Welcome to Ham Radio's only
Free R-Rated Daily Newsletter
Picture from Dayton Hamfest I got this morning from
Eric G.....
WEEKEND
EDITION: Looks like the scenery at the hamfest isn't
that bad............
Icom America announces D-STAR QSO Party 2013 information
Icom America announces information for the 2013 D-STAR
QSO Party, an annual contest that promotes fellowship
with amateur (ham) radio operators from around the world
through D-STAR, "Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur
Radio."
This year's global event will take place over three days
starting Friday, September 20 (00:00 UTC) to Sunday,
September 22 (24:00 UTC).
Official rules and party details for the D-STAR QSO
Party 2013 will be available at a later date and posted
to Icom America's website.
"The D-STAR QSO Party has been an exciting yearly event
for D-STAR enthusiasts all over the world," says Ray
Novak, Icom America Division Manager - Amateur and
Receivers Products. "Each year, we see increases in the
number of new D-STAR users and event participants. I
hope to see this become a regular annual activity on
everyone's calendar!"
D-STAR is an open standard digital communication
protocol popular with amateur radio enthusiasts as well
as members from the emergency communications (EmComm)
community. D-STAR delivers clear digital voice and can
transmit data such as call sign, short messages and GPS
information.
According to D-StarUsers.org, D-STAR usage has grown
considerably in the last year. Currently, there are
approximately 27,000 D-STAR users and over 1,000
repeaters registered on the USRoot network.
Mike- N1XW has joined the NH camping
crew with his new Scamp....
You can count
on Scott chopping wood
and Joe fricking with the fire....
and Roger never
smiling and smoking cigars....
and Mike-XW taking the pictures....
HAMVENTION 2013: KIDS AND D-STAR MIX AT
HAMVENTION 2013
Kids and D-Star were to be part of Hamvention 2013's
activities. This as the Texas Interconnect Team
announces
that for the Hamvention weekend, reflector REF033B will
officially be the Dayton Kids Reflector.
Megan McClellan, K5MEM, will spearhead the project from
the
ARRL Youth Booth starting Friday morning and continuing
during show hours on Saturday and Sunday. The
objective is
to give the future young hams an opportunity to
experience
the fun and excitement of talking with someone far-away
place using the magic of Amateur Radio. The
participants in
the Youth area will have access to handheld radios and a
DV-
AP, and will operate under the supervision of an
experienced
Control Operator.
Even if you not at this years Hamvention you can assist
in
this effort by connecting using D-Star to Reflector
REF033B
during event hours Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
If nobody
is talking, give them a call. Remember, for any
QSO to
begin it takes someone calling the first CQ.
(N9JA, others)
HAMVENTION 2013: UPDATED AMSAT LVB TRACKER SHOWN
AT DAYTON
One product at Dayton that likely won't make headline
reviews but which is certain to be of interest to
satellite
enthusiasts is a new version of AMSAT G6LVB Tracker.
The
new unit replaces the original amber only LCD display
with
an O-LED or Organic Light Emitting Diode display will be
available in blue, green and amber. The new
display offers
a high visibility contrast with a wide angle of view.
More
information and a photo showing the old and new displays
can
be found on-line at amsat.org. (ANS)
INTRUDER WATCH: RUSSIAN RADAR ON 75 - 80 METERS
In other news, the latest IARU Monitoring System
Newsletter
reports the Russian Over The Horizon Radar that has
invaded
the 3.5 MHz band is still very active. The
interfering
Radar system is believed to be located in the area of
Makhachkala, on the Caspian Sea and transmits
simultaneously
between 3.515 to 3.545 and 3.560 to 3.590 MHz. As
a result,
amateur radio and other services are suffering
interference
during the evening hours. The German and Dutch
telecommunications regulators have been informed and
have
been asked to intercede. (IARUMS)
HURRICANE WATCH NET SEEKS NEW MEMBERS FOR NET CONTROL
STATIONS
The ARRL Letter says that with the 2013 hurricane season
approaching, the National Hurricane Center in Miami,
Florida, and the Hurricane Watch Net are gearing up for
what
could be a very active storm season. And in
preparation for
what Mother Nature might have in store the Hurricane
Watch
Net is seeking new members who can serve as net control
stations.
For those not aware, the Hurricane Watch Net provides
on-the-
ground, real-time weather data from amateur radio
operators
who volunteer their time to monitor their own properly
calibrated home weather stations. The hams then report
the
data collected to the Hurricane Watch Net, which in turn
forwards it to WX4NHC which is the amateur radio station
at
the National Hurricane Center.
For more information on the role played by hams in this
vital, life saving service, and how you can become a
part of
it, take your web browser to tinyurl.com/hurricane-net-2013.
(ARRL)
FCC UPHOLDS $15000 FINE AGAINST UNLICENSED
OREGON BROADCASTER
The FCC has upheld a $15,000 fine against an Oregon
resident
for allegedly operating an unlicensed radio station.
Following up on a complaint from a local broadcaster in
2011, the Portland office of the Enforcement Bureau
traced
the signal on 97.9 MHz in Prineville, Ore. to the
residence
of Joshua McMurchie's. A police officer
accompanied the FCC
agent to the address where the FCC agent inspected the
station and issued McMurchie a Notice of Unlicensed
Operation.
Following another complaint in 2012, an agent again T-
hunted the source of the signal to McMurchie's residence
and
found a transmitter there. The commission said
that
McMurchie admitted operating the station and offered to
surrender the transmitter.
Last July, FCC issued McMurchie a Notice of
Apparent
Liability in the amount of $15000 raising by $500 it
from
the base amount of $10,000 because the unlicensed
transmissions continued even after McMurchie was ordered
to
cease operation.
But in its May 9th release the FCC says that McMurchie
never
answered the original Notice of Apparent Liability.
Based
on that and the evidence before it the agency has now
issued
a Forfeiture Order for $15,000 giving him 30 days to pay
or
the case may be referred to the Justice Department for
collection. (FCC)
RADIO BUSINESS: PUBLISHER SOUGHT FOR VHF
COMMUNICATIONS
MAGAZINE
A small but popular magazine targeted at those who
operate
50 MHz and above is on the block. This as Andy
Barter,
G8ATD, announces his intention to retire from publishing
the
currently U-K based VHF Communications Magazine
According to Barter, he has published VHF Communications
Magazine for the past 13 years and now wants to retire.
He
says that he will publish all 4 issues in 2013 but if
anyone
in the group would like to take over publication of the
magazine from 2014 on and give it a new lease of life
please
contact him.
Barter says that the job of publisher involves
translating
articles from the German magazine UKW Berichte plus
finding
additional articles to fill the VHF Communications.
