Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Dec 16 2022 11:03:11 NEW INDIAN SPECIAL EVENT STATION HONORS RADIO PIONEER PAUL/ANCHOR: Hundreds of contacts were made this year on the air by a new special event station in India honoring that nation's noted radio pioneer. We have that story from Graham Kemp, VK4BB. GRAHAM: This year, Datta, VU2DSI, was not the only amateur activating a special event station in late November to mark the birth of the pioneering Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. Datta has operated his special event AU2JCB for 17 years - but this year, Parks on the Air-India organised their own separate tribute using the call sign AT8JCB. It was a POTA activation as well, operating from Mohanpur Forest Park in West Bengal India, POTA number, VU-0136. Parks on the Air-India is a relatively new programme in India. It began barely a year ago but according to POTA country administrator Arunava Dey, VU3XRY, the team of operators made up for lost time with the Bose tribute. He said the response was nothing short of "huge" and a great success. Arunava told Newsline that over the course of the eight-day activation, AT8JCB logged more than 900 QSOs using SSB and FT8. With QSL and eQSL cards being sent in mid-December to their various destinations, POTA-India has other activities in store for the rest of the month. There are also more than 4,000 parks to be activated on the list of qualifying POTA locations. The man called by many to be the "father of radio communications" would no doubt be proud of all the amateur radio activity these days in India. This is Graham Kemp, VK4BB. (ARUNAVA DEY VU3XRY, POTA INDIA, QRZ.COM) ** ROMANIAN EVENT MARKS HIKING TRAIL'S INAUGURAL YEAR PAUL/ANCHOR: From now through the first half of the new year, amateurs in Romania will be celebrating that nation's newest natural resource: a hiking trail. We have more on that from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: The journey of discovery that comes with hiking along Romania's Via Transilvanica is an adventure for hikers cyclists and horseback riders. It got under way on the 8th of October with the official opening of the 1,400-km trail which had taken four years of preparation. The journey which marks the trail's inauguration is also one for amateur radio operators. Radio Club YO6KGS is activating special event station YR1400VT on the HF bands from now 'til the 30th of June 2023. It's a celebration of the long-distance trail that Romania sees as its counterpart to the Appalachian Trail in the United States and El Camiño de Santiago in Europe. While hikers hope to gain insights into their own lives in a natural setting, amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners around the world can work towards diplomas at different levels according to the number of contacts with other operators, many of whom will be young amateurs and members of the YO6KGS School Radio Club. Listen for their call sign on SSB and CW. CW speeds will not exceed 14 wpm. For details about the rules and awards visit the QRZ.COM page for YR1400VT - and wherever you are, enjoy the journey. This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH (ADRIAN BACIU, YO5IA, QRZ.COM) ** DMR RADIO AIDS RESCUERS SEARCHING FOR LOST HIKER PAUL/ANCHOR: The lifesaving capabilities of DMR proved useful to a hiker in New Hampshire recently. Sel Embee, KB3TZD, has that story. SEL: A relaxing day with his dog turned into a dangerous trek for a ham who was hiking the trails of central New Hampshire on Sunday, December 11th. He had become lost -- and the coming sunset and forecast of snow put him in even greater danger, especially after the battery in his cell phone died. He had been carrying his DMR HT, however, and placed a call for help on the statewide talkgroup using a local repeater. Bill Barber, N-E-one-B, heard the call and was able to contact the man's wife. She notified police who joined firefighters in starting a search. Bill also contacted Rick Zach, K-one-R-J-Zed, who knows the area's trails. Rick stayed in touch with the lost amateur on the statewide talk group while communicating with the search team. At one point, the amateur unintentionally changed channels on his HT but another amateur, Chuck Cunningham, K-one-M-eye-Zed, noticed this had happened and was able to restore communications. The ham found his way to a road and was picked up by the searchers at 6:30 p.m. Telling this story on one of the QRZ.com forums, Raul (Rah-Oool) "Skip" Camejo (cam ay HO), A-C-one-L-C, recommended that hikers carry DMR radios because their batteries last longer. Skip's story did not identify the ham, but wrote that thanks to the three amateurs who heard his call on DMR "the wayward ham is going to be able to enjoy another Christmas holiday with his family." This is Sel Embee, K-B-3-T-Zed-D. (ARRL NEW ENGLAND DIVISION) --- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .