Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Senate Approves Two New FCC Commissioners
Senate Approves Two New FCC Commissioners, Commission to Be at Full Strength
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Michigan Summer Family Outing
ARRL Michigan Section Presents the 14th Annual
Michigan Summer Family Outing
July 5-8, 2012
Woodland Conference Center and Campground - Hale, MI
Includes a tape measure antenna building project and a 4-transmitter fox hunt
Click Here for project website and schedule
Click Here for Family Outing Brochure
Monday, April 30, 2012
7O6T Yemen DXpedition
80 CW 3.504 MHz SSB 3.780 MHz RTTY 0000
40 CW 7.004 MHz SSB 7.065/7.180 MHz RTTY 7.035 MHz
30 CW 10.104 MHz RTTY 10.140 MHz
20 CW 14.024 MHz SSB 14.145 MHz RTTY 14.080 MHz
17 CW 18.074 MHz SSB 18.145 MHz RTTY 18.100 MHz
15 CW 21.024 MHz SSB 21.295 MHz RTTY 21.080 MHz
12 CW 24.894 MHz SSB 24.945 MHz RTTY 24.920 MHz
10 CW 28.024 MHz SSB 28.495 MHz RTTY 28.080 MHz
Thanks to The Daily DX and the K8CX Ham Gallery for some information
Friday, April 27, 2012
US Part 97 Not Affected by Part 90 Narrowbanding
A lot of mis-information is going around in amateur radio FM and repeater circles regarding an upcoming FCC mandate on narrow-banding communications in the 150 to 512 MHz spectrum is finally being debunked. Ham radio is not affected by this change. ---- Much of the mis-information regarding narrowband on amateur radio FM appears to be coming from hams who have purchased various low cost Part 90 radios built in China. These radios are capable of narrowband operation on the 2 meter and 70 centimeter ham bands in addition to Part 90 frequencies. The manuals that come with these radios are written with Part 90 users in mind and much of the material has no meaning to Part 97 Amateur Service operations. However, some hams do not realize this and that's likely the way the erroneous rumors that ham radio FM and repeater operations at 70 centimeters and above would have to narrowband got started. To make it clear, ham radio is not affected in any way by this FCC edict and your ham gear is not going to become obsolete. The switch to 12.5 KHz from the current 25 KHz channel spacing only affects operations in the FCC Part 90 regulated services. There is no narrow band mandate by the FCC for Part 97 ham radio operations. Hams are free to voluntarily switch to narrowband operations if they so desire, but the Amateur Part 97 Service as a whole is not obligated to make any change.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
OFCOM; Amateur Radio Restrictions for 2012 Olympics
Amateur Radio Restrictions.
Details of amateur band frequency restrictions during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have now been released by U-K Telecommunications regulator Ofcom. The greatest impact to ham radio appears to be satellite and other operations in the 436 to 437 Mhz segment of 70 centimeters. -- Parts of the 70, 13 and 9 centimeter amateur bands in the United Kingdom will face restrictions between June 28th and September 23rd. This, due to need for spectrum during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The restrictions only apply in geographically limited areas, with 70cm being particularly affected around London and Weymouth. Also hard hit by the restrictions will be ham radio satellite operations. According to a notice on the AMSAT-UK web site the Amateur- satellite Service allocation in the 435 to 438 MHz range will be restricted to 436.25 to 437.25 MHz. This is based on an understanding that the equipment being used for Olympics communications in the 430 MHz band will include handheld FM rigs at the hotels, the routes to the venues and at the venues themselves. The U-K communications regulator Ofcom say the use of radio by amateurs in the designated areas could cause interference to various communications at the games. Also, it is possible that higher power transmissions from outside these areas could cause interference as well. Consequently, to avoid the risk of interference, Ofcom has requested that United Kingdom amateurs do not operate within the frequency ranges it has outlined. This says AMSAT-UK means that the spectrum identified by Ofcom should be avoided for a considerable distance outside the designated Olympic communications zones. AMSAT-UK notes that a well equipped station on a good site 75 km or more from the edge of an Olympics communications zone could still put a fairly decent signal into that area. ARNewslineT did a bit of research and found that the closest heavily populated mainland European city to London appears to be Calais, France. This is mainly over water path only about 93 airline miles or 149 kilometers away from the closest Olympic venue. That said, Ofcom has so far not asked the French or any other European telecommunications administrations to restrict their nations Amateur Service allocations during the Olympic and Paralympic games.
