Archive for the ‘San Diego’ Tag
UPDATE — See what Dennis W6DQ and I did for the San Diego Maker Faire!
This is our fourth consecutive year as Makers. The 2015 SD Maker Faire team is Dennis W6DQ and Wayne KH6WZ.
Our mission is to change the image of ham radio, making it both contemporary and chic in a hi-tech sort of way. We also want to emphasize how ham radio can be used for science and technology education and a possible career path for youngsters.
Amateur, or ham radio has always included teaching-learning-making-modifying-hacking and networking (making new friends) traditions for over a hundred years. We want to remind people this “new Maker Movement” is not really a new idea. Read my LinkedIn Publish post called “The Original Makers” to learn more about this.
We also want to show everyone that ham radio technology changes with the times, and continues to include both past and present to accomplish one thing: Creating ways to communicate voice and data over the ether, without wires.
Here are some of the projects on display – stay tuned for more stories and pictures after the event!
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Live virtual air traffic control radar receiving station
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Homemade antenna
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APRS / location tracker demonstration
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Software defined radio modules. Photo by Dennis Kidder, W6DQ
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Broadband ham radio network under construction
By the way – here are 65 reasons why ham radio continues to survive – and possibly thrive – in a world of instant, global communication fro everyone:
65 Great Things About Ham Radio
CQ magazine celebrates its 65th anniversary by making a list of 65 great things about ham radio. Ham radio can be considered one of the earliest forms of “social media,” “networking” and “making.” Items in italics can be considered “life lessons.”
1. It works when nothing else does
2. It makes you part of a worldwide community
3. The opportunity to help neighbors by providing public service and emergency communications
4. Some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet
5. Some of the smartest people you’ll ever meet
6. Some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet
7. Some of the most generous people you’ll ever meet (along with some of the cheapest!)
8. Lifelong friendships
9. Friends around the world (including those you haven’t met yet)
10. The opportunity to go interesting places you might not otherwise go to
11. The opportunity to do interesting things you might not otherwise get to do
12. The opportunity to expand your knowledge of geography
13. The opportunity to expand your knowledge of earth and space science
14. Practical uses for high school math
15. Practical uses for high school physics
16. A good way to practice a foreign language
17. A good way to keep in touch with faraway friends and relatives
18. A good way to get driving directions when visiting someplace new (with or without GPS)
19. A good way to find the best places to eat when visiting someplace new (with or without GPS)
20. Finding “non-touristy” off-the-beaten-path places to stay, eat, visit, etc.
21. A good way to learn about virtually any topic
22. A good way to bridge the generation gap
23. A good way to keep tabs on elderly/infirm people
24. People named Joe (Walsh, Rudi, Taylor)
25. How many of your non-ham friends have actually talked to someone in some remote place such as Cape Verde or the Seychelles?
26. How many of your non-ham friends might have talked to an astronaut aboard the space station?
27. How many of your non-ham neighbors might have a satellite uplink station in their basements—or in the palms of their hands?
28. How many of your non-ham neighbors might have a TV studio in their garage?
29. What other hobby group has designed, built, and had launched its own fleet of communication satellites?
30. Where else can you play with meteors?
31. Moonbounce
32. Informal way to improve technical skills
33. Informal way to improve communication skills
34. Introduces a variety of career paths
35. Offers unparalleled opportunities for career networking
36. Opportunities for competition in contesting and foxhunting
37. A good way to collect really cool postcards from around the world (despite the growth of electronic confirmations)
38. Nearly endless variety of different things to do, on and off the air
39. Hamfests
40. Dayton
41. Field Day
42. Working DX
43. Being DX
44. DXpeditions
45. Contesting
46. Award-chasing
47. Double-hop sporadic-E
48. Worldwide DX on 6 meters (once or twice every 11 years) [The current extended sunspot minimum has shown that mechanisms other than F2 propagation can offer intercontinental DX on the “magic band” at any point in the solar cycle.]
49. Tropospheric ducting
50. Gray-line propagation
51. TEP, chordal hops, etc.
52. Getting through on CW when nothing else will
53. Unexpected band openings
54. Building your own gear
55. Using gear you’ve built yourself
56. Operating QRP from some remote location
57. Experimenting with antennas
58. Working DX while mobile or while hiking
59. Experimenting with new modes and new technology
60. The opportunity to help build an internet that doesn’t rely on the internet
61. DXing on your HT via IRLP and Echolink
62. Contributing to scientific knowledge about propagation
63. Keeping track of other people’s GPS units via APRS
64. Ham radio balloon launches to the edge of space, and as always…
65. Reading CQ!
Take a look at the CQ magazine website to find more interesting things about ham radio.
