yl.beam #41 dec 2016

Contents:

• Ja-Well-No-Fine & Further Afield
• Local-is-Lekker: New YL's;  Midlands ARC – JOTA 2016 ; Magalies ARK.; Highway ARC
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities  - HAM RADIO FOR THE DISABLED
• Events: YOTA;  International Naval Contest (INC)
• Holyland Christianity on the Air – HCOTA
• “Kempenzonen on the Air - a Christmas Activation
• QRZ, Calendar

Ja-Well-No-Fine :

Marking December 3 - The International Day of Persons with Disabilities - an explanation about Ham Radio Deluxe by a disabled operator seemed appropriate.

While our northern sisters are warming their toes and chestnuts on an open fire, we in the south will be wriggling our toes in warm seas and sand.  So while you relax during this holiday season, consider which YL meeting you would like to go to during 2017 - put it on your 'wish' list! 

SYLRA Meeting 08.-10. September 2017 in Kungsbacka SM6/Sweden; or the

ALARA meet  Sept 8th - 10th 2017, in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

During September Topsy ZL2LS stood as my (ZS5YH) sponsor to New Zealand's WARO  (Women's Amateur Radio Organization) and wondered how she might send me their badge? 

Fortunately Adele ZS5APT and her OM, who live only about 60 kms away from us,  were visiting New Zealand's South Island during October.  Although unfortunately too far away to meet-up in Nelson, Topsy then mailed the badge to Adele's next stop in Australia. 

I received the WARO badge at our November club meeting. Thank you Adele for acting as courier and Topsy for your patience - it would never have reached me otherwise.  

Seasons's Greetings To All - See you in the New Year. (Editor Heather ZS5YH/ZS6YE)

Further Afield

Topsy Scott ,  ZL2LS NZ 22 Nov 2016 

Hope this finds you well, we are all okay here in Nelson after the huge earthquake we had on the 14th November a 7.8.  Further down south did not survive so well only one life was lost to date.

We have our main trunk road (state highway) one from Blenheim to Christchurch which has been totally demolished and will take several months if not years to repair and that includes our main railway line as well  A very nerve wrecking time it was. 33

Local-is-Lekker

New YL's - Congratulations to the following ladies who up-graded their licenses: ZS5EB< ZU5EM Emmy Coetzee, Botes;  ZS5WV <ZU5BB Birgit Eggers;  ZS1MDK < ZU1M Maria de Kock, 

Welcome to our 'new' ladies: Sonestie Janse van Rensburg ZS6SVR; Juanita Keating ZS2JBK;  Ilse Kutcher ZS1LY; Kimmy Nair, ZS5KIM;  Ilse Minnaar ZS6IJ;  Petronella  Oldewage  ZS6PMO;  

Lida Roodt  ZR4TJ;  Valerie Wagner  ZS5VAL; 

and to the new 'restricted' operators:

twins Ashleigh ZU5MP & Nicole ZU5NJ Jordaan; ZU6MC Maryna Coetzer, ZU6NF Nadia Fourie.

3 upgrades; 8 General ; 4 - ZU's (restricted class) 15 Yls out of 75 RAE passes  = 20%!

Well done ladies, hope you will make many new friends and QSO's 

Midlands ARC report on JOTA, 2016

For JOTA we ( Midlands amateur radio club, Pietermaritzburg) had a station at the first Howick Scout group hall. the station was registered under callsign of scout leaders Marthin/ZS5MJ, and his son Jesse/ZU5JDJ.  As operators we had Koos/zs5kdk, Willem/zr5zs and yours truly.  We worked on HF, 2 meters and echolink, we used our own callsigns with /jota and that worked well.   Echolink was great fun, admittedly it is not REAL really, but I’d arranged something with a few people in the Netherlands, and one with zs4ek/ve5ten in Saskatchewan.

That was a great success, no qrm, Hein.a south African who has not that long ago relocated to Canada and one who has got a great way with children. The things they asked him!

 We will definitely have a station next year, for Koos and Willem it was their first time, for me it was quite a few years ago since being involved.   The others slept at the scout hall, I could not see the point in a sleeping bag on a concrete floor with 25 kids running around, with my own very comfortable bed not even 2 kms away - my old bones, too.     33 from a very wet Howick. Marjoke, ZS5V

From: Anette Jacobs (ZR6D) 30/11/2016 - some club news from Magalies Amateur Radio club.

During October 2016 we held a course in soldering.  Two YL's attended the course, myself ZR6D and our new YL and secretary  Irene Myburg ZS6IEA.  The course was very interesting. 

 During our AGM in September 2016 we asked the OM's to help the YL' s with antennas.  How to work out the length of the 20, 40 and 80 meters.  We are going to Kleinfontein on the 27th of November for our end of the year function during which the OM's will help us with the antennas.  I personally think that the OM's in our club are very keen to help the YL's providing that they are willing to learn.

From Mike of the Highway ARC who is encouraging YL's and Youth in Amateur Radio:-

 It is with much pride that I can say our new 13 year old club members and YLs' (identical twins) are making good use of the repeater. They are now well known in the club, and get a response every time they call - which as stated is often. They are like a breath of fresh air. Their confidence levels behind that PTT are a fine example to all. One cannot but wonder how this confidence, has impacted on their everyday interaction with their school peers.  

The Highway Amateur Radio Club are  presenting a full blown Amateur Radio display, including high altitude balloon at Watercrest Mall   9th, 10th 11th December, only 30 minutes from Durban.

Kindest regards,  Mike ZS5MAB  more info: rollo@mweb.co.za

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 Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been celebrated annually on 3 December around the world. The theme for this year's International Day is “Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want”. www.un.org/en/events/disabilitiesday/

The term tetraplegia refers to a condition that causes total or partial paralysis in all four limbs, including the whole of the body. Tetraplegia can be caused by injury or illness. Tetraplegic refers to an individual who suffers from tetraplegia. Quadriplegic is the American terminology for tetraplegic.

HAM RADIO FOR THE DISABLED

G0VQY  PENN WOODING is a tetraplegic. Disabled since the age of 16, he was licensed in 1995 and lives in Devon, England.

I've got my own vehicle and I use an electric wheelchair which means if I want to go out, I can at any time. Amateur Radio is the perfect hobby for any outgoing person that has to stay inside a lot.

The beauty with talking to someone over the airwaves is they can't see you, they don't know anything about you, if you wish you don't have to tell them you're disabled. Some people find it hard to relate to disabled people.

I met my friends on the radio over the years, most of them didn't know anything about my disability when I started talking to them. By the time we met personally we were already good friends and in most cases they really didn't notice the wheelchair.

