I imagine you have seen the ads on television as I did. I was interested in night vision for emergency purposes, search and rescue and that sort of thing. When I found these on a clearance shelf, I decided to test them.
I should add a disclaimer that these were on a clearance shelf and looked as though they have been repackaged and returned. I do not know if that affected the performance or if they were returned because of the performance. I can tell you that my first impressions were pretty much along the line of the video below. They normally run $39.99 and on the Night Hero web site, you can get two pair for the $39.99 and a “free” Atomic Beam LED flashlight. Just pay a separate fee of $29.98. So the bundle is actually $69.97.
These are advertise as similar to those our heroes use in the field. They are not, however. Our “heroes” in the field use infer-red lenses. They do not shoot out a green light. I found these to be basically binoculars with a green flashlight on them. The flashlight is not even a good flashlight.
When I tried them at night, the flashlight did not align with the lenses so the top 1/4 was still dark. The light only extended to, at best, 20-feet. My LED flashlight does much better. I tried using them as just binoculars and could not get them to focus at the magnification provided.
I wound up giving these to a tot as a toy because they are built a little more solid than the average binocular toy. I did warn the parent not to install batteries because there is the potential of damaging the eyes.
The bottom line is that you are better off with a flashlight than this product. If you really think night vision is necessary, you should expect to pay $250 and up for a decent pair.
While only one person came to take the amateur radio exam, Craig Gerasim represents the beginning of another cycle of exams. The exam was held on January 18 and Craig received a technician license.
The rest of the exams scheduled for the year are April 18, July 18 and October 17. There will probably be an exam at the Overland Expo in May. This also does not count exams that may crop up from classes in Williams.
If someone was a little quicker on the keyboard at ARRL, we would have had two lux in Coconino County. Craig, however, drew the call sign of KI7LUY.
It was also beneficial in that the newest volunteer examiner—Mike, AG7XQ—a chance to learn the exam system. Mike earned his Extra license in one sitting at the last 2019 session.
Joe, W7LUX, thanked Erv KE7QFI, Mike AG7XQ , Scott KY7A and Glen, KG7YDJ for making the exam possible.
The University of Washington’s HuskySat-1 3U CubeSat, launched November 2, 2019, is set to deploy on January 31 after the vehicle that carried it to the International Space Station undocks.
HuskySat-1 has remained stowed aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply vehicle. Within 24 hours after Cygnus’ departure from the ISS, HuskySat-1 and SwampSat 2 will be deployed into orbit. After deployment, HuskySat-1’s 1200 bps BPSK beacon on 435.800 MHz should be active and decodable with the latest release of AMSAT’s FoxTelem software. HuskySat-1 is expected to carry out its primary mission before being turned over to AMSAT for amateur radio operation.
HuskySat-1 features a 30 kHz wide V/U linear transponder for SSB and CW. The uplink passband will be 145.910 – 145.940 MHz LSB/CW. The downlink passband will be 435.840 – 435.810 MHz USB/CW (inverting). Telemetry will be transmitted on 435.800 MHz, 1k2 bps BPSK with an experimental downlink at 24.049 GHz.
The “Fox-in-a-Box” FoxTelem software has been updated for HuskySat-1 operation and is available at its download website at, http://burnsfisher.com/AMSAT/FoxInABox/ .
The new release now contains the SD card image, FIAB-distro8-V1.08w.zip. This file, when unzipped and written to a 16 GB SD card will provide the latest software for FoxTelem and will run on a Raspberry Pi 4. The 1.08 versions can switch bands between listening on VHF and UHF, based on which Fox and Husky satellites are overhead at the time.
The linear transponder and telemetry system carried aboard AMSAT’s Fox-1E was designed for use in different CubeSats merely by adding an interface adapter for connection to the host bus. Noting the prevalence of CubeSats built and launched by universities and other organizations, AMSAT adopted a goal of “amateur radio in every CubeSat.” Interested CubeSat programs wanting to fly an amateur radio payload may partner with AMSAT to carry one of these modules on their spacecraft.
