eHam.net News

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Propagation Forecast Bulletin #44 de K7RA:

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 07:38 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37870


At 2313 UTC on October 27 Australia's Space Weather Services
released a geomagnetic warning. On October 28-29 expect unsettled to
active geomagnetic conditions due to a coronal hole high speed wind
stream.


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Naval Hospital Bremerton Ham Radio Provides Connecting Communication:

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 05:25 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37869


BREMERTON, Washington: (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) knows
talking about communication can't just be idle chatter when it concerns
emergency response capability during a disaster. The Cascadia Rising 2016
earthquake exercise held in June throughout the Pacific Northwest tested
the emergency management ability of multiple government agencies, and the
recent Washington state assessment from that disaster drill -- the largest
ever conducted -- noted the area still has work to do to be adequately
prepared, especially concerning communication. NHB's full-scale training
exercise Operation Cascadia Rumble, held in conjunction with Cascadia
Rising 2016, specifically tested the command's ability to communicate.
According to Terry Lerma, NHB Emergency Preparedness manager, it was a
foregone conclusion going into the exercise that being able to communicate
is key to providing medical support to those in need when trying to handle
a disaster such as an extensive earthquake, along with the associated
aftermath. "Communications will always be one of the top three things
listed as critical," said Lerma. "The other two are logistics and planning;
yet for both of those to function, there has to be communication." When the
next big earthquake hits -- and scientists all say it's a matter of when,
not if -- Puget Sound residents can expect internet and cellphone
connectivity to be knocked out, as well as landline phone services severed.
If high-tech options can't be used, then it's time to go "old school,"
which NHB is able to do with wireless amateur radio, or ham radio -- a very
traditional method of message exchange. "Even though ham is viewed as an
ancient technology, it has proven its reliability, dependability, and
versatility," stated Lerma. Lerma noted in any disaster or large scale
drill that went bad, communications, or lack thereof, is always one of the
top issues that falters. Adding ham radio capabilities enables contact
outside the command to keep staff members informed.


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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2035, October 28, 2016:

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 05:23 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37868


The following is a QST. Hams call CQ on summits from Europe to Australia. A
special event station works to feed hungry kids -- and a Halloween pumpkin
patrol squashes mischief. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report 2035 comes your way right now.


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Foundations of Amateur Radio -- Episode 73:

Posted: 27 Oct 2016 06:13 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37866


What's the secret to getting into Amateur
Radio? The entry to this amazing hobby is
simpler than you might imagine and it can get
you further than you thought possible.
Episode 73 shows the way.


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Ham Radio Contest and Strategy:

Posted: 27 Oct 2016 05:52 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37865


Have you heard about Ham radio before? If not, FYI! it is all about fun and
entertainment. Ham Radio Contesting is an essential gathering where all the
Professional and beginner hams are returning from multiple theme fairs just
to be part of this contest from all around the country and the globe. If
any of us is looking for a perfect chance to show their skills globally, as
a new receiver or the transmitter it's the perfect place to do so. Such
contests are never based on dealing with commercial support exclusively,
but one way or another it is always about winning and winning a big prize.
Beyond winning a prize, ham contest is a platform for enhancing your
skills, plus it will certainly be a perfect place to learn and gain more
experience in this field. Via this, the participants will be able to create
contact with the legendary hams at any length and distance.


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Learning Morse Code Without Trying:

Posted: 27 Oct 2016 05:50 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37864


It's not exactly beating something into someone's head. More like tapping
it into the side. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have
developed a system that teaches people Morse code within four hours using a
series of vibrations felt near the ear. Participants wearing Google Glass
learned it without paying attention to the signals -- they played games
while feeling the taps and hearing the corresponding letters. After those
few hours, they were 94 percent accurate keying a sentence that included
every letter of the alphabet and 98 percent accurate writing codes for
every letter.


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STEREO -- 10 Years of Revolutionary Solar Views:

Posted: 27 Oct 2016 12:36 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37863


Launched 10 years ago, on Oct. 25, 2006, the twin spacecraft of NASA's
STEREO mission -- short for Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory --
have given us unprecedented views of the sun, including the first-ever
simultaneous view of the entire star at once. This kind of comprehensive
data is key to understanding how the sun erupts with things like coronal
mass ejections and energetic particles, as well as how those events move
through space, sometimes impacting Earth and other worlds. Ten years ago,
the twin STEREO spacecraft joined a fleet of NASA spacecraft monitoring the
sun and its influence on Earth and space -- and they provided a new and
unique perspective. The two STEREO observatories, called STEREO-A and
STEREO-B -- for Ahead and Behind, respectively -- were sent out from Earth
in opposite directions. Using gravitational assists from both the moon and
Earth, the STEREO spacecraft were accelerated to Earth-escape velocities.
STEREO-A was inserted into an orbit slightly smaller, and therefore faster,
than Earth's. For STEREO-B, the reverse happened: It was nudged into an
orbit slightly larger than Earth's so that it traveled around the sun more
slowly, falling increasingly behind the Earth. As the spacecraft slowly
fanned out away from the centerline between Earth and the sun - where every
other sun-watching spacecraft is located -- they revealed more and more new
information about our closest star. "STEREO gives us a much more thorough
view of the sun, solar wind and solar activity," said Terry Kucera, deputy
project scientist for STEREO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland. "The view from the far side of the sun lets us record
more events and get more complete pictures of each event."