Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Thu Mar 11 2021 23:02:15 COVID CONCERNS MODIFY IARU REGION 1 YOUTH EVENTS STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Concerns over COVID-19 have altered some plans for young amateurs in IARU Region 1, as we learn from Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. JEREMY: While planning remains carefully optimistic in the United States for the first youth ham radio camp in the Americas, organisers elsewhere in IARU Region 1's Youth Working Group have announced a modified schedule in response to COVID-19 measures. In-person IARU Region 1 youth events on the calendar before the end of June will not take place, and any activities set for later in the year are subject to review as conditions evolve. Youngsters on the Air in Region 1 has meanwhile been hosting a number of online workshops including a recent session on SOTA, WorldWide Flora and Fauna, and other outdoor operating activities. The announcement by Alex, IV3KKW, on the IARU Region 1 website, noted that the rollout of vaccines will be monitored, as will the development of further variants of the coronavirus. Events on the calendar for the second half of the year will remain in place for the time being. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jeremy Boot, G4NJH. (IARU, SOUTHGATE) ** SPECIAL EVENT STATION TO HELP AILING AMATEUR STEPHEN/ANCHOR: In a special event station getting under way on March 13, hams are reaching out to help one of their own. Dave Parks, WB8ODF, tells us about it. DAVE: Amateur radio operators around the country are joining Christian Cudnik, K0STH, and Alexander Valladares (pronounced: Via - dar - us), W7HU, in a seven-day special event on the bands to highlight the urgent need facing fellow amateur Phil Ross, AB8PR, who is in need of a kidney from a live donor. Special event station K4P - which stands for Kidney For Phil - will be operating on 17, 20, 40, and 80 meters, from March 13 to March 20, sharing the story of the Michigan grandfather, who is in end stage renal failure. The hams will be calling QRZ on single sideband and in FT8. Special event QSL cards and a downloadable digital certificate will be available for confirmed contacts. Phil has been told that unless a matching kidney can be located from a living donor soon, he will require dialysis, a time-consuming intervention that is not considered a cure. For details on the special event, visit the QR Zed page for K4P. Cudnik and Valladares have also been focusing attention on Phil's situation on their respective YouTube channels, "100 Watts and a Wire" and "W7HU Alex." For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Dave Parks, WB8ODF. ** HAMVENTION AWARD-WINNERS ANNOUNCED STEPHEN/ANCHOR: The Hamvention Awards Committee has announced this year's honorees and one of our Newsline colleagues is a recipient. Here's Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, with the details. KEVIN: Congratulations to Newsline's own Science Editor, Tamitha Mulligan Skov, WX6SWW, winner of the Technical Achievement award from the Hamvention Awards Committee. Tamitha was among those chosen for this year's honors by Hamvention co-chairs Michael Kalter, W8CI, and Frank Beaford, WS8B, who called her [quote] "a real space pioneer." [endquote] Newsline listeners know her from her solar weather reports here, as well as on HamNation, YouTube, the Weather and History channels, and for her work in the MIT Technology Review and in Popular Science magazine. Licensed since 2018, Tamitha is a research scientist for the Aerospace Corporation, and has also been an instructor at Contest University numerous times. The Hamvention co-chairs wrote: [quote] "She is always seeking new ways to bring an awareness of Space Weather and its effects into the mainstream, and hopes to herald in a new era of TV weather broadcasting before the end of Solar Cycle 25." [endquote] Honors are also being given to Wesley Lamboley, W3WL, who is receiving the Special Achievement Award for his work in youth coaching, membership recruiting and technical problem assistance. Angel M. Vazquez, WP3R, is receiving the Amateur of the Year Award, for his work as one of the principal support engineers at the Arecibo parabolic dish antenna that was operational in Puerto Rico until its collapse late last year. Club of the Year has been given to the Vienna Wireless Society, K4HTA, for its educational efforts and public service for 58 years in the Washington, D.C. area. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE. (HAMVENTION.ORG, QRZ.COM) ** GRANTS AVAILABLE FROM CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Amateur Radio Digital Communications, a California nonprofit foundation that supports technical innovation, is encouraging individuals and organizations with projects involving digital communication and amateur radio to apply for grants. Executive director Rosy Wolfe, KJ7RYV, said philanthropic grants are given to schools, universities, public charities, and others involved in nonprofit endeavors, who submit a request. The subject areas may also also include internet technologies, and the communication sciences. Past recipients have included the Foundation for Amateur Radio, the Chippewa Valley Amateur Radio Club, the ARRL Foundation, and the Hoopa Valley Tribe. For more details, visit the website ampr.org (AMPR) --- SBBSecho 3.13-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (618:250/33) .