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73,
Adam Pennington KB1ELI

Yes, hams are in operation. See the arrl site for several articles related to this (like this and this). I live about 2 hours south of NYC in eastern Pa, and several of the area repeaters had RACES/ARES nets going for all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday. We didn't have much need for them, thank goodness, but they were active anyway. The hams of NYC and the surrounding area are pulling together to do an awesome job of helping. 73, KB3GQZ

Yes, hams are in operation. See the arrl site for several articles related to this (like this and this). I live about 2 hours south of NYC in eastern Pa, and several of the area repeaters had RACES/ARES nets going for all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday. We didn't have much need for them, thank goodness, but they were active anyway. The hams of NYC and the surrounding area are pulling together to do an awesome job of helping. 73, KB3GQZ

Yes, hams are in operation. See the arrl site for several articles related to this (like this and this). I live about 2 hours south of NYC in eastern Pa, and several of the area repeaters had RACES/ARES nets going for all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday. We didn't have much need for them, thank goodness, but they were active anyway. The hams of NYC and the surrounding area are pulling together to do an awesome job of helping. 73, KB3GQZ

Check ARRL or QRZ or any other number of ham sites. I for one got activated here in Dallas to support the national call center that came up here in response to this crisis. Rest assured, we are out there and are doing what we can in support of our served agencies. I have trained for this as an amateur radio operator for years. I had sincerely hoped that I would never have to use it in a real situation.

Exactly... the ARRL has an interesting article (here) regarding the likelyhood of UWB causing a great amount of interference to licensed bands.

In a respect, UWB seems to be a clever marketing way to steal other people's licensed frequencies.

Get your own frequency or play above 6 GHz, time domain...

*scoove*

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html has a whole host of links to articles about propagation modes, including this, and this article from QST.

Generally, HF (3-30 MHz) skip (off the F-region of the ionosphere) is a function of solar activity, with the MUF occaisionally rising into the VHF region as ebh above states.

For VHF (50-300 MHz), skip of the E-region (Sporadic-E) is the most common skip. This is not a function of solar activity, and occurs randomly for (usually) short periods. Most long distance VHF communication is due to tropospheric conditions.

50-54 MHz is known as the 'magic band' because it happens to support a range of different propogation phenomena, F-skip like lower frequencies, sporadic-E, tropospheric propagation, meteor bounce, aurora bounce, moonbounce (really difficult at 50MHz, easier as you get higher), and some *really* funky others (transequatorial-F, field-aligned-irregularities) that you will have to look up elsewhere. The ARRL handbooks are *really* good sources of info.

As TV channel 2 is only just above 54 MHz, then the time to look for long distance TV reception is when conditions are good for the 6m (50-54 MHz) HAM band.

AM radio is at a very low frequency, and so it's behaviour will be similar to that of the 160m (1.8-2.0 MHz) ham band. F-skip of AM radio will be best at night.

This link has monthly charts of expected f-skip propagation showing what time of day is the best to listen for various frequencies. For AM radio, you are interested in the Lowest Usable Frequency getting as low as possible, whilst F-skip on TV channels 2-4 is only possible during the day when the solar flux is *very* high, so as now, hopefully. E-skip on VHF TV channels, and FM radio is possible pretty much any time during daylight though.

If anyone sees any mistakes I've made, please feel free to correct them,

Alan

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html has a whole host of links to articles about propagation modes, including this, and this article from QST.

Generally, HF (3-30 MHz) skip (off the F-region of the ionosphere) is a function of solar activity, with the MUF occaisionally rising into the VHF region as ebh above states.

For VHF (50-300 MHz), skip of the E-region (Sporadic-E) is the most common skip. This is not a function of solar activity, and occurs randomly for (usually) short periods. Most long distance VHF communication is due to tropospheric conditions.

50-54 MHz is known as the 'magic band' because it happens to support a range of different propogation phenomena, F-skip like lower frequencies, sporadic-E, tropospheric propagation, meteor bounce, aurora bounce, moonbounce (really difficult at 50MHz, easier as you get higher), and some *really* funky others (transequatorial-F, field-aligned-irregularities) that you will have to look up elsewhere. The ARRL handbooks are *really* good sources of info.

As TV channel 2 is only just above 54 MHz, then the time to look for long distance TV reception is when conditions are good for the 6m (50-54 MHz) HAM band.

AM radio is at a very low frequency, and so it's behaviour will be similar to that of the 160m (1.8-2.0 MHz) ham band. F-skip of AM radio will be best at night.

This link has monthly charts of expected f-skip propagation showing what time of day is the best to listen for various frequencies. For AM radio, you are interested in the Lowest Usable Frequency getting as low as possible, whilst F-skip on TV channels 2-4 is only possible during the day when the solar flux is *very* high, so as now, hopefully. E-skip on VHF TV channels, and FM radio is possible pretty much any time during daylight though.

If anyone sees any mistakes I've made, please feel free to correct them,

Alan

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html has a whole host of links to articles about propagation modes, including this, and this article from QST.

Generally, HF (3-30 MHz) skip (off the F-region of the ionosphere) is a function of solar activity, with the MUF occaisionally rising into the VHF region as ebh above states.

For VHF (50-300 MHz), skip of the E-region (Sporadic-E) is the most common skip. This is not a function of solar activity, and occurs randomly for (usually) short periods. Most long distance VHF communication is due to tropospheric conditions.

50-54 MHz is known as the 'magic band' because it happens to support a range of different propogation phenomena, F-skip like lower frequencies, sporadic-E, tropospheric propagation, meteor bounce, aurora bounce, moonbounce (really difficult at 50MHz, easier as you get higher), and some *really* funky others (transequatorial-F, field-aligned-irregularities) that you will have to look up elsewhere. The ARRL handbooks are *really* good sources of info.

As TV channel 2 is only just above 54 MHz, then the time to look for long distance TV reception is when conditions are good for the 6m (50-54 MHz) HAM band.

AM radio is at a very low frequency, and so it's behaviour will be similar to that of the 160m (1.8-2.0 MHz) ham band. F-skip of AM radio will be best at night.

This link has monthly charts of expected f-skip propagation showing what time of day is the best to listen for various frequencies. For AM radio, you are interested in the Lowest Usable Frequency getting as low as possible, whilst F-skip on TV channels 2-4 is only possible during the day when the solar flux is *very* high, so as now, hopefully. E-skip on VHF TV channels, and FM radio is possible pretty much any time during daylight though.

If anyone sees any mistakes I've made, please feel free to correct them,

Alan

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2001/08/10/4/

Well, the 2 hamfests in Timonium have been mentioned; one is in the spring and the other is the last weekend in July. There are others; check ARRL. York PA is 15..16 Sep, Columbia MD is 23 Sep, the FARfest in Bowie is 30 Sep.
You might also look into State of MD Surplus in Jessup. Not to mention your friendly local DRMO store. I got several UPSes at DRMO Aberdeen (now closed); paid $35 each. At DRMO it's where-is, as-is, but you can usually try the electronic stuff before you buy it.

You might try looking for hamfests or amateur radio swap fests. Most are also computer flea markets and usually for about $15 you can get a table to sell your electronics/radios/computer related stuff. Go to the ARRL web site (http://www.arrl.org) to search for one in your area.

I think what you are looking for is theARRL Swapfest Database. Hamfests are no longer just radio gear.

Diagnostic equipment (scopes, probes, signal generators, etc.) is abundant.

A good place to look for one in the U.S. is the American Radio Relay League website.

Many Hams use products from PolyPhaser http://www.polyphaser.com/ that are designed to handle a direct strike. They also have information on "What is Lightning?"

Also, the ARRL has the ARRL Handbook, which has information on Lightning and protection as well.

Lastly, Don't forget that the Telephone line is a very common way for the lightning to enter your equipment.

What do I do in known lightning storms, besides the PolyPhaser protection? I disconnect my antennas and place the ends in a ceramic jar (Just in case).

Many Hams use products from PolyPhaser http://www.polyphaser.com/ that are designed to handle a direct strike. They also have information on "What is Lightning?"

