Category Archives: Ham Radio

More News on BPL

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The Dallas Morning News reported that Broadband Over Power Lines Plan is Dead in Dallas because Current Communications is bailing out of its plan to offer internet service via BPL. However, Oncor is going to buy the equipment from Current and use it to help manage the power grid. This is consistent with recent trends in the BPL industry that are emphasizing using BPL as part of a “smart grid” strategy and deemphasizing operating as an Internet Service Provider.

An ARRL news article points out BPL is not going away in Dallas but (more importantly) the BPL technology from Current is believed to be “ham friendly.” The reason for this is that Current uses the Homeplug standard on the power lines that go into a residence, which notches out the HF amateur bands, not including 60 Meters. (By the way, the ARRL lab….which basically means Ed Hare W1RFI….got involved with the Homeplug standard early and influenced them to implement this notching.) Where Current equipment is in use, there have been no amateur radio interference complaints.

An article at itbusinessedge.com poses the question “Is it Lights Out for BPL?” Very likely.

In the mean time, the FCC got its hand slapped by the U.S. Court of Appeals for their mishandling of the BPL rulemaking process.

Closer to home in Colorado, Xcel Energy made this announcement:

Xcel Energy announces intended site of Smart Grid City: Boulder, Colo. to become first fully integrated “smart” city in the nation

The current electric grid has served us well for the last half century. But the future requires a technology revolution.

The next-generation electricity grid will allow our company to better meet growing demands, address environmental challenges, maximize available resources and optimize the entire energy system. Ultimately, a “smarter” grid helps us serve our customers by creating more options for managing personal energy use, habits and costs.

Their list of partners in the Smart Grid Consortium includes Current Group, which seems to imply that BPL may be part of the system deployment. It is not clear from their press release that Xcel will be offering internet service to the general public. However, I have heard from a reliable source that Xcel has been telling customers in Boulder that broadband internet service is part of their plan.

You can see the appeal of a Smart Grid approach with all of the focus on “being green.” Managing the power grid and energy demand is one way to get the most out of an electric utility. If a utility can gain some extra revenue by selling broadband internet, that’s even better.

The good news is that the Current Group technology seems to be OK from a ham radio point of view. Other users of the HF spectrum may see things differently.

73, Bob K0NR

Girls, Ham Radio and Diet Dew

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I just stumbled onto this video where three of my favorite things come together: girls, ham radio and Diet Mountain Dew.

Let me explain. When I say girls, I mean the three women that have let me live in the same house with them for decades (my wife and two daughters). You know about the ham radio part and Diet Mountain Dew is the low cal version of the sugar-plus-caffeine overload drink.
Anyway, take a look at this video:

73, Bob K0NR

Peanut, Rooster and Steve N0TU Head Up Mt Herman

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Mountaintop radio operating is one my favorite ham radio activities. In particular, there is a 9000 foot mountain within a short drive/hike from my house called Mt Herman. It is a great hike in the summer to get a little exercise and some great views. Lately, I have also been hiking or snowshoeing up there in the winter for the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes. See my blog posting on the 2007 January expedition.

Some time ago, I discovered that Steve N0TU also likes to operate radios from Mt Herman. I lean toward VHF operating while Steve takes along HF QRP. Steve also takes along Peanut and Rooster, his two goats. Lately, he has made a few videos of his adventures with Goat-portable ham radio.
Take a look at the most recent one:

73, Bob K0NR

FCC Rejects Request for Amateur Frequencies

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In the Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm department, Miller Motorsports of Utah requested Special Temporary Authority to use a handful of frequencies in the 70 cm amateur radio band for a race to be held at the end of May. I guess they didn’t think these frequencies were in use, so they just asked the FCC for authorization to use them: 448.525, 448.650, 448.060, 448.290 and 448.610 MHz.

The ARRL objected and the FCC turned down the request, as reported by the ARRL web site.

