NWS Basic Radar Class Was Great

Saturday from 10am until about 1pm (or so) I went to the Fire Training Center building (Ouachita parish EOC building) to attend the basic radar interpretation class given by a member  of the Shreveport NWS office, Keith Stelhan.

We were familiarized with GRLevel 2 analyst GRLevel 3.

We were shown what storm features to be concerned with as well as calculating relative wind speeds, and other radar anomalies.

I enjoyed the class and took some pictures. 

Of the people who were there, here are some I know:  W5DSG Dave, KF5HLX Chris, KF5HLY Sean, Don Wheeler, N5ARM Bob, KD5IGZ Duffy, WC5M Mark, and a few others. 

Here's the Pictures I took:

Emergency Frequencies for Japan Crisis

I borrowed this list of frequencies from the Tri-County Amateur Radio Association web page. 

Please kindly keep these frequencies clear. 

• 3525KHz+/-5KHz
• 7030KHz+/-5KHz
• 14.100MHz+/-10KHz
• 21.200MHz+/-10KHz
• 28.200MHz+/-10KHz
• 50.100MH、51.000MH、51.500MHz
• 144.100MHz、145.000MHz、145.500MHz
• 430.100MHz、433.000MHz、433.500MHz

Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Hams Helping Hams: Some Ways to help each other

Helping our Amateur Radio Friends can be looked at a number of different ways.


1. Benefiting the ARRL (Many, Many hams)
2. Community level: Benefiting your local hams while volunteering in a club.
3. Individual level


We might further break down the types of help we can give:


1. Supporting/opposing Legislation
2. Availing Technical Expertise in pursuit of common goals.
3. Availing examples good amateur radio practices
4. Training or Teaching things – give classes on building circuits and antennas, for instance.


I have been helped way more than most, I think, with the individual type. Folks have given or let me borrow equipment, they’ve given/built antennas and they are very appreciated.


One of the best types of help I have not mentioned yet, is self help.


If I am given every little thing, and if every little thing is built for me, my growth in this hobby will surely be stunted. 

That said, growth in our hobby can be defined as, "engaging in new aspects with an adventurist' spirit."  Otherwise, boredom can set in.

I plan on building a 2 meter antenna in the next few months. I’ll tell you how it goes.

Study: Sunspots could soon disappear for decades

(PhysOrg.com) -- Sunspot formation is triggered by a magnetic field, which scientists say is steadily declining. They predict that by 2016 there may be no remaining sunspots, and the sun may stay spotless for several decades.

The last time the sunspots disappeared altogether was in the 17th and 18th century, and coincided with a lengthy cool period on the planet known as the Little Ice Age. ..FULL STORY

KE5UTN COMMENTS: 

This situation will come as a disappointment for global-warming and Amateur Radio Enthusiasts alike.

Just about all Hams relish the increased communication distance that comes with sunspot activity, so not having them would diminish the spirits of hams everywhere.

I am told we just came out of a lull in sunspot activity, and the recent increased activity has excited not only our signals, but our spirits as well.

Hopefully these no-spot predictions will not come to pass and we can continue enjoying their energizing effects.

*** What are your thoughts?  Feel free to leave a comment.

Ham radio operators are upset over bill

The following exerpt comes from The Springfield News-Leader:  -

Washington -- Springfield Rep. Billy Long is co-sponsoring a bill in the U.S. Congress that ham radio enthusiasts and others say jeopardizes a system they say is a vital part of emergency communications plans across the country.

When a tornado or ice storm hits southwest Missouri, nearly all of the first-hand reports come via ham radio enthusiasts, often providing crucial and timely information for the National Weather Service.

"They are a critical component of the National Weather Service's job to protect life and property," said Steve Reynolds of the Springfield office of the National Weather Service.
----------------

This is a really good article that points out the importance of ham radio and gives good justification for leaving our frequencies alone.

It is reported in this article that Long said he didn't know we hams had a problem with this bill. 

I would hope he'd do his homework before offering legislation like this.  He should have conducted an exploratory study on the current ban plan and consulted with the potentially affected organizations.

What do you think?  Leave a Message or sign my Guestbook.  Thanks

On-Line Ham Radio Coverage of Disaster: Maritime Mobile Radio Watch

I’m streaming Ham radio in support of the Tsunami and Earthquake areas. You can listen in on my Live KE5UTN Channel. -Posted at 2:19pm Central time zone.



I’ll be switching to the Region 5 Traffic net at 3:15, participate in that net, then switch back to the first frequency.

The Current frequency is 14.300-, and it is the Maritime Mobile Net.

Link to KE5UTN Livestream Channel