Contents
Calendar of Events
|
December 9 |
Banquet
Meeting, Noon – Marie Callenders |
|
December 11 |
[Fontana
Swap Meet, A. B. Miller HS, Fontana} |
|
December 18 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
December 22 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
December 25 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
|
January 8 |
[Fontana
Swap Meet, A. B. Miller HS, Fontana} |
|
January 12 |
General
Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
|
January 15 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
January 26 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
January 29 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
|
February 9 |
General
Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
|
February 12 |
[Fontana
Swap Meet, A. B. Miller HS, Fontana} |
|
February 19 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
February 23 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
February 26 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
Meeting Notice
The next meeting of the JPL Amateur Radio Club will be the annual Banquet held on
Thursday, December 9, at 6 PM in the upper room at Marie Callendars, 2300 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena.. The Club
Board of Directors meetings are held at noon on the fourth Wednesday of each
month in 233-305J. Everyone is welcome
at both meetings; bring your lunch to the BOD meeting. n
Prez’ Mix
By Bob Dengler, NO6B
Let me begin this month with a big
THANK YOU to Scott Nolte, N6CUV, who volunteered to make the arrangements for
this year’s holiday dinner meeting. I’m
certainly looking forward to this year’s dinner, which will be held on December
9th. Look for more info
elsewhere in this newsletter.
At last month’s meeting we announced
a new Internet service that our club will be providing to the amateur
community: a web-based list of operational repeaters in the LA basin. Taking full advantage of HTML & server
script, this list will feature the ability to sort & filter according to
client-specified parameters as well as hyperlinks to sponsoring clubs of the
repeaters in the list. This web-based
repeater list has been made possible primarily through the availability of the
ampr.org internet domain to our club, and through years of monitoring activity
on the 2, 220 & 440 MHz bands. As
of this writing, the server has not yet been installed; watch for an e-mail
& Monday net announcement regarding this service.
I attended the Southern California
Repeater & Remote Base Association’s (SCRRBA, a Southern California
frequency coordinator for all amateur bands above 50 MHz except for 2 meters
& 220 MHz) general meeting held on November 20th at Harvey Mudd
College. We got a little “free PR” for
our open 445.20 Cerro Negro repeater as it was announced at the meeting that
our system was the FIRST open repeater frequency to be coordinated as a result
of the recent move to switch from 25 to 20 kHz channel spacing. SCRRBA also appears to be moving to free up
channels that are unused by their respective coordinees.
The bad news is that SCRRBA is
badly backlogged in performing 420-430 MHz coordination for linking. I have submitted a volunteer application
to SCRRBA in an offer to help out in this area, and I encourage any club member
that can also help to contact SCRRBA via its web page at http://www.scrrba.org
Last Saturday I attended the last
TRW swap meet that will be held in the same parking lot for nearly 20
years. The TRW swap meet has always been
the most popular local ham swap meet. I
remember the first one I went to in 1980 with Ken Reilly, N6CCE (I didn’t have
a car yet!), when it was held in the parking lot just east of its current
location. It quickly grew to be bigger
than what that lot could hold, so the W6TRW Amateur Radio Club, sponsor of the
swap meet, moved it to the larger lot that it has occupied ever since.
But it didn’t stop growing there.
Hams & other electronics vendors arrived earlier and earlier to get
a seller’s spot. Buyers began to
arrive early as well, bringing flashlights to be able to see all the things for
sale. Apparently some of the local
residents began to complain about the early-hour activity in the area, as the
TRW ARC began to restrict entry into the sellers’ lot.
Up until that time, there was no strict start or end time
imposed
on the swap meet, nor was there even a fee charged to sellers. A 7:00 AM start time was set, which for a
time being simply moved the swap meet to a long line of sellers’ vehicles
strung around the lot waiting to get in.
A few buyers still showed up early & picked through the junk in some
of the open-bed trucks waiting in line (I vaguely recall finding one or two
good deals this way myself!).
Nowadays, with 3 local ham swap meets covering the LA
basin &
Inland Empire, things have settled down a bit. I even saw a few empty spaces in the seller’s lot this month.
Although this month’s TRW swap was
the last one in the same parking lot, fear not: the swap meet will definitely continue
on in another TRW parking lot directly across the intersection of Marine &
Aviation. Hope to see you there, and,
more importantly, at our club dinner meeting!
73 n
November Club Meetings
By Jonathan Cameron, KF6RTA
GENERAL MEETING, November 10
The meeting was called to order by
Bob Dengler (NO6B). Those present were:
Phil Barnes-Roberts (KE6PMZ), Chris Carson (KE6ABQ), Bob Dengler (NO6B), Warren
Dowler (KE6LEA), Dayton Jones (K6DJ), Walt Mushagian (K6DNS), Scott Nolte
(N6CUV), Jerry Person (KK6TS), Phil Smith (WB6LQP), Mike Tope (W4EF), and
Jonathan Cameron (KF6RTA).
Bob Dengler led a discussion about
setting up a computer server to host a database for some of the frequency bands
relevant to the JPL Amateur Radio Club, such as 2 meters and 440MHz. Apparently most sources of this information
are outdated and an interactive database available (and updateable) on the
Internet would be very useful. We would
need a computer and Bob encouraged the members to try to find a computer in the
process of being phased out or surplused for this application.
There was some discussion of the
slate of officers for next year. Some
arrangements have been made for most of the critical officers, although Bob is
still looking for someone to be the Treasurer for next year. Anyone interested in helping out as a club
officer next year should contact Bob.
The annual club Christmas dinner
was discussed. Bob Dengler will try to
find someone to arrange that meeting.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING,
November 24
The official meeting was not held
due to lack of a quorum. This is the
third month without an official board of directors meeting! Announcements were made for the meeting, but
apparently many of the officers were not available due to holiday plans. Only three officers appeared for the board
of directors meeting and the bylaws require five officers be present for a
quorum. n
DX News
By Jay Holladay, W6EJJ
Bob, N6ET, is on business travel, so he prevailed on me to be guest columnist this month. With the return of high solar activity and good fall conditions the last few weeks have been very exciting on the HF bands. If you ever thought of trying the HF DX game, now would be a good time.
On ten meters it is possible to talk to most
parts of the world with 100 watts and a simple antenna (dipole or
vertical). There is plenty of DX on ten
every day now, but the ARRL ten-meter contest on December 11-12 (UTC) is an
especially good opportunity to try the band.
See QST for contest rules or check the ARRL web page (www.arrl.org) under contests.
Band conditions for the CQ Worldwide CW DX Contest last weekend
(November 27-28) can only be described as “fabulous”. This and its phone counterpart (last weekend
of October) are the “big ones” for DXers.
Major contest operations and special DXpeditions operate from all parts
of the world. This provides great
opportunities for hams with modest stations to add to their country
totals. Last weekend I was able to work
DXCC (over 100 different countries contacted) with 74 countries worked on ten
meters alone. And my station is a
tribander at 40 feet plus a vertical for 40 and 80 meters. Maximum power out is 250 watts on ten and
500 on the other bands. It is possible
to be well on your way to DXCC with an exciter (100 watts out) and a vertical
under these kinds of conditions.
Most of the specific DX information I have is stale by now, as it
concerns operations that were set up for the CQ Worldwide contest mentioned
above. One good source of weekly DX
information is the ARRL DX Bulletin, which is posted every Thursday afternoon
on their web page. Also, check the AC6V
web page (AC6V.com/) for an excellent set of links to all sorts of DX and
contest information.
There are lots of interesting and rare
operations coming up next year, so stay tuned.
And give Bob or me a call if you would like to know more about working
the ten-meter contest, or how to go about getting started in HF Dxing. 73 de W6EJJ. n
25 Years Ago in:
By Bill Wood, W6FXJ
The December 1974 holiday issue was a little thin. Treasurer Merrill Burnett, K6BER, made a pitch for both ARRL and club membership renewals. For those interested in minutia the ARRL dues were $7 a year while the club required a hefty $2 for 1975.
Dick Ulrich, K6KCY, and Bill Weber, W6HNQ, were studying the establishment of a club-owned instrument pool. They needed inputs from the members as which instruments should be acquired. A form was included to clip off and send to Bill.
Editor
Elmer MacMillen included a copy of the December Extra issue of HR Report, a ham
radio related newsletter of the era.
This covered the FCC amateur radio restructuring that was underway at
the time. Check out the club newsletter archive to read this.
The full December 1974 issue can be accessed at the following Internet address: http://www.jplerc.org/radio/calling/1974/dec/dec74.html n
Classified Section
Wanted:
Your want-ad or article for inclusion in a future issue of W6VIO Calling. Submit to Bill Wood, W6FXJ, 31094 Hemlock Ave, Barstow, CA 92311; or email w6fxj@earthlink.net
For
Sale:
QST 1990-1994 CD-ROM set, new. $25 (ARRL price $39.95) Skip, W7NWY, 818-354-9674
US Tower (MA40) 40 foot tubular
telescoping tower, hinged base, 2 co-ax arms, mast extension, Hy-gain
Explorer-14
beam antenna with 40 meter dipole add-on, and Hy-Gain antenna rotator (Ham
IV). Original cost, less tax, was over
$2200. Sell all for $800. Contact Ron Zenone (W6TUZ) at (626)
914-5585.
Icom
UT-40 Tone Squelch Option Board (CTCSS) for HT models 2GAT, 4GAT, 12GAT, 32AT
or for mobiles 228, 448, 901, 1201, 2400 and 2500. Cost: $80 (AES Catalog)
Sale for $40. Radio Shack,
Rotor/Controller and Cable, 3 years old, never used, have box/papers, like new.
Cost: $70+ Sale for $50. Scott Nolte, N6CUV 818-354-9724n
JPL ARC
Year End Banquet
By Scott Nolte,
Please join us for the big JPL ARC Year End Banquet meeting. This year it again will be held at Marie Callender’s in Pasadena, where we have a private dining room with good facilities for our program and speaker. With a choice of entrees, and an excellent program planned, you won’t want to miss this event.