In
addition there is the work of producing the magazine,
getting it printed and distributed, handling
subscriptions
plus orders for back issues and the like.
The current circulation of the magazine is 349 with just
80
of those from the UK. If this interests you,
please contact
G8ATD by e-mail to andy (at) vhfcomm (dot) co (dot) uk.
(Southgate)
ARRL CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: ARRL PUBLIC RELATIONS
COMMITTEE
SPONSORING "I AM THE ARRL" VIDEO CONTEST
As part of the ARRL's Centennial Celebration in 2014,
the
League's Public Relations Committee is sponsoring an "I
am
the ARRL" video contest. The Committee is looking
for pairs
of short video clips featuring ARRL members. One
clip
should show the radio amateur on the radio, while the
other
should show the same ham in his or her work setting
saying
who they are, that they like ham radio and that they are
the
ARRL.
As explained by ARRL Public Relations Manager Allen
Pitts,
W1AGP, an example might be a car mechanic in coveralls
working over an engine who looks at the camera and says
'I
am Henry Smith, N0XCC. I like to talk to people in
exotic
countries and I am the ARRL.' This clip would then
be
paired with a shot of him at home talking on the radio.
Pitts says that the ARRL is looking for videos that
communicate that you are that
guy or gal down the street and you are an important part
of
the ARRL. W1AGP adds that with Field Day coming up
next
month, there is a great opportunity for filming clips.
If this project interests you can find out more is
on-line
at tinyurl.com/arrl-second-century-video. (ARRL)
SOCIAL SCENE: AMSAT ANNOUNCES DATE AND LOCATION OF
2013
SPACE SYMPOSIUM
And if you are an amateur radio space enthusiast the
mark
down November 1st to the 3rd as the dates for this years
AMSAT Space Symposium. The venue will be the
Marriott Hobby
Airport Hotel not far from the grounds of the grounds of
NASA's Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston, Texas,
which
is the home of the famed ham radio station W5RRR.
The AMSAT Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction
with
the Space Symposium. This will provide you with an
opportunity to hear about AMSAT's plans for the future
and
voice your own thoughts and opinions to organization's
Board
of Director members and other officials.
Over the coming months both the AMSAT Journal and AMSAT
News
Service will be issuing timely updates on plans for this
years Space Symposium. More information will also
be
available on-line at www.amsat.org. (ANS)
HAM HAPPENINGS: OLE VIRGINIA HAMFEST JUNE 9
On the social scene, word that the Ole Virginia Amateur
Radio Club will be holding its 39th Hamfest in Manassas
Virginia on June 9th, and you are invited to be a part
of
the festivities.
This year in partnership with the 4 H, the club the
gathering will be hosting a Youth Lounge to provide teen
and
preteen youth complete with on the air ham radio
demonstrations. There will also be a number of
educational
events to foster amateur radio awareness among the
younger
members of the community.
Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, will be organizing and chairing
the
Youth Lounge. Hartlage, was the 2004 Amateur Radio
Newsline
Young Ham of the Year and a former ARRL Vice-Director.
She
is nationally known as a promoter of Youth in Amateur
Radio
and is an active member of the Youth in the Second
Century
Committee sponsored by the American Radio Relay League.
More about both the Ole Virginia Amateur Radio Club
hamfest
and its dedicated youth activities can be found on-line
at
www.manassashamfest.org. Organizers say that they
hope to
see you there.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: GOOGLE ASKS FCC PERMISSION TO
CREATE
EXPERIMENTAL 2.5 GHZ NETWORK
Google may be trying to create an experimental wireless
network covering its Mountain View, California,
headquarters. This in a move that some analysts
say could
be a sign that the company may be planning the creation
of a
super-fast wireless networks in other locations that
would
allow people to connect to the World-Wide-Web using
mobile
devices.
Google recently submitted an application to the Federal
Communications Commission, asking for an experimental
license to create an experimental radio service with a
two-
mile radius covering its headquarters. The network
would
only provide coverage for devices built to access
frequencies from 2524 to 2625 megahertz. This is
spectrum
which could work well in densely populated areas and
which
mobile operators in China, Brazil and Japan are already
building wireless networks using. This in turn
means that
compatible devices can eventually be manufactured.
According to Communications News, much of Google's
application is confidential, but it does say that the
first
deployment of the experimental network would take place
inside a specific building on Google's property.
That
building reportedly houses the company's Fiber Team,
which
is part of the Google Access unit that has introduced
high-
speed wired Internet and video in Kansas City.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the purpose
of
the application, saying the company regularly
experiments
with new ideas. More is on the web at tinyurl.com/google-2-
ghz. (TechNewsNow.com, ARSTechnica, CommNews,
others)
WORLDBEAT: ILLW REGISTRATION TIE
The battle for the most registrations for the 2013
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
leadership
appears at this moment to be a tie between Australia and
Germany with 40 registrations each. This out of
more than
220 from 30 countries around the world.
Looking at other nations, the United States has
registered
23 lighthouse and lightship entities. It's
followed by
England at 18, Argentina with at 12, Ireland and
Scotland
with 9 each, with Canada, Netherlands and Sweden at 8 a
piece.
With registration only at about the half-way mark, it so
far
appears that the number of entities planning to take
part is
ahead of last year at this same time. If you plan
to
activate a lighthouse or lightship for this fun
operating
event and want to register it, simply take your web
browser
to www.illw.net.
This year's International Lighthouse and Lightship
weekend
takes place the weekend of August the 17th and 18th and
planners say that they hope you will be there.
(VK3PC)
WORLDBEAT: RADIO AND TV MARTI BACK ON THE AIR
AFTER FIRE
Radio and Television Marti broadcasts to Cuba from the
United States government resumed on Monday, April 22nd.
This after a trashcan fire forced the temporary
evacuation
of the headquarters of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting
in
Miami the day before.
According to the United States Broadcasting Board of
Governors, the building that houses Marti and its
website
reportedly sustained damage due to an accidental fire
caused
by a lighted cigarette left in a container in a
designated
smoking area outside the building. While windows
cracked
due to the heat, no one was injured and sprinklers were
automatically set off.
Carlos Garc�a P�rez, director of the Office of Cuba
Broadcasting said he was grateful for a quick response
from
firefighters, and for the continued work of the
station's
broadcasters through the ordeal.
In Cuba, Radio Mart� is available on 1080 AM and also on
1260 AM as Radio Caracol. (RW)
ON THE AIR: GB4PEN - THE PENLEE LIFEBOAT SPECIAL
EVENT
On the air, keep an ear open for Geoff Powell, M1EDF,
will
be on the air as GB4PEN through the 24th of May.
