The KØNR Radio Site

Amateur Radio: Not an Emergency Radio Service

Posted on 1 January 2010 by Bob K0NR

arrlnewlogo-trans Well, that’s what the FCC says: the Amateur Radio Service is not an emergency radio service. K1ZZ’s QST editorial quotes the FCC and points out that the mission of the Amateur Radio Service is indeed broader than emergency communications. (The FCC does recognize the role that amateur plays in emergencies — see this web page.)

Lately, I’ve noticed a number of blog postings and other statements from hams that define amateur radio way too narrowly. The common thread is taking the part of ham radio that is most important to them and arguing that Real Ham Radio is focused on that segment of the hobby/radio service.

For some folks, amateur radio is emergency communications (only). Others argue that only technical pursuits are true ham radio and those appliance operators are just holding us back. For others, ham radio is defined by getting on the air and operating (might be QRP, might be contesting, might be something else).

I think K1ZZ got it right….the purpose is broader than that. Just go read Part 97.1 of the FCC rules:

The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communications and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

Let’s reject the narrow view and think a bit broader.

73, Bob K0NR

Amateur Radio Tech Class

Posted on 21 December 2009 by Bob K0NR

Ham Radio Two-Day License Class

Monument, Colorado

Saturday Jan 30 and Saturday Feb 6 (8 AM to 5 PM)

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

However, students must have the required study guide:
Gordon West Technician Class guide $18.95
And pay the FCC Exam Fee: $15.00

Advance registration is required (no later than Jan 25^th).

To register for the class, contact: Bob Witte KØNR techclass@k0nr.com

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

Update: As of Jan 6th, the class is full. We have had a surprising number of people interested in this class. We are keeping a waiting list and we are likely to offer another class later in the year.

This One Goes to 11

Posted on 19 December 2009 by Bob K0NR

Here is a funny comic that I came across recently (thanks Kelly AB9RF):

“Spinal Tap” is a reference back to the classic Rob Reiner film This is Spinal Tap, where Nigel explains the value of an amplifier gain control that goes all the way to eleven.

For more fine, sophisticated Spinal Tap culture, see the fan web site or the official Spinal Tap site.

73, Bob

Hacking Away at D-STAR Hardware

Posted on 29 November 2009 by Bob K0NR

We’ve been looking at optimizing the performance of the D-STAR repeater here in Monument (W0TLM, 446.8875 MHz), so I’ve been searching the web for information on what other groups have uncovered. Not surprisingly, there has been some creative reverse-engineering and re-engineering of the ICOM D-STAR repeaters.

Here’s a summary of some Good Stuff that I found:

1. NU5D paper on DSTAR Repeater Modifications & Interference Testing

2. A good overview of the ICOM D-STAR repeater block diagram and a few modifications to the ICOM repeaters on the dstar.ca web site

3. The N5EBW LED Board – a drop in board to add transmit/receive LEDs to the ICOM D-STAR repeaters

4. The Utah VHF Society D-STAR page — some of the best technical information and practical evaluation of D-STAR technology

5. A Look Inside D-STAR Modulation – an article I wrote for CQ VHF magazine that explains the vocoder and modulation scheme in D-STAR.

If you come across other D-STAR resources, please let me know.

73, Bob K0NR

This Spewed Out of the Internet #10

Posted on 23 November 2009 by Bob K0NR

Here’s a few more tidbits of internet brilliance that caught my attention:

K3NG noticed that a pirate radio broadcaster told the FCC that he is not under their jurisdiction because he is in the Republic of Texas. Don’t Mess With Texas.

Looking for professional grade audio performance? Then you need this Audio Grade Power Outlet. Be sure to read through the comments.

The Fall ritual of changing our clocks due to Daylight Saving Time is over. While some of our politicians keep telling us this saves energy, that theory has been largely discarded. My proposal is to have everyone on the planet switch to UTC. Seems simpler to me — fewer errors in my log book.

Its official: Laptop computers fail way too often. Square Trade published a study that compares laptop and netbook failure rates (all of them are too high). What ever happened to Total Quality Control?

Cracked.com made a run at describing what the world would be like if the Internet disappeared today.

NASA has concluded that there is water on the moon. Holy Cow, really? This is a major discovery. Of course, some people are upset that NASA is abusing the moon by crashing spacecraft into it.

One final thought: Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US, so stop your whining and find something to be thankful for.

I will if you will.

73, Bob K0NR

2009 June VHF QSO Party Results

Posted on 23 November 2009 by Bob K0NR

arrlnewlogo-trans The results of the June VHF contest have been published online and in the December issue of QST. I operated from our cabin in DM78, near Trout Creek Pass with temporary antennas up for 50 MHz and 144 MHz (3-element Cushcraft Yagi on 50MHz and a 2M9 on 144 MHz) It was mostly a two band effort in the low power single operator category, with a few additional contacts on 440 MHz FM.

VHF contests are mostly a regional competition since the scores depend so much on adjacent operating activity. Here’s the scores for the Colorado Single Operator Low Power category:

#	Call	Score	QSOs	Mult	Class	Section
1	N0POH	73,225	419	145	A	CO
2	K0COM	38,532	322	114	A	CO
3	N0HF	29,718	254	117	A	CO
4	K0NR	28,197	238	117	A	CO
5	N0YE	14,112	154	56	A	CO
6	KB0YH	13,855	163	85	A	CO
7	W0EPC	7,812	126	62	A	CO
8	WB5PJB	6,050	97	55	A	CO
9	K0CS	4,928	88	56	A	CO
10	K0UK	1,316	47	28	A	CO
11	KC0VFO	1,140	53	19	A	CO
12	W0PSS	621	26	23	A	CO
13	AB0SF	440	22	20	A	CO
14	N0HIO	352	22	16	A	CO

Congrats to Wayne N0POH for leading the Colorado Section (and the Rocky Mt Division).

My 28k score is less than the 39k I scored in 2008 (See Awesome June VHF Contest). I have shifted my focus in the contest to picking up new grids, especially on 144 MHz. I qualified for VUCC on 6M, 10 GHz and Satellite years ago but have never confirmed the required 100 grids on 2 Meters. If I was after the best contest score, I’d be trying to add higher bands to the portfolio, especially 1.2 GHz.

73, Bob K0NR

Colorado QSO Party Results

Posted on 18 November 2009 by Bob K0NR

The results of the Colorado QSO Party have been posted on the PPRAA web site. I had previously written about this, but I never got around to posting my score after the contest.

Here’s the email I sent to the various club email lists:

The CO QSO Party succeeded in getting me back on the HF bands. I operated from our cabin in Park County with 100 Watts to a half-size G5RV in the trees. I also had 50W to a 2M yagi (2M9) antenna. Only worked WA7KYM in Wyoming on 2M SSB and he was not working the contest. I did pick up a few contacts on 2M FM, which was fun. All contacts were on phone.

I spent a considerable amount of time on 40M but it did not yield much. The exchange of “name” was quite natural on phone and added to the laid back flavor of a state QSO party. All in all, a very fun time.

At times, there were 4 contests running near 14.250 MHz: CoQP, Hiram 140, All Asean DX and another one I did not identify. Lots of “CQ Contest” and lots of confusion 🙂

Band    QSOs    Pts  Sec   Mul
   7       3      6    1    1
   7       1      2    1    0
  14      70    152   31    0
 144       5     10    3    1
 144       1      2    1    0
 420       1      2    0    0
Total      81    174   37   2
Score: 6,786

I placed 3rd in the In-State Low Power Phone – Single Operator category, behind Dan W0RO and Brian N5ZGT. A highlight during the contest was working my good friend Denny KB9DPF in Fort Wayne on 20 Meters. It has been years since we had made contact on the HF bands.

Thanks to the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association for sponsoring this contest.

– 73, Bob K0NR

This Spewed Out of the Internet #9

Posted on 1 November 2009 by Bob K0NR

I have been traveling quite a bit lately for work, so here’s a catch up on a number of things spewing forth from the interwebnet.

I’ve recently re-discovered High Frequency Electronics Magazine, edited by Gary Breed, K9AY. This is a top quality trade pub that targets RF design engineers. In Gary’s September editorial, he highlighted the environment that the college class of 2013 grew up in….such as “text has always been hyper.”

I came across this summary of Top Ham Radio Blogs. They clearly have excellent judgment, since my blog is listed. 🙂

Computer World published this article, Want to bone up on wireless tech? Try ham radio, a good read on the experimentation side of amateur radio written by John Edwards, W6JE.

Google’s Eric Schmidt talks about the future of the web…some interesting thoughts. I hope his prediction of 100MB broadband comes true…but I am not expecting it to come down my road any time soon.

KB9MWR posted an interesting article about the radio range of D-STAR.

Ham radio saves the world (again)…. hams assist rescue on Catalina Island. This reminds me of when I was out climbing Uncompahgre Peak and radio’d in a fallen hiker report.

Last weekend was the CQ Worldwide DX Contest (SSB version), so I did get on the air for a few hours. Mostly, I got clobbered on 20 Meters with my 100-Watts-to-a-dipole station being overrun by the Big Gun Stations. I did manage to work some DX on both 15M and 20M.

The FCC actions concerning EmComm and Part 97.113 have exposed different views on the role of amateur radio in emergency communications. See the comments on my blog posting, this article by Steve K9ZW and N5FDL’s blog. There seems to be some pent up frustration with ham radio EmComm folks coming from some corners of the ham community.

I encourage everyone to go back and read Part 97.1, the Basis and Purpose of the Amateur Radio Service. It lists five different items as the purpose of amateur radio, all of which are relevant and important. I’d also suggest that everyone lighten up just a bit (and be sure to stay on your meds).

73, Bob K0NR

Time to Change the FCC Rules for EmComm?

Posted on 24 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

fcc-1 The FCC continues to drive out any ambiguity on how it interprets Part 97.113. (See previous post EmComm Trouble From the FCC. ) On October 20th, the FCC released Public Notice DA-09-2259, which reiterates the principle of no amateur radio communication on behalf of an employer, even if the employer is a government agency such as a fire or police department. OK, I think they got that point across.

The FCC also described a process for requesting a waiver of this rule for a specific emergency preparedness drill. A governmental entity, not the amateur radio operators involved, must apply to the FCC for a waiver in advance of the drill. According to N5FDL, the FCC intends these waivers to be for very specific events and not a regularly scheduled activity such as a weekly net. This can help facilitate a major event but is still fairly limited. I wonder how many waiver requests the FCC be receiving? I suspect there will be many.

A group of radio amateurs, The Amateur Radio Policy Committee, consisting of N5GAR, WB6NOA and N5FDL have filed a Petition for Rule Making with the FCC to address this situation. Basically, they propose that an additional item be added to the section of rules (Part 97.111) that calls out Authorized Transmissions:

(6) Transmissions necessary for disaster relief or emergency response, including training exercises, planning, drills or tests, without regard to whether the amateur operator has related employment, where the transmissions are for the exclusive use of amateur radio operators for noncommercial purposes.

This seems like a reasonable and measured approach to changing the rules to support emergency communications training activities, without opening the door too wide. I am not sure why they proposed to modify Part 97.111 instead of 97.113 where other employment exceptions are handled (e.g., control operator of a club station that sends telegraphy practice, teacher in a classroom setting). The RAIN Report has an interview with N5FDL concerning this petition.

I still believe the FCC could have avoided this ruckus with a slightly more liberal interpretation of the rules. They didn’t do that, so now we will have to go through the rule making process to deal with the situation. I suppose that the FCC could decline to address the issue but this seems unlikely to me given the legitimate public interest in supporting emergency communications. (Anyone remember 9/11 ?) We’ll likely get to a reasonable outcome that protects the amateur radio service from undesirable encroachment while still enabling emergency communications training.

What do you think?

73, Bob K0NR

2009 Fall TechFest

Posted on 20 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

Announcing the 2009 Fall TechFest, an all day technical program for the continuing education of ham radio operators

Schedule of Workshops
(times are tentative)
November 7, 2009
Morrison, Colorado

Time	Topics
9:00 – 9:50	Digital Modes	Jim Stitt, KAØNZZ
10:00 – 10:50	Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s Laws	Larry Weinstein, KØNA
11:00 – 11:50	Block Diagrams And Schematics	Steve Finch, AIØW
12:00 – 12:50	Lunch (on your own) Question and Answer Session for those who stay to eat
1:00 – 1:50	What Test Equipment to Buy	Bob Witte, KØNR
2:00 – 2:50	Taking the Mystery Out of SWR	Bill Rinker, W6OAV
3:00 – 4:00	Propagation Basics	Larry Weinstein, KØNA

