Solid Copy de KC7Z
PO BOX 2268 -- Silverdale,
WA 98383-2268
|
March, 2001 |
President's Message:
Friday evening I received a call
from Monte, W7MLS, asking if I would be available Saturday (3/3/01) morning to
assist the Pierce County Red Cross Chapter by providing communications for
Earthquake Damage Assessment. There
were three of us from Kitsap County that arrived at the Red Cross Chapter in
Tacoma that morning: John Dawson, N7HCK, Wilmer Radke, N7TI, and myself..
After a short presentation of
what we would be doing, we were formed up into teams and assigned a specific
area of the county. The purpose was to
determine a Preliminary Damage Assessment by driving through the area, recording
the area covered, and visually observing through the windshield for any damage
in the area. The basic team consisted
of a ham radio operator and a volunteer Red Cross worker. The duty of the amateur was to report the
location of the team periodically in case the team ran into trouble, or needed
further instructions. The results of
the assessment would then be reported when we returned, and forwarded to the
national level.
The team to which I was assigned
covered the Bonny Lake area, including Lake Trapp, northeast of Puyallup. We stopped at the headquarters station of
the fire department which seemed like a good idea when we drove by. The Fire Chief told us he knew of no damage
in the area. We also passed a library,
so we stopped and again no knowledge of
any damage. The librarian
pointed to a very minor crack in the plaster above a doorway, but said it may
have been there before. After covering
the area, we returned to the Chapter about 2:30 in the afternoon.
We had observed no damage. Homes with brick walls were intact, concrete
driveways had no breaks, bulkheads were secure, various structures showed
absolutely no damage. When we left for our assigned area, we were given a sack
lunch. When I got home I found the mayonnaise
and mustard packs for the sandwich in the bottom of the crumpled sack. There
was pizza available if we wanted some when we returned to the Chapter. The volunteer I was with had been an A20
Havoc pilot darning WWII.
It was an interesting experience
and introduced me to a function performed by the Red Cross I had not been aware
of.
73, Burt, W7IIT
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There
is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”
Your friends love you any way.
During the business meeting held on February 28, 2001, it was disclosed that the KC7Z DX Node incurs costs of $240 per year for Internet access, and $300 per year for the telephone connection. Other incidental costs had been covered voluntarily by club members. Maintenance and node resets when required have been done by one person for the last 15 months.. Operating support from other club members has not been provided although often requested. Periodic checks of the online log file indicate there are very few users of the Node, so that the costs to the membership were out of proportion. The DX information provided by the Node was also available from the Internet.
Bob Tomas suggested that we consider shutting down the DX Node, then perhaps operate it as an APRS (Amateur Position Reporting System) Node. Susan Johnson suggested that Node users might wish to contribute to Node costs to maintain its operation. John Stilwell moved that because the DX Node has become more expensive to the Club than expected for the return it provides, the Internet connection and telephone line be terminated 30 days from the March business meeting, unless Node users arrange separate funding if they wish. The motion was seconded and passed.
There might be
other alternatives available. All interested Hams including those who do not
belong to NKARC are invited to attend the business meeting on March 28th at
Viking Park Clubhouse to present their ideas.
The only way to keep this project
alive is to come and participate.
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Public Service Calendar:
Upcoming events where NKARC
will be providing communications support:
a) The Muscular Sclerosis Walk on Saturday, May 12, at the County Fairgrounds needs 4 operators.
b) The Viking Cup on Memorial Day weekend needs 3 stations manned 12 hours/day Saturday and Sunday, and 8 hours Monday. Station locations will require innovative approaches to maintaining reliable communications. Maximum participation is required because of the length of the event. John Stilwell is coordinating the club’s participation.
c) The Kingston July 4 parade will require 8 or 9 operators.
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ARRL Field Day – June
23rd to 24th – Plan to be there
Changes in Board Membership:
The NKARC Board received an e-mail
message from Ed Bruette advising that he had assumed the chair at the Western
Washington Repeater Association. This
with his ARRL duties involving emergency communications in western Washington
made it difficult for him to be a member of the NKARC board. Susan Johnson
moved that we accept Ed Bruette’s resignation from the Board, and the motion
was passed. Russ Swank was named as a Board Member to replace Ed Bruette.
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Dues Notice...
If there is a “2000” on the right hand corner of your address label, you have not paid your dues for the year 2001 Those receiving their copy of Solid Copy via e-mail, will be notified in the cover letter if their dues are past due. This is the last issue of “Solid Copy” if you do not renew your membership. An application as been included as part of the newsletter. Annual dues are $15.00 Dues are reduced if your are a senior (65 yrs or older) or a student. Family members can be included at a reduced rate. The dues schedule is included on the form. Fill out the form on the back of the address page (at the bottom of the e-mail issue). Include it with 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 Ron.
