February 2001
Volume 85 Number 2

David Sumner, K1ZZ

CONTENTS
Publisher
Mark J. Wilson, K1RO
Editor
Technical
Steve Ford, WB8IMY 31 A Beginner’s Guide to Modeling with NEC L. B. Cebik, W4RNL
Managing Editor
Part 4—Class is dismissed. Time to model!
Joel P. Kleinman, N1BKE
Associate Technical Editor 39 The World’s Smallest Code-Practice Oscillator Sam Ulbing, N4UAU
Larry D. Wolfgang, WR1B; Dean Straw, N6BV; Fun with surface-mount technology.
Robert Schetgen, KU7G; Charles L.
Hutchinson, K8CH; Paul Pagel, N1FB
Senior Assistant Technical Editors 42 How to Maximize Your Receiver’s Effective Selectivity
Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW Part 1—Are you getting the best performance possible Larry Scheff, W4QEJ
Assistant Technical Editor from your receiver?
Ed Hare, W1RFI; Zack Lau, W1VT;
Mike Tracy, KC1SX; Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO 81 Product Review Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
Laboratory Staff The ICOM IC-R3 communications receiver with TV, and
Rick Lindquist, N1RL the ICOM-PW1 HF/6-meter amplifier.
Senior News Editor 81
Rosalie White, K1STO
Public Service
Dan Henderson, N1ND
Contests
Mary E. Lau, N7IAL
At the Foundation
News and
Bernie McClenny, W3UR
How’s DX? Features
Bill Moore, NC1L
DXCC, VUCC 9 “It Seems to Us. . .” More than QST
John Hennessee, N1KB 15 DC Currents Steve Mansfield, N1MZA
Washington Mailbox
John Troster, W6ISQ; Emil Pocock, W3EP; Spectrum-protection bill fails to pass House and Senate,
Diane Ortiz, K2DO; Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU; but still makes an impact.
Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI; Al Brogdon, W1AB;
George Fremin III, K5TR; Roger Burch, WF4N; 28 Tales of Sails Donald Stark, N3HOW and Peter Sturdivant, N1PS
John Dilks, K2TQN; Rich Arland, K7SZ;
H. Ward Silver, N0AX; Kirk Kleinschmidt, NT0Z OpSail 2000 was heavy on ham involvement. Here are two examples...
Contributing Editors
36 “So People Still Do That?”
Michelle Bloom, WB1ENT
Production Supervisor William J. Newman, K0NSA and Mary Joseph, N0 TRK
Jodi Morin, KA1JPA This radio club put on a “class act” to introduce theatre patrons to
Assistant Production Supervisor/Layout Amateur Radio.
Sue Fagan
Graphic Design Supervisor 49 Radio Camp 2000—Texas Style Barry A. Goldblatt, WA5KXX
David Pingree, N1NAS Middle school students embrace Amateur Radio through an innovative
Senior Technical Illustrator teaching program.
Michael Daniels
Technical Illustrator 52 Hilbre Island, IOTA EU-120 Tony Barr, G0VBD
Joe Shea, Paul Lappen An Islands-On-The-Air DXpedition...and an old promise kept.
Production Assistants
Ed Vibert 54 Clipperton 2000 Michael Goode, N9NS
Proofreader Crabs, razor-sharp coral, pounding surf and thousands of contacts.
John Bee, N1GNV
Advertising Manager 59 Announcing the Tenth Annual Philip J. McGan
Hanan Al-Rayyashi, KB1AFX Memorial Silver Antenna Award Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY
Advertising Production Coordinator
Nominate your choice for the top public-relations volunteer.
Melissa Yrayta
Advertising Assistant 60 A Journey to Sweepstakes Jim Idelson, K1IR
Debra Jahnke Could contesting be the answer to hooking kids on Amateur Radio?
Circulation Manager
Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO 90 Happenings Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Deputy Circulation Manager AMSAT-OSCAR 40 satellite silent; “The Big Project” attracting big donations;
ARISS international partners ratify bylaws, elect officers; FCC seeks to require
In order to ensure prompt delivery, we ask that
you periodically check the address information FCC registration numbers; Michigan ham agrees to HF suspension; more...
on your mailing label. If you find any inaccura-
cies, please contact the Circulation Department
immediately. Thank you for your assistance. QST (ISSN:0033-4812) is published monthly as its official journal by the American Radio
See page 10 for detailed contact information. Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA. Periodicals postage paid
at Hartford, CT, USA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address
Telephone: 860-594-0200
changes to: QST, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA
Fax: 860-594-0259

4 February 2001
 QST Workbench
63 The Doctor is IN
Stacking antennas; microwave dishes in attics; switching power supplies; more...
65 An HF Mobile Installation—Step by Step Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO
An over-the-shoulder peek at a challenging HF mobile setup.
70 Test Your Knowledge! H. Ward Silver, N0AX
Eight brain-twisting problems.
71 Short Takes Tom Frenaye, K1KI
Array Solutions Swinging-Gate Side Mount
72 The Help Desk
The Art of Soldering
73 Raise Your Tower Without Breaking Ground! Leonard Kay, K1NU and
Are your new antenna plans encountering Jim Idelson, K1IR
resistance? Use a few software-imaging tricks to show them how your
antenna will look before you put it up!
76 Short Takes Mark Wilson, K1RO Our Cover: Clipperton Island was one of the
Logikey K-3 Memory Keyer most-worked DXpeditions of 2000. The FO0AAA
crew consisted of (standing, l-r) Renato Ruesch;
77 Short Takes Steve Ford, WB8IMY James Brooks, 9V1YC; Jim Mornar, N9TK; Mark
ChromaSound Demeuleneere, ON4WW; Bob Allphin, K4UEE;
John Kennon, N7CQQ; Charlie Hansen, N0TT;
78 Hints & Kinks Bob Schetgen, KU7G Mike Goode, N9NS; (kneeling l-r) Eddie Stark,
EA3NY; Doug Renwick, VE5RA; Doug Faunt,
Hardline connectors; drawing schematics with software; more... N6TQS; Willy Ruesch, HB9AHL and Koji Fukui,
JK7TKE. Read their story beginning on page 54.

28 US & Possessions: Membership in the ARRL, in-

cluding a one year subscription to QST, is available to
individuals at $34. Age 65 and over, with proof of age,
$28. Licensed radio amateurs age 21 and under and
the eldest licensee in the household may qualify for
60 the following rates: Age 12 and under, $8.50 and age
13 through 21, $16.00. Life Membership, in-cluding a
subscription to QST is available at $850.* Age 65 and
over, $700.* Membership and QST cannot be sepa-
rated. Fifty percent of dues is allocated to QST, the
balance for membership. Subscription rate for librar-
ies and institutions is $34 per year. Single copies $5.
International
To compensate for additional postage for mailing out-
side the US, the following rates apply:
Canada: Membership in the ARRL, including a one
year subscription to QST, $47, payable in US funds.
Life Membership, including a subscription to QST is
available at $1175.* Subscription rate for libraries and
institutions is $47 per year.
All Other Countries: Membership in the ARRL, in-
cluding a one year subscription to QST, $54, payable
77 in US funds. Life Membership, including a subscrip-
tion to QST is available at $1350.* Subscription rate
for libraries and institutions is $54 per year.

Departments *Payment arrangements available. Please write for

details.
Membership without QST is available to the imme-
Contest Corral .................................... 111 Section News ..................................... 115 diate family of a member living at the same address,
and to anyone who is legally blind, for $5 per year.
Coming Conventions ......................... 109 Silent Keys ......................................... 113 Foreign remittances should be by international postal
Correspondence .................................. 24 Special Events ................................... 112 or express money order or bank draft negotiable in
the US and for an equivalent amount in US funds.
Going Once, Going Twice .................. 69 Strays .................................................... 71 Copyright © 2001 by the American Radio Relay
League Inc. Title registered at the US Patent Office.
Ham Ads ............................................ 154 Technical Correspondence ................ 88 International copyright secured. All rights reserved.
Hamfest Calendar ............................. 109 The World Above 50 MHz ................... 99 Quedan reservados todos los derechos. Printed in
the USA.
How’s DX? .......................................... 103 Up Front in QST ................................... 19 QST®, DXCC®, VUCC® and DX Century Club® are
registered trademarks of the American Radio Relay
Index of Advertisers .......................... 174 VHF/UHF Century Club Awards ....... 113 League, Inc.
New Products ............................ 41, 87, 110 W1AW Schedule ................................ 114 The ARRL and QST in no way warrant the products
described or reviewed herein.
Old Radio ........................................... 105 We’re at Your Service .......................... 10 QST is available to blind and physically handicapped
Public Service ...................................... 96 individuals on audio cassette from the Library of Con-
YL News ............................................. 108 gress, National Library Service for the Blind and
QRP Power ......................................... 107 75, 50 and 25 Years Ago .................. 114 Physically Handicapped. Call 1-800-424-8567.
Indexed by Applied Science and Technology Index,
Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 21-9421

February 2001 5
 A
THE AMERICAN RADIO
RELAY LEAGUE INC
R R “IT SEEMS TO US…”
L
The American Radio Relay League Inc is a
noncommercial association of radio amateurs,
organized for the promotion of interest in
Amateur Radio communication and experimenta-
tion, for the establishment of networks to provide
More Than QST
communication in the event of disasters or other Most ARRL members think of QST as most visible to members in the form of the
emergencies, for the advancement of the radio art the primary benefit of membership. This is Product Reviews that appear in QST, but in
and of the public welfare, for the representation of
the radio amateur in legislative matters, and for the
gratifying to the staff, column conductors recent years we have had to expand the
maintenance of fraternalism and a high standard of and authors who work hard to bring you capabilities of the Lab in response to new
conduct. your membership journal each month. regulatory challenges. Proposals for the
ARRL is an incorporated association without
capital stock chartered under the laws of the State Since 1915 QST has been the principal sharing of popular ham bands by Little
of Connecticut, and is an exempt organization chronicle of Amateur Radio accomplish- LEOs and Earth-exploration-satellite ra-
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986. Its affairs are governed by a Board
ment. While there are many fine Amateur dars have required professional evaluations
of Directors, whose voting members are elected Radio periodicals produced by IARU mem- of their incompatibility with ongoing ama-
every three years by the general membership. The ber-societies and commercial publishers teur operations. We have had to assess the
officers are elected or appointed by the directors.
The League is noncommercial, and no one who around the world, we like to think of QST interference potential of new high-speed
could gain financially from the shaping of its affairs as the standard of comparison. digital services delivered to homes via
is eligible for membership on its Board. But the ARRL is much more than just a
“Of, by, and for the radio amateur,” the ARRL
unshielded power and telephone lines, effi-
numbers within its ranks the vast majority of active magazine publisher. It is the national asso- cient lighting systems using RF and myriad
amateurs in the nation and has a proud history of ciation for Amateur Radio. You get a lot unlicensed radiocommunication devices.
achievement as the standard-bearer in amateur affairs.
A bona fide interest in Amateur Radio is the only
more than QST for your membership dues In round numbers the ARRL is spending
essential qualification of membership; an Amateur and other financial support. about $1 million per year advocating the
Radio license is not a prerequisite, although full To many ARRL members the need for an cause of Amateur Radio. We’re grateful to
voting membership is granted only to licensed
amateurs in the US. effective national voice for Amateur Radio every member who supports these efforts
Membership inquiries and general correspon- is so self-evident that it requires no justifi- through their dues and especially to the
dence should be addressed to the administrative
headquarters; see page 10 for detailed contact
cation or explanation. It is a function the thousands of members who go above and
information. ARRL has been performing since 1914, beyond their basic dues commitment to
predating even QST, and so it is only natu- support the Fund for the Defense of Ama-
Founding President (1914-1936)
Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW
ral to take it somewhat for granted. But the teur Radio Frequencies. Your dues repre-
Officers
environment in which Amateur Radio ex- sent far more than a “subscription to QST”!
President: JIM D. HAYNIE,* W5JBP,
ists is increasingly complex and dangerous. And what of the radio amateurs who are
3226 Newcastle Dr, Dallas, TX 75220-1640; Not long ago it was rare to see a story in the not presently members of the ARRL? Alas,
(214-366-9400); [email protected]
First Vice President: JOEL M. HARRISON,*
mainstream media about a proposed new writing QST editorials is a bit like preach-
W5ZN, 528 Miller Rd, Judsonia, AR 72081; use for the radio spectrum; now they ap- ing to the choir; the ones most in need of the
(501-729-4152); [email protected] pear almost daily. message aren’t there to hear it. ARRL mem-
Vice President: KAY C. CRAIGIE, WT3P,
5 Faggs Manor Ln, Paoli, PA 19301; (610-993-9623); In response to this trend, a large and bers and contributors to the Defense Fund
[email protected] growing proportion of our organizational shoulder the entire burden of representing
Vice President: JOHN C. KANODE, N4MM,
1741 Old Chapel Rd, Boyce, VA 22620;
resources must be devoted to advocacy on Amateur Radio in the United States but
(540-837-1340); [email protected] behalf of Amateur Radio. We maintain an share their operating privileges with all lic-
International Affairs Vice President: office in the Washington, DC, area with ensees, members or not. How do we reach
RODNEY STAFFORD, W6ROD, 5155 Shadow
Estates, San Jose, CA 95135; (408-274-0492); four full-time staff, devoted to interfacing the nonmembers with the message that their
[email protected] with the federal government on technical privileges are worth more to them than the
Executive Vice President: DAVID SUMNER,* K1ZZ
Secretary: DAVID SUMNER, K1ZZ
issues such as ITU conference prepara- dime a day that ARRL membership costs,
Treasurer: JAMES McCOBB Jr, W1LLU tions. While the ARRL is but one of his law and that membership means more than just
Chief Financial Officer: BARRY J. SHELLEY, N1VXY firm’s clients, General Counsel Chris a magazine subscription?
Imlay, W3KD, spends much of his time on Once again, dear member, this is where
Staff
Technical Relations Manager our behalf. We retain a legislative relations you come in. You know hams who have
Paul Rinaldo, W4RI firm to support our efforts on Capitol Hill never been ARRL members, or whose
Legislative and Public Affairs Manager and to monitor legislation in the 50 states memberships have lapsed. We ply them
Steve Mansfield, N1MZA
General Counsel that could affect Amateur Radio. with direct mail and with other opportuni-
Christopher Imlay, W3KD Our Legislative and Public Affairs ties to join, but it’s much more difficult to
PUBLICATIONS Manager, Steve Mansfield, N1MZA, is resist a personal appeal. So, ask them! (If
Manager: Mark Wilson, K1RO based in Newington and is supported by you feel the need to be subtle, just loan them
Advertising Department
John Bee, N1GNV, Manager Media Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, this month’s QST and bookmark this page.)
Circulation Department N1TDY, other staff and a host of volun- With more than 164,000 members, the
Debra Jahnke, Manager teers. Every business day our Regulatory ARRL is the largest organization of radio
Katherine Capodicasa, N1GZO, Deputy Manager
Information Branch provides assistance, amateurs in the world. In Japan, where there
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Manager: Wayne Mills, N7NG with the help of Volunteer Counsel and are nearly twice as many amateur licensees
FIELD & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Volunteer Consulting Engineers, to mem- as in the United States, the national asso-
Manager: Rosalie White, K1STO bers who are seeking permission to install ciation, JARL, has about 120,000 mem-
VOLUNTEER EXAMINER DEPARTMENT antennas or are dealing with other regula- bers. So, we’re doing all right. But we could
Manager: Bart Jahnke, W9JJ tory problems at the local level. In addi- do better. If just one ARRL member in four
Business Staff tion, the ARRL serves the International succeeded in recruiting another member to
Business Manager: Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY Amateur Radio Union as its International help shoulder the burden, we would have
Comptroller: LouAnn Campanello Secretariat, ensuring that Amateur Radio is more than 200,000 members—and that
Information Services: Don Durand, Manager represented effectively to the ITU and other would give ARRL President Jim Haynie,
Office Manager: Robert Boucher world bodies. W5JBP, a smile as wide as his home state
*Executive Committee Member
The work of the ARRL Laboratory is of Texas!—David Sumner, K1ZZ
February 2001 9
 We’re At Your Service
browser to www.arrl.org/members/ Reprint Permission:
ARRL Headquarters is open from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time, and you’ll open the door to benefits For permission to quote or reprint
Monday through Friday, except holidays. Call toll free to join the ARRL that you won’t find anywhere else. material from QST or any ARRL
or order ARRL products: 1-888-277-5289 (US), M-F only, 8 AM to 8 PM • Our on-line Web magazine, the publication, send a written request
Eastern Time. ARRLWeb Extra with colorful news including the issue date (or book
If you have a question, try one of these Headquarters departments . . . and features you won’t see in QST. title), article, page numbers and a
Contact Telephone Electronic Mail • QST Product Review Archive. Get description of where you intend to
copies of QST product reviews from use the reprinted material. Send the
Joining ARRL Membership Desk 860-594-0338 [email protected] request to the office of the
QST Delivery Circulation Desk 860-594-0338 [email protected] 1980 to the present.
• QST/QEX searchable index (find Publications Manager (e-mail
Publication Orders Sales Desk 860-594-0355 [email protected] [email protected]).
Regulatory Info John Hennessee 860-594-0236 [email protected] that article you were looking for!)
Exams VEC 860-594-0300 [email protected] • Previews of contest results and Press Releases and
Educational Educational 860-594-0301 [email protected] product reviews. See them here New Products/Books
Materials Services before they appear in QST! Send your press releases and new
Contests Dan Henderson 860-594-0232 [email protected] • Access to your information in the book announcements to the
Technical Questions ARRL Lab 860-594-0214 [email protected] ARRL membership database. Enter attention of the QST Editor (e-mail
Awards Eileen Sapko 860-594-0288 [email protected] corrections or updates on line! [email protected]). New product
DXCC/VUCC Bill Moore 860-594-0234 [email protected] Get Your Own @ARRL.NET announcements should be sent to
Advertising John Bee 860-594-0207 [email protected] Address the Product Review Editor (e-mail
Media Relations Jennifer Hagy 860-594-0328 [email protected] If you’re a member, you can take [email protected]).
QSL Service Martin Cook 860-594-0274 [email protected] advantage of our e-mail forwarding ARRL Audio News
Scholarships Mary Lau 860-594-0230 [email protected] service. This is a forwarding (or
Emergency Comm Steve Ewald 860-594-0265 [email protected]
The best way to keep up with fast-
“alias”) service only. No messages moving events in the ham
Clubs Field Services 860-594-0267 [email protected] will be stored on our servers. You community is to listen to the ARRL
Hamfests Gail Iannone 860-594-0262 [email protected] can sign up quickly at the Members- Audio News. It’s as close as your
Only Web site. telephone at 860-594-0384, or on
Stopping by for a visit? the Web at www.arrl.org/arrlletter/
You can send e-mail to any the right people or departments. audio/
We offer tours of Headquarters and
ARRL Headquarters employee if
ARRL on the World Wide Web W1AW at 9, 10 and 11 AM, and at
you know his or her name or call
You’ll find the ARRL on the World 1, 2 and 3 PM, Monday to Friday
sign. The second half of every
Wide Web at: (except holidays). Special tour times
Headquarters e-mail address is A
www.arrl.org/ may be arranged in advance. Bring
@arrl.org. To create the first half, Interested in Becoming
your license and you can operate
simply use the person’s call sign. At the ARRL Web page you’ll find the a Ham?
W1AW anytime between 10 AM and R R
If you don’t know their call sign, latest W1AW bulletins, a hamfest noon, and 1 to 3:45 PM! Just pick up the telephone
use the first letter of their first calendar, exam schedules, an on-line
name, followed by their complete Would you like to write for QST? and call toll free L
ARRL Publications Catalog and 1-800-326-3942, or send
last name. For example, to send a much more. We’re always adding We’re always looking for new
message to John Hennessee, material of interest to hams. Send a e-mail to [email protected].
new features to our Web page, so
N1KB, Regulatory Information self-addressed, stamped envelope We’ll provide helpful advice
check it often!
Specialist, you could address it to (55¢ postage) and ask for a copy of on obtaining your Amateur
[email protected] or Members-Only Web Site the Author’s Guide. (It’s also Radio license, and we’ll be
[email protected]. As an ARRL member you enjoy available via the ARRL Info Server, happy to send you our informa-
If all else fails, send e-mail to exclusive access to our Members- and via the World Wide Web at tive Prospective Ham Package.
[email protected] and it will be routed to Only Web site. Just point your www.arrl.org/qst/aguide/.)

ARRL Directors
Atlantic Division Great Lakes Division Northwestern Division Southeastern Division
BERNIE FULLER, N3EFN GEORGE RACE, WB8BGY GREG MILNES, W7OZ FRANK M. BUTLER JR, W4RH*
17668 Price Rd, Saegertown, PA 16433 3865 Gibbs Rd, Albion, MI 49224 740 SE 24th Ave, Hillsboro, OR 323 Elliott Rd SE, Ft Walton Beach,
(814-763-1529); (517-531-4758); 97123-7286 (503-648-6990); FL 32548 (850-244-5425);
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Vice Director: William C. Edgar, N3LLR, Vice Director: Gary L. Johnston, Vice Director: Jim Fenstermaker, Vice Director: Evelyn Gauzens,
22 Jackson Ave, Bradford, PA 16701 KI4LA, 3056 Hergott Dr, K9JF, 10312 NE 161st Ave, W4WYR, 2780 NW 3rd St, Miami, FL
(814-362-1250); [email protected] Edgewood, KY 41017-3377 Vancouver, WA 98682 (360-256- 33125 (305-642-4139);
Central Division (859-341-7477); [email protected] 1716); [email protected] [email protected]
GEORGE R. ISELY, W9GIG Hudson Division Pacific Division Southwestern Division
736 Fellows St, St. Charles, IL 60174 FRANK FALLON, N2FF* JIM MAXWELL, W6CF, FRIED HEYN, WA6WZO*
(630-584-3510); 30 E Williston Ave, East Williston, PO Box 473, Redwood Estates, CA 962 Cheyenne St, Costa Mesa, CA
[email protected] NY 11596 (516-746-7652); 95044 (408-353-3911); 92626 (714-549-8516);
Vice Director: Howard S. Huntington, [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
K9KM, 25350 N Marilyn Ln, Hawthorn Vice Director: Stephen A. Mendelsohn, Vice Director: Bob Vallio, W6RGG, Vice Director: Art Goddard, W6XD,
Woods, IL 60047 (847-438-3452); W2ML, 318 New Milford Ave, 18655 Sheffield Rd, Castro Valley, 2901 Palau Pl, Costa Mesa, CA
[email protected] Dumont, NJ 07628 (201-384-0570); CA 94546 (510-537-6704); 92626 (714-556-4396);
Dakota Division [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
JAY BELLOWS, K0QB Midwest Division Roanoke Division West Gulf Division
997 Portland Ave, St Paul, MN 55104 WADE WALSTROM, W0EJ DENNIS BODSON, W4PWF COY C. DAY, N5OK
(651-983-2420); [email protected] 7431 Macon Dr, Cedar Rapids, IA 233 N Columbus St, Arlington, VA RR1, Box 254, Union City, OK
Vice Director: Twila Greenheck, N0JPH, 52411 (319-393-8982); [email protected] 22203 (703-243-3743); 73090-9726 (405-483-5632);
3333 Owasso Heights Rd, Vice Director: Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, [email protected] [email protected]
Shoreview, MN 55126 (651-483-1214); PO Box DX, Colby, KS 67701 Vice Director: Leslie Shattuck Sr, Vice Director: David Woolweaver,
[email protected] (785-462-7388); [email protected] K4NK, 127 Henderson St, Greenville, K5RAV, 2210 S. 77 Sunshine Strip,
Delta Division New England Division SC 29611 (864-421-0732); Harlingen, TX 78550 (956-425-3128);
TOM FRENAYE, K1KI* [email protected] [email protected]
RICK RODERICK, K5UR
PO Box 1463, Little Rock, AR 72203 PO Box 386, West Suffield, CT 06093 Rocky Mountain Division
(501-988-2527); [email protected] (860-668-5444); [email protected] WALT STINSON, W0CP,
Vice Director: Henry R. Leggette, Vice Director: Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, 999 S Logan St, Denver, CO 80209 As an ARRL member, you elect the
WD4Q, 7335 Ginger Snap Cove, 85 High St, Chelmsford, MA 01824 (303-770-3926); [email protected] directors and vice directors who
Memphis, TN 38125-4732 (978-250-1235); [email protected] Vice Director: Warren G. “Rev” represent your division on ARRL
(901-757-0444); [email protected] Morton, WS7W, 1341 Trojan Dr, policy matters. If you have a question
Casper, WY 82609 (307-235-2799); or comment about League policies,
[email protected] contact your representatives at the
*Executive Committee Member addresses shown.
10 February 2001
 Get to Know Your Section Manager
The 15 divisions of the League are arranged into 71 administrative sections, each headed by an elected section manager (SM). Your section manager is the
person to contact when you have news about your activities, or those of your club. These news items could find their way into the pages of QST! If you need
assistance with a local problem, your section manager is your first point of contact. He or she can put you in touch with various ARRL volunteers who can help
(such as technical specialists).Your section manager is also the person to see if you’d like to become a section volunteer. Whatever your license class, your
SM has an appointment available. If your ARRL section has a Web site, the address can be found at http://www.arrl.org/field/org/smlist.html.

Atlantic Division Northwestern Division

Delaware Randall K. Carlson, WB0JJX, 121 Scarborough Park Dr, Alaska L. Kent Petty, KL5T, 2229 Turnagain Parkway, Anchorage, AK
No 10, Wilmington, DE 19804 (302-655-6179); 99517 (907-243-5856); [email protected]
[email protected] Eastern Washington Kyle Pugh, KA7CSP, W 5006 Houston Ave, Spokane, WA
Eastern Pennsylvania Eric Olena, WB3FPL, RR5 Box 5687, Mohnton, PA 19540 99208 (509-327-5039); [email protected]
(610-775-0526); [email protected] Idaho Michael Elliott, K7BOI, 9832 W Gurdon Ct, Boise, ID
Maryland-DC William Howard, WB3V, 2304 Snowflake Dr, Odenton, 83704-4080 (208-376-3458); [email protected]
MD 21113 (410-551-6775); [email protected] Montana Darrell Thomas, N7KOR, 743 33rd Ave NE, Great Falls,
Northern New York Thomas Dick, KF2GC, 4 Jenkins St, Saranac Lake, NY MT 59404 (406-453-8574); [email protected]
12983 (518-891-0508); [email protected] Oregon William Sawders, K7ZM, 19821 Ponderosa St, Bend, OR
Southern New Jersey Jean Priestley, KA2YKN, 7158 Chandler Ave, 97702 (541-389-6258); [email protected]
Pennsauken, NJ 08105 (856-662-3587); Western Washington Harry Lewis, W7JWJ, 10352 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle,
[email protected] WA 98125 (206-523-9117); [email protected]
Western New York Scott Bauer, W2LC, 1964 Connors Rd, Pacific Division
Baldwinsville, NY 13027 (315-638-7551); [email protected]
East Bay Andy Oppel, KF6RCO, 1308 Burbank St, Alameda,
Western Pennsylvania John V. Rodgers, N3MSE, 803 S Main St, Butler, PA
CA 94501-3946 (510-523-3953); [email protected]
16001-6326 (724-287-0424); [email protected]
Nevada Jan Welsh, NK7N, 59 Constitution Ave., Henderson, NV
Central Division 89015-5702 (702-565-0242); [email protected]
Illinois Bruce Boston, KD9UL, 815 E 3rd St, Beardstown, IL Pacific Ronald Phillips, AH6HN, HCR 2 Box 6637, Keaau, HI
62618 (217-323-9809); [email protected] 96749 (808-982-6513); [email protected]
Indiana Peggy Coulter, W9JUJ, 12330 SCR 200 E, Muncie, IN Sacramento Valley Jerry Boyd, K6BZ, PO Box 252, Igo, CA 96047
47302 (765-288-0481); [email protected] (530-396-2256); [email protected]
Wisconsin Donald Michalski, W9IXG, 4214 Mohawk Dr, Madison, San Francisco Leonard Gwinn, WA6KLK, 2960 Blackhawk Dr, Willits, CA
WI 53711 (608-274-1886); [email protected] 95490-9704; [email protected]
Dakota Division San Joaquin Valley Donald Costello, W7WN, 1900 N Ashby Rd, No. 9,
Minnesota Randy “Max” Wendel, KM0D, 8539 Bryant Ave S, Merced, CA 95348 (209-383-5739); [email protected]
Bloomington, MN 55420-2147 (612-888-5953); Santa Clara Valley Glenn Thomas, WB6W, 502 Walnut Dr, Milpitas, CA
[email protected] 95035-4133 (408-263-9450); [email protected]
North Dakota Kent Olson, KAØLDG, 7702 Forest River Road, Fargo, ND
58104-8004 (701-298-0956); [email protected] Roanoke Division
South Dakota Roland Cory, W0YMB, 815 2nd Ave W, Mobridge, SD North Carolina John Covington, W4CC, PO Box 217122, Charlotte, NC
57601 (605-845-2400); [email protected] 28221(704-577-9405); [email protected]
Delta Division South Carolina Patricia Hensley, N4ROS, 164 N Main St PO Box 70,
Arkansas Roger Gray, N5QS, PO Box 166, Searcy, AR 72145 Richburg, SC 29729-0070 (803-789-5810); [email protected]
(501-729-5489); [email protected] Virginia Lynn Gahagan, AF4CD, 208 Velva Dr, Chesapeake, VA
Louisiana Mickey Cox, K5MC, 754 Cheniere-Drew Rd, West Monroe, 23325 (757-545-1290); [email protected]
LA 71291 (318-397-1980); [email protected] West Virginia O. N. “Olie” Rinehart, WD8V, 1256 Ridge Dr,
Mississippi Malcolm Keown, W5XX, 14 Lake Circle Dr, Vicksburg, MS South Charleston, WV 25309-2434 (304-768-9534);
39180 (601-636-0827); [email protected] [email protected]
Tennessee O. D. Keaton, WA4GLS, 141 Medearis Dr, Old Hickory, Rocky Mountain Division
TN 37138 (615-758-2329); [email protected] Colorado Tim Armagost, WB0TUB, 6337 S Lafayette Pl, Littleton, CO
Great Lakes Division 80121 (303-795-9683); [email protected]
Kentucky Bill Uschan, K4MIS, 800 Leawood Dr #27, Frankfort, KY New Mexico Joe Knight, W5PDY, 10408 Snow Heights Blvd NE,
40601 (502-226-6784); [email protected] Albuquerque, NM 87112 (505-299-4581); [email protected]
Michigan Richard Mondro, W8FQT, 800 Dover St, Dearborn Heights, Utah Mel Parkes, AC7CP, 2166 E 2100 North, Layton, UT 84040
MI 48127 (313-730-2111); [email protected] (801-547-1753); [email protected]
Ohio Joseph J. Phillips, K8QOE, 2800 Jupiter Dr, Fairfield, OH Wyoming Robert Williams, N7LKH, PO Box 130, Wapiti, WY 82450
45014-5022 (513-874-0006); [email protected] (307-527-7758); [email protected]
Hudson Division Southeastern Division
Eastern New York Robert Leiden, KR2L, 19 Willowbrook Rd, Glenville, NY Alabama Bill Cleveland, KR4TZ, 2113 Wildwood Place, Mobile,
12302 (518-399-9343); [email protected] AL 36609-2583 (334-661-3892); [email protected]
NYC-Long Island George Tranos, N2GA, PO Box 296, Bellport, NY 11713, Georgia Sandy Donahue, W4RU, 15010 Briarhill Ln, Atlanta, GA 30324
(631-286-7562); [email protected] (404-315-1443); [email protected]
Northern New Jersey Jeffrey M. Friedman, K3JF, 1 Churchill Dr, Succasunna, Northern Florida Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, PO Box 843, Milton, FL
NJ 07876-1803 (973-927-8182); [email protected] 32572-0843 (850-626-0620); [email protected]
Southern Florida Phyllisan West, KA4FZI, 1410 Shelby Parkway, Cape Coral,
Midwest Division FL 33904 (941-574-3467); [email protected]
Iowa Jim Lasley, N0JL, PO Box 5, Chillicothe, IA 52548 Puerto Rico Victor Madera, KP4PQ, PO Box 191917, San Juan, PR
(641-935-4337); [email protected] 00919-1917 (787-789-4998); [email protected]
Kansas Orlan Q. Cook, W0OYH, 12110 West 71st St, Shawnee, Virgin Islands John Ellis, NP2B, PO Box 24492, Christiansted, St Croix, VI
KS 66216 (913-631-0423); [email protected] 00824 (340-773-9643); [email protected]
Missouri Dale C. Bagley, K0KY, PO Box 13, Macon, MO 63552-1822 West Central Florida Dave Armbrust, AE4MR, 3024 Salem Ave, Sarasota, FL
(660-385-3629); [email protected] 34232 (941-378-1701); [email protected]
Nebraska Bill McCollum, KE0XQ, 1314 Deer Park Blvd, Omaha, NE
Southwestern Division
68108 (402-734-3316); [email protected]
Arizona Clifford Hauser, KD6XH, 8741 N Hollybrook Ave, Tucson,
New England Division AZ 85742 (520-744-9095); [email protected]
Connecticut Betsey Doane, K1EIC, 92 Mohegan Rd, Shelton, CT Los Angeles Phineas J. Icenbice Jr, W6BF, 19323 Halsted St,
06484-2448 (203-929-7759); [email protected] Northridge, CA 91324 (818-349-3186); [email protected]
Eastern Massachusetts Phil Temples, K9HI, Apt 808, 125 Coolidge Ave, Orange Joe H. Brown, W6UBQ, 5444 La Sierra, Riverside, CA
Watertown, MA 02472-2875 (617-926-5986); 92505 (909-687-8394); [email protected]
[email protected] San Diego Tuck Miller, NZ6T, 3122 E 2nd St, National City, CA 9195 0
Maine William Woodhead, N1KAT, 63 1st Ave, Auburn, ME 04210 (619-475-7333); [email protected]
(207-782-4862); [email protected] Santa Barbara Robert Griffin, K6YR, 1436 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo,
New Hampshire Al Shuman, N1FIK, PO Box 119, Goffstown, NH CA 93401-3734 (805-543-3346); [email protected]
03045-0119 (603-487-3333); [email protected]
West Gulf Division
Rhode Island Armand E. Lambert, K1FLD, 144 Summer St, Woonsocket,
RI 02895 (401-762-0536); [email protected] North Texas Donald L. Mathis, KB5YAM, 1190 Emerald Sound Blvd,
Vermont Bob DeVarney, WE1U, 43 W Milton Rd, Milton, VT 05468 Oak Point, TX 75068-2236 (972-292-1203); [email protected]
(802-482-4280); [email protected] Oklahoma Charlie Calhoun, K5TTT, 16101 E 98th St N, Owasso, OK
Western Massachusetts William Voedisch, W1UD, 240 Main St, Leominster, MA 74055 (918-272-9872); [email protected]
01453 (978-537-2502); [email protected] South Texas E. Ray Taylor, N5NAV, 688 Comal Ave, New Braunfels, TX
78130 (830-625-1683); [email protected]
West Texas Clay Emert, K5TRW, 109 Pasodale Rd, El Paso, TX
79907-6009 (915-859-5502); [email protected]

12 February 2001
 DC Currents
A

R R By Steve Mansfield, N1MZA

L
Manager, Legislative and Public Affairs

Just as radio waves aren’t constrained by artificial boundaries, neither is ARRL’s

government relations effort. “DC Currents” covers behind-the-scenes activity you
need to know about in Congress, at the FCC and other regulatory agencies, as
well as at worldwide bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union.

Spectrum Protection Act Makes an Impact on The Hill and

Sponsors Promise Reintroduction
A bit of a long shot from the start, the Amateur Radio Spec- virtually every Congressional office on The Hill, and garnered an
A
trum Protection Act failed to pass the House or Senate in impressive number of cosponsors, thanks to the calls and letters
R R

L
the 106th Congress. Even so, the legislation provided a of ARRL members to their Representatives. So successful was it
calling card for ARRL to tell the Amateur Radio story in in building goodwill that by the time you read this, it may be

The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act
Congressman Michael Bilirakis (R-FL-9th) Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID)

The radio spectrum is a limited and valuable re-
On March 6, 2000, I introduced S.2183, Amateur Ra-
dio Spectrum Protection Act, which would preserve the
source. The use of radio spectrum was once an engi- amount of radio spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio
neering issue, but today, it is a financial one as well due Service during this era of dramatic change in our telecom-
to the growing demand for all wireless services. In re- munications system. S.2183 garnered eleven co-sponsors,
cent years, the federal government has used auctions to representing both political parties and differing geographic
distribute commercial spectrum licenses, instead of regions. This bi-partisan support illustrates the contribu-
providing them for free. tions that amateur radio provides to our nation and com-
In fact, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 requires the munities.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct Organized radio amateurs, through agreements with
spectrum auctions to raise new revenues. While amateur FEMA, National Weather Service, Red Cross, Salvation
radio has traditionally enjoyed the support of the United Army, and other relief services, provide communication
States government, amateur radio frequencies may be at when regular channels are disrupted by disaster. They do
risk in the world of spectrum auctions. There is nothing in so using their own equipment and without compensation,
the federal statutes requiring the FCC to protect the and also give personal time to organized training exer-
Amateur Radio Service’s spectrum when reallocating cises. Ham operators have played important roles in disas-
spectrum for auctions or any other purpose. ters in Idaho and across the country.
For that reason, I introduced the Amateur Radio Spec- In addition to emergency communication, amateur radio
trum Protection Act in the 106th Congress. My bill, H.R. enthusiasts experiment with new circuitry and techniques
783, requires the FCC to provide the Amateur Radio for increasing the efficiency of radio spectrum. Much of the
Service with equivalent replacement spectrum if it needs technology we take for granted is rooted in amateur radio
to reallocate any of the Service’s current spectrum. H.R. experimentation. Amateur radio has long provided the first
783 provides some measure of protection, while main- technical training for youngsters who grow up to be
taining the flexibility the FCC requires to manage the America’s scientists and engineers.
nation’s telecommunications infrastructure effectively. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 requires the FCC to
My bill received strong bipartisan support in the U.S. conduct spectrum auctions to raise revenues. Some of
House of Representatives with 167 cosponsors. I am that may come from auction of current amateur spectrum.
pleased to report that a companion bill (S. 2183) was The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act will require
also introduced in the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately, other the FCC to provide equivalent replacement spectrum if it
telecommunications issues, such as satellite television, reallocates and auctions any of the Service’s current spec-
broadband Internet technologies, Internet taxation, trum. The bill will protect these functions while maintaining
spamming, low-power FM radio, and e-commerce, con- the flexibility of the FCC to manage the nation’s telecom-
sumed much of the Congress’ time in the 106th Con- munications infrastructure effectively. It will not interfere
gress. Despite the strong support for amateur radio, no with the ability of commercial telecommunications services
action was taken on either bill. to seek necessary spectrum allocations.
As the “telecommunications revolution” continues, we Although we did not pass S.2183 in the 106th Congress,
must ensure that the distinguished record of service by I anticipate that in the 107th Congress, the universal ap-
amateur operators is not pushed aside by short-term peal of this legislation will engender additional bi-partisan
interests.Consequently, I intend to reintroduce the Ama- support. My colleagues and I hope that the 107th Con-
teur Radio Spectrum Protection Act in the new Congress gress will see this bill enacted and the ability of amateur
which convenes in January 2001. I will continue working radio operators to access spectrum is preserved for future
with my colleagues and American Radio Relay League generations. With the help of the more than 670,000 US
members to protect the Amateur Radio Service. licensed radio amateurs, we will continue to work for
passage of this important legislation.

February 2001 15
back in the hopper for the next Congress, which convened in
January! Changes in Washington with the
The original sponsor, Representative Michael Bilirakis (R-FL-
9th), has declared his commitment to reintroducing the bill in the New Administration
107 th Congress, and Senator Crapo (R-ID) sponsor of the Senate
version, has also indicated his support. The Congressman’s and

While the new Bush administration’s change of
roster in telecommunications was not entirely clear
Senator’s comments appear in the accompanying sidebar articles.
when we went to press, several major shifts are antici-
H.R. 783/S. 2183 would have required the Federal Communi-
pated. By the time you read this, it is likely that FCC
cations Commission to provide “equivalent replacement spec-
Commissioner Michael Powell will be FCC Chairman.
trum” for frequencies reallocated from the Amateur Service to
other services. In effect, the bill locked in the spectrum available The current Chairman, William Kennard, a Democratic
to Amateur Radio without compromising the FCC’s ability to appointment will be gone, but Commissioner Susan
make reasonable reallocations in the national interest. Ness stays on. The impact this will have at the staff
Last session of Congress, the bill hit heavy legislative weather, level is not yet determined, but the departure of Dale
along with many others. There was a total of about 6910 bills in Hatfield, W0IFO, Chief of FCC’s Office of Engineering
the House and 3882 bills in the Senate, not including several and Technology means the loss of a very sympathetic
thousand floor amendments. Of all those bills, however, only 541 ear deep within the workings of the Commission.
made it through the whole process and were signed by the Presi- Some “personnel” changes on The Hill are also
dent to become Public Laws, plus an additional two dozen “pri- being watched with great interest. For example, Repre-
vate” bills that address the concerns of individual citizens. The sentative Billy Tauzin (R-LA-3rd), is likely to step up
President vetoed only about a dozen bills. from Chairman of the Telecommunications Subcommit-
Despite the sound and fury on the telecommunications front, both tee to become Chairman of full Commerce Committee.
the House Telecommunications Subcommittee and the Senate Com- However, watch for possible changes in the actual
munications Subcommittee didn’t make much of a dent in their work committee functions, which may be divided among
load. On the House subcommittee side, there were 180 bills on the other committees. For example, there is talk of inte-
slate (that committee’s jurisdiction includes finance and consumer grating some of the financial areas of Commerce with
protection). In the Senate Communications Subcommittee there were the functions of the House Banking Committee to cre-
about 58 bills. All those bills represented hundreds of extremely ate a new committee under the Chairmanship of Ohio
complex issues demanding countless hours of study and debate. While Congressman Michael Oxley (R-OH-4th). Oxley has
many were referred to other committees and some incorporated into been a long time Amateur Radio supporter. The Tele-
other legislation, only a handful of significant bills seemed to have communications Subcommittee is likely to remain a
passed “intact.” Those included S. 761, which is intended to “regulate subcommittee of Commerce, but with far more stream-
interstate commerce by electronic means and encouraging free market lined jurisdiction, focusing just on telecommunications
forces in electronic commerce,” and S. 800, which mandates universal and dropping the “trade and consumer protection” from
wireless 911 emergency calling nation wide and encourages develop- its title. Speculation on the likely new Subcommittee
ment of a more robust wireless network. H.R.2346, a seemingly small Chairman is split between Cliff Stearns (R-FL-6th) and
technical bill which authorizes enforcement by State and local gov- Paul Gillmor (R-OH-5 th). Both are long time members
ernments of FCC regulations against illegal use of CB equipment (see of the subcommittee and have been supportive of
DC Currents January 2001) passed, as did the large and complex Amateur Radio. Rumor also has it that Massachusetts
S.376, which amended the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA-7th), Ranking
promote competition and privatization in satellite communications. Member of the committee and regarded by many to be
Because of the slow pace of telecommunications legislation over one of the telecommunications mavens on The Hill,
the past several years and a growing sense of urgency over the may leave the subcommittee to consolidate his position
issues involved, staff members on The Hill confide that their on the Natural Resources Committee. If he does that,
bosses are talking about the prospect of moving telecommunica- Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA-9th) appears well
tions to the forefront of the agenda for the 107th Congress. It’s a placed to become the new Ranking Member.
trend we’ll be monitoring here.

Media Hits
• Colby, Kansas members of the Trojan Amateur Radio Club were • An article in Home Power magazine by writers Roy Butler,
cited in the Colby Free Press for participation in a special event KC2FSW and Debbi Koehler, KB2WEY, featured an in-depth look
in conjunction with the National Weather Service. Names men- at the use of “alternative” power sources in an ARRL Field Day
tioned included Mike Spottswood, KC0IWH, Jim Robison, site, with focus on solar power. Author Butler called it the “perfect
KG0PI, Jeff Scholtz, KC0JAO, Gregg Lindberg, KB0MBT, Mike opportunity to demonstrate what solar energy could really do!”
Albers K0FJ, and ARRL Midwest Division Vice Director Bruce
Frahm, K0BJ.
• Flagler Palm Coast, Florida Amateur Radio Club President Jay
Musiker, AF2C, scored a good PR hit in the Flagler Palm Coast News
• Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Amateur Radio community got great Tribune when the club donated five Amateur Radio books to the local
coverage in the Tuscaloosa News for high quality response to library and told the media about it. The books help the community,
predictions of “tornado friendly” conditions. The group was cited and the article gives a contact number for more information.
by the director Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management agency
as “our eyes and ears out in the county.” The group was put to the
• Boston, Massachusetts area hams underwent a simulated earth-
quake strike and their efforts were reported favorably in the
real test in December Worcester Sunday Telegram. While the area has no recent quake
• Rich Range, WB9SFG, has been a ham operator since 1964 and history, some geologists believe the potential is there, and local
is proud of it. An article in the Warrenville (Illinois) Post mentions ARES and RACES groups are coordinating their efforts to ensure
some of Rich’s participation in health and welfare traffic, as well adequate communication if things start shaking.
as local volunteer emergency communication traffic.

16 February 2001
 UP FRONT IN

“CQ UO-14!” The Parks family decided to give UoSat-OSCAR 14 (the

FM repeater satellite) a try while on a camping trip last summer in
Fools Hollow State Park in Show Low, Arizona. They used two H-Ts, a HB9DOZ prefers satellite operating from
mag-mount mobile antenna and a telescoping whip antenna with only 5 his apartment balcony in Zurich, Switzer-
W on the uplink. In this photograph, father Ron, WB5DYG, is working land. With both a dual-band Yagi antenna
the satellite while son David, KD7KEE, handles the logging. Future and preamp clamped to his umbrella, Martin
hams Matthew and Ashley watched as Ron and David talked with sta- enjoys many conversations through Fuji-
tions as far away as the US East Coast and Canada. OSCAR 20 and UoSat-OSCAR 14.

An award befitting a
“true ham.” Bob
Wertz, NF7E, put
together this unusual
award of appreciation
for his Elmer, Bill
Schuchman, W7YS.
The award was pre-
sented last year at a
meeting of the North-
ern Arizona DX Asso-
ciation. According to
Bob, Bill has helped
more than 100 ama-
teurs earn their tick-
ets over the years.

Ahoy matey! Kristen

Kametz, KC8NGI
(age 12), of Stow,
Ohio, contacts other
“memorial subma-
Something old, something new, something rines” from the radio
borrowed, something that radiates RF… room of the USS
Patrice, KB2STI, and Frank, N2ZNF, Cod, docked at
Occidentale may have established a new wed- Cleveland’s lakefront.
ding tradition. They followed the time-honored The operation com-
practice of keeping out of each other’s sight memorated the 100th
until they arrived at the church, but no one anniversary of the US
said that they couldn’t keep in touch by radio! submarine service.
February 2001 19
 K7SZ

K7SZ

A most welcome “guest op.” Juan Lopez,

EA8QJ, has a frequent visitor to his station in
the Canary Islands. Three-year-old Alex drops
by almost every day to listen to the phone
conversations.

Old military radios never die, they just wind up in the hands of
collectors. If you had attended the meeting last September of the
Military Radio Collector’s Association at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in
eastern Pennsylvania, you would have seen a vast array of military
rigs. Al Klase, N3FRQ (top), is shown operating an AN/GRC-9 (com-
monly called a “Jerk Nine”). On the table are a complete AN/GRC-109
CIA/Special Forces radio set (circa 1950) along with the replacement
RS-6 Spy Radio set. Dale Gagnon, KW1I (above), is using the GRC-
19. This rig covers 2-22 MHz with CW or AM.

What can you do

with a load of surplus
brass? Kees Talen,
K5BCQ, made these
two beautiful CW keys. Not only is it beautiful, it reflects radio sig-
Kees crafted the keys nals! This spectacular shot was captured by Kim
from more than 30 Leer in central Manitoba. Kim often accompanies
pounds of brass her husband Jeff Leer, KG0VL, on VHF
pneumatic line control DXpeditions to the subarctic auroral regions of
fittings and other parts Canada. See this month’s “World Above 50 MHz”
that he had on hand. for more about VHF roving in the auroral zone.
20 February 2001
JOTA fun! Austin Murphy is shown working
N3UR on 17 meters while Rylan Campbell and
control operator Bernie Ortmann, N6UBO,
look on. Cub Scout Pack 175's Jamboree On
The Air station operated from the parking lot of
Booth Middle School last October in Peachtree
City, Georgia.

You can shape metal into objets

d’ art ! Chuck Beyer, WG2A, received this un-
usual creation as a Christmas gift from his wife. If you decide to take a time-travel DXpedition back to 1915, don’t
forget to take a copy of Form 756! Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO, ARRL
Technical Information Coordinator, was doing a bit of research in the
MARY JOSEPH, N0TRK Headquarters library when he found some very old documents tucked
behind a shelf. Among the ancient papers was this “Application for
License as Radio Operator” from 1915.

Last spring the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio

Club in Omaha, Nebraska erected an interac-
tive display in a local movie theater to capital-
ize on the renewed interest in Amateur Radio
BRUCE FRAHM, K0BJ

created by the movie Frequency. The display

set-up crew included (back row) Lou Canick,
KA7BGL; Pat Joseph, N0HPP; Brian Behrens,
AA0BB; Linda Newman, W0NSA; (front row)
Steve Schmitz, KC0HMX; Eddie Edwards, K0IL;
Bill Jackson, K9RZ and Bill Newman, K0NSA. A skyhook in a latchhook? You are looking at the home and antenna
Read more about their innovative promotion in farm of John Stanesic, W0CEM, in Junction City, Kansas, as rendered
“So People Still Do That?” in this month’s QST. by his wife in a latchhook rug design. Now that’s devotion!
February 2001 21
 CORRESPONDENCE
Your opinions count! Send your letters to “Correspondence,” ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
You can also submit letters by fax at 860-594-0259, or via e-mail to: [email protected].
We read every letter received, but we can only publish a few each month. We reserve the right to edit your letter for clarity,
and to fit the available page space. Of course, the publishers of QST assume no responsibility for statements made by correspondents.

A REHEARSAL IS CRITICAL relief efforts. I’m not persuaded that “hobby,” not a matter of life-and-death.

“Another Look at Tower Work” by registering with the local Emergency Co- There are plenty of outstanding con-
Rod Peterson, K4QG, in the November ordinator or NTS Net Manager will accom- testers and I support them in their efforts.
QST was well done and had many valid plish this. Perhaps something more is But, let’s go the extra step and also em-
points. Having worked on towers from 50 needed at the ARRL or IARU level. phasize that contesting demands courtesy
to 2000 feet, I have found one other pro- As recent experience has demon- and good operating procedures to be suc-
cedure to be absolutely necessary when strated, ham involvement in relief or res- cessful for all amateurs. Those of us who
doing tower work. The entire job should cue efforts can be a huge public relations don’t participate in contests will be much
be rehearsed before the first climber goes plus. Such efforts can also help make our more likely to jump in and offer contacts
aloft. Each member of the crew should case for maintaining and improving our if we are treated with respect in our pur-
know exactly how each step of the job frequency allocations at WRC-2003, par- suits within the hobby.—Chuck Hodell,
will be done. I have found that with care- ticularly in the developing world where N8ADN, Silver Spring, Maryland
ful planning, before we go up, we can so many potential votes for our cause are
avoid those surprises that can turn a rou- to be found. Let’s bring all our human TOO NEGATIVE ABOUT DTV
tine job into a dangerous nightmare. So, resources to bear, rather than bickering
The negativeness of W4ANN’s letter
perform the entire job mentally, from start among ourselves.—Pete Smith, N4ZR, concerning digital broadcast television
to finish, before you leave the ground. Kearneysville, West Virginia (DTV) in the November QST is not war-
You won’t find yourself, say, 100 feet up ranted. My experience with a recently pur-
a tower, in December, at dusk, with the WHERE IS COURTESY? chased RCA F38310 HDTV and DirecTV
wind blowing at 25 knots and hundreds
I am disappointed to see that QST has HDTV channels 199 and 509 is that the
of feet of coax that you can’t quite get published another article on “The Won- new DTV formats produce razor sharp TV
the rest of the way up because of an im- derful World of Contesting” (November images and noise-free surround-sound
properly rigged halyard.—Wray Lemke, 2000 QST). And, once again, there is no five-channel audio. I have seen none of the
KI4XS, Mt Pleasant, South Carolina mention of following even the most el- technical problems W4ANN describes.
ementary rules of common courtesy when The conversion to DTV will make more
EXCELLENT ARTICLES operating during a contest. efficient use of the existing and future TV

My congratulations on QST’s excellent As many hams have come to realize, frequencies, and free up space for other
article series “A Beginner’s Guide to Mod- contest weekends usually mean that services.—Gene Preston, K5GP, Austin,
eling with NEC” by L. B. Cebik, W4RNL. noncontesters are subjected to another ad- Texas
For several years now I’ve wanted to learn venture in trying to operate. The best-case
how to use NEC, but with my busy sched- scenario is that we simply can’t find a A LACK OF ALTERNATIVES
ule I’ve been unsuccessful in the attempt. clear frequency; that is fair enough. Worst
I’d like to respond to WB2WFJ’s let-
Thanks to these articles, I’m finally com- case is constant QRM and harassment ter in the December “Correspondence”
ing to grips with NEC, EZNEC and other from amateurs that apparently have lost concerning restrictive covenants and
antenna modeling programs. their hearing except for other stations in amateur antennas. I agree with Art, that
The software industry needs to take a the contest. individual responsibility (something all
lesson from QST and provide their own If the ARRL is really interested in pro- too lacking in our society) is paramount
“Beginners Guides” for their high-perfor- moting the many good qualities of con- when we willingly agree to purchase
mance packages. After reading just the testing, the least they can do is support homes that have restrictive covenants.
first installment of L. B. Cebik’s guide, the notion that common courtesy is not a But therein lies the rub: Are we will-
I’ve begun to model my inverted V and dying art in our hobby. Just a paragraph ingly acquiescing to covenant restric-
have even entered the data for a 3-element in contesting articles about operating tions? I’ve known too many people who
beam. Keep up the good work!—Buddy R. procedure and courtesy could really make looked for years for a decent place to live
Nighswonger, AD4CG, Madison, Virginia a difference in attitudes. For example, that would also permit antennas. The out-
mention of the following points might be look is increasingly grim. Many prospec-
AN UNFORTUNATE helpful: tive homebuyers are discovering that
MISCOMMUNICATION • Calling “CQ Contest” does not there are no alternatives to purchasing

I was dismayed by the miscommunica- qualify you for unrestricted use of a fre- homes with prohibitions against ham an-
tion between K2GM and WB8SIW (“Cor- quency, especially if already occupied. tennas. As a consequence, the idea of
respondence,” July and November 2000) • The question “Is the frequency in willingly agreeing to such covenants no
on involving contesters in disaster com- use?” is still required before calling CQ longer applies. The situation approaches
munications. I don’t believe that K2GM or tuning up. one of extortion. Further, the convenant
was knocking NTS and ARES, but instead • Operating a station that is over pow- restrictions have become so obnoxious
pointing out the additional capability con- ered is not good procedure and does little, (not just regarding antennas) that the
testers can bring to disaster relief opera- if anything, in the points battle. word “oppressive” comes to mind.
tions. Their well-equipped stations and • Automated voice keyers still require Since the assumption of willing accep-
skilled operators can add to existing capa- listening before keying. tance of antenna restrictions is no longer
bilities, if they are properly integrated into • Amateur Radio contesting is a valid, the FCC should weigh in—just like
24 February 2001
they did for DSS dishes. The moral pre- to a station that might otherwise never
cedent is there, if not the same financial know the fun of contesting.—John M.
incentive.—Jim Sanford, WB4GCS, Wilson, KC4LZN, Keyport, Washington
Hampton, Virginia
TOO MUCH POWER ON PSK
TWO THINGS
How do we solicit the cooperation of

(1) Art Malatzsky makes a good point those individuals who continually run ex-
in the December “Correspondence” about cessive amounts of power in PSK31? Per
studying deed restrictions in advance. But the published information on PSK31 the
the other side of the coin is that we need recommended maximum power is about
to clue in the real estate industry that pro- 30 W, not the 60 or 100, even 200 W that
hibiting antennas can make a house so many people run. (I copied one person
harder to sell, thus lowering its value. who bragged he was running 300 W!)
This is particularly true when the deed There has yet to be created a receiver
restrictions are ineptly constructed, such that will allow you to copy an S1 or S2
as one prohibiting “all radio-frequency signal with an S9+10 signal 300 Hz away.
generating apparatus” (even microwave What does that mean? It means that when
ovens and cellphones?). Let’s have a pub- some person intentionally adopts the
lic relations campaign whose slogan is, “kilowatt alley” syndrome, they are in-
“We’re hams, and we buy houses!” terfering with the use of that segment of
(2) Now that we have L.B. Cebik’s an- the band by others.—Pat Lambert,
tenna modeling tutorial in QST, maybe W0IPL, Longmont, Colorado
someone can answer the age-old ques-
tion: Do Bullwinkle’s antlers function as IS NARROWER REALLY BETTER?
a broadband dipole? If so, at what fre-
As the originator of the current trend
quencies?—Michael Covington, N4TMI, to using wide receiver IF bandwidths, as
Athens, Georgia proposed in the June 2000 QST article,
“A Panoramic Transceiving System for
MY FIRST SWEEPSTAKES PSK31,” I would like to qualify the find-

Although I have been licensed for 11 ings of Robert Lewis, AA4PB, stated in
years, I still needed a reminder about the the December “Correspondence.”
CW Sweepstakes last November 4. “If Robert is quite correct in stating that
you want to earn a Worked All States using narrow IF filters will reduce the
award in one weekend, this is the contest amount of noticeable QRM and AGC ac-
to do it...” I remember being told. tion caused by undesired strong stations
Getting my gumption up to do this (I in the receiver passband. However, using
don’t normally do contests), I figured it a more narrow filter will only reduce, but
would be a great way to start picking up not eliminate, all those undesired signals,
my speed on CW. I sat down Saturday because any signals appearing within the
night in front of the rig and gave it a whirl. passband of a 500-Hz wide IF filter will
Forty meters was my first band of choice, do the same thing, only less often.
so I began hunting in the Technician seg- Robert places the blame on the HF
ment above 7.100 MHz. I can copy pretty equipment manufacturers for not pro-
well at 10-12 WPM, but it gets sporadic viding for the use of more narrow filters
after that. I listened to the signals below in SSB operation. Actually, they have
the Technician portion and just couldn’t already approached this problem in the
copy well enough because most operators best possible way, by providing tunable
were whizzing along at incredible speeds. filters, in the form of passband tuning,
I was able to catch one station at a com- IF shift and IF notch filters that can be
fortable speed, N5XU, a club station from used in addition to the SSB filter. This
the University of Texas. I had tried to use way, you can use a wideband filter for
my PK-232 multimode processor aid in convenient point-and-click tuning, and
copying, but my ears and brain were much switch in various tunable IF filters only
better. After a few repeats, I logged when needed to attenuate undesired
N5XU’s exchange and moved on. strong signals.
I went back to the Technician subband It is a commonly observed misconcep-
and starting calling CQ. After some per- tion by some PSK31 stations that “hear-
sistent calling, I worked four stations. Two ing” QRM means that there is QRM. With
contacts were quick contest exchanges, but the exception of unwanted AGC action
the other two were pleasant ragchews. caused by a strong undesired station in the
It felt good to be back on the key and passband, most of the time, observation
shake off the rust, but I was disappointed of the spectrum with a program like
in the lack of activity above 7.100 MHz. DigiPan will reveal that the supposedly
I challenge contesters to graze the Tech- interfering station is far from the QSO fre-
nician subbands from time to time. You quency.—Howard (Skip) Teller, KH6TY,
may be able to give a bit of excitement Mt Pleasant, South Carolina
February 2001 25
 By Donald Stark, N3HOW, and Peter Sturdivant, N1PS

Tales of Sails
Two Amateur Radio groups celebrate and assist OpSail 2000.

NEW YORK CITY William Downes, N2KHP; Ken VHF marine capability. This allowed us
Ernandes, N2WWD; Arnold Knadle, to compile reports from boats.
By Donald Stark, N3HOW N1JX; Carlton Lee, W2PTZ; Malcom Was our operation a success? We think
It was the fireworks. It was the Fourth McDonald, KA3YTS; Carl Stark, so! N2B worked 800 stations, 43 states, 7
of July. It was the nation’s 224th birthday. KD3KH; Marjorie Stark, N3HOZ and Canadian provinces and 12 DXCC
It was also Operation Sail—better known myself. Armella Stark worked miracles entities. We promoted OpSail 2000 and
as OpSail 2000. More than 200 tall ships in the galley of the motor home and kept Amateur Radio—and enjoyed perfect
from more than 60 countries participated! our crew well fed for days. “seats” for one of the most prestigious
At 10 AM, the USCG Barque Eagle The 36-foot tower trailer was brought sailing events in many years. If you find
led the parade of sail beneath the from Washington, Pennsylvania, behind yourself on 20-meter SSB some Saturday
Verrazano Narrows Bridge, as it the motor home. The trailer was built by afternoon at 1700 UTC, join the United
proceeded up the Hudson River. The my father, Carl Stark, KD3KH, several States Power Squadrons Net on 14.287
United States Power Squadrons Amateur years ago for our radio club, Washington MHz.
Radio Net had set up special-event station Area Communications (WACOM). The You can contact the author at 65 Stark
N2B from July 1-4 to celebrate the event. trailer includes a platform to bolt down a Spur, Eighty Four, PA 15330; stark84@
Our station was at the US Army Corps of portable generator and a large box to hold nb.net.
Engineers depot at Caven Point, Jersey equipment. The Butterfly beam antenna
City, New Jersey. We were due west of is carried (partially assembled) alongside PORTLAND, MAINE
the Statue of Liberty and had an excellent the tower itself. By Peter Sturdivant, N1PS
land-side view of the magnificent ships. In addition to the Butterfly beam on This summer’s celebration of the tall
We had a dedicated team of radio the tower, our station antennas included ships, OpSail 2000, was both a never-to-
operators from four states including: an MFJ High-Q Loop, a Hustler 5BTV be-forgotten event and challenge for the
vertical and a Hustler mobile antenna. ham radio operators in Portland, Maine.
Our collection of rigs included a JRC Eighty-eight operators participated in
JST-245, an ICOM IC-735, an ICOM IC- what was probably the largest Amateur
706 and a Yaesu FT-890. Not only did we Radio public service event ever held in
use amateur frequencies, we also had the State of Maine.

Don Stark, N3HOW, Bill Downes, N2KHP

and Mac McDonald, KA2YTS, carefully
raise the MFJ High-Q Loop at Caven Almost ready to raise the tower at Caven Point. Left to right: Carl Lee, W2PTZ; Don
Point (note the razor wire!). Stark, N3HOW; and Arnold Knadle, N1JX.
28 February 2001
 as 300,000 people could show up in this
city of 75,000. Radio traffic overload on
all radio bands including marine, two-
way, public safety and cellular telephone
became a real concern. We offered a
radio-equipped volunteer group that
could provide either primary or backup
communications throughout the three-day
extravaganza.
Logistically, we knew this would
require something more than just a
simplex frequency and a bunch of hams
with H-Ts. The event was to be spread
over an area of 30 to 40 square miles with
a hill in the middle (the city of Portland).
Therefore, Dale, W9WBA, and Dick,
W3EZ, decided to go with four repeaters,
two as backup. Dale and his crew
installed the repeaters atop the Holiday
Inn, one of the tallest buildings looking
over the waterfront.
N2B is on the air and made in the shade! We also needed people. For a normal
public service event, we usually can count
on 10 to 20 people, but for this one, we
OpSail is an abbreviation for for the upcoming event. When Dick knew we needed many more. We put out
Operation Sail, an idea fathered by suggested that ham radio could offer a the word that we needed Amateur Radio
President Kennedy in 1961. The first role to help alleviate marine, cell phone operators, preferably with public service
OpSail occurred in 1964 as a “stirring and public safety radio traffic and the event experience. Eventually, we signed
Tribute” as Walter Cronkite described it, OpSail organizers welcomed his idea. I up enough hams to work the event. We
to the late President. Since then, many should also point out that the organizers also had a warm-up drill which Dale
Operation Sails have occurred, most looked for help in their communications affectionately called the wet run.
notably in 1976 during the bicentennial planning, which isn’t a common use of The wet run was Harborfest 99. It was
year. This year, to celebrate the new ham expertise in public events. As the a scaled down OpSail with only two tall
millennium, Operation Sail toured seven current club president, the first thing I did ships and several others including some
east coast ports; the last port of call was was to assign one of our most experienced Coast Guard assets. Like the big event,
Portland, Maine. public service event people to the job, still a year off, there was a Parade of Sail
We first found out about OpSail two Dale Darling, W9WBA. I then offered our led that year by the tall ships Bounty and
years ago during a monthly meeting of club’s assistance for the planning and the HMS Rose. We provided 25 ham
the Portland Amateur Wireless Asso- operation of the event. operators to Harborfest. The results were
ciation, an ARRL affiliated club. One of We knew that we had a large role to good. We maintained a communications
our members, Dick Jackson, W3EZ, was play in this event, scheduled for July 28– center with a ham net control operator and
asked to be the communications director July 31, 2000. We were warned as many many others spread out throughout all the

USCG Barque Eagle sails

into Portland harbor.

MIKE LEONARD, KA1IOD

February 2001 29
 MIKE LEONARD, KA1IOD
individual events in the area. In addition didn’t mean we were any less busy. In
to a ham simplex event channel, we also fact, Saturday was perhaps the busiest of
operated a marine VHF channel for the three days, radio traffic-wise. The
communications to the ships, a two-way immense crowds overwhelmed the
trunking radio system and 20 cell phones. nonham radio circuits again as well as the
Additionally, we asked for and received a 300 volunteers trying to control the
special marine VHF Coast Station License crowds. But the people were very friendly
from the FCC. The event organizers and happy in general. Although there was
clearly relied on us as their commun- no way to get an official count, the media
ications experts. We more than met their had the crowds at about 400,000 people
expectations, but then we needed to make over the course of the weekend, more than
this model fit an event with 25 tall ships 5 times the population of the city. We had
and 10 times more visitors. about 30 hams working each day, each
With the experience of Harborfest relating event status reports and any
behind us, it was decided to go with a incidents at each venue.
much larger communications center. This We were fortunate to get 88 Amateur
Incident Command Center would place Radio operators, from three states
under one roof our own control operators (including California), to participate in
plus that of public safety for two cities, the event for set-up, operation, and tear
the FBI, Secret Service (former President down. All told, Amateur Radio operators
The Argentinean Libertad was a
George Bush was the Honorary Chairman stunning sight in Portland. put in over 1900 man-hours. All of our
of OpSail Maine), US Navy and the US radios, including the four repeaters,
Coast Guard. The ICS went into the Naval worked flawlessly with no failures. The
Reserve Center, located in the middle of from Brazil, the Bat’kivshchyna from only thing resembling an emergency was
the waterfront. We would have four Ukraine and the Bowdoin (a famous missing persons’ reports; our people
Amateur Radio net control stations on line Maine ship that played an important part found 6 of the 12 people reported
during the event. As mentioned above, we in scientific expeditions, including early missing. The fact that all communications
decided this year to go with repeaters as radio experiments, to the arctic). went very smooth was a tribute to Dale,
opposed to using a simplex frequency. The event kicked off on Friday with W9WBA, and Dick, W3EZ, the two key
This would make it easier to communicate the Parade of Sail led by the USCG Eagle people who worked very hard to ensure
out to a wider area and allow hand-held with President Bush aboard. We placed that there would be no glitches.
radio use. OpSail would be a walking 16 hams on 5 vessels and placed radio- Just as important, it seemed everyone
public service event. AT&T Wireless equipped hams at key locations around had an unforgettable time. Over the
Services, one of the sponsors, gave us 30 the area. During the height of the event course of the event, I visited with and
cell phones to use before and during the on Friday, our operators were very busy talked to most of the ham volunteers. All
event. We gave them to most of the VIPs handling anything from routine traffic to I saw from the men and women Amateur
and key personnel. We assigned ham missing person alerts. It was at this time Radio operators throughout the weekend
“shadows” to others and to key venues. that the cellular telephone system were smiles. For one week, Amateur
Finally, after two years, the event was overloaded. This surprised both the Radio existed among craft from another
upon us. Over the course of a week, all organizers and the cell phone companies. era. It turned out to be a memorable
25 of the tall ships sailed into port. Some But it didn’t surprise us and we handled experience for everyone.
of the more noted ships were the US the extra radio traffic well.
Coast Guard’s Eagle, the 356-foot During Saturday and Sunday, all the You can contact the author at 7 Pond View
Argentine Libertad, the Cisne Branco ships were tied to their berths, but it Rd, Standish, ME 04084; [email protected].

The Portland OpSail 2000 team.

MIKE LEONARD, KA1IOD

30 February 2001
 By L. B. Cebik, W4RNL

A Beginner’s Guide to
Modeling With NEC
Part 4: Loads, transmission lines, tests and limitations

In
this fourth and final installment cal output data in which the beginning source at the antenna feedpoint is invis-
of our series designed to get modeler is interested does not depend on ible to the user. However, by selecting a
you started in modeling with the source values. Gain, front-to-back ra- current source and using the default value
NEC, we’ll look at two disparate areas tio and the source impedance will come of 1.0 for the magnitude, we can perform
of modeling. The first arena involves a out the same for a single-feed antenna no our survey with ease. 1 Our one caution
pair of auxiliary facilities built into NEC: matter what source values we use. is to note that while the NEC core and
the ability to model reactive (capacitive Sometimes it is convenient to use a NEC-Win Plus use peak values of volt-
and/or inductive) loads and the ability to current source. Should you wish to model age and current, EZNEC translates these
model transmission lines—both within phased arrays, you’ll need to use current values into their corresponding RMS val-
limits. The second area is composed of sources to establish the relative magni- ues. For our work here, the difference will
model testing and some of the limits tudes and phases of currents for the not have significance, but for translating
within which successful modeling occurs. feedpoint of each driven element. Our voltage, currents and impedances into
Some words of caution will be a good beginning project, however, will be much power levels and back again, peak values
way to conclude our preliminary survey. simpler: we want to look at the current must be transformed into RMS values.
As we have done in the first three parts, levels along a simple dipole. We can do Now let’s build a simple free-space (no
we’ll focus on NEC-2 and two commer- this by using a voltage source, but the ground) model, a 20-meter (14.175 MHz)
cial implementations: EZNEC 3.0 and typically low current values tend to be dipole using 1-inch diameter aluminum,
NEC-Win Plus. hard to interpret without some further 21 segments, and a modeling length along
arithmetic. If we only had a way to set
Currents and Current Sources the source current at a value of 1.0, then
1Notes appear on page 35.
In the very first episode of this series, all of the other values along the dipole
we noted that using a voltage source is the would be relative to 1 for easier compre-
most normal procedure for simple mod- hension.
els with a single feedpoint. We can leave Commercial versions of NEC-2 pro-
the source values at a magnitude of 1.0 vide a current source capability. The
and a phase of 0.0 degrees (the default network used to transform the natural
values) for most models, since the criti- voltage source of NEC into a current

Figure 1—The Figure 2—The NEC-Win Plus basic entry

relative current screen for a load consisting of a
distribution along resistance and a reactance in series
a resonant dipole, (called a “complex load”).
using a source
current value of
1.0 as a reference.

