Tag Archives: ham radio

NEC-4 and Software Security Revisited

Almost a year ago, I tore the folks at Lawrence Livermore National Lab a new one over their security policies for a computer algorithm called NEC-4. The short version is that this is a very useful antenna modeling algorithm developed … Continue reading

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The NEC-4 Security Scam

A few decades ago, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California developed a computer program called the Numerical Electromagnetic Code, or NEC. This set of algorithms allowed researchers to build computer models of radio antennas so they could … Continue reading

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The “Growing” Ham Radio Hobby – Or Is It?

The American Radio Relay League, the main organization representing the US Amateur Radio community, likes to put out predictable press releases trumpeting the hobby’s growth. Back in October, they did it again: As the third quarter of 2011 came to … Continue reading

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How To Renew Your Ham Radio License (For Free)

I just received an official-looking envelope in the mail, notifying me that my amateur radio license is about to expire. Inside, an official-looking form offered the opportunity to renew it: just fill in a few pieces of information, indicate how … Continue reading

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Could Someone Please Do This Experiment, Already?

Over the past few years, a growing body of important but politically incendiary research has shown that – duh – distracted drivers are unsafe. Talking on a cellular phone seems to be particularly distracting, a finding that has led to … Continue reading

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The Importance of Being Ionized

According to the latest data from NASA, the layer of charged atmospheric gases at the outer limit of the atmosphere has gotten surprisingly thin. The new results come from a satellite-mounted experiment called CINDI: CINDI’s first discovery was, however, that … Continue reading

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Callsign Search Widget Fixed

If you’re a ham radio operator who uses a Mac, chances are you’ve enjoyed the KC9L callsign search widget, which provides an instant lookup for any US ham operator’s name and address right in your Mac’s Dashboard. If you’re not a ham, you won’t understand how useful this is, and should probably skip to the next post.

Unfortunately, the callsign widget broke around the beginning of May, because of a formatting change on the American Radio Relay League Web site. Worse, KC9L doesn’t seem to have a valid email address in anyone’s records. My Javascript skills are rudimentary, but with a little patience, some luck, and the arrogance of a rank beginner, I was able to fix the thing today. You can download my repaired version here. Now I’ll send an old-fashioned paper letter to KC9L to let him know. Continue reading

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