Well, Spring is here and Field Day is only a couple of months away. Bob Tomas has agreed to be our Field Day Coordinator, but this is a group project. We need your participation! Plans are in the works to fix up our new trailer in time to use for Field Day. This is a great chance to demonstrate Ham Radio to the public, as well as have a lot of fun. Mark June 26^th and 27^th on your calendar, help us plan, and let’s all have a good time!

Despite a few minor breakdowns, our DX node is up and running. Check out our web page for lots of good information on the DX node. Bruce, N7OJ, Jim, W7JP, and several others are putting a lot of work into this node. Thanks!

It is not too early to let your interest in participating in Hamfest be known. Even if you are not able to make it to the regular club meetings, you can still help out. Just call or e-mail one of the Board members and let us know what you would like to do. This is your club and we want to hear from you.

There are several opportunities to volunteer for special event communications that will happen this spring and summer. These events are great opportunities for us to practice communication skills that could be useful during emergencies. The following list is subject to change, but some of the events that have traditionally requested Ham Radio Communications support in Kitsap County are:

Vikingfest Parade, May ??

Viking Cup Soccer Tournament, May 29, 30, 31 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Trident Triple (Bicycle ride), June 19^th

Kingston 4^th of July Parade

MS 150 (bicycle ride), July 24^th

Kitsap Countryside Classic (bicycle ride), July 31^st

Tour de Kitsap (bicycle ride), September 4^th

Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), October

If you are interested in a more extensive list of public service events, throughout the Seattle area, check out the Mike and Key Amateur Radio Guide for the Puget Sound. We will have a few extra copies at the next meeting.

I'll see you on Wednesday April 14th!

73, Marcie, KC7DAT

The ARRL Field Day is the one major planned event where the club members get together on the last weekend in June and participates with other clubs and Hams around the country setting up stations under simulated emergency conditions to conduct a contact marathon for 24 hours.

I have volunteered to be the coordinator for the 1999 ARRL Field Day scheduled for the last weekend in June, the 26th and 27th.. The task will be made easier by assigning small projects to various individuals. Therefore, I will be contacting various club members to participate or to assume management of one of the project sub-taskst. The sooner we get started, the smoother the event runs. Effective operation requires preparation now for antenna construction, setups for operating without interference to other modes etc...

During the February business meeting, the question "What is the club's objective?" was asked. In the past the spirit has been to enjoy the event, practice operating under emergency conditions, and to further public relations. Bruce, N7OJ, stated that we should strive for a higher score than the previous year. Last year, we were in the lower one-third of the category entered. I agree that we should strive to do better this year and to get experience in working a coordinated group to learn better communication techniques.

Gene, AB7LH, volunteered to call about reserving the same site we had last year at Vinland School here in Poulsbo. Bruce, N7OJ, has volunteered to put together a band operating plan suggesting best times to operate on the bands available to us.

This is a chance to learn about one of the most interesting events in Ham Radio. Participate in some way in this event.

Bob Tomas, N7KTP

Don’t forget to dispose of those discharged household batteries in a way that helps our environment. Bring them to the meeting. John, KB7MKG, will make sure they are transported to the disposal site in South Kitsap County. (at least until he goes back to sea). Lead acid batteries are excluded. The disposal site on Hansville Road will accept lead acid batteries without a charge

The NKARC Hamfest comes in October close on the heels of Field Day. This is the major fund-raiser for the club and has gotten the reputation of being a well run Hamfest and Swap Meet. Many of the vendors and people who rented tables indicated they will be back because the club takes extra measures to make them welcome.

The various projects that make up the Hamfest have been defined and, here too, a coordinator is needed to keep track of things and report to the board on progress and problems. Work has already been done on the long-range projects that were needed to be done.

Think about where you can participate. Talk to the board members and they will describe the mini-projects for the event. The club has a number of members who are willing workers and that is a great asset. It also need leaders besides those on the board who are willing to take care of this important project.

We'll kick off the April 14 presentation evening with Russ Sherfick unveiling his homebrew solid state HF linear amplifier. This will be your last chance to get a close look at this beauty before Russ takes off for Alaska. So don't miss it!

The second topic of the doubleheader presentation will be international-style radio orienteering. Please don't call it foxhunting! In most countries it's referred to as Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF). ARDF is popular in Europe, Asia, and Australia, but it is just catching on in the Americas. To enjoy ARDF requires only a sense of adventure, some hand-held hunting equipment, and a love of the outdoors. To be competitive in ARDF requires keen technical, athletic, and orienteering skills. Charles Scharlau, NZ0I, will provide more details.

