The Illuminator
The monthly newsletter of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club
February
Meeting
The next regular
meeting of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club will be held on Thursday, February 21,
at 7:30 p.m. at the EMA Center in Nesquehoning. See you there!
KB3BYT Amateur
Radio Demo at Through the Looking Glass Cyber Cafι in Jim Thorpe
Robs traveling amateur
radio demonstration to potential hams is all set for Thursday, February 28
at 6:30 p.m. at Through
the Looking Glass Cyber Cafι at 111 Broadway in Jim Thorpe. Come on out and support Rob, as well as
potential new hams.
2002 CARC Membership Dues
Yes, 2002 Carbon Amateur
Radio Club membership dues are being collected. Just $15 buys you membership in this august group for all of
calendar year 2002! Please get your
membership dues in as soon as possible.
A membership application may be found on page 7 of this newsletter.
Traditionally, if dues
are not received by April 1, you are dropped from the membership roster and you
stop receiving this newsletter. Dont
let this happen to you!
Pennsylvania RACES Members Activate for Nursing Home Fire
Hams responded December
15, 2001, after fire broke out at Cedarbrook County Home in South Whitehall
Township and soon was upgraded to a four-alarm fire.
Emergency Management
Agency Coordinator James Kelly, KA3UQP, began opening temporary shelters in
anticipation of the evacuation of the 515 residents. He notified the South Whitehall EMA team that included Jeff Kelly,
N3MFT, who is the Township EMA Communications Officer, Lehigh County Emergency
Coordinator and RACES Radio Officer. It was agreed that RACES would be
activated to staff the shelters and provide additional support.
A net was established,
and Deputy RACES Officer Bruce Bobo, KB3FIH, directed operations from the
county's mobile command center at the fire scene. RACES members were deployed
to the scene as well as at shelter locations and the local trauma center. Over
the next 24 hours, more than two dozen RACES members helped to provide communications
until temporary shelters had shut down and residents transported to appropriate
care.
On December 17, Lehigh
County EMA contacted Kelly for RACES to assist in coordinating the return of
patients to the facility, which received smoke and water damage. Bobo said
RACES was called back in to help because it was determined that the amateur
system had the best communications coverage over the four-county area where
patients had been sheltered temporarily. More than 20 RACES members from Lehigh
and Northampton counties provided support for the safe return of all 515
residents. Authorities expressed appreciation to the RACES teams and for use of
the W3OI 146.94, W3OK 146.70 and N3MFT 448.775 MHz repeaters. Jeff Kelly,
N3MFT
Retired Kenwood Executive and Chief Engineer is Silent Key
Shiro
Nomura, JA1CB, of Tokyo, Japan, died January 18. He was 70. An ARRL and Japan
Amateur Radio League member, Nomura was a Kenwood Communications Corporations
chief engineer and research-and-development manager prior to his retirement. He
also was the designer of the popular TS-930S transceiver. Between 1989 and 1997, he directed Kenwood
USA operations in California. Nomura
was a DXCC Honor Roll member (352 mixed) and was active on the air until
shortly before he died. Survivors include his wife and the couple's son and
daughter. A service was held January 22 in Tokyo. Friends may express
condolences to the family via e-mail, [email protected]. Junji Saito, JA7SSB
New HF Amateur Radio Antenna Installed on ISS
Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station gained a new HF antenna January 25 although
there's no HF gear aboard the ISS as yet. The antenna the second of four
slated for installation aboard the Service Module was put into place during a
spacewalk or EVA conducted by Expedition 4 Crew Commander Yuri Onufrienko,
RK3DUO, and astronaut Dan Bursch, KD5PNU.
The antenna is a
flexible-tape design similar to, but longer than, a VHF-UHF antenna installed
during a Jannuary 14 EVA by Onufrienko an astronaut Carl Walz, KC5TIE. ARISS
Board Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said the antenna would be installed at the
end of the Service Module in the 2 o'clock position (6 o'clock is pointing
toward Earth).
The HF antenna is a
2.5-meter (8.2-foot) long flexible tape. Bauer thinks it will definitely work
on 10 meters and speculated that it might work on 15 or 20 too. Bauer added
that he did not know when HF gear would be transported to the ISS nor when it
might be made available for use by a future crew.
The EVA lasted several
hours and also involved attaching six thruster plume deflectors on the ISS as
well as the ham antenna work. Installation involved not only the mechanical
deployment of the antenna but routing cables, establishing the RF connection
and even photographic documentation.
A paper entitled
"2001: an Amateur Radio Space Odyssey on the International Space
Station," which details the development of ARISS and discusses the four
new ARISS antennas is available via the ARISS Web site <http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov/EVAs/amsat01.pdf>.
The Expedition 4 crew is
tentatively scheduled to speak with students at Butte High School in Montana
the week of January 28. The contact was being arranged either via Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in South Australia or via WH6PN at Sacred Hearts Academy in
Honolulu.
DX Bulletin 5 ARLD005
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 31, 2002
To all radio amateurs
This week's bulletin was
made possible with information provided by Tedd, KB8NW, the OPDX Bulletin, The
Daily DX, PY3FBI, W4TYU, 425DXnews, QRZ DX, DXNL and Contest Corral from
QST. Thanks to all.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA, 3C. Mirek is QRV as 3C5/SP1NY
from Bioco Island, IOTA AF-101.
Activity has been on 30, 12 and 10 meters using CW. QSL to home call.
GEORGIA, 4L. Yuri, 4L6VV has been QRV
on 80 meters using SSB around 1500z.
QSL via UA6EZ.
SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS. Ricardo, CE9R is QRV from
Julio Escudero Base on King George Island.
He has been active in nets on 15 meters around 1700z. QSL via CE3HDI.
SAINT MARTIN, FS. W4LW
and K4FMD will be QRV as FS/K4UP from February 2 to 8. Activity is mostly SSB on 80, 20, 15 and 10
meters. Activity will be mostly in the
evening and early morning hours. QSL
via K4UP.
WALLIS AND FUTUNA
ISLANDS, FW. Guy, FW5ZL has been QRV using RTTY on 20 meters around 0645z and
15 meters around 0830z.
GRENADA, J3. Bill,
K4LTA and Ruby, K4UPS are QRV as J37BO and J37RO, respectively. Activity is on all bands, including the
newer bands and 6 meters, using CW and SSB.
During some of the upcoming contests, they will use J38A. QSL to home calls and J38A via K4LTA.
US VIRGIN ISLANDS, KP2. Norm, K8NI and John,
W8LBY are QRV from the WP2Z-Windwood site until February 13. They are signing KP2/homecalls, with
activity mostly on the newer bands and using PSK31. QSL to home calls.
NORTH KOREA, P5. Ed,
P5/4L4LN is QRV as time permits.
Activity has been on 15 meters just after 2300z. He may also be active on 10 meters. QSL via KK5DO.
NETHERLAND ANTILLES,
PJ2. Tony, N7BG is active as PJ2/N7BG from
Curacao, IOTA SA-006, until February 4.
He will participate in the FOC Marathon as PJ2T. QSL PJ2/N7BG to home call and PJ2T via KN7Y.
BRAZIL, PY. Special Event Station
ZY3WSF is QRV on 80 to 10 meters using CW and SSB until February 5 from Porto
Alegre during the World Social Forum.
QSL via PY3FBI.
SEYCHELLES, S7. Karesz, HA8EU is QRV as
S79EU from Mahe Island, IOTA AF-024, until February 18. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using CW and
some SSB. QSL via HA2NM.
SOUTH GEORGIA. The VP8GEO team are QRV
on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY.
QSL via VE3GCO.
CAMBODIA, XU. Jaak, ES1FB is QRV as
XU7ACE. QSL to home call.