This story really had me scratching my head. How could someone put together a proposal like this in one of the more popular ham bands? Then it occurred to me that the Amateur Radio Service is authorized to use the 70 cm band on a secondary basis. The primary user is the Federal radiolocation service. (See FCC Part 97.301) It seems that the ham radio community often forgets this…even though we have lots of repeaters and simplex operation on the 440 MHz band, we have a secondary status on the band.

So maybe they looked around and figured that the radiolocation service wasn’t all that active, making these frequencies a good choice for race communciations. Of course, the Miller Motorsports proposal was a poorly formed idea and the FCC made the right call by rejecting it.

73, Bob K0NR

ON4AW is a Ham Spammer

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I recently received an email from ON4AW encouraging me to visit some website of questionable value (something about QSLs, ham radio and art). This was clearly UCE that was sent to a large number of ham radio operators. I replied with a request that my email be removed from the list and I got this reply:

Sir, here is not any list ,so we cannot remove you from something that does not exist. We are finding you with a Google-search and every simple search-machine will find you because you are standing naked and nude on the internet. Up to now 240000 hams from 133 countries have thanked us for that mail. Anyway it would be impossible to find you back among such a number. If you would receive the mail again,there are two possibilities:1) throw it simply into the thrash of your PC , 2) Remove your email from the web,that is the best solution. Your family-members,true friends,hams and business-relations know your email-address. So your presence on the internet is useless and unnecessary

/ 73 ON4AW

PS. Every mail-server has built-in filters. As a last ressort , you could put a filter on our mail so that you will not see it anymore if you eventually would be found again by Google.If you remain with your email-address on the web, you will be found again and you will receive the mail again.We do not see that this happens,because the special search program sends the mails (40 found hams per package) without our knowledge about to whom. Remove youremail-address from the web please. This is the last time that we answer a mail from you .We have told you enough now ,and spent enough time to explain the case.

Jeesh, so now it is MY FREAKING FAULT for having my email address out on the web. Thanks a lot, ON4AW. I get enough of this from the viagra/porn/ambien vendors, now ham radio operators are in on the deal, too?

ARRL Prevails Against FCC in Court

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Just when the Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) drama was getting extremely boring, the U.S. Court of Appeals in DC ruled in favor of the ARRL, which filed suit against the FCC. Back in May 2007, the ARRL filed an appeal concerning the FCC’s sloppy rule making in determining BPL regulations. Today the court ruled that the FCC failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act because they did not disclose all of the documents that they used to make their decisions. It seems that the court concluded that the FCC needed to disclose all of the data available, not just the parts that served their agenda. Also, the court concluded that the FCC did not adequately explain why they chose a 40-dB extrapolation factor (when there was evidence that 20 dB is the right factor).

Read the ARRL story here and the court decision here. This is a signficant loss for the FCC and they have some explaining to do.

Of course, none of this matters since BPL is dying a slow death anyway.

73, Bob K0NR

What to Do at Dayton?

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May is fast approaching, which means it is time for the biggest amateur radio event of the year: the Dayton Hamvention® (May 16-18). I managed to attend last year and had a great time, including meeting astronaut Bill McArthur KC5ACR. So it is time to finalize plans for this year.

What to do at Dayton? Last year, I decided to really focus on the forums, including AMSAT, D-STAR, Frequency Coordination and weak-signal VHF. I’ll repeat that again this year, since there are quite a few interesting forums listed on the Hamvention® web site. The second priority is the vendor displays throughout Hara arena. It is a unique opportunity to see lots of equipment in person, rather than in a catalog. I’ll probably spend some time in the flea market, as you never know when a precious treasure (read: someone else’s junk) is sitting there with my name on it. Years ago, I thought the flea market was the main attraction but lately I don’t have the passion for wandering up and down the aisles for hours on end.
The QRP Amateur Radio Club International seems to think that 3 days of Dayton are just not enough, so they sponsor a fourth day focused on QRP. They call this event Four Days in May (or FDIM). I will probably spend most of Thursday hanging out with the QRPers. (I write the VHF column for the QRP Quarterly, the official publication of QRP ARCI.)
Then there are the banquets….the QRPers, the Contesters, AMSAT/TAPR and weak-signal VHF, just to name a few. Not sure which ones will make the short list this year. Perhaps, I’ll just skip them.
What do you like to do at Dayton?
73, Bob K0NR

D-STAR Equipment Grant in Colorado

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The Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (CCARC) and Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) teamed up to encourage the adoption of D-STAR technology in Colorado. To date, there are no D-STAR machines on the air in the state so HRO offered to provide equipment to a suitable ham radio group to help get things started. The CCARC, the repeater coordinating body for the state, agreed to assist in the selection process. According to the letter from the CCARC and HRO, the equipment grant was awarded to the Colorado D-STAR Association, a newly-formed group of radio amateurs in Colorado. The donated gear is a “full stack” of ICOM D-STAR repeaters: 2M, 70 cm and 1.2 GHz.

This is a very creative way to get the ball rolling on a new technology for ham radio. Yes, HRO has a vested interest in having a D-STAR machine on the air in the Denver area….they will sell more D-STAR radios. But it is good to see that they coughed up some equipment to help get this going.

The ICOM web page on D-STAR is here. For an overview of D-STAR technology, see my CQ VHF article.

73, Bob K0NR

Ham Radio COW (Comms on Wheels)

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Sometimes I get a little wrapped up in a particular ham radio project I am working on. Like how many antennas does a VHF contest rover really need? Is 6 enough? Is 12 too many? I think “gee, maybe this is getting a little out of hand.”

Then I come across someone else, usually on the internet, that is really taking the hobby seriously and I feel better. I think “hey, I am not that wacked out….look at this other guy…he is way more intense than me.”

The cellular telephone industry has the concept of COW: Cell on Wheels. This is a portable cell site that can be dropped into a special event (think Super Bowl or World Series) or into a disaster area (think hurricane Katrina).

Enter Roland N1JOY, who decides to build himself a HAMCOW (Ham radio Communications on Wheels). What a project….a ham radio trailer with 5 operating positions, shower, toilet and bed! OK, I feel more normal now. Thanks, Roland.

Seriously, cool project….good luck with it!

73, Bob K0NR

Visit to Akihabara

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Every once in a while, I pass through Tokyo, Japan on business travel. When the schedule permits, I make a trip over to Akihabara (AKA “Electric Town”), the center of electronic and computer gadgets in Tokyo. This place is amazing, offering everything from resistors to wide-screen televisions (and, yes, ham radio equipment). The only thing I can compare it to in the US is Fry’s Electronics….but it it more like a multi-vendor Fry’s that spans many blocks. They have small shops that are very specialized…..such as focusing only on transformers or coaxial cable. It is amazing what you can find there.

Last weekend, I was staying in Shinjuku and made a quick trip over to Akihabara. Assuming you know the basics of the JR train system, it is an easy ride from Shinjuku Station (or Tokyo Station) to Akihabara. (Akihabara has its own train stop.) For ham radio equipment, you have to aware that the Japanese version of the radio may be set up differently than the radio sold in your home country. For example, the 2M band in Japan goes from 144 to 146 MHz, so VHF radios sold there will usually be enabled for transmit in that range. Just as important, with the weak dollar there are not really any great bargains for ham gear in Tokyo. You can probably buy the right radio in the US for the same or less cost.

What I look for in Japan are radio accessories that are hard to find in the US. It seems that Japan is the land of gadgets, so there’s always some little antenna, adaptor or other gizmo that catches my eye. I guess I am saying that I go to Akihabara for the experience and the occasional gadget purchase. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday for an electrical engineer geek.

My big purchase for the weekend is a $5 screwdriver that has a continuity tester and a AC voltage sensor built into it…typical Akihabara gadget that I could not pass up. More information on Akihabara is shown here and here.

73, Bob K0NR

2007 September VHF QSO Party

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The March issue of QST arrived in the mail today, so I sat down and did my usual browsing through it. Ah, the September VHF contest results article by Sean KX9X is in here. The September contest is not a focus for me….usually I am out of energy for serious VHF contesting after participating in the June ARRL contest, the July CQ VHF contest and our local mountaintop event (Colorado 14er Event) in August. More to the point, propagation is usually not that great in September in Colorado and not that many VHFers participate in the contest (compared to the June event).

