By Joe Moell, K0OV
ARRL ARDF Coordinator
When nurses and other caregivers picked up their phones at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California in the early morning on March 21, there was no dial tone. A power surge caused the central processor in the hospital’s phone switch to fail. Following established procedures, the Lead Operator at the CHOC switchboard immediately activated the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS), using an off-switch tie-line to reach April Moell, WA6OPS, head of this ARES® group that specializes in helping hospitals when their communications fail.
The rest of the story.
%252055%2525.jpg)
LWRA, Amateur Radio and more!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The K4LKW repeater is on the hill...
Thomas K4KH and John KU8Q moved the repeater to the water tower today. It is on a temp antenna up 20ft or so and working much better!!!
Get on the air!
Get on the air!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ham radio and U.S. Coast Guard Saves 77-year-old Sailor and His Dog off Coast of Mexico
A 77-year-old man and his dog are safe after being stranded several days in high seas off the Mexican coast.
The US Coast Guard rescued the man and dog from a disabled sailboat about 120 miles off the coast of Ensenada in Baja California Monday.
Shortly after I p.m., amateur HAM Radio operator Rex Weinheimer KC5AGO picked up a mayday call in Stonewall,Texas, near Austin.
Click here for the whole story
The US Coast Guard rescued the man and dog from a disabled sailboat about 120 miles off the coast of Ensenada in Baja California Monday.
Shortly after I p.m., amateur HAM Radio operator Rex Weinheimer KC5AGO picked up a mayday call in Stonewall,Texas, near Austin.
Click here for the whole story
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Yaesu Temporarily Suspends Production After Earthquake
Production of Yaesu radios at Vertex Standard's factory in Fukushima, Japan, has been temporarily halted due to earthquake damage.
All Vertex Standard employees and their families are said to be safe.
In an open letter to the amateur radio community, Vertex Standard CEO and President Jun Hasegawa expressed his gratitude for the many "kind words and thoughts about us during this difficult time." He reports that all Vertex Standard employees and their families are OK, although the company has not been able to reach its many dealers and subcontractors located near the coast. "We just hope that they are alive," he writes.
Hasegawa also reports that the Yaesu factory in Fukushima suffered "minimal" damage from the earthquake but has been temporarily shut down nonetheless. He says he expects it to be back in normal operation within one to two weeks and asks for everyone's understanding and cooperation.
At this time, there have been no public reports received from any of the other Japanese amateur radio manufacturers.
All Vertex Standard employees and their families are said to be safe.
In an open letter to the amateur radio community, Vertex Standard CEO and President Jun Hasegawa expressed his gratitude for the many "kind words and thoughts about us during this difficult time." He reports that all Vertex Standard employees and their families are OK, although the company has not been able to reach its many dealers and subcontractors located near the coast. "We just hope that they are alive," he writes.
Hasegawa also reports that the Yaesu factory in Fukushima suffered "minimal" damage from the earthquake but has been temporarily shut down nonetheless. He says he expects it to be back in normal operation within one to two weeks and asks for everyone's understanding and cooperation.
At this time, there have been no public reports received from any of the other Japanese amateur radio manufacturers.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Echolink node is back online. 3/12/11
The Echolink node is back online. 3/12/11
After a few weeks of down time, it is back on the air.....Use it.
After a few weeks of down time, it is back on the air.....Use it.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
SVUSD looks to amateur radios for emergencies
Realizing that traditional lines of communication could be cut off in a disaster, Silver Valley Unified School District officials bought amateur radios for each of its schools and the district office. About 28 teachers, principals and community volunteers spent Thursday and Friday learning to operate them. Each person will take a test needed to earn a radio operating license next Saturday.
Read the entire story here
Read the entire story here
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Amateur radio spotters swing into action during weather emergencies
When others are seeking shelter from severe weather, weather spotters in the Skywarn program monitor conditions, waiting patiently to see high winds knock out powerlines or a funnel cloud strike.
The spotters comprise the Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, who volunteered most recently during last month's storm when "straight-line winds" gusting from 60 to 70 mph damaged 30 homes in Groveland.
