Date: Wed, 23 Mar 94 04:30:13 PST From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #320 To: Info-Hams Info-Hams Digest Wed, 23 Mar 94 Volume 94 : Issue 320 Today's Topics: 25_years_of-portable-phone Best cars for mobile HF/VHF DTMF tone gereation source code/Sbalster Grounding and lightning protection--KE4ZV Info on Slovakian hams Info Req. OMEGA SYSTEM IPS Daily Report - 22 March 94 Jeff Herman wins the Net Nazi award. Need Dayton room Send Replies or notes for publication to: Send subscription requests to: Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu. Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available (by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams". We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 23 Mar 94 11:50:59 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: 25_years_of-portable-phone To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Dave Sweigert wrote: > >George Sweigert, now 74, licensed as N9LC since 1975 and formerly >W8ZIS, was granted a patent in June, 1969 for a wireless portable >telephone device. The specific patent claim was for "full duplex >radio communications". > Sorry to put a damper on things, but there was full-duplex portable kit around well before this! Specifically, the 'S-phone' that was used extensively during WWII. Various models existed, the usual one was a 2-tube super-regen receiver [Acorn-type tubes, RCA 954's if i remember correctly] and matching 2-tube self-oscillating transmitter [no xtals]. It fitted in a chest-mounted box, which had a dipole sticking out the front , and dry batteries in a waist-mounted harness; working around 400MHz, with the transmit and receive frequencies staggered by several tens of megahertz. This thing could be hooked into the PSTN if need be [but it needed a control operator at the PSTN/radio interface; the S-phone made no provision for call establishment or disconnection] but it was generally used to coordinate air-drops of supplies to resistance groups. It could even be used as a homing beacon for the air-crew to find the drop zone. There was also full-duplex VHF air-to-air stuff being used by fighter pilots during WWII, again using self-oscillating transmitters and super-regenerative 'rush box' receivers. Some even used a carrier-operated relay as a form of squelch. Also, I believe Motorola had some full-duplex kit pre-WWII, but whether or not this was a commercial product [rather than a technology demonstration] i dont know. I remember reading an article about it, saying it was the first commercial use of 'acorn' tubes. Peter J.M. Lucas NERC Computer Services Swindon England pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk or pjml@uk.ac.nsw.swmis or g6wbj@gb7sdn.gbr.eu "I dont care if you drive at 120MPH, as long as you pull over to let me pass" ------------------------------ Date: 23 Mar 94 10:24:25 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Best cars for mobile HF/VHF To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Probably best to go for 'low-tech' solutions if you are after a radio-quiet environment; the fewer microprocessors etc. you have, the less likely you are to get hit by clock oscillator harmonics etc. Count the number of microprocessors in use; the more there are, the greater the risk of problems! Many auto companies produce 'special pack' models for use by the Police etc; these often come fitted with radio-desirable options [like a bigger alternator, larger battery, proper interference-filtering and pre-installed power take-off terminals] as well as uprated brakes and suspension; you may find a lower level of trim finish, and fewer 'gizmos' though. I used to have an ex-Police Range Rover [the 'Fleetline' model] which had a 120-amp alternator, twin batteries etc. but only rubber mats on the floor. Even Diesels have their problems; apart from being pitifully slow, they may have electronics to control turbos, injection timing, transmission shift, anti-lock brakes etc etc. Peter J.M. Lucas NERC Computer Services Swindon England pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk or pjml@uk.ac.nsw.swmis or g6wbj@gb7sdn.gbr.eu "I do not care if you drive at 120MPH, as long as you pull over to let me pass" ------------------------------ Date: 18 Mar 94 01:14:23 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: DTMF tone gereation source code/Sbalster