These internet links are dedicated
to the ether tinkerers, hackers, dreamers, and
explorers of Northern California and beyond. If you know of
any web sites that should be listed here, let
us know!
Birth
of Spread Spectrum - The basis
for many new-fangled communications services (most notably PCS and
Low Earth Orbit satellite phones), spread spectrum was first
conceived by a musician and a movie star.
Morse
Goes To The Movies - Morse code
is frequently the communication method of last resort, used when
all else fails. Whether it's banging on pipes or sending an SOS,
Hollywood has frequently used Morse code to maximum dramatic
effect.
USS
Pampinito - Amateur Radio from a
WWII submarine berthed in San Francisco.
Propagation
Solar
Terrestrial Dispatch -
Information regarding the state of the Sun and its effect on the
Earth and the space environment near the Earth.
Real-time
Propagation Conditions and Forecasts from Ham
Radio Online - Check out current
band conditions world wide, including current Maxium Usable
Frequencies (MUFs), real-time polar auroral conditions, solar flux
forecasts, current location of the day/night terminator ("gray
line"), meteor shower information and more.
Sunspots@Yahoo - Links to sunspot pictures, trends, and
research.
SHARKK
Technical Page - Tools for
line-of-sight calculations, including EIRP, HAAT, repeater
coverage maps, and a listing of California mountain peaks.
Additional repeater technical standards and info, as well.
The
Ganssle Group - Dozens of
articles on embedded systems design, programming, debugging, and
more, by the master of computers that don't look like
computers.
RF
Kits &
Projects
Jim's
Technical Web Page - Jim provides
a discussion of measuring RF networks with a scope, and designs
for a 2m helical intermod filter and 6m duplexer made of heliax
(!).
Hamtronics - VHF/UHF Transmitter and Receiver Kits.
Down
East Microwave -
VHF/UHF/Microwave Transverters, Pre-Amps, Power Amplifiers, and
Related Accessories.
FAR
Circuits - Printed Circuit Boards
for Ham Radio Magazine Projects.
BMG
Engineering - Projects and info
for Radio Direction Finding and related applications, including
simple attenuators and RDF antennas.
GE
MASTR II InfoSite - The General
Electric MASTR II mobile radio (and it's variants: the MASTR
Executive II and the Custom MVP) is very popular with amateur
radio operators for it's ease in converting to duplex operation.
In addition, the radio is easy to service, and is widely available
for relatively inexpensive purchase at hamfests and from used
equipment dealers.
MiniCircuits - A major supplier of RF components, including
mixers, amplifiers, filters, phase detectors and modulators,
oscillators, and transformers.
SHF
Microwave - Microwave parts for
radio amateurs and experimenters.
Angle
Linear - Preamplifiers, receiver
front-end filters and multi-couplers, high dynamic range, low
noise figure receiver front-ends, component level to complete
receiver front-end packages.
Sputnik
Replica - Forty years after the
original space satellite, a 1/3 scale version has been launched
from Mir's hatch. Recent reports indicate that this bird is now
off the air, but it was on the air for about 2
months...
JPass - A nifty Java applet for showing satellite
passes right in your browser window. Includes many ham satellites
and the Mir space station. (requires Netscape 4.02 or greater)
