YC7XV - HAM RADIO LINK'S -

Amateur Radio News

Sources of bulletins and current news about Amateur Radio

Spectrum Reallocation Threats

Radio spectrum is becoming a more and more valuable commodity. Some members of the US Congress have bemoaned the federal regulation of radio spectrum, preferring to put it all up for auction. The US National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) oversees spectrum allocation processes. Fortunately, the Amateur Radio community answered when the NTIA asked for input. The NTIA now recognizes that Radio Amateurs want to keep existing allocations undisturbed. And they have accepted suggestions for modest expansion of Amateur Radio spectrum. (That doesn't mean we'll get any more but it's a step in the right direction.) Use these resources as needed when responding to others' proposals to take away our spectrum.

2305-2310 MHz Up For Auction

In an unprecedented move, the 104th US Congress put a 5Mhz-wide piece of radio spectrum (2305-2310 MHz) on the auction block, as part of the 2000-page budget agreement that it made just prior to its final adjournment for the 1996 elections. The text was not seen outside of Congressional committees until it was passed, and probably most members of Congress were not aware of this piece. If you live in the USA, write your Representative and Senators.

"Little LEOs" threat to 144/440MHz

The Little LEO satellite industry is aggressively pushing to get more bandwidth at the World Radio Conference '97 (WRC 97) than they got at WRC 95. Two of the bands they're considering are the Amateur Radio 144-148MHz (2m) and 420-450MHz (70cm) bands.

"NII" Threat to 5GHz

The proposal of a "National Information Infrastructure" band by Apple and WinForum seems like a nice idea at first but the proposal is to put unlicensed users in the same band with licensed Amateur Radio operators. Since Amateur Radio saturates a next-higher band roughly every 8 years, this would be taking away the near future of Amateur Radio and needs to be fought as seriously as the 2m/70cm threat. Unfortunately, the NII petition has the backing of the White House and all its backers are glossing over or ignoring the effects on Amateur Radio..

1998 RF Safety Regulations

Starting January 1, 1998, the FCC will impose new RF safety regulations on Amateur Radio transmitters, turning ANSI/IEEE/NCRP 1992 RF safety standards into FCC rules. (Broadcasters will have the same rules several months before Amateurs, so we're not alone.) How these rules apply to Amateur Radio is still nebulous. The FCC has encouraged the Amateur Radio community to develop charts and graphs to help determine compliance. ARRL and other Amateurs are looking into it.

ARRL RF Safety News Page
"Measurements of Environmental Electromagnetic Fields at Amateur Radio Stations" report by FCC
"RF Radiation and Electromagnetic Field Safety" from ARRL Handbook
"Radiofrequency Energy FAQs" by FCC
Electro Magnetic Fields and Public Health
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology
NF.ZIP - Near-Field Analyzer software for MS-DOS
DIGI-FIELD RF Field Strength Meter - I.C. Engineering
MININEC Professional for Windows - EM Scientific

RF Safety-related Links

"Insight on Rules Archive" - articles about ANSI RF Safety compliance
EMF, ELF, & RF Radiation Politics, Science, and Education by Arthur Varanelli
"Nonionizing Radiation and Fields" - LLNL Safety Manual
Bioelectromagnetics Research at ETH, Switzerland
"Radiation and Radioactive Material Specific Information Section" - at U of Michigan
Powerlines & Cancer FAQ
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA)

Amateur Radio Organizations

National and International Organizations

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
ARRL Affiliated Club search engine
ScoutRadio - Boy Scouts of America Amateur Radio Page
US Army Military Affiliate Radio System
Dayton Hamvention (North American Amateur Radio Convention)
Courage HANDI-HAM System - helping people with physical disabilities
Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC)
Canadian Amateur Radio Certification Information by VE2DM
Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)
DARC (Deutschland/Germany)
VERON (Netherlands)
SSA (Sweden)
SRAL (Finland)
ZRS (Slovenia)
JARA (Jamaica)

Silicon Valley Ham Radio Clubs

See also: Local (Silicon Valley) Ham Radio Info Amateur Radio UseNet Newsgroups

West Valley Amateur Radio Association (WVARA) - W6PIY, San Jose
Electronics Museum Amateur Radio Club (EMARC) - WB6WSL, Los Altos
Stanford Amateur Radio Club - W6YX, Palo Alto
Santa Clara Valley Repeater Society - WB6OQS, Loma Prieta
Buffalo Radio Nitwit Network by KD6OCS, Sunnyvale

Indices of Ham Radio Organizations

University and School Amateur Radio Club List by N2TIQ

Other Northern California Ham Radio Organizations

Spectrum Hogs Amateur Repeater Koordinating Kouncil (SHARKK)
Northern Amateur Relay Council of California (NARCC)
Northern California Packet Association
Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club (MDARC) W6CX, Concord
River City Amateur Radio Communications Society KF6ABN, Sacramento

Emergency Communications

After any disaster, Hams are there to assist in the overwhelming need for local emergency communications. Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) volunteer groups exist in nearly every city and county in the USA.