Additional Information

When	Saturday, November 7, 2009: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Check in: 8:00 – 8:45 a.m.
Registration	Space is limited! Pre-registration recommended. Please e-mail k0nnc@arrl.net to pre-register. Please pay at the door.
Cost *	$5.00 (cash only)
Where	The Inter Canyon Fire Department Station #1. Go to www.intercanyonfire.org. Click on “Our District”, then “1”, and then “Google Maps – Station 1”. The address is 7939 South Turkey Creek Road, Morrison, Colorado OR check our website – www.na0tc.org. Carpooling is recommended.
Refreshments	Free coffee and water will be available. Muffins, rolls, soda pop will be available for purchase (cash only). PLEASE BRING A SACK LUNCH.

*The 285 TechConnect Radio Club will donate 50% of net proceeds from this event to Deer Creek Elementary School Ham Radio Program.

Website: www.na0tc.org for more information.

Talk-in frequency 147.225 MHz

Handouts will be available on the website one week before the TechFest.

Pacifico Fake Ham Radio

Posted on 20 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

I was flipping through the November 2009 issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine and noticed an advertisement with the title “building your own ham radio”.

Wow, what’s up with that? It was an ad for Pacifico beer. The text in the ad says:

Become the envy of friends and locals as you join the elite club of fake ham radio operators worldwide.

A little searching on the interwebnet found this video:

Let’s see: beer, sand, beach, palm trees and ham radio…. now that is something I can relate to (but it might be a niche audience)!

73, Bob K0NR

AMSAT Focuses on LEO Cubesat

Posted on 18 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

AMSAT has recognized that they need to get some new hardware flying in space and is now focused on getting a small LEO satellite developed. AO-51 (originally called ECHO) has been a very popular satellite and one of the few clear successes from AMSAT in recent years. It appears that the AMSAT engineering team has recognized this and wants to emulate that success.

>From AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD.
October 18, 2009
To All RADIO AMATEURS
BID: $ANS-291.01

The Board of Directors has adopted the Engineering Task Force
recommendation that low-cost launch options be immediately pursued.
The AMSAT engineering team will develop a 1U CubeSat design effective
immediately. Tony Monteiro, AA2TX, Vice-President of Engineering said,
"We are recommending an approach that gets AMSAT back up in space with
new satellites by leveraging the skills and technology we have today."

The new AMSAT CubeSat's initial capability is planned to add to the
popular low-earth orbit FM transponder fleet allowing hams to continue
to use their existing handheld and portable antenna systems. This also
allows an accessible entry path for new satellite operators to get
started. The existing FM satellites are starting to show their age.

The flight version of ARISSat-1 has been developed to fit into the
CubeSat model. AMSAT's flexible Software Defined Transponder (SDX),
simplified IHU, power control subsystem, external interfaces to ex-
perimental payloads and cameras will now allow a modular approach to
mission design using proven subsystems and components. The ARISSat-1
mission planned in 2010 will be the initial flight test of AMSAT's
modular satellite.

Here are some of the highlights ...

+ AMSAT will develop comparable AO-51 level of performance packaged
  into a 1U CubeSat. This includes a U-V transponder, V telemetry,
  U command receiver, IHU, power control. This can be done with our
  modular design.

+ This will be a U/V FM Transponder, not done before in a 1U CubeSat,
  which can be worked with a HT and a simple antenna. CubeSat power
  limitations are planned to be addressed through research and devel-
  opment of deployable solar-cells.

+ AMSAT will make our open-design satellite modules and technology
  available for other satellite teams to build into their missions.

+ This new approach will provide a reliable radio link for future
  CubeSats allowing university teams to concentrate on their scientific
  objectives.

+ The modular nature of the AMSAT CubeSat system will allow add-on
  missions utilizing several different types of modulation and band-
  width. These can be pursued with future low-cost CubeSat launch
  opportunities. 