AFGHANISTAN, YA. Look for YA0USA and YA5T
to be QRV as time permits. QSL YA0USA
via K4YT and YA5T via KU9C.
IRAQ, YI. Peter, YI9OM has been QRV
on 20 meters between 1830 and 1930z.
QSL via OM6TX.
ARRL Propagation Forecast Bulletin
Propagation Forecast
Bulletin 4 ARLP004
From Tad Cook, K7VVV
Seattle, WA January 25, 2002
To all radio amateurs
Average sunspot numbers
rose over 9 points this week, and average solar flux dropped nearly 8 points,
so solar activity was about the same as last week. There weren't any days with
big geomagnetic upsets. Saturday was slightly unsettled, with the planetary K
index at 4 over two of the 3-hour reporting periods. Because of lower indices
earlier, the planetary A index for the day was only 11. As mentioned last week,
for information on the relationship between the daily A index and the
eight-times daily K index, check
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/GEOMAG/kp_ap.html.
Latest projections show
stable geomagnetic conditions well into next month, with planetary A indices in
the low and mid single digits. This is
generally good for HF operators because of lower absorption. Predicted solar flux for Friday through
Sunday is 225.
NASA reported this week
that the previous two solar cycles were double-peaked, and the current one is
also. At one time we believed that Cycle 23 peaked in mid-2000, but then a
larger peak emerged in late 2001. No doubt this explains all that fabulous F2
layer propagation on 6 meters last fall. You can read NASA's story on the web
at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/18jan_solarback.htm.
Here are some general
observations about HF conditions from the continental U.S. over the next few
weeks.
Toward Europe, 80 and 40
meters open right after local sunset and stay good until the wee hours after
midnight. 30 meters works all day and night, but is weakest during local
mid-morning in the east and Midwest, and before sunrise on much of the west
coast. 20 meters opens around sunrise. In the Midwest and east, conditions are
best an hour or two before local sunset. This decreases as you move west, where
20 meters closes down before local sunset. 17 and 15 meters open around
sunrise, and close earlier than 20 meters. 12 and 10 meters open for most of
the U.S. about two hours after sunrise and close a few hours before sunset, but
this shortens considerably as you move west.
Toward South America, 80
meters is best three hours after sunset until after midnight, and 40 meters one
hour after sunset and closing an hour after 80 meters. 30 meters should be open
from sunset until a few hours before sunrise, and 20 meters from before sunset
until about four hours before sunrise. 17 and 15 meters should open around
sunrise until two hours after sunset, and 12 and 10 meters from after sunrise
until sunset.
Toward East Asia (Japan)
80 and 40 meters are best after midnight until an hour before sunrise. But on the
West Coast, both bands should stay open until about an hour after sunrise. 30
meters is good from early evening until sunrise in the central states, but
should be dead from the east coast during the early evening. On the West Coast
30 meters should be good from the late evening until an hour after sunrise. 20
meters should be best around sunset until the mid to late evening, but on the
West Coast 20 meters is best from the mid until late evening, then again from
local sunrise until about two hours later. 17 and 15 meters should be best for
about four hours centered around local sunset, except on the West Coast where
it lasts around six hours. 10 and 12 meters should be open for 1-2 hours around
sunset, except on the West Coast where it should last around four hours.
Remember that the
sunrise, sunset and times of day are for your location. As an example, local
sunset in New York City is around 2200z, and in Central California it is after
0100z.
The above predictions
are very general. To get a more accurate reading specific to your location, use
W6ELprop to predict paths using the average solar flux for the previous few
days. As mentioned in previous bulletins, you can download this free
propagation predicting program at http://www.qsl.net/w6elprop/. If you want to
check some of the material presented in past bulletins, go to
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/.
