Hi All,
I have a Kenwood TM-271A with an issue I am hoping someone can diagnose and correct for me.
Anytime I key the radio to transmit, the power shuts off briefly. If I hold the PTT key it will re-power before releasing the key. I have tried three different power supplies, all exhibit the same problem while the radio is connected. To add some excitement to this problem, this is not a constant problem, just a "most of the time" problem.
Are there any club members who would like to take a crack at figuring this dilemma out? It has been going on for maybe a couple of years now and seems to be getting worse.
Thanks,
I got this email today. Some of you probably got it as well. Seems to me that even if storm reports are coming in via Twitter, they should be coming from people who know what they're observing, but I am kinda old-fashioned.
They sent along a tip sheet, which I've attached.
73
Dave, VE3WI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, due to COVID, last year we were unable to offer the same CANWARN training program that we have offered for many years: training sessions in many regions of the province covering severe weather spotting and reporting. We did experiment with webinars in a few cases, but we recognize that many of you were unable to participate in them.
This year, our travel restrictions will continue, at least in the short term. Meanwhile, the technology that has enabled much of the digital revolution has also changed weather spotting. Social media, in particular, has become ubiquitous and is now the primary means by which meteorologists gather storm information from the public. Furthermore, the work of meteorologists at Environment and Climate Change Canada is changing as we move increasingly towards more impact-based forecasting.
For these (and other) reasons, we have had to make hard choices about our limited resources. With respect to CANWARN, we have decided to prioritize our provincial, municipal, and other emergency management partners. As a result, for this year at least, we will no longer be organizing CANWARN training sessions as we did in the past. However, at the invitation of our emergency management partners, we will be pleased to provide them with training sessions tailored to their needs; in a few cases, they may be opened to members of the public. This will allow us to support our partners in their community emergency preparedness while raising the awareness of weather safety among new audiences.
We regret making this decision, and we know this will disappoint many of you. Some of you have been faithful weather spotters for years, even decades. We are grateful for your support over the years and we want to assure you that we will continue to monitor your severe weather and damage reports sent by e-mail or via Twitter. That will not change. To assist you in continuing to send us your weather reports, we are attaching a tip sheet here. Thank you.
Sincerely, Geoff Coulson, Peter Kimbell, and Gerald Cheng Ontario Warning Preparedness Meteorologists March 22, 2021 PS: In case you are not aware, Environment and Climate Change Canada has a weather app (WeatherCAN), released in early 2019, available for both Apple and Android devices. This app represents the most direct way to receive our severe weather alerts. The app can be found in the App Store or Google Play.
Would anyone be interested in a daily morning 2m "ragchew" net? The VE3OST link appears to be holding up well (yes, my fingers are crossed.) I have heard of several clubs having a daily morning net. I usually hang out in the shack in the morning, drink coffee, listen to, check in to, or net control on ONTARS 3.755 and then spin the VFO knob looking for DX on the bands or check in to other nets (ECARS, SCARS, Wingnuts etc). The Elmira club has a daily net that is very informal and doesn't last much longer than 30 minutes. Maybe it has already been attempted with GBARC in the past and wasn't successful.
VA3KOT John Owen Sound VHF NCS
VE3VCG Marvin Paisley
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VE3RWY Rob Owen Sound
VA3TS Tom Shallow Lake
VE3FP Adam Elmwood
VE3RQY Greg Owen Sound
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3FGG James Palmerston
VA3EAC Janet Paisley
VA3KOT John Owen Sound HF NCS 3777KHz
VE3BQM Bernie Owen Sound
VE3VCG Marvin Paisley
VA3TS Tom Shallow Lake
VE3FGG James Palmerston
VE3RWY Rob Owen Sound
VE3RQY Greg Owen Sound
VE3OZW Richard Mildmay
VE3FP Adam Elmwood
VE3GIO Larry Woodstock
VE3PCP Rob Inverhuron
VE3IJD Gene Honey Harbour
VE3FJN Colin Hamilton
VE3MFO Jim Mount Forest
Not sure if this is the place for this topic but here it is anyway. Going back before I got my ham license in 1978 were few places like Heathkit, Allied Radio, Lafayette where you could buy and build your station from kits. I build the Heathkit HR-10 receiver and a VTVM around 1968 and thought that was state of the art at that time but don't remember what I paid. So to get an idea what the value of $100 CAD is today, well it would be worth $868.79. Here is a link to 1961 Heathkit catalog as provided by Jim Talens, N3JT posted on groups.io
Because the technology is new it will be unfamiliar but, at its core it is still just RF. HAM's who like to tinker and build things might find this new technology interesting and engaging. As I noted in my presentation, I feel that developing community based "Mesh-Networks" is one way to extend and enhance the reach of emergency communications.
Such networks could be vitally important during extended disruption of normal communications. Community based mesh-network communications could allow many communities to solve some problems locally during emergencies. However, with HAM radio participation, the range of community mesh-networks could also be dramatically extended. HAM radio operators, operating as part of ARES could relay messages received via a community mesh-network to a served agency even in the midst of to total failure of the power grid.
However, to understand the community mesh-network idea requires to you first understand the technology. Watching the embedded video is a good first step to understanding. Following is the video, enjoy
i'm wondering how important are radials or counterpoise for building antennas.i want to build a portable using a hustler whip antenna,how do i figure out the lengths that i need.
As some already know I'm the digital guy for GBARC. Some may also know that I've been promoting the idea that our club undertake the development of an AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Digital Network). My reasoning on this point is simple, like it or not, amateur radio is rapidly moving in the digital realm. All major brands have digital systems now, but this alone is not why AREDN is important.
AREDN will allow us to offer important and valuable communications capabilities to served agencies. Such high speed mesh-networking technology is also valuable to us as a club. It is important to note that AREDN Mesh Networking gear should not be confused with the Mesh-Networking software / hardware used for the Community Mesh Networks I am also proposing to build. AREDN uses HAM radio frequencies, higher power and is only available to HAM's.
The video I am sharing here does a good job of explaining AREDN gear and how it is being used by a radio club in Wisconsin. However it also touches on features of an established AREDN net(s) in and around Los Angeles.
Dave VE3W1, suggested an interesting idea as related to keeping phones charged in a power outage. He advised that he was able to get a good deal on the solar chargers used a prizes at last years Christmas Brunch. His suggestion was to make a bulk purchase for members with an interest in having a solar phone charger.
No formal arrangements have been made to make such a purchase at this time. I am floating this idea to judge interest. If you like the idea and would like to participate in a group purchase let me know and I will pass that information over to Dave. I currently have a solar phone charger but could always use another so I'll put myself as first on the list.
During my recent presentation with regard to expanding Emergency Communications capabilities using Community Mesh-Networks, I touched only briefly on the potential failure of the power grid. This is a large topic which can't be properly discussed during a brief presentation. I revisit it here because I feel it is very important all people, and especially to all radio operators.
I have spent considerable time researching the topic and am fairly familiar with the largest threats. Each time there is a major disruption to power important lessons are learned. However, most of those lessons are not well translated for the benefit of everyone who relies on grid power to maintain a our lives. The video I'm sharing does an excellent job of breaking down the issues and threats to the power grid. It is 15:44 minutes long and worth every minute to watch.
I hope you will take the time to watch and then join me to begin and maintain an open and ongoing discussion about
how best to have reliable power for more than just radio operations. For me backup power is tied to many other issues and so touches virtually every aspect of our lives. When we talk about power, we need to talk about everything. It's a big subject we should not ignore. Here is the link to the video.
