An Amateur Radio Christmas

A nostalgic look at the amateur radio operator's Christmas Holidays. Keys pictured are courtesy of Morse Express, http://www.mtechnologies.com/index.html
Silver Bells is performed by The Canadian Brass.

If you lived in Saint Lucia

If you lived in Saint Lucia instead of the USA, you would:
http://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/compare/united-states/saint-lucia

State Trooper recalls Christmas

A repeat but worth looking at again
 was searching for a post that I did several months ago and ran across this one. I played the video and decided to repost it again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. ....... Jack

http://wb9otx.blogspot.com/2014/03/state-trooper-recalls-christmas-eve_25.html

Happy Holidays

Working the GrayLline

For those of you new to a solar cycle, an interesting form of working DX is called "working gray line."  This simply means working 15m or 10m during twilight hours.  [Take notes, this is on the exam!]

Here's what happens:

During the day, solar radiation collides with the molecules in our ionosphere, ripping off electrons.  These electrons are called "free electrons" because they are not attached to an atom or molecule.  All of these free electrons cause the density of the ionosphere to increase.  The more dense the ionosphere, the higher the frequency that is reflected back to earth.  Our electron density is what determines the maximum usable frequency (MUF), and the action of solar radiation separating electrons from the molecules is called ionization.

During the day, solar radiation causes ionization to stratify, that is, to form distinct layers.  The layer closest to the earth is called the D-Layer.  It does not reflect signals generally, but does absorb some of the energy, and hence the D-Layer is often called the "absorption layer."  Higher up in our ionosphere, we find the E- and F-Layers.  These layers do reflect the signals back to earth if they are below the MUF, and is exactly what causes "skip propagation."   So during the day, the sun is ionizing the D, E and F layers (there are actually two F layers, called F1 and F2).  Your 10m signal must travel through the D-Layer, getting attenuated, then bounces back from the E or F layer to some exotic DX spot, passing through the D-Layer for more absorption again.  But since solar radiation has to travel the farthest to get the D-Layer, absorption is usually fairly minimal.  So far, during the middle of the day, we have moderate absorption, and good skip propagation.

AT SUNDOWN ... solar radiation no longer strikes our ionosphere right above our heads, and ionization stops.  This means there is no solar radiation to form free electrons.  In fact, without this solar radiation, these free electrons tend to get attracted back to recombine with their host molecules.  This is called "recombination" (gee, how original!).  Recombination, when it starts to get dark, causes the electron density to go down, forcing the MUF to go down as well, which is why by total darkness, 10m (and a bit later 15m) are completely dead.  The MUF is far below 28 MHz.

The D-Layer is the first layer where ionization stops, since the sunlight  no longer reaches near the surface of the earth, but is still illuminating (and ionizing) the ionosphere far above our heads.  (For the same reason, we can see satellites pass overhead in the early evening ... it's dark on the ground, but the satellites are still being illuminated.)  As the D-Layer goes into recombination, the electron density goes down, and the absorption does down.  This is why signals appear stronger at night, because there is less absorption by the D-Layer at night.

BUT DURING TWILIGHT ... OR IN THE "GRAY LINE" ... the D-Layer suddenly causes little absorption to signals passing through it, while the E and F layers are still being ionized by sunlight.  This makes for about 45-60 minutes of interesting operating, especially for QRPers (low power operators).  There is almost no signal attenuation, but the MUF is still very high, so long-distance skip is still possible.  However, when the sun quits illuminating the E and F layers, the MUF can drop dramatically ... sometimes with only a few minutes of warning, sometimes between heartbeats.  So when you establish a contact, get the QSL info fast!

One other advantage of gray-line DX is that your signals tend to reflect off the edge of the ionized portion of the upper layers.  This means propagation will often be in a southerly direction, bouncing along the shadow, or terminator, between sunlight and darkness.  This is good for working into South America and the South Pacific.  Your signals can also bounce northward along the terminator, bending around the pole, and down the morning terminator across eastern Europe, the Middle East, and into Africa (depending on the time of year).  So gray-line DX also affords an opportunity to work portions of the world not usually accessible during the day, where propagation tends to be more east-west circuits.

The same principles apply at sunrise.  The upper ionosphere begins to become ionized, while the D-Layer is still dark and offers low absorption, although, the MUF in the morning generally does not support propagation on 10m, so most people enjoy gray-line work on 20m or 15m (if open).  Morning gray line can even be eventful on 80m and 40m,  due to the low absorption before the sun starts heating the D-Layer.

And remember, 10m and 15m (and often down to 30m) are not generally bothered by a geomagnetic storm.  So even during major geomagnetic storms, the higher bands may be open and fairly quiet.  And even if a bit noisy, the short period of gray-line operating can still produce a couple of good QSO's.

