Comments on: The Original Social Network? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:26:44 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: A-Tom-IC http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79848 A-Tom-IC Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:03:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79848 Great blog and congrats on the upgrade from N6TG (first licensed at age 13, now 62). Great blog and congrats on the upgrade from N6TG (first licensed at age 13, now 62).

]]> By: Yvette http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79609 Yvette Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:17:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79609 Hooray for a Ham radio post! (And Auger, my undergrad work was on it.) Up until this year I was the main operator at W8EDU, the CWRU station, and talked to quite a few physicists during contests in particular- kept exchanging a list of greetings between people between our dept and Chicago. I was never sure if I could make so many quick contacts due to our great setup or Ham radio being more gender biased than physics though. - KB3HTS Hooray for a Ham radio post! (And Auger, my undergrad work was on it.)

Up until this year I was the main operator at W8EDU, the CWRU station, and talked to quite a few physicists during contests in particular- kept exchanging a list of greetings between people between our dept and Chicago. I was never sure if I could make so many quick contacts due to our great setup or Ham radio being more gender biased than physics though.

- KB3HTS

]]> By: Leigh Klotz http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79592 Leigh Klotz Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:13:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79592 Although a $10,000 de luxe radio might be nice, readers may be interested to start with a radio-related electronics kit, such as the Sudden Receiver from http://qrpme.com (which comes packaged in a tuna tin can you then re-use as the chassis) or a simpler kit from http://midnightscience.com. You can also move up a step to a full (licensed) transceiver from http://elecraft.com which is a California-based company making a variety of rugged, high-performing kits for everything from backpacking to extreme radio contesting, competing well with the aforementioned $10,000 boxes. Although a $10,000 de luxe radio might be nice, readers may be interested to start with a radio-related electronics kit, such as the Sudden Receiver from http://qrpme.com (which comes packaged in a tuna tin can you then re-use as the chassis) or a simpler kit from http://midnightscience.com. You can also move up a step to a full (licensed) transceiver from http://elecraft.com which is a California-based company making a variety of rugged, high-performing kits for everything from backpacking to extreme radio contesting, competing well with the aforementioned $10,000 boxes.

]]> By: N1CGM http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79585 N1CGM Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:29:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79585 Thanks for the exposure on an otherwise fast-decaying hobby. Enjoy Field Day with your new privileges!--Kurt Freitag Thanks for the exposure on an otherwise fast-decaying hobby. Enjoy Field Day with your new privileges!–Kurt Freitag

]]> By: John http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79483 John Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:11:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79483 Mike, I stand corrected - I'm not sure where I picked up that bit of false information but you are correct. Obviously I am a newbie... I have corrected the post, thanks! Mike, I stand corrected – I’m not sure where I picked up that bit of false information but you are correct. Obviously I am a newbie… I have corrected the post, thanks!

]]> By: Mike, KD7TKQ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79476 Mike, KD7TKQ Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:26:42 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79476 Great article recognizing the utility and diversity of amateur radio. Thank you for writing it. Just a little nit to pick, however. You write: "On the longest amateur band, 160 m, it’s Morse code (a.k.a. CW) only." Where is this the case? Voice communications are common on 160m. I regularly use SSB on 160m, and AM is also used down there. Great article recognizing the utility and diversity of amateur radio. Thank you for writing it. Just a little nit to pick, however. You write:

“On the longest amateur band, 160 m, it’s Morse code (a.k.a. CW) only.”

Where is this the case? Voice communications are common on 160m. I regularly use SSB on 160m, and AM is also used down there.

]]> By: Kerry Smith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79472 Kerry Smith Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:41:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79472 Congratulations on your upgrade. I joined the ham ranks in 1983 as a novice and worked my way up through the (then) 5 levels of ham licenses until finally reaching extra in 2004 (if I remember correctly). I used to enjoy mobile HF but have since moved on to PSK31 on the HF bands (not mobile O_O ). Enjoy your new spectrum and best of luck with making truly enjoyable contacts. NN5KS Congratulations on your upgrade. I joined the ham ranks in 1983 as a novice and worked my way up through the (then) 5 levels of ham licenses until finally reaching extra in 2004 (if I remember correctly). I used to enjoy mobile HF but have since moved on to PSK31 on the HF bands (not mobile O_O ).

Enjoy your new spectrum and best of luck with making truly enjoyable contacts.

NN5KS

]]> By: Anne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79434 Anne Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:03:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79434 Congratulations on your license upgrade! As far as scientist-hams go you're in good company: Joe Taylor, Nobel Prize winner, is K1JT; he's turned his radio astronomy experience to devising some clever weak-signal digital modes. Of course, working radio astronomers sometimes find themselves cursing hams as we try to sift through mountains of radio-frequency interference, but really, other sources (lightning, ignition systems, that military radar near Arecibo we're not supposed to know about) are more important. And unfortunately when we have fractional bandwidths of a quarter to a half - 100 MHz at 350 MHz, or 800 MHz at 1600 MHz - there's really no way for us to avoid *somebody*'s interference. Though we do have some notch filters to cut down on the very worst offenders. LOFAR is most interesting (to me) mostly for its main purpose: as a radio telescope the size of Europe. Their low band reaches all the way down to 30 metres, though it's going to be a nightmare trying to see clearly through the ionosphere even at its thinnest. But nobody has ever really looked at the sky at this frequency and resolution, so it's almost certain to pull up some surprises, above and beyond the cool things we already know it'll see (it's already taken its first pulsar observation while in its commissioning stages). Congratulations on your license upgrade! As far as scientist-hams go you’re in good company: Joe Taylor, Nobel Prize winner, is K1JT; he’s turned his radio astronomy experience to devising some clever weak-signal digital modes. Of course, working radio astronomers sometimes find themselves cursing hams as we try to sift through mountains of radio-frequency interference, but really, other sources (lightning, ignition systems, that military radar near Arecibo we’re not supposed to know about) are more important. And unfortunately when we have fractional bandwidths of a quarter to a half – 100 MHz at 350 MHz, or 800 MHz at 1600 MHz – there’s really no way for us to avoid *somebody*’s interference. Though we do have some notch filters to cut down on the very worst offenders.

LOFAR is most interesting (to me) mostly for its main purpose: as a radio telescope the size of Europe. Their low band reaches all the way down to 30 metres, though it’s going to be a nightmare trying to see clearly through the ionosphere even at its thinnest. But nobody has ever really looked at the sky at this frequency and resolution, so it’s almost certain to pull up some surprises, above and beyond the cool things we already know it’ll see (it’s already taken its first pulsar observation while in its commissioning stages).

]]> By: Brian G. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/comment-page-1/#comment-79416 Brian G. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:30:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/06/17/the-original-social-network/#comment-79416 Congratulations on getting your General! My ARRL General License Manual just arrived in the mail, so maybe I'll look for you on 40m in a few months. 73 DE KF4JBM Congratulations on getting your General! My ARRL General License Manual just arrived in the mail, so maybe I’ll look for you on 40m in a few months. 73 DE KF4JBM

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