Contents
- Oceania DXContest
- Friedrichshafen YL Meeting 2023
- Ja-No-Well-Fine (Editorial)
- VE3DBQ Minnie Dawe Silent Key
- ZS1LAW / ZS2LAW Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell Silent Key
- Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) & SANSA Background
- LU3EH / LV3D LU3EH/J - Ana Maria Mitja, died 6 August 2023
- G7UUR Nancy Bone (nee Blundell), Silent Key
- Contact & Calendar
Results Oceania DXContest 2022
ALARA sponsors two plaques for this contest. Congratulations to the winners:
Austine Henry Award World YL phone and CW single op Emily BU2BE from Taiwan
Florence McKenzie Award Oceania YL phone and CW single op Catherine VK7C / VK7GH
In addition, Catherine VK7C won the Australia phone YL single op all band plaque sponsored by Diane Main VK4DI and Bill Main VK4ZD.
Oceania DXContest Oct 2023 .
Phone is on 7/8 October 2023 and CW is on 14/15 October 2023.
For more information go to the Oceania DX Contest website
https://www.oceaniadxcontest.com Linda VK7QP
alara.org.au ▪ ALARA Newsletter Issue 186 July 2023 page 9
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Friedrichshafen YL Meeting 2023
The "International YL Meeting" at the HAM RADIO 2023 in Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance.
Complete event including group photo at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyAjs1lp8ds&t=2492s
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Ja-No-Well-Fine
This month's newsletter focuses on those who have passed and although we mourn their passing, we also celebrate their lives and their contribution to our history of women in Amateur Radio. These ladies are now on a different frequency, one we will all reach some day. They are inspiring and a reminder of what can be achieved.
Enjoy and Remember them. 33 / 88 Editor ZS5YH Heather
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Dawe, Minnie Alecia, 95, of Ingersoll passed away peacefully at home on May 17, 2023 with family by her side.
She was married to the late Lloyd Dawe in 1952, for 56 years before Lloyd’s passing in 2008. . Survived by her three children: Alan, Brian (Sandra) and Marina and by her grandchildren,
Minnie served on the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) Advisory Board for Oxford County in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. In 1975, she passed the Amateur Radio License exam receiving her call VE3DBQ becoming an active member for the rest of her life and making many cherished friendships from around the world. Over the years, she received many awards and served as president of the Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (CLARA) for the years 1999-2000.
Minnie VE3DBQ was one of our ALARA 'DX Members' and hailed from Newfoundland, Canada, though she lived for quite some time in Ontario. She became a 'White Cane Operator' with limited vision but she didn't allow that to become a barrier to enjoying her ham radio hobby. Here in her own words, is her story...
Tell us where you were born and where you have lived through your life?
I was born in St. Johns, Newfoundland. When I was age 23 in 1951 we moved to Ontario, we felt there was more opportunities for a better life in a bigger province. We both found jobs right away. We decided to buy a house on a quiet street on the edge of town with other young families; we are still living in the same house.
What kinds of things do you currently do with ham radio?
My radio activity slowed down when I entered my 90s. I check the 40 meter net most Tuesdays to see if I can hear anyone and the same with the 20 meter net but HF has not been very good for quite a while. I really look forward to every other Wednesday listening for Shirley VK5YL and our group of YL's on Echolink which has grown in size over the past 20 years and I hope will keep going for many more years.
How do you manage ham radio being sight-impaired?
In the early days I only had 80 meters; I kept track of time with my braille clock and kept a braille log on my brailller. Now I have the Kenwood 570 which has a voice frequency read out and automatic antenna tuner. I have a 50 foot self-supporting tower with an Explorer 14 tri band beam. I have a little device made by Handy Hams which can indicate the direction the antenna is pointed. I have a talking clock which lets me know the time, as well as the indoor and outdoor temperatures. I have a computer with a programme which enables it to read aloud text on the screen. I guess at signal reports, loud and clear is 5-9 and down from there.
What are your favourite non-ham activities?
My favourite activity is knitting and crocheting. I also enjoy reading audio books especially non-fiction works as well as listening to piano accordion music.
What did you do for work?
I was a stay at home mom, popular back then. Our 3 children arrived between the years of 1953 and 1957, a year or so later I became a registered member of the CNIB. I learned to read and write braille and the art of touch typing. A blind teacher came to our house every other week; it was very helpful at the time.
What is your biggest ham related success?
