Date: Fri, 14 Jan 94 14:43:26 PST
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 V94 #36
To: Info-Hams
Info-Hams Digest Fri, 14 Jan 94 Volume 94 : Issue 36
Today's Topics:
* SpaceNews 17-Jan-94 *
500 Pf/500V caps & 144 MHz Amp (2 msgs)
Advice for first rig(s)
cancer from ham radio
Dipoles fed with Ladder-Line
HDN Releases
Mac owners....READ THIS!!
Melbourne, FL Exam Location Change
Multi-User Dungeons on Packet?
Repeater Purposes
Signaling Device Wanted
What is packet radio...
why 29.94 fps?
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: 14 Jan 94 19:28:04 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: * SpaceNews 17-Jan-94 *
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
SB NEWS @ AMSAT $SPC0117
* SpaceNews 17-Jan-94 *
BID: $SPC0117
=========
SpaceNews
=========
MONDAY JANUARY 17, 1994
SpaceNews originates at KD2BD in Wall Township, New Jersey, USA. It is
published every week and is made available for unlimited distribution.
* SUN AND MOON KEPS *
=====================
By popular demand, here are Keplerian element sets in the NASA 2-line
format that will allow some satellite tracking programs to track the sun
and moon:
SUN
1 00001U 90 1.00000000 0.00000000 00000-0 0 3
2 00001 23.4406 0.0000 0167133 282.7685 357.6205 0.00273778 19890
MOON
1 00002U 93360.00000000 0.00000000 00000-0 0 5
2 00002 22.4297 346.9573 0408130 180.3337 265.5319 0.03574900304251
Caution should be exercised when using these element sets for several
reasons. First of all, these elements will cause some programs to crash
or produce erroneous outputs due to the unusually low values of mean motion
(and correspondingly high values of semi-major axis). Secondly, satellite
tracking software ignores satellite mass since their mass is negligible when
compared with the Earth's mass. The situation is not as simple when
tracking massive objects such as the sun or moon. In addition, the rising
and setting times for the sun and moon are defined by edge of the visible
disk, whereas the elements presented above track the center of the disk.
Effects due to atmospheric refraction could result in additional errors in
the prediction of local rising and setting times.
* STS-58 ORBITAL DATA *
=======================
The following Keplerian orbital data set is valid for an on-time launch
of 24-Jan-94 at 14:53 UTC:
Satellite: STS-58
Catalog number: 00058
Epoch time: 94024.67747791 = (24-JAN-94 16:15:34.09 UTC)
Element set: 005
Inclination: 39.0114 deg
RA of node: 124.6663 deg Space Shuttle Flight STS-58
Eccentricity: .0007676 Prelaunch Element set JSC-005
Arg of perigee: 272.4217 deg Launch: 24-JAN-94 14:53 UTC
Mean anomaly: 87.5676 deg
Mean motion: 15.96123499 rev/day Gil Carman, WA5NOM
Decay rate: 1.19475e-03 rev/day*2 NASA Johnson Space Center
Epoch rev: 2
[Info via Gary Morris, KK6YB]
* SUPERBALL HAS THREE-HOUR LIFE *
=================================
Some days go better than others. Superball 1-94, the balloon carrying
amateur radio telemetry and ATV had a life of about three hours. Here is
a report for those who were following the event.
Launch took place Friday, January 7, at 0926 MST (1626z). Final payload
checkout was done, the amount of helium required for 120,000 feet was
metered in, and the launch took place with all systems looking good. The
balloon headed northeast as expected. Telemetry was copied on both 2 and
15 meters, and ATV sent back video of the balloon.
The balloon began to change course, as expected, as it came out of the
Troposphere and reached higher layers. At about 1204 MST (1804 UTC) the
balloon unexpectedly burst. A quick drop in the differential pressure
(difference between inside and outside pressures) from 1.11 to 0.03 was
one of the first clues that something had changed radically. Hams in
eastern Utah actually watched the rupture on ATV and later saw the parachute
deploy. GPS readings stabilized at about 1430 MST (2130z), and the package
is believed to have come to rest at that time.
Telemetry on 15 meters was copied in Ohio with an RST of 579 after the
package came to rest. This leads to the inference that it probably landed
in a tree with the 15-meter antenna in a favorable position. The landing
site is in Utah's Uinta Mountains in the neighborhood of Wolf Creek Summit,
a 9500-foot pass. Plans were made to locate and retrieve the payload with
the help of snowmobiles and the Wasatch County Search and Rescue Team.
