The page can be found by clicking here, but the text is preserved below… but you’ll want to click through to the page (if it’s still listed) to see the detailed pictures.

The Bearcat BC346XT covers VHF Low, VHF High, VHF Air, UHF, 800 MHz public service (less cellular) and 1.2 GHz. This unit has been modified by the previous owner. The antenna has been angled for enhanced tropospheric ducting reception. The right panel and jacks have been removed to increase ventilation. The unit has been flattened to increase aerodynamic efficiency. The battery cover has been removed and tire tracks added to the rear panel. The digital display has a slight crack developing.

I’ve been a bit slow in posting about Field Day, partly because I spent most of Sunday catching up on sleep, worked all day Monday, finished the Field Day video Tuesday night, and still haven’t started editing the still photos. Anyways… I produced a short video again this year of things happening at our Field Day site. The Vimeo video is embedded above, and is also available in sub-optimal quality at YouTube. I think I still like last year’s video better, but I was able to get set-up and antenna raising into the video this year.

The 2010 W0AK Field Day went really well. I ended up at the site at about 10 a.m. Saturday morning to help set up. Station set-up was well underway by the time I had arrived, and the antenna raising was about to commence. It was a hot and sticky day — about 90 degrees with a heat index just shy of 100.

PowerFilm Solar set up their 1 kW military-grade Solar Shade the night before, and a storm had blown through the area at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and boy I really underestimated the strength of that structure. It stood up to about 60 mph winds without even batting an eye.

The Solar Shade powered pretty much everything except the logging computers without a hiccup. The solar power was stored in two 120 Ah Humvee batteries, which were more than enough for our needs. Having such a unique, huge structure there for solar power gave us great talking points with visitors to our Field Day site.

We had two dignitaries visit us on Saturday from served agencies (which scored us extra points!): Joyce Flinn, the Readiness and Response Bureau Chief for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division; and Lt. Col. Kevin Plagman of the Iowa National Guard. Both took a tour of the Field Day site and learned the purpose and goals of the Field Day event, and then visited with operators.

Unfortunately, as in years past, Field Day was competing with other major events in the Des Moines metro area — this year it was the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake and the Des Moines Arts Festival downtown, so it’s difficult for amateur radio to compete with these events for news coverage. I did a phone interview with WHO Newsradio 1040 Friday morning but I didn’t get a chance to listen to see if we made the cut.

After dinner, I sat down at our 15m sideband station and called CQ for about an hour and a half, making just over 100 contacts, mostly with stations on the east coast that were booming into Iowa.

At about 2:30 a.m. a storm began to approach our location. There was plenty of lightning to our north and northwest, rendering the bands more useless as they came closer. Eventually the gust front blew through, we gave up with the static, disconnected and powered off, and covered the stations with plastic sheeting before retreating to our cars where most of us took naps until the storm left the area at 5 a.m. Luckily everything stayed dry, but the lightning now to our south was still making the bands too noisy to do any meaningful operating. The air cooled down by a brisk 20 degrees by 5 a.m. — a welcome change from the 90-degree temperatures we had been experiencing late in the week.

With the breakfast crew’s arrival soon after the storm, I decided it was time for me to throw in the towel for the night and go home to get some sleep.

I had made the goal for our Field Day to reach 1,000 contacts this year after making 915 last year. Even with the thunderstorms disrupting the event for a good 4 hours, we accomplished this goal and made 1036 contacts. The only mode that we suffered a decrease of contacts in was PSK31 — last year we made 1 PSK contact, and this year we made none — a sharp decline from last year! Okay, maybe it’s just one contact… but still…

Field Day is the last major event for my club until the chili feed and auction around Thanksgiving time — but planning has already started for next year’s Field Day. In the past year, there’s been a push to move out of our comfort zone at Big Creek State Park, where we’ve held the event for years, to a new, more urban location. We looked at moving the event this year but it didn’t pan out. We are compiling a list of possible locations for next year, and will be narrowed down in the coming months before further planning.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon this little gem on YouTube from amateur radio’s heyday. The uploader writes:

Found in the attic of my dad, the “real” W3PYF, Clarence Snyder – a short piece of 8mm film of a Delaware Lehigh Amateur Radio Club Field Day from, I am guessing from the cars, 1950. I recognize my dad’s 1950 Dodge as one of the “shacks.” The heavy-set guy is the “real” W3OK; my father is the guy running around in the undershirt. I recognize Bill Werner and the faces of a few others. Hope you all enjoy seeing what ham radio was like in the war surplus era; you could buy a pair of “Command” sets for about $10 back then on “radio row” in NYC where the World Trade Center once stood (you could buy them for less at hamfests, if the original owner screwed them up).

It’s interesting to see how technology and Field Day has evolved since then. Thanks for sharing this with us, Mel!

Currently, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office leases airtime on the 700/800 MHz RACOM network, while the Polk County Fire Department (made of rural departments that are dispatched by PCSO) resides on conventional VHF frequencies that are then patched to the RACOM network.

The “Assistance to Firefighters” FEMA grant would allow the county to purchase roughly 116 mobile radios, along with 217 handhelds. A decision on the grant is expected by late May. Polk County would have one year to formalize the purchase and that would allow the county to select a new radio system.

Without the text of the grant application, it is unclear whether Polk County Fire would directly join the RACOM network or create a new standalone interoperable system, although reports surfaced earlier this year of a request for proposals (RFP) for a new, leased countywide P25 fire radio system. Westcom and Des Moines will have the option to join the project.

Ankeny Fire was selected to file the proposal, as Polk County was not allowed to apply for the FEMA grant. If the grant is approved, Ankeny, Polk City, Elkhart, Saylor and Delaware townships, Altoona, Bondurant, Granger, Grimes, Johnston, Mitchellville, Pleasant Hill, Runnells and Windsor Heights would benefit from the grant.

Operating under the lights overnight at the Jollyboat Shelter at Big Creek State Park near Polk City, Iowa, for the 2009 W0AK Field Day.

Again this year I will be operating under the callsign W0AK for this year’s DMRAA/ARTS Field Day that will be based at Big Creek State Park near Polk City, Iowa (just outside of Des Moines). I will be mostly operating during the overnight hours, since my girlfriend will be home from 9-land for the weekend from her clinical rotation… she’s demanding attention even though it’s Field Day weekend! The nerve!

There’s been a lot of shop talk about what equipment everyone will be using and what class. W0AK (along with the GOTA station W0SCI) will be operating Class 2A, Iowa — same as last year. We may not be totally on battery power, since we will have one or two Flex SDR machines that seem to be happier on AC mains.

1 kW Power Shade by PowerFilm Solar

PowerFilm Solar, based just north of us in Ames, is graciously donating a 1 kW military-grade Solar Shade which is basically a large tent with flexible solar panels. I can’t wait to show it off. We’re still deciding on what will be put underneath the Power Shade, our operating area or the welcome area. The solar panels will be used to charge the batteries used for the radios.

Two generators will power the logging PC’s, lights, and the coffee pot. The generators will be a 3 kW EU3000I and a 2 kW EU3000I.

The radios and antennas may consist of (rough plan):

• Flex SDR
• Kenwood TS-690SAT
• Kenwood TS-850
• Yaesu FT-100
• Whatever other radios people want to bring out
• Two masts/rotators/controllers, with 200′ control line
• Carolina Windom
• Ladder line
• G5RV
• Buddipole (6m)
• Some random antennas and towers from the NWS station

I feel pretty confident that our club has come up with a very good operating plan. Last year we made just shy of 1,000 QSO’s, and I’m hoping that we can break that number. Looks like the weather in central Iowa will cooperate for Field Day activities, which is a much-needed reprieve from the daily heavy rainfall we’ve been receiving.

If you’re in the Des Moines area, please do come out to our Field Day site to see what the DMRAA is all about. It doesn’t cost a thing, and there will be free food! Operating activities start at 1 p.m. Saturday and goes until 1 p.m. Sunday. We will also be holding a potluck supper on Saturday at about 5 p.m. For a map and directions, visit the W0AK Field Day website.

At last year’s W0AK Field Day I decided on a whim to produce a short video with only my Nikon Coolpix P3. It mostly focuses on the ambience and atmosphere of the operation aspect of it. This year I think I’m going to do the same, but hopefully catch some of the setup and some time with dignataries that we have invited. The only thing I’m grimacing about for this year’s video is the audio quality. For a point-and-shoot, the P3′s video quality is very decent (YouTube’s converting lost most of the quality though) but the audio is downright crap, so it’ll be difficult to do interviews or sound bites. I wouldn’t mind receiving a loaner 5D Mk III though…

Not too surprisingly, shortcomings of the implementations of some radio systems were the government’s failure to make fully educated comparisons to radio systems and understand the price tags associated with each.