I would have to say it was the year I accepted to become the president of CLARA, years of 1999 - 2000. The year 2000 was the start of a new millennium and 33rd anniversary for CLARA Someone said: let's have a party. We agreed: Venue? Catering? Prizes for lucky draws? Gifts for goodie bags? Guest speakers? Music? A few months later they were all answered. The CNIB offered their auditorium in downtown Toronto as well as the CNIB amateur radio station; we also hired their catering staff for lunch and dinner. The rest of the questions were filled by CLARA members including Musical groups and speakers, lots of prizes and goodie bag gifts. Months of gathering everything together, a beautiful morning in June 2000 the executive arrived at the venue before 8am with everything, to be there before the guests arrived. Thanks to our CLARA members we had lots of prizes, about 50 goodie bags one for each CLARA YL attending. Some of us enjoyed working the radio station and even talked to a few members who could not attend. We enjoyed informative talks and great music. Lots of time for face to face chatter, good food and everyone went home with a prize, a wonderful 33 party.
How did you get involved in ham radio and get your licence?
I knew about the CNIB amateur radio programme and decided to enrol. Everything you needed to know about radio was available on cassette tape also code practice tapes. Our friend loaned me a radio receiver to listen to code and a key to practice sending code. That is all I did for months. I tried for the exam in July of 1975 it was a tense hour of questions and answers, sending and receiving CW. He finally congratulated me and said you have earned your licence.
When I had my licence I could apply for the rent to own equipment to get started, a Heath Kit HW-12 Transceiver for 80 meters and an inverted v wire antenna. My son and husband set it all up for me and I was ready to go on air. It took a while to summon up the courage to push the button and announce my call. When I finally called in on one of the nets the response was overwhelming with encouragement. It was so uplifting. I was spending so much time on the radio during the day one could work stations all over Ontario and during the evening hours the long skip allowed one to work the world. My first DX YL was a lady in South Africa and she told me she was a CLARA member which blew me away. The Ontario Amateur Radio Service net ONTARS runs every day from 6am to 6pm with a different net controller each hour, I was brave enough to try controlling and found it was a great way to get to know many amateurs,
What advantages do you get from being a CLARA member?
For me it's a sense of belonging to a family of sisters who share the love of the wonderful radio hobby, who enjoy keeping in touch and sharing stories. I enjoy reading the quarterly newsletter and keeping up on the news of CLARA. I am also a member of ALARA BYLARA and WARO and keep up with their news too.
Anything else you would like to tell us?
In the late 1980s we took a road trip to St. Johns NFLD with another couple in our new van. I went mobile with 2 meters and HF radio; it was so much fun talking to so many amateurs along the way to St. Johns. It was great spending time with family, old friends, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the fresh ocean breezes. On the way home I even managed to get a phone patch to my mom to let her know our progress back to Ontario. Our friends traveling with us were very impressed with the Amateur radio hobby.
http://www.alara.org.au/membership/member%20profiles%20ve3dbq.html
alara.org.au ▪ ALARA Newsletter Issue 186 July 2023 page 6
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30 December 1970 – 19 August 2023
Trailblazer in Space Science leaves a remarkable legacy
Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell, Managing Director of the South African National Space Agency’s Space Science Programme and Sandbaai (WC) resident, passed away on Saturday 19 August 2023 (age 52) after a short illness.
Dr McKinnell is survived by her husband John, her parents Lynn and John Williscroft (ZS6EF), and her two brothers Mark and Gerald Williscroft, and their families.
Lee-Anne grew up near Krugersdorp, on the West Rand and was the first female learner to complete a technical matric at the John Orr Engineering School of Specialisation.
Passionate about physics, she pursued a BSc Physics and Electronics degree at university. Obtaining her BSc, she then secured her Honours, Masters and PhD degrees, all at Rhodes University (Eastern Cape province). She later obtained an MBA from the Business School Netherlands (BSN) in 2015, with distinction.
Dr McKinnell originally joined what was then the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) in 2004, as a researcher. She was appointed acting MD of the facility in 2010. 25 July, 2011 Dr McKinnell was appointed Managing Director of SANSA Space Science, formerly the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory.
She was on hand in April 2012 to celebrate 80 years of magnetic observations and one year of SANSA (the South African National Space Agency) one year after the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) was renamed on 1 April 2011. In 2012 the observatory was incorporated into the newly formed SANSA.
Many of the students Dr McKinnell supervised are now full-time researchers at SANSA and around the world. She served as SANSA Space Science [MD] for 12 years and during this time made a tremendous contribution to space science.
The Space Weather Project was her crowning achievement The launch of the 24/7 Space Weather Centre in November 2022 was a highlight for her and the SANSA team. Lee-Anne was a space weather advocate and custodian of the unique SANSA Hermanus facility which she loved and is now a National Key Point, thanks to her continued efforts to protect the site.
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Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HER) & SANSA Background
Hermanus is located on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa, about 115 km southeast of Cape Town, The seaside town known for whale-watching is home to SANSA, the South African National Space Agency.
