The ARRL Club News
ARRL Club News for August 2008
ARRL Club Newsletter
August 28, 2008
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Amateur Radio And The Internet
Amateur Radio And The Internet
Today the World Wide Web offers extended range for much of the
population but before the internet radio amateurs ventured beyond the
local neighborhood through the magic of radio. For decades, long
before the internet, hams would sue radio as a means to maintain
friendships, stay in touch with loved ones and help others contact
family in remote places of the globe.
Long distance chess was once a popular on air activity. Amateur Radio
operators would set up chess boards and moves were exchanged over the
air. Each radio operator maintained their chess board according to
the moves transmitted by each other. Often these games would be
played out over the course of days or weeks during scheduled
contacts. The activity was not about finishing the game quickly as
it was it was about meeting on the air often.
A lot of naysayers have claimed the internet to be the death of
Amateur Radio. In fact some non-radio people when asked about ham
radio will respond with "hasn't the internet made that obsolete?" On
the contrary, if anything the internet has enhanced Amateur Radio.
Think about the many ways hams use the internet.
Radio Clubs
Club members can stay informed all the time through the use of e-mail
reflectors. Various users groups allow people to exchange ideas and
information about their favorite piece of equipment or operating
mode. If you think about it these user's groups are like virtual
specialty clubs for people with a shared interest.
Many clubs use the internet to distribute electronic newsletters and
maintain websites to keep members informed and attract new members.
The DX Game
Some of you may remember two ringers, when your buddy would call your
house and let the phone ring two times then hang up. This code was
to let you know about some hot DX that was on the air. Of course you
would not dare answer the telephone before the second ring for fear
of someone incurring a long distance charge. Today, through the use
of the internet we can utilize real-time DX spotting networks to find
out which stations are on the air. If you have your rig interfaced
with your PC using the appropriate software the network will
automatically switch your transceiver to the DX's operating
frequency.
The internet has enhanced the DX game in other ways by providing
Dxpedition log information on line while the Dxpedition is still in
operation. This helps eliminate the "insurance" QSOs and allows the
Dxpedition work as many stations as possible while limiting the
number of duplicate contacts.
There are software programs available that monitor the DX cluster and
if a needed DX station is spotted you will receive an e-mail alert on
your Blackberry or other personal e-mail device. How cool is that?
Just look at it as the digital version of the two ringer DX alert.
Contesting and Awards
ARRL's Logbook of The World would not be possible without internet
technology. LoTW's use of public and private keys lets users all
over the world to upload electronically signed logs and when QSOs are
matched the users receive credit for their contacts to be used toward
awards. More information about Logbook of the world can be found on
the ARRL website. < http://www.arrl.org/lotw/ >
Contest scores are now published on the internet allowing
participants to quickly sort and analyze the data.
Public Service
A variety of public service groups such as ARES use the internet to
call up volunteers, maintain databases of people and equipment
available for disasters and to inform the public of their services.
Being able to transmit digital information via radio and then inject
it into the internet electronic mail system has allowed radio
amateurs to move messages much faster than was possible using the
antiquated relay system.
Licensing and Education
Today many people will prepare for their Amateur Radio license exam
by using one of the many practice exam websites. These sites will
randomly quiz the user from the VEC question pools and score the
results. This undoubtedly eases some of the test jitters and exposes
areas of strength and weakness.
ARRL offers an on-line license class for those applicants who may
have scheduling conflicts with traditional classes or just enjoy
doing things at their own pace. < http://www.arrl.org/cce/Tech.html >
In addition to licensing courses ARRL offers a series of Emergency
Communications courses (EmComm Level I, II, III) and other subjects
such as Antenna Modeling, Radio Frequency Interference and HF Digital
Communications. < http://www.arrl.org/cep/ >
On The Air
The Internet Repeater Linking Project (IRLP), Echolink and remote
base stations could not exist without the internet. These
technologies have opened the world of Amateur radio to a whole new
group of users as well as offered areas of experimentation to
seasoned radio amateurs.
Adaptability
Traditionally the Amateur Radio service has always made use of
whatever was available. Whether salvaging parts from discarded
television sets in the 1950s, repurposing surplus military equipment
in the 1960s or integrating electronic hardware today, hams have
always utilized technology in creative ways to suit their needs. An
internet connection in the ham shack is as common as the J-38
straight key once was. The fact that you are reading this e-letter
demonstrates the positive influence the internet and computers have
had on Amateur Radio.
ARRL Affiliation Milestones for August 2008
10 Years August
*W3
EPA Southern PA Communications Group K3AE
*W9
IN Amateur Radio Club of Notre Dame ND1U
*W7
MT Bitterroot Amateur Radio Club W7FTX
OR Ham Operators Group K7HOG
50 Years August
*W7
ORG Barstow Amateur Radio Club WA6TST
=============================================================================
The ARRL Club News is published on the first Wednesday of each month by
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Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
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Page last modified: 03:09 PM, 15 Nov 2006 ET
Page author: clubs@arrl.org
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