Contest or drill -- call it what you like, but we can all agree that ARRL Field Day 2009 was another big success! The fourth weekend in June is probably the most famous operating weekend in the United States and Canada. Whether you're doing 20A or 1D, Field Day is probably the best excuse to get youngsters on the air.
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ARRL Amateur Radio News
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Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Another Field Day in the Books
4 Jul 2009 | 6:16 am -
Surfin': ATVing Digitally and APRSing Successfully
3 Jul 2009 | 5:00 amThis week, Surfin' looks at Digital Amateur Television again and finds the new home of WB4APR. -
The K7RA Solar Update
3 Jul 2009 | 4:20 amIt was a perfect Field Day weekend from where I stood. The weather was warm, skies clear, the space weather was calm and there was enough propagation to make a domestic contest interesting. I had no plans, so on Saturday I went to the ARRL Field Day Station Locator to find a Field Day site. The one I landed at -- W7AUX -- listed a contact number, a cell phone at the site. I inquired if they needed a CW op, was told, "We could use any operators," so I drove up to the site north of Seattle. I had a lot of fun on 20 meter CW. Sporadic-E even helped out, and the 6 meter station made a… -
IARU HF World Championships: Coming to a Radio Near You
2 Jul 2009 | 10:51 amRadiosport fans are gearing up for the summer's biggest competition: The IARU HF World Championships. Calling the 24 hour long contest "an HF operator's delight," ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, explained that the contest will allow amateurs plenty of opportunity to work DX from all around the globe on CW and SSB, as well as make QSOs with many IARU Member-Society club stations and officials. -
Fresh Air, Friends, Food and Fun Abound for 2009 ARRL Field Day
2 Jul 2009 | 5:48 amIt's an event that some groups take very seriously, planning all year long for. Still, others just use the date to get together, make a few contacts and enjoy each other's company. No matter how you view it, ARRL Field Day is fun!
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EHAM.NET
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AmateurLogic Episode 24 is Now Available for Download:
4 Jul 2009 | 7:10 amSpend the day with Jackson Amateur Radio Club and see how they approached Field Day 2009 in the heat of Summer. Meanwhile it's Winter for Peter in Australia with a very interesting demonstration of early Mechanical Television. Plus viewer email and lots of fun. -
Pilots Of The Airwaves:
3 Jul 2009 | 5:55 pmIt's 8:32 p.m. Saturday and the sun's about to disappear beyond the black cloak of tree line on the west end of Winter Springs' Central Winds Park. Nine hundred and seven miles away, 60 pounds of metal are rocketing across the dome of the Earth, northeast-bound in a hurry, just as J.D. Smith awaits a date with destiny. "Any minute now, it'll start talking," Smith says. Crouched on a park bench under an awning, Smith sits in a gray cap tracking a ghost on the horizon. Seconds later, that speeding hunk of metal wakes with a kiss from the setting sun and its haunting signal says hello once more,… -
NZ4O LF/MF/HF/6M Prop Forecast #2009-22:
3 Jul 2009 | 1:19 pmNZ4O LF/MF/HF/6M Prop Forecast 2009-22: -
Field Day Showcases Ham Radio Versatility:
2 Jul 2009 | 5:06 pmThe ability to make contact with the outside world, in virtually any circumstance, is one of the benefits of amateur (ham) radio. Members of the Princeton Amateur Radio Club brought that point home Saturday and Sunday, when they set up their equipment at the City-County Park to participate in American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day activities. The field day included a contest element, where local clubs received points for successfully making contacts with other amateur radio stations across the country, and internationally. "I heard somebody in Denmark on there a while ago," club member… -
Enthusiasts Keep Ham Radio Alive:
2 Jul 2009 | 7:56 amAmateur radio operators tend to be easy to spot, said Jason Foster, president of the nonprofit Montgomery Amateur Radio Club. With one or several antennas up to 100 feet tall outside their homes, or even on top of their cars, amateur radio operators, also known as "hams," are often thought to be older people who are not ready to embrace modern communications technology. Over the weekend, 25 hams participated in the Field Day at Montgomery College's Germantown campus. The event drew hams of all ages who competed against hams from around the country to try to make as many contacts with other…
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QRZ Forums: Ham Radio News
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Nils "Buck" Barto, N9PLJ SK
3 Jul 2009 | 7:10 pmBuck Barto, N9PLJ passed away in his sleep late this afternoon at the rehabilitation home in Henry, IL. He was 48. Hospitalized after a paralyzing stroke last August, he never made a recovery. Final arrangements have not yet been made. -
Amateur Radio Newsline™ Report 1664 - July 3 2009