Amateur Radio Emergency Communication by ARRL
Using Amateur Radio in an Emergency by ARRL
Amateur Radio Reference - Emergency Communications
ARRL Public Service Communication Manual
SKYWARN Home Page tornado spotting network
Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network (Australia)
Disasters Online in Real-Time at Ham Radio Online
Hospital Disaster Support Communications System by WA6OPS
The Disaster Connection
North American Center For Emergency Communications (NACEC)
FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
American Red Cross
Internet Disaster Information Network
Yahoo ARES/RACES index

HF, DX and CW (Below 50MHz)

The Amateur Radio HF (high frequency, 3-30MHz) bands have a unique behavior where the signals bounce off the Earth's Ionosphere (upper atmosphere) and return to the surface hundreds or thousands of miles from the transmitter, allowing long-distance (DX) contacts. (HF is what most people think of when they hear of Ham Radio.)

HF Propagation

The conditions in the Ionosphere that allow HF DX communications are dependent upon Solar radiation. Sunspots, coronal holes, and solar flares change the Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) around the planet, besides the normal day/night cycles.

WebCluster Real-time worldwide DX spotting by OH2BUA Finland
K6PBT "DX PacketCluster WebNet" - resources for Packet Cluster sysops
ARRL Propagation bulletins
NOAA Radio User's Page
Today's Space Weather from NOAA
Near-real-time MUF Map
Planetary K Index from NOAA
Solar activity daily reports
Solar activity weekly forecasts
10-meter Beacon List by KC4DPC
NOAA Space Environment Center
Day/Night and Greyline View of Earth

CW - Morse Code

When conditions are only minimally usable, voice and computer signals break up too much to be received. But CW gets through when nothing else will. And because of its low bandwidth, more CW contacts can occur in a range of frequencies (spectrum) than with any other mode. It can be hard to learn but many Hams prefer it once they know it. (Though other Hams won't touch it.)

KO6YQ's Introduction to Morse Code
KB7QOP's Morse Code Page
N1IRZ's "So You Want to Learn Morse Code"
W9PPG's Learning the Code
Morse Code Demo by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ARC
PA3BWK's "Ultimate CW Site" (very-high speed telegraphy)
Notes from Bruce Perens AB6YM on how to pass the 20wpm code test
The Telegraph Office - Telegraph key collectors page by K5RW

QRP - Low Power Operation

In the neverending pursuit of a challenge, the QRP operators have it made. While many Hams are led to believe that 100+ watts are needed to talk around the world, QRP operators seek out the conditions that allow it on a watt or less.

QRP-L Mail List, "Internet QRP Club"
Northern California QRP Club
NorthWest QRP Club
KC6WDK's "Homebrew QRP is GUD 4 U"
AA2UJ QRP links - New Jersey QRP Club
G3YCC's QRP Page (UK)
KL7JAF's QRP Page
Lehigh University QRP FTP archive
KE4ARM's QRP Page
G3YCC's Ham Radio Pages (QRP)

Operating Awards

Many Hams pursue a facet of the hobby called "Awards chasing." If there's a contest or special event with a certificate or an operating award program, there's an excuse to get on the air, a goal to achieve and/or an award to proudly display on the the wall. Everyone's reasons could be a little different but awards are popular.

SSTV - Slow Scan Television

SSTV is used to send a picture using the lower data rates of audio signals. It takes longer but it's less expensive and works fine when motion isn't needed.

VHF/UHF/Microwave (Above 50MHz)

VHF (very high frequency, 30-300MHz) frequencies had long been thought to be limited to "line of sight" only. But Hams discovered that VHF signals can bend as much as 15 degrees below the horizon, greatly extending the range of potential communications. Hams also discovered atmospheric effects like E-skip and Tropospheric Ducting that can rival HF.

Microwaves (1GHz and up to light) are indeed line-of-sight but Hams are finding new effects because microwaves bounce off everything, allowing reception in places one wouldn't have expected in a line-of-sight scenario.

UHF (ultra-high frequency, 300MHz-1GHz) acts much like a hybrid between the two.

Microwaves

Laser Communications

Lasers are possibly the next area that Radio Amateurs will provide new information and tame the unknowns to make it more practical. Most or all new modes in radio have been pioneered by Amateurs, including HF, VHF, UHF, microwaves and low-Earth orbit satellite communications.

