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 ARRL Bulletin 18 ARLB018 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT March 24, 2009 To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB018 ARLB018 FCC Clarifies What Constitutes an Amateur Radio Repeater

In December 2007, Gary Mitchell, WB6YRU, President of the Northern California Packet Association (NCPA), filed a Petition with the FCC, asking for the Commission to clarify the definition of a repeater. According to Part 97, Section 3(a)(39), A repeater in the amateur service is "[a]n amateur station that simultaneously retransmits the transmission of another amateur station on a different channel or channels."

Mitchell sought clarification on the word "simultaneously," asking if it referred to the signal information being retransmitted, or to the fact that the receiver and transmitter must both be active at the same time while acting on the same signal information. On March 23, 2009, the Commission clarified that even if there is a slight delay between what is received and what it transmits (as in the case of D-STAR and other digital repeaters), it is considered simultaneous if the receiver and transmitter are both active at the same time.

Mitchell pointed out in his petition that while the Commission's Rules specify on which bands amateur repeaters may operate, "some amateur repeaters are operating on bands other than set forth in Section 97.205(b) with systems that are essentially voice repeater stations, but that digitize and retransmit the user's voice, on the theory that because there is a small delay in retransmitting the signal of another amateur station, the signal is not 'simultaneously' retransmitted and, therefore, the system is not a repeater."

In its reply, the Commission pointed out that prior to 1994, a repeater was defined as "[a]n amateur station that automatically retransmits the signals of other stations." This, the Commission told Mitchell, was revised to clarify "that certain accommodations for message forwarding systems do not apply to other operating activities such as repeaters and auxiliary stations." The Commission proposed to define a repeater as "[a]n amateur station that instantaneously retransmits the transmission of another amateur station on a different channel or channels," but ultimately replaced "instantaneously" with "simultaneously" because commenters noted that there is always a small propagation delay through a repeater. As one commenter explained, "The word 'simultaneously' in this case means that the repeater is receiving and transmitting concurrently, whereas each signal might be slightly displaced in time between receive and transmit."

To be able to repeat another station's transmission, the Commission said that a repeater "must be able to receive a transmission from another station and retransmit it. Because the word 'simultaneously' in the definition is used to modify 'retransmit,' we believe it refers to a repeater station's transmitter being active when retransmitting the signal received by the repeater station's receiver from another amateur station. We conclude, therefore, that 'simultaneously' as used in the definition of a repeater refers to the receiver and transmitter both being active at the same time."

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.

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 March 25, 2009

Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, Steps Down from ARISS and AMSAT Duties

Citing personal and professional reasons, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, announced on March 24 that he will be stepping down from all his ARISS duties, effective immediately. Bauer serves as ARISS Program Leader, ARISS International Working Group Chair and as the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation's (AMSAT) Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs, a position he has held since 1991. He is also one of two ARISS USA delegates, serving with ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO.

Bauer is currently the Chief Engineer for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA. This directorate is developing the next generation human spaceflight vehicles that will take NASA to the International Space Station (ISS) and then to the Moon, Mars and beyond. He is also providing some backup support to the Space Operations Chief Engineer who supports the space shuttle and ISS programs. "Work responsibilities, which have increased substantially over the past couple of years, coupled with some recent health issues within my immediate family, led me to the conclusion that I could not continue to provide the leadership and passion that has been characteristic of my past support to these amateur radio endeavors," Bauer explained. "This was a very hard decision. I will certainly miss the phenomenal ARISS international team and our mission to inspire the next generation of space explorers using ham radio as our platform. But I thought it would be best to step down at this juncture. Over the past 12 years, we have developed, mentored and matured an outstanding volunteer team with a wide breadth and depth. I am fully confident that they will keep the ARISS program running smoothly without missing a beat."

AMSAT-NA President Barry Baines, WD4ASW, has tapped Will Marchant, KC6ROL, to become the next AMSAT Vice President for Human Spaceflight Programs and the AMSAT USA delegate of the ARISS International Working Group. "AMSAT is fortunate that we have a very capable leader in Will Marchant who is intimately familiar with ARISS, our extensive human spaceflight program, and is well respected internationally," Baines said. "Frank's leadership has left a significant mark on the overall ARISS program and the cooperative relationship between Amateur Radio, NASA and other governmental space agencies; however, Frank also ensured that his team evolved to the point where the work that he pioneered will be carried on by those that he mentored and encouraged to take on greater responsibility."

In his new role, Marchant will work with White and the other ARISS International Delegates and the ISS Space Agencies to coordinate the development and operations of the Amateur Radio systems onboard the ISS. White said that she looks forward to working with Marchant in his new role: "He has provided outstanding leadership and support to ARISS from its very beginning, most recently as an Operations Team Leader. He helped pioneer the school group mentor role as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) program in the early 1990s. Frank will be missed tremendously. It is incredible how much volunteer time and effort he put into ARISS educational activities; it was easy to see it was his passion."

With Bauer stepping down from the ARISS International Chairman role, ARISS International Vice Chair Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, will become the ARISS International Chairman, effective immediately. Bertels has been a leader of ARISS from its inception and serves as the Chairman of the ARISS-Europe team. He has established a close relationship between ARISS and the European Space Agency (ESA). This resulted in the development and the installation of ARISS L- and S-band antennas on the nadir of Columbus, the European Space Laboratory. Bertels also chairs IARU Region 1's Amateur Radio Space Exploration Working Group (ARSPEX). "We can understand the reasons of Frank Bauer's resignation," Bertels said, "but we also feel how difficult this decision has been. Frank has inspired a worldwide group of passionate radio amateurs, working together to a common goal. Now it is up to us to continue in the same direction and with the same spirit. That's the best farewell present we can offer Frank."

Bauer's departure represents the culmination of more than 25 years of leadership and support to Amateur Radio activities on human spaceflight vehicles, including NASA-sponsored ham radio activities on the shuttle, Space Station Mir and the ISS. Starting in 1983, he led the Goddard Amateur Radio Club team that provided around-the clock space shuttle retransmissions from the WA3NAN club station. These retransmissions provided the international ham radio community up-to-the-minute information during the flight of Owen Garriott, W5LFL, on STS-9 and subsequent SAREX flights. In the days prior to the Internet, these real-time bulletins and frequent orbital element updates could only be obtained through Amateur Radio.

In 1996, when the International Space Station design development was well underway, NASA Headquarters Education Office Executive Pam Bacon (Mountjoy) requested that the Amateur Radio community form a single, international team to provide one voice for all ham radio development and operations on the ISS. The SAREX Working Group, led by Roy Neal, K6DUE, was tapped to turn this vision into reality. In November 1996, Neal and White, under the auspices of the ARRL, Bauer and NASA's Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, organized a joint NASA-international Amateur Radio meeting at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This led to the formulation of the ARISS International Working Group of delegates representing Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the US, leading up to the current day ARISS program.

Since the beginning, the ARISS team of volunteers has developed and deployed ham radio equipment that resides in three modules of the ISS -- the Service Module, the FGB and the Columbus Module, as well as having deployed a short duration satellite in a space suit called SuitSat-1/Radiosskaf/AO-54. These systems enable the ARISS team to inspire more than 15,000 students each year, encouraging them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through Amateur Radio communications with the ISS on-orbit crew. It also introduces these students and millions from the worldwide general public to the fun, exciting, multi-faceted world of Amateur Radio.

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

Here is a link to the Wenatchee Hamfest to be held in June 2009.

http://cbn.homestead.com/2009_Wenatchee_Ham_Fest.jpg

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