Hope this helps to explain the "gray line" phenomenon, and hope it helps you snag a few new ones.
See where the gray line is right now

 by: Paul Harden, NA5N

J6/WB9OTX Photos

Click the below link to see them. More added later
https://picasaweb.google.com/105974274631821525519/StLuciaJ6WB9OTX02?authuser=0&feat=directlink

J6/wb9otx DXpedition Dec 6th - 14th

The "Buddies in the Caribbean" DXpedition group which specializes in 100 watt or less low power radios and the Buddipole portable antenna systems is back again to St Lucia (J6) on December 6-14 2015.  Ops demonstrate "ultralite" DXpeditioning from magnificent "vista" locations, operating field portable battery-only radios with backpackable, lightweight antennas and most of all "having fun" with a new group of operators, some of whom have never experienced the "other side of a pileup!"  There will be three stations operating from Chateau Devaux, a villa on the northern-most cliff on St. Lucia.  We invite any Caribbean hams to stop by the villa.  Local ops show up to share the hobby, and that's one of the main reasons for our many visits to the Island.  The eight operators are: J6/W2LNX, J6/W7DGP, J6/N8WD, J6/WB9OTX, J6/K4ZGB, J68RL (AA4W), J68HF W6HFP) and J68FF (W3FF).  QSLs and LOTW are up to each op.  Check QRZ for that
information.

High Definition Earth-Viewing System (HDEV)

The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment aboard the ISS was activated April 30, 2014. It is mounted on the External Payload Facility of the European Space Agency’s Columbus module. This experiment includes several commercial HD video cameras aimed at the Earth which are enclosed in a pressurized and temperature controlled housing. While the experiment is operational, views will typically sequence though the different cameras. Between camera switches, a gray and then black color slate will briefly appear. To learn more about the HDEV experiment.
Click here to See the Page
or copy and paste:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/

Disassemble - Assemble M1A1 Jeep

I drove one of these on the range were I worked at Ft. Ord Calif. I loved it except when it rained. ... Jack

Does this remind you of anyone ?

Indiana Weather Radar

http://ripleycounty.net/wx.html

Maps of the World

http://www.mapsofworld.com/

Marine Corps Birthday

The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony. On that day in 1775, the Continental Marines were established.

I have a new tuner - Palstar AT4K 2500

The Palstar AT4K 2500 watt antenna tuner covers 160 to 10 Meters with a power rating of up to 2500 watts PEP. The AT4K is the tuner that built Palstar's reputation for high-quality and "Built-Like-A-Tank" durability.
Read more about it HERE

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Every year the city of Albuquerque host the largest hot air balloon event in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Early every morning a group of 6-12 hot air balloons known as Dawn Patrol ascend into the deep blue sky before sunrise. These skilled pilots test wind and weather conditions as other pilots and crews begin to lay out hundreds of balloons across the field.
Just as dawn begins to break, the next wave of balloons lift off. When the sun rises above the Sandia Mountains it simultaneously fills the morning with beautiful light as the balloons fill the sky with color. The next 60-90 minutes are a great mix of fun and chaos as several hundred more balloons lift off, wave after wave.
I had a absolute blast capturing this nine day festival. Even though the weather cancelled several events it was nevertheless an incredibly beautiful and successful time! Thank you for taking the time to watch :)

Created by: Knate Myers

See it larger on YouTube

Roger, Wilco

The "R" that Roger is substituting for stands for received, indicating that a radio message has been received and understood. The use of radio-alphabet terms to stand for other words is common in the military; roger is a well-known example, and another example is Charlie referring to Viet Cong troops, which comes from Victor Charlie, a radio-alphabet spelling of VC for Viet Cong. "Wilco" is not from a radio alphabet; it's a military abbreviation for will comply, indicating that a message that has been received will be complied with. It's necessary to acknowledge receipt of a message with Roger before indicating compliance with wilco, hence the frequent combination Roger, wilco.
Both Roger in this sense and wilco appear for the first time during World War II
from:
http://www.randomhouse.com

For my wife Betty

Halloween

Halloween, or Hallowe'en also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.
Read more

Past Posts on Halloween

From Wikip edia, the free encyclopedia

The Cox of Ripley County

Sunday Morning with QRP

Click to enlarge

It was a contest weekend so on Saturday I worked a lot of European & South American stations on SSB running 1500 watts. My resent 40 meter antenna installation of the 2 vertical phased array worked really great, I was able to work all the stations I heard except one in Kuwait but the whole world was calling him. Saturday night I thought I'd try some 40 meter QRP CW. That was a lost cause because of all of the contest SSB interference (QRM) Sunday morning I fired up the Small Wonder QRP rig running off of a 12 volt battery. I was running one watt CW and calling CQ several times a very strong station from Wisconsin answered, He was QRP also running 5 watts. I received a 599 and I sent a 599 back. After a short QSO I signed off with 73 and SK. It is still amazing just how such low power can travail hundreds or even thousands of miles. If you know CW and have a good antenna give QRP a try, Its addictive .....

