F E E D - P O I N T |
The Official Newsletter of the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association |
January 2003 Vol. 13 No. |
Letter From Our President Dear Fellow Hams,
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The cutting edge of Amateur Radio is High Speed Multi Media Hamming on the "Hinternet". Chairman of the ARRL's HSMM Working Group, K80CL, expects this to be "nothing less than revolutionary". The new specific techniques, the software and hardware involved, are being called " the ARRL 802.11b protocol". Hinternet (ham + Internet) is a user friendly way to refer to the development of high speed Radio Local Area Networks (RLANS) that will be capable of carrying simultaneously audio, video, and data signals. It will "enhance Amateur Radio, especially with respect to emergency communications and support of public service activities." An emergency operator could be a mobile set of eyes and ears in a communications emergency. Keep your eye on this new mode. N1FG , Gale Address
comments, questions, or suggestions to: Next Meeting:
|
Date |
Event |
Place |
Contact |
Sponsor |
Time |
Freq |
SUN |
Net |
NB |
VE1PIN |
IRG |
2000 |
145.130 |
MON |
Net |
Fort Kent |
N1FG |
SJVARA |
1900 |
146.64 |
MON |
Net |
Presque Isle |
WA1YNZ |
AARA |
2000 |
146.73 |
| Page 2 Feed-Point, January, 2003 |
Report of Jan. 7th 2003 Meeting Called to Order:
19:17 In
Attendance: N1FG, N7GLR, KA7VNR (Too few to conduct business). Secretary's Minutes : Treasurer's
Report: December Balance: $743.76. + $5.00 Mystery Donation =
actual Dec. Bal of $748.76 + $72.00 Raffle Sales, + interest of $0.68 Old Business:
It was suggested
that on a sunny day, the tower site be checked to see how high the tree
shadow goes on the tower. Would it be possible to lower the panel so it
could be reached when it is ice bound? |
As I recall, Stan did mathematical calculations for the placement of the panel, but I will check it visually. Rocky Mountain: The tone for access is 91.5. On Dec. 27th Rocky Mt. went off the air. N1CHF said it will turn itself off if voltage drops below 8. The panel was iced for several days. By Dec. 29th the voltage rose to 13.79. Fundraising: There are new spring items on the web site for Current. www.currentfun.com Gift wrap, cards, stickers, organizers, photo frames, and more. At check out, click on Maine, then St.John Amateur Radio Association for SJVARA to get 50% of the price.
Emergency Training:
We will try to schedule the HazMat Course for Emergency Training in April. New Business:
Field Day: No
Action Interesting
Contacts: N1FG: Echolink- New Zealand Sheep Herding, and Japan, to
.practice English N7GLR: Is using an AM Loop antenna next to the AM radio to
get stations far away. Adjourned: 19:55 Submitted by: N1FG |
In Case You Are
Interested N7GLR has set up a
weather station plugged into his computer. The results are updated every 15
minutes. |
At the January Meeting Copies of three of the first units of the Emergency Communications Course Level 1 were handed out. We can discuss them at the February Meeting. I will have more copies for those not there in Jan. N1FG
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| Page 3 Feed-Point, January, 2003 |
Behind and Ahead
Qst
Editorials in December and January have some things for us to ponder.
2002 was filled with disasters. Amateurs were called to duty to provide communications in hurricanes, fires, floods, searches, and other emergencies. Amateurs now have the opportunity to prepare more adequately for emergency communications via the ARRL Emergency Communication Course with fees paid for by the government and private donations. The ARRL Field Day, amateur radio's largest and most visible operating event has been expanded to the hemisphere. Field Day is excellent preparation for emergencies. The use of HF digital signals is expanding (PSK31). These and other modern modes are reshaping our way of operating. Other new digital modes have introduced meteor scatter and other exciting types of contact above .50 MHz. Repeaters have been linked through the Internet, allowing VHF operators the excitement of talking to people in other countries. Some people during the nearly 100 years of Amateur Radio have always proclaimed that new operating modes would be "The End Of Amateur Radio". The major changes that brought the death prediction have included: "spark-to-CW, CW-to-Phone, homebrew-to-commercial gear and the ongoing integration of radio-PC-Internet".
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It might be good to remember that amateurs come from the general population and "if there is a declining interest in electronics, that will be reflected in the new licensees". We need to be flexible enough to help people with different backgrounds and interests than our own. Always be on the look out for bad operating procedures (which there have always been and always will be, probably), because it is up to us to educate newcomers, just as we always have. As K1ZZ says," We radio amateurs are an extraordinary community, ready and willing to put our skills to the test." N0AX says, "I now have an engineering degree and 30 years of experience, largely due to getting into this marvelous avocation that has room for newbies greener than June apples and veterans of the solder wars. Let's lighten up and figure out how to help others enjoy it. There is no higher accolade in Amateur Radio than "Elmer"."
Can
Am Sled Dog Races The 11th running
of the Can Am Sled Dog Races will be held on March 1-3, 2003. As always we
need a good supply of radio amateurs to help at Control Center at Lonesome
Pine Lodge in Fort Kent, and at various checkpoints for all three races.
That includes the 60 mile Checkpoint in St. Francis on Saturday, the 30 mile
safety Checkpoint on Saturday, help at the Allagash Checkpoint on Sunday and
Monday.
WE CAN NOT
PROVIDE ADEQUATE COMMUNICATIONS WITHOUT YOUR HELP.
PLEASE VOLUNTEER. |
For Sale Heavy duty 40'
galvanized steel tower, 16" x 16" x 16". Includes mounting hardware. Best
Offer. |
A Bit of Humor
Paul, talking to N1FG
on Echolink, from a handheld in Rochester, Minnesota with a singing
cockatiel on his wrist, shared a story his mother tells of the man who
called the weather station years ago and said, "I have just finished
shoveling 26" of partly cloudy off my driveway, and I'm sick of it!"
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| Page 4 Feed-Point, 2003 |
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