eHam.net News

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Disaster Preparedness: APRO to Use Amateur Radio:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 04:05 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38708


GUWAHATI, Feb 23 - To add teeth to the disaster preparedness, Assam Police
Radio Organisation (APRO) has decided to fall back on the use of amateur
radio, also known as ham radio. The APRO is already working on a plan to
regroup trained ham radio operators once again after the Government of
India lifted the ban on its use recently. At a seminar organised by APRO
on 'Restoration of Communication in a Disaster Scenario - Role of First
Responder' here today, Director General of Assam Police Mukesh Sahay opined
that the use of conventional and simple gadgets should never be done away
with completely as they are easy to handle in times of crisis. "Disaster
has increased both in number and gravity. Therefore, preparing for
the 'unknown unknowns' is very crucial from the perspective of disaster
preparedness, especially when all the communication channels might run out
of order. Trained ham radio operators could come in handy at such times,"
Sahay said. Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Kula Saikia
dwelt at length on the significance of developing infrastructure
independent communication system, which may prove to be the most effective
and the only medium of communication at times of crisis. "When all the
conventional setups run out of order at the time of disaster, it is the
infrastructure-free communication that may prove to be crucial," Saikia
said. On ham radio, he urged the APRO to regroup the system.


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Vice President's Message Comes Through as UAE Satellite Begins Operations:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 04:04 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38707


A message by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai,
is being beamed across the world from space as the first to be transmitted
by the UAE's Nayif-1 satellite. Nayif-1 was launched last week from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre in India and is being tracked by a team of scientists
at a control centre at American University of Sharjah. The country's first
nanosatellite is transmitting the message in Arabic which reads: 'The
renaissance of peoples, nations and civilizations starts with education;
and the future of nations starts at their schools.' Nayif-1's main mission
objective is to send and receive messages on amateur radio frequencies. The
nanosatellite boasts a number of advanced features, most notably it is
programmed to transfer messages in Arabic. Amateur radio operators as far
as Japan and Chile have received data from Nayif-1, originating from its
ground station at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) and relayed via
the satellite. Ham radio operators in Spain, Sweden, Haiti, the US, and
even those out to sea, took to twitter to say they were receiving the
satellite's message loud and clear. Fatma Lootah, deputy project manager of
Nayif-1 at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said the transmission was
a landmark moment for the team. "There is a large community of amateur
radio operators and if Arab operators get this message in their own
language I think a lot of them will be inspired," said Ms Lootah. At AUS,
seven engineering students collaborated with the space centre in the
designing, building, testing and operating of Nayif-1. Abdulla Al Shehhi,
one of the students who worked on the project for over a year, said
Wednesday was a proud moment. "It's an incredible feeling and I hope the
message communicates to others, whether they are radio operators or
students, that nothing is impossible," said the 24-year-old mechanical
engineering graduate.


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DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #8:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:22 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38706


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
KK9A, 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.


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Just Ahead In Radiosport:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:22 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38705


Just Ahead In Radiosport:


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Orlando HamCation a Hit, Posts New Attendance Record:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:22 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38704


When Orlando HamCation hosted the ARRL
Southeastern Division Convention on February 10-12, it posted a new
attendance record. As a result of its growing popularity, the Orlando
show may now be the third largest ham radio gathering in the world --
behind the JARL Tokyo Ham Fair, with an estimated 37,000 attendees in
2016, and Hamvention, which attracts some 25,000 visitors each May.
This year, HamCation logged a record 19,000 attendees, up by 2,000 from
last year and moving it ahead of Ham Radio in Friedrichshafen, Germany.


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HAARP Goes Classical During New Experimental Campaign:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:21 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38703


The just-concluded run of ionospheric investigations conducted from
Alaska's High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) observatory
-- quite likely the most
powerful HF transmission facility in the world -- revived the latent
shortwave listener (SWL) lurking within most radio amateurs. Operating
under Part 5 Experimental license WI2XFX, HAARP this month even aired
some classical music as it conducted its first scientific research
campaign since being taken over 18 months ago from the military by the
University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute.


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The Doctor Will See You Now!

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:21 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38702


"HF Loop Antennas" is the topic of the just-released episode of the
"ARRL The Doctor is In" podcast.
Listen...and learn!


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MARS Refocuses Its Mission, Encrypts Data Nets:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38701


Today's Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) program has changed
markedly from what it was just a few years ago. So says US Army MARS
Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, who contends that MARS must adapt
in order to remain relevant and useful to its sponsor, the US
Department of Defense (DOD).


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Winter Cycle Section Manager Election Results Announced:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38700


Four candidates for Section Manager (SM), including one incumbent,
outpolled challengers to win 2-year terms beginning on April 1, while a
second incumbent was defeated in a run for a new term, and one
candidate ran unopposed to succeed an incumbent who did not run again.
Ballots in contested races in the winter election cycle were counted
and verified on February 21 at ARRL Headquarters.


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W4CWV, and W4LKM, Memorial Scholarship Endowed:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38699


A new scholarship has been endowed, honoring the memory of Homer V.
Thompson, W4CWV, and Annette P. Thompson, W4LKM, the ARRL Foundation
has announced. The scholarship will be funded through an initial
$50,000 gift from an anonymous donor.


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ARISS Opens Window for Proposals to Host Contacts with Space Station Crew:

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38698


The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is
seeking proposals from schools and
formal or informal educational institutions and organizations --
individually or working in concert -- to host Amateur Radio contacts
next year with ISS crew members. The window to submit a proposal is
open through April 15. ARISS anticipates that contacts will take place
between January 1 and June 30, 2018. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits
will determine the exact contact dates. Proposal information and
documents are on the
ARRL website.


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In Brief...

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:17 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38697


Summits on the Air Activation the Hard Way: A radio amateur in the UK,
Colin Evans, M1BUU, attained Summits on the Air (SOTA) Mountain Goat status
on January 28 on the
summit of Whernside, the highest peak in Yorkshire, but he took an
unusual approach by waiting until after he reached the summit to
construct his station equipment. He had taken along a 20-meter QRPme
RockMite kit, a homebrewed key kit, a vertical antenna kit, and a
gas-powered soldering iron.


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Getting It Right!

Posted: 23 Feb 2017 10:17 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38696


The article, "Oldest, Longest-Licensed US Ham, Educator Charles
Hellman, W2RP, SK," in the February 9 edition of The ARRL Letter
contained an incorrect call sign for Mr. Hellman's late brother. Robert
Hellman was W2IIU.