Ham Radio Update

January 12, 2016 11:43 PM - ARRL -- During a January 12 Capitol Hill hearing, US House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), called the Amateur Radio Parity Act "a commonsense bill" and urged his colleagues to support it. H.R. 1301 was one of four telecoms bills that came before his panel."As a ham radio operator, I'm acutely aware of the passion that Amateur Radio operators have for t...

January 12, 2016 08:45 PM - eHam.net News -- ARRL's Missouri Section has a new leader. Cecil Higgins, AC0HA, of
Pittsburg, Missouri, has been appointed as ARRL Missouri Section
Manager, effective January 11. Dale Bagley, K0KY, had stepped down
because of family commitments after having served as Missouri's SM
since June 1999. Bagley recommended Higgins for the post.

January 12, 2016 08:45 PM - eHam.net News -- HR 1301, the US House version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, will
be among four communications-related measures set for a legislative
hearing on January 12 before the House Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology. Chairing the panel is US Rep Greg
Walden, W7EQI, an Oregon Republican.

January 12, 2016 08:45 PM - eHam.net News -- AmateurLogic 86 is now available for download.
Peter introduces Satellite TV. Tommy explores
FLRig with his Icom IC-7100 and Mac computer.
Emile makes a cheap APRS Tracker. George
visits a transmitter site in the wilderness
and more.

January 12, 2016 05:42 PM - ARRL -- Tom Callas, KC0W, has announced the all-CW "Cows Over the World" DXpeditions for 2016. All call sign suffixes will contain "COW." The schedule calls for a summer departure to (in this order): American Samoa, Samoa, Tokelau, Solomon Islands, Temotu Province, and Bangladesh. He may add Nepal and Bhutan. There will be no time frame for operation from each entity."The determining factor will be whe...

January 12, 2016 05:42 PM - ARRL -- The ARRL has petitioned the FCC to fix a "shortfall in available RTTY/data spectrum" the regulator created when it reapportioned 80 and 75 meters in 2006. The League's January 8 Petition for Rule Making asks the FCC to shift the boundary between the 80 meter RTTY/data subband and the 75 meter phone/image subband from 3600 kHz to 3650 kHz. The ARRL's Petition points out that the proposed change ...

January 12, 2016 04:44 PM - ARRL -- AMSAT-NA will take to the water for its 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium. The event will take place November 10-14 aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship that will depart from and return to Galveston, Texas. The voyage will include 2 full days at sea and a 1 day port stop at Cozumel, Mexico."Symposium presentations and meetings will be conducted during the days at sea, to allow free time during the stop...

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- SatNOGS, who won the Hackaday grand prize of $196,418 for their amateur satellite ground station, have featured on the Greek TV show Orizontas

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- In this video Dan Trudgian M0TGN shows how to listen to the ISS using nothing more than a handheld radio, a Yaesu VX8, from Hackpen Hill in Wiltshire

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- The ARISS Russia Team is planning to support a couple of Slow Scan Television (SSTV) events in the next few months on 145.800 MHz FM. The first session is being targeted for Saturday, January 16 (may be subject to change) to celebrate 15 years of ARISS school contacts with the ISS crew

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- SWLing Post reader, David Guilbeault, pointed us to a story from 1989, when Bob McGwier N4HY, used a Cray-2 supercomputer to decode a digital HF transmission he heard in the background of Star Trek IV

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- Flex Radio have announced the release of SmartSDR V1.6. The SmartSDR platform powers all Flex 6000 series radios and have additional features added including SO2R (Single Operator 2 Radio)

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- Electromagnetic Field EMF 2016 takes place August 5-7 near Guildford, Surrey, the organisers are looking for talks and workshops

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- According to the Amateur Radio Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 3rd January, through Sunday, 10th January there were 224 countries active

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- The 2015 Christmas Eve transmission from SAQ, the Alexanderson alternator station at the World Heritage Grimeton site in Sweden, elicited more than 350 reports, according to a preliminary accounting, many of them from hams. SAQ transmits on 17.2 kHz

January 12, 2016 09:41 AM - Southgate ARC -- Following the success of the Intermediate Practical Workshops in 2015, the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) will be holding a Foundation Practical Workshop over two Thursday evenings

January 12, 2016 08:41 AM - eHam.net News -- Radio Verulam has relayed a live amateur radio link-up between a local school and the International Space Station. The live chat with Astronaut Tim Peake to the West Herts region took place on Friday, from St Alban's Sandringham School. Sandringham is one of the first of 10 UK schools to talk directly to the British astronaut, and was assisted by ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) and Verulam Amateur Radio Club, who trained and helped license several pupils to perform the link up. For the brief duration of the space station's passing over St Albans, pupils were able to ask Tim a range of questions from queries about molecular forces and liquid hydrogen, to whether a helium balloon rises in space.

