tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86817069889198454972012-01-17T23:55:37.273-05:00A weblog by Greg Williams, K4HSM discussing mostly amateur radio and FCC issues.Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.comBlogger1351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-74708514145785521022012-01-17T23:55:00.000-05:002012-01-17T23:55:37.282-05:00

Several sources are reporting that the National Weather Service office in Morristown and Nashville are set to get new radar installations. A tornadic vortex signature from the new dual-polarization radar (credit NOAA) The next generation of weather radar, called dual-polarization radar, is currently being installed in Nashville, and Morristown by the end of the month. It's already installed in

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-33973350821333447872012-01-03T13:47:00.001-05:002012-01-03T13:47:00.135-05:00

The last few months I've seen some strange things amiss at my house that are out of the ordinary. I lost some electronics to lightning in April. My computer, a couple of wifi routers, cable modems from my ISP, and possibly a couple of appliances in the kitchen all became victims of lightning. Not a direct hit, but, as I have had occur before, static from a nearby strike ran in and toasted the

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-14102619281424660342012-01-01T02:42:00.001-05:002012-01-01T02:44:36.256-05:00

Despite the lousy economy I hope all my ham radio friends had a good 2011. 2011 started great as I went to the Morristown Hamfest on New Year's Day (a soggy, rainy New Year's) and purchased a Wouxun KG-UV2D and enjoyed it so much I got a 2nd one for Lauren at the Knoxville Hamfest the following June. I had a scare in April as a tornado touched down about 1000 feet from my house. Lightning is also

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-31780272452720597462011-12-15T04:23:00.001-05:002011-12-15T04:25:17.669-05:00

It's finally been done. Several amateur radio groups, including one here in Knoxville I was a part of, have tried to send an amateur radio high-altitude balloon (ARHAB) across the Atlantic Ocean for several years, and now congratulations are in order to the California Near-Space Project (CNSP) and StratoFox for being able to accomplish what others have been unable to do. And they did it all the

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-41259626362168833752011-12-11T01:58:00.000-05:002011-12-11T01:58:43.697-05:00

One of the main reasons I got seriously involved in ham radio was the aspect of emergency communications and community service that comes along with it. When I first got licensed I was doing bike races, 5k runs, and marathons for local track clubs. Every Spring, the weather in East Tennessee can be some of the most complex in the country. One minute it's hot and sunny, the next it's cold and

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-28055016840496336852011-12-02T01:59:00.001-05:002011-12-02T02:00:20.513-05:00

Via Bloomberg BusinessWeek:Medical devices designed to help paralyzed patients move won U.S. regulators’ approval to use a block of radio spectrum for transmitting wireless signals to incapacitated limbs.The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that give access needed by so-called advanced microstimulator devices that use implanted electrodes to stimulate muscles with the help of a

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-39916155554236079412011-12-01T01:34:00.000-05:002011-12-01T01:34:19.421-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's been awhile. Fact is, I haven't been on the radio but a handful of times in the last few months. In fact, the most I talked on the radio was this past Thanksgiving while on the way to my in-laws for dinner. I got on the radio a couple of days prior to that while driving home from work, but one ham whose name I won't mention seemed to think I was intruding on *his* QSO and

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-7400650465179029972011-10-22T23:51:00.001-04:002011-10-22T23:52:43.999-04:00

I just got back from watching the movie "The Big Year" starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. The trio star as competing bird watchers trying to get the title of most birds seen in a single year. But naturally, one scene got my attention. There was a scene where they were visiting Attu Island in Alaska. There was a lady operating the radio station/intercom and on a panel to the side

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-46207935907528749872011-09-25T18:48:00.000-04:002011-09-25T18:48:58.855-04:00

Ham radio is one of the more diverse groups in any hobby. From janitors to jockeys, most anyone and everyone can be a ham operator. Among the ranks you will often find the most courteous and polite and respectful operators around. And then, there's this guy... In March 2009, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) in the amount of $17,000 to David Edward Perka, KA3PRB,

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-10462925778328382772011-09-16T14:28:00.003-04:002011-09-16T14:28:36.200-04:00

I found this amusing: Resistance is futile.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-27644352495732246622011-09-11T15:47:00.001-04:002011-09-11T15:50:59.440-04:00

Like many old enough to remember, we know where we were when we first heard about the horrible events of 9/11 as they unfolded. Bill Continelli, W2XOY, one of the contributors to This Week in Amateur Radio (TWIAR) was in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. He was south of the World Trade Center and heard the 2nd plane as it flew over and slammed into Tower #2. He gives his recollection of

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-29115001885259385792011-09-11T15:23:00.000-04:002011-09-11T15:23:29.921-04:00

As the world remembers and pays tribute to the nearly 3000 victims of the September 11 terrorists attacks a decade ago, I thought I would reference this article from 2003 on how 9/11 brought a "renaissance" to ham radio: ...Sept. 11, 2001, marked a quiet renaissance in the world of amateur radio, after years of declining membership and relative obscurity. Over the past couple of decades, amateur

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-4921310693652776562011-08-29T23:25:00.000-04:002011-08-29T23:25:25.491-04:00

That's the number of cell towers that lost power or were damaged during Hurricane Irene.  44% of cell towers in Vermont alone were knocked out. 210,000 wired customers were out of service as of Monday afternoon, and 2 TV stations and 10 radio stations were also knocked off the air. Meanwhile, ham radio's still chugging along for many in the northeast. Thoughts of amateur radio's decline and "

