I was thinking, that in recent issues of this newsletter, I have been haranguing the membership too much about working to support the upcoming hamfest. (Oct. 12^th) so I will not HH this time around. (HH = Hamfest Harangue)

The club received an email this week, from a 13 year old ham, asking for info on how to become a club member. This made me think back to a time when I was about that age and was in wonderment of the exciting prospects of working dx and learning about this great hobby of ours. My early ham experiences led to a series of exciting and challenging jobs not to mention a couple of paid trips around the world.

One of the continuing threads of contact throughout these early years in ham radio was the constant presence of the ARRL, which was available to provide whatever support that might have been needed to keep our hobby from being gobbled up by those commercial interests that might have wanted to takeover our ham radio frequencies. It is probably enough that we get QST magazine as a part of our ARRL membership dues, yet look at all the ARRL is doing for us. The organization is keeping us posted on the latest in ham satellite techniques, new digital communication modes, ham contest news, as well as reporting the all important political happenings that affect our hobby.

Some of us have been critical of our national organization’s policies from time to time. This kind of concern is good. It keeps all parties on their toes. However, we need to acknowledge that without a strong presence at the national level such as we have with ARRL, there are few ways to press our concerns to the FCC or any other level of government.

This brings me to the bottom line. Much of what the ARRL does to defend our spectrum requires money above and beyond what we pay for with our annual membership dues. If you have enjoyed your radio hobby as much as I have, then please consider sending a few extra dollars to the ARRL to support the defense of our frequencies. Just note somewhere on your check "for legal defense fund" and be assured that they will put your contribution where it will do the most good.

Well, this is one of my pet ham radio concerns, and if you have had some enjoyment from the hobby, then perhaps you will follow through and act accordingly. If you do not agree with me concerning the ARRL, then at least read some consider putting some effort in to make the October hamfest a big success. (Had to sneak an HH in there.)

73, Ron, N7EM

Labor Day has passed and now summer is considered to be over. The NKARC Hamfest is only 5 weeks away at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. This is the major fund-raiser for the club and has gotten the reputation of being a well run Hamfest and Swap Meet.

The club is enjoying many benefits from the proceeds of the previous Hamfests. The portable station, and the communications trailer are projects resulting from these funds. Think about where you can participate. The involvement of each and every member is required if this year’s Hamfest is going to continue its run of successes from previous years.

Need to reduce the equipment inventory in the shack? The Hamfest offers a great opportunity to present the surplus to a maximum number of customers. Remember there is no such thing as junk in a ham shack. Everything has a use to somebody. If it doesn’t work, somebody can fix it. Get together with another member and share a table rental. If you have doubts about how well a table rental works, contact Burt, W7IIT, and ask him about the success of his venture at last year’s Hamfest.

Instead of a presentation, the August meeting was the annual NKARC picnic on August 14^th. A small number of members started arriving at 6pm. Salads, sweet goodies were the order of the day. Doris Boyd provided a delicious lasagna that was enough to serve everybody present. The numbers were small but there were conversations in many parts of the park gazebo. Stories about ham radio experiences were exchanged including some admissions about the DX QSO that got away. If you missed the picnic, see ya at the Christmas party in December

As the storm season approaches, we are cautioned to prepare for the worst and maintain our equipment to support communications in a disaster. When disaster strikes, there are many organization who provide aid and relief to the stricken populace. Amateur radio works with these organizations maintaining support communications between facilities.

The American Red Cross is one organization that recognizes amateur radio and has set up a communications network to be manned by the "hams". NKARC members are involved in this network and are available at a moment’s notice. Horace, K7ORY, will provide information on the American Red Cross Communications Network and amateur radio’s involvement at the September presentation meeting on September 11^th.

For sale: Vintage Lafayette Amateur Communications Receiver (Model HA-350) covering the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands. The 12 tube receiver employs dual conversion and can receive CW, AM voice and SSB signals. Price: $50.00 plus shipping costs if required. Bob Tomas, N7KTP – (360) 638-1659 or

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Either a TS570S(g) (2 years old) for $585, or a TS570D (5+yrs) for $500. I will keep the one not sold. Also Radio Shack HYA-20 2m amplifier for hand helds, $40. All excellent condition. Burt, W7IIT 692-9865.

Sept 11th – Presentation meeting at 7:30 PM - Viking Park Clubhouse – Amateur Radio and the American Red Cross – Horace Ory, K7ORY.

