Home >  Archives >  2011

This archive of 2011 lists the past items of interest to the general amateur radio community in Hawaii.


Hawaii Calendar of Events for 2011

February 19, 2011, updated December 1, 2011

Amateur radio clubs and organizations around Hawaii sponsor or participate in a variety of operating events and meetings. This is a list of key events around the state.

Date Event
Sat January 22, 2011+ ARRL VHF Sweepstakes
Fri February 18, 2011+ ARRL DX Contest - CW
Fri March 6, 2011+ ARRL DX Contest - Phone
Sun March 13, 2011 EARC Swapmeet
Fri March 25, 2011+ CQ WPX Contest - Phone
Sun April 17, 2011 Geek Meet IV
Fri May 27, 2011+ CQ WPX Contest - CW
Sat May 28, 2011 Makani Pahili - Annual Hurricane Exercise
Sat June 4, 2011+ Museum Ships Weekend (See USS Missouri)
Sat June 11, 2011+ ARRL VHF QSO Party
Sat June 25, 2011+ ARRL Field Day and Hawaii Field Day
Sat August 27, 2011+ Hawaii QSO Party
Sat October 1, 2011 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
Sat October 22, 2011 Big Island International Hamfest, BIARC and KHRC, Waimea Community Center, Big Island New
Fri October 28, 2011+ CQ World Wide Contest - Phone
Fri November 4, 2011+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest - CW
Fri November 18, 2011+ ARRL Sweepstakes Contest - Phone
Fri November 25, 2011+ CQ World Wide Contest - CW
Fri December 2, 2011+ SKYWARN Recognition Day
Sun December 11, 2011 Communications for Honolulu Marathon. Email Greg NH6ZS for more details.

Radio Communications for the Honolulu Marathon

December 10, 2011

Oahu amateur radio operators will support the 2011 Honolulu Marathon with real-time radio communications. Additional openings are available for volunteers. Send email to Greg NH6ZS to sign up.

EARC VE Testing and Mini-Field Day, Saturday Dec 3 4:00 pm

December 2, 2011

There will be amateur radio VE (Volunteer Examiner) testing on Oahu on Saturday, December 3 beginning at 4:00 pm near the Hawaii Kai Boat Ramp at the EARC mini-Field Day event. Send email to Wayne KH6MEI to pre-register and get more details.

Maui Amateur Radio Exams, Saturday Dec 3 9:00 am

December 1, 2011

There will be amateur radio VE (Volunteer Examiner) testing on Maui on Saturday, December 3 beginning at 9:00 am at the Hale Mahaolu Elua Community Hall, 200 Hina Ave. in Kahului. Send email to Mel KH6H to pre-register and get more details.

Honolulu Marathon, Sunday Dec 11

December 1, 2011

Amateur radio operators are needed Sunday December 11 to provide real-time support communications for the Honolulu Marathon. Send email to Greg NH6ZS to get more details and to sign-up.

Assistance requested for rescuing the FASTRAC cubesat satellite

December 1, 2011

The student satellite engineering team at the University of Texas at Austin is requesting help from amateur radio operators in rescuing the FASTRAC satellite. They are requesting hams digipeat through the satellite to drain the battery and cause a power-on reset. 1200 or 9600 baud packet and VHF FM required. You can read the FASTRAC Rescue Information PDF file for additional details

Honolulu participation in SKYWARN Recognition Day 2011, Fri-Sat December 2-3

November 30, 2011, updated: December 1, 2011

The Honolulu National Weather Service Forecast Office (NWSFO) is hosting SKYWARN Recognition Day 2011 in Hawaii. Operationsl will be from Friday, December 2 2:00 pm to Saturday, December 3 2:00 pm. You can get the details at the SKYWARN Recognition Day 2011 for Hawaii web page.

Results for SET 2011 available

November 12, 2011

The Emergency Coordinator (EC) and Net Manager (NM) reports for Hawaii State Civil Defense for SET 2011 were completed. You can find the reports at the Hawaii SET 2011 web page.

