The first invitation is for the “Update on Red Cross Background Checks” webinar, to be held Tuesday, July 1, 2008 9:00PM - 10:00PM EDT

This webinar will permit participants to listen to the webinar over their computer speakers without the need to dial into a long distance teleconferencing center. Please go to the following URL for registration and operational instructions:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/839406365

The second invitation is to take advantage of an opportunity to learn about APRS from Bob Bruninga WB4APR, the developer of APRS, Automated Packet Reporting System, who has graciously offered to do a series of four webinars on various aspects of APRS.

The topics, dates and times are as follows:

APRS, it’s not what you think — Tuesday, July 8th from 8pm to 9pm EDT

APRS for your mobile — Tuesday, July 15th from 8pm to 9pm EDT

APRS for special events — Tuesday, July 22nd from 8pm to 9pm EDT

APRS for Satellites — Tuesday, July 29th from 8pm to 9pm EDT

These webinars will be available by VOIP and telephone. The VOIP should be audible over your computer speakers.

To sign up for any or all of these APRS webinars, go to: http://www.atldiv.org/training and click on the register button for each one you are interested in. Once you have registered, you should receive an email with the information to connect up with the webinar(s) for which you have registered.

It is anticipated that registration will fill up very quickly for these sessions and if you are interested, please sign up as soon as you are able to.

Robert Vallio, W6RGG
Director
ARRL Pacific Division
w6rgg@arrl.org

During Amateur Radio Week, radio enthusiasts put on demonstrations, give talks to community groups and take part in other activities to raise awareness about Amateur Radio. The week culminates with the annual preparedness exercise called “Field Day,” June 28 and 29. Field Day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio.

Beginning on Friday, June 27th, radio operators set up in local parks, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards, and get on the air using generators or battery power. Field Day was designed to test operators’ abilities to set up and operate portable stations under emergency conditions such as the loss of electricity, as well as being mobilsed for the present state-wide wildfires all over Northern California. “We want the community to know that in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist our local communities,” says Jim Latham, ARRL Section Manager for the East Bay. “Cell phones haven’t replaced ham radio, and we hope we can engage the public to demonstrate we can still provide an important communications service that others can’t.  Natural Disasters such as Katrina and Loma Prieta are reminders that we must always be prepared. At this very minute, northern Californians need only take another breath to be reminded of the hundreds of wildfires burning.  Amateur radio can be a lifeline when other means of communication are simply not possible.”

‘Hams’ in the East Bay regularly provide communications for events like The Grizzly Peak Century bike ride, or area Boy Scout hikes.  These events pass through areas where cell phone service is unavailable.  Having the extra coverage via ham radio has helped on numerous occasions with getting stranded or injured hikers and riders the assistance they need in a timely fashion.  Search and rescue teams are regularly trained by the sheriff’s auxillary.

Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for fun and the largest “on-air” operating event each year. During the weekend, radio operators try to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible. Last year, there were a record 2,331 Field Day entries submitted — 4% more than the previous record of 2,241 in 2004.

People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to get involved.  There are many aspects of the hobby to explore ranging from using shortwave frequencies to communicating with people around the planet, setting up wireless data networks, or even bouncing signals off the moon.

Today there are more than 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. To find out more about Amateur Radio or how you can get started, contact Jim Latham at (925) 447-6136, or via email: af6aq@arrl.org. Information is also available from the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111 or by calling 1-800-32-NEW HAM. The URL for the ARRL’s home page on the World Wide Web is www.arrl.org.

Check out the Field Day Station Locator by entering an address or zip code to find a Field Day operation near you.

ATTENTION SCOUTS — Boy Scouts who visit will be able to talk on the radios and thus meet the following requirements for both Emergency Preparedness and Radio Merit Badges. No advance registration is required. There is no cost to participate. Visitors are urged to ‘be prepared’ and bring whatever they will need including food and water.

Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge

[ ] 7. Take part in an emergency service project, either a real one or a practice drill, with a Scouting unit or a community agency.

Radio Merit Badge

[ ] 7a (2) Carry on a 10-minute real or simulated ham radio contact using voice or Morse code; use proper call signs, Q signals, and abbreviations. … Properly log the real or simulated ham radio contact and record the signal report.

