Wireless Women yl.beam #153 june 2026

Contents
YL SOTA Special Event Weekend  'Queens of the Mountains'
What & why SOTA
SOTA Getting started made easy
From Skirts to Summits - The Cholita Climbers of Bolivia
YL Meet Ham Radio Fair Friedrichshafen 26- 28 June, 2026
Elvira Simoncini, IV3FSG, inducted into DX Hall of Fame
Radioaficionados YL Salta (Argentina)
Calendar & Contact
*****
logo below kindly designed by Lesley Perchman

YL SOTA Special Event Weekend  'Queens of the Mountains'
3rd Annual event starting 0000Z on June 13 and ending at 2359Z on June 14, 2026.
YLs from around the world to activate summits.
YL to YL DX QSOs will be recognised with a WWW-World Wide Women's certificate.

'Queens of the Mountains' was created with the intention of bringing YLs together to foster camaraderie, inspire women to try SOTA, and shine light on how supportive and welcoming ham radio, particularly SOTA, is to women.
Inaugurated in June 2024, the QoM Liz Burns K1LIZ Award is given to the YL whose participation captures Liz’s indomitable spirit to let no obstacle stand in her way.
2024 Recipient: Lorene Samoska, W6LOR
2025 Recipient: Adele Tyler, ZS5APT

What & why SOTA
YO6EVA Eva Kelemen Gajdo, reached a thousand points in May 2018 becoming the 1st YL Mountain Goat in Romania. In order to understand why YO6EVA Eva should have been broadcasting radio signals from the highest peak in the Alps and what activation means we need to introduce the radio-sport called SOTA. The acronym comes from 'Summits on the Air'. 
Launched in 2002 by radio amateurs who combined their passion for radio with mountaineering. It is a fun and challenging activity that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. SOTA has been designed to make participation possible for everyone – you don’t have to be a mountaineer! The peaks score between 1 and 10 according to their height.
There are awards for activators (those who hike to the summits) and chasers (those who operate from home, a local hilltop, or another summit).
After earning a thousand points (1000), the competitor is awarded the title 'Mountain Goat' and receives a trophy. There are no fees and you can participate on your own schedule. 
SOTA has hundreds of participants in Associations across the World, all sharing the same award ethos and infrastructure. Note that SOTA is an award programme not a club or society; as such you can't be a "Member" of SOTA but you can certainly be a participant!
More info: https://www.sota.org.uk
ZS5APT Adele, 2x Mountain Goat from South Africa says: There is still nothing quite like setting up a portable station on a summit, calling “CQ SOTA”, and hearing someone answer your call.

SOTA Getting started made easy Register atsota.org.uk
Choose an easy summit nearby (check SOTAwatch or SOTLAS)
Start with existing gear — a handheld on 2 m is enough for a first activation
Announce your activation on SOTAwatch so chasers are ready
Climb the summit, operate, enjoy
SOTA is one of the most rewarding activities in amateur radio. You are outdoors in nature, getting exercise and operating amateur radio at the same time. The combination of mountain hiking and radio creates experiences you would never have sitting at a desk. And the view from the summit comes free of charge. 73 – youroeradio.ateditorial team
https://oeradio.at/en/sota-in-austria-operating-from-summit-to-summit/

Editorial note:The following story has nothing to do with radio but I was impressed by the attitude of these women from Bolivia and hope you will be too. Climbing Cholitas, a group of Indigenous women are on a mission to reclaim their power. One climb at a time, they endure tough routes at extreme altitudes, all while wearing traditional pollera skirts as an act of resistance. Mountains do not discriminate and neither do radio-waves. You do not have to climb the highest peaks, just head for your local hill-top in a frilly frock, sprinkle some sparkles on your radios and call CQ. Please share your stories and pictures on Social Media and with me. Have fun. 33 Heather ZS5YH

From Skirts to Summits- Julia Kursten
The Cholita Climbers of Bolivia, or Las Cholitas Escaladoras Bolivianas, are a group of Indigenous, Aymara, women mountaineers who climb peaks in Latin America. They do not wear modern mountaineering clothing, preferring instead their traditional costumes including polleras, brightly colored, full, pleated skirts with many under skirts. They do wear helmets and boots and use crampons, ice picks and ropes but carry their equipment on their backs in traditional shawls.
The group was founded in 2015 by local women including Cecilia Llusco Alaña. The women are part of a tight knit community who work and live in the mountains. Their most notable expedition was on January 23, 2019 when they became the first Aymara women to summit Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas.
History
The Cholita climbers live in the cities of La Paz and El Alto, and so are accustomed to high altitude conditions. The women range from 24 to 50 years old. Many of them have family or work connections to mountaineering. For example, Cecilia Llusco Alaña started helping her father, a trekking guide, at the age of eight. Others in the group have partners who are climbers or have themselves worked as porters or high mountain cooks on climbing expeditions.
In 2015, eleven Cholitas Escaladoras, led by mountain cook Lidia Huayllas Estrada, made it to the summit of Huayna Potosí, a 6,088 meter high peak in Bolivia, in a single attempt.
They then decided to climb mountains all over Latin America, despite the fact that it was judged by many to be inappropriate or impossible for women in their community to be mountaineers.
The word Cholita has been used pejoratively to refer to Aymara women. They have also been ridiculed for wearing their traditional costumes and have been discriminated against in public spaces and in employment opportunities. To challenge these negative connotations, this group of mountaineers climb in their traditional attire.
After Huayna Potosi, the group climbed Acotango, a mountain between Bolivia and Chile, Parinacota, Pomarapi, Illimani and Bolivia's highest mountain, Sajama de Oruro, all peaks higher than 6000 meters above sea level. Individuals in the group now accompany tourists on their climbs as regular guides.
On January 23, 2019, they made history by reaching their highest summit so far; they climbed Aconcagua (6,968 meters) in Mendoza, Argentina, the highest summit in the western hemisphere. The climb was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Bolivia and the expedition is now detailed in a documentary film called 'Cholitas' that premiered in Spain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41NdWRsGfN83.11 mins English

DL-yl.png

YL Meet Ham Radio Fair Friedrichshafen from 26- 28 June, 2026
Invitation to All YLs: Join Us at the HAM RADIO Fair in Friedrichshafen
The amateur radio fair in Friedrichshafen is just around the corner, taking place from June 26 to 28, 2026.
The German YL booth will once again serve as a meeting point, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome international YLs and visitors from all corners of the globe.
A special highlight awaits us on Saturday at 2:30 p.m (1430), beginning with the international YL reception on the main stage near the entrance.
This will be followed by the official awards ceremony honoring the top achievers of this March’s International YL World Wide Award - YL WWA.
Afterwards, we invite you to join us at the YL booth for a social gathering.
It is a wonderful opportunity to share stories, reconnect with old friends, and build new connections.
Our YL President, Heike (DL3HD), and I would be honored to welcome you in person.
We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting many of you for the very first time.
Beste Grüße und vy 73 Veronika Weber-Wigand, DL4VER
YL - Referentin Distrikt Hessen (F)

Great job, Elvira IV3FSG!

17 May 2026 At DaytonElvira Simoncini, IV3FSG, was inducted into the DX Hall of Fame, considered the “Nobel Prize” of the DX world.🍾🥂👏👏👏
INDEXA Foundation selected her among many world-class DXers, recognising her extraordinary contribution to the DX community through her numerous DXpeditions, most of them carried out solo.
Only two women are members of the DX Hall of Fame, and Elvira is the first one inducted exclusively for her DX operating achievements.

Elvira Simoncini IV3FSG most recently 3X3A has been inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame. Elvira has been an enthusiastic DX explorer who has operated from 34 different DXCC entities since 1990, often with a strong humanitarian focus, including her association with "IT WITHOUT BORDERS."
In a world constantly facing new digital challenges, this association seeks to reduce the digital divide through the intelligent, supportive, and sustainable use of technology, implementing non-profit projects in emergency and marginalised situations worldwide. It also promotes innovative IT initiatives for people with disabilities. After a professional life dedicated entirely to teaching, this volunteer work provided her with numerous opportunities to travel and engage in amateur radio, almost always independently, while continuously optimising her portable equipment. This volunteer work often included introducing young students to amateur radio through courses and demonstrations.

Radioaficionadas YL Salta (Argentina)
YL: Walkers of the Invisible Voices
The women walkers, the YL, advance along the trails of Salta with firm steps, as if the mountains themselves were inviting them to discover hidden secrets. Their backpacks carry more than provisions and warm clothing; they carry with them the magic of radio, that gateway to invisible paths where voices meet faceless, yet soulful.
The fresh mountain air mingles with the crunch of leaves under their boots. They stop in a clearing, where the sun bathes the hills in golden hues and the wind whispers ancient stories. With an almost sacred ritual, they set up their equipment. They adjust antennas, turn knobs, and the silence of the place fills with the murmur of static, as if the universe were holding its breath.
“CQ CQ CQ,” one of them says, her voice serene yet expectant, floating in the air like a silken thread. The radio crackles, there's a pause, and then it arrives: a distant response, a voice caught in the waves that has travelled miles to find them. They don't know the face behind that voice, but it doesn't matter. It's an invisible friend, a companion crossing the void to share a part of themselves.
They talk about everything and nothing. About the approaching rain, the steps they still have to take, the moon that will soon light their way back. The words are simple, but they fill the space like a bridge between worlds, a reminder that they are not alone, neither on the trails, nor in life.
Some laugh, others remain silent, each lost in their own thoughts as twilight paints the sky purple. The contacts are not just a game of frequencies; they are an act of faith, a leap into the unknown that always finds an echo. The voices in the air gift them stories, improvised poems, sometimes just a "thank you" that resonates deeper than any long conversation.
When the sun sets and shadows embrace the mountains, the YLs pack up their equipment, but they don't turn off their radios. They continue walking under the stars, accompanied by the voices of their invisible friends, weaving dreams along the trails.
Each step is a heartbeat, each touch a connection that transcends time and space. They are more than hikers; they are weavers of invisible threads, guardians of a world that lives on the airwaves, where every voice has a place and every silence, a promise of reunion. Jorge Tisera LU9OTA (Jan 4, 2025)

Calendar June 2026
June 1     15th Anniversary of 1st yl.beam newsletter 2011
June13-14 'Queens of the Mountains' YL SOTA Special Event Weekend 2026
         YLs activate summits. YL to YL 
June 12–14 YU SOTA IV – Ham Radio Friendship Event | Despotovac, Serbia
June 13-14 ZS SOTA Weekend
June 19    ce4ylc  aniversario (radio club yl chile)
June 26–28 49th HAM RADIO Friedrichshafen 2026,
          + the 75th Lake Constance Meeting of the DARC e.V.

CONTACT  if any of your details change, remember to let me know.
yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather)zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
newsletters can be found: https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.com/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/
https://www.facebook.com/CT2ISX YLs-Amateur Radio Ladies-Portugal
Ham Yl   https://www.facebook.com/ham.yls

Unsubscribe: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email: zs6ye.yl@gmail.com

POPs Continues... 2026 and on.

For many years now POPs has happened on a Wednesday morning at the West Rand Amateur Radio Club.

You don't have to be 'poor' to join in. Nor 'old' - scrub that! - 'Elderly' in newspeak. Or a 'pensioner'. That last didn't mean any of the other classifications either!

A quiet get together of like-minded individuals where a multitude of subjects would be discussed. Some technical others non-technical. If you were to sum up the years of experience it would be in the hundreds.

Yes there will be radios! Old and new - discussed, torn down, maybe even modified. 

Maybe even history discussed. Some times a presentation when the mood takes us.

--- Are you interested then come visit on a Wednesday around 09:45 at the club.

If you don't know where that is, look us up on WRARC
 

yl.beam #144 sept. 2025

  yl.beam #144 sept. 2025

Contents

Finnish YL on Märket Reef DXpedition
Scandinavian YL AR  22nd birthday
JLRS (Japan Ladies Radio Society, 48th HAM RADIO, Germany. 2025 47th JARL     Ham Fair Tokyo, 2025
Lucía Sájara LU3EZH 86th Birthday
TC88YL – Women on the Bands from Turkey.
Silent Key   Marilyn Syme VK5DMS
DARC Germany YL  antenna workshop 
Contact & Calendar

Out-&-About: Finnish YL part of  Märket Reef DXpedition
Finnish YL-OJ0YL & OJ0W Märket Reef DXpedition Sept. 20–26, 2025
Between Finland and Sweden lies Märket Reef, a rocky outpost that has captured the imagination of DXers for decades. With no trees, only a lighthouse and sea-birds standing guard, this tiny Baltic island is split by a uniquely zig-zagging international border redrawn in 1985 — a result of a century-old lighthouse placement mistake in 1885.

From September 20–26, 2025, the island will come to life on the airwaves. OJ0W and OJ0YL will be activated by the Finnish-based team of: yl Anne OH2YL, Jari OH6QU, Juha OH6XX and Panu OH7CW. Landing is weather-dependent, with access planned via Finland.
Bands: 160 to 6 meters, emphasis on low bands; all modes.

SYLRA  (Scandinavian YL Amateur Radio)
On SYLRA's 22nd birthday, 15 August, 2025 - three Yls from Iceland (TF) sat down and talked about SYLRA.  Anna TF3VB; Elin TF3EQ; Vala TF3VD
To share and enjoy their memories, go to the link below..
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0lBzBaod4U

JLRS (Japan Ladies Radio Society,

 
48th HAM RADIO Friedrichshafen, Germany. 2025
 Europe's largest amateur radio exhibition,
 Participation report August 15, 2025  (Text by JI1JRE) YL Hatsumi
On Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June, I took part in HAM RADIO 2025 , organised by the
German Amateur Radio Association DARC, said to be the largest ham festival in Europe. Friedrichshafen , where the event was held, is located on the shores of Lake Constance in southern Germany, a famous international resort. A free shuttle bus to the venue, Messe Friedrichshafen, departs from close to the ferry terminal.
Like the Dayton Hamvention in the US, HAM RADIO also hosts a packed programme every year, attracting many enthusiastic hams.
One of the YL-related events is the International YL Meeting , where the activities of the YL event OL88YL, held in the Czech Republic last August 2024, were introduced . I was fortunate enough to be able to join them on stage, I promoted JLRS (Japan Ladies Radio Society) and the "8K3EXPO," a special commemorative station for the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Although my English is poor, it seemed that a talk given by a Japanese YL was such a rare event, that many people stopped to look.
The venue was a large gymnasium-like hall, with booths spaced out in a relaxed manner. There were long lines at every shop that made goods with call signs. There were many women and dogs to be seen, and there was a restaurant and shop in the courtyard. The ice cream I bought to prevent heat stroke was delicious.
Please also take a look at our website. https://www.jarl.com/jlrs/ We are looking for members! ↓  https://ameblo.jp/jlrsblog/entry-12923164221.html

47th JARL Ham Fair Tokyo, at Ariake GYM-EX.
The biggest amateur radio  exhibition in Asia.  23 – 24 August,  2025.
Thank you for coming to Ham Fair!  We'd like to thank everyone who visited our JLRS booth at Ham Fair 2025 , held last weekend on August 23rd (Sat) and 24th (Sun). We were delighted to speak with so many people, including those who regularly communicate with us at YL CQ Day and contests, as well as those we met for the first time. We also had a number of women who were interested in getting into amateur radio. We hope to enjoy amateur radio together with them. Thank you to everyone who communicated with JLRS Association Station "JA1YWM," who operated from our booth. We will send any QSL cards we were unable to provide on the day via the bureau.
We will be holding the 54th JLRS Party Contest at the end of next month (Sept 27 – 28, 2025 SSB) , so please come along and participate. Please note that there have been some changes to the terms and conditions this time . Please see the terms and conditions here: https://www.jarl.com/jlrs/test/54ylcon-kiyaku.pdf  . Please also visit our website: https://www.jarl.com/jlrs/  . We're looking for members!
https://ameblo.jp/jlrsblog/entry-12925295616.html

