Archive for the 'Amateur Radio News' Category

22
May

The shit volcano at Dayton

Okay…. Armageddon didn’t happen as planned, but at the Dayton Hamfest today, it seemed very likely that at least one of the plagues was being imposed by a vengeful God on the Amateur Radio community.

Our contacts at Dayton witnessed what can only be described as a shit fountain of unprecedented proportions. Undoubtedly, some overweight ham overtaxed the Hara Center’s plumbing system, causing a rupture of the sewer main underneath the outdoor exhibition area, in the middle of some hapless vendors and by the food preparation area.. Fountains of human feces erupted from the pavement, creating a river of liquid shit as yet unseen in the long and storied history of the Dayton Hamvention.

It was the rivers of feces, toilet paper and urine creeping into the vendor’s merchandise that was the first clue — no one noticed the telltale smell that such an event brings with it because everybody’s nose had long since gone numb inhaling the combined bodily odour of thousands of fat, smelly hams all weekend.

These photos were submitted by our spies, and I gotta warn you… they made me fucking gag. Not so much seeing hammy turds piled like cordwood, but that the Hara workers are standing in a LAKE OF LIQUID SHIT wearing nothing but sneakers. If you look closely, you can see that the man’s PANT LEGS ARE FUCKING DAMP.

If there was ever an unintended but wholly accurate editorial on the state of amateur radio in North America, it fucking happened at Dayton this year. Not only are normal people repelled by hams, even their excreta can’t stand to be associated with them.

***WARNING… THESE PHOTOS WILL MELT YOUR SOUL***

click the image for bigger, but take heed…

shit4.jpg

shit3.jpg

shit1.jpg

shit2.jpg

Got any more photos from Dayton? Send them on over!

23
Mar

Amateur Radio Scholarships Available

From time to time we at Hamsexy try to be serious (yeah right) about amateur radio and the good things provided. Well here is one of those times. Please read the below press release from The Foundation for Amateur Radio, we encourage all amateurs to apply for any and all scholarships for which they are eligable in these hard economic times.

==> FOUNDATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO INVITES SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR)
is now accepting applications for 48
scholarships for the academic year 2009-2010 to assist radio amateurs
pursuing higher education.

FAR fully funds two of scholarships and administers 46 others without
cost on behalf of various club and individual donors. Amateur Radio
licensees pursuing a full-time course of study beyond high school and
accepted by or enrolled in an accredited university, college or
technical school are eligible to apply. Scholarship grants range from
$500 to $5000, and preference in some cases goes to applicants living in
particular geographical areas or pursuing certain studies. Non-US
residents are eligible to apply for some of the scholarships.

FAR encourages clubs — especially those in California, Delaware,
Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin — to
announce these scholarship opportunities at meetings, in newsletters,
during training classes, on nets and on their Web sites.

More information and an application form may be requested by letter via
e-mail or by sending a QSL card postmarked prior to March 30, 2009, to
FAR Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738. The application
deadline is May 1, 2009. Headquartered in Washington, DC, FAR consists
of more than 75 area Amateur Radio Clubs. FAR is devoted to promoting
the interests of Amateur Radio and those scientific, literary and
educational pursuits that advance the purposes of the Amateur Radio
Service.

11
Apr

Hams to the rescue

Local hams in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta keep local emergency services online.

http://www.crowsnestpasspromoter.com/News/391624.html

A failure to communicate…

By Bryan Passifiume
Reporter, Crowsnest Pass Promoter
Friday April 11, 2008

It was a tense weekend for emergency workers as equipment failures brought the Crowsnest Pass emergency radio system to its knees, causing the municipality’s paramedics and firefighters to rely on cellular phones to communicate with dispatchers.

The failure occurred on Thursday afternoon, when a repeater near Hartell Ridge failed, cutting off local workers from their dispatchers in Black Diamond. Members from the Crowsnest Pass Amateur Radio Club worked throughout the weekend to repair the equipment, finally restoring service Monday evening.

