AmateurRadio.com

I love my morning surfing. I’m always finding something good to share. One other morning, I found this one. It’s a video from the ARRL showing innovative, imaginative and fun ways hams use radio technology. It’s about 8 minutes long and it looks to be a recruitment video towards the DIY crowd.That I think is a good idea, as I have seen a couple videos from the Maker Fair on YouTube here and there, that incorporate Ham Radio in their projects. And the topper of this video in my opinion is the host, Diana Eng, KC2UHB, who is no stranger to the DIY, Fashion and Ham Radio communities. A Trifecta!

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My morning surf has brought me to the ARRL’s website with a nice little quiz about Ham Radio that has been on TV and in Hollywood. The recent news in the community about Tim Allen’s new TV show giving Ham Radio some “props”, has inspired this.

Do Not Adjust Your Set..

This quiz is thanks in part to the websites of AD7DB, KB9MWR and AC6V for the references. As I went through looking at it, some were pretty easy, and some were a little tougher. I didn’t check my answers to see how I did. I wanted to see what you posted for your results first. I know this is a pop quiz, but hey, my teacher did it to me in school, and I’m sure he/she did it to you too. So take the quiz and let us know how you did.

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I’ve only seen one or two episodes of Tim Allen’s new TV Show, Last Man Standing. They looked OK, but they didn’t grab me to where I put it on my must see list. But I will be looking forward to an upcoming episode of the show, that does feature Ham Radio. All of this is according to en article on Southgate’s website.

Tim Allen and Nancy Travis star in ABC's Last Man Standing. Photo Courtesy of ABC.com

Tim’s character, Mike Baxter, who’s callsign is KA0XTT, can be seen using his radio in an upcoming episode says Last Man Standing Producer John Amodeo, NN6JA, having a QSO. He says it was all done on the stage. The radios and antennas are inside the sound stage which acts as a large  Faraday cage, basically keeping the QSO, radio to radio.

From the Southgate Article:

“We had two Amateur Extra class staff members complete a QSO on 10 meters and we recorded it,” Amodeo explained. “Unfortunately, we were set up on a stage that is basically a Faraday cage. The very QRP signal made it radio-to-radio. We varied the Receiver Incremental Tuning to give it a little extra SSB sound, but I don’t think the signal made it much past the stage walls. The recording will be on the show. We thought our ham viewers would get a kick out of it. Non-hams will think it’s just distorted.”

He went on to share what equipment was in the shack.  An ICOM IC-9100 HF/6 meter/2 meter transceiver and an IC-92AD handheld transceiver, both provided to the show courtesy of ICOM America, as well as a Comet CHV-5X HF dipole and GP-1 antenna for 2 meters and 70 cm (courtesy of NCG/Comet). In an episode that aired on January 3rd, you can see DXCC and Worked All States awards on the wall as well as issues of QST and the 2011 ARRL Handbook. Obviously, the producers are adding a lot of details we would notice, but the average viewr wouldn’t. I wonder if Tim Allen would be curious taking a test for his license? I may need to do a new “Celebrity Ham Radio List”. Who would be on YOUR list?

The episode Mike Baxter has a QSO in will air on January 17th. So set your DVR and be ready.

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Welcome to Handiham World!

