Permission to copy is granted
provided that credit is given to “W6VIO
Calling.”
Permission to copy is granted provided that credit is given to “W6VIO Calling.”
Contents
Calendar of Events
|
February 14 |
General
Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
|
February 17 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
February 24 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
|
February 28 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
March 3 |
[Fontana
Swap Meet, A. B. Miller HS, Fontana} |
|
March 4 |
[Los
Angeles Marathon] |
|
March 14 |
General
Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
|
March 17 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
March 28 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
March 31 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
|
April 7 |
[Fontana
Swap Meet, A. B. Miller HS, Fontana} |
|
April 11 |
General
Meeting, Noon - 238-543 |
|
April 21 |
[CMRA
Hamfest, Cal Poly, Pomona, 7 AM] |
|
April 25 |
Board
Meeting, Noon - 233-305J |
|
April 28 |
[TRW
Swap meet, Redondo Beach] |
By
Christopher Carson, KE6ABQ
The February General Meeting of the JPL Amateur Radio Club will be held on Wednesday February 14th in Bldg. 238-543.
Bob Polansky, N6ET, will discuss the club’s new HF ham shack, its
layout and planned evolution. In
addition, Bob will discuss changes in our antenna system interfaces to match
the proposed plans for the new shack.
The goal is to get some feedback from the Club membership on these
items. So attend this important meeting
and make your thoughts known.
The February Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday February 28 in Bldg. 233-305J. n
By Bob Dengler,
NO6B
I have just enough time this month
to get a few reminders out of upcoming events and other important stuff: Sunday, March 4th is the 16th
City of Los Angeles Marathon. As in
years past, the JPL ARC will be providing communications support.
If you have a 2-meter, 222 or 440 MHz HT or any combination
thereof, consider helping us out participating in this public service
communications activity. To do so,
please visit the LA Marathon Amateur Radio web page at http://www.dolphinsci.com/kn6f.html
and use the online form to signup.
There is a mandatory training meeting for all amateur marathon
volunteers that will be held on Saturday, February 17th at 1:00 PM
at City of Angels Hospital, 1711 W. Temple in Los Angeles. See the above web page for more info.
Anyone who’s used the club’s 6-meter station lately is probably
aware of the new paging antennas that were recently installed atop building
180. No, not because of intermod - the
FT-847 still receives just fine on all bands.
The problem is that these new antennas block the rotation of our 6-meter
yagi! We hope to have this situation
remedied in a few weeks. In the
meantime, be careful about using the antenna rotor in the VHF/UHF shack atop
180. A note underneath the rotor box
indicates the allowable range of movement.
Basically, it can only be turned towards the eastern U.S., eastern
Canada and Europe.
Finally, do plan to attend our next club meeting on Wednesday,
February 14th at noon in 238-543.
We actually have a program this month: our own Bob Polansky N6ET,
trustee of the W6VIO HF station will be making a presentation on some changes
planned in the antenna system and location of the shack (we’ve been offered new
better space).
73, Bob n
By Jonathan
Cameron, KF6RTA
General
Meeting, January 10
The meeting was opened at 12:10 by Bob Dengler. Those present included Eric Archer (N6CV),
Jonathan Cameron (KF6RTA), Chris Carson (KE6ABQ), Bob Dengler (NO6B), Marvin
Druskoff (K6NJ), Randy Hammock (KC6HUR), Walt Mushagian (K6DNS), Bob Polansky
(N6ET), Robert Sweet (KG6DKW), and Mike Tope (W4EF). A quorum was present.
Bob Polansky suggested a couple of amendments for the club
budget. Based on those changes, an
amended budget was approved by a vote of the board of directors present. Then the general members present received
the budget and approved it by a vote.
Bob Dengler presented the issue of the problem with the Field Day
prohibition of using 142.52 MHz during Field Day Operations. Several arguments against this prohibition
were presented and generally agreed with by those present. A motion was made and approved for Bob
Dengler to draft and send a letter to the ARRL contest committee to remove this
prohibition in the future.
Bob Dengler handed out TASMA applications to those present and
encouraged us all to join.
Bob Polansky reminded us that our storage trailer has been
targeted for eventual removal and discussed other options for storage,
including a nearby disused building.
