DELBERT RAPP WB9UKG BECOMES SILENT KEY
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We deliver our next report with a heavy heart, as we
report that Delbert Rapp, WB9UKG, of Vincennes, Indiana, has become a
Silent Key. He is the father of Newsline's own Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. We'll
let Don Wilbanks, AE5DW, tell us about this devoted radio operator, who
served as his son's inspiration.
DON: Delbert Rapp's love of anything and everything electronic, began in
high school, where he was introduced to ham radio. He did not get his
license right away, however. Instead, his studies led to a job after
graduation with Thordarson Meissner in Mount Carmel, Illinois, a company
that assembled and manufactured electronics parts. Delbert had also
served as a field radio technician in the U.S. Army during the Korean
conflict. Much later, a job at Good Samaritan hospital found him fixing
radios, pagers, heart monitors, and other devices as a staff biomedical
electronic technician. It was his tinkering with an old Morse Code
oscillator given to him by one of the doctors there that rekindled for
Delbert the magic of the amateur radio world. He was soon studyiing for
his license, and took along his 5-year-old son, Neil, when it was time
for the exam. The rest, as his son says, is history, as father and son
gained their licenses together - with Neil becoming the nation's
youngest ham, inspired by his father's faith and encouragement.
Delbert was a member of the Old Post Amateur Radio Society, the American
Radio Relay League. He was also instrumental in starting the Good
Samaritan Employees Investors Club. He was a Certified Electronic
Technician, and an avid genealogist. He was an Extra class licensee, and
held a First Class Radiotelephone license as well. He spent a lot of his
time helping with the local 2 meter repeater, and improving the station
at his home QTH to be able to reach missionary friends in Africa.
Delbert Rapp, WB9UKG, died of acute leukemia. He was 84. We extend to
our colleague, and our friend, Neil, our sympathies on this profound loss.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.
**
A TASTE OF HAM RADIO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: So you didn't get to Ham Radio Friedrichshafen this year?
It's one of the world's largest hamfests - not to be missed - and thanks
to Ed Durrant, DD5LP, we here at Newsline, didn't miss it either. Sit
back, and listen for just a few minutes, as Ed gives you a tour of the
best of this year's event, which took place July 14th, 15th, and 16th.
ED'S REPORT: In this report, I don't intend to give a list of the new
equipment releases, I'd like to just bring a little bit of the sounds
and my commentary, of what I saw going on at this, the worlds third
largest ham-fest, after Tokyo and Dayton.
Being indoors, the rain on Friday had no impact on the event. Indeed,
the only presentation outside was that of an example station for next
years World Radio Team Championship, and they have to be able to work
in a little rain HI.
So, here we go with my audio blog of HAM RADIO Friedrichshafen 2017.
(Friday).
The first shuttle bus has just arrived from the ferry so a few people
are waiting to collect their tickets and get in, but it'll be another
hour almost before they can do that. All are waiting to see what's
new at Friedrichshafen.
And now, we are inside the hall, got in very early, so it's just as
the people are coming in. I'm down at the end of the hall A-1 at the
moment, and looking at the DARC and WRTC2018 exhibits. There are still
people setting up. As always at Friedrichshafen, we are amazed at the
size of things.
It's now half past ten, the hall has filled up, as you can hear from the
background noise, there are quite a few people walking around. There's
work going on. I'm actually stood next to somebody who is embroidering
t-Shirts and hats. Across from me is the Lupo tower site, with the masts
and the two young ladies in Japanese Kimonos. Looking across, we have
the Austrian radio amateur group to the left, and behind them, the German
one, in the biggest space of course. Next to me is actually an English
company, Total Mast solutions, they've been here the last few years,
and they seem to be doing quite a lot of business, a lot of people
interested, they've got some special offers on some pneumatic towers
here. I can see the Thailand Amateur radio Society, the YL groups, and
then all the other different societies around here, so things are buzzing along.
It's still Friday morning, it's still early in the event, but everything's
working. There's people walking around selling tombola
tickets for the WRTC, and generally lots of room between the stands and
smiling faces or confused faces, going past a mixture of the two. So
I'll get on and see what else I can find, I've already spent some money
-- I've bought myself a mobile antenna, and hopefully not spend too much
more, but who knows at this place?
(Sunday)
Today, we intend to have a look around the maker faire from the Bodensee
group, so the regional Maker Faire here.
Well as you can hear, nobody would say that the maker faire was quiet.
They've got a children's play area here, with cycling go-karts, that they
cycle around. a beer garden of course, and a play castle, and they've
even got a band up on a stage at the end here. These are actually robotic
players, metal characters that they've built up, playing different
things - quite crazy.
OK, after that robotics show outside, we are inside, and things have
calmed down a little. Looking through the maker faire here, there are
the things you expect electronics and modding of computers and such like,
but we've also got things like laser cutting, 3D printing, and then we
have quite a few people dressed up in sort of medieval like costumes
walking around, and there's also costume making here. There's jewelry
making, and all other kinds of crafts, so all very interesting. Parts
and bits you need for making things are for sale as well so actually
quite a parallel to the amateur radio side. Oh, there's actually somebody
here with his mini-bakery, baking fresh bread. We've also got the
gardeners with their strimmers, and then around the corner, we're straight
into the shalls and the belts and the jewelry, hats and a bit of
everything that's like a crafty kind of thing, here at the Bodensee makers
faire. A nice refreshing expansion to the HAM RADIO.
OK, so that was Friedrichshafen for another year. A successful visit. If
any of you are thinking about getting over to Germany, see if you can
time it with the HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen. Next year, it'll be June
the first to the third, but well worth the visit if you can get here.
What did I find of most interesting? Not the new ICOM IC-7610 which was
there to actually touch and try, although still awaiting some software
changes before a rumored Tokyo ham show release date. Not the new Yaesu
DR-2X repeater using it's new infrastructure technology. Not even all
the displays around the World Radio Team Championship, whose tombola
raised over 19,000 Euros for the event. I'd have to say I found the
robotic Rock Band at the Maker Faire on Sunday impressed me the most.
It's really interesting what these maker groups are doing technically,
and that combining both the Hamfest and the regional maker faire into one
event was a good idea.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, this was Ed Durrant, DD5LP, on-site at Ham
Radio Friedrichshafen.
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