Get Ready for: "Frequency" - the seriesDecember 6 will be a big day of amateur radio fun for the YL's of Southern Nevada.
Organized by the Sisterhood Of Amateur Radio (SOAR), area YL's will gather at the Southern Nevada Railroad Museum in Boulder City at 9:30 AM as they prepare to board the "Santa Train" for a 40 minute excursion. During the time on the train and while aboard other rolling stock at the museum, they will be operating "Railroad Maritime Mobile" via IRLP and Echolink. A brief luncheon is planned at a nearby restaurant before the group heads over to the Radio World parking lot to decorate their entry for that evenings annual Santa's Electric Night Parade. This will be the second year that the YL's have showcased amateur radio by participating in the live, televised parade. (The parade will also be re-broadcasted a number of times during the month on COX Cable). All YL's are encouraged to participate in these fun activities. More information is available by email from: contact.soar@yahoo.com MARS Day Out: After action reportThree Las Vegas area hams took to the field Saturday morning to participate in the ARES statewide net and to activate for the MARS Day Out.
Sponsored by the United States Department of Defense, Mars is an acronym for the Military Auxiliary Radio System, the official civilian communications arm of the United States military. Jim Basett W1RO NNNØGBE/NNNØZKQ Nevada State Director for Navy/Marine Corps MARS, reports that they were in position at the parking area on SR160 and on the air for the ARES net at 07:00 and was also on frequency when the MARS Day Out exercise began at 09:00 PDT. Despite horrible band conditions, the group managed to communicate and was also able to operate via Winlink and HF Winmor, using relay stations in Arizona and California. Bob Nelson WA3PAD represented Air Force MARS and Dennie Little KE7WOD was on had as the observer. JOTA: After action report - Las VegasSTATION: W7AES
Number of participating youths: 48 Number of parents/adult leaders: 44 Number of licensed operators: 13 Number of stations: 4 Logged QSO's: 153 Unlogged QSO's: Infinity x Infinity States worked: 15 Countries worked: 9 W1AW/7
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Radio Pack Receives A Surprise VisitorMembers of the UNR Radio Pack at the University Of Nevada-Reno received a pleasant surprise at their last meeting when Carol McGee, a 94 year old YL who was active in amateur radio in the 1930's and 40's dropped by to pay them a visit.
During the meeting. Mrs. McGee, who began her career in amateur radio as a teenager, proudly displayed her 1930's issued ARRL Membership card and a time worn picture of her depression era station, to those in attendance. Carol McGee was trained as a nurse in Chicago, Illinois and served with the United States Navy during World War II. During the UNR Radio Pack meeting she expressed her wish to be able to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. Carol has applied for a seat on an "Honor Flight" and hopes to be chosen for a seat next spring. In an ironic twist, Mrs. McGee has never actually spoken on a radio. Her entire amateur radio experience was via CW. In fact, she only recently held an HT for the first time. Here is Carol McGee's story as told by Newswire Special Correspondent Nancy Holder-KF7YFT
Carol McGee was born Carol Anna Conrad in 1920. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.
At age 19 Carol obtained her license (W8UCY) at the urging of her older brother James. She and James, W8TLQ, and friend George Williams, W8MMZ, operated a shack from the basement of the apartment building the Conrad’s lived in – mostly on 20 and 40 CW. Carol says her speed was about 20 wpm. They would have to wait until after 9 p.m. so their transmissions didn’t interfere with the neighbors’ radios – otherwise the other tenants would be banging on the walls. Carol remembers making contacts in Germany and Japan but thinks all the QSL cards were lost when the building was torn down after she left home. She recalls two older married women hams taking her under their wing and encouraging her. Unfortunately she can’t remember their names but, to this day, she says that hams are the nicest and most helpful people she has ever been associated with. After Carol graduated from high school she went into a three-year nurses training program and only got home once a month so time on the radio diminished. Carol’s nurses training was at Glenville Hospital and Lakeside University Hospital in Cleveland with a final six months in a Chicago hospital (where she was when Pearl Harbor was attacked). She joined the Navy in 1943, serving in Portsmouth, VA (where blackouts were frequent because of u-boats off the shoreline), Bainbridge, Maryland, and finally Cherry Point, NC which was a departing point for soldiers going overseas.
