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The editor had a very busy work schedule this month, resulting in a shorter than normal newsletter. Maybe that's a good thing.
SKYWARN Training
Don't forget to take advantage of the two Storm Spotter classes near Owatonna:
- 28-Mar at Waseca.
- 30-Mar at Austin.
ARRL Analog Electronics Course
From ARRL
The ARRL introduced a new on-line course, Analog Electronics, this month. With 16 learning units, the course is designed for those who feel at home with basic electrical and electronic components. Prospective students should be able to read simple schematics; know Ohm's Law and the relationship between power, voltage, current, and resistance; own and be able to use basic test equipment and be competent in simple algebra. Additional details are available in the
course introduction.
Story of the Slashed Zero
From ARRL Contest Rate Sheet
A couple of interesting short stories on the slashed-zero can be read at
K8ZT and
AE7Q
Garage Door Interference
From CGC Communicator
In the January issue, an article mentioned that consumers near certain military installations
experienced interference to their garage door opener receivers. A
FCC Public Notice was issued to explain the cause of the interference problem and the steps being taken to alleviate the problem.
Mobile Installations
From ARRL Contest Rate Sheet
Don't forget that newer cars can be susceptable to excessive RF. The ARRL Technical Information Service provides a pretty good background on new car installations at
www.arrl.org/tis. Although sometimes difficult to find, the US automobile manufacturers publish guides for installing radio equipment, grounding, cable routing, noise management, and so
forth. Good infomation to review before the air bag goes off on the first transmission:
Tower Envy
From ARRL Contest Rate Sheet
If you have an interest in really big towers, check out the entry at
Wikipedia. If your ego is
threatened by towers larger than yours, don't go there.
RAED TIHS
From CGC Communicator
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers are at the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a ttoal mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
I guess that means I can stop updating my spell checking software.
Schematic Diagrams
From ARRL Contest Rate Sheet
A freeware schematic drawing program that seems to be straightforward to use is TinyCad.
It has quite a good library of parts and was easy to get running. The current version includes a number of improvements over the old version. Download it at:
http://tinycad.sourceforge.net/downloads.html
Amateur Radio Spectrum Act of 2005
From ARRL Letter
The Amateur Radio Spectrum Act of 2005 was introduced into the US House of Representatives by Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL). The current measure requires the FCC to provide "equivalent replacement spectrum" to Amateur Radio if the FCC reallocates primary amateur frequencies, reduces any secondary amateur allocations, or makes additional allocations within such bands.
More than 100 lawmakers agreed to cosponsor similar legislation in the past. With one co-sponor already signed on, the focus is to attract additional co-sponsors and having identical legislation introduced in to the US Senate. The text of HR 691 is available on the Government Printing Office Web site.
PIC Processor Projects
From ARRL Contest Rate Sheet
Those of you interested in using the PIC processors to make neat "gadgets" may find the PIC Elmering series of Web pages at http://www.amqrp.org/elmer160. The American QRP club offers a lot of building tips and projects.
New Epoxy Discovery
From Newsline
There is a new epoxy cement can release the adhesive bond by the application of a small electrical current. Controlled from a 9 volt battery, the bond is broken with no damage to the metal substrate. Read more on this solution.
On the BPL Front
From Multiple Sources
The Rochester ARC does not have any new information posted on their web site.
The ARRL has petitioned the FCC to take its broadband over power line (BPL) Report and Order (R&O) back to the drawing board. The League called on the Commission to ''reconsider, rescind and restudy'' adoption of new Part 15 rules spelling out how BPL providers may deploy the technology. The ARRL's petition asserts the R&O fails to adequately take into account the technology's potential to interfere with Amateur Radio and other licensed services.
The Borough of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania decided against BPL plans. The Cumberland
Valley Amateur Radio Club spearheaded opposition to the plan through an informational campaign.
The local newspaper indicated there wasn't enough money in the municipality's Electric Department budget to go forward with a BPL deployment this year.
BPL is advancing in San Diego, California. The San Diego Gas & Electric Company made a
presentation to the San Diego DX Club, announcing the utility's plans to deploy multiple BPL test sites in San Diego County. Although unimpressed by early BPL equipment, SDG&E are encouraged by their December visit to Cinergy's BPL system in Cincinnati.
Across the big pond, Radio Netherlands posted to its website a very informative program called Wake up and smell the coffee. The show is all about why the short-wave broadcast industry should be doing more to fight BPL. You can
read and/or listen.
Down under, the New Zealand Amateur Radio Transmitters and the Wireless Institute of
Australia say that they are pooling their resources on the BPL issue in the effort because problems involved in its introduction are similar in both nations. The NZART and the WIA say that they plan to work as a team in an effort to achieve a positive outcome on this issue for Amateur Radio operators in both countries.
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