The ham radio blog of Sterling Mann, NØSSC. Sterling is dedicated to improving ham radio by promoting it to younger generations.
The livestream broke halfway through but I recovered the audio of the end and set it to the slide show. Enjoy!
Slides: Amateur Radio’s Next Generation by N0SSC.pdf
Audio only Enhanced Podcast version (hosted by The Phasing Line Podcast): http://phasinglinepodcast.com/phasing-line-bonus-amateur-radios-next-generation-by-n0ssc/
Continue reading “Youth in Ham Radio Presentation at SLSRC Winterfest”
In the midst of our nation getting a new president, we can’t forget the battles going on at home.
I mean, the small battles matter too.
Missouri Amateur Radio Parity Act (MARPA) really needs your help. It’s basically the same parity act the ARRL produced for federal considering, but at the state level. Larry Scantlan KEØKZ is the main guy behind this bill, and he needs a ton of help showing the Missouri government that there is significant public interest in this bill. It failed last time because nobody showed up.
If you like listening to podcasts, check out 100 Watts and a Wire’s interview with Larry and what needs to happen right now. TL;DL: Larry fought his town’s restrictions on owning ham radio inside his own home! He contacted the aldermen of the city and discovered almost everyone was in agreement, and the laws were changed. He then took to the Missouri courts to do what the ARRL’s doing for the entire nation – fight unnecessary HOA restrictions on reasonable accommodations for ham radio equipment.
Fill out a Witness Appearance form. It’s available right here: Witness Appearance 2017
Fill that out (you may need to add an attachment to fit your testimony in the box) and email it to Representative Bryan Spencer at bryan.spencer@house.mo.gov before the end of the day, Monday, January 23, 2017.
From Larry:
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
The most critical action needed to today from hams across Missouri is for everyone (and their family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers) to complete and return the Witness Appearance Form (see attached). This document lets the committee members know that there is sufficient public support for them to consider this legislation in committee and allow it to move forward in the legislative process. The chairman of this committee will make that decision, not only on the testimonies of those present at the hearing, but also by the number of these forms received.
According to Rep. Bryan Spencer, our Bill’s sponsor, he needs to be able to hand 400-500 of these completed forms to the chairman at the time of the hearing or, as he put, we might as well just write this off. As of this email he had only received 3 completed forms in his office.
I understand that you may not be able to attend the hearing, and finding time to make a phone call to your representative asking for his/her support may take some time, but EVERYONE can print off this form, complete it, scan it and email it back. Please email your completed Witness Appearance Form back to Representative Bryan Spencer at bryan.spencer@house.mo.gov before the end of the day, Monday, January 23, 2017.
It’s your turn to act and make a difference.
73,Larry Scantlan, KEØKZ
Wentzville, MO
636-699-2614
See the Facebook page for more information and updates: https://www.facebook.com/groups/163548427426968/
I’ve been quiet lately. I went on an European 3-week vacation (Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris), which meant I got behind on work stuff, so I’ve been busy catching up.
I was on HamRadioNow in a Phasing Line/HRN mashup. Check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w31LUEjNgnU
The Phasing Line podcast is still moving along, now with a Patreon! Apparently, we did something that people enjoy, and I think we’ll keep doing that. We pre-recorded a lot of episodes over the break, but never got around to editing them, so beware some episodes may seem out of date. I hope you don’t find that to be a problem!
I’ll be speaking at the St Louis Suburban Radio Club (SLSRC) Winterfest hamfest on January 28 about YOTA and Youth Ham Radio. This is the first time I’m actually hosting a forum, so that’s pretty cool. I’ll be up against Bob Heil to put it in perspective! I’ll try to record my presentation and post it on my YouTube.
I’ll also be at the Orlando Hamcation February 10 through 12, with Aaron Boots AA0RN, who’s a rising W0EEE star. They’ll be having a collegiate forum at 3pm in Classroom 1. I don’t have anything to present, but I want to be there to represent the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI) and check out the 2nd biggest hamfest in the US. I’ll also try to record it. See http://www.hamcation.com/forums/ for more forum info.
That’s about as far as I’ve planned this year. I definitely cannot attend Hamvention (here’s why) but I’m looking at attending some other bigger hamfests (like Friedrichshafen, Pacificon, HamCom, NEAR-fest, anything else listed on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamfest) since Jesten earned me 110,000 Southwest Air and 125,000 American Air points (leftover after our Europe trip). With that said, if you want me to come talk about youth at your hamfest, let me know sooner than later, before I have to spend 110% of my time helping my fiancee plan our wedding (Oct 2018 baby!).
Finally, what I came here to write:
W6LG inspired me for this post. On November 2, 2016, he had a pulmonary embolism and heart attack, nearly killing him. He survived, and is back to making great videos on YouTube.
I’m 25, so you might not understand why I’m posting about this, but it’s surprisingly relevant. I’ve been an “official adult” for 2 years now, and I’ve noticed a few changes.
It’s obvious why these 4 things are happening. It’s because I’m sitting for 8 to 10 hours a day at a desk. So I stood up. Literally. I found some boxes to prop my monitors and keyboard up at properly ergonomic heights, and (aside from my feet hurting) things started just feeling better.
Then I got a newer, better chair and ditched the standing desk boxes. I’m quickly realizing standing is clearly helpful, because the same problems came up, even though my new chair was more ergonomic.
When I watched W6LG’s video, I immediately realized that I have never seen a ham radio station on a standing desk. Jim’s right – we hams spend a shitload of time sitting behind our radios, DXing and contesting, not giving a single thought to the clots slowly building up in our butts, the plaque building up around our hearts, and the atrophy of muscles that once made it so easy to climb a flight of stairs.
The easiest way to fight disease exacerbated by lack of activity is to stand up, stretch, and walk. Of course, if you’re able to stand, this works, but if you require a wheelchair or mobility scooter, follow your individual doctor’s advice on staying healthy.
Standing desks aren’t cheap, but milk crates and boxes did fine for me. Ikea also has several DIY-methods of making standing desks a thing for your station or workbench. And even if you don’t have a standing desk, set a timer to remind yourself to stretch. You can also use apps like Stand Up! for iOS or Randomly RemindMe for Android.
Additionally, the team at Consumers Advocate has poured hundreds of hours into researching different models of standing desks and converters, doing the hard work so you don’t have to. They reviewed and researched models for all budgets, and conveniently put the maximum lifting capacity of each desk so you don’t overburden it with your SO2R FT-3000DX station and 1.5kW linear amplifier should you want to lift that up while you stand!
Do you have a standing desk at your hamshack? Send me your standing desk shack pics at sterling@n0ssc.com!