Jack Demaree
www.wb9otx.com

MY GUN

Today I swung my front door wide open and placed my Remington 12ga semi-auto shotgun right in the doorway.  I left 9 shells beside it,  then left it alone and went about my business.  While I was gone, the mailman delivered my mail, the neighbor boy across the street mowed the yard, a girl walked her dog down the street, and quite a few cars stopped at the stop sign near the front of my house.   After about an hour, I checked on the gun.  It was still sitting there, right where I had left it.  It hadn't moved itself.  It certainly hadn't killed anyone, even with the numerous opportunities it had presented to do so.  In fact, it hadn't even loaded  itself. Well you can imagine my surprise, with all the hype by the Left and the Media about how dangerous guns are and how they kill people.   Either the media is wrong, or I'm in possession of the laziest gun in the world.
The United States is third in Murders throughout the World.  But if you take out just four cities: Chicago, Detroit, Washington, DC  and New Orleans, the United States is fourth from the bottom, in the entire world, for Murders!  These four Cities also have the toughest Gun Control Laws in the U. S.  All four of these cities are controlled by Democrats.  It would be absurd to draw any conclusions  from this data - right?

Well, I'm off to check on my forks .................

I hear they're making people fat.

From unknown

Back-to-the-future-day "Oct/21/2015"

On YouTube  "Theme Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8TZbze72Bc



"The Power of Love" song on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NMph943tsw

10/21/15! The Future is NOW! Doc Brown has a special message just for you.

20 meter flagpole vertical

I had a few spare parts, so why not use them. The only thing I had to buy was the snaps to hook the flag to the rope. The mast is a 3 inch irrigation pipe, The insulator at the base is PVC pipe. It is lit at night by a flood light that turns on at nightfall and off at daylight. (a hamfest bargan).
I need a copper toilet float ball for the ball on the top, Anyone have one?

My wife tells me that is the last antenna I get to put up !!!

Mail Drop dot CC

This is probably not for everyone but for a few it is a great tool. Read from their page just how it works, then send a test message just so you get the hang of it.
Read more at:
http://maildrop.cc/

AMERICA'S HUNTERS Pretty Amazing!

A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion: There were over 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin ... Allow me to restate that number: 600,000! Over the last several months, Wisconsin 's hunters became the 8th largest army in the world.(That’s more men under arms than in Iran . More than France and Germany combined.) These men, deployed to the woods of a single American state, Wisconsin , to hunt with rearms, And NO ONE WAS KILLED.That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania 's and Michigan 's 700,000 hunters, ALL OF WHOM HAVE RETURNED HOME SAFELY.Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia , and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world.  And then add in the total number of hunters in the other 46 states. It's millions more.
________ The point? ________  
   
America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower! Hunting... it's not just a way to fill the freezer. It's also a matter of national security.

*** This was sent to me in an email - I do agree with the facts in this article but can not confirm them ... Jack

TOO Long

Click to enlarge

Things are changing in Versailles Indiana

As time passes new business and landmarks change. The Bovard Funeral Home is the latest change. Stay tunes to see what goes in its place. Click the below link to view the album.

http://tinyurl.com/onwekss

Photos by: Jack Demaree
Need a photo from one of my albums? Just ask.