Also, the ARRL has the ARRL Handbook, which has information on Lightning and protection as well.

Lastly, Don't forget that the Telephone line is a very common way for the lightning to enter your equipment.

What do I do in known lightning storms, besides the PolyPhaser protection? I disconnect my antennas and place the ends in a ceramic jar (Just in case).

While there are certainly some people who fit this criteria, many are not. There are people of all different ages, and weight categories, who are hams. The public should really try to visit something like Field Day sometime; people seemed to find it quite interesting that the back parking lot of a high school suddenly had four 70 foot towers and dozens of tents scattered around.

Also, as far as the equipment, the equipment is surprisingly modern, and we don't all make it out of scrap metal... Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, and Alinco are all popular amateur radio manufacturers.

Also, hams have launched a ton of satellites; the newly-launched AO-40 satellite has a footprint that covers practically half the Earth at a time. Now I know, with your super-duper cell phone, you can contact anyone with a phone, even if you're in the middle of nowhere.

But suppose you're somewhere like California, with the power crisis. The cell towers suddenly lose power. Or worse yet, there's a major disaster. Experience has shown that cell towers quickly become extremely jammed; transmissions on trunking radio systems get queued; and the hams help out.

Also, even in normal conditions, there's a big difference between a cell phone and a ham radio. To paraphrase someone else (dont' remember who) - would you call complete strangers on complete cell phones? Would you ask them what type of cell phone they had? No, they'd think you're a nut and would hang up.

Of course, there's more to ham radio than contacting random people and asking what type of radio they have... There are actually a lot of neat things to do with ham radio, check out something like ARRL, which has a bunch of info about ham radio.
________________________________________________

not all hams are old or fat. Some are, and the ones who people notice frequently are, they are the ones who are at club meets all the time

Ask your friends, i'll bet at least one of them is a ham.

it might not all be bleeding edge, but i'll bet you didnt build your own pc

ANd some stuff is pretty bleeding edge, try telling the guys running data over 30ghz links with hardware that they built themselves that what they are doing is not bleeding edge

not all hams are old or fat. Some are, and the ones who people notice frequently are, they are the ones who are at club meets all the time

Ask your friends, i'll bet at least one of them is a ham.

it might not all be bleeding edge, but i'll bet you didnt build your own pc

ANd some stuff is pretty bleeding edge, try telling the guys running data over 30ghz links with hardware that they built themselves that what they are doing is not bleeding edge

I met a lot of old times (who were inactive for a long time like you ...) recently on the air on the modes like PSK31 (which looks like a reliable modern version of RTTY ...), they were all really enthusiastic about the new developments ... Perhaps people got a bit fedup with the "code/no-code" debates :-) (I am a CW guy myself ...)

Perhaps it is time for you to check back :-) Welcome back !!

Check out the ARRL's response to the FCC (including references to the Qualcomm report). A primary concern is:

the broad nature of the interfering signal . . . indicates that any interference would extend to all VHF and UHF amateur bands." That particular report dealt with lab tests to assess the impact of UWB emissions on PCS phones using code division multiple access (CDMA).

Sure UWB gives you more bandwidth... by using other user's licensed frequencies. It's like bragging about how much faster your PC goes when you stealthly sneak distributive processing apps into other PCs without their authorization.

*scoove*

Pointless experimentation? You admit it is an experiment. Voice-over-IP isn't something everyone uses often, and here is a non-profit low-cost effort to build a global network of linked repeaters using VoIP. Sounds interesting to me.

Yes using it isn't may not be exciting to use if you are using to using HF communications directly, but not everyone has HF privileges. It sounds quite interesting to build. It would be one of the easiest ways that an amateur with only VHF privileges can communicate world-wide, using a low-power handheld 2m or 70cm radio. Sounds like a neat experiment, and something that a new ham might find inspiring to work towards HF qualifications because of.

Using an Internet link does not always mean using a "phone line". If you checked out the site, you'd see part of their link in BC uses wireless ethernet. You could build a node that uses HF packet carring TCP/IP and VoIP. Nothing is to prevent that, and it would be compatible with other wired repeaters.