January 12, 2016 08:41 AM - eHam.net News -- The first time Buzz Kutcher sat for his amateur radio license, he did not pass. Now he is president of the Butts County Amateur Radio Club and has many awards under his belt. He is also the ham emergency coordinator for Butts County. Kutcher got involved in the amateur radio world in the 1980s while living in York, Pa. He first talked on ham radio as a child. A family friend known as uncle Jack was "the first ham I ever met. I took a class with my high school friend Barry. He passed and I didn't," Kutcher said. Both of them were Kutcher's "Elmer's," or mentors, Kutcher said. "You Elmer people and the hobby grows. There's a big social aspect," Kutcher said. "It's a heck of a lot of fun. I've been a ham everywhere I've lived."

January 12, 2016 08:41 AM - eHam.net News -- THE ROYAL Thai Armed Forces Headquarters recently filed an unprecedented lawsuit against the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) with the Central Administrative Court over the telecom watchdog's overall spectrum master plan, which would pave the way for amateur radio operators to share the Armed Forces' 50-54MHz spectrum range. Currently the Armed Forces alone use this band, while amateur radio operators use other bands. However, the master plan opens the way for amateur radio operators to use the Armed Forces' band. The plan states that amateur radio operators would be able to use the band once a study proves that their use will not affect the Armed Forces. According to its complaint to the court, the Armed Forces want the watchdog to remove such a provision for amateur radio operators in the master plan, which took effect last September. The plaintiffs include the Supreme Command, Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Armed Forces said that during the NBTC public hearing on the draft of the latest master plan, most of the hearing attendants said that such a provision for amateur radio operators should be removed from the draft. However, the NBTC declined to take this majority opinion into account. The court has already summoned the disputed parties to see if the court should hear the case. The court has already heard from the NBTC and is waiting to hear from the Armed Forces.

January 12, 2016 12:45 AM - ARRL -- HR 1301, the US House version of the Amateur Radio Parity Act, will be among four communications-related measures set for a legislative hearing on January 12 before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Chairing the panel is US Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI, an Oregon Republican."This New Year we resolve to continue working to protect America's consumers and small businesses," Walde...

January 11, 2016 11:41 PM - ARRL -- Slow-scan television transmissions marking the 15th anniversary of the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts have now been tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, January 16. The transmissions will be in PD120 mode.The ARISS event had to be postponed in late December due to "complications in planning," ARISS announced at the time.The first ISS crew conducted its ...

January 11, 2016 09:43 PM - ARRL -- ARRL's Missouri Section has a new leader. Cecil Higgins, AC0HA, of Pittsburg, Missouri, has been appointed as ARRL Missouri Section Manager, effective January 11. Dale Bagley, K0KY, had stepped down because of family commitments after having served as Missouri's SM since June 1999. Bagley recommended Higgins for the post.ARRL Manager of Field Services and Radiosport Dave Patton, NN1N, made the ...

January 11, 2016 03:42 PM - ARRL -- In his Twitter feed, UK/ESA Astronaut and ISS crew member Tim Peake, KG5BVI, has noted the passing of rock legend David Bowie, whose 1969 hit single "Space Oddity" was covered in space by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield, VA3OOG/KC5RNJ. Hadfield also remarked on Bowie's death on January 10. In the somber "Space Oddity," Bowie assumes the character of astronaut "Major Tom" in the song's narrati...

January 11, 2016 02:44 PM - ARRL -- Larry Burke, K5RK, has jumped into the ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) year-long operating event with both feet. Burke, of Alvin, Texas, became the first to confirm 100 NPOTA units. The accomplishment took him less than 10 days."It speaks volumes, not only about Larry being a dedicated chaser," ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, said. "That there are over 100 di...