Sunspot numbers for
January 17 through 23 were 122, 156, 153, 212, 187, 178 and 272 with a mean of
182.9. 10.7 cm flux was 211.8, 210.5, 213.7, 222.2, 224.5, 228.7 and 226.5,
with a mean of 219.7, and estimated planetary A indices were 6, 5, 11, 7, 9, 6
and 6 with a mean of 7.1.
Receiver Performance Measurements
By Bob, K3PH
Recently, one of our
members asked a question on the CARC e-mail reflector about receiver
performance measurements. Partly as a
result of this, I decided to write this description of probably the three
most-used receiver measurements: minimum discernible signal (MDS), blocking
dynamic range (BDR), and intermodulation dynamic range (IMDR).
The purpose of the minimum
discernible signal (MDS) test is to determine the level of signal that will
produce an audio output from the receiver that is 3 dB about the noise
floor. The test is conducted with the
receiver in CW mode with a 500 Hz filter (or the closest available), and the
AGC set to OFF, if possible. A typical
test setup is shown in the figure below.
All equipment is turned on
and allowed to warm up. Then, the RF
signal generator is set to a frequency in the band of interest, say, 14020 kHz,
and the receiver is tuned for a peak response.
Next, the RF switch on the RF signal generator is turned OFF and the
level on the audio/distortion meter is noted.
Finally, the RF switch on the RF signal generator is turned ON and the
output level is adjusted to increase the reading on the audio/distortion meter
by 3 dB. The RF signal level that
creates this situation is the MDS.
For
example, if the RF signal generator is set for
125 dBm output and the step attenuator is set for 10 dB attenuation, the MDS
is 125 10 = 135 dBm.
If you look at the product
reviews published in QST, you will see MDS levels of anywhere from 142 dBm to
perhaps 125 dBm. A value of 142 dBm
is more sensitive than 125 dBm.
However, in the real world, values of better than around 130 to 132
dBm will not be noticed at frequencies below 30 MHz, because atmospheric noise
will be far greater than these levels.
An MDS of 142 dBm is really just a laboratory curiosity.
The
purpose of the blocking dynamic range (BDR) test is to determine the level of
gain compression, or desensitization, that occurs as a result of a signal on a
nearby frequency. The BDR is the
difference between the MDS and the level of an undesired signal that produces a
1 dB decrease in a weak desired signal.
As before, the test is conducted with the receiver in CW mode with a 500
Hz filter (or the closest available), and the AGC set to OFF, if possible. A typical test setup is shown in the figure
below.
Note the
need for two RF signal generators one to simulate the desired weak signal and
one to simulate the undesired signal.
It should also be noted that the 2-port coupler used to couple two RF
signals to one receiver usually contributes about 3 dB insertion loss.
All
equipment is turned on and allowed to warm up.
First, the RF switch on RF signal generator 2 is turned OFF this will
be the undesired signal. Then, RF
signal generator 1 is set to a frequency in the band of interest, say, 14020
kHz, and the receiver is tuned for a peak response. The next step is to determine the 1 dB compression point by
increasing the output of RF signal generator 1 to a point where a further 10 dB
increase only results in a 9 dB increase in the audio output. Once the 1 dB compression point is found,
the output of RF signal generator 1 is decreased by 10 dB.
Next, the
RF switch on RF signal generator 2 is turned ON and its frequency adjusted for
14040 kHz. Finally, the level of RF
signal generator 2 is increased until the audio output from the receiver
decreases by 1 dB. The difference between
the output level of RF signal generator 2 (attenuated by the 2-port couple loss
and the step attenuator) and the MDS is the BDR.
For
example, if RF signal generator 2 is set for 12 dBm, the 2-port coupler has 3
dB insertion loss, and the step attenuator is set for 10 dB loss, then the
undesired signal level is 12 dBm 3 10 = 25 dBm. If the MDS is 135 dBm, then the BDR will be
25 (135) = 110 dB.
Most
modern receivers will have a BDR of well over 100 dB. In general, unless you live right down the street from another
amateur or you are trying to run a multi-transmitter arrangement, the BDR will
not be nearly as important to you as the IMDR.
