May 12

Days in the Park – Sahuarita

May 05

Great Site with Tons of Info…

Screen-Shot-2013-05-05-at-8.55.43-PM

 

Also Pima County R.A.C.E.S.

May 05

Playing with my new Radio…

IMGP5998Yesterday I went to the CARA Hamfest.  I went because I wanted to train on the TOAD.  I did the training with Greg, KC5ZGG.  It was great and I learned a lot.  Thanks Greg.

While there, I entered their raffle.  I spent $20 for 24 tickets.  The grand prize was a FT-817nd.  Guess what?  I won!!

So tonight I thought I would set it up for a couple of Nets.  IMG_1452 IMG_1455

Apr 28

May Days in the Park…

DinthePFinalDaysinthePark

Directions

From I-10:

1) Take I-19 South from Tucson about 18 miles to Exit 75, Sahuarita Road.
2) Head East on Sahuarita Road.
3) Either take the Second or Third Left and continue to parking.
4) Days in the Park will be set-up right in front of the District Auditorium.

From Tucson (Old Nogales Highway):

1) Head south on Old Nogales Highway.
2) Turn Right on Sahuarita Road.
3) Either Park in the parking lot just North of the Administration building (right turn)
or continue to the next light (right turn) into the Middle School parking lot.
4) Days in the Park will be set-up right in front of the District Auditorium.

Days in the Park - Facebook
Days in the Park – Weebly
Days in the Park – Radio Society of Tucson
Days in the Park – Yahoo Group
Sahuarita Unified School District – Facebook
Sahuarita Unified School DistrictTwitter
Sahuarita Unified School District

Apr 28

When Cell Phones Fail…

From AR Newline (4/26/13):

RESCUE RADIO: CELLPHONE FAILURE AT THE BOSTON MARATHON

 

Neither the Federal government nor any Massachusetts state

agency or the Boston police ordered a shutdown of cellular

telephone service in the Boston area following the terrorist

bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April, 15th. The

systems simply failed of their own accord because too many

people trying to use them at the same time. Amateur Radio

Newsline’s Norm Seeley, KI7UP, explains:

On April 18th outgoing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said

the FCC would follow up on cellular service issues at the

Boston Marathon. This while emphasizing that broadband

services had not been shut down after the bombings.

 

Genachowski conceded that the event again raised issues of

communications and public safety like those the FCC has been

working on for some time. However he went on to acknowledge

that wireless networks were so overwhelmed by the temporary

surge in traffic, that there were incorrect media reports

that mobile services had actually shut down when they had

not been.

 

What appears to be a fact is that most cellphone subscribers

erroneously believe that the phone in their pocket should

function perfectly 100 percent of the time. The reality is

that the no cellular system currently in use can handle 100%

of all of its subscribers at any one time. Or even 50% for

that matter.

 

Most experts say that when most cellphone systems reach

between 15 to 20 percent of its subscribers simultaneously

using the service that it is at a point of limited network

density. In other words it cannot handle any more

subscribers more until those on-line hang up.

 

And that’s what appears to have happened in Boston after the

two bombs at the marathon finish line went off. It’s also

why the autonomous Boston Marathon ham radio communications

networks continued to function flawlessly even when the

cellphones failed.

 

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in

Scottsdale, Arizona.

--

Genachowski said that the FCC will certainly pursue this
issue along with other agencies.  He called it an
institutional imperative for the FCC.  Meantime an excellent
reference guide on what you can really expect from your
cellphone including in emergency situations has been
published on-line by the FCC.  You can find it on the web at
tinyurl.com/cellphone-reality.  (FCC, Wikipedia, published
news reports)

Apr 18

Simplex

This image was made by AF9W.  I was able to talk with him on 146.520 Simplex, on my HT at 5 watts,  from our Auditorium in Sahuarita (see the view here) to him in Saddlebrooke.

Screen Shot 2013-04-18 at 3.15.49 PM

Apr 18

The view from our Auditorium in Sahuarita…

ESW WNE

Apr 07

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter…

Anyone have any experience with this?  Looks interesting.

Screen Shot 2013-04-07 at 8.55.42 PM

Apr 05

Most Excellent…

Apr 04

Because I was wondering…

Turns out I’m 0.76 of a mile from I-10 and Twin Peaks:

house_I-10

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