2017-04 (Apr)
Young Ladies' Radio League District 6 - Winter 2017
YLRL News & Views - District 6 - California
YL Forum Saturday April 22 at Visalia International DX Convention
Women amateur radio operators of all ages are invited to attend a YL Forum to be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the International DX Convention in Visalia, California. If you’re a DXer or interested in any aspect of Ham radio, then IDXC is the place to be. Top DX operators from around the world will be there. You'll match those familiar callsigns with new faces, and shake hands with the person you have had a sched with for the past 10 years but never met. For more information about the Visalia YL Forum, please contact Gayle Olson, K6GO.
YL HF Nets
Weekdays 10:00 am PT
Ladies of the Net 7245 kHz LSB
Thursday 1800 UTC
Tangle Net 14297 kHz USB
Thursday 6 pm PT - YLRL Net 14288 or 7198 kHz
Friday MINOW Net 8:30 am PT - 3812 kHz LSB
EchoLink Nets
Thursday YL Net 5 pm PT - EchoLink ALARA Conference Server Node 286905 or DoDropIn Chat
Thursday MINOW Net 7:30 pm PT - EchoLink ALARA Conference Server Node 286905
YL Contests
UFT-YL-CW Contest - Nov 18-19, 2016
YL-MAFC event - Nov 18, 2016
YL-OM Contest - Feb 3, 2017 1400 UTC - Feb 5, 2017 0200 UTC
DX/NA YL Contest - Oct 6, 2017 1400 UTC - Oct 8, 2017 0200 UTC
YL Conventions
April 21-23, 2017 YL Forum at International DX Convention, Visalia, CA
July 18-21, 2017 CLARA 50th Birthday Bash, Winnipeg, Manitoba
ARRL Affiliated Since 1939
Celebrating Women of all Ages
in Amateur Radio
Young Ladies' Radio League, Inc.
District 6 - California
YLRL Scholarship Applications Due April 30The Young Ladies Radio League sponsors three scholarships:
The Ethel Smith, K4LMB, Memorial Scholarship which pays $2,000.
The Mary Lou Brown, NM7N, Memorial Scholarship which pays $2,000.
The Martha “Marte” Wessel, K0EPE, Memorial Scholarship which pays $1,000.
Applicants must be female and
Hold at least an FCC Technician Class or equivalent foreign authorization and
Intend to seek a Bachelor’s or Graduate degree from a U.S. college or university.
There are no residence restrictions and non-US Amateurs are eligible. Preference will be given to students studying communications, electronics, or related arts and sciences. The Ethel Smith and Mary Lou Brown scholarships will be awarded to full-time students. The Martha “Marte” Wessel, K0EPE, Memorial Scholarship is intended for a part-time student who is working full time while a student.
The cut–off date for applications is April 30.
Here is a link to the scholarship application form. Please publish it to your organization and anywhere else you feel might get it into the eyes of prospective applicants. 2017 FAR Scholarship Application Form
Prospective applicants can also access the form at www.farweb.org. Updated scholarship information
Linda Hynan AC5QQ, 1312 Western Ridge Dr, Waco, TX 76712 Email: lshynan@hot.rr.com
Amateur Radio Exhibit at May 13 Girl Scouts STEAM Expo in SacramentoWould you enjoy sharing your passion for amateur radio with girls who are curious about communications and electronics? On Saturday, May 13, from 2-6 pm hundreds of Girl Scouts of all ages will meet at the Sacramento Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, 6601 Elvas Ave, Sacramento, CA 95819 for their annual STEAM Expo celebrating women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Ours will be the first amateur radio exhibit at this annual event.
We plan to have a hands-on operational amateur radio station, literature about the ARRL, YLRL, Radio Scouting, and the new Girl Scouts Radio and Wireless Technology Patch Program. Please contact Carol KP4MD at kp4md@arrl.net if you wish to assist at our booth.