An invisible force protects life on Earth from dangerous space weather. The earth is continuously battered by charged particles from the sun and other sources in outer space, but the earth’s magnetic field protects us from the majority of these. More accurately known as the geomagnetic field, it is a dynamic phenomenon that is constantly changing and shifting. The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) monitores this ever-changing geomagnetic field.
Hermanus Magnetic Observatory functions as part of the worldwide network of magnetic observatories; its core function in this regard is to monitor and model variations of the Earth's magnetic field. In 2011 Hermanus Magnetic Observatory became part of the newly established South African National Space Agency (SANSA), and the research and geomagnetic activities now form part of the SANSA Space Science Directorate in Hermanus. In 2009 the network of geomagnetic observatories for space weather applications was expanded through the installation of a number of magneto-tellurometric (MT) devices in southern Africa
Besides its core function of providing geomagnetic field information, the scope of the activities also includes fundamental and applied space physics research, post-graduate student training, and science outreach.
SANSA in Hermanus is host to the only space weather regional warning centre in Africa which operates as part of the International Space Environment Service (ISES)
Source: Hermanus Magnetic Observatory: a historical perspective of geomagnetism in southern Africa https://www.proquest.com/docview/2092307358
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died 6 August 2023 (age 76) in her home town General Juan Madariaga, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
She was an active member of Radio Club Pinamar LU3DRP and was part of the club activation in the 2019 American Lighthouses on Air event, at the Querandí Lighthouse, ARG 007.
Together with family and friends she attended the dinner held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Radio Club Pinamar during October 2022
Always Active her last QSO's uploaded were dated 17/7/2023
From Husband LU8EY Mario Siste, 8 August 2023
The will of God has been to take Ana Maria, my wife, my partner, my friend and companion inseparable for all life. For almost 50 years we shared everything. Joys, sadnesses, thousands of kilometers traveled together and the radio, that passion that with its magic contacted us with the world and allowed us to harvest thousands of friends.
Our deepest condolences, RIP colleague LU3EH
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G7UUR Nancy Bone (nee Blundell), Silent Key
Passed away in hospital on May 5th 2022, aged 68 years
Nancy Bone, G7UUR, the co-founder and long-time secretary of the Angel of the North ARC became a Silent Key.
Nancy, a stalwart lady, had trained as a solicitor and dedicated her life to help the neglected, the abused and the underprivileged. She was the heart and soul of the Angel of the North Amateur Radio Club which was formed in 2008. You could describe Nancy as an Ambassador for Amateur Radio. She was an RSGB Deputy Regional Manager for a number of years, a repeater licence holder, exam tutor and GB2RS news reader. She enabled over one hundred people to achieve an Amateur licence.
In everything she did, she approached it with enthusiasm and commitment that challenged and inspired others.
She is missed by husband Warren, G7MWB, family and friends.
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September 2023 Calendar
Japan Ladies Radio Society (JLRS) "YL CQ Day" 2nd Sunday of every month!
9:00 AM UTC+09 – 4:00 PM UTC+09
Sept 7 - 10, EDXC 2023 Conference, Metz in Lorraine, France
Sept 9 CHOTA (Churches-on-the-Air) Saturday
Sept 9-10 WAE (Worked All Europe) SSB contest: 2nd full weekend September,
Saturday, 0000 UTC until Sunday, 2359 UTC
Sept 9 – 10 QSO Today Academy Event replaces QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo
Sept 9 – 13 19th IARU Highspeed Telegraphy World Championship in Primorsko,
Bulgaria on the Black Sea Coast.
Sept 9 - 17 Route 66, 2023 - 24th Amateur Radio Special Event
Sept 15-17 Rosh Hashanah
Sept 16 European SOTA Activity Day, also ALL OE SOTA Activity Day
& OE5 SOTA Day 2023.
Sept 16, 2023 8º Concurso Regional IARU Región 2 Área G:
Radio Club Argentino, Radio Club de Chile, Radio Club Paraguayo,
Radio Club Uruguayo HF SSB
Sept 16 - 17 IberRadio 2023 - VIII Feria de las Radiocomunicaciones (Fair) Ávila,ES
Sept 23 – 24 Railways-on-the-Air https://rota.barac.org.uk/
Sept 23 - 24 2023 CQ WW RTTY contest ( 0000 UTC Sat - 2359 UTC Sunday)
Sept 23 AMSAT SA Space 2023 Symposium. 09:00 – 15:00 on 'BlueJeans'
theme “Make Space your techno past time”
Sept 24-25 Yom Kippur,
Sept 25 ZS SOTA Activity Day
Sep 26-29, Grace Hopper Celebration GHC 2023 Orlando, USA. Created in 1994
Celebrates research & careers of women in computing https://ghc.anitab.org
Oct 4 -10 World Space Week 2023
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