The radio service activated and operated a National Weather Service Skywarn radio network for five hours to facilitate reports of dangerous weather conditions for the National Weather Service. Skywarn is a volunteer program established by the weather service that trains volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of local storms in order to keep their communities safe.
"The National Weather Service in Melbourne is using Doppler radar to look at large areas in the sky. They can't see what is going on down my street," said Ted Luebbers, public-information officer for Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. "From my location, I might be able to spot something they missed or indicate where a front is moving that would allow them to warn a community."
Next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt will be teaching Skywarn spotter classes with the help of the weather service, Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Lake County Amateur Radio Association. Classes are March 5 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. A basic class will be taught at 10 a.m. and an advanced class at 1 p.m.
Amateur radio emergency coordinator Strait Hollis received advance notice of the Groveland storm from the weather service, which requested the group's help in keeping an eye on possible weather developments.
Due to a lack of severe weather, local Skywarn volunteers haven't been called upon in the past few years.
"We were pleased to find that even though it's been a while since we had a large scale Skywarn network, there was still a large response, that the lack of severe weather hadn't hindered their operations at all," Spratt said. "They were still active when the time came."
Emergency amateur radio enthusiasts hone their skills by relaying communications for events such as walkathons or bike races.
Together with Doppler radar technology and satellite, the ground reporting by spotters has allowed the weather service to obtain critical weather information and issue more timely and accurate warning for tornados, severe thunderstorms and flashfloods.
"The general public doesn't take immediate action when we issue warnings — they seem to wait for a confirmed report," Spratt said. "The spotters provide credibility and confirm our warning when they report a funnel cloud or other severe weather. They help us reinforce the reality of the situation."
To learn more about spotter classes or Lake County's amateur radio activity, visit k4fc.org or n4fla.org.
The spotters comprise the Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, who volunteered most recently during last month's storm when "straight-line winds" gusting from 60 to 70 mph damaged 30 homes in Groveland.
The radio service activated and operated a National Weather Service Skywarn radio network for five hours to facilitate reports of dangerous weather conditions for the National Weather Service. Skywarn is a volunteer program established by the weather service that trains volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of local storms in order to keep their communities safe.
"The National Weather Service in Melbourne is using Doppler radar to look at large areas in the sky. They can't see what is going on down my street," said Ted Luebbers, public-information officer for Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. "From my location, I might be able to spot something they missed or indicate where a front is moving that would allow them to warn a community."
Next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt will be teaching Skywarn spotter classes with the help of the weather service, Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Lake County Amateur Radio Association. Classes are March 5 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. A basic class will be taught at 10 a.m. and an advanced class at 1 p.m.
Amateur radio emergency coordinator Strait Hollis received advance notice of the Groveland storm from the weather service, which requested the group's help in keeping an eye on possible weather developments.
Due to a lack of severe weather, local Skywarn volunteers haven't been called upon in the past few years.
"We were pleased to find that even though it's been a while since we had a large scale Skywarn network, there was still a large response, that the lack of severe weather hadn't hindered their operations at all," Spratt said. "They were still active when the time came."
Emergency amateur radio enthusiasts hone their skills by relaying communications for events such as walkathons or bike races.
Together with Doppler radar technology and satellite, the ground reporting by spotters has allowed the weather service to obtain critical weather information and issue more timely and accurate warning for tornados, severe thunderstorms and flashfloods.
"The general public doesn't take immediate action when we issue warnings — they seem to wait for a confirmed report," Spratt said. "The spotters provide credibility and confirm our warning when they report a funnel cloud or other severe weather. They help us reinforce the reality of the situation."
To learn more about spotter classes or Lake County's amateur radio activity, visit k4fc.org or n4fla.org.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Important
Hello All,
As we are all aware, Thomas K4KH and I have been diligently working with the city on getting us back on the water tower. It just so happens, a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Lake Wales Medical center and dropped off my info and what I was interested in.
Well, after that length of time I thought they were not interested.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
I received a call from a wonderful lady at the hospital this past week and we were able to meet for a little while this morning (2/11/11) and discuss a few things.
Long story short:
She is very excited and willing to work with us on locating a repeater on the hospital. Even shocked that the hospital was not already involved with amateur radio (she recently relocated from Pennsylvania, and most hospitals there are very involved) I mentioned our current situation, having just bought a new VHF repeater, and that we are a small group with limited funds.
