From badbjd at hotmail.com Thu Sep 3 10:14:20 2009 From: badbjd at hotmail.com (Brandon DeLorenzo) Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 10:14:20 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The Feedline Message-ID: Here is the Summer edition of The Feedline! Brandon J. DeLorenzo NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator for Indiana Congressional Districts 2 and 3 _________________________________________________________________ Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_BackToSchool_Cashback_BTSCashback_1x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: FeedlineSummer2009.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 299658 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Fri Sep 4 13:54:04 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 13:54:04 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Broadcast Station Numbers from FCC Message-ID: Number of broadcast stations in the USA. KB9WSL _________________________________________________________________ With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. http://www.windowslive.com/Desktop/PhotoGallery -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DOC-293245A1.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 81093 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Fri Sep 4 14:30:01 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 14:30:01 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted Message-ID: Guys and gals...... Click on this link to see the 2009 claimed Field Day Info. I checked the W9VMW entry and there was no request for additional information so I guess I got the paper work submitted OK. http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/reppyQZr8.html Tom KB9WSL _________________________________________________________________ With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. http://www.windowslive.com/Desktop/PhotoGallery -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Fri Sep 4 14:30:38 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 14:30:38 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The ARRL Letter, Vol 28, No 35 (Friday, September 4, 2009) In-Reply-To: <20090904181935.D6888339A2@www.arrl.org> References: <20090904181935.D6888339A2@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: > Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 28, No 35 (Friday, September 4, 2009) > Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 13:00:39 -0400 > To: kb9wsl at hotmail.com > From: letter-dlvy at arrl.org > > *************** > The ARRL Letter > Vol. 28, No. 35 > September 4, 2009 > *************** > > IN THIS EDITION: > > * + Get Set for the 2009 Simulated Emergency Test > * + ARES Awaits Activation for LA-area Wildfires, Tropical Storms > * + The Doctor Is IN the ARRL Letter > ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately? > * + Get Ready for the Upcoming ARRL September VHF QSO Party > * + Happy Birthday, Hiram! > * + September Is National Preparedness Month > * Solar Update > * IN BRIEF: > This Week on the Radio > ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration > + ARRL to Close in Observance of Labor Day > + Allen Baker, KG4JJH, Wins August QST Cover Plaque Award > W1AW Earns TPA #306 > Manufacturer of Texas Bug Catcher Antenna to Cease Operations > Den Connors, KD2S (SK) > > +Available on ARRL Audio News > > =========================================================== > ==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ > , then e-mail > > > ==>Editorial questions or comments only: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA > > =========================================================== > > ==> GET SET FOR THE 2009 SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST > > It's time to get ready for the 2009 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test! ARRL > Field Organization leaders are planning an event that will actively > involve members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the Radio > Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the ARRL National Traffic > System (NTS) and many other related groups that prepare for and respond > to emergencies. Public service agencies and organizations in your > community, ARRL Section or state will also be invited to participate. > You, too, are invited to be a part of this ARRL sponsored nationwide > exercise on October 3-4, 2009, or whenever it is held in your area. > > Although October 3-4 is the focal point weekend, ARRL Sections, ARES > teams and nets may conduct their exercises anytime -- and especially > during September through December. If you don't know who to contact, > please touch base with your ARRL Section Manager and/or Section > Emergency Coordinator or Section Traffic Manager for assistance. See > page 16 of QST for Section Manager contact information or check the ARRL > Web site . From there, you'll find links > to ARRL section pages with appropriate contact information. There can be > a role for you no matter what your level of experience. After all, it is > a training opportunity to try out something new under simulated > emergency conditions, learn or practice useful skills in traffic > handling and net operation, and observe emergency communications > protocols and management. > > ARRL Field Organization officials in your area and Section are planning > the simulated emergency scenarios that will be used during the SET > event. These scenarios are designed to help you gain valuable operating > experience, or to practice what you have learned previously or to put > your Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course training into action. > In any emergency -- real or simulated -- a number of public service or > public safety agencies and organizations are often also involved in the > response. > > ARRL Section Leaders and local or district-level leaders are encouraged > to work closely with these served agencies, and the SET is a great > chance to demonstrate the capabilities of Amateur Radio in the community > and beyond. For more information on whom the ARRL maintains a National > Memoranda of Understanding with, check this page > . Guidelines and specific SET > reporting forms for ARRL Section and Field Leaders will be posted online > . Please report your SET > activities to your Section Leaders and to HQ. > > ==> ARES AWAITS ACTIVATION FOR WILDFIRES, TROPICAL STORMS > > Even as the Station fire threatens Los Angeles' communications > infrastructure atop Mt Wilson and Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane > Jimena die down in the tropics, amateurs -- including ARES groups -- > await being called to help. > > Mt Wilson houses many antennas for television and FM radio stations in > the Los Angeles area, as well as antennas for pagers, cell phones and > even Amateur Radio repeater systems. But even as the fire encroaches on > these vital communications links, the infrastructure is still in place > and working. > > "We have established coordination with Dennis Smith, KA6GSE, the Section > Emergency Coordinator for the Los Angeles Section," said ARRL Emergency > Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD. "As of the > afternoon of Thursday, September 3, no ARES missions have been > established. Of course, if the communications infrastructure at Mt > Wilson is compromised in any way, area ARES groups will be ready to do > whatever is needed to provide communications support." > > As of Friday afternoon, what was once Tropical Storm Erika has weakened > and is now classified as a remnant over the northeastern Caribbean. > > Angel Santana-Diaz, WP3GW, an ARRL Public Information Officer in Puerto > Rico, told the League that "at 8:10 AM [on Thursday, September 3], I > made contact with Lionel Ellis, J69KZ, on St Lucia on 7.169 MHz, where > he does a regular net. I asked him how were they doing, and he told me > that there are thunderstorms and copious rain, but nothing serious at > the moment. I am monitoring the band if something comes up. Over here in > Puerto Rico, the government is finishing the preparations to be ready > when Erika passes by, which is expected to be tomorrow, possibly as a > tropical depression." The NWS said that unsettled weather will spread > across the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later Thursday, > continuing through Friday. It would then spread across Dominican > Republic and Haiti this weekend and possibly into the Bahamas early next > week. > > Pacific Hurricane Jimena -- a Category 1 storm -- made landfall near the > southern Baja near San Buenaventura, Mexico on Wednesday, September 2. > According to the NWS, there have been reports of damage to poorly > constructed buildings, major beach erosion over the southern Baja and > flash flooding; resorts along the southern tip of Baja California did > not experience any major damage. Jimena has now weakened over land and > has been downgraded to a tropical storm over the central Baja, with > maximum sustained winds decreasing to 45 miles. > > The NWS said that Jimena will likely become a depression late Thursday > and then drift slowly west and southwest as a remnant low on Friday. > Heavy rains and flooding will be the primary impacts over the central > Baja and adjacent portions of the western coast of Mexico. Some gusts to > tropical storm strength are still possible. > > Dura said that WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National > Hurricane Center , has also been monitoring > Erika and Jimena, but did not activate for the storms. "There really > aren't that many amateurs in the affected areas, which makes reporting > conditions quite difficult," he said. "We here at ARRL HQ are keeping a > close eye on everything." > > ==> THE DOCTOR IS IN THE ARRL LETTER > > This week, ARRL Letter readers are in luck! The ARRL's very own Doctor, > author of the popular QST column "The Doctor Is IN," answers a question > from his mailbag: > > Jim Walker, KN6TC, of Wiggins, Mississippi, asks: My repeater's PC > controller to radio interface provider requires a "COS (Carrier Operated > Signal) from the radio." The manufacturer states that this "greatly > reduces drop out and falsing" that are sometimes experienced while using > VOX receive/transmit control. It seems to be an alternate for VOX, but I > have failed to receive an answer as to what it is in terms I can > understand. Neither radio nor interface providers have responded to my > e-mail questions. > > The Doctor answers: Early repeaters were generally switched to transmit > by a carrier operated relay, or COR. The relay would be actuated if the > repeater receiver detected a carrier on frequency, as indicated by the > opening of the squelch. This was a much more reliable switching > mechanism than if the repeater transmit switching responded to detected > speech (VOX), since VOX could toggle back and forth due to gaps in > speech. > > In the early days of repeaters, the equipment was constructed around > vacuum tube and relay technology. Current technology is based on solid > state devices -- including transistor switching -- that is more reliable > than the earlier electromechanical relays. Thus, the more general term > "COS" for Carrier Operated Signal, Carrier Operated Squelch or Carrier > Operated Switch is often used instead of COR. For more information, > check out this Web site > . > > Do you have a question or a problem? Send your questions via e-mail > or to "The Doctor," ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT > 06111 (no phone calls, please). Look for "The Doctor Is IN" every month > in QST, the official journal of the ARRL. > > ==> ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY? > > This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- > is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on > behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of August. > > The Central and Roanoke Divisions will hold elections for Vice Director > on November 20. The incumbent Directors in the Central, Hudson, New > England, Northwestern and Roanoke Divisions faced no opposition and were > declared elected > . > > The ARRL responded to the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making, ET > Docket 09-36, concerning implanted medical devices that operate on > 413-457 MHz (70 cm) > . > > ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, wrote a letter to the National > Safety Council, highlighting issues regarding the use of Amateur Radio > emergency communications devices in vehicles > . > > The DXCC Desk approved the 2000 DXpedition to Yemen, 7O1YGF, for DXCC > credit. Amateurs may also apply for DXCC credit for 7O1YGF via Logbook > of The World . > > ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX, attended meetings > of United States Working Party 5A (the Land Mobile Service excluding > IMT, plus the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services). He also worked on > a proposal for the 500 kHz agenda item for WRC-12. ARRL Technical > Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, attended meetings of US > Study Group 1 (regulatory). He is preparing for ITU-R meetings, > scheduled for later this month in Geneva. > > Come October 1, there will be new Section Managers in the Los Angeles, > South Texas and Georgia Sections > . > > The ARRL announced that it will honor the 140th birthday of co-founder > Hiram Percy Maxim by authorizing eligible amateurs to add /140 to their > call signs from September 2-9 > . > > All 2009 Field Day logs that have been received have been posted to the > Claimed Scores page on the ARRL Web site > . > > The ARRL Executive Committee reviewed grant applications for the ARRL's > Education & Technology Program (ETP), awarding nearly $9000 to eight > schools . > > The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology wrapped up. During > 2009, 93 teachers from 29 states attended eight sessions -- including > two at ARRL HQ -- and a new TI-2 for previous TI graduates > . > > W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, changed over to new > digital modes . > > The October issue of QST, the September/October issues of QEX and NCJ > and the 2010 edition of The ARRL Handbook were released to the printer. > > The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for August is Allen Baker, > KG4JJH, for his article "A 10 Meter Moxon Beam" > . > > Staff Travel: Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and Membership > and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, traveled to Tokyo for > Ham-Fair and GAREC 2009; Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck > Skolaut, K0BOG, represented the ARRL at the Kansas State Convention; > Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, traveled to the > New Mexico State Convention; Lab Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, attended the > West Virginia State Convention and the IEEE Electromagnetics > Compatibility Society EMC Symposium in Texas; Field and Public Service > Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, represented the League at the > National Conference on Community Preparedness, and Emergency > Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, went to the Texas > State Convention. > > ==> GET READY FOR THE UPCOMING ARRL SEPTEMBER VHF QSO PARTY > > September is here, and according to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean > Kutzko, KX9X, that means the VHF bands are getting a workout. "If you've > never experienced the fun of VHF+ operating, the ARRL September VHF QSO > Party is a great > place to start. > > "With many HF radios now offering at least 6 meter SSB/CW capabilities > -- and some offering 2 meters and 70 cm as well -- any amateur with a > Technician class license or higher can experience long-haul > communication on the VHF bands," he said. "Getting on the VHF bands is > simple," he said. "If you have a radio that can transmit on both CW and > SSB, that's great, but you can operate on either mode." When operating > on VHF, Kutzko explained that your Maidenhead grid square is the common > geographical information exchanged > . > > While there will be some contest activity on FM simplex (especially near > large population centers), Kutzko said that most long-distance VHF+ QSOs > are conducted on CW or SSB; that means horizontally polarized antennas: > "A dipole for 6 meters is only 9 feet, 4 inches long and is an easy > construction project," he explained. "Try to get the dipole in the air > as high as possible, but even 15 feet off the ground will make some > QSOs. If you have an antenna tuner that can handle 6 meters, you can try > loading up another of your antennas on 6 meters with reasonable success. > For 2 meters and 70 cm, a horizontal loop will work nicely for SSB and > CW contacts." You can find plans for simple VHF antennas at the > Technical Information Service area of the ARRL Web site > , in the Antennas chapter of > The ARRL Handbook , or in > the VHF and UHF Antenna Systems chapter of The ARRL Antenna Book > . > > Kutzko advises that there are a few things to know about operating on 6 > meters: In the US and Canada, there is a "calling frequency" on 50.125 > MHz USB. Most SSB activity will take place between 50.125 MHz and 50.250 > MHz. If conditions are exceptional, Kutzko said you may hear signals > above 50.250: "CW signals can be found from 50.100 MHz to 50.080 or so. > The frequencies between 50.100 and 50.125 MHz are a 'DX Window,' meaning > it is reserved for QSOs between W/VE and DX stations. Please do not make > stateside-to-stateside QSOs in the DX Window." > > Because VHF+ antennas are relatively small, Kutzko said that many > amateurs operate from portable locations, such as a hilltop or a > campground. Others operate the contest as a "rover," operating from > their car or truck while transmitting from multiple grid squares over > the contest period. "Tracking rovers during the contest is almost as > much fun as the contest itself," he said. > > The ARRL September VHF QSO Party runs from 1800 UTC Saturday, September > 12 through 0300 UTC Monday, September 14. Be sure to use those extra > bands on your transceiver and get in on the fun you've been missing on 6 > meters and up! > > ==> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HIRAM! > > On Tuesday, September 2, the League celebrated the 140th anniversary of > the birth of ARRL's co-founder and first President, Hiram Percy Maxim, > W1AW. Maxim -- born in 1869 -- decided a national organization for > Amateur Radio was in order after he needed a "relay" station in Agawam, > Massachusetts to pass a message he was sending from Hartford to > Springfield, Massachusetts. In honor of The Old Man's (TOM) birthday, > the ARRL is holding a week-long Special Event, where eligible amateurs > may add /140 to their call signs. A complete list of who may add /140 > can be found on page 20 of the September 2009 issue of QST. Hams who > work at least 25 /140 stations can earn an attractive certificate; this > certificate can be endorsed in increments of 25 QSOs, up to 100 > . > > Maxim was no stranger to technology. He entered the Massachusetts > Institute of Technology (Class of 1886) and graduated at the tender age > of 16. Through the activities of his son Hiram Hamilton Maxim, TOM > became interested in Amateur Radio. In 1908, he filed for a patent for a > firearms silencer ; > the patent was granted the following year. Maxim used this technology to > make silencers for guns, motor exhausts, safety valves and air releases. > In all, Maxim received 59 patents, most of them in the field of > mechanical engineering. > > In 1928, Maxim, along with other dignitaries of the day -- including > Thomas Edison -- attended a party at the home of George Eastman, the > founder of Kodak. TOM was an avid film buff and was even involved in the > early days of motion pictures. Check out this video (available on > YouTube) of a dapper Maxim at Eastman's party > . > > "I hope everyone enjoys our Special Event honoring Hiram Percy Maxim," > said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "I know if TOM was > alive today, he would be on the air, having a ball!" Maxim, together > with Clarence Tuska, founded the ARRL in 1914. Maxim served as President > of the ARRL from its inception until his death from complications > stemming from a throat infection in 1936. -- Thanks to Howie Lash, > AE0KU, for bringing the YouTube clip to our attention > > ==> SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH > > Once again this year, ARRL is a coalition member of the National > Preparedness Month. This event is an annual nationwide effort held each > September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for > emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools. > > National Preparedness Month 2009 is sponsored by the US Department of > Homeland Security. The goal is to increase public awareness about the > importance of preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to > take action. Throughout September and the months surrounding it, > Homeland Security will work together with a wide variety of > organizations, including local, state and federal government agencies > and the private sector, to highlight the importance of family and > business emergency preparedness, as well as to promote individual > involvement through events and activities across the nation. > > More information can be found online . You are > encouraged to consider this year's ARRL Simulated Emergency Test and all > preparations as well as post exercise evaluations as a demonstration of > your readiness