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Current Feature Articles   Nov 20 The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler   Nov 20 Adventure in the Arctic: VO2A Expedition to Labrador   Nov 20 Surfin': More Radio Piracy on the High Seas   Nov 16 Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Fall Magic   Nov 13 Surfin': The Real Pirate Radio   Nov 06 Surfin': Homebrewing Today   Nov 05 DX the Hard Way   Nov 02 ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?   Nov 01 It Seems to Us: It Doesn't Just Happen   Oct 30 Surfin': Mapping Up ARRL Products: Circuit Design (More) ARRL's Hands-On Radio Experiments -- Over 60 basic electronics experiments from the pages of QST! Experimental Methods in RF Design -- Immerse yourself in the communications experience by building equipment that contributes to understanding basic concepts and circuits. Introduction to Radio Frequency Design -- Basic RF concepts (with some related analog subjects) for the amateur or engineer. Hints & Kinks--17th edition -- Now including the popular Hands-On Radio column from QST Workbench. Discrete-Signal Analysis and Design -- A clear, step-by-step approach to practical uses of discrete-signal analysis and design, especially for communications and radio engineers.

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This week's Surfin' considers Web sites where Amateur Television (ATV) is going digital.

What Exactly Is 8-Vsb Anyway? answers many of your questions concerning digital television.

If you watched television during the past months, you could not miss the barrage of announcements concerning the switch from analog to digital broadcasting over the airwaves that will occur next year on February 17. If you use an analog television to receive broadcast signals over the air and not from a satellite, cable, or telephone company, then you will need a converter to receive broadcasts after Presidents' Day 2009.

David Sparano has written an excellent article, "What Exactly Is 8-Vsb Anyway?", that according to Nick Sayer, N6QQQ, has the best and most accessible description of 8VSB (8-level vestigial sideband modulation) that he has ever found.

Nick is working on setting up an 8VSB transmitter. His goal is to get as close to an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee)-compatible ATV station as he can get. He recommends the article to anyone who wants to get started in digital ATV.

By the way, Nick has a Web page and a blog where you can read about his adventures in ATV.

Another by the way -- if you search the Internet for digital ATV information, you will find European Web sites dedicated to the topic, but note that Europeans use DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) Standards that North American television receivers cannot demodulate.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, wonders if program content will also improve on February 17. To communicate with Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

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Next: The K7RA Solar Update