OEMSecrets finds the best price on components

http://www.oemsecrets.com/

This site gives you prices from major parts houses as well a smaller shops.

Dennis O. "Sparky" Sparks WB4NVB, SK

The Net was saddened to learn of the passing of Dennis O. "Sparky" Sparks of Maryville, TN.

WB4NVE served his country in the USAF, NASA, and as a researcher at ORNL.

The following is from his www.qrz.com profile; http://www.qrz.com/db/WB4NBE

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1961-1970: NASA MISSION CONTROL, CAPE CANAVERAL  SPACE CRAFT COMMUNICATIONS FOR MERCURY, GEMINI, AND APOLLO PROGRAMS. FLIGHT CONTROLLER NCS CONSOLE FOR NASA WORLD WIDE COMMUNICATION NETWORK.

1970-PRESENT: OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY, RF ENGINEER, STAR WARS, FUSION ENERGY, NASA MANNED MISSION TO MARS AND PLASMA ROCKET PROGRAMS.                                                                    

U.S. PATENT #5867020 - Cap coupled rf voltage probe with optimized flux linkage.

U.S. PATENT #5834931 - RF Current Sensor

FULL COLONEL IN USAF AUX/CAP RET. FLEW SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSIONS FOR 30 YR. SERVED AS DIR. OF OPERATIONS FOR 10 YR AND WING COMMANDER FOR THE STATE OF TENNESSEE FOR 4 YEARS.

HOBBIES: HAM RADIO, FLYING A/C, CIVIL WAR COLLECTOR

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Below is the link to the funeral home obituary, online guestbook, service time, etc:

http://www.mccammonammonsclick.com/obits.html

Dennis O. Sparks, age 71, died Sunday, November 18, at his home.  A Blount County native and a 1959 graduate of Maryville High School, he was preceded in death by his parents, Olan and Mary Charles Sparks and daughter-in-law, Melissa Sparks.

Survivors include wife of 34 years, Adele K. Sparks; children, Angie (Phil) Menken, Dennis Sparks, Jr., Chris Conner, Bo (Treva) Conner and Adele Conner; grandchildren, David and Olivia Blankenbeckler, Britany and Joe (Tiffany) Menken, Megan, Carmen and Christopher (Kimberly) Conner, and Misty Daniels and 10 great grandchildren.

A man of many accomplishments, his 8 year employment with NASA in Titusville, FL and a 42 year career with ORNL, Oak Ridge, in Research and Development enabled him to be a part of history and amazing technology discoveries.  Dennis was a 35 year member of Civil Air Patrol as an air rescue pilot, and achieved the rank of Colonel during his tenure as Tennessee Wing Commander.  He was a life-long ham radio operator, call sign Wb4nbe.  Other hobbies included photography, pontoon boating, travel, volunteering for Alzheimer’s, TN Association (where he took great pride serving as “Grill Master” of the annual Foothills Memory Walks each fall at Maryville College), and giving unconditional love and support to his extended family and friends.

Visitation will be held Friday, November 23rd at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home from 5-7:00 p.m.  A graveside service will be conducted by Rev. Jeff Wadley at Old Mt. Tabor Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 24th.  The funeral procession will depart McCammon-Ammons-Click at 10:30 a.m.

- text of obituary from funeral home

W4HKL

Tennessee QSO Party September 02, 2012

September 02 2012 starting at 1800

Follow the link below to the official site for much more information regarding bands, rules, etc!

http://tnqp.org/wp/

95 Year Old Stays Young With Amateur Radio

Story at the Commercial Appeal:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/15/radio-man-95-keeps-mind-sharp-with-on-air/

Dave Goggio W4OGG

photo via Commercial Appeal

AmateurLogic Echolink Roundtable Net This Monday Night

AmateurLogic.TV

The AmateurLogic Echolink Roundtable net is this Monday night (Tonight) at 8:30 Central time. The net will be held on Echolink at the DODROPINconference server, node number 355800.

The net is also hosted by Joe Mattern (WX4ADX) on D-Star Reflector 14, Module C at 9:00 Central.

Here is your chance to discuss the show with us. Tell us what you like or don’t like about AmateurLogic.TV. The current episode is about the NAB Show. Drop by and tell how you liked it?

AmateurLogic and Ham Nation streaming live from Dayton

Here's the link:

http://www.amateurlogic.tv/dayton

Since work is keeping me stuck in East TN as usual, I think I'll take a look during my down-time this weekend.

Steve, W4HKL

Introducing Gmail Tap

Google's April Fool product announcement.  Bringing Morse Code to the masses on mobile phones...
not a bad idea, actually.

I give them an "A" for putting a smile on my face during a stressful week.



Steve, W4HKL

WILLIAM LARRY "GOOSE" HOLLOWAY, K1LH, SK

(From Goff Funeral Home, Monterey, TN)

Funeral Services For William Larry "Goose" Holloway, Age 65, Of Monterey, Tennessee, Will Be Conducted On Thursday, March 29, 2012, At 1:00 PM From The Chapel Of Goff Funeral Home. Rev. Richard Buckner Will Officiate With Interment To Follow In The Whittaker Cemetery. Mr. Holloway Was Born On September 27, 1946, In Nashville, Tennessee, To The Late William Arvil And Eva Verble Holloway. Mr. Holloway Passed Away On Monday, March 26, 2012, At The Cookeville Regional Medical Center. Mr. Holloway Was Retired From Flowserve In Cookeville, Tennessee. He Was A Member Of The Monterey First Baptist Church. He Was An Avid Ham Radio Operator, Loved Golf, Hunting, Fishing, And Photography But Especially Enjoyed Spending Time With His Grandchildren. He Served In The United States Army During The Vietnam Era. He Is Survived By His Wife, Janet Templeton Holloway Of Monterey, TN; 1 Son And Daughter-In-Law, Robert And Regina Holloway Of Baxter, TN; And 2 Grandchildren, Savannah Holloway And Hunter Holloway. The Family Will Receive Friends At Goff Funeral Home On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, From 5:00 PM Until 8:00 PM.

K1LH was a long-time member of the 3980 family and will be greatly missed.

--

QRZ-K1LH

Circuit Lab: Build and test circuits right in your browser.

Build and test circuits right in your browser.

https://www.circuitlab.com/

Design with our easy-to-use schematic editor.
Accurate analysis (DC, AC & more) in seconds.
Beautiful printouts, images, and live links to share.
No installation required -- try it instantly.

Major Solar Flare March 5th (GMT)

"A major solar flare erupted from the sun late last night (March 5 th)..."

The CME will likely miss Earth - minor geomagnetic storms possible late Tuesday through Wednesday.


Link:  http://www.space.com/14780-sun-storm-solar-flare-eruption.html

Clarifying the TN Voter ID Requirements

Jack sums it up and also has the complete detail of the law.  The gist is to take a photo ID if you have one - even if it's an older expired TN drivers license.

 http://jacks-blog.com/

A preview of Tennessee Super Tuesday (March 6th) primary posibilities:

http://biggovernment.com/cjohnson/2012/02/26/a-super-tuesday-preview-tennessee/



Steve, W4HKL

Winter Storm Warning For Parts Of TN

Weather.com forecast

Snow possible for portions of Tennessee.  Check your local forecast for details.

W4HKL

1700 foot Tower Climb

Exhilarating tower climb...  Free climbing at 1700 feet.  Watch this at full-screen and try not to get vertigo!

Link:  http://io9.com/5639113/the-scariest-video-you-have-ever-watched-in-the-name-of-science

STS, W4HKL

Make a wire stripper that tells you when you're through the insulation.  Original post is on Make.com

Link:  http://lifehacker.com/5881216/make-your-own-wire-stripper-that-warns-you-when-you-hit-the-wire

Found on the awesome Lifehacker.com website.

W4HKL


(A stripper that tells you when you've gone too far. Hmmm... I thought that was what the bouncer was for...)

Accuweather's Latest On Recent Storms

Link:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/latest-information-on-mondays/60582

From www.accuweather.com

Retiring Nebraska EMC Looks Back

Retiring Nebraska EMC said he got the greatest sense of satisfaction from helping people.


Link:  
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_7811d300-440d-11e1-aabe-001871e3ce6c.html

Linked from http://www.kearneyhub.com/

Illinois EMC Looking for Amateur Radio Operators

"Jo Daviess County is hoping to create a pool of volunteer amateur radio operators, who can play a vital role in disseminating information to the public during emergencies..."


Nice to see established agencies extending a welcome to Amateur Radio.


Link:  
http://www.journalstandard.com/news/x1605020970/Jo-Daviess-County-seeks-amateur-radio-operators

Linked from http://www.journalstandard.com/

Winter Weather Possible In Tennessee Tonight...

Much of Tennessee is under a winter weather advisory tonight...
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/16504132/winter-weather-expected-tonight

W4HKL