http://www.eham.net/ eHam.net Newsfeed http://www.eham.net/articles/22811 http://www.eham.net/articles/22811 Sunspot activity seems to be increasing steadily of late. Daily sunspot numbers for November 5-19 were 15, 16, 11, 0, 14, 13, 11, 11, 0, 0, 11, 12, 0, 29 and 30. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:04 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22810 http://www.eham.net/articles/22810 An IT manager in the US spends his spare time brushing up on his technology skills by developing amateur radio communications networks. John D Hays, who hails from Washington, said that amateur radio is important for the emergency services to transfer messages if mainstream methods of communication, such as mobile phones and the internet, go down. "Individuals with radios in the field could interconnect with the telephone system even when their cell phones are shut down by an emergency," he told ComputerWorld. He added that the medium can be used to experiment with megahertz of free bandwidth, which is available to broadcast any signal as long as the sender has an amateur radio licence. The Times-Georgian recently reported that amateur radio enthusiast Earl Todd enhanced his telecommunication skills during the annual simulated emergency test in the US state. The October 4th event lasted for two hours, with the amateur radio fan sending messages about the state of the weather in the area. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:05:49 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22809 http://www.eham.net/articles/22809 A slow but steady increase is seen in the 10.7cm solar flux since late September. This is the longest sustained upward trend in the electromagnetic emissions since early 2008. It is yet another indicator that the sun continues to awaken from its pronounced solar sluggishness. Observe the black line at the top of the graph. There is a gentle, but definite upward slope from left (older data) to right (newest data). This is the 10.7cm flux reading. This further supports solar researchers' viewpoint that solar activity is climbing out of the cycle 23/24 minimum, which was the most pronounced since 1913. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:04:35 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22808 http://www.eham.net/articles/22808 This Week on the Radio: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:20:56 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22807 http://www.eham.net/articles/22807 ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, once termed the battle of Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) in Manassas, Virginia as the "Third Battle of Bull Run." While the war against harmful interference to Amateur Radio via BPL is not yet over, the battle in Manassas might soon be coming to an end. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:20:46 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22806 http://www.eham.net/articles/22806 The Question Pool Committee (QPC) of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) is due to release the new Technician class (Element 2) question pool to the 14 VECs on December 1, 2009; it will be released to the public in January 2010. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:19:50 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22805 http://www.eham.net/articles/22805 The 11th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) Special Event will take place Saturday, December 5, 2009. SRD is co-sponsored by the ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS) as a way to recognize the commitment made by Amateur Radio operators in helping to keep their communities safe. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:18:44 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22804 http://www.eham.net/articles/22804 Tired of using pliers to screw on the PL-259 connectors when you are preparing cables? Pliers always seem to do some damage by the amount of force this task requires. I use an inexpensive 1/2 inch PVC female to male coupler. Simply use a step drill and ream out the female end. This works for most half inch coaxial cables. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:17:43 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22803 http://www.eham.net/articles/22803 Did you see an article or news segment on Amateur Radio this past year in the papers, on TV, radio or a professional Web site? ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, reminds you that you can recognize the professional reporter's work by nominating them for the Bill Leonard Professional Media Award. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:16:30 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22802 http://www.eham.net/articles/22802 The 2010 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC) will take place October 11-12 on the Dutch island of Curacao in the Caribbean. The theme of the conference will be Learning through Practicing. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:19:32 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22801 http://www.eham.net/articles/22801 ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, reports that the ARRL has raised $126,828 toward the goal $310,000 for the 2009 Spectrum Defense Fund. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:19:08 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22800 http://www.eham.net/articles/22800 Ask any high school physics student and they'll tell you that electrons govern pretty much everything we do. We call electrons in motion an electrical current, and those radio waves that we hams are so fond of are the result of high frequency electrons traveling in our antenna conductors. Think of a 40 meter wave as an accidental tourist who wants to go somewhere (somewhere nice and warm, maybe a rare DX station). But how to get there? It needs some mode of transport -- think of electrons as the transport providers. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:17:10 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22799 http://www.eham.net/articles/22799 George Badger, W6TC, of Portola Valley, California, passed away on Sunday, November 15. He was 84. Originally licensed in 1939 as W6RXW when he was 14, Badger was a member of the ARRL for 67 of his 69 year amateur career. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:18:23 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22798 http://www.eham.net/articles/22798 Registration remains open through Sunday, December 27, 2009, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, January 8, 2010: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:15:44 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22797 http://www.eham.net/articles/22797 This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by NC1L, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:16:47 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22796 http://www.eham.net/articles/22796 The cycle 24 sunspot group that I mentioned on November 18, 2009 has been numbered 11033 by the NOAA/SWPC. It is located near N17E20 and contains a beta magnetic signature capable of producing very small B class solar flares. As mentioned yesterday SIDC Belgium assigned it Catania number 28. The old solar cycle 24 sunspot group number 11029 has produced new sunspots and has been re-numbered 11033 by NOAA/SWPC. SIDC Belgium has given the sunspot group Catania 30. It is located near N21E47 and contains a beta magnetic signature capable of producing very small B class solar flares. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:17:42 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22794 http://www.eham.net/articles/22794 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada: Santa Clauss Parade NET on York Region Amateur Radio Club Repeater (147.225 + , 118 PL, IRLP Node 2920) Feel free to call in to express your Holiday Greetings on Saturday Nov 21,2009 between 11:00 AM and 12:30 AM EST , and all contacts will receive a digital QSO card. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:20 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22791 http://www.eham.net/articles/22791 Yesterday I received word that Harry Helms W5HLH became a Silent Key on Sunday November 15, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. He was 57 years young. Harry was an avid Ham and SWL and published a number of books on the the radio hobby over the years. I bought my share of his books. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:31:02 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22790 http://www.eham.net/articles/22790 One of the most important elements of emergency response to any disaster is the ability to communicate, and a group of hams are a key to keep this area talking. That communication will be essential to coordinating an evacuation and to saving lives if the worst happens and the Green River Valley floods because of a weakened Howard Hanson Dam. During a disaster, phone lines and cell phones often are the first systems to become overloaded and fail. If an emergency hits and communication systems do fail, amateur radio operators, often known as hams, will be providing alternate emergency communication for fire, police city government and schools. The ham radio clubs around the region are part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, or ARES. Richard Green, who is a member of the Maple Valley Amateur Radio Club, said there are "ARES groups all over the county." When an emergency occurs, the Emergency Communication Center is activated at King County Sheriff's Precinct 3 in Maple Valley and the ham operators in the ARES group are notified. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:07:45 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22789 http://www.eham.net/articles/22789 CW Chat Room -- Practice Morse Code Over the Internet: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:54:36 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22788 http://www.eham.net/articles/22788 The Australian of the Year Awards is a program of the National Australia Day Council, with state and territory selection committees selecting four finalists in each category, including the Senior Australian of the Year. The awards recognise the individual's contribution to their community. The South Australian Committee selected an amateur, Tony Hutchison VK5ZAI as one of the four South Australia finalists in the senior category for his work as one of the 9 approved Satellite Earth Stations for the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program and as Australian ARISS Coordinator organising the link ups for schools to contact the amateurs on the International Space Station, stimulating the interest of young people in science and technology. The finalists were announced at an impressive ceremony at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide attended by the Governor of South Australia and the Deputy Premier of South Australia. WIA President Michael Owen VK3KI was present as a guest of Tony. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:17:28 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22787 http://www.eham.net/articles/22787 The Kentucky Colonel Amateur Radio Club has spent the last eight weeks preparing six students for their amateur radio licenses. Jean Spears, Kathleen Strong and Paul Strong tested for new licenses as technicians and Dottie Lake, Bill Collins and Bill Schlicht upgraded from technicians to general class. The different classes allow ham radio operators access to different frequencies within the radio spectrum. Most often amateur radio operators use their equipment as a hobby, but in a time of disaster, amateurs from across the country mobilize to provide emergency communications in support of disaster relief. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:28:54 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22786 http://www.eham.net/articles/22786 It is official. The USS Indianapolis Radio Room is open. After a year of work and lots of volunteers working many hours, we have made a room dedicated to USN WWII Radiomen. This started Nov. 28 2008 and was open Nov. 6 2009 this was put together with many volunteers and the Indy radio group. We wish to thank all who helped to make this project work and all who may have donated. Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:44:08 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22784 http://www.eham.net/articles/22784 Astronaut Robert Thirsk, a former student of Winnipeg's John Taylor Collegiate, sent a long-distance greeting to his alma mater on Wednesday. "Hello, John Taylor Collegiate. Great to be talking to you today," Thirsk, 56, said to a group of students gathered at the St. James-Assiniboia School Division board offices on Portage Avenue. The students asked about the science he was doing to what it felt like in space. "It feels surreal," Thirsk said. "It feels magical, but it does take a different way of operating in a weightless environment. But it's a lot of fun. I can fly like Superman all over the space station." Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:09:13 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22782 http://www.eham.net/articles/22782 Hamfest may have left Cleveland County two years ago, but its sponsor -- the Shelby Amateur Radio Club -- is still here and donating proceeds to Cleveland County charities. "We had a successful Hamfest this time," said Greg Horne, the secretary for the Shelby Amateur Radio Club. "We wanted the people in Cleveland County to know that the money goes to organizations in Cleveland County." One group that has benefited from Hamfest for several years is the Cleveland-Rutherford Kidney Association (CRKA). Horne said volunteers with CRKA help with the event each year by working at the gate and other areas. "The economy has hurt everybody," said Renee Ledford, CRKA's patient advocate and services coordinator. "Donations from Hamfest have been a blessing. It means us keeping the doors open. We use the money for the transportation program and to help patients pay utility bills. The radio club has always come through for us." Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:19:06 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22781 http://www.eham.net/articles/22781 Bangalore: Bangalore Amateur Radio Club VU2ARC hosted HamfestIndia-2009, the annual gathering of radio amateurs from India on 7th and 8th Nov, at the sprawling Sri Nijagunara Kshetra, opposite to the Bull Temple, Basavanagudi Bengaluru. This year Bangalore Amateur Radio Club (BARC) celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Around 700 delegates from different parts of India, mostly from the southern part of the country, attended the 18th hamfest. Proceedings started with a Kannada devotional song followed by lighting of the inaugral lamp by VU3VIP, K.B. Krishna Murthy, Secretary AICC and Ex MP. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:10:46 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22780 http://www.eham.net/articles/22780 The following is a QST. A new record down-under as hams use red light off clouds to cross the Bass Strait. Also, Indonesia announces that it will launch a rescue radio ham satellite, Finland and Norway say yes to 4 meter operation and an unlicensed broadcaster tries a truly unusual defense after being fined. Find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1683 coming your way right now. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:17:46 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/22771 http://www.eham.net/articles/22771 If you're an American ham, chances are that your call sign was issued by the Federal Communications Commission. A "no brainer," right? Well, if you're an American ham who happens to be stationed at Guantanamo Bay or at one of the US bases in the Antarctic, your call sign is not issued by the FCC -- it's issued by the base commander. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:08:58 +0000