FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE VP6TC, KK6EK, ON4UN, W5GAI, K4UEE Ham-Com DXtravaganza II Program Speakers
Noted Dxpeditioner Dr. Bob Schmieder, KK6EK, a team member and leader on the recent XR0X San Felix Dxpedition is the most recent speaker to join a distinguished panel of DXpeditioners at Ham Com's DXtravaganza II program and DX luncheon June 7-8 in Arlington, Texas at the Arlington Convention Center, hosted by the Lone Star DX Association. Tom Christian,VP6TC and member of the recent Ducie Island Dxpedition in March, will be the DX luncheon speaker at noon June 8. Numerous dealers and manufacturers have donated door prizes for the luncheon as they did last year. Luncheon attendance last year was in excess of 350 and another quick sellout of luncheon tickets is expected this year. Noted Low band DXer Jon Devoldere, ON4UN, an expert on 160 meter Dxing will make a repeat visit on June 8 during a special low band dxing program. Bob Allphin, K4UEE, will describe the recent South Sandwich DXpedition. Louis Cameron, W5GAI, will present the "Getting Started in DXing" program. Tom Christian VP6TC Christian, great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher Christian leader he famous "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1789, is known as the voice of Pitcairn as the island's most active ham radio operator. He is also president of the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA). Tom will also have color slides and video from the Ducie Island DXpedition which made more than 43,000 QSOs in March 2002. With major funding from an ARRL Colvin Award, and JA1BK, PIARA conducted the DXpedition from Ducie--which became the newest ARRL DXCC entity as of November 16, 2001 and its first time activation, making it the most-wanted DXCC entity at the time until the recent approval of the P5/4L4FN. > Some 2,000 articles and books, 5 major motion pictures, and numerous > shorter documentary films have looked into virtually every aspect of > this mutiny led by Fletcher Christian against Captain William Bligh. It > is undeniably one of the > most famous sea stories of all time. There is much disagreement as to > who was to blame for the incident, and the history remains, to this day, > an interesting topic for maritime history and South Pacific historians. > > The people onboard the Bounty arrived on Pitcairn in late 1789 and > Pitcairners celebrate the January 23 as the day in 1790 when the Bounty > was burnt. The community at Pitcairn, wasn't located for 18 years until > an American ship stopped at the > island. > . > In 1808 an American sealing ship called Topaz (Captained by Mayhew > Folger) found Pitcairn; and at that time only one of the original > mutineers (John Adams) was still alive. It was during the time the > Tahitians and Mutineers were on Pitcairn the Pitcairn/Norfolk (Pidgin > English) language was developed. It continued to be developed other > places they went. In the 1830's the Pitcairners were invited to Tahiti > by the Queen of Tahiti. They went but once they arrived they realized > that life there wasn't for them. They convinced an American captain, > William Driver to return them back to Pitcairn. They sailed on his ship > the Charles Doggett and arrived on Pitcairn on September 3 1831. > > Pitcairn today is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands as > ships call on the island only a few times a year. It has a resident > population of about 60 persons. According to Tom's personal biographer Dr. Herbert Ford of Pacific Union College in California, Tom left for Ham Com in mid-April for, bound for Auckland NZ, and the beginning of his months-long absence from Pitcairn. His wife Betty is also a ham and they have four children: Jacqui, Raelene, Sheri and Darlene. He has been an elder in the Island's Seventh Day Adventist Church for the past 15 years and fopr many years was a member of the island's governing council. Christian named a recipient of the MBE (Member of British Empire) medal in 1983 by Queen Elizabeth II for services rendered to the island. This was presented tio him in Wellington NZ by the British High Commissioner. Part of Tom's nomination included his service on the island as a