Military Appreciation Special Event – N1S – 11 Nov. 09 8 - November - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, K9ZW Recommends.Tags: ARMAD, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, KB9IBW
add a comment
Ham It Up for the Troops!
Hello Amateur Radio Operators:
This Veterans Day we are able to take advantage of a great opportunity to promote our hobby while supporting a worthy cause.
As many of you have heard the Troops that are deployed in the War On Terror are faced with many obstacles, one of which is lack of hearing our support from home. This gives us a golden opportunity to use our hobby to salute our Troops, and Veterans over the airwaves on this day. They are putting their lives on the line for us, and protecting our freedom.
Many of the families of those serving in the armed forces are concerned that there is no way to show support for those that are deployed and to thank our Veterans. We can show them that we can with a worldwide voice using Amateur Radio. The publicity generated for our hobby would be grand.
Find an event on the air and say a few words of thanks to those that serve in the military, and to our Veterans.
Military Appreciation / November 11, 2009
Nov 11, 1300Z-1700Z, Stratford, CT. Greater Bridgeport ARC & Derby OEM, N1S. Sikorsky Aircraft Military Appreciation Day. 14.255 7.255. Certificate. Frank Krasnicki, K1CRU, 94 Andrasko Rd, Beacon Falls, CT 06403. Event also sponsored by Sikorsky Aircraft’s Veteran’s Association to honor all Vets and servicemen presently deployed. www.gbarc.net (and http://www.armad.net )
mateur Radio on Veterans Day
We should remember those that serve our country 365 days a year. We honor them and our Veterans for doing a service to protect us, and our Constitution.What makes this one day special this year is that we have an opportunity to respond to requests from the public thereby giving publicity to a hobby that is not very well know to them. When military families are told about the service that Amateur Radio can provide they are excited, and want to know more about how they can help us get involved with a special event to show honor live over the air waves. All we need to do is make ourselves available, and we could witness a revival of our hobby. Amateur Radio is a great tool. We have instant access to the world.
This post is about using this tool to uplift the spirits of a large group of people that could use a hand in receiving recognition in this unique way. The possibilities are unlimited. If we think outside of the box we can provide a great service while introducing this hobby to a large number of people that may very well join our ranks. I attended a conference for the U.S. Army Freedom Team last month and mentioned the use of Amateur Radio for this purpose. The response for such activity was overwhelming.
Our opportunity is golden. We could demonstrate this at VA Hospitals, Parades, Schools, Veterans Day Events,VFW or DAV Posts; and many more locations. Even being on the air at your home QTH and saluting those that protect our freedoms, and other nations would make a very good NATIONAL NEWS STORY.
All we need to do is make ourselves known to the press on this day. We can also use this hobby at any time for any other public service event, the sky is the limit. The key is helping others, and getting the word out about that service.
Let’s “Ham It Up For The Troops.” ( Veterans, and their Families)
Visit www.armad.net for more ideas for Military Appreciation Events.
Thank you!
Randomly Random 6 - November - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Random.Org, Randomness
add a comment
61592689450503340833
72589522806364287224
11933358777144337564
91965287896421411221
08094092958275637215
Strings of Random Numbers – useful things for various testing, coding and modeling efforts.
But how to generate these strings (and other forms of randomness), specially as so many on-line offerings are not truly random (“Pseudo-Random” in the jargon)?
One interesting project is “Random.Org” at:
RANDOM.ORG is a true random number service that generates randomness via atmospheric noise. This page explains why it’s hard (and interesting) to get a computer to generate proper random numbers.
Random numbers are useful for a variety of purposes, such as generating data encryption keys, simulating and modeling complex phenomena and for selecting random samples from larger data sets. They have also been used aesthetically, for example in literature and music, and are of course ever popular for games and gambling. When discussing single numbers, a random number is one that is drawn from a set of possible values, each of which is equally probable, i.e., a uniform distribution. When discussing a sequence of random numbers, each number drawn must be statistically independent of the others.
– http://www.random.org/randomness/
Much, much more at the Random.Org website!
73
Steve
K9ZW
Emcomm Professionalization Marches On 3 - November - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, Emcomm, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: ARRL, Emcomm, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled
4 comments
Have you drank the Emcomm Koolaid?