A lot of your message sounds like what was said about repeaters back in the 70s or any new digital mode from RTTY to PSK31, AMSAT, and likely about SSB[1] versus AM.

1. single sideband, suppressed carrier, uses less bandwidth than AM

If anyone (i.e. not an electical engineer) wants to learn about radio frequency (RF) propogation, I suggest finding some amateur radio publications such as The ARRL Handbook (2001 edition). It provides plain english explaination and particial experience about the operating in the microwave bands.

Typical 802.11(b) usage is under license-free operation for local "ad-hoc" networks. The equipment is designed to operate locally such as a college campus or a company building, not across town. This relates to the license-free usage exemptions (Part 15 or 11, I believe).

If you want higher power or higher gain antennas, you will need a license from the FCC (in USA) or similiar government agency in your country. Interference with other users of the radio spectrum can result in a fine from the FCC. Story about a wireless ISP being investigated by the FCC.

If anyone (i.e. not an electical engineer) wants to learn about radio frequency (RF) propogation, I suggest finding some amateur radio publications such as The ARRL Handbook (2001 edition). It provides plain english explaination and particial experience about the operating in the microwave bands.

Typical 802.11(b) usage is under license-free operation for local "ad-hoc" networks. The equipment is designed to operate locally such as a college campus or a company building, not across town. This relates to the license-free usage exemptions (Part 15 or 11, I believe).

If you want higher power or higher gain antennas, you will need a license from the FCC (in USA) or similiar government agency in your country. Interference with other users of the radio spectrum can result in a fine from the FCC. Story about a wireless ISP being investigated by the FCC.

I disagree with the general statement that the 'airwaves are crowded.' The airwaves are horribly mismanaged and misallocated. Let's see, here in Richmond, VA, there are 7 major stations. They're 6 MHz each. That's 42 MHz of used spectrum. There are currently 62 or so allocated TV channels, representing 372MHz for a grand total of 11.2% utilization. Note that those unused channels are just sitting there idle, although in some markets (Philadelphia rings a bell, har!) they've begun using channels for public service. (before flaming me, I understand the engineering constraints of harmonic channels and IMD).

The TV channels aren't the only wasted spectrum. Have you ever noticed how much spectrum is allocated to the US Gov't? Geez Louise! Here's a link to allocations from 137MHz to 10GHz. These allocations were made back when there wasn't a use for these mysterious 'ultra high frequency' waves. Technology changes, and so should outdated allocations. Remember that at one time Amateur radio operators 'owned' everything from '200m and down.' (That's 1.5MHz -> gamma rays - the top of the AM band, all of the shortwave and CB bands, all of the VHF TV and business bands, all the gov't allocations, all the UHF TV and business bands, Cell phones, radars, visible light, ...) There's a book called '200 Meters and Down' that chronicles the early years of radio. I think it's available at the ARRL Website.

My point is that once uses were found for these previously useless waves, allocations were changed to accomodate the new technology.

First, "HAM" doens't have to be in all caps. This is a common misconception, I guess... I don't know any hams who capitalize it "HAM". (A similar phenomonen occurs with people who don't use Linux, and label it as "LINUX") It's not really *wrong*, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

Anyway, another misconception is that ham radio always goes around the world. It depends on a number of factors, but the fact is that a common ham radio handheld will not go around the world. However, "repeater" sites are very common -- they repeat your signal at a much higher power, from a great location. Thus, a user on a low-powered "HT" (handheld) could still have his voice heard for hundreds of miles.

I have never actually used packet, but it is possible to achieve great distances with this, also.

One additional note... You will, of course, need a license to transmit. And you can't use it for commercial purposes.

Yaesu has just come out with nifty new "rig", the FT-817. This little radio transmits on the "HF" ('shortwave') bands, and can, theoretically, be heard anywhere in the world.

Also, PSK31 is extremely popular. I don't know about using it for images; I'm not in a position to comment on it. I don't know if they have an official site, but PSK31.com is a very informative site.

For those interested, here are a few additional ham-radio related links.

ARRL: excellent resources for those interested in ham radio

Kantronics, one of the larger makers of TNCs ['packet modems']

"73" (Ham term for 'best regards')
________________________________________________

All you'd need to do is get your Amateur Radio License. It's much easier than you might think.

Then, look at this device from Kenwood. It's a neat little package that includes a camera, the display, and all the computing you need.

Hook this baby up to your radio, have a similar setup on the other end, hook it up to a computer on the net and you're all set!

This is called Slow Scan Television (SSTV).

Another cool thing about this setup.. throw in a cheap GPS reciever and you're ready to do APRS! (report your position, send messages, and lots of other fun stuff)

Good luck

There was an article in the November QST about using Meteor scatter for Routine Communications. From the sounds of the article, that with proper operations that you can pretty much use meteor scatter year round.

In a related story the FBI has raided the ARRL ham radio HQ looking for antennas and radios that could be used to listen to frequencies, they also confiscated secret PSK31 transmitters that could be used by spies to send signals to spy agencies.

Also discovered was a secret world wide system to track people, cars, boats and planes without the knowledge of the passengers. The secret program, called APRS, violates USC 3, 21 and Janet Reno indicated today that all licensed ham radio operators will be investigated. You may remember that the Branch Davidians used ham radio during the seige at Waco.

At least you can use free hardware for door stoppers, expensive-looking paperweights, and - if you can throw together a Van Der Graff generator with a couple of stainless steel bowls and a very big rubber band - graphic demonstrations to your boss of why he shouldn't carry unbagged DIMMs across the office carpets on dry winter days.

After you've done your static demonstration, perhaps all the little status LEDs on the unit will blink even without cable or UTP connections. Then, your little expensive-looking paperweight has been bestowed with LBL-factor.

("LBL" = "Little Blinking Light", (c)1993 Lawrence Wade.)

LBL-Factor is, of course, incredibly useful; it keeps people from playing with all the techical-looking stuff on your desk, and it makes one appear smarter than the combined calculating ability of the collection of neurons in one's cranium. This increases your worth to your employer because your projects are no longer interrupted by upstart 23-year-old mechanical engineers who think that they're computer literate and therefore touch the pile of hardware scattered all over your desk, as well as making your boss feel that he's getting a better deal for your services than he actually is. (This, of course, means that he's basically resigned to the fact that he's gonna have to give you a big fat raise soon.)

Thus far, these potential benefits have been tested and demonstrated with an old Anderson-Jacobsen 2400 baud leased-line modem; all this is undoubtedly possible from a little cable modem, especially if it has a cryptic brand name prominently displayed on the front of the case (as cable modems around here tend to have).

See above.

If you can get a couple of these, with a little creative hacking (and a good reflow soldering system) you might be able to make a long-distance coax network bridge.

Then, you could hit the ARRL's website, grab the schematics for a good 2kW RF linear amplifer and plans for a nice efficient antenna, and give yourself wireless networkability... and big FCC fines. :)

Sure! Plug it into your computer, toss it at a cable connection, install the drivers and a packet sniffer, and watch the entire contents of your hard disk being updated to the cable company for "market research" purposes.

<sigh>

It's probably unhealthy that I become more paranoid when I'm tired.

There are 3 classes of licenses in the US, Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Technician is the only class that does not require you to pass a morse code test, but if you do take the morse code portion of the exam, you get privileges to transmit on a few more frequency bands.

To get the other classes of license, you must pass a 5 word per minute code test. 5 wpm is pretty slow and not too hard to learn. It just takes a bit of practice.

This is much better (IMHO) than before they restructured the licensing last April. Before then, to get the Amateur Extra class, you had to pass a 13 wpm morse code test. (Or maybe 20 wpm, I can't remember.)

You can find more information at arrl.org

It's a fun hobby. Try it!
KD5MAH

The ARRL has more info on licensing for /.'s in the US. AMSAT has more info on ALL the ham satellites.

With the partial exception of the Russian RS-13, you don't need to know Morse Code to get a license to use any of them. And remember, reception is still free.

They are allowed under part 15 of the FCC rules and regs. You can get a real eye-opener reading part 15. It describes multiple frequency bands (902.0MHz - 928.0MHz is just one) that are basically "garbage bands".

