[Lowfer] Western Updates
Paul Daulton
k5wms at centurytel.net
Mon Aug 27 11:20:41 EDT 2012
Thanks for the comment.
I belong to a yahoo group for the discussion of the Bitx20 , a simple
ssb tranceiver designed by Asshar Farhan vu2ese. It can be built for
$7.00 us in India. It features generic transistors in a unique
bi-directional circuit. We have members world wide. Some of these
transceiivers were used for communication in the Sunami a few years
ago. After the Sunami I was fowarded a request for a simple design
from the General in charge of the Indian army(also a ham) from some of
our local ARRL emergency people as they know I have built several qrp
ssb rigs. I replied with info about the bitx20 and put him in contact
with Farhan. the General wanted to start a program for scouts and other
youths to build these sets.
With the 600 meter band prospect looming , I hope we as a group can
promote the fun and benefit of experimenting on the new allocations.
I hope too, that interest in the 600 meter band will spill over in our
1750 and 2200 meter activities.
Paul
Quoting K2ORS <k2ors at verizon.net>:
> Hi Paul,
> I agree 100% with your comments. Unfortunately the focus on disaster
> relief is misplaced, when there is a natural disaster the wireless companies
> have mobile cell phone units complete with generators and telescoping towers
> that they bring in so everyone can keep using their phones. The days when
> hams could sit in their basements and relay distress messages from ships at
> sea have long passed and everyone except the hams seems to realize this.
> Nobody is interested in your cw speed, the disaster relief people want to
> know how many cell calls and megabytes throughput you can process. I
> listened with interest to a report on NPR about emergency coomunication in
> Haiti a couple of years ago. It was all about satellite phones and portable
> cellular sites brought in by the wireless companies, not one mention of ham
> radio. There are exceptions, my late friend N2SHG was a member of the Lower
> Adirondack Search and Rescue group and they found lost hikers in places
> where there was no cell phone coverage, that effort depended in equal parts
> on mountaineering skills and radio.
>
> There is good technical stuff going on though, for example I'm inolved with
> the high performance software defined radio group (HPSDR) and other groups
> working with high power MOSFET amps up through the vhf/uhf range. These
> groups consist of hams scattered around the world but they are served by
> various internet lists/web sites/etc.
>
> 73 Warren K2ORS
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Daulton" <k5wms at centurytel.net>
> To: "Discussion of the Lowfer (US, European, &, UK) and MedFer bands"
> <lowfer at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Monday, August 27, 2012 1:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [Lowfer] Western Updates
>
>
> > Charlie I was honored to make a presentation on Lowfer activty at
> > Ozarkcon a couple of years ago
> >
> > My opening remark was I asked the crowd( about 150 qrp enthusiasts) for
> > a show of hands as to who owned an ARRL hand book. The crowd looked at
> > each other and everyone in the room raised their hand.
> > I remarked that when two of my friends made talks at two different
> > radio clubs in Little Rock I asked them to poll the audience with the
> > same question. They both were astounded. In one club it was 6 out of 27
> > and the other it was 5 out of 24. I have had hams who heard my speech
> > come up to me later even at Dayton and remark how their local clubs had
> > gotten completely out of radio theory and gone to storm spotting. I
> > quit 75 meter roundtables a couple of years ago because you cant talk
> > about building or technology any more. All the newcomers want to talk
> > about is Russ Limbaugh or the local football team. the president of the
> > largest club in Little Rock has repeatedly argued with me that amateur
> > radio exists only for public service and disaster relief. A local OES
> > director told me in the event of a tornado he doesnt need a bunch of
> > loose cannons with walkytalkeys he needs men with 4wheel drive pick up
> > with winches and chainsaws who are willing to work under the
> > supervision of utility crews and road crews to clear debris.
> >
> > I dont blame the lack of skills on the elimination of the code
> > requirement but on the lack of emphasis on theory. Local ham classes
> > stress that no one uses technology any more, just memorize the Q&A pool
> > and get on the air. At an event for our local volunteer fire dept I met
> > several who had gone through the classes and had general licenses but
> > didnt own one piece of gear. We need to speak and write to our ARRL
> > reps and stress the need for more articles in QST about basic entry
> > level projects.
> >
> > It doesnt just apply to activities like LW. 15 years ago a local group
> > put up an ATV repeater. At 25 miles away I could copy it on a hand held
> > Casio TV. I could hit the repeater with 8 watts. I estimate there were
> > 2000+ hams in the county. We had 7 stations operating at one time. Only
> > one ham bothered to hook a 440 outside antenna to a cable ready set and
> > copy the ham ATV repeater. the rest simply werent interested.
> >
> > Public service is just good citizenship but should not be the focus of
> > hamradio.
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > Quoting cvest at cox.net:
> >> Sure would be nice to get a large number of lowfer and medfer beacons
> >> from all
> >> over North America on the air for this season .
> >> It would be a good learning experience and tuneup of getting familiar
> >> with MF
> >> and LF bands in advance of us getting our 470 kHz.
> >> allocation .
> >>
> >> I have been inactive on part 15 for a while now , but am working right
> >> now to
> >> get multi mode DDS/ GPS locked beacons ready to
> >> put on the air very shortly . Still trying to finalize the best
> >> possible Medfer
> >> antenna .
> >>
> >> If all of the North American members of these groups would put a
> >> beacon on both
> >> bands , perhaps we could get some much
> >> needed publicity .
> >>
> >> It still amazes me the number of people that don't realize these
> >> bands exist and
> >> that they can use them as well as them learning
> >> that there are people already using them . Good stable inexpensive
> >> designs are
> >> out there which about anyone can afford and
> >> there is certainly enough room for everyone to put a beacon on .
> >>
> >> There is just far too little publicity about what is possible . Even if
> >> they
> >> can't manage a beacon loading coil , they can at least listen
> >> as long as there is enough activity to keep them interested . Sure
> >> would be nice
> >> to see a record number of beacons on this
> >> season !!
> >>
> >> Charlie , W5COV
> >>
> >>
> >> ---- STEVE MCDONALD <VE7SL at shaw.ca> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Thanks for the link Warren...that really brings back some memories
> >> of the days
> >> when the westcoast was a Lowfer hotbed. I wonder what happened to all of
> >> the
> >> interest from W6 land?
> >> >
> >> > Steve / 73
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > > Jerry,
> >> > > Haven't seen the full Western Updates online but
> >> > > there is some fun stuff
> >> > > on Mike Mideke's site:
> >> > >
> >> > > http://www.auroralchorus.com/lowfers.htm
> >> > >
> >> > > 73 Warren K2ORS
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > > From: "Jerry Parker" <wa6owr at gmail.com>
> >> > > To: <lowfer at mailman.qth.net>
> >> > > Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 8:18 PM
> >> > > Subject: [Lowfer] Western Updates
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > > Is there a place online where I can see the Western Updates.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > If not would someone be so kind as to loan them to me so I can
> >> > > >
> >> > > > make copies.
> >> > > >
> >> > > > Thanks,
> >> > > >
> >> > > > Jerry Parker
> >> > > > ______________________________________________________________
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> >
> > Paul Daulton K5WMS
> > beacon WMS 185.302 khz qrss30/slow 24/7
> > Jacksonville,Ar 72076
> > em34wu
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
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>
Paul Daulton K5WMS
beacon WMS 185.302 khz qrss30/slow 24/7
Jacksonville,Ar 72076
em34wu
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