eHam.net News for Tuesday 19 April 2016
 

eHam.net News

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Brazil Eases Authorization for Radio Amateurs Attending the Summer Olympics

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:12 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36604


IARU Region 2 News Editor Joaquin Solana, XE1R, reports that radio
amateurs hoping to operate in Brazil during the 2016 Olympic Games
in Rio this summer are in luck and will be able to be on air without
bureaucracy.


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Hams Asked to Keep 7.060 MHz Clear for Ecuador Earthquake Emergency Traffic

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:13 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36603


In the wake of the April 16 earthquake in Ecuador, the Amateur Radio
community is being asked to keep 7.060 MHz clear for "Cadena HC"
emergency traffic. DXpeditions operating RTTY on 40 meters are
requested to keep pileups below 7.060 MHz. The 7.8 magnitude
earthquake has resulted in dozens of deaths and many more injuries.


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New Packet Radio Forum:

Posted: 19 Apr 2016 05:13 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36601


am attempting to put together a forum dealing exclusively with Packet
Radio. There is a ton of outdated information on the WEB pertaining to
Packet and AX25. Most people will find this information daunting and be
turned off by it. In putting together a forum, all things packet radio can
be found in one location, with the latest information on the topic people
are interested in.


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BLAST Balloon Launch at AMS:

Posted: 18 Apr 2016 05:32 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36600


It is one thing to read about math and science in books but to experience
it, in person, takes the learning to a new level. That is what Atlanta
Middle School students experienced April 14 when they witnessed the launch
of a high-altitude weather balloon. The balloon was part of a hands-on
exercise conducted by students in the BLAST program. For the past seven
weeks Jerry Goodson, an amateur radio instructor, has been teaching
students about ham or amateur radio. Through the radio curriculum four of
the students will soon be able to take their Technician exam to become
licensed amateur radio operators. Amanda Bickham, BLAST coordinator, said
that ½ of the curriculum dealt with hands-on activities with the other half
dealing with preparation for the written test. For four days a week the
students have been preparing for the day's experiment. The experiment, she
said, involved attaching a high-altitude balloon to a box containing
weather-monitoring equipment and a GoPro video camera. The balloon was then
registered so that its movement could be tracked through Google Maps.
Students were given a special URL so that they could see not only the path
that the balloon was taking, but also its altitude and
speed. "The 'hands-on' exercise of the class is the launch of a
high-altitude balloon that will take weather measurements such as
temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure and transmit them to us here
on the ground," Goodson said. "The balloon is expected to reach altitudes
over 100,000 feet and travel to around Bastrop or Monroe, Louisiana. As
soon as the balloon is launched, my family and I will hit the road to track
and recover the payload."


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Ham Enthusiasts Use Remote Stations on National Field Day:

Posted: 18 Apr 2016 05:32 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36599


The blistering heat of mid-day sun was all forgotten the second VU3NPI
radio station made contact with Old Man Charlie Ho Chi Ming in Hong Kong at
station VR2XMT. The conversation, in Q code, was about the quality of
signals and the exchange lasted no more than a minute. But it was a eureka
moment. This was a group of amateur radio (ham radio) operators from
Bengaluru. On Saturday, the bunch was camped atop a hill in Turahalli
forests, off Kanakapura Road, setting up their transmission station. On a
field activity, around 15 operators were ready and their radio station was
able to make contact with international stations. Another station, VU2YVK,
was simultaneously operated from Shivanahalli, close to the Bannerghatta
forest. The activities were held to mark National Field Day by the Amateur
Radio Society of India. Over 24 hours, the operators were able to make
contact with over 70 international stations including those in Australia,
South America, Brazil, Russia, Germany and China. Retired RBI general
manager Vijay Kumar Yadav set up his station (VU2YVK) at Shivanahalli. He
made around 165 contacts of which nearly 50 were international.


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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Shows Sun-Spot Area Producing Solar Flare

Posted: 18 Apr 2016 05:31 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/36598


The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 8:29 pm EDT on April
17, 2016. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun
constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful
bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through
Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however --
when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where
GPS and communications signals travel. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction
Center states that "moderate radio blackouts were observed" during the peak
of the flare. Such radio blackouts are only ongoing during the course of a
flare, and so they have since subsided. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction
Center is the U.S. government's official source for space weather
forecasts, watches, warnings and alerts. A black spot on the sun is visible
in the upper right of this image captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics
Observatory. Such spots are evidence that this is an area of complex
magnetic activity on the sun, which can sometimes lead to solar eruptions
sending light and radiation out into space. This region produced a solar
flare at 8:29 p.m. EDT on April 17, 2016. This flare is classified as an
M6.7 class flare. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense
flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its
strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as
intense, etc.