Many because of SWLing Submit contributor, Michael (BD4AAQ), who shares the next visitor submit:
by Michael (BD4AAQ)
On third October 2024, the forty eighth SEANET Conference was lastly convened in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The SEANET conference, a gathering of a bunch of novice radio operators, was final held in Johor Bahru Malaysia, in 2019, simply earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sri Lanka convention was attended by solely 25 folks. Nonetheless, it was hailed as a triumph, because it was the primary ever assembly of novice radio operators for SEANET following the tip of the pandemic and upon in depth discussions on WhatsApp teams.
Tharanga, 4S6TMP, and different organisers, did an excellent job internet hosting the conference. Regardless of its modest measurement, the conference featured all the everyday parts: shows, discussions, dinners, a bonfire, a particular occasion station (4S7SEA), and extra. Above all, the organisers shocked the attendees with the primary day cowl of the occasion organized by the Sri Lanka Submit Service. The primary day cowl, with postage stamps containing images of SEANET individuals, have been prepared in the identical morning when the images have been taken! Lightning velocity!
First Day Cowl that includes SEANET 2024
The low attendance of the conference was partially attributed to the altered schedule. It was initially scheduled for 19 – 22 September however needed to be modified at brief discover to three – 6 October resulting from Sri Lanka’s presidential election on 23 September. The altered timetable prevented most of the Seanetters who had signed up from attending as scheduled.
SEANET has seen a lot larger attendance amid wonderful photo voltaic situations. The 18th SEANET conference, held in Kuching, Malaysia in 1990, was attended by as many as 320 folks! The thirty eighth Conference occurred in 2010 in Shanghai, China, with over 100 attendees.
SEANET Conference in Shanghai
SEANET, the South East Asia Newbie Radio Community, was established in 1964 and is operated on 20 metres (14.320 MHz plus or minus QRM). The target of the online is to advertise worldwide understanding and fellowship amongst hams and to relay emergency, medical, pressing or precedence visitors. The on-the-air assembly, which has taken place at 1200 UTC day by day with out fail during times of excellent photo voltaic situations, has strengthened unity and co-operation amongst hams all over the world, particularly these inside the area. The online additionally supplies hams with a facility for testing their tools and propagation situations on the 20 metres band. Over time, members then agreed to have yearly gatherings for eyeball encounters and exchanges, which is how SEANET conventions got here to be.
[Regarding the] worth of the SEANET as an Emergency communications community…
There have been many a personal Yacht within the Indian Ocean that had been helped by way of the SEANET and Newbie Radio. As soon as there was this small Tri-maran which had exhausted all its gas, meals and water and have been drifting helpless. Radio Hams and SEANET alerted rescue companies and succeeded in getting an Ocean liner to divert and drop off gas, meals and water.
There have been different spectacular achievements to the credit score of SEANET. There was the case of a younger mom in Sri Lanka whose child of some days had a severe situation which might solely be handled by a particular drug not out there regionally. SEANET members regarded within the probably locations in Australia and Singapore however failed. They then contacted their associates within the U
.S.A. and succeeded in getting the drug flown out from California the infant was saved. There was additionally the case of the frantic father who couldn’t be close to at hand when his spouse was supply their first child in a Singapore hospital, over a thousand miles away from his jungle location. He stored in contact by way of Ham radio and SEANET. The spouse, in hospital, had associates from SEANET go to day-after-day.
On one other event, when catastrophe struck Darwin, Australia not too long ago, wiping off all communications services, a member of the SEANET group dwelling in Darwin arrange his station and was one of many first to contact the Nationwide Authorities with information and requests. One other SEANET member in Sri Lanka was in a position to receive particulars of the whereabouts and well being and so forth. of his countrymen dwelling in Darwin and so reassure their close to and pricey in Sri Lanka.
There was as soon as additionally the staff of Himalayan climbers who attacked Mt. Everest from a brand new route and when success was first conveyed by way of Newbie Radio and SEANET.