On VJ Day the nurses were told there would be no party but they were free to go home and would have to be packed and out in two weeks. Her career in the Navy was over. On February 14, 1946, Carol married Marine “flyboy” John Bart McGee and they had three children. John remained in the service for a while and they spent time in Texas, Florida, and Maryland. After John left the service he became an American Airlines pilot and the family ultimately settled in John’s home town of Reno, Nevada. The demands of a family kept Carol from returning to amateur radio. Carol would like to reactivate her license but at age 94 (95 on January 11, 2015) she isn’t sure she is up to the challenge of retesting, especially as tests now cover so much more information. But she’s excited about being around other hams and hearing of the many changes that have taken place in the last seventy-plus years. Editors Note: Carol McGee never got to see her picture in "Radio" Magazine. Mrs. McGee explained that her family was too poor to afford a luxury such as magazines.
Let's All Jamboree!More than a half million scouts from around the world are ready to Jamboree and all they need to do it is you!
For the 57th time, the Jamboree On The Air or "JOTA" will globally unite the boys, girls, and adult leaders of scouting via amateur radio. Always held on the third weekend in October, scouts and hams can utilize any or all of the time to make new friends via QSO's on the amateur radio bands. Many scouts and hams begin their operations with Friday evening pre-Jamboree teasers. Nevada will once again be well represented by both organized groups and individual stations taking part in the weekend of fun. In Elko, scouts will operate Oct 17, 18, and 19 from N5SWE located on Mountain City Highway.
Scouts in the Reno / Carson City area can head out to Washoe Lake State Park and take part in the JOTA operations being offered there. Once again, the Nellis Radio Amateur Club and the Amateur Electronics Supply Employees Radio Club will join forces in hosting JOTA activities in Las Vegas.
Listen for their signal on Saturday Oct 18, as they operate as W7AES from the AES store on Polaris Avenue. Anyone interested in scouting or amateur radio is invited to drop in at any of the above locations and join in the fun. If you can not make it to a JOTA location be sure and get on the air and QSO with a scout or two. ARRL's Final Centennial Celebration gets underwayPacificon - Pacific Division Convention is this weekendThe last of the ARRL Regional Centennial Celebrations takes place this weekend in Santa Clara, California. PACIFICON, the Pacific Division Convention, promises a full slate of amateur radio activities.
Boasting a forum schedule second to none, the event kicks off on Friday with it's hugely successful antenna forum. Numerous amateur radio personalities such as Gordon West, Carole Perry, and George Thomas will be making presentations during the weekend. ARRL President Kay Craigie N3KN and Bob Heil K9EID will be Keynote Speakers at the banquet, Saturday evening. You can check out the whole big event here: www.pacificon.org Zombies prepared to take over the airwaves!!!They are said to have been HFpackers (Hams who hike trails with backpack radios and antennas) who fell victim to a Zombie Apocalypse which struck the Silicone Valley during PACIFICON a few years back. This catastrophic event caused the HFpackers to become real mutant Zombies theirselves.
This mutation drives these Zombies to hunger, not for flesh, but for RF energy. Most of the time these Zombies are able to walk among us, un-detected. Once a year, on the eve of the great Pacificon Zombie Apocalypse, these poor creatures become fueled with RF energy and their ghastly transformation as Radio Zombies is exposed. In what is now an annual Pacificon tradition, the HFpack Zombie Radio Group will once again host Zombie Radio Night on Saturday from 8:00pm to 12:00pm. It is NOT necessary to walk like a zombie! Look for the Zombies or call "CQ ZOMBIE" on Lower Side Band at 7.200 Mhz beginning at 8:00 pm PDT. There will be two Zombie Night net control stations operating both phone and CW modes. Anyone can check into this joint Norcal QRP / Zombie Radio Group. Amateur Radio Is Getting New Life In Eastern NevadaIn recent decades you would have had to look pretty hard to find any signs of amateur radio activity in the wide open space between Las Vegas and Elko in the area known as the Great Basin.
In an area with only a handful of small towns and roads on which you can travel dozens of miles and not see a home, amateur radio was limited to an occasional repeater IDing. More often than not any such repeater ID carried the call-sign of Joe Christensen WB7WTS. Christensen took a kind of "Johnny Appleseed" approach to ham radio. His machines are sprinkled across Nevada. Of course he planted repeaters in the towns of Ely and Tonopah. But he also made sure the tiniest of places had a repeater. Little settlements like Goldfield, Eureka, Lund, Warm Springs, and Pioche all have their own WB7WTS machines. Beginning about five years ago a resurgence of amateur radio began in Eastern Nevada. Bruce Palmer and others began the Ely Live Wires radio group in Ely. In time it was learned that a number of years earlier there had been a previous ham group in White Pine county. Upon hearing this, the Ely Live Wires adopted the vintage club's name, the Eastern Nevada Amateur Radio Society or ENARS. The club which meets at the historic Hotel Nevada continues to grow and is an ARRL Affiliated Club. Ely now has more than 30 hams and are now regular participants in public service events such as the Silver State Classic Challenge. Ely area hams are also working to put a new VHF repeater on the air on Squaw Peak above Ely the first week of October. It will be on the same frequency as the prior machine (146.880- pl 114.8) and when completed will be linked to the 147.180+ on Kimberly, the 145.220- on Highland Pk, and the 146.850- machine at Warm Springs on US 6 between Ely, and Tonopah. Radio exams are also now being regularly given in Ely at the White Pine County Emergency Operations Center. Last month 6 candidates presented themselves for upgrades . One hundred and ten miles south on US 93 is Ely's next door neighbor, the town of Pioche. Here, amateur radio is coming to life with 14 licensed hams. Another 20 hams reside in other parts of Lincoln County. Pioche can also now boast that they have their own radio club, the recently formed Great Basin Amateur Radio Club. Both White Pine and Lincoln county currently have active ARES groups. The groups recently completed the statewide SET. Both groups are active in several Nevada Section nets. Ham-Com Just Got A Whole Lot Bigger!Irving, TX – Ham-Com, the largest amateur radio convention in Texas, announced today that it would be moving the location of the 2015 convention from the Plano Center to the Irving Convention Center. The Ham-Com board of directors deemed the move necessary due to the increased growth they have experienced over the past several years.
Board member Bill Nelson explains, "The Plano center served us very well for years but in 2014 we realized we had outgrown it. We had to turn away vendors because of the lack of space. The move to the Irving Convention Center immediately triples our vendor and flea market spaces while still allowing additional room for growth. Our move to this beautiful, new facility is part of our commitment to provide a first-class convention experience." The move to the new location not only provides an increase in convention capacity but also increases transportation, lodging, and parking availability for Ham-Com attendees. DFW international airport and Dallas Love field are connected by the DART light rail station providing easy access. Irving Texas also boasts more than 75 hotels, 11,000 rooms and hundreds of restaurants. Ham-Com 2015 starts Friday, June 12th and ends on Saturday, June 13th. About Ham-Com Ham-Com is a yearly amateur radio convention and is produced by an all-volunteer staff. The first annual convention was held in June of 1978. Over the next 36 years the convention has moved from venue to venue as the attendance and need for space increased. Because of its central US location, Ham-Com draws attendees from every state and visitors from around the world for the yearly event. Ham-Com hosts various American Radio Relay League (ARRL) division events and also has the longest-running Boy Scouts of America radio merit badge program held during the convention. About Irving Convention Center Irving Convention Center opened in 2011. It contains 275,000 sq ft of luxurious space and is located on 40 acres with an adjoining mixed used entertainment district. The facility is designed to serve exhibition, conventions, meetings and a variety of other events with the focus being primarily on groups of 800 to 1,200 people with a capacity of 4,000 for a general session. The facility consists of several levels, outdoor covered terraces, and adjacent parking garage. It's Time to "Get Your Kicks On Route 66"It's been called the "Great Diagonal Way", the "Will Rogers Memorial Highway", the "Mother Road", the "Main Street of America, and the "Electric Highway".
