<![CDATA[The Comm Room - Radio blogs]]>Sun, 31 May 2026 22:00:22 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[I survived Field Day]]>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 14:06:19 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/i-survived-field-dayI spent most of Field Day down at the club station, taking advantage of the Air Conditioning!  It was hot outside!

However, on Sunday morning, I made a few last minute contacts, and then went to sleep so I could to work Sunday night.  I think my total score was 12 points.

However, I have acquired two new QSL cards in the mail!  I still get excited when I get them.
Now I keep checking the mail for new cards.
]]><![CDATA[AZ SkyWarn Frequency Change]]>Sat, 09 Jun 2018 17:41:57 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/az-skywarn-frequency-changeHello Spotters,

This message is geared toward those who are Amateur Radio operators ("Hams"). There has been a change to the Sector 2 (Maricopa County and northwest Pinal County) Skywarn repeater. The new permanent frequency is 442.550 MHz with PL tone of 100. This will also apply to the weekly routine Net. Please update your records.

If you have any Ham specific questions, please contact Ken Waters - N4PBY at ken.waters@noaa.gov

Austin Jamison
NWS Phoenix]]><![CDATA[That was fun...]]>Wed, 30 May 2018 20:56:06 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/that-was-funBetween getting back on HF, and work/family stuff, I had not looked at my webpage in a while.  Quite a while, it turns out.

And neither had anyone else.  The DNS record for the site was broken, and was prompting routing errors.

So, that's finally resolved, the site is presenting again, and hopefully all is well.

Now, if I could just do something about the clickbait emails I keep getting from "people" wanting me to include their resources on my site.  Maybe it's time to think about doing that, to some degree,

Meanwhile, I need to work on my next antenna project. 20m is pretty much dead in my area right now.  Time to build a 40m antenna.

73, Dave
]]><![CDATA[There’s Still Time — But Not Much — to Make Plans for the ARRL National Convention and Banquet]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:29:34 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/theres-still-time-but-not-much-to-make-plans-for-the-arrl-national-convention-and-banquetTime is tight to order ARRL National Convention Banquet tickets and to make your plans to attend the Convention February 12-14, hosted by the popular Orlando HamCation®, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The banquet will take place on Saturday, February 13, at 6:30 PM, with ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, as the keynote speaker. Guests also will hear from the ARRL’s new President, Rick Roderick, K5UR. Master of Ceremonies will be ARRL Southeastern Division Director Doug Rehman, K4AC. Banquet tickets will be available until January 31. The ARRL cannot guarantee that any tickets will be available for sale during the convention...
More on ARRL Website
]]><![CDATA[ARRL releases new ARES & NTS Manuals]]>Thu, 21 May 2015 14:48:52 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/arrl-releases-new-ares-nts-manualsThis came across the ARRL - ARES twitter feed this morning
Those links are:

ARES Manual
NTS Manual
]]><![CDATA[100 Years of ARRL]]>Fri, 24 Jan 2014 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/100-years-of-arrl​This year, the American Radio Relay League celebrates it's 100th birthday.
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They're celebrating all year long. Here is a PDF document with information.

​What will the next 100 years bring us? Even smaller radios? More options in the palm of your hand?

Maybe now is the time for you to get your License, if you're not already a ham.  If you are a Ham, are you active?  Need a new radio?

HamUniverse.com wrote a neat little article about purchasing your first radio.  Here it is.
Tips for Choosing your First Radio for Your Ham Station and getting on the AIR! By N4UJW

Maybe join a ARRL Affiliated Club in your area, too. Become active in your community.

Become Radio Active in 2014!

​73, de N7FAN
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]]><![CDATA[ARES and CERT]]>Fri, 20 Dec 2013 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/ares-and-cert​One of the groups I belong to on LinkedIn.com has just finished up a long discussion on Community Emergency Response Teams and Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
I’m not sure if any agreement was reached, but the pontificating was fierce on both sides of the discussion.

And now, to toss some fuel onto the embers of the fire, the ARRL released their weekly newsletter, and advocated for ARES members to get involved in CERT!
​
New Year’s Resolution: Become a CERT Leader
]]><![CDATA[Training Standards]]>Sun, 10 Nov 2013 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/training-standardsOriginally published by CA State ACS office, Nov 4, 1996, as EMC Bulletin 052

Query: “Are there any training standards for communications units that serve government?”

​Response by Stan Harter, based on 45 years experience with volunteer communications units in support of government:
As to standards of training, I know of none. Each agency creates (or fails to create) their own. Since every government does everything different, there are very few “basics” when it comes to communication training, except for these:
  1. The proper radio calling procedure.
  2. Use plain English; no codes, no ham codes, no 10-codes, etc.
  3. Maximize tactical calls, minimize ham radio calls.

The standards of deportment, appearance, behavior, performance, minimum required training, etc. are generally policies estab- lished by the local government. If not, they should be; and if it’s worth doing right it’s worth writing it down.

​There are, however, related standards to learn, such as:
  1. The unwritten protocol and nuances of an agency. Since these are unwritten these are part of what the unit officers learn by working IN the agency in some on-going capacity.
  2. Applicable local or state laws, such as in California where the Standardized Emergency Management System takes effect 12/1/96. This involves five basics: ICS, Mutual Aid, MACS, OA and OASIS. See RACES Bulletin 418 dated 2/19/96.
  3. Thorough working understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS) and how it is used by your government. See RACES Bulletin 416 issued 2/5/96. Also see also EMCOM Bulletins 001-020.
  4. How the communications Mutual Aid system works in your area. Who is authorized to activate or call out the unit and under what circumstances. See RACES bulletin 414 dated 1/22/96.
  5. The mission statement of the local communications unit.
  6. California jurisdictions see RACES Bulletin 413 on the Operational Area (OA), issued 1/15/96 and 417 on OASIS, issued 2/12/96.
]]><![CDATA[Don't listen to him, he's not "an #SMEM expert!"]]>Sat, 09 Nov 2013 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/dont-listen-to-him-hes-not-an-smem-expertWhat does it take to be an expert in something?
​Is this a valid criticism?

Has SMEM become a marketing tool?  Too many people slap a #smem hashtag on stuff that really doesn’t belong.

What is SMEM? What should it be?

My thoughts are that SMEM should be used on messages that are directed to the target public.

Maybe use SM4EM for inter-office communications, or subject matter that doesn’t need to be directed to the general public.

Right now there is no standard hashtag being pushed for John Q Public to follow for information and updates.
]]><![CDATA[What are the desirable traits for a Volunteer?]]>Sat, 09 Nov 2013 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.n7fan.com/radio-blogs/what-are-the-desirable-traits-for-a-volunteerA management workshop, based on Harvard business school techniques, divided 110 people into eleven groups of ten people each. The groups were asked to list all of the attributes that came to mind. After a period of time they were told to stop writing lists and vote on their top eight. Then all eleven groups combined their results into the following top eight attributes:
  1. Reliability.
  2. Participation.
  3. Being a team player.
  4. Dedication and commitment.
  5. Ability to cooperate.
  6. Acceptance of responsibility.
  7. Support; speaks well of his/her organization before others.
  8. A success in his/her vocation.
   Those are the top eight that beat out all others. What others might you add? This can be a good discussion at any organizational meeting.
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