The KA7DRE Information Station

THE KA7DRE INFORMATION STATION

Hello and Welcome Everyone to my little place on the Internet! Here you will find current topics of Interest to Amateur Radio Operators Everywhere - Including - Upcoming Hamfest Information, Local Meeting Information and agenda for the Tri-City, Washington area, ARRL Bulletins (When Available), Data on working 10 Meter FM, Links to help you upgrade your License and better operate your station, Information on the Columbia Basin Net on 3.960.0 KHz., Plus . . . Lists of 2-Meter FM and 440 UHF FM Repeaters for the Tri-Cities, Washington area and surrounding communities which this site primarily serves. NOTE: I have added some "Quick Access Links" below my site directory for easy navigation through this site. These pages will be updated regularly provided I'm not busy with my job, so check back often. But most of all, Enjoy your visit ! John.

Homepage for KA7DRE

(Site Directory)

Homepage - "Quick Access Links" to my other pages, Local Radio Clubs, ARRL BULLETINS, (When Available), Callsign Lookup, Homeland Security Monitor, NOAA Spaceweather Link, Check the status of your recent upgrade and see when you are in the F.C.C. database, Information on the "Columbia Basin Net", Upcoming Hamfests, Links to Manufacturers, Weather for the Tri-Cities, WA area, Visitor Counter. Plus . . . Cross State Link System Frequencies, VE Testing Information when available.

Page Two - "Picture Gallery" --> Includes me checking in to the Columbia Basin Net on the Icom-707, My HTX-10 Ten Meter rig in the garage, My new Icom 207H dualbander in the Hamshack, Me in the mobile, and a few pictures of a section of my "Antenna Farm".

Page Three - Tri-Cities Local Events, Meetings and Agenda., plus a "Just for Fun" section.

Page Four - Very Usefull Amateur Radio Links / Local Scanner Frequency Pages / Some of my friends Ham pages.

Page Five - 2-Meter FM Repeater Guide for the Tri-Cities and other communities around the Northwest.

Page Six - 440 UHF FM Repeater Guide for the Tri-Cities and other communities around the Northwest.

Page Seven - 10 Meter FM Bandplan and split frequency guide for 10 Meter Repeater Frequencies, Plus Information on the KBARA System.

Page Eight - My Guestbook and Webrings.

"QUICK ACCESS" LINKS TO OTHER PAGES ON THIS SITE

Page-2: My Picture Gallery

Page-3: Local Events, Meetings, Drills, Announcements & "Just For Fun" Section

Page-4: Amateur Radio Lnks, Scanner Frequency Pages, Some Of My Friends Ham Pages

Page-5: 2-Meter FM Repeater Guide For The Tri-Cities And Other Communities Around The Northwest

Page-6: 440 UHF FM Repeater Guide For The Tri-Cities And Other Communities Around The Northwest

Page-7: 10 Meter FM Bandplan And Split Frequency Guide For 10 Meter Repeater Frequencies

Page-8: My Guestbook, Webrings And Search Engine

Here is a great site from the ARRL on an introduction to Amateur Radio and what it can do!

Quick callsign lookup:

Callsign lookups provided by
qrz.com

REGARDING BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES: (BPL)

RE: BENTON COUNTY'S "Project Durango"

ARRL BULLETIN

QST de W1AW Special Bulletin 10 ARLX010 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT July 20, 2009 To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX010 ARLX010 WALTER CRONKITE, KB2GSD (SK)

Legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, who held the title of ''Most Trusted Man in America,'' passed away Friday, July 17 after a long illness. He was 92. The avuncular Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News for 19 years until 1981 when he retired. During that time, he reported on such subjects as the Kennedy assassinations, the Civil Rights movement, the Apollo XI lunar landing, Vietnam and the Vietnam-era protests, the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, Watergate and the Begin-Sadat peace accords.

