As the end of the year approaches, the pace of life tends to kick up a level or two. An attitude of thanksgiving will help us stay focused as we navigate the rush of responsibilities and holiday events. I would like to thank all of you for the work you've done to help our Club's successes with the many events that took place, and the participation and presentations at the meetings. I wish to extend the warmest of holiday greetings to you and yours. May the conclusion of 2004 be a time of blessings and may 2005 bring opportunities of service for which we will all be thankful. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your confidence by electing me as your President for the past year and hopefully be elected again for the next year. The vote will be taken at the Christmas Dinner. My platform will be presented then, and hopefully no recount will be needed. I offer "A CHRISTMAS POEM" in the true Christmas "ham radio" spirit.

73 -- (Rev) Jerry Turner, K9CCZ NKARC President.

The nomination and election of club officers takes place at the December dinner meeting. We are going into the last month of the year and it is time to think about who will lead the club next year. A few of the officers who led the club have agreed to stay for another year but some have indicated that they would like to leave their positions.

NKARC is an active club with many interesting programs and presentations. Club members represent many diverse aspects of amateur radio and they are willing to share their experiences and expertise. The club has had exceptional leadership but the leadership must change to avoid stagnation and to introduce new ideas.

Look over the list of officers on the cover page and think about the office you would consider or someone who would make a good candidate. If somebody approaches you and asks you to consider a position, listen and give some thought to it. After all, they have confidence that you have the qualifications for the office you are being asked to consider.

Am sending this to those I have emails for, and request Bob send to members and Bill put on the web site.

The following is the info for the dinner on 8 Dec at Mitzel's in Poulsbo. I met with the manager today and will give you all the details received. We have the back room for the night and it holds 45. Made temporary reservations for 25 to 35 but will have to give a more definite count 72 hrs before the event. Drinks (wine and beer) can be purchased by the members and will not appear on the final club bill. We are asking $7 for each person and the rest will be paid for by the club. That will be the dinner cost plus 18% tip and tax. The three dinners offered will have to be chosen before hand so that the restaurant can get the food and prepare it. No shows will have to be charged to avoid wasted food. The menu is as follows:; Rotisserie Turkey Dinner, Pacific Salmon Filet and Choice Prime Rib. Turkey will have Apple Sage Dressing, Red Bliss mashed Potatoes, Turkey gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, Coffee, Tea or Soft drink. Salmon will have Savory Herb Butter on top, Baked Potato, Fresh veggies as above and drinks as above. Choice Prime Rib: 10 oz with creamed horseradish sauce and Au Jus, Baked spud, veggies and drinks as above. .

Arrival anytime after 6 PM, drinks 6:30, dinner 7. The room is free and private. Am working on getting a friend as guitarist for music. Table decorations will be worked on. Any person needing special diet please contact Bob Tomas or President. Reservations with dinner selections can be emailed or phoned to the President: Jerry Turner, 779-2946.

A Christmas program is also being planned by the President besides the guitar entertainment. I will also donate three door prizes and request any other that would like to donate something contact me. You can also bring a gift with the theme of ham radio that can be used as a door prize. Wrap it up and the drawings will be held.

Hopefully all will leave happy and full. 73 and cheers.

Jerry Turner President NKARC.

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shack, the rig was turned off and the mike cord laid slack.
The antenna rotor had made its last turn, the tubes in the linear had long ceased to burn.
I sat there relaxing and took off my specs, preparing to daydream of arm chair DX-ing.
When suddenly outside I heard such a sound, I dashed out the door to see what was around.
The moon shone brightly and lighted the night.
I peered toward the roof where I heard all the racket, and there was some guy in a red, fur-trimmed jacket.
I stood there perplexed in a manner quite giddy.
Just who was this stranger--dit dit dat dat dit dit?
He looked very much like an FCC guy, who'd come to check on some bad TVI.
I shouted to him, 'OM, QRZ--hey, you by the chimney, all dressed up in red.'
I suddenly knew when I heard sleigh bells jingle.
The guy on the rooftop was jolly Saint Nick.
He had a big sack full of Amateur gear, which made a big load for a prancing reindeer.
Transmitters, receivers for cabinets and racks, some meters and scopes and a lot of coax.
He said not a word 'cause he'd finished his work.
He picked up his sack, and turned with a jerk.
He leaped to his sleigh, shouted with glee, and I knew in a moment he'd be QRT.
But I heard him transmit as he flew o'er the trees,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all 73 and 88."

