H.R. 607:( Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011)

This bill could potentially put our 440 MHz frequencies in jeopardy if passed.
More information can be found on the ARRL web site: Click Here

H.R. 607:
Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011
To enhance public safety by making more spectrum available to public safety agencies, to facilitate the development of a wireless public safety broadband network, to provide standards for the spectrum needs of public safety agencies, and for other purposes.

Current Status of the Bill;
Introduced February 10, 2011
Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee.

Last Action ; Feb 10, 2011: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.

Generic Name for Viagra

Thanks Bossman Dann for this.

All drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name.

Example, the trade name is Tylenol and it's generic name is Acetaminophen.. Aleve is also called Naproxen.

Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra.

After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin.

Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

This Weekends Contest

This weekend I might get into one of these, then again I prefer to find some ragchew.

QRP Fox Hunt	Feb 18
NCCC Sprint Ladder	Feb 18
Russian PSK WW Contest	Feb 18-19
ARRL Inter. DX Contest, CW	Feb 19-20
Feld Hell Sprint	Feb 19
AWA Amplitude Modulation QSO Party	Feb 19-20
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest	Feb 21

Contesting News

Dayton ConTest University - CTU USA 2011

WRTC 2014 Team Selection Critera Released

2010 WWSA Update

New Amateur Radio Operators Organization

98th Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster

2m qrp spring qso party 2010

2010 Maritime Radio Day

Contest University Italy 2010

Friedrichshafen Contest Univ. Survey

CME Update

IMPACT!
A CME hit Earth's magnetic field at approximately 0100 UT on Feb. 18th (8:00 pm EST on Feb. 17th). The impact was not as strong as expected considering the cloud's probable X-class origin. Nevertheless, geomagnetic storms are possible in the hours ahead. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

Source; find more here

Blog Comments

Do to the high volume of spam and garbage I have set the comments section up so only registered users can comment. I know this takes away from ones ability to take a moment to add a thought.
I am tired of the poorly, vulgar language, porn and idiots trying to promote there products with out asking me to add them to the vender list at the bottom of the page.

Remember this is My Blog and I and only I control it. If you have an issue feel free to contact me and discuss this further.

73,
de KD8BIG

Solar Flare Headed For Earth

Here it comes, this should make DXing fun.
Biggest Solar Flare in Years Headed Towards Earth

The calm before the storm. Three CMEs are enroute, all a part of the Radio Blackout events on February 13, 14, and 15 (UTC). The last of the three seems to be the fastest and may catch both of the forerunners about mid to late day tomorrow, February 17. Watch this space for updates on the impending -- G2, possibly periods of G3 -- geomagnetic storming.

Watch Today's Space Weather for the most recent activity.

After the initial blast of radiation accompanying the coronal mass ejection (CME) — the first of its magnitude to occur in the new solar cycle of activity — a huge cloud of charged particles is headed toward Earth and is expected likely to arrive on Feb. 17-18.

Among the many potential disasters that can come from a massive CME: disturbances in the planet’s geomagnetic field that may lead to malfunctioning telecom and GPS satellite equipment.

While forecasters predict no major impact on our telecommunications infrastructure, scientists have pointed out the sun is now ramping up ahead of an expected solar maximum around 2013.

source 1

source 2

Sunspot Cycle 24 Activity and Space Weather Report

Sunspot 1158 has unleashed the strongest solar flare in more than four years. The eruption, which peaked at 0156 UT on Feb. 15th, registered X2 on the Richter scale of solar flares.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded an intense flash of extreme ultraviolet radiation.
movie formats: 5 MB gif, 1.3 MB iPad, 0.6 MB iPhone
X-flares are the strongest type of solar flare, and this is the first such eruption of new Solar Cycle 24. In addition to flashing Earth with UV radiation, the explosion also hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) in our direction. The expanding cloud may be seen in this movie from NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft. Geomagnetic storms are possible when the CME arrives 36 to 48 hours hence. Stay tuned for updates.

This plasma filament above the Sun erupted as seen in this video by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The eruption is in the upper right region of the solar disc. After it erupts, look to the left of center, at the top, for another plasma ejection. This view is at the 304-Angstrom and 193-Angstrom wavelengths. (Best viewed in Full Screen HD - full-screen)




The following video captures the massively large plasma filament 'erupion' from 12 December 2010.

A huge filament above the Sun erupted in an amazing display as seen in this video by the Solar Dynamics Observatory at approximately 1535 UTC (Dec 6, 2010). The eruption is in the lower left region of the solar disc, and you will see it toward the end of the video. This view is at the 304-Angstrom wavelength. (Best viewed in Full Screen HD - full-screen)





The next movie is of the Sun from Nov 15 to Dec 6 2010, as seen by SDO AIA at the 171 and 304 Angstrom wavelengths:

A rotation view of the full solar disc, as seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory between November 15 and December 6, 2010. The view is a combination of the 171-Angstrom wavelength and 304-Angstrom wavelength filters of the SDO AIA instruments.

Notice the huge plasma "snakes" in the southern hemisphere (at several periods, including the very end of the rotation). These plasma filaments are incredibly large!

H.A.M.