146.98 FFMB Repeater duplexer peaked

November 5, 2011

The duplexer for the 146.98- FFMB repeater was retuned. The audio equalization was also adjusted to be "flat". The improvement in the FFMB repeater's RF and audio performance is substantially complete.

Check out the coverage of the repeater. Since the elevation of the repeater antenna is lower than a number of other repeaters, it has less coverage into the Ewa Beach and Kapolei areas compared to repeaters on Diamond Head and the Waianae mountain range. However, it has good performance from Kaimuki through to Pearl City and to Mililani and serves as an additional repeater for mobile communications and extended contacts. The PL on the repeater is 88.5 Hz.

RAX-2 to be launched on Oct 27, 2011, telemetry available over Hawaii at 3:02 am HST Oct 28

October 27, 2011, Updated October 27, 2011

The RAX-2 Cubesat to be launched at 11:48 pm HST on October 27, 2011 near Vandenberg AFB near Los Angeles. It is one of six Cubsat payloads aboard a Delta II rocket. See this link for more details.

Students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering will be collecting telemetry from the UHF AX.25 packet beacon onboard the University of Michigan Cubesat RAX-2. The beacon will transmit on 437.345 MHz 9600 baud GMSK. See this link for more details.

The telemetry will first be heard over Hawaii at 3:02 am HST on October 28. The University of Michigan team would like to receive reports.

With the recent uptick in solar activity and auroras, this Cubesat will generate a lot of great scientific data that will be useful for radio engineering and GPS operations.

Antenna System for 146.98 FFMB Repeater replaced

October 23, 2011

For the hams in the metro Honolulu area of Oahu, try the 146.98 Mhz repeater with a PL of 88.5 Hz. A major work effort accomplished a milestone on Sat Oct 22. It included the swap-out of the antenna system for the VHF repeater, so it now has a better service coverage area. Still more work will be done to improve the performance, but you'll like what you hear.

The antenna and the feedline was replaced. It now has 8.3 dB of gain on VHF, compared to about 5 dB before. The 110 ft RG-8 coax run was replaced with a 60 ft 1/2-inch heliax feedline. The squelch is still a little tight, and the duplexers need retuning. However, the SWR on the antenna is flat, and the repeater is putting out 40 watts out of the duplexer. It's the first major improvement in the antenna system since the repeater was installed in 1977.

The MSR-2000 repeater now hears stations under the Kahala Mall viaduct. Coverage falls off after passing Kalani High School and drops quite a bit passing Aina Haina. A full 50 watts is needed to access the repeater past Aina Haina.

Keith WH7GG reports that the repeater was accessible from Enchanted Lakes, where previously it could not be reached. The repoeater was received at full scale.

Kevin AH6QO reports that the repeater was accessible from Hahaione Valley, where previously it could not be reached. The repoeater was received at full scale. The station used was a Kenwood TM-D700, 50 watts into a Jetstream 7 foot dualbander antenna. Kevin is within the valley and does not have line of sight to the ridge at Kaimuki, which means he has to bounce his signal to get it past the Kaimuki ridge.

146.76 Mokuleia/Peacock Flats Repeater Antenna replaced

October 15, 2011

The antenna for the 146.76 Mokuleia/Peacock Flats repeater was replaced. The coverage of the repeater is from Waianae, Makaha to Kaena Point, to Haleiwa to Kahuku. It also communicates with Kauai, and the repeater was active during Hurricane Iniki.

Keith ZS6TW, WSJT and the Snow Leopard Mac

October 4, 2011

Keith ZS6TW writes in his blog about running the WSJT mode on his Snow Leopard Intel Mac. You can find the link at the Mac for Ham Radio web page.

With the uptick in solar activity, get ready for VHF openings.

Old KHON2-TV 55 MHz signal DX'ed to Darwin, Australia in Sept 2001

October 1, 2011

The Darwin, Australia VHF DXpedition in September 2001 received VHF TV and FM radio signals from Hawaii. TV Stations 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were received, as well as FM stations.

