The December SOARC meeting will be held on Friday, December 22nd at the Fruitdale Grange at 6 p.m. There will not be a board meeting this month.

This Christmas Party will be handled like the past few parties except we will be meeting at the Fruitdale Grange. The club will cook and supply ham and turkey. Members are asked to bring a potluck dish, usually a side dish, salad, or dessert. The coffee pot will be on as well.

If you would like to help set things up work will begin about 5 p.m. at the Grange.

After dinner we will have our famous gift exchange. If you want to participate, bring a wrapped gift to the party. If you buy a gift please limit it to no more that $5 or so. Bringing something you made at home would also be good. There aren't any restrictions. Once again, Santa Clause (Rusty) will run the gift exchange. Hope to see you there.

Jim, W7PUP

You can list your "for sale or trade" or "wanted" items in the newsletter. Send info to: W7PUP@arrl.net

For Sale:

• Kenwood TS-440S & power cable and with built in automatic antenna tuner and CW filter YK88C 500hz installed.
• MC-425 hand microphone
• PS-50 power supply
• SP-820 speaker with filters
• TS-440 and PS-50 instruction manuals and schematics.

Some minor scratches and blemishes on the TS-440 about an 8 or 9 on a scale of 10. The SP-820 is a 10 of 10. Approx. one square inch paint blemish on the PS-50 otherwise in excellent condition.

This unit is in good working condition and is ready to go either mobile or as a home station. I tested this unit on 5 bands on December 11th. I worked several stations. One in Texas and a Japanese station and both gave 5 by 9 reports and reported excellent audio.

Contact Burton Griffin at wb6cyk@yahoo.com or by calling 479-7888.

• SOARC Repeaters, K7LIX with autopatch on 146.640(-) and on 147.300(+)
• SOARC ARES/NTS Net: Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on 147.300(+) repeater.
• ORCA Swapnet - Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m. on the ORCA system.

Oregon Repeaters

This might come in handy if you are travelling around the state.
http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/states/oregon.asp

Northern California Repeaters

If you are traveling Northern California, check out this web site for a list of 2 meter repeaters by highway.
http://www.norcalscan.org/ham.html

As noted on page 1, the last VEC exam for 2006 was held on Dec 9th.

In 2007, exams will be given on Friday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fruitdale Grange (VEC people come at 6 p.m.). The dates are as follows:

• February 23
• May 25
• August 24
• November 23

Currently the fee for exams is $14.00.

Remember to visit the www.arrl.org website to get the latest information about testing, requirements, new changes that are coming down the pike. The website for Grants Pass exam schedules is http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml. If you will notice the right hand side contains lots of hyperlinks covering most of the questions about exam sessions. A copy of this completed schedule has been sent to the VEC and should appear at this site very soon.

73, Bill (WX7U), VE and Liaison.

We had another 100% successful test session. Elmer Seutter and John Stubbe joined me at that great Fruitdale Grange facility. While there were 4 attendees last quarter we had 3 this time on Dec. 9th and both test sessions had new licenses issued to all. It's especially gratifying when you go out in the blowing rain and have this kind of result. 4th quarter licensees are: Kathy Crawford from Central Point, Terry Otto from Ashland and Grants Passian Bill Childs. Incidentally, Bill took both elements 2 and 3 scoring 100% on both. Try as he might though Elmer couldn't get Bill to take element 1 or 4 yet. That'll come on our 1st quarter 2007 test session in February. Check the Gnus!!

Congratulations to all three licensees. They all did exceptionally well.

73, Bill Tyner WX7U

During this year's antenna-fixin' season, many skyhooks will be given a good cleaning. While steel wool and elbow grease are the traditional "solvents", it has been pointed out by many that Scotch-Brite(tm) pads do the job better than steel wool and leave no tiny steel slivers in the antenna or your skin to rust or itch, respectively. When you put it all back together, don't forget to use the anti-oxidation compound!