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-25437389512153700342011-08-13T22:32:00.000-04:002011-08-13T22:32:38.782-04:00

Off and on I've been trying to find a way to listen to the meteor showers that frequently hit the Earth. The idea is that as a meteor hits the ionosphere, it scatters said ions and radio frequency signals that normally would just radiate into space are instead reflected back towards earth. Hams frequently use this method when making contacts via meteor scatter.  There are web sites set up for

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0Knoxville, TN, USA35.98286667158599 -84.0360956453125135.83746167158599 -84.27947164531251 36.128271671585985 -83.79271964531252tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-58982839205487389932011-08-13T16:34:00.005-04:002011-08-13T16:53:49.846-04:00

Harold Lazear (K5KLM) of Terlton, OK saw the flames coming and hopped on the roof of his home with a hose to try and do whatever he could to fight the inferno from taking his home and its treasure trove of ham equipment he'd collected over the years. In the end, the fire won the battle. The flames approached so fast that when Lazear realized he was not going to be able to hold off the fire, he

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-53565931810332359362011-08-05T01:05:00.005-04:002011-08-06T13:32:39.278-04:00

After a 4-hour delay due to issues with a missing UHF antenna, Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS, and Alexander Samokutyaev deployed ARISSat-1 from the Pirs module of the ISS last Wednesday.While preparing to deploy ARISSat-1, the spacewalking cosmonauts noticed only one antenna protruding from the bird when there should have been 2, one for 2 meters (VHF), the other for 70cm (UHF). Controllers in Moscow and

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-6587600490834747442011-07-26T18:00:00.000-04:002011-07-26T18:00:07.011-04:00

Two of the last three Field Day's I have attended, one was operated under my callsign last year. The other two were at a club site I'm not a member of (don't want to give out their name) and I spent a grand total of one hour visiting, and both times I got to operate a grand total of zero minutes.Part of the reason is that I didn't show up until close to midnight. Part of the reason being I

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-42824022629291473342011-07-23T14:06:00.005-04:002011-07-25T01:17:27.898-04:00

Leo Laporte of TWiT and The Screen Savers fame is now KJ6QGP. Leo's already embraced ham radio by partering with Bob Heil of Heil Sound who's doing a weekly podcast and starting up a ham radio social network.So does this mean he'll be showing up at Dayton in the near future?UPDATE: He has applied for and will be granted W6TWT

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-63871621564068935992011-07-21T01:28:00.006-04:002011-07-21T01:43:12.927-04:00

Got this off Facebook:Morristown TN Hamfest 2012 CanceledThere will not be a Morristown Tennessee Hamfest during the year of 2012. The Lakeway Amateur Radio Club voted to not have a Hamfest in 2012. If you have attended our Hamfest or setup at our Hamfest, we would like to hear from you as to how you feel about Hamfest and your thoughts on the time of year to hold a Hamfest. Any comments you have

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-81997339723574230692011-07-18T09:07:00.001-04:002011-07-18T09:07:01.613-04:00

The week of the 4th of July I was in Florida visiting family and looking to attempt to watch Atlantis lift off from the Cape on the final Shuttle flight.Two things:1) I will NEVER drive through Orlando ever again if I can help it, and2) It's sad that we will never have this opportunity to see such awesomeness ever again.We were staying in Daytona Beach for a couple of days (we didn't dare try

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-12753825308788330152011-07-12T22:29:00.004-04:002011-07-15T13:58:22.567-04:00

According to some friends of mine on Twitter, Leo Laporte is shooting for his ham ticket. He told Bob Heil during the HamNation broadcast on Tuesday.Leo has often reported on ham radio news and when TWIAR was active we featured Leo's TWiT segments on the podcast.I've always liked Leo since the days of ZDTV and the Screen Savers. Back then, that was the place to go for real geek news.Hopefully

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-16426709751035981232011-06-29T11:00:00.001-04:002011-06-29T11:00:03.197-04:00

I debated a couple weeks back whether or not to go to the Knoxville Hamfest. I wasn't sure if the family would go, or if I would even have the money to spend.I decided to go after all, and after scraping up a few bucks, took the family to the hamfest. I put up a couple of unused radios up for sale thanks to my friend Tim (KE4OTZ) who loaned me some tailgate space.Lauren had a good time (playing

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-8536734967117295152011-06-28T23:14:00.004-04:002011-06-29T00:27:37.537-04:00

John Aegerter, WA9GAR, who ran a communications business in Brookfield, WI, was found brutally murdered June 22.One of the suspects, Lynn M. Hajny, is the wife of a fellow ham (Albert, WB9LIV) who was reportedly going to lose his job at the business (Air Page, Corp) due to cutbacks. Albert is not a suspect in the slaying as he was unaware of his impending unemployment.Hajny and a boyfriend, Tommy

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-80124902115566002332011-06-08T07:06:00.003-04:002011-06-09T21:40:52.993-04:00

This Saturday is the Knoxville Hamfest, sponsored by the local radio club.If I go, I'm only after one thing, the Wouxun 2m/220 radio like the one I bought this past January.I'm going to talk to Lauren and see if she wants to give up the Yaesu FT-90 I got for her and give her the Wouxun so that we both have the same radio. She just returned from a trip to Washington DC this past weekend and the

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-52696399913333282492011-06-05T21:28:00.003-04:002011-06-05T21:41:09.850-04:00

When Space Shuttle Endeavour returned home for the final time last week, it flew over the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico before crossing the Florida Peninsula and landing at Kennedy Space Center on June 1.It was captured and posted to Youtube. Video below or catch the full version here.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-40426690811900468462011-05-29T00:59:00.005-04:002011-05-29T01:08:29.544-04:00

