eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
Students in West Palm Beach Talk with Astronaut on Space Station:

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:28 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/29243


WEST PALM BEACH -- The voice came out of the ham radio like it was coming
from a garage down the street instead of 260 miles up in space. The people
gathered at the South Florida Science Museum burst into applause. Eleven
students and two teachers already were lined up and started barking their
questions rapid-fire for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Astronaut
Akihiko Hoshide, who has been on the International Space Station since
mid-July. And Hoshide -- speaking in flawless, near-accentless English --
was quick with the answers. The musem was one of only 10 sites in the
nation participating on Tuesday as part of the collaboration between NASA's
Teaching From Space arm and museums and educators worldwide to encourage
kids to pursue careers in science.


///////////////////////////////////////////
'Cumberland Elementary Calling the International Space Station':

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:28 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/29242


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Cumberland Elementary students were able to
reach the International Space Station via amateur radio. About 600 kids and
a few dozen parents were able to listen in as the school reached out to the
space station. They had a short window in which they would be able to
contact the astronauts, but were able to ask nearly 20 questions about the
International Space Station, the universe and the life of an astronaut.
Third-grade teacher and amateur radio operator David Brantley says the
process of setting the communication up was a two- or three-year process,
but was definitely worth it.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Lend a Hand in Herkimer County:

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:27 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/29241


HERKIMER, N.Y. (WKTV) - There were a few extra sets of hands inside the
Herkimer County Emergency Management building on Monday night. Members from
the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service or "RACES" are set up next to the
911 center. The RACES are able to monitor many frequencies, staying ahead
of the storm and are on call as back-up communication in case of any power
failure in the county. They are also ready in case the generators fail at
local hospitals.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Buffs Battle to Get Messages through Council Red Tape:

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:27 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/29240


WITH just a wire antenna, a slice of the airwaves and his own technical
guile, Compton Allen is a one-man radio mogul. He doesn't rely on the
internet, or a mobile phone. From his home in Ryde, the amateur radio buff
- call sign VK2HRX - can transmit messages to Parramatta or New York.
Others contact the international space station, or even bounce signals off
the moon. But one source of earthbound interference impedes Mr Allen, and
many of the state's 4300 licensed amateur radio users - the burden of
council red tape. ''[Council regulation] restricts the type of antenna I
can put up \& I sometimes find it hard to talk to stations in northern
Europe and Antarctica and some places in Australia,'' Mr Allen said. ''The
application process for antenna towers can be long and laborious, cost
considerable money and involve all sorts of technical requirements which
are probably not necessary.'' The century-old pursuit of amateur radio
involves sending and receiving data over selected frequency bands.
Traditionalists transmit Morse code or voice; the new breed either
circumvents the internet by sending digital data over the airwaves, or uses
the web to link radio systems around the world.


///////////////////////////////////////////
American Legion Radio Club:

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:28 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/29239


The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) will run a Special Event
Station commemorating Veterans Day on Sunday, November 11 from its downtown
Indianapolis station, K9TAL.