To: info-hams@ucsd.edu (* To All hams interested. I said a long time ago that I would release this source code. Well, here it is! It does work rather well, and in fact, better than the phone! I am currently developing a ** FREE ** repeater controller package around this idea, along with voice mail and the like, but, I am in need of some more assistance. Is anyone interested in helping me out with some ideas? I just need a jump start, and I would prefer to have some source assembler code for another repeater controller. Not too long ago, I saw such a program, but lost it (and the BBS is down!) Please, if you can help me out, drop me a line via the internet address given below (It is hard for me to read this newsgroup; just send me a note). Thanks, Jim (N9IEO) internet: jjacobse@siucvmb.siu.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DTMF Touch Tone Generator Written by: Jim Jacobsen (N9IEO) (jjacobse@siucvmb.siu.edu) This program uses the Sound Blaster FM chips to generate Touch Tones *) Unit SBlaster; Interface Uses Dos; Procedure Generate_tone(c1,c2: word); Procedure Release_tone; Procedure touchtone(c: char); implementation Const tns: array 1..8 of word = (920,1019,1586,1640,1824,1905,2004,2590); Var r1,r2: word; (* This is an internal function to write a tone to the adlib/sound blaster card *) Procedure Writeport(reg,val: word); var i,c: word; Begin port $388 :=reg; for i:=1 to 12 do c:=port $388 ; port $389 :=val; for i:=1 to 30 do c:=port $388 ; end; Procedure Generate_tone(c1,c2: word); Begin writeport($b3,$2f); writeport($b4,$2f); writeport($e0,0); { Set Wave for voice 1 } writeport($e1,0); { Voice 2 } writeport($c0,1); { Use Additive Synthesis } writeport($c1,1); writeport($20,1); { Multiple - 1 } writeport($21,1); writeport($40,$1); { Level - 0 Highest } writeport($41,$1); writeport($60,$f0); { Attack / Decay } writeport($61,$f0); writeport($80,$Ff); { Sustain / Release } writeport($81,$Ff); writeport($a0,c1 and $ff); { Note } writeport($a1,c2 and $ff); writeport($b0,$30 or (c1 shr 8)); { Note on, Octave } writeport($b1,$30 or (c2 shr 8)); r1:=c1 shr 8; r2:=c2 shr 8; end; (* This procedure silences the tones *) procedure release_tone; Begin writeport($b0,r1); writeport($b1,r2); end; (* This procedure is used to generate DTMF tones, use the valid DTMF digits *) procedure touchtone(c: char); var w1,w2: word; Begin c:=upcase(c); if c in '0'..'9','A'..'D',' ','*' then begin case c of '1','4','7','*': w1:=tns 5 ; '2','5','8','0': w1:=tns 6 ; '3','6','9',' ': w1:=tns 7 ; 'A'..'D': w1:=tns 8 ; end; case c of '1','2','3','A': w2:=tns 1 ; '4','5','6','B': w2:=tns 2 ; '7','8','9','C': w2:=tns 3 ; '*','0',' ','D': w2:=tns 4 ; end; generate_tone(w2,w1); end; end; end. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 09:14:57 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!col.hp.com!srgenprp!news.dtc.hp.com!hplextra!hplb!hpwin052!hpqmoea!dstock@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Grounding and lightning protection--KE4ZV To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Gary Coffman (gary@ke4zv.atl.ga.us) wrote: : strike is a constant current source. So if we take a single driven : ground rod as having a resistance of 230 ohms, we can assume that : the power delivered to the rod in a stroke is I^2*R or 3.68E9 watts. : Converting that to energy, we have 3.68E9*20/4000=18.4E6 watt-seconds, : or 5.11 kW-hr. That's 18.396 Megajoules. : Gary That sounds much more like the kind of numbers I wouldn't want to be anywhere near ! The ground rod itself will be a small fraction of the resistance and so get a small fraction of the energy, it will be the ground around the rod that takes the brunt. Instant steam explosion? Cheers David GM4ZNX ------------------------------ Date: 23 Mar 94 05:18:27 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!news.cac.psu.edu!news.pop.psu.edu!ctc.com!birdie-blue.cis.pitt.edu!godot.cc.duq.edu!toads.pgh.pa.us!w2xo!durham@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Info on Slovakian hams To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I include packet mail from a local ham who is looking for info on Slovakian ham radio... >From N3JHA%K3OIW.#WPA.PA.USA.NA@w2xo.pgh.pa.us Tue Mar 22 22:40:32 1994 >To : W2XO@W2XO.