SBARC-list

sbarc-list@lists.netlojix.com

4 participants
2723 discussions

Start a nNew thread

TEST MESSAGE
by Paul Cronshaw 23 May '13

23 May '13

Paul "The Beeman" Cronshaw President, Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association www.sbba.org For the Sake of the Bees!

1 0

Listen and watch live: Anacapa connects to the International Space Station
by Levi C. Maaia 21 May '13

21 May '13

SBARC Members, Many of you have asked me about listening in on the International Space Station contact tomorrow between Astronaut Chris Cassidy and Anacapa School students taking place as part of the ARISS program. We will do our best to simulcast it on one of the K6TZ repeaters: 146.790 and/or 446.400 beginning at around 10:42 am. Please check both frequencies. You may also attempt to monitor the downlink directly on 145.800 MHz FM during the contact window from 10:42 am - 10:53 am. We are also planning a live video webcast starting at about 10:30 am. See the information below. Levi, K6LCM Watch live video as ... Anacapa students make a rare space-to-Earth radio contact with NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy Live video stream from the event starts Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. PDT CLICK HERE TO VIEW Cassidy is a flight engineer on Expedition 35, the 35th and current long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and Cassidy’s second spaceflight. Anacapa students will have an opportunity to ask questions of Cassidy during the 10-minute live forum as the space station’s orbit passes over Southern California. The arrangement is made possible by Anacapa School’s participation in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Teaching From Space program, a cooperative venture between NASA, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and other international space agencies that coordinates scheduled radio contacts between astronauts aboard the ISS and schools. Read more about this event in our official media release. Astronaut Chris Cassidy’s NASA Bio: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cassidy-cj.html Videos from the Anacapa School Synthesis Unit “Space: Where Are We Going?”: http://tinyurl.com/ckmzn8o Live video of the contact: http://www.anacapaschool.org/ansec

1 0

SB Library/SB Makerspace(/SBARC?) Reception and Forum Tonight at the SB qLibrary at 6:30pm - It's FREE for EVERYONE
by Rod Fritz 21 May '13

21 May '13

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: SB Library/SB Makerspace(/SBARC?) Reception and Forum Tonight at the Library at 6:30pm - It's FREE for EVERYONE From: Rod Fritz <rod(a)sbatv.org> To: SBARC Listserver <listserver(a)sbarc.org> CC: You should see what the Library and Makerspace are doing together! SBARC has an opportunity to ride along and introduce a lot of people to Amateur Radio in the process. There has never been a better time to get young people involved. Come and see what this is all about. There's a free reception and forum TONIGHT at 6:30pm in the Santa Barbara Public Library downtown. Libraries aren't just about books any more. This activity brings libraries into the 21st century with new knowledge, electronics, gadgets and software. This isn't about you being a kid in the past. It's about doing the amazing things that kids can do now and as they build (MAKE) the future. Hope to see you there. Check out many demos including the Mood Star that just got back from the Maker Faire in San Mateo (KMO was a major contributor). - Rod Fritz, WB9KMO.

