These videos are from a one-day Tech class I taught on January 30, 2016. They discuss operating guidelines and public service and emergency communications.
Public Service
Amateur Radio in the News (2015 FD Edition): All-YL Field Day,
There have been many, many news stories on Field Day operations around the country. Here are just a sampling:
Happy Ham Radio Week: Do we get cake?
As legislatures do in many states, the Michigan legislature has designated the last week in June as Amateur Radio Week in Michigan. Here’s the text:
Senate Resolution No. 149.
A resolution to recognize and designate June 23-29, 2014, as Amateur Radio Week in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, Amateur radio operators are celebrating over a century of the miracle of the human voice broadcast over the airwaves; and
Whereas, Amateur radio has continued to provide a bridge between people, societies, and countries by creating friendships and the sharing of ideas; and
Whereas, Operators of amateur radio have also provided countless hours of community services both in emergencies and to other local organizations throughout the decades, which are provided wholly uncompensated; and
Whereas, The state of Michigan recognizes the services amateur radio operators also provide to our many civilian emergency response organizations, including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army; and
Whereas, These same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs, and other charitable public events; and
Whereas, The state of Michigan acknowledges and appreciates the diligence of these hams who also serve as weather spotters in the SKYWARN program of the National Weather Service; and
Whereas, Amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the wake of Hurricane Irene and the paralyzing October blizzard that hit the Northeast and Atlantic Seaboard; and
Whereas, The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the leading organization for amateur radio in the United States; and
Whereas, The ARRL Amateur Radio Field Day exercise will take place on June 28-29, 2014, and is a 24-hour emergency preparedness exercise and demonstration of the radio amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications without further infrastructure being required; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we hereby recognize and designate June 23-29, 2014, as Amateur Radio Week in the state of Michigan.
My only question is do we get cake?
Amateur radio in the news: Hong Kong, Wales, young hams, and more
Lots of ham radio items in the news lately, so this post is longer than usual….Dan
Hong Kong’s ham radio enthusiasts lend a helping hand. More than just a hobby and a way to socialise, amateur radio provides vital communications to ensure the safe running of Hong Kong’s charity events.
Gwent radio hams ready to help in emergency. They are helping to guard the public in the event of a disaster, but you may not have even heard of them. Gwent’s RAYNET group – a bunch of licensed amateur radio enthusiasts who help the emergency services in the event of a communications meltdown – is part of a national organisation celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Lake amateur radio operator gets top marks. Lake County amateur radio operators, often called hams, brought home the bacon in a national Field Day event held earlier this year, it was announced Thursday.
Young hams make the grade. Surrounded by radio gear, Gene Clark sat in his chair and listened intently as his two sixth grade proteges were interviewed by a reporter recently. Dalton Duggers, 11, and Jordan Sirmans, 12, recently earned their radio technician’s licenses, making them two of the youngest licensed ham radio operators in Georgia. The two friends are are members of the Albany Amateur Radio Club (AARC) and are in the Gifted Program at Merry Acres Middle School.
Okanogan Amateur Radio Club recognizes first concrete pouring at Grand Coulee Dam. Dec. 6th, 1935, was the first “ceremonious pour” of concrete at Grand Coulee Dam. It was the first of a total of 12 million yards, which is enough to pour a sidewalk around the world at the equator twice. The Okanogan County Amateur Radio Club W7ORC sponsored a special event to celebrate the anniversary of the that pouring. Club members used their home radio stations, commonly referred to as “HAM SHACKS,” starting at 4 p.m. Dec 6, and ended at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec 8.
Family saved by ham radio and Good Samaritan after car accident. On a cold, bitter night earlier this month, the actions of a Good Samaritan and a ham radio probably saved the lives of a family. It began at about 7 p.m. Dec. 6 when Cody Fowler and his wife, Tina, and their two sons, Jacob and Timmy, were on their way home from Pueblo. Because of the bitter cold temperatures and the icy roads, Cody turned around and drove back down the road, where he discovered that a red SUV had slid off into a ditch. The five people in the car had climbed back onto the road….