The CFIR reports:

Then just recently in late May, Wisconsin state auditors found that there were serious unknowns in a statewide interoperability project years in the making and funded in large part with federal homeland security grants. Local governments weren’t sure how much it would cost for equipment needed to access the system, and in some cases, the price tag “may be significant,” auditors determined. Radios that first responders do have could be too weak to establish a connection, and the system may not work well in urban areas.

For even further reading, it’s certainly worth reading the Center for Public Integrity’s report from February that found the Department of Homeland Security and congress had provided more than $4.3 billion in grants for radio interoperability between 2004 and 2008, but the lack of planning and training was hindering progress of the goal of interoperability.

“There was a lack of understanding in the congressional committees about the importance of planning dollars, that you could waste money if you don’t plan,” says Harlin McEwen, a former police chief who chairs the communications committee at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “They didn’t want to spend money on things you couldn’t see.”

Support for those less tangible needs — sitting down at the table with counterparts, hashing out plans, establishing command-and-control protocols, training users — has come much more slowly. And experts say that without such support, the value of spending on equipment is questionable. A 2007 report from the Government Accountability Office warned that the lack of coordination was leading to investments in “independent interoperability systems that do not always support each others’ needs.”

Iowa is no exception, as my local ham club received a copy of the Iowa proclamation last week. The proclamation will be on display at the W0AK Field Day site at Big Creek State Park, near Polk City.

The text of the proclamation reads as the following:

WHEREAS, the State recognizes the services amateur radio operators provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA, DHS, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and

WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the National Weather Service; and

WHEREAS, amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA and in the tsunami catastrophe overseas; and

WHEREAS, these amateur radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL is the leading organization for amateur radio in the USA; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 26-27 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of June 20-26, 2010 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa.

I’m becoming increasingly interested in learning about the MotoTRBO platform, particularly its use in the amateur radio band (although the nearest amateur MotoTRBO system for me is located about two hours away in Mount Pleasant, Iowa). While searching for YouTube videos demonstrating its capabilities versus other digital platforms, I came across a video about Racing Radios, a company that specializes in supplying radios to track personnel, media, vendors, security, track fire/rescue, and several race teams.

Certainly, I’m no NASCAR fan — but it was pretty neat to hear about MotoTRBO’s success in such an RF-intense environment at a large-scale event like the Talladega 500. Seeing that bank of MotoTRBO radios in the trailer is enough to make my eyes water!

The proposal, which can be downloaded in its 92-page PDF entirety here, seeks to “simplify, streamline, and update the Part 95 rules to reflect technological advances and changes in the way the American public uses the various Personal Radio Services.”

The NPRM goes on to say, “Implementation of the rule changes proposed below should result in clearer, more consistent rules, benefiting Personal Radio Service users, equipment manufacturers, and the Commission.”

At a glance, the NPRM explores these main topics for the GMRS, FRS, and CB radio services:

• Eliminate GMRS licensing (aka “license by rule”), similar to the FRS and CB spectrum, or extend licensing term from five to ten years.
• Relax eligibility requirements. Under the current GMRS licensing regulations, only those aged 18 years or older are eligible to apply for a GMRS license. According to the FCC, if licensing is eliminated, it will be very similar to the FRS service, which has no such age restriction, so they don’t find a reason to continue the age eligibility requirement.
• Move to narrowband 12.5 kHz spacing. Currently GMRS uses 25 kHz spacing. Moving to narrowband FM would provide better spectrum management.
• Decrease GMRS handheld radio output power from 5 to 2 watts.
• Eliminate the use of repeaters in the GMRS service.
• Consideration of a petition from Garmin to allow the transmission of GPS location information and user-generated text messages on certain GMRS channels. These emissions are already authorized on FRS channels, but Garmin would like the FCC to consider allowing it in the GMRS spectrum. An example of such a radio that is on the FRS service is the Garmin Rino 110.
• Prohibition of approval of dual VHF Marine/FRS radios.
• Clarification of regulations to explicitly allow hands-free microphones to operate in the CB band.
• Decrease the allowable output power or prohibit the use of directional antennas for CB radios.

