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Owatonna Steele County Amateur Radio 14-Apr-2017

OSCAR News - May, 2Ø1Ø

OSCAR Meeting
The next OSCAR meeting is 08-May @ 9:00 AM, the second Saturday of the month. Meetings are held in the meeting room at the Owatonna HyVee, 18th Street @ Oak Avenue.

SKYWARN Meeting
The next SKYWARN meeting is 18-May @ 7:00 PM, the third Tuesday of the month. Meetings are held at the Owatonna Fire Station.

Austin Fox Hunt From AARC Newsletter
The Austin May Fox Hunt and Picnic, with pot luck food, is being planned for May 22nd at LaFayette Park. Hunt begins at 1 pm, eat at 4 pm. Mary/KB0SVG will contact the Austin Park and Recreation office to reserve space for this gathering of hunters.

Tom KCØMTW SK
Many in the ham community were saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Tom KCØMTW on Monday, 26-Apr. Memorial services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on 03-May at St. Theodore Catholic Church. Friends may visit with family one hour before the service at the church.

ARRL Web Site
The ARRL finally got the new web site on line after several attempts. Like anything that changes significantly, it may take a while to get used to. Give it a spin and provide feedback to the ARRL.

OSCAR Web Site
At a minimum, the changes on the ARRL web site results in broken links on the OSCAR web site. We have tried to uncover and repair any broken links. Let us know if you find any more.

While programming radios for some of the new hams, it became apparant that some of the local repeater information listed on the home page may not have been current. The listing was scrubbed against the most current listing from the MN Repeater Council. Let us know if you encounter any bogus information.

Young Lady Radio League
There is no doubt that women are a minority in Amateur Radio. OSCAR is proud to have four new Young Ladys (YLs) licensed as a result of the last Technician Class, and hope to have more in the future. The editor's count of YL licensees (which is always subject to scrutiny) has 15 YLs in the county.

Sandra KCØBNQ Darlene KDØDJU Stacy KDØDJW Sally KDØDJZ
Mataleen KBØGPZKathleen KD6GRVKathy KDØGVOTraci KDØIZA
Pamela NØJADSandee KDØKSALinda KDØKSFSue KDØKSH
Barb KDØKSLCharlotte KCØPTCLinda G. KBØRIDLisa KCØUOS
Maria KBØUVOKathryn WBØVAIKay WBØVAJ 

Although the editor could not find a hard data base to reference from, this would be to be an above average percentage. One resource for YLs is Young Lady Radio League.

Solar Storm Video From NASA
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is designed to help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space. It will study the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously. Scientists are now releasing the most astonishing movies of the sun anyone had ever seen. Astronomers indicated theyt have seen eruptions like this before in such detail. Check it out.

Moon Bounce From AR Newsline
The Arecibo Earth-Moon-earth (EME) event developed some new interest in bouncing RF off of the moon. The April issue of the 144 MHz EME Newsletter includes coverage of operations from the Maldives, upcoming and current DXpeditions including EME communications and the April Moon Graph.

Li-Ion Battery Ban From Multiple Sources
There have been limits placed on Lithium-Ion batteries in checked baggage on aircraft since 2008. Lithium-ion cells rated at 100 watt-hours and smaller are exempt. FAA data indicates 109 incidents globally involving batteries that exploded, caught fire, or emitted smoke between March 1991 and September 2009. Although most incidents were relatively minor, the concern is great enough to propose a total ban regardless of battery physical size or capacity.

Amateur Radio 911 From
The 911 system in Lincoln, NE was disrupted. Amateur Radio was activated to provide public access until the landlines and cellular service were restored. Ham radio operators were posted at many major intersections in Lincoln to deal with emergency situations. What makes this story interesting is that this is one scenario discussed in planning within Steele County.

Red Cross MOU From ARRL
A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the ARRL and American Red Cross was signed. The new MOU helps resolve an issue dating back to 2006 when the Red Cross began requiring a background check on volunteers. At that time, the ARRL advised members that the background check might be more detailed than a criminal beckground check. The independent company being used by the Red Cross was requiring consent for an "all-encompassing" investigation. The new MOU indicates that ARRL volunteers won't be asked or required to submit to credit checks or any kind of investigative consumer reports or lifestyle investigations. ARRL radio volunteers can arrange, at their own expense, a criminal background check performed by a state or local police agency. Red Cross credentials will be provided to ARRL volunteers as required and consistent with Red Cross policy. Amateur Radio volunteers could assume roles as amateur radio liaison, communication equipment operator, communication equipment installation and repair technician and even take part in disaster assessment.

Broadband Test From FCC
How fast is your internet connection? Broadband.gov is a site by the FCC you can test the speed of your broadband connection. The FCC is collecting data from the test site so information is available to help make informed decisions. Your IP addresses is collected and the test asks for a physical addresses.

More 70 cm Restrictions
The April Newsletter discussed an operating restriction in the footnotes of Section 97.303 of Part 97. Another restriction in the 70 cm band deals with possible intereference with military bases, in the areas shown on the map below. Transmission in the amateur 70 cm band (420-450 MHz) shall not exceed 50 watts. For a more detailed description of these areas, go to

Social Networking From Science Daily
Following some of the recent disasters (e.g. Haiti earthquake), online social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) have gotten information out of the area fairly quickly. The quality of the information might be in question, but there is information. The question is if these types of sites can be used to provide reliable information on a timely basis. An emergency online network might share documents, allow members to communicate efficiently, and locating missing persons. Concerns about technology failure, hackers, and usability issues will have to be addressed in the development of emergency online networks.

River Electrical Generation From Discover Magazine
At Field Day, Marv NØFJP suggested we use the stream next to the park to run with some reneable energy. A few ideas were thrown about, but a new way of drawing energy out of slow-moving rivers and gentle tides is being developed. Researchers have an unobtrusive device, which was inspired by the way fish move through the water. The VIVACE, (Vortex Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy) is a cylinder-shaped object in the water. Water current causes alternating vortices to form above and below the cylinderthat push and pull the passive cylinder up and down on its springs. The machine converts the mechanical energy into electricity. Just a few of the cylinders, stacked in a short ladder, could power an anchored ship or a lighthouse.

Portable Power Plant From Bourne Energy
Improving upon a previous model, a military version of backpack capable power plant can generate 500 watts. The 30 pound device can be deployed in a stream that is four feet deep with a velocity of 7.5 feet per minute. Each unit is self-contained with its own integrated power, control, cooling and sensor systems.

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