Cronkite, an ARRL member, narrated the 6 minute video ''Amateur Radio Today''http://www.arrl.org/ARToday/ Produced by the ARRL in 2003, the video tells Amateur Radio's public service story to non-hams, focusing on ham radio's part in helping various agencies respond to wildfires in the Western US during 2002, ham radio in space and the role Amateur Radio plays in emergency communications. ''Dozens of radio amateurs helped the police and fire departments and other emergency services maintain communications in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC,'' narrator Cronkite intoned in reference to ham radio's response on September 11, 2001. ''Their country asked, and they responded without reservation.''

Walter Leland Cronkite was born in St Joseph, Missouri on November 4, 1916, the only child of a dentist father and homemaker mother. When he was still young, his family moved to Texas. ''One day, he read an article in ''Boys Life'' about the adventures of reporters working around the world -- and young Cronkite was hooked,'' said his obituary on the CBS Web site. ''He began working on his high school newspaper and yearbook and in 1933, he entered the University of Texas at Austin to study political science, economics and journalism. He never graduated. He took a part time job at the Houston Post and left college to do what he loved: report.'' (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/eveningnews/main5170556.shtml)

In 1963, it was Cronkite who broke into the soap opera ''As the World Turns'' to announce that the president had been shot -- and later to declare that he had been killed.'' CBS called it a ''defining moment for Cronkite, and for the country. His presence -- in shirtsleeves, slowly removing his glasses to check the time and blink back tears -- captured both the sense of shock, and the struggle for composure, that would consume America and the world over the next four days.''

One of Cronkite's enthusiasms was the space race. In 1969, when America sent a man to the moon, he couldn't contain himself. ''Go baby, go.'' he said as Apollo XI took off. He ended up performing what critics described as ''Walter to Walter'' coverage of the mission -- staying on the air for 27 of the 30 hours that astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were on the moon. In 2006, NASA honored Cronkite by giving him their Ambassador of Exploration Award. ''His marathon, live coverage of the first moon landing brought the excitement and impact of the historic event into the homes of millions of Americans and observers around the world,'' NASA said in a news release announcing the award. Cronkite was the first non-astronaut and only NASA outsider to receive the award. (http://www.arrl.org/?artid=6130.)

Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, was Cronkite's radio engineer at CBS for many years. ''I had many chances to discuss my favorite hobby, ham radio, with 'the world's most trusted anchor man,''' he told the ARRL. ''Gradually, his interest increased, but on finding that he had to pass a Morse code test, he balked, saying it was too hard for him; however, he told me he had purchased a receiver and listened to the Novice bands every night for a few minutes. At the CBS Radio Network, Walter would arrive 10 minutes before we went on the air to read his script aloud, make corrections for his style of grammar and just 'get in the mood' to do the show. In those days Rich Moseson, W2VU, was the producer of a show called ''In the News,'' a 3 minute television show for children voiced by CBS Correspondent Christopher Glenn. On this day, Rich was at the Broadcast Center to record Chris' voice for his show and had dropped by my control room to discuss some upcoming ARRL issues.'' At the time, Mendelsohn was the ARRL Hudson Division Director.

''When Walter walked into the studio, I started to set the show up at the behest of our director, Dick Muller, WA2DOS,'' Mendelsohn recalled. ''In setting up the tape recorders, I had to send tone to them and make sure they were all at proper level. Having some time, I grabbed ''The New York Times'' and started sending code with the tone key on the audio console. For 10 minutes I sent code and noticed Walter had turned his script over and was copying it. We went to air, as we did every day, at 4:50 PM and after we were off, Walter brought his script into the control room. Neatly printed on the back was the text I had sent with the tone key. Rich and I looked at the copy, he nodded, and I told Walter that he had just passed the code test. He laughed and asked when the formal test was, but I reminded him that it took two general class licensees to validate the test and he had just passed the code. Several weeks later he passed the written test and the FCC issued him KB2GSD.''