The reason for the rupture is still uncertain, but one possibility is that
turbulence in the troposphere caused severe twisting and kept the balloon
from unfurling properly as it gained altitude. This, in turn, kept the
helium from spreading through the balloon properly and resulted in too high
a differential pressure. The twisting phenomenon was viewed on ATV.
The GPS receiver performed well reporting latitude and longitude, but
apparently satellite geometry was not favorable for good altitude readings.
The initial altitude readings were spurious (e.g. 149 meters, which is
below ground level in Utah). Later the altitude was reported as "999" which
is the receiver's indication that good data is not available. Other
indications, however, lead the team to believe that the balloon had reached
an altitude of about 100,000 feet at the time of rupture.
Thanks to the many who helped copy data, relay messages, locate snowmobiles,
and record launch and ATV video.
Telemetry logs and video tapes are solicited. E-mail to:
WB7QBC@uugate.aim.utah.edu, or or U.S. mail to:
John Luker, WB7QBC
1226 West 725 North
Clearfield, UT, 84015
* FO-20 OPERATION SCHEDULE *
============================
The FO-20 operation schedule is follows. Analog transponder and digital
transponder will be ON for a week respectively as they were since last
December.
Analog mode:
12-Jan-94 07:30 UTC -to- 19-Jan-94 07:50 UTC
26-Jan-94 08:20 UTC -to- 02-Feb-94 06:50 UTC
09-Feb-94 07:15 UTC -to- 16-Feb-94 07:40 UTC
23-Feb-94 08:05 UTC -to- 02-Mar-94 06:40 UTC
09-Mar-94 07:05 UTC -to- 16-Mar-94 07:30 UTC
23-Mar-94 07:52 UTC -to- 30-Mar-94 08:15 UTC
Digital mode:
Unless otherwise noted above.
[Info via Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK]
* MIR NEWS *
============
On Dec 31, 1993, the following digital voice message was sent my Mir on
145.550 MHz FM:
"There are two men in space. This is crew fourteen of Russian Mir Space
Station: Vasily Zibliev and Aleksandr Serebrov. And now orbiting the Earth.
We send our wishes of Happy New Year, peace, good health and prosperity to
people of all countries and all nations of our planet."
[Info via Markku, OH8UV]
* CORRECTION *
==============
NASA TV has moved to Spacenet 2, transponder 9, not 5 as reported last
week. Thanks to Dave Larson for the correction.
* THANKS! *
===========
Thanks to all those who sent messages of appreciation regarding SpaceNews,
especially:
Kit Richards Donald Scott G7MIZ
* FEEDBACK/INPUT WELCOMED *
===========================
Mail to SpaceNews should be directed to the editor (John, KD2BD) via any
of the following paths:
FAX : 1-908-747-7107
PACKET : KD2BD @ N2KZH.NJ.USA.NA
INTERNET : kd2bd@ka2qhd.ocpt.ccur.com -or- kd2bd@amsat.org
MAIL : John A. Magliacane, KD2BD
Department of Engineering and Technology
Advanced Technology Center
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, New Jersey 07738
U.S.A.
<<=- SpaceNews: The first amateur newsletter read in space! -=>>
/EX
--
John A. Magliacane, KD2BD * /\/\ * Voice : 1-908-224-2948
Advanced Technology Center |/\/\/\| Packet : KD2BD @ N2KZH.NJ.USA.NA
Brookdale Community College |\/\/\/| Internet: kd2bd@ka2qhd.ocpt.ccur.com
Lincroft, NJ 07738 * \/\/ * Morse : -.- -.. ..--- -... -..
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jan 94 14:28:36 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: 500 Pf/500V caps & 144 MHz Amp
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Mike, G0MJW asked about these caps -
I got mine from RF Parts (I don't have the address but they're
in San Mateo, CA, I think). I had to ask twice because the
first ones they sent were not the correct value. They weren't
expensive.