The
purpose of the intermodulation dynamic range (IMDR) test is to determine the
range of signals that can be tolerated by the receiver while producing no
discernible spurious response. To
perform this test, two signals of equal amplitude, spaced 20 kHz apart, are
applied to the receiver input and the receiver is checked for a spurious
response 20 kHz away from either of the applied frequencies. For example, if the two applied signals are
at 14020 kHz and 14040 kHz, the receiver is checked for a spurious response at
14060 and/or 14000 kHz. As before, the
test is conducted with the receiver in CW mode with a 500 Hz filter (or the
closest available), and the AGC set to OFF, if possible. The BDR test setup is also used for the IMDR
test.
All
equipment is turned on and allowed to warm up.
First, RF signal generator 1 is set to 14020 kHz and RF signal generator
2 is set to 14040 kHz (both set to the same output level), and the receiver is
tuned for a peak response at 14060 kHz.
Then, the RF switches on both RF signal generators are turned OFF and
the audio output of the receiver is noted.
Finally, the output levels of both RF signal generators are adjusted for
a 3 dB higher indication on the audio/distortion meter, i.e., a spurious
response is barely audible in the receiver.
The IMDR is the difference between the MDS and the output level of the
RF signal generator (attenuated by the 2-port coupler and attenuator).
For
example, if both RF signal generators are set to 20 dBm, the attenuator is set
for 24 dB loss, and the 2-port coupler has 3 dB loss, then the signal level is
20 dBm 24 3 = 47 dBm. If the MDS
is 135 dBm, then the IMDR will be 47 (135) = 88 dB.
Most
modern receivers will have an IMDR of 85 dB or greater, with some even
approaching 100 dB. For most routine
amateur operation, an IMDR of 80 dB will be more than sufficient.
Check
out http://incolor.inetnebr.com/n0ujr for other cartoons and to purchase
N0UJRs book, N0UJR and His Friends.
Carbon Amateur Radio Club
2002 Membership Application Form
Please complete this form and send to the Carbon Amateur
Radio Club, P. O. Box 622, Lehighton, PA 18235-0622, or drop it off at the
monthly CARC Meeting, at the Carbon County EMA Center, Route 93. The meeting is on the third Thursday of each
month at 7:30 PM.
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Carbon Amateur Radio Club 2001-2002 Officers
President: Anthony
Goody Good, K3NG, [email protected]
Vice
President: Rob Roomberg, KB3BYT, [email protected]
Secretary:
Larry Lilly, N3CR, [email protected]
Treasurer:
John Schreibmaier, W3MF, [email protected]
W3HA Callsign
Trustee: Bill Dale, WY3K
W3HA Repeater
Trustee: John Bednar, K3CT
Public Information
Officer: Bill Kelley, KA3UKL
Directors
Bob Schreibmaier, K3PH, John Bednar, K3CT,
Bert Rex, W3OWP
Illuminator Staff
Editor: Bob, K3PH
[email protected]
DX: Bob, K3PH
Foxhunting: open
Propagation and
Commentary: Larry, N3CR [email protected]
Newsletter Printing,
Folding, and Mailing: Bob, K3PH
Services
W3HA Repeater:
147.255 Mhz + PL 131.8
CARC Website: http://www.cpals.com/~elitehom/carc/
Webmaster: Rob,
KB3BYT [email protected]
CARC Email Reflector:
see www.qth.net CarbonARC list for details
CARC Membership Information
Regular Membership is
$15.00, which includes autopatch privileges.
All amateur radio operators are invited to join the CARC
ARES / RACES net held 21:00 local time every Wednesday on the W3HA repeater at
147.255 MHz + offset, PL 131.8. Any
amateur radio operator or anyone with an interest in ham radio is welcome to
attend our monthly meetings which occur the third Thursday of each month at
7:30 PM at the Carbon County EMA Center on Route 93 in Nesquehoning.