President: Bob Jacobson, K9CJ

Vice-President: Phil Snyder, N9LAH

Secretary/Treasurer: John Holmes, W9ILY

Webmaster: John Holmes, W9ILY

Contest Chairman: Jim Anderson, NV9X

ARRL Club Newsletter

August 28, 2008

Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ Amateur Radio And The Internet

Amateur Radio And The Internet

Today the World Wide Web offers extended range for much of the

population but before the internet radio amateurs ventured beyond the

local neighborhood through the magic of radio. For decades, long

before the internet, hams would sue radio as a means to maintain

friendships, stay in touch with loved ones and help others contact

family in remote places of the globe.

Long distance chess was once a popular on air activity. Amateur Radio

operators would set up chess boards and moves were exchanged over the

air. Each radio operator maintained their chess board according to

the moves transmitted by each other. Often these games would be

played out over the course of days or weeks during scheduled

contacts. The activity was not about finishing the game quickly as

it was it was about meeting on the air often.

A lot of naysayers have claimed the internet to be the death of

Amateur Radio. In fact some non-radio people when asked about ham

radio will respond with "hasn't the internet made that obsolete?" On

the contrary, if anything the internet has enhanced Amateur Radio.

Think about the many ways hams use the internet.

Radio Clubs

Club members can stay informed all the time through the use of e-mail

reflectors. Various users groups allow people to exchange ideas and

information about their favorite piece of equipment or operating

mode. If you think about it these user's groups are like virtual

specialty clubs for people with a shared interest.

Many clubs use the internet to distribute electronic newsletters and

maintain websites to keep members informed and attract new members.

The DX Game

Some of you may remember two ringers, when your buddy would call your

house and let the phone ring two times then hang up. This code was

to let you know about some hot DX that was on the air. Of course you

would not dare answer the telephone before the second ring for fear

of someone incurring a long distance charge. Today, through the use

of the internet we can utilize real-time DX spotting networks to find

out which stations are on the air. If you have your rig interfaced

with your PC using the appropriate software the network will

automatically switch your transceiver to the DX's operating

frequency.

The internet has enhanced the DX game in other ways by providing

Dxpedition log information on line while the Dxpedition is still in

operation. This helps eliminate the "insurance" QSOs and allows the

Dxpedition work as many stations as possible while limiting the

number of duplicate contacts.

There are software programs available that monitor the DX cluster and

if a needed DX station is spotted you will receive an e-mail alert on

your Blackberry or other personal e-mail device. How cool is that?

Just look at it as the digital version of the two ringer DX alert.

Contesting and Awards

ARRL's Logbook of The World would not be possible without internet

technology. LoTW's use of public and private keys lets users all

over the world to upload electronically signed logs and when QSOs are

matched the users receive credit for their contacts to be used toward

awards. More information about Logbook of the world can be found on

the ARRL website. < http://www.arrl.org/lotw/ >

Contest scores are now published on the internet allowing

participants to quickly sort and analyze the data.

Public Service

A variety of public service groups such as ARES use the internet to

call up volunteers, maintain databases of people and equipment

available for disasters and to inform the public of their services.

Being able to transmit digital information via radio and then inject

it into the internet electronic mail system has allowed radio

amateurs to move messages much faster than was possible using the

antiquated relay system.

Licensing and Education

Today many people will prepare for their Amateur Radio license exam

by using one of the many practice exam websites. These sites will

randomly quiz the user from the VEC question pools and score the

results. This undoubtedly eases some of the test jitters and exposes

areas of strength and weakness.

ARRL offers an on-line license class for those applicants who may

have scheduling conflicts with traditional classes or just enjoy

doing things at their own pace. < http://www.arrl.org/cce/Tech.html >

In addition to licensing courses ARRL offers a series of Emergency

Communications courses (EmComm Level I, II, III) and other subjects

such as Antenna Modeling, Radio Frequency Interference and HF Digital

Communications. < http://www.arrl.org/cep/ >

On The Air

The Internet Repeater Linking Project (IRLP), Echolink and remote

base stations could not exist without the internet. These

technologies have opened the world of Amateur radio to a whole new

group of users as well as offered areas of experimentation to

seasoned radio amateurs.

Adaptability

Traditionally the Amateur Radio service has always made use of

whatever was available. Whether salvaging parts from discarded

television sets in the 1950s, repurposing surplus military equipment

in the 1960s or integrating electronic hardware today, hams have

always utilized technology in creative ways to suit their needs. An

internet connection in the ham shack is as common as the J-38

straight key once was. The fact that you are reading this e-letter

demonstrates the positive influence the internet and computers have

had on Amateur Radio.

Metro DX Club

3810 N. Chamlin Drive

Morris, IL 60450

U.S.A.