AMSAT President, Barry Baines, WD4ASW Annual Meeting Powerpoint
Presentation has been posted at http://www.amsat.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Board of Directors for the above information]

/EX

AMSAT has often struggled with where to focus its energy, having a strong desire to get a High Earth Orbit (HEO) satellite deployed, but failing to pull it off. Also, there is considerable tension between doing something relatively simple (like an FM bird) and more advanced capability (linear transponder and advanced digital modes). Many of the techies in AMSAT want to do the next cool thing technically, and I do appreciate that. That desire sometimes drives things a bit too hard and has generated some very complex satellite designs. I am an AMSAT member but I am not in the loop on all the internal AMSAT politics. (Be thankful for that, I think.)

I have had a lot of fun with the FM LEO satellites, activating and chasing grids. It is like a scheduled DX opening… you know when the “band” is going to open (for about 10 minutes) and you better work them fast. It has some of the same problems as working DX in that the single channel pile ups on the satellite can be very frustrating. I managed to check the box on Satellite VUCC and I activated a number of rare grids (e.g., FK52 as PJ4/K0NR).

Would I rather have a super whizzy HEO bird that sits overhead for hours supporting a wide swath of frequencies and all kinds of neat digital modes? You betcha. But it seems that we don’t have the capability to pull that off.

What do you think?

73, Bob K0NR

Update on the Crossband Repeater Project

Posted on 10 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

In a previous blog posting, I wrote about the construction of a portable VHF/UHF crossband repeater. I published the results of this project in my FM/Repeater column for the Fall 2008 issue of CQ VHF Magzine. I’ve adapted portions of the article to provide an update here.

To deal with the issues of identification and control, I decided to use a repeater controller to control two independent 2M/70 cm transceivers. Most repeater controllers are set up for conventional repeater control with a fixed receiver and fixed transmitter. What I needed was a controller that incorporated the concept of two independent transceivers that could be linked together, independently controlled and independently identified. The NRHC-6 Bridging Repeater Controller is designed to handle this specific case of connecting two transceivers. The block diagram of this crossband repeater system is shown in Figure 1.

I used a pair of FT-7800R transceivers which have a packet port on the rear panel that provides a convenient interface point for the repeater controller. This port has the required transmit audio, receive audio, PTT line and squelch line. The squelch line indicates the condition of the receive squelch, including the effects of CTCSS decode if enabled in the transceiver. (Not all transceivers behave this way… some only provide carrier squelch even if CTCSS decode is enabled.) Table 1 shows the signals available from the packet port and how they are used in the repeater interface.

Table 1. FT-7800R Packet Port

Pin	Label	Description	Repeater Interface
1	PKD (Data In)	Packet Data Input	Transmit Audio
2	GND	Signal Ground	Ground
3	PTT	Ground to Transmit	PTT
4	RX9600	9600 bps Packet Data Output
5	RX1200	1200 bps Packet Data Output	Receive Audio
6	PKS (SQL)	Squelch Control	CAS

The NHRC-6 controller has a versatile feature set that requires some programming to make it work. It supports two radio ports which can be configured to handle two back-to-back simplex radios. The controller has DTMF control, which can be accessed from either radio port. The five saved setups are handy for storing away specific repeater configurations. Each radio port can have its own courtesy tone and CW identifier, along with the usual set of hang timer, ID timer, timeout timer, etc. The crossband repeater can be turned on and off remotely using DTMF on either band.

Figure 1 shows two separate antennas, one for 2 Meters and one for 70 cm. In most cases, I use one dualband antenna and a 2M/70 cm duplexer to allow the two radios to feed the antenna. I also keep the radios set at less than full power to minimize the heat dissipation problem.

: Figure 2. The crossband repeater in a 19-inch rack mount case.

This crossband repeater is housed in a portable case that has standard 19-inch rack hardware (Figure 2). The two transceivers are mounted to a 19-inch shelf using their normal mobile mounts. The NHRC-6 controller has its own 19-inch rack mountable chassis. The case has a front and rear panel covers that snap on, protecting the equipment during transit. The system runs off of 12 VDC. I did not include an AC power supply inside the case. Depending on the location, I simply connect the repeater to a 12 volt car battery or a compact AC switching power supply.