1 0

Boston bombings raise questions
by William Talanian 21 May '13

21 May '13

Andrew Seybold, W6AMS, serves on the Board of SBARC. [image: Urgent Communications] ------------------------------ Boston bombings raise sharing questions for FirstNet By Andrew Seybold The bombings during the Boston Marathon were a terrible tragedy, and the news media got a lot of things wrong in the first few hours after the blasts. One report, later retracted by the *Boston Globe*, was that the federal government had ordered all commercial networks to be shut down. No one knew if the bombs had been set off via cell phones, which is one of many ways they could have been detonated. The idea was that the networks were shut down was based on a fear that there could be more bombs, and the networks could be used to detonate them. The real story was that the networks were not ordered to shut down, but they were so overcrowded that many call requests could not be put through. So many people being denied access to the networks led to the assumption that they had been shut down. Even so, the fact that the networks were overloaded—as they are in times of major incidents—should be of concern to FirstNet<http://urgentcomm.com/organizations/ntia-firstnet?intlink=autlink>. Because FirstNet is exploring the possibility of sharing the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) with commercial operators, which will in turn make use of excess capacity on the network, the following questions need to be considered in the final network design. These questions are applicable during commercial-network overload, as well as when—and if—commercial networks are ever ordered to shut down. 1) If the commercial networks were to be shut down or become overcrowded, and the network operators had a sharing agreement to use the FirstNet network, would all of the users on the commercial networks be shifted over to FirstNet, causing increased traffic and congestion on the NPSBN when it is needed most by the first responders? 2) If commercial users had access to FirstNet and the commercial networks were shut down, does this also mean that the NPSBN would have to shut down, because a commercial device on this network would also be capable of detonating a bomb by remote control? 3) What—if any—safeguards will be built into the sharing agreements between FirstNet and the commercial network operators, and how will the load between FirstNet first responders and commercial users be monitored and managed? Will it be possible to shut down access to the NPSBN for secondary users (commercial users) when the commercial networks are shut down or are overloaded? The FirstNet system design is based on public safety having pre-emptive access to the network. In theory, pre-emption would occur in two phases. The first would be to limit the bandwidth and capacity available to non-first-responder users during incidents. The second would be ‘ruthless pre-emption,’ in which a first responder who accesses the NPSBN would be granted that access instantly, even if it meant terminating a commercial (secondary) user’s connection. This sounds great in theory, but in today’s real world, any type of true pre-emption might not be possible. One of the committees I serve on is made up of some of the brightest LTE<http://urgentcomm.com/technology/long-term-evolution?intlink=autlink>engineers in the business. They have participated in the standards body work for LTE, designed LTE systems, worked with LTE systems, and have more knowledge and hands-on LTE experience than any other group I have worked with or talked with. When I raised the following issues, they dug into them, and their top-line answers are shown after the statements. *Assertion 1:If the signaling channel is overloaded, then a User (UE) with maximum priority and pre-emptive rights may not be able to access the network.* *Top-Line Answer:This is essentially a true statement, especially in a network that is shared with commercial users.* *Assertion 2:* *LTE provides a way around this problem (as stated in Assertion #1) that can be implemented to ensure full priority access when needed.* *Top-Line Answer: Mitigation tools exist in the 3GPP<http://urgentcomm.com/governance/standards/3gpp?intlink=autlink>standards, but due to a wide range of potential scenarios and causes, to characterize this as “solved” would be an oversimplification.* There is much more to the response from this group that I will publish soon in my *Public Safety Advocate* e-newsletter, but the reason for the response is based on the following overlying characteristics of LTE (or any cellular-like network): 1) In order to make a call (or get onto the network), the device must send a request for access to the network. The network then verifies that this unit is permitted access and attaches the device to the network. 2) The signaling channel input is located at each cell site, and it sends the request to the network. If the number of requests for service exceeds the capacity on the signaling channel, some of the requests will not be processed. If the request for service or pre-emptive service is not delivered to the cell site and transmitted to the network, the network has no way of knowing the request was even made. Further, if the requests overload a number of cell sites, they may not travel from the cell site to the network for processing. In other words, if the LTE signaling channel (RACH) is congested, the level of priority makes no difference. If the cell site does not receive the request for service, it cannot be processed. So in reality, there is no true pre-emption in LTE today. *Note: One of the arguments we used with Congress to have the D Block allocated to Public Safety was the fact that pre-emptive access on commercial networks was neither practical nor feasible to accomplish. The earthquake centered in Virginia and the following hurricane proved our point, because—while the commercial networks remained operational—there were many instances when access was totally blocked because the signaling channels were overloaded.* The bottom line is that implementing the public-safety LTE system will be a real challenge. I am sure the FirstNet is up to it, but the solution will need to be carefully focused on the needs of public safety during incidents when access to the NPSBN will be critical for the public-safety community. *Wireless communications consultant Andrew Seybold is a communications advisor to both the National Sheriffs Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.* ------------------------------ *Source URL:* http://urgentcomm.com/blog/boston-bombings-raise-sharing-questions-firstnet

2 1

Invitation: Come chat with the International Space Station on Ham Radio!
by Levi Maaia 15 May '13