Figure 3—A
comparison of
current
distributions along
equal-length short
dipoles using a
center-loading
inductor and 2 mid- Figure 4—The NEC-Win Plus basic entry
element-loading screen for loads consisting of a resistance
inductors, and an inductance in series. A series
referenced to a capacitor, not used in this example, could
source current be added to the mixed load. Note that
value of 1.0. parallel combinations of resistance, induc-
tance and capacitance are also possible.
February 2001 31
the Y-axis of +/–198.75 inches. We should All loads that we introduce a resonant impedance of about 45 Ω. The
find a source impedance at the design impedance value is higher than with cen-
frequency of about 72 Ω with only a frac-
are mathematical models, ter-loading, but lower than the impedance
tion of an ohm of reactance. not physical models. of a self-resonant dipole.
Our interest lies in Figure 1, a sum- The difference is this: Before we leave the loaded dipoles,
mary of the current magnitude on each a physical model, such as let’s look at the current tables (since we
segment of the model. NEC provides used a current source for our runs). Re-
these values, and commercial implemen-
the antenna wire, fer also to Figure 1 for comparison. The
tations make them available as one of the contributes to the current level on the antenna wire past the
tabular outputs. Figure 1 will be a stan- radiation pattern. loads suddenly decreases relative to the
dard for the next phase of our work, but The mathematical current distribution on an unloaded di-
for the moment, we can note two key pole. Hence, we would expect either
items. First, the progression of values is loads do not. loaded dipole to show somewhat less gain
almost, but not quite, a sinusoidal curve. than the unloaded standard.
Second, the lowest value is not zero be- We need not always use a center load- There are some cautions to observe for
cause the calculation is for roughly the ing coil. Instead, we can place coils in loads. First, the mathematical load as-
center of the outermost segment, not the the middle of each antenna leg away from sumes equal currents on both ends of a
very end. the feedpoint. If we remove the center coil. As Figure 3 shows, this condition
loading coil, we can replace it with a coil only exists for the center loading coil, but
Loads 30% from the left end (segment 5) and not for the mid-element coils. Hence, the
Next, let’s shorten the dipole to another matching coil 70% from the right calculations you make for mid-element
+/–144 inches, or 24 feet overall. Reduce end (segment 11). Experimentally, we can loading coils will be slightly less precise
the number of segments to 15 so that each adjust the reactance of the two coils until relative to building the coil. Second, us-
segment will be about the same length the antenna is once more resonant. For ing the coil’s reactance is good only for
as in the original longer dipole. The the 24-foot 20-meter model, values of a single frequency. If you wish to perform
shortened antenna, of course, will not be j 212 Ω (reactance) will do the job, and a frequency sweep of the antenna, re-
resonant. In fact, it will report a source for a Q of 300, we can assign the resis- enter the coil values, an inductance and a
impedance of about 27 – j275 Ω. If we tance box a value of 0.7 Ω. Running our resistance in the series RLC option for
want to resonate the antenna, we shall new mid-element loaded dipole will yield entry, as shown in Figure 4, a NEC-Win
have to compensate for the high capaci- Plus load box for the center loading coil.
tive reactance with loading coils some- Standard handbook equations for trans-
where in the antenna structure. forming reactance to inductance (or
NEC lets us model reactive loads. The capacitance) apply here.2 Some imple-
loads can have a resistive as well as a re- mentations of NEC call for µH and pF,
active component, as shown by the NEC- while others may call for basic units. With
Win Plus load screen in Figure 2. Adding Figure 5—The EZNEC screen for inductive, capacitive, and resistive units,
introducing a mathematical
a series resistance to the reactance lets transmission line into a model. loads will show the correct reactance at
us account for the Q of the loading coil. each checkpoint of a frequency sweep,
Note the reactance value: 276 Ω, just and the resulting source impedance val-
enough to compensate for the capacitive ues (and SWR values, if needed) will be
reactance. The resistance value (0.9 Ω) much closer to the reality of the antenna’s
reflects a coil Q of 300. The upper left performance.
corner of the figure shows that the load
has been placed at the center of the an- Transmission Lines
tenna, on the same segment as the source. A second mathematical convenience
Loads are always in series with a source offered by NEC is the use of transmis-
on the same segment. sion lines in a model. Like loads, these
All loads that we introduce are math- Figure 6—The NEC-Win Plus screen for
lines do not enter into the calculation of
ematical models, not physical models. introducing a mathematical transmission radiation patterns. If the pattern influence
The difference is this: a physical model, line into a model. of a transmission line is significant to a
such as the antenna wire, contributes to model, the modeler must physically
the radiation pattern. The mathematical model the line, which is possible for par-
loads do not. So any variations (normally allel lines, but not generally feasible for
insignificant) in radiation patterns that re- coaxial cables.
sult from using large or small coils will Figure 5 shows the EZNEC transmis-
not show up in the output of NEC. sion line entry screen, while Figure 6
If we run our model with its load, we’ll shows the NEC-Win Plus equivalent.
find a source impedance of about 31 Ω Both show the same line: a shorted stub
and a fractional value for reactance. Re- of 600-Ω line having a length of 11.02
member that the inductive reactance of inches or 0.2799 meters. EZNEC provides
the load cancelled out the capacitive re- an invisible structure for open and shorted
actance at the source by simple addition. stubs, while NEC-Win shows the actual
In series circuits, we add resistances and Figure 7—A standard use of a construction. Every transmission line
transmission line between the antenna
add reactances. The added resistance of wire and a short, 1-segment terminating
must run from one wire to another. In
the coil shows up in the resistive part of wire that becomes the location of the NEC-Win Plus or raw NEC, we create a
the source impedance. antenna system source. new short (1 segment) thin wire that is
32 February 2001
far away from the antenna. Its position is
not critical, since the line length entered
into the proper box on the transmission
line screen controls the calculation. A
shorted stub requires a high shunt admit-
tance. The long numerical entry for 1 10
(1 to the tenth power) is used to assure a
true short circuit at the far end. Note in
passing that we can reverse the line
between the two terminating wires, es-
sentially giving it a half twist—a useful
feature for modeling phased arrays.
The transmission line entry boxes il- Figure 8—An EZNEC view of the
3-element Yagi with a beta-match shorted Figure 10—The NEC-Win Plus report on
lustrate the critical elements of a NEC transmission-line stub (hairpin) at the the results of the average gain test for
transmission line. Figure 7 shows the driven element terminals. the 3-element Yagi used for the beta-
layout of such a standard sort of model match illustration.
using a transmission line used with a di-
pole. The dipole wire is one end of the
line, while a new short 1-segment line ter- Figure 9—The NEC-
Win Plus wires page
minates the transmission line. For this for the 3-element Yagi
kind of application, we move the source and beta-match stub,
from its usual position at the center of showing the remote
the dipole and place it on the new wire. terminating wire for
the transmission-line
We might wish to see what impedance we stub.
might obtain at the end of the line using
various line lengths. We need only change
the line length, perhaps in quarter-wave-
length increments, to explore the effects
of line length on the system source im-
pedance. Note that some programs have
a velocity factor entry box, which lets you
enter the physical line length. Other pro-
grams do not have a velocity factor box,
so you must precalculate the electrical
length of the line and use that figure.3
There are cautions to observe in the
use of NEC transmission lines. First, they to illustrate the basic transmission-line array (LPDA) runs from one element to the
do not account for line losses. For short setup in Figure 5 and Figure 6 is exactly next with a half twist between each ele-
line runs, the source impedance error will what we need to introduce an inductive ment. Such structures are extremely diffi-
likely not be significant, but the error will reactance of about 50 Ω across the an- cult to model physically, but the transmis-
grow with very long transmission line tenna terminals. Because transmission sion line facility in NEC not only simplifies
runs. Second, transmission lines are in lines are mathematical and use remote the process, but as well increases the ac-
parallel with sources (in contrast to loads, terminating wires for stubs, Figure 8 does curacy of the array analysis. Used with care
which are in series with sources). Third, not show the stub, but indicates its pres- and with their mathematical (non-physical)
transmission lines are accurate only ence with a dot. (If the view tried to show nature always in mind, transmission lines
where the antenna element current on the terminating wire for the stub, the an- in NEC can be a valuable design tool for
each side of the line is equal. Hence, they tenna structure itself would shrink almost many types of antennas.
are most accurate at element centers and to invisibility in the graphic.)
other low impedance points along an an- Figure 9 shows the NEC-Win Plus Testing Models
tenna and become quite inaccurate at low wires page that goes with Figure 6, the I have stressed that both loads and
current, high voltage positions. corresponding transmission line screen. transmission lines must be used with care
Transmission line runs to a remote Wire 4 is the remote 1-segment thin wire and within their limitations if we are to
source are only one use of this NEC fa- that terminates the shorted stub. The units achieve accurate model results that coin-
cility. Stubs are also useful for modeling of measure are meters, which coincides cide closely with the physical antennas
some kinds of matching networks for an- with the stub length in Figure 6. If we the models represent. This same caution
tennas. For example, consider the 20- run the model, we should get a source applies to the physical structure of mod-
meter 3-element Yagi in free space, as impedance at 14.175 MHz of about els. There are two general tests that we
shown in Figure 8. Before adjustment 51 – j3 Ω. You may wish to run a fre- can apply in order to increase our confi-
with a matching network, it has a source quency sweep of the antenna across the dence in a given model.
impedance of about 24 – j25 Ω. The re- entire 20-meter band to check the 50-Ω The first analysis is called the conver-
sistance and capacitive reactance are ex- VSWR at the band edges. gence test. In Part 1 of the series, we
actly suited to the use of a beta match. Besides their use as standard transmis- noted the minimum number of segments
We can implement the match with a small sion lines and as stubs in matching net- to be used on open-ended linear elements.
coil across the feedpoint or with a shorted works, transmission lines have other uses However, as the antenna geometry be-
transmission line stub (often called a in advanced modeling. For example, the comes more complex, we may need more
“hairpin”). In fact, the stub that we used phase-line needed in a log periodic dipole than the minimum number of segments
February 2001 33
to assure an accurate model. Moreover, performance trends. For most uses, val- or both tests) does not necessarily mean
segment length should ideally be about ues of 0.95 to 1.05 for the average gain that the modeler is at fault. NEC has limi-
the same throughout a model. Whether test indicate a very usable model for vir- tations. We saw some of those limitations
we have enough segments of the right tually any purpose. in Part 1, when we noted certain guide-
lengths is subject to a simple test. However, both the convergence and lines for the minimum segment length to
Start by running the original model average gain tests are necessary conditions diameter ratio, segments per half wave-
and recording the gain and source imped- of model adequacy. They are not sufficient length of wire, etc. There are others, a
ance. Then increase the number of seg- conditions. There are at least a few types few of which are illustrated in Figure 11.
ments for each wire by about 50%. Again, of models that can pass both tests and still For example, letting two wires touch at
record the gain and source impedance. yield inaccurate results. However, pass- mid-segment points (in contrast to junc-
You may wish to give the test a third ing both tests should increase our confi- tions) will trigger the NEC core to reject
trial with another 50% increase in the dence that we have a good model. the model. Most of the NEC core
number of segments per wire and record rejection messages occur due to simple
the results. NEC Limitations mistakes in creating or revising the ge-
The level of segmentation at which the A bad model (one which fails either ometry of an antenna model. The solu-
output figures for the model do not tion is to find and correct the error. By
change significantly is the minimum level using the paper planning techniques
of segmentation for the model. The mod- shown in Part 2, we minimize the chances
els are said to converge at this segmen- of receiving a core rejection notice.
tation level. In some cases, minimum More subtle are NEC limitations that
segmentation is satisfactory. In others, es- the core does not signal with a rejection
pecially for antennas having a closed message. For example, NEC will nor-
geometry (like angular loops), the re- mally yield inaccurate results when two
quired segmentation level may be higher. wires of different diameters meet at an
A few antennas, such as those with an- angular junction. The difficulty grows
gular elements of different lengths ex- more pronounced as we add more seg-
tending from the feed point, may not ments to each wire. Consider a folded X -
converge until very high levels of seg- beam composed of 1-inch aluminum ele-
mentation. And some models will not ments in the facing V sections with thin
converge at all because they exceed the wire tails pointing toward each other in
limitations of the NEC core or have other each side of the structure. This antenna
construction errors. There is no absolute will not converge at any level of segmen-
standard of what counts as the borderline tation in NEC.4
between converged and non-converged Likewise, NEC can grow inaccurate
models. However, if two successive lev- when two wires of different diameters are
els of segmentation produce results that Figure 11—Some NEC limitations, brought close together. Wires of the same
indicate differences in antenna perfor- including the prohibition against wires diameter should have their segment junc-
mance or structure that go beyond nor- crossing at mid-segment locations, and tions well aligned when in proximity for
mal tune-up adjustments, the models are accuracy difficulties with angular highest accuracy, for example, with a
junctions of wire having different
likely not sufficiently converged. diameters and close-spaced wires of folded dipole. However, even if the seg-
A second test is called the average gain different lengths or diameters. ment junctions are aligned, wires of dif-
test. If we place a horizontal antenna ferent diameters and lengths will show
model in free space or a vertical antenna errors of both gain and source impedance
over perfect ground, we can then perform Most of the NEC core as they approach too closely. The degree
a 3-dimensional radiation pattern test, of error depends on many factors, includ-
using equally spaced checkpoints. To per- rejection messages occur ing the wire diameter, the spacing, the
form the test, we omit wire losses and due to simple mistakes in frequency, and the relative element
resistive loads. The reason for these creating or revising the lengths. The average gain test will nor-
moves is that the average gain of a mally catch this overstep of the limita-
lossless antenna, taking into account a
geometry of an antenna tions inherent in NEC.5
fair sampling of all possible directions of model. The solution is to The NEC core also has a limitation in
radiation, is 1. Resistive losses would find and correct the error. handling tapered-diameter elements, that
interfere with this result.
For the 3-element Yagi that we used Figure 12—A
to illustrate the beta matching stub, we sample, from
receive the NEC-Win Plus report shown EZNEC, of the
original tapered-
in Figure 10. Equal in quality to the 0.999 diameter element
average gain value would have been and its uniform-
1.001, since the test is run with a large diameter Leeson
but not exhaustive sample of directions substitute.
for the radiation pattern checkpoints.
Again, there is no absolute standard for
what counts as “highly accurate.” The
level may depend on whether we are pre-
paring to home brew an antenna or
whether we are deriving some detailed
34 February 2001
is, elements composed of ever-smaller Elements that taper equations for inductance and capacitance
and their respective reactance values:
diameters of tubing as we move outward toward thinner diameters
from the element center. However, com- XL
XL L = (Eq 1)
mercial implementations of NEC, in- as we move away from = 2 πfL
2πF
cluding both EZNEC and NEC-Win Plus, the center feedpoint where XL is the inductive reactance in Ohms,
L is the inductance in Henries, and f is the
offer the modeler a system of carefully require longer physical frequency in Hz.
calculated substitute elements having a
uniform diameter. The corrective ele-
element lengths for X=
1
C =
1
2
2πfC 2πfX C (Eq 2)
ments are based on the work of Dave resonance than do
Leeson, W6QHS (now W6NL). 6 Using a uniform-diameter where XC is the capacitive reactance in Ohms,
C is the capacitance in Farads, and f is the
complex set of equations, the program elements. frequency in Hz. In addition, when using ei-
precalculates substitute elements. How- ther the series or parallel RLC option, place
ever, the equations only work within example, we have not mentioned trap an- a zero in the box for a missing value, for
tennas, which can be modeled with good example, the capacitance box of Figure 4.
about 15% of the design frequency and NEC interprets the zero as a missing value
on symmetrical open-ended linear ele- results. We have not delved into model- and not as 0 pF capacitance.
ments with no mid-element loads or ing by equation, which can simplify the 3
For reference,
transmission lines. Despite these limita- construction and revision of models and Lp
tions, the correction factor has been a so speed up the design process. And we L P = VF • L e L e = (Eq 3)
VF
boon to designers of directional arrays for have not touched upon the modeling or
where Lp is the physical length of the line, Le
the upper HF and lower VHF region. complex structures, such as typical tower is the electrical length of the line (in the same
Figure 12 provides a small sample of sections, or the use of substitute models.7 units), and VF is the velocity factor, ordi-
the Leeson corrections in action, using What we have attempted to do in this narily 1.0 or less.
4
4-part series is to acquaint you sufficiently Interestingly, MININEC has no difficulty in
EZNEC as the source. The upper part of modeling the angular junctions of dissimilar
the figure shows the 3-wire dipole used with the fundamentals of NEC modeling wires, although length tapering may be
as an example in Part 2 of this series. The so that you can embark on your own ex- needed at the acute angle corners. NEC-4
lower portion of the figure shows the sub- ploration of the antennas in which you improves on the performance of NEC -2
for such structures, but remains shy of
stitute elements that replace the tapered have the most interest. Hopefully, there is perfection.
diameter model in NEC calculations. enough information in these notes to make 5
Once more, MININEC has no problem with
Note that the uniform-diameter element your initial efforts successful and make close spaced wires of different diameters
the next steps confident ones on your own. and lengths. Hence, it yields quite accurate
is not simply the average of the two di- results for folded dipoles that use wires of
ameters in the tapered-diameter version. Think of NEC as a precision tool. Even different diameters. For further details of
As well, the uniform-diameter version is as I write, various improvements to the NEC limitations, especially as they appear
modeling process—some general, some in NEC-4, see L. B. Cebik, “NEC -4.1: Limi-
shorter than the physical dimensions be- tations of Importance to Hams,” QEX (May/
ing modeled. Elements that taper toward for specific applications—continue to June, 1998, pp 3-16). The limitations of
thinner diameters as we move away from develop. However, even though NEC-2 is NEC-4 also apply to NEC-2.
6
the center feedpoint require longer physi- nearly two decades old, it remains far David B. Leeson, W6QHS, Physical Design
more precise than older calculation of Yagi Antennas (Newington: ARRL, 1992),
cal element lengths for resonance than do Chapter 8. Once more, MININEC does not
uniform-diameter elements. Finally, note methods. It is superior by far to those have difficulties in dealing with tapered-
that the length dimension affects not only rules of thumb by which we measure diameter elements and is used as a com-
dipoles and quads, and it is a distinct ad- parative standard by Leeson. (However,
the outer ends of the element, but the MININEC 3.13—the public domain version—
length of the inner element piece as well. vance in antenna pattern and gain analy- does have numerous limitations of its own,
The Leeson corrections have made the sis compared to aperture-area calcula- such as a very slow-running core, limitations
tions that were popular in the middle of on the total number of available segments,
design of Yagis and similar directional no transmission line facility, a relatively poor
arrays routine. Of course, the corrections the 20th century. In short, NEC is a good system for calculating ground effects,
must be used within the limitations that tool for the student of antennas to master source impedance calculated only over per-
we noted above. The upshot is that there as we move into the 21st century. fect ground, etc. These limitations have
made NEC-2 the more preferred modeling
are arrays which are difficult (if not im- However, like every precision tool, core among radio amateurs, although
possible) to model within NEC. None- NEC requires care, practice, patience, and MININEC still has important uses. NEC-4
theless, despite the limitations, NEC is focus to master well. What we learn about requires a license and advanced software,
both of which have placed this improved
capable of accurately modeling an almost antennas along the way will be the reward NEC core beyond the economic reach of
endless variety of antennas for frequen- for our efforts. most hams.)
7
cies ranging from below the AM broad- Those whose interests in antenna modeling
Notes grow deeper are invited to look at the series
cast band into the upper UHF region. 1 of AntenneX columns that I do monthly, all of
Users of raw NEC can achieve a source cur-
rent of 1.0 in the following way. For a reso- which are at my Web site (www.cebik.com)
Conclusion nant antenna, use the voltage source at its under the “Antenna Modeling” heading, or to
the text Basic Antenna Modeling: A Hands-
We have explored NEC-2 modeling default values to obtain the source imped-
On Tutorial, available from Nittany Scien-
with the eyes of a beginning modeler, ance. Then use the source impedance as
a revised voltage magnitude and phase- tific, Inc (www.nittany-scientific.com).
starting from the basic language of the values, and rerun the model. The source The original NEC -2 manuals remain the
modeling enterprise and ending with current should be 1.0, since current equals most authoritative references for under-
the voltage divided by the impedance. Like- standing the operation of the core. The
some fairly advanced cautionary notes on-line or paper manuals accompanying
wise, one can explore the actual current for
about the limits of NEC-2. We have not a given power level by using the initial run commercial implementations of NEC -2 are
exhausted all of the possibilities for com- source impedance and the desired power also authoritative for the respective software
level. Select a voltage equal to the square packages.
bining the features of the NEC core and
root of the power times the impedance. See You can contact the author at 1434 High
its commercial interfaces to improve the the main text for cautions concerning NEC’s
precision of our analyses or to ease the use of peak voltage and current. Mesa Dr, Knoxville, TN 37938-4443;
work involved in creating models. For 2
As a reminder, here are the transformation [email protected].
February 2001 35
 By William J. Newman, K0NSA and Mary Joseph, N0TRK

“So People Still Do That?”

The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club in Omaha, Nebraska
“went to the movies” and told the story of Amateur Radio.

directly in the way of weekend movie weekly radio nets. Once the excitement

T
hat was the phrase that the mem-
bers of the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur crowds. The theater even said that they and anticipation began to build, ideas
Radio Club heard the most during would place a notice in the local started flowing in. We circulated event
the opening weekend of the movie newspaper advertising the fact that we sign-up sheets at club meetings/
Frequency. Not only did we assure theater would be there during opening weekend. gatherings. We began to assign tasks,
patrons that we still did “that,” we showed While the actual release date for the locate needed equipment, and schedule
them all the cool new things that we do now! movie had not been set, the theater assured club members to staff the booth from the
The planning for the event started us we could be there no matter when the Friday afternoon opening until tear down
about 12 weeks before the opening when movie debuted. So, with the location Sunday evening. Our over-riding goal
members of the club first heard about the secured, the planning of what we were was to knock the public’s socks off with
movie and its tie to Amateur Radio. The actually going to do got underway. Our the capabilities and advanced technology
club’s public relations committee first job was to build enthusiasm and of our hobby! The club and its
contacted various theaters to find out awareness about the movie with area hams. membership were firmly behind the
which ones were going to show the movie The club’s public relations chairman project and it became the talk of the local
and which would be receptive to hosting set up a multimedia extravaganza at repeater.
the club in its endeavors to use the movie several club meetings to show the movie’s
to promote Amateur Radio. trailer, and we took every opportunity to Sneak Preview
talk up the event on area repeaters and When the movie was suddenly
The 20 Grand says “Yes” available for an earlier-than-expected
The 20 Grand Theater, a 20-screen sneak preview, one call to the theater
mega-theater, jumped at the opportunity The author demonstrates secured our seats. The movie was fun,
2-meter FM in the theater lobby.
to have us set up a display and was entertaining and the audience loved it—
enthusiastic about our plans. We were we knew we could capitalize on the
given free run of the theater including the interest it generated. Members of the club
projection area and the roof for attended four sneak previews at theaters
equipment and antenna set up. Their large around the city, setting up information
free-access lobby allowed us to set up in booths at theaters where possible. The
a prominent location without being audience reaction to our displays was

This static display was available to theater patrons throughout It’s a good night for a movie—and Amateur Radio—at the 20
the week. Grand multiplex.
36 February 2001
always positive, especially after they saw system was an ICOM H-T hooked up to
the film. It was a “feel-good” movie and a Pentium computer. A club member
Amateur Radio was a part of that feel- would approach a group coming out of a
good feeling! movie, and ask them if they wanted to be
on TV. Their picture was taken and they
Setting Up would be directed to go across the room
Once club members had seen the to our booth to see it on the computer
movie preview and realized its potential display. Once they were at the display
for generating positive interest in they all had questions. When we
Amateur Radio, our plans grew. The explained that there were no wires, that
Friday of opening weekend (April 28, the picture had been sent across the room
2000), the members of the club began via radio everyone was impressed. They
their invasion of the theater. The first to The booth enjoyed steady visitor traffic. were amazed we could do that without
go up was the convention-style display wires and even more amazed when we
booth, on which we hung four custom explained that we could send the pictures
color posters explaining all about across the room, across town or even
Amateur Radio and its many facets. Large around the world.
fluorescent lights built onto the display One young lady of about 13 years of
booth increased its visibility and really age stopped by and asked, “What’s all
brought out the colors in the posters even this?” When we explained to her what it
from across the expansive lobby. was, she asked, “Can I talk on it?” We
As an additional movie tie-in, we also made a quick contact to another ham on
installed a rotating red and blue police/ the local repeater and she had a wonderful
fire light above the center of the display time. All smiles, she ran off to join her
booth (in Frequency, the character of friends saying: “I talked on the radio!”
Frank Sullivan was a firefighter and John The computer-controlled HF station
Sullivan was a cop). The flashing light Our booth is set up and ready for the first was also a hit. The most-heard comments
guaranteed that we would be seen by visitors. were: “Is this going through the
all movie patrons, and was very effective Internet?” or “Are you getting that off of
in generating interest in what we a satellite?” We explained that the radio
were doing, especially with younger advances in ham radio over the years. and the computer were connected
theatergoers. These advances were dramatically together, but every conversation was
Next we hung a large, professionally highlighted when we compared the conducted via radio. We explained how
made 6-foot blue-and-white banner over Heathkit “movie” radio with Icom’s latest each area of the world had a unique way
the entire display which read, “Amateur state-of-the-art rig—the ICOM IC-756 of issuing its Amateur Radio call signs.
Radio Communications” so there was no PRO, which was being used to make HF By entering the call sign of the station
doubt who we were. We then set up three contacts. we were talking to, the computer would
banquet tables that were covered and give us their call sign information and
skirted blue and white to match the Greeting the Throngs approximate location on a world map.
banner. On these tables, we set up radios, The display was designed to be very They were quite impressed, but even
computers, ARRL and club literature and interactive. Visitors could try their hand more so when they were told we had
a Heathkit SB-301 transceiver similar to at sending Morse code on the computer, spoken with Japan, Germany and other
the rig used in the movie. logging HF contacts made with the countries earlier that day (or when they
The display was very attractive and the computer-controlled 756 PRO, talking on witnessed these contacts first hand).
local Dayton Hamvention veterans HF, or tracking moving vehicles and We even contacted a few theaters
declared it to be “commercial quality.” weather conditions around the city with around the country where other Amateur
Even the theater management said that APRS. One of the biggest hits of the Radio operators there were doing much
this was the most attractive display they weekend with the younger crowd was like we were, setting up our stuff and
had ever had in their lobby. SSTV. This was done using a Kenwood showing Amateur Radio to the masses.
Information about ham radio adorned VC-H1 hooked up with a Kenwood D7A. Several theater patrons, from small
the booth walls behind a row of On the receive side of the SSTV kids up to adults, were able to get on the
computers sending Morse code, running radio and talk to other hams. Since the
APRS (Automatic Position Reporting One young lady of about Nebraska QSO party was running that
System) displays, slow scan television, weekend, we used the Ak-Sar-Ben ARC’s
and QSO logging and radio interface
13 years of age stopped call sign—K0USA—to give out some
software. Plenty of handouts were ready by and asked, “What’s all Nebraska contacts from the theater.
and the theater provided us with this?” When we explained Amateur Radio activities were chosen
Frequency movie T-shirts and hats to to her what it was, she for display according to their visual and
wear, and a stack of movie posters to give technical impact. HF communication
out along with our ham radio pamphlets. asked, “Can I talk on it?” with the new state-of-the-art computer-
In a prominent location in the display We made a quick contact controlled-radio was the showpiece, but
sat the Heathkit SB-301, which was often to another ham on the the APRS and SSTV displays drew a
recognized by the theater patrons as the local repeater and she great deal of interest as well. The
“radio from the movie,” and helped to Midlands ARES group serves the
attract even more visitors to our booth. had a wonderful time. National Weather Service during severe
Many visitors were truly surprised by the weather and is actively setting up ARPS
February 2001 37
 the display booth and asked many
questions. They were so happy with the
professionalism of the display and of the
hams who staffed it, they have invited us
back—with or without a movie promotion!
The successful display was a direct result
of the commitment of the membership of
the Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club to
community service and increased com-
munity awareness of ham radio.
The public display was a great boost
for the local ham community. Hams who
have not been active in club activities came
out to see the display and the movie. Many
took their turn at showing off the hobby.
Others drove in from nearby towns to see
what they had been hearing so much about.
Many commented that it was like a mini
Field Day—only much more comfortable!
The mix of male and female hams
staffing the display also encouraged both
men and women to stop by. Some of our
visitors were inactive hams who decided
to get back on the air after seeing the
Moviegoers pick up their popcorn, then check out our display. activity. Thanks to the variety of
informational displays, the mix of
equipment being used (Kenwood, ICOM,
weather stations around the area to assist MFJ, Kantronics, Comet, Diamond,
during SKYWARN operations. We were In order to take immediate Astron, etc), and the use of computers, it
able to demonstrate this use of APRS and was readily apparent that Amateur Radio
explain why ham radio operators are advantage of the interest is alive and thriving in our high-tech
often the spotters that the meteorologists we had generated, a world.
refer to when a weather warning is issued. Technician license class
Also, numerous mobile APRS stations Our Story Needs to be Told
was started in early May.
were active in the area and we were able This type of promotion was a great
to track them on the live display. Again, We are proud to say that catalyst, but we do not have to wait for
theater patrons were surprised to see that all the students enrolled the next “ham radio movie” to publicize
such a thing was possible. did so as a result of our hobby. Our experience from this event
is not that Amateur Radio is not interesting
A Long-Term Success seeing the display we had to people, or that it has a bad image,
The interactive display ran from at the theater. rather—in many cases—it has no image.
Friday afternoon until Sunday night at We need to get out among the people and
around 6 PM, exposing ham radio to 7500 Technician license class was started in tell our story. The public needs to know
theater patrons. While a core group early May. We are proud to say that all that we are here. They need to know that
staffed the display most of the time, the students enrolled did so as a result of we are a diverse group of people from all
nearly 30 other club members stopped by seeing the display we had at the theater. ages and backgrounds, and that we are
to help, and to demonstrate the equipment doing exciting things with state-of-the-art
and explain Amateur Radio to thea- Making Friends with the Theater communications technologies. They need
tergoers. No matter what time it was, The cooperation of theater manage- to know how we use our technical
someone was always available on the ment really helped us pull this off knowledge and communication skills to
repeater to give us a contact. flawlessly. We were denied nothing that serve them in times of need.
After Sunday, the radios and com- we asked for, including an early Saturday Yes, cellphones and the Internet have
puters were removed, but not the display morning set-up time to install the HF removed some of the uniqueness of
booth or the Amateur Radio literature. station before the theater opened to the personal communication from Amateur
Instead, the booth (with posters and public. We were a little concerned that the Radio. However, if we take the time to
handouts) was moved to another high- antenna, an MFJ loop on the roof, might shine it up a little and tell our story, ham
traffic area where it remained for the interfere with the Dolby sound systems, radio is just as interesting to the techno-
following week. Stocked with handouts but tests revealed that this was not the savvy kids of today as it was in the past.
on ham radio, the ARRL and the Ak-Sar- case. Not a peep was heard in any theater We just need to make sure we keep up
Ben Amateur Radio Club, the display throughout the event, and the theater’s with them.
continued to have an impact on thea- neon lights were also clean—no nasty We have a great story to tell—it just
tergoers. AARC club members visited the buzzing was heard on any frequency. needs to be told!
theater daily to make sure the handouts The theater security guards strolled by You can contact K0NSA at 15041 Binney
never ran out. to talk with us numerous times during the St, Omaha, NE; [email protected]. N0TRK
In order to take immediate advantage weekend. The theater promotions manager can be contacted at 1819 N. 110th St,
of the interest we had generated, a and the general manager both frequented Omaha, NE 68154; [email protected].
38 February 2001
 By Sam Ulbing, N4UAU

The World’s Smallest

Code-Practice Oscillator
Using state-of-the-art technology, you can easily build a
very small and flexible code-practice oscillator.

some, CW is a “dead” lan- build. 2 It only uses five parts and it’s

To guage. I think that’s unfor-

tunate, because I find CW to
be a lot of fun! Sure, CW isn’t the most
quite versatile.3
Circuit Description
efficient way to communicate, which is Refer to Figure 1. Except for the key,
why many commercial stations and the battery and speaker, all of the parts used
military no longer use it routinely. But in this project are SM devices. Two state-
how many sail-powered ocean freighters of-the-art components are employed. U1,
do you see? Yet people still sail for the an MIC1557, is a much-improved version
fun of it. And how many horse-drawn 18- of the popular and versatile LM555. Q1,
wheelers do you see on the interstate? an IRLML2402, is a powerful little
None. But does that stop people from MOSFET. Here’s how the circuit works:
spending lots of time and money to en- Pin 4 of U1 is its power-supply pin and
joy the pleasures of horseback riding? pin 3 is the shutdown pin, which is nor-
Not at all! For those of you who want to mally held at ground potential by R1.
experience the joy of CW, or want to up- When the key is pressed, the voltage at
grade from a codeless Tech license to a pin 3 rises to V cc, which takes U1 out of
more advanced ticket, I can assure you shutdown and causes it to oscillate at a
it’s easy to do with a little practice. frequency determined by the values of R2
and C1. With values of C1 = 0.1 µF and
Using Modern Technology R2 = 10 k Ω:
Many people use computer-generated f o = 1÷(1.45×R2×C1) = 689 Hz (Eq 1)
Morse code just to get through the test.
With a key, an oscillator, a battery and a The output at U1 pin 5 is a square
small speaker or headphones, you can wave varying from 0 V to Vcc at a fre-
practice the code with a friend instead of quency of about 700 Hz. U1 cannot Figure 1—Schematic of the state-of-the-
an emotionless computer. To me, the dif- handle much power, so its output is used art code-practice oscillator. All on-board
ference is like that between playing soli- to control the gate of an N-channel components are surface-mount devices
MOSFET, Q1, which acts as a simple (see text). Unless otherwise specified,
taire versus a two-handed card game. Let resistors are 5%-tolerance units. Part
me show you how to build a truly state- power amplifier controlling the current numbers in parentheses are Newark
of-the-art code-practice oscillator and through the speaker. When the potential (Newark Electronics, 4801 N
have some fun! at U1 pin 5 is 0 V, Q1 is off; when the Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 06040-
voltage at pin 5 is greater than 1.5 V, Q1 4496; tel 800-463-9275, 312-784-5100,
In years past, many code-practice os- fax 312-907-5217; www.newark.com)
cillators were published in Amateur Ra- is on. This action pulses current through and Digi-Key (Digi-Key Corp, 701 Brooks
dio literature. I thought it would be fun the speaker at a 700-Hz rate and you hear Ave S, Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677;
to apply state-of-the-art technology to the tone. Pretty simple, isn’t it? tel 800-344-4539, 218-681-6674,
Despite the circuit’s simplicity, it of- fax 218-681-3380; www.digikey.com.)
this venerable project. Since 1996 when Equivalent parts can be substituted.
I first built a project using modern tech- fers advantages over similar circuits built
BT13 to 12 V; see text.
nology (ie, surface-mount [SM] de- with older-technology components. Its C10.1 µF ceramic, 0805 X7R (Digi-Key
vices),1 I’ve been so intrigued with its first advantage is obvious: its small size PCF1126CT)
possibilities for Amateur Radio use that (see Figure 2). The wires seem large be- Q1IRLM2402 FET (Newark 8F1207)
cause the board is so smallless than LS18-Ω speaker of suitable power
I now work almost exclusively with rating; see text.
SM parts. This project isn’t difficult to one-half inch square! As small as it is, R11 MΩ, 0805 (Digi-Key P1.0MACT)
the oscillator can blow your socks off if R210 kΩ, 1206 (Digi-Key # P10KECT)
1Notes appear on page 41. you use a suitable power supply and U1MIC1557BM5 (Newark 483F5883)
February 2001 39
speaker, which makes it great for use in a
code class.
Secondly, the circuit works over a wide
voltage and power range with no modifi-
cations. Figure 3 shows a test setup I built
using a common 5-W speaker and four AA
NiCd batteries. You might have to look
twice to see the oscillator circuit because
it’s so small, yet this setup produces a loud
tone. There are two reasons the tone is so
loud. First, the MOSFET switch has an
on resistance of only 0.25 Ω. This is less
Figure 2The entire project fits on a
than the resistance of 10 feet of #24 hook- board measuring less than one-half inch
up wire! So there’s little power lost in the (1×1 cm) square.
switch. Compare that to the commonly
available IRF510, an old-technology
MOSFET that’s physically much larger lots of power. Large sounds need large-
(see Figure 4) and has an on resistance of capacity batteries with low internal re-
about 1.5 Ω in a 5-V circuit. With an 8-Ω sistances.
speaker, a 1.5-Ω switch greatly reduces This versatile circuit also runs with-
the current flow through the speaker. For out modification from a 12-V supply.4 So,
the values shown, the little switch allows if you need more volume (to fill an
a 33% greater power output than the larger auditorium full of CW aficionados) you
switch. This tiny MOSFET can handle can use a 12-V supply to get an output of
continuous currents of over 1 A and pulsed 18 W. That’s pushing Q1 close to its limit.
currents up to 7.4 A. Take a look at its You’ll also need a speaker capable of
size again and tell me electronic technol- handling that desired power output.
Figure 4The little SM MOSFET does a
ogy hasn’t advanced! On the other hand, if you want to prac- better job than its larger, old-technology
The NiCds I used are the other reason tice your sending without disturbing oth- counterpart.
for the loud sound. With a 5-V supply and ers, you can use headphones. The circuit
an 8-Ω speaker, when the key is pressed, can be powered by a coin-size lithium
the current flow can be as high as 0.6 A. 3-V cell (such as a CR2032) providing There is yet another advantage of the
With that amount of current, the power you add a current-limiting resistor of new technology used in this project. No-
output (0.6 A × 5 V) is 3 W, lots of about 1 kΩ in series with the headphones. tice that the circuit has no power switch.
volumeif the batteries can supply the The resistor is required to offset the high When you are done using the code prac-
required peak current. Small batteries internal resistance of the battery. With- tice oscillator, you can just walk away
have fairly high internal resistances and out the resistor, the circuit will try to draw from it. That’s because when pin 3 is low
suffer large voltage drops at high about 100 mA causing the battery output and U1 is shut down, the circuit draws
peak-current demands. AA-size NiCds voltage to drop excessively. With the re- less than 1 µA. That makes the circuit
work well because of their very low in- sistor in line, the current demand is small very power efficient as well because in
ternal resistance, Alkaline batteries, with and the sound is still ample for head- between the dots and dashes the circuit
a somewhat greater internal resistance, phone practice. Figure 5 shows this con- is shut downit draws current only when
should still work satisfactorily, but the figuration. The entire circuit and its bat- you close the key. Built-in shutdown
button-size lithium batteries won’t deliver tery easily fit on the key base. circuitry is becoming quite common in

Figure 5Using
Figure 3A 5-V setup using four AA NiCd headphones and a
batteries and a 5-W speaker. lithium cell. There is a 1-kΩ resistor in series with the headphones.
40 February 2001
 inch cutting wheel. I made the cuts first smaller oscillator could be made with a piezo
buzzer with built-in driver and small battery.
on a large piece of board, then cut out Although it’s true that it would be smaller, I
the 1 × 1 cm finished circuit. I used wouldn’t consider it viable for code practice
jumper wires to make a common ground for two reasons. The resulting tone fre-
quency is usually about 2 kHz. Although
on the back side of the board. Use as low that’s a good frequency for alarm systems,
a soldering-iron temperature as possible it’s an annoying frequency for code practice
and small-diameter solder to avoid over- and it’s not anything like the note you’d hear
heating parts.6 An illuminated magnifier on the air, so I feel that would hamper learn-
ing to copy code. Also, the piezo buzzer has
is a big help. Use double-stick tape to a very low volume output and is limited in its
secure the board to the workbench, oth- applications.
4
erwise it is apt to slide around as you try In fact, the absolute maximum power-supply
to solder the parts to it. If you want to voltage is 20 V.
5
All parts and a PC board are available from
make the project a bit smaller, you could the author for $6 including postage in the US
mount the MOSFET on the reverse side. and Canada; add 50 cents for shipment to
other locations. Florida residents please add
Figure 6—I made the pad-isolating cuts in Summary sales tax. Payment should be made by a US
this small PC board with my Dremel or international money order, or a check
hobby tool. Give this project a try! You’ll experi- payable by a US bank. Credit cards are not
ence some of the advantages of using accepted. Send your order to Sam Ulbing,
state-of-the-art electronics parts and learn 5200 NW 43rd St, Suite 102-177,
Gainesville, FL 32606.
how much fun CW can be! 6
When I was tinning the first board, one of the
SM ICs because of the explosion of por- copper pads detached from the board. Al-
table devices that all need to conserve Notes though this could have been a foil-adhesive
1
power. Sam Ulbing, N4UAU, “SMALLA Surface- defect, I suspect the lifting occurred because
Mount Amplifier that’s Little and LOUD!,” I was using too high an iron temperature
QST Jun 1996, pp 41-42. (700° F). On the next board, I set the iron
Building the Project 2
Although, if you have never built using SM temperature to slightly under 600° F, had no
There are no new construction skills parts, you might want to try a project with pad-detachment problem and the solder
larger parts before you build this one. (See melted just as quickly.
needed from those I described in my ear- Note 1.) My four-part article series “Surface
lier SM articles (see Notes 1 and 2). In Mount TechnologyYou Can Work with
fact, I made the prototype board and sol- It!” Part 1, QST Apr 1999, pp 33-39; Part 2, You can contact the author at 5200 NW
dered the parts to it in a little over an QST, May 1999, pp 48-50; Part 3, QST Jun 43rd St, Suite 102-177, Gainesville, FL
1999, pp 34-36, and Part 4, QST , Jul 1999, 32606; [email protected]; http://n4autoo.
hour.5 I formed islands on the top side of pp 38-41, explains how I work with SM and
a double-sided board (see Figure 6) us- provides several graduated projects to build.
home.sprynet.com
ing my Dremel tool method and a 0.005- 3
Some of you may point out that an even All photos by the author.

For additional information visit your fa- Americana Pkwy, Reynoldsburg, OH

NEW PRODUCTS vorite Amateur Radio products dealer or 43068; tel 800-431-3939; fax 614-866-
contact NCG Companies, 1275 North 4267; [email protected];
DAIWA SWR/POWER METER Grove St, Anaheim, CA 92806; tel 800- www.universal-radio.com.
FROM NCG 962-2611/714-630-4541; fax 714- 630-
◊ NCG Company has added the Daiwa 7024; [email protected]; ANTENNAS FROM THE GROUND UP,
CN-801H to its product line. www.cometantenna.com. VOLUME 1
The new SWR/power meter is de- ◊ MFJ Enterprises now offers Antennas
signed for measurements between 1.8 and
GRUNDIG SATELLIT RADIO GUIDE from the Ground Up, Volume 1. Written
200 MHz and offers three full-scale ◊ Universal Radio Inc is now offering by antenna enthusiast L. B. Cebik,
power ranges: 20, 200 and 2000 W. Type Grundig Satellit—All Models in Word and W4RNL, this book presents a practical,
SO-239 connectors are used. Picture by Thomas Baier. non-mathematical treatment of antenna
The large, illuminated meter face is The 126-page book provides facts and topics intended for technicians, Amateur
approximately 33/4 × 31/2-inches. Cross specifications on the entire line of Grundig Radio operators and students.
needle metering provides simultaneous Satellit receivers manufactured between The subjects covered were chosen spe-
indication of forward power, reflected 1964 and 2000. These include the Satellit cifically to assist those who are struggling
power and SWR—no forward/reverse 205, 208, 210, 1000, 2000, 2100, 3000, to set up or make improvements to their
switching or calibration is required. 3400, 1400, 2400, 4000, 600, 650, 300, 400, antenna systems within the limitations of
The suggested list price is $159.95. 500, 700, 900 and 800 models. available space and budget. Guidelines
The 5 3/4 × 8-inch publication features are provided to help the reader develop
120 black and white photographs show- reasonable expectations for the perfor-
ing the exteriors and mance characteristics of the various an-
interiors, accessories, tenna types described.
manuals and even the Price: MFJ-3306, $19.95 plus ship-
boxes. ping and handling. For more information,
Price: $19.95 (or- visit your favorite Amateur Radio prod-
der No. 2416). For ucts dealer or contact MFJ Enterprises,
additional informa- PO Box 494, Mississippi State, MS
tion or to place an or- 39762; tel 800-647-1800, fax 601-323-
der contact Universal 6551, www.mfjenterprises.com/.
Radio Inc, 6830 Next New Products
February 2001 41
 By Larry Scheff, W4QEJ

How to Maximize Your

Receiver’s Effective
SelectivityPart 1
Are you blaming other hams for interference that could be eliminated if
you really knew how to operate your receiver? Is band noise irritating?
Effective use of your receiver’s selectivity features can reduce or elimi-
nate much of the interference and noise that’s been spoiling your fun.

bands than they do on the higher bands. at –6 dB and 3.6 kHz at –60 dB. 4 These

To
get the best performance from
your receiver on the busy and Additionally, the atmospheric noise level numbers define five points that can be
often noisy MF and HF bands, on the MF and lower HF bands is gener- plotted two different ways to illustrate
you need to know a few things that your ally high and might even be considered the receiver’s selectivity characteristics.
receiver’s operating manual may not negligible on the upper HF bands. Be- Often, this information is plotted as a fil-
cover in detail. With the aid of several cause you can’t hear signals that are ter-response curve, as shown in Figure 1A.
graphs, I hope to provide you with that below the noise level at the receiver’s in- Point A on the curve is not normally listed
information. For additional insight, I rec- put, it simply makes no sense to allow in selectivity statements, but it’s safe to
ommend you read two excellent, previ- your receiver’s front-end stages to am- assume that the zero-attenuation point of
ously published QST articles that discuss plify anything below that level. Often, you a filter lies at the center of its response
receiver performance: one written by can use your receiver’s attenuation and RF curve. Points B and C define the width of
George Collins, KC1V, and the other by gain controls to reduce the noise level the response curve at a level 6 dB below
David Newkirk, WJ1Z.1, 2 reaching the IF filters to a level so low the 0-dB attenuation point. Points D and
that the noise will not pass through the E define the filter response curve width at
Some Fundamentals filters at all, while the signal you want 60 dB below the 0-dB attenuation point
The way a receiver’s front-end stages goes straight through to the detector. Un- on the curve. Lines drawn between points
operate significantly affects the IF-stage der these conditions, the receiver’s filters A through E approximate the filter re-
filters’ ability to reject interfering noise also do a better job of removing adjacent- sponse curve. The shape of the curve be-
and signals. The first step toward better frequency interference. I’ll illustrate this yond the 60-dB attenuation points is not
reception is understanding that undesired process by using graphs that show the re- defined by the usual –6dB/−60dB selec-
signals and noise must be attenuated as lationships between signal and noise am- tivity statement and cannot be accurately
much as possible before they reach the plitudes appearing at the IF-filter input plotted from that information. It’s realis-
receiver’s detector stage. These reduc- and what the filters pass and reject. tic to assume, however, that the selectiv-
tions should be accomplished without sac- ity curve becomes fairly horizontal at each
rificing desired-signal readability. To do Filter Specifications and side of the bottom of the response curve,
this intelligently, you need to understand Representative Response Curves perhaps somewhere between –70 dB and
your receiver’s selectivity characteristics. Let’s analyze the IF-passband selec- –80 dB. Even so, a very strong adjacent
You’ll find that if the interfering signals tivity figures included in the specifica- signal might bypass the filter (a phenom-
are weak compared to the desired signal, tions for the receiver section of a pair of enon known as “filter blow-by”) if that 70
you might even eliminate interference transceivers. I’ll discuss the variable to 80-dB attenuation level isn’t sufficient
from signals that are on the same fre- bandwidth tuning (VBT) feature of the to eliminate it.
quency as the desired signal! Kenwood TS-940S and the passband tun- This filter-response curve can be used
Remember this simple fact: Filters ing (IF Shift) of the Kenwood TS-440S to analyze the combined bandwidth of
work best if the signals applied to them as used during SSB reception. two filters used in the TS-940S receiver
are weak. Some receivers typically ex- For the first example, VBT, I’ll use the IF stages. The first filter operates at an
hibit higher gain on the MF and lower HF specifications given for the Kenwood TS- 8.83-MHz IF; the second filter operates
940S HF transceiver. 3 The radio’s SSB at a 455-kHz IF. These two filters are cas-
1
Notes appear on page 48. receiving selectivity is listed as 2.4 kHz caded, working together to form the
42 February 2001
Figure 1—At A, the response curve of a
TS-940S SSB filter plotted from the
manufacturer’s selectivity specifications.
At B, the overlaid response curves of two
TS-940S cascaded filters. At C, the
passband of filter 1 is shifted up 700 Hz
from the filter center frequency; the
passband of filter 2 is shifted down
1500 Hz to achieve the minimum effective
bandwidth of the filter combination.
These graphs are based on the following
specifications: receiver selectivity set for
SSB with a passband 2.4 kHz wide at
–6 dB and 3.6 kHz at –60 dB. The SSB
SLOPE TUNE controls are set for a high
cut of 1500 Hz or more and a low cut of
700 Hz or more.

equivalent of one filter with the charac-

teristics similar to that of the hypotheti-
cal filters shown in Figure 1B. In the
TS-940S, these cascaded filters produce
a form of VBT referred to as SSB slope
tuning. In SSB slope tuning, one filter
passband can be shifted up in frequency
and the other filter passband can be shifted
down in frequency, effectively narrowing
the bandwidth of the combined filters.
This operation is illustrated in Figure 1C.
As mentioned earlier, if we’re trying
to remove interfering signals at our
receiver’s IF stages, it makes sense to
amplify the interfering signals and noise
as little as possible before they reach the
IF amplifiers. It is also advantageous to
attenuate interfering signals and noise as
much as possible before they reach the
receiver’s RF amplifier. Signal strength
and amplification are commonly plotted
with zero signal strength at the graph bot-
tom, with signal strength increasing ver-
tically. In this presentation, I’ve inverted
the filter-response curve so that the effects
of attenuation, signal strength and ampli-
fication are plotted on the same graph,
with the zero-attenuation point of each
curve at the graph bottom. By inverting a
filter-response curve, we produce a filter
selectivity curve or an attenuation curve.
I’ll use the attenuation-curve format
for the graphs shown here because it is
easier and more obviously meaningful to
plot signal shapes and signal magnitudes
against filter characteristics. In Figure
2A, I’ve inverted Figure 1A to produce
an attenuation curve. In this figure, the
transceiver’s SSB SLOPE TUNE controls
(HIGH CUT and LOW CUT) are set at mini-
mum. The shaded areas emphasize what
the filters reject.
Figure 2B shows both of the receiver’s
SSB SLOPE TUNE controls set at maxi-
mum. In this graph, you can see that these
maximum SSB SLOPE TUNE control set-
tings produce an extremely narrow pass-
band that would be pretty good for CW,
February 2001 43
Figure 2—SSB selectivity curves for a Kenwood TS-940S transceiver with variable bandwidth tuning. The curve at A is the result of
setting the SSB SLOPE HIGH and LOW controls at minimum. At B, the resultant curve with the SLOPE HIGH and LOW CUT controls
set at maximum: 1500 and 700 Hz, respectively.

but is much too narrow for SSB because For the second example, IF Shift (pass- the carrier (Figure 4A). An SSB signal
too much audio is eliminated from the de- band tuning) SSB filters, I’ve used the (as shown in Figure 4B) has but one side-
sired signal. I’ve added the BFO frequency specifications for the Kenwood TS-440S band and the carrier is suppressed. These
to Figure 2B to show the relationships be- HF transceiver (see Figure 3A). Here, the examples assume that the signal is modu-
tween the SSB SLOPE TUNE HIGH CUT and receiver’s SSB selectivity is listed as lated by a voice having more low frequen-
LOW CUT settings and the BFO frequency. 2.2 kHz at –6 dB and 4.4 kHz at –60 dB. cies than high. In these cases, most of the
When the TS-940S is in SSB mode, the Using these numbers, I created a graph audio-derived energy of the signal is con-
BFO frequency is fixed. During SSB re- similar to that of Figure 2A. Note that this centrated near the carrier. With a voice
ception, the BFO signal replaces the sup- filter passband is narrower at the bottom having greater high-frequency content,
pressed carrier of the transmitted signal, of the curve and wider at the top than that more audio energy is farther away from
being injected at the product detector af- of the TS-940S. The TS-440S filtering the carrier. Why is this important when
ter the IF filter. We want the IF filter to system is different from the VBT scheme considering receiver SSB selectivity?
pass the desired sideband signal and re- used in the TS-940S. With the TS-440S, Because the optimum settings of the SSB
ject everything else, including any small you cannot change the passband shape, but SLOPE TUNE controls (for VBT) or the
part of the suppressed carrier it might re- you can shift the passband up or down in IF SHIFT control (for passband tuning)
ceive. The bandwidth of the IF filter is frequency as shown in Figures 3B and 3C. will be somewhat different when listen-
2.4 kHz at the −6 dB points and the re- Shifting the passband up or down in ing to a high-pitched voice. In Figures 4A
ceived sideband signal should be approxi- frequency does not change the frequency and 4B, the signal intensities are plotted
mately centered within the IF-filter pass- relationship between the BFO and the vertically, so that stronger increments
band. Therefore, the BFO frequency must desired signal, so the desired signal stretch higher on the graph than weaker
be offset 1.5 kHz (half the 2.4-kHz pass- sounds normal. increments do. The shape of an SSB sig-
band) from the IF-filter passband to pro- nal with a high-pitched-voice might in-
duce the correct audio frequencies at the Examining Filter Performance teract somewhat differently with the se-
product detector. An SSB signal is con- Now we’ll start adding representative lectivity curves.
siderably wider than a CW signal. There- signals and noise levels to the receiver Being more concerned about effective
fore, when using the same IF filter in the filter curves to visualize how the IF fil- communications quality audio than high
CW mode, the BFO frequency is offset ters perform under different circum- fidelity allows us to make a significant
about 800 Hz from the IF-filter passband stances. The voice information in an AM reduction in audio bandwidth without
to produce an 800-Hz tone with the CW signal is contained in two sidebands, one sacrificing readability. We can use our
PITCH control set at its center position. above carrier and a mirror image below receiver’s selectivity controls to elimi-
44 February 2001
Figure 3—SSB selectivity curves of a Kenwood
TS-440S transceiver with passband tuning (IF
SHIFT). At A, the selectivity curve with the IF
Shift set at zero. Graph B shows the selectivity
curve with the IF SHIFT set at −900 Hz. At C,
the IF Shift is set at +900 Hz.

Figure 4At A, a double-sideband AM signal.

An SSB signal is shown at B. At C, a
representation of noise at and around a given
operating frequency. An abbreviated
graphical representation of broadband noise
is shown at D.
February 2001 45
Figure 5Situation 1, using a TS-940S with SSB SLOPE TUNE control. There are two interfering LSB signals, one 2 kHz above and
one 2 kHz below the desired signal. The signal strengths of the desired and interfering signals are equal, both peaking 25 dB above
the noise. The received noise in this and subsequent graphs is represented by the heavy horizontal line at the zero-signal levels of
the other signals. At A, the receiver’s input attenuator and RF gain controls have not yet been adjusted to eliminate the interfering
signals. The LOW CUT is set at maximum (700 Hz); the HIGH CUT is set at 60% (900 Hz). Under these conditions, the interference
from the signal down the band is eliminated, but within the passband there is some interference from the signal up the band and
the noise level is high. At B, the receiver’s attenuator and RF gain controls have been adjusted to maximize rejection of the
interfering signals and noise. The LOW CUT is set at zero; the HIGH CUT is set at 21% (314 Hz).

nate some of the unneeded audio highs higher-intensity spikes, the former can peaks at a level 25 dB above the noise.
and lows of the desired signal and thereby largely be ignored, allowing use of an There are two equally strong LSB signals,
reduce or eliminate interference. abbreviated graphical representation of one 2 kHz above and one 2 kHz below
broadband noise (Figure 4D) in Figures the desired signal.
Noise 5, 6, and 7. I use this abbreviated repre- In this graphand in all the follow-
Much noise is broadband noise. The sentation to avoid cluttering the graphs ing graphs that relate to the use of VBT
amount of noise your receiver responds below the applicable upper levels of filtersthe overall unadjusted bandwidth
to is proportional to the bandwidth used: noise. of the filters is shown. This clearly shows
Halving your receiver’s bandwidth should the effects of changing the settings of the
result in halving the received noise power Getting the Most from VBT Filters in SSB SLOPE TUNE controls. The right -
and so on. Static field strength appears, IF Stages hand side of the unadjusted selectivity
on average, to be approximately inversely Now that the groundwork is laid, let’s curve relates to the minimum setting of
proportional to frequency. The higher the examine how we can reduce or eliminate the SSB SLOPE LOW CUT control; the
frequency, the less static you have to con- interference and noise under different left-hand side of the unadjusted selectiv-
tend with. On the MF and lower HF representative situations we might en- ity curve relates to the minimum setting
bands, noise is generally less severe dur- counter on the bands. of the SSB SLOPE HIGH CUT control.
ing daylight hours than at nighttime be- Our first situation using a TS-940S Where the LOW CUT and/or HIGH CUT
cause of varying band conditions, unless (labeled Situation 1) involves two adja- controls are used to decrease the effec-
you have nearby thunderstorms. cent interfering signals and is illustrated tive bandwidth of the filters, curves rep-
Refer to Figure 4C, a graphical repre- in Figures 5 and 7. In Figure 5A, we as- resenting the upper and lower sides of the
sentation of noise at and around a given sume that with TS-940’s RF ATTenuator adjusted bandwidth are shown. The
operating frequency. This graph can rep- set to 0 dB and its RF gain control set at shaded area (representing what the filters
resent a broad bandwidth or mixture of maximum, the noise level appears at reject) ends at the adjusted lower and up-
individual random high, medium and +40 dB in the IF passband filters. (This per sides of the effective-selectivity
low-intensity noise spikes. Because most is not an unreasonable assumption for curve. This makes the effects of the LOW
of the lower- and medium-level spikes nighttime reception on 75 meters.) We are CUT and HIGH CUT control settings very
in this mix are overwhelmed by the trying to receive an LSB signal, which obvious.
46 February 2001
Figure 6Situation 2, using a TS-940S with SSB SLOPE TUNE control. Both graphs show two interfering signals, one 2 kHz above
and one 2 kHz below the desired signal. The desired signal peaks 25 dB above the noise (represented by the heavy horizontal bar).
Both interfering signals are 25 dB stronger than the desired signal. At A, the input attenuator and RF gain controls are wide open.
The LOW CUT is set at maximum (700 Hz) and the HIGH CUT is set at 71% (1072 Hz). In this case, peaks of the high-intensity
interfering signals pass right by (“blow by”) the IF filters. The lower-level portions of the up-band signal are within the passband and
the noise level is high. At B, by proper adjustment of the input attenuator and RF gain controls, the interfering signals and the noise
have been eliminatedpushed right out of the passband. Here, the LOW CUT is set at zero; the HIGH CUT is set at 42% (623 Hz).

As you can see in Figure 5A, with the ter frequency (and closer to the carrier fre- Now look at Figure 5B. You can slide
ATTenuator control set to 0 dB, the RF quency) by as much as 1500 Hz. the signals and noise down the selectivity
gain control at maximum and the SSB Figure 5A shows that we can use the trough by adjusting the ATT enuator con-
SLOPE HIGH CUT and LOW CUT controls HIGH CUT and LOW CUT controls to elimi- trol to maximum (30 dB) and reducing the
set at minimum, we have severe interfer- nate interference from the signal 2 kHz RF gain. You can now set the LOW CUT
ence from both adjacent-frequency sig- lower in frequency, but we can’t elimi- and HIGH CUT controls as shown in this
nals and the noise is objectionable. nate all the interference from the signal graph. This eliminates the noise and the
Before we use the two SSB SLOPE higher in frequency. interference from both interfering signals.
TUNE controls, let’s examine their In Figure 5A, the noise is at about the Yes, we have reduced the received-audio
operation. The LOW CUT and HIGH CUT 40-dB level on the selectivity curve. The bandwidth of the desired signal to about
controls are used to narrow the filter filter bandwidth at the 40-dB point of 1700 Hz, but now you can copy with no
passband by moving the sides of the se- the curve is about 3.16 kHz wide with interference and the received audio is still
lectivity curve toward the filter center fre- the HIGH CUT and LOW CUT controls set of acceptable communications quality.
quency. How do you know which control to zero. With the HIGH CUT and LOW CUT Any noise you might now hear is caused
to use and what to expect? It’s simple: If controls adjusted as shown in Figure 5A, by noise generated within the receiver and
the interference is low-pitched, use the the resulting bandwidth at the 40-dB is much less objectionable than the static
LOW CUT control to move the side of the level on the curve is about 1.52 kHz. crashes and other racket that is arriving at
curve nearest the BFO frequency closer to Therefore, the HIGH CUT and LOW CUT the receiver’s antenna jack. In many cases,
the passband center frequency (and away controls have reduced the effective band- all you now hear is the signal you want to
from the carrier frequency) by as much as width to about 48% of the original. Be- hear. Yes, you may have to turn up the au-
700 Hz. This reduces or eliminates the cause the noise is broad-spectrum noise, dio gain and the S meter doesn’t work, but
low-pitched interference and also cuts this bandwidth reduction should result in so what? You got rid of the interference!
some of the lows from the audio of the cutting about 3 dB of the noise that passes With these things in mind, isn’t it kind of
desired signal. If the interference you hear through the filters. If the signal you’re dumb to let the receiver run wide open
is high-pitched, use the HIGH CUT control trying to copy is down in the noise, this with no signal attenuation and the RF gain
to move the side of the curve farthest from action may make the signal somewhat control set at maximum?
BFO frequency closer to the passband cen- more readable. The second situation using a TS-940S
February 2001 47
 somewhat weaker than the desired signal.
This is illustrated in Figure 7.
Referring to Figures 5B and 6B, you’ll
see that in both cases we have eliminated
the noise by using the ATTenuator and the
RF gain controls to slide the noise below
the flat bottom of the selectivity curve.
As shown in Figure 7, the same approach
can often be used to eliminate interfer-
ence from signals that are weaker than
the desired signal and on, or very near,
the same frequency as the desired signal.
This is done by simply using the
ATT enuator and the RF gain control to
move the interfering signals below the
flat bottom of the selectivity curve as
shown in Figure 7. Of course, the audio
of the on-frequency interfering signal
would sound perfectly normal because
the interfering signal is on the same fre-
quency. All components of the off-
frequency interfering signal, being 1 kHz
below the desired signal, would beat with
the BFO and sound 1000 Hz higher than
normal; this signal would be unintelli-
gible and annoying.
Part 2 of this series will discuss pass-
band tuning as used in the Kenwood
TS-440S.
Figure 7Situation 3, using a TS-940S with SSB SLOPE TUNE control. The desired
signal peaks 25 dB above the noise level. There are two interfering signals, one on the
Notes
same frequency as the desired signal, the other 1 kHz below the desired signal. Both 1
interfering signals are 12.5 dB above the noise. Again, the input ATTenuator and RF George Collins, KC1V, “Receiver Features
gain controls have been adjusted to eliminate the interfering signals and the noise. that Help You Beat Interference,” QST , Feb
The LOW and HIGH CUT controls are set to zero. 1983, pp 43-47.
2
David Newkirk, WJ1Z, “Transceiver Features
that Help You Beat Interference,” QST , Mar
1991, pp 16-21.
3
Bruce O. Williams, WA6IVC, “Trio-Kenwood
(labeled Situation 2 in the graphs) in- that they blow right by the IF filters and Communications TS-940S HF Transceiver,”
volves two extremely strong adjacent reach the product detector. We still have Product Review, QST , Feb 1986, pp 47-49.
4
The numerical result obtained by dividing the
interfering signals; this is illustrated in very strong interference from both inter- −60 dB bandwidth by the −6 dB bandwidth is
Figures 6A and 6B. fering signals as well as objectionable known as the filter’s shape factor ; the
Let’s examine what happens when the noise. smaller the number, the better the shape
factor. In this case, the TS-940S filter’s
signal we want is sandwiched between Refer to Figure 6B. Here, the re- shape factor is 1.5. Ed.
two LSB signals, both 25 dB stronger ceiver’s ATTenuator is set at maximum
than our desired signal, one 2 kHz up the (30 dB) and the RF gain control setting Larry Scheff, W4QEJ, has held that call sign
band and one 2 kHz down the band. See is reduced. This slides the three signals continuously since being licensed in 1950,
Figure 6A. Here we again assume that and the noise level down the selectivity except for a brief stint between 1963 and 1966
the receiver’s ATTenuation control is set curve to a point at which the noise and when a move to Massachusetts included a
to 0 dB, the RF gain control is set at high both interfering signals can be eliminated call-sign change to W1ASW. At age 17, while
and the noise level appears at the 40-dB completely. The LOW CUT control can be in high school, he built a 10-meter NBFM rig.
level of the filters. The situation is simi- set at zero and still eliminate the signal Since then, he has built ham gear rather than
lar to that we saw in Figure 5A, only up the band, but it’s necessary to use the purchasing commercially manufactured
much worse. Even setting the LOW CUT HIGH CUT control to eliminate signal equipment. A registered professional engineer
control at maximum will not eliminate down the band. Compare this graph with in five states, Larry has held several electri-
cal engineering positions having worked for
part of the interfering signal up the band Figure 5B. You will see that interference-
General Electric, Reliance Electric, Harris
that falls near our BFO frequency. Set- and noise-free reception of a desired sig- Corporation and others. Larry has practiced
ting the HIGH CUT control as shown in nal in the presence of two very strong as an independent consulting engineer since
this graph eliminates an insignificant interfering signals can be comparable to 1984. He also has performed forensic engi-
portion of the interference from the sig- receiving the same signal in the presence neering for law firms and insurance compa-
nal down the band. However, the inter- of two interfering signals having the same nies in more than 120 cases. At age 68, Larry
ference that might be eliminated by nar- strength as the desired signal. refuses to retire. To him, engineering is like
rowing the passband of the filters is The third situation using a TS-940S Amateur Radioit’s too much fun to quit. You
insignificant compared to those parts of (Situation 3) involves interfering signals can contact Larry at 679 Creek View Dr,
both interfering signals that are so strong on or very close to the desired signal, but Lawrenceville, GA 30044-3770.

48 February 2001
 By Barry A. Goldblatt, WA5KXX

Radio Camp 2000—Texas Style

Vision, hard work, and a lot of enthusiasm from an engaging group of middle
school students added 35 new licensees to the north Texas Amateur Radio
population during the summer of 2000. Take a look at what teachers, a local
radio club, area corporations and community volunteers in Texas did to
increase awareness and involvement in Amateur Radio…

Building Enrollment

It
could very well be the “dream from Plano, Frisco, McKinney,
team” of Amateur Radio: middle Richardson and Dallas. Of those students, for Tech Camp 2000
school teachers looking for new only two had passed the Technician exam During the spring of 2000, Fant and
ways to engage students, college instruc- before entering camp. The second session Mobley pitched their unique student club
tors, corporations, local radio club mem- had an enrollment of 35 students. Like concept to Haggard Middle School in
bers and a philanthropic angel. Bring them any success story, this one has a lot of Plano, Texas. Two teachers at the school,
together with a common goal and the re- players, so let’s get acquainted with the Brenda Hare and Debbie Pybus, liked the
sults can be simply astounding. If you (or Tech Camp concept and how it all began. concept and agreed to charter the first
your club) are thinking about implement- Sigma Gamma Epsilon or “Student
ing large-scale Amateur Radio education Laying the Groundwork Gaming Enthusiasts” chapter. Neither
programs in your community’s middle Tech Camp 2000 is the result of a year- teacher had any Amateur Radio exper-
schools, take a look at what happened dur- long effort by Jeff Fant, N5OLF, and Tom ience, but both agreed to earn a Tech-
ing the summer of 2000 in Texas. Mobley, KD5AC. Both are on the faculty nician license during the spring semester.
The program, now known as “Tech of Collin County Community College, or Hare, now KD5JPE, and Pybus, now
Camp 2000,” enrolled more than 70 “QuadC,” as it’s known in the KD5JPF, passed the Technician exam
middle school students in two robust, communities it serves. Fant and Mobley during the April 2000 license stampede.
three-week learning experiences that developed a course outline for a camp In the meantime, the One-Alpha Chapter
featured RF technology and lots of fun. centered around RF technology and of SGE held weekly meetings and began
By the time the second session ended on submitted a grant proposal to the National the Amateur Radio learning experience.
July 28, the “global electronic village” we Science Foundation. Along the way they Fant and Mobley visited Haggard Middle
all know as Amateur Radio increased by managed to secure funding and mentoring School frequently to familiarize students
35 new licenses and upgrades! support from Nortel Networks and with ham radio techniques, equipment
The first session included 30 students Southwestern Bell. and terminology.

WA5KXX
WA5KXX

Kyle McNeil, KD5KVJ, prepares his three-element hand-held Presenting the first new licensees from Tech Camp 2000! Tom
Yagi antenna and Kenwood H-T for a Tech Camp 2000 foxhunt. Mobley, KD5AC, and Jeff Fant, N5OLF, are at the far left and
right in the back row.

February 2001 49
Nurturing New Licensees Morse code practice and outdoor
At that point, the Plano Amateur Radio foxhunts using orienteering skills and a
Klub (PARK) got involved. PARK has an directional, three-element Yagi antenna
active, community-oriented membership. that each student builds during camp. The
The club operates VHF and UHF camp wasn’t all fluff and RF. These kids
repeaters that provide support for ARES spent time learning, of all things, Math.
and public-service agencies throughout Tom Mobley loves to tell parents that “the
Collin County. PARK President Bill students are learning trigonometry and
Drake, KJ5ZV, recognized the potential they don’t even know it.”
benefits of the SGE and Tech Camp A Special Treat:
concept and began developing support ATV from HamCom 2000
within the club.
One of the club members accepted A friend once told me that he’d rather
responsibility for Technician classes and be lucky than good. In this case, Tech
began the weekly sessions in April 2000. Camp 2000 was very lucky, indeed. The
Eight students (six boys and two girls) first session of camp coincided with three
major ham events: HamCom 2000 (held

WA5KXX
met every Monday night over the next
eight weeks to cover the material needed at the convention center in Arlington,
to master the Technician license exam. Texas), ARRL Kids Day and Field Day
During the HamCom 2000 convention,
The results were better than anyone ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, 2000. The possibilities were enormous
expected: One student passed the answers a Tech Camp student’s question for learning and for some well-deserved
about ARRL publications. publicity for the camp and its students.
Technician exam in May and three others
followed in June. Two of the students One of the PARK members approached
from that group later upgraded their Fant and Mobley about the possibility of
privileges by passing the Morse code test two-way communications with Tech
at the end of the first Tech Camp 2000 Camp 2000 students from the ATV booth
session. at the upcoming HamCom 2000 event.
Fant and Mobley went into high gear
Community Support and secured permission from the
community college district for roof

SANDRA REYES, COLLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

Haggard Middle School is fortunate to
access. Then they secured the necessary
have a supportive principal, Roxanne
equipment from Lee Rhoden, AB5IG.
Burleson, and a community of parents
With help from a PARK member they
interested in technology. Haggard was
managed to get the receiving antenna,
recently recognized as a US Department
down-converter and 2-meter antenna
of Education “Blue Ribbon School.” The
mounted on the top of the two-story
school and the Parent Teacher Student
classroom building. The installation (at
Organization (PTSO) support a number
40+ feet) enabled the campus to make
of clubs and extracurricular activities for
line-of-site contact with an ATV repeater
the students. In May 2000, Brenda Hare
located 25 miles from the campus.
and Debbie Pybus met with local
The QSO with Tech Camp 2000 used
philanthropist David Brandenburg,
the AB5IG 1.25-GHz repeater, which is
K5RQ. Brandenburg, an outstanding US installed on the roof of the Bank of
businessman and corporate CEO, heads America building in downtown Dallas.
the Brandenburg Life Foundation. After The building is the tallest in Dallas and
the meeting, Brandenburg told the provides exceptional coverage for the
Nate Amstutz of Dallas and Andy Watson,
teachers that Haggard Middle School technical writer at Nortel Networks repeater with an antenna height of 880
would be the recipient of a grant for (standing), look on while (bottom row) feet AGL.
Amateur Radio equipment. By the fall of Chris Robinson of Frisco and Chelsea
Fant, KD5KYC, of McKinney solder Thanks to a lot of work by Lee Rhoden
2000 the Brandenburg Life Foundation resistors to make an attenuator for the and Rik Albury, K4TTT, the Dallas ATV
had completed the installation of an HF/ foxhunt. repeater is frequented by more than 50
VHF/UHF transceiver with tower, coax, ATV enthusiasts from as far away as
directional HF beam, rotator, VHF/UHF Decatur, Texas. Rhoden has been very
vertical antenna and 1.25-GHz ATV Morning activities were filled with busy lately putting up translators to
transmitter and receiver. group discussions and learning exercises. extend the repeater’s reach to Greenville,
The topics included map reading, using Denton and Cedar Creek Lake. Each of
Camp Activities a compass, radio theory and hands-on those locations is 30+ miles from
The Tech Camp 2000 concept is experience with a Kenwood dual-band downtown Dallas.
definitely cutting edge. The sessions were hand-held. As a reward, each student who AB5IG’s 50-W repeater provides an
held in facilities provided by the successfully completed Tech Camp 2000 upper and lower channel plus a number
community college district at its Frisco, and earned at least a Technician license of DTMF-selectable features including
Texas, campus. Fant, Mobley, several and/or an upgrade received one of these remote-controlled cameras, a waveform
student assistants and mentors worked fine transceivers at the graduation monitor, APRS and signal strength and
with class members from 9 AM to 4 PM ceremony. SSTV displays. DTMF options are
each day. Area radio club volunteers also Afternoon sessions included accessible using the intercom 144.32-
dropped in each week to lend a hand. preparation for the Technician exam, MHz simplex intercom frequency. The
50 February 2001
lower channel continuously relays through volunteerism. In fact, a number
Doppler weather radar information and of the students who attended Tech Camp
the upper channel is used for ATV QSOs. 2000 are National Junior Honor Society
The weather radar images are used during members who must fulfill community
weather nets by ARES, RACES and area service requirements. Tech Camp 2000
public-service agencies equipped with and Amateur Radio’s continuing
receiving grids and down-converters. Rik commitment to education make it
Albury’s vision for the repeater’s upper possible for these middle school students
channel includes more time for edu- to have fun, learn critical thinking and
cational purposes such as the QSO with lifetime skills and contribute to their
Tech Camp 2000. Complete information community.
about the AB5IG repeater and ATV in In July 2000, Tom Mobley hosted the

WA5KXX
general is available via the Internet at first Wireless Teachers Workshop for 10
www.hamtv.org/. area middle and high school teachers.
Albury masterminded the QSO that Kyle McNeil, KD5KVJ (left), Wendy Three of the teachers in the group passed
began at 1 PM on the opening day of Masters, KD5KQX, and Jordan Goldblatt, their Technician test that month. The
HamCom 2000. The timetable called for KD5KQM, on the trail of the Tech Camp workshop consisted of six men and four
2000 mechanical foxes.
a 30-minute exchange, but enthusiasm at women who teach subjects including
both ends kept the two locations on the math, science, English and history. The
air for more than 90 minutes. It was time pilot workshop familiarized the teachers
well spent with Jim Haynie, W5JBP, with RF terminology and techniques used
ARRL President; Gordon West, Graduation Day by Fant and Mobley to teach the students
WB6NOA, noted author and educator; The last day of each camp session during Tech Camp sessions. The modules
Rosalie White, K1STO, ARRL Field & included an on-site test session staffed written by the class will be used in their
Educational Services Manager; William by area VEs so the students could earn own SGE sessions during the coming fall
Cross, W3TN, of the FCC; and Keith licenses and upgrades before leaving term. Plans are underway to establish a
Pugh, W5IU, AMSAT Vice-President of camp. Volunteers from PARK and Nortel net for the teachers on a local repeater so
Operations. Twelve-year-old Charlie Networks joined Jeff Fant and Tom they can continue to share ideas and plan
Weinberger, KD5IUP, of McKinney, Mobley at the Frisco campus for the test inter-school Sigma Gamma Epsilon club
Texas, was the control operator at the session. By the end of the first session activities.
Tech Camp 2000 site. there were 16 new licenses and
The student host at the Arlington upgrades ready to process and send to the What’s Next?
Convention Center was a Haggard ARRL. The second session added 19 Stay tuned to this frequency for
Middle School eighth-grader and Tech more. updates to the Tech Camp story. At least
Camp 2000 participant Jordan Goldblatt, Graduation ceremonies for the camp two more sessions are planned for the
KD5KQM. In addition to his duties as the sessions were held at the Frisco campus summer of 2001. Fant and Mobley are
remote location emcee, Goldblatt also on June 25 and July 30, 2000. Each time, determined to make future sessions even
piloted a remote-control, 7-foot long, the auditorium was filled with instructors, more exciting than the first. For starters,
helium-filled blimp equipped with a color students, parents and friends. A how about a QSO via satellite with the
camera and transmitter provided by Rik representative of Nortel Networks spoke US Navy through the AB5IG repeater and
Albury. Each of the on-camera guests to both audiences about his company’s a series of live contacts with ops in
took questions from the students, parents commitment to education and their Antarctica? These are just a few of the
and media representatives in attendance enthusiasm for the Tech Camp concept. ideas that are percolating in Texas.
at the Frisco, Texas, camp. As you might Want to learn more about the Tech
expect, questions covered a wide What Did Tech Camp 2000 Camp 2000 concept? Contact Jeff Fant
spectrum and included everything from Accomplish? ([email protected]) or Tom Mobley
Jim Haynie’s job description to FCC Besides an increased awareness of ([email protected]) via e-mail for
licenses and satellite technology. Amateur Radio and the contributions information about how to start a Sigma
made to the community and public- Gamma Epsilon chapter through your
Local Media Coverage service agencies, many people in our area local college or university. Groups
Once again, luck played a role in the have a renewed appreciation for our interested in grants for Amateur Radio
ATV QSO with Tech Camp 2000. The hobby. The parents of one student had equipment for school use can send e-mail
event was covered from start to finish by some doubt about whether their daughter directly to David Brandenburg, K5RQ
the Plano Star Courier’s Penny Rathbun. would enjoy camp and get her license. ([email protected]). Ask for
Penny, it turns out, is the wife of Michael Not only did the young lady enjoy Tech information about the Brandenburg Life
Rathbun, KL7F, a QST contributor. Her Camp activities, she received her Foundation’s Ham Radio for Schools
article made the front page of the Star graduation certificate, passed the Program.
Courier along with a full color picture. Technician and Morse code tests and Want to get involved in Amateur Radio
Johnny Stigler, WA5ZRQ, stopped by the received her Kenwood TH-D7A H-T! She programs for youth? ARRL’s Amateur
ATV booth at HamCom 2000. He’s a video wants to use her new skills as a Radio Education Initiative, better known
engineer for WFAA-TV in Dallas. Stigler’s community volunteer and can’t wait to as “The Big Project,” will ramp up during
visit resulted in a new source of Doppler use the new station being set up at 2001. Send an e-mail to [email protected]
radar and feeds for the AB5IG repeater and Haggard Middle School. for details.
an article about the event and Tech Camp The Amateur Radio experience You can contact the author at 3212
2000 in the Dallas Chapter of the Society provides new ways for youngsters to Jeremes Landing, Plano, TX 75075-1519;
of Broadcast Engineers newsletter. become involved in their community [email protected].
February 2001 51
 By Tony Barr, G0VBD

Hilbre Island, IOTA EU-120

Not every DXpedition
is a major logistical
undertaking. A jour-
ney to an IOTA island
can often be just as
rewarding.

W
here in the world is Hilbre Island?
To be specific, Hilbre and its
two satellite islands (Middle Eye
and Little Eye) are located in the mouth
of the River Dee estuary, approximately
1.61 km off the mainland coast of En-
gland where the Dee empties into the
Irish Sea. Hilbre is a nature preserve
with an abundance of wading birds and
a large colony of grey seals. Human habi-
tation on the island was always sparse,
but the Romans once claimed it, as did
the Benedictine monks centuries later.

A Promise Kept
My journey to Hilbre Island as an
Amateur Radio operator was really the
culmination of a promise made long
ago.
I was introduced to Amateur Radio
in 1952 at the age of 14 while in my
second year at Foxhills Secondary
School in Scunthorpe in the county of
Lincolnshire, England. The school sci-
ence master was Graham Layzell,
G3AMM, who formed the school’s
Amateur Radio club under the call sign
G3IHZ.
I took my 12-WPM Morse code test
that allowed me to operate the station
under Graham’s supervision, but I was
not a fully licensed ham. Even so, his
kindness and patience never wavered.
I often visited his home station where
he taught me the finer points of DX
hunting. His support carried me
through difficult times, including the
death of my father in September 1952.
When I left the school in 1953, I prom-
ised Graham that one day I would earn The Foxhills School Radio Club, G3IHZ, in 1952. The author is working CW next to
my full amateur ticket, but something his Elmer, Graham Layzell, G3AMM.
always got in the way. My eventual pro-
fessional career took me away from year and we met at his home in Graham died soon thereafter.
Scunthorpe for more than 26 years. Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire. I re- I dedicate my participation in the
I returned to the area in 1993 and minded Graham of my promise and Hilbre expedition to this remarkable
decided to locate Graham Layzell. I fi- duly obtained my full Amateur Radio man. I may have been 40 years late,
nally found him in November of that license less than a year later. Sadly, but I kept my promise.— G0VBD

52 February 2001
Now the only resident of the island is larly in Europe, make it their passion to vertical (we wanted to be active on
a warden named Dave who maintains collect contacts with these islands. Think as many HF bands as propagation would
the preserve. ARRL DXCC, but with an emphasis on is- allow).
But why would such a forlorn rock be lands rather than countries or entities. Access to Hilbre is from the town of
of interest to radio amateurs? The answer The IOTA designation for Hilbre is West Kirby. Getting onto the estuary is
is found in the rabid pursuit of the Islands EU-120 and it has not been “activated” easiest via the slipway at the end of Dee
On The Air (IOTA) awards. Islands often. Our team of IOTA expeditioners Lane (next to the marine lake). The cross-
throughout the world, inhabited and other- comprised of Paul Scarratt, G0WRE; ing can be made at low tide when the
wise, have been cataloged with specific Brian Bowers, G0VAX; Terry Neale, water recedes and passage by foot is pos-
IOTA designations and many hams, particu- G0WAB and myself decided that it was sible. This “land bridge” is available at
time to mount an operation to the island. low tide for seven hours in every 12.
When planning a visit to Hilbre it is very
Gather the Gear and Go important to check the tides so that you
The first step was to obtain the per- don’t get stranded half way across! In our
mission of the Wirral Borough Council case, we made the crossing with a Land
to operate on Hilbre. They are the gov- Rover.
erning body that administers the island. We arrived on Hilbre at 1230 UTC on
With that secured, we obtained the call May 26, 2000, with calm seas and sunny
sign GB0HI and proceeded to assemble skies. Warden Dave was kind enough to
our equipment. This was just a modest help us with our gear and allowed us to
operation, so we wanted to travel light. stay in the cozy “bunk house” and oper-
We decided on a single Yaesu FT-990 ate from the former Coast Guard lookout
transceiver, a Yaesu FL-7000 amplifier, post.
a G5RV antenna and a GAP multiband
On the Air
To everyone’s surprise, the station
came together without a hitch. Propaga-
tion to North America was especially
good, but the paths to Asia were rather
poor. We kept a steady flow of QSOs on
most bands, alternating between phone
and CW.
Our luck was bound to run out even-
tually. On the following day (Saturday),
a storm rolled in with heavy rain and pow-
erful, bitterly cold winds. The waves
pounded Hilbre’s rocky cliffs and hail
rattled on the roofs. The onslaught con-
tinued—and so did we, racking up more
than 3000 contacts before we finally had
to shut down on Monday morning. Of
course, that was when the storm finally
cleared and sunshine returned!
A Delightful Experience
Despite the weather, it was a delight-
ful Amateur Radio experience, one I
would recommend to anyone. You don’t
need handfuls of money to enjoy your
own DXpedition. If there is an IOTA is-
land that you can visit, chances are that
hundreds, if not thousands, of hams
would be happy to work you. You can
learn more about the IOTA program on
the Web at www.rsgbiota.org/.
Our Hilbre Island expedition team
would like to extend its thanks to the
Royal Mail, our official sponsor, and to
Ron, G4DIY, and Bill, G0WWC, for their
help.

You can contact the author at 8 Hornby

Park, Liverpool, L18 3LL, United Kingdom;
Our station was housed in this former Coast Guard post. [email protected].
February 2001 53
 By Michael Goode, N9NS

Clipperton 2000
Gale-force winds, tropical storms, dangerous beach landings,
technology and gadgets galore, legions of nonhuman adversaries…
A comic book? A James Bond movie? Science fiction?
Nope. Clipperton!

In March of 1999 my eye caught

an article in the local paper
about an adventurer from
Indiana who was just leaving on a trip to
load equipment into a truck and a rental
car for the trip to San Diego. Ol’ Murphy
was on hand to say good-bye. He saw us
off with a blinding rainstorm—a rare
As we loaded gear onto the Shogun, more
of the DXpedition members arrived. The
captain said if we were ready that
evening we could get underway at
Clipperton Island! It seemed he was event in the desert… midnight, a few hours early. Motivated
considered the “most traveled man in the by an early departure, by 7 PM every-
world,” having been to every “place” on To Clipperton—What a Greeting! thing was aboard and the ship’s two
this planet but three. One of those places Tuesday, February 22, was a busy day. cooks had fed us the first of many
was Clipperton, and he had chartered a
ship to take him there. I was especially N9NS

interested. In 1992, Clipperton was home

to my first DXpedition. A few weeks after
seeing the story I showed the clip to John,
N7CQQ, a fellow Clipperton operator.
That was the beginning of the end—John
had already been thinking about another
trip to the island!
Although we discussed the idea in
detail, I wasn’t too enthusiastic.
Basically, I told John, “If you can keep
the cost under $5,000, I’ll go.” John
jumped at that challenge and within two
months he’d found a way. The Shogun—
a Clipperton regular—had been chartered
by three tropical fish collectors who were
going to Clipperton to collect rare
Clipperton Angelfish. The charter’s
timing was perfect—late February—and
the cost to get a bunch of hams aboard
was $75,000. If we could round up an
additional 10 hams to join the adventure,
the cost would be about $5000 each. John Kennon, N7CQQ, leads one of the many planning sessions during the voyage to
Fortunately, we found 11 other adven- Clipperton aboard the Shogun.
turous hams plus several sponsors who
helped with the gear. By the departure
date, all of the equipment was assembled FO0AAA Operators
at John’s home near Laughlin, Nevada, Eddie Stark, EA3NY Mike Goode, N9NS
or at Charlie’s (W6KK) home near Los Willy Ruesch, HB9AHL Jim Mornar, N9TK
Angeles. The ship was set to depart the Koji Fukui, JK7TKE Charlie Hansen, N0TT
docks at San Diego’s Fisherman’s Bob Allphin, K4UEE Mark Demeuleneere, ON4WW
Landing at 9 AM on Wednesda y, Doug Faunt, N6TQS Doug Renwick, VE5RA
February 23. John Kennon, N7CQQ James Brooks, 9V1YC
I arrived at John’s home a few days And Renato (HB9AHL’s son)
early, as did Mark, ON4WW. We helped
54 February 2001
 N9NS N9NS

Mark Demeuleneere, ON4WW, passes the

time aboard the Shogun operating N9NS/
MM. More than 7000 QSOs were made
from the ship!

excellent meals. At midnight we cast off.

Everyone was on deck watching the city
lights as we slowly headed out of San
Diego harbor. It’s some 1650 miles from The crew assembles the antennas near the CW site—with a little help from the ever-
present, curious crabs.
San Diego to Clipperton, and at the ship’s
cruising speed of nine knots, that makes
for a seven-day voyage!
At dawn on Tuesday, February 29, leap the Zodiac raft and, with Shogun co- appeared—a line of dark, ominous-
year day, we sighted our destination. captain Bruce piloting, were off! looking clouds approaching from the east.
“Sighted” is hardly the proper word. The As the rest of us watched anxiously Our worst fears were realized when, a few
island is so flat all we could make out from the ship, the raft approached the reef minutes later, the wind picked up and
were several groups of palm trees that and briefly disappeared into a trough. sheets of rain began falling. As we
appeared to be growing out of the water, Moments later it popped into view, dry struggled to erect the first tent, the wind
and Clipperton Rock, which loomed and nearing the beach! We all sighed in and rain intensified. The ferocity of these
darkly on the horizon. As everyone was relief to see that landings could be tropical squalls can’t be described.
on deck straining their eyes to see details, accomplished safely. Seeing—experiencing—is believing!
the captain cruised to the west side to find I was aboard the third trip in—on a For the next hour the six of us endured
a spot he knew was suitable for landing. thrilling roller coaster of crashing waves. periods of intense rain and gale-force
The Shogun and its crew were no After a quick rush to the top of a wave winds. At times the rain struck us so hard
strangers to this place as they travel to we dropped down onto a small gap in the we thought it must be hail! It was all we
Clipperton once or twice a year on fishing reef and Bruce skillfully brought the could do to hold on to the tent so it
charters. NASA chartered the boat in launch up to the beach. It sounds easy, wouldn’t blow away. What a welcome.
1996 as its support ship during a six-week but as we discovered later, it doesn’t Score two rain points for Murphy!
scientific trip to the island. always work out.
By 9 AM the captain had found a Within an hour we had some of our Setting up Shop
landing spot and had sent two crewmen gear and six members of the operating At 3:30 or so the clouds finally parted,
in a launch to check things out. The scouts team on the island when a new menace the wind dropped and we were able to
weren’t happy with the rough surf
conditions, so the captain decided to
cruise to the east side of the island to see N9NS

if things were better there. With all of us

waiting impatiently, we circled the island.
Transiting about a half-mile offshore
gave us a good look at features such as
Clipperton Rock, two wrecked Mexican
fishing boats and the small shack at the
NASA site. Huge waves crashed onto the
reef around the whole island! Sometimes
they peaked high enough to obscure the
land entirely, and when they broke they
sent clouds of spray soaring downwind.
After the ship had circled to the original
landing spot, the captain announced it was
now or never. So, at 1:20 PM local time,
with life jackets donned and a weak grin
on their faces, James, 9V1YC; Willy, Ashore near the landing site, Willy and Bob attempt to raise the first tent as rain
HB9AHL; and Bob, K4UEE; jumped into starts to fall.
February 2001 55
 N9NS
resume landing operations. By dark
everyone was ashore and about half of our
gear was piled on the beach. Two
campsites, about 1100 feet apart, had
been selected and we had set up two tents
with cots for sleeping. At dark, about 7
PM, everyone was so exhausted we
crashed early with the plan of assembling
camp and antennas at first light (about
5:30 AM).
Without reservation, that was the worst
night in my life (or at least a prime
candidate). We were lying uncomfortably
on army cots with no blankets or pillows.
Many of us, including myself, hadn’t
gotten our personal gear onto the island,
so we hadn’t washed or changed into dry
clothes. I was wet, uncomfortable and cold
all night as the wind whistled through the
tents. Add to this a carpet of crabs
crawling around beneath the cots (when
my arm dropped off the cot, within a few The Shogun’s crew brings our gear ashore.
minutes they were nibbling on my fingers)
and the constant honking of the tropical
birds and, well, you get the picture.
Setting up antennas and tents that first contact. He chose 20 meters, 14.195 clock we had to set up an operating
morning was certainly interesting! The MHz, as a starting point. schedule. We had 10+ operators, since
birds were particularly active at sunrise And who did we hear there? Good ol’ Doug, N6TQS, was operating exclusively
so we had to shout at each other to be V31JP (“Joe Palooka,” K8JP), talking to RTTY and Koji, JK7TKE, was manning
heard over the cacophony. The bright none other than Pete, N0FW (a 1992 the six-meter station with an occasional
orange land crabs crawling everywhere Clipperton trip organizer who held shift in the SSB rotation. Four stations
on the otherwise barren landscape and the FO0CI). John broke in and put Pete in running 24 hours per day means 96 hours
screeching of a thousand birds made for the log as the first QSO for FO0AAA. of daily operating. That worked out to
a most surreal setting! V31JP had to settle for second. Déjà vu. about nine hours per man, so James set
We decided not to start operating until On the 1992 trip, after our first QSO, up daily schedules putting everyone on
at least two stations were ready to go. Our which was with a KL7, Joe, K8JP, broke three, three-hour shifts.
goal was to have four stations, two at an in and was the second QSO for that For the next several days all we did
“SSB site” near our landing area, and two Clipperton DXpedition as well! was operate and sleep, operate and sleep,
at a “CW site” at our sleeping area. The After these QSOs, logged at 0015Z on with an occasional meal thrown in for
two sites were placed 1100 feet apart to March 2, the bands exploded with good measure. After spending the first
reduce interference. This worked out well callers—Clipperton was on the air! two days on the island (setting stuff up)
as we had few interference problems. It with practically no sleep, all of us were
was, however, a nuisance walking and Pileups Forever! very tired and were hitting the sack every
hauling stuff between the sites with two- To keep each station manned round the chance we got.
wheeled garden carts.
Merely walking on Clipperton isn’t
easy. There are two types of surfaces: one N9NS

hard, one soft. The hard surface is a

cemented amalgam of small coral
fragments with a covering of loose, sharp
shards. The surface is mostly level, but
it’s easy to turn an ankle or get cut on a
sharp edge. The other surface is sand, into
which the crabs have dug a labyrinth of
burrows. This is no picture book stroll on
the beach. When walking on the sand,
almost every step is onto (into) a crab
burrow, which suddenly collapses several
inches, throwing the walker off-balance.
By mid-afternoon Clipperton was
looking like home sweet home. We had
tents, radios, antennas and generators
assembled at both sites and were ready
to go. At 4 PM we gathered at the SSB
site where John would make the symbolic Clipperton beachfront property—lots of loose gravel and not a great deal of sand.

56 February 2001
 ON4WW JK7TKE

Did one of these appear in your mailbox?

The author in full tropical gear, hauling equipment between the
CW and SSB camps.

I had the additional assignment of was the largest grove of coconut trees on sure we could get away in time we started
keeping the generators fueled, so between the island. Within this grove are the breaking camp at daybreak on the
operating shifts I hauled gasoline between remains of several buildings built by the seventh. We intended to remove all but
camps and fed the hungry generators. This US Navy in World War Two. Relics of the bare essentials necessary to keep
was particularly challenging at night, with this occupation are scattered in other some stations going into the next day.
only a small flashlight for guidance. places around the island in the form of Everything but the tents, antennas and
Finding the proper cart path was tricky. old machinery and a large ammo dump. one generator were taken down and
The route crossed soft sand and rough The latter consists of piles of rusting hauled to the landing site. This took until
coral, and zig-zagged around dozens of cannon shells and .50-caliber machine mid-afternoon, so FO0AAA was off the
sleeping birds. Several times while gun ammunition! air for about 10 hours that day. That night,
stumbling along half asleep, I ran into a Also interesting to explore is everyone was sad and happy that we were
snoozing bird, which startled me awake Clipperton Rock, a remnant of the leaving. We decided to shut down for
by squawking loudly and pecking me on volcano the island formed around. The good at 1800Z the next day. As the hour
the leg! Rock is some 320 feet long by 120 feet approached, Charlie, N0TT, made a final
Our first day of operating was wide and rises 69 feet above sea level. CW contact, then we all gathered around
Wednesday, March 1, and after five days It’s grotesquely eroded, with many the SSB tent to watch John make the last
of this routine we were beginning to get crevices and caves reaching far into the QSO. He found XF4LWY near the IOTA
rested up. On Monday, the 6th day, we interior. At the highest point you can see hangout of 14.260 MHz—a station on
felt so good it was time to make some the remains of a navigation beacon built Revilla Gigedo Island. As John broke a
camp improvements. Our original setup by Mexico in 1906. pileup for the last FO0AAA contact, we
had the generators fairly close to the Other things of interest are much more thought that one rare island talking to
sleeping tents. Even if you’re dead tired recent. On the island side opposite from another was a fitting end to our
it’s difficult to sleep with two engines our landing was a small hut—all that was DXpedition.
roaring nearby, so when we had to shut left of the site where, in 1996, NASA set After that we began taking everything
the generators down for an oil change, I up a radar station at the request of the down and hauling gear to the landing site
rearranged the power cords and moved French Government to track the first firing (or should I say departure site?). Things
the generators farther from camp. of the Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. went smoothly until mid-afternoon. The
Renato and Mark (the cook) also set After six weeks of preparation, the NASA tide was going out and the water over the
up some tarpaulins to shade an eating crew had nothing to do as the rocket blew reef was getting quite shallow when it
area. And boy, did we eat. The two cooks up a few seconds after launch! was my turn to get into the launch and
from the Shogun kept us well fed! We got On the beach near the NASA site was a head back to the Shogun.
two hot meals a day plus all the snacks shipwrecked Mexican fishing boat. Named The island is completely surrounded
and drinks we could handle. It was the the Lilly Marie, it’s one of two boats that by a reef that extends about 100 yards
same Monday when “Marathon Man” are wrecked on the island. The Oco, the from the shore in the form of a relatively
Doug, VE5RA, donned his running shoes other boat, was much closer to our camp. level shelf. The seaward side of this shelf
and circumnavigated the island in 1 hour Nothing is known about these ships except ends with an abrupt drop-off to a depth
17 minutes! That’s not bad for that they both were wrecked about 1997. of 40 feet or more. Waves approach from
61/2 miles of rough coral. the ocean about 10 to 12 seconds apart,
One Last QSO, and when they encounter this abrupt
Exploring our QTH One Exciting Departure change in depth they rise rapidly to form
There were some interesting things to We had to leave the island the an almost vertical wall of water six to
see on the island (in addition to the afternoon of Wednesday, March 8. We eight feet high before crashing violently
plethora of interesting things I’ve already figured it would be a slow and difficult onto the shelf. This happens over a
mentioned!). Not too far from our camps process to get off the island, so to make distance of less than 50 feet. To get away
February 2001 57
from the island it’s necessary to pass
through this dangerous 50-foot “surf You’ve Read the Story, Now See the Video!
zone” between waves. With a 10- to 12- DXpedition member James Brooks, 9V1YC, has produced a professional 60-
second spacing there’s only a five or six minute video about Clipperton Island. The program documents not only the 2000
second window when this can be done DXpedition, but includes rare film and photos of every other Clipperton effort. The
without being flipped over or buried video also details the history of the island, beginning with its probable sighting by
Magellan in 1523 through the US Navy’s occupation during World War II.
under tons of water!
The price is $15 plus shipping. To order, contact Charles Hansen, N0TT, 8655
Our escape technique took advantage Highway D, Napoleon, MO 64074-9733; [email protected]. European readers should
of a narrow notch in the reef that contact Declan P. Craig, EI6FR, 167 St James Rd, Greenhills, Dublin 12, Ireland;
extended shoreward about 50 feet. The [email protected].
water depth on the shelf was usually less
than three feet—not enough to safely run
the outboard motor. Fortunately, the
water in the notch was somewhat deeper,
so the launch would be pushed out to the
edge of the notch and shoved into the
opening just as a wave broke. The
operator then could lower the motor, start
it and zoom through the danger zone
before the next wave built up. The
Shogun crew mastered the technique
pretty well. During our stay there was
only one accident when the launch got
sideways and was flipped over.
Fortunately no one was hurt and all we
lost was a day’s ration of drinks.
By 1:30 PM there were four of us
remaining on the island: me, N9NS; Jim,
N9TK; Mark, ON4WW; and Eddie,
EA3NY, along with our personal gear and
a few pieces of camping equipment. The
tide was going out and the water on the
reef was less than a foot deep. Jim and I
loaded ourselves and our gear into the
launch, which was pushed by two
crewmen toward the notch in the reef. The remains of the Lily Marie, a fishing boat wrecked off the island in 1997.
With the water so shallow we had to move
particularly far out, where we stayed for
10 or 15 minutes waiting for a smaller
set of waves to come in. Finally, Bruce, as we dragged the boat, now full of water, The adventure was over—almost—
our captain, said, “After the next one,” back to the beach. save for another seven-day sea voyage.
and when the wave broke we were shoved After reaching the shore and collecting There were a few anxious moments when
into deeper water. He put the motor down, our wits we checked that everybody was thick smoke began pouring out of the
started it and off we went—until the still in one piece and that most of our gear, engine room early one morning. The
motor stalled! now rather soggy, was still with us. After Shogun crew quickly fixed the problem
As Jim and I watched, Bruce consulting with the Shogun, Bruce decided and we were underway within a few hours.
frantically pulled the starter cord. After we couldn’t risk another trip until the tide Time passes slowly when you have nothing
what seemed an eternity the engine turned and the water over the reef got to do, but eventually we reached San
caught, but we were now face-to-face deeper. That meant a three-hour wait in the Diego, and after checking in at customs
with a 10-foot high tsunami! Bruce scorching sun. We had no shade, but we (Clipperton is a foreign country) the
gunned the motor, but in an instant we did have a cooler full of cold drinks! Shogun tied up at Fisherman’s Landing.
were inundated! The experience was very After several false starts we were able We were all tired and glad it was over.
similar to jumping off a high diving board to find our timing in the reef notch— In six and a half days of operating we
and landing flat on my stomach! We were barely. We roared off the reef and climbed made 75,106 contacts, including 14,136
smashed flat by the falling water and a wall of water as the next wave built up. in the first 24 hours! The excitement, the
nearly washed overboard. Fortunately, we Zooming over the top of the wave the boat victories and the hardships were all
all managed to hang on! went airborne briefly before coming behind us. With more than 75,000 QSOs
The first wave pushed us back over the down with a bang that jolted us all. When in the log it was certainly worth it. We
reef, so we couldn’t use the motor. The we reached the Shogun, Jim and I assured wanted to put Clipperton Island in as
launch was turned sideways and as the our colleagues we were okay and many logs as possible. I think we
two other crewmen rushed over to try and immediately headed for a hot shower! succeeded. Now on to the next one....
move the boat back away from the edge, Fortunately, Mark and Eddy made it out
we got hit a second time. Jim and I on the next run without much trouble. At You can contact the author at 10340 Broad-
jumped out and helped move the boat out about 5:30 the Shogun weighed anchor way St, Indianapolis, IN 46280-1344;
of danger. We were a sorry looking bunch and we headed north. [email protected].
58 February 2001
 By Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY

Announcing the Tenth Annual

Philip J. McGan Memorial
Silver Antenna Award
E
ach year, ARRL Public Information
Coordinators, Public Information
Officers and other Public Relations
volunteers strive to keep Amateur
Radio visible in their communities by
publicizing special events, writing press
releases, and maintaining good relations with
local media among many other valuable
activities. Their efforts benefit their own local
ham radio activities and the ham community
at large. If you know someone who has
achieved public relations success on behalf of
Amateur Radio, please consider nominating
him or her for the McGan Award. These public
relations volunteers deserve to be recognized.
The award’s namesake, journalist Philip J.
McGan, WA2MBQ (SK), served as the first
chairman of the ARRL’s Public Relations
Committee, which helped reinvigorate the
League’s commitment to public relations.
Unfortunately, Phil never got to see how
much his efforts have paid off. In honor of
Phil, his friends in the New Hampshire
Amateur Radio Association joined with the
ARRL Board of Directors to pay a lasting
tribute to the important contributions he made
on behalf of Amateur Radio.
The 2001 McGan Award will go to that
ham who has demonstrated success in Last year’s McGan winner, Diane Ortiz, K2DO, accepts her award from Hudson
Amateur Radio public relations and who best Division director Frank Fallon, N2FF.
exemplifies the volunteer spirit of Phil
McGan.
The nominations will be judged by nomination will include a written summary Board of Directors. The Board will make a
ARRL’s Public Relations Committee and the whenever possible. final determination at its July meeting and the
group’s recommendation will be presented to (4) Deadline: Nominations must be winner will be notified shortly thereafter.
the ARRL Board of Directors at the July 2001 received at ARRL HQ in Newington by 5 PM (6) To obtain an entry form, call ARRL HQ
Board Meeting. May 25, 2001. Nominations arriving after the at 860-594-0328 or e-mail [email protected].
deadline or without an entry form cannot be Ask for an official Philip J. McGan Memorial
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS considered. Silver Antenna Award entry form.
(5) Eligible nominations will be screened (7) Return the completed entry form and
(1) The award is given only to an individual by a committee of Amateur Radio operators supporting materials to: Philip J. McGan
(not a group), who must be a full ARRL knowledgeable about public relations, which Memorial Silver Antenna Award, c/o Jennifer
member in good standing at the time of nomi- will forward its recommendation to the Hagy, N1TDY, ARRL, 225 Main St,
nation. The nominee must not be compensated Volunteer Resources Committee of the ARRL Newington, CT 06111.
for any public relations work involving
Amateur Radio (including payment for
articles) and may not be a current officer, Public Relations vs Public Service
director, vice director or paid staff member, or In the past, there has been some confusion about the difference between “public
a member of the current selection committee. relations” and “public service.” Public Relations activities for which the McGan Award
(2) The winner of the Philip J. McGan is given include efforts specifically directed at bringing Amateur Radio to the public’s
Memorial Silver Antenna Award will attention (and most often the media’s) in a positive light. This may include traditional
demonstrate volunteer public relations methods, like news releases; or non-traditional methods, such as hosting a radio
success on behalf of Amateur Radio at the show or being an active public speaker. Some candidates have been nominated for
local, state or national level, and will live up their public service activities, such as emergency communications, net leadership
to the high standard of achievement and other activities that, while helping maintain a positive impression of Amateur
exemplified by Philip J. McGan. Radio among the public, don’t fit the definition of “public relations.” So, if you’re
(3) Anyone may make a nomination. considering nominating someone in your area for the award, please ask yourself if
Nominations must be on an official entry your candidate’s work fits the public relations criteria.
form, available from ARRL Headquarters. The
February 2001 59
 By Jim Idelson, K1IR

A Journey to Sweepstakes
How do we attract more young people to Amateur Radio?
Could contesting provide the answer?

“CQ
Sweepstakes…CQ Sweep- Next, I gave them both a set of head- At 9 AM, when I returned to the shack,
stakes…this is K1IR…Kilo phones so that they could listen while I the answer was clear. Two bleary-eyed
One India Radio…Kilo One made a few demonstration contacts. I boys with only a couple hours sleep were
India Radio…Contest!” showed them how to tune in the station at it again. These kids were hooked!
Ten-year-old Sander Idelson, KB1FPU calling CQ, make a call, and get all the
and 12 year-old Chris McCar thy, information necessary for a complete con- The Journey
KB1ELV, both of Sudbury, Massachusetts tact. Slowly, I transferred responsibility for So, how did we come to this point?
made a big effort this year in the ARRL making contacts to them. They went from What did it take to get a couple of mod-
Phone Sweepstakes Contest. They oper- logging for me, to logging for each other. ern-day, computer-literate kids into ham
ated K1IR to a Clean Sweep—working Eventually, they were able to operate with- radio?
all sections by the end of the contest. out my help…they took over the station We hear so much talk about the dwin-
Sure, lots of stations worked Clean and began to fill the log with QSOs. dling numbers of new, young hams…it’s
Sweeps in the 2000 Sweepstakes, but this time to take a look at just how it can still
situation was a bit out of the ordinary. It The Light Bulb Goes On be exciting for youngsters to get into this
involves a tale of a young amateur who After successfully mastering the me- great hobby.
suddenly discovered the spark of radio chanics of making and entering contacts, I guess it’s obvious how Sander became
excitement—even in the age of the Sander and Chris began to wonder if there interested. When he was very young—
Internet. It is a road not often traveled was more to it. Suddenly they understood. only a few years old—I pulled my HF sta-
these days, and the journey wasn’t always Amateur Radio contesting is a competi- tion out of some boxes in the basement,
easy. Read on and you’ll understand. tive sport—just like the physical sports put up a tribander at 18 feet, and started
they played on the ball field. This was speaking with other hams around the
Show and Tell something they could relate to! world. Just after learning to talk, Sander
On Saturday afternoon as the contest Knowing that it was their first effort, spoke his first words on the radio, “Hi.
started, I showed the boys how to operate and that their QSO rate might not be the Where are you?” With changes in my ca-
the station. I trained them how to use the same as the pros, I looked for a good goal reer, and a move to a new home, the ra-
rig, how to switch and aim the antennas for them to shoot for in this contest. A dios went back in their boxes for a few
and how to enter contacts in the log. I Clean Sweep was the obvious answer. years.
armed them with a chart of band privileges. They had already begun to notice that the The next appearance of the radios in
I posted the exchange right in front of them multiplier window in the logging soft- Sander’s life was quite a bit more dra-
so they wouldn’t forget what to say. We ware was starting to fill up. So, by late matic. I decided that it was time for a real
practiced a few QSOs out loud so they got Saturday evening, the search for all sec- HF station—including a tower in the
the feel of operating in the contest. tions was in full swing.
With so many stations on the air, it was
easy to show them how band selection
and propagation would be important fac-
tors in whether they would be able to
work a particular section. Soon, they were
celebrating with high-fives as the new
sections were worked.
On Their Own
At about 11 PM on Saturday night, I’d
had enough. With just a hint of peril in
my heart, I told the boys that the station
was theirs for the rest of the night, and I
went off to bed.
This was a pivotal moment. Would Ten-year-old Sander Idelson, KB1FPU
they remain interested, or grow bored? (background) and 12 year-old Chris
McCarthy, KB1ELV, made a big effort this
Sander, now KB1FPU, enjoys his first Would they see the challenge, or find it year in the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes
QSO. all mundane? Contest.
60 February 2001
backyard. I was determined to put to- We identified the parts, how they were
gether the station of my dreams—a fairly shown in the schematic diagram, and
competitive DX contest station. Sander did the assembly and soldering.
Along with the rest of the family, now Finally, we went out and bought a brand
numbering four, eight year-old Sander new key to complete the project.
watched as I went through the process of For a couple of weeks, sending CW
applying for a tower permit, putting up on the new code practice oscillator was
the tower and antennas and building the fun. Sander’s proficiency definitely im-
station. These activities were time-con- proved. But, receiving was a different
suming, challenging and exciting—and story. Although we did do some practice
the feelings were contagious. Sander be- at the kitchen table, he became unenthu-
gan to learn about various aspects of ra- siastic before we made it to the 5-WPM
dio and ask some interesting questions. level. I was disappointed, but once again
Naturally, in the back of my mind, I Success! Sander with his cherished I just decided to let it go. No pressure.
was thinking about whether Sander would Certificate of Successful Completion at
the 2000 New England Division Two Critical Success Factors—
ever be interested enough to want to get convention.
his own license. Some dads dream of their Classroom Study and a New Friend
children growing up to take over the fam- I was looking hard for a good class-
ily business; I was consumed with the peers—kids their own age experiencing room study program to take Sander to the
idea that someday my kids might take Amateur Radio for the first time. next level. It was evident that self-moti-
over my station for multi-op contests! For about an hour, we scanned the vation and dad-motivation were not go-
When he was nine, I bought him a bands and logged some QSOs. When ing to be enough to put him over the top.
copy of Now You’re Talking!. Sander there was QRM, they tried their best to Enter the Framingham Amateur Radio
looked at it briefly and never returned to hear—sometimes successfully, some- Association (FARA). This local club has
it. Getting a license was still not that in- times not. Occasionally, the conversation a long tradition of successful entry-level
teresting to him. And, the material was a would become more engaging—ques- licensing classes. It was a few months
bit above his level. tions about school and sports would creep away, but the next scheduled code class
into the discussion. Then, rather sud- looked like the right answer. Sander was
Kids’ Day 1999 denly, the boys decided to go outside and ready and willing to give it a try.
No pressure. This was my mantra. I play soccer. Had they suddenly lost in- About this time, we reached another
was not going to pressure any of my kids terest? No! They’d just done what all nine very important milestone. I received a call
to become hams. I knew that, were it me, year-old kids do—moved on to the next from a friend in town who asked if she
I’d be completely turned off if I were thing in an exciting young life. could hook me up with a 12 year-old boy
pressured. So, I let time pass and simply in her neighborhood who had recently
looked for opportunities to keep radio in Deciding to Go for It become involved in ham radio. Would I
the picture. Kid’s Day was one such op- Shortly after that 1999 June Kids’ Day, be interested in showing him my station?
portunity. Planning for this event well in Sander decided that he wanted to study I immediately seized on the opportunity
advance, I told Sander that there was a for his license. At that time, we were to meet him, hoping he might be inter-
special kind of operating event coming— aware of the impending changes in licens- ested in partnering with Sander in pur-
meant just for kids. I told him he could ing, so we talked about which license he suit of their licenses.
invite a few friends to the house to show would try to get. He decided that his goal It turned out that Chris, KB1ELV, had
them what ham radio is, and let them all was the Technician Plus. recently received his Technician ticket,
operate if they wanted to. He liked the We picked up our year-old copy of Now and was busy studying for the General, but
idea. He really wanted to show off his You’re Talking! with plans to study a small he hadn’t yet mastered the code. Soon,
dad’s hobby—and show his friends that part of the material every evening. Unfor- Sander and Chris were both signed up for
he knew a lot about it, too. tunately, that plan fell apart very quickly. the FARA code class—ably led by Ed
That day, Kids’ Day 1999, Sander had Now You’re Talking! was still aimed too Weiss, W1NXC. Once a week, they spent
three of his good friends over to partici- high for this fourth-grader. Before this be- two hours with a group of about eight other
pate in the event for a few hours. We came too discouraging, we changed our students—all much older. Having a friend
started with a quick tutorial on ham ra- focus to learning Morse code. of the same age made it much easier. We
dio, using materials provided by Extra The code was a very different story! practiced at home regularly so that Sander
Class youngster Rebecca Rich, KB0VVT. Sander found this much easier and lots of would be ready for the next class. Being
It was a great way to open the discussion. fun. He soon realized that Morse code was “tested” each week in front of the other
Then we took a tour of the shack and the a secret language of sorts. He enjoyed class members was sufficient motivation
antenna farm. It was all hands-on. Every- memorizing a couple of new letters each to keep Sander on track. We also had the
body got to go out to the tower and look day. After a week or so, we were having opportunity to work with a very helpful
up at all the aluminum. They thought it was short CW exchanges over the dinner table. computer program—Morse Tutor (www.
cool. “Do you really climb all the way up To make things even more interesting, ggte.com/mt.htm). It’s a great tool for
there, Mr. Idelson?” Then we all learned we built an oscillator from parts in my creating sample CW tests.
how to send our names in Morse code. old junkbox. Using a circuit diagram right
Next, it was time to operate. We started off the Web (www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/ Taking the Exam…Three Times!
by tuning around the band, just listening. circ/morse1.htm) we hooked up a few It was time to take the code test. It was
Then I made a demonstration contact. We components and a battery and had it run- easy to convince Sander that he should
began to pass the mike around. The kids ning in a couple of hours. This was also give the written part a try, too. Who
were having great fun. They clearly had a great opportunity to teach about elec- knows? Maybe his brief exposure to the
the most fun when they spoke with their tronics from a very practical perspective. material would be enough to give him a
February 2001 61
passing grade. At a minimum, he’d have were giving him more trouble than oth- Secrets to Success
a chance to see what it was like to take ers. Learning the frequency allocations What are the key things that got us to
the test…and alleviate some fear of the and other FCC rules were the toughest. this point? Clearly, there is no single for-
unknown. This was a very helpful exer- So, we started to focus on those specific mula that can be uniformly applied to
cise. He had never taken a test before! areas. I worked with him using a fre- every interested child. What works for
The code test was given as part of a quency allocation chart and the relevant one child might fail for another. Even so,
regular FARA VE session. He was in the sections of the question pool. This tech- I believe I found some key elements that
room with 20 other examinees. The VEs nique worked like a charm. As he stud- seem to enhance the odds of success.
ran the exam and began to correct the pa- ied the sections, his overall test scores ✔ Be patient. Invite your child to
pers. Unfortunately, they had used the began to improve. The convention date share your interests, but be patient. Their
wrong tape, and had to run the correct one. was approaching, and we had a goal of excitement will wax and wane. Resist the
So, they started all over again. Papers were getting no more than three or four ques- temptation to push too hard. If you show
collected and graded. Sander copied his tions wrong on every practice test. This excitement for ham radio, their curiosity
solid minute, and passed the code test. would leave plenty of room for a test with will draw them to you.
Mission accomplished! When he came surprise questions and the stress factor. ✔ Promote the sport of Amateur Ra-
out, he reported that he probably wouldn’t dio. Unless your child is an electronics
have passed the first time…he was thrilled Getting the License
prodigy, chances are that he or she will
that he’d had a second chance. The day finally arrived. He signed in more quickly embrace the sporting as-
Twice a year, the Framingham club and took his spot in the exam room. He pects of ham radio—contesting. Try in-
runs a novel program, a License-in-a- had all his study materials with him. I volving them in a contest, if even for a
Weekend class. This is an intensive train- made the mistake of coming across like short time.
ing program, beginning on a Friday a nervous father…I asked him to repeat ✔ Provide your child the best study
evening and concluding on Sunday after- back to me a few of the key answers that tools available. Use appropriate books
noon with a VE session. The program is we’d been working on. He told me to go and software. The Web is a big help and
designed to bootstrap students from zero away. Good advice, I think. children can relate to it easily.
to Technician in just two days. Sander An hour later, we were waiting anx- ✔ Introduce your child to other
loved the idea that he might be able to iously for the test results. When he got friends his or her age who are interested
get the written material under his belt that the word that he’d passed, he wanted to in Amateur Radio. Interaction with sup-
quickly…so we signed him up for the know immediately how many questions portive peers can be the most powerful
next License-in-a-Weekend class. he had missed. Only two. All those prac- force guiding your child to success.
It was a great weekend. Sander was, tice tests worked! ✔ Encourage risk-free exploration.
by far, the youngest student in the class. CSCE in hand, we cruised the conven- Let children use their own creativity.
He really enjoyed the program. Some parts tion exhibits. Yaesu kindly provided a hat Leave behind any rigid thinking you
were easy and some were more difficult and a logbook. And, dad promised a re- might carry with you. And, allow them
for him. Finally, it was Sunday afternoon ward for such a big success. to experience failure. Don’t stop them if
and time to take the exam. Sander wasn’t A few weeks later, Sander was they are about to do something that you
sure he was ready, but he really wanted to crowned with the call sign KB1FPU. A know won’t work. Lessons learned from
pass. When the test was over, and the pa- very exciting day. failures are often the most effective.
pers were graded, he’d missed a passing Learn from failures; reward successes.
Staying Interested
grade by only one question. This was his ✔ Take advantage of your local Ama-
lowest point in the whole process. He had It all started off with a bang. Whitey, teur Radio community. Find a club that
put more effort in this test than anything K1VV, trustee of the Marconi Wireless gives license classes. Expose your child
else in his life. It was a crushing experi- Club and the call sign W1AA, offered to to a wide variety of Amateur Radio op-
ence to come up short by only one ques- be Sander’s first HF QSO. This was a spe- erators and operating activities.
tion. That was May 2000. cial treat. Whitey kindly sent along a ✔ Remember that success does not re-
After allowing some time for Sander beautiful W1AA QSL card and audiotapes quire perfection! If you and your child
to recover from that testing experience, I commemorating the contact. Sander also strive only for perfection, you are much
learned about the outstanding AA9PW got on 2 meters with his new handheld, less likely to succeed. Build a code prac-
practice exam site on the Internet where he met several young amateurs who tice oscillator that makes code; it doesn’t
(www.aa9pw.com/). I printed out a test, run a nightly net. Although they go to dif- have to be a work of art. Don’t wait for
and asked Sander if he’d like to give it a ferent schools, Sander and Chris remain perfect scores on practice tests; take that
try. He did, and missed by six or seven friendly, occasionally talking on 2 meters. final exam as soon as you think you just
questions. We decided that he would prac- Our local Amateur Radio community might pass it!
tice with one or two AA9PW exams ev- is a great source of support. Licensed
ery day—aiming for the ARRL New En- grandparents and family friends N1CPC, Jim Idelson, K1IR, was first licensed as
gland Convention in August as his next K1LZ, K1VR, K1ZM and KM2P, repre- WN1QJU in 1972 at the age of 13. He taught
shot at the license. sent every walk of life. They provide a several Novice classes before the age of 16.
This was a difficult effort to keep on sense of comfort that ham radio is a truly Jim has served as a mentor in the Jewish
Big Brother Big Sister Association. He is an
track. We would do a couple of tests each mainstream avocation.
active contester and a charter member of the
day. Sander didn’t seem to improve just Dad’s activities are a constant re- Yankee Clipper Contest Club. Jim has a
from taking the exams. Memorizing that minder of ham radio. Sander likes to help BSEE from WPI and an MBA from Boston
many questions and answers was too out with antenna and station projects. University. He is president of DesigNET
much. I kept every one of his completed He’s always interested in how I’m doing Int’l, an information services company spe-
exams in a folder. After several weeks of in the big contests, and he wants to learn cializing in videoconferencing. You can con-
testing, I took a look at all the exams. It the ropes of contesting so he can be part tact Jim at 96 Morse Rd, Sudbury, MA
was becoming clear that certain areas of our multi-op efforts in the future. 01776; [email protected].
62 February 2001
 WORKBENCH
PROJECTS AND INFORMATION FOR THE ACTIVE AMATEUR

The Doctor is IN
Q Every time you double your antennas, say, going from a
single VHF/UHF Yagi to a stacked pair of Yagis, you
realize an increase in gain, but you also lose a certain amount
of power through the power divider or phasing harness. How
do you manage to come out ahead?

A It is true that stacking antennas produces additional

directivity and gain. You can stack antennas vertically
(Figure 1) or horizontally, although vertical stacking is most
common.
The “secret” is in the fact that gain can only come from tak-
ing power that would otherwise be radiated in other direction(s)
and concentrating that power into the main, desired lobe(s).
The most easily understood physical demonstration is one
that I’ve used for years at radio club meetings (see Figure 2).
I take a balloon, blow it up so that it is roughly circular in
shape and then declare that this is a radiation pattern from an
isotropic radiator. Next, I blow up another balloon to the same
size and shape and tell the audience that this will be my “ref-
erence” antenna.
Then I squeeze the first balloon in the middle to form a sort
of figure-8 shape and declare that I’ve now created a dipole
and compare the maximum size to that of my reference “an-
tenna.” The dipole can be seen to have some “gain” over the
reference isotropic. Next, I squeeze the end of the first bal-
loon to come up with a sausage-like shape to demonstrate the
sort of pattern a beam antenna would have, again comparing
the gain to the reference isotropic antenna, er, balloon.
By combining antennas in a stack, you can accentuate this
gain and directivity even further. In the end, you have created
much more total gain in the antenna system than would be lost
in the power dividers or phasing harnesses. Stacking isn’t easy
or inexpensive, but the performance gain can be substantial.

Figure 2—Demonstrating antenna pattern gain with balloons.

Take a balloon, blow it up so that it is roughly circular in shape
and then declare that this is a radiation pattern from an
isotropic radiator. Next, blow up another balloon to the same
size and shape and tell the audience that this will be the
“reference” antenna (A). Then, squeeze the first balloon in the
middle to form a sort of figure-8 shape and declare that this is
a dipole and compare the maximum size to that of the
reference “antenna” (B). The dipole can be seen to have some
“gain” over the reference isotropic. Next, squeeze the end of
the first balloon to come up with a sausage-like shape to
Figure 1—An example of vertical antenna stacking. demonstrate the sort of pattern a beam antenna creates (C).
February 2001 63
Q What is wrong with operating FM simplex between 145.8
and 146 MHz? I hardly ever hear signals in that part of the
band.
a particular desired ripple can be found in The ARRL Hand-
book chapter on power supplies. However, regulation will come
at a cost in reduced output capacity—if you have an unregu-

A This touches on the issue of voluntary band planning,

which was addressed in “Washington Mailbox” in the De-
cember 2000 QST. You might want to take a look at that column.
lated supply that puts out 15 V, you probably won’t be able to
get more than 13 V from a regulator system attached to it.
All switching supplies have some kind of regulation, although
The problem with operating in the 145.8 to 146 MHz seg- some designs are quite crude and could use improvement. I
ment is that the amateur satellite community uses this portion don’t suggest trying to modify a switching supply unless you
of the spectrum. There are several FM repeater satellites that have studied switching power supply design extensively.
operate with uplinks in this segment. If you’re chatting with a
local friend on 145.85 MHz, for example, there is a chance that
OSCAR 27 will hear you and relay your conversation over thou- Q I’d like to try microwave operating from home, but I
can’t put up antennas outdoors. Is it possible to at least
receive microwave signals with an attic antenna? Will the
sands of miles without you even realizing it! The FM satellites
are crowded already, so they don’t need “unintentional signals.” signals make it through a standard shingled roof? I’m think-
Other SSB and digital satellites have uplinks here as well, and ing specifically of receiving satellite microwave downlinks.
your signals could make it impossible for these birds to hear Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, answered this question with an in-
the signals intended for them. teresting experiment:
SO-35 and AO-10 have downlinks in this portion of the band.
These signals are often weak and your terrestrial FM QSOs will
obliterate them.
A “Since I have a Direct-TV 1-meter dish on a tripod that I
use for demonstrations, I decided to check its performance
through various materials. The unit has a bargraph signal-
Just because you can’t hear the satellite signals, doesn’t strength meter for use during alignment. The meter scale goes
mean that they are not there. With the typical FM setup, you’re from 0 to 100. Here are the results:
not likely to hear satellites in this portion of 2 meters at all. Outdoors in the clear: 92
Voluntary band planning allows everyone to enjoy Ama- 1
/4-inch plywood covering: 80
teur Radio in all of its various forms, but it only works if we 7
/16-inch plywood covering: 77
all respect the plans. It isn’t so much a legal issue as it is one 3
/4-inch plywood: 60
of common courtesy. 3
/4-inch Masonite: 70
3
/4-inch stack of paper: 60
Q Keith, KF4BXT, asks, “What is a switching type power
supply and what type is typically used and/or recom-
mended for running a station? I think most of us, by now,
1.5 inches of plywood: 43
(Note that the signal drops out completely at 35.)
understand that our power supplies should be regulated and “I have no idea if the scale is at all linear or logarithmic,
filtered, but are there reasonable ways to add regulation and and my arm was too short to both hold the wood and see the
filtering to those that don’t already have it?” monitor well. So, your mileage may vary.
“With digital the picture is always perfect. You don’t lose
A In a linear power supply, the line voltage goes directly
into a low-frequency transformer where it is stepped down
to the appropriate low voltage before rectification, filtering and
any quality until it drops out completely. Of course, most of
this margin is needed in case of rain. But it looks to me like it
regulation. In a switching power supply, the line voltage is should be possible to receive microwave downlinks through a
directly rectified and filtered to produce a high dc voltage. This simple 3/4-inch roof and shingles, as long as rain, ice or snow
voltage is then “switched” at a high frequency rate (not RF, but are not involved.”
certainly higher than audio—perhaps 50 kHz, for example) by
switching transistors. It is then fed into a high-frequency trans-
former and the output is rectified and filtered. Regulation can
Q Ray, WA3CLD, asks, “I have an old Swan TB-3HA
tribander beam antenna. How can I check and recondi-
tion the traps? It has 4 driven-element traps, 2 director traps
be done in the output stage, but more typically, the regulation and no reflector traps. Can I adapt one of the driven element
is done at the switching transistor to allow the amount of en- pairs of traps for the reflector?”
ergy fed to the transformer to be adjusted as needed.
One advantage of the switching technique is that higher
frequency components are much smaller and lighter weight
A The biggest problem with old traps is corrosion, both ex
ternal and internal. To “recondition” them, you’ll have to
take them apart and thoroughly clean the inside. You can check a
for the same power capability than their low frequency coun- trap for internal corrosion without taking it apart by putting an
terparts. Another advantage is that, since the transformer is ohmmeter across it—the resistance should be a relatively low
the least efficient part of the supply, controlling its input power value. If it is over 100 Ω, you probably have a corrosion problem.
(as is done in a switching power supply) can provide much Traps are designed to present a high impedance at the
better efficiency. The power lost as heat in a linear supply is “trapped” frequency and to act as a loading coil at lower fre-
typically 40-60% of the output power. In a switching supply, quencies, so you should indeed be able to use driven element
that typically drops to 10-20%. traps for the reflector by adjusting the tubing lengths slightly.
The disadvantages of a switching supply are the increased If you have an antenna analyzer or a dip meter, you can check
complexity (more likelihood of a component failure), increased the resonance of just the reflector (it should be about 5% lower
cost (many more parts) and tendency to create radiated RF than the driven) by assembling it as a unit. You may need to get
(the switching waveform is usually pretty close to a square it at least 10 feet up in the air, however, because the effect of the
wave, so it contains a lot of harmonics). This last item has nearby ground detunes a low antenna, changing the resonant
been the main one that has kept switching supplies out of the point from where it will be when the antenna is installed later.
ham market until recently. Current designs use an extensive
amount of filtering and radiation suppression techniques to
greatly reduce unwanted RF. Do you have a question or a problem? Ask the doctor! Send
your questions (no telephone calls, please) to: “The Doctor,”
Adding filtering and regulation to a linear supply is a simple ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; [email protected];
matter. Information on calculating filter component values for www.arrl.org/tis/.
64 February 2001
 By Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO

An HF Mobile Installation—
Step By Step
The ARRL Technical Information Service
Coordinator leads you through a typical
HF mobile installation—his own!

been “mobiling” since the early ’70s. My first in-

I’ve stallation was in a 1972 Pinto wagon, which

sported a Hustler antenna system with a Heathkit
HW-22 40-meter monoband transceiver under the dash. I later
installed the Yaesu FT-101B on an in-’n’-out basis with a
complement of antenna resonators. The same equipment went My beloved 1972 Pinto wagon with a
into a ’78 Plymouth Volare. In the ’80s I bought a Yaesu Hustler antenna clamped to the bumper.
FT-747 transceiver and squeezed it into an ’86 Subaru sedan.
All this time I had not felt the need for a new antenna.
Around 1990, on a whim, I sold the ’747 and put the an-
tenna away…and after about a year I regretted it. You can take
the ham out of the mobile, but you can’t take mobiling out of
the ham.
That Old Familiar Feeling
About a year ago, I had the opportunity to get a real “up-
close-and-personal” look at the FT-100 transceiver. At first I
thought it was just another 2-meter rig until its true nature as a
miniature HF/VHF/UHF rig became clear. It was love at first
sight and the mobile itch started again. But it turned out to be
only an infatuation with the exotic little Yaesu. Although it is
a very fine radio, I convinced myself that I really didn’t need,
nor want, an HF rig that covered 6, 2 and 440. I have a 6-meter
rig at home I hardly ever use, I have a perfectly good 2-meter
rig in the car, and I have 440 on my handheld that I have never
even programmed. The Heath HW-22 with room to spare.
A colleague at work suggested the Yaesu FT-900. I looked
up the Product Review in the November 1991 QST and
discovered that it fit my operating style exactly. And the re-
movable control head (like the FT-100) would make mount- dream computer. Installation of the radio, however, would have
ing in a modern car possible (I was now driving a ’94 Subaru to wait until spring.
Wagon). In the following spring (after I put together my dream
multimedia computer) I would begin searching for a nice used Installing the Antenna
FT-900. Mounting mobile antennas on the rear bumper has gone the
As luck would have it, just a few weeks after the conversa- way of 25-cent gasoline, so an alternative was needed. I had
tion, there appeared an FT-900 on the Ham Equipment For never mounted an antenna by drilling holes in the body of a
Sale e-mail list that sounded very attractive—the fellow said car before—and since the ’94 Subaru was “new” to me, this
it was virtually in mint condition. Well, I couldn’t let such a would take considerable “imagineering” (a term borrowed from
deal go by, so I postponed accumulating components for my Walt Disney—imagination + engineering).
February 2001 65
 There are storage compartments on either side of the car in
the rear. I had mounted speakers to the access panels with
Velcro. These compartments are fitted with molded plastic lin-
ings though, and afford no access to the car body. Another
route had to be found.
There are additional compartments under the carpet, which
are “unfinished” and afford access to the car’s outer body shell.
The one on the driver’s side contains the tank for the rear win-
dow washer. So this, the passenger side, was my spot. I found
a bracket between the body and the rear deck and I drilled a
The access
door to right hole for the antenna ground.
storage bin. One-inch chassis punches are available, but they are some-
what expensive. See if a friend has one you can borrow—it
makes the job a snap. A pilot hole is drilled the size of the
bolt. The bolt with the large piece is placed through the pilot
hole and the small piece is threaded on from the other side of
the panel. A wrench is then used to turn the bolt thereby draw-
ing the small piece into the large one and slicing a neat hole in
the metal.
The job wasn’t difficult, but I used extreme care anyway. I
measured and re-measured and measured again before putting
drill bit to body. After drilling and punching, I used Rust-Oleum
primer applied with a Q-Tip to protect the exposed metal left
by the process. To add that professional touch, I found match-
ing spray paint at the local auto parts/accessory store for $2.99.
(Of course I painted the mounting disk before I installed it.)
Since I had to attach the mount at such a low point on the
car, it was obvious that I would be installing the mount on a
portion of the body that curves toward the ground. This would
have left the antenna protruding outward at an ungainly angle,
but I had planned for that. I used one of my Hustler “resona-
tor” springs to allow me to pull the antenna vertical. The nor-
mal, larger, base spring did not have enough “give,” and I feared
that this would deform the car body and put too much strain
on any holding system.
Very early on in the “imagineering” phase I realized that
the antenna had to be held close to the car body and vertical.
In the past, with bumper mounting, I had used string to posi-
tion the antenna, but I figured that in this position string would
The “well” area under the carpet and the grounding hole not have the strength to withstand the strain. I didn’t want the
I drilled. string to break at an awkward moment and slap a pedestrian
up-side the head—lawsuit city! Another solution was needed.
Fortunately, the ’94 Subaru Loyale (and many other wag-
ons and SUVs today) has adjustable roof racks and additional
adjustable tie-down points. A plan started to form that should
result in a restraint that allowed for very little movement of
the antenna. Keep in mind that real engineers come up with
solutions for such problems in a matter of minutes—it took
me from November to March (but then again, I’m not on the
clock).
At the local home improvement store I found PVC Ts that
were just the right size to slide down the antenna shaft. I also
picked up a section of the matching pipe, two end caps and a
can of PVC cement. The whole thing came in at about $8.
A quick trip to my local privately owned, knowledgeable,
“I’ve got it here somewhere,” hardware store gained me the
two metric bolts of the right length to replace the hand-screws
on the roof rack—50 cents. (It is unfortunate that these badly
needed stores are disappearing from the landscape.)
I cut one side of each T, making it into an L, so as to leave
as little vertical distance between the two bars as possible, and
I cut the pipe to the proper lengths, measuring all by eye–this,
after all, was not rocket science, it just had to be near vertical;
the sliding captive nuts on the roof rack would allow for
The antenna mount had to be attached at a low point on the adjustment. I glued the pipe to the modified Ts and installed
rear rocker panel. end caps to the other end of the pipes. After letting it set for
66 February 2001
the proper time, I drilled small holes at the joint of each T and like it had been done at the factory!
pipe and installed a small self-tapping screw for added So, for this installation, all I had to do was look inside the
strength—I always “over-imagineer”. I had originally intended engine compartment and find where the “foreign” 2-meter
to glue the two Ts together, but during pre-assembly I decided power wires from the battery disappeared into the firewall. I
against it. I wanted to leave some flexibility for adjustments. then took some ground wire (coat hanger or anything will do),
When fabrication was complete, I painted the system the made a hook on the end and pushed it gently through the same
same color as the antenna mount. I think it looks a lot better hole. I went inside the car, looked under the dash and there
than the white PVC.
A Place for the Control Head
I must say that the FT-900 arrived in absolutely immacu-
late condition. The optional mobile mounting kit had never
been used and was still sealed in its original plastic bag. I knew
that, because of the detachable head, installation would be
easier than the FT-747 had been on my previous Subaru.
After a quick stop at my local Subaru dealer, I learned that
there was nothing of importance behind the dashboard pad-
ding at the location I had chosen for the mounting of the head.
I might only encounter the air conditioning ducts—no prob-
lem. I took another research-and-development trip to my local
hardware store, with FT-900’s head mounting bracket in hand,
and the fellow there suggested small wall anchors and screws.
Ten anchors plus one for good measure and ten screws came
to just $1.
I drilled holes through the foam. Behind it I encountered a
hard base and then emptiness. I then inserted the small plastic
wall anchors. In the accompanying photo you can see one
where I drilled and found nothing behind (good thing it would
be hidden by the bracket). As I pushed each anchor in I felt
the barbs snap into place. Wonderful! This was getting to be
almost too easy. A close-up view of the antenna and bracket.
Next, the bracket and cable were installed—very carefully
I might ad. You won’t believe how tiny the two cable-connec-
tor-mounting screws are. I had to use eyeglass-sized Phillips
screwdrivers. I was afraid I’d drop one–and there are no
extras.
Time for the Radio
There was no putting it off any longer. Next was the task
most dreaded by mobilers—getting the power cable through
the firewall.
In the past, when the engine compartment was mostly empty
space and you could lie on the floor at the front seats and gaze
into the cavernous space behind the dash, putting in a mobile
HF rig was a snap. Now it’s a maze back there.
Contrary to popular belief, there is always a way to get the
power cable through the firewall. There will be a rubber boot
over a hole (3 to 4 inches in diameter) through which wires
and plumbing are fed into the passenger compartment. If you
can’t find this or are afraid to indiscriminately go poking
around (the better part of valor), here are a couple of hints:

Buy that new stereo you’ve been wanting for the car and
while they’re installing it, ask them if they could please
“snake this here wire through” for you. Or convince the
spouse that you should have a car alarm installed and pro-
ceed as in the stereo method.

If these methods seem too extreme, you might just drop by
one of the above or your local car dealer and ask them where
is the best place to penetrate the firewall “for this here wire.”
Bring the wire with you—at the first mention of ham radio
their eyes glaze over. Who knows, they might do it for you,
even if it costs a couple of bucks.
For the installation of a 2-meter rig in this car I opted
for the first method. I was buying a new stereo and for $30 The finished antenna installation with a 40-meter
(well worth it to me) they installed my FT-212 into the dash resonator installed.
February 2001 67
was my wire. I crimped the hook around the solder lugs I had behind. The power cable, however, is just long enough to reach
installed on the power cable and pulled the cable back through from the battery to just under the front seat. The route had to
the hole. Presto! be as direct as possible!
The radio itself would go under the driver’s seat. I might Connecting the coax to the antenna was a real challenge
point out that the FT-900 seems to be a very nice radio and since I was working completely in the blind and had chosen to
that I am a staunch Yaesu fan, but this rig seems to have been use RG-214 double-shielded cable. To conform to good
designed by a committee. The cable that connects the control “imagineering” practices, I had placed the antenna mount as
head to the body is long enough to reach from the dash, out high as possible, just under the side molding—this would al-
the tailgate and connect to a radio dragging along on the ground low for minimum slant of the antenna. However, it meant that
the storage compartment above hid the entire assembly from
view.
Having placed terminals on the coax and one end of the
antenna ground strap, it took an exorbitant amount of time to
install them on the antenna mount’s screws and tighten the
lock washers and nuts. But I did it with no skinned knuckles.
Incidentally, I save old scraps of coax. The braid when stripped
off makes a good source for ground straps.
The other end of the antenna ground was attached to the
hole on the bracket that I had prepared. The coax was brought
forward around and under the rear seat and along the hump to
connect to the radio. I was also fortunate to find a nice unused
hole in one of the brackets that bolt the driver’s seat to the car.
I ground a speck of paint off and tested for ground continuity.

Notice the wall anchors installed in the dash.

You can see the oval boot through the firewall. With care and
patience you can just squeeze your wire through among
existing wires.

The FT-900 control head bracket and cable.

The control head in place. I don’t intend to leave it there Connecting the power cable to the battery was the easiest
because of the sun. It slides on and off very easily and fits in part—making absolutely sure to get the polarity right, of
the glove compartment. course.
68 February 2001
 The FT-900 slides right Zero ohms! Grinding some more paint off, I installed a ground-
under the driver’s seat.
ing strap from the radio chassis to the seat bracket.
The radio was placed on the floor under the seat. There is a
hump across the front of the floor that will prevent the rig
from sliding forward in a sudden stop.
The last chore was the installation of a remote speaker,
which, incidentally, connects to the control head—a nice touch.
I now dressed any cables that were around the dash to keep
them out of the way.
With the speaker mounted and the wires dressed, all that
remained was tuning the resonators.
Tune Up and Smoke Test
I borrowed an antenna analyzer and tuned the 80, 40, 15
and 20-meter resonators (I left the 10-meter “stinger” up to
the radio’s auto-tuner).
Then came the smoke test. I called CQ on 20 CW and
nabbed W8PBO in Ravenswood, West Virginia. I then slid up
to the SSB portion of the band and jumped in on the tail end of
QSO and got some good signal reports.
I’m back in the saddle again, working HF stations wher-
ever I travel. I’d recommend HF mobile to anyone—especially
to hams who suffer under antenna restrictions. You’d be sur-
prised at what you can do with a simple installation. You can
even work DX while making a quick trip to the convenience
store for a carton of milk!
Pick up a copy of the Your Mobile Companion by Roger
Burch, WF4N, and keep it handy as your guide (see your fa-
vorite dealer, or call the ARRL toll free at 1-888-277-5289).
Find a way to get your rig into the car—it can be done!—and
start having fun on the road.
225 Main St
Newington, CT 06111
The last chore was the installation of a remote speaker. [email protected]

Diamond GZV4000 switching dc power opened seven days after the closing post-
GOING ONCE, supply, serial number 00400788 (see mark date. In the case of equal high bids,
GOING TWICE... “Product Review,” September 2000 the high bid bearing the earliest postmark
QST). Minimum bid: $125. will be declared the successful bidder.
SOLICITATION FOR PRODUCT In your bid, clearly identify the item you
REVIEW EQUIPMENT BIDS Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium short- are bidding on, using the manufacturer’s
wave receiver, serial number
[In order to present the most objective reviews, name and model number, or other identifi-
58005002965 (see “Product Review,”
ARRL purchases equipment off the shelf from cation number, if specified. Each item re-
October 2000 QST). Minimum bid:
dealers. ARRL receives no remuneration from quires a separate bid and envelope. Ship-
$350. ping charges will be paid by ARRL. Please
anyone involved with the sale or manufacture
of items presented in the Product Review or Patcomm PC-16000A HF transceiver, include a daytime telephone number. The
New Products columns.—Ed] serial number 25070D0047 (see “Prod- successful bidder will be advised by tele-
uct Review,” December 2000 QST). phone or by mail. Once notified, confirma-
The ARRL-purchased Product Review Minimum bid: $650.
equipment listed below is for sale to the tion from the successful bidder of intent to
highest bidder. Prices quoted are minimum Patcomm PC-9000 HF/6-meter trans- purchase the item must be made within two
acceptable bids, and are discounted from ceiver with FM option, serial number weeks. No response within this period will
the purchase prices. All equipment is sold 04069C0026 (see “Product Review,” be interpreted as an indication of the win-
without warranty. November 1999 QST). Minimum bid: ning bidder’s refusal to complete the trans-
$350. action. The next highest bidder will then
Alinco DR-135TP VHF FM mobile have the option of purchasing the item. No
transceiver, serial number T000510 (see RadioShack HTX-245 dual-band FM
hand-held transceiver, serial number other notifications will be made, and no
“Product Review,” January 2001 QST). information will be given to anyone other
Minimum bid: $170. 0002509 (see “Product Review,” Octo-
than successful bidders regarding final
Alinco DM-330MV switching dc power ber 2000 QST). Minimum bid: $135.
price or identity of the successful bidder.
supply, serial number M0000797 (see RadioShack HTX-252 VHF FM mobile If you include a self-addressed, stamped
“Product Review,” September 2000 QST). transceiver, serial number 203257 (see postcard with your bid and you are not the
Minimum bid: $120. “Product Review,” December 2000 high bidder on that item, we will return the
AOR DDS-2A external local generator QST). Minimum bid: $120. postcard to you when the unit has been
(VFO+) for the Collins KWM-2 and S/ Sealed bids must be submitted by mail shipped to the successful bidder.
Line, serial number 00146 (see “Prod- and must be postmarked on or before March Please send bids to Bob Boucher, Prod-
uct Review,” January 2001 QST). Mini- 1, 2001. Bids postmarked after the closing uct Review Bids, ARRL, 225 Main St,
mum bid: $510. date will not be considered. Bids will be Newington, CT 06111-1494.
February 2001 69
 By H. Ward Silver, N0AX

Test Your Knowledge!

A winter’s basket of problems!
(1) You bought that slightly-used tower at the hamfest, but (6) Packing up for that mountaintop QRP trip, it’s time to
can you get it home? There are six straight sections weighing choose the batteries and the packs are almost full. From prior
50 pounds each, a top section that weighs 60, plus guying hard- experience, you know you’ll need 18 A/h of capacity. You
ware and cable that weigh another 120 pounds. Your trusty have gel-cell packs that are rated at 5 A/h and alkaline batter-
station wagon can haul 800 pounds, but you also bought three ies that are rated at 1.5 A/h and require a set of four in series
surplus tuning units that were “really good deals,” weighing to run the radio. The gel-cells weigh 12 ounces each and the
45 pounds each and taking up so much space that there’s only alkaline cells 2 ounces each. Which type of battery will do the
room for two sections and the hardware inside the car—well, job with the least pack weight?
mostly inside the car—and the roof rack is rated at just
200 pounds. You have two buddies who say they can each (7) There’s a problem in your buried run of RG-213 coax. At
haul a section for you. Are you in a pickle, or have you got it the cable input, the antenna analyzer shows a short circuit at
covered? 1.62 MHz and 3.24 MHz—none lower in frequency. How far
away is the problem? Is it likely a short circuit or an open
(2) The new software can be downloaded immediately, but it’s circuit?
an 8 MByte file. Can you get the job done before you have to
leave for work in 20 minutes? Your modem usually connects (8) According to a gray-line program, sunset for the
at 44 kbps and the software protocol generally transfers bytes DXpedition to the Isles of Langerhan occurs at 7:44 PM local
at one-tenth the bit rate. time and sunrise at 6:22 AM. Your sunset occurs at 8:15 PM
local time and sunrise at 5:50 AM. The expedition is 6 time
(3) Santa brought you a new rig that needs 14 A at 13.2 V. zones behind you. How long is the period of mutual darkness
Your existing 13.2-V power supply also runs equipment that in which you can try to work them on Top Band?
consumes 10, 25 and 55 W. If the existing supply is rated at 20
A, can it handle the load or is it time for a trip to the store?
Bonus: What three equal value resistors when combined in
(4) Your tribander is mounted on a short tower in the side yard, series give 450 Ω and in parallel 50 Ω?
but a second-story bedroom is only 10 feet away and 5 feet
below. Performing an RF safety evaluation shows that the
antenna should be at least 25 feet from living quarters. How
much should you raise the antenna to meet the separation re- Total Your Score!
quirements? What other options do you have to meet the safety Give yourself one point for each correct answer.
threshold?
7-9 Top of the class
4-6 Better check your calculator batteries
(5) There’s 15 minutes left in the ARRL DX contest and you 1-3 Try again!
are 5000 points short of the score you promised to the club.
Each QSO counts for 3 points. In your log are 386 QSOs with
a multiplier total of 192. Which is a better tactic: trying for 3 22916 107th Ave SW
new mults or 10 more QSOs? Vashon, WA 98070

CQ machine!
new QSOs will raise your score by 10 × 3 × 192 = 5760 points. Fire up the
Bonus: The answer is 3 × 50 = 150-Ω resistors. Three new multipliers are worth 1737 + 1743 + 1749 = 5229 points. Ten
hours and six minutes. Set the alarm clock for oh-dark-thirty and have at it! points × new multiplier total) – (old QSO points × old multiplier total) = 1737.
time and sunrise at 12:22 PM your time. Mutual darkness occurs for four (5) Working a contact that counts as a new multiplier is worth (new QSO
by adding six hours to their local time. Sunset on the island at 1:44 AM your when you’re on the air.
(8) First, convert the expedition’s sunset and sunrise times to your local time transmission duty cycle and making sure there is no one in the bedroom
propagation factor in cable with a solid polyethylene center insulator. will do the trick. Your other options include reducing power, reducing
1.62) × 0.66 = 122.2 meters or 401 feet, including the 66% velocity of the bedroom—17.9 feet higher than at present. Two more 10-foot sections
kHz and 2.43 MHz, respectively). The actual distance to the fault is (300 / separation, the tower will have to be √(252 – 102) = 22.9 feet higher than
short circuit at one-quarter and three-quarters wavelength distance. (810 (4) The current separation is √(102 + 52) = 11.2 feet. For 25 feet of
circuit frequencies would be three times the lower. An open is seen as a for a total load of 20.8 A. That’s too much for the old supply.
MHz. If the fault were an open-circuit, the higher of the two lowest short- (3) The existing gear requires a total current of (10 + 25 + 55) / 13.2 = 6.8 A
away from the analyzer at 1.62 MHz and one wavelength away at 3.24 better wait until after work.
octave apart, the fault is also a short circuit, located one-half wavelength An 8 MByte file will transfer in 8000 / 4.4 = 1818 sec = 30.3 min. You’d
(7) Because the frequencies at which the short circuits occur are an (2) The expected net byte transfer rate is 44 / 10 = 4.4 kbytes per second.
ounces. Clearly, the gel-cells are an easier haul. top section to one of your buddies and you’re home free! Drive safely!
= 12 packs each weighing 4 × 2 = 8 ounces per pack for a total of 96 the roof of your car, two more sections and the hardware inside. Give the
total of 48 ounces. Using alkaline cells in groups of four requires (18 / 1.5) plus the tuning units are 135 for a total of 615 pounds. Put four sections on
(6) You’ll need four gel-cell packs to satisfy the 18 A/h requirement for a (1) The total weight of all the tower gear is 6 × 50 + 60 + 120 = 480 pounds,
Answers

70 February 2001
 SHORT TAKES

Array Solutions Swinging-Gate Side Mount

At the 1999 Dayton Hamvention, I noticed that Array So- The swinging
lutions had a few of their new “swinging gate” tower side gate mount
and Yagi
mounts on display. By summertime, when it was time to im- (middle
prove my station antennas, I knew I needed one. portion of
The swinging-gate side mount is intended to be used for side photo)
mounting antennas on Rohn 25-45-55 towers. Depending on the completely
installed on
placement of the elements on the antenna you wish to use, you the tower.
can get almost 300° of rotation. The mount looks much like a
gate with one side close to the tower while the other swings
about two feet outward (and most of the way around the tower).
Heavy Metal
The side mount comes packaged in two very heavy card-
board boxes. My first reaction was that it was heavier than the
4-element 20-meter Yagi I was about to haul up the tower—
and it is. The actual weight of the assembly is 85 pounds. (In
Dayton I saw one fall over and hit someone’s leg pretty hard.
Ouch!) The gate seemed much sturdier than the Rohn 25 tower
I was going to install it on, so I assume the assembly will handle
even heavier antennas. The entire side mount is made of thick
galvanized steel and should last a very long time.
Assembly was reasonably straightforward—though a couple
of U-bolt saddles were missing from the package. They were
replaced by Array Solutions within a few days. I also had to
use a small file to smooth out some of the galvanizing inside direction. (The mount includes a bearing for smooth opera-
two of the holes—a 10-minute job. I used two pieces of 2-inch tion.) When you’re satisfied that everything is operating nor-
schedule-80 pipe for the two short masts (about 4 feet long). mally, mount your antenna on the outside mast of the swing-
The top and bottom gate supports attach tightly to the tower ing gate. Again, you’ll want to make sure it turns freely from
(different hardware is supplied for the Rohn 45-55 model). end to end, and that you have it aligned correctly to match
Your rotator is attached to the lower mount of the gate itself. your rotator control box indication.
The mount is pre-drilled for the Tailtwister 6-hole pattern, Before you decide to buy a side mount, you’ll want to run
which is also compatible with the Ham IV rotator pattern. The some calculations to make sure the antenna you plan to install
bottom of the antenna mast on one side of the gate goes into will actually fit in the space available. Sometimes those guy
the top of the rotator. You’ll want to secure the bottom mount wires are closer than they look.
first and only loosely attach the top mount until the gate is in If you become really ambitious about using the side mount,
place. Rehearse this maneuver at the base of the tower so you there’s even a way to add additional brackets and longer masts.
won’t have to do it more than once when you’re finally in the In the end, you could actually have antennas installed from
air. Also, because the side mount does not allow you to turn the bottom of your tower all the way to the top. Contact Array
your antenna the full 360°, you’ll have to decide what direc- Solutions for more information.
tion you can live without and install the mount accordingly.
Once you have the mount attached and tightened down, try Conclusion
turning it with your rotator, making sure it turns freely in each Overall, I’m pleased with the Array Solutions swinging-
gate side mount. It gives me the extra flexibility of having a
separate rotatable antenna partway up my tower.
Manufacturer: Array Solutions, 350 Gloria Rd, Sunnyvale,
TX 75182; tel 972-203-2008; fax 972-203-8811; www.
arraysolutions.com/. $359.—Tom Frenaye, K1KI

STRAYS
CRYSTAL RADIO DX CONTEST
◊ The third annual International “Elmer Memorial” Crystal Ra-
dio DX Contest will take place from 1200 UTC on Friday,
February 16 to 1200 UTC on Sunday February 25. Contest rules
are available on line at www.thebest.net/wuggy/. You can also
obtain a copy of the rules by sending a self-addressed, stamped
envelope to: Crystal Radio DX Contest, c/o O. Pool, WB4LFH,
The gate and mounting brackets awaiting assembly. 216 Hermitage Way, St Simon Island, GA 31522.
February 2001 71
 THE HELP DESK

The Art of Soldering

Soldering is used in nearly every phase of electronic con- The two key factors in quality soldering are time and tem-
struction. A soldering tool must be hot enough to do the job perature. Generally, rapid heating is desired, although most
and lightweight enough for agility and comfort. A 100-W sol- unsuccessful solder jobs fail because insufficient heat has been
dering gun is overkill for printed-circuit work, for example. A applied. Be careful; if heat is applied too long, the compo-
temperature-controlled iron works well, although the cost is nents or PC board can be damaged, the flux may be used up
not justified for occasional projects. Get an iron with a small and surface oxidation can become a problem. The soldering-
conical or chisel tip. iron tip should be hot enough to readily melt the solder with-
You may need an assortment of soldering irons to do a wide out burning, charring or discoloring components, PC boards
variety of soldering tasks. They range in size from a small or wires. Usually, a tip temperature about 100°F above the
25-W iron for delicate printed-circuit work to larger 100 to solder melting point is about right for mounting components
300-W sizes used to solder large surfaces. Several manufac- on PC boards. Also, use solder that is sized appropriately for
turers also sell soldering guns. Small “pencil” butane torches the job. As the cross section of the solder decreases, so does
are also available, with optional soldering-iron tips. the amount of heat required to melt it. Diameters from 0.025
Keep soldering tools in good condition by keeping the tips to 0.040 inches are good for nearly all circuit wiring.
well tinned with solder. Do not run them at full temperature Here’s how to make a good solder joint. This description
for long periods when not in use. After each period of use, assumes that solder with a flux core is used to solder a typical
remove the tip and clean off any scale that may have accumu- PC board connection such as an IC pin.
lated. Clean an oxidized tip by dipping the hot tip in sal am- ✔ Prepare the joint. Clean all conductors thoroughly with
moniac (ammonium chloride) and then wiping it clean with a fine steel wool or a plastic scrubbing pad. Do the circuit board
rag. Sal ammoniac is somewhat corrosive, so if you don’t wipe at the beginning of assembly and individual parts such as re-
the tip thoroughly, it can contaminate electronic soldering. sistors and capacitors immediately before soldering. Some
If a copper tip becomes pitted, file it smooth and bright and parts (such as ICs and surface-mount components) cannot be
then tin it immediately with solder. Modern soldering iron tips easily cleaned; don’t worry unless they’re exceptionally dirty.
are nickel or iron clad and should not be filed. ✔ Prepare the tool. It should be hot enough to melt solder
The secret of good soldering is to use the right amount of applied to its tip quickly (half a second when dry, instantly
heat. Many people who have not soldered before use too little when wet with solder). Apply a little solder directly to the tip
heat, dabbing at the joint to be soldered and making little sol- so that the surface is shiny. This process is called “tinning”
der blobs that cause unintended short circuits. the tool. The solder coating helps conduct heat from the tip to
the joint.
The secret of good soldering is to use the right ✔ Place the tip in contact with one side of the joint. If you
amount of heat. Many people who have not can place the tip on the underside of the joint, do so. With the
soldered before use too little heat, dabbing at tool below the joint, convection helps transfer heat to the joint.
the joint to be soldered and making little solder ✔ Place the solder against the joint directly opposite the sol-
blobs that cause unintended short circuits. dering tool. It should melt within a second for normal PC con-
nections, within two seconds for most other connections. If it
Solders have different melting points, depending on the ratio takes longer to melt, there is not enough heat for the job at hand.
of tin to lead. Tin melts at 450°F and lead at 621°F. Solder ✔ Keep the tool against the joint until the solder flows
made from 63% tin and 37% lead melts at 361°F, the lowest freely throughout the joint. When it flows freely, solder tends
melting point for a tin and lead mixture. Called 63-37 (or eu- to form concave shapes between the conductors. With insuffi-
tectic), this type of solder also provides the most rapid solid- cient heat solder does not flow freely; it forms convex shapes—
to-liquid transition and the best stress resistance. blobs. Once solder shape changes from convex to concave,
Solders made with different lead/tin ratios have a plastic remove the tool from the joint.
state at some temperatures. If the solder is deformed while it ✔ Let the joint cool without movement at room tempera-
is in the plastic state, the deformation remains when the sol- ture. It usually takes no more than a few seconds. If the joint
der freezes into the solid state. Any stress or motion applied is moved before it is cool, it may take on a dull, satin look that
to “plastic solder” causes a poor solder joint. is characteristic of a “cold” solder joint. Reheat cold joints
Never use acid-core solder for electrical work. It should be until the solder flows freely and hold them still until cool.
used only for plumbing or chassis work. For circuit con- ✔ When the iron is set aside, or if it loses its shiny appear-
struction, only use fluxes or solder-flux combinations that are ance, wipe away any dirt with a wet cloth or sponge. If it
labeled for electronic soldering. remains dull after cleaning, tin it again.
The resin or the acid is a flux. Flux removes oxide by ✔ Soldering equipment gets hot! Be careful. Treat a
suspending it in solution and floating it to the top. Flux is not soldering burn as you would any other. Handling lead or
a cleaning agent! Always clean the work before soldering. Flux breathing soldering fumes is also hazardous. Observe these
is not a part of a soldered connection—it merely aids the sol- precautions to protect yourself and others:
dering process. After soldering, remove any remaining flux. ✔ Properly ventilate the work area. If you can smell fumes,
Resin flux can be removed with isopropyl or denatured alco- you are breathing them.
hol. A cotton swab is a good tool for applying the alcohol and ✔ Wash your hands after soldering, especially before han-
scrubbing the excess flux away. Commercial flux-removal dling food.
sprays are available at most electronic-part distributors. ✔ Minimize direct contact with flux and flux solvents.

72 February 2001
 By Leonard Kay, K1NU, and Jim Idelson, K1IR

Raise Your Tower Without

Breaking Ground!
Want to know what your new tower and beam will look like before
you start construction? Want the neighbors and the local zoning
authorities to know, too? Put your best foot forward with today’s
digital imaging technology.

“I t’ll be ugly!” “You’ll see it from everywhere!” “It’s

gonna be twice as tall as the trees!” Sound familiar? If
you’re thinking about putting up a tower, you may have
already heard similar outbursts from members of your local
zoning board, from irate neighbors—or even from your spouse! Figure 1—
After all, not everyone considers a gleaming steel column (aka Typical Yagi
antenna support structure), with its cap of aluminum sparkling and tower
“sprites.”
in the sunshine, a beauty to behold.
But by using modern digital image-editing techniques, you
and your neighbors can see exactly how your tower will look—
whether beauty or beast—before you ever break ground.
Today’s computing technology has put the ability within reach
of just about everyone. Such an “artist’s rendering” might be
just the thing your zoning board needs to lean its decision in
your direction. It might also convince your spouse that your
new tower might be a thing of beauty after all.
In this article you’ll learn the basics of illustrating your
proposed tower installation and take a look at several
examples—comparing them to the actual installations—
that show just how accurate “simulated antenna installations”
can be!
What You’ll Need
• A digitized picture of the proposed site—taken with a
digital camera or a scan of a conventional photo. In either case,
make sure the resolution is as high as possible.
• A computer running a “capable” image-editing
application. That is, one that supports advanced techniques
such as “cloning,” transparent pixels, color processing,
filtering, etc. Most image-editing applications that come
packaged with processed film or with digital cameras do not
have the needed functionality. Some popular titles that have
plenty of power include Adobe PhotoShop, LView Pro, Paint
Shop Pro and Image Composer. Figure 2—Important distances and angles.
February 2001 73
 Tools for Effective Digital Imaging
Image Capture
Whether your digital images come directly from a digital camera
or from scanned-in photos, they need to be of sufficient resolu-
tion to minimize pixellation (graininess) in the final picture. An
absolute minimum for scanners is 240 dpi
(dots per inch), with 300 dpi strongly recommended. For digital
cameras, we recommend at least a 2 to 3 megapixel model.
Image Manipulation
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some of the
more common packages. Check the ‘Professional’ section of
your local software store or search on the Internet for phrases
like ‘graphics editing software’ for more.
• Adobe PhotoShop or PhotoShop LE (available at software
stores). Windows and Mac versions.
Figure 3A—K1NU’s “before” picture. • LViewPro (shareware, www.lview.com). Windows only.
• Microsoft Image Composer (comes with FrontPage 98 and
some versions of Windows). Windows only.
• Color-It! (www.microfrontier.com). Mac only.
Printing the Image
If you choose to print your own, we recommend at least a 600-
dpi color inkjet or 300 dpi laser printer. Better than printing
yourself is a local camera or photo shop that will take your digital
image file (on floppy disk or CD) and directly produce a photo
quality print. Check your local Yellow Pages; many shops now
offer this service. On-line services also exist, such as
www.ofoto.com (highly recommended).
Hardware Requirements
When using the Image Capture recommendations above, your
picture file size will be on the order of 1-2 Mbytes. For your
editing software to process such an image real-time at a reason-
able speed, we recommend the following as a minimum hard-
ware configuration: 266 MHz Pentium II (PC) or 300 MHz Power
PC (Mac) CPU, 32 MB of RAM, and a 1GB hard drive. Slower
Figure 3B—K1NU’s tower site simulation. Note the CPUs and less RAM will probably work, but will be sluggish.
disappearing hickory tree!

each picture (a window, a door frame or a small tree, perhaps).

Be sure to allow enough vertical space to put your whole tower
in the picture!
• Scan your photos or import your digital camera images.
• Launch your image-editing software and load a “before”
picture.
• If your tower installation will require the removal of trees
or other items in the picture, here’s your chance to practice
your digital airbrushing. Use your image-editing software to
“erase” the undesirable trees, etc, replacing them with pieces
of the sky (or background) taken from nearby parts in the
picture. Blend where necessary.
Building your Tower
• Once the picture’s background is ready it’s time to insert
Figure 3C—K1NU’s actual installation. the tower. Do this by first making a separate tower object or
“sprite.” You have two choices here: (1) Photograph and scan
an actual tower section (shot against a solid contrasting
• Some glossy paper for printing photo-quality images from background) and “clean it up” using your image editing software,
your inkjet printer. Most computer paper and printer manu- making the background pixels transparent where necessary. This
fac-turers make such paper, which can be found at office supply gives the most realistic look to your final result. Or you can (2)
stores. build up a tower image from gray lines and boxes, using a dull
gray (remember, you want to show everyone how unobtrusive it
Preparing the ‘Before’ Picture is!). Be creative. K1NU made “tower section” objects for Rohn
• The first step in the overall process is producing a “before” 25 and 45 that can be “stacked” to build a tower of any desired
picture of the proposed tower site. Take several shots from the height. Don’t worry about the actual size—as long as the tower
various angles at which the tower is likely to be viewed. Be itself is properly proportioned. We’ll scale it later.
sure to note the distance between the tower site and the camera • Similarly, make an antenna object from gray lines of
(for each photo). In addition, make sure you know the precise various widths or a scanned image. Choose an azimuth angle
dimensions of at least one “benchmark” object appearing in to minimize surface area. Simply draw a boom and add
74 February 2001
 Figure 4C—Compare this shot of K1IR’s
actual antennas to the simulation in
Figure 4B.
Figures 4A—K1IR’s “before” image. Figure 4B—The K1IR simulation.

elements. Again, don’t worry about the actual size; we’ll adjust Save your work often while creating the image. You may
the scale later. Figure 1 shows a typical tower object and a want to go back to an intermediate version!
simple three-element HF Yagi.
Results
Assembling your Tower Figures 3A, 3B and 3C show the “before,” “simulation”
We’re almost done. All that remains is a bit of mathematics. and “after” views of K1NU’s installation. In the “before”
Before we paste the tower and antenna objects onto the picture, the tower site required the removal of a 75-foot hickory
background, we have to make sure they’re the right size. tree, so in preparing the “after” picture we had to “airbrush”
• Using the known size of the “benchmark” object you the entire tree before adding the tower. Figure 3B shows the
previously identified—and by counting the number of pixels simulation. Note that the large treetop behind the tower is
in its image—determine the scale of the “before” picture near missing! Figure 3C is a recent photo.
the tower site in pixels per foot. See Figure 2. As it turned out, the pictures were never needed at K1NU’s
• Now paste the tower sprite into the picture. Make sure permit hearing. Although Len encountered minimal opposition
you use a new “layer” in your image-editing software so you during the permit process, no one challenged his installation
can change, move and/or delete the tower sprite. Zoom in to on aesthetics and the permit was granted as requested. But
the proper size using the pixel-per-foot scale you just calcu- Len was prepared—and the pictures did help on the home front.
lated and the known size of the tower. For example, if you Len’s wife is wonderfully supportive of Amateur Radio.
determined that the “before” picture has 30 pixels per foot and Nonetheless, she was pleased to see that the tower was, in fact,
you are trying to insert a 60-foot tower, scale the tower image not twice as tall as the trees.
so it’s 1800 pixels tall (60 feet × 30 pixels per foot). Figures 4A, 4B and 4C show similar views of K1IR’s
• Now do the same with the antenna. Be sure to account for installation. These simulations were extremely important in
the Pythagorean theorem—the pixels-per-foot scale may be several public hearings. The zoning board of appeals
significantly different near the top of the tower! Again, see scrutinized the simulated views and permitted the public to
Figure 2. view them as well. One board member jokingly asked if it
• Save the “after” picture and either print it on glossy paper would be possible to simply build a simulated station designed
or use a digital photo printing service (see sidebar). Print it to to operate using the simulated antenna support structure! After
match the same physical size as the “before” picture for a true much public comment and extended deliberation, the permit
“apples to apples” comparison. was granted! When the permit was up for renewal 12 months
• If desired, repeat the process for other “before” pictures later, photos of the actual installation were compared to the
(here’s where creating the separate tower and antenna images simulations. The board was quite proud of its decision.
comes in handy) or other proposed “after” pictures.
After the job is completed and you like your results, you Conclusion
might want to compress the images to a single layer and save Seeing is believing, and by creating simulated views of your
the composite image in JPEG (or other standard) format for proposed antenna support structures, you can defuse the
use in other tower-related documents. potentially tense situations that result from fear of the unknown
(or fear of giant ham towers). The simulations, as obvious as
Other Issues they are, give everyone concerned something tangible to look
What about guy wires? After exper-imenting with this at, analyze and feel good about.
technique, we chose not to include guy wires in these Good luck!
simulations. It turns out that even at the minimum thickness
of one pixel, a simulated guy wire would still be much too
thick, representing an actual guy wire that’s an inch or more
32 Bradley Rd 96 Morse Rd
across! In reality, even a 3/ 16-inch guy wire becomes nearly Andover, MA 01810 Sudbury, MA 01776
invisible at a distance of roughly 100 feet. www.k1nu.com [email protected]
February 2001 75
 SHORT TAKES

Logikey K-3 Memory Keyer

Just what the world needs. Another CW memory keyer. Both
of my HF radios have built-in keyers, and I use my computer
to send CW for contesting. With all of that capability already
available, the Logikey K-3 by Idiom Press would have to of-
fer something special to earn a spot on my operating table.
After using it for several months, I think it does.
The K-3’s layout is deceptive. There are six pushbuttons
across the cabinet top and a single knob labeled SPEED on the
front panel. That’s it. It’s not until you read the manual and
play with the K-3 for a while that you appreciate all it can do.
The layout is simple because you program the keyer using
Morse code commands sent by paddle. You can ask for cur- incrementing the serial number. You can program a pause or
rent keyer settings and program or change functions. More on suspend a message to insert text sent from the paddle. You can
this in a moment. program a message to call another message. You can speed up
or slow down various pieces of a message or make slight ad-
Keyer Functions justments to inter-character or inter-word spacing to make copy
At the most basic level, the K-3 is an iambic keyer with easier (for example, to spread out a call sign like K5SES).
speeds from 5 to 60 WPM. The speed control is nice and lin-
ear and the speed is easy to control, but I just don’t need the Making it Play
highest or lowest speeds for my normal operating. So I changed To use the keyer you’ll need a paddle and cable, a 12-V dc
it to 15 to 40 WPM using one of the function commands. It’s supply and power cable, and a cable to the key jack on your
easy: Press and release the two left-hand buttons. The K-3 re- transceiver. RadioShack had everything, but a cable set (model
sponds by sending “F” in Morse code. I respond with “R1540” HK-3) is available. The K-3 doesn’t have an on-off switch,
sent from the paddle and now I have a keyer that works from but current drain is so low when the keyer’s not in use that
15 to 40 WPM with a speed control that allows fine adjust- some operators just use a battery pack. There’s a 5-V regula-
ments within that range. If I want to know the exact speed, I tor built in, and six AA cells (9 V) work just fine.
press and release the two right-hand buttons to enter the in- The instruction manual is excellent. In addition to a full
quiry mode. The K-3 sends “?” and I respond with “S” from description of the functions and examples of how to use them,
the paddle. The K-3 sends one or two digits indicating the the manual offers a tutorial that’s broken into three very well
speed. It’s really quite clever, and it’s not hard to remember written sessions. The first session explores setup and basic
often-used functions. operation. By the end you can send CW and program mes-
The K-3 offers full control over keying characteristics. You sages. The second session gets into using the inquiry and func-
can enable automatic character spacing, set weighting, send a tion modes to set the keyer up for your tastes. The third lesson
continuous tone for transmitter tuning and turn the internal gets into embedded functions and more advanced features.
monitor on or off. If you operate full break-in (QSK) and your There are detailed explanations of the options, and you’re en-
transceiver truncates characters, you can use the “keying com- couraged to try everything and see what effect the various set-
pensation” function to improve the sound of your on-air CW. tings have. You can try anything you like and you won’t screw
There are also 10 options for setting keyer timing and dot and it up. When you’re done playing around, press pushbuttons 1-
dash memories. After playing with these options, I settled on 3-4-6 to return the K-3 to its default settings.
the defaults. I was impressed with the K-3. It’s helped me to improve
my CW sending, and its capabilities go well beyond anything
Memory Functions built into my transceivers. Although I use my contest soft-
The K-3 really shines in the memory department. You can ware for sending CW during the contest, I hook up the K-3 in
have either six memories of 255 characters each, or three banks parallel for manual sending when I’m not quick enough on the
of six memories for a total of 18 (85 characters each). What’s keyboard. The additional memories come in handy for varia-
really amazing is what you can do with the memories — a lot tions on the CQ and for times when I want to send the
more than just remember what you sent. Using “embedded exchange more slowly without stepping through a bunch of
functions” you can program a message to include a contest preset speeds in my software. If you’re serious about CW, take
serial number. Serial number options allow zeroes to be sent a close look at the K-3. If you like rolling your own and want
as “O” or “T,” nines to be sent as “N,” and suppression of to save some money, a K-3 partial kit (the CMOS Super Keyer
leading zeroes. If you have a broken contact or a dupe you III) is available. See the Idiom Press Web site for details.
don’t want to log, press the middle two buttons and the con- Manufacturer: Idiom Press, PO Box 1025, Geyserville, CA
test serial number is automatically backed off by one, so that 95441; www.idiompress.com. Suggested retail price: K-3,
you don’t need to reprogram the serial number generator. Other $129.95; HK-3, $10.95. Available directly from Idiom Press
options allow you to repeat a contest exchange without or from selected Amateur Radio dealers.

Mark Wilson, K1RO
QST Editor

76 February 2001
 SHORT TAKES

ChromaSound
I’ve been waiting for a software package like this one. I
knew it was just a matter of time. Figure 2—(After)
The ubiquitous PC sound cards have been slowly invading Now I’ve applied
a notch filter to
various niches of Amateur Radio, taking over functions that delete the lower
were once the exclusive domains of dedicated station accesso- of the two CW
ries. First the sound cards stormed into the digital front, elbow- signals.
ing their way past stand-alone multimode data processors and
doing RTTY, slow-scan TV, CW, PSK31 and more. It only
stands to reason that the next stand-alone station accessory to
be confronted by the sound-card invasion would be digital sig-
nal processing (DSP) audio processors.
Meet ChromaSound ChromaSound Specifications
ChromaSound is a DSP program for Windows that essen-
Sampling rate: 11,025 samples/second, 16-bit mono
tially allows your PC to do all of the things an outboard audio Dynamic range: 96 dB (maximum, depends on sound card)
processor can do—and more. Setup is simple—you route a Internal precision: 64-bit IEEE format floating-point
receive-audio cable from your transceiver to the MIC or LINE Latency (delay): 140 ms minimum (5-20 ms in DirectX version)
input of your sound card. That’s all there is to it. Filter Designer: 60 dB maximum attenuation, 100-Hz skirts
ChromaSound processes your audio and plays it back through DSP algorithms: FIR, ALE, LMS, FFT, some proprietary
your computer speakers. Think of your receive audio as a fire hose Filter phase-response: Linear phase, MA type
spewing what you want to hear, along with a lot of what you don’t. Win32 contexts: 2 processes, 6 threads total in current version
With ChromaSound you can custom design audio filters to en-
hance the sounds you want to hear while rejecting everything else.
You can design high-pass, low-pass, band-pass and band-reject Great for CW and Phone Operators
filters of your liking. Creating a filter with ChromaSound is so ChromaSound works especially well with CW signals, which
easy, anyone could do it. You just select the filter type you want, is not surprising since DSP techniques can create some very
then click and drag your mouse cursor to adjust the filter skirts and sharp filters. ChromaSound is capable of creating filters as nar-
attenuation. You can even add various levels of noise reduction. row as 100 Hz with remarkably vertical skirts. I was able to set
The process of creating filters is actually fun. I found myself the software up to allow a specific CW signal through the filter
running around the bands, sampling various signals and apply- to the exclusion of virtually everything else. The only drawback
ing the ChromaSound filtering. You can see some examples in is the latency of the DSP. This means that there is a slight delay
the accompanying images. (Figures 1 and 2 show a “before and between the time the receive audio reaches your sound card and
after” comparison test.) If you create a filter profile that you the time the processed result actually reaches your speakers.
want to save (an SSB filter that you think is ideal, for instance), The delay is only about 140 ms, but that is enough to be discon-
you can slide your mouse cursor from the filter screen to the certing if you are listening to your radio and your speakers si-
array of “buttons” below. Release the cursor over a blank but- multaneously. The delay can also make tuning difficult, so I
ton and ChromaSound will prompt you to enter a label name. found it was easiest to tune the radio to the desired signal first,
Once you’ve done this, the filter is saved for future use. then turn down the rig volume and crank up the PC speakers.
ChromaSound also comes with pre-design filters for various The benefit of narrow filtering aren’t quite as profound with
modes that you can select by clicking on the buttons. SSB signals, but it is still impressive. If you tighten up the
ChromaSound audio filter a little, then add some de-noising,
the audio quality suffers, but the intelligibility increases.
Computer Requirements
ChromaSound demands a fair amount of processor muscle,
so you’ll need a 200-MHz Pentium or better for best results
running Windows 95/98/ME. You also need a 16-bit full-
duplex sound card, but most modern sound cards meet this
Figure 1—(Before)
Two CW signals, requirement. I used a 266-MHz system for this review.
both within the ChromaSound is the first of what may be a long line of
842-Hz filter I’ve sound-card DSP software products for audio processing.
set up.
ChromaSound gives you performance that rivals outboard
hardware audio processors, but at a substantially lower price.
Manufacturer: Silicon Pixels. ChromaSound is shareware
and a demo can be downloaded free at www.siliconpixels.com.
Registration cost is $50.

Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Managing Editor

February 2001 77
 HINTS & KINKS
MORE HARDLINE CONNECTORS process. This essentially threads the foam to make sure the
◊ The aftermath of “Ice Storm 98” has left the North Country finished fitting will go all the way onto the hardline.
with an abundance of 75 Ω hardline that may be used by hams Now, put the remaining nut and ferrule on the hardline, then
as a good low-loss antenna feed line. The problem is: “How screw the fitting with the union attached onto the hardline until
do we put a PL-259 fitting on it?” it is tight against the jacket. Slide the ferrule into place, slide
This technique has worked well for me. (Please refer to Fig- the nut up and tighten it until the union securely grips the
ure 1.) Go to your local hardware store and purchase a 1/2×1/ 2 hardline. (You may want to put on a bit of co-al jelly for dis-
compression union normally used on copper tubing. Inside the similar metals to prevent corrosion.) Connect hardline to fixed
union is a concentric shoulder that positions it on the tubes to equipment through a short piece of coax for flexibility.
be joined. Remove the nuts and ferrules from both ends, clamp I have had 125 feet of this hardline running (buried) to my
union body in a vise and drill a 1/2-inch hole through the shoul- vertical antenna for nearly two years and it works great!—Edwin
der inside the body to clear a 1/2-inch path all the way through N. Patience, KA2GHO, 24978 Ny St Rt 26, Redwood, NY 13679
the union. Place one nut and a ferrule onto the rear of a PL-259
(with the barrel on the connector). Assemble the connector, fer- MORE SCHEMATIC DRAWING SOFTWARE
rule and nut onto one end of the union and tighten the nut leav- ◊ CadSoft produces EAGLE, a schematic/PC-board-layout pro-
ing just enough space so the connector barrel can wiggle a bit. gram. They have a Web site (www.cadsoftusa.com) and offer
Then solder just a bit of the connector body to the union for a freeware trial versions of their software for DOS and Windows.
good electrical connection. I took a quick look at the Windows version. It appears to be of
Use a tubing cutter to cut through the aluminum jacket of the German origin, and it has been around since at least 1995. It
hardline in two places: 3/ 4-inch from the end and 7/8-inch back uses European schematic styles (rectangular blocks for resis-
from that cut. Then cut a lengthwise slit through the jacket of tors and a single horizontal line for the ground symbol), but the
these two pieces. (I used a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel for program offers the ability to construct your own symbols. The
this operation.) Pry the slit open slightly with a screwdriver and program also allows the use of scripts and if you’re fluent in C,
remove the two pieces of aluminum jacket. Next, carefully cut you evidently can do some program customization.
through the foam dielectric at the 3/4-inch cut and remove that The freeware version is limited to one schematic page and
piece of foam, being careful not to nick the center conductor. a PC board size of something like 4×3.5 inches, but that should
Now, remove the barrel from a PL-259 connector and screw be sufficient for many who build small projects. For current
the connector onto the foam dielectric until it touches the alu- prices, visit their Web site or contact the US distributor:
minum jacket (it is difficult), then remove it by reversing the CadSoft Computer, Inc, 801 S Federal Hwy, Delray Beach,
FL 33483-5185; tel 1-800-858-8355, 561-274-8355, fax 561-
274-8218; www.cadsoftusa.com; [email protected];
[email protected].
TurboCAD 4.0 and later (a generic CAD program) has some
nice electrical symbol libraries, but I doubt that it’s as well
integrated as dedicated schematic-capture/PC-board-layout
programs. A free download version of TurboCAD 2D V6 is
available from the IMSI Web site.1
Circad is a schematic-capture/PC-board-generation pack-
age with autorouting, netlists, etc. Holophase Inc (www.
holophase.com) offers free size-limited downloads of Circad
in 32-bit Windows and 16-bit MS-DOS versions (www.
Figure 1— holophase.com/dleval.htm). Although it’s not readily appar-
Details of ent at the Holophase home page, there’s a CIRCAD Library
KA2GHO’s Exchange Project page (www.holophase.com/libexproj.htm)
hardline/
PL-259 from which user-generated libraries can be downloaded.
connector. Holophase encourages user library exchanges.
If one is not concerned with creating net lists, PC boards,
and so on, just about any CAD program can be used to draw
schematics, but they’ll likely lack the smoothness of dedicated
programs.—Paul Pagel, N1FB, ARRL Staff
◊ Free schematic drawing software can be found at
hometown.aol.com/KQ6QV/index.html. The program, which
I wrote, can be downloaded in a few minutes. Enjoy!—Ken
Nist, KQ6QV, 22001 Scenic Heights Wy, Saratoga, CA 95070;
[email protected]
1
IMSI Corporate Headquarters, 75 Rowland Wy, Novato, CA 94945;
tel 415-878-4000, fax 415-897-2544; www.turbocad.com.

Bob Schetgen, KU7G
Senior Assistant Technical Editor

78 February 2001
◊ I saw the December hint about schematic drawing software. office97std/Update/1/WIN98/EN-US/draw98.exe—Ed.)
I use the drawing facility of Microsoft Word97. The later ver- Figure 2 is a little sketch I made some time ago that was
sions of MS-Word have a pretty good drawing package and used to describe a temporary construction power arrangement.
most folks that have purchased computers in the last couple of Figure 3 is a small symbol library.2 Notice that the sample is
years have Word. (This is Draw98; Office97 users can upgrade not an electronics drawing but the principles are the same. You
to Draw98 from download.microsoft.com/download/ can create your own symbol library with capacitors, transis-
2
tors and so on. I am an electrical engineer (power) and these
This symbol file has been added to SCHEMAT.ZIP as DRAW98.DOC.
You can download this package from the ARRL Web at are some of the symbols I used most often. A professional
www.arrl.org/files/qst-binaries/. draftsperson I am not.
Start by opening MS-Word. I find that using a 200% or 300%
Zoom factor, you can nudge the symbols into line effectively.
Be sure to set the GRID command so the objects are snapped
to each other. (If you don’t do this, you will have one heck of
a time.) Open the symbol library file. Leave the library image
displayed and click on FILE NEW to get a new page in front of
you. (As you probably know if you use Word, you can cas-
cade the two files—or you can switch between the files by
clicking on WINDOW.) Click on VIEW TOOLBARS, DRAWING
to get the drawing toolbar on the screen. To make a line, select
the line tool by clicking on the line button (to the right of
AUTOSHAPES, indicated by a line segment). Next, click on
the page where you want the line to begin and drag the line to
where you want it to end. Right click on the line (or any other
object) and click FORMAT AUTOSHAPE. Then, you can set the
line width of the object.
The Draw98 Help file is fair, but most of the commands
are intuitive. Text boxes can be created, moved, resized and
the text font can be changed. The SNAP function is good, but
if you look closely at Figure 2, you will find some disjointed
lines and symbols.
When I start a drawing, I throw all symbols that I think I
might need in the corner of my clean sheet and then drag them
around or copy/paste them where I need them. I was trained
on AutoCAD; it is an expensive (but good) program. When I
worked in the field at construction sites, however, I did not
always have AutoCAD program available. Word is, for better
or worse, usually available. Drawings are printed in the same
way as a text document. By the way, Draw98 is also acces-
sible from Excel, the spreadsheet program.
Earlier versions of Draw were—in my opinion—very un-
stable and in general, very primitive. I struggled with it on an
Figure 2—A sample diagram drawn with Microsoft’s Draw98 overseas project where I had to make some sketches and was
facility of Office97. very unhappy. My employer later upgraded with later versions
of Word and the new versions were much improved. One func-
tion that is very helpful is GROUP. Using the “select” arrow
on the draw toolbar, you can enclose several objects and group
them together. Sometimes I will make an entire section of a
drawing, group it, copy it, move it, ungroup it and modify it.
(That’s a trick I learned with AutoCAD.)—John Hudelson,
K5DL, PO Box 21, Carmine, TX 78932-0021; [email protected]
KLM KT-34XA ANTENNA BOOM/MAST COUPLER
FAILURE
◊ My KT-34XA antenna had been up for about 10 years
here in north Texas. Sometime during the night of May 5, the
3
/ 16-inch aluminum boom-to-mast coupler plate failed com-
pletely (See Figures 4 and 5). Saturday morning when I went
out to go somewhere, I heard a strange noise from the direc-
tion of my antenna. I looked up—and gulped!! The antenna
was hanging by the boom-truss guys and had flipped on its
side (Figure 6). It was also swinging wildly back and forth in
the high winds we were having that day. I managed to remove
the U-bolts and what was left of the plate from the mast and
boom. Then I tied the boom to the mast with some rope and a
heavy chain. I also stuck a piece of fence pipe through the
Figure 3—A simple Draw98 symbol file. tower next to the rotator, angled it upward and secured the
February 2001 79
Figure 4—Shards of
the broken boom-to-
mast mounting plate.

Figure 7—W1HQ’s 2-meter transceiver with several

modifications to aid those with poor muscle control. The PTT
paddle is on the far side of the mic. The red LED is visible on
the mike’s near side. Hook-and-loop material secures the
mic on the side of the radio, and a toothpick makes the
volume control more manageable.

aluminum plate to make a new coupler (notice that I doubled

the thickness). In addition, when I rotated the antenna back to
horizontal, I found one-inch hole worn through the bottom of
the boom where it had been rubbing on the broken coupler.—
David Cash, KC5UH, 2405 Kingston St, Arlington, TX 76015;
[email protected]
[It is critically important to periodically inspect antennas and their
hardware. Ten years is an acceptable life from a part such as this
because aluminum is subject to failure from fatigue. I know of a
Figure 5—A close-up view of cracks in the failed mounting bicycle mechanic who recommends retiring aluminum bicycles after
plate. five years, lest the frame fail.—Ed.]
Here are some hints from 40-years-past Hints and Kinks Editor Laird
Campbell. All of these hints can be seen in Figure 7.—Ed.

AN EASY MIKE HANGER

◊ My brother added a strip of “industrial-strength” hook-and-loop
tape to the back of my microphone. He then put a much larger
piece of the mating half of the tape on the side of my radio. The
mic hangs there with the lightest of pressure. With this technique
it’s easy to put a mic mount on any convenient surface.
PUSH-TO-TALK PADDLE
◊ Due to difficulties with my manual dexterity, I find it difficult
to press the PTT switch on my mic. My friend Jim, W5GAF,
cemented half of a medical tongue depressor on the PTT button.
This paddle provides a larger surface that I can more easily handle.
A VOLUME-KNOB HANDLE
◊ I also have difficulty grasping and turning small rotary panel
controls. Jim glued a toothpick to the end of the knob. Now I
Figure 6—KC5UH’s KT-34A hangs on its truss wires after the can extend a finger and easily control the volume.
ancient mounting plate failed.
DISTANT PANEL LIGHTS
◊ When the panel lights burned out on my rig. I couldn’t tell
boom to it with wire. This kept the antenna from swinging to whether the power was off or on. Since there’s power in the
self-destruction. mic for the DTMF pad, Jim attached a red LED on the side of
I am lucky that the antenna had a boom truss—only that the mic. This makes it easy for me to see when the power is
kept it from crashing down into the trees and onto the roof of on.—Laird Campbell, W1HQ, Ware Memorial Care Center,
my house. KT-34 antennas don’t have trusses because their 400 W 14th, Rm 240, Amarillo, TX 79101
booms are shorter, but I’m guessing that they use a similar Hints and Kinks items have not been tested by QST or the ARRL unless
mounting plate. otherwise stated. Although we can’t guarantee that a given hint will work
Hams who have KLM KT-34 or KT-34XA antennas should for your situation, we make every effort to screen out harmful information.
Send technical questions directly to the hint’s author.
inspect their coupler plates—especially if they live in high- QST invites you to share your hints with fellow hams. Send them to
wind areas. Figures 4 through 6 show the broken coupler plate “Attn: Hints and Kinks” at ARRL Headquarters (see page 10), or via e-
and the antenna hanging sideways. mail to [email protected]. Please include your name, call sign, com-
plete mailing address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address
Luckily, my employer does quite a bit of aluminum work, on all correspondence. Whether praising or criticizing an item, please
so I was able to get two pieces of 0.190-inch-thick T2024-T3 send the author(s) a copy of your comments.
80 February 2001
 PRODUCT REVIEW

ICOM IC-R3 Communications Receiver

Reviewed by Steve Ford, WB8IMY ing antenna, the screen showed nothing neighbor’s permission, of course!).
QST Managing Editor but snow. No surprises there. Without a Below the main and sub LCD displays,
When you unpack this little hand-held directional antenna you’d need to be prac- there is a row of four buttons. We’ve al-
receiver, your eyes are drawn immedi- tically on top on an ATV repeater to re- ready mentioned the POWER button.
ately to the 2-inch color TFT screen. De- ceive it. On the other hand, I was able to Above and to the right is the V/M/SKIP
spite the fact that the ’R3 offers cover- view FM TV picked up from a neighbor’s button, which is used to toggle between
age from 495 kHz to 2.450 GHz (816 to 900 MHz remote video link (with the VFO and memory modes, start the
902 MHz is blocked), the first thing most memory write process, adjust a memory
users want to do is watch TV! channel’s skip setting, register a fre-
Very well. Let’s watch TV. quency to be skipped while searching and
You press the green POWER button to edit the alphanumeric tags. The MODE /
bring up the radio, jab the > arrow on
▲

SET button is used to change the receive

the four-way front-panel switch (the user mode, change the step size and enter or
manual refers to this as the joystick) un- leave the SET mode. Finally, we have the
til you see channel numbers on the SQL/ATT button, which is used to open the
smaller monochrome sub LCD display squelch, set the squelch level, set the at-
then, while holding the FUNCtion button tenuator level and enable duplex receive.
on the side of the unit, press and hold the Even the VFO knob has several functions.
▲ arrow on the joystick. The color screen It is used to change the current VFO fre-
springs to life and you’re watching tele- quency, change the currently displayed
vision! I dialed up channel 3, which has memory bank and/or channel, and change
a strong signal in my area, and was the value of SET mode parameters.
treated to a crisp, colorful display. The
audio volume is adjusted easily enough At the Low End of the Spectrum
by tapping on the joystick button. The You can prowl the AM broadcast band
IC-R3 also sports a composite audio/ with the ’R3, or sample shortwave broad-
video output jack so that you can port the casts above 1700 kHz. The audio quality
signals to a much larger monitor if you is acceptable, within the limitations of its
become tired of the 2-inch image. compact 1-inch diameter speaker (much
The only thing that detracted from the better with headphones). Sensitivity and
otherwise excellent picture was a single selectivity was average if you use the tele-
red pixel in the display that was continu- scopic whip antenna. I plugged my HF
ously on. The pixel appeared as a longwire antenna into the ’R3 and, of
miniscule dot in the upper middle por- course, signal levels jumped consider-
tion of the screen. The dot wasn’t visible ably. So did the tendency for the receiver
all the time; it depended on the nature of to overload. Fortunately, ICOM had the
the image being displayed. For example, foresight to include the 4-step attenuator
the dot disappears into flesh tones, but is (6, 10, 15 and 30 dB). In all fairness, the
very obvious against a blue sky. A para- ’R3 is intended as a hand-held, portable
graph on the first page of the manual— receiver; it isn’t designed to perform like
under “Cautions”—explains that this is a tabletop unit when connected to an out-
not due to a malfunction or failure and is door antenna.
typical for displays of this type. Getting around the bands is a matter
In addition to broadcast television, you of selecting the desired frequency seg-
can watch amateur television (ATV) on ment with the joystick button, then spin-
the ’R3. The rig is capable of displaying ning the VFO knob. You can change the
FM or AM ATV. In this country, most Bottom Line tuning steps up to 1 or even 10 MHz to
ATV is AM, but the manual was written The ICOM IC-R3 communications
speed the process (the minimum tuning
under the assumption that all amateur TV receiver is more than just another step is 5 kHz). The faster you twist the
is FM. This can be a little confusing at scanner. With live video reception—of VFO knob, the faster you zip across the
first. Just make sure you read the instruc- broadcast and amateur television, and frequencies. A direct-entry keypad would
tions for “TV Frequency (AM TV) Re- short range RF-based video systems— have been a nice addition to the ’R3, al-
ceiving.” I tried the ’R3 on the output of ICOM opens up a new frontier for the though it would have definitely increased
a 70-cm ATV repeater located about 10 progressive wide spectrum scanner the size of the radio. Even so, the huge
enthusiast.
miles away, but with its 22-inch telescop- 400-memory capacity gives you the abil-

Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
Assistant Technical Editor

February 2001 81
 Table 1
ICOM IC-R3, serial number 01372
Manufacturer’s Claimed Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab
Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.5-816, 902-2450 MHz. As specified.
Modes of operation: FM, WFM, AM, AM-TV, FM-TV. As specified.
Power requirements: 0.73 A (maximum volume, TV on, 0.76 A (maximum volume, no signal), tested at 4.5 V dc.
4.5 V dc); 3.6-6.3 V dc.
Size (HWD): 4.7 × 2.4 × 1.3 inches; weight, 10.6 oz.
AM sensitivity (10 dB S/N): 0.5-5 MHz, 5-30 MHz, 1.0 µV; 10 dB S+N/N, 1-kHz tone, 30% modulation,
118-136 MHz, 0.8 µV; 1.4 µV; 222-330 MHz, 1.0 µV. 1.0 MHz, 1.0 µV; 3.8 MHz, 0.6 µV;
53 MHz, 0.56 µV; 120 MHz, 0.7 µV;
146 MHz, 0.65 µV; 440 MHz, 0.9 µV.
FM narrow sensitivity (12 dB SINAD): 1.6-5 MHz, 0.32 µV; FM narrow, 12 dB SINAD: 29 MHz, 0.25 µV; 52 MHz, 0.2 µV;
5-470 MHz, 0.25 µV; 470-800 MHz, 0.45 µV; 146 MHz, 0.28 µV; 223 MHz, 0.25 µV; 440 MHz, 0.35 µV;
800-2000 MHz, 0.56 µV; 2000-2300 MHz, 1.0 µV; 902 MHz, 0.55 µV; 1246 MHz, 0.43 µV; 2400 MHz, 1.1 µV.
2300-2450 MHz, 1.8 µV.
FM wide sensitivity (12 dB SINAD): 76-108 MHz, 100 MHz, 0.9 µV.
175-222 MHz, 1.0 µV; 470-770 MHz, 1.8 µV.
FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic range: Not specified. 20 kHz offset: 29 MHz, 44 dB; 52 MHz, 45 dB;
146 MHz, 52 dB*; 440 MHz, 47 dB*;
906 MHz, 47 dB*; 1246 MHz, 43 dB*.
At 10 MHz offset, 146 MHz, 56 dB;
440 MHz, 51 dB.
FM adjacent channel rejection: Not specified. 29 MHz, 60 dB; 52 MHz, 56 dB; 146 MHz, 52 dB;
440 MHz, 48 dB; 906 MHz, 47 dB; 1246 MHz, 46 dB.
Spurious and image rejection: Not specified. First IF rejection: 146 MHz, 38 dB; 440 MHz, 37 dB;
906 MHz, 65 dB; 1246 MHz, 91 dB; 2400 MHz, 69 dB;
image rejection: 146 MHz, 61 dB; 440 MHz, 37 dB;
902 MHz, 45 dB; 1246 MHz, 81 dB; 2400 MHz, 8 dB.
Squelch sensitivity (threshold): Not specified. At threshold: 29 MHz, 0.53 µV; 52 MHz, 0.41 µV;
146 MHz, 0.91 µV; 440 MHz, 1.3 µV; 906 MHz, 3.6 µV;
1246 MHz, 0.37 µV.
S-meter sensitivity: Not specified. S9: 52 MHz, 1.2 µV; 146 MHz, 2.5 µV; 440 MHz, 3.8 µV;
903 MHz, 9.7 µV; 1246 MHz, 0.95 µV.
Audio output: 100 mW at 10% THD into 8 Ω. 104 mW at 10% THD into 8Ω.
Except as noted, all dynamic range measurements were taken using the ARRL Lab standard spacing of 20 kHz.
*Measurement was noise limited at the value indicated.

ity to store just about every frequency the color display. In addition, you can the ’R3’s stock antenna. Connecting the
destination you’re likely to need. The ’R3 toggle a combination S meter/volume dis- radio to an outdoor groundplane antenna
also allows you to attach a 6-character play, a sweeping bandscope, or an inter- brought a marked increase in signals.
name to each memory channel for quick esting “direction finding” function that With the included antenna, the ’R3
reference. Without a keypad, however, temporarily displays and stores S meter offered average performance on the
entering the characters is a tedious, multi- readings (for about 5 seconds) as you 2-meter amateur band, and on public
step operation that involves hopping search for your target. Why the main dis- service frequencies between 148 and
through the alphabet with the VFO knob play is not made available below 30 MHz 450 MHz. The signals had to be moder-
and the joystick button. An optional cable is puzzling. ately strong to be listenable on the ’R3.
and Windows software kit is available for I found myself skipping and tuning For example, I was able to monitor lo-
programming the memories with your through a number of VHF, UHF and mi- cal police and fire communications
PC, but I wasn’t able to test this feature. crowave bands. Switching to FM, I moni- easily enough, but transmissions from
tored a couple of 6-meter amateur repeat- AMTRAK railroad units 10 miles
Back Above 30 MHz ers. FM broadcast reception was quite away—that I can usually hear on the ex-
The ’R3 really shines above 30 MHz be- good, but not in stereo, unfortunately. panded receive portion of my amateur
cause you can bring the main (color) screen AM aeronautical signals seemed a bit hand-held—were inaudible. The ’R3 was
into play as a multifunction display (below sparse, for some reason. Even the local air also unable to pick up the amateur FM
30 MHz, only the sub LCD is available). traffic-control frequencies were relatively repeater satellites UO-14 and AO-27
The frequencies are much easier to read on quiet. This could have been a function of when using its telescoping whip. The
82 February 2001
Figure 1—The IC-R3’s color TFT main display—available only Figure 2—The main display’s “Multi-function” screen adds
above 30 MHz—is capable of presenting a tremendous variety visual indications of the squelch setting, the signal strength
of information in several different formats and your choice of and the volume level to those shown on the “Simple screen.” In
eight background colors. This “Simple screen” displays just the this photo, the receiver is in the memory mode. Memories can
bare essentials. The sub LCD shows similar information when be assigned alphanumeric labels (“W1AW/R” in this example)
the main LCD is off. to aid identification.

outdoor groundplane antenna made a big Scanning into 8 banks with 50 channels each. In
difference in all of these instances. Scanning is one of the ’R3’s strong the memory scan mode you can breeze
As you’d expect, the higher I tuned in suits. At the most basic level you can opt through all of the memories, or only
frequency, the less activity I encountered. to scan the entire coverage range of the through the 50 within one of the banks.
In fact, I heard nothing above about 1200 radio, or only within the selected band. There is a skip function here, too. You
MHz. My microwave oven was able to The most useful scanning function for me can program the R3’s memory scan to
raise quite a racket on the radio, though! was the program scan where I specified jump over certain memory channels (ones
Speaking of racket, the ’R3 has a mul- the start and stop frequencies, and had the that are perpetually busy, for instance).
tifunction squelch control that goes a long ’R3 scan repeatedly between those two And like all good scanners, the ’R3 in-
way toward preserving your sanity. The points. You can program up to 25 pairs cludes a priority watch that allows you
squelch can be locked open, set to use one of stop and start frequencies in memory. to monitor one frequency for activity
of nine programmable levels or placed in If you keep encountering birdies or other while scanning through others.
“automatic mode.” If you are listening to unwanted signals during a scan, you can
weak signals that may not otherwise make lock out those annoyances with the fre- CTCSS Features
it past the squelch, you can use the SQL quency skip function. You can program the ’R3 to respond
button to force the squelch to remain open. The 400 memory channels are divided to specific subaudible tones (CTCSS)

Figure 3—The “Band scope” screen. This feature provides a plot Figure 4—The IC-R3 also offers a unique “Direction finding”
of signal strength versus frequency. The range of the sweep can feature. The signal strength versus time (in 0.3-second
be set to any of five values from 10 kHz to 1 MHz. The receiver intervals) is continuously plotted. Connect a directional
can be commanded to continuously sweep the range or to make antenna, aim for maximum signal strength and you’ll have a
a single sweep and then stop. likely heading to the signal source. The ’R3’s 4-step attenuator
can be very handy for this application.

February 2001 83
Figure 5—The “Set mode” screen provides convenient viewing Figure 6—The “TV screen.” This image of Tom Brokaw—
of the state of several menu settings simultaneously. The menu obviously exhausted after weeks of presidential election
contains a total of 18 parameters. The main encoder dial is coverage—was captured from broadcast television. The image
used to scroll up and down through the list. When the main shown on the screen of the IC-R3 in our lead photo is live ATV
display is off, the same menu choices can be displayed—one from the lobby of HQ using a 70-cm ATV transmitter and an
item at a time—in the sub LCD. inexpensive camera.

with its tone squelch function. I pro- not tuning TV channels), you can expect When I turned the power on the main
grammed the radio to remain silent until about 2 hours of listening time before the LCD began rapidly pulsing on and off.
it received a signal from a nearby FM battery is depleted. But if you decide to Further reading in the manual revealed
repeater that included the 88.5 Hz CTCSS watch TV, your battery life will drop con- that the included adapter is intended for
tone. The radio obediently sat there, si- siderably. Turn off the main LCD altogether battery charging only.
lent as the Sphinx, until it suddenly and use only the sub LCD along with the
“opened” with audio from the repeater. battery save feature, and your available time Conclusion
With the pocket beep feature the ’R3 will jumps to more than 25 hours! The TV tuner is clearly the star of the
also flash its display and beep when it I’d recommend that you activate the ’R3, and it delivers on its promise of a
receives the correct tone. You say you battery saver function to get the most out sharp color picture, but don’t buy an ’R3
don’t know what CTCSS tone the re- of your power source. If you are listen- on this basis alone. This receiver is also
peater is using? The ’R3 can tell you that ing to a single frequency and there is no a competent, versatile scanner that will
with its tone scan. When tone scanning activity for 5 seconds, the power saver provide years of listening enjoyment. Its
the ’R3 can automatically set the CTCSS kicks on and initiates a cycle where the shortwave performance isn’t stellar, but
tone for a given memory channel, but as ’R3 “sleeps” for a short time, then “awak- it is more than adequate for casual broad-
soon as you switch off that channel you’ll ens” briefly to monitor the frequency be- cast listening.
find that the tone frequency shifts to the fore returning to sleep once more. The My wish list for the next-generation
previously programmed value. For a per- automatic power off feature is also handy IC-R3 (the ’R4?) would be an SSB re-
manent setting you need to change the if you seem to have trouble remember- ceive mode, an AM synchronous detec-
CTCSS programming of the memory ing to turn off your ’R3. The APO will tor, a numeric keypad and main LCD
channel by editing its data, copying it to shut the radio down if you do not use it functionality below 30 MHz. The ’R3
the VFO and then writing it back to that after 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes. may not be an Amateur Radio grade re-
memory channel. While the ’R3 is off and connected to ceiver throughout its entire frequency
external power with the rechargeable pack range, but it is a heck of a lot of fun.
Power installed, the LCD indicates “HI V” and Manufacturer: ICOM America, 2380
The issue of power is important if you the battery level indicators cycle through 116th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004;
are considering the ’R3. You can power their display states. This continues while 425-454-8155; fax 425-454-1509;
the radio from the supplied Lithium-Ion the battery is being charged. The ’R3 [email protected]; www.
battery pack, from 3 AA alkaline batter- senses when the battery is completely icomamerica.com. Manufacturer’s sug-
ies or from an external dc power source. charged and stops charging at that point. gested list price: $599. Typical current
While it’s natural to fall in love with ’R3’s It can take 13 to 15 hours to completely street price: $490. List prices of selected
color LCD and TV tuner, this feature is charge a fully discharged battery pack. A accessories: CS-R3 Windows 95/98 pro-
also its greatest weakness when it comes 2.5-hour rapid charger—the BC-135—is gramming software, $24; OPC-478 serial
to power consumption. available as an optional accessory. cable (computer to radio), $45; BC-135
If you use the battery pack with the main I ran into trouble when I tried to use desktop rapid charger, $80; CP-18A
LCD frequency display mode active (but the ’R3’s “ac adapter” to power the unit. Cigarette lighter adapter, $30.

84 February 2001
ICOM IC-PW1 Linear Amplifier
Reviewed by Mark Wilson, K1RO control head that’s mounted in the upper
QST Editor center of the front panel. The first thing I
A quick survey of the power amplifi- did when I got the amplifier home was
ers available to hams today reveals a wide disconnect the control head for remote
variety of configurations and features. All mounting. That operation is detailed in
will boost your signal, but they take dif- the instruction manual and takes about 20
ferent paths to produce the power. Some minutes. Like the ACC and CI-V cables,
amplifiers use one tube, others use mul- the supplied separation cable is nearly 10
tiple tubes. Some tune themselves auto- feet long. This allowed me to place the
matically, some you tune manually. The ’PW1 on the floor under my operating
IC-PW1 from ICOM is a solid-state, no- desk, saving valuable table space. The
tune amplifier that uses eight MRF150 wedge-shaped control head is about 8
power FETs to produce 1 kW output on inches wide, 3.5 inches high, and 2.5
all amateur bands from 160 through inches deep. It fits nicely under the front
6 meters. It’s rated for a full 1 kW output if you regularly use more than one HF of my computer monitor.
on all modes, including RTTY. With a radio and don’t want to continually swap The control head includes two analog
selling price around $5400, this ampli- wires. Or you might want to use the am- meters. One switches among power out-
fier is at the high end of the market, com- plifier with one HF-only radio and one put, drain current and temperature. The
peting with auto-tune tube amplifiers 6-meter radio. other monitors collector voltage, SWR or
from Alpha-Power1 and ACOM2, and with There are two identical sets of rear- ALC. In addition to the POWER switch
the solid-state Yaesu Quadra. panel connections, one for each trans- on the left side, TUNER activates the in-
The ’PW1 is big, black cube that ceiver. If you’re using an ICOM trans- ternal antenna tuner and AMP/PROTECT
weighs in at 55 pounds. The power am- ceiver with the ’PW1, you just connect places the amplifier in standby. On the
plifier modules and heat sink, an antenna your radio to the ’PW1 with three sup- right side is switching for transceiver 1
tuner, switching for up to 4 antennas, a plied cables (each nearly 10 feet long). or 2 and the four antenna jacks. Finally,
45-V, 40-A power supply and extensive 1) Use the cable with PL-259s on each band information is along the bottom.
control circuitry are all inside the box. end to connect the antenna jack on your There’s an LED indicator for each band.
Control, switching and metering func- transceiver to INPUT1 or INPUT2 on the You can switch bands using the UP or
tions are handled by the ’PW1’s control ’PW1. 2) Connect the supplied 7-pin DIN DOWN buttons, or place the amplifier in
head which is normally mounted to the cable from the appropriate ACC jack on AUTO mode to follow band changes on
front panel but can be removed and used the back of the amplifier to the ACC(2) an ICOM transceiver with CI-V interface.
remotely. The ’PW1 works best with a jack on the back of your transceiver. This
200-240 V ac supply (15 A max), but you cable handles TR switching, ALC and Using the IC-PW1
can run the amplifier from 100-120 V ac control signals. 3) Connect the 1/8-inch As shipped from ICOM, US versions
at reduced power (500 W out). phone plug between the appropriate RE- of the ’PW1 do not work on 10 or 12
The IC-PW1 includes extensive pro- MOTE jack on the ’PW1 and the REMOTE meters because of FCC regulations re-
tection circuitry. The amplifier will jack on the back of your transceiver. This garding amplifiers that could be used for
switch itself out of the circuit if the tem- is for ICOM’s CI-V frequency control CB. You have to remove a surface-mount
perature, drain voltage, drain current, interface. When this cable is connected diode on one of the PC boards to make
drive power or SWR exceed the limits, and the ’PW1 is in AUTO mode, the am- your ’PW1 work on these bands. The di-
or if the transceiver and amplifier are set plifier will automatically follow when ode is easily accessible with the top cover
for different bands. Various LEDs on the you change bands on the transceiver. If removed and the modification isn’t par-
control panel blink to give you an indi- you’re not using an ICOM transceiver, the ticularly difficult. Contact ICOM’s ser-
cation of the problem. ’PW1 has phono jacks for TR switching vice department, send them a copy of
and ALC. your amateur license, and they will send
Rear Panel The ’PW1 also offers connections for the details.
The ’PW1’s rear panel has connections up to four antennas, and the amplifier’s You also have to provide a suitable
for two transceivers. The instructions control circuitry remembers which antenna connector for the ac line cord. The ’PW1
show how to use the amplifier with one is used for each band. In my station, I used detects the line voltage and adjusts itself
ICOM transceiver with one antenna line; these connectors for my multiband beam accordingly. You don’t have to worry
one ICOM transceiver with two antenna (20-10 meters), 40-meter dipole, 80-meter about switches or jumpers. We only used
lines (for example, separate antenna jacks inverted V and 6-meter Yagi. the ’PW1 with a 240 V ac source and did
for HF and 6 meters); two ICOM trans- not try operation from 120 V. Before in-
ceivers; one ICOM transceiver and one Front Panel stalling the connector, slip two provided
non-ICOM transceiver; or two non-ICOM The nerve center of the IC-PW1 is the ferrite cores over the outside of the line
transceivers. You can use only one trans- cord and secure them with wire ties. Ac-
ceiver at a time, but this feature is handy Bottom Line cording to the manual, the ferrite cores
help with RFI.
1
Product Review: “AlphaMax and AlphaRemote The ICOM IC-PW1 provides an ef- I used the IC-PW1 with my IC-746
for the Alpha 87A,” QST , Aug 2000, pp 73-73; fortless 1 kW of RF from 160 through 6 transceiver. Hookup was simple with the
Product Review: “ETO Alpha 87A MF/HF Lin- meters. It integrates especially well
ear Amplifier,” QST , Jun 1992, pp 53-56. with ICOM transceivers, and it works three supplied cables. The only problem
2
Product Review: “ACOM 2000A HF Linear so smoothly that you forget it’s there. was getting the ’PW1 to recognize fre-
Amplifier,” QST, May 2000, pp 64-66. quency data from the IC-746. The instruc-
February 2001 85
 Table 2
ICOM IC-PW1, serial number 01203
Manufacturer’s Claimed Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab
Frequency Range (US units): 1.8-2, 3.5-4, As specified.
7-7.3, 10.1-10.15, 14-14.35, 18.068-18.168,
21-21.45, 24.89-24.99,1 28-29.7,1 50-54 MHz.
Power output: 1000 W PEP, all modes.2 As specified for SSB and CW.
Driving power required: 100 W maximum. Typically 40 W (band dependent).
Input SWR: Not specified. Typically 1.0:1.
Output matching: up to 3:1 SWR (2.5:1 for 6 meters). As specified.
Spurious signal and harmonic suppression: 60 dB 60 dB on HF and 6 meters.
or HF, 70 dB for 6 meters.
Intermodulation distortion (IMD): Not specified. See Figure 7.
Primary power requirements: 100-120, 200-240 V ac.
Size (HWD): 10.4 × 13.8 × 14.8 inches; weight, 55 lb.
1
See text.
2
On 200-240 V ac, de-rated to 500 W on 100-120 V ac.

0
Reference Level: 0 dB PEP
–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

–70

–80
–10 –8 –6 –4 –2 0 2 4 6 8 10
Frequency Offset (kHz)

Figure 7—Worst-case spectral display of the ICOM IC-PW1

amplifier during two-tone intermodulation distortion (IMD)
testing. The worst-case third-order product is approximately 36
dB below PEP output, and the worst-case fifth-order product is Figure 8—The rear panel of the ICOM IC-PW1 offers input, ALC,
approximately 41 dB down. The amplifier was being operated at switching and control connectors for two separate exciters and
1 kW at 14.010 MHz. The levels of the third- and fifth-order IMD outputs for up to 4 antennas.
products are higher than those we have observed on other
recently reviewed tube-type amplifiers.

tions are simple: Press and hold the INPUT to me, especially for use with contest The rest of the setup went smoothly.
switch on the amplifier’s control head, turn logging software. We asked ICOM about The manual stresses the need to adjust the
the transceiver power on, and rotate the this, and they came up with a way to ALC so you don’t damage the amplifier
transceiver’s frequency dial until the in- use software with a ’PW1, IC-756PRO by overdriving it. This involves increas-
put LED quits blinking. Try as I might, I or IC-746 and CT-17. I was able to get ing the transceiver’s power to full output
couldn’t make the LED stop blinking. I this procedure to work with my IC-746 while adjusting the ALC potentiometer on
finally discovered that the IC-746 has a and Writelog contest software. Contact the back of the ’PW1 until the ALC meter
menu option called “CI-V Transceive,” and the service department at ICOM for is centered and the power output is 1 kW.
this must be set to “ON.” Once I did that, information. This took a couple of back-and-forth ad-
it took only a few seconds for the trans- I connected a second radio, a Yaesu justments of the transceiver’s power con-
ceiver and amplifier to communicate. FT-1000D, to the amplifier using the sec- trol and the ALC pot, but once adjusted
The instructions say that you should ond set of input connections. Again, power output is consistently 1000 W on
not connect the ’PW1 and transceiver to hookup was simple using a piece of RG- each band with 40-50 W drive.
an ICOM CT-17 level converter for com- 58 for the antenna connection and a The next step is to go through each
puter-controlled operation. Computer couple of phono cables for ALC and TR band and select the appropriate antenna.
control of my transceivers is important switching. The ’PW1 remembers which antenna you
86 February 2001
 I had everything configured, it was like
having a 1 kW transceiver. There is re-
ally nothing to do when using the ampli-
fier—no band switching or tuning. Power
output was always 1 kW, and the ampli-
fier never went offline for any reason.
During the review period, I gave the
’PW1 a workout on all bands, including
about 10 hours of operation in the OK
RTTY DX Contest in mid-December.
RTTY contesting is very hard on equip-
ment because of extensive key-down
transmit periods. I ran the amplifier at its
full rated output during the contest with
Figure 9—The control panel can be removed from the front of the amplifier’s cabinet no problems.
and relocated up to 10 feet away (the remote cable and a blank cover plate for the It was especially nice having the
amplifier front panel are provided).
’PW-1’s 6-meter capability when the
band opened to Europe in mid-Decem-
last selected for each band, and whether when you turn on your ICOM transceiver, ber. I was able to work several very weak
or not the antenna tuner was used. After and the ’PW1 is off, some of the LEDs on stations who would have had trouble
the initial setup, everything is pretty the control panel light and some of the hearing me with my usual 100 W. Sev-
much automatic and you don’t use the functions work. The INPUT and ANTenna eral operators used another IC-PW1 and
controls much. switches work, as do the automatic band an IC-756PRO to put W1AW on the air
The built-in antenna tuner can match switching (if you have the CI-V cable con- for both modes of ARRL November
15 to 150 Ω (3:1 SWR) on HF and 20 to nected), band UP/DOWN switches and me- Sweepstakes. That combination worked
120 Ω (2.5:1 SWR) on 6 meters. The tering. If you’re using a non-ICOM radio, so well that the ICOM IC-PW1 is now a
tuner does not work above 1950 kHz on you need to apply 13.8 V dc to pin 7 of the permanent fixture at W1AW.
160 meters, but otherwise works across ’PW1’s ACC jack to use the antenna switch- If you’re in the market for a power
all bands. The tuner can be used when ing and bypass the amplifier when the amplifier, the IC-PW1 is worth a look,
the amplifier is in standby; this is handy power is off. ICOM does not offer an up- especially if you’re using an ICOM trans-
if you need a tuner and your transceiver grade for older amplifiers. ceiver that can take full advantage of the
does not have one built in. The tuner had The IC-PW1 is fairly quiet when you control circuitry. The ’PW1 does not run
no problem finding a match with any of first turn it on. An additional fan kicks in a full 1500 W legal-limit output like the
my antennas, including my Cushcraft X7 whenever you transmit using the antenna tube-type auto-tune amplifiers, but it does
multiband beam which works on 18 and tuner, adding a bit to the noise level. If include 6 meters, a wide-range antenna
24 MHz but has an SWR greater than 3:1 you transmit for an extended period (say, tuner and automatic antenna switching.
on those bands. for RTTY operation) the cooling fans Manufacturer: ICOM America, 2380
In early IC-PW1s (before serial num- switch to a higher speed and stay on (even 116th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004; 425-
ber 1165), you could not bypass the am- in receive) until the temperature drops. I 454-8155; fax 425-454-1509; www.
plifier and use your transceiver barefoot did find the ’PW1 a bit noisy with all of icomamerica.com. Manufacturer’s sug-
without turning on the amplifier and using the fans on, but placing the amplifier on gested retail price: $5995. Typical cur-
the AMP/PROTECT switch to put the am- the floor and using headphones helped. rent street price: $5400.
plifier in standby. ICOM changed the cir- Overall I really liked the ’PW1, espe- Bid solicitations for Product Review
cuitry in current production ’PW1s so that cially with the IC-746 transceiver. Once equipment appear on page 69.

The UHV-6 is terminated in a PL-259-

NEW PRODUCTS type base connector and can be mounted
on most vehicles using trunk lip or hatch/
HF/VHF/UHF MOBILE ANTENNA door edge mounts. The mast section is
FROM COMET hinged, allowing the antenna to be folded
◊ NCG Company is now distributing the over to provide clearance when entering
Comet UHV-6 multiband mobile antenna. garages or other low structures.
With HF, VHF and UHF capabilities, it’s Comet offers a wide variety of
particularly well suited for use with diplexers, mounts and cabling kits. For
multiband HF/VHF/UHF transceivers. additional information visit your favor-
The UHV-6 comes complete with coils ite Amateur Radio products dealer or con-
for 40, 15 and 10 meters. The mast sec- tact NCG Companies, 1275 North Grove
tion is resonant on 6 meters, 2 meters and St, Anaheim, CA 92806; tel 800-962-
70 cm. Optional coils are available for 20 2611 /714-630-4541; fax 714-630-7024;
and 17 meters. As many as four HF coils [email protected]; www
can be attached at once, allowing instant .cometantenna.com.
access to up to seven bands. Previous • Next New Products
February 2001 87
 TECHNICAL CORRESPONDENCE
CLEAN UP YOUR PSK31 SIGNAL
By Richard J. Kruis K8CAV, 6007 Route
82, Hiram, OH 44234;
[email protected]
◊ Steve Ford’s article “PSK31 2000” in
the May 2000 issue of QST1 brought an
explosion of PSK activity on 20 meters
and to a lesser degree on 15 and 10 as well.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of dirty PSK
signals that cause interference and reduce
the available bandwidth for other stations
operating close to such a signal. In one
instance, I saw a signal so bad that it was
showing up in three different places on
DigiPan’s panoramic displayloud and
clear in all three spots! Here’s some in-
formation I’ve collected that can help
clean up a dirty PSK signal.
When I first started operating PSK31
in April 2000, I built an interface that
includes isolation transformers and po-
tentiometers to adjust the transmit and re-
ceive levels between the radio and my
laptop computer. But no matter what I
did, my transmitted signal was terrible!
Even at a power-output level of 2 W, sig-
nal reports I received were very bad: a
wide signal with sidebands several hun-
dred hertz away from the main carrier and
a software-indicated IMD of no better
than −9 dB. Figure 1—Schematic of K8CAV’s generic PSK31 Interface. The shield/ground
During the course of modifying my connections shown for P1 through P3 and J1 are isolated from the metal cabinet
interface, I connected my oscilloscope to and each other. Pin numbers are not shown for J1 as they are user selectable.
J1Five-pin panel-mount DIN connector T1, T2600 Ω, 1:1 isolation transformer
the output of my computer’s sound card P1Two-circuit, 1/4-inch phone jack (RS 273-1374)
to check the audio level. I was horrified 1
P2, P3Three-circuit, /8-inch phone jack U14N33 or 4N32 optoisolator
to see the audio-output waveform being P4DB9 connector/cable assembly (RSU 11567963)
severely clipped! My laptop does not R1, R210-kΩ panel-mount pot, audio
taper (RS 271-1721) or linear taper
have a LINE OUT jack, only an EAR- (RS 271-1715)
PHONE jack. The audio level to the jack
is adjusted by the laptop’s VOLUME con-
trol through an audio power amplifier. As
soon as I moved the VOLUME control to
1
Steve Ford, WB8IMY, “PSK31 2000,” QST ,
May 2000, pp 42-45.
Figure 2—For the
front-panel
labeling, Rick used
a 2×41/8-inch clear
Avery shipping
label (#5663) made
for use with a
LaserJet printer.
These labels are
available at Staples
and other office-
supply stores.

Figure 3 An
inside view of the
simple interface.

Paul Pagel, N1FB
Senior Assistant Technical Editor

88 February 2001
midrange, the clipping disappeared. real calculations on ac (RF) power and a Here is my analysis of the circuit. The
When I got back on the air, I received comparison to dc voltage used for cali- source impedance is 25 Ω: the 50-Ω im-
very good signal reports: The software- bration. The RMS value of an ac or RF pedance of the rig in parallel with the
indicated IMD was greater than −25 dB sine wave voltage is 0.707 of the peak 50-Ω resistive dummy load. For the sake
and there were no signs of overmod- value. of simplicity I’ll assume a conjugately
ulation. Lesson learned: If you’re using matched transmitter and linear, time-
a laptop with only an EARPHONE jack for P= EI; I=E/R, therefore, P=E 2/R (Eq 1) invariant analysis.
output, adjust the VOLUME control to where The load impedance is R5, since the
eliminate clipping in the laptop’s audio P = power in watts capacitor provides an RF short to ground.
amplifier. E = ac RMS voltage Note that it is much higher than 25 Ω, and
Even though most operators use desk- I = current in amperes isn’t affected by R6. There is a time con-
top computers equipped with a sound R = resistance in ohms stant formed by the capacitor and R6 and
card and standard LINE IN and LINE OUT the meter. With a capacitance of 0.01 µF
ports, clipping and distortion can still Say a 5-W RF signal is applied to the and 100 Ω, the time constant is 1 µs.
occur if the volume controls in Windows’ power-meter circuit shown in Figure 1. However, changing the capacitor to 0.1
Multimedia section are wide open. A sug- Neglecting the drain of the diode and µF does not seem to affect the frequency
gestion that worked well for a friend of meter, the RF circuit voltage can be cal- response on HF, according to actual mea-
mine was to set the volume controls in culated from: surements.
Windows Multimedia (START, SETTINGS, Veff2/R is the integral of the voltage
CONTROL PANEL , MULTIMEDIA , PLAY- P = E2/R (not P = E2/2R as mentioned squared with respect to time divided by
BACK, VOLUME CONTROL) at approxi- in the article) (Eq 2) the time interval and the resistance. Thus,
mately 50%, then use the interface’s and you can integrate E2(sin2 θdθ) over 0 to
level-control pot to adjust the audio level E RMS = ÷ PR = 15.81 VRMS, 2π, one cycle of the sine wave. I’ve ap-
fed to the transceiver. or 15.81/0.707 = 22.36 V ac peak (Eq 3) plied formula 296 out of my ancient 61st
An interface between your rig and edition of the CRC Handbook of Chem-
computer is invaluable. It makes setting Substituting a dc voltage of 22.36 V istry and Physics, which integrates to
drive levels quick and easynecessary provides a reasonable approximation of
because the amount of audio drive re- the same voltage on the capacitor and E 2×(θ/2−1/(4sin(2×θ)) (Eq 5)
quired depends upon the amount of power current through the rest of the meter cir- This is evaluated over the interval 0
you want to run and where the signal is cuit. However, the shunt potentiometer to 2π. The integral works out to
in your transceiver’s audio passband. An- can provide an additional current require-
other very good reason to use an inter- ment from the RF signal not indicated by E 2 × (2π/2 − 1/(4sin(8π)) − 0/2 −1/
face is that it eliminates ground-loop the microammeter and the rectified ac (4sin(0))) or E2π (Eq 6)
problems that can cause hum and distor- could result in a considerable ripple and To determine the power, this has to be di-
tion on top of the audio signal. ARRL’s lower ac (RF) effective voltage, which I vided by the time interval and resistance:
HF Digital Handbook2 has several inter- did not try to calculate.
face circuits you can build for $20, less I therefore suggest that the shunt po- E 2π/(time interval×resistance) (Eq 7)
if you have a well-stocked junk box. tentiometer be changed from shunt to se- E 2π/(2πR) (Eq 8)
Using an interface helps you maintain ries with an additional fixed resistor in
the audio level necessary to prevent series with the meter so that the only load E 2/2R (Eq 9)
overdriving your transmitter and ensure on the rectified voltage is the current re-
you have a clean signal. Enlisting a quired by the meter movement. Robert’s calculation from peak to with
friend’s help with on-the-air analysis The total series resistance for a RMS seems cumbersome, since he then
makes the job of adjusting your signal a 200-µA meter can be calculated as fol- converts it back into peak voltage. I pre-
lot easier, especially if the software your lows (neglecting the internal meter resis- fer to just calculate the calibrating volt-
friend is using has an IMD indicator. So tance): age and skip two steps. Robert’s circuit
if your signal is occupying more band- R=E/0.0002 A = 22.36 V/0.0002 A = also re-introduces a problem that Rich’s
width than it should, take the steps men- 111,800 Ω. This resistance value can con- circuit eliminated, the poor meter accu-
tioned earlier to clean it upand make sist of a fixed-value 100-kΩ resistor and racy (10% of full scale) which makes
friends in the process. a 25-kΩ potentiometer when using a measurements of a 1-W signal difficult,
200-µA meter movement; and double the if you just have a 5-W scale. There is a
QRP WATTMETERS value for a 100-µA meter movement. distinct benefit to having separate scales
By Robert E. Roberts, K6VK, of 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 W, compared to just a
PMB 3603, 136 Rainbow Dr, ARRL Lab Engineer Zack Lau, W1VT, single 5-W scale.
Livingston, TX 77399-1036 responds:
[Note: The author is commenting on an article The formula used in the original ar-
that appeared in QRP Power, “A Wattmeter of ticle appears on page 137 of The Joy of
Your Own,” QST, Aug 2000, p 98.]
QRP.3 The circuit measures peak voltage, 3 Adrian Weiss, K8EEG/W0RSP, The Joy of
◊ It’s been a while since I’ve done any approximately. It could be modified to QRP, (Vermillion, SD: Milliwatt Books), 526
measure RMS voltage with a scaling re- N Dakota St, Vermillion, SD 57059; ISBN 0-
9614139-0-5.
2
Steve Ford, WB8IMY, ARRL’s HF Digital sistor. But, because one isn’t used, one
Handbook (Newington: ARRL, 1999), ARRL has to scale it mathematically by 1/( 2 ). References
publications order no. 7652. ARRL publica- Because the scaled voltage is squared, M. E. Van Valkenburg, and B. K. Kinariwala,
tions are available from your local dealer, or Linear Circuits, Prentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood
directly from the ARRL (tel 888-277-5289).
one gets: Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1982 ISBN 0-13-536722-0
See the ARRL Bookcase elsewhere is this P=(E/( 2 )) × E/( 2 ))/R, which equals CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 61st
issue, or check the ARRL Web site at: Ed, 1980-1981. CRC Press. Editor Robert C.
www.arrl.org/shop/. E 2/(2×R) (Eq 4) Weast, p A-65; ISBN-0-8493-0461-X.
February 2001 89
 HAPPENINGS
AO-40 Fails to Phone Home
As this issue of QST goes to press, Guelzow found himself fending off criti-
AMSAT OSCAR-40 has not been heard cisms that the satellite was launched even
from for more than one week, and com- though the Phase 3D team was aware of
mand stations have been unable to rees- problems with the helium valves that con-
tablish contact with the Amateur Radio trol fuel flow to the onboard 400-Newton
satellite. It had been hoped that an propulsion system. Ground controllers did
onboard computer timeout expected on report trouble operating the valves while
or about December 16 would restart the they were attempting to perform an orbit-
beacon telemetry and give the ground change maneuver, and the satellite’s te-
crew some clues as to why AO-40 sud- lemetry ceased during subsequent efforts
denly stopped transmitting on December to test the propulsion system.
13. That did not happen. matic “command-assist” watchdog rou- “There were no known problems,”
“There were no observations, and tine would cycle the satellite through vari- Guelzow said in a December 18 posting to
command stations tried to re-establish ous receive, transmit and antenna con- the AMSAT bulletin board. “The valve
communication by sending blind com- figurations. As of press time, the AO-40 which seemed not to operate correctly [dur-
mands,” said AMSAT-DL’s Peter team had received no indication that the ing ground testing] was sent back to the
Guelzow, DB2OS, of the AO-40 team. If watchdog routine had occurred. If AO-40 manufacturer in the US and was repaired.”
the initial reset had occurred, the satel- did pick up some commands, Guelzow Guelzow said the valve and pressure
lite would have been restored to its post- said, the command-assist watchdog would regulator worked perfectly during testing
launch configuration and attempted to be reset for another 10 orbits. That could in the Orlando Phase 3D Integration Lab
transmit on 70 cm. However, the 70-cm extend the wait until Christmas. and during the pressure test at the launch
transmitter has been problematic, and the Guelzow said the “watchdogs” are site in Kourou, French Guiana, prior to
satellite likely still would need to be software resets. Ground controllers want launch. “All other subsystems worked per-
reconfigured for 2-meter transmission at to avoid doing a hard re-boot of the main fectly, including the 70-cm TX,” he said.
that point to be heard on Earth. computer. “If the IHU has crashed, then AO-40 ground controller Stacey Mills,
AMSAT-NA President Robin a reset command can be issued from the W4SM, was optimistic in a posting to the
Haighton said several options remained ground,” Guelzow said. “This would be AMSAT-BB. “The command team re-
to be investigated, and that control sta- the last resort.” He said AO-40 had a mains very hopeful that we can recover
tions were working “to develop a posi- “very fail-safe system” and ground con- P3D, but remember, this really is rocket
tive sequence of events.” trollers wanted to thoroughly check out science. There are no absolute guaran-
The AO-40 team was continuing to in- and analyze all other possibilities before tees,” he said.
vestigate reports of weak signals on the 2- issuing a hard reset command. “There is The AMSAT-DL Web site has the most
meter downlink frequency of 145.898 no need to hurry, and the command team up-to-date AO-40 information at
MHz that seem to be coming from AO-40, doesn’t want to miss any option,” he said. w w w. a m s a t - d l . o r g / j o u r n a l / a d l j -
but it discounted reports of telemetry heard In the wake of the AO-40 problem, p3d.htm.
there as a hoax. Other reports persist of a
weak, unmodulated carrier, however.
Guelzow said the AO-40 team was
encouraged by a report from the North “The Big Project” Attracting Big Donations
American Aerospace Defense Com- Before it’s even officially off the to bring it to life for youngsters.
mand—NORAD—indicating that AO-40 ground, “The Big Project”—the educa- “Without asking we’ve already re-
was in one piece, that the orbit was ex- tional initiative of ARRL President Jim ceived approximately $125,000 for the
actly where it should be, that the radar Haynie, W5JBP—already has attracted a project,” Haynie said. “This tells me
cross-section was as expected, and that few substantial donations plus several people are very serious about this initia-
no other pieces were found. Guelzow said smaller ones. The project, known formally tive.” Haynie has been courting corporate
the NORAD data countered rumors as “The ARRL Amateur Radio Education dollars and seeking foundation grants for
“which no one on the inner team be- Project,” is aimed at providing a turnkey the project.
lieved” that AO-40 might have exploded. Amateur Radio curriculum at the middle So far, the project has received two
When and whether the satellite will be school level plus resources and equipment substantial donations of stock from
heard from again depends, in part, on anonymous donors. Since the ARRL is a
whether AO-40 has picked up any of the 501(c)(3) organization, donations are tax
“blind commands” sent by ground con- “Kids get the hobby deductible—at the appreciated value in
trollers. Guelzow said that if AO-40’s of a lifetime and pre- the case of securities.
IHU-1 onboard computer did not accept paration for good In addition, the ARRL Foundation
any “blind commands” sent by ground has pledged $50,000 in start-up funds for
controllers since contact was lost Decem- careers—that’s the the project. A formal check presentation
ber 13, it was hoped that a second auto- ultimate goal.” was scheduled for the January ARRL

Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Senior News Editor

90 February 2001
Board of Directors meeting. “These kids who have good school Donations are encouraged to the
As conceived by Haynie and under the experiences with ham radio will grow ARRL Amateur Radio Education Project,
guidance of ARRL Vice President Kay up to be our neighbors, zoning board c/o Barry Shelley, N1VXY, 225 Main St,
Craigie, WT3P, the ARRL Amateur Ra- members, and political officials,” Craigie Newington, CT 06111. Contact Shelley,
dio Education Project will work directly said. “Amateur Radio can never have too [email protected]; 860-594-0212, to
with teachers who use Amateur Radio as many friends.” discuss details.
a teaching strategy in the classroom. “The
goal is to improve the quality of educa-
tion for kids by providing educationally
valid techniques involving Amateur Ra-
dio for teaching all sorts of subjects— ARISS International Partners Ratify Bylaws, Elect Officers
science, geography, languages, speech,” Amateur Radio on the International Space Station—or ARISS—delegates have
Craigie said. “Kids get the hobby of a ratified new bylaws and elected officers. The ARISS International Group also logged
lifetime and preparation for good ca- considerable progress in planning the future direction of the ARISS program when it
reers—that’s the ultimate goal.” met December 1-3 at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Craigie said the project’s philosophy Now that the solar wings have been deployed and brought on-line aboard Space
is that Amateur Radio can be a “power- Station Alpha, more routine operation of the initial ARISS station on 2 meters is
ful resource” for teachers in attaining anticipated. So far, only Amateur Radio test passes have occurred, although Expedi-
their educational goals—whether or not tion 1 Commander William Shepherd, KD5GSL, did work a Pennsylvania ham at
licensing is involved. “It’s about improv- the tail end of one test pass. Packet operation is expected to begin soon.
ing education.” Delegates from the US, Russia, a consortium of European countries, Canada and
Growth in the amateur ranks could be Japan elected Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, to chair the ARISS Board. European Subre-
a delayed effect of the program. “Some gional Working Group Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, was chosen as Vice Chair.
children will want to study for licenses ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, was elected
Secretary-Treasurer. All will serve for two years.
immediately,” Craigie said. “Others will
On the third try, youngsters at Luther Burbank Elementary School near Chicago
return to the idea in later life.” If nothing on December 21 became the first students to talk with the Expedition 1 crew via
else, those exposed to ham radio through Amateur Radio. The Illinois
The Big Project “will remember Amateur school had been on the waiting
Radio as a good thing that made school list for such a contact for almost PERRY KLEIN, W3PK, PHOTO

more fun,” she said. five years. Two attempts a

couple of days earlier to talk
with the Space Station Alpha
ARRL PHOTO
crew were unsuccessful. (See
“Illinois School Thrilled By
First ARISS Contact” on next
page.) Schools in Virginia and
New York were tentatively
scheduled for the second and
third ARISS contacts in January,
and another two dozen schools
are on the roster for future
QSOs.
Contacts between the ISS
crew and schools was a major
focus of the ARISS International
Group’s discussions. The inter-
national partners plan to share ARISS-Russia delegate Sergej Samburov, RV3DR
the time allocated for school (left) and newly elected ARISS Board Chairman
Frank Bauer, KA3HDO (right), at the ARISS
contacts. The oldest two years’ International Group meeting in December.
worth of school applications for
the former Space Amateur Radio EXperiment program will get top priority. The
ARISS delegates agreed with a motion from observer Ron Parise, WA4SIR—a NASA
payload specialist—to require that all school QSO applications include specific edu-
cational proposals. It’s hoped that the ISS crews eventually will be able to handle at
ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, visits least one school contact per week.
with newly licensed students Jay, ARISS delegates also approved a QSL card featuring a color photograph of the
KD5LXN (middle), and Lyndsey, KD5LXP ISS. The ARRL will handle QSLs for QSOs made by US amateurs with the ISS
(right), at the Dallas-area DeGolyer crew. Other QSL points will be announced.
Elementary School. “The kids are like The ARISS International Group approved a Russian proposal to send up a higher-
sponges,” Haynie said of the sixth
graders. “They learn faster than we even power mobile transceiver to be installed in the Zvezda Service Module, possibly as
want them to.” Haynie said the youngsters soon as next year. Antennas for both 2 meters and 70 cm are to be installed during a
he’s worked with already are comfortable space walk next year. A proposal to activate Slow-Scan TV is in the works.
with the Internet, “but they enjoy ham The Expedition 1 crew of Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev,
radio too,” he said. Haynie has loaned U5MIR, and Yuri Gidzenko has been aboard the ISS since early November and has
some of his personal equipment to the
youngsters to help them get started. been extremely busy with its normal work schedule.
Students at DeGolyer already have For more information about Amateur Radio on the ISS and SAREX, visit the
formed an Amateur Radio club (KD5MEW, ARISS Web site, ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/.
but a vanity call sign is in the works).
February 2001 91
 NOTABLE SILENT KEYS Helms said. Carr’s wife, Bonnie, survives.
• Gerald W. Mason, W1KRF: Jerry Mason, W1KRF, of • Steven C. Affens, K3SA: Well-known contester and
Freeport, Maine, died June 2, 2000. He was 78. A ham DXer Steve Affens, K3SA (ex-K3ZAW), of Olney, Mary-
since the age of 15 and an ARRL member, Mason was land, died November 28 reportedly after suffering a heart
among the hundreds of New York and New England ama- attack in the Cayman Islands. He was 52. According to
teurs who provided emergency communication during the reports, Affens and his wife were celebrating their 30th
disastrous September 1938 hurricane, flood and tidal wave anniversary in the Caymans. He also had operated from
that surprised the region, destroying homes, buildings and the Caymans as ZF2SA during the CQ World Wide CW
vessels with its high winds and extensive flooding and DX Contest. An ARRL Life Member, Affens was first li-
claiming more than 600 lives. During the storm, Mason censed in 1963. He was a member of the Potomac Valley
and several other hams kept hard-hit Westerly, Rhode Is- Radio Club. A videographer for WJLA (Channel 7) in
land, in contact with the outside world via Amateur Radio Washington, DC, Affens won the White House News Pho-
for more than 48 hours, handling some 800 pieces of emer- tographers’ Association award for Cameraman of the Year
gency traffic The efforts of Mason and other ham radio five times. He also was the recipient of several Emmy
heroes of the famous storm were chronicled in a compel- Awards and numerous other photography citations. Survi-
ling cover story in the November 1938 QST. vors include Affens’ wife, Patti, N3HOT, and their son
• Alf Almedal, LA5QK: Former IARU Region 1 Executive Scott, KA3TUE.
Committee member and HF Chairman Alf Almedal, LA5QK, • Millard L. “Gib” Gibson, W7JIE: Former ARRL North-
of Sola, Norway, died November 11. He was an ARRL mem- western Division Vice Director “Gib” Gibson, W7JIE, of
ber and a former president of the Norwegian Radio Relay Seattle, Washington, died December 1. He was 81. An
League. ARRL Life Member, Gibson served as Northwestern Di-
• Joseph J. Carr, K4IPV: Amateur Radio author Joe Carr, vision Vice Director in 1983 and 1984 after being appointed
K4IPV, of Annandale, Virginia, died November 25. He was to fill an unexpired term. Gibson previously served as di-
57. An ARRL member, Carr contributed hundreds of ar- rector of the IARU Region 2 Intruder Watch program and
ticles over the years to various publications, including QST, was active as an Official Observer. Gibson was a member
Popular Electronics, 73, Nuts and Volts and others. At the of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. He was an
time of his death, Carr was the “Antennas & Things” col- active CW QRP operator.
umnist for Popular Communications. Carr was a prolific • Jack D. Gant, W5GM: Former ARRL West Gulf Direc-
author and had written more than 100 books, including tor Jack Gant, W5GM (ex-W5EGR), of Ardmore, Oklahoma,
Joe Carr’s Loop Antenna Handbook, Practical Antenna died December 6. He was 84. Gant served as West Gulf Di-
Handbook, Receiving Antenna Handbook, and Practical vision Vice Director from 1972 to 1976 and as Director from
Radio Frequency Test & Measurement—A Technician’s 1977 to 1980. Gant had been licensed for 66 years and be-
Handbook. Book publisher and author Harry Helms, longed to the Quarter Century Wireless Association. ARRL
AK6C, of LLH Technology Publishing knew Carr per- President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, said Gant mentored him when
sonally and professionally for more than 20 years. “Joe Haynie first joined the Board as West Gulf Director in 1982.
was a first-rate technical writer and editor, a consummate “He was a good advisor and a nice guy who was well-liked
professional in his craft, and a pleasure to work with,” on the Board,” Haynie said.

Illinois School Thrilled By First ARISS Contact

COURTESY OF RITA WRIGHT
It was a historic moment for Amateur Radio. Several hundred
youngsters, teachers, parents, and news media representatives
were on hand at Luther Burbank Elementary School near Chicago
December 21 for the first Amateur Radio on the International Space
Station school contact. During the 10-minute pass, 14 first through
eighth graders plus one teacher got a chance to pose questions
about life aboard Space Station Alpha to Commander William
“Shep” Shepherd, KD5GSL, who used the special NA1SS call sign
for the occasion. Seventh grader Jessica Lehocky—shown at the
microphone—had the honor of asking the first question, while eighth
grader Kurt Susniz awaits his turn. Their T-shirts bore a Burbank-
ISS contact patch designed by students at the school. Shepherd
said his most favorite aspect of being on the space station was the
ability to float around in space. “It’s like you’re not moving at all.
You’re just like in a pool and you can move anywhere you want, but
there’s no water in it.” Veteran Chicago-area SAREX/ARISS men-
tor Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, and his team braved frigid temperatures
and repeated snowstorms to install antennas on the school’s roof. At the conclusion of the successful contact, the grateful
crowd applauded loudly and offered up a hearty “thank you!” and “73!” to Shepherd and his Russian crewmates. Shepherd
said he enjoyed the chat and looked forward to more school QSOs.

92 February 2001
ARRL’S “RADIOS ON-LINE” during training classes, on their nets and incorporated in the District of Columbia,
SERVICE NOW FREE TO MEMBERS on their world wide web home pages. is an exempt organization under
Listing a classified ad to buy and sell Additional information and an appli- §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Amateur Radio-related equipment on the cation form are available by letter or QSL of 1954. It is devoted exclusively to pro-
ARRL’s Radios On-Line service now is card request postmarked prior to April 30, moting the interests of Amateur Radio
free to League members. Listings will 2001. Address requests to FAR Scholar- and those scientific, literary and educa-
continue to be available for viewing by ships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738. tional pursuits that advance the purposes
everyone, but now that Radios On-Line The Foundation for Amateur Radio, of the Amateur Radio Service.
is an ARRL membership benefit, only
League members may post ads.
ARRL members now can post free ads
up to 100 words—subject to a few rules.
Members first must register for access In Brief
to the ARRL members-only pages and
be logged on as a member in order to
• DXCC applications list available: DXCC applicants no longer need wonder
whether their applications made it to ARRL HQ for processing. Now they can find
post ads. Classifieds listed on Radios out by visiting the List of DXCC Applications Received page, www.arrl.org/
On-Line will remain posted for 30 days un- awards/dxcc/appstatus.html. The page lists pending DXCC applications by call
less canceled earlier. sign.
Radios On-Line is for noncommercial,
personal use. There are no provisions for • Mir to be deorbited in late February: According to press accounts, Russia plans
nonmembers to post classified advertising. to deorbit the Mir and send the space station on a re-entry trajectory that will put it
The service provides for listings in more into a desolated part of the South Pacific. The deorbit and re-entry is scheduled to
than two dozen categories. Members may take place in the February 26-28 time frame—15 years plus one week from the day
list ads seeking or selling Amateur Radio- the initial Mir module was put into orbit in 1986. The more than 130-ton space-
craft, on which several US astronauts served tours of duty with Russian cosmo-
related equipment. The site includes a
nauts, will be pushed out of Earth orbit using Progress rockets. Amateur Radio
search engine to look for specific items.
aboard Mir became a primary source of communication in the wake of a near-di-
The ARRL does not warrant any items
sastrous fire aboard the craft. It also allowed the crew members to speak with school-
advertised on Radios On-Line, nor are
children on Earth. Space debris experts are estimating that as much as 50 tons of
individual advertisers subject to scrutiny.
space junk are likely to survive re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere and—assuming all
The ARRL reserves the right, at its dis- goes as planned—land in the Pacific. NASA Chief Daniel Goldin says he salutes
cretion, to decline a listing or to discon- Russia’s decision to dump Mir in the interests of safety. One Progress rocket al-
tinue an ad without prior notice. ready is docked at Mir. Another Progress loaded with propellant was scheduled to
Visit the Radios On-Line site www. join it in January. It will take several days of “phasing burns” to position Mir for
arrl.org/RadiosOnline/ to place or view deorbiting.—from press reports
ads.
• CQ introduces Amateur Radio Hall of Fame: CQ magazine has announced the
FAR ANNOUNCES 2001-2002 establishment of the “CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.” The new hall of honor joins
SCHOLARSHIPS CQ’s “DX Hall of Fame” and “CQ Contest Hall of Fame.” CQ says the dual goals of
the new program are to recognize individuals who have made significant contribu-
The Foundation for Amateur Radio tions and to focus public attention on the far-reaching and longstanding value of Ama-
Inc, a non-profit organization with head- teur Radio in society. Nominees will be judged on the basis of qualifying in one of two
quarters in Washington, DC, plans to ad- broad areas: Individuals, licensed or not, who have made significant contributions to
minister 67 scholarships for the 2001- the Amateur Radio hobby; and radio amateurs who have made significant contribu-
2002 academic year to assist radio ama- tions to society in general. CQ is accepting nominations for the inaugural class of the
teurs. FAR invites applications from Amateur Radio Hall of Fame until March 31, 2001. A nomination form and full de-
qualified amateurs. tails are available on the CQ Web site, www.cq-amateur-radio.com. Initial selec-
The Foundation—composed of more tions will be announced at the 2001 Dayton Hamvention next May.—CQ news release
than 75 local area Amateur Radio clubs—
fully funds 10 of these scholarships with the • REACT honors youngster for FRS rescue: REACT has honored a Washington
youngster for her quick thinking in responding to a call for help transmitted on a
income from grants and its annual Hamfest.
Family Radio Service channel. The nonprofit volunteer emergency communications
The remaining 57 are administered by FAR organization presented 11-year-old Mikayla Whitley of Marysville, Washington, with
without cost to the various donors. its “Little Hero Award” and “Distinguished Service Award.” On September 24
Amateur Radio operators holding a valid Mikayla picked up a call for help from injured hiker Michael Wyant 100 miles away.
license may compete for these awards if The girl’s parents called authorities, who launched a rescue while the youngster
they plan to pursue a full-time course of acted as a communication relay between the hiker and rescuers. Wyant was picked
studies beyond high school and are enrolled up by a helicopter later that afternoon, treated at a hospital and released. He also
in or have been accepted for enrollment at called to thank his radio rescuer. REACT officials presented the two awards October
an accredited university, college or techni- 15 in Kirkland, Washington.—Paula Glovick, KD7CCF/REACT
cal school. The awards range from $500 to
$2500 with preference given in some cases • UK extends 73 kHz authorization: The Radiocommunications Agency in the
UK has announced a three-year extension to the 73-kHz Amateur Radio allocation
to residents of specified geographical ar- there until June 30, 2003. The allocation has been available to hams in the UK
eas or the pursuit of certain study programs. since 1996. It was due to be withdrawn completely at the end of June. The Radio
Clubs—especially those in Delaware, Society of Great Britain says the RA agreed to the extension because experimenta-
Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, tion on 73 kHz has been slower than anticipated due to the high-noise floor towards
Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin—are en- the top end of the allocation. The RSGB said that additional work is under way on
couraged to announce these opportunities how propagation is affected by the current enhanced solar flare activity.—RSGB
at their meetings, in their club newsletters,
February 2001 93
FCC News
FCC SEEKS TO REQUIRE FCC thorized on a conditional basis three years two years when he attempted to register
REGISTRATION NUMBER ago. Terion Inc—formerly known as with the Universal Licensing System.
The FCC has proposed requiring that Flash Comm Inc—filed with the FCC late Josslin was informed that his W7CXW
everyone it does business with obtain and last year to modify its current conditional call sign no longer was in the FCC data-
use an FCC Registration Number—or authorization. The company also seeks to base. The following month—nearly three
FRN. Many amateurs registered with the obtain “a renewal expectancy.” years after his license had expired—
Universal Licensing System already have In July 1997, the FCC’s Wireless Tele- Josslin applied for renewal by writing his
been assigned a 10-digit FRN by the communications Bureau conditionally renewal request on the Report he got back
Commission Registration System—or granted authority to Flash Comm Inc to from the FCC instead of on the required
CORES. To date, the FCC has not made construct and operate—on a secondary FCC Form. The FCC dismissed the re-
FRN use mandatory, however. The FCC basis—a nationwide, commercial two- newal attempt because Josslin was well
released a Notice of Proposed way short-data messaging system that beyond the two-year grace period. The
Rulemaking (MD Docket 00-205) De- operated in the 3-30 MHz range, subject FCC advised him that he had to take his
cember 1. to certain conditions. The frequencies the exams again to hold an amateur license.
The FCC says requiring individuals system uses do not fall in any current ham Josslin attempted to get the FCC to
and entities to obtain an FRN will help it bands, but some are close, and the ARRL change its mind, claiming that he failed
to better track and manage the collection strenuously objected to the plan when it to renew his license because of an erro-
of fees. The FCC proposes requiring that was first proposed. The ARRL planned neous belief that his license was good for
FRNs be provided with any filings that to file comments this time around as well. life.
require payment of a fee, such as the van- Under the Flash Comm/Terion system, The FCC was unmoved, however. It
ity fee for amateurs. so-called “intelligent transceiver units” said Josslin failed to file his petition
The FCC also says it intends to reject are installed on vehicles and structures. within 30 days of the release date of the
filings requiring an FRN that do not in- Transmitted data enable the service to Commission’s action and sent it to the
clude the number. The Commission said track the location or monitor the status FCC in Gettysburg instead of to the FCC
its proposed rules “would make the use of each “asset.” Transmissions are in Secretary in Washington, DC.
of the FRN mandatory in certain circum- short bursts averaging two seconds on HF The FCC noted, however, that
stances so that anyone not yet assigned channels the system selects automatically Josslin’s application for renewal was
an FRN or who has not yet obtained one as being unoccupied. properly dismissed in the first place be-
must obtain one.” Terion wants to quadruple the amount cause it wasn’t filed on the correct form.
An individual does not have to hold of authorized spectrum. It also wants the Beyond that, the FCC said, Josslin’s er-
an FCC license to obtain an FRN. The FCC to approve increasing the total HF roneous understanding about his license
FCC says the information collected by energy transmitted each day, also by a term was not sufficient justification to
CORES includes the “entity name and factor of four and jump the aggregate reinstate his license.
type,” Taxpayer Identification Number or transmissions per hour from one percent
TIN—typically a Social Security Num- to four percent. FCC TO ACCEPT INTERNET
ber for an individual, contact address and The company says it wants to “obtain DATA TO IDENTIFY SILENT
e-mail address. CORES information is a renewal expectancy in the event it pro- KEYS
not made public. vides a showing of substantial service” The FCC says it’s prepared—under
Comments on the FCC rulemaking prior to the expiration of its five-year certain conditions—to accept a printout
notice were due 30 days from the date of conditional authorization in order to from an Internet Web site as sufficient
publication in The Federal Register. Re- eliminate the need for a separate proof of death to cancel a license in the
ply comments were due by 45 days from rulemaking proceeding. Amateur Service. The FCC will continue
the date of publication. to accept death certificates and published
The FCC began implementing CORES FCC DENIES ANOTHER obituaries, and now can accept multiple
last year. CORES registration eventually UNTIMELY RENEWAL PETITION cancellation requests.
will replace Universal Licensing System, The FCC has denied a Petition for According to a spokesperson in the
or ULS, registration. The FRN will co- Reconsideration from a former ham who FCC Licensing and Technical Analysis
exist with the Licensee ID Number issued filed for license renewal beyond his two- Branch in Gettysburg, the FCC now can
by the ULS, an FCC spokesperson said. year grace period. The FCC ultimately accept a printed copy of information ap-
More information on CORES is avail- turned down the petition from Richard pearing on the Internet as adequate proof
able on the FCC Web site, www.fcc.gov Josslin, ex-W7CXW, of Bainbridge Is- of death “provided the printout contains
(click on the CORES registration link). land, Washington, because Josslin had not certain, verifiable, information.” The Li-
properly filed his reconsideration peti- censing Bureau also will accept a list—
FCC MULLS REQUEST TO tion. But the FCC also told Josslin that with supporting documentation—of mul-
EXPAND HF MESSAGING ignorance of FCC rules was no excuse tiple requests for cancellation of amateur
SYSTEM and that he should have known he needed licenses.
The FCC is considering a proposal to to renew his ticket on time. “It’s basically no different than us tak-
expand a nationwide, commercial two- The FCC said that Josslin’s ham ticket ing requests today, other than a person
way short-data messaging system it au- already had been expired for more than can now send multiple cancels in one re-

94 February 2001
 SECTION MANAGER ELECTION NOTICE
To all ARRL members in the Mary-
land-DC, Nevada, New Hampshire,
Northern New Jersey, Rhode Island, San
quest and can also send documentation the FCC exceeded its authority to regu- Joaquin Valley, Utah and West Texas
printed from a reliable Web site,” the Li- late interstate communications, that his Sections. You are hereby solicited for
censing Branch spokesperson said. “We First Amendment rights were violated, nominating petitions pursuant to an elec-
still require the same information.” and that he was denied due process. The tion for Section Manager (SM). Incum-
According to information on the FCC categorically turned away Martin’s bents are listed on page 12 of this issue.
FCC’s vanity Web site, www.fcc.gov/ arguments and concluded that he “has To be valid, a petition must contain
wtb/amateur/vnityfaq.html, individuals failed to provide a sufficient justification” the signatures of five or more full ARRL
can report the death of a licensee by sub- for canceling or reducing the fine. The members residing in the section con-
cerned. Photocopied signatures are not
mitting a signed request for license grant FCC ordered the fine paid within 30 days.
acceptable. No petition is valid without
cancellation accompanied by a copy of
Michigan ham agrees to HF sus- at least five signatures, and it is advis-
an obituary or death certificate to the Li- pension: The FCC says Amateur Extra able to have a few more than five signa-
censing Branch. licensee Michael E. Guernsey, ND8V, of tures on each petition. Petition forms
The FCC says it’s been able to match Kalamazoo, Michigan, agreed to a nine- (FSD-129) are available on request from
up the name, address and birth date of the month suspension of his HF privileges, ARRL Headquarters but are not re-
deceased included on some submittals it’s starting January 1. FCC Special Counsel quired. We suggest the following format:
received via the Ancestry.com Internet for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley (Place and Date)
site, www.ancestry.com. “The validity of Hollingsworth said that if Guernsey does Field & Educational Services Manager,
these printouts as proof of death is equal not violate FCC rules or the license ARRL
to the same level of sufficiency as an modification agreement, the FCC will 225 Main St
obituary, in terms of reducing the risk of clear his file of past complaints in any Newington, CT 06111
the inadvertent cancellation of a valid future enforcement action against his li- We, the undersigned full members of
amateur call sign,” the FCC spokesper- cense. The action came in the wake of the _____ ARRL section of the _____
son said. allegations that the licensee had caused division, hereby nominate _____ as can-
deliberate interference on 20 meters “par- didate for Section Manager for this sec-
Amateur Enforcement ticularly communications of Hispanic tion for the next two-year term of of-

FCC reaffirms reduced fine for operators and truckers when you per- fice.
former amateur: The FCC has denied a ceived them to have an improperly ‘wide’ (Signature___ Call Sign__ City__ ZIP__)
Petition for Reconsideration filed by a SSB signal or a signal which in your opin- Any candidate for the office of Sec-
former Houston, Texas, amateur and has ion exhibited excessive microphone tion Manager must be a resident of the
affirmed a $4000 fine. Leonard D. Mar- gain,” Hollingsworth said. The FCC also section, a licensed amateur of Technician
tin, formerly KC5WHN, had asked the cited allegations that the licensee may class or higher and a full member of the
FCC to reconsider its reduced fine for have used profanity and obscenity on the League for a continuous term of at least
operating without a license and for refus- air, that he may not have identified by call two years immediately preceding receipt
ing FCC requests to inspect his radio in- of a petition for nomination. Petitions
sign, and that he might have deliberately
must be received at Headquarters by 4
stallation. Last summer, the Commission interfered with communications on the PM Eastern Time on March 9, 2001.
substantially reduced the $17,000 fine it Maritime Mobile Service Net. Whenever more than one member is
had proposed. On July 12, the FCC is-
Ohio ham could face hearing: The nominated in a single section, ballots will
sued a Forfeiture Order telling Martin to FCC has told General licensee Jeffrey J. be mailed from Headquarters on or be-
pay $4000 for repeated unlicensed opera- Pipenur, WA8IKW, of Vandalia, Ohio, fore April 1, 2001, to full members of
tion on 11 meters and for failing to allow that it’s poised to designate his station record as of March 9, 2001, which is the
equipment inspections on several occa- license for a revocation or renewal hear- closing date for nominations. Returns
sions. In responding to the initial Notice ing and his operator’s license for suspen- will be counted May 22, 2001. Section
of Apparent Liability, the FCC said, Mar- sion. The FCC cited monitoring informa- Managers elected as a result of the above
tin did not deny the violations but re- procedure will take office July 1, 2001.
tion and “complaints before the Commis-
If only one valid petition is received
quested cancellation of the fine arguing sion” alleging that Pipenur “deliberately from a section, that nominee shall be de-
that he was unable to pay it. In his recon- interfered” with other amateur commu- clared elected without opposition for a
sideration petition, Martin still did not nications on 75 meters. Further such com- two-year term beginning July 1, 2001.
deny transmitting without authorization plaints could lead to a hearing, If no petitions are received from a sec-
or refusing to allow an equipment inspec- Hollingsworth told Pipenur. Last March tion by the specified closing date, such
tion. But he contended the FCC failed to 1, after considering Pipenur’s response to section will be resolicited in the July
comply with its own procedures by, earlier FCC allegations of “deliberate in- 2001 QST. A Section Manager elected
among other things, not providing him terference, poor Amateur practice, and through the resolicitation will serve a
with “proper notice to inspect” and by not operation contrary to” FCC rules, the term of 18 months. Vacancies in any
giving him a chance to have an attorney Section Manager’s office between elec-
FCC set aside his renewal grant and re-
tions are filled by the Field & Educa-
present. Martin also claimed the FCC newed his license for one year. In his re- tional Services Manager. You are urged
Forfeiture Order was based on “unsub- sponse, the FCC said, Pipenur did not to take the initiative and file a nomina-
stantiated allegations,” that the fine was deny the activity, apologized, and con- tion petition immediately.—Rosalie
out of proportion to the violations, that sented to the short-term renewal. White, K1STO, Field & Educational Ser-
vices Manager

February 2001 95
 PUBLIC SERVICE
Wildfire!
By Bob Cowan, K5QIN
mile from our club station and headed our
Over a hundred hams responded to way. We decided then that valor had its
provide communications during a large limits. We grabbed several VHF radios,
forest fire near Los Alamos, New a computer, and our logs and joined the
Mexico, in early May 2000. It was by far evacuation. Police and National
the largest emergency ever supported by Guardsmen were stationed along the way
amateurs in this area. to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The
The Cerro Grande Fire began on May air was thick with smoke and homes were
4, 2000, in Bandelier National Monument, burning only a few blocks away as we
New Mexico, in an attempt to reduce the made our way out of town.
fuel content of 1000 acres of forest by
igniting a “controlled burn.” High winds Operations Forced to Move
and extremely dry conditions caused the We moved our operations to White
fire to quickly escape its intended Rock, about 10 miles away, where we
boundaries. Before it was extinguished commandeered a room in the Senior

BOB COWAN, K5QIN

several weeks later, it had consumed Center. Two VHF radios and antennas
48,000 acres of forest, destroyed 261 were quickly set up. Operations
residences in Los Alamos, and left 444 continued there for several hours. At
families homeless. Firefighting costs about 1:30 AM, though, the fire was
exceeded $15 million and the total cost reported to be heading for White Rock.
The Cerro Grande Fire as it approached
was expected to approach $1 billion. Los Alamos on Sunday, May 7. Five An immediate evacuation of that
The Los Alamos Amateur Radio Club, hundred residences were evacuated that community was ordered. This proved to
since its founding in 1948, has been evening. be a nightmare as the normal population
involved in many emergency commun- of 7000 had grown substantially by the
ications operations. Over the years we they had a good chance to control the fire. previous evacuations. Only one road led
have developed a very well-equipped Bulldozers built fire lines, backfires were out of town. We closed operations,
club station, W5PDO. We have excellent lit, and slurry bombers dropped huge loads rounded up our families, and headed for
HF facilities as well as numerous VHF of red fire retardant. Everyone hoped for safer locations. At this time, radio
and UHF radios. Four telephone lines, a the best. But high, gusty winds were communications control was assumed by
FAX machine, and several computers add forecast for the next day. Communications the State EOC in Santa Fe which was
to our capability. An emergency electrical activities continued as they had on manned by members of Santa Fe County
generator can power the station. Field Monday with large numbers of messages RACES and using the call sign of the
Day has always been our favorite club being passed among many stations. Santa Fe Amateur Radio Club, W5SF.
activity, and this experience was very The wind returned on Wednesday, May On Thursday, May 11, we followed
useful during the Cerro Grande Fire. 10, with a vengeance. At 8:30 AM, county news reports hoping to hear that the fire
officials expressed concern that the fire had spared our homes. Most of us were so
W5PDO Activated lines would not hold. We were notified blessed. Many of our friends and several
We were first activated on Sunday of an impending evacuation of the entire hams were not so lucky. New Red Cross
evening, May 7. W5PDO was opened, community at about 10 AM. Club shelters were set up in Pojoaque, Santa Fe
and we were to be in service for two members packed a few prized personal and Glorieta. Hams were stationed there,
weeks including many days and nights possessions and assembled at W5PDO to and a huge volume of traffic was passed.
of continuous operation. Our first duties assist with the evacuation. The Los The efforts of firefighters had saved a large
were to staff three Red Cross shelters and Alamos Police Department asked us to part of Los Alamos from total destruction,
the Los Alamos County Emergency man about a dozen locations along three but the fire continued to burn out of control
Operations Center (EOC). About 500 evacuation routes. With gusty 60-mph toward the north.
residences in Los Alamos were evacuated winds, the fire line was soon breached. One of our club members returned to
that evening. Many persons occupied The first evacuation order by an Los Alamos on Friday, May 12. He found
shelters in nearby White Rock; others automated telephone notification system that the club station had survived, but
went to locations in the Rio Grande came at 2 PM; the second and final one barely. Electrical power was out in that
Valley. Hundreds of messages were an hour later. About 10,000 people were part of town because of burned power
passed among the shelters regarding evacuated yet it proceeded quite orderly. poles, but our generator started without
supplies, staffing, and location of shelter Several club members stayed at hesitation. It saw continuous use for a
residents. Operations continued this way W5PDO during the early stages of the week. Club members were called back
on Monday, May 8. evacuation. We intended to “tough it out” and we resumed operations about 4 PM.
On Tuesday, May 9, the winds calmed if at all possible. At about 4 PM, though, We set up a computer spreadsheet
and Forest Service firefighters felt that flames topped a ridge line only a half- program to schedule operations at

Steve Ewald, WV1X
Public Service Specialist

96 February 2001
W5PDO, Red Cross shelters in Pojoaque handling seems to be a lost art. Training
Valley, Santa Fe, and Glorieta. Our operators in this skill should be a priority
assistance was again needed at the County in all Amateur Radio clubs. (5) Have
EOC. Los Alamos was still under an extra people standing by to assist with
evacuation order, yet many workers were calls for immediate assistance.
needed in town to assist with fire fighting, The most difficult time at W5PDO was

PAULINE MASSON
security and recovery operations. at night when the winds calmed and
About 90 percent of our commun- smoke moved in. With every breath, we
ications were carried out on the 145.19 smelled smoke. After catching a few
MHz KB5RX repeater located on Pajarito catnaps in the wee hours of Monday
Mountain, just west of Los Alamos. This morning, May 15, we awoke to hear a Keith Wilson, K0ZH, Franklin County
repeater is solar powered and performed robin singing. At that point, we knew that RACES officer (left) and Jerry Goff,
magnificently during the entire operation. all would be well again. New trees would KB0UTG, EOC director, at the ham desk
grow and be green again. Los Alamos in the EOC center in Union, Missouri.
The Recovery would be restored to its natural beauty,
The fire had moved beyond Los but not in our lifetimes, nor in that of our enforcement throughout the area.
Alamos by Saturday, May 13, and grandchildren. Fire, though far more In Union, the county seat, where the brunt
recovery operations began immediately. terrifying, is as much a part of nature as of the storm was centered, a propane tank had
been lifted from its moorings and carried
Utilities needed to be restored before gentle rain and spring flowers. downstream where it slammed into a business
residents could be allowed to return to in Union and exploded. Fire fighters were
town. A public information center was set FREAK STORM FLOODS fighting the blaze. Flat Creek had overrun its
up with 50 telephone lines. It was manned banks and washed through two trailer parks,
FRANKLIN COUNTY reducing most of the trailers to rubble. Fire-
by volunteers who answered many
By Pauline Masson men were waking residents in the path of ris-
questions from evacuees. Two hams were When a freak thunderstorm hung sus- ing water and evacuating them. The National
stationed there. Many pets were left pended over central Franklin County, Mis- Guard was called in to prevent looting.
behind when the town was evacuated. souri, in the early morning hours of May 7, it
Several out-of-town animal rescue dropped 14 inches of rain in a four-hour pe- Radio Amateurs Assist Red Cross
agencies arrived to assist with locating, riod. The deluge turned the network of dry The local Red Cross chapter had been
ditches, runoff creeks and streams that drain
evacuating and feeding many animals. the rolling hills and ragged ravines of this
called to set up emergency shelters in Union,
We provided hams to accompany these Washington and St Clair for the displaced
northern tip of the Ozarks into raging flood persons. Throughout the day on Sunday, five
persons as they were not familiar with the waters. The water roared through the narrow Red Cross shelters were set up with five mo-
town. Over 500 pets were assisted. stream beds like released logging flumes, lift- bile feeding units.
We provided “followers” to assist ing propane tanks, trailers and some homes All major highways and some 43 county
County officials as they traveled around from their foundations. It washed out culverts roads were under water or completely washed
and filled low-lying areas. out in one or more spots, and more than 600
town. Using 2-meter hand-held radios, A severe weather warning the previous day
they were always in instant contact with individuals were displaced. On Monday morn-
had been shrugged off in the glow of benign ing, when the reports of the damage began to
the EOC, Red Cross and other agencies. sunshine. A first stage drought that had be- accumulate, Bob Masson, KB0JDY, Zero
New Mexico citizens donated an gun in the summer and fall of 1999 had dried Beaters president, arrived at Red Cross Head-
enormous amount of relief supplies. up local farm ponds and reduced some spring quarters on Elm Street in Washington to op-
fed creeks to a trickle. The slow, steady rain erate a base station. Red Cross volunteers
Getting it to Los Alamos was a problem. that started early in the evening of May 6 gave
Several hams volunteered their trucks to from other areas of the state arrived to assist.
no hint of what was to come. They were unfamiliar with local roads and
help. Communications assignments often maps were of no avail.
changed hourly, but there was always First Response Other hams also began to arrive at Red
someone ready to take on any job that In St Clair, Keith Wilson, K0ZH, Franklin Cross chapter headquarters. Red Cross work-
came up. We never lacked for people to County RACES officer, was awakened by a ers, frustrated that the two incoming lines
assist at any location. The cooperation of 2:30 AM phone call from a friend asking if the were continually tied up, and cell phones were
family was okay; the friend had been watch- overloaded or did not work, quickly learned
all hams in New Mexico was superb. ing the storm on the TV news. Wilson dressed to rely on hams. A ham was assigned to every
Our logs showed that 134 individual and headed for the Emergency Management Red Cross vehicle so Wilson, at the EOC,
hams and two club stations participated Agency Operation Center, EOC, in Union, nine could direct them to passable roads to reach
in this operation. They gave 2500 hours miles north. While en route, he talked to Bob their destination.
of service over a period of 14 days. Goza, W0BOB, in Beaufort, and Craig Brune, After the storm subsided and Red Cross
Fifteen different locations including eight N0MFD, in Washington on the Zero Beaters workers began the task of assessing damage
Amateur Radio Club repeater, WA0FYA. and delivering food or emergency items to vic-
Red Cross shelters were served. When Wilson arrived at the EOC at 4:30 tims in remote areas, some 20 hams were at
It has been said, “Wisdom is examined AM, emergency officials already knew they work. When volunteers from AmeriCorp ar-
experience.” Here are a few things we had a major catastrophe in the making. Jerry rived on Monday, a ham went with each team
learned: Goff, KB0UTG, EOC director was en route to direct them through the damaged areas and
(1) Ask for help. Many hams will from his home. Franklin County Presiding maintain contact with Red Cross headquarters.
Commissioner Gene Scott arrived at the cen- At the Red Cross, hams had a temporary
respond with abounding enthusiasm to ter, as did Dan Niec, a Missouri Department 2-meter base station, which consisted of power
perform any task that might be needed. of Transportation area engineer. supply, 2-meter radio and portable mag-mount
(2) No amount of planning will account As hams throughout the area awoke and antenna. On Red Cross vehicles, hams pro-
for every contingency, but we can plan turned on their home or mobile stations and vided equipment to operate on 2 meters, which
to improvise. (3) A computer with a learned of the scope of the disaster, they went included portable antennas and either 2-meter
out in the deluge to assess road conditions mobiles or H-Ts. “When we knew we would
spreadsheet program is invaluable for near their locations. They relayed road and have a number of guys coming in to help, we
scheduling operators, making lists of bridge damage reports to the EOC where Lt contacted anyone who could bring in addi-
telephone numbers and keeping track of Eileen Stapp, Franklin County 911 director, tional equipment, such as 2-meter radios, mo-
everyone who participates. (4) Traffic was in contact with fire, ambulance and law biles or H-Ts, extra mag-mount antennas and
February 2001 97
portable power supplies, and any radios with
cigarette lighter attachments,” Masson said. Rusty Hack, NM1K, Honored for Service to HANDI-HAMS

Assessment and Summary Russell “Rusty” Hack, Jr, NM1K, was

honored last year by the Courage Center
Tallies showed that two fatalities had re-
sulted from the storm and 30 individuals had of Minneapolis, Minnesota, for 1,000
to be treated at area hospitals for flood-related hours of volunteer service to HANDI-
injuries. All major highways in the county HAMS. Rusty, of Enfield, Connecticut, is
were closed for a period, including Interstate well known among traffic handlers as he
44. Forty state and county roads were closed has achieved Brass Pounders’ League
in places into the second day. Some 650 homes and Public Service Honor Roll every
were damaged, 121 completely destroyed.
Dozens of industrial forms had been severely month since 1988. Since then, he also
damaged. Vehicles were washed away; crops has served as a Message Originator for
were ruined. Damage estimates exceeded HANDI-HAM members and volunteers.
$100 million. Rusty is active in the ARRL Field
The freak storm on May 7 set records for Organization as an Official Relay Station,
rainfall and road closings in Franklin County Emergency Coordinator and as an Official Rusty Hack, NM1K, is shown holding
and was the first true test of the emergency
communication equipment and multiagency Bulletin Station. For twelve years, Rusty the “Crystal Pitcher for 1,000 Hours of
Volunteer Service to Handi-Hams.”
cooperation envisioned by Goff, Wilson and was a head instructor of licensing classes
Scott. The EOC and County 911 dispatcher for the Newington Amateur Radio League. Congratulations, Rusty!
(located within arm’s reach of each other)
provided the central point for communication
among and between county commissioners,
the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, tation, Red Cross shelters and field disaster operations center and the various Red
Washington, Union and St Claire police de- workers, and some 25 area Amateur Radio Cross response and relief locations that,
partments, fire departments and public works operators. quite frankly, were virtually unreachable
departments, three regional ambulance dis- “Hams provided the critical commun- by other communication means,” Goff
tricts, the Missouri Department of Transpor- ications link between the county emergency said.

141 AD9IH 118 106 88

W0LAW WB2FGL KI4YV WA8SSI N2GJ Section Traffic Manager Reports
Field Organization Reports 140
KR4MU
128
K5VV
W4CKS
KA8WNO
K4YVX
WA2GUP
AA4BN
87
November 2000
WB5NKD K5IQZ KA2DBD 105 WB4UHC The following ARRL Section Traffic Managers reported: AK,
N3WKE K2GBR AA4YW W2LC AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, EMA, ENY, EPA, EWA, GA, IA, ID, IL,
139 W9ZY
Public Service Honor Roll W4CAC AA3SB KD4HGU WI2G KY, LA, KS, MDC, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NFL, NNJ,
WA0TFC W3IPX WB4PAM WA2YOW NTX, NV, OH, OK, ORG, SBAR, SC, SD, SDG, SFL, SNJ,
November 2000 W2MTA KE4IFD
KB5TCH WX4H 104 W2CC STX, TN, VA, VT, WI, WCF, WMA, WNY, WPA, WV, WWA,
KB2VVB W3OKN KG4IGE WY.
This listing is to recognize amateurs whose public service N9BDL K7MQF KG4CHW
performance during the month indicated qualifies for 70 or NR2F 127 103 86
KG2D 117 KC2ANN
more total points in the following 8 categories (as reported 138 N8DD K8VFZ
to their Section Managers). Please note the maximum NC4ML WA1JVV KE0K 85
WD9HII W4NTI
points for each category: 1) Checking into a public service N2KPR K8LEN W5XX
net, using any mode, 1 point each; maximum 60. 2) N2WDS 126 116 KC6NBI W4QAT Section Emergency Coordinator Reports
Performing as Net Control Station (NCS) for a public KT6A KB2ETO W2GUT November 2000
KA2CQX 102 84
service net, using any mode, 3 points each; maximum 24. WB2ZCM 125 AD4XV AA4AT
3) Performing assigned liaison between public service W7GB W1ALE 115 W2PII AF4CD The following ARRL Section Emergency Coordinators
nets, 3 points each; maximum 24. 4) Delivering a formal W7ZIW AD6LW N8EXV KA0DBK
message to a third party, 1 point each; no limit. 5) Originating 124 reported: AL, AZ, CT, ENY, EWA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MDC, MI,
137 N7AIK 114 KA4LRM K3TX MN, NLI, OH, SD, SFL, STX, SV (North), TN, VA, WCF
a formal message from a third party, 1 point each; no limit. N1LKJ W4DGH WMA, WNY.
6) Serving as an ARRL field appointee or Section Manager, KB0DTI 101 83
W2EAG W2JHO WA2YBM K5MC K8ZJU
10 points each appointment; maximum 30. 7) Participating W9YCV WA4EIC
in a communications network for a public service event, 10 N7AIK N3WK KC6SKK
points each event; no limit. 8) Providing and maintaining 136 123 113 WB2LEZ AC5Z
an automated digital system that handles ARRL radiogram- W2RJL AA8PI W4AUN 100 WB2IIV
formatted messages; 30 points. Stations that qualify for KE4JHJ K9LGU KF4KSN W1JX KE4VBA Brass Pounders League
PSHR 12 consecutive months, or 18 out of a 24-month KE4PRB KA4UIV 112 KA2ZKM 82 November 2000
period, will be awarded a certificate from HQ on written 135 WA4QXT WB9GIU
notification of qualifying months to the Public Service 122 99
AC4CS KE1AI AA3GV W4CC 81 The BPL is open to all amateurs in the US, Canada and US
Branch at HQ WD0GUF
134 KC8CON K4BG K3UWO possessions who report to their SMs a total of 500 points or
W3BBQ N3WAV K2PB a sum of 100 or more origination and delivery points for any
876 215 180 W6QZ W0OYH AG9G 98 80
NM1K K2UL K4RBR W3YVQ N3ZKP KG4EZQ KJ7SI KM5YL calendar month. All messages must be handled on amateur
WA9VND 111 frequencies within 48 hours of receipt in standard ARRL
354 178 KB2EV 148 133 121 97 WA4EYU
214 WW8D W6JPH radiogram format.
K5NHJ W6DOB KA4FZI 160 N0SU W3VK WA1QAA 79
N2AKZ KD1LE KC5VLW
324 208 176 KC4TLG WA4DOX W7QM 96 KE4DNO Call Orig Rcvd Sent Dlvd Total
KD4GR AF4NS N9TVT
N5JZ W7BO W8YS 159 110 W8SZU 78 KK3F 27 1540 1384 56 3007
WX8Y N2OPJ 147 132 120 K3CSX NM1K 861 213 971 0 2045
321 207 K2DN W7GHT AB4E 95 WX4H 3 677 978 30 1688
K7BDU WB5ZED 177 WB5NKC WB0ZNY W1QU N5GG N4JAQ
K8KV WB2GTG N1JBD N2LTC 0 650 744 27 1421
319 KC5OZT 157 W2AKT K5DPG KA4HHE 77 W5SEG 44 624 563 10 1241
199 94
N9VE 175 KV4AP 146 AB4XK K0PIZ 109 KF5A KV4AN W1PEX 0 98 925 15 1038
N5OUJ KB5W KB4WBY
W5ZX 156 K4FQU AA8SN K8JP WZ7V 0 583 32 474 1009
318 198 W0WWR KC8LBZ KC4VNO 92
K9JPS 174 N8FPN 131 N1IST 75 W7BO 44 455 499 0 998
N5IKN W3CB K7GXZ AF2K N2VQA KT6A 0 514 474 0 988
265 WB2UVB 155 WA5I NN2H
196 WU4C W7LG K2VX 91 WB5ZED 17 480 400 22 919
KK5GY 171 N2CCN AF4GF K4DMH KC8HTP 74
K8GA KC2AHS W9CBE 108 WA8DHB W6DOB 0 437 390 76 903
249 195 N9KNJ 145 KJ4N AF4QZ K8QIP W1JTH K7VVC 73 304 377 15 769
N2RPI 154 KM4WC
W7TVA KB2RTZ KA1GWE 119 KB2WII 90 WA9VND 22 404 284 15 725
169 WO0A NZ1D 130 73 N5IKN 0 320 211 109 640
246 N2LTC KC2EOT K4MTX W2FR KO4OL
KA2GJV N5JUU W5CDX W4WXA KC3Y KJ5YY K7BDU 136 181 303 17 637
KA2ZNZ 193 N7YSS 144 KB2KLH WB7VYH
168 WA1FNM W5GKH K4WKT WJ3K KA2ZNZ 24 293 224 84 625
237 KB1AJ 152 129 AA2SV K4BEH K8AE W9IHW 1 289 45 249 583
N8IO KB2VVD W2MTO
AG4DL 191 N5NAV KC2DAA WD8DHC KF6OIF KB4WBI W6IVV 33 424 120 0 577
N2YJZ 143 WA2UKX 107 89 N3RB N9VE 0 264 39 254 557
230 K6YR 151 N9MN AA2ED KG5GE
W6IVV K9FHI NY2V WB2QIX KB4DXN 70 W4EAT 9 264 270 6 549
NN7H KC4ZHF N2JBA WR8F
187 W1PEX N1SGB WB2GTG 3 202 303 11 519
225 KA1DSB 165 150 KB2VRO KA7TTY N9TVT 0 151 362 3 516
K7VVC KA5KLU KJ3E K0IBS WD9FLJ K5NHJ 196 51 233 20 500
WA5OUV 162 KB8ZYY 142
183 K4SCL The following stations qualified for PSHR in October, 2000, BPL for 100 or more originations plus deliveries: K9JPS 222,
221 W4EAT WN0Y N8BV but were not listed in last month’s column: W2MTA 147,
KK3F 161 149 WB4TVY KK5GY 147, K9GU 146, N5JZ 136, KB1AJ 110.
N2KPR 138, KA2BCE 118.
WB4GM K4IWW KT4TD

98 February 2001
 THE WORLD ABOVE 50 MHZ
Jeff Leer, KG0VL—Arctic Rover
VHF rovers have become all the rage,
but Geoffrey Leer, KG0VL, may be an
exceptional case. Over the past five years,
Jeff has operated 2- and 6-meter portable
stations from more than 140 grids,
extending across the subarctic of Ontario
to Alaska and south into the northern tier
of states. This is not traditional territory
for VHF rovers, so what is the great
attraction?
It cannot possibly be the hordes of
summer-time black flies and mosquitoes
as big as half dollars, nor the hazards of
winter-time blizzards, white outs and
below zero temperatures. Jeff certainly
has experienced all of these conditions
during his many ventures into the
subarctic, but the real attraction (as you
may have already guessed) is the northern
lights, or aurora borealis. Figure 1—KG0VL set up with Yagis for 6 and 2 meters from a lonely spot in Manitoba.
The Attraction of the Aurora
Aurora are present nearly every night There is another way to experience Manitoba. The place he chose for the first
over the auroral zone, which is normally aurora almost every night. Simply travel real venture into the auroral zone was
situated north of 55° latitude in central far enough north to be within the auroral 275 km northwest of the town of Lynn
Canada (but varies in other northern zone. That, simply put, is how Jeff Leer Lake (DO97) and 1600 road kilometers
regions). During geomagnetic storms, the and his wife Kim got started chasing (that’s 1000 miles) north of Winnipeg.
aurora spreads southward, sometimes well auroras. There are practical problems That is where the gravel roads end and
into the United States. Aurora produce with that scheme, of course. It is a long about as far north as can be conveniently
fantastic visual displays of blue, green and drive, even from the northern US. Most driven.
red lights, but VHFers are probably more paved roads end long before they get to It was a perfect spot to watch the
interested in the strange effects it has on the auroral zone and gravel roads take aurora directly overhead and to scan the
radio propagation. over. Other problems include lack of bands for distant 6-meter signals. Hooked
Signals at 50 through 432 MHz can be services—or indeed, any habitations at after their initial trip into the auroral zone,
scattered up to 2000 km by the southerly all—weather, insects and the unexpected. Jeff and Kim subsequently devoted nearly
edge of the auroral curtain, imparting a all their free time traveling through the
distinctive Doppler-shifted hissing sound The Early Years subarctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
to signals. Associated auroral-E propa- Jeff began his ventures in 1995. He They typically make several trips a year
gation is an almost nightly occurrence and his wife began a series of short trips lasting a few days to a week or two each.
across the auroral zone, which supports and vacations in a pick-up truck loaded So far, they have been to Ontario,
strong, clear 50-MHz signals 1000 to with antennas and equipment to northern Manitoba, Alberta and Alaska. Just this
5000 km and further, quite similar to Minnesota, western Ontario and southern past summer, Jeff joined an expedition to
sporadic E. At times, 144 MHz signals can Manitoba, relatively safe places directly Svalbard Island, north of Norway in the
also span distances up to 2000 km by north of his home in Iowa. They did not Greenland Sea, just to operate 6 meters.
auroral E as well. see aurora or hear auroral VHF signals
The only secret to using these two as often as they liked, and it soon became Equipment
propagation modes is that stations must evident that they needed to travel much Jeff quickly found a comfortable
be within 1000 km of the aurora, and further north. routine. He takes complete SSB/CW rigs
ideally, much closer than that. You can To be sure of having visual aurora for 50 and 144 MHz (along with HF
wait for the aurora to come to you, and nearly every night (barring clouds, of equipment, mainly for liaison), with
many VHFers in the northern half of the course), Jeff concluded they needed to 400-W solid-state amplifiers for both
US do just that. A dozen or so days a year, travel at least as far north as central bands. Stacked 9-element Yagis for 2
strong auroras do make possible aurora meters were permanently mounted in the
and sometimes auroral-E contacts across pick-up truck bed on a rotator, which can
the northern half of states. Once every This Month be used while in motion. The 5-element
few years, auroral conditions may be Feb 4 Excellent EME conditions Yagi for 6 meters had to be put up on its
Feb 11 Excellent EME conditions own mast when parked, but Jeff could get
observed as far south as the Gulf Coast.

Emil Pocock, W3EP
Box 100, Lebanon, CT 06249 (Voice 860-642-4347, fax 860-594-0259)
[email protected]
February 2001 99
it assembled and erected in just a few
minutes.
It can get lonely up there in the north
country. To be sure of hearing at least one
signal on each band, Jeff brings along his
own portable beacons. The 6-meter unit
runs 100 W to a 3-element Yagi, usually
put up at the 30-foot level. The
companion 2-meter beacon also runs
100 W with a 7-element Yagi on the same
mast. Both will transmit continuously for
nearly two days on four deep-cycle
batteries hooked up in parallel.
Jeff finds a remote location about 100
km east or west of where he plans to
operate and sets up the beacon. He then
has a perfect indicator of local auroral
conditions. He has used the beacons to
perform all sorts of interesting
experiments, including those involving
antenna polarity and signal strength,
elevation angles to high-latitude aurora,
comparisons of 50 and 144 MHz signals
and several other more technical Figure 2—Lines show paths of 50 MHz auroral-E signals heard or worked by KG0VL
over the past several years from various locations in the auroral zone.
observations. Every two days, Jeff must
drive out to the beacon site and replace
the batteries with a freshly charged set.
ifying. Jeff drove 80 km through blowing Nonetheless, on the evening of July 11,
On the Six-Meter Band snow to change the beacon batteries, all the Jeff heard OH and SM beacons and
Jeff also listens for the dozen or so 6- while copying the VE8BY (FP53) beacon worked a number of stations in Finland
meter beacons scattered across the arctic 1500 km to the northeast with 40-over-S9 and Sweden via auroral E. Later in the
subarctic from Alaska to Greenland. The signals using a mobile whip. When he got morning, he copied the VE8BY beacon
first time Jeff heard the VE8BY beacon back on the air at 0135, 6 meters was for more than an hour, but did not make
from Baffin Island was a bit of a surprise. already open. The first station Jeff worked any contacts into North America.
It was just after 1:00 PM on a sunny day. was W3EP (FN31) with a clear 57 auroral-
He found a raspy sounding signal and E signal. That contact surprised both of us, Adventure
wondered what computer hash was doing as it was my first QSO of the evening as Jeff’s wife Kim accompanies him on
so far out in the bush. It quickly dawned well. From then until nearly 0700, Jeff many of these trips, and she quickly
on him that it was the auroral tone of FSK worked stations across Canada and deep found something to do as well. Kim has
keying used by the VE8BY beacon. into the US. The final tally was 28 QSOs been taking auroral photographs for the
During subsequent trips, Jeff has heard in VE2, 3, W1, 2, 3, 9 and 0. past several years. The green auroral
at one time or another all the 6-meter There were other surprises. During one scene in this month’s Up Front is one of
beacons from VE4, 5, 6 and 8, mostly via trip to western Ontario grid EO30, Jeff hers. Typically, Jeff and Kim sleep during
auroral E. tuned up on 50.125 MHz, thinking the the day and get up around midnight local
Oh yes, Jeff sometimes made contacts band was completely dead. He reflexively time, when the sun finally goes down in
as well, conditions permitting. On some spoke into the microphone, “Is the summer, to look for both visual and radio
occasions, 6-meter auroral-E conditions frequency in use?” Ha, it was! A KL7 came aurora. In winter, some things are more
have been fantastic and Jeff has made back immediately and said, “I haven’t convenient. It gets dark much earlier, for
dozens of two-ways from Alaska to the heard that in 30 years.” The effects of one thing. There are no mosquitoes or
East Coast and as far south as Kansas. auroral E can be found at least as high as black flies, and the gravel roads are
See the accompanying map for a plot of 144 MHz, although Jeff has not heard any frozen solid, making driving much easier.
6-meter signals Jeff has heard or worked 2-meter beacons and has not made any Of course the snow and cold can be a
on 50 MHz over the past several years. such contacts on the band, despite many problem, but Jeff has become hardened
One such memorable event took place attempts. He has heard radio bingo to putting up antennas in a blizzard.
on October 20, 1999. Jeff was set up in broadcast in the Inuit or Dene language on Kim also shares the nonauroral
EO36 (northern Manitoba) when an 94 MHz FM, apparently from an isolated adventures with Jeff. Most rovers have
impressive aurora storm began. At 0342, broadcast station far to the north. had encounters with local police. Jeff was
he worked KL7NN (BQ60), who had Jeff’s trip to Svalbard this past July once pulled over in a remote area by a
been alerted by Jeff’s portable beacon, was also an adventure. Few of the HF Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer,
with a nice, clear auroral-E signal. Later operators on the expedition thought red lights flashing and all excited. He
Jeff learned that KL7NO (BP54) had been anything would come from the 6-meter stopped Jeff to let him know that he was
hearing him call CQ, but made no con- station, but Jeff thought differently of going the wrong way to get to the airplane
tact. Both the Alaskans were more than course. There were many problems with crash. On another trip, Jeff and Kim could
3000 km to the northwest. transportation, power generation and have used a Mountie. Far from any town
On the afternoon of the next day, equipment, and band conditions were not or village, much less a gas station or
indicators were the aurora was intens- as wonderful as Jeff had hoped. repair shop, Jeff discovered that one of
100 February 2001
the leaf springs on the pop-up camper
US Six-Meter Expeditions in November
they were towing had broken, dropping
the camper bed onto the wheel. There was 8R1/W7XU, Guyana, Oct 30 through Nov 7, 690 QSOs in 35 DXCC entities;
no alternative. He unhooked the camper, 130 QSOs with W4 and W5. See www.iw.net/~w7xu/8r-1.html.
removed the broken spring and drove VP2MJJ (W6JKV) and VP2MJD (K6MYC), Monserrat, Nov 2 through 19,
150 km over a gravel road to Leaf Rapids worked all US call areas and much of Europe. See www.w6jkv.com.
in search of help. There he finally found FG/N0JK, Guadeloupe, Nov 4 through 8, 102 QSOs in 16 DXCC entities;
someone who welded the spring into a 7 QSOs with VE1, W4 and W5. See communities.msn.com
useable form. He drove back to the 6MDX&naventryid=110.
camper, reinstalled the spring and J3/W1AIM, Grenada, Nov 9 through 23, 126 QSOs in 20 DXCC entities,
resumed driving. The detour only took including W1, 2, 8, 9 and 0; VE3 and 9.
one day.
Jeff’s expeditions to the auroral zone
have proven that there is plenty of
unusual VHF propagation across the Canadians reported 8P9HT, FG5BG, FM1DQ, worked the bulk of the Europeans from North
arctic regions. Prior to future trips, Jeff FY5KE, HP2CWB, J87AB, P43AB, V31PC, America on at least a dozen mornings in
says he will be more public about his V44KAA and YS1AG. November. VE1YX and other Canadians in
Even stations in the W6 and W7 call areas VO1, VE1 and VE9 usually had the best con-
plans, so that VHFers across Canada and were able to nab a few of these DX prizes. ditions, followed by those in northern New
the northern US, at least, will know when N6CA logged FG5BG on November 30, per- England. Operators in other areas found op-
and where to look for him on the VHF haps the first time Guadeloupe has ever been portunities more limited. Typically, signals
bands. More about Jeff’s expeditions to worked in California on 50 MHz. On the same from western Europeans CT, EH, EI, GI, G,
the auroral zone, photographs and day, CO2KK worked 26 Californians and one GW, F, PA, ON, F and DL were weak and
W7 using low power and a simple wire an- openings were often highly selective, even for
additional information can be found on tenna. Other unusual contacts, mostly from those in the favored Northeast. Most contacts
his new Web site at www.kg0vl.com. the western states, into the Caribbean, Cen- were made using CW.
tral and South America during November are Despite disappointing conditions for the
ON THE BANDS listed in Table 1. peak of the solar cycle, select Northeastern
Six-meter activity dominates the news for South Americans continued to make fan- operators made it as far as the Middle East,
November, just as Cycle 23 was probably tastic runs into Europe and Asia during No- making brief contacts with 5B, 4X, OD and
nearing its peak. Two great auroral events also vember as well, almost as a routine matter. J2 (Djibouti). The most unusual opening took
aided 6-meter DX hounds, while providing Perennial DX leader PY5CC worked BA7IA, place on the morning of November 7, when
some interest for 2-meter operators. A bit of BG7OH and several VRs on November 9, for many stations all along the East Coast noticed
sporadic E and one tropospheric opening example. He also tallied two new countries
round out most of what happened in Novem- during the month, including KH5/KH6ND for
ber. Thanks to all those mentioned in the sum- his 200th DXCC entity, the first operator to
maries and to K1SG, K1TOL, N1RWY, achieve that level. This remarkable achieve-
ment has been the result of years of persis- Table 1
WB2AMU, K1WVX, N4MM, W4MW,
WB4WXE, K6YK, K7JA, WD8KUF, tent operating. Congratulations Peter! US to the Caribbean, Central and
K9AKS, W9RPM, K0SQ, W9UD, K0CBA, South America on 50 MHz in
KC0BMF, WA0TIZ and YV4DDK; newslet- Africa and the Indian Ocean November
ters from G4UPS, OZ6OM and SM7AED; Day US Calls and Call Areas (State)—
Opportunities to work to Africa and the DX Calls
VHF columns from G3FPK, G4ASR and Indian Ocean during the first week of the
VK5KK; the Web UKSMG Announcement 1-7 W1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0—8R1/W7XU
month were also good, especially for those in 4-8 W1 through 0—VP2MJJ, MJD
Page and the DX packet spots on the Web DX the Midwest. FR1AN, FR1GZ and FR5DN,
Summit. Dates and times are all UTC. 6 K5SW (OK)—FM1DQ
made a big hit from Reunion on the morning N0JK (KS)—V44KAA
of November 1, when they worked stations W0 (IA)—P43JB
Six-Meter DX from VE1 to W0, mostly on SSB. W7RV 7 W4 (GA)—CE, FY5
Six-meter DX possibilities were excellent (Arizona) nabbed FR1GZ for a nice 18,000 W5, 6, 7—KP4UK
throughout much of the world in November, km contact—well done! Several other W5 (OK, TX), W7 (AZ)—P43JB
yet conditions were often marginal for many Africans worked into the Midwest that day, W7 (MT, OR)—LU , CX
North Americans looking for new countries. including 5R8EE, EH8BPX, EH8BYR and 11 W5 (OK, TX)—J3/W1AIM
The best periods were generally November 1 Z22JE. Widely scattered US and Canadian 12 VE3, 9; W1, 2, 8, 9, 0—J3/W1AIM
through 7 and 21 through 30, when the 2800- stations also reported 3C5I, 7Q7RM, EH9IB, 28 N7IJ (ID)—HP2CWB, TI
MHz solar flux was at least 180. It topped 200 TR8CE, ZD7VCT and ZS6PJS during 29 W6, 0 (CO)—FG5BG
only on November 1 and 25. Two massive November. There is room only to list some of
auroral events centered on November 6-7 and the other more unusual contacts from the US
26-27 created some interesting propagation at and Canada to Africa in Table 2.
midlatitudes during subsequent days. In addition to all of the African and In-
dian Ocean stations that made it to North Table 2
Caribbean, Central and South America, Europeans also logged A22ZS US to Africa and the Indian Ocean on
America (Botswana), D44AC, BS and CF (Cape 50 MHz in November
Verde), E30TA (Eritrea), S92DX (Sao Tome Day US Calls and Call Areas (State)—
Much of the eastern half of the US and and Principe), S07U (Western Sahara), ST2SA DX Calls
adjacent Canada had propagation to the Car- (Susan), TS7N (Tunisia) and TT8DX (Chad). 1 W9 (IL), 0 (IA)—5R8EE
ibbean, Central and South America on more Many of these stations were expeditions that W9 (IL), 0 (MN)—Z22JE
than a dozen days during the month. Every were on the air for a limited time only. For a W9 (IL)—EH8
section of the country had at least some op- wonderful 28-page review of the ZD8SIX W0 (KS, MN)—TR8CA
portunities to work south of the border. Sig- expedition by G3WOS, see www.uksmg.org/ 4 K5AM (NM)—7Q7RM
nals were usually quite strong and SSB was ascension-1.htm3. 6 W1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 0 (MO)—ZS6PJS
the rule. Activity was aided by 6-meter expe-
7 W4, 5 (NM), 7 (AZ, NV), 0 (KS, CO),
ditions to 8R1, FG, J3 and VP2M (see the Europe, the Mediterranean and the KH6—ZD7VC
sidebar for details). In addition to commonly
worked DXCC prefixes CX, HC, HC8, HK, Middle East W5 (TX, NM), W7 (AZ)—3C5I
30 K8MFO (OH)—3C5I
KP4, LU, PY, PY0, TI, YV, many US and Well-equipped stations in the Northeast

February 2001 101

the Europeans peaked along a skewed south- included KH5/KH6ND (Palmyra) and Two-Meter TEP
erly path, well off the great circle route. ZM8CW (Kermadec Island). Table 4 is a While operating as FG/N0JK from
VE1YX, for example, found CT, EH, EH6, F, sample of some of the more unusual contacts Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, Jon Jones chat-
G, I, S5 and SV at around 135°. Strong across the Pacific. ted with PY5CC on 50 MHz in the early
Caribbean and Central American stations Other North Americans also got in on the evening of November 27. He suggested try-
came in not long after. Pacific DX. KL7IKV had modest runs of JA ing on 144.200 MHz. Sure enough, PY5CC
A few fortunate operators in Ohio, Vir- stations on November 2, 3, 18, 19 and 25, but was right there with a 559 signal. Jon heard
ginia, Florida and Missouri also reported some he did not report any adjacent countries, such other Portuguese-speaking stations on 2
western European contacts, which are briefly as HL, BV, BY or VR2. NL7Z found ZM8CW meters, but could not break in. More expedi-
summarized in Table 3. Texans worked into on November 4. XE2EED worked Japan on tions and vacation operators to Caribbean is-
Europe during the last week of November, November 5, 10 and 28 and also logged KH5, lands should try this. South American FM
when conditions improved after the mid- KH6, V73AT, VP6 and ZL. operators can often be found on 144.300 MHz.
month lull. Yes, it is true that the East Coast Stations from China and Hong Kong con-
had the edge on transatlantic propagation, but tinued to make interesting contacts, especially Aurora and Auroral E
it was not a monopoly, as the sample of some to the east as far as Europe. VR2XMT, who
of the unusual contacts into Europe and the logged LA5QFA for country #100 on Novem- The aurora early on November 4-5 and
Middle East shows. ber 1, worked A52JA (Bhutan), S21YJ, 6-7 had a big effect in Europe, but the timing
For their part, Europeans seemed to have A45ZN and FR1AN two days later. BG7OH of disturbed geomagnetic conditions did not
the run of the rest of the world. They worked found KH6IAA on November 12, perhaps the favor North America. Northern Europeans re-
at least as far as HC8N to the west, ZS to the closest yet the Chinese have come to hook- ported strong auroral signals on the evening
south and BY, VR2, DU and JA to the east. ing up with those elusive North Americas. of the fourth, and GM4PLM heard the
Some of the openings were just astonishing. Perhaps the most exciting news from Asia OX3VHF beacon via 6-meter auroral E. Con-
EH7KW ran 180 JA stations via the long path was the appearance of several Indian stations ditions were even more spectacular two nights
on the evening of November 3. The next on the band, after an absence of many years. later, as stations from Finland to Slovenia
morning, G0LCS reported “more JAs than The Indians were initially restricted to 50.350 found 6 and 2 meters full of activity. Many
I’ve ever heard before.” OH2BC made 55 JA MHz only using FM, but by the end of the 6-meter signals flipped between auroral and
QSOs in a huge pileup. G4CBW also found month, they had permission to use SSB and auroral E within a few seconds. JX7DFA had
DU/GM4COK, while PA7MM and OZ4VV CW on their spot frequency. On November a huge 40-over S9 auroral-E signal on
worked 9M2JKL. That same day, UN3G and 30, VU2ZAP worked widely throughout Eu- 6-meters over much of northern Europe.
UN6P (Kazakhstan) and EY8MM (Tajikistan) rope as far westward as England, with sig- The aurora of November 26-27 was the
made several hundred contacts each into nals as loud as 59 into ON4AOI. only one for the month that attracted much
every part of Europe. attention in North America. Nevertheless, the
Transcontinental effects did not seem to extend further south
Asia and the Pacific than New Jersey to central Indiana and west
Transcontinental openings appeared on to Oregon on 50 and 144 MHz. Northern Eu-
Propagation from the West Coast across November 7, 8, 22 and 24 through 27, gener- ropeans again reported widespread activity.
the Pacific followed a pattern similar to the ally after 1700. WA5JCI in Texas, who The day or two after each auroral, there were
transatlantic contacts. Washington, Oregon worked several VO1 stations on November unusual 6-meter conditions worldwide, in-
and California stations got the bulk of the 24, also reported hearing the OX3VHF bea- cluding strong north-south propagation and
openings to KH6, VK, ZL and JA in the after- con. Others from Florida to Texas and the odd southerly-skewed paths over long east-
noons, but there were opportunities for those Midwest also noticed the Greenland beacon west distances.
all across the country as far as the East Coast when transcontinental openings were in
to make contacts. The big hits for the month progress. Tropospheric Ducting
K5SW (EM25), KU4WW (EM54),
K1MOD/9 (EN40) and KC8KGK (EM89) re-
ported a ducting event on November 11 and
12. At its maximum limits, the duct extended
Table 3 from Ohio and Illinois on the North, eastern
Table 4 Oklahoma and Texas to the west and the Gulf
US to Europe, the Mediterranean and US to the Pacific and Asia on 50 MHz coast to the south. K5CM in Oklahoma
the Middle East on 50 MHz in in November worked as far as EL95 in south Florida on
November Day US Calls and Call Areas (State)— 2 meters, at about 1700 km, probably the long-
Day US Calls and Call Areas (State)— DX Calls est path for the session. This was certainly an
DX Calls 5 W6, 7—ZM8CW, V73AT ordinary opening, but a bit unusual for so late
3 K1DAM (RI)—4X1RF, 5B4FL, W5 (OK)—V73AT in the autumn.
OD5/OK1MU NX7U (AZ), K5LLL (TX)—KH6
W1JJM (RI)—5B4FL 6 W5UWB (TX)—ZM8CW Leonids Meteor Shower
W3EP (CT)—4X1RF 7 W1 (ME), 2 (NY), 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 0—
4 W4 (FL)—CT, F KH6 Not one operator reported activity during
5 K1SIX (NH), W1JJM (RI)—J28NH W2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, VE3—VP6PAC the Leonids meteor shower (November 17-
6 K2RTH/4 (FL)—EH, CT, 9H NX7U (AZ), K7ICW (NV)— 18), although this year yielded some higher-
7 N4MM (VA)—EH KH5/KH6ND than-normal meteor counts. Shelby Ennis,
K2RTH/4 (FL)—CT, F, 9H, I W5OZI (TX)—ZL4AAA W8WN, reported that the consensus of visual
K0FF (MO)—EH N4MM (VA)—VK2QF and radio observers was that two peaks ex-
8 W4 (FL), K7ICW (NV)—EH7KW W5, 7, 8—VK4BLK ceeding the equivalent of 200 meteors per
9 VE1YX—YL3AG 8 VE9, W1, 2, 4, 5—KH5/KH6ND hour occurred at 0344 and 0715 on Novem-
23 W5UWB (TX)—ON4AIO, G3VYF K2AXX (NY), W4WTA (GA)— ber 18. This is considerably above the nor-
N5WS (TX)—G3IBI, PA0HIP VP6PAC mal rate for any annual shower.
WA5IYX (TX), WB5HJV (TX)— W7RV (AZ)—ZM8CW The peaks matched some widely publi-
PA0HIP W5OZI (TX)—VK4 cized predictions based on a new model that
24 W1OO (ME)—J28NH W3 (MD), 4 (VA, GA), 6, 8 (OH)— took into consideration the Earth’s passage
W2FU (NY)—SM7BAE VK2QF through individual debris streams laid down
W8ERD (OH)—GW4VEQ 10 W7, KG9N (IL)—KH6 by the parent comet Tempel-Tuttle during pre-
W4 (FL)—GI0OTC W6, 7—KH5/KH6ND vious close encounters with our planet. If the
26 W8 (OH)—CU3, EI 21 W7XU/0—JA model holds up, next year’s Leonids meteor
N5WS (TX)—G, GW, PA, ON, DL 25 W5UWB (TX)—JA shower should be even more intense. For more
WD5K (TX), N5WS (TX)— 28 N7IJ (ID)—JA information, visit the NASA Web pages at
G4HBA K5SW (OK)—VK, AH8A spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/
ast10oct_1.htm.
102 February 2001
 HOW’S DX?
Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
The Comoros Islands are a group even those running QRP or very simple G4JVG, G4KIU, G4TSH, G4VXE,
of volcanic islands located in the North antennas—to make at least one contact GU4YOX, JA1RJU, JA3AER, JP1NWZ,
Mozambique Channel between with D68” and “to enable top DXers to M0BJL, M0DXR, N7CQQ, PE9PE,
Mozambique and Madagascar (11° 42′ put D68C in their logs on as many bands SM5AQD, UT8LL, W3EF and W3WL.
south, 43° 14′ east). The group consists and modes as possible.” The first crew is expected to arrive on
of Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan The timing of this operation couldn’t February 6 and spend the first two to three
(Nzwani), Mayotte and Moheli (Mwali) be better because we are still at the top days setting up equipment and antennas.
islands measuring 2235 sq km (863 sq of the current sunspot cycle. The The D68C DXpedition will run over
mi). DXpedition will be active on 6 through three weekends and wrap up on Monday
European navigators spotted the 160 meters on CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31, February 26. The team will also put in
Comoros in the 16th century, and over FM and satellite. Six complete stations a serious effort as a multi-two in the
time, the islands became inhabited by a will be manned 24 hours a day. ARRL CW DX Contest, going for the
melange of Arabs, Africans and Asians. In The multinational group of operators African record, on the weekend of
1843, the French occupied the island of will include 5B4AGC, 5B4WN, 9H1EL, February 17-18.
Mayotte and the remaining islands became DL7AKC, G0OPB, G3NUG, G3OZF, A DXpedition of this magnitude will
French protectorates later in the century. G3SED, G3VMW, G3WGV, G3XTT, need plenty of hardware. On November
By 1914, the islands were a colony
attached administratively to Madagascar.
The Comoros became a French over-
seas territory in 1947 and was given
internal autonomy in 1961. On July 6,
1975 the Federal Islamic Republic of
the Comoros (D6) gained independence
and included all the islands except
Mayotte (FH).
The three islands have some 500,000
residents, none of whom are Amateur

K7BHM
Radio operators. In mid-1997, the islands
of Anjouan and Moheli separately declared Members of the Central Arizona DX Association (K7UGA) celebrated their 25th
their independence from the Comoros. anniversary last year. A reunion was held last fall. Pictured from left to right are:
Talks were held between the three islands N7CW, W7IUV, K7SA, N7US, W7XA, K7BHM, K7NN, AA7A, W7RV, N7RK, K6AIA, K7SP,
in April 1999 in the hope of reuniting the N7MW, N7RT, NE7X and NN6R.
Comoros federation. The people of Moheli
agreed, but in January 2 000, the
inhabitants of Anjouan voted over-
whelmingly not to rejoin. For the record,
the United Nations has not recognized the
independence of Anjouan.
D68C—Comoros 2001
Core members of the 1998 9M0C
DXpedition to the Spratly Islands have
formed the Five Star DXers Association.
The group is closely related to the Chiltern
DX Club (CDXC), the UK DX
Foundation. Last September the group
announced their intentions of launching a
major DXpedition to the Comoros Islands
as D68C in February 2001. The islands
rank # 83 on the ARRL’s most wanted list.
The DX Magazine says it lists as #36 in
the US Central Time zone, #58 in the
Mountain Time zone and #48 in the Pacific
KJ4UY

Time zone.
The two stated goals of the group are: Murtadha, A41LZ (seated), recently came to the US and visited the very neat shack of
“provide the possibility for every Larry, KJ4UY. Murtadha can be found on or near 14.180 MHz most days starting
Amateur Radio station in the world— around 0300Z. He QSLs 100% with a nice photo card.

Bernie McClenny, W3UR
3025 Hobbs Rd, Glenwood, MD 21738-9728
[email protected]

February 2001 103
 Here are four of the
five Japanese
operators who were
in Bhutan in
October and
November 2000.
From left to right:
JK1AFI/A52JA,
JH1NBN/A52W,
JA1PCY/A52XX and
JF1PJK/A52DX.

F3AT
Ivan Pastre, F3AT, is just one of 1000+

JR7TEQ/A52B
DXers who read this column and have
taken part in the How’s DX 2001 survey.
He was first licensed in 1931 and has
operated as FQ3AT in Chad, FE8AB in
Cameroon and FF8AG in Mali. He was last
30, 2000, a 20-foot container was shipped comoros/. It includes pictures, maps, beam pictured in “How’s DX?” in October 1953.
to the Comoros Islands with some 20 headings, operator profiles, and will have
cubic meters of equipment weighing over an on-line log look-up that will be updated stairs, but I made it safely to the shack.
3000 kilograms. Included in the container daily. QSL cards will be handled by As Murphy’s Law has it, I had originally
were 10 transceivers, 9 amplifiers, 4000 G3SWH and may be sent via the RSGB set up for SSB with a short path beam head-
meters of coax, 1600 meters of control QSL bureau or direct to Phil Whitchurch, ing of 13°, never thinking I would work them
21 Dickensons Grove, Congresbury, long path in the morning hours through the
cable, 6000 meters of radial wire, 9 massive European pileups.
beams, 11 masts, four-squares for 40 and Bristol, BS49 5HQ, United Kingdom. I quickly signed off with Rich, turned on
80 meters, verticals for 30 and 160 the linear and TS-940S, flipped on the rotator
meters, 11 laptop computers, one HOW’S DX 2001 SURVEY control box and began turning the TH-7 to the
generator and more. Don’t forget the deadline for the survey— long path position. I was still half asleep but
An operation of this size also has to February 28, 2001. You can complete the coming out of it quickly. Tuning to
survey on-line at www.dailydx.com/ 28.020 MHz, I heard him immediately—
have plenty of advanced preparation— howsdx.html. The results will be published A52DX! The signal wasn’t strong, but I’d
and support off the island during the in a future issue of “How’s DX?” give it a solid 559. I called a few times on
DXpedition. The chief pilot will be 28.025 MHz without success.
Martin, G3ZAY. Ray, HS0/G3NOM, will THANK HEAVEN FOR CW Suddenly, someone jumped in and sent the
be the pilot for Asia. Other pilot stations —AND A HAM FRIEND number 9. I put the transmitter on 28.029 and
began calling. After about six attempts, I
are expected to be announced on the By Murray Green, K3BEQ heard my own call sign coming back to me
D68C Web site before the DXpedition. I am a 10-meter monomaniac, have been from Bhutan! There is no sweeter sound in
Don Fields, G3XTT, explains, “The for almost 49 years and not ashamed to admit the world. Just to be certain, I gave my call
purpose of a DXpeditions pilot is to it. One of the handfuls, (okay, almost 2 hand- sign twice, a report, and TU twice. He QSLed
fuls) of “new ones” I still need to work all and returned my TU.
ensure smooth, timely, responsive, two- DXCC entities on 10 is A5. The last two After a 10-year wait for A5, I was on cloud
way communication between the DXpeditions to Bhutan had miserable propa- 9+ for the remainder of the day. I never
DXpedition team and the ‘Deserving.’ gation to the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic thought adrenaline could flow like this for an
Topics which the pilot might be asked to states on 10 meters. And it appeared that the old codger.
communicate are varied and could present JA operation (October 27—Novem- Another of the DXpedition operators was
ber 3) would be similarly cursed. working SSB on 28.495 MHz at the same
include: The suitability of chosen transmit Having previously set up my station so that time, but I could not hear him. Again, thank
and receive frequencies with respect to it was tuned for split operation on 10 meter heaven for CW and a very unselfish ham
recurrent QRM and local licensing rules, SSB, I patiently waited. The TH-7 was set to friend. Thanks, Rich, I owe you big time.
the width and position of the split 13°, short path, and I waited for a late after-
frequency listening range, the emphasis noon or evening opening. Their operation MORE DX NEWS FOR FEBRUARY
given to different bands and modes, the came up on schedule. Day after day, I waited,
but no 10-meter activity or spots. It seemed Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the
general operating style of team members, that they were not going to operate 10 at all. ARRL CW DX Contest, which will take place
optimal timing for each part of the world On the evening of November 2, I posted February 17-18. The week before the contest
on each band, antenna improvements, an announcement on the Internet DX Moni- many of the contest DXpeditions will be test-
tor asking that they work 10 meters; a last ing their antennas and warming up their rigs
policy on sked times for individuals, the on all bands and modes. A multinational group
QRT time for the DXpedition and station ditch effort in hopes it would be seen by the
operators. I was not optimistic, with one ex- will be active as CE0XT from San Felix Feb-
and band dismantling sequences. Of ception: the WWV numbers were improving. ruary 11-21. For more details check out their
course, DXers may also offer congratu- I went to sleep but overslept the next morn- Web site at www.qsl.net/ce0xt/ingles.html,
lations and bouquets—a valuable morale ing. My beautiful redhead spouse woke me at or read your favorite DX bulletin. The dates of
8:20 AM with the cordless telephone in her the Yugoslavian (YU) and Macedonian (Z3)
booster for the DXpedition team when DXpedition to Conway Reef (3D2/C) have
conditions are poor or when sleep deficits hand. “Telephone call for you, Murray.” Still
groggy, I said “Hello.” A voice returned, been moved to February 18-27 (see last
are beginning to accumulate!” “Murray, this is Rich, K1HTV. The A52DX month’s “How’s DX?” column).
Other important people who will be is on 28.020 MHz listening up, long path and
playing a role off-island include Don, only for North America!” WRAP UP
N1DG, and Richard, G4ZFE, who will be As Rich was talking, I was leaping out of Keep those surveys, letters, pictures, ques-
handling the on-line logs. The QSL bed and heading for the radio shack down- tions and newsletters coming. This month I
stairs. As I did so, the button clip to my pa- would like to thank the following people for
chores will be taken care of by Phil, helping to make this column possible:
jama bottoms decided to fail. So there I was,
G3SWH, and Bob, BRS32525 (SWL). cordless phone in one hand talking to Rich, G3NUG, G3XTT, K3BEQ and The Daily DX.
An informative Web site has been the other hand anxiously holding up my pants. Until next month, see you in the pileups!—
established at www.dxbands.com/ The rest of me was trying not to fall down the Bernie, W3UR
104 February 2001
 OLD RADIO

W2DST—A Station Lost in Time

Joseph M. Hoffmann was born in 1878 It remained untouched for nearly 55 home. Of course, Lou was interested. He
in New York City. He was a bright teen- years. immediately telephoned Joseph A., now
ager, studying chemistry and math. He almost 80 years old, and made arrange-
was also interested in telegraphy and The Discovery ments to see the station.
went to work for the New York Central Sometime after his father died in 1964, On July 15, 1996, along with his close
Railroad and Western Union as a teleg- Joseph A. moved south and rented out the friends, Bill Henneberry, KN2X, Bob
rapher. Sometime between 1898 and 1900 family home. Eventually deciding to sell Brannigan, W2EJG, and Bob Handel,
he became interested in wireless and built it, he wondered what to do with his and WB2ICQ, Lou went to the White Plains
his own spark-gap ham radio transmitter. his father’s beloved ham radio station. home. Met at the front door, Joseph A.
Operating as “JMH,” he quickly became Some mutual friends in Florida heard Hoffmann took them up to the second
more knowledgeable and built bigger and about the problem and called Lou floor and pulled down the attic stair. Lou
better stations. Leonard, W2UIJ. They knew Lou had later said, “At the time, I wasn’t sure what
New York City was a hot bed for early been seriously collecting radios for about we would see.” They entered the attic
radio. Hoffmann personally knew Tesla, five years and lived near the Hoffmann with flashlights and after pushing aside
Armstrong and had met Edison. In 1909 the 1869 steamer trunks of Hoffmann’s
he was a charter member of the Wireless W2UIJ grandfather, Augustus Hoffmann, the ham
Institute along with such notables as shack door was unlocked. Joseph A. said,
Lloyd Espenschied of AT&T; Phillip “You are the first persons outside the fam-
Farnsworth; Alfred Goldsmith, director of ily to see this since it was turned off in
the Radio Research Laboratory; Robert 1941.” Then he added, “I’m selling the
Marriott, Radio Inspector, Department Of house in one month. So what are you go-
Commerce; A. Parkhurst, superintendent ing to do about it?”
of the Tropical Radio Telegraph Com- It was a remarkable sight. For a mo-
pany; Greenleaf Pickard, vice president ment, they all were speechless. Before
of the Specialty Apparatus Company; and them was an untouched 1920s-1930s ham
Roy Weagant, design engineer for radio station of significant size and
Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. beauty. Almost immediately they noticed
This organization of radio pioneers in the three large transmitters, electrical
1912 became the Institute of Radio En- controls panels with large meters, power
gineers (IRE). supplies built in wooden boxes on the
Joseph Hoffman’s other hobbies were floor, other radio chassis scattered
building motorboats and playing with au- around, and an assortment of homemade
tomobiles. Around 1912, he took over his test equipment on shelves.
fathers cooperage business, building large Anticipating a wonderful find like this,
water tanks for city buildings. He con- Lou had brought his 35-mm slide camera
tinued to expand the business and became along. He plugged in a drop cord and
financially well off. A researcher, he was turned on the floodlights. Joseph A. started
one of the principal inventors of the mod- to tell the visitors about his father and the
ern spark plug. He manufactured spark The elder Hoffmann’s 40-meter history of the station. While this was go-
plugs during the 1920s and 1930s until transmitter. ing on, Lou took hundreds of photographs
AC-Delco bought the patents. before anything was disturbed.
In the mid-1920s Hoffmann designed W2UIJ

and built a new home in the country for The Transmitters

his family at 57 Grandview Ave, White The three large transmitters appeared
Plains. There, Joseph M. Hoffmann, now identical. Upon closer examination, it was
W2DST, would enjoy his hobby of ham noted that they were for three different
radio with his son, Joseph A. Hoffmann, bands: 80, 40 and 20 meters. An engineer
W2DIJ. himself, Lou admired the work of this
Drawing on the knowledge of the IRE master builder. “This was a first-class
engineers and designers, and having ac- job,” Lou said, “He didn’t use plug-in
cess to machine and woodwork shops, he coils like many other hams, he switched
built increasingly advanced ham stations transmitters instead.”
over the years. He would continue oper- In the late 1920s, when these were
ating and building until December 7, 1941, built, panel meters were very expensive.
the start of World War II. Then, he imme- Most hams had only one, which they
diately went off the air, took down all his jacked in and out of the various circuits
antennas, disconnected the power supplies to take readings. These transmitters each
and locked the door to his attic station. Joseph A. Hoffman, W2DIJ. had five meters, one for every important

John Dilks, K2TQN
125 Warf Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234-8501
[email protected]
February 2001 105
 mote location. The speculation is that he
brought this from his earlier home in the
city. It was still functional and an acci-
dental bump of one of the wall-mounted
knife switches brought them quickly to
life, surprising the visitors. Lou carefully
disabled the ac on his next visit.
160-Meter Transmitter
In the garage, a carefully constructed
breadboard 160-meter transmitter was
discovered. It was dirty, but was all there
and is restorable. Built by Joseph A., it
was featured in How to Become an Ama-
teur Radio Operator, by Lt. Myron F.
Eddy, a Short Wave Craft Publication,
1933-1934. Joseph M. modified it for
160-meter use only.
Other Treasures
Uncovering layer after layer in the
The W2DST station. This photo was taken only minutes after opening the sealed garage and cellar revealed rare and won-
attic door. derful spark transmitter parts. Antenna
resonators, sealed glass capacitors in
circuit. The operator could tell at a glance powered up the station and put it right on wooden boxes, a 500-W spark coil, a Massie
just how everything was performing and the air, if the antenna still existed. wireless key and slide potentiometers were
make adjustments as necessary. The power supplies are also well built found and are presently being restored.
All three transmitters have similar in- on sturdy wooden breadboards. They are Many of these came from the E.I. Company,
ternal construction. All stages are loop placed into custom-made wooden boxes a well-known manufacturer of spark trans-
coupled. The crystal controlled oscilla- that open for inspection and to allow the mitters and parts. Early tubes were also dis-
tor in the 40-meter rig is an RCA 6L6 driv- operator to replace the two 866 mercury- covered, such as the Western Electric 205-
ing a Taylor T-20. The finals can be viewed vapor rectifiers. D and some very early Audions.
through a screened window. They are a The attic revealed Joe’s set of IRE Jour-
pair of General Electric PR-3-B tubes (the The Receivers nals, starting with Volume 1, Issue 1.
GE version of the classic UV-203A). All of the station’s receivers had been In the station’s 1885 oak roll-top desk, a
Wired in push-pull, they are link-coupled earlier relocated to bedrooms or to the ga- pile of QSL cards were in place, as if wait-
to the feed-through insulators near the top rage and cellar. A visit to the cellar re- ing to be filled out. The drawers revealed a
of the front panel and then to a large cou- vealed a “pile of Pilot Super-Wasps,” 1932 radiogram, scientific instruments, re-
pling coil on top of the transmitter for which Hoffman cherished. Over the years ceiver plug-in coils and replacement parts
matching to the antenna lines. a large number of early commercial and for various radios. A Browning-Drake os-
Hoffmann modified the transmitters homebrew receivers had been used. In cillator was on the top and used as a VFO.
from time to time, always trying the latest later years an RCA AR-88, as well as sev- A Millen transmitter, in the form of
tubes or circuits. The 20-meter rig had been eral Nationals were in use there. several chassis, was found on the floor.
modified in the late 1930s to use an RCA This was believed to be from Joseph M.’s
813 in the final for higher output power. Switching Antennas city office. He would use this to contact
The cabinets are actually large wooden A series of large “Trumble” knife Joseph A. at home during the week.
boxes that have been very carefully lined switches, coupled by copper tubing, al- This station was truly a “time
with copper sheeting, making them well lowed each transmitter to be switched in capsule.”
shielded. The front panels are made of or out of the feed line. An RF power meter In addition to those mentioned above,
heavy aluminum and have been painted was built into the feeders to help adjust Lou Leonard would like to thank Tom
black-wrinkle. The two custom chassis each transmitter for maximum output. Perera, W1TP, Pete Malvasi, W2PM,
inside are carefully cut and bent from The feed line ended in yet another an- Stuart Mount, W2AO, and Jim Kreuzer,
sheet aluminum. All of the parts used are tenna matching device, mounted on the N2GHD, for their help in researching and
top quality and the construction is very outside wall with two large brass feed- identifying items from this station. Lou
professional. through rods to the antenna. Two large Leonard provided much of the informa-
There were no modulators for this sta- light bulbs were also in the circuit. They tion used in this article.
tion because Hoffmann used CW almost were probably used for tuning purposes
exclusively. or to act as dummy loads. Another knife Conclusion
There was quite a switching system for switch allowed the antenna to be switched I own the Hoffmann 40-meter trans-
the power. Two large power supplies would to the receiver while listening. mitter and have it in my Old Radio Mu-
provide the high voltage. The smaller one seum. To see it, check my spring sched-
was used for moderate output of 100 W, The Power Meters ule on my museum page for hamfests I
or for higher power the larger could be The board with the large meters was a will be attending. Look for my call let-
switched in for 300 W. A very organized carryover from Hoffmann’s early spark ters on my hat and say “hello.” Also, for
set of knife switches did the job. Every- transmitters. Due to the noise and the more photographs of the W2DST station
thing was well marked and documented. smell that was generated, they were usu- visit: www.eht.com/oldradio/arrl/
Lou felt that if he wanted to, he could have ally located in a cellar or some other re- index.html.—K2TQN
106 February 2001
 QRP POWER

Appalachian Award Fever

Last month Paul Stroud, AA4XX, the antenna high into the trees is coun-
shared with us his QRP kayaking adven- terproductive. In the case of the Trail,
ture to the Cape Lookout lighthouse to lower is better. By erecting the center of
work one of the Adventure Radio the dipole only 15 to 20 feet off the
Society’s Spartan Sprints. It seems that ground, it is much easier to extend the
over the last couple of years QRPers are dipole legs to their full length.
taking to the bush in record numbers to Ed begins his antenna raising with a roll
operate and contest under primitive con- of 30-lb test nylon fishing line. First he
ditions. QRP lends itself to this type of peels off about 40-50 feet of fishing line
“Extreme Radio.” The rigs are tiny and and lays it out on the ground. Then he se-
very battery friendly. Simple antennas are cures the remainder of the line on the reel
the order of the day. What could be bet- with a rubber band. Using an underhand
ter than a walk in the woods and a little Ed Breneiser, WA3WSJ, operating from tossing method, Ed lofts the reel over a
QRP operating? With this in mind, let me the Appalachian Trail in October 2000 nearby branch, usually about 15-20 feet off
with his K2 transceiver.
tell you about… the ground. Then he secures the center of
the dipole to the free end of the fishing
Hams on the “AT” Antennas are of the wire variety for line and pulls the antenna into the trees.
Since the Appalachian Trail winds several reasons. First is portability. Wire Power for A-Trail QRP rigs is nor-
2100 miles through 14 states from Maine antennas can be made very small and ex- mally provided by gel-cell batteries. Al-
to Georgia (Pennsylvania being one of tremely lightweight. When you backpack though some rigs run just fine (at reduced
them), Ron Polityka, WB3AAL, El any distance, it quickly becomes appar- power) on a 12 to 15-V AAA alkaline
Presidente of the EPA-QRP-Club, ent that every ounce in your pack weighs battery pack, the preferred power source
thought it would be a great idea for the you down. is a 6-A/h gel-cell, which will power the
club to sponsor a series of awards for Dipoles are the favored wire design. I average QRP rig for an entire weekend
working stations on the Trail. The idea have used N2CQ’s Gusher antennas with without recharging. Several Trail QRPers
caught on like wildfire. Soon there were good results. Ed, WA3WSJ, makes his also take along a 10-W solar panel to re-
several awards offered with the criteria own using some #26 copper coated steel charge the batteries while on the go.
explained in detail on the EPA-QRP-Club wire with black insulation, called “Stealth Some nice Trail accessories include a
Web page: www.n3epa.org/at/at.htm. To Wire” (available from Davis RF 1 ) at portable paddle set (try TE-NE-KEY 2 or
keep up with the surge of interest, Ron about $.14/foot. This stuff is unbelievably Whiterook 3 for inexpensive portable
started a reflector especially for the Ap- strong, extremely light and practically in- paddles), a night light (red LED flashlights
palachian Trail awards: atrail@lehigh. visible from more than a couple of feet work fine and keep the bugs away), a small
edu. Here, QRPers can list the dates, away. Ed’s design consists of a set of note pad, and a palm-top computer for log-
times, location and frequencies when they 40-meter elements (33.5 ft/each) fed with ging. Remember, think light when select-
would be on the trail and operating. thin 300-Ω twinlead available from your ing accessories to carry along on the A-
Ken Newman, N2CQ, Craig LaBarge, local RadioShack store. Ed used this an- Trail. Radio gear is secondary to your nor-
WB3CGK, Ed Breneiser, WA3WSJ, Ron tenna when we went out on the A-Trail mal camping gear, so you must pay close
Polityka, WB3AAL, Brian Riley, N1BQ, in early October with fantastic results. attention to bulk and weight when plan-
Frank Flynn, KM1Z and others (myself His K2 autotuner matched all HF bands ning QRP operation in conjunction with a
included) took to the Appalachian Trail except 17 meters. How do we know that hike or multi-day outing on the Trail.
to “light it up” for those who wanted to this antenna works so well? Ed worked
qualify for one of the awards. Participa- 40 meters exclusively on this trip and Take Your Rig Outdoors
tion exceeded Ron’s wildest expecta- generated a pile up on 7040 kHz so large I hope this brief foray into Extreme
tions! Here was a series of awards that he couldn’t take time out to go to the Radio will spark your imagination
people really wanted. bathroom! Not bad for a dipole erected enough to give it a try this camping
only 15 feet off the ground! season. There is a lot of fun to be had
A-Trail Packing List This brings up the next problem: how by combining outdoor activities and
What does it take to operate from the to get the antenna into the air. Most ham radio. Remember, when you trek into
A-Trail? A QRP rig helps! Although, Ron, QRPers use some sort of “anti-gravity the bush, be a courteous hiker/camper.
WB3AAL, often takes his TS-50 and a device” such as a slingshot with fishing Remove all your trash and leave only
deep cycle battery into the woods for Trail reel attached, bow and arrow, fishing rod footprints. The natural beauty of
operations, the rest of us mere mortals use and reel, or the old standby: a 1-inch-deep the great outdoors is there for all to en-
a cross section of monoband QRP kit rigs well socket tied to a piece of nylon para- joy. Let’s keep it that way.
(NorCal-40A, SW-40+, OHR, etc) while chute cord! Since the trees are quite dense
Ed, WA3WSJ, takes his K2. With the new in most places on the A-Trail, using a 2TE-NE-KEY:
slingshot or bow and arrow to try to get www.qsl.net/noarc/Te-Ne-
Elecraft K1s now on the market, it won’t KeyPage.htm
be long before many A-Trail QRPers start 1Davis RF: www.davisrf.com/ham1/flexweve. 3Whiterook Paddles: electronicsusa.com/
using these little dual banders. htm home.html

Rich Arland, K7SZ
25 Amherst Ave, Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
[email protected]

February 2001 107
 YL NEWS
Meet the Girl Guides of Grenada
A group of young ladies from St
Joseph’s Convent School of St George’s,
Grenada, experienced the fun of ham ra-
dio first hand last October. Not only did
they get to operate on 2 meters and talk to
hams on neighboring islands, they also saw
an HF multi-multi contest station at the St
George’s Emergency Operations Center.
St Joseph’s is an all-girls Catholic sec-
ondary school run by the Sisters of St
Joseph of Cluny, an order of nuns that has
been in Grenada since 1875. The school is The girls enjoyed making contacts on
located on a hill overlooking St George’s, 2-meter FM. In the background is Don,
the main port and capital city of Grenada. K2KQ.
Grenada is located in the West Indies, Don, K2KQ, shows one of the Rangers
12° above the Equator, just north of how contest logging works at the
Emergency Operation Center in St
Trinidad. The average daytime tempera- George’s. They will be looking for other members
tures can reach the mid-90° F range. of the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to con-
Even with the hot and humid weather, the tact. Currently there are active Amateur
schools are comfortable because they are Radio Guide groups in Canada, Wales,
built with many open arches and atriums about 30 Rangers and their Guiders took a England, Australia and New Zealand—
that allow plenty of cross ventilation. tour of the setup and got on the air. They and now Grenada! Janelle was at the Girl
This is essential, since none of the were able to see multiple HF stations in Guides World Camp 1999 at Paxlodge,
schools are air conditioned, and regard- operation, complete with Internet packet, the Girl Guides headquarters in England,
less of the temperature, all students in computer networking and logging. along with a group of 21 other Rangers
Grenada must wear uniforms (no shorts Don Toman, K2KQ, president of the from St. Joseph’s. She said there were
or sleeveless attire allowed!). Yankee Clipper Contest Club and I gave Girl Guides from many other countries
them a tour of the J3A contest setup, which there and that they gained a wealth of
The Girl Guides included separate stations for 10, 15, 20, knowledge and experiences. “We look
Sister Gabriele, the principal of St 40, 80 and 160 meters. There were many forward to learning about Amateur Ra-
Joseph’s for more than 15 years, is very different types of radios, amplifiers, com- dio and making new friends around the
proud of the education the students re- puters (laptops and desktop PCs) and globe,” she said.
ceive at the school and encourages them headsets, footswitches and accessories of For more information about amateur
to participate in a variety of activities. every type. The girls were very impressed radio and the Girl Guides, you can go to
One of the many extracurricular groups that we could talk around the world from the Web site set up by CLARA, the Cana-
at the school is the Girl Guides who meet the antennas and towers set up at the EOC. dian Ladies Amateur Radio Association at
on Friday afternoons. They have a Ranger Despite the extensive HF station, like members.tripod.com/~CLARA_YL/
troop with over 40 members between 14 teenagers everywhere, they were most CLARA_YL/id8.html. CLARA has a spe-
and 17 years old. interested in being able to talk to each cial initiative to support GOTA. You can
Madeline Scott, one the leaders, or other using a 1/2-W H-T on 2-meter sim- also get very detailed information on how
Guiders of the group, said the girls are al- plex! There are not too many cell phones to set up your station, QSL information and
ways on the lookout for new and unusual available to young people in Grenada, and more at a site set up by Helen Archibald,
topics and field trips for their meetings. they were very excited to think that they VE2YAK. Helen is the CLARA liaison for
Madeline teaches Business, English, Nu- would be able to communicate with each GOTA and a Senior Branches Guider in
trition and Information Technology at the other across the island—and even into Quebec. The Australians also have a page
school. She discovered that there was an neighboring islands—using the club’s 2- set up for GOTA at www.omen.com.au/
active Amateur Radio Club on the island meter repeater. The Ranger’s president, ~vk6wia/clubs-wa.html.
and thought it would be interesting for her Janelle Harford, said “It was a fun expe-
group to find out more about it. Cletus St rience for all of us and we hope to be able YLRL CONTESTS
Paul, J39JQ, president of the club, invited to get our Amateur Radio licenses so we Don’t forget the YLRL contests this month:
them to attend one of their meetings. He can talk all over the world.” They plan to YL-OM Contest—February 3-5, 2001 (CW)
also mentioned that a group of ham radio attend the local Amateur Radio club meet- and February 10-12, 2001 (SSB). In addition,
operators from the United States were set- ings and get their licenses. don’t miss the DX-YL-to-North-American-YL
ting up some stations at the Emergency Contest (CW) 1400 UTC, April 11, 2001, to
Operations Center for an upcoming con- “Thinking Day” 0200 UTC, April 13, 2001; (SSB) 1400 UTC,
April 25, 2001, to 0200 UTC, April 27, 2001.
test. Cletus made the arrangements, and on Girl Guides around the world will be For full contest rules and information, go to
the Friday afternoon before the CQ on the air February 17 and 18 (Saturday/ the YLRL Web at www.qsl.net/ylrl/.—
WorldWide SSB contest last October, Sunday) to celebrate “Thinking Day.” 33, Diane K2DO

Diane P. Ortiz, K2DO
PO Box 296, Bellport, NY 11713
[email protected]

108 February 2001
 COMING CONVENTIONS
OKLAHOMA SECTION CONVENTION to Exit 11, Brookshire Freeway E to Independence
February 2-3 Blvd at Exit 2B. Doors are open Saturday
February 16-17, Tulsa Mississippi State, Jackson* 8:30 AM to 5 PM, Sunday 8:30 AM to 2 PM. Fea-
The Oklahoma Section Convention, sponsored by tures include 425 flea market tables (all indoors),
the Green Country Hamfest Committee, will be held February 3-4 100 dealer booths, forums, VE sessions, discount
at the Maxwell Convention Center, 7th and Hous- parking. Talk-in on 145.29. Admission is $6 in ad-
ton; downtown Tulsa is accessible via Interstates Florida State, Miami* vance and $8 at the door. Tables are $22. Contact
44 and 244 connecting to Hwy 75, Hwy 51 (Broken Tom Hunt, KA3VVJ, 16007 Wynfield Creek Park-
Arrow Expressway) to Houston St. Doors are open February 9-11 way, Huntersville, NC 28078; 704-948-7373;
Friday 5-9 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 5 PM. Features [email protected]; www.w4bfb.org.
include flea market, vendors, forums, VE sessions, Northern Florida Section, Orlando*
free test table. Talk-in on 145.11, 443.85 (88.5 Hz). Attention Hamfest and Convention Sponsors:
Admission is $8 in advance (by Jan 31) and $10 at February 10-11
the door. Flea market tables are $8 in advance and ARRL HQ maintains a date register of scheduled
Tennessee State, Memphis* events that may assist you in picking a suitable
$10 at the door; commercial $50 in advance and
date for your event. You’re encouraged to register
$65 at the door; electricity $20. Contact Merlin your event with HQ as far in advance as your
Griffin, WB5OSM, Box 470132, Tulsa, OK 74147- March 17-18
planning permits. Hamfest and convention
0132; 918-622-2277; [email protected]; www. Texas State, Midland approval procedures for ARRL sanction are
greencountryhamfest.org. separate and distinct from the date register.
March 30-31 Registering dates with ARRL HQ doesn’t consti-
VERMONT STATE CONVENTION tute League sanction, nor does it guar-antee there
Nebraska State, Norfolk
February 24, Milton will not be a conflict with another established
event in the same area.
The Vermont State Convention, sponsored by the March 31-April 1 We at ARRL HQ are not able to approve dates
Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont, will be held for sanctioned hamfests and conventions. For
at Milton High School, Rte 7, 5 miles N of I-89, Maryland State, Timonium
hamfests, this must be done by your division
Exit 17. Doors are open 8 AM to 2 PM. Features director. For conventions, approval must be made
include flea market, vendors (please call for setup * See January QST for details. by your director and by the executive committee.
information), dealers, book sales, demonstrations, Application forms can be obtained by writing to or
forums (ARRL, QRP, Contesting, Satellites, RF), calling the ARRL convention program manager
VE sessions (9AM and 1 PM), commercial radio ROANOKE DIVISION CONVENTION at 860-594-0262.
exams, refreshments. Talk-in on 145.15, bulletins Note: Sponsors of large gatherings should check
on 146.67. Admission is $3, under 18 free. Tables March 10-11, Charlotte, NC with League HQ for an advisory on possible date
are free while they last. Contact Mitch Stern, The Roanoke Division Convention, sponsored by conflicts before contracting for meeting space.
W1SJ, Box 99, Essex, VT 05451-8099; 802-879- the Mecklenburg ARS, will be held at the Mer- Dates may be recorded at ARRL HQ for up to two
6589; [email protected]; www.ranv.together.com. chandise Mart, 2500 E Independance Blvd; I-77 years in advance.

HAMFEST CALENDAR
Attention: The deadline for receipt of items for (flea market); $15 (dealers). Margaret Alexander, and turn S (left). Amateur Radio and Computer
this column is the 1st of the second month KC5MCS, 1511 N Jackson, Russellville, AR Show, tailgating ($6), vendors, forums, VE sessions
preceding publication date. For example, your 72801; 501-968-7270; [email protected]; (1 PM). TI: 146.67. Adm: $6. Tables: $6. Don
information must arrive at HQ by February 1 to www.cswnet.com/~arvarf/hamfest.htm. Koerner, KK4VK, 9125 St Clair Ln, Port Richey,
be listed in the April issue. Hamfest informa- † California (Monterey/Seaside)—Feb 17, 7 AM FL 34668; 727-848-8000; [email protected]
tion is accurate as of our deadline; contact spon- to 3 PM. Spr: Naval Postgraduate School ARC. .net; www.angelfire.com/fl3/gcarc/hamfest.html.
sor for possible late changes. For those who General Stilwell Community Center (old Fort † Florida (Sebring)—Feb 17, 7 AM to 1 PM. Spr:
send in items for Hamfest Calendar and Com- Ord), 4260 Gigling Rd, at Moore Blvd; just N of Highlands County ARC. Sebring Civic Center, 301
ing Conventions: Postal regulations prohibit Monterey on Hwy 1. Flea market, seminars, dem- W Center Ave; from US 27 turn on Ridgewood,
mention in QST of prizes or any kind of games onstrations (Voice and Morse Code, ATV, packet, go to circle, turn right on W Center, go to
of chance such as raffles or bingo. APRS, MARS, and more), guest speakers. TI: Lakeview, turn left, go 50 ft and turn right, be-
(Abbreviations: Spr = Sponsor, TI = Talk-in fre- 146.97 (94.8 Hz). Adm: donation requested. hind Library. Free tailgating with admission. TI:
quency, Adm = Admission.) Tables: inside first $20, additional $15; outside 147.045. Adm: $3. Tables: $10 (includes 1 admis-
$10. Max Cornell, K0MC, 199 Linde Circle, Ma- sion). Darrell Koranda, KB4XJ, 3022 Essex Ct,
† Arizona (Scottsdale)—Mar 10, 6 AM. Spr: rina, CA 93933; 831-883-0491; cornell@redshift Sebring, FL 33870-6816; 863-471-0226; kb4xj
Scottsdale ARC. Scottsdale Community College, .com; www.k6ly.org/radiofest. @strato.net.
California (Redding)—Mar 3. Jim Bremer, † Georgia (Dalton)—Feb 24, 8 AM to 2 PM. Spr:
9000 E Chaparral Rd; Interchange of 101 N and
Chaparral Rd, SE parking lot. Vendors, VE ses- KE6OUA; 530-222-8001; [email protected]. Dalton ARC. N GA Fairgrounds, Legion Dr; Exit
sions, RV parking, refreshments. TI: 147.18. Adm: † Colorado (Brighton)—Feb 18, 9 AM to 1 PM. 137 off I-75; N Dalton Bypass to Glenwood Ave
$2. Tables: $10. Roger Cahoon, KB7ZWI, 8501 E Spr: Aurora Repeater Assn. Adams County Fair- to Legion Dr. TI: 145.23. Adm: $5. Tables: $5.
Edward Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85250; 480-948-1824, grounds, 9755 Henderson Rd; US 85 to 124th Ave, Marvin Cooper, N2MC, 144 Danny Cir, Calhoun,
602-725-7256 (mobile); fax 602-943-7651; W on 124th Ave which becomes Henderson Rd, GA 30701; 706-629-1480; [email protected].
[email protected]. continue W to Fairgrounds Complex on N side. † Illinois (Sterling)—Mar 18, 7:30 AM to 2 PM.
† Arkansas (Harrison)—Mar 10, 8 AM to 1 PM. VE sessions. TI: 147.15. Adm: $4. Tables: $10 Spr: Sterling-Rock Falls ARS. Challand Middle
Spr: North Arkansas ARS. Harrison Junior High (plus admission). Wayne Heinen, N0POH, Box School, 1700 6th Ave; LeFevre Rd E to 6th Ave.
School, 515 S Pine; located on Hwy 7 near S 473411, Aurora, CO 80047-3411; 303-699-6335; Large indoor flea market, vendors, radio and elec-
Harrison City limits. VE sessions. TI: 147.0. Adm: [email protected]; www.qsl.net/n0ara. tronics items, computers, VE sessions (walk-ins),
$5. Tables: $15. Bill Rose, N5VKF, Box 354, † Florida (Englewood)—Mar 10, 8 AM to 1 PM. accomodations for self-contained campers, free
Harrison, AR 72601; 870-741-6968; billrose@ Spr: Englewood ARS. Tringali Community Cen- parking, refreshments. TI: 146.85 (114.8 Hz).
cswnet.com; www.qsl.net/naars. ter; E Englewood, Rte 776, near intersection of Adm: advance $3, door $4. Tables: $5 (without
† Arkansas (Russellville)—Mar 3, 8 AM to 4 PM. Spinnaker Rd. VE sessions. TI: 146.7. Adm: ad- electricity), $6 (with electricity, bring your own
Spr: Arkansas River Valley AR Foundation. vance $3, door $4. J. R. House, K9HUY, 6249 drop cords). Lloyd Sherman, KB9APW, 25873
Hughes Community Center; Hwy 7 to Parkway, Alloway St, Englewood, FL 34224; 941-475-3005. Capp Rd, Sterling, IL 61081; 815-336-2434;
go E on Parkway to junction of Parkway and Knox- † Florida (New Port Richey)—Mar 3; set up Fri- [email protected].
ville. Flea market, dealers, ARRL forum. TI: day after 4 PM; public Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM. Indiana (La Porte)—Feb 24. Neil Straub, WZ9N;
146.82. Adm: $5. Tables: advance $8, door $12 Spr: Gulf Coast ARC. Ridgewood High School, 219-324-7525.
7650 Orchid Lake Rd; take Ridge Rd off US 19, go Iowa (Council Bluffs)—Mar 3. Rich Swig,
†ARRL Hamfest S on Lemon Rd, or take Little Rd W to Lemon Rd WA0ZQG; 712-256-7775.

Gail Iannone
Convention Program Manager

February 2001 109
Kentucky (Cave City)—Mar 3. Marty Edwards, † New York (Williamsville)—Feb 18; set up † Oklahoma (Elk City)—Mar 3, 8:30 AM to
KC4BFF; 270-528-2447. 6-8 AM; public 8 AM to 3 PM. Spr: Lancaster 5 PM. Spr: West Central Oklahoma ARC. Com-
† Massachusetts (Marlborough)—Feb 17, 10 AM ARC. Main Transit Fire Hall, 6777 Main St (Rte munity Center, Rte 66; 1 mile W of Rte 66 and
to 2 PM. Spr: Algonquin ARC. Marlborough 5); 1/ 8 mile from Transit Rd (Rte 78). Greater Buf- Hwy 34; I-40, Exit 41. VE sessions. TI: 146.76.
Middle School, 25 Union St; off Rte 85, behind falo Winter Hamfest and Computer Show, vendors, Adm: advance $5, door $8. Tables: $5. Earl Bot-
Marlborough Police Headquarters. Flea market, ham radio gear, computers, equipment, VE ses- tom, N5NEB, Rte 1, Box 62A, Hammon, OK
VE sessions (9-11 AM; walk-ins accepted). TI: sions, refreshments. TI: 147.255. Adm: $5, 73650; 580-821-0633; [email protected].
146.61, 233.94, 449.925. Adm: $3. Tables: advance under 12 free. Tables: 8-ft $6. Luke Calianno, Oklahoma (Tulsa)—Feb 16-17, Oklahoma Sec-
$12 (before Feb 7), $15 (Feb 7 and after). Ann N2GDU, 1105 Ransom Rd, Lancaster, NY 14086; tion Convention. See “Coming Conventions.”
Weldon, KA1PON, 14A Emmett St, Marlborough, 716-634-4667 (days) or 716-683-8880 (eves);
luke@towncountryf lorist.com; hamgate1 Oregon (Rickreall/Salem)—Feb 17. Richard
MA 01752; 508-481-4988 (before 9 PM); Smith, KK7OX, 541-997-4074.
[email protected]. .sunyerie.edu/~larc. † Pennsylvania (Castle Shannon/Pittsburgh)—
† Michigan (Farmington Hills/Livonia)—Feb 18, North Carolina (Charlotte)—Mar 10-11,
Roanoke Division Convention. See “Coming Feb 25, 8 AM to 3 PM. Spr: Wireless Assn of
8 AM to 12:30 PM. Spr: Livonia ARC. William South Hills. Castle Shannon VFD Memorial Hall,
M. Costic Activities Center, 28600 W 11 Mile Rd, Conventions.”
3600 Library Rd (Rte 88); Rte 51 to Rte 88, 1 1/ 4
just E of Middlebelt Rd, 3 miles N of Livonia. North Dakota (Bismarck)—Feb 24, 7 AM to miles to Grove Rd. Flea market, vendors, forums,
Swap ’n Shop; buy or sell Amateur Radio gear, 3 PM. Spr: Central Dakota ARC. St Mary's Grade VE sessions (noon), handicapped accessible. TI:
computers, and electronic test equipment; School, 807 E Thayer Ave; located between 146.955. Adm: $4. Tables: $15 (with electricity,
SKYWARN; RACES. TI: 145.35, 146.52. Adm: Medcenter One Health Systems and St Alexius unlimited number), $10 (without electricity). Steve
$5. Tables: 8-ft reserved $16 (plus advanced $5 Hospitals. Eyeballs and QSOs, VE sessions, re- Lane, W3SRL, 897 Lovingston Dr, Pittsburgh, PA
admission). Send 4×9 SASE to Neil Coffin, freshments. TI: 146.94. Adm: advance $5, door $6. 15216; 412-341-1043; [email protected];
WA8GWL, Livonia ARC, Box 51532, Livonia, MI Tables: $5. Kurt Carufel, KB0KDG, 941 N 33rd www.washarc.org/washfesty2k.htm.
48151-5532; 734-261-5486 or 734-427-3905; St, Bismarck, ND 58501-3234; 701-222-0938;
[email protected]; www.larc.mi.org. [email protected]. Tennessee (Knoxville)—Mar 10. Paul Baird,
† New Jersey (Parsippany)—Mar 3; sellers †Ohio (Cincinnati)—Feb 25; set up 4-8 AM; pub-
K3PB, 865-986-9562.
6:30 AM, buyers 8 AM. Spr: Splitrock ARA. PAL lic 9 AM to 4 PM. Spr: Hamilton County ARPSC. Vermont (Milton)—Feb 24, Vermont State Con-
Building, 33 Baldwin Rd; I-80, Exit 42 to US Hwy Hartwell Recreation Center, 59 Caldwell Dr; from vention. See “Coming Conventions.”
† Virginia (Annandale)—Feb 25, 8 AM to 2 PM.
46 (E/W), E to Burger King, turn S on Baldwin downtown, take I-75 N to Paddock Rd Exit, turn
Rd. Tailgating (weather permitting), VE sessions, left, follow through second traffic light onto Vine Spr: Vienna Wireless Society. Northern Virginia
handicapped accessible. TI: 146.985, 146.52. Adm: St, follow Vine St to third traffic light, turn left onto Community College, 8333 Little River Turnpike;
$6. Tables: $18 (includes 1 admission). Mark Caldwell Dr, turn left at Hartwell entrance (located I-495 (Capital Beltway) to Exit 6 (Rte 236/Little
Turner, KB2VKO, Box 610, Rockaway, NJ 07866; below underpass). Flea market, commercial deal- River Turnpike), go W on Rte 236, go 1 mile and
888-511-7272; [email protected]; ers, vendors, VE sessions. TI: 145.37. Adm: advance take left onto Wakefield Chapel Rd, follow signs.
ham.hsix.com/sara. $5, door $6. Tables: $20 (flea market), $55 (com- Forums, VE sessions (Saturday, Feb 24). TI:
† New York (Hicksville)—Feb 25; set up 8 AM; mercial). Bill Tittle, KA8LAY, 3038 Bracken 146.91. Adm: $5. Tables: $15 (non-commercial),
public 9 AM. Spr: Long Island Mobile ARC. Woods Ln, Cincinnati, OH 45211-7338; 513-661- $20 (commercial). Mike Toia, K3MT, 723 Walker
Levittown Hall, 201 Levittown Pkwy; located E 1861 or 513-661-1805; fax 513-661-8558 or 513- Rd, Great Falls, VA 22066; 703-757-7021;
of Wantagh Pkwy (Exit W2 E), 1/2 mile S of Old 661-0201; [email protected]; www.arpsc.com. [email protected]; winterfest.home.att.net.
† Ohio (Cuyahoga Falls)—Feb 25; set up Satur- † Washington (Puyallup)—Mar 10. Spr: Mike
Country Rd. Electronics Hamfair and Flea Mar-
ket, vendors, equipment, computers, accessories, day 3-5 PM; public Sunday 8 AM to 2 PM. Spr: and Key ARC. Western Washington Fairgrounds
VHF tune-up clinic, refreshments. TI: 146.85 Cuyahoga Falls ARC. Emidio and Sons Party Cen- Pavilion Expo Hall; 14th Ave SW Exit from SR
(136.5 Hz). Adm: $6, under 12 free (accompanied ter, 48 E Bath Rd, at corner of State Rd; State Rte 512, NE corner of Fairgrounds. Vendors, club info,
by a paying parent). Tables: advance 6-ft $20 (reg- 8 N to Graham Rd Exit, travel 1.3 miles W on VE sessions, free parking, refreshments. TI:
ister by Feb 14, includes 1 admission); $25 (after Graham Rd, turn right on E Bath Rd. Hamfest and 146.82 (103.5 Hz), 146.58. Adm: $6. Tables: table
Feb 14, if available). Eddie Muro, KC2AYC, Box Electronics/Computer Show, vendors, major and vendor $27, additional tables $22, helpers $7.
392, Levittown, NY 11756-0392; 516-520-9311; manufacturers, VE sessions, free parking. TI: Michael Dinkelman, N7WA, 22222 148th Ave SE,
[email protected]; www.limarc.org. 147.27. Adm: advance $4, door $5. Tables: ad- Kent, WA 98042; 425-867-4797 (days) or 253-
New York (Horseheads)—Feb 24. Barry Gabriel, vance first table $14, additional $10; door first 631-3756 (eves); [email protected]; www
N2EUS; 607-737-0626. table $17, additional $12 (includes 1 admission). .mikeandkey.com.
† New York (Lindenhurst)—Mar 4; set up 7 AM; Carl Hervol, N8JLQ, 2292 Lake Center St,
public 9 AM to 2 PM. Sprs: Great South Bay ARC Uniontown, OH 44685; 330-497-7047; fax 330-
and Suffolk County RC. Knights of Columbus 497-8489; [email protected]; www.cfarc.org.
Hall, 400 S Broadway. Flea market, vendors, com- Ohio (Lorain)—Feb 4. John Schaaf, K8JWS,
puters and accessories, software, electronic com- 216-696-5709. Attention All Hamfest Committees!
ponents, radio equipment, books and technical † Ohio (Mansfield)—Feb 11. Sprs: InterCity ARC
Get official ARRL sanction for your event and
manuals, ARRL info, free tune-up clinic, VE ses- and MASER. Richland County Fairgrounds, North receive special benefits such as free prizes,
sions (noon), refreshments. TI: 146.685 (136.5 Home Rd; from Cleveland take I-71 S to US 30 handouts, and other support.
Hz). Adm: $6. Tables: advance $18, door $25 W, exit at Trimble Rd, follow signs to far W side It’s easy to become sanctioned. Contact the
(Walter Wenzel, KA2RGI, 631-957-0218). Lenore of Fairgrounds. TI: 146.94. Adm: advance $4, door Convention and Hamfest Branch at ARRL Head-
Dunlop, N2KYP, Box 1356, W Babylon, NY $5. Tables: $10. Dean Wrasse, KB8MG, 1094 Beal quarters, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Or
11704; 631-785-0826; [email protected]; www Rd, Mansfield, OH 44905-1605; 419-522-9893; send e-mail to [email protected].
.gsbarc.org/hamfest.htm. [email protected]; www.maser.org.

The adapter consists of a small circuit board

NEW PRODUCTS with a socket for the user-supplied Compact-
Flash card, a conventional male IDE ribbon
cable socket and a power jack. The latest ver-
COMPACTFLASH ADAPTER sion of the adapter will accept type-II
CARD-II FROM TAPR CompactFlash cards and includes a location on
◊ Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) has the board for mounting an alternative IDE socket
recently made available a new and improved (2.5-inch, 44-pin with a 2 mm pitch). The power
version of their CompactFlash Adapter card. supply connector jack accepts the same plug as
The adapter allows CompactFlash memory is used on conventional floppy drives.
cards—typically used as data storage devices Price: $59 ($49 for members of TAPR) plus
for digital cameras—to emulate a personal choice for storing the PC’s operating system, shipping and handling. For more information
computer’s IDE hard disk or floppy disk drive. such as DOS, Linux, FlexNet or NOS, and contact Tucson Amateur Packet Radio, 8987-
Since there are no moving parts, this other software applications in situations that 309 E Tanque Verde Rd #337, Tucson, AZ
CompactFlash memory card “drive” is said to expose the computer hardware to less-than- 85749; tel 940-383-0000; fax 940-566-2544;
be more rugged. This makes it an attractive ideal environmental conditions. [email protected]; www.tapr.org.
110 February 2001 Previous New Products
 CONTEST CORRAL
Feedback one class for all stations. Count one point per Greenwich Ave, Portland OR 97217-5416.
In the 2000 Field Day results, N6SK was listed phone QSO, two points per CW/RTTY/digital YL-OM Contest, CW, sponsored by YLRL,
as N6SL in category 1B1. The Stanley County QSO. No multipliers. Awards. Contest Chairman 1400Z Feb 3 to 0200Z Feb 5. (Phone: 1400Z, Feb
ARC call sign K4OGB in category 1A was listed FSARC, Inc, PO Box 1050, Newark, DE 19715; 12 to 0200Z, Feb 14.) All licensed men and women
as KD4OZI. The SOBARS K6QM entry should [email protected]; www.fsarc.org/. operators throughout the world are invited to
have been listed from the San Diego Section. Vermont QSO Party, sponsored by the Central participate. Men call “CQ-YL” and women call
In the 2000 June VHF QSO Party, K9YR Vermont Amateur Radio Club, 0000Z Feb 3 to “CQ-OM.” Participants may work only 24 hours
should be listed as Low Power instead of High 2400Z Feb 4. 160 80 40 20 15 10 meters plus VHF/ of the 36 hours in each contest. Operating breaks
Power in the Illinois section. In the Region Box UHF. Single Op, multiop, club or rover. Vermont must be indicated in the log. Exchange call signs,
for Central Region Rover leaders, VE3NPB’s stations send RST and county; others send RST QSO number, RS(T), ARRL section, VE province,
score should read 93,148 to place first in the re- plus state/province/DXCC country. Frequencies: or country. Entries in log must also show time,
gion. KE6FCT should show as first place in the CW—40 kHz up from bottom of the band. 20 kHz band, and date. Scoring: phone and CW will be
Region Box for the Western Region in the Single up from the bottom of the Technician subbands. scored as separate contests. Submit separate logs
Operator, Low Power category. SSB in the first 25 kHz of the General portion of for each contest. Score each band separately. One
In the 2000 August UHF Contest, the operator each band; entire Technician 10-meter phone point is earned for each different station worked on
in the photograph of the N0QK trailer is actually band. VHF: 50.200, 144.200, 146.49, 146.69. VT each band; women count only men and men count
KF0Q. stations count one point per phone contact, two only women. Add together the QSO points earned
for CW, RTTY or other digital modes. A station for each band and multiply the number of QSOs by
may be worked up to four times per band (different the total number of different ARRL sections, VE
W1AW Qualifying Runs are 7 PM EST, Friday, modes). Multiply by number of VT counties, provinces, and countries worked. Contestants
February 2, and 4 PM EST Tuesday, February states, provinces, countries, W1BD and legitimate using 100 W or less on CW and 200 W PEP or less
20. The K6YR West Coast Qualifying Run will Vermont club stations. Multipliers count only on SSB at all times may multiply the results by 1.5
be at 9 PM PST on Wednesday, February 7 with once regardless of the number of bands they might (the low power multiplier). The maximum power
10-40 WPM runs. Check the W1AW schedule be worked. Other stations count one point per VT output that may be used at any time during the
for details. phone QSO, 2 per VT CW, RTTY, etc. Multiply contest is 750 W on CW and 1500 W PEP on SSB.
by number of VT counties, W1BD and legitimate All logs must show your ARRL section, province,
Vermont Club stations. W1BD is worth a 2000 or country to qualify for awards. Logs must also
February point bonus. Awards. Send logs postmarked by state the power output used and the operating
3-4 March 1 to: Bob DeForge, K1HKI, QSO Party breaks taken. If you have 200 or more QSOs,
North American Sprint, phone, sponsored by Coordinator, Vermont QSO Party, Central submit a separate log for each band and submit a
NCJ, 0000-0400Z Feb 4 (local time, Feb 3); CW is Vermont Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 674, dupe sheet. Remember to file separate logs for each
0000-0400Z Feb 11 (local time, Feb 10). Sprints Montpelier, VT 05601. contest. Logs must show claimed score. Send logs
are separate. 80, 40, 20 only. North American New Hampshire QSO Party, sponsored by the to Cleo Bracket, K0JFO, 810 Towne Square Dr,
stations work everyone; others work NA stations NHARA, 0000Z Feb 3 to 2400Z Feb 4. Operate any Fremont, NE 68025; [email protected]; www.qsl
only. Exchange other station’s call, your call, 24 hours. Off-times must be a minimum of 15 .net/~ylrl/ylcontst.html/.
serial number, name and state/province/DXCC minutes. 160 80 40 20 15 10 meters plus VHF/UHF. Spring Classic Radio Exchange, CW and phone,
country. Work stations once per band. QSY rule: Classes: Single Transmitter QRP (less than 5 W), Sponsored by CX Newsletter. 2000Z Feb 4 to
Stations calling CQ, QRZ, etc, may only work one Low Power (150 W or less) and High Power (more 0500Z Feb 5. 80 40 20 15 10 meters. Exchange
station in response to that call; they must then than 150 W), Multi Transmitter QRP, Low Power name, RST, QTH, receiver and transmitter type
move at least 1 kHz before working another station and High Power. New Hampshire stations send RST (home-brewers send final amplifier tube or
or 5 kHz before soliciting another call. Once you and W/VE outside NH send RST state/province/. transistor). Work stations once per band, mode
are required to QSY, you may not make a new DX stations send RST/serial number. Use of and equipment combination. Nonparticipants may
QSO on the previous frequency until you have repeaters is not allowed. Use of spotting nets, DX be worked for credit. CW: 3.545, 7.045, 14.045,
made a contact at least 1 or 5 kHz (as required) clusters, etc is not allowed. Stations may be worked 21.135, 28.180. Technician: 3.695, 7.120, 21.135,
away. Team competition. Awards. Electronic once per band per mode. Count one point per phone 28.180. Phone: 3.880, 7.290, 14.280, 21.380,
entries accepted. Send CW logs to Boring Amateur QSO, two points per digital QSO, five points per 28.320. 7.045 and 3.545 might be the most popular
Radio Club, 15125 Bartell Rd, Boring, OR 97009; phone QSO with a NH bonus station, 10 points per CX frequencies. Score is total QSOs multiplied
[email protected]; phone logs go to Rick digital QSO with a NH bonus station. (Bonus by the total number of different receivers plus
Niswander, PO Box 2701, Greenville, NC 27836; stations: W1FGM, K1BKE, W1FZ, W1WQM, transmitters plus QTHs worked on each band and
[email protected], no later than 30 days N1FD, K1NCR). Awards. Send logs by March 31 mode. Multiply that by CX multiplier—the
after the end of the contest. www.ncjweb.com/. to NHARA, PO Box 119, Goffstown, NH 03045. total age, in years, of all receivers and transmit-
Minnesota QSO Party, sponsored by the For information on the Web, see www.nhara. ters used, three QSOs minimum per unit (trans-
Minnesota Wireless Association Contest Club, nhradio.org/qso_index.html. ceiver ×2; homebrew ×25, unless older). Awards.
1400-2359Z Feb 3. 160 80 40 20 15 10 6 2 meters. Send logs to Allan Stephens, 106 Bobolink Dr,
FYBO Winter QRP Field Day, sponsored by the
Single op QRP, low power (150 W or less), single Richmond, KY 40475; [email protected].
Arizona ScQRPions, 1400Z February 3 to 0200Z
op high power, single op Technician, multiop February 4. QRP only. CW and Phone. 160 80 40 Mexico RTTY International Contest, spon-
single transmitter. Single ops may only operate 8 20 15 10 meters, standard QRP calling frequencies. sored by the Federacion Mexicana de Radio-
hours, multiop and mobile stations can operate all No WARC bands. Work stations once per band. experimentadores, AC. RTTY only. 1800Z Feb 3
10 hours. Exchange serial number and QTH, Exchange: RS(T), state/province/DXCC country, to 2400Z Feb 4. 160 80 40 20 15 10 meters, Single
Minnesota stations send serial number and county. first name, power output and temperature op, multiband only. Exchange RST and QSO
Multipliers are Minnesota counties (87 max) all (Fahrenheit) at operator’s position. Indoor stations serial number (Mexico stations will send RST and
bands; for Minnesota stations multiplier is must report indoor temperature. Example: “579 AZ State). Count 2 points for each QSO within your
Minnesota counties plus states/provinces on all BOB 5W 42F” Categories: Single op, multiop country; 3 points for each QSO outside your
bands. Score one point for SSB, two points for (single transceiver). Send logs by March 4 to Bob country. Contacts with Mexico count 4 points.
CW. Final score is QSO points times total Hightower, NK7M, 1905 N Pennington Dr, Multipliers are each Mexican state and Distritio
multiplier. Awards. Send logs by March 15 to Chandler, AZ 85224-2632. Mark face of envelope Federal (32) and each DXCC country on each band
Sean Warner K0XQ, 3385 178th Avenue NW, with “FYBO Log”; [email protected]; ( do not count Mexico). Final score is QSO points
Andover, MN 55304; [email protected]; www.extremezone.com/~nk7m/fybo01.htm/. × total multipliers. Send logs by Mar 7 Jose Levy,
www.rossiya.net/mnqso.htm. Direccion De Concursos FMRE, Clavel 333,
Ten Ten International Net Winter Phone QSO
Colima, Col. 28030 Mexico; xe1j@palmera.
Delaware QSO Party, 1700Z Feb 3 to 0500Z Feb Party, from 0000Z Feb 3 until 2400Z Feb 4.
4 and 1300Z Feb 4 to 0100Z Feb 5. Exchange colimanet.com; www.fmre.org.mx/concursos/
Contacts must be made on phone on 10 meters only.
eng-rtty/rules.html.
RS(T), and QTH (county for DE stations; state/ Exchange call/name/state and 10-10 number if
province/DXCC country for others). CW 1.825 member. Score one point per QSO with non- 10-12
3.550 7.050 14.050 21.050 28.050; phone 1.860 members, two points per QSO with members. Final
3.960 7.260 14.260 21.360 28.360, Technician score is total points. Send logs by Feb 21 to Portland North American Sprint, CW. See Feb 3-4
frequencies: 25 kHz above the subband edge. Only 500 Chapter c/o Leon Hixon, W6NCK, 6936 N listing.

George Fremin III, K5TR
624 Lost Oak Trail, Johnson City, TX 78636
[email protected]
February 2001 111
YL-OM Contest, phone. See the Feb 3-4 listing. on 160 meters). Single op or multiop. Send RS(T) points × multipliers. Awards. Send logs post-
Winter Fireside SSB Sprint, sponsored by QRP and serial number, PA/PB/PI stations also send marked within 16 days to RSGB HF Contest
ARCI, 2000Z to 2400Z Feb 11, SSB, 160 80 40 20 province. Score one point per QSO, work PA/PB/PI Committee, c/o S. V. Knowles, G3UFY, 77
15 10 meters. Entry categories: All Band, High stations only, once per band regardless of mode. Bensham Manor Rd, Thornton Heath, Surrey,
Band (40, 20, 15, 10) or Low Band (160, 80, 40). Final score is QSOs × provinces worked (max 12 CR7 7AF, England.
Work stations once per band. Exchange signal per band). Awards. Send log by Mar 31 to Hans P. CQC Winter QRP QSO Party, sponsored by the
report, state/province/country and ARCI number Timmerman, PA7BT Nieuweweg 21, 4031 MN Colorado QRP Club, from 2200Z Feb 25 until
if member. Count 5 pts/QSO with ARCI members, Ingen, Netherlands; [email protected]’ll find 0359Z Feb 26. Single band, multiband and Tech-
4 pts/QSO with nonmembers on a different complete PACC contest rules on the Web at nician. QRP only. Exchange RS(T), state/
continent, 2 pts/QSO with nonmember on the home.wxs.nl/~pa3ebt/pacc/foreign.htm. province/DXCC country, first name and CQC
same continent. Final score is total QSO points School Club Roundup. See Jan QST, page number or power output. CW 1.825 3.560 3.710
(all bands) multiplied by total of states/provinces/ 110. 7.040 7.110 14.060 21.060 21.110 28.060 28.110;
countries (add the total from each band together) phone 1.910 3.985 7.285 14.285 21.385 28.385.
multiplied by the power multiplier (> 10 W PEP 12-13 Score 6pts/4 pts/CW QSO with member/
out = 1; < 10 W PEP out = 7; < 2 W PEP out = 10; Novice Round-Up, sponsored by FISTS CW nonmember; score 3 pts/2pts/phone QSO w/mem-
< 500 mW PEP out = 15). SSB power is considered Club, CW only, 0000Z Feb 12 to 2400Z Feb 13. ber/nonmember. Final score is QSO pts states/
to be 2 times the dc output power. Include a All contacts must be made in the Novice/Tech- provinces/DXCC countries number of first names
description of equipment and antennas used. Mail nician bands. Exchange call sign, name, RST, worked, one/letter of the alphabet, 26 max. One
entry within 30 days to: SSB Sprint, Randy Foltz license class and QTH. Count 1 point for each thousand bonus points for working W0CQC.
K7TQ, 809 Leith St, Moscow, ID 83843; phone contact and 2 points for each CW contact. Awards. Send logs to Colorado QRP Club, PO Box
[email protected]; personal.palouse.net/ Work stations once per band/mode. Multipliers 371883, Denver, CO 80237-1883; contest@cqc
rfoltz/arci/arcitst.htm. count once overall regardless of band or mode. .org. See the Colorado QRP Club site on the Web
CQ World-Wide RTTY WPX Contest, sponsored Multipliers are states (50) and Canadian provinces at www.mtechnologies.com/cqc/.
by CQ Magazine and The New RTTY Journal, 0000Z (13). Score is total QSO points × multipliers. North Carolina QSO Party, sponsored by the
Feb 10 to 2400Z Feb 11. Single op, high (<1500 W)/ Awards. Send logs by March 15th to, Novice Alamance ARC, from 1200-2400Z Feb 26 and
low (<150 W) power, all band; single op single band; Round-Up, c/o Dennis Franklin, K6DF, 4658 1200-2400Z Feb 27. NC stations work everyone,
single op Rookie (licensed 3 yrs or less); multi- Capitan Dr, Fremont, CA 94536-5448; www.fists others work NC stations only. Work stations once
single (6 band changes per hour max); multi-two .org/~fists/novice.html. per band and mode. Work mobiles again as they
(6 band changes per hour per transmitter max); change county lines. Exchange call sign, RST and
multi-multi; SWL. Single ops operate 30 hours max; 17-18 NC county, state, province or DXCC country. CW:
offtimes must be at least 60 min. Multiops operate 3.540, 3.740, 7.040, 7.140, 14.040, 21.040, 21.140,
full 48 hours. 80 40 20 15 10 meters. Use of spotting ARRL International DX Contest, CW. See
Dec 2000 QST, page 110. 28.040, 28.140; phone: 3.860, 7.260, 14.260,
nets or PacketCluster is allowed for all classes. 21.360, 28.360; All VHF/UHF frequen-cies. No
Exchange RST and serial no. starting with 001. repeater or crossband/mode QSOs. Score one point
Score one point per QSO with your own country, 24-25 per phone QSO, two points per CW QSO, three
two points per QSO with your own continent, and CQ WW 160-meter SSB Contest. See Jan QST points per NC mobile QSO (either mode), 4 points
three points per QSO with different continents. page 99. for QSOs with Novice stations (Novice stations
QSOs on 3.5 and 7 MHz are worth double. Multipli- sign /N). NC stations multiply QSO points × NC
ers are prefixes; final score is QSO points × multi- REF French Contest, phone. See Jan QST page 99.
counties, states and provinces; others × NC
pliers. Awards. Send logs postmarked by Mar 13 to UBA Contest, CW. See Jan QST page 100. counties worked (max 100). Add 100 bonus points
CQ Magazine WPX Contest, 25 Newbridge Rd, RSGB 7 MHz Contest, sponsored by the RSGB, for working both Cherokee and Dare counties, and
Hicksville, NY 11801; email logs to wpxrtty@ from 1500Z Feb 24 until 0900Z Feb 25. CW only. 100 points for working W4NC or K4EG, after all
kkn.net; questions to [email protected]; www. 7.000-7.030. Single operator and multiop. other score calculations. One hundred bonus points
rttyjournal.com/rules/wpx.html. Exchange RST and serial number. UK stations for county from where at least 1 QSO was worked.
PACC Contest, sponsored by the Vereniging also exchange three-letter county code. Non UK Awards. Send logs (SASE for results) by April 1 to
voor Experimenteel Radio-Onderzoek in the stations work only UK stations and vice versa. NC QSO Party, c/o K4EG, Box 3064, Burlington,
Netherlands, 1200Z Feb10 until 1200Z Feb 11. 160 North American stations score 15 points/QSO. NC 27215. See the Alamance Web site at www.
80 40 20 15 10 meters, CW and SSB (no SSB QSOs Multipliers are UK counties. Final score is QSO netpath.net/~n4mio/qsoparty.htm.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Tampa, FL: Tampa Amateur Radio Club, W4G, during the Mid-Minnesota Sled Dog Race. 28.450 Myrtle Beach, SC 29588-6003.
0000Z Jan 15 to 2359Z Jan 29, for the Gasparilla 21.350 14.250 50.125. Certificate. BAARC, PO West Chester, OH: West Chester Amateur Radio
Pirate Invasion and Super Bowl 35. 14.235 14.035 Box 801, Brainerd, MN 56401. Association, KD8C, 1700-2300Z Feb 24, to
21.325 21.035. QSL. Tampa Amateur Radio Club, Orlando, FL: Orlando Amateur Radio Club, K4H, commemorate the 58th anniversary of the first
PO Box 11933, Tampa, FL 33680. 1400-2100Z Feb 10 and 1300-2000Z Feb 11, Voice of America broadcast. 7.270 14.323 28.450
Punxsutawney, PA: Punxsutawney Area Amateur celebrating 54 years of the Orlando HamCation. 146.55. Certificate. WCARA, PO Box 1759, West
Radio Club, K3HWJ, 1400-2100Z Feb 3, for the 7.275 14.320 21.375. QSL. John Melchori, K4JBM, Chester, OH 45071.
Groundhog Day special event. Lower end of 40- 1840 Cleek St, Orlando, FL 32835-5171. Laurel, MS: Laurel Amateur Radio Club,
and 20-meter phone bands. Certificate. Sham, ND and SD: QCWA Chapter 102, W0DAK, W5LAR, 1400-2200Z Feb 24, celebrating the
W3QOS, PO Box 20, Big Run, PA 15715. 1500Z Feb 11 to 0300Z Feb 12, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the LARC. 28.450 21.350
Saranac Lake, NY: Tri-Lakes Amateur Radio 24th anniversary of Chapter 102 QCWA in the 14.270 7.275. Certificate. LARC, PO Box 6252,
Club, W2TLR, 1500-2100Z Feb 3, 4, 10 and 11, Dakotas. 28.505 21.305 14.325 3.889. QSL. Frank Laurel, MS 39441.
celebrating nation’s oldest (103rd) winter carnival Shaw, NU0F, 118 East Van Buren St, Rapid City, Oneonta, NY: Oneonta Amateur Radio Club,
and ice palace. 7.250 14.257 21.312 28.473. SD 57701. W2RGI, 1200Z Feb 24 to 2200Z Feb 25,
Certificate. Tri-lakes Amateur Radio Club, PO Myrtle Beach, SC: Grand Strand ARC, W4GS, operating from Otsego and Delaware counties in
Box 95, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. 1200-2000Z Feb 17, commemorating the fourth New York. 14.320 21.400 29.450. Certificate.
Brainerd, MN: Brainerd Area Amateur Radio year of the Myrtle Beach Marathon. 14.270 Bill Holland, AA2RM, PO Box 63, Meridale, NY
Club (BAARC), W0UJ, 1500-2300Z Feb 10, 21.270. Certificate. Glen Bowden, 703 Connie Ct, 13806.

George Fremin III, K5TR
624 Lost Oak Trail, Johnson City, TX 78636
[email protected]
112 February 2001
 SILENT KEYS
It is with deep regret that we record WA4NNI, William D. Madison, Pulaski, TN N8ICY, Edward Bevier, Ypsilanti, MI
the passing of these amateurs. KM4QR, James H. Darden, Huntsville, AL W8NPF, G. Eugene Ferguson, Columbus, OH
KD4RK, Thomas R. Abercrombie, Mineral, VA K8RAI, Thomas G. Nancarrow, Royal Oak, MI
W1AQM, Clarence C. Margerum, Shrewsbury, MA WB4SWI, Stephen C. Toth, Murphy, NC W8YNY, Wilbur J. Kuure, Crystal Falls, MI
W1EOA, Roger P. Smith, Wellesley, MA KC4VRZ, Roy M. Snead, Marion, VA KB9DV, Carl W. Vinyard, Mountain Home, AR
W1EPZ, Kenneth R. Cossaboom, New Port Richey, KF4ZNS, Barry McGill, Sarasota, FL WD9ERN, William S. Daly, Manitowoc, WI
FL W5CNF, Morris G. Dundee, Tulsa, OK W9HK, Paul W. Hinkle, Indianapolis, IN
KA1HNU, Richard A. Lewis, Raymond, NH W5CYF, Edwin B. Robertson, Bastrop, LA WA9IGW, Charles F. Theamann, Plainfield, IN
N1IJC, Irene H. Amann, Zephyrhills, FL W5DLO, Clarence A. Richter, Alice, TX KB9IJ, Paul E. Block, Pensacola, FL
K1IJW, Anthony V. Adams, Fairfield, CT *WA5GFC, Jerry Greathouse, Atlanta, GA W9JTH, Suzanne D. Strickland, Park Forest, IL
*WA1IMS, Richard H. McGinn, Bridgewater, MA W5GHX, Walter J. Ware, North Zulch, TX N9MFO, James R. Weldon, Columbia City, IN
W1JIY, Nicholas C. Darchik, Berlin, NH K5MDW, Leland L. Fellows, Ruidoso, NM KB9MZW, Norman D. Woodward, Anderson, IN
W1LDA, Andrew W. Madrak, New Britain, CT W5PVQ, Ulric C. Hines, McComb, MS WA9NRI, Carl P. Zaruba, Winterhaven, CA
K1LVZ, George F. Clinton, New Britain, CT KD5RX, John H. Gilbert, Waldron, AR W9OBY, Joseph W. Comella, Woodstock, IL
W1MXC, Donald J. Poulin, Andover, MA W5VGV, Billy L. Hoffman, San Antonio, TX W9OCQ, Theodore R. Wahlmann, Quincy, IL
W1RED, Patrick D. Gleason, Marco Island, FL WH6AVX, John W. Prugh, Pahoa, HI KB9QIW, Walter E. Gould, Beaver Dam, WI
W1RJ, Ralph J. Henry, Murphysboro, IL KH6BFB, Wayne M. Canevali, Hilo, HI W9SQD, Charles H. Marks, Fort Wayne, IN
WA1UKV, Robert C. Fair, Bow, NH WA6BLW, Cal D. Stokes, North Highlands, CA WB9TPV, Jon I. Gullett, Washington, IL
W1VOE, Elwyn E. Ayers, Peabody, MA N6BNU, Jack J. Witham, Bishop, CA WA9VAF, Garland E. Wadsworth, Terre Haute, IN
W1XQ, Paul J. Gregory, Seymour, CT WD6BUK, Thomas R. Neece, Bakersfield, CA K9YA, Robert F. Heytow, Skokie, IL
W1YGC, Leonard R. Hadley, Waltham, MA N6CQY, Earl C. Jacobson, San Francisco, CA KC9YX, Donald E. Wurster, Indianapolis, IN
W1YHI, Albert F. Haworth, Bedford, NH W6FJY, Marion B. Hall, Yountville, CA W0EFZ, Carl E. Schafer, Topeka, KS
KA2ADM, John H. Thomas, Mechanicville, NY KA6GRN, Ernest L. Matson, El Cajon, CA N0FFU, Ralph Kephart, Golden, CO
K2DCC, Billy G. Smith, Trenton, NJ KH6GZ, Howard Y. Atebara, Hilo, HI K0HJM, Bill M. Saultz, Woodland Park, CO
*W2FTO, G. N. Shoop, Mount Laurel, NJ *W6HAE, Ernest V. Roberts, Carmel, CA KB0JNV, Roy Speier, Hazelwood, MO
W2HN, Orion M. Arnold, HoHoKus, NJ W6IQY, Ernest H. Mason, San Diego, CA W0NE, Robert P. Kauphusman, Winona, MN
W2MLH, Edwin J. Beck, Sun City, FL K6JWS, William R. Mieras, Rancho Cucamonga, NA0Q, Robert Flesch, Bettendorf, IA
*W2OV, Alexander Magocsi, Leonia, NJ CA W0RPU, Gary L. Roberts, Wellington, KS
WB2OZI, Thomas D. Decker, Clementon, NJ AE6L, Frank M. Adams, National City, CA *KC0SX, Paul F. Hultquist, Omaha, NE
W2QFG, Robert F. Lippacher, St Augustine, FL W6LKV, Mark E. Warnock, Cassel, CA WA0UHH, Edwin E. Davis, Castlewood, SD
N2QWN, Edward D. Goritski, Canstota, NY NQ6M, George E. Gastineau, Highland, CA *KC0WH, W. Wayne Wright, Mound City, KS
KA2YXU, Vernon W. Schroeder, Annandale, NJ K6NL, Francis M. Dukat, Los Altos, CA LA5QK, Alf Almedal, Sola, Norway
W3ASW, Richard E. Long, Hummelstown, PA WB6OOX, Eugene Leary, Sherman Oaks, CA
NE3AT, Richard L. Neat, Millersville, MD N6RX, Victor Battani, Castro Valley, CA *Life Member, ARRL
W3BBS, James J. Balliet, Palmerton, PA K6SUZ, Ernest L. Rothschild, Los Angeles, CA ‡Call sign has been re-issued through the
W3DCR, Lewis C. Ockenhouse, Macungie, PA KD6ULB, Glenn C. Morris, El Monte, CA vanity call sign program.
WA3OOM, Robert A. Hooper, Erie, PA WA6URV, Maxworth Cook, Pinedale, CA Note: Silent Key reports must confirm the death
W3QZI, Alonzo B. Phillips, Wilmington, DE WA6WFQ, Bill R. Beard, Crescent City, CA by one of the following means: a letter or note
K3SE, Francis J. Roddy, Silver Spring, MD KD6WWF, F. W. McDonald, Laguna Woods, CA from a family member, a copy of a newspaper
KA3ZJP, William A. Johnson, State College, PA WL7AJM, La Verle Mabeus, East Peoria, IL obituary notice, a copy of the death certificate,
*WB4BUM, William I. Thomas, Lorain, OH W7EEJ, C. Weldon Lawrence, Bothell, WA or a letter from the family lawyer or the execu-
tor. Please be sure to include the amateur’s
KB4CJZ, Frank De Mars, Fort Lauderdale, FL W7FC, William J. Sullivan, Bozeman, MT name, address and call sign. Allow several
W4EBP, Jasper L. Spain, Atlanta, GA W7KTQ, Frank Wakeland, Springfield, OR months for the listing to appear in this column.
W4EHO, W. M. Shaup, Saint Petersburg, FL *WA7KYZ, Gerald D. Ford, Tombstone, AZ
W4EIN, Frank W. Smith, Hawaii Ntl Park, HI N7LD, Dick Bostrom, Shelton, WA Many hams remember a Silent Key with a me-
K4EZS, Donald Perry, Nashville, TN KA7LSA, John R. Cameron, Yucaipa, CA morial contribution to the ARRL Foundation. If you
wish to make a contribution in a friend or relative’s
WA4FCC, Johnny E. Carr, Rockmart, GA KC7NVF, James T. Moore, Monroe, WA memory, you can designate it for an existing youth
WA4GGN, John L. Stone, Birmingham, AL KC7ODU, William H. Winne, Shelton, WA scholarship, the Jesse A. Bieberman Meritorious
N4HEJ, Henry R. Gordon, Sun City Center, FL KA7ONZ, Edward G. Porter, Saint George, UT Membership Fund, the Victor C. Clark Youth In-
WD4KAX, Donald L. Bassler, Palm Beach W7YR, John H. Allen, Sun City, AZ centive Program Fund, or the General Fund. Con-
Gardens, FL W7ZZZ, W. E. Tice, Sumner, WA tributions to the Foundation are tax-deductible to
AB4LD, Gordon C. Berry, Roswell, GA K8CEK, Harvey Teplitz, Dayton, OH the extent permitted under current tax law. Our
KC4MA, Roger W. Burnham, Sarasota, FL K8DJS, James L. Casto, Huntington, WV address is: The ARRL Foundation Inc, 225 Main
WB4MBQ, Wilbur D. Yant, Bradenton, FL W8IAC, Edward Prested, Indian River, MI St, Newington, CT 06111.

Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO
Silent Key Administrator

1096 WA6RAY W5HEZ 125 222 MHz 3.4 GHz

VHF/UHF CENTURY 1097
1098
N5JGK
W4LLP
W5OZI
W5DB
825
300 K1TEO
50
90 59
5
WA8RJF
CLUB AWARDS 1099
1100
K5PI
K4JRK
WA5KBH
WA6RAY
200
125
N8KOL 70 W5LUA 25

1101 N7AU N7IJ 500 432 MHz 5.7 GHz

1102 K0DI W8WG 225 50 5
Bill Moore, NC1L 1103 W7TRX K8TL 150 284 VE3TMG W5LUA 25
1104 KM0T N8KOL 375 285 W9OBG
Century Club Manager VE3SYK 225 WB9DRB 200 286 K5VH 10 GHz
VE3TMG 350 W9VA 300 287 K0VSV 5
The ARRL VUCC numbered certificate is awarded to XE2EED 125 288 KM0T 105 W2DRZ
amateurs who submit written confirmations for contacts with KM0T 150 144 MHz K5VH 60 W5LUA 40
the minimum number of Maidenhead grid-square locators K0VSV 225 100 N8KOL 60
(indicated in italics) for each band listing. The numbers pre- N1NUM 125 *581 N9NJY Satellite
ceding the call signs indicate total grid squares claimed. N1ZUK 200 587 N4LGY 902 MHz 100
The numbers following the call signs indicate the claimed KB2WAL 125 588 KU4WW 25 95 N9UUR
endorsement levels. The totals shown are for credits given W2YE 250 589 KM0T 29 W2DRZ XE2YVW 300
from October 14 to December 18, 2000. N2CG 200 590 K0RZ W5LUA 50 KK5DO 425
The VUCC application form, field sheets and complete K2JF 175 591 CT1EEB K5OE 350
list of VHF Awards Managers can be found on the Web at AF2K 300 VE3TMG 125 1296 N7SFI 675
www.arrl.org/awards/vucc/. Please send an SASE if you K3CWH 300 N0KLT 125 25 K8TL 475
cannot download the forms online. If you have questions K3AX 450 K0VSV 150 132 N0QJM K9HF 175
relating to VUCC, send an e-mail to [email protected]. KF4LVF 175 K1SIX 200 N9UUR 200
N4LXB 150 K3AX 175 2.3 GHz
50 MHz 1091 AB5SS KD4K 225 N4LGY 125 10
100 1092 W9VA W4LTJ 325 K6AAW 250 63 NQ2O
1088 K2JF 1093 KD4K K4RWP 525 N8KOL 125 W5LUA 85
1089 W5HEZ 1094 KD5HPT KD5HPT 150 WB8TGY 20
1090 N9LF 1095 KB2WAL AA5XE 425 *Updated listing

February 2001 113

 75, 50 AND 25 YEARS AGO
February 1926 February 1951 February 1976
◊ The cover art by ◊ The cover photo ◊ The cover photo
Clyde Dar r, 8ZZ, shows the 807 section shows an LED digital
shows “Dr. Pickard’s of a new two-stage lin- readout, set to 1976…a
Experiments in Hori- ear amplifier undergo- “timely” project, per-
zontal Reception.” The ing performance test in haps? The editorial,
editorial becomes nos- “Amateur Radio and
the ARRL Lab, and Sister Cities Interna-
talgic—in “Looking soon to be featured in
Backwards a Bit,” K. tional,” urges hams to
QST. The editorial re- provide communica-
B. Warner tells about ports on the progress
spending hours looking tion between the
of Civil Defense plan- people of sister cities,
through the early issues which could provide
of QST, marveling at ning, with amateurs
still waiting for word some good public rela-
the way technology had tions exposure for
changed. Another edi- from Washington on
how they will fit into Amateur Radio.
torial announces that “Operation Vietnamese Refugee,” by Commu-
the Department of Commerce has followed the au- the system. The new CD frequencies for hams
nications Manager George Hart, W1NJM, tells
thorization given by the recent National Radio Con- have been announced by the FCC—small seg- about Amateur Radio’s helping with communi-
ference and, effective December 7, 1925, opened ments in the 160, 80, 75, 10, 6, and 2 meter bands, cations among the many thousands of Vietnam-
3500 to 3600 kc. for phone operation. plus 220-225 Mc. ese refugees who have come to the US. Howard
The eight-page lead article, “Horizontal Recep- R. K. Moore, W2SNY, discusses V.H.F. propa- Berlin, K3NEZ, warns that “Danger Lurks!”,
tion,” by Technical Editor Robert Kruse, describes gation by tropospheric scattering in “Over the Hills warning hams what to beware of when working
Dr. Greenleaf Pickard’s experiments with radio and Far Awa y.” With more hams using with electronic equipment. In “To the Moon and
wave polarization on the short waves. F. J. Marco mobile rigs, Harold Mitchell, W4IBZ, tells about Back,” Bill Tynan, W3KMV, tells about the pow-
discusses “Short-Wave, Plug-in-Coil, Receiver “Loop-Type Antenna for 75-Meter Mobile.” Phil erful EME station of WA6LET, which has worked
Design.” “A Zero Weather Mast” tells how Don Rand, W1DBM, urges the readers, “Don’t Pamper 19 states, 11 countries, and 4 continents on 432
Wallace, 9ZT, and Boyd Phelps erected a 50-foot MHz EME. “Build a Baby Ultimate,” by Doug
Your Harmonics!”, telling them how to DeMaw, W1CER, tells about a small “ultimate”
wooden mast in Minneapolis in 0° weather—good avoid harmonic resonances in amplifier circuits.
design and planning made the erection possible in transmatch for QRP rigs. Layne La Baume,
John Clements, W9ERN, comes up with a new way W7HOI, describes “A Multiband Phased Vertical
50 minutes! Assistant Technical Editor John to match a coaxial feedline to a balanced driven
Clayton tells about “Calibrated Your Wavemeter Array.” Jay Rusgrove, WA1LNQ, tells how to
element of a beam with “The ‘Clemens Match’.” build “The Cheapie GP” for 10 and 15 meters.
from a Quartz Crystal.” W. M. Bakewell, G6UZ, Roy Brann, W6DPU, tells of his advances in Herman Lukoff, W3HTF, tells how to check
describes “Receiving Conditions in England.” your 2-meter receiver with “A 2-Meter Frequency
“Amateur Radio Stations” leads off with a electronic keyer design in “In Search of the Ideal
Electronic Key.” Douglas Jordan tells of some and Sensitivity Calibrator.” “Telecom ’75,” by
photo and description of the early amateur sta- George Jacobs, W3ASK, and Dick Baldwin,
tion SNY, owned and operated by ARRL Presi- new ideas for using the BC-453 low-frequency
command receiver as a second IF in “New Life W1RU—a paper presented at the World Telecom-
dent Hiram Percy Maxim. The column goes on to munication Forum in Geneva last October—gives
describe current stations 1BAY, Cambridge, Mas- for the Q5-er.” In the “Operating News” column, a brief history of Amateur Radio. “Overnight Sen-
sachusetts, and 5LG-5SC, Alamogordo, New Ellen White, W6YYM, section communications sation: Heloise,” by Bob Halprin, WB2NOM, tells
Mexico. “I.A.R.U. News” reports the many coun- manager of the San Diego Section, is featured about the damage caused by hurricane Heloise, and
tries that are now on the air in the ham bands. under the heading “Meet the SCMs.” how hams provided emergency communication.

Al Brogdon, W1AB
Contributing Editor

Morse code transmissions:
W1AW Schedule Frequencies are 1.818, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675, 28.0675 and
147.555 MHz.
PACIFIC MTN CENT EAST MON TUE WED THU FRI Slow Code = practice sent at 5, 7 1/2, 10, 13 and 15 wpm.
Fast Code = practice sent at 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13 and 10 wpm.
6 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM FAST SLOW FAST SLOW
Code practice text is from the pages of QST . The source is given at the beginning
CODE CODE CODE CODE of each practice session and alternate speeds within each session. For example,
“Text is from July 1992 QST , pages 9 and 81,” indicates that the plain text is from
7 AM- 8 AM- 9 AM- 10 AM- VISITING OPERATOR TIME the article on page 9 and mixed number/letter groups are from page 81.
1 PM 2 PM 3 PM 4 PM (12 PM - 1 PM CLOSED FOR LUNCH)
Code bulletins are sent at 18 wpm.
1 PM 2 PM 3 PM 4 PM FAST SLOW FAST SLOW FAST W1AW qualifying runs are sent on the same frequencies as the Morse code trans-
CODE CODE CODE CODE CODE missions. West Coast qualifying runs are transmitted on approximately 3.590 MHz
by K6YR. At the beginning of each code practice session, the schedule for the next
2 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM CODE BULLETIN qualifying run is presented. Underline one minute of the highest speed you
copied, certify that your copy was made without aid, and send it to ARRL for grading.
3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 6 PM TELEPRINTER BULLETIN Please include your name, call sign (if any) and complete mailing address. Send a
9×12-inch SASE for a certificate, or a business-size SASE for an endorsement.
4 PM 5 PM 6 PM 7 PM SLOW FAST SLOW FAST SLOW
Teleprinter transmissions:
CODE CODE CODE CODE CODE Frequencies are 3.625, 7.095, 14.095, 18.1025, 21.095, 28.095 and 147.555 MHz.
5 PM 6 PM 7 PM 8 PM CODE BULLETIN Bulletins are sent at 45.45-baud Baudot and 100-baud AMTOR, FEC Mode B. 110-
baud ASCII will be sent only as time allows.
6 PM 7 PM 8 PM 9 PM TELEPRINTER BULLETIN On Tuesdays and Fridays at 6:30 PM Eastern Time, Keplerian elements for many
amateur satellites are sent on the regular teleprinter frequencies.
645 PM 745 PM 845 PM 945 PM VOICE BULLETIN
Voice transmissions:
Frequencies are 1.855, 3.99, 7.29, 14.29, 18.16, 21.39, 28.59 and 147.555 MHz.
7 PM 8 PM 9 PM 10 PM FAST SLOW FAST SLOW FAST
Miscellanea:
CODE CODE CODE CODE CODE
On Fridays, UTC, a DX bulletin replaces the regular bulletins.
8 PM 9 PM 10 PM 11 PM CODE BULLETIN W1AW is open to visitors from 10 AM until noon and from 1 PM until 3:45 PM on
Monday through Friday. FCC licensed amateurs may operate the station during that
time. Be sure to bring your current FCC amateur license or a photocopy.
W1AW’s schedule is at the same local time throughout the year. The schedule according In a communication emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as follows:
to your local time will change if your local time does not have seasonal adjustments that voice on the hour, teleprinter at 15 minutes past the hour, and CW on the half hour.
are made at the same time as North American time changes between standard time and Headquarters and W1AW are closed on New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good
daylight time. From the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, UTC = Eastern Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the follow-
Time + 4 hours. For the rest of the year, UTC = Eastern Time + 5 hours. ing Friday, and Christmas Day.
114 February 2001
 SECTION NEWS
The ARRL Field Organization Forum
ATLANTIC DIVISION W3CB 98, AA3SB 96, N3WKE 87, KC3Y 52, WJ3K 46, N3KGM and update the information for your organization. This can be
31, KO4A 29, K3CSX 23, N3WK 19, WA1QAA 15, W3VK 12, done either electronically at the League Web site www.arrl.org
DELAWARE: SM, Randall Carlson,WB0JJX—Many thanks to N3ZKP 11, KB3AMO 10, WA3WRT 9, WA3GYW 5. PSHR: or by filing the paper copy. The section already has a very good
the SARA club for the kind invitation to their annual awards KK3F 221, KJ3E 165, W3YVQ 149, W3CB 146, N3ZKP 134, selection of hamfests scheduled for the year. The first will be
dinner. Congratulations to all those who received awards. It’s W3VK 133, AA3SB 128, N3WKE 128, AA3GV 112, N3WK 101, later this month by the Wireless Association of South Hills. At
always good to see people being recognized for their good WA1QAA 97, KC3Y 90, WJ3K 90, K3CSX 78. many of the hamfests, the section DXCC Card Checker Mike
works. It’s been my opinion that most amateurs do what they do Lazaroff, K3AIR, will be present with myself at the event. This
not for personal glory or recognition, but for the simple satisfac- NORTHERN NEW YORK: SM, Thomas A. Dick, KF2GC,
http://www.northnet.org/nnyham, e-mail: [email protected]— is a good opportunity to have your cards checked without hav-
tion of doing something, that at least to them, is important. But ing to send them off to Headquarters. Many of the special ser-
ASMs: KD2AJ, WZ2T, WB2KLD, N2ZMS, WA2RLW. ACC:
recognition by others is important. It lets people know that we vice clubs also have field checkers for vhf century club and also
are aware of the things they do and the effort they put into them. WZ2T. BM: KA2JXI. OOC: N2MX. PIC: N2SZK. SEC: WN2F.
STM: N2ZGN. TC: N2JKG. NNY-Section is actively working on for the worked all states awards. If your club is interested in
I think we all need to take time to let people know that we these appointments or in having a public information officer
plans for our first section Hamfest. NNYARA has been busy
appreciate their efforts, even if it’s just a quiet word of thanks designated for the club please contact me. There are many
from one ham to another. Traffic (Nov) DTN QNI 197 QTC 16 during the past few months and weeks putting together our
Hamfest committee. It will be in Lake Placid, NY, in October positions available for individuals that are willing to help. The
in 22 sess. DEPN QNI 31 QTC 3 in 4 sess. 73, Randall. featured Web site for this month belongs to the Ellwood City
and we have plans to include a computer and crafts show along
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA: SM, Eric D. Olena, WB3FPL— with access to activities for the whole family. Roland Patnode, Amateur Radio Association. The Web site address is http://
SEC: Michael O. Miguelez, N3IRN. ACC: Steve Maslin, WA2RP, President of NNYARA will conduct an organizational www.qsl.net/ecara/. Be sure to check out their newsletter and
N3ORH. OOC: Alan Maslin, N3EA. PIC: Robert Josuweit, /planning meeting for the upcoming Lake Placid Hamfest & other portions of the site. Clubs in need of speakers for meet-
WA3PZO. STM: Paul Craig, N3YSI. SGL: Allen Breiner, Computer show. It will be held at the World Famous Lake Placid ings should contact me for scheduling. I still have some dates
W3ZRQ. TC: Lawrence Thomas, AA3PX. ASMs: Robert Horse Show Grounds, home of the “I love New York Horse available in my schedule for the year. 73, John Rodgers,
Josuweit, WA3PZO, Dave Heller, K3TX, George Law, N3KYZ, Shows.” More on specifics will follow our Dec 9, 2000, meeting N3MSE, WPA-SM, [email protected]
James E. Bear, WB3FQY, Harry Thomas, W3KOD. OOPS! in Saranac Lake, NY. Many thanks to all the NNY Clubs that
already. In last month’s article I mentioned the N3IRN’s e-mail are making this possible. CENTRAL DIVISION
address. Unfortunately it was an old address. Mike’s proper
address is [email protected] or [email protected]. New appoint- SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY: SM, Jean Priestley, KA2YKN— ILLINOIS: SM, Bruce Boston, KD9U—SEC: W9QBH. ACC:
ments, I feel fortunate to have Bob, WA3PZO, added to the (@K2AA) e-mail [email protected]. ASM: W2BE, K2WB, N9KP. STM: K9CNP. PIC: N9EWA. TC: N9RF. OOC: KB9FBI.
W2OB, N2OO, N2YAJ. SEC: KC2GID. STM: K2UL. ACC: DEC-Central: N9FNP. DEC-S/W: KB9AIL. Egyptian RC has
staff as PIC. Bob will be a great asset to the E. Pa. Cabinet.
Also, congratulations to Greg KB3CKD in Lehigh County who KB2ADL. SGL: W2CAM. OOC: K2PSC. TC: W2EKB. TS: resumed their weekly two-meter net on 146.79 each Tuesday
was recently appointed OES and congratulations to Stephen A. W2PAU. WB2MNF AA2BN KD4HZW WB3IJB WA2NBL evening at 9 PM. The Starved Rock RC was preparing to com-
N2QNX N2XFM. It’s not too early to think about upcoming memorate the 58th anniversary of the launch of the first LST at
Mahala, KB3FJJ in Schuylkill County also appointed OES.
Congratulations, also to the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio hamfests. Clubs can put in paperwork for the following year’s Seneca Prairie Shipyard with a Special Event Station on De-
Club, new ARRL Affiliated Club. At the November meeting of hamfest as soon as a week after the current hamfest. There is cember 9. The SRRC officers for 2001 are Pres KB9JTL, VP
only one DX cards checker in SNJ (that I am aware of) and we KB9TMA, Sec KF9NZ, Trea WB9VLW. SRRC meetings are
the Pennsylvania Emergency Management (PEMA) meeting of
the Volunteer Organizations Assisting Disasters Committee need more than one for 9 counties. If you think you would be held the first Monday of the month in Leonore (next to Tabor
(VOAD) a familiar point again became evident. A rather high interested in this job, let me know. It’s not hard and you meet Grain) at 7 PM. Congratulations to N9PIB on being elected to
interesting hams. Although it originates from Philadelphia, it the LaSalle County Board. Metro AC officers for 2001 are Pres
percentage of the personnel who are involved in many disaster
type situations do not have the slightest idea of the various will benefit all hams. Feb.3, 2001, will be the first Delaware N9BOR, VP N9TN, Sec N9WAT, Trea W9BB. Ten students are
types of communications available to them through Amateur Valley 2 Meter Simplex Contest. Contact WM3PEN @harcnet enrolled in their radio class. Ogle Co. amateurs hold an ARES
.org JOTA follow-up. PSK-31 was a great hit with the scouts. net every Tuesday at 7 PM on the KB9DBG repeater, 147.045.
Radio. With out a doubt taking a few minutes of time at Emer-
gency Management meeting every so often for a quick review Traffic rpt: Nov 2000: QNI: NJPN 207 W2CC, NJSN 206 K2PB, The 2001 officers for the Kiswaukee ARC are Pres W9ICU, VP
of the capabilities of Amateur Radio would be very beneficial to NJM 126 WA2OPY, NJN/E 190 AG2R, NJN/L 151 AG2R, K9TIP, Sec KB9TAR, Trea KB9TVK. KARC provided commu-
JSARS 387 KC2ATQ, SJVN 284 WB2UVB, SJTN 60 KB2RTZ. nications support for the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. The
everyone. Since I was SEC during the month of October 2000,
I received several SET reports all of them did a fine job. The Tfc: K2UL 142, KB2RTZ 79, AA2SV 66, K2UL-4 64, N2VQA 42, Western Illinois ARC has been reviewing options for handling
capabilities of digital media now so widely available to all of us WB2UVB 39, W2AZ 9, N2WFN 8, KA2CQX 8, N2ZMI 7, a bequest from a silent key of nearly $16,000. The club is also
KB2YJD 4, WA2NDA 2, KB2VSR KB2YBM KC2ETU 1 PSHR: seeking to obtain the use of that call from the FCC through the
the SET were pointed out by the report that I received from
KA3MOU in Northampton County, which included some excel- KB2RTZ 195 K2UL 180, WB2UVB 174, AA2SV 119, KA2CQX vanity program. The new officers of the Six Meter Club of Chi-
lent pictures. As an example of poor SET performance I can 116, N2VQA 75, KB2YJD 42, N2WFN 37 WA2NDA 12. Send cago are Pres WA9FIH, VP W9AVB, Sec WA9RIJ, Trea AK9Y.
some traffic to friends. Seventeen SMCC members assisted with the American Can-
only hold up the example of myself, during N3TVQ’s SET in
Berks County. Since I have been in Public Service Communi- WESTERN NEW YORK: SM, Scott Bauer, W2LC— Please cer Society’s annual West Cook Chapter Bike-a-thon on Sept.
cations for the past twenty years you would think that I could welcome new Official Observer Coordinator (OOC) Al, N2CCN. 17. The group is now planning to help with the Hoops for Life
handle an SET with no trouble at all. Well, that apparently was Please send all future OO reports to him. The Syracuse Mu- basketball tournament in February. The 2001 officers of the
my mental attitude. However, I provided an outstanding ex- seum of Science and Technology (The “MOST”) planning group Peoria Area ARC are Pres N9MSG, VP KB9TLF, Sec K9DRF,
ample of poor performance, and it should be a reminder that met, with great ideas and plans for the museum club station. Trea KB9NW. PAARC reports the final tally on the lighthouse
everyone should participate in a drill as often as possible, if for An exhibit where the joys of Amateur Radio are on display and special event was 629. Wheaton Community RA has moved its
no other reason, to keep your mind focused on the job at hand. explained to the public. Several Scout troops are planning on monthly meeting location to Wheaton College. Clubs wishing to
Tfc: N3YSI 342, W3IPX 279, W3HK 175, N3EFW 80, N3SW 77, doing merit badges in conjunction with the MOST Amateur have their activities reported in this column are encourage to
W3IVS 50, W3JKX 49, W3NNL 46, K3TX 41, W3UAQ 40, Radio exhibit. Now the hard part, getting more Hams to volun- add the Section Manager to their newsletter list. See page 12
W3TWV 24, N3AT 18, AD3X 14, N8JSO 11, W3TI 10, N3AS 9, teer to help staff the exhibit during Museum hours. Volunteers of this issue for contact information. Nov traffic: K9CNP 71,
KB3CVO 8, KA3LVP 7, N3AO 6, N3ZXE 6, KB3BBR 6, K3ARR get in for free and can earn some goodies as well! Interested? WB9TVD 32, N9DT 32, W9HLX 29, NN9M 21, NC9T 20, W9FIF
4, N3IRN 4, K3AEB 4, N3KYZ 3, W3ROQ 3, W3BNR 3, KB3DCT Call the MOST at 315-425-9068, ext 2155. Congratulations to 10, WA9APQ 8, KA9IMX 7, WA9RUM 5. Ninth region C4 report
2, N3HR 2, W3DAB 1, KB3CKD 1. Net Reports: EPA 60, PTTN Sam KG2HA on his first PSHR! A New Year’s resolution for for November de W9FC Traffic 178, sessions 60, time 345 min.
30, EPAEPTN 29, PFN 31, MARCTN 13, D3ARES 9, SEPPTN WNY Amateurs. Volunteer for a public service event if you average 2.96, rate .515, percent rep 95% ILN K9CNP KF9ME
9, LCARES 4, MCOES 4, and D4ARES 3. haven’t in the past. Give your local group a helping hand and NS9F. ISN report de WB9TVD QNI-264, QNI-53, sessions-27.
help show the public (non Hams) that Hams are a great group 9RN report de KF9UBX sessions. 60, traffic handled 161, aver-
MARYLAND/DC: SM, Bill Howard, WB3V, 410-551-6775 age per session. 2.68, rate of traffic 3.85, percent represented
after all. For those of you who have never volunteered for a
[email protected]—SEC: Mike Carr, WA3QAA. MDC Section Web during month IL. 91% NN9M W9HLX N9PM N9PLM. W9VEY
homepage http://users.erols.com/wb3v/mdc. AA EC N3QXW public service event, do it this year at least once! Give some-
thing back to Amateur Radio for all those years of enjoyment Memorial Net report de K9AXS 5 with 173 check-ins.
rpts 38 ops, 4 sessions of the ANAR ARES Net which meets on
that you have received. Net Summaries: INDIANA: SM, Peggy Coulter, W9JUJ—ASM for Resources &
147.805 and maintains liaison to EPA, NCAC, MEPN, WVA,
BTN, and MDD, and 1 training session. Brian met at MEMA for Net NM Sess QNI QSP Net NM Sess QNI QSP Recruitment, W9IH. SEC: K9ZBM. ASEC: WA9ZCE. STM:
the new EAS system and also arranged AA for SET 2000. All BRVSN WB2OFU 30 119 4 CHN W2EAG 30 162 33 W9FU. OOC: KC9V. SGL: K9JZZ. TC: W9MWY. BM:
modes were covered, connecting with MSN, MDD, CRN, NTSD, CNYTN WA2PUU 30 361 48 EBN WB2IJZ 22 395 0 KA9QWC. ACC: N9RG. Sympathy extended to the families
Packet and the AA ARES Net. OES rpts rcvd from N3QXW ESS W2WSS 30 375 89 NYPHONE N2LTC 30 217 336
and friends of Silent Keys: 11/10, Sue Miller, W9YL, Waldron;
NU3D and W3VVN. CA EC N3JIA rpts 64 ops, 5 sessions of the NYPON N2YJZ 30 383 116 NYS/E WB2QIX 30 332 214
11/15, Barbara J. McCoy, N9QYV, Muncie; 11/15, James Bob
CARET Net which meets on 145.410 with liaison to MEPN, NYS/L W2YGW 30 265 240
Myers, K9KTH, Bloomington; 11/15, Gary V. Phillips, KA9ZIE,
NYS/M KA2GJV 30 171 122
MDD, and MSN by KE3FL and to BTN, WVPN, DTN, MEPN, NYSCN W2MTA 4 19 4
Muncie; 11/21, Richard E. Van Strien, KF9CQ, Highland; 11/
NYSPTEN WB3CUF 28 342 43
CRN, and WRN by W3VK. Rich also rpts one special net ses- 22, Edwin K. Marlin, N9CUK, Evansville; 11/26, Clifford S.
OARCN N2KPR 4 42 5 OCTEN/E KA2ZNZ 30 1535 221
sion in support of the American Lung Association Bike Ride Shreve, N9MKB, Fort Wayne; and 11/27, Sylvia Plank,
OCTEN/L KA2ZNZ 30 602 196 STAR N2NCB 26 214 18
PSE. Ops providing comms for this event and for the MD Wine KA9TBO, Muncie. They will be missed. The IRCC presented
TIGARDS W2MTA 4 19 3 WDN/E N2JRS 30 512 66
Festival included KE34FL WX3F N3JIA N3TOT and W3VK. the IN Outstanding Amateur of the Year Award for 2000 at the
WDN/L W2GUT 30 431 30 WDN/M KB2VVD 30 566 69 Ft. Wayne Hamfest to Jack Parker, W8ISH, who has been a
OES rpts rcvd from KE3FL WX3F and N3JIA. CARR had 11 ops
for the SET2000. The American Diabetes Assn. Walk in Tfc: * indicates PSHR, # for BPL: N2LTC*# 1421, KA2ZNZ*# tireless worker in many areas of Amateur Radio for a long time.
Westminster was another successful event. WI EC WB3MJR 625, KA2GJV* 481, W2MTA* 303, NN2H* 280, WB2QIX* 130, Also at the ARRL Forum a Special Achievement Award was
rpts moving to the new QTH, and the .925 Salisbury repeater W2FR* 112, KG2D* 97, N2KPR* 92, NY2V* 90, KA2DBD* 88, presented to James Smith, K9APR from New Castle for his
is back on the air. WA EC KD3JK rpts 43 ops, 9 sessions of the KC2CWN 76, WI2G* 75, N2CCN* 62, KB2VVD* 62, W2LC* 60, outstanding expertise in the Automatic Position Reporting
WASH ARES/RACES and Four States Nets which maintains KC2EOT* 59, W2GUT* 40, W2PII* 33, AF2K* 31, K2DN* 31, System (APRS) area not only for our state but for Ohio and KY
liaison with MEPN, 1 training session with 7 amateurs, and 1 KB2ETO* 29, AA2ED* 22, N2WDS* 22, KB2WII* 18, WA2GUP* as well. He has spent many hours traveling to club meetings in
drill. WA ARES ops provided comms for the JFK Ultra-Mara- 16, KA2BCE* 15, W2RH 15, WA2UKX* 10, KG2HA*1st PSHR. all three states and giving APRS demonstrations. James has
thon, a 50 mile run. Spcl recognition should be given to W3YGC, Digital; Stn Rx/Tx: N2LTC 353/321, KA2GJV 28/16, NY2V 1/5, single handedly pursued the creation of packet digi systems in
who has been the sweeper for the whole race for over 10 years. K2DN 2/0. IN for the advancement of APRS. His personal expertise is
CH EC W3TOM rpts 29 ops, 4 sessions of the Chas Co. ARES WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: SM, John Rodgers, N3MSE. highly regarded as exceptional in the field. He has provided
Net which meets on 145.390 with liaison to MEPN, and 1 train- SEC: N3SRJ. ASM-ARES: WB3KGT. ASM-Packet: KE3ED. this capability, without regard for the time and effort required,
ing meeting. Tom rpts attending a meeting of the Ch Co. Chap OOC: W3ZPI. PIC: W3CG. STM: N3WAV. TC: WR4W. DEC- he has accomplished all of this on his own time and at enor-
of the Am Red Cross Disaster Svcs Committee during which he SO: KD3OH. DEC-N1: N3QCR. DEC-N2: KA3UVC. DEC-S1: mous expense. Also at the forum I was presented with a beau-
updated them on ARES/RACES planned events. 73 from WB3V KA3HUK. DEC-S2: N3BZW. DEC-Rapid Response: N3HJY. tiful award. A Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years plus of
and with the nets: Net/NM/QND/QTC/QNI: MSN/KC3Y/30/44/ DEC-OES: K3TB. February is now approaching and with it commitment to IN Amateur Radio. It was a big surprise. An-
306, MEPN/N3WKE/30/63/542, MDD/WJ3K/60/270/306, MDD comes Ground Hog Day. Check the special event’s section in nouncing a new Staff Member SGL Dennis Gilby, K9JZZ. He
top brass AA3SB 165, K3JL 156, KJ3E 123, AA3GV 123, BTN/ this issue for details on this popular special event. By now most will be a great addition to the IN Staff. NMs ITN/W9ZY, QIN/
AA3LN/30/36/369, Oct entry MEPN/N3WKE/30/61/500. Tfc: of the clubs in the section have had their election for new offic- N9PF, ICN/K8LEN, WN/AB9AA, VHF/N9ZZD.
KK3F 3007, N3QA 325, KJ3E 198, W3YVQ 106, AA3GV 102, ers for the year. Please remember to file your club annual report Continued on page122.

Steve Ewald, WV1X
Public Service Specialist

February 2001 115
 Net Freq Time/Daily/UTC QNI QTC QTR Sess also will have a test session on Feb 17 and Nov 17, 2001.
ITN 3910 1330/2130/2300 2403 456 1539 90 Contact NU0F at 605-745-5927. Testing at Hot Springs will be
QIN 3656 1430/0000 137 69 665 50 on March 10 and Oct 13, 2001, contact WS0V at 605-745-
ICN 3705 2315 100 21 309 30 5929. KB0HMR, KB0UZJ and KB0QXU of Watertown partici-
IWN 3910 1310 2076 — 300 30 pated in the Jamboree on the Air with the scouts. LARK of
IWN VHF Bloomington 500 — 450 30 Watertown had hams taking part in the second annual Wal
IWN VHF Kokomo 632 — 150 30 Mart safety day. Condington Co Emergency Management Di-
IWN VHF Northeast 1115 — 600 30 rector advised LARK he has six light sets and 3 generators
Hoosier VHF nets (10 nets) 531 35 914 45 available to the club if necessary. Aberdeen ARC set up HF
D9RN QTC 161 in 60 sessions IN represented by K9GBR, equipment for the National Weather Service Special Event held
WB9QPA, N9KNJ, W9UEM, KB9NPU and KA9ILS. 9RN QTC Dec 1 and 2. Total traffic reported for Nov was 255.
178 in 60 sessions IN represented by KO9D, K9PUI, WB9UYU
DELTA DIVISION
and W9FC. Tfc: W9FC 283, K9PUI 107, W9ZY 98, WB9QPA 79,
KO9D 72, AB9AA 57, W9JUJ 49, N9KNJ 45, K9GBR 43, ARKANSAS: SM, Roger Gray, N5QS, e-mail [email protected] –
KB9NPU 41, W9UEM 34, KA9QWC 29, W9BRW 28, WD9HII 28, It is time for School club roundup and I hope to hear from you
KA9EIV 22, K8LEN 21, K9DIY 13, N9HZ 7, K9RPZ 5, WD9NCE on the air from one of the schools in my area this year. Con-
5, W9EHY 5, AB9A 3, WB9OFG 3, W9YB 2, K9CUN 2. gratulations to Bob Ideker, WB5VUH, who will be taking my
WISCONSIN: SM, Don Michalski, W9IXG—BWN 3985 0600 place as section manager on April 1. Over the next couple of
W9RCW. BEN 3985 1200 KE9VU. WSBN 3985 1715 K9FHI. months we will be working closely together to achieve a smooth
WNN 3723 1800 KB9ROB . WSSN 3645 1830 N9BDL. WIN-E transition into the new section leadership. Bob has experience
3662 1900 WB9ICH. WIN-L 3662 2200 W9UW. It is with deep and has done an excellent job as SM in the past so most of our
regret to inform you that Mike Graves, 23, N9XJK, passed work will be just getting him caught up on the changes. I want
away. Edward F. Rice, W9NGP, passed away on November to ask everyone to help him as you have helped me for the past
24. Ed was an ORS. Mike Anuta, W8HKY, will be 100 years old 4 years. As I sit here writing this, we are expecting the first ice
on February 4!! Mike lives in Marinette and is active on the storm of the season and I have just finished filling all my gas
M&M Sunday evening net. The long-awaited Web version of tanks and exercising my generators and checking batteries. I
ARRL TC Manual is now available on the ARRL Website! Go hope that it isn’t as bad as predicted. When you read this the
to: www.arrl.org/field/tcm/toc.html. Our thanks to Richard Re- winter will not be over and everyone needs to keep up prepa-
gent for his hard work in making it available to ARRL members. rations for bad weather. These threats can take many forms
Congratulations to Dick Isely, W9GIG, for being elected as such as tornadoes (which we are very familiar with), ice, ex-
Central Division Director. We look forward to working with Dick tended cold, extended heat (we had enough of that this year),
on issues that affect the Wisconsin section. The second annual and many other varieties. We need to be prepared for any of
EC conference in Madison had 71 in attendance! Our thanks to these or any other natural disaster that could strike us without
Stan Kaplan and Mack Brophy, N9NTB, for organizing this warning at any time. Tfc: KC5TMU 106, K5BOC 91, K7ZQR 74,
successful event. We look forward to next year’s conference. W9YCE 12, KO5E 11, W5RXU 9, KA5MGL 8, AD5AM 3, ARN
9RN report for November shows 100% Wisconsin participa- 67, APN 23, AMN 15, OZK 9.
tion, again! RRRC honored Beryl Pederson, KA9BAC, as Ham LOUISIANA: SM, Mickey Cox, K5MC - New EC appointments
of the Month! Well deserved!! HVARC had 100% passing rate are K5DLH (Lincoln Parish) and KD5KZZ (Morehouse Parish).
for Technician class thanks to KA9BDX and N9NUZ!! When I’m sure that both Daniel and Donnie will do a great job in
you help an old friend, you may be paying back for something leading their respective ARES groups. AC5TM reports that few
he/she did in the past for you. When you help a stranger or a of the currently appointed ECs have responded to his recent
new Ham, you are paying forward. Lend a hand to a new Ham! efforts (via regular mail and e-mail) of determining the status
If nothing else, invest in the future because he/she will pay you of ARES activities within our section. It appears that many of
back when you need aid! Want help on your tower? Contact our parishes currently have little or no ARES activities because
me. I am building a list of Hams that can climb. And help me get of lack of leadership at the local level. If you are interested in
my WAT (Worked All Towers) award! 73, Don, W9IXG. Tfc: emergency communications training and service, but your
WZ7V 1009, W9IHW 583, N9VE 557, N9TVT 516, K9JPS 487, parish has no active ARES group, I encourage you to contact
WD9GNK 481, W9YPY 384, K9GU 310, W9CBE 220, N9BDL AC5TM (LA SEC) for further discussion. The ARRL Certifica-
101, K9FHI 101, K9LGU 95, AG9G 80, W9UW 80, W9YCV 70, tion Program on Emergency Communications and Public Ser-
WA9ZTY 53, N9KHD 53, KE9VU 53, WD9FLJ 52, N9CK 51, vice should soon be available on the League’s Web site. Con-
KG9B 44, KB9ROB 38, W9BHL 32, AA9BB 30, W9RCW 30, gratulations to my home club (Twin City Ham Club) for
K9HDF 28, KA9FVX 23, W9ODV 13, N9JIY 11, WB9ICH 11, sponsoring another successful hamfest. I want to thank W5XX
W9PVD 1. (MS SM/SEC) for describing his section’s ARES activities
during the ARRL Forum at the Monroe Hamfest. The LA and
DAKOTA DIVISION MS sections are pursuing a variety of efforts, such as the link-
MINNESOTA: SM, Randy Wendel, KM0D—Computer troubles ing of repeaters, aimed at providing more cooperation between
continue to plague me here, and I am now running off yet a the two sections during severe weather and other emergency
second laptop from the pile. I have been delayed in some ARRL situations. Tfc: WB5ZED 919 (BPL), W5CDX 134, K5IQZ 128,
activities from which are stored on my main computer which is K5MC 64, W4DLZ 53, KM5YL 22, K5DPG 19, KG5GE 17,
down. Documents, e-mail addresses and other electronic and N0KWA 12. PSHR: WB5ZED 207, K5IQZ 128, K5DPG 120,
printable items are delayed until I can get the main one going W5CDX 119, K5MC 101, KG5GE 89, KM5YL 80. Net Reports:
again. When I run out of hair to pull out, maybe I’ll throw in the sess/QNI/QTC. LTN: 30/361/80. LCW: 29/224/43.
towel! A new year is upon us, the holidays are over and I hope MISSISSIPPI: SM, Malcolm Keown, W5XX—Section Web
many radio clubs had opportunity to have a holiday get to- Page: www.arrlmiss.org. Web Master: K5IBM at k5ibm@
gether. I have no pertinent news to pass along this month, but arrl.net. Regret to report the passing of N5XGI. Kim was a real
I will remind you if you haven’t had a chance since late summer leader in Coastal Mississippi ham activities for many years,
to go to ARRL Web site in your member data page to be sure and we will truly miss him. Don’t forget the ARRL State Con-
to check the box to receive Division/Section news. I have sent vention and Capital City Hamfest on February 2-3. Special
several e-mails so you should know by now if you still need to guest will be Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH. Contact ab5wf@arrl
check the box. The nsltr is a takeoff from my MN Section Sig- .net for more details. The Meridian ARC set up a booth at the
nals some years back, and I call it eSignals . My goal was to Clarke County Forestry and Wildlife Festival which resulted in
send it out once a month, but I’ve been chipping away at it write ups in the Meridian Star for three days and a lot of inter-
sometimes weekly give or take my computer woes here and ested visitors to the booth. Participants were KD5ASR,
available info to include in the eSignals . The newsletter is a W5OQY, W5MAV, K5BFN, and KA5TQV. The Vicksburg ARC
buffet of sorts...tidbits of various news items of interest from again provided communications for the annual Christmas Pa-
just about anything I can dish up. 73 de KM0D. rade. The MSPN is consistently averaging over 100 checkins
Net Freq Time QNI/QTC/Sess NM per night. WOW! Net Reports: sessions/QNI/QTC. MSPN 30/
3306/54, MTN 30/103/42, MSN 30/1132/11, PBRA 30/748/0,
MSPN/E 3860 5:30 P 719/66/30 W0WVO Jackson Co ARES/RACES 27/370/28, MSSN 22/90/3, West
MSPN/N 3860 12 P 397/83/30 WA0TFC Coast 2M ARES 12/128/4, NW MS ARES 4/28/0, JARCEN 4/
MSSN 3710 6P N/A vacant 56/0, MCARA 4/40/0, LARC 4/43/0, Stone Co ARES 4/38/0,
MBHN 4/29/0, OBARC Net 3/15/0. PSHR: KB5W 146, K5VV
MSN/1 3605 6:30 P 239/70/28 K0WPK 128, W5XX 85, KJ5YY 73. Tfc: KB5W 284, K5VV 45, KJ5YY
MSN/2 3605 9:50 P 127/24/30 K0PIZ 15, W5XX 5.
PAW 3925 9A-5P 2515/121/84 KA0IZA TENNESSEE: SM, O.D. Keaton, WA4GLS—ACC: WA4GLS.
Tfc: W0LAW, WO0A, WA0TFC, KB0AII, K0PIZ, KB0OHI, ASM: WB4DYJ. PIC: KE4CES. SEC: WD4JJ. STM: WA4HKU.
W0HPD, K0WPK, W3FAF, KA0IZA, K0PSH, W0WVO, KB0AIJ, TC: KB4LJV. WAVES reports that the Chattanooga Hamfest
K0IDO, WD0GUF, KN9U, KC0HAW, N0JP. was one of the best ever. Also, WAVES published a very good
article on traffic handling in the Nov issue. Get a copy and learn
NORTH DAKOTA: SM, Bill Kurtti, WC0M—The 38 th Peace how to handle traffic. CARC Nets, the Sunday night net on
Garden Hamfest is going to be held July 13-15 at the Interna- 146.790- at 9 PM, TAG SKYWARN Net Tuesday on 146.61- at
tional Peace Gardens. The Station, VE4IHF, will be on the air. 8 PM, Packet Net Wednesday 7-9 PM on 145.09 simplex,
Also, meetings, contests, dealers & lots of Ham fellowship, Emergency Services Net Thursday 8 PM on 146.79 -. MARC
dance and just sitting around the campfires or visiting the flea members are enjoying working with the Boy Scouts. That is a
market. The Totton Trail Swap meet went off well with a lot of wonderful way to spread the good news of ham radio to the
ham equipment changing hands. World’s greatest hamburgers youth. According to an announcement in both the Zero Beat &
are available when you get hungry, so plan to be there next Feedline, the Tri-Cities Hamfest will be no more unless a new
year. Section Snowbirds have been active on 14.316, 40 & 15 group of personnel steps forward and assumes the leadership.
meters also. Yours truly plans to become one in about 2 weeks. This hamfest has developed into one of this section’s best over
Ham radio sure does add to the enjoyment on the road. I want the past 18 years. Essentially, the same personnel have done
to thank all the out-of-state checkins we have been having in the necessary work in putting on the hamfest year after year,
our HF nets lately. Interesting tornado pictures in the Bismarck and these folks are burned out. It would be so easy for some
newsletter taken by K0ZRT & WA7GVT. Tfc: N0RDJ 6. HF NM new hams to step in and carry on this tradition. The foundation
KE0XT reports Goose River Net, 8:30 AM Sunday 4/ 62/0; WX is already there. It will be a great loss to Tennessee, especially
net 8:30 AM Mon to Sat 60/1087/11; Data Net 6:30 PM daily 30/ in East Tennessee, for this great annual event to cease exist-
735/13. ence. A big thanks to the following RACK members who par-
SOUTH DAKOTA: SM, R. L. Cory, W0YMB—The Black Hills ticipated in the Diabetes Walk America and the KTC Run the
ARC project is a remote operation of a HF station using a 70 Pumpkins: KE4FXC, WI8X, KG4ITP, WD9HQC & wife Cheri,
cm HT. In a demonstration by Al Bergman, W0PUF, and Don KG4JOU, N4PZT, KC4TRY, KG4HYR. DRN-5 rpt: sess 60,
Schwemle, AA0F. An HF station at Al’s home was controlled msg 2627, TN rep 72% by KE4GYR and W4OGG. Net Sess/
with a 70 cm HT at the club house, and it worked well. Their QTC/QNI: TMPN 30/45/2619; TCWN 21/27/185; TEMPN 22/
annual holiday dinner and auction will be held on Feb 21. They 28/781; TEPN 25/58/2586; TSCWN 22/31/122. Tfc: N4PU 103,

122
 WA4HKU 47, KE4GYR 40, W4SYE 24, KI4V 12, WA4GLS 4, 51, KI8IM 50, W8BO 44, WD8KBW 43, K8PJ 35, N8CW 33,
WA4GZZ 3. WB8PGM 29, K8QIP 29, N8IBR 27, W8RPS 26, NY8V 25,
N8WLE 24, N8YWX 24, KC8DWM 21, W8RG 21, KC4IYD 20,
GREAT LAKES DIVISION KC8JKE 19, N8GOB 18, KX8B 18, K8JMP 17, KB8TIA 17,
KD9K 14, KB8SIA 13, KI8O 11, KC8HTP 9, WB8SIQ 8,
KENTUCKY: SM, Bill Uschan, K4MIS—ASM: Tom Lykins, KB8SBK 7, N8RAK 5, N7CEU 4, N8GP 4, K8WC 1.
K4LID. SEC: Ron Dodson, KA4MAP. SGL: Bill Burger, WB4KY.
ACC: Todd Schrader, KF4WFZ. TC: Scotty Thompson, KI4AT. HUDSON DIVISION
STM: Mitchell Sparks, KG4EAB. PIC: Steve McCallum,
W2ZBY. BM: Ernie Pridemore, KC4IVG. No word yet on the EASTERN NEW YORK: SM, Rob Leiden, KR2L—STM: Pete
results of “The Great Holiday Traffic Jam”. When Mr. Farler Cecere, N2YJZ. SEC: Ken Akasofu, KL7JCQ. ACC: Shirley
gets me that info we will get in the Section News. Remember Dahlgren, N2SKP. SGL: Herb Sweet, K2GBH. PIC: John Fa-
all net managers, traffic reports go to Mitchell Sparks, kg4eab, rina, WA2QCY. BM: Ed Rubin, N2JBA. OOC: Hal Post, AK2E.
at [email protected] or as routine traffic. It is the time of TC: Rudy Dehn W2JVF. ASM: Tom Raffaelli, WB2NHC. ASM:
the year for all ARES/SKYWARN to begin scheduling severe Bob Chamberlain, N2KBC. ASM: Andrew Schmidt, N2FTR.
weather spotter classes. Remember last January when ASM: Richard Sandell, WK6R. ASM: Phil Bradway, KB2HQ.
Owensboro got hit by a tornado. If anyone has any news of Net Reports (November 2000) Check-ins (QNI)/Traffic handled
interest send it to me so that it can be included in the monthly (QTC+QSP): AES 29/2 CDN 273/128 CGESN 33/6 ESS 375/
SN. Many thanks to those Hams that were activated for the 177 HVN 581/199 NYPHONE 217/673 NYPON 383/240 NYS/
helicopter search in November. Most of those that were alerted E 332/462 NYS/M 171/276 NYS/L 265/499 NYSPTEN 342/86.
were in Area 13. In early December an earthquake struck in I’d like to acknowledge our PSHR members -they’re the back-
Western Kentucky around the Evansville, Ind. area. Geolo- bone of our traffic system! Want to get started in APRS? RTTY?
gists say that a bigger one could come at anytime along that PSK31? Satellite Operation? Need help? Just ask! 73 de KR2L.
fault. Net QNI/QTC/Sess/NM: KRN 735/22/22/N4AFP; KTN PSHR: N2YJZ 191, KC2DAA 152, N2JBA 143, WB2ZCM 138,
1064/29/30 K4LID; KTN 1113/32/30/KB4VKS; TSTMN 435/ W2AKT 132, W2JHO 124, WA2YBM 114, WB2IIV 83. Tfc:
27/30; KG4EAB. CARN 339/32/39/AD4EI; 4ARES 413/27/30/ N2JBA 73, KC2DAA 58, N2YJZ 53, W2JHO 43, WB2ZCM 42,
WD4PBF. Tfc: K4AVX 72, KE4JFS 9, WB4ZDU 10. WB2IIV 30, KC2BUV 26, W2AKT 25, W2CJO 17, N2AWI 10,
MICHIGAN: SM, Dick Mondro, W8FQT ([email protected])— K2AVV 9, WA2YBM 6, WA2BSS 4, WB2UWU 1, KL7JCQ 1,
ASM: Roger Edwards, WB8WJV ([email protected]). ASM: KC2BUW 1.
John Freeman, N8ZE ([email protected]). SEC: Deborah NEW YORK CITY / LONG ISLAND: SM, George Tranos,
Kirkbride, KA8YKK ([email protected]). STM: James Wades, N2GA—ASM: KA2D, N1XL, K2YEW, W2FX, KB2SCS. SGL:
WB8SIW ([email protected]). ACC: Sandra Mondro, KG8HM N2TX. SEC: KA2D. ACC: N2MUN. PIC-East: N2RBU. PIC-
([email protected]). OOC: Donald Sefcik, N8NJE (n8nje@arrl West: K2DO. TC: K2LJH. BM: W2IW. OOC: N1XL. STM:
.net). PIC/SNE: David Colangelo, KB8RJI (dcolangelo@ WA2YOW. Congrats to new club officers: South Shore ARC:
ameritech.net). SGL: Ed Hude, WA8QJE ([email protected]). President - K2VUH, VP - KA2D, Secretary - KA2EYR, Treas -
TC: Dave Smith ([email protected]). Youth Activities: KB2UR. Congrats to Joe AB2M and the 15 hams who made the
Steve Lendzion, KC8MCQ ([email protected]). BM: Thomas ARRL/National Weather Service Special Event in December a
Durfee, Jr.,WI8W ([email protected]). Congratulations to the success. Hamfests: LIMARC on Feb. 25 in Hicksville, GSBARC
youngest ham from the Copper Country Radio Amateur Assn., on Mar. 4 in Lindenhurst. Classes: LIMARC one day Tech class
12 year old Scott Trudgeon, KC8PRP from Ewen. The U.P. on Apr. 28 in Levittown. Check the NLI Web page at
HAM DIRECTORY-2001 will be published during the month of www.arrlhudson.org/nli for more information. NYC/LI VE exam
April, 2001. Please send any additions or changes to: George, list follows: Manhattan: BEARS, ABC Cafeteria, 125 West End
W8FWG at: [email protected] or U.S. Mail to: George R. Ave at 66th Street, Contact Jerry Cudmore W2JRC at 212-
Thurner, W8FWG, 225 Kearsarge St. Laurium, MI 49913-2109. 456-5224 for dates & times; East Village ARC, 2nd Friday at 7
Congratulations to the new officers of the Central Michigan PM, Laguardia HS, Amsterdam Ave and West 65th Street,
Amateur Radio Club, President Michael Rhew, KC8DBP; V. Manhattan. Contact Robina Asti, KD2IZ, at 212-838-5995;
President Ken Faiver, W8HNI ; Secretary Michael Sanders, Columbia University VE Team, 3rd Monday at 6:30 PM, Watson
KC8FCA ;Treasurer Pamela Denomme, KB8PSF; Director Lab, 6th Floor, 612 West 115th Street, Manhattan. Contact
Bruce Rainey, KC8ODP; Director Randall Stortz, KC8IHV; Alan Crosswell, N2YGK, at 212-854-3754; Queens: Hellenic
Under 22 Director Emily Shanblatt, W8ELS . Please remember ARC, 4th Tuesday at 6:30 PM, Pontion Society, 31-25 23rd
to monitor 3.932/7.232 kHz., our Michigan Emergency Fre- Ave, Astoria, NY. Contact George Anastasiadis, KF2PG, at
quencies, during any winter storms to see if you can help with 516-937-0775. Nassau County: Grumman ARC (W5YI), 2nd
information or traffic. Tfc (Nov): K8GA 396, KB8ZYY 297, Tuesday at 5 PM, Northrop-Grumman Plant 5, South Oyster
KA9EIZ 244, N8FPN 154, WX8Y 153, K8KV 116, K8LJG 103, Bay Road via Hazel Street, Bethpage, NY. Contact Bob
K8AE 86, AA8SN 67, W8RF 65, AA8PI 60, WI8K 45, W8RNQ Wexelbaum, W2ILP, at 631-499-2214; LIMARC, Exams every
44, N8EXV 43, K8CQF 31, K3UWO 29, K8UPE 27, W8YIQ 24, 2nd Saturday only on odd months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep,
K8ZJU 24, WB8SIW 22, WA8DHB 18, N8TDE 16, N8UN Nov) at 9 AM, NY Institute of Technology, 300 Building, Room
10;,WA8DHB 8; N8EXS 4.Please support the following Sec- 311, Northern Blvd, Greenvale, NY. Contact Al Bender W2QZ
tion Nets: at 516-623-6449. Suffolk County: Great South Bay ARC, Nor-
Net QNI QTC Sess NM Freq Time Day mally, 4th Sunday at 12 noon, Babylon Town Hall, ARES/
QMN 540 490 60 WB8SIW 3.663 6:30&10 PM Daily RACES Room, 200 East Sunrise Hwy, North Lindenhurst.
MACS 236 126 30 W8RNQ 3.953 11 AM Daily (1 PM Sun.) Contact Tom Carrubba at 631-422-9594; Larkfield ARC, 2nd
MITN 487 304 30 N8FPN 3.952 7 PM Daily Saturday in Feb, May, Sep, Nov, Huntington Town Hall, Room
UPN 1320 40 34 AA8SN 3.921 5 PM Daily (Noon Sun.)
114. Contact Stan Mehlman, N2YKT, at 631-423-7132;
GLETN 373 102 30 VE3SCY 3.932 9 PM Daily
Peconic ARC, exams held January, April, July, and October on
SEMTN 445 149 30 WI8K 146.640 10:15 PM Daily
next to last Friday at 6:30 PM at Southold School, Oaklawn
Ave, Southold, NY. Contact Ralph Williams N3VT at 631-323-
WSSBN 745 35 30 WB8ICN 3.935 7 PM Daily
3646. Mid Island ARC, last Weds of each month at 7 PM at 36
D8 ARES 18 0 12 VE3EUI 3.932 7:30 PM Friday
Dew Flag Rd, Ridge NY 11961, Contact: Mike Christopher
VHF Nets 307 7 8 KB8ZYY Various
W2IW at 631-924-3535. Report all changes to N2GA before
MI-ARPSC 84 3 4 W8FQT 3.932 5 PM Sunday the 12th of the month. Tfc: WB2GTG 519, N2AKZ 127, KB2KLH
OHIO: SM, Joe Phillips, K8QOE, Fairfield, (to contact me, see 80, W2RJL 80, WA2YOW 49, KA2D 21, KA2YDW 16, WA2VKZ
page 12)—The Big Project, announced in 2000 by ARRL Presi- 9, KC2FWD 7, N2TEE 5.
dent Jim Haynie, W5JBP, plans to place educational materials NORTHERN NEW JERSEY: SM, Jeff Friedman, K3JF—This
about ham radio for American Middle Schools. Because this month I want to simply indicate that our Assembly Bill A1593,
will be funded by financial grants, you can assist by finding for a change in the Ham License Plate, is very much in jeop-
private funds and/or foundations in Ohio who may wish to ardy. Assemblyman DeCroce, who chairs the Assembly Com-
participate. Please pass the name and address of those re- mittee and several of his Committee Members feel that chang-
sponsible for these private foundations or grants to Jim W5JBP ing the plate will be too costly and therefore his committee has
at his address on page 9 in this edition of QST. He’ll do the rest not allowed it to pass on to the next step. If it is not released
in getting us qualified to win a foundation grant. ...In our from this Committee, it can not be voted upon and we will not
congrats section below you will see new officers for 2001 of have our new plate. On this subject it seems that the Assembly
various clubs. For those listed and other clubs, be sure the Committee does not recognize the great service that NJ Hams
Ohio ACC, Brenda Krukowski, KB8IUP, ([email protected]) is provide during the state emergencies or community services.
aware of the changes and you keep club activities current with As an example, the Cherryville Repeater Association alone
the ARRL. By now you are aware of the U.S. postal rate in- provided more than 500 hours of community service this year.
creases. Remember this relates to ham radio newsletters and This is just one NJ club out of the many clubs we have whose
QSL cards, as well. OHIO SECTION CONGRATS ...(A) To new members are out there serving the public good. If NJ Hams
officers of the 20/9 ARC of Mahoning County; Rich Hamaker, really want this bill passed, we need to make ourselves heard
KB8YHC, pres; Jim Sekinger, KC8HSO, veep; Mary Lou Weiss, by Assemblyman DeCroce. Finally, I would like to congratulate
N8NZT; and Don Stoddard, KE8KT:(B) To new officers of Ath- Steve Mendelsohn on his return to the ARRL Hudson Division
ens County ARA, Drew McDaniel, Pres; John Biddle, Veep; as Vice Director. I am sure his prior experience and dedication
Eric McFadden, sec and trustee; and Ron Chapman, tres: (C) will be greatly appreciated. For our outgoing Vice-Director JP
To new officers for Western Reserve ARA, Roger Stokes, Kleinhaus, I am sure JP will continue to add value to our Divi-
KC8IBK, pres; Drew Dorminy, KC8ICA, veep; Ron Miller, sion. Tfc: W2MTO 62, N2OPJ 59, K2VX 45, KB2VRO 43,
KC8IBR, sec; and Gene Boccia, KC8MMK and (D) To Bill KC2AHS 43, N2RPI 39, K2PB 22, W2CC 21, N2GJ 16,
Moore, W8KVU, Hamilton and John Dine, WA8DFD, Cincin- KC2ANN15, K2DBK 6.
nati, for being elected to membership of the Greater Cincinnati
Hall of Fame,....FEBRUARY OHIO HAMFEST at Northern Ohio MIDWEST DIVISION
ARS (Lorain County) Feb. 4; Mansfield Hamfest, Feb. 11;
Cuyahoga Falls ARC at Feb.25 and Cincinnati Winter Hamfest, IOWA: SM, Jim Lasley, N0JL—ASM: N0LDD—SEC: NA0R.
Feb. 25. Now for our November traffic reports. ACC: N0IJP @ KE0BX. BM: K0IIR @ W0CXX. SGL: K0KD.
Net QNI QTC QTR Sess Time Freq NM
Need to get this in quickly! SW Iowa Fest is March 3 at
BN (E) 141 40 252 30 1845 3.577 WD8KFN
Travelodge at exit 55 from I29. The Tri-State club in Cresco
received a nice photo and write-up of their efforts in two local
BN (L) 174 75 244 30 2200 3.577 NY8V
papers. Nice pic, Lee! I have been hearing of lots of holiday
OSN 180 57 610 31 1810 3.708 WB8KQJ
dinner meetings. OARC has postponed their holiday dinner
OSSBN 2031 402 2095 91 1030, 1615, 1845 3.9725 N8IO
until March! Wow! Talk about stretching the season. W0DIA,
OH Section ARES 1700 Sn 3.875 WD8IHP K0CVT, and W0DGZ have been in the hospital recently. There
Tfc: N8IO 196, N8IXF 188, WD8KFN 184, W8STX 118, are probably others of which I am not aware. Best of all to those
WB8KVM 114, N8BV 98, KA8CXG 95, KA8FCC 95, KD8HB and any others. SEITS has a problem that many clubs seem to
84, N8DD 83, WA8SSI 80, N8TNV 74, KA8VWE 61, W8VQV have. Finding those to serve as officers of the club. If given the
61, N8RRB 57, W9PBX 51, NS8C 51, WA8EYQ 51, KC8HJL opportunity, share the burden and the fun of helping the club
and your community. Thanks to FMARC for their listing of Iowa

124
 clubs and individual and club scores for FD. They list 17 and
admit some may have been missed. The Davenport group did
quite well in the NWS weekend. They worked 244 of the sta-
tions participating. I also understand that several did SS
(Sweep Stakes... not Dave) and did well. I sure hope you are
ready for the new exam charges. DMRAA did Operation Santa
Claus again. Since I am writing in early December, I don’t know
how it went! Well, I bet. Thanks gang. Davenport’s “Willis Otto
Award” went to WM0D and N0BFJ. Congrats! DARC has
named their 2001 hamfest chairman... “Amtrak Style.” NIARC
has made some major improvements (higher, 8X the power!)
to their 440 repeater. It will also be linked. Well another SM
election is over. I will be your SM for another term. Thanks to
each of you. 73 de N0JL. Newsletters were received from
TSARCN, DARC, OARC, MPARC, DMRAA, NIARC. Tfc:
W0SS 160, KA0ADF 59, N0JL 23.
KANSAS: SM, Orlan Cook, W0YH— ASM/ACC/OCC: Robert
Summers, K0BXF. SEC: Joseph Plankinton, WD0DMV. STM:
Ron Cowan, KB0DTI. PIC: Scott Slocum, KC0DYA, and TC:
Frank Neal, N8FN. Please welcome Carl, N0ORS, new EC for
Dist 5 zone 27 in Barton County. If you have a net you would
like to get listed in the ARRL Net Directory or one updated,
PLEASE go to http://www.arrl.org/field/nets/. Randy, WL7YM,
has been trying to rid us of the very strong carrier on 1.892 Mc.
I alerted 4 SMs in OK & TX and I want to thank Charlie, K5TTT,
for replying and getting involved. See my Jan KAR newsletter
for more. I have just received copies of ARRL approval to the
Mine Creek ARC to hold an ARRL hamfest in La Cygne Feb 3
and for the Central KS ARC to hold the ARRL State Convention
Aug 19 in Salina. Put it on your calendar! Thanks to all the
members of the ARRL Ks Field Svc for FB job http://
www.col;ossus.org/kar/ Oct. Kansas Nets: sessions/QNI/QTC,
KSBN 31/1108/132KPN 22/287/21 KMWN 31/587/480 KWN
31/906/586 CSTN26/1960/94 QKS 61/313/71 QKS-SS 8/17/2
SEC 68/915/27 QNS KB0AMY N0BTH K0BXF KC0CIG
WD0DDG WD0DMV/SEC AA0IQ W0PBV WA0SSR KB0DTI
TEN 279 msgs 62 sessions Kans 85% w/KB0DTI KX0I
W0WWR NB0Z WB0ZNY W0SS mgr. BBS AA0HJ rec/sent 46
W1AW Bulletins R/S 338 Personal NTS tfc 0. Ks stns tfc
W0WWR 120, WB0ZNY 78, KB0DTI 50, NB0Z 44, N0RZ 26,
K0RY 16, W0OYH 15, K0XK 11, N0ZIZ 5, OBS WA0DTH 14.
Room 4 UR report here.
MISSOURI: SM, Dale Bagley, K0KY—For more news, check-
out ARRL MO Web page http://www.qsl.net/arrl-mo. MO Traf-
fic Nets, Daily: SSB 3.963 MHz 5:45 PM. CW 7:00 PM and 9:45
PM. 3.585 MHz Amateur Radio activity in the MO Section is on
the increase. In SW Missouri, St Louis, Kansas City, and else
where in the State, Packet systems and APRS systems are
growing. The participation in Field Day was up, as is the num-
ber of MO Amateurs taking part in Nov. SS and other contests.
The ARRL DX 2000 Phone Contest produced the following
results for the Section. Congratulations go to Class B first place
operator, KI0MB, and to the Class C top gun, KI9A. Thanks to
all of the other MO Section Operators that participated in the
event. The State Emergency Management Agency is once
again conducting a Communications Conference in Feb at the
Inn at Grand Glaize. This conference will focus on the emerg-
ing technologies, Frequency Coordination and FCC rules pro-
posals and communications emergency alerts. There are al-
ways some interesting Breakout Sessions to interest all
attending. A large number of MO Section Amateurs will be
attending this year. Virgil Eaton, K0IPM, long time net man-
ager of the MO Traffic Net, has stepped down for personal
reasons. Virgil has done an outstanding job as NM and his
replacement will have some big shoes to fill. The Scout Com-
munications Jamboree and JOTA was held at the MO State
Fairgrounds in Sedalia, MO. Under the leadership of Alan
Braun, NS0B, the Mid Missouri ARC provided an exhibit on
Amateur Radio which covered many aspects of operating. They
Demonstrated HF, 2-M FM, Packet, ATV, APRS, and other
modes for the Scouts. The response from the Scouts was ex-
cellent. Congratulations on a job well done. Net/Sess/QNI/
QTC: N0ATH Rptr78/0/; MTN 30/504/55; WAARCI 4/84/0.
Jackson Co ARES 4/47/2. Rolla Billboard 29/321/9; Audrain
ARC 4/36/0; Tfc: KE0K 65. PSHR: KE0K 103.
NEBRASKA: SM, Bill McCollum, KE0XQ—ASMs: W0KVM,
N0MT, WY0F, WB0ULH & WB0YWO. It is with deep regret to
inform you that Bill Prell, N7FAQ, has become a Silent Key. He
passed away November 15 and was a member of the Lincoln
ARC. Nice to see that Skip Miller, W0KVM, up and around on
his new knee. Congratulations to John Ragsdale, N0NF, for
scoring 200,000+ point score in the CQWW contest. The
Bellevue ARC put over 600 man hours in public service for
2000. This doesn’t seem to be a lot, but 2000 was pretty quiet
in terms of severe WX. Buffalo County ARES has a new Web
page. Point your browser to: www.bcares.homestead.com.
Several clubs participated in the NWS Special Event. On De-
cember 9th, Members of the AK-SAR-BEN participated in the
“North Pole Net.” This is an annual event that allows children
in area hospitals to see and talk to Santa via Amateur Radio.
A big “Thank You” goes to our SEC, Jim KF0FO (HO HO HO)
for filling in for Santa. Net Reports: WNE Net: QNI 1996, QTC
16 & 26 sessions. W0IRZ Memorial Net: QNI 70, QTC 5 & 4
sessions. NMPN: QNI 1712, QTC 9 and 30 sessions. Mid NE
2M ARES: QNI 377, QTC 4 & 30 sessions. NE Storm Net: QNI
1078, QTC 13 & 30 sessions. NE 40M: QNI 515, QTC 25 & 29
sessions. Tfc: K0PTK 112, KE0XQ 14, WY0F 6, KA0DOC 2,
W0EXK 2, W0UJI 2, W0WHY 2.

NEW ENGLAND DIVISION

CONNECTICUT: SM, Betsey Doane, K1EIC— BM: KD1YV.
OOC: W1GC. PIC: W1FXQ. SEC: WA1D. SGL: K1AH. STM:
K1HEJ. TC: W1FAI. On behalf of everyone on the Section
cabinet, I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year
filled with lots of good things in life! Take time to enjoy your
hobby and if you can, consider a leadership role in your club.
Visiting with the members of our newest youth club, The CT
Amateur Radio League of Youth was a special treat. It was
really fun presenting their certificate of ARRL affiliation—Dan,
K3UFG has a good club going! If the chance comes along, give
a hand to younger newcomers. Their enthusiasm is un-
bounded! Those of you who can hit the 145.29 Shoreline re-

126
 peater, please note that the weekly SKYWARN Training Net is elections have provided the following leadership for 2001: Pres
meeting each Thursday evening 7:30 PM on 145.29 and Ellis W3PDK, VP Doris KB1EEG, Treas Rich N1ZSR, Sec Jeff
147.505 repeater. Hope to see you there. Condolences to the WA1OYN. At their installation banquet/meeting, the coveted
members of the Greater Norwalk ARC on the loss of their friend, TANK award was passed according to tradition from Mike,
Ed, WT1Y, who recently became a Silent Key at a young age. W1MFS, to Charley, W1CG, accepting for the repeater main-
Ed was instrumental in coordinating the special event station tenance group that has been very busy this year. In addition
commemorating the Healing Wall of Vietnam. Just want to say Bob Gunning, W1IIC was presented with lifetime membership
a special thank you to all of our Field appointees for their ef- in the NCRC for the many years of devoted service to the Club.
forts. It is fitting that I specially acknowledge the leaders among Yours truly and Simone, KA1YVF, are proud and honored to
you-the ECs, DECs, NMs, members of the cabinet, club offic- have been in attendance. Great company and terrific food! //
ers, hamfest chairs, VEs, etc. Volunteers and leaders nation- The PVARC has been working with the Saratoga committee to
ally are much less available now than in years past. Let me make restorations to the Aircraft Carrier Radio room. The club
hear from you about new ideas. I am the coordinator, you are is now holding regular VE sessions; contact Ken Carr,
the creators! Net sess/QNI/QTC/NM: NVTN 27/97/ KB1AWV. // On a sad note we regretfully log the passing of Joe
29/KB1CTC; WESCON 31/249/74/KA1GWE; ECTN 30/234/ St Germaine, W1SNT, as a favorite on many local repeaters.
30/WA4QXT; CPN 30/246/90/N1DIIO; CN 30/112/67/N1AEH. He will be missed. // Just a reminder to get your committees
Tfc: NM1K 2045, KE1AI 172, KA1GWE 153, KB1CTC 58, going for this year’s Field Day. It’s just around the corner.
WA4QXT 42. VERMONT: SM, Bob DeVarney, WE1U—BARC had a “rededi-
EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS: [This column was authored cation” of their club station, W1KOO, along with the EOC at the
by SM-elect Phil Temples, K9HI.] I want to thank everyone for Red Cross. BARC’s tower and beam antenna had problems
the kind words of congratulation and encouragement following starting last year when the mast slipped in the rotor, damaging
the recent SM election. Kudos to SEC W3EVE, DEC N1VUX, all the coax runs. Starting in late fall, and continuing through
State RACES Officer N1CPE and others for helping to make December, they worked hard to get the rotor replaced, the
this year’s ARRL SET a tremendous success! SET publicity beam serviced, and get everything back in the air before old
was obtained through an AP wire story, and articles in the man winter really got serious. RANV has worked hard on the
Worcester Daily Telegram, Sun Chronicle, and the Providence 145.150 repeater, and it shows. Now it can be worked where
Journal. SEMCARES and the Massasoit ARA conducted a SET it wasn’t able to be before. This involved replacing the antenna,
drill in Myles Standish State Forest. Minuteman RA staged its and a second trip up the mountain when the transmitter failed
local SET with a VHF AM aircraft foxhunt with CAP & FEMA a mere 10 days later. Great work guys; it sounds super! Twin
equipment and FAA approval. My apologies to those groups State now has their Communications Van on the road!! This
and clubs participating in SET whom I failed to acknowledge. will undoubtedly be invaluable during times of emergency. The
N1QZY is donating his time to mentor two Chelsea HS stu- Center for Technology at Essex has 4 new technician class
dents in science. Tim’s pupils took 1st place in their high school amateurs in their Telecommunications class after a VE ses-
science fair last year, and went on to compete in the finals at sion in December. As of press time, they didn’t have their calls
MIT. A traffic handler’s training net is scheduled as of this yet. Congratulations everyone!! 73 de WE1U. Tfc: KB1DSB
writing on the Waltham 146.64 repeater on Tuesday nights at 219, K1YLB 24, KB1EPQ 12, W1DEC 9, KB1EYP 7, AA1PR 6,
2030. Contact W2EAG for more details. WA1GEP and the K1BVT 2.
Waltham ARA crew have been busy with repeater repairs. WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS: SM, William C. Voedisch,
Congrats to WA1IDA, elected as Chairman of the MA Volun- W1UD, [email protected]— ASM (digital) KD1SM. STM: NZ1D.
tary Organizations Active in Disaster. He and KB1EKN at- SEC: K1VSG. OOC: WT1W. I want to thank Cliff, W1SJ, for
tended the recent Emergency Management 2000 Conference, doing an excellent job as STM. Our new STM is Bill Wornham,
where ARES and RACES were exhibited to 700 emergency NZ1D, of Townsend, MA. All net reports and other matters
managers and disaster officials. Happy anniversary, Police pertaining to net operations are to be directed to him. Bill’s e-
Amateur Radio Team of Westford! PART will be 25 years old mail address is [email protected]. The emergency department,
this February. Billerica ARS reports the Hoss Traders was great under the able direction of Dennis Zonia, K1VSG, is to be
as always, though the overall attendance was disappointing. congratulated. When the numbers are tabulated, it looks like
BARS sports an official presence at each Rochester flea. North we will be the top section in New England again for the SET.
Shore RA held its Annual Holiday Party and Yankee Swap. For This is your section, and it certainly shows by the cooperation
those who live on Cape Ann, the “coffee pot is on” every Sun- you have given Dennis. Thank you! Winter will pass and spring
day morning from 1000-1200 at CAARA’s club house in will be here before we know it. It’s not too early to think of Field
Gloucester. Check in to their Monday net on 145.13 at 1930 or Day. Do you remember the things that could have been im-
visit http://www.qsl.net/w1glo/ for more info. Norwood ARC is proved during last Field Day? Now is the time to get a commit-
pleased to announce its new QTH: the Willett Room of the tee formed and get the bugs ironed out. Field Day is our day to
Norwood Civic Center. Yankee Clipper Contest Club has cre- demonstrate to the public that Amateur Radio is ready in case
ated an intra-club competition called the YCCC Challenge of an emergency. 73, Bill.
Competition to promote teamwork, foster inclusion, and make
contesting more fun during the Fall/Winter DX contest season. NORTHWESTERN DIVISION
The newly reactivated SWAT (SATERN, Weather, ARES and
Technical matters) net holds forth on the Boston 145.23 re- ALASKA: SM, Kent Petty, KL5T — Iditarod Sled Dog Race
peater at 2100 Friday evenings. Speaking of nets, be sure to communicators are needed for this year’s race in early March.
check into the EMA ARES Net each Sunday evening at 2130 Contact John Wolfe, AA0NN via e-mail at [email protected].
on the Minuteman RA linked repeater system. Tfc: KB1AJ 310, We are still looking for a sponsor for our state PRB-1 effort. Will
W2EAG 310, NZ1D 152, WA1FNM 106, WA1NPO 95, N1SGB your state representative be willing to help? Contact your State
65, N1TPU 54, KD1LE 46, WA1LPM 31, KB1EB 30, N1IST 29, Government Liaison, Rob Wilson, AL7KK for input. HF nets:
N1LAH 15, N1TDF 10. Sniper’s Net 3920 1800 AST, Bush Net 7093 2000 AST, Motley
MAINE: SM, Bill Woodhead, N1KAT—ASMs: WA1YNZ, Group 3933 2100 AST, and Alaska Pacific Net 14292 M-F
KA1TKS. STM: N1JBD. BM: W1JTH. SGL: W1AO. ACC: 0830 AST. Please report communication drills and exercises,
KA1RFD. PIC: KD1OW. SEC: N1KGS. Asst. Dirs: W1KX, emergency communication activations, and public service ac-
KA1TKS, K1NIT. Web Site: N1WFO. The long anticipation of tivities on FSD-157 to KL5T.
installation of Amateur Radio equipment at the 10 Maine chap- EASTERN WASHINGTON: SM, Kyle Pugh, KA7CSP—On
ters of the American Red Cross has finally come to fruition. At December 1 & 2 the Spokane Co. ARES/RACES station
the time of writing, a check for $57,000 has been sent to the W7GBU joined 84 other stations across the nation in the 2nd
purveyor of the radio equipment, Ham Radio Outlet. Seeing annual NWS on-the-air Special Event. The purpose of the 24-
this will happen in the middle of winter, the old adage (that in hour special event is to recognize the contributions that ama-
order for antennae to work well, they must be installed in a teur operators make to the NWS during severe weather, to
blizzard), will be put to the test. The Red Cross is encouraging make a high-profile on-the-air showing, and to provide con-
Amateurs to put this equipment on the air, not only just for tacts to all amateurs wishing to qualify for a certificate. In
official Red Cross business, but also for Amateurs to become memoriam: John W. Noffsker, N7BHP, of Inchelium became a
familiar with the operations of the station. Future events may Silent Key on 11-1. There were 7 out of 10 OO stations report-
include “Worked All Maine Red Cross Chapters,” which may ing monitoring activity for November. 73, KA7CSP. Net Activ-
become part of a National event, “Worked All States’ Red Cross ity: WSN: QNI 838, tfc 235; Noontime Net: QNI 8793, tfc 389;
Stations.” Hope to see all of you at the Maine State ARRL WARTS: QNI 3195, tfc 87. Tfc: K7GXZ 289, W7GB 207,
Convention, March 30, 31 at the Ramada Conference Center KA7EKL 110, K7BFL 77, KK7T 17. PSHR: W7GB 138, K7GXZ
in Lewiston, ME, exit 13 from the Maine Turnpike. 73, Bill, 120.
N1KAT. Tfc: W1KX 135, N1BJD 62, KA2ZKM 52, W1QU 43, IDAHO: SM, M.P. Elliott, K7BOI — OOC: N7GHV, SEC:
W1JX 30, W1BLT 29, KA1RFD 21, W1JTH 19. AA7VR, STM: W7GHT. Congratulations are due for Greg
NEW HAMPSHIRE: SM, Al Shuman, N1FIK ([email protected])— Milnes, W7OZ, and Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF, as they were
Web site (www.nhradio.org). I am pleased to announce that successful in their re-election bids for NW Director and Vice
our work re-building the Field Org is progressing nicely. NH Director. Idaho looks forward to working with you both during
held a SET debrief meeting on 12/2, and by all accounts the your next term. As you read this, a bill is working its way through
test went well. Thanks to all ARES participating stations. the Idaho legislature addressing Idaho tower requirements.
NHARA’s sponsored NH-QSO Party is scheduled for the week- This effort was lead by John Cline, K7BDS, and his staff at the
end of Feb 3-4. Check the NH Web page www.nhradio.org for Idaho Bureau of Disaster services. Let’s all hope that our leg-
specifics. Back by popular demand is NH-ARRL patches & hat islators will recognize the value of ham radio and allow the bill
give-a-ways for active Field Organization participation. Also to pass. More on this issue in a later column. 73, Mike, K7BOI.
added is a colorful coffee mug produced by Curiosity Sales of Tfc: W7GHT 487, KB7GZU 92, KB7GZU 29, N7MPS 10,
ME. NH has developed its own specific ARES ID card with the W6ZOH 9. PSHR: W7GHT 120, WB7VYH 73, N7MPS 50. Nets:
first issued in Dec. If you are an active ARES member and have FARM 30/2733/ 24/W7WJH; NWTN 30/1022/73/KC7UND.
not yet received your ID card, contact your local EC. A listing IDACD-22/ 489/8/WB7VYH; IMN 30/380/331/W6ZOH. http://
of NH ECs can be found on the NH web site. Info on NH Field id_arrl.homestead.com/mainpage.html
Org activity is available through the NH List Servers. To join the MONTANA: SM, Darrell L Thomas, N7KOR—The month of
lists, follow the directions on the Web page. Bill, K1BD, is doing November was a pretty quiet time for the MT Section. I did not
well after his quintuplet heart bypass surgery. Three days later, receive any news items. Plans are under way to again provide
Bill was up checking VUCC cards for Fred, N1ZUK. I have the communications for the Race to the Sky Dog Sled Race in
picture to prove it. Simply amazing! Drive safely 73, Al. Net February. This annual event has given the amateurs an oppor-
NM/Sess/QNI/QTC: GSFM N1RCQ 30/191/35; GSPN tunity to earn great respect for their ability to pass traffic and
WB1GXM 30/121/74; VTNH WA1JVV 30/148/148. Tfc: W1PEX provide safety for the many mushers along the mountain trails.
1038, N1NH 160, WA1JVV 158, W1ALE 84, WB1GXM 24, I am nearing the possible end to my term as Section Manager.
N1CPX 10. I would like to thank all of those who have shown such great
RHODE ISLAND: SM, Armand Lambert, K1FLD—ASM: support to the program for the past six years. Net/QNI/QTC/
W1YRC. OOC: W1AOM. STM: KA1JXH. TC: N1DKF. NM MSN 102/0 W7OW, MTN 2184/39 N7AIK, IMN 380/331
PIC: WB1P. SEC: N1JMA. The Newport County Radio Club W6ZOH. PSHR: N7AIK 124.

128
 OREGON: SM, Bill Sawders, K7ZM—ASM: KK7CW. SEC:
WB7NML. STM: W7IZ. SGL: N7QQU. OOC: NB7J. TC:
AB7HB. ACC: K7SQ. New club officers have been installed at
several clubs. The Hoodview Amateur Radio Club has installed
Buck Layton, W7SEA, as President. Vice-President is Perry
Hopkins, KD7EYM. Secretary is Vivian Hagood, N7VH, and
the new Treasurer is Cory Schoch, KA7IUG. The McMinnville
Amateur Radio Club has announced their 2001 Officers. Presi-
dent is Bonnie Altus, AB7ZQ. Vice-President is Jack Fidler,
N7UQS. Secretary is Bob Kuhn, KC7YN, and Treasurer is
Darlene Burgess, KC7QAS. At the Radio Amateurs of the
Gorge, newly installed Officers include President, Jim
Keightley, K7NPS. Vice-President is Terry Shellman, KB7DRX,
and Kevin Kyte, KC7QOO is Secretary/Treasurer. Medford’s,
the Rogue Valley Amateur Radio Club has elected John Luthy,
N7JL, as President. Don Montgomery, KD7AUC, is Vice-Presi-
dent. Connie Miller, KC7RQS is Secretary, and Bob Deuel,
K2GLO, Treasurer. Congratulations to all of you. The “big one”
happens February 17th. If you like swapfests...this is it!
Oregon’s largest swapfest will be held at Rickreall. Go west of
Salem on Highway 22 to the “blinking light.” Go south one-half
mile to the Polk County fairgrounds. Doors open at 9 AM. See
you there, and keep in touch. NTS traffic totals for November:
N7DRP 169, W7IZ 124, N7YSS 97, K7NLM 93, W7VSE 90,
KC7ZZB 57, KC7SRL 55, KC7SGM 42, K6AGD 33, KK1A 6.
WESTERN WASHINGTON: SM, Harry Lewis, W7JWJ—Now
that you have upgraded or obtained a new license by passing
the 5 wpm code test would you like to try the next higher speed?
Then check out the WCN CW net that holds the CW speed to
just 10 wpm. The net exchanges training messages and QSTs
to enable the newcomer to quickly become proficient, not only
in CW, but in traffic handling. For more information drop an e-
mail to David Robins, K7WCN, the net manager at
[email protected]. Should we mention that George, K7BDU,
made the Brass Pounders League (BPL) again? Ok, we won’t.
One of the best traffic handlers of all times was the late W7BA
who made BPL every month for over 22 years. The Official
Observers have sent few reports to stations whose emissions
have been out of the assigned ham bands. Better an OO than
the FCC. A new OO is Ralph Lucier, KA7VEC of Mount Vernon.
Hopefully Ralph will only have to send out good operator card
reports. Perhaps you would like to become an Official Ob-
server. If so, drop an e-mail to Renee, [email protected] and the
process will be set in motion. There are now three DXCC Card
Checkers in Western Washington, K7AR of Vancouver, N7UX
of Whidbey Island and just undergoing confirmation the latest
entry, Wayne Bailey, NX7K of 13407 SE 235th Kent 98042. For
information about the Western Washington DX Club contact;
[email protected]. The Mike and Key Club flea market
will be held the second weekend March 2001. It’s the biggest
and the first in the area so collect those goodies that you wish
to swap, trade or sell. For info see www.mikeandkey.com.

PACIFIC DIVISION
EAST BAY: SM, Andy Oppel, KF6RCO—ACSCT announced
election results: W6RGG/Chief, KC6TYB/Asst. Chief,
KF6RCO/Planning, AD6ME/Logistics, KE6QJV/Operations,
KF6CRZ/Admin. At their holiday dinner, ACSCT thanked
K6JNW for 23 years of service as Asst Chief. HRC welcomes
new member K6BAW. SARS reports the following VIPs were
called out to assist with the “Hidden” fire (one of several that
occurred during the final day of the Pacificon convention):
KO6GM, AC6FJ, KI6QA, N6DDK, W6ZAP, N6APA, KD6KME,
KO6FR and AC6LE. CCCC elected Board Members: KE6ZWO,
KD6JCT and KA6OFR. VVRC elected new officers: WH6AB/
Pres., K6DME/VP, KF6KFP/Sec. and KF6VBJ/Treas. The new
VVRC Board of Directors will be N6ZGB, KD6FZY, K6ZU and
K6HEW. NALCO has a new EC, KF6OBQ, assisted by KFAPW,
W6WXO, WA2UNP and W6WTI. EBARC mourns the loss of
KC6JCQ. Congrats to EBARC member KD6FVI on his upgrade
to General. I enjoyed meeting ORCA members at their Decem-
ber meeting. Tfc: W6DOB 903, WB6UZX 60. PSHR: W6DOB.
BPL: W6DOB. Tfc nets: NCN1/3630/7PM; NCN2-Slow Sess/
3705/9PM; NCN-VHF/145.21/7:30 PM; RN6/3655/7:45 PM &
9:30 PM; PAN/3651/7052/8:30 PM.
NEVADA: SM, Jan Welsh, NK7N—ASM: Dick, W6OLD. SEC:
Paul, NN7B. STM: Bruce, N7CPP. NM: Joe Giraudo, N7JEH.
Thanks go to N7JEH, our new net manager. Also thanks to Joe
for resurrecting the W7LKO ARC newsletter, and note his re-
quest for items. The club reports around NV are filled with party
plans. New Years Eve in Las Vegas includes ARES/RACES
exercise preparations for those not brave enough to join the
massive crowds we expect. Certain streets and interstate ac-
cesses will be unusable and may require our assistance.
Amateur Radio exam sessions are conducted regularly by
SIERA, SNARS and CVRC. RARA has its net Saturdays at
7:30 AM, 3965 kHz, e-mail [email protected] to find their next
meeting location (different spots in NV). ARES Net follows at
8:30 AM, 3965 kHz. Don’t forget SKN - January 1, 2001. Con-
tact Jim Frye, [email protected], 702-565-0242 for WAS and
VUCC. Met several from Reno area at RACES meeting in Las
Vegas this month. Can’t remember all the names but enjoyed
seeing them. Congratulations Carson Valley Radio Club on
SSC status. Please take care of yourselves this holiday sea-
son so you can enjoy Amateur Radio next year. Happy Holi-
days. 73, Jan, NK7N. Tfc: W7VPK 86, N7CPP 71, K7NPH 8.
PACIFIC: SM, Ron Phillips, AH6HN—I am sad to report the
passing of Clayton Caughill, KH6EL, on 11/10/00 and Harold
Yoshikawa, WH6CQA, Nov 2. They will be missed by all. Lee
Wical, KH6BZF, reports the Honolulu ARC met for the last time
at the Columbia Inn in Honolulu on 18th November 2000. This
has been a long standing meeting place for many years. HARC
will relocate. Mike Gibson, KH6ND, has returned from Palmyra
Is. where he worked for the Nature’s Conservatory. Mike logged
nearly 30,000 QSOs as KH6ND/KH5 on HF including both 160-
meters and 6-meters, mostly giving out CW QSOs and some
SSB. Thanks Mike for the DX. The Oahu Hamfest sponsored
by the Koolau ARC was a great success. Much thanks goes to
Walt, AH6OZ, and Clem, KH7HO, plus the Koolau gang. The
date for the next year’s hamfest is scheduled for 13 October.
The Big Island ARC has elected new officers for 2001. They
are Pres: Bob Schneider, AH6J, VP: Dennis Carvalho,AH7H,

130
 Sec: Barbara Magnuson, N7UQX, Treasurer: Ron Phillips, every officer election. This is now very easy with the online
AH6HN, Directors, Ham Kaneshiro, AH6HB; Francis Brown, club report form at www.arrl.org. It’s important to resubmit this
NH6RW; Harvey Motomura, AH6JA; Curtis Nakayama, every year even if your officers do not change, so we will be
KH6LE; and Harry Nishiyama, KH6FKG. Mahalo & 73. Ron, certain to have the correct phone and address information on
AH6HN. hand. In North Carolina it has been especially problematic
SACRAMENTO VALLEY: SM, Jerry Boyd, K6BZ—A number because we have gone from two to seven area codes in the
of League members in the Section have recently expressed course of just a few years. With the new 980 overlay area code
interest in field appointments, particularly in the OO, OES, and it will be even more difficult to determine phone numbers by
PIO positions. This interest is most welcome. Ours is a large geographic location. Congratulations to the Montgomery
Section particularly in terms of distance between the northern County ARS on becoming an affiliated club. Jim Aderholt,
and southern portions of the Section. We need to balance out KI4DH, has worked very hard to put a group together for Mont-
the responsibilities and having people in key positions (like gomery County and has done an outstanding job. Congratula-
OO, PIO, etc) distributed throughout the Section is very help- tions is also in order for our newest ARRL Special Service
ful. A number of clubs in the Section are reporting increases in Club, the Robeson County ARC. This club has shown you don’t
membership no doubt due to restructuring. Not only are there have to be a large club in order to be a Special Service Club,
new hams looking to belong to a club, but hams who have you just need an active program and dedicated members. I
upgraded to General Class or above are now experiencing regret to report that Bus, K4INR, has become a Silent Key.
renewed interest in the hobby and therefore club membership. Many of you on the Tar Heel Emergency Net remember Bus as
When they come to our clubs we need to make the experience a long-time participant. Bus recently moved to Cary and was
interesting so they keep coming! For the second year in a row, hoping to get back on the air soon. He will definitely be missed.
our Section will be holding an emergency communications We also lost “Miss Frances” Krepp, W4KYI of Kannapolis. Elkin
conference (EMCOMM 2001). It will be held near Redding on Hamfest is Sunday February 11th. Nov Tfc: W4EAT 549 (BPL),
March 31st. All amateurs (and others) interested in emergency NC4ML 300, AB4E 274, K4IWW 166, AA4YW 118, KE4JHJ
communications are invited. Amateurs from adjacent Sections 114, KI4YV 90, W4IRE 72, AD4XV 39, KE4AHC 32, W3HL 26,
are especially welcome. It will be an outstanding event. For WA2EDN 24, W4CC 22, WA4SRD 17, KB8VCZ 13, AE4HJ 12,
information contact SEC/N K6SOJ or SEC/S WA6SLA. Until N0SU 10, KE4YMA 9, NT4K 7, KR4OE 6, KT4CD 3.
next month, 73 de K6BZ. SOUTH CAROLINA: SM, Patricia M. Hensley, N4ROS—May
SAN FRANCISCO: SM, Len Gwinn, WA6KLK—ASM: I express my sincere appreciation to those who supported me
KH6GJV. SEC: KE6EAQ. TC: N1AL. It is the start of a new year for SM in the recent election, and may I invite everyone to
and congratulations go to the newly-elected club officers as support ARRL in SC. Our state goals will reflect the national
they get started on their jobs for the year. ASM Bill Hillendahl, ARRL initiatives: expanded emergency communications and
KH6GJV, has been making the rounds of the clubs in the south- implementation of an Amateur Radio curriculum for young-
ern part of the Section recently visiting the Willits and Lake sters in our schools. A successful outcome can only be accom-
County ARCs. Bill reports that the clubs are working hard on plished by an energetic and knowledgeable staff. Applications
developing new Hams and programs. The Humbolt ARC is or suggestions for these positions and/or assistants are in-
gearing up for the SF Section convention in June. Visit their vited. A new agenda item will be the formation of a statewide
Web site at www.humbolt-arc.org. The Redwood ARC recently Radio Club Presidents’ Advisory Council. It is requested that
raised funds for their treasury by selling hats. The Lambda all club presidents, regardless of ARRL affiliation, contact me
ARC/Golden Gate completed a banner year in 2000, which as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who participated in
included many new events, a successful Technician class li- the recent SET. We must continue to be prepared. I have en-
cense class and a gain of members. They are planning more joyed meeting and speaking with many of you at the Union and
classes for 2001. They have built a good relationship with the Greenwood hamfests. I look forward to the same at the upcom-
SF Mayor’s OES office. The Marin ARC continues to enjoy ing Charleston Hamfest. Tfc: AF4QZ 74, KA4LRM 70, W4DRF
their “home” in the converted fire station and is busy installing 67, WA4UGD 37, KA4UIV 32, WD4BUH 20, K4BG 17, KG4IGE
a new heating system. The Redwood Empire DX Association 15, K4JMV 4.
made another generous donation to the NCDXF, their second VIRGINIA: SM, Lynn Gahagan, AF4CD—SEC, OOC: KR4UQ.
for the year. The Sonoma County Radio Amateurs bestowed STM: W4CAC. ASM/A: KE4NBX. ASM/B: W4TLM. ASM/C. TC:
Life Membership on Marie Mappus, KI6QY, at their annual W4IN. ASM/D: KC4ASF. PIC: W2MG. Greetings to everyone!
Christmas dinner for her many years of devotion to the club I hope that everyone enjoyed the past holiday season. I had the
and the Ham community. Visit the Pacific Division Web site at pleasure of attending the Franklin County ARC Christmas din-
www.pdarrl.org for information about the area clubs. Happy ner and meeting in Rocky Mount VA. It was nice seeing many
New Year to all! of the members that I often hear and talk to on the bands. Many
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY: SM, Donald Costello, W7WN— April from out of the area attended the fellowship dinner. On Decem-
20-22 are important dates to remember since SJV Section will ber 5th the VOPEX 1-00 drill for the Virginia Power Nuclear
once again be the host section for the International DX Con- Power plant located at North Anna took place. This Nuclear
vention in Visalia. I would like to encourage everyone in the Power plant exercise is one of two that Virginia ARES/RACES
Section who is interested in DXing to attend this world-class is requested to participate in. Federal law requires the VOPEX
event. It is time once again to remind all that winter and early nuclear power plant drills. This is one of our most important
spring months can bring harsh conditions so, be prepared. drills supporting VDEM/NRC/FEMA and, it is important that we
Have a grab and go bag in the trunk of your car which should always strive to do the best job that we can for our clients. I
contain, comfortable shoes, first aid kit, pocket knife, flash know of one instance that problems with an Instaphone in
light, matches, extra socks, food items with long storage capa- Caroline County required our back up communications. Al-
bility and a radio. Should you not be able to use your vehicle though we did encounter problems with our communications at
during an emergency you will be able to walk out with relative certain locations, experience in simulated emergencies helps
comfort. Remember also to have an article of warm outerwear us hone our skills, and discover where improvement can be
in the trunk of the vehicle as well. At home everyone should made to our systems. In the exercise we were able to utilize
have at least 72 hours worth of water and nonperishable food. packet on 2m/70cm; voice on; HF, 70cm, and 2m. The follow-
Your family should have an emergency plan in place and net- ing locations were involved with the exercise: Sterling NWS,
work with neighbors especially the senior citizens. Those who Wakefield NWS, Caroline, Hanover, Louisa, Orange, and
are prepared for emergencies will better survive them. Those Spotsylvania Counties. All played an important role in the drill.
of you who would be interested in serving the communications On behalf of the Virginia Department of Emergency Manage-
needs of your communities during emergencies can do so by ment, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emer-
volunteering for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service gency Management Agency, I thank the almost 100 amateurs
(ARES). If you would like more information please contact Kent who participated, for a job well done! For those who were un-
LeBarts, K6IN, by e-mail at: [email protected] or by telephone at able to attend this years VOPEX, we do it all over again at Surry
209-723-2020. VOPEX in 2001. W4TLM reports that W4PAJ has stepped up
to take over the District 13 position of DEC. Thanks Brian, I am
SANTA CLARA VALLEY: SM, Glenn Thomas, WB6W—SEC: sure Terry is glad to pass on one of his “hats” over to you! Dave
KM6GE. BM: WB6MRQ. TC: WA6PWW. OOC: KB6FPW. It is Damon, K4DND, will host a Live Training Session in
my pleasure to welcome Larry Murphy, KE6PPE, the new AEC Charlottesville on February 10th. See www.aresva.org for
for the American Red Cross - Salinas Chapter. I visited the details. Tfc: W3BBQ 286, WA4DOX 189, N4ABM 164, KR4MU
Chaverim ARC in Palo Alto. A small group but very friendly 153, KV4AP 129, K4MTX 94, AA4AT 85, K4YVX 82, KV4AN
(and smart!) people. Hopefully I’ll be able to go again. Is your 81, W4CAC 79, K0IBS 68, WB4UHC 24, W4SEE 23, AF4CD
club planning a Field Day operation? If so, I’d like to do a bit of 23, WB4ZNB 22, KU4TM 16, W4JLS 15, K4JM 13, W4YE 13,
publicity for you. What I need is to know where your operation W4MWC 13, KB4CAU 7, KU4MF 6, N4FNT 2.
will be so that I can include it with lots of other FD sites in a Field
Day Press release. The press release has two purposes. First, WEST VIRGINIA: SM, O.N. (Olie) Rinehart, WD8V— STM:
I’ll have it up on the SCV section Web site (http://www.pdarrl KC8CON. SEC: W8XF. ASEC: KA8ZOO. SGL: K8BS. TC:
.org/scvsec/index.html) so that anyone who is looking for a FD K8LG. OOC: N8OYY. ACC: WD8MKS. APRSC: W8XF. PIC:
group will learn where to fine one. Those who show up are N8TMW. Very busy holiday season so very little news from
potential new members in your group. The PR is also intended your Section Manager. The Hamfest season is upon us and
to show the media just how big FD is. I plan to send it to as plan to see you all in my travels around the section and region.
many media outlets as I can find. The more FD operations it The following information was furnished by Section Traffic
identifies, the more effective it will be. In the event that your Manager, KC8CON. God bless you all and 73. Tfc: KA8WNO
group is visited by a reporter and makes it into print, that’s 272, WD8DHC 209, W8YS 173, W8WWF 93, KC8CON 60,
bonus points for FD publicity. Another source of FD bonus WW8D 46, WD8V 45, N9MNA 17, N8BP 12. PSHR: WD8V
points is the message to your SM. The details will be in the FD 196, W8YS 176, WD8DHC 129, KC8CON 122, KA8WNO 118,
rules. After FD, I will list the calls and club names from all of the WW8D 121, N8MNA 51; WVFN: 12341/173/30 KC8CON;
messages I actually receive in this column. Watch for it in WVMDN: 839/41/30 WW8D; WVN E 124/78/30 W8WWF; WVN
August QST . If you’d like to see your club mentioned in these L 125/47/30 W8WWF.
pages, send me a copy of your club newsletter to me at home
(address on page 12 of this issue of QST ) or via e-mail ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIVISION
([email protected]). I can’t report it if you don’t send it! See you COLORADO: SM, Tim Armagost, WB0TUB—ASM: Jeff Ryan,
next month! 73 de Glenn, WB6W. Tfc: W6PRI 2. N0WPA. SEC: Mike Morgan, N5LPZ. STM: Mike Stansberry,
K0TER. ACC: Ron Deutsch, NK0P. PIC: Erik Dyce, W0ERX.
ROANOKE DIVISION OOC: Karen Schultz, KA0CDN & Glenn Schultz, W0IJR. SGL:
NORTH CAROLINA: SM, John Covington, W4CC— SEC: Mark Baker, KG0PA. TC: Bob Armstrong, AE0B. BM: Jerry
KE4JH. STM: N0SU. BM: KD4YTU. TC: K4ITL. PIC: KN4AQ. Cassidy, N0*0MYY. Early December brought a nationwide
OOC: W4ZRA. SGL: AB4W. ACC - vacant. http://www.ncarrl Special Event co-sponsored by the ARRL and the National
.org. Just a reminder that all affiliated clubs need to send an Weather Service (NWS). Two of the Colorado NWS offices,
annual report to ARRL HQ no less frequently than every two Boulder and Pueblo, participated with Special Event stations.
years. I encourage you to update your club’s information after Elke, KB0YWO, coordinated efforts at the Boulder office with
participation by Ian, KC0GDN, Jane, AA0ZR, Bill, W0LVI,

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 Dave, KI0ND, and Ben, KB0UBZ. At the Pueblo office Russ, KM4Z. STM: Jim Hanna, AF4NS. SGL: Charles Griffin,
WB0GSU and Wes, K0HBZ led the efforts assisted by Mike, WB4UVW. BM: Eddie Kosobucki, K4JNL. ACC: Susan
K0TER, Jeff, KB0YCI, Dean, KA0PII, Kit, KA0WUC, Mike, Swiderski, AF4FO. OOC: Mike Swiderski, K4HBI. TC: Fred
N0MIK, Carol, KC0DTQ, Sid, K4ARM, Alan, KB0TLS and Runkle, K4KAZ. PIC: Matt Cook, KG4CAA. It’s February and
Dwight, N0OUH. The Pueblo office reportedly made approxi- the start of a new hamfest season. As usual, it kicks off with the
mately 325 contacts— including contacts to numerous other popular Dalton hamfest Feb 24, followed by the Kennehochee
NWS Special Event stations. I worked the event from home, hamfest March 17. A number of clubs announced their ama-
and heard many pile-ups on the various NWS stations. It teur of the year. Atlanta RC named Charles Golson, N4TZM,
sounded like a very popular event and next year’s should be Gwinnett ARS tapped Barry Zoll, N1TOQ, and North Fulton
bigger and better. Congrats and thanks to all participants. The ARL selected David Ziskind, KE4QLH. Congratulations to
Mountain States Net (MSN— but not to be confused with an these active amateurs who contribute so much to their local
internet service provided by a very large Seattle area com- clubs. GARS Techfest is Jan 27 at the Lawrenceville Central
pany) is a slow-speed CW net which meets on 3715 kHz at Baptist Church. Conyers club elected new officers. Pres.
0245Z, and is supported by 12th Region NTS stations to en- KF4ASC, V Pres. AG4BG, Sec. KD4SLT, Tres KE4ELV. Weak
courage improved CW operating abilities, familiarity with traf- signal VHF-UHFers will gather in Nashville Tenn. April 20-21
fic net procedures, and increased support of Section Nets in for the annual Southeastern VHF Society Conference. Moved
AZ, CO, NM, UT and WY. Check in and keep your CW and NTS out of Atlanta for the first time, the event is slated for the Holi-
skills sharp. E-mail news to me: [email protected] 73, de day Inn-Select in suburban Brentwood. Congrats to the OMIK
N0WPA. NTS traffic: AD0A 148, K0TER 107, KI0RP 90. club our newest affiliated club. 73 Sandy. Tfc Nov: W4WXA
CAWN: W0WPD 895, W0GGP 576, K0HBZ 517, K4ARM 464, 212, AF4NS 118, WB4GGS 114, W4AET 96, AF4PX 60, WU4C
W0LVI 438, N0NMP 421, WB0VET 364, N0FCR 330, AA0ZR 56, KG4FXG 43, K4ZC 35, K4WKT 25, K4BEH 15, KA4HHE
325, AB0PG 324, WD0CKP 283, W0NCD 212, KI0ND 104. 14, K1FP 2.
NEW MEXICO: SM, Joe T. Knight, W5PDY—ASM: K5BIS & NORTHERN FLORIDA: SM, Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP—ACC:
N5ART. SEC: K6YEJ. STM: N7IOM. NMs: WA5UNO & WA4B. BM: N4GMU. OOC: W4QV. PIC: KF4HFC. SEC:
W5UWY. TC: W8GY. ACC: N5ART. New Mexico Roadrunner WA4NDA. SGL: KC4N. STM: WX4H. TC: KO4TT. Packet:
Net handled 109 msgs with 1175 checkins. New Mexico Break- N4GMU. I commend the editors of local clubs for including
fast Club handled 217 msgs with 1049 checkins. Yucca Net comments on the June 4th meeting in Tallahassee at the
handled 13 msgs with 574 checkins. Caravan Club net handled SEOC. It would be great if the facilities would accommodate
2 msgs with 38 checkins. SCAT Net handled 10 msgs with 500 more people. However, that is impossible. One of the topics
checkins. Four Corners Net handled 15 msgs with 353 presented was by Paula Churchwell, in charge of the States’
checkins. GARS Net handled 6 msgs with 31 checkins. Rusty’s Grant Program. Several of you have begun the process of
Net handled 69 msgs with 781 checkins. Valencia County Net applying for grants using the ARES program as a basis. Thus
handled 16 msgs with 41 checkins. Deming ARC Net handled far, the State has been approving grants if requested thru the
19 msgs with 118 checkins. Holiday parties are in full swing, local EOCs. There has also been some approved if submitted
and we wish we could attend all of them. So many good news- thru a Club having a 501.(3)c status. Don’t forget to express
letters from all the clubs, some by e-mail and many by other one of the main reasons and purposes is to provide emergency
mail. WS7W, our Vice Director, has started a very nice Division communication to disaster agencies, and especially the State
Web page at “trib.com/~arrlrm/.” N5ART is doing a fine job on of Florida. Those attending the meeting heard both John
our NM Section Web Page at “qsl.net/nmsec/.” Art needs input Fleming and Crag Fugate comment on the need for Amateur
as the new club officers are elected. Please e-mail or send him Radio. While we in Northern Florida got thru the season with-
all club details, [email protected]. Our SAR teams and ARES/ out a hurricane, we should not rest easy and expect next year
RACES teams have certainly had a workout this month with all to offer the same. Let’s keep our systems and programs cur-
the public service activities and the SAR missions. Tnx to all for rent and up to date as we never know when our services may
these valuable efforts in public service! Vy sorry to report the be needed. This was one of the things Craig Fugate caution us
passing of K6HJ. Best 73, W5PDY. at the State Meeting. Keep Prepared and Ready. One of the
UTAH: SM, Mel Parkes, AC7CP— Welcome to the Year 2001! reasons for appointing ASMs in each District of the Section is
Happy New Year! Lots of neat things are already planned for to be available to speak at club meetings. May I encourage you
this year. We were saddened to hear that Duane Allen Peters, to invite them to your meetings as well as any of the Staff. Net
AB7LG, from Brigham became a Silent Key on 28 Nov 2000. Control Stations are needed for the various Nets. Why don’t
He was the Assistant USAF MARS Director for the state. Our you offer your services to the Net Managers? They need alter-
thoughts go out to his family and friends. If you have an interest nates as well. It doesn’t take much time, and the experience
in supporting the 2002 Winter Olympics, please contact Brent and joy you receive will be more than you expect. de 73 Rudy.
Thomas, AC7H, or go to the Web site for more info, http:// Tfc: WX4H 1688, AG4DL 263, KE4DNO 257, NR2F 186,
www.cem.state.ut.us/Radio/2002Quest.htm. The Utah VHF AF4PU 156, KB2EV 92, KG4EZQ 90, K1JPG 86, N9MN 80,
Society will hold their annual meeting and Swap Meet in Feb- WB2FGL 61, K4DMH 55, AF4GF 51, KF4WIJ 46, K4JTD 35,
ruary at a new location that will be announced. Please watch AB4PG 30, W8IM 26, KB4DXN 23, W4KIX 20, WA1VLP 17,
for announcements concerning this annual event. Plan now to KC4FL 16, N4JAQ 14, WX4J 13, KB4DCR 12, N4EC 10,
attend Utah Hamfest 2000, July 13-15, at Rubys Inn. For more WB2IMO 9, KJ4HS 8, WB4GIU 7, WD4LIF 8, WA4EYU 4.
info, see the Web site at http:\\www.utahhamfest.org. PUERTO RICO: SM, Víctor Madera, KP4PQ—Pasadas las
WYOMING: SM Bob Williams, N7LKH—The results of Field elecciones generales la actividad tomó ímpetu nuevamente.
Day are in and the winner is University ARC with a score of Tuvimos la oportunidad de participar en una novel actividad
5425 points, the most I have seen from WY Section. The next preparada por FRA y el PRARL que unieron fuerzas para llevar
runner-up was Campbell County ARC/Tri County ARC, W7CW, a cabo un “hamfest” conmemorando la instalación de la
with 2990 points. There were a total of 8 association entries primera línea de telégrafos en P.R. por Samuel Morse. Además
and 3 individual entries. The NWS Event 2000 was fully sup- de la actividad común de este tipo de fiesta, los visitantes
ported at the Cheyenne NWS station with 47 offices contacted tuvieron la oportunidad de pasear por el pueblo en “trolley”,
and 196 contacts made. The support was organized by Shy- visitar el museo y escuchar una charla por KP4UN sobre la
Wy ARC ARES/RACES. The participants were: Wilson Sellner, estadía de Morse en PR. La FRA tiene programada su fiesta
WB7RRZ; Frank Bumgarner, KD7AN; Tom Lee, WA7WYW; de Navidad para enero del 2001 y el grupo de “Las Arandelas”
Jim McKiethen AC7KF; Tom Dodson, KF7VR; Bill Rideout, pasará un fin de semana en la playa de Salinas gracias a
N7CLV; Scott Harris, W7WRO; Brian McNutt, KD7KXD; WP4AZT. La Asamblea Anual del PRARL será el 21 de enero
Burdette Reed, KD7KXC; Joe Dolwick, KA7VIS and Ken en el Albergue Olímpico. Ya se están completando los trabajos
Andrews, WA7HQX. The communications exercise sponsored para comenzar el curso para “OOs” y posiblemente se ofrezca
by STM Duane Shillinger, NN7H, is beginning to show some por primera vez en español. El Section Manger tiene una nueva
useful results. We have at least one additional traffic report página para escuchar la opinión de todos. Escríbele visitándola
from Don Miller, K7TFW, with 16 points for the month of No- en <http://prarl.org/PR_Soundboard.html> Todos los
vember. It is a great start but we still need more participants. interesados en el curso de “OOs” deben comunicarse con el
Tfc: NN7H 292, K7TFW 16. SM por correo o email a [email protected]
SOUTHERN FLORIDA: SM, Phyllisan West, KA4FZI—SEC:
SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION W4SS. STM: KJ4N. ACC: WA4AW. PIC: W4STB. OOC: K4GP.
BM: KC4ZHF. SGL: KC4N. DEC/ASM: N4LEM, WB9SHT,
ALABAMA: SM, Bill Cleveland, KR4TZ —Since it’s February AA4BN, KD4GR, WB2WPA. For expanded Section News, see
and Valentines Day is near, I thought it would be appropriate www.sflarrl.org or request e-mail. Thanks to Collier ARA, Dade
to talk about what we love about Amateur Radio. I know a large ARC and ARPSC, Ft. Myers ARC, Indian River ARC, Orlando
portion of us love to talk to our growing circle of friends. On any ARC, South Brevard ARC, Vero Beach ARC, WA4AW ACC,
given night, I can tune to 3.965 MHz and listen to friends and W4STB PIC, and section EC’s for the newsletters and activity
acquaintances having interesting conversations. Some of us information. The South Brevard ARC assisted the Space Coast
enjoy talking to others that live in other countries. The sea- Runners’ Club Marathon Nov. 26. Kudos to W4JBL, KI4IS,
soned DX chaser is always polite on the air, and promotes their KG4CAN, KI4TD and N4FIZ for their work on the Boy Scout
specialty by proudly showing their collected QSL cards to oth- Food drive. KT4TX sent several photos of our November ap-
ers. The overwhelming majority of us love to use our skills in pointee meeting and tour of the Broward EOC. See their state-
Amateur Radio for public service. It is emergency communica- of-the-art EOC on our SFL Web page (www.sflarrl.org) and
tions that justifies our existence to the FCC and our Govern- read W4STB’s notes of the meeting. Collier County will miss
ment. But its more than that - as a group, we are more likely to K2VMD, now a SK. He was a great supporter of scouting for 70
help our fellow man. The Internet can not make this claim. I’m years and a ham for over 50 years. Dade County ARPSC plans
never surprised to find that hams also volunteer for the Ameri- a Dec 20 net devoted to young people. There will be a teenage
can Red Cross, Salvation Army, Soup Kitchens, Civil Air Pa- NCS. The goal is to expose children and youth to ham radio. A
trol, and other organizations. I haven’t seen any evidence of great project, Dade. The Indian River ARC will miss SK,
people belonging to an Internet chat room doing the same. KM4ND, former Director of Electronic Engineering at KSC
This is what I love about Amateur Radio, and I think we can where he made numerous contributions to the space program.
improve on it. The time to better organize our efforts is now, but He also was co-owner of area repeaters. More than 20 Vero
I need your help. We need to develop a section-wide plan to Beach ARC hams again assisted in the Sun Runners annual 5-
handle emergencies and a method to educate our ARES vol- K run, a project for over 20 years. Way to go! SK Jim O’Keefe,
unteers. Next month, I’m planning a section-wide meeting to WA1COA, will be missed at their club events and on the Trea-
go over our emergency plan, but I need to have as much of the sure Coast nets. We welcome back the Fort Pierce Radio Club
new plan finished before then. During the weeks leading to our to ARRL as they reactivate their affiliation. Congratulations to
meeting, we’ll discuss the plan during our Alabama Emergency the Okeechobee Club for a very successful hamfest at their
Net that operates on 3.965 MHz on Tuesday Nights at 7:30 PM new location. Palm Beach amateurs assisted in the annual
(CST), and on our Web site at www.kr4tz.org/al-arrl. “Food for Families” drive Led by AF4OR, AEC, 33 amateurs
GEORGIA: SM: Sandy Donahue, W4RU—ASM/South Ga: collected food from 60 Publix supermarkets in PBC. Over
Marshall Thigpen, W4IS. ASM/Legal: Jim Altman, W4UCK. 27,500 lbs. of food was collected for distribution. PBC ARES
Asst SM/IT: Mike Boatright, KO4WX, SEC: Lowry Rouse, and local clubs worked 429 man-hours over 2 weekends on

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 this worthwhile project. NOTE: There will be a SFL appointee/ are a “real-DX’er,” you are already trained and almost ready to
leadership workshop on Saturday Feb. 4 at the Miami roll. My definition of a “real-Dxer” is some one who has worked
Hamboree beginning at 11:30. Lunch will be provided. Club over 300 countries. – Hank, K6YMJ, our SEC and his assistant
presidents and assistant ECs are welcomed as part of the Dennis, KA6GSE, are ready to help you get into the ARES and
section leadership group. November Traffic by KJ4N STM: ACS, systems if your are so inclined. Our Web site contains all
WA9VND 725, KA4FZI 426, KB4WBY 255, KJ4N 224, KC4ZHF of the addresses and phone numbers: qsl.net/arrlsw/lax. If you
216, KD4HGU 178, KD4GR 146, KE4IFD 127, K4FQU 106, are wondering about ACS, This is Chief Bisson’s (KF6XX)
WB4PAM 98, AA4BN 85, WA4EIC 58, W8SZU 48, W4DWN baby. The Chief is a great guy and runs a great “Auxiliary
46, KT4XK 43, WA4CSQ 35, W6VIF 34, WD4JNM 32, Communications System” for Los Angeles. Hank and Dennis
KG4CHW 26, KE4WBI 19, KA4GZL 9, W4WYR 9, K4OVC 9, will be glad to fill in the details of our Emergency Systems if you
AF4NR 5, W3JI 1 Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy should want to help. 73 de Phineas, W6BF.
2001! Phyllisan West, KA4FZI, Section Manager, Southern ORANGE: SM Joe Brown, W6UBQ, 909-687-8394. ASM Riv
Florida Co: Joe, KO6XB, 909-685-7531. ASM: Orange Co Art, W6XD,
VIRGIN ISLANDS: SM, John Ellis, NP2B, St Croix. ASM: Drew, 714-556-4396. ASM: SB Co. James, KE6LWU. Congratula-
NP2E, St Thomas. ASM: Mal, NP2L, St John. SEC: Duane, tions to all the new officers in 2001. CORONA NORCO ARC:
NP2CY, St Thomas. PIC: Lou KV4JC,St Croix, SW: Jeanette, Pres. Norm, KN6CV; VP Perry, KE6IVP; Sec. Ed, KE6DOL.
NP2C, St Croix. ACC: Debbie, NP2DJ, St Thomas. NM: Bob, TASMA: Board Chair. Bob, NO6B; Vice Chair. Pat Finke; Sec.
VP2VI/W0DX Tortola. As this is being written, the ARRL 10 M Howard, KG6GI; Treas. Jim, K6IYK. RCARA: Pres. George,
contest is over. The VI was well represented by KP2D in St W6RPD; VP Don, KD6UVT; Sec. Joanell, KD6MAO; Treas.
Thomas (multi-op with Ron KP2N, Bernie NP2W, Debbie Harold, KD6MAN. SPARC: Pres. Ron, WB6MSS; VP Bill,
NP2DJ and Drew NP2E). Manny, NP2KW, was doing well KG6AJC; Sec. Charlene, KQ6HG. We look forward to great
along with contest station WP2Z. Even yours truly was on, things from all these organizations. With all the club news about
QRP (where was North Dakota?)! Mal, NP2L, still active with ARC Xmas activities, two standout. HDSCS activated a com-
AMSAT. Anyone coming down interested in using the birds munications team into Children’s Hospital of Orange County,
would be wise to contact Mal at [email protected]. Sev- to make contact with NP0LE ... the North Pole station. And
eral folks on for the phone sweepstakes, it’s nice when the CNARC dispatched Santa’s elves to Peppermint Ridge, a home
storms don’t take out the power grid! Next big contests will be for mentally challenged, with the goal of talking to Santa.
the ARRL DX contests in February and March. The Virgin Is- RCARA Monitor: Don, KD6UVT, said it all, “It used to be simple;
lands will be well represented! V.I. Section Web site almost every one we personally knew celebrated Christmas or
www.viaccess.net/~jellis, e-mail to section manager with news Hanukkah. Now we live in a smaller world. Religion, politics,
at [email protected]. 73, John NP2B. government, heritage, life style and culture are a blending,
WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA: SM, Dave Armbrust, AE4MR mixing and hopefully co-existing in our new world order. In the
[email protected] http://www.wcfarrl.org—ASM: NA4AR. ASM- not too distant past, it was only those that traveled abroad who
Web: N4PK. ASM-Legal: K4LAW. SEC: KD4E. TC: KT4WX. needed to acknowledge our different cultures. Well, nowadays
BM: KE4WU. STM: AB4XK. SGL: KC4N. ACC: AC4MK. PIC: the world is as evidenced in our work place, religious and fam-
AB2V. Manatee ARC names Frank Morton, AC4MK, ham of ily gatherings and neighborhoods. Amateur Radio allows many
the year. SEC KD4E reports an increase of 14 ARES mem- throughout the world to transcend those differences through
bers. Sarasota ERC gives NA4AR Mort Award. New ECs: our common hobby far earlier than those in our work place and
Charlotte: Wyatt McDaniel, W8HTD, Manatee: Frank Morton, neighborhoods.” It would be hard for anyone to say it better,
AC4MK, Pasco: Norm Daerda, N4NRM. Hamfests: Sarasota Don. From the SM: You all have a great 2001, and don’t forget
1/20-21, DeSoto 1/27, Sebring 2/17. November: to be an Elmer to someone who needs your help ... if you can’t
find anyone, just ask and someone will raise his/her hand. NTS
Net/NM QNI QTC Bulls QND Sess Traffic: W6JPH 154, KC6SKK 153, W6QZ 132, K6CTW 58,
AIN/WA4ATF 74 3 6 99 3 W6QZ NTS BBS 319. PSHR: W6QZ 161, W6JPH 111,
PIN. ARES/WB2LEZ 91 4 6 199 8 KC6SKK 83. SCNV/NET MGR. W6JPH reports 21 sessions,
QNI 171, QTC 74, Avg. Net time 18 minutes.
POLK ARES/KE4VBA 65 0 2 93 4
SAN DIEGO: SM, Tuck Miller, NZ6T, 619-475-7333. A special
SPARC/KF4FCW 412 26 0 751 30 thanks goes to Rick, N6NKJ, for his years of service and dedi-
TURTLE/KT4TD 354 57 0 387 30 cation to the ARES. Rich recently resigned as a DEC due to
FMSN/KT4PM 268 37 0 452 30 health reasons. We wish him all the best. Stepping up to the
plate as the new DEC for San Diego’s Eastern District is Dick
TPTN/AD4IH 731 103 0 416 30 McCready, AC6RZ. Welcome aboard, Dick. On the 1st Mon-
QFNS/KF4KSN 182 56 0 666 30 day of each month, RACES meets at 6:30 PM at the Sheriff’s
QFN/AB4XK 836 388 0 1,047 60 Comm Center on Overland Dr. On the first Tuesday of each
month, the North Shores ARC meets at the South Clairemont
PSHR: K4RBR 161, K4SCL 150, KT4TD 142, AB4XK 132,
Rec Center on Clairemont Dr at 7, and the East County Re-
AD4IH 129, KF4KSN 113, W4AUN 113, WB2LEZ 101, peater Association meets at Casa Machado’s at Montgomery
KE4VBA 83. SAR: K4SCL 204, AB4XK 202, KT4TD 83, AD4IH Field. The 1st Wednesday of each month has the Elks Ham
59, KF4KSN 54, K4RBR 25, KE4VBA 23, WB2LEZ 6, W4HCS
club meeting at the El Cajon Lodge 1812 at 11:30 AM. The
5 W4AUN 4. 73, Dave, AE4MR. Palomar ARC meets at the Carlsbad Safety Center on Faraday
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION Rd. Meeting starts at 7:30. The 1st Thursday of each month is
also busy with both the 220/Convair Club, and the Southbay
ARIZONA: SM, Clifford E. Hauser, KD6XH—The 2001 Ama- ARS meeting. 220/Convair meet at 7 PM at the Kearny Mesa
teur Radio club listing has been mailed to 65 clubs. If your club Rec Center, while SOBARS meets at 7 at the Norman Park
has not received this mailing, please contact me and I will add Senior Center in Chula Vista. The 2nd Wednesday features the
it to the list and provide you with the necessary paperwork ARC of El Cajon. They meet at the La Mesa Masonic Lodge on
make sure it gets added to mine. Is your club affiliated with the Date St in La Mesa. The Metro Club meets at Jimmy’s in Na-
ARRL? If not, then please consider going through the process tional City at 9 AM on the 3rd Saturday. The 4th week of the
and getting your club affiliated either as special service club or month is also very busy. On Tuesday, the Escondido ARC
just affiliated. It still takes over 50% of the club membership meets at 7 at the Escondido Chamber of Commerce. On
belonging to the ARRL to achieve this status. The Northern Wednesday, the San Diego DX Club meets at 7 at the Hind-
Arizona DX club has 100% ARRL membership and they are quarter Restaurant. The Ramona Outback ARS meets at 7:30
listed as a special service club. The fall hamfest at Mesa com- at the Ramona Library. On the last Thursday of each month the
munity college was a success. The Scorpion club did a good San Diego AR Council meets at 7 PM at the Kearny Mesa Rec
job and everyone seemed to have a good time. The next Center. Tfc: KT6A 988, KD6YJB 190, KO6BU 10, WA6IIK 1
hamfest is the spring hamfest at Scottsdale Community col- BPL: KT6A 988 PSHR: KT6A 138, KD6YJB 55, KO6BU 38. 73,
lege on 10 March 2000. The Arizona Amateur Radio Associa- Tuck, NZ6T.
tion will hold their annual hamfest event at DeVry on 10 April SANTA BARBARA: SM, Robert Griffin, K6YR ([email protected]
2000. At the present time, I plan to be at both of these events. or [email protected])—SEC: Jack Hunter, KD6HHG (kd6hhg@arrl
The Arizona Web site is alive and doing well. Tom Fagan, .net). STM: Ed Shaw, KF6SHU ([email protected]). SGL: Paul
WB7NXH, has developed this Web site for the Arizona section. Lonnquist, NS6V ([email protected]). ACC: Michael Atmore,
The address is “www.qsl.net\arrlaz\”. If you have questions or KE6DKU ([email protected]). OOC: Howard Coleman,
ideas on how to improve the Web site, contact Tom at W6HQA ([email protected]). PIC: Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR
[email protected]. Please keep your newsletters coming so I ([email protected]). TC: Warren Glenn, KM6RZ,
can keep up with the activities around the state. I receive news- ([email protected]). ASMs: Ventura, Don Milbury,
letters from Dolan Springs, Yuma, Payson, Sierra Vista, and all W6YN ([email protected]). San Luis Obisipo, Bill Palmerston,
points in-between. Next year the ARRL SW Convention will be K6BWJ, ([email protected]) & for Internet, Jack Bankson,
in Riverside at the Holiday Inn. Start reserving this time slot AD6AD ([email protected]); & DECs: Santa Barb-Dave Lamb,
and make the necessary arrangements before you forget. For WA6BRW ([email protected]); SLO-Bill Peirce, KE6FKS
some reason, no one ran against me so I was re-elected to ([email protected]) & Ven-Dave Gilmore, AA6VH (aa6vh@arrl
another two (2) year term as your section manager. My e-mail .net). Make early plans for the ARRL 2001 Southwestern Divi-
address is “[email protected]”, (see page 12 of this magazine sion Convention! Set for September 7-9 in Riverside at the
under Arizona) and my home telephone number is 520-744- Convention Center, registration info is available several
9095. 73, Clifford Hauser, KD6XH. Net: ATEN 1003 QNI; 39 sources, including the Convention Chair, W6YBS, and off ei-
QTC; 30 sess. Tfc: K7VVC 769, W7EP 112. ther the ARRL Orange or Santa Barbara Section Web sites.
LOS ANGELES: SM, Phineas J. Icenbice, Jr. W6BF – It should Let’s make a good showing! FREE instant Section news up-
be well known that the Northridge earthquake taught us a few dates? Join the SB Reflector! E-mail [email protected] the
good lessons about emergency communications, that we message subscribe arrlsb. SB Sec Web: www.qsl.net/arrlsb/.
should never forget. (1) Never depend upon the “cellular Join in our Section NTS traffic nets: SCN slow speed NTS Net,
phone,” system because it will be overloaded just as it was M-F, at 1915 local on 3598 kHz & SCN/SB at 2100 local on
during the Northridge shaker. (2) Never depend upon the “land- 147.000+(131.8), 224.90- (131.8) & 449.300-(131.8). Thats
line,” it was and will be overloaded too. – These systems are 30! Rob, K6YR.
not designed so that all of the customers can talk at once. In
fact, if you knew the percentage of customers that could talk at WEST GULF DIVISION
the same time, you would soon realize that you could have a NORTH TEXAS: SM, Don Mathis, KB5YAM—STM: KC5OZT.
serious problem. The big emergency situation is even worse,
BM: KC5OZT. SEC: K5MWC. SGL: N5GAR. OOC: WB5UDA.
when you realize that a high percentage of these panic calls ACC: WN5PFI. ASMs: KX5K, K5RE, KK5QA, KK5NA, N5JZ,
are trying to call the same emergency number (fire/police/com- KB5LWZ, N5JL, KD5HIS, AD5X, W5GPO. Visit the section
mon relative). Good emergency back up systems like ARES
Web page at http://www.lsic.net/net/ntexas.html for the most
and other radio systems do provide this back up capability. – current information. As I am putting together this month’s en-
What can you do to help? You can join ARES &/or other RADIO try, I am reminded of the annual Christmas Mall Watches. This
groups that can help. You may need a little practice but if you
public service aspect of Ham Radio has certainly become very

136
 popular and well received. I would again like to thank all of the
Hams that spend great amounts of their time and effort in the
various areas of Public Service provided during the last year.
This effort goes a long ways into helping us keep our frequen-
cies. All of these provide good practice just in case we should
become needed in a real emergency. I was very excited over
the successful launch of Phase III D (AO-40). It has been a long
time in the making. Those in the amateur radio community that
gave so much to produce this bird deserves a great big ‘con-
gratulations’. A very technical job well done. I look forward to
making contacts with it. It is also a very good item to interest
young people in the hobby. Tfc: (Nov) K5NHJ 500, KC5OZT
431, N5JZ 363, WA5I 68, KB5TCH 56, KC5VLW 41, N5GG 37,
AC5Z 16, K5TEK 4, N8QVT 1. BPL: K5NHJ and N5JZ.
OKLAHOMA: SM, Charlie Calhoun, K5TTT. ASMs: N6CL,
W6CL, W5ZTN. SEC: KA7GLA. ACC: KB5BOB. PIC:
WA9AFM. OOC: WB9VMY. SGL: W5NZS. STM: K5KXL. Con-
gratulations to the South Canadian ARS on becoming an ARRL
affiliated club again. Consider your club becoming an ARRL
affiliated club. If you need information let me know. It’s coming
a little earlier this year. This month the Green Country Hamfest
is back at the Tulsa Convention Center. Hope to see many of
you down there. We had quite a snowfall in Oklahoma back in
December. I had 12-14” here in Owasso. This prevented me
from making it to a couple of Christmas parties. I apologize for
not being able to make it. I’m sure you had good times and
hopefully I’ll be able to make it next year. The Family Motor
Coach Association is holding their semi-annual convention in
Oklahoma City, at the Oklahoma State Fair Park, on April 3, 4,
5. The Amateur Radio chapter of FMCA will conduct an infor-
mational seminar as well as a testing session. I hope each and
every one of you had a wonderful holiday season and look
forward to a great 2001. That’s it for now. 73, Charlie. Tfc:
N5IKN 640, K5GY 351, KF5A 307, WA5OUV 305, WB5NKC
230, WB5NKD 184, K5KXL 146, KE5JE 134, KI5LQ 97,
WA5IMO 75, W5REC 25, N5FM 3.
SOUTH TEXAS: SM, Ray Taylor, N5NAV—ASMs: NR5ED,
N5WSW, W5GKH, K5DG, N5LYG, WA5UZB, KK5CA, K5EJL,
W5ZX,WA5TUM, KB5AWM, WA5JYK, K5PFE, K5PNV and
K5SBU. STM: W5GKH. SEC: W5ZX. ACC: N5WSW. TC:
KJ5YN. BM: W5KLV. OOC: W5JAM. SGL: K5PNV. February
and winter is almost over. November was a rough month for
tornadoes here in South Texas. We had more tornadoes for
one month than recorded. We had plenty of rain, flooding,
damage and SKYWARN events. December is now bringing
some of the coldest weather for this time of the year in many
years. Most all of the leaves are now on the ground to be raked
and put in the garden, so something good does come from this
cold weather with all the ice on the roads and grounds. We
have been asked to be ready to provide communications in
case of power outages due to overloads in the systems. Larry
Eblen, at the weather station, and I were discussing this storm
on the phone, and he is going to spend a night or two at the
weather, due to the danger of trying to get home. As I’m writing
this we are having a true ice storm. Schools have closed for
tomorrow along with a lot of business places. This is very un-
usual for South Texas. We had a great turnout for the NWS
event. Everyone at the weather station had a great time. The
operators made 300 contacts during the 24 hour period, includ-
ing several DX contacts, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Argen-
tina, England, Italy, Switzerland, Cuba, Yugoslavia, and Ger-
many. One of the most gratifying moments on Saturday
afternoon, was when W3HBC, a sightless ham arrived and ask
if he could make a couple of contacts. He made several and
just to watch his excitement as he operated, made the whole
operation worth it all. Now some comments on CW. We really
need some participation in the Texas Slow CW net on 3719 at
8 PM every night of the year. If you would like to better yourself
in CW this is your chance. They will work with so you can build
up your speed, and teach you how to handle traffic by CW at
the same time. The art of CW will always be around for those
who wish to operate CW. The clubs are all having their Christ-
mas parties. All of the menus all sound great, however, the
main thing is the fellowship with other hams. I’ve heard a lot of
new radios on the air, some of them must have been a real job
to push down the chimney. Have a good February. Enjoy the
upcoming summer. Tfc: W5SEG 1241, KA5KLU 383, W5KLV
171, N5OUJ 80, W5GKH 77, W5ZX 75, N5NAV 36, K0YNW 36,
W5ZIN 20, W5OYY 15, N5JUU 2.
WEST TEXAS: SM, Charlie Royall, WB5T, 915-944-0469,
[email protected]. ASMs: Cley, K5TRW. Ron, KB5HGM.
Jerome, K5IS. Fred, W6VPI. Sandy, W5MVJ. SEC: Alex,
N5LRH. OOC: John, KO5D. OBM: Frank, N5WT. Things “they
are a changing.” The good US of A has a new President, and
soon you’ll be voting for a new West Texas Section Manager.
This first year of the millennium is off to a good start with a new
slate. It’s up to you and your elected representatives what will
be written on it. We gained 24 new licensed amateurs between
November and December 2000: Amarillo, 1; El Paso, 6; Lub-
bock, 14; Midland, 2; and San Angelo, 1. A special pat on the
back goes out to Larry Springsteen, WB8LBZ, of Sun City ARC,
for his electronic listing of happenings in the El Paso area. He
is always on top of everything and posts events regularly. You
have been a big help—thanks Larry! Getting info on happen-
ings to an SM is critical to the performance of their duties. The
next hamfest is just around the corner. I look forward to seeing
you in Midland in March. Until next time, 73 de Charlie, WB5T.

138
 MARCO: Medical Amateur Radio Council,

l)
Ham Ads
Advertising must pertain to products and
operates daily and Sunday nets. Grand
Rounds: 14.308 MHz Sunday mornings at
10:00 am Eastern time. Medically-oriented
amateurs (physicians, dentists, veterinarians,
services which are related to Amateur Radio. nurses, therapists, etc.) invited to join.
2) The Ham-Ad rate for commercial firms Inquiries to: MARCO, 2650 Head of The Tide
offering products or services for sale is $1.00 per word.
Individuals selling or buying personal equipment: Rd, RR 4, Belfast, Maine 04915-9624.
ARRL member 50¢ per word. Non-ARRL member $1 Web:http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/med/marco/
per word. Bolding is available for $1.50 a word.
3) Remittance in full must accompany copy since THE Veteran Wireless Operators Association,
Ham-Ads are not carried on our books. Each word, a 74-year old, non-profit organization of
abbreviation, model number, and group of numbers communications professionals invites your
counts as one word. Entire telephone numbers count inquiries and application for membership.
as one word. No charge for postal Zip code. No cash Write VWOA, Edward Pleuler, Jr., Secretary,
or contract discounts or agency commission will be
allowed. Tear sheets or proofs of Ham Ads cannot be 46 Murdock Street, Fords, NJ 08863. Visit our
supplied. Submitted ads should be typed or clearly web site for activities, history, membership:
printed on an 81⁄ 2" x 11" sheet of paper. http://www.vwoa.org
4) Send ads to: the ARRL, 225 Main St.,
Newington, CT 06111 ATTN: Ham Ads. Or via fax COUNTY HUNTERS: Worked All Texas
860-594-0259 or e-mail: [email protected] Payment Award Beautiful Certificate. Temple Amateur
must be included with ads (check or any major credit Radio Club P.O. Box 616, Temple, TX 76503
card accepted). www.tarc.org
5) Closing date for Ham-Ads is the 15th of the
second month preceding publication date. No cancel- BICYCLE MOBILE HAMS OF AMERICA. We
lations or changes will be accepted after this closing mix hamming with biking! VHF and HF. 450
date. Example: Ads received September 16th through members in 46 states, 6 countries. 10th
October 15th will appear in December QST. If the 15th
falls on a weekend or holiday, the Ham-Ad deadline is annual forum at HamVention. To receive
the previous working day. Please contact Melissa more info., sample newsletter, e-mail your
Yrayta at 860-594-0231 for further information. street address to [email protected]. Or
6) No Ham-Ad may use more than 100 words. No write to BMHA, Mike Nickolaus, NF0N, 316
advertiser may use more than two ads in one issue. A East 32nd St.-Q South Sioux City, NE 68776.
last name or call must appear in each ad. Mention of
lotteries, prize drawings, games of chance, etc. is not QCWA—Quarter Century Wireless Associa-
permitted in QST advertising. tion. If you were first licensed 25 years ago
7) New firms or individuals offering products or
services for sale must check with us to determine if a and currently licensed you are eligible. Be
production sample (which will be returned) should be one of us! Write Dept. T, 159 E 16th Ave,
submitted for examination. Dealers are exempted, Eugene, OR 97401-4017. Call 541-683-0987.
unless the product is unknown to us. Check with us if
you are in doubt. You must stand by and support all Join “No Code = No Theory” today! http://
claims and specifications mentioned in your advertising. www.neteze.com/radions/amateur.htm or
The publisher of QST will vouch for the integrity write to: WB6TMY at Zip Code 95402-4694
of advertisers who are obviously commercial in for literature.
character, and for the grade or character of their
products and services. Individual advertisers are not ANTIQUE/VINTAGE/CLASSIC
subject to scrutiny. ANTIQUE RADIO CLASSIFIED. Free sample
The American Radio Relay League does not
discriminate in its advertising on the basis of race, copy! Antique radio’s largest-circulation
color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital monthly magazine. Old radios, TVs, ham
status, or national origin. equip., 40s & 50s radios, telegraph, books &
The League reserves the right to decline or more. Ads & articles. Free 20-word ad
discontinue advertising for any other reason. monthly. Subscribe today. Six-month trial:
$19.95. Yearly rates: $39.49 ($57.95 by 1st
QST HAM ADS ON THE WEB — UPDATED MONTHLY Class). Foreign: write. ARC, PO Box 802-
http://www.arrl.org/ads/ham-ads.html
B22A, Carlisle, MA 01741. Phone: 978-371-
0512, Fax: 978-371-7129, Web:
www.antiqueradio.com
WANTED: pre-1925 battery radios, crystal
SELL YOUR RADIO TODAY! Check out sets, and vacuum tubes. Also early telegraph
RADIOS ON-LINE on the ARRL web site: keys and pre-1900 electrical apparatus. Jim
http://www.arrl.org/ads/RadiosOnline/ Kreuzer, N2GHD, Box 398, Elma, NY 14059.
716-681-3186. [email protected]
CRYPTOGRAPHY items wanted: M-94, other
old devices. WB2EZK, 17 Alfred Road West,
Merrick, NY 11566. 516-378-0263,
[email protected]
CLUBS/HAMFESTS/NETS “Repair - Restoration - Tube-type receivers,
transmitters, amplifiers. 45 years experience.”
FRIEND OF BILL W.?? - Join HAAM net N4PZ/W9OJI, 815-734-4255.
Saturdays at 12:30 Eastern on 14.290;
Sundays at 09:00 Pacific on 7.283.5; Sundays CLASSIC RADIOS FOR SALE: Good used
at 09:30 Pacific on 14.340/2. K6LX, e-mail: equipment wanted. The Radio Finder, 11803
[email protected] Priscilla Lane, Plymouth, MI 48170. Tel/Fax
1-734-454-1890. [email protected] or
JOIN the Lambda Amateur Radio Club http://www.radiofinder.com
(LARC) since 1975, the only open and visible
public service-oriented ham club for gay and WANTED: Electronic estates, hi-fi, broadcast-
lesbian hams. Monthly newsletter, HF skeds, ing. Cash paid. KB8CCY, 1-877-288-1280.
internet listserv and IRC, hamfest meetings, WWII MILITARY TELEVISION EQUIPMENT
chapters, DXpeditions. Write LARC, POB WANTED, cameras both round and square
56069, Philadelphia, PA 19130-6069 or e- case, transmitters, receivers, dynamotors,
mail: [email protected] camera tubes, manuals needed for preserva-
THE ARRL LETTER — The League’s news tion project. Maurice Schechter, 590 Willis
digest for active amateurs, professionally Ave., Williston Park, NY 11596. 516-294-4416
produced and edited and now available in a [email protected].
weekly electronic edition via the World Wide
Web at http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter

154
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TELEGRAPH KEYS wanted by collector.
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Drake: Order your copy of “A Family Affair -
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www.kalama.com/~capengrave/
100 QSL Cards $8.50 postpaid. Send Stamp
for Sample. ARTIST, P. O. Box 148652,
Nashville, TN 37214.
SKYWARN, RACES, MARS patches, decals,
caps, more. Write/fax for info. CAPS
Unlimited, PO Box 460118C, Garland, TX
75046. 972-276-0413. E-Mail:
[email protected], www.skywarnsupply.com
QSL CARDS Many styles. Top quality. Order
Risk Free. Plastic cardholders, T-shirts,
Personalized caps, mugs, shirts. Other ham
shack accessories. Free Call. Free samples.
Rusprint, 800-962-5783/913-491-6689, fax
913-491-3732. http://www.rusprint.com
QSLs - Many designs! Custom cards,
“Eyeball” cards. Samples: Free, $1, $2 packs.
Charlie Hansen, NØTT, 8655 Hwy D,
Napoleon, MO 64074.

156
 www.callstuff.com
BRASS BELT BUCKLE with your call letters.
Raised/cast - not engraved. Each one-One of
a kind. View at www.urcall.net
PROPERTY/VACATION/RENTALS
DXshack FG, J6, 3W, XU, XW.
TRX+kWAMP+Beam ANTs & Bed. Yonezuka,
JA2EZD. URL://qth.com/dxshack.
[email protected]
P49V/AI6V’s ARUBA Cottage for rent; 2
bedrooms, rig and antennas. For info write:
Carl Cook, 2191 Empire Ave., Brentwood, CA
94513.
TURKS AND CAICOS “HAM-LET”
VACATION: House with station located
Providenciales hillside above ocean. Jody
Millspaugh, 649-946-4436 or Box 694800,
Miami, Florida 33269 USA. E-mail:
[email protected]
VACATION IN BAVARIA - Modern
apartments by DL6SX “Arno”. Info. at
www.schmahl.de
BAHAMAS RENTAL: Abaco villa w/station.
N4JQQ, 407-894-2519 or [email protected]
BAHAMAS, Treasure Cay Resort. Beach
house/contest station rental. Many world
records. 3 BR/2 Bath. KC4SZE, 256-734-7300
or [email protected]
BLUE RIDGE MT. of VA. - Build your vacation
QTH on a beautiful mountain top near Blue
Ridge Parkway - Floyd, VA. Info
www.public.usit.net/dlarsen or
www.bfrog.com/zig/land/ E-mail:
[email protected]. Dave, KK4WW, phone 540-
763-2321.
QTH FOR SALE: Punta Gorda. Florida. 56
foot crank over tower. Hygain Tailtwister.
Sommer XP706 beam with all options. 2m
Hustler. 1+1/2 lots, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom,
1300 square feet, 11x20 porch, hurricane
shutters, 2 car garage, ceiling fans, irrigation
pump, fruit trees, mile to shopping. $94K. Got
new job. Had to move. WB9JTK
[email protected]
SOUTHERN Maine QTH For Sale, Great HF/
VHF Location, 12 Acres of Land, New 3500
sq. ft Custom Built House with 1200 + sq ft
Garage, Three 100+ ft Rohn Towers,
$389,000. [email protected] or 207-324-
7735.
SUN CITY AZ: 1832 sq. ft. home, 3 br, 2 ba,
with a great hobby room and workshop space.
Free-standing aluminum tower, multiband
beam. $122,000. America’s premiere 55-and-
over community. Don Steele, Ken Meade
Realty, 800-977-1776 [email protected]
VP5B Contest Station; North Caicos Beach
Front. 3BR/2BA; RIGS, AMPS, Antennas
Deluxe Accomodations, www.qth.com/vp5.
Email: [email protected]; 270-259-4530.
GENERAL
TUBES WANTED: I pay cash or trade for all
types of transmitting or special purpose tubes.
Mike Forman, 1472 MacArthur Blvd.,
Oakland, CA 94602. 510-530-8840.
TUBES WANTED: Highest prices paid or will
trade for all types of industrial, receiving and
transmitter tubes. D & C Electronics, 3089
Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill, FL 34606. 800-881-
2374.
ASTRON POWER SUPPLY, Brand new w/
warranty, RS-20m $99, RS-35m $145, RS-
50m $209, RS-70m $249, SS-25m $122, SS-
30m $135. Call for other models, 626-286-
0118 or [email protected];
www.aventrade.com

158
 ALUMINUM CHASSIS AND CABINET KITS.
UHF-VHF Antenna Parts, Catalog E-mail:
[email protected] or http://www.flash.net/
~k3iwk
FREE: Ham Radio Gospel Tracts, SASE.
KW3A, 265 West Ave., Springfield, PA 19064.
SX88 HALLICRAFTERS receiver wanted.
Jim, W6OU, 714-528-5652.
ROSS $$$$ New Specials: Kenwood, BC-6,
$75.00; THG-71A, $269.00; HMC-1, $36.50;
YK-88A, $75.00; MFJ; MFJ-872, $94.00; MFJ-
4225MV, $139.00; MFJ-321, $65.00; MFJ-
332, $49.50; Yaesu, FT-811, $275.00; FT-
8100R, $459.00; FT-90R, $398.50;
FT-73RTT, $220.00; PRICES WITH COU-
PONS. Call or visit our Web page for
complete list and more Specials http://
www.rossdist.com, Phone (208)852-0830 All
prices Cash FOB Preston. Ross Distributing
Company, 78 South State Preston, Idaho
83263
WANTED: Tubes. Nobody pays more or
faster than us! Mike Forman, 1472 MacArthur
Blvd, Oakland, CA 94602, 510-530-8840.
ELECTRIC RADIO Magazine in our twelfth
year. Articles on vintage ham and military
gear, repair/restoration, history, and AM
operation. Large classified section. $3 for a
sample copy, ER, 14643 County Road G,
Cortez, CO 81321.
RADIO REPAIR! Reasonable, Jim Dan Rupe,
998 Whipple, Grayland, WA 98547. 360-267-
4011. Email: [email protected]
TELEGRAPH KEYS wanted by collector.
Bugs and unusual or unique straight keys or
sounders, and tube electronic keyers. Also
pre1950 callbooks. Vince Thompson, K5VT,
3410 N. 4th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85013. 602-
840-2653.
KENWOOD Factory Authorized Service. Also
repair ICOM, YAESU and others. GROTON
ELECTRONICS (508)541-0067. http://
www.grotonelectronics.com
Heathkit, Yaesu, Kenwood repair, Ed,
WA1LJY, 616-429-4295.
TRIBANDER COMPARISON REPORT: Find
out the real lowdown on HF antenna
performance. K7LXC & NØAX test the
KT34XA, TH7, TH11, C-3 Skyhawk and more.
Over 60 pages. $17 + $3 s/h. CHAMPION
RADIO PRODUCTS,
www.championradio.com, 888-833-3104.
ELECTRON TUBES. Bought and sold. Large
inventory equals fast delivery. Daily Electron-
ics, 10914 NE 39th St. Ste. B-6, Vancouver,
WA 98682. 800-346-6667, fax 360-896-5476.
[email protected]
SALE: YAESU FT-1000-D in MINT CONDI-
TION, performs flawlessly, ONLY $2950.00
FOB. W9SHE, 623-546-0010.
HEATHKITS WANTED: Unassembled kits,
catalogs, manuals and older gear. Bill,
WA8CDU, 616-375-7978. billrobb@net-
link.net
Wanted: HP-plug-ins: HP 5257 A for HP 5245
L; HP 8555 A and 8556 A for HP 141 T. R.
Scholz, DK 5 BY, Gartenstrasse 89, D-24220
Flintbek, Germany, Tel.: 0431 9884667 and
04347 1895; e-mail
[email protected]
MORSE 0-20 WPM 90 days guaranteed!
Codemaster V for IBM compatible PC $29.95.
Morse Express, 800-238-8205. http://
www.MorseX.com

160
 CASH FOR COLLINS. SM-1, 2, 3; 312A-1, 2; INTERNATIONAL RADIO (Service Division)
55G-1; 399C-1; KWM-380; 62S-1; KWM-1; offers kits that add new features to your rig!
302C-3; 51S-1; 75S-3C; 32S-3A; buy any Also repairs, alignments of Kenwood, Icom,
Collins equipment. Leo, KJ6HI, ph/fax 310- Yaesu, Atlas equipment. 1118 Raymond
670-6969. [email protected] Ave., Fort Pierce, FL 34950.
HEATHKITS WANTED: Top dollar paid for [email protected] or 561-489-6302. http://
unassembled kits. Michael Seedman, 847- www.qth.com/irsd
831-8823 eve., or CQing all DXers, if E & F skip makes your
[email protected] day! Then check out G & H. For a free tract
DIGITAL FIELD strength meters: IC about tuning in -Self Ministries, P.O.B. 117,
Engineering, http://www.digifield.com Bristolville, OH 44402 USA.
APPLE I Microcomputer wanted for museum. HEATHKIT AMATEUR RADIO REPAIR by
KK4WW, 540-763-3311. RTO Electronics, 7280 Territorial Road,
Benton Harbor, MI 49022. 616-468-7780. E-
DWM COMMUNICATIONS - SASE brings mail: [email protected]. www.rtoham.com
catalog or visit: http://www.qth.com/dwm
59(9) DX REPORT Weekly DX and Contest
ANTENNA HARDWARE - S.S. “U” bolts, bulletin. SASE for sample. P. O. Box 73,
aluminum saddles, element and boom plates, Spring Brook, NY 14140.
S.S. hose clamps. Write for list to Harbach
Electronics, WA4DRU, 2318 S. Country Club DJ-191 Charger, 2 batteries, lapel mike, dc
Road, Melbourne, FL 32901-5809. http:// charger and extra antenna. Mint hardly used
www.harbach.com $200.00 u ship. 805-446-1930 [email protected]
MACINTOSH ham logging program on CD- WB4AEJ - http://www.hamsearch.com
ROM. http://www.peachtree-solutions.com WANTED: Hallicrafters HT 20, Hammarlund-
ATTN: CW OPERATORS - Still available! SP600, Collins 32 V or W Transmitters,
Super CMOS III Semi-Kit, same features as Collins 75 A Receiver, KB0W, (916) 635-
Logikey K-3. SASE for details to Idiom Press, 4994. [email protected]
95441-1025. FREE!!! Ham Radio and other CD-Roms &
WANTED: Hi capacity 12 volt solar panels for Software disk catalog. MOM ‘N’ POP’S
repeater. [email protected] or 540-763-2321. SOFTWARE, P. O. Box 15003-HA,
Springhill, FL 34604-0111. 1-352-688-9108.
#1 CALLSIGN CD-ROM. “HamCall” contains [email protected]
U.S. and International callsigns with lat/long,
grid square, e-mail addresses and more. LEARN CODE by Hypnosis, http://
Updated monthly. Check/Visa/MC. $50, $5 www.qth.com/cweasy/ or WB2D 800-425-
ship/handling. Buckmaster, 6196 Jefferson 2552.
Hwy., Mineral, VA 23117. 800-282-5628 or MOTOROLA MICOR REPEATERS: 2m and
http://www.buck.com/haminfo.html 70cm, $400. 727-394-9665 evenings,
“EVERYTHING FOR THE MORSE ENTHUSI- [email protected]
AST.” Morse Express. Keys, keyers, kits, 2001 CALLBOOK CD-ROM: $38.95
books. 303-752-3382. http:// QRZv16: $17.95 POSTPAID. All ARRL items
www.MorseX.com DISCOUNTED. Check/VISA/MC: Duane
ATV Video Test Pattern Generators with Heise, AA6EE, 16832 Whirlwind, Ramona CA
Character ID, composite and S-video 92065-7011. 760-789-3674.
outputs, audio tone. Many options. Other <[email protected]>, http://
video products and kits also available. Tom www.radiodan.com/aa6ee/.
Gould, WB6P, GEKCO Labs, Issaquah, WA. The Dxer’s Control Panel. Leno, http://
888-435-7221. www.gekco.com www.HAMDX.com
WANTED: BC-779/SP-200 any series. I ICOM repair most ICOM radios COMTEK
cover all shipping costs. Jim, N1MAA 401- [email protected]. Kuni, 360-779-9730
465-4402 or [email protected] Anderson Powerpole and OEM power
2001 Callbook CD-ROM Distributor “59(9) connectors. MasterCard/Visa. KM6YH
DX Report” Great price and service on www.powerwerx.com
genuine “Flying Horse” CD $39 to US, $40 to PACE Soldering/Desoldering: Replacement
VE, $41 to DX. Order online http:// parts, tips, new systems for SMT and Thru-
www.members.aol.com/the599rpt/dx.htm or hole PCB repair are in stock! Also a stocking
E-Mail: [email protected]; write P. O. Box distributor of a wide assortment of solders,
73, Spring Brook, NY 14140 Tel/Fax - (716) fluxes, cutters and hand tools. Technimark,
677-2599. Check/Visa/MC Inc. 847-639-6324. www.technimark-inc.com
BATTERY: Sealed lead acid/gel cell and Low Cost Soviet Military Straight Keys,
NiMH at wholesale price. 0.5AH to 100AH, $18 www.qsl.net/kc0afx - [email protected]
Nexcell NiMH AA 1400mah $2, AAA 600mah WB0UYQ
$2. 626-286-0118; www.aventrade.com
Svetlana Tubes For Sale: 4CX800A matched
CONTESTER laminated keyboard overlays, pairs $200. 4CX400A matched pairs $180.
QSL return envelopes, DX Edge and more. SK1A sockets, new $39.95. I also have other
www.HamStuff.com by W7NN. Svetlana tubes GS35B, GS23B, GS91B, and
TRYLON SELF-SUPPORTING TOWERS: many others. All tubes are unused and have
Steel towers available up to 96 feet. Terrific a warranty. For more information and
value and reliabilty. The popular T-200 is 96 references, please see my web-site at http://
feet and is only $1974. CHAMPION RADIO msnhomepages.talkcity.com/ClassifiedsCt/
PRODUCTS, www.championradio.com, 888- tomstubes/ Phone:256-593-0077. Email:
833-3104. [email protected]
ANTENNA DESIGN BOOK, 140 pages, Attention YAESU FT-102. Expert repairs.
helical, loop yagi, beams, loops, short Over 6000 hours servicing the 102. Reason-
antennas, flat tops, and VLF projects, $12.95. able rates. Call evenings. Mal, NC4L, 954-
R.A.C., POB 37, Clarksville, AR 72830. 961-2034.

162
 KA1INX - www.recycledradio.com
K8CX Ham Gallery http://hamgallery.com
Ham Helper Software:
www.awrsoftware.com/hamhelper
Drake Wanted: RV-75, TR-7/7A, R-7/7A and
all 7-line accessories. Also wanted C-line
gear, L4B, 5-line. Please call Neil, K1VY at
(603)-465-2788, or toll free (800) 962-2949.
Email to [email protected]
Kenwood 430S HF Transceiver-Test
Equipment-MORE. For list mail SASE to
Bill Folkerts, 920 Laurel Road, North Palm
Beach, FL 33408.Or [email protected].
WANTED: Fully operational handheld HP-
41CV, HP-41CX calculator. List plug-in &
modules. Arthur 614-888-6571.
CUSTOM 3M REFLECTIVE Decals with
YOUR CALLSIGN. [email protected]
HY-POWER ANTENNA COMPANY http://
www6.bcity.com/hypac
FREE HAM CLASSIFIEDS http://
hamgallery.com
FOR SALE: Modern 4 bedroom home on
quarter acre. 45ft Tower, Gem Quad
Tribander, beautiful area, good hunting and
fishing, Home of University of Oregon.
$118,000. Milon Whittier, K7ZRJ. 541-688-
8249.
DRAKE TR22, SPR-4, FS-4, all with manuals,
some accessories, all in working condition.
Best offers. Leo, KE4), 727-937-6591.
QST 40 Year collection 1960-1999 first
rasonable offer K4HUO. email:
[email protected] 423-365-6554.
Amateur information exhange site. Free
uploads and downloads. Heading and prefix
maps, etc. www.delphi.com/haminfo. W2HOJ.
TOWER for sale. 100’ MILITARY AB-105C.
Heavy duty galvanizing. Dismantled, includes
guy wire, excellent condition. Jim, W9GLR.
[email protected], 863-984-1317.
WANTED: Printed Circuit Card Extender
Boards for Yaesu FT-101E. KC5PIQ.
[email protected]
KENWOOD TS-430S and PS-430 pwr supply
$400. W4NTS, 910-692-3331.
WANTED: Replacement power transformer for
Heathkit Model IO-102 or IO-4560 (5-inch)
Oscilloscope. H. Lee Hancock, W4NXC, 11
Piney Point, Whispering Pines, NC, 28327-
9475. 910-949-2515.
YAESU Complete ham radio station in
excellent condition. FT-301D 160 thru 10
meter HF transceiver, FP-301D AC Power
Supply with clock and CW identifier, FV-301
External VFO, YO-301 Monitor Scope, FC-
301 Antenna Tuner. (408) 736-0339 e-mail:
[email protected]
JOBS
WANTED FOR SUMMER OF 2001: Instruc-
tors in electronics, ham radio, computers and
all other sciences. Small boys’ science camp
in Pennsylvania. Apply: Donald Wacker, P.O.
Box 356, Paupack, Pennsylvania 18451. 570-
857-1401.
Wanted: Amateur with primary school
teaching experience (retired or not).
Teaching in ham radio, math and all other
sciences for children in Jeju Island, South
Korea (IOTA, AS-026). Provide apartment
and ham radio equipment. Contact Wonki Oh,
WM2X E-Mail: [email protected], (82)-(64)-796-
9659, 0000-0800 UTC.

164
 Index of Advertisers
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT STAFF
John Bee, N1GNV, Advertising Manager
Hanan Rayyashi, KB1AFX, Production Coordinator
Melissa Yrayta, Advertising Assistant
Direct Line: 860-594-0207 Fax: 860-594-0259
e-mail: [email protected] http://www.arrl.org/ads
ADI Communications: 8 LIMARC: Long Island ARC Winterfest: 134
Advanced Battery Systems, Inc: 140, 153 M2 Enterprises: 157
Advanced Receiver Research: 148 M & S Computer Products Inc: 154
Advanced Specialties: 153 Maha Communications & Elec.: 2, 168
Alinco Electronics, Inc: 11 Metal & Cable Corp: 162
All Electronics Corp: 163 MFJ Enterprises: 125, 127, 129, 131, 133, 135
Alpha Delta Communications: 144 Micro Computer Concepts: 124
Amateur & Advanced: 153 Military Sealift: 27
Amateur Electronic Supply LLC: 145, 147, 149, 173 Mirage: 13
Am-Com: 156 Mr. NiCd: 174
ARRL: 2, 18, 126, 130, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, N4XM XMatch Antenna Tuner: 132
151, 157, 160, 164, 166, 170, 171, 172 National RF, Inc.: 134
Ameritron: 143 Nemal: 159
Antique Electronic Supply: 148 North Ohio Amateur Radio: 153
Antique Radio Classified: 148 ONV Safety Belt Co.: 164
Associated Radio Communication: 156 Pactor: 132
Atomic Time: 158 Palomar Engineers: 160
Austin Amateur Radio Supply: 123 PC Electronics: 168
Autek Research: 161 Paddlette Co.: 139
Better RF Co., The: 138 Peet Brothers Co.: 126
Bilal Co: 158 Personal Database Applications: 136
Buckmaster Publishing: 124 Power Port: 159, 165
Burghardt Amateur Center, Inc: 169 Premier Communications: 8
Bencher, Inc.: 128 Print Products International: 167
Bruce Sound & Security: 163 QRO Technologies, Inc: 124
Cable X -Perts: 121 QSLs By W4MPY: 159
Champion Radio Products: 148 QSLs by WX9X: 156
Circuit Specialists, Inc: 148 R & L Electronics: 141
Code Quick: 153 RF Parts Co: 25
Com Dac: 153 Radio Amateur Call Book: 148
Command Technologies, Inc.: 163 Radio Bookstore: 156
Communication Concepts Inc.: 163 Radio City: 123
Communications Specialist Inc: 153 Radio Club Of J.H.S. 22 NYC: 159
Conex Electro Systems: 163 Radio Depot: 153
Cubex Company Inc: 148 Radio Era Archives: 136
Cutting Edge: 159, 165 Radio Works: 168
Data Matrix: 128 Raibeam: 152
Davis Instruments: 157 Ramsey Electronics: 155
Dayton Hamvention: 170 Rapidan Data Systems: 164
Denver Amateur Radio Supply: 130 Rederring Embroidery: 152
Directive Systems: 128 Rohn: 157
Elecraft: 170 Ross Distributing Co: 154
E-Z Hang, Inc.: 158 SGC: 142
Fair Radio: 128 Spider Antenna: 162
GLA Systems: 165 Spi-Ro Mnfg.: 161
Gap Antenna Products Inc.: 152 SSB Electronics: 165
Grundig: 6, 7 Surplus Sales of Nebraska: 165
Ham Central: 153 T.G.M. Comm.: 136
Ham Contact, The: 130, 167 TE Systems: 167
Ham Radio Outlet: 116, 117, 118, 119, 120 Tennadyne Corp: 165
Ham Station, The: 158 Ten-Tec Inc: 14, 139
Hamtronics: 161 Texas Towers: 175, 176
Happy Camper RV Rentals: 160 Tigertronics: 152
High Sierra Antennas: 132 Traffie Technology: 154
Hy-Gain: 26 Tropical Hamboree: 165
ICOM America, Inc: Cover II, 1, 3 Universal Manufacturing: 167
Idiom Press: 160 Universal Radio, Inc.: 123, 167
IIX Equipment Ltd.: 132, 152 US Tower: 138
International Components: 161 Vectronics: 17
International Crystal Mfg. Co: 122 Vi-Con, Inc: 160
Intuitive Circuits LLC: 152 VIS: 149
Jun’s Electronics: 137 W & W Manufacturing Co: 155
K2AW’s “Silicon Alley”: 163 W2IHY Technologies: 139
Kangaroo Tabor: 128 W5YI: 138, 139, 154
Kenwood USA Corp: Cover IV, 18 W7FG Vintage Manuals: 160
KJI Electronics: 153 W9INN Antennas: 153
KK7TV Communications: 154 WA2EHL Repeater: 134
KO6YD Designs: 134 Warren Gregoire & Associates: 122
LDG Electronics: 173 West Mountain Radio: 159
Lentini Communications: 123 Wheeler Applied Research Lab: 153
Levy/Latham Global, LLC: 155 Wireman, Inc: 136
Lewallen, Roy W., W7EL: 152 Yaesu U.S.A.: Cover III, 22, 23
Logic: 136 Yost & Co., E.H.: 174

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March Issue Focus Vintage Radio Deadline: January 16
April Issue Focus Direction Finding Deadline: February 19