Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Feb 09 2023 19:35:52 SOUTH AFRICA PLANS A SOTA CELEBRATION STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in South Africa who activate summits throughout that country are planning to celebration 20 years of those activations. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, tells us what they have in mind. JIM: Activators of Summits On the Air in South Africa are marking 20 years in the programme by urging all participants to either hunt or activate a summit on the 18th of February. Activators will be posting their proposed times on the WhatsApp group and Facebook page of ZS-SOTA. South Africa became part of SOTA on January 1st, 2003 when the first two summits were activated by Andrew Roos, then using the callsign ZS1AN. On that day, Andrew, now callsign ZS5U, operated CW from Lion's Head, SOTA number ZS/WC-058, and MacLear's Beacon, SOTA number ZS/WC-043. All hams who participate in the 20th anniversary activity will receive a commemorative certificate. This is Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF. (SARL) ** DEADLINE SET FOR YOTA SUMMER CAMP IN HUNGARY STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Young amateurs hoping to spend part of their summer in Hungary at YOTA camp have until the end of the month to apply, as we hear from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: Young amateurs who live in IARU Region 1 have until the 28trh of February to apply for Youth on the Air summer camp. The camp will take place from the 5th to the 12th of August in northwest Hungary, near the border with Austria and Slovakia. Organisers are advising prospective campers to get in touch with their local IARU youth coordinator to learn how to apply. There are spots open for 100 campers. Guest teams will be able to attend from Regions 2 and 3. One of the main goals of the camp is to train young amateurs to arrange for youth activities in their home countries and get other young people interested in amateur radio. This year is the 11th edition of the camp and it is being operated with the help of the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society, MRASZ. The IARU Youth Working Group works closely with youth coordinators to arrange for the camp to be held. Previous years' camps have been hosted by Bulgaria, Croatia and South Africa. Anyone who has questions may write to the organisers at youth at iaru hyphen r1 dot org. (youth@iaru-r1.org). This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (YOUNGSTERS ON THE AIR, IARU REGION 1) ** HAMS HELP LOST MAN RETURN TO FAMILY IN INDIA STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Hams in India who specialize in helping lost family members get back home recently assisted with just such a reunion. Here's Graham Kemp, VK4BB, with that report. GRAHAM: In India, a man with hearing and speech impairments and a history of wandering from home when under stress was reunited with his family with the help of amateur radio operators. The involvement of amateur radio operators from Kolkata ended a long search by the family of the 58-year-old man, who turned up at the religious pilgrimage known as the Gangasagar Mela last month. The mela was held about 100 km south of Kolkata, which is headquarters to the West Bengal Radio Club whose hams assist every year to ensure safety and communications at the pilgrimage. The hams noticed the man was in distress but because of his challenges, they could not communicate successfully with him. According to local media, he turned out to be from Khammam in the Indian state of Telangana. Members of the club receive special training in helping communicate with individuals who may be unable to speak or in cases where there is a language barrier. The club's secretary, Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, said that the man's responses to certain photographs helped them determine the region where he resides. By late January, the mystery was solved. The man, who had been moved to living quarters at a local mission, was successfully identified and his family was contacted by the police. Ambarish Nag Biswas was able to then communicate with the man with the help of Ram Mohan Suri, VU2MYH, director of the National Institute of Amateur Radio, who can speak the man's language, Telugu. Arrangements were made for his son to retrieve him and return him home. Dibas Mondal, VU3ZII, assisted in his transfer back to his family with the help of the police. This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (TELANGANA TODAY, TIMES OF INDIA) --- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7) .