This, to
commemorate the crew of the United Kingdom lifeboat the
Penlee.
According to Wikipedia, the lifeboat Penlee sank off the
coast of Cornwall in the UK on December 19, 1981.
This
after it had gone to the aid of the vessel the Union
Star after its engines failed in heavy seas.
The story goes that after the Penlee had managed to
rescue
four people that both vessels were lost with all hands.
In
all, sixteen people died including eight volunteer
lifeboatmen.
M1EDF says that he will be operating on 160, 80, 40, 30
meters using CW only. QSL's go direct to M1EDF who
adds
that any donations received with QSLs will benefit the
United Kingdom's Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
More
is on-line at www.qrz.com/db/GB4PEN (Southgate)
THURSDAY
EDITION:
Topless, don't arrest her.....Three
flares in a day..........You guys are going to be
lost when I get the knee done in mid June, no Penny and
Penelope photos will change, if I do update the pages I
will be under the influence of mind altering drugs...God
only knows what I will be churning out.....Ruins of
Lost City May Lurk Deep in Honduras Rain Forest,
interesting.....The
map wars have begun...Well I know you can tell the
difference between you rifle and your gun, one is for
fighting and one is for fun but can you tell an
assault weapon from a rifle?
Dayton Hamvention broadcast....next year I am taking
the road trip to Dayton....
It's time for the 2013 Dayton Hamvention broadcast!
Please join us during our live, online broadcast of the
Dayton Hamvention this week.
To join the broadcast go to http://W5KUB.com where the
fun begins!
New venue for 2013: We will be located inside Hara Arena
at Booth SA302 to provide you with a totally different
program. There will be no rain, hail, sleet, or snow on
our cameras this year!!
During the Hamvention, W5KUB will interview vendors
regarding their latest products. We will have many
special guests such as Bob Heil (K9EID) of Heil Sound;
Martin F. Jue (K5FLU) founder of MFJ Enterprises; John
Amodeo (NN6JA) producer of ABC TV’s hit show, "Last Man
Standing"; and many more.
During the live broadcast, you will also have the
opportunity to meet and chat with other ham radio
operators from all over the world.
During the 2012 Dayton Hamvention we had 47,400 viewers
that followed our broadcast for the 5 day broadcast!
You could win one of 43 prizes, valued over $5,300,
which will be awarded during the broadcast! The prizes
include dual band mobile, HTs, D-star ID-51A, Comet
Antenna Analyzer, Heil microphone and headset, antennas,
weather station, computer to radio interface, spool
LMR-400, auto antenna tuners, and much more. These
prizes are made possible because of our relationship
with partners; such as, GigaParts, Ten-Tec, NCG Company,
Kantronics, MP Antenna, Heil Sound, ARRL, MFJ, and many
more. In the past year over $10,000 in prizes have been
awarded! Of course, no purchase is necessary to win a
prize. W5KUB is not affiliated with any products or
companies and does not sell any products or services.
Dayton Hamvention broadcast schedule (all times are
subject to change):
* Wednesday, May 15th: 1300 UTC (8:00 AM CT) drive from
Memphis to Dayton, Ohio (10 hours). Yes, this will be a
live broadcast!
* Thursday, May 16th: 1300 UTC - 2030 UTC (9:00 AM -
4:30 PM ET), set up at Hara Arena and visit with
vendors.
* Friday, May 17th: 1200 UTC - 2100 UTC (8:00 AM – 5:00
PM ET), Dayton Hamvention
* Saturday, May 18th: 1200 UTC - 2100 UTC (8:00 AM –
5:00 PM ET),
Dayton Hamvention
* Sunday, May 19th: 1200 UTC – 1600 UTC (8:00 AM – noon
ET), Dayton
Hamvention
* Sunday, May 19th: 1700 UTC (1:00 PM CT) drive from
Dayton to Memphis (10 hours). Yes, this will be a live
broadcast!
Join our group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/w5kub/
to keep up with us year-round.
Also, please help spread the word by posting this
announcement in Facebook and forwarding this to your ham
radio friends that may not have received this message!
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY
EDITION: I have a 945AM appt with the knee
surgeon. He is going to repair the knee with a
Stryker Knee replacement, I am just setting up the
day and time. ........... Can you believe this
banana head? Good news, Barbara Walters is
retiring...not much skin left to pull back on that face.
I always found her to be an annoying PIA......
Expedition 35 astronauts land safely in Kazakhstan
Three members of the International Space Station
Expedition 35 crew undocked from the orbiting laboratory
and returned safely to Earth Monday, May 13, wrapping up
a mission lasting almost five months.
The departure marks the beginning of Expedition 36.
Space station Commander Chris Hadfield, KC5RNJ/VA3OOG,
of the Canadian Space Agency, Soyuz Commander Roman
Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
and NASA Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn, KE5HOC, undocked
their Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft from the space station at
7:08 p.m. EDT.
They landed southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, about
10:31 p.m. (8:31 a.m. May 14, Kazakh time).
Hadfield, Romanenko and Marshburn traveled almost 62
million miles while completing 2,336 orbits of Earth.
The trio arrived at the station Dec. 21 and spent 146
days in space, 144 of which were aboard the station.
Pavel Vinogradov, RV3BS, of Roscosmos is in command of
Expedition 36. He is joined by NASA Flight Engineer
Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander
Misurkin. That trio will work aboard the station until
three additional crew members, including NASA astronaut
Karen Nyberg, arrive May 28.
To follow Twitter updates from NASA's space station
astronauts, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/@NASA_Astronauts
MONDAY
EDITION: I hope you stayed off the damn radio and
spent it with your better half yesterday......Second
floor deck project today, weather looks great...
HamTV from the International Space Station
Frequencies have been announced for the new Ham Radio
Digital TV transmitter that will transmit from the ISS
in the amateur radio 2400 MHz band.
The main mission of HamTV is to perform school contacts
between the astronauts onboard ISS and the scholarship,
not only by voice, but also by unidirectional video from
the ISS to the ground within ARISS program.
In addition to the existing VHF radio amateur station,
ISS will host a
S-Band video transmitting station. This new equipment
can broadcast images from the ISS during the school
contacts or other pre-recorded video images up to 24
hours a day to allow ground stations tuning.
It is planned to transmit DVB-S signals on 2.4GHz at
either 1.3Msps or 2.3Msps with 10 watts of RF from the
ISS Columbus module.
The IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination Panel
have announced coordinated frequencies of 2422.0 MHz and
2437.0 MHz.
WEEKEND
EDITION:
State beer taxes: highest in Tennessee, lowest in
Wyoming.....Several outfits around here are reducing work
from 40 to 27 hours per week to cover the Oblundercare
Health bill..... A report I just read of the
ten worst colleges in the US includes U of Maine at
Presque Island ....I received my shipment of Buryflex
cable, Flexweave wire, and 3/32 cord from Davis Rf and
Davis Rope and Cable. Quick shipping and no better
product on the market. If you don't buy your coax, rope,
wire, from this outfit, your missing the
boat...................POS Suspect buried in Muslim
cemetery: Tsarnaev’s remains are interred at the Al-Barzakh
Cemetery, the first Muslim cemetery in central Virginia,
according to two sources briefed on the situation. If
you are in the area, drop by and piss on his grave....
PASSWORDS
AND PINS ON THE WAY OUT? Recently speaking at the
Interop IT conference, PayPal's chief information
security officer, Michael Barrett, stated that passwords
and PINs were operating on borrowed time. Barrett hopes
to replace online security keys with a setup that's a
blend of software and hardware-based identification. He
also serves as president of the Fast Identity Online
Alliance (FIDO) -- the organization's focus is to
combine an effective mix of software (passwords and
plugins) and hardware (USB drives and fingerprint
scanners) for user authentication.
PayPal's technology boss didn't allude to his company
adopting these new types of security systems for its
customers anytime soon. Instead he announced that
FIDO-enabled devices will be hitting the market sometime
this year. Progress, yes, but until this hardware
becomes more widely available, it's likely that you'll
be spending more time getting acquainted with two-step
logins.
HAMVENTION 2013 PREVIEW: DOORS OPEN FRIDAY MAY 17
It won't be long before the gates at the Hara Arena in
Dayton, Ohio swing open for the 2013 Dayton Hamvention.
This year's gathering runs May 17th to the 19th and for
the
first time ever, its theme is the DX Hamvention. And in
a
recent interview with Hap Holly, KC9RP, of the RAIN
Report,
Hamvention spokesman Michael Kalter, W-8-C-I, explained
the
reasoning for this choice:
Kalter: Our theme this year, the DX Hamvention, seemed
to
resonaste with us because in order to have good DX and
to
make contact, toy reach out to the world. That's
literally
what Hamvention is tryiong to do; we reach out to the
world
and bring amateur radio operators in throughout the
whole
world.
And says Kalter, this appears to be a record year for
those
showing and selling their wares at Hamvention:
Kalter: "We have more vendors inside this year than we
have
ever had. Last year was a big year so we nearly sold out
inside. It appears as if its going to be another great
year
inside. Its hard to keep up with all of the folks that
are
coming but you know that's part of the surprise of
Dayton is
that a new vendor comes in and you go: `.oh my gosh, I
didn't know about these people and you find some new and
interesting radio gear.'"
And will there be anything really special taking place?
Kalter says most definitely:
Kalter: "One of the big things this year is that
Homeland
Security is going to be involved with us. They
approached
us last year and they are going to have a special
emergency
(class) this year. I think you can get your different
certificates from the 100B through the 800B certificate.
That's a new thing for this year."
As usual, Amateur Radio Newsline has its team of
reporters
at Hamvention 2013. We also will be hosting the annual
Ham
Radio Town Meeting on Saturday, May 18th where the
central
topic will be "What DX Means to Me." In keeping with the
theme of this years Hamvention, this will be a
non-technical
look at working and being DX from a very personal point
of
view. Among our presenters will be world-class DX
operator
Chip Margelli, K7JA, of Innov Antennas; Hollywood film
maker
and DX'er Dave Bell, W6AQ and the United States
Coordinator
of the International Morse Code Preservation group
FISTS,
Nancy Kott, WZ8C, to mention only three. So if you will
be
at Hamvention 2013, please stop by Meeting Room 2 on
Saturday, May 18th from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Meeting
Room
2 for this year's Ham Radio Town Meeting. We are looking
forward to seeing you there. (ARNewslineT with audio
supplied by The RAINReport)
NASA AND HAM RADIO ASSEMBLE THE
PHONESAT PICTURE
Engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California
and
amateur radio operators around the world recently
collaborated to reconstruct an image of Earth sent to
them
from three smartphones launched into a low Earth orbit.
Amateur Radio Newsline's Heather Embee KB3TZD, reports:
The joint effort was part of NASA's nanosatellite
mission
called PhoneSat. The first phase was launched on Sunday,
April 21st aboard the Antares booster from NASA's
Wallops
Island Flight Facility in Virginia.
Although the ultimate goal of the PhoneSat mission was
to
determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be
used as
the primary flight avionics for a satellite in space,
the
three miniature satellites also used their smartphone
cameras to take pictures of Earth. These images were
then
transmitted to multiple ground stations as data packets
with
each packet holding a small piece of the big picture.
As the data became available, the PhoneSat Team working
with
multiple ham radio operators pieced together a high-
resolution photograph from data sent back by the tiny
birds.
Amateur radio operators from every continent except
Antarctica contributed in capturing the data packets
needed
to piece together the final image.
This first PhoneSat mission successfully ended Saturday,
April 27th after atmospheric drag caused the tiny
satellites
to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up as predicted
by
the mission planners.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Heather Embee,
KB3TZD,
in Berwick, Pennsylvania.
HAMVENTION 2013: LIVE NETCAST COURTESY OF W5KUB
And speaking about Hamvention, if you cannot be there in
person, then you can travel to Dayton vicariously again
this
year thanks to Tom Medlin, W5KUB and his live television
streaming at W5KUB.com.
Tom's live broadcast begins on Wednesday May 15th at
8:00 AM
Central time as he starts the 550 Mile drive from
Memphis to
Dayton. On Thursday you can get a peak of the various
vendors setting up and then enjoy the next three days of
the
Hamvention itself. And if you make it to Hamvention, Tom
says that he and his crew will be set up at space SA302
and
to drop by and say hello.
Once again, that's the 2013 Hamvention live on your
computer
or tablet courtesy of Tom Medlin at W5KUB.com. (W5KUB)
HAMVENTION 2013: ICOM TO STREAM LIVE FROM HAMVENTION
And this just in. In addition to exhibiting some new
products, Icom says that it will transmit a live video
stream across the Internet from its Dayton Hamvention
booths
on Saturday, May 18th. At airtime, guest speakers
include
Emmy-nominated television producer John Amodeo, NN6JA of
the
hit ABC sitcom "Last Man Standing;" noted ham radio
educator
Gordon West, WB6NOA and AmateurLogic.TV host George
Thomas,
W5JDX. Thomas is also the recipient of this years Dayton
Hamvention Special Achievement Award. A complete webcast
schedule and other Dayton-related information can be
found
at www.icomamerica.com/dayton2013. (Icom)
Want to call Spirit Airlines? Chat up a friendly res
agent? Maybe change a flight date or time?
