Thu 01 Apr 2010 |
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Written by Loyd C. Headrick
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 On Thursday, March 25, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC) at ARC National Headquarters in Washington, DC. The MoU, which replaces an earlier Statement of Understanding that expired in 2007, provides a "broad framework for cooperation" between the ARRL and the ARC "in preparing for and responding to disaster relief situations at all levels in rendering assistance and service to victims of disaster, as well as other services for which cooperation may be mutually beneficial."
The ARRL Board of Directors approved the signing of the MoU at its January 2010 meeting following the completion of negotiations. The Red Cross requires the completion of a criminal background check to participate in Red Cross activities and provides a process by which a volunteer may have a criminal background check performed at no cost to the volunteer. In the case of ARRL volunteers, the Red Cross has agreed to accept an alternative process: ARRL volunteers may arrange, at their own initiative and expense, to have the criminal background check performed by a state or local law enforcement agency.
The Red Cross also has agreed that ARRL volunteers shall not be asked or required to consent to credit checks, mode of living investigations or investigative consumer reports in order to provide a communications function.
The ARRL and the Red Cross encourage interested volunteers in their respective organizations to become members and to participate in the activities of the other organization. ARRL volunteers should be aware that if they wish to become Red Cross volunteers, they may be required to consent to additional background checks in accordance with Red Cross policy that may include credit checks, mode of living investigations or investigative consumer reports.
Per the MoU, "both ARRL volunteers and ARC workers will work cooperatively at the scene of a disaster and in the disaster recovery, within the scope of their respective roles and duties as recommended." During a Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation (DRO) and depending on their training and qualifications, ARRL volunteers may perform in one or more of several roles, including Amateur Radio Liaison, Communication Equipment Operator, Communication Equipment Installation/Repair and Disaster Assessment. ARRL volunteers who are assigned roles by the Red Cross during a DRO will be provided with Red Cross credentials as required by the role, consistent with Red Cross policy.
"Because of the importance of emergency communications, we are happy to be able to continue the League's long-standing relationship with the American Red Cross," said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. "The ARC and other served agencies give Amateur Radio operators the worthwhile missions in our communities that allow us to thank America for the privilege of being hams." |
Fri 19 Mar 2010 |
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Written by By H. Ward Silver, N0AX ARRL Contributing Editor n0ax@arrl.org
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Even though you might be an inveterate tinkerer and builder, it's occasionally a good idea to put down those hot irons, sweep off the workbench and turn off the test equipment. This quiz is for you!
1) An Arduino is a type of ________________.
a. transistor array
b. microprocessor prototyping system
c. coax connector
d. Italian vacuum tube
2) Which is most likely to have a "bat handle?"
a. soldering iron
b. rack-mount enclosure
c. toggle switch
d. torque wrench
3) Which connector family is most closely associated with parallel data interfaces?
a. DB
b. USB
c. BNC
d. Centronics
4) What type of holes does a nibbling tool cut?
a. circles
b. squares
c. rectangles
d. irregular
5) What does DIP stand for?
a. Drill In Place
b. Dual Interconnection Pins
c. Dual In Line Package
d. Delta Insertion Point
6) What is the name for the solder composition with the lowest melting point?
a. Acid core
b. Eutectic
c. RoHS
d. Silver-bearing
7) A bipolar switching transistor's fully-saturated collector-to-emitter voltage is ___________.
a. 0.3 V or less
b. 0 V
c. 0.7 V
d. 5 V, +/- 10 percent
8) An op-amp's ability to change output voltage rapidly is called _____________.
a. beta
b. CMRR
c. slew rate
d. open-loop gain
9) What component is used to keep plate voltage out of an amplifier's output matching circuit?
a. Plate Choke
b. Neutralizing Capacitor
c. Bleeder Resistor
d. Blocking Capacitor
10) Which of these is a Germanium diode?
a. 1N28
b. 1N34A
c. 1N914
d. 1N4148
11) Which type of logic element's output is false when both inputs are true or both inputs are false?
a. NAND
b. NOR
c. XOR
d. D-type Flip-Flop
12) Winding parallel wires on a ferrite core is called _____________.
a. bifilar
b. trifilar
c. twisted-pair
d. scramble-wound
Bonus: An "orange drop" would be what type of component?
Answers
1. b -- www.arduino.cc
2. c -- Miniature toggle switches frequently have handles shaped like a baseball bat.