Not a problem. It seems that the medical center has funds for emergency supplies, etc. and radio gear would fall under that.
I spent some time with the facility engineer, looked at the roof top and the rohn tower that is located there (Approx 75 ft). Everything looks very promising.
The hospital will gain a relationship with our group and A.R.E.S. for emergency communications and the area will benefit from another repeater. We can also assist with getting some of their folks licensed.
So, I will begin assisting the Lake Wales Medical Center with the technical aspects of a UHF repeater, including the purchase and setup.
I will update the group as we make progress.
Judson Bracewell
KJ4IDH
http://www.lwra.us/ Vice President
http://www.polkemcomm.org/
As we are all aware, Thomas K4KH and I have been diligently working with the city on getting us back on the water tower. It just so happens, a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Lake Wales Medical center and dropped off my info and what I was interested in.
Well, after that length of time I thought they were not interested.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
I received a call from a wonderful lady at the hospital this past week and we were able to meet for a little while this morning (2/11/11) and discuss a few things.
Long story short:
She is very excited and willing to work with us on locating a repeater on the hospital. Even shocked that the hospital was not already involved with amateur radio (she recently relocated from Pennsylvania, and most hospitals there are very involved) I mentioned our current situation, having just bought a new VHF repeater, and that we are a small group with limited funds.
Not a problem. It seems that the medical center has funds for emergency supplies, etc. and radio gear would fall under that.
I spent some time with the facility engineer, looked at the roof top and the rohn tower that is located there (Approx 75 ft). Everything looks very promising.
The hospital will gain a relationship with our group and A.R.E.S. for emergency communications and the area will benefit from another repeater. We can also assist with getting some of their folks licensed.
So, I will begin assisting the Lake Wales Medical Center with the technical aspects of a UHF repeater, including the purchase and setup.
I will update the group as we make progress.
Judson Bracewell
KJ4IDH
http://www.lwra.us/ Vice President
http://www.polkemcomm.org/
Thursday, January 20, 2011
NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid
NanoSail-D Ejects: NASA Seeks Amateur Radio Operators' Aid to Listen for Beacon Signal01.19.11
NanoSail-D satellite during deployment testing. (NASA/MSFC)
On Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., confirmed that the NanoSail-D nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite, FASTSAT. The ejection event occurred spontaneously and was identified this morning when engineers at the center analyzed onboard FASTSAT telemetry. The ejection of NanoSail-D also has been confirmed by ground-based satellite tracking assets.
Amateur ham operators are asked to listen for the signal to verify NanoSail-D is operating. This information should be sent to the NanoSail-D dashboard at: http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm. The NanoSail-D beacon signal can be found at 437.270 MHz.
The NanoSail-D science team is hopeful the nanosatellite is healthy and can complete its solar sail mission. After ejection, a timer within NanoSail-D begins a three-day countdown as the satellite orbits the Earth. Once the timer reaches zero, four booms will quickly deploy and the NanoSail-D sail will start to unfold to a 100-square-foot polymer sail. Within five seconds the sail fully unfurls.
"This is great news for our team. We’re anxious to hear the beacon which tells us that NanoSail-D is healthy and operating as planned," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D principal investigator and aerospace engineer at the Marshall Center. "The science team is hopeful to see that NanoSail-D is operational and will be able to unfurl its solar sail."
On Dec. 6,, 2010, NASA triggered the planned ejection of NanoSail-D from FASTSAT. At that time, the team confirmed that the door successfully opened and data indicated a successful ejection. Upon further analysis, no evidence of NanoSail-D was identified in low-Earth orbit, leading the team to believe NanoSail-D remained inside FASTSAT.
The FASTSAT mission has continued to operate as planned with the five other scientific experiments operating nominally.
"We knew that the door opened and it was possible that NanoSail-D could eject on its own," said Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at the Marshall Center. "What a pleasant surprise this morning when our flight operations team confirmed that NanoSail-D is now a free flyer."
If the deployment is successful, NanoSail-D will stay in low-Earth orbit between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions. NanoSail-D is designed to demonstrate deployment of a compact solar sail boom system that could lead to further development of this alternative solar sail propulsion technology and FASTSAT’s ability to eject a nano-satellite from a micro-satellite -- while avoiding re-contact with the FASTSAT satellite bus.
NanoSail-D satellite during deployment testing. (NASA/MSFC)
On Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., confirmed that the NanoSail-D nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite, FASTSAT. The ejection event occurred spontaneously and was identified this morning when engineers at the center analyzed onboard FASTSAT telemetry. The ejection of NanoSail-D also has been confirmed by ground-based satellite tracking assets.
Amateur ham operators are asked to listen for the signal to verify NanoSail-D is operating. This information should be sent to the NanoSail-D dashboard at: http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm. The NanoSail-D beacon signal can be found at 437.270 MHz.
The NanoSail-D science team is hopeful the nanosatellite is healthy and can complete its solar sail mission. After ejection, a timer within NanoSail-D begins a three-day countdown as the satellite orbits the Earth. Once the timer reaches zero, four booms will quickly deploy and the NanoSail-D sail will start to unfold to a 100-square-foot polymer sail. Within five seconds the sail fully unfurls.
"This is great news for our team. We’re anxious to hear the beacon which tells us that NanoSail-D is healthy and operating as planned," said Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D principal investigator and aerospace engineer at the Marshall Center. "The science team is hopeful to see that NanoSail-D is operational and will be able to unfurl its solar sail."
On Dec. 6,, 2010, NASA triggered the planned ejection of NanoSail-D from FASTSAT. At that time, the team confirmed that the door successfully opened and data indicated a successful ejection. Upon further analysis, no evidence of NanoSail-D was identified in low-Earth orbit, leading the team to believe NanoSail-D remained inside FASTSAT.
The FASTSAT mission has continued to operate as planned with the five other scientific experiments operating nominally.
"We knew that the door opened and it was possible that NanoSail-D could eject on its own," said Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at the Marshall Center. "What a pleasant surprise this morning when our flight operations team confirmed that NanoSail-D is now a free flyer."
If the deployment is successful, NanoSail-D will stay in low-Earth orbit between 70 and 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions. NanoSail-D is designed to demonstrate deployment of a compact solar sail boom system that could lead to further development of this alternative solar sail propulsion technology and FASTSAT’s ability to eject a nano-satellite from a micro-satellite -- while avoiding re-contact with the FASTSAT satellite bus.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Rep. Walden Combines Twitter With Morse Code
When Republicans take power in the House of Representatives next month, Oregon Representative Greg Walden will wield a gavel as the new chairman of the House subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Walden made the announcement using a mix of technologies both old and new.
Walden W7EQI, an amateur HAM radio operator tapped out this message in Morse Code and broadcast it as a series of dots dashes on his Twitter account.
It reads “WILL CHAIR COMM AND TECH SUB” followed by the amateur radio short hand for best regards as well as his radio call sign. The tweet came in just shy of Twitter’s 140 character limit.
Using a communications method that’s been around more than 150 years alongside one that’s been around for just four, is somewhat appropriate for the new chairman.
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over technologies both old and new including Internet, broadcast, radio, wire and satellite.
The subcommittee is likely to make important decisions on hot-button issues such as net neutrality and data privacy.
Walden and his wife owned and operated a group of local radio stations in Hood River and the Dalles for more than two decades before selling them off some years back.
Walden made the announcement using a mix of technologies both old and new.
Walden W7EQI, an amateur HAM radio operator tapped out this message in Morse Code and broadcast it as a series of dots dashes on his Twitter account.
It reads “WILL CHAIR COMM AND TECH SUB” followed by the amateur radio short hand for best regards as well as his radio call sign. The tweet came in just shy of Twitter’s 140 character limit.
Using a communications method that’s been around more than 150 years alongside one that’s been around for just four, is somewhat appropriate for the new chairman.
The subcommittee has jurisdiction over technologies both old and new including Internet, broadcast, radio, wire and satellite.
The subcommittee is likely to make important decisions on hot-button issues such as net neutrality and data privacy.
Walden and his wife owned and operated a group of local radio stations in Hood River and the Dalles for more than two decades before selling them off some years back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)