Daily Archives: 6. February 2012




Official 2012 Honda CR-V Game Day Commercial – “Matthew’s Day Off” Extended Version

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Alan Spicer




Madonna ~ Halftime Super Bowl XLVI (dolby surround) – 720P High Def Video

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Alan Spicer

Thanks for W0MRZ who was nice enough to come up on 3710 Khz, 75 Meters, this morning – in IA which is The State of Iowa …

I got another state for www.eqsl.cc eWAS – Worked All States. After this I only need UT – Utah and ND – North Dakota.

I also have 68 countries confirmed for contacts on Amateur Radio on the H.F. bands. Some contacts are on Digital Modes such as RTTY (Radio Teletype) and PSK31 …and the rest are on S.S.B. – Single Side Band … a form of A.M. Modulation with the AM Carrier and One Sideband supressed. I have awards in between for 31 and 51 countries … and I will eventually get the next eDX Award for 75 countries worked.

No, I don’t get any money for this But it’s certainly good for my geography knowledge – to say nothing for the Electronics and Radio knowledge that goes with the Ham Radio hobby. There is a certain satisfaction in having made 2-way radio contact, without any public or commercial communications infrastructure involve, with these numbers of locations in the U.S.A. and around the World.

Ionospheric propagation

(Practical Antenna Handbook Fourth Edition – Joseph J. Carr – 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies)

Now let’s turn your attention to the phenomenon of skip communications. Ionospheric propagation is responsible for the ability to do intercontinental broadcasting and communications. Long-distance radio transmission is carried out on the highfrequency (HF) bands (3 to 30 MHz), also called the shortwave bands. These frequencies are used because of the phenomenon called skip. Under this type of propagation, the earth’s ionosphere acts as though it is a “radio mirror.” Although the actual phenomenon is based on refraction (not reflection, as is frequently believed), the appearance to the casual observer is that shortwave and low-VHF radio signals are reflected from the ionosphere. The actual situation is a little different. The key lies in the fact that this radio mirror is produced by ionization of the upper atmosphere. The upper portion of the atmosphere is called the ionosphere because it tends to be easily ionized by solar and cosmic radiation phenomena. 

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73 de KA4UDX,

Alan Spicer

http://weather.weatherbug.com/hurricanes/hurricane-news.html?story=13196&zcode=Z5831®ion=8®ion_name=North%20America&country=US&country_name=USA&state_code=FL&state_name=Florida&zip=33334&city_name=Fort%20Lauderdale&stat=BSO04

Sub-Tropical System Could Be Forming Near Cuba

UPDATED 3 AM EST, February 6, 2012
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Chad Merrill

Weather-System-02-06-2011-Google-Earth – Screen capture by Alan Spicer

Although we`re only in mid-winter, there is a bit of stir going on in the warmer tropics. A low pressure near western Cuba is slowly gaining sub-tropical characteristics. Regardless of development, the system will bring heavy rain to south Florida to start off the week.

The low has been aimlessly drifting across the western Caribbean Sea between southern Mexico and western Cuba, feeding off the warm mid to upper 70s water temperatures and a bit of tropical moisture streaming across Mexico from the eastern Pacific.

Hurricane forecasters indicate the low is starting to become better organized as it churns towards Cuba. There is a 30% that it could develop into a sub-tropical storm as it edges into the warm Gulf of Mexico early this week.

If it becomes a sub-tropical system, it would be given the name, “Alberto;” the first name on the list for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.
Even if it doesn`t become sub-tropical, it will bring more downpours that will add up to an inch or so in places like Miami , Fort Myers and Key West, Fla., through Wednesday. In addition, gusty winds of 40 to 50 mph could cause sporadic power outages. The storm will quickly be swept into the tail end of a cold front crossing northern Florida, forcing it to move to the east and into the open Atlantic as it merges with the front.

While a tropical system in February is rather unusual, it is not without precedent. The last tropical storm on record in February occurred in 1952, as a storm system formed near Cuba and crossed south Florida. There have been a few winter-time sub-tropical systems as warmer and colder air mixes within a building storm system. Click here for information on the difference between tropical and sub-tropical storms.

While the official start of the hurricane season is still months away on June 1, it`s never too early to start thinking about hurricane preparations. Take the time now to consider evacuation routes, in case the primary one is jammed or blocked. Also, make a hurricane preparation kit of water, batteries, blankets and a battery-operated radio.

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Alan Spicer

The New York Giants won the Superbowl …

The Madonna in the Half Time Show was awesome …

And the Mathew Broderick – Ferris Buellers Day Off parody Commercial was ok too.

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Alan Spicer