2013 Club Leadership!

2013 Club Leadership

Tomas Hood - NW7US - President
Adam Kavan - KD0MMG - Vice President
Bill True - WA9ASD - Secretary
Dave Rice - N0JSB - Treasurer
Mitch Sauer - WB0GBI
Barb Westcott - KC0HLB
Mary Joseph - N0TRK

Arctic and Antarctic info needed!

John, KL7JR, is requesting that if you or any of your radio friends, SWL or Ham operator, has worked or heard any Arctic or Antarctic stations, he would love to hear from you for his monthly Arctic and Antarctic DX column which goes to CIDX (Canadian Int'l. DX Club) for publication in the monthly Messenger.

Scanned copies of QSLs or reception reports from anywhere north of 60 degrees or the Antarctica are also welcomed.

You can receive a sample of his column by E-mailing him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ham Radio in the the News

Here are some links from around the web to news stories about amateur radio...

Planning to consider Ham Radio amendment to zoning

Interest is buzzing in Amateur Radio

Experience radio contact

Students hold radio tribute on Pearl Harbor Day

Hello? What’s your call sign? It’s Marshall calling

Ham radio operators connect with people all over -- even in space

Kline students to quiz astronauts in space

FreeDV Ham Radio digital voice software

FreeDV is an application for Windows and Linux that allows any HF SSB radio to be used for digital voice mode with a bandwidth of just 1.1 kHz

Speech is compressed down to 1400 bit/s then modulated onto a 1100 Hz wide QPSK signal which is sent to the Mic input of a SSB radio.
On receive, the signal is received by the SSB radio, then demodulated and decoded by FreeDV.

Features:
• Codec 2 voice coder and FDMDV modem
• 50 baud 14 QPSK voice data
• 1 Center BPSK carrier with 2x power for fast and robust synchronisation.
• 1.125 kHz spectrum bandwidth (half SSB) with 75 Hz carrier spacing
• 1400 bit/s data rate with 1375 bit/s open source Codec 2 voice coding and 25 bit/s text for call sign ID
• No interleaving in time or FEC philosophy resulting in low latency, fast synchronization and quick recovery from fades.
• 44.1 or 48kHz sample rate sound card compatible

In this video watch when it's switched to analog SSB. The SSB bandwidth is about 3 times that of the digital audio. Also note the diagonal black streaks across the waterfall display. That's fading, probably from two reflections arriving out of phase. The ID on the bottom is coming in during the silent periods between words.

It's Open Source, and using Codec2. See http://freedv.org/

QST -- There’s an App for That!

ARRL members who use Apple iOS mobile devices -- iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch -- can now download a new dedicated app to access and browse all issues of the digital edition of QST. This app allows ARRL members to read QST online or download individual issues of the journal for offline reading. This free app is available to ARRL members in the Apple App Store.

Using the New QST App:

• From your iOS device, go to the Apple App Store to search for and install the free QST app. Or simply click here to download the app now.
• Verify your Apple ID password.
• Open the app and go to the “QST Catalog” to browse available digital issues.
• Tap on the cover of an issue and select “Read” or “Download.”
• Log in with your ARRL website username and password. If you do not have an ARRL website username and password, please register here.
• Each time you download an issue in the app, it is added to the “My QST Library” to view offline. Note: Before viewing issues offline, you must first initialize each issue online using your ARRL website login.
• To stream embedded video and audio, you must be connected to the Internet.
• This app may send anonymous usage statistics to ARRL and our service providers to help us improve QST and to better meet the needs of there members. To disable sending usage information, turn ON the “Disable Tracking” feature for the QST app in your iOS device settings. For more information, visit the Digital QST FAQ page and the ARRL Online Privacy Policy.

Using an Android or Windows Mobile Device?
At this time, a native app is only available for Apple iOS devices. Users with Android or Windows devices can access the digital edition of QST from a web browser. The web version runs in an Internet browser on nearly any device, including desktop or laptop computers, smartphones, tablets and e-book readers.

FCC Denies ARRL Petition to Deny ReconRobotics Licenses, But Limits Devices to 100 kHz Bandwidth

The FCC have refused an ARRL petition to stop the use of the amateur radio 70cm band by surveillance robots.

The ARRL say:
On November 14, the FCC issued an Order on Reconsideration dismissing a March 2010 Petition for Reconsideration filed by the ARRL that asked the Commission to deny pending Public Safety Pool license applications associated with the ReconRobotics Video and Audio Surveillance System; however, in doing so, the FCC made it clear that the devices may not exceed 100 kHz of bandwidth.

The Recon Scout - manufactured by ReconRobotics - is a remote-controlled, maneuverable surveillance robot that transmits real-time video surveillance data that operates by FCC waiver in the 70 centimeter band.

Details at ARRL.org

BSA Morse Code Interpreter Strip

Get ready to dot-dot your I’s and dash your T’s.

Today, the Boy Scouts of America released the Morse Code Interpreter Strip, an official patch for Scouts and Scouters who can demonstrate their ability to “speak” this special language.

Morse Code joins languages like Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Sign Language, and several others as interpreter strips available for wear on Scout uniforms (above the right pocket).

To get a typical interpreter strip, you must carry on a five-minute conversation, translate a two-minute speech, write a letter in the language, and translate 200 words from the written word.

But Morse Code, a vital communications tool during World War II, doesn’t really work with those requirements. So Jim Wilson and the BSA team crafted new ones:

Read the rest of the article at:  

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/05/04/a-blast-from-the-past-in-code/

USS Hazard Radio Room

The USS Hazard, an Admirable class WWII Minesweeper, was launched on October 1, 1944. She and her crew of over 100 men patrolled the waters of the Pacific serving  as an escort ship for supply vessels, as well as finding and destroying enemy mines and aircraft.    In 1946 she returned back to the States, and was placed in "mothballs" just waiting to finally be scrapped.   

In the early 1970's, a group of Omaha business men aquired the Hazard for use as a museum ship and paid to bring her up the Missouri River and placed on permanant display here in Omaha.

Over the years, the ship has had several different owners and has gone through periods of being in excellent condition, to being in minor disrepair and eventual closure due to flooding and significant damage to the park.  But clean up and repairs are underway at the park as a small group dedicate volunteers work to get the displays ready for visitors again.    The Hazard is also getting some attention and one project that is happening is the restoration of her radio room.

When the Hazard was decommissioned, it came with a lot of equipment, however one of her radios, a TBS-6  that was removed by the Navy in the 50s.   The Volunteers located a "new-in-crate" TBS-6 and have convinced the owner to sell it to them.   The immediately began fund raising.   But radios like this are rare and the word got out that one was available and the USS Alabama has made a competing offer. 

This pushes up the time line a bit on the need to have the money for the radio to days rather than weeks.   

Donations can be made to the project via the City of Omaha Parks department.  Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details on how to make sure your donation ends up on the project.