18. June 2010 by admin.

Noone has asked me this question, but they might think that way… (”Abigail:You know, people don’t talk that way anymore. Ben:I know. But they think that way.” — National Treasure, the movie.)

Why Amateur Radio on a Marine Telecom Blog?

Well #1 - Because I can … it’s my blog and it’s about communications … and, well it’s my blog.

#2 - It’s about Communications. If you know the electronics and theory of radio … then you know it wether it’s amateur radio or marine radio, or satellite - cellular or other radio. It’s all radio. It’s all wireless.

#3 - Amateur Radio provides a good service … including Emergency Services when the power is down and/or when other communications infrastructures are down, such as in disasters like Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and more.

What is the purpose of Amateur Radio?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio

Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called “hams,” use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public services, recreation and self-training.[1]

Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. An estimated two million people throughout the world are regularly involved with amateur radio.[2]

The term “amateur” reflects the principle that amateur radio and its skilled operators are committed to helping communities without financial compensation; whereas commercial radio operates for profit.

#4 - Knowledge of World Geography and Understanding and Relations with Persons of non-US residence. Alan Spicer Marine Telecom deals with marine vessels and other marine related entities not only in the United States but around the world. In order to communication with, and provide products to, marine vessels and marine entities - around the world. Requires a pretty good understanding of world geography. Now grant it I served 4 years United States Navy back in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s, and have traveled the Mediterranean (as far east as Golcuk / Istanbul, Turkey) and the Caribbean Seas, but still… I require refreshing of my knowledge of world geography. And Amateur Radio provides an excellent means of doing so. Amateur Radio coupled with Google Earth is an excellent way to boost your knowledge of world geography. Where a country or island is … how far is that from here? Do they have an airport nearby? Does Fedex and UPS go there?

* * * * So there you have it. 4 very good reasons why I use Amateur / Ham Radio, and why you see it on this blog. There is also the hope that it will encourage others to try Amateur Radio. There are a lot more things to do in Amateur Radio than there used to be. It used to be pretty much only Morse Code and SSB Phone radio on the HF bands. Then came 2 Meters VHF, and 70 centimeters UHF. Followed by 220Mhz and several Gigahertz bands. Amateur Radio Repeater Systems that allow mobile radios and hand held HT or walkie talkies to communicate over wide areas with minimal power and minimal cost to an individual. Repeater systems that often rival Police and Public Service communications in their coverage and capabilities. Not only that but the gained knowledge of how such professional communications in VHF, UHF, and Gigahertz bands works. Satellite Communications, Digital Modes Communications, even Television Transmissions … all happen on the Ham Radio Bands. And getting a license is now Easier Than it has Ever Been.

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio-1

The word “Amateur” is often defines as “lacking professional skill and ease in a particular pursuit”. However, the true meaning of this word is, “not paid” and as one learns of the many facets of the hobby, they will find that radio amateurs are really radio “experts”. 

http://wedothatradio.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/what-is-ham-radio/

* * * * Oh I get a bonus reason, #5

#5 - Amateur Radio took Communications to sea (marine) originally!

Why Do They Call Themselves “Hams”?
“Ham: a poor operator. A ‘plug.’”
That’s the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge’s “The Telegraph Instructor” even before there was radio. The definition has never changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who left their offices to go to sea or to man the coastal stations. They brought with them their language and much of the tradition of their older profession. In those early days, every station occupied the same wavelength-or, more accurately perhaps, every station occupied the whole spectrum with its broad spark signal. Government stations, ships, coastal stations and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all competed for time and signal supremacy in each other’s receivers. Many of the amateur stations were very powerful. Two amateurs, working each other across town, could effectively jam all the other operations in the area. Frustrated commercial operators would refer to the ham radio interference by calling them “hams.” Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked it up and applied it to themselves in true “Yankee Doodle” fashion and wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared.