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DEM –What it is:
On February 28th, western Washington experienced an earthquake that could have left a tremendous amount of property damage and significant injuries. Fortunately, this did not occur but the quake reminded us that emergency preparedness is important facet to us. As cell phones in the county were reported not working, the Kitsap County repeater on 145.43 Mhz. was used to report conditions in the area, The communications van was placed into operation providing resources to handle emergency communications on HF with the rest of the state and nation. The ARRL issued bulletins commending the amateur radio operators in the state for their response to the emergency. Some news networks featured segments showing amateur radio operations being used to get information out of the area.
On March 14th, NKARC hosts Washington Department of Emergency Management Director Phyllis Mann at its presentation meeting. She is very friendly to amateur radio and has indicated many times that she depends on amateur radio to provide emergency communications when needed. She has also supported amateur radio when bills regarding the service came up in the state legislature. She will describe the latest status of emergency preparedness in the state of Washington. Come to the meeting and get the word on what is happening in statewide emergency management.
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A Look at Amateur
Radio History
The February
14, 2001 social meeting was a 'Show and Tell' event. Among the items exhibited, two were of historical interest. Russ Swank KI7PG showed a 'Moscow Muffler',
produced by AEA, that was a notch filter for the Soviet over-the-horizon radar
pulses that swept through frequencies.
The filter was only partially successful, so it is fortunate that those
radars no longer operate.
Burt Boyd W7IIT showed two Hallicrafters
receivers, one from the late 1930's, an SX-24 Sky Rider Defiant, and an SX-25
Super Defiant from 1940. He also
brought in a QST from the period, which featured the Hallicrafters receivers,
with many ads. By coincidence, shortly
after the meeting, the March 2001 QST arrived, with an article on classic
Hallicrafters, including those mentioned above, as well as some older and some
newer than those Burt displayed. The
article also showed a typical ad from April 1940, which showed the SX-24 and
SX-25.
Horace Ory, KB6TRG
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NKARC Web Page..
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.
The
page master is Malcolm Mannan, NF7M
Submit your comments to Page master, Malcolm at
and
let him know what you think. If you
know of any interesting links, let him know and he will look into them.
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Keep Kitsap Green:
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
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Calendar of Events
Mar. 14th – Presentation
meeting at 7:30 PM - Viking Park Clubhouse – Phyllis Mann, Director of
Emergency Preparedness for Kitsap County
Mar. 17th – (Happy Saint Patrick's Day – Time for some
stourt) -- VE Testing --Olympic
College, Room T-111, Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton, WA at 9:00 AM. All exams, Technician through Extra, are
given (3rd Saturday of every month but December).
Contact Sue, AB7MD, at 360-697-9379.
Mar. 28th – Business meeting
– 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse – Main item of discussion: KC7Z node status
April 11th – Presentation
meeting at 7:30 PM - Viking Park Clubhouse – To be announced
April 21st -- VE testing –
Olympic College, Room T-114, Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton, WA at 9:30 AM. All exams, Technician through Extra, are
given. Contact Sue,AB7MD, at
360-697-9379
April 25th – Business
meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse
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Early Newsletter
delivery?
Want your
newsletter as soon as it comes out of the word processor? Want to help the club
keep the cost of the bulletin at as low as we can by minimizing the costs of
printing and postage? Send your e-mail address to :
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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Spring Cleaning in
the Shack:
It’s the time of the year when the weather warms up and thoughts of “cleaning” up the house start to surface. Hints are passed to consider getting rid of some of the surplus equipment in the shack and/or the garage. A favorite rule often quoted is: “If you haven’t used it in two years, you probably don’t need it and it’s time to get rid of it.” Look around and see what’s “surplus”. If it’s usable, consider getting some extra cash towards that new piece of equipment you want to buy. What is one man’s junk is could fill another man’s needs. For example, your editor is looking for a used light duty antenna rotator (TV type) for the two-meter beam on his roof. Two conditions—it must work and it must be economical. If you have one at your disposal, let me know at the meeting or call me at 638-1659 or send me an e-mail message. Bob Tomas, N7KTP
Radio Synchronized Clocks:
The
following message was taken form the Internet. It is presented for information
and is not an endorsement of the product described.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From:
Bridget Haggerty <bhaggerty@primex-inc.com>
To:
nkarc@Yahoo.com
Subject:
radio-control clocks at Wal-Mart
Date:
Tue, 20 Feb 2001 16:10:00 -0600
February
19, 2001
Dear
North Kitsap ARC organizer:
My
name is Bridget Haggerty and I work for a company called Chaney Instrument in
Lake Geneva, WI. I am writing to you today to make sure that you know of the
availability of a product that your members will very likely find to be of
interest-our Atomix(tm) line of radio-controlled clocks that are synchronized
to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's atomic clock in
Boulder, Colorado.