Facebook and texting may be most people's choice of communication for keeping in touch, but you really never know who is going to return your call, and that is the excitement of amateur radio.

RADIOS & TECHNOLOGY

Amateur radio transceivers are very complex pieces of equipment nowadays. Most of them have knobs and buttons that you need to press and turn. If you choose the right radio you may be able to turn knobs and press buttons even if you haven't got much movement. However, I have not as yet owned an amateur radio transceiver that I find  easy-to-use.  But with the help of a computer and some very clever software, you can control most of your radio independently using your mouse and computer.

 I'd be the first person to say that being disabled really sucks. Having said that, I am so glad that I am not a disabled person living in the 60s, 70s, or 80s. I don't know how I would cope without the technology that we have nowadays.

Ham Radio Deluxe, or HRD as it's often referred to, what exactly is it? Well, to put it in the most basic term, HRD is a completely free piece of software that you download and install onto your computer. All you do then is connect your radio and if you use one, your antenna rotator to your computer and then you have the facility to control your radio/rotator using your computer.

There is quite a lot more to it and it's very clever as it will automatically turn your antenna using the correct beam headings for the person you are talking to. As long as you are using a radio/rotator that is compatible with the software, you will be able to control them with just the click of a mouse button.

Buttons on the transceiver appear as buttons on the screen, you just click on them. On the other hand, knobs that require you to turn them on your transceiver appear as slider controls. There are a  couple of main slider controls that enable you to tune through the frequency. I use a Kensington Trackball Optical Mouse on the computer that is connected to my transceiver. If you are familiar with this trackball then you will know the facilities it has. You can program one of the buttons to act as a drag function.  It's easy for a disabled ham radio operator to control a very complicated amateur radio transceiver with just a trackball mouse.

http://www.tetraplegicliving.com/amateur-radio-my-hobbies

http://www.g0vqy.co.uk/

EVENTS:  Reminder   LBT (Listen Before Transmit)

December is YOTA Month - From 1 to 31 December 2016, the annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) takes place and YOTA stations will attempt to make many contacts worldwide with each other.

The International Naval Contest (INC) takes place every year on the second weekend of December. This year, ARMI, the "Associazione Radioamatori Marinai Italiani (ITALY)", will be sponsor of the International Naval Contest.

When:       10th December 2016 16:00 UTC  to  11th December 2016 15:59 UTC

All Bands;  All  Modes ;  Points:   Naval club members -  10 pts  Non-Naval members -  1 pt

http://www.marinefunker.de/eng/show.php3?pos=16#top

Holyland Christianity on the Air – HCOTA

The Israel Amateur Radio Club (IARC) presents its new Holyland Christianity On The Air (HCOTA) award programme. Objectives are amateur radio operations from a number of locations with strong ties to Christianity. The activity starts during this year's Christmas period with 4 special event stations - 4X2XMAS, 4X3XMAS, 4X7XMAS and 4X9XMAS).

The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias, is a large freshwater lake in Israel,  about 21 km (13 mi) long, and 13 km (8.1 mi) wide. . At levels between 215 metres (705 ft) and 209 metres (686 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake). The lake is fed partly by under-ground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south.

4X2XMAS  HOCOTA  Christmas 2016 - N07KT YARDENIT

Yardenit is the unique and registered site of baptism for Christian pilgrims, at the place where the Jordan River flows out of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee and into the Dead Sea.

4X3XMAS  HOCOTA  Christmas 2016  - N05KT Church of Beatiudes, near Korazim. Overlooking the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Church of the Beatitudes is a Roman Catholic church. The site offers vistas of the northern part of the lake, across to the cliffs of the Golan Heights. 

4X7XMAS  HOCOTA Christmas 2016  - O06KT 4XFF-0024 KURSI

Kursi takes its name from the Talmudic site;  meaning “chair” in Semitic languages. 

The site is now an Israeli national park located near the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee on the bank of a river bed, Nahal Samakh, descending from the Golan Heights. Kursi is the site of the largest known Byzantine monastery complex in Israel, whose  remains have been partly reconstructed

4X9XMAS  HOCOTA Christmas 2016 - Tabgha KM72SU 

Tabcha (Tabgha, Ein Sheva, seven springs) is a place in the north-west section of the Sea of Galilee which is blessed by seven springs, on the side of the ancient road from Tiberias to Damascus. 

The area was one of the best places in the Sea of Galilee for fishing. Some of the seven springs  are warm sulfuric springs, such as Ein-Nur and Ein-Ayub (Job's spring). This caused the fish to gather here, especially  in the cold winter months, and so were an easy catch for the fishermen.

Sources:  HF Happenings 729,  14 November 2016

http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism http://www.seetheholyland.net/

http://www.biblewalks.com/sites/tabcha.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee

Beit Guvrin a World Heritage Site and National Park in central Israel, will be activated for the first time from 07:00 UTC Friday 23 December and Saturday 24 December, until noon. 

Operators from the Holyland DX Group,will  run CW and SSB on the WWFF (Wordwide Flora and Fauna) frequencies using call sign, 4X07W  QRZ.com

“Kempenzonen on the Air ( KOTA) a Christmas Activation  (ONFF)

26 december 2016 “Kempenzonen on the Air” is a group of WWFF friends from the Kempen area (Campine) in Flanders Belgium. Part of the Campine is protected as the Hoge Kempen Nationaal Park

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QRZ CONTACTS:   zs6ye.yl@gmail.com   zr6d@ymail.com Facebook ‘HAM Yl’  (YLs only) 

where to find yl.beam newsletters : 
WEST RAND ARC      https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.co.za/

also                   
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I. –  La rivista   http://www.unionradio.it/qtc/

Calendar

03 Dec International Day of Persons with Disabilities 

09-11 Dec  Highway ARC   Radio display, including high altitude balloon  @ Watercrest Mall

10 Dec  International Naval Contest (INC)

11 - Dec SARL Youth Net  (YOTA 1 - 31 Dec.)

16  Dec Day of Reconciliation (S African holiday)

21  Dec  Summer Solstice

23-24  Dec Holyland Christianity on the Air – HCOTA

24 Dec Alexanderson - Varberg Radio Swedan, Station activation. 

25  Dec  Christmas Day; Channukah (1st Day)

26  Dec  “Kempenzonen on the Air” (KOTA) ONFF 

yl.beam #40 nov 2016

yl.beam   #40   November 2016

CONTENTS:
Long cane rally.   
Blind YL AJ7CA. Cathi Anderson    
NZ Yls Digital Voice    
Thailand - silent key & SEANET    
Events: Dutch Ham Radio Convention;  Argentina Railways; 
UFT-YL-CW-Contest French;  YL-MAFC  Austria; Women of Chile Diploma   
Calendar; QRZ

Long cane rally.

