 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch with Three Hams on Board
(Aug 25, 2009)
-- Tuesday's launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-128) was scuttled when thunderstorms -- including a lightning strike just five miles from the launch pad -- popped up unexpectedly Monday evening, continuing into Tuesday morning. The shuttle, with a new launch date of Wednesday, August 26, will carry a crew of seven astronauts, including three radio amateurs.Full Story |
Hurricane Bill Passes New England, Finds Newfoundland
(Aug 24, 2009)
-- Along Coastal New England and the Canadian Maritimes, residents boarded up windows in preparation for Hurricane Bill. Even though the storm -- downgraded from Category 4 to Category 1 -- was considerably weaker than it had been when it was in the Caribbean earlier last week, those who live and work in the region were not taking any chances. To assist the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in tracking the storm, hams with the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIP Net) relayed traffic and spotting reports to WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the NHC.Full Story |
2009 Field Day Logs Received, Posted Online
(Aug 24, 2009)
-- All 2009 Field Day logs that have been received have been posted to the Claimed Scores page on the ARRL Web site. They reflect all applications sent from the b4h.net Web applet, as well as those received via the US Postal Service and usable electronic submissions sent via regular e-mail (non-Web applet submissions). If you find an error in your listing, or your entry is missing, please contact ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, via e-mail or by phone at 860-594-0236. If your entry is listed as needing more information, please contact Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, via e-mail or by phone at 860-594-0295. She has all of the entries received and can determine what specifically is missing from those entries with problems.Link to this item |
WX4NHC, Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net to Activate for Hurricane Bill
(Aug 22, 2009)
-- In preparation for Hurricane Bill, WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIP Net) will activate on Sunday, August 23. Presently, Bill is a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds up to 85 miles per hour. The storm is expected to weaken on Sunday as it moves to cooler waters. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a tropical storm warning for the coast of Massachusetts from Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach on Cape Cod, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Nova Scotia, from Charlesville on the southwestern tip, to Point Aconi, on the northeastern side. A hurricane watch remains in effect from Ecum Secum (on Nova Scotia's southern coast) to Point Aconi.Full Story |
The K7RA Solar Update
(Aug 21, 2009)
-- The quiet Sun continues to baffle us. If there are no sunspots today -- and I don't expect any to emerge -- this will be the 42nd day in a row with no sunspots; July 10 was the last day we saw any spots. There is really no way to predict when the next sunspot will appear. If we see no sunspots through the end of the month, then nearly 80 percent of 2009 so far will have been spotless. Sunspot numbers for August 13-19 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 67.2, 67.6, 68.1, 68.8, 68.1, 67.4 and 67.1 with a mean of 67.8. The estimated planetary A indices were 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 4 and 10 with a mean of 4.6. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3, 2, 1, 0, 2, 2 and 8 with a mean of 2.6.Full Story |
Feature: Surfin': Still Finding Woodstock
(Aug 21, 2009)
-- This week, Surfin' unveils more ham radio connections to the three days of peace, music and mud.Full Story |
7O1YGF Now in Logbook of The World
(Aug 20, 2009)
-- ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L reports that the logs for the 2000 DXpedition to Yemen, 7O1YGF, have been uploaded to Logbook of The World (LoTW). Last week, Moore announced that after more than an eight year delay, the DXCC Desk approved the operation after a review of "recently received information," as well as "additional dialogue" with the DXpedition leader.Full Story |
Feature: The Amateur Amateur: Diary of a Mad Ham's Wife
(Aug 20, 2009)
-- There he goes again. Stomp, stomp, stomp across the roof. How can he stay up there for hours? What could possibly consume so much of his time? I've helped him put up and take down antennas, but that never took more than ten minutes. He spends half the day up there. What is he doing?Full Story |
FCC Blogs, Twitters
(Aug 19, 2009)
-- On Tuesday, August 18, the Federal Communication jumped on the technological bandwagon and began "Twittering." Twitter allows text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers; to date, the FCC's Twitter page has almost 1200 followers. The FCC has also started a blog called Blogband. According to Chairman Julius Genachowski (who made the first post), "Blogband is part of the FCC's commitment to an open and participatory process. Blogband will keep people up-to-date about the work the FCC is doing and the progress we're making. But we want it to be a two-way conversation." Readers may leave comments after each post, but comments will be monitored during normal business hours and will be reviewed as "speedily as possible" before posting. "As this blog demonstrates, the Internet is changing and expanding the way Americans communicate, providing them with unparalleled access to information." Genachowski wrote. "So visit Blogband often to keep up with the latest news and -- more importantly -- get involved." The FCC pointed out that commenting in the blog "is not a substitute for submitting a formal comment in the record of a specific Commission proceeding."Link to this item |
Hurricane Bill Builds to Category 4; Amateur Radio Hurricane Nets Ready
(Aug 19, 2009)
-- Now that Tropical Storms Ana and Claudette have dissipated, Hurricane Bill -- now labeled a Category 4 storm -- is churning its way across the Atlantic with sustained winds near 135 miles per hour. Even though the storm's projected path does not make landfall in the US, hams affiliated with the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net (VoIPWX) are ready to provide communications support.Full Story |
ARRL Section Manager Election Results
(Aug 19, 2009)
-- Of the nine Sections holding Section Manager elections this month, three will be getting new Section Managers: Los Angeles, South Texas and Georgia. The Sacramento Valley, Eastern Washington, Colorado, Western Washington, West Virginia and San Francisco Sections will keep their incumbent Section Managers. The new terms of office start October 1, 2009. Ballots were counted at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, August 18.Full Story |
Santa Cruz Hams Provide Support During Wildfires
(Aug 17, 2009)
-- As wildfires threaten the central California coast near Santa Cruz -- located between San Jose and Monterey -- area radio amateurs have been providing support to law enforcement and fire authorities. According to Santa Cruz County Public Information Officer Bill Conklin, AF6OH, the Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center requested support from ARES® on Wednesday, August 12: "We activated and established an informal Net to provide fire support resources." Just two days later, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a State of Emergency for Santa Cruz County.Full Story |
HPM/140 Birthday Celebration Event Coming Next Month
(Aug 17, 2009)
-- The Hiram Percy Maxim Birthday celebration is back! This year, the ARRL is honoring the 140th anniversary of the birth of the League's first president and cofounder. Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, was born September 2, 1869 and died February 17, 1936, in a Colorado hospital of complications stemming from a throat infection; his widow died just nine days later.Full Story |
Feature: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler
(Aug 14, 2009)
-- Ham Humor -- #2Full Story |
Feature: Surfin': Finding Woodstock
(Aug 14, 2009)
-- This week, Surfin' finds a Woodstock connection to ham radio.Full Story |
| The ARRL is a member-society and International Secretariat of the International Amateur Radio Union. |
 |
