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I’m not a fan of New Kids on the Block, but this title just jumped out at me when I saw the story over at ARRL.ORG that NASA is looking for more astronauts. Currently there are only 59, where a decade ago, there was 150. Since the retirement of the Shuttle, the numbers have been going down.

Photo Courtesy of NASA/APOD

It takes 2 and a half years to train to be an astronaut, on top of the years of college getting a degree. Then there is the 31 weeks of working in Russia to learn how the Soyuz craft work and learning Russian. It’s a pretty big commitment, but from what I can see, it has some big payback and perks. I mean, who wouldn’t want to fly a few hundred nautical  miles above the Earth in micro gravity?

But currently, the Soyuz is grounded because of the crash of a supply ship in August, while Russian space agency investigators troubleshoot what went wrong. This could lead to a short abandonment of the International Space Station if Russian officials find the problem quickly. But still, the need for astronauts for the manned space flight program is still there.

From the ARRL.ORG story:

NASA has said that it expects to send four to six astronauts to the ISS each year for six-month rotations. But the August crash of a Russian re-supply rocket has grounded the Soyuz, the only vehicle capable of flying crew members to the station. NASA noted that the Russian crash might lead the agency to temporarily abandon the ISS this fall unless the Russians quickly troubleshoot the problem. “We will understand, to our satisfaction, the anomaly, what is believed to be the cause and how they resolved it,” said NASA ISS Program Manager Michael Suffredini in a press conference after the crash. “If we’re not happy, we won’t put our astronauts on the Soyuz.” In April, NASA awarded $269 million to four companies developing craft to deliver cargo and crew to the space station.

This along with the time needed to train, could lead to a shortage in 5 years. So NASA is looking now. But I doubt you’ll find a posting for the job on Monster.com or Regionalhelpwanted.com. Still, if you possess  a pretty hefty degree and are in good physical shape, you could be the next NASA astronaut. And having a Ham Radio license is also a plus. Right now there are 4 Hams on the Space station. Ron Garan, KF5GPO (NASA), Mike Fossum, KF5AQG (NASA), Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS (RKA), and Satoshi Furukawa, KE5DAW (JAXA). And you can check out AMSAT or the ISS Fanclub for more info on working the ISS.

Before I get started with the updated news on what is happening with my extra class upgrade application with the FCC, I want to say a very special thank you to the ARRL and to Perry Green, WY1O who just contacted me via email.

I’ve blogged about and mentioned the value on my podcast I believe we as amateur radio operators receive from being members of the ARRL many times.  I must admit, this value was only something I had heard others mention or read directly through the efforts of the ARRL to identify why hams should join the league.  I personally had not (until now) been on the receiving end of any direct assistance from the ARRL.  Of course, I believe this is normal.  After all, we purchase insurance based on what a company tells us they can and will do and frequently never actually see or need the benefit.  But we know and trust it is there when needed.

I can tell you from first hand experience, the ARRL benefit we all receive through membership is very much worth the cost.  Within 24 hours of my initial email to the ARRL Regulatory and Advocacy group I had received a response.  Not just any response, but a response very much worthy of answering my questions, explaining what it all meant and informing me they had contacted the FCC on my behalf.  WOW…

Now to the update.  The questions I asked of the ARRL Regulatory and Advocacy group was along the lines of what did “alert list review” mean, why was I on this list and what can be done to move my application along to a full approval status.  All my questions (and more) were answered. 

First what does “Alert List Review” mean?  As provided on the FCC’s website, by definition an “Alert List Review” is:

A list maintained by the FCC staff that identifies potential categories of "problem" applications so that ULS can identify them and send them offline for manual processing. The alert list function can then be used to flag applications based on the identity of the applicant, the spectrum being applied for, or the type of license being sought. For example, if an application is received for spectrum that is the subject of an ongoing rulemaking proceeding, that application would be offlined by ULS. The staff would then need to override a system alert in order to grant the application.

Now to the “why am I on this list" question and this is really where the ARRL helped me.  The ARRL contacted the FCC on my behalf and was able to determine I was off-lined for additional research as there is another individual with a variation of my name who they needed to hold, or hold for research. 

Mr. Green went on to inform me that I was fully cleared and would have been “released” and granted sooner, if it were not for the person who manually handles this review process wasn’t on vacation.  Some may think “why is this all down to one person”, well in my job I have a lot of responsibilities that simply don’t get done when I’m out sick or on vacation and it just simply is what it is. 

I also want to state for the record, the FCC never did say that I had done anything wrong.  This was simply my own “jumping to conclusions” in trying to figure out what all this meant and what was going on.  I have absolutely no reason to believe (nor do I believe) I was singled out for any reason whatsoever, other than the simple fact my name is similar to another name which needs to be handled in a different manner. 

Finally, I fully agree with the processes and procedures the FCC has in place.  My only regret in all this was I wished I had just simply contacted the ARRL versus reading into the information given to me through various social media and the additional forum research I conducted.  This put me more on the defensive and really didn’t do anything to resolve the problem and answer my questions. 

In closing, yes we do live in the information age.  We expect almost immediate results and when something doesn’t follow an expected path we do tend to question things.  However, I’m reminded of the fact that those who received their license long ago simply didn’t enjoy the short amount of time between testing and actually getting on the air as we do today.  Brand new technician class hams can leave a VE session on a Saturday and in most cases may be able to get on the air the very next weekend.  We should better appreciate this fact and be thankful to those who work hard to make all this happen.

Until next time….

73 de KD0BIK/AE

The Edmonton Amateur Radio Society is sponsoring a “Try Amateur Radio Day”  tomorrow at the local high school. When I saw this online, I thought, “That’s a pretty great way to get the hobby in the public view.” Just setup, do some operating and invite people to stop on by and have a look or even get on the air.

Photo Courtesy of Tryon ARC/K2JJI

Now I have helped with something like this with the Tryon Club I was a member of back in my home town. We have what’s called “Railfest” which is just a little fair near city hall and organizations from the area come to setup and meet the public, as well as having food and games and such. It’s a lot of fun. But something I noticed was that my fellow club members never went beyond saying ‘Hi’ to people that stopped by. They didn’t engage them in a conversation. It was like they were shy.

So I took the initiative and started talking to folks. That what I do for a living. I talk and engage listeners and people. Kids, passersby and such. It made for some nice conversations and getting the word out, that there is a club in town. Plus we had the usual pamphlets and PR material and a couple radios setup. All would be just nice to look at and be kind of there if you didn’t engage your visitors. So that’s a good bit of advice. Engage them in a conversation. If you get a small group of people around your table or area, and others see it, they will probably make it a point to stop there and see what is going on.

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, The Rock of Albany’s website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday on AmiZed Studios and hosts a podcast called The Kim & Rich Show with his fiance’ Kim Dunne.

As I proudly blogged about on 28 August, I did successfully pass my first attempt at the US extra exam and walked out of the VE session with my signed CSCE in hand.  I started checking the FCC ULS database the following week.  I had certainly been given the impression from the local VE team that they send the results off and typically upgrades or new licenses are shown within just  few days.  True enough, I noticed the FCC had received the upgrade information on 1 September.  I will admit I burned a hole through cyberspace refreshing the browser several times on Friday, 2 September hoping I would see the approved status show.  However, that was not to be. 

Over the weekend I had a ball working the Colorado QSO party on Saturday and spent a few hours on Sunday and Monday on the air.  I knew with it being a long holiday weekend I would expect to see any movement until Tuesday, 6 September.  Unfortunately, Tuesday 6 September came and went and the same status was showing. 

I became somewhat curious and decided to look into the amount of time which it took the FCC to fully approve my technician to general upgrade in January 2008.  Based on the information in the ULS database, the FCC received the request and it went to approved status all in the same day with the license being mailed the following day.  Something seemed a bit odd as I couldn’t understand what would be causing the delay this time.

When I review the status on the FCC ULS database this is what I see.

09/01/2011  Modification Received
09/01/2011  Redlight Review Completed
09/01/2011  Offlined for Alert List Review

I decided to utilize social media and the many hams I follow on Google+ to see if anyone else had experienced this.  Within a short amount of time another ham responded and told me what the status of Offlined for Alert List Review means.  Basically it is the FCC equivalent of the FAA’s No Fly List.  They went on to say that my name in on the FCC’s list of people who should not be given a license.  WHAT????

Now if you know me, you know I’m a God fearing, law-abiding, tax paying, red blood American.   Since getting my technician class licensed, I successfully upgraded to general in Jan. 2008 (without issue) and have had a couple of background checks for my volunteering with the Denver Police Dept.  In addition, I had my passport renewed in the Spring of 2011 and successfully re-entered the country after visiting Belgium and England during the June/July 2011 timeframe.  So what does the FCC think I’ve done wrong?

Well…if I knew the answer to that question I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog post.  I figure this must just be a case of mistaken identity.  After all, the name Jerry Taylor is fairly common.  Perhaps another Jerry Taylor has some FCC complaints logged against them and the FCC just needs additional time to confirm that I’m not the same Jerry Taylor.  Or, perhaps the FCC is casting a bigger net and another Jerry Taylor has been flagged in another government database.  At this point, I really don’t know. 

So what have I done about this?  Well…I’ve decided at this time NOT to contact the FCC.  I would probably only be able to speak to an admin level type person who may or may not know anything about why my application is on hold.  Instead, I utilized my ARRL Life Membership and contacted the ARRL Regulatory and Advocacy group.  At least these are fellow hams who should have the knowledge and insight to work directly with the FCC to clear this up.  Unfortunately, I’ve not heard back from the ARRL as of yet.

I wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to determine the right Jerry Taylor from the wrong Jerry Taylor (if this is the case), but who knows.  I’ve not done anything wrong and can’t think of any reason why this would or could be happening.  I’ll keep you all posted as I learn more.

Until then….

73 de KD0BIK/AE

The last 24 hours here in Upstate NY has been flood warnings and weather watches, and I want to get away from that for a bit. A good place to go, I think, is California. So why not join in on their 45th running of their QSO Party which is probably the largest in the U.S.