With the uptick in solar activity, get ready for VHF openings.

Simulated Emergency Test 2011 in Hawaii, October 1 9:00 - 12:00 noon

September 21, 2011, updated October 1, 2011

The annual ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) for 2011 in Hawaii is scheduled for Saturday, October 1, from 9:00 am to 12 noon.

Amateur radio operators in Hawaii are encouraged to check-in and participate. This year's scenario is responding to two destructive tsunamis from a 9.0 Moment earthquake. Stations are encouraged to exchange tactical and formal ICS-213 messages. See this web page for more information and details.

Three Kalaupapa residents are now hams!

August 2, 2011, updated August 31, 2011

The three residents of Kalaupapa are now ham radio operators! They are newly licensed Technician and General class operators. Welcome them to amateur radio when you hear them on the repeaters soon.

ARRL recapped the first testing session in this web article.

Essential programming guide available for Kenwood TM-V71A

August 30, 2011

A PDF is available that documents the essential button sequences for the Kenwood TM-V71A to program frequencies into the memory channels. Click on this link for more information.

Kalawao County, Molokai expected on the air for Hawaii QSO Party, Aug 27 - 28, 2011

June 3, 2011, updated July 31, 2011, reposted August 23, 2011

The highly sought-after Kalawao County is expected to be on the air during Hawaii QSO Party. The portable station will also on the air before (Friday) and after (Sunday) the QSO Party. SSB and CW on 10 through 40m.

See the 2011 Kalawao DXPedition web page for details.

Icom CSV files available for programming Icom IC-V80s

August 13, 2011, updated August 13, 2011

Icom CSV files containing pre-programmed memory channel information for Hawaii are available. Click on this link for more information.

Kenwood HMK file available for programming Kenwood TM-D710s, RC-710s, and TM-V71s

August 7, 2011, updated August 7, 2011

A Kenwood HMK file containing pre-programmed memory channel information for Hawaii is available. Click on this link for more information.

The ARISSAT satellite made from an expired spacesuit is rescheduled for a August 3, 2011 launch

February 7, 2011, updated July 31, 2011

The upcoming ARISSAT satellite has been rescheduled to August 3, 2011. The satellite will undergo final assembly by the astronauts onboard the International Space Station, and release during an EVA space walk around 1507z (around 5:07 am Hawaii Standard Time, Wednesday). For Honolulu, the next pass is scheduled for 09:35:51 am and is a 38 degree descending pass, to the west of Honolulu. Click this link for details on the ground track.

Dick Flagg AH6NM has already heard the voice ID beacon on 145.950 MHz shortly after the test onboard the ISS was activated on Saturday morning, July 30.

This second generation space suit satellite sports several improvements over the original model. It features an upgrade to the onboard battery with solar cells and recharger to additional power and life. It also features a 16 kHz wide transponder/inverting cross-band repeater. Transmit on 435 MHz UHF on the uplink, and you'll hear your voice on the 145 MHz VHF downlink.

Further details are at this link. Additional information is available at the AMSAT.ORG web site.

August 6, 2011 swap meet

May 22, 2011, updated July 31, 2011

The Emergency ARC will hold a swap meet on Saturday August 6, 2011 8 am - 12 noon at the Fleet Reserve Association.

National cell phone traffic safety ban legislation being considered

July 21, 2011

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has submitted legislation that would establish minimum safety standards regarding mobile cell phone usage and cause all states to enact traffic safety laws banning the use of hands-on usage of cell phones. If passed, this will cause the Hawaii State Legislature to revisit the issue. Amateur radio operators and amateur radio clubs in Hawaii should prepare now to submit testimony when the time is at hand.

Last Chance to the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Wed Jul 20 5:15 am

July 19, 2011

Tomorrow morning (Wed July 20, 2011) about 5:15 am is the last chance you'll get to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis fly over Hawaii. Atlantis leads first, rising from the Southwest, going almost overhead, then descending to the Northeast. It will appear similar to a jetliner flying overhead. The International Space Station follows about three minutes later -- a bright star following. Tune into the 146.88 MHz net.

