DXpedition YL PR2L Ilha Comprida - south of São Paulo state, Brasil
Success is the word that summarises the expedition organised by LABRE SP and operated exclusively by YLs between March 8th and 9th, 2025. In celebration of International Women's Day, a team of predominantly young YLs, set off to Long Island in São Paulo, close to the border with the state of Parana, for an activity that, besides providing a beautiful QSL card, was also valid for WWFF, IOTA, POTA and DIB diplomas (Diploma Brazilian Islands).
During these two days of intense amateur radio activity, hundreds of QSOs were activated in almost every band, high-lighting about 100 QSOs in CW, several others in phonics and the use of the QO-100 satellite, in addition there was a small participation in the SA10 contest.
LABRE SP maintains its commitment to promote Radioamadorismo in its most diverse aspects and possibilities. Last but not least, we want to thank the dedicated team of operators consisting of Barbara (PY2QL), Bia (PY2BIA), Rafa (PU2RAI), Nana (PU2UYA) and Sheila (PU2YLM) for providing us with this initiative. Our sincere thanks also to all the colleagues who participated in the contacts. We are already planning new events of this nature for the future!
LABRE SP 12 March 2025
The PR2L team: PU2RAI - Rafaela 15 years old; PU2YLM – Sheila; PU2UYA - Ana Paula; PY2BIA - Beatriz 16; PY2QL Barbara
*****Newfoundland Students talk to the International Space Station (ISS).
Amateur Radio operators Lillian Fidler, VO1XYL and Jim Fidler, VO1RV, spear-headed an event that connected Grade 9 students in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
With Newfoundland’s rich history in telecommunications, notably marked by Marconi’s reception of the first wireless telecommunication over 100 years ago, this event holds special significance. Marconi famously received the letter “S” in Morse code on Signal Hill in St. John’s, paving the way for future advancements in communication technology.
Now, with the assistance of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program – which aims to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through direct communication with ISS crew members – students in St. John’s had the opportunity to engage in a live QSO (conversation) with the astronaut Loral O'Hara KI5TOM orbiting Earth aboard the ISS.
(ISS starts about 33 mins in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vaRy3vx61M
Lillian Fidler, VO1XYL News from Canada
I am net control for a weekly net on network radio if anyone would like to join. It is for women only (but we do invite the lads to join us once in a blue moon.
The purpose of the net is to encourage more women into amateur radio and also to share information and have a bit of fun. We have had a few ladies get their licenses since we started. We are cross-linked with the International Radio Network and other channels.
It's every Saturday at 2 p.m. ET (1800 UTC). You can join via zello or teamspeak and we are called the 'roar' channel. (Republic of Avalon Radio).
We would love to see you there! 73, Lillian VO1XYL
If you have any questions, please send an email to xylnetwork@gmail.com
*****

F4LTB Tifani Provenat, youngest amateur radio operator in Haute-Marne, France
February 28, 2025 Meeting the youngest radio amateur in Haute-Marne, Northeastern France. Joinville resident Tifani Provenat, 11, recently accomplished a feat by becoming the youngest licensed amateur radio operator in Haute-Marne. Her journey is all the more inspiring because she over came personal challenges, including dyslexia and dysorthographia.
It was when she saw her parents, Pascal and Elfie, become passionate about radio that Tifani wanted to follow in their footsteps. After they obtained their license in August 2023, she began her initiation the same year.
Determined to succeed, she stepped up her studies in May 2024, practicing two hours a day for three months. Her efforts paid off: on August 5, 2024, she passed the national exam with flying colours and earned her unique radio call sign, F4LTB. Currently in the 6th grade, the teenager devotes time to the radio whenever her homework is done. She also has aspirations for the future, considering becoming a fire-fighter and an aikido teacher, reflecting her desire to help others. For the young girl, radio is a unique way to connect with the world, much more enriching than social media.
The license, granted for life by the Ministry of the Interior, allows new licensees to join a global network. There are more than 14,700 radio amateurs in France, of which around 1,500 are in the service of Civil Security, which is the case for her parents.
International contacts
International contacts, mostly in English, offer radio amateurs the opportunity to discover the world. Tifani has already communicated with enthusiasts in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Brazil and is particularly proud of a contact established with Oman.
This universe is not limited to voice. Through the airwaves, it is possible to send messages, images, and even use Morse code, a language that was once mandatory for obtaining a license. It should be noted that female voices often have a better chance of establishing contacts in the world.
Tifani Provenat thus becomes an inspiring example for young people. Her journey shows that, even in the face of challenges, an unwavering will and family support can open unexpected horizons. This large family allows you to create strong bonds and discover different cultures. The world of radio amateurs is vast and offers a multitude of possibilities.
(LU3XCE) Adelina "Pichona" Mortera de Basterra passed away 19/03/2025, leaving us with many lessons. Solidarity, respect, and a helping hand for anyone who needed it.
She was also part of a group of colleagues who, for decades, from their home, a rural settlement on the central plateau of Santa Cruz, along with her husband Aurelio, were undisputed hosts of the ether, both in the morning and in the afternoon, with stations throughout Patagonia, accompanying those who travelled our routes, and who worked and lived throughout the fields of rural labour and the cities of our beloved southern Argentina.
Let us remember with joy this woman, whose personality earned her the affection, love, and respect of her colleagues and the community at large.
We are with her family during this difficult time. Goodbye, Pichona!
Deep sorrow for the death of “Pichona', widow of Basterra LU3XCE
She was known across Patagonia as an example of generosity, vocation and respect.
A country woman, she was connected to the world by radio
by Carlos Almirón LU7DSY 20/3/2025
The remains of Adelina "Pichona" Mortera, widow of Basterra, LU3XCE, who passed away at the age of 86, were laid to rest in the cemetery of Puerto San Julián, province of Santa Cruz.
Pichona, along with her late husband, Aurelio Basterra, dedicated their lives to rural activities on their ranch "La Cuca" on the central plateau of Santa Cruz province, in the solitude of the steppe hundreds of kilometres from the two nearest towns, Puerto San Julián and Gobernador Gregores.
In the winter of 2020, with a polar wave that snowed the province and the COVID-19 pandemic, this couple, in their eighties at the time, found themselves isolated in a desperate climate.
The two generators in the ranch house were out of service.
The solar charger, with little radiation due to the low daily sunlight, was unable to charge the batteries. The gas in the cylinders ran out, as did the kerosene.
The water system froze with daily temperatures between 5 and 12 degrees below zero. The truck, a 12-year-old vehicle, wouldn't start.
But Pichona, a radio amateur, LU3XCE, belonging to the oldest LU lineage and school, and familiar as few others with the role of amateur radio in emergencies, placed all her hope in the "Patagonian Wheel (net) in 80 Meters." A daily meeting that has been going on for over 65 years at 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on 3.670 kHz.
In much of the vast Patagonia region , where cell phone service is unavailable, rural residents are in the hands of God and amateur radio operators, like Claudio, LU4XDE, Alan, LU7XBH, Isaìas, LU5XEG, Jorge, LU1XBJ, Martín, LU1XMD, Abraham, LU8XBC, Fernando, LU7WAH, Raúl, LU1WRC, and so many others.
She was instrumental in rescues and aid efforts, uniting Patagonia with her radio.
Adelina, her little-known name, provided companionship and assistance for travellers and rural workers travelling through the vastness of southern Argentina for decades from her amateur radio station. From her time there, she reached out to anyone in need over the airwaves.
She was a leading figure in the amateur radio community, uniting people in the most remote corners of the country, becoming an undisputed hostess on the airwaves, sharing information, assistance, and companionship both morning and afternoon each day.
Last year, she was one of the protagonists of Troperos, a documentary film directed by Nicolás Detry, which chronicles the work of gauchos in an isolated and solitary valley in southern Patagonia, in the province of Santa Cruz, revealing the sacrifices of a profession on the verge of extinction. Through the stories of the drovers over the course of a year, we see the sacrificial work of these people, the harsh Patagonian winter, the herding of thousands of sheep, and the pursuit of predators.
*****
Silent Key QEPD W8LE Byrness Haworth, [June 15, 1921- March 18, 2025] is a silent key. She was 103 and lived a great life. She was a navy WAVE, member of the Chix on Six, Buckeye Belles and YLRL' and very active in ham radio
YLRL Nancy Hall Byrness Haworth (nee Holt), age 103, a longtime resident of Elyria and formerly of Rocky River, passed away peacefully on Tuesday March 18, 2025 at The Abbewood in Elyria. She was born June 15, 1921 in Sioux City, Iowa. Byrness was a veteran and served in The US Navy from 1943 to 1945. She was stationed in Washington DC and worked as a stenographer. Byrness' cremains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with her late husband, of 45 years, Robert.
Bee Haworth spent her 90th birthday on June 15, 2011 playing cards at the North Ridgeville Senior Center, just as she always did on Wednesday mornings. Haworth told life stories while she played cards, including her experiences deciphering Japanese code during World War II and her memories of a then-under-construction Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
https://www.cleveland.com/thesun/2011/06sun_sentinel_person_of_the_wee_42.html
*****
Silent Key - KB3YYC Connie Misiewicz [January 10, 1959 - March 24, 2025]
Connie F. Misiewicz, 66, of Belle Vernon (Lynnwood), became Silent Key March 24, 2025 in Penn Highlands, Mon Valley Hospital.
She was a member of the Skyview Amatuer Radio Club, and the Breeze Shooters Club of Western Pennsylvania. Connie was a Ham Radio Operator, Technician Class, licensed 2012, call sign KB3YYC. She was a former salesperson at McShane's in 2012 for several years. She loved crocheting. Survivors include her husband of 27 years, Edward S. Misiewicz KB3YRU
“Enjoyed hearing her on the Breezeshooters Radio Net each Monday night”.Chuck Gesssner W3ON remembered.
****
Tradition is not preserving the ashes but passing on the flame.
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****
Calendar
BYLARA founded in April 1979 , 46 years ago.
April 12 - 20 IARU 100th Anniversary - Centennial QSO Party (IARU CQP).
9 days, 00:00 UTC Sat 12 - 23:59 UTC Sun 20 April.
April 18 World Amateur Radio Day
April 21 Kartini Day celebrates Indonesian Women
April 24 International Girls in ICT Day
April 25 Marconi Day (1988)
April 27 Morse Day; Samuel Morse born on April 27, 1791
May 6 ALARA AGM 1030 UTC 2024 on Echolink ALARA Conf & 80 M 3.6325 Mhz
June 7 - 8 SOTA YL 8 'Queens of the Mountains'