The Illuminator
The monthly newsletter of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club
Andy Mihalik, KB3FSV, Passes Away
On September 10, 2003, CARC member Andy Mihalik, KB3FSV, passed
away. He was the husband of Pattie
(Kashnoski) Mihalik.
In addition to his amateur radio activities, Andy wrote the Bits and
Bytes computer column for the Times News, as well as ProLog Quips for the
ProLog web site. He also served as
personnel director for Pencor, Inc. in Palmerton for a number of years.
Andy was a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College, earned a master’s degree
at Western Maryland University, and earned his administrative certification at
Lehigh University.
He began his career in education in 1960 as a teacher at Coal Township
High School. After that, he became
principal of the middle school and, later, assistant superintendent of the
Shamokin Area School District. In 1979,
Andy became superintendent of the Palmerton Area School District.
Andy was ordained as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in 1990, and
served as a deacon at St. Joseph and St. Stanislaus Catholic churches in Summit
Hill.
He was a U.S. Army veteran and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of
Columbus.
Andy won numerous awards for his photography from the Pennsylvania Press
Photographers Association, where he was a longtime member and a past
officer. He also received many Keystone
photography awards from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, as well as the
Associated Press.
Our multi-talented friend will be sorely missed.
October
Meeting
The next regular
meeting of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club will be held on Thursday, October 16,
at 7:30 p.m. at the EMA Center in Nesquehoning. See you there!
Treasurer’s
Report
By
John, W3MF
As of October 2, 2003:
Previous Balance |
1103.28 |
Receipts (dues) |
0.00 |
Subtotal |
1103.28 |
Disbursements |
450.30 |
Final Total |
652.98 |
Disbursements include $5.92 for newsletter mailing, $425.38 for
repeater repair, and $19.00 for Post Office box.
(From the ARRL Letter)
The ARRL
has strongly objected to FCC Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy's suggestion
that Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology will contribute to what she
described as "broadband Nirvana." Addressing the United Powerline
Council's annual conference September 22 in Arlington, Virginia, Abernathy
expressed unabashed enthusiasm for BPL and recommended a combination of
regulatory restraint and the elimination or substantial modification of
existing rules as steps along the "path to Enlightenment," as she put
it. In a terse response faxed September 25 on behalf of the League's 155,000
members, ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, asserted that
Abernathy overlooked some significant issues in her Nirvana analogy.
"Nightmare
is more like it," Sumner declared. "The technical showings submitted
by the ARRL and others in response to the Commission's Notice of Inquiry (NOI)
in ET Docket No. 03-104 clearly establish that BPL is a significant source of
radio spectrum pollution. It cannot be implemented without causing harmful
interference to over-the-air radio services."
Sumner told
Abernathy that while BPL industry groups, such as the one she addressed this
week, prefer to deny the evidence, the FCC is obliged to work to a higher
standard.
In its
comments in response to the FCC NOI, the League characterized BPL as "a
Pandora's Box of unprecedented proportions" and said the Commission's Part
15 rules "should be modified so as to prevent interference to users of the
HF and low VHF spectrum" from the outset.
Abernathy's
speech, "Reaching Broadband Nirvana," never broached the topic of
BPL's potential to interfere with other radio services. Recently, the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) http://www.ntia.doc.gov — which regulates
spectrum allocated to federal government usersexpressed "broad
concerns" about interference to government users and launched an extensive
modeling, analysis and measurement program for BPL. In his letter, Sumner
reminded Abernathy that the radio spectrum is a precious natural resource.
"To
squander that resource simply to add a redundant, unnecessary, and relatively
poorly performing 'last mile' connection for consumers, is
unconscionable," he said. Sumner expressed the hope that Abernathy will
give the League an early opportunity to explain its BPL concerns to her in
person.
In her
remarks to the UPLC gathering, Abernathy contended that it's been regulatory
restraint rather than heavy-handed regulation that has allowed nascent
platforms such as direct broadcast satellite (DBS) to become competitively
viable. "When the Commission completes this rulemaking," she said,
"I expect that we will eliminate many existing rules and substantially
modify others; the central question is the degree of regulation that will
remain during the transition to a more robustly competitive market."
