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Meeting
Notice
By Jay Holladay,
W6EJJ
A special meeting of the JPL Amateur Radio Club Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 1996, from noon to 1:00 PM in Bldg. 301 Room 271. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss future plans for the club repeater systems, particularly the systems on the 222 MHz band. Because of the anticipated interest in this meeting, we have obtained a larger conference room than our regular board meeting room. Any club member who would like to participate in this discussion is invited to attend.
The next regular JPL Amateur Radio Club meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 14, at noon in building 238, room 543. Club Board of Directors meetings are held at noon on the fourth Wednesday of each month in 301-227. Everyone is welcome at all club meetings; bring your lunch. n
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 7 | Special Board Meeting, Noon, 301-271 |
| August 14 | General Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
| August 17 | [Pomona Swapmeet, DeVry Institute] |
| August 18 | [Santa Barbara ARC's Hamfest] |
| August 18 | Table Mountain Repeater Users Tour |
| August 21 | Board Meeting, Noon - 301-227 |
| August 31 | [TRW Swapmeet, Redondo Beach] |
| September 11 | General Meeting, Noon - 28-543 |
| September 18 | Board Meeting, Noon - 301-227 |
| September 21 | [Pomona Swapmeet, DeVry Institute] |
| September 28 | [TRW Swapmeet, Redondo Beach] |
| October 9 | General Meeting, Noon - 28-543 |
| October 23 | Board Meeting, Noon - 301-227 |
Notes from
W6EJJ
By Jay Holladay,
W6EJJ
It's mid-summer, and things are pretty slow on the HF bands. Six and ten-meter enthusiasts are still seeing some interesting sporadic-E openings, and reports of the KH6HME beacon show some openings from Hawaii to the West Coast on 2-meters and 70-cm. In general, though, it's a pretty quiet time. A good opportunity to catch up on sending QSL cards or to do some needed antenna maintenance before the fall DX season (and the fall winds!).
If you are looking for a great Sunday outing as well as some ham radio socializing, consider a visit to the Santa Barbara ARC's Hamfest on August 18. This annual event is always a festive occasion and features a Volunteer Exam session, swap tables, prize drawings, demonstrations, games, and a Tri-Tip BBQ luncheon for only $7.50. The main prize this year is an ICOM IC-706 HF to 2-m rig (as demonstrated at a JPL ARC meeting last year), so this is a serious hamfest! The VE session and swap tables open at 8:30 AM; other activities start at 9:00 AM. Admission and parking are free.
The event will be held at the Santa Barbara Elks lodge, 50 N. Kellogg in Goleta. Talk-in on 146.79 MHz (PL 131.8). For more information, call the SBARC phone number, 805-569-5700. They even provide the coordinates (119 40.0', 34 26.32") for you GPS enthusiasts.
While you are there, be sure to check out the emergency communications van that the Santa Barbara club uses for Red Cross and county disaster support. All in all, it's nice way to spend a Sunday and to learn more about different aspects of our hobby. In fact, it sounds so good, I think I'll go up this year myself!
Hope you're having a good summer and that we will see you at the meeting on August 14. n
July Club
Meetings
By Chris
Zygielbaum, N6WEI and Scott
Nolte, N6CUV
General Meeting
The July General Meeting of the JPL Amateur Radio Club was held on Wednesday, July 10. President Jay Holladay (W6EJJ) called the meeting to order.
Jay started the meetings with announcements:
- A special round of applause was given to Bill Wood (WB6FXJ) and Bob Polansky (N6ET) for reporting and writing the article on Field Day that appeared in the June W6VIO Calling. It was an excellent article enhanced by numerous photographs and insights.
- Jay summarized the expected Field Day results as approximately 3000 contacts and 9000 points. Bob Polansky reported that the Forest Service has agreed to allowing the Field Day exercises to continue at no cost to the radio club.
Scott Nolte introduced the program for the meeting. Allen Hubbard (N6VTX), previously a Caltech employee and soon to be a JPL employee, introduced us to his Amateur Packet Radio System (APRS), and described some interesting ways that he has used the system.
