Day Trading in Amateur Radio Callsigns

The FCC is inviting comments on a Petition for Rule Making (RM-11775) from a Nevada radio amateur that seeks changes to the rules governing the Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Program. Christopher LaRue, W4ADL, of North Las Vegas, is proposing that any licensee obtaining a vanity call sign be required to keep it for the full license term.

LaRue contends in his petition that excessive and frequent vanity call sign filings are hampering the ability of other qualified licensees to obtain vanity call signs in one of the more desirable 1 x 2 or 2 x 1 formats. LaRue said that since the FCC dropped the fee to file for a vanity call sign, some applicants are taking advantage by regularly obtaining new call signs, thereby keeping them out of circulation.

The petition can be found on the web in PDF format here.

"Some are changing call signs almost monthly, just to keep the newer code-free Extra class operators from obtaining a shorter call sign," he said in his petition. "I even saw an older operator that said he does it all the time and has not even owned a radio in over 6 years. When I looked him up, he has had 16 different [call signs] in 18 months."

LaRue said his proposed minor rule change would require any licensee applying for and obtaining an Amateur Radio vanity call sign "be required to keep it for the duration of the license, which is currently 10 years." He said this would "alleviate a lot of the stress on the ULS system and manpower requirements" at the FCC. "It will also keep inactive amateurs from changing call signs regularly, thereby tying up call signs for 2 years after dismissal of said call."

Interested parties may comment using the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at, https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/ . Comments are due within 30 days of the October 26 posting date.

Hat entered in "Paint the Town Pink"

The Rusk County Amateur Radio Club entered a custom-designed hat in Henderson's 2016 "Paint the Town Pink" cancer event. The fundraiser is organized by the Henderson Fire Department and co-hosted by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and ETMC Henderson. The event will be emceed by David (W5CWT).

The club's hat, designed and donated by Craig (AG5RI), will be one of nearly 30 hats modeled by city and county officials before being auctioned to the highest bidder. Each table can tip their servers as well as the hot models. All the funds raised by the event are distributed by the fire department to local residents who have a loved-one battling cancer.

Paint the Town Pink is from 5:30-7:30pm, Tuesday, October 4th at the Henderson Civic Center. The event is free and includes a hot dog supper.

CAUTION: How much RF is too much?

It used to be a simple matter of stick it up, hook it up and transmit. And for some hams, that's still the case. But the first rule of good hamming is "Be safe" and that means watching out for the seen (like guy-wires in strange places) and the unseen (like too much RF).

It hasn't been that long ago that the FCC began requiring basic RF exposure evaluations for certain ham stations. In fact, many hams still remember the firestorm of controversy that accompanied the 1997 release of RF exposure standards by the FCC. The storm has subsided and the regulations now include a complete table showing every ham band and the RF level that triggers and required RF evaluation.

New hams may find this all a little confusing. But let's be honest, experienced hams could use a refresher course every now then as well. Here's a great article from QST with a complete overview of RF exposure. The ARRL has a nice page with lots of additional resources. and The HamRadioSchool.com has some great info as well.

Bottom line...Have Fun, but Be Safe!

The Deep Mysteries of SWR Exposed!

You learn about it when studying for the Tech exam, but it's really not until you hook up that first antenna and find no one can hear you that you truly begin to understand the importance of SWR (or standing wave ratio). Of course, that doesn't mean you understand it, just that it IS important.

Sometimes it seems that SWR is one of the most mysterious creatures in the world of Amateur Radio. You can even hear on-air discussion of guys bragging about and comparing their SWR numbers as if it were a contest. There seems to be a relentless drive to achieve the most coveted 1:1 SWR at any cost. But why? This article (in PDF format from the ARRL) is written to help explain what SWR actually is, what makes it bad and when to worry about it.

Understanding SWR by Example

Shhh....Can your Pi wisper?

If you are not familiar with the Raspberry PI, it is basically a full computer on a single board. The current version (v3) has bluetooth, Wifi, USB, HDMI output for a monitor, audio and more--all for $35! It runs Linux as the operating system (which is free). It includes 40 GPIO ports on the board. GPIO are awesome (here's how) since they are FAST can be used for anything. Some hams figured out a way to modulate the digital signal on a couple of GPIOs in way that it generates an RF signal. Plug a tuned wire into it like an antenna and PROOF...you've got a transmitter.

One problem is that since it is a down and dirty adaptation, it produces lots of harmonics and outputs about 10mW. The TAPR folks created a new board that plugs into the GPIO, adding band-pass filtering and cleans up the signal. Another guy in the UK did something similar but also added an amplifier boosting the signal to 150mW. And the UK version is actually cheaper than the TAPR one.

