The KØNR Weblog

Amateur Radio Technician License Class

Monument, Colorado
Saturday Oct 16 and Saturday Oct 23 (8 AM to 5 PM)
Location: Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Station 1
Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Radio Association

The Technician license is your gateway to the world-wide excitement of Amateur Radio …

• Earn your ham radio Technician class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC amateur radio license exam right in class on the second day
• Multiple-choice exam, No Morse Code Required
• Live equipment demonstrations
• Learn to operate on the ham bands, 10 Meters and higher
• Learn to use the many VHF/UHF FM repeaters in Colorado
• Find out how to participate in emergency communications

There is no cost for the class (donations accepted)

However, students must have the required study guide:

Gordon West Technician Class guide, 7^th Edition $20.95

And pay the FCC Exam Fee: $15.00

Advance registration is required (no later than Oct 10^th, earlier is better!)

To register for the class, contact: Bob Witte KØNR

For more information on amateur (ham) radio visit www.arrl.org or www.wedothat-radio.org

CQ COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PRESS RELEASE. Richard Moseson, W2VU, Editorial Director, sent out the following dated Tuesday, August 10th:

“CQ VHF Magazine Launches Streamlined Website — Continuing its company-wide update of its magazine websites, CQ Communications, Inc. today announced the launch of a new and easier-to-navigate website for CQ VHF magazine. Like the recently updated sites for WorldRadio Online and Popular Communications, the new CQ VHF site features a cleaner look and a streamlined user interface to make it quicker and easier for visitors to find what they are looking for. The CQ VHF update coincides with posting of the highlights for the Summer 2010 issue.

Current issue highlights include sample pages in full-color layout, to give prospective readers the ability to see what the magazine itself looks like in print. Highlights of previous issues reaching back to 2006 are available on the website with easier access than in the past. One new feature is a ‘Current Events’ page, which provides readers with access to information on upcoming events and activities that is more up-to-date than possible with a quarterly publication.

The site also includes links to clubs, ham radio reference sites, contact information for editors and columnists, direct links to advertisers’ websites and to other CQ Communications publications. In addition, a link to the magazine’s Facebook page makes it simple for readers to provide feedback and connect with other hobbyists.

CQ VHF is a quarterly magazine devoted to ‘Ham Radio Above 50 MHz.’ First published in 1996, it combines articles designed for newcomers with historical and technical features best appreciated by more experienced VHF operators. It is edited by Joe Lynch, N6CL, who is also the long-time ‘VHF-Plus’ editor of parent magazine CQ Amateur Radio.

CQ VHF is published by CQ Communications, Inc., which also publishes CQ Amateur Radio, Popular Communications and WorldRadio Online magazines. The new CQ VHF website may be accessed at: <http://www.cq-vhf.com>.”

Don’t forget the Colorado 14er Event is next Sunday. We’ll be operating K0YB from the summit of Pikes Peak. Most likely, we’ll have HF, 6 Meters, 2 Meters, 70 cm and maybe some higher bands.

More information on the event here.

73, Bob K0NR

You just have to love VHF contesting….hours of boredom punctuated by the excitement of band openings. Unlike HF contests, you never really know what you are going to get in terms of propagation.

So it was with the CQ Worldwide VHF Contest this weekend. It started out really slow on Saturday. I mean really, really, really slow. There were not many local stations on the air, so it was tough sledding on both 2 Meters and 6 Meters. (Yes, the CQ WW VHF Test is two bands only: 2 Meters and 6 Meters…and those are my favorite bands to work anyway.)

Then later in the afternoon, I hear Louisiana stations coming in on 6 Meters. Then the magic sporadic-e clouds shift and I am working the east coast, all the way up into the New England states. Later the propagation shifts to the midwest and it was Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas. I was working them as fast as I could and had quite a pileup into DM78 Colorado. The band stayed open till about 9 PM local…just when I thought it was done, another station would come booming in.

Sunday started out slow but during the morning I worked the Pacific northwest on 50 MHz, including several contacts into Canada. This opening was not as strong, but it kept me busy until the afternoon. Then it was picking up everyone I could on 2 Meters. Again, local participation was surprisingly light…not sure what’s up with that.

Band  Mode  QSOs   Pts  Grd
50     CW     1      1    1
50    USB   259    259  112
144    CW     1      2    1
144   USB    14     28    7
Total Both  275    290  121

Score : 35,090

All in all, a great time was had by me.

73, Bob K0NR

The FCC has adopted rule changes to Part 97.113, allowing employees to communicate on behalf of an employer during emergency preparedness drills.

I’ve posted several times about this topic, see EmComm Trouble, Time to Change the Rules,  FCC Moving Ahead on the topic.

The new version of the rules are listed here:

(a) * * *

(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer, with the following exceptions:

 

(i) A station licensee or control station operator may participate on behalf of an employer in an emergency preparedness or disaster readiness test or drill, limited to the duration and scope of such test or drill, and operational testing immediately prior to such test or drill. Tests or drills that are not government-sponsored are limited to a total time of one hour per week; except that no more than twice in any calendar year, they may be conducted for a period not to exceed 72 hours.

 

(ii) An amateur operator may notify other amateur operators of the availability for sale or trade of apparatus normally used in an amateur station, provided that such activity is not conducted on a regular basis.

 

(iii) A control operator may accept compensation as an incident of a teaching position during periods of time when an amateur station is used by that teacher as a part of classroom instruction at an educational institution.

 

(iv) The control operator of a club station may accept compensation for the periods of time when the station is transmitting telegraphy practice or information bulletins, provided that the station transmits such telegraphy practice and bulletins for at least 40 hours per week; schedules operations on at least six amateur service MF and HF bands using reasonable measures to maximize coverage; where the schedule of normal operating times and frequencies is published at least 30 days in advance of the actual transmissions; and where the control operator does not accept any direct or indirect compensation for any other service as a control operator.

 

The FCC does allow for drills that are not government sponsored, but did include some time limits on these exercises. At first glance, these rules look reasonable to me. What do you think?

        73, Bob K0NR