eHam.net News

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Rainbow Middle School Students Talk to Astronaut on Space Station:

Posted: 07 Jan 2017 04:01 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38384


Students at Rainbow Middle School had more than classes to return to
Wednesday on their first day back to school: a scheduled interview with
astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough during an assembly in the school gym. The
only catch? Kimbrough would be speeding through space at 17,000 miles per
hour on board the International Space Station during the conversation.
Members of the Gadsden Amateur Radio Club operated radio equipment that put
the students in touch with the ISS as it crossed over the United States.
Though some parts of the setup were complicated, GARC Treasurer Ray
Forrester said the main tool in use was a two-way radio, which any amateur
radio enthusiast could use to tune into the station's signal. Still, he
said to the assembly, the whole thing was exciting.


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Adapting Morse Code to a New Generation of Technology:

Posted: 07 Jan 2017 04:00 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38383


Morse Code has been in use for more than 160 years in various forms of
communications. It was originally designed and adapted for use in the
telegraph as a simple and easy way to get messages from one point to
another. In morse code each letter is made up of a combination of short and
long sounds called dits and dah's. These dits and dahs are often
represented by dots and dashes when writing, although traditionally these
have been interpreted as short and long tones in most practical usage. One
of the interesting points about morse code is that it can be interpreted by
sound, touch, light, almost in any way you can imagine to communicate ideas
as long as the pattern of short and long groupings is kept. Many people in
today's world see morse code as a thing of the past, something that is a
relic of communications that is now a museum piece. I think there are many
practical applications of morse code in modern communications that are
often overlooked. For starters, text input on cellphones is one area that I
would personally love to see a morse input method. It would be vastly
simpler to tap morse on the case of your cellphone than the hunt and peck
method that I currently have to suffer through. Don't know morse? Fine,
then offer the morse input as an additional option to the current number
pad kludge. Ringtones though are the area that I have been focused on. I've
created a website at morseringtones.com that has mp3 format audio of morse
code for over 9000 common names and locations such as home, work, school.
I've also generated 27,000 morse code ringtones for various initials up to
three characters. Why? Because I use them on my cellphone to identify
callers. Tagging contacts with a ringtone has been a tedious and
frustrating process for me. What song to pick for each person? How will I
remember that for those that it's not obvious? Not to mention the
thought\&.. do I really want that song coming on anytime this person calls?
So, my solution was to generate morse code of the names in my contact list.
It's simple, short, easy to assign. It helps me to brush up on my
recognition of the code also known as cw, which had become a bit rusty and
I know exactly what my phone is beeping about, whether it has a new
voicemail for me, a new text message or a call from a client. Believe me,
if you don't know it you will learn quickly with this practical use of
morse in today's society.


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VK6WIA -- NewsWest for 08/01/2017:

Posted: 07 Jan 2017 03:55 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38382


In the news this week we look at Ham Radio
Deluxe and complaints about HRD support and
black-listing of users who had paid for their
license.


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Foundations of Amateur Radio -- #83:

Posted: 07 Jan 2017 03:55 PM PST
http://www.eham.net/articles/38381


What is the strangest thing you've ever used
as an antenna? What about a wire fence, or a
flag-pole, perhaps a train-track, a bridge or
a football stadium. This week I look at
what's to gain from trying to tune up a non-
traditional antenna. Experimentation at its
best.