eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
NEW SSB and CW Filters:

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 04:05 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36462


SOTABEAMS has introduced a range of digital
audio filter modules that are designed to
help improve the performance of older
transceivers and kit radios. Each module has
two high-performance filters and the narrow
filters include a neat tuning indicator.


///////////////////////////////////////////
National Parks to Celebrate Sites:

Posted: 29 Mar 2016 05:46 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36461


This year marks the centennial of the National Park Service with
celebrations and special events planned across the U.S. to honor the
agency. Arkansas is home to eight Park Service sites or trails, each with
its own unique story: Arkansas Post, Buffalo National River, Fort Smith
National Historic Site, Hot Springs National Park, Little Rock Central High
School, Pea Ridge National Military Park, the President William Jefferson
Clinton Birthplace Home and the Trail of Tears. Radio National Park Week
and Earth Day: April 16-24. The park will host a Paddleboard Workshop with
Gabriel Gray at the Ozark Campground on April 16. Additionally, National
Park on the Air, a ham radio operation, will be set up to offer an
opportunity for National Parks to get some air time and for the public to
learn about amateur radio.


///////////////////////////////////////////
A Tale of Two Mics:

Posted: 29 Mar 2016 01:01 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36458


I'm fairly new to this amateur radio community and I've already learned a
lot. What excites me about it, beyond making contacts, is the making of
parts and equipment. Homemade or homebrew items are sprinkled liberally
around the community. I appreciate what I have learned and I'm excited to
learn more. So, here's my problem: I went through a couple of radios,
mainly mobile radios, until I found suitable base radio for starters. After
my young son decided to play with my adjustable power supply, he fried my
Yaesu 8900, beyond repair. I took it to a local operator, who, after
careful investigation and minor repair, declared the radio dead. He offered
his condolences and offered that he might be selling a radio, not that he
was trying to force me to buy it. I inquired about this radio. It was a
Kenwood TS-2000. Looks nice and has a lot of buttons. He told me he was
going to take it to the local ham fest to sell and if it didn't he'd make
it a good deal for me. As fate would have it, the radio didn't sell.
Indeed, he sold it to me for an undisclosed amount that was more than a
good deal for me. He added an HP DPS-1200FB server power supply to avoid
the incident to which my Yaesu had succumbed. I was happy and overwhelmed.
This radio was more than I ever imagined, and I'm still learning about it
after almost a year. Eventually, I discovered that VOX is very useful for
HF work. So, I added a cheap computer studio mic and went to work on HF.
Then, there are the local nets on the local repeaters. While not forbidden
to use VOX on the repeater, setting things was just a bit tricky. So, I
opted to use the supplied Kenwood dynamic push-to-talk mic for repeater
work. Now, the two mics are in play. Any time I switched between the
repeaters and HF, I also switched mics. I had to disconnect one and attach
the other, which, besides being cumbersome, just made me worried I'd
eventually mess up the connectors. Behold! The idea for a microphone
selector switch was born.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Sioux City Police Considering Encryption:

Posted: 29 Mar 2016 12:59 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36456


SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Sioux City police are considering encrypting law
enforcement and emergency radio channels as a means of catching runaway
criminals.