Note: It was a fabulous viewing event. The shuttle Atlantis passed directly in front of the moon!

Tropoducting Record, July 8, 1957

June 12, 2011

It's summer, which means it's tropoducting season once again. Relive the excitement of July 8, 1957 as W6NLZ and KH6UK shatter the two meter distance record between Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii and Palos Verdes Estates, California. as captured in this ARRL QST column and article on OK2KKW's web page.

Field Day sites for June 25, 2011 listed

June 2, 2011, reposted June 12, 2011

The Field Day web page has been updated with information on the amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day for 2011. See you on the air that weekend!

Ham Radio on Hawaii Public Radio, 89.3 FM, Fri June 24, 2011 8 - 9 AM

June 12, 2011, updated June 27, 2011

On Fri June 24 between 8 and 9 am, Ron Hashiro AH6RH will be on a five minute interview with Beth-Ann Kozlovich on the radio program The Conversation. The topic is on amateur radio, Field Day and radio communications during communications as it relates to the upcoming Field Day event. The show airs from 8 to 9 AM on KIPO, 89.3 FM. See The Conversation web page for information and a downloadable podcast.

Field Day 2011 on Oahu

May 22, 2011, updated June 28, 2011

The Koolau ARC and the Emergency ARC will hold Field Day 2011 at Kualoa Beach Park, Saturday June 25 - Sunday June 26.

KITV-4 featured Hank Kaul KH6HAK in its Community Minute featuring amateur radio and Field Day 2011.

Keith WH7GG put together a great video highlighting Field Day 2011.

Relive the AO-27 satellite contact.

And the SO-50 satellite contact.

And the AO-51 satellite contact.

ARRL VHF QSO Party, June 11 - 12, 2011

May 22, 2011, updated June 14, 2011

ARRL's VHF QSO Party contest for the weekend of Sat June 11 8:00 am to Sun June 12 5:00 pm is done. It was a good way to get into the spirit of Field Day. Click here for more details.

I operated on frequencies:

  • 50.120 SSB
  • 144.200 SSB
  • 146.55 FM
  • 223.500 FM
  • 446.00 FM
  • 1294.500 FM

Grid squares active so far for the event are BL11 (East Oahu) and BL01 (West Oahu). Other grid squares are being sought. You can get a map of the grid squares in Hawaii by clicking on this link.

As a follow-on to the presentation at the EARC General Membership meeting May 17, 2011 and as a teaching aid, you can view a copy of the paper log to get an idea of how to log, then score for the event as a Rover station. If you intend to submit a paper log, remember that the log has to be hand-written according to the rules.

If you are submitting a paper log, make sure to use this log sheet and summary sheet.

If you wish to make an electronic submission of the log via a web form, see: this link.

The 146.98 MHz Repeater is back in service. PL is 88.5 Hz

June 7, 2011

The 146.98 MHz repeater is back in service atop the FFMB building. The PL access is now enabled, with a PL of 88.5 Hz.

Ham Radio on Hawaii Public Radio, 89.3 FM, Wed June 8, 2011 5:20 - 6 PM

June 7, 2011, updated June 12, 2011

On Wed June 8, Nancy Rocheleau WH6PN, Dick Flagg AH6NM, and a student from Sacred Hearts Academy will be interviewed by Burt Lum on the radio program Bytemarks Cafe. The topic is the ARISS program and the school's telebridge station used to connect students with astronauts onboard the ISS. The show airs from 5 to 6 PM on KIPO, 89.3 FM. About the first 15 minutes of the show covers technology and "geek" news. The interview will run live from about 5:20 to 6PM. See Bytemarks Cafe web page for information and download the podcast.

Museum Ships Weekend Event

June 4, 2011

The Museum Ships Weekend Event is in progress and the radio station KH6BB aboard the USS Missouri BB-63 is active. You can check out the main web page sponsored by The Battleship New Jersey Amateur Radio Station and also the USS Missouri BB-63 web page for information.

