Thunderstorms and high heat - sounds like ham radio to me! Get your gear ready for a fire. Get your batteries charged or your penlight packs in order cuz fire season is upon us!

Gardening and building a new canning kitchen have taken another month out of my life. Hope your summer is as productive.

I have been to the Kalmiopsis three times in a month for four-day trips (that's 12 days) in a very nice place. I took 40 meters QRP and talked home. Fun!

Hope to see you at the club meeting.

CUL, Jim, WA6OTP

I won't get to make the next club meeting. If you have any changes for the roster or mailing list, just phone or e-mail me anytime.

Now that I have a bonefide operating desk again, I'm starting to get excited about working HF again! VHF can be fun, but nothing beats the excitement of talking around the world, literally! When I lived in Grants Pass previously, I spent most of my time on 15-meter CW and phone, late at night, making contacts with Australia and Japan. I worked the world with a 100-watt transceiver and a five-band ground-mounted vertical behind my garage. If you haven't enjoyed the HF experience, try it? you'll like it!

If you have anything to submit for publication in the Gnus, see the contact information below the masthead.

73, Mike, N7GEI

At the next SOARC meeting, one of our members will be presenting an antenna project and our illustrious president will be doing even more of his now-famous showing-and-telling! Be prepared for a relaxing and informative evening.

73, Cy, W7MQL

Western Belles is a women's ham radio chat group that meets at 7:30 PM on the 1^st and 3^rd Thursdays of every month on the 147.300 repeater. Please check in!

The ladies will be getting together for a luncheon at 11:30 AM on September 9^th at the Back Road Grill in Merlin. The restaurant is located across the street from Merlin Community Baptist Church. All female hams are invited to attend.

73, Wilma, W1LMA, and Anita, KC7MGH

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FOR SALE--ICOM 2M HT, about eight years old, AC & DC chargers, extra battery, case, and instruction manual. $100.00. Chirp Johnson, N7ZWV, 479-1332.

WANTED--Factory or after-market .25 kHz eight-pole crystal-lattice filter for a Drake R-4C. Bill Tyner, WX7U, 476-2703, styner@budget.net.

QST de W1AW

ARRL Bulletin 31 ARLB031

From ARRL Headquarters

Newington CT July 25, 2000

To all radio amateurs

Federal authorities have arrested a Florida man and charged him with interfering with Amateur Radio operations and transmitting without a license. William Flippo of Jupiter was taken into custody July 20.

Flippo already faces a $20,000 fine levied last summer for unlicensed operation, willful and malicious interference to Amateur Radio communications, and failure to let the FCC inspect his radio equipment. The matter was referred to the US Attorney in January after Flippo failed to pay the fine, and the interference complaints continued.

Armed with a search warrant, federal marshals and FCC and FBI agents, accompanied by local authorities, took Flippo into custody. FCC agents seized items related to the alleged offenses, including radio equipment.

Flippo was released on a $100,000 bond. An arraignment on the federal charges is scheduled for July 31. One condition of his release is that he not make any radio transmissions. Flippo was charged with four counts of transmitting without a license--each count carrying a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $10,000 fine--and four counts of interfering with the operations of licensed stations, which carry the same penalty.

QST de W1AW

ARRL Bulletin 34 ARLB034

From ARRL Headquarters

Newington CT July 27, 2000

To all radio amateurs

The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner

Coordinators has voted to set up revised standards for the administration of Morse code examinations in the US. Under the revised standards, examinees would have to show 25 character-count solid copy on test sheets or successfully answer seven out of ten questions of a fill-in-the-blank quiz on the sent text. The plan would bar multiple choice tests for Morse code testing.

Morse examinations would specify use of a Farnsworth ''character speed'' in the range of 13 to 15 WPM. Morse code audio pitch would have to be between 700 and 1000 Hz. Standard 5 WPM tests with 5 WPM character speed could be administered only as a special accommodation.

The new Morse testing standards are to be in effect by next July 1, but VECs may implement them sooner.

The NCVEC vote came July 21 during a meeting of VECs in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Submitted by Steve Grajeda, WB6YQP

And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In 6 months I'm going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water and all the evil people are destroyed. But I want to save a few good people and two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am commanding you to build an ark." And in a flash of lightning, He delivered the specifications for an ark.

"Okay," said Noah, trembling with fear and fumbling with the blueprints.

"Six months, and it starts to rain," thundered the Lord. "You'd better have the Ark completed, or learn to swim for a very long time".

Six months passed, the skies clouded up, and rain began to fall.

The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping... and there was no ark.

"Noah", shouted the Lord. "Where is the Ark?"

"Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best. But there were big problems.

First, I had to get a building permit for the ark construction project, and your plans didn't meet code. So I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans.

Then I got into a big fight over whether or not the ark needed a fire sprinkler system.

Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.

Then I had problems getting enough wood for the ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife that I need the wood to save the owls. But they wouldn't let me catch any owls. So, no owls.

The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer. Now we have sixteen carpenters going on the boat, and still no owls.

Then I started gathering up animals, and got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me taking only two of each kind.

Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood.

They didn't take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.

Then the Army Corp of Engineers wanted a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe.

Right now, I'm still trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed to hire.

The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country. And I just got a notice from the state about owing them some kind of use tax.

I really don't think I can finish the ark for at least another five years," Noah wailed.

The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky.

Noah looked up and smiled. "You mean you're not going to destroy the earth?" Noah asked hopefully.

"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government already has."

To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

Last two items submitted by Gary Ingram, KB7FCI