New Features

I have added phpHamLog to the site, available for browsing here. I have been wanting a way to keep up with contacts that didn't involve being at the PC at home, and I found this.

I have also been wanting to experiment with SQL databases, and Cornerhost provides up to two free with my hosting plan.

One thing that browsing the log in such a convenient format has produced: I am really despondent over the premature death of my sweet little DSW-20. It was a consistent and reliable performer, and gave me almost half the entries in the log. If I could replace it with anything else besides another DSW-20, I would probably opt for the DSW-30 where 24 hour DX seems to be the rule, rather than the exception.

As it is, I am now confined to 15 and 40. Admittedly, 40 has been pretty good for short skip lately with reliable openings of 600-1500 miles during the day. 40 also can get covered by horrible QRN that comes and goes without any predictable pattern. 15 is its usual quiet sun self, with sporadic openings into Africa and Europe around midday, and into South and Central America near sunset. A couple of days ago I was sitting in my driveway trying to work TI8CBT in Costa Rica, and started just hearing the JAs he was working. They were coming in at a whopping S0-S1, but I could get about 20-30% copy. I expect if my antenna were higher than 4 feet I would do better.

My Shack!!

Here is a picture I have been putting on the back of my QSL cards:

I switch between the Whiterook and the MFJ paddles, as the mood strikes me.

ARRL Tries, UPLC Lies

League Says BPL Group Should Embrace, Not Reject, Recent ARRL Proposals

ARRL tries to get the FCC to demonstrate a shred, an iota, a molecule of integrity by considering technical requirements that acknowledge that some BPL systems actually can co-exist with HF services without causing destructive interference, and the UPLC replies with their usual mendacious garbage, claiming only "rare instances" of interference to amateur operations which were "effective(ly) mitigated".

This is pure bull. BPL on HF has caused serious interference in every instance where it has been tried, and mitigation has been comprised mostly of the BPL operator doing nothing and claiming that the interference was "resolved".

The interference is only resolved, in fact, when the BPL system is turned off. Case after case has shown the same result. BPL operators lie, dissemble, and claim that interference is "resolved", all the while amateurs are rendered incapable of communications because of the trash emissions from these garbage systems.

And thanks to the thoroughly corrupt FCC, they can count on a rubber stamp and delay after delay of any attempt to verify their claims. They know the FCC will do nothing and take their side, so they have no fears.

It is frankly astonishing that they even bothered to reply to the ARRL petition, given that their friends at the FCC will probably dismiss the petition without acting on it.

"Progress", I Guess

Here, I mentioned that if you entered the zip code for manassas into the BPL database, you got a "No BPL Operations Found in Your Area" response.

In a small move forward, you now get this:

No contact information, I notice. But I suppose that's something.

Silent Key

ARRLWeb: Past ARRL Vice Director, Director, Section Manager Al Oubre, K5DPG, SK