ham and his numerous calls for emergency medical evacuation. It is safe to say that on one or two occasions his calls actually saved lives of people who, without ham-given medical counsel from abroad, would have died. Ham radio also played a part in helping Tom in 1972 when he was injured in a boat accident when one of Pitcairn's longboats was wrecked going out through the harbor and was totally lost. His right leg was fractured and emergency evacuation to NZ for treatment was arranged through ham radio and he returned to Pitcairn three months later. Bob Schmieder, KK6EK Bob is the founder and Expedition Leader of Cordell Expeditions, a nonprofit research group begun in 1977. The group is responsible for the creation of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, which was designated on the basis of results from Cordell Expeditions. Creator and Expedition Leader of the Rocas Alijos expeditions 1990, 1993. Participant in the 1994 expedition to Peter I Island, Antarctica, 3YØPI, where in addition to radio operations, he carried out a program of sampling and chemical analysis of the environment. Organizer and co-Leader of the 1995 expedition to Easter Island/Salas y Gómez, XRØY/Z, which included 32 participants for 3 weeks. Co-Expedition Leader of the 1997 expedition to Heard Island, VKØIR, with 20 participants. Participant in the 2002 Dxpedition to San Felix, XRØX. Licensed since 1962, he holds Extra Class radio license KK6EK. He has been active in Islands on the Air (IOTA), having activated five "New Ones": Farallons, NA-178; Guadalupe, NA-179; Roqueta, NA-183; Northern California Group, NA-184; and Central California Group, NA-187. Other calls he has held are XF1/KK6EK, VP8CPK, 4K1/KK6EK, CEØ/KK6EK, and VK6EKK. His expeditions have been awarded DXpedition of the Year three times. He is a life member of the Arizona DX Club. Bob is the author of 6 books derived from his expeditions: Ecology of an Underwater Island; Edward Cordell and the Discovery of Cordell Bank; 3YØPI Peter I Island 1994 DXpedition; Rocas Alijos; DX-Aku: Messages from the 1995 Easter Island DXpedition; and VKØIR Heard Island Expedition. He is a Fellow of the Explorers Club and former Chairman of its Northern California Chapter. He is honored by Schmieder Bank (a rocky bank in the eastern Pacific), Codium schmiederi (an alga), Erylus schmiederi (a sponge), and Pharia pyramidata schmiederi (a starfish). He has been listed in almost every Who's Who in the world. He is the owner and operator of a research vessel, the Cordell Explorer. Bob's web page is: http://www.cordell.org/CE_vitae.html Bob Allphin, K4UEE Bob Allphin, K4UEE has been licensed since 1958 (age 13) and began DXing and Contesting very early. Bob's father was stationed on Okinawa for two years and Bob got his first taste of being on the DX-end of the pileups as KR6LY (1960-1962). Beginning in the late 70's, Bob began Dx-peditioning in earnest. Since then he has visited 54 DXCC countries and operated from 26 countries. He has been a participant in 3 "DX-peditions of the Year " which include AH1A, XR0Y and VK0IR. Bob is also an avid contester and has set the following Single band/Single operator World Records in the CQWW contests 80m CW, 75m Phone, 15m CW, 15m Phone, and 10m Phone. He won the ARRL DX (CW) contest in 1995 (AB/HP/Single op) and second place in CQ-WPX (Phone) contest the same year. Bob was a participant in the 1996 WRTC and along with his partner N6IG, and finished 5th (53 teams). You may have worked Bob as VP2KAE, ZF2FX, VP2V/K4UEE, J87UEE, J87J, VP5FX, J34UEE, C6A/K4UEE, P40R,3A/K4UEE, T30EE, ZP5/K4UEE, TA1/K4UEE, VR2/K4UEE, KH6/K4UEE, HS1/K4UEE,TI5/K4UEE, VP2KC, VP5KMX, XF4DX, VP2V/N9GL, PJ9W, AH1A, ZP0Y, XR0Y, CE0Z, TO0R, TO0R/mm, VK0IR. e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skip Cameron, W5GAI Skip Cameron, W5GAI, was first licensed in 1954 at age 14 and has been an avid DXer since. He has worked all current DXCC entities execpt VU/A. He is a memember of the Central Texas DX and Contest Club. He has operated from QTH's in Louisiana, Indiana, Oklahoma, California, and Texas. His current QTH is a small hilltop lot in northwest Austin TX. His station setup are an Icom transciever and 1960s vintage