Allen linked a packet station to a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Receiver and is able to monitor the location of a transmitter in a mobile location via packet radio. His most successful use of the system was to track the progress of Rose Parade floats on their way to the judging and parade staging areas for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Radio Association (TORRA).
Board of Directors' Meeting
The July Board Meeting of the JPL Amateur Radio Club was held on Wednesday, July 24, 1996. President Jay Holladay (W6EJJ) called the meeting to order.
- Rick McKinney (KA6DAN) presented 2 options for wiring the radio shack trailer to accept power from a gas-fueled generator. It was decided to wait till Walt Mushagian (K6DNS) returns from travel before making a decision.
- Walt Diem (WA6PEA) reported that the next 220SMA meeting will be held August 17 at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Communication Facility.
- Internal issues regarding club repeater operation were discussed. The PL (CTCSS) frequency for the 147.150 repeater will be added to it's voice Id'er to aid new users.
- It was decided to send a letter to the 220SMA notifying them of the presence of the non-PL'ed W6XT repeater on 224.700. Scott Nolte (N6CUV) offered to draft the letter.
- The deadline for turning in FY96 paperwork for the Emergency Communications Account is nearing and a meeting with Chuck Sarture (KG6NF) is needed. n
DX News
By Bob Polansky,
N6ET
Still, no significant change in band conditions. Old Sol seems to have gone soundly to sleep. In spite of that, if one stays glued to the ole HF rig, there's lots of good stuff that can be had. 40, 30, and 20 meters are your best bets, with concentration being given to terminator crossing s plus or minus an hour or two. The DX Bulletin, as usual, provides most of the information for this article. Here goes:
FAROES OY1CT has been reported regularly on 14025 kHz around 0100Z.
JAN MAYEN - This relatively rare country is currently host to JX7DFA. He will be operating from a place on the island where it is possible to talk to the USA. Times given are 10 - 12 August, 17 - 19 August, and 23 - 26 August, primarily on 20 meter RTTY.
LIBYA - A 5A1A operation is planned for the near future. No specifics yet. Be on the lookout for this one, as Libya is about as rare as it gets.
MARION IS. - More reports on ZS8IR. Although I haven't caught up with him yet, there are numerous reports on his being worked in California on 20, 30 and 40 meters, both phone and cw, where allowed. 40 and 30 meter opportunities exist from about 0400Z through 1430Z on the low end of the CW bands.
MIDWAY - NH6D/KH4 is on Midway through 8 August giving out dx QSOs between work periods. In addition, AH0W/KH4 plans a large scale operation from here in early August.
OGASAWARA - JD1/7J1AYK plans all band, all mode activity from 14 to 21 August. Frequencies given are 3505,7005, 22 kHz up from low end on 20, 15, and 10 meters, also 10101, and 18070 kHz.
TOKELAU - Look for ZK3YA, Yvette, who should be active from here for the next three years. She was reported on 7003 kHz between 1000 and 1100Z.
TUNISIA - 3V8BB was reported at 0020Z on 14011 kHz. If he stays around long enough, perhaps we can get some West Coast propagation.
VANUATU - Look for Ron Wright, masquerading as YJ0ARW, from Vanuatu. Don't know how long he'll be there, but there aren't too many YJ hams around, so its worth a listen.