As an ARRL Emcomm Level I, II & III Field Instructor/Mentor/Examiner I’m included on the ARRL’s related communications.
The program is doing a major change, and just look at the list of courses they expect someone to make time to take – courses that do not have very much to do with Radios BTW, but instead are our Government’s ideas being imposed by our organization.
As an employer I would be hard pressed to ask this level of coursework not directly related to our task at hand, but for Volunteers it seems very unlikely that as hobbyists that we could really ask people to complete a list that includes:
- ICS-100
- ICS-200
- ICS (NIMS)-700
- IS-800
- IS-240
- IS-241
- IS-250
- IS-1
- IS-288
- IS-244
- IS-120.a
- IS-130
- IS-139
and, get this – drops the requirement to hold an FCC Radio License to be an ARRL Emcomm Team Member or leader!!
Notice that you now need “permission” to train from your Section Manager!
That the ARRL is no longer driving the “Emcomm Bus” is confirmed when deference to FEMA becomes so complete as to tell us: “Please note: the list of FEMA course as prerequisites, as well as those referenced internally within the course, may change as FEMA makes changes to its course offerings or the course is modified to introduce new content.”
In all fairness this is for the advanced (combined old Level II & III) Emcomm level, but that the leadership has been turned over to non-ham served agencies is evident at the Basic Level as well.
Here is the announcement:
To: Continuing Education Program EmComm Mentors and Instructors
Greetings!
The new Emergency Communications course is taking shape. Here are the details.Overview:
The content of the new emergency communications course is undergoing final review and the decisions about what shape this new course will take have been made. I’d like to update you on our progress, what changes are being made and what may be expected of you.As we have said previously, the former Level 2 and Level 3 Emergency Communications courses are being updated and combined into one new course. The new course will focus on emergency communications training for leaders and managers. The title of the new course is Public Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs.
We anticipate launching this new course in January 2010. It has been developed in a lesson format and will be posted on our website and, as such, it will be viewable by any ARRL member. Members will need only log in to the ARRL website to see the course material. It will not be a mentored course. Later on, we may provide a mentored online forum on our website where students can post questions about course topics and receive answers from a mentor.
Requirements for Course Completion:
The new course requires that the student has previously completed the Level 1/Basic course, certain FEMA courses and has some experience with Amateur Radio and emergency communications. Those who desire to receive a course completion certificate for this new course (which we refer to in shorthand as “Advanced EmComm”) will first need to document that they have satisfied a list of prerequisites. After providing the necessary documentation, applicants will be required to pay an enrollment fee of $35 to gain access to the course’s final exam. This fee will help to offset the cost of developing the course and for the online testing service as well as costs for administrative support.The course prerequisites to be verified include:
An Amateur Radio license,
Completion of ARRL’s Level 1/Basic course, and
Completion of FEMA courses that are background for this course.FEMA prerequisites:
ICS-100 (basic ICS)
ICS-200 (supervisory)
ICS (NIMS)-700
ICS-300, a classroom course, is also highly recommended, but not requiredCandidates for the course completion certificate will also be required to document completion of additional FEMA courses that are integrated into the Advanced EmComm course curriculum. These include:
IS-800 (National Response Framework)
FEMA IS-240, Leadership & Influence
FEMA IS-241, Decision Making & Problem Solving
FEMA IS-250, Emergency Support Function 15 (ESF15), External Affairs
FEMA IS-1, Emergency Manager, An Orientation to the Position
IS-288, The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management
IS-244, Developing and Managing Volunteers
FEMA IS-120.a, An Introduction to Exercises
FEMA IS-130, Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning
FEMA IS-139, Exercise Design
Please note: the list of FEMA course as prerequisites, as well as those referenced internally within the course, may change as FEMA makes changes to its course offerings or the course is modified to introduce new content.Applicants will also need to supply a reference from their Section Manager, or his or her designee, stating the reason for the applicant’s participation. Section Managers will take into account the applicant’s relevant experience or role within emergency communications and whether they are in good standing within the amateur radio community. Once applicants have documented that these requirements have been met and they have paid the course evaluation fee, they will receive access to complete the online exam.
