WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY

Each year on 18 April, radio amateurs celebrate World Amateur Radio Day. On that day in 1925 the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was founded.

Amateur radio has truly entered the 21st Century. In less than 100 years amateur radio communications has evolved from crude spark-gap technology to digital signal processing and software-defined radios. The amateur's HF choice between voice and CW has been expanded to a broad range of communication choices from television to spread spectrum.

Amateur digital communications has evolved. At the end of World War II until the early 1980's, radioteletype, also known as RTTY, was the only HF digital mode available to amateurs. In the 1980's, AMTOR made its debut along with the increased popularity and availability of personal computers. AMTOR was the first amateur digital communication mode to offer error-free text transmission.

From the early 1980's, the rate of change increased dramatically. Packet Radio emerged and for a period of time was the most popular form of amateur digital communication. As microprocessor technology became more sophisticated, there was a rise in modes such as Clover, PACTOR, and G-TOR that were capable of error-free exchanges under marginal band conditions. In the late 1990's, there was an invention that harnessed personal computer technology to create PSK31.

In the VHF-UHF frequency ranges, Packet Radio had less activity at the close of the century than it did in the 1980's and 1990's. However, Packet Radio was reborn as the popular Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) and traditional packet systems still exist to support public service activities with greatly enhanced functionality.

Thanks to individual amateurs, hams now enjoy digital meteor scatter contacts and even moonbounce on VHF and UHF frequencies with modest stations. An ordinary computer sound device and software that can be downloaded free from the internet is all that is needed.

The Japan Amateur Radio League developed the D-STAR digital voice and data standard and there has been significant amateur growth as amateurs establish D-STAR repeater networks on the VHF, UHF and microwave bands.

All of these development have inspired amateurs around the world to experiment in their own HF, VHF, UHF and microwave band digital communication.

Activities on the occasion of World Amateur Radio Day  can be a great opportunity to spread the word about what the "hams" are doing in the 21st Century.

Training Comment for the SLC SE Division Net

Training for the April 3. 2013

Salt Lake City Southeast Division Emergency Preparedness Net

By T. Michael Smith (KM7TMS)

This is KM7TMS with tonight’s Training Comment.  About this time last year we were involved in Utah’s first ever Shake-out drill.  It was an exciting event despite the reduced monies that ended up available.  I know some of you participated as I did, and your presence helped make the event memorable.

This year we are all again invited to join thousands of people who will Drop, Cover, and Hold On at 10:15 a.m. on April 17th* in the 2013 Great Utah Shake Out!  I hope you have signed up to participate.  As of early evening there were 760,000 participants signed up for this basic drill.

Of course, this simple general public drop cover and hold on drill is directed to give us all the fundamental practice on what should be our initial response to an earthquake.  However, it is not all that is happening.  Like last time most of what happens will be outside of our court.  Various other agencies and organizations are doing various things.  For instance, my training comment for last November included a mention of how the Utah Preparedness folks stationed at the state capital were looking for volunteers who would want to learn the software utilized in tracking various donations given for sizable emergency events.  They intended to include such a record keeping aspect to their 2013 ShakeOut drill.

As public moneys are tight these days, not a lot is being spent.  Salt Lake City is apparently planning nothing, other than encouraging participation in the basic drill and organizations to do what else they may want to do.  This accents the ongoing importance of volunteer organizations like this net and the local CERT teams in our neighborhoods.  That is, when the agency first responders are busy it will basically be up to the local neighborhoods to tend to themselves until help arrives.

Living in the real world with limited resources and abilities, we should take this occasion to ask ourselves this question: are we better prepared than we were last year for a big quake.   I think I can say yes to that question -- in most aspects.  Susan and I have more supplies and equipment than a year ago.  But more importantly, because we have continued in our various preparation activities, we are more experienced, knowledgeable, and better networked than we were a year ago.  I hope all of you can say the same.

Beyond the personal situation we can ask ourselves if we have stronger, better prepared community groups than we had a year ago.   Many of us can say yes, and I will point to two examples of this.  For instance, the recent Southeast Division’s meeting on MESH technology held over at the Foothill Stake Center was surprisingly well attended.  Similarly, this not easy, but promising powerful new technology continues to generate interest around the wider valley, state and in other states.  In that same progressive manner, the CERT classes have continued to produce new CERTS and refreshed CERTS.  There is still much that needs doing in the CERT program, but there are now more of us in our communities.

