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Our most recent meeting was held on January 19th, where Jerry Begel, W9NPI, presented a talk on the "History of Telegraphy."
Abstract of the Talk:
This was a 30 to 45-minute powerpoint presentation covering the "History that we might have missed":
1. The 1790s through Morse, Hertz, Marconi, Fessenden's 1906 AM broadcast, and the "Relay" in ARRL
2. 1905 through the end of World War II, including Lawlessness, War, and the Three "Deaths" of Amateur Radio
3. Post-WW II to the Present, including Postwar Adaptations, The Red Menace, Sideband Wars, and "High Technology"
4. "The Singing Arc," unconventional RF transmission methods
The meeting before that was held on December 12, 2011:
Abstract of the talk, provided by the speaker, Lawrence W. Jones (W8LUJ):
This presentation is, in effect, somewhat of an autobiography. I will note my prewar high school interests and activities, and my being drafted into the army in early 1944, then my army basic training and radio training, including many, many hours of Morse code. I was then shipped to Europe, and was very fortunate to be assigned to a position in the Signal Corp. I will trace my experiences in Western Europe, through the end of the War, and then back to the U.S., back to college, earning my ham license, and my amateur radio activities.
W8UM joined in the November Sweepstakes Contest on November 19-20 and made 120 contacts! We were happy to meet multiple alumni of the University of Michigan, and spread the word that we were licensed in 1913 (which some operators didn't quite believe at first), which probably makes us one of the oldest stations on the air.
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Professor James W. Cutler (KF6RFX) presented a talk on "Amateur Radio and Nanosatellites at the University of Michigan". We also be held an officer election at the end of the meeting for the Secretary and Publicity positions. Abstract of the Talk: Students and faculty at the University of Michigan recently launched a satellite for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Radio Aurora eXplorer, or RAX as we call it, where ham radio communication is an integral part of the mission. RAX was developed in partnership with SRI International. RAX was designed to study large plasma formations in the ionosphere, the highest region of our atmosphere. These plasma instabilities are known to spawn magnetic field-aligned irregularities (FAI), or dense plasma clouds known to disrupt communication between Earth and orbiting spacecraft. To study FAI, the RAX mission will utilize a large incoherent scatter radar in Poker Flats, Alaska (known as PFISR). PFISR will transmit powerful radio signals into the plasma instabilities that will be scattered into space. During that time, the RAX spacecraft will be orbiting overhead and recording the scatter signals with an onboard receiver. These signal recordings will be processed by an onboard computer and transmitted back to our ground stations where scientists will analyze them. Ham radio was used for all primary command and control of the satellites. Hams in Hawaii for the first to receive RAX packets. Globally Hams relayed packets whenever RAX was overhead. In this talk, Professor Cutler discussed RAX, our use of amateur radio, and additional ham opportunities related to the missions. |
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On March 10, 2011, we heard a talk about Echolink that was presented by Patrick Seitzer, WA4DR. The presentation was designed to provide a broad introduction into another method of amateur radio communications. EchoLink is a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system that links radio amateurs by Internet using computers and local amateur radio repeaters. Such system has many uses and interesting features. It allows reliable worldwide connections to be made between radio amateurs, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio's communications capabilities. Our club member Dr. Seitzer WA4DSR explained the EchoLink system that connects the club's 2m repeater W8UM/R to the Internet. It can be accessed by both radio and computer. This has allowed remote users to easily communicate with local Ann Arbor amateur radio operators via W8UM/R and EchoLink. |
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On February 10, 2011, the W8UM Club meeting featured a report of the DX expedition to Ogasawara Island taken by Steve Culp (K8QKY) in March / April of 2010. |
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On January 13 and 27th, William Becher (AA8RW) presented a technical overview of the W8UM radio shack 2-meter, EchoLink, HF and satellite stations and how their components are interconnected and operated, all of which served as a beginning user's Primer on how to get started using each of the stations efficiently and safely. Also included were some considerations of why, when and how to employ the stations effectively to make successful QSOs. Slides from the presentations can be found here. |
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Communicate with other ham radio stations around the world using U-M's amateur radio station W8UM, obtain your own FCC Amateur Radio License, and get involved in an exciting hobby that you'll enjoy for a lifetime. Check out this flyer (pdf) describing our club. Also, be sure to get on our e-mail list, so you'll get announcements of upcoming meetings and events around the W8UM "shack". |