86th Birthday Lucía Sájara LU3EZH September 27,  2025.
Lucía Sájara LU3EZH radio amateur Licensed since1982, she is a great-grandmother with a Special category radio license. Lucía remains passionate when talking about radio, maintaining that amateur radio is a healthy addiction and that those who are drawn to it should take the plunge and not be afraid of the operating practices to overcome their fear of the microphone.
She was born on September 27, 1939, in the town of Sevigné, Dolores district, in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). A dressmaker by profession  she moved to the El Juncal farm, 35 km from the city of '25 de Mayo'. with her husband.
The farmhouse had a radio station installed, which provided daily news to the owner of the farm, who had similar equipment in his office. There, Lucía discovered that by changing the channel, she could hear people from other countries, including a Brazilian woman with whom she spoke every night in 1972 and with whom she has maintained a friendship for 50 years, a friendship that has recently continued through social media.
Two sons arrived and they attended a nearby rural primary school. However for them to be able to attend secondary school, Lucia had to rent an apartment in the town of '25 de Mayo',  35 km away.
The youngest son, Hugo,  enrolled at the Radio Club 25 de Mayo, receiving the licensed callsign LU5DAX. He became so involved that within a couple of years he had become an instructor and persuaded his parents to obtain their radio licenses,
Twice a week they travelled the 35 km in a Renault 12 car from the country to the Radio Club being instructed by their own son, until it was time for the exam; which in 1982 included CW.  They both passed  receiving their licenses: Lucía LU3EZH and her husband Carlos Focke, LU6EZC (silent key).
They bought a Keiss M12, the most affordable option at the time, to set up the station in the country-side with a medium-wave dipole for 80 meters, the only option offered by the initial category.
A few years later, in 1988, they moved to La Carreta, 60 km from Pehuajó.. Both already had the intermediate category license. Their son Hugo had settled in Spain, and they went to a country bar with a land-line to receive his weekly call
One day, while talking with Héctor Young LU1DKJ, from Trenque Lauquen, he told Lucía that he would lend her some equipment to simplify contact with Hugo.  A few days later he showed up with an FT 7 Bravo, a tower, and an antenna! (Sadly he died of COVID in January 2021) From that moment on, mother and son communicated almost daily on the 10-meter band.  Lucía also had an IC 255A and remembers frequent VHF contacts with astronauts on the Russian Mir 5 spacecraft in 1992.
When her husband fell ill, Lucía settled in Pehuajó in 1994 and joined the "Venancio Bonet" Amateur Radio Club (LU3DN), where she served as president for three terms, as well as vice president, and as a first member of the current board of directors.
 

This organisation was founded in 1958 as the Pehuajó Radio Club, at the initiative of Mr. Bonet, who, along with José Bizzio, were the first radio amateurs in that city.
She promoted and participated in activations and gatherings in various locations across Argentina, such as Mendoza, Córdoba, San Luis, and Lake Moquehue in Neuquén. She particularly remembers a radio amateur gathering held in Salta, where, in addition to receiving recognition for her charitable work on the radio, it coincided with her birthday celebration.
She currently lives in an apartment and is active with an FT 757 GX, a gift from her son during one of his visits to Spain. Until recently she used a Walmart antenna for 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters along with a dipole for 80 meters.
Unfortunately a tornado left everything on the ground, and due to space issues, she decided to build only an inverted V for 40 meters at a height of 7 meters. This is the band that keeps her connected to the entire country.
Like all radio amateurs, Lucía experienced the long period of limitations and isolation during COVID. Radio was an important and safe distraction to shorten this pandemic period, at times managing to allay the worry and uncertainty that the situation aroused among older people.
In February 2019, she created the YL Argentina Group., inviting seven colleagues and friends to celebrate Women's Day on March 8th. They divided up their duties and have since maintained an annual calendar with monthly activities with more than 20 members.

Carlos Almirón LU7DSY Jan 30, 2022

TC88YL – The Voice of Women on the Bands from Turkey.
For two days, the voices of women echoed across the frequencies.
With the TC88YL special event, we came together to strengthen the presence of women in amateur radio, to build friendships, and to leave our mark on the airwaves.
During this unforgettable event, we reached out to stations all around the world and achieved an incredible milestone of 2200+ QSOs! Each contact was not just a QSO, but a new bridge built, an excitement shared, and a stronger sense of unity created. Making women’s voices more visible in amateur radio, inspiring young operators, and keeping the true “ham spirit” alive has been our greatest joy.
A huge thank you to everyone who called us, supported us, and shared this journey with us.
Turkish YL Activators: TA2RAG Gizen;  TA2ZEH Zehra;   TA3EMN Emine;  TA3YL Ezgi;   TA7YLY   Merzuke &  HB9FPM Eva from Switzerland.
TC2E Contest Station Kocaeli, Turkey. Kocaeli is a province next to Istanbul.

Dear Merzuke Gediktaş of  TC88YL team and participants,
we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the excellent organisation of the YL amateur radio event, the time that we spent together, the unforgettable memories and your hospitality that was very much appreciated. This event created a welcoming space that high-lighted the achievements of women in amateur radio and inspired many of us to continue contributing to the community and inspire future generations.Thank you for your hard work and dedication in making this event such a success.   Eva HB9FPM & Andy HB9JOE

Silent Keys: With sadness we remember every radio station  that goes dark.
ALARA 6 Aug 2025   Marilyn Syme VK5DMS (SK)
One of our much loved ALARA members has passed away.  Marilyn Syme VK5DMS was a member since 1977 and held numerous committee positions for many years.  She ran the first  ALARA National gathering in Mildura in 1984 which later became known as ALARAmeets.  In 1990 she received an Meritorious Service Plaque in 1990, an amber pendant and certificate in 2009 and Life Membership in 2023.  Marilyn will be sadly missed by us all.

*****

CONTACT    Over time, people change  emails, callsigns etc.  if any of your details change, remember to let me know, otherwise you are likely to miss out.
 yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather) zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
newsletters can be found:  https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.com/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society  https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/
https://www.facebook.com/CT2ISX    YLs-Amateur Radio Ladies-Portugal
Ham Yl       https://www.facebook.com/ham.yls

Unsubscribe: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email:  zs6ye.yl@gmail.com 

*****

Calendar Sept. 2025
Japan Ladies Radio Society (JLRS) "YL CQ Day" 2nd  Sunday of every month!
                    9:00 AM UTC+09 – 4:00 PM UTC+09
Sept  01       Ham Yl Facebook  birthday started 2011  14th anniversary
                     https://www.facebook.com/ham.yls
Sept             CLARA (Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Ass.) September, 1967.
Sept 20 – 26 Märket Reef DXpedition  yl Anne OH2YL/OJ0YL
Sept 27         Lucia Sajara LU3EZH  86 Birthday 
Sept 27 – 28 JLRS (Japan Ladies Radio Society) Contest – SSB last weekend Sept
Oct  4 - 5       JLRS (Japan Ladies Radio Society) Contest – CW 1st weekend Oct

amateur radio ladies yl.beam #143 aug. 2025

Contents

• International Dog Day   26 August 2025
• Out-and-About
• Missouri Yls at  SPARK- CON, ARRL Midwest Div. Convention
• LABRE-DF at the Inauguration of the New Brazilian Army Communications School  
• Brazil's National Day of Telecommunications
• CVA DX  HF CONTEST
• S/k   Vi Barrett W6CBA  & VE3WAD Jean Moffett
• Contacts & Calendar

*******
International Dog Day   26 August 2025
The participating stations will be on the air during August
K2D - USA team callsign
YL1DOG; DL0DOG ; DA0DOG ; GB4DOG
Find out more about bands, modes and exact dates from QRZ.com pages
where available. Also look at Hamlog.Online
https://www.dogdayradio.org/stations_2025.html
******
Congratulations
YLRL presented Jan O'Brien, K6HHD, with a special certificate honouring her 68 years as a member of YLRL.  She has been a ham since 1954 and joined YLRL in 1957.
******
Out-and-About
From 16 to 28 September 2025, Tom - K0YA and his XYL Antoinette - W5RCX will be active again as V4/K0YA and V4/W5RCX, respectively, from the QTH of V47JA in Calypso Bay,St. Kitts & Nevis;  from 16 to 28 September 2025. Activity will be in "holiday" mode from 10 to 160m on CW, SSB and FT8.
******
Missouri Yls at  SPARK- CON, ARRL Midwest Div. Convention
We are helping host the ARRL midwest division convention October 10-11, 2025 in Sedalia Missouri (USA). I would love to help support more women on the air and plan a  display table and hope to obtain a speaker for the event.
For more information please contact Jen Albright, N0VVX  KE0VFG@gmail.com 
******

