total.pardo

from:  eham.net and http://kb6nu.com/cq-acquires-world-radio-magazine/

CQ Communications, Inc. has acquired “WorldRadio” magazine, CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA and WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, announced jointly today. CQ, based in Hicksville, New York, currently publishes CQ Amateur Radio, CQ VHF and Popular Communications magazines.

WorldRadio, based in Sacramento, California, has been published monthly since July, 1971, with a primary focus on the human side of ham radio. “CQ”, a general-interest ham radio magazine best known for its support of DXing and contesting, has been in print since January, 1945.

Armond Noble, N6WR, Publisher of WorldRadio, said that at the age of 74 the time had come for him to retire. “I wanted to be sure that ‘WorldRadio’ found a good home, and that our readers would continue to be served by an independent voice in amateur radio,” Noble said.

CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, said, WorldRadio has filled an important niche in our hobby for nearly four decades. We welcome “WorldRadio’s” readers to the CQ family, and we look forward to meeting their needs for many years to come.”

Current plans call for WorldRadio to continue to be published online as part of the CQ family of magazines, with Editor Nancy Kott, WZ8C, continuing in that position. WorldRadio subscribers will also have their subscriptions transferred to “CQ” magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized.

just goes to show you how much ol’pardo knows… i thought cq magazine went under years ago.

Yaesu VX-8R at Dayton Hamvention

this has to have happen.

http://spaceweather.com

NEW SUNSPOT: For the first time in months, a significant sunspot is emerging on the sun.  It is a fast-growing active region with two dark cores, each larger than Earth.  The magnetic polarity of the sunspot identifies it as a member of new Sunspot Cycle 24.  Because the year 2008 has brought so many blank suns, some observers have wondered if we are ever going to climb out of the ongoing deep solar minimum.  Today’s new sunspot is an encouraging sign that the 11-year solar cycle is indeed progressing, albeit slowly.  

sounds like 10 meters may open up a little…come on cycle 24!

FTA @

http://ke9v.net/2008/09/wspr-in-the-wind/

thanks for KE9V for making me aware of WSPR - it seems like an interesting marriage of the computer and AR. looking forward to experimenting with it more.

which leads me to express my ideas about his quote from the title of this post.

“I’m no longer certain that’s a bad thing — it’s simply a different thing.”

how often has it been that the old guard has regarded the latest “thing” as a bad or threatening to the hobby? is it the old codger syndrome or is it fear of change?

the only constant in the world is change. embracing and managing the change is the only way one moves forward - its the only way we move forward as a species.

losing the code requirement - the majority of you will still complain - was a bad thing. i submit its just different. don’t like the “newer” people being brought into the hobby by this change? is it your disdain for the oft-chided “no-code” extra - your opinion that he is automatically a “lid”? or is it your deep seated fear of change which causes you to grumble on air about those of us who don’t know code at the speed you do?

is the internet a “bad” thing? is integrating a radio as a software-defined radio a bad thing? if you believe it to be so, i feel you are missing out on an integral aspect of this hobby as well as technology and connectivity in general. how did the pioneering spirit of the hobby get lost? what does it say about society in general that we would fear/complain so much about those things which are different?

i hate to think when i reach the ripe advanced age of those who complain today that i will become that close-minded. i wish to view things as “different” as opposed to “bad.” i am not sure it can be considered “enlightened,” but i am sure it is what is fair.

don’t agree? prefer to complain? please comment below.

the comment i got this morning from last night’s question concerned me, so I thought i’d post my response to it and further clarify:

the comment:

That is a pretty bleak post. We are quite busy down here in the gulf coast states and have been since the middle of last week. I am sorry you feel that amateur radio is inflated in importance after the fact. I lived it with Katrina, Rita, and now Gustav. The average amateur radio operator does make a difference on a regular basis. If he takes the time to participate.

from my post:

http://www.totalpardo.net/2008/08/31/gustav-updates-and-lack-thereof/

i am sure there will be AROs on the ground after the hurricane has done its worst, aiding the “real” rescuers and such … but will AROs in NJ be involved in passing traffic from lookie-lou’s in the garden state to loved ones on the ground in and around NOLA?