Individuals
may e-mail Abernathy via her FCC Web site http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/abernathy/mail.html
or directly [email protected]. The text of her prepared remarks also is
available on the FCC Web site http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-239079A1.doc.
The
League's initial 120-page package of comments and technical exhibits http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/
and its reply comments
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/reply-comments-index.html
are available on the ARRL Web site. Additional information and BPL video clips
are on the ARRL "Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio"
page http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/.
To support
the League's efforts in this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/.
To date,
more than 4600 comments — many from the Amateur Radio community — have been
filed in response to the FCC's BPL NOI. They are available for viewing via the
FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/.
Red Cross Unit
Compliments Amateur Radio Assistance During Isabel
(From the ARRL Letter)
Amateur
Radio assistance in the Hurricane Isabel relief and recovery stage has
continued this week in the Southeast. Ham radio's role has drawn compliments
from the American Red Cross of Central Maryland, which praised the amateurs'
dedication.
"I
want to thank the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the amateur radio
community for coming out and supporting the American Red Cross over the
critical 72 hours when Hurricane Isabel passed over Maryland," said Frank
M. Eilbacher, KC0EKL, a Red Cross disaster communications lead. "We
recognize you took time away from your families and, for some of you, your own
personal disasters to support us."
During the
storm's peak on September 18, Eilbacher said, electrical power and
telecommunication problems abounded, but ham radio operators "filled the
gap providing a crucial communication link between Red Cross chapters and
shelter locations." Amateurs in
the storm-struck region staffed state and county emergency operating centers
and shelters, as well as the Maryland/Delaware American Red Cross Hurricane
Watch Center.
The
Salvation Army also has responded to affected areas including North Carolina,
where Hurricane Isabel came ashore September 18. Salvation Army Team Emergency
Radio Network (SATERN) volunteer Carlos Varon, K2LCV, from Flushing, New York,
this week accompanied two Salvation Army canteen units from New York City to
Morehead City, encountering heavy rain and wind on the way.
Varon, who
took along his "orange box" portable ham station, reports the
Salvation Army has been operating up to a half dozen field canteens. Carteret
County Emergency Coordinator Rich Wright, KR4NU, and his ARES team have been
supporting the SATERN operation. Operators were deployed this week to provide
communication between the canteens and the local command post. Plans call for
expanding the operation to shadows some Salvation Army officers. Varon has been
working out of a Salvation Army warehouse facility, expediting the deployment
of necessities bound for storm victims.
The
Salvation Army is providing relief to affected residents and emergency response
workers in North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland, as well as
in smaller communities.
Earlier
this week, ARRL North Carolina Section Manager John Covington, W4CC, reported
that some ARES teams were providing communication support for localities — most
in the hard-hit northeastern portion of the state — that still lacked power and
telephone service. Covington said hams established point-to-point communication
between shelters and emergency operations centers in affected counties. In one
community, hams helped a fire dispatch center that lost its antennas in the
storm.
In keeping
with the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared," Venturing Crew 80 of
Alexandria — in Northern Virginia just outside Washington, DC — responded to
requests for assistance from the Alexandria EOC and Fairfax ARES as Hurricane
Isabel approached. The crew specializes in emergency communication and first
aid and counts several ARES members among its membership and leadership. Some
of the scouts remained on duty for several days.
Venture
Crew members helped support communication at the Alexandria and Fairfax EOCs,
at the Alexandria American Red Cross chapter house and at Red Cross shelters in
both communities. While distributing bulk bottled water to homes lacking
running water, crew volunteers got to meet Virginia Gov Mark Warner, who was
visiting a shelter to thank volunteers.
Members of
the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club and the Alexandria Radio Club also provided
communications support to Alexandria and Fairfax operations. Repeaters operated
by both clubs were used during the emergency response.
