HAM Radio 3/hamradioversion3.0examsandprograms1992.iso/news/ih91210a/ih91214.txt

Internet Message Format | 1991-03-20 | 12KB

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Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 91 04:30:32 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V91 #214
To: [e-mail]


Info-Hams Digest            Wed, 20 Mar 91       Volume 91 : Issue 214

Today's Topics:
                          ACE AR 1000 Mods?
                         First No-code Tech?
                  Fun with Balloons and long wires!
                      Info-Hams Digest V91 #210
                  MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT - 19 MARCH
                                 test

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

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1991 11:22:51 PST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: ACE AR 1000 Mods?
To: [e-mail]

I recently purchased an ACE AR1000 portable scanner.  So far, I have been
fairly pleased with it.  It is quoted to have a receive range of 8-600MHz and
805-1300MHz, although with a random length long wire stuck into the end of the
existing rubber-ducky antenna, I have been able to receive AM radio as low as
640KHz.  I would like to be able to receive CW and SSB and am wondering if
anyone knows of any mods to this scanner that would filter out the unwanted
sideband.

Thanks,

John Levin
KC6RJB

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

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 91 15:18:58 CST
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: First No-code Tech?
To: [e-mail]

OK, I've silently been reading all the hoopla about the new no-code Tech
licenses, and thought about sending this back on Feb. 15th, the magic day,
but didn't. Anyway, that would have been too soon, I suppose.

So who was the first no-code Tech licensed?
   ^^^
I would have expected there'd be all sorts of publicity about this, with
the guy or gal getting free radios, etc., like the millionth customer at
the supermarket or something.

I suppose it would have all depended on just when the paperwork was sent
in, and how it was shuffled at the FCC offices, and what form ended up on
the top of the stack for processing on 2/15/91 (or would it have been the
first one processed after that day, on Tuesday the 19th [Monday the 18th
being a federal holiday]?), so it would have been a pretty fair contest...

Will
(not a ham but now thinking about it...)

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

Date: 15 Mar 91 16:55:56 GMT
From: hpcc05!hpsciz![e-mail]  (Rick Karlquist)
Subject: Fun with Balloons and long wires!
To: [e-mail]

> / hpsciz:rec.ham-radio / [e-mail] (Eric Moyer) /  7:48 am  Mar 14, 1991 /
>
>    I'm with the University of Delaware ARA and we're thinking about putting
> a huge long wire antenna onto the end of a balloon and floating it up
> above the shack. We'll probably use good 'ol 22 gauge magnet wire, so
> the weight won't be all that great, but I haven't calculated it yet. I'd
> like to try a 40 meter antenna if I can get enough lift.
>
>    I'd be glad to receive any comments on the above, and would be
> overjoyed to hear of any past experiences with balloon antennas.
>
>   KA3YED on 28.460 MHz    /--- The universe is laughing behind your back. -/


Wait a minute! If you're talking about the wire going straight up vertically to
the ballon, the maximum gain at low angles occurs at a height of 5/8 wavelength,
which on 40 meters is only 25 meters (80 feet).  Making the wire longer than this
causes most of the energy to go up at useless high angles.  You shouldn't need
a balloon just to get up 80 feet, and if you did use one, a 3 foot helium weather
baloon costing $5-10 will last all weekend for a contest.

I once tried 130 foot vertical for 160 meters this way, and the main problem is
that if you get any wind at all, the wire tills way over at a 45 degree angle
or worse.  Also, the antenna (even during lulls in the wind) did not outperform
my inverted-L at 50 feet.  This test was conducted in January during the 160
meter CW contest.

Rick N6RK

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

Date: 18 Mar 91 13:51:36 EDT
From: Larry Jack <[e-mail]>
Subject: Info-Hams Digest V91 #210
To: <[e-mail]>

From: Larry Jack

In article <[e-mail]>  [e-mail] (Eric Moyer)
writes:
>
>I'm with the University of Delaware ARA and we're thinking about putting
>a huge long wire onto the end of a ballon and floating it up
>above the shack.......

A great idea and a lot of fun, as long as there are no thunderstorms
anywhere nearby.
For a number of years in another career I used to fly meterological
balloons 2 sample atomospheric profiles for environmental studies.
Big ones- 12+feet in diameter, carrying heavy radiosondes up to +20,000
feet.  From the East cost of the US we even got a few returned (the
sondes) from Europe.  But distance is another story.  Needless to
say, as a ham, with a seemingly endless supply of balloons and helium
it wasn't long before the two meshed.  We did learn a leason worth passing
on.  Place a good insulator between the end of the long wire and the balloon.
You would think this isn't necessary, but depending on your power levels
the RF at the end of that wire can burn holes in the balloon. The results
will be obvious if not spectacular.  In fact, more than one may be necessary
since things get pretty wet as the balloons will pick up considerable
condensation even at relatively low altitudes. With a good ground system
they will be a hard combination to beat on MF during contests.