If ever there was a better opportunity to give Radio Shack your opinion of what products they should be carrying, now is the time.They're looking for input on what would make them a better company, and this is an opportunity for hams to give them input on bringing more products back to "the Shack"I gave them my opinion. Click here to give them yours.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-44771611645736842062011-05-21T08:00:00.001-04:002011-05-22T00:24:33.115-04:00

12 years ago I attended my last Dayton Hamvention. Every year since then I keep saying I'm going to go back, but something always prevents me from attending.The 1999 Hamvention was exciting as usual. But 2000 brought me the birth of my daughter Lauren (K4LRN), 2001 was spent preparing for my other daughter's arrival in October. 2002 and 2003 was spent mourning the loss of several member of my

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-32539687280883246722011-05-17T00:01:00.008-04:002011-05-17T00:30:26.984-04:00

With only two opportunities left to catch a space shuttle launch, getting the perfect spot to view the launch is probably not easy to do. It really isn't easy for ANY launch, but as the shuttle program sunsets, people want to catch one last glimpse of a shuttle launch while they can.How about this shot:Taken from an altitude of 64,000 (about twice the height of a passenger jet), this

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-60878736724632405192011-05-15T02:45:00.005-04:002011-05-15T03:10:26.404-04:00

Just when you think the Wouxun (pronounced "O-shing", close to the word "ocean") KV-UV920R dual-band mobile is ready for the big time, the Chinese-built radio has apparently been delayed by the need for further testing.There was speculation hope that it would be debuted at the Dayton Hamvention (which is next week, by the way) but that does not look to be happening...at least not if the latest

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-26135029743490606922011-05-15T01:47:00.009-04:002011-05-20T22:08:49.002-04:00

Last month I was heading home and ran into an interesting cloud formation as a powerful wind storm approached Knoxville. Fortunately it was not a tornado, but it was part of a wind storm that did a lot of damage around the area.Two days later...The storms that roared through Alabama were some of the largest outbreaks in recent history, with more deaths associated than the famous 1974 "Super

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-90199787295447907312011-04-26T14:10:00.000-04:002011-04-26T14:10:00.288-04:00

Via the ARRL:Beginning Tuesday, September 6, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) will cease broadcasting its geophysical alert message on WWV and WWVH. These messages inform listeners of the solar flux, the mid-latitude A and K indices and space weather storms, both current and predicted. Currently, the message is heard on minute 18 from WWV and minute 45 from WWVH. The information

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-26245366035913074782011-04-26T00:00:00.003-04:002011-04-26T00:10:48.626-04:00

On my way home tonight I ran into a severe thunderstorm moving in from the south. As I continued to watch it develop the winds really kicked up and I observed the formation in the video below (WARNING - turn volume down, the wind was blasting the mic of my cell phone):The formation did not rotate, but it did have an updraft (you might see it in the closeup at the 31 second mark) which made it

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-53837060287057656942011-04-21T01:33:00.004-04:002011-04-21T02:10:07.433-04:00

I'm looking for QSL and postcards from across the country!!!I did this a couple of years ago when Lauren was in 3rd Grade but I didn't post it on here. Now, my younger daughter Amber is in 3rd Grade and they're asking for postcards from across the country. I'd like to ask my ham aficionados (and anyone else who catches this) to send postcards or QSL cards from their state.This "postcard race" is

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-10066873678751884612011-04-17T23:48:00.002-04:002011-04-18T00:01:44.144-04:00

As a ham we've all at some point heard and used WWV and WWVH for setting our clocks, guessing propagation, and getting solar info. There are even non-hams that use WWV without realizing it. They may have a self-setting clock that will listed for the time signal at least once a day and set their clock. And chances are your computer goes out to the NIST website and auto-set's your clock (if you're

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-50461056651291682172011-04-08T13:24:00.005-04:002011-04-08T13:29:36.462-04:00

Last Wednesday, while talking to my Stepmom on the phone, I saw a meteor streak across the sky off to the West, going from South to North. It was slow moving, not like your typical skimmers and streakers that go across the sky. I actually thought it was space junk re-entering.According to Spaceweather.com, it looks like that meteor may have actually landed!I guessed that it might have either

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-88888056837455951012011-04-07T21:46:00.004-04:002011-04-07T21:51:25.690-04:00

In addition to working the Titanic Special Event this weekend, a web site I frequent for much of my news and funny things, Fark.com, has a few hams in the group, and they're getting on the air this Saturday afternoon!Host: dittybopper Description: FARK Ham Radio QSO Party - 04/09/11 17:00 - 22:00 UTC Date/Time: April 9, 2011 - 01:00 - 6:00PM (Eastern time)

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-44023102439897078792011-04-06T22:22:00.002-04:002011-04-06T23:01:25.471-04:00

Some of you had one growing up in the 80's, many hams bought them for packet well into the late 90's and early 2000's. I myself bought one at Dayton in 1998 but never was able to get it to work (what a waste of $15).Yet for it's time, this was not only state of the art, it was the best thing going (if you couldn't afford and Apple IIe). The Commodore 64 was THE computer to have for many. We had

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-80002168995828097312011-04-03T09:00:00.000-04:002011-04-03T09:00:10.324-04:00

If you've been paying attention to some of the news items this week, legislation is now introduced (by Pete King of New York) that would force amateur radio operators to give up the popular 70cm (440MHz) band by selling the spectrum off to commercial interests that would offset lost revenue from reallocating first responders' frequencies in order to streamline communications. This comes in light