Emergency communications in the Crowsnest Pass follows a complex and often problematic path from the Crowsnest Pass to dispatchers in Black Diamond. Communications are routed from the main repeater site on top of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, and transmitted to a tower in Burmis. From there, a VHF radio link transmits the signal about 145 kilometres north to another tower near Hartell, which is then transmitted to the dispatch centre at Black Diamond Hospital.

These multiple and sometimes long distance hops periodically cause problems, as a single issue between any of these radio sites can cut emergency workers off from their dispatcher.

These issues, along with reception issues, will be solved once a new radio repeater is installed at the Amateur Radio Society’s repeater site on Ironstone Mountain, but that can’t take place until the snow melts enough to allow access.

According to members of the amateur radio society, who are generally responsible for maintenance of the radio system, the new repeater system is ready to go, it’s just a matter of getting access to Ironstone Mountain.

Paramedics had to rely on dispatchers calling them on cellular phones in order to receive calls. According to Crowsnest Pass EMS director Troy Linderman, the failure of the radio system cost the service close to $300 in extra airtime. As well, as EMS currently has a usage contract with Rogers, crews weren’t able to get a signal in some parts of the Pass, specifically Frank and north of the community.
According to Paramedic Nick Spencer, crews were delayed by several minutes as dispatchers attempted to reach crews who were on duty to assign incoming calls.

“It delays our response time because dispatch has to call us on our cell phones,” Spencer told The Promoter. “Sometimes, due to coverage issues, they had to call us three or four times before they could get through.”
Even though the delay in responding to incidents didn’t cause any serious incidents, emergency workers are concerned that repeated failures of the system could cause serious problems down the road.
“It slows everything down and we’re all about speed,” Spencer added. “In an emergency, every second counts.”

13
Dec

Scholarship Announcement

So you think all we are about is laughing at ourselves and our fellow amateurs? Well on occasion, we highlight items that help the amateur community as well. And since one of our members is the President of The Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR), we thought we would post the following press release for him announcing the opening of the 2008 Scholarship year.

As usual, we do have to put a minor dig in and say that if you are a licensed amateur and you are going to post secondary school, you would have to be a total idiot to not apply for any of the 55 scholarships being offered. So without any further banter, the press release follows:

THE FOUNDATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO, INC., a non-profit organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C., plans to administer fifty-five (55) scholarships for the academic year 2008 – 2009 to assist licensed Radio Amateurs. The Foundation, composed of over seventy-five local area Amateur Radio Clubs, fully funds three of these scholarships. Eleven are funded with the income from grants. The remaining forty-two (42) are administered by the Foundation without cost to the various donors.

Licensed Radio Amateurs may compete for these awards if they plan to pursue a full-time course of studies beyond high school and are enrolled in or have been accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college or technical school. The awards range from $500 to $3000 with preference given in some cases to residents of specified geographical areas or the pursuit of certain study programs. Amateur Radio Clubs, especially those in Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, are encouraged to announce these opportunities at their meetings, in their club newsletters, during training classes, on their nets and on their world wide web home pages.

Additional information and an application form may be requested by letter or QSL card postmarked prior to March 30, 2007. Please send name, call and address to:

FAR Scholarships
Post Office Box 831
Riverdale, MD 20738

Applications are also available electronically for download from the FAR web site http://www.amateurradio-far.org/.

The Foundation for Amateur Radio, incorporated in the District of Columbia, is an exempt organization under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. It is devoted exclusively to promoting the interests of Amateur Radio and those scientific, literary and educational pursuits that advance the purposes of the Amateur Radio Service.

The Foundation encourages all qualified amateurs to apply for these awards.

The following awards will be available for the upcoming academic year:

1. The four (4) 10-10 International Net, Inc., Scholarships pay $1,500 each.
a) There is no restriction on the course of study.
b) Applicants must seek an Associate, Bachelor’s or Graduate degree.
c) Non-US amateurs are eligible.
d) Applicants must be a 10-10 member or provide a recommendation from a member of the 10 10 International Net.