what part of “i am sure there will be amateur radio operators on the ground” was lost?  where do i diminish how busy the “we” are in my observation?

i was simply questioning the comment from WA4D -

After Gustav fades Ham Radio propagandists will proclaim they made a difference. No metrics. No verifiable data. And the myth continues.

i had never thought about this before i read his comments.  and it is intriguing.  i am asking what will the average ARO do to help?  will he will send money again?  will she will pass H/W messages?

i have never participated in an emergency of the scale about to strike in the gulf states - so i am ignorant to the on the ground efforts which will be put forth in the coming days.  i have, however, donated thousands of hours to my community where AR has played a part.  i can’t prove that to you, so, like your post, i will have to take your word for it that “we” are busy down there.  i don’t hear it on the frequencies posted.  and i hear the gulf states regularly from my qth.  maybe the busy is all on vhf/uhf?

to support your comment, i agree, there are many who “make a difference.”  i see it myself in the many boy scouts who have passed through the radio room at nj2bb, the non-hams who have been helped at skywarn training, and many races training nets, etc.

perhaps my post is insensitive to those of you who have “lived through” the disastrous hurricanes you have - for that, i am sorry.   but, like WA4D, whom you can comment to at:

http://twitter.com/mewcomm

i question what the average ARO does to help out.  like i said, i never thought of it before in that way - forever boasting about the wonderful arrl articles that portray the self sacrifice and hard work of AROs which the public has come to ignore after disasters.

does the “myth continue”?  is it a myth?  for the people on the ground, like you, i am sure it is not mythical - herculean, maybe.

to those of you down there getting ready to face the brunt of this hurricane, good luck and be safe.

interesting how much the twittersphere updates with mentions of gustav:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23gustav

w2jig is reporting (or re-reporting) on the arrl freqs here:

http://tinyurl.com/65msmb

* 20 meters: 14.325 MHz USB

* Main frequency during Hurricanes — 40 meters: 7.268 MHz LSB

* Water Way Net (secondary frequency) Maritime Mobiles Net — 80 meters: 3.815 MHz

* Caribbean Net (alternates: 3.950 North Florida / 3.940 South Florida)

all freqs were full of chewed rags and war time hero fools. nothing gustav related. i heard more off established freqs on 80m than anything else. leads me to believe this twitter i read earlier from WA4D:

After Gustav fades Ham Radio propagandists will proclaim they made a difference. No metrics. No verifiable data. And the myth continues.

i hadn’t thought about it all that much before. what DO ARO (amateur radio operators) REALLY do before, during, and after a large scale disaster/emergency. how much of it is truly hype created to justify the continued existence of this hobby in the US? i guess when you are on board like i am, it takes a swift kick to the mouth to get me to look at it from another angle.

seriously, what will the average ARO do to assist with what undoubtably be a tragedy in NOLA? H&W messages? really? i am sure there will be AROs on the ground after the hurricane has done its worst, aiding the “real” rescuers and such (and that, readers, is another story for another day - the attitude your average first responder has towards the “unprofessional” radio operator) but will AROs in NJ be involved in passing traffic from lookie-lou’s in the garden state to loved ones on the ground in and around NOLA? if they had the resources, and the time, they should be up in georgia, etc - out of harms way. i imagine ma bell’s old system won’t be overloaded that much into the outlying areas, right? (snicker)

at least, WA4D’s comment has me thinking now. he could be wrong, but i think he is on to something.

i was surprised at one of my few visitor’s comments:

http://www.totalpardo.net/2008/08/29/by-2pm-labor-day-gas-prices-will-be-up-by/#disqus_thread

perhaps my sarcasm was lost? i realize the extraction infrastructure will be washed away - but i don’t get why the price of gas goes up BEFORE the actual event and increases precipitously (or at least it would seem) in the coming days (considering the contracts were signed WAY before this potential disaster). we’ll see.