#SWPA.PA.USA.NOAM >Hi Jim, >Last Tuesday, Bud WA3JPJ visited my shack and after telling him of my troubles >contacting the Slovak Republic. He thought of you and we sent a message from my >machine to you asking for information in contacting Slovakia. Since then, >the home board K3OIW has been up and down, so I'm not sure if you received >the original message, or if maybe your reply was lost so I am sending >a follow-up. My wife is from what is now Slovakia, OM3 land and we will >be visiting there this summer. I am taking a HF station for my brother- >in-law and need to find out if I can buy a Power Supply there or if I >need to take one. Thanks in advance for your help. >73 Duffy N3JHA @ K3OIW.WPA.PA.USA.NA >sk If you can help him, you can mail to him as N3JHA%K3OIW.#WPA.PA.USA.NA@w2xo.pgh.pa.us . This will gateway it through to packet. Thanks, Jim Durham, W2XO ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 13:37:03 -0500 From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!ftpbox!mothost!lmpsbbs!NewsWatcher!user@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Info Req. OMEGA SYSTEM To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article , dtiller@cscsun.rmc.edu (David Tiller) wrote: > Bruno Mabboux (mabboux@vcnam.cnam.fr) wrote: > > > : Hi! > > : I need regular information on the OMEGA SYSTEM , > : ( 10 kHz world wild interferometric radio localization network). > > : Where can I obtain information, as like on/off station/channel activity > : or power modification . > > : Thanks for advance . > > : Bruno Mabboux . > > I think the NIST has an anonymous ftp site (or perhaps a gopher server) with > stuff like that on it. > > -- > David Tiller | Network Administrator | Voice: (804) 752-3710 | > dtiller@rmc.edu | Randolph-Macon College| Fax: (804) 752-7231 | > "Drunk, [Beowulf] slew | P.O. Box 5005 | ICBM: 37d 42' 43.75" N | > no hearth companions." | Ashland, Va 23005 | 77d 31' 32.19" W | You can also try sci.geo.satellite-nav and they will either answer or point you toward some other ftp sites that have what you need. -- Karl Beckman, P.E. < STUPIDITY is an elemental force for which > Motorola Comm - Fixed Data < no earthquake is a match. -- Karl Kraus > The statements and opinions expressed here are not those of Motorola Inc. Motorola paid a marketing firm a huge sum of money to get their opinions; they have made it clear that they do not wish to share those of employees. Amateur radio WA8NVW @ K8MR.NEOH.USA.NA NavyMARS VBH @ NOGBN.NOASI ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 23:42:53 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!munnari.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!sserve!usage!metro!ipso!rwc@network.ucsd.edu Subject: IPS Daily Report - 22 March 94 To: info-hams@ucsd.edu SUBJ: IPS DAILY SOLAR AND GEOPHYSICAL REPORT ISSUED AT 22/2330Z MARCH 1994 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES FROM THE REGIONAL WARNING CENTRE (RWC), SYDNEY. SUMMARY FOR 22 MARCH AND FORECAST UP TO 25 MARCH No warning is current. ----------------------------------------------------------- 1A. SOLAR SUMMARY Activity: very low Flares: none Observed 10.7 cm flux/Equivalent Sunspot Number : 091/036 1B. SOLAR FORECAST 23 March 24 March 25 March Activity Very low Very low Very low Fadeouts None expected None expected None expected Forecast 10.7 cm flux/Equivalent Sunspot Number : 090/034 1C. SOLAR COMMENT None. ----------------------------------------------------------- 2A. MAGNETIC SUMMARY Geomagnetic field at Learmonth: unsettled to active, with brief minor storm period 12-15UT. Estimated Indices : A K Observed A Index 21 March Learmonth 21 4333 5423 Fredericksburg 17 22 Planetary 20 27 Observed Kp for 21 March: 3644 4443 2B. MAGNETIC FORECAST DATE Ap CONDITIONS 23 Mar 20 Unsettled, with possible active periods. 24 Mar 15 Quiet to unsettled. 25 Mar 15 Quiet to unsettled. 2C. MAGNETIC COMMENT None. 3A. GLOBAL HF PROPAGATION SUMMARY LATITUDE BAND DATE LOW MIDDLE HIGH 22 Mar normal fair-normal fair-normal PCA Event : None. 3B. GLOBAL HF PROPAGATION FORECAST LATITUDE BAND DATE LOW MIDDLE HIGH 23 Mar normal normal normal 24 Mar normal normal normal 25 Mar normal normal normal 3C. GLOBAL HF PROPAGATION COMMENT NONE. ----------------------------------------------------------- 4A. AUSTRALIAN REGION IONOSPHERIC SUMMARY MUFs at Sydney were 15-20% depressed until 10UT, near normal thereafter. Observed T index for 22 March: 18 Predicted Monthly T Index for March is 40. 