Of the 4 million miles of highways in the United States, none are more famous than the 2,451 miles that once made up U.S. 66, better known as "Route 66". Starting on September 6th you will have nine days to travel Route 66 once again, this time via the airwaves. Twenty one Special Event stations, each located in a city along the route, will join together for the 15th annual "Route 66 On The Air". The event, which was created by the Northern Arizona DX Club and is now organized by the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club of San Bernardino, Cali-fornia, allows the participants to traverse the route one more time, by radio. Beginning in 1926, millions of people travelled the road which began at Jackson Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago and ended at 7th Street and Broadway in Los Angeles. In 1936 the road was extended to the intersection of Olympic Blvd and Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica, California. Santa Monica has also promoted the inter-section of Ocean Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd and also the Santa Monica Pier as the ending point, but Route 66 never ended at either of those places. The Dust Bowl of the 1930's saw 200,000 "Okies", "Arkies", and "Texies" loose their farms to the elements and to the banks. These plains dwellers, packed up their families and traveled Route 66 in search of agriculture jobs in California. Their westward migration began to create a need for travel services all along the road to the Pacific. Although in many places, U.S. 66 was little more than a single, 9 foot wide lane of asphalt, by the war years of the 1940's the route had spawned thousands of service stations, motor lodges, souvenir shops, and eateries. In 1940 the very first McDonalds opened along Route 66 at the corner of North E Street and West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California. But the distinction as the very first drive-thru restaurant goes to another Route 66 icon, "Red's Giant Hamburg" which was in Springfield, Missouri. "Get your Kicks on Route 66" was recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946. The song was written earlier that year by Bobby Troup who was inspired after a ten day trip on the road. Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, and a host of others have re-recorded the song over the years. By the 1950's Route 66 had become a neon highway. Even the most remote sections of the road held some recently added "landmark" designed to separate the many families travelling on vacation from their money. A family could spend the night in a genuine Indian wig-wam (although really shaped like a ti-pi and made of concrete) in two locations along Route 66, Holbrook, AZ and San Bernadino, CA.
Meteorite craters. leaning water towers, the worlds largest Ketchup bottle, Cadillac's planted nose first into the ground, a round barn, a giant orange, and the world's largest map were just a few of the thousands of attractions that dotted the landscape along Route 66. Every few miles one could see a freshly painted barn, courtesy of workers from the Meramac Caverns of Stanton, Missouri. Meramac would paint a farmers barn for free in exchange for being allowed to emblazon the roof and sides of the barn with ads enticing travelers to visit "Jesse James Hideout".
In 1960 Hollywood took note of Route 66 with the creation of the television series of the same name. For four years two young men in a Corvette convertible sought adventure on the open road. While the '50s and '60s gave Route 66 it's most prosperous times, it was 1956 that began it's slow death. With the introduction, that year, of the Interstate Highway System, the narrow, little Route 66 began to be replaced by new super-highways. On June 27, 1985 the government decertified the highway and U.S. 66 ceased to exist. Today, many of the states operate sections of the original road as state routes. The largest portion in use is in Arizona, where you can still 'stand on the corner in Winslow, Arizona', pet dozens of wild burros as they beg handouts from the tourists on Route 66 in Oatman, view the petrified forest in the Painted Desert, and take a peak at that giant meteor crater. A beautiful certificate awaits those who work at least one of the 21 Special Event stations. Operations are planned for all modes and bands. Complete information is available on the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club website. www.w6jbt.org |
The last Charter Member of the Colorado - YL's Martha "Marte" Wessel KøEPE of Liberal, Kansas passed away Tuesday at the age of 89.
Marte, was a long time DX enthusiast and she held 372 on the DXCC Honor Roll. She was a member of the American Radio Relay League, Ohio Ladies Amateur Radio Club (Buckeye Belles), Quarter Century Wireless Association, Young Ladies International Single Sideband System, and the Quarter Century Wireless Women. Mrs. Wessel was also a 55 year member of the Young Ladies Radio League where she served on the Presidents Advisory Committee. Marte also ran the Scholarship drive for the YLRL. This year she raised $4,588.00 Marte is survived by her husband of 69 years, Walter (Pete) WøCM and other family members. In addition to amateur radio, Marte was also an avid bowler. She was a Red Cross "Grey lady" at the Lowry Airforce base hospital. She also served as a Blue Bird (Camp Fire Girls) leader. Wisconsin Ham falls from Tower and DiesJames G. Linstedt W9ZUC of Eau Clair, Wisconsin died Tuesday evening from injuries he sustained when he fell 95 feet ham tower in Eagle Point, just outside of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Linstedt, age 59, is reported to have had extensive experience climbing and working on towers. He also was reported to have been wearing an over the shoulder safety harness, but was not tied off while working on the 100 ft. tower at the home of Ronald Anderson W9RMA, located on the shore of Lake Wissota. Linstedt was a member and past President of the Chippewa Valley Amateur Radio Club. QCWA Plans Live DemoSilver State Chapter 190 of the Quarter Century Wireless Association is planning a special presentation on electromagnetic communications.