I didn't Know I had So Much Stuff

Take a look at:
https://plus.google.com/+JackDemaree/posts/p/pub

Open letter to Michael WA7CRV in Iowa

Michael,
I had a single vertical made from a 3 inch dia. aluminum irrigation pipe with 40 radials. I think I worked 96 countries with it. Very broad banded - you could use the whole band top to bottom with very low SWR. The phased array hears much much better but gets out just slightly better. I really like the way I can lower the power line noise to my West. I keep it pointed NE most of the time for this reason. Most times I get lower reports than I give out. Why ? I don't know other than I am shooting through a dense tree. The leaves are falling off of it now so If I get better reports when they are all off I will have it cut down in the Spring. The array has been lots of work but a fun project. It is fun to switch back and forth NE to Broadside and then SW to see the difference. It should be about 20 db difference but it is more like 12 db. I did not spare anything while putting it together. All stainless steel even the bolts. If you ever put one together (single) it should show about 1.4 to 1.0 SWR and 36 ohms at the feed point (at the antenna) not inside the shack. Mine  shows just that but with a random 120 Ft. feed line it shows 1.14 to 1. and 1 to1 on broadside. My array shows 46 ohms with a "T" hooking both antennas together, just what it should be. All of this info came from the book "Low Band DXing" . I have found I can work Europe sooner than about anyone in the states. I also have a 40 meter inverted Vee and I can decode signals that don't even show on the Vee so it is working great. I usually use from 5 to 20 watts on JT65 or JT9. I have worked VK and ZL with 5 watts many times. Well that's enough bragging. Thanks for the QSO and next time you see me on the waterfall give me a call and I will switch in your direction.
73,
Jack WB9OTX
www.wb9otx.com

Fall Foliage Prediction Map

http://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/

We all enjoy the colors of autumn leaves. The changing fall foliage never fails to surprise and delight us. Did you ever wonder how and why a fall leaf changes color? Why a maple leaf turns bright red? Where do the yellows and oranges come from?

Click to see see the album at:
Fall Colors 2012 from Jack's camera lens

Maple tree in Jack's yard

Some other facts here:
http://tinyurl.com/y9uzjj

S E Indiana Veterans Trip to Washington D.C.

WOW !

See a complete DVD presentation of all the photos from the Veterans Trip to Washington D.C.
Click the below link
http://ripleycounty.net/veterans/

See a little larger presentation on YouTube

My New 40 Meter Phased Vertical QSOs

Just a few (not all) DX contacts using my newly erected phased vertical antenna. No more than 20 watts of power was used with the mode of JT65.  I have found in comparison there is only a slight advantage over a single 1/4 wave vertical, but every little bit helps when you are talking 12,000 miles away to ZL or VK.
Was it woth it ? Absolutely ! ..... Jack WB9OTX

VK3YYR ZL3ACU 9A7BB
DL1HAZ IZ5UFW LU8EKM
HA1KED CT2GMH ZL4NY CO2YT

See the photos of the construction

Versailles Pumpkin Show

September 23 - 27th

See their Web Page for all of the information

http://versaillespumpkinshow.com/

      Display at Mason Hall

Image from Gary Trobridge

Which letters in the alphabet are used most often?

The inventor of Morse code, Samuel Morse (1791-1872), needed to know this so that he could give the simplest codes to the most frequently used letters. He did it simply by counting the number of letters in sets of printers' type. The figures he came up with were:

12,000 E 2,500 F
9,000 T 2,000 W, Y
8,000 A, I, N, O, S 
1,700 G, P
6,400 H 1,600 B
6,200 R 1,200 V 
4,400 D 800 K
4,000 L 500 Q
3,400 U 400 J, X
3,000 C, M 200 Z

Read the full story at:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/which-letters-are-used-most


Image from:
http://www.officemuseum.com/Telegraph_key.jpg

Veterans trip to Washington D.C.

On Sept. 12th, 2015 Veterans from Southeast Indiana traveled to Washington D.C. to see the war memorials. Korea, Vietnam, & WWII along with all the great buildings in our capital.
I took lots of nice photos. If you would like to see them click the below link.

 https://picasaweb.google.com/105974274631821525519/SoutheasternIndianaVeteransTripToWashingtonDC2015?authuser=0&feat=directlink

See a DVD presentation of all the photos at:
http://ripleycounty.net/veterans/

Remember 911

J6/St Lucia Dec.6-14,2015 J68/wb9otx

Their going back to J6/St Lucia on yet another DXPedition! St Lucia was wonderful and the villa location outstanding perched 300 ft above the ocean. Dates will be Dec 6-14, 2015. The group will be taking portable equipment for HF, including Buddipole antennas, lightweight radios/batteries, and other lightweight gear. Each operator will take up to 100 pounds of gear packed into 2 suitcases of 50 lbs each. We will take commercial airlines to/from St. Lucia.

Look for us on 6m - 80m, and SSB, CW, Digital. Villa location will be the northern tip of St. Lucia, with portable operations from locations throughout the island. Listen for us.

Image from:
https://martinhesp.wordpress.com/tag/st-lucia/

Labor Day 2015

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.
Read More

See Past Posts

CENSORED PHOTOS OF WWII

These photographs were classified during WWll.  
Many of us have not seen photography like this before.  
Beautiful, stark black and white pictures, about 110 of them,  
of historical significance in this collection.

Hats off and a salute to the men that fought in WWII ..... Jack  
   
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/03/18/captured-blog-the-pacific-an 

Thanks John for sending these.

WB9OTX - 20 QSO in 24 Hrs.

Most QSOs were made on 40 meters a few on 20. Using mode J65 with only 5 watts of power. The antenna was a single 1/4 wave vertical or an A3S tri-band Yagi . Isn't  Ham Radio fun ???
 K5SRG VK3HXT SM7VGQ VE3NRT G4HXC M0SGO G0OXY ON3CQ OK2BHD PA5JS N1TCH YV6BFE VA3DYD/HR3 IK2WJT EA8/RW3DO F5PBM W6VY F5GPE

The building of a 40 meter phased array @ WB9OTX

It has been a much larger and much more time consuming than I had thought and did I mention more expensive. What Ham Radio operators will do for only 3 db of antenna gain. Keep checking as time passes. Many more photos will be added. ..... Jack WB9OTX
 *** click the photo to see the progress.

Finished enough today to tune and test. It is working as it should and is better than I thought it would be. I really like the way I can null out the powerline noise coming from the West when I have it aimed North East. The SWR is very low (1.15:1) where I have it tuned (7.100) but it is usable even at 7.299 with an SWR of 1.61:1
-----------------------------------
On the air 2 days later.

The bands have been very poor sense I have had it operational but I still have worked a few Europeans and some from South America. I did manage to work a VK (Australia) and tons of stateside, both East and West coast stations on JT65. I usually get lower signal reports than I give out but I have been running only 5 watts. I'll hook up the TS-590 and run the power up a little. I have not tried any SSB QSOs as yet but that will come soon when the band improves.
----------------


The replacement of the old three inch diameter 30 ft. tall irrigation tubing (SW antenna) has began. It was un-tunable and the radial (60) wires needed re-worked. The new one has all stainless hardware and should last longer than I. This one has a tilt over mount so it is much easer to install the 34 foot aluminum vertical element. Most of the radial wires must be lengthened about 6 inches to attach to the new grounding plate. This involves alot of soldering. The temperature has been over 90 degrees each day so I have only been working on it a few hours in the cooler morning hours. Stay tuned .... Jack

The Nightmare is over

Today I connected all 120 radials to the grounding plate.  adjusted the element on antenna 2 to match the antenna 1. Because of a almost nothing bend in the 2nd to bottom pipe I had to cut off about 2.5 foot, but that was OK as it was too long anyway. The reading came to 36 Ohm and the SWR read 1.3.5:1 almost perfect. At the transmitter 90 feet away the SWR reads about 1.03:1 why ? I don't know as it should read the same as at the antenna. Both antennas with a tee connector reads 46 ohms and this is what it should be (perfect). On the air testing shows when looking NE S-0.5, when looking SW S-6 from the power line noise. In the non-directional position it reads about S-5. It is 4PM and not much is happening on 40 meters so the final test will come tonight. I am looking at Europe at about 9PM and in the morning at 6 or 7AM Australia or New Zealand. The gain of the system is only 3DB, so you can't expect too much but at 3DB gain you can expect doubling your power (100 = 200).

This has been a very fun and educational project with lots of book reading and work putting it together. It was much more costly than I had thought but it will out live me and that's for sure. Isn't Ham Radio fun??? ... Jack WB9OTX

----------------------------

But dose it work ?
Tonight in just about 2 hrs I worked these DX stations:
CE6MBK  VE2GHI  YY5EVA  IZ2DMV  F5HGT  SV6GIM  CO3JY  PU2NOE  VA2PBJ  YV5MM
And a ton of state side stations, I was running from 5 to 20 watts with JT65 & JT9 for these contacts. Yep its working .... Jack WB9OTX

What's up in space

Space Weather
Even if your not into radio propagation you will find the photos are great.
See the page HERE

Disable Avast E-mail Footer Signature

Avast footer signature – both in plain text and HTML formats

I belong to a Yahoo group that I post messages via my email program.
I use Avast virus program and it was putting an advertizment at the bottom of every post and I wanted to remove it. Of Course how to remove it was posted on the web. You don't have to look it up cause I have done it for you........ Jack
READ THIS to find out how.

Propagation Stinks

Get the full report :
Click HERE

Don't do it - Window 10

I have given up after 4 hours trying to fix or get the files off of a laptop that just had the Windows 10 upgrade. It is totally crashed and everything I have tried has failed. My advice is:
Just Say No to Windows 10.
...... Jack

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over
Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history.
READ THE FULL STORY

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Antiartica KC4AAA Story #2

I think it was the Winter of 1982 at the Pole. This makes it June or July here since the seasons are reversed or opposite in the two hemispheres. On one of our skeds Pat told me they were going to have an air drop. This had never been attempted before because of the great distance and weather conditions the planes would encounter coming and returning from New Zealand. The planes would be a pair of C-130s with no skies, as there would be no landing and hopefully a round trip. The planes would have to be mid-air refueled coming to the Pole and returning to Christ Church New Zealand, so you see it was quite a complicated trip to organize. I think we talked about it for more than a month. The families of the men (and one woman) were contacted and told they could send one package. Each person at the Pole could make one request for anything in reason. Most wanted some type of food ranging from ice cream to kiwi fruit, did I say ice cream, yes he wanted chocolate flavor. Pat told me I could send a package also, so I sent some things about Ham Radio and a 5 X 7 photo of myself. I told him to hang it above the radio to keep the mice away and do you know it worked as there has never been a mouse in the radio room to this day. I hope it is still hanging there. The packages were to be sent to New Zealand for relay on the air drop. The day came and all the crew were lighting flairs (it is dark for about 3 months) to mark the drop zone and trying to call the planes that were coming. I was at my radio listing and could hear the Pole calling the planes and I could hear the planes call the Pole, but neither could contact each other. I called the Pole and told them I could hear both of them. The planes were on a frequency that I was not allowed on, but they were also listening on the Ham frequency so they could hear me. I transmitted in the Ham band and I listened on the military frequency, this is called operating split. It worked very well. I relayed the location and arrival times to the Pole. It worked great and I have to tell you I thought I was really something being able to relay the como for this big adventure. It all went off without a snag, there were a few things that took place when the planes made the drop, but I am sworn to secrecy, I can say they were pretty low to the ice when they kicked the freight out of the planes.(nuff said) To end this story and get the point across that I wanted to make. All the crew got sick about a week or two after the air drop. There are no germs as we call them at the Pole because it is just like the inside of your freezer here at home, its just too cold for them. All the packages and food were carrying loads of bacteria and viruses attached to them. All was brought inside the dome that is heated and spread to the crew. Almost all came down with a nasty cold or worse. No one thought of this, but that ended all future air drops. I always think of the story ‘War of the Worlds’ that is what killed the aliens that were from Mars you know. They could not tolerate the germs here on earth that we are all immune to.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as most people know little about the South Pole. I will tell you that things have changed with all the satellites and Internet. The crew at the Pole now can communicate just about as well as you and I do now from our homes here in the good ‘ol USA. But back 20 years ago and longer, the Ham Radio fellows sure provided a wonderful service to the stations in the Antarctic and I am very proud to be one of them...... Jack WB9OTX

Click to Read Story #1

“Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”

Both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan's formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay.
The Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September of 1945.





President Truman reads the Japanese Surrender 1945



See Past Posts of V-J Day

Oceans At National Geographic

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/

Antarctica KC4AAA & WB9OTX

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I have been interested in Antarctica for a long time and read about anything I can find on the subject. My interest came about quiet by accident in 1980. You see I am a Ham Radio Opperator and while dialing my receiver across the twenty meter band I heard the word Lawrenceburg. This is a town about twenty-five miles from where I live. To my surprise the call sign this fellow was using was KC4AAA, this told me he was located at the South Pole. When he signed off with the station he was in conversation with I called him, he answered and told me his name was Pat and his home town was Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This was the start of a friendship with his family and Pat. I would connect my radio to the telephone lines so Pat at the Pole could talk to his parents and other friends here in the states. Other people at the pole would want me to do a phone patch as it was called to their friends also. Pat and I had a schedule two times a week starting at midnight, if I remember correctly that was three in the afternoon at the pole, they were on the same time as Christchurch, New Zealand. Sometimes other stations on the Antarctic continent would call and want me to run phone patches for them after Pat and I were finished. I was leaving the house for work at four A.M. at that time so it was pretty hard on me not getting much sleep, but I loved doing it. I did this phone patching for the fellows at the Pole for two years. I could tell you some very interesting stories about things that took place in that two year period, two stick out in my mind very vivid. I received a call about three in the afternoon, I had just walked in my home from work. The voice on the phone was very low and I could tell from the tone something was wrong. The young lady in a very quivering voice ask if I was the one that talked to the South Pole, I told her yes. She said she had to get a message to her brother there and could I do it. I told her I thought I could but it depended on the radio propagation and the time of day. Sometimes it is not possible but I would try this night. I ask what is your brothers name and what do you want to tell him. She began to cry. I knew it was going to be bad news. After a time she finally said tell him Mom has died. She gave me the details to pass on. I told her I would do my best to get the message through to her brother and I would call her back when I delivered the message. That night at 11PM I started calling on our sched frequency as I thought they may just be listing early. At about 11:45 my time I heard, "WB9OTX this is KC4AAA go ahead". It was my friend Pat, I told him the name of the man and that I had very bad news for him from his sister. I wanted Pat to tell him but he said he would call him on the all-call (intercom) and have him speak over the radio to me. This was one of the worst moments in my life when Pat told me he was at the radio listening and for me to go ahead with the message. I told him about his Mother in the same words as his Sister had told it to me. I felt very bad about telling him this as I knew nothing could be done to get him out from the continent and back home. Nothing comes or goes from the Pole in the Winter-Over period except radio waves. I told him I could call his Sister and run a phone patch to her, but he said no. He told me to call her in the morning and tell her he had received the message and to be strong. I called his Sister the next morning and told her what he had said. She thanked me over and over again. I ask her how she got my telephone number, she said the National Science Foundation gave it to her. To this day I have no Idea how or why they had my name and phone number. Remember, "big brother is always listening"..... Jack WB9OTX

