Monday, December 26, 2011
“The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio”
Two dates to mark down on your ham radio social calendar. The first is this Tuesday, December 27th at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. That’s when the ARRL will present an on-line premiere screening of its new video titled The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio.
To accomplish this the League has teamed up with Tom Medlin, W5KUB, who will be streaming it from his website at w5kub.com. The video will also be released earlier that day on-line at the ARRL’s own website at www.arrl.org and on the ARRL video pages on YouTube dot com. All three are a part of a new ARRL public relations campaign to interest the nations maker and hacker community in our world of ham radio.
Then a week later on January 3rd at 9 p.m. Eastern, the shows producer Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, along with Director Dave Bell, W6AQ and writer Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ, will be the guests of Bob Heil, K9EID, and Gordon West, WB6NOA. This on their weekly TWIT dot TV video podcast known as Ham Nation.
Bell, Feinberg and Pasternak will give you a behind the scenes look at how the DIY Magic of Amateur Radio video was conceived as well as how it was put together using the very latest digital video production techniques. You will also get to see the video in its entirety.
Look for this live netcast at 9 PM Eastern on Tuesday, January 3rd at live.twit.tv. If you miss it, wait about 24 hours for it to be posted at twit.tv/hn. (ARRL, ARNewsline™)
TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE: DISABILITY.GOV NOW ON LINE
In the Technology section, can be found information on assistive and accessible technologies, emergency communications systems; the accessibility features of new technologies like smart phones; and guidelines and standards related to technology accessibility for people with disabilities. Information is by State using the drop-down menu located on the left side of any page on Disability.gov, to find local resources that can help you pay for your assistive technology needs.
Disability.gov is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy in collaboration with 21 federal agency partners, including the FCC. (FCC)
HOW TO READ PROPAGATION NUMBERS
The A index [ LOW is GOOD ]
- 1 to 6 is BEST
- 7 to 9 is OK
- 11 or more is BAD
Represents the overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Ap" if averaged from the Kp-Index) (an average of the eight 3-hour K-Indices) ('A' referring to amplitude) over a given 24 hour period, ranging (linearly) typically from 1-100 but theoretically up to 400.
A lower A-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Ap-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.
SFI index [ HIGH is GOOD ]
- 70 NOT GOOD
- 80 GOOD
- 90 BETTER
- 100+ BEST
The measure of total radio emissions from the sun at 10.7cm (2800 MHz), on a scale of 60 (no sunspots) to 300, generally corresponding to the sunspot level, but being too low in energy to cause ionization, not related to the ionization level of the Ionosphere.
Higher Solar Flux generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; Solar Flux rarely affects the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.
K index [ LOW is GOOD ]
- 0 or 1 is BEST
- 2 is OK
- 3 or more is BAD
- 5 is VERY VERY BAD
The overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Kp" if averaged over the planet) over the past 3 hours, measured by 13 magnetometers between 46 & 63 degrees of latitude, and ranging quasi-logarithmically from 0-9. Designed to detect solar particle radiation by its magnetic effect. A higher K-index generally means worse HF conditions.
A lower K-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Kp-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.
Terms of Service
I am not responsible for any thing that happens to your mental health, computer and all personal property because you visited my site.
This site is a collection of some things sent to me by e-mail, obtained from other blogs and the internet. If there is a picture or quote that is copyrighted to you let me know and I will remove your item .
Thoughts expressed in my blog are just that . I give My Opinion on the many events, products and how too, reported by the media and other web-sites.
Do not use this blog site to obtain weather events or disasters information. What I post may not be correct. Always get information from the proper media, weather (NWS)(NOAA)
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and USGS sites