2023-04-26

YL#115 Feb 2023

Contents

  • LU5ILA   Leticia  A NEW COMMUNICATION HEIGHT RECORD
  • Corona del Inca Crater
  • Italian YL South Pole - Antarctic Activity Week
  • ALARA  Contest Manager, Marija VK5MAZ
  • Dutch Young Ladies Club
  • YL-Event SP88YL in Poland
  • XV WEEKEND OF THE AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSES 
  • Silent Keys  N5JXV  VIRGIE AUBIN/  KB8NLN Phyllis Ann Simmons
  • Contact & Calendar

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LU5ILA Leticia Alonso: A NEW ARGENTINE COMMUNICATION HEIGHT RECORD
On a visit to La Rioja, LU5ILA  Leticia Alonso (yl), from Misiones, together with her family, decided to explore the Rioja mountain range and visited the Corona del Inca Crater.
Upon arrival and after appreciating the immensity of the landscape, Leticia used her hand-held antennas and established communication with several colleagues, throughout Argentina and other countries, using one of the many satellites used by  Radio Amateurs.
 Transmitting from 5,550 meters above sea level, she established a new height record for communications in La Rioja, and in Argentina.
 Using satellites is becoming increasing popular as they pass overhead two or three times a day for a period of ten minutes. This allows operators to use them as 'repeaters', reaching many places where other means of communication or technology cannot reach.
This clearly demonstrates that Amateur Radio activity is more current than ever.
We salute and congratulate Leticia! LU1SF Radio Club La Rioja, January 23, 2023
Video: courtesy of Leticia Alonso LU5ILA
http://www.lu1sf.com.ar/.../la-rioja-nuevo-record-de

Corona del Inca Crater
Incapillo is part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone, which extends through the countries of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. Located in Argentina's La Rioja province, the name "Incapillo" means "Crown of the Inca" in Quechua and is the highest caldera stemming from explosive activity in the world.
In the Andes Mountains, a vast circle of volcanoes, among them El Bonete, El Veladero and El Pissis, the highest on the planet, hide an immense crater at (5430 masl) and inside a spectacular lagoon with deep blue waters fed by large perennial Glaciers. The Corona del Inca crater (waypoint: -27.91269, -68.82218), in the La Rioja mountain range, is a volcanic crater with a 5 km diameter. The interior lagoon is at an altitude of 5,530 m and a depth of 350 m. It measures two kilometers long by one wide.
75 km from Laguna Brava, the gigantic Corona del Inca crater can only be accessed on excursions with authorized agencies and four-wheel drive vehicles. Approximately 520 km from the capital of La Rioja the Corona del Inca Crater is one of the most difficult places to reach and is accessible only from December until early April; in winter the area is closed due to snowfall and strong winds.
The journey  begins before dawn in the towns of Vinchina or Alto Jagüe, the last towns on the road that leads to the Cordillera, but it is difficult to measure in kilometers: the locals convert distance into time and say that it takes about 12 hours, there and back.


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Antarctic Activity Week
Hallo to all YL's! -  I'm Emanuela IZ2ELV and I'd like to inform you that I'll be on air on February 2023 from the 19th to the 26th with the special call II2YLSP (SP stands for South Pole) for the 20th Antarctic Activity Week working the 10-15-20-40 meters (SSB only).
At the moment we are 18 worldwide operators with special callsigns and I'm the only YL.
In the picture you see me with my second operator, Kimi, one of our two Norwegian Forest cats. The second one, Oliver is more shy and not interested in Ham Radio. Hi!
I want to save the environment on this planet with less consumption of paper QSL cards, so, if you'd like to get it, please feel free to send me an e-mail to ii2ylsp@gmail.com  and I will be happy to send you the file jpeg like this sample.
Please follow my blog https://tremaghi.blog/category/ham-radio/  from  mid-February to get updates on this activity. I hope to meet you on air!
73' - 88' IZ2ELV/II2YLSP Emanuela 


II2YLSP  (Young Lady South Pole) Antarctic Activity Week
Just under a month to go to the start of the 20th edition of the Antarctic Activity Week and I'm already excited at the idea of participating with a new name, all mine and unequivocally all female.
Already three years ago Gianni I1HYW, father of this fantastic amateur radio event, had proposed to me to request an a callsign for a YL and piqued my interest by telling me that I would be the first participating female station. Although enthusiastic I reluctantly declined the invitation, not out of fear, but because I didn't feel confident of being able to obtain good results.
I was not new to this business. Thanks to the kind availability of my friend Augusto I2JJR I had activated his II2ANT call in 2010 together with other operators and in the following two years I was one of the activating stations of IR2IR, the call assigned to the Insubria Radio Club.
I must say that in all these three events I had a lot of fun, once again experiencing the thrill of the pileup, even if less than when I broadcast as 8Q7LY (Maldives).
In this decade many things have changed: my deafness in 2014 and the new QTH without roof antenna. Fulvio IZ2EXA's experimentation to find the right dipole to install "as needed" on the balcony with good performance, was long and meticulous. Until in 2021, thanks to the advice of our friend Salvatore DH7SA from WIMO (antenna supplier), we bought a Kelemen for  10-15-20–40 meters.
My deafness in everyday life was no longer a problem. My friend Fabio IK2PZW, Phonak audiologist has been taking care of my ears for three years, but I wanted to be sure I could hear even the weakest signals even in the middle of the QRM, so I put myself to the test last November (2022) with a new WCA (World Castles Award) activation (DCI-VA099 reference), with my second operator Kimi (my cat).
The Experiment successful, so I contacted Gianni again to request the II2YLSP call
On 17th January 2023, I receive the authorization and in less than no time also the reference WAP-351 from I1HYW. I am  proud to be part of an international team of 18 operators (to date), including the Kansas Antenna Club of Johnson County, which will air February 19-26, 2023.
I created the QRZ page for II2YLSP, set up the Logbook, designed the QSL file which I will send via email to anyone who requests it. I am attentive to environmental issues and I want to help reduce paper production by protecting trees, therefore I confirm my contacts by sending only one personalized file for each QSO.
My preparation for this event doesn't end there. My shack isn't fixed, nor is the dipole, so my station changes every time I use the radio. To spruce up and personalize my next Antarctic Activity Week shack, I have prepared a drawing to hang (you become a child again as you get older, hi!), which will suggest the WAP reference but also to remind me so I will not use my personal callsign - habit and the years sometimes play tricks!
Stay tuned!     73' Emanuela IZ2ELV/II2YLSP
https://tremaghi.blog/2023/01/23/questa-volta-ci-sto-mettendo-il-cuore/? fbclid=IwAR2GirYUtYJBp2ysoqSvxjD4Vzsv2Qz9ut5nkNRFt9PQZSgiZb7DQmD2d9E
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NB: Marija VK5MAZ operating on Troubridge Island (S Australia) VK5TIL  Feb 7-9 2023
 


2022 ALARA Meet our new Contest Manager, Marija VK5MAZ
Back in Issue 6 of 2021, I reported on a contact made by Marija Simmonds VK5MAZ with David DL2ND who was portable in Germany. Since then Marija has joined the ALARA Committee and has taken up the role of ALARA Contest Manager. I asked her to tell us a little about herself.
“In March 2016, encouraged by my husband Paul VK5PAS, I undertook the Foundation Course conducted by the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society (AHARS). My licence was granted on 6 th April 2016 with the foundation call of VK5FMAZ. In March 2021 I upgraded to the Standard Licence and now hold VK5MAZ.
We live at Ashbourne, on a hobby Farm, about 65km south-east of the city of Adelaide.
I enjoy operating portable, either from parks (for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award, Worldwide Flora and Fauna (WWFF), the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA), from summits for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) or for Silos on the Air (SiOTA). (Perhaps not surprising, given that Paul is the VKFF (VK Flora and Fauna) National Coordinator and the ZLFF National coordinator for New Zealand - Editor)
At home I also chase the park activators both here in Australia and overseas, work DX and also join a couple of nets. This year I am the Contest Manager for the ALARA Contest which is held on the last full weekend in August every year.
My other interests include, gardening, minding the grandchildren, walking and travelling, both overseas and also to unusual places within Australia, which possibly we wouldn’t have discovered had we not been on our way to or from a park activation. In the next year or so, we hope to use a Caravan so that we can travel even further afield”. Thanks Marija – it looks as if you are “Radio Activity” personified!
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Dutch Young Ladies Club, Proud 2B PI4YLC in 2022  
In 2022 we participated in two contests. Despite the fact that the measures were relaxed in the second half of the year, it was not possible to organize more activities for personal reasons. However, a number of YLs were present at the HF-day and Dag voor de Radioamateur (the latter unfortunately coincided with the CQWW DX SSB contest).

