January 1976 W6VIO Calling, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Amateur Radio Club

NEW OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS FOR 1976

As you can see from the masthead above, we have a new crew at the helm. The officers were elected at the December meeting, in accordance with the new by-laws which were approved by a 42-0 vote at the end of last year. (All club members were mailed a copy. If you didn't get yours, see Jim Lumsden.) The job ahead is a big one, and we salute these officers willing to devote their time and effort to make this a first-rate club. Congratulations; now let's get to work!

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

At the Board of Directors Meeting on January 28th, Stan Brokl announced the following committee appointments:

Delegate to L.A. Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, Stan Brokl
Alternate Delegate, Glenn Berry
Editor, W6VIO CALLING, Merv MacMedan
QSL Bureau, George Williamson
Education, Norm Chalfin
Publicity, Gordon Crawford
Programs, Nash Williams
Repeater, Bob Akers and Walt Diem
RACES, Jay Bestow
NASA Emergency Network, George Williamson
AMSAT/OSCAR, Skip Reymann
Viking Special Event Activity, Jim Lumsden
Goldstone Liaison, Bill Wood
Sunfire Project Liaison, Gil Yanow
W6QSL Bureau Liaison, Stan Brokl

The message here is, of course, to support the above committee chairmen in whatever activity appeals to you. If you would prefer to lead such an activity, then consider the following activities that are in need of chairmen:

Station Facility
Interference
JPL Annual Picnic
ARRL Field Day
Red Cross
JPL Mobile Group

Interested? Call Stan Brokl (X2715) right away!

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Club has been holding classes since last October to help those working towards their first amateur license as well as to help those trying to upgrade. These were announced in the last issue of the newsletter but are worth repeating here.

All classes are held at the noon hour (12-1 pm) in the west end conference room of Building 122:

Monday - Preparation for written exam. G. Berry.
Tuesday - Beginning code (5 wpm), M. MacMedan.
Wednesday- Intermediate code (13 wpm), N. Williams
Thursday-* High speed code (20 wpm), C. Potts:

* Cancelled after the Christmas holidays. May be restarted if sufficient interest shown.

These classes were set up by last year's Education Committee chairman, Merv MacMedan (X 7264) who can supply information until the necessary data is transferred to the new Education Committee Chairman, Norm Chalfin (X 6833.)

Pasadena City College (Tel, 578-7261) is also offering a licensing course starting the week of Feb. 9 as part of their no-fee adult education program. It's called ENGR 4065, AMATEUR RADIO LICENSING, held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 9:30 pm in room V202 at PCC. S. 0. Coutant is the instructor and it has been very popular in the past. Code as well as theory and rules are taught with a 13 wpm code speed objective starting at zero. All you have to do is go to a class and complete your registration with the instructor.

RULES RELAXATIONS

Effective December 24, 1975, it is no longer necessary to have operated actively in order to renew your license, nor is it required that you attest your ability to handle the code at the required speed. Reason? The requirements were essentially unenforceable. In another action, effective January 9th, it is no longer a requirement to have held a lower grade license for at least a year in order to qualify for an Extra Class license. Gads! '76 may turn out to be a good year after all! [WA6PEA]

DUST OFF YOUR GEAR AND TRY TRAFFIC FOR A CHANGE

One of amateur radio's earliest functions was to link together stations across the country for the purpose of relaying traffic ... messages handled by hams on behalf of the public. That function still exists in the National Traffic System, both on phone and CW. The local net through which these messages are originated and delivered (i.e., the contact with the public) is the Southern California Net (SCN). It covers roughly all of California south of San Luis Obispo. Kevin Berasley, WB6OYN, (who often appears under the pseudonym W6UE at Cal Tech) is the net manager. SCN meets every evening at 6:30 pm local time on 71598 kHz and welcomes new faces. "Zero Beat," the net's monthly news bulletin is a really first-class affair and is sent to all those who check in. Service to the net and its functions is rewarded with various certificates culminating with a trophy for the year's top man! Learn a new facet of amateur radio if you haven't tried it, and help sell amateur radio's good side to the public.

HAM OPERATION FOR SURE

Chas. Weir, W6UM, whom you will remember for the fine job he did leading our WS6MVM special event activity last year, was stricken with a ruptured appendix while attending a Critical Design Review in Phoenix just before Thanksgiving. After spending a week in a Phoenix hospital, he flew home only to have his incision break open upon arrival. Further treatment was necessary, keeping him out of business through the Christmas holidays. Fortunately, a full recovery was finally effected and since his return Chuck has been his usual self. And they say it's a minor operation?

COLEGAS Y AMIGOS MEET FOR BREAKFAST

The Southern California and Mexico Amateur Radio Mobile Group, "Colegas y Amigos" will meet Sunday, February 15, 1976 at 9:30 am in the NEW CONVENTION CENTER, Rochelle's Restaurant, 3333 Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach. Mr. Ira C. Bechtold, W6NCP, of the Bechtold Satellite Technology Corporation will present a short slide narration entitled "Satellite Communications and Imagery: A Space Odyssey in Resource and Energy Exploration." Reservations needed by February 12, with tickets at $3.40 per adult. Contact H. R. "Duke" Ellington, W6OZD, 2980 West 235 St, Apt. 13, Torrance, Calif. 90505 or telephone 213-530-3511. [W6HCD]

GOLDSTONE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB FORMED

On January 16th, a dream came true for many of our friends at the Goldstone Tracking Station. GARC was formed. Wes Weems (W6PVR, ex-W5LLL/6) was elected President and Roland Bibeau, W6GFX, trustee. They are getting their by-laws straightened out to file for a club license, and they plan to have a permanent room at the Echo site with several good pieces of gear. Charter memberships are open and will remain open until they receive the license from FCC. JPL employees may join if they desire ... so far, no expenses, so no dues! Meetings will be irregular until they get on their feet and elect more officers. We wish you all much success! (Thanks to W6PVR.)

BICENTENNIAL CALL MYSTERY SOLVED

Here's a handy-dandy chart to help decipher all the exotic bicentennial prefixes we are allowed to use throughout 1976. No notice required to FCC, but it might be advisable to mark your log somehow to indicate when you use your regular prefix and when you use the bicentennial one. The biggest difficulty is with the overseas possessions since they don't lend themselves to memory crutches. So, here's the whole list:

Bicentennial Regular Location
AA           WA      USA
AB           WB      USA
AC           W       USA
AD           K       USA
AE           WD      USA
AF           WR      USA (Repeater)
AK           WN      USA (Novice)
AG1          WW6     Wake Is. (Novice)
AG2          KB6     Canton Is. group
AG3          WB6     Canton Is. (Novice)
AG5          WG6     Guam only (Novice)
AG6          KG6     Guam only
AG7          KW6     Wake Is.
AH1          WH6     Hawaii (Novice)
AH2          WM6     Midway Is. (Novice)
AH3          KS6     American Samoa
AH4          K34     Swan Is.
AH5          WS6     Amer. Samoa (Novice)
AH6          KH6     Hawaii
AH7          KM6     Midway Is.
AIO          KP6     Palmyra Is.
AJ1          WJ6     Johnston Is. (Novice)
AJ2          WV4     Virgin Is. (Novice)
AJ3          KV4     Virgin Is.
AJ4          KP4     Puerto Rico
AJ7          KJ6     Johnston Is.
AJ8          WP4     Puerto Rico (Novice)
AL1          WL7     Alaska (Novice)
AL4          KC4     Navassa Is.
AL7          KL7     Alaska

Military-issued licenses (KG1, KG4, KC4, KZ5) are not participating in this event as far as we know.

NOVICE ROUNDUP

Those of you that always complain of not being able to get on the air for that much-needed code practice might consider these words from Chas, W6UM. He suggests taking advantage of the Novice Roundup, a contest that runs from February 7 through the 15th. The exchange is the other guy's RST and your ARRL Section. Come to think of it, it could even be a nice way to get your Bicentennial Worked-All-States, and help the novices at the same time with some points for them! Won't take much time, even at slow CW speeds, since the contacts are brief!

FLEAS ... SWANS ... HAM GEAR?

The Palomar Radio Club conducts a monthly Flea Mart in the parking lot of Swan Electronics in Oceanside. Judging from comments of those that have attended, the goodies are many and varied, but you have to get there early to have a good choice. The Flea Mart is held the first Saturday each month. [WB6YCU]

LOS ANGELES TO HIGH DESERT ON 2 METERS

The JPLARC-sponsored WR6AFX repeater on Table Mountain is now linked to the San Gabriel Valley through WR6ALH in Rosemead. This link now allows 2 meter contacts with Goldstone and the High Desert. To use the link from the Los Angeles area, listen on 146.175 and transmit on 146.775. The 146.775 input is looked out if the 146.175 carrier is on. Therefore, wait for the repeater carrier to drop before transmitting.

At the present time, the Rosemead repeater does not allow two hams in the I& area to communicate with each other because it does not repeat the 775 input on the 175 output. The 175 output only repeats the 76 output of Table Mountain. A second repeater is under construction to provide the capability for two LA stations to participate in a round table with high desert stations.

This link is an unusual link that has received a commendation from the FCC because of its conservation of frequencies. The link uses existing frequencies rather than separate ones. A block diagram is shown below to describe this unique linking arrangement.

