The current hot button issue in ham radio involves pecuniary interest, public safety employees, and training drills. FCC regulations state that ham radio operators cannot operate if they have a pecuniary interest in doing so. That means hams can't get paid for transmitting.
From time to time, public safety agencies will hold drills where their employees who are hams will use ham radio as part of the drill. The FCC has determined that that is against the regulations, and they will start enforcing the regulations.
The conflict is that volunteers are not constrained by this regulation, and so hams are free to drill and train as much as they want or they can under the ARES banner. Other regulations restrict RACES training activities to one hour each week. If employees cannot train using ham radio frequencies, equipment and procedures, they will have difficulty integrating ham radio into a real emergency or disaster situation. Time and time again, for close to 90 years now, ham radio has gotten the message through in many situations when normal public safety communication channels would not work. It would be a shame to have a resource available, and not be able to use it because of some regulation.
For those interested in this issue, I would like to offer a couple of thoughts to consider.
The FCC has stated that in the regulations and in its positions on this issue, that ham radio is not primarily an emergency communications service. Amateur radio exists to to promote interest in the science and art of radio communications, and to provide a pool of trained and knowledgeable operators in case of a national need. Yet, when the telephones go out, the police repeaters get blown up or blown away, and power lines go down and deprive working radios and phones the juice they need to run, who shows up and gets people talking again? Hams.
Now consider this: A ham routinely takes a handheld transceiver with him to the office every day. He is the engineering chairman for a particular repeater, and he monitors that repeater so he will know if the repeater has developed a problem, or if someone is misusing it. One day, during his break, he hears someone come on the repeater and ask for directions. No one else answers, so the ham at the office responds. Unless he has clocked out for his lunch break, that ham is getting paid while operating. Is he in violation of the regs? No, for he is not being paid FOR operating.
Along that line, what about truck drivers who are hams, and they use ham radio to get directions while on the job? One could argue that the job description of a truck driver does not say anything about radio operations, so even if they use ham radio to get information to they need to complete their assignment, and they are paid WHILE operating, they are not paid TO operate the radio.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Take a clue from Sarah, Mark
I was kinda surprised by Sarah Palin's announcement that she will resign at the end of this month, but I can see why she did. Despite all the conjecture by the pundits, I think she decided to resign for the best, and most conservative, of reasons: her family. She didn't want to continue to subject them to the scrutiny and pressure they've been under since the campaign last year. If the spotlight was only on her and not on her family, she probably would have stayed. As it is, once the next big scandal breaks, or the next big development in a current scandal occurs, the spotlight will be off of her and her family, probably for good. She also sees this a being good for the state of Alaska, and I can see that as well.
On the other hand, Mark Sanford should resign. The way he acted showed no regard for his family or the people of his state.
He went to see his mistress on FATHER'S DAY weekend when he should have been with his family. This shows not only disregard for his wife, but for his kids as well.
But he shouldn't resign because of how he treated his family. He will have to deal with them personally on this issue.
He should resign for how he treated the people of South Carloina. He took an oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of South Carolina, and to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. By acting the way he did, he violated that oath. What if something had happened in SC that required his attention? They had no way of contacting him, of finding out where he was. If an important decision needed to be made, do they wait for him to get word of the situation and contact them? Or does the lieutenant governor step in and assume power, and possibly expose himself to charges later? If the delaying the decision costs lives, who do they hold responsible?
Mark Sanford's actions show he was not thinking of his family or his state. They also show that he did not exercise control of his personal desires. And he thinks he can still govern the state?
I know he will probably never read this, but if I were given a chance to talk to him, I'd say "Think again, Governor, and take a clue from Sarah."
Now, don't take this as that I'm totally against him. I would like to see him reconcile with his family and become the father he should be. But for his political future, unless he shows that he will not allow personal issues to interfere with his official duties and responsibilities, he does not deserve to hold office.
As to wether or not he deserves a second chance in politics, that is for the people of South Carolina to decide. An apology to them would go a long way towards ensuring his future involvement in politics. A resignation would be better, because that would show he is serious about not taking on the duties of a political office until he has resolved his personal issues.
On the other hand, Mark Sanford should resign. The way he acted showed no regard for his family or the people of his state.
He went to see his mistress on FATHER'S DAY weekend when he should have been with his family. This shows not only disregard for his wife, but for his kids as well.
But he shouldn't resign because of how he treated his family. He will have to deal with them personally on this issue.
He should resign for how he treated the people of South Carloina. He took an oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of South Carolina, and to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. By acting the way he did, he violated that oath. What if something had happened in SC that required his attention? They had no way of contacting him, of finding out where he was. If an important decision needed to be made, do they wait for him to get word of the situation and contact them? Or does the lieutenant governor step in and assume power, and possibly expose himself to charges later? If the delaying the decision costs lives, who do they hold responsible?
