Ham Radio News
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You can attend a virtual conference!
QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Announces Full Lineup of
Speakers
The first QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, which takes place the
weekend of August 8 - 9, has confirmed what it's calling "a
packed lineup of over 70 great speakers" for the ARRL-
sanctioned event. Attendance is free and registration is open.
Presentations will cover a range of topics, with two tracks
focused on providing hands-on, practical advice for those just
getting started in amateur radio. Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, will
demonstrate basic soldering techniques for repairing
equipment and building projects. Marcel Stieber, AI6MS, will
offer an overview of common battery types, discussing the pros
and cons of each -- including battery chemistry, common uses
and misuses, and everyday application tips.
For experienced operators, topics will cover new techniques,
equipment upgrading, 3D printing, and more. Glenn Johnson,
W0GJ, will attempt to answer the question, "Is 3 dB Worth a
Divorce?" and cover a wide range of antenna topics. Jim Veatch,
WA2EUJ, will explain how to build a QRP radio. In his
presentation, "The Slot Antenna -- Undiscovered Country for
Most Hams," John Portune, W6NBC, will demonstrate how a
satellite TV dish can be "slotted" to make an effective outdoor 2-
meter or UHF antenna for use in antenna-restricted
neighborhoods.
Prominent youth educator Carole Perry, WB2MGP, will
moderate a lineup featuring amateur radio's future leaders.
Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, will speak on "Getting Girls Involved
in STEM, Specifically Amateur Radio!", while hot-air ballooning
will be the focus of a talk by Jack McElroy, KM4ZIA, "Highly Flying
Kids with HAB."
QSO Today's Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, says that one challenge to any
ham radio convention, whether in person or virtual, is keeping
the content of presentations from becoming overly complicated
and overwhelming. "For our inaugural virtual Expo, we've made
sure that there are great speakers for both beginners and
experienced hams," Guth said. "We've asked all of our speakers
to be laser focused on their topics while providing hands-on,
practical advice." Each presentation will wrap up with a live
question-and-answer session.
For more information or to register, visit the QSO Today Virtual
Ham Expo website. Attendance is free, and there are early bird
prize incentives for registering by July 24.
-ARRL Letter
MARS Announces HF Skills Exercise
Members of the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) will conduct an HF skills
exercise July 20 - 24 to hone their operating skills and messaging-handling
capabilities. MARS members will be reaching out to the amateur radio
community via the 60 meters Channel 1 Net (5330.5 kHz dial) twice a day, the
SATERN HF net (14.265 MHz), and by contacting various stations via HFLink
throughout the exercise.
Participating MARS members will be requesting assistance with collecting
county status information as well as airport weather information, called
METARs. MARS members will also be passing ICS 213 messages to numerous
Department of Defense (DoD), federal, and amateur radio addressees.
This exercise will be announced via WWV at 00:10 and via WWVH at 00:50
starting on or about July 13. WWV and WWVH listeners will be asked to take an
online listener survey. This HF radio training event will not impact regular
communications.
A Department of Defense program, MARS organizes and trains amateur radio
volunteers to operate in military radio networks to support HF radio
contingency communications. Among other missions, MARS provides
communication support to civil authorities and assists in establishing normal
communication under emergency conditions.
-- Thanks to Paul English, Chief, Army MARS
Ham Radio Reconnects Boyhood Friends after 60 Years
Two radio amateurs who were in school together in Austria decades ago have
reconnected via VoIP ham radio. One of the two had moved to the US, and they
lost touch. On June 15, Arnold Huebsch, OE1IAH, heard a call via Echolink from
Albin Ennsthaler, KK9HAM, near Spokane.
"At first, I did not want to respond as I was working on a program. But
as I know that usually nobody responds here to calls in English, I answered,"
recounted Huebsch, who is also KN6EYB and fluent in English.
As it turned out, they chatted for some 20 minutes. Because each was familiar
with the geography on both sides of the contact, they had a lot to talk about.
Huebsch learned that Ennsthaler was born in Austria and had relocated to the
US years earlier. "He pronounced the local city names in perfect German but
asked to run the QSO in English, as he felt more comfortable to do so," Huebsch
said.
A few minutes after the contact ended, Huebsch turned his attention to serving
as the net control station of a daily net on a local repeater in Vienna. "I
mentioned the contact with KK9HAM and noted that his name was Albin, a
name not common in Austria. That caught the ear of one of the locals, Gerhard
Weissenboeck, OE1WED, who recalled someone named Albin from school in
Styria about 60 years ago, but had lost touch with him. Weissenboeck wondered
if it could be the same person.
"I initiated contact via email between them, as I knew Albin had come from that
area of Austria," Huebsch said. "They found out that they had shared a desk in
school." KK9HAM and OE1WED arranged a sked via Echolink for a few days later.
"It was an intense, very emotional, funny QSO in a wild mixture of English and
German," Huebsch said. "Without our hobby, these two former school friends
would never have had a chance to meet again."
Ennsthaler later emailed Huebsch. "I am still speechless about this get-together
with Gerhard and Fahrdienstleiter [traffic controller] Arnold and other members
of the group," he said. "What a memorable day."
-ARRL Letter