In my continuing work with the ham radio AREDN (amateur radio emergency data network) mesh software, I’ve come across the need to provide access from the internet to a host located across the mesh. Unfortunately,  the AREDN graphical interface doesn’t provide a way to do this.

But don’t despair! If you’re capable of editing a file on a linux based platform, you can add your own firewall rules on the AREDN node that is connected to the internet to provide this access. On the AREDN mesh gateway you edit the /etc/firewall file and put in either a routing rule or a SNAT/DNAT rule. The difference is whether or not the gateway node will just pass the traffic through or if it will proxy (NAT) the traffic onto the mesh.

I’m working with the AREDN developers to add this functionality to the gui, and I’d expect that to come out later in 2016. In the meantime, if you’re interested in making this work drop me an email and I’ll send you some instructions! My callsign is KG9DW and I’ve got an arrl.net address.

Michael Brown, KG9DW, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Illinois, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

For the past few weeks I have been up and down the bands in the evening hours looking for some CW activity and with the current conditions signals have been few and fare between. This has forced me to get a firm handle on the digi modes and to be more specific JT-65 and JT-9. As the saying goes "if you don't use it you loose it" and this is my concern due to the lack of CW activity I have been involved in lately, I have worked to dare hard getting my CW speed up to just see it drop off due to lack of activity. Last evening this got me thinking.....what about the internet there must be some interactive over broad band CW happening out there?? In my travels I came across two programs neither are free but they offer CW (and SSB) operating over the internet. Not really ham radio as such but it helps my CW skill stay sharp until the band slump is over. The first program I came across was QsoNet based out of Canada the cost is a modest 40.00 per year and you are given a free 30 day trial which is great. I looked the website over and found the their discussion forum, the last posting was from 2012 and the latest update was back in 2011. This made me wonder if I was just going to be listening to empty broadband due to the fact no one was around. I also wondered if there was active support for the site as well. I then moved on to another site called Hamsphere base out of Europe. This program was 30 EU per year along with a free trial but I was not able to locate for how long. This site seemed to be very up to date and a new version 4 had come out that looked very professional. Their forum was very up to date with postings from 2016 so it seemed like things were alive and well. Hamsphere seemed to be a very in-depth program with such things as a virtual Ionosphere, DX alert system, awards, contesting, multiple antennas to choose from, you can use your own keyer and DX cluster.....and the list goes on! I checked out some online YouTube videos of the program and WOW it sure is a professional program. I was watching one video when the commentator said "these are the antenna selections I have PURCHASED" I thought.....wait a minute what did I just hear and sure enough that's what was said "PURCHASED". I investigated this and found Hamsphere shop and this was the show stopper for me. It seems the 30 EU per year is not the only cost, at this site you can purchase antennas were the price goes as high as 90 EU!! Check out the link and it seems that there is lots of items for the radio that need to be purchased. I was not able to find anywhere on the home page information about extra purchases. It did say you could build your own rig and that there were a 100 antennas to choose from but again nothing about added cost. Another odd thing was you were never asked for your radio license. At QsoNet you had to fax in a photo copy of your license, it seemed not so with Hamsphere. Has anyone out there used either of these programs?? Do you know of any other interactive CW over the internet programs out there??
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 Jan 25 0701 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 18 – 24 January 2016

Solar activity was at very low to low levels during the period. Only weak C-class flares (<C3) were observed on 20-21 January and 24 January from Regions 2484 (N08, L=094, class/area Dro/030 on 20 January), 2487 (S13, L=336, class/area Dai/100 on 21 January), and 2488 (N04, L=319, class/area Dai/200 on 24 January). Region 2487 was in a growth phase since its emergence on 18 January, but entered into a decay phase after 22 January and was only responsible for three weak C-class flares. Region 2488 continued to exhibit growth since its emergence on the disk on 18 January and was responsible for two weak C-class flares. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed during the summary period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal levels on 19-20 January, moderate levels on 21 January and high levels on 18 January and again on 22-24 January. The maximum flux of the period was 12,881 pfu observed at 24/1550 UTC.

Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to major storm (G2-Moderate) levels. The period began under quiet conditions for the majority of 18 January. At approximately 18/2056 UTC, a small shock was observed in ACE data indicating the arrival of a CME from a filament eruption on 14 January. Total field (Bt) initially increased from 6 nT to 12 nT with solar wind speed increasing from 300 km/s to near 380 km/s while the Bz component fluctuated between +6 nT and -9 nT. By 19/0935 UTC, the Bz component deflected north and total field increased to 14 nT. A subsequent rotation of the Bz component occurred after 20/0325 UTC to a maximum of -13 nT followed by another increase in the total field to a maximum of 21 nT at 21/0545 UTC. By this time, the Bz component was fluctuating between +/-18 nT. By 21/1006 UTC, Bt decreased to around 8 nT, while the solar wind speed increased to around 530 km/s as the solar wind began to transition into a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). The geomagnetic field responded with an unsettled period late on 18 January, quiet to active levels on 19 January, quiet to minor storm levels (G1-Minor) on 20 January, and unsettled to major storm levels (G2-Moderate) on 21 January. Solar wind speeds continued around 500-550 km/s under CH HSS influence until late on 23 January. Solar wind speeds continued to be elevated in the 450-500 km/s range through the end of the period. As a result, the geomagnetic field was at quiet to active periods from 22-24 January.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 25 January – 20 February 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels with a slight chance for an M-class flare (R1-R2, Minor-Moderate) from 25-31 January as Region 2488 continues to develop.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at mostly high levels due to recurrent CH HSS activity. A return to moderate levels is expected on 25-26 January, 07-08 February, and 14-18 February.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels from 25-30 January, 02-03 February, 07-10 February, and 17-20 February due to recurrent CH HSS activity.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

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I got my AP510 APRS tracker a little more than a year ago. It kind of worked, but not very well in my car. But after the tracker got a new firmware dated 3 Nov 2015, it has become so much better. Now I can say that it is really useful.

AP510 with original short antenna and telescopic antenna

Apparently, the Smartbeacon function didn’t work properly in earlier versions of the firmware. With some good debugging and error reporting by KC5EVE, Mark, working with the software developer for the AP510, BG6QBV, the annoying errors now seem to be gone. This is all documented in the Yahoo AP510 group.

I have fitted mine with a 16-45 cm telescopic antenna and even when attached to one of the rear headrests in my sedan, the 1 Watt of output power tracks very well.

The map below shows a drive from Telemark, about 100 km west of Oslo, to Oslo with as good coverage as one can expect given the valleys and the availability of APRS digipeaters especially in the western part.

Note the missing tracks east of LA5PPA-1 which are due to a 3.5 km long tunnel, Strømsåstunnelen, between Drammen and Mjøndalen.

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

I got my AP510 APRS tracker a little more than a year ago. It kind of worked, but not very well in my car. But after the tracker got a new firmware dated 3 Nov 2015, it has become so much better. Now I can say that it is really useful.

Apparently, the Smartbeacon function didn’t work properly in earlier versions of the firmware. With some good debugging and error reporting by KC5EVE, Mark, working with the software developer for the AP510, BG6QBV, the annoying errors now seem to be gone. This is all documented in the Yahoo AP510 group.

I have fitted mine with a 16-45 cm telescopic antenna and even when attached to one of the rear headrests in my sedan, the 1 Watt of output power tracks very well.

The map below shows a drive from Telemark, about 100 km west of Oslo, to Oslo with as good coverage as one can expect given the valleys and the availability of APRS digipeaters on the way.

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

Winner Announcement:
http://www.amateurradio.com/winner-announcement-2016-nooelec-giveaway/

It’s our biggest giveaway ever!

NooElec and AmateurRadio.com have teamed up to give away a
HackRF One SDR (Software Defined Radio) transceiver
to a lucky ham PLUS we’re giving away
40 SDR receivers to radio enthusiasts (non-hams, too!) worldwide.

Almost $2,500 in free prizes — and they’ll even pay the shipping!
The deadline to enter is 31 January 2016 20:00 UTC.

Prize Packages

We’re giving away FORTY-ONE (41!) prizes including:One (1)
HackRF One SDR transceiver bundle
Estimated retail value $500 each
Contains everything you need to listen to, and transmit, HF, VHF & UHF (1 MHz to 6 GHz) with the HackRF One from Great Scott Gadgets, down to 100kHz or lower! Standard bundle includes HackRF, Ham It Up, Antenna Balun, 2 SMA interconnect cables and an SMA to BNC adapter. Pre-installed in a black aluminum enclosure and with the RF shield.

Three (3)
NESDR XTR+ HF bundles
Estimated retail value $140 each
Each kit will contain an SDR, an upconverter to enable HF reception, and a cable to connect the two units.

Two (2)
NESDR Mini 2+ HF bundles
Estimated retail value $125 each
Each kit will contain an NESDR Mini 2+ SDR with 0.5PPM TCXO, MCX-connected antenna for VHF, an upconverter to enable HF reception, and a cable to connect the two units.
 Ten (10)
NESDR XTR+ sets
Estimated retail value $60 each
NooElec NESDR XTR+ SDR & DVB-T USB set, including GPS-rated +/- 0.5PPM TCXO, quality telescopic antenna and remote control. Genuine Elonics E4000 tuner is guaranteed.

Ten (10)
NESDR Nano 2+ sets
Estimated retail value $30 each
Same form factor as the Nano 2 but with a TCXO!

Fifteen (15)
NESDR Nano 2 sets
Estimated retail value $25 each
The NESDR Nano 2 is based on the R820T2 tuner IC made by Rafael Micro, which means an approximate tuning range of 25MHz-1700MHz and improved selectivity and sensitivity in most frequency ranges versus R820T-based SDRs. There is also an RTL2832 (RTL2832U) IC on board of course, to provide basic demodulation and USB interface functionality

Eligibility

All tech geeks, nerds, and radio enthusiasts worldwide!
(Free worldwide shipping is included!)

How to Enter

It’s very simple!
Leave a comment to this post.
(e-mail address will not be shared)

Entry Duration

Only 1 week!

You may enter only once from
24 January 2016 20:00 UTC
to
31 January 2016 20:00 UTC

(multiple entries from the same entrant will be discarded)

Winner Announcement

31 January 2016

You can get the winner announcement by
subscribing to our free Amateur Radio Newsletter (subscribe below),
following our posts via RSS feed, via Twitter (@amatradio),
or via Facebook (facebook.com/amatradio).

Sign up so you won’t miss our next prize drawing!

Please tell your friends about this giveaway!

Thank you to NooElec for offering these fantastic prizes!

Visit their website at NooElec.com / eBay store / Amazon store

The winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comment entries to this post received by the contest deadline. Entries will be deemed valid at the sole discretion of AmateurRadio.com and may be rejected for any reason, including inappropriate comments. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered. The prize may not be transferred. The prize may not be exchanged for cash. Winner agrees to allow AmateurRadio.com to use their name and callsign to announce them as a winner on our site, and to share their contact information with the sponsor for the purposes of awarding the prize. No purchase necessary to win. Odds of winning dependent on total number of entries received. Winner is responsible for any applicable taxes or fees imposed by their jurisdiction. Void where prohibited by law. Winner of HackRF One transceiver limited to licensed Amateur Radio Operators and subject to export restrictions, where applicable.  E-mail addresses of all other entrants will not be shared with any third party, including the sponsor. Entrants will not receive any unsolicited e-mail or be placed on any e-mail list.

Don’t forget to enter! Just leave a comment to this post.

Matt Thomas, W1MST, is the managing editor of AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].

In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Ed Durrant DD5LP and Martin Rothwell M0SGL to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episodes feature is an Introduction to SOTA by Ed Durrant (DD5LP).

• Amateur Radio St Patrick's Day Award
• Ramsey Kits Calls Time
• LED Bulbs Tested for Electromagnetic Interference
• Netherlands Low-Power AM Broadcasting
• Gender Imbalance in Amateur / Ham Radio?
• New UK Distance Record on 134 GHz
• AX for Australia's National Day
• Eric June, KU6J - Silent Key

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].