Date: Wed, 27 Oct 93 11:12:26 PDT From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu> Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Info-Hams Digest V93 #1274 To: Info-Hams Info-Hams Digest Wed, 27 Oct 93 Volume 93 : Issue 1274 Today's Topics: 'Vanity' calls. All Azden HT Owners BAUD VS BAUDS Casual DX'er needs help on direct QSL'ing (2 msgs) Full Duplex Kids' HT's Kenwood TS-50S Modifications List of CEPT countries? Looking For Oct. QST question Post-1989 map databases? Postal Rates, QSLs & Greenstamp -- cont questionable repeater operation Questions regarding CTCSS, DTMF ??? (2 msgs) TenTec Century 22 TRS Model 100 for RTTY/CW/Packet Was 'Vanity' Call Signs, now paying for call signs ZA1QA QSLs Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu> Send subscription requests to: <Info-Hams-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu> Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu. Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available (by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams". We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 27 Oct 93 11:07:25 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: 'Vanity' calls. To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Seems odd to me why anyone would be prepared to pay for these. I have always considered calls to be part of the 'protocol overhead' of ham radio; they are a tiresome burden we have to accept in order to stay legal. In reality, they tend to get in the way of 'real communication'. Maybe someday we will be able to transmit our calls on some subcarrier or other, complying with the legal requirement to ID, but without needing to interrupt the data-flow to do so? Pete Lucas pjml@swmis.nsw.ac.uk g6wbj@gb7sdn.gbr.eu Also available on Data, voice and video modes 50MHz and up. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 14:11:22 GMT From: pacbell.com!att-out!cbnewst!koles@ames.arpa Subject: All Azden HT Owners To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Attention all AZDEN AZ-11, AZ-61, & AZ-21A Owners....I recently purchased a AZ-11 10 meter FM HT. I am pleased with the radio except for one thing. When using the radio on high power, the receiver takes about 1 second to fully recover after transmit. When using a local repeater where the signal is immediately present upon dekeying the transmitter, the signal will fade back up to a full quieting signal. This peculiar symptom does NOT occur when the unit is used on low power. The battery was fully charged during use of the radio. This particular quirk is somewhat annoying when using carrier squelch as opposed to tone squelch. Incidently, Azden does have a factory issued fix to cure a rf feedback problem which shows up as a receiver oscillation or "Belch" after dekeying the PTT button. This fix was performed on my unit. I would appreciate any feedback from AZDEN HT users on what your impressions are about this quirk and how your unit performs. 73, Stephanie KD2RZ ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 1993 22:40:10 -0400 From: swrinde!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!hpuerca.atl.hp.com!hpuerca!edh@network.ucsd.edu Subject: BAUD VS BAUDS To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In <199310261649.JAA01502@ucsd.edu> AGRI098@UNLVM.UNL.EDU (Roy) writes: >IS THE TERM BAUD LIKE MOST PEOPLE USE OR IS IT BAUDS LIKE THE ARRL FOLKS >USE? >Roy Roy, when you ask, do you mean baud=baud for most and baud= subset of bps for others, or were you trying to say baud as in baudy or body ? Unh or did you mean the way LARC uses it instead of the way ARRL uses it ? Or is this a PC issue I missed while ready other threads? OBTW, according to the "Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering", a baud is a unit of signaling speed and refers to the number of times the state of the line changes per second. It is the reciprocal of the h - in seconds- of the shortest element in the signaling code. By contrast, a bit is the smallest unit of information in a binary system. Therefore, the baud rate is equal to the bit rate only if each signal element represents one bit of information. it continues: Unfortunately, in much of today's literature, the terms "baud" and "bits per second" are used synonymously. This is correct in cases where pure two-state signaling is used, but is incorrect in general. For this reason, the term "baud" is gradually being replaced by "bits per second", since the latter is independent of the coding method used and truly represents the information rate. What a great book! And it shows why some 12 years ago or so I completely switched to use of bps instead of baud. Of course, I earned my living as a technical writer back then :-) Or to pull from another comm book on my shelf: "Non-technical people seem to use baud when they really mean bits per second (or else don't know what they mean at all! Gee, I've been waiting _forever_ to post on this subject :-) Cheers & 73 Ed Humphries N5RCK Hewlett-Packard North American Response Center Atlanta GA - edh@hpuerca.atl.hp.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 20:31:10 GMT From: pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!peavax.mlo.dec.com!usenet@decwrl.dec.com Subject: Casual DX'er needs help on direct QSL'ing To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <POPOVICH.93Oct25154556@prince.cs.columbia.edu>, popovich@prince.cs.columbia.edu (Steve Popovich) writes: > Speaking of special callsigns, I worked a really weird-looking one > today. Can anybody tell me where it is? I assume that it is in > Yugoslavia somewhere, too, since their QSL instructions were via > YU1FW. The callsign was X5EBL. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 18:28:34 GMT From: world!slm@uunet.uu.net Subject: Casual DX'er needs help on direct QSL'ing To: info-hams@ucsd.edu popovich@prince.cs.columbia.edu (Steve Popovich) writes: >> According to the information on hand, the QSL route for 4O4D is >> via YU4FDE. It's possible that 4O4D IS YU4FDE just using a >> special callsign. >Speaking of special callsigns, I worked a really weird-looking one >today. Can anybody tell me where it is? I assume that it is in >Yugoslavia somewhere, too, since their QSL instructions were via >YU1FW. The callsign was X5EBL. Now, I haven't been able to find an >X5 prefix in any list that I know about. There's nothing wrong with >this guy, is there? Judging from the pileup that was on top of him, >nobody else knows where he's operating from, either (so everybody >wants to work him :-). A couple of the "X5" stations were identifying themselves as in the "Serbian Republic". I am deducing that these are stations in the Serbian-occupied part of Bosnia-Herzegovina which Serbian nationalists have declared a separate country; and they are either pirates, or more likely deciding to use their own prefix (either amongst themselves, or from some kind of local officials) to deliberately state to the world that they are no longer part of the nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. . As far as I've heard, that prefix was not properly assigned to anyone in Bosnia; nor is there any international body that recognizes the legal authority of Serbian nationalists to either govern or issue operating permission on any of the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The proper and legal prefix for B-H remains T9. If they are in Serbia proper, as far as I know X5 was never awarded properly to any part of Yugoslavia. Perhaps someone else has more information on this? 73, Sharon KC1YR -- electronic address: slm@world.std.com ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 16:36:11 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Full Duplex Kids' HT's To: info-hams@ucsd.edu i look at the catalog i have just received from Tiger Software. on Page 5 they offer the Sony ICB-1500 "My First Sony Walkie Talkie Set". Price is $49.90. Anyone know what's in these? They aren't the typical 49 MHz kids walkie talkies. the full duplex part is interesting. maybe something convertible to amateur radio use? bill wb9ivr ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 10:18:02 +1000 From: munnari.oz.au!bruce.cs.monash.edu.au!monu6!vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au!maramis@uunet.uu.net Subject: Kenwood TS-50S Modifications To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I need some information on modifications on the Kenwood TS-50 HF radio for extended coverage.. Jim Maramis email to -: maramis@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 1993 07:37:43 GMT From: munnari.oz.au!comp.vuw.ac.nz!newshost.wcc.govt.nz!ANDREWS_D%ix.wcc.govt.nz@network.ucsd.edu Subject: List of CEPT countries? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <jfhCFHLCA.EBG@netcom.com>, jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) writes: >Does anyone have a list of countries which honor CEPT licenses? Some non-European countries honor the licenses, but >I don't know which, and I'd like to.- >Jack Hamilton POB 281107 SF CA 94128 USA >jfh@netcom.com kd6ttl@w6pw.#nocal.ca.us.na Hi Jack! Good news is that New Zealand honours The CEPT Licenses. Also If you are a licesnsed Amateur, the Authorities here will allow you to operate a handheld rig on 2metres and above for (I think six weeks) without any fee or even applicatio as a visitor,. We would love to see you down here in the South Pacific!! Regards es 73 David Andrews ZL2SX Chairman Frequency Management Group NZART. ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 12:12:50 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Looking For To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I am looking for a Central Electronics Transmitter model 100V - hopefully in some sort of decent working order. thanks Art Hall (WB3EJA) ahall@umassmed.ummed.edu . -- Login name: ahall In real life: Art A. Hall Office: Biomedical, (508)8563758 Directory: /resh/ahall ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 93 15:48:36 EST From: swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!bgsuvax!uoft02.utoledo.edu!aschlie@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Oct. QST question To: info-hams@ucsd.edu After reading the article titled Schematics at your Fingertips in the OCT QST, i tried to d/l the picture lib. from the aRRL bbs. I have used my 14.2Kbaud modem for hundreds of applications in the past, but when I connected to the bbs at 14.2k and 9600, my transfer rate dropped down to 320 bytes/sec. The line was clear as the problem only occured when I tried to d/l. Rather than wasting more long dist. to the bbs, does anyone else have the following files mentioned in QST? Are they outthere for ftp?? If you respond, can you do so directly?? your site wipes the posts every 2 days and I have to call long dist to get in to my account, so I dial in twice a week. The files are: ANTSYS.PCX RC.PCX CIRCUITS.PCX TRANSLOG.PCX Thanks in advance, Tony +-----------------------------------------------+ |Tony Schliesser, N8XJA | |Internet: ASCHLIE@UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU | | AMPRNET: N8XJA@N8ACV.AMPR.ORG | +-----------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 16:17:57 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Post-1989 map databases? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I would like to update my database of coastline + political boundaries to reflect the changes that have occurred since about 1989 - mainly in Eurpoe. I already have the old CIA, WDB, etc. databases but they are now outdated (for example, the USSR is one big blob). I mainly want CIS boundaries. Does anyone out there know where I might find the data that I'm looking for? Mike Owen W9IP ************************************************************************ Michael R. Owen, Ph.D. a.k.a.: W9IP Department of Geology Northern Lights Software St. Lawrence University Star Route, Box 60 Canton, NY 13617 Canton, NY 13617 (315) 379-5975 - voice - (315) 379-0161 (6-9pm) e-mail: MOWE@SLUMUS FAX - (315) 379-5804 ************************************************************************ ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 14:06:54 GMT From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu Subject: Postal Rates, QSLs & Greenstamp -- cont To: info-hams@ucsd.edu First I would like to thank everyone that has sent information to me already. What started out as what I though to be a useful exercise has now become a very interesting problem. As with any interesting problems I need more data :-). To make the table useful to everyone I will need to know the rates for airmail for different zones (i.e. same continent vs. different continent). As an example Japan has three zones; the first for Asia the second for NA and the third for Eu. The rates for each zone are different. The next item is what will your postal system exchange for one IRC? Is it enough for airmail postage to anywhere in the world? The last item is how many QSLs can you mail for one unit of postage. The US's unit of postage is 1 oz which is good for several QSL cards (I will go to the post office today and check). This would be useful if you have several different cards going to the same manager. Once again thanks for all your input and I hope to have the information compiled by next week. 73 -- marty -- nr3z skitch@nadc.navy.mil ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 1993 15:09:43 GMT From: nothing.ucsd.edu!brian@network.ucsd.edu Subject: questionable repeater operation To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Are you sure there's no receiver? If you were to tune across one of the repeaters I built a while back, you'd probably assume there's no receiver either, because the system is DPL'ed. That means that you need a CDCSS encoder, not CTSS/PL to access it. DPL is real common in surplus commercial radios, but I've never seen it available in a ham-band-only radio. - Brian ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 03:09:59 GMT From: ogicse!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!cs.utexas.edu!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Questions regarding CTCSS, DTMF ??? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu >>What is DTMS squelch and DTMF paging? > >DTMF stands for Dual Tone Multi Access, the ordinary telephone >touchtones, or TT, that are used for dialing a number. DTMF is Dual Tone Multiple Frequency. Kris, AA5UO ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 15:50:30 GMT From: spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!emory!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary@decwrl.dec.com Subject: Questions regarding CTCSS, DTMF ??? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <millerpe.2.00100588@spot.colorado.edu> millerpe@spot.colorado.edu (Peter M. Miller) writes: > >I am new to Ham Radio and I am looking to buy my first HT. I am coming across >many terms with which I am not familiar. > >What is CTCSS? I see ads saying the unit has CTCSS encode/decode options. CTCSS is the generic term for Continous Tone Coded Squelch System. This is a "subaudible" tone mechanism for controlling receiver squelch. The tones aren't really subaudible, being in the 50-150 Hz range, but most rigs have a low frequency response limit around 300 Hz, and some have specific filters to remove the tone from the output. Anyway, the presence of the proper tone on an incoming signal is detected by the CTCSS decoder and your receiver squelch is opened. The reason that this is preferred to ordinary carrier presence detection as squelch control is that the tone identifies the signal as a desired signal as opposed to channel crud. This is really important in metro areas where intermod can generate tons of crud in your receiver that prevent the carrier squelch from operating correctly. Many repeater systems require a CTCSS tone be present in order to access the repeater. And many repeaters also output a tone to make monitoring less painful. So encode and decode capability in a radio are very useful. Motorola calls the system by the trade name Private Line or PL, and GE called their system Channel Guard, or CG, but they're all the same thing. >What is DTMS squelch and DTMF