2. There are five (5) Baltimore Amateur Radio Club Scholarships, 4 pay $1,000 and 1 pays $1,500.
a) Applicants must be Maryland residents.
b) For three of the 4 – $1,000 awards, preference will be given to those who have
c) Successfully completed one year of college or
d) Have been previous winners of this award.
e) The fourth award, which is reserved for
f) An entering first year student,
g) Will be renewable for three years if the student remains in good academic standing throughout the period.
h) The fifth award, paying $1,500, has been designated as the Ernie Dobos Memorial Scholarship with
i) Preference given to a Baltimore City resident.
j) Applicants must be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree.

3. The Columbia Amateur Radio Association, Inc., Scholarship pays $1,000. It is available to
a) Maryland residents
b) Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree
c) In any course of study.

4. The Frederick Amateur Radio Club Scholarship pays $1,000.
a) There is no restriction on the course of study.
b) Applicants must reside within 150 miles of Frederick, Maryland;
c) Preference will be given to qualified applicants from Frederick County, Maryland.
d) Applicant must be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree.

5. The Free State Amateur Radio Club Scholarship pays $500.
a) Applicants must be U.S. citizens
b) Residing in MD, DE, PA, VA or WV and
c) Applicant must be enrolled or accepted for a course in technical studies.
d) Applicants must seek an Associate, Bachelor’s or Graduate degree
e) From a college or university in the United States.

6. The Kevin and Kelly Perdue Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Kay Craigie N3KN and Carter Craigie N3AO, pays $2,000.
a) Applicants must pursue a Bachelor’s degree with a
b) Course of study in the liberal arts, humani¬ties, or social sciences
c) From a U.S. college or university.

7. The Murgas Amateur Radio Club Scholarship pays $500.
a) Applicants must be residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and
b) Seek a Bachelor’s degree
c) From a U.S. college or university.
d) There is no restriction on the course of study.

8. The Nanticoke Amateur Radio Club Scholarship pays $1,000.
a) Preference will be given to
i. Those studying Architecture, Engineering, Electronics, Science or a related field
ii. At an institu¬tion of higher learning in the U.S.
b) Applicants must pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
c) Residence requirement: Delaware, DC, Maryland, or Virginia

9. The Lawrence E. and Thelma J. Norrie Memorial Scholarship, pays $2,500.
a) Applicant must be a U.S. resident.
b) Preference will be given to
i. Juniors, Seniors and Graduate students
ii. With an academic Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher
iii. Who are pursuing a Bachelor’s or higher degree
iv. In science or engineering.

10. The Old Old Timers Club Scholarship pays $600.
c) There are no restrictions as to residence, license class, or course of study.
d) The applicant must intend to seek at least an Associate Degree and
e) Be recommended by an OOTC member.

11. OZAUKEE Radio Club Scholarship pays $1,000.
a) It is available to Wisconsin residents
b) Pursing a Bachelor’s or Graduate degree
c) In any course of study.

12. The Claude H. Haring, Jr., W3IIM Memorial Scholarship sponsored by the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club, Inc. pays $2,000.
a) There is no restriction on the course of study.
b) Applicants must intend to seek a Bachelor’s or Graduate degree, and
c) Reside in the Eastern Pennsylvania or Southern New Jersey ARRL Sections.

13. The Clinton R (Jim) Spencer Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club, Inc. pays $2,000.
a) There is no restriction on the course of study.
b) Applicants must intend to seek a Bachelor’s or Graduate degree, and
c) Reside in the Eastern Pennsylvania or Southern New Jersey ARRL Sections.

