Here are a couple more QSLs of note that I’ve received lately. Below, is a card from KA2PJO. He’s one of the Novices that I’ve worked lately. I mentioned in a previous post, that I had worked two Novices lately, and that I was going to send them QSL cards to encourage them to stay in the hobby. Tony, KA2PJO, was one of those Novices, and notes on his reply, “I’M GOING FOR GENERAL AGN!” Good luck, Tony!

The card at right is from Gerard, W3BEE. As you can see from his card, he is actually a beekeeper! Pretty cool, don’t you think?

This is from Len Todd, N8AGS, MTL Project Manager, N8AGS@arrl.net. If you’re in Michigan, please contact your state legislators……..Dan

Status Report – March 10, 2010

We have changed the name of the PRB-1 Project to a name that fits the proposed law better and more accurately describes its intent. We now call it the Michigan Tower Law because it will standardize acceptable tower heights across Michigan. Currently, there is no Michigan tower law. Each local government makes up its own tower ordinance. Unfortunately, lack of a standardized Michigan law has resulted in a patchwork of “acceptable” tower heights. The resulting range of acceptable tower height is from ZERO feet to 200 feet.

That’s right, you read it. ZERO feet is considered an acceptable tower height in some Michigan communities. We also currently have one Michigan community in which there is no ordinance against a ham tower. However, the government apparently interprets that to mean that ham towers are prohibited. They are currently refusing a ham a building permit for a proposed 30’ tower.

The proposed Michigan Tower Law basically reads that with ham towers up to 90’, the local governments leave us alone. Over 90’, you may be directed to the Board of Appeals and may have to use the Federal PRB-1 protection that we currently have to “educate” the Board. If that fails, with towers over 90’, then we are right back where we are now. But… with our bill passed, under 90’ we are left alone. What ham would refuse such protection?

Well to fairly answer the question, I would have to say about 99% of the Michigan hams apparently are refusing such protection, even if it is to help themselves. Apparently, 99% of our 22,000+ hams are not taking the time to support themselves and their own hobby. Personally, I am appalled at the relatively total lack of hams that will NOT take the time to contact their Legislators to get this Bill passed. Everyone must figure that saving our hobby is up to the next guy! This is a slippery slope we are on here! Well, anyway… so much for the rant!

Current Status of HB # 5556
The Michigan Proposed Tower Law is currently in Michigan’s House of Representatives Committee on Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs. Representative Lindberg, the Bill’s original Sponsor, is asking the Committee Chairperson to move on the Bill. This is the normal practice to get the Committee to function on the Bill. Once the bill is accepted or modified by the Committee. It moves to the House Floor for discussion and/or vote. If there are enough interested Representatives, the Bill passes the vote.

Now is the time to write, call and personally contact your Michigan Representative. If you have already written a letter, it is time to call. If you have already called, it is time to seek out your Rep out for a face-to-face discussion. This Bill will only move if you move it!

So… please take a moment to contact your Representative to ask to him/her co-sponsor the amendment to the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, HB #5556.

How to Contact a Michigan House Representative
First off, I personally thank all of you who have already contacted your legislative Reps!

A copy of the Draft Bill can be found at: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2009-HB-5556

A Legislative District map is available at: http://www.prb1michigan.org/id36.html

A list of Representatives for each district is available below. It includes district numbers, names, phone numbers and email addresses: http://house.michigan.gov/replist.asp

A Contact Letter Template is available at: http://www.prb1michigan.org/id18.html

Here Are the Steps to Follow

1. Review the above linked draft Bill.
2. Go to the above linked Legislative District Map. Identify, by the county that you live in, your House District Number.
3. Go to the above linked List of House Reps, identify, by district number, your Rep’s name and e-mail address/phone number.
4. Go to the above linked Legislative Contact Letter Template and get the Template in the format that you need for your word processor. Prepare your letter by addressing it to your Rep and adding you signature, address. Tailor the letter to your words as you see fit.
5. Print and mail hardcopy letter or cut and paste the text of your letter into an email. Avoid attachments to e-mails.
6. Send that letter/e-mail or make a call and express the content of your letter to the Rep’s staff.

It is critical that you now take the time to contact you Michigan House Rep and ask the Rep to support House Bill # 5556!

Senate Bill – Status
We have not been able to get a firm commitment of support from a Michigan Senator. Unfortunately, there is no Senator that is a ham. We are seeking support from several potential Sponsors, but thus far the response has been somewhat cold. It could be that Michigan’s budget issues are also precluding this body of government from considering our Bill. However, we continue to press our contacts.

