Newsletter November/December 2012, The Radiogram, page 2 - Official eNews of the Wireless Society of Southern Maine

2012 Jamboree on the Air
Maine Maritime Museum
by Tim Watson, KB1HNZ

BATH, ME - On October 20th, the WSSM team set up a JOTA station during the Boy Scouts Camporee weekend at the Maine Maritime Museum. Operating on battery power, they used a dipole antenna for 40 meters and a BuddiPole rotatable dipole for 15 and 20 meters. The transceiver used was a Yaesu FT-857D, operating from inside the museum, overlooking the Kennebec River and the historic Percy and Small Shipyard.

jota1

It was a lot of fun introducing amateur radio to all the scouts during Jamboree On The Air, but also in taking the time to talk to scouts from other JOTA events around the world. We even had some of the boys talking with scouts in other places, but they were most excited about making contacts with DX stations who were taking part in the DARC German Districts Contest. One of the scouts had a QSO with a ham in Luxembourg, and after setting down the mic, he asked, "Where's Luxembourg?". So, besides being an opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of amateur radio, it also prompted some curiosity in geography.

The WS1SM team also demonstrated the techniques involved in radio direction finding. Hiding a small transmitter that bursts a low-power, modulated morse code signal, the scouts who participated were able to track it down using triangulation techniques and a specialized device known as a Vector Finder. Many of the scouts and visitors who took part said that this was the most fun they had all day. Though fun, they also learned about the importance of radio direction finding in aiding search and rescue operations.

Exam Session in Gorham
Gorham Recreation Department
by Tim Watson, KB1HNZ

On November 16th, the WSSM VE team held its first exam session of the year at the Gorham Recreation Department. Prospective hams stopped by, pencils in hand, ready to tackle the 35-question Technician Class Exam, with hopes of earning their first amateur radio licenses.

The exam was held in the "Multi Purpose Room," which allowed for plenty of space to spread out, and for VE's to set up.

Danny

"We learn something new each time we hold a test session," said Charlie Sheppard W1CPS, who served as a VE. "One thing that can definitely help in the future is to have a few more VE's on hand. I'd recommend to any ham who is interested in bringing newcomers into the hobby, to take a few hours to study the VE manual and become a Volunteer Examiner."

The session was a success and saw two first-time licenses granted. Their callsigns have just been published on the FCC site, so its official! Congratulations to Dakota Dumont KB1YYC, and Danny Hooper KB1YYB. Special thanks to the Gorham Recreation Department for staying open late on a Friday evening to make it possible. To learn more about how you can become a Volunteer Examiner, please click here.

First 'Upside Down' Award Winner
Takeshi Ishigami, JR3AKG
by Tim Watson, KB1HNZ

Congratulations to Takeshi Ishigami JR3AKG, from Sakai City, Osaka, Japan, for becoming the first to qualify for the Wireless Society of Southern Maine's Upside Down Award. Takeshi submitted QSO details from as far back as 1981, and all QSO's were made using CW. Takeshi is a member of the JARL, as well as the Japan Award Hunters Gruppe (JAG #297) and the Diplom Intersessen Gruppe (DIG #3255).

The Upside Down Award is one of a number of awards offered by the WSSM. To earn it, one must work 5 stations on at least two different bands with call signs that read the same upside down as they do right side up, like WS1SM, or the Mirror-Image certificate, for contacts confirmed with 5 stations on at least two different bands with call signs that read the same in both directions. For more information on this and other awards offered by the club, click here.

DX News
November 18th - December 31st
by Tim Watson, KB1HNZ

The later part of November, especially, has seen a second wave of DXPeditions, with many taking advantage of warmer climates as winter approaches in the Northern hemisphere. There's been a lot of activity in the Caribbean lately, from places such as St. Martin (FS/K9EL), Montserrat (VP2MYL), and Bonaire (PJ4X).

Special thanks to Stefania YO9GJY, for submitting news about the ZL9HR expedition to Campbell Island, which as of the 29th had still not reached the island due to severe weather and "waves as high as 11 meters." Hopefully they get there soon, as they're only scheduled to be there until December 9th.

11/18 - 12/08
11/21 - 12/03
11/23 - 12/03
11/24 - 12-10
11/28 - 12/09
11/26 - 12/11
12/01 - 12/12
12/01 - 12/13
12/01 - 01/31
12/03 - 12/10
12/04 - 12/10
12/05 - 12/12
12/06 - 12/10
12/08 - 12/09
12/08 - 12/31
12/10 - 12/13

E51TLA
VP2V
7P8D
5T0SP
ZL9HR
8Q7AU
PJ5J
C6AGG
C6AGT
P40CX
YN5ZO
V63XG
PY0FRP
V31NO
5W0KR
JD1BLY

South Cook Island
British Virgin Islands
Lesotho
Mauritania
Campbell Island
Maldives
Saba & St. Eustatius
Bahamas
Bahamas
Aruba
Nicaragua
Micronesia
Fernando de Noronha
Belize
Samoa
Ogasawara