[ ] 8 Visit a radio installation approved in advance by your counselor (ham radio station, broadcast station, or public service communications center, for example). Discuss what types of equipment you saw in use, how it was used, what types of licenses required to operate and maintain the equipment, and the purpose of the station.

This June, starting at 11AM on Friday the 27th, running until 11AM on Sunday the 29th, the Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club will be setting up and operating from Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek (map). The public is invited to come down and witness radio communications, similar to what would be necessary after a wide scale disaster. Experience the thrill of speaking on the radio with someone across the country, using nothing but the air around you.

This will be a great opportunity to bring Amateur Radio into the public eye, as Heather Farm Park is a fairly public place, with regular events occurring on weekends.  MDARC will be operating a total of 6 stations, on the following frequencies:

160M / 15M

80M / 10M

40M

20M

VHF / UHF (50 MHz, 144 MHz, 440 MHz)

GOTA (Get On The Air)

View the event flyer here.

For more information, contact MDARC President Jason Legate at mdarc@proxime.net.

Would you enjoy a hobby that will last a lifetime? A hobby that will expand your horizons and challenge your intellect, one that will help you build lasting friendships at home and even around the world? Are you looking for ways to become involved in worthwhile community service? Then we have something unique and exciting to offer.

WELCOME TO THE SBARA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB!

Amateur Radio is a challenging high-tech hobby offering service to the community, life-long opportunities for learning and the excitement of communicating with other Amateur Radio operators around the world. Amateur radio operators today can explore many different communications modes, including all the more familiar methods of voice, computer and Morse communication as well as more exotic techniques involving Amateur Radio television, ISS, and earth-satellite communications.

The South Bay Amateur Radio Club, founded in 1974, is a general interest radio club within the greater Fremont area, the club’s members also come from many other areas in and around the Tri-City and throughout the Bay area. SBARA is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League, the national association of Amateur Radio operators. Our Club meeting is held on the second Friday of every month at 7:30 PM at Hurricane Electric on 760 Mission Court in Fremont . Anyone with an interest in Amateur Radio is welcome to attend!

The National amateur radio event, Field Day where “ham radio” operators hone their emergency communication skills is on June 28th and June 29th. SBARA will be set-up at Fremont ’s Central Park at the corner of Paseo Padre and Sailway Drive .

For more information on the South Bay Amateur Radio Club - SBARA, or on Amateur Radio in general please contact:

Steve Wilson, KA6S, President
South Bay Amateur Radio Association - SBARA
Ka6s@arrl.net
www.sbara.org

Included with this document is SBARA’s Field Day Press Release in PDF format. Please feel free to stop by our Field Day site at Central Park and we will be happy to show you this exciting hobby in operation - you can even operate our stations!

California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger applauds Amateur Radio and 2008 Field day declaring Ham radio a reliable means of emergency communication in his letter. Details can be found by selecting this URL or Link: http://www.eastbaysectionarrl.org/wpcontent/uploads/2008/06/fd_letter_governor_schwarzenegger.pdf

William Artelt, WB9YVM,
ARRL East Bay Public Information Officer
South Bay Amateur Radio Association - SBARA
hamradio@comcast.net

Editor’s note: SBARA is also raffling an Elecraft K-3 on Field Day! You need not be present to win. The drawing is Saturday evening at 6pm PDT (0100 UTC 29 June 2008). If someone in another club wins, I wonder if they can pick it up and use it for the remainder of Field Day? (hi hi - K6JEB)

American Radio Relay League’s Field Day

Greetings to everyone participating in your annual Field Day.

Amateur radio operators play an important role in times of emergency, and I applaud all those who have worked hard to home their skills. In addition to being an enriching hobby, amateur radio is an important tool for relaying information when disasters strike. I am certain this event will be a great opportunity to have fun, prepare for the future and display your impressive ability to connect the world.

Please accept my gratitude for your service and best wishes for your continued success.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

It’s not too late to contact your local leaders and representatives. This includes those running for offices in your area. Thank you all for getting the signatures in by my requested deadline!

73,
Jack, K6JEB

Michael Chen, BD5RV, reports in a post on qrz.com:

“that a group of radio amateurs is now transmitting from Wenchuan, the center of quake. Its signal is reported to be very weak. They tried to keep communication with BY8AA in Chengdu, seeking for all resources needed. During a contact finished a few minutes ago, they were asking for raincoats, water, tents, and outdoor living facilities.”

Michael also asked that this request be forwarded as widely as possible.

Parise flew as a payload specialist on two space shuttle missions: STS-35 on Columbia in December 1990 and STS-67 on the Endeavour in March 1995. These two missions, ASTRO-1 and ASTRO-2 respectively, carried out ultraviolet and x-ray astronomical observations, logging more than 614 hours and 10.6 million miles in space.

Parise was one of the first astronomers to operate a telescope from space, making hundreds of observations during the mission. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO, said Parise’s personal contributions to these two missions provided scientists with “an unprecedented view of our universe, expanding our understanding of the birth, life and death of stars and galaxies.”

First licensed when he was 11, Parise kept Amateur Radio at the forefront of everything he did, including his operations from space. During his two shuttle flights, he spoke with hundreds of hams on the ground. He was instrumental in guiding the development of a simple ham radio system that could be used in multiple configurations on the space shuttle; as a result, his first flight on Columbia ushered in what Bauer called the “frequent flyer era” of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) payload.

Parise was the first ham in space to operate packet radio. “His flight pioneered the telebridge ground station concept to enable more schools to talk to shuttle crew members despite time and orbit constraints,” Bauer said. “In his two shuttle flights, he inspired countless students to seek technical careers and he created memories at the schools and communities that will never be forgotten. Ron was also the ultimate ham radio operator — in space and on the ground.”

Bauer said that Parise’s love for Amateur Radio and his love of inspiring students continued well beyond his two shuttle flights: “During the formation of the ARISS program, Ron was a tremendous resource to the newly forming international team. I know of many instances where Ron’s wisdom and sage advice was instrumental in helping our international team resolve issues when we reached critical technical or political roadblocks. He was a key volunteer in the development of the ham radio hardware systems that are now on-board ISS. The ARISS team is deeply indebted to WA4SIR for his leadership, technical advice and tremendous vision.”

Parise worked hand-in-hand with the students at the US Naval Academy and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on the development of their student satellites. He helped develop Radio Jove, a student educational project to listen to the radio signals emanating from Jupiter. Parise spoke at numerous schools over the years, inspiring students to pursue careers in science, math and technology.

“Ron Parise was–and continues to be–an inspiration to countless students, ham radio operators, and friends the world over. His accomplishments were many, including space explorer, pioneer, astrophysicist, pilot, ham radio operator, avionics and software expert, inspirational speaker and motivator, student satellite mentor, husband, father and friend. While he certainly did some truly extraordinary things in his lifetime, Ron Parise is best known and cherished for keeping family and friends first, and for this, we will miss him most,” Bauer said.

In an effort to continue Parise’s work to inspire the next generation, his family has set up a scholarship fund in Parise’s honor for students pursuing technical degrees at Youngtown State University, Parise’s alma mater. In lieu of flowers, those interested are welcome to send donations to:

The Dr Ronald A. Parise Scholarship Fund
Youngstown State University
One University Plaza
Youngstown, OH 44555

Paul was first licensed in January 1963, WN6DHH He was a life member of the ARRL and was elected Section Communications Manager for the East Bay Section of the ARRL in 1969. He was an active member of the Mt. Diablo Radio Club for nearly 40 years where he served as an instructor and volunteer examiner, as well as assisting with the operation of the W6CX repeater and Pacificon.

Paul loved the Morse code.

Paul’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 10th at 1:00 pm at East Bay Fellowship in the UTurn auditorium (youth building), 2615 Camino Tassajara, Danville , CA 94506 (map) . The church phone number is (925) 736-5100.

If you wish, in lieu of sending flowers, gifts to the American Cancer Society in Paul’s memory would be appreciated.

Paul’s ashes will be spread in the Pacific Ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge and in the Sea Otter Sound, Alaska

Jack Cooper, KG6LV
ARRL Pacific Division Assistant Director

Here are some photos from that event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11636522@N06/sets/72157604898725177
After going to the link, click on “Slide show” in upper right of screen. Then click on large arrows on right or left of photo to navigate.

Pete Harris
KE6ZIW