You'll search long and hard on the airline's website to
find a phone number. And when you do—I finally tracked
it down by following the links to "How do I change a
reservation?"—you probably won't recognize the initial
three numbers in 801-401-2222.
Is that yet another variant of the 800 code used for
toll-free numbers?
There's nothing toll-free about it—801 is the area code
for the Wasatch Front in northern Utah, specifically
Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, and Weber counties.
That's right. Spirit has replaced its toll-free number
with a toll-charge number. (Call the old number,
800-772-7117, and you'll be greeted by a chirpy
recording advising that "we recently updated our phone
number to better assist you.")
ARRL E-mail System Continuing to Experiencing Delays
The ARRL’s e-mail service provider is continuing to
experience technical issues that are affecting timely
delivery of e-mail messages sent via the arrl.net
forwarding service, as well as e-mail sent to addresses
in the arrl.org domain. This issue remains intermittent,
but may result in delaying the delivery of some messages
sent to both arrl.net and arrl.org addresses by hours.
The ARRL’s e-mail provider is working to resolve the
issue as quickly as possible. We apologize for the
inconvenience.
From Eham: Scams Alarm Bells
William D. Mauldin (WG4R) on May 6, 2013
I recently posted a "wanted" listing. In less than 24
hours I get a response from "a ham" who is listed in
QRZ.com with a yahoo.com e-mail address... making me a
dream of an offer! Wow! I'm impressed... OR am I? If a
deal is too good to be true, it is probably a scam.
When dealing with another ham, as you know, most deals
are in the open and there is no problem as details are
available on request. In my case, the selling "ham" did
not have "command" of the English language and his
message was very brief, poorly written, offered no
details about the item, and quoted a price way below
what the item would normally sell for.
((( Alarm Bells! )))
Always beware of any poorly written message using poor
e-mail format, and watch for strange language and
incorrect spellings.
In checking the seller e-mail address on QRZ, the
address checked out. (Remember, e-mail addresses are
hijacked every day... so don't relax and send money
quite yet.) I responded that the price was acceptable
and asked how he would like payment. (I prefer to use a
credit card via PayPal for the payment so you can get
your money back if things aren't as expected... you have
30 days or so depending on your credit card.) The use of
a postal money order, a cashier's check, and Western
Union always adds risk, especially Western Union.
A couple of hours later, I get a second message. Again,
poorly written in poor e-mail format with a few spelling
problems... and this time the message is from another
address using the call sign of another ham at "zozo.com"
This email says I should make the payment by postal
money order and mail it to an unrelated name at an
address in another state. The name did not match the
call letters used in the return address. ((( Alarm
Bells! ))) (Go to the web and put in the name and dot
com on the e-mail account. If it is an unknown name, see
where it is located and what kind of services they
offer.)
In checking the call used on the second e-mail, the call
doesn't match the name of the ham shown in QRZ.com (((
Alarm Bell ))). The QRZ.com listing of the real ham's
e-mail shows there is no e-mail listed. (The scammers
have done their home work... the call is listed to a ham
with NO e-mail address shown and who has no phone listed
in 411.info (which is a free service). ((( Alarm Bell!
)))
Look at the headers of the incoming messages and see
what they tell you. There is a ton of information in a
header. All e-mail has a "header" before the text you
normally see. It is there. Find it and take a long, hard
look and make as much sense out of it as you can. Print
out the message and the header and keep it until the
deal is done and you are satisfied.
Go to maps.goodle.com and put in the ship to or payment
address. Is it a UPS store or other "drop box" location?
In my case... in my case, I looked at the physical
address in maps.google.com, and there is a house at the
address, BUT in checking it out further, the name to be
placed on the money order doesn't match. ((( Alarm Bell
)))
A quick call to the local police of the buyer or seller,
to make an inquiry about the address in question is
always a good idea when you have doubt... just ask who
lives at the address and explain why you are asking.
I wrote the initial responding "ham" and asked about the
relation between him and the "ham" who was supposed to
receive the money order, and added in some questions
about the item I wanted to buy... such as the serial
number, if he was the original owner, and other things
that most hams would know or be able to look up...such
as the voltage of the wall wart power supply, and so far
there has been NO response. I don't expect any. (((
ALARM BELL )))
Always get phone numbers, street addresses, and ask
questions... and then use the information on the web to
check out AND VERIFY the other person and his
information. To get your money or your package, they
must have a physical address. That is the weak link in a
scam. If something is missing or doesn't match-up, pass
up the deal.
Be sure in dealing with "suites" or "apartment" numbers
that you are not dealing with a "drop box" in some
mailbox store. Get the zip plus four numbers and run it
through the usps.com website where you can often learn
about the actual address, then map it on google and see
what is actually there.
If you still have doubts about an address and think it
may be a mask for a "drop box" you can always ask for
the "apartment manager's phone number" so you can verify
that he is willing to sign for a package OR a money
order that you plan to send by REGISTERED MAIL. A few
extra cents can save your money and your butt, trust me.
Make sure the phone number shows in 411.info (a free
service) and that it is not a cell phone of the seller's
buddy. Never ship to "a friend's address..." Request and
GET signatures on delivery if you are in the least
uncomfortable.
If you get taken, contact the local police in the
address town and the security people with the service
you are using, USPS, UPS, FedEx and so on. Ask how to
file a report and follow through on it. Postal
inspectors love street addresses as they can normally
track someone down. Have and keep tons of information to
give law enforcement. Keep all of the e-mails with the
header information, as this is always helpful.
As a retired law enforcement officer, I hope this is
helpful to the honest buyers and sellers in our hobby.
If you have ANY reservations about a deal, just pass it
up. It isn't the only one out there. Remember, it is
much easier to say "I'll pass..." than to say, "Give me
my money back..." and find out you have been taken.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY
EDITION: A report by Yahoo! Sports claims Red Sox
pitcher Clay Buchholz was likely using sunscreen mixed
with rosin on his forearm to get a better grip on the
ball, which led to accusations that he was throwing a
spitter against the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto
broadcasters Dirk Hayhurst and Jack Morris claimed
Buchholz was "loading the ball" during his May 1 start
against the Blue Jays in Toronto. But as Yahoo! Sports'
Jeff Passan reports, he was actually using something
that is quite prevalent in the sport.
Well how about this you candy ass losers, make it legal
to put anything on the god dam ball, smear it with dog
shit and you all will be on a level playing level.
