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This Week in Amateur Radio News for Saturday 9 June 2018
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TWIAR via rec.radio.info Admin
Jun 9, 2018, 11:09:25 PM6/9/18
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TWIAR News Feed
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Biasing That Transistor Part 4: Dont Forget the FET
Posted: 09 Jun 2018 02:47 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2sPxDcr
Over the recent weeks here at Hackaday, we’ve been taking a look at the
humble transistor. In a series whose impetus came from a friend musing upon
his students arriving with highly developed knowledge of microcontrollers
but little of basic electronic circuitry, we’ve examined the bipolar
transistor in all its configurations. It would however be improper to round
off the series without also admitting that bipolar transistors are only
part of the story. There is another family of transistors which have
analogous circuit configurations to their bipolar cousins but work in a
completely different way: the Field Effect Transistors, or FETs.
In a way it’s less pertinent to look at FETs in the way we did bipolar
transistors, because while they are very interesting devices that power
much of what you will do with electronics, you will encounter them as
discrete components surprisingly rarely. Every CMOS device you deal with
relies on FETs for its operation and every high-quality op-amp you throw a
signal at will do so through a FET input, but these FETs are buried inside
the chip and you’d be hard-pressed to know they were there if we hadn’t
told you. You’d use a FET if you needed a high-impedance audio preamp or a
low-noise RF amplifier, and FETs are a good choice for high-current
switching applications, but sadly you will probably never have a pile of
general-purpose FETs in the way you will their bipolar equivalents.
///////////////////////////////////////////
KFJB in Marshalltown Marks 95 Years On the Air (Iowa)
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:34 PM PDT
http://bit.ly/2ssapcQ
Saturday June 2, marked the 95th anniversary on the air for radio station
KFJB.
On June 2, 2018, News Talk 1230 KFJB will celebrate its 95th anniversary
on-air serving the people of Marshalltown and Marshall County,” said
General Manager Todd Steinkamp. “Were talking local weather. we’re talking
local people, to people you that you are hearing here, we are local.”
The station’s early days were marked by live performances, as there were no
networks, or even records to play at the start. Performers like Ernest
Tubbs, and groups like the County Marshalls played in a large studio before
the microphones.
“In 1917, Earl N. Peak, President of the Marshal Electric Company, began
installing rural electric lines throughout Marshall County,” said Steinkamp
in a news release. “Peak and his company also began working with telegraph
and telephone technology, eventually leading to his engineers experimenting
with amateur radio as early as 1919.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
IARU Region 1 Editorial Sounds Clarion Call on Danger VHF/UHF/Microwave
Spectrum Grabs
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:22 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2slHZ3u
The chair of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1)
VHF-UHF-µW Committee, Jacques Verleijen, ON4AVJ, has highlighted extant
threats to the Amateur Radio spectrum above 30 MHz. In an editorial that
heads the latest edition of the IARU R1 VHF-UHF-µW Newsletter, issued on
May 29, Verleijen invited all IARU member-societies to consider ways to
“promote, defend, and use our frequencies.”
“They are wanted by others, both government and commercial users,”
Verleijen wrote. “So, this is a wake-up call to be aware that if we are not
using those bands, we will lose them.” If that happens, he continued, it
won’t be the fault of IARU R1, but of the amateur community that “often
[has] more commitment to HF” than to VHF and higher bands. Conceding that
the HF bands “are the easiest to use,” Verleijen said member-societies
should think outside the box to come up with ideas to improve VHF, UHF, and
microwave activity.
Verleijen said the vast amount of Amateur Radio spectrum from 50 MHz
through 5 GHz makes it an attractive target for commercial and governmental
interests. He noted that 50 MHz is the focus of a key World
Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) agenda item —specifically, to
harmonize the 6-meter allocation across all three ITU Regions.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Radio Amateurs to Swap Spots on International Space Station (ISS) Crew
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:17 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2kCluDG
One radio amateur now onboard the International Space Station will be
heading home on June 3, while two more will come aboard a few days later.
Flight Engineer Scott Tingle, KG5NZA, will join Expedition 55 Commander
Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Norishige Kanai in returning to Earth
on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft after 168 days on station. A few days later,
another trio of space travelers — Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO, Sergey
Prokopyev, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor, KG5TMT, — will head to the ISS in a
Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.
In a traditional change-of-command ceremony on June 1, Shkaplerov will hand
over command of the station to NASA’s Drew Feustel, officially starting
Expedition 56. In addition to Feustel, Ricky Arnold, KE5DAU, and Oleg
Artemyev will remain on station.
This will be the “Horizons” mission for Gerst, of the European Space
Agency, who will assume command of the ISS for the second half of his duty
tour. Gerst, who first served on the ISS in 2014, likely will use the call
sign DP0ISS for any Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) activities.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Restoring A 1930s Oscilloscope - Without Supplying Power
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2s0NG7o
We’ve all done it: after happening across a vintage piece of equipment and
bounding to the test bench, eager to see if it works, it gets plugged in,
the power switch flipped, but… nothing. [Mr Carlson] explains why this is
such a bad idea, and accompanies it with more key knowledge for a
successful restoration – this time revitalising a tiny oscilloscope from
the 1930s.
Resisting the temptation to immediately power on old equipment is often
essential to any hope of seeing it work again. [Mr Carlson] explains why
you should ensure any degraded components are fixed or replaced before
flipping the switch, knowing that a shorted/leaking capacitor is more than
likely to damage other components if power is applied.
The oscilloscope he is restoring is a beautiful find. Originally used by
radio operators to monitor the audio they were transmitting, it features a
one inch CRT and tube rectification, in a tight form factor.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Schoolboy makes silicon chips at home
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2smC2nO
///////////////////////////////////////////
FCC Denies Petition Aimed at Preventing Interference from Digital Repeaters
to Analog Repeaters
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
http://bit.ly/2JpYwhe
The FCC has turned away a Petition for Rulemaking from a Michigan radio
amateur that asked the Commission to amend Section 97.205 of the Amateur
Service rules to ensure that repeaters using digital communication
protocols do not interfere with analog repeaters. Charles P. Adkins, K8CPA,
of Lincoln Park, had specifically requested that discrete analog and
digital repeaters be separated either by distance or frequency and that
digital repeaters be limited to 10 W output, the FCC recounted in its June
1 denial letter, released over the signature of Scot Stone, the deputy
chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s Mobility Division.
According to the letter, Adkins had characterized digital repeaters as “a
major annoyance” to analog repeater operators.
“In 2008, we rejected a suggestion to amend Section 97.205(b) to designate
separate spectrum for digital repeaters in order to segregate digital and
analog communications,” the FCC said in its letter to Adkins. “We noted
that when the Commission has previously addressed the issue of interference
between amateur stations engaging in different operating activities, it has
declined to revise the rules to limit a frequency segment to one emission
type in order to prevent interference to the operating activities of other
Amateur Radio Service licensees.”
The FCC told Adkins that current Part 97 rules already address the subject
of interference between amateur stations, prohibiting, among other things,
willful or malicious interference to any radio communication or signal, and
spelling out how interference disputes between repeaters should be handled.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Details of FIFA World Cup stations
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2HbYeWa
The Russian National Society, RRC, has organised an amateur radio marathon
to commemorate the FIFA World Cup finals.
It runs from 1 June to 15 July 2018.
Five awards are available, some of which are achievable at several
different levels.
Most bands from Top Band to 70cm can be used, on all modes.
A full list of participating stations, and details on how to apply for the
awards, can be found at rsgb.org/fwc.
The UK is participating with special event stations in England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales at various times throughout the event.
Look out for GB18FWC, MB18FIFA, GB18FIFA and, first, GB18FWC, which kicks
things off this Monday from the RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley
Park.
In addition, G6XX, GI6XX, GM6XX and GW6XX will be activated to represent
the FIFA member countries.
Any RSGB Member who holds a Full UK Licence and would be interested in
activating one of those G6 call signs can email Conte...@rsgbcc.org for
more information.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Tracking CubeSats for $25
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2sy79fn
CubeSats are tiny satellites which tag along as secondary payloads during
launches. They have to weigh in at under 1.33 kg, and are often built at
low cost. There’s even open source designs for these little spacecrafts.
Over 800 CubeSats have been launched over the last few years, with many
more launches scheduled in the near future.
[Thomas Cholakov] coupled a homemade cloverleaf antenna to a
software-defined radio to track some of these satellites. The antenna is
built out of copper-clad wire cut to the correct length to receive 437 MHz
signals. Four loops are connected together and terminated to an RF
connector.
This homebrew antenna is connected into a RTL-SDR dongle. The dongle picks
up the beacon signals sent by the satellites and provides the data to a PC.
Due to the motion of the satellites, their beacons can be easily identified
by the Doppler shift of the frequency.
[Thomas] uses SDR Console to receive data from the satellites. While the
demo only shows basic receiving, much more information on decoding these
satellites can be found on the SDR Satellites website.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Propagation News - 3 June 2018
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2HbJZ3t
A large coronal hole on the Sun didn’t affect the HF bands earlier in the
last week as its associated high-speed solar wind stream hadn’t had time to
reach Earth. However, this was probably the quiet before the geomagnetic
storm as the solar material was predicted to reach us at around 450-500km
per second sometime around Friday, 1 June.
As the coronal hole is large, and on the Sun’s equator, it is perfectly
positioned to deposit a mass of charged particles into the Earth’s magnetic
field if its Bz magnetic component is south facing, so enabling coupling.
The upshot is that this weekend is probably going to see very unsettled
geomagnetic and possibly even auroral conditions. And in view of the hole’s
elongated shape we may not see much respite until around Tuesday, 5 June,
or even Wednesday, the 6th. So expect lowered maximum usable frequencies,
noisy bands and poor conditions as the ionosphere is depleted—not really a
good forecast for National Field Day weekend! After Wednesday, 6 June we
can probably expect the bands to recover slowly.
The good news is that summer propagation conditions are just about with us,
so expect the 20m HF band to remain open longer, perhaps even after sunset,
although a lack of decent sunspots is not really helping. The high-speed
solar wind may also adversely impact sporadic E formation, so for research
purposes keep an eye on 10m over the weekend, but do hear what we have to
say in the VHF section about sporadic E too.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the ARRL: Ambitious Arizona STEM Planetary Rover Project is a Winner
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2J44np7
An Amateur Radio-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) initiative at an Arizona elementary school culminated on May 22, as
youngsters competitively deployed their own radio-controlled rovers to
explore a simulated planet set up in the Sonoran Desert. Following in the
footsteps of NASA scientists, 25 pupils at Bouse Elementary School —
several already holding ham radio licensees — took part in the APS Arizona
Rover Project, which is aimed at promoting STEM subjects through Amateur
Radio and preparing young participants to earn an Amateur Radio license.
“It was awesome!” said Dave Anderson, K1AN, the president of My La Paz,
which sponsored the project in cooperation with Arizona Public Service
(APS) and community volunteers. The non-profit My La Paz promotes health,
education, and community in La Paz County. “The youth all had the chance to
explore the artificial planet, the event was well attended, and the radio
links for remote control and video were rock solid.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Threat to Belgian 70cm allocation
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2LOwESc
Amateurs in Belgium are facing severe restrictions on their 70cm band
operations even though, unlike in the UK, it is a Primary allocation for
amateurs.
The regulator is proposing to reduce amateur privileges in the middle of
the band to just a few milliwatts, and to ban certain modes outright.
These may include digital and analogue ATV, packet radio, and possibly
others on the affected frequencies.
We believe it is unprecedented for any Primary user being overridden and
restricted in such a way.
Details are on the website of UBA, the Belgian national society:
https://www.uba.be/
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Ham Radio on $100 Or Less
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2Jgz1iA
There are a lot of reasons to get a ham radio license, and if you are one
of those that think ham radio is dead you can probably skip this post.
However, if you have been interested, but didn’t want to drop a lot of
money on a station, [KE6MT] has got some great advice for you. He says you
can have a rewarding time in ham radio for about $100 of spending.
The post is the advice he wished he had been given in 2015 when he got his
license. It turns out you can get on the air very inexpensively these days,
especially if you aren’t afraid to build gear from kits.
There are some caveats. With low powered gear, you might want to stick to
Morse code, a mode with which it is much easier to make contacts. He didn’t
mention it, but PSK31 is good for that as well if you’d rather type than do
code. He did borrow a “big radio” from a local ham and got some time with
the microphone, but he still prefers the code.
He found an interesting solution to having problems making contacts with
people. He participates in something called SOTA, or Summits on the Air,
where you bring your equipment to the top of a mountain and then people try
to find you. This is a pursuit at which the small portable equipment is an
advantage. If you don’t have mountains nearby though, there are other ways
to become a rare station. There are hams who try to work islands, for
example. Or rare US counties. If you can make yourself a rare station, you
can sit back and let those hams chase you! Great idea.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the ARRL: WX4NHC Station Test "Very Successful"
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2LamOsJ
The annual on-the-air station test of WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at
the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Saturday, May 26, was “very
successful,” Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reported.
Among the guest operators was the new NHC Director, Ken Graham, WX4KEG.
“All of our radios and antennas worked well,” Ripoll said. “Even with our
equipment maintenance, software updates, we were able to make over 150
contacts nationwide, including stations in the Caribbean and South
America.” Ripoll said a few dozen contacts were made on the EchoLink
Hurricane Practice Net, thanks to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and the VoIP Hurricane
Net team.
Several contacts were made on the Florida SARNET, which links more than 25
UHF repeaters statewide, including many emergency operations centers,
Ripoll said. “We also received dozens of weather reports from stations
using HF Winlink.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Biasing That Transistor Part 4: Dont Forget the FET
Posted: 09 Jun 2018 02:47 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2sPxDcr
Over the recent weeks here at Hackaday, we’ve been taking a look at the
humble transistor. In a series whose impetus came from a friend musing upon
his students arriving with highly developed knowledge of microcontrollers
but little of basic electronic circuitry, we’ve examined the bipolar
transistor in all its configurations. It would however be improper to round
off the series without also admitting that bipolar transistors are only
part of the story. There is another family of transistors which have
analogous circuit configurations to their bipolar cousins but work in a
completely different way: the Field Effect Transistors, or FETs.
In a way it’s less pertinent to look at FETs in the way we did bipolar
transistors, because while they are very interesting devices that power
much of what you will do with electronics, you will encounter them as
discrete components surprisingly rarely. Every CMOS device you deal with
relies on FETs for its operation and every high-quality op-amp you throw a
signal at will do so through a FET input, but these FETs are buried inside
the chip and you’d be hard-pressed to know they were there if we hadn’t
told you. You’d use a FET if you needed a high-impedance audio preamp or a
low-noise RF amplifier, and FETs are a good choice for high-current
switching applications, but sadly you will probably never have a pile of
general-purpose FETs in the way you will their bipolar equivalents.
///////////////////////////////////////////
KFJB in Marshalltown Marks 95 Years On the Air (Iowa)
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:34 PM PDT
http://bit.ly/2ssapcQ
Saturday June 2, marked the 95th anniversary on the air for radio station
KFJB.
On June 2, 2018, News Talk 1230 KFJB will celebrate its 95th anniversary
on-air serving the people of Marshalltown and Marshall County,” said
General Manager Todd Steinkamp. “Were talking local weather. we’re talking
local people, to people you that you are hearing here, we are local.”
The station’s early days were marked by live performances, as there were no
networks, or even records to play at the start. Performers like Ernest
Tubbs, and groups like the County Marshalls played in a large studio before
the microphones.
“In 1917, Earl N. Peak, President of the Marshal Electric Company, began
installing rural electric lines throughout Marshall County,” said Steinkamp
in a news release. “Peak and his company also began working with telegraph
and telephone technology, eventually leading to his engineers experimenting
with amateur radio as early as 1919.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
IARU Region 1 Editorial Sounds Clarion Call on Danger VHF/UHF/Microwave
Spectrum Grabs
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:22 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2slHZ3u
The chair of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1)
VHF-UHF-µW Committee, Jacques Verleijen, ON4AVJ, has highlighted extant
threats to the Amateur Radio spectrum above 30 MHz. In an editorial that
heads the latest edition of the IARU R1 VHF-UHF-µW Newsletter, issued on
May 29, Verleijen invited all IARU member-societies to consider ways to
“promote, defend, and use our frequencies.”
“They are wanted by others, both government and commercial users,”
Verleijen wrote. “So, this is a wake-up call to be aware that if we are not
using those bands, we will lose them.” If that happens, he continued, it
won’t be the fault of IARU R1, but of the amateur community that “often
[has] more commitment to HF” than to VHF and higher bands. Conceding that
the HF bands “are the easiest to use,” Verleijen said member-societies
should think outside the box to come up with ideas to improve VHF, UHF, and
microwave activity.
Verleijen said the vast amount of Amateur Radio spectrum from 50 MHz
through 5 GHz makes it an attractive target for commercial and governmental
interests. He noted that 50 MHz is the focus of a key World
Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) agenda item —specifically, to
harmonize the 6-meter allocation across all three ITU Regions.
///////////////////////////////////////////
Radio Amateurs to Swap Spots on International Space Station (ISS) Crew
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 12:17 PM PDT
https://ift.tt/2kCluDG
One radio amateur now onboard the International Space Station will be
heading home on June 3, while two more will come aboard a few days later.
Flight Engineer Scott Tingle, KG5NZA, will join Expedition 55 Commander
Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Norishige Kanai in returning to Earth
on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft after 168 days on station. A few days later,
another trio of space travelers — Alexander Gerst, KF5ONO, Sergey
Prokopyev, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor, KG5TMT, — will head to the ISS in a
Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.
In a traditional change-of-command ceremony on June 1, Shkaplerov will hand
over command of the station to NASA’s Drew Feustel, officially starting
Expedition 56. In addition to Feustel, Ricky Arnold, KE5DAU, and Oleg
Artemyev will remain on station.
This will be the “Horizons” mission for Gerst, of the European Space
Agency, who will assume command of the ISS for the second half of his duty
tour. Gerst, who first served on the ISS in 2014, likely will use the call
sign DP0ISS for any Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS) activities.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Restoring A 1930s Oscilloscope - Without Supplying Power
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2s0NG7o
We’ve all done it: after happening across a vintage piece of equipment and
bounding to the test bench, eager to see if it works, it gets plugged in,
the power switch flipped, but… nothing. [Mr Carlson] explains why this is
such a bad idea, and accompanies it with more key knowledge for a
successful restoration – this time revitalising a tiny oscilloscope from
the 1930s.
Resisting the temptation to immediately power on old equipment is often
essential to any hope of seeing it work again. [Mr Carlson] explains why
you should ensure any degraded components are fixed or replaced before
flipping the switch, knowing that a shorted/leaking capacitor is more than
likely to damage other components if power is applied.
The oscilloscope he is restoring is a beautiful find. Originally used by
radio operators to monitor the audio they were transmitting, it features a
one inch CRT and tube rectification, in a tight form factor.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Schoolboy makes silicon chips at home
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2smC2nO
///////////////////////////////////////////
FCC Denies Petition Aimed at Preventing Interference from Digital Repeaters
to Analog Repeaters
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
http://bit.ly/2JpYwhe
The FCC has turned away a Petition for Rulemaking from a Michigan radio
amateur that asked the Commission to amend Section 97.205 of the Amateur
Service rules to ensure that repeaters using digital communication
protocols do not interfere with analog repeaters. Charles P. Adkins, K8CPA,
of Lincoln Park, had specifically requested that discrete analog and
digital repeaters be separated either by distance or frequency and that
digital repeaters be limited to 10 W output, the FCC recounted in its June
1 denial letter, released over the signature of Scot Stone, the deputy
chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s Mobility Division.
