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Ham Radio Licenses at an All-Time High

The is very important for several reason.   Should our government or terrorists succeed in  pulling the plug on the internet and cellphones, etc. amateur (ham) radio operators would still be able to communicate with each other locally and around the world.  In many cases such as natural disasters ham radio is the only form of communication available. 

 iPhone, beware?

The newest trend in American communication isn't another smartphone from Apple or Google but one of the elder statesmen of communication: Ham radio licenses are at an all time high, with over 700,000 licenses in the United States, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Ham radio first took the nation by storm nearly a hundred years ago. Last month the FCC logged 700,314 licenses, with nearly 40,000 new ones in the last five years. Compare that with 2005 when only 662,600 people hammed it up and you'll see why the American Radio Relay League -- the authority on all things ham -- is calling it a "golden age."  (continue at Fox News)

As most readers at Right Truth know, hubby and I are long time amateur radio operators.  We lived in Hawaii when a devastating hurricane came through.  For several days amateur radio was the only means of communication to the mainland United States.

One disturbing thought on the expanding numbers of amateur radio operators is that there have been reports of suspected terror suspects having amateur radio study manuals in their possession.  Anyone who studies, learns, passes the FCC exams can obtain a license to operate.

Amateur Radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Communications Act of 1934. It is also subject to numerous international agreements. All Amateur Radio operators must be licensed. In the US there are three license classes—Technician, General and Extra. Each successive level of license comes with an expansion of privileges.  [snip]

... Call the ARRL’s toll-free number at 1-888-277-5289 and request an informational Amateur Radio prospect package.  (ARRL)

• The entry-level license, known as Technician Class, is awarded after an applicant successfully completes a 35-question multiple choice written examination. The license grants full operating privileges on all amateur bands above 30 MHz and limited privileges in portions of the high frequency (HF) bands.
• The next level, known as General Class, requires passage of the Technician test, as well as a 35-question multiple-choice General exam. General class licensees are granted privileges on portions of all amateur bands, and have access to over 83% of all amateur HF bandwidth. However some band segments often used for long distance contacts are not included.
• The top US license class is Amateur Extra Class. This license requires the same tests as General plus a 50-question multiple-choice theory exam. Those with Amateur Extra licenses are granted all privileges on all US amateur bands. (Wikipedia)

Amateur radio will be celebrating 100 years since it's establishment in 1912.

One final note, amateur radio (ham) is NOT CB radio, citizens band, as in '10-4 good buddy'.  Anyone can purchase and use a CB radio -  a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz (11 m) band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur ("ham") radio. 

SOS: Remake America

SOS:  The commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal· · · — — — · · · a continuous sequence of three-dits/three-dahs/three-dits, for those of you who are not Amateur Radio Operators, commonly called Hams.  In popular usage, SOS became associated with phrases such as "Save Our Ship" and "Save Our Souls".

In street slang, SOS means same old stuff.  With the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama today one thing is very clear:  The next four years will not be the same old stuff, no way, no how.  We have entered into an era like no other the United States of America has ever experienced.  So issue the SOS my friends, America is officially in distress.  "Save our Souls"

Roger Gardner  predicted today would be an extraordinary day, ...  but not how you might think:

For me, tomorrow [January 20, 2009] will be an extraordinary day like December 7, 1941 was an extraordinary day. Or perhaps like September 11, 2001 was an extraordinary day. January 20, 2009 will mark a watershed event. Tomorrow we will take the first official step toward realizing a whole new America. An America which is well on its way to becoming utterly unrecognizable from that great traditional America. The fateful consequences of this historic election will reverberate down through the years and may prove to be irreversible.  (read it all at Radar Site)

One line that was surfaced over and over today was "remake America".  Barack Hussein Obama said, “Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed,” Obama said in his first speech as president. “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

Bob Ellis asks, "Remake America into whose image?  ... Since our nation has risen in a relatively short time to become the most powerful nation on earth–in human history–doesn’t it stand to reason that we did something right to get here? ... "  Amen, Mr. Ellis.