People piss and moan, makes me nuts............
I just clicked on the world icon above and had to sit
down, damn, where were these chicks when I was
twenty?.....A great start to the day, closed on a house
I sold three month's ago. ....Joe is camping in NH and
can be found on 3864 in the afternoon if you are looking
for an exotic portable DX station in the woods....
Scientists say that if you carry a guitar on your back
and
pretend that you play one, your chance of getting
laid increases by a third. This should be encouraging
for the 3875 wide AM guys.....Man
who stood on his parked sailboat while greeting
fellow boat enthusiasts by masturbating told deputies he
was just exercising......
K7AGE
releases new video to help new hams get on 2m FM
In this series of videos, I show you how to program a 2M
HT to get on the air along with some of the basics of 2M
FM operating.
Please feel free to link to these videos from ham
club pages and other websites that are aimed at helping
amateur radio operators.
In Part 1, I describe the Icom IC-V80 Sport radio and
some of the basics of operating distance and repeater
fundamentals..
In Part 2, the basic radio settings are explained and
shown along with programming a simplex frequency.
In Part 3, the basic repeater information, frequency,
offset, and tone are programmed into the radio. I then
checkout the radio by using a local 2M FM repeater. Then
I show you how to program the repeater settings into
memory channel and how to recall the memory channel.
ARISS contact on
EchoLink ?
Please join us in listening to the ISS contact with
participants at the Gary Literacy Coalition, Gary,
Indiana on Wednesday 8 May - AOS is anticipated at 19:35
UTC
The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes
and 30 seconds. The contact will be a DIRECT between
NA1SS and KC9JQN . The contact should be audible over
the midwest U.S. Interested parties are invited to
listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is
expected to be conducted in English.
NOTE: This is a direct contact. There will be no
moderator. I am also the mentor for this contact and
will be on site.
Due to issues with secure internet access at the school,
coverage is anticipated as follows:
ECHOLINK - AMSAT Conference Server (101377) - this will
be attempted by 3G smart phone app. I will not have my
normal control on the server and will not be able to
mute connections please refrain from transmitting for
the duration of the contact. JK1ZRW will not be
connected.
IRLP - No coverage as there isn't a node close enough to
tie into
WEB STREAM - none
Please also note if 3G is sporadic or becomes
unavailable we will drop the attempted audio feed. This
part really is an experiment.
Breaks will be manual, apologies in advance if anyone
times out.
* Contact times are approximate. If the ISS executes a
reboost or other manoeuvre, the AOS (Acquisition Of
Signal) time may alter by a few minutes
73,
John - AG9D
ARISS Audio Distribution
MONDAY
EDITION: Beautiful weather here in New England, 70
predicted for tomorrow..... Scottie-WZ0T, please drop me
a note so I know you are doing ok........I got a
note from Joe-WPO regarding the sausage stand, says he
looked at the grill area and the filthy shirted guy
operating the grill and went over and ate at the food
place sponsored by the local church ladies. I have to
agree, I looked at the guy doing the french fries and
rings, he looked as bad as the engine oil he was frying
with. Live Free or Die, and you might because it
looks like there are no health department inspections at
the Fairgrounds! .....How about this
clusterfuck who blew his life savings trying to win
an XBOX and gets a banana for his efforts. I would be
more worried that his life savings were only 2600
bucks....GM
paying off it Government bailout loan, but the
numbers seem fishy to me....The
first 3D-printed gun successfully fired, plans put
online. This will surely end well........Study:
Early humans
loved to eat brains
Tragedy brings cell phone outages during Boston
Marathon incident, but ham radio just keeps on working.
Runners weren’t the only thing stopped at the 2013
Boston Marathon following the bombing — cell phone
operation screeched to a halt as well.
The untold story of the marathon is how nearly 240
volunteer amateur radio operators handled communications
for the event. A ham radio network or “net” was
established to pass traffic (on-air information or data)
between operators stationed at checkpoints throughout
the course and the net control operator.
Radio operators keep the event going by communicating
injuries, equipment breakdowns, needed supplies, even
race updates on leaders and slowpokes.
Panic Causes Cell Phone Outages
Small 5-watt HT radios like this Yaesu dual-band
transceiver cover UHF and VHF amateur bands and allow
licensed amateur radio operators to communicate locally,
statewide and nationally. When cell phone outages hit,
these radios keep working.
But when two bombs were detonated at the Boston event,
the race was halted. Soon the cell phone networks became
overloaded and quit working.
“Many runners don’t carry cell phones, and they were
desperately trying to use anyone’s phone, including
mine, to call their loved ones at the finish line,”
wrote ham radio operator Tim Carter, W3ATB. “Everyone
was getting a busy signal. That could have happened
because the cell networks were overloaded, or because
officials turned off the cell towers.
“The bottom line is there were several hundred people
who were able to continue to communicate during the
disaster. Police, fire and others like me who had radios
were still talking,” Carter said.
Following the bombing, some media outlets reported
officials shut down the network to prevent the bombers
from using cell signals to detonate additional devices.
The cell phone industry itself admits cellular networks
are not designed to — and, in fact, cannot — handle
simultaneous usage by all customers. Overloading the
system during times of disaster is a safe bet.
Ham radio used at events such as this typically operate
VHF 2-meter (144-148 Mhz) or UHF 70 cm (420-450 Mhz) FM.
Operators employ either vehicle-mounted mobile radio
stations or use handheld “HT” Handie-Talkies that relay
signals between the operator and repeater stations
(repeaters are high-power, high elevation stations that
magnify weak signals to increase coverage area).
“Perhaps this will be the wakeup call to convince you to
get your amateur radio license and discover what
hundreds of thousands of us already know,” wrote Carter.
“We know how to stay connected in disasters and other
situations where traditional communications systems
suddenly don’t work.”
NEARFEST
EDITION: K1MAN was walking the fairgrounds and I could
not find him for an interview, damn......I made it to
Nearfest on Saturday and have to say it was perfect
weather. I believe the attendance left something to be
desired but there were plenty of people selling gear.
You can't go to Nearfest without buying a sausage
sandwich and it was good as usual.....I caught wind of
quite a rumor: a very large ham outfit is buying out
another very large outfit, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. More to
follow...
A rare shot of the "Lone" Ranger-
K1BQT
Comparison of ham radio digital modes
Tony K2MO has released a video
comparing PSK-31 and MT63-500 on long path between New
Zealand and New York.
He says:
I've been testing several modes with Fergus, ZL2FV, on
20 meters.