Sept. 21st -- VE testing Olympic College, Room B-101, Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton, WA at 9:00 AM. All exams, Technician through Extra, are given. Contact Sue, AB7MD, via email at susan.fgci@attbi.com or phone #360-697-9379.

Sept 25th – Business meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse – Hamfest needs and assignments to be discussed.

Oct. 9th – Presentation meeting at 7:30 PM - Viking Park Clubhouse – To be announced

Oct. 12th – NKARC Hamfest – President’s Hall, North Kitsap County Fairgrounds, 9:00 AM

Oct. 19th -- VE testing Olympic College, Room B-101, Lincoln Avenue, Bremerton, WA at 9:00 AM. All exams, Technician through Extra, are given. Contact Sue, AB7MD via email at

susan.fgci@attbi.com  or phone #360-697-9379.

Oct. 23rd – Business meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse –

 

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.

NKARC will support a VHF/UHF hilltopping field operation on September 14, 2002, to coincide with the annual ARRL September VHF QSO party. The planned operating site is Green Mountain Vista in Green Mountain State Forest. Any amateurs with an interest in VHF/UHF communications are welcome to attend.

We currently have portable radios and antennas available which will operate SSB/CW/FM on the 6 meter, 2 meter, and 70 centimeter bands; we would like to hear from anyone who can provide equipment [radios (preferably SSB/CW capable) and antennas] for 220 MHz, 902 MHz, or the microwave bands. A small number of marine and SLA batteries are available; more batteries and/or a small portable generator would be welcome.

While the ARRL event occupies the entire weekend, this initial club foray into VHF hilltopping is only anticipated to occupy the daylight hours on September 14; if enough interest develops, a full contesting effort could be planned for next year. In addition to radio gear, participants should bring appropriate clothing, sunscreen or mosquito repellant as needed, beverages, and lunch (pizza delivery to the top of Green Mountain will be problematical!) We will meet in Silverdale at 0830 (talk-in 146.40 simplex or on the 145.43 repeater, tone 179.9) and proceed to the operating site at 0845. Final plans will be made at the NKARC meeting on September 11, 2002.

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. The Solid Waste Facility on Hansville Road accepts the batteries as past of the county-wide recycling program. Otherwise, bring them to the meeting., and they will be taken to the proper disposal site. Lead-acid batteries such as used in automobiles or tractors are excepted. They too are accepted at the Solid Waste Facility, but it is your responsibility to dispose of them.

Visit the NKARC Web Page at the URL

http://community.silverlink.net/NKARC/

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. Have something to sell? Classifieds is a new addition to the page. The QRZ call sign look-up form is available..

The web page master is Jeff Hasz, KS7H. Submit your comments to Page master, Jeff at

and let him know what you think. If you know of any interesting links, let him know and he will look into it.

Connect to http://www.inhl.net  and you’ll find that Solid Copy is one of two Washington state amateur radio clubs newsletters linked on this address. INHL is a web page designed to bring together those newsletters in the US that are transmitted to their members electronically.

Every ham operator who has been in the "business" for a while has something on the shelf that has been sitting there for a number of years and winds up serving as a haven for spiders. The usual reason for keeping the item is sentimentality ("It’s the rig I had when I made my first QSO."} On the other hand, the XYL is reminding you that the ham shack is looking a "little cluttered" or the garage is not a mini-storage facility. The NKARC comes to the rescue.

NKARC is sponsoring a silent auction table at the Hamfest on October 12^th. You can drop off that surplus item at the table and donate it for the auction. The club will place it on sale and accept written bids.

The item can be anything that might be useful to another ham. That "boat anchor" not used for many years is just what an avid collector needs to fill out his collection of antique radios. In some cases, it doesn’t even have to be operable. The antenna you took down last spring is just what somebody needs to get back on the air. Clean the shack and support the club. At the same time, put in a bid for that piece to fill the hole you have just created.

The Radio Club of Tacoma, our neighbors to the south, is sponsoring a Hamfest on September 14^th at Frontier Park, Pierce County Fairgrounds, 21718 Meridian starting at 9:00 AM. VE sessions will be held starting at 10:00 AM. The Antique Radio Station, W7OS, will be on the air. Radio and antenna testing will be available. Admission is $5.00, under 17 free. Free parking is available. Talk-in 147.38 (103.5 Hz.)

The ARRL DXCC Desk has announced the addition of a 30-meter (10-MHz) single-band DXCC award. Applications for this award will be accepted starting October 1. The 30-meter DXCC certificates will be dated but not numbered. Thirty-meter credits will count toward the DeSoto Cup competition and included in the DXCC Annual List totals for the period ending September 30, 2003. A 30-meter endorsement to 5-Band DXCC also will be available. The 30-meter band was added to the standard DXCC printout in January 2002. If you have received a copy of your record since then, you already have a copy of your 30-meter credits. If you don't have a record of your 30-meter credits, contact DXCC for a copy. These are also available as Adobe PDF documents from DXCC via an e-mail request. Hard copies are available from DXCC ($2 US and Canada; $4 elsewhere) by writing to DXCC Desk, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. For more information, contact DXCC via e-mail.

ARRL Newsletter (Sept. 04, 2002)

Foreign espionage invaded the ham bands in 1940. The FBI, in a successful bid to capture several foreign agents in the U.S., operated a counter-espionage station in the 20 meter band. Using a phony amateur call, the FBI passed over 500 messages to various spies before arresting them.

Amateurs were members of the Defense Communication Board, which met every week to prepare for a military emergency.

Amateurs also made their own preparations for a national emergency. QST ran several editorials urging hams to improve their cw skills. Many articles appeared on "emergency" equipment, such as vibrator power supplies (to supply the B+ voltage for tubes), battery operated radios, and mobile stations. The 2 1/2 meter band (112-116 mc) was chosen as the primary "Civil Defense" band, and every issue of QST had another 2 1/2 meter construction project, including a few "Walkie-Talkies". Civil Defense coordination and participation was urged.

On July 22, 1941 the FCC, in response to the National Emergency, announced that the 3650 to 3950 kc portion of 80 meters would be withdrawn from amateur use and reassigned to the military for use in an Aircraft Pilot Training program. Amateurs were given a few months to vacate the band, and preparations were made to move popular 80 meter nets to 160. But before the reassignment was completed in December 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked.

On December 8, 1941, the FCC issued Order Number 87, which read in part:

Whereas a state of War exists between the United States and the Imperial Japanese government, and the withdrawal from private use of all amateur frequencies is required for the purpose of National Defense; IT IS ORDERED, that except as may hereafter be specifically authorized by the Commission, no person shall engage in any amateur radio operation...and all frequencies heretofore allocated to amateur radio stations under Part 12 of the Rules and Regulations ARE HEREBY WITHDRAWN. All amateur licensees are hereby notified that the Commission has ordered the immediate suspension of all amateur radio operation in the continental U.S., its territories and possessions.

However, the FCC left a small loophole for amateur operation during the war. Amateurs would be allowed to operate for the purpose of National Defense, upon application of a Federal, State, or local official.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Less than 24 hours later, the United States was officially at War, and the FCC had issued Order Number 87, which suspended all amateur radio operation in the U.S., and withdrew "our" frequencies from the amateur service. However, the FCC did recognize that limited amateur operation would be required in connection with domestic Civil Defense work.

Thus, in June, 1942, the FCC issued regulations which created the War Emergency Radio Service, or W.E.R.S. for short. This was not an amateur operation, even though the frequencies used were our former bands at 112-116, 224-230, and 400-401 Mc. Note that the 5 meter band, 56-60 Mc., was not included. The FCC apparently sought to limit operations to the "UHF" frequencies, where long distance skip was impossible. A WERS License was not given to an individual, but rather to a municipality or other local government entity, to cover the operation of all such stations engaged in emergency civilian defense communications. Operations could only be conducted upon authorization of the local Civil Defense Corps.

Operators in W.E.R.S. had to be loyal U.S. citizens, with fingerprints and proof of U.S. Citizenship on file with the FCC. They also needed to have an FCC commercial or amateur license, or an FCC 3rd class operating certificate. Thus, although most operators were hams, many non-amateurs were active in this service also.

Authorized operations in the War Emergency Radio Service were limited to emergencies relating to enemy activity. There was no provision for operations in natural disasters. Practice and training sessions were allowed, and local governments may have used these "practice" activities to provide needed communications during natural disasters.

Technical standards were strict for 1942. The carrier frequency could not deviate more than 0.1% in the lower half of each band, and 0.3% in the upper half. In the 2 1/2 meter band, this meant that the signal could not vary more than 112 kc at the lower end, and 340 kc at the upper end. While this sounds incredibly wide today, remember that in the 30's and 40's, almost all "UHF" transmitters used the "modulated oscillator"--cheap to build, but not very stable. The only receiver useful with this type of signal was the superregenerative. Power was limited to 25 watts input, which is about 10-15 watts output.

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Copyright 1999, 2001 by William Continelli, W2XOY.

All rights reserved.