Some funding is available for this purpose. We should expect further information about this as the situation
develops.
Board
of Directors Meeting, January 24
The
board of directors meeting was canceled.
n
I have gotten a look inside the building that is being considered
for the new W6VIO ops emergency communications site. It is immediately behind our storage trailer just inside the East
gate to JPL. It will take a bit of work
to make it “home”, but the job appears worth undertaking. Some facility support will be needed, but
it has been tentatively promised.
I have designed in my mind what is needed and how the building
should be configured. Once I have
committed the thoughts to paper, we need to look at the ideas and make whatever
changes appear needed. Hope I can
depend upon your help in readying the building and making the move assuming
that nothing changes.
Parts have been received to repair our WARC antenna elements,
which have been bent a bit by the wind or perhaps by a heavy red-tailed
hawk. In addition, the rotor for the
beam will have to be removed and repaired.
A cherry picker is now available to permit that job to be done. Assuming that we can make the rotor repairs
locally, we should have the antenna and its rotator back in service within a
month after “de stacking”.
On an unrelated note, the commercial paging folks have seen fit to
install vertical antennas on the roof of B180, which interfere with our
ability to turn our new 6-meter beam more than about 120 degrees. It took real “smarts” to install their
antennas
where the physical interference was so obvious. As I understand it, the needed antenna moves on their part is
being negotiated; however, any users of the 6-meter beam should exercise care
when rotating the antenna to minimize damage to our antenna and rotor.
Parts have been received to repair the R-7000 antenna, which will
provide limited HF capability to the B180 roof site. We need to assemble and tune the antenna prior to moving it there
for installation.
Plans are also on the table for redeploying the hard lines that go
up the hill from the W6VIO ops trailer.
I plan on providing additional switching to better use the total antenna
resources on our hilltop. This will be
coordinated with the move to our new shack, if/when it happens. n
By
Bob Polansky, N6ET
Lots of exciting things going on in the realm of DX. The most exciting thing in my mind is the
fantastic time I had exercising our World Class DX Station capabilities during
last weekend’s 160 Meter CW Contest. I
was able to work 16 countries during about 8 hours of operation including an
EA8 and a CT3, just off the East coast of Africa. Both contacts were made on my first call in heavy pileups! The 80 Meter long path has yielded a number
of exotic contacts too, like A9, UA6, and many Europeans. 40 Meters is a dream when you have a
2-element beam up at 75 feet. That band
has provided contacts with A5, D6, VU, and numerous European entities on both
the long and short paths. Working DX is
wonderful!! What’s coming up next? I thought you’d never ask.
BOUVET - 3Y0C is handing out many contacts on 80 through 10 meters
and will be doing so through roughly mid-March. He’s barefoot due to a failed amplifier, but he’s still
hearable. Operation is primarily on
SSB.
COMOROS - D68C will attract lots of attention on 160 through 10
meters from 8 February through 28 February.
They should be workable on all bands, given lots of patience.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA - 3C1AG has been active for about a week now on 80
through 10 Meters, primarily on CW. His
planned departure date is long passed, but his activity continues. I don’t know how long he will remain, so
work him quickly!
ST. MAARTIN / FR. ST. MARTIN - Operations by WD5S, W8EB, and their
spouses are planned from 15 February through 18 March, including the ARRL CW
Contest period. Look for them on 160
through 10 meters using PJ7/ and FS/ preceding their US calls.
ST. PETER & PAUL ROCKS - PW0S plans a one week operation
starting on 7 February. W6VIO needs
this entity on SSB.
SYRIA - YK9A starts operation on 3 February for about a week on
160 through 10 meters. This is another
entity needed by your Club station on SSB.
WAKE IS. - Look for AC4G/KH9 from this Pacific island from 9
through 27 February. This is understood
to be another all-band operation.
For those of you who simply want to work lots of DX, don’t forget
the ARRL CW DX Contest the weekend of 17/18 February (GMT). There should be lots of new countries for
most avid DXers operating that weekend.
To help in your quest, propagation predictions from today through at
least 17 February are all “above normal”.
