Blackberry REACT June 2008 NewsletterQuick ClicksThe difference between .002 dollars and .002 centsThis is a recording of an incredible conversation with Verizon support. The man was quoted .002 cents per kilobyte; his usage was 35,000 kilobyte. His bill was $70. The support people say .002 cents times 35,000 KB is $70. It's a half- hour round and round with two different people who don't know basic math. How to make your own HD-TV antenna for five bucksBe sure to look at the finished item before they start the directions so you know where you're going. Complete parts list and step by step instructions on video. I especially like the part where the guy drills through a piece of wood as he holds it with his hand behind where he's drilling. Blood-free. He scrapes off the enamel on coat hangars and suggests using a knife or wire strippers - I'd suggest sandpaper instead. Much quicker and more nearly complete. More lunches to goCheeseburger in a can, with a 12-month shelf-life. That lettuce looks awfully fresh, though. Military Inter-Squad RadioI've read comments from people asking if the army can use FRS radios, and I've seen photos of what look like FRS radios by Icom and others that are for the military. According to Monitoring Times Magazine, this is the ISR service, which uses radios identical to FRS but on different frequencies. We often participate at events where there are military personnel, so if you see them on ISR radios, here are their frequencies: Channel Freq Channel Freq 1 396.875 2 397.125 3 397.175 4 397.375 5 397.425 6 397.475 7 397.550 8 397.950 9 398.050 10 399.425 11 399.475 12 399.725 13 399.925 14 399.975 Explore the ionosphere with Google EarthNASA has developed a real time model of the ionosphere, viewable in three dimensions using Google Earth. This link explains the situation and provides links to the relevant programs and data. Since the model is real time, it is a valuable tool to hams using HF for communications. For the rest of us, it's a real trip to fly a few hundred miles above the earth and look at the ionosphere in false colors. Kenwood to merge with JVCVertex was merged with Motorola awhile back, and now JVC is merging with Kenwood. We old guys will remember RCA Victor and may recall that JVC was Japan Victor Company. JVC is a maker of consumer electronics nowadays, including TVs and video cameras in addition to what used to be called record players. Kenwood is a maker of high-end audio equipment, including a line of amateur radio transceivers. The merged company will be called JVC Holdings, and it is said that it will concentrate on car and home audio products. Amateur radio after Chinese earthquakeThere are not reports I can find concerning amateur radio in Burma / Myanmar, but the ARRL has the page linked to above on amateur radio efforts in China after the magnitude 7.8 quake there. The Chinese Radio Sports Association called on all amateurs to assist in relief efforts and to pass on health and welfare traffic. AfriGadgetThis site is about how Africans are providing themselves with cell phones, ground grains, water, biodiesel, and more without the energy infrastructure available in the US. A situation we may find ourselves in after the big earthquake. Not all of it applies to the long-term survival situation New Orleans residents found themselves in, nor that we will be in, but there is a great deal to be learned. They even have a flickr page .Analogue to digital conversionWe are all aware of the coming conversion to all-digital broadcasting next February, but some of us have been through this before. Photos of UHF Converters so that VHF TVs (Channels 2 - 13)
could receive and display UHF channels (14 - 82). More photos
at Good news about the Big OneYou know scientists (whoever _they_ are) keep predicting a 46% chance of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in California in the next 30 years. They predict tens of thousands of injuries, a few thousand dead, billions of dollars in damage from the quake and resulting fires. The good news is, they expect the quake to hit in LA, not in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whew! Railroad track antennaThe two strangest things I've ever seen: The State of Texas has a historical park for railroads with a commemorative art piece that is four railroad tracks that are vertical. Adding to the strangeness, Jeff, WB4WXD, loaded up the tracks and used them for an antenna. See the full suite of photos at the first of these three links. For your entertainment pleasure, the park is in Palestine, TX, population 17,892, and pronounced PAL iss teen. La FreshLa Fresh makes travel packets of moisturizer, makeup remover, deodorant, shaving gel, and all sorts of wipes. The towelettes are in individual packets that will pass muster at the TSA check points, and La Fresh sells them in small travel sets and in bulk. Check out what they've got - these wipes often come in handy at long events: clean your hands, moisturize your sun- dried face, clean your glasses, and so on. The wipes come in flat foil packets you can carry in your pocket. From the ARRL Letter May 23"Chinese Olympic Special Event Stations Are On-the-Air: Special Event stations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games began operating May 18, running through Wednesday, September 17. Five special calls, representing the five rings of the Olympic flag, will be on the air: BT1OB, BT1OJ, BT1OH, BT1OY and BT1ON. The last letter of the call sign corresponds to the color of each of the rings of the Olympic flag -- Beibei (Blue), Jingjing (Black), Huanhuan (Red), Yingying (Yellow) and Nini (Green). Zheng Feng, BA4EG, will be the QSL manager for all stations. QSLs can be sent either direct or via the bureau and will begin to be answered in October. A Web site supporting the Special Event stations will include an on line log search, QSL card received and sent status, as well as other information; award criteria will soon be posted on the site. -- Thanks to "The Daily DX" for this information." On the ground with AT&T;'s Network Disaster Recovery teamActually interesting article. AT&T; ran a disaster simulation in Chicago and allowed Engadget to watch their exercise. There's a time-lapse video on the page, which shows AT&T; setting up all their trailers and vans, then cabling all their gear together. Lots of semis, double-wides, and a Suburban, all of it air conditioned. Fire knocks out Web host; can't use generatorsThe writing on this post is not exactly clear, but it appears that there was an electrical short in the power room of a Web host which caused a fire which in turn sparked an explosion, knocking out three walls of the power room. The facility had generators for back up power, but because the problem was in the wiring, the fire department refused to let them start up the generator(s); thus, the entire facility is without power, even though they have back up power and a plan to use it. I'd always assumed if you had a back up generator, you had back up power, but there are situations where you can't use your power. Events
UpdatesThe July program is a discussion of our role in future events and our recruiting and retention of new members. We will discuss a suggestion to prepare training videos for CERTs and other REACT teams. |