Regarding the W1VD/ARRL Handbook 4CX1000 144 MHz amp- I have
had mine on the air for about 4 months. It works well and
puts out LOTS of RF... most of it on 144 MHz. It tunes
extremely sharply and will draw too much screen current unless
it is tuned on-the-money. Consequently, the first tune-up is
very challenging. My main gripe is that the sharp tuning means
that thermal drift will walk the amp through resonance in a single
EME sequence. Mine is very well cooled but it still passes out
of tune by the end of a QSO. I would appreciate hearing from
others who have built this amp.
Michael 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: 14 Jan 1994 16:34:51 GMT
From: nothing.ucsd.edu!brian@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: 500 Pf/500V caps & 144 MHz Amp
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <14JAN94.10235080.0014.MUSIC@SLUMUS> MOWE%SLUMUS.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Michael Owen) writes:
>Mike, G0MJW asked about these caps -
>
>I got mine from RF Parts (I don't have the address but they're
>in San Mateo, CA, I think).
Uh, San Marcos, CA. Several hundred miles south of San Mateo.
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jan 94 15:24:55 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: Advice for first rig(s)
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I just got my ticket (a tech-plus) at the end of December. I am very
anxious to get on the air, but I don't have any gear yet. I know
it's tough to try to recommend anything to someone you don't even
know, but I thought I'd seek some advice anyway. I've been going
to the local club meetings off and on the last few months trying
to get some info, but I thought a post here might bring some good
advice too.
So if you could bear with me a second, I'll try to summarize what
I'm looking for and you can see what you think. First of all, I'm
sure my interests will change and evolve as I start operating. The
things I *think* I'm interested in now are the result of extensive
reading over the past 4 or 5 months about the many facets of ham
radio, rather than actually doing anything :). Anyway, the thought
of communicating with someone in a far away country was what initially
drew me to amateur radio (as is the case for many, I'm sure). I own
a home in a reasonably unrestricted neighborhood, so an antenna won't
be a problem. So I'm in the market for a good, used HF rig less than
$500 if possible. I'd like a general coverage receiver, too, but
I don't know when they became common on HF transceivers. A good
rig in that price range might be too old to have a general coverage
receiver. Any suggestions on specific models I should keep my eyes
open for? I've been told that the Collins S-Line is good, as well
as the KWM-2A. Drake was also mentioned (TR4-C and TR-7). Of
course, I don't know anything about any of these radios, yet, so
I don't know what would make one better than another.
Also, I've got a 386 at home that I'd like to set up as part of a
packet station. I've considered a dual-band HT for this purpose, which would
have the side benefit of giving me a radio I could take backpacking
and camping, as well as on the road. My gut feeling, however, is that
an HT would be a compromise for a packet station as well as a mobile -- but
that's just a guess. It would be great for hiking, though. And it would
get me on the air quickly. But that got me thinking about mobiles. Would
I be better off buying a mobile instead. Obviously, it wouldn't be very
convenient for backpacking -- my truck won't fit in my pack :). But I do
spend more time on the road and at home than I do in the woods, so I want
to try to get a rig that will give me the best value for my current
interests. I can always buy another radio later assuming I don't get
laid off :). Anyway, based on the catalog prices that I've seen, a dual-band
mobile doesn't cost a whole lot more than the fancy dual-band handhelds such as
the Yaesu FT-530. Besides, if I used an HT in the car very much, I'd end up
buying an external speaker/mic. This would further reduce the price difference.
I'd be interested to hear from some of you that have used an HT for packet and
commuting and how well it's worked for you. Also, if you have both types, maybe
you could give me some pros/cons of both types of radios for the purposes I've
mentioned. Also, I remember a posting a few weeks back where someone compiled
some suggestions for buying an HT. It seems like someone said that they
wouldn't recommend buying an HT as a first radio. I'd be interested to hear
some of the reasons for this.
Lastly, satellites seem very interesting, but I'm sure that is a ways down
the road for me. Also, I don't know if the HT/mobile could be used there
too. Is FM appropriate for working satellites? Either way,
I don't think this part should affect any of my purchase plans just yet. But I
would like to hear from someone with experience in this area concerning the gear
they use (or wish they had) and maybe the title of a good introductory book.
My budget is not without limit, so I know I can't get all of this stuff at once.