If you have a solid connection with your Senator, we ask you to consider working directly with us to contact that Senator and solicit the Senator’s support for our Bill. If you would like to tackle this approach, please contact me for some sample letters and other supporting documents.

Funding
We are currently about $400 overspent. Individual monetary donations can be sent to Dale, WA8EFK at the following address:

Michigan ARRL PRB-1 Committee
291 Outer Drive
Dundee, MI 48131

If you are a leader of an Emergency Services organization, donations toward our effort can also be sent to the same address.

Saturday morning, I had the good fortune to have breakfast with members of the Michigan QRP Club.

I’d always meant to get to one of their monthly breakfasts (held the first Saturday of each month), but they normally take place in Flint, which is about an hour away. Only when they decided to hold one here in Ann Arbor did I actually make it. Now, I’m sorry I didn’t make one earlier. A great time was had by all.

One aspect of the breakfast that I enjoyed was the “show and tell.” One of the things that sets most QRPers apart is that they’re builders, and the breakfast gives them a chance to show off their handiwork. This Saturday, there was a fellow who had built a sideswiper key and another who brought in his end-fed, halfwave antenna tuner. A couple of other folks also brought in things they’d been working on, but I don’t remember them.

After eating, there was the “junk box swap.” Everyone brings stuff from their junk boxes to swap for stuff from others’ junk boxes. I brought some GE222 light bulbs that I doubt I’ll ever use, some relays, and a bunch of pots. In return, I got some crimp terminals, a bunch of 10 uF electrolytics, and a half dozen or so panel-mount BNC connectors. Everyone was very generous, and I felt a little guilty about leaving with more than I brought.

The Michigan QRP Club is what ham radio is all about. I had so much fun at breakfast that I joined the club! It’s only $10/year ($12 for new members for the first year), and that includes a quarterly newsletter. They also sponsor several CW sprints each year.

I’m looking forward to going to breakfast again sometime soon, meeting more members, and showing off some of my projects. If you’re in Michigan, you might want to consider joining, too.

Sorry, I haven’t been blogging much lately. I’ve been very busy with work. At any rate here’s a press release that I received yesterday:

PRAISE FOR THE BATTERY

“An irresistibly entertaining history of electricity from the point of view of the humble battery…high-quality popular-science writing.”—Kirkus

“Henry Schlesinger’s fascinating and superbly researched history of the battery is the story of civilization as we know it…. I’ll never see the humble D cell in quite the same way again!”*—Michael Belfiore, author of The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Shaping Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs

“Schlesinger provides an illuminating historical account of a device whose enormous influence has been downplayed or misunderstood…Combining enormous learning with a lively and entertaining style…—Publishers Weekly

“Author Henry Schlesinger is playful, intelligent and obscenely well read…He not only traces the roots of portable power but he’s wise enough to spotlight the odd by-ways and strange turns such as medieval magnetic engineers, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, twitching frog legs and the Electric Girl Lighting Company.”—Richard Zacks, author of An Underground Education and the best-selling The Pirate Hunter

“… a fascinating history of human innovation spanning three millennia…The Battery is as sparky and as versatile as its subject.”&mdmash;Ken Jennings, NYT Bestselling Author of Brainiac, greatest champion in Jeopardy!

“From its witty subtitle to its lively writing style, to its sheer abundance of fascinating and frequently surprising stories, this is a delightful book…the technological equivalent of Mark Kurlansky’s Cod.”—Booklist

A Scientific American Book Club Selection

PUBLICATION DATE: MARCH 16TH 2010

Jim, K8ELR, forwarded this to me this afternoon:

KURDISTAN DXPEDITION NEEDS MORSE OPS
Paul Ewing, N6PSE, says that he has several open positions for CW operators on the DXpedition team headed to Kurdistan in April. Ewing says that costs for this DXpedition are quite reasonable and they will be operating from a very safe and secure facility. Anyone interested in joining the DXpedition team may contact Ewing directly by e-mail to paul (at) n6pse (dot) com or check out the website at www.yi9pse.com. (GB2RS)

According to the website, they plan on running two CW stations, each equipped with an ICOM IC-7600 and SteppIR beam antenna and 300-ft. Beverage antenna.

