RACES OFFICIAL TO ADDRESS CLUB AT DECEMBER MEETING
Dr. Henry Richter/W6VZA, Chief Communications Officer of the LA County RACES, will be present at our next Club meeting, on December 13, in 238- 543. Dr. Richter was formerly working at JPL and holds the distinction of being the first trustee of the JPL Radio Club, back around 1959. He plans to bring along two LA County Deputy Sheriffs, Sgt. Carl Kennedy/WB6TDE and Sgt. Frank Oakden/K6TOW, both active members of RACES.
Dr. Richter's presentation will cover the organization, operation, objectives, and indoctrination activities of the local RACES, and he is always willing to recruit new members. Plan to be at this meeting, noon sharp, because seats will be scarce.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR DECEMBER
At the end of the year, we approach transition; a new year, new challenges, and new officers -- perhaps a whole new way of running the club. My message is simply this: PARTICIPATE!!
Your fellow hams need your expertise, no matter what the specialty. Since so many are pros, too, there's even more opportunity for sharing this great hobby. One of the most rewarding ways to share is to take on responsibility for Club projects and activities, either through hardware "hands on", or management. I urge each of you to give serious thought to participating more fully in some of our projects or committees, or serving as an officer. We need you and, I think you need each other.
73, Al/W6MEOTREASURER'S NOTE
The JPL amateur Radio Club is still entitled to a 50 cent rebate on each ARRL membership application or renewal made through the Club. All you need to do is send the Treasurer, Jay Bastow (233-301) your renewal notice with a check for $7.50 made out to either JPL Amateur Radio Club or JPL Employees Recreation Club. A single check is then obtained from the ERC for the renewal cost, less our deduction for the Club. 50 cents isn't much, but it is lost to the Club if you renew directly to the ARRL.
Jay/WB6NFNSTATION ACTIVITIES By George Williamson/K6YGN
There has been a rumor that the W6VIO Radio Station is used only for a storage room. Not so. W6VIO is making its presence felt by operating QRP on Diameter SSB. For any of you DC-banders that may not have heard yet, 10 meters has received an ionospheric shot in the arm.
As a sampling of the goings-on, consider the following for this calendar year:
| Month | Station Worked | Our RST | Remarks |
| January | ZllAQ | Not much activity this month. | |
| February | Mainly low, low band operation. | ||
| March | ZllAQ | 5 x 9 | |
| ZLlAVF | 5 x 9 | ||
| April | OA4JT | 5 x 8 | |
| May | PJ9AD | 5 x 4 | |
| June | Quiet month (School finals) | ||
| July | CE1RM | 5 x 3 | |
| KZ5AA | 5 x 9 | ||
| August | YV5DLT | 5 x 7 | |
| LU7FAG | 5 x 8 | ||
| LU9ECV | 5 x 9 | ||
| HK3BGB | 5 x 8 | ||
| September | LU2DEK | 5 x 6 | |
| CE6CA/0 | 5 x 4 | Easter Island | |
| KV4FA | 5/5/9 | ||
| ZL2ANB | 5/6/7 | ||
| October | KP4DNQ | 5 x 8 | |
| XE1RN | 5 x 8 | ||
| KP4DDO | 5 x 5 | ||
| HPlXMF | 5 x 5 | ||
| K5WVC | 5 x 9 | He was running 5 W input. | |
| November | HClRR | 5 x 8 | |
| XE1IIO | 5/5/6 | ||
| RP4DIW | 5 x 8 | ||
| K0IXS/M | Aeronautical mobile, 1000 mi NE of Canton Island. |
These contacts were all made on 10 meters, between 1100 and 1300 local time, with 180 watts input. I haven't counted the many local (U.S.) contacts on 10 meters, nor the two Diameter QRP contacts, namely VQ9FOS and 9M6HM, both confirmed.
As you can see from the above,
it can be done without the linear. So, for a real challenge,
resist the urge to throw on the BIG switch, and-
UP
WITH QRP!!!
ARRL NEWS By Jay Holladay/W6EJJ
Gary A. Stilwell/W6NJU was recently elected ARRL Vice-Director for the Southwestern Division. He won over candidate Arnold Dahlman/W6EUI, 1981 to 1883 votes. Gary is an active member of the Southern California DX Club; congratulations, OM.
John Griggs/W6KW easily won re-election as Director, defeating Ray Meyers/W6MLZ by a vote of 3220 to 682.
Looking for a new and interesting challenge? With the successful launch and operation of OSCAR-6, the ARRL Communications Dept. has announced a "Satellite DX Achievement Award." This award will require a Appoint or better total on the following basis: QSO's through the satellite count 10 points; each new country worked counts 50 points; each new continent counts 250 points. This award relates only to communications via the OSCAR-6 satellite, and only contacts made on or after December 15, 1972 will count. Only one contact per station is allowed.
The ARRL has filed a request for reconsideration of the FCC's action concerning phone band sub-division, in order to provide more General/Conditional space in the Diameter band.