This morning we had a most amazing experience. We had been asked, ZS1ACD, Henk my husband, and myself (ZS1TOX) to do radio comms for the long cane rally, an event which takes place every second year, where blind people of all ages take part in a long walk. This year it took place on Rondebosch common, where a tarred track runs right around the common an absolute beautiful venue which is used to the full by the Cape Town public. Four radio amateurs were placed on the corners to see to the safety of the participants. We  assisted  other volunteer marshals who called upon us to radio in emergencies or other assistance required from the organisers. For instance a number of elderly folk needed to be picked up through sheer exhaustion, by the medical team in their mini bus.
As always one is humbled to see how the blind folk cope. The young boys and girls even set quite a pace. Some more fortunate were led by their guide dogs. Others, some quite old, came past with their long canes swishing in front of them.
I was most impressed by the marshal closest to us, who greeted each participant by the number on their bib and talked them around the corner without being condescending, but with utmost respect.
We used hand-held radios and operated on 145 525, which worked quite well.
Two hours later it was all over, we went home with a song in our hearts, most satisfied
Margareta Toxopeus, ZS1TOX     14/10/2016 

Pionierskool - Worcester, Western Cape The School for the Blind was established in 1881.
October 15 is national White Cane Safety Day, which acknowledges the independence and skill of people with visual impairments who use a white cane to navigate.

Facebook: Die jaarlikse Long Cane Rally het vandag plaasgevind by Rondebosch Common en was 'n reuse sukses. Ons leerders het dit baie geniet en baie goed gevaar. Baie dankie aan al die onderwysers en leerders betrokke! Vir die meeste blindes en swaksiendes wat deelneem was dit 'n onbekende omgewing en terrein. En hulle doen dit meesterlik. Respek. Die marshalls en ander amptenare moes mooi konsentreer en sorg dat alles glad en veilig verloop.
     
Blind YL     AJ7CA. Cathi Anderson     

www.standard.net/Hers/2015/05/27/CQ
Cathi's husband Bob introduced her to the hobby more than 23 years ago when Cathi lost her eyesight to glaucoma. It was a way for her to connect with others in her blindness, she says, and to keep her sanity.  “When you can’t see and you can’t drive, you’re kind of shut in,” Cathi says during at interview at her Tremonton (USA) home. But, she adds, “To communicate with different people all over the world — it’s fun.” For his wife, Bob says, ham radio “kind of opened up the world. She got to meet some people she wouldn’t have otherwise on the radio.”
Bob, a retired mechanical engineer enjoys the technical aspects of the couple’s hobby but Cathy says she isn’t that interested in how to build a radio or set up an antenna.  “I like talking to different people,” says AJ7CA.
The thing about ham radio, which allows users to communicate on designated radio frequencies, is that it appeals to people with all sorts of interests, whether it’s engineering radio set-ups or learning Morse Code.  “If you like a particular thing to do in ham radio, you form a group,” says Cathi, who, with Bob, is was one of the organizers for summer’s Utah Hamfest.
Once she decided to become a ham, Cathi earned her amateur advanced license. She also completed the Worked All States award, which requires making contact with a radio operator in each of the 50 states. The all-states project was something the couple’s sons, Matthew and Brian, also took part in. Later, Brian got his ham license too.
Ham operators throughout the world have been credited with providing vital assistance during catastrophes like Hurricanes or earthquakes. Although the Andersons fortunately haven’t faced any emergency situations in their own home town, they say it’s a good feeling to know their radio skills could be useful if needed.
In today’s world of technology, many take the ability to communicate for granted but Cathi says in most emergencies, the cell phone towers are the first thing to go down. But, she adds, “Ham  radio would be there.”   

Ja-Well-No-Fine :
BYLARA report from VK4SJ June on the CLARA website Well written with great  pics with captions – please go to:  http://www.clarayl.ca/index.php/iyl-convention-2016
JOTA seems to have been well supported this year judging from Facebook pictures and the Witches-on-the-Air event drew responses from Canada, Brasil, Australia and New Zealand. Hope the Portuguese ladies made lots of QSO's? Perhaps next year we'll be more prepared, propagation will improve and more of us will be able to join.
Please share your radio thoughts, activities and pics with us.  88 from your Editor ZS6YE 
 

Witches on the Air.
 
Digital Voice - YL's create communication history    NZ WARO June 2016
An exciting new addition to Amateur Radio Digital Voice On HF
Over the last couple of months my OM Graeme ZL2APV and his friend Peter VK3RV have been using a new form of communication called Digital Voice Radio.
Jenny VK5ANW is Peter’s VK3RV partner and a very active ALARA member for many years.
The mode is known as FreeDV and it is free.
It is not a Hi Fi system but a software addition to your HF radios. The code for this system was developed by 3 hams, David Witten KD0EAG, Francesco Lanza HB9TLK and Peter Martinez G3PLX and available to all licensed amateurs to use.
You can download the software to your computer from www.freedv.org and its available for windows, Linux or OSX. You use it with your existing HF radio as you would other digital modes.
It is mainly used on 20 & 40 metres but can be used on all bands.
One of the big advantaged of this mode of radio is the fact it can be used where electrical noise is a major problem in your area. This is especially noticeable in high density suburbs.
A freeDV signal would compare with a Skype or echo-link QSO where it is either there or it isn't. This difference being this signal is sent over the air instead of the internet.
At the point where it is dropping out, snatches of speech occur. Compared to SSB it requires a stronger signal generally to lock into clear speech.
Last month I had the opportunity to make contact with Jenny VK3WQ, and as far as we know we were the first Yl's to make contact on this mode between Australia and New Zealand.
By Ngaire ZL2UJT (on the radio below)

 

RAST (Radio Amateur Society Thailand)
Silent key:  The key of the world's longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, HS1A, of Thailand went silent on Thursday 13 October 2016 aged 88 in a hospital in Bangkok. He ascended to the throne on 9 June 1946.
Awarded the call-sign HS1A during August 1989. Five years later, in November 1994, His Majesty placed RAST (Radio Amateur Society Thailand) under his royal patronage.
Government agencies throughout Thailand will fly flags at half-mast for 30 days following the King’s death and government officials will wear black in mourning for a year.
The ARDF Championships which had been planned for November 5-6 at Nong Prue near Pattaya have been postponed to the weekend of January 28-29, 2017 to respect the passing of the King.

The Thai radio society offered the country's first Advance Class license examination in June. 2016 Although Advanced level licenses have been permitted since 1987, no Advanced exam existed. The only holder of an Advanced level license in Thailand was the King of Thailand, who received his ticket in the 1980s.