Good luck and Good DXing. Remember, only one QSO per band per mode! n
Field Day
Wrap-Up
By Jay Holladay,
W6EJJ and Dave Ritchie, N6DLU
Well, the contacts have been tallied, the forms completed, and the final Field Day entry package has been submitted to ARRL Headquarters. Now we sit back and wait for the final results to be published in November QST. Below is the band-by-band breakdown of our score:
BAND CW QSO SSB QSO
160 0 0
80 97 199
40 244 220
20 857 428
15 34 242
10 0 151
6 0 66
2 0 277
222 0 54
432 1 42
1.2GHz 0 0
10GHz 0 0
SAT 16 3
PKT 44 *
80N 0 *
40N 11 *
15N 0 *
10N 0 150
222N * 33
Subtotal 1304 1865
Total QSOs
3169
Total score with multipliers:
1304 X 4 = 5216 pts plus 1865 X 2 = 3730 pts
Total QSO points = 8946
With all bonus points (1100) added, the final score is 10,046 points
This is indeed a great effort in Class 2A, considering all the difficulties we overcame. By way of comparison, this score would have been good for third place in 2A in the 1995 Field Day! Our thanks to the following operators and support personnel for making Field Day 1996 such an outstanding success:
N6NO, N6ET, WB6CIA, WA6SAL, W6YLZ, KE6LEA, N6DLU, W6EJJ, NO6B, WB6FXJ, W6PAJ, N5DPU, NC6U, KB6UBS, WB6VRN, KA6DAN, N6PLM, WA6TPW, KE6ABQ, KE6UKA, KC6ZSY, KE6DKY, N6OMB, KF6DKI, K6KCY, N6JKQ,KC6CNV, KK6TS, KB6WYU, K6OEF, KK6QP, KE6BKE, KE6GZE, N0GSZ n
FD Follow-Up
By Bob Polansky,
N6ET
Just a brief note about last month's Field Day article: The QSO total and rough estimate of our Field Day score informally published last month was flawed. We erroneously subtracted all our duplicate contacts out of the QSO total, not realizing that CT had already done that for us. Instead of a score of roughly 9600 points, our claimed score sent to the ARRL was 10,046 points. Again, we all should be proud of that accomplishment, given the state of our hilltop just five hours before the start of Field Day. There's a chance we could actually take first place in the 2A class! Time will tell. n
Wanted
A50-to-80-foot self supporting/telescoping/tilt-over tower or towers. Can be either tubular or triangular. Need to be in good condition. Motorized would be a big plus. Will pay for packaging and shipping to Prescott, Arizona. Contact Brian (KW6J) at 714-896-3514 (M-F, 8 AM to 4 PM) or via Internet at stapleton@apt.mdc.com.
New or used (but in good condition) HF large mono-band beams which were designed for high gain/good front to back ratio/good directivity etc. Contact Brian (KW6J) at 714-896-3514 (M-F 8 AM to 4 PM) or via Internet at stapleton@apt.mdc.com.
Icom IC-04AT 440 MHz HT. Call Joel Mosher KB6RXE at 818-719-1779
Your want ad or article for inclusion in a future issue of W6VIO Calling. Submit either to Bill Wood, Mail Stop DSCC-33; or via Internet (bill.wood@jmindspring.com)
For Sale
Advanced Class ARRL Video Study Course, includes Computerized Exam Review Software, complete course for $50.(New cost $129).Call Bob Dye,KQ6GD,(818)249-0171.
Model HDX-589-MDPL, 89-foot self-supporting US Tower. Includes heavy duty motor, pull downs, and limit switches. Only a few years old with hardly any use. Buyer will be responsible for removal of tower from back yard of property (will require a crane capable of lifting at least 2 tons of weight from the back yard of SK Carl Johansen's QTH, up and over his house to the front street, and onto a flat bed to move to your QTH - probably no more than 2 hours for the crane to be at the job site). Complete tower package originally cost around $8,100 (including shipping to the LA area). Will sell for $5,400. Contact Brian (KW6J) at 714-896-3514 (work number M-F, 8 AM to 4 PM).
Yaesu's - like new. Closing station. FT-470 2m/440 w/tone squelch, PA-6 ~ FNB-12 batteries, chargers, and two vinyl cases. Unused, in carton. $350. FT-212RH 2m mobile w/mic, spkrs. Used very few hours. $295. Astron RS-12 power supply, good condition. $50. George KC6CWA, (707) 945-0705, or via W6MEO@KJ6FY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM. n
ARRL News
Via the ARRL www Home Page
Shuttle-Mir
Mission Launch Postponed Until September
ARRL Letter Update, July 19
NASA managers have decided to replace the reusable solid-rocket motors on the space shuttle Atlantis, delaying until mid-September the planned July 31, 1996, launch to rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir. STS-79 will carry the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment, or SAREX. Atlantis' motors are being replaced because technicians disassembling the motors of the previous shuttle mission, STS-78, observed that hot gas had seeped into J-joints in the field joints of the motors.
