Proposed cuts in the federal budget which will affect Amateur Radio

[WA3MJY]

Is there any truth in the article on page 28 of the April issue of CQ magazine regarding cuts in the federal (FCC) budget affecting amateur radio service in the contiguous 48 states? This artical states that "radio amateurs holding licenses in the contiguous states will only be permitted to operate their stations in the 160 - 6 meter bands on even or odd days of the month, depending on the numeral in their call sign."

If this is true I believ they will have one hell of a time enforcing it. 

[KL7OF]

April fools was day before yesterday

[K1JJ]

The April issue?

Back in April, 1965? there was an article in QST about using invisible paint for towers and antennas. Being a 13 year old novice, I started calling the local paint stores looking for some. I figgered it was a great way to hide a tower in the backyard.  The paint store guys thought I was pulling a gag, but I was dead serious...  

T




Here's someone's comment on the internet Tower Reflector:

"Don't laugh about invisible paint!  The April, 1966 (maybe '65) issue
of QST ran an article about such material.  The pigment absorbed visible
spectrum and reflected infrared; that way birds wouldn't fly into it
(they're sensitive to IR, according to April QST.)  Towers would become
invisible and the human eye would fill in the background; proof included in
article.

     How do I see how far into the paint the brush is dipped?  April QST
says to float a circular piece of cork with a rectangular slot in the center
on top of the paint in the can.  You can see the brush dip below the cork
level.  Pretty slick!"

[WA3MJY]

This is no joke, just read the article in April 2011 CQ.

[KA0HCP]

Well it sounds better than the alternatives:

1. Cutting off the top 15% of each band
2. Pay-as-you-go for operating with voluntary record keeping and quarterly payment submissions.

b.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Yes, the Professor is always famous each April:
Professor Emil Heisseluft make his annual April appearance with his report that "Amateurs Licensed in the Contiguous 48 States Face Draconian On-Air Operating Restrictions."

[KF1Z]

This is no joke, just read the article in April 2011 CQ.

Come on...

You can't seriously believe that this is a real article....?

In the APRIL edition ?

Think about it.....

[KE5YTV]

There's one of these in every April issue 

[WQ9E]

CQ often provided the best April fools articles but QST had a nice one many years ago addressing the problem of feed line loss.  The article provided ideas for installing the final at the antenna proper and the lowest loss version had a final tank coil doing double duty as the antenna.

I am a little lower tech but I did briefly convince our daughter (a first grader) that the school had called earlier and classes were starting 45 minutes earlier during April.  About midway through her dash to get dressed I alerted her to the date.  When I got home from work I found a box addressed to me using suspicious printing.  It was ticking loudly and contained an old wind up travel alarm.  I am afraid her level of revenge may grow in future years.

[WA3MJY]

I guess I fell for this one, LOL...but thesedays you can never tell what those idiots in Washington are going to do

[Pete, WA2CWA]

The "Professor" has been around for years and generally comes down off his mountain in April to spout his great words of wisdom.

Last year the Professor enlightened us on “The Use of Invisibility Shields to Hide Entire Contest Station Antenna Farms.”
Note that this is not be confused with JJ's quest for invisible paint; invisibility shields are light years better.

[k4kyv]

Reminds me of the story about the scientist who was working on the ultimate solvent, that would dissolve anything. He abandoned the project after the obnoxious little kid asked what he was going to keep it in.


The feecee wouldn't limit our hours or operating frequencies.  They would just impose annual licensing fees.  Some countries already do that.

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2011/sa_licence_fee.htm

[W2PFY]

If you have not yet paid your licence for the three month period January to March 2011, please do so now. The charge is R6,75.

wow every three months. Look  like it's $120 a year over there. R there any other country's  that charges for a ham ticket?

 The misspelling of the word highlighted must be the proper way to spell it over there?

[K5UJ]

the current april QST has an article on using multiple tape measures for radials so you can vary your radial length and always know you have the exactly correct length by formula.  There's a photo of a dozen or more metal tape measures all with ends bolted to a radial plate.  I wonder how many morons will really go buy a bunch of tape measures and set it up.

[Ralph W3GL]

   Terry,

   There was a time when the SARand was valued more than the doller but
    these days the exchange rate is some where around R6.71 to USD1.00
    so no, the yearly fee ain't nowhere close to your figure...   More like a
    bit under $5.00/YR, US.  

    Perchance were you thinking of the "Krugerrand"?  A totally different
    item made of gold and listed as "KR" vs. "R" in country...

    As for the "tape measure" thing, you would be surprised at how many  
    might bite on it...

[KL7OF]

Not being in the lower 48, Alaskan hams can operate without restriction

[W2PFY]

Not being in the lower 48, Alaskan hams can operate without restriction

That's fine but living in the north pole where everything is south, how can you find your home?

[k4kyv]

Not being in the lower 48, Alaskan hams can operate without restriction

Hams in Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, US Virgin Islands and territories in the Pacific can operate phone on 7075-7100.  What purpose does that serve, now that broadcasting is (mostly) gone on 7.1-7.2?

If you have not yet paid your licence for the three month period January to March 2011, please do so now. The charge is R6,75.

The misspelling of the word highlighted must be the proper way to spell it over there?

That's not a misspelling. Licence is the noun form of the word. License is the verb form. Apparently it has become commonly acceptable in most circles to ignore the difference... Another example of the dumbing down of our language.

the current april QST has an article on using multiple tape measures for radials so you can vary your radial length and always know you have the exactly correct length by formula.  There's a photo of a dozen or more metal tape measures all with ends bolted to a radial plate.  I wonder how many morons will really go buy a bunch of tape measures and set it up.

I glanced at that article, but it didn't really sink in that it was an April Fool article. It just looked like another one of the hair-brained Hammy Hambone radial schemes I have seen in recent years.

[W2PFY]

Another example of the dumbing down of our language.

Well I'll be Dumbed Downed ifin I knuue der defereansie.

[KE6DF]

On another board (an investment board), a couple April 1st's ago, someone posted an ad for a wireless extension cord -- complete with an Internet link and ordering information.

It consisted of a part you plug into the wall with a small dish antenna on it. And then another part with another antenna you could put across the room and attach a lamp or whatever else you wanted to power.

I totally fell for it. And as the resident EE on this investment board I posted a long post about how such a thing couldn't work and couldn't be built and had to be bogus.

Then someone pointed out it was April 1.

Perhaps another radio regulation would be one where the "dashes" in CW could be no more than four times longer than the "dots". And CW users would be required to operate at 13 WPM or above. Excessively long dashes and slow CW are big wasters of energy and contribute to global warming.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

the current april QST has an article on using multiple tape measures for radials so you can vary your radial length and always know you have the exactly correct length by formula.  There's a photo of a dozen or more metal tape measures all with ends bolted to a radial plate.  I wonder how many morons will really go buy a bunch of tape measures and set it up.

Read, "A tape measure counterpoise" http://www.g4ilo.com/atx.html

There is also the tape measure beam design: http://theleggios.net/wb2hol/projects/rdf/tape_bm.htm
Mods to this design: http://vip.hyperusa.com/~dougs/Ham/tapemod.htm



The tape measure Dipole: http://www.n0ew.org/StrangeAntennas/tape.html

And, we have the magical slinky dipole:




And, there was a discussion here not too long ago, on the hose spouting water antenna.

Here's the phased array version:

[KD6VXI]

Careful now, SteppIR might be comin after them for patent violations!


--Shane
KD6VXI

[K2PG]

Yes, the Professor is always famous each April:
Professor Emil Heisseluft make his annual April appearance with his report that "Amateurs Licensed in the Contiguous 48 States Face Draconian On-Air Operating Restrictions."

The clue is in the professor's name. "Heisseluft" means "hot air" in German.

[K2PG]

That's not a misspelling. Licence is the noun form of the word. License is the verb form.

That's true...in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth. U.S. English uses license as both a noun and a verb. We Yanks have also dropped the "u" from words such as colour, favour, and savour. U.S. English also does not care for the double consonants in jewellery and travelling and the "s" in criticise, optimise, and minimise was changed to a "z". The only exception: circumcise and the related words incise and excise, which are spelled with an "s" in all English-speaking countries. Those words are derived from the Latin root cidere (to cut) and a form of that verb takes an "s"; hence the Latin-derived meanings "to cut around", "to cut into", or "to cut out". The British also spell Element 16 as sulphur. On this side of the pond, we write sulfur.

Despite national and regional variations in the language, there is some dumbing down of English and the worst offenders tend to be technical people. A prime example: the use of the verb install as a noun. You don't "do an install of the new software", you just install it. The noun is installation.

[Steve - K4HX]

Don't confuse changes in the language for dumbing down. The English language has always changed with word usage, spelling, new words, etc. None of us ever spoke or wrote like Shakespeare, even 50 years ago. Were we dumbed down then?