Free Republic

It finally dawned on me today. Ahah. My local Boston Market (Burke, VA) has removed ham from its menu--all the ham/pork products. This is in spite of the fact that the corporate menu still includes ham. I did happen to notice quite a few muslims working at the restaurant. So what do you think about that? Personally, I find it pretty offensive that the freedom of many is affected by the Islamic dietary laws in public franchises.

A 21-member delegation represented the US and ARRL at the Amateur Radio Direction Finding 12th World Championship in the Czech Republic September 7-12. ARRL ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV, says this year's global competition attracted 327 competitors from 28 countries to the town of Brno--some 110 miles southeast of Prague. ARDF is sometimes called foxtailing or radio orienteering, and world championships take place in even-numbered years. Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, finishes the 80-meter course. "Yes, that is duct tape holding my head together," he said. "The look of pain probably came from seeing my time displayed ahead of me as I...

NASA International Space Station Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, told youngsters at an elementary school in Japan September 17 that he's been so busy during his duty tour in space that it's hard to believe it's almost over. Fincke spoke via Amateur Radio from NA1SS aboard the space station with fifth and sixth-graders at Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School near Tokyo. The contact was arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Fincke answered the youngsters' questions in both Japanese and English. "Because we are working so hard, it seems that the time goes by very, very...

Randy Gehman, N3LJE, of Waminster ARC talks with members of the Morse Family. One of the greatest things about Amateur Radio is that you just never know who you will run into. Such was the case for Warminster Amateur Radio Club at the special event station the club set up at the Middletown Grange Fair in Wrightstown in Bucks County Pennsylvania. For decades the club has had an Amateur Radio station on display every year at the Grange Fair where they provide information about ham radio to the public. The club accepts messages from fairgoers and passes the messages...

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams were ready and waiting as Hurricane Ivan devastated entire sections of the US Gulf Coast early September 16. Packing 115 MPH winds as it made landfall, Ivan zeroed in on the Mobile Bay area of Alabama, but because of its huge girth, the storm wrought widespread death and destruction in the Florida Panhandle and also affected Mississippi. Below-sea-level New Orleans was spared major flooding, however. Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, said ham radio has been helping relief agencies, especially in the hard-hit southernmost counties. "Right now the adrenaline's still up," he said...

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 16, 2004 One of the oldest radio amateurs in the US has become a Silent Key. Michael J. "Mike" Anuta, W8HKY, of Marinette, Wisconsin, died September 9 after suffering a severe stroke a week earlier. He was 103. After leaving school after the eighth grade and working as a Western Union delivery boy and a railroad telegrapher, he went on to study law by correspondence and become an attorney. He retired in 1996 after a 67-year law career in Michigan that included 10 years as prosecuting attorney and 10 years as a municipal judge. Alma College...

BBC Radio 4 this weekend will air a documentary on Amateur Radio's involvement in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The half-hour program, "Unsung Heroes," will be broadcast Saturday, September 4, at 1030 UTC. It will remain available on the BBC's archives for one month after that. "Through moving interviews, sensitive use of ham radio transmissions and some harrowing accounts, 'Unsung Heroes' reveals the little-known story of the 9/11 ham radio operators who provided vital communication networks for the rescue agencies," the BBC program listing says. "Hams, often mocked for their obsessive hobby, believe that September 11th became Amateur...

Earlier this month the Sun was as quiet as can be and free of the dark sunspots that generate eruptions of magnetic energy and hot gas. Now the solar surface is dotted with brooding blotches, and overnight a major flare erupted. The strong eruption, labeled an X2, involved an intense flash of radiation late Wednesday evening (East Coast time). All X-flares are considered major, and the associated number denotes just how strong they are. Major flares sometimes also hurl clouds of hot gas into space. These coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can threaten Earth-orbiting satellites and surface power grids, and also...

The AMSAT-OSCAR Echo Amateur Radio satellite and several other payloads launched on schedule June 29 at 0630 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Ground controllers made their first contact with Echo at 1452 UTC and collected some telemetry to analyze before shutting down the 435.150 MHz digital downlink transmitter. ''This achievement is due to many individuals around the world, who have helped in the design, building, integration, testing and launching of this satellite,'' said AMSAT-NA President Robin Haighton, VE3FRH. Earth stations should not attempt to transmit on the satellite's uplink until checkout and commissioning are complete and AO-Echo has been...

Actor Marlon Brando, KE6PZH/FO5GJ, SK One of the best-known names in cinematic as well as Amateur Radio circles, actor Marlon Brando, died in Los Angeles July 1 at age 80. Known to hams worldwide as KE6PZH and FO5GJ, Brando is listed on the FCC database as Martin Brandeaux. He was on the air occasionally through the years with his FO5 call sign from his private island in French Polynesia. In an interview with Larry King on CNN in 1994, Brando confirmed his continued interest in Amateur Radio. In response to a caller's question, he said ham radio provided him with...

Space Station Field Day 2004 Operation Possible Possibly on for Field Day 2004: Mike Fincke, KE5AIT (left), and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, with their Russian Orlan space suits, prepare for a space walk that's tentatively set for June 24. [NASA Photo] NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 17, 2004 The crew of the International Space Station--astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT--could be on the air for Field Day 2004. In 2001, astronaut Susan Helms, KC7NHZ, thrilled Field Day participants by showing up unexpectedly on the air and working several dozen stations. ISS crew members have participated in the event each year...

ARRL Takes Issue with Public Funding of New York BPL Project The ARRL Letter Vol. 23, No. 24 June 11, 2004 The ARRL has questioned the propriety of a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant from public funds to promote a broadband over power line (BPL) project. The project is believed to be the BPL field test now under way in Briarcliff Manor. The Westchester County community is just north of New York City. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, on June 10 faxed a strongly worded letter to NYSERDA President Peter R. Smith asserting that acknowledged...

The K7RA Solar UpdateSEATTLE, WA, Jun 11, 2004 Solar activity remains low. As the sunspot cycle declines, we are inevitably headed toward a year or two of quiet sun. The sunspot minimum still is several years away, however. This week average daily sunspot numbers were up slightly by more than 7 points to 68.3. Average daily solar flux was down nearly 10 points to 87.4. Geomagnetic conditions remained quiet to slightly unsettled. The chance of any geomagnetic upset this weekend seems very remote. The sun is nearly blank, but as of June 10, two sunspots were peeking around the edge...

Expedition 9 crew honors President Reagan from space (Jun 11, 2004) The International Space Station Expedition 9 crew paid tribute to former President Ronald Reagan June 10. Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, and cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, rang the ISS ship's bell 40 times to commemorate the nation's 40th chief executive. Reagan died June 5 at the age of 93 of complications resulting from Alzheimer's disease. "We, the crew of the International Space Station, join millions of others in mourning the passing of President Reagan, who worked tirelessly to bring the world closer together," said Padalka, the Expedition 9 crew commander....

California clubs' Field Day operation to honor Reagan (Jun 10, 2004) -- On Field Day, the Ventura County Amateur Radio Society (VCARS) will join forces with the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) to operate as N6R. The special event call sign this year will commemorate President Ronald Reagan, who died June 5 at the age of 93. "We have been given approval to operate from the grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library," said Pete Heins, N6ZE, a member of both clubs, He notes that 2004 marks the fourth year the two clubs have run an N6R ("Nancy 6...

Maritime Mobile Service Net Handles Medical Emergency At Sea NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 9, 2004 -- Members of the Maritime Mobile Service Net recently were instrumental in successfully handling yet another medical emergency at sea. A young hand aboard a commercial fishing vessel in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Central America had suffered serious knife wounds in a fight with a crewmate May 25. Although not an amateur licensee, the captain of the Motor Vessel Brandon Travis knew he could get prompt assistance on the net's 14.300 MHz frequency. "Under normal conditions, transmissions by non-amateur stations on this...

FCC Extends BPL Reply Comments Filing Deadline NEWINGTON, CT, May 27, 2004--The FCC has extended the deadline to file reply comments in its broadband over power line (BPL) proceeding, ET Docket 04-37, from Tuesday, June 1, to Tuesday, June 22. The Commission released its BPL Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) February 23, and the initial comment deadline passed May 3. The FCC acted on a request from the National Antenna Consortium and the Amherst Alliance (NAC/Amherst) for a much longer filing deadline extension. The NAC/Amherst petition cited the anticipated release of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Phase...

URI physics employee invents new antenna technology Media Contact: Jan Wenzel, 401-874-2116 KINGSTON, R.I. -- June 2, 2004 -- Rob Vincent, an employee in the University of Rhode Island's Physics Department, proves the adage that necessity is the mother of invention. An amateur radio operator since he was 14, Vincent has always lived in houses situated on small lots. Because he couldn’t erect a large antenna on a confined property, he has been continually challenged over the years to find a way to get better reception. "I was always tinkering in the basement. Thank goodness, my parents were tolerant. I...

Oldest Amateur in US--Byrl "Tex" Burdick, W5BQU, SK "Tex" Burdick, W5BQU. He sometimes used the phonetics "Big, Quick and Ugly." NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 2, 2004--The man believed to be the oldest Amateur Radio operator in the US--Byrl "Tex" Burdick, W5BQU, of El Paso, Texas--died May 30. He was 103. Admired as much for his courteous and kind personality as for his longevity and youthful appearance, Burdick was licensed for nearly three-quarters of a century. During his many years on the air, he took pleasure in meeting new friends and was a regular QSLer. When Burdick, an ARRL member, turned 103...

If that stupid little hoe can't find other ways to get money off that farm, then SHE'S stupid :) Don't diss on PETA just because they're right, ok? ok. I'm a student at UCLA and a PETA member!