January 11, 2016 10:45 AM - Southgate ARC -- Going on a 'field day', SOTA or WFF expedition? Or maybe making a casual QSO in the backyard? Try this free application! It has a bit limited functionality, but still providing all needed functions

January 11, 2016 10:45 AM - Southgate ARC -- The Swedish national amateur radio society SSA reports that December 2015, measurements were taken of the RF interference generated by 11 different types of LED lamps

January 11, 2016 10:45 AM - Southgate ARC -- In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Leslie Butterfield G0CIB, Matthew Nassau M0NJX, Andy Mace 2E0IBF and Edmund Spicer M0MNG to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episode's feature is an interview with Dan Romanchik KB6NU regarding one day licensing courses

January 11, 2016 10:45 AM - Southgate ARC -- We at the Telford club are very pleased to announce that as of 10pm on Wednesday 6th January, that our new Yaesu System Fusion (C4FM) repeater is now on the air and working in both FM and C4FM. We look forward to working you soon in either mode

January 11, 2016 10:45 AM - Southgate ARC -- Wednesday January 13 at approximately 11:35 UTC, an ARISS contact is planned for Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado "Benedetto Croce", Civate, Italy

January 11, 2016 08:41 AM - eHam.net News -- The Simulated Emergency Test to measure the disaster readiness of Amateur Radio involved 38 countries and four others who recognised its importance but could not take part this time. IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Co-Ordinator Greg Mossop G0DUB, has reported on the event, which was different from other GlobalSETs held since 2006. While earlier events had an emphasis on message handling and field stations, a better and simpler exercise was needed to demonstrate the strength of Amateur Radio Emergency Communications throughout the world. Greg Mossop G0DUB said: "The IARU Emergency Communications Co-ordinators decided that the best way to achieve this would be to have an availability or 'call-out' exercise. It asked all countries with Emergency Communications Groups to contact their members and ask them how quickly they could get on air if required." This seemed to be more suitable to all, particularly some very involved in emergencies but unable to take part in earlier GlobalSETs because of timing or the distance from other countries.

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- The ZS9YOTA call sign was active during December and South African youngsters participated in the annual IARU Region-1 December Youngsters On The Air event

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- A 92-minute video containing the Sandringham School GB1SAN and Tim Peake GB1SS amateur radio contact is now available in the ARISS UK Team channel on YouTube

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- The next interim meeting of the IARU Region 1 VHF/UHF/MW Committee, the HF Committee and the EMC Committee will be convened April 16-17 at the InterCity Hotel in Vienna

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- The Amateur Radio Parity Act heads for its first subcommittee hearing in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- As our society becomes increasingly dependent upon the internet and cell phones for staying in touch, few stop to consider what would happen in an emergency situation if these methods of communication were rendered useless

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- The 2016 AMSAT Space Symposium will be held aboard a commercial cruise ship departing from the port of Galveston, Texas

January 10, 2016 10:51 AM - Southgate ARC -- The ARISS-US Team is thrilled to announce that it received a $5,000 grant from the Yasme Foundation, awarded to support the development of the power converters needed as a part of an extensive upgrade to the entire ARISS radio system onboard the International Space Station

January 10, 2016 09:43 AM - ICQ Podcast -- In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Leslie Butterfield G0CIB, Matthew Nassau M0NJX, Andy Mace 2E0IBF and Edmund Spicer M0MNG to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature is an interview with Dan Romanchik KB6NU regarding one day licencing courses.
Realtime Band Conditions Website
Australian Radio Ham Celebrates 105 years
ARRL Lodges Glow Light Complaint
Global Wind Pattern Indicator
Retirement of RSGB General Manager
No 60m Operation Possible in VK
Amateur Radio Club Train School Pupils
RSGB Contest Committee Changes

January 10, 2016 08:44 AM - WA7BNM Contest Calendar -- 1800Z, Jan 16 to 0559Z, Jan 17

January 10, 2016 08:44 AM - WA7BNM Contest Calendar -- 1200Z, Jan 16 to 1159Z, Jan 17

January 10, 2016 08:44 AM - eHam.net News -- The United States Army was the first to bounce a radio signal off the Moon, and the site is now part of the Information Age Science History Museum and Learning Centre. The historic transmission on January 10 1946 from an Army tracking dish, is the starting point for all moon bounce experiments. Project Diana, named for the Roman Moon goddess Diana, was an experimental project at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey to bounce radar signals off the Moon and receive the reflected signals. It played a part in the space race, and even those weak signal reflected from the lunar surface are reported to have had experimental applications in spying activities. Those lucky enough to receive the reflected signal received a QSL card. Moon Bounce communication was abandoned by the military to be replaced by communication satellites in the early 1960s. However it found a use in Amateur Radio in the 1960s and with weak signal techniques of today is still being explored throughout the world.

January 10, 2016 08:44 AM - eHam.net News -- A technical solution to fix spurious emissions that sometimes come from the National Broadband Network or NBN fixed wireless network has been found. Steen Jensen VK7AP has raised the issue of severe interference to high frequencies, medium wave broadcasts and fire alerts in rural areas of Tasmania. Chris Holliday VK7JU in Deep Bay Tasmania also reports the same problems, and it may occur elsewhere with a particular brand of fixed wireless network device. Steen VK7AP thanked the WIA for its representations including statements to the ACMA backed up by Standard Australia compliance, and VK7WI broadcast publicity by Justin Giles-Clark VK7TW.

January 10, 2016 08:44 AM - eHam.net News -- Every day Aluma Tower Company manufactures portable aluminum towers, shipping them across the country and around the world. This multi-million dollar manufacturing business has been located in the center of Vero Beach on Old Dixie Highway for the past 40 years. Yet chances are you've never heard of it. You can easily drive by Aluma Tower's two locations and never notice either one. Angela Ledford, president and general manager, calls her company "a hidden gem." Vero Beach customers include radio stations, ham radio operators, farms and citrus groves, as well as the water treatment and power plants.

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- All the very latest Amateur Radio news is now available via the TX Factor GB2RS weekly podcast

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- ARRL report after more than 40 years as a purveyor of inexpensive electronics kits for hobbyists, the Ramsey Hobby Kits group has thrown in the towel, effective on January 1

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The West Briton newspaper reports Cornwall's radio amateurs have opened the new year on the air making contacts world wide using their K-for Kernow call signs

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- We are encouraging amateurs worldwide to get on air and go green for St Patrick's Day on the 17th March with the annual St Patrick's Day Award

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The Foundation for Amateur Radio, Inc., will be administering a total of 46 scholarships, worth an aggregate of $71,000 for the coming 2016/ 2017 academic year. The scholarships range in value from $500 to $5,000 each

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The West Bengal Radio Club in India is providing logical help during a religious festival on Sagar Island, mainly for lost children, as part of their emergency communications training

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- Essex Ham members listened to Tim Peake GB1SS on the International Space Station on Friday January 8. Some of their recordings are now available

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The proceedings for the RSGB Board meeting of December 19, 2015 are now available to RSGB members

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- Radio amateurs will attempt a 23 centimeter Earth-Moon-Earth (EME, or 'moonbounce') transmission on January 10, using the 60-foot-diameter TLM-18 dish on the former 'Project Diana' site, now part of the InfoAge Science History Museum in New Jersey

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- Joseph Barry K7SQ was chosen for the award by members of the High Desert Amateur Radio Group (HIDARG)

January 09, 2016 09:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The BBC report Sandringham School in St Albans has made history by making the first amateur radio call from the UK to a British astronaut on the space station

January 09, 2016 08:40 AM - WA7BNM Contest Calendar -- 1800Z-2200Z, Jan 15

January 09, 2016 08:40 AM - eHam.net News -- Radio communication is vitally important in some hazardous situations where time is of the essence, and a local club is offering residents a chance to gain those skills while also learning the fun of the hobby at HCESD 48 Fire Station Number 4 this February. The Katy Amateur Radio Society is offering Ham Radio and Technician Amateur Radio License classes on Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27 and March 5 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the facility, located at 22855 Franz Road. Class space will be limited to 30 students. Ham radio operators serve Katy providing disaster radio operators as well as safety radio operators for bike rides and triathlons. "We go out and support all the MS 150's, just about every bike ride in the area, marathons and triathlons. In some instances it's turned into us preventing injury and things like that," said Katy Amateur Radio Society PIO Mike Brannan. "It's fun to go do that, but it's also a public service opportunity." Instructors will speak on the rules and regulations for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the frequency bands on which ham operators can broadcast. There will also be an introduction to all the different modes of communication such as AM, FM, morse code, radio telegram and digital modes.