Note: 146.16 and 146.175 transmitters at Rosemead are interlocked so that one cannot come on if the other is on.

We anticipate that JPL club members will take advantage of this unique opportunity to contact our friends at Goldstone and Barstow as soon as they can get on the new channel, and wish them good luck with the new club at Goldstone! [WA6PEA]

CLUB MEMBERS QUALIFY FOR DISCOUNT

The club has provided a substantial economic benefit to its members in the past through group purchase discounts for transceivers, crystals, and other useful items around the shack. While conducting surveys to obtain good prices, we found a dealer who will provide a special discount to JPLARC members. Next time you're shopping, ask for a bid from Conley Radio Supply, 101 South 31st Street, Billings, Montana 59101. Phone 406-259-9554. May save some sales tax, too! [WA6PEA]

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME AGAIN

It's a new year and time to fork over your $2 to the Treasurer if you want to stay in good standing and qualify for all the benefits of club membership Dues are due by the end of January, but since this reminder is getting to you so late, I'm sure the treasurer won't object if you're a little late. But whatever you do, don't let it go! We had 113 members at the end of 1975 which is by far the largest membership we have ever had. Don't miss the action this year. Send your $2 along with Name, Call, Address and Phone to Jim Lumsden, WA6MYJ, Treasurer, at JPL Mail Stop 233-103. If you're temporarily strapped, a promissory note will only get you another reminder! [WA6MYJ]

PLANS UNDERWAY FOR VIKING SPECIAL EVENT OPERATION

Plans are being formulated for a Special Event Operation to celebrate the July 4th Viking Landing on Mars. A special call sign will be requested, as we did with our highly successful WS6MVM stint to celebrate the encounters of Mariner Venus Mercury, and the committee could use some suggestions as to nifty call signs that could be requested. Help is also needed to design a suitable QSL card. It is hoped to run the affair for a reasonable amount of time between mid June to mid-July, for example, to allow as many stations around the world to make a contact with us. We hope to have two stations in operation ... the 171 location and a new site with antennas on the Mesa which it is hoped will reduce our noise problem. High frequency SSB, CW and 2m FM are planned so far, but the final outcome will depend on the response of the operators. Right now some planning help is needed. Please get in touch with the Viking Special Event chairman, Jim Lumsden, WA6MYJ, extension 6276 if you can support this splendid opportunity to boost the space program. I hope to be able to report on further progress in each future issue. [WA6MYJ]

NEW INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

The Post Office's January '76 revision of its Publication 51 -International Postage Rates and Fees - has just arrived at our post office. The new rates are painfully presented here for your DX QSLing convenience.

LETTERS Surface Rates:

Canada & Mexico: 13¢ first ounce and 11¢ each additional ounce thru 13 ounces.

All other countries:

First ounce,      18¢
1 up to 2 oz,     31¢
2 up to 4 oz,     41¢
4 up to 8 oz,     82¢
8 up to 16 oz, $1.58
1 up to 2 lb, $2.75
2 up to 4 lb, $4.46

Air Rates

Canada & Mexico: 17¢ first ounce and 15¢ each additional ounce.

Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Caribbean Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, St. Pierre & Miquelon: 25¢ per half ounce up to and including 2 ozs; 21¢ each additional half oz or frac.

All other countries (including the rest of South America): 31¢ per half oz. up to and incuding 2 oz; 26¢ each add'l half ounce or fraction.

AEROGRAMMES - 22¢ each, anywhere in the world,

POST CARDS - Surface: Canada, Mexico, 9¢; Rest, 12¢,

Air: Canada, Mexico, 14¢; Rest, 21¢.

If these rates are indicative of postage increases around the world, we had better shore up our poor overworked QSL Bureau to enable it to handle the deluge as hams worldwide try to economize by using the Bureau route! And by the way, DXers, don't forget to send additional 3¢ stamps to the Bureau for your envelopes on file with 10¢ postage -the Post Office won't deliver postage due mail anymore!

JANUARY BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

In the past, your editor has sat in the audience and asked that the newsletter publish a report on the goings-on at our monthly board meetings, so that all club members, even down to the laziest token member, can have the opportunity to be informed of the club's major decisions. Now that I am in the drivers seat, I must confess it isn't so easy. First, I must inform you that minutes are normally taken by the Secretary and not approved by the board until the following month's meeting. Since I feel that's too long a delay for a monthly publication, I requested the Board's permission to publish just the highlights, but in a timely manner. Thus, be it known that what you will see in this column each month henceforth will be the meeting happenings as twisted and distorted by ye editor and nobody will stand behind anything I say here. With that in mind, let's see what happened at the Board meeting of January 28, 1976.