By providing amateur radio capability, the CubeSat program gets a worldwide ground station network to receive telemetry and experiment data, while the amateur radio community gets a transponder to use in orbit. Additional information is posted on the University of Washington Husky Satellite Lab site.
This year has been a good year for Amateur Radio in Flagstaff and Williams. The exam October 19 is indicitive of that
Congratulations to Morgan KI7WTS who upgraded to Amatuer Extra and Mike who upgraded to Amateur Extra from… Well. Nothing. He passed all three exams. His dad, Don, got a General license. Congratulations to Jeremiah KF7NIQ who upgraded to General. Carl passed the Technician and General exams. Nathan and Willis, from Williams, got a Technician license.
The final talley is two new Amateur Extras, two new Generals and two new Technicians.
Thanks to Ken KF7DUR, Ron KG7OH and Glen KG7YDJ for proctoring this exam and Joe W7LUX and Janice KI7WCK for setting up the exams. Also thanks to all of the other VEs who helped this year. We, of course, thank Melissa Fisher and North Country Health Care for allowing us to use their facility.
Thanks to the instructors who helped in Flagstaff and Williams. Phil AE7HO, Ron KG7OH, Kevin KK7NAZ, Jack NT7MM, Jackie KI7YQO, and Peter. I hope I remembered everyone.
On my way to Circle K in Williams, this evening (this evening being Saturday, September 7), I stopped off at Bellemont to check out Route 66 On-The-Air. My goal was to get more experience in HF. I had a lot of fun and made 61 confirmed kills, uhhh, contacts. It also just happens to be one of Prince’s favorite spots along Route 66. Prince and I wandered around a bit while Andrew WA7DPS made his contacts.
The NADXA trailer used for the event.Andrew WA7DPS and ron KG7OH making contacts.
Prince was anxious to get on the air.
When my turn came up I had keep in mind 3-kHz for sideband and 6-kHz for straight AM. Of course we were working sideband. So I stepped up to the mic and began calling out. Surprisingly they kept rolling in creating what is commonly called a “pile up.”
It was a little difficult, at first. I soon realized that I when I caught a partial call sign, I called for that and was able to make contact. Another method used by W6G (we were W6T) was to call for call signs by numbers. In other words, he called for call signs with 0 first, then 9’s and worked his way down. Ron KG7OH explained that is a technique used the help clear the pile ups.
I also learned that people on HF use a different set of phonetics from those in the ARRL books. The phonetics used actually seem to work better for HF.
Prince pouted on the couch when he realized I was going to be a mic-hog. (Should that be mic-ham?)
The contacts rolled after I figured that out. I even made contact with one QRP station and one working on solar power—although by that time he was working off of the batteries. In the end I made 63 contacts. I’m still waiting to see if my final count beat Andrew’s.
I learned a little more about working the many knobs and dials on the HF rig and how to check the SWR with the internal meter.
And I learned HF can be fun. I got to talk with people in places I have been such as Napa Valley, Oklahoma City and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
So if you have not thought about upgrading to a General, you should think about it.
Ron KG7OH and Andrew WA7DPS through the window.Route 66 On The Air after dark.
CARC Trailer set up for emergency use at the Emergency Operation Center in Flagstaff.
Members of the Coconino County Amateur Radio Club
(CARC) in Arizona activated on July 21 as winds accelerated the Museum
Fire beyond 50 acres, triggering the activation of the county’s EOC.
Members of the club, many of them ARES volunteers, staffed the EOC.
“The
club has a great working relationship with Coconino County,” said
CARC’s Public Information Officer Dan Shearer, N7YIQ. “CARC’s ARES
component has a dedicated position in the EOC structure and has assisted
on many incidents over the last few years, providing communications to
field personnel when cell and radio coverage is limited or nonexistent.”
Shearer said Amateur Radio equipment and antennas are stored at the
EOC, and CARC members have been trained to set it up and have everything
operational within an hour of activation.
