Ham radio operators provide serious public service

Alabama radio amateurs, part of the Limestone Amateur Radio Emergency Service, are part of the ears and voices that help protect residents during severe storms. Hams assist and provide communications during times of trouble and help prevent issues that cause trouble.

LARES works with the Limestone County Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service (SKYWARN) to provide real-time, severe weather data and communications in storm-damaged areas.

Operators set up at the EMA office and provide contact with a local network, which includes the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department, Athens Police, ambulance, fire departments and others. During severe weather ham operators typically know of warnings before they are issued to the general public.

LARES also has assisted many local organizations by providing communications during bike rides, fun runs, the annual Christmas Parade and other events.

Limestone Amateur Radio Emergency Services (LARES) - http://www.n4sev.org/

Ham radio satellite operation from Isle of Lewis

Camb-Hams will be operating on the amateur radio satellites using the call sign GS3PYE/P from the Isle of Lewis (IO68UL, EU-010) on April 26 to May 3, 2014

The Camb-Hams have been activating the Scottish Isles each year since 2008 and will be travelling to the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Outer Hebrides in 2014. Thirteen operators will be active on all bands and many modes from 4m to 80m, 2m & 70cm for Satellites and 2m & 23cm for EME.

The HF bands will be covered by five simultaneous stations, while the 6m & 4m stations will have a great take-off towards the UK and Europe from the island’s northern tip in IO68 square. 2m and 23cm EME will be available with a portable low-ERP Yagi system, mainly focussed on JT modes. 2m and 70cm will be available for portable satellite operations.

Contest operations will take place in the RSGB 70MHz UKAC on April 29.

The group will be active on the major social networks before, during and after the trip. You can check on progress or interact with the operators via their blog at dx.camb-hams.com or through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube [links below]. Previous trips have generated some great audio and video recordings of the GS3PYE/P signal from around the world.

Website -  http://dx.camb-hams.com/
Twitter - http://twitter.com/g3pye
Facebook - http://facebook.com/CambHams
YouTube - http://youtube.com/CambHams

New energy-efficient lights can wipe out radio

As we conserve energy by the use of compact fluorescents or LED (light emitting diodes), occasionally things go wrong, with these devices also radiating radio interference.

The old pear-shaped incandescent bulbs were very inefficient. However, some of their replacements do not meet emission standards and are the source of electromagnetic interference.

In the USA fluorescent lights in a Los Angeles office are causing problems for Verizon's Long-Term Evolution or LTE network.

Among the other cases being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission is one we told you of several months back, that of the lights in a Texas hair salon getting into the mobile phone network.

In Australia, complaints about TV reception have come to Australian Communications and Media Authority which has traced the problem to some LED lights.

In England and elsewhere too there have TV interference complaints, even spreading to set-top boxes and cable TV.