The group plans to recreate the experiment of Hans Christian Oersted which shows that currents in a closed loop create their own magnetic field. They also plan to demonstrate vintage telegraph equipment. These demonstrations will be held in conjunction with the QCWA's bi-monthly brunch/meeting, tomorrow September 13th. Everyone is invited to attend. You do not need to be a member. The event begins at 10:00 AM in the meeting room of Carrows Restaurant at 880 E. Plumb Lane in Reno (SW corner of E. Plumb and Kietzke). Attendees are invited to bring something ham-related for the show-and-tell. The format is intended to be an open discussion with reminiscences. More information may be obtained from Chapter Chairman, Greg Rousch - WA7IRM groush@mchsi.com ARES/RACES Mobilized In Wake Of MassIve Storm And FloodingClark County ARES/RACES team members have deployed after being called up by local Emergency Management officials to provide communications support during recovery efforts currently underway in the Moapa Valley, northeast of Las Vegas.
A slow moving storm, which spun off from Hurricane Norbert, dumped nearly 4 inches of rain in 90 minutes onto the town of Moapa. Heavy flooding and mud has closed 47 miles of Interstate 15, stranding motorist and truckers. Pavement has washed away or buckled in many areas. Nevada Department of Transportation officials expect that it will take several days to re-open the highway. Alternate routes have also been made impassible. At this hour, Clark County ARRL Emergency Coordinator Bill Smith W7HMV is attending the morning briefing and will relay information at it's conclusion. Nearly 200 tribal members of the Moapa River Reservation are being sheltered. Seventy elementary and high school students were sheltered at the Ute Perkins Elementary School in Moapa, while eighteen more students from the Grant Bowler Elementary School were sheltered in a building at the Clark County Fairgrounds. Stranded motorists are being cared for at the Hughes Middle School in Mesquite, Nevada on the Arizona border. ARES personnel are staffing at the Emergency Operations Center in Las Vegas, as well as the Clark County Mobile Communications Vehicle on the scene. Help Is Urgently NeededA last minute request has came in for amateur radio communications at the Viva Bike Vegas perimeter ride this coming Saturday, September 13th.
It appears that there may be new organizers for this year's event and they might have stumbled a bit on arranging for ham radio support. Dennis Simon KB7UTV is trying to quickly throw together a staff of operators to cover this event. If you can lend a hand please contact Dennis at: kb7utv1@embarqmail.com or call 702-643-1670 NARRI Server's Are Down, IRLP and EchoLink LostThe Nevada Amateur Radio Repeaters Inc.(NARRI) servers which power IRLP and Echo-Link operations across the state of Nevada have been knocked off-line.
NARRI President Kent Johnson W7AOR has indicated that condensate from a roof mounted air conditioning unit seeped into several of the Main servers and have rendered them useless. Nevada Section Emergency Coordinator Glenn Hale KB7REO reports: "Impacts are huge. This shuts down multiple regularly scheduled nets, our NV Section IRLP/Echolink network, CCNVARES, and NVGATE Conferences. I don't have a backup IRLP Reflector we can use in the mean time". Although NARRI is working around the clock, it is expected to take several days to restore the operability of the system. Mr. Johnson has shed some light on an aspect which adds to the complexity of fixing the problem: "The NARRI VoIP system is not duplicated in the IRLP and Echo link world. It is unique and special to optimize communications among the VoIP clients. Normally IRLP reflectors do not have integrated Echo link servers, each is usually installed separately with no ability to interact". Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal recipient George Mitchell K6ZE is SKLifelong amateur radio operator George T. Mitchell K6ZE of San Diego, California passed away today at the age of 94.
Mitchell, an ARRL Life Member, was a member of many amateur radio groups, including the OMIK Amateur Radio Association, the Air Force Flyers Club, the Old Old Timers Club and the Quarter Century Wireless Club. He was awarded a 75 year certificate from the QCWQ in 2012. Mr. Mitchell was also a co-recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States' highest civilian award. He received this honor in March of 2007, for his wartime service as a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. MItchell, who built his first amateur radio at age 12, was responsible for teaching radio operations and Morse Code to the aviation cadets at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama from 1943-1946. Following the war, Mitchell took to the seas as a civilian engineer for the Navy. This employment took him to Guam, San Diego, and to the Philippines. He later retired to San Diego, but soon returned to work on the sea, this time for the Scripts Institute of Oceanography. Mr. Mitchell was a member of the B.O. Davis Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen's Association, remaining active until his death. He frequently spoke to school and civic groups about the role the Tuskegee Airmen played in the nation's history.
