Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
We’re giving away 10 free copies of Skilman Introduction to Morse Code!
January 3rd, 2016 | 
Author: Skilman and AmateurRadio.com
have teamed up to give away TEN free copies of
Skilman Introduction to Morse Code
($49.95 value each)
Open to all US and Canadian residents.
Deadline to enter is 10 January 2016 20:00 UTC.
Editor’s note:
Skilman has sent us a 10% off coupon code ‘U4YDIFM’ (valid through 1/24).
From the description:
Developed by Dr. Jessica Parks, an expert in memory and cognition with a doctoral degree in experimental psychology, this course on six audio compact discs will guide you step-by-step to mastery of Morse code.
Dr. Parks draws on long-standing research and scientifically validated principles to give you every advantage as you learn the letters, numbers, punctuation, and pro-signs that you will need to communicate using Morse code. A booklet and complimentary digital download of the entire course are also included.
Always wanted to learn Morse code? Now’s your chance — for free!
Listen to the sample lessons and then enter to win below…
Skilman Introduction to Morse Code – Lesson 1 (24:02) Download
[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl=”http://static.skilman.com/learn-1.mp3″]
Skilman Introduction to Morse Code – Lesson 2 (24:32) Download
[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl=”http://static.skilman.com/learn-2.mp3″]
Prize Packages
Ten (10) 6-disc copies of
Skilman Introduction to Morse Code
http://www.skilman.com
Eligibility
Residents of the
United States and Canada
(shipping is included!)
How to Enter
It’s simple!
Leave a comment to this post.
(e-mail address will not be shared)
Entry Duration
Only 1 week!
You may enter only once from
3 January 2016 12:00 UTC
to
10 January 2016 20:00 UTC
(multiple entries from the same entrant will be discarded)
Winner Announcement
10 January 2016
We will announce the winner on AmateurRadio.com.
You can get the winner announcement by
subscribing to our free Amateur Radio Newsletter via e-mail,
following our posts via RSS feed, via Twitter (@amatradio),
or via Facebook (facebook.com/amatradio).
Sign up so you won’t miss our next prize drawing!
Please tell your friends about this giveaway!
Thank you to Skilman for offering these fantastic prizes!
http://www.skilman.com
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 92
FreeDV 2016 road map
Release VHF FreeDV modes, one mode that runs through $60 HTs, another that outperforms closed source DV by 10dB.
Rowetel
Danger in calm seas
These three things present a clear and present danger to our continued growth and enjoyment of the radio hobby.
KE9V
First Amateur Radio geosynchronous satellite to launch in 2017
“Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a new ham band will be available for the Americas.”
KB6NU
CQ World Wide favor limiting operating time to less than 48 hours
Contesters want to see a time-limited category for single operators.
ARRL
Bouncing radio off of airplanes
Amateur radio operators are always trying some new stunt or other. It’s like they’ve got something to prove. Take Aircraft scatter for instance: the idea is to extend your radio’s range by bouncing it directionally off of overhead airplanes.
Hack a Day
PWM and MPPT solar charge controller
The solar charge controller is arguably the most important component of a solar energy system.
Off Grid Ham
Signal direction finding with an RTL-SDR + Raspberry Pi
Direction finding system built out of a Raspberry Pi, an RTL-SDR and four antennas.
RTL-SDR.COM
Airplane on 60m!
I almost cannot believe it happened. And how unique this contact was.
PE4BAS
How to
How I learned Morse Code
They practiced the art of radiotelegraphy: where the contacts were easier to make, the operators were more skilled, and the signals were stronger. I wanted in.
Fine Business
Super simple APRS position reporter
My criteria has been a Raspberry Pi and an HT as the two major hardware components. No hardware TNCs and no custom cabling.
K4HCK
Video
Building a new Ham shack
We are living in a rental house and we plan to build a new house. So, I need to setup a ham shack.
K7AGE
11kV lightning arrestor and exploding disconnecter
This is a lightning arrester from an 11kV power distribution line with an interesting feature to clear itself electrically when sustained current flows through it.
YouTube
The Spectrum Monitor — January, 2016
Stories you’ll find in our January, 2016 issue:
Building Solar-Powered Amateur Radio Beacons for 630 and 10-Meters
By Geir Laastad LA6LU
In the August 2015 issue of TSM, Geir wrote about “Advanced Radio Noise Filtering Using DSP Technologies.” This time Geir puts his electronics know-how to work while he shows us how he built two amateur radio beacons for opposite ends of the amateur HF spectrum: the 630 and 10-meter bands. The site for his beacons is his remote cabin in the woods—far away from everything, which is why his beacons are also powered off the grid. Using QRP Labs Ultimate3 QRSS/WSPR kits, these beacons have to be very rugged to take the abuse Norway’s winters can dish out.
TSM Reviews: AOR DV-1 Wideband Receiver
By Chris Parris
AOR is a brand well known to monitoring enthusiasts. They have a long history of making high-end receivers featuring advanced technology capable of wideband reception from longwave to the high side of UHF. “Federal Wavelengths” columnist, Chris Parris, puts this pedigreed receiver through its paces and finds some welcome pluses and a few disappointing minuses. He especially liked this radio’s ability to seek out weaker digital signals that other radios missed and he found ways to overcome the radio’s anemic audio.
Retro Radio: Finding, Storing and Savoring Vintage Amateur Radio Gear
By Richard Fisher KI6SN
Knowledgeable radio amateurs describe “vintage” transmitters, receivers and transceivers as being somewhat relative—only you know it when you see it. That’s because each of us have our own radio experiences, some dating to decades ago and others more recent. Nostalgia is a many splendored thing. Last month he looked at broadcast-band and shortwave receivers of a rich, bygone era. In this second part, his focus is on collecting, restoring and enjoying commercially manufactured vintage amateur radio equipment. As Richard shows us, restoring these ham band workhorses requires more than just a fondness for days gone buy.
VHF and Above: Sporadic-E Propagation
By Joe Lynch N6CL
From late November to early January, and again in the middle of May through the end of July, sporadic-E propagation appears more often on VHF and above frequencies in the Northern Hemisphere. This type of propagation occurs when there is a sporadic ionization of the E-layer that appears in the late morning and late afternoon local time during those months. But, working meteor-scatter Sporadic-E is not for slow hands, Joe shows you how to work fast to successfully log QSOs using this ephemeral mode. And, for once, it’s not about expensive esoteric antennas!
ATSC Off-Air Local Television: The Programming
By Mike Kohl
The Golden Age of Television is really here. Never before has there been such an abundance of choices in TV entertainment for the home. Last month, Mike hinted at multiple delivery methods being used to deliver signals. This month he looks at the content provided by local television broadcasters to their local Over-the-Air (OTA) viewers in representative regions of North America. Mike continues to show us all how to “cut the cord,” this month looking at OTA programming rewards. You might be surprised at just how many OTA channels you can find where you live.
Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Pensacola’s APCO P-25 Phase 2 and Whistler’s New Scanners
Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
DMR, APCO-25, MotoTRBO, and the IRS
Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
Mexican Military Returns to HF ALE
Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
The US Navy HF Broadcast System Revisited
HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman
Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
Digital Voice on the HF Bands
Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
DVB Dongles: Beef Up your $20 SDR
Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
WorldSpace, WRN, WXFAX and More
Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7UST
Catching Those Winter Mediumwave DX Signals
The World of Shortwave Listening
By Jeff White
A South Pacific Radio Odyssey
The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
RNZI, BBC, RFI, WHRI and VOA
Maritime Monitoring
By Ron Walsh VE3GO
CMB: Continuous Marine Broadcasts
The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
SDR: I’m a Believer!
Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
In Command Again Part 2: Experiments in Powering the Command Transmitters
Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Stealthy Green Jolly Loop Revisited: On the Low Down
The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.
Now Casting: Ham Radio Experts for a TV Series
I received an e-mail from casting director Austin James of FSA Entertainment in Los Angeles about a new series he’s casting for a major cable network. He asked me to pass it along to you:
NOW CASTING RADIO EXPERTS
(Ham Radio, Shortwave/high frequency, technicians, enthusiasts/hobbyists)
AND ADVENTURERS WITH A THIRST FOR SOLVING MYSTERIES
FOR A NEW SERIES ON A MAJOR CABLE NETWORK!
Seeking a team made up of radio experts, code breakers and adventurers to embark on a mission to uncover the true meaning behind anonymous radio transmissions – “number stations.”
We are looking for experts who have thirst for solving mysteries, are adventurous & charismatic and have a STRONG knowledge of radio (including shortwave and Ham) as well as an interest in ‘number stations’ to be featured in this new and exciting series. We are looking for our ‘Indiana Jones’ of the shortwave world.
We are ALSO looking for ADVENTURERS – people who are not afraid to explore and investigate a wide range of worldwide mysteries; someone who is persistent, charismatic and fearless!
We are looking for people who have EXPERIENCE in travel, research and problem solving. For example: code crackers, techies, radio conspiracy theorists, private investigators, former FBI/CIA, hackers, former military, researchers, history buffs and urban explorers.
To be considered, please email the following information ASAP to: [email protected]
Please include:
- Name
- Age
- Phone number
- Email address
- Brief bio of you and your relevant experience to this (radio, explorer etc.)
- 2 recent photos
Friday at the ARRL & TAPR Digital Communications Conference
Back in October I headed to Chicago – HamRadioNow cameras in tow – to record the 2015 ARRL and TAPR DCC. It’s a three-day conference covering all aspects of digital Amateur Radio — digital radios that run analog modes; analog radios that run digital modes; hardware; software; operations… On Friday and Saturday, there are usually 8 45-minute talks. There’s a banquet speaker on Saturday, and Sunday morning is a four-hour ‘deep-dive’ into a single topic.
It’s an intense weekend of shooting. Then a lot of editing to produce each talk as a separate program. I just finished uploading the 8th and final talk from Friday.
If you like high-tech, digital stuff in Ham Radio, you probably already know all about the DCC and the videos, right? Well, maybe not. Just in case, stop by my YouTube Channel: www.YouTube.com/HamRadioNow and check out Episodes 221 – 230 for this year’s shows. And to see all the DCC videos that I have online, there’s this Playlist.
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 91
2015 Year in Review
For this last issue of the year, I thought I’d do something fun and pull the most popular links from each issue and complie the top 10 as a ‘look back’ on the world of Amateur Radio in 2015. I hope you enjoy! –Cale K4HCK
#10
Verizon issues furious response to FCC, in Morse code
Verizon wrote a press release in Morse code and set the date as 1934 to make the point that the FCC is taking us backward in time.
Ars Technica (Issue 50)
#9
Steal this Ham Radio (technology)
If you think hams just use Morse code and voice communications, you are thinking of your grandfather’s ham radio.
Hack A Day (Issue 79)
#8
A look inside the NR5M super-station
The sun was just setting and I’m sure I had a stupid look on my face as I saw the towers rise over the horizon. What a sight to behold.
W0EA (Issue 65)
#7
EP6T team pleads for “more respect” from operators
“Jammers calling with fake calls and disrespecting the operators, sending disgraceful e-mails, and calling us names is sometimes too much for us.”
ARRL (Issue 45)
#6
Portable radio operations
Using Morse Code to keep in touch with friends.
Wiltshire Man (Issue 73)
#5
K1N logs 125,000 QSOs, offers “All-Time New One” days
“…do not call them if you already worked them.”
ARRL (Issue 48)
#4
Request an azimuthal map
Use this form to create an azimuthal map for any location on the globe.
NS6T (Issue 48)
#3
Icom IC-7300 available in January, official price announced
Icom’s IC-7300 is probably the most expected transceiver of 2016, given the fact that it’s the first direct-sampling SDR from one of the “big three” manufacturers.
YO9IRF (Issue 89)
#2
Dayton Hamvention – R.I.P.
The “laws of the market place” are taking care of the “Dayton as a hell-hole” problem.
K9ZW (Issue 64)
#1
New Baofeng radios on Monday?
“Including: Crossband Repeater Capabilities, Dual Simultaneous Receivers, 6 Band Reception, NOAA Weather Channels and Alerts, 7 Encoding and Decoding Methods, and Upgradable Firmware.”
Brick O’Lore (Issue 49)
Baofeng vs. Wouxun
Trying to decide between a Baofeng and a Wouxun HT? Here are some thoughts…
The good:
- They are super-cheap
- They are usually dead-on frequency and stable through temperature change (better than most Japanese radios)
- The Receiver sensitivity is usually better than the .2 uV specification at 12db SINAD
- They always produce at least as much power as advertised
- The Wouxun is excellent at harmonic suppression and adjacent channel selectivity
The bad:
- The Baofeng usually is pretty bad on harmonic suppression sometimes as bad as 20db
- The Baofeng has terrible adjacent channel selectivity and is easily interfered with in busy RF environments
Overall, all the Chinese radios are decent, but in my experience, the Wouxun is excellent compared to the Baofeng.
The Wouxuns I have personally tested gave the Japanese models a run for their money, at about a quarter of the price.
