eHam.net News
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Hams On the Air at Eagle Days:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:08 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33880
LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- It was a cold and windy weekend for this year's Eagle
Days, but local amateur radio operators were sheltered from the elements as
they joined in the event activities. The Lake of the Ozarks Amateur Radio
Club applied for and received a Special Event call sign "N0J" from the
American Radio Relay League just for Eagle Days. They operated from their
emergency communications trailer parked at the new Ameren building near
Willmore Lodge. The club operated two transceivers, contacting ham radio
operators in 43 states and three Canadian provinces. In total, seventeen
hams and guest operators logged 484 contacts.
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Experimental Film Exhibition 'Seek You' Explores Morse Code:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:07 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33879
Inside the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, light bounces off of the walls,
telegraphs buzz, fish swim under ice and goats can be heard running through
a field. This is Erin Colleen Johnson's "Seek You." "Seek You" is an
experimental film installation currently on display at the Sella-Granata
Art Gallery, located in Woods Hall, Room 109. The title of the exhibit
comes from a code in the Morse Code Community, CQ, which is also the title
of one of the pieces in the exhibit. "Seek You" is comprised of many
different installations, ranging from images of the historic Marconi
transmitting station to audio of an interview with an ice fisherman
overlaid with images of Johnson trying ice fishing for herself. "Hole,"
which documents Johnson's foray in ice fishing, is housed in a wooden box.
The box is reminiscent of one an ice fisherman would use and helps draw the
patron into Johnson's setting. Most pieces in "Seek You" center around
Morse code in some way. In her piece, "In to Sea," Johnson overlays an
environmental report on the state of the ocean written in Morse code over
16 mm film of the sea, resulting in the ocean being encapsulated in dots
and dashes. "Morse code was the first digital technology, and when it was
invented, people projected many utopian ideals onto it," Johnson said. "I
am interested in the history of Morse code, but even more interested in
what it means in this 2015."
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Supporting Role: San Diegan Was WWII 'Enigma' Code-Breaker:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:07 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33878
It began as an attempt to avoid loneliness. But in 1944, when young
Margaret Francis joined the British military, she became part of a historic
project now the subject of a major Oscar contender. Francis, 91, recently
saw "The Imitation Game" -- nominated for eight Academy Awards, including
Best Picture, and memories of her 1 1/2-year stint as an operator of the
top-secret "Bombe" decoding machine came flooding back. "It was an
experience that I wouldn't have missed for anything," said Francis, a
longtime San Diegan. "I feel very privileged to have been part of such a
wide organization, (being) a little country girl." The film, starring Best
Actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, profiles mathematician Alan Turing and
his efforts to decipher "unbreakable" German codes generated by the Enigma
machine during World War II. The scene was Bletchley Park in
Buckinghamshire, England, an hour northwest of London.
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The First Big Solar Flare of the Year:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:06 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33877
The sun emitted an M-class flare last night that peaked at11:24 p.m. EST on
January 12, 2015 (0424 UTC on January 13). Classified by solar scientists
as an M5.6-class flare, it came from Sunspot AR2257. Solar flares are
powerful bursts of radiation from the sun. They release potentially harmful
radiation. In this case, however, there was no significant coronal mass
ejection (CME) emerging from the spot of origin of the flare. This
signifies that there will be no increased sun-Earth interaction with this
event. As a result, there will be no geomagnetic storms and also no
possibility of intense auroras caused by this flare. Although radiation
from a solar flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to affect humans
on the ground, an extremely intense flare is capable of disturbing Earth's
atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This
particular solar flare caused a pulse of extreme UV radiation, which
ionized Earth's upper atmosphere over Australia and the Indian Ocean. It
might have caused a brief communications blackout at frequencies below
about 10 MHz.
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DX News -- ARRL DX Bulletin #2:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:55 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33876
This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by
F5SJB, KB4FB, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL,
Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web
sites. Thanks to all.
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Just Ahead In Radiosport:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:55 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33875
Just Ahead In Radiosport:
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ARRL Board Of Directors Annual Meeting Set for January 16-17:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:55 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33874
Two newly elected members will be at the table when the ARRL Board of
Directors holds its annual meeting Friday and Saturday, January 16-17,
in Windsor, Connecticut. Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, will participate for the
first time as Atlantic Division Director. Formerly the Division's Vice
Director, Abernethy was elected last fall to replace Bill Edgar, N3LLR,
who did not run for another term as Director. Rod Blocksome, K0DAS,
will take part in his first meeting as the Midwest Division Director,
following his election last fall. The former Vice Director succeeded
Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, who opted not to run for another term as Director.