Obama's agenda will be very bad for this country, but specifically it will be terrible for individual citizens.  Government Jobs Outnumber Manufacturing Jobs, But Barack Obama Still Wants to Add 600,000 More, reports Bob McCarty Writes:

At right is a chart, (click to enlarge) published last month at Contrary Investor, that I discovered this morning.  It shows a red line (i.e., the number of government jobs in the U.S.) rising above a blue line (i.e., the number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.) for the first time in modern history.

Add 600,000 government jobs — the ones Obama has said he wants to add to the already-bloated federal government payroll (see this article for details) — to the already-existing 22 million government jobs, and the disparity will only grows worse.

LAST GASP BEFORE INAUGURATION: Group Aims to Head Off Obama’s Likely First Move in Office

President-elect Obama has made it clear on a number of occasions during his campaign that his top priority in the White House will be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a move that would repeal every single restriction on abortion in this country.

But Pro-Life advocates like Chris Slattery, president and founder of EMC Front Line Pregnancy Centers, are calling out to their constituents to keep up the good fight.

“Politicians make promises to get elected,” says Slattery, “but the situation is more complex than that. First, the bill has to be re-introduced in Congress. That has not happened yet. Even then, it has to go through the committee process in both Houses, and pass by vote in both the House and the Senate before it can get to Obama for his signature. We have time to act.”

However, having said all that, Slattery says there is no time like the present. Obama’s likely confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, has a lopsided Pro-Choice voting record as a Senator. And Obama also has the power to issue Executive Orders. Both stand as challenges.

Slattery is available for interviews to project on what these challenges really mean in the abortion battle and, more importantly, what Pro-Life voters can and should do to maintain the footholds they’ve gained in recent years.

He also offers a sharp view on the laundry list of agenda items the Pro-Abortion lobby has placed on the table in front of the President-elect, as they eagerly anticipate his inauguration.



THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT WOULD ELIMINATE EVERY RESTRICTION ON ABORTION, INCLUDING:

1. Partial-birth abortion, or the dismembering of babies as they are being born, will now be legal.

2. Parental consent laws for minors will no longer be in effect. Although a seventeen-year-old girl has to have her parents present in order to get acne medicine, a thirteen-year-old can get an abortion without her parents knowing. Think of the injury done to these young women, as well as to their children!

3. Laws prohibiting public funding of abortion will be struck down. The American taxpayer will now have to fund something many of us know to be murder.

4. Laws requiring women to be shown information about and alternatives to abortion will be struck down. Think about any other surgery that's performed: you are bombarded with information. And yet, in one of the most invasive medical procedures, women would be kept ignorant of the facts.

5. Laws allowing medical staff and hospitals to refuse to perform abortion on grounds of conscience will be struck down. (Where's the freedom of choice here?)

6. Laws prohibiting medical personnel other than licensed physicians from performing abortions would be invalidated because they may "interfere with" access to abortion. (Talk about protection for women!)

7. Government agencies and officials would be prohibited from taking any action that would "discriminate against the exercise of" the FOCA-created legal rights, with respect to any "benefits, facilities, services, or information," would leave government officials open to lawsuits for anything that anybody thought "discriminate(s)" against abortion.  (continue at Special Guests)

From Get Liberty.org:

The inauguration wasn't quite as bad as the cartoon depicts.

When Barack Hussein Obama walked out on the dias to take the oath of office, SOS was not what popped into my mind.  With his head thrown back, his nose in the air, a smug look on his face, ...  my first thought was "What an arrogant SOB."  So my plea is SOS from this SOB.

From reader David:

 

Terror Warnings, Threats, and Denials

Terror Warnings continue to increase in both number and urgency.  From National Terror Alert:

The following information has been communicated to National Terror Alert. There has been no confirmation from U.S. Intelligence, Law Enforcement or Dept. of Homeland Security sources regarding the credibility or seriousness of this threat at this time.