;)  i can has ft-857d?

fta @ http://w4ti.net/ft857.html

The Yaesu FT-857 is a little marvel. Crammed into the enclosure is an MF, HF, VHF and UHF transceiver with most of the modern bells and whistles that anyone could want, and which can supply 100 watts on 160-6 meters, 50 watts on 2 meters, and 20 watts on the 440 MHz band. It is capable of operating in the CW, AM, SSB, FM, and digital modes. The engineers have built what seems to be intended as a mobile transceiver, suitable for installation in a vehicle, with a removable face plate which can be mounted separately from the electronics package.

my reasons for wanting this marvel are the mobile options, a replacement for my only solid state uhf/vhf rig, and the expanded capabilities of taking a rig into the woods to try qrp.   i have a 5 year old ft-8800 that is on the auction block.

time to kill a few birds with the same stone.  pardo has begun his ft-857d fund!

when that’s full – a trip to HRO newark is in order.

this could actually be the next “big” thing.

scot asked me a few weeks ago about bringing gamers into the AR fold via gaming and their interests…perhaps this social interaction method is better even than outreach to gamers.

these social sites hit the younger generation where they live. scot and company can be on in the background while you are doing other things. its perfect.

i offered any assistance i could give.

HamRadio2.0 Live Beta Broadcast “Putting The Ham In Ham Radio”

It is time for HamRadio2.0 and you are invited to join our discussion on Ustream Live, Interactive Broadcasting. The above screenshot is channel HamRadio2.0 featuring text, audio, and video capabilities for each participant. Are you interested? Then prepare your web cam and audio. You might be chosen to co-host HamRadio2.0 with me. Fun!
The above screenshot is the control panel utilized by the broadcaster. I can create polls, invite a co-host or two, turn on your microphone, and few other goodies. What is really, really important is registration prior to joining my live broadcast. After registration, type HamRadio2.0, into the search bar. Or follow us on Twitter and/or FriendFeed for live updates. Join us as we have fun this Sunday at 11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time or 1800 Universal Time Coordinated. 73.

[From KA3DRR: HamRadio2.0 Live Beta Broadcast "Putting The Ham In Ham Radio"]

[From 75 METER SOUND BITES]

w2jtd, from work, shared this site with me.

this one is precious - “cq to nobody” “you go back to the days of silent radio…”

some of the other sound bites are hysterical - the audacity of some hams kills me. but is it something deeper?

this qso got to me:

“…let me ask you a question, uh, do you have a perceptual disability of some sort that prevents you from understanding english?”

“i don’t know of any, but if i do, will you still be a friend of mines (sic) too?”

“ok, well, since you don’t know of any, let me tell you one more time. when i call cq, i am not calling you. and if you continue to return my cq’s…i will complain to the fcc, and i am sure they will be happy to follow up on my previous complaints.”

“ya, no problem. cq is the biggest thing in ham radio, not only calling cq but answering cq’s - so - you wouldn’t rob me of my pursuit of happiness, would you?”

“look, ok, you can pursue your view of the world, and, um, just be warned.”

of course, i wanted to know more about the people behind this qso. one of them is a professor (the one questioning the caller’s perceptual abilities). the other is (rather was) an interesting fellow (the one quoting the declaration of independence). so much so that i needed to find out more.

a quick google search on w2vjz yielded fascinating results. Irwin L. Richardt had a fair amount of detractors. the fcc was high on that list.

first, to eham.net (for better or worse, my first stop - there are more than a few of you who may chide me for visiting that bastion of insanity and righteous indignation) where i learn about a warning noticed issued by riley hollingsworth in 2004 advising Richardt of complaints against him and tape recorded evidence regarding his rule violations. for every one negative comment about Richardt, there was at least one “attaboy.” interesting. if Richardt was such a LID, why would anyone take up for him? even on the den of miscreants that is eham.net.

then there was this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZd2NsO7aD4

telling this ham lived in a place called liberty corner - the quick documentary details his run ins with the law over the removal of drainage marker sticks from his property, his talking on the radio, and conversation with neighbors. the rat hole gets deeper.

the US constitution ordains you and me and every American to be empire busters…

Richardt was a radical constitutionalist - one of the youtube comments - from the poster of the video, extolled the virtues of the man:

Yes Irb was a very unique individual. I used to talk to him on the ham radio back in the late 70s. It was like talking to Thomas Jefferson Irb was a radical constitutionalist. Some found it annoying but I always found it interesting. He was never mean spirited or rude, just firm in his beliefs. Yes, it is sad he died back in December 2006 RIP Irb

then there was the qrz.net forums - for every one detractor, there was one defender. amazing dichotomy.