January 09, 2016 08:40 AM - eHam.net News -- A Bend man is the Ham Radio Operator of the Year for 2015. Joseph Barry was chosen for the award by members of the High Desert Amateur Radio Group (HIDARG). He was also given a service award from the group. Barry was given a plaque and a certificate along with a handmade ceremonial telegraph key made by one of the HIDARG members. The group's president, Ray Spreier, made the presentation at the group's monthly meeting Thursday evening. Spreier said Barry was given the awards for his dedicated service to ham radio for over 25 years. Barry serves as a volunteer examiner that administers the official tests people must take to become a ham radio operator. He has guided hundreds of people through the process. Barry is also known as an "elmer", which is a term for someone who helps new ham radio operators get started after they get a license.

January 09, 2016 01:41 AM - eHam.net News -- Our guest on Amateur Radio Roundtable this
week is Allan Weiner, famous radio pirate.
He tells all about putting on his radio
off shore New York, he will talk about the
raids from the FCC and FBI and his arrest,
his collection of military surplus
equipment, and about his legitimate
licensed shortwave radio station WBCQ.
Did you see the MGM movie "Blown Away?"
They used his pirate radio ship in the
movie and blew it up.

January 08, 2016 09:43 PM - eHam.net News -- Solar indices were down over the past reporting week (December 31,
2015 through January 6, 2016) with average daily sunspot numbers
down from 49.6 to 41 and average daily solar flux down from 122.3 to
98.2.

January 08, 2016 09:43 PM - ARRL --

January 08, 2016 09:43 PM - ARRL -- Tickets now are available for the 24th annual Dayton Contest Dinner, Saturday, May 21, in the Presidential Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, next to the Convention Center in downtown Dayton. The event is sponsored by the North Coast Contesters.Master of ceremonies is CQ Contest Hall of Fame member and World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) Chairman, John Dorr, K1AR. The 2016 CQ Contest...

January 08, 2016 09:43 PM - ARRL -- The SouthWest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA) has announced that its 31st DX Dinner, held in conjunction with the 2016 Dayton Hamvention(r), is set for Friday, May 20, at the Dayton Marriott, 1414 S Patterson Boulevard, Dayton.A social hour will get under way at 5:30 PM, with dinner served at 7 PM. In addition to door prizes, the DXpedition of the Year will be announced. More than 400 attended the 2...

January 08, 2016 07:43 PM - ARRL -- At its January meeting, Orlando Amateur Radio Club (OARC) President John Knott, N4JTK, presented ARRL Southeastern Division Director Doug Rehman, K4AC, with a check for $2500, designated for the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund. OARC sponsors the Orlando HamCation, which will host the 2016 ARRL National Convention February 12-14 in Orlando, Florida. "ARRL is very pleased to start 2016 with such a won...

January 08, 2016 07:43 PM - ARRL -- US and Canadian radio amateurs and experimenters will join forces in February for the first Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend. The event will get under way on February 6 at 0000 UTC (Friday, February 5, in US time zones) and run through 2359 UTC on February 7."This event is being undertaken because of the new and quickly growing interest in present 630 meter activities, both in the US and Ca...

January 08, 2016 04:43 PM - ARRL -- The February Edition of Digital QST is now available at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/arrl/qst_201602/.Discover Controlled Envelope Single Sideband Learn more about software oscilloscopes Read the amazing story of the ham who hikes with goats Go on an airborne fox hunt Make the most of 10 meters ...and much more! Enjoy Content You Won't Find in the Print Edition...• See a video overview of the...

January 08, 2016 03:42 PM - ARRL -- Solar indices were down over the past reporting week (December 31, 2015 through January 6, 2016) with average daily sunspot numbers down from 49.6 to 41 and average daily solar flux down from 122.3 to 98.2.Average daily planetary A index declined from 21.7 to 16.6 and average mid-latitude A index from 12.6 to 10.6.Predicted solar flux is 105 on January 8-10, 100 on January 11-12, 95 on January ...

January 08, 2016 03:42 PM - ARRL -- The Foundation for Amateur Radio Inc (FAR) invites applications for the 2016-2017 academic year for the 46 scholarships it administers.All applicants must hold a valid Amateur Radio license and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college or technical school. Applicants attending school outside the US must provide a brochure describing the school.Students do not a...

January 08, 2016 03:42 PM - ARRL -- A brand-new ham was the first to speak with UK astronaut Tim Peake, KG5BVI, on the International Space Station, when students at Sandringham School in Hertfordshire, England, enjoyed an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on January 8. Peake, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut whose "Principia Mission" will focus on educational activities, used the special GB1S...