An increased state of alertness is urged. Please report any and all suspicious behavior to local law enforcement or the FBI.

From: The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response

Date: 16 July 2008; 1530

Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center (TAM-C) of the Institute of Terrorism Research and Respone:

Intent: To advise of an increased likelihood of large scale terror attack based on credible intercepted communications.

Threat Classification

SEVERE (Level 2) - Available intelligence and recent events indicate that terrorists have an established capability and current intent to mount an attack on the target and there is some additional information on the nature of the threat. It is assessed that an attack on the target is a priority for the terrorists and is likely to be mounted.

Justifications:

Arab language researchers of the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center have intercepted communications from an organization closely associated with international terrorists, to include al Qaeda.

Previously intercepted communications from this organization has been proven over time to be reliable.

The communications indicated:

• Jihadist terror cells have been dispatched to an undisclosed location to execute a large scale attack.
• The report calls on everyone to pray for the operation’s success.
• For the reason of OpSec, the terrorist organization was not releasing this location of the attack

An analysis of this threat leads the TAM-C to believe that the large attack may include the Perisan Gulf states or Turkey.

Such an analysis is based on earlier communications isolating these regions and the need to target westerners or governments that support the United States in these regions.

Conclusion: This is a clear threat on an imminent attack, and all ITRR clients should take this threat seriously.

Security management professionals are encouraged to immediately assess their preparedness to detect, deter, mitigate, and respond to an act of terror.

Clients of the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center have received detailed information and the relevant client case workers will receive information as intelligence unfolds.

Timeline: Through 06 August 2008

The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR) is an American and Israeli nonprofit corporation created to help organizations succeed and prosper in a world influenced by terrorism.

ITRR’s Israeli and American experts provide counter-terrorism training, seminars, and security specialization in dealing with threats such as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), suicide bombers, and other forms of international terror striking both the public and private sector.
ITRR’s US-based terror experts provide training seminars and expertise in dealing with domestic terrorism and eco-terror groups, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).

The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response established the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center (TAM-C) to provide accurate and actionable intelligence about potential security threats throughout the world. With a multilingual team of researchers and analysts, TAM-C gathers and provides intelligence on terrorist activities and plans, information on international hot-spots, historical “red-flag” dates, and real-time security alerts.

Operating under the auspices and with the resources of TAM-C, the Ground Truth Network leverages the ITRR’s international contacts and sources to provide real-time intelligence from the field. In this way, the Ground Truth Network keeps international corporations apprised of threats to their assets and personnel throughout the world.

ITRR Website

Terrorists Threaten To Attack Commercial Flights In Karachi:

Karachi Airport

With terrorists already posing a threat to Karachi for the past few weeks, threatening to attack commercial flights at the airport, provincial ministers as well as diplomats and agencies’ personnel have also been warned of attacks. Investigators had recently revealed that a foreign intelligence agency had become active in the city to stir ethnic riots in the metropolis.

A major potential threat recently conveyed to the Sindh Home Department is the Waziristan-based militants’ plan to attack aircraft operating to and from the Karachi airport.

FBI: No Credible Terrorist Threat Ahead of DNC:

The head of the FBI in Denver says his office has received no credible terrorist threats against the Democratic National Convention, but he says he is aware of anarchist groups and protesters who intend on disrupting the convention.

“I think there is some possibility of large scale protests, people who may have it in their mind to disrupt this convention,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jim Davis.

Davis, who took over the top job at the Denver Field Office in March, is playing one of the lead roles in protecting the DNC from terrorism.

