At first, I thought, “What a novel idea!” Of course, as the Bible says, there’s nothing new under the sun. PA1AP noted, “Reinventing the wheel I would say. There is prior? art for this and cannot be . . . → Read More: Sea Water Antenna?]]> One of the items making the rounds on the HamRadioHelpGroup mailing list is this video on the Sea Water Antenna:

At first, I thought, “What a novel idea!” Of course, as the Bible says, there’s nothing new under the sun. PA1AP noted, “Reinventing the wheel I would say. There is prior? art for this and cannot be patented, they should do a little more homework and look around before making such claims… google for ‘Ionic Liquid Antenna’.”

I did just that and found a few interesting references. Apparently, N9ZRT did much of the early work on this type of antenna, and his work is online. In March 2005, some researchers published an academic paper on this topic. Unfortunately, you have to pay for this paper. Another good article can be found on the Highfields (UK) Amateur Radio Club website.

Someone from SPAWAR, the research center that produced the video, replied that in their opinion, this design is unique in that it uses a pump to produce a column of water to form the antenna. This feature makes it patentable. I’m not a patent attorney, but they may have a point here. At any rate, I’m guessing that hams should still feel free to experiment with the antenna.

Yesterday evening, the band seemed to be hopping. The first station I copied was CE3FZ at about an S5. . . . → Read More: 17m!]]> I’m happy to report that I’m now on 17m.  I don’t know really what took me so long—especially since I enjoy working 30m so much—but I finally put together a dipole for 17m and hung it up yesterday.

Yesterday evening, the band seemed to be hopping. The first station I copied was CE3FZ at about an S5. I tried calling him a couple of times, but after no response, I went hunting. I found PY7WC pounding in at S9. After a couple of calls, he became my first 17m contact.

I tried calling a couple other stations, but without success. This led me to believe that my antenna was far from optimal. It is kind of low, but so is my 40m dipole. The 40m dipole works pretty well, and I was hoping the 17m dipole would work well, too.

This morning, however, I had a quite different experience. Even though it was quite early in the morning (1230Z), I punched the 17m button on the IC-746PRO. There wasn’t much activity, and what I could hear was kind of weak, but I tuned around until I heard EA1ARV calling CQ. He was barely moving the meter, but I gave him a call anyway. Not only did he hear me, but we had a decent contact.

So, I guess the upshot of all this is that the dipole is not in an optimal position (which I knew anyway), but it does work, and I can make contacts. I’ll have to play around with getting it up higher, maybe in an inverted-V configuration. It seems like a fun band to operate, though.

A recent thread on the HamRadioHelpGroup mailing list prompts me to revisit this topic, though. The replies list four different websites that you can use to find out this information:

As I have for . . . → Read More: Vacation Pics]]> A couple of weeks ago, I spent a week in a cabin on Elk Lake, MI. Over 25 members of my family congregated for this annual event., including my three sisters, a passel of nieces and nephews, their spouses, and kids. It’s a beautiful spot, and we have a great deal of fun.

As I have for the the past four or five years, I bring my KX-1 and attempt to make contacts. This year, the conditions were very good, and I had some nice, long QSOs with my little three-watter. I even managed a contact with HA8RM on 40m.

I operate from the screened-in porch of the cottage I stay in. Below, is me at the key.

Just to give you some idea of how nice this place is, here’s a shot overlooking the lake at sunrise:

…nearly 6000 youth scouts — 13 percent of the total Jamboree attendance — received thorough exposure to ham radio, touring the K2BSA station and getting on the airwaves. Six . . . → Read More: Ham Radio at This Year’s National Jamboree]]> The ARRL recently posted the article, “K2BSA: Amateur Radio Fun in the Warm Virginia Sun,” which discusses amateur radio activities at this year’s National Scout Jamboree. It reports:

…nearly 6000 youth scouts — 13 percent of the total Jamboree attendance — received thorough exposure to ham radio, touring the K2BSA station and getting on the airwaves. Six lucky scouts conducted a memorable contact with astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, aboard the International Space Station (ISS) before a crowd of Jamboree participants.

ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director and K2BSA Station Coordinator/Manager Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT said, “We held Technician license classes and two VE exam sessions daily, resulting in 147 new Technicians, 33 Generals and 8 Amateur Extras. 210 scouts earned their Radio merit badges, too.”

They used my study guide, so I’m going to claim some of the credit for the 147 new Technicians.

The year 2010 will mark an important anniversary in the History of Amateur Radio: The birth of the first public service net and it happened here in Michigan.

Before the implementation of a net concept, radiogram traffic and emergency communications activity was conducted on a . . . → Read More: The QMN: A Celebration of the First Traffic Net.]]> This is from the August Michigan Section News, by Dale, WA8EFK, Section Manager:

The year 2010 will mark an important anniversary in the History of Amateur Radio: The birth of the first public service net and it happened here in Michigan.

Before the implementation of a net concept, radiogram traffic and emergency communications activity was conducted on a system of schedules and random contacts. Radiogram traffic moved across the country on “Trunk Line” networks staffed on a daily basis by “iron man” traffic handlers. From these key stations, traffic was routed to its destination via individual schedules, directional “CQ” requests, and similar techniques. The ARRL “Amateur Radio Emergency Corps,” “National Traffic System,” and similar programs had not yet emerged.

