eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
VOM Amateur Radio Club Hosts Hamfest:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34433


The Valley of the Moon Amateur Radio Club is holding its annual ARRL
Hamfest from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25. The Hamfest will be held at
the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building, 126 First St. W., Sonoma.
Admission is free for the Hamfest, and "hams" and those interesting in
amateur radio are encouraged to bring the entire family. Raffle tickets
will be distributed at no cost to each person registering, with door prize
drawings held every half hour. The event will include a walk-in volunteer
examiner session with registration starting at 9 a.m. with testing for all
license elements immediately following.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Clubs to Throw Annual Hamfest:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 05:02 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34432


Local radio enthusiasts are slated to congregate at the Burke County
Fairgrounds for the 18th annual Catawba Valley Hamfest on Saturday. The
Hamfest is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and provides a chance for
amateur radio operators to socialize, shop for new equipment, sell old
equipment, and take training classes, according to a release from event
organizers. "We talk on the radio all the time, so it's a face-to-face
meeting," said Nathan Jaynes, president of the Hamfest board of directors.
Of particular interest this year are skywarn spotter training classes
offered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jaynes
said. "NOAA comes in and does those classes," he said. "This is the first
class we've had in this area for probably two years." Also of interest will
be amateur radio license testing, amateur radio equipment vendors and an
electronics flea market, according to the release.


///////////////////////////////////////////
New Communications Center Vital Element to County's Emergency Operations:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 05:01 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34431


Because backup communications are vital during an emergency, a new
state-of-the-art Communications Center (CC) was designed to complement the
Harris County, Texas Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management's
(HCOHSEM) new Emergency Operations Center (EOC). In 2014, HCOHSEM acquired
additional space at Houston TranStar to better accommodate staff and
provide a larger and more efficient EOC to serve its more than 4.3 million
residents. HCOHSEM is touted as a national model of best practices in
emergency planning, preparedness, response and recovery. "In a dynamic
region with more declared disasters than most states," HCOHSEM said
its "formula for success is the engagement of all levels of government, the
business community and volunteer organizations. HCOHSEM's newest upgrades
improve emergency operations not only in Harris County, but throughout the
region. The EOC "exists to prepare and protect its residents from disasters
of all kinds," HCOHSEM said, adding that, "During an emergency, HCOHSEM
activates its Emergency Operations Center to support and coordinate
emergency operations, and to keep stakeholders and the public
informed." "HCOHSEM constantly works to develop new internal systems that
further improve emergency operations," said Harris County Emergency
Management Coordinator Mark Sloan. "Our new Communications Center is the
technology component, it provides the equipment and systems needed during
disaster operations." Without solid communications during a crisis, HCOHSEM
said, it would be impossible to provide assistance to local governments and
incident managers in the field, and very difficult to inform the public.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Visalia Experiences Eadioactive Invasion. Again:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 05:00 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34430


This weekend will see the 66th International DX Convention come to Visalia,
where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ham radio operators from around the
world will "invade" the Visalia Convention Center. Each year, the Northern
California DX Club (this year's host) and the Southern California DX Club
alternate hosting the internationally known convention, drawing interested
parties from around the world. The three-day convention, held in Visalia
since 1978, has events for all the myriad aspects of Amateur Radio, from
seminars on "DX-peditions" (traveling and setting up radio stations in
remote locations, from tropical islands to Antarctica) and how to operate a
radio station in a safe and neighbor-friendly manner, to updates in
technology and operating procedures. Manufacturers and organizations set
up tables and booths in the Convention Center to hawk their wares, from
local US Tower, to international giants Icom and Yaesu.


///////////////////////////////////////////
ARNewsline Report 1961 -- April 17 2015:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 04:35 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34429


The following is a QST. The IARU Monitoring
Service identifies new intruders into the
ham radio bands; a geomagnetic storm sparks
auroras over Canada and the United States;
Australia may soon take ham radio into
space; an unlicensed broadcaster in Kentucky
hit with a $15,000 fine, and you may be
surprised to learn what causes ham radio its
worst interference. Find out right here on
Amateur Radio Newsline report number 1961
coming your way right now.


///////////////////////////////////////////
FCC to Open Up Valuable Airwaves for Tech and Telecom Companies:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 12:53 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34428


NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Friday voted to open a swath of
government-controlled airwaves for commercial use by tech and telecom
companies such as Verizon Communications Inc and Google Inc as they seek to
meet growing data demands from new wireless devices.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Propagation Forecast Bulletin #16 de K7RA:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 10:54 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34427


Solar activity increased this week. Average daily sunspot numbers
increased from 50.1 last week (April 2-8) to 65.6 in the recent
(April 9-15) period. Average daily solar flux rose from 118.4 to
132.5. Geomagnetic indexes also increased.


///////////////////////////////////////////
QSO Today EP 37 Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA:

Posted: 17 Apr 2015 10:55 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/34425


Amateur radio was the key driver that led
Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, to a MSEE in
Electrical Engineering and then a career
as an RF design engineer with both
Motorola and later Magnavox. When the
hobby bites us at an early age, doors open
to a bright and successful future.