So, what can you do with it?? Well, plug SDR stick into it and you could use it as a QRP rig. But many folks are using it as a WSPR rig (pronounced "whisper" and stands for "Weak Signal Propagation Reporter"). WSPRnet.org is a group of people who use the same (free) software to control low-power beacons all around the world. The radio transmits a digital message then listens and logs all the stations it hears. It automatically uploads the data to the website which compiles a comprehensive, real-time picture of world-wide propagation.

Other Interesting Sites:
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/building-a-ham-tranceiver-with-an-rtl-sdr-raspberry-pi-and-rpitx/
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/transmitting-fm-am-ssb-sstv-and-fsq-with-just-a-raspberry-pi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6smyUoLugsg
http://hackaday.com/2014/06/15/easily-turn-your-raspberry-pi-into-an-fm-transmitter/

Two new weather sites look great!

Two new weather sites offer some nice details in amazingly beautiful packages. Both sites have very similar looks and include some impressive animation that shows wind speed and direction.

Ventusky offers a nice set of options including an overlay showing current CAPE values. The temperature overlay has five options showing the temperatures from the ground level all the way to 9000 feet up. It also allows you to look into the future with wind forecasting.

The Windyty site offers a similar layout and has options to show as much or as little weather info as you want. It also has a free Android app available so you can enjoy it on the road.

You may not use these sites during severe events or for high-accuracy radar, but they seem to offer an impressive and unique view of current conditions.

Rusk County resident earns his ticket!

There is another new Rusk County ham this week after Danny passed his Technician license Thursday night before the club's monthly club meeting. Danny attributed his near-perfect score to lots of study leading up to the test.

Danny was one of several prospective hams who participated in the club's Technician Class over several Saturday's in April. Now it is just a matter of time until he is assigned a callsign by the F.C.C.

All the member of the club congratulate Danny on his accomplishment!

"Forever" stamps...now for QSL cards!

QSL cards are one of the things I love about ham radio. I have collected them since I first got my license nearly 25 years ago. But trying to make sure I have the write amount of postage for my cards in the everchange world of postal rates has been a pain. Now, the worry is gone.

The United States Postal Service's popular first class "Forever" stamp concept has now been extended to postcards. The "Forever" stamp was created several years ago so that you would not have to purchase additional one or two-cent stamps every time the rates when up. They were printed with the word "Forever" on the stamp instead of a value so you could simply use the stamp on first class letters regardless of the current postage rate or how much you originally paid for it.

Now, the post office has introduced a "Forever" stamp in a postcard variety. The stamp has no value printed on it, but does include the word "Postcard". It currently costs 34-cents to mail a postcard, so a 100-stamp roll coast $34 but you can use them "Forever"! Ask for them at the post office.

Field Day 2016 has Finally Arrived!

Join us for Field Day this weekend at the OEM building (behind the courthouse in Henderson). Here's a map if you need directions.

We will begin setting up around 11am Saturday (June 25) and the event will officially start at 1pm. We will man the station all night until 1pm Sunday.

Thanks to several club members who will be bringing their own radios, you'll get a chance to see and USE some top-of-the-line equipment. We will have at least two antennas up including the vertical permanently installed on the roof of the OEM.

So call the kids and wake the neighbors and join us for fun, fellowship and food! It's a great way to introduce someone to the excitment of amatuer radio! You can even step up to the mic and make some contacts. Your efforts can help use repeat our first place for 2F stations in the West Gulf Division!

See you there!

The Shack of O'Dell Hunter, K5ILL (SK)

O'Dell (K5ILL) and wife Dorrthy

By Keith (KN5G) - This morning I had the rare privilege of visiting the shack of a fellow HAM that I had never met. O’Dell Hunter, K5ILL, of Henderson, Texas is now a Silent Key, but I enjoyed visiting with him vicariously today through some of his personal items that have survived him over the years. A quick search on the Internet when I got back home revealed that O’Dell had passed away in 1980. His wife, Dorothy, just recently passed away in March of this year, explaining the estate sale being held at their home, and how I happened to discover O’Dell’s “Shack”.

Suzanne, a friend of mine was helping with an estate sale being held at the Hunter’s home. She recognized a framed Texas Radio Operator’s license plate from 1975, and knowing that I might be interested in some of the amateur radio related items gave me a phone call and suggested that I come and look through some of them.

Arriving at the estate sale, there were two cardboard boxes of QSL cards on the living room floor that O’Dell had collected over the years. Many of these cards were from Europe, Africa, and South America. Most were dated in the mid to late fifties, about the time I was born. I wish I would have had the time to look through each of them. As a fellow HAM, I know that each QSL card held a very special memory for O’Dell. I have a few paper QSL cards myself that I cherish, but most of my contact confirmations are electronic, buried somewhere in the memory of my personal computer, or