THIS MONTHS MEETING AGENDA
From Wikipedia
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- Program: Demonstration of SDR, a software-defined radio, by Phil Leonelli, WF6L
A software-defined radio system, or SDR, is a radio communication system where components that have typically been implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented using software on a personal computer or embedded computing devices. While the concept of SDR is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics are making practical many processes that were once only theoretically possible.
A basic SDR system may consist of a personal computer equipped with a sound card, or other analog-to-digital converter, preceded by some form of RF front end. Significant amounts of signal processing are handed over to the general-purpose processor, rather than being done in special-purpose hardware. Such a design produces a radio that can receive and transmit widely different radio protocols (sometimes referred to as a waveforms) based solely on the software used.
Software radios have significant utility for the military and cell phone services, both of which must serve a wide variety of changing radio protocols in real time.
In the long term, software-defined radios are expected by proponents[who?] to become the dominant technology in radio communications. SDRs, along with software defined antennas are the enablers of the cognitive radio.
Name Call Date ExpiresThere will be no more paper notices mailed due to the rising cost of postage and supplies. All future notices will be sent electronically. See Members List for your expires date.
Second Notice
Beebe, Kathy KI6OHQ 2/28/2010
First Notice
Hanson, Mac W9WV 3/31/2010
Zumwalt, Donald WD9BBC 3/31/2010
Special Bulletin 5 ARLX005
From: ARRL Headquarters Newington CT March 1, 2010
To: all radio amateurs
A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile at 0634 UTC on February 27, 2010, triggering a potential tsunami. IARU Region 2 and the Red Chilena Nor Austral de Servicio (RECNA) have suggested Amateur Radio operators monitor the following emergency communications frequencies for traffic pertaining to the earthquake and tsunami: 3.738, 3.750, 7.050, 7.100, 14.200, 14.350, 21.200, 21.350, 28.300 and 28.500 MHz.
IARU Region 2 Area Emergency Coordinator Jorge Sierra, LU1AS, reports that there is now traffic at frequencies of 40 meters from people seeking information from people in Chile: "We would appreciate if amateurs would leave free the frequencies used by RECNA, as well as the usual IARU Region 2 frequencies on in 20, 40, and 80 meters."
In addition to the above frequencies, you may also want to listen to the worldwide emergency communication Center of Activity frequencies: 14.300, 18.160 and 21.360 MHz. Other suggested monitoring frequencies are 3.720, 7.045 and 7.060 MHz. Hawaiian Amateur Radio operators on the lookout for a possible tsunami are monitoring 7.088 and 3.888 MHz.
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2010-02-24
The meeting will be held on March 3, 2010 (the first Wednesday of each month). Arrive at 7:00pm for set-up and chat; the meeting starts at 7:30pm. Talk-in on 146.730 MHz repeater.
Directions to the Safety Center.Come early and enjoy an "eyeball" QSO with our members.
Robert Langenhuysen, PA0RYL/W0SDR is in our area for a couple of months, and has graciously agreed to tell us the story about how he and a number of other hams in the Netherlands saved the oldest steerable radiotelescope in the world from demolition. They converted it to an EME station and use for amateur radioastronomy. This promises to be an unusual and memorable program!
