Dear Fellow Hams, 

     1999  has begun. I hope it is a happy year for all of you and that it brings many good experiences in our chosen hobby of amateur radio. The last year of the of the millennium might inspire you to try some new mode of transmitting. Perhaps upgrading, or maybe meteor scatter contacts or ATV contacts will  capture your imagination and effort. If you read any ham radio magazine you will learn of amazingly long distant contacts made with a variety of new methods. 

     Here are a couple of examples found in the Feb. CQ/VHF. There is an article about the exciting contacts made during the Leonid meteor shower in November. WA9JML sent in his report saying, "Signals kept popping in from all over the place, and often were in there for 20 seconds or more. I never thought 2 meters could ever be like this. It was great!" Other people reported burns of over three minutes.  One ham made a contact 1,401 miles away!  K7UV wrote: "This was my first ever MS (meteor scatter) and needless to say I'll be back. This, coupled with my first aurora QSOs last week, has kindled my fire.....after being licensed for 40 years." Those reporting indicated that new hams as well as veteran hams were excited and awed by the contacts  they made during this meteor event.  In November of 1999, the Leonids are supposed to be even more numerous. Get ready! 
 
 

73/ N1UYA Gale 

Address comments, questions, or suggestions to:  
Gale Flagg  R.F.D.#3  Box 250 
Fort Kent  ME 04743  
Phone: 207-834-6670 

Called to Order: 18:37 EST by N1UYA. 

In Attendance: N1UYA, N1CHF, N1CGV, KW1C, N1JHT. 

Secretary's Minutes: motion to despense with reading of minutes by N1CGV, second by N1CHF, passed. 

Treasurer's Report (N1CHF): previous balance reported as $347.47 at last meeting; +$.48 (interest); -$30.00 (radio); -$17.90 (refreshments); -$32.50 (crystals); $255.45 (current balance).  Motion to accept by N1CGV, second by KW1C, passed. 

Old Business: Rocky Mountain report by N1CHF: The repeater is working and he checks the batteries daily. Today the batteries were at 13.71 volts. The repeater is currently on high power.  It should be able to be used for the dog sled races.  Modifications to the new radio have begun and the crystals should be here soon.  There is no manual as of yet. 

KW1C reports that AA1CN will be interested in doing a school project only if he has equipment to use for it.  Support was expressed for finding equipment. 

N1UYA reports that she is still having some problems with Feed-Point and looks forward to improvements. 

New Business: KW1C will be heading up the Field-Day Commitee along with KC1SE as co-chair. 

N1UYA made a request for program suggestions. N1WRV (Scott) the new ARES Cooridinator will be invited to make a presentation.  It was also suggested that we review our bylaws. 

KW1C will give a short presentation during the first net of the month. 

N1CGV, N8VJM, and N1JHT will be the nominating committee for the election of officers.  Election is slated for March 1. 
 
Coordination paperwork has been submitted for the Rocky Mountain Repeater and it will soon be an officially coordinated repeater. 

It was suggested that the club aquire one of the Pinkham Radios and a new controller for the 146.640 repeater. 

Next meeting will be MON 1 FEB 99 1830 EST at UMFK, Daigle Conference Room.  

Adjourned @ 1907 EDT by N1UYA with no objection from the floor. 

Programs: International Amateur Radio Network--A Positive Look at hams (by N1UYA). 

Submitted by: N8VJM, secretary with notes from N1CGV and N1UYA. 
 

31    Very Good EME Conditions 

February 

28  Very Good EME Conditions 

Paul Ciarletta 2-11

     CQ Communications, Inc. have proposed their own restructuring plan, saying that neither the FCC's nor the ARRL's  plans are best for ham radio.

     The CQ plan has four parts:
1. License classes three, equivalent to current Technician, General,  and Extra. This would include either a single 5-WPM code for General and Extra, or 5-wpm for General and 10 -WPM for Extra. ** (Do you know that in 1912 a top grade ham needed to know enough about  equipment to prevent interference, and have a morse code speed of at least 5-wpm in order to answer distress codes or to understand a message requesting a QSY. High code speeds were a deliberate effort later to filter and place quality over quantity in new hams.!!!)
2. A condition of upgrading would have "experience requirements".
3. A BAP- "Basic Amateur Permit" which would authorize operation of amateur stations in schools or health care facilities with a licensed ham as station trustee.
4. CQ would like the FCC to extend to all former amateurs its own proposal to grant permanent element credit to holders of certain expired Technician class licenses. The license could be reactivated with no exams.  
 

Heavy duty 40' galvanized steel tower, 16" x 16" x 16". Includes mounting hardware. Best Offer. 

Pair of stacked 7-element beams for 10 meters. Best Offer. 

Heil BM-10 microphone boom set   $35. 

MFJ 451X  keyer  $35 

Contact Charles Zafonte N1FRX  834-6273

Here are some questions asked of witnesses by attorneys during trials. 

Q. "Do you recall the time that you examined the body?"
A: "The autopsy started around 8:30 PM."
Q. "And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?"
A. "No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy."