11/02/09The ARRL W1AW 2009/2010 Winter Operating Schedule is available. Please click the "W1AW Schedule" link in the menu on the left to see their bulletin.
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NEWS:
11/02/09The ARRL W1AW 2009/2010 Winter Operating Schedule is available. Please click the "W1AW Schedule" link in the menu on the left to see their bulletin.
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ARRL Bulletin 28 ARLB028
>From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT August 11, 2009
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB028
ARLB028 Vanity Call Sign Fees to Increase September 10
On August 11, the FCC announced that the cost of an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will increase $1.10, from $12.30 to $13.40.
Now that notice of the increase has been published in the Federal Register, the increase will take effect in 30 days, September 10, 2009.
The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934, As Amended, to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new 10 year term.
The notice in the August 11, 2009 Federal Register, entitled "Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2009," includes regulatory fees. These fees are expected to recover a total of $341,875,000 during FY2009, encompassing all the Services the FCC regulates.
For more information, see the recent ARRLWeb article, "FCC Looks to
Raise Vanity Call Sign Fees for Second Consecutive Year" at,
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/05/18/10825/?nc=1.
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Amatuer operators from Technician up to Extra class have certain priviledges on all the amatuer radio bands. Technician class licensee's are restricted to the vhf/uhf bands. But did you know that with all the different modes (cw, am, fm, digital, packet), there is also SSTV (Slow Scan TV). FSTV (Fast Scan TV). Take for instant FSTV. This is a mode where you can send analog or digital video, just like your TV in you home, where you can not only talk to another ham, but also see whom you are talking too.
The only requirement, license wise, is for you to have a Technician class or higher license. The FSTV mode is restricted to the 70cm (420-440mhz), 1.2ghz, 2.4ghz and higher. Equipment required is just a tv receiver, transmitter and an antenna, and a video camera. Most of you already have the TV receiver, a cable-ready TV. The transmitter can be have an rf output of 50mw and above. The antenna can be factory made or you can build one (real easy). And nowadays, most everyone has a video or camcorder.
Most all of the major cities in the US have Amatuer Television clubs, but there is no ATV club here in the Reno/Sparks/Carson City area. I would like to get one started. Most all the ATV clubs are active in emergency and disasters, like when the hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast, eastern seaboard, and when tornadoes strike the mid-west.
If you are interested or want to know more about ATV, contact Joe Faden - WA6DDF (info below). I would like to see about getting an ATV club started here in the Reno/Sparks/Carson City area. If a club can be started, and there are enough members interested, We can hold classes on how to get started, building your equipment, building antennas, and how to use your equipment, and any other subjects related to ATV. I will also show and tell you how to buy your equipment at pennies on the dollar (most of it). By the way, this will be a no-fee, no monthly dues club. The only requirement is that you are really interested. So if you are interested, contact me.
Joe Faden - WA6DDF
E-mail wa6ddf at yahoo.com
All Northern Nevada area hams interested in participating in a slow speed code net to help get more people on the air and increase CW proficiency please list your name, phone and email and I will contact you with details in the next couple of weeks. The net will be on 10M band in the novice/technician portion to allow all licensed amateurs the opportunity to participate. NET will meet weekly on 28.140MHZ (10 Meter Band) beginning Sunday afternoons at 3pm PDT on May 10, 2009. Net Control will initially be K5HK sending at 5 wpm. Additional details will be announced when available. Updates will also be published on the N. Nevada Listserv, Reno QRP bulletins, Reno QRP Group website at www.renoqrp.org and via email to all who sign up.
Again thank you for your participation and support,
Sign up by emailing: K5hk at sbcglobal.net
73,
Carl
K5HK
Effective immediately, I am suspending the New Hams Net on the air. I sincerely appreciate all your support, but the audience of new amateurs simply was not there. The New Hams Net Yahoo group will remain active. Please go to groups.yahoo.com/group/NewHamsNet for further information and file access.
I am hopeful that once we gain an audience of new hams, we can resume this net.
Again thank you for your participation and support,
73
Zahra
W7ZMA
Net Manager
With recent band openings beginning on 10 meters, ARRL has received word that a number of US amateurs have been heard using SSB below 28.300. "We urge everyone to remember that 28.000 to 28.300 MHz is reserved for RTTY and data, including CW," said ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG. "Phone is permitted from 28.300 to 28.500 for Novice and Technician class licensees with a maximum power of 200 W. Phone and image are allowed from 28.300 up to 29.700 for General, Advanced and Extra class license holders." Skolaut, who manages the Official Observer and Intruder Watch programs, said that people have called and e-mailed ARRL HQ inquiring about hearing IDs repeated in code on various 10 meter frequencies. "What they are hearing are beacons," Skolaut said; he suggests checking out some Web sites for more information on beacons you might hear on 10 meters and other bands.
There is much discussion lately on 2 meters regarding a simple low to the ground HF antenna that will not stick out like a "sore thumb!" Antennas of this type are called NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave). This type antenna is great for emergency communications.
ANTENNA TIPS FOR (NEW) HF OPERATORS (An EM basic studies training module)
Many new HF operators are appearing on the bands. Many are checking into emcomm and traffic nets and are displaying some excellent operating practices. These former VHF and/or UHF only operators are finding out that HF operation and propagation is a somewhat different "ball game". Occasionally, we hear someone say, "I'm using a simple dipole and it is only 30 feet in the air. I need to get it up higher."
Not so fast! It all depends on what you are trying to achieve, and how long the ranges are you wish to "work". Unlike VHF and UHF, increasing height above ground may actually decrease your effective range. Most emcomm nets are in the 40 and 75/80 meter bands. (The 30, 60 and 160 meter bands are less commonly used for emcomm--but we probably will be seeing more utilization of those bands as the number of amateur stations increase.)
This antenna will work very well for short range. While reading this months Emcomm Monthly there was information on building such a NVIS antenna.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NVIS ANTENNAS:
www.emcomm.org/antenna and www.emcomm.org/projects/default.asp
"Reproduced courtesy of EMCOMM MONTHLY www.emcomm.org and the World Radio Relay League (WRRL) www.wrrl.org"
History - Its the usual amateur radio practice to exchange QSL cards after a QSO. Sending QSL cards can get expensive, especially to stations outside of the USA. Some stations are better than others as to replying to QSL cards.
Paper QSL card - The typical QSL card is mailed to the other station. Often a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) is requested. Sometimes a DX station might also request IRC'S (International Reply Coupons). IRC coupons can be purchased at the Post Office. Many times a DX station will request Green Stamps (U S Dollars).
Paper QSL cards and the ARRL QSL card Bureau System:
Outgoing QSL cards - a system where you send your QSL cards Addressed to foreign countries to the ARRL. The ARRL forwards the cards to the foreign countries. ARRL membership is required.The service is not free. Price examples 10 DX cards can be sent for $1.50 and 75 DX cards for ten dollars. Check the ARRL website - not all DX countries exchange QSL cards via the ARRL Bureau. The word bureau is often sent on CW as buro - pse qsl via buro.
Incoming QSL cards - depending on your call sign you can send prestamped / preaddressed manila envelopes to an incoming QSL card distribution site. When the site has enough cards to fill an envelope, they mail the envelope. The usual practice is to have a few envelopes and stamps at your call sign incoming bureau.The ARRL incoming QSL card is free. ARRL membership is not required. The ARRL incoming site address for 7 area callsigns (W7 - K7 - AA7 - KE7 - KD7 - N7 - and ETC) IS:
Willamette Valley DX Club Inc
PO Box 555
Portland, OR 97207
Electronic QSL card systems - there are two major systems.
LOTW (Logbook Of The World) system. Free to all amateur radio operators. You send your electronic logbook file to the LOTW website. When other stations send their logbook files, The logbook entries are compared. Confirmed entries can be used for awards such as DXCC and WAS. Getting setup on LOTW can be complicated. Logbook entries have to be very exact, especially as regards to time and date.
E-QSL cards. These cards are exchanged on the internet via the website WWW.EQSL.CC The website derives its revenue mostly from membership donations. E-QSL cards are very popular and basically free to send and receive. 76.4 million E-QSL cards have been exchanged from 307 different countries. The E-QSL card website has their own awards system for DXCC WAS etc. If your active on ham radio, there may be E-QSL cards waiting your retrevial.
Questions about QSL cards - please contact: Tom Arnold WA60VP E-mail: WA6OVP at ARRL.NET
The Radio Pack is looking to gain new student members on campus. Radio Pack is currently active in community and on campus with the emergency radio services maintaining the 145.29 MHz W7UNR repeater and a fully equipped amateur radio station on campus, SCM RM. 500.
We have several transceivers on campus that can be used to talk around the world or just around town. We also have a packet or digital station that is driven by a computer. There is enough stuff there to keep several operators busy and new operator’s busy learning. Come and learn how the equipments works and get your own amateur radio license.
Contact: Erv Horton KB7IWT e-mail ehorton at unr.edu or Gary Grant e-mail gfg at scsr.nevada.edu
On Monday mornings the Radio Pack meets at 07:00 (7:00 AM) at Carrows Restaurant at 880 East Plumb Lane for breakfast. All are welcome to attend. It is non-smoking and in a separate room. Join us on 145.290 for the morning conversation on the way to breakfast.
Radio Pack Information:
Up in the 'Shack' we have several transceivers that can be used to talk around the world or just around town. We also have a packet or digital station that is driven by a computer. There is enough stuff there to keep several operators busy and new operators busy learning.
The UNR Radio Pack is active in community and UNR campus emergency radio services maintaining the 145.29 MHz W7UNR repeater and a fully equipped amateur radio station on campus, SCM RM. 500. Achievements include: The Nevada State Fair radio booth (inactive for several years), support of the Silver State Striders, races and marathons, technical support and operations of the UNR Police Department E.O.C. amateur radio station. Contact: Erv Horton KB7IWT e-mail ehorton at unr.edu (e-mail address disassembled to prevent spambot harvesting).
NOTE: This website is set up in frames. If you found just this page while doing an internet search, please go to our home page www.scsr.nevada.edu/~radio for our complete web site.