Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (C)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Apr 06 2018 01:50 pm
A SPRINGTIME 'HICCUP' FOR HRD LOGBOOK SOFTWARE
JIM/ANCHOR: The typical signs of spring don't include ham radio software
glitches, do they? Kevin Trotman, N5PRE, explains.
KEVIN: In some parts of the world, the vernal equinox, which signals
spring, is a sign of the expected: trees starting to bud, flowering bulbs
pushing through the soil, birds migrating north again to nest. There are
signs, too, of the unexpected: like a spring snowfall in the northeastern
U.S. or - how about a sudden - and thankfully temporary - crash of the
Ham Radio Deluxe logbook? Without warning, the logbook took a nosedive
at the time of the equinox, among the world's users of any Windows
operating system, and any HRD versions dating back as far as 5.x
Writing in the HRD online newsletter of March 21st, Mike Carper, WA9PIE
credits Mike, K7ZCZ, with solving the issue - and the mystery. Blame it,
at least partly, on the grey line, he says, and some mathematics gone
wild. During the equinox, the grey line is perpendicular to the equator.
The software coding that implements the calculations that draw the grey
line window in the HRD applications simply could not handle creating a
grey line in a nearly vertical orientation.
Hence the meltdown which, fortunately, only lasted about 45 minutes. The
good news is that spring is here in some parts of the world - and HRD
believes the problem has been resolved. Mike, WA9PIE, told Amateur Radio
Newsline it's not likely to recur again - and we needn't worry about the
equinox coming in September.
And, the next release of the software should take care of things. It will
have, he told us [quote] an "enormous number of fixes in it, as we blast
our way through the product backlog." [endquote]
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.
(HAM RADIO DELUXE)
**
INDIA'S LONGWAVE RADIO PROJECT IS MAKING TIME
JIM/ANCHOR: Shortwave radio, meet longwave radio! These transmissions
have a very specific purpose in India, as we learn from Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
ED's REPORT: Longwave radio, the name that describes AM frequencies below
540 kHz, is about to get a new job in India. Two towers are being planned
for somewhere in the country, to enable the transmission of Indian
Standard Time. The project comes out of an agreement with IFR Information
Dissemination Services Ltd., and the National Physical Laboratory, an
organisation responsible for the accuracy of timekeeping in India. IFR is
affiliated with a company in Germany known as EFR GmbH, which provides
similar services there.
This is a need especially critical in India for railway stations, phone
companies, and other users sensitive to time. According to a report in
the Hindu newspaper, these radiowaves remain reliable, even at times of
disasters, making them especially important in sending weather warnings,
or tsunami warnings.
Before the project goes ahead, and the towers go up, the company still
needs a number of permits from government entities once the tower
locations have been identified.
The National Physical Laboratory's director Dinesh Aswal told the Hindu
newspaper that longwave radio has a distinct advantage, because the
waves stay close to the ground, and are capable of going great distances -
even reaching submarines.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Ed Durrant, DD5LP.
**
YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN HAMS SPEAK UP FOR RADIO
JIM/ANCHOR: If you're young, licensed and living in South Africa, the
South African Radio League wants to hear from you. Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF,
tells us more.
JIM MEACHEN: The South African Radio League, which sponsors the Youth
Sprint for young hams, and is hosting this year's Youngsters on the Air
Summer Camp for IARU Region 1, has found yet another way to engage young
radio enthusiasts. SARL is asking young license-holders why they think
amateur radio is cool - and wants them to share their thoughts in message
lasting 60 seconds or less. SARL is asking the young hams to record a
voice note on WhatsApp, and send it to SARL, for broadcast on LM Radio.
The segment will be heard Saturdays on 702 kHz AM from Johannesburg.
Notes should be sent to 076 402 1464. For more details visit www dot
sarl dot org dot za
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF.
(SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE)
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