School or Library Gift Suggestion that Counts – ARRL Library Set

Not all of us are ARRL members, but it is the rare Radio Amateur in the USA who hasn’t used an ARRL publication at some point or another.

I remember looking at the ancient ham radio books in our local public library as our local club developed a project to supply the county libraries with at least a few basic entry level books, and in the case of our main library a full ARRL Library Set.

Special money saving offer! This book set includes popular ARRL publications, intended for clubs or individuals that wish to make a gift to a local library or school. Only complete sets of these publications are available at the special price of $200 per set. Price includes UPS ground shipping throughout the 48 contiguous states, only. Call for other shipping options. Editions sent will be those available at the time the order is received. Publications and prices are subject to change without notice. This special offer applies only to orders purchased directly from ARRL. Orders must be pre-paid.

The ARRL offer is roughly a 40% discount, offered in the interest in getting these books into the “right places” for encouraging potential new amateurs and supporting licensees who are library users.

The link is: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/libookset.html

And the special order form is at:

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/liborderform.pdf

Our local club has done a Library set several times over the years, one for the Manitowoc Public Library and one for the Club Reference Library. After a few years we do another donation set to keep the books up to date.

Perhaps such a gift would fit into your club’s community efforts?

73

Steve

Another Weekend on the Road & Off the Air

Really would have liked to have had some on-air time this weekend, but it wasn’t to be.

Five-hundred miles of beautiful countryside covered, with full family as we did a University Preview Day visit to Michigan Technical University, where our eldest Tom KC9JGD is enrolled for autumn.

Fantastic area of the country, the Keweenaw Peninsula!

The truck isn’t setup for Mobile HF, and with all of us traveling it would have been unrealistic to have spent much time on the air mobile even if it were.

There was also the full alertness needed to avoid the herds of deer grazing wherever the snow melt had thinned the ground cover of snow enough to allow the first tips of buds to pop out.

In the Keweenaw the snow on the side of some streets easily was six-foot plus high, despite the start of the melt.

All in all a wonderful trip and though it meant missing a contest, it was well worth it!

73

Steve

jaLog – Simple JAVA Based Logger

Ron Kinney KC0ZPS has scripted a straight forward simple QSO Logging Program logging in Amateur Data Interchange Format (adif), scripted under full cross platform JAVA.

This Logging tool looks very useful for the quick conversion of hand-logs, say from a US Island Activation or a Special Event, into adif format log files that can be imported or merged into one’s main logging program later.

So many logging programs are difficult about the free form editing needed to convert paper logs to adif logs.

This looks to be a way around the issue, and in a tool that can be used on both Windows, Linux & Apple OS-X machines – actually on any machine that has a running version of JAVA.

Websites are:

sourceforge files: http://sourceforge.net/projects/jlog/
main website: http://jlog.sourceforge.net/

Note: for those of you with sharp eyes, you will notice Ron KC0ZPS’s project was originally named jLog, but was changed to jaLog as there is an inactive logger called jLog

Worth checking out!

73

Steve

Year 1859 and the use of “73” for Best Regards

Amateurs often are left wondering where some of the traditions & conventions used in Amateur Radio came from.  It is always a surprise to learn that some are 150 years old predating the hobby by many decades.

One often asked is where did 73 as shorthand for “Best Regards” come from and when did it come into use?

WOOD’S PLAN 

OF 

TELRGRAPHIC INSTRUCTION, 

ARRANGED BY THE 

PROFESSORS AND TUTORS 

OF 

“MORSE’S TELEGRAPH INSTITUTE” 

SYRACUSE, N. Y. 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 

“ Morse’s Telegraphic Institute “ Association, 

In the Clerk’s office of the District Court for the Northern District 

of New York. 

  

 

Has  the citation:

73- Compliments to _____ . 

Check out more history of numeric shorthand at:

http://scard.buffnet.net/pages/tele/wurules1866/92code.html 

73

Steve

Squeeking in Rwanda – Logging 9X0R

 With work and family it has been hard to find time to work some of the openings for the various exciting DXpeditions operating.

I missed Clipperton leaving for an out of state class exactly when they came on and returning to only hours before they went QRT.

The 9X0R Rwanda DXpedition captured my interest and I am very pleased to have squeaked in a QSO with the team! 

Information on the DXpedition and on-lien logs are at:

http://www.9x0r.com/

Hope your callsign looks like this or better:

73

Steve

For Those Interested in Radio Wave Propagation & Space Weather

For Those Interested in Radio Wave Propagation & Space Weather Tom KN4LF offers his expert forecasts on a gratis basis:

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Just an FYI. For those interested I have founded a new radiowave propagation email reflector, “LF/MF/HF/VHF Frequency Radiowave Propagation”. You can sign up at http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/kn4lf . It is
hosted by Risto Kotolampi W6RK founder of the HC-DX website and more.

This reflector has been created as a vehicle for hams and SWL’s to be able to ask questions about and become better educated concerning solar, space and geomagnetic weather, as well as radiowave propagation. Posts on any
topic that involves Radiowave Propagation from DC to daylight is welcome.

I will also be posting my free KN4LF Daily LF/MF/HF/6M Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast here instead of on the ad free Braveheart emailing list. Forecast #2008-05 will be published on both e-lists today and then this Braveheart emailing list will be terminated. So all currently subscribed to this Braveheart emailing list will want to sign up for the new radiowave propagation email reflector ASAP.

73,
Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF
Lakeland, FL, USA
kn4lf @ arrl . net

KN4LF Daily Solar Space Weather & Geomagnetic Data Archive: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm
KN4LF Daily LF/MF/HF/6M Frequency Radiowave Propagation Forecast & Archive Site: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf6h.htm
KN4LF 160 Meter Radio Propagation Theory Notes: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf8.htm
LF/MF/HF/VHF Frequency Radiowave Propagation Email Reflector: http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/kn4lf

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73

Steve