Check out my long time friend (Fellow Navy Crew Member) on YouTube: SailboatProductions

6. March 2010 by admin.

I was just talking on the phone with a long time friend from my Navy days aboard USS Recovery ARS-43, Bill Lockwood. Bill has Sailboat Productions - a Video Recording and Production Company. I’m going to embed one of his videos from Youtube on here. You can click through the video on my blog to get to YouTube and see his other videos, as well as contact him for any Video Recording and Productions that you might need done. Bill says the following:

Hey Alan, it’s funny I know what I do, but I do so many different things, here is what you can say about Sailboat Video Productions.

Sailboat Video Productions is a full service production company specializing in fishing videos, events, live music performances and corporate convention video’s to assist your representatives in presentation as well as video’s for your sales people for an on site presentation.

Here’s a link to the website I’ve been building today and if you go to the Video Page you will see the fishing video I was talking about, it’s in quick time around 147 meg, but at least you dont have to download divx to watch…

http://billl.net/gofastfishing/index.html




—

Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

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

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

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

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Possibly powerline QRM (RFI) still at KA4UDX 02-18-2010

18. February 2010 by admin.





Possibly powerline noise (QRM) (RFI) still at KA4UDX, shot this video today 02-18-2010. Please excuse the “shaky cam” as I was hand holding the camera.

You’ll notice it starts down at 80 meters (probably lower as well) and I can find it all the way up to 6 meters into VHF (50 / 51 Mhz). It definately has a pulsing but random nature to it which has been seen here before and seems to match up with some piece of powerline hardware dangling in the wind and having a good “sparky” and arc’y at a nice high voltage level. I hope that isn’t the feed to someone’s business or home.

Anyway Florida Power and Light is supposed to have the latest RFI report / hardware broken problem found - thing fixed by this week. So we’ll see what happens. Maybe this is another one.

—

73 de KA4UDX

Alan Spicer

http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net (and more)

+1 954 683 3426

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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Watching Satellite TV you have it pretty easy. I want this Arrow Antenna for Amateur Satellite - as well as to track down noisy Power Poles (RFI - Radio Frequency Interference)

3. February 2010 by admin.

Watching satellite TV from home, yah, fairly easy, on a boat / yacht a little bit more of a challenge - but most of the work is done by those nice white radomes with the 3-axis tracking antenna system to take care of keeping you on the “bird” (The satellite) so that you can watch TV. Now grant it many yacht sat tv users have had to deal with things like changing satellites and even changing LNB (Low Noise Block) to watch satellite TV in different geographic areas as they travel.

But *this* looks like more of a challenge! Amateur Satellite a part of Amateur Radio - and this can all be done with relatively inexpensive equipment. If you already had the dual band handheld radio, and many of us hams already do, then all we would need is that fancy antenna - and maybe the duplexer that’s needed with it! I was already looking at the UHF antenna as someone recommended it for use in tracking down “noisy” power poles in your area that cause Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) on the ham bands. See my other posts about RFI on here.

I want this arrow antenna. And I might just get the VHF and UHF “Satellite” version instead of just getting the 7-element UHF Yagi. That would let me use it for satellite (VHF and UHF) as well as on single bands UHF or VHF, along with the RFI tracking that I was wanting to do anyway.

What can be more fun than tracking and talking through satellites by hand? Tracking and locating noise electrical power poles by hand?

Here’s a satellite video showing this antenna system:





How to GET and put together the ARROW Satellite Antenna for Amateur Radio / Satellite Use:




—
Alan Spicer - Radio Amateur KA4UDX
(See my other contact info elsewhere on this blog)

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Alan Spicer (KA4UDX) Contacts J79WWW in the Caribbean Island Dominica

3. February 2010 by admin.

Youtube Video of Alan Spicer (Radio Amateur KA4UDX) contacting J79WWW on the Caribbean Island Dominica via 14 Meters - 14.250 Mhz - Upper Sideband with 100 Watts using Hustler 6BTV Trapped Vertical Antenna.




This is my side: Kenwood TS-480SAT Radio



This is J79WWW’s YouTube Video - showing their side and their station




This is the Dominica Amateur Radio Club Inc. Site Video
http://www.youtube.com/user/alanspicertelecom
—
Alan Spicer - KA4UDX - General Class Radio Amateur
Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom
http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifiyacht.net
http://www.blog.marinetelecom.net - http://www.youtube.com/user/alanspicertelecom

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Heil Sound - Really Rocks for Music - and for Ham Radio

2. February 2010 by admin.

Heil Sound - Really Rocks for Music - and for Ham Radio

Well just watch and listen to this video… I’ve been considering purchasing a Heil microphone for use in my HF/SSB Ham Radio station. I also noted from their web site that they make microphons for broadcasting and musical recording and on the road shows. I had no idea of the history of Heil. Check out this video and let me know what you think?





