Greg Jurrens, K5GJ

Leveraging Advanced Software Defined Radio for Better DX

Software Defined Radios have been around for over 10 years now and much has been presented and published on WHAT an SDR is... but HOW can I use it to make more contacts and have more fun?? This 1 hour presentation from Greg Jurrens - K5GJ, takes you from a brief introduction and history of Software Defined Radio through the latest and greatest in SDR rigs. Then Greg shows you how you can leverage this amazing technology to be able to make more contacts on more bands at once and from more places than just your ham shack. 

Bio:
Vice President, Sales & Business Development
Greg joined FlexRadio Systems in July 2009 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  In this role Greg is responsible for proactively driving corporate sales and service revenue.  In addition, Greg is also charged with determining product positioning and market launch strategies, as well as promoting FlexRadio’s global brand identity. Greg brings over 25 years of technical marketing and technology sales experience having held positions in both the aerospace and semiconductor industries.  Greg, who holds an Amateur Extra Class license, has been actively involved in ham radio since the age of 15.  He is an ARRL member, a life member of the TX VHF-FM Society and Central States VHF Society, founding board member and public service director for a statewide FM linked repeater system in Texas, and APRS infrastructure builder and a rabid multi-band VHF/Microwave “ROVER” contester.  Greg holds a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology from Kansas State University.

Ken Konechy W6HHC

Latest Advances in Digital ATV

The old technology of analog-ATV suffers from susceptibility to snow and multi-path ghost images.  Digital-ATV (DATV, using new technologies like digital modulation, and Forward Error Correction (FEC) can result in robust video reception where analog-ATV fails, as well as providing more narrow bandwidths on the ham bands. Ken W6HHC will review the various DATV protocols available to hams. This presentation will also include a quick overview of the DATV-Express exciter/transmitter for DATV, developed by a team of four hams….using SDR architecture.

Bio:
Ken was first licensed in 1957 as WN3MHI. Ken first got interested with digital-ATV though his involvement with the RACES group in the city of Orange, called COAR. The COAR team was having a difficult time in 2009 to send good video from the field to the city EOC room (Emergency Operations Center). Hilly terrain and an over-abundance of buildings, tree-lined streets, and raised freeways resulted in weak signals and multi-path ghosts from all field locations, except hill tops. Digital-ATV (DATV) solved this problem. Ken is also a member of a world-wide four-member project team to develop the open-source DATV-Express board and software for this SDR-based architecture.

Palm Room D 

Sat. 11 AM

John Kountz, W01S/6, T6EE, ex KE6GFF

440 the Hard Way

70 cm is small and so are the pieces comprising a 70 cm station. Small enough to be placed in the rear of a 1967 Land Rover Station Wagon while retaining all the functionality of a QTH at home and loud enough to permit a weekly sideband net to be conducted which has accommodated QSL's from Phoenix, Arizona to the East and Sacramento to the North with everything in between. This PowerPoint presentation covers almost any aspect of a portable Net Control station on 70 cm you may conceive of including homebrew hint and kinks.

Bio:
Licensed in 1994, his Tech License was a simple invitation to UHF contesting. Beginning in 1996 and continuing through 2012 he took First Place, Single Operator, Portable, High Power or Low Power, 432 MHz Orange Section in every ARRL VHF, UHF Sweepstake and QSO Party with a smattering of Division, Section and Call District 6 First Places. And, in the 1999 June VHF Contest he was the #1 National QSO leader.

In 2004, John was granted the first amateur radio license by the Government of Afghanistan and was instrumental in formalizing the procedure for licensing amateur radio operators in that nation. Operating from Kabul, he earned a Worked All Continents.

He is an ARRL and 10-10 Life Member, a member of the Downey Amateur Radio Club, a Volunteer Examiner and Chief Radio Officer or the Laguna Beach Emergency Communication Team. John shares a HF station in his QTH with his XYL, Arlene, KE6GFI.

Joe Loughlin, KE6PHB

Hands on T-Hunt

Joe is from SDSU, BS, MS Electrical Engineering, Retired Systems Engineer with SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego, Surveillance and Communications Departments. Ham licensed since 1994.  Enjoyed Transmitter Hunting since 1995 with a particular interest in Doppler systems and vehicle navigation aids.  Member of ARRL.  Enjoys hiking, biking, metal machining and exploring swap meets. 

TBA 

TBA

Duane Mariotti, WB9RER

Hospital Communication Strategies

Hospitals have always been a prime focus of disaster response and planning. Events from 9/11 and Katrina to the Joplin Tornado have highlighted the need for hospitals to be full partners in emergency communications systems. This presentation provides information on hospital emergency communications and role of an amateur radio communicator.  The presentation provides information regarding the hospital environment and amateur radio involvement with hospital emergency preparedness communications.

Bio:
We are pleased to have Duane return as a speaker to the Southwest Division Convention.  Always a dynamic speaker, Duane provides valuable and timely information as someone who has “been there and done that” for both new and seasoned attendees.  An amateur radio operator for over thirty years he has been involved in emergency response for over 40 years.  Duane was a Paramedic, EMT and fire fighter.  He has been a college course level instructor for electrical engineering, hazardous materials and biomedical technology.  Duane is an electrical engineer with an emphasis in Biomedical Technology.  He is currently employed by a major hospital group in Southern California where he is responsible for implementing medical technology systems to support safe patient care.  Duane is a frequent lecturer on both medical and emergency communications topics locally and nationally.  He has several publications related to emergency communications and biomedical engineering.  Duane is currently a volunteer coordinator for a twenty hospital amateur radio network covering an area about the size of the State of Indiana.

