Ham Radio News

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ARRL 2020 Simulated Emergency

Test (SET) Scheduled for October 3

- 4 Weekend

The 2020 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) will take place October 3 - 4. The annual, nationwide exercise provides Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers the chance to test personal emergency-operating skills and communication readiness in a simulated emergency deployment. ARRL is asking participants to adhere to Center for Disease Control (CDC) and local health department COVID-19 guidelines by staying home, maintaining safe distances when around people, and following recommended cleaning and disinfecting practices. ARRL Field Organization leadership at the Section and local levels -- as well as many other volunteers who are active in public service and emergency communication -- are developing emergency scenarios with a variety of agencies and organizations they've partnered with in the past during real emergencies and disasters. Given the ongoing pandemic, an in-person emergency exercise may not be possible this year, but volunteers are encouraged to adapt to the circumstances. Station and skills readiness are tenets of the Amateur Radio Service. Any time we spend on the air will contribute to developing and practicing our personal radio communication capability. Volunteers with ARES, the National Traffic System (NTS), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), SKYWARN™, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), and other allied groups and public service-oriented amateur radio groups are among those eligible to participate in the SET to practice emergency operation plans, nets, and procedures. ARRL has long-standing relationships with several national organizations including the American Red Cross, the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Salvation Army, among others. This year's SET can be a chance to reach out to these partners -- at a safe distance and/or via online meetings and teleconferences -- to establish or review plans and develop working relationships. ARRL Field Organization leaders have the option of conducting local or Section-wide SETs on dates other than the October 3 - 4 focal-point weekend, but no later than the end of the calendar year. Contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net Manager or ask your Section Manager. Additional information about SET and the reporting forms are available on the ARRL website. For a hint of what’s going on in Ohio- check this link: https://youtu.be/xfWvbiH-PYU Nothing too difficult about this surface mount stuff… - Amateur Radio Funnies, Facebook

Lost Video Archive from 1997 Heard

Island VK0IR DXpedition Found

The VK0IR DXpedition to Heard Island took place in January and February of 1997. Co-Leader (with Peter Casier, ON6TT) Robert Schmieder, KK6EK, shot a lot of video during the amateur radio adventure, but lost track of it afterward. During the VK0IR DXpedition, DXers from around the world were astounded that signals from the subantarctic Indian Ocean could be heard at the bottom of the solar cycle. A team of 20 operators carried out the massive, expensive, then-high-tech, and very successful DXpedition, making a remarkable 80,673 contacts. The VK0IR story was told in detail in the September 1997 issue of QST. "Recently, I discovered about 6 hours of video that I had shot during the expedition, but which had never been seen -- not even by me!" Schmieder told The Daily DX. "I divided the collection into six parts, which I have posted to YouTube." Schmieder offered his introductions to each segment: "On 11 January 1997, 20 men landed on one of the most remote places in the world: Heard Island, located in the Southern Ocean, almost to Antarctica. They set up a village with all life support, including accommodations, light and power, galley, and a huge array of radios, antennas, and satellite communications gear. "Over the next 2 weeks, using the call sign VK0IR, the team logged 80,673 contacts with radio operators worldwide, a new world record for self- supported expeditions. The team also made daily explorations around the island to document the rocks, glaciers, rivers, plants, birds, and seals that are the dominant residents of this live volcano. Many of you will remember this expedition, and quite a few of you made significant contributions. "The expedition was documented in numerous articles, presentations, and professional videos, and received many awards, including a 2020 poll that ranks it #1 among all such expeditions of the past 30 years. "Unnoticed at the time, [I] shot 6 hours of video of all aspects of the project. Unfortunately, these videos were lost until mid-2020, 23 years later. No one, including [me], had ever viewed these videos. Upon finding them, [I] divided the material into six separate parts. Other than separation into the parts, the videos needed little editing. They contain almost all of the material that was shot in 1997, and most of it is in exactly the order it was shot." • Part 1: Preparation (22:28) • Part 2: Outbound (28:11) • Part 3: Landing/Setup (52:38) • Part 4: Operations (43:45) • Part 5: Environment (52:14) • Part 6: Departure (38:21) These videos, which might offer an entertaining club presentation, are also available by searching "Robert Schmieder Heard Island" on YouTube.com. -- Thanks to The Daily DX

Wayne County Looking For Help With A

Special Project

(From Doug Hunter, KE8JNH - Wayne County EC) I am looking for a little help. During the month of August, I plan to run what I am calling "Celebrity Net Control" on our weekly DMR (Bolo) net. The concept is to involve local community leaders to serve as "net control" of the net. The goal of this is to allow these folks to see that amateur radio is alive and well. I will be using police and fire chiefs, mayors, county commissioners all from Wayne County to serve as the net control folks. Naturally I will be alongside them logging and keeping things on track. You can help by securing 4-5 other operators from other points of the state to "check-in". Most of the people on the net are local, but we can add to the "wow" factor by having a few not so local check-ins. The net takes place on Mondays at 8pm on DMR talkgroup 311070. At the beginning of the net we take the people who have registered via ARES connect first and then follow that with "regular check-ins" I hope you can help and play along.