3 Jul 2009 | 10:55 amThe following is a Q-S-T. The FCC starts its long scheduled rules review and ham radios Part 97 is included. Also, hams in Poland go on flood watch alert, Europe may put emission standards on ham radio a very cold DXpedition on Amateur Radio Newsline™ report number 1664 coming your way right now. (Billboard Cart Here) ** REGULATORY: FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON REVISING OR ELIMINATING CERTAIN RULES The Part 97 Amateur Service rules are among those to be reviewed by the FCC or their relevance, modification and continuation for the next several years. Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, is here with the rest of… -
AmateurLogic.TV Episode 24 has been posted
3 Jul 2009 | 9:58 amAmateurLogic.TV Episode 24 is now available for download. Spend the day with Jackson Amateur Radio Club and see how they approached Field Day 2009 in the heat of Summer. Meanwhile it’s Winter for Peter in Australia with a very interesting demonstration of early Mechanical Television. Plus viewer email and lots of fun. Download the video (for highest quality) Watch on YouTube -
NZ4O Daily LF/MF/HF/6M Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast #2009-22
3 Jul 2009 | 7:26 amThe NZ4O Daily LF/MF/HF/6M Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast #2009-22 has been published on Friday 07/03/2009 at 1400 UTC, valid 0000 UTC Saturday 07/04/2009 through 2359 UTC Friday 07/10/2009 at http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf6.htm 73 & GUD DX, Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O Lakeland, FL, USA nz4o@arrl.net NZ4O Daily Solar Space Weather & Geomagnetic Data Archive: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm -
The ARRL Letter, Vol 28, No 26 (Thursday, July 2, 2009)
2 Jul 2009 | 7:06 pmIN THIS EDITION: * It's Official: Julius Genachowski Sworn In As FCC Chairman * 2008 ARRL Annual Report Now Available * IARU HF World Championships: Coming to a Radio Near You * ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately? * Fresh Air, Friends, Food and Fun Abound for 2009 ARRL Field Day * What's New at Dayton 2009: The Unabridged Version * Solar Update * IN BRIEF: This Week on the Radio ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration ARRL to Close in Observance of Fourth of July Michigan Ham Dies in Tower Accident Larry E. Price, W4RA, Honored at Ham Radio 2009 Convention in Germany John…
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QRZ Forums: Ham Radio Announcements
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Caribbean Amateur Radio Group during ARRL Field Day 2009
2 Jul 2009 | 2:49 pmAgain Caribbean Amateur Radio Group Member make many test during the Field Day 2009 ARRL. Start it with tracking all members via APRS KP4RY-9 when come to NP4PS site in Lares, Puerto Rico. Other members install wire antenna to KP4RY and WP4CL radios to operate 20m PSK31 and 40m SSB. During the day we make QSO with RODE Team in Fajardo and test the site to other corner of the Island. Serafin KP4FIE was the Chef during the event "Smoke and Grease Operation". If you want see a picture go to; http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox...76&call=wp4crg -
Special call ON65POL
2 Jul 2009 | 9:07 amON65POL will be on the air from 18 sept. untill 27 sept. Qsl via ON7YX direct or ON buro. ON6UQ -
Special Event N8C July 6th
1 Jul 2009 | 4:05 pmGreetings from Tom Garrisi - W8BNL The first week in July here in Traverse City, we hold "The National Cherry Festival". I am the "Director of Communications" for the Festival and I handle all the UHF Radios and cell phones during the 8 day festival. I will also this year be setting up a OCF Dipole from my Comm Trailer and will have my HF rig on-site (local repeaters too on 2M & 440). Anyway - - - I have applied for and received a "Special Event" call sign of N8C (never ate cherries?). I will be doing the "Special Event Transmitting" on Monday -… -
Big Bear Sat Demo / FT-60R Class
1 Jul 2009 | 12:06 pmYou are invited! RSVP info below. Clint Bradford, K6LCS, will be presenting … How to Work Amateur Satellites with Your Handheld Radio (6:30 pm) Getting to Know Your Yaesu FT-60R (5:30 pm) Saturday, July 25, 2009 - Big Bear Amateur Radio Club Big Bear Lake Fire Station - 41090 Big Bear Blvd 92315 And if you’ve been thinking of purchasing a new dual-band handheld – or want to add to your collection – we have negotiated special pricing on the Yaesu FT-60R (and all Yaesu accessories purchased at the same time) with Ham Radio Outlet in Anaheim until July 25! For your special pricing, you… -
13 Colonies Special Event Station
29 Jun 2009 | 5:11 pmORIGINAL 13 COLONIES INDEPENDENCE WEEK SPECIAL EVENT JULY 1ST TO JULY 5TH - 2009 ******ALL 13 COLONY STATES ARE NOW REPRESENTED************ ********NY-NJ-RI-GA-PA-NH-SC-VA-CT-DE-MD-MA-NC* **** (HF/VHF/Repeater/Mobile-Rover & Satellite Stations) Website at: http://home.comcast.net/~dzabawa/ThirteenColonies.htm Starting on July 1st to July 5th 2009, all thirteen 1776 original colonies will be on the air. One to several S.E. stations per Colony stat A magnificent full color certificate printed on heavy card stock with a map and the state flags of all the 1776 colony states adorn this award.
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QRZ Forums: Hamfest & Event Calendar
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Hamfest
2 Jul 2009 | 7:19 pmThe Northwest Ohio Amateur Radio Club in association with Fair Radio Sales and Phil's Ham Radio Store Proudly Presents the first Ham and Jam 2009! Friday, August 14th. and Saturday, August 15th. 2009 Friday Night Concert gate opens at 6PM Saturday Hamfest Gate opens at 6am for vendors. Open to General Public at 8am. VE Ham Radio License Testing On Site at 10:30AM Ham Fest - Flea Market - Commercial Vendors - Computer Stuff Talk in on 146.670 No PL To download a flyer go to our web site www.nwoarc.org or if you have any questions. Rick Davis KC8RLI P.R. chairman -
2009 New Orleans Ham Fest
30 Jun 2009 | 6:20 amThe 2009 New Orleans Ham Fest is schedule for Saturday, October 3,2009 at the Knights of Columbus Hall located at 3310 Florida Ave. Kenner Louisiana.Doors Open at 8 AM and closes at 2 PM. Talk in will be 146.82 repeater tone 114.8. A radio will be raffle off every hour starting at 9 AM.Visit our website at cqtopia.com/nolahamfest/ or call the Ham Fest Hot Line at 504-708-4527. -
Montgomery County Texas ARES Field Day
20 Jun 2009 | 3:06 pmMontgomery County Texas ARES will be participating in Field Day on June 27th and 28th at Carl Barton Jr. Park in Conroe Texas the address is 2500 South Loop West zip 77302. Below is a link to the local papers article about the event. http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/20.../radio0620.prt -
N. OHIO - ARRL Field Day in Wellington
17 Jun 2009 | 10:45 amQST QST QST DE W4IDW in Wellington (Lorain County). I'm opening up my place (3 acres) for field day this year. Anyone not affiliated with a club, or would just like to do some casual operating in the outdoors contact me (w4idw@yahoo.com). I plan on setting up about 250 feet behind the house under 2 nice trees. Behind my property is a zillion acres of wheat and corn so it's real private. Place: WELLINGTON Time/Date: SAT JUN 27TH 2:00 TIL SUN JUN 28TH 2:00. Bring your rig, antenna, or whatever and enjoy... tnx es 73 Doug/W4IDW -
Raritan Valley RC,Piscataway,NJ
11 Jun 2009 | 7:52 pmThe W2QW, Raritan Valley Radio Club annual hamfest will be held June 20, Saturday, rain or shine. 7 a.m. ~ 2 p.m. at the Piscataway High School Behmer Road, Piscataway, NJ Talk-in on 146.625 repeater 141.3 Hz tone 442.250 repeater 141.3 Hz tone Vendors open at 6 a.m. Tailgating Door prizes, QSL checking by NJDXA XYL & kids free entry Food and refreshments available Contact: NW2P, Eric (908) 251-3938
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Amateur Radio News Online
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AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT 1664
3 Jul 2009 | 4:22 amNews for the week in Amateur Radio for the week ending 3 July, 2009 Visit Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at http://www.arnewsline.org -
AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT 1663
26 Jun 2009 | 1:56 amNews for the week in Amateur Radio for the week ending 26 June, 2009. Visit Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at http://www.arnewsline.org -
AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT 1662
19 Jun 2009 | 2:17 amNews for the week in Amateur Radio for the week ending 19 June, 2009. Visit Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at http://www.arnewsline.org -
AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT 1661
13 Jun 2009 | 3:40 amNews for the week in Amateur Radio for the week ending 12 June, 2009 Visit Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at http://www.arnewsline.org -
AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE(tm) REPORT 1661
12 Jun 2009 | 2:30 amNews for the week in Amateur Radio for the week ending 12 June, 2009 Visit Amateur Radio Newsline's only official website at http://www.arnewsline.org
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This Week in Amateur Radio Podcast
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This Week in Amateur Radio #846 - Week of June 27, 2009
1 Jul 2009 | 8:13 pmHere is a summary of the news items and special features covered in edition 846 of "This Week in Amateur Radio, and "This Week in Amateur Radio Headline News". North Americas permier on-the-air audio bulletin services, for the week beginning June 27, 2009. This week's edition of This Week in Amateur Radio comes to you anchored by Andre Wald, KC0MMY, reporting from our northeast news bureau in Whitehall, New York, by Frank Haas, KB4T, reporting from our southern news bureau in Holly Hills, Florida, by Mark Phillips, G7LTT, reporting from our northeast metro news bureau in Morristown, New… -
This Week in Amateur Radio #845 - Week of June 20, 2009
17 Jun 2009 | 11:37 pmPUT GEORGE'S TEXT HERE -
This Week in Amateur Radio #844 - Week of June 13, 2009
14 Jun 2009 | 9:48 pmStories covered and special features in This Weeks edition: 01. NAVY MARS may be going QRT at the end of the summer. 02. Fun, fresh air, friends, and food..It must be ARRL Field Day 2009. 03. Changes are in store for ARRL November Sweepstakes contest logging. 04. NASA selects a students proposed name for the new MARS Rover. 05. CQ Magazines Propagation Edition challenges revised solar cycle prediction 06. 24 to 29 megahertz HamSat is proposed. 07. Founder of Cirque De Soleil to be next visitor to the Space Station. 08. OfCom UK says the answer to interference is blowing in the wind. 09. The… -
This Week in Amateur Radio #843 - Week of June 6, 2009
7 Jun 2009 | 8:07 pmHere is a summary of the news items and special features covered in combined editions 842 & 843 of "This Week in Amateur Radio, and "This Week in Amateur Radio Headline News". North Americas premier on-the-air audio bulletin services, for the week beginning June 06, 2009. This week's edition of This Week in Amateur Radio comes to you anchored by Steve Batton, W4XQ, reporting from our Southern news bureau in Virginia Beach Virginia, by Scott Westerman, W9WSW, reporting from our southwest news bureau in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and by Chris Perrine, KB2FAF, reporting from our northeast news… -
TWIAR #842 not available
7 Jun 2009 | 8:06 pmTWIAR #842 was not produced last week. TWIAR # 843 is now available and will have news and stories covering the last two weeks to make up for the missed edition. Thank you.
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N5FDL
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Important Update On Business Communications
17 Jun 2009 | 6:09 amI have today, following a discussion with the FCC concerning interpretation of the 97.113 prohibition of business communication using Amateur Radio, removed my earlier comments on the subject. My new understanding is that the Commission interprets this prohibition very broadly—more so than I could have imagined. My recommendation is that people whose job it is to provide emergency services should not use Amateur Radio even to discuss how Amateur Radio can provide those services. I do not believe this interpretation best serves the public interest, but as FCC licensees we are bound to… -
Always Stay In Front Of Your Served Agencies
15 Jun 2009 | 11:35 pmThe moral of this story: No matter how many times you talk to your served agencies, that doesn’t mean they will think of you. You’d think that having gotten happy reports from our last exercise together, a particular agency would have involved us in their next exercise. Sadly, a new hire was brought on board and something fell through the cracks. Now, we are still involved in the exercise—with another agency—but guess who will be getting the Internet test messages we send through Winlink? At least one will go to the person at the other agency who forgot about us, and… -
Google Latitude Instead of APRS
15 Jun 2009 | 11:18 pmI know my place in the world! (And you can, too!)This is one of those ideas so simple that I want to kick myself for not thinking of it myself: Using the free Google Latitude smartphone tracking service to keep up with the locations of your field teams. Google Latitude is a feature of Google Maps for mobile on these phones: Android-powered devices, such as the T-Mobile G1 iPhone and iPod touch devices (coming soon) most color BlackBerry devices most Windows Mobile 5.0+ devices most Symbian S60 devices (Nokia smartphones) To make it useful for emergency work, you would want to configure the… -
Wilderness Protocol for Outdoor Adventure
31 May 2009 | 6:56 pmEver heard of the “Wilderness Protocol”? It is an effort to provide emergency communications help in areas beyond normal repeater coverage or whether local repeaters are off-the-air. (After the “big one” Los Angeles might qualify as wilderness). Where is some information provided by the ARRL as a reminder: The purpose of this initiative is to offer stations outside repeater range an opportunity to be heard when it is needed the most!The Wilderness Protocol suggests radio operators in the Amateur service should monitor standard simplex channels at specific times in case… -
Experiments in Crossband Repeaters
24 May 2009 | 9:53 pmWe’ve recently started experimenting with using vehicular crossband repeaters to extend access to the repeater we most often use. There are places where we can’t hit the repeater very easily, especially from inside buildings. Crossband repeat, for those unfamiliar, is a feature offered by some dualband mobile rigs, in which one side of the radio listens to a 70cm simplex frequency and retransmits what it hears on the input of a 2-meter repeater. Audio from the 2-meter repeater’s output is retransmitted on the 70cm simplex channel. That allows the user to walk around talking…
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THE DXZONE GUIDE
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Telescoping antenna mast manufacturers
Links to dealers and manufacturers of telescopic antenna masts, poles, antenna mounts. Hard to find masts, expecially designed to support antenna for portable, emergency or field day use -
W4GGM Maurry Radio Club
Ham Radio/Clubs/North America/USA/TennesseeMaurry Amanteur radio club -
10 meters Loop Antenna
Antennas/10M10 m band, 2 element horizontal high gain loop antenna -
160 meters kite lifed antenna
Antennas/160M160m Band 1/4 Wave Kite lifted vertical antenna -