These balloon will probably not fly high enough that you will need to
notify the FAA.  It might not hurt to file a  NOTICE TO AIRMEN anyway.
The number of the local FAA office is in the 'phone book, call them with the
the particulars of your "flight" - how high, the balloon size, fact it
is static, etc.
An aside to all this.  We used to fly these thing 3 times a day for weeks
on end.  Big balloons with heavy equipment and parachutes (those balloons
don't say inflated forever) all connected in a long train by heavy nylon line.
Every day a new NOTICE was file with the FAA, so they got to know us pretty
well.  And these are not in the realm of the normal Notices they are used to
getting, so this activity stuck out like a sore thrumb even though we presented
little threat to aircraft.
One day, being rather bored, my team took to filling balloons up and releasing
them for the fun of it.  Gradually we started tying rolls of toilet paper and
other rubbage to them to watch it stream slowly out over the country side at
2000+ feet.  Eventually someone got the idea about trying on Aluminium Foil.
The roll we used was over 250 feet long, and the way it caught the evening
sun made it look like a large red (colour of the balloon) flying spaceship
shooting a giantic ray gun at the earth (the light sparkling off the foil
as it slowly twisted beneath the balloon).  An strange and beautiful sight, we
all agreed!.
Twenty minutes later the 'phone at our weather station rang and it was
the FAA.
          "My God, what ARE you guys flying?!" was their first comment.
          "Oh, just our normal balloons" we lied.  Something was wrong,
but the FAA fellows weren't at all upset.
           "We know that" was their response "But man, how big are those
ARE those balloons?!""We have something on Traffic Controll Radar as big
as the Hiendenberg!"

   Ah yes.... 250 feet of wide aluminium foil drifting slowly away,
   half a mile in the air.  We forgot about Radar......

We never owned up to this, and fortunately nothing ever came of it either.
It goes without say aluminium foil was never flown again, even though we
DID have clearance to fly "Big Balloons" ---  I just don't think the
authorities ever figured just how big we were capable of.

                                      Larry KL7GLK/V77LJ

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

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1991 01:29:55 -0500
From: [e-mail] (CARY OLER)
Subject: MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT - 19 MARCH
To: [e-mail]

                        --  MAJOR SOLAR FLARE ALERT  --

                                MARCH 19, 1991

                              Flare Event Summary
                          Potential Impact Assessment


                                    --------



MAJOR ENERGETIC EVENT SUMMARY

     Another major flare erupted from Region 6545 at 02:00 UT on 19 March.
This event began at 01:57 UT, peaked at 02:00 UT and ended at 03:37 UT on
19 March.  The event was associated with moderate intensity Type II and IV
sweeps, but was fairly impulsive.  The flare was rated a class M6.7/2B, but
was associated with a low integrated x-ray flux.  A 1,500 s.f.u. tenflare
accompanied this event, as did a 23,000 s.f.u. burst at 245 MHz.  The
estimated Type II velocity is around 600 km/s.  A SID/SWF also seems to
have been observed with this flare.


POTENTIAL TERRESTRIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

     No terrestrial impacts are expected from this flare, despite the fact
that it possessed Type II and IV sweeps.  The flare was actually quite
small.  The peak x-ray flux was of short duration.  No protons are expected
from this flare.

     Protons have decayed and are now below the 1 p.f.u. level.  However,
the warnings for proton and possible PCA activity remain in effect due to
the potential which exists for proton flaring from Region 6545.  This
region is continuing to decay, but will remain capable of producing major
flares for the next several days.

     A POTENTIAL PROTON FLARE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT.  Region 6545 is now
in a very capable position for producing terrestrial proton activity.  It
also has the capability of producing a proton flare.  Probabilities are
currently rated near 50%.  Polar regions should remain alert for possible
PCA activity and HF signal blackouts.

     Region 6555 (S22E67) is a very large and an apparently complex spot
group.  It also appears to be capable of producing major flares.  It is
believed this region could begin major flaring within the next two to five
days.  It is still too near to the eastern limb to discern any significant
detail.  More will be known over the coming days as this region rotates into
better view.

     From the detail that has been observed so far, it is apparent that this
region covers an area of 3,000 million square kilometers.  It currently
encompasses 22 visible spots (although many more are likely present) and is
classed as an FKI optical group.  Several large spots are visible in close
proximity to one another.  It also appears as though a fair amount of shear
exists in this system.  Additional bulletins will be posted regarding this
region over the next week.


**  End of Alert  **

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

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 91 13:34:35 EST
From: [e-mail] (bob williams)
Subject: test
To: [e-mail]

tesdt

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

End of Info-Hams Digest
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