Baby It's Cold Outside!!

Utah VHF Society swap meet on Feb 22nd.  Try to get your dues in early so that you are in the book.
http://utahvhfs.org/
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Lots of cold weather - life threatening conditions in the midwest - A town named Hell has froze over!

Just a reminder that ARES Training prompts us to keep our car gas tanks 1/2 full or better at all times in the winter.  With today's snow storms, you can run out of gas on the way home or on the way to the grocery store.  When the tank hits 1/2, FILL IT UP!
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How about using your cell phone to do Ham Radio SSTV (Slow Scan TV)?  OK, how about using your cell phone as a CW decoder?
http://hamradioresources.com/blog/slow-scan-sstv-tv-via-cell-phone-app/

http://hamradioresources.com/blog/ham-radio-based-e-mail-no-internet-connection-required/


http://hamradioresources.com/blog/morse-code-known-to-hams-as-cw-magic/
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New Years Ham Radio Resolutions
  1.  Learn more about emergency communications.
  2.  Become proficient in additional digital modes.

N7OVT- MARCH 22ND - SCOUTING FOR FOOD  N7OVT@ARRL.NET

KJ7ABC -Susan - HAM LISC CLASSES -

SSMITHRPH@AOL.COM
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http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training

NOTE: Some of the ARRL courses have a fee.  Some have two prices, one for ARRL members and another for non members.
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We discussed cold weather and batteries back in December, here are some excellent references.

http://lithiumpros.com/how-does-cold-weather-affect-lithium-batteries/

http://vienna.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/dead-car-battery-cold-weather-electronics-may-be-to-blame-aaa-says


http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/coldbattery.htm
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Cold weather is especially hard on car batteries. According to AAA's Automotive Research Center, at 0°F, a car's battery loses about 60 percent of its capacity.

What's usually happening is that the cold weather is slowing down the chemical
reactions that create the battery's power.

"I don't know if it's because "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" but why do so many batteries die during the winter? I know a few people that have had car batteries die, two of them because the cables came loose. Is this just a coincidence or is it a result of the cold?"

Winter is tough on batteries, for two main reasons. The engines are far harder to turn over because all the oil inside them has turned to molasses. This demands much more current from a battery, and to add insult to injury, that battery cannot produce its normal amount of energy because of the cold. 

The chemical reactions that generate electricity are slower at a lower temperatures. Your point about cables loosening is partially related. The huge current demands of the starter motor--200 to 400 amps--can cause the battery clamps to heat up if the connection at the clamp to post isn't perfect. When the car starts, the connection will cool off. And that leaves a poor connection. And a poor connection can prevent the battery from getting fully charged. A discharged battery, unlike one that's fully charged, can freeze, damaging it internally.

That said, while more cars won't start on cold winter mornings, more batteries actually fail during the summer months, when intense heat cooks out the electrolyte, boiling the battery dry.

Battery backs for HT radios using AA batteries WILL keep you on the air during a disaster, but they usually will NOT bring your radio to a full 5 watts.  This is not a problem.  

In a disaster, it is more important to be on the air than it is to be producing 5 watts.  If our repeaters are working, 2 watts or less will work just fine and your battery will last much longer at the lower power settings than it will at the high power settings.  If the repeaters are up and you are located where you have  a clear path to the repeater, you may be just fine with 1/2 watt output power and your battery is REALLY going to last a long time at that power level.


Remember that the FCC regs say that we should always use the MINIMUM amount of power needed to complete the QSO.  If we can work a repeater using a 1/2 watt output from our radios, we should do so!

If buying the $12 battery trickle chargers at Harbor Freight, (on sale for $5.99 to $9.99) check them for output voltage, both with no load and with a battery load.  They should run at about 13.8 volts under load which is the same voltage your car alternator puts out when the engine is running.  The more expensive trickle chargers produce massive amounts of RF hash and cannot be used when you are on the air due to the amount of RF hash they produce.
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Stay Warm and Stay Safe!
N7OZH
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