On the Web : December 2003
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Our contributions to the South Jersey Radio Association club bulletin "Harmonics" includes lengthy Web addresses. As the URL's can be difficult or a nuisance to type into your Web browser, the postings here should make it easier to get to the Web sites SJRA members are interested in. Look for the posting at w2xq.com at the time "Harmonics" is scheduled for delivery in the south Jersey area. Questions, suggestions or contributions are always welcome. |
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Having DX withdrawal when away from the ham shack? Round 2. Last month I identified a number of Web browser-accessible DX cluster callouts that one can participate in so long as Java is installed in the computer. VE9WH had inventoried more than 225 gateways, and "DX World" had spotting by band for VHF and UHF operators. As a follow-up, I found that some nodes, including K2AA, requires my callsign at log-in to be typed in upper case, otherwise one gets an "invalid call" error message. I thought there was a connection problem, but not so; just use the SHIFT or CAPS key.
Some of the links in last month's column are long and can be tedious to type in. It is easier just to click on a link, and we have made it so. The "On the Web" contributions to "Harmonics" will normally be posted at the same time the printed bulletin is scheduled for delivery to SJRA members. Enter and bookmark this address (note the # sign) for current and past editions:
http://w2xq.com/links_hr01.html#sjraontheweb
This month, WC2K tipped me off to a "DX Central" and we dug around a search engine a bit. We found http://dxcentral.com/ offering three DX bulletins, DX cluster and station spot information. You don't have to register to use the "DX Central" but it is to your advantage to do so. With the use of cookies, filters on spots displayed and searched for in archives and in the PacketCluster Node can be applied, and it is easier to monitor and hunt for the elusive countries as you climb to the top of the DXCC Honor Roll. And you have the opportunity of popping open a browser window or using Telnet to get to the "DX Central" cluster. Nicely organized!
Propagation notes. Are you a student of propagation? (1) Historical data can be found at the ARRL with the almost-weekly propagation bulletins on file dating back to 1995. Start at http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/2003-index.html to choose the year. (2) NOAA's Space Environment Center (SEC) operates an FTP (file transfer protocol) server that has a wealth of solar-terrestrial data on its storage area. Not as pretty as a Web site to navigate, an FTP server is invariably faster than graphics-laden Web. Dial to http://sec.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/ and read the "welcome" material and "readme" files as necessary. There are alert messages, solar data of all types, sunspot numbers past and predicted, and much more. (3) Plot the most recent daily magnetometer, energetic particle or GOES spacecraft data at http://solar.sec.noaa.gov/~goes/goes_mag/access.cgi -- it is a script, not an html page.
On November 4 the sun burped and the largest flare ever recorded, an X28, ejected a mass of material into space. Aurora has been plentiful; on November 20, visible aurora was seen in Florida and the Mediterranean Sea. There are two must-visit Web sites that rally the troops whenever the sun affects the earth. In my opinion, Spaceweather (http://www.spaceweather.com/) provides more interesting day-to-day narrative and news, and many photographs, but Solar-Terrestrial Dispatch (http://www.spacew.com/) (STD) is far superior when events are imminent. STD, with its maps and charts, has forums and easy-to-use posting of sightings that are automatically updated every few minutes. Links to other propagation-related Web sites are at http://trsc.com/links_radio.html#prop.
If you use a Mac and participate on Voice over IP's EchoLink, the free Dog Park Software's EchoMac software by N9YTY is the best of breed. Written for MacOS X, version 1.12 was released in mid-November to fix a bug when changing USB audio devices under Panther (MacOS X 10.3). It can be downloaded from http://dogparksoftware.com/EchoMac.html -- note the page capitalization. "EchoMac is a program written for MacOS X, based on the echoLinux (http://cqinet.sf.net/) program by Jeff Pierce (WD4NMQ), that gives licensed amateur radio operators the ability to access the Echolink (http://www.echolink.org/) system." For an introduction to Voice over IP systems, see http://trsc.com/ref_repeater_linking.html.
With
the holidays and new year coming up, untangle your radio contesting and event
planning with a free on-line calendar from http://www.ampcalendars.com/
by Andrews McNeel Publishing.
Larger than usual ham radio link sites:
AF4K DX: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/8701/hamlynx/hamdxl.htm
G4KIU: http://www.dxbands.com/ & Feb 2001 Comoros D68C DXpedition story: http://www.dxbands.com/comoros/
And finally, at w2xq.com, on the home page you can download an area 144/440 MHz repeater listing in [spreadsheet] XLS, ZIP or SIT format revised in early December. It's a working document I use to program the mobile radio and HT for our Mid-Atlantic state travels. Your feedback is welcome.
Whatever holidays you celebrate, may they be happy and safe ones. 73, Tom
TRS Consultants - Keep up to date with breaking news during the month! Newsfeed help.
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Revised 5 December 2003
Footnote: Saddam Hussein's capture on 13 Dec 2003 hopefully will slow or stop the terrorist attacks on our troops. Chalk one up to the good guys. As a shortwave listener since 1952, I've always been interested in news and commentary from different perspectives. If you'd like to read what the rest of the world is saying, take a look at the English-language newspapers in the Middle East and elsewhere. Other Saddam-related items that do not have a logical home appear in our "Weblog"... and we'll signal the arrival in the "News and Updates" section on the TRS Consultants home page. Questions? Please ask... via e-mail, on the repeater or telephone.
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Revised 15 December 2003
Read the previous month's column or the next month's column.