“There is clearly enough activity for us to be very busy in addressing potential threats,” Davis said, noting his agents have been busy preparing for the DNC for months. (continue reading)

D.C. Homeland Security Chief Predicts Chaos in Event of Nuke Attack:  (Debbie's suggestion:  Perhaps Homeland Security needs to push the idea of Ham (Amateur) Radio.  When all other forms of communication are down, individual citizens taking personal responsibility, using their own Ham radio stations, equipment, antennas, are usually the ONLY form of communication available. )

Darrell Darnell, director of the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, says there would be “a lot of panic, a lot of chaos” if a small nuclear bomb detonated near the White House, which would most likely prevent an evacuation of the city as radiation spread.

In an hour long interview, Darnell also said the major lesson from June 13, when a power substation failure shut off traffic lights, a fire broke out in a Metro station and massive gridlock stymied D.C. police and emergency crews, is that “we need to do a better job coordinating agencies.”

“We didn’t do a very good job of getting MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) and DDOT (District Department of Transportation) there,” he said.

“We’ve also got to communicate better.”

Darnell, however, could not name a single alternative his office has come up with to prevent a repeat of the chaos that enveloped downtown for several hours on June 13.

Other reading:

OBAMA PASTOR JEREMIAH WRIGHT ANNOUNCES YOUNG DEATH BEFORE YOUNG IS PRONOUNCED DEAD! , Larry Sinclair  (video and story here)

The Free Speech Protection Act, from Monkey in the Middle

Hurry Pollute More, Save The Planet, from Some Things Just Need to be Said

Top 25 things vanishing from America

I ran across a series of articles discussing the top 25 things that are vanishing from America.  I think most of us could probably ad a few to the list, but number 16 is Ham (Amateur) Radio.  From WalletPop:

Top 25 things vanishing from America: #16 -- Ham radio

Tom Barlow
Jul 17th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Technology

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

An easy way to prolong a disaster is to have the respondents use dozens of different, incompatible communications systems, or operate them with no protocol. Yes, I'm thinking about Katrina. I'm also thinking about a vanishing American treasure, the amateur radio operator. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is not longer a requirement.

Many think of a ham radio operator as a tubes-and-wires geek, and there is a certain truth to that stereotype, although today's ham is more likely to be computer-savvy and involved in cutting-edge technologies. However, from my personal experience, I know them to be among our nation's best trained and most capable respondents to disasters. In the hands of the amateur radio volunteers, disaster communications become orderly and prioritized, as they employ the protocols and training received in gaining their licenses. As director of one of the nation's largest week-long bicycle tours, I watched the ham community deal with countless challenges with imagination and expertise, whether it was assembling a portable tower and repeater in the field, coordinating emergency medical transport, or organizing the search for a lost child. I saw them sit for countless hours patiently looking out for the safety of thousands of people that would never know of their efforts.

As cell phones and the Internet siphon off much of what once attracted people to amateur radio, the nation's ham radio population is graying rapidly. Given the cash value of the radio bands allocated to amateur radio, there will be relentless pressure on the government to take back those bands so they can be sold. All these elements speak to a long, slow diminishment of a pastime that began with Marconi.

When amateur radio as we know it disappears, it won't be the radios we'll miss. We'll miss the operators. 73's to a national treasure.

Tom Barlow, N8NLO

Read the entire series

Be sure to read the entire series and make your own suggestions to things vanishing from our beloved country.

This article is posted at Real Clear Politics

Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, and The World According to Carl, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Dayton Ohio Under Siege from Hams and Radical Muslims

This weekend Dayton Ohio will be under siege by two different groups:  1.  Radical Muslim  Khalid Yasin will be lecturing at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio on May 16th, sponsored by Dayton’s Masjid-at-Taqwa; and 2.  Amateur Radio Operators (including hubby) attending the 2008 Dayton Hamvention.  Hams and Muslims crowding into the same hotels and restaurants?  Should be interesting.

Khalid Yasin is one of the most notorious Islamic hate sheikhs in the world today. He had been widely condemned from the US to Britain to Australia for his virulent Wahhabist extremism, his intense anti-Americanism (despite the fact that he is an American-born convert), his justification of Islamic terrorism, his wild-eyed conspiracy theories, and his outright racial and religious bigotry. And an Australian news investigation found that Yasin had claimed academic degrees that the schools had no record or, and also discovered that he had engaged in outright fraud in his building his international Islamic media empire.

So it is troubling to see that Khalid Yasin will be lecturing at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio on May 16th, sponsored by Dayton’s Masjid-at-Taqwa.

For example, consider some of his stated positions and activities:

• Yasin was in Saudi Arabia on 9/11 soliciting the support of Al-Qaeda front Al-Haramain Foundation, which was designated a terrorist organization in 2004 by the US government, to help finance his Islamic Broadcasting Company,.

• Yasin says that the US government was behind the 9/11 attacks.

• Yasin claims that AIDS was invented at a US government lab and spread by Western governments through UN agencies and Christian missionaries.

• Yasin advocates for the death penalty for homosexuality.

• Yasin justified the terrorist bombings in Bali because of years of Western oppression.

• Yasin says that the Quran permits wife-beating and that equal rights for women is a “delusion” and “foolishness”. • Yasin calls the beliefs of Christians and Jews “filth”.

• Yasin says that Muslims cannot have non-Muslim friends. •

Yasin rejects any separation between Islam and the state and openly advocates for the reestablishment of the caliphate.

• Yasin visited Jemaah Islamiah terrorist leader Abu Bakar Bashir in prison.

• Yasin has lectured with Hizb-ut-Tahrir hatemonger Omar Bakri Mohammed, who was banned from the UK in 2006.

• Yasin was in Saudi Arabia on 9/11 soliciting the support of Al-Qaeda front Al-Haramain Foundation, which was designated a terrorist organization in 2004 by the US government, to help finance his Islamic Broadcasting Company,.

It is difficult to overstate the hatred, bigotry, misogyny and malicious conspiracy theories spewed by Khalid Yasin. So despicable is his warped ideology that he had been made a pariah by the international media and his views have been condemned by numerous government officials.  (continue reading at FromtPageMag)

At the Hara Arena you will find Hams of all ages, male and female, enjoying the flea markets, forums, manufacturer exhibits, and good clean fun.Come meet your friends, make new ones and remember.  As the Dayton Hamvention website says:   "If you can't find it at Dayton, you'll never find it!" 

Only in America!

                                             

 

Ham In Space

Dr. Charles Simonyi is the Microsoft millionaire who is currently the fifth civilian in space. He is also an Amateur Radio operator, or Ham. Charles, KE7KDP, is said to have paid US$25 million to the Russian space program to make the trip. You can visit with him via his website, Charles in Space.

The website is pretty neat, has a kid's section, pod cast, live mission coverage, chat option, ask Charles feature, and a view out the window. Check it out.

Charles 'told a fellow space traveler, cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates may be planning to venture into space. Tomorrow, Simonyi and his new space friends will enjoy a six-course meal, compliments of Martha Stewart.'

Stewart attended Simonyi's launch from Kazakhstan and selected a gourmet meal for him to carry to the station. On Monday, she told him from Russian mission control that he was "out of this world."

Simonyi, who was born in Hungary and emigrated to the United States where he joined Microsoft as it was starting up, ... (more)

Nice gig if you've got the millions.

Check out Propagation at 123Beta

Communications During Disasters

American citizens and first responders have not learned necessary lessons from the September 11, 2001 attacks. What lesson? That you must have good communications in order to save lives and you cannot depend on cell phones for emergency communications. Why?

One, because you cannot depend on normal forms of communication because towers may be damaged or completely down as a result of natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes. In the event of future terror attacks on our homeland, we have no way of knowing if cell communications would be working, so why would we even think about depending on that form of communication?

Two, because even if normal systems of communication are working, they will be overloaded and networks will be bogged down. If you cannot communicate in a disaster, you are handicapped and lives will be lost.

This has been bought home in incident after incident since September 11, and most recently in Enterprise, Alabama on March 1, 2007.

