RVWARS NEWSLETTER for March 2003 Newsletter Archive 
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Published by the Rip Van Winkle Amateur Radio Society, Inc.
 Page 2 — March, 2003 |
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Conversion Ratios
For those who thought the hardest part of Physics 101 was the constant conversion from feet and inches to the metric system, including all its Newtons, Joules, and Watts, here are some other useful conversions:
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Solar Plotting Software
Have you ever thought that the propagation bulletins have a lot of information but you just can’t visualize what the numbers mean? Well W4TTK has developed a slick little program that will turn all those numbers into a line graph. Best of all, it’s free.
The program extracts the numbers from the weekly bulletin and shows the flux in blue and sunspots in red. The upper graph covers from 1989 through February 2003 while the lower covers September 2002 through February 2003. |
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What is This?
This is a screen shot of a PSK31 conversation. If you look closely on the bottom center you can see a red arrow (about 2000.4) that is tracking a signal whose image can be seen but not heard. Now that’s weak signal (QRP) work. This was done with a demo copy of Digipan and a |
RigBlaster interface but there are loads of good, free programs and you can make a junk box interface in a couple minutes. Many of these programs can do several digital modes and the price is right.
Give them a try. Almost any old computer with a sound card will work.
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Page 3 — February, 2003 |
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Just the other day as I sat looking out the window and hoping the temp would get above the single digits I began to design a Field Day antenna. Not just any antenna but one to be used the last weekend of June! Now you might think this strange but, for many of us a little long in the fang, Field Day was the highlight of the Amateur year. We took the operating event seriously and rigs did not go unused for a minute. It was not a contest with others but a test of our skills, our ability to get on the air and most important a test of our ability to help others acquire a level of proficiency greater than they had before the weekend. The now defunct ”Novice Station” was a magnet for the best operators. Strange when you know that only folks with a Novice license could operate it but not so when you understand the pleasure (and yeah, a little pride) we felt when new comers made that first contact and then went on to operate the station with a big grin showing. So what’s my point you ask? Well we need to bring this type of thing back to Field Day so today’s amateurs will be able to look back and remember the support they got the way we do. The current licensing system lets us too easily forget that an Amateur ticket is a learners permit and we had lots of help learning. Remember when your Elmer brushed off your thanks by saying “I had lots of help and was told the price was that I had to pass it on?” Well?????
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QNZ.....
(Continued from Page 1)
Mark was on his way to Pen Yan to pick up a load and then on to the Chicago area before returning a load to a city near his home in Pennsylvania. We shared the usual rig and HAM history info, occupational comparisons, travel experiences, etc. It made for a nicer trip for both of us and we didn’t tie up a repeater in the process.
Looking for that extra rig to monitor simplex while driving? Just by coincidence, this month’s meeting is the annual auction. You should be able to pick up that extra 2 meter rig plus several other ‘must have items’ for the shack and the mobile. More details elsewhere in this newsletter. This is our biggest fund raiser so spread the word and tell everyone to bring cash. Stan’s credit card machine is broken!
Editor’s Comments: The Columbia County ARES will be holding a meeting following the RVWARS meeting and Auction on March 17th. This is very important. One of the reasons that Ham radio exists is to function as a public service in providing emergency communications. Especially now with the threat of terrorism in this country it is imperative that every Ham has the means to communicate in an emergency…. Without using commercial power. The other important point is knowing what to do and how to handle messages. This is why we have a weekly ARES net. To learn proper procedure and message handling. Yes, I know we are all a bunch of individuals who have no interest in acting anything like military radio operators. But, when the time comes and we have to communicate intelligent, understandable messages, it’s good to know how it’s done and exactly what you should say and do.
I hope to see everyone at the ARES meeting. I also hope to hear everyone on our Tuesday evening ARES net.
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