Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (B) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Dec 23 2022 00:40:29 EMERGENCY RADIO TEAMS MERGE IN WESTERN CANADA JIM/ANCHOR: In one Canadian province, emergency radio teams have decided they'd work better as a team, so they're merging. Andy Morrison, K9AWM, brings us the details. ANDY: Radio responders and residents in one part of British Columbia, Canada, can look forward to more streamlined emergency operations under a merger announced recently by officials. Two town councils in the Capital Regional District of the province have approved the merger of emergency radio teams in View Royal and nearby Colwood. View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias said the result would be greater efficiency in communications. The View Royal Fire Rescue Chief, Paul Hurst, said the teams in both municipalities will now report to a single leader, and the amount of equipment available, and the number of volunteers, will be doubled. Amateur radio operators are part of the municipalities' response and make use of their own communication systems if the localities' cell towers are disabled in a disaster. The fire chief said that in those instances, the hams become a lifeline. Their teams staff radio rooms in the fire departments in both View Royal and Colwood, enabling them to communicate with other hams. They are also able to stay in touch with various government responders throughout the province. The fire chief called it a win-win for both municipalities. This is Andy Morrison, K9AWM. (WIA, SAANICH NEWS) ** ENROLLMENT FOR 'DIRECT-TO-FULL' EXAM OPENS IN UK JIM/ANCHOR: If you're in the UK and have decided that 2023 is your year to become a Full license-holder, the Radio Society of Great Britain has some helpful details about the process. Here's Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, to tell us more. JEREMY: Six months after publishing the new Direct to Full examination syllabus for UK licence-holders, the Radio Society of Great Britain is preparing to accept enrollments for the exam starting in January 2023. This exam is open to everyone, from Foundation to Intermediate candidates but it was developed especially to accommodate those aspiring hams who already possess technical competence and would rather bypass the three- tier licence path. Although the Direct to Full syllabus varies only slightly from the existing syllabus, a new item has been introduced regarding aperture antennas. If you wish more details on how to book for this exam, visit the rsgb website at rsgb.org and select the option for "exam announcements" visible in the menu on the right-hand side of the screen. This is Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (RSGB) ** HAM RADIO UNIVERSITY RETURNS AS ONLINE EVENT JIM/ANCHOR: Do you want to get your new year started by attending the popular Ham Radio University? The 24th annual event is set as an online conference and registration has opened. Stephen Kinford, N8WB, tells us what to expect. STEPHEN: With some COVID-19 restrictions still in place, Ham Radio University will again be an online conference on January 7th from 1300 to 2000 UTC. This is also the online convention of the NYC-Long Island section of the ARRL and will be held as a GoToWebinar. The day's program will be offering 17 informational presentations ranging from the Parks on the Air experience to the basics of HF operating. Presentations will also be made by experts on contesting and DXing as well as software-defined radios. Advance registration is required for each presentation you plan to attend. The conference is free, but there is a suggested donation of $5. This well-attended event has been organized again this year in memory of its founder, Phil Lewis, N2MUN, who became a Silent Key in March of 2020. For other details and to register visit hamradiouniversity dot org slash forums. (HamRadioUniversity.org/forums) This is Stephen Kinford, N8WB. (HRU) ** THREE WINNERS CHOSEN IN 'DREAM RIG' CONTEST JIM/ANCHOR: It pays to dream big. Three young amateurs were among those who entered an essay contest to share their hopes for the next generation of radio operators. The Intrepid-DX Group, which held the contest, was listening. Jack Parker, W8ISH, tells us about the three who wrote the winning essays. JACK: Maria Polyanska, VE3OMV, Ryan Kocourek, N7RSK, and Toby Latino, AG5ZM, are the first- second- and third-place winners, respectively, in the third annual Intrepid-DX Group's "Dream Rig" Essay Contest. The competition draws entries from hams ages 19 and younger in the US and Canada. The announcement of the winners was made recently by the group's president, Paul Ewing, N6PSE, who wrote that he was certain that [quote] "our youth are full of great ideas, and they are brimming with enthusiasm to keep our hobby alive and well into the future." [endquote] This year's question asked candidates to describe how amateur radio factored into their career plans. Clearly, once the prizes are distributed to the three winners, those youngsters can get started on answering that question -- this time, on the air. This is Jack Parker, W8ISH. (INTREPID DX GROUP) --- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .