The Sandoval County ARES group monthly meeting will be held July 16th. We are very excited to have a presentation titled “Repeater 101” by K5RWS. We are anticipating this to be a big event in that we are opening it up to the general Ham community ARES and NonARES, Public Safety, and other ham radio club members outside of our city and county. The meeting will be held at the OLD Sandoval County Court House in the County Commissions Chamber, located in the town of Bernilillo. Refreshments WILL be served. More info? Contact W5IDT

If you’re a satellite enthusiast, you’re always checking your watch to see when Amsat/Oscar 51 will next peer above the Albuquerque horizon. We’ve got a tool to help. On the right sidebar of the site, under the events section, you’ll find the date and time of the next AO51 pass, updated every 20 minutes. Click the link and you’ll get complete position data from AOS to LOS. We use the same software that AMSAT uses to make their predictions so they ought to be identical. Coming soon, you’ll be able to get on an email list to receive a note when AO51 is close to AOS. Thanks to Mike – K5ATM for the inspiration.

By Scott Westerman – W9WSW
High above the earth a system of satellites in the Cospas-Sarsat constellation scan the terrestrial landscape below. Inside each bird, a scanner listens on three frequencies for bursts of radio energy that signal the activation of an emergency locater transmitter. On evening of May 31, one of the satellites picks up a weak carrier that seems to be emanating from central New Mexico on 121.5 MHz. An aircraft ELT has been activated.

Many ELT’s on private aircraft are still of the older version that transmit a continuous signal on 121.5 MHz at a power output of less than 100mW. Newer ELT’s transmit a 5 watt signal on 406 MHz for a half second approximately once a minute. The ELTs manufactured since 1997 can transmit precise latitude and longitude data from an incorporated GPS receiver and also transmit a continuous signal on 121.5 MHz (lower power than the earlier version ELTs) to provide a homing beacon in difficult terrain. ELTs on board aircraft automatically activate via acceleration switches tripped by g-forces associated with a crash, but most ELTs are usually activated accidentally. Whatever the case, an ELT beacon is a fire alarm that generates an immediate response. Continue Reading “Amateur Radio Search and Rescue in New Mexico” »

By Scott Westerman – W9WSW
My first fox hunt happened in 1982. We were trying to revitalize the Oak Park Amateur Radio Club and a bunch of us high energy types thought it would be fun to try our hands at locating a hidden transmitter. KB8HR was our president at the time and he agreed to be the fox. We didn’t have many rules, except for limiting the search area to the western suburbs. We built directional yagis out of PVC pipe and aluminum rods, bought or borrowed attenuators and did our best to hone in on his voice transmissions. Our inexperience made it a long and trying task and Fred finally started giving us clues so that everyone could get done and go home. Our attention quickly turned to Field Day. Things are much different here in Albuquerque. Continue Reading “Fox Hunt” »

The NMSARS regular monthly meeting is held the second Saturday of each month at Joe’s Grill, 2912 Juan Tabo NE in Albuquerque. More information here.

Have an event you’d like to publicize? Send it to W9WSW@arrl.net.

We like to think that help is always a phone call away, but when 911 service went out in Cuba, New Mexico, amateur radio became the community’s link to emergency services. The Sandoval County Amateur Radio Emergency Service team was activated at the request of County Emergency Manager Jess Lewis and the group’s mobile emergency communications van was pressed into service to help provide coverage. Hams were on duty 24 hours a day until service was restored. As the League likes to say… “When all else fails…”

Editor’s Note – Thanks to K5CEC for this piece:
Students at Albuquerque’s Sunset Mesa School were fascinated as the voice of U.S. astronaut Suni Williams on-board the International Space Station was heard loud and clear over ham radio. Students at the school were then able to talk with Williams as the ISS flew over New Mexico. The radio contact between the school and the ISS is part of an educational project made possible by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project in cooperation with the Amateur Satellite Corporation, the American Radio Relay League, NASA, and the ARISS international partners including Canada, Russia, the European Partners, and Japan. Members of the Sandoval County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SCARES) provided the equipment and technical know-how to make the communications possible. The SCARES amateur radio, “ham” station, using W5SCA as its call sign, began calling the ISS at 8:44 a.m. On the third call, as the ISS rose to about three degrees above the horizon, Williams answered. The students immediately started to ask their questions. Over the next eight and one-half minutes, Williams fielded fourteen questions from students. Williams was very friendly and informative. “She was wonderful,” commented one of the parents in the audience Continue Reading “Sandoval Hams Link 5th Graders with Astronauts” »

Saw this on Boing Boing. An affirming tale of how hams came to the rescue of an historic earth station. The Jamesburg Earth Station, located in Cachagua Valley, California, came on line in 1969, just in time to broadcast images of the first moon landing to the world. In addition to transporting millions of international telephone calls, it downlinked images of President Nixon’s china trip and brought battlefield video from the Vietnam War into our homes. The site was shuttered in 2002 until a private investor bought it and contacted some hams to help with the refurb. There was a definite sense of urgency as the 160 acre site had been subdivided for residential home construction. Since going back on line, it’s been used successfully for EME.

Ready to join the amateur ranks? Set to upgrade? Testing is available by appointment in the ABQ area. Contact Frank at 962-9212