According to the letter, Adkins had characterized digital repeaters as “a
major annoyance” to analog repeater operators.
“In 2008, we rejected a suggestion to amend Section 97.205(b) to designate
separate spectrum for digital repeaters in order to segregate digital and
analog communications,” the FCC said in its letter to Adkins. “We noted
that when the Commission has previously addressed the issue of interference
between amateur stations engaging in different operating activities, it has
declined to revise the rules to limit a frequency segment to one emission
type in order to prevent interference to the operating activities of other
Amateur Radio Service licensees.”
The FCC told Adkins that current Part 97 rules already address the subject
of interference between amateur stations, prohibiting, among other things,
willful or malicious interference to any radio communication or signal, and
spelling out how interference disputes between repeaters should be handled.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Details of FIFA World Cup stations
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2HbYeWa
The Russian National Society, RRC, has organised an amateur radio marathon
to commemorate the FIFA World Cup finals.
It runs from 1 June to 15 July 2018.
Five awards are available, some of which are achievable at several
different levels.
Most bands from Top Band to 70cm can be used, on all modes.
A full list of participating stations, and details on how to apply for the
awards, can be found at rsgb.org/fwc.
The UK is participating with special event stations in England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales at various times throughout the event.
Look out for GB18FWC, MB18FIFA, GB18FIFA and, first, GB18FWC, which kicks
things off this Monday from the RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley
Park.
In addition, G6XX, GI6XX, GM6XX and GW6XX will be activated to represent
the FIFA member countries.
Any RSGB Member who holds a Full UK Licence and would be interested in
activating one of those G6 call signs can email Conte...@rsgbcc.org for
more information.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via HACKADAY: Tracking CubeSats for $25
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2sy79fn
CubeSats are tiny satellites which tag along as secondary payloads during
launches. They have to weigh in at under 1.33 kg, and are often built at
low cost. There’s even open source designs for these little spacecrafts.
Over 800 CubeSats have been launched over the last few years, with many
more launches scheduled in the near future.
[Thomas Cholakov] coupled a homemade cloverleaf antenna to a
software-defined radio to track some of these satellites. The antenna is
built out of copper-clad wire cut to the correct length to receive 437 MHz
signals. Four loops are connected together and terminated to an RF
connector.
This homebrew antenna is connected into a RTL-SDR dongle. The dongle picks
up the beacon signals sent by the satellites and provides the data to a PC.
Due to the motion of the satellites, their beacons can be easily identified
by the Doppler shift of the frequency.
[Thomas] uses SDR Console to receive data from the satellites. While the
demo only shows basic receiving, much more information on decoding these
satellites can be found on the SDR Satellites website.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Propagation News - 3 June 2018
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2HbJZ3t
A large coronal hole on the Sun didn’t affect the HF bands earlier in the
last week as its associated high-speed solar wind stream hadn’t had time to
reach Earth. However, this was probably the quiet before the geomagnetic
storm as the solar material was predicted to reach us at around 450-500km
per second sometime around Friday, 1 June.
As the coronal hole is large, and on the Sun’s equator, it is perfectly
positioned to deposit a mass of charged particles into the Earth’s magnetic
field if its Bz magnetic component is south facing, so enabling coupling.
The upshot is that this weekend is probably going to see very unsettled
geomagnetic and possibly even auroral conditions. And in view of the hole’s
elongated shape we may not see much respite until around Tuesday, 5 June,
or even Wednesday, the 6th. So expect lowered maximum usable frequencies,
noisy bands and poor conditions as the ionosphere is depleted—not really a
good forecast for National Field Day weekend! After Wednesday, 6 June we
can probably expect the bands to recover slowly.