Martin Butera (PT2ZDX) & Terezinha (PT2TF) centre above
LABRE-DF at the Inauguration of the New Brazilian Army Communications School  
Strengthening Ties: Martin Butera (PT2ZDX) had the honour of participating in two important events on May 5, 2025 at the invitation of the Army's Communications and Electronic Warfare Commander,  Representing all radio amateurs from the Federal District (FD) and surrounding areas, we were present at the inauguration of the new facilities of the Army Communications School (EsCom), on a particularly symbolic date: Communications Day, which pays homage to the patron, Marshal Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon. (note 1)
The morning ceremony was marked by emotion and reunion. We had the presence of our dear Terezinha (PT2TF), the eternal "Queen of the Air", a special guest accompanied by her family.
The evening ended with a celebratory dinner, cordially sealing a day that marked the return of a relationship that we consider strategic. We are very happy to emphasize that this moment represents the  commitment made by this LABRE-DF administration: to re-establish and strengthen ties with EsCom, after a period of separation.
We believe in uniting efforts between military and civilian communications. We have confirmed our partnership in the next 'Green and Yellow' Competition, in August 2025.  Our team, made up of more than ten LABRE-DF operators, will be alongside EsCom to collaborate on all fronts. (notes 2,3)  full article + more pics RadioZS p108-111  
https://mysarl.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Radio-ZS-June-2025.pdf 

(note 1) Marshal Cândido Rondon  (1865-1958) is revered as the Patron Saint of Communications in Brazil, a title bestowed upon him for his pivotal role in extending telegraph lines across the nation, thereby connecting previously isolated regions and laying the groundwork for modern telecommunications. May 5th, his birthdate, is celebrated as Brazil's National Day of Telecommunications in his honour.
(note 2) GREEN and YELLOW International HF Contest  CVA DX  HF CONTEST
The Green and Yellow DX Contest (in Portuguese CVA DX HF Contest) is one of the Brazilian’s most important amateur radio events, now in its 66th edition (2025), which reflects its long-standing tradition. The CVA DX Contest always takes place on the third full weekend of August for CW (Morse Code) and the fourth full weekend of August for SSB (Voice).
The CVA DX Contest aims to foster friendship among radio amateurs and amateur radio organisations - both civilian and military - from around the world.
It also seeks to engage radio amateurs in the commemorative activities of the Brazilian Soldier's Week, high-lighting events related to August 25th and honouring the image of Duque de Caxias, the patron of the Brazilian Army.
Known as the Green and Yellow Contest or CVA DX Contest, it holds the title of the most traditional amateur radio contest in Brazilian history. Over more than 50 years, it has developed progressively, aligning with the formats of global contests. The Brazilian Army, through the Brazilian Army School of Communications, promotes amateur radio practice and recognises its importance in the country's development. Through over half a century of contests, it demonstrates Brazil's affection and enthusiasm for the CVA DX Contest. Since opening its doors to the world in 2011, the CVA DX Contest has rapidly gained international recognition, showing the importance of amateur radio in Brazil to the global community
Aug 16 -17  CVA DX CW – 2025.  Third full weekend of August. (CW);
Aug 23 - 24, CVA DX  SSB  – 2025.   Fourth full weekend of August. (SSB);

(note 3) Soldier's Day is celebrated on August 25, the anniversary of the birth of Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias, patron of the Brazilian Army.
*****
Silent Keys - Tradition is not preserving the ashes but passing on the flame.  
 
VE3WAD Jean Moffett (nee Waddington) S/k age 101
(August 12,1923 - April 14, 2025)
long time OSC (Ontario Science Centre) Volunteer of 43 years  Jean Moffett VE3WAD, 4 months shy of her 102 Birthday, Jean passed at home after a fall. Everyone that knew her will miss her voice on the radio and her personality in the VE3OSC Ham Shack.  
With over 40 years of dedicated service, she holds the special honour of being Ontario Science Centre longest-serving volunteer. She started as a volunteer school group greeter before becoming a HAM radio operator, VE3WAD, whose voice and call sign were known around the world.
As one of the few female operators on the air, her charm, warmth and love of a good story made her a popular contact.
One of Jean’s greatest wishes was to talk to an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which finally came true in January 2020, (at age 96) at the Ontario Science Centre, she got to go even further when together with a group of students, she spoke with Commander Luca Parmitano  KF5KDP.
She was awarded the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers. (It is the highest honour for volunteer service that an individual can receive within the Canadian Honours System.)
Jean was still volunteering last year (2024) at the age of 101. She said the opportunity to operate the radio with— and for visitors — was the best thing to ever happen to her. (As of June 28 2024 The Ontario Science Centre VE3OSC was closed by the Provincial Government.)
Jean was born in Ottawa, Canada and spent her childhood years in North Bay with younger siblings. Jean met her husband, Joe Moffett (1924-91), while working in Toronto as a secretary at CNR. Their two girls, Mary Ellen  and Jane were raised in Leaside. Jean will be dearly missed by grand and great-grandchildren

We wished Jean 'Happy 100 Birthday' in yl.beam #119 aug 2023
The link below is still good (original date FEBRUARY 7, 2023) shortly before her 100th birthday. Her enthusiasm reaches across time and space.

https://globalnews.ca/video/9468921/ontario-science-centre-volunteer-set-to-celebrate-100th-birthday/?fbclid=IwAR1tiPi9OQ80T7NMnTwWptMbJTtUFuOGZ0RVbXichec0hmMqyxhIwdGmrB

******


Vi Barrett W6CBA on a KFBI visit in 2000     

Silent Key - Vi Barrett W6CBA   [August 26, 1929. - 16 April 2024] age 94
Age 19 She received her ham radio license on February 14, 1948  W6CBA, General Class.
The use and knowledge of radio equipment also aided her in getting her first job as a dispatcher in the Los Angeles office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.(FBI) Vi was the first woman  FBI radio dispatcher she worked in the Los Angeles office for over six years.  
After getting married in 1954, Barrett left the FBI, but not her beloved ham radio. Like his father-in-law before him, soon her husband was on the roof erecting an antenna.
In January 1981 a group of  Mulberry School fifth graders took a short trip to the home of Violet Barrett, an East Whittier City School District employee and the president of the Rio Hondo Amateur Radio Club.
While it all looked like fun and games to the children, the serious side of Amateur Radio operation was also explained. “During the Vietnam war, I was among several West Coast ham operators who made regular calls to the hospital ship USS Sanctuary off the coast of Vietnam,” said Barrett.
During the calls she would patch together a radio signal with the telephone line so wounded service men could reassure local relatives who only knew there had been an injury, but not its extent.
Still, for Vi Barrett service never stops.She remained 'radio-active' until the end.

YL Forum at 2019 Visalia International DX Convention  YLRL District 6
Vi age 90, 65 yrs marriage. 70 yrs ham , cw instructer,
11 May 2019  Episode 249 - Vi Barrett – W6CBA     

https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/w6cba

******

CONTACT    Over time, people change  emails, callsigns etc.  if any of your details change, remember to let me know, otherwise you are likely to miss out.
 yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather) zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
newsletters can be found:  https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.com/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society  https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/
https://www.facebook.com/CT2ISX    YLs-Amateur Radio Ladies-Portugal

Unsubscribe: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email:  zs6ye.yl@gmail.com

******

Calendar
Aug 1 – 31  WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna) August Activity Month 2025
Aug 7          NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY  USA
Aug 9 - 10  WAE  CW Worked All Europe DX Contest, 2nd full weekend August.
Aug 9 - 16   YOTA Camp  Youngsters on the Air Belgium and UBA.
Aug 12         International Youth Day
Aug 14         St. Maximilian Kolbe Dabrow aka SP3RN, patron saint of Amateur Radio
Aug 14         “Día  del Radioaficionado Chileno”  celebrated since 2016
Aug 15         SYLRA 22 Birthday, 2025
Aug 18 – 25 YOTA Summer Camp 2025. 13th edition in France. Jambville, Paris.
Aug 16 – 17   TC88YL Türkiye  YL Event  2025.
Aug 16 – 17  ILLW (International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend)  3rd weekend July
Aug 16 - 17   CVA DX CW – 2025.
Aug 16 – 22  22nd IARU World ARDF Championships 2025, Birštonas, Lithuania
Aug 23 - 24  CVA DX  SSB  – 2025.
Aug 23 - 24   JARL Ham Fair 2025, Ariake GYM-EX Exhibition Center.
Aug 26          International Dog Day  
Aug  28 - 31   DNAT in Bad Bentheim  (Duits Nederlands Amateur Treffen)
Aug 30           Region 1 Field Day SSB, 2025
Aug 30-31      A.L.A.R.A. 45th Contest  (Australian Ladies AR Assoc.) last FULL weekend  Aug
                       Sat.  30th Aug  0600 hours UTC -  Sun 31st Aug 0559 hours UTC
Aug  30-31     YL's of Chile  7th  anniversary (2018)  Yankee Lima Chile group 