Those found in the emergencies will best benefit from the preparedness we promote, and that promoting maybe the most important thing we can do.  Preparedness quickly becomes a shared activity, and good preparedness is a community endeavor.

With those important promoting and sharing thoughts I will conclude tonight’s Southeast Division Training Comment.  This is KM7TMS thanking you all for our attention and returning the mic back to net control.

Event:        HSMM-MESH introduction and demonstration
Location:    LDS Foothill Stake Center
                 1933 S  2100 E
                 Salt Lake City, UT

Date:         March 28, 2013
Time:        7pm - 9pm


Dear Amateur Radio Operators and other Friends,

You are invited to an introduction and demonstration of HSMM-MESH, particularly emphasizing some valuable applications and operations for emergency communications.  We will meet on Thursday, March 28 at 7 - 9 p.m. at the LDS Foothill Stake Center, 1933 S 2100 E.  (Although odd-numbered addresses in this area are usually on the east side of the street, this one is on the west side, across the street from Dilworth Elementary School.)  I am excited that Dave Bird (WA7RYV) will share his knowledge, skill and ongoing efforts with us.  He will include hands-on opportunities in his presentation which will excite you about utilizing mesh in disasters.

HSMM-MESH stands for High-Speed Multimedia Mesh.  You can read much more about this up-and-coming system at www.hsmm-mesh.org, but I'll give a quick overview.  Quotes are from that website.

Currently using certain versions of Linksys WRT54G, -GS, and -GL series routers, MESH is "being designed, developed and deployed as an amateur radio broadband communications system," focusing on emergency communications.  The wireless router "operates on channels 1-6 of the 2.4GHz ISM band, which overlaps with the upper portion of the 13cm amateur radio band."   

A router is connected via Ethernet cable to a computer and "flashed" or "upgraded" to a different free firmware and then functions through a web browser not  connected to the Internet.  The router, with or without accompanying computer, is called a "node," and multiple mesh nodes constitute a mesh network -- what one might call an intranet.  "Mesh nodes communicate with other nodes over Wi-Fi frequencies and only talk to other mesh nodes on the wireless port."  With a variety of software on the operator's computer,  "most tasks that you can do over a wired network will work on a mesh node," including data transfer/file sharing, shadowing another node, Internet-style chat, live feed from cameras, and telephone calls via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Depending upon true line of sight, mesh nodes with auxiliary antennas "can easily have a range of 10 miles or more using stock power."  Nodes and the mesh are not connected via the Internet, and you cannot connect to the mesh from wireless devices such as computers or smart phones.  Some operators have established nodes on their homes or other buildings and have them running 24/7 so other nodes can establish a mesh with them.  Others have grab-and-go kits or drop boxes for portable nodes in emergencies.

A node connects to the strongest signal it can detect.  If the connected node becomes unavailable, the initial node will search for the next strongest signal.  The success and viability of a mesh is dependent on having lots of nodes so that one node can connect to another node, which also connects to another, which connects to another, and on.

A node in the mesh "wireless computer network . . . can run for days from a fully charged car battery, or indefinitely with the addition of a modest solar array or other supplemental power source."

Assuming an operator already has a computer to use for one of the nodes, developing a node can be relatively inexpensive, especially as used Linksys routers are available on the Internet and sometimes at thrift stores.  The firmware and software being used most at this time are free.  Some operators have put their transportable nodes in plastic laundry detergent or kitty litter containers.  Of course, operators can make nodes more complex and costly, depending upon his/her objectives, with amplifiers, antennas, weather-proof enclosures, cameras, VoIP phones, etc.

Although the node has to be identified with a ham callsign, the computer software can be run under the licensee's auspices by a non-ham, allowing a person who might be proficient in computer applications (or just plain available) to assist in communications during a disaster.

If you have not heard of MESH before now, I hope you will be interested in this meeting; come with a laptop computer in hand, if you like.  If you are acquainted with or have started a mesh node already, you are welcome to bring your node(s) or photographs for display tables; set up before the meeting and show-and-tell with other participants for a short while after the meeting.  If you have Ethernet cables, please bring them as we intend to set up only a few active nodes for the demonstration and link to everyone's computers.  If you have friends who are not amateur radio operators but interested in disaster communications, please invite them.