15 May '13

Special thanks to Ken, N6KTH and Calli, KD6OVS for their technical guidance and efforts to make this Amateur Radio contact possible. I hope to see you there next Wednesday! -- Levi, K6LCM Join us for a chat with NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy as he orbits the Earth aboard the International Space Station! View this email in your browser Join Anacapa School for a chat with NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy as he orbits the Earth aboard the International Space Station! You are invited to attend a special space-to-Earth radio contact with NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 10:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m. at QAD, Inc. 100 Innovation Place • Santa Barbara 93108 (map) *** Please RSVP by emailing space(a)anacapaschool.org. *** Cassidy is a flight engineer on Expedition 35, the 35th and current long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and Cassidy’s second spaceflight. Anacapa students will have an opportunity to ask questions of Cassidy during the 10-minute live forum as the space station’s orbit passes over Southern California. The arrangement is made possible by Anacapa School’s participation in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Teaching From Space program, a cooperative venture between NASA, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and other international space agencies that coordinates scheduled radio contacts between astronauts aboard the ISS and schools. Read more about this event in our official media release. Astronaut Chris Cassidy’s NASA Bio: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cassidy-cj.html Videos from the Anacapa School Synthesis Unit “Space: Where Are We Going?”: http://tinyurl.com/ckmzn8o Live video of the contact: http://www.anacapaschool.org/ansec

1 0

Anacapa School Announces Date for Live Q&A with the International Space Station
by Levi C. Maaia 14 May '13

14 May '13

The 10-minute live forum will bounce between Anacapa students and Cassidy as the space station’s orbit passes over Southern California. View this email in your browser Anacapa School Announces Date for Live Q&A with the International Space Station Independent school to connect via Amateur Radio with NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy in orbit NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn are shown during a spacewalk in 2009 on the International Space Station (ISS). The duo was called upon again for a spacewalk last week to repair an ammonia leak on the ISS. (NASA photos) May 14, 2013 --- Santa Barbara, Calif. Students and faculty of Anacapa School are preparing for a rare event that will allow them to make contact with NASA Astronaut and former Navy SEAL Christopher J. Cassidy. Cassidy is a flight engineer on Expedition 35, the 35th and current long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and Cassidy’s second spaceflight. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, from the hilltop campus of QAD, Inc. in Santa Barbara. Students from the Anacapa Near Space Exploration Club (ANSEC) and members of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club will set up the specialized Amateur Radio Earth station early that morning in preparation for the radio contact, which will take place around 10:30 a.m. PDT. The 10-minute live forum will bounce between Anacapa students and Cassidy as the space station’s orbit passes over Southern California. Members of the general public are welcome to attend this free event and are asked to RSVP by emailing space(a)anacapaschool.org or by calling 805-965-0228. The arrangement is made possible by Anacapa School’s participation in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Teaching From Space program, a cooperative venture between NASA, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and other international space agencies that coordinates scheduled radio contacts between astronauts aboard the ISS and schools. As part of their preparations, ANSEC members passed the Federal Communication Commission’s Amateur Radio license exam, which will allow them to use specially allocated radio frequencies during the exchange. Each year, Anacapa students participate in the school’s Synthesis Unit, Anacapa’s premier tool for developing critical thinking skills. Each Unit provides students with unique opportunities to explore a specific topic in depth with expert speakers, field trips and hands-on experiences. This year, the Synthesis Unit topic was “Space: Where Are We Going?” As part of this Synthesis Unit, Anacapa hosted a three-day series of speakers in January who presented on a variety of space-related topics including Santa Barbara-area aerospace contractors, academic researchers and NASA Astronaut Rick Linnehan, who visited Anacapa from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. After the speaker series, Anacapa students then hopped a bus to visit the space launch complexes at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County. “I am so grateful to NASA and our guests for providing us with these opportunities,” said Gordon Sichi, Anacapa’s founding headmaster. “We are privileged to have the support of so many busy organizations who have made time for Anacapa students to get these one-of-a-kind learning experiences.” As a complement to this year’s Synthesis Unit, Anacapa teachers across varying content areas have incorporated lessons regarding space, astronomy, NASA, and the ISS into their subject curriculum in preparation for a special guest presenter who will join in from 250 miles above Earth! “We have had a fascinating year learning about space with some really excellent expert guests,” said Levi C. Maaia, the faculty advisor to ANSEC. “This live contact with Astronaut Cassidy while he is actually in orbit aboard the space station is the perfect ending to a great academic unit.” ARISS and Teaching From Space, a NASA education office, support participating schools in instilling interest in science, technology, engineering and math subjects and careers among students. The ARISS radio contact is one in a series of educational activities in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Teaching From Space promotes a variety of learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of human spaceflight. Astronaut Chris Cassidy’s NASA Bio: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cassidy-cj.html Videos from the Anacapa School Synthesis Unit “Space: Where Are We Going?”: http://tinyurl.com/ckmzn8o Live video of the contact: http://www.anacapaschool.org/ansec Media Contact: Levi C. Maaia 805-604-5384 • levi(a)anacapaschool.org www.anacapaschool.org • facebook.com/anacapaschool Copyright © 2013 Anacapa School, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Anacapa School 814 Santa Barbara St Santa Barbara, CA 93101

