OCTOBER MEETING: FCC Q&A FORUM
Program Chairman Merv MacMedan, N6NO, has planned an outstanding October meeting. Larry Guy, FCC Engineer-in-Charge, District 11, will be present to answer any and all questions about the Amateur Radio Service. The format will be strictly Q & A, so come prepared with a list of questions. Possible topics for discussion include deregulation, FCC positions at the World Administrative Radio Conference, the future of the 220 MHz amateur band, FCC actions on malicious interference, call signs and many more. The meeting will be in 238-543 at 12:00 Noon on Wednesday, October 10. LET'S SEE YOU THERE!
Minutes of Board Meeting, by Ron Zenone W6TUZ
Members attending the board meeting held on September 26, 1979 included W6ABW, N6MP, K6SVP, WA6MYJ, N6UK, K6PGX and W6TUZ. With the quorum present, the meeting was called to order by George Morris. Minutes of the August board meeting were read and approved.
It was reported by Jim Lumsden that the 220 MHz transceiver which had been purchased and returned due to poor performance has once more been delivered to the club. Tests performed on the rig indicate that it is in excellent operating condition. In addition, Jim mentioned that he and N6UK were proceeding on selecting/purchasing a keyer for the club.
An application form received from WA6BTX for off-lab membership was reviewed and discussed by the Board of Directors. The request was disapproved on the basis that the applicant did not meet criteria set forth in the JPL-ERC approved JPL Amateur Radio Club Policy Regarding Off-Lab Membership.
The EVMA Electric Vehicle Road Rally that was to be held in October has been cancelled. Club support is not needed at this time but could be asked for again if the event is rescheduled.
George Morris solicited support from club members to provide communications for the JPL Bike Club Century 100 race scheduled for October 14, 1979. Some handi-talkies will be available for use by those who would like to participate but don't have an appropriate rig.
The club was requested to provide a display for the upcoming JPL open house that demonstrates amateur radio usage of solar power. This request will be accommodated through an effort headed by W6ABW. Following the discussion on open house activities, the meeting was adjourned by George Morris.
Wayward Caltech Professor Now Maritime Mobile
Peter Mason, N6BBP, Jay Holladay, W6EJJ and Bob Polansky, MET, are maintaining a twice-weekly schedule with Prof. Jon Matthews of the Caltech Physics Department. Jon is sailing around the world in a 34-foot sloop, accompanied by his wife, three cats and an ICOM 70l.
The Matthews left on June 25 and arrived in Sydney, Australia on September 14 after stops in Hawaii, Palmyra and Samoa. They expect to complete the trip next summer.
Anyone interested is welcome to join in at 5 P.m. PDT on 21.375 MHz.
Bike Race Support Needed
Sunday, October 14, 1979 will mark the running of the Third Annual Angeles Crest Century Bike Race. JPLARC will support the event with communications through the club's 220 MHz. repeater. Volunteers .are needed to assist in communications at the start and finish lines, in the pace car and at strategic points along the route (JPL to Dawson Saddle and back). George Morris, W6ABW, is ,organizing the effort and will welcome your support for all or part of the event. To volunteer, call George at x 7066.
The Phase III Amateur OSCAR Satellite, by Norm Chalfin, K6PGX
March 5th, l980 is the scheduled launch date for the OSCAR Phase III satellite. It is being launched on an Ariane booster from KouRou, the ESA Launch Pad in French Guyana. At this time, the solar panels and battery systems are being completed and tested at the AMSAT Spacecraft Laboratory. The lab is an open-to-public-view facility in the visitor area of the Goddard Space Flight Center at Greenbelt, Maryland. This was made available to AMSAT so as to permit the public to observe the construction of a spacecraft as it progresses.
Phase III OSCAR is a joint effort of German, American, Canadian and Japanese amateur groups. It was initially to have included a pair of transponders, one with a two-meter uplink and 70 cm downlink, the other with a 70 cm uplink and two meter downlink. Owing to the short lead time only one of the two (70 cm to two meters) will be included on the spacecraft. It will also include an onboard COSMAC microprocessor to provide control and housekeeping functions aboard the satellite.
The orbital path to be followed by Phase III OSCAR is elliptical with a perigee of about 900 miles, an apogee of about 22,000 miles and an orbital period of about 12 hours. This is expected to provide a viewing period of at least eight hours in the Northern Hemisphere. From the DXer's standpoint this is quite a bonanza. Access to almost any point on the other side of the globe from the United States will be possible.
The AMSAT Newsletter is the best source of current information on Phase III. If you are not a member of AMSAT you should become one. Contact K6PGX (M/S 180-302, 354-6833) for information on membership.
Club members recently supported the "Athletes vs. M.S." 10 km race at Dodger Stadium. Left to right: WA6KPW, W6ABW, WD6EWN, W6EJJ, WB6EMO, WA6SAL, WA6MYJ.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS IN TESTING
reprinted from "Basic Facts About High Voltage Testing" published by the Slaughter Company.
Safety in testing is a matter of primary importance, particularly in these days of OSHA and the proliferation of product liability and workman's compensation claims. Some discussion of this matter is obviously appropriate.
A great many papers have been written on the subject of electric shock hazard. However, detailed examination of these papers generally points up the fact that they are in general based upon rather limited experimental data and in many cases, questionable interpretations of this data have been published. It is generally accepted that the degree of hazard is related to the amount of current flow through the body and that the actual voltage is not consequential except in relation to the current flow it can create. It is this principle that has resulted in most high voltage testing equipment being designed with current limiting features of one sort or another and evaluation of the potential hazard on the basis of the amount of short circuit current available under worst case conditions.
The big problem here is that there is NO generally accepted "safe" level of current. Various authorities have arrived at different levels which are presumably safe, but levels almost invariably are lower than the current capability needed to obtain a valid test. Most deaths from electric shock appear to be the result of ventricular fibrillation - an interruption of the heart beat into a condition where pumping action stops and the pulse disappears. Once fibrillation starts, it practically never stops spontaneously, and death ensues within a few minutes. Short duration high current shocks usually simply arrest heartbeat momentarily and the heart will generally recover spontaneously if the current is removed soon enough. This is the principle of defibrillators used in medical work.
Obviously the boundaries of current levels which will cause fibrillation are of prime importance. Some data on human beings has been accumulated through studies of accidents, and some experimental data has been obtained through the use of animals of varying types. In general, this data indicates that a definite relationship exists between fibrillating current, shock duration and body weight. This data has been analyzed a number of times with varying conclusions.
It must be emphasized that the information above has been gleaned from various sources and is presented purely as background review. No data is available as to the effect of electric shock on individuals with heart trouble or other disabilities or diseases.
220 MHz. transceiver to trade for Heathkit HW-202 2 meter radio with three channels plus cash. Contact Steve Katzmann, WA6MVO, x3344.
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