The long distance path from New Zealand to New York
tends to be quite unstable and that makes for difficult
copy with modes that are susceptible to the effects of
multi-path and other types of ionospheric distortion.
We tested a mode with lots of error correction
(MT63-500) and another (PSK-31) with no error
correction. I plan on testing a few more modes under
more adverse conditions and will post a follow up video
ASAP.
Watch Digital Mode Comparison - MT63500 / PSK31 - New
Zealand to New York
If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the
cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.
As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys
with cold water. ...
After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result
... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.
Now, put the cold water away.
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.
The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment...... with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team".
Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.
Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana.
Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!
This, my friends, is how Congress operates... and this is why, from time to time:
ALL the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME.
Joe-JEK takes out Big Mike for
stealing his last beer...a Nattie Light, Joe should have
been
glad someone took it!
Armed Forces Day Crossband Military/Amateur Radio
Communications Test
The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
are co-sponsoring the annual military/amateur radio
communications tests in celebration of the 63rd
Anniversary of Armed Forces Day (AFD).
Although the actual Armed Forces Day is celebrated on
Saturday, May 18, 2013, the AFD Military/Amateur
Crossband Communications Test will be conducted 11 May
2013 to prevent conflict with the Dayton Hamvention
(17-19 May 2013), which is the same weekend as the
actual Armed Forces Day.
The annual celebration features traditional military to
amateur cross band communications SSB voice and Morse
Code tests. These tests give Amateur Radio operators and
Short Wave Listeners (SWL) an opportunity to demonstrate
their individual technical skills, and to receive
recognition from the appropriate military radio station
for their proven expertise.
QSL cards will be provided to those stations making
contact with the military stations.
Full details can be found at: usamars.us/crossband_2013.htm
DX
GROUP ATTEMPTING TO ARRANGE OPERATION
FROM NORTH KOREA
A well known group of DX'ers say that they are working
on
getting permission to operate from North Korea which is
the
most wanted DXCC entity in the world.
The Intrepid-DX Group, in partnership with the
World-Wide DX
Group says that for the past four years that they have
been
working with professionals in the business and tourism
industries who are actively doing business in North
Korea.
In a widely circulated press statement the organizations
note that they have prepared a comprehensive,
multi-faceted
proposal, which has been delivered it to the North
Korean
officials via their emissary located in Chinese.
Also that
several members of the combined groups leadership and
advisory team have made multiple visits to the region
and
are advising the overall groups accordingly.
The DXers say that they are using the same techniques
that
were successful in opening up Kurdistan, the South Sudan
and
Yemen to DXpedition activity. They add that they
are
leveraging their ideas and contacts towards the goal of
a
major DXpedition over a four week period from within the
North Korea border. As we go to air, no date for such an
operation to take place has even been speculated.
SPX DIELECTRIC TO CEASE MAKING ANTENNAS
One of the nation's best known manufacturers of
broadcast
and two-way antenna systems, transmission lines and
associated products is closing its doors.
SPX Communications Technologies, formerly Dielectric
Communications, will cease its broadcast television,
radio
and wireless antenna manufacturing operations effective
June
29th. Dielectric as it is still better known had
already
begun letting customers know that it plans to get out of
the
antenna business.
The company was started in 1942 as Dielectric Products
Corp., which specialized in developing transmission
lines
for wartime radar system use. The company has been
located
in Raymond ME since 1954. It installed its first
Digital TV
broadcast antenna in 1994 and provided more than 1200
broadcasters with Digital Television transmission
solutions.
SPX acquired Dielectric in 2001. According to the
CGC
Communicator, over the years Dielectric produced some of
the
finest broadcast antennas made in the United States, and
its
closure represents a significant blow to U.S.
manufacturing
capabilities.
ETON ZONE GUARD RECEIVER
Eton Corporation has a new product that may well be of
interest to hams involved in emergency response
operations
or those who live in regions where getting accurate
emergency alerts are a necessity.
Called the ZoneGuard, it is a portable battery-powered
AM/FM
radio that receives NOAA weather and Specific Area
Message
Encoding or S.A.M.E. local emergency messages. The
ZoneGuard radio will also flash an internal 3 level
High-
visibility color alert light bar and emit warning sounds
when local warning messages are activated. On top
of that,
it is also programmable so multiple geographic areas can
be
programmed into it for emergency message reception.
Best of
all is the price for this little gem at under $40 street
and
available where most consumer electronics are sold.
And less we forget, the radio also carries a Red Cross
identification brand on it and a portion of sales
profits
goes to that organization. (RW)
W9FIZ ANNOUNCES HE CANNOT PROVIDE
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT TEST STATION
Barry Gose, W9FIZ, who had previously announced a number
of
free services at Hamvention 2013 has been forced to
cancel a
few of them. This after he was advised by a fellow
ham who
is an attorney that since he is not licensed, bonded, or
insured to test electronic equipment that he would be
exposing himself self to considerable liability.
Gose says
that based on this that he will not be unable to offer
any
service that involves testing electronic devices of any
kind
in any way shape or form. However, W9FIZ still
plans to
attend and both his free advertisement board and 2 meter
paging service will still be available.
(W9FIZ)
DX
In DX, JA9LSZ is reported as being currently active from
Nepal as 9N7SZ. His operation is on the High
Frequency
bands only. If you work him please QSL to JA9LSZ.
According to SQ8X posting on the FT5XM Web page the
group
hopes to set sail for Amsterdam Island on January 15,
2014
and arrive on the 24th. Landing operations will
begin as
soon as the sea conditions and weather allow. Once
the team
is ashore, they will have 18 days to set up, conduct the
DXpedition, and tear down for departure. You can
follow
developments at www.amsterdamdx.org
JJ8DEN was to be active from Puka Puka Atoll in French
Polynesia From April 30th through May 7th. This
will be
followed by an operation from Raivavae Island in the
Austral
Island group as KH0PR stroke FO from May 8th to the
15th.
He will be active on High Frequency bands using CW ,
RTTY
and PSK. QSL via JJ8DEN.
Members of the Dutch Society of Radio Amateurs will be
active as 9H25 from Qawra, Malta between May 20th and
June
4th. This in celebration of the groups 25th
Holiday
DXpedition to that nation. Operations will be on
80 through
6 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via PI4KGL
Lastly, a DXpedition made up of members of the Oceania
DX
Group will activate Norfolk Island as VK9NT between May
3rd
and the 13th. They plan to have 4 stations
covering 80
through 10 meters operating CW, SSB and RTTY. An
"Online
QSL Request Service" will be available for bureau, and
direct cards on ClubLog which is the preferred method.
If
for some reason you cannot use the ClubLog or Logbook of
the
World, paper QSL can go direct to VK2CA.
