Trip to Clingman's Dome, discovering SOTA

The view from Clingman's Dome at sunset

I hope everyone had a happy Memorial Day weekend. It's good to take pause and remember that many brave men and women paid the ultimate price for all of us Americans to freely express ourselves and enjoy the lives we live day in and day out.

I decided to take the family up into the mountains and watch a sunset from Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Monday. We were supposed to go on Sunday but plans didn't work out (as they never do with me!). 

When we got I pulled out my trusty Wouxun 2m/220 radio and attempted to make some contacts on 6.52 simplex but, unlike 2 weeks ago when I went up to "the Dome", there was no one willing to talk. 

As I trekked up the steep path to the overlook I made a couple of quick QSOs with locals on a repeater, and stowed my radio for use from the observation tower. As we got to the base of the ramp leading up to the tower, I looked up and saw a rotatable dipole jutting out from the side of the dome. I quickly realized someone else on the tower had a ham ticket and was tearing it up on HF!

W3FF Buddipole

I got to the top and met up with Lynn, KJ4ERJ who was visiting from Florida. I asked about his operation and he told me he was working "SOTA", or "Summits on the Air". It was the first I've heard of such a program (even though I've been a ham for 18-1/2 years) but sounded very interesting.

I was offered a chance to operate but declined. I was having enough fun enjoying listening to the contacts coming in from New Mexico, New York, Florida, Arizona, and New Jersey on his Yaesu FT-817.

I tried simplex again and wasn't successful. I made a couple more repeater contacts and stayed long enough to realize that the sunset I had hoped to view was lost to the clouds off to the west.

Lynn and his son Paul, KJ4DXK were hammering out contact after contact on the rotatable dipole (set up for 20m meters) and I had to find out more about the antenna. I discovered it was a "buddipole" and watching it in action showed its value, as Paul and Lynn continued to rack up contact after contact on 2.5W, getting 5/9 reports from almost everyone.

KJ4ERJ working a contact on 20m

I tried to drum up a few contacts for them by sending a message to my Twitter account, but I forgot, I'm on TOP OF A MOUNTAIN, and cell phone coverage didn't exist. Unfortunately I couldn't raise anyone on the repeaters in order to spread the word about their operation. Talk about bad timing!

Summits on the Air (according to their web site) is "an award scheme for radio amateurs and shortwave listeners that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. SOTA has been carefully designed to make participation possible for everyone...There are awards for activators (those who ascend to the summits) and chasers." It sounds like something I need to investigate at some point. This may soon become another pet project!

The weather atop Clingman's Dome is some of the most hostile and unpredictable I've ever encountered. I've been up to the Dome numerous times, typically to stargaze after dark and on occasion to take my ham gear up and work some contacts, though it's typically on VHF. I've been up to watch meteor showers, join an astronomy party, and of course, enjoy the view. But you do need to dress warm for the trip. Memorial Day it was 95 degrees at my house, but when we got to the Dome, it was 60. And as the sun went behind the clouds to the west, the constant wind at the tower added a chill to the air that made us beat a hasty retreat back to the car.

One evening my wife and I ventured up to the Dome's parking area to watch a meteor shower, and it was one of the clearest views I've ever had of the stars. Then we go back a week later, and the weather in Knoxville is clear and dry, but high up on the mountain, when we arrived at Newfound Gap, just before getting onto the 7-mile road to the Dome, a thunderstorm brewed up from nowhere and made for a treacherous retreat from the mountain...back to a clear and dry Knoxville. More often than not, it's clear everywhere BUT the Dome, and when I arrive in the parking area, it's nothing but fog.

Still, going up to Clingman's Dome is well worth the trip. Whether it's to stargaze, enjoy the view, or work a few radio contacts, it's guaranteed to be an adventure.

The return of the vacuum tube

Peer inside an antique radio and you'll find what look like small light bulbs. They're actually vacuum tubes—the predecessors of the silicon transistor. Vacuum tubes went the way of the dinosaurs in the 1960s, but researchers have now brought them back to life, creating a nano-sized version that's faster and hardier than the transistor. It's even able to survive the harsh radiation of outer space.