And another bonus one … #6

#6 - Amateur Radio, according to the Linux Journal, is the Original Open Source. And Alan Spicer likes Open Source (and Close Source as well, depending on our needs. We’re not beating up Microsoft here…) because it allows amazing “Outside of the Box” things to be done with various wireless systems. In around 2005 / 2006 Alan Spicer built a Marine WiFi System from Off-the-shelf hardware and using after-market Linux modifications (SVEASOFT, DD-WRT) of Operating Software. Some of those systems are still in use onboard yachts today. Alan Spicer continues to investigate and develop products using Open Source. Alan Spicer loves Amateur Radio because “Ham Radio” operators like technical investigation, they like to build stuff, they like to know how stuff works. And knowing how stuff works often results in us influencing how products work for the better. You know “The Good Stuff”, “Better Stuff”, like Snapple says.

http://www.linuxjournal.com/ham

“What most people tend not to think about is the open-source nature of Amateur Radio. While operators most often are seen working in emergency situations, many of the modern conveniences we have today—cell phones, satellites, wireless devices—were developed and tested by radio amateurs.”

* When you are on a sailing yacht, a motor yacht, a marine vessel, a boat … trying to communicate … nay, needing to communicate … you are in a unique mobile platform. You can’t depend on the same landline infrastructure that persons on land can. You can however use some of the communications structures, wether free, or for hire, that are wireless … be that via satellite or via wireless WiFi or via Cellular or other 3G (and now 4G) services.

—

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

communications @ marinetelecom.net

+1 954-683-3426

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18. June 2010 by admin.

KA4UDX - Hustler 6BTV (10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 80 Meters [also works on 6 Meters]) Antenna

KA4UDX Station Picture

See More, including videos, at: http://www.youtube.com/user/alanspicertelecom

Here is Alan Spicer, KA4UDX, Amateur Radio Contact Statistics from eQSL.cc from December 2009 to current date:

Bands 

      2m  2
 
     6m  61 
     10M  31 
     15M  67 
     17m  2 
     20m  155 
     30m  2 
     40m  91 
     80m  10 

  Modes  CW  4 

     FM  12 
     PSK31  68 
     RTTY  2 
     SSB  333 
     VOI  2 

  Propagation Modes  EchoLink  2 

     Internet  2 
 
Dates 
    
     2009 December  3 
     2010 January  48 
     2010 February  57 
     2010 March  106 
     2010 April  86 
     2010 May  78 
     2010 June  43 

  Countries
(Only includes cards to members of eQSL.cc)   3 

     ARGENTINA  1 
     ARUBA  2 
     AUSTRIA  5 
     BARBADOS  1 
     BELGIUM  3 
     BONAIRE/CURACAO NETH. ANTILLE  2 
     BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA  1 
     BRAZIL  7 
     BULGARIA  2 
     CANADA  12 
     CANARY ISL.  4 
     CHILE  1 
     COLOMBIA  2 
     COSTA RICA  6 
     CROATIA  2 
     CUBA  1 
     CZECH REP.  2 
     DENMARK  2 
     DOMINICA  1 
     DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  6 
     ECUADOR  5 
     ENGLAND  2 
     FRANCE  6 
     FRENCH GUIANA  1 
     GERMANY  3 
     GREECE  2 
     GRENADA  1 
     GUADELOUPE  1 
     GUATEMALA  1 
     HAWAII  3 
     HONDURAS  2 
     ISLE OF MAN  1 
     ITALY  8 
     JAPAN  1 
     LATVIA  1 
     MARTINIQUE  1 
     MEXICO  2 
     NETHERLANDS  2 
     NORTHERN IRELAND  1 
     POLAND  1 
     PORTUGAL  2 
     PUERTO RICO  7 
     RUSSIA (EUROPEAN)  1 
     SCOTLAND  1 
     SLOVAK REP.  2 
     SLOVENIA  4 
     SPAIN  4 
     ST. MAARTEN/SABA/ST. EUST  1 
     ST. VINCENT  1 
     TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO  2 
     UKRAINE  1 
     USA  159 
     VENEZUELA  4 
     VIRGIN ISL.  1 

   Entire Logbook/OutBox Selector 421

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18. June 2010 by admin.

eQSL.cc - Dave monitoring progress during the server migration June 17, 2010

http://www.eqsl.cc - is the main web site … and it’s a whole lot faster, like I said. Good Job Dave!!!!

* The following is from: http://eqslcc.blogspot.com/

Thursday, June 17, 2010
First 6 hours on the new servers
 
One small issue: the eQSL applications are reporting the time as 1 hour ahead of the correct time that is set in Windows. I’m investigating.

Everything is going smoothly in the first 6 hours on the new servers. I managed to get some sleep from 0700 to 1200 UTC

Your logger that does Real-Time uploads of ADIF logs might fail occasionally over the next 72 hours. This is because the eQSL.cc domain name may take up to 3 days to propagate all around the world. There is nothing that can be done, except to wait a day and try again. In many regions, the eQSL.cc domain is already working properly, pointing to the new servers without a change in the URL to www.QSLCard.com. It should not take more than about 72 hours for this to occur.

If you logged into www.eQSL.cc but now your URL says www.QSLCard.com you can try logging out, then point your browser again to www.eQSL.cc and log in again. If it stays logged into wwww.eQSL.cc then you are all set. If it redirects you to www.QSLCard.com then your area does not yet have the updated eQSL.cc routing. Just wait another few hours.

In any event, everybody is now on the new servers and can use the system without limitations with their browser.
The system is running much faster from what I have been able to see. Right now I am seeing over 90 users logged in, and the longest wait for a database response has been on the order of 20 seconds, compared with 10 minutes or longer on the old machine.

Even the Power Users screen, which used to take 2 or 3 minutes (if it didn’t timeout first) now only takes a few seconds to display.

The new application server is easily able to handle those 90 users, and has never had to process more than 2 users at the same time, because it is handling their requests so fast. On the old machines, it was quite normal to have 10 to 20 users being processed simultaneously.

Most of the speed improvements are the result of the new database server, which has 24 Gigabytes of memory, along with 5 hard disk, of which 4 provide fully redundant, mirrored and striped (RAID 10) data storage spinning at 15,000 RPM for the database, and the 5th of which is a 1 Terabyte disk for storing database backups.

Please don’t report any errors yet, unless they involve money so we can have a chance to find errors ourselves and fix them. Otherwise you may overwhelm our email support volunteers with questions they cannot answer.

If everything continues to go this well, I will eliminate the time delays on the OutBox (I have already reduced it from 10 minutes to 1 minute) and the InBox, and other screens.

If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them here on this blog.

73!
Dave
Posted by Dave Morris, N5UP at 7:39 AM

—

Good Work Dave Morris … and Great Upgrade and new found SPEED!

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

http://www.qrz.com/db/ka4udx

http://blog.marinetelecom.net

http://www.youtube.com/users/alanspicertelecom

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

+1 954-683-3426 - communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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17. June 2010 by admin.

I tried to upload my Amateur Radio contacts log to eQSL.cc from HRD (Ham Radio Deluxe) Software tonight and got zero good. Then I noticed a message also coming in on the trace log for the upload saying go to:

http://eqslcc.blogspot.com/

eQSL-CC-Image.jpg

Ohhhh…. so that’s why they are down. A lot of the headaches that their server administrator describes I am familiar with from my systems and network administrator days. I mostly administrated Unix and Linux Servers but have also worked with Microsoft Servers.

—

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

+1 954-683-3426

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17. June 2010 by admin.

KA4UDX Contact: IZ8HXAG @ 23:03 Z in VILLA SAN GIOVANNI R.C., Italy on 20 Meters (14.250 Mhz)

http://www.qrz.com/db/iz8hxg

iz8hxg-QRZ-IMAGE-1

iz8hxg-QRZ-IMAGE-2

iz8hxg-Google-Earth-Geography

iz8hxg-RADIO-PATH-Google-Earth-Geography




Supporting Youtube video by KA4UDX for Italy Contact IZ8HXG, etc. …

—

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

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17. June 2010 by admin.

KA4UDX Contact: LZ1WR @ 00:11 Z on 20 Meters (14.250 Mhz) in Karlova, Bulgaria

http://www.qrz.com/db/lz1wr

LZ1WR-Bulgaria-Google-Earth-Geography

LZ1WR-RADIO-PATH-Bulgaria-Google-Earth-Geography




Supporting YouTube video by KA4UDX for LZ1WR Contact today

—

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

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17. June 2010 by admin.

Yah, people can change … no really. But that’s just a word play on a common wording in equipment and components advertising. Do they really have to put that there? I mean like “Page Intentionally Left Blank”. Doesn’t that like waste paper or something if you print it. Do you really have to state that the page was intentionally left blank? Yah you’d probably get a lot of phone calls and emails asking why page BR549 is blank.

