February 2009

Helio 146.860 and 440.700 EAARS Network, 146.900/, 447.825 w/ closed remote PL 100.0 or 141.3. Packet 145.010 MT. Lemmon 147.160 EAARS Network Pinal Peak 145.41 EAARS Network Jacks Peak, NM 145.21 EAARS Network Guthrie Peak 147.28 EAARS Network Greens Peak 146.70 EAARS Network

GMRS Repeater on Helio 462.625 PL 123.0

Website HTTP://WWW.EAARS.COM

We kept the same officers again this year

There was a drawing of all members who had paid their 2009 dues by December 15th and the winner Tom, N7KCX got a gift certificate from AES

The meeting was held at La Paloma in Solomon.

Carroll Springs and South Mountain Alpine will not happen this winter. The people we thought were in control of the sites aren't. Milt is negociating with the correct people now and the repeaters MAY happen next summer. The radio's are in stock for these projects.

From http://www.winlink.org/

Winlink 2000 is a worldwide radio messaging system that takes advantage of the Internet where possible. It does this in order to allow the end-user more radio spectrum on the crowded spectrum. Winlink 2000 has an interesting history that may be worth reviewing. Currently, there are more than 15,000 radio users on all the classes of users and approximately 100,000 Internet recipients. Monthly traffic averages over 150,000 messages or 280,000 minutes. Each message has an average duration of approximately 3.4 minutes and each message averages approximately 3,200 bytes. The Pactor 1, 2 and 3 protocols are used on HF, and AX.25 Packet, D-Star and 802.11 are used on VHF/UHF. Growth of the system is dependent on the various classes of users, including normal Amateur use, emergency communications organizations such as the ARRL ARES® and RACES, the UK Cadet forces, the three MARS branches, and others. Most recently there has been an increasing interest in emergency communications, and the Winlink 2000 development team has responded by adding features and functions that make the system more reliable, flexible and redundant. The role of Winlink 2000 in emergency communications is to supplement existing methodologies to add another tool in the toolkit of the volunteer services deploying emergency communications in their communities.

Winlink 2000 has been assisting the maritime community, NOAA, the United Nations, the US. Coast Guard and other agencies for over 6 years now. Only recently has it been brought to the attention of the greater emergency communications community due to recent domestic disasters.

Over the last several years, the system is used almost daily by the maritime community for locating lost vessels. The US Coast Guard requests the location and condition of vessels from the 7,500 plus maritime Winlink users on an on-going basis. In addition, during the Asian Tsunami, Winlink 2000 maritime users played an important role in early communications. This was also true of the Chilean/Peruvian storms, the failure of INTELSAT 804, which left hundreds of Islands without reliable communications, and many other hurricane related episodes in the Caribbean and Atlantic Sea. Such acts went unnoticed until the domestic weather disasters brought Winlink 2000 to the attention of many, including a positive mention in post-Katrina reports from the US House of Representatives and the White House.

Several years ago, the Department of Homeland Security suggested to the ARRL president that the Amateur community should design and maintain a national digital network for emergency communications purposes. Winlink 2000 was their network of choice. Today, the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) and Radio amateur civil emergency service (RACES) has been busy deploying Winlink 2000 county by county across the country . In addition other non-Amateur volunteer services such as the Army Military Affiliate Radio System and the UK Cadet Forces, the Salvation Army, the GA Baptist Relief organization, and many other such agencies have utilized Winlink 2000 for their radio e-mail, both in emergencies and when no other communications outlets have been available . These most recent activities resulted from the use of Winlink 2000 during the most recent domestic hurricane disasters.

The Winlink 2000 system is a "star" based network containing 3 mirror image, redundant COMMON MESSAGE SERVERS (CMS), one in San Diego, one in Detroit and one in Perth, Australia. These ensure that the system will remain in operation should any chunk of the Internet become inoperative. Each Radio Message Server node (RMS) is tied together as would be the ends of a spoke on a wheel with the hubbing being done by the Common Message Servers. Traffic goes in and out between the CMS and the Internet email recipient, and between the end users and the Radio Message Server gateways. Multiple Radio-to-Radio addresses may be mixed with radio-to-internet e-mail addresses, allowing complete flexibility.

Because Winlink 2000 uses de facto e-mail (IETF RFC 2821) as its format, it provides direct Radio users and Internet third-party users seamless, transparent email with attachments of reasonable size without any additional stress or learning curve. This allows any mobile or portable operation to interface into the Internet e-mail system from virtually anywhere in the World over the various separate classes of users such as Army MARS or the Amateur service. Each class of service is totally separated from the next so that boundaries and purposes are not mixed. Army MARS only sees Army MARS
station and users, while the Amateur stations only sees Amateur users.

Because each Radio Message Server gateway is a mirror image of the next, it does not matter which station is used. They all look the same. Each can provide over 700 text-based or graphic Weather products, and each can relay the user's position to a WEB based view of reporting users. This keeps family, friends or, in a disaster, tactical positions in view. The views can zoom to the street level via a standard street map, a satellite view or a mixture of both.

The Army, Air Force and Navy Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) now have a widely spread, redundant, mirror image, Radio message Servers called "PMBOs" covering the US, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security is sponsoring a Common Message Server to add to the reliability of the Tri-MARS Winlink 2000 service. The joint MARS Winlink 2000 network is now postured for any domestic disaster with point-to-multipoint digital Radio e-mail. An expanded Global network is planned. Because of the Army, Air Force and Navy MARS infrastructure, and due to the procedural training it demands of its volunteer members, Winlink 2000 fits in perfectly. When or if it is necessary to deploy this radio messaging system for any disaster event, its proven effectiveness from past disasters coupled with MARS proven procedures, should bring effective communications to those in need.

