We have had a busy summer with lots of fun events, including a picnic last month, parades and of course Field Day. However, now is not the time to sit back and relax. Hamfest will be here before we know it. Remember that this is the event that supports our fun activities such as the trailer, portable station, and the DX Node. We will have a short meeting devoted to the Hamfest on August 25th at 6:30 (before the business meeting). This will be instead of having a NKARC Board meeting at that time. Anyone interested in helping out with this event is welcome and encouraged to attend. Remember, this is your club and we need your participation. For those of you who have not yet marked your calendars, the date of our Hamfest this year is Saturday October 9th.

Over the weekend of July 30th through August 1st, I had the pleasure to attend the International YLRL (Young Ladies Radio League) Convention on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. I had the chance to meet Hams from all over the world, as well as see a few familiar faces. YLRL was started 60 years ago, and there were a few members there that have been in the organization for almost that long.

Thank you to all of you that volunteered for the MS 150. It was nice to hear some familiar call signs and to see some friendly faces out there! There are still some volunteer opportunities this year:

Tour de Kitsap (bicycle ride), September 4^th (I am the point of contact for this event)

Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), October

I hope that you are all enjoying summer, now that it is finally here. See you at the next meeting on August 11th!

73, Marcie, KC7DAT

Thanks!

NKARC members are involved in major projects sponsored by the club. These projects which include the portable station, DX node, and the club trailer were used at the Field Day leading to an event enjoyed by all that participated. The portable station was used by a group of scouts during the JOTA event last Fall resulting in favorable comments in the North Kitsap Herald. This helped to make the community aware of amateur radio. The portable station was installed in the club trailer for Field Day and used by the CW operators to pile up an impressive number of points for the report to ARRL. The DX node provided updated information on propagation and band conditions improving the probability for the maximum number of contacts during the operating period.. The DX node is currently used by operators in Kitsap and Jefferson Counties to stay abreast of propagation conditions and DX stations on the bands. They also use it to communicate with one another using the message system available.

The funds to finance these projects were the proceeds from previous Hamfests. The NKARC Hamfest 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 return in 1999 because the club takes extra measures to make them welcome. The "Old-Time Ham Station" operated by the Radio Club of Tacoma will return to demonstrate how it was done in the old days when vacuum tubes were used to get the signal out and to warm the shack at the same time.

Planning for the 1999 Hamfest has progressed and the various phases of the event have been defined. A coordinator is needed to keep track of things and report on progress and problems that may arise. Work has already been done on the long-range items. The President’s Hall at the Kitsap Pavilion has been reserved and notices have been sent to the amateur radio publications to be included in the magazine. Arrangements have been made to use the WW7RA repeater for talk-in. Flyers have been passed out at the hamfests in the area. The club is heavily committed to put on a successful Hamfest.

There a number of members who are willing workers but we also needs leaders who are willing to manage this important project. Each and every member must be involved if this year’s Hamfest is going to add to the run of successes from previous years and provide us with the funds to continue supporting these projects and to initiate others.

Many amateur operators rely on the Hamfest to find that "thingamabob" they need to finish that ingenious "whatchamacallit" they have been working on in the garage. One advantage of working on the Hamfest is to get a "preview" of the equipment and material being sold by the vendors and other hams. You may find the item that you need to complete that project at a much reduced price than it would be over the counter…..Or you might find the gear you have been waiting to buy yet could not afford if it were new. There is something for everybody at the only electronic "garage sale" in Kitsap County.

If you find yourself with surplus equipment or hardware, consider the possibility of renting a table and getting some cash for the "stuff" your XYL considers junk. True, she has been after you to clean out the shack and the garage and to dump the "stuff" you haven’t used in the last two years or more. Don’t dump it….sell it. That’s the "thingamabob" somebody is looking for. Reserve a table and help the ecology by not dumping.

July's presentation meeting was the annual NKARC Potluck & Barbecue! Judging by the large turnout, the many wonderful dishes, and the quantity of delectables consumed, the event was by all measures a big success. A big NKARC thank you to everyone who attended. Special thanks to Gene (AB7LH) for getting the fires going, and to Susan (AB7MD) and Marcie (KC7DAT) for providing items too numerous to list. Thanks also to John (KK7SV) and Bob (WO7B) for getting those burgers done just right. Finally, thank you Jim (AB7IG) for use of the Viking Park gazebo and picnic facilities.

All are welcome to attend this meeting at the Viking Park Clubhouse in Poulsbo, Wednesday August 11^th at 7:30 PM.

 THE FOX'S DEN

To find out more about international-style foxhunting, I attended the FARS Amateur Radio Direction-Finding (ARDF) practice on Sunday, July 25. The hunt venue was Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon. Though Mount Tabor is a dormant volcano, I was unable to locate the smoking crater that all REAL volcanoes have... but I was (remarkably) able to locate the four transmitters hidden within the park by the hunt organizer, Dale Hunt, WB6BYU. (Yes, that's his real last name! No, his middle initial isn't T.)

The park and the weather were beautiful on Sunday, and the turnout was impressive. At least ten participants took part in the hunt exercise; many of them will be part of Team USA at the Region 2 championships next month.

The Portland ARDFers are a friendly group, and I would recommend their hunts to anyone with an interest in the ARDF sport.

If you have an interest in carpooling to Portland to observe any of next month's Region 2 ARDF Championship competition, scheduled for August 10-14, 1999, please contact Charles (contact info below).

MORE FOXHUNT INFORMATION

If you are interested in taking part in a local hunt, or would like more information about any of the events listed above, contact me in person, by phone, or by e-mail:

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 Sue, AB7MD, at 360-697-9379 for more information and/or directions to the test site.

Don’t forget to dispose of those discharged household batteries in a way that helps our environment. This includes alkaline, ni-cad, and regular zinc carbide batteries. Bring them to the meeting., and provisions will be made to transport them to the proper disposal site in Kitsap County.

Lead acid batteries are excluded from this collection. The disposal site on Hansville Road will accept lead acid batteries without a charge

Field Day Follow-up –

The primary purpose of the NKARC communications trailer project is to render NKARC ready on a moment’s notice to support emergency service and public service events. The use of the trailer to participate in the annual ARRL Field Day (FD) on June 26, 1999 was an excellent test of the Club’s ability to set up and be ready when needed. The performance of the Club as demonstrated by the points accrued was better than for previous years. Those who participated can be proud of the results and pleased with the fun they experienced - whatever the nature of their participation. All who showed up or did behind-the-scenes work concluded "...yeah, great. OK for this year, but we can do better next time". FD activities revealed some things that came off well and some things that could be improved.

Because the club communications trailer is so important to NKARC purpose we need to pool our thoughts and opinions and decide on the improvements to be undertaken in the coming months and then use FD 2000 to test once more how we are doing. The attached survey is intended to record your suggestions and thinking about improvements and procedures that would be beneficial. Your participation in this survey is important. Your inputs will be used to make decisions that can affect the readiness of your Club to support the community in which we live. Please answer any or all parts of the survey and return your input to Marcie - KC7DAT, NKARC, PO Box 2268, Silverdale, WA, by 25 August 1999. (Or bring it to the next meeting.)

The 42nd annual JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) is coming up and will be upon us before you know it. It is scheduled during the third full weekend in October (0001 16 Oct - 2359 17 Oct)all times local) and allows us to plant the bug in some young hams (to be).

I am looking for anyone who may be part of a troop that will be interested in co-sponsoring this year’s event. Last year I set up at Raab Park in Poulsbo and had a pretty good turn out with 15 scouts participating plus media coverage.

I would like to set up meetings with any interested scout leaders for involvement and participation with their troops (i.e. discussions on radio jargon, modes, propagation, etc). Anyone knowing of interested parties can contact me at (360) 394-2460 or email at kc4lzn@aol.com.

