right away, the frequency was pretty quiet, except there was a pileup of California stations trying to work him." (SkydiveLloyd2) CARYN: Then, as Mark tells it, success! MARK: SKYDIVE 2 "I heard Lloyd. Lloyd heard me...we exchanged call signs so we got a real contact." But, Mark couldn't get too excited at the moment. MARK: "You really have to watch what you're doing, because if you pay too much attention to ham radio, and not enough to aerial navigation, you could end up over a body of water, or over a freeway, or someplace that isn't pleasant to land." (SKYDIVE 5) But later? MARK: Very, very pleased, and surprised to make the contact with Lloyd, I was just thrilled." (SKYDIVE 6) As for Lloyd.... LLOYD: "Yeah it's pretty amazing. I've worked a lot of DX, and I do a lot of contesting. I was running 100 watts on a Yaesu FT-950. It was quite an interesting and fun QSO." (skydiveLloyd End) DX, says Mark, is what you make it. MARK: (Skydive 4) "It's not like working Antarctica or Christmas Island, but for us, it was a huge thrill, because we made it all the way across the country on three watts. Not a bad way to mark your 50th year as a skydiver, and your 10th year as a ham, says Mark. You might just say this record's got him walking... on air. For news about the team, and their next jump, visit parachutemobile dot wordpress dot com. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Caryn Eve Murray, KD2GUT. ** BICYCLING HAMS ARE 'PEDALING' A NEW IDEA PAUL/ANCHOR: For bicycle enthusiasts in Australia, operating mobile was perhaps never this much fun, as Graham Kemp, VK4BB, explains: GRAHAM: Amateur Radio is on a roll in Australia - and when we say "roll", we do mean roll. Hams are rolling out their bicycles, their trikes, and even their velomobiles, and going places. Of course they're not going anywhere without their trusty rigs. Members of a month-old online group called Pedal Radio, have been promoting the combination of push power, and foot power, with the idea that fitness leads to fellowship - and probably more than a few good QSOs. There is even a homebrew aspect to the group, as some members share their tips for building your own trike. Most of the members right now are in VK3. If you want to try talking coast-to-coast while you're....coasting..... this group wouldn't mind if you rolled on in. Send a post to group's address at pedalradio at groups dot io. (pedalradio@groups.io) For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (PEDAL RADIO) ** WEST VIRGINIA NET NEEDS NEW NET CONTROL PAUL/ANCHOR: A West Virginia CW Net has gone QRT for now, at least until it finds a net control, as we hear from Jim Damron, N8TMW. JIM DAMRON: The North American QRP club is all about CW -- but for now, the club's West Virginia QRS Net is also all about finding a new net control, so it can get back on the air. The net has had to suspend operation, because of family obligations on the part of its present net control, and is hoping to find someone to step into the role. The net had formerly met on the air Wednesday evenings at 9 local time at 3556 kHz, but the time and date can be adjusted if necessary, to suit the new net control. Hams in the West Virginia area can contact Wayne, NQ0RP, if they're interested. His email is wayne dot dillon at gmail dot com (wayne.dillon@gmail.com) For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Damron, N8TMW. --- SBBSecho 3.04-Win32 * Origin: RadioWxNet: The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org (801:1/2) þ Synchronet þ Temple of Doom BBS - tod.eothnet.com .