August 26, 2013

Lee De Forest Birthday August 26, 1873

Lee De Forest was born on this day August 26, 1873.  De Forest was an electrical engineer and inventor of the Audion tube with three electrodes instead of two in 1907.  The tube became known as the De Forest valve or triode.  His innovation made electronic amplification and switching possible.  The Audion Tube was a huge commercial success

Lee De Forest




Good DX and 73, NJ2X

August 24, 2013

August 25, 2013 Skyview Radio Society annual Swap N Shop!

August 25th 2013 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM  The best little hamfest in the world!
 
Skyview Radio Society annual Swap N Shop! ARRL Western PA Section Convention!
Breakfasts and lunches served – www.skyviewradio.net

Location:
Skyview Radio Society clubhouse grounds
2335 Turkey Ridge Road
New Kensington, PA 15068

Talk-in: 146.640- 131.8pl.
 
Contact: Pat Cancro, NK3P jpc2@psu.edu

August 23, 2013

Making Mistakes

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. -- George Bernard Shaw

August 19, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T0B10)

Q) Which of the following is true concerning grounding conductors used for lightning protection?

A) Sharp bends must be avoided

NJ2X Notes:
Sharp bends in grounding conductors (wire, braid, or copper strapping) present an impedance bump to lightning that will potentially travel through the conductors.  When lightning encounters an impedance, it can cause the lightning to take other routes to ground instead of through the conductor which can lead to damage.



August 18, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T9B11)

Q) Which of the following types of feedline has the lowest loss at VHF and UHF?

A) Air-insulated hard line

NJ2X Notes:
Here is an interesting article: Feeding Your Station - ARRL.

August 17, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T9B04)

Q) What does an antenna tuner do?

A) It matches the antenna system impedance to the transceiver's output impedance

NJ2X Notes:
Antenna tuner is also known as a transmatch.  It is an essential element of the modern multi-band station.  The antenna allows the operator to adjust the antenna system impedance to the transceiver's impedance.

August 16, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D01)

Q) Which of the following is an example of a digital communications method?

A. Packet
B. PSK31
C. MFSK
D. All of these choices are correct


NJ2X Notes:
Digital modes are great fun and readily available to hams due to a variety of free amateur radio software.





August 15, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D03)

Q) Which of the following is normally used when sending automatic location reports via amateur radio?

A) A Global Positioning System receiver

NJ2X Notes:
The Global Positioning System receivers is more commonly referred to simply as a GPS.




August 14, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D04)

Q) What type of transmission is indicated by the term NTSC?

A) An analog fast scan color TV signal

NJ2X Notes:
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog fast scan color television system that is used in the US and Canada.




August 13, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D05)

Q) Which of the following emission modes may be used by a Technician Class operator between 219 and 220 MHz?

A) Data

NJ2X Notes:
The amateur allocation at 219-220 MHz is secondary to the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).



August 12, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D06)

Q) What does the abbreviation PSK mean?

A) Phase Shift Keying

NJ2X Notes:
PSK31 is one of our favorite modes.  It is very narrow and works in all kinds of conditions with modest power and antennas.  Free amateur radio software like Ham Radio Deluxe have also made it very easy to get started with PSK31.

Phase-shift keying (PSK) is a form of digital modulation that transmits data by changing, or modulating, the phase of a signal.

Terminal Node Controller (TNC) used with computer for PSK communication


August 10, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8C09)

Q) How might you obtain a list of active nodes that use VoIP?

A) From a repeater directory

NJ2X Notes:
The ARRL publishes an excellent repeater directory.  It is available in both print and electronic forms.




August 9, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8C11)

Q) What name is given to an amateur radio station that is used to connect other amateur stations to the Internet?

A) A gateway

NJ2X Notes:
Echolink, IRLP, D-Star, WIRES, AllStar, and others are all methods of linking amateur radio stations to the internet.



August 8, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D02)

Q) What does the term APRS mean?

A) Automatic Position Reporting System

NJ2X Notes:
APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is a system developed by Bob Bruninga (WB4APR)  which uses amateur radio to transmit position reports, weather reports, telemetry, and messages between users.  A very useful APRS related tool is Google Maps APRS.



August 6, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D08)

Which of the following may be included in packet transmissions?

A. A check sum which permits error detection
B. A header which contains the call sign of the station to which the information is being sent
C. Automatic repeat request in case of error
D. All of these choices are correct


NJ2X Notes:
Packet radio is a technology used to transmit data via radio communications links.



August 5, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T8D10)

Which of the following can be used to transmit CW in the amateur bands?

A. Straight Key
B. Electronic Keyer
C. Computer Keyboard
D. All of these choices are correct

NJ2X Notes:
We will share with you a secret that all avid DX'ers already know.  Morse Code is an incredibly effective mode for DX (long distance) contacts.  You can make contacts with CW in poor conditions and with weak stations that you simply cannot do with any other mode.  Operating with CW also gives technician license holders access to the HF bands.

J-38 straight key

August 2, 2013

History of the Bell Rotator


Howdy Hams,

Looking for an interesting and informative webpage regarding the history of the bell rotator?  Look no further:

http://www.rotor- doc.com/history. html


Good DX and 73, NJ2X