From rfhill-l at jtan.com Tue May 4 00:13:25 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 20:13:25 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Auction a Success! Message-ID: Thanks to all who came out to help with the Auction. I think it was one of our best! 73 Jim Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 wa3ylq at hotmail.com wa3ylq at arrl.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100503/91daeb07/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Thu May 6 04:45:21 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 04:45:21 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] How about a bunch of simultaneous demos on Kid's Day Message-ID: <2644.96.245.160.182.1273121121.squirrel@96.245.160.182> In searching for hamfests, I saw an entry where the club was having their hamfest on Kid's Day, which is the Saturday and Sunday before Field Day. I'm thinking that we could set up stations with various modes, and each station also 2M FM at a variety of locations around the area. If all else fails, we can talk among the demo stations. We can also use the FM network as a spotting network for the HF stations. Any takers? This one DEFINITELY needs you to buy in early, so we can arrange sites, plan setups and modes, and get the publicity out. I'm already working as many hours as the Feds will let me, and I'm getting behind, so I can't ramrod this one. I just don't have the time. Someone who can take this idea and run with it would be welcome to do so. Robert, NX3S From rfhill-l at jtan.com Tue May 11 00:41:18 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 20:41:18 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Board Meeting Tuesday (Tomorrow) Message-ID: Our May Board meeting will be at the A&N Diner, tomorrow. 7PM = Eating....7:30 = meeting. All members are invited to attend. Agenda: May Program and Field Day 73 Jim Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 wa3ylq at hotmail.com wa3ylq at arrl.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100510/3af54563/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Tue May 11 01:22:21 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 01:22:21 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Board Meeting Tuesday (Tomorrow) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1035.96.245.160.182.1273540941.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Jim: I won't be attending the Board meeting. I'm working. I don't usually get home until 9 PM or later. Also, since this is presently a 7-day-a-week job, I probably won't get to the May meeting, either. If I am to present part of the program, you'll need to make other arrangements. Robert, NX3S > > Our May Board meeting will be at the A&N Diner, tomorrow. 7PM = > Eating....7:30 = meeting. All members are invited to attend. > > > > Agenda: May Program and Field Day > > > > 73 > > > > Jim > > > > Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 > wa3ylq at hotmail.com > wa3ylq at arrl.net > > > > > _______________________________________________ > RFHill-l mailing list > RFHill-l at jtan.com > http://mailman.jtan.com/mailman/listinfo/rfhill-l > From rfhill-l at jtan.com Tue May 11 22:35:52 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 18:35:52 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Board Meeting Tuesday (Tomorrow) In-Reply-To: <1035.96.245.160.182.1273540941.squirrel@96.245.160.182> References: , <1035.96.245.160.182.1273540941.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Message-ID: No problem Robert, I'll take care of it!!! Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 wa3ylq at hotmail.com wa3ylq at arrl.net > Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 01:22:21 +0000 > To: rfhill-l at jtan.com; wa3ylq at arrl.net > From: rfhill-l at jtan.com > Subject: Re: [RFHill-L] Board Meeting Tuesday (Tomorrow) > > > Jim: > > I won't be attending the Board meeting. I'm working. I don't usually get > home until 9 PM or later. > > Also, since this is presently a 7-day-a-week job, I probably won't get to > the May meeting, either. If I am to present part of the program, you'll > need to make other arrangements. > > Robert, NX3S > > > > > Our May Board meeting will be at the A&N Diner, tomorrow. 7PM = > > Eating....7:30 = meeting. All members are invited to attend. > > > > > > > > Agenda: May Program and Field Day > > > > > > > > 73 > > > > > > > > Jim > > > > > > > > Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 > > wa3ylq at hotmail.com > > wa3ylq at arrl.net > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > RFHill-l mailing list > > RFHill-l at jtan.com > > http://mailman.jtan.com/mailman/listinfo/rfhill-l > > > > > _______________________________________________ > RFHill-l mailing list > RFHill-l at jtan.com > http://mailman.jtan.com/mailman/listinfo/rfhill-l -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100511/bdb671b0/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Sat May 15 01:00:25 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 21:00:25 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Lindbergh Special Events Station Message-ID: I just worked W0L from St Louis and Suburban Radio Club (on PSK-31). Go to their site www.slsrc.org to view info on their special event station. I signed, logged in, found my call in on-line log, and printed a very nice certificate. They have a schedule listed on typical modes through Sunday. Good luck Jim WA3YLQ Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 wa3ylq at hotmail.com wa3ylq at arrl.