The current team includes:

• N6PSE – Paul Ewing
• N6OX – Bob Grimmick
• JH4RHF – Jun Tanaka
• AH6HY – David Flack
• N2WB – Bill Beyer
• YI1UNH – Heathem Sabah
• K3VN – Al Hernandez
• K3LP – David Collingham
• WØUCE – Jack Ritter
• W5KDJ – Wayne Rogers
• FM5CD – Michel Brunelle

In my e-mail just now, I got the following:

Hi , Daniel

My name is Rick, and my call sign is XXXX. I’ve been a contester since 2004 when I became a ham, and I love it!

I wanted you to see this information from a friend of mine, Trippy, about a new contest that will be held in March of this year! I will be in it myself, and I hope to work you in it.

Please tell every contester you know about this new contest. I look forward to working you!

73,

Rick, XXXX
PS, contest letter and announcement from Trippy to you, is below

There were several problems with this e-mail. First of all, there was no attachment. Second, this was obviously spam. I don’t know Rick or Trippy, nor have I ever worked them on the air. Third, I just can’t excited about a CQ100 contest.

Here’s my reply:

Hello, Rick–

First, there was no attachment.

Second, as I hope you know, CQ100 isn’t really a new mode. It’s a computer program that simulates amateur radio contacts using the voice over Internet protocol (VOIP).

I’m not one of those OFs (old farts) who gets all hot and bothered about the use of VOIP in ham radio. I use EchoLink when it’s appropriate and feel that it does have a place in ham radio. Having said that, I just can’t get very excited about a “contest” that takes place over a VOIP network, especially one that you have to pay for! Operating a “contest” over VOIP is like shooting fish in a barrel.

If you’re having fun with CQ100, more power to you. I think, however, that you’ll have a lot more fun by actually radiating some RF energy of your own.

73!

Dan KB6NU

What do you all think?

From the 2/18/10 ARRL Letter:

The ARRL Rookie Roundup is designed to help newly licensed amateurs build their operating skills on HF. It is a contest specifically for those new to Amateur Radio, similar to the ARRL Novice Roundup that ran from 1952 until 1995. The Rookie Roundup brings the fun and Elmering of the old Novice Roundup into the 21st century. Three Rookie Roundups will be held each calendar year: SSB in April, RTTY in August and CW in December.

The Rookie Roundup will be scored 100 percent in real time through the www.getscores.org scoring system. There are three ways to participate: by using your favorite logging software with the real time scoring support, by downloading a simple logging program from the www.getscores.org Web site or by logging your contacts directly into a www.getscores.org Web page. No separate logs are required — it all happens online in real time and final scores will be available online within hours of the end of the contest! More information is available on all of these options at www.getscores.org. Of course, you can get on the air and make contacts without logging them, but you won’t have as much fun!

Who Can Participate?
Any ham licensed for 3 years or less qualifies as a Rookie. If you were licensed in 2008, 2009 or 2010, you can compete in the 2010 Rookie Roundup. Non-Rookies may only work Rookies, while Rookies may work everybody. A major part of the success of this contest will be non-Rookies getting on the air and working the Rookies, just as in the Novice Roundup. Just like in the Novice Roundups of years past (when Novices could work anyone and non-Novices could only work Novices), Rookies may work anyone, be they Rookie or non-Rookie; however, non-Rookies are limited to only working Rookies.

Entry Categories
Single Operator Rookie, limited to a maximum of 100 W. Spotting assistance or using call sign and frequency alerting systems is allowed, but self-spotting or asking somebody to spot you is not. All Rookies must identify themselves as a rookie. Example: “Kilo Bravo One Quebec Alfa Whiskey, Rookie.” Non-Rookies only need give their call; no designation is needed.

Awards
Certificates will be available for all participants to download. The top five high scores from each US call area, Canadian province and Mexican call area will be recognized on their certificate. No national winners will be recognized.

Go to www.getscores.org for more information on how to participate. Be sure to check out the April 2010 issue of QST for complete rules and other information. The Rookie Roundup — a fun event for all amateurs!

Sounds like fun to me. Every Elmer should get on and participate along with the rookies.

Jim, K8ELR, has really gotten into operating the digital modes down at the museum. So, I was interested to see a notice on the HamRadioHelpGroup mailing list that the KB7TBT SSTV Web Page was back online. On this page, James, KB7TBT displays a number of live feeds.

Don, KB9UMT, the list moderator, asked if someone could explain SSTV and how to operate it. James replied:

Q. What is SSTV?
A. SSTV is a picture transmission method used by amateur radio operators to
transmit and receive static pictures via radio in either color or
monochrome.

