From bmarx at bellsouth.net Mon Feb 4 14:33:35 2019 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2019 14:33:35 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] A Biography of a Telegrapher - From QRZ Message-ID: *A Biography of a Telegrapher - From QRZ * The CBC recently interviewed Lavina Shaw, Past International President of the Morse Telegraph Club. In this biographical documentary, Lavina talks about her experiences working as a railroad and commercial telegrapher as well as her experiences as a woman working in a man's world. Like many telegraphers of her era, Lavina had a front-row seat to history. In addition to railroad and commercial operations (telegrams, cablegrams), the telegraph was widely used in a variety of applications such as stock brokerage operations, commodities and board of trade work, press operations, and so forth. Even the telephone company used Morse telegraphy extensively for its internal operations well into the post war era. Radio amateurs in general, and CW operators in particular, will undoubtedly find this video interesting, not just for the human interest content, but for its insights into the antecedents of radiotelegraphy. The Morse Telegraph Club is a non-profit historical and educational association dedicated to preserving the history and traditions of telegraphy and the telegraph industry. MTC members and chapters demonstrate telegraphy at historical events, design and construct historically correct museum exhibits and conduct presentations on the history of telegraphy. MTC also publishes an excellent quarterly journal entitled "Dots and Dashes, which includes articles on telegraph history and first-person accounts of telegraph industry employees. For more information on MTC membership, please contact James Wades (WB8SIW). Full Story and Video http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/a-biography-of-a-telegrapher.645042/ From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Feb 14 12:10:18 2019 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 12:10:18 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] US Navy Explores Amateur Radio as a Training Adjunct In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <346d8812-f84c-6034-9ee8-b44fb52552fa@bellsouth.net> From Tony N2MFT: US Navy Explores Amateur Radio as a Training Adjunct 02/13/2019 The US Navy?s Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (*NAWCWD* ) has adopted Amateur Radio training as a possible new approach to basic RF and electronics instruction. More than 20 NAWCWD employees took part in a week-long class in Point Mugu, California, in December. The class, which culminated in an examination session for the Technician licensed, offered NAWCWD employees a novel approach to teaching radio propagation, said Brian Hill, KF4CAM, the lead for electromagnetic maneuver warfare experimentation in the Avionics, Sensors and E*Warfare Department. Hill, who got his license while he was still in high school, is also the department?s ?innovation ambassador.? ?I looked at the breakdown of current new hires and saw that many had degrees in computer science and thought that their classwork might not have covered things like RF propagation,? Hill said. Rather than have employees sit through hours of /PowerPoint/ briefings, Hill thought that a licensing course might be a more dynamic, hands-on approach to convey the basics ? and cover areas such as directional antennas, signal propagation, and modulation that are necessary for their work. Initially, Hill had 10 class slots funded, but then Target Design Engineering Branch Head Ian Mann, KI6YVO, got wind of the class, saw its potential, and helped get funding to expand participation. Mann, a General-class licensee and a ham for nearly 10 years, said he?s been able to apply knowledge learned in the class to his NAWCWD work. Target Systems Division head Milton Gabaldon, also saw merit in the approach. He sat in on the classes, took the exam, and he?s now KM6YPA. For him, it?s about connecting the dots. ?It?s about introducing people to electronics, to start understanding what RF is all about ?so when we talk about it in the test and evaluation world, [students] know what we?re talking about,? Gabaldon said. ?They get a better view than ?I just do software.? Now they see ?My software controls this piece, which sends out RF jamming signals that protect the warfighter.? That?s the most important takeaway.? In all, 23 employees who took the Technician exam passed, and several also successfully tested at for General and Amateur Extra licenses. Hill hopes to offer more hands-on classes in the future, and he?s planning a Fox Hunt for the near future, as additional hands-on training. /? Thanks to NAWCD and Public Affairs Officer Kimberly Brown; some information from *C4ISRNet* / http://www.arrl.org/news/us-navy-explores-amateur-radio-as-a-training-adjunct From bmarx at bellsouth.net Thu Feb 28 15:39:09 2019 From: bmarx at bellsouth.net (Bill) Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2019 15:39:09 -0500 Subject: [QCWA Everglades Chapter #69] Earth's Magnetic Field is Shaking in Response to a Solar Wind Stream In-Reply-To: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20190228203503.bbae3439ec.6ed39d0a@mail115.us4.mcsv.net> References: <0c5fce34d5ca05f64a13d085d.d71faae82a.20190228203503.bbae3439ec.6ed39d0a@mail115.us4.mcsv.net> Message-ID: <3b5dc28a-87cb-f3a1-9d5c-1589754fccb8@bellsouth.net> *Space Weather News for Feb. 28, 2019* http://spaceweather.com https://www.spaceweatheralerts.com *THE SOLAR WIND HAS ARRIVED: * A fast-moving stream of solar wind is engulfing Earth today, with speeds near 600 km/s (1.2 million mph). This is causing minor geomagnetic storms, bright auroras around the Arctic Circle, and vibrations in our planet's magnetic field that amateur scientists can detect using backyard sensors. This unsettled space weather could continue through March 1st as our planet moves through the unusually wide stream. Visit Spaceweather.com for updates.