You know that recurring nightmare you have where Clear Channel Communications runs out of radio stations to buy, so they Borg the NIST’s time and frequency standard station, WWV?
Word on the street is that the National Institute of Standards and Technology is close to signing a Lease Management Agreement with Clear Channel Communications, Inc. for its flagship Time and Frequency station WWV, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Clear Channel Radio’s consultants have demanded some changes to the sound of the station, which broadcasts time of day, standard frequency, and other information 24 hours per day, saying that the old format is "dull and predictable."
Additionally, WWV’s traditional modulation level of 50 percent for the steady tones, 50 percent for the BCD time code and 75 percent for the voice announcements was deemed "not loud enough." The station will reformulate itself as "The Tick."
WWV’s program director Hickory Zeitgeist says that the station has already added some snappy new announcements to the rotation, which can be heard by clicking the player below.
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SOURCE: LowNoise Records
You SKYWARN severe weather spotters will want to be sure to set your TIVOs for this one.
If you’re a fan of the TV game show Jeopardy!, you will want to watch on wednesday November 26th, for the debut of a new category: The National Weather Service. Jeopardy! producers worked with the staff in the Upton, NY, Weather Forecast Office to develop clues and answers. Jeopardy! also shot weather forecasting scenes there and collected radar and other images to be used in video clues.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will introduce a new category featuring this federal agency on Wednesday, November 26. Clue: Rain or shine. Answer: What is the National Weather Service?
SOURCE: Skip Voros, Milwaukee Area Skywarn Association Inc. (MASA)
If you have been a longtime reader of this blog, you will know that I have often extolled the virtues of streaming audio and video over the Internet. With the demise of public service programming and local content as features of local commercially licensed radio stations, there is no longer a reason to limit one’s listening to those stations.
The RIAA and the music recording industry that it represents has long attempted to maintain their stranglehold on the music that you hear. The reason is that they want to continue to easily manage their industry by managing your taste in music. Their business plan does not well serve the listening public, whose musical tastes are ignored in favor of the “We will tell YOU what you like” approach. The solution to that situation is for you to indulge your personal musical tastes by listening to the almost unlimited variety of choices available to you via streaming Internet audio.
OK, enough serious stuff for a while. Watch a live webcam of some puppies and enjoy life.
| UPDATE: Apparently the puppies have grown up and the cam is down. |
The results are in — and the Red Cross is out. At least to 95% of the 273 Amateur Radio operators who recently responded to a poll by James Weaver, K8JE, the ARRL Great Lakes Division Director. At issue is the American Red Cross’ requirement that hams be subjected to a background check including personal financial information and “manner of living” checks before they would be deemed suitable to volunteer their services to the Red Cross.
It is my opinion that the problem lies with the Red Cross apparently having too many paid staff members. It would seem that there are staffers who have too much free time between disasters who apparently felt that they needed to demonstrate to their employer their usefulness by creating new regulations. That sort of “make work” bureaucracy tends to create stupid rules, like this one.
It is certainly understandable that any organization would want to filter out the services of fleeing felons, sex offenders, and the like. But, financial information and “manner of living” checks ? To what good purpose, I ask?
Continue reading about Poll on Red Cross Background Checking
Is Amateur Radio of value to the citizens of the State of Michigan? I answer emphatically, yes.
The latest report from the ARRL’s Michigan Section Manager, Dale R. Williams, WA8EFK indicates that there have been many hours of volunteer time donated to the public by Michigan hams that may have gone un-noticed by that same public.
Michigan ARES/RACES programs reported 5,954 operator-hours for September, an in-kind contribution of $107,832 to the citizens of our state. The NTS team contributed 5,489 Operator-hours for a $99,406 in-kind contribution to our citizens.
SOURCE: ARRL Monthly Michigan Section News Summary
Continue reading about MI ARES/RACES: $207,238 in-Kind Contribution
You knew that this had to happen. It was just a matter of time. I was saying the other day that the world needed a ham radio themed music video. Or, maybe not.
The Ham Band is Andrew (G3WZZ/OZ1XJ/OZ5E), his wife Lissa and a group of Nashville session musicians. All the songs are about amateur radio and the booklet which comes with the "Seek You" CD tells the whole story of contests, DX-peditions, antennas, etc.
The Ham Band has just finished their new song/video which describes the whole process of building a modern amateur radio station and at the same time enables the listener/viewer to learn Morse code - yes all the letters and numbers are in there! The [full] video lasts about 20 minutes and there are 19 musicians playing in three different musical styles (French Musette, Viennese Waltz and German Oompah). The music changes key 24 times which means that this musical work may get into the Guinness Book of World Records!
In my three decades of broadcasting experience I learned many things. One of the most important lessons learned was that even the biggest stars are at the mercy of the technicians in the control room. If you don’t believe me — just watch what they did to this poor guy.
This marks the end of an era. The high cost of printing and the low cost of online publishing strikes again. One wonders how much money the ARRL would save by not publishing QST as a print magazine. I would certainly have a lot more usable shelf space. I first subscribed to QST in 1959.
In a joint statement, WorldRadio Publisher Armond Noble, N6WR, and CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, announced that WorldRadio magazine will no longer be published as a print magazine. According to the announcement, CQ Communications Inc has acquired WorldRadio and plans to continue it as an online publication on CQ’s Web site.
WorldRadio subscribers will have their subscriptions transferred to CQ magazine. Readers will be notified of details as plans are finalized.
SOURCE: ARRL and the ARRL Letter
Continue reading about WorldRadio to Cease Print Publication
It is time for a free commercial for the ARRL’s newest publication.
With digital technology becoming an integral part of Amateur Radio, hams interested in Emergency Communications now have a new tool to help them take advantage of emerging modes such as Packet Radio APRS, Winlink 2000, IRLP, EchoLink and WIRES-II, D-STAR, APCO25, HF sound card modes and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). The ARRL Digital Technology for Emergency Communications Course will introduce hams to all of the ways Amateur Radio operators are using digital technology as a valuable emergency communications tool.
Continue reading about ARRL To Offer Self-Study Course On Digital Technology For EmComms
My name is Bob, and I am a ham radio operator, freelance web developer and a retired commercial radio personality. It turns out that I also enjoy blogging...