Enjoy!!!! n
By Bill Wood, W6FXJ
Editor Merv MacMedan, W6IUV, led off the February 1976 issue with an
editorial about communications priorities during the recent Guatemalan
earthquake emergency.
Jim Lumsden, WA6MYB, detailed the need for operators for the upcoming
Viking Special Event activity in July of 1976.
Dick Piety, K6SVP, put out a call for a work party to install five or
six new coaxial cable and control cables from the W6VIO trailer up to the Mesa
to improve communications for the event.
Stan, K6YYQ, passed on a suggestion that is still a good idea: Post the Meeting Notice part of W6VIO
Calling on the nearest bulletin board so interested non-members will be exposed
to club activities.
In an article titled “CHALFIN TALKS TO RATS,” Norm Chalfin, K6PGX, is to
present one of his famous illustrated talks to a meeting of the Desert RATS
Association in Palm Springs. Norm
swears it is not a CB group – it stands for Radio Amateur Transmitting
Society!
Education Committee Chairman Chalfin also announced the successful
completion of the club’s Novice and Extra code classes with completion
certificates awarded to seven students at the February General Meeting. Merv MacMedan conducted the 5 WPM class
while Charlie Potts handled the 20 WPM students. Nash Williams, W6HCD, is continuing the 13 WPM class with more
certificates due when they reach their goal.
The full February 1976 issue can be accessed at the following Internet
address: http://www.jplerc.org/radio/calling/1976/feb/feb76.html
¾
What a pleasant surprise to find my dear departed friend’s
callsign, - W6VIO, still active at JPL.
I know Jack would be honored. I
talked to Jack from Hawaii as KH6EOQ almost every day during his lunch break at
JPL from Jan 65 till Sep 67. He visited
me in Hawaii with his wife a couple of times and we stayed in touch until
shortly before his death. I thought
Jack was a wonderful man and a dear friend.
Thanks for giving him his well-deserved bit of immortality.
I made a contact with the station in 1994 and am looking for the
log, so I can ask for one of those beautiful QSL cards. I was WA4SIH then and
when I talked all those years to Jack that was my home call. KH6EOQ was [the] Tripler Army Hospital
[callsign]. I worked several of the
other ops there at JPL during that time also.
73, Bill, W4SIH n
By Phil
Barnes-Roberts, AD6PQ
Announcing: An opportunity
to study for upgrade to FCC General Class Amateur Operator license, in Pasadena
CA.
Sick of the bickering on local repeaters? Want to get in on the activity you hear
about on HF? “Ten is hot”, as are 12,
15, 17 and 20 meters (not to mention 40, 80 and 160, since the 11-year sunspot
cycle is just about at maximum.) You
need a General to operate on most of it, though. Now’s the time, while the sunspot cycle is near its peak, to get
it and get on the air!
WHEN AND WHERE: Beginning
February 15th (finally!), and continuing for eight Thursday
evenings, 7:00pm to 9:00pm, we will be meeting at the Pasadena Kaiser Permanente
offices “Walnut Center” (This is not
the medical facility) at the corner of Walnut and Los Robles, just South of
the 210 Freeway in Pasadena. Eastbound,
exit Fair Oaks, stay on the frontage road to Los Robles; Westbound, exit Lake
Ave and do likewise. Enter guarded
parking on Los Robles, announce your intentions, come to the lobby and sign
in. We will be in Room 1-C, across the
hall from the Pasadena Radio Club’s usual meeting room.
TEXT AND COST: We will use
the ARRL General Class License Manual, Fourth Edition © 2000. If you need a copy of this book, I will be
willing to make a group buy, on which we can get a small discount from the
cover price of $15, which will help cover expenses, or if you have your book,
the handouts, sample tests, etc. will cost you $5 for copying, etc. Let me know right away (see CONTACT INFO
below) if you need a book, so we can start quickly.
THE PLAN: is to have everyone take responsibility for a section
of the book, and come prepared to teach it to the rest. Details will be worked out at the first meeting
on the 15th. There are 12
chapters plus the question pool and appendices, so enough students will lighten
the load for everyone. Morse study will
also be discussed. Getting to 5WPM
isn’t hard; practice is the key.