RANDOM NOTES IN QRM -
Club Pres Al Chapman reports that several people have indicated an interest in having meeting's from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. This would permit more members to attend who are often tied up at noon. Since visitors may be admitted on- Lab up to 5:00 p.m., and can stay on later than this, it does have possibilities for next year. If anyone has comments or ideas, contact Program Chairman Nash Williams.
The Fall 1972 edition of the Cambion Callout comes up with a few new Tech Twists of its own:
PULSE GENERATOR: A living doll.
RESISTOR: Customer who won't give you the order.
LED: How the Godfather settles arguments.
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE: Political situation in Central America.
READ- WRITE MEMORY: What your kids don't have.
MICROWAVES: Short girls now admitted to the Navy.
NOSE CONE: When your ice cream is almost gone.
OSCILLATING PICKUP: Girl who can't decide.
PIGTAIL LEAD: Teeny-bopper actresss.
CAPACITIVE RESISTANCE: When you've had one too many.
DELAY LINE: What you hear at end of first date.
BUS FLIP-FLOP: Politicians reaction to school transportation issue.
CALTECH AMATEUR RADIO CLUB REPORTS IN -
Bob Palitz, WB2FEH/WA6MIU, Sec'y/Treasurer of the Caltech Radio Club, sent us a nice, long and chatty letter bringing us up to date; we're going to quote it all:
I thought I would send along a letter to let you at JPL know that we are alive and well, and appreciate receiving you Newsletter, even if we cannot often be represented at your meetings. Here is some present news of our Club.
Approximately 20 new students at Caltech have indicated an interest in joining us and obtaining licenses. We hope to begin regular instruction in the near future.
W6UE now operates from two main locations on the campus; the original shack in the Winnett Student Center, and my room in Lloyd House. The big shack runs Drake separates into a Heath SB-220 amplifier and, at present, has only the old TA-33 beam up 85 feet, fed with 500 feet of 13-year-old coax, stuck with no rotator at 30 degrees (toward Chicago?). The new station has a Hallicrafters SR-400A transceiver with remote VFO, and feeds a dipole up 30 feet, with two legs each on 80 and 40 meters, fed with 200 feet of RG-59 foam coax and which, for no apparent reason, has an SWR of less than 3 on all bands.
The Drake R-4A receiver VFO is inoperative, and we are presently trying to locate a schematic for it.
Obviously, our biggest problem at the moment is antennas. We had obtained permission in June to move the club from its present location to a wing of the Spaulding Chemical Engineering Lab where the beam is located, but that wing (the only one with available space) was condemned during the summer because of earthquake hazard. We now have two alternatives open to us: First, to obtain permission to erect a 70-ft crank-up tower next to the Student Center, or to have the Physical Plant Dept. snake better feed lines and control cable through the tortuous 500-ft buried conduit path between Winnett and the roof of Spaulding.
The first plan involves obtaining permission for the tower and antenna from the Trustees' Buildings and Grounds Committee, reputedly not a friendly group. There could be no guy wires, so the project cost could easily reach $2000, including installation.
Plan Two is not as difficult but is less desirable, electrically. We would run three lengths of 1/2-in. dia. foam-dielectric, aluminum-jacketed coax, and two lengths of 8-conductor control cable large enough for a Ham-M rotator. With this plan, the antenna system would probably end up being monoband beams -- four elements on 20-meters, five on 15, seven on 10, perhaps twelve on 2, and inverted Vee's on 40, 80 and 160, all at approximately 85 feet. Cost for this would run on the order of $1200-1500. We should have a decision by January on which route to take.
Our present activities include investigating the possibility of throwing together a little 2-meter transmitter to get into OSCAR-6.
The untimely death of our longwire on Winnett brought an end to our 40- meter phone patching activity. Most of our formal public service work now involves written traffic on 80-meter CW nets. WB6ZEC, WB2JAE and WB2FEH keep W6UE in the Southern California Net every night, and we are the Sixth Region Net Liaison Station on Sundays.
On Page 58 of the November QST, K6AA claims to be the oldest club in Southern California (1926). In a letter to QST, I gently point out that we predate them by no less than five years!!
W6UE has been asked to help send messages home for the members of a few high school marching bands that will be out here for the Rose Parade. Unfortunately, just about all of our operators will be home on vacation at that time. Is anyone in your club interested in helping out? I'm sure it could be milked for much good publicity.
That's about it for now. I hope we can begin sending a delegation to some of your meetings soon.
73, Bob Palitz
Ed. Note: We hope so, too. Everyone here is looking forward to meeting you.
FM REPEATER LIST UPDATED
Chuck Krinke/WA6LWB came dashing into this editor's office with the latest update on Southern California repeaters. The map on the next page indicates the locations and new frequency assignments of all FM repeater stations in the local area. For those active in this mode, it should be of great help in finding out where their favorite repeater went, and for those contemplating the purchase of 2-meter FM equipment, it should give you an idea as to which stations you can reach from your QTH, and which crystals to plan on ordering. Enjoy--
FOR SALE
Lafayette Model HE-10 Communications Receiver, 8 tubes, 4 bands, complete with matching speaker unit. Contact Newsletter Editor for details & specs, or call E. Wiler, X6104 for info. Asking price $60.
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