2009 IARU HF Contest
Contesting/Rules2009 IARU HF World Championship Contest Rules
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Southgate Amateur Radio Club
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W-HQ-S Award
The W-HQ-S Award is managed by QTC (the Polish Amateur Radio Magazine) with 10 or more contacts with different HQ stations during the IARU HF Championship being required for the award -
Chinese HTs may be illegal to import into USA
Some deals are too good to be true.. or legal. That’s the story with some rather inexpensive HT's being sold on-line -
New RAC Vice-President Field Services
Effective July 1, 2009, Doug Mercer, VO1DTM, has assumed the post of Radio Amateurs of Canada Vice President for Field Services (VPFS) -
The NZ4O Propagation Forecast #2009-22
The NZ4O Daily LF/MF/HF/6M Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast #2009-22 has been published on Friday 07/03/2009 -
More countries get access to 7MHz frequencies
Belarus has gained access to the extended 40m band
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HF Radio Propogation Center
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Solar Report 2145 04 Jul 2009
Solar Flux: 71 | Ap: 2 | Kp 0 (03 nT) at 2100 04 Jul -
Observed Space Weather 2145 04 Jul 2009
No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours. -
Forecast Space Weather 2145 04 Jul 2009
No space weather storms are expected for the next 24 hours. -
Flares 2145 04 Jul 2009
6h hi B8.3(0429Z 07/04) 24h hi B8.3(0429Z 07/04) -
Sunspots 2145 04 Jul 2009
SSN: 17 (07/03/2009)
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KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog
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2008 ARRL Annual Report Available
3 Jul 2009 | 6:51 amFrom the 7/2/09 edition of the ARRL Letter: The ARRL Annual Report for 2008, now available online and in print, reviews the major events of the year and documents the renewed growth of both the ARRL and the activities of the Amateur Radio Service. In 2008, the ARRL experienced a growth in membership, ending the year with 154,627 members, an increase of 0.7 percent from 2007. The growth was the greatest among International members and in the League’s Northwestern, Rocky Mountain and Delta Divisions. “As ARRL began 2008, the main question facing us was whether the growth spurt that… -
Field Day Story #2: CW Fun and Inspiration
1 Jul 2009 | 4:22 pmThis story is from Lloyd, K3ESE, via the qrp-l.org mailing list: I haven’t been on the air much of late; busy sailing my little sloop, playing the viola I bought with the proceeds of most of my ham-pelf, parenting my three lively and lovely children, fishing, doing yardwork, doing work-work…you get the picture. But this past FD, I found myself once again driving to where the local club had set up, to offer my services as a CW op, which are generally well-received. This time was no different; they set me up with a Kenwood 570 @ 20 times the reasonable amount of power any sane… -
FD PR
1 Jul 2009 | 4:15 pmOne of the purposes of Field Day is to get some PR for ham radio. As usual, Public Information Officers (PIOs) all across the country worked hard at getting us some attention from media and government. Here are some links: Governors Show Support for Amateur Radio as ARRL Field Day Approaches Governors across the United States have shown their support for Amateur Radio, with many proclaiming Amateur Radio Week in their states. Coinciding with ARRL Field Day, these proclamations show citizens that these states value the contributions made by radio amateurs. A radio dish at Stanford is powerful… -
Field Day 2009: Stuart Makes His First Contact
29 Jun 2009 | 8:06 pmOne of the great things about Field Day are the stories. Every year, I add a story or two to my repertoire. This year is no exception. Story #1 starts about 1:30 pm on Saturday. I was at my post at the public information table/GOTA station. We had been ready to rock and roll for at least a half hour, so a group of us were just sitting around chewing the fat when Stuart and his mother strolled up to the table. Her son was a little on the shy side, so his mother explained that Stuart had seen a listing of our Field Day site on the Internet and had asked her to bring him out to see us. She… -
Connector/Cable Wiki Helps You Make Connections
24 Jun 2009 | 6:03 amThanks to Frank, K0BRA, for pointing this out via the AMRAD mailing list. He writes: Now there is a Wiki on connector pinouts [and cable wiring]. If you are into making cables to hook this to that and need pin numbers you may find this makes it quick and easy. There is a lot of obscure stuff out there and this is the place to find it. If you don’t, then add it. Looks like a good resource, and because it’s a wiki, you can add connector pinouts and cable wiring lists that aren’t there. Shall we start a ham radio cable category?
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W2LJ'S BLOG
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Happy Independence Day
4 Jul 2009 | 11:32 amYou can click on the image to see it full sized.73 de Larry W2LJ -
Happy Birthday USA!
3 Jul 2009 | 6:04 pmThe burgers and hot dogs are on the grill and smelling great! Families and friends are getting together. The community pool is a hopping place. Parades are marching down Main Street in countless communities across this great land. Old Glory can be seen just about everywhere you look; and all over fireworks are screaming through the air with loud bursts, sending out their glorious reports.Happy Birthday, America!233 years ago, our Founding Fathers started upon a course of history, that until then was pretty much unknown and unheard of. That a colony should dissolve the bonds that held it to… -
W O W !
2 Jul 2009 | 4:48 pmWhen I called home and spoke to my wife today, while I was at work, she informed me that I had received a "huge box from some foreign country" in the mail. I had to scratch my head on that one for a few seconds; but then I realized it was my QSL cards from Gennady UX5UO. They came after only three (not 4) weeks.!When I got home from work, I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I opened the box and saw, without a doubt, that these are the most beautiful QSL cards that I have ever had in 30 years as a Ham. They are a touchdown ..... a home run ..... a GRAND SLAM home run!The workmanship is… -
Recommended Reading
30 Jun 2009 | 7:46 pmYet another blog post which I highly recommend - even though the link is right down there to the right ..... this is one you should NOT pass over.This one is by Dan KB6NU and it's titled, "Field Day 2009: Stuart Makes His First Contact"In all honesty, I cannot say that I have ever read a more encouraging and uplifting post than this one by Dan.You have to read it for yourself; I don't want to spoil it. But the determination and spunk showed by Stuart truly warms the cockles of this ol' CW veteran's heart. After reading the post, I think Dan might have met someone who truly has "The Knack".73… -
Giving a helping hand
30 Jun 2009 | 4:55 pmI was contacted about a week ago; by a private telecommunications firm in California. They are experiencing some intermod or some kind of mixing problem on one of their repeaters, I guess. They asked me if I'd be willing to listen to a Morse Code ID that is coming in over their system; and if I could, would I please translate for them?The engineer in charge sent me a WMA file and the CW ID, while kind of raspy, was clear enough for easy copy. I'd say it was at a rate of about 20 WPM or so.In any event, I was able to e-mail back with the two commercial IDs that I was able to hear; for which…
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The KØNR Weblog
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XE1MEX Satellite DXCC
28 Jun 2009 | 8:55 amDuring this busy Field Day weekend, I received an email from Alex XE1MEX reporting that he has achieved DXCC via Satellite. This is quite an accomplishment since he made most (or all?) of the contacts via LEO satellites. It turns out that I have worked XE1MEX several times on the FM birds from home and [...] -
Summits On The Air Video
20 Jun 2009 | 8:51 pmI’ve been thinking a bit about “Trail Friendly Radios” for VHF in preparing an article for QRP Quarterly. I came across this video about choosing radios for use in the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. SOTA is a fun program from Europe that has found some interest in North America. The basic idea is [...] -
This Spewed Out of the Internet #5
19 Jun 2009 | 10:23 pmCatching up on the fine material spewing out of the web. Remember, if it came from the internet it must be true. Newsflash: The DTV transition has happened and the world has survived. It just doesn’t matter, because it is television. To quote Joey from Friends, “it is a moo point….a cow’s opinion.” Brian Wood, W0DZ, has [...] -
Flag Pole Radio Tower
18 Jun 2009 | 6:35 amI have gotten into the habit of taking photos of interesting radio sites. This all started as part of my general tendency to visit mountain summits to play ham radio. It turns out that for some reason, there are quite a few radio installations in high spots. Hmmm, imagine that. So I started taking photos of [...] -
Jeep Wrangler Radio Install
7 Jun 2009 | 4:53 pmOne of my toys these days is a Jeep Wrangler (TJ) which we use for playing in the mountains. I finally got around to installing some ham radio equipment in it a few weeks ago. I mostly wanted to have good old 2 Meter FM - the amateur radio utility mode - in the vehicle. [...]
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WB4GBI
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ITS ON ITS WAY!
24 Jun 2009 | 9:35 pmThe new 146.94 repeater antenna is on its way!! I am thrilled to report that I have ordered the new repeater antenna for the 146.940 repeater. I’m not sure as to exact arrival date just yet, as they are made to order. How cool is that? I can tell you it will be a four element open dipole design, very similar to the antenna that is up there now. I will keep everyone posted here as progress is made toward its installation. I want to say a HUGE “THANK YOU” to the METERS group (of which I am proud to be a member) for their recent contributions to the… -
It's official.. (repost)
27 May 2009 | 7:12 pmLet’s try this again with a smaller font that doesn’t run together. Sorry! 73 de Tim WB4GBI It’s official… The 146.94 repeater needs a new antenna. Kevin, W4KEV, and I visited the 146.94 site on Memorial Day Monday. Kevin fine-tuned the duplexer to near perfection. It will duplex perfectly on a 50 Ohm load, but still would not do so on the repeater antenna. Upon closer inspection with binoculars, you can see that one of the dipole elements on the DB-224 antenna is obviously damaged. The other elements may be damaged as… -
It's official...