HA-DX January 15/16. 2022
Four YLs (Lisa PA2LS, Claudia PA5CT, Heather PD3GVQ and Sonja PD4SON) entered the Hungarian contest under the call PI4YLC at Claudia PA5CT's QTH. A total of 151 QSOs were made on five bands. The majority were in SSB (98 QSOs) and 53 were in CW.

PACC February 12/13, 2022
The Dutch Young Ladies Club had never participated in the PACC before. With two operators (Karin PA1KBN and Claudia PA5CT) 152 QSOs were eventually made on five bands, almost all in SSB. Also this time the shack of Claudia PA5CT was used. There were some setbacks: a broken fishing rod (80m inverted L) had to be replaced beforehand and later it turned out that the ATU did not want to tune at 80m at the bottom of the band. Nevertheless, we were proud of our first participation, also because Karin PA1KBN participated in PI4YLC for the first time.

YLs op de DvdRA: Lisa PA2LS, Suzan PD3SZN, Sonja PD4SON en Heather PD3GVQ
PI4YLC in the HA-DX contest 2023
2023 has kicked off with our participation in the HA-DX contest. A 24-hour competition where you have to make as many connections as possible with counties in Hungary in both CW and SSB. Furthermore, everyone works with everyone, so a nice contest to make a lot of QSOs.
There was snow on the QTH of Claudia PA5CT in Esch (Netherlands) and the street was slippery. Nevertheless, the Dutch Young Ladies did not let themselves be stopped from traveling to Esch to participate in the contest. Finally, the call PI4YLC was launched by Mariëtte PA1ENG, Lisa PA2LS, Claudia PA5CT and Sonja PD4SON. The antennas used: an FB-23 for 10, 15 and 20m, a dipole for 40m and an inverted-L of 10 meters high for 80m. No connections were made on 160m. Also this time a set-up of Elekraft K3 was used. We had a bit of a fight with the band pass filter OM6BPF (from OM power, what's in a name?) who didn't want to follow the band... too much YL power probably 😉
Last year we achieved a good result with 151 QSOs in the HA-DX contest and we wanted to improve that this year. In the end we managed to make 256 QSOs, so no less than 100 more (!) than last year. It was also nice to hear familiar calls from YLs and OMs in the contest. We had fun!
Plans have already been made for the next contest participation: during the PACC on February 11 and 12, the Dutch Young Ladies Club will be active again with the call PI4YLC. We hope to work as many stations as possible. Proud 2B PI4YLC!   Posted on 23/01/2023 by pa1eng
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 YL-Event SP88YL Poland
Sunday, 06 August 2023 to Saturday, 12 August 2023
Dear Yls  After the successful YL activity in the Czech Republic at OK5Z, we are pleased to inform you about the next event in Poland.
We are allowed to use the first-class contest station of Michael SQ7NSN and Arek SQ7FPH for one week. The station is located in the municipality of Chęciny, about 100 km north of Krakow and about 200 km south of Warsaw.
Parallel to the radio operation, we offer a supporting program (SOTA activity, castle tour, etc.), which changes daily. Each YL can participate individually. The OM as an accompanying person is also very welcome.
I am happy to accept expressions of interest/registrations. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have.  Eva HB9FPM/OK3QE, hb9fpm@uska.ch .Phone +41 79 699 76 80
See you on the air. 88
We'll stay at the hotel : https://davinci.travel.pl/hotel/
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XV WEEKEND OF THE AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSES
 Friday 17th to Sunday 19th of February 2023. website. http://www.grupodxbb.com.ar    