paging? DTMF stands for Dual Tone Multi Access, the ordinary telephone touchtones, or TT, that are used for dialing a number. Nearly all amateur HTs have a TT pad and a few also have a TT decoder that will open the squelch on reception of a 3 digit TT sequence. This is DTMF paging. Also, most repeaters respond to TT commands for access to special features such as an autopatch interface to the telephone network. >What are the advantages/disadvantages to these options as I consider an HT? You will want CTCSS encode/decode capability for repeater access in many areas, and you'll want a TT pad to allow control of repeater functions. DTMF paging is less useful. Many repeaters automatically mute their output audio while receiving TT so paging through a repeater usually doesn't work. Paging via simplex should work, but it's an unusual way of operating. >Right now I seem to like the Kenwood TH-78A. Any other recommendations? I'll bite my tongue and avoid my usual anti-Kenwood tirade. :-) My preference is for the Yaseu HTs, particularly the FT-470, but Alinco, Icom, and Standard all have desirable units. Some of the characteristics you want to give high precedence are ruggedness, the Icom G series is champ but some of the others are good, battery life, the Yaesu save function is the most flexible, freedom from intermod, none really offer this but some are definitely better than others, a user friendly interface, the FT-470 really shines here, and a reasonable price, the Alinco is champ of the bottom dollar contest. The TH-78 doesn't win in any of these comparisons. Gary -- Gary Coffman KE4ZV |"If 10% is good enough | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary Destructive Testing Systems | for Jesus, it's good | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary 534 Shannon Way | enough for Uncle Sam."| emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary Lawrenceville, GA 30244 | -Ray Stevens | ------------------------------ Date: 26 Oct 93 15:22:36 GMT From: auratek!epacyna@uunet.uu.net Subject: TenTec Century 22 To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I have found them to be quite commonly available. Was at at flea market 2 weeks ago and saw 3 for sale. Asking prices were in the $110 to $175 range depending on accessories. Ed W1AAZ ------------------------------ Date: 27 Oct 93 18:00:12 GMT From: news.crd.ge.com!NewsWatcher!user@uunet.uu.net Subject: TRS Model 100 for RTTY/CW/Packet To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <CFK9w0.9t9@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, mam@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (mark.a.mccuistion) wrote: > > Has anyone used a TRS Model 100 to interpret radio signals like > RTTY, CW or Packet? > > Specifically, it occured to us that the Cassette port could decode > and encode digitial signals at the low baud rates typical of RTTY > or packet that we could plug the rig directly in withOUT a TNC. > > Love to hear any suggestions or success stories. > > --Mark KB2els I'm just getting into HAM and also would like to hear abything about his. I have a friend who is into this sort of thing BIG time (extra class HAM, several base, mobile, and had rigs). I'll ask him for some pointers. BTW: He works at Radio Shack. He sold me the Model 100! Scott ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 17:23:31 GMT From: haven.umd.edu!news.umbc.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!sgiblab!news.kpc.com!amd!netcomsv!netcom.com!netcom!faunt@ames.arpa Subject: Was 'Vanity' Call Signs, now paying for call signs To: info-hams@ucsd.edu The only valid objection to paying for licensing services from the FCC that I've heard is that young people will be discouraged by one more financial barrier to getting and keeping a license. I think a fee for the license, that goes into the general fund (FCC expenses come out of the general fund) is a perfectly reasonable thing. It alos gives us a slight advantage in that we can then state that we're not getting a complete free ride. How many other countries have free licensing? I know that the UK license is pretty expensive. How about others? 73, doug ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 11:44:56 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!TAMUTS.TAMU.EDU!news.utdallas.edu!corpgate!nrtpa038!bnr.ca!harp@network.ucsd.edu Subject: ZA1QA QSLs To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Don't know anyone personally who hasn't received their QSLs. I received mine in a reasonable amount of time. Gee it's been more than a year ago now. I have Albania confirmed on all bands except 160 now. Before ZA1A that was unheard of. OH excuse me when I say all bands I mean 160M through 10M. These are the bands I work. **************************************************************************** * Alan Harp K4PB * Bell-Northern Research * CW FOREVER * * mail: harp@bnr.ca * Research Triangle Park, NC * * **************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: (null) From: (null) It's possible that they won't count for any DXCC country. 73 - Jim AD1C -- Jim Reisert AD1C Internet: reisert@mlo.dec.com Digital Equipment Corp. UUCP: ...decwrl!mlo.dec.com!reisert 146 Main Street - MLO3-6/C9 Voice: 508-493-5747 Maynard, MA 01754 FAX: 508-493-0395 ------------------------------ End of Info-Hams Digest V93 #1274 ****************************** ******************************