Ladies of the Net Activate the USS Hornet Museum Amateur Radio Station on February 18
Posted February 26, 2017
On Saturday, February 18, Janet Fisher, KK6RXO, of Chico was among the Ladies of the Net Radio Club members who activated the amateur radio station aboard the historic USS Hornet, 707 W Hornet Ave, Pier 3, Alameda, California 94501 beginning at 1900-2400 UTC (11:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Time).
The special event operation, announced on Amateur Radio Newsline and on Ham Nation Netcast #287, was conducted on 40 and 20 meter phone, and on 17 meter CW and phone using Harris RF350K transceivers running 100 watts. The 40 meter antenna was a fan dipole, and vertical whip antennas on the aircraft carrier's superstructure and flight deck were used on 20 and 17 meters. Contacts were made with other radio amateurs throughout North and South America, Asia and the Pacific.
Those who communicated with this special event may request a QSL card by sending a self addressed stamped envelope with their contact log information via the KM6CIR QRZ address.
The Ladies of the Net conduct an all YL net on 7245 kHz LSB weekday mornings at 10 am Pacific Time.
The World War II ship, which was decommissioned in 1970, has been a public museum since 1998 and it became home to the US Hornet Amateur Radio Club in 2002.
YL Forum at 2016 PACIFICON Convention
Women in Amateur Radio
Women amateur radio operators (YLs) and members of YL clubs and groups joined the Saturday October 15 at 4 pm YL Forum at the ARRL Pacificon Division Convention at the San Ramon Marriott. The forum held in the Pleasanton/Danville Room included a brief presentation on our historical background information and current achievements, issues and challenges that women face in the amateur radio community.
Our speakers included Diana Feinberg, AI6DF, the ARRL Los Angeles Section Manager, Vicki Zumwalt, N6KLS, ARRL Pacific Division Assistant Director, Misa Siemons, KJ6BUE, Pacificon Chair, Janet Fisher, KK6RXO and Debbie Johnson, WB6LVC, of Ladies of the Net and others. Other YLs and representatives of YL clubs and groups shared their programs and accomplishments at the forum. The forum was open for all who attended to discuss their interests and activities and ways that we can network together.
PACIFICON is the annual ARRL Pacific Division convention, held each year in October. It is THE premier amateur radio conference in the western U.S.
YLRL District 6 Membership Update
Please welcome these new and returning Chapter 6 members for 2017!
Deborah A. Johnson, WB6LVC, Rancho Cucamonga CA, Birthday: December 13
Deborah holds a General license and is a Retired Teacher. She is active on 2 and 40m. Gary, W6MOI is her OM. Check QRZ for more.
Roberta Williams, KM6BEK, Pacific Grove CA,, Birthday: September 7
Roberta holds a Technician license and is a SPED Teacher. She is a member of Monterey Bay ARA. David, KM6BEG, David is a family member.
Vicki Zumwalt, N6KLS, Bay Point CA, Birthday: April 17
Vicki holds an Extra license and is Retired. She is a member of Mount Diablo ARC and Contra Costa RA. She enjoys DX. Family members include Jose, KK6WRZ and Jane, N6NVA. Her former call was KB6DOR.
Tina Maria Madsen, KK6KSY, Union City CA, Birthday: June 5
Tina holds a General license and is Retired. She is the trustee of KM5CIR - Ladies of the Net and is also active with WPSS and CRC nets. Her family includes “Bravo Ben”, KI6VLC.
Maria L. Overton, KK6OFE, Carmichael CA
Maria holds a Technician license and is a Student. She is just getting active on the radio. Her mother is Lisa, KM6DAI.
Lisa Overton, KM6DAI, Carmichael CA
Lisa holds a Technician license and is an Author. She has not braved getting on the air yet, but is working on it. Her daughter is Maria, KK6OFE
Cassidy Payne, KK6OWM, Folsom CA, Birthday: September 16
Cassidy holds a Technician license and is a Student. Mike, N6OFT is her father.
Maggie DeLoach, KK6DZS, Sunnyvale CA, Birthday: June 8
Maggie hods a General license and is a Teacher. She is a member of Sunnyvale ARES and West Valley ARA. She enjoys Field Day and Flight of the Bumblebee Sprints. Jim, WU0I is her OM.