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- Ronaldo, PS7AB will be active from Queimada Grande (Snake) Islands for 24 hours only

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The small Australian balloon PS-57 is over the Indian Ocean and heading for home to VK. This balloon crossed the equator to go around the northern end of South America, before dipping south again

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- On Friday, January 8 students at Sandringham School, St. Albans had an amateur radio contact with UK astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS on board the International Space Station

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- Justin Johnson G0KSC of InnovAntennas, and Waters and Stanton explains Low Noise Yagis and concept of optimising Yagis for Signal to Noise Ratio rather (SNR) than out-right gain

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- The Lloydminster Meridian booster reports that in the age of smart phones and Skype, there is still room for an old-fashioned ham radio, especially in case of an emergency

January 08, 2016 11:40 AM - Southgate ARC -- This year, the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH) celebrates 70 years in publication. WRTH origin can be traced back to the Nazi occupation of Denmark in World War II

January 08, 2016 08:43 AM - eHam.net News -- Sure, the sun's light and heat make life possible on Earth, and its gravity holds our entire solar system together. But our nearest star remains surprisingly enigmatic. Scientists still don't know, for example, why its magnetic activity fluctuates in an 11-year solar cycle. Or how powerful solar flares can knock out satellites, disrupt GPS systems, and fry electrical grids here on Earth. What they do know is that sunspots -- those randomly-spaced dark blotches on the sun's surface -- are a critical part of that puzzle. In September, an international team of scientists was able to show, for the first time, how magnetic activity in the sun's interior leads a sunspot to form. And it revealed how that energy is later released in plasma jets and explosions, phenomena similar to powerful solar flares.

January 08, 2016 08:43 AM - eHam.net News -- SILVER CITY -- As our society becomes increasingly dependent upon the internet and cell phones for staying in touch, few stop to consider what would happen in an emergency situation if these methods of communication were rendered useless. But ham radio operators in Grant County have definitely given it some thought. They know all too well what can happen, and as a result, are prepared to take action to maintain open channels of communication with emergency personnel. "Amateur radio operators can set up a backup communications network if telephone service and emergency service communications are disrupted," says Marc Levesque, president of the Gila Amateur Radio Society (GARS). "These operators can deploy to key locations around the county, such as Central Dispatch, the hospital, the sheriff's office and fire departments to maintain a communications link for public safety agencies."

January 08, 2016 07:41 AM - eHam.net News -- The Foundation for Amateur Radio, Inc., will be administering a total of 46 scholarships,worth an aggregate of $71,000 for the coming 2016/2017 academic year. The scholarships range in value from $500 to $5,000 each.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Stan Arnett has been tracking severe weather for at least three decades.

The 70-year-old Marysville man is one of about 50 trained weather spotters in St. Clair County.

Arnett said it was something he started doing through his love of amateur radio.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- After more than 40 years as a purveyor of inexpensive electronics kits for hobbyists, the Ramsey Hobby Kits group has thrown in the towel, effective on January 1. The Ramsey RF Test Equipment Group is unaffected by this change.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- A dairy farmer in Norway went to great lengths to tune into CBC Saskatchewan.

Sure, The Morning Edition with Sheila Coles is the No. 1 morning radio show in Saskatchewan. But few people could have expected it to reach a group of listeners more than 5,800 kilometres away - and not through the internet.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- It was one giant leap for Blackstone Millville Regional school students who got an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Tuesday to talk live with European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Tim Peake on board the International Space Station (ISS).

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Every day Aluma Tower Company manufactures portable aluminum towers, shipping them across the country and around the world.

This multi-million dollar manufacturing business has been located in the center of Vero Beach on Old Dixie Highway for the past 40 years.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- As some of you may be aware, Dishtronix has purchased the assets (but not the liabilities) of Ten Tec from RKR Designs. . I had desired to keep this under wraps until Ten Tec is reorganized, but there is too much speculation concerning the service department to continue without an announcement of some sort.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- The year-long ARRL's National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event got off to a strong start, with considerable activity reported on the HF bands and even some on the SO-50 satellite over the first weekend of the new year. Throughout 2016, Amateur Radio will be helping the National Park Service (NPS) to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- I think it is an International Record indeed in the history of Amateur Radio!

