2023-09-08 - My Dad’s NOT ALLOWED to push this button!, One Year Update on DLARC, Amateur Radio GEO Payload for the Americas - Update 2023-08, 5 GHz 10 watt Power Amplifier
I'd love to see your RSS feed subscription list. I just (reluctantly) renewed my Feedly Pro subscription, but after more than a decade I've now turned off auto-renew. I just don't read the news as I once did back in the Google News days with the commentary and social interactions. But, maybe if I got focused on some of the more Zero Retries interesting RSS Feeds it might help.
It's been many years since I looked at an issue of CQ. I was kind of amazed when I clicked on "show me a recent issue" and up popped the July, 2023 issue, complete with a spelling error on the top line of the cover. Not a good sign...
Thanks for the YouTube RSS tip. I usually allow other sources to surface interesting YT content (there's too much content) but this might be a way to pay attention more directly. I'd be curious to hear which RSS reader you prefer. I recently switched from The Old Reader to Innoreader.
Recommissioning an old government/commercial sat for amateur use is an interesting concept. Could be considerably cheaper and potentially fewer logistics to wrangle. May be a good grant proposal idea for a dedicated group to conduct research and start feasibility discussions.
Cale - My RSS reader is NewsBlur - https://newsblur.com. I switched over to it in the aftermath of Google Reader because it 1) ingested my OPML file from GR, 2) had an IOS client for my iPad and iPhone, 3) had a pretty good browser version, and 4) it has its own synch mechanism. It's generally just worked and I'm a happy premium subscriber.
There's a missing element before non-government use of FLTSATCOM could even be considered - there has to be some "in" with USG to even have the possibility considered, and I haven't found anything like that - yet.
Juan - Indeed. I've been saying in Zero Retries for some time that Starlink is now the system of choice in restoring broadband Internet access during and after disasters and emergencies. What's unappreciated by most is that all the cellular companies now quietly provide a "voice over Wi-Fi" capability in every smartphone - you just have to turn it on BEFORE you need it.
In the likely event that "tweet" gets taken down, here's the text:
One organization that’s operating just ten free Starlink internet stations here on Maui tells me they’re processing a total of TEN TERABYTES of data per day.
That’s a LOT of people utilizing the connection!
With a couple of typical photos of Starlink terminals hastily deployed on top of a pickup truck.
Mr. Perens was founder of No-Code International, which helped to convince the International Telecommunications Union, FCC and the telecommunications regulators of many nations to drop the Morse code requirement for Amateur Radio licensing. With the possible exception of Russia, all nations have now dropped that requirement. Mr. Perens is a Radio Amateur, and holds an holds an Amateur Extra class license, with station license K6BP. He is active in the innovation of new codecs and protocols for digital voice communications. He serves AMSAT in helping to create a new geostationary satellite in cooperation with FEMA, which will provide 24-hour digital communications including disaster services.
Rich - Thanks for bringing that to my attention. K6BP was apparently involved in the GEO project 5 or so years ago now that was ultimately canceled because the satellite that the Amateur Radio payload would have been included, was canceled. Starlink was still in stealth mode at the time, so that project looked really promising for EMCOM - cheap ground stations, deployed widely by Amateur Radio Operators, no subscription costs, etc. Now FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, governments, etc. can just subscribe to Starlink Roam service, have the dish purchased and configured, and when it's needed, turn on service and go.
From EVERYTHING I can tell (and again, I've LOOKED) there is NO effort currently underway within Amateur Radio to attempt an Amateur Radio GEO payload in the Western Hemisphere. There should be, and it's a shame that there isn't, but that seems to be the reality of it.
I'm really happy about the Archive scanning in all those old manuals. Making them searchable will be a big win, but my hope is that it will enable many of us to find our "Holy Grail" documents (those paper manuals before there were electronic copies). Mine is for a 6-M Azden PCS-5000 mobile, made back in the era of the Commodore VIC-20. (I'd be interested in seeing the VIC manuals again as well, now that I think about them. I hacked modem and memory boards to gpo with those.)
N6UOW - Unfortunately, in my discussions with Kay about those manuals, it appears that all of them were for commercial (non Amateur Radio) equipment. But radio gear is radio gear, and apparently the Amateur Radio material being contributed to DLARC has slowed down to the point that this project was justified for available scanning time. Agreed that all of that info should eventually end up in DLARC. This summer I've focused on getting periodicals from my collection / archives to DLARC. I have yet to dive into the file cabinets of manuals and documentation to send to DLARC - that's a project for this Fall in N8GNJ Labs.