“Specifications are subject to change without notice”

Really???? Time marches on without notice as well. What does that mean anyway? I mean specifications are “specified” they are inherently “specific”. it’s built into the word … it’s built into the concept.

* I hope the specifications don’t change before the equipment or components arrive!

* If the specifications change then update your material, your web site, your catalog when that happens!

* I mean if the specifications change … there’s got to be at least a half a dozen ways to notify people. I already mentioned updating your web site. Like an item being in stock or not, place an additional notification in the SHOPPING CART at checkout for online purchases, when a specification has changed, somewhere in nice big red letters before the shopper commits to the order. If the orders are taken by phone you should have steps in place to notify the customer before they place the order.

* Is it going to be BETTER or WORSE than you already SPECIFIED?

I mean it’s bad enough at the grocery store that we’re getting some percent less of a product for the same price that we previously paid for it for more.

* The item is specified to be a CAR. Now it’s going to be a HELICOPTER?

—

This blog post is subject to change without notice!

Alan Spicer - http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

+1 954-683-3426

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16. June 2010 by admin.

KA4UDX - Going in on 10 Meters FM “split frequency 2 vfo’s” 29.640 Mhz down 100 Khz for transmit on 29.540 Mhz, I contacted KJ1Q on this FM 10 meter link into a larger interlinked system in Rocky Hill, Connecticut today. His signal, the 10 meter repeater transmission, was behind another stronger FM 10 meter repeater system signal making it a bit tricky to hold a conversation. But we did…

http://www.nerepeaters.com/nets.htm#KJ1Q Net

http://www.af1hs.com/kj1q.html

http://aprs.fi/?call=KB1CDI-B

KJ1Q Net (8)
29.640 - CT Terryville KJ1Q 88.5 82.5  Litchfield   RX in Rocky Hill CT 2009/05/02,21:04:35
53.390 - CT Rocky Hill KJ1Q 88.5 TS OFF Hartford   RX in Terryville CT 2009/09/26,00:08:22
147.135 + CT East Hampton KB1CDI 88.5   Middlesex  13782 Part time 2009/10/13,01:17:49
147.315 + CT Terryville KB1CDI 88.5 TS  Litchfield  13782   
147.375 + CT Rocky Hill KB1CDI 82.5   Hartford  13782  2009/05/02,21:04:17
442.300 + CT Rocky Hill KJ1Q 88.5 TS*  Hartford   Part time 2007/11/13,11:01:34
444.400 + CT Rocky Hill KB1CDI 88.5 TS*  Hartford   Part time 2009/09/25,23:02:41
    N1OTW Net        Part time 2007/11/13,12:16:44

* This repeater system, was behind a stronger signal from another repeater system (not sure where yet?) but I contacted and had a long (if difficult) QSO with KJ1Q who was handheld 2 meters FM into the 147 Mhz (KB1CDI) part of a nicely interlinked system.

* This is similar to how, with band conditions opening on 10 meters (28 and 29 Mhz) recently we have been getting into W2FLA on 29.620 Mhz - 100 Khz transmit, in Northern New York State … with interlinked VHF, UHF systems in several places in New York (including NYC, and New Jersey.)

Amateur-FM-2-Meters-Plus-Plus-Google-Earth-Geography

Including the one I identified today and the placemarks for the NY area systems that I plotted earlier…

—

73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

+1 954 683 3426

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16. June 2010 by admin.

Has anybody read this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_drilling_rig_explosion

It has more information than you’ll get in the daily news media doses that you get about the Gulf Oil Rig BP Disaster.

I’m not going to quote it because you can go there an read it yourself. But … Do go read it! Let me know if it makes you Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it any more? (That’s a quote from some old movie…)

Let me know if this information seems similar to the Nasa Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster? What I mean is there were advisors, professionals, that know what they are doing … that say WHOAH! STOP! SOMETHINGS WRONG. But yet the wrong persons get to decide to continue with an operation anyway, despite critical safety concerns and/or concerns over equipment or parts being operated (or to be operated) well beyond their specifications.