Sept 5 -7 Handiham Radio Camp 2025
Oct 10-11, Missouri Yls at ARRL Midwest Div. Convention

 

amateur radio ladies - yl.beam #141 june 2025

Contents

• YL active from American Samoa
• SV2TCC Kate news from Greece &  Museum ship HS Velos II
• Young Argentine operator  Delfina Maieru LU7BPM,    
• Barbara Pata PY2QL monitoring LABRE-SP (Brazil) accounts
• YL France    
• YLRL Awards    
• Silent Key  SA5YLX Agneta Emanuelsson  
• Contact  

REMINDER: June 7 – 8, 2025 Annual Queens of the Mountains YL SOTA

 

Out-and-About  KH8 American Samoa
YL from USA K0JJW Joyce AND K0NR Bobwill be operating in "vacation" mode as KH8/K0NR and KH8/K0JJW from May 27 to June 9, 2025. Their primary objective is to activate SOTA summits, using 20 to 10m SSB, FT8 and FT4, with 10 watts for wire antennas. They plan to include some POTA activations.
They will be looking for local operators on 6m and 2m (any mode). Email: kh8@k0nr.com

American Samoa
Lies in the South Pacific, south of the equator, American Samoa is located approximately halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and about 100km east of the island country of Samoa.  
 Samoa is 24 hours ahead of American Samoa because they're on the opposite sides of the international date line. American Samoa is East of the International Date Line.
It comprises five islands and two atolls. Tutuila, the largest island, is home to the capital Pago Pago, whose natural harbor is framed by volcanic peaks including 1,716-ft.-high Rainmaker Mountain. Divided between the islands Tutuila, Ofu and Ta‘ū, the National Park of American Samoa highlights the territory's tropical scenery with rainforests, beaches and reefs.
*****

SV2TCC – KATE news from Greece
 I’ve been a licensed ham since February 2023, and although I attend a local amateur radio club, I’ve only met one other YL — she got licensed after me but isn’t very active due to work commitments. So for now, I’m kind of on my own!
As for news (not sure how exciting it is!), during the celebration of Hellenic Navy Week (June 29 – July 6), our local club will activate the historic destroyer Velos. It’s now a floating museum, symbolising the fight for democracy, as it played a significant role in opposing the Greek dictatorship in the 1970s. I’ve been assigned as diploma manager for the activation and have also volunteered as one of the operators. We're currently waiting for the rest of the team to confirm so we can organise the operating schedule. 73 and thanks for keeping us all connected!

Museum ship HS Velos II (D-16) a Fletcher-class destroyer was launched in 1942, commissioned on 18 May 1943 by the US Navy as USS Charette (DD-581). One of  175 warships of the same type. Today, there are four ships of this type that still survive, three in the USA and one in Greece.
USS Charette participated in WW2, in the Pacific Ocean.
On 16 June 1959 she was transferred to Greece. and renamed Velos (D16).
Velos was decommissioned in 1991.
In 1994 she became a Museum and was anchored in Athens from 2002 – 2019. Currently she is anchored on the waterfront of Thessaloniki.
*****

Hello, my name is Leonardo Maieru LU7AOW. I'm proposing a story for your magazine about my 10-year-old daughter, who is currently very active in radio. I hope you like it.  73 best regards from Leonardo, LU7AOW.    18 Mar, 2025

YL Delfina LU7BPM (Argentina)  
Hi, I'm Delfina Maieru LU7BPM, 10 years old, and I live in Buenos Aires. I began my passion for amateur radio when I was very young, listening to my father (LU7AOW) doing DX and chatting with his friends.
When the pandemic started, I was very active as a radio listener from home, using my swl LU7EO-0003, awarded by the Avellaneda Radio Club, to participate in various national activities.
In 2023, because I hadn't yet turned 9, the minimum age to become a radio amateur in Argentina, after completing my school work, thanks to a study guide for theoretical and practical courses, I began preparing myself so that the following year, in March 2024, I could enrol in the first LU7EO course of the year with classmates of all ages.
I took it while my father was working, after having arrived from After school, after lunch, and once the course was over, I would dedicate myself to my homework. I had just enough time for everything, but it was already a daily routine.
In the last stage of the course, operational practices arrived, during which my father even changed his work schedule so he could take me to the radio club for them.
I obtained my distinctive signal last September, beginning my satellite activity, which is currently what I love to do, using a mini Moxon Yagi hand-held antenna that I built with my father's help.
We also manufactured, among other antennas, a log-periodic, a rigid dipole for the 10-meter band, and two turnstile antennas for 145 MHz and 437 MHz for use in high satellite orbits.
On HF, I normally operate on 40 meters, and on 10 meters, searching for DXers and taking my first steps in digital and CW modes.
Currently, when we have free time, we do outdoor activities with my dad and after school.
How wonderful it is when father and daughter share the same passion!
I would also like all the young people and children who haven't yet dared to go on the radio with their own call sign to give it a go! We're growing in number, and we're calling CQ!
I hope to see you on the radio soon, and you can write to me at lu7bpm@yahoo.com  and Instagram: @lu7aow_lu7bpm   Best regards!    Delfina Maieru. LU7BPM

Delfina LU7BPM chasing satellites.

LABRE - Liga de Amadores Brasileiros de Rádio Emissão (English: League of Brazilian Amateur Radio Transmitters) is a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in Brazil. LABRE has separate organizations for each state of Brazil and is recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Communications.

Barbara Pata PY2QL & family

Barbara Pata PY2QL takes on an important role in overseeing LABRE-SP's (São Paulo state) accounts

Barbara represents the new generation of dedicated radio amateurs, who have upgraded to class A and she joined LABRE-SP 2 years ago.

She has 4 children and is married to Rafael Pata PY2PI; one of her daughters is a Class A radio amateur, and her son is a Class C radio amateur.

Bárbara served as Advisor to the Board in 2024, appointed by President Pedro Niccolini PY2DEL.

In this important role she will be joining veteran and Chairman of the Internal Audit Commission Pedro Mauricio Pioli PY2VCP, who worked for over 35 years as an internal auditor for an automotive company, living for some years in Germany. Pedro Pioli set a new standard in this role, which allowed the Board to conduct an in-depth analysis of the Association over the past five years, culminating in the appointment of a new Executive President and former Board member Marcio Barbio PY2TTN.

Barbara was chosen not because of her relationship with the current members of the Council, but because of her prominence in Amateur Radio and Scouting activities, and because of her dedication to everything she does.

LABRE-SP is very concerned about generating new leaders who will be able to contribute to the future management of the association, with so many challenges and changes in amateur radio.

We wish Barbara Pata success, as she will be able to take on various leadership positions in LABRE-SP, taking part in training with the most senior and experienced members.

10 May 2025  LABRE - SP

YL France 

Weekend is over but what an incredible weekend in this charming city of Provins where the 100th anniversary of the French Broadcasters Network and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) were celebrated and also the 10th anniversary of the Yl de France. A weekend full of discovery and personal enrichment. The happiness of reuniting with the OM and the Yls, sharing this passion that drives us all. A big thank you to the REF (Réseau des Émetteurs Français), the F6KOP (Radio club de Provins) team and everyone who contributed to making this weekend an unforgettable weekend for the Radioamateurs fraternity.

Radio Friendly Helene F4JWK     27 April 2025  


GM4YMM, Christine Dons  250 DXYL - Congratulations
YLRL gives several Awards and Certificates, to both YLs and OM.