and Amateur Radio's readiness. Be an active participant > in SET, and join others nationwide in National Preparedness Month. > > ==>SOLAR UPDATE > > Tad "The Sun burns crimson bright" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: This > week we saw another one of those fast-disappearing sunspots -- it lasted > just two days, over the last day of August and the first of September. > No other sunspots were observed during the month of August. Sunspot > numbers for August 27-September 2 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, 12 and 0 with a > mean of 3.4. The 10.7 cm flux was 67.7, 67.9, 68, 67.2, 68.3, 69.1 and > 68.2 with a mean of 68.1. The estimated planetary A indices were 5, 2, > 2, 19, 5, 4 and 3 with a mean of 5.7. The estimated mid-latitude A > indices were 4, 2, 2, 12, 5, 2 and 2 with a mean of 4.1. For more > information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical > Information Service Propagation page > . To read this week's > Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin > page . This week's "Tad Cookism" brought > to you by Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" > . > > __________________________________ > > ==>IN BRIEF: > > * This Week on the Radio: This week, the All Asia Contest and Colorado > QSO Party are on September 5-6. The Tennessee QSO Party is September > 6-7. Next week is the ARRL September VHF QSO Party September 12-14. > There are two NCCC Sprints this week -- one on September 11 and another > on September 12. The WAE DX Contest (SSB), the Arkansas QSO Party and > the FISTS Get Your Feet Wet Weekend are September 12-13. The North > American Sprint (CW) and the SKCC Weekend Sprint are both September 13. > The NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is September 17. All dates, unless > otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page > , the ARRL Contest Update > and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar > for more info. Looking > for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event > Station Web page . > > * ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains > open through Sunday, September 20, 2009, for these online course > sessions beginning on Friday, October 2, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency > Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; > Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; > Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics. Each online > course has been developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, > informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are > interactive, and some include direct communications with a > Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may > be 8, 12 or 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the > course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons > and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors > assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and > activities, as well as providing helpful feedback. Interaction with > mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the > student must be present -- allowing complete flexibility for the student > to work when and where it is convenient. To learn more, visit the CCE > Course Listing page or contact the > Continuing Education Program Coordinator . > > * ARRL to Close in Observance of Labor Day: ARRL Headquarters will be > closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 7. There will be > no W1AW bulletin or code practice transmissions that day. ARRL > Headquarters will reopen Tuesday, September 8 at 8 AM Eastern Daylight > Time. We wish everyone a safe and festive holiday weekend. > > * Allen Baker, KG4JJH, Wins August QST Cover Plaque Award: The winner of > the QST Cover Plaque Award for August is Allen Baker, KG4JJH, for his > article "A 10 Meter Moxon Beam." Congratulations, Allen! The winner of > the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best > article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the > QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page > . Cast a ballot for your > favorite article in the September issue by Wednesday, September 30. > > * W1AW Earns TPA #306: On September 1 -- after W1AW Station Manager Joe > Carcia, NJ1Q, made contact #149 (CW) and #150 (RTTY) with Mark Stull, > AB8WV, of Parkersburg, West Virginia -- W1AW received Triple Play Award > #306 on September 2. "Finally, after eight months, W1AW can now boast > the ARRL's newest award, the TPA," Carcia said. "What makes this so very > cool is that we received this award on Hiram Percy Maxim's 140th > birthday." The Triple Play Award is earned by hams who, after January 1, > 2009, achieve Worked All States on three modes -- CW, SSB and Digital -- > and upload their logs via Logbook of The World. Find out more about the > Triple Play Award on the ARRL Web site > . > > * Manufacturer of Texas Bug Catcher Antenna to Cease Operations: After > October 31, 2009, GLA Systems -- the manufacturer of the Texas Bug > Catcher antennas -- will cease taking > orders for new antennas; according to their Web site, all orders > received before that date will be filled. "Effective November 1, only > orders for items that are in stock at the time will be accepted. > Effective December 31, 2009, the toll free line, 1-800-588-2841, will be > discontinued." No reason was given for the closure, but on GLA's Web > site, owner Henry Allen, K5BUG, said. "It has been a fun 30 years, but > it is time to hang it up. I would like to thank everyone who has made > this experience possible." > > * Den Connors, KD2S (SK): The first president of Tucson Amateur Packet > Radio (TAPR) Den Connors, KD2S, of Pepperell, > Massachusetts, passed away September 3 from lymphoma. He was 58. > Connors, an ARRL Life Member, conducted the first amateur packet radio > contact with all-American hardware and software, using the Tucson > Amateur Packet Radio Terminal Node Controller (TNC) with Lyle Johnson, > WA7GXD (now KK7P), at 9:12 PM (PST) on June 25, 1982. The tests were > conducted at 146.55 MHz, with both stations sending plain-text ASCII > messages. "Den was instrumental in the early PACSAT work, and as TAPR's > first president, led that organization from a local club he co-founded > into an international organization," Johnson said in an e-mail. "His was > a very cheerful, positive, can-do influence." > > =========================================================== > The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the > American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the national association for Amateur > Radio, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax > 860-594-0259; . Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President. > > The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general > news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site > for the latest Amateur Radio news and news > updates. The ARRL Web site also offers > informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News > is a weekly "ham radio newscast" > compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a > podcast from our Web site. > > Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole > or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be > given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League. > > ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): > letter-dlvy at arrl.org > ==>Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, > k1sfa at arrl.org > ==>ARRL News on the Web: > ==>ARRL Audio News: or call > 860-594-0384 > > ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter > > The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly > from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for > e-mail delivery: > ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site > . You'll have an opportunity during > registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW > bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including > delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the > "Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify > membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change > your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all > automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) > Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. > (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You > must do this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.) > > The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these > sources: > > * ARRLWeb . (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will > be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.) > > * The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur > Radio Club: Visit Mailing Lists at QTH.Net > . (NOTE: The ARRL > cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this > listserver.) > > Copyright 2009 American Radio Relay League, Inc. > All Rights Reserved _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From e-norris at comcast.net Fri Sep 4 17:11:51 2009 From: e-norris at comcast.net (Ed) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:11:51 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The Feedline In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4AA18297.1080909@comcast.net> Thanks for posting. The web site is looking very spiffy. I just tested my idea of sending the link instead of the entire file, and it worked for me. One can just cut and paste this into a browser and it will open the file (as long as they can read PDFs). http://www.w9vmw.org/downloads/FeedlineSummer2009.pdf My thought is that those with slow connections won't have to endure long download times if they don't choose to. An attachment doesn't give them a choice. Those with high speed probably won't care. I am looking for options for distribution to control rising costs. I thought about going web site only, but I think we still have members with no internet. Ed On 9/3/2009 10:14 AM, Brandon DeLorenzo wrote: > Here is the Summer edition of The Feedline! > > *Brandon J. DeLorenzo* > ** > NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator > for Indiana Congressional Districts 2 and 3 > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > ccarc mailing list > ccarc at culcom.net > http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Fri Sep 4 20:11:38 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 20:11:38 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Peoria Superfest September 19th & 20th! In-Reply-To: <003f01ca2dbc$3d8cce20$d80b1aa5@KWM380> References: <003f01ca2dbc$3d8cce20$d80b1aa5@KWM380> Message-ID: > From: wa9vrh at dishmail.net > To: inham at mailman.qth.net > Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 18:57:59 -0500 > Subject: [InHam] Peoria Superfest September 19th & 20th! > > Peoria Superfest 2009 > Our 51st Year! > > We have recently fixed a problem with our PAYPAL ordering for Tickets and > Flea Market spaces and wish to apologize to our customers for any > inconvenience this has caused. Please report any future problems to > w9uvi at arrl.net. > THANKS > > (An ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest) > Amateur Radio Hamfest, Computer Show and Flea Market > September 19,20 2009 > Exposition Gardens, Peoria IL > Northmoor and University Streets > (off 6300 Block of N. University) > Friday Hours 3pm - Dusk > Sat 6:00am - 4:00pm > Sun 6:00am - 2:00pm > Commercial Buildings Open 8:00am Sat & Sunday > > GPS Coordnates: 40 deg 45 min 47 sec N, 89 deg 37 min 04 sec W > Click here for Map from YAHOO! Maps > FCC Exams Saturday > Technical Forums Saturday > Presented by: Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club > and other area amateurs. > > Need Tickets? > Visit one of our Peoria Area Ticket Distributors > Electronics Diversified > 4632 N Brandywine Dr, Peoria, 688-2444 > Stewart Radio > 905 E Washington, E Peoria, 699-9556 > East Peoria Jewelry and Loan > 213 W Washington, E Peoria, 699-7296 > Need Flea Market Space? > Purchase in Advance or At the Gate > Same great price of $5 > Advance purchases get access to preferred spots, including electric. > > > Giant Outdoor Flea Market of New and Used Equipment > Technical Forums > > Amateur Radio Equipment and Accessories > Manufacturers Reps and Commercial Dealers > > Home and Pro Computers and Software > Over $2000 in prizes > > Electronic Parts and Components > Good Food > > Acres of Free Parking > Overnight Building Security > > For Amateurs and Computer Enthusiasts > > > > Last updated Sunday, August 23, 2009. > All Content Owned by the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (PAARC) > Copyright ? 2006 - PAARC > For information about this site, contact the webmaster at > > > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_online:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rervin55 at msn.com Fri Sep 4 21:22:27 2009 From: rervin55 at msn.com (Rae Ervin) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 21:22:27 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The Feedline In-Reply-To: <4AA18297.1080909@comcast.net> References: <4AA18297.1080909@comcast.net> Message-ID: Ed: Another great Feedline. Thanks for all the work you put into this. E-mailing the link is fine by me and as such, there is no need to send me a paper copy in the future if you are going to continue sending the link. One correction: Ervin Thanks Ed! hgdd r a e ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed To: ccarc at culcom.net Sent: Friday, September 04, 2009 5:11 PM Subject: Re: [Ccarc] The Feedline Thanks for posting. The web site is looking very spiffy. I just tested my idea of sending the link instead of the entire file, and it worked for me. One can just cut and paste this into a browser and it will open the file (as long as they can read PDFs). http://www.w9vmw.org/downloads/FeedlineSummer2009.pdf My thought is that those with slow connections won't have to endure long download times if they don't choose to. An attachment doesn't give them a choice. Those with high speed probably won't care. I am looking for options for distribution to control rising costs. I thought about going web site only, but I think we still have members with no internet. Ed On 9/3/2009 10:14 AM, Brandon DeLorenzo wrote: Here is the Summer edition of The Feedline! Brandon J. DeLorenzo NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator for Indiana Congressional Districts 2 and 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ ccarc mailing list ccarc at culcom.net http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc _______________________________________________ ccarc mailing list ccarc at culcom.net http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From k9dvl at comcast.net Fri Sep 4 23:31:51 2009 From: k9dvl at comcast.net (Dave Rothermel) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:31:51 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Pharos-Tribune - Classifieds Message-ID: <4AA1DBA7.5090005@comcast.net> Randy (W9CFI) Spread the word. Dave 101 Years Young Please join us in celebrating Randolph G. Lannings Birthday When : Sept. 6 th , 2009 2pm-4pm Where : Miller 's Merry Manor 3 rd Floor Dinning Room 200 26 th St. Logansport, In 46947 http://commentsengine.cnhi.zope.net/classifieds/categoryadlist?test=1&publishername=logansport&adnumkey=1025&categoryname=HAPPY%20ADS&datehunt=2009-09-04 From rervin55 at msn.com Sat Sep 5 00:23:13 2009 From: rervin55 at msn.com (Rae Ervin) Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 00:23:13 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tom: For some reason when you send a link in an email to me it is not clickable. As I send this reply to you the link is clickable in my reply. I wonder if anyone else on the remailer has seen this activity? hgdd r a e ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Murray To: remailer remailer Sent: Friday, September 04, 2009 2:30 PM Subject: [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted Guys and gals...... Click on this link to see the 2009 claimed Field Day Info. I checked the W9VMW entry and there was no request for additional information so I guess I got the paper work submitted OK. http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/reppyQZr8.html Tom KB9WSL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. Click here. _______________________________________________ ccarc mailing list ccarc at culcom.net http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 5 00:27:48 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 00:27:48 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ELF TOPPLES TOWERS Message-ID: Activists topple towers, claim dangers of AM radio wavesStory Highlights Earth Liberation Front: "AM radio waves cause adverse health effects" Station manager said radio towers were "flattened like a pancake" Radio station KRKO remained on air by using a backup transmitter siteupdated 4:02 p.m. EDT, Fri September 4, 2009 (CNN) -- A group cited by U.S. officials as a domestic terrorism threat claimed responsibility Friday for knocking down two radio station towers in Snohomish County, Washington. Much of the tower system, owned by radio station KRKO, was "flattened like a pancake," the manager said. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) issued a statement saying opponents of the towers argue that "AM radio waves cause adverse health effects including a higher rate of cancer, harm to wildlife, and that the signals have been interfering with home phone and intercom lines." "When all legal channels of opposition have been exhausted, concerned citizens have to take action into their own hands to protect life and the planet," Jason Crawford, a spokesman for the group, said in a news release. Members of ELF have been sentenced for acts of domestic terrorism in the past. Though no one is known to have been killed in ELF attacks, the government defines domestic terrorism as use or threatened use of violence by a domestic group "against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives," the FBI's then-domestic terrorism chief, James F. Jarboe, explained in congressional testimony in 2002. The towers belong to radio station KRKO. "There's quite a bit of destruction to the antenna system and it will probably take at least three months to get it back up and operational again," station manager Andy Skotdal told CNN affiliate KIRO, adding that much of it was "flattened like a pancake." Don't Miss KIRO: Group's banner read "Wassup Sno cty" The station remained on the air by using a backup transmitter site, he said. KRKO is working with authorities to find those responsible, Skotdal said, adding, "We'll use our own airwaves to do it." The perpetrators stole an excavating machine out of a yard in order to knock down the towers, Skotdal said. Watch the aftermath of the scene ? The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said the Seattle office of the FBI is the lead investigative agency in the incident. Officials at the FBI office did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Snohomish County is just north of Seattle. The attack took place in an unincorporated part of the county, officials said. In its news release, the ELF describes itself as "an international underground organization that uses direct action in the form of economic sabotage to stop the systematic exploitation and destruction of the planet. Since its inception in North America in 1996, the ELF has inflicted well over $150 million in damages to corporations and governmental agencies that are profiting from the destruction of the Earth." E-mail to a friend Share this on: Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg del.icio.us reddit MySpace StumbleUpon | Mixx it | Share _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_online:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9vmw at comcast.net Sat Sep 5 01:05:06 2009 From: kb9vmw at comcast.net (Tom Denton) Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:05:06 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Pharos-Tribune - Classifieds In-Reply-To: <4AA1DBA7.5090005@comcast.net> References: <4AA1DBA7.5090005@comcast.net> Message-ID: <4AA1F182.5020001@comcast.net> Sorry I will miss it, I'll be out of town. 73, Tom Denton KB9VMW CCARC Board of Directors http://www.w9vmw.org/ Six Club #1963 http://www.6mt.com/ Dave Rothermel wrote: > Randy (W9CFI) Spread the word. > Dave > > 101 Years Young Please join us in celebrating Randolph G. Lannings > Birthday When : Sept. 6 th , 2009 2pm-4pm Where : Miller 's Merry > Manor 3 rd Floor Dinning Room 200 26 th St. Logansport, In 46947 > > > From kb9vmw at comcast.net Sat Sep 5 01:08:25 2009 From: kb9vmw at comcast.net (Tom Denton) Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:08:25 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4AA1F249.9000208@comcast.net> Same thing here. Maybe Tom is sending it as plain text, no HTML? 73, Tom Denton KB9VMW CCARC Board of Directors http://www.w9vmw.org/ Six Club #1963 http://www.6mt.com/ Rae Ervin wrote: > Tom: > > For some reason when you send a link in an email to me it is not > clickable. As I send this reply to you the link is clickable in my > reply. I wonder if anyone else on the remailer has seen this activity? > > hgdd > > r a e > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Tom Murray > *To:* remailer remailer > *Sent:* Friday, September 04, 2009 2:30 PM > *Subject:* [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted > > Guys and gals...... > > > Click