1. Lack of organization.  Any activity that involves a group of participants meeting at specific times for some stated purpose requires some organization.  To understand this concept, let’s consider a simple job like mowing your lawn. You would be correct to assume that you can do this job yourself, so no formal organization is required. On the other hand, suppose you must mow a golf course.  Now you need a formal organization, because the job is too large and complicated for one person. The head groundskeeper will be in charge, doling out job assignments to a crew.  A net can also need formal organization, depending on its size and purpose. When you don’t have job assignments or other necessary organization, it can make a mess of the net. 
2. Failure to commit.  This is a problem in every club, and can sure be a problem when it comes to net participation. You need a critical mass of committed participants to make a net happen.  Not enough commitment equals dead net. 
3. Distractions & competition from other activities.  This is a problem for every club, bowling group, TV network, newspaper, and amateur radio net.  There is competition on every front from something else, no matter what you are trying to organize, and that in turn makes it hard to get participants to commit to the net.  
4. Crowded bands.  Now that the solar cycle is yielding more favorable HF propagation conditions, the most popular HF bands are more crowded than ever.  It can be difficult to find a clear frequency on which to gather for your net.
5. Poor HF propagation.  Ha, ha, this is also an excuse for a failing net, because just as good propagation can result in crowded bands, bad propagation can result in empty bands. You have to hear them if you want to work them, goes the old saying. 
6. QRM.  This annoyance has been around as long as anyone can remember, but it can kill a net if the net participants don’t know how to manage it. Who wants to listen to all that noise and interference? 
7. Poor net control technique.  Oh, man – don’t get me started.  A net control station that cannot control the net is a real turn-off for many would be participants. 
8. Bad marketing.  If no one knows about the net, it is unlikely to grow and prosper. You can’t leave it to chance that people will simply run across the net by tuning around the bands, although that sometimes does happen. 
9. Lack of flexibility.  Everyone knows that people have lots going on in their lives and that they cannot make every net session. HF conditions change all the time. Sometimes there may be another QSO on the net frequency. If the net does not have flexibility built into it, these problems can turn into a failed net.
10. Not having a plan.  What if the frequency is already in use?  What if the scheduled Net Control Station does not show up? What if the band is dead?  If there is no plan to deal with such things, the net can fold like a tent in the wind!

Now is the time all over the world where Hams open up their stations to let kids in to experience Ham Radio. January 8th is the magical day and it’s sure to be fun for all involved. For those new to the hobby, it’s not another contest, but just a fun time.

Photo Couretsy of ARRL.org

The American Radio Relay League has a website dedicated to Kid’s Day, as does the IARU Region 1. It’s all about having Kid’s participate by calling CQ Kid’s Day and exchanging Name, age, location and favorite color. And you’re encouraged to work stations again when the operator changes. Operations take place at 1800 UTC through 2359 UTC. The ARRL shows that operation is on the following frequencies:

10 Meters: 28.350 to 28.400 MHz

12 Meters: 24.960 to 24.980 MHz
15 Meters: 21.360 to 21.400 MHz
17 Meters: 18.140 to 18.145 MHz
20 Meters: 14.270 to 14.300 MHz
40 Meters: 7.270 to 7.290 MHz
80 Meters: 3.740 to 3.940 MHz

You can also use your favorite favorite repeater (with permission of the repeater’s sponsor). Be sure to observe third-party restrictions when making DX QSOs.

The ARRL has a colorful certificate that all kids are eligible to receive  just by participating.  But beware, some kids can be mic shy. So encourage them in a fun way.And remember to also post your photos and stories for all to see. If your club doesn’t have a Facebook page, this may be the best time to start one.

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Happy New Year to all! I’m back after a week’s vacation for the holidays and feeling very rested. Tyler, N7TFP on the other hand, has been busy, busy, busy. I don’t know about the holidays, but the videos he’s been cranking out are great! Here’s another one for you!I have been saying this with the last couple videos that getting back to basics are great for the veterans on the air, and these are great tutorials for those just joining or recently joined the hobby. In this one, Tyler shows how to set the proper mic gain on your SSB tranceiver. Without any more fanfare, heeeeeeeere’s TYLER!

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There is a small airport – one grass runway and a single windsock – a few miles from my home (and ham radio station) here in Glade Park.  According to Google Maps (see graphic bel0w) this airport – Pinyon Airport – lies 5.586-km away as the crow, and presumably Piper, flies.  I’ve seen a small propeller plane land here after passing rather low over my house on approach.  A concern seeing as how I’ll be building ham radio antenna towers later this year.

I checked the FAA “TOWAIR” Website and plugged in the coordinates of my first likely tower location – 39.013949 N, 108.744371 W – and got the response “Structure does not require registration.”  Nevertheless I’ll be registering my towers with the Federal Aviation Administration so they appear in a NOA (Notice To Airmen) and appear on FAA maps.  I’ll also try to find out how owns the aircraft mentioned above and politely suggest they find a new approach or fly a bit higher.

Bill