Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 211
July 14th, 2018 | 
Author: 
Ham radio technology used in Thailand cave rescue
UK radio amateur John Hey G3TDZ (SK) designed the special low frequency radio equipment, the Heyphone, used in the recent cave rescue in Thailand.
Southgate
SDR: Direction finding techniques
Public KiwiSDRs distributed around the world can be used to pinpoint the physical locations of any 0 – 30 MHz transmitter using the TDoA technique.
RTL-SDR
New: No Nonsense Amateur Radio Podcast
The No Nonsense Amateur Radio Podcast is a discussion of where we are in amateur radio and where we’re going. It is a production of Dan, KB6NU, and Tom, KB5RF.
No Nonsense Podcast
A short guide on baluns
Unless precautions are taken to minimize it, all coax fed antennas will have significant current flowing on the outside of the coax shield while transmitting.
Surrey Amateur Radio Club
ARRL contest award certificates now available for download
This new online certificate feature will offer enhanced content over what has been offered previously on ARRL certificates.
ARRL
88 MHz Trans-Atlantic signals heard in Ireland
Northern Ireland managed to hear a Canadian radio station across the Atlantic at 88 MHz.
EI7GL
W6/NC-353, Burdell Mountain – 2018
I did this summit late last year as my first morse code activation. Last time it was a combo POTA/SOTA activation. This time would be only SOTA. And it was a heck of a lot warmer too!
KE6MT
Shortwave radio listening continues its steep decline
Shortwave audiences are virtually disappearing in Pakistan, and down substantially in Nigeria.
BBC
3D printed 10KV tuning capacitor
I will show you how to build a super-cheap tuning capacitor that will tolerate up to 10,000 Volts of RF and allow you to use up to about 100 Watts of RF into my 14MHz (20m) antenna.
The SWLing Post
Directive Systems 2 Meter Rover Yagi
With an 8 foot boom, it’s just the right size to fit on the roof of my SUV for transport and works great on the fiberglass push-up mast.
K5ND
Video
Make your own LED battery level indicator
In this video I will show you how we can use the classic LM3914 IC to create an LED Battery Level Indicator.
YouTube
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Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 210
K4R Dry Tortugas EL84 roving trip on schedule
Robert KE4AL, Rich N4ESS, and Matthew, NJ4Y will be arriving on Garden Key, EL84np in the Dry Tortugas mid-day on Friday July 6, staying all day Saturday, and then leaving Sunday morning July 8.
Southgate
Postmortem decoding of SSTV/APRS
SSTV decoding went quite fine using the Android app Robot36.
Notizbl0g.
Exposing hospital pager privacy breaches
It has been a known open secret that for years many hospitals have been transmitting sensitive patient data over the air completely unencrypted via their pager network.
RTL-SDR.com
The legacy of Iraq’s amateur operators lives on
People from all over the world reached out to Baghdad’s team of “hams” in hope that they could lend a helping hand.
The National
Radio Amateur to pay $7,000 to settle FCC interference case
Ham intentionally interfered with the communications of other Amateur Radio operators and failed to properly identify.
ARRL
Home Beaches On The Air
Beaches On The Air (BOTA) is an award scheme for radio amateurs and shortwave listeners that encourages portable operation from beaches.
BOTA
No more bullying
This form records reports of bullying within Amateur Radio in Australia.
VK6
Pentagon Amateur Radio Club
The Pentagon Amateur Radio Club (PARC) is open to all active duty military, government civilians, or contractors assigned to the Pentagon.
K4AF
15 kilometre LoRa SSH link with RNode
I decided I’d try to see if I could create a useable SSH link over a distance of 15 kilometres, with just two RNodes, and no intermediaries.
unsigned.io
Video
How to hack your 433 MHz Devices
Hacking an outdoor awning to auto retract based on windspeed gathered from a home weather station.
YouTube
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The Spectrum Monitor — July, 2018
Stories you’ll find in our July, 2018 issue:
The Development of Police Radio Communications in the United States
By John F. Schneider W9FGH
Policing in America before the 1920s was done by the beat policeman, who wandered his assigned neighborhood on foot. If he needed to communicate with his precinct officer, he used a street corner police call-box. The Detroit Police Department, led by a visionary police commissioner, was the first to seriously experiment with installing radio receivers in patrol cars, beginning in 1922 with the licensing of its own radio station, KOP. But, although the emerging technology of radio held obvious promise as a means of communication, there were still many shortcomings in its fledgling years that prevented its reliable use in vehicles. John notes the historical issues involved with police broadcasting and the general public tuning in—a nearly one-hundred year-old tradition.
Listening in on the WWI Western Front: The SCR-54A (BC-14A) Receiver
By Rich Post KB8TAD
One hundred years ago, the United States was at war. At the start of the World War I, the US Navy, as authorized by the President, ordered that all private radio transmitters and receivers, whether licensed or unlicensed, be dismantled. The order was not just for the spark transmitters of the day, but even simple hobbyist crystal receiving sets. Rich explores the SCR-54A BC14A , a state-of-the-art WWI radio receiver system, which along with a BC-15A spark transmitter wedged aboard an airplane would allow the pilot to provide reconnaissance from the battlefield. Rich takes a look at this combo, which took serious skills to operate in testing—let alone in battle.
Cheerio: Amateur Radio’s Checkered History at the BBC
By Richard Fisher KI6SN
Last fall, with the pomp and ceremony for which Great Britain is so well known, Lord Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Berkenhead, and head of the BBC, cut the ribbon to officially open amateur radio station G8BBC, turning the page to the newest chapter in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s on-again-off-again romance with amateur radio. Richard explains how hams at the BBC have fared over the decades, occupying a thin sliver of real estate, courtesy of the world’s most well known shortwave voice.
TSM Reviews: Palstar LA-1K Solid-State HF Amplifier
By Mark Haverstock K8MSH
Since the beginning of ham radio, vacuum tube amplifiers have dominated the market. They’re relatively economical to manufacture, tolerant of abuse, and have some leeway to match antennas that aren’t exactly resonant. More recently, solid-state amplifiers have gained traction among amateur radio operators. They’re instant-on and more convenient—getting you on the air with less operator intervention. Mark examines the Palstar LA-1K solid-state HF amplifier and finds some very positive attributes that come at a stiff price.
Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Portsmouth (VA), Grant County (WI) and the ISS
Federal Wavelenghts
By Chris Parris
More Federal Digital Modes
Milcom
By Larry Van Horn N5FPW
Update: Monitoring Military Hurricane Communications
Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman
U.S. Radio Strangeness Continues
Shortwave Utility Logs
By Hugh Stegman and Mike Chace-Ortiz
VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Contests and Field Day for VHF and Above
Digitally Speaking
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV
When Elephants Fight, it is the Ground that Suffers
Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Static and Frustration from DC to Daylight—Welcome to Summer Propagation
Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
$664 Solution to Solar Cycle Doldrums
Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
The Sun in Sonic and Visual Art: an Aid to Scientists
The World of Shortwave Listening
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL
SDR Primer Part 2: Exploring the World of SDRs for $200 or Less
The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
40 Years of Shortwave Listening
Maritime Monitoring
By Ron Walsh VE3GO
Sailing On
The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Ballantine 300 and the Boonton Connection
Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Understanding Ground: A Review
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.
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 209
Receive SSTV from Space June 29-July 1
These images will commemorate the various satellites that were hand-deployed from the ISS.
AMSAT UK
Attendance holds steady at Hamvention 2018
At 28,417 visitors, Hamvention recorded its third-largest attendance ever in its second year at its still-new location in Xenia, Ohio.
ARRL
“Baker is Brutal!” KH1/KH7Z DXpedition team reports
“They say it never rains on Baker,” the DXpedition noted in its June 28 update. “At midnight giant squalls came through knocking out one of our three antennas that we worked so hard to get up.
ARRL
That wasn’t good – that was great
180 degree opposites! As much as I feared that I wasn’t into Field Day this year, that’s how much it turned out to be a truly great experience.
W2JL
Field Day 2018 – Every day is field day
One of the primary goals of my station configuration, whether at home or in the field, is keeping the station as small and uncomplicated as possible.
OH8STN
The N4Y 2018 ARRL Field Day Report
Field Day this year was a two operator, one transmitter operation on emergency power.
N4KGL
The Apollo Survival Radio
The transceiver and its cylindrical battery pack were water-tight. It could operate in beacon mode for up to 24 hours.
The SWLing Post
Activating Southern Britain’s Highest Mountain on Top Band
I was pretty confident that I’d have enough space for an 80m dipole, as long as I setup well away from the main summit.
Adventures in Ham Radio
13 Colonies special event begins July 1
Celebrating 10 years honoring the original 13 colonies.
