The May club meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 15th at 7 pm at the Fruitdale Grange, 1440 Parkdale Drive. We have a special treat this month. Chuck Smith, W6ASO will be celebrating 60 years as an amateur radio operator and will be treating club members at the meeting. Maybe we can get him to talk about the good old days.

The board meeting will be held at 6 pm.

Jim W7PUP

Due to problems at the Fruitdale Grange the April meeting was first cancelled and then moved to Wednesday April 25th. We attempted to reach those with e-mail addresses and called those without internet addresses. I was unable to make the meeting on April 25th but understand that discussion continued about the 146.64 repeater. The repeater has been temporarily moved to a member's shop while efforts to find a new site are being explored.

There was some discussion about the 7QP event to be held on May 5th with the club's station being run from the Schroeder Park. Field day is the last full weekend of June.

Jim W7PUP

During the last month our club held a series of four classes for those seeking the Technician Class ticket. Cy Potts arranged for a nice classroom at the LDS Church on Williams Highway. Helping Cy with the teaching duties were Elmer Seutter, Chuck Smith, Burton Griffin, Bob Locher, John Fryer and Jim Woods.

In an effort to reach club members, an e-mail message was sent to all club members prior to the start of the class in case they had interest in the course or know someone who might be interested. Attendance varied from about 15 at first to about 8 or 9 and the last class. The next club-sponsored VEC exam is May 25th so our goal was to try to help the students get ready by then. Students have been invited to attend our club meetings and our Field Day event so they can get to know our members better. Several students visited the 7QP event.

Jim W7PUP

The SOARC Field Day operation will again be held at Schroeder County Park next to the tennis courts and baseball diamond. Josephine County graciously allows us to set up operations there without charge. We have found that the trees offer shade not to mention sometimes support wire antennas. We are planning to have the club trailer and tribander beam up to help with crowded band conditions.

This year we are asking you to sign up in advance for operating time slots. Forms will be available at the May and June meetings. This will help us keep the station going for a full 24 hours. For more information or to e-mail operating time requests please contact Burton Griffin at wb6cyk@roguelinkdsl.com . Thanks!

Jim W7PUP

That's it for now. Any questions on any of the above contact Elmer W6IGK

The SOARC Board of Directors would like to remind members to ensure that your 2007 dues have been paid for this year. To check on this, please contact John Stubbe, K7VSU, club treasurer or Jim Woods, W7PUP, club secretary (contact information found elsewhere in this newsletter). Dues are only $15 per year.

We use club funds to keep up two repeaters, the emergency communications trailer (and all the gear it carries), newsletter expenses, expenses associated with offering classes, food for the annual Christmas party, and other club-related items.

Thank you very much for your support!

Jim W7PUP

Want to know the prefix assignments for different countries? Try the International Telecommunications Union web site at: www.itu.int/cgi-bin/ntsh/glad/cga_callsign.sh?lng-E

Rick N6RK sends along this link to connectors that he considers a better solution to rotator control cable connections than either Cinch-Jones plug or trailer connector pigtails. They are waterproof connectors and cheaper than some of the less-common trailer pigtails. They're available from www.dcpwr.com but you'll need to contact the business owner about ordering them.

Here's some Fine Business winter reading - all of LB Cebik W4RNL's antenna books published by antenneX.com www.antennex.com are now available in a single collection- "Antennas and Antenna Modeling: The Works"!

• * 5000 Pages
• * 1000s of Illustrations
• * 1000+ Computer Models
• * 100s of Program Listings

The material focuses in depth on many types of antennas, but is written for the working radio amateur. The collection also includes four volumes of notes on antenna modeling with NEC and MININEC. (Thanks, Steve K7LXC)

If you're new to RF circuit construction, take a look at http://home.sandiego.edu/~ekim/otherjunk/rf_proto.pdf for guidelines and examples. (Thanks, Brad AA1IP)

Have you ever recorded yourself on the air for practice? The little Sony minidisc recorders are really super for this. In the LP4 recording mode they'll go for over 6 hours in stereo on one disc with very good quality, and a single AA battery seems to last forever. You can insert a track mark very easily to highlight problem areas for review. Listening to yourself struggle with keystrokes and call signs is painful, but illuminating. (Thanks, Paul K5AF)

Don W7WLL discovered a new corrosion-prevention product highly touted by the local fishing fleets who use it to ensure that salt and corrosion do not compromise their electrical and RF connectors, among other things. It is called CorrosionBlock and comes in 2-oz squeeze tubes as well as an aerosol. It's made by Lear Chemical Research Corporation www.learchem.com and may be available at marine supply stores. Don has used it on connectors and pulley pins, finding it a lot easier to work with than silicon grease.