(Author unknown).

There is only one meeting in December. The fourth Wednesday in December is the day before Christmas Eve – the days that finds most families preparing to get together for a festive meal and to exchange gifts. Turkey and candied yams is more enjoyable than a business meeting so have a good time and enjoy.

If you intend to take the VE tests, cash only to make the payment. Checks are no longer accepted.

Dec. 8th – Annual Club Banquet – Details to be given in a special release later in the month.

Dec. 19th -- VE testing Community Room, Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln St., Poulsbo. Doors open at 9am. Picture ID, original and photocopy of current amateur radio license and pending CSCE's needed. Cost of session is $12.00. Cash only – No checks accepted. Questions please call Susan, AB7MD at 360-697-9379

Dec. 22nd – No Business Meeting

Dec. 25th -- Christmas Day – Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday

Jan. 11th -- Presentation meeting -- 7:30 PM– Viking Park Clubhouse -- To be announced.

Jan. 19th -- VE testing Community Room, Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln St., Poulsbo. Doors open at 9am. Picture ID, original and photocopy of current amateur radio license and pending CSCE's needed. Cost of session is $12.00. Cash only – No checks accepted. Questions please call Susan, AB7MD at 360-697-9379.

Jan. 25th – Business Meeting – 7:30 PM – Viking Park Clubhouse

If you have any items advertised on the site and they have been sold, please let me know so I can remove them. The site is live and there will be lots of new and useful changes in the very near future.

73, Bill, W7ARC

Bill has agreed to continue as webmaster even though he is moving to the other side of the Sound.

Please notify the club secretary to update the roster if you changed your address, call sign or e-mail address. Include your phone number so that you can be contacted in case of emergency or for assistance. This will insure that you will get the latest news via the club newsletter. Either notify Horace at the meeting or drop a card to NKARC at PO Box 2268, Silverdale, WA 98383-2268. You can also send the changes via e-mail to Horace or Bob Tomas at the addresses listed in the club officers list on the mailing page.

Help the environment by properly disposing of discharged household batteries. This includes alkaline, regular zinc carbide batteries, and batteries with heavy metals such as mercury, ni-cads and lithium ion. The Solid Waste Facility on Hansville Road accepts the batteries as part of the county-wide recycling program. Otherwise, bring them to the meeting for transfer to the disposal site.

Do not bring lead-acid batteries to the meeting for disposal. It is your responsibility to take them to the Solid Waste Facility. There is no cost for the battery disposal because it is considered one of the items in the recycling program.

It costs approximately 60 cents per copy to print a newsletter and postage to mail it. Receiving your newsletter electronically helps keep publishing costs down allowing the funds to be used for other club projects

The following items have been donated to the Club for sale to members or interested parties: Collins 75A2, Hallicrafters HT-37, HeathKit Freq Counter B-101, D 104 mike (top, no base), Viking Messenger CB rig. I received them a couple of weeks ago from Dennis B. Waldron (WD4O),the Son-in-law of W7LHW ("Red" died Sept 11, 1996) and Elsie Clotfelter. I have the above articles for viewing should anyone be interested. Rather than assign a price, we are asking for a reasonable donation from those who might be interested. If none, then we will keep them for the next Hamfest. Comments about the sale are welcomed.

Elsie also has two mono beam antennas that someone can have if they take them down. I didn't offer to take them down on behalf of the Club as I doubt that we could get much for them, and it would be difficult to get the old ant's down. They were homebrew and there are no manuals. If anyone is interested, contact me and I will arrange a meeting. The club will not assume any liability in case of an accident.

73 Jerry President, NKARC.

At the Lighthouse event last fall, it was noted that the club was running a 5KW generator to recharge the comm. trailer batteries with a 6-amp charger. That's certainly overkill. We'd like to put a larger charger on the Club's Santa list. If anyone has a 30 or 40amp (or larger) battery charger that could be donated, we would have a better setup for charging the trailer batteries.

NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 29, 2004--The FCC has turned down a Petition for Rule Making that sought to establish specific bandwidth standards for full-carrier AM and SSB Amateur Radio emissions. Michael Lonneke, W0YR, of Round Hill, Virginia, and Melvin Ladisky, W6FDR, of Camarillo, California, filed the petition, designated RM-10740, on May 27, 2003. The FCC said a majority of the approximately 160 members of the amateur community who commented on the petition opposed the concept.

"We conclude that petitioners' request for an amendment of our rules is inconsistent with the Commission's objective of encouraging the experimental aspects of the Amateur Radio service," wrote Public Safety and Critical Infrastructure Division Chief Michael J. Wilhelm, WS6BR. The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau released the Order November 24. "The petition also fails to demonstrate that a deviation from the Commission's longstanding practice of allowing operating flexibility within the Amateur Service community is either warranted or necessary."

Lonneke and Ladisky had asked the FCC to "remove the ambiguity" in Part 97--specifically §97.307(a) and (b)--and they referenced Enforcement Bureau letters sent to amateurs alleging overly wide SSB signals--sometimes called "Enhanced Single Sideband." Additionally, they said, some contesters purposely adjust their transmitters to exceed what they called "the de facto SSB signal width of approximately 3 kHz" to gain "elbow room" during contests. On HF frequencies below 28.8 MHz, the petition recommended a maximum 2.8 kHz bandwidth SSB (J3E) emissions and a maximum 5.6 kHz bandwidth for AM (A3E) emissions.

The FCC was not persuaded, however. Its Order noted that most Amateur Radio licensees "operate in a manner consistent with the basic purpose of the Amateur Service." In addition, the Commission said, its existing rules are "adequate to address any noncompliant practices by amateur operators." Current FCC rules require that amateur transmissions not occupy "more bandwidth than necessary for the information rate and emission type being transmitted, in accordance with good amateur practice," and that emissions outside the necessary bandwidth not interfere with operations on adjacent frequencies. The FCC also said the petitioners failed to show that there is "a particular problem" with stations using AM.

The Order said the FCC's Enforcement Bureau will continue to monitor through its complaint process "nonconforming activities" of operators who fail to abide by its rules. "In instances of willful and malicious interference, the Enforcement Bureau will not hesitate to take appropriate action," Wilhelm pledged.

Source: ARRL Web page…

You just found your new call sign posted on the FCC Web Page and are anxious to get on the air to exercise the new HF privileges that combination of letters allows you. Run into the shack and turn on the rig setting the band switch to 7.0 MHz. As you tine across the band, you find groups of hams operating with one acting as a ringmaster in a circus passing the privilege to operate from one ham to another. At last you hear him say something like "W7TVA net control on the Noon Time Net looking for further check-ins."

What is a net and what is their purpose? Nets are on-the-air gatherings of hams for the purpose of local and statewide traffic, rag chew, special-interest, fun and public service at the local, national, world-wide levels. A well known and popular group are the maritime service nets providing communications and message exchange for boaters and landlubbers all over the world.

Can I join the net? If your license grants you operating privileges for the band the net is on, you are entitled to join in and become a member. How do I check- in and what do I do after the check-in? You can join by giving your call sign whenever the net controller asks for check-ins. When the net controller acknowledges your call sign, you are on the net list and will be allowed to give your information or make your contacts when he passes the net to you. It’s best to listen to the net for a while to get a "feel" on how things are done. Feel free to ask questions about the net when your turn comes up. Net controllers are congenial and willing to help any newcomers.

Nets can be found on all the amateur radio bands. Kitsap County is home for two nets that all amateur operators should be familiar with. They are the Noon Time Net on 7.238 MHz at 1200 local where message traffic is passed from and to those who check-in. Historically, this is the activity that became the ARRL. The other is the ARES-RACES nets on 28.330 MHz at 1900 local and 145.430 MHz at 1930 local to provide operating experience for emergency communications. Check-in and welcome aboard.

Have surplus gear in the shack or garage? Need some cable to finish the antenna? Advertise in the Solid Copy classifieds. Cost is free.