In the chaos after a tornado killed nine people in Enterprise, Alabama, emergency workers had trouble talking to one another because they tried to use their cell phones instead of the state's $18 million emergency communications upgrade, officials say.

"People were frustrated, but all they had to do was turn on their radios," state Homeland Security Director Jim Walker told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Most police, firefighters and other emergency responders in Coffee County use Southern LINC Wireless phones and walkie-talkies for day-to-day communications.

But after the tornado struck on March 1, traffic on that system more than tripled "instantaneously," said Southern LINC's manager of radio frequency and construction, Clay Brogdon.

"It overwhelmed our network," Brogdon said.

Like most people, police and other rescue workers have gotten used to using cell phone technology, said Larry Walker, Coffee County deputy emergency management director.

"Because of our reliance on it, if it goes down you're in a quandary," Larry Walker said.

He said emergency workers eventually switched from cell phones to radios "and that system worked fine."

The problems in Enterprise show how dependent society has become on cell phones, said Rosanna Guadagno, a social psychology professor at the University of Alabama.

"Humans tend to be creatures of habit and our habit these days is the cell phone. It's disabling when technology we have come to rely on is not available to us," Guadagno said.

For years, law enforcement agencies in Alabama struggled with different radio systems that often would not allow officers in one city to talk to police in the next town or even to their own fire department.

In an effort to fix that problem, the Alabama Department of Homeland Security used $18 million from a federal grant in 2004 to buy equipment that would bridge the gaps between various radio systems.

Brogdon said the Southern LINC cell phone tower in the area stayed in service throughout the emergency and Enterprise never completely lost service. He said many callers were unable to get through because so many people were trying to use the system. (source)

One thing that communities can do is encourage the use of Amateur (Ham) Radio. Most communities have Ham clubs, where volunteers teach classes in their spare time for free, other than the cost of a study guide. Anyone can learn Ham radio, the requirements for Morse Code have been dropped. Hams have their own radios, their own equipment. A Ham radio operator can make a wire antenna and have it strung up within a few minutes, if necessary and if permanent towers and antennas have been destroyed. Hams can talk to folks a few feet down the road or they can talk anywhere in the world.

We were in Hawaii when a damaging hurricane hit, for several days there was no communication with mainland United States, other than Ham radio. The operators worked around the clock, sharing information with officials as well as passing messages between family members.

Better safe than sorry. Better prepared than not. Thank a Ham today and become a Ham yourself. Lives may depend on it.

Exclusive - Last Voice From Kuwait, video

This is the exclusive internet debut of the movie "Last Voice From Kuwait" produced by Frank Moore, WA1URA and WANE - TV. The movie is in three parts. Enjoy:

Back in 1990 – 1991 a very brave amateur radio operator named Abdul-Jabbar Ma’rafi, 9K2DZ, became literally the last voice from Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army invaded his country, Abdul remained on the ham radio at his peril right under the nose of the invaders. He was able to report many of the atrocities committed by the Iraqis as well as reporting troop movements and warnings to coalition forces. After Saddam was driven out, Abdul remained at work relaying many hundreds of health and welfare messages to Kuwaiti family members in the free world awaiting word from loved ones in the war torn country.

The following video documents the activities of this courageous ham operator during his country’s darkest hour. It is also a testament to the power of amateur radio. Our disaster might not be an invasion by a blood crazed dictator, but after hurricane Katrina and the Tennessee tornadoes of April 2006, we have to admit that our very own disaster lurks right around the corner. We must be prepared. --Thomas Hamilton

This video is reproduced with the direct permission of executive producer, Frank Moore, WA1URA, and WANE – TV.

