Huntsville Hamfest Photos

Photos by Gary, N4OLN

These photos are also posted in the Group Photos section. Click on the thumbnail for Huntsville 2009.

Skype under threat

The VoIP technology that we like to use for HF radio interfacing to the Internet is under threat due to E-bay's sloppy acquisition of Skype. See this summary from episode 583 of Leo Laporte's show The Tech Guy. The summary includes a link to an article on the British news site The Guardian.

Pioneers award to TPARCA in 1995

Here is a bit of TPARCA history from 1995. Click on the thumbnail for a better view. Pictured receiving the award is W4AXO, Bell Ringer #187.
Also, see the 1994 group photo.

Updated W4BXI System Audio Drawing

In an earlier blog posting W4UOA provided a drawing of W4BXI' s overall audio interconnections, and WA5MLF followed with a drawing to focus on the two-way audio paths between transceiver and Internet-connected PC. Since that time W4BXI has added a second audio mixer (colored orange) to the system. An updated draft drawing by WA5MLF is shown below (click to enlarge).

Photos of key hardware elements may be seen here.

Feedback from W4BXI would be appreciated to ensure that this version of the drawing conforms with the "as built" hardware configuration.

This may aid our ongoing discussions of interfacing multiple participants to an HF radio QSO using Skype, and even the 20th century technology called a phone patch. Today's on-air discussion renewed the quest for a system configuration that can connect multiple Skype callers to the host HF transceiver without the use of external hardware mixers or a second PC to host the Skype audio conference.

Electronics Recycling in Birmingham

If you have old electronic equipment of any kind that you can't or don't want to trade or sell, consider bringing it to a recycling company, such as Technical Knock Out. They are a full-time operation located near US-31 (Independence Dr) and 28th Ave S. The annotated photo below (click to enlarge) shows the TKO location. It is suggested that you call them before going to make sure they are present. Sometimes they are away collecting discards from local businesses.

Last year I took a wide variety of items to a weekend collection that the company sponsored at Whole Foods. A couple weeks ago I took some equipment directly to the TKO warehouse where I found the employees disassembling old computer equipment and other electronic gear. They are glad to accept all kinds of radio, audio, and other equipment. Sheet metal parts are picked up by a local company that uses recycled metals to produce various forms of piping. Circuit boards are shipped to a company in another state that separates the components and materials for recycling.

Call TKO at 205-451-0180 if you have any questions.

John

N0A - Nixa, MO Field Day

N0SAP - Sap provided the following photos from the Field Day operations of the Nixa Amateur Radio Club. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Click here to view a local TV news video about the event.

Ham Radio Audio and Resources

During a discussion of online receivers this morning Bruce K4CMC told us about the blog Ham Radio Audio and Resources. If you scroll down there to the section labeled 5) Online Receiver's you'll find a list with many links. (The blog author misuses apostrophes.)

Included among them is the Lebanon, Tennessee Receiver provided by Trish Ray, K4ZE that we were remembering from an earlier QSO.

Thanks, Bruce!

Thanks to Phil KB4XX for sending an updated link the K4ZE receiver. See S-Meter Website Receivers for another listing of receivers. I suspect that these also appear in the blog listed above.