The Southeast Asia Net (SEANET)  activated by the members of RAST, Thailand's national amateur radio society.
Thai net control station invites stations to check into SEANET from across the South-east Asian region on 14.320 MHz from 12.00z  (7 p.m. in Bangkok and Jakarta) onwards.
Conducted twice a week, every Monday and Friday, Amateur radio stations anywhere in the world are welcome to check into SEANET, whose main role is to be on standby to handle any medical or emergency traffic. In the past SEANET has helped sailors and crew members on yachts in distress while also serving as a guide to propagation conditions and being a meeting point for hams in the region where they can meet friends before QSYing away from the net frequency for a QSO.
SEANET began operating on 14.320 MHz in late 1963 and the first SEANET Convention was held in Penang in 1971. Realising that Hams comes to know one another only by voice, the SEANET group decided that they should meet, face to face. SEANET Conventions were the result. Since then the convention has been an annual event while the net had been manned by volunteer net control stations from around the region. Net activity declined and no longer meets as regularly and this initiative by RAST hopes to redress this by conducting the net at least twice a week.

The 44th SEANET Convention will held on 18th - 21st November 2016 at Pattaya, Thailand.
Pattaya is a popular beach resort on the Gulf of Thailand just 150 km. south-east of Bangkok.

JOTA Thailand (Facebook pics from HS1ASC Thida Denpruektham),
 
http://www.seanet2016.com/static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1256345   http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/april/seanet

EVENTS
 Op 5 november 2016 van 9.30-17.00 uur in de Americahal te Apeldoorn Op 5 november 2016 vindt de 56e Dag voor de RadioAmateur plaats. Deze dag wordt georganiseerd door VERON, Vereniging voor Experimenteel Radio Onderzoek in Nederland. Naast het officiële gedeelte zijn er diverse lezingen, de zelfbouwtentoonstelling de AMRATO (commerciële handelaren),

HAM RADIO CONVENTION 2016   On November 5th 2016 from 9.30-17.00 in the Americahal in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands 56th Ham Radio Convention will again take place. Organiser is VERON, the Dutch radio society. Besides the official part, “the Radio Amateur of the year 2015” supported by the Scientific Radiofonds Veder will be nominated and several lectures will be given.
https://dvdra.veron.nl/english/visitors/programme-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
6th and 7th of November, the sixth edition of the event previously known as 'Dia Nacional do AM em Portugal' (National Day of AM in Portugal). 80m, 40m, 20m, 10m, 6m and 2m between 08AM UTC Saturday Nov 5 until 11:59PM UTC Sunday Nov 6.
ARLA - The Portuguese 'Associação de Radioamadores do Litoral Alentejano'-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
8º Jornada Radial Ferroviaria Argentina - 8th Annual Argentina Railways on the Air
Radio Club Argentina invites all amateur operators and clubs to participate in their annual event on Saturday 12 November 2016.  started in 2009, and now in its 8th year, this event which is not a contest but a fun event, encouraging operators to set up a radio-station, individually or as a club, for the purpose of enjoying our hobby in or near railway stations. Some of these historial locations some  are still operational many not.
Objective? To contact as many of the railway stations that are taking part.
All licensed  modes and bands may be used, with emphasis on 80m and 40m SSB.
All licensed Amateur radio operators are welcome.  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-   
UFT-YL-CW-Contest (Union Francaise of the Telegraphist) November 2016
Friday 18 nov.: 19:00 – 21:00 UTC 80m 3.520 – 3.560
Saturday 19 nov.: 08:00 – 10:00 UTC 40m 7.010 – 7.030
Operating modes:    CW
Call:    YLs: CQ test          OMs: CQYL    
Exchange:
YLs: RST + Serial No./YL/Name
OMs: RST + Serial No./Name
Classes:    YLs, OMs, and SWL
Scoring:     Per QSO between
          OM/YL          1  point       YL/YL           2 points
          OM/OM          0 point    SWLs: 3 points
Multiplier Points:    One point per DXCC country
Scoring:    Sum of the QSO points times the sum of the multiplier points
Power : High power output over 100 w;                 Low power output 100w or less
Logs:    Heading: operator Call, name, address
Columns: date, UTC, QRG, Call, RST given, RST received, names of countries for the multi
Logs must be signed and show the claimed score
Logs must be sent no later than 31/12/2016 to:
Contest Manager:   f5rpb@orange.fr    F5RPB     Evelyne TERRAIL
    or 575 CHEMIN DE SAINT JEAN,  26340 SAILLANS,  France
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„Mödlinger Amateurfunkclub“ (MAFC). Austria
invitation to the 3rd round of the YL-MAFC event on 18 Nov. 2016 19:00 LT
Where: 3675Khz +/- in 80m band
Call: Club callsign MAFC (OE3XMC or OE3XMU)
After the round, all listeners and OM's are invited to confirm traffic.
All YL's, from other ADL`s (Austrian District Locator) and other organizations are welcome to join.
I am looking forward to your numerous participation.          Best 73, 88    OE3YTA, Tina
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WOMEN OF CHILE DIPLOMA
This diploma is designed to recognize 10 influential ladies from Chile
Although there are other women deserving recognition, we have chosen to focus on these 10 who are leaders in their fields.
All radio amateurs from Chile plus international operators, Clubs and SWL's are encouraged to participate in the earning of points.
Activate 10 Chilean lady operators to qualify for the  Galvano"Mujeres de Chile 2016" diploma.
Activate 7 Chilean lady operators  to qualify for the "Mujeres de Chile 2016" diploma
Special QSLs will be issued by the activating stations.
Each operating station will represent  one of the 10 ladies honoured during this operation.
Dates: 19-20, and 26-27 November 2016, on 40m Band, SSB.
All participants will receive special QSL's which will also form part of the accreditation towards the existing  Diploma YL of Chile     http://www.ylc.cl
Call: CQ CQ Diploma “Ladies of Chile 2016”
Exchange: call-sign and RST of the calling station;
call-sign and RST of official station, including the name of the woman being honoured.
Send logs and QSL in adif format to contactos@ylc.cl    until 11 December 2016
(electronic logs encouraged and preferred)
Paper logs will be accepted until 18 December, 2016, according to postmark.
Stations requesting a  QSL should send  confirmation and contact:  contactos@ylc.cl
Postal address: Leticia San Martín Corrial – XQ4NUA
 Federico Errázuriz #397 Pichilemu – Chile
Email for more information     Organized by YLC,  http://www.ylc.cl
  
