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iPhone ham radio applications ("apps")
From Surfin': The Cooling of Ham Radio by Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
The iTunes store has a diverse selection of ham radio applications ("apps") for the coolest gadget in the world. Visiting the iTunes store, I was surprised how many ham radio apps there are -- and about a quarter of them are free! Among the free apps are a satellite tracker, an EchoLink app, ham utilities, an APRS app, a Maidenhead converter, a direction finder, a HF beacon app, a VHF/UHF/SHF contest rover logger and a bunch of ham radio exam preparation apps, including some in partnership with the ARRL. If you are willing to part with a buck or two, there are a slew of "unfree" ham radio apps, too.
If you visit the iTunes store to search for ham radio apps, be sure to search on both "ham radio" and "Amateur Radio," since the search results are slightly different -- some apps only show up in one or the other search results. There are also some pertinent apps that turn up when you search on "radio," but that search also turns up a lot of apps not related to ham radio that you will have to wade through.
By the way, I offer no URL for the iTunes Store. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you click on the "iTunes Store" button in iTunes and iTunes proceeds to access the store via the Internet. In other words, iTunes acts as your Web browser, but its browsing is limited to the iTunes Store. If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, you can download it for free.
Man --- I got to get cool and get an iPhone real soon now .
Thank you, Gerry Jurrens, N2GJ, for alerting me to the EchoLink app.
Until next time, keep on surfin'!
Sony to start selling 3-D TVs in June
Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will start selling 3-D televisions in June, joining a competitive industrywide push to convince consumers to embrace the technology for their living rooms.
The Japanese electronics giant, known for its PlayStation 3 game consoles and Bravia flat-screen TVs, will offer its fully capable 3-D TV model in four sizes this summer.
The 40-inch and 46-inch versions will go on sale on June 10 in Japan, while the 52- and 60-inch TVs will be available starting July 16.
Although the company did not release a global launch date, Sony Senior Vice President Yoshihisa Ishida said the new TVs will hit stores in the U.S. and other countries around the same time.
The 40-inch 3-D will cost about 290,000 yen ($3,200), and the biggest 60-inch will retail at 580,000 yen ($6,400).
Included are two pairs of Sony's 3-D glasses, as well as a camera sensor on each unit that will adjust sound and picture quality based on viewers' positions. A remote control button enables the switch from a regular 2-D image to 3-D.
Sony hopes that 10% of the 25 million TVs it aims to sell next fiscal year will be 3-D units.
FCC Issues Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Government Disaster Drills and Amateur Radio
On March 24, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) proposing to amend the Commission's Amateur Radio Service rules "with respect to Amateur Radio operations during government-sponsored emergency preparedness and disaster readiness drills and tests." While current rules provide for Amateur Radio use during emergencies, the rules prohibit communications where the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer. In October 2009, the FCC released a Public Notice clarifying the Commission's rules relating to the use of Amateur Radio by licensed amateurs participating in drills and exercises on behalf of their employers. To date, the FCC has granted several dozen waivers under this new policy.
New Zealand Amateurs Gain Access to 600m Band
The New Zealand government has granted New Zealand amateurs temporary access to a slice of the 600m spectrum. The new allocation, 505 to 515kHz, was previously used for Morse code communications with ships. There are a few restrictions to the use of these frequencies. If these frequencies are allocated to other services, amateurs must not cause interference to these services but must accept any interference from them. Radiated power must not exceed 25 watts EIRP and the bandwidth of transmissions must not exceed 200Hz. It is hoped that this allocation will, eventually, be made permanent.
[RSGB]
| April, 2010 | |
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