Oh yeah, the rules say that everybody is expected to play nicely together and not interfere with anyone else. But you have seen what happens when multiple companies each decides that they own the band.

A decent set of notes about Part 15 and how it applys in the real world are here.

To mark the occasion of the telescope's dedication, the NRAO Amateur Radio Club will be operating special event station W9GFZ from the observatory grounds over this weekend. (W9GFZ was the call sign that Grote Reber held in 1937, when he built the first dish antenna for radioastronomy in his Wheaton, IL backyard...kind of a cool tribute to history there.) More details in this week's ARRL Letter.

Eric
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You might want to start with the ARRL and the ARRL Operating Manual it will give you a good guide to this and anything radio oriented. I do rember in one of my college classrooms a big poster saying who 'ownes' what band.

You might want to start with the ARRL and the ARRL Operating Manual it will give you a good guide to this and anything radio oriented. I do rember in one of my college classrooms a big poster saying who 'ownes' what band.

Another often overlooked culprit around this frequency band is the microwave oven. These run in the neighborhood of 2.45 GHz (give or take). Even a small leakage from the RF shielding can produce a detectable signal on or about this frequency.

Also, the the band from 2.3 GHz to 2.45 GHz is (and had been for quite sometime) used by amatuer radio operators. A higher powered ham tramsmitter could also be a source of interfere with this equipment. Technically, low-power consumer equipment should have been located on another band.

Poorly designed equipment can "mix" signals on different bands and hear interference on their operating frequency, also.

Yes, exactly. The low-cost Gunn-diode units being used couldn't be modulated much faster than about 2 Mbps.

Second, the statement about "not much operating at 2Mbps" as a reason for trying for 10Mbps makes it sound like he really doesn't understand the way asynchronous networks function. At least with tcp...

It has nothing to do with protocols. The problem is finding something that pumps data in a useful manner at 2 Mbps. A 10-Mbps Ethernet card can be had for next to nothing. But what card do you use if you need to slow down to 2 Mbps? Thus the desire to increase the project's speed to 10 Mbps.

Of course, as other people have pointed out, the legality of a 2Mbps HAM link, let alone 10Mbps, is quite suspect. Someone with access to recent FCC rulings should comment on it. A licensed amateur may design and build their own device to transmit legally in the HAM bands, and it seems from the rules most people know about that the 10ghz HAM band is limited to 56kbps.

Not so. On any frequency above 450 MHz, US hams can use any digital bandwidth that will fit inside the band. See the FCC Rules at 97.305(c) (and 97.307(f)).

Before everyone gets excited about doing this project, please take the time to understand that Amateur Radio is specifically prohibited from being used to carry commercial communications. Be mindful that what constitutes "commercial" communications is subject to interpretation. Note also, that encryption *may* be prohibited under this regulation (No SSL for you!)

Here's an excerpt of the relevant federal regulation:

(a) No amateur station shall transmit:

(1) Communications specifically prohibited elsewhere in this Part;
(2) Communications for hire or for material compensation, direct or indirect, paid or promised, except as otherwise provided in these rules;
(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer. Amateur operators may, however, notify other amateur operators of the availability for sale or trade of apparatus normally used in an amateur station, provided that such activity is not conducted on a regular basis;
(4) Music using a phone emission except as specifically provided elsewhere in this Section; communications intended to facilitate a criminal act; messages in codes or ciphers intended to obscure the meaning thereof, except as otherwise provided herein; obscene or indecent words or language; or false or deceptive messages, signals or identification;
(5) Communications, on a regular basis, which could reasonably be furnished alternatively through other radio services.

The full regulation can be found here.

Chuck Milam, KF9FR

• No profanity
• No music
• Nothing remotely commercial
• No encryption

Amateur radio is a possibility. Currently she would need to pass a 5 word per minute code test, but that shouldn't be to hard and a written exam (the license fee is $6-7). Then you need a radio, a multi mode controller (a modem for radio), and a computer. You might not need a multi mode controller, you might be able to use the sound card in the computer. This would give her email from just about anywhere, almost all of the time. She would be using a collection of pactor to email gateways located around the world. The drawbacks would be no busuiness communications (illegal), and no encryption (illegal, but shouldn't be a problem). For more information use a search engine and check out www.tapr.org and www.arrl.org.