Mendelsohn helped Cronkite make his first Amateur Radio contact: ''Having passed the licensing test, Walter was now ready to get on the air. His first QSO was on 10 meters about 28.390 MHz. He was nervous and I called him on the phone to talk him through his first experience. As we talked on the air, a ham from the Midwest come on and called me. Acknowledging him, I asked the usual questions about where he was from, wanting to give Walter a bit of flavor of what the hobby was about. I turned it over to Walter, and following his introduction, the gentleman in the Midwest said, 'That's the worst Walter Cronkite imitation I've ever heard.' I suggested that maybe it was Walter and the man replied, 'Walter Cronkite is not even a ham, and if he was, he certainly wouldn't be here on 10 meters.' Walter and I laughed for weeks at that one.''

In 2007, ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, presented Cronkite with the ARRL President's Award. This award, created in 2003 by the ARRL Board of Directors, recognizes an ARRL member or members who ''have shown long-term dedication to the goals and objectives of ARRL and Amateur Radio'' and who have gone the extra mile to support individual League programs and goals. Cronkite was selected to receive the award in April 2005 in recognition of his outstanding support of the ARRL and Amateur Radio by narrating the videos ''Amateur Radio Today'' and ''The ARRL Goes to Washington'' (http://www.arrl.org/pio/VTS-video.wmv.) ''It was quite a thrill to make this presentation to Cronkite,'' Fallon said. ''He has long been recognized as the 'most trusted man in America,' so lining our causes to his face, name and voice has been a great help.''

Cronkite is the recipient of a Peabody Award, the William White Award for Journalistic Merit, an Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the George Polk Journalism Award and a Gold Medal from the International Radio and Television Society. In 1981, during his final three months on the CBS Evening News, Cronkite received 11 major awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1985, he became the second newsman, after Edward R. Murrow, to be selected for the Television Hall of Fame.

A private memorial service was scheduled for July 23 in New York City. Cronkite will be cremated and his remains buried in Missouri next to his wife Betsy, who passed away in 2005. A public memorial service will be held within the next month at Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Walter and Betsy Cronkite Foundation through the Austin Community Foundation (http://www.austincommunityfoundation.org/), which will distribute contributions to various charities the couple supported.

As Cronkite said on March 6, 1981, concluding his final broadcast as anchorman: ''Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away, they just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is.''

THE COLUMBIA BASIN NET

This Informal Net Meets Nightly At 7:00 P.M. On 3.960.0 KHz. Every Night! Stop by and say "hello".

THE OFFICIAL CBN WEB SITE

National Homeland Security Knowledgebase

NOAA SPACEWEATHER

SOLAR ACTIVITY MONITOR

Solar X-rays:

Geomagnetic Field: >

TEXT OF THE WWV SOLAR INDICIES BROADCAST

INTERNATIONAL Q SIGNALS
(In Case You Can't Remember Them All)

CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR RECENT UPGRADE If you have just recently upgraded your License, you can check this long list to see when you are in the FCC database, so you will know when to start expecting your new License in the mail.

Here is a great place to visit if you want to add professional custom voice tracks to your Amateur Radio Repeater(s)

The Amateur's Code

The Radio Amateur is:

CONSIDERATE Never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.

LOYAL Offers loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs, and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationaly and internationally.

PROGRESSIVE With knowledge abreast of science, a well-built and efficient station and operation above reproach.

FRIENDLY Slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit.

BALANCED Radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community.

PATRIOTIC Station and skill always ready for service to country and community.

--The original Amateur's Code was written by Paul M. Segal,W9EEA in 1928.

CHECK OUT MY LINKS ON PAGE - 4 There is a page where you can take a "practice" written exam of your choice on the first link that is listed.

AMATEUR RADIO ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
The International Space Station has Amateur Radio onboard ! Scanner listeners can hear the communications from the ISS when they pass over ground stations on the east and west coast of the United States. Listen to 143.625 mhz. This has been a long time Russian downlink for their space communications. Monitor the NASA channel at the same time to get a translation. Look for Amateur Radio activity on 145.800 mhz.