As
radio aficionados, I imagine you already know about the AM radio signal that is
broadcast by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that gives the
"official" time. And you probably already know about radio-controlled
clocks that synchronize to the atomic clock via the WWV radio signal.
What
you may not know is how available these clocks now are. We currently have two
Atomix(tm) models available in Wal-Mart: a black one for $19.99 (part#1773877)
and a wood one for $29.99 (part#1773884). These clocks are very attractive, traditional
models and can be found in the furniture department.
Finally,
if you would like further information about the complete line of Atomix clocks
and watches, or information about where you might find these products, please
visit us online at www.atomixtime.com. You can contact me directly at bhaggerty@primex-mail.com
or at 800-777-0565 x 212.
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NKARC Yahoo e-mail
group:
If
you have an e-mail account, you probably received messages advising you of
NKARC minutes and copies of messages exchanged between members. NKARC has a
members only group on the Yahoo group. It is a free service and you can join
the group and exchange messages and ideas. One advantage is that you don’t have
to type in a whole group of club members’ names. The easiest way to get to the
group is bookmark
http://groups.yahoo.com/. At that page you should click on the “New
User” box and enter the information requested on the screen. After that it is a piece of cake. If that doesn't help, call Ed Bruette at
698-0917.
73, Ed
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Virtual QSL Service:
The
following message was taken from the Internet.
It is presented for information and is not an endorsement of the service
described.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This
message is to make you aware of a new service for Amateur Radio Operators; a
virtual QSL card service at
http://www.vqsl.net
There
is NEVER a charge for ANY service on VQSL! It is simply our way of giving
something back to ham radio. This service is totally free and no money is ever
solicited for any of the online services found there.
VQSL
was designed to help the QSL effort when friends and I myself saw some
outrageous prices on postage for some far away DX contacts.
VQSL
Offers the Following Services Free To Any Amateur Radio Operator.
*
Create & Send High Quality QSL Cards POSTAGE FREE
*
Submit Pictures For Personalized Cards
*
Online DX Chat Rooms designed for making radio contact
*
Free Web Hosting
*
Free Email Account
*
Lookup DX Contact Email Addresses
*
CQ Contests - Win NICE Prizes
Note:
If you know any blind radio operators be sure to tell them that we designed the
site with them in mind. We have a large group of blind users that enjoy surfing
through our easy to use, blind friendly menu system.
VQSL
is easy for anyone to use and offered to those that want to have fun, and also
save on postage and send a high quality QSL card that can be printed and added
to their collection right away. (most times the same day as the QSO)
On
VQSL there is a growing selection of picture categories and different formats
that allow the operator to create a quality online QSL card within minutes.
Then with one click of a button, the VQSL card is emailed and reaches the DX
contact within seconds. (if the email address is unknown it will remain on the
site for your contact to pick up later)
Instructions
are given on how to design your web page, how to find email addresses of your
DX contacts and how to design Virtual QSL cards. Email technical support
is offered.
If
you have any questions please feel free to contact me directly (ka9tnd@vqsl.net
) Also feel free to visit http://vqsl.net
Thank
you for your time, 73's --- Michael KA9TND
P.S.
Be aware that online QSL cards are not official with some groups without being
sent through the snail mail system, (contest credit) but a great way save a few
bucks.
The Wayback Machine –
Part 18
November
15, 1945. The day that amateurs had waited for, ever since December 7, 1941.
Finally, after three years and 11 months of wartime radio silence, amateurs
were allowed back on the air! Granted, we didn't have everything back yet. The
initial authorization allowed amateur operations on 10 meters (28-29.7 Mc),
five meters (56-60 Mc), and the new two meter band at 144-148 Mc. And there
were restrictions on these limited frequencies. Our old pre-war five-meter allocation
was temporary. The new post-war band was shifted to six meters (50- 54 Mc), but
the actual transition would not take place until March 1, 1946. So, we were
back on the 56-60 Mc segment for only 3-1/2 months.
On the new two-meter band, the frequencies 146.5-148 Mc were
unavailable within a 50 mile radius of Washington, DC and Seattle, Washington.
The military was still using these frequencies, as well as our 160, 80, 40,and
20 meter HF bands. The military also occupied our new UHF and microwave
allocations. It would be months, maybe a year or more, before the Armed Forces
would fully vacate our bands and return them to us.