John, KC4LZN, Keyport

Looking for well-maintained ham gear? The list below may contain the item you’re looking for:

Cushcraft R7000 antenna 10m to 40m (New in box)...$300

DXCC Dipole…………………………………………....$75

LA- 30 HF Amplifier 1200 Watts PEP………………...$800

Vibro Keyer Deluxe……………………………………$100

YA-1 Low Pass Filter……………………………………$40

DSP-9 Noise Filter……………………………………..$150

DSP-59+ Noise Filter…………………………………..$250

IC761 HF Transceiver………………………………….$750

ICOM SP-20 Speaker…………………………………..$150

ICOM Phone Patch…………………………………….. $25

Heil Headset/Boom Mic…………………………………$35

ICOM SM-8 Desk Mic………………………………...$100

AEA MM-3 Morse Machine (New)…………………….$85

MFJ 1700 B ANT/TX Switch (New)……………………$40

DAIWA DP810 SWR/PWR Meter 1.8 Mhz to 150 Mhz $75

RFC 2 meter

Contact Joe Matot, N7PLO, at (360) 297-7345

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.

The page master is Charles Scharlau, NZ0I.

The fee to apply for an Amateur Radio vanity call sign will increase from $13 to $14 starting September 10, 1999.

The FCC has released its FY 1999 fee schedule which rounded down the proposed $1.42 per year fee.

The FCC continues to receive in excess of 1000 vanity applications per month.

Saturday, September 11, 1999, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Frontier Park (Pierce County Fair Grounds)
21718 Meridian Ave. E.
Graham WA 98338-8051
Contact: Roger at (253) 475-4293
Or Contact: RCT Club House at (253) 759-2040

Talk-in: 147.38+pl=103.5 Repeater; 146.58 Simplex

From Barker’s Log July, 1999

Now you can access W1AW Morse code practice via ARRL

Web using Real Audio Files. Visit

From Barker’s Log, July 1999

If you changed your address or call sign, please notify the club secretary to update the roster. This will insure that you will get the latest news via the club newsletter. Either notify Burt at the meeting or drop a card to NKARC at PO Box 2268, Silverdale, WA 98383-2268.

By Jeffrey S. King, N1DJS, jeff.king@cbis.com

An elmer is the guy you go to, to ask questions about topics in Ham Radio that you don’t understand. In that vein, you know it’s time for you to find an Elmer if...

Your friend tells you he has a new two meter radio and you figure one of the meters must be for swr and the other for power out.

You hear a conversation on the low bands about CW and you think they're referring to the cold war.

You hear someone sign this is N8XXX mobile 4 and you think it's because he has three other radios

You hear that someone won a 40-meter radio at a Hamfest and you wonder how they’re going to get something that large in their house.

You build a Morse code key out of Plexiglas and can't figure out why it won't key your radio.

You think the difference between short wave and long wave is the speed at which you move your wrist back and forth.

You're thinking about joining your other ham friends in the local ATV group because you own a four wheel drive vehicle that will go just about anywhere.

You won't use a repeater because you've heard that using a repeater could be dangerous. You've heard an alligator could get you.

You think a colinear antenna can only be used with two amplifiers.

You think fm is the modulation type that came after em, dm, cm, bm and am.

You wouldn't mind getting into packet radio but no matter how much you practice you can't get the hang of sending those beeps and braps with your keyer.

You wonder what sound a short wave makes and why anyone would want to listen to one.

You think the repeater owner would be a lot happier if instead of talking about his cavities he just went to the dentist and got them filled.

You think a CW ID is the number the army gave you on your dog tags during the cold war.

The club has a fine collection of books related to Amateur Radio. The collection available to club members covers a wide variety of topics including packet radio, direction finding, an antennas. Contact Susan, AB7MD, if you’re looking for a book and would like to borrow a copy.