A notable achievement is YLRL member GM4YMM, Christine Dons, of Edinburgh, Scotland. Christine qualified for our DXCC-YL Award (100 DX YLs) in 1990.  In 2011 she qualified for endorsements of 125 additional YL contacts.  That means she had worked and confirmed 225 DX YLs.  Since then she has added 15 more, bringing her total to 250 DX YLs.  There's a high probability that the record won't be broken for some time.  What an incredible achievement! Congratulations, Christine.

Young Ladies' Radio League,  Carol Fraley Laferty K4SAF · 30 April 2025
*****

Agneta Emanuelsson— with Roland Eriksson.2017

Silent Key  SA5YLX Agneta Emanuelsson

of Katrineholm, Sweden passed away on March 18, 2025 age 84, DOB 9 August 1940. She passed the radio test on August 2nd, 2009 and a week later was assigned a suffix in the special YL series.

Roland SM5TEY. Kindly shared information about Agneta.

I regret to inform you that my beloved Agneta Emanuelsson has died on March 18, 2025. She was a very active and committed person in many activities. She ensured that mines were cleared through the UN, wrote a book about Valdemar Langlet, learned and taught Esperanto, etc. When I met her through dance and we got together, I needed to learn Esperanto to be able to participate in the UK. Then she also learned to become a radio amateur (her call sign SA5YLX) and become a FRO (she was already a car corps member). There has been a lot of dancing during the years we have had together. We mostly danced old-fashioned and folk dances. Rest in peace! Roland SM5TEY

Ms. Agneta Emanuelsson (1940-2025) died in Katrineholm (Sweden) on March 18, after an illness that had afflicted her for the past year. Senator of the Esperanto City for three terms, she co-founded the Feminist Esperanto Movement (which she represented in the Forum when she was not a senator) and was a member of the editorial board of the magazine “Femina”.

With a pleasant, humorous character and still charming in old age, Agneta Emanuelsson positively contributed to the political development of the Esperanto Community. She herself was a member of parliament in Swedish politics, at an earlier age. A teacher by profession. A radio amateur. She wrote a Swedish-language biography of Valdemar Langlet, who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews.

Over time, people change  emails, callsigns etc.  if any of your details change, remember to let me know, otherwise you are likely to miss out.
CONTACT     yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather) zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
newsletters can be found: 

It is now published on:-https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.com/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society  https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/
https://www.facebook.com/CT2ISX    YLs-Amateur Radio Ladies-Portugal

Unsubscribe: If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please email:  zs6ye.yl@gmail.com 
 

Calendar
18 May 2025 YL Brasilian doyenne Alda Niemeyer, PP5ASN was congratulated on her 105 Birthday
June 1     Anniversary of 1st yl.beam newsletter 2011;
June 7 – 8, 2025 Annual Queens of the Mountains YL SOTA
June 19     aniversario ce4ylc (radio club yl chile)
June 21 - 22  International Museums Weekends  Amateur Radio Special Event
June 27 - 29  HamRadio Friedrichshafen.2025  HB9SOTA club, with SOTA Austria and SOTA DL, has taken over the organisation this year.

yl.beam #136 jan 2025

Contents

• Editorial New Year 2025
• SYLRA 2025 Cancelled  
• Dutch YLs at HF day 2024  
• Raisa R1BIG DXpedition
• Out-and-About: N6KLS Vicki Zumwalt YLRL
• Passion for Satellites  Leticia Alonso LU5ILA
• Silent Keys  - ZS6EM  Elmarie Mccash LW1DGW. Maria del Carmen Romeo 

Editorial: Hello Ladies – so grateful that we have made it together to another year.
Thank-you to those who shared and responded to the news-letters, it is much appreciated.
I love hearing from our lady operators across the world.
What do I wish for 2025? More On-the-Air time for all of us!
As technology continues to evolve we will need to continue networking, sharing and helping each other. Please keep your editor updated.
Best wishes for 2025 – see you down the log. 33 / 88 ZS5YH Heather (Eda)
*****
SYLRA 2025 Cancelled
Dear SYLRA friends,
unfortunately we have received an insufficient number of registrations for SYLRA 2025 and we must therefore cancel the event we were planning at lake Úlfljótsvatn, Iceland. The registration was very far from the minimum 15 persons we required.
We are looking at other options for hosting an event on the air and/or online and so on.
We will announce that at a later date. Our best regards to you all.
· Dec 1, 2024: Anna de TF3VB, Vala de TF3VD, Elín de TF2EQ, Guðrún de TF3GD
*****

L > R: Anne-Sophie NL13798, Marjolein PD2MDR, Mariëtte PA1ENG, Anneke  PA3DGF en Lisa PA2LS. After lunch we took this picture. Proud!
 

Dutch YLs at HF day 2024           Posted on 22/09/2024 by pa1eng
Did you know that the Dutch Young Ladies Club is part of the VERON Traffic Bureau? From the moment that there is no longer a separate VERON YL committee, PI4YLC falls under the committee that deals with HF matters. And that committee organized the annual HF day again yesterday. A number of Young Ladies from the contest team were there. It was a beautiful sunny day full of ideas about what you can do on the bands.
At the HF day in Hoevelaken there were again interesting lectures about DX-peditions and Websdr, prizes for contests were awarded and there was enough space to meet acquaintances and strangers. There we also met other YLs who are active in our radio hobby. It was great to see Anne-Sophie NL13798 and Anneke PA3DGF again, just like last year, and to meet Marjolein PD2MDR.
******
Raisa R1BIG’s First DXpedition
She will head to Cano Island in Costa Rica, Central America. (callsign TI1RRC) the only yl in the Team with 7 OM.  Estimated dates of operation February 19th-25th, 2025
Watch an interview with Raisa on YouTube ·(click on link below) ·19 Dec 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo08QEywohY
******

Out-and-About
N6KLS Vicki Zumwalt Young Ladies' Radio League 20 Dec 2024
My son in law, Ahmed A. Ella who lives in Egypt, was able to set up a meeting with the The Egyptian Radio Amateurs Society For Development (ERASD) for me to meet their amateur radio operators.  My thanks to  (ERASD) for hosting myself and Ahmed A. Ella when I was in Cairo, Egypt.  
The President, Mr Said Kamel, SU1SK, warmly welcomed us to their official meeting place where I presented 2 copies of Tom Schiller, N6BT’s book Array of Light.  They were most appreciative and agreement was made for Tom to do a presentation to their club via zoom in the future.
Conditions were such that I was not able to make contacts from Egypt, however I was presented with 2 buttons from their club and their hospitality to us could not have been more pleasant.  We shared several hours talking with them about amateur radio in their country and we felt fortunate for the generous amount of time these gentlemen spent with us.
We exchanged information and before leaving an invitation was extended for them to visit us in the U.S.A.
Of course my visit would not have been complete as the President of the Young Ladies Radio League had I not inquired about YL’s in Egypt?  I was told that women in Egypt who are not hams resent their husbands hobby and present it as their husband’s other wife!  It seems a reoccurring theme I hear.  YL’s are very rare in Egypt.  They were very interested to know about the YLRL, numbers of members and many other questions which I was more than happy to answer.  I was treated in every respect as an amateur radio operator and never felt any difference because I was a YL and I look forward to going back!
*****

Leticia Alonso LU5ILA of Missions, Argentina, who in January 2023 reached the Crater Corona of the Inca in the Riojana range at 5.550 msnm, from where she made several contacts via satellite  (see yl.beam #115 feb 2023)
Passion for Satellites
Leticia Alonso LU5ILA does not hide her passion for this mode of radio activation that amazed her. Here she tells us about her beginnings and how her husband Victor LU8IEZ and her children Veronica LU9IVN and Leandro LU1IAB accompany her on this journey.
Could you tell us how you were introduced to amateur radio and what motivated you to enter this world?
Since I was a child I wanted to be a radio amateur, I saw it in movies and I wanted to have my globe marked with pins from the countries I communicated with. In 2007 I had the opportunity to take the course and in 2009 I got my license, we traveled a lot and carrying a radio could be helpful, especially as we like extreme tourism.