A long time member of the Chollas View United Methodist Church, he was born in Philadelphia in 1920. Mr. Mitchell was proceeded in death by his first wife Lillian Mitchell, in 1985 and by his son John Mitchell. HIs second wife D'Andrea Mitchell survives. Mitchell is also the father of actor Brian Stokes Mitchell of New York. Additionally, he is survived by sons George Mitchell, of Los Angeles, Richard Mitchell, of Harrisburg, Pa, his daughter, Lorna Mitchell, of Fresno; and stepsons Deon and Robert Coons, both of San Diego. Memorial services are pending. LCARES will be hosting an EMCOMM Level 1 Certification Course to be held September 3rd thru December 3rd, Wednesday nights from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
For more information regarding the course and to register, please contact Doug Abramson at: ka7foo@gmail.com The fall edition of the Reno Ham Swap will take place on Saturday September 27th at the Tamarack Junction Casino on S. Virginia Street in Reno.
The event, which is sponsored by the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society, will begin at 7:30 AM. Seller set-up will begin at 7:00 AM and the Dining Car Restaurant will be open for breakfast beginning at 6:00 AM. Amateur radio examinations will be offered, beginning at 9:00 AM. Space rental will be $10.00 per 8'x16' parking space. A reservation for space can be made online by clicking this button: Raffle drawings will take place throughout the morning, including one for a Yaesu FT-60 radio.
You may download a copy of the flyer here: Stolen: Yaesu VX-7RATTENTION: Swap meters, tailgaters, and e-bayers. Keep a sharp lookout for Yaesu VX-7R handheld, serial number 4N490654
Stolen August 16th from the parking lot of the Sizzler 1353 Willow Pass Road, Concord, CA. Concord Police Department report #14-225-47101 Contact: Chuck KI6DCD 925-689-7640 Field Day Reports Click to View
Reno Hams Man New Information BoothThis past Sunday, several Reno Area hams began manning a new Amateur Radio Awareness booth at the South Reno Farmers Market. They even operated Net Control for the New Hams Informational Network from their location.
On Sunday July 27, 2014 several hams manned the new community amateur radio awareness booth at the South Reno Farmers Market. Because the event fell on my turn for the New hams informational net, the net was controlled from the parking lot... of the South Reno Squeeze inn restaurant. The farmers market was a complete success and the organizers of the event would like to have us back. This event will be a weekly event until sometime in mid September and is open for all of the Reno area amateur radio organizations a community outlet to introduce our amazing hobby in a positive light. These pictures were taken of the first event and gives you an idea of how it went. Centenarian Ham Ken Pollard w1RPk now a silent Key
On Monday 100 year old amateur radio operator Ken Pollard W1RPK of Windsor, Vermont became a Silent Key.
An Advanced Class amateur radio licensee and a retired draftsman, Ken was born Kenworth Coburn Pollard on March 26, 1914. Licensed for more than 70 years, Mr. Pollard operated daily until he entered the Brookside Nursing Home in White River Junction, Vermont during the past year. A member of the Straight Key Century Club, Ken was also a Freemason for more than 60 years. A practicing magician, Ken performed for many years in the New England area. He volunteered as a Little League baseball coach and was also the voice of Windsor High School baseball as the announcer and organist at Macleay-Royce Field. There will be no services. Kati Stenrud K7KTI Appointed Youth Coordinator
Nevada Section Manager Gary Grant -K7VY has announced the appointment of Katherine "Kati" Stenstrud- K7KTI of Reno as the new Nevada Section Youth Coordinator.
Kati, who is 14 years old, was named the 2012 Young Amateur of the Year by the Mt. Diablo Amateur Radio Club. A General Class licensee, Kati enjoys contesting, volunteering for communication evemts, Field Day, Kids Day and going to hamfests to promote ham radio to other youth. She also likes to solder kits, and is working to master CW. In addition to ham radio Kati is active in the theatre arts. New Club Organizes in PiocheA brand new Amateur Radio Club has emerged in the Lincoln County town of Pioche. Christened the Great Basin Amateur Radio Club, the group is already off to a flying start.