So I was a bit surprised when I scanned through the article and found my score in the Single Operator Portable category. Oh, now I remember, I got out my FT-817 QRP rig and worked a handful of stations while standing on the back deck. I usually try to do this to hand out a few contacts for the serious contesters. It seems I must have taken the time to submit a contest log with the totally awesome score of 20 points.

Just as surprising, this outstanding effort resulted in a first place score for my category in the Colorado Section, Rocky Mountain Division and the entire Midwest Region. Talk about taking names and kicking b***t!

In the article KX9X wrote:

In what may be the the most concentrated effort in history, Bob, K0NR, needed only five minutes’ worth of operating time to capture the QRP Portable category in the entire Midwest region!

Oh, I guess I should say that there was only one other entry in the category: N0JK submitted another Single Op Portable log with a score of 9 points. So the competition was not that intense.

Well, I guess you never know how it will turn out. So get off the couch, turn on the radio and work someone this weekend.

73, Bob K0NR

Happenings in the ARRL Rocky Mountain Division

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The Rocky Mountain Division of the ARRL has established a new web site to aid in communications with the membership. It looks to be a great place to find out about regional ham radio events, including local hamfests.

Jeff Ryan K0RM is the Section Manager for the ARRL Colorado Section. Jeff has recently created a web site for the Colorado section of the ARRL.

Speaking of hamfests, the 2008 Division Convention will be held July 11-13 in beautiful Bryce Canyon, Utah. Count on there being excellent forums, equipment sales, fun competitions, great eyeball QSOs, and wonderful food, all at a gorgeous venue, and all in the company of hams from around the Division and beyond!

It is not too early to start thinking about Field Day (June 28-29). The ARRL has published the updated rules for this event. Although FD is run like a contest, it really is more of an “operating event,” with lots of opportunity to socialize, provide publicity, have family activities and pull in non-hams. Oh, yeah, and it might even help with emergency preparedness.

I like the Field Day logo this year….with the theme of “Ride the Waves”. That insect/bug thing last year really missed the mark. I might even buy a Field Day T-shirt this time.

  • 73, Bob K0NR

The Use of 146.52 MHz

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One of the local clubs recently had a heated discussion about the use of the National Simplex Calling Frequency, which is 146.52 MHz in the US (per the ARRL band plan). You have probably heard the argument before…..is the calling frequency reserved to just calling or is it OK to ragchew on that frequency?

In the Summer 2006 issue of CQ VHF, I wrote about mountaintop operating and included these thoughts on the use of 146.52:

Calling Frequency
What frequency are you going to use to call CQ from your favorite high spot? Well, the calling frequency, of course…. most likely 146.52 MHz. This usually works pretty well as many simplex-oriented operators make it a point to listen on .52. While we don’t normally make long CQ calls on VHF FM, making a call such as “CQ Five Two,this is K 0 N R on Pikes Peak” is a good way to go.

One problem I’ve run into is when the calling frequency is tied up with lengthy contacts by other hams. If the frequency is in use, I generally just stand by and wait for them to finish. If it seems appropriate, I might break in and chat with them.

Disclaimer: It is difficult to write authoritatively in a national ham magazine about VHF issues that often tend to be regional in nature. What works in rural areas with lower population density may not apply in New York City. Ignoring that, I’ll jump in with both feet (maybe with one in my mouth, who knows?)

What is the purpose of a calling frequency? Back in the old days of crystal controlled rigs it was important that we had common channels crystalled so we could talk to each other. We typically only had a dozen or so channels, so having a common calling or simplex frequency (or two) was an obvious thing to do. These days, we have synthesized 2M FM rigs that cover the entire 4 MHz band in 5 kHz steps. Now the purpose of a calling frequency is, well, for calling. You use 146.52 MHz when you want to establish contact on the band, lacking any other information. For example, if I know my buddy Steve KØSRW is going to be listening on the 146.94 MHz repeater, I’ll call him there. If I know the local DX crew hangs on out 146.46 MHz, I’ll make a call there. But when I don’t have any other information, and I am making a call or listening for a call, I go to the calling frequency. Why? Because that’s what it’s for! If I am out of repeater range and I just want to talk to someone on simplex, I try the calling frequency.