I'd love to see your RSS feed subscription list. I just (reluctantly) renewed my Feedly Pro subscription, but after more than a decade I've now turned off auto-renew. I just don't read the news as I once did back in the Google News days with the commentary and social interactions. But, maybe if I got focused on some of the more Zero Retries interesting RSS Feeds it might help.
Sharing is caring
Steven - OK. I will make arrangements to share my Amateur Radio RSS feeds within the next week.
CQ is still around.
Ria - I'd really like to think so, but ten days into the new month, CQ's "current issue" is August, 2023 - https://cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_current_issue.html.
It's been many years since I looked at an issue of CQ. I was kind of amazed when I clicked on "show me a recent issue" and up popped the July, 2023 issue, complete with a spelling error on the top line of the cover. Not a good sign...
Thanks for the YouTube RSS tip. I usually allow other sources to surface interesting YT content (there's too much content) but this might be a way to pay attention more directly. I'd be curious to hear which RSS reader you prefer. I recently switched from The Old Reader to Innoreader.
Recommissioning an old government/commercial sat for amateur use is an interesting concept. Could be considerably cheaper and potentially fewer logistics to wrangle. May be a good grant proposal idea for a dedicated group to conduct research and start feasibility discussions.
Cale - My RSS reader is NewsBlur - https://newsblur.com. I switched over to it in the aftermath of Google Reader because it 1) ingested my OPML file from GR, 2) had an IOS client for my iPad and iPhone, 3) had a pretty good browser version, and 4) it has its own synch mechanism. It's generally just worked and I'm a happy premium subscriber.
There's a missing element before non-government use of FLTSATCOM could even be considered - there has to be some "in" with USG to even have the possibility considered, and I haven't found anything like that - yet.
Look at this https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1700290306430718287?t=rTFbpnMzBWtnZPiQcHHd4g&s=19
That's beyond any radio amateurs possibility during emcom
Juan - Indeed. I've been saying in Zero Retries for some time that Starlink is now the system of choice in restoring broadband Internet access during and after disasters and emergencies. What's unappreciated by most is that all the cellular companies now quietly provide a "voice over Wi-Fi" capability in every smartphone - you just have to turn it on BEFORE you need it.
In the likely event that "tweet" gets taken down, here's the text:
One organization that’s operating just ten free Starlink internet stations here on Maui tells me they’re processing a total of TEN TERABYTES of data per day.
That’s a LOT of people utilizing the connection!
With a couple of typical photos of Starlink terminals hastily deployed on top of a pickup truck.
Hi Steve: bumped into this and said aha! Gotta tell Steve… first I heard if it!
From perens.com
Mr. Perens was founder of No-Code International, which helped to convince the International Telecommunications Union, FCC and the telecommunications regulators of many nations to drop the Morse code requirement for Amateur Radio licensing. With the possible exception of Russia, all nations have now dropped that requirement. Mr. Perens is a Radio Amateur, and holds an holds an Amateur Extra class license, with station license K6BP. He is active in the innovation of new codecs and protocols for digital voice communications. He serves AMSAT in helping to create a new geostationary satellite in cooperation with FEMA, which will provide 24-hour digital communications including disaster services.
Rich - Thanks for bringing that to my attention. K6BP was apparently involved in the GEO project 5 or so years ago now that was ultimately canceled because the satellite that the Amateur Radio payload would have been included, was canceled. Starlink was still in stealth mode at the time, so that project looked really promising for EMCOM - cheap ground stations, deployed widely by Amateur Radio Operators, no subscription costs, etc. Now FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, governments, etc. can just subscribe to Starlink Roam service, have the dish purchased and configured, and when it's needed, turn on service and go.
From EVERYTHING I can tell (and again, I've LOOKED) there is NO effort currently underway within Amateur Radio to attempt an Amateur Radio GEO payload in the Western Hemisphere. There should be, and it's a shame that there isn't, but that seems to be the reality of it.
I'm really happy about the Archive scanning in all those old manuals. Making them searchable will be a big win, but my hope is that it will enable many of us to find our "Holy Grail" documents (those paper manuals before there were electronic copies). Mine is for a 6-M Azden PCS-5000 mobile, made back in the era of the Commodore VIC-20. (I'd be interested in seeing the VIC manuals again as well, now that I think about them. I hacked modem and memory boards to gpo with those.)
N6UOW - Unfortunately, in my discussions with Kay about those manuals, it appears that all of them were for commercial (non Amateur Radio) equipment. But radio gear is radio gear, and apparently the Amateur Radio material being contributed to DLARC has slowed down to the point that this project was justified for available scanning time. Agreed that all of that info should eventually end up in DLARC. This summer I've focused on getting periodicals from my collection / archives to DLARC. I have yet to dive into the file cabinets of manuals and documentation to send to DLARC - that's a project for this Fall in N8GNJ Labs.