13colonies.net
Cuban special event
Activity is to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Naval Battle during the Spanish, Cuban, American War.
Southgate
Video
Building a giant 2m corner reflector antenna
For GOES-16, pulsars and more.
YouTube
Basics of RF Bias Tees including applications and examples
Bias Tees are RF components that are used whenever you need to couple a DC, power or low-speed control signal onto an RF signal path.
W2AEW
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Ham radio as I know it is out
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 208
Field Day site locator: Find a Field Day event near you
This page shows public Field Day sites that members of the public and media can visit.
ARRL
Increased solar activity for Field Day
We have not seen numbers such as this since last September. This is good news just before ARRL Field Day, assuming the activity does not produce any geomagnetic disturbance.
ARRL
Field Day 2018: Give Them A Reason To Care
When you go to Field Day 2018, bring someone with you and convince them that amateur radio matters.
Off Grid Ham
Field Day Bulletin Schedule
Those participating in Field Day can earn 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW or by K6KPH.
ARRL
Shortwave station WTWW featuring live call-ins during Field Day
9930 and 5085 KHz. Call in toll free: 833-390-5085
QRZ
Broadcaster to Transmit Field Day Greetings in MFSK64
A 100 kW HF broadcast transmitter in Nauen, Germany, will send Field Day greetings to North American radio amateurs in MFSK64.
ARRL
Field Day Site Survey for a Horizontal Loop Antenna
We are seriously considering a 260-foot loop that is one wavelength at 80 meters. It can be a square or triangle.
N4KGL
Explaining the current capacitor shortage
In short, we are in the middle of a global capacitor shortage the likes of which the electronics manufacturing industry has not experienced since 2008.
WAi
Building an RF Direction Finding Robot with an RTL-SDR
The goal is to set up an ISM band transmitter as a beacon, and use the RTL-SDR on the robot as the receiver.
RTL-SDR.com
1970s Citizens Band Radio culture
“It was before mobile phones, before the internet. It was the initial form of mass communication, a way you could chat to your friends for free,” says David Titlow as we talk about CB Radio, the now-obscure 1970s and 80s technology.
British Journal of Photography
Video
Why We Love Field Day
An 8 part video series highlighting the best aspects of Field Day.
DX Engineering
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Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 207
Going ham for Ham Radio
Lawmakers are making a multi-pronged push to drive the bipartisan Amateur Radio Parity Act through Congress and finally bypass objections from top Senate Commerce Democrat Bill Nelson of Florida, whose allegiance to his state’s homeowners’ associations drove his panel to yank the bill from consideration last fall. Editor’s note: Scroll toward the middle of this article for mention of the Parity Act.
Politico
Operating Rover in the ARRL June 2018 VHF Contest
First June VHF contest as a rover. Route worked well. Good QSOs from contest stations. Heat burned me out. WSJT burned me up.
K5ND
Could a P5 DXpedition happen?
Based on what I saw on the news coverage of yesterdays Summit, I would have to say that “anything is possible” and it seems that the possibility is more likely today than it was yesterday.
N6PSE
Iran radars on ham radio 28 MHz band
Iranian radars have been very active in the Amateur Radio primary 28 MHz (10m) band every day.
Southgate
RAC 25th Anniversary Challenge Coin Program
Radio Amateurs of Canada launched the special RAC 25th Anniversary Challenge Coin program.
RAC
Tropospheric DX on 2m SSB (with video)
I’ve never really experienced a proper tropospheric opening on 2m before. It’s a propagation mode I’ve been fascinated in, but I’ve just never been on the air at the right time.
Adventures in Ham Radio
Bench Testing HF Radios with a HackRF
This post describes how we implemented an HF channel simulator to bench test a digital HF radio using modern SDRs.
Rowetel
Series & parallel wiring your solar array
So you’ve had your fun with small single solar panels and are ready for a larger multi-panel system that can handle beefier loads.
Off Grid Ham
Raspberry Pi as an SDR – without the SDR
This has been made possible through clever use of the on-board Broadcom 802.11ac WiFi chip. The result is a TX-capable SDR.
Hack A Day
Video
2 Days Off Grid – PowerFilm Solar Ham Radio & Raspberry Pi
During March 2018 I took a short trip to 66 degrees North to field test the solar powered ham radio field station.
OH8STN
ARRL on The Weather Channel
Meteorologist Stephanie Abrams interviewed ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey on how to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.
Facebook / ARRL
