2010 – Ham Radio University(LI NY)

Ham Radio University

Spreading Ham Radio Knowledge and Know How
“A day of education to share ideas, experiences, knowledge and fellowship among Amateur Radio operators”

Interested??? Check Out The HRU Forum Schedule

First Chinese Amateur Radio Satellite Now In Space:

AMSAT China (CAMSAT 
http://www.camsat.cn/
) reports that at around 0230 UTC on December 15, China launched its first Amateur Radio satellite — named XW-1 
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/satInfo.php?satID=116&retURL=satellites/futures.php
— into space.

CAMSAT

The microsatellite — a secondary payload aboard the CZ-4C rocket launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center — was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an apogee of approximately 1200 kilometers. XW-1 successfully reached orbit at 0253 UTC. Members of the XW-1 launch team reported they received a beacon from the satellite shortly after the satellite deployed. In the first few days, the XW-1 team will work on the satellite’s FM and store-forward transponder mode and its linear transponder mode. Once those tests are complete, they will upload a new flight program to set up the payload schedule. The satellite’s communications payload includes a beacon and three crossband transponders operating in FM, SSB/CW and digital modes. Uplink and downlink frequencies can be found on the CAMSAT Web site 
http://www.camsat.cn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=67
. For the latest Keplerian elements for XW-1 and other satellites, check out the W1AW Keplerian Bulletins 
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/kep/
.

Source:

The ARRL Letter

AM FM WX & 2 Meters? HUH???

An interesting combo. This receiver reminds me of the old Grundig Yacht Boy but for the vhf spectrum. If you are the curious type like I am, here’s more info and a link to the web site.

“FM reception is a little better than the CCRadioplus while the Weather Band can keep you informed of any government-issued alerts. The addition of the 2-Meter Ham band may make the CCRadio-2 a life saver during an emergency like hurricane Katrina. 2-Meter Ham operators are early on the scene and they donate their time while handling perhaps 90% of the emergency coordination efforts. The CCRadio-2 can act like a simple radio scanner and search the five memories for ham operator communications. The sensitivity (squelch) can be adjusted for best results. More information about the 2-Meter Ham Band can be found at CCRadio.com/2-meter.”

What Xerox Is Doing For Our Armed Forces

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

From the desk of KC2LIN:

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving overseas. No, you can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!    It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?    Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it’s a wonderful way to say thank you.    Please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough thank you’s.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Old / New HF Radio – The eHam Store

I am tickled pink over my recent purchase! My new/old HF radio arrived in perfect condition on Friday. There it was, sitting on my doorstep when I arrived home from work. The seller had packed everything exceptionally well. I know that most hams today can’t get excited about an old radio but this particular model will be my third over the past 25 years.

Included in the package was the desk mic, swr bridge power meter combo, tuner, extra coax and the matching power supply all in excellent working condition. The radio? It’s a Ten-Tec Argosy I.

I know, it’s most likely something that most take no interest in. I can hear you saying,  come on Ten-Tec? Isn’t that the company that prides itself on high quality CW rigs? Well, if you have come to that conclusion you are 100% correct. Yes, it’s a far cry from operating on VHF and UHF or logging into the repeater via Echolink.

To be very truthful, I am one of those nuts who, many years ago had an Argosy I in my truck and worked a good part of the world with 50 (and sometimes 5) watts out on a modified Hamstick that hung off the rear bumper.

Can you imagine the law they would have on the books today if they found out I was copying in my head and slapping the paddles while tooling down the local highways at 65 MPH? Most of my CW/QRP/M operation “back in the day” was on 40 and 30 meters. Those hamsticks with the bayonet connector were really great!

Yes, I have grown wiser over the years and don’t think I would attempt it again, but it was a true blast. I guess you might say that I am acting somewhat  nostalgic now by spending money on such as relic of the past. Perhaps you are right, but, so what!

If you like to browse around for Ham Radio and scanner gear like I do, perhaps you might want to take a spin over to The eHam Store (www.ehamstore.com). You probably have guessed that’s where I bought my Argosy I and also my Kenwood TS450S-AT back in the spring.  If you want to see my Kenwood in action, here is the link to the YouTube video.

Best Regards and the Best of the Holiday Season!

Amateur Radio – The Original Open Source Project!