3. d -- Now mostly known as a "parallel port" connector, it was originally developed as a high-speed data interface by Centronics for its printers.
4. d -- A nibbling tool is used to cut irregularly-shaped holes in sheet metal in a series of small, rectangular bites.
5. c -- This is the most common package for through-hole components.
6. b -- Eutectic refers to the mix of metals that melts at the lowest temperature.
7. a -- The exact voltage depends on the circuit.
8. c -- Slew rate is measured in V/µsec.
9. d -- This component passes output RF, but not dc.
10. b -- Germanium is used for its special temperature coefficient and lower forward voltage drop.
11. c -- XOR stands for Exclusive-OR.
12. a -- Bifilar windings are used to balance multiple winding's electrical characteristics.
Bonus: Sprague's "orange drop" film capacitors have been around a long time. |
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Thu 01 Apr 2010 |
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Written by Loyd C. Headrick
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| The Alum Cave Bluffs Trail begins as a wooden bridge crossing Walker Camp Prong. [Photo courtesy of Scott Basford] |
On Sunday, March 28 -- a day with a lot of rain, wind, sleet and, fog -- John Oakberg, NK4N, of Sevierville, Tennessee, went out hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Mt LeConte. When he was about 1 mile up from Alum Cave Bluff, he came across Judy Potter, 57, of Atlanta who had broken her ankle while on the trail. Oakberg reached for his cell phone to call 911, but there was no coverage available. He then reached for his handheld transceiver and put out a call to any Amateur Radio operators who may be listening via some nearby VHF 2 meter repeaters.
Scott Wyrick, KD4CWB, of Seymour, Tennessee, told the ARRL that he was the first to respond to Oakberg's call. After he obtained the necessary information, Wyrick called the National Park Service dispatcher, requesting that they dispatch a rescue team. "John's signal was noisy into the machines, but two other stations -- Dean Webb, N4NLT, and Cleve Hayes, KB4UAL -- were able to copy him on the input frequencies," he told the ARRL. Wyrick lives in Sevier County, the same county where the National Park is located.
Webb, who was driving across Fort Loudoun Dam in Loudon County -- heard the emergency call calling for assistance on his mobile station on 146.940. "His signal was poor into the repeater and it was very scratchy," he told WATE, a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee. Webb and Hayes quickly set up a radio relay with Wyrick from John Oakberg on the mountain.
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| The Alum Cave Bluffs Trail is a 5.1 mile footpath that gradually ascends approximately 2600 feet to the summit of Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. [Photo courtesy of Scott Basford] |
Hayes -- who was at his home in Knox County for the relay -- told WATE that he "could relay what [John Oakberg] was saying to Scott, who was on the phone to the National Park Service to get the information that they wanted, such as height, weight, age and does she have any medical issues."
Wyrick told the ARRL that the rescue team was able to reach Potter after a few hours, around 2 PM. They carried her to safety several miles down the mountainside, reaching the staging area set up in the parking lot at the base of the mountain approximately three hours later. Paramedics treated her on the scene, but she refused transport via ambulance and left by private vehicle with her friends who took her to the Sevier County Medical Center for additional treatment. According to WATE, she is scheduled for surgery in Atlanta to pin and plate two broken bones in her left ankle.
"It hit a point where I was just in tears," Potter told WATE. "You can say you're going to be tough and get out of this, but you just get weary. And I think having somebody come an hour or two quicker and being able to get moving helped keep my spirits going. People all over the place that I don't even know helped me. Thank you!" -- Thanks to Scott Wyrick, KD4CWB, and WATE for the information |
This morning, the FCC held an Open Meeting to introduce its report Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) that will be delivered to Congress today. Calling it "an ambitious agenda for connecting all corners of the nation while transforming the economy and society with the communications network of the future -- robust, affordable Internet," the Commission found that nearly 100 million Americans lack broadband at home today and 14 million Americans do not have access to broadband.
"The National Broadband Plan is a 21st century roadmap to spur economic growth and investment, create jobs, educate our children, protect our citizens and engage in our democracy," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "It's an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues."
Perhaps as important as what the NBP contains is what it does not contain. "Scanning through its 376 pages, there is but one reference to broadband over power lines (BPL) -- and that is only a passing mention of its classification as an information service," said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "There is no mention of BPL as a means of implementing the Plan's goals for broadband deployment. In short, the FCC sees no role for BPL in providing broadband Internet connections to more consumers."
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