QRZ CONTACTS:   zs6ye.yl@gmail.com      zr6d@ymail.com   
Facebook ‘HAM Yl’   Please join Facebook as a friend. (YLs only)
Find yl.beam Newsletters:
WEST RAND ARC       wrarc-anode.blogspot.com    https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.co.za/   
also in the monthly publication of the Italian Radio Amateurs Union:
QTC U.R.I. - Unione Radioamatori Italiani Anno 1° - N. 0 - Ottobre 2016
QTC – La rivista della Unione Radioamatori Italiani

Calendar
5       Nov     Durban ARC open day/Flea market
5       Nov      Brasil –  Dia Nacional do Radioamador (Day of Radio Amateurs).
5 Nov      The Netherlands. 56th Ham Radio Convention
5   Nov     SARL RaDAR Challenge 00:00 UTC to 23:59 UTC
6   Nov     PEARS HF Contest  1200-1600 UTC phone only, on 20, 15 and 10 metre band
6 - 7  Nov      6th  'Dia Nacional do AM em Portugal' (National Day of AM in Portugal)
11    Nov    Veterans Day/ Remembrance Sunday 13th
12     Nov.     Argentina 8th  ROTA
12-13.Nov     FIRAC - HF SSB (Fone) Contest  http://www.firac.de/html/contest. [Railways]
17-19 Nov    Cherry Express, Sandstone
18     Nov.       YL-MAFC 
18-19 Nov    UFT-YL-CW-Contest
19     Nov     AWA-SA  (Antique Wireless Assoc.)  AGM & Swop-meet, 10h00 SAST, Old Observatory, Johannesburg
18-21 Nov     44th annual SEANET Convention PATAYA, THAILAND
26     Nov    Westrand Amateur Radio Club Flea market / 32nd Birding Big Day -  celebrates bird diversity
26-27 Nov        CQ WW DX CW Contest
26        Nov      AMSAT-SA  SDR workshop at the NARC
4     Dec     SARL Digital Contest 13:00 - 16:00 UTC  Sunday
 

yl.beam #39 Oct 2016

Contents:

Local not so Lekker    

Update YL activity at Hedingen, Switzerland HB88YL
Ladyada - Limor Fried ( AC2SN)     

Ja-Well-No-Fine
40th Anniversary, 2015 –  Rosel DL3KWR
JOTA (Jamboree on the Air)   14 - 16 Oct 2016     

Radio  Patch Program for Girl Scouts
YL Chili - Aniversary Contest  results

Zombie Shuffle
QRZ ; Calender; Sources 

​Local not so Lekker
In sending out the YL Sprint contest address, your editor used the SARL Contest Manual (14th).
Unfortunately there have been problems with the published email address and although every effort was made by the Contest Manager to alert everyone, I'm afraid I missed them. It was only when one of our contesting ladies advised that she had been omitted that this was brought to our attention.
I realize how frustrating it is when having made the effort you seem to have been ignored. My apologies. Do hope no other entrants were effected?  Please let me know if your log was not acknowledged.  73  Heather   ZS6YE/ZS5YH

YL activity at Hedingen, Switzerland
Evi F5RPBupdated us on HB88YL event: From 19.08 to 21.08 some Yls from France,Germany and Switzerland had  a little meeting in Hedingen near Zurich (locator:JN47FH). Some of them coming with their OM's. During this time they could  be active in their hobby and to be together.
The conditions were bad but 1722 QSOs are in the log in different modes:

CW  760 ;  SSB  707 ;   digital: 255 (JT65 1,PSK31 37, PSK63 193, RTTY 24)
All the bands except 80m were activated:
DL5YL,Tina; F5RPB, Evi; and HB9EPE Dora were QRV in CW
F4GDI Christine was QRV in digital modes
Other Yls  DK2YL, Siggi; F1EOY, Mado were QRV in SSB and some visitors from HB:
HB9EGR, Regy; HB9FPM, Eva; HB9FRC, Chantal; HB9FIW Regina;
HB9FZC Carine and HB9HVW Vroni
The OMs had to install on Thursday the antennas and 3 different stations.
Thanks to all the OMs and Yls who called HB88YL.​

On July 17, 2016, the White House celebrated 10 Champions of Change for 'Making' -
New Yorker Limor Fried was one of them.
Ladyada - Limor Fried ( AC2SN)  

Graduate student, Fried posted plans of an open-source MP3 player and other electronic projects on her MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) webpage. The plans became so popular, she started making kits and selling them. In 2005 MIT hacker & engineer, Limor Fried  known to her fans as Ladyada (a nod to Ada Lovelace, who’s been called the world’s first computer programmer *), founded Adafruit.
The company was an organic outgrowth of her own DIY projects online, which, she discovered, found an eager audience. “People loved the tutorials, and there was nothing else like it at the time,” says Fried.
Need to spec a battery? Don’t know how to solder? Want to sew electronics into your pants? Adafruit’s got an online tutorial.
Learning electronics and computer science can be intimidating—there's so much to know and do. 'Ask an Engineer' a weekly show started in 2010 in Fried's living room. The concept was that viewers could ask her any questions about engineering while she was assembling electronics kits and Phillip Torrone, her spouse, was preparing shipments.
Using YouTube, company mascot Adabot and Fried herself, teach computer-generated robot engineering basics,  “More people in the world can sew and do crafts than electronics,” she told Embedded Computing Design magazine in 2014. Today Adafruit offers two wearable platforms FLORA and GEMMA, and features interesting applications for both in a blog series, #Wearable Wednesday.
The first female engineer to ever grace the cover of Wired magazine; a maverick with an unconventional management style and a bright pink hair coif, Fried has made it her mission to educate others — especially young people and women — about the endless possibilities of DIY electronics.
 

The above article is in celebration of 2016 Ada Lovelace Day, 13 October.
*Ada Lovelace  (10 Dec. 1815 -27 Nov. 1852)  English mathematician and writer.

Silent Key:  

Vince Iorio, ZS6RU, went silent key on Friday 30 September 2016. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife Gabriela, ZS6S, and family.  SARL News 2 Oct. 2016

Ja-Well-No-Fine
By the time you receive this newsletter those YL's who attended the BYLARA Intrnational YL meeting will be on their way home. Please ladies share the experience with the rest of us; drop us a line, some pics, post on Facebook.
    Below is a letter sent to our NZ sisters from a German YL which ties in with Jota. Again if any our our ladies are involved in this event please share.
    Thanks to Topsy Scott,  ZL2LS who has sponsored and welcomed me (ZS6YE) as a member of WARO, NZ. Topsy wondered about sending a badge and fortunately Adele ZS5APT and OM Sid ZS5AYC will be visiting New Zealand's South Island during October. After several emails we are hoping that there will be a 'meet-up'.  Topsy and I are hoping for news for both our bulletins! Adele and Sid are hoping to activate SOTA (Summits on the Air) while in NZ land.
    Nuria Font Soler S9WL (YL station operated by Núria, EA3WL) was on the air from the 26Th September to the 2nd October 2016). 6265 QSO were made at lhéu Das Rolas (São Tomé E Príncipe). Go to her Facebook page to see more pictures of this Dxpedition.. São Tomé and Príncipe are Portuguese-speaking islands in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.