As far as having friends, Irb Richardt received over 2000 write-in votes for the mayoral election in his town a few years back. Local folks were always stopping over his place to visit. Grade schools regularly scheduled class trips to his home for the kids to see the maple sugaring process which went on yearly. This was just not some lonely person sitting behind a worn-out DX-100 all day.

i found another link that reprinted local obituaries in its threads.

i looked back over my log to see if i had ever made a contact with this character. unfortunately no. i wish i had.

this leads me to ask - would a book about hams of this ilk make sense? could it be “sexy” enough to sell a few copies? i mean, the audience would be the few, like me, grab at the threads of information around them - leading to deeper ratholes such as this one. my initial feeling is there would not be enough audience - and there would be MORE than enough material to fill the pages. do you have a story of a “colorful” ARO? an operator who was misunderstood, a purposeful lid, perhaps another radical loner?

from: “twitter:The Ham Radio (two way radio) of Today – at - http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archives/008475.html

mr. pulver intimates on his well-read blog that twitter is the new ham radio.

i am suprised that such a respectedand well known technophile would denegrate amateur radio this way.

twitter is always down - due to spamming, over/misuse, poor planning, etc.  these are technical/people reason.  amateur radio doesn’t go “down” - it is always the service that stays up when things get tough.  he knows this - along with every other ARO - so why associate HR with twitter?

twitter is more like CB radio if anything.  lawlessness - the wild west of social networking. say what you want in 140 characters - yes, it is SOMEWHAT similar to CW chatter.  but i doubt i’d tune in to the code and hear quips about people’s bathroom habits, who they had over last night, or other mindless behaviors that fit in that tight message space.

if anything, you added a reader, mr. pulver.  i was unaware of his blog, and style, until this came across one of my feeds.  he is a fantastic writer and his topics vary in the field - but i have to call him out when i think he is walking down the wrong path.

for the uninitiated, geocaching is similar to letterboxing from old time Europe, especially England. someone hides a "cache" and gives out the lat/long location of the box accompanied by a "hint" to help the searchers hone in on the hiding spot.  generally this sport is not as easy as you may think.  it requires hiking skill, orienteering ability, and deductive reasoning to be successful.  anything that gets you outside is a good thing!

wikipedia defines geocaching as:

…an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and "treasure," usually toys or trinkets of little value. Today, well over 800,000 geocaches are registered on various websites devoted to the pastime. Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.

recently came across this article on the trusty TUAW site regarding folks using their new iphones to geocache:

iPhone 101: Geocaching with an iPhone 3G - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).

looks like the iphone 3g’ers are trying to cache with their shiny new, highly inaccurate gps software in the hopes of getting some quality caching in.  pardo recently upgraded to the 3g model - 16GB black - and of course, will attempt a bit of geocaching with it in comparison to the garmin 60csx.  YMMV.  BTW - the Oregon 400t looks unbelievable as a top-flight GPS replacement to the 60.  no bulky antenna and an extremely clear daylight capable screen.

a great site to find the caches, or at least, where to look for them, is:

http://www.geocaching.com/

there is gobs of information on the hobby and how to get started.

they also provide merchandise and geotags (at left) to use in the caches to prove you were there and found the site/cache.

above is an example of the output their search engine provides when you enter your current lat/long or address or even just a zip code.  the site keeps track of where the cache is, gives a clever “hint” to find it when you get close, and keeps track of who visited the cache (by entering the information contained in the cache).

even more compelling is the groundspeak forums – the language of location – where fellow geocachers discuss the sport and the minutia of the hobby.  an interesting spur of the hobby is finding benchmarks - U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Disks and the like. these items are all over – often going unnoticed by most people – and yet, geocachers search these markers more often than the caches.