Another antenna tip -- if you have two nested sections of tubing that are not coming apart easily, squirt a little penetrating oil (such as Liquid Wrench or Kroil) into any slots or screw holes. Then try to get the inner section turning in one direction. Keep turning it in the same direction as you pull it out. The burrs or obstructions that are binding will wear down or flatten if the direction of turning is consistent. If you need to grip the section with pliers or other mechanical device, insert a wooden dowel first to keep the tube from being deformed. Brett VR2BG contributes a simple assemble-and-test method for constructing gamma matches:

1. Strip sheath & shield off length of RG-8 (start longer than predicted at approximately 20 pF/ft)
2. Shove into gamma tube - tube ID should be very close to OD of insulation.
3. Gradually trim the length.
4. Waterproof both ends of the tubing.

For calculating the expected length, try the calculator program at www.ve3sqb.com (Scroll down to the "for the xperimenter" section or do an in-page search for the word "gamma.") The calculator provides spacing, gamma tube length, tap point on the driven element, and insertion length. The app suggests that the gamma tube (outer tube) be 1/4 the driven element size. Tom W8JI has also published info about the gamma match and how length and diameter affect the network. www.w8ji.com/omega_and_gama_matching.htm . (Thanks, Aaron NN6O)

Everybody uses them, but not many know about the genesis of the ubiquitous SWR meters found in shacks worldwide. For the original article, download and enjoy Warren Bruene's original article, "An Inside Picture of Directional Wattmeters" from April 1959 QST. It is on the ARRL Web site at www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf. (Thanks, Larry N8LP)

Rex K7QQ suggests using anvil-style pruning shears for cutting coax from RG-58 through thicker sizes. He says that it gives a nice clean cut through the braid and center conductor. I'm sure it beats gnawing through the cable with regular diagonal cutters.

Another tool-worthy contribution was made by Julius N2WN in response to the tips on getting aluminum tubing apart. He suggests using oil filter-style wrenches that are available in small sizes and do not damage the tubing as locking pliers would. Sears apparently carries a two-size set that will grab tubing as small as 1/2" in diameter!

Class D amplifiers, first proposed in 1958, have become increasingly popular in recent years. What are class D amplifiers? How do they compare with other kinds of amplifiers? Why is class D of interest for audio? What is needed to make a good class D audio amplifier? What are the features of ADI's class D amplifier products? Find the answers to all these questions and more by reading the Analog Dialogue article at http://tinyurl.com/gafae.

D-STAR technology is often mis-identified as "just digital voice" but the standard has a lot more to offer, particularly for high-speed data transmission. The Texas Interconnect Team www.k5tit.org is working on some advanced D-STAR applications that may surprise you!

Technical URL of the month -- It's lightning season! Roger N1RJ points us to a good site for info about lightning protection: www.polyphaser.com/ppc_ptd_home.aspx. "As you will discover, the subject of lightning protection is not as simple as it first seems. There is a lot of bad info on the Web mainly from well-meaning folks who only know about power line grounding at 60 Hz. A good power line ground is usually not a good lightning protection ground but a good RF ground (radials) is usually good for both. Also, proper bonding is as important as the ground system."

73, Elmer W6IGK

For those of you who are not sure about working DX via the long path AI2C, Norm Styer, has a Web page that should help give you a better idea of how it works. Long path into India and that part of the world from the eastern half of North America is a very reliable path. Check out Norm's complete explanation at:
http://www.k4lrg.org/Training/Tech_Notes/Long_Path/Long_Path.html.

73 Elmer

Starting this month the ARRL has a new service designed to help affiliated clubs with their newsletters. Called the ARRL Club News, it is designed to help invigorate and stimulate local radio clubs. It will be published via e-mail on a monthly basis.

The league plans to feature meeting activities, on air contests and ideas to recruit and train new hams.

There are more than 2,000 clubs across the country affiliated with the ARRL. Some of these clubs are single purpose groups that may support a repeater; some specialize in DX and contest operating; some have an emphasis on public service and emergency communications; and others are all purpose ham radio clubs that are striving to maintain or obtain status as an ARRL Special Service

In March of 2007 they will start publishing in html format. This will allow pictures and color to be easily used. Html files are used to make pages on websites.

Clubs are permitted to reproduce stories from the ARRL Club News if they give credit to the ARRL.

Jim, W7PUP

Healthy, active clubs are the foundation of Amateur Radio. It doesn't matter if your club has eight members or several hundred members, your club is your ham radio family. Our local radio club is where we get to interact with other hams and share information and knowledge.

