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+YACHT NEWS +
August 2008
a publication of YACHT, Young Amateurs Contest Ham Team
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YACHT MEMBERSHIP ON THE RISE -
As of July 28, our roster consists of 36 members plus eight coaches for a total membership of 44. Our newest members are newly licensed from our Field Day VE test session. They are KD8IXR Zack Ziemba YTM#34, KD8IXS Jake Ziemba YTM#35, and KC9NWW Jeff Lewis YTM#36.
Jake has been quite active on the air, especially on 10 meters from the K8DAR station.
Our hope is to reach 50 members by the end of 2008. That is members and coaches included.
DAR LICENSED HAMS KEEP GROWING -
The licensing of Zack and Jake Ziemba gives the DAR Boys and Girls Club of Menominee/Marinette a total of NINE licensed hams since August of 2006
Our "Ham Honor Roll" plaque is almost filled up. Three more names and callsigns and I look for a new plaque.
K8DAR RECEIVES DONATION IN MEMORY OF LOCAL HAM -
Sally Mans, KB9IMX of Marinette, WI, recently passed away. She was the grandmother of Hunter Mans K8MBI YTM#25. A ham from lower Michigan who was a close family friend of Sally and her husband Al KG9BI made a donation, which the family felt should go to the DAR Boys and Girls club ham radio program.
We are grateful to the donor and the Mans family who have seen fit to do this. A lasting memorial to one of our local hams.
And what better use of this wonderful gesture than to use it in the young ham program.
YACHT MEMBER ON TV -
Calvin Darula, K0DXC of Waconia, MN, was recently interviewed on KSTP-TV in St. Paul, MN. His interview can be seen at the following address
< http://kstp.com/article/stories/S519423.shtml?cat=86 >
We enjoy hearing about our members both in national publications and on TV. Cal's interview is a great testament to the quality of young hams that are YACHT members. We are proud of all of you. Keep the young ham program moving forward.
LOCAL CLUB TO RUN SPECIAL EVENT STATION-
The Marinette and Menominee Amateur Radio club will be running their annual "Waterfront Festival Lighthouse" station on Sat. Aug. 9 from the festival grounds in downtown Menominee at the Great Lakes Memorial marina. The times are 10am to 4pm. They will run largely 20meters between 14.260 and 14.280. Occasional operations on 40 meters between 7.240 to 7.260 will be made. If 10 meters is open, look for them between 28.350 to 28.400.
A number of D.A.R. members who regularly use the K8DAR radio room facilities plan to be on hand to put the W8PIF call on the air.
Listen for W8PIF, commemorating Menominee light #490, which is visible from our operating position.
WISCONSIN ARRL SITE SPOTLIGHTS YOUNG HAMS -
Check the Wisconsin website for the latest photo of our newest young hams from the D.A.R. The url is <http://www.arrl.org/sections/WI.html>
There are many other photos showing young hams from the state of Wisconsin.
ECHOLINK NET CONTINUES TO FLOURISH -
The Sunday evening youth net - 6pm CDST on the K9KJM Sturgeon Bay repeater, node #44407 - is going quite well. Please keep it in mind on Sundays, as it is one of the few youth nets operating. The 2008 Young Ham of the Year, Emily Stewart, has been invited to join us, and may check in when she is able.
In the meantime, Jim KS8O and myself, would enjoy your participation. Net control is whoever would like to run the net. Previous net controls have been Brittany KB1OGL, Nick KC9MEA, Vincent KC9JVN, Ingo KC9TS, and Jim KS8O. Who will run this week's net?
Also, Ingo Bensch KC9TS informs me that his sons, Vincent KC9JVN, Constantin KC9NTR, and their mom, Jacky KC9NXL will be going to Germany in September, and would like to set up an Echolink schedule back to the states. Stay tuned for information on this. It would be neat for some of you to make an international contact with Germany via the Echolink mode.
YACHT CHAT CHANNEL QUIET -
I have noticed the lack of participation on the chat channel feature of the YACHT website. When I have checked in, I am the only callsign. Perhaps summer activities are occupying your time. Remember it is available and a great way to keep in touch on a regular basis, especially in the evenings, and prior to the Sunday net. We can also set up an informal "chat net" if you would like. What day and time would be best?
Also, since I run our local club two meter net on Sundays at 7pm CDST, I could take check ins via the chat channel. from 7 to 8pm.
NAQSP CW THIS WEEKEND - PHONE ON AUG. 16 -
Jim KS8O has registered YACHT with the North American CW QSO party this weekend. If several of you would like to work the event, you are welcome to do so and submit your score to Jim on behalf of K8KDZ the YACHT group.
The phone portion is set for the weekend of Aug. 16.
DAR HAM RADIO - A POPULAR ATTRACTION FOR YOUTH -
The K8DAR ham station located within the Menominee/Marinette D.A.R. Boys & Girls club continues to be a cool place to be for many youngsters this summer. I have many coming in to enjoy the ham radio experience from ages 7 to 14. A number of them are also reading the Technician study manual in hopes of getting their ham license soon.
Within the past two days, a young lady of 14 has found ham radio to be a neat means of communication. She made a contact on Wed. with Germany and Northern Ireland, and today, July 31, she was able to connect with a T77 in San Marino, with a little help from a ham who heard her continued calls, and alerted the T77 op, who then asked everyone to stand by while he listenened for Megan. Needless to say, she was thrilled.
We have also made almost daily contacts with a ham in New Zealand via Echolink. Alex KC9MBY, and the Ziemba brothers, Jake KD8IXS and Jake KD8IXR, are busy young hams who keep everything moving.
The DAR ham radio program is unique in that we are the only Boys and Girls club in the nation with an operating ham radio station as a part of the activity opportunities for the members. It is the "cool" place to be for many children.
MADISON YOUTH GROUP PLANS FOXHUNTING ACTIVITY -
The Madison youth ham radio group is planning a fox hunt activity on Sept. 6 and 7. They will meet at the U.W. Space Place on Sept 6 to learn about the basics of radio detection finding and construct their own directional antennas out of PVC pipe and tape measures. Then on the 7th they will go on a actual fox hunt to find a hidden transmitter at a local park/zoo. Sounds like an exciting and educational activity for the young Madison hams, who are all members of the YACHT organization. This could be a neat activity for other youth groups to work on.
(thanks to Ingo KC9TS for the news item)
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Thanks for reading this month's news. A bit on the short side. If you have any news to report, send it to me, and it will get on the following month. I need some interaction from our members. What are you doing in regards to ham radio, or in your lives that would be of interest to the rest of us.
Be an associate news editor for YACHT. I would welcome your reports.
Ed Engleman, KG8CX
YTC#1
Friday, August 01, 2008
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