Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Aug 17 2018 11:34 am SILENT KEY: FORMER AMSAT PRESIDENT BILL TYNAN W3XO STEPHEN/ANCHOR: A noted figure in amateur radio satellite operations has become a Silent Key, as we hear from Jack Parker, W8ISH. JACK: William Tynan, W3XO, who was known throughout the amateur radio satellite world, has become a Silent Key. The Washington, D.C. native had an early love of radio, that led him to a career in broadcasting, as well as an affinity as a hobbyist for VHF and ham radio satellites. He attended the first meeting of a group in 1969 that later became AMSAT, a group he would serve as president in 1991. For two decades, he was also AMSAT's volunteer OSCAR Number Administrator, designating the alphanumeric identities on amateur radio satellites. He stepped down from that role only last month. As AMSAT's vice president for human spaceflight, Bill lobbied hard for NASA to allow space shuttles to permit ham radio operation. This launched the program known as Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, or SAREX, which led eventually to the program known as ARISS, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. He was a strong advocate too for the ARISS interoperable radio system project, soon to get underway on the ISS. He served on AMSAT's board of directors from 1986 to 2003, and was chairman for his final five years. Many amateurs also remember his column "The World Above 50 MHz" which ran in QST Magazine from 1975 to 1992. During that time, he advocated for the adoption of a grid system for VHF/UHF operators, which led to the option of the Maidenhead grid system, and ultimately the ARRL's VUCC operating award program for 50 MHz and above. A Life Member of ARRL, AMSAT, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Bill was Hamvention's Amateur of the Year in 1996. Bill Tynan, who lived in Kerrville Texas, was 91. Vale Bill Tynan. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH. (AMSAT) ** MINING FOR GOOD CONTACTS ON HF STEPHEN/ANCHOR: From the heights of space, to the depths of the earth, hams are always seeking good QSOs. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, spoke with one amateur, who is mining for good contacts. Literally. NEIL: Portable operation is sweeping the planet. While some locations on the air events have been around for a long time, many have popped up after the success of National Parks on the Air. Some of them include Islands, Summits, Jamboree, National Parks, Walmart Parking Lots, Pubs, NASA, Lighthouses, Windmills, Beaches, and Moats. Craters is being planned for this fall. But today, we're talking about Mines on the Air. John Fuller, WJ0NF, took a few minutes to talk with me about the event. JOHN: Actually, I thought of it before I got my license. But then I did a lot of research online, watching YouTube and stuff, and I thought this would be great to combine with some of my other hobbies. I like to go ATV riding, and hiking, and do some exploring; and then there's so many mines in this area that I was trying to research. I thought "wow, this would be great. I could take my radio and I could talk to people." And, I had been looking at that time, we had National Parks on the Air, and it just seemed like a great idea; even if nobody else wanted to participate, I figured I'd have fun doing it as well. I like to do a little photography, so it really just combined a whole bunch of hobbies together, and started me on this path to create Mines on the Air, which is basically going out to mines; whether they are current mines, abandoned mines, or historical mines, and then setting up and activation just like you would a park, or a SOTA type of activation. NEIL: While there isn't an award program at least yet, you can score some very unique QSL cards working the mines. JOHN: If I activate a mine, I take a bunch of pictures, and I document that mine. And, I create custom QSL cards, and send those to like the first 20 people, or how many ever that I've contacted. So, they get a unique QSL card, with a picture of that mine in the location, and then a little bit of information on it. NEIL: John encourages those who might be interested, to go to MinesOnTheAir.com for more information, including safety. JOHN: A couple of key things is obviously safety. Just like doing a SOTA activation, or an island activation, or anything, you want to be safe. You have to use some common sense, and not go into mines and things like that. But I've got some documentation on the web site, with some good ideas. Even if they're just interested in seeing the pictures, there's a lot of very cool pictures, and locations on the site. NEIL: John says Mines on the Air is a great way to enjoy the outdoors along with ham radio. Reporting for Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32 * Origin: RadioWxNet: The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org (801:1/2) þ Synchronet þ Temple of Doom BBS - tod.eothnet.com .