27 May 2009 | 7:00 amIt’s official… The 146.94 repeater needs a new antenna. Kevin, W4KEV, and I visited the 146.94 site on Memorial Day Monday. Kevin fine-tuned the duplexer to near perfection. It will duplex perfectly on a 50 Ohm load, but still would not do so on the repeater antenna. Upon closer inspection with binoculars, you can see that one of the dipole elements on the DB-224 antenna is obviously damaged. The other elements may be damaged as well, but if so they are not visible from the ground. However, with this type of antenna, one damaged element is all it takes. I’m sure this… -
18 May 2009 | 9:08 am
18 May 2009 | 9:08 amHEY! Why is 146.94 so noisy! I’m re-posting this one, with a little easier to read font, hopefully… Happy Monday, everyone! If you are a regular 146.94 user, or of you catch one of the many nets called on my 146.94 repeater, you may have noticed it is a little “noisy, “ or that portables and some mobile have trouble getting in to the repeater. It’s not the fault of the noisy stations. Here’s what’s happening: The basic function of a repeater is to be able to receive and transmit signals at the same time… -
Hey! Why is 146.94 so noisy?
18 May 2009 | 8:19 amHEY! Why is 146.94 so noisy? Happy Monday, everyone! If you are a regular 146.94 user, or of you catch one of the many nets called on my 146.94 repeater, you may have noticed it is a little “noisy, “ or that portables and some mobile have trouble getting in to the repeater. It’s not the fault of the noisy stations. Here’s what’s happening: The basic function of a repeater is to be able to receive and transmit signals at the same time without degradation. One of the performance functions that repeater operators check is that of receiver…
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EARC
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PayPal Update
PayPal payments are now being accepted online for your membership fees. -
EARC Mini Field Day
July 19th is the EARC Mini Field Day. Join us at the Hawaii Kai Boat Ramp from 4pm to midnight for our potluck event. Check out our event listing page for more info. -
Club Memorabilia
The online order form for Club Memorabilia is up and working. Use it to place orders for your club polo shirt(s), patch(es), and/or ball cap(s). -
Online Application
The online membership application is now up and working. You can use it to obtain a new membership, renew a previous one, or simply update your information such as address, phone, or email. -
Field Day
Field day is the last full weekend in June. Details coming out soon on the EARC website.
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73s.org's Blogs
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Just blogging
2 Jul 2009 | 10:02 pmHello all….been a bit since I’ve blogged. I have new pics up,check them out if ya want. Field Day for us was great! Not sure how many contacts we made but we had a blast! I forgot to bring my cam,gut some of the others had theirs and maybe I can convince one of them to email me a few. I got there Fri night,about 5-6 pm. Just as I set my tent up,a T-storm came thru. I had to take ALL my stuff and put it in my car! The wind was blowing SO HARD the back of my tent,which is pretty big,can sleep 6,was actually touching the i inside of the front of my tent! I used big thick plastic… -
Field Day 2009
28 Jun 2009 | 7:50 pmOver the 21 years that I’ve been a ham, one of my favourite activities has always been Field Day. Nothing seems to speak to the spirit of amateur radio better than a group of hams cooperating together to set up temporary stations in simulated emergency conditions. Then spend 24 hours with friends doing a little operating, a little socializing and enjoying some fine Field Day cuisine. Years back, I was the Field Day Manager for a club I was involved with and thoroughly enjoyed seeing things come together. In recent years my level of involvement has been limited by family and sometimes… -
East Coast Silence
24 Jun 2009 | 11:14 pmIt seems the midwest U.S. is (still?) more active in ham radio than other regions of the U.S. Maybe I’m missing out on the “in” bands and events? -
Drake Field Day 2009 event via Twitter.
20 Jun 2009 | 6:23 pmWe will be feeding updates about the Drake Field Day 2009 event via Twitter. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrakeARC If you don’t use Twitter you can follow using our RSS Feed at https://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/49057225.rss The photo stream location will be announced over Twitter as we get going. W8CYE – Drake Amateur Radio Club in Southwest Ohio. K8UU for Field Day and we are in the ARRL Field Day Locator ECHO Link Node 3272 IRLP Node 5690 -
AIS MONITORING
20 Jun 2009 | 3:28 pmI was able to connect my Kenwood TH-F6 to my laptop running Shipplotter and receive the AIS information from the ships offshore Galveston. AIS is like (but not really) APRS for ships. Very kewl.
