Lightning Protection Information

A informative lightning presentation developed by Dr. Monte Bateman, WB5RZX and was presented at the Huntsville Hamfest 2007.

Lightning Protection Presentation

Thanks for attending my presentation,
Monte, WB5RZX

 

W4IAX TELEVISION BACK ON THE AIR

(Danny Carpenter, N4UXY)

After a long down time the W4IAX-ATV repeater is back on the air. On April 13th, 2005 Danny Carpenter N4UXY and Dave Roberts WB4SWG reinstalled the new 1.5 watt ATV transmitter. Danny made a modification to the I.D.er so it will send out the club's call sign every ten minutes. Thanks to WB8ELK Bill Brown for providing E-PROM chip free of charge to the club. We are now getting 90 watts out on sync.

If you want to try and see the repeater on your TV set this is what you need to do:

   1. Hook your TV to an 440 MHz outside vertical beam pointed at the EMA on Spring Hill.

   2. Set the tuner for HRC or IRC or Cable mode. (Better yet buy a ATV down converter.)

   3. Tune to ch.58 (426.25 MHz)

The repeater is now set to I.D. every 10 minutes for 10 seconds , so look for at least 10 minutes.

Stuff that doesn't work!

   Out of band antennas, they might if your near the repeater, but don't count on it!

   That old TV antenna you've been saving that your wife told you to get rid of, go ahead chunk it!

   Indoor antennas, nope !

   An rubber duck antenna on 100 ft. of mini 8.... won't happen!

   Coat hangers and wooden sticks LOL!

   A pair of rabbit ears with a 6 inch parabolic dish!! Now I am really on the floor laughing HIHI! LOL

Here is a map of the coverage area.

Note: the scale is in micro volts at the top of the map. From a TV broadcast transmitter they are looking for about 45 micro volts at the receiving antenna for snow free picture. That would fall somewhere in the yellow & green on our map. Our map is based on a standard ATV receiver, (a 10 Db. gain beam antenna 40 ft above ground, feed line loss of 1.57 Db. and a ATV down converter noise floor of .9 micro volts.) An ATV down converter has far more sensitivity that a normal television receiver. The new TV sets today are design to work with a big fat signal from a CATV system and have to RX from 60 MHz up to well over 900 MHz! An ATV receiver works from 420 MHz to 450 MHz , indeed a very slim and trim TV receiver !

(If you would like more information about Amateur Television, contact Danny at 554-8626 or n4uxy@comcast.net )

WANT YOU OWN ANTENNA MAP?

If any of the subscribers would like to have a map of their antenna pattern please send the following information to n4uxy@comcast.net , put in subject matter your callsign "_____map"

1. Latitude & Longitude, can be in any format and get as close as you can.

2. Transmit power and Frequency

3. Feed line loss, if you don't know tell me type of cable & feet.

4. Receiver threshold in microvolts, if you don't know tell me model of radio.

5. Antenna height above ground .

6. Antenna gain, (dBi or dBd) please specify antenna polarization and type beam or omni.

Some other information options are available such as direction of signal (in degrees), and the signal level ledger on map can be expressed in S-units or DBm or Microvolts and dBuV/m. The map size can be made to fit any antenna pattern and can have road map in the picture along with other station's positions.

Well, let's see what you get!!

 Danny Carpenter N4UXY

North Alabama Weather Stations explained

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Yet Another Balloon Chase

North Alabama Weather Stations

Look Up an APRS Station

Find and track an APRS station

A SEDANode to serve Huntsville, Alabama and the surrounding area is now underway. In the coming weeks, look for Steve Flory’s WA4OUE-7:HAL to appear on screens in northern Alabama and south-central Tennessee. Steve reports that the new node will be centrally located such that it will enable backup emergency communications for a variety of served agencies, with special emphasis placed on meeting the needs of local healthcare providers.
For additional information see:  http://www.sedan-central.org/pages/451816/index.htm

This page will be updated as new technology information is received.

Please send technology suggestions to sm@arrl-al.org

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