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100514/43e39661/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Sat May 15 01:08:09 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 21:08:09 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Lindbergh Special Events Station In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On the 9th, I worked them on 20 meters... Ten minutes after is "signed", I had the certificate hanging on my wall. Nice Irv W3IWJ On Fri, May 14, 2010 at 9:00 PM, RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions wrote: > I just worked W0L from St Louis and Suburban Radio Club (on PSK-31). Go to > their site www.slsrc.org to view info on their special event station. > > I signed, logged in, found my call in on-line log, and printed a very nice > certificate. They have a schedule listed on typical modes through Sunday. > > Good luck > > Jim WA3YLQ > > Jim Soete 215-723-7294 Cell: 215-622-4344 > wa3ylq at hotmail.com > wa3ylq at arrl.net > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > RFHill-l mailing list > RFHill-l at jtan.com > http://mailman.jtan.com/mailman/listinfo/rfhill-l > > -- 73 De Irv W3IWJ Web Site: www.w3iwj.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100514/32b27e26/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 17 02:25:33 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 02:25:33 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] [Fwd: [FT817] FT-817 0n VHF/UHF Weak Signal Modes] Message-ID: <1443.96.245.160.182.1274063133.squirrel@96.245.160.182> ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: [FT817] FT-817 0n VHF/UHF Weak Signal Modes From: "chaucer2525" Date: Sun, May 16, 2010 18:58 To: FT817 at yahoogroups.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi all, Not sure if a previous post referred to not having heard of people running the FT-817 on SSB and CW on VHFUHF. Well, I do and it does pretty well hill-topping with small beams. In three VHF contests, I've worked a lot of sporadic E on 6M and some pretty long hauls (300 Mi +) on 2M and 70 cm. During one VHF contest I worked every grid square on the "left coast" of the US from PA. And on a couple of Field Days, I worked the Caribbean and Sable Island. On the other hand, a friend of mine uses her FT-817 a good deal on 2M FM. For success with QRP on VHF/UHF weak signal modes, an elevated location is very desirable, and a good, horizontally polarized beam with low loss feedline is necessary! 72/73, Cal K4JSI ------------------------------------ and for a great FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions ) see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FT817/database Some really good technical info at: http://www.ussc.com/~turner/ft817pg.shtml Please note that your messages and files sent to this group may appear anywhere on the Internet or in print without notice or compensation. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FT817/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FT817/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: FT817-digest at yahoogroups.com FT817-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: FT817-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From rfhill-l at jtan.com Thu May 20 02:53:42 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 02:53:42 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Garbage Bag as EmComm Asset Message-ID: <1997.96.245.160.182.1274324022.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Garbage Bag as EmComm Asset The garbage bag is the most overlooked yet most practical single item available in an emergency. Not only can it protect you and/or your equipment from a variety of climatic conditions, it facilitates carrying items ranging from your most expensive equipment to trash from an abandoned site. Further, the typical garbage bag weighs less than an ounce, occupies little more room than a business envelope and costs pennies. From personal experience in the most inclement weather and most demanding situations, where I didn't have a garbage bag, I wished I had one, and, where I gave thanks for having had the prescience to have brought one along. In an emergency, after functioning communications equipment, nothing beats a garbage bag! -- John Kountz, KE6GFF/T6EE, CRO Laguna Beach Emergency Communications Team, Laguna Beach, California From rfhill-l at jtan.com Thu May 20 02:57:37 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 02:57:37 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Free New USGS Digital Topo Maps Message-ID: <2047.96.245.160.182.1274324257.