Carlsbad Safety Center
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad
| Checking Balance December 31, 2009 |
$3,213.85 |
| Petty Cash Balance December 31, 2009 |
$34.03 |
| Total |
$3,247.88 |
|
JANUARY INCOME |
|
| ARRL Dues | $39.00 |
| FARC Membership Dues |
$80.00 |
| Meeting Donation (Deposited) |
$10.00 |
|
Total |
$129.00 |
| JANUARY EXPENSES |
|
| ARRL Dues |
$37.00 |
| Total |
$37.00 |
| Checking Balance January 31, 2010 | $3,305.85 |
| Petty Cash Balance January 31, 2010 | $34.03 |
| Total |
$3,339.88 |
Dewey ECC Committee
Bigs-KG6GIU, Ron-KG6HSQ, Ken-W6MF, Randy-KD6UAK, Bob-W6VR, Hayden-KG6YVD
Technical Committee
Bob-W6VR, AA4CD-Chris, Bob-WB6DIJ, Paul-W6SJL, Daryl-WA5QMV, Ron-KG6HSQ
| News Items from CGC Communicator Newsletter Robert Gonsett - W6VR Editor |
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NEWS BRIEFS o President Obama proposes "spectrum fee" to serve as a "management tool:" o Emergency alerts on video games next? o On the shutdown of the LORAN navigation network: o KBRT(AM), 740 kHz, Avalon, has hardened itself against the crumbling infrastructure on Catalina Island. Read about their accomplishments on page 9 of this pdf report: o KSTN, 1420 kHz, Stockton, signs off after 60 years of broadcasting. The station is reportedly for sale: o Over-the-air (OTA) TV could make a comeback even if Mobile TV had never been invented. OTA is cheap ($0/month) and the multi-channel offerings are beginning to attract viewers (e.g. KSCI with eight video streams in a 6 MHz bandwidth): o Dr. Bill Gordon, designer of the giant (1,000 foot wide) radio-telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has passed away at the ago of 92: http://tinyurl.com/ye737hs
www.ftabins.net/showthread.php?p=900554 http://tinyurl.com/Dr-GordonPart2 *************** FEATURE STORY *************** 450 MHZ INTERFERENCE NAILS METRO TRAFFIC IN SAN DIEGO According to broadcast engineer Matt Lunati, Metro Traffic's voice repeater in San Diego was jammed about a week ago by a large number of simplex hand-held radios that were pressed into service at the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. The radios were reportedly programmed to transmit on 455.500 MHz and sold to the District by an equipment dealer that told the district not to worry about licensing. Unfortunately, 455.500 MHz is Metro's licensed repeater input frequency and the resulting interference jammed Metro's helicopter communications. Matt found the source of the interference by using his Amateur Radio direction finding ("DFing") skills, then met with the school district staff to explain that 450-460 MHz is NOT a licensee-free band. We understand that the San Diego FCC field office is now involved in the case. While the Commission might only go after the school district for allegedly operating on an unauthorized frequency, FCC Rule 90.427(b) states that, "Except for frequencies used in accordance with Section 90.417, no person shall program into a transmitter frequencies for which the licensee using the transmitter is not authorized." This means that the equipment dealer could conceivably be liable. ------------------- HOW DID 455.500 MHZ GET PROGRAMMED INTO SCHOOL RADIOS? CGC asked the alleged equipment dealer how 455.500 MHz got programmed into the school radios. The vendor at first said that a third party did the deed, then changed the story and said that the school district itself did the programming. When asked specifically how the frequency was entered into the radios -- for example by front panel keystrokes or a programming cable -- the representative said he had to end the conversation and turn the matter over to company management. We requested a return call but none was received. Brian Marshall, Superintendent of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, stated on February 11 that the district will not comment until their own investigation is complete, but he did confirm that his district has been in touch with the FCC. An informed source stated to CGC that once it became obvious that 455.500 MHz was causing interference, the equipment vendor supplied the district a list of other frequencies for the district to try. If such a list exists, it would be a smoking gun. Again, the 450 band isn't license free and people should not be "trying" frequencies. Prior coordination and licensing are essential. ------------------- 450 MHZ -- BECOMING THE BUSINESS MAN'S CB BAND The 450 MHz private land-mobile band is fast becoming the CB band of the business world. The FCC could -- and probably should -- put inspectors to work full time doing nothing but 450 enforcement. In our view, the problem with people using unauthorized 450 frequencies began years ago when inexpensive radios flooded the market with a large number of pre-programmed channels accessible by front panel command. Users found what seemed to be clear frequencies and simply started transmitting, often without formal frequency coordination or licensing. To address this situation, we recommend that the FCC (a) prohibit front panel frequency selection (from a bank of pre-programmed channels), (b) prohibit dealers from selling radios to unlicensed users, (c) punish dealers for programming unauthorized frequencies or enticing others to do so and (d) police the 450 band and get rid of unlicensed users. The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District case should be a treasure trove for an investigative reporter. If the District programmed their own frequencies, who made the frequency recommendations and supplied the programming cable if a cable was used? It will be interesting to see how this case shakes out. **************** RANDOM NOTES **************** LA MESA SPRING VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATE CGC #998 carried a story entitled, "450 MHz Interference Nails Metro Traffic in San Diego." Apparently the La Mesa Spring Valley Unified School District pressed some hand-held radios into service on the wrong frequency -- without an FCC authorization or prior frequency coordination -- and that action jammed Metro Traffic's helicopter traffic reporting channel. Here is Part Two to that story. The La Mesa Spring Valley Unified School District has just filed with the FCC for authorization to use 25 separate 450-460 MHz frequencies (ULS application #0004130287). To see the first 20 frequencies, click on the URL below. Click on "Next>>" near page bottom to see the remaining frequencies. Click on the other tabs (e.g. "Main") to find out more about this application. o Mobile DTV will be "game changer" for local broadcast TV: o Sezmi, a low-cost rival to satellite and cable TV, should have launched its service in Los Angeles last week: o National EAS Summit starts February 28: PANDORA Pandora has Bob Struble of iBiquity concerned enough to write about it. He advocates that radio get busy by "creating compelling programming, addressing the local audience and promoting their product like crazy." Sounds like great advice to us. We've heard it many times before from other sources. WORLDBEAT: NEW DRM DISCO STATION ON SHORTWAVE If you think that shortwave is a dead medium for entertainment, then you may be surprised to learn about a Miami-based disco music station that can now be heard across North America and Europe. The Disco Palace is using Digital Radio Mondiale or D-R-M technology to broadcast high-quality music programs on shortwave. Programming for The Disco Palace consists of disco music from the 1970s and 1980s or music closely related to disco. North American broadcasts originate on 17.755 MHz from French Guiana. European transmissions are on 6.015 MHz from France. Transmission services are being provided by Digital Radio Mondiale pioneer TDF of France. (DRM Info) Amateur Radio Newsline, February 19, 2010 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: NEW 100 GHZ TRANSISTOR ANNOUNCED Researchers at IBM have demonstrated a graphene-based RF transistor with a high frequency cut-off of 100 Gigahertz. This new top frequency record was achieved using wafer-scale processing technology comparable to that used in the fabrication of advanced silicon devices. For those who have never heard the term, graphene is described as a single atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a hexagonal honeycomb-like arrangement. This two-dimensional form of carbon has unique electrical, optical, mechanical and thermal properties and its technological applications are being explored intensely. The development of this new 100 GHz transistor is considered a milestone for the use of Carbon Electronics for RF Applications. The development of this new transistor was recently made public in a paper published in the magazine Science. Amateur Radio Newsline, February 19, 2010 RECONROBOTICS GRANTED 436-442 MHZ AND ADJACENT FREQ. BLOCKS This grant represents a serious intrusion into military and Amateur Radio spectrum. Read about it at the URL below. Amateurs with repeater input frequencies on or near the NTSC visual and aural carrier frequencies used by Reconrobotics may be especially hard hit with interference. The entire spectrum allotted to Reconrobotics is 430-448 MHz. Details here: ***************************** GRADE A OFF TOPIC MATERIAL ***************************** o The flying lawn mower: o Desktop manufacturing: Be sure to check out the video associated with this story: o Respect the Engineer (sign posted at a Clear Channel facility in San Diego): SECRET MESSAGES A growing cadre of criminals is hiding secret messages in voice data. HIGH SPEED LIGHTNING PHOTOGRAPHY Here are beautiful high speed videos of lightning events. You might start by clicking on the last thumbnail photo. It's entitled "TV Tower Initiates Lightning Strike." If that video captures your imagination, progress to the second of the six thumbnails ("Lightning at Bear Butte") and watch some very spooky stuff: CAVE RADIO Alexander Kendrick, 16, won the 2009 International Science Fair for inventing a radio system that allows two-way text messaging with people and machines deep underground. The system appears to use the VLF spectrum with large coils of wire mounted on PVC forms serving as the antennas. INADVISABLE USE FOR CAR ANTENNA A police story with a happy ending, except for the culprit. WHITE WONDER Snow on Palomar Mountain. A beautiful photo by Bonnie Phelps. When driving on mountain roads, beware of unseen gates -- even if the gates are open but hidden from view just around the next big bush. Yikes! o The X-47B unmanned aircraft is helping to usher in a new approach to military aviation: o The wraparound view of eight LCD screens powered by eight computers provides a truly "immersive" experience of Google Earth and Street View. You can go anywhere in the world with this compelling device - even to the Moon and Mars: QUADCOPTER, HEXACOPTER, OCTOCOPTER Five years ago, few people had even heard of Quadcopters (also called Quadricopters or Quadrotors). Now they seem to be everywhere thanks to lightweight/cheap accelerometers, brushless electric motors and GPS navigation. Be sure to watch the Hexa-Kopter video on this page. The entire video is worth seeing: TOYOTA LAWN MOWERS o What if Toyota made lawn mowers.... |
| Duane, AA6EE is offering FARC members discount prices on ARRL items: |
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This CD includes everything from cover-to-cover that was published in QST, QEX & NCJ in 2009. | ||
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