Tnx to Tom Sanders, W6QJI, for an informative and entertaining presentation on the status of the SETI project in the United States. An interesting bit of information he passed on to the club members was the availability of a parabolic dish from Boeing to any school group willing to join the SETI project. If you did not attend the meeting and are interested in working with a school group on the project contact any of the board members and for information.

 THE FOX'S DEN

In celebration of National Foxhunting Weekend NKARC and the Burley Amateur Radio Club will host a joint transmitter hunt. Date: Saturday April 17; Time: 10:30 AM; Place: Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island. This hunt will be great for beginners, but will have some challenges for more experienced hunters too. Two or more foxes will be on the air (146.50 MHz and 146.565 MHz). At least one fox will be within easy walking distance of the start; another fox will be more distant and more concealed. Loaner DF antennas and attenuators will be available for those needing equipment.

Directions to Battle Point Park: Take HWY 305 to Bainbridge. Go 3.7 miles past Agate Pass Bridge to Koura Road. Turn right (west). Go 1.4 miles to Miller Road. Turn left (south). Take the next right (west) on Arrow Point Drive. Follow Arrow Point Drive to the Park. Talk-in will be on 146.50 MHz.

Ed Plantaric, of the Burley Amateur Radio Club, is kindly offering to assist local hunters who are interested in building a passive attenuator for transmitter hunting. The attenuator design comes from the 1990 ARRL handbook. The attenuator supplies up to 81 db of attenuation in steps of 20, 20, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 db. The construction is really simple, BUT... as usual the devil is in the details. It takes VERY careful soldering. Also, using double-sided circuit board is much more trouble, and less aesthetically pleasing than, say, brass.

Ed will bend, punch, and machine a brass housing, including the internal dividing walls that separate the attenuator sections. What's left for the builder to do is finish filing of the switch slots and the dividers, drill holes for the switch mounting screws, and solder the whole thing together. The builder will supply switches, resistors, and connectors.

Ed says that the cost to the builder will be nominal, and will depend on the number of takers. Ed is also offering help with soldering if required.

E-mail Ed at: ed@budsters.com 

As announced last month, the first Region 2 International Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Championships will be held August 10-14, 1999 in Portland, Oregon USA. I am making plans to attend at least one day of the ARDF competition. Anyone interested in carpooling to Portland please contact Charles (NZ0I) at 360-297-3904, or e-mail cscharlau@sinclair.net.

NKARC owns a 1969 vintage (really vintage) Shasta 14ft trailer. It is in sound physical condition, and has generous room inside along with already installed extra AC outlets. The required minor modification along with some cleaning and elbow grease has begun.

The external a.c. power hookup has been built and the connector has been made ready for use. The battery boxes in the rear seat have been modified including the manufacture of new doors for the compartment. The counter and cabinets have been removed to accommodate the club’s portable station. Patches have been installed over the furnace exhaust and the back door of the trailer. Locks were installed to hold the back bunk up close to the ceiling when not in use. Work is now being done on the internal power panel and wiring.

A wish list of equipment required for the trailer includes:

An Antenna Tuner

Trailer Jacks

Two Burner Propane Camping Stove

Small Single Mantle Propane Lamps

Any club member willing to work on the trailer can join the work party on Wednesday nights at the WO7B QTH (Bob Burback) at 18675 13^th Ave. NE in Poulsbo. Note that the work party meets there on the nights when the club is not having a meeting. Contact Gene, AB7LH, at 697-9379 if you have equipment on the wish list to donate.. We need all the help we can get if the trailer is to be ready for Field Day.

VE7CQD,the Main Cluster station, shuts down every day at 0300 hrs PST (1100Z) for maintenance. The sysop informed me that this is a precautionary action to ensure that his station will be working reliably during the next 24 hours. The shutdown at VE7CQD has been causing KC7Z to be disconnected from the cluster and to not reconnect when VE7CQD returns to operation. When this happens only traffic among KC7Z-connected users is feasible. There are no DX spots, no out-of-town Talk messages, no access to Buckmaster callsign database, nor any of the other services normally available via the Cluster. For me, it means daily morning trips to Viking Park to reconnect KC7Z to VE7CQD. For DXers it means that the anticipated sunrise/grayline rare ones are not available in time to do any good. Something had to be done, and I was in need of some expert help.