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HamFeed
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Radio-A-Day Giveaway
4 Jul 2009 | 7:04 pmHere is the web site for the Radio-A-Day Giveaway. www.wc8ec.com/drawing/index.html -
wtt FT-60R dualband HT like new
4 Jul 2009 | 6:58 pmHi all, I have a like new FT-60R dualband (2meter/70 cenit.) HT for trade. Comes with everything it came with new even box plus Universal rapid... -
Ford Ignition Spark Coil
4 Jul 2009 | 6:53 pmDon't connect this to an antenna or try to use it on the air, you'll blow away TV reception in your neighborhood. You'll make BPL interference seem... -
Relay: 4PDT -117vac shipped $12 bucks
4 Jul 2009 | 6:51 pmWhile cleaning my room found a relay made for OLSON electronics. It is 4PDT; 117vac. Yup..it's old and still sealed in plastic bubble...US Postal... -
Alternator whine on tx/ Mobile instalation
4 Jul 2009 | 6:49 pmHi all hoping to get a little elmer help. I bought a 2006 Ranger STX new and installed a ic-2000 and an through the roof NMO antenna. This set up...
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Practical Amateur Radio Podcast
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The Practical Amateur Radio Podcast v23.2
25 Jun 2009 | 4:30 amAn interview with Steve Galchutt, WG0AT -
The Practical Amateur Radio Podcast v22.2
14 Jun 2009 | 4:30 amWe begin part one of a multipart discussion about antennas. In this episode we discuss CCRs and other challenges we face as amateur radio operators. -
The Practical Amateur Radio Podcast - HamCon Colorado 2009 #3
6 Jun 2009 | 4:30 amA podcast brief to wrap up the 2009 HamCon Colorado Convention in Estes Park, CO. Plus an interview with Chris Drummond, W6HFP of the BuddiPole Company -
The Practical Amateur Radio Podcast - HamCon Colorado 2009 #2
30 May 2009 | 4:30 amA podcast brief from Day 2 at the 2009 HamCon Colorado Convention in Estes Park, CO. -
The Practical Amateur Radio Podcast - HamCon Colorado 2009 #1
29 May 2009 | 4:30 amA podcast brief from Day 1 at the 2009 HamCon Colorado Convention in Estes Park, CO.
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Advancing Ham Radio.. different ideas
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Bandplans - 900 MHz and above
2 Jul 2009 | 7:37 pmNearest I can determine, the last time ARRL bandplans were reviewed was nearly 20 years ago for 50 MHz and above. There is some ARRL Microwave Band Planning in it's initial stages that I welcome as it's long overdue in my opinion. So I do look forward to reading other peoples thoughts on how to tackle the problem of promoting ultra wide band data modes and somehow keeping some harmony with any existing activity on these bands.http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/01/23/10585/?nc=1Chairman and Liaison Appointments: Microwave Band Planning Committee: Tom Clark, K3IO, Chairman. I noticed that… -
Childish Stuff
23 Jun 2009 | 3:38 pmIn addition to the childish D-Star programmers war (Scott, KI4LKF's dextra verses Robin, AA4RC's dplus ) .. Now it appears there are two hardware guys fighting. Satoshi JK1ZRW's node adapter verses Fred, PA4YBR's Dutch Star node adaptor. I read something about how Satoshi was notified that his adaptor was infringing on Icom's UT118 module (a case of whistle blowing?). I had high hopes for Satoshi 's less popular AMBE DV adaptor. This was a full blown adapter to turn an analog radio in to a D-STAR radio and does include provisions to encode/decode AMBE, unlike his node adaptor. What I was… -
D-Star Simplex Station
13 Jun 2009 | 12:35 amOk first off I promise not to turn into a D-Star fanatic. Nothing has urked me more lately than the D-Star hype fanatics. The most recent example is this D-Star newsletter.D-Star isn't for everyone, nor is it the saving grace of amateur radio. Bombarding folks with growth (peer pressure) statistics from DtarUsers.org isn't cool kids.To me; D-Star overall is Disappointment-Star. My feeling are that ham radio needs narrow band like the ARRL needs aging members. But that's no fault of D-Star's design, more so of our bandplans. D-Star was designed to work into existing ham band plans.So why did I… -
Revisting ham radios image and marketing
1 Jun 2009 | 11:50 amMy first blog was about creating a more modern image for the hobby.What I have noticed is that the oldest advertising and marketing trick in the book, using the sex appeal has significantly dropped off in the hobby. About the only really prominent in practice example are the Icom girls. Going back looking at some older material, I have to hand it to Wayne Green, publisher of 73 magazine. He not only knew how to market his publications, but he knew how to inspire. That is something noticeably absent in ARRL publications.Observations as of recent years show there are some operators who really… -
WeComm Digital Audio Repeater Linking
4 May 2009 | 10:30 amWisconsin Emergency Communications (WeComm) is developing a statewide repeater system / voice network to provide base coverage throughout Wisconsin. Another imitative is to implement a modern high speed digital network. Both are for state, district and local ARES/RACES, skywarn, public service, and normal amateur radio communications.The wide area analog repeaters are interlinked using SIP analog radio adapters. The Asterisk based conferencing software is virtually limitless. It provides the flexibility to connect individual repeaters into a statewide configuration, or to disconnect them to…