Three ham radio enthusiasts from Guwahati, Assam, India who passed their licencing exam conducted by the Ministry of Communications & IT, WPC wing, New Delhi, almost 25 year ago, received their radio communication licenses in a single day, today !

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Radio amateurs once were the target of interference complaints filed with the FCC. Now, the FCC has made it easier for hams to file their own RF interference and other complaints, thanks to a new feature of the FCC's recently redesigned website. The addition was made at the ARRL's request. Hams have always been able to file such complaints, but when a new system geared largely to consumers came online a year ago, they lost the ability to do so via e-mail to a dedicated address. The change made it less clear how amateurs should file such complaints and what, if anything, would result.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- We run a lot of posts on amateur radio here at Hackaday, and a majority of our writers and editors* are licensed hams. Why? Because playing around with radio electronics is fun, and because having a license makes a lot more experimentation legal. (*We're sure you have good reasons for slacking, Szczys.)

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- CORNWALL'S radio amateurs have opened the new year on the air making contacts world wide using their K-for Kernow call signs.

The designation has been granted to celebrate national minority status, which was given to the Cornish people in 2014.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- The Pacific amateur radio club recently added a new element to its repeater installation on Signal Hill, one that extends the reach of Franklin County emergency services.
The Pacific Meramec Valley Amateur Radio Club (PMVARC) was formed as a digital radio club, using the D-Star system.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- You shouldn't call Paul Clay pessimistic. Instead, just call him a potential problem solver.

"We have to assume the worst [in the event of a natural disaster]," Clay told Newswatch 12 Monday afternoon. "You've lost your power grid, your cell phones don't work anymore, you may have lost some cell towers or county communications towers."

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- SWLing Post readers may remember a post I recently published in which I believed I'd identified a familiar shortwave time signal station in the Battle of Hoth scene from The Empire Strikes Back.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- As our society becomes increasingly dependent upon the internet and cell phones for staying in touch, few stop to consider what would happen in an emergency situation if these methods of communication were rendered useless.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- In the age of smart phones and Skype, there is still room for an old-fashioned ham radio, especially in case of an emergency.

Last fall, a course in ham radio was offered at the RCMP building after being in hiatus for a number of years, and students will be studying again beginning this Wednesday.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Following an unexpected demonstration operation from North Korea - officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - just before Christmas, Polish DXer Dom Grzyb, 3Z9DX, now expects to be back in the DPRK - the most-wanted DXCC entity - for his "official" activation by late this summer.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Dishtronix, an electronics design and manufacturing company, has purchased the assets of Amateur Radio equipment manufacturer TEN-TEC from RKR Designs. Headquartered in Bellefontaine, Ohio, Dishtronix manufactures and markets the "Prometheus" solid-state Amateur Radio amplifier, among other products. No formal announcement has been made by either company, and details of the purchase are still being finalized. RKR Designs announced last April 2 that it had acquired the assets of TEN-TEC and Alpha Amplifiers from RF Concepts, less than 1 year after the two lines had merged under the RF Concepts brand in an asset sale. Dishtronix owner Steven M. Mike Dishop, N8WFF, told ARRL that, while TEN-TEC has had different owners over the years, he is in it for the long haul.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- Planned closings and staff cutbacks at FCC field offices that sparked debate about the impact on enforcement are likely to bring fresh attention to the role of state, rather than federal, laws against broadcast pirates.

January 08, 2016 05:42 AM - This Week in Amateur Radio -- The ARRL Board of Directors' annual meeting in mid-January will mark the beginning of a changing of the guard for the League. After serving three 2-year terms, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg, Virginia, is stepping aside, and the Board will choose her successor - and the League's 16th president - when it convenes on January 15. The Board also will elect other officers, as well as vice presidents, Executive Committee members, and ARRL Foundation directors.

January 08, 2016 01:38 AM - eHam.net News -- This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
EI3GC, QRZ DX, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the
ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

January 07, 2016 10:43 PM - eHam.net News -- The ARRL Board of Directors' annual meeting in mid-January will mark
the start of a changing of the guard at the League. After serving three
2-year terms, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg,
Virginia, is stepping aside, and the Board will choose her successor --
and the League's 16th president -- when it convenes on January 15. The
Board also will elect other officers, as well as vice presidents,
Executive Committee members, and ARRL Foundation directors.