What: JPL ARC Year-End Banquet meeting
When: Thursday, December 9
No-host Happy Hour at 6:00 PM, Dinner at 7:00
Where: Marie Callender’s Pasadena
2300 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA
(626) 792-3109
Choice of entree:
Beef Pot Roast
Oven Roasted Turkey
Includes soup or salad and non-alcoholic beverage
Cost: $13.77 per person ($15.77 with pie) including tax & tip
Program: To be announced shortly. It should prove of interest to both hams and families. I believe anyone who attended last year’s banquet will agree that we have a fine location and that it was a very enjoyable event. Make your plans now to attend. n
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fill in the following form
and mail to Scott Nolte at JPL Mail Stop 306-392,
together with a check made out to Scott for $13.77 or $15.77 for each dinner. Call Scott at 818-354-9724 to RSVP.
Name:______________________________
Callsign:____________________________
Number of guests:____________________
Check box for number of entree(s) desired:
Beef Pot Roast:__________
Oven Roasted Turkey:______
ARRL News
Vast Majority of Hams Not ULS-Ready
Via ARRL Letter Online, Volume 18, Number 46
Even though registration has been available for approximately two years now, most Amateur Radio licensees have yet to register with the FCC's Universal Licensing System. The ULS Task Force reports that, as of mid-November, 682,212 amateurs still have not registered. This figure includes individuals whose licenses have lapsed but remain in the two-year grace period. The FCC recently said approximately 3% of US licensees had registered with the ULS.
The FCC deployed the ULS for the Amateur Service on August 16, 1999. Amateurs must be registered in the ULS in order to file applications with the FCC--including renewals, modifications, and vanity call sign requests.
Meanwhile, the latest "good news/bad news" scenario from the ULS could go something like this: "Dear Amateur: The good news is that we have granted your requested Group C vanity call sign which you sought 10 weeks ago when you were a General class licensee. The bad news is that when we granted your long-awaited vanity call, we also undid the Advanced and Extra class upgrades you accomplished while your vanity was pending. So, congratulations! You're a General once again."
The ULS Task Force says it recently discovered that the bug occurs when several applications are pending (e.g., a vanity application and an upgrade application). The FCC is attempting to straighten out the unintended downgrades and says it will have the operator class of affected licensees corrected within a week.
FCC personnel are currently testing the processing for club, military recreation, and RACES applications and hopes to act on pending applications before the end of the month. Up until now, those applications have been filed on paper and still must be manually keystroked into the ULS prior to processing.
The ULS Task Force also wants amateur applicants to know that if they apply too early for license renewal, their applications will be dismissed. A license renewal must be filed no sooner than within 90 days of expiration, even if coupled with a license modification. This is only an issue for those filing paper applications; the electronic filing system will not let applicants file prematurely.
To register for the ULS, visit http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls and click on "TIN/Call Sign Registration". Paper registration also is possible. For more information, call toll-free 888-CALL FCC (225-5322).
Via ARRL Letter Online, Volume 18, Number 45
Knowledgeable sources in Washington say the amateur license restructuring issue has moved to the front burner at the FCC, and a Report and Order could be released before the end of 1999.
The Amateur Radio community has been awaiting license restructuring -- known officially as the 1998 Biennial Regulatory Review of Part 97 (WT Docket 98-143)--for nearly one year now. While no one has mentioned a hard-and-fast date to wrap up the long-awaited proceeding, reports from several sources suggest that the R&O draft is in its final stages and could be complete within a month or so.
During a recent a visit to top FCC officials in Washington, League officials pressed again for early action on the license restructuring rulemaking. They were assured that the issue was not stalled and that the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau was "working very actively" to move restructuring along.
Whatever its final form--and no one has hinted at that--license restructuring poses significant implications for Amateur Radio and its future direction and growth. On August 10, 1998, the FCC proposed to phase out the Novice and Technician Plus licenses, leaving just four amateur license classes in place--Technician, General, Advanced, and Extra. The Commission also asked the amateur community to express its opinions on Morse code requirements for licensing and testing, but offered no specific recommendations.
At its July 1998 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors--attempting to get the jump on restructuring--issued its own plan to restyle Amateur Radio. Among other details, the ARRL plan also calls for four license classes and for "refarming" Novice/Tech Plus subbands to provide additional spectrum for higher-class operators. Under the League plan, the Technician license remains unchanged, and the General becomes the entry-level ticket to HF operation. The ARRL proposed Morse code requirements of 5 WPM for General and 12 WPM for Advanced and Extra class.
The restructuring debate generated more than 2200 comments to the FCC, many of them from individual amateurs. Once the FCC approves the Report & Order, a Public Notice will be issued, and the actual R&O will be released probably within a few days. n
Newsletter Deadline:
Friday, December 31 for the January issue of W6VIO Calling.
Your articles, ads, photos, diagrams, letters to the editor, or technical
material should be submitted to the editor via email (w6fxj@earthlink.net)
or regular mail to: Bill Wood, 31094 Hemlock Ave, Barstow, CA 92311.
Posted November 30, 1999