V31HQ

Tropical Storm Harvey Watch

BARC BEGINS TO MONITOR TROPICAL STORM HARVEY

August 18, 2017
For: Immediate Release

The Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has started to monitor the movement of Tropical Storm Harvey as it makes its way across the Caribbean Sea. Meteorological forecasts indicate a storm path directly to Belize.

Storms such as Harvey may disrupt normal communications by uprooting electrical poles,folding over radio towers and damaging antennae used by telecommunications companies. The loss of electricity and normal communications may cripple communities and individuals if they are not able to relay critical information.

Emergency two-way communications, such as those provided by BARC members ( who are also called Ham Radio Operators), may become vital following the passage of a powerful storm. BARC members have therefore trained and stand ready to assist if called upon to provide emergency radio communications.

At the announcement of an imminent landfall of TS Harvey by the Meteorological and National Emergency Managers, BARC will proceed to use the frequencies of 7.177 MHz and 147.000 to relay emergency messages within Belize. We will also use internationally allocated ham radio frequencies to relay emergency traffic.

Attached below are additional radio frequencies used by emergency radio organizations to assist in humanitarian relief efforts:

Belize Emergency Frequencies
7.000 MHz National Disaster Response Frequency

7.177 MHz Belize Amateur Radio Club Net
144.000 MHz Disaster response
150.750 MHz NEMO Belize Disaster Response
156.800 MHz Maritime Guard Band Ch16

Worldwide Emergency Frequencies and Websites
3.815 MHz Caribbean Emergency & Weather Net www.cewn.org
14.265 MHz Salvation Army Network www.satern.org
14.325 MHz Hurricane Watch Net www.hwn.org

For additional information kindly contact:
Emil Rodriguez
President
Belize Amateur Radio Club
v31er@barc.bz
www.barc.bz

END OF RELEASE

BARC, IARU, media, News

“New” Belize Amateur Radio Club Admitted to IARU Membership

NEWS RELEASE

International Amateur Radio Union
P.O. Box 310905
Newington, CT 06131-0905 USA
Email: secretary @ iaru.org

www.iaru.org

11 May 2017

For immediate release

“New” Belize Amateur Radio Club Admitted to IARU Membership

The member-societies ofthe International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) have approved a proposal to admita new representative of the radio amateurs of Belize to IARU membership. As ofthe deadline for voting, 9 May 2017, 77 member-societies had voted in favor ofadmitting the Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) with none opposed. There were no
abstentions. The affirmative votes of 55 member-societies were required forapproval.

Belize previously wasrepresented in the IARU by another organization of the same name. Once the IARUAdministrative Council determined that this earlier organization no longerexisted, IARU Region 2 accepted an application for membership from the new BARCand confirmed that it satisfied the requirements of the IARU Constitution andBylaws.

The officers of BARC are:

Emil Rodriguez,V31ER, President

Dr. Andre T.Scholz, V31DL, Vice President and IARU Liaison

Steven Harp, V31SH, Secretary

Contact information:

Web: http://barc.bz

Address: PO Box159, Belmopan, Belize, Central America

Telephone: +501601 6282

Email: see listingat www.iaru.org/member-societies.html

There are now167 IARU member-societies in as many countries and separate territories.

Education News

Engineering Students in Belize Receive Introduction to Ham Radio

Engineering Students at the University of Belize have been given an Introduction to Amateur Radio by members of the Belize Amateur Radio Club.

The introduction was held at the University of Belize (UB) Engineering Department in Belize City and included a summary of BARC´s educational goals, a short video, a lesson on ham radio basics (such as propagation and the radio frequency spectrum) and a question-and-answer session.

UB Engineering Students and BARC

BARC President Emil Rodriguez, V31ER, encouraged the young students to grasp the opportunities that Amateur Radio offers to expand their skills in their field of study, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technologies.

The introduction represents the first step towards establishing a partnership between BARC and the UB Engineering Department. It is envisioned that through this partnership students will learn specific skills that include building simple antennae, exploring electronic circuits, practicing voice procedures, and learning theory necessary to obtain their ham radio licenses.

Following the BARC Ham Radio introduction, students and staff members expressed their intention to establish a UB Amateur Radio Club shortly.

The establishment of a permanent Ham Radio station at the UB Engineering Department would be a first and could greatly enhance the educational capacity of the institution. It would also allow students to contribute to their community by engaging in emergency radio communications during hurricanes that affect Belize.

END

DX-News

V31VP

Victor/WB0TEV will be the op behind V31VP in the contest. QRV
between the 24th and 28th, outside the contest with a focus on RTTYand Asia. QSL via WB0TEV (d/B).

Vom 24. – 28. März zieht es Victor/WBØTEV erneut nach Belize. Als V31VP nimmt er in der SO/AB/HP-Klasse am CQ WW WPX Contest teil. Außerhalb des Contest liegt der Fokus auf RTTY in Richtung Asien. QSL via WBØTEV

V31HQ

BARC Certificate 2017 features Altun Ha

Members of the Belize Amateur Radio Club will be pleased when they receive their 2017 certificate that features the ancient Mayan ruins at Altun Ha.

Altun Ha is one of Belize´s top tourist destinations and the site offers a unique insight into the Mayas who occupied that area for many centuries; from about B.C. 900 to A.D. 1000.

The ruins are located on the north-central coastal plain of Belize about 30 miles (50km) north of Belize City and about 6 miles (10km) west of the shore of the Caribbean Sea. While the site was in existence for centuries, it did not come to the attention of archaeologists until 1963. Since then it has come under official management and regular tours are available to the adventurous at heart.

The BARC Membership Certificate for 2017 features the largest of Altun Ha’s temple-pyramids, which is the “Temple of the Masonry Altars”. It rises about 54 feet (16 m) high.

Along with the certificate, full members will also receive an official BARC t-shirt.

BARC Sample Certificate

News

BARC Makes Ham Radio Demonstration to the Scouts of Belize

The Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) successfully completed an ´Introduction to Amateur Radio´ for the Scout Association of Belize on Sunday February 26, 2017.

The demonstration, held at the Scouts National Training Grounds, near Burrell Boom, was divided into four parts: BARC´s Goals for Amateur Radio in Belize, Educational Video, Hands-On Demonstration of Radio Equipment and a Question and Answer Session.

Boys and girls of the Scouts Association from across Belize were participants in this first of its kind demonstration that represents a first step of cooperation between BARC and ScoutsBelize. This cooperation, both organizations agree, will provide beneficial results and acquired skills for everyone, especially the participating youth.

After the demonstration, members of BARC volunteered to provide radios and corresponding equipment for the Scouts of Belize to fully participate in the Annual Jamboree On the Air (JOTA) activities in October 2017. JOTA is the largest Scouting event in the world held once a year. It uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts and hams around the world. Leaders of the Scouts Association openly accepted this voluntary offer from BARC members.

Discussions at this first interactive demonstration also included establishing a permanent ham radio station for ScoutsBelize so that training can be held regularly on topics such as voice procedures, operating basics, simple theory and others.

At the end of the demonstration BARC President, Mr. Emil Rodriguez stated , ¨ As we move forward with our friendship and cooperation lets remember to use our radio skills wisely for the greater good of our nation, especially in times of emergencies such as hurricanes and flooding when we are needed most.¨

Ham Radio in Central America