QRZ! Ham Radio 3/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 3.iso/digests/infoham/940159.txt

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Date: Wed, 16 Feb 94 04:30:05 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #159
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Wed, 16 Feb 94       Volume 94 : Issue  159

Today's Topics:
                        6 Meter Big Wheel Ant?
                       Amateur Radio Astronauts
             Amelia Earheart was Codeless, unfortunately
                      Central Ohio ARES contact?
                  FCC Daily Digests for the (2 msgs)
                   HAMBLASTER INCORRECT STATEMENTS
                       Nude amateur radio clubs
                            QSL Questions
                      soldering PL-259 to coax
                   Winter Olympics Event Stations?

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

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: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 14:51:57 GMT
From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: 6 Meter Big Wheel Ant?
To: [e-mail]

Has anybody ever seen the plans for a 6 Meter Big Wheel Antenna?

If so, please pass along the reference.

Thanks,

Smitty, NA5K

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| Henry B. Smith - NA5K                             [e-mail] |
| Dallas, Texas                                                       |
|                                                                     |
|        "I'm not sure I understand everything that I know"           |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Date: Sun, 13 Feb 1994 03:54:00 GMT
From: news.claremont.edu!kaiwan.com!wetware!rhohan![e-mail]
Subject: Amateur Radio Astronauts
To: [e-mail]

WA>Xref: wetware sci.space.shuttle:9427 rec.radio.amateur.misc:53279 WA>Newsgroups: WA>sci.space.shuttle,rec.radio.amateur.misc WA>Path: WA>wetware!UB.com!pacbell.com!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.co WA>m!wa2ise WA>From: [e-mail] (Robert Casey) WA>Subject: Amateur radio astronauts WA>Message-ID: <[e-mail]> WA>Followup-To: sci.space.shuttle WA>Keywords: hams WA>Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 WA>guest) WA>Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 06:40:19 GMT WA>Lines: 206  WA>copied from amateur radio packet radio: WA>Subject: Ham Astronaut/Cosmonaut Listing 2/94 WA>From: KG5U@KA5KTH.#SETX.TX.USA.NA WA>=========================================================== WA>The following is compilation of data from a variety of WA>sources (ARRL, AMSAT, Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment WA>Working Group, and Motorola, Goddard Space Flight Center and WA>Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Clubs. WA>============================================================ WA>U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut/Hams:  I ran a few of the astronauts calls through the QRZ CD-ROM callbook. Interesting to note that some of them got their license only a week or so before the mission. Steve  * OLX 2.1 TD * If you have a touch-tone phone, please hang up now.... --- RBBSMail v18.2  * Origin: Red Onion, ExPress  Wawayanda,New York  914 342 4585 (100:911/7.0)

------------------------------

Date: 14 Feb 1994 15:22:57 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Amelia Earheart was Codeless, unfortunately
To: [e-mail]

From: The DX reflector
Subject: Amelia Earhart
From: [e-mail] (Ron Chester)
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 94 23:30:00 -0800

Tonight I saw the last half of a PBS show on Amelia Earhart which I
believe most DXers would find interesting. (I missed the beginning, so
don't know the name of the program).

According to the show, Earhart did not especially like radio
communication, and did not get properly trained up on radio navigation.
For her final around-the-world flight in 1937, she left her Morse Code key
at home, as she had never managed to master the code.  She also did not
take along the airplane's trailing wire antenna, which she found hard to
use.

The trip was successful for the first 40 days, until they got to the most
difficult leg, which was the long flight over the Pacific from New Guinea
to Howland Island.  The program asserted that the failure of this leg was
primarily the result of the lack of radio expertise on the part of both
Earhart and her navigator, Frederick Noonan.  Among other things, there
was confusion on their part about what radio frequencies to use.

The Coast Guard had the cutter Itasca stationed at Howland, ready to
assist her in finding the tiny island.  As she approached Howland, they
picked up and logged her radio signals as she asked for help.  She was
circling all around the vicinity of her destination, but was unable to
spot the island, while running out of fuel.  The Itasca heard all of this
clearly on their radio, and transmitted back to her over and over on three
different frequencies.  But Earhart apparently never heard the Itasca
signals, and eventually disappeared into the QRN, never to be seen or
heard from again.

It was a fascinating account.  Catch it if you see it in your TV listings.

-Ron
 K9AGL

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Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 19:25:16 GMT
From: ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!eff!news.kei.com!uhog.mit.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Central Ohio ARES contact?
To: [e-mail]

Can anyone provide me with a contact for the Central Ohio ARES? I
believe they are providing support for TOSRV this coming May, and I'd
like to see if they need any riding volunteers.

  Mike Blackwell  --  ke3ig  --  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 20:16:36 GMT
From: ucsnews!newshub.sdsu.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!chip.ucdavis.edu![e-mail]
Subject: FCC Daily Digests for the
To: [e-mail]

Steve Allen ([e-mail]) wrote:

: Bruce: besides being 99.9% irrelevant to amateur radio, this is an
: incredible waste of bandwidth. If you feel a need to post this
: stuff, form your own newsgroup.
: -Steve N2WSA

Actually, Steve, Bruce asked the newsgroup if we wanted to have these
posted here, and I for you replied that I thought they were a good
idea.  I like knowing what is happening at the FCC though I lknow it is
of little use to many.  There are a number of informational posts that
are not of interest to all the amateurs in this newsgroup but that
doesn't mean they should be run off.

Please keep posting the FCC digests.

Dan
--
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Daniel D. Todd      Packet: KC6UUD@KE6LW.#nocal.ca.usa              *
*                   Internet: [e-mail]                      *
*                 Snail Mail: 1750 Hanover #102                       *
*                             Davis CA 95616                          *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
*     The only thing I can officially say for the University is:      *
*     What I say is in no way related to oficial University policy    *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*


------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 14:45:00 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!news.moneng.mei.com!uwm.edu!fnnews.fnal.gov!att-in!cbnewse![e-mail]
Subject: FCC Daily Digests for the
To: [e-mail]

Bruce:

Thanks for the FCC postings.  I share them with other people
on my project.  If there is a better way to obtain them, please
let me know.
--
==============================================================================
                       Copyright 1994,  Bob Parnass, AJ9S
         AT&T Bell Laboratories  -  [e-mail] - [phone]

------------------------------

Date: 14 Feb 94 13:23:22 GMT
From: psinntp!psinntp!laidbak!tellab5![e-mail]
Subject: HAMBLASTER INCORRECT STATEMENTS
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bob McGwier) writes:
>

At first I didn't want to get into a Point/Counterpoint rebutal
but I was convinced to do so by others.  Here are my comments

JWA= Jack Albert
RWM= Pobert W. McGwier

-------------


RWM

Howdy:

In a recent spate of messages, we have been told of the capabilities
of the hamblaster.  It sounds rudimentary so far but I am sure that
over time the capabilities (new software development) will proceed
and its capabilities will be enhanced and it will make a very
interesting tool for amateur radio communications, experimentation,
and learning DSP.  There will be alternatives as you will now be told.

JWA

For future expansion,  the Hamblaster has an expansion connector.
Several add-ons will include, a better A/D-D/A,  Packet switch,
real time tuning scope display driver and a microprocessor.

RWM

In other messages, John Alberts has told us of the lack of capabilities
of the Sound Blaster 16 with ASP.  He is WRONG.

JWA

Not really,  because I own one, I was refering to the
Soundblaster Pro.   Any referances to the ASP version
was based on information from the "Ultimate Soundblaster
Book" that I purchased from a local book store.  I was
unaware and the book didn't mention it's programming
capabilities.   I believe my actual words where
"Im not shure but" .

RWM

I received my Sound Blaster developers kit via UPS yesterday at
last.  It is easy to see how John could have made the mistake
he made.  The manuals received in the kit describe two distinct
pieces of processing hardware.  One is called the DSP and the
other is the ASP.


The DSP has all the limitations mentioned by John in his statements
concerning the capabilities of the Sound Blaster card (or lack thereof).
It is a proprietary gate array surrounding masks from other chip
developers to do stuff like DMA blocks of samples in and out, to convert PCM
to u-LAW, 2 or 4 bit ADPCM, CVSD, etc.  It directs the flow of
MIDI commands, etc.  It is a pretty neat thing in and of itself
but it is NOT what we want.  We want a full blown DSP chip, with
a modified Harvard architecture and at least 16 by 16 bit -> 32 multiply,
accumulate, read new coefficient and data in one instruction time.
THE ASP is a real DSP chip and has all this.  It is 512 words of off
chip program memory, 512 words of off chip data ram, 192 words of X RAM
on chip,128 words of Y ram on chip.