While researching a topic for discussion on the local 2 meter net I thought I would share this.

What does the HAM stand for in HAM radio?

There are several theories, but the most widely accepted is that H.A.M. is an acronym paying homage to three great radio pioneers: Heinrich Hertz (demonstrated existence of electromagnetic waves), Edwin Armstrong (invented modern FM radio), and Guglielmo Marconi (developed wireless telegraphy).

I have seen this theory many times before.
In preparation I discovered that Guglielmo(Guglielmo Marconi) is a difficult first name to pronounce. I am thankful for you tube. I found this an interesting short video and it also provided me with the pronunciation of Marconi's first name.

Super Bowl Sunday

It's the biggest game in NFL. My team, the Green Bay Packers.

Weekend DXing

Playing radio this afternoon, lots of pileups and long winded QSO's.
So far I have not heard the special events station N6R. I'm scanning for it though.
So as I am listening and trying to work in some stations the mind begins to work.
In others words my attention span grows short.

Rearranging letters,

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S !

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

and with that,

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

Good luck on your weekend DXing.
I hope to hear ya.

Re-Post; Special Event Station N6R

This is a re-post from Jan.18,2011
This looks like a fun one to work.

N6R

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library And Museum, ARRL Field Day By The Ventura County Amateur Radio Society, With Conejo

Valley Amateur Radio Club, Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club, &

Ventura County Amateur Radio Club, CA

USA

To celebrate what would have been former President Ronald Reagan’s 100th Birthday, the Ventura County Amateur Radio Society will activate Special Event Station 'N6R' from Thousand Oaks, California. This, from Saturday, February 5th through Monday, February 7th.

According to Peter Heins, N6ZE, who is the club's Public Information Officer, operation is planned continuously from 0800 through 1800 PST on Sunday, February 06, 2011 and intermittently at other times on Saturday through Monday.

Operation will use CW and SSB on 80 through 10 meters for world-wide c contacts as well as FM on both simplex and repeaters for local area contacts. Requests for schedules may be sent to n6rn6r at aol dot com.

QSL with a self addressed stamped envelope to N6ZE at his Call book or QRZ.com address. Sorry but no electronic QSL’s will be accepted for this operation.

More is on-line at www.qrz.com/db/n6r.

And for those not aware, the special N6R call sign has been used for many years in a multi-club Field Day operation from the grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum which is located in Simi Valley, California.

When I can’t Sleep

I’m a lucky man when it comes to sleepless nights.
When I am unable to sleep I pray, play on my computer, read, tie flies, play amateur radio, play my guitars or listen to talk radio or music. I also like to work on my stamp & sports memorabilia collection, blog-twitter or watch a movie. If none of that works out then I wake my wife and we watch videos on the television or You Tube.
I also enjoy sitting on the front porch, the back patio or next to a camp fire.
This is a reply to a QRZ Forum.

W.Michigan Hit with Monster Storm

UPDATE.....3:40am/ 8:40UTC
Here we are 4 hours later. The storm has let up considerably.
Still lots of snow.


I am in the midst of the 2011 snow storm.
Here is what the radar looked like at 11:40 eastern time/ 4:40 UTC

Local weather and media, WXMI Fox 17

KD8BIG: My Week

This week has been a rough one for me. I have been under the weather. I am hoping things settle down soon.
I have not had the opportunity to investigate new equipment or even think about the many Hamfest we have coming up over the next several months leading up to Dayton.
This year I am hoping to make the trip to the Dayton Hamfest. I have received e-mails from several asking me if I plan on attending. I guess the best answer is as long as I am feeling healthy enough to travel.

I did get me a new toy; I got me a new iPod. This time it is the classic, replacing my SanDisk.
iPod classic gives you 160GB of storage capacity, good for up to 40,000 songs, 200 hours of video, 25,000 photos, or any combination. And you get up to 36 hours of battery life, so you can keep on rocking for a long, long time.
I wanted to get the iPod Touch but really did not have the need for the money it cost. 200 dollars is easier to part with compared to 400+ dollars.

Other than that, I am behind the eight ball on my Stamp Collection and have to order some fly tying materials to keep me busy. I also plan on cleaning out some of my sports cards I have collected since I was a kid.
Remember;
A Hobby a Day Keeps the Doldrums Away.
------------
I recieved an e-mail asking me what is a Doldrum.
Doldrums definition is;
dol·drums: (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

1.

a. A period of stagnation or slump.

b. A period of depression or unhappy listlessness.

This Weekends Contest and News

QRP Fox Hunt	Jan 28
NCCC Sprint Ladder	Jan 28
CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW	Jan 28-30
REF Contest, CW	Jan 29-30
UBA DX Contest, SSB	Jan 29-30
SPAR Winter Field Day	Jan 29-30
WAB 1.8 MHz Phone	Jan 29
Classic Exchange, CW	Jan 30-31
ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint	Jan 30

Dayton ConTest University - CTU USA 2011

WRTC 2014 Team Selection Critera Released

2010 WWSA Update

New Amateur Radio Operators Organization

98th Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster

2m qrp spring qso party 2010

2010 Maritime Radio Day

Contest University Italy 2010

Friedrichshafen Contest Univ. Survey