After several e-mails to Rome (Italy), Vancouver (BC), Great Falls (MT), I learned one more time how helpful HAMS can be when you need them. Instructions on how to revise the scripting in the DXTelnet program have fixed the problem and KC7Z has been surviving VE7CQD shutdowns on a daily basis. Needless to say, all that I have learned has been recorded in the station log book.

Refining your DX Packet Node Connection: I have been in the habit of leaving my station connected to KC7Z permanently so that when I have to go to Viking Park to work on the equipment, there will always be N7OJ attempting to connect and I can get an immediate indication that the Node is working OK in the event that I have to shut things down and restart. There are additional benefits to being permanently connected. I can turn off my computer and monitor by exiting the packet program while leaving my TNC running. Then when I first restart my computer in the morning, I can watch as every DX spot that arrived during the night appears on the monitor screen one at a time, thus informing me what countries are currently active. To leave your TNC connected without running your computer and monitor, activate the "Connect Perm" feature. I am operating in DOS and the action I take is a keyboard input, ^F8. It is available in Windows programs on one of the menus.

Other Unexplained Shutdowns: From the outset KC7Z has shutdown occasionally for causes unknown, with the only remedy being to re-boot the Radio Computer. The situation is self explanatory in the following information exchange between myself and Bob, the sysop of KQ7K.

( KQ7K is a DX Packet node in Great Falls, MT, having almost exactly the same set-up as KC7Z.)

DX Packet message from KC7Z to KQ7K: "Bob - What does the error signal "DRSI maximum counter loop overload" mean? What are the system components that share the interrupt and how should we balance the sharing to minimize the overloads and shutdowns ?"

DX Packet reply from KQ7K to KC7Z: "Hi there - The DSRI max loop counter error is one of the evils of this system. I have asked the question of all the "big gun" sysops like WU3V and W6GO. The answer I got is there is no way around this error. WU3V and a fellow from Texas are working on a new Windows-based version called AR-Cluster and it looks promising. The AR-Cluster "beta" handled over 19,000 spots over the ARRL DX contest a couple of weeks ago with no glitches. Let's hope it is released soon!! Wish I had better news for you...Sorry...hi. 73 - Bob KQTK."

Comment by N7OJ: What can't be cured must be endured. Occasional shutdown from this cause is easy to fix. I just wish it would select better time of day to happen. It is a relief to know that it is an inherent flaw because Jim, W7JP, and I have been stumped for a solution for almost six months.

Node Operating Status: Malcolm, KA6DXS has completed the refurbish work on the UPS; the batteries are in hand; the wiring should be completed this week. The MFJ TNC model 1270C failed and we are operating with a spare. The failed unit needs replacing and we need a spare 2 Meter transceiver, (IC 28 A). So keep your eyes and ears open for these items when you visit the various HAM flea markets.

Annie's Garden Buffet in Bremerton, where we held the club banquet in December, is now closed. Club president Marcie requested that we start looking for a place to hold this year's banquet. It’s not too early to think about this because the better locations are usually booked at the start of the year. A number of places were mentioned, including having a pot luck with the club providing the main meat dish or having the banquet meal catered was also discussed. The board is open to any suggestions regarding location or style of banquet.

Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else.

Anything worth doing is worth getting someone else to do.

Dues Notice...

The first quarter of 1999 is over and it’s time to think about renewing your dues if you did not do so. The number in the upper right hand corner of your mailing label shows the last year for which dues have been paid. If you receive the newsletter via e-mail or the Internet, the forwarding message will indicate the last year for which dues have been paid. If you paid your 1999 dues and the year listed is wrong, notify N7KTP and corrections will be made to the roster.

This is the last issue of SOLID COPY for those who are not currently paid up. For your convenience, an application has been included as part of the newsletter. It's easy to make out the form on the back of the address page. Include the form and your check in an envelope and send it to the address on the form. Better yet, bring it with you to the next meeting.

If you are an ARRL member and pay your ARRL dues through the club, the club is allowed to retain part of the dues payment. Support the club financially by paying the ARRL dues to Susan, AB7MD.

Want your newsletter as soon as it comes out of the word processor? Send your e-mail address to: bobtomas@sprintmail.com , and it will be mailed out right after the proof reading. Be sure to tell if you are using an Internet browser or an e-mail only account in order to get the right format. Most e-mail only accounts only accept ASCII text format and we oblige with a text only format for them.