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Joining a Club

I would not belong to any organization that would have me as a member.
Groucho Marks

441.775

At a minute a week I was just trying to calculate just how long it would take for the clock to have the correct time again ?

Extremely easy exercises

Yourself or you know someone that needs to look at this page.
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Do not rely on gossip - re-post from year 2010

 A Blast From The Past

 I was going through some of my papers looking for a letter I received from a friend a few months ago and ran across the certified letter that I received from a local Ham Radio Club (RCRA). Some 20 years or so ago I was a founding member of a Ripley County Radio club. I donated much time and funds to this organization as did many others. Much fun was had along with a good bit of public service that was provided to the county. Then we gained a few new members that changed the overall internal workings of our little club. These people rooted their way in as officers and made drastic changes, such as dues cost, closed to the public meetings, closed repeater use, and many other things that were not in the best interest of amateur radio. As a result I spoke not favorable of these new changes. The offices campaigned for the membership to discredit me by telling them untrue statements, such as I was using cuss words on their repeater stations and this would be an FCC violation. John Reid N9SFW (repeater trustee) investigated this and other claims they made and found no violations. He also uncovered that many other statements they claimed were completely false, such as tape recordings made of myself cussing did not exist at all. At this outcome the officers discredited Mr. Reid and he was removed or resigned under presser. I could go into many other instances that occurred including much hate mail I received. If indeed and you do not believe me I can prove these and many others. The fact that I want to make is, check things out for yourself, do not rely on gossip from others.
Click the letter to enlarge.

Jack Demaree WB9OTX

*** Edited from original post
*** original post was: OCTOBER 27, 2010
*** By the way, an FCC lawyer told me to put this letter in the waste can

Blue moon 7/31/15

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A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year, either the third of four full moons in a season or, a second full moon in a month of the common calendar.

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Biography: James Casey, Founder of UPS - repost

I worked 27 years for UPS and retired from same.
Jack

Biography: James Casey, Founder of UPS

A high school dropout who started a bicycle messenger service in Seattle in 1907, James Casey lived long enough to see United Parcel Service become the world’s premier delivery company, which it remains today.

Casey was a humble man. A lifelong bachelor, he lived for many years in a simple hotel room and always wore a dark suit and tie. Neither money nor power interested him much. Over the years he and his brother, who also worked at UPS, gave the bulk of their money, $438 million in all, to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, named after their mother. (It grew to become the eleventh biggest foundation in the United States, with $2.7 billion in assets in 2003.) Two things excited Casey-the people of UPS and the packages they delivered. Casey understood that business was a collective enterprise and that UPS’s success depended upon winning the commitment of its people. To that end, he began distributing shares in the company to its managers in the early 1920s. “The basic principle that I believe has contributed more than any other to the building of our business,” he said in 1955, “is the ownership of our company by the people employed in it.” Casey also paid attention to small things. He had a knack for remembering people’s names and went out of his way to thank people for the work they did. He took to heart the task of ensuring that every package entrusted to UPS was handled with care.

When a writer named Philip Hamburger was preparing a profile of Casey for the New Yorker in 1947, Casey send him a long letter in which he said: “Remember that the story is to be about us-not about me. For, in simple fairness to the many capable people who…have been associated with the company, no single individual should be given a disproportionate share of credit for the development of the United Parcel Service you are writing about today.”

More than half a century later, UPS executives mingle with drivers and sorters, office doors stay open and people answer their own phones. People call each other by their first names, no matter their rank or title. The company has no executive dining room, corporate jet or luxurious office suites for the brass. Eskew does not even have his own personal assistant; instead, the twelve members of the management committee share a pool of four secretaries. Like the other two thousand people who work at UPS headquarters, he eats lunch in the cafeteria. Jim Casey would approve. “There have been no supermen in our company-no star performers to hog the limelight,” he once said. “There can be no glamour, no romance, no truly great success, unless shared in by all.”

In the New Yorker profile, Casey could not contain his delight during a visit to a department store where shipping clerks were hard at work: “Deft fingers! Deft fingers wrapping thousands of bundles. Neatly tied! Neatly addressed! Stuffed with soft tissue paper! What a treat! Ah, packages!”

Step inside UPS’s gleaming headquarters, which opened in 1994 in a park like setting on the outskirts of Atlanta, and you can practically feel the presence of Jim Casey. A large portrait of Casey hangs in the lobby, just around the corner from one of the company’s original package cars, a Model T Ford. UPS executives quote Casey all the time, saying things like “Service is the sum of many little things done well” or “Our horizon is as distant as our mind’s eye wishes it to be.” The company published a collection of Casey’s speeches and writing, and a highlight of the annual conference where about 225 top managers from UPS get together is a “Jim Casey evening” where the company’s CEO gives a talk inspired by Casey’s ideas.

Mike Eskew, who became CEO of UPS in 2002, said “Our vision is to be Jim Casey. He knew every package and every customer. We want to come full circle.” UPS has a low-key but impressive commitment to philanthropy—the company and its employees gave $52 million one year to the United Way, more than any other company. Eskew mused that perhaps UPS ought to crow a bit more about its charitable giving, if only to inspire others to be more generous. Then he caught himself. “Jim Casey taught us not to crow. Jim Casey believed in quiet philanthropy,” Eskew said. “I sure hate to disagree with Jim.” There’s no danger of that. Jim Casey died in 1983 at the age of 95, just a month after he retired from the UPS board of directors.

Today UPS serves customers in more than 200 countries using 1,750 operating centers, 2,000 daily airplane flights, 88,000 vehicles and 360,000 people. It has gone beyond transportation to offer what it calls “supply chain solutions,” a range of shipping-related businesses that include running a warehouse for Nike.com, repairing printers for Hewlett-Packard and storing and delivering spare computer parts for IBM. In 2003, UPS generated $33.5 billion in revenues and $2.9 billion in profits. The company is three times as profitable and far more efficient than archrival FedEx, which takes a different approach to business-it adamantly opposes unions, for example. Because UPS still “runs the tightest ship in the shipping business,” it can offer a money-back guarantee on shipments to all addresses in the 48 contiguous U.S. states.

But, as Jim Casey liked to remind people, anybody can deliver packages. What sets UPS apart is the culture that he built with every bit as much care as he devoted to package delivery. UPS’s work ethic, its sense of community, the fact that the people who work there own the place, its policy of promoting from within, even its obsession with neatness-all of these can be traced back to the founder.

Source: Marc Gunther, Faith and Fortune, Crown Business 2004, p. 89

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What is Time ?

Time is a measure in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future, and also the measure of durations of events and the intervals between them.Time is often referred to as the fourth dimension, along with the three spatial dimensions.

Time has long been a major subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a manner applicable to all fields without circularity has consistently eluded scholars.Nevertheless, diverse fields such as business, industry, sports, the sciences, and the performing arts all incorporate some notion of time into their respective measuring systems.Some simple definitions of time include "time is what clocks measure" which is a problematically vague and self-referential definition that utilizes the device used to measure the subject as the definition of the subject, and "time is what keeps everything from happening at once", which is without substantive meaning in the absence of the definition of simultaneity in the context of the limitations of human sensation, observation of events, and the perception of such events.

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How far can you talk ?

Many many times this question is ask of me and I'm sure it is ask of all radio amateurs. There is no standard answer. I have to think everytime it is asked. There can be many answers, but Here are a few.
With an HF (high frequency) radio, you can reach the entire world...if the conditions are favorable. The range of HF transmissions is affected by the ionosphere, which is like the weather: it changes constantly, it's unpredictable, and you can't do anything about it.

It depends on the codition of the sun. Is there a solar storm? Propagation peaks on eleven year cycles. The cycle is now on the downward swing. The peak was about two years ago.

The belt clipper boys with only VHF and UHF privileges are limited to very short distances, About 25 miles or so. Working through a repeater station the range can be over 100.

It is hard but not impossible to to work (talk) 100 countries in a weekend.

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The key to working distance (DX) is finding another Ham at a rare location. Lots of places are uninhabited and a Ham must go there.

The time of day and the frequency used will determine the distance covered. For example, at about 7:00AM on a frequency of 7.200 MHZ. you can work West Australians (VK6 Perth). At Noon on 14.100 you can work Europe.

(Photo courtesy American Radio Relay League)