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October 3 and 4: Maker Faire® San Diego!
Maker Faire San Diego is October 3 and 4, 2015, from 10 AM to 6 PM at Balboa Park. Our “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio” theme will feature some new projects as well as some of the old, but popular demonstrations from previous Maker Faire events. Pictured below is a project under construction, I hope to have it completed for this event. It is a homemade 1090 MHz collinear (vertical) antenna that will be part of an air traffic control monitoring station using a software defined radio (SDR).
October 15 to 18: Microwave Update (MUD)!
Microwave Update, or MUD, is a yearly technical conference for amateur radio experimenters making, modifying, hacking, building, testing and using the 1,000 MHz and up radio bands. Participants from all over the world gather at these events to share information about operating techniques, radio propagation and radio station equipment. One aspect of this event is the buying, selling and trading of surplus parts and assemblies for these frequency bands, since some items may be difficult to procure in some areas. But perhaps the best thing about MUD is socializing and making new friends from all over the world to discuss common interests and goals.
Preparations for the San Diego MUD are still under way. Last weekend, a few San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS) members gathered at Dave’s lab to sort and package some prize and give-away items for the event.
Left to right: Dave WA6CGR, Rein W6SZ, Pat N6RMJ and Jim KK6MXP sorting and packing some microwave frequency prizes and give-ways.
I hope to see you at any or both of these events!
Microwave Update (MUD), the international conference on Amateur Radio experimentation above 1,000 MHz, reminds attendees and participants the deadline for papers is September 1, 2015. The event is October 15 to 18, 2015.
Article/Paper Deadline
There is still time to create and submit an article or paper on your latest microwave project, technique or technology update.
Paper guidelines are posted on the official 2015 Microwave Update website, at
Technical Paper Guidelines and Deadlines
Speaker Schedule
The preliminary speaker schedule is posted at
MUD 2015 Speaker Schedule
Hotel Information – Discount Rates Deadline Approaches!
Take advantage of the hotel discount rate which expires on September 14, 2015. Be sure to mention you will be attending the Microwave Update (MUD).
Crowne Plaza San Diego
2270 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108 USA
Phone: +1-888-233-9527
More MUD 2015 hotel information:
MUD 2015 Hotel Info
For more information and the latest updates on MUD 2015, go to:
Microwave Update 2015 San Diego, CA
About the San Bernardino Microwave Society
The SBMS, founded in 1955, is a non-profit technical organization and Amateur Radio club and dedicated to the advancement of communications above 1,000MHz. Affiliated with the ARRL, the SBMS membership includes over 90 Amateurs from Hawaii and Alaska to the East Coast and beyond. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm at the American Legion Hall, 1024 Main St., Corona, CA. For more SBMS information, go to SBMS
About the Microwave Group of San Diego
The Microwave Group of San Diego is an informal association of Radio Amateurs interested in the frequencies above 1000 MHz. A net is held on the air each Monday night, except the third Monday of the month, on the Palomar Amateur Radio Club Repeater, 146.730 (-0.600), (tone 107.2) at 9:00 PM. For more information, go to
MGSD
SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 19, 2015 — Microwave Update (MUD), the paramount international conference on Amateur Radio experimentation above 1,000MHz, will take place from Thursday, October 15 to Sunday, October 18, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza San Diego.
MUD 2015 will include technical programs, a banquet and the opportunity to network with fellow microwave ham radio enthusiasts from around the world. This year’s event is sponsored jointly by the San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS) and the Microwave Group of San Diego (MGSD).
Special hotel rates are available to MUD 2015 attendees. Be sure to mention the Microwave Update 2015 when making hotel reservations.
Call for Papers and Presentations
MUD is a great opportunity to share your ideas by presenting and writing papers. If you are interested in writing and/or presenting a topic for the 2015 MUD, send an e-mail message to mud2015-presentations@ham-radio.com with an abstract or a general idea. This will help the conference planning and scheduling team organize the event.
Presentation and paper guidelines are posted at
http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/mud2015/mud2015_call_for_Papers.pdf
The deadline for proceedings submissions is September 1 and deadline for presentations is September 25.
For more information and the latest updates on MUD 2015, go to:
http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/mud2015/
Hotel Information
The hotel is taking reservations now, so take advantage of the discount rate. Remember to ask for the Microwave Update (MUD) special rate.
