eHam.net News for Wednesday 6 January 2016
 

eHam.net News

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Vilas County Amateur Radio Club Expands Coverage via Ministry Tower:

Posted: 05 Jan 2016 04:32 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/35906


EAGLE RIVER -- You shouldn't call Paul Clay pessimistic. Instead, just
call him a potential problem solver. "We have to assume the worst [in the
event of a natural disaster]," Clay told Newswatch 12 Monday
afternoon. "You've lost your power grid, your cell phones don't work
anymore, you may have lost some cell towers or county communications
towers." The retired Watersmeet native spends much of his time hoping a
disaster doesn't happen. But he's helping Vilas County prepare for one --
all from the cab of his truck. "We can do things when everything else
fails," Clay said. Clay learned Morse code in the U.S. Navy and always
loved radio communications, but he noticed Vilas county didn't have amateur
radio coverage. So Clay and two others started the Vilas County amateur
radio club -- while in his truck and on the phone -- in May 2015. It forms
a network allowing point-to-point radio communication during large-scale
activities like races, events, and emergencies. "It's not one person; it's
everybody in the club that makes the club stronger, and the more hams we
have, the more resources we have in case there's an issue that needs to be
dealt with," Clay said.


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Schoolgirl is Going to Operate a Radio Station So She Can Call Tim Peake:

Posted: 05 Jan 2016 04:32 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/35905


A schoolgirl who recently passed her radio exams to become a licensed
amateur radio user is going to be the first student to speak to astronaut
Tim Peake using Amateur Radio. Jessica Leigh, a student at Sandringham
School in St Albans, will be operating a VHF/UHF amateur radio station to
enable her school to communicate directly with Peake, who is currently on
board the International Space Station (ISS). The talented teen will be
establishing contact and managing a group of 10 students who will be
questioning the astronaut on Friday morning.


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4NEC2 Definitive Guide (Early Adoption):

Posted: 05 Jan 2016 01:38 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/35903


Learn how to use 4NEC2 in the design and
analysis of antenna systems. With a sample
version and a paid (full) version of the
book, the reader will start from
downloading and installing 4NEC2, learning
the 4NEC2 user interface, build a 20M
dipole and analyze it at various heights
above real ground allowing the reader to
view all the different antenna patterns.
The sample version of the book will get
anyone started with 4NEC2, or to learn
4NEC2 if you're already familiar with
other antenna analysis software.