- - This is the latest published UPDATE that is available - -

As Of August 27, 2009

SuitSat-2 Now Called ARISSat-1

The SuitSat-2 project -- an Amateur Radio satellite housed in a Russian spacesuit -- now has a new name to go with a new shape: ARISSat-1. On Wednesday, August 19, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, announced the new name for the satellite and project. According to ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, the project team is moving ahead, using the same hardware that was to fly in the Russian Orlan suit. Russia will continue to call the satellite Radioskaf-2, so ARISS is designating it ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-2.

Due to storage considerations, the two surplus Orlan space suits in storage on the ISS were discarded via the Progress Cargo Vessel earlier this year. One of these suits was to be used to house the electronics for the upcoming SuitSat-2 mission; the batteries were to be mounted inside the suit, solar panels attached to the extremities with the electronics, video cameras and antenna mounted on the helmet by the ISS crew prior to deployment during an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), commonly called a spacewalk. The removal of the Orlan space suits from ISS removes the "Suit" component of the deployment and the new name reflects the change in configuration.

White told the ARRL that the ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-2 team, through Gould Smith, WA4SXM, made the final decision for the satellite to be square, with solar panels on all 6 sides. "The team is mounting a 70 cm quarter-wave whip on the bottom and a 2 meter quarter wave whip on the top," she said. "All of the hardware and software goes inside the square, and cameras go on the outside." The experiment being developed by Russia's Kursk State University is expected to be integrated into the electronics once the US-produced equipment is delivered to Russia this fall.

AMSAT and ARISS pointed out that the importance of this project to both organizations is not diminished. "ARISS sees this mission as an important component of education outreach, as it will provide an opportunity for students around the world to listen for recorded greetings from space, as well as learn about tracking spacecraft in orbit," White said.

The ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-2 transmitter and receiver will be based on a Software Defined Transponder (SDX) system. It will consist of two major components: The RF Module and the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) module. In the RF module, there will be an upconverter that receives a signal from the DSP module as a 10.7 MHz intermediate frequency RF signal with a 50 kHz bandwidth, and up converts it to 145 MHz signal of 50 kHz bandwidth centered on 145.9375 MHz. The receiver is a downconverter with a 50 kHz bandwidth centered on 437.6125 MHz. The output of the receiver is a 10.7 MHz RF signal with a bandwidth of 50 kHz. The DSP processor receives the 10.7 MHz signal from the receiver downconverter and processes it and outputs a 10.7 MHz signal to the transmitter upconverter. The DSP can also inject signals such as the CW ID, telemetry, audio and packet signals as determined by the software on the DSP.

AMSAT calls the deployment of the SDX "a critical milestone" for the organization. "This upcoming flight provides an opportunity to flight test the next generation of spacecraft hardware," Bertels said. "Lessons learned from this deployment will be applied to future flight opportunities as AMSAT moves towards a 'modularization approach' to spacecraft development with the expectation the future spacecraft missions will utilize a derivative of SDX and the associated hardware."

The ARISS International Team has been informed that there is still space available for shipment of the ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-2 electronics on the projected cargo flight to the ISS in January 2010, and the EVA scheduled for April 2010 still has a SuitSat-2 deployment on the schedule.

Plans to launch a second SuitSat-spacesuit-turned-satellite were the subject of discussions and presentations at the November 2006 AMSAT Space Symposium and ARISS International Delegates' meeting. Despite a weaker-than-anticipated 2 meter signal, SuitSat-1 -- a surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit fitted with an Amateur Radio transmitter -- sparked the imagination of students and the general public and turned into a public relations bonanza for Amateur Radio. ARISS hoped to capitalize on the concept by building an even better SuitSat that will include ham radio transponders.

The SuitSat.org Web site attracted nearly 10 million hits during the mission. Designated by AMSAT as AO-54, SuitSat-1 remained in operation for more than two weeks, easily outlasting initial predictions that it would transmit for about a week. SuitSat-1 re-entered and burned up in Earth's atmosphere in September 2006. ARISSat-1/Radioskaf-2 is expected to be live for at least six months.

- - - - - - - - - - - - The worldwide downlink frequency is 145.800 MHz. The FM voice uplink is 144.490 MHz in ITU Regions 2 and 3 (the Americas and the Pacific) and 145.200 MHz in Region 1 (Europe, Central Asia and Africa).

Information on the ARISS program can be found on the web at, http://www.rac.ca/ariss

The NA1SS worldwide voice and packet downlink frequency is 145.800 MHz. In Regions 2 and 3 (the Americas, and the Pacific), the voice uplink is 144.49 MHz. In Region 1 (Europe, Central Asia and Africa), the voice uplink is 145.20 MHz. The worldwide packet uplink is 145.99 MHz. All frequencies are subject to Doppler shift. The Science@NASA Web site provides location information for the ISS at, http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. Information can be found at, http://www.rac.ca/ariss.

For the latest information on the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight, visit the NASA Web site at, http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html

ARISS is an international project with U.S. participation by the ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. More information is available on the ARISS Web site: ARISS ARISS EXPEDITION ONE HOMEPAGE: (Contains Frequencies and much more.)

Ham-Radio Cam Built For Outer Space

Here is a very interesting news article from MSNBC

RADIO CLUBS AND ORAGANIZATIONS LIST

TRI-CITIES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: W7VPA

YAKIMA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: W7AQ

APPLE CITY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: W7TD (Wenatchee)

PENDLETON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: W7PL

PENDLETON SKYWARN WEBSITE

WALLA WALLA COUNTY A.R.E.S.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

LAKE CHELAN RADIO CLUB: K7SMX

CHEHALIS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY: WA7UHD

THE RADIO CLUB OF TACOMA: W7DK

CENTRAL OREGON COAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB: W7FLO

SPOUT SPRINGS REPEATER ASSOCIATION

TRI-CITIES, WASHINGTON 146.760 MHz. REPEATER PAGE (There are some real neat photos on this page of our local 146.760 Repeater site and the 449.100 UHF Repeater site.)

THE EVERGREEN INTERTIE HOMEPAGE

EVREGREEN INTERTIE SYSTEM INFORMATION PAGE

THE K7PP LINKED SYSTEM

THE INTERNET RADIO LINKING PROJECT (Hear IRLP Live On This Site)

PACIFIC NORTHWEST VHF SOCIETY

KB7RII HAM PARK (This site is related to the Cross State Link System.)

N7JTA / N7LXC LINK SYSTEM FREQUENCIES

This system is about the only reliable system that goes through Snoqualmie Pass. It connects the greater Puget Sound area with Kittitas valley, Wenatchee, Cashmere, Chelan, Waterville, Selah, Tri-Cities, Yakima, Ritzville, Goldendale, and depending on equipment most of Washington State. For more information about the cross-state link, click on this link for the "Half Ton Radio Club" http://www.mikereidconstruction.com/n7jtan7lxclinkpage.htm

This is a SIMPLEX system that will reach into the Seattle,Tacoma, Everett, Woodenville, etc., areas of Washington State and to the Eastern side of the State to the Tri-Cities. Both 2 Meters and 440 are used in this cross state LINK SYSTEM.

This is the latest update on the Link Map

LINKS TO MANUFACTURERS

RADIO MODIFICATIONS WARNING: Performing these mods is at your own risk !

UPCOMING HAMFESTS

News of upcoming Hamfests will be posted here when it becomes available...

TRI-CITIES WEATHER CAM

TRI-CITIES BLUE BRIDGE WEBCAM

(Click On "Pasco" Camera Icon When On Page)

Monitor page
for changes

it's private

by ChangeDetection

Bissell