The
fire grew larger than 500 acres and became a top fire-fighting priority.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team took over the fire-fighting effort
late on July 22, and more than 12 Hotshot crews (teams highly trained in
all aspects of fire management), fire engines, water tenders, and
aircraft were engaged in suppressing the blaze. Residents in some
neighborhoods were ordered to evacuate, although no homes and structures
were lost.
There were fears that the fire might
overrun communications sites on Mount Elden, which include public
service, private, and Amateur Radio repeaters. “The loss of one or both
of these complexes would have been catastrophic,” Shearer said. CARC
members were prepared for the risk and quickly assembled spare
equipment, including extra radios and repeaters. Air tankers dropped
many loads of fire retardant around the repeater sites, and the
exceptional work of the fire crews prevented the fire from running up
the slopes to the complexes, Shearer said.
The
Coconino Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL Affiliated Club with about 50
members. Its large ARES component regularly trains and conducts SKYWARN
and ARES nets weekly.
“CARC personnel provided
well over 250 hours in support of the Museum Fire disaster response and
in direct support of the joint EOC,” Shearer said, adding that the EOC
professional team and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey expressed their
appreciation to CARC operators when the governor visited the fire
operations.
The ARRL Board of Directors, committees and administrative staff have focused on enhancing the venerable ARES program. A major ARES Plan was adopted, providing new direction going forward. A standardized training plan was adopted and a new ARES Emergency Communicator Individual Task Book was approved and published.
Last month, the Board considered the report of its Public Service Enhancement Working Group
(PSEWG). A “change log” is proposed for the Task Book that will
highlight changes made as the book is periodically revised and updated.
ARES position guidelines were posted to the on-line ARES workbook and
major revising and updating of ARRL’s Introduction to Emergency Communications
course (now designated as IS-001) has been completed. [The course is
now available at no cost to any ARES registrant, and a “tutorless”
format has been added as a parallel path for completing the course.
Additional tutors were successfully recruited to help handle the huge
initial interest as the changes were extremely well-received by the
field organization. A “challenge” path directly to the final exam is
also being implemented.] Similar updating and introduction of IS-016 – Public Service and Emergency Communications Management for Radio Amateurs — will follow in the next few months.
The ARRL HQ staff has brought veteran Ohio Section Manager Scott Yonally, N8SY, on board to assist in the implementation of ARES Connect and to field questions about the new software package from users.
The
League’s Ham Aid program was reviewed, with some modest revisions to
procedures. Most recently, the PSEWG has begun its examination of the
future role of the League’s National Traffic System in concert with
ARES. A brief survey of selected SMs, STMs and SECs is to provide a
beginning point for a more extensive analysis of the program. This
review and evaluation is expected to be a major part of the PSEWG’s
efforts in the upcoming months.
A Board Ad Hoc EmComm Manager Requirements Report
specifies the job requirements of a new position at ARRL HQ — Director
of Emergency Management — who will lead a team responsible for
supporting the ARES program and will work with HQ staff to develop
standards, protocols, and processes designed to support the Field
Organization.
Next month is National Preparedness Month with the theme Prepared, Not Scared. Be Ready for Disasters.National
Preparedness Month (NPM) is recognized each September to promote family
and community disaster and emergency planning now and throughout the
year. This year’s campaign will feature PSAs and multimedia products
around four weekly themes:
· Week 1: Sept 1-7 Save Early for Disaster Costs
· Week 2: Sept 8-14 Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters
· Week 3: Sept 15-21 Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters
· Week 4: Sept 22-30 Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness
Content has been loaded on the Ready.gov National Preparedness Month Toolkit
webpage. This year, FEMA wants participants, which include ARES
operators, to share their activities and success stories. The longtime
ARRL partner wants brief descriptions of what you are planning for
National Preparedness Month. Send them to FEMA-IGA@fema.dhs.gov
with the word NPM in the subject line. An appropriate, brief submission
would be your planned or conducted ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET)
activity. Many groups will be holding their SET during September and
through the fall. The primary League-sponsored national emergency
exercise is designed to assess the skills and preparedness of ARES and
other organizations involved with emergency/disaster response. Here’s an
opportunity to let FEMA know about it.
In June 2003, ARRL became an official affiliate program of Citizen Corps,
an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security to enhance
public preparedness and safety. The Statement of Affiliation makes ARRL
an affiliate under the four charter Citizen Corps programs–Neighborhood
Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams
and Medical Reserve Corps.
On Sunday July 21, I turned on my two radios to monitor the 146.980 (- 162.2) repeater on Mt. Elden and the 146.780 (- 91.5) repeater on Bill Williams mountain as I normally do. On Sunday I did not expect much as traffic is normally light. To my surprise, I heard Janice KI6WCK announcing that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Flagstaff was active and the Coconino Amateur Radio Club (CARC) Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) was providing communication services.
The ARES group was providing backup communications in support of a fire that was being called the Museum Fire. I listened to monitor the situation for a few minutes. When it was clear they were asking for volunteers, I volunteered. This is, after all, what we train for. I could not drop everything and run up that day. So I volunteered for Monday. I contacted Joe W7LUX who is the District Emergency Coordinator for Coconino County. He needed someone late in the day Monday so I volunteered.
There were other things happening on Sunday. Amateur radio operators responded to the call to tow the CARC antenna tower trailer and the communication trailer to the EOC. Others brought coaxial cable that was needed. Some came to help set up and relieve Janice. It was a busy day.
The trip to Flagstaff for me is about 80-miles round trip and about two-hours travel time. Arizona Department of Transportation is currently doing repairs on the highway in both directions east- and west-bound on I-40. So that was another thing I had to contend with.
I packed my emergency dual-band antenna and mast in my car and an extra power supply in case it was needed. I carried them to Flagstaff every time I went up.
The Museum Fire from 4th Street in Flagstaff.
When I arrived in Flagstaff, I was actually stunned by the magnitude of the fire. To make matters worse, the fire was in an area called Shultz Pass that had a fire years ago. This caused flooding when it rained. Fortunately Coconino County had been working on the problem long before this fire. There was some flash flooding because of rain on Tuesday—according to NOAA radio—but it did not damage any private structures, as far as I know.
The big concern was whether or not the fire would reach the repeaters at Devil’s Head on Mt. Elden. I was impressed that the CARC trailer was set up for its intended purpose of emergency communications. The CARC antenna trailer had been set up and Ken KF7DUR had a VHF and UHF emergency repeater set up in the trailer in case the worse happened.
The CARC trailer and antenna set up for emergency communications.
We were also able to maintain communications with the Bill Williams Mountain Club repeater in Williams. The 146.780 (- 91.5) Bill Williams repeater is also attached to Echolink. Under normal conditions, I’ve met some new Hams coming in on Echolink.
Ken KF7DUR set up a UHF and VHF repeater in the CARC trailer in case the worse happened.
By the end of the day Monday, it was clear that there was less danger to the repeaters. Things slowed down and Erv KE7QFI conducted the Skywarn net.
On Tuesday I had an appointment at the VA in the morning, so I went to the EOC right after. I did not expect to, but I wound up staying until they secured ARES for the day. In the morning, the Southwest Area Type I Incident Management Team 2 took over management of the fire. What that means, in layman’s terms, is that this was a serious fire. The terrain was rugged and aircraft had been bombing the fire with water since the fire began.
l-r Ken KF7DUR, Jacob KI7WNS, Governor Doug Ducey, Glen KG7YDJ and Joe W7LUX
The big news (though not over the amateur radio airwaves) was that Governor Doug Ducey was going to come to the EOC to sign the Declaration of Emergency for the Museum Fire. They had podium, flags and chairs set up for the purpose. He did not arrive at the scheduled time. It turns out he went into the field. He did,however, show up at the EOC later and took time out to thanks us for our work. He also patiently took time so we could all snap a picture with him.
The Museum Fire on Tuesday. The trailer in the foreground is a piece of equipment from Arizona DEMA that is used to establish cell communications and Internet.
After he left we returned to duty. The monsoon rains started. They were relatively light but seemed to help slow the fire a bit. Surely it helped cool off the fire fighters. The problem was that there was now a flash flood warning until 7 p.m. People were given the opportunity to get sand bags for their homes. At about 5:30 p.m., I checked NOAA radio and it was reported that a flash flood was crossing Paradise Road and heading toward the community of Sunnyside. It was reported by Skywarn observers that the flash flooding carried ash and debris from the fire. I did not hear of any damage to homes. After 9.5 hours I went home.
On Wednesday I returned to the EOC at about 12:45. The fire was still going as was the EOC. I did notice that there was considerably less smoke. I received a surprise visit from an amateur radio friend, Ian, who was a fire fighter on the TYPE I team that was sent in to manage the fire. He got to see just what ARES does.
Wednesday is the regular ARES net. I remembered to take my computer, but forgot to take a copy of the roster and even the script. So I had to text Ron KG7OH to email me a copy of those items. It was an interesting experience running the net from the EOC. I made it more interesting by playing with the buttons on the radio and forgetting to re-set it back to the proper settings before the net. I was familiar with the Yaesu radios, so it was no problem getting it set properly and conducting the net.
I simply could not return on Thursday due to personal reasons. I still monitored the radio, of course. On Friday I monitored fully prepared to respond if needed. I learned, however, that ARES was being de-activated at 10 a.m., but that the EOC was still being staffed over the weekend. So we are still “on call,” though we are breaking down the CARC equipment tomorrow.
Overall it was an interesting experience participating in an actual ARES activation. It was more interesting because this was such a major emergency. I met new Ham operators both on the radio and in person. It gave me a chance to learn to interact with the different groups in the EOC.
The EOC provided plenty of food and snacks. In fact on Tuesday they provided an Italian cuisine with spaghetti, Parmesan chicken and the works. Of course, no Italian menu would be complete without Chinese fortune cookies. They had a box of them. This was one of my fortunes:
ARRL and the FCC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that paves the way to implement the new and enhanced Volunteer Monitor program. The memorandum establishes the Volunteer Monitors as a replacement for the Official Observers (OO) program. Current OOs have been encouraged to participate in the new program.
“We
are excited by the opportunity to codify our partnership with the FCC and to
work together to achieve our mutual interests of protecting the integrity
of our Amateur Radio bands,” said ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR. “This
Memorandum of Understanding will serve as the foundation for a new
level of partnership on this very important issue.”
Rick Hollingsworth – K4ZDH
ARRL
has contracted with retired FCC special counsel and former Atlantic
Division Vice Director Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, to oversee the ARRL’s role in
the development and implementation of the Volunteer Monitor program.
Approved by the ARRL Board of Directors at its July 2018
meeting, the new Volunteer Monitor program is a formal agreement between the
FCC and ARRL in which volunteers trained and vetted by the ARRL will monitor
the airwaves and collect evidence that can be used both to correct
misconduct or recognize exemplary on-air operation. Cases of flagrant violations
will be referred to the FCC by the ARRL for action in accordance with FCC
guidelines.
The intent of this program is to re-energize
enforcement efforts in the Amateur Radio bands. It was proposed by the FCC
in the wake of several FCC regional office closures and a reduction in field
staff.
“Under this program, the FCC will give
enforcement priority to cases developed by the Volunteer Monitor program, without
the delay of ARRL having to refer cases through the FCC online complaint
process,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth has committed
to FCC and ARRL officials to ensure the adequacy of training for the new
positions, to review the quality and utility of Volunteer Monitor submissions
to the FCC for enforcement actions, and to advocate for rapid disposition
of cases appropriately submitted to the FCC.
ARRL
officials estimate that the first Volunteer Monitors will be in place and ready
to begin their duties within 6 to 9 months. Read more.
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