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Free New USGS Digital Topo Maps Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 08:09AM >From the current issue of SAR News, an excellent free online newsletter: Free New Generation USGS Digital US Topo Maps Available Upgraded (from beta map) content and improved contours and hydrography features, and technical functions such as data layers, are now all rolled into one with the new digital US Topo Maps based on the USGS National Map. Other advantages to using the digital maps are the ability to turn data layers off and on, zoom in, printed to scale or used on-screen, compatibility with Google Maps, and choice of reference systems. Plus, the maps are free. http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/ From rfhill-l at jtan.com Thu May 20 03:02:54 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 03:02:54 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Interesting Radio Box Message-ID: <2083.96.245.160.182.1274324574.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Video shows an interesting radio box. http://n5fdl.com/davids-blog/category/bags-and-cases Any woodworkers in the club? Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com From rfhill-l at jtan.com Thu May 20 03:04:35 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 03:04:35 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Planning for Your Power Needs Message-ID: <2105.96.245.160.182.1274324675.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Planning For Your Power Needs Monday, November 17, 2008 at 12:15AM During a recent ARECC course, there was much discussion of 12-volt power supplies for emergency operations, both fixed and mobile. It?s an important topic for emergency communcators, so I want to expand the discussion to this blog. This is the first of a series of posts on the broad topic of portable and backup power supplies. For starters, let?s consider these examples of how much power a typical amateur station requires: HF Rigs 2 amps receive 20 amps transmit 6.5 amps-per-hour typical VHF/UHF Mobile Rigs 1 amp receive 10 amps transmit 3.3 amps per hour typical These estimates are based on a 25% transmit and 75% receive duty cycle. Your duty cycle may vary. For example, a busy net control assignment will consume power more quickly than this example, while the overnight operator at a Red Cross shelter is likely to consume less. Note that this rate of consumption is based on running full power?100 watts on HF and 50 watts on VHF/UHF. This highlights the importance of antenna gain, which allows you to run lower RF power and reduce battery consumption. While there may not be much you can do on HF to operate with lower power, preplanning your VHF/UHF antenna installation may allow you to operate on low power. During our recent Simulated Emergency Test, John, AF6JP, loaned me a 12 amp-hour sealed lead-acid battery, which was used to power the net control station. We had no trouble running the station on battery power for the entire 3-hour exercise, using reduced transmitter power. In a real operation, I?d have brought one of my 73 amp-hour batteries capable of running the VHF/UHF station on low power for as long as 24 hours. Between John and myself, we have maybe six of these batteries, purchased surplus for about $20 each. We?ve used them on Field Day for our HF stations with good result. David Coursey, N5FDL | Comments Off From rfhill-l at jtan.com Sat May 22 00:53:02 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 20:53:02 -0400 Subject: [RFHill-L] Tour de Cure assignment update - Friday 5/21/10 Message-ID: <410C1568F015494095201096EE2946701C90FC10@post03.corp.seic.com> Thank you in advance to everyone who has volunteered. We can still use more operators. If you are available, please reply to this email and call me at 610-676-2133. If you have any questions or concerns about your assignments, please do the same! The American Diabetes Association will be holding their Tour De Cure bicycle event this weekend, Sunday 5/23/10. We will be using this as an ARES exercise for providing communications support. A description of the points of communication follows. Everyone is welcome to participate. There are opportunities from 7 AM to 4 PM. You don't need to commit to the entire event. Food will be available to communications volunteers at the start / finish line ('snacks' at the rest stops). All positions will require a mobile radio. Only the 2 SAG operators will need to operate from a vehicle that is not their own. All other operators will operate from their personal vehicles. We will try using APRS on 144.390 during this event for tracking. We have also been asked to standby at a number of 'bad' intersections to relay any incidents. These assignments will be made as operators are available. They are mostly between Warrington and Solebury. Hams: N3QGO Brian, and additional operators! Location - Start / Finish line (tactical call sign Command) Temple University Ambler Campus, 580 Meetinghouse Rd., Ambler, PA 19002. Enter parking area from Butler Pike Setup 6 AM. Open 7 AM. Close 4 PM. Report directly to this location. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, APRS tracking display, commercial power available Hams: KB3MPX Ryan, WD0ESL Frank Location - The Market at Delaware Valley College (tactical call sign DelVal) 2100 Lower State Rd., Doylestown, PA 18901 Setup 7 AM. Open 8 AM. Close 11 AM. Report directly to this location. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, no power available Hams: W3GAD Doc, KA3TSJ Bob Location - Jericho Valley Community Center (tactical call sign Jericho) 200 Lurgan Rd, New Hope, PA 18938 Setup 7:30 AM. Open 8:30 AM. Close 11:30 AM. Report directly to this location. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, no power available. A strong station is needed here. Hams: KB3SBC Walt, W1HRO Tom Location - Moland House (tactical call sign Moland) 1641 Old York Rd., Hartsville, PA 18974 Setup 8:30 AM. Open 10 AM. Close 1 PM. Report directly to this location. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, no power available. Hams: KB3MTW Michelle, KB3JCP Adam. Location - Igoe, Porter, Wellings Park (tactical call sign Park) 3095 Bradley Rd., Warrington, PA Setup 8:30 AM. Open 10 AM. Close 1 PM. Report directly to this location. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, no power available. Ham: WA3QVU Mark, KB3JQH Ben SAG4 - patrol Mile Markers: DelVal 13 to Split 17 from 9 AM to 11 AM Split 17 to Join 20 (35 route) from 11 AM to 1 PM Moland 46 to Park 54 from 1:30 PM to 3 PM SAG5 - patrol Mile Markers: Split 17 to Jericho 32 (63 route) from 10 AM to Noon Jericho 32 to Moland 46 (63 route) from Noon to 1:30 PM Leave from Start Finish, return to Start Finish. Equipment: 2 meters and 440 voice, APRS Thanks, Brian Faux, N3QGO Emergency Coordinator Bucks County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (BACRES) N3QGO at bucksares.org 610-676-2133 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.jtan.com/pipermail/rfhill-l/attachments/20100521/60694dee/attachment.html From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:13:04 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:13:04 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] VK100WIA now on air Message-ID: <2791.96.245.160.182.1274703184.squirrel@96.245.160.182> WIA National President, Michael Owen VK3KI had the honour of launching the special callsign VK100WIA today (14 May) and did so on the 40m. The lucky very first contact was at 10:24am AEST with Geoff Atkinson VK3TL and the second was with Geoff Parker VK2ZC at 10.28am, signal reports exchanged were 5 by 5 both ways. The commemorative callsign for the Centenary of Organised Amateur Radio in Australia and the foundation of the WIA in 1910 will be activated by WIA National for the rest of May. An operating roster includes two WIA Directors (Bob Bristow VK6POP 15 May and Chris Platt VK5CP 23 May), a member of the WIA Centenary Committee (Jim Linton VK3PC 16 May), Amateur Radio Victoria 17, 18 and 19 May and Amateur Radio New South Wales 20, 21 and 22 May. It is also expected to get a work good work out during the WIA Centenary Convention in Canberra from 26 to 31 May. Listen for it on the amateurs bands or keep tabs on the operation by checking the online logging system on the WIA website. The following Link will take you directly to the log page. Link to fill article: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2010/20100514-1/index.php Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:16:20 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:16:20 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] 12 year-old YL operator 10th in UK in WW WPX Contest Message-ID: <2826.96.245.160.182.1274703380.squirrel@96.245.160.182> 12 year-old YL operator 10th in UK in WW WPX Contest Newly-licenced radio amateur Angel Armstrong, M6APA was the operator, along with her father Eric, M6EKA as her logger, in the recent WW WPX Contest held on March 27-28 2010. Angel was very nervous as she had only passed her Amateur Radio Foundation licence exam one week before the contest. After a slow start to the contest, Angel was soon up to speed, keeping her father busy. At times, he was even having difficulty keeping the log up to date. Angel kept pace with the incoming calls with the confidence of someone with more experience and years. Their equipment was not at all sophisticated, a TS440 with 10w into a G5RV with a North/ South orientation. But the results for this new radio amateur, operating from her home QTH in Hull E,Yorks, where outstanding. Results in the WW CPX were: World 517th out of 1464 Europe 322th out of 738 And in the UK 10th out of 28. With a total score of 92,700 points All the members at her local club HADARS - Hull and District Amateur Radio Society are very proud of her achievement. The club meet on a Friday evening 7:30, at the Walton St Leisure Centre in Hull From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:18:37 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:18:37 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] VOACAP goes online Message-ID: <2853.96.245.160.182.1274703517.squirrel@96.245.160.182> VOACAP goes online Jari, OH6BG, reports: "I am glad to inform that making point-to-point HF propagation predictions is now easier than ever as VOACAP Online has been opened to the