http://www.eham.net/ eHam.net Newsfeed http://www.eham.net/articles/23331 http://www.eham.net/articles/23331 A world without cell phones is difficult to imagine. The BlackBerry, the iPhone and now the Droid are I-can't-live-without-you devices for millions. But in the wake of a natural disaster or devastating emergency, cell phones and other infrastructure-dependent systems are the first to go. Enter amateur -- or ham -- radio, a method of using wireless-radio communication devices to talk with other radio operators using frequencies set aside by the Federal Communications Commission. Hams, as they're called, can talk to people across the county, across the country or even on the other side of the world without the use of towers, large antennas or relying on a power source. And while the technology is often thought of as out-dated, New Lenox resident Bill Byerley III knows it could be invaluable should disaster strike. That's why Byerley, along with parents Bill Jr. and Joan, have started the Illinois Radio League, a nonprofit group committed to advancing amateur radio. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:54:16 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23330 http://www.eham.net/articles/23330 Dan Lester, an awesome husband, dad and grandpa, passed away at home on Saturday morning, Feb. 6, 2010. His loving family was at his side to take his final steps with him. Dan was born in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 5, 1958, son of the late William Lester and Marcia (Montford) Lester, who currently lives in Oregon. Following his graduation from high school, Dan enlisted in the United States Navy and served from 1968 until 1972. He was trained in instrument repair and technical repair of A-6 Aircraft and spent time aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. Following his discharge, he married the former Mary Kay Jackels in Illinois, on Feb. 15, 1972. At that time, Dan began work at a TV repair shop in the area. Later, he also worked at Rich's Products in Appleton as an electrician. However, his most recent work was as an electrical engineer at Kimberly-Clark. For many years, Dan was an amateur radio enthusiast and even in his final days, when he was too tired to broadcast, he often spent time listening to his countless friends converse. Dan also loved absolutely anything to do with computers and electronics and he was a whiz with that kind of thing. In recent years, he also became a bicycling enthusiast, riding hundreds and hundreds of miles on Wisconsin roads. Just last summer, he organized a ride to help raise cancer awareness and give others the strength to fight cancer. He himself rode the 63 miles from Waupun to his doctor's appointment in Madison. Dan didn't have a single ounce of quit in him. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:54:25 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23329 http://www.eham.net/articles/23329 In a series of small ceremonies, the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday shut down Loran-C, a navigation and timing system that has guided mariners and aviators since World War II. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23328 http://www.eham.net/articles/23328 Set for launch Tuesday, a $32 million instrument package devised by the University of Colorado at Boulder should yield a better understanding of how the sun can violently affect Earth. When the sun acts up, it can affect satellites, power grids, astronauts, aircraft routing and crews, GPS, ground communications, cellphones and BlackBerrys. Called the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the spacecraft will pry into how solar activity occurs and the resulting space weather. "Data returned from this mission will have a huge impact on our ability to create better space weather models and to mitigate the potentially damaging effects of space weather," said Dan Baker, director of CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The craft's instruments will take measurements every 10 seconds and at 10 times the previous resolution. "We can look at the data every minute, 24 hours a day, to help us forecast what the sun is doing," said CU senior research associate Tom Woods, who is the instrument package's principal investigator. About 80 LASP engineers and 40 undergraduate and graduate students have been involved with the effort. Over eight years, they have researched, designed and built two spectrographs that will measure fluctuations in the sun's extreme ultraviolet. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:10:47 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23326 http://www.eham.net/articles/23326 The following is a Q-S-T. CQ Magazine files a rule making request to give hams more leeway under section 97.113 for rescue radio training, a Texas ham asks the FCC to create a United States 4 meter band and the National Conference of Volunteer Examination Coordinators again revises the recently revised Technician Class question pool. Find out more on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1695 coming your way right now. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23325 http://www.eham.net/articles/23325 OXFORD -- Through the dedication of two amateur radio operators, an old ham's memory will live on, and his radio will continue to serve. Myron Bennett, 72, of Oxford and Gary Jezbera, 57, of Wilcox both are amateur radio operators, also known as hams. They have tinkered with an antique Swan 350-C radio for almost three years to get it back in working order. The last time this Swan 350-C radio crackled over the airwaves was in the face of tragedy, but now Bennett wants to use it to reconnect with other ham operators and to bring help in times of disaster. Bennett stumbled across the radio while visiting a bed and breakfast in New York in 2007. As he told the owners about his amateur radio hobby, the owner, Ron Young, became very emotional. "He got tears in his eyes, and he said, 'My dad was a ham, and he died on the radio,'" Bennett recalls. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:24:02 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23324 http://www.eham.net/articles/23324 Everybody loves their smartphone because they can get GPS, the Internets, and all of its fun surprises. They can even make a phone call once in a while. But what if there were a computer program that would allow your device to not only receive phone calls, but also to automatically adjust to receive WiFi signals and television broadcasts, track GPS, access HAM radio or walkie-talkie frequencies? Engineers with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy are working to build a so-called "universal radio" test-bed this year in Fort Monmouth, N.J. They hope to open the gates of "cognitive radio" development to academia, private industry and other Defense Department organizations. The Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center is creating a Software-Defined Radio lab that will work with the Navy Research Lab to transfer work done previously on the Joint Tactical Radio System to the GNU Radio's open-source, free software environment. Tim Leising, director of the Software-Defined Radio lab at CERDEC, said his group is focusing on developing and testing future software defined radios with the GNU platform to promote collaboration and information-sharing via network connections. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:23:53 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23321 http://www.eham.net/articles/23321 Local low-frequency operators are given a spot in Jackson County's Emergency Dispatch Center: MEDFORD -- After an earthquake rocked Haiti to its foundation in January, only amateur radio operators were left to relay vital messages in the immediate aftermath to emergency service centers throughout the country. While local emergency officials are certain Southern Oregon would fare better in a major natural disaster, they were happy to give ham radio operators a spot in the county's new Emergency Operations Dispatch Center near the Medford airport. The Jackson County Amateur Radio Services is offering a free 10-week technician license class starting March 1. Classes are from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rogue Valley Manor, 1200 Mira Mar Avenue, Medford. "In times of disaster, we can use all the help we can get," Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said. "The ham radio folks can help assist us in communications if our radios are shut down." The space provided to ham radio is nearly complete, with operators ready to fire up their old-school equipment in the coming weeks, said Bill Anderson, the assistant emergency coordinator for the Jackson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (JCARES). "We hope we're not needed, but we will be ready when the time comes," Anderson said. Anderson is one of 25 members of JCARES who take time out of their personal schedules to train in emergency radio procedures in the case of a natural disaster. Though Southern Oregon is relatively safe from such large-scale events such as tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunamis, the threats of massive forest fires and an earthquake spur the need for JCARES, said the group's emergency coordinator Don Montgomery. "We are among the most successful in the state when it comes to training scenarios," Montgomery said JCARES participated in an earthquake drill in the fall in which emergency service personnel from across the state reacted to a simulated disaster that knocked down communication between fire departments and hospitals, and knocked out bridges and overpasses. Volunteers with JCARES responded to designated spots throughout the county, making calls to care providers for important materials such as blood and medical equipment that are so important in a disaster. In an evaluation of the drill, JCARES scored in the top 5 percent in the state, Montgomery said. What can give ham radio an advantage in today's highly technical, gadget-oriented society is its simplicity. If cell phone towers and Internet servers were knocked out of commission, it would fall to ham radios and their low-frequency transmissions to reach repeaters across the world. "An emergency without communication quickly becomes a disaster," Montgomery said. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:37:12 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23319 http://www.eham.net/articles/23319 As soon as sunspot 1041 went over the horizon at the end of January, sunspot 1043 emerged, high in our Sun's northern hemisphere. Average daily sunspot number this week fell over 13 points to 14.6, and average daily solar flux declined nearly 7 points to 75. Geomagnetic activity was up, and the average daily planetary A index rose 2 points to 5.1. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:14:59 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23316 http://www.eham.net/articles/23316 Those of you who are amateur radio operators may laugh a bit as you read this column. I am attempting to write about a highly technical operation without having a good understanding of the process. However, it is an extremely interesting field with operators more in demand than I realized before meeting some of the members of the Ottawa County Amateur Radio Club. This club has been around since the 1950s. It hasn't always been terribly active, but it is on the upswing right now. The club is member ARRL K8VXH. The letters stand for Amateur Radio Relay League. The FCC assigned the call letters to the club upon formation. I attended the January meeting at the Oak Harbor Public Library. I listened to a very interesting talk on the usage of satellites. I now know how these satellites are able to maintain their orbits and that LEOs (low earth orbit satellites) are the ones used by ham operators. I learned a repeater amplifies or strengthens a signal. I also learned not many kids are becoming ham operators. The computer seems responsible for dampening the interest. However, in emergencies, when nothing else is working, the amateur radio operators can and do communicate. They are a very important part of this counties emergency preparedness plan. In fact, February's meeting is at the county's Emergency Operating Center in the basement of the courthouse. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:47 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23315 http://www.eham.net/articles/23315 At the National Weather Service, meteorologists are surrounded by some of the most up-to-date technology, which they use to track weather systems and dangerous storms. But when the computers go down, forecasters may have to depend on hundreds of Central Florida hobbyists who use a method widely perceived to be decidedly less technologically advanced: amateur radio. "Each individual county has one or more individual ham groups that can provide backup communications," said Scott Spratt, warning-coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Melbourne. "We have about 20 groups we interact with." Amateur, or ham, radio is a method of using wireless-radio communications devices to talk with other radio operators using frequencies set aside by the Federal Communications Commission. The technology became popular in the early part of the past century as radio technology was developing. As early as 1914, hams were communicating nationwide, according to the American Radio Relay League, a national ham-radio group. Hams are required to take tests and are licensed by the FCC. In the Orlando area, hundreds of hobbyists speak to other hams near and far for fun, while others, such as law-enforcement and emergency-services personnel, use the technology as part of their jobs. About 17 groups of ham-radio enthusiasts are in the region, including chapters in The Villages and Daytona Beach. Contrary to popular belief, they're not socially awkward shut-ins without access to cell phones and more current technology. Hams are police officers, engineers, city officials, teachers and even young students who just enjoy radio. They're also able to help during natural disasters in other parts of the world. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:15 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23314 http://www.eham.net/articles/23314 New photographs taken by space telescopes show activity on the surface of the sun has intensified in recent weeks. Scientists say solar flares and regions of powerful magnetic fields known as sun-spots have increased markedly after a period of the lowest activity for almost a century. Intense solar activity can overpower Earth's own protective magnetic field, causing serious disruption to communications systems and power grids -- and the scientists say the current surge could peak about the time of the Olympic Games in 2012. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:08 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23313 http://www.eham.net/articles/23313 This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by NC1L, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:03:18 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23312 http://www.eham.net/articles/23312 In Noggin Cove, Cyril Gillingham said there are many older folks who love to hear old time country music - the sort of sounds they used to hear growing up in the community. It's a style largely ignored by most commercial stations, who now have playlists dominated by the likes of Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and Taylor Swift. Now, Mr. Gillingham is trying to fill that old school country void through a hobby he's put a lot of passion into. With a modest amount of equipment, Mr. Gillingham is operating an amateur radio station out of his attic in Noggin Cove. "I was always into old country music," said the retired fishermen, sitting in an attic filled with CDs and musical instruments. "I got myself a little transmitter, and I had the other equipment from DJing dances, so I got a little five-watt transmitter and went from there." Radio was a big part of his youth growing up in Noggin Cove. His father owned the second battery-operated radio in town when Mr. Gillingham was a young boy. "We didn't have television in Noggin Cove until 1962, and so all the baby boomers and older folks grew up with radio," he said. As a family, they would listen intently to the Gerald S. Doyle News, Saturday night hockey games, and broadcasts of country music, sometimes coming live from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. "From the time I was a very small boy, I was fascinated with radio. Television doesn't do anything for me." His operation is a shortwave one, not wanting to become a station in need of a license from the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission. "I want to stay inside the rules and regulations of ham radio," said Mr. Gillingham. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:58:25 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23311 http://www.eham.net/articles/23311 Richmond County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kenneth Robinette tried to set the record straight Monday on the proposed tower code amendments. The tower code wasn't actually up for discussion Monday night, the board was simply to set a public hearing for it's next meeting March 1, which it did, but Robinette wanted to clarify things for some of the members in the audience who are against the amendments to the ordinance. "AM/FM radios that already exist are grandfathered into this ordinance," Robinette said. "The only time the fee will apply is if you increase the height of the tower or construct a brand new tower. "When we were asked to look at this ordinance we were just trying to protect the property values of adjacent property owners," he added. "For HAM radio towers, the $150 fine is only for towers that are 50 feet or higher." Robinette asked County Planner James Armstrong if there were any HAM radio towers over that 50 feet in Richmond County, and said if anyone is aware of them, to let the board know. "Again, all towers existing are grandfathered in," he said referring to the HAM radio towers already in Richmond County. "We're just looking out for the health and safety of the citizens in Richmond County. And I just wanted to clarify some things because there's been a lot of misunderstanding." Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:56:58 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23310 http://www.eham.net/articles/23310 BIG BEAR -- Scientists at the Big Bear Solar Observatory have detected the beginning of a new solar cycle. A new year-old telescope has detected activity on the sun that could be forerunners of sunspots and flares that Roy Coulter says they want to investigate. "We're hoping to see the more violent events and record those in-progress. That will help a lot with the scientific investigation into what causes these type of outbursts." Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:56:28 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23309 http://www.eham.net/articles/23309 The Week on the Radio: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:51:35 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23308 http://www.eham.net/articles/23308 A newly forged partnership between Amateur Radio operators throughout the state of Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) will provide an additional layer of emergency communications during disasters. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:51:26 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23307 http://www.eham.net/articles/23307 To assist the MARS communications support effort in Haiti, the heads of the Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps MARS programs have agreed to divvy up responsibilities among the three Service MARS programs. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:51:09 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23306 http://www.eham.net/articles/23306 It's that time of year again -- time to start gearing up for ARRL Field Day, June 26-27, 2010! ARRL's flagship operating event -- always held the fourth full weekend in June -- brings together new and experienced hams for 24 hours of operating fun. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:50:52 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23305 http://www.eham.net/articles/23305 This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members, including planning for the League's future at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, preparing for WRC-12, investigating interference, providing equipment for communications support in Haiti through the ARRL's Ham Aid program and more. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:50:39 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23304 http://www.eham.net/articles/23304 Harry Dannals, W2HD -- who led the ARRL as President from 1972-1982 and was named ARRL President Emeritus in 1984 -- has been named President Emeritus of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:50:19 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23303 http://www.eham.net/articles/23303 In a posting on January 28 to the FCC's blog, Mindel DeLaTorre -- the Commission's International Bureau Chief -- noted how Amateur Radio operators are assisting with communications support in earthquake ravaged Haiti. "The amateur radio community is also contributing to the relief efforts," she wrote. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:49:48 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23302 http://www.eham.net/articles/23302 Registration remains open through Sunday, February 21, 2010, for these online course sessions beginning on Friday, March 5, 2010: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:49:23 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23301 http://www.eham.net/articles/23301 In this first episode of the year, George shows us how to use the Kenwood TS-2000 as a Software Defined Radio with Winrad. Peter experiments with the WSPR Weak Signal mode. And Tommy teaches us how to easily create Time Lapse Videos. Plus plenty of viewer email. Its 44:04 of AmateurLogic fun. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:37:49 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23298 http://www.eham.net/articles/23298 CB and HAM radio users must conform to new legislation: KAWARTHA LAKES - Local police are advising amateur CB and ham radio users to adhere to the new driver distraction legislation, saying a microphone is no different than a cellphone. However, the MTO said if those radios are being used to assist in an emergency situation, users are covered under three-year exemption until January 1, 2013. City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service Acting Staff Sergeant Kirk Robertson told the Lindsay Post on Tuesday (Feb. 2) that in non-emergency situations "they should be pulling over to the side of the road." He said there was a three-year phase out on the use of hand-held two-way radios for police, fire, emergency medical services, the public service and commercial vehicles, such as transport trucks - to allow for the development of hands-free solutions - but that did not extend to amateur radio users who are simply communicating. Ernie Roylance, treasurer of the Victoria Haliburton Amateur Radio Association, said that was his understanding as well. "It's the same as a cell phone. A microphone is a hand-held device," he said. He said ham radio and CB operators will also have to wait until hands-free solutions are developed for their older radios. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:19:21 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23296 http://www.eham.net/articles/23296 The following is a Q-S-T. Hams in Hawaii gear up to back a law that will insure their right to operate mobile, earthquake relief efforts in Haiti switch from HF to VHF, the ARRL Board discuses a lot of rescue radio and accolades from the QCWA to a ham who has given his entire life to the hobby, His name is Harry Dannals, his call is W2HD, and you can find out the details on Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1694 coming your way right now. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:10:29 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23295 http://www.eham.net/articles/23295 Local low-frequency operators get space in county's emergency dispatch center: MEDFORD : After an earthquake rocked Haiti to its foundation in January, only amateur radio operators were left to relay vital messages in the immediate aftermath to emergency service centers throughout the country. While local emergency officials are certain Southern Oregon would fare better in a major natural disaster, they were happy to give ham radio operators a spot in the county's new Emergency Operations Dispatch Center near the Medford airport. "In times of disaster, we can use all the help we can get," Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said. "The ham radio folks can help assist us in communications if our radios are shut down." The space provided to ham radio is nearly complete, with operators ready to fire up their old-school equipment in the coming weeks, said Bill Anderson, the assistant emergency coordinator for the Jackson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (JCARES). "We hope we're not needed, but we will be ready when the time comes," Anderson said. Anderson is one of 25 members of JCARES who take time out of their personal schedules to train in emergency radio procedures in the case of a natural disaster. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:17:59 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23294 http://www.eham.net/articles/23294 Dade City, Florida -- A Bay area group is lending a helping hand in Haiti by using ham radios to assist those in need. Gary Mentro has been a ham radio operator since 1977 and now he's joining a support team that will assist with communications in Port-au-Prince. "I will be a part of the third team and at this point, I may be the sole member of the team. They're now talking about reducing the number of personnel," said Mentro. Mentro was touched by the devastation that took place in the country and after he saw kids suffering, he wanted to do something to help. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:17:52 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23293 http://www.eham.net/articles/23293 Teen Inventor's Cave Radio Could Save Lives Deep Underground: Science fair projects don't get much cooler than a texting device that broke the record for deepest underground digital communication in the United States. Such a device may help save people trapped deep underground and even allow scientists to conduct remote cave research, all thanks to a teen inventor from Los Alamos, New Mexico. NPR took a firsthand look at the deep, dark foray. Alexander Kendrick, 16, headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico to test his device almost 1,000 feet underground. His invention involves a computer attached to a ham radio that transmits data using low-frequency radio waves. By contrast, high-frequency transmissions used in FM broadcasts have a harder time penetrating solid rock. Kendrick's team climbed down to 946 feet, before they assembled a 6-foot-wide radio antenna out of PVC tubing and wire. Kendrick's dad had hiked to a spot directly above the team on the surface and awaited a message. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:17:45 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23292 http://www.eham.net/articles/23292 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:05:40 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23288 http://www.eham.net/articles/23288 LAKE STEVENS -- When people across the country turned their attention to TV screens broadcasting news from Haiti after the quake, Frank Remington turned on his amateur radio. A network providing emergency communications for the Salvation Army called out for volunteers to help handle emergency messages from the country. Remington, 68, a skilled radio operator with more than 40 years of experience, was up for the challenge. Meanwhile, voices were coming through, making contact with Remington. A priest off the coast of Haiti. A search and rescue team from South Africa whose plane just landed in Port-Au-Prince. A doctor who was looking for an armed guard to help a nurse deliver insulin for a diabetic patient. Staying tuned in from his Lake Stevens home, the retired Boeing worker wondered what would happen if the unspeakable happened right here in Snohomish County. "It makes you wonder, how prepared are we," he said. "When all else fails, amateur radio operators are going to be the ones to supply communications." Remington is part of a specially trained group that works directly with the county's Department of Emergency Management to help with search and rescue operations and other missions in case of disaster. Few people know that hospitals and city halls are equipped with a radio, he said. It can be a lifeline in an emergency. Remington has a generator and his car is equipped with a radio transmitter. A special license plate bears his call sign, a unique code issued to ham radio operators. If a crisis hits home, he will be ready. Amateur radio operators, or hams, have to be licensed with the Federal Communications Commission. Remington first got his license in 1961. As a young boy, he lived next door to a ham and became interested in the hobby. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:21:32 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23287 http://www.eham.net/articles/23287 Before the invention of the Internet, cell phones or text messaging, if there was a disaster, the main way to get emergency information was via the radio. Despite advances in technology, people still turn to the radio when usual forms of contact are lost. Even if weather conditions are fine and dandy, operating on the radio works much the same way as cell phones, text messages and chat rooms, offering people a chance to communicate with anyone across the globe. "If an emergency occurs, we can be activated to provide communication for an emergency event or a scheduled event," said Herb Pettit, president of the Central Kentucky Amateur Radio Society. "A lot of the members participate in the weather spotter program," he said. "The National Weather Service provides us training on reporting a storm." Pettit, who has been involved in amateur radio for six years, said he uses the radio on a daily basis. Other club members, such as Mike Rogers, also use the radio every day, not only to stay informed and to inform others, but to communicate with old friends or meet new ones. "We're able to talk to people around the world," said Rogers, 61, who first became interested in amateur radio when he was in high school and was introduced to the medium by his uncle. "We talk to a lot of people we've never seen before or heard before, but the nice thing is we all share the same hobby," Rogers said. "Any time I'm driving, I have the radio on and if I hear someone, I'll chime in and talk to them." Amateur radio is not only for those who enjoy speaking to others. Morse Code still is widely used. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:21:26 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23286 http://www.eham.net/articles/23286 The latest QRP Quarterly (journal of the QRP Amateur Radio Club International) is being delivered this week. Not interested in QRP ? Actually QQ is not all about low power - it caters for real hams who build their own rigs, it has features for those who like to take their radios on backpacking trips, it looks at cutting edge technologies to make those global 2-way 5 Watt contacts possible . . . Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:10:11 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23284 http://www.eham.net/articles/23284 Even in the age of high-powered Doppler radar, instant communications and the Internet, the National Weather Service and local safety officials still rely heavily on old methods for accurate observations and emergency communications. Volunteer amateur -- or ham -- radio operators still play a primary role in providing on-site information about tornadoes and storm conditions to weather forecasters and letting emergency responders know what's going on. "There's nothing like ground troops," said Keith Wells, assistant coordinator with the Tarrant County Office of Emergency Management, who was helping the National Weather Service on Saturday at the annual Skywarn storm spotter training session at Texas Christian University. "One of the most important things we do all year is train the spotters," Wells said. "When you have a trained observer on the ground at Bryant Irvin Road reporting golf-ball-sized hail or a funnel cloud, that really tells a meteorologist what's going on." Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:14:20 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23283 http://www.eham.net/articles/23283 In mid-January, I traveled to Phoenix, Ariz., for a work-related conference. Though I knew I'd have very little free time on the three-day outing (including travel), the opportunity to gather some signals in a far-away location was one I could not pass up. Packing a Grundig G5 portable receiver, a Uniden Bearcat 246T scanner and Pinnacle USB digital TV tuner made for an array that fit in my carry-on and still covered local emergency communications, AM/FM, longwave, shortwave and over-the-air TV signals. I opted not to bring any antennas beyond the stock whips attached to each receiver and no amateur radio gear, given that I'd likely have less than a couple of hours to operate. From my hotel balcony in suburban Scottsdale, I did find some surprises. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:14:13 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23282 http://www.eham.net/articles/23282 Planning is well advanced for the WIA Centenary activities taking place in Canberra, the nation's capital, over the weekend Friday 28th through Sunday 30th of May 2010, the event being just part of the year-long WIA Centenary celebrations. Highlights of the weekend will include a series of presentations on the early days of radio and a Saturday evening Centenary Dinner with local and overseas dignitaries in attendance. The Friday evening program will include a guest speaker followed by dinner at the Alto revolving restaurant at the Black Mountain telecommunications tower. The weekend is promising to be a truly memorable occasion. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:04:42 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23281 http://www.eham.net/articles/23281 A new probe could help scientists predict the solar storms that cause chaos for us: NASA is to embark on one of its most ambitious missions in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the sun. Following its launch in nine days' time, the US space agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will spend five years in orbit trying to discover the causes of extreme solar activity, such as sun spots and solar winds and flares. Scientists have long been aware that disturbances on the sun can trigger dangerous x-rays, charged particles and magnetic fields that can disrupt power supplies, communication signals and aircraft navigation systems on Earth. By understanding how such solar phenomena are created, they hope to be able to produce reliable forecasts of "space weather" and provide advance warnings of any threat. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:04:35 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23277 http://www.eham.net/articles/23277 HAMBURG, Germany -- Over the past two decades, governments in many countries have deregulated transmission services. Today, private enterprises own and operate even large shortwave sites once in the hands of postal and telecommunications authorities. But it is not only the big power houses. In Germany, an amateur radio operator bought transmitters, an antenna plant and other equipment from the police and the armed forces, leased a large part of a former utility radio site and is now offering low-power analog transmission services to a certain range of radio stations. Hamburger Lokalradio (HLR) is one of currently two stations using a small-scale, low-power shortwave service. Active on FM for 11 years with a mix of high-quality speech programs and specialized music shows, this non-commercial station has repeatedly reached out to listeners beyond the Hamburg city borders. Besides working together with other FM stations and public-access channels in the neighboring state of Schleswig-Holstein, HLR rents airtime on a high-power shortwave transmitter from TDF Group subsidiary Media Broadcast and has a weekly slot on WRN Deutsch, the German language service operated by the London-based transmission-services provider WRN. Why an international branch for a station that brands itself as "local radio"? Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:04:18 +0000 http://www.eham.net/articles/23276 http://www.eham.net/articles/23276 Rajesh Kannan, a software engineer from Chennai, has a fascinating hobby of using his self-made antennas to predict weather conditions across the globe. Kannan is an amateur radio operator, and is involved in making different radio equipments through which he communicates with other amateur radio operators on a non-professional basis. He has interest in radio technology and also satellite communication. Weather Satellite Broadcast is another area within satellite communication, which drew his interest. He has set up a couple of antennas on the terrace of his house, which receive signals from the satellite in a digital sound format. He feeds in the data in his computer and converts those signals to a digitised weather map. "I receive signals from an American radio satellite which orbits around the earth two-three times a day. The radio signals have information about the land, sea, the cloud information and cloud top temperature, the humidity content of the clouds, the movement of the cloud and all those things that are required," Kannan said. "We capture the signals, and then I record them into the computer and by using special computer programmes, I decode the information into a digitised weather map," he added. Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:04:24 +0000