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The Bad Bentheim Golden Antenna award
Now it's time
to talk about the prestigious Golden Antenna award, and I won't be surprised
if you, like me, had not previously heard of it.
There's a whole town in Europe which really seems to display a truly warm
regard for amateur radio. It is Bad Bentheim, almost bang on the border
between Germany and Holland, and just on the German side.
Bad Bentheim is a spa resort not far from Oldenzaal in the Netherlands.
It's an old town with an ancient castle that dominates the view. It has
a nice spa area and gives easy access to some of the most beautiful and
most extended forested areas in Europe. But I can't see an antenna anywhere...
Well, it's like this. Each year, amateur radio enthusiasts from all over
Europe converge on Bad Bentheim for the annual Deutschland / Nederland
Amateur Radio Days, known as the DNAT, which is held during the last weekend
in August every year.
And since 1982, the presentation of the Golden Antenna of the Town of
Bad Bentheim has been one of the highlights of the celebrations at the
DNAT.
Previous recipients of this highly-coveted Amateur radio award have come
from the Netherlands Antilles, Bolivia, India, Armenia, Rumania, Hungary,
Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland and Germany.
It's a very special prize indeed. With nothing more than their amateur
radio stations, the winners have all helped people in an emergency caused
by accidents or natural catastrophes. Perhaps their health or life was
in danger or poverty was looming. Whatever the cause, all recipients of
the prize have been honoured for their intensive and unselfish personal
risks. They established and maintained radio contact, without which urgent
humanitarian help may not have been possible.
And now it's time to work out who should receive the award for 2006. If
you know of any amateur operator or group whose utilisation of amateur
radio technology has been concerned with humanitarian work, please write
before
June 1 this year to:
The Town of Bad Bentheim
PO Box 1452
48445 Bad Bentheim
Germany
The jury evaluating these nominations consists of such luminaries as the
President of IARU Region 1 plus the President and Chairmen of both the
Dutch and German amateur radio societies.
Now get this: the town of Bad Bentheim will invite all prize recipients
to this year's 34th DNAT, and pick up all costs for travel and accommodation.
Chris Edmondson VK4AA/3CE
Source: Wireless
Institute of Australia
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