Carol Brown, KJ6OC, Sonora CA, Birthday: June 10
Carol holds an Extra license and is a Homemaker. She enjoys CW and is working on her speed. Other interests include church activities, square dancing and the accordion. Her OM is Sterling, AE6RN. Previous calls include N6TIF and KB6VUF.
Dawn Biocca, KB6CHP, REJOIN, El Sobrante CA, Birthday: August 6
Dawn holds a General license and is a Business Owner. She has been District Chair 6, and is a regular at Field Day. She is also a quilter. Family members include OM Alan, W6AKB; Chris, KG6LXL; and Jessica, KI6ELP.
Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, Fremont CA, Birthday: November 24
Kristen holds an Extra license and is a Computer Scientist. She is President of Palo Alto ARA and is a member of NCDXC, SKCC and FISTS. She also holds JI1IZZ as Japan is her second home. Chris, KG6SVI is her son. Check her out on QRZ for more details.
Lauren Vidal, K6LIV, Vacaville CA, Birthday: February 14
Lauren holds a General license. She is a member of Mt. Vaca RC. She enjoys Field Day and the CA QSO Party. Family members include Maria, KC4PGH and Jorge, KK4XU.
Trisha Pritikin, W6PAZ, Berkeley CA, Birthday: October 26
Trisha holds a Technician license and is a Writer and Attorney. She is a member of Northern Alameda Co ARES/RACES. Tricia held N6GAM (General license) which lapsed. Her family includes OM Kenneth, KI6EHA and Brendan, KI6EHB.
October 11 is Ada Lovelace Day, celebrating women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
Limor "Ladyada" Fried, AC2SNPosted October 8, 2016
Graduate student, Fried posted plans of an open-source MP3 player and other electronic projects on her MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) webpage. The plans became so popular, she started making kits and selling them. In 2005 MIT hacker & engineer, Limor Fried known to her fans as Lady Ada (a nod to Ada Lovelace*, who’s been called the world’s first computer programmer), founded Adafruit Industries.
The company was an organic outgrowth of her own DIY projects online, which, she discovered, found an eager audience. “People loved the tutorials, and there was nothing else like it at the time,” says Fried.
Need to spec a battery? Don’t know how to solder? Want to sew electronics into your pants? Adafruit’s got an online tutorial.
Learning electronics and computer science can be intimidating—there's so much to know and do. 'Ask an Engineer' a weekly show started in 2010 in Fried's living room. The concept was that viewers could ask her any questions about engineering while she was assembling electronics kits and Phillip Torrone, her spouse, was preparing shipments. Using YouTube, company mascot Adabot and Fried herself, teach computer-generated robot engineering basics, “More people in the world can sew and do crafts than electronics,” she told Embedded Computing Design magazine in 2014. Today Adafruit offers two wearable platforms FLORA and GEMMA, and features interesting applications for both in a blog series, #Wearable Wednesday.
The first female engineer to ever grace the cover of Wired magazine; a maverick with an unconventional management style and a bright pink hair coif, Fried has made it her mission to educate others — especially young people and women — about the endless possibilities of DIY electronics.
*Ada Lovelace (10 Dec. 1815 -27 Nov. 1852) English mathematician and writer.
All YL Episode on Ham Nation Webcast
September 7, 2016 on TWIT TV
On September 7, 2016 the Ham Nation webcast was an all YL episode. Here is the video with a table of contents. In her talk, Katie Allen Breen WY7YL explains challenges that she and many other YLs face when entering amateur radio.
