eHam.net News

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Tributes Paid to Well Know 'Ham' Fred:

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 06:26 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/33467


Tributes have been paid to one of Shropshire's most recognised amateur
radio "hams". Fred Hall, form Pontesbury, was 83 when he died in the Royal
Shrewsbury Hospital. Mr Hall was blind and became one of amateur radio's
success stories, winning top awards along the way. He lost his sight and
his right arm, playing with a hand grenade when he was just 13-years-old,
but that did not stop him, and he was Telephonist at Barclays Bank in
Castle Street Shrewsbury, when it was the Major Area Office for the
Midlands and North Wales. Then using his radio he contacted 315 out of a
possible 319 countries in the world, and the only gaps in his list were
Bangladesh, Burma which had banned amateur radio in 1960 and two remote
islands one Norwegian and the other French, in the Antarctic and southern
Indian Ocean. Mr Hall's perseverance over the airwaves placed him on the
honour roll of the American Relay League.


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Signal Success of 'Hams':

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 06:23 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/33466


In the age of instant communication at the touch of a button, the idea of
chatting over the old ham radio system sounds like a charming hobby for
tech geeks and the nostalgic. Yet, despite all the modern advancements that
have us chained to our mobile devices 24/7, technology fails from time to
time, as Hurricane Gonzalo recently reminded us. At times such as these,
ham radio operators really spring into action. Ham radios, otherwise known
as amateur radios, can be used virtually anywhere on the planet bouncing
signals off the ionosphere. They can communicate anywhere from the middle
of the ocean to the top of a mountain, given they have battery power. So
when the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) was scrambling for local, on
the ground information as Gonzalo made its approach, the "hams" were on
call to keep them in the loop, providing everything from anecdotal accounts
to technical weather information. Using local operators via the Hurricane
Watch Net and Hurricane Net channels enables HNC forecasters to better
predict a hurricane's course and intensity.


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Shortage of Ham Radio Operators in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana:

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 06:18 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/33465


VISAKHAPATNAM: Though hams or amateur radio operators play a crucial role
during disasters thanks to their ability to communicate in the absence of
almost all advanced communication systems such as landlines, internet and
cellphones, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have failed to capitalize on them
during disasters. According to senior hams and experts in the field of
telecommunication, the lack of encouragement from the government,
restrictive rules and regulations in addition to rapid growth of
cellular-based communication systems such as mobile phones and internet
have hampered the growth of ham network in the two states. Dr Fazel Ur
Rehman, chairman of the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Amateur Radio
(NIAR), pointed out that there are hardly 1,000 licenced ham operators in
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including around 300 in Hyderabad and about
100 in Visakhapatnam. However, only 155 of them have ham radios, including
10 in Vizag and 40 in Hyderabad. All these hams are authorized license
holders from the Union ministry of communications and information
technologies.


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Amateurlogic Extra Episode Released:

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 06:28 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/33464


George visits with friends at Pacificon 2014. You'll enjoy these
interesting topics and interviews.


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MARS Supports a DOD Contingency Communications Exercise, Asks Hams to Join:

Posted: 01 Nov 2014 01:58 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/33463


During a 48 hour DOD sponsored contingency communications exercise
which began on 26 October and ended Tuesday evening the Army and Air
Force branches of the MARS merged their long-distance radio networks
in order to provide communications support following a simulated
disruption to the nation's communications infrastructure. In
addition to passing message traffic for the DOD, the scenario also
required the MARS stations to interface with the Department of
Homeland Security SHARed RESources HF network.