Officers were elected and By-Laws were adopted at the groups first meeting July 11th. Mark Robinson N7MDR has been chosen to be the first President of the new club. A logo and club patch have already been designed and approved by the membership. The group has hit the ground running and are already working on a project to establish a repeater in the town of Alamo, Nevada. |
Arnie Zelig WA2SOE is Silent KeyLong time Las Vegas area ham, Arnold Daniel "Arnie" Zelig WA2SOE passed away July 18th, at age 51, following a lengthy illness.
A native of New York, Arnie was a fixture of the Las Vegas Amateur Radio community for a number of years. He served a term as President of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club, a term as Vice-President of the Nellis Radio Amateur Club, and was the webmaster for the Frontier Amateur Radio Society. Zelig was an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and was also an avid communications volunteer for area public service events. Arnie received a life extending, multiple organ transplant some 15 years ago which ended his employment. He subsequently returned to school, eventually becoming an Educational Specialist at the College of Southern Nevada. Zelig is most widely known as the team leader of the LVRAC volunteers who manned the fund raising booths at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for more than a decade. An accomplished CW operator, Arnie enjoyed Field Day activities and operating day trips to Mt. Charleston and Red Rock canyon. Arnie Zelig is survived by his mother Gloria Zelig of Las Vegas and sister Rita of New York. A graveside service was held July 29th at Woodlawn Cemetery in Las Vegas. TV Episode Features Washoe EOC /ARES News Magazine "Plush Life TV" Showcases Amateur Radio
Television viewers got a glimpse inside the Washoe County Regional Emergency Operations Center and the Washoe County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) radio room during last weeks broadcast of the television news magazine "Plush Life TV".
Now in it's sixth season, the Reno based program is broadcast regionally. Hosted by Jenifer Rose and co-host John Oliver, the on the air magazine touts the "Plush Life" of Northern Nevada. While the shows name conjures up images of champagne sipping, caviar tasting, affluent lifestyles, the name is actually meant to showcase the relatively good quality of life found in the Reno/Tahoe are of Nevada. Filming of this episode began after ARRL Public Information Officer Randall Lorenz AF7HD, of Reno, contacted the show's producer about the possibility of having a segment on ARES activities. Washoe County Emergency Manager Aaron Kenneston KE7GFF and Washoe County AREC Emergency Coordinator Bob Miller WA6MTY both appeared during the broadcast. Ham radio aids Injured Colorado HikerWhen Bill Eberle AMØMY of Boulder, Colorado goes hiking in the rugged wilds of that state, he always takes his handheld.
While he and his wife Mary were out hiking on Monday, they came upon two paramedics rendering aid to 67 year old Michael Schuett, of Bloomfield. Schuett had lost his footing while crossing a stream near the Fourth of July campground, west of the town of Nedeland. Schuett had struck his head on a boulder and was found unconscious and face down in the water by a Good Samaritan, who pulled him to safety. The paramedics had been heading to a youth camp and also had stumbled onto the scene. As is often the case, the remote location did not have cell phone coverage. Eberle, an Extra Class operator with 14 years experience, lost no time in putting out a distress call on the statewide Colorado Connection Repeater system. That call was quickly answered by Ryan Frederick KDØTSZ in Colorado Springs. Frederick contacted the Boulder County Sheriff's office. The police quickly turned to Scott Whitehead KAØQPT of Longmont. Whitehead, who holds a General Class license, is a Radio Specialist with the Sheriff's Department and also is a 30 year member of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Team. Whitehead was able to make contact via the repeater network with Eberle. They were then able to coordinate equipment and rescue personnel. Crews from Nederland Fire and Rescue and the Rocky Mountain Rescue Team arrived on the scene. Schuett was treated and released from an area hospital. He credited ham radio for bringing the rescuers to him. Ham Radio Comes To the Aid of JeepsterSaturday afternoon John Abrott KD7NHC Northwest District Emergency Coordinator, received a phone call from Doug Abramsom- KA7FOO. Doug in Reno heard traffic on the Linked repeater system coming from the Smith Valley area off of the Lobdell Peak machine. There was a jeep broken down, and Bill Nichols NN7K was with them.