14. There are eighteen (18) Quarter Century Wireless Association Scholarships. These include 12 Memorial Scholarships at $1,000 each, the Jacobson-Kelleher Family at $1,000, the Leo Meyerson Family at $1,000, the Wes Randles at $1,100, the Don and Phyllis Doughty Family at $1,400, the Ralph Hasslinger at $1,600, and the Leland Smith at $1,600.
a) There are no restrictions on the course of study and
b) Applicants must intend to seek an Associate, Bachelor’s or Graduate degree.
c) There is no residence area preference.
d) Applicants must be recommended by a member of QCWA, but
e) May not themselves be members of QCWA.
f) Non-US Amateurs are eligible.

15. There are three (3) Radio Club of America Scholarships, which pay $1,000 each.
a) Preference will be given to applicants pursuing studies in elect¬rical engi¬neer¬ing
b) Toward a Bachelor’s degree and
c) Be U.S. citizens.
d) Applicants must be in their Junior or Senor year of studies.
e) Preference will be given to applicants taking courses in Wireless Communications.
f) Minimum license requirement – General Class.

16. The Ralph V. “Andy” Anderson KØNL Scholarship pays $1,000.

a) There is no restriction on the course of study, but
b) Preference will be given to applicants pursuing a degree in Journalism.
c) Applicants must be residents of the U.S. or its territories.
d) Applicants must be seeking a Bachelor’s degree.
e) Minimum license requirement – General Class.

17. The Chuck Reville, K3FT Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Phillip Karn, KA9Q, pays $1,000.

a) Applicants must intend to seek a Bachelor’s degree
b) In any branch of the engineering or physical sciences.
c) There is no residence requirement.

18. The Richard G. Chichester Memorial Scholarship pays $2,000.
a) Applicants must be members of the ARRL and
b) be recommended by an ARRL-affiliated club (they need not be a member of the club).
c) There is no restriction on the course of study.
d) Applicant must be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree.
e) Preference will be given to Texas resi¬dents living in the metropolitan areas of Austin, Kerrville or San Antonio.
f) Minimum license requirement – General Class.

19. The Robert E. True Memorial Scholarship pays $1,000.
a) Applicants must be residents of the state of Ohio
b) Seeking a Bachelor’s degree
c) At a US college or university.
d) Preference will be given to those pursuing courses in Electrical Engineering or Electronic/Computer Technology.

20. The Rose Ellen Bills Memorial Scholar¬ship pays $2,000.
a) There is no restric¬tion on the course of study.
b) Applicants must be a resident of the U.S. or its territories
c) Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree
d) Minimum license requirement – General Class

21. There are three (3) Silent Key Memorial Scholarships, which pay $3,000 each,
a) available to U.S. Residents,
b) pursing any course of study
c) leading to a Bachelor’s degree.
d) Preference will be given to residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

22. The Ernest L. Walker, WB3DVL, Memorial Scholarship sponsored by the Baltimore Radio Amateur Television Society pays $1,000.
a) There is no restriction on the course of study.
b) Applicants must pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
c) Applicants must reside within 150 miles of Baltimore, Maryland.
d) Preference will be given to Maryland residents.

23. The Tulare County Memorial Scholarship pays $1,000.
a) Applicants must be working towards a Bachelors or higher degree
b) In engineering or computer science, and
c) Be residents of the State of California.
d) Preference will be given to applicants who
i. Are living in Tulare County, California and
ii. Who have not previously received a FAR scholarship.

24. The Dwight Weller, KB3LA, Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by Phillip Karn, KA9Q, pays $1,000.
a) Applicants must intend to seek a Bachelor’s degree
b) In any branch of the engineering or physical sciences.
c) There is no residence requirement.

25. The WARAC Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by the West Allis Radio Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pays $1,500.
a) Applicants must be Wisconsin residents
a) Pursuing an Associate, Bachelor’s or Graduate degree
b) In any course of study.