Continue reading the article here.

Amber working contacts at W4S Special Event

I've created a monster...

Titanic 100th Special Event

Last year I was privileged to operate from W4S during the 99th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic. My daughter Amber (callsign pending) got a chance to operate and even earned herself a QSL card from our friend Jim, N4UHZ.

This weekend, the Titanic museums in Branson, MO and Pigeon Forge, TN will commemorate the 100th anniversary of this solemn occasion with a special radio event. W4S and W0S will be on the air this weekend to give hams the opportunity to contact the Titanic museums and receive commemorative QSLs for the contact.

I plan to be there in Pigeon Forge Saturday evening around dusk to operate one of the planned 4 stations. My family will be with me (I hope) and help operate. Everyone is welcome to attend and operate.

If you can't attend, be listening for us on the air. I plan to tweet my operating frequency so that everyone can at least try to make contact.

The frequencies planned are:

• 3.950 80 Meters
• 7.220 40 Meters
• 14.265 20 Meters
• 21.350 15 Meters
• 24.940 12 Meters
• 28.350 10 Meters

There will be CW but only during the overnight hours (I don't know why it's restricted).

Here are some other radio events planned to commemorate Titanic:

• Chatham Marconi Maritime Center - KM1CC - Thursday 8AM ET to Sunday 8PM ET
• Several operating from the UK
• Marconi Radio Club of Newfoundland - VX9MRC 507.77 kHz - 0001-0400 UTC 15 April.
• Wiregrass Amateur Radio Club - W4AVM - Friday to Monday
• EI100T 
• Titanic Historical Society - W1MGY -  1400Z - 2030Z from the 9th to the 15th
• Radio TV Museum - W3R - 8AM-8PM ET Saturday

If I find more I'll update this list this week. If you know of a special event please leave a comment.

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz: Google Doodle for a guy who rode a wave

Google's doodle honoring Hertz

Google put up an animated doodle of their logo honoring the 155th birthday of Heinrich Hertz. The animated logo doodle was posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Here's more from the LA Times:

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz -- who, like Van Gogh and Mozart, was a rare genius not fully appreciated during his lifetime -- is honored with a Google Doodle today, his 155th birthday. And perhaps the reason the German physicist wasn't valued for his work was that no one at that point was smart enough to do so.

Even Hertz didn't get it.

The German physicist, who was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves, did not realize at the time the broader implications of his work -- which laid the groundwork for the invention of the wireless telegraph, radio and TV.

"I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application," Hertz once wrote, according to Scotland's University of St. Andrews.

Hertz made his discoveries young -- he began exercising his smarts early and was beginning his groundbreaking work at age 28. But his life was short, likely depriving the world of a host of amazing efforts. 

Contemplating the accomplishments he did make is enough to give those with more average brains a headache.  

He was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves, and he established "beyond any doubt" that light and heat were electromagnetic radiations.

Read more here.

Above-Normal Number of Tornadoes Expected in 2012

State College, Pa. -- 21 February 2012 -- AccuWeather.com reports following a near-record number of tornadoes in 2011, an active severe weather season with above-normal tornadoes is expected in 2012.

There were 1,709 tornadoes in 2011, falling short of the record 1,817 tornadoes set in 2004. In comparison, the average number of tornadoes over the past decade is around 1,300.

Last year ranks as the fourth most deadly tornado year ever recorded in the United States.

Read more at the link in the headline or click here.

DASCCON-1 Severe Weather Workshop and Conference

Received the following email:

Greetings from the Dixie Alley Storm Chase Team,

On Saturday July 28th, 2012 at Union University in Jackson, TN... The Dixie Alley Storm Chase Team will be hosting DASCCON-1 Severe Weather Workshop and Conference. The main focus of this event will be educating the general public on how severe weather events impact our communities. There will be two Skywarn spotter training sessions along with a Storm Chaser Car Show, vendor product demonstrations, etc. We will also have two very well known keynote speakers that will share their experiences and insights about severe weather. Our speakers will be...