Q. What does SSTV stand for?
A. SSTV stands for “Slow Scan Television.”

Q. What does one need to participate or use SSTV?
A. A Ham Radio license to transmit.

Q. What does SSTV sound like?
A. To listen to a sample of SSTV: http://www.qrp.org.uk/sstv_test-1.wav.

Q. Can someone just listen in or receive only for SSTV?
A. Anyone can receive, just like any radio receiving it does not require a
license. Install the software and place your computer microphone against the receiver speaker, it’s that easy!

Q. What frequencies are there or where does one listen on HF for this SSTV activity?
A. The most popular is 14.230 MHz during daylight hours (due to
propagation).

Q. Can this also be used on VHF/UHF?
A. YES! 145.500 simplex is a popular VHF frequency for SSTV. (I have even used
a 2M FM Repeater a few times). The ISS has SSTV on board and the downlink freq is 145.800 when in use. UHF is used as well but I am not familiar with the freq.’s.

Q. Can SSTV be used anywhere or is ther rules on this…and or band plans?
A. Analogue SSTV is classified as an IMAGE MODE. Voice and Image most of the
time go together. (Check your local band plans and rules.) There is some difference in opinion but analogue SSTV is NOT a digital mode. (I personally disagree)

Q. Is this a SSB mode always or can this be used FM also?
A. FM and SSB can be used, just remember to operate within your local band
plan.

Q. What software is there for this..or are there different kinds of SSTV?
A. Ham Radio Deluxe offers a fantastic program for SSTV and it is free. (HRD
Digital Master 780 – This is what I use.) There is also MM-SSTV, a bit outdated but still works well and is free. (Not sure how well it works on Win7 or Vista)

Q. Are there other online SSTV web pages to watch SSTV?
A. Why would you want to watch any other page but mine? ok, ok, there are many websites around the world. To see pictures from around the world go to my SSTV page and scroll down. All the thumbnails have links to the websites they come from.

Q. Can you DX using SSTV?
A. YES! I send and receive pictures from all over the world.

Q. Are there SSTV nets?
A. Yes, just do a search for SSTV Nets. One website I have found lists both analog SSTV nets and digital SSTV nets.

Some random notes about operations here at KB6NU and WA2HOM over the past couple of weeks:

• Novices! In the past two weeks, I’ve worked two Novices. Both were a little shakey, but I’m glad to see them still getting on the air. I guess I fell into the trap that anyone who still had a Novice license was probably not really interested in ham radio any more. I’m going to send them a QSL card and encourage them to stay in the hobby and upgrade.
• Sunspots! Old Sol must be getting a bit spotty again. Last Sunday, I fired up the rig on 15m after hearing some guys say on the ham radio mailing lists that I’m on that the band was open. Indeed it was. I worked EI6IZ (who was just booming in), CO8WZ, and an N7 station in CO. This morning, I worked a guy who said that 12m has been open, too. I should put together a fan dipole for 12m and 17m and see what kind of trouble I can get into.
• Short skip. Over the past couple of days, the skip on 40m has been really short at times. Saturday morning, down at the museum, we worked AA8N, who is in Flint, MI, just 70 miles or so up I-75. Since then, I’ve worked a station in Richmond, IN (180 miles) and one in Newark, OH (170 miles) on 40m. It’s an interesting phenomenon.
• LOOOONG Skip! This morning, around 4 am, I found myself unable to get back to sleep. What would any typical ham do in that situation? Get on the air, of course. Tuning around 40m, I copied a fairly weak signal whose prefix I thought was “HW0.” That didnt’ sound right to me, so I kept listening. Turns out the station was 5W0OU in Western Samoa (about 6,800 miles). It took a couple of calls, but eventually he heard me. So, I’ve got another one in the log.

Ain’t ham radio fun?

The Transistor Museum’s tagline is “Dedicated to Preserving the History of the Greatest Invention of the 20th Century,” and it does a pretty good job of it. On this website you’ll find articles on:

• The First Germanium Hobbyist Transistors
• Early Transistors at Motorola
• The First Transistor in Space
• Norman Krim, the Father of the CK722 Transistor
• a whole lot more

Like all good museums, they also have a museum store. They sell a couple of books on the early semiconductors as well as some of those transistors themselves. They’re kind of pricey, though. A 2N60 or 2N609, for example, costs $20.