26. There are two (2) Young Ladies’ Radio League Memorial Scholarships that pay $1,500 each.
a) Applicants must hold at least an FCC Technician Class or equivalent foreign authorization and
b) Intend to seek a Bachelor’s or Graduate degree
c) From a U.S. college or university.
d) There are no residence and
e) Preference will be given to female applicants
f) Preference will be give students studying communications, electronics, or related arts and sciences
g) Non-US Amateurs are eligible.


Diane Zimmerman AA3OF
4708 Montgomery Place
Beltsville, MD 20705
301-937-0394
Chairman, Laurel Amateur Radio Club Volunteer Examiner Coordinator
Chairman, Foundation For Amateur Radio Scholarship Committee

13
Nov

New IARU bandplan threatens AM

The following message is n behalf of the AM Forum team at amfone.net, reprinted here as a courtesy and to get their message out.

Please take a few minutes to consider what follows — some concerns a number of us have recently identified that are related to a suggested HF band plan coming from a group of volunteers known as the International Amateur Radio Union. This plan takes effect in January.
I would ask that you endorse and express these concerns yourself in an email to some of the key people in the IARU, some of whom have kindly offered to revise their plan in acknowledgment of the healthy and growing presence of AM activity on HF.

The following is a letter outlining these concerns that you may adapt in your own words, or simply incorporate as written in an email under your signature.
Thank you for taking the time. Amending proposals such as this will help preclude any regulatory moves in the future that could cause problems for AM operations. Achieving positive change will also allow the AM Community to support the IARU’s voluntary plan, which is not possible as it is now written.

Thank you for your consideration.
Paul Courson WA3VJB
AMfone – amfone.net
The AM Forum  Team

Continue reading ‘New IARU bandplan threatens AM’

23
Aug

Amateur Radio Newsline site hacked

Thanks to our own KC9ECI for pointing this one out….

It seems, for some reason, the website for the Amateur Radio Newsline has been hacked. KC9ECI reports that, as of around 7:30 ET tonight, the site’s URL http://www.arnewsline.org/ was redirecting visitors to http://www.byalbayx.somee.com/index.htm.

Bill Pasternak WA6ITF has posted a bulletin regarding the hack:

Actualy, the term “was hacked for a few minutes” is far more apropos.

We (ARNewsline, Inc.) use a web hosing company that provides real time monitoring of our site by “live” personnel. When the intrusion was noted, the source was electronically investigated and traced. As soon as the hackers originating IP was found, our site was secured and taken off-line.

It could have been taken off a bit earlier, but we are rather eager to catch the hacker (which in this case might just happen). And yes: If th person can be identified we will ask the he/she be prosecuted.

ARNewsline.org should be back up in a few hours – or less. Hopefully in time for the release of the next newscast Friday morning EDT. If not, the text version will be posted here on QRZ.com and the audio will be on the phone lines.

Our promise: One way or another, the news of ham radio you are awaiting will be delivered.

Thank you for your continuing support of the Amateur Radio Newsline. It is truly appreciated.

de
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF
ARNewsline, Inc.

Why a hacker would choose ARN to ply his trade, I don’t know… But I suppose it can happen to anyone.

More news will come as it develops!

04
May

Whacker shoots at cops

paul.jpgThis is HAMSEXY BREAKING NEWS!

 As posted by Steve KC5SAS on the Hamsexy Forums, famous REACT whacker and past feature on this site Col. Paul Broussard is in a little bit of trouble, accused of firing upon police officers outside of his house. This is BREAKING NEWS, and we will try to update this story as more details are made available. Previously, the good Colonel has graced these pages in reference to the uber-whackeristic REACT team he founded, to the embarassment of local Hams and REACTors in Louisiana. According to our information, he has a history of casual impersonation while carrying weapons.

We also present…

His Yahoo Profile
His Website

Anyhow, here’s what KC5SAS posted on the forums:

Almost most everyone here is familiar with South Louisiana’s major nutjob, Colonel Paul Broussard. He is famous here for having chartered a REACT Team and having some of the most Whackertific vehicles ever presented on the pages of Hamsexy.