It is through the local club where many hams earned their first Amateur Radio license or upgraded to a higher license class. Amateur Radio clubs act as a catalyst where close personal friendships grow. Whether the activity is Field Day, a licensing class, a public service event or an antenna party, the local club really is where the rubber meets the road.

Clubs with a strong social appeal tend to be more active clubs. On the surface, Amateur Radio may appear to be a technical hobby, but it really is about people. Ham radio is people communicating and sharing ideas with each other. For 100 years hams have developed and exploited technology to be able to communicate with other hams and on behalf of the people in their communities. When we get on the air we are people sharing a common interest. During times of disaster hams are people helping other people. Members of our radio clubs are our friends. The magic boxes have changed quite a lot over the years, but the one thing that remains the same are the people who use them.

Though not scientific, a recent ARRL web survey indicated that 57% of those who attend club meetings do so because of social contact with other amateurs. Coffee and doughnuts are hardly technological marvels but they are a large part of what keeps a radio club active. Many clubs have rearranged the format for their meetings where they have a presentation or guest speaker at the beginning of the meeting followed by a social break, and then the business portion of the meeting is held at the end. Interestingly, many members who did not regularly attend club meetings because they were forced to sit through the business meeting at the beginning, before socializing, not only increased their attendance at meetings but these same folks stayed for the entire meeting-- including the business segment. Serving desert first not only satisfies the sweet tooth, but it also quenches the need to be with friends. Even though the doughnut is not listed in the major food groups of healthy eating, the fried treat is essential to a healthy radio club.

From the ARRL Club News and The American Radio Relay League, December 2006.

In the November Gnus there was information about recent changes to modes used in several of the HF bands. These take effect on December 15, 2006. To learn more about this, go to the ARRL website at www.arrl.org . You will find the latest information including a sharp bar graph clearly showing what modes and be used on what frequencies and by license class.

If you have trouble with this please contact me and I'll try to help.

73, Jim W7PUP

• Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party CW/SSB Dec 16 0000Z to Jan1 2359Z
• Canadian Winter Contest CW/SSB Dec 30 0000Z to 2400Z
• Stew Perry Top Band Challenge Dec30 1500Z to Dec 31 1500Z
• Straight Key Night Jan 1 0000Z to 2359Z
• Original QRP Contest Jan 6 1500Z to Jan 7 1500Z
• ARRL RTTY Roundup Jan 6 1899Z to Jan 7 2400Z
• Kids Day Contest Jan 7 1800Z to 2400Z
• North American QSO Party CW Jan 13 1800Z to Jan14 0600Z
• NRAU Baltic Contest SSB Jan 14 0800Z to 1000Z
• LZ Open Contest Jan 20 0400Z to 1200Z
• North American QSO Party SSB Jan 20 1800Z to Jan 21 0600Z
• CQ 160 Meter Contest CW Jan 27 0000Z to Jan 28 2359Z

Any questions regarding any of the above events or contests? Contact Elmer W6IGK .

FCC to Drop Morse Testing for All Amateur License Classes
(Dec 15, 2006 [REVISED Dec 15, 2006 23:33 ET]) -- NEWINGTON, CT, Dec 15, 2006 --
In an historic move, the FCC has acted to drop the Morse code requirement for all Amateur Radio license classes. The Commission today adopted, but hasn't yet released, the long-awaited Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 05-235, the "Morse code" proceeding. Also today, the FCC adopted an Order on Reconsideration in WT Docket 04-140 -- the "omnibus" proceeding -- modifying the Amateur Radio rules in response to an ARRL request to accommodate automatically controlled narrowband digital stations on 80 meters in the wake of rule changes that became effective today at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. The Commission said it will designate the 3585 to 3600 kHz frequency segment for such operations, although the segment will remain available for CW, RTTY and data as has been. In a break from what's been the usual practice in Amateur Radio proceedings, the FCC only issued a public notice at or about the close of business today and not the actual Report & Order, so some details -- including the effective dates of the two orders -- remain uncertain. Currently, Amateur Radio applicants for General and higher class licenses have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code test to operate on HF. Today's R&O will eliminate that requirement all around.

More information available on: www.arrl.org

from the ARRL Letter, December 15, 2006