"Things
are still messy down here, and some of us are still recovering," said Bill
Stewart, W2BSA, a Venture Crew 80 chartered organization representative and committee
member. "Most of Northern Virginia has power. The biggest problem we have had is flooding."
Power has
begun returning to the half-million or so residents who still had none at the
new week began. ARRL Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Gregory, N4NW,
reports commercial power finally returned to his home September 24. He'd spent
141 hours running his home from an emergency back-up generator. Gregory, who
lives in Stafford County, lost power September 18. This week he strongly
advised amateurs involved in public service communication to have a supply of
emergency power available for such situations, so they can remain on the air.
ARRL
Propagation Forecast Bulletin
Propagation Forecast
Bulletin 40 ARLP040
From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA October 3, 2003
To all radio amateurs
This has been a good
week for HF propagation. Not only have
we moved into fall with its associated good HF propagation around the equinox,
but this week also saw rising sunspot and solar flux values coupled with
quieter geomagnetic conditions.
Average daily sunspot
numbers rose from the week previous by 33 points to 125. The average daily solar flux for the week
was nearly 15 points higher at 133.6.
Excepting the first day of the reporting week, when the planetary A
index was 28, these numbers settled down to average only 12 — nearly 15 points
lower than the previous week. The
quietest days were Sunday through Tuesday, September 28-30. Even at high latitudes, conditions were
stable, with Alaska's college A index at four on two of the days.
We are now within a
solar wind, but it is moderate and probably won't cause any upset, at least for
the next few days. Predicted planetary
A index for Friday through Sunday, October 3-5, is 12, 10 and 10. On Monday it could rise to 15, then higher
numbers are predicted, a planetary A index of 20 for October 7-8. Solar flux is expected around 120-125 over
the next week.
Let's look at the
numbers for the third quarter of 2003, which just ended: Average daily sunspots
for July 1 through September 30 were 110.2, slightly higher than the previous
quarter. From the third quarter of 2002
through the current quarter the average daily sunspot numbers were 193.5,
152.7, 120.3, 107.3 and 110.2. That reflects
a definite downward trend with levels relatively unchanged from the last
quarter to the current one.
Average daily solar flux
for the same five quarters were 178.1, 164.2, 134.3, 124.2 and 120.8. No doubt about a smooth downward slide
there. Propagation this fall will
surely not be as good as last year's as these numbers continue.
Over the past three
months, July through September, average monthly sunspot numbers were 132.8,
114.3 and 82.6. Average solar flux numbers
for those same months were 127.1, 122.1 and 112.2.
Grim news emerged
recently concerning the NOAA Space Environment Center in Colorado, where most of
the data for these bulletins originates.
I suspect due to some misunderstanding about their work, the Senate
Appropriations Committee wants to eliminate the Space Environment Center's budget
for fiscal year 2004, which officially began October 1. The Senate Appropriations Committee said in
a report that NOAA's work should only be terrestrial and not extend to space,
so it's proposing to cut all funding for the SEC. The House appropriations bill proposes cutting funding by 40 percent,
even in the wake of severe cuts during the fiscal year just ended.
The funny thing about
the Senate report is that all of the effects of solar flares and sunspots that
concern us are here on Earth. Claiming
that NOAA should ignore the sun because it is in space seems silly, since the
same standard doesn't apply to NOAA's conventional weather forecasting. The SEC is a small part of NOAA, with an
annual budget of just 8 million dollars.
There's a story on this
subject on the ARRL Web site (see ''Space Environment Center Funding in
Jeopardy'' http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/03/3/). The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a story
in its October 2 editions http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/142217_space02.html,
and there's an item on the September 20 SpaceWeather.com Web page, available in
the archive for that date http://spaceweather.com/archive.php.
I've contacted my
representatives in the Senate and House and found that, as expected, staff
members really had no idea what the obscure sounding Space Environment Center
does. The only hope is that when the
House and Senate committees work out that portion of the budget, funding for
the SEC will somehow be preserved. You
might contact your representatives to inquire about this. Members of the Senate Appropriations
Committee are listed on the committee's Web site http://appropriations.senate.gov/.
For more information on
propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the
Propagation page on the ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.
Sunspot numbers for
September 25 through October 1 were 122, 127, 137, 139, 108, 116 and 126, with
a mean of 125. The 10.7-cm flux was
132.6, 131.1, 129.7, 137, 135.1, 133 and 136.8, with a mean of 133.6. Estimated planetary A indices were 28, 17,
9, 6, 7, 7 and 10, with a mean of 12.
Amateur Radio Enforcement “The Riley Way” Marks Five Years
(From the ARRL
Letter)
Close to 1000 Amateur
Radio enforcement cases have crossed his desk since Riley Hollingsworth was
tapped five years ago to resurrect the FCC's Amateur Radio enforcement efforts.
That doesn't include countless ham radio "situations" he's resolved
through informal counseling on the telephone or through an exchange of e-mails.
At the time he took the job in the fall of 1998, Hollingsworth — whose official
title is Special Counsel for Enforcement — called it "a new day for
Amateur Radio" after years of amateur enforcement neglect on the
Commission's part. As he sees things today, rules compliance and on-air behavior
have improved since the new sheriff rode into town, but there's still lots to
do.
"I'm fairly
satisfied with the progress that we've made in five years," Hollingsworth
said in modest acknowledgment of the milestone, "but I think we need at
least five more years of this type — of this level—of enforcement, because the
bands have quite a long way to go. It's no time to rest."
Five years ago,
Hollingsworth began with a "top-10" list of alleged high-profile
Amateur Radio offenders. By and large, he's slowly — and most would say
successfully — worked his way to the point that many of today's cases appear
comparatively mundane. But they get the same level of attention.
"The biggest
problem we have now, I think, stems from conduct-type problems — lack of
courtesy, taking serious offense and reacting to what is perceived as
deliberate interference," Hollingsworth said this week. "Ninety percent of the interference
that's reported to me is not deliberate." As he regards all enforcement cases,
the remaining 10 percent are "serious."
"I think a lot of
the 'radio rage' has subsided, but I wish that people would be a little more
aware of just how valuable Amateur Radio is and how they sound on the
air," said Hollingsworth. That's a message he's repeated often on the
hamfest circuit.
"Maintenance
mode" is a goal he'd like to see enforcement achieve. Hollingsworth explained that's when the
number of enforcement cases is perceived to be in balance with the number of
licensees. "I don't think we're there yet in the Amateur Service, but I
think that we can get there," he said. Hollingsworth credits the amateur
community's desire for strong, even stern, enforcement for his program's
success.
"Probably 99
percent of the reason it's worked is everybody wants it," he said.
"In this service they plead for enforcement. In every other service, they
don't want to see you coming." This attitude, he believes, stems from a
sincere desire by licensees to keep Amateur Radio a self-policing service. He
counts keeping the support of the amateur community among his major
accomplishments.
Looking out on the
Amateur Radio enforcement horizon, Hollingsworth said he'll "keep
pedaling" and chipping away at the enforcement workload. He'll also
continue to look to the assistance and cooperation of his fellow radio
amateurs, whom he called "just good people."
Amateurs "have got
to stick together and cooperate and stay away from the infighting because
they've got some very serious external threats," Hollingsworth said,
citing BPL as just one example. "To the extent that they're not rowing
together, it makes those threats more dangerous."
In his many public appearances
— including several at Hamvention — Hollingsworth has stayed "on message"
over the five years of his amateur enforcement tenure. "I just want
everyone to realize what they have," he said. "We have incredible frequencies,
power, modes, and so forth." He said a realization of the value of Amateur
Radio itself is a deterrent to potential rule breakers, but he said Amateur
Radio enforcement is "permanently ensconced" at the FCC.
While he's had some very
interesting assignments and enjoyed nearly every day of his tenure with the
FCC, he says the past five years have been the highlight of his 30-year FCC
career.
"My greatest
satisfaction is thinking that I may have paid back a debt," said Hollingsworth,
who's been licensed since age 13. "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever
done with the Commission."