—
Alan Spicer - Radio Amateur KA4UDX

Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom
http://www.marinetelecom.net - http://www.wifityacht.net
+1 954-683-3426
communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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RFI - Florida Power and Light Powerline Radio Frequency Interference

2. February 2010 by admin.

I still have RFI on the Ham Radio and adjacent bands (rather broadband as it can be found on many frequencies) which makes most ham radio contacts impossible. Earlier I promised video and I have made several attempts but the videos tend to get rather large rather quickly. So here is an attempt to beat the 10 minute YouTube requirement. Actually this one came in at just over 5 minutes. It demonstrates the Radio Frequency Interference, which is quite prominent and quite disruptive to communications as signal levels average in the S7 to S9 range - which really cuts off my receive “ears”. I probably cannot hear 80 - 90 % of radio signals that I could otherwise communicate with - without the interference. Here’s the video embed:





Again I reference: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/pwr-line-noise/index.html for an explanation of what this is, what the legalities are, and what should be done and how. I would certainly like to be acknowledged AGAIN by FP&L in regards to this ongoing problem. The initial response, at least from the Radio Guy with FP&L, was fantastic. He opened a trouble ticket to fix a specific piece of hardware on a specific FP&L power pole. Wether or not this was accomplished has not yet been communicated to me. The pulsing, stronger, RFI - which was identified at that time seems to be gone. But other apparently strong powerline RFI remains. I am trying in multiple channels (emails, FP&L web site email contact) to get communications between myself and FP&L going again. My Amateur Radio / Ham Radio Station remains at their disposal for demonstration of the RFI and for hooking up their equipment to indentify (”fingerprint”) the offending radio frequency interference. 

FCC Part 15 rules require that utilities and other operators of “incidental radiators,” such as power lines, cause no harmful interference to licensed operations

Power-line noise can interfere with radio communications and broadcasting. Essentially, the power-lines or associated hardware improperly generate unwanted radio signals that override or compete with desired radio signals. Power-line noise can impact radio and television reception — including cable TV head-end pick-up and Internet service. Disruption of radio communications, such as amateur radio, can also occur. Loss of critical communications, such as police, fire, military and other similar users of the radio spectrum can result in even more serious consequences.

—
I am a “licensed operation”:

Alan Spicer -KA4UDX

Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

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

+1 954-683-3426

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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It’s time again to play: Name That Noise Signal (Video7.wmv) more Amateur Radio RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)

11. January 2010 by admin.

For awhile last night it was quiet … I actually had very low noise levels on most bands. I could hear the RFI, which has a pulsing factor to it - but sounds like electrical noise, but it was not sustaining like it has at other times. I was actually able to hear and work stations on 3.8 and 7.2 Mhz portions of the ham bands. But today it was back again in full force. Although it doesn’t seem to be always holding the same 5 times per second (approximately) pulsing. I’d almost want to say it is a form of modulation or coding. Maybe it is based upon some kind of traffic or messages being sent? Maybe it varies with electrical usage somewhere? Maybe it’s a failure waiting to happen and it can’t quite figure out what to do with the cold temperatures we are experiencing.

Anyway I managed to get a recording again of this noise … I’m monitoring it right now on 3.8 Mhz and it doesn’t seem to have any reliable pattern to it. Sometimes it’s that rapid pulse, then it slows down to a steady electrical buzzing, different lengths of ON time, back to pulsing briefly, and then back to some longer steady ON times. One thing is for sure it won’t go away and play nice. And it’s very broad band. From AM BC band, through HF Ham Bands, and I can find it also up in VHF although quite a bit weaker.

Here is the video:





* If anyone, Ham Radio Operator, or other knowledgeable or expert type, recognizes this noise please let me know. Thanks! 

—
Alan Spicer KA4UDX
http://blog.marinetelecom.net

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Ham Radio Operators, Radio Experts, Electrical Experts - Help Me Name This Tune (This RFI Noise Interference)

5. January 2010 by admin.

I just did a new video post on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/alanspicertelecom