STS-79 now is set to take off early on the morning of September 15, 1996, for a nine-day flight. This, the fourth Mir docking mission, will use SAREX configuration "M," which is FM voice, using the shuttle-Mir 2-meter radio.
Three schools-two in the US and one in England-have been confirmed for SAREX QSOs during STS-79: Andover Middle School in Andover, Kansas; Immaculate Conception Elementary School in Celina, Ohio, and The Royal School for Girls in Surrey, England.
Three hams will be aboard STS-79. Jay Apt, N5QWL, a mission specialist, has flown on three previous shuttle missions and used Amateur Radio on each flight. Carl Walz, KC5TIE, participated in SAREX from Columbia during STS-65 in July 1994, before earning his ham ticket. Making his fifth shuttle mission is John Blaha, KC5TZQ, a mission specialist. During STS-79, Blaha will switch places with astronaut Shannon Lucid, and remain with the Mir space station for 5 months. Lucid has been aboard Mir since March 1996. Other STS-79 crew members include Commander William Readdy, Pilot Terrence Wilcutt and Mission Specialist Thomas Akers. n
Major Solar
Flares Noted; Flux Up Ten Points
ARRL Letter, Volume 15, Number 7
Solar seer Tad Cook, KT7H, in Seattle, Washington, reports major solar flares on July 8 and 9. There was no impact on the K index as of July 12 at 0900 UTC. "Sometimes there is a visible flare that isn't aimed at the Earth, so the effect isn't as great as one aimed right at us," he said.
Meanwhile, Cook reports the solar flux jumped 10 points in one day. "This was not predicted because it's from a new event on the Sun, not an old area that we could expect to recur in 27.5 days," he explained. "The solar flux has been steady at 68 to 70 for a long time. A jump to 82 is quite an event." An earlier forecast from NOAA Space Environment Service Center had indicated that no geomagnetic disturbances were expected over the next month, and the solar flux had been predicted to remain right around 70. Likely effects, Cook says, are increased absorption and enhancement of north-south paths. VHFers also were hoping to take advantage of auroral propagation.
Cook says the best bets during the summer for worldwide propagation are 20 meters during daylight-- especially north-south paths--and 30 and 40 meters after dark.
Sunspot numbers for June 27 through July 3 were 25, 24, 23, 23, 11, 13 and 13 respectively, with a mean of 18.9. The 10.7-cm flux was 71.4, 71.4, 70.9, 70.7, 70, 70.4, and 69 respectively, with a mean of 70.5. 68, 66.9 and 66, respectively, with a mean of 68.9. n
The following is a list of the FCC's most recently issued call signs as of July 1, 1996. District
District Group A Group B Group C Group D
Extra Adv. Tech/Gen Novice
0 AB0CI KI0DP ++ KB0WWW
1 AA1QH KE1FL N1XPG KB1BYU
2 AB2BO KG2HR ++ KB2ZKI
3 AA3OP KE3WW N3XTT KB3BPL
4 AE4VY KT4SW ++ KF4KQM
5 AC5IX KM5BR ++ KC5VEB
6 AC6WA KQ6HP ++ KF6EWW
7 AB7RL KJ7YY ++ KC7RTO
8 AA8XM KG8XY ++ KC8EIA
9 AA9SS KG9HD ++ KB9NZU
Hawaii # AH6OQ # WH6DCB
Alaska # AL7QM KL0AA WL7EKK
Virgin Is. WP2X KP2CJ NP2JI WP2AIE
Puerto Rico KP3B KP3AB NP3CF WP4NMF
# New prefixes are available for this block, but none hve been issued.
++ All call signs in this group have been issued in this area. n
The following test session information is provided by the ARRL/VEC for the upcoming three month period. For further information, please call the test session contact person at the telephone number listed. If necessary, you may contact the ARRL/VEC at 860-594-0300 for additional information. Electronic mail may be forwarded to the ARRL/VEC via USENET at "vec@arrl.org" or via MCI Mail to MCI ID: 653-2312 or 215-5052.
Although the test session information presented here does not indicate whether walk-ins are accepted or not, most test sessions do allow walk-ins. We encourage you, however, to always call the contact person at the telephone number provided so that the VE Team is aware that you be attending the test.
08/07/96, Los Angeles, 90280, 310-923-6531, Clyde McCown 08/10/96, Bell, 90201, 213-560-8618, Pedro Cacheiro 08/10/96, Brea, 92621, 310-691-1514, Robert Reitzel 08/10/96, Culver City, 90230, 310-827-2538, Clive Morel AA6TZ 08/10/96, Culver City, 90230, 310-827-2538, Clive Morel 08/10/96, Fontana, 92337, 909-823-6818, Louis Johnson 08/10/96, Glendora, 91740, 818-966-7715, Perry Stevens P.R.C. 08/10/96, San Pedro, 90710, 310-325-2965, Elvin Lytle 08/10/96, Torrance, 90504, 310-328-0817, Joe Lamphen 08/10/96, Ventura, 93004, 805-388-2488, Geo. Kreider, KN6LA 08/11/96, Victorville, 92392, 909-867-9270, Pat Essary KB6TMD 08/15/96, Fountain Valley, 92708, 714-531-6707, Allan Avnet 08/17/96, Downey, 90241, 213-923-5598, Wesley Printz 08/22/96, Colton, 92324, 909-825-7136, Harold Heydenfeldt 08/31/96, Culver City, 90049, 310-459-0337, Scott V Swanson 08/31/96, Pomona, 91769, 909-949-0059, Don Warburg 09/11/96, Hollywood, 91607, 818-766-1341, Elliott Bloch 09/13/96, Irvine, 92717, 714-824-8477, Jack C Lockhart WD6AEI 09/14/96, Bell, 90201, 213-560-8618, Pedro Cacheiro 09/14/96, Culver City, 90230, 310-827-2538, Clive Morel AA6TZ 09/14/96, Culver City, 90230, 310-827-2538, Clive Morel 09/14/96, Fontana, 92335, 909-822-0392, Bill Hatch N6YTQ 09/14/96, Glendora, 91740, 818-966-7715, Perry Stevens P.R.C. 09/14/96, San Pedro, 90710, 310-325-2965, Elvin Lytle 09/19/96, Fountain Valley, 92708, 714-531-6707, Allan Avnet 09/21/96, Orange, 90720, 310-598-0086, Rick Riness 09/21/96, Santa Clarita, 91322, 805-259-8410, John Abbott 09/21/96, Westminster, 92640, 714-638-4057, Terry Hall 09/26/96, Colton, 92324, 909-825-7136, Harold Heydenfeldt 09/28/96, Culver City, 90049, 310-459-0337, Scott V Swanson 09/28/96, Garden Grove, 92643, 714-534-8633, John Gregory 09/28/96, Pomona, 91769, 909-949-0059, Don Warburg 09/28/96, Torrance, 96900, 310-834-0558, Renato Santos 10/05/96, Lancaster, 93534, 805-948-1865, Adrienne J Sherwood 10/12/96, Bell, 90201, 213-560-8618, Pedro Cacheiro 10/12/96, Brea, 92621, 310-691-1514, Robert Reitzel 10/12/96, Culver City, 90230, 310-827-2538, Clive Morel AA6TZ 10/12/96, Fontana, 92337, 909-823-6818, Louis Johnson 10/12/96, Glendora, 91740, 818-966-7715, Perry Stevens P.R.C. 10/12/96, San Pedro, 90710, 310-325-2965, Elvin Lytle 10/17/96, Fountain Valley, 92708, 714-531-6707, Allan Avnet 10/19/96, R, San Diego, 92104, 619-295-5862, Jeffrey Zimmer 10/20/96, Concord, 94527, 510-427-4022, Jim Wallace Jr 10/24/96, Colton, 92324, 909-825-7136, Harold Heydenfeldt 10/26/96, Culver City, 90049, 310-459-0337, Scott V Swanson 10/26/96, Pomona, 91769, 909-949-0059, Don Warburg A6HNC n
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Amateur Radio Club
Attn: Bill Wood, Editor, Mail Stop DSCC-33
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
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