Radio Direction Finding

Radio Direction Finding (RDF) has recreational and serious purposes. Recreational transmitter hunts make intense competition requiring real skill to win. But there are very serious applications in hunting malicious interference or for search and rescue operations.

ATV - Amateur Television

Live television on Amateur Radio frequencies!

Contesting

In an Amateur Radio contest, participating stations compete to make the most contacts. Each contest has different rules that add twists in addition to the normal challenges of pushing your radios to their limits. Some Hams can't get enough of it.

Contesting and Logging Software

The serious contesters all use computers for at least their logging, in order to keep the contact rates as high as possible. Time can't be wasted when there are points to be made!

See also: Logging Software Products

K1EA's CT 6.26 (last freeware version)
K2MM's Contest Software FTP Archive

Packet Radio and Digital Communications

Packet radio users connect their computers to their radios and have a network on the air.

High Speed Packet

It's harder to get good bandwidth on radio than over a phone line. While packet speeds between 1200 and 9600 are the the most common, Hams also prefer better speed. The higher the speed, the more likely you'll have to build your own equipment. 56K modems are now available but they need a transverter which can be found in the Microwave Products.

Mobile Amateur Radio

"Mobile" use of Amateur Radio is any time you're in motion and on the radio. The most common use is in the car but can also include pedestrian, bicycle, aeronautical, or maritime mobile.

ARRL's "State 'Ham Tags' Status" callsign license plate info
Rolling Thunder Contest Club
Maritime Mobile Service Network by VE3II and N4LET
Prince Edward Radio Club Maritime Mobile Page (Ontario, Canada)
Bicycle Mobile Hams of America
BikeHam mail list archives

Amateur Radio Software

There's lots of software out there for packet radio, satellite tracking, morse code practice, callsign lookups, etc.

Linux Amateur Radio Software

The Linux operating system is a free clone of Unix developed by hobbyists around the world on the Internet. Linux's kernel comes with Amateur Packet Radio drivers built in.

Linux for Hams
Linux Amateur Radio Software List
Linux Documentation Project
G4KLX's Linux AX.25 Page
Linux-Hams mail list archive
Linux AX.25 HOWTO
APRS for Linux

Amateur Space Communications

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications were pioneered by Hams. Today many Hams around the world use various modes of communication involving space, including Shuttles, Mir, and free-flying Amateur Radio satellites. Adventurous types bounce their signals off meteors, aurora, the Moon, and the ion trail behind a re-entering Space Shuttle.

ARRL Keplerian Data (satellite orbit) Bulletins
Amateur Radio satellite orbital elements from US Air Force Institute of Technology
rec.radio.amateur.space Frequently-Asked Questions
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT)
AMSAT SpaceNews
AMSAT Phase-3D Satellite (launch September 1997 on Ariane 502)
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX)
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
OE1KIB's "Digital Satellite Communication" Page (Linux software)
University of Surrey's UOSAT (UK)
Satellite DX Foundation
N8ULU's Southeast Michigan AMSAT Net Page
SatPasses - Predictions of Satellite Passes
PicoSat System
Radio Observation of Meteors
Meteor Showers
Hourly Aurora Maps
MTU Aurora Page

EME - Earth-Moon-Earth

Some Hams use the Moon as a communications satellite. Just bounce the signal off it. "Moonbounce" isn't cheap but it's impressive. (Well, the cheaper your equipment is, the more expensive equipment it takes for anyone else to talk to you.) It makes 45% of the Earth's surface available for communications, a feature unrivaled by any other satellite.

Space and Satellites

If you follow satellites or SAREX, you'll want these links too.

Space FAQs - sci.space
Small Satellites Home Page at University of Surrey, UK
Current Space Shuttle mission
NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Space Shuttle Status Reports
KSC shuttle missions page
Shuttle Sighting Opportunities
Mir Space Station
Mir Visibility Data
International Space Station (ISS) launch delayed to October 1998
Ariane launch vehicles - European Space Agency
Ariane 501 Failure Report & Recommendations
NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program
Lloyd's satellite constellations directory of commercial satellites
Sky & Telescope Magazine
SETI league - Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Amateur Radio Equipment

ARRL QEX experimenter's file archive
Electronics on the Web magazine
Info on the KG0ZP "Copper Cactus" J-Pole antenna
Test Bench Elmers Amateur Radio Society (Los Angeles)
Antenna Advice 2.0 by Radio Netherlands
K0JD's Ham Homebrew Site
Nuts & Volts Magazine
MiniSport Laptop Hacker articles and projects

Ham Radio-related Commercial Sites

Links to commercial sites are not product endorsements. However, a link does mean I thought their site was informative or interesting.