on this link to see the 2009 claimed Field Day Info. I > checked the W9VMW entry and there was no request for additional > information so I guess I got the paper work submitted OK. > > http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/reppyQZr8.html > > Tom KB9WSL > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phil_snider at hotmail.com Sat Sep 5 08:20:05 2009 From: phil_snider at hotmail.com (Phil Snider) Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 08:20:05 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Pharos-Tribune - Classifieds In-Reply-To: <4AA1F182.5020001@comcast.net> References: <4AA1DBA7.5090005@comcast.net> <4AA1F182.5020001@comcast.net> Message-ID: I will be out of town also. Phil Snider > Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 01:05:06 -0400 > From: kb9vmw at comcast.net > To: ccarc at culcom.net > Subject: Re: [Ccarc] Pharos-Tribune - Classifieds > > Sorry I will miss it, I'll be out of town. > > 73, > Tom Denton KB9VMW > > CCARC Board of Directors > http://www.w9vmw.org/ > > Six Club #1963 > http://www.6mt.com/ > > > > Dave Rothermel wrote: > > Randy (W9CFI) Spread the word. > > Dave > > > > 101 Years Young Please join us in celebrating Randolph G. Lannings > > Birthday When : Sept. 6 th , 2009 2pm-4pm Where : Miller 's Merry > > Manor 3 rd Floor Dinning Room 200 26 th St. Logansport, In 46947 > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > ccarc mailing list > ccarc at culcom.net > http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From e-norris at comcast.net Sat Sep 5 09:31:40 2009 From: e-norris at comcast.net (Ed) Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:31:40 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4AA2683C.7010508@comcast.net> I cut and pasted the link into by browser. It works that way. On 9/5/2009 12:23 AM, Rae Ervin wrote: > Tom: > For some reason when you send a link in an email to me it is not > clickable. As I send this reply to you the link is clickable in my > reply. I wonder if anyone else on the remailer has seen this activity? > hgdd > r a e > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Tom Murray > *To:* remailer remailer > *Sent:* Friday, September 04, 2009 2:30 PM > *Subject:* [Ccarc] Field day 2009 claimed scores posted > > Guys and gals...... > > > Click on this link to see the 2009 claimed Field Day Info. I > checked the W9VMW entry and there was no request for additional > information so I guess I got the paper work submitted OK. > > http://www.arrl.org/contests/claimed/reppyQZr8.html > > Tom KB9WSL > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. > Click here. > _______________________________________________ > ccarc mailing list > ccarc at culcom.net > http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > ccarc mailing list > ccarc at culcom.net > http://ns1.culcom.net/mailman/listinfo/ccarc > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sun Sep 6 16:55:59 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 16:55:59 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] (no subject) Message-ID: This article is from the New York Times regarding the financial bail-out we are all paying for. Tom KB9WSL Fair Game BuzzPermalink By GRETCHEN MORGENSON Published: September 5, 2009 PRECISELY one year ago, we lucky taxpayers took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants that contributed mightily to the wild and crazy home-loan-boom-turned-bust. In that rescue operation, the Treasury agreed to pony up as much as $200 billion to keep Fannie in the black, coughing up cash whenever its liabilities exceed its assets. According to the company?s most recent quarterly financial statement, the Treasury will, by Sept. 30, have handed over $45 billion to shore up the company?s net worth. It is still unclear what the ultimate cost of this bailout will be. But thanks to inquiries by Representative Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat, we do know of another, simply outrageous cost. As a result of the Fannie takeover, taxpayers are paying millions of dollars in legal defense bills for three top former executives, including Franklin D. Raines, who left the company in late 2004 under accusations of accounting improprieties. From Sept. 6, 2008, to July 21, these legal payments totaled $6.3 million. With all the turmoil of the financial crisis, you may have forgotten about the book-cooking that went on at Fannie Mae. Government inquiries found that between 1998 and 2004, senior executives at Fannie manipulated its results to hit earnings targets and generate $115 million in bonus compensation. Fannie had to restate its financial results by $6.3 billion. Almost two years later, in 2006, Fannie?s regulator concluded an investigation of the accounting with a scathing report. ?The conduct of Mr. Raines, chief financial officer J. Timothy Howard, and other members of the inner circle of senior executives at Fannie Mae was inconsistent with the values of responsibility, accountability, and integrity,? it said. That year, the government sued Mr. Raines, Mr. Howard and Leanne Spencer, Fannie?s former controller, seeking $100 million in fines and $115 million in restitution from bonuses the government contended were not earned. Without admitting wrongdoing, Mr. Raines, Mr. Howard and Ms. Spencer paid $31.4 million in 2008 to settle the litigation. When these top executives left Fannie, the company was obligated to cover the legal costs associated with shareholder suits brought against them in the wake of the accounting scandal. Now those costs are ours. Between Sept. 6, 2008, and July 21, we taxpayers spent $2.43 million to defend Mr. Raines, $1.35 million for Mr. Howard, and $2.52 million to defend Ms. Spencer. ?I cannot see the justification of people who led these organizations into insolvency getting a free ride,? Mr. Grayson said. ?It goes right to the heart of what people find most disturbing in this situation ? the absolute lack of justice.? Lawyers for the three executives did not returns calls seeking comment. An additional $16.8 million was paid in the period to cover legal expenses of workers at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Fannie?s former regulator. These costs are associated with defending the regulator in litigation against former Fannie executives. This tally of taxpayer legal costs took several months for Mr. Grayson to extract. On June 4, after Congressional hearings on the current and future status of Fannie and Freddie, he requested the information from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, now their regulator. He got its response on Aug. 26. A spokeswoman for the agency said it would not comment for this article. THE lawyers? billable hours, meanwhile, keep piling up. As the F.H.F.A. explained to Mr. Grayson, the $6.3 million in costs generated by 10 months of legal defense work for Mr. Raines, Mr. Howard and Ms. Spencer includes not a single deposition for any of them. Instead, those bills covered 33 depositions of ?other parties? relating to the shareholder suits and requiring the presence of the three executives? counsel. One of Mr. Grayson?s questions about these payments remains unanswered ? whether placing Fannie Mae into receivership, rather than conservatorship, would have negated the agreement to cover the former executives? legal costs. Choosing conservatorship allowed Fannie to stabilize and meant that it was going to continue to operate, not wind down immediately. But, Mr. Grayson pointed out: ?If these companies had gone into receivership instead of conservatorship, the trustee in bankruptcy or the receiver would have been free, legally, to reject these contracts that called for indemnification. Raines, Howard and Spencer would have had to pay their own fees.? When asked about this, Fannie?s regulator, the F.H.F.A., waffled. ?Whether these costs could have been avoided would depend on the facts and circumstances surrounding any receivership,? it said. ?It is possible that receiverships could have reduced the costs of the litigation, but by no means certain.? Mr. Grayson said he intended to find out whether there are any legal options under the conservatorship to stop paying for the defense of the Fannie Mae three. ?When did Uncle Sam become Uncle Sap?? he said. ?In a situation where billions of losses have already occurred, is it really asking too much that people pay their own legal fees?? While the $6.3 million paid to defend Mr. Raines, Mr. Howard and Ms. Spencer is a pittance compared with other bills coming due in the bailout binge, it is still disturbing for these costs to be covered by those who had nothing to do with the problems and certainly did not benefit from them. The money may be small, but the episode?s message looms large: those who presided over this debacle aren?t being held accountable. ?It is wrong in a very deep sense,? Mr. Grayson said. ?The essence of our society is that people who do good things are rewarded and people who do bad things are punished. Where is the punishment for Raines, Howard and Spencer? There is none.? _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From k9dvl at comcast.net Mon Sep 7 11:20:55 2009 From: k9dvl at comcast.net (Dave Rothermel) Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:20:55 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Technical books online Message-ID: <4AA524D7.3090201@comcast.net> http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Wed Sep 9 07:52:58 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 07:52:58 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] FW: [InHam] ARISS Contact Thursday In-Reply-To: <20090908.225836.21791.1@webmail02.vgs.untd.com> References: <20090908.225836.21791.1@webmail02.vgs.untd.com> Message-ID: > From: uco at juno.com > Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 03:58:36 +0000 > To: inham at mailman.qth.net > Subject: [InHam] ARISS Contact Thursday > > An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Atheneum Middenschool Keerbergen, B-3140 Keerbergen, Belgium on 10 Sep. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:31 UTC. > > The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English or Dutch. > > The contact will be covered on the Echolink AMSAT Conference Server. > > Our high school, for students who are in the first grade, is situated in Keerbergen, and is a part of the Koninklijk Atheneum Keerbergen. Our school has about 560 students, with an average age between 12 and 14 years old. Our participation in the ARISS project is linked with the course ?Technological Education?. In this course, the students have a project that has to do with transportation. The purpose of this project is to design and make a transportation device that is friendly to the environment. This project is supported with a syllabus where the students learn about the different means of transportation. Space travel is a big part of this project. > > 73, > John - AG9D > ARISS Operations Team > > ____________________________________________________________ > Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/BLSrjnsEGrDhVnmGZcD4MlYSEhXuqTbRbVy5Vr5eNPK56ACiqcUzUOtsdmo/ > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Wed Sep 9 07:53:26 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 07:53:26 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] [InHam] Second ARISS Contact Thursday In-Reply-To: <20090908.230051.21791.4@webmail02.vgs.untd.com> References: <20090908.230051.21791.4@webmail02.vgs.untd.com> Message-ID: > From: uco at juno.com > Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 04:00:51 +0000 > To: inham at mailman.qth.net > Subject: [InHam] Second ARISS Contact Thursday > > An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at UNICEF Belgium from Euro Space Center, Belgium, on 10 Sep. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:56 UTC. > > The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and LU1CGB. The contact should be audible over portions of the South America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in French and Dutch. > > The contact will be covered on the Echolink AMSAT Conference Server. > > UNICEF Belgium will launch by the 25th of September its new educative campaign: WaSH. To promote this event the organization has organized a big drawing contest. It has been asked of the world classes willing to participate to imagine a WaSH logo and to include with it an important message about water and the needs to protect it. Three classes have been selected. > The students and their teachers will spend a day in the Euro Space Center where they will discover what it takes to become an astronaut and also the new WaSH campaign of UNICEF Belgium. Frank DeWinne is the godfather of this campaign. The classes will have an ARISS contact with him. This contact will be the opportunity for these children to establish a link between the WaSH campaign and its godfather and to understand that space research is important also to help improve water access for humanity. > > 73, > John - AG9D > ARISS Operations Team > > ____________________________________________________________ > Easy-to-use, advanced features, flexible phone systems. Click here for more info. > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/BLSrjnsO1tQT41yOEwApcQLRPrpeFWEEc8jgSdo0xB3WK41QKFPRJtlkvQU/ > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Wed Sep 9 18:03:18 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 18:03:18 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] FCC Disasters Prepearedness article Message-ID: >From RadioResources Mission Critical Communications e-letter: FCC Releases Report on Disaster Preparedness and Response (9/8/09) FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski released a report on the commission?s ability to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, public health emergencies and other large-scale events. The report concludes that the commission is prepared to respond to communications emergencies and perform its mission, but identifies a number of areas for improvement: education and training, outreach and collaboration, emergency operations and alerts, and network analysis. The report, titled ?FCC?s Preparedness for a Major Public Emergency? and prepared by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) is in response to the 30-day, top-to-bottom state-of-readiness review launched by Chairman Genachowski as one of his first actions at the agency. The report outlines concrete steps the FCC can and will take to better support public-safety communications and protect our nation, Genachowski said. The report was released as part of a joint press conference with officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ?Improving emergency communications across the country is a priority for DHS," said Chris Essid, director of the Office of Emergency Communications at DHS. "This report will help strengthen coordination efforts among emergency communications practitioners nationwide and guide our state, local and tribal partners to invest in the right capabilities." During emergencies, the FCC?s primary mission is to ensure that essential communications networks and services are operable, reliable, and quickly restored when necessary so that the public can communicate and receive emergency information. The report emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong partnerships with federal, state, tribal and local governments, and the public-safety community to ensure effective coordination when disaster strikes. The FCC is planning enhanced coordination with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The FCC will initiate a pilot program this month in which the agency will send a senior emergency outreach coordinator to the Gulf Coast region whose primary role will be to provide support for state and local emergency managers. The report recommends ways to ensure that, during emergencies, the FCC is able to maintain operations, respond proactively to public-safety communications needs, and communicate accurate and timely information to the public. In addition to updating its emergency operations plans, the FCC is working to improve its rapid-notification capabilities via software upgrades and website alerts. The report identifies a number of initiatives to help enable rapid detection of public-safety and homeland-security challenges that could impact or compromise communications networks. The FCC will collaborate with federal partners and network providers to identify potential threats, such as cyber attacks. The FCC will also continue ongoing efforts to ensure that broadband technologies and next-generation applications are available to the public-safety community. The report outlines training programs and drills to equip FCC staff with the skills, tools and information they need to respond to any emergency. This training will inform staff of their collective and individual roles during crisis situations. Staff will also learn about management software systems that provide accurate and timely information in emergencies. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Thu Sep 10 18:36:11 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:36:11 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ARLD036 DX news In-Reply-To: <20090910221349.809EE30F57@www.arrl.org> References: <20090910221349.809EE30F57@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: > Subject: ARLD036 DX news > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:43:58 -0400 > To: kb9wsl at hotmail.com > CC: > From: memberlist at www.arrl.org > > > SB DX @ ARL $ARLD036 > ARLD036 DX news > > ZCZC AE36 > QST de W1AW > DX Bulletin 36 ARLD036 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT September 10, 2009 > To all radio amateurs > > SB DX ARL ARLD036 > ARLD036 DX news > > This week's bulletin was made possible with information provided by > NC1L, QRZ DX, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, 425 DX News, The Daily DX, > Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web > sites. Thanks to all. > > CYPRUS, 5B. Andy, LZ2HM is QRV as 5B/LZ2HM until September 15. > Activity is on the HF bands, including 6 and 2 meters. He will be > active as C4I in the Worked All Europe SSB contest. QSL to home > call. > > MADAGASCAR, 5R. Daniel, DF8UO will be QRV as 5R8UO from September > 12 to 20. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using mainly CW. QSL to > home call. > > MALAWI, 7Q. Harry, G0JMU is QRV as 7Q7HB for about three months. > He is active mainly using CW and digital modes. QSL direct via > G0IAS. > > TONGA, A3. Effective immediately, 60 meters is allowed on a > secondary restricted basis using the same band plan and power > limitations as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission > for the US. > > MADEIRA ISLANDS, CT3. Matthias, DJ8OG is QRV as CT9/home call until > September 15. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters. He will be active as > CR3L in the Worked All Europe SSB contest. QSL CR3L via DJ6QT and > all others to home call. > > GLORIOSO ISLANDS, FR/G. A group of operators will soon be QRV as > FT5GA until early October from Grand Glorieuse Island, IOTA AF-011. > Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK31 > with four stations active simultaneously. QSL via operators' > instructions. > > SCOTLAND, GM. Look for G3IZD, G7MRL and G0HIK to be QRV as GM3IZD, > GM7MRL and GM0HIK, respectively, from the Isle of Islay, IOTA > EU-008, from September 12 to 18. QSL to home calls. > > REPUBLIC OF KOREA, HL. Mike, KE7WRJ is QRV as HL9QST for about two > months. He is active on 40 to 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL to > home call. > > MINAMI-TORISHIMA, JD1. Masa, JA6GXK is QRV as JD1BMM from Marcus > Island, IOTA OC-073, until September 28. Activity is on all bands > and modes. QSL to home call. > > NETHERLANDS, PA. Special event station PA09MONUMENT will be QRV on > September 12 during the Open Monumentendag, European Heritage Days > from the Noordwijk Lighthouse, ARLHS NET-019. Activity will be on > HF and 2 meters. QSL via bureau. In addition, special event > station PA2009YSL will be QRV from the IJssellinie complex on > September 12 and 13. QSL via PF1JM. > > BONAIRE, CURACAO, PJ2. Operators PE2MC and PG4M are QRV as PJ4/home > calls from Bonaire, IOTA SA-006, until September 16. This includes > being active as PJ4NX in the Worked All Europe SSB DX contest. QSL > PJ4NX via PA3CNX and all others via home calls. > > DODECANESE, SV5. Mort, G2JL is QRV as SV5/home call from Lipsi > Island, IOTA EU-001, for the next three months. Activity is on all > bands and modes, propagation permitting. QSL to home call. > > WEST KIRIBATI, T30. Gerben, PG5M is QRV as T30GM and has been > active on 17 meters around 0200z. QSL to home call. > > CENTRAL KIRIBATI, T31. Craig, N3BQR is QRV as T31AA from Phoenix > Island, IOTA OC-043, until September 25 while on a scientific > mission. He is active mostly on 20 meters using SSB. QSL via > operator's instructions. > > CORSICA, TK. Nicolas, F5TGR is QRV as TK/home call from Porto > Vecchio, IOTA EU-014, until September 18. Activity is on 40 to 10 > meters using CW and SSB. He may also try to be active from IOTA > EU-100. QSL to home call. > > CAMEROON, TJ. Lionel, F5PSA is QRV as TJ3SL. Activity is on 20 to > 10 meters using SSB in his spare time. QSL to home call. > > THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The ARRL September VHF QSO Party, Worked > All Europe SSB DX Contest, North American CW Sprint, FISTS Get Your > Feet Wet CW Weekend, NCCC Sprint, PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial > 80-Meter Sprint, Swiss HTC QRP CW Sprint, Arkansas QSO Party, Ohio > State Parks on the Air, SOC Marathon CW Sprint and the SKCC Weekend > CW Sprint will certainly keep contesters busy this weekend. Please > see September QST, page 78, and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest web > sites for details. > NNNN > /EX _________________________________________________________________ With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. http://www.windowslive.com/Desktop/PhotoGallery -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Thu Sep 10 18:36:47 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:36:47 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ARLB030 FCC Chairman Announces Enforcement Bureau Chief In-Reply-To: <20090910170312.80C6D31D79@www.arrl.org> References: <20090910170312.80C6D31D79@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: > Subject: ARLB030 FCC Chairman Announces Enforcement Bureau Chief > Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:20:53 -0400 > To: kb9wsl at hotmail.com > CC: > From: memberlist at www.arrl.org > > SB QST @ ARL $ARLB030 > ARLB030 FCC Chairman Announces Enforcement Bureau Chief > > ZCZC AG30 > QST de W1AW > ARRL Bulletin 30 ARLB030 > From ARRL Headquarters > Newington CT September 10, 2009 > To all radio amateurs > > SB QST ARL ARLB030 > ARLB030 FCC Chairman Announces Enforcement Bureau Chief > > Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski > announced on September 9 that he has appointed P. Michele Ellison as > Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. Ellison will take the helm of the > Enforcement Bureau starting on September 28, 2009. "Protecting and > empowering consumers through effective and timely enforcement of the > Commission's rules and policies is a top priority for the FCC," said > Chairman Genachowski. "Michele is a talented leader with vast > communications experience and sound legal judgment, and I look > forward to working with her in her new capacity." > > Ellison is currently Deputy General Counsel, a position she has held > for the last 12 years, and most recently served as Acting General > Counsel of the FCC through July 2009. In addition to her other > duties, she also was named Transition Counsel to Commissioner Mignon > Clyburn. Ellison joined the Office of the General Counsel in 1995. > "She has had a rich and varied practice at the agency, from her > initial years of handling complex FCC litigation before the federal > courts to her current focus on competition policy in the context of > mergers and acquisitions and on spectrum and fraud matters involving > billions in auctions and universal service funds," according to an > FCC press release. > > Ellison also has provided leadership in other policy areas, > including co-chairing the Commission's Localism Task Force, leading > a Task Force on expanding communications opportunities to small > businesses and developing countries, as well as serving as senior > advisor to former Chairman William Kennard; Kennard served as > Chairman from October 1997 to January 2001. Before joining the > Commission, Ellison was a partner with the law firm of Williams and > Connolly, with a litigation practice. She began her career as a law > clerk for the Honorable Damon J. Keith in the US Court of Appeals > for the Sixth Circuit in Detroit, Michigan and for the Honorable > Paul R. Webber III in the Superior Court for the District of > Columbia. > NNNN > /EX > > _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Make it easier for your friends to see what you?re up to on Facebook. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_facebook:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Fri Sep 11 03:39:02 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:39:02 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Peoria Superfest, Saturday, 9/19 & Sunday, 9/20 In-Reply-To: <35102.5187.qm@web112207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <35102.5187.qm@web112207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: > Peoria Superfest 2009 > Our 51st Year! We have recently fixed a problem with our PAYPAL ordering for Tickets and Flea Market spaces and wish to apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this has caused. Please report any future problems to w9uvi at arrl.net. > THANKS > > (An ARRL Sanctioned Hamfest) > Amateur Radio Hamfest, Computer Show and Flea Market > September 19,20 2009 > Exposition Gardens, Peoria IL > Northmoor and University Streets > (off 6300 Block of N. University) > Friday Hours 3pm - Dusk > Sat 6:00am - 4:00pm > Sun 6:00am - 2:00pm > Commercial Buildings Open 8:00am Sat & Sunday > > GPS Coordnates: 40 deg 45 min 47 sec N, 89 deg 37 min 04 sec W > Click here for Map from YAHOO! Maps > FCC Exams Saturday > Technical Forums Saturday > Presented by: Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club > and other area amateurs. > Need Tickets? > Visit one of our Peoria Area Ticket Distributors > Electronics Diversified > 4632 N Brandywine Dr, Peoria, 688-2444 > Stewart Radio > 905 E Washington, E Peoria, 699-9556 > East Peoria Jewelry and Loan > 213 W Washington, E Peoria, 699-7296 > Need Flea Market Space? > Purchase in Advance or At the Gate > Same great price of $5 > Advance purchases get access to preferred spots, including electric. > Giant Outdoor Flea Market of New and Used Equipment Technical Forums > Amateur Radio Equipment and Accessories Manufacturers Reps and Commercial Dealers > Home and Pro Computers and Software Over $2000 in prizes > Electronic Parts and Components Good Food > Acres of Free Parking Overnight Building Security > For Amateurs and Computer Enthusiasts > Last updated Sunday, August 23, 2009. > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_faster:082009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phil_snider at hotmail.com Fri Sep 18 20:06:56 2009 From: phil_snider at hotmail.com (Phil Snider) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:06:56 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] meeting this Saturday Message-ID: Please attend the CCARC club meeting this Saturday Sept. 18 at 9 AM at EMA. Phil Snider W9LVY -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 01:49:23 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:49:23 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] AUGUST CCARC MINUTES Message-ID: MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 15,2009 MEETING OF THE C.C.A.R.C. The meeting was called to order at 9:04 am by Phil, W9LVY. SECRETARY?S REPORT: The Secretary?s report was read by Tom, KB9WSL. The Minutes of the July 18,2009 meeting were approved as presented without additions or corrections. TREASURER?S REPORT: None REPEATER: Phil, W9LVY reported that the controller on the 147.180 repeater is acting up. Phil said he is looking for the manual for the controller. Phil did say that the controller is generating audio tones. He and Dave, K9DVL will look into the situation. Dave also stated that the club needs to get crystals ordered for the other repeater and get it back up and on the air. FIELD DAY: Tom, KB9WSL reported that the certificates of appreciation for the businesses that donated items for FD were done and will be distributed. Tom also did a brief rundown of the points turned into ARRL for Field Day 2009. The Club?s claimed score for FD 2009 was 1,452 points. Bonus points totaled 830. Tom also reported that in reviewing the FD logs?in order to score more QSO points we need more CW and Digital contacts worth 2pts each. Also, the number of operators during the overnight hours were very low. It was suggested that perhaps next year an operating schedule be used to assure more operators during the overnight hours. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: The Eastern Illinois Ham-fest will be held August 23rd,2009. Dan, KV9N, was asked if he would be willing to put together a Technician Licensing class. He said he would work on setting up a class. It was also announced that the KC9PQA repeater at Chalmers is on the air from the Chalmers water tower. The repeater is on 147.255 positive offset with a PL of 131.8. GOOD OF CLUB: Alvin Beckman, Cass Co. EMA Director stated that utility poles for a loop antenna at the EMA site may be delivered by the end of the month. If so, the Club needs to get rope and pulleys ready for installation on the poles. BILLS: Tom, KB9WSL submitted bills totaling $59.39 for frames for the certificates of appreciation for Field Day donors. A motion was made and seconded to pay the bills. Motion carried. A motion was also made and seconded to pay the July bills which totaled $ 62.39. Motion carried. 50/50: $10.00 was raised. Winner was Bob, K9AWH. He donated his winnings back to the club. The meeting was adjourned at 9:47 am. Those attending were: KBWSL. W9LVY,K9AWH, KB9VMW, K9DVL, K9EQT, KA9BYN, KV9N, KC9MVQ, KU9F, KC9QDM. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 01:50:28 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:50:28 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The ARRL Contest Update for September 16, 2009 In-Reply-To: <20090916044914.E269731D37@www.arrl.org> References: <20090916044914.E269731D37@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2009-09-16 September 16, 2009Editor: Ward Silver, N?AXContest Update ArchiveContest CalendarARRL Home Page IN THIS ISSUEDigital DX Domination - CQ WW RTTYState Stampede - SC, TX, and WA QSO PartiesRound 'Em Up and Pop the CorkCollege ARC Goes LiveTechnology On the MarchRDXC Results Kick Off WRTC-2010 SelectionIndustrial-Strength SDRThrill Of the Hunt NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DOWe're really getting into the fall contest season now! The approaching equinox makes for some rapid and often welcome changes to HF propagation. For a special treat, get on the air as the terminator sweeps across your longitude and see what north-south grey-line paths come alive. Fall propagation combined with a big contest like CQ WW RTTY can be an awful lot of fun!BULLETINSThere are no bulletins in this issue.BUSTED QSOSA golden issue last time!CONTEST SUMMARYComplete information for all contests follows the Conversation sectionSep 19-20ARRL 10 GHz Cumulative ContestScandinavian Activity Contest--CWCIS DX Contest--CW,DigitalSouth Carolina QSO PartyWashington State Salmon RunFeld-Hell Monthly SprintQCWA Fall QSO PartyNorth American Sprint--PhoneClassic Exchange--CWFall VHF Sprint--144 MHz Sep 26-27CQ WW RTTY ContestScandinavian Activity Contest--Phone Texas QSO PartyClassic Exchange--Phone Fall VHF Sprint--222 MHzFall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTERESTHow many counties? Let's just say Texas has a LOT of counties (256) and about the only chance you have of snagging the mavericks of the lot is during this weekend's Texas QSO Party. Roving ham-a-dillos will be scurrying their way around the state, so clean your RF sharpshooter and prepare to rope in a herd of QSOs! Texas has a great tradition of mighty mobiles motoring madly through this gi-normous state, so get ready to peel off that Texas state flag sticker for your Year Of the State QSO Party certificate! Warm up with the Washington and South Carolina events the preceding weekend.Oenophiles are also tuning up for the California QSO Party (CQP), coming to a radio near you October 3rd and 4th with vintage fruit-of-the-vine prizes and many certificates. It's the oldest, biggest and most popular state QSO party on the planet. California is a big state and many of its counties are harder to find than Cycle 24 sunspots most of the time. If you're a native, why not get out there and activate one? Register on the CQP Web site or take a look to see who will be putting out the ones you need for the WACC award. There's lots of action - single-op, multi-op, CW, and SSB - all sponsored by the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC)!Here's the oft-hidden Denali (aka - Mt McKinley), Alaska's and North America's highest peak in a photo by KL8DX and KL8SU. Watch for KL5O beginning Oct 18th. A couple of issues back, I reported a "clean sweep" for the Year Of the State QSO Party, but I'd overlooked the Alaskans! Luckily, a special event was already in the works that will suffice for lifting the sticker that bears the Big Dipper on a field of navy blue. Corliss AL1G writes, "The Alaska 50th Anniversary of Statehood Special Event will be on the air October 18, 2009 from 1800Z until October 19, 2009, 0600Z. There will be fifteen or more stations on from around the state of Alaska all using KL5O...on all bands and modes, from 160 through 10 meters, including the WARC bands." OK, now we have every one on the air - go get 'em!There is plenty of contest logging software for Windows? users, but what about software for Macintosh?-based contesters? Frankly, there aren't nearly as many programs available, but MacLoggerDX is one such package. Late-model Macs can also use PC software within a Virtual Machine (VM) or one of a number of utilities that boot up your Mac as a PC. An often-overlooked solution, though, is to simply purchase an inexpensive used laptop and dedicate it to logging software. (Thanks, Tom K1KI and Dave KM3T)Rovers were out in force for last weekend's ARRL September VHF QSO Party, but how about the "extreme roving" of the off-road, 4x4 mobile hams? This organization is all about "off the road and on the air"!In more good news for 40 meter fans, the IARU Region 1 Web site is reporting that Radio China is planning to stop broadcasting between 7.1 and 7.2 MHz in accordance with the updated international treaty. This will free up several channels for the West Coast operators that haven't reaped the benefits experienced in the Midwest and on the East Coast. If the "big dog" is moving, we can hope that perhaps other East Asian SW BC stations will follow that audience to new frequencies, too!Pete N4ZR reports that "While nobody was looking, the World HF Contest Station Database passed the 3500-station mark and stands today at 3581. Have you updated your record to reflect changes in your station? It's amazing how many K3s are turning up in the last few months. You can find out how many by using one of the specialized search options."Rapidly being eroded by the sea, there is little left of the original Marconi station reproduced in this model on the site. (Photo N5OT) The first of the broadcasting services, the AM station, may be in its twilight as reported in this Radio World article. AM's automotive market is being eroded by FM and the newer satellite-based services. Fewer folks are tuning in at home, as well. Listening to evening thunderstorms season the baseball play-by-play with a crackle of static as you sip a cold 807 and watch moths flutter against the screen may be going the way of the Sunday doubleheader and Lake Erie swing! (Thanks, Tim K3LR)Dean W9WGV has discovered what may be the first QST piece complaining about messy Morse on the airwaves. In the May 1916 issue (page 98 - available to ARRL members via the on-line QST Archives), The Old Man (Hiram P Maxim's nom de plume) was grousing about the use of abbreviations over spark in those days. Have things changed with today's precision keyers? They do exactly what they're told, but they still have to be told the right things, such as prosigns being one character without spaces. The more things change...I'm sure you saw the story about the bandwidth of a carrier pigeon being greater than that of the South African Internet. Well, there's a technical standard that covers just such protocols: RFC 1149, published on April 1, 1990, "A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers". You didn't think they were just going to wing it, did you? (Thanks, Rus K2UA)Web Site of the Week - KB1LQD and KB1LQC have put together a badly-needed Web site for college clubs - CollegeARC. "We have created a new interactive Web site to serve the college amateur radio community. We aim to provide a great resource to the community by sharing information of these clubs between each other, to the amateur radio community, and to the general public. CollegeARC will provide not only an interactive way for the college amateur radio clubs and operators to communicate, collaborate, and share their experiences but also provide a needed resource of relevant information for clubs to grow." After you've browsed the site, if you're an alumnus of a college or university club, take a moment to encourage their participation in the ARRL November Sweepstakes School Club competition and the Collegiate ARC Championship.WORD TO THE WISEThe Box - "Making the box" is not a shadow puppet technique or enclosure assembly instruction, it's getting your score into the featured listings of the contest results, usually as one of a category's Top Ten. It's certainly rewarding, especially that first time! Be careful, though - once you've "made the box", then you have to worry about staying there!SIGHTS AND SOUNDSHere is a thought-provoking video called "Did You Know?" about the changes of scale both in and caused by technology at an ever-accelerating pace. (Thanks, Linda Couser)RESULTS AND RECORDSHarry RA3AUU writes to let us all know that RDXC-2009 final results are available. These were the last set of contest results that will count for the WRTC-2010 qualification process. The process of evaluating applications for operating in next summer's WRTC can now begin.Hams just seem to love this sign for some reason! Here's frequent DXpeditioner Mike N6MZ making a visit to Elmer City, just north of Grand Coulee Dam. (Photo N0AX) Here's a great new scores database put together by brothers SP9LJD and SP9UON. Enter your (or anyone's) call sign into ContestRank and up pops your results in contests going back to 2000 plus data about how your score compares with the average contest score in each contest. It currently covers 70 different contests. (Thanks also, Jerry KA8Q)Results have been available for the 2009 Spring VHF and Up Sprints since last month. (Thanks, Chuck N6KW)OPERATING TIPIf your eyeglasses and headphones are working together to push your temples into your frontal lobes during long contests, take a look at the new ear buds for music players. The fidelity and comfort of these small earpieces has improved dramatically over the past few years. You can also wear noise-canceling headphones over them while hardly noticing. (Thanks, Paul W8AEF)TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATIONSoftware-defined radio (SDR) is by no means an amateur-only undertaking as can be seen at the commercial-professional SDR Forum Web site. Learn what other applications are making the SDR leap! (Thanks, Jim K9JWV)Another in the burgeoning Do-It-Yourself population of Web pages for the hands-on among us is the Hackaday site. Such a "new" definition of hacking moves out of the realm of malware and back towards the original honorable intent of being capable and resourceful.If you are teaching a licensing course or learning the material yourself, a dynamic demonstration is often the key to understanding. ARRL COO Harold WJ1B has been teaching license classes to unlicensed employees at ARRL HQ and recommends the math, physics, and electronics simulations and applets on the Web pages of Paul Falstad, Cuthbert Nyack, and Walter Fendt as particularly good.Many software programs have drawing tool sets for simple graphics, but once the project gets the slightest bit complicated, a "real" CAD program is required. The Cademia program is an open-source CAD package suitable for all sorts of mechanical drawing tasks without requiring the casual user to pay for a professional product, although "pro" version is also available. (Thanks, Bill Rubin)Here's a couple of tail-twisters for you - NCJ columnist Don K4ZA and top op and tower maven John W2GD are shown after installing a big stack of 6 meter beams at NR5M. How was the humidity, Don? (Photo K4ZA) You can control any Tailtwister? or HAM-M? rotator with multiple control boxes after a couple of minor modifications. (This will not work with the DCU-1 or digital controllers.) Designate one control box as the primary control box. In the secondary control box (or boxes) remove the 1/8th-amp fuse from the meter board. Connect terminals 1, 2,3, 5, 6, and 7 in parallel between both control boxes, leaving terminals 4 and 7 unconnected on the secondary control box. The "brake" LED will light on both boxes whenever any box is in use - do not attempt to move the antenna if the brake light is on! It is best if both boxes are connected to the same power circuit (breaker) but it is not necessary if precautions are taken to prevent simultaneous operation. (Thanks, Joe W4TV)A September 2009 Popular Mechanics story about rebuilding in New Orleans featured the Power Grip? pipe wrench that combines gripping, ratcheting, clamping, and one-handed operation. (There's also a nut-wrench.) Having wished for a tool like this during tower climbs and around the house and garage, it caught my eye right away. On page 110 of the same issue, a hint-and-kink shows how baby bottle nipples can make a great water-sealing boot for cables or switches.Removing flux from PC boards and other soldered connections is important for low-power and sensitive applications, as well as those exposed to moisture that might be absorbed by the organic residue. Mike WE?H uses ISO-Heat? gasoline anti-freeze. It's 100% isopropyl alcohol and as an automotive product, costs less than the same compound packaged as a specialty flux remover. ISO-Heat (in the red bottle) should not be confused with Heat? (in the yellow bottle) - that's