The Three Minute Rule

There are two ways to make a calling frequency useless:
1. No one ever uses the calling frequency (nobody there, nobody home)
2. The calling frequency is always tied up due to lengthy contacts

So we need to encourage hams to monitor and use the calling frequency, but not monopolize it. We don’t have to be extreme about it. Perhaps a “three minute” rule of thumb: if I am in a contact with another station on the calling frequency for more than 3 minutes, it is time to change to a different frequency. This opens up the frequency for other hams to use. Just as important it keeps the long ragchew sessions away from the calling frequency. These long sessions have a tendency to discourage monitoring of 146.52 MHz. One ham recently told me that he tries to keep a receiver tuned to .52 for anyone just passing through the area that might need some help. But when some of the locals get on the frequency and chat for an hour, the radio gets turned off.

There, I said it: the calling frequency is for calling, not for ragchewing.

Now you have heard my opinion, what do you think?

73, Bob K0NR

Paul Rinaldo’s Rule of Amateur Radio Progress

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Recently on the AMSAT-BB email list, there was a discussion about some new satellites about to be launched. Some folks criticized the implementation of the satellite hardware (as in “they should have done this instead of that.“) Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, posted an excellent response that bears repeating:

Paul Rinaldo’s rule of Amateur Radio Progress:

Progress is made in Amateur Radio by letting energetic individuals move forward. Conversly, nothing in Amateur Radio is accomplished by complaining about other individual’s projects. Simple summary: If you don’t like their project, then go do or support your own choices. Get out of their way.

The service is where we are allowed to experiment as individuals. This means if you have an experiment, then do it. If someone else has an experiment you like, then contribute to it, support it, or get out of the way. It’s the individuals that move forward and do something that makes Ham radio progress.

Conversely, Its all the naysayers, thought police, kibitzers, complainers, arm chair lawyers and couch potatos that hold much progress back. Not one cloud of their hot air will move anything forward. The only thing it does is make us all look like old fuds and many of the would-be progressives just throw in the towel and instead of a great hobby, they go get a real job instead.

So, again, Ham radio is an unbelievably diverse collection of intersts, modes, techniques, applications, projects, missions, activities, directions, places, groups, frequencies, bands, devices, propagation, tests, events and experiments. Choose those you are interested in, jump in, contribute, move forward… Do not waste your time (and other’s) trying to hold others back from their interests.

NOTHING IS EVER ACCOMPLISHED PROGRESSIVELY BY TRYING TO FORCE
OTHERS INTO SPENDING THEIR TIME ON YOUR VIEW OF AMATEUR
RADIO.

The best you can do is find other people that actually do something and support them in a direction you want and hang on for the ride. I call this Paul Rinaldo’s rule of Amateur Radio, because I learned it back in the late 1970’s or so when I was on the board of directors and Paul was president of AMRAD which was working on the AX.25 spec, and trying to develop the early East Coast Packet System. We all met frequently, and everyone had ideas of which way to go. It’s the sentence that begins with “what they need to do is…” that Paul pointed out was pointless.

Or something like that. Over the years, in all the clubs and organizations of Amateur Radio, I find it the rule to live by. If you have an idea, do it. If someone else has an idea, either join it or support it. If it’s a dumb idea, it will die, don’t waste your time trying to assure its demise. But complaining about others people’s progress just makes no sense to me.

Bob, WB4APR

QSL Via the Buro

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I was going through the Pile of Mail that had accumulated over the past few months. This is the non-urgent stuff that got pushed aside to be looked at later. I had two envelopes from the Zero QSL bureau, with about a dozen total QSL cards. Most of these cards were from my KB0CY/C6A Mini-DXpedition to The Bahamas.

So here it is January 2008 and I am just getting QSL cards from contacts made in December 2000. This is not really new news, as most hams are familiar with long delays for cards sent via the buro. But still, this is a really long time for our instant gratification society. In this case, I received these QSL cards 7 years after the contact.

How do you think this happens? I am not sure. I suspect that the typical ham might wait up to a year to send cards into their outgoing QSL bureau. Then the cards may sit there for a while….maybe another year? Then the cards get mailed to the US, ending up at the appropriate incoming QSL bureau…so add another year. Let’s say they sit there for another year and then get mailed to me. Add it up, it is 4 years, assuming long delays at each stage. It still doesn’t account for the full 7 years. Maybe the sending ham didn’t realize he needed the QSL card until he was scanning his log with an eye towards DXCC or some other award. This could cause an additional delay in when the card is initially sent.

Of course, I sent out cards in return, also via the Buro….wonder when they will arrive at the other end?
This points out the advantage electronic QSL systems such as eQSL and the ARRL Logbook of the World. Yes, I do appreciate the value of a well done QSL card that you can hold in your hand. But seven years is a long time to wait.

73, Bob K0NR

P.S. This is not a criticism of the volunteers that make the incoming QSL bureaus work…I appreciate their efforts.

Blame It on OPEC

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I keep saying that I am not writing another word about the elimination of the Morse Code requirement for an FCC ham license. So this will be my last statement: I say blame it on OPEC.

At the start of 2007, I came across the Long Delayed Echoes blog, where Jeff KE9V made his 2007 New Years predictions, which included this:

Having thrown the gates wide open by eliminating the Morse code requirement for all amateur testing we learn that there’s nobody out there waiting to join the party. I predict no significant increase of new licensees in 2007.

Of course, Jeff’s prediction turned out to be correct (again!). The Morse Code requirement is irrelevant…which caused me to write this blog entry: Morse Code Testing: Irrelevant.

But yesterday, I see that Bruce Perens K6BP, founder of No Code International, says that “No Code Came Too Late to Help Ham Radio”. The Jeff KE9V response is here. Bruce is well-known in the Open Source, AMSAT and other techie communities, so I don’t dismiss his opinion lightly. Maybe he has a point…could it have happened differently? So that started me thinking again, which may or may not be a good thing and it often turns into another page on this blog.

So why did the Morse Code requirement emerge as the way to “keep the riff raff” out of ham radio? Well, that’s easy….it was because of those CBers (Citizens Band operators). The CB band was filled with a bunch of unlicensed, undisciplined fools that destroyed that radio service. It was obvious ham radio needed a barrier to keep them out. (Might have thought about an IQ test but that might be un-American.) Morse Code seemed to be the obvious tool.

Why was CB such a mess? Back in its early years, the CB folks were quite civilized and operated with both courtesy and call letters. But in 1974, the US Congress established a nationwide speed limit of 55 MPH. A large number of truck drivers decided that this was a really bad idea and adopted CB radios as the way to avoid speed traps on the interstate highways. The general public didn’t take long to catch on and suddenly every car is sporting a CB antenna, cruising down the highway giving out smokie reports and talking like a truck driver. The FCC Rules and call letters were quickly tossed aside. This really was a pop culture thing that just exploded. Even people that didn’t speed got caught up in the fun of watching for them smokies.
The 55 MPH speed limit was an emergency response to the 1973 Oil Crisis. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to stop shipping oil to countries that supported Israel. The price of oil jumped to $12 per barrel. (Geez, that doesn’t sound all that bad this week.) The US Congress decided that if we all drove slower, we would use less fuel so they instituted the 55 MPH speed limit.

So if those dang OPEC guys had not raised the price of oil, we wouldn’t have had the 55 MPH speed limit in the 1970s. The CB boom would not have happened and there would have been no irrational fear of this “riff raff” getting into ham radio. This means that the issue of the Morse Code requirement might have been addressed with Logic and Thinking (instead of Fear and Religious Zeal). The Morse Code requirement might have been dropped a decade earlier.