Now he’s in jail after surrendering this evening following a shootout and stand off with police. At http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6472531 you can find a video of the report showing the Colonel being arrested and a reporter discussing how well known the Colonel is to local cops because of his political views and driving vehicles with police lights and equiptment on them. From the news site:

Standoff in Scott Ends After Suspect Turns Self In
May 4, 2007 06:06 PM CDT

Shootout Ends in ScottA standoff in Scott ended just before 6:00pm Friday after a man accused of shooting a Scott Police Officer turned himself in.In an exclusive phone call with TV 10 Col. Paul Broussard says he fired at the law enforcement officers outside his home.It happened at the Landall Estates between Abassador Caffery and Mills St. on Willow. Police are still on the scene of the standoff in Scott right now.Stay tuned to TV 10 for more information on this developing story.This guy was a major embarassement to a group of hams who tried to form a legit Radio club through REACT. There were complaints to the REACT Board requesting that his charter be pulled but he was allowed to continue to Whack under the REACT title. Today’s news has already been passed on to the lawyers for REACT International. I’m sure they will not be happy to watch the video at that link.   

 

Stay tuned for more details.      

25
Feb

rec.radio.amateur.moderated

I saw this post on QRZ today by Paul K3FU – thought it was worth re-posting here:

(first part of the message (delimited by the > pointy things) is from http://www.big-8.org/

>                                 RESULT
>              rec.radio.amateur.moderated will be created
>
>The Last Call for Comments on 12 Feb 2007 initiated a five-day period for
>final comments.  Following this comment period, the Big-8 Management Board
>has decided by consensus to create the newsgroup rec.radio.amateur.moderated.
>
>This group will be created on 22 Feb 2007.
>
>
>NEWSGROUPS LINE: rec.radio.amateur.moderated
>
>rec.radio.amateur.moderated    Amateur radio practices, rules, etc.(Moderated)

(Read more at: RESULT:  rec.radio.amateur.moderated will be created)

I’d like to thank our Usenet Groups Mentor, Tim Skirvin, and the rest of the Big-8 Board.  I’d especially like to thank the readership of rec.radio.amateur.*, who followed up with many positive comments in support of this proposal.  I certainly would not have been able to bring this proposal to Usenet without the assistance of the rest of our moderation team.  The Request for Discussion (RFD) process has also yielded two additional, highly-qualified, volunteers to serve as moderators, and we look forward to working with them as well.

The administrators at Panix assure us that the newgroup control message will be honored immediately, and automatically, so we should be ready to take submissions for the new newsgroup very shortly after that.

We will work with the readers to assist them in getting the newsgroup created at sites that do not automatically honor newgroup control messages.

If you do not have local access to news, this new newsgroup should also be available shortly at Google:

Google Groups

We will also seek to submit our Posting Guidelines for cross-posting to the rec.radio.info, rec.answers, and news.answers newsgroups to help further publicize this new newsgroup.

I have relayed a pointer to this message to the other rec.radio.amateur.* newsgroups not cross-posted to in the original announcement.  I have also passed pointers to the QRZ.com and eHam.net blogs.  I am grateful for the support and responsiveness of the QRZ team in getting the RFD announcements promptly posted as news items on the front page of QRZ. Our contacts at the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) have also expressed tentative interest in adding an announcement for the new newsgroup as a “Stray” item in a future issue of QST Magazine.

We hope to earn your trust, and obtain your participation, in our new newsgroup.

While I don’t frequent rec.radio.* very often, It should be interesting to see what happens. Unless you’re into reading spam or downloading kiddie porn, Usenet isn’t really very useful for much these days (Those of you who frequented usenet in the ‘good ole days’ know what I’m talking about). Anything moderated on Usenet is a step in the right direction…. the amount of spam and stupidity that lurks on newsgroups these days saddens me beyond all possible limit (well, not really… but it’s concerning).

I wish those involved with this venture the best of luck!




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