Watch ISS fly over tonite !

If it is dark enough, and if it doesn’t get too cloudy.
This should be a good opportunity to watch the ISS fly over tonite.

Our Space Station in orbit

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/features/space_station_sighting.html

For North Alabama :
It should show up at 8:08 pm (CDT) looking SouthWest. Getting higher.
Then by 8:11 it should be nearly overhead(64 degree), to the NorthWest.
By 8:14 it will be going down, towards the NorthEast.
Even if is still cloudy, watch in between the clouds.
It will be the brightest object that you can find, and moving fairly fast.
(The only one you will find thats moving 17,500 miles per hour.)

Enjoy /;^)

K4BFT Field Day

Sure is a lot of stuff packed into one weekend during Field Day. We unhook stuff at home, pack it into the car, take it somewhere, unpack it, hook it all up and make it work, use it for 24 hours, and then unhook everything pack it again, take it home, and then have to re-hook up everything like it was . . . . But we seem to have a good time doing it.

I’m gonna come back and add more pics, and words here – but I wanted to at least get one pic posted showing where I had all my stuff setup.

The K4BFT VHF station at the US Space & Rocket Center

Live Field Day Video

Streaming while there is enough light.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wb5rmg_live-video

K4BFT VHF station operating Field Day

Update On Business Communications

One of the blogs I follow, with particularly valuable EmComm insight, is by N5FDL… an Emergency Coordinator in California. Previously on his site I had read some discussion around the FCC regulations regarding use of ham radio for ‘conducting business’, specifically by those whose business may be emergency communications. David’s most recent post caught my attention, and is echoed here.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 06:09AM

I have today, following a discussion with the FCC concerning interpretation of the 97.113 prohibition of business communication using Amateur Radio, removed my earlier comments on the subject. My new understanding is that the Commission interprets this prohibition very broadly—more so than I could have imagined.

My recommendation is that people whose job it is to provide emergency services should not use Amateur Radio even to discuss how Amateur Radio can provide those services.

I do not believe this interpretation best serves the public interest, but as FCC licensees we are bound to follow the guidance I have received. I will discuss this in a future post.

Meanwhile, I am also preparing a Rule Making Petition to carve out a small exception that would allow licensed hams who are also public safety workers to use Amateur Radio to promote safety and the public good.

This topic will need to be followed closely…
Hopefully this is a matter of interpretation and can be easily dealt with.
I’ll be watching David’s site for his updates.
/;^)

Field Day 2009

ARRL Field Day logo

Huntsville “hams” will be conducting a 24 hour emergency communications drill this weekend, along with thousands of Amateur Radio operators across the US and Canada. You may recall recent reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications support during unexpected emergencies in communities across America including the California wildfires, earthquakes, blizzards, tornadoes and similar events world-wide. During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called “Ham radio” – was sometimes the only way relief workers could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled to the coast to help save lives and property. When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio’s people are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications infrastructure. On the weekend of June 27-28, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with local ham radio operators and see for themselves what Amateur Radio Public Service is all about. Exercising current shortwave technology, digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from the Huntsville area will be demonstrating their abilities to build a nationwide emergency communications network.

June VHF Sweeps

Grids worked on 144MHz

Well the June VHF Sweepstakes are over, and everyone I talked with enjoyed the event, and thought band conditions were pretty good. The E-skip was fairly active at times, and I heard some folks making some pretty long-haul contacts. My station boasts low power and indoor antennas, so I sometimes

SomeNet announces RadioActive Blog

The temptation was too great. It is not so often that I get to post a screenshot from one of my websites that shows a screenshot from yet another of my websites, introducing this website . . .

picture of a picture ?

Pardon my indulgence – I know it’s a little weird. You can review some of the SomeNet.NET website history and find previous WB5RMG pages on the old html-edited site http://wb5rmg.somenet.net …
/;^)

Work Party At WSC

Last night I returned home after several days in New Mexico.
With a few co-workers, I attended a hardware upgrade party at NASA’s White Sands Complex – which is the earth-based end of the space links for the TDRSS. This fleet of large satellites is parked in orbit at such a distance that they go around the earth at the same speed that the earth rotates – so they appear to stay in the same place. From those lofty perches around the globe they are able to collect data from smaller satellites that orbit much closer to earth, and relay all that data back home.
Of course we are not allowed to take our own pictures, so Google found this one for me.

Dishes in the Desert

Of primary interest to us is the return-link telemetry stream

Circuit Fun

What was that line from the movie.. “I love the smell of solder in the morning….“

My trusty Ol`Weller - since 1970...

Call me old-school if you like, but soldering circuits is great fun. I’ve had this same soldering gun since sometime in high school, maybe 1970.?. I knock wood, but this ol`Weller has never failed to make a good joint. The proto socket is for sure to be the best way to work out details before committing to soldering components to the board – that’s the easy part. The fun is

AMSAT-India Award

AMSAT-India VO-52 Award

This is the 4th anniversary of AMSAT-India’s VO-52 satellite, and they are offering an award for those who submit QSL information that indicates that you have worked other stations with their satellite. I have enjoyed many contacts via VO-52 – and consider this my primary satellite for linear/ssb operations. Currently I am using a pair of homebrew antennas that are in the attic, and have great success with VO-52…

I appreciate their contribution towards the amateur satellite community and encourge others to give it a try. It is easier than you might think.

I am very proud of this fine award certificate.

Thanks /;^)