4B. AUSTRALIAN REGION IONOSPHERIC FORECAST DATE T-index MUFs 23 Mar 40 Near predicted monthly values. 24 Mar 40 Near predicted monthly values. 25 Mar 40 Near predicted monthly values. 4C. AUSTRALIAN REGION COMMENT None. -- IPS Regional Warning Centre, Sydney |IPS Radio and Space Services email: rwc@ips.oz.au fax: +61 2 4148331 |PO Box 5606 RWC Duty Forecaster tel: +61 2 4148329 |West Chatswood NSW 2057 Recorded Message tel: +61 2 4148330 |AUSTRALIA ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Mar 94 06:32:55 GMT From: netcomsv!netcomsv!skyld!jangus@decwrl.dec.com Subject: Jeff Herman wins the Net Nazi award. To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <2mnc9q$aht@network.ucsd.edu> brian@nothing.ucsd.edu writes: > jangus@skyld.grendel.com (Jeffrey D. Angus) writes: > >Jeff Herman attempting to intimidate me writes: > > If the two of you don't shut up I'm going to start cancelling your messages. > > We're all goddamn tired of this pissing contest. Go away if you can't ^^^^^ > be useful contributors. > > Ironic that *I* should be saying this. > - Brian Take a valium and chill out Brian. Ironic indeed. Why not do us all a favor and cancel all the pissing, moaning and baseless whining over on rec.radio.amateur.policy while you're at it. Besides, who appointed you the moderator for the news group? Amateur: WA6FWI@WA6FWI.#SOCA.CA.USA.NA | "You have a flair for adding Internet: jangus@skyld.grendel.com | a fanciful dimension to any US Mail: PO Box 4425 Carson, CA 90749 | story." Phone: 1 (310) 324-6080 | Peking Noodle Co. ------------------------------ Date: 22 Mar 1994 23:09:44 -0500 From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!news.intercon.com!udel!news.udel.edu!brahms.udel.edu!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Need Dayton room To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Please forgive the cross posting if you will. I need a room for two for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at Dayton. We have one room at the Hampton House with the FRC, and want one more closeby if possible. CU at contest forum and dinner, FRC suite, hamfest etc. Tnx Bob -- Bob Penneys, WN3K Frankford Radio Club Internet: penneys@pecan.cns.udel.edu Work: Ham Radio Outlet (Delaware) (800) 644-4476; fax (302) 322-8808 Mail at home: 12 East Mill Station Drive Newark, DE 19711 USA ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Mar 94 09:32:08 GMT From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uknet!uos-ee!ee.surrey.ac.uk!M.Willis@network.ucsd.edu To: info-hams@ucsd.edu References <16F7AA3A6S85.M14494@mwvm.mitre.org>, , <763839799snz@g8sjp.demon.co.uk>surr Subject : Re: 2 meter use in London, England? In article <763839799snz@g8sjp.demon.co.uk>, ip@g8sjp.demon.co.uk (Iain Philipps) writes: |> In article |> prs@oasis.icl.co.uk "Peter Swynford" writes: |> |> > well if you guys stopped funding the IRA, the airport would be a bit |> > safer.... |> > |> |> [assorted drivel deleted] |> |> > 73 G0PUB |> > Peter. |> |> I tried *very* hard to find a 'smiley' in this message. In my opinion, I'm |> ashamed for British radio amateurs that such a person should appear to be |> representative of the breed. Makes my flesh crawl, just thinking about it. |> |> -- |> Iain Philipps I think you should realise that, whatever the cause, killing and maiming of innocent civillians can never be justified. Anyone who supports a terrorist organisation, who act in such a manner is just as guilty as if they take part themselves. Bombing a civillian airport can not be justified. The main IRA support comes from the USA, not Ireland. Though I expect only from a small minority, hopefully none of them Amateurs. This is probably what Peter was on about. Before you think of any comments regarding British Government supported terrorism, no I don't support them either, along with 2/3 of the population of the UK. Whatever you believe, never ever believe the press, TV and radio etc, they all give a biased view, some even lie. You have to go and see for yourself, or talk to a representative selection of locals. After all, would would go to Miami airport if they believed the reports we have had in Europe? You get murdered for making a wrong turning or asking directions! Mike ------------------------------ End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #320 ****************************** ******************************