0:00 Leo Laporte W6TWT opens the program introducing hosts Val Hotzfeld NV9L, Amanda Alden K1DDN, Katie Allen WY7YL, & Dr. Tamitha Skov
5:20 Video of YL's around the world - Val
9:00 Interview with DXpeditioner Helen Archibald, VA1YL - Val
15:50 DX News and Conventions - Val
18:25 Katie Allen Breen, WY7YL shares her experience in Ham Radio
30:30 Icom America Commercial
33:15 Amateur Radio Newsline™ - Lisamarie Luminais
39:15 Space Weather and HF Propagation - Dr. Tamitha Skov
1:06:30 DX Engineering Commercial
1:09:10 Smoke and Solder - Audrey Mc Elroy, KM4BUN explains transistors
1:17:00 Public Service & Ham radio - Amanda Alden K1DDN
1:25:00 Chat Room Questions - Abbi Wilson KF5BEW & Kendra Wilson KF5FYS Wilson
Young Ladies' Radio League in District 6
One new task that I took on in August was to serve as District 6 Chair (California) for the Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL), ARRL affiliated and founded in 1939 with a current international membership of about 1,100 YL (Young Lady) ham operators. The YLRL's primary purpose is "to encourage and assist YLs throughout the world to enter into the Amateur Radio Service." The YLRL encourages YL participation through YL contests, YL nets, member news in the bi-monthly journal YL-Harmonics, and also sponsors scholarships for YLs who pursue education in communications and electronics or related areas (science, technology, engineering and math).
A majority of newly licensed YLs are Technicians. More YL role models and all Elmers are needed to reach out and welcome both new and inactive YLs and encourage them to get on the air and to upgrade and join our mainstream amateur community. (The "Ladies of the Net" YL net meets on 7245 kHz LSB weekdays at 10:00 am Pacific Time). We see new opportunities to include YLs in our youth outreach through the Maker movement and through helping to implement the new ARRL "Radio and Wireless Technology" Patch Program in our local Girl Scout troops. This is good for the growth and health of our entire amateur community. Please do encourage YLs on the air, in your communities, and in your clubs to join this mission to welcome more YLs to our fascinating hobby by contacting me or the YLRL.
October 20-22, 2017 Jamboree on the Air
If you do not plan to attend the Pacificon convention, consider reaching out to your local Brownies, Cubs, Boys or Girl Scout troop to offer an Amateur Radio demonstration and to support their participation in the Oct. 20-22 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) to communicate with other scouts around the world. Offer to help your local Brownies, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts earn the Scouting Radio Merit Badge and the ARRL Girl Scout Radio and Wireless Technology Patch. JOTA officials ask participants and to report their experience. Read more.
73, Carol Milazzo, KP4MD
Young Ladies' Radio League District 6 Chair
You can always send compliments, suggestions and submissions for inclusion in our news to kp4md(at)arrl.net
ARRL Now Offering New "Radio and Wireless Technology" Patch Program for Girl ScoutsPosted August 25, 2016
The ARRL has begun offering a new Girl Scouts "Radio and Wireless Technology" patch program that offers opportunities for participants to learn about wireless technology, including Amateur Radio. Scout leaders and Amateur Radio volunteers associated with the Greater Atlanta Girl Scout Council and Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains developed the program to incorporate information and exploratory activities that provide a backdrop for understanding radio communication. The program will encourage Girl Scouts to take on activities to gain knowledge and skills, as well as kindle an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and careers.
"The initiative for the program came about through my conversations with hams who wanted to work with Girl Scouts as well as Boy Scouts and wanted a patch program that would introduce ham radio, as the 'Radio' merit badge does in the Boy Scouts," said ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ. "I was introduced to a group of leaders with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta who wanted to work in developing a new, fun patch program for radio that would fit with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience structure. This group was joined by Jill Galus, KB1SWV, of the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains in New Hampshire. We collaborated on this over the course of several years." Galus's father, "Skip" Youngberg, K1NKR, and a team from the Nashoba Valley Radio Club helped test-drive the new patch program with Girl Scouts in New Hampshire, during "Thinking Day on the Air" this past February.
The program defines the requirements for Girl Scouts to earn the patch at the Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador levels. Girl Scouts can learn the fundamentals of radio communication and wireless technology, from broadcasting to smartphones, and apply what they learn to connect people, enhance safety, and explore related careers. In addition to acquiring the fundamentals, participants can explore radio science through hands-on learning with Amateur Radio, and use radio to talk around the world and for public service. They also can learn about the role of wireless technology in everyday life and in careers. Read more.
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