Mark Sanford's actions show he was not thinking of his family or his state. They also show that he did not exercise control of his personal desires. And he thinks he can still govern the state?
I know he will probably never read this, but if I were given a chance to talk to him, I'd say "Think again, Governor, and take a clue from Sarah."
Now, don't take this as that I'm totally against him. I would like to see him reconcile with his family and become the father he should be. But for his political future, unless he shows that he will not allow personal issues to interfere with his official duties and responsibilities, he does not deserve to hold office.
As to wether or not he deserves a second chance in politics, that is for the people of South Carolina to decide. An apology to them would go a long way towards ensuring his future involvement in politics. A resignation would be better, because that would show he is serious about not taking on the duties of a political office until he has resolved his personal issues.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Guess I better update...
I don't know if this blog has many fans, but if anyone does follow this online journal, I guess I owe you an update.
I've had my car for a year now, and so far the only repairs I've had to have done to it are replacing the starter, drive belt, and belt tensioner. First the starter went out, but it picked a good place to do so - my driveway. Had it towed to the garage, but the tow cost only $30 dollars. The wrecker service is located here in Kiefer, and they give a discount to anyone having a car towed to Hankin's Auto Repair, I guess because he is so close. I had him replace the belt too, because it looked like it needed it. Then a couple of weeks later, the new belt falls off. The battery had enough juice for me to drive it back to the shop, and the mechanic said the tensioner was bad. The new belt had a twist to it when he first looked at the car, and the parts store replaced it under warranty.
The car needs more work, but any car 12 years old needs work. As long as it keeps getting me to where I want to go, I'll be satisfied. Despite things slowing down in my job, I still manage to stay one month ahead on my payments.
For a long time I've had a desire to engage in art, particularly drawing. I used to draw some as a kid, but everything was awkward and off-balance. I turned out to be a good drafter, but that kind of drawing is not artistic by nature. It can be, if someone applies an artistic eye to it. Also, Autodesk has produced a program, Impressions, that can take CAD files and change them to make an artistic presentation. I don't think my computer could handle Impressions, so I don't have it. I'm not really satisfied with Paint or the OpenOffice drawing programs. I recently downloaded Inkscape. I haven't done anything with it yet, except to look at some of the tutorials. Maybe I'll get to play around with it some and learn how to actually make some art.
Here is one of the more artistic things I have done with a drafting program:
One thing I am good at is puns. At church, I never sit in the same spot from one service to the next, I move around. Also, I take my tamborine and shake it during the singing. So, I've been asking people if those things qualify me to be a mover and shaker in the church.
I've had my car for a year now, and so far the only repairs I've had to have done to it are replacing the starter, drive belt, and belt tensioner. First the starter went out, but it picked a good place to do so - my driveway. Had it towed to the garage, but the tow cost only $30 dollars. The wrecker service is located here in Kiefer, and they give a discount to anyone having a car towed to Hankin's Auto Repair, I guess because he is so close. I had him replace the belt too, because it looked like it needed it. Then a couple of weeks later, the new belt falls off. The battery had enough juice for me to drive it back to the shop, and the mechanic said the tensioner was bad. The new belt had a twist to it when he first looked at the car, and the parts store replaced it under warranty.
The car needs more work, but any car 12 years old needs work. As long as it keeps getting me to where I want to go, I'll be satisfied. Despite things slowing down in my job, I still manage to stay one month ahead on my payments.
For a long time I've had a desire to engage in art, particularly drawing. I used to draw some as a kid, but everything was awkward and off-balance. I turned out to be a good drafter, but that kind of drawing is not artistic by nature. It can be, if someone applies an artistic eye to it. Also, Autodesk has produced a program, Impressions, that can take CAD files and change them to make an artistic presentation. I don't think my computer could handle Impressions, so I don't have it. I'm not really satisfied with Paint or the OpenOffice drawing programs. I recently downloaded Inkscape. I haven't done anything with it yet, except to look at some of the tutorials. Maybe I'll get to play around with it some and learn how to actually make some art.
Here is one of the more artistic things I have done with a drafting program:
One thing I am good at is puns. At church, I never sit in the same spot from one service to the next, I move around. Also, I take my tamborine and shake it during the singing. So, I've been asking people if those things qualify me to be a mover and shaker in the church.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Little Perspective on Old Age
As I age, and as I watch my mother age, I have become aware, sometimes painfully, that parts of the human body wear out or do not function as well as they used to. But I have also noticed that one part seems to retain its ability to function, but for many this part will need assistance from artificial devices. Someday, if you find yourself complaining about this or that part of your body not working, or not working like it used to, remember this: even if you are complaining through dentures or implants, you mouth still works!!!
If you can complain, you can also laugh and sing. Which is better?
If you can complain, you can also laugh and sing. Which is better?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I have a disease...