you can get pretty intense with this hobby – terracaching – this is a specialty club that requires sponsorship of existing members and high quality hiding spots for the caches. sounds stuffy – but those guys are serious about the sport.

an interesting amateur.radio angle is something called “foxhunting” or transmitter hunting where hams use radio direction finding, gps, and orienteering skills to find remotely hidden transmitters usually running in beacon mode at low power.  this twist on the theme provides a greater challenge for searchers than just plain old geocaching.

happy hunting!

for those of you not so inclined, Region 2 (North America) amateur radio operators had their vaunted Field Day preparedness event contest this past weekend.  the telling quote regarding this exercise is from wikipedia:

Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise, widely sponsored by IARU regions and member organizations, encouraging emergency communications preparedness among amateur radio operators. In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year.

yes, i understand the need to wrap a contest around the test of emergency preparedness. what i don’t understand is the audacity and downright rudeness of the amateur in general. would less people operate if there were no contest aspect to this exercise?

the day’s high lowlights:

• tune to 14.280 MHz.  listen for 3 minutes to static.  send out the obligatory gentlemen’s agreement query, “is the frequency in use?”  wait.  upon no response, send out the general CQ call.  get back a cocky - “thanks for asking if the frequency is in use” comment – with the expected cream-on-the-cake desultory tone.
• tune to 14.325 MHz.  listen to an american southern-sounding voice drone on:  CQ CQ CQ for the “no contest” contest – stations not participating in field day call now – QRzed.  over and over.  then, when a person calls, and asks why, the inevitable battering begins.
• tune to 14.175. listen to an argument between several “rag-chewers” (an example of a rag chewing group is http://www.ragchewers.net/about.html DISCLAIMER – this group was not at the root of the described issue – I use them to help my reader understand what a group of rag chewers is.) regarding their “ownership” of the frequency in question.  last i looked part 97 has no codicil offering exclusivity to any single group or operator.

the level of hate, impatience, and ignorance was despicable.  i am lucky enough to have a few hams at my work with which to discuss this issue – and they agree the activity on 20 meters was higher than it has been in years.  one comment regarding cockroaches was telling - “this contest brings out the ‘extras’” – the no-code, test takers who don’t know the difference between a dipole and and a diphthong. 

i operated from home – designated 1D station – meaning i operated only one transceiver  (i own and regularly operate several) on commercial power.  i did operate 1E for about an hour – that designation meant i used emergency power.  i understand the purpose of field day – it does serve to allow hams to practice skills necessary to justify the existence of the hobby.  i don’t understand the rudeness and sense of entitlement.  its a shame.

final tally for me – 48 contacts on 20m.  20 of them were under the 1E designator.

i was offered two different sites to go out and help with club station operations.  the 95 degree weather kept me home.  the indifference and hate will keep me away from the event going forward.

Military Reinstates Use of Morse Code on Amateur Auxillary Service:: “The US Military has reinstated the use of Morse Code on the MARS (Military Amateur Radio Service) after a 10-year absence. The original prohibition of Morse use on the special MARS frequencies was seen as an encouragement to FCC to drop U.S. code requirements for Amateur Radio exams, which it eventually did. But Morse Code is sometimes useful on the air, even if it doesn’t belong on the test. Apparently, there were some emergency operations where they would have liked to use it, and their own regulations prohibited it - unlike on ham frequencies where it remains fine to use.”

(Via eHam.net.)

this is good news. maybe the code will make a comeback.

The first under $10 transceiver that has been very successfully built and used on the air is called the “Pixie 2″ transceiver. This kit has had a history over the past three to four years and has seen much experimentation and modification. The big kickoff for this rig came from Doug Hendricks, KI6DS, and QRPp magazine (The publication of the NorCal QRP Club). It was originally Published: QRPp June 1995 pp. 45-48 and was billed as “The Great Dayton Building Contest 1995″ and was sponsored by the NorCal QRP Club. 

from:
QRP Transceiver for less than $10

pardo says - i think qrp is the next “thing” - jeff, ke9v, talks alot about his qrp adventures.  time to dust off the code and make one of these…