So maybe some of you experts out there can help me “name that tune” or name that Radio Frequency Interference. Perhaps it will sound familiar and you will know what creates is, or have some idea. Ideas are welcome. Florida Power and Light has been asked to check it out for me. Obviously I would like to keep this with an attitude and tone of “I’ll work with FP&L” towards discovering the cause and resolution of this apparently quite broadband (broad band as in a lot of frequencies, not as in Broadband Internet) in nature as it blankets quite a bit of radio spectrum both Amateur, Public Broadcast, and perhaps OTHER frequencies as well. If it is powerline / equipment related it may be indicative of a coming failure in some part or equipment. Obviously it would be prudent to find it before it fails causing other troubles (Power Outages, Low Voltages, etc.) I’m obviously not the Electrical Expert in this situation. Just a licensed Amateur Radio Operator who happened across this issue. I’m interested in both find the cause and solving it, and in learning from the experience. Perhaps this can help me in my work, and also can help others. Ham Radio is for this purpose as one of it’s primary reasons for existing as a Service. Noone has done anything wrong here, obviously - probably just some equipment or hardware has a problem. (”Let’s work the problem people, let’s not make things worse by guessing” — Gene Kranz in Apollo 13 [the movie], no idea if he actually ever said that.)

Note: The ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio, has an interesting page on these types of issues:

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/pwr-line-noise/

—
Alan Spicer - KA4UDX
Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom
http://www.marinetelecom.net and http://www.wifiyacht.net
+1 954 683 3426
communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party (LCL 2009) - KA4UDX works KA1IOR at East Chop Lighthouse Marthas Vineyard - Oak Bluffs, Mass. 14.252 Mhz USB

3. January 2010 by admin.

Well I wasn’t *there* but it was a thrill nonetheless…

I happened to be tuning around 20 meters on the ham (amateur radio) bands and happened across KA1IOR saying something about “activating” or “lighting up” a lighthouse in Cape Cod. So I stayed tuned … I didn’t touch that dial. Well I might have touched a few dials But I kept on monitoring … KA1IOR, you see, was a Special Event Station - and those are nice ones to get in the log. Because maybe, just maybe, you can get a QSL Card. That’s wall paper, like post cards, that amateur radio operators use to confirm a contact. And they are often quite unique (say just for such an event as this) and as often quite beautiful keepsakes. That and I’m in a marine business so it’s even more interesting. The occassion was:

http://arlhs.com/LCL-2009-guidelines.html

Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party (LCL - 2009)

Which brings to “light” (pun intended) the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society on http://www.arlhs.com

I didn’t even know this existed. But it is rather interesting.

Where in the heck is this lighthouse? Where in the heck is East Chop anyway? You can bet my web browser went into overdrive trying to find the answers to those questions. I came across this:

http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/Light/EastChop.htm

which says:

National Park Service
 
Inventory of Historic Light Stations
Massachusetts Lighthouses 
Back to Inventory - Home Page
Back to Inventory - List of Massachusetts Lighthouses
EAST CHOP (TELEGRAPH HILL) LIGHT

State: MASSACHUSETTS
Location: MARTHAS VINEYARD / VINEYARD HAVEN ENTRANCE
Nearest City: OAK BLUFFS
County: DUKES
U.S.C.G. District: 1
Year Station Established: 1869
U.S. Coast Guard photo
Existing Historic Tower:
Year Light First Lit: 1877

Is the Light Operational? YES

Date Deactivated: N/A

Automated: 1933

Foundation Materials: CONCRETE

Construction Materials: CAST IRON

Markings/Patterns: WHITE W/BLACK LANTERN

Shape: CONICAL

Relationship to Other Structures: SEPARATE

Tower Height: 40

Original Optic:

Year Original Lens Installed:

Present Optic: 300 MM

Year Present Lens Installed:

Height of Focal Plane: 79

Fresnel Lens Disposition:

Has tower been moved? NO
Previous Tower(s):
1. Construction Date: 1869

Description: PRIVATELY BUILT LIGHTHOUSE

Fate/Disposition:
Modern Tower? NO

Existing Sound Signal Building? NO

Existing Keepers Quarters? NO (DEMOLISHED)
Year Constructed: 1877

Number of Stories:

Architectural Style: GOTHIC REVIVAL

Construction Materials:
Other Structures: NONE

Current Use: ACTIVE AID TO NAVIGATION IN TOWN PARK

Owner/Manager: U.S. COAST GUARD LEASE TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Open to the Public? YES (Go to Lighthouses to Visit for access information)

Web Site: LINK

National Register Status: LISTED Reference #87001480
Name of Listing: EAST CHOP LIGHT (LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS TR)
On State List/Inventory? YES; Year Listed:

Miscellaneous:
 
* Anyway Radio Amateur Operator Geoffrey Way replied to my QSL request and actually emailed me a QSL Card Image:

I also happened to be recording audio and video of my radio / station during the contact and have uploaded that video to YouTube:





—

73 de KA4UDX

Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

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

+1 954-683-3426

communications (at) marinetelecom.net

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