Subj : Newsline Part 1 To : ALL USERS From : DARYL STOUT Date : Fri Apr 08 2016 03:49 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2006, April 8, 2016 Amateur Radio Newsline report number 2006, with a release date of Friday, April 8, 2016 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Australia's giant electronics retailer gets a reprieve. A Florida disaster drill is anything but disastrous. And, World Amateur Radio Day is coming. All this and more in Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2006, coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here and Intro) ** ELECTRONICS RETAILER SAVED, GOES ONLINE DON: This week's newscast opens with an update on the troubled Australian mega-retailer, Dick Smith Electronics. Amateur radio operators in Australia, New Zealand and, no doubt, elsewhere, will be pleased to learn that reports of its death were premature. More from Amateur Radio Newsline's Graham Kemp, VK4BB. GRAHAM: An 11th-hour rescue has saved Australian mega-retailer, Dick Smith Electronics, from the dusty pages of history. Sort of. Entrepreneur Rusland Kogan has purchased the online portion of the embattled retailer's business for an undisclosed amount and, according to press reports, will launch Internet-based sales starting the 1st of June. No purchase price has been made public. The online-only sales operation will be part of a dual brand strategy alongside kogan.com Placement into receivership of the venerable Dick Smith Holdings, which has more than 360 locations in New Zealand and Australia, cost thousands of workers their jobs and, in the amateur radio community, foretold the loss of an important resource of electronic components. The online Kogan.com site, which is Australia's single largest online-only seller, offers a variety of consumer goods, such as bed linens, camping equipment, and home electronics. Dick Smith will be run separately from that site, and is considered an off-platform venture by the 33-year-old self-made Kogan. A native of Belarus, Kogan's founder is believed to have a personal net worth in excess of $350 million. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (WIA, BBC, NEWS.COM/AU) ** EMERGENCY COORDINATION NO ACCIDENT IN FLORIDA DON: In Florida, the scene spelled disaster - the crash of a bus and a train. It was just a drill - but an important one. We hear details from Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Braun, WD9GCO. PAUL: The devastating collision between a passenger train and a bus near Morgan Park in Arcadia, Florida was just a test. And, with the help of area radio amateurs, everyone scored passing grades. The April 1 mock disaster was organized to challenge area hospital emergency departments, as well as first responders. And, with area hams on the alert throughout, keeping their radios on 2-meter simplex, planners said it proved a useful learning experience. Hendry County's Emergency Management director Brian Newhouse, KJ4WIC, led staff and reservists through the procedures, as 13 people, who were made up with simulated injuries, awaited attention, triage and transport. While rescue operations got under way, Hendry County CERT Coordinator Margaret England KM4OVY, ARES Emergency Coordinator Frank Harris WA4PAM, and Volunteer Coordinator Tony Fanska KC0SJU, helped ensure safety on the roads in the Morgan Park area. Brenda Barnes, Planning Consultant & Public Information Officer for the Florida Department of Health in Hendry & Glades Counties proclaimed the drill a successful training exercise, and praised it for helping strengthen the working relationships among the hams and the emergency professionals. It was also a great way to showcase the need for more active, responsive, licensed hams. Hendry County Emergency Management plans to host a free ham radio training session on Saturday, April 16, and will also provide free CERT training in June. To register, call the Emergency Operations Center at 863-674-5400. Because there are a lot more tests awaiting everyone in the future. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. (ANDREW FRAME, WD4RCC; BIG LAKE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB) ** THE EYES OF THE HURRICANE DON: Spring brings the start of gardening season and yes, hurricane season. The Hurricane Watch Net isn't just on the lookout for storms - but for licensed hams too. Here's Amateur Radio Newsline's Stephen Kinford, N8WB. STEPHEN: May isn't that far away, and neither are hurricanes in some parts of the country. According to the Hurricane Watch Net, the eastern Pacific storms' season begins May 15, and ends Nov. 30. Hurricanes also become more of a likelihood in the Atlantic between June 1 and Nov. 30. But sometimes hurricanes can - and do - occur out of season. So, the Hurricane Watch Net is hoping to get a jump on the season by attracting additional Net Control Operators, and hopes that radio amateurs will step forward to serve as Net Control Stations, and provide other support. According to Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, manager of the Hurricane Watch Net, experienced operators are needed, especially those who are bilingual in Spanish and English. Operators need to be prepared for long hours under stressful conditions. Although net control stations must become members of the Hurricane Watch Net, stations servicng as reporting stations or as observers do not need membership. To assist the Hurricane Watch Net, visit the membership information page at www.hwn.org For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Stephen Kinford, N8WB, in Wadsworth, Ohio. (HWN.ORG) --- BgNet 1.0a12 - The Thunderbolt BBS wx1der.dyndns.org Little Rock, AR .