Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Aug 13 2021 02:21:42 Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2285, for Friday, August 13, 2021 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2285 with a release date of Friday, August 13, 2021 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. Hams step up to help in California's deadly Dixie Fire. Amateur radio catches a ride on the Perseids meteor shower -- and a World War II veteran gets IN the air. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2285 comes your way right now. *** BILLBOARD CART ** BREAKING NEWS: HAMS RESPOND AS ALGERIAN FIRE GROWS JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with breaking news. As Newsline went to production on August 12th, hams from the Algerian National Society ARA had begun assisting with emergency communications as deadly forest fires swept through the northern region. The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 reported that at least 65 lives were claimed by the blaze raging in the town of Ouacif (wa-SEEF) in the Province of Tizi Ouzou (Tee Zee OO ZOO). Operating on 7.110 MHz, 3.650 MHz and 14.300 MHz, hams were establishing communications between the mobile station in Ouacif and the crisis centre in Tamda. Watch Newsline's Twitter feed and Facebook page for updates. (GREG MOSSOP G0DUB, IARU, REGION1 ) ** CALIFORNIA AMATEURS STEP UP DURING DEADLY DIXIE FIRE JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, in the US, in Northern California, nearly one month after its flames began, the Dixie Fire has become the second largest wildfire in the state's history. One group of radio amateurs stepped up to keep the lines of communication open for local firefighters when communications failed. Randy Sly, W4XJ, has that story. RANDY: With the Dixie Fire knocking out communications, wiping one town off the map, and forcing thousands in northern California to evacuate, a group of amateur radio operators helped emergency responders continue to get the word out. The Lake Almanor [PRONOUNCE: Al-muh-noor] Emergency Radio Net was on the air trading realtime information with one another and neighbors. Hams were monitoring 7.199 MHz and conducting their emergency net on 147.420 simplex. They also jumped in to help the Peninsula Fire Department troubleshoot their problems when the main firehouse radio failed, along with repeater issues. Mark Burnham, K6FEJ, one of the net's members, said that modified 2-meter radios had to be installed in the fire chief's vehicle for backup and at the firehouse crew's quarters. Mark said the Yaesu radio was modified by Ron, NB6X, to operate on fire department frequencies and a 12-volt power supply and J-pole were added outside the building. The hams also set up a scanner on the main fire frequency near the firefighters' sleeping quarters so they would be able to hear calls. Another member of the net, Dale, KM6BQY, remained in the mandatory evacuation zone, because he is also involved in search and rescue work. By the middle of the second week of August, the Dixie Fire was declared the largest wildfire burning in the United States. It had already destroyed nearly 500,000 acres and was only 21 percent contained. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Randy Sly, W4XJ. (NPR, NBC, MARK BURNHAM K6FEJ) ** CATCHING A RADIO RIDE ON THE PERSEIDS JIM/ANCHOR: If you haven't tried meteor scatter, now's the time. The Perseid Meteor shower is here. Paul Braun, WD9GCO, spoke to someone who's having a whole lot of fun with them right now. PAUL: One of the hottest topics in amateur radio today is the digital mode developed by Dr. Joe Taylor K1JT, that is, FT8 and its relatives. But the upcoming Perseid meteor shower should bring the mode's origins into focus as Dr. Taylor originally developed it specifically to work moonbounce and something called meteor scatter. Mike White, K7ULS, from Utah is an experienced moonbounce and meteor-scatter operator. I asked him about this facet of the hobby. He said that the object is to bounce the signal off of the ionized trail that a meteor leaves. I asked what bands are used the most to work that and he told me: WHITE:  Six meters is the easiest, and then two meters is the next hardest one. But with the upcoming Perseids meteor scatter shower on the 12th through the 13th you should have at least one hundred meteors per hour. PAUL: I asked White about the other VHF and UHF choices, but he confirmed that while the others can work, the size of the antenna and the power required goes up quite a bit. As far as six meters goes: WHITE: Yeah, it's the best option. You can use as small as a three- element Yagi. PAUL: I then asked White about what kind of antenna setup he used. He explained: WHITE: I use an elevation system on my antenna because I don't have big towers here. I actually have everything mounted on the back of an RV trailer. I just tilt it up into the meteor stream, and away we go. PAUL: I can vouch for that. I had to work our interview in between rounds of EME or moonbounce activity over several days. White said that if conditions are right, you can often work a station up to 900 miles away bouncing the signal off of the meteor trails. So, this weekend, you may want to just crane your neck skyward and watch the meteors as they pass by, or you may want to fire up the radio and the computer and point your antenna skyward and try your luck with meteor scatter. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Paul Braun, WD9GCO. --- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33) .