Subj : Handheld Tranceivers
To : Daryl Stout
From : Andy Ball
Date : Fri Dec 08 2000 02:14 pm
Hello Daryl!
DS> It depends on the time of day, and whether or not nets are run
> on it. On one of the repeaters in the Little Rock area, it has
> the capability of being linked up to several repeaters across
> the state.
That sounds interesting, I wonder how common that is.
DS> The transmit light would light up, but it wouldn't key the
> repeater. And yet, I knew the repeater did NOT have a sub-
> audible PL tone on it...plus, I WAS able to key the repeater
> with another HT.
Hmm, i wonder if perhaps the power amplifier failed in some way, you might
still have been radiating, but not enough to key up the repeater. Were you
able to test it's output with a power meter and dummy load?
DS> SKYWARN is an organization in the United States, that is
> composed of "storm spotters"...individuals trained by the
> National Weather Service, to provide "ground truth" to what the
> Doppler weather radar is showing. Most of the spotters are ham
> radio operators, and many communites have "weather nets"
> ...activated by the National Weather Service...when there is a
> threat of severe weather. Spotters usually report...
Sounds both interesting and worthwhile!
DS> 1) Tornadoes -- a violently rotating column of air in contact
> with the ground. Sometimes the tornado will not be "direct" from
> the ground to the sky...but it'll appear "separated". However,
> if there is a "debris cloud" on the ground, it is a tornado...
> even though the entire circulation isn't visible.
I was here in Illinois in 1998, and was shopping in Walmart in Mattoon when the
alarm went up. They had us all move to the centre of the store where they kept
clothes and other soft, relatively harmless items. The security men walked
around giving candy to the kiddies. The storm outside was pretty fierce, and
apparently the twister came fairly close by us.
We were kept there for quite a long time before it was deemed safe enough for
anyone leave. The sky outside was copper green and straw had blown in through
the doors. I would like to see a tornado, but not at the expense of anyone's
life or property.
DS> 2) Funnel Clouds -- same as above but NOT in contact with the
> ground. Some funnel clouds will stay "aloft", but others will
> become tornadoes. While Doppler Radar may show a tornadic
> circulation, the spotter will usually relay the report whether
> the circulation is aloft, or on the ground.
We keep an eye out for those when we're out driving, especially when a 'tornado
watch' has been announced. Am I right in thinking that these sometimes 'touch
down' and become tornados?
DS> 3) Wall Clouds -- a lowered, rain free cloud base, usually at
> the southwest corner of a severe thunderstorm, where the
> updrafts and downdrafts meet. This is usually the area where the
> tornado will form, especially if it begins to rotate. Next to
> the wall cloud is usually an area of large hail.
That's worth knowing! I remember one night when we had a tornado warning in
effect and one had touched down just North of Mattoon, hearing some amateurs
describing on 2m hail-stones the size of baseballs! My wife was actually quite
close to that one, with a van full of kids (not ours). Thankfully they got
home safely.
It certainly sounds as though SKYWARN offers meteorologists valuable additional
information.
DS> ...if you're just going after messages via a packet bulletin
> board system, all you need is black and white ASCII text.
Agreed, and monochrome systems tend to consume less power, especially important
in mobile and emergency applications.
DS> I have magmounts in the shack for 2 meters, 6 meters, and 440. I
> saw an ad in the Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) catalog for an
> HF antenna that you can mount on a window or a table, thereby
> not needing an "outside antenna". The only drawback was that it
> didn't cover 160, 80, or 75 meters...but, it covered the rest of
> the HF bands, and up to the 440 UHF frequencies. I think it runs
> around $100, but I'm not sure.
I ordered an AES catalog last night, it might help me choose an HT. This
compact HF antenna, does it use a pre-amplifier to compensate for its small
(and presumably less efficient) size? Or is it a window- mountable magnetic
loop antenna?!
Regards,
- Andy.
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