methyl (wood) alcohol and unsuitable as a flux remover.In another "re-purposing" of a non-radio product, Brad AA1IP has discovered an adhesive product called "Zots?" at the local fabric store. The Zots consist of blobs of clear adhesive backed by a waxed-paper tape. Touch a Zot to the point of adhesion and peel away the paper, leaving the other adhesive surface exposed. These should be ideal for reattaching rubber feet to cabinets, applying cabinet trim, and so forth. They are inexpensive and so can be used as temporary hold-in-place helpers.The Battery Tool Kit Web page by John AE5X has gotten another update and now includes projects such as a Battery Booster, a Battery Voltage Monitor for 6 V & 12 V, Battery Chargers based on the QRPme.com PTO kit, and a Self-Powered 12V Battery Desulfator. John also sent a link pertaining to battery maintenance.Jim K9YC sends word of the release of the third edition of Henry Ott's book on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), an authoritative reference in the field. Jim particularly recommends this book because of Ott's approach to problems through the fundamentals, breadth of understanding, and clarity of explanations. It's not for light reading, but anyone with a serious interest in the field will want a copy on the bookshelf.Technical Web Site of the Week - The Mother of All Swiss Army Knife software packages, HAMCALC, is now at version 112 and counting, having added calculations for Helical Resonators, Insertion Loss, Transmission Line Mismatch, Long-Tailed Pairs, and Pi and T networks. A tip of the Contest Update cap to author George, VE3ERP!CONVERSATIONThe Thrill Of the HuntMore exciting than a DX QSO, better than finding that lost tool, even approaching the buzz of a Sweepstakes Clean Sweep, is the thrill of the hardware store hunt! There's really nothing to get the creative and primal juices flowing like entering a legal-limit-sized home improvement emporium, knowing that you're going to walk out with the makings of another fine ham radio gadget, even though there is nothing anywhere inside intended for use on the ham bands!Saturday's quarry was the necessary pieces to build a portable antenna - a 6-meter dipole to be exact - in such a way that I would have a super-duper antenna holder-upper for envisioned rambles across the latitudes and longitudes of this great land. A dipole today, but a veritable Swiss Army knife of skyhook deployment tomorrow! In my mind's eye, I had the vision. In my pocket, I had the credit card. As the adrenaline kicked in, appearing across the wide, well-stocked savannah was aisle six - Plumbing!Beginning with the radiator, I first stalked the wily herds of ?" copper tubing. In my head, I recited the magic incantation, "four-sixty-eight divided by fifty is nine-feet-four" and wondered if I could get a ten-foot piece in the car. But wait, just down the row and only a few cents more were two five-foot pieces. I drew my arm back and struck ruthlessly -- my first prey and I hadn't been in the wild, er, store for two minutes!Swiveling panther-like, I glided wordlessly into the flocks of PVC adapters. Evading elbows, confounding couplers, rejecting reducers, I tiptoed to the tees and found to my utter disgust that ?" tubing and a ?" slip tee shared only the barest of diametrical resemblances. ?", you say? "Ho," I heard the plumbing gods snicker, "not so easy, is it, antenna boy?" Blood pulsing hot at my temples, the copper adaptors were perused and a threaded male plucked from its burrow. Yet the gods toyed with me once more - there were no all-threaded plastic tees. Zounds! Adapting my design as well as the diameters, I determined that the resulting friction fit would be fine if secured with a machine screw -- stainless steel, of course. I pressed on.I had captured the center insulator, a PVC tee, and the radiating element, two slightly oversized and trimmable lengths of purest copper with a pair of adapters and all the necessary fasteners. The lot piled high in my game bag (it looked amazingly like a plastic shopping cart) I turned to the most difficult of required tasks - obtaining a reasonably-priced and sturdy extendable pole of no less than 12 feet, preferably 15 or more. Slinking deep within the shadows, I quickly moved to Paint. Quickly, because the morning's coffee was beginning to make its presence felt and I knew my time was short!Mighty hardware hunters all - the K5KA Skyhook Team includes (front row, L-R) K3LR, K1TO, N6TR, (back row) N5RZ, N5KO, and Team Manager K5KA, shown following another antenna work party. (Photo K5KA) There in a standalone display was an well-stocked selection of Fine Business snap-locking paint poles, but egads -- $40? Nay, I said, and nay again! I knew that somewhere In the Home Improvement Forest lurked a bargain. These were but a high-priced decoy for the unwary and impulsive! Ignoring the coffee, I considered my options. A pool cleaning net? A cobweb duster? Slowly, a vision formed ...of ...of ...broomsticks! Yes! The housewares aisle! That fertile vale of volume discounts and limited budgets. Stealthily, I peeked between copses of stepstools and mops to spy extensible poles for push brooms! 16 feet for $30, oh frabjous day of delectation! And into the basket it went.Oh, but the gods of the hunt were not through with this pitiful and flummoxed mortal. In one awful trice, victory was snatched back as I realized the tee's remaining orifice and the upper fitting of the pole were as oil-and-water! My ears burned as I wheeled my basket out into the main aisle and scanned the contents of the aisles, from lumber at one horizon to the foothills of home furnishings on the other. The accumulated coffee spake softly, and then less softly, as my eye fell on the cruel beauty of Irrigation! Ignoring the pleadings of the accumulated morning's quaffery, I made a bee-line for that rack of black and brass inscrutia. As if in reward, a 3/8" MIPT barbed fitting flew into my hand, its perfect fit to both tee and pole signaling the end of my hunt!My joy was tempered by the furrowed brow of a fellow hunter transfixed nearby before the arrayed infinitude. I recognized his plight instantly. "Watcha looking for?" I offered in the natural ritual of bonding. "They haven't got it," he grimaced. "All I need is this (pointing here) with a female adapter! (pointing there)" I nodded in sympathy, acknowledging his anguish. We both knew that he could, in fact, assemble a cascade from this to that, but it would be an Unclean Kluge, offensive in his sight until the end of his days. And worse, his brother-in-law would see it and ask (over and over) why he didn't just use an 88-cent Thelman Fitting? We both sighed in synchrony then I murmured the timeless benediction, "Mmmm-hmm. Well, good luck, then..." and left him to his fate, cap pushed back on his head, broken part in hand, a hardware Diogenes searching endlessly for a part he'd never find.With not a moment to lose and brandishing my plastic talisman, I was rung up and free. After a quick and welcome pit stop, I emerged into the sunlight, bearing the parts and pieces for the afternoon's assembly. It was a good day and a good hunt with a story to be told around the Saturday morning breakfast table to elder and callow youth alike. May your tales be as tellable, too - and happy hunting!73, Ward N0AXCONTESTS16 September to 29 SeptemberAn expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions.HF CONTESTSScandinavian Activity Contest--CW, from Sep 19, 1200Z to Sep 20, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesCIS DX Contest--CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1200Z to Sep 20, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and CIS area code or serial. Logs due: 30 days. RulesSouth Carolina QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1300Z to Sep 20, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.805, 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.845, 3.86, 7.261, 14.27, 21.37, 28.37. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 20. RulesWashington State Salmon Run--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1600Z to Sep 20, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesFeld-Hell Monthly Sprint--Digital, from Sep 19, 1700Z to Sep 19, 2000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, Feld-Hell member number. RulesQCWA Fall QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1800Z to Sep 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: Call sign, year lic'd, name, chptr or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. RulesNorth American Sprint--Phone, from Sep 20, 0000Z to Sep 20, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Call signs, serial, name, and state. Logs due: 7 days. RulesClassic Exchange--CW, from Sep 20, 1300Z to Sep 21, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: 1.820, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.135, 28.05, 50.1, 144.1. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. RulesCQ WW RTTY Contest--Digital, from Sep 26, 0000Z to Sep 27, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, CQ zone and State/VE area (US/VE). Logs due: Nov 1. RulesScandinavian Activity Contest--Phone, from Sep 26, 1200Z to Sep 27, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesTexas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 26, 1400Z to Sep 27, 0200Z and Sep 27, 1400Z to Sep 27, 2000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesClassic Exchange--Phone, from Sep 27, 1300Z to Sep 28, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27, 21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. RulesFall QRP Homebrewer Sprint--CW, from Sep 29, 0000Z to Sep 29, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, and power. Logs due: 30 days. RulesVHF+ CONTESTSARRL 10 GHz Cumulative Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 6 AM to Sep 20, 12 Mid. Bands (MHz): 10G+. Exchange: 6-char grid locator. Logs due: Oct 21. RulesSouth Carolina QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1300Z to Sep 20, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50+, Frequencies: CW--1.805, 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--1.845, 3.86, 7.261, 14.27, 21.37, 28.37. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 20. RulesWashington State Salmon Run--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1600Z to Sep 20, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: RS(T) and county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesQCWA Fall QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 19, 1800Z to Sep 20, 1800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50+. Exchange: Call sign, year lic'd, name, chptr or S/P/C. Logs due: 30 days. RulesClassic Exchange--CW, from Sep 20, 1300Z to Sep 21, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: 1.820, 3.545, 7.045, 14.045, 21.135, 28.05, 50.1, 144.1. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. RulesFall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 21, 7 PM to Sep 21, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 144. Exchange: Grid square. Logs due: 4 weeks. RulesTexas QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 26, 1400Z to Sep 27, 0200Z and Sep 27, 1400Z to Sep 27, 2000Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: CW--20 to 50 kHz above band edge; Phone--25 kHz above edge of General segment. Exchange: RS(T), county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesClassic Exchange--Phone, from Sep 27, 1300Z to Sep 28, 0700Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: SSB--1.885, 3.87, 7.28, 14.27, 21.37, 28.39; AM--1.89, 3.88, 7.16, 7.29, 14.286, 21.42, 29.0. Exchange: Name, RS, S/P/C, type of equipment. Logs due: 60 days. RulesFall VHF Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Sep 29, 7 PM to Sep 29, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 222. Exchange: Grid square. Logs due: 4 weeks. RulesLOG DUE DATES16 September to 29 SeptemberSeptember 16 - Keyman's Club of Japan Contest, email logs to: kcj-log at kcj?cw.com, paper logs and diskettes to: M. Namba, 1420-55 Kibara, Sammu-city, Chiba 289-1212, Japan. RulesSeptember 17 - RSGB SSB Field Day, upload log at: http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/hfenter.pl, paper logs and diskettes to: RSGB G3UFY, 77 Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7AF, England. RulesSeptember 17 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, SSB, email logs to: cwsprint.logs at rsgbhfcc.org, upload log at: http://www.vhfcc.org/cgi-bin/hfcover.pl, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). RulesSeptember 17 - Russian District Award Contest, email logs to: rx3rc at rdaward.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Roman A. Novikov, P.O.Box 21, 392000 Tambov, Russia. RulesSeptember 17 - EPC Russia DX Contest, email logs to: contest at epc-ru.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). RulesSeptember 18 - SKCC Weekend Sprint, post log summary at: http://www.skccgroup.com/sprint/wes/wes-submit.html, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). RulesSeptember 19 - North American Sprint, CW, email logs to: (see rules, web upload preferred), upload log at: http://www.ncjweb.com/sprintlogsubmit.php, paper logs and diskettes to: Boring Amateur Radio Club, 15125 Bartell Road, Boring, OR 97009, USA. RulesSeptember 21 - Ohio QSO Party, email logs to: logs at ohqp.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Ohio QSO Party, c/o Jim Stahl, K8MR, 30499 Jackson Rd., Chagrin Falls, OH 44022-1730, USA. RulesSeptember 22 - Hawaii QSO Party, email logs to: fd at karc.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Hawaii QSO Party, P.O. Box 8960788, Wahiawa, HI 96786-0788, USA. RulesSeptember 28 - WAE DX Contest, SSB, email logs to: waessb at dxhf.darc.de, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). RulesSeptember 29 - YO DX HF Contest, email logs to: yodx-contest at hamradio.ro, paper logs and diskettes to: FRR, P.O. Box 22-50, Bucharest RO-014780, Romania. RulesACKNOWLEDGEMENTSARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar. The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/. Copyright ? 2009 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 01:51:07 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:51:07 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The ARRL Letter, Vol 28, No 37 (Friday, September 18, 2009) In-Reply-To: <20090918172044.5229C32461@www.arrl.org> References: <20090918172044.5229C32461@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: > > *************** > The ARRL Letter > Vol. 28, No. 37 > September 18, 2009 > *************** > > IN THIS EDITION: > > * + Changes in Store for The ARRL Letter > * + New Product Review Tests to Begin in October QST > * + Nominations Now Being Accepted for the George Hart Distinguished > Service Award > * + Part 2 of the 10 GHz and Up Contest Is This Weekend > * + Smithsonian Curator to Speak at AMSAT-NA Banquet > * ARRL Membership Newsletters, Bulletins and Notifications > * Solar Update > * IN BRIEF: > This Week on the Radio > ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration > + ARRL/TAPR Digital Communication Conference Next Weekend > + Don't Forget to Send Your /140 QSLs! > Alpha Radio Products Now RF Concepts > South African Amateur Radio Payload Reaches Orbit > > +Available on ARRL Audio News > > ***Starting September 24, The ARRL Letter will be distributed and posted > ***to the ARRL Web site on Thursdays (moving from Fridays). > > =========================================================== > ==>Delivery problems: First see FAQ > , then e-mail > > > ==>Editorial questions or comments only: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA > > =========================================================== > > ==> CHANGES IN STORE FOR THE ARRL LETTER > > After asking for feedback from ARRL Letter subscribers and reviewing > surveys sent to ARRL members, we are changing the way you receive The > ARRL Letter. Starting in two weeks -- October 1 -- The ARRL Letter will > be available to subscribers in an HTML formatted version. Of course, > those members who do not wish to receive the HTML version can click on a > link to view the Letter on the ARRL Web site. In addition, The ARRL > Letter will be distributed on Thursdays beginning September 24. > > According to ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, this new format > will allow for more graphics and pictures, as well as occasional > articles that feature the technical side of Amateur Radio. We will also > be running portions of popular QST features, such as "The Doctor Is IN" > and "Hints & Kinks." > > "I am very excited about presenting The ARRL Letter in a completely new > format," Keane said. "Not only will we be able to add features such as > pictures and video, but by offering the Letter in HTML, readers will be > able to navigate directly to those stories they are most interested in. > The ARRL already offers two other newsletters -- The ARRL Contest Update > and The ARRL ARES E-Letter -- in an HTML version. We have received a lot > of positive feedback on these two newsletters." > > The ARRL Letter first appeared in 1981 as a print publication, available > by subscription from the League. In 1991 -- following the technology of > the day -- it moved from being a print publication to being published > electronically and sent via e-mail as a free service to ARRL members. > "Now, once again, we at the ARRL are following technology's path and > publishing The ARRL Letter in a new way, moving from plain text to a > graphically pleasing interface," Keane explained. > > We think you will enjoy this new format, and we welcome your comments. > Tell us what you like -- and don't like -- by sending an e-mail to Keane > , with "ARRL Letter Feedback" in the subject line. > > ==> NEW PRODUCT REVIEW TESTS TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER QST > > When you peruse the October issue of QST, you may notice a few extra > lines in the Product Review data. "Here at the ARRL Lab, we strive to > make our test procedures relevant to current technology and to new > features common on today's transceivers," said ARRL Test Engineer Bob > Allison, WB1GCM. "We continue to research ways to improve our testing > and to develop new tests that will benefit our members. I hope you will > find these new measurements useful in evaluating and comparing > transceivers." > > * Receiver Sensitivity (MDS) at 137 and 505 kHz > Several countries now give amateurs permission to operate at and around > 137 and 505 kHz. In the US, there is activity on 495 to 510 kHz by more > than 20 stations around the country operating under the ARRL sponsored > WD2XSH experimental license. In addition, there are other Part 15 > experimental licensees operating in this range. The WD2XSH stations are > on the air regularly, gathering propagation data. They are always > looking for signal reports. > > Allison said that with many of today's transceivers and a suitable > antenna, you can listen for these experimental stations and submit > reception reports via the Web site: "The new Product Review tests will > help identify transceivers suitable for use on these frequencies. With > equipment built over the last 25 years ago or so, I've noticed a wide > variety of available sensitivity, from terrible to quite good. Many > receivers tune to 137 and 505 kHz; not all are proficient at receiving > signals there. For you 'lowfers,' this measurement is for you." > > * Spectral Sensitivity > Spectral sensitivity is the weakest signal that can be "seen" on a > visual display of spectrum above and below the operating frequency. > Often called a spectrum scope or panadapter, this feature is included on > many mid-range and high-end transceivers. "This data represents the > level, in dBm, at which the operator can see a signal poke up out of the > display noise floor," Allison explained. "Although the measurement is > somewhat subjective, it works out to be about 3 dB above the noise floor > at the bottom of the display when the scope is adjusted to show 100 kHz > of spectrum. With software-defined receivers (SDRs), such as the > FLEX-3000, the sample rate is set to the highest setting." > > * Audio Output THD at 1 V RMS > Allison said that one of the ARRL Technical Advisors posed the question, > "Who ever listens to their receiver at full volume?" Allison explained > that audio output power and THD (total harmonic distortion) at the > specified load impedances as specified by the manufacturer have been > tested and reported. "Generally, the specification is at or near the > maximum audio output the receiver is capable of," he said. "If severe > hearing loss isn't an issue, we normally listen with the volume control > set to around the 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock position on most transceivers > and not with the control cranked to maximum." > > Allison explained that distortion at normal listening levels is an > important factor, especially when you are listening for an extended > period of time: "High levels of distortion can make signals more > difficult to understand and add to fatigue. We'll continue to measure > and report how audio output power and THD compare to manufacturers' > specifications, but we have added a new test intended to show distortion > at more typical volume levels." > > After testing several radios for comfort, Allison picked 1 V RMS as an > output level for the new test. "It's an easy figure to remember," he > said. "We will now also report THD at this level. Note that this test > will appear with the next transceiver reviewed because the FLEX-3000 has > only a low-level audio output and is dependent on external, > user-supplied devices to amplify the audio to normal listening levels." > > Look for these new tests beginning with October's QST Product Review > featuring the FLEX-3000. > > ==> NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE GEORGE HART DISTINGUISHED > SERVICE AWARD > > At its July 2009 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors established the > George Hart Distinguished Service Award to be given to an ARRL member > whose service to the League's Field Organization is of the most > exemplary nature. The Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of > George Hart, W1NJM, long-time Communications Manager at ARRL > Headquarters and chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS) > . Upon learning that the > ARRL Board of Directors had established this award named after him, Hart > called his namesake award "a great honor." > > Selection criteria include: > * Operating record with the National Traffic System; or > * Participation within the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES); or > * Station appointments and/or leadership positions held within the ARRL > Field Organization. > > Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award shall be > accepted from anyone and shall be submitted to the Membership and > Volunteer Programs Manager at ARRL HQ by November 1. Nominations should > document as thoroughly as possible the nominee's lifetime activities and > achievements within the Field Organization. It is expected that > nominated candidates will have 15 or more years of distinguished > service. The Programs and Services Committee will serve as the Review > Committee, with the Board of Directors making the final determination at > its Annual Meeting in January. Recipients will be given an engraved > plaque and cover letter and will be profiled in QST. > > Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award, including > any related supporting material and letters of recommendation, may be > e-mailed to ARRL Headquarters to the attention of ARRL Membership and > Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N , or to ARRL > Field and Public Service Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X > . Nominations and supporting materials must be received > no later than November 1, 2009 to be considered. > > ==> PART 2 OF THE 10 GHZ AND UP CONTEST IS THIS WEEKEND > > This weekend brings the second leg of the 2009 ARRL 10 GHz and Up > Contest . If you > enjoy the technical side of Amateur Radio and being on the cutting edge, > this weekend gives you a perfect chance to explore the microwave portion > of the radio spectrum! > > The contest period starts at 6 AM (local time) Saturday, running until > midnight (local time) Sunday. According to ARRL Contest Branch Manager > Sean Kutzko, KX9X, QSO points are awarded based on the distance of a > QSO. "Operating from several locations during the contest period is not > only allowed, it's even encouraged," he said. "Most people use SSB, > although some CW is used, too. Power levels are relatively low compared > to HF; most stations run several hundred milliwatts. A station running a > few watts is considered a 'Big Gun.' Antennas are usually dishes, like > those used for receiving satellite TV." > > Kutzko explained that many QSOs are completed on the microwave bands by > bouncing signals off of other objects, such as mountains, buildings and > even raindrops! You can also get lucky and catch a good tropospheric > opening, he said, explaining that in the 2007 contest, a ham on the West > Coast made a QSO of 907.2 miles on 10 GHz between his location in > California and Mexico. > > "If you have a person in your area that is interested in the microwave > bands, ask if you can tag along and observe," Kutzko advised. "If you > live in an area that has a microwave club -- such as the North Texas > Microwave Society, the North East Weak Signal Group, the Mt Airy VHF > Club and several others -- find out what their members are doing for the > contest. Elmering is a big part of the microwave groups, and they are > only too happy to introduce you to their fun." > > Logs for the 2009 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest can be e-mailed > <10GHz at arrl.org>. Paper logs should be sent to ARRL 10 GHz and Up > Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. All logs must be postmarked > no later than 2359 UTC Tuesday, October 20. > > ==> SMITHSONIAN CURATOR TO SPEAK AT AMSAT-NA BANQUET > > Dr Martin Collins, a curator in the Space History Division at the > Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington > , will be the featured speaker at the AMSAT-NA > Symposium banquet on Saturday, October 10, at the Four Points Sheraton > Hotel at Baltimore-Washington International Airport > . The title of > his presentation will be "Making the Space Age: The First 50 Years." > > Dr Collins curates the National Air and Space Museum's civilian > applications satellites collection that includes weather, remote sensing > and communications satellites and related technologies. He has > contributed to a series of Museum exhibits and was primary author of the > exhibition catalog "Space Race: The US-USSR Competition to Reach the > Moon" > 09053>. > > On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Sputnik, he was editor of the > book "After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space Age" > that > included text and photos on the history of Project OSCAR. He was > instrumental in arranging the display of OSCAR 1 at the National Air and > Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center, along with the Naval Academy's PCSat > Amateur Radio satellite. He also arranged the acquisition of AMSAT's > MicroSat mechanical test model, just in time for AMSAT's 35th > Anniversary Annual Meeting. > > The Saturday evening banquet is one of the highlights of this year's > 40th anniversary symposium, October 9-11 > . > > ==> ARRL MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTERS, BULLETINS AND NOTIFICATIONS > > Did you know the ARRL offers more newsletters than just The ARRL Letter? > One of the many ARRL membership benefits includes other newsletters, > such as the ARRL Contest Update (a bi-weekly contest newsletter), the > ARES E-Letter (sent monthly, containing public service and emergency > communications news), the ARRL Club News, the ARRL Instructor/Teacher > E-Letter and the VE Newsletter, just to name a few. > > You can also elect to receive news and information from your Division > Director and Section Manager (keep in mind that not all > Divisions/Sections send notices), as well as W1AW bulletins that relate > to DX, propagation, satellites and Keplarian reports. The ARRL also > offers a free notification service to members, letting them know when > their membership and license are due to expire. > > Sign up for these newsletters, bulletins and notifications on the Member > Data page of the ARRL Web site > . > > ==>SOLAR UPDATE > > Tad "Gave temperate sweets to that well-wooing Sun" Cook, K7RA, this > week reports: Sunspot numbers for September 10 through 16 were 0, 0, 0, > 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 69.3, 69.3, 69, > 69.1, 69, 69.2 and 68.8 with a mean of 69.1. The estimated planetary A > indices were 2, 4, 4, 6, 5, 5 and 6 with a mean of 4.6. The estimated > mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 1, 4, 4, 4 and 5 with a mean of 3.1. > Thursday's prediction shows solar flux values at 70 beginning tomorrow, > September 19, and continuing through September 24, then rising to 72 > September 25-28. We haven't reported a weekly solar flux average above > 70 in this bulletin since May 19, and prior to that there were only four > more weeks above 70 in 2009. These predictions are from NOAA and the US > Air Force, who also predict a planetary A index of 8 for September 18, > and only 5 from September 19 to more than a month after. Geophysical > Institute Prague also predicts nothing but quiet geomagnetic conditions > for September 18-24.. For more information concerning radio propagation, > visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page > . To read this week's > Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin > page . This week's "Tad Cookism" brought > to you by John Keats' "Endymion" . > > __________________________________ > > ==>IN BRIEF: > > * This Week on the Radio: This week, the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest is > September 19-20 (local time). Look for two NCCC Sprints this week, one > each on September 18 and 19. The Feld Hell Sprint is September 19. The > South Carolina QSO Party, QRP Afield, the Washington State Salmon Run, > the QCWA Fall QSO Party and the Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW) are > all September 19-20. The North American Sprint (SSB) is September 20. > The Run for the Bacon QRP Contest and the 144 MHz Fall Sprint (local > time) are September 21. The SKCC Sprint is September 23. Next week, look > for another NCCC Sprint on September 25. The Texas QSO Party, the CQ > Worldwide DX Contest (RTTY) and Scandinavian Activity Contest (SSB) are > all September 26-27. QRP Homebrewer Sprint is September 28. All dates, > unless otherwise stated, are UTC. See the ARRL Contest Branch page > , the ARRL Contest Update > and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar > for more info. Looking > for a Special Event station? Be sure to check out the ARRL Special Event > Station Web page . > > * ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Registration remains > open through Sunday, October 25, 2009, for these online course sessions > beginning on Friday, November 6, 2009: Amateur Radio Emergency > Communications Level 1; Antenna Modeling; Radio Frequency Interference; > Antenna Design and Construction; Ham Radio (Technician) License Course; > Propagation; Analog Electronics, and Digital Electronics. Each online > course has been developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, > informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are > interactive, and some include direct communications with a > Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may > be 8, 12 or 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the > course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons > and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors > assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and > activities, as well as providing helpful feedback. Interaction with > mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the > student must be present -- allowing complete flexibility for the student > to work when and where it is convenient. To learn more, visit the CCE > Course Listing page or contact the > Continuing Education Program Coordinator . > > * ARRL/TAPR Digital Communication Conference Next Weekend: ARRL and the > Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Group (TAPR) will > jointly host the 28th Annual Digital Communications Conference (DCC) > September 25-27 in Chicago . The DCC has > something for everyone from those new to digital modes to those > experienced with digital communications including technical and > introductory forums. According to DCC Co-host Mark Thompson, WB9QZB, one > of the highlights of this year's DCC will be Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, > presenting "Universal Ham Radio Text Messaging." The Saturday night > banquet speaker will be Bill Brown, WB8ELK, a pioneer in flying balloons > with payloads including Amateur Radio digital communication > technologies. Brown is the publisher and editor of Amateur Television > Quarterly magazine. ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, > N4QX, will be on hand to discuss the upcoming World Radiocommunications > Conference in his talk "WRC-12 Agenda Item 1.19: Shaping the > International Regulatory Framework for Software Defined and Cognitive > Radio Systems." QEX Editor Larry Wolfgang, WR1B > , and ARRL Central Division Director Dick > Isely, W9GIG, will also be in attendance. The 2009 DCC forum and speaker > schedule is available online > . > TAPR provides leadership and resources to radio amateurs for the purpose > of advancing the radio art and is a research and development oriented > group offering kits, assembled products and publications related to the > intersection of Amateur Radio and digital technology. > > * Don't Forget to Send Your /140 QSLs!: For seven days -- September 2-9 > -- the ARRL celebrated the 140th anniversary of the birth of Hiram Percy > Maxim, the League's co-founder and first president > . The highlight > of the week-long celebration was an on-the-air Special Event where > eligible amateurs could add /140 to their call signs, and amateurs who > had more than 25 QSOs (with endorsements in increments of 25, up to 100) > with /140 stations would receive an attractive award certificate. W1AW > Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, reports that so far, more than 200 > applications for the certificate have been received, with more arriving > at ARRL HQ every day. "Here at W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial > Station, we signed more than 700 QSOs with the /140 Special Event > suffix," Carcia said. "This is a great way to remember 'The Old Man,' > and I know that if he were alive today, he would have been on the air, > enjoying all that Amateur Radio has to offer today's ham." It's not too > late to apply for your award certificate -- all requests must be > postmarked by October 9, 2009. Paper logs, along with a $5 fee, should > be sent to HPM/140 Celebration, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. > > * Alpha Radio Products Now RF Concepts: On September 15, Michael > Seedman, AA6DY, announced that his company, RF Concepts > , had purchased Boulder, Colorado-based > Alpha Radio Products . Seedman > explained in a press release > that when he > contacted Alpha to purchase a new amplifier, he was "disappointed to > learn that I would not receive it for months." He was told that as each > amplifier is made by hand, there was not enough shelf inventory to send > a new one right away. Working with Alpha Products president Molly > Hardman, W0MOM, "we created a way to capitalize the company in order to > put amplifiers in inventory for immediate availability. Customers will > no longer have to wait weeks or months to add an Alpha product to their > station." Seedman said that RF Concepts "will focus on shipping our > backlog of Alpha amplifiers and building sufficient product to ship from > stock. We will honor our existing customer commitments -- including > warranties, customer and technical support and repairs -- and keep our > extensive parts inventories to support the more than 10,000 Alpha > amplifiers in the market." Hardman will be staying on as Vice President > of Sales for RF Concepts. > > * South African Amateur Radio Payload Reaches Orbit: After several > delays, South Africa's SumbandilaSat satellite > finally blasted to orbit aboard a > Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 16 > . The main payload is a > multi-spectral imager, but the satellite also carries an Amateur Radio > component consisting of a 2 meter/70 cm FM repeater. After SumbandilaSat > is fully commissioned, the repeater will be activated with an uplink at > 145.880 MHz and a downlink at 435.350 MHz; there will also be a voice > beacon at 435.300 MHz. The transponder mode will be controlled by a > CTCSS tone on the uplink frequency. The CTCSS tone frequencies have yet > to be announced. SumbandilaSat was sponsored by the Department of > Science and Technology and was built at SunSpace > in cooperation with the Stellenbosch > University . In addition to the SA-AMSAT amateur > module, the satellite carries Stellenbosch University's radiation > experiment and software defined radio (SDR) project, an experiment from > Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and a VLF radio module from the > University of KwaZulu-Natal. > > =========================================================== > The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the > American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the national association for Amateur > Radio, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax > 860-594-0259; . Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President. > > The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general > news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site > for the latest Amateur Radio news and news > updates. The ARRL Web site also offers > informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News > is a weekly "ham radio newscast" > compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a > podcast from our Web site. > > Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole > or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be > given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League. > > ==>Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!): > letter-dlvy at arrl.org > ==>Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, > k1sfa at arrl.org > ==>ARRL News on the Web: > ==>ARRL Audio News: or call > 860-594-0384 > > ==>How to Get The ARRL Letter > > The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly > from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for > e-mail delivery: > ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site > . You'll have an opportunity during > registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW > bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including > delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the > "Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify > membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change > your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all > automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.) > Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective. > (NOTE: HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You > must do this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.) > > The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these > sources: > > * ARRLWeb . (NOTE: The ARRL Letter will > be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.) > > * The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur > Radio Club: Visit Mailing Lists at QTH.Net > . (NOTE: The ARRL > cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this > listserver.) > > Copyright 2009 American Radio Relay League, Inc. > All Rights Reserved _________________________________________________________________ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222985/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 13:45:13 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:45:13 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Sept 19 CCARC Meeting Minutes Message-ID: MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 19,2009 MEETING OF THE C.C.A.R.C. The meeting was called to order at 9:07am by Phil, W9LVY. SECRETARY?S REPORT: The secretary?s report was read by Tom, KB9WSL. The minutes of the August, 15th, 2009 meeting were approved as presented without additions or corrections. TREASURER?S REPORT: The treasurer?s report was presented by Dave, N9WCQ. Beginning balance as of 7-18-2009 was $974.71. Deposit of $9.00 Deposit of $00.46 interest Deposit of $00.08 interest Check to Dave, N9WCQ for $12.00 for postage for July meeting notices. Check to Anna, KC9IDO for a total of $40.88 for Field day food and supplies. Check to Tom, KB9WSL for $8.80 for postage for Field Day invitation letters and press releases. Leaving an ending balance of $921.86. There is $60.57 in the special savings account. The Treasurer will also check into interest rates for various types of accounts with Beacon Credit Union to see if there is a way to maximize the amount of interest the Club accounts can accrue. The Treasurer?s report was approved as presented. REPEATER: Phil, W9LVY reported he has an extender card for the Micor radio. He also reported that the new repeater controller is still not interfacing with the 180 repeater properly. Work will continue in an effort to figure out the problem. Dave, K9DVL said the receiver from the .430 repeater could be swapped for the .180 receiver. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Phil, W9LVY reported that some club members are needed next Saturday, September 26th to help with the Boy Scouts Merit badge project. The event will be held at the Cass County EMA building. Phil will try to find out more details before then. Any help would be appreciated. Marion, KA9BYN, recently climbed the 90 foot tower at the EMA building to check one of the antennas and feed line. He thinks the problem may be a bad jumper coax or possibly the antenna feed line. He says it will probably take at least two if not three people on the tower to get the antenna lowered to the ground. GOOD OF THE CLUB: Nothing presented. BILLS: Post office box rent for another 6 months?$35.00. Postage for the Feed-line Newsletter???$26.84. Frames for certificates of appreciation for FD $59.39. Postage for August meeting notices???..$12.40. Printing for feed-line newsletter?????..$12.00. Total for all bills??$145.63. Due to a lack of a quorum, Phil, W9LVY authorized the bills to be paid. An official vote to pay the bills will be taken at the next meeting. (Post office box rent was due before the next meeting). There was some brief discussion about possibly changing the Club Constitution/By-laws to change the number of people needed to make a quorum, however no official action was taken. All members of the club would be required to be notified by mail regarding any proposed changes before a vote could be taken. The Board of Directors would be required to draft any changes or amendments. GOOD OF THE CLUB: Marion, KA9BYN provided a set of keys for the new lock on the Club?s trailer used for Field Day. Keys were given to Phil, W9LVY. The key combination was given to Tom, KB9WSL for safe-keeping. Ed, K9PSR, asked how many club members receive the remailer. He decided to print the last issue of the Feedline in black and white, due to excessive costs associated with color printing. Ed stated he wants everyone to receive the Newsletter, whether by mail, email (remailer) or by visiting the Club Website?at: www.w9vmw.org. A list of those who receive or use the remailer will be sought. 50/50: $6.00 raised?..winner was Tom, KB9WSL. He donated his winnings back to the Club. Meeting was adjourned at 9:57 am. Those attending were: KB9WSL, W9LVY, K9DVL, K9AWH, K9EQT, K9PSR, KA9BYN, N9WCQ,KC9CRP. _________________________________________________________________ Ready for Fall shows? Use Bing to find helpful ratings and reviews on digital tv's. http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=digital+tv's&form=MSHNCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHNCB_Vertical_Shopping_DigitalTVs_1x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 13:50:00 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:50:00 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] band opening In-Reply-To: <4AB4DF69.1040409@wthd.net> References: <4AB4DF69.1040409@wthd.net> Message-ID: My brother caught an ATV band opening this morning 9-19-2009. Tom KB9WSL Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:40:57 -0400 CC: kb9wsl at hotmail.com Subject: band opening I was exploring the UHF band during this morning's opening and came across your SSTV image server. Signal strength was S9 +60. Distance from LaGrange, IN to Holland, MI is 86 miles. Received on a Kenwood TS-2000, antenna a dual band omni at 60 feet. 73, Tim W9THD _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: moz-screenshot.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 11517 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: moz-screenshot-1.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 6796 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: moz-screenshot-2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 14488 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: tmurray.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 333 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 19 13:54:25 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:54:25 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] I heard WD9EZK in an airplane over IL this afternoon Message-ID: I heard John, WD9EZK flying over the IL-IN border early this afternoon on 146.520 simplex. He had quite a pile up going. I was unable to get through the mess to talk to him. He was flying at 8,900 feet heading west into Illinois from Indiana. Believe he was using an HT at 5 watts. Tom KB9WSL _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sun Sep 20 17:23:23 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:23:23 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ARISS Contact Tuesday In-Reply-To: <20090920.121306.28095.1@webmail24.vgs.untd.com> References: <20090920.121306.28095.1@webmail24.vgs.untd.com> Message-ID: > Subject: [InHam] ARISS Contact Tuesday > > An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at HMS Beagle Project, Brazil on 22 Sep. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:17 UTC. > > The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. > > The contact can be heard on the Echolink AMSAT Conference > > The HMS Beagle Project (which aims to sail a rebuilt HMS Beagle 'round the world in Darwin's wake) and NASA have signed an International Space Act Agreement to unite ISS astronaut photography with ocean surface sampling from the new Beagle. The new Beagle is not yet built but on September 20-23, we will be carrying out a workshop and feasibility study in Paraty, Brazil. The event includes short voyages aboard tall ship Tocorime to coincide with ISS passes on the 20th, 22nd and 24th, a scientific workshop exploring opportunities for modern science under sail, and an educational and media event on the 22nd which will connect 60 children from local Paraty schools via ham radio to Mike Barratt and/or other astronauts aboard the ISS. We think this is the first time that children from Brazilian public schools (as opposed to private international schools in Brazil) will have been connected with the ISS. The children will be connected from a pavilion in Paraty, within sight of the To > corime at anchor. > > 73, > John - AG9D > ARISS Operations Team > > ____________________________________________________________ > Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2131/fc/BLSrjnsEGrGnRlMSBJRT0tndHdHrhIXDfaDfkfPptWAqHcdFYV6DUi3ftXC/ > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sun Sep 20 17:24:49 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:24:49 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Fall 2m Sprint, Monday, 9/21 @ 7 - 11 pm Local Time In-Reply-To: <254075.76014.qm@web112203.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <254075.76014.qm@web112203.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: > Subject: [InHam] Fall 2m Sprint, Monday, 9/21 @ 7 - 11 pm Local Time > > The 144 MHz Sprint will be from 7 PM to 11 PM local time on Monday September 21, 2009. > > LOG is due by October 21, 2009. > > http://www.svhfs.org/fall_sprint_rules_2009.pdf > > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > InHam mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/inham > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:InHam at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phil_snider at hotmail.com Tue Sep 22 00:01:58 2009 From: phil_snider at hotmail.com (Phil Snider) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:01:58 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] facebook virus Message-ID: If you see a message from me about seeing a video of you on facebook, don't click on it. It is a virus. I finally got rid of the virus programs on my laptop. What a mess. Someone has too much time on their hands, to be able to make virus programs. Phil Snider EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Sat Sep 26 07:01:50 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:01:50 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] FCC appropriate use of ham radio Message-ID: ARRL Board Adopts Guidelines and Recommendations on the Appropriate Use of Amateur Radio On Friday, September 25, the ARRL Board of Directors adopted guidelines on the appropriate use of Amateur Radio on behalf of commercial, non-profit and government entities, as well as recommendations for additional steps to be taken by the ARRL to educate radio amateurs and others on how to prepare and train for public service and emergency communications while complying with the current FCC Rules. At its meeting in July 2009, the ARRL Board created an ad-hoc committee to study the issue and prepare suggested guidelines. The committee submitted its report to the ARRL Executive Committee, which reviewed and revised the document. After additional discussion among Board members by electronic mail and teleconference, the Executive Committee submitted the document to the Board for formal adoption. Entitled The Commercialization of Amateur Radio: The Rules, The Risks, The Issues, the document offers guidelines to assist radio amateurs and anyone wishing to utilize the capabilities of Amateur Radio in understanding the FCC Rules that prohibit communications in which the amateur has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an employer. While the FCC Rules in this regard have not changed in many years, there has been increasing discussion of the issue as growing numbers of employers and non-amateur organizations recognize the value of Amateur Radio as an emergency communications resource and encourage their employees to obtain amateur licenses. Also included are guidelines for evaluating the appropriateness of Amateur Radio volunteers providing communications services to commercial enterprises and other entities for which other communications systems are available. "The guidelines are not intended to be the last word on the subject, and surely will not be," observed ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and chair of the ad-hoc committee. "The report includes several recommendations for additional steps that the ARRL needs to take to help amateurs and the organizations we serve to better understand the Rules and to ensure that what we do to prepare to be of service in emergencies is consistent with the current Rules." _________________________________________________________________ Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing? now http://www.bing.com?form=MFEHPG&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFEHPG_Core_tagline_try bing_1x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ARRL_AppropriateUseGuidelines.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 161961 bytes Desc: not available URL: From k9dvl at comcast.net Sat Sep 26 13:37:33 2009 From: k9dvl at comcast.net (Dave Rothermel) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:37:33 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] [Fwd: [Inares] Re: FCC Guideleines/ Repeater trustee] Message-ID: <4ABE515D.9030709@comcast.net> An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Kent" Subject: [Inares] Re: FCC Guideleines/ Repeater trustee Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:40:51 -0000 Size: 35175 URL: From phil_snider at hotmail.com Sat Sep 26 20:15:01 2009 From: phil_snider at hotmail.com (Phil Snider) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:15:01 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ham radio modes on you tube Message-ID: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqaKeQSkyGA&feature=related Phil Snider "the earth is but one country and mandkind its citizens" - Baha'i Faith EMAILING FOR THE GREATER GOOD Join me -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phil_snider at hotmail.com Sat Sep 26 23:52:30 2009 From: phil_snider at hotmail.com (Phil Snider) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:52:30 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] ham radio's technical culture (book on line) about how hams act and why Message-ID: very interesting book that you can read most of it on line about how radio hams act and talk the way they do and how self policing works: http://books.google.com/books?id=2ly7rDKeGZsC&dq=ham+radio's+technical+culture&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=B-C-Sov0GI7i8QaR-cS9AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Tue Sep 29 16:33:22 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:33:22 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] Ten-Tec used/demo gear list September 29, 2009 In-Reply-To: <20090929190029.19096.1199123392.swift@mailing.tentec.com> References: <20090929190029.19096.1199123392.swift@mailing.tentec.com> Message-ID: Ten-Tec takes trade-ins direct of modern used Ten-Tec gear on our used, demo and new equipment. We are now also able to take trade-ins of Icom, Kenwood, and Yaesu transceivers on Ten-Tec equipment via an agreement we have with The Ham Station of Evansville, IN. Contact us via email at sales at tentec.com or (800) 833-7373 or The Ham Station at (800) 729-4373 or sales at hamstation.com for additional details. The following is available as used equipment direct from Ten-Tec. 30 day warranty, 10 day trial period, shipping is additional. Exception: used linears warrantied 30 days except for final tubes which carry no warranty. Used items often sell quickly. Please make sure we have the item in stock before sending payment. (800) 833-7373 8-5:30 Eastern M-F. Transceivers, supplied with DC power cord and manual: 538AT Jupiter with autotuner installed, original grey case color and green screen $1350 565AT Orion with autotuner installed $2500 Other items: 238B 2 kW antenna tuner $595 417A Titan III amplifier $3495 The following equipment is available as demo gear and carries a 1 year parts and labor warranty, 30 day trial period. What is a 'demo unit'? Demos are units that have been evaluated in one of the following manners: at the factory or hamfests for display purposes, loaned out for evaluation by commercial customers, or returns on our 30 day risk-free sales policy. Shipping is additional. 302R remote encoder/keypad $125.10 308A gold heat sink fan kit for Argonaut V $13.50 538 Jupiter, new style black case/blue screen, no autotuner $1435.50 566 Orion II, no autotuner $3865.50 566AT Orion II with autotuner $4135.50 588 Omni-VII, no autotuner $2425.50 588AT Omni-VII with autotuner $2695.50 703 hand mic, 4 pin conn $35.96 708 deluxe desk mic, 4 pin conn $89.10 709A desk mic, 8 pin conn $62.10 715 RF speech processor $224.10 - includes one connecting cable of choice at no additional cost To Unsubscribe, please click here. _________________________________________________________________ Bing? brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it now. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MLOGEN&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MLOGEN_Core_tagline_local_1x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kb9wsl at hotmail.com Wed Sep 30 02:11:54 2009 From: kb9wsl at hotmail.com (Tom Murray) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:11:54 -0400 Subject: [Ccarc] The ARRL Contest Update for September 30, 2009 In-Reply-To: <20090930042611.4DDF134BEA@www.arrl.org> References: <20090930042611.4DDF134BEA@www.arrl.org> Message-ID: Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:26:11 -0400 PreviewIf you are having trouble reading this message, you can see the original at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/?issue=2009-09-30 September 30, 2009Editor: Ward Silver, N?AXContest Update ArchiveContest CalendarARRL Home Page IN THIS ISSUEState Of the Art - CA, PA, AZ QSO PartiesHeavenly Contesting - ARRL EME ContestPanning for California Gold in the CQPAlpha AcquiredHigh Voltage Versus WatermelonsCQ WPX Survey ResultsGuyed Tower StudyHFTA Webinar OnlineThe Pig In the Snake NEW HF OPERATORS - THINGS TO DOOctober is the busiest contest month, so there is no shortage of exciting action on the HF bands - the activity is thick and fall propagation has kicked in. Two of the biggest QSO parties (CA and PA) go back to back over the next week and the Oceania DX Contest gives you two weekends to try for some of that exotic Pacific DX. You can rake leaves through the week!BULLETINSTime is short! The deadline for submitting applications to be a Team Leader at WRTC-2010 is October 1st! Referees can submit their applications between Oct 1 and Nov 1. Please see the WRTC-2010 Web site for information about how to submit your application. (Thanks, Harry RA3AUU)BUSTED QSOSA golden issue last time!CONTEST SUMMARYComplete information for all contests follows the Conversation sectionOct 3-4PSK Rumble - The Fall ClassicDigital SSTV ContestOceania DX Phone Contest--Phone EU Autumn Sprint--PhoneCalifornia QSO PartyRSGB 21/28 MHz Contest Fall VHF Sprints--432 MHzYLRL Anniversary Party--CW Oct 10-11ARRL EME Contest--50-1296 MHzMakrothen Contest10-10 SprintOceania DX CW Contest--CWWorked All Britain HF Contest--PhoneEU Autumn Sprint--CWPennsylvania QSO PartyArizona QSO PartyFISTS Fall Sprint--CW North American RTTY SprintSKCC Monthly Weekend Sprint--CW NEWS, PRESS RELEASES, AND GENERAL INTERESTA CQP Sweep (a SCQWEEP?) is now officially possible - from the online map, all of the California QSO Party multipliers (i.e. California counties) will be at least temporarily active. Lots of teams have signed up, packed up, and will be traveling the trails of CalTrans this weekend and looking for you! (Thanks, Garry NI6T) This is what sunrise looked like to the N7PP Salmon Run team, camped out on a strategically located ridge in the mountains of eastern Washington. (Photo - K7WA) In celebration of the Worked All Zone award program's 75th anniversary, CQ magazine is announcing a limited-term "Diamond Jubilee WAZ" award. A special certificate will be issued to amateurs who make contacts in all 40 CQ Zones of the World between November 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. Certificates will be numbered but there will be no endorsements. Confirmations will not be required. Full details are available on the CQ Web site or in the October issue of CQChange is in the wind at Alpha Radio Products as a newly-formed RF Concepts, LLC, has acquired Alpha and all its products as of September 2009. The entire product line will continue to be manufactured in Boulder, CO. Alpha will continue to be available at the same phone number. Extra efforts are being made to reduce the backlog of orders and maintain inventory for off-the-shelf shipping. This is very good news for Alpha customers - past, present, and future! It's interesting to note that 11 years ago, this headline was an item in the ARRL News: "Alpha/Power Buys RFconcepts". Obviously, not the same company, but somewhat recursive, nonetheless. (Thanks, Rich KL7RA and Bob N6TV) Plotting strategy, no doubt, are ARRL Sweepstakes Contest Manager, Ken K5KA (left) and ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager, Dave NN1N, poolside at Ken's Bartlesville, OK QTH. (Photo - NN1N) ARRL Sweepstakes is coming and what better fall activity for a collegiate radio club? To encourage more entries from our secondary institutions, ARRL Contest Branch Manager, Sean KX9X has written a short article on collegearc.com to help clubs get on the air for SS. If you're an alumnus of such a club, you might point them in the direction of this article to help answer questions and fan the competitive flame.The FCC rule-making process is certainly a long and winding road, somewhat inscrutable to the layperson, and frustratingly glacial to the petitioner. The article "Radio's Regulatory Roadblocks" by Mitchell Lazarus in the September 2009 issue of IEEE Spectrum sheds some light on the FCC process and why it takes so long for the wheels to turn. While you're browsing the Spectrum pages, Robert Lucky's column, "The First Book of Electronics" will surely strike a chord as it recalls the Alfred P Morgan series of introductory books on electricity for young readers.In the previous issue, this weekend's California QSO Party was reported to be the oldest of the state QSO parties. Not true! The state contest with the longest history of every-year activity appears to be the CQP's cross-continent rival Pennsylvania QSO Party, with its 52nd running in 2009 a Jacob Marley-esque seven years older. (Thanks, Jim K8MR and Ron N3WN) The very first state QSO party of any kind, at least one that was reported in QST, was the West Virginia QSO Party with its third running in 1947. (Given the intervening war years, the dates of the first and second running are currently unknown). The Dakota Division's 1934 QSO party and the NNJ Section's 1935 QSO party are other early QST references. (Thanks, Alan N5NA) Now that we have all that established, let's go out and make some QSOs! Those tower seeds that K?TO planted in the big hole a couple of issues ago sprouted very nicely, as you can see here. (Photo - K?TO) Once those QSOs have been logged, they're submitted to the contest sponsor mostly in electronic form these days. Surely, this is a recent phenomenon? Well, not exactly. Tod K?TO reports submitting a computer-printed log to the ARRL in 1958 and being told that "it had been done before." I can just see the IBM line printer erupting sheet after 17-inch-wide, fan-fold, green-striped sheet of tractor-fed log data! Any claims to the title of "first computer-printed log submission"?More history - this time on the Eimac company, originator of many vacuum tubes that writ large the story of ham radio, adding the bold, the italics, and the underline to the signals of top-scoring stations. (Thanks, Rich KL7RA)Kindle it's not, but if you want something a little more interesting than five-letter code groups for CW practice, try this high-speed Morse stream from literary works! (Thanks, George K5TR)Subscribers to the free Ham-Mag electronic magazine were treated to Dick W?RAA's article "Getting Started in Casual Contesting" in the August 2009 (number 7) issue. This is nicely written for the target audience, encouraging hams with a small HF station to try radiosport. The magazine also includes an article on a multiple microphone and sound-card switch and while you're there, see if you can find the photo of an antenna that will surely rake in a lot contacts.Jim AD4EB gave a well-received presentation at the SEDCO convention on using the MMTTY RTTY engine with the N1MM contest logging software. While the audio and video portion of the presentation will have to be imagined, the text of the presentation has been converted to PDF and posted online by K4RO along with Kirk's presentation, "Contesting 101."The latest ham-related hoax making the e-rounds purports to be from the ELF vilifying ham radio as a health threat. It is perhaps a sign of the over-heated times that we squeal, "Really?" and reach for the Forward button, instead of an incredulous, "Oh, come on..." and hitting Delete, but it is worth a reminder to check these things out before forwarding them and lending unnecessary credence to foolish behavior.Web Site of the Week - The VHF Distance Scoring Working Group is a grass-roots, independent activity outside of the usual contest sponsor committee structure and has been considering many distance scoring options over the last several months. It was thought that ideas could be developed by the VHF community itself for further consideration of all potential sponsors. The full report of the working group is now available. A VHF+ contest using this type of scoring would certainly encourage the develop of some new contesting strategies!WORD TO THE WISECloudburner - You've heard the term "NVIS" probably, referring to the use of high-angle signals to provide regional coverage on the lower HF bands. Before it got a snazzy FLA (four-letter acronym), an NVIS antenna was called a "cloudburner" and is still part of every domestic contester's aluminum arsenal. High-angle signals from low dipoles on 14 MHz and lower frequencies allow you to maximize short-skip QSOs. When sunspots are low and 40 and 80 meters hot, putting up a cloudburner to complement your low-angle DXing antenna is a good strategy.SIGHTS AND SOUNDSYou know how this is going to turn out, but you can't not watch a video titled "HV Capacitor Bank versus Watermelon"! Just remember it the next time you're working on the amplifier power supply and be safe. (Thanks, Lynn N7CFO)The VY2ZM station continues to chew its way through the record books and this video gives you an idea of why. Taken from a 170-foot perch above the Atlantic, is that Rockall I see on the horizon? (Thanks, Ray W2RE)Dennis K1YPP was the subject of an interview with "Doing Stuff Outdoors" about his ham radio hiking experiences on the Appalachian Trail. The interview is available online and mentions ham radio in a new context.Harry KC?NTJ tipped me off to an enjoyable Web site with a "Tower Site of the Week" feature. Well, we can dream, can't we?What happens when a wind turbine loses its brakes? You can find out about halfway through this video from Germany. (Thanks, Rich KL7RA)Care to take a Field Day adventure back to the days when tents were tents and radios had handles? (Thanks, Andy N2NT) Say hello to the brains behind the Boring Radio Club (Tree N6TR, aka K7RAT) and another ol' pro, Joe NK7U, at his rapidly re-generating Baker City, OR station. (Photo - Rebecca Tyree) Here's a Web site, complete with video, from a bunch of Canadian hams who launched a high-definition video camera, tethered to a hydrogen-filled balloon that rose to 107,000 feet! They used amateur radio to track the balloon. (Thanks, John KE7HCA)In the nostalgia department, Bob N6TV sends word that, "The West Virginia Museum of Radio and Technology seems to have very nice collection." Highlights include lots of ham gear, interesting broadcasting remnants, and a spark-gap transmitter video. This is good for browsing while you're chasing the DXpeditions.This is Dave KM3T's favorite t-shirt that he doesn't yet own - maybe yours, too!RESULTS AND RECORDSThe first chapter of the CQ WPX contest survey results have been posted for your inspection. (Thanks, CQ WPX Director, Randy K5ZD)CQ WW 160 Meter Contest Plaque Manager, Doug K1DG announces that all previously unsponsored plaques now have a sponsor. He wishes to thank all of the donors that stepped up to make sure every category was recognized.Lew W7EW writes that, "The Boring Amateur Radio Club is pleased to release the results of the 13th running of the Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge." Plaques will be mailed shortly after Nov 1. The official 14th Edition of The Stew Perry TopBand DX Challenge will be December 26-27, 2009.Judges from the Cheese Hollow ARS met Monday, September 21, 2009 and determined the official results of the 2009 Maryland-DC QSO Party, the final year of its sponsorship by the Antietam Radio Association. Look for a new sponsor next year! (Thanks, Page WA3EOP)OPERATING TIPTurn it down! By turning down your receiver's gain, you'll accomplish three things. First, your ears will love you for it. Excessive audio levels leads to hearing loss, eventually. (What?) Second, your receiver will be far less susceptible to overload that creates distortion and spurious products all over the band. Third, by reducing gain, band noise will be amplified less, making the band sound quieter. All three of these things reduce operator fatigue and improve copy of signals on a crowded band. The result? Bigger scores!TECHNICAL TOPICS AND INFORMATIONThe Contesting Compendium now includes K7NV's Guyed Tower Study. It's good reading for someone who is planning to build or improve a tower. While you're there, you can also take a look at the just-published article by K3NA and W2VJN on the VP6DX receiving antennas. (Thanks, Pete N4ZR)Petr OK1RP has done a survey of fiberglass masts used as antenna supports and posted ten online articles about them. In his experience, the really tall masts are too thin to support any meaningful weight at their full heights. If you want a 12-meter support, for example, you will need an 18-meter mast because the upper sections aren't strong enough. He recommends removing the upper sections and using them to hold up tomato vines in the garden! Petr also says to paint the mast with several layers of UV-protection lacquer or varnish to avoid damage from sunlight.Jim K5LAD has posted the possibly helpful article "Repairing a Tail-Twister Rotator" to help others with balky rotators. In his case, the stainless steel ring gear was damaged, so the repair saga gets into the basics of rotator operation and design. Here are the operators responsible for a lot of TN QSOs - (L-R) Ted W4NZ, Jay AD4EB, Kirk K4RO, and Ned K1GU - in front of the Tennessee Contest Group banner at last weekend's SEDCO convention. (Photo - N0AX) Here's a neat idea for providing power to remote preamps without cables. Herb KV4FZ suggests "...self-contained solar-powered yard lights that switch on at dusk. Remove the lamp and use them for power sources at each pre-amp location....the self-contained rechargeable battery should handle [the small preamp supply current load] all night. Such a power source would also mitigate any problems associated with ground loops, circuitry wire, power inserter, etc." Now, how would you turn them off?Speaking of solar-powered, the solar wind seems to be a bit more important in ionospheric geo-physics than was previously thought according to this UCLA article. On a similar subject, NM7M and K9LA have proposed an interesting theory about 160 meter duct propagation in the 2008 issue of CQ magazine. And how much does sunspot activity affect the weather? There's still a lot of interesting science "up there" for hams to explore! (Thanks, Glenn K6NA and Mark K6UFO)How do you test a vacuum capacitor, anyway? Thanks to Peter DF3KV (an appropriate call sign), we can read Comet Service Bulletin SB-28 and find out!You can save yourself th effort of having to travel to a recycling center with recyclable batteries by using the Call2Recycle Web site. By signing in you can receive postage-prepaid containers for the batteries. (Thanks, Tom N4NW)Here's a tip on splicing three-strand rope together to run a new rope through an existing pulley: "I use a small length of concrete rebar tie wire. Push it through the rope about an inch from the end and fold it back and tape the end with electrical tape. Push the other end through the new rope and do the same. The tie wire is strong, but flexible and will bend going thru the pulley. This method does not leave a big joint to go thru the pulley. I have used the same method to pull coax or control cables in my underground PVC pipes going to the tower." (Thanks, Jim W5IFP)Frank W3LPL also tosses out a line on rope, "To avoid premature rope failure, a pulley's sheave diameter should be at least eight times the diameter of the rope. The width of the U-shaped groove should be approximately 10 percent greater than rope diameter. The depth of the U-shaped groove should be approximately 1/2 the rope diameter. If you change rope diameter, the pulley should always be replaced with a new pulley with the correct groove width and depth. You can extend rope life by rigging the rope so that it wraps around as little of the sheave circumference as possible. A rope that wraps around half of the sheave circumference will have a much longer life than a rope that wraps almost entirely around the sheave."Big hand-held drills can be dangerous if the bit catches or binds causing the drill (and its holder) to rotate instead. Here are some good safety pointers from Roger K8RI: "Always hold [the drill] in such a manner that the trigger can be released if the bit catches. Hold it so the trigger will not be forced against *anything* if the drill motor starts to turn. Be well aware of where the cord is located and keep it well away from all parts of your body." Fingers have been removed and innumerable bruises caused by a powerful motor that can't be turned off.Technical Web Site of the Week - Last Thursday's Webinar on HFTA by N6BV is now on-line? It was a live demo, step by step, on how you can download terrain for your station location and analyze the takeoff angle response of your HF antennas. W6YI's station was used as an example. You can view this collaboration by the PVRC and NCCC online, either playing it while it downloads or saving the file and playing it back later. It's a 137 Mbyte WMV file, so obtaining it might take some time! (Thanks, Dean N6DE)CONVERSATIONThe Pig In the SnakeThe title refers to the well-known demographic distribution of ham radio and to contesters, specifically. Every year, the pig - the graph representing our ages and population -- gets a little smaller and moves a little farther to the right - older. We'd all like to see that trend reversed, of course, and there is a sense on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, that the European contest crowd is a little less "digested", shall we say? So John K1AR took an informal survey and here are his results from a recent CQ-Contest reflector post:Total Responses: 160Responses by Geography:US/VE: 122DX: 38 (31 - Europe; 7 - Rest of World)Total Data:Average Age - 52Age First Licensed - 17Age Started Contesting - 22Years of Contest Experience - 29US/VE-only Data:Average Age - 55Age First Licensed - 16Age Started Contesting - 23Years of Contest Experience - 31DX (all non-US/VE) Data:Average Age - 45Age First Licensed - 18Age Started Contesting -19Years of Contest Experience - 25Europe-only Data:Average Age - 43Age First Licensed - 18Age Started Contesting - 19Years of Contest Experience - 24Although John's results are from a small sample, the trend is clear that European (and non-US/VE overall) contesters are younger than their US/VE competitors. The senior member in this group is Jim, W3CP at 92 years young and Cal, K?DXC, takes the youthful title at 14.Along with the numeric data, John made some other interesting observations: (1) Lots of non-US contesters started in club stations, even before they had their own personal call signs. (2) Field Day and the ARRL Novice Roundup were the two operating events that spawned interest in contesting for many survey participants. (3) There are quite a few contesters in the group who got off to a late start, often being a ham for decades before starting to operate contests.There is a bit of a common element in those three observations - mentoring and entry-level events. These make it easier for potential contesters to learn the ropes and get some experience. I've sung the praises of Field Day many times, as have many of my readers, as a great way to demonstrate competitive operating and introduce the interested. We've got a School Club Roundup coming up shortly - maybe that would be a good way to help out from the other end of the QSO, so to speak. If you look over the list of the fall's coming contests, there are lots of opportunities to get new contesters involved - the ARRL 10 Meter contest is one of my favorites, even at the low end of the sunspot cycle. Simple antennas and low power can produce surprisingly good results with a little coaching.That ten-year gap in average ages across the pond is encouraging in that it shows us there is interest and opportunity...if we try. It takes a bit of a personal touch, but I'm sure there are potential radiosport recruits that would respond to your offer of some coaching or sponsorship of a multi-operator effort conducted at an appropriate pace. Or are you comfortable with being digested?73, Ward N0AXCONTESTS30 September to 13 OctoberAn expanded, downloadable version of QST's Contest Corral in PDF format is available. Check the sponsor's Web site for information on operating time restrictions and other instructions.HF CONTESTSPSK Rumble - The Fall Classic--Digital, from Oct 3, 0000Z to Oct 3, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesDigital SSTV Contest --Digital, from Oct 3, 0000Z to Oct 13, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28, 50. Exchange: Complete image exchange. Logs due: Nov 30.Oceania DX Phone Contest--Phone, from Oct 3, 0800Z to Oct 4, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RS and serial. Logs due: Nov 9. RulesEU Autumn Sprint--Phone, from Oct 3, 1600Z to Oct 3, 1959Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. RulesCalifornia QSO Party--Phone,CW, from Oct 3, 1600Z to Oct 4, 2159Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144. Exchange: Serial and state/prov/"DX" or CA county. Logs due: Nov 15. RulesRSGB 21/28 MHz Contest--Phone,CW, from Oct 4, 0700Z to Oct 4, 1900Z. Bands (MHz): 21,28. Exchange: Serial and UK district. Logs due: Oct 19. RulesYLRL Anniversary Party--CW, from Oct 9, 1400Z to Oct 11, 0200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: Serial, RST, and section/province/country. Logs due: 30 days. RulesMakrothen Contest--Digital, from Oct 10, 0000Z to Oct 11, 1600Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: Grid square. Logs due: 15 Nov. Rules10-10 Sprint--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 10, 0001Z to Oct 10, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 28. Exchange: Call, name, 10-10 number, S/P/C. Logs due: 15 days. RulesOceania DX CW Contest--CW, from Oct 10, 0800Z to Oct 11, 0800Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28. Exchange: RST and serial. Logs due: Nov 9. RulesWorked All Britain HF Contest--Phone, from Oct 10, 1200Z to Oct 11, 1200Z. Bands (MHz): 14-28. Exchange: RS, serial, DXCC entity or WAB area. Logs due: Nov 1. RulesEU Autumn Sprint--CW, from Oct 10, 1600Z to Oct 10, 2000Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, name. Logs due: 15 days. RulesPennsylvania QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 10, 1600Z to Oct 10, 0500Z and 12 Oct, 1300Z to 12 Oct, 2200Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: CW--40 kHz above band edge and 1.810; SSB--1.850, 3.825, 7.200, 14.280, 21.380, 28.480. Exchange: Serial and ARRL/RAC section. Logs due: Nov 15. RulesArizona QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 10, 1600Z to Oct 11, 0400Z and Oct 11, 1400Z to Oct 11, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: CW--1.812 and 48 kHz above band edge; Phone: 1.848, 3.848, 7.248, 14.248, 21.348, 28.448, 146.48. Exchange: RS(T) and AZ county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesFISTS Fall Sprint--CW, from Oct 10, 1700Z to Oct 10, 2100Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, name, FISTS number or pwr. Logs due: 30 days. RulesNorth American RTTY Sprint--Digital, from Oct 11, 0000Z to Oct 11, 0400Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-14. Exchange: Both call signs, serial, QTH, name. Logs due: 7 days. RulesSKCC Monthly Weekend Sprint--CW, from Oct 11, 0000Z to Oct 11, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 3.5-28. Exchange: RST, S/P/C, SKCC nr or power. RulesVHF+ CONTESTSPSK Rumble - The Fall Classic--Digital, from Oct 3, 0000Z to Oct 3, 2400Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50. Exchange: Name and S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesFall VHF Sprints--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 7, 7 PM to Oct 7, 11 PM. Bands (MHz): 432. Exchange: Grid square. Logs due: 4 weeks. RulesARRL EME Contest--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 10, 0000Z to Oct 11, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 50-1296. Exchange: Both call signs, signal report. Logs due: Jan 5. RulesArizona QSO Party--Phone,CW,Digital, from Oct 10, 1600Z to Oct 11, 0400Z and Oct 11, 1400Z to Oct 11, 2359Z. Bands (MHz): 1.8-28, 50,144, Frequencies: CW--1.812 and 48 kHz above band edge; Phone: 1.848, 3.848, 7.248, 14.248, 21.348, 28.448, 146.48. Exchange: RS(T) and AZ county or S/P/C. Logs due: Oct 31. RulesLOG DUE DATES30 September to 13 OctoberSeptember 30 - AGCW Straight Key Party, email logs to: htp at agcw.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Friedrich W. Fabri, DF1OY, Moselstrasse 17b, D-63322 Roedermark-Urberach, Germany. RulesSeptember 30 - ALARA Contest, email logs to: alaracontest at wia.org.au, paper logs and diskettes to: Mrs. Lesley Smit, VK5HLS, PO Box 271, Ashton 5137 SA, Australia. Rules September 30 - MMMonVHF/DUBUS 144 MHz Meteorscatter Sprint Contest, email logs to: mssprint at mmmonvhf.de, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules September 30 - RSGB 80m Club Sprint, CW, email logs to: cwsprint.logs at rsgbhfcc.org, upload log at: http://www.vhfcc.org/cgi-bin/hfcover.pl, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules September 30 - IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB, email logs to: (see your national society rules), paper logs and diskettes to: Your national society. Rules at your national society Web site.October 1 - Kansas QSO Party, email logs to: logs at KsQSOParty.org, upload log at: http://logs.KsQSOParty.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Kansas QSO Party, c/o Randy Wing, N0LD, 13038 SW 186th St., Rose Hill, KS 67133-8559, USA. Rules October 1 - Feld Hell Sprint, email logs to: (none), post log summary at: http://www.emailmeform.com/fid.php?formid=202397, paper logs and diskettes to: (none). Rules October 1 - Russian RTTY WW Contest, email logs to: contest at radio.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: Russian RTTY WW Contest, Radio Magazine, Seliverstov per. 10, Moscow 107045, Russia. Rules October 5 - SARL VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: sarl.contest at peer.co.za, paper logs and diskettes to: The Contest Committee, PO Box 11198, Queenswood, 0121 Pretoria, South Africa. Rules October 6 - Colorado QSO Party, email logs to: coqplogs at ppraa.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Colorado QSO Party, PO Box 16521, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-6521, USA. Rules October 6 - DARC 10-Meter Digital Contest, email logs to: df5bx at darc.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Werner Ludwig, DF5BX, P.O. Box 1270, 49110 Georgsmarienhuette, Germany. Rules October 6 - International G3ZQS Memorial Straight Key Contest, email logs to: hallinl at lanecc.edu, paper logs and diskettes to: Lee Hallin N7NU, 3413 Walton Ln, Eugene OR 97408, USA. Rules October 7 - MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint, email logs to: n8xx at arrl.org, paper logs and diskettes to: Hank Greeb, N8XX, 5727 11 Mile Rd NE, Rockford, MI 49341, USA. Rules October 9 - AGB NEMIGA Contest, email logs to: eu1eu at mail.ru, paper logs and diskettes to: Igor "Harry" Getmann, EU1EU, P.O.Box 143, Minsk 220005, BELARUS. Rules October 10 - SARTG WW RTTY Contest, email logs to: contest at sartg.com, paper logs and diskettes to: SARTG Contest Manager, Ewe Hakansson, SM7BHM, Pilspetsvagen 4, SE-29166 Kristianstad, Sweden. Rules October 11 - PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint, email logs to: jbudzowski at verizon.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Jay Budzowski, N3DQU, 109 S. Northview Ave., New Castle, PA 16102, USA. Rules October 12 - AGCW VHF/UHF Contest, email logs to: vhf-uhf at agcw.de, paper logs and diskettes to: Manfred Busch, DK7ZH, Ebachstr. 13, D-35716 Dietzhoelztal-Mandeln, Germany. Rules October 12 - SOC Marathon Sprint, email logs to: n4bp at bellsouth.net, paper logs and diskettes to: Bob Patten, N4BP, 2841 N.W. 112 Terrace, Plantation, FL 33323, USA. Rules October 12 - Swiss HTC QRP Sprint, email logs to: HB9BQB at uska.ch, paper logs and diskettes to: Guido Giannini, HB9BQB, Kleinzelglistrasse 6, CH-8952 Schlieren, Switzerland. Rules October 12 - Ohio State Parks on the Air, email logs to: chuckw8pt at gmail.com, paper logs and diskettes to: Ohio State Parks on the Air, c/o Chuck Patellis, W8PT, P.O. Box 707, Parkman, OH 44080, USA. Rules ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSARRL Contest Update wishes to acknowledge information from WA7BNM's Contest Calendar and SM3CER's Contest Calendar. The ARRL Contest Update is published every other Wednesday (26 times each year). ARRL members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/. Copyright ? 2009 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved _________________________________________________________________ Bing? brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it now. http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MLOGEN&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MLOGEN_Core_tagline_local_1x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: