Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Jan 22 2021 10:09:44 UK TV CHANNEL RECOUNTS AMATEUR'S NOTORIOUS, BRUTAL KILLING NEIL/ANCHOR: The notorious killing of an amateur radio operator in the UK was revisited recently, for TV viewers of a special three-part series. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, tells us about it. JEREMY: The brutal murder story, broadcast over a three-day period on the UK's ITV channel, was no fictional drama. The episodes, which were transmitted between Monday 11th and Wednesday 13th January, recount the killing in June 1989 of Oxfordshire radio amateur Peter Dixon, G0HFQ, and his wife, Gwenda. The couple were on holiday in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, where Peter had been operating as GW0HFO/M. The two were found dead, shot at point-blank range within half a mile of their campsite on 5th July. The Radio Society of Great Britain was asked by police to put out a QST, asking amateurs to check their logbooks between the 29th June, and the 5th July, police believing that Peter had made a contact with another mobile station on 28 MHz on the morning of Wednesday 28th June. They were looking for clues, any clues at all. Still, it took years of detective work, before the case ended with an arrest and conviction: John Cooper, a former farm labourer, was found guilty of the killings in 2011. In an odd twist to the story, Cooper himself had appeared on ITV on a popular game show - just days before robbing and shooting the ham radio operator and his wife. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (ITV WEBSITE, 73 MAGAZINE/OCTOBER 1989) ** CALIFORNIA HAMS DEDICATE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY NEIL/ANCHOR: In California, one amateur radio club gave a big thank-you to one of their own, in the form of a special honor. Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB, tells us what happened. RALPH: The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club values its resources: They include a state-of-the-art communications facility atop a reservoir in Santa Barbara County, California - and they include Bill Talanian, W1UUQ, the ham who helped secure funding to make it a reality. Bill, a former trustee of the 150-member club, has been doing that kind of volunteer work for more than four decades. Earlier this month, the club held a formal dedication of the facility, naming it the Talanian Communications Facility. Such a facility provides the kind of ability club members need to respond to communities in crisis, as they did in 2017, when the Thomas Fire ripped through Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Club members helped pass traffic for emergency responders. The club also has a mobile rover vehicle, as well as emergency radio communications stations at the Santa Barbara chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. Club members told the website Noozhawk that Bill played a key role in securing funds for the facility atop the Vic Trace Reservoir. Hams have considered it the hub of their communications network since 2011. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ralph Squillace, KK6ITB. (NOOZHAWK) ** HAMS SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS AT INDIAN RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE NEIL/ANCHOR: An annual religious pilgrimage in India once again had the support of a local amateur radio club which, this year, also made use of a satellite. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, gives us that report. JIM: The callsign AT2GSI wasn't your average DX. It was being used between the 9th and the 19th of January, by members of the West Bengal Radio Club in India, where hams were calling QRZ from Sagar Island, designated IOTA AS-153. There was a lot more to this activation, however. The hams were also present on the island, as they always are during the annual Hindu pilgrimage, to where the Bay of Bengal meets the river Ganges. Using HTs and a ground station for the Qatar OSCAR 100 satellite, made them even more capable this year of keeping emergency support communications open. More than 700,000 pilgrims had already arrived there by January 14th. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF. (MILLENIUM POST) ** RSGB NOMINATIONS DUE BY JAN. 31 NEIL/ANCHOR: Time is running out for nominations for the Radio Society of Great Britain's elections. Jeremy Boot, G4NJH, has that story. JEREMY: Changes are ahead for the Radio Society of Great Britain, which is accepting nominations for its elections. The society is seeking candidates for president, one elected board director, and one representative each, in Regions 2, 6, and 12. Results will be announced at the annual general meeting on April 24th, where President Dave Wilson, M ZERO OBW (M0OBW) is to retire, following three years in that post during his current tenure, which is his second term. That meeting will be held virtually. The RSGB positions are voluntary. Interested amateurs can learn more about these positions, or how to nominate a candidate, by visiting the website rsgb dot org stroke election (rsgb.org/election). Nominations are due no later than January 31st. Meanwhile, the RSGB board has appointed veteran BBC broadcaster Steve Richards, G4HPE, to fill the vacant post of GB2RS News Broadcast manager. Steve's voice is familiar to many listeners as a newsreader on the GB2RS report. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (RSGB) --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .