eHam.net News

///////////////////////////////////////////
Propagation Forecast Bulletin #45 de K7RA:

Posted: 04 Nov 2016 06:13 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37920


At 2347 UTC on November 3 Australia's Space Weather Services issued
a geomagnetic disturbance warning: "Expect Unsettled to Active
conditions with periods of Minor Storm levels in the Australian
region for the next UT day, 4 November, if a small coronal hole in
the Southern hemisphere will become geoeffective."


///////////////////////////////////////////
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2036, November 4 2016:

Posted: 04 Nov 2016 06:08 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37919


The following is a QST. We bring you an update on the brave hams in India
who are monitoring suspicious signals on the border. We pay tribute to
three Silent Keys -- and if you're a fan of AM operation, you'll be glad
for some news we have from Australia. All this and more as Amateur Radio
Newsline Report 2036 comes your way right now.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Enid Hamfest will be Saturday at the Hoover Building:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 06:11 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37918


The 30th annual Enid Amateur Radio Club Hamfest will be Saturday at the
Hoover Building on the Garfield County Fairgrounds.


///////////////////////////////////////////
10 Forms of Off-Grid and Remote Communication:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 06:11 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37917


Electronic Communication for Remote Locations: Electronic communications
can be limited when off-grid and/or remote. Off-grid means you must
generate your own electricity to power phones and radios, while remote
means you might be out-of-range to connect. Amateur Ham Radio requires a
license, while Citizens Band and FRS Walkie Talkies do not. Ham CB, and FRS
radios use different frequencies than police, fire, and forest service. The
two-meter ham band, CB, and FRS are all useless when there is a hill
between sender and receiver, and limited to a few miles when used without
obstructions. Ham has the advantage of connecting to repeaters that
re-transmits your signal, thereby extending the range. It's best to try the
repeaters in your area to discover who's available. In a request for
emergency help, a ham would have to call another ham via repeater and then
the second ham would use the local phone to call the authorities. Ham
operators are allowed more power, including the short-wave band that is
used to reach across the country.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Foundations of Amateur Radio -- #74:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 02:03 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37914


The joy of Amateur Radio - like unwrapping a
gift -- what is it that makes your day in this
wonderful hobby and why do you get out of bed
in the middle of the night to turn on your
radio?


///////////////////////////////////////////
DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #45:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:47 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37907


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
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: 03 Nov 2016 10:47 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37906


Just Ahead In Radiosport:


///////////////////////////////////////////
ARRL President Emeritus Jim Haynie, W5JBP, (SK):

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:47 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37905


ARRL President Emeritus Jim Haynie, W5JBP, of Dallas, Texas, died on
November 1, following a period of ill health. He was 73. Haynie was
elected as the 13th President of ARRL on January 21, 2000, succeeding
Rod Stafford, W6ROD (ex-KB6ZV).


///////////////////////////////////////////
IARU General Assembly Adopts Revisions to Region 2 Band Plan:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:46 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37904


Delegates to the 19th International Amateur Radio Union Region 2
(IARU-R2) General Assembly in mid-October
adopted ARRL-proposed changes to the Region 2 (the Americas) band plan,
as well as other recommended revisions. Representatives of 24 IARU
member societies took part in the General Assembly, held in Viña del
Mar, Chile, either in person or by proxy. ARRL President Rick Roderick,
K5UR, headed the League contingent. Alternate head of delegation and
ARRL Second Vice President Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, chaired the IARU
Region 2 B/C Committee, which handled LF/MF/HF and VHF+ band-planning
matters and proposals and made recommendations to the full assembly --
or plenary.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Rule Making Petition to FCC Calls for Vanity Call Sign Rule Changes:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:45 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37903


The FCC is inviting comments on a Petition for Rule Making (RM-1775) from a
Nevada radio amateur that seeks changes to the rules governing the
Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Program. Christopher LaRue, W4ADL, of
North Las Vegas, is proposing that any licensee obtaining a vanity call
sign be required to keep it for the full license term. LaRue contends
in his petition that excessive and frequent vanity call sign filings
are hampering the ability of other qualified licensees to obtain vanity
call signs in one of the more desirable 1 × 2 or 2 × 1 formats. LaRue
said that since the FCC dropped the fee to file for a vanity call sign,
some applicants are taking advantage by regularly obtaining new call
signs, thereby keeping them out of circulation.


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

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:45 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37902


"Anderson Powerpole Connectors, and Antenna Polarization" are the
topics of the latest (November 3) episode of the "ARRL The Doctor is In"
podcast. Listen...and learn!


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

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:45 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37901


With just 2 months left in the ARRL National Parks on the Air (NPOTA)
program, the push for 1 million contacts
from eligible NPS units remains strong. November 1 saw the 800,000th
contact uploaded to Logbook of the World, breaking 25,000 contacts for
the second straight week.


///////////////////////////////////////////
National Geographic Channel Ham Radio Guide Supports Before Mars Prequel:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:44 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37900


The National Geographic has produced A Guide to Ham Radio
to support its recently released digital short, Before MARS -- a
prequel to its upcoming MARS series. The 33-minute prequel, which has a
heavy Amateur Radio theme, provides the backstory of two principal
characters in the upcoming MARS global event series.


///////////////////////////////////////////
ARISS-International to Mark 20 Years at Houston 'Face-To-Face' Meeting:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:42 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37899


ARISS-International will celebrate its 20th anniversary when it meets
in Houston on November 15. ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer,
KA3HDO, noted that an international group interested in installing and
operating an Amateur Radio station on the International Space Station
first met in November 1996 at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston,
and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program
was born. "And the rest is history!"
he said.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Two Radio Amateurs Among Three Returning ISS Crew Members:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:38 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37898


Three crew members on the International Space Station (ISS) -- two of
them radio amateurs and ARISS contact
participants -- said farewell to the orbital outpost on October 29.
Expedition 49 Commander Anatoly Ivanishin and Flight Engineers Kate
Rubins, KG5FYJ, and Takuya Onishi, KF5LKS, returned to Earth on October
30, landing safely in Kazakhstan, after wrapping up 115 days in space
since their July launch.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Hawaiian Islands 'Grid Madness' Grows:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:38 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37897


"Grid Madness" in Hawaii -- where
radio amateurs operate VHF and UHF simplex to work as many others as
they can reach -- is growing. The number of logs for the 2016 event on
September 18 was double last year's figure. Twenty-three more stations
took part, and they made 150 more contacts than in 2015.


///////////////////////////////////////////
RSGB Criticizes TV Broadcast Portraying Radio Ham as 'Nightmare Neighbour':

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:37 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37896


The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) has weighed in
following the airing of a Channel 5 TV Nightmare Neighbour Next Door
episode
[The program may have been removed from the website -- Ed.] that
featured an Amateur Radio operator. In the program, neighbors of
75-year-old Armando Martins, M0PAM, of Kent, made unsubstantiated
claims that RF radiating from his 30-foot vertical antenna was
detrimental to their health.


///////////////////////////////////////////
New Russian Over-The-Horizon Radars Set for 2017 Startup:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:36 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37895


According to media accounts, more long-range, new over-the-horizon
(OTH) radars that can identify aerial and sea targets hundreds of miles
away are scheduled to begin operation next year in the Russian Arctic.
It's doubtful, however, that the news heralds the return of
interference on the level of that generated by the so-called "Russian
Woodpecker" OTH radar, which plagued Amateur Radio HF bands in the
1970s and 1980s.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Two Arrested In Georgia for Planning to Attack HAARP Facility In Alaska:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:35 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37894


Authorities in Georgia recently arrested two men who said they were
planning to attack the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
(HAARP) facility near Gakona, Alaska. Michael Vickers, a detective with
the Coffee County Sheriff's Office, told Alaska Dispatch News that the pair
explained to authorities "that God
told them to go and blow this machine up that kept souls, so souls
could be released."


///////////////////////////////////////////
Fall 2016 Issue of Radio Waves Announces New Instructor Recognition Program

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:36 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37893


The Fall 2016 edition
of Radio Waves now is available. The
ARRL publication focuses on news and articles of interest to educators
and instructors. The fall issue announces the launch of the new
Instructor Recognition Program.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Maybe a Solar Minimum Can Be Too Deep for 160 Meters:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:35 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37892


Propagation observer Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, recently offered some
"deep thoughts" on the
Top Band Reflector. As he
explained, while less geomagnetic field activity heading into winter
bodes favorable 160-meter propagation, more galactic cosmic rays
entering our atmosphere could become a factor.


///////////////////////////////////////////
'Spark' Behind Queen Mary W6RO Amateur Station Nate Brightman, K6OSC, (SK):

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:34 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37891


Nate Brightman, K6OSC, called the "spark" behind W6RO, the Amateur Radio
station aboard the Queen
Mary in Long Beach, California, died on October 29. He was 99. An ARRL
member, Brightman, who lived in Long Beach, had served as the W6RO
Wireless Room Manager for 34 years, plus another 10 years arranging for
the GB5QM "Last Voyage" Amateur Radio operation and establishing W6RO,
which is licensed to the Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Ham Radio -- The Advantage of DStar and DMR Modes:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:21 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37890


Ham Radio is a fascinating hobby, but what is the advantage of D-star and
DMR modes. There are many different interests within the umbrella name of
Ham Radio. People communicate with other like-minded people around the
World using the Internal Short Wave bands. Ham Radio Operators equipment
include H.F., (High Frequency), transceivers covering several of the Ham
Band allocations, and many use Yagi aerials with three, four and sometimes
six elements, to not only transmit their power out to the receiving
station, but also to receive weak signals form lesser equipped ham radio
Operators using simple aerial systems such as dipoles or vertical
radiators. These aerial elements can be thirty three feet long when
covering the twenty metre Ham Band, if the elements are widely spaced
between each other at say point two of a wavelength, the distance between
the elements is four point two metres, a very large aerial indeed. Many
Radio Hams who I have spoken to around the World have sixty feet high
towers with multi element aerial as described above. You need a lot of
space for such an aerial, and planning permission to go along with it.
D-Star and DMR are Ham Radio modes which are gaining in popularity, because
the problems associated with having a large aerial do not exist, signals on
D-star and DMR do not rely of the ionosphere to propagate signal around the
World, they use laser light and data packets used to facilitate the
International World wide web.


///////////////////////////////////////////
ARRL and National Geographic:

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:19 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37888


National Geographic Channel Ham Radio Guide
Supports Before MARS Prequel:


///////////////////////////////////////////
A Guide to Ham Radio (National Geographic):

Posted: 03 Nov 2016 10:17 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37887


In support of its new series, "MARS" and
the prequel, "Before MARS", National
Geographic has published a short
introduction to Amateur Radio.