Rohn Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
(From the ARRL
Letter)
Rohn Industries http://www.rohnnet.com/ filed a voluntary
petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy September 16 in the US Bankruptcy Court for
the Southern District of Indiana. The best-known manufacturer of tower and tower
hardware for the Amateur Radio community, the Peoria, Illinois-based company
manufactures towers, antenna support structures and "infrastructure
equipment" for the telecommunications industry. In business since 1948,
the firm also makes security fencing and provides design and construction
services.
"Our immediate goal
is to stabilize the company's financial situation and utilize the Chapter 11
process to enable the company to conduct normal business operations as the
company works to complete a sale transaction," Rohn Industries President
Horace Ward said in announcing the company's bankruptcy filing. Rohn says it's
now in discussions with an unrelated third party regarding a proposed asset
sale while it continues to conduct business as usual. Ward told ARRL there is
"no truth" to a rumor circulating on some Internet newsgroups that
disgruntled workers had damaged manufacturing equipment beyond repair in
reprisal for consolidating fabrication facilities last January into a single
plant in Frankfort, Indiana.
The impact of Rohn's
troubles on the Amateur Radio community is not clear, but at least one major
antenna products supplier reported earlier this summer that it was having
problems gettiing Rohn products, although I continues to offer them. Ward told
ARRL this week that Rohn intends "to execute the orders we have and to
continue to take orders in the normal course of business."
In the company's
statement, Ward attributed the bankruptcy filing to a severe downturn in the
telecommunications industry. In July, NASDAQ delisted Rohn Industries after it
was unable to meet its minimum bid price requirement. The company remains
eligible for listing on the Over the Counter (OTC) Bulletin Board (OTC-BB:
ROHN). During the past 52 weeks, the company's stock has sold for as little as
a penny a share.
At the same time it
filed for Chapter 11 protection, Rohn has announced it's entered into a $9.5
million debtor-in-possession credit line with its lenders. The bankruptcy court
must approve that agreement.
DX Bulletin 40 ARLD040
From ARRL
Headquarters
Newington CT October 2, 2003
To all radio
amateurs
This week's bulletin was
made possible with information provided by PP2BT, YV5SSB, the OPDX Bulletin,
The Daily DX, 425DXnews, DXNL, WA7BNM and Contest Corral from QST. Thanks to all.
ANNOBON ISLAND, 3C0. Station 3C0V is QRV until
October 11. QSL via DJ9ZB.
ANTARCTICA. 8J1RF is active from Dome
Fuji Base, IOTA AN-016, and has been QRV using RTTY on 15 meters around 1600z
and then 20 meters around 1800z. QSL
via operator's instructions.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES,
A6. Don, N1DG is QRV from the QTH of Saeed,
A61AD from October 6 to 11 during his spare time. Look for activity using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL to home call.
PRATAS ISLAND, BV9P. Members of the Chinese
Taipei Amateur Radio League will be QRV as BQ9P from October 7 to 16. Activity will be on 160 to 6 meters,
including the newer bands, using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV and PSK31. They will be active generally near the DX
windows. QSL via KU9C.
CANARY ISLANDS, EA8. Frank, DH5JG is QRV as
EA8/DH5JG from La Palma Island, IOTA AF-004, until October 14. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters, including
the newer bands, using mostly CW with some SSB. QSL to home call.
WALLIS AND FUTUNA
ISLANDS, FW. Vlad, FW/AC4LN has been QRV on 20 meters
around 1000 to 1100z. He has later been
QRV on 40 meters around 1200z. QSL via
UA4WHX.
ITALY, I. Nuccio, I7YKN, Christine,
I7OCD, Marisa, IK0ZSL, Gianfranco, IZ0BFK, Marco, IZ7CDE, and Massimo, IK0RNR,
will be QRV as IG9L from the Pelagie Islands, IOTA AF-019, from October 5 to
11. They will be active on 40, 20, 15,
10 and 6 meters using CW and SSB. They
also plan to activate the lighthouse Capo Grecale, ARLHS IOTA-025, on Lampedusa. QSL via IZ7CDE.