public. "The service uses VOACAP (Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program) which is arguably one of the best HF prediction engines available on the market today. "VOACAP Online is free to all and makes using VOACAP a no-brainer. Just enter the coordinates of the transmitter and the receiver, and that's all. To find the coordinates, you can use the Google Maps based QTH Locator at: http://www.voacap.com/qth.html "The prediction is given as a 'circuit reliability' graph that shows the probability of achieving a CW-grade transmission quality between the transmitter and the receiver. "VOACAP Online is brought to you by Jari Perkiomaki, OH6BG, James Watson, HZ1JW and Juho Juopperi, OH8GLV." http://online.voacap.com Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:21:05 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:21:05 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] IOTA News Message-ID: <2887.96.245.160.182.1274703665.squirrel@96.245.160.182> IOTA News 24 May, 2010 Island activities: EU-017. Operators Vincenzo/IT9EJP, Sebastiano/IT9ZIR, Dario/IT9ZZO, Filippo/IW9FRB and Ferdinando/IW9HSK will be active from Stromboli Island (IIA ME-016) as ID9/homecall between May 29th and June 2nd. QSL via their home callsigns. More information can be found at: http://www.iw9frb.it/stromboli EU-084. Operators Aloys/PA3DAT and Femma/PA3DWK will be active as SM0/PA3DAT from possibly Singo Island between July 23-25th. They will be an entry in the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 24-25th). For more details, see: http://www.pa3dat.nl EU-103. Operators Bernard/EI4II and Olivier/ON4EI will be active as EJ4II from Saltee Islands between July 23-25th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW and SSB. They also plan to be in the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 24-25th). QSL via EI4II. Details about the Saltee Islands can be found at: http://users.telenet.be/on5kl/eu103.htm EU-127. Peter, DF6QC, will be active from Helgoland Island during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 24-25th) as a 12H/SSB/Low-Power entry. QSL via DF6QC. For more details, see: http://www.df6qc.de NA-044. Operators Curt/W3HQ and Cliff/KI4IW will be active from Battle Island as VO2/homecall during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 24-25th) as a 24H/CW and SSB/All-Bands entry. Afterwards, the operators will activate a local lighthouse (name and reference numbers not provided) running QRP on CW on 40/30/20 meters. NA-151. Operators Gabi/DF9TM, Heiko/DL1RTL, Frank/DL2SWW and Ric/DL2VFR are in the planning stages of an IOTA operation to Tasiilaq/ Ammassalik to take place between October 20-30th. Look for the operators to sign OX/homecall and operate on CW, SSB and RTTY. More details will be forthcoming. They are focused on giving everybody a new IOTA. NA-151 is based on the "most wanted list" as a semi-rare IOTA (25% confirmed). There has not been any larger activity since 2005. The island group was activated mostly on SSB so far. QSL route to be announced later. Website: http://www.iota-expedition.com SA-071. A team of Brazilian operators will activate Moela Island (WLOTA 1335) between July 2-4th. There will be 1 station for the WLOTA contest using the PS2G callsign and another 2 stations for DX using the PW2K callsign. QSL both callsigns via PY2WAS. The team of 12 operators are: Gerson/PY2AC, Rabelo/PY2AN, Ric/PY2DEL, Tony/PY2DY, Ric/PY2EL, Ricardo/PY2OE, Walter/PY2IAY, Carlos/PY2VM, Fabio/PY2XM, Julio/PY2XV, Waldir/PY2WC and Alex/PY2WAS. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB, PSK31 and RTTY. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compiled by OPDX RSGB IOTA website Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:21:45 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:21:45 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] The Wireless Emergency Crisis Message-ID: <2892.96.245.160.182.1274703705.squirrel@96.245.160.182> The Wireless Emergency Crisis Networking | Blog Post | Wayne Rash, Friday, May 14, 2010 Tags: Business Communications, business continuity, disaster recovery, government agencies, Wireless Networks You already know that things will go to Hell during a real emergency that involves your company. You know your cell phones won?t work, your landline phones might or might not work. You might not have electrical power. You also know that your employees could be in danger for their lives and physical safety. Last week, I made a series of suggestions for things to consider when dealing with an emergency. One of those things was that you should find out if any of your employees are licensed amateur radio operators, and if none are, to encourage employees that are so inclined to get their licenses. However, Allen Pitts of the American Radio Relay League quickly added a comment reminding readers that ham radio can only be used for emergencies involving risks to life and property. You can?t use it as a business continuity solution. In other words, if you need a radio system for communication between offices or other functions relating to the conduct of your business, and