From my Twitter feed: learn electronics, visualize cellphones, NTS newsletter
imabug @imabug
LearnAbout – Electronics learnabout-electronics.org/index.php
Denis S @TheZerocool
If your in the school of thought that mobile phone mast RF will cook your mind… check this out and begin to worry: goo.gl/XcrkAN
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A link to a NTS Themed Newsletter : ve3gna.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/lat…
Operating Notes: traffic, bees, Ernst Krenkel
One of the students in my last Tech class, has taken up traffic handling. This evening, he forwarded a piece of traffic to me:
Message Number 1058 Routine HXG Station or Origin: KD8RCR Check 25 Place of Origin: Midland Mi Date: Nov 26th IF HF CAPABLE PLEASE JOIN US ON MACS NET 10AM AND MITN NET 7PM BOTH ON 3952 KHZ X WE NEED YOUR PARTICIPATION X 73 Ryan KB8RCR
Somewhere along the way, “KB” got changed to “KD” or vice versa, but it was cool to get it.
The bee’s knees
Last night, I worked Curt, N5CW, on 40m CW. This wasn’t the first time that I’d contacted Curt, but it was the first time that he mentioned that he kept bees. He isn’t the first ham radio operator/beekeeper that I’ve worked. A couple of weeks ago, I worked KC4URI, who also keeps bees, and a while back, W3BEE. I’ve now worked more beekeepers (3) than I have barbers (2).
Ernst Krenkel
This evening, I worked RD110RAEM, a special event station commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Arctic explorer and amateur radio operator, Ernst Krenkel, RAEM (1903-1971). He was a famous polar explorer, Hero of the Soviet Union, chairman of the USSR Radiosport Federation (1959-1971), and the first chairman of Central Radio Club of the USSR. There’s even an Ernst Krenkel Museum of Radio and Radio Amateurs in Moscow.
According to Southgate Amateur Radio News, there will be 23 special event stations operating throughout the month of December commemorating Krenkel, including 20 in Russia and three in the Ukraine. On Sunday, December 29, the 42nd RAEM International CW HF Contest will take place.
Amateur radio in the news: Rotary donates to children’s museum, Waukegan ham charged with interference, more than just a hobby
Rotary Club of Duluth makes $2,000 donation. Duluth Children’s Museum will use the money to obtain more equipment for the amateur radio communication programming that derived directly from the DCM’s recent Space Station event.
Unfortunately, this item was very short on details, but I’m trying to follow up with the museum to see if I can make contact with the hams in Duluth who are working with the museum there….Dan
Waukegan man charged with making racially offensive radio transmissions. An amateur radio operator from Waukegan was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he breached security and used racially offensive language on a Lake County Sheriff’s Office corrections radio communications system, officials said. Raymond J. Kelly, 24, of the 4800 block of Eastwood Court, was charged with two counts of tampering with jail communications, as well as one count of harassment through electronic communications, said Sara Balmes, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
I was really sorry to read this…Dan
More than a hobby. Being an amateur radio operator is a great hobby for some, but last week, those hobbyists proved just how important their pastime activity can be in an emergency situation.
Ham Radio in the News – 5/30/12
Ham radio pulled into territorial dispute. China is using amateur radio to claim sovereignty of Scarborough Reef. The Chinese say that in 1990 a German ham was told by the Philippine ambassador that the reef was not within Philippine territory.
Amateur radio essential tool. Behind the scenes at every Drivesouth Rally of Otago a team of local amateur radio enthusiasts works tirelessly to keep track of every car. Their support is vital to the three-day event, which started last night, as there is either unreliable or no cellphone reception where many of rally’s stages are held.
W6G Salutes Golden Gate Anniversary. The San Francisco Amateur Radio Club helped mark the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge by contacting other amateur radio operators this Memorial Day weekend.
Ham Radio in the News – October 31, 2001
Here is the latest Ham Radio in the News:
99-year-old Ham radio operator still tuned in. This story speaks for itself. I hope I’m still making QSOs when I’m 99.
Radio club helps to make Halloween a treat. I like this article because it describes ham radio providing a public service that is not emergency communications. I also like the name of the newspaper: The Daily Gleaner.
150 years ago, a primitive Internet united the USA. While not directly related to ham radio, this article puts our current communications technology in perspective. The telegraph was the invention that set the stage for today’s Internet.
I Believe in Ham Radio
WPSU, public radio from Penn State University, has a feature they call, “This I Believe.” It allows their listeners to tell others about their personal philosophy and core values. I Believe is based on the 1950s radio program of the same name and the media project (launched in 2005) from This I Believe, Inc. and Atlantic Public Media.
The latest program in this series is by Ellwood Brem, K3VY, who believes in ham radio. He says,
I believe the world would be a more peaceful place if we were all amateur radio operators. I’m an amateur radio operator — sometimes called a ham radio operator — and I’ve been one for forty-nine years. I delight at talking on my short wave radio to people all over the world.
You can listen to the entire essay if you go to the PSU website.