Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Aug 30 2019 11:37 am STRANDED TEXAS HAM 'SAVED BY A SATELLITE' STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Ham radio also played a starring role in another recent drama, this one in the United States. Help may not have been Heaven sent when Clayton, W5PFG, found himself in distress in Big Bend National Park in Texas, after his pickup truck got stuck in mud. Help did, however, come from above. From that remote area of the park, Clayton called on the AO-92 satellite, and reached Kevin, KK4YEL, in Florida, who notified park authorities of the emergency. In this remote part of the park, with no access to mobile phone coverage, or radio repeaters, ham radio still came through for Clayton. A very impressed satellite enthusiast, John Brier, KG4AKV, shared this story on his Twitter feed, posting audio of the rescue call that had been captured by Hector, W5CBF/CO6CBF. Hear it for yourself on John's Twitter feed at spacecomms1 (DAVID BARTHOLOMEW AD7DB, TWITTER) ** YOUNG ROMANIAN HAMS HAVE A PEAK SOTA EXPERIENCE STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Some new young hams in Romania are celebrating the completion of their first experience with Summits on the Air - and it was a success, as Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us. JEREMY: On a summit in Romania in mid-August, the newly licensed young hams of the YO6KGS radio club, savored the first falling stars of the Perseids Meteor Shower, and the next day, savored something equally stellar: their first Summit on the Air experience. With teachers from their school, including Adrian Baciu, YO5IA, guiding them, the teenagers learned about local flora at a nature reserve in eastern Transylvania, heard about meteor scatter, and pursued SOTA contacts on 20 meters, as well as UHF and VHF over the course of four days. The expenses for the trip were paid for, with support from a program of the Mure {Moor Ray} County Community Foundation, in partnership with the Romanian Community Foundations, and support of the Romanian-American Foundation. It was a reward for all their hard work. SOTA experts Sorin Barbu, YO2MSB, and Mihai Suciu, YO6SM, were their guides in the Hasmas Mountains, part of the eastern Carpathians. Two of the young amateurs, Daria, YO6CDC, age 16, and Horatiu, YO6HDC, age 17, wrote afterward in their diaries, that even with all the climbing along difficult routes, carrying heavy backpacks, their enthusiasm remained intact. They learned how to properly set up their antennas, and make SOTA contacts. They also said the companionship, good humour, and lessons they learned, made the experience memorable -- so memorable, in fact, that they are hoping to do it all again. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. ** NEW CONTEST OFFERS HAMS A DIGITAL DARE STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Contesters, if you want to take your game further into the digital modes, this new contest might be what you're looking for. Jack Parker, W8ISH, explains. JACK: If you enjoy digital modes, and you also enjoy contesting, this new competition offers you what organizers hope is the best of both. It's the World Wide Digi DX Contest, and it's being sponsored by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation, and the Slovenia Contest Club. The contest is taking place during a 24-hour period between noon UTC on the 31st of August, and the 1st of September. It makes its debut on the air, with the goal of establishing itself as an annual event. Operators will compete on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters, using both the FT4 and FT8 protocols of the WSTJ-X version 2.1.0 software suite. For information on the scoring system, and to find out what days have been set aside for practice sessions in Europe and North America, visit the website w w hyphen digi dot com (ww-digi.com) Information can also be found there on the rules for the contest, and how to submit your log. Organizers note that robotic operation is prohibited. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jack Parker, W8ISH. (WORLD WIDE RADIO OPERATORS FOUNDATION) ** TURKISH AMATEURS LAUNCH NATION'S FIRST DIGITAL MODE CLUB STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateurs in Turkey have launched that nation's first digital mode club, and barely a month after its startup, it's already grown. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has details. JEREMY: Turkey's first, and only digital mode club, is barely three weeks old, but organizers say that it has been in the planning stages for months. Mohammet, TA4MSO, told Newsline in an email, that the club, the TA Digital Mode Club, based in Antalya, was the dream of longtime radio amateur Atilla, TA4ED. Atilla now serves as its president, and club manager, and hopes to help expand digital-mode participation throughout Turkey. The club has a special focus on reaching out to youngsters in Turkey, who, Mohammet said, may not even know much about ham radio. Mohammet said that the club is offering operating awards in eight main categories in seven modes, and with several sub-categories, and has opened up its activities to hams around the world. He said the club has 10 award managers located in Turkey, Italy, and Indonesia, and the team continues to grow. The club is also big on public service, he said, making radios available for use by official search and rescue teams. Most of all the amateurs help train and educate licence candidates, who are preparing to take their exams. For more details, visit the TA Digital Mode Club on their Facebook page. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (TA DIGITAL MODE CLUB) --- SBBSecho 3.08-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (801:1/2) þ Synchronet þ Temple of Doom BBS - tod.eothnet.com .