The good news is that summer propagation conditions are just about with us,
so expect the 20m HF band to remain open longer, perhaps even after sunset,
although a lack of decent sunspots is not really helping. The high-speed
solar wind may also adversely impact sporadic E formation, so for research
purposes keep an eye on 10m over the weekend, but do hear what we have to
say in the VHF section about sporadic E too.
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the ARRL: Ambitious Arizona STEM Planetary Rover Project is a Winner
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2J44np7
An Amateur Radio-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) initiative at an Arizona elementary school culminated on May 22, as
youngsters competitively deployed their own radio-controlled rovers to
explore a simulated planet set up in the Sonoran Desert. Following in the
footsteps of NASA scientists, 25 pupils at Bouse Elementary School —
several already holding ham radio licensees — took part in the APS Arizona
Rover Project, which is aimed at promoting STEM subjects through Amateur
Radio and preparing young participants to earn an Amateur Radio license.
“It was awesome!” said Dave Anderson, K1AN, the president of My La Paz,
which sponsored the project in cooperation with Arizona Public Service
(APS) and community volunteers. The non-profit My La Paz promotes health,
education, and community in La Paz County. “The youth all had the chance to
explore the artificial planet, the event was well attended, and the radio
links for remote control and video were rock solid.”
///////////////////////////////////////////
via the RSGB: Threat to Belgian 70cm allocation
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2LOwESc
Amateurs in Belgium are facing severe restrictions on their 70cm band
operations even though, unlike in the UK, it is a Primary allocation for
amateurs.
The regulator is proposing to reduce amateur privileges in the middle of
the band to just a few milliwatts, and to ban certain modes outright.
These may include digital and analogue ATV, packet radio, and possibly
others on the affected frequencies.
We believe it is unprecedented for any Primary user being overridden and
restricted in such a way.
Details are on the website of UBA, the Belgian national society:
https://www.uba.be/
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via HACKADAY: Ham Radio on $100 Or Less
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2Jgz1iA
There are a lot of reasons to get a ham radio license, and if you are one
of those that think ham radio is dead you can probably skip this post.
However, if you have been interested, but didn’t want to drop a lot of
money on a station, [KE6MT] has got some great advice for you. He says you
can have a rewarding time in ham radio for about $100 of spending.
The post is the advice he wished he had been given in 2015 when he got his
license. It turns out you can get on the air very inexpensively these days,
especially if you aren’t afraid to build gear from kits.
There are some caveats. With low powered gear, you might want to stick to
Morse code, a mode with which it is much easier to make contacts. He didn’t
mention it, but PSK31 is good for that as well if you’d rather type than do
code. He did borrow a “big radio” from a local ham and got some time with
the microphone, but he still prefers the code.
He found an interesting solution to having problems making contacts with
people. He participates in something called SOTA, or Summits on the Air,
where you bring your equipment to the top of a mountain and then people try
to find you. This is a pursuit at which the small portable equipment is an
advantage. If you don’t have mountains nearby though, there are other ways
to become a rare station. There are hams who try to work islands, for
example. Or rare US counties. If you can make yourself a rare station, you
can sit back and let those hams chase you! Great idea.
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via the ARRL: WX4NHC Station Test "Very Successful"
Posted: 03 Jun 2018 11:29 AM PDT
https://ift.tt/2LamOsJ
The annual on-the-air station test of WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at
the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Saturday, May 26, was “very
successful,” Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reported.
Among the guest operators was the new NHC Director, Ken Graham, WX4KEG.
“All of our radios and antennas worked well,” Ripoll said. “Even with our
equipment maintenance, software updates, we were able to make over 150
contacts nationwide, including stations in the Caribbean and South
America.” Ripoll said a few dozen contacts were made on the EchoLink
Hurricane Practice Net, thanks to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and the VoIP Hurricane
Net team.
Several contacts were made on the Florida SARNET, which links more than 25
UHF repeaters statewide, including many emergency operations centers,
Ripoll said. “We also received dozens of weather reports from stations
using HF Winlink.
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