This week’s bulletin was made possible with information provided by NC1L, W3UR, QRZ DX, The Weekly DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.
ZAMBIA, 9J. Gert, ZS6AYU is QRV as 9J2GR from the Mama Out of Africa lodge at the Zambezi river near Livingstone until October 22.
Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using CW. (more…)
ARLD042 DX news
This week’s bulletin was made possible with information provided by NC1L, W3UR, QRZ DX, The Weekly DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.
RODRIGUES ISLAND, 3B9. A group of operators will be QRV as 3B9SP from October 16 to 23. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK with three stations active. QSL via HB9ACA.
NIGER, 5U. Stations 5U5U, 5U6E and 5U8NK are QRV (more…)
The Hampden County Radio Association sponsors BSA Venture Crew 510 and this Venture Crew specializes in Amateur Radio. Put Boy Scouts and Amateur Radio together and you get not only learning and fun. You get Jamboree on the Air!
Held on the third full weekend of October each year, Jamboree on the Air, or JOTA as it’s known, is the largest Scouting event in the world. In 2011 nearly 750,000 Scouts participated with over 6,000 stations in operation from 150 countries around the world.
This year the 55th Jamboree-on-the-Air is October 20–21, 2012. The official hours are from Saturday at 00:00 hours local time (right at midnight Friday) to Sunday 24:00 (midnight Sunday evening). So you’ve got the whole weekend to make JOTA contacts!
This worldwide jamboree requires no travel on your part, well, other than going to your Ham shack. Scouts from around the globe, and perhaps as close as across town, will be looking for Amateur Radio Operators just like you to make contact with. So hopefully you’ll take part in this worthwhile event and work some of these Scouts. By the way, while you enjoy a good QSO, many of these Scouts are working on earning their Radio Merit Badge, and for some Scouts, this is their first time on the air!
For more information, please use the below links:
Looking out over the pool of cars at the local Ham Club’s meeting, or across the ocean of cars at a regional Ham-fest, one can’t help but notice one thing. “Antennas!” you call out. Well yeah, you’re right there. So, let me back up and say there are two things one can’t help but notice as you check out the cars, and yes the first one being the wheat-field of antennas. The second is…Ham (call-sign) license plates.
Did you know that Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to issue vehicle license plates beginning in June of 1903, but the first Mass. Amateur Radio license plate wasn’t issued until 1964? While Hams are not required by law to display a call-sign plate on their vehicle, many Amateur Radio operators elect to get and proudly display them. After all, no one else may attach this style of plate to their vehicle, and only you have your call-sign!
What do I need to do to get a set for my vehicle you ask? It’s easy, simply download Form 21584-0911 “Application For Ham Radio Operators Plates” from the Registry of Motor Vehicles website at: http://www.massrmv.com/rmv/forms/21584.pdf, or pick one up at your local Mass. Registry office. Once you have it, fill it out, then send it in along with a copy of your current and valid FCC license plus a check for $20 payable to MassDOT. And before you know it, your vehicle will be sporting its own set of Ham license plates.
Tom Homewood, W1TO, will be the featured speaker at Hampden County Radio Association’s monthly meeting this Friday, October 5, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Learn about RTTY station setup and contesting and have your questions ready! This will be a joint meeting of the Western Massachusetts Area of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and HCRA where new members will be eligible to join YCCC. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Tom is an experienced contester, RTTY expert, and a mean hand at solving diabolical Sudoku puzzles. Hope to see you at Holyoke Hospital Auxiliary Conference Center, 575 Beech St., Holyoke MA, 01040.
This is my first article covering tablet computers a
nd the apps they provide for amateur radio. In this first article I will look at the two main platforms, Apple’s IOS and Google’s Android. Apple’s OS revolves mainly around two devices, the Iphone and Ipad. Both will utilize the same applications. But Apple has many more native tablet apps than does Google: a native app utilizes the devices space properly, an app designed for a phone often does not adapt well to the increased size of a tablet. Apple’s App Store is the front runner having more than a 800,000 applications. Google however is catching up quickly. Google’s Android platform is a bit more fragmented, not only do its devices vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, the flavor of its OS also varies. The Latest OS for Android is version 4.1, but you’ll find it on only one device at present, Google’s own Nexus 7. Many more tablets are running previous version 4.0 or earlier. When buying Android devices it’s best to get the newest OS available. Anything 4.0 or newer should be fine. Apple IOS is presently up to version 6, the benefit to IOS devices is that mostly all but the oldest devices get automatic OS updates, Android devices get updated based on the various manufacturers’ desires.
So which are best for Amatuer Radio and best for you to buy ? That’s a complicated question. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. The Android tablet offers greater customization. Icons and Widgets can be set up on pages anyway you’d like, every Android Tablet can look different because of this. But also because of this things can be more complicated to run if you are a novice user. The Ipad also uses icons which can be rearranged on the various pages, but at a lesser degree and there are no Widgets. But because of this the Ipad is a better choice for the novice computer user, “It just Works” is a saying Apple and their users like to use and it’s true, the Ipad is very easy to pick up and use. If you are a tinkerer though and are familiar with a computer and its operating system, you should not have many problems with an Android device after a few days of use.
Both platforms offer wi-fi and cellular versions, the latter allow internet connection without a wifi connection but will cost you a monthly fee. Both have their own app stores, for Google it’s the Play Store and for Apple it’s the APP Store, where both applications and content can be purchased. So both platforms devices can be used without the need of a computer to interface with, making them the perfect first device for the non-computer user. Android tablets are available at a multitude of price points from $99 on up. The Ipad currently start at $349 for an Ipad 2, and $499 for an Ipad 3 with a higher resolution screen. Apple is rumored to be releasing a 7” version sometime this month but no details are known at this point. I did not look at the devices from Amazon and Barnes and Noble as they are more specific to content consumption to those various retailers and do not offer enough flexibility as a tablet to be useful to amateur radio.
My next article will look at the usefulness of a tablet to amateur radio. I will look at several apps useful to our hobby.
N1MFL
Our 2012/2013 season started on September 1st and thanks go out to all of you who renewed your membership for another year. However some of you have yet to take that quick moment to get your own renewals taken care of. It’s fast, it’s easy, and can be done by mail or in person at the upcoming October 5th meeting.
Your dues are what help to make HCRA events such as Field Day and the Holiday Party possible. It assists members without email access by offsetting our mailing costs. In addition there’s liability insurance expenses, IRLP node maintenance and of course our web hosting fees and all the little things that go into making a club run.
So please, while it’s on your mind and at your fingertips, won’t you download the application form found on our membership page and take care of renewing right now?
(In a deep loud voice) SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY September 30th 2012 the jerks are heading out to a place unactivated. That’s right, We are heading to Burley Hill W1/MR-002. Showtime will be 1600Z. Modes CW, FM, SSB, and new to this activation PSK31. Frequencies 7.034, 14.061 CW 7.190, 21.333, 14.3425 SSB depending on propagation, look for us on 10 meters also 146.52 – FM.
All Hams are invited to make contacts FREE of charge
There will be no tickets at Ticketmaster or the box office.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the American Express Company’s saying “Membership has its privileges”, and while this is true, its chiasmus “Privileges has its membership” is equally true.
As a new Technician Class license holder, you’ve worked hard earning your Amateur Radio Operating privileges to work these bands: 33 Centimeters, 70 Centimeters, 1.25 Meters, 2 Meters, 6 Meters, 10 Meters, 15 Meters, 40 Meters, and 80 Meters. You’ve made it, you’re in the club…or are you? You keep hearing Hams talking about how they’re looking forward to getting together and having a face-to-face over coffee at next month’s meeting. Well, now’s your chance to really join the club; an opportunity to put a face on, and get a hand shake from the people whose voices come out of your radio.
If you’re a newly licensed Ham, the Hampden County Radio Association would like to extend to you, a hearty welcome to the hobby and a year’s free membership in the HCRA. It’s easy to take advantage of this offer and there are two simple ways to do it.
That’s it, simple, quick and easy. So if you, or someone you know just got their ticket, we’d love to have you join our club, because after all Privileges Has Its Membership!