For emergency services, like any other communications system, the effectiveness of Winlink 2000 is only as good as those who have planned for its use. One of the most valuable lessons learned from the Hurricane Katrina disaster has been the ability of those deploying the system for their own communities to build continual relationships with the agencies they wish to serve. After all, it is their "customer" who Winlink 2000 serves, and volunteers using this digital radio messaging system must bring its capabilities to those who need them before the system can be effective.

From ARRL Web

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced on Monday, January 26 that they would once again allow Amateur Radio operators the opportunity to operate from Midway Atoll. This the first time that USFWS has allowed amateurs to operate from the wildlife refuge since 2002. The USFWS started a program earlier this month to encourage visitors to experience Midway's wildlife, history and culture, as well as non-wildlife-dependent activities -- including Amateur Radio.

To ensure the safety of the wildlife on the Refuge, the USFWS said that Amateur Radio operations will be permitted for two weeks only, from October 5-19, 2009. "Radio operation will be allowed only within a designated area on the north side of Sand Island and the use of portable generators will not be permitted," said Midway Atoll Refuge Manager Matt D. Brown. "There is 120 V power available at the operation site. Any modifications to the island power grid/infrastructure must be approved in advance and be paid for entirely by the radio operators." All participants will be required to attend a refuge orientation shortly after arrival that is designed to enhance visitor safety, wildlife protection and overall enjoyment of the wildlife refuge.

"Although determined to be a wildlife-compatible activity," Brown said, "this [Amateur Radio] opportunity is being conducted on a trial basis." Brown has the authority to discontinue the activity at any time, based on wildlife protection and conservation goals. For more information, please contact Brown via e-mail (Matt_D_Brown@fws.gov) or by phone at 808-954-4818.

Travel arrangements to and from Midway are the responsibility of the individual or group. Since there are minimal facilities on the atoll, Brown said that lodging availability is very limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. "All Amateur Radio operators on Midway must secure lodging reservations, as camping is not permitted," Brown said. To make reservations, please contact Chugach Industries' Site Administrator Darlene Holst via e-mail (dholst@chugach-ak.com) or by phone at 808-954-4801.

Midway is located in the North Pacific Ocean (near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago) -- approximately 1250 miles northwest of Honolulu -- about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. At less than 150 miles east of the International Dateline, Midway Atoll is truly "midway" around the world from the Greenwich meridian. The atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States and is the only atoll/island in the Hawaiian archipelago not part of the State of Hawaii. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is owned and administered by the USFWS on behalf of the American people and has international significance for both its historic and natural resources.

In 1988, Midway became a National Wildlife Refuge, at the time subject to the primary jurisdiction of the Navy. In 1993, the Navy decided to close the Naval Air Facility after more than 50 years of continuous operation. On May 20, 1996, custody and accountability for Midway Atoll transferred from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Interior. President Clinton signed Executive Order 13022 on October 31, 1996, effectively superseding earlier orders assignment responsibility for Midway to the Navy. A new code of regulations governing activities at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge was published in the Federal Register on March 10, 1998.

When Midway became a national wildlife refuge, it joined a network of more than 500 separate units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, encompassing nearly 93 million acres, throughout all 50 states and several territories and possessions. Refuges represent the only Federal lands set aside and managed principally for the conservation of fish and wildlife.

The 6th most-needed DXCC entity world-wide!
The 3rd most-needed DXCC entity in Europe!
The 2nd most-needed DXCC entity in Asia!

On October 1, 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) selected the KP1-5 Project team to be the first USFWS-approved DXpedition to Desecheo Island in fifteen years.

We were most fortunate to be chosen from among several excellent proposals. Our commitment is to a first-class DXpedition meeting or exceeding all the requirements of USFWS while providing tens of thousands of radio contacts to the international Ham Radio community.

• KP5 DXpedition - Feb. 12-26, 2009

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has notified the team that February 12-26, 2009, will be the dates allocated for the radio operation. These dates are coordinated with other USFWS research activities scheduled on other parts of Desecheo Island as well as scheduling USFWS security personnel for the camp.

Fifteen operators will be allowed on the island at any given time. A total of 6-8 stations will be operational, including 160-6 meters.
 

A reconnaissance trip to Desecheo is scheduled for Friday, December 19. Three team members, USFWS personnel and an UXO (unexploded ordnance) expert will sweep and clear the assigned area of UXO and other hazards. There will be no radio operations.

These are planned bands, modes and frequencies. Of course these may get adjusted because of QRM:

Announced DXpeditions http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html

DX Summit http://www.dxsummit.fi/DxSpots.aspx

or

DX Watch http://www.dxwatch.com/

Amateur Radio contesting information and resources http://www.ng3k.com/Contest/

SM3CER Contest Page http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/index.htm

If you want to find out about some srecific area of ham radio, let me know and I'll see what I can find out and put it in a future newsletter

Dave N7AM dwells@aznex.net

I have a new printer for the newsletter so the service is much faster, the print copy should go out with in a day or two of the email copy, hopefully on the same day.

EAARS has email addresses available for members, Contact Larry N5BG to get yourcall@eaars.com as a pop 3, forward, or webmail address

Remember, the newsletter is available by email. Contact N7AM or N5BG to get added to the list

Webmasters of ham radio sites may link to this page without asking permission. Likewise, editors of amateur radio newsletters may include one or two cartoons in their monthly publications without prior permission, providing that the copyright notice remains intact, and that the complete URL appears also: www.qsl.net/k4adl. No animals were harmed during the production of these cartoons, and any similarity to persons living or dead is totally ridiculous.