By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor
March 19, 2010

This week, the Web surfers update past installments of Surfin' to bring you the latest and greatest concerning a hodgepodge/mishmash of radio-related topics.

Radio Monitoring

Bob Mudra, AK9RM, added another Web site to our online monitoring arsenal: David Pascoe's, KM3T, LiveATC.net that streams live audio of air traffic control communications from across the country.

Personally, I find monitoring air traffic control communications addictive and carried my laptop around the house last weekend listening to the international flavor of Boston Center traffic via LiveATC.net. By the way, Surfin' covered other radio-related online live audio streams last week and the week before that.

APRS iPhone App

Smart phone applications ("apps") were the topic of conversation here a few weeks ago. So, Greg Carter, NV6G, at OpenAPRS.net informed me that the OpenAPRS group released a new OpenAPRS iPhone app.

KC2UHB

Jeff Wigal, WY7Q, updated us about Diana Eng, KC2UHB, who Surfin' mentioned in July.

Diana Eng, one of the designers on Project Runway, is a self-professed nerd and Amateur Radio operator and recently was Lifehacker.com's "MacGyver of the Day".

The Lifehacker.com article reveals that Diana is the brains behind Fairytale Fashion that bills itself as "using technology to turn make-believe into reality." Diana also has a blog called Fashion Nerd.

Digital-ATV (D-ATV)

Ken Konechy, W6HHC, updates us on the status of D-ATV, which Surfin' handled last Independence Day.

In Europe and Australia, D-ATV seems to be moving faster than in the US as reflected by the latest news from the BATC digital forum, the German DATV group and the VK3RTV Web site.

Meanwhile, the ATCO group in Ohio still has the only operating D-ATV repeater, WR8ATV, in the States, although Nick Sayer, N6QQQ, in Silicon Valley is close to putting a D-ATV repeater into operation. To help stimulate more US D-ATV, Robbie Robinson, KB6CJZ, Hans Hass, DC8UE, and Ken have assembled an extensive collection of DATV articles on the Orange County ARC Web site.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, does not miss M*A*S*H, but would miss his iPodge. To contact Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog.