eHam.net News

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Ham TV Operators Go High Definition:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 04:00 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36020


ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- As described in the initial installment of this article
on the movement by radio amateurs or "hams" to digital video transmission,
hams have been experimenting with television since the 1920s, and as a
group are acutely aware of technological developments in this area, as many
are employed in the TV broadcasting, R and D and manufacturing sectors.
Through the years, hams have always been quick to try out new technologies
including microwave, satellite, digital communications, and most recently,
high-definition television. Mike Collis is one of those HD adopters. He's a
California ham (station call sign WA6SVT) who's been involved in amateur TV
since 1976 during his high school days, and recently ventured into high
definition. (He's also transmitter supervisor at a commercial television
operation.)


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Ham Radio Operator Asked to Take Down Tower:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36019


City says the Biddeford resident can maintain the tower, but he needs to go
through proper channels: BIDDEFORD -- A federally licensed amateur radio
operator said he plans to sue the city for harassment in regards to a radio
tower he was forced to remove. Adams Street resident Karl Reed said the
city violated his First Amendment rights and failed to give him due process
when it threatened to fine his landlord $2,500 a day if the tower was not
removed. Reed, whose FCC call number is KB1NZQ, claims that federally
licensed amateur radio operators are exempt from zoning ordinances as long
as the towers used are less than 35 feet in height. Director of Code
Enforcement and Emergency Management Roby Fecteau said the exemption Reed
speaks of is only an exemption to the city's telecommunications ordinance
and it does not constitute an exemption from other ordinances, including
permitting requirements to build structures and compliance with historical
district standards. Fecteau said FCC guidelines for amateur radio operators
also require that local approval be granted.


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SDRplay Shipping $149 SDR Receiver in Volume:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 04:00 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36018


SDRplay of Wakefield, the 18-month-old software defined radio specialist,
is now shipping its $149 software defined radio (SDR) receiver in
quantities of 1,000 a month. Inspired by the SDR capabilities that even a
simple 8-bit TV dongle can perform, SDRplay had the idea of partnering with
Mirics to take their 12-bit wideband broadcast chipset and to re-purpose it
for the hobbyist market. At the moment, the hobbyist market for SDR radios
tends to be dominated by radio amateurs and 'short-wave listeners' and
SDRplay's initial product, the 'Radio Spectrum Processor' (RSP) has been
well received - winning Ham Radio Science's RSP 'Best Bang for the Buck'
rating.


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DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #3:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:14 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36017


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
QRZ DX, 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: 21 Jan 2016 11:14 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36016


Just Ahead In Radiosport:


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Rick Roderick, K5UR, Elected as ARRL's 16th President:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:14 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36015


The ARRL Board of Directors has elected ARRL First Vice President Rick
Roderick, K5UR, of Little Rock, Arkansas, as ARRL President. The Board
took the action as it convened for its 2016 Annual Meeting January
15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut. Roderick, 63, officially assumed office
for a 2-year term at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. He is the
ARRL's 16th president, succeeding Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg,
Virginia, who had served for three terms since being elected in 2010.


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ARRL'S New President to Make First Official Convention Visit in Puerto Rico

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:13 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36014


Newly elected ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will make his first
official convention visit as he heads a League contingent at the ARRL
Puerto Rico State Convention later this month
in Hatillo, Puerto Rico.


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Outgoing ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, Honored With ARRL President's Award:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:13 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36013


As both were on the threshold of departing their official positions
with the League, then-ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, presented ARRL
CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, with the ARRL President's Award. The
presentation came during the ARRL Board of Directors' Annual Meeting
January 15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut. She also recognized two Board
members for their 50 years of League membership.


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ARRL President Bestows President's Award on AMSAT's Tom Clark, K3IO:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:12 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36012


The ARRL has honored veteran AMSAT personality and Amateur Radio
digital pioneer Tom Clark, K3IO (ex-W3IWI), with its President's Award.
Then-ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, presented the award plaque to
Clark at a January 10 meeting of the Potomac Valley Radio Club in
Blacksburg, Virginia. The plaque, which bears a likeness of ARRL
Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, recognizes Clark's 60 years of
advancing Amateur Radio technology.


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National Parks On the Air Update:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:12 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36011


Great pileups were reported from many National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)
activators over the January 16-17 weekend.
We're getting more and more comments from participants who are catching
"NPOTA Fever" and beginning the chase.


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There's Still Time To Make Plans for ARRL National Convention and Banquet:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:11 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36010


Time is tight to order ARRL National Convention Banquet tickets and to make
your plans to
attend the Convention February 12-14, hosted by the popular Orlando
HamCation, which celebrates its 70th
anniversary this year.


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Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, Named as ARRL Contest Branch Manager:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:11 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36009


Former ARRL staffer Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, is the League's new ARRL Contest
Branch manager. Jahnke returned to ARRL Headquarters on January 4 after
a decade away, working in the customer service, manufacturing sales and
support, and information technology fields in the Midwest and on the
East Coast. He succeeds Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, who resigned last year.


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Dayton Amateur Radio Association Surprises ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:10 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36008


As he nears retirement, ARRL CEO David Sumner has been honored by the
Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA), which
sponsors Dayton Hamvention. Sumner had
been invited to speak at DARA's January 8 meeting, purportedly to
recount his many years with ARRL. While such out-of-town speaking
engagements are not out of the ordinary for him, something he wasn't
anticipating awaited him at this event.


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Winter Field Day Set For January 30-31:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:10 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36007


There really is a Winter Field Day, and this year, it takes place over
the January 30-31 weekend, sponsored by the Winter Field Day
Association (WFDA). The annual event's
stated purpose is to encourage emergency operating preparedness in the
winter, but it's also a great opportunity to operate in the great
outdoors. The WFDA describes itself as a dedicated group of Amateur
Radio operators who believe that getting ready for emergency communication
in a winter
environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that
take place at ARRL Field Day each June, all while taking some
additional unique operational concerns into account. The WFDA points
out that disasters are unpredictable, and its goal is to help enhance
operators' skills and prepare for all environmental conditions
typically found in the US and Canada throughout the entire year.


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Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend Set For Early February:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:09 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36006


US and Canadian radio amateurs and experimenters will join forces in
February for the first Midwinter 630 Meter Activity Weekend. The event
will get under way at 0000 UTC on February 6 (Friday, February 5, in US
time zones) and runs through 2359 UTC on February 7.


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NASA Control Terminates Spacewalk by Two-Ham Astronaut Team:

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:09 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36005


NASA prematurely terminated a January 15 extra-vehicular excursion
(EVA) - or spacewalk - that Astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim
Kopra, KE5UDN, had been undertaking since early that morning. The two
were replacing a voltage regulator near the solar arrays that had
failed in November outside the International Space Station (ISS) when
Kopra reported what NASA Control called "a small amount of water"
inside his space helmet. NASA cut the spacewalk short at about 1700
UTC.


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In Brief...

Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:08 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36004


Time Running Out to Order ARRL 2015 November Sweepstakes Pins and Mugs:
Orders for 2015 ARRL November Sweepstakes participation pins and mugs
must be placed by month's end. Those submitting logs with more than 100
contacts qualify for a Sweepstakes Participation Pin. Anyone managing a
"Clean Sweep" by working all 83 ARRL/RAC sections qualifies for a Clean
Sweep coffee mug. All pin/mug orders need to be postmarked by January
31, 2016.