But amateurs didn't care. Unlike 1919,
when there was open hostility to us by the military and the threat of our elimination,
the post WW II Armed Forces, as well as the FCC, were fully aware of the
tremendous assistance that amateurs had given throughout the war and they were
eager to give us back our frequencies. The ARRL was working closely with the
FCC and the military to get our bands back.
One band, however, was apparently not coming back. Our 160 meter
band, the birthplace of our post 1912 operations, was fully occupied by the
military with it's new LORAN Radionavigation System. The Armed Services and the FCC made it clear that this
segment was to remain for the use of
LORAN. Over the years, the ARRL obtained small concessions -- a 25 Kc
segment here and there, 25 watt power limitations, day and night restrictions;
but from the 1940s right up to the early 80s, our 160 meter band sounded like a
huge broadbanded buzzsaw as LORAN completely dominated it.
But this was a minor blot on the
landscape as amateurs rushed to get back on the air. Ten meters was the band
they went to first and the 28-29.7 Mc range became crowded with those making up
for lost time. Two meters was next; hams modified their old 2 1/2 meter
equipment to operate on the new band, and soon the rushing sounds of the
superregenerative receiver were everywhere. The more adventurous were trying
out something called FM. Five meters was quiet. Since the band was available
for only 105 days, many hams spent that time converting their rigs to the new
six meter band.
On March 1, 1946, our old five meter band died and the new 50-54
Mc segment was born. Also on that date, to compensate amateurs for the loss of
29.7-30 Mc, we were given an 11 meter band at 27 mc. That's right, the present
day CB band was once an amateur allocation.
By May 1946, we had our 80/75 meter
allocation back. We also had a emporary allocation from 235-240 Mc, which would
soon be shifted down to 220-225 Mc. On November 2, 1946, the FCC finally
released our 40 and 20 meter bands. By the end of 1946, we had our full HF
spectrum back, 80/75, 40 meters (which was CW only), 20, 11 and 10 meters. Note
that there was no 15 meter allocation then. Our 15 meter band did not appear
until 1952. The military restrictions on our two meter band were lifted in June
1947, and, except for 160 meters, the military was off of our bands.
By 1947, every amateur band from 80 thru
two meters was full of stations. But there was trouble brewing. Amateurs weren't
the only ones taking to the airwaves. Television was growing by leaps and
bounds. In 1946, there were only 7,000 TV sets. In 1947, the number jumped to
180,000, and by 1948, there were over 1 million TVs in use. Amateurs, who were
used to harmonically related bands and an empty VHF spectrum, were not prepared
for the TVI their neighbors were experiencing. A typical unshielded amateur
transmitter, operating on 14, 28 or 50 Mc, could wipe out all the TVs in the
neighborhood. QST ran a series of articles on proper shielding and filtering of
stations and hams gradually learned to eliminate harmonics from their
transmitters. But there was one band where shielding and good design didn't
seem to help -- six meters. Our 50-54
Mc segment was sandwiched right between TV channel 1 (44-50 Mc) and channel 2
(54-60 Mc). At that time, only channel 2 was actually being used for TV. The
channel 1 range was still part of the old pre-war FM Band (42-50 Mc) which was
being phased out in favor of the new 88-108 Mc location. We were causing
interference to WCBS and the other handful of stations on channel 2. And the
problem would only get worse when channel 1 became available. Tests were run
and an interesting solution was proposed. Because a television video signal is
amplitude modulated, operates with a wide bandwidth and uses the lower portion
of the TV channel, it was determined that channel 2 was twice as susceptible to
interference from a 6 meter station than channel 1 was. The ARRL's proposal to
the FCC? Eliminate channel 2, keep channel 1. But this idea didn't sit well
with the stations already on channel 2, nor did it win the approval of Major
Armstrong, who was still fighting the grand battle to keep FM Broadcast in the
42-50 Mc range.
And so, in August 1947, the FCC withdrew
channel 1 from the TV allocations. By the end of 1947, all the pre-war FM
broadcast stations had disappeared from
the 42-50 Mc range, which was then turned over to Public Service. Amateurs learned to operate in the
lower portions of 6 meters to avoid TVI
to channel 2.
In our next installment, we are going to
look at a major upheaval that began 30 years ago and pitted amateur against
amateur, and (according to some) the ARRL against hams. I'm talking about
incentive licensing, and how it changed the entire licensing structure.
*************************************************
This article may not be reprinted without
the express permission of the author -- Bill Continelli, W2XOY
Patrol Report:
A
radio check between patrols in jungles was overheard: "Eeny, meeny,
miney,mo, how do you read my radio?"
Not
to be outdone, his counterpart operator on the receiving end replied: "Fe,
fi, fo, fum, loud and clear with a little hum."