More on this is on-line at www.uk.amsat.org/6574 and RSGB.org/olympics. (GB2RS, AMSAT-UK, ARNewslineT)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Japan will be Launching 16 Educational Ham-Sats
The first of the new birds to be launched will be the amateur radio satellite HORYU-2 built by students at the Kyushu Institute of Technology. Its mission is to take pictures of the Earth using a small C-MOS camera called SCAMP that was developed by the University of Surrey in the UK. The SCAMP camera takes a 640x480 pixel picture in the popular JPEG format. That means from 700 km altitude, one pixel corresponds to 1.6 km. HORYU-2 will be followed in July by the transport of several items to the International Space Station. This mission will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module Small Satellite Orbital Deployer or JEM along with the Japanese CubeSats WE- WISH, FITSAT-1 and RAIKO. These CubeSats should be deployed from the ISS in September using the JEM and robot arm. FITSAT-1 may be the most interesting of these. It will use a neodymium magnet for attitude control. It will also have multiple downlinks. These include CW on 437.250 MHz, AX.25 on 437.445 MHz and a 4 watt high speed data transmitter on 5840 MHz. The latter is capable of sending a 640 by 480 VGA JPEG image in 6 seconds. In addition to its other experiments, FITSAT-1 will also carry a set of high power LED's that will be driven with 100W pulses to produce extremely bright flashes. It is hoped, will be observable by the unaided eye or with small binoculars from the ground. Both the 5840 MHz and optical downlinks have a high power consumption so it may be that they are only activated only over Japan. In December the TSUBAME satellite is planned to be launched on a Japanese H-IIA booster. It will carry a CW beacon on 437.250 MHz and AX.25 packet at 1200 and 9600 bit per second telemetry on 437.505 MHz. The remaining satellites will be placed into orbit on subsequent flights.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Geomagnetic Storm Watch
SolarHam.com wrote:
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 6Threshold Reached: 2012 Apr 24 0046 UTC
Synoptic Period: 0000-0300 UTC
Active Warning: Yes
NOAA Scale: G2 - Moderate
Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 55 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude.
Induced Currents - Power grid fluctuations can occur. High-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms.
Spacecraft - Satellite orientation irregularities may occur; increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites is possible.
Radio - HF (high frequency) radio propagation can fade at higher latitudes.
Aurora - Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
KD8BIG; Articles of Interest
I hope all is well.
I have been under the weather for the last few weeks.
That is the reason for the lack of postings.
Here are some Articles of Interest;
Radio club amateurs take to the airwaves
Titanic 'hotspots' in radio link with Maryport
English town honors its Titanic hero
Area amateur radio groups have common bond
Amateur radio fans ham it up in Lewes
Thursday, April 12, 2012
CW Celebration
Monday, April 9, 2012
KD8BIG; Articles of Interest
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Yaesu FT-818

All mode, all bands 1.8-1296MHz with 5MHz and 70MHz
US version with additional 500 KHz and 5 MHz Bands
QRP 5W RF (2W 1296MHz not yet confirm)
3.5AHr Li-Ion battery pack (2hr charging)
Built in random wire and whip auto-ATU
Full color TFT display
Mulch-functionDSP noise reduction
RF Speech processor
QSK in CW
The rumors is circulating since end of 2010 but not yet clear when the new transceiver will be released…
Friday, April 6, 2012
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
The FCC is taking a look at amateur radios role in emergency communications. It also wants to know about obstacles to ham radio operations such as Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions better known as C C and R’s that keep radio amateurs from being able to fulfill their public service duties. It’s done this in a Public Notice given the identifier of G N Docket 12–91 also known as DA 12-523.
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Just how important is amateur radio during emergencies? What is ham radio's value to the community when disasters strike? The FCC wants to hear from you about these questions, because the Commission has a lot of homework to do for Congress. Most hams know that helping serve the community is one of the primary reasons the amateur radio service was founded.
Hams have a long history of helping during emergencies. They maintain close relationships with the National Weather Service and other public safety groups. When tornadoes raked Arkansas and Alabama in January, radio amateurs provided important communications support. They were active, as well, when a severe winter storm knocked out power and communications to villages along the Bering Sea in November, 2011.
The Commission is required to study amateur radio as part of a Public Law known as the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The FCC is to analyze ham radio's uses and capabilities during emergencies, and to submit its findings to House and Senate Committees.
The law also requires the Commission to analyze ham radio's importance as it relates to protecting lives and property. The Commission is to provide recommendations on how to enhance voluntary deployment of ham radio operators when needed. The law compels FCC to evaluate how best to integrate amateur radio into furthering various federal government initiatives that might require communications support.
If there are impediments along the way, the law requires that the Commission find ways to remove them. For example, the law questions whether antenna restrictions or unnecessary private land use restrictions wind up causing more problems than they solve.
In doing its study, FCC is directed to reach out to various entities including amateur radio, as well as various disaster and emergency response organizations.
The Commission has been given a list of specific questions to ask. If you want to comment, you can answer those questions, but you can also submit other comments, too, as long as they relate to the study.
The questions seek examples on various scenarios where amateur radio played a key role relating to emergency response and disaster relief.
Specific benefits ham radio provided are to be named.
Another question asks for examples of when ham radio is an advantage over other forms of communications during emergencies, and when does it complement those other systems.
Other questions cover a wide range of subjects, all involving amateur radio's role, how it can best be utilized, communications training, activities, planning and much more. One topic raised is whether existing rules governing the amateur radio service might need modifying to better facilitate emergency communications. The changes could be of an operational nature...or perhaps some technical limitations need to be addressed. The study asks whether rules changes would be a good idea to encourage development of innovative new technologies, whether voice, data or perhaps video.