Laura Fanelli LU1WL with her outdoor equipment, using her own callsign, will activate Cabo Raso Lighthouse (44 ° 20'14.92 "S-065 ° 14'57.25" W), ARG-029. Located about 100 km south of Rawson. On the Atlantic coast of Argentina it is reached by a dirt road.



Grupo Los Faroleros from the Upper Valley of Rio Negro, will travel approximately 2000 km. across Argentine's Patagonia to reach the Cabo Vírgenes Lighthouse ARG-032 (52°20′00′′ S - 068°21′00′′ W). At the entrance of the Strait of Magellan, 133 km from Río Gallegos, it is the most southern point of 'continental' Argentina. The lighthouse has been In service since 1904.
From February 17 to 19, seven operators and an apprentice from the province of Santa Cruz, will be on the air for 72 hours in all modes, in the bands of 6, 10, 15, 20,30,40, 80 meters.
YL operators LU1VYL/XO  Marina &  LU3YLF/XO Liliana will be part of the team.
 In 1996 the Cape Virgenes Faunistic Reserve was created, to protect the fauna and the colony of Magellanic penguins.

San Juan de Salvamento Lighthouse (54°43′56′′ S - 063°51′25′′ W), ARLHS ARG-002; Admiralty G1283; NGA 20269. also known as the “Lighthouse at the End of the World".
Located northeast of the Isla de los Estados (island of the States) IOTA SA-049, in the province of Tierra del Fuego, it is Argentina's oldest lighthouse dating back to 1884. The most wanted lighthouse in the Argentine Republic will be in the air on all bands on SSB, CW, digital and satellites. The Argentine Navy will be at the lighthouse for several days coinciding with the "Lighthouse Weekend".
 (Breaking News: this Activation POSTPONED!)
Read the history of this iconic lighthouse in 'Selvamar Noticias' - Publicación No 36 Febrero 2023, by Carlos Almirón LU7DSY.

Background
The eastern half of the Beagle channel is the border between Argentina (on the mainland side) and Chile (on the south side); the western half is entirely in Chile. The southern most town in the world is Ushuaia on the Argentine side.
The Punta Dungeness Lighthouse  (52°23′54′′ S - 068°26′06′′ W), CHI-016. about 20 km southwest of the Cape Virgenes Lighthouse will be activated by Chilian operators.
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Silent Keys
N5JXV  VIRGIE AUBIN  became  SK December 25, 2022
She passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her daughters.
Born a native of Houma, LA , in September 1932, Virgie moved with her family to Plaquemine, LA, at the age of seven. She graduated from St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in 1951.
She married husband, J. Warren Aubin, in September 1961 and they moved the family to Baton Rouge, LA in September 1963.
She earned a General Class amateur radio license, N5JXV. Popular in the Baton Rouge, Thibodaux and Lafayette Amateur Radio Clubs, she is also remembered as Saturday Evening Net Control for the Gulf Coast Single Sideband Net.
Virgie is preceded in death by her husband J. Warren Aubin (K5DVQ)

 KB8NLN/SK Mrs. Phyllis Ann Simmons, age 82, of Spring Lake passed away Wednesday, January 11, 2023, in Grand Rapids.
she married Roger Simmons  N8RXC on August 28, 1964, who preceded her in death
She was secretary of the North Ottawa Amateur Radio Club.
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 CONTACT  US
 ‘HAM YL'    :  https://web.facebook.com/ham.yls?_rdc=1&_rdr
  yl.beam news:  Editor Eda zs6ye.yl@gmail.com    
 newsletters can be found:   https://jbcs.co.za/wp/   & RadioZS
 Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
    https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
also archive #89 dec 2020,  https://www.darc.de/en/der-club/referate/yl/      (German ARC)

Unsubscribe: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please  email zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
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BURUNDI 2023 -
Feb 4 to Feb 27, 2023  Dx-peditione 9U5R  Two  operators: (yl) 9U5R Elvira IV3FSG Qsl via IK2DUW & 9U4WX Vladimir OK2WX > Qsl Via IZ8CCW  All Bands, all modes.

Feb 7-9  Troubridge Island trip 2023.(yl) Marija VK5MAZ    https://www.troubridgeisland.com/?fbclid=IwAR1Uzzf7ukGhD8kptpxbrlHIwWGvn165vUz--iu4A7HqxaSfOQ6UyxW47lo

Feb 19 – 26  AAW 2023 -  20th Antarctic Activity Week in conjunction with the 100 years of the Italian Air Force special callsign II2YLSP (SP= South Pole). Emanuela Trevisan Ghiringhelli 33 and 88  http://www.waponline.it

Calendar February  2023
Feb 4 5        EUDX CONTEST is always 1st full weekend of February at 19.00 UTC
Feb 10 -12   Orlando HamCation (76th), 2nd largest ham radio event in the world,1st - 1946*.
Feb 11          International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Feb 11 - 12, 2023 CQ WPX RTTY Contest.   second full weekend of February.
                     Starts: 0000 GMT Saturday Ends: 2359 GMT Sunday.
Feb 12          Ham-SatSA QO-100 QSO Party
Feb 11 – 12  PACC Contest 12:00 UTC - 12:00 UTC  . mode CW/SSB.
Feb 13          World Radio Day
Feb 16          GRUPO YL (YL of Argentina) digital QSL for 3rd Anniversary.  
Feb 17 - 19   XV WEEKEND OF THE AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSES
Feb 18 – 19  TDOTA 2023.  Thinking Day on the Air
Feb 18-19      ARRL Int DX CW Contest
Feb 18 – 19   YL-OM Contest 2023   SSB/CW/Digital 00:00 UTC Feb 18, - 23:59 UTC Feb 19
Feb 19 – 26    AAW 2023 -  20th Antarctic Activity Week

March 4 SARL YL QSO Party 12:00 to 13:00 UTC, 40m
March 5  5K4YL  Dia de la Mujer de Medellín, Colombia. 1000 – 1900 HK (GMT-5)
March 8  XE-YL  Contest (Mexico)  2023  Contest Manager XE1SPM Paty
March 8  DARC YL  18-21 UTC




Its Time to Go Back to Basics

So I have been a 'Grumpy [] Man' for a while now. Lots of things tend to annoy me. If it isn't the dog from the back house above us barking, its something else...

Anyway Blogger [this site] has some advantages over the Wordpress site. Especially as it is free. It provides a simple means of getting whatever out there for the rest of the 'internet'. It does not appear to have a limit on storage and it doesn't impact your Google storage either. 

It can of course be accessed from anywhere you have an internet connection. 

Alright it doesn't have the 'social network' aspect built in or applied. Though you can earn cents from adverts on your 'blog'.

I find it so much easier to work with. My jbcs site was 'converted' to Wordpress a while ago by Edith's son. And he left me to upload content into the 'editor'. This proved to be too time consuming for me. I am a retired electronics engineer with a dependent wife. I would take about three-quarters of a day to type and place pictures into the 'editor'. It is NOT a word processor. Which I would have preferred to use. 

My usual 'thing to do' on a monthly basis was to upload the YL News. This did not get done! As I would be always diverted or distracted by something/someone else. 

With Blogger, I can copy and paste text directly and upload pictures. Final corrections and adjustments would take minutes. Sure things tend to jump around on screen. Especially when you have a 'hesitant' connection to the internet. But you can change the settings to suit when you need to.

It does spell checking and auto-saving when you are not typing. You will see a little cloud change to a whirly circle and back to a cloud. A cloud with a slash through it means it didn't manage to connect. It will try again and become a cloud with a tick in it.

There is more to come...