you can?t depend on wireless devices (which you can?t in an emergency), then you need to spring for a business radio system. The advantage to this is that you can talk all you want to, you get the frequency to yourself, and you can encrypt your communications. But Allen brought up another, perhaps more serious problem. Not only do businesses want to use ham radio because it is so reliable, so do emergency workers. He tells me that there are many situations in which police, fire and even National Guard organizations are trying to use ham radio to conduct operations because it is the only really reliable and interoperable method of working between agencies. ?Amateur radio became a victim of its own success because it is so reliable,? Pitts said. Pitts, who is the Media and Public Relations Manager for the ARRL, said that the need for reliable, interoperable, communications between emergency service agencies has become a critical problem. During an emergency, he pointed out, departments from different communities, and from different parts of the same communities, can?t talk to each other. When it?s an actual emergency, of course, ham radio is there to help. But what about non-emergency situations? These agencies still need to communicate, and finding a way has been difficult. One of the things that was supposed to happen during the great transition to digital television is that some of the frequencies once used by analog television were supposed to be made available for a nationwide interoperable emergency network. Unfortunately, the FCC couldn?t get bids for that service, so that need went unfilled. Emergency workers and first responders were effectively kept from communicating with each other, mostly because of bureaucracy and a lack of leadership on the part of the FCC. Apparently the desire to sell the frequencies instead of simply assigning them overtook good sense. Fortunately, that?s changed. On the same day I talked with Allen Pitts, the FCC announced that it has given conditional approval to 21 cities, counties and states to build interoperable networks for first responders. There are two reasons you should care about this. First, it means that the first responders in your community may eventually be able to communicate with each other, assuming your community?s government cares enough about your safety to take action on this. Second, it means that it will be easier to call for help without the fire department and the National Guard taking up the ham radio frequencies your people might need to save their lives. If you community isn?t on the FCC?s list of approved localities, maybe it?s time to ask your local and state government why they?re not there. And maybe it?s time to take action yourself. After all, elected officials tend to pay attention to the companies in their areas because they want you on their side during the next election. Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 24 12:24:02 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 12:24:02 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] Last Day For Hamvention Message-ID: <2909.96.245.160.182.1274703842.squirrel@96.245.160.182> Last Day For Hamvention Kathryn Burcham, Reporter Posted: 10:41 pm EDT May 15, 2010 Updated: 11:05 am EDT May 16, 2010 TROTWOOD, Ohio -- Officials at Hamvention 2010 said the more than 20,000 visitors are giving Miami Valley residents a reason to celebrate - several million reasons, in fact. Organizers estimated this year's convention will bring between six and ten million dollars to the local economy. The event ends Sunday, but according to the Dayton Hamvention website, the event is scheduled to be in Dayton for the next three years. Radio amateur Don Arnold drove up from Chattanooga, Tennessee and said, "People save up their money all year just to come to Dayton...Hams like to eat, stay in hotels and take our buddies out." Some visitors came from even farther away, like the Schimmel family from Germany. The Schimmels said times are tough not just across the United States, but across the world. Chris Schimmel said, "If you have a job you are lucky, you have to stick to it whether you like it or not." Still, the Schimmels said, Hamvention is so important to their family that they saved up their hard-earned Euros all year for their annual trek.Copyright 2010 by WHIOTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Robert, NX3S From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 31 02:06:37 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 02:06:37 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] [Fwd: [FT817] Memorial Day Weekend] Message-ID: <1206.96.245.160.182.1275271597.squirrel@96.245.160.182> ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: [FT817] Memorial Day Weekend From: ve3xnb at sympatico.ca Date: Mon, May 31, 2010 1:31 To: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Originator is from Canada - Robert) To ALL my American friends everywhere. I wish to take this Time to wish all my American friends a safe, happy and healthy Memorial Day Weekend. But PLEASE take the time to remember what it is all about. Take a few minutes to remember all those who have died in the service of their respective countries, not only Americans, but all her friends and allies as well. Remember not only those who have died in actual actions, but those whom have been wounded and died later as a result. In some cases YEARS later. Also remember and give thanks to those whom have been wounded and lived for years carrying those pains and scares. Remember the families and friends of those lost. JUST GIVE THANKS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO EVEN POST MESSAGES SUCH AS THIS. GOD BLESS AND KEEP SAFE THOSE THAT FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM EVERYWHERE. 