It sort of depends on what I find first. I'm leaning toward the VHF gear
because
I could get on the air quicker. Also, I could set up a packet station fairly
soon after that and really start to get my feet wet. Unfortunately, there are
not
too many hamfests near me (Huntsville, AL), so it might take awhile to find
an HF rig. There are some larger cities within driving distance (Nashville is
only two hours away, Birmingham is less than that, and I can be in Atlanta in
about 4 hours). I'll just try to keep my eyes and ears open, and hopefully
if/when I run across the right radio, I'll have the budget available to get it.
But the other gear I could easily order and be on the air fairly soon.
I'm afraid I've rambled on much more than I had anticipated. My basic
questions,
in case you got tired of reading and missed them :), were this:
1) can you recommend any used HF rigs (less than $500) that I should look for?
2) i like (even prefer) the potential convenience of a handheld radio, but
would
it be a poor choice for packet and auto use?
Thanks for any help.
Tommy Lee
KE4IME (took the tests Nov 6, in my mailbox Dec 28)
lee@hvsun40.mdc.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 15:03:08 GMT
From: think.com!cass.ma02.bull.com!petra!thed.usup.uk22.bull.co.uk!kelvin@uunet.uu.net
Subject: cancer from ham radio
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In <taaronCJK1MF.3xr@netcom.com> taaron@netcom.com (taaron@netcom.com) writes:
>Tell me, if ham radio causes cancer, why is it that all the ham radio
>club meetings are filled with old people with few health problems other
>than normal ones for their age?
'Cause all the young ones have already died? :-) (I think)
>Travis Wise
>KB8FOU
>18 yrs old
>General class
>--
>Travis A. Wise KB8FOU
>1421 Grace Avenue Senior, Del Mar High School
>San Jose, CA 95125-5206 (408) 383-8570
>taaron@netcom.com
--
Kelvin J. Hill - BULL HN Information System Ltd, Hounslow, England, UK.
Internet - kelvin@thed.usup.uk22.bull.co.uk | CIX - kelvin@cix.compulink.co.uk
"" kelvin@kelvin.usup.uk22.bull.co.uk | AMPRnet - g1emm@g1emm.ampr.org
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jan 94 18:03:15 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: Dipoles fed with Ladder-Line
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Text item: Text_1
>One extra question: how to feed such an antenna? If through an unbalanced
>tuner, shack will be RF hot. If also through a balun, the balun may have
>excessive losses and even generate harmonic.Ignacy Misztal, NO9E, SP8FWB
A bunch of Hams here at Intel have adopted the multiband centerfed dipole.
We have found a couple of baluns that work well with our antennas: The
Amidon HBHT200, featured in Nov 93 CQ and the MFJ-912 are both in use
with 100 watt transceivers with good results. We run about 10 ft of 9913
from the antenna tuner to the outside balun and then 300 or 450 ohm ladder
line to the antenna. Murphy's law says that the transmission line length
will have to be adjusted plus or minus to get a good match on all bands.
Here are the antenna feedpoint impedences and SWR given by ELNEC for a 105
ft centerfed antenna 30 ft high fed with 300 ohm ladder line. There should
be a certain length of transmission line that will optimize the impedences
the antenna tuner has to match.
3.8, 16-j280, 34/1 : 7.2, 760+j1600, 15/1 : 10.125, 890-j1900, 16/1
14.2, 160+j130, 2.4/1 : 18.14, 3600+j700, 12/1 : 21.4, 133-j690, 15/1
24.95, 340+j615, 5.5/1 : 28.4, 1400-j1750, 12/1 : 29.6, 390-j1050, 12/1
73, Cecil, kg7bk@indirect.com (I do not speak for Intel on Internet)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 00:58:06
From: seas.smu.edu!utacfd.uta.edu!rwsys!ocitor!FredGate@uunet.uu.net
Subject: HDN Releases
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
The following files were processed Wednesday 01-12-94:
HAMPACK [ HAM: Packet Communications programs ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
APRS308.ZIP ( 625748 bytes) Automatic Packet Reporting System
----------------------------------------------------------------------
625748 bytes in 1 file(s)
Total of 625748 bytes in 1 file(s)
Files are available via Anonymous-FTP from ftp.fidonet.org
IP NET address 140.98.2.1
Directories are:
pub/fidonet/ham/hamnews (Bulletins)
/hamant (Antennas)
/hamsat (Sat. prg/Amsat Bulletins)
/hampack (Packet)
/hamelec (Formulas)
/hamtrain (Training Material)
/hamlog (Logging Programs)
/hamcomm (APLink/JvFax/Rtty/etc)
/hammods (Equip modification)
/hamswl (SWBC Skeds/Frequencies)
/hamscan (Scanner Frequencies)
/hamutil (Operating aids/utils)
/hamsrc (Source code to programs)
/hamdemo (Demos of new ham software)
/hamnos (TCP/IP and NOS related software)
Files may be downloaded via land-line at (214) 226-1181 or (214) 226-1182.
