From Doc Searls:

The COSMO-SkyMed 3 satellite will be launched into orbit tomorrow, October 24, at 19:28:21, or 21 seconds after 7:28pm, Pacific time, from Vandenberg AFB in California. Says here that the rocket will be a Delta II, which puts on a great show. While the launch will be spectacular from nearby viewing locations, it will be visible all over the southwest U.S. and northwest Mexico. More from that last link:

Guess this is the third in the series.

In any case, I assume that this one has a polar orbit, which is the only kind of orbit that allows scanning of the whole earth over the course of time. That means it will be launching toward the south. This is good. Even if it’s in that direction, it will still be impressive.

Here’s a photoset of two launches from Vandenberg AFB, and two launches there, both shot from Santa Barbara. And here’s a video of one of those.

One cool thing: As the rocket enters space, exhaust is no longer contained by atmosphere, and it expands into something shaped like an elongated light bulb. Then the exhaust drifts in strange and wandering ways, determined by edge-of-space movements in atmosphere, altered by the directions of rocket exhaust, and then space itself, where the exhaust moves win all the directions the rockets shoot (which in most cases is in four directions at once). It’s fun and strange to watch.

By Scott Westerman – W9WSW

Several years back, my good buddy Matt Bennett got me fired up about Linux, the open source operating system that controls the ones and zeroes along a vast array of computer hardware. Linux runs the server that hosts W9WSW.com. It also is the concert master that makes the circuits and wires of the a number of wireless routers sing.

Routers help guide network data to its proper destination and the device firmware allows you a great deal of control over everything from the RF channels that collect WiFi streams to the security system that protects your communications.

Routers come loaded with firmware that often rides on a stripped down Linux operating system. But most factory firmware has it’s limitations. In a world where an increasing number of ISPs are considering capping monthly bandwidth, your router most likely can’t tell you how much you’ve used. The vast majority also can’t survey the airwaves for a clear WiFi channel, can’t run a trace route or ping a distant IP address.

Enter Tomato. The folks at Polar Cloud have devised a super-charged firmware for routers that use the Linksys WRT54G chipset. It has all the resident features that typically come with the factory version, features a user friendly interface,  a sophisticated bandwidth monitor, feature rich quality of service and access controls. If that’s not enough, Polar Cloud’s website boasts that Tomato “enables new wireless features such as WDS and wireless client modes, raises the limits on maximum connections for P2P, allows you to run your custom scripts or telnet/ssh in and do all sorts of things like re-program the SES/AOSS button, adds wireless site survey to see your wifi neighbors, and more”.

Imagine a jet engine hooked up to a VW and you begin to get a feel for how Tomato enhances router functionality.

I’ve been able to test drive a variety of routers over the years and wondered how all of these features could actually work on low cost consumer devices. But when my state of the art N series box started acting up, I decided to give Tomato a try.

The Polar Cloud website has an extensive list of compatible routers. I bought a Linksys WRT54GL for $49 bucks at NewEgg. Downloading the appropriate firmware version was easy and the instructions for installing it were straight forward. When the router re-booted, I was presented with a robust red and white menu with 25 primary options and a status screen that displayed the key system, WAN, LAN and wireless data.

I’m somewhat of a power user and have special settings on my router to accommodate things like Echolink, audio streaming and remote control. Configuring port forwarding and security was a snap. If you’ve set up virtual apps on other boxes, you’ll be able to migrate to Tomato easily.

The added functionality is where Tomato really shines. The wireless survey tool turns the router into a scanner and spits out detailed information on any neighboring WiFi access points to quickly find a vacant channel. There’s a noise floor meter that can help you avoid RFI, too. And if you’re watching your bandwidth, Tomato gives you five options to measure usage in real time, over the last 24 hours, daily, weekly or monthly.

To date, my Tomato enabled router has been bullet-proof. No crashes, no re-boots. And it handles my lightning fast Comcast 16 meg Internet connection like a champ.

Tomato is just one of several enhanced firmware solutions out there. If you don’t have a Tomato compatible device, there may be other options. Polar Cloud continues to improve Tomato, too, so you can continue to get the most out of your hardware as the state of the art evolves.

Best of all, Tomato is free. If you like what you see, there’s an option to donate. After experiencing Tomato, I was happy to contribute to the cause.

It was a throw-away comment in last month’s QST and I almost missed it. A new benefit of being a member of the American Radio Relay League is the ability to search the entire archives of QST, QEX, NCJ and Ham Radio, from 1915 through the present.

Last night, I finally got around to a test drive.

I’m a history buff by nature and spent more than my share of time hooked to microfilm readers at our local library looking through old newspapers. So this new membership enhancement was a rare treat. In the space of an hour I read:

• The life story of H.P. Maxim, the League founder, inventor, and rennaissance man.
• About the first telecom over power line experiments (hams did it, of course), in 1942.
• How to modulate a flashlight bulb, ham radio’s first forays into what would become fiber-optic communications, before 1950.
• How amateurs were among the most sought after recruits as operators for the then top secret technology known as radar.

Searching the archive is incredibly easy. And the information is rendered in a PDF file that is easy to print or to save to your local drive.

If you’re already a league member, log-in over at www.arrl.org. If you’re not a member, now is a great time to join.