Regarding satellite operations, when did you decide to make the transition and what were the main reasons behind this decision?
In 2019, while participating in Women's Day activities, I approached a large group of YLs united by Radio Club La Rioja, where several were doing various modes, including satellites. I began to collaborate with the Radio Club in organizing the activities and Blas LU8SAN insisted that I go out on satellite from Misiones, my home province. My husband gave me an antenna and I began to listen, encouraged by Patricia LU3FCA, who sent me material and information about it so that I could advance in satellites. That end of the year I got my first contact, which was with Patricia, my Satellite God-mother.
I never made a transition, rather I added one more mode, since I do Phones, Digital and Satellites. What is true is that satellites allowed me to channel my addiction to radio. I call it “15 minutes of glory,” which is the time it takes me to set up my antenna where I am and go out for the pass and I cut it off behind the pass, I finish and I can continue working, traveling or whatever I have to do, which doesn't happen to me when I do HF.  I don't want to stop, I want to continue. In this way, I am able to operate a little radio, which gives me pleasure and I have a limit, which is the duration of the satellite pass.

What sensations did you experience when you made your first contact through satellites? How would you describe that experience?
It was night time and it was in AO 91, which could still be used in eclipse, LU3FCA Patricia came out and congratulated me, she kept jumping around the yard, she looked like a creature that had been given a treat.
I never thought that I would take my handy (talkie) and my antenna as my traveling companions.

Activating 100 grid locators is a considerable achievement. Could you share with us the key steps and challenges you faced to reach this milestone?
On my first vacation trip after leaving, I took my equipment to put it into practice,
when a satellite passed by, my husband would stop at the side of the road wherever he went and I would set up my antenna.
Totally naive, I bought a compass, but I trusted in my skills acquired with the scouts, that I would have no problems finding the north. Well at the first stop I lost the compass which I forgot on the hood of the truck. However the sun rises in the east and sets in the west; looking at the shadows, the mosses are always on the south on the trees and at night if you interpolate the Southern Cross with Canopus (it is the star Alpha Carinae) in between is the exact south, as long as it is not cloudy.
Well I bought another compass (just in case I bought two), but they did not last 1,000 km because I also lost them! It is clear to me that in this life I do not have my own north, hahaha. In the mountains, the mosses are to the west and the further south you go during summer, the sun is always to the north and has a slight movement from east to west, which I didn't notice either, and when I went into the mountains I didn't have internet so all the satellite passes in the app were deleted. Over time I solved these problems.
I also travel with two handys (hand-held radios) and three antennas, because I broke several. I capture the passes in images and I install apps that don't need internet, I synchronize them again when I reconnect. I'm not the one who plans, because when I plan that I want to leave a certain place the satellite is off, hahaha.
As for challenges, I have gone out in storms, cold (-10°) and without equipment because in the north it is hot; altitudes that I am not used to, making it is difficult to breathe; extreme heat, at night, with so much wind that I could not open the door of the van.
 I have gone out to the most incredible places in Argentina and when I got my international permit (IARP) I added southern Brazil and Paraguay.

One of my epic outings was going out last year (2023) from Corona del Inca (La Rioja) at 5,400 meters high, obtaining at that time the record for satellite transmission at altitude. Later a colleague went out from Aconcagua at a higher altitude, but I still hold the female record.
But the funniest thing was that I was on the side of the road doing satellites and a truck with animals passed by and I was bathed in urine and cow feces. I was angry and shouting on the side of the road. I approached our truck and my family looked at me and said, "You're not getting in like that, dirty!" hahaha. I changed between two doors and cleaned myself as much as I could, but the smell was horrible and we still had 600 km to go home, hahaha.
The worst thing of all is to go back and sit down to confirm the contacts. It is an important administrative task. You have to request aliases on the platforms, since there's no point in activating a grid if you're not going to confirm the contacts.

At any point in your career did you imagine that you would become the only woman recognized worldwide among the top twenty positions in the AMSAT ranking? What does this achievement mean to you?
I didn't think about it, but a friend Claudio LU7DW insisted that I apply for the ROVER certificate (activator). When I submitted my application, they asked me if I had really activated those grid locators and not done them from my house? I sent photos with signs from where I left and the reports that Google sent me of the places I visited during that period.They congratulated me and explained that I was halfway to obtaining the AR-wardVUCC  www.amsat.org/reverse-vucc-or-vucc-r-award/  and that they expected me to achieve it. At that time I had 52 grids and then I thought that I wanted to reach 100 grids to apply for it; there were only a few awarded in the world and I wanted to get on the list and  I worked hard for it.
I was awarded number 17 (first awarded to YL and first awarded to South America) and behind me another YL applied for it, today there are 18 awarded in the world.
I also had help from my family who accompanied me on this crazy adventure and my Godmother LU3FCA, great hunter of grid locators, who was always on the other side accompanying me on each trip notifying me from where I was leaving, giving me information about whether the satellites were active as I did not have internet in many places, and every so often, if we were alone, she would go out so I could continue the journey encouraging me to call and all my travel companions that I call who always accompany me on my satellite trips and with whom I always share a photo of where I am.

What message would you like to convey to women interested in exploring the field of amateur radio? What are, in your opinion, the main benefits and challenges of this field?
To the women who are interested, I can say that everything is possible if you want it, if you are determined to do everything for it, not only in amateur radio but also in life itself. There is no achievement without sacrifice, which makes us feel great emotions, if there is no effort behind each achievement, there is no satisfaction in having achieved it and the driving force is the passion of doing what you like.
The main benefits are knowledge, experience, and countless friends around the world. I think Roberto Carlos fell short in wanting to have a million friends, radio makes it possible. The challenges in this field? They are big, you have to build stations, antennas, dare to go out, start with what you have and what you can achieve, and step by step, with time you become more skilled in radio, you gain  knowledge and experience.

How have your family reacted regarding your dedication and achievements in amateur radio?
My family are also radio amateurs, but without their support and collaboration I could not do what I enjoy. According to them when I activate satellites they say that I am "ET phone home", ET calling home and that at any moment they are going to abduct me, haha. They encourage me to continue, they follow my travel routes, they accompany me to grids that I have not activated, they sit on the side of the road to wait, sometimes for hours, for the satellite to pass over so as not to miss the grid. Or they go 70 km on a trail because there is a grid. On the last trip, my husband accelerated to get to the grid in time for the next pass; we were talking and we went too far and there were only minutes left... and I am saying “come back, come back because we went too far,” hahaha. I call them my heroes (LU8IEZ, LU9IVN and LU1IAB)
Finally, could I say a few words to the YLs of Chile and Argentina, encouraging them to continue on the path of amateur radio? Be passionate about what you do in your life and if it is radio, even more so. Involve your loved ones in this, so that it is not a burden for them and it is a way of life. Share it with your partners and children, who you know and even if they are not radio amateurs, join us and do not feel excluded, that way you will achieve great goals.
As we say in my family, let's go out and drink maté on the road and why not activate a new grid...  Email: leticiara29@hotmail.com
By Jorge Tisera LU9OTA
Selvamar News - Publication No. 58 December 2024 p28, p29,30
https://download.frcuba.cu/REVISTAS/REVISTA%20SELVAMAR/Selvamar_58%20diciembre%202024.pdf
VUCC/r Award (VHF/UHF Century Club for Rovers)
maté is an Argentine herbal tea
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Silent Keys
ZS6EM  Elmarie Mccash  S/k 12/12/2024
From Vanderbijlpark (South Africa) she was licensed in October 2021, She was the  secretary of the Sasolburg ARC and was often heard reading the Club's weekly.  Her hamburgers were very popular at club events.  She bequeathed her radio equipment to the club. She will be missed.

LW1DGW. Maria del Carmen Romeo (Argentina)
The news of the death of colleague María del Carmen Romeo LW1DGW caused deep sorrow.
Originally from Tandil, she settled in the sea-side city to study at the University of Mar del Plata, where she settled permanently.
She was a life member of the Mar del Plata Radio Club LU2DT, which counted her for years as a collaborator and as a member of boards of directors in different periods. Her husband Luis Alberto López LU4ECO, came to serve as president of the institution.
María del Carmen was also linked to the cultural and artistic environment of the city of Mar del Plata.     10/12/2024 by Carlos Almirón LU7DSY

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CONTACT     yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather) zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
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Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
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West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society  https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/

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yl.beam #118 july 2023

 

 amateur radio feminas 

yl.beam #118 july 2023 

Contents

• Welcome New YLs
• YL-Event SP88YL Poland.
• Czech Radio  100 years
• Jarmila Hermanova · OK2YL  1st Czech YL
• Women of Influence in Engineering USA Michelle Thompson, W5NYV
• 5 years of  Radio Club CE4YLC  Yankee Lima Chile  
• XQ4NUA, Leticia founder of CE4YLC YL Chile  
• Calendar & Contacts

WELCOME - 7 New YLs  RAE May 2023
ZR1HT  Ilona           

ZS1SE  Susanna
ZS2OD  Odette
ZU3IS    Isabella         

ZU3LM   Lillian
ZU6EDR Elri           

ZR6JEN  Jeanette 

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 happy to be able to use the first class contest station from 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.
The callsign SP88YL will also be used for some SOTA (summits on the air) and WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna in Amateur Radio) activities. 