Instead of calculations, is there an on-line table of radiation resistance versus vertical length in degrees? Sure there is! Browse at www.w8ji.com/radiation_resistance.htm (Thanks, Tom W8JI)

What to do with a microwave dish when faced with high winds or roving? Face it straight up - that's what satellite users with big dishes do for hurricane protection. Broadcast satellite trucks also stow their dishes "face down" on the top of the vehicle. Any other orientation will most certainly rip the antenna off the mount. (Thanks, Gil W1RG and Joe W4TV)

To take advantage of inexpensive RG-6 coaxial cable, Charles K5ZK has found it best to use high quality type-F connectors and then use the appropriate adapter to mate with the connector style required. You'll also need to invest in a good-quality crimping tool as they use an entirely different fastening method from ordinary video crimp-on connectors.

With mobile and rover operation becoming more popular every day, the opportunity for RFI or EMC problems increases, too. Bill NE1B refers us to a useful source of information on radios and cars. It's on the ARRL's Technical Information Service Web site at www.arrl.org/tis/info/carproblems.html Happy mobiling!

73 W6IGK Elmer

The 146.64 repeater is down for maintenance. More information later.

A few weeks ago I upgraded to Extra Class. In the process of preparing for the exam, I downloaded study materials and would be happy to loan the materials to any club member who is interested in upgrading.

Along the path, I learned things that I didn't understand before. For instance, I now understand resonant circuits, feedlines and antennas and finally know how my antenna analyzer works! I still want a Rhombic antenna for the 160 meter band but doubt if my neighbors are that understanding.

In addition to exams in Grants Pass and Jackson County VE exams are offered on the second Wednesday of every odd month at 6 pm in Room 301 in the Douglas County courthouse in Roseburg.

I realized while studying for this upgrade that I had passed the Advanced Class some 35 years ago. I think if I had continued with CW after moving to Texas I would have tried for the Extra much sooner.

Burton WB6CYK

(541) 479-7888
Burton WB6CYK

In a recent Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O)
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-66A1.pdf
on cognitive or "smart radio" systems, the FCC has affirmed its favorable policy toward the regulation of amateur software defined radios (SDRs). A cognitive radio system is an SDR that can adapt its operating parameters by interacting with its RF environment. The FCC's April 20 MO&O was in response to petitions seeking clarification of the Commission's March 2005 Report and Order (R&O) in ET Docket 03-108. In that proceeding the agency declined to adopt any new regulations for cognitive Amateur Radio transceivers or for digital-to-analog (D/A) converters. ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, says the April MO&O indicates that the FCC intends to treat Amateur Radio SDRs the same as any other Amateur Radio equipment.

"This is welcome news from the FCC as it clarifies the matter of certification of amateur equipment," Rinaldo remarked. "It applies not only to terrestrial amateur equipment but also to amateur satellites, which increasingly are using SDR in their designs."

AMSAT-NA has announced it's revamped the design of its Project Eagle satellite to take maximum advantage of software defined transponder (SDX) technology.

The "cognitive radio" proceeding is emblematic of the FCC's ongoing struggle to address thorny regulatory issues to keep pace with cutting-edge technology. In its 2005 R&O, the FCC concluded that neither software programmable amateur transceivers nor high-speed D/A converters "present any significantly greater risk of interference to authorized radio services" than conventional hardware radios.

April's MO&O was in response to petitions from Marcus Spectrum Solutions (MSS), owned by Mike Marcus, N3JMM, a former FCC staffer and a member of the ARRL Software Defined Radio Technology Working Group, and from Cisco Systems. While the League was satisfied that the FCC's 2005 R&O had exempted Amateur Radio SDRs from its certification requirement, MSS felt the Order was ambiguous and sought further assurances.

In response, the FCC said it "did not intend to impose any new certification requirements for Amateur Radio equipment" in its 2005 R&O, including SDR equipment that may be modified by someone other than the manufacturer. The Commission noted, however, that external RF amplifiers operating below 144 MHz and marketed for amateur use "will continue to require certification before they can be marketed."

MSS also requested a Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making with respect to digital-to-analog (D/A) devices. Marcus predicted that if high-power, high-speed D/A converters with antenna-like connectors ever became readily available, it could bypass the entire FCC equipment certification program and open the door to D/A-equipped computers capable of operating on any frequency. The FCC declined to act on Marcus's request, saying MSS did not "demonstrate any current need for regulation of D/A converters."

The FCC reiterated that it "may revisit the issue of the certification of amateur equipment with software modifiable features in the future, if misuse of such devices results in significant interference to authorized spectrum users."

ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, expressed confidence that it would not prove necessary for the FCC to revisit the issue, however, "as no misuse of amateur SDR technology is anticipated." For the FCC to impose any limitations on amateur SDR equipment "would be contrary to the goals enunciated for the Amateur Radio Service in §97.1 of the FCC's rules," he added.

Cisco had asked the FCC to revise its rules to better specify those classes of devices that do not require SDR certification. It also wanted the FCC to establish a policy that software that supports security measures not be made public if doing so could compromise security or enable illegal operation.