I’ve used this repeater as a standalone UHF repeater by adding a small mobile duplexer to provide transmit/receive isolation. Of course, in this case, the two transceivers both operate on the 440 MHz band with 5 MHz offset. I’ve also used it as a crossband repeater, usually to extend the range of a 2 Meter repeater.

– 73, Bob K0NR

Golf November Tango

Posted on 9 October 2009 by Bob K0NR

Amateur radio has a deep tradition of providing emergency communications during all kinds of disasters. Of course, some emergencies are more urgent and serious than others.

The Golf November Tango frequency is an important frequency to always have programmed into your radio. Established as 146.55 MHz ( FM simplex, no CTCSS), the GNT Frequency is the critical logistics channel for certain types of incidents (to use ICS terminology).

This all started when three ham radio operators found themselves stranded on the shore of Lake Michigan. Well, actually they were not so much stranded as just sitting there watching the waves roll in. Without warning, they found themselves getting thirsty without any liquid refreshment in sight. Rather than make the long, treacherous walk back to the beach house, a 2M FM transceiver was employed to make the critical call. Fortunately, the wives of these dehydrated amateurs were also FCC licensed amateur radio operators monitoring the designated GNT frequency.

Without delay, communication was established with the beach house and the critical resupply of Gin and Tonic was delivered. There was some thought that the guys on the beach were just being lazy, but the requested GNTs were quickly dispatched anyway.

After that incident, 146.55 MHz was established as the GNT Frequency for all of North America.

Like they say, When All Else Fails.

73, Bob K0NR

EmComm Trouble From the FCC

Posted on 22 September 2009 by Bob K0NR

fcc-1 There has been quite a ruckus about the FCC and Part 97.113 concerning emergency communications but I have been taking a wait and see attitude about it. These FCC Rules say: No amateur station shall transmit communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer.

The question on the table is whether this prohibition strictly applies to employees of a public safety organization. For example, is it a violation of the rules for a firefighter or hospital employee to use ham radio as part of a emergency communications practice exercise? Apparently, the answer is yes.

Read this posting on the N5FDL Blog for more details, including some correspondence with the FCC. The ARRL offered this explanation in the September issue of QST. This article reports that W0WLS is withdrawing from ham radio emcomm work after getting a letter from the FCC’s Laura Smith.

The K3NG Report says that The FCC is Throwing the Baby Out With the Bathwater. I agree.

If you are involved with emergency communciations, you should make sure you understand this latest development.

73, Bob K0NR

D-STAR Presentation at MARC

Posted on 15 September 2009 by Bob K0NR

The interest in D-STAR continues to grow in Colorado. I have responded to a request to talk about D-STAR at the Mountain Amateur Radio Club (MARC) meeting on Wednesday night. It will be a basic introduction to the mode/technology along with a demo of D-RATS. I don’t think I am an expert on the topic so I asked Elliot KB0RFC to assist. Between the two of us, we have enough experience with D-STAR to handle the topic well.

The MARC club is a fun group, so stop by if you get a chance!

Bob Witte (KØNR) and Elliot Linke (KBØRFC) will be presenting a program and demonstrating the basics of D-Star, the new amateur radio digital mode that can be used for both voice and data, at our MARC Meeting at 7 pm this Wednesday, Sept. 16th, at the Woodland Park Library. I hope you will make plans to attend!

See you then!!!

73 Wes KØHBZ

Mountains, Radios and the Goats

Posted on 2 September 2009 by Bob K0NR

Steve (WG0AT) has done it again with a great video of the Colorado 14er Event. Take a look at the saga of two guys and two goats scrambling their way to the top of Mount Humboldt (with the exclusive GoatCam technology). This new adventure features Peanut and Rooster, the brain power behind the Old Goats Hiking Team. This video captures the spirit of the 14er event, the premier mountaintop radio event.

For more goat hiking videos, see http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com/

73, Bob K0NR

Colorado QSO Party

Posted on 30 August 2009 by Bob K0NR

The Colorado QSO Party, sponsored by the Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association, will be held this Saturday Sept 6th. This is a great opportunity to get on the air and have some fun on the HF, VHF and UHF bands. There have been some changes to the rules this year, so be sure to review the complete rules.

Amateurs outside of the state of Colorado work as many Colorado stations as possible. Colorado stations work everyone. The emphasis is on activating counties, so if you might consider operating portable or mobile to support this goal.

The contest period for 2009 is from 1200 UTC 5 Sept. 2009 until 0400 UTC 6 Sept 2009 (6AM to 10PM MDT).

I plan to operate from our cabin in Park County, near Trout Creek Pass.

73, Bob K0NR

This Spewed Out of the Internet #8

Posted on 29 August 2009 by Bob K0NR

I am trying out a new twitter ap called DestroyTwitter. There are many to choose from, so as I reloaded my PC I decided to give this one a try. So far it seems to be good, which means compact, not too fancy and easy-to-use.

John C. Dvorak wrote that Twitter is the New CB Radio. I think he is right. My enthusiasm for twitter drops about 1 dB per week.

The VHF/UHF crowd is excited about the new ICOM IC-9100 that was shown recently at a Japanese ham radio show. This is basically an HF + 6 Meters + 2 Meters + 70 cm transceiver set up for satellite and (optional) D-STAR. Kind of does everything.

I am very much in favor of a Cash for Clunkers program for amateur radio gear and computer gear more than 5 years old. It seems like the gubment is handing out money to everyone else (without much logic applied), so why can’t we get a piece of that?

Interesting piece from the ARRL about power line companies and their responsibilities concerning radiated interference. Despite all of the concern about Broadband Over Powerline messing up the ham bands, there are far more incidents of good old power line noise causing trouble for ham radio operators. I have been involved in several of these cases and it is generally a real mess….especially if the utility is incompetent.

AMSAT has rejiggered its Suitsat program to fly without the spacesuit. I always wondered why they needed a spacesuit to make this work anyway. It turns out they don’t. The new suitless name is ARISSat-1.

There has been plenty of bickering on the AMSAT-bb email list as various people have complained about this project or that project AMSAT is pursuing. For some reason Suitsat-2 has become a target for complaints. My philosophy? Anything that involves amateur radio in space that works is OK by me.

I continue to play around with D-STAR now that the repeater is up and running in Monument. I was sitting there last night fiddling with the radio when VK2LOB from Sydney, Australia comes on the frequency looking to demonstrate D-STAR. We had a nice, short chat — what a pleasant surprise!

73, Bob K0NR

D-STAR is On Line in Monument

Posted on 28 August 2009 by Bob K0NR

One of our local radio groups has put a 70 cm D-STAR repeater on the air here in Monument. Here’s the announcement from Elliot KB0RFC:

The W0TLM B repeater and gateway are on the air in their new PERMANENT home in monument near hwy 105 and I 25, coverage reports are needed. All gateway functions are operating please feel free to link to the repeater, or just call around.

The repeater is a joint effort between the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire radio association, the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Department Communications Auxilary, And the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District. The purpose of this repeater is to support emergency communications in northern El-Paso County. we will do what we can to create an environment conducive to training and support for actual emergency events.

We run a net on 447.725- 100.0hz tone every Monday night except the last Monday of the month where we have our monthly meeting at Tri-Lakes Fire station 1. All are welcome We hope to be participating in the CO-D-STAR net soon. W0TLM++B and W0TLM++G are on 446.8875- please check it out!

Please email any questions to kb0rfc@arrl.net
Elliot Linke
KB0RFC

I got a chance to try D-STAR out from a remote perspective when I was out in the San Francisco Bay area. I got on the W6YYY repeater in Oakland on 440.03750MHz and chatted with Elliot KB0RFC back in Monument. This is way cool!

OK, you may be thinking “I can do that with EchoLink or IRLP”, which is true (and that is also way cool). The benefits of D-STAR are still emerging, but one big difference is that each transmitted packet has callsign routing. One feature that I see as useful is the callsign squelch mode. I can keep my radio squelched expect for people specifically calling me. Other advantages of the “all digital” network are starting to surface, so stay tuned on that.

There are several D-STAR repeaters popping up in Colorado. The group leading the way is the Colorado D-STAR Association in the Denver area. The Cheyenne Mountain Repeater Group has a system on the air in Colorado Springs, currently in a test phase (limited coverage) on 446.9125 MHz (KC0CVU B). A group in Boulder is also working on a system but I am not sure of the status of that effort.

New technology, new learning, new fun.

73, Bob K0NR