Each YL can participate individually. The OM as an accompanying person is also very welcome.
I am happy to accept expressions of interest/ registrations and to answer any questions you may have.   Eva Thiemann, hb9fpm@uska.ch 
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Czech Radio  100 years
18 May 2023 marks 100 years since the start of regular radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, when the private company Radiojournal began broadcasting from a humble scout tent in Prague's Kbely.
Czechoslovakia is only the second country, after Britain, to broadcast regularly in Europe.

 Regular radio broadcasts in the Czech Republic started in 1923 and the beginnings of amateur radio activity and the first association of radioamateurs in the Czech lands can be traced to this period.
 The first Czech radio amateur is considered to be Pravoslav Motycka, OK1AB.
His first radio contact on 8th November 1924 is the first publicized Czech contact.
 On 19th May 1930 the first examinations took place in Czechoslovakia for amateur radio licence applicants
OK1AH. Jarmila Hermanova, OK2YL from Telc, subsequently became the first Czech female amateur radio operator.
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               Heřmanová (Prov. Štědrá) Jarmila   

         March 16, 1909 - February 18, 1971 Prague

1st Woman with a radio amateur license in Czechoslovakia
 Jarmila Hermanova · OK2YL  
Jarmila Heřmanová's father was the administrator of the municipal power plant in Telč at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, he had his own small shop with electrical goods in the power station, where radio amateurs from the wider area went to buy then-rare components. It is quite certain that Jarmila, a graduate of the municipal school, met a number of them here. With their help, she penetrated the secrets of amateur radio, learned Morse code, and broadcast without a license before 1930 under the brand OK2AJ. On June 13, 1931, as the first woman in Czechoslovakia, she successfully passed the exams for applicants for the license of "radio-electric broadcasting stations" at the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. Although she received a bouquet of roses from the chairman of the commission, this did not help her to continue using the callsign she was still using and was assigned OK2JL, a typo of OK2IL. In 1932, it was changed to OK2YL. She is mainly known under this call in the amateur radio world, with whom she actively communicated. In 1940, she got married in Prague and changed her surname to Štědrá. During the protectorate, like most Czech radio amateurs, she could not work and her equipment was confiscated.

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Women of Influence in Engineering -  2023 Ham Honoree
Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, Co-founder and CEO of the Open Research Institute (ORI), has been selected as a 2023 honoree for the Women of Influence in Engineering section published by the San Diego Business Journal (USA). The publication celebrates female trailblazers and highlights the honorees careers and accomplishments.

Michelle Thompson, W5NYV, has been an amateur radio operator for more than 25 years and was drawn to the hobby by her father and grandfather, who were amateur radio operators.
"We were a family of tinkerers, and my dad and granddad were always fixing and building things, including amateur radios," said Michelle Thompson. "Because of their influence, I was drawn to the vocation of helping people navigate difficult rules and regulations that impeded their learning and success."
In 2020, she founded ORI, a nonprofit research and development organization that provides all of its work to the general public under the principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research. She is responsible for amateur satellite service regulatory reform and is a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council.
Thompson is also chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) San Diego Section. She founded the IEEE Information Theory Society, as well as the local Open Source Digital Radio Group.
Michelle Thompson serves the ARRL Field Organization Southwestern Division as a Technical Specialist for the San Diego Section, and she is an ARRL Life Member.
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2023-06-22#toc04 

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43rd Alara Contest 2023  (Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Assoc.)
My Name is Marija and I’m the contest Manager for Alara.
We will be holding our 43rd Alara Contest on the 26th & 27th August 2023
Should you have any queries please contact me.
Kind regards, Marija Simmonds VK5MAZ
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#sent/FMfcgzGsnBdGcSgjDPVPfbmWfMqLGqjz?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1

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5 years of CE4YLC  Radio Club YL Chile
Founded June 19, 2018 in Rancagua (Chile) by Leticia San Martin Corrial – XQ4NUA, club president and great friend of this publication (Selvamar Noticias)
5 years of making this radio club respected and invited to many events.
5 years of daily struggle to demonstrate that amateur radio is not only for men,
5 years since this publication has accomanied her, learning from the group.
5 years in which we have always found a yes, in response to our requests.
5 years of seeing how new blood was incorporated into radio amateurs.
5 years of sweetening amateur radio with voices that make our hobby plural
5 years of radio and CE4YLC
 It only remains for us to congratulate each and every one of its operators because
5 years of YL in amateur radio is something to be proud of.
Selvamar Noticias - Publicación No 41 Julio 2023  p8
  www.ce4ylc.cl    Instagram @ce4ylc  /  Facebook Rc Ce4ylc Chile / Twitter @Ce4Ylc

XQ4NUA, Leticia founder of CE4YLC  Yankee Lima Chile  ,

Women in Chile create thriving community through radio. Yankee Lima Chile is the first women's radio club in the world

 “My parents taught me this wonderful hobby from a very young age, my father Waldo CE4BFF and my mother Patricia CE4PBU taught me the magic that all this entails.”
After 29 years as a ham radio operator, XQ4NUA, Leticia  created her own radio club, Yankee Lima Chile, the only one known to be made up exclusively of women.
“We highly value respect and support for each other. We are like a family. If one of us is feeling down, we make sure to try and help or call to give a few words of encouragement,” Leticia explains.
Leticia was the first woman in Chile to reach the highest rank in the amateur radio world, the “Advanced Operator” level.
During the pandemic, the hobby has grown
.”The fact that you're working remotely from home, as I do, the fact that you can't go out because you're in quarantine, has increased the use of radio,” Leticia explains. “I think the pandemic, in a way, made it easier for us to be on the radio, to be able to participate. And there are also emergency networks.”
“When I initiate a call,  I want to talk to any station, to any country. So you wait and suddenly a station is answering. You take their callsign, and you give them yours. ‘My name is Leticia, I am located in the city of Racangua, 85 km south of Santiago de Chile’. And that's where the conversation starts.”
There are about 6,500 ham radio operators in Chile and three million in the world, most of them in the United States, Europe and Asia. Only about 15 percent of the amateur operators are women. Leticia's club is unusual in that it is made up of women only, with members ranging in age from 14 to senior citizens. There are 22 women in the group that was formed in 2018.
The callsign of the radio club, CE4YLC, has a meaning. “CE” stands for the country, “4” is the region of Rancagua, and “YLC” is the name of the radio club (Yankee Lima Chile). “YL” comes from Young Lady, the old-fashioned nickname for women involved in ham radio.
Ham radio helps in times of natural disasters and power outages – the CE4YLC club is recognized in Chile by the national emergency agency.

“Ham radio enriches my soul and spirit. It keeps you alive, it motivates you, having so many friends all over the world, forming bonds of friendship that never end. It's wonderful,” shares Leticia.
[Edited extract from Global Voices,  by Melissa Vida , 15 June 2021]
https://globalvoices.org/2021/06/15/women-in-chile-create-thriving-community-through-radio/ 

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Calendar 
July 8-9 the IARU HF Championships and WRTC-22
July 28 - 30 Nordic ARDF Championships  2023, hosts Finnish Amateur Radio League SRAL.

Aug 6 – 12, 2023  YL-Event SP88YL
Aug 26 – 27, 43rd ALARA Contest 2023  Sat 26 at 0600UTC- Sunday 27 at 0559 UTC

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CONTACT     yl.beam news:  Editor Eda zs6ye.yl@gmail.com     
newsletters can be found: https://jbcs.co.za/wp/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society  https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/