eHam.net News for Friday 24 March 2017
 

eHam.net News

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Propagation Forecast Bulletin #12 de K7RA:

Posted: 24 Mar 2017 08:14 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38882


The sun just finished an extended period (16 days) of zero sunspots. There
were none on March 4, one visible on March 5, then none on
March 6 to 20. Finally one sunspot group appeared on March 21 to 23, with a
sunspot
number of 12 on all three days. A sunspot number of 12 does not mean there
were 12 sunspots. Every
group of sunspots counts as 10 points, and every sunspot within
those groups counts for one point. Therefore, the minimum non-zero
sunspot number is 11. So for the past three days there were two
sunspots in one group.


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Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2056 for Friday, March 24, 2017:

Posted: 24 Mar 2017 08:14 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38881


The following is a QST. South African hams take on the rising noise floor.
AM mode gets its day in the sun -- and you'll go nuts for the world's
smallest homebrew transmitter. All this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline
Report 2056 comes your way right now.


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Ham Radio Operators Keep Emergency Communication Lines Open at Hospitals:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 05:19 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38880


Andy Finick walks up the stairs and opens the door onto a roof at
Franciscan Health in Hammond. He points up to a higher roof at several
antennae that would -- in an unthinkable emergency -- provide
communications for the hospital. In Northwest Indiana, Finick, a licensed
amateur radio operator, helps hospitals maintain communications when all
other systems fail in an emergency situation. He has radio equipment
bolstered with a repeater system and antennae squirreled away in hospitals
throughout Lake County.


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'Ham Radio Operator of the Year' Honored:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 05:19 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38879


The High Desert Amateur Radio Group (HIDARG) has announced its annual "Ham
Radio Operator of the Year" award for 2016. Bill Johnson, of Bend, call
sign N7RGB, was presented with the award at the group's recent meeting.
Each year, the Board of Directors selects a recipient for this special
award. They look for a ham who has been crucial to the success of our
local ham community. The recipient is a person who has shown a dedication
to ham radio that exceeds all expectations over a long period of time. Bill
Johnson was chosen for the award primarily for years of service provided as
part of the team that designed and engineered the ham radio repeater system
covering a major portion of Oregon. This extensive repeater system
stretches across much of Central and Eastern Oregon. The primary function
is to provide backup emergency communications. Agencies served include all
hospitals in Central Oregon and all public safety agencies.


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'Hotbed' Amateur Radio Waves Getting Bigger:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 05:18 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38878


A "hotbed" of activity and "growth" membership are not the two words that
roll off the tongue when you think of amateur radio. That is, however,
exactly how the president of the Richmond Amateur Radio Club (RARC), Urey
Chan, describes the surprising movement taking place within the confines of
organizations across the Lower Mainland and Canada. According to Chan, 40
per cent of the national growth in amateur radio licenses is here in the
Lower Mainland, where the interest in the activity is matching pace with
the increase in population. And, although not known for being a sexy hobby
by any stretch, the Richmond president puts the majority of the recent rise
in popularity in the formerly dusty pastime down to people's preoccupation
with being prepared for a natural disaster. "The president of our national
organization was in Vancouver recently and he spoke of a demographic
analysis, which showed that amateur radio is actually on the rise in
Canada," said Chan. "It just doesn't receive the media profile it deserves;
it's actually rising at the same growth rate of the population in the Lower
Mainland. "It is (sexy) when you tie it to emergency operations and
preparedness; people's eyes widen and all of a sudden they're interested
when you mention the connection. "That's by far the main reason for the
growth; 40 per cent of which, in terms of the national figures, comes from
the Lower Mainland. This is the hotbed here for amateur radio."


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Radio Operators Help Update Regulations:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 05:18 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38877


After 18 months of lobbying, a group of amateur radio operators in Delta
has helped update a regulation in B.C.'s distracted driving law they say
helps clarify the rules around their operation. Several members of the
Delta Amateur Radio Society were caught using hand-held microphones while
driving in 2014. One was subsequently convicted for distracted driving and
fined $100. Members researched the fines and found that a regulation in the
Motor Vehicle Act did, in fact, permit the use of handheld microphones for
drivers, but because the regulation was outdated and the pictures in the
RoadSafetyBC Guide did not reflect new technology, the judge might have
erred in the decision, said the group's secretary, Chris Scholefield. "We
believe he [our member] was legitimately using that as permitted, but the
judge declared his microphone was an electronic device, even though the
regulation says you're permitted to use a hand microphone," said
Scholefield. "We took up his cause and I worked with Vicki Huntington and
the people of Victoria to make some changes. What we really wanted to do is
change the regulation to clarify that." Last April, Delta Amateur Radio
Society members accompanied the Delta South MLA to Victoria where they gave
a presentation to government officials. "They didn't want to change the
regulation because they're waiting for other provinces, specifically
Ontario, to decide what they're going to do, but they did offer to change
the RoadSafetyBC Guide, and introduce a new section on operational twoway
radios to clarify what is permitted and what is not permitted," he
said. "It is a major improvement because the guide now has a new section on
the operation of a radio."


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Westminster Attack: Attacker Left Hints Using Morse Code A Day In Advance:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 03:08 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38876


Although the attack outside UK's Houses of Parliament is still shrouded in
mystery right now, reports have emerged that a thread posted on web forum
4chan yesterday hinted at the attack. In the post, the user posted a string
of morse code which was uploaded together with a picture of a two handguns,
with a photoshopped paper with 21/3/2017 written on it. The pastebin file
contains a simple binary code, which when translated, points to a GPS
location around the Big Ben, near the place where the attacker reportedly
crashed his car after mowing pedestrians on the Westminster bridge. Users
of the site 4chan then noted that the code referred to the iconic
clocktower in London, but the significance of it was lost on them until the
attack happened today. When asked regarding the significance of the post,
4chan owner, Hiroyuki Nishimura said that he understands the gravity of the
situation, and his side will be fully cooperative with the authorities.


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DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #12:

Posted: 23 Mar 2017 08:56 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38875


This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
F5IXR, WB0TEV, 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 Mar 2017 08:50 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/38874


Just Ahead In Radiosport: