eHam.net News

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Skyler Fennell KD0WHB is 2016 Young Ham of the Year:

Posted: 02 Aug 2016 08:31 AM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37299


NEW YORK - Skyler Fennell KD0WHB, of Denver, CO, has been selected as the
2016 Bill Pasternak WA6ITF Memorial Young Ham of the Year by the Amateur
Radio Newsline.


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NOAA's New Satellite Keeps an Eye on Space Weather:

Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:40 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37297


Beyond weather forecasting and climate modeling down here on Earth, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has started using its newest
satellite, the Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, to detect
incoming "space weather." According to the agency, space weather refers to
any solar event that emits bursts of radiation or ejects energetic
particles into space, like solar flares -- explosions on the sun that shoot
charged particles reeling into space. When the Earth gets in the way of
those particles, they can bombard our atmosphere; that excites oxygen and
nitrogen molecules at the poles, causing them to glow and produce the
auroras. These space weather events strike regularly, though very large
storms are rare. For the most part they don't affect the average person,
but they can wreak havoc on our electronics. Smaller space weather events
can affect orbiting satellites, GPS, radio, and high-frequency
communications like ham radio, which are often used by emergency
responders. According to Doug Biesecker, the DSCOVR chief program
scientist, it's critical to have a warning system for such events. "During
the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the most effective way to get information
out of New Orleans was via ham radio," Biesecker said, adding, "So if we'd
had a space weather event like solar flares at the same time that Katrina
was happening, it would have been even harder to get good information out
of New Orleans."


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What Cops Need to Know About Criminals on Police Frequencies:

Posted: 01 Aug 2016 06:39 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37296


A sharp young officer in my state recently noticed a hand-held radio on the
seat of a car he had stopped, and it seemed to be monitoring police radio
traffic. The driver claimed it was a "scanner" as he handed it over, but
the officer suspected otherwise. Hearing his own channel coming from the
speaker, the officer pushed the "talk" button on the radio and spoke with
his dispatcher -- the radio was fully programmed to operate on the PD's
repeater system! The incident was sent out on a law enforcement email net
with the question: "Is this legal?" Generally, the answer is yes. With a
few exceptions, it is perfectly legal to possess such a transmitter, though
illegal to actually transmit (except during a legitimate life or death
emergency). The Baofeng and similar radios will program any public safety
frequency in the VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (450-475MHz) bands. The
programmable portables are sold for use by amateur radio, ham operators for
use on their two-meter and 70-centimeter bands, which are adjacent to the
public safety bands. They can be user programmed with up to 128 channels
using the keyboard on the face or by computer software and have up to eight
watts of transmit power. The units can monitor two channels simultaneously
or scan through all the programmed channels. Preppers and Militia-types are
buying these radios by the boatloads. If you suspect illegal transmissions
in your area, contact the FCC immediately. They have specialized gear and
technicians to perform direction finding to try to pin down the
perpetrators. Another excellent resource -- who can probably assist you
long before the FCC can respond -- is your local amateur radio club. The
FCC has volunteer "monitors" among HAM users and they have the technology
to help you find the illegal transmitters. HAM radio folks are among the
most upstanding people in your community and they will come like
gangbusters if you ask for their help.


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Tribute to Hara Arena Hamvention Moving:

Posted: 31 Jul 2016 05:00 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37295


BREAKING NEWS This week on Amateur Radio
Roundtable, we have a great line up. Joe
Eisenberg K0NEB will be talking about
Hamvention moving from HARA. We will see
his video tribute called Hamvention The
end of an Era at Hara Arena. We have boots
on the ground at the new site and getting
pictures. Hope to show them on the show.