1.2 to 16.8K, 23 hours a day .
When ask for Full Name, enter: Guest;guest <return>
lee - wa5eha
Ham Distribution Net
* Origin: Ham Distribution Net Coordinator / Node 1 (1:124/7009)
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jan 94 10:39:44 GMT
From: hp-cv!ogicse!uwm.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!sunic!news.lth.se!pomona.tde.lth.se!sund@hplabs.hp.com
Subject: Mac owners....READ THIS!!
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <1994Jan12.192142.12327@krk.fi> Kristoffer H{ggstr|m,
tofi@krksun.krk.fi writes:
>MorseTrainer US-1.0.1b20
>
>MorseTrainer is a program for learning and training Morse code. This is
the
>first translated version of the program which originally was developed
and
>localized for Sweden. The program itself can be considered a final
version
>of v1.0.1 but the translation is probably not perfect, hence a
beta-release
>instead of final-release.
Latest version of MorseTrainer is US-1.1.1, nothing else.
========
It is available via anonymous ftp at 130.235.32.86.
Version US-1.0.1b20 is not recommended.
Before posting a list of software, please check the version number.
>>>
Lars Sundstrom, Lund University, Dept.of Applied Electronics
P.O. Box 118, S-221 00 LUND, SWEDEN. EMail: sund@tde.lth.se
Phone: Int+ 46 46 10 95 13 Fax: Int+ 46 46 12 99 48
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jan 94 16:29:15 GMT
From: news-mail-gateway@ucsd.edu
Subject: Melbourne, FL Exam Location Change
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
The amateur radio examinations scheduled for January 15 at Florida Institute
of Technology will be held in Rooms Q-11 and Q-13. These rooms are located
behind the administration building on Country Club Road. Look for the antenna
tower behind the administration building - that's the exam location.
The Aeronautics Building (where exams have been held in the immediate past
months) is not available Saturday. The exam will be held approximately 500
feet north of the Aero Building next to WB4ABK.
The exam time is still 10 AM (registration opens at 9:30 AM).
Questions can be left at (407) 724-6183 if you don't mind a late phone call to
answer them. If you hear someone asking about the exam location, please let
'em know different.
73, bill wb9ivr
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jan 94 12:07:53 GMT
From: pa.dec.com!kk.ericsson.se!konlinde@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Multi-User Dungeons on Packet?
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
> Would it be possible or plausible to run Multi-User Dungeon (MUD)
> on packet radio? Would anyone like to help me hack code to play with
> this concept?
Isn't a DX-cluster a kind of MUD? (No offence intended, DX-ers!)
You might get some ideas by looking at the design of the DX-cluster software.
Anders
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jan 94 08:45:42 GMT
From: netcomsv!netcomsv!bongo!skyld!jangus@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Repeater Purposes
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <2guua8$6op@slinky.cs.nyu.edu> jackson@longlast.cs.nyu.edu writes:
> rush hours, the majority of the calls would be traffic hotspots or drivers
> requesting conditions from drivers along a certain route or on a roadway tens
> of miles away. Perhaps even autopatch to make it easier for more people to
> make calls for assistance. The level of professionalism would certainly be
> an improvement over CB.
Probably, but you can't beat the citizens band for having people (wierd
as them are) that seem to know what the traffic conditions are. I guess
they aren't too busy with fiddling with the autopatch, or scanning the
cellular bands to know whats going on around them. Usually on a repeater,
unless it was a regularly scheduled commuter group, nobody has a clue as
to what's going on around them.
(The following disclaimer is for the cognitively impaired)
This appears to be the case in the Los Angeles basin in southern Calif.
Your milage or quality of users may vary.