Feel free to leave your comments concerning the video here. If you have personal comments for the producer, Frank Moore, then I will be happy to forward them to him.
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6.6 magnitude earthquake Hawaii

More than one earthquake in Hawaii today, Sunday, October 15, 2006. The 6.6 quake was followed seven minutes later by a 5.8 magnitude quake, causing landslides in Hamakua and Kealakekua; major damage at Kona Hospital, the Honokaa Long-term Care Facility and the Royal Kona Resort; power outages in many areas, 90 percent of Oahu without power. There is no loss of life so far, no reports of any significant damage on Oahu yet, no tsunami is expected

186 K Per Second.com has all the scientific information and image.

Michael Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said the earthquake was likely the largest to hit Hawaii since 1989, and possibly the largest since an even larger one measuring 7.2 hit in 1975. Those earthquakes struck less developed areas, Poland said. source

The quake was originally reported at 6.3 but minutes ago upgraded to a 6.6. (via Fox News) and now updated to a 6.6 by KHNL News

The quake occurred at 7:07 a.m. local time, 10 miles north-northwest of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of the Big Island, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3, along with several aftershocks, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.8. source

From the KHNL Newsroom...

Reports indicate an earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude and several aftershocks shook the Hawaiian islands Sunday morning at 7:07 am. Power is out throughout all islands with the exception of Lanai and Molokai. No tsunami warning has been issued. The USGS indicated the quake was centered six miles west of Waikaloa on the island of Hawaii. Radio stations are reporting that all island airports are closed. Callers to radio stations indicate that boulders fell on roadways on the island of Hawaii. Damage appears to be mostly in the Kailua-Kona area of the Big Island. source

Communications problems exist with phone lines, cell towers, etc. Ham radio may be the only reliable means of communication.

Hubby and I lived in Mililani, Hawaii during a hurricane and reliable communication with the mainland USA was limited to Ham (Amateur) radio operators.

Government intruding in our lives in Huntsville Alabama

I would like to relate a rather strange experience while attending the Huntsville Hamfest in Huntsville, AL yesterday. My friend Charles and I had walked through the dealer show and the flea market several times. It was nearing the end of the day and we sat down near the podium waiting for the drawing of prize winners.

They began drawing tickets from the barrel and calling the lucky hams (amateur radio operators) up to receive prizes. As the first winner approached, he was handed a large rubber ball and was then instructed to toss the ball in a large trash can about 3 feet away. When this was done he was handed the prize. This went on several more times. Charles and I watched in amazement.

Charles finally asked one of the locals in front of us what this was all about. We were told that there was a local ordinance prohibiting the awarding of prizes based on a game of chance and that all prizes had to be awarded rather by a game of skill, hence, before the winner could claim the prize, he/she had to skillfully throw the ball in a container 3 feet away. The local fellow told us that the new district attorney, Tim Morgan, was strictly enforcing the ordinance.

I told the local that if I were a citizen of Huntsville, I would see to it that the district attorney was voted out of office at the next opportunity. The local replied with, “Oh, he’s a good Baptist.” I let him know that it would make no difference; I would still vote him out.

Charles inquired if the local churches were prohibited from holding bingo games (a pure game of chance). The man declared that to his knowledge there was no prohibition against bingo. At that point you could see the look of amazement and bewilderment come over this man’s face.

“Sounds like a *%&#$% double standard to me!” declared Charles.

In a few minutes a one armed man was handed the ball. “They are making no provisions for the handicapped!” I exclaimed.

This, my friends, is what happens when we let government nit pick and intrude into every aspect of our lives. I guess this district attorney has nothing better to do than to worry if a few hams (who spend hours of their own time serving the community) win a few prizes. I guess the district attorney is too busy with this to chase down real criminals, child molesters, God forbid illegal aliens (aka. criminal invaders)!

But I guess since he is a “good Baptist” this makes it all okay.

DISCLAIMER: I have not read the ordinance and I do not know the district attorney. We were in the city of Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, if you want to try and check it out.

Thomas Hamilton (Debbie’s Hubby)

NOTE: For more information on Amateur (Ham) Radio, visit ARRL.org, QRZ.com