Chris Chittick (TornadoVideos.net)

Tim Samaras (Twistex)

We are expecting a very large turnout for DASCCON-1 this Summer in Jackson, TN... And we would like to offer you an opportunity to be a part of this year's event. Also, with the tragic news of the death of storm chaser Andy Gabrielson DASCCON-1 will be held in his honor as a tribute to his contributions to the storm chaser community. You will be able to find an event flyer and sponsor registration forms on our website at http://www.dascon-1.dixiechasers.net

Thank you,

Tim McNeill - The Dixie Alley Storm Chase Team

Morristown NWS to get a new radar technology

Several sources are reporting that the National Weather Service office in Morristown and Nashville are set to get new radar installations.

A tornadic vortex signature from the new
dual-polarization radar (credit NOAA)

The next generation of weather radar, called dual-polarization radar, is currently being installed in Nashville, and Morristown by the end of the month.

It's already installed in the Memphis facility and will be able to more accurately tell the meteorologists what type of weather is coming our way, and more importantly, if there's debris on the ground. It can tell the differences between rain, heavy rain, snow, and hail. More info on this new radar can be downloaded here.

A dual-polarization radar scan showing different
types of precipitation in one sweep (credit NOAA)

However, don't think it's a replacement for SKYWARN spotters. They'll still be in use to confirm what the radar is seeing and report from the "fringe areas" where the radar may not be able to determine what's going on because of the terrain (East Tennessee is in the mountains after all) or in the rare event that the radar gets knocked offline. I've been on the air calling a SKYWARN net when Morristown's radar got hit by lightning several years ago, knocking them offline. They were relying on ham radio operators to relay what was going on, as they tried to gauge the severe weather from radar stations in Huntsville, Nashville, and southwest Virginia, where the East Tennessee area was on the very fringe of their radar scans.

So, this is great news for the area I'm in (and it's being installed all across the country), but it's also a time to remember that, in the possible event of a catastrophic failure ham radio operators will still be around to report on the weather "when all else fails".

It pays to check your ground!

The last few months I've seen some strange things amiss at my house that are out of the ordinary. I lost some electronics to lightning in April. My computer, a couple of wifi routers, cable modems from my ISP, and possibly a couple of appliances in the kitchen all became victims of lightning. Not a direct hit, but, as I have had occur before, static from a nearby strike ran in and toasted the stuff.

I suspected I had an issue with my ground system, but wasn't sure the best way to deal with it. I talked with one ham on the radio about it and he said it was imperative that I check my grounding system. But things seemed fine with my electronics and as a precaution I began unplugging most of the sensitive electronics such as my TV, ham equipment, and cable equipment.

After my TV went out last month (due to what was eventually an unrelated issue) I called my friend Jason (KF4VDX) and he showed up the week before Christmas to check things out. My wiring in the house was fine and we changed out a breaker for the living room as it was needed anyway. Then we looked at the ground rod and discovered that the clamp to the rod was completely eroded and my ground rod and ground wire were BARELY touching!!!

The weather forecast called for thunderstorms the next day, and it was 10 o'clock at night when we discovered this, so the hardware stores were closed and I had no clamps here, so we ran to Walmart and looked for something...ANYTHING that would work in a fix. We settled on an automobile battery clamp and got the grounding issue settled. The next day I went to the hardware store and bought TWO ground clamps to ensure this would not happen again. Unfortunately with the rain (it was near constant the next several days) I couldn't get to it safely until the day after Christmas when I got back from a trip to the zoo with the family.

While I was at it, I took the wiring from my antenna and secured it to the electrical ground as well. Up until then I had it secured to a different ground rod. I was encouraged to put them on the same ground.

So life lesson learned. Sometimes, when I try to be a better ham, some of the most basic things are overlooked.

Happy New Year!