Crowne Plaza San Diego
2270 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108 USA
Phone: +1-888-233-9527
http://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/san-diego/sancp/hoteldetail
About the San Bernardino Microwave Society
The SBMS, founded in 1955, is a non-profit technical organization and Amateur Radio club and dedicated to the advancement of communications above 1,000MHz. Affiliated with the ARRL, the SBMS membership includes over 90 Amateurs from Hawaii and Alaska to the East Coast and beyond. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm at the American Legion Hall, 1024 Main St., Corona, CA. For more SBMS information, go to http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/
About the Microwave Group of San Diego (MGSD)
The MGSD is an informal association of Radio Amateurs interested in the frequencies above 1000 MHz. A net is held on the air each Monday night, except the third Monday of the month, on the Palomar Amateur Radio Club Repeater, 146.730 (-0.600), (tone 107.2) at 9:00 PM. For more MGSD information, go to
http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/sd/mgsd.htm
Announcing San Diego Mini Maker Faire 2013 – Visit the Maker Booth called “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio”
Maker Faire – where art, science and technology crash together!
>> Click here for more info! <<
APRS display of the KH6WZ-5 location beacon at the 2013 OC Mini Maker Faire at UCI. Notice the beacon message at the top of the screen capture includes the URL of the event – a great publicity tool!
This past weekend, the second OC Mini Maker Faire happened. And it just so happens to be the second running of my ham radio demonstration called, “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio (2)!” This is my continuing mission to remind people of two things:
First, “The Maker Movement” is nothing new, Amateur Radio operators have been doing this for a almost a century, and nearly 2 million people worldwide are involved in ham radio in some way.
Second, Ham radio is not necessarily an old man’s hobby where weird guys talk to strangers from garages and basements. We are skilled wireless communicators and use today’s technology, from GPS and microprocessors to lasers and microwave frequency linking.
This time I added static and working displays of my various APRS beacons (KH6WZ, KH6WZ-5, and others). I programmed the OC Mini Maker Faire’s URL to the beacon message so people can take a look at what was happening – an excellent publicity tool!
I also planned on making some 10 GHz contacts with my rig, since this was also the same weekend as the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest. The transverter covers were removed so people can see the system’s guts.
Based on previous experience at the Discovery Science Center “Meet the Makers” event, I demonstrated radio wave polarization- horizontal vs vertical – with my rig and the microwave strength meter.
Since I had plenty of space, I shared my booth with a company that makes interesting computer and microprocessor related items. This may sound trivial, until you realize this company is run by these three young guys . . .
Huxley, Max and Ethan showing one of their products called the SmartPac.
There seemed to be more people at this Faire, probably since not too many other events were happening nearby. The 405/605/22 freeway closure did not affect the MF, since it started after the event ended.
More than a dozen hams – either active or at least licensed – stopped by to visit. We talked about this event as well as the Bay Area Maker Faire, and what ham radio activities we are involved with.
One more thing: I met several guys from the San Diego area – they are finalizing the plans to have a Mini Maker Faire in the San Diego area – this is great news. Stay tuned and I will announce an update as soon as I hear something from the committee!
Here are some pictures from the event. I am already thinking of building some new displays for next year.
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The 24-inch M/A-COM dish with the KH6WZ logo makes a pretty decent sign for the booth, eh?
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The KH6WZ 10 GHz transmitter-receiver unit on display at the Orange County Mini Maker Faire on the UCI campus
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KH6WZ horn antenna and microwave field strength meter at the OC Mini Maker Faire 2013
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The KH6WZ APRS beacon (unit 1) at the OC Mini Maker Faire 2013. This was a static display unit to show components and construction.
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KH6WZ-5 APRS beacon – active and sending position data at the 2013 OC Mini Maker Faire at UCI. The beacon message included the Faire’s URL.
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This familiar unit makes an appearance at the Maker Faire. . .
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The robot “Titan” was a crowd pleaser – it throws flying discs and comes to you for a refill.
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Track Roamer robot at the OC Mini Maker Faire. Notice the Nerf gun. When you come to next year’s event, remember to wear a red shirt.
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One of the “roving displays” at the OC Mini Maker Faire 2013.
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Some ham visitors at the Orange County Mini Maker Faire 2013: Haliey, Michelle W5NYV, Paul KB5MU and John KJ6HZ.
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Michelle W5NYV wearing her daughter’s alpha wave ears. The ears move and react to pulses from a sensor clipped to her left ear.
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An unknown couple wearing Vocademy shirts. What a great slogan: Eat, Sleep, Make.
wayneyoshidakh6wz 