AH6RH web site featured in ARRL's Surfin' web column

June 3, 2011

The AH6RH web site is featured on this week's Surfin' web column. Thanks Stan for the review!

The Technician License web page has been enhanced

May 27, 2011

The web page has new information and links that can help you study and pass the Technician Class license exam. The new links to YouTube videos let you learn from within the comfort of your home.

Pacific Section News

May 22, 2011

You check out the latest Pacific Section news at the ARRL Pacific Section Web Page.

Oahu events for May 2011

May 7, 2011

You may find these events of interest.

Alert Web Page updated

May 7, 2011

The Alert web page has been updated with several new web pages.

Makani Palihi 2011 Hurricane Exercise

May 3, 2011

The annual hurricane exercise is scheduled for Saturday, May 28, 2011. Nets will be held on Saturday, and exercise operations will be held on Tuesday, May 31. You can get more information at the Makani Palihi 2011 Hurricane Exercise web page.

The after-action report is on the web page.

AH6RH Interview on The Rain Report

April 1, 2011

Ron Hashiro AH6RH is featured on this week's The Rain Report.

You can download the interview at this link.

APRS in Hawaii

March 22, 2011

Former Hawaii resident Dave Dobbins K7GPS offers information and tips on operating APRS in Hawaii.

ARRL recently provided coverage on Dave's activity of remotely operating APRS and providing updates during the recent magnitude 9.0 Sendai earthquake. You can read the ARRL article at this link.

Hawaii Hams respond to Honshu Japan tsunami, March 11, 2011

March 12, 2011

Hams around Hawaii responded to the tsunami alert and warning on the night of March 10, 2011 due to the 8.9 magnitude earthquake off of Honshu, Japan. See this link for more details.

House Bill HR 607 proposes to sell the 420-440 MHz band

Feb 26, 2011

A bill before the House of Representatives in Congress proposes to auction the 420-440 MHz band to commercial users. That would disrupt the use of that band for amateur radio use, including satellite operations and the education and training of the next generation of satellite engineers. See this link for more details.

NOW is the time to write to your congressional representative and express your views and impact. ARRL requests you write and address the letter to your House of Representative, but mail it to ARRL's legislative consultant in Washington, who will hand deliver the letter to your representative. Otherwise, the letter mailed to your representative would encounter a six to eight week delay in the mail security procedures.

For the First Congressional district in Hawaii, your representative is Colleen Hanabusa. For the Second Congressional district in Hawaii, your representative is Mazie Hirono.

Your letter is important, because few people write their congressional representative on matters that affect them. Each letter counts!

Three more Cubesats to be launched on Feb 24, 2011

Feb 23, 2011, Updated March 12, 2011

Three more Cubesats to be launched early on the morning of Feb 24, 2011. The primary payload is NASA's Glory satellite launched by a Taurus XL launcher. See this link for more details.

Students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering will be collecting telemetry from the UHF AX.25 packet beacon onboard Explorer-1[Prime]. The beacon will transmit on 437.505 LSB.

The payloads were lost on the launch on Friday, March 4, 2011 12:09 am HST when the fairing failed to separate from the Taurus XL launcher.

First HSMM Field Test

Feb 20, 2011

Wayne KH6TZ, Jeff AH6IX and Ron AH6RH conducted the first field test of the HSMM High Speed Multimedia Mesh network on Sunday afternoon, Feb 20, 2011 in Kaimuki. It uses Wi-Fi equipment modified to operate on the amateur radio bands. Connectivity was obtained and preliminary results shows that antenna gain is crucial. See this link for more details.

Fourth Annual Geek Meet, Magic Island Ala Moana, Sunday April 17, 2011

Posted: January 16, 2011, updated Feb 19, 2011

Keep your calendar open for the fourth annual Geek Meet at Magic Island. See this link for more details.