We are also making provision for unlicensed individuals who perform an official role as an emergency responder to earn the course completion certificate if they desire. To apply to take the final exam and earn the course completion certificate, these individuals will need to obtain a “waiver” recommendation from the local ARRL Section Manager. This waiver request should include a description of the position of responsibility the applicant holds in an emergency response organization. Note that these individuals will need to be an ARRL member to obtain access to the course on the ARRL website. Later on, when other media formats are available there may be additional ways to access the course materials.
Course Presentation:
Because of the nature of the course content and its fluidity with regard to decisions of the Federal government, as well as its internal links to reference material from non-ARRL sources, we are reluctant to produce copies of the course in media which are fixed in time. Nevertheless, later on, we are considering publishing the Advanced course in other media formats (print, CD, etc.), and depending on demand, may also build an infrastructure for field classroom instruction of the course. However, all course completion exams will be conducted online and course completion certificates will be issued online. We will notify Section Managers of the names of those who earn the course completion certificate.Status of Current Mentors and Instructors:
All current EmComm online Mentors and Field Instructors who intend to continue instructing the Level 1/Basic course, as well as any who foresee conducting classroom instruction for the new Advanced course, will need to take this course and earn the course completion certificate.All EmComm Mentors and Field Instructors will need to earn this course completion certificate on or before December 31, 2010 to continue in the role of Emergency Communications Mentor or Field Instructor. This is one of a few new qualifying requirements for Mentors and Field Instructors that will be phased in during 2010 as we endeavor to insure more consistency and control over EmComm instruction.
Mentors and Field Instructors who have been active during the past 2 years—since January 2008—will be able to enroll in the course evaluation component of the new Advanced course free of charge.
We have been reevaluating our EmComm training goals and processes as we have been configuring this new course. There were many opinions and constraints to be considered, but we believe we now have an excellent training program about to be unveiled which will position Amateur Radio well for the future. We appreciate your patience.
73,
DebraDebra Johnson, K1DMJ
Education Services Manager
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio™
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 06111-1494
(860) 594-0296
Fax: (860) 594-0259
djohnson@arrl.org
The ARRL CE Program has not been updated past dropping EC-002 & EC-003 from the offering. http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html (As an aside a number of other courses have been withdrawn over time for various reasons or for repackaging as a purchased course at the ARRL Store).
More as the ARRL explains the moves to a FEMA based Emcomm program.
73
Steve
K9ZW
GUEST POST – Paul AE5JU’s Radio Adventures – Part 2 PSK31 1 - November - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW.Tags: AE5JU, K9ZW, Paul AE5JU’s Radio Adventures
add a comment
Here is my good friend Paul Coats follow up article – Paul AE5JU’s Radio Adventures – Part 2 PSK31
Enjoy!
73
Steve
K9ZW
A week or so back I spent a few hours with Larry W5LJL, a fellow club member. He has a Kenwood TS-140 and an Icom IC-718. Larry had downloaded Ham Radio Deluxe / Digital Master 780. He also has an interface from Donner’s Digital Interfaces for the Kenwood.
http://home.att.net/~n8st/DDI-index.html
Larry could not get HRD to connect to the Kenwood and asked for help, which is why I went over. Trying all ports shown, and even plugging in an RS-232 to USB adapter, which created another COM port, and plugging into that, we were still unable to get HRD to connect to the Kenwood TS-140.
We did get HRD to connect to the Icom 718 using a simple interface cable I had obtained from XGGCOMMS in the UK.
http://www.xggcomms.com/index.htm
http://www.xggcomms.com/page3.htm (Icom page, for the IC-718, the Cable-8)
I had used this same cable with my 718 and laptop successfully for the previous two weeks. Larry’s computer is a few years old, a Dell with XP operating system.
After getting Ham Radio Deluxe to connect with the Icom 718 we still could not get DM780 to operate PTT via HRD. We got a message that TCP/IP was not started in HRD, but try as we may, could not figure it out. We finally got it on the air for PSK31 by not using HRD at all, starting only DM780, and configuring the DM780 PTT tab to use COM2 and RTS. Success with the Icom 718, at least with DM780, so Larry can do PSK31 (or many of the other digital modes) with that radio!
Next, back to the Kenwood. Like the Icom 718, by not using HRD at all, but using DM780 only, we were able to use the Donner interface. It took a few minutes to get the various audio settings correct. The rx audio going into the sound card of the computer was overloading the input. Larry’s sound card had only a Mic In, so the mic gain in Windows had to be turned almost all the way down, just barely cracked open, and then the Rx Audio slider in DM780’s Soundcard Pane was turned about halfway. That gave a good waterfall and signals were seen.