Hey, there is a very popular magazine among the open source crowd wich has dedicated its Janualy 2010 issue to amateur radio software. When you think about it, it does seem a bit strange that the majority of software for amateurs is written for the plug and play folks.

I know, I can hear you say that the answer to that riddle is simple. Windows is the most popular (widely used at least) operating system in the world. Writing software for Windows gets you the most exposure and it’s easy. Unlike LINUX , you don’t have to be concerned with drivers and there are no library dependencies to struggle with.

Linux Journal Dedicated To Ham Radio

While Windows is the most convenient to install with its Wizards and Cartoons (graphics), doesn’t it kind of fly in the face of the roots of our hobby?

Where is the challenge in plug and pray (play) guys? Does the functionality of “plug and play” have some hidden symbiotic relationship with the term appliance operator? Just joking guys.

Wait! I am not suggesting that time should be dedicated (wasted) rewriting complex software for the hell of it. But it sure would be nice to see more ham radio software available (along with the source code) for the open source platform.

As the article goes on to say, amateur radio really was the “first open source project”. I’d agree with that as the author, David A. Lane KG4GIY explains it.

In any event, if you have an interest in amateur radio software and the open source operating environment, take a look at the article. There are links to other LINUX resources on the Linux Journal site. Perhaps you will pick up a copy of the January 2010 issue of Linux Journal.

David A Lane KG4GIY has been licensed as an Amateur Radio operator since 2000 and has been working with Linux since 1995. David steps in as Linux Journal’s guest editor for this special issue. During the day, he is an Infrastructure Architect. During an emergency, he is an Emergency Coordinator for Prince William County ARES. And on weekends, he makes pasta!

Your Comments Please:

What is your opinion of open source software and the LINUX operating system?

Do you use LINUX in your shack?

If so, what applications do you run?

This Week On Radio

This week, the ARRL 10 Meter Contest 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2009/10-meters.html
is December 12-13. The Feld Hell Sprint is December 12.

The MDXA PSK DeathMatch and the International Naval Contest are December 12-13. The NA High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally is December 12-16.

The SKCC Weekend Sprint and the CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run are December 13. Next week, the Russian 160 Meter Contest is December 18.

The OK DX RTTY Contest is December 19. The Croatian CW Contest is December 19-20 and the Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party Is December 19-January 3.

The ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint is December 20, the Run for the Bacon QRP Contest is December 21 and the SKCC Sprint is December 23.

All dates, unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/
, the ARRL Contest Update 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/
and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar
http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html
for more info. Looking for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event Station Web page 
http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html
.

Source:

The ARRL Letter

Balloonatics? What’s Next?

The Balloonatics Attempt at Winning the DARPA Red Balloon Challenge
I contacted Bill Brown and followed his group’s attempt at winning the DARPA Red Balloon Challenge, the contest took over 8 hours to complete and the winner was finally announced.
Read More

Vibroplex Sending 73 From Its Mobile Alabama QTH

Knoxville, TN – Scott Robbins, W4PA, of Knoxville, TN. representing Cemorse LLC has signed an agreement to purchase the assets of The Vibroplex Company, Inc. from present owner Mitch Mitchell, W4OA. The agreement will become effective as of December 21, 2009.

Scott Robbins, Product Manager at Ten-Ten since 1997 will be parting company with his employer to take over full time management and ownership of Vibroplex.

Vibroplex will be moved from its current home in Mobile Alabama to a new QTH in Knoxville TN. The transition is planned for the last two weeks of 2009. The new location is supposed to be open for business on or about january 5th 2010.  The new QTH is 2906 Tazewell Pike, Suite A2B, Knxville TN 37918.  The toll free number is 800-840-8873.

“It’s a great opportunity to continue the more than 100 years of tradition that the Vibroplex name represents,” Robbins stated. “I’ve known Mitch for quite a few years and it was an important consideration for both of us that Vibroplex continue operation building quality products for amateur radio long into the future. Mitch’s experience owning the company will be valuable as we proceed with a seamless ownership transition over the next few weeks.”

Fred Lloyd of QRZ posted this:  ”Vibroplex is the oldest operating business in the amateur radio industry and has been in continuous service to the hobby since founder Horace Martin invented the “bug” semi-automatic morse code key in 1904. Mr. Mitchell purchased Vibroplex in 1994, and has operated it from Mobile, AL for the past 15 years.”

For more information visit the Vibroplex Website.