ALAND ISLANDS, OH0. Hadi, DJ2PJ will be QRV
as OH0JWH near the village of Oeverby on Eckeroe Island, IOTA EU-002, from
October 5 to 13. His main focus will be
the digital modes, especially on PSK31 with RTTY and SSTV. QSL to home call.
BRAZIL, PY. Julio, PP2BT is QRV as
PY9BT from Chapada dos Guimaraes in Mato Grosso until October 8. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using CW and
SSB. QSL to home call.
SEYCHELLES, S7. Norbert, DL2RNS will be
QRV as S79NS during his holiday here from October 4 to 17. He will use mostly CW. QSL to home call.
PALAU, T8. Jim, W7UG and Tom, K7ZZ
are QRV as T88ZX until October 8.
Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using CW and SSB. They place emphasis on the newer bands. QSL via K7ZZ.
MICRONESIA, V6. After their Palau
operation, Jim, W7UG and Tom, K7ZZ will be QRV as V63ZT from Yap Island
beginning October 8 for one week. QSL
via K7ZZ.
CHRISTMAS ISLAND, VK9X. Gerhard, DJ5IW, Thomas,
DL2RMC, Hartmut, DM5TI and Andree, DL8LAS will be QRV as VK9XW, VK9XM, VK9XT
and VK9XA, respectively, from October 4 to 14.
They will emphasize the low and newer bands, but will generally be QRV
on 160 to 6 meters. QSL all calls via
DL2RMC.
MYANMAR, XZ. XZ7A has been QRV on 12
meters using CW around 1500z. Activity is on all bands. QSL via DL7DF.
VANUATU, YJ. Look for YJ0AMY and
YJ0ATU to be QRV from Tegua Island, IOTA OC-110, in the Torres Island group for
about 10 days. Activity is on 160 to 10
meters using CW and SSB. QSL via
OM2SA.
VENEZUELA, YV. Look for 4M9YY to be QRV
from San Fernando de Apure, from October 7 to 12. Activity will be on all bands and modes. QSL via operators' instructions.
Dash-L
By Paul Dunphy,
VE1DX
One of the Local QRPers
came by the other day, and he was carrying a laptop computer and a pair of
handie-talkies. There was joy in his
stride and a gleam in his eye. We had
seen him coming and, for a fleeting few seconds, considered ducking out the
back door. This fellow was a high-tech
QRPer, and he usually wanted to talk about something that was over our
head. Thinking back to what the Old
Timer had told us about being open to new ideas, and about the Amateur's Code,
we decided to see what was up.
We opened the door and
the QRPer burst in, laying his equipment on the table and looking at us with a
happy gaze in his eyes. "I've found the perfect way to work DX!" he
proclaimed. It's so much easier than
chasing HF propagation, or listening to Red-Eyed Louie's reports on the DX he's
heard lately. Besides, Louie's job has
been replaced with packet clusters. Who
needs him anymore, for that matter?"
We thought about it for a minute and wondered who would feed the data
into the clusters if all the Red-Eyed Louies of the world packed it in. However, we'd learned many years ago not to
present a QRPer with too much logic.
Maybe another day we'd both be up for that argument, but today he seemed
to have other things on his mind.
"How are you going to work DX without understanding
propagation?" we asked carefully.
"Simple!" the QRPer began,
"And I'm here to show you how it's done." We just looked on as he opened up his laptop
and started plugging in cables and hooking up adapters. "Shouldn't you bring that into the
shack?" we asked, "That's were all the HF gear is, and the coax runs
to the tower and all the antennas too."
The QRPer grinned and simply said, "Don't need it. I'm working on 2-meter DXCC. I want to be the first in the world to do
it, too!"
"How are you going
to work DX without radios and antennas?
And you and I both know you can't work 2-meter DXCC without repeaters or
satellites. Repeater assisted contacts
don't count for DXCC, and if you do it by satellite, it's a Satellite DXCC, not
2-meters."