Amateur: WA6FWI@WA6FWI.#SOCA.CA.USA.NA | "It is difficult to imagine our
Internet: jangus@skyld.tele.com | universe run by a single omni-
US Mail: PO Box 4425 Carson, CA 90749 | potent god. I see it more as a
Phone: 1 (310) 324-6080 | badly run corporation."
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jan 1994 16:45:38 GMT
From: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!paladin.american.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!agate!linus!linus.mitre.org!mwvm.mitre.org!m14494@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: Signaling Device Wanted
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Charles Woodson writes:
> at HT for each person seems like a good possibility...
> What they say they want is a device that can receive a few numbers
> like the pagers, and one that can send a few like an HT
Check out the new Yaesu FT-11R handi talkie. It is *very*
small, no bigger than a pack of laying cards (a bit smaller,
actually) and includes digital code squelch, paging, and the
ability to send 6 character (alphanumeric characters, not
just numbers) to each other. Sounds like just what they want.
It's not expensive, as new HTs go; about $300. I've got one
and like it a lot. Good luck.
Mike, N4PDY
*****************************
* These are my opinions only*
*****************************
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jan 1994 03:36:51 GMT
From: munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!caen!malgudi.oar.net!mailhost.interaccess.com!interaccess.com!msf@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: What is packet radio...
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I've come to become interested in this popular
topic. I would like to get more info on it, and
perhaps hook into it.
Can someone point me to some books, ftp
site info files, etc. to help me learn
more?
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 1994 23:19
From: swrinde!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!uhog.mit.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!news.mic.ucla.edu!MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU!OSYSMAS@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: why 29.94 fps?
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
>Unfortunately publication 432 is out of date here. The nets don't
>work this way anymore, and haven't since the late 1970s, as has been
>noted previously in this thread. Using broadcast colorburst will only
>give you a reference that's the local crystal oscillator at the local
>broadcast outlet. It's likely no more accurate than your own crystal
>oscillator, about 4 ppm. NIST should circulate a retraction of this
>technique because it's likely still misleading folks. (They may have
>issued one, but I haven't seen it.)
See NIST Special Publication 432 (Revised 1990), inside cover
says "Supersedes NBS Spec. Publ. 432 dated September 1979.
Oh, I can't find a mention of TV color signal calibrating at all
there. See the 1979 version (NIST was NBS then), page 10 & 11
section 7 titled "Digital Frame Synchronizers and
TelevisionTechniques". <sic>
This section explains that a frame synchronizer replaces the
original accuracy of the network feed with the accuracy of the
local station reference. It also says that only a few stations
have them, but this will change if the cost of frame
synchronizers drops...
I'd guess a bit of RAM and some timing circuits cost a bit less
now than in 1979. So this implies that TV color carriers are
useless now as a frequency standard. Which probably explains why
this information was dropped from Pub 432.
You're right, the new Pub 432 should probably have made a point
of "retracting" this bit of information. Instead they just
dropped all mention of it.
PS: The old Pub 432 does mention that there may be a special case
where good color references may be available. The old pub
claims that ABC stations in Los Angeles and New York are
co-located with their network studios and use the network
cesium references. Anyone know if this is still true? Or
has their cesium reference outlived it's lifetime and not
been replaced?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 01:35:43 GMT
From: news.cerf.net!pagesat.net!olivea!sgigate.sgi.com!sgiblab!pacbell.com!unet!loren!larson@network.ucsd.edu
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
References <CJFED8.InE@ra.nrl.navy.mil>, <wy1zCJHG1J.1pt@netcom.com>, <2h1qb5$p55@news.tamu.edu>om
Subject : Re: Morse Code program
In article <2h1qb5$p55@news.tamu.edu> furuta@cs.tamu.edu (Richard Furuta) writes:
>In article <wy1zCJHG1J.1pt@netcom.com>, Scott Ehrlich <wy1z@netcom.com> wrote:
>>
>>On world.std.com, there is a C program for code in the directory:
>>pub/hamradio/unix called superiormorse.shar.
>
>Has anyone managed to eliminate the residual clicks that are generated
>along with the characters in the Sun version of this program (see
>comment in beepSun.c)? They are quite noticable, especially at higher
>speeds.
I complained to Sun about it, and they claimed it was a hardware
problem. Their answer was to use Solaris 2.x, which had a work-around
in the software.
I asked why they couldn't release a patch for SunOS for that, but
they never answered.
Alan
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End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #36
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