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-63524305169591028252011-04-02T01:03:00.001-04:002011-04-02T01:03:00.333-04:00

Next Saturday and Sunday (April 9-10) there will be a special event to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.Listen for call W4S on the air from Noon ET Saturday until Noon ET on Sunday, operating from the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.Having toured the museum right after it opened last year, I can tell you it's well worth the time and the price of admission to take

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-50895916163114678172011-03-17T23:37:00.004-04:002011-03-17T23:55:33.675-04:00

My favorite ham radio brand Yaesu (I own 6 of them) has suffered some damage to its factory in Fukushima, Japan.Although the damage from the earthquake was minimal, the plant is reducing operations for at least 2 weeks in order repair the damage and get operations back to normal.Vertex Standard CEO Jim Hasegawa issued a statement saying that while all factory workers at the Fukushima plant were

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-24855126204847964002011-02-26T17:54:00.005-05:002011-02-28T02:47:33.396-05:00

Last month I posted about a suspicious claim from Italian "scientists" that they had a machine that was producing 12,400 Watts of heat power out on 400 Watts on input.The italian claim is off-base and without much merit, but now the US Navy has researchers in a lab claiming a breakthrough in nuclear energy-based cold fusion:The scientists on Monday described what they called the first clear

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-29564820411317866322011-02-16T10:48:00.005-05:002011-02-16T12:13:05.628-05:00

We're about 3 years into the current Solar Cycle and so far it's been less than stellar (pun intended), that is until now.If the recent flare is any indication, we might see better-than-predicted activity from the sun this cycle.The CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) should be hitting earth any time over the next 36 hours with beautiful aurora over the polar latitudes. And it may knock activity on the

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-90740687833190852442011-02-16T10:33:00.003-05:002011-02-16T10:43:22.951-05:00

Due to changes in the work schedule for the current EVA, the launch of ARISSat-1, scheduled for right now, has been delayed until NET July, 2011.More info can be found on AMSAT-NA's web site.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-46766032137556921842011-02-12T21:45:00.005-05:002011-02-12T23:20:30.347-05:00

They say things happen in threes, and tower fights are no exception.Within a week, 3 articles appear online about homeowners fighting neighbors over towers in their backyards:In Maryland, residents in Severna Park are up in arms over construction of an 80' tower despite owner Richard Hambly (W2GPS) obtaining all the necessary permits for the tower. Hambly, who designs GPS hardware and is a

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-84992603551535977422011-01-28T00:01:00.006-05:002011-02-12T23:23:17.940-05:00

It's one of those questions anyone over college-age gets asked every so often about this time of year: Where were you when you heard about Challenger? You don't have to ask, you know which mission being asked. STS-51L was one of those missions that, with the exception of the planned teacher in space, received little news coverage leading up to the launch. I myself forgot the shuttle was supposed

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-48043546162253186382011-01-25T22:32:00.006-05:002011-01-30T00:48:25.023-05:00

Hams around the world will be on the lookout for a new satellite to listen for in the weeks ahead.The KEDR satellite (ArissSat-1)is aboard the Progress M-09M supply vehicle preparing to launch to the International Space Station (scheduled for January 27/28th) for release later in the year via a spacewalk.Weighing in at 30kg (66lbs), the satellite was named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's radio

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-45617148150138839122011-01-22T04:00:00.002-05:002011-01-22T04:52:53.702-05:00

From PhysOrg:(PhysOrg.com) -- Few areas of science are more controversial than cold fusion, the hypothetical near-room-temperature reaction in which two smaller nuclei join together to form a single larger nucleus while releasing large amounts of energy. In the 1980s, Stanley Pons and Martin Fleishmann claimed to have demonstrated cold fusion - which could potentially provide the world with

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-14905040612540247432011-01-20T00:28:00.003-05:002011-01-20T00:34:08.642-05:00

From NASA:On Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST, engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., confirmed that the NanoSail-D nanosatellite ejected from Fast Affordable Scientific and Technology Satellite, FASTSAT.The ejection event occurred spontaneously and was identified this morning when engineers at the center analyzed onboard FASTSAT telemetry. The ejection of NanoSail-D

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-68490369624790512182011-01-16T01:37:00.004-05:002011-01-16T02:13:14.418-05:00

Imagine turning your laptop into a high-tech radio receiver capable of receiving any frequency, any mode from 64-1200 MHz.Enter the "FUNCubeDongle" project.This amazing USB stick has been a hot item of late. So hot, in fact, the last batch to go on sale (104) sold out in less than a minute.It plugs into your computer (running Windows XP/Vista/7, OS X, and Kubuntu 10.10) and with the right program

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-37340642685679057412011-01-11T11:11:00.005-05:002011-01-11T12:15:54.653-05:00

As I mentioned last week I got the Wouxun (pronounced "Oh-shing", close to the word "ocean") KG-UV2D handheld at the Morristown Hamfest last weekend. The radio is seeing a little bit of action, and needs some getting used to in order to properly operate it. After a week's worth of tinkering with it, here's my evaluation.The KG-UV2D comes in 3 different versions, all using the same model number.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-78421138232458365812011-01-05T15:00:00.001-05:002011-01-11T10:25:54.323-05:00

A visit to the Wouxun (pronounced "O-shing", close to the word "ocean") web site while checking out specs on my new KG-UV2D HT showed that they were taking reservations for people wanting to buy the 2m/440 dual-band mobile as soon as it's available.There's no ETA as to when it will be available or for how much, but if the price is as low as the HTs are for the dual-band radios they offer, I think