(Above from various DX news sources)
**
RADIO IN SPACE: NASA MISSION TO STUDY EQUATORIAL
ELECTRICAL
STORM PROPAGATION
And finally this wee, a NASA funded sounding rocket
mission
will launch from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few
weeks to help scientists better understand and predict
the
electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere.
These severe
weather outbursts can interfere with satellite
communication, the global positioning system and other
space-
based communications including some used by radio
amateurs.
The mission is called EVEX which stands for the
Equatorial
Vortex Experiment. It will consist of the launch
two
rockets from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands
for
a twelve minute information gathering journey through
the
equatorial ionosphere above the South Pacific. The
twin
spacecraft will measure events in two separate regions
of
the ionosphere to see how they work together to drive
the
ionosphere from placid and smooth to violently
disturbed.
Such information could ultimately lead to the ability to
more accurately forecast this important aspect of space
related weather.
The launch window for EVEX runs through May 10th.
More on
this propagation study mission is on-line at
tinyurl.com/nasa-storm-rocket
(Space Daily)
THURSDAY
EDITION: NEARFEST Ham Event starts this Friday, lot's of
eyeball qso's to be made, good food to be devoured, and
maybe a few bargains to be had......Thinking
buying a Yaesu FTDX-3000, but then I think about the
fact I haven't put up an antenna since I moved 6 months
ago......
Live broadcast of Hamvention
It's time again for the W5KUB.com world wide broadcast
of Hamvention This is our 11th year to broadcast.
After 34 years outside
in the fleamarket,
www.W5KUB.COM had moved inside the building for
Hamvention. Space SA302.
Our live broadcast begins on Wed May 15th at 8:00 AM
Central time as we broadcast the 550 Mile drive from
Memphis to Dayton live.
The broadcast will be up Thurs as we show various
vendors setting up. Then the show Friday- Sunday.
As in the past, we will be giving out thousands of
dollars of ham prizes to our viewers. Join in on the fun
at W5KUB.Com chat room and talk directly to us or other
hams around the world. Last year we have 47,300 viewers
follow us during this trip.
See you soon when the fun starts.
Tom W5KUB
MONDAY/TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY
EDITION: Boy am I slipping on this page. I am helping
install a new furnace and hot water system in the house
and need to be on call to help out. ....TIP OF THE DAY:
Do not buy a mattress at Costco. I bought a King
and a Queen, they both have a hump running down the
middle of the bed that is big enough to have kept me
away from my wife for a month. ......Hmmmmm, Nearfest this week
and I thin k the wx looks good.........
NASA mission to study what disrupts radio waves
A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from
an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks to help
scientists better understand and predict the electrical
storms in Earth's upper atmosphere.
These storms can interfere with satellite communication
and global positioning signals.
The mission, called EVEX, for the Equatorial Vortex
Experiment, will launch two rockets for a twelve-minute
journey through the equatorial ionosphere above the
South Pacific.
The launch window for the mission from the Kwajalein
Atoll in the Marshall Islands is from April 27 to May
10, 2013.
The Sun Journal reports on the amateur radio ISS school
contact held at the Bates College Museum of Art,
Lewiston, Maine.
They say that while waiting for the ISS contact, Dave
Taylor W8AAS, technical adviser for the American Radio
Relay League, told Lewiston-Auburn eighth-graders that
ham radio can be more than a fun hobby, it can be a way
to make international friends, fight terrorism and even
boost a job resume.
The report continued - Tragedies such as the April 15
Boston Marathon bombing can be countered with more
one-on-one international friendships through ham radio,
he said. “You are the folks who can change the world,"
he said. How? "By making friends, talking with people in
different lands, finding out about their culture. That
puts us in a position we can better understand the
differences.”
New England Hams you might run across on
3864 or 3910.........
K1TP- Jon....Editor of As The
World Turns.... W1STS- Scott...philosopher, hat
connoisseur, NIEDU- Dave.... Asst. manager at HRO's Salem store and
for some unknown reason rides his cycle year round.. KB1JXU- Matthew...75 meter regular...our token
liberal Democrat out of VT KA1BXB-Don....75 meter Regular......residing on the Cape
of Cod, flying planes and playing radio KMIG-Rick....75 Meter Regular....teaches the future of
mankind, it's scary! W1PNR-Mack....75 meter Regular...wealth of ham knowledge.... W1GWU-Bob....one of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular W1TCS- Terry....75 meter regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge... K1PV- Roger....75 meter regular, easy going guy... K1PEK-Steve..Founder of Davis-RF....my best friend from
high school K9AEN-John...Easy going ham found at all the hamfests WB1DVD- Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy going, computer
parts selling, New England Ham.. W1OKQ- Jack....3936 Wheeling and Dealing......keeping
the boys on there toes.... K1JEK-Joe.........Easy going, can be found at every ham
flea market in New England ...Cobra Antenna builder.. K1BXI- John.........Dr. Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience... KA1GJU- Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who cooks on the
side at Hosstrader's... KB1CJG-"Cobby"- Low key
gent can be found on many of the 75 meter nets......... N1XW.....Mike- claims to have been abducted by
aliens......Temper! W1XER...Scott....easy going guy K1BQT.....Rick....very talented ham, loves his politics,
has designed gear for MFJ... W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force Controller...told
quite a few pilots where to go! N1OOL-Jeff- The 3936 master plumber and ragchewer... K1BRS-Bruce- Computer Tech of 3936...multi talented
kidney stone passing ham... WB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts truck driver-retired K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod, construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man.... W1VAK- Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience in all areas,
once was a Jacques Cousteus body guard.... KD1ZY- Warren....3910 regular N1IOM- Paul.....3910 test
king....testing...... N1YSU-
Bob, easy going, kind of like Mr. Rogers until
politics are brought up then watch out... K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled gas company-we think he
has been around nitrous oxide to long . Silent Key N1SIE- Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD- Big Bob-
Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group and owner of Peanut (silent key)-
mascot.... Silent Key:W1FSK-Steve....Navy Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned every
radio ever built! Silent Key:W4NTI-Vietnam Dan....far from easy going cw and ssb op
on 14275/313 Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio........Ham Radio Ambassador! Silent Key:
K1GAR- John- Very colorful
character!......claims to an appointed "hambassador" by
Gordon West..... Silent Key:
N1GXW-Frank-Mellow Mainer.......... Silent Key:W1JSH-Mort-
Nice fellow to talk to on 3936 on the early afternoon
session Silent Key:K4WHO-Kerry-Mellow ham, professional musician, one of
the nice guys on 20 meters..........