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ARRL Centennial QSO Party Awards, W1AW/P QSL Cards In Process:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:54 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33873
Certificates and plaques for stations that participated in the ARRL
Centennial QSO Party are
being processed.
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The ARRL January VHF Contest Offers a Break from Winter's Doldrums:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:54 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33872
If the Polar Vortex has been getting you down, then the ARRL January
VHF Contest might just be the
antidote! The event gets under way at 1900 UTC on Saturday, January 24,
and it wraps up at 0359 UTC on Monday, January 26. The object is for
amateurs in the US and Canada (and possessions) to work as many amateur
stations in as many different Maidenhead grid squares as possible using
frequencies above 50 MHz. It's the US and Canada (and possessions)
working each other and the rest of the world (think F2 propagation!).
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ARRL Library Goes Live!
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:52 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33871
After several months of planning, The ARRL Library is now live! The online
Library is a free
repository of educational presentations and oral histories. It is aimed
at helping to preserve Amateur Radio's history and to educate clubs and
individuals.
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FCC Fines Pennsylvania Ham $11,500 for Causing Intentional Interference:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:53 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33870
The FCC Enforcement Bureau has affirmed an $11,500 fine against Brian
Crow, K3VR, of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, for deliberately
interfering with other Amateur Radio communications. The FCC had first
proposed the fine last July in a Notice of Apparent Liability for
Forfeiture (NAL),
and it released a Forfeiture Order on
January 13.
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YASME Foundation Announces Award Winners, Grant Recipients:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:53 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33869
The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has
announced the recipients of several awards and monetary grants. The
Foundation named four individuals to receive the Yasme Excellence Award
for 2014 as well as eight specific grant recipients.
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ARRL's 'First Couple' Spotlighted In Article Highlighting Skywarn's Role:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:51 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33868
A January 9 article in Virginia's Roanoke Times newspaper featured the
participation of
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and her husband Carter, N3AO, in the
SKYWARN weather-spotting program. The
Craigies, who live in the Southwest Virginia town of Blacksburg -- home
to Virginia Tech -- have a home weather station and, when severe
weather threatens, are able to supplement local National Weather
Service (NWS) office meteorologists with "ground-level" weather
observations.
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EP6T Iran DXpedition Team En Route:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:52 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33867
Members of the Rockall DX Group in Belgium are on their way to their
Kish Island, Iran (IOTA AS-166), DXpedition site. The group plans to
operate starting this weekend for about 10 days as EP6T. Iran is number 33
on
ClubLog's DXCC Most Wanted List.
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CQ Magazine Combining Jan, Feb Issues, Closing CQ Plus Digital Supplement:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:51 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33866
CQ magazine has announced plans to
publish a combined January/February 2015 issue and to cease publication
of its CQ Plus digital supplement as of the March 2015 issue. Publisher
Dick Ross, K2MGA, said that both moves are intended to help restore the
magazine's normal schedule for its print edition and to strengthen its
foundations moving forward as it enters its 8th decade of publication.
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Shin'en 2 Designated as Fuji OSCAR-82:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:52 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33865
AMSAT has designated the Shin'en 2 spacecraft as Fuji OSCAR-82
(FO-82), in response to a request from Seiji Fukushima, JH6RTO. OSCAR
Number Administrator Bill Tynan, W3XO, congratulated Fukushima and the
Fuji OSCAR-82 team on behalf of AMSAT-NA and the Amateur Satellite
community, and expressed the hope that the spacecraft would "fulfill
all of its mission objectives."
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BSA Encouraging Early Start On JOTA 2015 Planning:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:50 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33864
The word from Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree on the Air
(JOTA) Organizer Jim
Wilson, K5ND, is: "Start planning for JOTA 2015. It's
never too early."
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Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) Invites Scholarship Applications:
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:49 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33863
The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) for the Amateur
Radio-related scholarships it
administers. These academic awards are sponsored by individuals and by
Amateur Radio clubs across the US. The FAR scholarship application
process is open to Amateur Radio licensees worldwide.
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In Brief...
Posted: 15 Jan 2015 07:49 AM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/33862
ARRL President to Attend Puerto Rico State Convention, January 23-25:
While a good part of the US is experiencing frigid temperatures, snow,
and ice, radio amateurs in Puerto Rico will be warmly welcoming
visitors to their third ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention, January
23-25 at the Francisco "Pancho" Deida Coliseum in Hatillo. ARRL
President Kay Craigie, N3KN, will head an ARRL contingent to
Caribbean's largest ham radio convention.