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-30600938036834353002011-01-03T15:00:00.001-05:002011-01-03T15:00:04.236-05:00

So how did I do on my previous year's resolutions?Here's the scorecard:I resolve to get Lauren an HT - Check - I bought a Yaesu FT-50R from a friend of mine for her about 3 months ago. That is one complicating radio! I may have to give her my Wouxun in order for her to use it without her head exploding. I resolve that Amber will at least study to get her license, with Jes, Lauren and I helping.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-77282808310471750082011-01-02T00:35:00.006-05:002012-01-01T01:43:51.568-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope that 2011 brings much happiness to everyone out there. I started 2011 off on the right foot by attending the Morristown Hamfest, which was held on New Year's Day. It's been a long time since I attended this hamfest, probably 10 years since my last visit there, I can't remember. The building was actually an arena/expo center, where monster truck rallies and an upcoming

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-81678696469062568552010-12-19T01:08:00.007-05:002010-12-19T23:38:04.893-05:00

I'm an absolute geek when it comes to many things in Science Fiction. Although I can't tell you the parts list of a flux capacitor (other than it requires 1.21 jiggawatts, whatever the hell that is) or tell you the inner workings of a hyper-warp drive, I enjoy a good sci-fi flick if it stretches the imagination and makes you wonder if something is possible and plausible. Then there's TRON. Yeah,

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-45885988696085003802010-11-30T12:01:00.002-05:002010-11-30T17:09:24.065-05:00

Saw this on Spaceweather.com:It's not uncommon for hams to hear themselves a second or two after they transmit on HF as their signal propagates around the world and then comes back on the "backside" of their antenna. It's even been reported that hams have heard their own voice come back 2, even 3 times.But one ham in Germany recorded hearing his own CW transmissions an astonishing 46 seconds

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-10446532539676605972010-11-29T23:12:00.008-05:002010-11-29T23:41:09.842-05:00

Ever wonder just what the ISS hears when they try to contact stations on the ground? Commander Doug Wheelock (KF5BOC) treats us to a glimpse of the amateur radio station on board the International Space Station as he makes a pass over North America just before he returned to earth last week after spending 161 days aboard the ISS.In the 20 minute YouTube video Wheelock introduces us to the NA1SS

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-58742823692396174492010-11-14T20:30:00.002-05:002010-11-14T20:50:38.026-05:00

A ham radio operator in Peoria County has some residents outraged. Craig Thompson is building several towers on his property and his neighbors are apparently concerned with the view once they have been erected:Furthermore in the comments section, one neighbor has threatened to install an electric dog fence or resort to other means to impede the use of the towers.The funny thing is,

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-36815864769740615642010-11-12T11:37:00.004-05:002010-11-12T12:14:25.752-05:00

Got this in my inbox and figured some of you might be interested:I'm a fan of a strange show called Fringe.And tonight's show caught my eye,FRINGE: 6995 KHZNEW Fifteen people along the Eastern seaboard suffer retrograde amnesia after listening to their shortwave radios on the same frequency; the anticipation of Olivia's return escalates. So tune in tonight on the Fox network if you

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-35978199244063800972010-10-24T02:20:00.005-04:002010-10-24T02:27:00.343-04:00

Okay, I'm a little slow sometimes, but apparently some site trying to play themselves off as being "funny" posted something that got picked up on my Google news alerts about a country singer/ex-pro wrestler named "Chad Brock".I don't listen to country music but read this trying to figure out 1) was it real, and 2) where is the humor?I found out the question to #1 when it was posted under "fake

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-87573651958080613062010-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:002010-10-10T09:00:01.626-04:00

Some of you know I'm the "web designer" for the program This Week in Amateur Radio, or TWIAR. I'm admittedly behind the times when it comes to web design, and I'm thinking of going to school to learn more.Over the summer, TWIAR took a bit of a hiatus as George Bowen, W2XBS (Executive Producer) was working odd hours at his employer, and he was committing himself to being better fit. When I visited

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-55358529542423698412010-10-08T10:00:00.001-04:002010-10-08T10:00:00.721-04:00

Continuing on from my previous post, while I'm on the subject of 220 MHz (1.25 meters), I welcome more 220 radios into ham radio. It seems like the 220 MHz market is thin, but there's an obvious reason. Very few countries have privileges on the 1.25 meter band; the US, Canada, and Mexico primarily here in Region 2, and no other countries in regions 1 or 3, except Somalia in Region 1. Because

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-25279187079125577512010-10-08T00:16:00.005-04:002010-10-08T00:51:58.532-04:00

Last May Irene Levy, KJ6CEY was arrested for causing deliberate interference on local police and fire frequencies in Hemet, CA.In a followup, she pleaded guilty to 7 different charges, including making bomb threats and causing interference to public service bands.She was given 3 years probation plus her jail time served. She was also ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling.She was arrested

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-15217899643447992512010-10-07T21:42:00.006-04:002010-10-07T22:18:26.216-04:00

It looks like the folks over at Wouxun are trying to get a dual-band mobile type-accepted by the FCC.The 2m/440 KG-UV920R is not in production (yet) but a photo appears on the Wouxun homepage labeled "Coming Soon" and a note on the side of the image says that the company's head of US distribution (Ed Griffin) is in China until the end of the month (maybe to finalize the deal with this radio?).A

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-25822354645339805332010-09-25T01:46:00.003-04:002010-09-25T02:06:56.081-04:00

Sometimes a test of your emergency preparedness turns into a real-life emergency situation.Such was the case with some boy scouts in Arizona who needed rescue after becoming lost while on a project to climb different peaks of the Pine Mountain Wilderness and signal one another with mirrors.At some point during the expedition the team became stranded and one of the scouts fell ill as their water

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-60043705957471438692010-09-17T22:00:00.004-04:002010-09-18T03:08:01.694-04:00

I've not been a club person for many years. In fact, I've steered away from clubs over the last several years because of one thing: politics. In fact, of the last 6 clubs I've been a member of:I quit one in protest over an issue with the state ARES coordinator wanting to change policy demanding the requiring of training that cost moneyI quit another in protest over a Field Day occurrenceI was

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-86500530621613275452010-09-16T11:49:00.005-04:002010-09-16T12:19:40.581-04:00

You can now get to my blog by using the domain http://www.khaos.net.This was a domain I registered a few years ago when it became available. The original intent didn't pan out but I kept the domain name anyway.I wanted to start up a high-altitude ballooning group using an acronym and came up with "Knoxville High-Altitude Operation System" or "Observation" instead of "Operating". Somethinglikethat

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-66091619342171903902010-09-15T21:25:00.008-04:002010-10-03T02:42:48.740-04:00

Some of you out there can climb a tower 100-200 feet up, but what about going up 1,768 feet on a TV tower? Just a warning, watching this video made my palms sweat, my feet sweat, my sweat was sweating, my body tensed up, and I'm sure my blood pressure skyrocketed. I'm pretty sure that, in addition to the tool bag, he had to haul his BIG BRASS BALLS up to the top.

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-75112158064793047272010-09-14T01:00:00.001-04:002010-09-14T13:42:29.942-04:00

I've never been much of a "do-it-yourself" kind of person. Usually I buy whatever it is I need pre-fabricated, or have someone help me out (which basically employs my standing around getting tools and/or coffee for whomever is doing the actual work) after I buy the parts.Take my 6m dipole for instance. I had it made for me by my friend Tim, KE4OTZ. Once I saw how simple it was, I sat there

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-90273920679378473842010-09-13T02:41:00.003-04:002010-09-13T02:55:55.122-04:00

Earlier this year I mentioned a ham in New York (Steve Bozak, WB2IQU/HL9VX) who was cited for "talking on a cellular phone while driving" by a cop who apparently can't tell the difference between a ham radio and a cell phone.Steve challenged the ruling and has won his argument.The ruling is as follows:The Vehicle and Traffic Law defines a "Mobile Telephone" as a "device used by subscribers and

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-29966643078540837252010-09-09T23:40:00.002-04:002010-09-13T02:37:06.032-04:00

There are all sorts of nets on local repeaters, from SKYWARN nets to formal traffic nets to roundtable BS sessions.I've called all sorts of nets since I got my ticket. One of the first net's I ever called was a technical net on English Mountain's 146.730 repeater in the mid-90s. From there I got to calling some of the nets on the Radio Amateur Club of Knoxville's (RACK) repeater, then I was

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-50561422787001495462010-09-02T18:45:00.001-04:002010-09-13T02:37:16.637-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what drives people to become a ham operator. I'm sure there are many reasons, such as the technology, the curiosity, the public service, the comraderie, etc.When you're an adult, like I am half the time, you enjoy talking with your peers about a plethora of subjects. Some subjects that I hear hams discuss at length on local repeaters are aviation, motorcycles, hiking, travel,

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-58321022336521603922010-08-31T22:56:00.004-04:002010-09-13T02:37:25.291-04:00

The Daily O'Collegian of Oklahoma State University has a nice write-up about ham radio in their recent issue.Not too thrilled about the title, tho...10-4 Good Buddy Oklahoma State University’s Amateur Radio Club is making a comeback. Having been around since the 1920s, Amateur Radio Club is one of the oldest clubs on campus. But just two years ago, the club’s outlook was bleak. With only one

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-79419829126119983562010-08-18T21:29:00.004-04:002010-09-13T02:37:38.074-04:00

The burned skeletal remains of Gary Haas, N5VGH, and his wife Linda were found in a charred camper on a remote ranch in eastern New Mexico on the morning of Wednesday, August 4. Authorities believe they were killed by escaped convicts, along with an accomplice, who had escaped from an Arizona prison on July 30. Authorities said that the Haas’ bodies and camper were found by a rancher on his

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-49717229811275665192010-08-16T19:50:00.005-04:002010-09-13T02:37:51.906-04:00

The ARRL has an offer for the 75th anniversary of ARES with a commemorative "Challenge Coin".I first noticed it and thought to myself "What does one have to do in order to earn the coin?".I figured you would have to check in to x-number of ARES nets, participate in so many events, talk to this many ARES groups, etc.So what does it take to "earn" a Challenge Coin? $9.95 + shipping.That's rather

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-50327757247224578372010-08-09T21:42:00.007-04:002010-09-13T02:38:01.545-04:00

I've been affiliated with TWIAR (This Week in Amateur Radio) for about 15 years now (my God, has it really been that long?) and what started out as a site for posting an audio file or two has turned into a big-time partnership with George Bowen (W2XBS) and a plethora of other folks over the years who have come and gone, or stuck around in some fashion or another.Last year while visiting Iowa, I

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-57860074498099453012010-08-03T14:32:00.005-04:002010-09-13T02:38:11.624-04:00