Wait a minute! Maybe it was those guys in Newington trying to keep their favorite mode alive? Yeah, they probably used King Hussein of Jordan (JY1) as a means to influence OPEC and make the whole thing happen, all funded by my ARRL dues.

73, Bob K0NR

Ham Radio Ruckus on Digital Bandwidth

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Things have been a little too quiet on the various ham radio email lists. That all changed when the FCC issued a Public Notice concerning RM-11392, a petition by Mark Miller N5RFX to modify the rules concerning digital emissions and automatic control. The petition is posted in two parts on the FCC web site: RM-11392 part 1, RM-11392 part 2. This is apparently the latest manifestation of the conflict around automatic digital messaging via the Winlink system. On the one hand, the Winlink folks are trying to implement an effective worldwide digital/email system that is valuable during emergency situations (read: Katrina). On the other hand, other users in the band are frustrated by spectrum used up by automated amateur radio stations, which may transmit on top of on-going amateur radio activity.

That is the short version of the story. I have tried to follow the deeper arguments about signal bandwidth, signal-to-noise ratio, the various forms of Pactor transmissions, the relative efficiency of various modes, etc. All I can conclude for sure is that this is another one of those religious debates that seem to be pop up from time to time. Dan KB6NU correctly points out that part of the problem is that people don’t understand the FCC rule making process. Email postings with titles like Will You Let FCC Kill Digital Radio Technology? certainly helps fuel the fire.

Mostly, I am just excited that we have moved beyond Code vs No Code to the next big thing to debate !!!

73, Bob K0NR

New Rover Rules for VHF Contests

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Without much notice or fanfare, the ARRL posted a new set of general rules for VHF contests. The changes seem to be centered on the rover category, which has been the subject of much controversy over the last decade or so. See So You Want to Be A Rover for more information on the rover category.

The new rules impose a limit of 100 contacts between any two rovers, apparently to prevent the “grid circling” strategy. A grid circling strategy is when two or more rovers meet at the intersection of four grids and drive around the grid corner working each other on many bands over a short distance. This allows them to rack up a high score in a short period of time while making only short distance contacts. See the N6NB Rover Page for more on these grid-circling efforts.

It appears that the existing Rover category, is subdivided into three entry categories:

  • Rover: existing rover category, with one or two operators
  • Limited Rover: A rover that uses four bands or less, with power restrictions
  • Unlimited Rover: A rover that has few restrictions, including use of more than two operators and no limit on contacts with other rovers.

I think the intent of these changes are good. It allows for the extreme grid-circling guys to knock themselves out driving in circles but keeps them in a separate category. The Limited Rover is likely to appeal to some little pistol guys that aren’t equipped for more than 3 or 4 bands.

Unfortunately, the rules do seem a bit hacked together and are not that easy to understand. I am still reviewing them to understand the fine points.

73, Bob K0NR

Ham Radio in the News

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Jeff KE9V picked up on a news item about the ham radio response in the recent Oregon floods. (The ARRL has a more detailed report here.) There is a news report from KPTV that has this great quote in it:

“One of the problems in this is always communication,” Gov. Ted Kulongoski said after a visit Tuesday to Vernonia and a fly-over there and other affected areas. “I’m going to tell you who the heroes were from the very beginning of this…the ham radio operators. These people just came in and actually provided a tremendous communication link to us.”

KE9V has some great comments in his blog about this. Basically, Jeff says he is glad that ham radio can once again come to the rescue in the face of a communications breakdown. But then he questions how our tax dollars are being spent on the public safety communication systems that seem to fail just when they are needed. He has a point here.

In my state (Colorado), the public safety agencies have migrated to a statewide 800 MHz system (based on APCO Project 25). This has really helped with interoperability issues but the system is known to be inadequate for high levels of radio traffic. This is not rocket science…you can evaluate the number of radio sites, the capacity of each site and how many radio transceivers and transmissions that need to be supported. The answer is when a wide scale emergency occurs, the 800 MHz system is likely to be overloaded.

It is great that ham radio can fill in the gaps, but these systems should be designed to operate in adverse conditions.

73, Bob K0NR