Click here to read and submit comments regarding to Proceeding 10-119, “In the Matter of review of the Commission’s Part 95 Personal Radio Services Rules”

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

Prohibition of repeaters

Perhaps one of the more harrowing components of the NPRM to GMRS enthusiasts is the possibility of prohibiting repeaters on GMRS.

…we note that the personal communications environment has evolved substantially since the Commission adopted the rules allowing repeater operation for GMRS. For
example, most wide-area personal communication needs are now met by commercial communication providers. We seek comment on whether repeater and base station operations are still needed in the GMRS given the availability of commercial alternatives that allow for more efficient use of the spectrum.

Double the licensing term or eliminate licenses altogether?

Licensed GMRS operators have become increasingly frustrated with the flood of users on dual FRS/GMRS “bubble-pack” consumer-grade portable radios, who are unfamiliar with the licensing requirement to use the GMRS channel. Even more frustrating for the licensees has been the apparent lack of enforcement by the FCC. The commission acknowledges the problem, and is a leading factor in their proposal to eliminate licensing:

We also note that there are reports that most purchasers of portable FRS/GMRS combination radios (as well as purchasers of portable GMRS-only radios) use the licensed GMRS channels, while only a small percentage obtain the required license. Although the Commission has made several regulatory changes over the years to enhance the GMRS, the basic regulatory structure remains.

Another reason for the FCC exploring de-licensing is to decrease the administrative burden on the commission.

Furthermore, we believe that licensing GMRS by rule would reduce administrative and other burdens on GMRS users, as well as on the Commission. For example, users would no longer be subject to application and regulatory fees, and would not be at risk of losing their authorization to operate for failing to file a timely renewal application.

If the FCC decides to keep licensing, the commission would possibly extend the licensing term from the current five years, to ten years.

Alternatively, if we were to maintain the individual licensing requirement for all or some types of GMRS operations, we propose to extend the GMRS license term from five to ten years, to conform with most other wireless services, where the license terms have been extended from five to ten years. Extending GMRS license terms to ten years would decrease the administrative burden on both the general public and the Commission without, we believe, any adverse impact. It also would promote standardization of general licensing rules and streamlining of administrative requirements.

Business use of GMRS vs. FRS

Under the current system, businesses may operate in the GMRS spectrum, only if all employees possess individual licenses, which is $85 for five years. The commission is taking comments on whether this is still acceptable, noting that businesses use FRS radios (although with lower transmit power) with success without causing congestion in the FRS band.

Consideration of transmit power, RF exposure, and uncoordinated stations

The FCC is concerned, with the increase of popularity of GMRS/FRS radios, about RF exposure to users. The GMRS service was originally categorically excluded from routine RF exposure evaluations because use of GMRS was typically done with a mobile installation, e.g. the antenna was away from the body. Many commercial-grade GMRS handhelds are capable of transmitting from 1 watt to 5 watts, and the NPRM seeks to reduce the allowed transmit power to 2 watts.

Along those lines, the NPRM notes that the allowed 50 watts on GMRS is “relatively high power for stations that are not coordinated.” It questions whether more stringent height and antenna requirements are needed to reduce interference in GMRS.

Family Radio Service (FRS)

New dual VHF Marine/FRS radios may bring unfamiliar users to maritime frequencies

The FCC is also seeking to clarify the policy on dual radios. In recent history, radios with dual VHF Marine/FRS frequencies have been found on the market. The commission is concerned that the inclusion of the VHF Marine channels on consumer-grade FRS bubble-pack radios with users unfamiliar with maritime radio use may hinder the United States Coast Guard’s response to distress calls.

Citizens Band (CB)

Section 95.413(a)(6), which prohibits “the transmission of music, whistling, sound effects or any material to amuse or entertain,” and 95.413(a)(7), which prohibits “the transmission of any sound effect solely to attract attention,” has been proposed to be amended or completely eliminated.

Surface wave vs. sky wave propagation (click to enlarge)

“Is there harm in allowing CB operators to communicate in sky wave mode, or would such an allowance tempt the use of illegal amplifiers which cause interference? We seek comment on how best to deal with section 95.413(a)(9) and other challenges in permitting a “commons” band regulatory structure in the HF band,” the NPRM states.