Come for an informative evening and a fun time meeting and greeting other hams.  After this presentation, you'll surely want to be part of a mesh!

73,

Susan  KJ7ABC

EComm 2013 in Ogden

Information for this post retrieved from the Utah Amateur Radio Club website.

Event:          EComm 2013
Location:     Ogden-Weber Applied Technical College
                   200 N Washington Blvd
                   Ogden, UT
Date:           April 20. 2013
Time:           8am to 3pm

"The Ogden Amateur Radio Club (OARC) and Weber County ARES are holding a day-long hamfest on Saturday, April 20. The location will be the Ogden-Weber Applied Technical College, 200 North Washington Boulevard in Ogden. The event will run from 8 A.M. to 3 P.M.

We assume that “EComm” implies an emphasis on emergency communications. Activities will include seminars, swap tables, antenna building, license testing, and raffles.

For more information and to pre-register see tinyurl.com/ecomm2013."

Also check out the Ogden Amateur Radio Club website at http://www.ogdenarc.org/.
__________________________________

Below is some information from the link:

EComm 2013 will be held at the Ogden ATC (http://goo.gl/maps/6XyZJ) on April 20.  Registration is $5 and will include 3 raffle tickets.  Preregistration (online only) will include 2 additional raffle tickets.  Grand prize raffle at 2 PM - must be present to win.  Preregistration will still pay at the door.
Last day to preregister is April 13.

A box lunch will be available to purchase the day of the event at the registration table.  Cost is $6 for 1 box lunch, drink not included.  Cut off to order a box lunch is 10 AM.

Agenda:
  7:00 AM - Setup
  8:00 AM - Open
  8:30 AM - Classes start
  2:00 PM - Close
  3:00 PM - Done

Room A
  *  Antenna Building
  *  ATV
  *  ICS100

Room B
  *  Testing (all day)

Swap meet area
  *  Bob Craven
  *  Mel Parks

Special Event/EmComm Demo Station

Amateur Radio Public Service Events

This site has been established to link Amateur Radio (Ham) Operators with various public service opportunities in the state of Utah.  All throughout the year, Amateur Radio Operators volunteer their time and equipment to help support a wide variety of events.  These events include, but are not limited to, parades, walks, runs, and bike tours.  While Amateur Radio operators are primarily communicators, they in many cases get heavily involved in the actual operation of the event.  Whether it be helping to plan logistical support or responding to event emergencies, Amateur Radio Operators play a vital role in the health and safety of event participants and overall event success.

Back in 2007 this site was created as a public service to the Amateur Radio community.  Each year since then the site has continued to grow and expand and provides a service that enables Amateur Radio operators to give back to their communities through their hobby.

Follow this link to their website for more information and to register:

www.arpse.org

BSA to Offer Amateur Radio Operator Rating Strip

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has approved an Amateur Radio Operator rating strip for Scouts and Scouters to wear on their uniforms. According to BSA Communication Services Director Jim Wilson, K5ND, the strip recognizes the Scout or Scouter’s availability as an Amateur Radio operator for communication services for events and activities, as well as emergencies. All registered youth members and adult leaders who also hold a valid FCC-issued Amateur Radio license of any class are eligible to wear the rating strip.

Any Scout or Scouter who holds a current Amateur Radio license issued by the FCC is eligible to wear the Amateur Radio rating strip on the right sleeve of their uniform. The strip signifies to Scouts and the public that the wearer is a radio amateur who is capable and prepared to assist in providing communication services for events and activities, as well as emergencies.

“Last year, the BSA Awards and Insignia Committee introduced the Morse Code Interpreter Strip upon the recommendation of the BSA’s National Radio Scouting Committee,” Wilson told the ARRL. “We are always looking for ways to promote Amateur Radio, both within Scouting and to the world. The National Radio Scouting Committee thought this new Amateur Radio rating strip was a wonderful way to do exactly that, as it readily identifies to everyone that the wearer is a licensed radio amateur, prepared to be useful and to help others.”

Wilson, who heads up the National Radio Scouting Committee, said that the Amateur Radio Operator rating strip is similar to the Amateur Radio Operator badge offered as a proficiency badge by Scouts Australia, as well as the badge recently introduced by Scouting Netherlands. It follows in the footsteps of the Scout Radioman personal interest badge for Senior Scouts and Explorer Scouts that was offered by the Boy Scouts of America in the 1940s. The strip is worn on the right sleeve.

