[SJDXA] Pass the Hat Request

Tue May 8 23:46:01 EDT 2018

Good Day SJDXA Membership, please read below the letter I received from
James WX4TV concerning an upcoming Youth Mini DXpedition. I have personally
known this family for years while I was stationed/lived in Virginia and
actually we both belonged to the same Club too. His daughters Faith Hannah
AE4FH and Hope KM4IPF with their Dad are doing a Youth DXpedition to the Dry
Tortugas from August 18th to the 21st. If you watch HamNation or the
occasional News Feed articles on ARRL and QRZ.com you will recognize them
for sure. These girls are so devoted to the hobby they have been featured
Presenters at HAMCATION/HAMVENTION and several ham radio related websites.
What I am asking.."Pass the Hat" Donations for their trip to Dry Tortugas.
OBARC has made a donation and is providing both girls with QSO cards for
their calls and will get the QSO cards for the Mini DXpedition also via
GotPrint.com which most of us use for QSO card printing.cheap but great
quality and fast shipping. Please read the letter below this and if you
would like to donate towards their trip; options are listed under the letter
with their webpage and YouTube Channel links. 

Letter Received via E-Mail:

James Lea, WX4TV

wx4tv at hamradio.world

(386) 414-0788

May 1, 2018

Hello Steve,

We have finalized dates for our Youth DXpedition to the Dry Tortugas and are
busy making preparations for the trip.  Faith Hannah (AE4FH), Hope (KM4IPF),
and I will be on the island from August 18, 2018 until August 21, 2018 and
will be operating on HF and satellites with the callsign N4T.

The purpose of this trip is to determine the feasibility of putting together
a nonprofit group of seasoned amateur radio operators to take youth amateur
radio operators on DXpedition-esque trips, where the youth can experience
what it is like to operate in remote, austere conditions.  We hope to
inspire the next generation of amateur radio DXpeditioners.  Some other hams
and I came up with this idea while we were in PJ6 with the Dave Kalter
Memorial Youth DX Adventure in 2016.  We see value in the YDXA, where youth
are given the opportunity to operate from existing stations in DX locations,
and wanted to take their efforts a step further, by exposing
highly-motivated youth amateur radio operators to an experience that was
more like a real DXpedition, where everything has to be brought in and out
of the location.

Faith Hannah and Hope are very experienced in field operations and we as a
family try to get on the air on HF and satellite from the field at least
once a month.  Our next operation will be an amateur radio demonstration for
the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse homeschool day on May 10.  We will be testing
some antenna ideas that we have for the Dry Tortugas on that day.  We will
also be building a portable 20/17m hex beam to take with us to the island.

The girls have never done any primitive camping, so we are participating in
the IOTA contest in late July from a nature preserve in Marathon, FL with
the callsign K3Y.  This will give the girls (and me) a chance to acclimate
to camping in the tropical heat and in operating in austere conditions.  The
contest is held on the last weekend in July.

Some may ask why only three nights on the island.  The National Park Service
only allows a maximum of three nights.  Hopefully, this will be enough time
to get the experience and information we need to see if it will be feasible
to use the island for future youth DXpeditions.

Faith Hannah and Hope have already raised the money for the tickets to the
island and the reservations have been made and paid for.  They are currently
finishing their HF go box that will be taken down there and hope to show it
at Dayton.  This go box will have a SignaLink USB so we can do some digital
modes and it will also have a SDR Play RSP2 so the FT-857 can be used with
it to work linear satellites.  The FM satellite go box is fully-operational
and ready to go.  We are well versed in solar and LiFePO4 battery usage, and
have those bases covered.  

We still need to get camping gear, which will run us about $800.00.  Plans
are to use dehydrated survival foods from Wise Food company and the food
will run about $150.00.  We will heat the water for the food with either
Sterno cans or a small camping stove that we already have. Hotel expenses
will be just under $400.00 and parking will cost just under $80.00.

I will be writing a formal press release in the coming days and the girls
will be releasing a video on YouTube about the trip this month.

Please let me know if you need any more information.

73,

James Lea, WX4TV

386-414-0788

Links for Faith Hannah and Hope website and YouTube Channel:

HamRadio.World:            http://www.hamradio.world

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDyGrXXTib1-m5jl0P9Zyg

Donation Options:

Donation via PayPal.  AS A FRIEND. 

PayPal Acct  <mailto:pantazes at gmail.com> pantazes at gmail.com

Prefer to mail a check made out to SJDXA:

Robert Pantazes, W2ARP

Treas of SJDXA

314 SE 20th Place <x-apple-data-detectors://1/1> 

Cape Coral, FL 33990-7702 <x-apple-data-detectors://1/1> 

Or hand cash to N2OO or myself and we will convert and get to our Treasurer.

73,

Steve Molo (KI4KWR)

South Jersey DX Assoc. / Old Barney ARC

       <http://WWW.SJDXA.ORG> WWW.SJDXA.ORG
<http://WWW.OBARC.ORG> WWW.OBARC.ORG 

Phone: (609) 489-1878 (C)

Amateur Radio E-mail:  <mailto:KI4KWR at gmail.com> KI4KWR at gmail.com

APRS: KI4KWR (Home - Up 24/7) 

EchoLink : KI4KWR (Node 255434 Up 24/7) 

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