​WARO - New Zealand Women Amateur Radio Operators    

BULLETIN    March 2016
My 40th Anniversary year 2015 – Rosel DL3KWR (German YL)   
The jubilees 90 years IARU and 65 years DARC with its whole year activities was a big challenge. In addition our district Mecklenburg-Vorpommern celebrated its 25th anniversary in July which is the annual activity month for the Sea of Peace Award. At last in December was my personal anniversary; in 1975 I obtained my first licence DM2AEA. On the occasion of this anniversary my family surprised me on my birthday with a personal stamp which daughter Sabine DL3KWS had designed. She is the designer of QSLs in the QSLSHOP.
This anniversary I have celebrated by activation of YL club call signs in Contests. At first I worked as DLØYLV in July and once more in October for the first time in the Worked All Germany Contest (WAG). Than in September during our Denmark vacation I activated as SYLRA member OZ6SYL. In this time fell the CW part of the Scandinavian Activity Contest (SAC). Of course my OM Hardy DL3KWF and me have taken part - the first time as „Scandinavian“. To my surprise I got a nice Trophy as the best Scandinavian YL.
Finally I have represented DAØYL in the CW part of WWDX Contest. The conclusion of my anniversary year was the TOPS Activity Contest (TAC) at the beginning of December. In 1976 I was present for the first time in the TAC. This Contest was organised since 1947 by the English TOPS CW CLUB as a 80-metre CW contest. During the next years I left OM-Hardy as a long-standing TOPS member often this contest. In 2007 the Romanian Professional Radio of CW Operators Club (PRO-CW-CLUB International) took over the TAC and filled it with new life. Since 2010 the TAC is a five-Band Contest and I participate regularly in it. From the DL participants I always obtained one of the first three places. Thanks of the new admission rules and my good references. in November 2015 I gained full membership of this club. Up to now Mila OK1KI has been the only YL member. So I started as DAØYL and am now a "newly-qualified pro“. According to the call sign I was classified in the Club stations category and reached third place which was awarded with a medal. In the professional category my result would have been an eighth place.
The TOPS Contest is one of the oldest Contests generally with an interesting history. But its Account and evaluation are uncomplicated and contemporary. Mistakes in the log and QSOs with no-settle-up are deducted. Within two weeks after the end of contest, results are on the internet. This CW contest has now arrived in the amateur radio modern era. It is nice that one can be present.
Altogether was coming in my anniversary year 9,866 QSOs (99,2% CW) in my logs: DL3KWR, CT9, foreign country, club). And the total result of my amateur radio life are 164,330 QSOs under 50 call signs. To think in such categories, I would not have dreamt of 40 years ago.      Rosel DL3KWR
World Scout Jamboree in Japan.    And one more highlight had the year 2015 for my OM Hardy DL3KWF and me: our grandson Tim is a boy scout and had the enormous luck to take part in the World Scout Jamboree in Japan. Ten years ago we had both visited radio friends in Okinawa, Kyoto, Tokyo and taken part in Osaka in the very first Asian Pacific DX Convention. These pictures and impressions are to us still alive in our in memory. Now we could see on the Internet the opening and final ceremony. These 33,000 young people from all over the world (1,000 only from Germany) to see them peacefully gathered together and to feel their enthusiasm, was very magnificent. We saw our Tim and also Vala TF3VD with her daughter Odny. And we know about Truus VE3MRS that her grandson James was also an attendee. I would have liked to have known too with pleasure how many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of radio amateurs were there at the Jamboree.
In this year we will be active the 20th time from Madeira. Than we will be there a whole year. And last in October we look forward at the International YL Meet in England to seeing old friends and making new ones     

http://www.dl3kwr.de/Reisen-e.htm.
SARL (S African Radio League) webpage 9/9/2016
 

JOTA Jamboree on the Air is in its 59th Year, and Radio Amateurs and Clubs are needed to assist with setting up HF stations for either a day or the full weekend for Scout Groups around the country. This great annual event takes place on the 15 - 17 Oct 2016 which really increases youth interest in our hobby. More info at   http://jotajoti.info/new
 

​Young Ladies' Radio League, Inc.    June 17 · 2016
ARRL Now Offering New "Radio and Wireless Technology" Patch Program for Girl Scouts
The ARRL has a new Girl Scouts "Radio and Wireless Technology" patch program that offers opportunities for participants to learn about wireless technology, including Amateur Radio. The program incorporates information and exploratory activities that provide a backdrop for understanding radio communication and will kindle an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and careers.
The initiative for the program came about through conversations with hams who wanted to work with Girl Scouts and wanted a patch program that would introduce ham radio, as the 'Radio' merit badge does in the Boy Scouts
Carol Milazzo, KP4MD of the Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL), believes that more YL role models and Elmers are needed to reach out and welcome both new and inactive YLs and encourage them to get on the air, to upgrade and join the mainstream amateur community. The Girl Scout Patch is a start.
The program includes a curriculum for Girl Scouts at all levels, introducing them to radio waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, GPS, and ham radio itself.  The program defines the requirements for Girl Scouts to earn the patch at the Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador levels. Local clubs are encouraged to work with Girl Scouts and help them along.
 You can find the information on the ARRL web site, or email djohnson@arrl.org.
Read more at http://www.arrl.org/…/arrl-now-offering-new-radio-and-wirel…
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/
 

YL Chile- Aniversary Contest 27-28 August 2016 results:
1st     CA2MEM    Wins digital subscription to CQ Magazine
2nd     CE5JZO     Diploma.
3rd    CA3SOC    Diploma
Overall OM Winner     CD3JEI
Overall YL Winner     CA2MEM
XQ4NUA  Leticia San Martin | septiembre 25, 2016

THE ZOMBIE SHUFFLE (Zombies don't sprint). An annual event held on the Friday nearest Halloween - October 28, 2016, local sundown until Midnight. There is no point to the Zombie Shuffle except to get on the air and have fun with fellow Zombies and QRPers,regardless of your code speed. Its  not a 35wpm event.
WHERE:  20, 40, and 80 meters -- Somewhere in the vicinity of the QRP watering holes: 14.060, 7.030, 7.040, 7.106, 3.560, 3.710, or anything else that works  MODE:  CW only, QRP (5W or less) Call CQ BOO
 If you haven't been on the air for awhile, or you are a new CW ham, your fist is “rusty,” or your code speed is slow, this is the “contest” to put a few contacts in the log.    http://www.zianet.com/qrp/zombie/zombie.htmk
 