COMM: We will coordinate
as much as possible by email, using http://www.egroups.com/group/PRC-UpGraders
as a group mailing list. If you wish to
be involved - or just monitor - [there’s no spam in it!] go there and
click [Join] to become a member of this online community. You can also get daily digests, or just go
read messages at the Website. Egroups
(which used to be OneList) was just bought by Yahoo, so you’ll see ads for
Yahoo, but as always, you don’t have to buy anything there. If you have a printed copy of this and don’t
have email, don’t panic. Show up on the
15th, and we’ll make sure we can keep in touch either by phone, US
Mail, or on the air. Are we not
communicators?
CONTACT INFO: Phil Barnes-Roberts AD6PQ is the facilitator for
this seminar, and can be reached on the JPL 2M repeater during the day
(147.150/+/131.8) or Pasadena Telco in the evening (145.180/-/156.7);
US/snail/Mail 323 Marathon Road, Altadena CA 91001; Tel. 626-791-0851 (recorder
24/7, if the kid isn’t on it); email Mailto:ad6pq@arrl.net
also works. Joining the egroup (or now,
yahoogroup) also lets you send email to the other members and Elmers. n
Wanted:
Reliable Person to receive about 40 copies of “W6VIO Calling” each month to address and mail to retired and other off-lab club members. Job involves applying club supplied adhesive address labels and postage stamps. Takes only 30 minutes each a month. Contact Bill Wood, W6FXJ, at 760-256-5529 or w6fxj@earthlink.net for details.
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:
Radio Shack (Realistic) PRO-2021 Scanner. 200 Channels. 30-512 MHz. AC powered
Desktop Scanner. Excellent condition.
$75.00 Contact Bill Westphal WB6YPF at 213-787-9991 or wb6ypf@pacbell.net
Uniden Bearcat BC-760XLT Scanner.
100 Channels. Covers 800 MHz
band. Preprogrammed police, fire,
marine,
weather. 12 VDC powered Desktop or
Mobile. Comes with AC-DC Converter,
Telescopic whip antenna, Suction cup window antenna and mobile mounting
hardware. Excellent condition $100.00
Contact Bill Westphal WB6YPF at 213-787-9991 or wb6ypf@pacbell.net
Cushcraft ARX2B Ringo Ranger II 2 Meter antenna. Good condition. $35.00Contact Bill Westphal WB6YPF at 213-787-9991 or wb6ypf@pacbell.net
QST 1990-1994 CD-ROM set, new. $25 (ARRL price $39.95) Skip, W7NWY, 818-354-9674
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 818-354-9724
All the
following items are offered by Randy Ballinger, WB6MMJ:
·
Yaesu
220 MHz memorizer with mike and PL. $100.00.
·
Mirage
D 30-10 amp. 100 watts out. $150.00.
·
Homebrew
4CX1000 amp. is on 15 and 20 mtrs. can be changed to run 10-80 mtrs. Has 220
variac. Transformer is 3800 volts @2.5 amps. Very well built. Price: $450.00.
pick up with your pick up. (in 6 ft. rack)
·
Eico
753 transceiver. Covers 20-40-80 mtrs. works good with matching power supply.
Price:$125.00.
·
Henry
2K4 floor model. Runs a pair of 3-500z‘s Looks and works great. Pick up only. $600.00
·
Kenwood
TS 903 sat with matching speaker and mc 60 mic. both manuals. $700.00.
·
Icom
IC 471A UHF all mode. Covers 430-450 with DTMF mic and manual. $400.00.
·
Astron
RS 20a power supply. $50.00.
·
Johnson
Viking Pacemaker. This is a very rare transmitter. Very clean and works good.
With photocopy manual. $600.00. Prefer pickup.
·
Johnson
Viking 2 transmitter. Works good. Front panel is poor. Comes with the matching
vfo. Price $150.00.
·
National
NC 300 receiver. works good and looks good. $200.00 prefer pick up.
·
Hammerlund
HQ110 receiver. works good and looks good.
Is missing the tiny dial cal knob. $125.00
The larger, heavier items have to be picked up. I will ship the lighter ones with buyer paying the shipping. Randy Ballinger WB6MMJ, 909-867-7769, wb6mmj@local.net n
Friday, March 2 for the March 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.