Swan four element trap tribander antenna at 70 feet and a vee antenna for 80 and 40 meters, which he also uses on 12, 17, and 30 meters. His personal web page is http://www.ctdxcc.org/w5gai.html or e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] John Devoldere ON4UN John Devoldere, ON4UN, will need no introduction to those who are active on the low bands or in contesting, where his station is often activated using the call sign OTxT. John holds an engineering degree in electronics, and took early retirement in 1996 after a 30 year career with a major telecommunications company, where he held various management positions. A ham for about 40 years, John also holds an Extra Class license in the USA (AA4OI). ON4UN is actively involved in Amateur Radio society matters, and serves as president of the UBA, the Belgian IARU member-society. Aside from being active on the DX scene on the low (as well as other) bands, John and his station are very active in international DX contesting. John feels that contests are the place where you can find out how good your station (antenna) really is. John holds a range of prestigious contest awards and plaques, including a group of "winner" plaques for CQ 160-meter DX (CW) contests, ARRL 80-meter contests and various other CQWW (Phone and CW) contests. John's station is operated as a club station during international contests; dozens of guest operators from all over the world have operated from his station during these contests. Elected to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 1997, John is, above all, a very keen CW and contest operator. On 160 meters John has worked more than 280 countries and has the highest country score outside the USA. On Top Band, John also holds the prestigious WAZ (award #3), as well as WAS, which is certainly not easy from Europe. On 80 meters, ON4UN has 345 confirmed countries (all-time) and heads the DXCC listing worldwide. He also holds 80-meter DXCC #1. These outstanding results are certainly not the result of pure luck. They are brought about by a professional approach, which John shares with those at his program. Being retired now, John had the opportunity to spend more than 1000 hours over a one-year period rewriting ON4UN's Low-Band DXing, known far and wide as the "low-bander's bible." Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Registration and DX luncheon information is available at the HamCom web > page http://www.hamcom.org > or Lone Star DX Association web page > http://www.dxer.org/lsdxa > > JA1BK's web page which contains information on Ducie and other > Dxpeditions is at http://www.iijnet.or.jp/JA1BK/index2.html > > Additional information on Christian and Pitcairn Island is available at: > Pitcairn Island web page > http://www.lareau.org/pitc.html > (also includes Tom's normal on-air operating times and frequencies) > http://www.janeresture.com/pitcairn/ > (includes map of the island) The XR0X San Felix Web page is http://cordell.vwh.net/SFX/ > 2001-2002 LSDXA Officers: > Bill Priakos, W5SJ, president, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Herb Blair, K5AT, Information Director, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Bud Walton K5HW, treasurer, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Bob Alexander W5AH, activities director, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Tom Anderson, WW5L, membership director, [EMAIL PROTECTED] The DX heradquarters hotel will be the ArlingtonWingate Hotel, also our Hospitality suite will be there. If you plan to stay there, please say that you are with "HAMCOM", otherwise they will tell you the hotel is full. The hotel information is Wingate Inn 1024 Brookhollow Plaza Drive Arlington, TX 76006 817-640-8686, 1-888-657-8688, Fax 817-640-9922 http://www.wingateinns.com Amenities: Continental Breakfast, Handicapped Access, Health Club, Outdoor Pool, TV/Cable,Other Amenities: Rate: $89 ------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/unsubscribe, feedback, FAQ, problems, etc DX-NEWS http://njdxa.org/dx-news DX-CHAT: http://njdxa.org/dx-chat To post a message, DX NEWS items only, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives http://www.mail-archive.com/dx-news%40pro-usa.net/