Palm Room B 

Fri. 5 PM

Duane Mariotti, WB9RER

Amateur Radio First Responder Safety – Your Life Depends on You

This presentation concentrates on lessons learned and past activities that have created a dangerous condition for amateur radio or other emergency responders. This talk is a practical “must know” to assure that all emergency responders respond to the activation and return home safely. Situational Awareness and Preplanning are some of the topics reviewed and emphasized.

Palm Room B 

Sat. 1 PM

Duane Mariotti, WB9RER

Emergency Communications: Time for Change or Obsolescence-

In less than 20 years, cell phones have gone from basic communications devices to handheld multifunction communicators. Significant funding has supported statewide, even multi state, integrated two way voice and data radio systems. Does amateur radio have a role with the new technical changes that will continue to improve communications infrastructure? As technology has changed, amateur radio emergency communications must also change to remain of value.  Concurrently, every frequency above 100 Megahertz is worth tens of millions of dollars.  Do 600,000 Amateur Radio operators warrant such lucrative real estate?  The goal of this presentation is for amateur radio emergency communicators a plan to not only meet but expand their role in emergency communications in the near and long term future.

Palm Room B

Sat. 2 PM

Jim McLaughlin, KI6ZUM

How open source hardware/software in Amateur Radio is helping make D-Star more successful

Description:
Open source has been a part of the culture of Amateur Radio for a very long time.  More recently the digital modes have allowed all kinds of new ideas to be developed and shared. This talk will review the history of many of the open source projects that have been released related to DStar such as Repeaters, Reflectors, Hotspots and radios. The talk will also cover and demonstrate some of the new projects that are still in development.

Bio:
Jim KI6ZUM has been developing and releasing open source hardware and software for over 30 years. When not experimenting with D-Star, he often spends his time planning and running ARISS events to allow students to talk to astronauts on the ISS.

Palm Room C 

Sat. 12 PM

Palm Room C 

Sat. 1 PM

Doug Millar, K6JEY

Modern Test Equipment for the Radio Ham

It is an update of the talk I gave a couple of years ago and covers what a person could get to set up a  good home laboratory with an eye toward value, cost and usability.

Palm Room C 

Sat. 2 PM

APRIL MOELL, B.Sc., M.A., CHCom, WA6OPS

Realistic Drills Lead to Optimum Outcomes

As the old saying goes, "You fight as you train."  Amateur Radio emergency groups will fight as they drill.  The more comprehensive and realistic the drills, the better the outcomes for our served agencies when regular communications fail or overload.  This presentation will share HDSCS experience in over 190 drills and 120 emergency activations with our 36 served hospitals since 1980.  Learn how our drills test personal preparedness, activation plans, net skills, messaging and more, leading to improved skills and procedures important to patient care.

Bio:
ARES District Emergency Coordinator, Orange County
April Moell has been the Emergency Coordinator of the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System in Orange County and participated in hospital disaster planning since 1980. She has had over 20 years of patient care experience in physical medicine and acute rehabilitation, served on her hospital's disaster/safety committee, is a former hospital department head, and holds a Master's Degree in Human Resources Management. Active in Amateur Radio since 1976, she holds on to her now, very rare, Advance Class license.

Locally, she represents HDSCS on the Orange County Multi-Agency Disaster planning committee and also serves as a special advisor on the Hospital Preparedness Planning Advisory Committee. She has done presentations at numerous disaster and radio conferences since 1983 and has written articles for medical, government, and Amateur Radio publications.

HDSCS has been recognized by the ARRL, local hospitals, Orange County EMS, Orange County Board of Supervisors, state and federal legislators, FEMA and NDMS. In 2005 HDSCS received a Meritorious Service award from the Orange County Health Care Agency, and April was recognized with the "Vision in EMS" award.

Palm Room A

Sat. 11 AM

Joe Moell, K0OV

What's New in Hidden Transmitter Hunting?

The first ham radio hidden transmitter hunts were almost 80 years ago with portable crystal sets.  Now mobile T-hunters can get bearings with sophisticated Doppler sets that automatically plot bearings and triangulate them on Google maps, right in the vehicle.  New direction-finding apps are appearing for Apple and Android devices every month.  Come and hear about these new advances in a very old radiosport, and also find out about some things that haven't changed much at all.  Some southern California hams are still doing it all on foot, winning medals in competitions against their fellow hams from around the world.  This session will include an update on this year's USA and World ARDF Championships.

Bio:
Joe Moell K0OV has written for almost every ham radio publication and designed many new devices for radio direction finding (RDF).  His book "TRANSMITTER HUNTING---Radio Direction Finding Simplified," is the definitive text on RDF for hams, and he has written over 250 magazine articles on RDF topics.  In addition to being a Technical Advisor on RDF to ARRL Headquarters, he serves as ARRL's ARDF Coordinator and oversees the yearly USA ARDF Championships.  He also moderates the annual CQ Worldwide Foxhunting Weekend.  For more information on transmitter hunting, visit Joe's "Homing In" site on the World Wide Web:  http://www.homingin.com

Palm Room A

Sat. 10 AM