JWA

The Hamblaster  comes with 32K of program/data memory.
It will be expandable to 32k of program and 32k of data
memory with a total os 64k words.  More than you'll ever need!

Our packet modem software is 3K.  It just won't fit in the
Soundblaster ASP 16.


X ram is program and sample data, Y RAM would be used for
filter coefficients.  THIS IS A FULL BLOWN DSP CHIP.  It
does NOT have the limitations John has told us the hamblaster
overcomes.

Indeed, on the A/D, D/A front, it is quite clear that the under
$300 SB16-ASP is quite a bit MORE CAPABLE than hamblaster.

JWA

New information places the Hamblaster at about $275.00

RWM

It has two channels (16 bits each), D/A, and A/D.
The sample rate is completely controllable by uploading a divisor to
the control register.  The lowest available rate is 5 Khz and the
highest is 44.1 Khz.  The processor runs at 12 MIPS so filters would
execute at around 25 MIPS. This is because it has the typical DSP
feature of multiply two numbers, read the next two, and accumulate the
last result while shifting the pointers in two instruction times.

JWA

That's great for HiFi work but for Ham use you only need an
8kHz sample rate and an 8 bit D/A-A/D.  If you consider pipe-
lining the C25 also about runs 25 MIPS.

RWM

That is plenty fast.  I will be able to do dual channel modems for this
card.  Since the thing does not also have a UART, or SIO, we will have
to the HDLC and UART functions on the chip when required.  Other DSP
developers have done this all on chip (Finland DSP development group
on the Motorola DSP56001).  We will be able to do a lot.

John should be more careful when he makes flat statements about
commercially available products.  If he were a `real competitor'
of Creative Labs, he could get into a bit of a hassle.

JWA

There's no way that a product made for Ham Radio will compete
with a product that will sell in the millions.  In the Ham market
there just aren't enough sales to generate a reasonable profit!
You'll never get rich selling to Hams.

RWM

I told John in a reply to his mail that I doubted the accuracy
of his statements on the Sound Blaster16 with ASP.  I was correct.

JWA

Not really.  Because of the proprietary nature,
I can't disclose the full picture.  When it's
released, A complete package update will be available.

RWM

The Sound Blaster 16 with ASP is available from many
places for under $300.  The developers kit is $99, available only
from Creative Labs.

I think the Hamblaster's price will be competative!
They will offer help to third party programmers.

I will be writing programs for the ASP and giving them away on your
favorite ftp sites and through the ARRL download request service.
These programs will be the basis of articles for QEX describing the
algorithms and the operation of the sound blaster card in amateur
radio applications.  Phil Karn has devised a new link layer for
packet, with FEC, etc. and I will be providing modems that use the
ASP. I believe I can provide what the latest hamblaster announcements
state and more in short order after I get the assembler for the
ASP.  I will do this as quickly as possible.  I am a bit miffed that I
stopped developing the Windows and DOS front ends and display stuff for
the SB16 ASP after John's note because I thought the SB16 was too
limited.  Now it is full steam ahead.

JWA

Good Luck!

Programs for the Hamblaster will also be available on public
domain disk or BBS's.




---
   Jack Albert  WA9FVP          Fellow Radio Hacker
         Tele [phone]
   Tellabs Operations, Inc.     FAX  [phone]
   1000 Remington Blvd.         [e-mail]
   Bolingbrook, IL  60440

                          "I'm a half breed"
              "I can only breed through on side of my nose!"

    Eddie Kantor

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 1994 15:19:15 GMT
From: gulfaero.com!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!eff!news.kei.com!ddsw1!chinet![e-mail]
Subject: Nude amateur radio clubs
To: [e-mail]

Quite frankly there are many people in amateur radio that I really don't
want to see nude! There is just some things I don't need to know and I'm
better off wondering than having all mysticism removed and scaring my
mind!