Abrott contacted Bill on the Lobdell repeater to find out what type of assistance was needed, and their location. A 1966 vintage jeep had a broken rear drivers side spring. They were located about 2 miles up Taylor Canyon off of the Desert Creek Road. The road is a typical jeep jeep trail, and taking a trailer to the jeep was not possible. Nichols advised that they had plenty of water. The jeep owner asked for a block of wood (a short piece of railroad tie) a chain and a chain binder. Abrott contacted Paul Strople KG7DQG and filled him in on the situation.. Abrott then went to his house and gathered chains and chain binders, while Strople gathered some short railroad ties and other sizes of wood, along with a small chain saw. They met at Strople's house on Desert Creek Road, and loaded up the requested items. Abrott and Strople continued to have radio contact with Bill Nichols using the 444.875 repeater. Strople, his wife Susan KG7MIL, and Abrott entered Desert Creek heading south in Paul's Toyota FJ. They met Bill NN7K and the owner of the jeep part way up the canyon. Nichols, in his Polaris side-by side, led them up to the Taylor Canyon turn off. They then went about 2 miles to the west and found the disabled jeep. The owners wife was glad to see the hams. From this location there is no Cell phone coverage. At the location of the disabled jeep, they had access to 4 Ham repeaters, 2 VHF and 2 UHF machines. Three of the repeaters, 1 VHF and 2 UHF located on Lobdell Peak, and the SIERA repeater located on They went to work using the chain saw to shorten up the railroad tie. The tie was placed between the axle and the frame. A ratchet strap secured the block of wood to the axle. A chain was then hooked from the springs front shackle to the rear shackle, with tension applied by a chain binder. The rear drive shaft was removed so as not to apply any torque to the rear axle. It was a slow trip down to Desert Creek road. Once on the main road, the group continued south, to where they were camped, making sure they made it there with no other problems. (The radiator had sprung a leak as well) The jeep owner was planned to bring in a car trailer from the top of Desert Creek off of HW 338 the next day, to haul the jeep home. The road is much better, and the only way to get a trailer into the south end of Desert Creek. The first water crossing heading north from where they were camped can not be crossed with most highway trailers. If not for Bill NN7K being able to call for assistance using Ham radio, It would have taken much longer to make field repairs to the disabled jeep to get it to move. Again Ham radio came through. Thank you to John, Paul and his wife Susan for helping retrieve the couple and their jeep. All three made it safely out of the canyon and headed to the Smith Valley Firemen's BBQ for dinner, a little late, but in time for a great steak. Date Set For Ham AuctionThe Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club has announced that it will sponsor an auction of amateur radio gear and equipment.
Scheduled for Saturday September 13th at the Elks Lodge, 4100 West Charleston Blvd, in Las Vegas, the auction is open for buying or selling to anyone interested in ham radio. Professional auctioneer services are being donated by Gino Munari-K7MGM owner of Munari Auctions.
A 15% fee will be assessed on each transaction to benefit the LVRAC. Ten Year Old wins Nevada QSO PartyIt may have been a dismal showing by the majority of Nevada's 6,800+ amateur radio operators, but 10 year old Sam Chase-KG7HBY seized the opportunity to capture the First Place Overall Winner's plaque in this years Nevada QSO Party, dubbed the Nevada Mustang Round-up.
Working exclusively via digital modes, young Master Chase rose above the dismally small number of Nevada participants to earn the win. Derrick Appointed Northeast District Emergency Coordinator
Nevada Section Emergency Coordinator has announced the appointment of James Derrick K6FIR of Ely as the new District Emergency Coordinator for the Northeast District.
Derrick, a General Class licensee is active as a firefighter in White Pine County. He is taking over the reigns from outgoing DEC Don Tanner KF7GGR of Elko. Read The Recent NewsHistory is about to repeat itself in NevadaRegular readers of this site already know the story about how 150 years ago James Guild worked hunched over his telegraph key to send the entire text of the Silver State's newly adopted Constitution to President Lincoln, thus gaining statehood for Nevada.
Till this very day, that event maintains the record as being the longest message ever transmitted via telegraphy. On October 31st history will repeat itself, when the Sierra Nevada Amateur Radio Society in cooperation with the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, will recreate the sending of the original message to President Lincoln in Washington. As a part of Nevada's 150th Anniversary celebration, the State of Nevada has designated this re-enactment by SNARS as a Nevada Sesquicentennial "Signature Nevada 150" event. SNARS will have a public operating site where Nevadan's and their guests can view the telegraphy in operation and to learn about the original 1864 event, as well as learning about modern methods of communications via amateur radio. Event organizers are finalizing plans concerning the actual transmission and delivery of the message |