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Having noted that quite a few club members own boats, I am wondering if we could drum up some interest in a boating function this spring. Perhaps a day trip or an overnight rendezvous at a nearby destination when the wx warms a bit. Non boaters could come along for the ride. Pt. Ludlow comes to mind as a possible destination, what with the NW boaters' net headquartered there.

Anyone out there with some suggestions or ideas? Contact Ron Sefton, N7EM (360) 779-5418; email: nrsefton@telebyte.net

73, Ron N7EM

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NKARC sponsors VE testing at Olympic College, Room T-114, Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton, WA on the fourth Saturday of each month at 9:30 AM. All exams, Novice through Extra, are given. Contact Walt, AA7TL, at 360-692-8326 for more information and/or directions to the test site.

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The NKARC Lending Library:

The NKARC Lending library has several books that may be checked out by members. There are several books on packet and satellite radio which could come in handy for our next field day. Here are the titles -

License Study Manuals –

General (next to last edition),

Advanced,

Extra

The Packet Radio Beginners Guide Book

Packet Radio X-1J4 Node

Sysop's Handbook (one book)

Prime: Packet Radio Is Made Easy

Practical Packet Radio

Your Packet Companion

The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook

The ARRL Satellite Anthology

The Weather Satellite Handbook

QRP Classics

QRP Notebook

The DXCC Companion

2 - APRS Manuals with discs

Currently checked out –

Low Profile Amateur Radio,

Upgrade!,

ARRL General Class,

Now You're Talking

Transmitter Hunting: Radio Direction Finding Simplified.

If you want to check out one of the books , notify Susan, AB7LH, and she will make arrangements to get it to you.

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The club is looking for a historian to catalog the large collection of photographs and other accumulated material depicting club activities. This would be a great project for somebody who is also interested in the history of the local area. If interested, let Susan, AB7MD, and she’ll help you get started.

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Visit the NKARC Web Page at the URL: http://www.silverlink.net/nkarc .

There is a wealth of information and capabilities to anybody that checks in. After you get connected, you can get the latest copy of the club newsletter -- "SOLID COPY"..

Click on the handi-talkie graphic and you’ll get a list of links to other web pages giving you an opportunity to connect to the ARRL, FCC, Packet Radio Home Page, AMSAT and many others. Need the QTH of the station you just had a contact with? The QRZ call sign look-up form is available. The links also give the link to the information on the Evergreen Intertie.

John has added a whole new section on Fox hunting edited and managed by Charles Scharlau, NZ0I.

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Please pass this info to friends or family because this is a huge scam that is going on all across the country. Some people would be scared to think they would loose all their money (which he said was sure to happen if I didn't do this now) and would supply the information without first checking this out. I notified the phone company of the call - since I have caller ID, could give them a number but the identifier just said "out of area". It came from a 248 area code which is around Detroit. Anyway, just passing this along so you'd be aware and beware. Have a good day.<<

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The cost of applying for an amateur vanity call sign is expected to rise slightly this fall. In a just-released Notice of Proposed Rulemaking involving assessment and collection of regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 1999 (MD Docket 98-200), the FCC has proposed increasing the vanity fee to $1.42 per year or $14.20 for the 10-year term.

The current vanity fee is $13. That figure, originally proposed at $1.29 per year (or $12.90 for the 10-year term) was "rounded up" to $1.30 per year by the FCC when it was implemented last fall, so it's possible the FCC might adjust the final number up or down to an even dollar figure this time as well.

The FCC projects 6800 vanity applications in FY 1999 for a total revenue figure of more than $96,000.

The vanity call sign business has continued to be brisk over the past year and picked up slightly after the vanity call sign fee dropped from its high of $50 to $13 last September. The FCC reports it received a total of 12,152 vanity applications during 1998--slightly more than 1000 a month; however, not all applications have resulted in call sign grants. That trend continued in January and February. The FCC got more than 1400 applications in each of those two months.

The vast majority of applications last year were filed electronically. The FCC reports that fewer than 20% of last year's applications arrived on paper. The Commission's Gettysburg office currently takes approximately three weeks to process a vanity call sign application.

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Richard Maxwell, N7NN, found the following URL which lists lots of information about DX managers:

http://www.ac6v.com/page2.html#DXM