--
Scott Whittle (drx)                       [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 9 Feb 1994 21:03:40 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!news.larc.nasa.gov!eos1.larc.nasa.gov![e-mail]
Subject: QSL Questions
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> x1rbrown (Roger Brown) writes:
>> Does anybody know if F6FNU QSLs via the bureau?
>
>Nope, as others have mentioned. A couple of green stamps should do it. My
>feeling is that if I need the card...right or wrong, I'll send the bucks.
>
  I've been thinking about this a bit today (a dangerous thing to do!)
and I guess that the real issue is whether it is appropriate to run
a QSL manager operation for profit.  I guess that a few managers make
a few bucks by managing QSLs for a DX operation, but it's generally
considered a public service to the amateur community.
  I personally think that it's wholly inappropriate to charge upwards
of five times cost for the privilege of receiving a QSL card, as in the
case for F6FNU.  You can't exactly pass a law forbidding it.  But,
I recall that the DXAC was soliciting opinions on QSL practices last
year.  Perhaps it would be appropriate for the DXAC to disallow DXCC
credit for any operation that utilizes an obviously for-profit QSL
manager.
  Just a thought.  Obviously, one would have to rigorously define what
a 'for-profit' operation is.  In Germany, $1.00 is no longer sufficient
for air-mail postage to the states, for example.  But the fact is that
in France, the cost of (reduced rate) air-mail postage is still
substantially under US$1.  For-profit QSL managing just doesn't
seem to be in the spirit of DXing or amateur radio in general.

Richard Eckman  KO4MR
NASA Langley
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 09 Feb 94 15:36:37 GMT
From: netcon!bongo!skyld![e-mail]
Subject: soldering PL-259 to coax
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

  > Has anyone had any experience (either good or bad) using one of
  > the small butane torch/soldering irons to solder PL-259 connectors
  > to RG-8U coax.  Do they work as well as or better than a big
  > (>100W) soldering iron?

  Best luck has been had with a Weller 140 Watt soldering gun with the tips
  removed. Grease the braid with rosin flux, pre-tin lightly and re-flux
  Install into connector, and straddle the hole in the side with the weller
  tips. (This is resistance soldering technique) Feed solder into the hole.
  Rotate connector and do the other 3 holes.

  I usually solder the center conductor first to hold things stable.  Take it
  easy with pretinning the braid, if you make it too thick, it will not fit in
  the connector shell. Also, for the connector to be "properly assembled" the
  cable jacket is supposed to "screw" into the shell body.

  Wonder of wonders, when the braid is properly soldered to the connector, and
  the jacket is threaded into the shell, the connector is weather proof. Or
  at least it is if you use Amphenol connectors instead of whatever cheap
  piece of crap you can buy for 25 cents at the swapmeet.

  73 es GM from Jeff








 Amateur: WA6FWI@WA6FWI.#SOCA.CA.USA.NA  |  "It is difficult to imagine our
Internet: [e-mail]          |  universe run by a single omni-
 US Mail: PO Box 4425 Carson, CA 90749   |  potent god. I see it more as a
   Phone: [phone]               |  badly run corporation."

------------------------------

Date: 14 Feb 1994 16:34:11 GMT
From: swrinde!sgiblab!sgigate.sgi.com!fido.asd.sgi.com!rambler.asd.sgi.com![e-mail]
Subject: Winter Olympics Event Stations?
To: [e-mail]

Does anyone know if there are any special event stations
on HF for the winter olympics in Norway?


   Thanks,
   Paul Thilking
   AA6QT



------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 Feb 1994 16:04:05 GMT
From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!fnnews.fnal.gov!att-in!cbnewsm![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <hlb.760303664@loral>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]> p
Subject : Re: HTX202 belt clip

>
> >: Is the belt clip of the HTX202 used as a heat sink or can it be operated
> >: without the belt clip attached?
>
>
>
> the belt-clip on the htx-202 is its heatsink.
>
> You have been warned.
>
> --
> __  /|  | Doug Renze, N0YVW       | Don't believe what your eyes are telling

 wrong! the back of the HT (not the  battery) is metal. That's the heat sink.

Shel Darack WA2UBK  [e-mail]

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End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #159
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