MEETING NOTICE
Date: Wednesday, July 9, l980
Time: 12:00 Noon
Place: 238-543
Jay Holladay, W6EJJ, ARRL Southwestern Division Director, will discuss ways of making the best utilization of the new HF bands (10, 18 and 24 MHz). Please bring your ideas to help Jay formulate a consensus for the upcoming ARRL National Convention in 3 weeks.
Stan Brokl, N2YQ, has recently been appointed Section Communications Manager for the Los Angeles Section of ARRL. Stan will explain the responsibilities and functions of his position, and what his plans are for organizing the activities in our Section.
EXTRA! EXTRA! FIELD DAY REPORT EXTRA! EXTRA!
A weary but happy group of club members and their friends recently returned from Table Mountain where the club station, W6VIO, was activated for the l980 Field Day competition. Although Murphy made his customary appearance in the form of heavy thundershowers, the club, operating in the 4-transmitter class, racked up an estimated l500 QSO's, according to Field Day Chairman John Walsh, N6UK. Extra credits in the form of newspaper publicity, solar power and message handling will also add to the final point count now being tabulated. John also proved his mettle as an expert chef by preparing a superb BBQ steak feed on Saturday night.
Full FD details and pictures will appear in next month's W6VIO Calling.
The l980 JPL Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 12 and the Radio Club will operate its usual hot dog stand. These sales are a real boost to club funds, last year netting us more that $300. This year's picnic will have a new closer QTH: Lockheed's Robert Gross Park in Burbank. Club members are needed to work the stand especially during the noon rush. It's a great chance to have some fun with the family at the Picnic and earn some bucks for the club at the same time. Last year's bunch had a great time. Volunteers please contact John McKinney, N6AVW, ext. 66lO or in Building 233 room 208.
Apprehension is when the sun won't shine for your solar powered radio station demonstration.
Surprise is when your spectators find out that the solar panels work anyway, and without batteries!
Saturday and Sunday, May 31 and June 1, did not appear to be model days for demonstrating Photovoltaic Solar Panels, but the impact to the spectators of proceeding to operate the 2 meter and the 220 MHz stations directly off the panels with no intervening storage medium was greater than if the sun had shone.
The JPL Radio Club supported the JPL Open House by setting up and operating a portable solar powered radio station in the mall area. The normal configuration for solar power is to use the panels to keep a storage medium such as a battery charged. Transmitting and other short duration peak power demands are met by the battery with the panels providing a steady recharge capability. If we were to use the storage battery under cloudy conditions, people simply would not believe we were getting our operating energy from the Solar Panels. Therefore, we elected to go without battery.
Conditions at 9:00 AM were marginal; enough for receive power but not enough for transmit. By 9:30 AM the total light level was high enough to permit transmitting also, and by 10:30 AM we could transmit with both rigs. From then on, we had power to spare! (Never did see the sun until after 4:00 PM quitting time.)
The club trailer was also open for inspection. Dick Piety, Ron Zenone, John Repar and John Walsh wetted the world's appetite on slow scan TV with the latest Voyager I image of Saturn, Rings, and Moon Rhea. Not too many visitors ventured as far as the East Gate where the trailer is located, but many hams did make a point to see the complex.
Major weekend participants were:
- Sam Weaver WB6BMD John
Repar WA6LWD
- Ron Zenone W6TUZ John McKinney N6AVW
- Dick Piety K6SVP Eileen McKinney KA6DGV
- Betty Wallin KD6CY John Earnest N6CTT
- John D. Walsh K16C Bruce Beaudry WD6HEZ
- John V. Walsh N6UK
- Ron Zenone W6TUZ John McKinney N6AVW
WA6MYJ, N6AVW and KA6DGV (l. to r.) operate the solar-powered amateur radio station during the recent JPL Open House. (N6CTT photo)
JPLARC Runs Again, by Warren Apel, K6GPK
The club provided communications again this year for the Avon Women's Rose Bowl Race that was run on May 10. The race is conducted by the San Fernando Track Club and is run on a 30-kilometer circuit around the Rose Bowl and vicinity. Club members assisting in communications were George Morris, W6ABW; Rex Quinn, WD6EWN; Dick Piety, K6SVP; Bob Layne, W6LTC; Jim Lumsden, WA6MYJ; and Warren Apel, K6GPK. WR6APR was used to tie together the start/finish line, two checkpoints, the press car and the press site under the Rose Bowl.
After arriving at the Rose Bowl in a downpour early Saturday morning, the weather cleared into a beautiful day. This was the second year that the club has supported the San Fernando Track Club in this event. Besides providing a valuable service for this group of amateur runners, it was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.
Minutes of Board Meeting, by Ron Zenone, W6TUZ
Attendees at the June 25, l980 Board Meeting included N6MP, WB6DRH, WB6EMO, N6UK, K6PGX, N2YQ, W6ABW, N6AVW, WA6MYJ, W6EJJ, N6NO, and W6TUZ. A quorum was present and W6ABW called the meeting to order. Minutes of the May Board Meeting were read and approved.
A request was submitted to the Board by John and Eileen McKinney for a $260 advance to purchase club supplies for this year's JPL picnic. John noted that hotdogs would be sold by the club for 50 cents each. The Board unanimously approved the request.
W6ABW read a letter to the Board that described the l980 club budget and proposed club equipment purchases. The letter as approved by the Board and signed by George Morris will be transmitted to the ERC.
A request for off-lab membership that had been received from W6FXN was reviewed and discussed. 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 club secretary will formally notify the applicant.
The proposed content of a brochure to be published by the ERC that describes the radio club was read aloud by W6ABW. Various comments and suggestions were made as to how the text should read. George indicated that these suggestions will be taken into consideration when he edits the brochure.
Norm Chalfin mentioned that someone from the Griffith Park Observatory contacted him to seek club suggestions as to how the observatory could convert their existing weather satellite receiving equipment to a radio astronomy exhibit. Anyone who can offer help should contact K6PGX for further details.
After the Board approved a motion to donate $10 to the Westlink Radio Network, W6ABW adjourned the meeting.
Contest Results
George Morris won the VHF Sweepstakes for the LA Section and SW Division as reported in the June issue of QST. This was accomplished on 2 meters and 200 MHz with 25 watts or less power. George had more points on 220 MHz than on 2 meters!
In the recent VHF QSO Party (14-15 June) Eileen got over 100 contacts on both 2M and 220 MHz. Her husband John was kept busy putting up wallpaper.
She even worked Nevada on 220 (Mt. Potosi).
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following members recently upgraded their licenses:
- KA61BF Jim Kesterson Technician
- N6BTL Riley Strickland General
- N6BZP Mike Weidner Technician
- N6BTL Riley Strickland General
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