In the past, some amateur radio emergency groups have expressed the desire to be able to interconnect directly with public safety and health care communications systems during emergencies. The Commission is to look into whether this should be considered, and if doing so, would enable hams to better serve the public, or whether would pose problems.
The possibility of national certification standards is mentioned as another subject to investigate.
If there are any current Commission rules that serve as impediments to what hams try to accomplish during emergencies, the FCC is told to name them and assess whether they should be changed or lifted to make it easier on hams trying to help during disasters.
If you want to submit comments, you have until May 17th to do so. You can file your comments electronically or by mail. To submit comments electronically, go to apps.fcc.gov/ecfs. Paper filings must include an original and one copy for each filing. Those must be mailed to the Commission's Secretary. The address is: Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th St SW, Washington, DC, 20554.
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The FCC says that stakeholder entities and organizations, including the amateur radio, emergency response, and disaster communications communities, are particularly encouraged to submit comments. However the FCC says that those who do provide filings should not view this Public Notice as an opportunity to seek Commission rulings regarding specific situations. This is an overview inquiry only. And be certain to mention Docket 12-91 when you do submit your comments. The complete text of this FCC release can be downloaded in .PDF format at tinyurl.com/fcc-emcomm-study (FCC)
ARRL SAYS IT NEEDS CCR RESTRICTION INFORMATION ASAP
In a related story, if you live in a CC&R restricted community, have deed restrictions or homeowners association covenants that have prevented you from erecting amateur radio antennas then the ARRL wants to hear from you.
The League says that it is looking for input in two specific areas. These are recent amateur radio involvement in actual emergency communications and disaster relief and specific details about how CC&R’s and other private land use restrictions have impaired licensed amateurs to participate fully in these disaster relief communications.
If your ability to participate in ARES, RACES, SKYWARN, CERT, or other emergency and disaster relief communications has been limited because the inability to have adequate antennas due to such land use or owners association restrictions, you are asked to provide that information to the ARRL. Also to provide it as a narrative of your exact situation, giving as much detail as practical. Some areas for you to consider in writing your story might be:
Were there alternative properties without CC&Rs in the area you wished to reside?
The exact wording of what exactly does your CC&R’s prohibit or allow.
Have you applied for a waiver of the CC&R with the Home Owner's Association Architectural Review Committee but were denied? If so, what was the reason?
Whether you are an ARRL member or not, your information and situation are important to helping the League make the case for all amateurs. Please provide your documentation to the ARRL as soon as possible but definitely before Wednesday April 25th. It can either be uploaded to the ARRL website at www.arrl.org/ccr-study-information or they can be sent as an e-mail attachment to an email sent to CCRinfo (at) arrl (dot) org. (ARRL)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
DX News
JA1XGI will be active as A35XG from Tonga through the 9th of April on 30, 17 and 12 metes using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL him also via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau.
ON4AEO and several other operators will be active as 3DA0FC from Swaziland from April 6th to the 10th. They plan to operate SSB, RTTY and PSK on 80 through 10 meters. QSL via ON4CJK, direct or via the bureau.
Lastly, GM6TW will be operating from the Inner Hebrides from April 7th to 13th. His main operating location will be the Isle of Jura, but he also- hopes to activate from Islay and Colonsay as well. No frequencies or modes were given. QSL via M0UTD.
DX UNIVERSITY APRIL 20 – LAST CALL TO REGISTER
The annual 'DX University' will take place in Visalia, California, on Friday, April 20th. On the program are several of the world's most renowned DXers who will share their knowledge. You will also hear some vital tips on making DXCC and on achieving Honor Roll status.
So far over 120 hams have already reserved their place at this session. There are still a few seats left. Go to www.dxuniversity.com to register.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
KD8BIG / Articles of Interest
I've been under the weather for the last few weeks so this is a short post~
Articles of Interest~
Google Declares “Morse Code Is Perfect” with New Gmail Tap Mail Program
On April 1, Google announced that it has unveiled a new way to use its popular Gmail e-mail system. Called Gmail Tap, it uses dots and dashes to form letters, a system of communicating that should be very familiar to radio amateurs. “Morse code is perfect,” said Gmail Tap Engineer Mitch Fedenko. “It’s just a dot and a dash. What’s simpler... [continue]ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
Compiled by S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFAARRL News Editork1sfa@arrl.orgThis feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of March.New privileges on 60 meters went into effect on March 5. After communicating w... [continue]Eric P. Nichols, KL7AJ, Wins March QST Cover Plaque Award
The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for March is Eric P. Nichols, KL7AJ, for his article “Three Wrong Assumptions about the Ionosphere.” Congratulations Eric! The QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web page. Cast ... [continue]ARNewsline Report 1807 -- Mar. 30 2012:
The following is a Q-S-T. The next Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference to be hekd in Malaysia; 1700 South African hams let their licenses lapse, World amateur Radio Day to celebrate 50 yesrs of ham radio in space, Japan to launch five new hamsats, DXCC is going on-line and Roving Reporter Pierre Pulinmyleg returns with a truly out of this... [continue]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.
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