Bands: HF; CW, RTTY; QSL via QZ6TL
Bands: HF for CQWW CW and 160m contest (primarily)
Bands: 160-10m; CW, RTTY, some SSB; QSL via OQRS or direct
Bands: 160-6m; CW, SSB, RTTY
Bands: HF Info
Bands: 80-10m; SSB; 7 band vertical
Bands: 80-6m; CW, SSB, RTTY
Bands: 80-10m; SSB, some CW; Grand Bahama Island
Bands: 40-10m; SSB, some PSK31 & JT65
Bands: QRV for ARRL 10m Contest
Bands: 40-10m; SSB, RTTY; Spiderbeam and 40m dipole
Bands: 40-6m; mainly CW, some SSB & Digital
Bands: 40-10m; QRV for ARRL 10m Contest
Bands: QRV for ARRL 10m Contest
Bands: 20-10m; including PSK31
Bands: 40-10m; CW, SSB, Digital & Satelite

SSTV with a Smartphone
SSTVPad by Black Cat Systems
by Tim Watson, KB1HNZ

Until recently, decoding and displaying Slow Scan Television images required a sound card-equipped pc or laptop, but with the new SSTV app (by Black Cat Systems) for your iPhone or iPad, displaying SSTV images can be as easy as holding your phone near a receiver. I decided to give the app a try on both HF SSB and 2 meters FM, and the results were impressive.

SSTVPad uses the audio and processing capabilities of an iPhone or iPad to decode Amateur Radio SSTV transmissions. Simply connect the device to a radio, or hold it next to your radio's speaker, tune to an SSTV frequency, and watch the pictures display.

SSTVPad is capable of detecting popular modes such as Robot, Scottie, Martin, and more. Decoding begins automatically (as soon as the start of image signals are detected). Manual control is also available for use when receiving conditions are poor, and timing signals (phase and skew) can be adjusted to compensate for mismatches within the sending station.

Received images can also be saved, (with the option to save them automatically). They can be reviewed, sent as email attachments, texted, or you could use the iTunes file sharing feature to transfer them to your pc.

Even just holding the iPhone near the speaker of my radio, the images were received as well as you'd expect to receive them on your pc. Pictures received on HF showed some traces of QSB and QRM at times, but never displayed out of phase or diagonally. On FM, the images were received perfectly.

The SSTV app can be downloaded via the iTunes App Store. Click here to view details.

Morse Telegraph Club Members Play a Key Role in Speilberg's "Lincoln"
Culpeper, Virginia

Members of the Morse Telegraph Club, an association of retired railroad and commercial telegraphers, historians, radio amateurs and others with an interest in the history and traditions of telegraphy and the telegraph industry, played an important role in the production of "Lincoln."

According to James Wades WB8SIW, International President of the Morse Telegraph Club, several members provided period telegraph instruments for use in the construction of the War Department Set. Most notably, Tom Perera W1TP, Derek Cohn WB0TUA, Kevin Saville N7JKD, and Roger Reinke provided sufficient telegraph instruments to equip the sixteen operating positions portrayed at the War Department.

Jim Wilson WB8SIW, who was employed as a Technical Advisor for the production, worked with set designers over a period of months to develop the War Department telegraph scenes. Mr Wades coordinated the process of procuring the necessary instruments and served as a historical consultant as the telegraph scenes were developed.

Nine of the sixteen telegraph positions depicted in the War Department were fully operational. These instruments could be operated in any combination through the use of a specialized computer program and terminal units custome built by Mr. Wades for the process. When necessary, a hand key could be inserted in the individual telegraph loops so messages could be improvised.

Mr. Wades worked with the producers to develop historically appropriate message traffic that fit the sequence of the script. However, as the movie was edited, the final product involved into a more generic facsimile of Morse traffic. However, those with a background in land line telegraphy will hear the occasional snippet of message traffic in the audio track of the movie.

"We are very pleased that Mr. Speilberg and his staff took the time to treat the telegraph with dignity and respect," said Mr. Wades. "It is a pleasure to be associated with a high quality motion picture that can genuinely be classified as not just entertainment but as a work of art," he added.

The Morse Telegraph Club was founded in 1943 to perpetuate the knowledge, history, and traditions of telegraphy. Chapters are located throughout the United States and Canada. Members are actively involved in a variety of products, including preventing talks on the history of telegraphy to historical societies, schools, and amateur radio organizations. Chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada have worked with public museums to build historically correct telegraph exhibits. Members also regularly demonstrate telegraphy at historical events throughout North America.

Complete coverage of the making of the telegraph scenes in "Lincoln" will be published in an upcoming issue of Dots and Dashes, the official journal of the Morse Telegraph Club.

Acknowledgments: "Morse Telegraph Club Members Play a Key Role in Speilberg's Lincoln" Press Release. Morse Telegraph Club. 27 November 2012. <http://www.morsetelegraphclub.org> Thanks to Frank Krizan KR1ZAN for sending us this article.

QSL Corner

Below you'll find some recent QSL's. If you received an interesting one yourself that you'd like to show off, please send a digital image to [email protected] and we'll be sure to publish it in an upcoming issue.

TO2D - St. Barthelemy DXpedition, 2012. RTTY contact by WS1SM at 0241 UTC on July 23rd on 20m.

SJ22S - QSL commemorates the 22nd World Scout Jamboree, which brought together 38,000 Scouts and Guides from 160 different countries. The camp site was situated in the fields of Rinkaby, in the South of Sweden. SSB contact by W1WMG at 1939 UTC on July 27th on 20m.

5C2P - Rabat, Morocco. SSB contact by KB1HNZ at 1838 UTC on February 11th on 20m.