"Just watch me,” he
said mysteriously, reaching down and unplugging our phone from its wall jack
and plugging in a line from his computer.
We shoved our cap back on our head, scratched a bit, and pulled the cap
back forward. "What are you doing
with the phone lines?" we asked, wondering if he was up to something
illegal. "You're not hooking up
one of those things to make long distance phone calls without paying for them
are you?" The QRPer looked up at
us in consternation. "Don't be so
foolish." he said, "I know better than that. I'm hooking the laptop up to my
ISP." We didn't know exactly what
an ISP was, but we thought back to the wisdom of the quote, "Better to
remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all
doubt."
As soon as he had things
set up to his satisfaction, he typed in a few lines and the computer squawked
and squealed for a few seconds, and then a couple of windows popped open. "There," he said, "I'm
connected."
"OK," we said
quietly, wondering what was he was connected to. "Here's how it works." he began, "I'm dialed into
the Internet with my laptop, and I've got my 2-meter handie-talkie connected to
the computer with a RigBlaster.
Follow?" We nodded, for
although we still weren't sure on the ISP part, we knew what a RigBlaster was,
and we knew what the Internet was. We'd
seen a demonstration of the Internet at a shopping mall last fall. And one of the PSK31 types had tried to hook
a RigBlaster up to our TS-920 last summer.
Since we weren't overly impressed with the Internet or what the
RigBlaster had done to our HF rig, we were just as happy that the QRPer was
contented to stay out of the shack.
"Now, here's how it
works," he said, stepping back and holding the second 2-meter
handie-talkie. All I do is key up the
EchoLink node number of the station I want to work on my DTMF keypad here. I've got this radio on the same simplex
frequency as the one connected to the Laptop with the RigBlaster. Just using 250 milliwatts, too! That will select the DX station from the
EchoLink list and connect us by VoIP.
Then I just talk to them and bingo!
I've got a DX QSO. I can connect
to anywhere in the world! This is
pretty slick, right."
We didn't know what to
say. We decided to ask for
clarification, in spite of our previous decision to not remove the doubt of our
being thought a fool. "What's VoIP and what's an EchoLink?" The QRPer
gave us a pained look and answered "VoIP is Voice Over IP and EchoLink is
the controlling software that runs on my laptop. Where have you been the last year or so?"
We decided not to argue
and simply replied, "OK, we understand. So where's the DX?" The QRPer's look of exasperation increased
and he blurted out, "Where it's always been, in those far away lands over
the horizon like VK, ZL, and in all of Europe and Asia. And in the Caribbean and the like. Where did you think it would be? On my laptop?"
At this point we still
weren't sure, so we just nodded and the QRPer punched a few codes into his
handie-talkie. Then he called a GM
station. We jumped back as the Scottish
accent called him right back. Son of a
Gun! We were impressed, but not
convinced this was DXing. The QRPer
exchanged a few more words with the GM station, ending it all by saying,
"And be sure to QSL by the bureau, best 7'd3s." Up until the "best 7'd3s" we had
managed to take things in stride, but enough was enough. "What kind of foolishness have you
dreamt up this time?" we roared!
"Every time you start playing with computers, you come up with some
way to cheat your way into more DXCC points, or to bend the rules, or to keep
acting like you just were licensed last month!
You know better than this!"
The QRPer took a step
backwards and then glared right back into our eyes. "Look Buster, just because you didn't think of it doesn't
mean it isn't right. It's not just my
idea, either! There are almost 1000
EchoLink users around, maybe even twice that many. Why even VE1YX uses it.
And he's been around the track enough time to recognize a good thing
when he sees it. This is the wave of
the future, and it's time you threw away that CW and SSB technology from the
last century and joined us modern DXers!
There is nothing illegal or immoral about this. It's new technology, and just because I'm
smart enough to figure out how to get my 2-meter DXCC with it doesn't mean it's
cheating!"
"Isn't DXCC
supposed to use a radio?" we bellowed back at him. "You're talking into a computer with a
handheld! It's going through our phone
line somehow and connecting to another computer in Scotland. Where the 2-way radio QSO?"
"Right here in my
hand and in the GM's hand in Edinburgh!" he screeched back, getting beet
red and shaking his handie-talkie at us.
"It's a good contact!"
We took a deep breath and counted to 10. "How do you know he has a radio in Edinburgh?" we asked
slowly, trying to bring the conversation back down to a civil level. "Because he has an L after his call
sign. That means he has a link to a
radio, the same as I have! And if he
didn't have an L, there'd just be his call, and I'd know he was just using his
computer microphone and speakers. But
this fellow has an L, so it's a good contact!"
"How does the L get
stuck after his call?" we asked quietly.
"He typed it there when he set up his EchoLink software," was
the quick reply. We leaned over and looked
at the computer screen. A few of the
calls had R after them, and a few more had L, but most had nothing but the
call. "What does the R mean?"
we asked. "Repeater!" the
QRPer snapped back at us. "I can't
use those for DXCC because they are connected to repeaters, but the L ones are
good."
We looked a bit more and
said, "That station in Hong Kong, if he were to stick an L after his call,
or if that LA or GD were to do the same, and if they still used their computer
microphone and speakers, how would you know?"
"How would I
know? How would I know! I'd know because Hams are honest, especially
DXers. No True Blue DXer would ever
think of doing something like that."
We looked at him for a
moment and then said, "Romeo was in Burma." He stared at us with a blank look and then said,
"What?" We repeated slowly,
"Romeo was in Burma."
He looked at us for a
moment, then snapped off his 2-meter rigs, unplugged his computer from the wall
and began packing things up in their case.
"There is no sense talking to people like you,” he said. "I try to show you how DXing will be in
the new millennium and you start talking in riddles. "Romeo was in Burma.
What is that supposed to mean?"
We shrugged our shoulders as he was walking out the door. There is no point trying to explain the
Eternal Enigmas of DXing or the Mysteries of the Ages to someone who isn't
ready to understand them. So we just
watched him stomp down the hill with his laptop and handie-talkies under his
arm. Some day he might figure it out
... but then again, maybe Romeo really was in Burma, too! DX IS!
Helpful Hints
Save electricity by turning off all the lights in
your house and walking around wearing a miner’s hat.
Shallow Thoughts
Why do they call it a television set when you only
get one?”
Carbon Amateur Radio Club – 2003-2004 Officers
President: Anthony
“Goody” Good, K3NG, [email protected]
Vice
President: Rob Roomberg, KB3BYT, [email protected]
Secretary:
Darryl Gibson, N2DIY, [email protected]
Treasurer:
John Schreibmaier, W3MF, [email protected]
W3HA Callsign
Trustee: John Bednar, K3CT, [email protected]
W3HA Repeater
Trustee: John Bednar, K3CT, [email protected]
Public Information
Officer: Lisa Kelley, [email protected]
Directors
John Bednar, K3CT, [email protected]
Bob Culp, KB3IDV
Bill, KA3UKL,
[email protected]
ARES/RACES Committee
Bruce Fritz, KB3DZN
(DC), [email protected]
Darryl Gibson, N2DIY,
[email protected]
Todd Deem, KB3IKX,
[email protected]
Services
W3HA Repeater:
147.255 MHz + PL 131.8
CARC Website: http:/www.learnmorsecode.com/carc/
Webmaster: Rob,
KB3BYT [email protected]
CARC Email Reflector:
see www.qth.net CarbonARC list for details
Emergency Power
Equipment Trustees: Lisa and Bill Kelley, KA3UKL, [email protected]
CARC Membership Information
Regular Membership is
$15.00, which includes autopatch privileges.
All amateur radio operators are invited to join the CARC
ARES / RACES net held 21:00 local time every Wednesday on the W3HA repeater at
147.255 MHz + offset, PL 131.8. Any
amateur radio operator or anyone with an interest in ham radio is welcome to
attend our monthly meetings which occur the third Thursday of each month at
7:30 PM at the Carbon County EMA Center on Route 93 in Nesquehoning.