Yes, I have a disease, I've had it for a long time, and I will probably never get over it. If you think that's bad, well, I don't want to get over it! The disease is known as SDS - Supercell Deprivation Syndrome.
This disease has no cure, but it does have treatments. The clinic that provides these treatments is Tornado Alley. The ingredients used to make these treatments are deep layers of moist air, instability, lift and shear. These ingredients combine to create cumulus towers, anvils, flanking lines, lightning, wall clouds, and sometimes tornadoes. The side effects of these treatments are hail, heavy rain, sometimes flooding, sometimes damage, sometimes death.
No one likes the last two side effects. That's why many storm chasers and all spotters participate in the severe weather warning process by reporting what they see to the National Weather Service and/or local emergency authorities and/or local media.
I almost got a treatment Tuesday. Local TV stations first mentioned the possibility of severe weather that day. Sunday and Monday, I began looking at the Storm Prediction Center's website for Convective Outlooks. Sure enough they showed a moderate risk for most of SE OK, a good chunk of NE TX, and parts of western AR, and NW LA.
The fist significant storm of the day developed west of OKC, dropped a tornado on Edmond, tracked on up to the NNE, dropped tornadoes on Logan and Pawnee Counties, and kept on across Osage and Washington Counties into KS. It was TOR warned all the way, but at the most it produced a rotating wall cloud over portions of Osage Co. Another tornado later tracked in from TX, and hit the town of Lone Grove to the west of Ardmore. The other tornadoes did some damage, and not many injuries, but the last one killed 9 people. I am not happy to hear about that.
I listened to much of the action on ham radio. I had heard about the Edmond tornado, watched some streaming video on chasertv.com, and went outside to take a look to see how things were shaping up in the teeming metropolis of Kiefer, and then laid down for around an hour. By the time I got up, the Edmond storm was already moving into Payne Co. on its way to Pawnee Co. I tried to stay in my room and keep up on the action, but I started to feel chilly. The storms that were headed to Kiefer were still miles away to the south. I wound up staying in the front room close to the fire, and watched NCIS and The Mentalist with my mom. The Mentalist ought to be called The Mental Case. Sometime during those shows, the storms moved in. We got some lightning, thunder, hail (not big enough to report), and mostly heavy rain. Still have some water pooled in the ruts in the strip of dirt and gravel I call a driveway.
So, I didn't get to see anything stormwise. It was too dark out by the time things got interesting locally. I'm probably not going to do any spotting after dark, except from inside my house.
The last treatment for my SDS was on June 1, 2008. While working the Tulsa Tough rest stop at the Kiefer City Park, I heard reports of storms hitting Kellyville to the west about 8 - 9 miles. After the rest stop closed down down and the volunteers working the stop had packed up and left, the storms were close to Kiefer. I drove a mile east to the new school complex to get a better view, away from the ridgeline directly to the west. I watched a shallow wall cloud move from NNW to SSE. If it didn't pass directly over Kiefer, it passed just to the west. On the short drive home, I passed through heavy rain and hail. Despite seeing a supercell feature (wall cloud), I didn't report anything. The wall cloud was too shallow and shrinking as it moved by, so I knew the storm was diminishing.
Oh, well, storm season hasn't officially begun yet. Actually, it never really goes away. It just moves on to other parts of the country and sometimes produces snow or ice storms or hurricanes instead of severe thunderstorms.
This disease has no cure, but it does have treatments. The clinic that provides these treatments is Tornado Alley. The ingredients used to make these treatments are deep layers of moist air, instability, lift and shear. These ingredients combine to create cumulus towers, anvils, flanking lines, lightning, wall clouds, and sometimes tornadoes. The side effects of these treatments are hail, heavy rain, sometimes flooding, sometimes damage, sometimes death.
No one likes the last two side effects. That's why many storm chasers and all spotters participate in the severe weather warning process by reporting what they see to the National Weather Service and/or local emergency authorities and/or local media.
I almost got a treatment Tuesday. Local TV stations first mentioned the possibility of severe weather that day. Sunday and Monday, I began looking at the Storm Prediction Center's website for Convective Outlooks. Sure enough they showed a moderate risk for most of SE OK, a good chunk of NE TX, and parts of western AR, and NW LA.
The fist significant storm of the day developed west of OKC, dropped a tornado on Edmond, tracked on up to the NNE, dropped tornadoes on Logan and Pawnee Counties, and kept on across Osage and Washington Counties into KS. It was TOR warned all the way, but at the most it produced a rotating wall cloud over portions of Osage Co. Another tornado later tracked in from TX, and hit the town of Lone Grove to the west of Ardmore. The other tornadoes did some damage, and not many injuries, but the last one killed 9 people. I am not happy to hear about that.