Within the early 2000s, I began to be aware of SEANET. I often heard different shortwave networks and internet controls, however SEANET was one which was loud and clear and was virtually all the time there at 14320 MHz at or shortly after 12:00 Zulu. Ah, the nice previous days! Internet controls took turns and labored from international locations together with Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Australia. Among the many internet controls have been Gary (VK8GW), Ben (VK6XC), Barry (VK6ADI), Kim (VK6UO), Roy (DU9/G4UNL) and Ray (HS0ZDZ).
In Shanghai, I might verify in to the online quickly after I bought again from work. John (BD4AAV) would additionally be a part of the online occasionally. In Taiwan, Tim (BV2A) was a frequenter of SEANET. He was very completely satisfied when he first discovered that John and I have been from mainland China. Someday he really useful that we QRY to a distinct frequency and there we three chatted like previous associates for a really very long time. Subsequent we exchanged QSL playing cards. Tim was the primary individual to be issued a ham radio license because the KMT authorities moved from the mainland to Taiwan. He handed away in 2006.
QSL card from Tim, with the enclosed be aware stating that resulting from propagation points he was unable to work Shanghai stations by way of SEANET at 14320 MHz these days
If we speak about SEANET, there may be one individual we should additionally speak about. Dr Singh, a Malaysian Indian. SEANET conventions have developed and now have survived the pandemic largely because of his efforts. He has many roles: physician, hospital proprietor, philanthropist, Sikh, and final however not least, ham radio operator (9M2KN). He himself has hosted quite a lot of SEANET conventions in Malaysia and has devoted to the event of SEANET and ham radio usually. Though SEANET is a free organisation with no everlasting secretariat and every host nation decides for itself easy methods to organise a conference, Dr Singh’s charisma, management and coordination capabilities have been important and have enormously inspired and impressed the organisers. We should always meet commonly earlier than we develop too previous to maneuver and we should always usher in new, youthful members to the large household, he stated, the ham spirit and the camaraderie have to be nurtured.
From left to proper: Ramesh VU2LU, Dr Singh 9M2KN, Jaliya 4S7JL, Tharanga 4S6TMP and Aruna SWL at SEANET 2024
Hans (DF5UG) is a veteran Seanetter with very in depth ham radio experiences. He has been to many international locations and operated underneath most likely probably the most callsigns. He was an EC member of IARU. He enjoys establishing antennas and novice stations on the spot wherever he goes.
Hans, third from left, on the thirty eighth SEANET Conference in Shanghai, with Michael BD4AAQ, second from proper, and different attendees
Fred (K3ZO) was a legend. He was an enthusiastic novice radio operator and actively participated in novice radio contests. Fred was well-known and broadly revered across the globe. He had labored many stations in China as effectively. Earlier in his profession, he was a US Data Officer. In 1974, he was kidnapped by a guerrilla group in Córdoba, Argentina and critically shot. As he was an novice radio operator and owned a considerable amount of radio tools, he was suspected of being a CIA agent. Upon a behind-the-scenes offensive in Washington and with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger categorically denying spy speculations, he was launched. He later said in a message: “Newbie Radio is an excellent passion however it may be harmful as a result of folks misread what it’s. I personally was kidnapped and shot in Argentina, however thankfully I’ve lived to inform about it.”
Fred additionally attended the thirty eighth SEANET Conference in China. He grew to become a Silent Key in 2023.
Fred, center, in Shanghai
Value particular mentioning are Turid and Mimis who’re 82 and 91 years previous now. The couple is initially from Yugoslavia (Serbia) (Turid was the Yugoslavian Ambassador to Germany within the 1970’s). They’ve now settled with their daughter in Australia. They attended many SEANET occasions and are nice contributors to SEANET. Just some days in the past, they wrote to Dr. Singh asking when and the place the subsequent conference might be held.
Gladly, Ramesh (VU2LU) has taken the subsequent slot for SEANET. We anticipate it to be a giant occasion like what we now have had in previous instances. The devoted web site for SEANET occasions is https://seanetasia.internet. So, keep tuned for extra info for the subsequent SEANET Conference. 73!