73 de Bob VE3XNB ve3xnb at rac.ca FP-1852, NAQCC-2607, ARRL, RAC, CCO, NEQRP, KWARC, GARC From rfhill-l at jtan.com Mon May 31 02:52:24 2010 From: rfhill-l at jtan.com (RF Hill Amateur Radio Club member discussions) Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 02:52:24 -0000 (UTC) Subject: [RFHill-L] RF Hill Activity for Kid's Day - June 19 Message-ID: <1479.96.245.160.182.1275274344.squirrel@96.245.160.182> KB3DDL: Please forward this to everyone on the MHz Times e-mail list for widest possible notification. Thanks Robert, NX3S ===== Folks: I am in the process of lining up some locations for us to demonstrate Amateur Radio on Kid's Day, Saturday June 19, 2010. http://www.arrl.org/kids-day Although the official time is 1800 UTC dto 2400 UTC (2 PM to 8 PM EDT), I am working to get us locations for 11 AM starts, with operating time of 4 to 6 hours. 2 PM to 8 PM doesn't work for some of the locations due to early closures. Participation by Amateur Radio Operators under the age of 21 is especially invited. At the moment, I have probable locations in Pennsburg (may not be a good site), Skippack, Green Lane (I am not familiar with the site), Sellersville, and Hilltown (Mt. Pleasant area, the highest elevation of all our sites). I hope to be able to line up one or more additional locations. What I need is for operators to commit NOW to participate in this. Ideally, each site would have two operators. One person would operate, while the other would serve as a docent - someone to explain what is going on. Also allows for security of the station(s) when the control op needs to use the sand box. Two meter FM stations at every site are a must, so that if HF propagation is poor that day, some FM networks - via W3AI or other repeaters, and also simplex among the participating sites can be established. No one wants to demonstrate dead air or heavy QRM or QRN. For locations with a good shot at the repeater, an HT would be sufficient. In addition to the 2M FM station, HF capability is desired. The real pull is talking to folks around the country or around the world, not just in your own town. As for modes - that's up to you. If you do CW exclusively, I suggest an additional operator available to teach the visitors how to send their own names in CW. In the past, WA3YLQ had good results with PSK31, an Elecraft QRP transceiver, and a mobile whip mounted on a tripod. Actually, both the FM whip and the HF whip were mounted on the tripod. Several stations in Europe were worked on PSK31. For anyone who wants to try hearing the "Easy Sats", I'll have tables of tracking data available. If you want to do it yourself, I recommend the free satellite tracking program "Orbitron" by Sebastian Stoff. The idea of Kid's Day is for kids to talk to each other, so SSB is preferred for HF, but demonstrating the other modes is FB. Depending on location, antennas can be either mobile whips, verticals constructed on kite poles, dipoles strung between trees, or attached along porch fronts, or whatever. Hams are creative! I'm sure that you saw may good ideas at the May meeting. For ease of selecting a site, I'll ID them in a coded fashion until I have things firmed up. But I need your commitment soonest, so that I am not trying to line places up, then having to say "Sorry, my fellow hams aren't going to help". I also need the commitment so that I can arrange suitable publicity BEFORE the event. Locations: Pennsburg (may be dropped) Green Lane Skippack Sellersville (outside - possible inside in inclement weather) Telford (outside under pavilion-style cover) Perkasie Downtown (outside) Perkasie East (outside with roof overhang for shade and rain protection) Hilltown (outside with roof overhang for shade and rain protection) Pick a location, call a buddy to operate with you, and e-mail the details to robert at jtan.com You can also post to the reflector by sending the e-mail to rfhill-l at jtan.com While Kid's Day is the "hook" for this event, it is an opportunity to get teens and older folks interested, too. We will also be trying to get folks interested enough to visit our Field Day site on the following weekend. One of the reasons we don't have good "civilian" participation on Field Day is because we are out of the way, instead of being where folks can easily find us. For Kid's Day, they are going to have to walk by us to get where they want to go. Thanks in advance for your dedication to the future of Ham Radio. Robert, NX3S robert at jtan.com NX3S at ARRL.net