In response, the FCC revised §2.1(c) its rules to state that only radios with software "designed or expected to be modified by a party other than the manufacturer" -- such as downloading from the Internet -- and that would affect frequency range, modulation type, maximum power output or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates legally, would have to be certified as SDRs.

The FCC said it anticipates Commission requests for software source code would be extremely rare. "It would not be burdensome for a manufacturer to request confidentiality for software source code in the event we request it," the Commission added.

From the May 4th ARRL Letter

ARRL Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2100 UTC Sunday. Field Day 2007 will be held June 23-24, 2007. Some treat Field Day like a contest and others use it as an emergency communications exercise. Still other clubs use Field Day as a social gathering for their membership. My local club, Southington ARA, is choosing to do the latter. We are planning a spectacular barbecue to be held at the EOC where we will have an equal number of grills as we will have transmitters. Sticky finger operation is encouraged.

Complete rules for ARRL Field Day can be found on the web at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/fd.html

Be sure to order your 2007 Field Day T-shirts, pins and other goodies. http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=NO-9742#top

These T-shirts make excellent gifts to those who help make your club's event a fun time for all.

From the ARRL Club News, May 2007

Our friend, Ken Wages, KH6CQH suggests that we might want to check out the following web site with information about the popular compact light bulbs. http://my.inil.com/~torpor-skog/lightbulb.htm

Elmer W6IGK

It's been just a little more than two months since the FCC dropped the requirement that Amateur Radio applicants pass a Morse code test to earn operating privileges below 30 MHz. While the initial avalanche of applications immediately following February 23, when the no-Morse testing regime went into effect, has abated somewhat, business remains brisk for the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator staff.

"It's slowing down a little bit, but it's still substantially above what we usually see," observed ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM. She estimated that new Amateur Radio applications were up by 35 percent, while upgrade applications were up by 150 percent over last year's volume.

In a typical pre-February 23 week, Somma said, ARRL VEC would receive paperwork from approximately 115 test sessions. "It's on the order of 150 to 200 sessions per week now!" she exclaimed. Somma and ARRL VEC staffers concurred that applications were roughly evenly split between newcomers and upgraders. She said she's also seen a spike in the number of applications from General and higher class radio amateurs to serve as volunteer examiners.

To satisfy his own curiosity, ARRL member Tommy Gober, N5DUX, compiled some FCC statistics on the number of new Technician, General and Extra licensees before and after the Morse code requirement was deleted. His numbers show the FCC issued nearly 700 more Amateur Extra, 3625 more General and 454 more Technician licenses in March 2007 than in the same month last year.

Figures from ARRL member and ham radio statistician Joe Speroni, AH0A, indicate the total number of Amateur Extra licensees is up 1649 from March 2006 to March 2007, while the General population grew by 2668. The total number of Technician licensees dropped by 1632 during the same period, however -- and it continues to drop going into April.

Speroni's figures also show that the grand total of Amateur Radio station licenses has declined by more than 12,800 over the past two years – to 655,048 at the end of March.

The still-heavy volume has stretched the amount of time it takes for an application to proceed from examination session to license grant. "I think we're looking at eight to ten days from the test date," Somma allowed. By and large, those on the waiting end have been patient and understanding, she added.

A staff of seven full-time and three part-time employees handle the "incoming" from Amateur Radio exam sessions across the US and from other sites where US Amateur Radio examinations are administered through ARRL VEC.

There's no light at the end of the tunnel just yet. Somma and her staff are looking ahead to 450 examination sessions registered for May, another 400 in June and 320 apiece during July and August. And summer is "the slow season," she remarked. Another 900 test sessions already are on the calendar for the rest of 2007.

From the April 27th ARRL Letter

• SOARC Repeaters, K7LIX, 146.640(-) and on 147.300(+). The 64 machine has autopatch.
• 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.

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:

• 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.

The colder weather did not deter our club effort to make a good showing in last weekends Seventh Area QSO party. The telescoping tower with beam was raised to 40 ft. in a timely manner on Friday. A horizontal loop was also strung around the tennis court and an 80 meter inverted V dipole was hoisted up the tower with the apex just under the tri-band beam.

Operation on the horizontal loop was accomplished from the picnic table. The trailer was utilized for operation positions for the tri-band beam and the inverted V. Band conditions dictated that all contacts made were on 20, 40 and 80 meters. A final score will not be available for a few days.

A number of visitors came to view the operations and included three members from the Technician Class sessions we recently held. The operations were shut down around 6 P.M. due to lack of operators for the evening session.

The Southern Oregon Amateur Radio Club is a general-purpose ham radio club and is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League. Anyone interested in amateur radio is welcome to attend our meetings. We operate the ARRL-sponsored field day each June and support emergency communications. We also promote volunteer exams for those interested in becoming licensed by the FCC. For more information contact one of the board members listed below.

SOARC, PO Box 1164, Grants Pass, OR 97528