K6PBT Dealer Link Directory
K6PBT Dealer E-mail Directory
WB7EEL List of Mail Order Electronics Companies
Ham Radio Outlet (HRO)
Amateur Electronic Supply (AES)
MFJ
Ameritron
Radio Shack
Icom America, Inc.
Kenwood Communications Corp.
Yaesu USA
Standard Amateur Radio Products
Alinco Electronics
ADI
Tucker Electronics
Optoelectronics
W5YI Organization
Advanced Electronic Applications (AEA)
Com-West Radio Systems
RCSI - Radio Control Systems Inc
Mirage Communications Equipment - amplifiers
The QRZ Ham Radio CDROM
Ham Radio Today Magazine (UK)
DX Hound's World
AmSoft: The World of Ham Radio CDROM
Amateur Radio Internet Shopper
QSLs by W4MPY
A/D Technologies (repeater controllers)
Whiterook Products Co (clocks, kits, signs, keys)
LDG Electronics (microcontroller-based Amateur Radio equipment, tuners, etc)
Advanced Battery Systems (battery packs, formerly "Periphex")
Svetlana (tubes)
Davis Instruments (weather instruments compatible w/ packet radio & Skywarn)
Peet Brosa Company (weather instruments compatible w/ packet radio & Skywarn)
Timewave Technology (DSP noise filters)
"On Top Of The World" for Windows (3D globe software)
Jade Products (kits, keys, antennas)
DCI Digital Communications (bandpass filters)

Commercial Antennas

High Sierra Antennas
Bandmaster Enterprises (cubical quad antennas)
Cubex (cubical quad antennas)
Radio Works (antennas and accessories)

Electronic Parts

Parts suppliers relevant to Amateur Radio projects and equipment repairs.

Mouser Electronics
Digi-Key
Allied Electronics
All Electronics Corp.

RDF Suppliers

Commercial Radio Direction Finding (RDF) equipment.

See also: Radio Direction Finding

AB5CK Dopplers - Roanoke Doppler boards
Agrelo Engineering's DFjr commercial doppler RDF
Notes on the development of the DFjr
BMG Engineering and SuperDF kit
DF Systems
Doppler Systems Inc.
Servo RDF Products (military monster RDF)
MoTron Electronics - xmitter fingerprinting board, DTMF encode/decode
XMIT_ID software - xmitter fingerprinting w/ PC sound card

Logging Software Products

Contesting and station log software.

CT Contest Software (commercial version)
N6TR's TR Contest Logging Program
SwissLog
WJ2O Logging Software
EI5DI's Super Duper
Log-EQF

Packet Radio Products

Microwave Parts and Products

Laser Communications Parts and Products

Antique Radios

Some amateurs delight in the challenge of restoring and maintaining antique radio equipment, often called "boatanchors". Though the olders radios may not be as smart or precise as current radios, they do have advantages of their own such as being able to handle power levels that would fry any solid-state equipment.

AB4EL's Boatanchors FAQ
Daily digest of the Boatanchors mail list
WB5OAU's Boatanchors Page
WA4KCY's Vintage Amateur Radio Page
Antique Wireless Association
WA3KEY's Virtual Collins Radio Museum
K2DCY's Telegraph & Scientific Instrument On-line Cyber-museum

Local (Silicon Valley) Ham Radio Info

Amateur Radio Humor

"A Collection of Humor" at Ham Radio Online
International Order Of Krazies
Official Nerd Test Home Page
"You Might Be a Ham (or Engineer) if..."
"Broadcast Blowups" stories collected by NH6IL
Humor Page at Jade Products

Online Amateur Radio References and Sources

CUARC's Amateur Radio Mailing Lists and Newsgroups Page

Instructional and Reference Materials

Places to learn more about Amateur Radio. These are mainly self-instructional sources but there are also some locations to find online "Elmers". ("Elmer" is a Ham Radio term for mentor.) Remember to be nice if you ask others for help because they're volunteers and the Net tends to create large demands for all volunteers. You can return the favor to the Net by helping others once you're able to.

Ham Radio Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)
What's Amateur Radio? by ARRL
How to Get Started in Ham Radio - by ARRL
WB6KHP's New User Tips for VHF-UHF Operation
Amateur Radio Elmers Resource Directory by K3FU
The Elmer HAMlet - instructional info
FCC "Interference Handbook"
UK Amateur Radio FAQ
Australian Amateur Radio FAQ
Youthnet News Online - for young Hams
"100 Years of Radio" by IW1CXZ/IK1QLD