This all changed during the autumn of 1935 when members of the Detroit Amateur Radio Association (DARA) formed the Michigan Net and adopted the net call “QMN.” The plan was simple and elegant in concept. Using the relatively new technology of crystal control, radio amateurs from throughout the State of Michigan would gather on a single “spot frequency” to exchange radiogram traffic and coordinate emergency communications response to disasters. A QMN Committee standardized the procedures and created the familiar “QN-Signals” so familiar to generations of traffic handlers. With the creation of QMN, the modern traffic net was born.

This year, QMN will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary with a very special event! A 75th Anniversary Banquet will be held at Owosso, Michigan on Saturday, October 23, 2010. Activities include:

• A special event station on 7055 KHz and 3563 KHz using the call K8QMN. This special event station will use vintage equipment from the 1930s and ‘40s. Visitors will have an opportunity to sit down at the key and experience QSOs using 1930s era receivers.
• A presentation entitled “An Early History of Radio” will be featured along with a talk on the history of QMN.
• Long-time members will reminisce about their experiences in Amateur Radio.
• Vintage radio equipment will be on display for all to enjoy.
• A working Morse Telegraph Circuit will be available on site for those who would like to see land-line telegraphy and American Morse Code in use.
• A special commemorative booklet will be provided to each attendee. This commemorative booklet will include an excellent history of QMN written by the Don Devendorf, W8EGI (SK), along with an introduction covering the early history of Amateur Radio.

QMN members both past and present are invited to attend, as are all radio amateurs with an interest in the history of Amateur Radio and the history of public service communications. Those wishing to attend this event should request a registration form from James Wades, WB8SIW at the following e-mail: jameswades@gmail.com You don’t want to miss this celebration to be held on October 23, 2010 at the Comstock Inn, Owosso, Michigan.

There are only 13 days left until National Preparedness Month (NPM)! If you haven’t done so already, please consider joining the NPM Coalition. More than 2,800 organizations have signed up so far. Help us reach our goal of more than 3,200!

NPM is designed to encourage . . . → Read More: September is National Preparedness Month]]> I got this from Allen, W1AGP, the ARRL’s Media & PR Manager:

There are only 13 days left until National Preparedness Month (NPM)! If you haven’t done so already, please consider joining the NPM Coalition. More than 2,800 organizations have signed up so far. Help us reach our goal of more than 3,200!

NPM is designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities. NPM Coalition membership is open to all public and private sector organizations for free. By joining the Coalition your organization would agree to promote emergency preparedness during the month of September.  Once you register you will receive access to the NPM Web site where you can find a toolkit that includes templates, resources, and tips to assist you with promoting emergency preparedness. You will also find an NPM calendar where you can post your events and see what other organizations are doing in your community.  In addition, can share your success stories and read about the successes of others.

You can register to become an NPM Coalition Member by visiting http://ready.adcouncil.org. To learn more about NPM, visit www.ready.gov and click on the NPM banner.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Ready Campaign at NPM@dhs.gov.

Allen added:

The DHS National Preparedness Month program is a natural for any ARES group.  The easy part is that you probably don’t have to do anything more than what you are already involved in – just get recognition for it!  If your group hasn’t done so already, sign up and let them know what you are doing and have done for your community.  There’s a special section just for signing up Amateur Radio groups.  (That happened after a couple years ago when we totally swamped them with all the things hams were doing.  They got a fast “education” :-)

While you are there, take a look at all the free Ready Campaign promotional things available for groups that have signed up.

This was so long ago, that we didn’t even have e-mail! As a result, any . . . → Read More: Reader Feedback]]> Many moons ago, I was a writer and editor for Test&Measurement World, an electronics engineering trade magazine that covered electronics test and measurement. I wrote about stuff like how to use oscilloscopes, how analog-to-digital converters worked, and how to interpret multimeter specifications.

This was so long ago, that we didn’t even have e-mail! As a result, any reader feedback was precious. Even now, reader feedback is precious to me, so I thought I’d mention two bits of information that has just made it my way.

The first was from Dave, N4KZ. I worked Dave last week while I was on vacation. Every year, we spend the better part of a week in a cottage on Elk Lake, which is just north of Traverse City. I take my KX-1, throw up a dipole in the trees, and make contacts sitting in a screened-in porch overlooking the lake. Very idyllic. It’s always a thrill when guys recognize my call sign from reading my blog.

Next, is an e-mail I just received from Mark, KD8BIG. He writes, “I just wanted to let you know I spent a great deal of time on your web-site and really enjoy it.” He asked for permission to link to my blog. Well, the more links, the merrier! Feel free to link to me any time, any place (well, almost any place).

Mark also has a blog—the KD8BIG Blog—that is certainly worth taking a look at. He has some interesting posts on the recent coronal mass ejection (CME) and the resultant ionospheric disturbances. Check it out.

Do you have anything that you’d like to tell me or have me write about?  Comment here or e-mail me.