New ham session, Saturday Feb 18, 2011 8:30 am and Saturday Feb 26, 2010, 11:30 am

February 16, 2011

Kevin Bogan, AH6QO will hold an orientation session for new hams at Kakaako Waterfront Park on Saturday, February 18, 2011 at 8:30 am. This is a follow-on for those in Healthcomm that passed their new ham license exam on Saturday, February 4, 2011.

The EARC will hold an Education Presentation "NOW YOU HAVE A HAM LICENSE, WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH IT" Seminar on Saturday February 26, 2011 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm following the morning testing session which starts at 10:00 am. This will be at the Fleet Reserve Assocation, 891 Valkenburg St. Be sure to bring two photocopies of the key documents (photo IDs, current license, CSCE).

This seminar will include a easy to understand introduction to Ham Radio with a presentation of what's available to new hams as well as a hands on session with various mobile and portable radios to see and feel. We hope to see a lot of the new Hams there. Please register with Wayne, KH6MEI at [email protected]. Mahalo

EARC testing session and presentation, Saturday Feb 26, 2010, 10:00 am and 11:30 am

February 7, 2011

The EARC will hold an Education Presentation "NOW YOU HAVE A HAM LICENSE, WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH IT" Seminar on Saturday February 26, 2011 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm following the morning testing session which starts at 10:00 am. This will be at the Fleet Reserve Assocation, 891 Valkenburg St. Be sure to bring two photocopies of the key documents (photo IDs, current license, CSCE).

This seminar will include a easy to understand introduction to Ham Radio with a presentation of what's available to new hams as well as a hands on session with various mobile and portable radios to see and feel. We hope to see a lot of the new Hams there. Please register with Wayne, KH6MEI at [email protected]. Mahalo

The EARC will hold it's second general membership meeting of the year on Tuesday, February 15, 2011. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The location is Fleet Reserve Association Branch 46, 891 Valkenburgh Street. Further details are at this link.

Diana Eng combines fashion and technology

January 16, 2011

I found Diana Eng's informative videos about amateur radio on YouTube. You might also find them enjoyable and learn from them. She's a former contestant on "Project Runway".

See her amateur radio write-up and additional videos at: this link.

See her fashion vidoes at: fairytalefashion.org.

Her blog is at: dianaeng.com.

EARC Meeting, Tuesday January 18, 2010, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

January 16, 2011

The EARC will hold it's first general membership meeting of the year on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The location is Fleet Reserve Association Branch 46, 891 Valkenburgh Street. Further details are at this link.

This month's program is "Antenna 101", with presenters Ron Hashiro AH6RH, Steve Hall NH7ZD, Eric Ty KH6RT, Richard Hardy WH7ZB, Bob Tanimoto KH6ZZ. The program is dedicated to former EARC member Katashi Nose KH6IJ.

Past Incidents on Oahu

Posted: April 23, 2010, January 16, 2011

A reminder that you can view the log of past incidents of interest to emergency preparation for Oahu and the state at URL http://www.qsl.net/ah6rh/am-radio/hawaii/oahu.html.

And there is a web page of key sites with alert information at http://www.qsl.net/ah6rh/alert/.

Circulation copies of ARRL books available at the Kaimuki Library

January 16, 2011

With the donation of a 2011 edition of "The ARRL Radio Handbook" to the Kaimuki library, the 2010 edition is available for circulation and loan to other library branches.

With the donation of the third edition of "Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course, Level 1" it will be available soon for circulation and loan to other library branches.

Click here to access the online catalog. Search for "The ARRL handbook for radio communications"

Click here for information on the Kaimuki Library.

The AH6RH archives

January 18, 2010

If you're looking for past items, click here.

Find out more by contacting:  rhashiro(remove this part)@hawaiiantel.net
Copyright © 1997-2015 Ron Hashiro
Updated: December 11, 2011

DISCLAIMER: Ron Hashiro Web Site is not responsible for the content at
any of the external sites that we link to and therefore
are not necessarily endorsed by us.