Image of Flag of California/Wikipedia

So the object of the party is of course to work as many stations in the Golden State as possible on phone and CW. Stations may be worked once per mode/band combination for points with California Counties (58 of them) as individual multipliers. And California stations will get credit for working stations inside and outside of the state with US States and Canadian Provinces as their multipliers. The party runs from 16:00 GMT October 1st till October 2nd at 22:00 GMT.

The Northern California Contest Club sponsors the CQP and offers a variety of awards open to stations inside and outside of California.  Some of the awards include plaques for the top operators in the Youth (under 18) and YL categories. California QSO Party chairman, Rick “Rhino” N6RNO, says that last year the contest attracted a record number of log submissions, and they are hoping to beat the previous record this year, by as big a margin as they can.

The rules for the contest, as well as a complete list of awards can be found on their website.

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, The Rock of Albany’s website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday on AmiZed Studios and hosts a podcast called The Kim & Rich Show with his fiance’ Kim Dunne.

Welcome to Handiham World!

I don’t know how it is for you, but in our household Labor Day here in the USA marks the unofficial end of summer.  Yes, I know that by the calendar September is still really a summer month. Autumn isn’t official until Friday, 23 September 2011.  But if you are an early riser like me, you can notice quite a difference week to week as the morning daylight retreats and it is really quite dark when you make that first pot of coffee or take the dog out.   

Help us win the Dr. Dave Challenge!

W0GLU License Plate

This vintage automobile license plate was issued to Rex Kiser, W0GLU, in 1971 by the State of Minnesota. It has renewal stickers for 1972 and 1973. Rex is now a silent key, but had literally decades of volunteer experience for the Handiham program. The license plate was a gift to us from Miriam Kiser, Rex’s wife.
Rex’s specialty was repairing and modifying amateur radio equipment for the use of our members with disabilities. He soon became our crew leader, taking charge of shop activities. Back in the early days, the modifications to equipment included mounting clothespins on band-switch knobs so that people with muscle weakness could get enough leverage to change bands by themselves. The Handiham System also kept a “fleet” of loaner CW transceivers, Ten-Tec Century 21 models. These would be modified by Rex and his crew for use by blind hams. The mod included cutting away part of the plastic bezel covering the radio’s frequency display dial and putting tactile bumps on the dial to mark frequency intervals. The blind user could put his or her fingertips through the hole in the bezel and feel the raised markings on the frequency display dial. This was about as analog a frequency display as you can get! It was only in later years that frequency displays started going digital and the door began opening to voice frequency announcements.
In later years, Rex and his crew installed voice modules in radios like the venerable Kenwood TS-440SAT, a very popular radio that appeared in the late 1980’s. The VS-1 speech module made it the most blind-friendly HF radio of its day, and the built in automatic antenna tuner in the SAT version freed blind users from the hassle of fiddling with manual tuners. Needless to say, Rex and his crew knew these radios inside and out!
W0GLU was also a regular net control station on the PICONET, which meets daily except Sundays on 3.925 MHz. I would describe Rex as a well-rounded ham radio operator who enjoyed many aspects of radio and electronics. Injured serving his country during WW2, shrapnel pierced his spinal column and he never walked again. That didn’t keep Rex from driving his own car and maintaining his considerable upper body strength. I was surprised when he decided to take up adapted skiing with his disabled vets group, but I shouldn’t have been. As I said, Rex was a well-rounded guy, interested in helping others by volunteering and in living a good and worthy life.
Rex Kiser, W0GLU – A great ham radio operator who inspires us still.

Image: Rex poses for the camera in the Handiham repair shop.

This one is going to be a little short, but here is some highlights of the ARISSat-1 on the event of it’s 1 month of service, and the 1 month of me trying to still receive it. While I am not bitter, I do cry myself to sleep sometimes at night, knowing I may never get to hear it. And if you believed that last sentence, I have some bridges in New York City I would like to offer you a great deal on.

So, here are some of the articles I have posted about ARISSat-1:

• Watch ARISSat-1 Deploy on NASA TV [VIDEO]
  

• Track and Watch ARISSat-1 on The Go!
  

• ARISSat-1 the Easy Way [VIDEO]
  

Photo Courtesy of AMSAT

Also, Douglas, KA2UPW/5 has reported that over 3000 frames of telemetry data has been sent in from the satelitte in the last 2 days. So things are still looking good. If you have any images from the SSTV on the satellite, please share them. I would love to see them.

Now, I haven’t really added much more on the ARISSat-1 because I didn’t want to get too bogged down with it. There are a ton of other stores I wanted to touch on as well. And I will be as we move forward. One of which is an Apple Cider Mobile as Autumn approaches and Apple Cider becomes the new beer for the evenings. Along with cider donuts and cheese curds and all the other goodies you can get at those small stores at family apple orchards here in Upstate NY. All this makes for a fun night at the radio on my favorite 2 meter repeater.

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, The Rock of Albany’s website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday on AmiZed Studios and hosts a podcast called The Kim & Rich Show with his fiance’ Kim Dunne.