eHam.net News for Friday 8 September 2017

[eHam.net via rec.radio.info Admin]

eHam.net News

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Radio Amateurs in CT Prepare to Help with Irma Relief Efforts:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 05:03 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40018


NEWINGTON, CT (WFSB) -- As Hurricane Irma approaches Florida, radio
amateurs in Connecticut are gearing up to assist with relief efforts as
once the powerful storm makes landfall in the United States. Channel 3
visited the National Office for Amateur Radio in Newington and got a closer
look at how people are assisting with communication down south. When
natural disasters strike, the ability to communicate can become much* more
difficult. "Cellular networks can be disrupted, public safety networks can
be disrupted," Mike Corey, who is the emergency preparedness manager at the
American Radio Relay League, said. "And of course, the number of volunteer
organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army that respond to these,
also need communication support." Corey explained there are about 750,000
licensed amateur radio operators in United States. These operators can make
calls for help and support first responders in dire situations.


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FEMA, FCC Prep Emergency Comm Ahead of Hurricane Irma:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 05:02 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40017


As one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic makes its way
to the continental United States, the Federal Communications Commission and
the Federal Emergency Management Agency have begun preparing communications
systems and capabilities for Hurricane Irma's landfall. FEMA has
prepositioned 700 personnel in Irma's path through the Caribbean,
including on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to help with
logistics and emergency preparedness, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said.
As part of its preparations, FEMA on Sept. 5 notified amateur radio
operators of frequencies that would be available in the path of Irma. The
American Radio Relay League said in a notice that FEMA could activate 5
MHz/60-meter band frequencies in support of a response to Hurricane Irma.
Private radio operators can be a crucial link in disaster zones,
particularly as strong storms disrupt normal communications networks.


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Emergency Preparedness Fair Helps Locals Prepare for Catastrophes:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 05:02 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40016


Tropical Storm Harvey -- a hurricane when it made landfall on Friday night
on the Gulf Coast in Texas -- dumped more than 50 inches on the Houston
area. The calamitous flooding left more than a third of Harris County,
which includes Houston, underwater. Now, Hurricane Irma is sweeping through
the Caribbean. If not for the extensive system of reservoirs and dams found
throughout California, the Central Valley may have suffered a similar fate
earlier this year. Winter conditions, including rainfall amounts, were
similar to those in 1862, which turned the valley into a vast inland sea.
The fair will provide information about everything from the basics, such as
putting together evacuation and shelter-in-place kits, to advanced skills
like cooking with a solar oven or using a Ham radio, she said.


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Foundations of Amateur Radio -- #118:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 04:48 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40015


It seems that depending on who you are there
are different rules for how complaints are
handled. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.
This week I look at different examples of
complaint handling by the ACMA and the WIA.


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Jamestown Man Bound for Houston:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:49 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40014


JAMESTOWN, Mo. -- As Thomas Shands watched the disaster recovery images
from Hurricane Harvey, the American Red Cross volunteer said, "I want to be
there." He will head to the Houston area soon with the Central and Northern
Missouri Chapter, which is sending four emergency response vehicles to help
in the recovery. "I have a lot of respect for the volunteers who are down
there, even those in their boats who don't belong to any organization --
it's just people helping people," he said. Shands, who first volunteered
with the Red Cross in 1975 as a CPR/first aid trainer, specializes in
sheltering. However, he is prepared to do whatever the situation needs
during his deployment, which could last up to three weeks. Although the
Jamestown ranch owner has responded to many disaster relief events in his
42 years with the Red Cross, this will be his first time working such a
large-scale event. Shands took his volunteer efforts to a new level after
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. When he could not join the
military again -- after 20 years in the Missouri National Guard, plus
serving in Vietnam with the U.S. naval construction battalions (Seabees) --
Shands said he decided he could do other things to help. "It's a good
feeling to be able to help your neighbors," he said. After the Joplin
tornado in 2011, Shands said he was assigned to help ham radio operators
keep communications open for emergency personnel and for families to
reunite. "It's very rewarding to be able to help people who are down and
out, who can't see tomorrow," he said. "We help them move forward. It's a
blessing to talk with them, to hear their stories and let them talk through
their disaster."


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Storm Warning: Solar Outburst Could Scramble Earth's Communications:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:49 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40013


As if Hurricane Irma wasn't enough, now the sun is acting up. A strong
geomagnetic storm watch is in effect as scientists wait to see if a coronal
mass ejection (CME) is winging toward Earth. A strong solar flare, often
associated with CMEs, was detected today (Sept. 6) at 8:02 a.m. ET, along
with a weaker one. That solar flare has the potential to degrade
high-frequency radio communications and some low-frequency navigation
systems, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center. A CME could cause additional
impacts, including disrupting satellite communications. Fortunately, this
outburst of solar activity isn't anything that the weather satellites
tracking Hurricane Irma's path through the Caribbean can't handle, said
Terry Onsager, a physicist at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. A
strong geomagnetic storm watch is in effect as scientists wait to see if a
coronal mass ejection (CME) is winging toward Earth. A strong solar flare,
often associated with CMEs, was detected today (Sept. 6) at 8:02 a.m. ET,
along with a weaker one. That solar flare has the potential to degrade
high-frequency radio communications and some low-frequency navigation
systems, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center. A CME could cause additional
impacts, including disrupting satellite communications. Fortunately, this
outburst of solar activity isn't anything that the weather satellites
tracking Hurricane Irma's path through the Caribbean can't handle, said
Terry Onsager, a physicist at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.


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DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #36:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:36 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40012


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest
Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.
Thanks to all.


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Just Ahead In Radiosport:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:36 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40011


Just Ahead In Radiosport:


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Amateur Radio Preparations Ramp Up as Irma Strengthens to Category 5:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:35 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40010


Hurricane Irma -- the most powerful hurricane in more than a decade to
threaten the Atlantic coast -- has been making its way through the
Caribbean with the likelihood of affecting Florida by late this
weekend. Evacuations already were under way by midweek in several
Florida counties. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has called Irma "an
extremely dangerous
category 5 hurricane." Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50
miles from the storm's center.


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FCC Technological Advisory Council Investigating Technical Regulations:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:36 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40009


The FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC) is
looking into FCC technical regulations to determine if reforms or
changes might be in order. Greg Lapin, N9GL, represents ARRL on the TAC
and chairs the ARRL RF Safety Committee. The FCC Office of Engineering
and Technology (OET) announced the TAC public inquiry (ET Docket
17-215), which seeks comments by October 30 regarding technical
regulations and the process for adopting and updating them.


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Professional, Citizen Research Suggests Eclipse Affected HF Propagation:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:35 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40008


Both professional and citizen scientists conducted formal and informal
investigations into the effect of the August 21 solar eclipse on HF
radio propagation. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, of HamSCI, has said it will
take some time to get a more
scientific analysis of data that was compiled during the Solar Eclipse
QSO Party. He and others are investigating whether the sudden absence
of sunlight during the eclipse -- and especially of solar ultra-violet
and x-rays -- would briefly change the properties of the upper
atmosphere.


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New 'Pre-Release' Version of WSJT-X Includes FT8 Changes:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:34 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40007


A new "pre-release" version of WSJT-X now is
available. This is the Amateur Radio digital software suite developed
by Joe Taylor, K1JT, that includes the increasingly popular FT8 mode.
The September 2 release, WSJT-X version 1.8.0-rc2, fixes a number of
issues, provides better performance, and offers some new features.


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Peggy Whitson, Ex-KC5ZTD, Breaks Cumulative Time-In-Space Record:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:35 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40006


President Donald Trump welcomed NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson,
ex-KC5ZTD, and Jack Fischer, K2FSH, as they returned to Houston on
September 3 following 6-month stints on board the International Space
Station (ISS). Whitson, a veteran space traveler, broke the record
among US astronauts -- and women worldwide -- for the most cumulative
time in space. Whitson, Fischer, and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor
Yurchikhin, RN3FI, landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday after traveling
from the ISS in a Russian Soyuz transporter. Trump spoke with Whitson
and Fischer as they were en route by NASA plane to Johnson Space
Center's Ellington Field.


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NASA Invites CubeSat Launch Initiative Applications:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:34 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40005


NASA has invited accredited education institutions, nonprofit
organizations, and NASA centers to submit applications for the agency's
CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Applicants must submit
proposals by November 21. Educational CubeSats often carry Amateur
Radio payloads.


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Route 66 Special Event Set for September 9-17:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:34 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40004


The Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club of San Bernardino, California will
host the 18th annual Route 66 On The Air
special event, September 9-17. The event offers radio amateurs a chance
to perhaps relive their own Route 66 memories and to celebrate the
famed highway's 91st anniversary. Opened in 1926, US Route 66 was the
first major improved highway to link the west coast with the nation's
heartland; it once served as the backdrop for a popular TV show and has
been the subject of songs and stories. There will be 21 stations -- two
of them "rovers" -- operating in or around the major cities along Route
66 from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago, Illinois. They will use 1
× 1 W6-prefix special event call signs.


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In Brief...

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:33 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40003


Estonia, Kenya Join 60-Meter Club: Radio amateurs in Kenya and Estonia
now have access to a 60-meter band as of September 1. In Estonia, class
A and B licensees will be able to use 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz at a maximum
of 15 W PEP. They also have the possibility of using the segment 5,370
to 5,450 kHz with a maximum power of 100 W, but only with special
permission and for emergency communication. Following a request from
the Radio Society of Kenya (RSK), telecommunications regulator
Communications Authority Kenya has granted 5,275 to 5,450 kHz on a
secondary basis. All modes are permitted with a maximum power of 400 W
PEP.


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Ham Talk Live #80 -- Hurricane Nets Live:

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 09:33 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/40002


Tonight at 9 PM Eastern time, Bobby
Graves, KB5HAV from the Hurricane Watch
Net and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM from the VoIP
Hurricane Net will be on the show to give
an update on the status of their
respective nets as we now have 3 active
hurricanes. Then, we will take your calls
LIVE!