eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
Drumlins Amateur Radio Club Participates In Lighthouse Communications:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 05:36 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37443


The Drumlins Amateur Radio Club of Wayne County recently participated in
the 18th annual International Lighthouse Lightship at Sodus Point
Lighthouse. Drumlins amateur radio operators, often called ham operators,
set up equipment near the lighthouse and joined fellow hams operating from
over 500 lighthouses in 40 different countries during the weekend. There
were a number of radio contacts with other participants using Morse code,
digital and radio phone communications. A dozen Drumlins radio operators
participated throughout the weekend.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Satellite Dish, Restored by Princeton Scientists, Becomes Teaching Tool:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 05:37 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37442


In its heyday, the towering metal satellite dish located about three miles
from the Jersey Shore's boardwalks hosted its share of historical moments:
It tracked the flights of some of America's first space launches, and in
1960 it collected the first images beamed to Earth from an orbiting weather
satellite. The feat was considered so amazing that the photos were rushed
to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, ushering in the era of modern weather
forecasting. After a decade of scanning the skies, however, the dish fell
into disuse and became immobilized by rust while weeds grew up around the
base and wasps nested in its crevices. There it sat until four years ago
when two Princeton University scientists set out to restore the dish as a
way to bring students -- both from the University and local communities --
closer to outer space. This spring, the now-functional satellite receiver
hosted about 20 Princeton students from an undergraduate physics class who
learned how to receive radio signals not just from orbiting satellites but
also from astrophysical objects such as dying stars. The dish has also
hosted scores of amateur radio enthusiasts and is open to the public each
Wednesday and on weekends, when visitors can watch as the massive dish
sweeps the sky.


///////////////////////////////////////////
How To Watch Frequency Online:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 05:35 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37441


What happens when you combine a ham radio during with a lightning storm?
The answer to the question is you start receiving broadcast frequencies
from the past. Frequency is a fascinating tale of altering time but without
time travel and the repercussions it may have. As the story goes Raimy
Sullivan in 2016 is an NYPD detective mourning who has an almost perfect
life until the mysterious ham radio in her garage suddenly turns on and
starts receiving signals sent out by her father i.e. Frank Sullivan from
the past. CW also throws in a serial killer for good measure just to keep
things interesting. However, the main story is about how the connection
between the father in the past and the grown-up daughter in the present
start to change history!


///////////////////////////////////////////
Radio Interference Wreaks Havoc In Evanston:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 05:34 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37440


Concerning interference, here's a reader contribution taken from the
website of the American Radio Relay League, a respected consortium of
ham-radio operators, that reads like something out of "The Twilight
Zone." "Police in Evanston contacted the ARRL Lab, after an apparent
interference source began plaguing wireless vehicle key fobs, cellphones
and other wireless electronics. Key-fob owners could not open or start
their vehicles remotely until their vehicles were towed at least a block
away, nor were they able to call for help on their cellphones when problems
occurred. The police turned to ARRL for help after striking out with the
FCC, which told them it considered key-fob malfunctions an automaker
problem, although the interference was affecting not just key fobs but
cellphones -- a licensed radio service. "ARRL Lab EMC Specialist Mike
Gruber feels the FCC should have paid more attention: 'This situation is
indicative of what can happen as a result of insufficient FCC enforcement,
especially with regard to electrical noise and noncompliant consumer
devices.' "Evanston authorities worried that a serious situation could
develop if people were unable to call 911, putting public safety at risk.
They also were concerned that the RFI (radio-frequency interference) could
be intentional and indicate some nefarious or illegal activity. Given the
seriousness of this situation, Gruber asked ARRL Central Division Director
Kermit Carlson to look into the matter.


///////////////////////////////////////////
HF-Powered Drone Antenna:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 12:20 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37439


Amateur radio has a couple of sweet allocations in the VHF bands, but
because the signals don't reflect off the ionosphere like shortwave
signals, the use is limited basically to line-of-sight. One workaround is
to use a repeater with a tall antenna, but that requires a lot of
infrastructure or a mountainside lair. What if you could just fly your
antenna up in a drone? Well, for starters, you'd run out of batteries
pretty quickly unless you could power it remotely. And if you try to tether
it, the supply wires end up being too heavy to lift. Or do they?!?!


///////////////////////////////////////////
Online Ham Radio Sale Triggers Terror Alarm:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 12:18 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37438


KOLKATA: Police and veteran ham radio operators in Kolkata are worried over
the unrestricted online sale of these amateur radio sets, which can be used
to tune into any frequency for unmonitored communication. Kolkata Police is
particularly wary of the sets being used by northeast-based terror outfits
and even Islamic State modules in neighbouring Bangladesh.
While ham radio frequency is between 144 MHz and 146 MHz, some of the sets
being sold over online retail platforms like Amazon India, eBay and
ShopYourWorld have a much wider frequency spectrum that can be exploited by
terror modules to communicate with each other. Cops in the state have
received intelligence alerts about ham sets being used by the militant
group Kamtapur Liberation Organization, which has a presence in north
Bengal. The Chinese ham radio sets being sold online have a frequency
spectrum of 136 MHz to 174 MHz that covers weather satellites, amateur ham,
police and marine. Sets with such powerful transmitting capacity in the
wrong hands make the country vulnerable to subversive activities, says
Indranil Majumdar, licensed amateur radio operator and an electronics
engineer. Frequency is allocated globally as per the International
Frequency Alloca tion Plan released by the International Telecommunication
Union, Geneva, to which India is a signatory. India then decides which
frequencies it will allot to whom through the National Frequency Allocation
Plan. "The radio sets being sold online are called Ham radio sets because
these wireless gadgets are pre-programmed to transmit and receive voice
communication over frequencies designated for Ham operators. But they can
easily be re-programmed to transmit and receive voice messages on other
frequencies," warned Arya Ghosh, former secretary of Bengal Amateur Radio
Society and member of American Radio Relay League.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2026, August 26, 2016:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 05:36 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37437


The following is a QST. Hams respond once more to raging fires in
California. Three companies plead guilty in a global investigation into
electronics price-fixing. We also hear from Amateur Radio Newsline's Young
Ham of the Year in a special report from the Huntsville Hamfest. All of
this coming your way in Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2026.


///////////////////////////////////////////
DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #35:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:16 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37436


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
HL4CCM, K9HZ, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX,
DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and
WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Just Ahead In Radiosport:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:15 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37435


Just Ahead In Radiosport:


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Volunteers Assisting In Italian Earthquake Response:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:15 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37434


Radio amateurs are taking part in the response to the 6.2 magnitude
earthquake on August 24 in central Italy, International Amateur Radio
Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) President Don
Beattie, G3BJ, reports. IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications
Coordinator Greg Mossop, G0DUB, has requested that 7060 kHz (LSB ±10
kHz) be kept clear of non-emergency traffic, as well as any other
center-of-activity (COA) frequencies that may be in use for emergency
communication within
Italy. (On 80 meters, the COA frequency is 3760 kHz). Other frequencies
reported to be active include 7045, 3643, and 3580 kHz (PSK).


///////////////////////////////////////////
Louisiana Amateur Radio Emergency Service Volunteers Stand Down:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:15 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37433


Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers responding to the
Louisiana flood emergency stood down on August 20. Assistant Section
Manager Matt Anderson, KD5KNZ, reported over the weekend that Louisiana
ARES was in the process of deactivating from
the recent flood response, and that there was no longer a need for
additional volunteers. Anderson served as the Incident Point of Contact
in Baton Rouge.


///////////////////////////////////////////
DX Engineering's Tim Duffy, K3LR: New Venue 'Perfect for Hamvention'

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:14 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37432


DX Engineering Chief Operating Officer
Tim Duffy, K3LR, says he's enthusiastic about the new Dayton
Hamvention® venue at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio --
both as a vendor and as an individual radio amateur. DX Engineering
recently produced a short video tour of the new Hamvention
location, which includes an interview with Hamvention spokesperson Mike
Kalter, W8CI.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Leadership Challenges Set In ARRL Rocky Mountain, Southeastern Divisions:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:12 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37431


ARRL members in the Rocky Mountain and Southeastern Divisions will
choose between incumbents and challengers in balloting for Division
leadership positions this fall. In the Rocky Mountain and Southeastern
Divisions, contests exist for the Director's seat. In the Southwestern
Division, the incumbent Vice Director is not seeking another term, and
no other candidates came forward, setting the stage for a separate
nomination and election process. Other candidates for the 2017-2019
term in the affected Divisions are running unopposed. All candidates
have been found to be eligible by the Ethics and Elections Committee to
run for office.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Summer ARRL Section Manager Election Results Announced:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:10 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37430


Two incumbent Section Managers were declared re-elected in balloted
elections that concluded on August 23, when ballots were counted at
ARRL Headquarters.


///////////////////////////////////////////
The Doctor Will See You Now!

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:10 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37429


"Software Defined Radio" is the topic of the new (August 25) episode of
the "ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast.
Listen...and learn!


///////////////////////////////////////////
National Parks On the Air Update:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:10 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37428


Happy 100th Anniversary to the National Park Service! President Woodrow
Wilson created the NPS on August 25, 1916, as a new bureau within the
Department of the Interior. Today, NPS oversees many parks and
monuments of cultural or historical significance. This celebration is
the reason for the ARRL National Parks on the Air program.


///////////////////////////////////////////
NPOTA Event at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Include ISS Contact

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:12 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37427


Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria, Oregon, will partner
with the Mouth of the Columbia Amateur Radio Club to provide park
visitors with an opportunity to see Amateur Radio up close over the
Labor Day weekend.


///////////////////////////////////////////
CA RACES and CERT Volunteers Team Up to Assist Seniors During Blackout:

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:09 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37426


When the power went out on June 4 at both the Huntington Gardens and
Five Points senior residences in Huntington Beach, California,
Huntington Beach RACES (HBRACES) and
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers promptly activated
to help. Each residential structure stands 14 stories tall. At
Huntington Gardens, a generator supplied power to the hallways and
elevators, but not to individual living units or telephones; residents
had no way of calling 911 if an emergency occurred. Five Points, with
no back-up generator, was left in complete darkness.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Companies Agree to Plead Guilty for Fixing Prices of Electrolytic Capacitor

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:08 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37425


The US Department of Justice announced this week that three companies
have agreed to plead guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to fix
prices for electrolytic capacitors sold to customers in the US and
elsewhere. The companies are Rubycon Corporation, Elna Co Ltd, and Holy
Stone Holdings Co Ltd.


///////////////////////////////////////////
'Come, Let Us Talk Together' - Ham Contact Recalls Royal Telegraph Exchange

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:07 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37424


An ARRL Radiogram sent via Amateur Radio to Queen Elizabeth II on
August 16 commemorated the anniversary of an exchange of telegrams 158
years earlier between Queen Victoria and US President James Buchanan.
In August 1858, President Buchanan -- staying at his summer White House
in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania -- responded to a transatlantic
telegraph invitation from Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace.


///////////////////////////////////////////
In Brief...

Posted: 25 Aug 2016 09:07 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37423


ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director Mike Lee, AA6ML, Resigns: ARRL
Southeastern Division Vice Director Mike Lee, AA6ML, of Palm Coast,
Florida, has resigned from office. Lee was appointed in 2014 to fill a
vacancy created by a resignation. He served previously as Northern
Florida Section Emergency Coordinator. "I regret Mike's decision to
resign as Vice Director," said ARRL CEO, Tom Gallagher, NY2RF. "Mike
made a significant contribution to the League's efforts in emergency
communications, as well as serving on several important committees over
the years. We all wish him well, and we will miss him."