QRZ CONTACTS:   zs6ye.yl@gmail.com      zr6d@ymail.com   
Facebook ‘HAM Yl’   Please join Facebook as a friend. (YLs only)

find yl.beam newsletters :

WEST RAND ARC       wrarc-anode.blogspot.com        

https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.co.za/   
PS:  new AFDX Contest Website now online:   

http://www.afdxcontest.com/results-2016

Calendar
3-10    Oct    BYLARA  YL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016)
         RSGB 2016 Convention 7-9 October
13     Oct    Ada Lovelace Day   
14-16     Oct     YL Forum at ARRL Pacificon Convention, San Ramon, CA.USA
15     Oct     CQ Hou Koers
14 - 16 Oct     2016  59th JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) /  20th JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet)
15     Oct    SCOPEX 2016   Annual Telescope and Astronomy Expo. - 9am to 9pm
         Museum of Military History, Johannesburg   http://www.scopex.co.za/
15    Oct.    AWA (Antique Wireless Assoc.) Hamfes Camp Harrismith (OFS)
20    Oct     RAE (Radio Amateur Exam)
21    Oct    DÍA DEL RADIOAFICIONADO ARGENTINO
 26     Oct    37th Aniversary SAMMN (S African Maritime Mobile Net) Started 1979
29 - 30 Oct     CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB    0000Z, Oct 29 to 2400Z, Oct 30
31      Oct       Halloween 2016, Monday,
01-02 Nov. All Saints' Day- All Souls Day
 

    -=-=-=-=-=-=
 

Sources:
https://www.adafruit.com/about
https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/2016/06/30/how-limor-fried-built-a-diy-tech-empire
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/07/14/making-maker-movement
http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/profile-limor-fried

yl.beam #38 sept 2016

NEWS FOR LADY RADIO AMATEURS

Contents: 

Results of the SARL YL Sprint; Local-is-Lekker; Love-your-Mic
Africa All Mode International DX Contest ; ZU license – South Africa;
DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest Ja-Well-No-Fine;
BYLARA & RSGB Conventions 2016 Railways on the air (ROTA)
British Railways Amateur Radio Society (BRARS) & FIRAC
Thomas the Tank Engine' the 'Railway Series'
QRZ; Calendar; Sources

Results of the SARL YL Sprint

received 8 logs, 1 check log. Six Yls, 3 OMs submitted logs.
1st Colette Rundle, ZS2CR, 190 points
2nd Heather Holland, ZS5YH, 124 points
3rd Judy Pretorius, ZS6JDY, 108 points

4th Jocelyn Hallendorff, ZS6JKL, 102 points
5th Pam Momberg, ZS6APT, 59 points
Marjoke, ZS5V submitted a check log
6th Romeo Nardini, ZS6ARQ, 28 points
7th Barry Nugent, ZS2NF, 22 points
8th Theuns Potgieter, ZS2EC, 11 points

Congratulations to you all for taking part and a special Thank-you to our supportive OM friends.

(ZS5YH log: 36 contacts, 8 yls, 28 OMs)Local-is-Lekker
This has not been a good week. We live in a gated village and someone did not like the 80m loop antenna so the OM had to dismantle it! (The air was blue with cussing.)
On the up-side we met a local yl Wendy (ZS5WZ) and OM Mike ZS5MAB.
Mike is handling the “Youth & YL” portfolio for the Highway Club KZN ( ZS5HAM) and is looking for ideas? He would like to be your “go-to-guy” if you need help with putting up an antenna, sourcing equipment, anything radio related you want to know. Phone +27 829415488
Extract from Mike's letter:
there must be a way to get YL’s even more interested and excited about the hobby”,
“is there anything more that can be done to make it more relevant for them”,
“why did they go to much trouble to get a licence in the 1st place”,
“is it the basic current format of the Ham activities that excludes YL’s from activity”
"what would they like from the hobby”
“is it all about confidence”
“is the hobby perceived to be male dominated domain, and this status quo actively maintained by various means? – why?”
“at what level of the hobby are YL specific interests catered for”
“what are the specific YL interests that can be built on”
I have many more questions and no, none, nothing answers. But am determined to find some.
Ed: Ladies - we need your input, send your thoughts and pics, share your stories with us (please).

​ 


Love-your-Mic
How to get ladies on the air? You HAVE to use the mic.
Most of us were mic-shy but with practise it does get easier.
Call into your local bulletins or nets – usually you only need to give your call-sign (that’s easy) and say”thanks for the bulletin”.
Contests (no don't throw your hands up) are easier than you think.
Just answer those operators calling. They want the points and will do most of the work.
They need your call-sign, signal report (you will notice they are all 59!) and will tell you what else they need. They don't have time to chat.
It allows you to practise, with no stress and you will gain exposure and credibility.
Try it – isn't this why you got your license?
Editor: See you down the log. 88 Heather, ZS6YE/ZS5YH

PS: Annette ZR6D will be reading the SARL Sunday bulletin in Afrikaans, 18 September, listen out for her.

Africa All Mode International DX Contest 17 and 18 September 2016
The contest runs from 12:00 UTC on Saturday to 12:00 UTC on Sunday.
Single and multi-operator stations may operate for the entire 24-hour period.
There are no mandated breaks in operating time required. All bands, all modes.
Entries must be submitted in Cabrillo format only and be received by Monday 3 October 2016. Entries must be sent to contest@sarl.org.za
Rookie Award -You are eligible to mark your log as a rookie entry if you were licensed for the first time on, or less than two years prior to, the contest date.AFRICA DX NET
Every Saturday afternoon 14UTC 14.260Mhz - with V51MA, MIKE in Namibia; ZS6MHK, THINUS in South Africa and A25SL, LEON in Botswana. DXNET Controllers operate from 3 different countries as conditions allow Although not too far apart - its something special for international DX as well local participants. Africa DXNET is NOT related to ANY Organization. It is purely for loads of fun.

