eHam.net News for Tuesday 16 February 2016
 

eHam.net News

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Who was the First Radio Ham?

Posted: 16 Feb 2016 05:01 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36180


There were few records at the time, and wire-
less technology was new. So who was the first
radio ham?


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We Still Have an Active Sunspot Cycle:

Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:02 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36179


According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
NASA, 2015 was the warmest year in 136 years of record-keeping. Combining
land and ocean temperatures, last year was over 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit
above the 20th Century average of about 57.1 degrees Fahrenheit, topping
out at 58.62 degrees. In December of 2015, our planet was 2 degrees
Fahrenheit warmer than normal, which also broke the record set in 2014 by
more than a half-degree. NOAA says that the Earth has broken monthly heat
records 34 times since 2000. Scientists say that our warm-water phenomenon,
El Nino, did play a small role for the warmer temperatures last year. El
Nino is now the strongest in history based on the Oceanic Nino Index, which
measures the strength of this event. In addition to the super-strong El
Nino, we're also at the end of the latest solar maxima cycle, Sunspot Cycle
24, which peaked in April of 2014. Our Sun normally goes through a cycle of
high and low sunspot activity about every 11 years. Back in the late 2000s,
the sun was in a solar minima cycle. It went into a long period of very
little sunspot activity, which probably led to some cooling of the earth.
By the way, when we had the low sunspots and a strong La Nina, the abnormal
cooling of ocean waters, many parts of the northern U.S., including North
Idaho, had all-time record snows. Cliff sees the same pattern redeveloping
around 2020.


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Why Modern Makers Are Bringing Back Ham Radio:

Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36178


More than a hundred years ago, a few intrepid amateurs began experimenting
with a new means of communications known then as "wireless." These
protohackers -- soon to be known as hams -- for etymologically obscure
reasons -- began building their own electronics gear, hoping to use it to
communicate with others. By the early 1920s, amateur radio operators were
talking with and even transmitting images to complete strangers on the
other side of the world. By the 1980s, ham radio was in decline. But the
spirit of those early tinkerers survived: They were the first makers, who
-- like the makers of today -- built technological gizmos for themselves
that they just couldn't buy. And now, coincident with the rise of the
modern maker movement, that decline has reversed. New ham licenses are on
the increase, with 35,000 new ones issued just last year. According to FCC
records, there are now roughly 800,000 ham radio operators in the United
States -- more than ever before. And this latest generation of enthusiasts
is doing things with ham radio that their forebears could never have
imagined.


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House Subcommittee Approves Kinzinger Bills to Boost Amateur Radio Usage:

Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/36177


The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
approved three bills on Thursday, including two measures introduced by U.S.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, would
instruct the FCC to adopt rules that protect the rights of amateur radio
operators. Kinzinger's No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act,
H.R. 2666, meanwhile, would prevent FCC regulation of rates for broadband
Internet. "With these three commonsense proposals, our work continues to
protect consumers and small businesses from burdensome regulation," U.S.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, said. "I'm proud of this subcommittee's bipartisan efforts, and
I'm optimistic that we will reach bipartisan agreement on these bills."