Despite the lousy economy I hope all my ham radio friends had a good 2011.

2011 started great as I went to the Morristown Hamfest on New Year's Day (a soggy, rainy New Year's) and purchased a Wouxun KG-UV2D and enjoyed it so much I got a 2nd one for Lauren at the Knoxville Hamfest the following June.

I had a scare in April as a tornado touched down about 1000 feet from my house. Lightning is also to blame for the loss of a couple of computers, wifi routers, and some appliances in the kitchen. Then I found out my grounding was bad! More on that in a couple of days...

My activity on the radio was significantly reduced, in part to the electrical stuff that occurred over the last few months. We moved our bedroom downstairs where the "radio room" was, so some of my operating hours were cut back. 10 meters has been active as the sunspots have picked up, and 10 is one of my favorite bands and when I miss a big band opening it's not something I relish.  Hopefully I'll be able to get on the air more as things get straightened out with the home stuff. We still need to put a new roof on the house and focus on the kids' schoolwork. 

Speaking of the kids, Lauren's not been on the radio except to occasionally check in to a net or two when she's awake. It's hard to coax her on. I tried to do that on our way home just yesterday, and she refused, because she was nervous. Understandable, but there's only one way to overcome it...

School comes first, so hopefully she can prioritize them and be able to do both.

As for Amber, she's still interested in getting her license, so we'll be working with her over the next few months.

As for my resolutions, well, I already said I wasn't going to make any more. I kept that one good and proper. If I resolve to do anything, it's to encourage Lauren to get on the air, so hopefully I can keep that one.

Here's to 2012! Let's hope it is a great one!

Amateur Radio balloon crosses the Atlantic

It's finally been done.

Several amateur radio groups, including one here in Knoxville I was a part of, have tried to send an amateur radio high-altitude balloon (ARHAB) across the Atlantic Ocean for several years, and now congratulations are in order to the California Near-Space Project (CNSP) and StratoFox for being able to accomplish what others have been unable to do. And they did it all the way from Silicon Valley, California!

After 2 1/2 days aloft, on what they're saying was a goal to only go trans-continental, K6RPT-11 splashed down in the Mediterranean Sea, 6223 miles from where it was launched in San Jose, CA. It crossed the southern tip of Spain some 109000 feet about the town of Chipiona, north of Cadiz at 0538Z on December 14.

Path of K6RPT-11 from APRS.FI (credit theRegister)

It began to lose altitude about 4 hours later some 50 miles north of the Algerian coastline, the last packet received being about 14k' above the water as it plummeted to its watery demise.

It may never be recovered, but the payload nearly doubled the distance record (set by Spirit of Knoxville IV in 2008) and exceeded the duration record by a few hours. SNOX IV held that record for over a year prior to being bested by a group from Cornell.

While on Spirit of Knoxville, we had one payload (the 4th) that made it about 95% of the way across the Atlantic, stopping some 300 miles from the southwest tip of Ireland. Unfortunately the balloon's helium lost its lift from solar heating as night fell, and a weather system caught up to the payload, which is believed to have weighed the balloon down with water-ice and sent it to its demise in the Atlantic just shy of its goal.

On a personal note I am somewhat disappointed we at Spirit of Knoxville never got to make that push for the final 300 miles, but as with some grassroots efforts, things happen and real life gets in the way of a small-time project with big-time dreams.

Nevertheless, I watched anxiously as word spread that this payload was closing in on Spain and beyond, and stayed up late to watch it happen in real time on APRS.FI. It was bittersweet, but I was happy to see it officially occur.

Spirit of Knoxville's 3360 mile flight proved that it could be done. Had we launched from the coast of North Carolina, or further north, it might have happened. But then again, it wouldn't have been the Spirit of Knoxville, then, would it? Then again, the Spirit of St. Louis didn't take off from St. Louis, did it?

In any case, I'm happy for the CNSP team and everyone who worked hard to accomplish one goal, only to see it turn into so much more. Perhaps a circumnavigation of the globe is now the next big frontier?