In the Movie Crimson Tide … Commander Hunter took the keys to the Submarine and said “These are the keys to the entire submarine”. In these situations the keys to the Entire Platform need to reside with someone else. Maybe one of those professionals that say WHOAH!!!! … And would turn the darned thing OFF. The wrong people got too much power … too much greed for something … accolades … money … whatever. That power needed to be in check. Checks and Balances you know from old school politics. Someone that can be trusted, who knows The Platform, needs to have the ultimate power and capability of throwing the OFF SWITCH.

This doesn’t fix the current problem, the current situation. But if our government does anything they need to (Quote from the Wikipedia Article: President Barack Obama authorized SWAT teams to investigate 29 oil rigs in the Gulf in an effort to determine the cause of the disaster.) send SWAT teams to make sure that the persons that know, that can be trusted for safety … have the Keys to the whole Platform and can turn it OFF if they deem there to be any sort of problem in their professional opinion that can put people, the platform, or the environment at risk.

(Another quote: The explosion was followed by a fire that engulfed the platform. According to an unnamed witness, Deepwater Horizon installation manager Jimmy Harrell, an employee of Transocean, was speaking to someone in Houston, Texas when the fire started, and was heard screaming, “Are you fucking happy? Are you fucking happy? The rig’s on fire! I told you this was gonna happen.”)

He told them this was gonna happen? Why weren’t they required under LAW to shutdown when anyone told them any such thing “was gonna happen”?

* More from Crimson Tide … Didn’t we learn anything?

——————————————————————————–

Hunter: Captain Ramsey, under operating procedures governing the release of nuclear weapons we cannot launch our missiles unless both you, and I agree.
Capt. Ramsey: [shouting over Hunter] COB, what’re you waiting for?
Hunter: This is not a formality sir, this is *expressly* why your command must be repeated. It requires my assent, I *do not* give it and further more, you continue upon this course, and insist upon this launch without confirming this message first…
Capt. Ramsey: [shouting over Hunter] Son of a bitch. As commanding officer of the U.S.S Alabama I order you to place the X-O under arrest under charges of mutiny.
Hunter: I will act, backed by the rules of precedence…
Capt. Ramsey: [shouting at COB, over Hunter] I say again, as commanding officer of the U.S.S Alabama, I *order you*…
Hunter: -authority in command, regulations number 815, to relieve, you, of, command, captain.
Capt. Ramsey: -to place the X-O under arrest, under charges of mutiny!
[Silence all round]
Capt. Ramsey: COB!
Chief of the Boat: Captain, please, the X-O is right. We can’t launch unless he concurs.

——————————————————————————–

* The operation of such a platform, drilling rig, should not be allowed to continue unless Chief Engineer or someone Technically competent agrees with the other Commanding Officer (or person) that such operation should continue.

——————————————————————————–

Capt. Ramsey: Gimme the missile key.
[Hunter does nothing and Ramsey punches Hunter in the face]
Capt. Ramsey: [sternly] Gimme the missile key Mr. Hunter.
[Hunter takes the keys out and puts it around his neck and Ramsey punches Hunter in the face again]
Capt. Ramsey: [shouting] I am the commander of this fuckin’ ship! Gimme the goddamn key!

——————————————————————————–

Nope! Mr. Oil Platform Commander (executive?) you cannot have the key — signed Executive Officer or Chief Engineer … because IT’S JUST NOT SAFE PERIOD.

——————————————————————————–

This is the dilemma that will
occupy this panel, this navy,

and this country’s armed forces as a whole

long after you leave this room.

Off the record, you’ve both

created one hell of a mess -
* Yah … this is the dilema that will occupy this country long after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion.

—

73 de KA4UDX, Alan Spicer

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

+1 954 683 3426

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16. June 2010 by admin.

KA4UDX Contact: IZ5HPQ @ 22:56 Z on 20 Meters (14.247 Mhz) - Toscany, Italy

http://www.qrz.com/db/iz5hpq

IZ5HPQ-QRZ-IMAGE-1

HPQ-QRZ-IMAGE-2

IZ5HPQ-RADIO-PATH-Google-Earth-Geography

IZ5HPQ-Google-Earth-Geography




Someone made a Video on YouTube of contact with IZ5HPQ

—
73 de KA4UDX, Alan Spicer

http://www.marinetelecom.net

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