Stan Brokl called the meeting to order. The following members were in attendance:

Stan Brokl, President
Jay Holladay, Trustee
Ralph West, Secretary
Gordon Crawford, Publicity
Jim Lumsden, Treasurer
Chas. Weir, Member
Walt Diem, Director at Large
Merrill Burnett, Member
Merv MacMedan, Newsletter

Two appointed Board positions, the Trustee and the Emergency Communications Manager, were approved, as well as the LA Council of Radio Clubs Delegates and Committee appointments shown on the first page of this newsletter.

The past president, Walt Diem, announced that he had received a report from the OSCAR committee, submitted by its chairman, Skip Reymann, W6PAJ. It was the only report he received from any committee and asked that all committee chairmen submit a report of their activities last year. [It helps me write the annual report - Amen! -Ed.] Skip also donated one of his famous OSCAR orbital predict calendars to the club, and sent the club a letter donating his 2 meter crossed-yagi antenna, provided someone was willing to set it up at 'VIO.

It was noted that our transceiver at W6VIO does not have crystals for the WR6ALH repeater described on page 3 and after some discussion about additional capabilities that would be desirable, it was decided to order a set of crystals for 175/775 and study the possibility of getting a synthesizer for the rest of the channels.

Stan Brokl announced that he was looking into the possibility of engaging the 85-foot dish at DSS-13 (Goldstone) for a July-Bicentennial oriented special event operation on moonbounce (EME). Most probably 432 MHz would be used, but there is a possibility that other feeds could be made for other bands.

Jim Lumsden reported on progress with the Viking Special Event Operation planning, and some of the difficulties in making the new trailer Mesa site operational were reviewed.

At Walt Diem's request, the Board agreed to order the new ARRL RFI packet, which he will make available to any member that needs that reference.

As all business was transacted by exactly 1 pm, the board congratulated Stan for getting through on time for his first experience. "Beginners Luck" he replied, as we filed out to the cafeteria to continue the stimulating discussions.

FOR SALE

Hy-Gain TH-4 4-element Triband beam. Sacrifice $45.

50 FT. FREE-STANDING TOWER. 3-sided, legs 10 feet apart at the base, going to a point at the top. Includes ladder up the side. Hurricane Proof! Complete. $175.

NOVICE RIG. 6 thru 80 meter transmitter, with key and accessories. $30.

GMT CLOCK. $12.

     Phone 213-247-5797 or 213-248-7525

FOR SALE

All in mint condition with instruction books:

Drake 2B receiver, 80-10 meters with Q multiplier, crystal calibrator, speaker. All for $175.

Drake TR-4 transceiver with AC supply, DC supply, 2 microphones, 2 keys, 24 hour clock, SWR bridge. All for $500.

    Call Mrs. Grey, 213-576-7778.

MORE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Pasadena City College offers a number of additional courses, beyond the Licensing Course described earlier, that may be of interest to some of our members. There is no fee for these, as they are in the Adult Education program:

ENGR 4070 ELECTRONICS - ASSEMBLY AND WIRING Wiring fundamentals, component assembly, soldering techniques, harness making, circuit board loading, color code and schematics. Preparation for minimum job entry requirements. 7-10pm, Mon, Tues, Thurs, CATC Rm F; J. M. Brea, instructor.

ENGR 4075 ELECTRONICS - COMPONENTS AND SCHEMATICS Basic electronic components theory and uses of these components in schematic reading. 6:30-9:30pm Wed., CATC Rm B. J.M. Brea, instructor.

ENGR 4080 ELECTRONICS - TV COLOR - BASIC Color Television circuits, theory and service techniques. 6:30-10 pm, Tues, Thurs. PCC Rm V205. D. T. Kealey, instructor.

ENGR 4095 RADIO FUNDAMENTALS Theory, radio parts, circuits. Receiving and transmitting. Ohm's Law, AC waveforms; basic types of vacuum tubes and transistors in amplifying and oscillator circuits. 7-10pm, Mon. PCC Rm V202. R. B. Fisher, instructor.

ENGR,4100 RADIO FUNDAMENTALS LABORATORY -Assembly of simple circuits, construction techniques, measurements, test and repair. Wiring and testing of basic electronic circuits. 7-10pm, Wed. FCC V202. R.B. Fisher, instructor.

Note: CATC=Community Adult Training Center, 1450 North Lake Ave., Pasadena. PCC=Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call 578-7261.

EDITOR GROANS

OK, gang, I'm pooped. Excuse some of the amateurishness of my first issue. It will be hard to match Stan Hench's first class writing and copy preparation, to whom we all owe many thanks for last year's W6VIO CALLING. If you can offer me suggestions, material or a piece of your mind, please do, I'm usually at X 7264. See you in 3 weeks with the February issue.

Go back to the W6VIO Calling Index.