Before transmitting I set up some macros for Larry, showed him how to make his own, and how to use them. Macros set up were a 3×3 CQ with Larry’s call, a response to another’s CQ, a generic response, a “name, rst, qth” macro, station, locator, and a 73 sk signoff.
Going back the other way, Larry clicked on his CQ macro button, loading the CQ message into the TX pane. I had him click Send and raised the TX slider (audio drive) while I watched the power meter on the TX-140. He ended up with the slider set at about 40%, which on the radio’s power meter indicated it was about 20 watts out. However, a problem was that when the radio’s meter switch was switched from Power to ALC the meter pegged. That was confusing, as with my meager experience, that should only happen if the radio was overdriven with the audio from the computer.
He had no sooner sent his CQ than a response came right back from a ham in Minnesota! He reported an RST of 599, and said that unlike a lot of other signals he had seen today, Larry’s was a very nice, clean signal. Well, we won’t worry about the ALC. Louisiana to Minnesota on just 20 watts… cool!
So in the end we got both radios running with PSK31 using only DM780. From reading through various forums this is apparently a common problem with Ham Radio Deluxe. I like Digital Master 780, and after having tried Digipan, MixW and a few others I think I will stick with it.
Now here’s a good question… why do I need a “control program” (HRD) if the radio is right in front of me? I can turn knobs and push buttons directly on the radio. I do like having the frequency on the digital program’s waterfall, and that is the only thing I gain from having HRD up and running. I can see HRD’s usefullness in situations where the computer cannot be set directly beside the transceiver like I can with a laptop and my meager station.
So, Larry’s up and running now, too.
The next day I picked up a few parts at radio shack, a 100k audio taper (that’s important) stereo pot, two 1/8″ stereo jacks, a small project box, a card of knobs, and a cable 6′ long with 1/8″ stereo plugs on each end.
I mounted the 100k pot on the top of the box and the two 1/8″ jacks on one side of the box. I cut the 6′ long cable right in the middle and have those coming out two holes on the side of the project box opposite the jacks.
One cable is wired to one jack straight through. This jack has a green dot beside it, and the plug end of the cable is color coded with a piece of green heat shrink tubing. This will plug into the (color coded green) speaker jack on the back of Larry’s computer.
Attenuator Illustration
Attenuator 2 Illustration
The other cable is wired to the wipers (middle terminals) of the 100k stereo pot. The hot side of the pot is wired to the remaining jack on the side of the box. Since Larry’s computer’s sound card has no line in, only the Microphone In (color coded pink) jack. I had no pink heat shrink tubing, I used red. Larry will have to pretend it is very hot pink. So the cable coming from the 100k pot plugs into the computer’s pink Mic input. And the audio output lead of the interfaces will plug into the remaining jack on the side of the box. I have those leads color coded with red heat shrink tubing, and a red dot on the box beside that jack.
So now Larry can turn the Windows Soundcard controls back up, and the slider in DM780’s soundcard pane back up, and adjust the input signal with the attenuator on this little box. Also, the box can be positioned where convenient for Larry to plug into and adjust, no longer having to turn the tower around.
73
Paul – AE5JU
Planning a Quiet November as it is NaNoWriMo Time 30 - October - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month
add a comment
NaNoWriMo Logo
With Varying Frequency is planning a quiet November. I have some posts prepared and will use this time to repost updated versions of some of the most popular posts.
Taking a second year stab at doing some larger scale writing, by doing the NaNoWriMo project (National Novel Writing Month)
From their website:
What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!
The project URL is at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
My NaNoWriMo name is “StevenW” and you should be able to follow my progress at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/457910
If you want to have a go yourself, please add me as one of your writing buddies!
73
Steve
K9ZW
Island Upgrades to Omni VII, Orion II, FT-2000 and Flex-5000a 29 - October - 2009
Posted by k9zw in Amateur Radio, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled.Tags: Flex-Radio, FT-2000, Greengate Farm, K9ZW, K9ZW Just Rambled, Omni-VII, Orion-II, W9EVT, WI-001L, WI9DX
add a comment
Today after a two and half hour drive and a 40 minute ferry ride I set foot, or more exactly set my wheels, on Washington Island WI-001L, on my way to George W9EVT’s ham shack to install firmware updates on several radios and set up his Flex-5000a radio after he had received a new computer. My youngest Victor KC9NWB was riding shotgun on the trip.
Greengate Farm, Susan & George Ulm’s QTH, was not my only island destination. My official main purpose on the Island was to assist the Island Historical Society with evaluation and decision-making concerning the Thorstein Veblen cottage restoration project.
The cottage restoration will start in earnest in 2010, with the present priority to watertight the building and insure its safety overwinter. My firm has offered some assistance with materials for the project and I have been more than happy to donate my personal time to our Island friends who are undertaking this historic renovation.
I’m especially happy that allows me time to visit George’s shack, and in this case on this trip to do upgrades on several of his radios. George also had received a specially built PC to run his Flex-5000 and he needed it set up.
The first upgrade was to the Orion II with a full firmware update. This involves installing software I had brought to the island on a thumb drive onto a local PC, connected to the Orion with a serial cable, restarting the radio holding a specific key, and running the specialty upgrade software.
In the case of the Orion, with its massive number of settings, this upgrade takes several minutes. As it was the first time I had done in Orion update, I was a bit concerned at the length of time it took to load the new firmware. I really should’ve worried the system seems to work well and once the Orion was restarted all look to be well.
Upgrading the Omni was just as easy, but much quicker due to its smaller settings table. A similar process, cabling the radio up, restarting the radio holding a specific key, and running the special Omni update software. Again the update went smoothly.
Now came the challenge, the FT- 2000 radio. First step in updating a 2000 is to turn the radio upside down and locate a slider switch inside the radio through a small hole usually covered by the right rear foot. This switch is a problem as it is very very small and once you put your screwdriver in it is hard to see the switch. The 2000 also requires to be cabled to the PC for an update to install.
It couldn’t be that simple… no, it wasn’t as I discovered FT-2000 needed a different cable than the Orion or the Omni. A “Gender Problem” — the gender pin out was the opposite of what was expected. I guess I should look closer at the on-screen computer manual, rather than relying on the text calling out in nine pin serial port, before I came to Island.
So in the end the 2000 could not be upgraded, but would you think that putting that small switch back to its normal position could possibly be harder than finding it the first time? Absolutely, it was a time-consuming task to relocate this tiny switch and reset the radio.
In the end the software was left loaded ready for the correct cable to update the 2000, and a correct cable was ordered from a off-island supply house before I left for the day. I’m hoping that George can handle finishing the 2000 update on his own when the cable arrives.
Next was the Flex — and it’s new special PC. Everything was there, it just needed cabling up and the software setup with its final configurations.
The special PC arrived with all the usual Flex software preinstalled including PowerSDR, but it needed to be configured for this specific radio it was hooked to. It only took a few moments to get the software running and the flex on the air. However the first time George powered everything down for some reason the settings were lost. I found this on my return from the Veblen cottage, and I’m very glad that George and I split the day into two sessions to catch an error like this. Somewhere in the middle I found time to to squeeze in a visit to the island gunsmith and to visit with a friend who is a builder & Realtor on the island.
Again a few minutes of redoing the settings to match settings that have worked satisfactorily at my QTH put everything into fine form. With a large monitor, the fantastic antennas, the beautiful location for propagation, and the special PC George now has one very fine Flex-5000 setup. I do need to thank Harry W9BR for some phone assistance when I needed advice. To confirm the Flex-5000 was running right I of course had to quickly work several DX stations, mostly using the Washington Island DX Club WI9DX call sign.
So three of the four radios were put into fine form, the fourth prepared for its new cable to allow installation of the final firmware update, and George is back on the air with his Flex-5000. There was enough time to spare to socialize, walk part of the farm — actually a very small part of the farm — and before the last outgoing ferry for the day. Of course we were recipients of Susan’s lunch & hospitality, for which we offer our thanks!
It was a lovely ride back, breaking into rain only for the last 15-20 miles. Victor KC9NWB and I treated ourselves to a nice dinner at the world-famous Al Johnson’s restaurant on the way back.
73
Steve
K9ZW