1 0

DRTE 100 and SB Trails Run for 2013
by Rick Whitaker 05 May '13

05 May '13

Please join us for the DRTE100 and the Santa Barbara Trails Run 2013 during the weekend of June 14th to June 16th The DRTE (Dirt Road & Trail Endurance) 100 and the SB Trails Run is what was known as the Blacksmith Endurance Run in 2011 and 2012. The course for both is a little different than previous years and more off road and back woods than previously. The DRTE 100 starts at 1800 on Friday night and runs until noon Sunday. Most runners are completed by Saturday night. There will be more need for operators with off road vehicles and the desire to camp out overnight to support the DRTE 100. The SB Trails Run will be in the morning of Saturday and it will complete by Saturday night. If you can make any of this event please get back to me. I have split it into separate hour shifts of at least two operators. Friday night 1800-0600 Saturday Saturday 0600-1800 Sat/Sunday 1800-0600 Sunday 0600-1200 These are recommendations and some of the positions will be complete by Saturday morning. Please identify if you can participate in any or part of any of these shifts Last year weather came into play and a rare thunderstorm had to cancel the race. Those that participated the year before all had a good time. This is by far a great example of how HAM radio can shine. The course is all in the outback of the Los Padres National Forest and can be very challenging for the runners. The last time it was run (in 2011) the runners had wonderful things to say about us HAM operators. They said they felt a sense of comfort knowing that we were there and the miles of wilderness didn't seem so alone. I hope you can participate from Friday until Saturday night/Sunday morning. Food will be provided by the aid station people. These people are really nice and fun. The website is http://trailrunningseries.com/ 73 Rick Whitaker Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club Operations rickwhtr(a)cox.net home: 964-5440 please leave a message cell: 451-3436 please leave a message

1 0

Re: [Sbarc-list] Hams and ecomm
by Rod Fritz 03 May '13

03 May '13

Bill, thank you for passing this on to the group. This highlights an idea I brought up at a recent ARES meeting and I envision SBARC, ARES, CERT and other local groups like home owners assns and neighborhood watch playing important roles. It's about "who ya gonna call" when 911, cell phones, etc are not capable. I see SBARC and others recruiting communicators while ARES trains the leaders and coordinates communication. There's a lot of room for inclusion and creativity to build and prepare a network to be effective in the worst circumstances. The technology, people and motivation are out there, we just need a cooperative team to pull it all together. With the fire season on top of us now, this can't happen soon enough. - Rod WB9KMO Bill Talanian <w1uuq(a)cox.net> wrote: >_______________________________________________ >SBARC-list mailing list >SBARC-list(a)lists.netlojix.com >http://lists.netlojix.com/mailman/listinfo/sbarc-list

2 1

Hams and ecomm
by Bill Talanian 02 May '13

02 May '13

Urgent Communications ---------- California city incorporates hams in response program <http://urgentcomm.com/urgent-communications>Urgent Communications <http://urgentcomm.com/author/glenn-bischoff>Glenn Bischoff Thu, 2013-05-02 11:00 When a disaster strikes, amateur radio operators in the affected area are quick to mobilize. The result is invaluable communications services at a time when they are most needed. In some parts of the world, where the first-responder infrastructure isnt as robust as it is in the U.S., the hams step into that role, as seen in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Within the U.S., the role of hams usually is to provide supportive services, as they did in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy last October, when hams helped the American Red Cross set up communications in numerous ad-hoc shelters established across the region, where commercial communications were rendered inoperable in many places. It is not unusual for an informal connection to exist between public-safety agencies and the local amateur-radio community; such a connection helps the mobilization effort. But, in one southern California city, a formal relationship was established, with the result being the creation of the Peninsula Volunteer Alert Network, or PVAN. Rancho Palos Verde is city of 42,000 inhabitants, located on the Pacific Ocean just a few miles due west of Long Beach. It doesnt have much crime, but it is prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and wildfires. Despite this, it never really occurred to anybody to formally leverage ham radio until the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It dawned on us that there are a lot of big targets in our area. There are refineries in San Pedro [an adjacent city], and lot of shipping goes through there, said PVAN Chairman Denzel Dyer. We needed to prepare for a big event. That realization led to a big idea: establish a way that the citys numerous neighborhood-watch groups could communicate with each other during emergencies, with hams at the center of the strategy. The 150-member strong Palos Verde Amateur Radio Club was the logical place to start. The goal was to ensure that every neighborhood-watch organizationeach of which typically covers about 6 square blockshad a ham in their midst. The PVAN, which started with 4-5 hams in November 2002, now has 86 members, all of them hams, according to Dyer. New PVAN members go through a <http://urgentcomm.com/disaster-response/california-city-incorporates-hams-r…>training regimen that is coordinated by the city and participate in at least one mock emergency drill each year. The radio club not only convinced local sheriffs and fire officials that this effort a good idea, but they also officials that amateur radio was the best option, given the topology of the surrounding area, which consists of numerous peaks and valleys. They asked about FRS (family radio service) and CB (citizens-band radio), but amateur is the most reliable communications you can get, said Alan Soderberg, a PVAN board member. Despite the fact that amateur-radio technology is highly reliable, the topology still creates some challenges, because there are plenty of dead spots. However, <http://urgentcomm.com/companies/harris?intlink=autlink>Harris recently came to the rescue by donating a UHF digital mobile <http://urgentcomm.com/disaster-response/california-city-incorporates-hams-r…>repeater. One of our employees knew a PVAN member, and one thing led to another, said Steve Howard, a Harris regional <http://urgentcomm.com/disaster-response/california-city-incorporates-hams-r…>sales manager. Though grateful for the repeater, Dyer noted that its not yet operational. Now we need a duplexer, he deadpanned. ---------- Source URL: <http://urgentcomm.com/disaster-response/california-city-incorporates-hams-r…>http://urgentcomm.com/disaster-response/california-city-incorporates-hams-r…

1 0

Next ARDF at Tri-City Park May 18
by Marvin Johnston 28 Apr '13

28 Apr '13

Every spring, ham clubs in Orange County organize an outdoor day in Placentia at Tri-City Park where they operate radios, find hidden transmitters and eat lots of good food. The annual "Antennas In The Park" (AITP) event is organized by the Fullerton Radio Club. This year it will Be Saturday, May 18 and FRC will be joined by the Catalina Amateur Repeater Association (CARA). CARA members are providing burgers, hot dogs, and soft drinks. A $5 donation per person is requested if you want to take part in the barbecue. As usual, this year's AITP brings an opportunity to get involved in on-foot radio-orienteering, also called ARDF. It's in celebration of the sixteenth annual CQ Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend. All ages are welcome, so bring the family. AITP transmitter hunts will be simple, informal and intended primarily for beginners. There will be no charge for participation in the hunts, which will begin around 11 AM and continue until 2 PM. Be sure to bring your two-meter handi-talkie! If you don't have the antenna/attenuator system for on-foot foxhunting on two meters with your ham radio handi-talkie or scanner, you can easily make one during this session. Beginning at 10 AM, Marvin Johnston KE6HTS will conduct a clinic for building his kits for measuring-tape yagis and for 90 dB offset-type attenuators. An assembled/tested attenuator in a special housing that goes inside the boom of the yagi is also available. If you want one or more kits, please register in advance by sending e-mail to marvin-at-west.net, so he will have the kits reserved in your name waiting for you. It takes about an hour to put the antenna and attenuator kits together with tools and soldering irons that will be provided. If you're not an electronic technician, don't worry because there will be plenty of experts to help you. We want you to succeed! Then with your HT and the kitbuilt equipment, you will be all set to hunt. Besides the transmitter hunts, AITP participants will probably have at least one HF station on the air and will do some radio-controlled sailboating. The traditional Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend cake will be served to participants in the transmitter hunts. A few canopies and tables will be set up, but for eating and sitting around, please bring your own lawn chair. The main entrance to Tri-City Park is at the corner of North Kraemer Boulevard and East Golden Avenue in Placentia. From the 57 freeway, take the Imperial Highway exit, go east to Kraemer Boulevard, turn right (south), continue to Golden Avenue and turn right into the park. This event will be in the northeast corner (to the right as you enter the park). Look for the FRC banner. Entry and parking are free, but empty spaces near the event site may be difficult to find if the park is crowded, so consider carpooling. A map for navitation to the park is in www.homingin.com Call K0OV on K6QEH/R, 146.97(-) PL 136.5 for two-meter talk-in. Questions about the transmitter hunts? Send e-mail to k0ov(a)homingin.com before May 15. 73, Joe Moell K0OV

1 0

Jump to page:

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

SBARC-list