Radio Holder - ARRL 100 Years - Work W1AW/x in all 50 states! - Hiram Percy Maxim - Discount ARRL Membership.

I've been telling you about the neat HT holders that you an build or buy.  Here is one you can get at Office Depot on 21st South and 3rd West.  When you go in the front door, immediately turn right and head toward the cash register.  If there is a line at the register, it will be in front of you and extending to your left.  You may get dirty looks from folks who think you are going to jump to the front of the line.  Ignore them - they have issues that others can deal with.

As you walk along the isle, look to your left where you will see some bargain bins with all sorts of items in them.  You are looking for these!

These are advertised as phone/tablet holders.  Look below to see how well they hold an HT radio!

They have not even been removed from the plastic display cases and yet they still work.  They work even better when removed from the display cases.  $6.99 each at Office Depot.  Just add a rubber band to keep the radio in place, your external antenna connector and your external speaker/mike and you are ready to go.  Keep the belt clip on the back of the radio and the heat from the radio will not melt the plastic phone/tablet stand!

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Deal of the century.  Been getting offers from the ARRL to join or renew?  Well, here is a better deal.  Go to the online join/renew page and fill out the info to join or renew.  Look for the little "Coupon Code" box and type "RN3" in it without the quotes.  You will be given a change to get any one of six ARRL books for FREE.  Prices up to $19.95.  Now, the ARRL membership is $39 and you get a free $19.95 book, making your ARRL membership cost just $39 - $19.95 = $19.05.  Now that is a bargain!

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The ARRL is 100 years old and they are having some amazing ham radio events.  I'll have details on the net tonight and then I will update this blog with the details.  Exciting stuff!

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Hiram Percy Maxim didn't just put ham radio on the map, he didn't just start the ARRL, he also designed automobiles and weapon silencers!  He did a lot more.  The February issue of QST has a fascinating article about him and his family.  You can read it online if you have an ARRL membership.  More on the net!

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N7OZH

MARA 01/15/2014 - Wouxon Radio Problems - Prepper Blog - Scouting For Food - VHF Society Swap Meet.

Scouting For Food - March 22 - need 20 to 30 Operators - 
More info on ARPSE.ORG
N7OVT@ARRL.NET

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US drops out of the list of the 10 most economically free countries.  This means more crime, fewer jobs, fewer small businesses.  Details are located here:  http://tinyurl.com/ppu8q4u

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Preparedness Blog with GREAT info.  Go here:  www.preparednesspro.com

For a fascinating discussion on generators versus solar power, go to this page.
http://www.preparednesspro.com/search/node/generator

In the comment section are some GREAT comments on Solar Power versus Generators.  Each has its place, but both have problems with providing power over long periods of time.

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Wouxon Radio Problems

The following was sent in by Scott, W7OXZ.

The quote  below is from the Yahoo Wouxun Group

Members of the group have commented that on contacting the factory a return email suggests resetting the radio.  When this did not work subsequent emails went unanswered.  (sounds like great customer support)  Looks like these truly are disposable radios.

-Scott-

It has been reported that ALL Wouxun HTs have an issue with their NVRAM chips. Many units have failed to hold their settings, due to a poor quality chip. If your radio loses its settings, defaults to Chinese language, etc. It is this bug.

All radios have this chip, and are susceptible to eventually
developing this issue.

As our radios age, they will become more likely to develop this bug.

Hopefully other Chinese radios do not have this same brand of chip, otherwise they could become truly disposable, as the naysayers comment.
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More next week.
-N7OZH-
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NOAA - Blast from the sun reaches Earth

Solar storm hits earth, affects communications.  More Coronal Mass Ejections to follow.

http://www.noaa.gov/features/01_economic/spaceweather_3.html

-N7OZH-

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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