Additionally, they would have to learn to understand Morse Code at a rate of 5 words per minute (in order to get Shortwave privileges, which would probably be necessary for getting email in the middle of the ocean).

If you are interested in getting more information about becoming an amateur, go to:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

For information about digital wireless communication over amateur radio go to:
http://www.tapr.org/tapr/html/pktf.html

What are the benefits? Well, it's a good way to communicate, even in out of the way places, and it's free. There are lots of nifty things you can do with digital transmissions in the amateur radio band. And people learn about interference as part of the reading material (useful for computer folks who may not be aware of the interference they are causing).

Amateur radio is one of the last refuges on the spectrum that is non-commercial and it needs new participants, or else it will slowly be taken over by commercial interests. And the digital aspects of amateur radio need new people to bring better technology and new ideas to them.

So, go out and get your license. You can get started at the ARRL web site. A reasonable handheld transmitter/receiver will cost you under $200 and is a good way to get started. For the test itself, you won't need more than a $20 book.

Having something up in space will mean it is not going be hearing all the crap from ground based transmitters - or a lot less of it anyway. Of course, being in the part of OZ they are in, I really don't think there is going to be much of a problem with that. It is pretty desolate there.

An example of this is the boundary around the telescope at Green Bank. I know Part 97 of the FCC rules states that you have to have permission to set up amateur radio beacons if you are near it (check the ARRL Website and do a search on 'Green Bank'). I am not sure about some of the other radio services. The reason is because of the interference generated by transmitters.

Radio receivers can cause lots of noise also if they are not properly designed, btw.

Want a way to go even farther, legally? Check out getting an Amateur Radio License. With it, you can legally transmit 1500 watts in the 2.4GHz frequency band, using whatever gain antenna you want. In addition, no FCC regulations are violated by modifying the WaveLAN card, provided you don't sell the card to anybody else. Just get an amp for the 2.4GHz band, or a dish antenna, and you're set.

Of course, you'd still have to deal with the curvature of the earth, but if you got the antenna high enough, you could have some serious distance.

It seems to me that the free market has already proved there is NO demand for some dorky looking handheld satellite uplink thingy--so if you don't need to reach a satellite by some handheld then there is a whole slew of standard satellites you can reach, with a good-old-fashioned satellite dish. I've never done anything like this, but a quick look over at the lair of ham radio geeks seems to indicate a lot of other people are.

Amateur Radio satellites are perhaps the greatest experiment ever achieved by civilians without recurring to government funding. Currently, there are about 9 OSCAR satellites ('OSCAR' meaning 'Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio') and 15 MicroSats. Most of these got into space by being piggy-backed into some rocket as a secondary payload during the launch of something larger (like a weather satellite), making the cost rather low.

AMSAT has a new satellite, the Phase 3D, which is scheduled for launch on an Ariane in July. The funding for the launch came from donations by radio amateurs (making it look like PBS), organisations like the American Radio Relay League, and other sources. Being a larger satellite, the Phase 3D has to be launched individually, raising the cost to what is now considered average. The fact that Phase 3D is going to space this summer should be used as a standard.

The amsats are really not secure, but you should be concerned with sending anything out over wireless. Yes, even digital wireless.

You can, if you want to, talk on these amsats, cool to chat with someone on the other side of the world.

For more info check out the Amateur Radio Relay League for info about becoming a ham and AMSAT for info on pass times and frequencies.

If you really want to talk. There are guys who bounce morse code off the moon. Talk about distance.

KC5Z?? - to remain anonymous

• FSF, for general free software development.
• SPI, for general free software development.
• EFF, for DVD defense.
• No-Code International for the continuing battle to institute sensible laws for ham radio licensing, rather than the present system of Morse code exams.
• ARRL, another ham radio organization, specificaly their frequency defense fund.

Or someone else? This isn't a vote, though I'm looking for suggestions and rationale.

Thanks

Bruce