Article from ARRL.org

ARRL January VHF Contest - Perfect for ARES Practice, Too

Article posed from ARRL.org ARES E-Letter, January 15, 2013

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ARRL January VHF Contest - 
Perfect for ARES Practice, Too

The ARRL has added a new "FM Only" category to ARRL VHF contests, starting with the January VHF Contest, which begins this Saturday, January 19. The contest starts at 1900 UTC and runs until Sunday night at 0359 UTC. You'll find lots of "weak signal" VHF operators using high power and sensitive antennas working hard to work your station on FM. No special gear, no big expense -- you can operate in this contest and possibly win a certificate using just the radios you already own.

It's also a perfect opportunity for ARES, SKYWARN, RACES and CERT teams to test their ability to communicate without using a repeater, just as you might have to in an actual emergency. Want to have even more fun? Drive or hike to a local hilltop and you can exercise your deployment capabilities -- it's like "Field Day In the Cold!"

You'll find lots of VHF operators hoping to work YOU! Try transmitting a "CQ Contest" on the following frequencies: 146.550 MHz simplex; 146.580 MHz simplex; also 52.525 MHz (6 meters); 223.5 MHz (1.25 meters); and 446.0 MHz (70 cm band). Remember under the new rules, you're limited to 100 watts or less, but that means you'll be on equal footing with a lot of small stations. A gain antenna (like a beam or Yagi) can really help, and a high location is a big plus, too. You'll need to know your "grid square" as that is part of the exchange of reports with other stations. 

- Les Rayburn, N1LF, Birmingham, former Alabama SEC [See more discussion in this issue (posted below), from ARRL Contest Update Editor Ward Silver, N0AX and from Rayburn. - ed.]

**********

As the previous Section Emergency Coordinator for Alabama, I understood that FM simplex capability translated to a greater level of capability during an emergency. Amateurs who improved their stations on simplex, also benefited by being able to reach more distant repeaters, which is a huge advantage during severe weather. Some "lessons learned" from cross-promoting FM activity during VHF contests were:

1. Tailor your message to your audience. I didn't try to pitch it as a "contest" as much as an exercise when talking to ARES, SKYWARN, and CERT groups. We encouraged them to test their ability to communicate without the aid of a repeater, as they might have to do in an emergency. We also encouraged Field Day-type operations from high locations.
2. Concentrating activity in a three- to five-hour period is going to be more successful than just putting out the dates and times for a two-day long contest. Nothing is less interesting than "dead air" to a non-contester. (It's not all that interesting to a contester, either - N0AX.)
3. It's vital that weak-signal operators monitor the FM simplex channels and participate during those concentrated activity periods. I tried to utilize the afternoon hours on Saturday, when conditions are poorest---so that operators didn't miss out on a lot of contacts on SSB and CW but that doesn't work well in June when six meters is liable to be open.                                                                   The point is that weak-signal operators often turn their nose up at FM - and this hurts the effort. If you give a new operator a taste of DX, they may become hooked for life. The best way to accomplish this is to get those "monster signals" active on FM. If your local big gun doesn't support FM contesting, then try to change their mind on the topic.                                                                                      You should hear some of the reactions you get from newcomers when they discover they can communicate 75-100 miles or more on their FM rig without a repeater. This is easily possible with a high-performance weak-signal station on one end of the contact.
4. Talk up the event on your local FM nets, club meetings, etc. Tailor the message to the crowd. A DX club isn't going to respond to the same "pitch" as your local ARES team.
5. Poll your club and see who has 222 MHz FM capability. I always make it a point to schedule contacts with those operators on 223.5 MHz simplex.
6. In the last few days before the contest, make a lot of calls on 146.52 MHz and talk to operators there about the contest. They understand the concept of simplex and use it often. They're your best candidates for participation in the contest. Nothing in the rules forbids promoting the contest on 146.52 prior to the event!
7. Don't get discouraged by the naysayers. The FM-Only category is a great idea, but it needs the active support of the weak signal community to work! 

- Les Rayburn, N1LF, reprinted from the January 2, 2013, issue of the ARRL Contest Update