NB: SARL National Field Day September 10-11, 2016, the ONLY e-mail address to use for your log is: zs4bfn@mweb.co.za 

***** 

ZU license – South Africa

If you hold a ZU license and are older than 25, your license will expire on 31 March 2017 and will not be renewable. ICASA recommends that the affected persons enrol for a Class A license course and write the next RAE in October 2016.
The revised regulation stipulates that persons under 20 years old can write the Class B examination and if successful, can hold a ZU or Class B license until 25 years old after which, if they would like to continue with Amateur Radio, they have to sit the Class A examination to qualify for a Class A license. On 31 March 2017, the grace period that the SARL negotiated with ICASA expires.
If you are over 25 and still hold a ZU license do not lose out. Write the October examination. Tutorial material is available free of charge. Download it from www.sarl.org.zaDX/NA YL Anniversary Contest September 3Øth- October 2nd http://www.ylrl.org/ 1400 UTC-0200 UTC SSB/CW/Digital
ELIGIBILITY: All licensed women operators throughout the world are invited to participate.
YL groups/clubs may also may also participate provided the YLs operating are listed at the end of the log. Only YLRL members are eligible for the Corcoran and Hager awards.
PROCEDURE: DX YLs call "CQ North American YL". North American YLs call "CQ DX YL."
OPERATION: All bands may be used except WARC bands. Contacts with OMs do not count.
Net contacts and repeater contacts do not count. Participants may work only 24 hours of the 36 hours in each contest. Operating breaks should be shown in the log.Ja-Well-No-Fine
This letter has a whimsical touch. After you have attended the several up-coming conventions, you might like to relax by exploring the era of steam – take the children and introduce them to the two R's – Radio & Rail.BYLARA Convention 2016 (British YL Amateur Radio Association)
Itinerary: Oct. 3rd — Arrival ; Oct. 4th — Free; Oct. 5th — Bletchley Park;Oct. 6th — Woburn Abbey; Oct. 7th — Free ; Oct. 8th Saturday— RSGB Convention & Gala Dinner ; Oct. 9th Sunday — RSGB Convention ; Oct. 10th — Farewell BreakfastRSGB 2016 Convention 7-9 October, Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton KeynesRSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) Convention Lectures:
Hear about ARDF, Auroras or 23cm; restore Old Radio Sets ; go on a DXpedition to the remote South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands; learn about Contesting from Prince Edward Island; the 5 MHz Experiment; and how to assess HF antennas. Learn about ARDuino, SDR, transverters, Raspberry pi, datamodes and oscillators and MORE!. For those who prefer Hands-on, there will be a Buildathon & workshops.

​Railways on the air (ROTA)
This weekend event usually takes place every year on the weekend closest to the 27th September. This date celebrates the anniversary of the first steam powered passenger railway which took place on 27th September 1825 - the first passenger train ran on a line in the North East of England from Darlington to Stockton. (191 years ago!)

Started in 2008, this will be the 8th ROTA event. The Bishop Auckland Amateur Radio Club co-ordinates the event. ROTA 2016 will be held over the weekend of 24th - 25th September.
Suggested radio frequencies for the event: 3.65, 7.12, 14.12.

British Railways Amateur Radio Society (BRARS) – celebrates its Golden Anniversary in 2016
The Society was formed in 1966 (50 years ago) by a few railwaymen with a common interest in amateur radio and has continued to grow with the present membership currently around 70.
It is part of a much larger organisation called FIRAC (Federation International Radio Amateur Cheminot) cheminot is French for railways. The aim of both organisations is to promote friendship amongst people who have a common interest in both railways and radio.
The International FIRAC Congress of 2016 will be held in Derby, UK on 15th-19th September.

The programme is being organaised by Geoff Sims Email: g4gnq@hotmail.co.uk

FIRAC „Fédération Internationale des Radio Amateurs Cheminots“
was formed after a meeting of radio amateurs from Switzerland, Germany, France and Denmark in Geneva on the 18th Sept 1960. In 1964 the German Railway Radio Amateurs organised the first official congress in Hamburg on the 20th September. It was a bold move and the final outcome of was the formation of FIRAC. The organisation promotes radio activity between other railway radio amateurs worldwide and continues to grow. Currently the membership is around 2500 from 23 countries.

Another Railways on the Air event will be held on Saturday 12 November, 2016: 8º Jornada Radial Ferroviaria Argentina.

 

'Thomas the Tank Engine' originally the 'Railway Series'

The Rev Wilbert Awdry (1911-1997) - the clergyman who created 'Thomas the Tank Engine' invoked an affection for railways among millions of children - died March 21, 1997 age 85.

The war against Hitler was still in full spate on the day in 1943 when Wilbert Awdry settled down at the bedside of his ill two-year-old son Christopher to tell him a story, and drew from his imagination the tales of three steam engines which hailed from his fantasy 'Island of Sodor'.
In 1945, The Three Railway Engines was published, becoming a huge success and resulting in a further 26 Railway books being published. Between 1943 and 1972, Wilbert Awdry wrote 26 books in the 'Railway Series' - diversifying away from the engines of Sodor to pick up on aspects of the railway preservation world in which he had a particular interest.

No-one - and certainly not Wilbert Awdry himself - could ever have dreamed then of the impact that his imaginary 'engines with faces' would one day have on the wider world, leading in the 1980s to the purchase of the 'Thomas' franchising rights from the publishers and the subsequent creation of an animated children's television series. Translated into many of the world's languages, “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends” has become an international pop culture icon.
' Day Out With Thomas' events provides opportunities for kids to take a ride in their favourite tank engine and meet the railway controller Sir Topham Hat. Such 'special' days are not restricted to the original home country of Great Britain, but are spread across the United States, are hugely popular in Japan, Europe and elsewhere.
60 Km south west of Auckland, New Zealand , The Glenbrook Vintage Railway, a heritage steam railway, is closed from regular running until October, the end of winter weather. Their next Thomas weekend planned is November 12th 2016QRZ

CONTACTS: zs6ye.yl@gmail.com zr6d@ymail.com
Facebook ‘HAM Yl’ one of our Facebook friends? (YLs only)
find yl.beam newsletters : ARNETHA HAYNES http://ka1uln.blogspot.co.za/
WEST RAND ARC

wrarc-anode.blogspot.com

https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.co.za/

Calendar

27-28 Aug ALARA CONTEST (Australian Ladies.) last FULL weekend of August.

10-11 Sept SARL National Field Day
15-19 Sept FIRAC 55th Congress , 2016
17-18 Sept All Africa Contest & SARL VHF/UHF/Microwave Contest
24 Sept Heritage Day aka Braai Day (bbq)
24-25 Sept. CQ WW RTTY Contest 0000Z, Sep 24 to 2400Z, Sep 25
24-25 Sept 8th ROTA (Railways on the Air)
Sept 3Ø- Oct 2 DX/NA YL Anniversary Contest
1 Oct East Rand Flea-market / SARL Spring QRP Sprint
Oct 3-10 BYLARA - BRITISH YL INT CONFERENCE 2016
Oct 7-9 RSGB 2016 ConventionSources

http://rsgb.org/main/

http://www.brars.info/

http://www.firac.org.uk/
http://www.firac.de/html/contest.html

http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/awdryobit.htm
http://www.american-rails.com/thomas-the-train.html

http://www.thomasandfriends.com/en-in/