TARA NEWS - March, 1998 Page 10
ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO PRINT
...AND HAM RADIO TOO
Tnx: ARRL Letter
| Ham radio got some highly
visible ink March 5 in one of the nation's most prestigious newspapers--the New York
Times. The article, "Ham Radio, Version 2.0, for the Silicon Era," by John
Verity, appears in The Times' new "Circuits" section, on page G9. Among
those prominently mentioned in the article was AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President Keith
Baker, KB1SF, who's also pictured in his shack. Baker says photographer Chris Kasson
showed up at his Xenia, Ohio, home a few weeks ago and spent several hours snapping
pictures of his gear, his shack, his antennas, and him. Also quoted was ARRL Advertising
Manager Brad Thomas, KC1EX. ARRL Media Relations Manager Jennifer Gagne, N1TDY, worked
with Verity in developing the article. Verity's premise: "A new, digitally hip generation is sweeping into ham radio and virtually reinventing it from the inside out." He talks about how much of the hobby has become computer-oriented, reliant as much on "microchips and software" and links to the Internet as on the more traditional hardware associated with hams. The article focuses on some of the more futuristic types of amateur activities such as satellites, although the pending Phase 3D is not mentioned. The article included both the ARRL and AMSAT Web sites. Also mentioned were moonbounce, ATV, and SSTV. Even the Heathkit Virtual Museum (http://www.cyberventure.com/heath.html) got a plug. Baker says the article was great publicity for Amateur Radio and for AMSAT. "Mr. Verity and I spent a few hours on the telephone talking about the continuing magic of Amateur Radio and what AMSAT has done to spark new ways of telecommunication over the years," he said. Baker said Verity "was quite impressed with the ease with which we regularly communicate through our fleet of AMSAT satellites," and especially that hams can hit some satellites using an H-T. "If it sparks enough interest in just one youngster to become a ham, then it was well worth the effort!" Hams may raise their eyebrows when they come to the part where Verity cites 4000 W as "the legal maximum" for amateurs. Even though "it says so in the newspaper," the legal limit remains 1500 W PEP. Seeing the article sparked renewed interest for at least one inactive ham. Leonard Spear, WA1LBC, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Branford, Connecticut, called HQ to say he's now excited about getting back into ham radio, and especially finding out more about satellites and packet radio. Those who can't get a hard copy of The New York Times can view the article at http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/03/circuits/articles/05ham-radio.html. |
DSP-232 Update For those of you who http:/www.timewave.comhave purchased an AEA DSP-232, and are less than enthralled with owning one of these paperweights, here is the latest from Timewave. It sounds as if they are doing the best that can be done, and are going to ensure that the unit is a solid deliverable. The DSP-232 was on "Engineering Hold" at Timewave. Specifically, this means the DSP-232 was undergoing extensive firmware revisions to improve its operation and performance to Timewave standards. After analyzing the existing firmware, Timewave engineering determined it was necessary to make a major revision, rather than just patch a few bugs. This is a big project. The original source code is over 4 inches thick. The revised DSP-232 (and upgrade eproms for existing DSP-232s) will not be shipped until the revision is complete and thoroughly tested. The DSP-232 has new product status at Timewave. It is Timewave's policy not to announce the shipping date of new products until they are released for production. The DSP-232 project is a high priority project at Timewave. The hardware platform (Motorola 68340 and Analog Devices 2105) is sound. The DSP-232 will be an excellent modem when the firmware is complete. TIMEWAVE 2401 Pilot Knob Road E-mail: sales@timewave.com Check out Timewave's Homepage at: |