Several international news agencies and blogs are reporting that Manfred Haug (OD5/DL6SN) was arrested last Monday and charged with spying by Lebanese authorities who questioned him over his "sophisticated transmitting equipment".He was later released and no charges were filed after "intense questioning" by counterintelligence officials.Manfred works at a cheese factory as an engineer and has

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-32645501168992941852010-06-22T22:22:00.006-04:002010-09-13T02:39:44.109-04:00

If you're a ham operator, or the father of one, and you or a member of your family have special needs, stay away from Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin.The town's planning commission ordered that a tower belonging to the Markstrom family was to be taken down after it was determined that the Markstroms did not secure the proper permits to erect it.But it's not so much the planning commission, as it is the

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-63867797861396799252010-06-15T21:12:00.006-04:002010-09-13T02:39:54.935-04:00

Due to the nature of the subject, I've omitted names and callsigns.Over the last few weeks we've had several individuals causing malicious interference across several repeaters here in East Tennessee. One was caught a few weeks ago, and turned out to be a non-ham. Of the few others that have appeared, one has been very clever in hiding his (or her) signal quite well, but a few have been able to

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-73682324936440247872010-06-13T03:07:00.006-04:002010-09-13T02:40:06.386-04:00

Check this guy out:The "Truth Revealed About Ham Radio" by Bert Fisher K1OIK – that gives his humble opinion about what he views is wrong with our hobby and some hams within it.I'd treat this like I treat other hams who have strong opinions (like, oh, I dunno...me!) and just remember what they say about opinions...Still, it's a very entertaining 10-minute diatribe. I find truth in much of it. And

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-65650771223089192152010-06-07T01:53:00.006-04:002010-09-13T02:40:31.811-04:00

Well it seems like ham operators, when they're NOT breaking the law, are apparently threats to national security here in the US. Even when they're not American!Greg Roberts (ZS1BI) is a ham operator in South Africa. When he's not on the air, he's looking into the air. More specifically, into the night sky, chasing "birds", or satellites.6 weeks ago NASA launched the super-secret X-37B space plane

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-74267178356221749012010-06-02T11:31:00.004-04:002010-06-02T11:52:37.424-04:00

From YNN:Sunday morning, Steve Bozak (WB2IQU/HL9VX) took a drive to Troy. On the way, he talked to his buddies using his ham radio. But he didn't expect to talk to a police officer next.Bozak said, "He assured me that I was not to be talking on that cell phone. I said this isn't a cell phone. It's an amateur radio. He said it's all the same."Bozak was issued [a] ticket for talking on a mobile

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-69332166130340265382010-05-31T23:59:00.001-04:002010-05-31T23:59:00.466-04:00

It seems that ham operators' run-ins with the law must come in waves, as yet ANOTHER ham is in trouble with police.Although not as severe as Irene Levy (KJ6CEY) acted in California, this one is just as much a black eye on ham radio as her case is.Authorities say that Keith Mutch (KB1RBI, pictured right) of Norwich, CT used a ham radio to report over the nearby Wal-Mart radio frequency that a man

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-49101281878733044002010-05-22T15:39:00.003-04:002010-05-22T16:25:25.556-04:00

I get all sorts of interesting emails from the sons of Nigerian royalty (at least one a day), but this one really made me laugh:The Desk Of,Mr. Samuel MorseFund Manager,Fidelity International, UK .+44 7045703892I feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business. Though,this medium (Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach youthrough it because it still remains the fastest

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-23435780141846977552010-05-05T23:41:00.004-04:002010-05-06T00:31:35.962-04:00

Hot on the heels of the arrest of K8JSM in Asheville after airport police misinterpreted his communications mobile as a terrorist threat to the public, another ham operator in California is now in trouble with the law, and this one is more deliberate.This past Monday, San Jacinto, California police arrested Irene Marie Levy, KJ6CEY, after she allegedly was maliciously interfering with Police and

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-79595706119379086842010-04-30T17:01:00.004-04:002010-05-01T02:43:25.374-04:00

Last Saturday night, before this whole brouhaha with K8JSM stirred up a hornet's nest, I did something I wasn't sure I'd ever be doing again - participate in a SKYWARN net.My friend Jason was recently appointed the coordinator for the area and this was to be his first real test in that role. He was used to it, though, since he and I would team up with a couple of others and run the nets years ago

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-87542138650161442212010-04-28T00:44:00.009-04:002010-06-13T03:07:30.739-04:00

The more I looked into the story of Joseph Sean McVey, K8JSM, the more intriguing a story this became.Because, according to the airport police in Asheville, NC, this is the face of domestic terrorism:That's right, folks, this mugshot represents a much bigger threat than Iran obtaining nukes, the Taliban, or even outsourcing to China...This 23-year-old amateur radio buff, civic-minded person who

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-20076787470746780522010-04-26T02:03:00.022-04:002010-04-28T21:27:52.406-04:00

A man was arrested on Sunday near the Asheville Regional Airport after he was stopped near the airport's car rental parking lot as President Obama was onboard Air Force One taxiing out to depart. Agents stopped Joseph Sean McVey after noticing he was wearing a sidearm and using a handheld radio and talking into a headset. Agents ran his driver's license number and it came back invalid. When asked

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-58297857458955614782010-04-13T01:06:00.001-04:002010-04-13T01:44:00.137-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in 3 months. Fact is, I haven't done much radio to talk about.Lauren's too busy with school to get on the air, but all that may change. We're moving our bedroom back downstairs, where all the radios reside, so we may both be getting a little more airtime. Maybe even Jes will partake in some on-air activity.I turned 40 last week. Not too happy about it, really, but you can't

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-70735450582463914512010-01-02T09:30:00.001-05:002010-01-04T11:46:37.733-05:00

A few weeks ago Jalopnik posted images of a ham who had a Dodge Colt for sale...The car itself was priced at $500, but the electronics inside are valued at $25,000!!! Just one look inside and it's impossible for me to imagine the ability to actually drive this thing, much less operate while mobile, with all the radios, scanners, GPS's, mics, and even a Game Boy.I'm sure plenty of questions come

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-10761241796231409652010-01-01T09:08:00.005-05:002010-01-01T09:08:00.161-05:00

As New Year's approaches, I've often shied away from any New Year's resolutions since 7th grade. In fact, the last resolution I made was in 7th grade to not make any more of these things. And up to this point, it's been a resolution well-kept.However, with Lauren now licensed (and newly granted vanity assigned) and my other daughter Amber more interested since her big sister got her ticket, I've

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-4223000108104926952009-12-31T13:39:00.004-05:002010-01-01T22:16:08.013-05:00

It's been a somewhat slow month for me being on the radio. After Lauren got her license things have been quiet.I talked to her on the way home from work one evening. My friend Jason, KF4VDX jumped in and talked to her briefly, but other than that she's not had time to get on the air. She's doing homework or is at my mom's house, her friend's house, or my sister-in-law's and she's without a

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-91526447229667485512009-12-26T21:00:00.004-05:002009-12-30T17:54:36.455-05:00

Well less than 2 months after my daughter Lauren passed her ham test, she decided that KJ4QNH was not for her. Something about the letter "Q" she didn't care for.So we applied for and got her a new callsign through the Vanity system.She is now K4LRN. The suffix "LRN" is short for her name, something she liked when we looked at what callsigns were available.I checked late Thursday evening and it

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-83182030511065674962009-12-22T21:43:00.000-05:002009-12-26T21:07:46.756-05:00

If you've been licensed for over 10 years, chances are you've received notices from companies offering to renew your license for a "minimal fee". Well, I'm about to save you some money, because you don't have to pay a dime if you do it yourself*.All you need to do is to go to the FCC's Universal License System (ULS) site and renew online.A few "quick notes":*If you have a vanity callsign (like I

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-65470108713650208112009-12-09T00:40:00.004-05:002009-12-09T00:55:25.699-05:00

Today I found that Scott Robbins, W4PA was buying Vibroplex and moving the company here to Knoxville.I met Scott at a RACK meeting several years back. He was working at Ten-Tec and was notorious as a contester (before retiring last year).He was the guest speaker and gave an example recording showing how he can use two radios simultaneously to make contacts during contests. While tuning with one

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-51361358940408964352009-11-14T22:05:00.013-05:002009-12-07T01:42:13.394-05:00

Nearly a year ago, I posted that my daughter Lauren was studying to be a ham. Unfortunately, with school, life, girl scouts, and basically everything else getting in the way, we were limited to 1/2 hour Q&As once or twice a week on much of what she already studied, and a few sample tests on QRZ, most of which she missed passing by a couple of questions.As summer approached, I was looking forward

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-31365640845486805422009-10-19T01:34:00.004-04:002009-10-19T12:22:26.577-04:00

Like many of you, last Thursday I was glued to the TV watching this "UFO" over Colorado with what was believed to be a kid inside the lower compartment. Thousands of feet over land, thoughts were the obvious for me: Was Falcon Heene cold? Did he have adequate oxygen at whatever altitude he was located? Was the helium mixing with the lower compartment? Was he even on board?I was relieved when he

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-76928530372219801422009-10-06T22:48:00.004-04:002009-10-06T23:25:26.462-04:00

TWIAR's producer George Bowen, W2XBS left the following on TWIAR's web site:My apologies for not having TWIAR edition #860 available on the web site. This weekend, my daughter and Bill Barans son Zachary successfully passed their technician exams and should have their call signs this week. This endeavor to have yet another ham in my family has taken up considerable time, which resulted in edition

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-43913869009789298152009-10-04T16:21:00.013-04:002009-10-04T18:04:49.806-04:00

Back when I got my license in 1993, cell phones were nowhere near the "state of the art" they are these days. In fact, 7.6 million had them in 1991. Now, 203 million of us in the U.S. alone have them.They were large, bulky, and heavy (look at the monstrosity to the right), they lasted for all of a few hours on a charge (without talk time), and if you did use them, you were either charged a

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-64265987959845906162009-09-05T00:27:00.002-04:002009-09-05T19:40:58.630-04:00

September 5 marks an anniversary of sorts.Recently I was cleaning out the shack and came across a bunch of old magazines (Monitoring Times, QST, CQ, SERA Repeater Journal) and found one issue of a magazine I regretted buying; the August 1998 edition of 73 magazine.I'd seen it at the newsstands and caught an issue or two as I was perusing the magazine racks at Books-A-Million. I'd see them at a

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681706988919845497.post-76754781214136622322009-08-31T01:12:00.006-04:002009-08-31T03:20:37.603-04:00

For those outside of East Tennessee, and perhaps Pittsburgh and Chicago, you may not know a lot about Sam Brown, WA4IUM. He was an TV and radio journalist for many years, an anchorman most notably for Knoxville stations WATE and WVLT (then WKXT) before heading into the private sector and teaching at the University of Tennessee.If you're a ham, especially a ham living outside of the US, you might

Greg Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05180270566330669617noreply@blogger.com0