I listened to much of the action on ham radio. I had heard about the Edmond tornado, watched some streaming video on chasertv.com, and went outside to take a look to see how things were shaping up in the teeming metropolis of Kiefer, and then laid down for around an hour. By the time I got up, the Edmond storm was already moving into Payne Co. on its way to Pawnee Co. I tried to stay in my room and keep up on the action, but I started to feel chilly. The storms that were headed to Kiefer were still miles away to the south. I wound up staying in the front room close to the fire, and watched NCIS and The Mentalist with my mom. The Mentalist ought to be called The Mental Case. Sometime during those shows, the storms moved in. We got some lightning, thunder, hail (not big enough to report), and mostly heavy rain. Still have some water pooled in the ruts in the strip of dirt and gravel I call a driveway.
So, I didn't get to see anything stormwise. It was too dark out by the time things got interesting locally. I'm probably not going to do any spotting after dark, except from inside my house.
The last treatment for my SDS was on June 1, 2008. While working the Tulsa Tough rest stop at the Kiefer City Park, I heard reports of storms hitting Kellyville to the west about 8 - 9 miles. After the rest stop closed down down and the volunteers working the stop had packed up and left, the storms were close to Kiefer. I drove a mile east to the new school complex to get a better view, away from the ridgeline directly to the west. I watched a shallow wall cloud move from NNW to SSE. If it didn't pass directly over Kiefer, it passed just to the west. On the short drive home, I passed through heavy rain and hail. Despite seeing a supercell feature (wall cloud), I didn't report anything. The wall cloud was too shallow and shrinking as it moved by, so I knew the storm was diminishing.
Oh, well, storm season hasn't officially begun yet. Actually, it never really goes away. It just moves on to other parts of the country and sometimes produces snow or ice storms or hurricanes instead of severe thunderstorms.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Family again
About a month ago, my oldest nephew Dave, his wife Coreen, and their son Anakin, moved back to Tulsa after living for 2 years in Maryland.
Today, I received word that I have a new great nephew. His name is Micah, and he weighed over 9 pounds at birth.
I haven't had a chance to see him yet, and I will have to wait a few days. He was a bit jaundiced, and so he has to wear this special blanket to help him overcome that.
So, my many fans (hah!), you are warned! Cute baby pictures will appear in this space soon!
Today, I received word that I have a new great nephew. His name is Micah, and he weighed over 9 pounds at birth.
I haven't had a chance to see him yet, and I will have to wait a few days. He was a bit jaundiced, and so he has to wear this special blanket to help him overcome that.
So, my many fans (hah!), you are warned! Cute baby pictures will appear in this space soon!
Bailout?
I haven't looked too closely at the bailout package, but if what I'm seeing and hearing in the headlines is true, it will amount to nothing more than a reward for people who have screwed up.
Here is how I would manage the bailout of lenders and finance companies caught in the subprime situation:
1. Not every company affected would get to take part in the bailout. They would have to qualify by agreeing to certain terms.
2. The first term they must agree to is no bonuses or raises for anyone making $100,000 or more, for 3 years.
3. No new high-risk loans for 5 years.
4. High-risk loans must account for no more than 25% of their available capital.
5. Annual audits reported to the federal government for 7 years.
6. Once the company qualifies, they do not automatically receive the amount needed to cover their losses. The amount they receive depends on their customers who have or are in danger of defaulting on loans.
7. The customers must qualify to participate in the program.
8. The customers qualify by a record of steady employment and consistent effort to make payments.
9. Customers must also agree to financial counseling and to living on a budget until their debt is paid.
10. When a qualified customer makes a payment, the program will match the amount of their payment.
This plan should bring some accountability to both the lenders and the borrowers, and it should stabilize the finance industry.
Will it happen this way? This plan has as much chance of happening as me performing a frontal lobotomy on myself.
Here is how I would manage the bailout of lenders and finance companies caught in the subprime situation:
1. Not every company affected would get to take part in the bailout. They would have to qualify by agreeing to certain terms.
2. The first term they must agree to is no bonuses or raises for anyone making $100,000 or more, for 3 years.
3. No new high-risk loans for 5 years.
4. High-risk loans must account for no more than 25% of their available capital.
5. Annual audits reported to the federal government for 7 years.
6. Once the company qualifies, they do not automatically receive the amount needed to cover their losses. The amount they receive depends on their customers who have or are in danger of defaulting on loans.
7. The customers must qualify to participate in the program.
8. The customers qualify by a record of steady employment and consistent effort to make payments.
9. Customers must also agree to financial counseling and to living on a budget until their debt is paid.
10. When a qualified customer makes a payment, the program will match the amount of their payment.
This plan should bring some accountability to both the lenders and the borrowers, and it should stabilize the finance industry.
Will it happen this way? This plan has as much chance of happening as me performing a frontal lobotomy on myself.
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