LEONIDS 2009

On Nov. 17th at about 2100 UT, Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, triggering an outburst of Leonid meteors. Forecasts of the peak range from 150 to 500 meteors per hour--somewhere between a "good show" and a "half storm." Observers in China, India, Japan and Indonesia are favored to see the brief but intense display. Complete details are available from NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

Under the Weather

I'm sick and need better meds. 101º temp, sore throat, body hurts all over and keep getting muscle cramps. Off to see the doctor in the morning......

If I'm still alive.

I've been waiting for my AT-897 Plus auto tuner. I ordered it over a month ago. LDG made an upgerade so that is why some of the delay. Well, I got it on today. I now have it all hooked up. The plan is to get the MFJ-1796 six band vertical up this week. Looks like the rain will stop tonight. Now if I weren't so sick I might get it up tomorrow. It might happen. The wife and son volunteered to help.

My Week; Oct 18-24

It’s been a pretty fair week.
We have not done to much this week. We had our electrician over running new lines to the garage and a new line to my Ham Shack.
Melissa finally settled on what she wants for new kitchen counter tops. That project will start in a few weeks.
We bought a Craftsman Yard Vacuum this week.
My health will not allow me to rake so the wife and I talked about it and decided to make this purchase. Our neighbor has one of these machines and it dose very well for them. We try to help out our senior citizen neighbor so this will definitely come in handy.

I have done some work at the ham shack. I got my Yaesu FT-7800 and FT-8900R mounted under the shelf on my desk. My Yaesu FT-897-D sits on the desk underneath those rigs. My HTX-242 sits to the side of the 897-D.
I will take a picture and post it here and on my face book page.

This is our 16th wedding Anniversary this weekend. We are going to a movie, our favorite restaurant and then to visit some ole friends.

The wife and kids are doing fine. No sickness at this time. Thank God.

JOTA=Youth@HamRadio

I hope to be at the local club, if not I will be on the airwaves to support JOTA.

Youth@HamRadio.Fun: A Scouting Marathon -- School is back in session all around America, and scouting is ramping back up. September and October are great months to kick off the Scouting year and resume the tireless chase for victory in the world of Radiosport.
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Great Thing about Ham Radio

Feature: Pizza, Macaroni and a Cheeseburger -- One of the great things about Amateur Radio is that it is a key that can open many doors to opportunity. It can help you meet people, make friends and sometimes take you to another country for a contact. This is what happened to me thanks to the common link of Amateur Radio.
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AMSAT - 'We're Going Back To Space'

This is one reason I love Amateur Radio. Working the birds.
During the board meeting held Oct. 8 in conjunction with the Annual Space Symposium and 40th Anniversary Celebration, the AMSAT Board of Directors adopted the Engineering Task Force recommendation that low-cost launch options be pursued immediately. The AMSAT engineering team will develop a 1U CubeSat design effective immediately. Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, Vice-President of Engineering said, "We are r
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"Where's DX?" and "Antennas in High Places"

A very informative read.
Revisiting "Where's DX?" and "Antennas in High Places" (Oct 9, 2009) -- The follow-up e-mails that Surfin' generates often expand on the topics that Surfin' originally covered.
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My Upgrade is Official

Cool, the Universal Licensing System has been updated.
Amateur License - KD8BIG - Strait, Mark D

Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)

This is a really fun event. I missed it last year but hope to participate this year.

October 17 and 18 will mark the 52nd worldwide Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). Held the third full weekend in October each year, this is the premier operating event for Amateur Radio and Scouting around the world.
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Wind Storm Update

We survived the wind storm last night. The neighbors on both sides of us loss very large tree limbs. We had the power flicker a few times but never lost power. The trees out back gave the power lines a workout though.

String of power outages from high winds happening too often for some residents

Thousands Lack Power,

Some Schools Close

Wind damage across West Michigan

Strong winds cause damage and power outages across West Michigan

UPDATE: Power outages for some may last until Friday

Companion Bill to HR 2160

Senate Introduces Companion Bill to HR 2160 -- On Tuesday, October 6, Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced Senate Bill 1755, The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009. Similar to HR 2160 -- also called The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 -- that was introduced this past April by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX-18), the bill, if passed, would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to undertake a study on emergency communications. S 1755 points out that "There is a strong Federal interest in the effective performance of Amateur Radio Service stations, and that performance must be given -- (A) support at all levels of government; and (B) protection against unreasonable regulation and impediments to the provision of the valuable communications provided by such stations."
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Another Fall Wind Storm

Look for strong winds and occasional showers tonight with lows in the mid-upper 40s. Winds will be west-southwest wind at 25-35 mph with gusts to around 50 mph.
So far there have been reports of wind guest above 60mph.
I hope we do not lose power again. Much of Muskegon is currently without power.

Current Warnings;

Muskegon

Oceana

Ottawa

For further updates in your area visit NOAA's National Weather Service

KD8BIG / AG

I did it!