CENTRAL ILLINOIS RADIO CLUB
Short CIRCuits
Jun, 1998 W9AML - 146.940 Repeater
MEETING WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 7:30
PM
>From the President's mike
...
Dear Friends,
'From the President's Mike' will be a bit more somber
this issue as
I was
saddened in hearing a good friend of ours, WD9GAL Al Titterton,
became
a Silent Key. Anyone who knew Al knew he had the enthusiasm of a
child,
was technically sharp and the friendliest guy you'd want to meet.
Having been to his place only a few times,
I was impressed by both
his
shack and his garden - he was quite proud of them, each in a different
way.
For many years, Al was an integral part or 'Node' of the Message
Trafficking System, designed for passing packet mail, BBS items, Health
&
Welfare traffic, etc., created and maintained by avid Amateur Radio
Operators such as himself. This required crossbanding local messages
from
VHF to the national system on HF, then returning HF messages back to
VHF. This obviously took some time & dedication to provide
this
valuable
service to the community & it was good that his XYL, Fada,
shared some
of his interests in 'hamming' as she attained her General class
license,
KA9IVX. (Al told me she was always better at code than he was - that's
why he liked packet!) I know he also did some 'Elmering'
over the
years.
In his spare time, he enjoyed being outdoors, planting flowers,
bushes
(and
antennas) in their yard.
I was pleased to hear that Norm N9ZKS and
a number of you attended
the memorial for Al. Thank You to all who participated. Communications
being what they are, I didn't hear about it until just recently
and
unfortunately, wasn't able to attend.
On a lighter note, Field Day will be upon
us next weekend! We hope
to
be more organized this year in logging contacts and being noticed.
Norm
has contacted the various media (news & TV) to our existence &
purpose,
so perhaps we'll have a few more interested visit our Field Day
site
this
year.
We have to compete with the car show, so if anyone has a Corvette,
we
can park it by the banner on the street & maybe drag a few more
in
(just
kidding!). Hope to see you at this Wednesday's meeting to firm up the
details.
73's & cul
de Chuck / N9RZV
Silent Key
I am inserting this for those members who might have missed it. I only
knew Al for a short while, but I feel richer for the time I did know
him.
Norm Huber - N9ZKS
The memorial service for Alanson "Al" G. Titterton, 71, of 102 Lawrence
Ave., Normal, will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the First Christian
Church, Bloomington, the Rev. John D. Trefiger officiating. He will
be
cremated. Inurnment will be at a later date in Evergreen Cemetery,
Barrington. The family will receive friends following the service
Wednesday at the church. Metzler-Froelich Memorial Home, Bloomington,
is in charge of arrangements.
He died at 7:30 p.m. Friday (June 12, 1998) at OSF St.
Joseph Medical
Center, Bloomington.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Community
Cancer Center
or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Mr. Titterton was born Dec. 31, 1926, in Evanston, a son
of Donald W.
and Carol Gillespie Titterton. He married Fada Ruth Lee on. Sept. 23,
1950, in West Frankfort. She survives.
Other survivors include one son, Greg (Ponda) Titterton,
Byron; one
daughter, Cynthia (Alan) Wells, Johnson, Iowa; one sister, Mary
Slantz,
Fowlerville, Mich.; and a brother-in-law, Richard (Ruth) Lee,
Flagstaff,
Ariz.
Also surviving are four grandchildren, Meredith and Grant
Titterton,
Byron; and Anna and Jason Wells, Johnson, Iowa.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one daughter,
Mary
Elizabeth Titterton.
Mr. Titterton was a member of cthe First Christian
Church,
Bloomington, and a member of the Arts & Crafts Lodge 1017 AF&AM,
Bloomington, of which he was past master. He was a ham radio operator
using the call letters WD9GAL. He was a former Boy Scout leader.
He had formerly worked at Sears & Roebuck Co. and
General Electric,
Bloomington, and HartCarter Co.of Mendota. He was a former Unit 5
school bus driver, retiring in 1996. He had formerly attended Illinois
Wesleyan University.
Mr. Titterton was in the U.S. Army during World War II,
serving on
the
39th Parallel in the Combat Engineers and later served in the Korean
conflict. He enjoyed camping and canoeing.
Minutes
The meeting in May was called to order after a great time inspecting
the
ESDA Van in the Red Cross parking lot..
The first order of business at the meeting was a report by the
secretary/treasurer on the financial status of the club.
The balances were $ 330.22 in the Checking account and $ 863.89 in
the
Savings account.
A short discussion was held on the advisability of using logging
software at
field day.
Banners and signs are to be made to identify the site. We will be
providing
Sodas and some food. Final arrangements will be made at the June
meeting.
Some discussion was held on the subject of the work needed to trouble
shoot and repair the repeater antenna. We have found volunteer workers,
ropes, pulleys and climbing belt. Now all we need to do is put the
weather,
weekend and volunteers together.
Norm - N9ZKS
ADITIONAL NOTE
File comments to the FCC by e-mail
You can now file comments to the FCC by electronic mail. The
Commission has instituted a form on its website where you need only
fill
in
your views and affix an electronic signature. After that you
can save a
copy as an ASCII text file before e-mailing it back. The form
and full
instructions are available at:
http://www.fcc.gov/e-mail/email.html
(Via FCC release)
Sometimes it DOES take a Rocket Scientist
Scientists at NASA have developed a gun built specifically to launch
dead
chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space
shuttle,
all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate
the
frequent
incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of
the
windshields.
British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test
it on the
windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements
were made.
But
when the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken
hurtled
out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it
to
smithereens, crashed through the control console, snapped the engineer's
backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin.
Horrified Britons sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment,
along with the designs of the windshield, and begged the U.S. scientists
for
suggestions.
NASA's response was just one sentence, "Thaw the chicken."
28 MHZ pedestrian mobile - V.K. to U.S.
>From the international file comes word of what is believed to be the
first
pedestrian mobile contacts between Australia and the United States
on 10
meters for the new cycle 23 took place Saturday, March the 28th. That's
when Peter Parker VK1PK contacted KZ5MM and NE6GN across the
Pacific pond.
What makes these contacts unique is that Parker was a walking mobile.
He
used a converted Johnson CB transceiver powered by a 12 volt battery
feeding a home made groundplane as a station. The contacts to the U.S.
followed a successful pedestrian mobile QSO with ZL2RR earlier that
same
morning.
This is believed the first time that the Pacific was able to be spanned
by a
pedestrian mobile station not using a remote base or other type of
relay
configuration. Output power of Parker's station was only 12 watts PEP.
(Via Q News)
RELEASE
This is what I gave the papers and TV stations reguarding field day.
(Bloomington, June 16, 1998) -- Central Illinois Radio Club (CIRC)
Amateur Radio operators will work 'round the clock the weekend
of June
27th to set up field radio communication stations, get on the
air, and
contact thousands of other operators in the US and Canada as part of
participation in the American Radio Relay League's Field Day.
According to Norm Huber of the CIRC, Field Day is the annual
"shakedown run" for the ARRL's National Field Organization.
"Field Day is a way for hams to get outdoors and have fun under some
difficult conditions," Norm says. "But it's also a chance to fine-tune
emergency communication skills. We use generators and battery power,
and we set up antennas in the field. The idea is to put together a
self-
sufficient, working station quickly and begin making contacts."
The ARRL Field Organization has been effective in establishing emergency
communications nets during floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and
other
major disasters. Members of formal emergency organizations such as
the
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the Radio Amateur
Communication Emergency Services (RACES) regularly participate. The
League estimates that more than 35,000 hams participate in Field Day
every year.
CIRC Field Day operations will be at Ironwood Park.just North of I-55
on
Linden Street. Set up begins Saturday at 8am. The public is invited.
For
more information, contact Norm Huber at (309) 378-
4674.
ANTENNA TALK
Hey Harry, glad you were able to make the coffee clutch. I wonder
if
you
could help me with something. Well, I don't climb towers! Harry quickly
stated. No, I need help in understanding radiation. I haven't
studied
electronics. I am a lawyer!. Well, it should be easy for you Art. It
is
just a
question of learning new words, definitions, then putting them together
in
such a way that every body just nods their head understandingly. Harry
I
never said I was a good lawyer. Stop laughing, I just want to find
a way
to
understand it without having a Doctorate using every day words that
even
I
can understand. I don't understand cars and they are difficult things
to
piddle with but I still enjoy driving them and enjoying the ride.
O. K. Art I am not sure that I can put all of this on one serviette
or
napkin
as we call it over here but since you started off on cars, lets continue
with
that line of thought. That car race that was over at Indy the other
day
had a
turn at each end of the track. Yes, but I thought we were talking about
radiation!
Will you shut up Art and just enjoy the ride for once? When
we started
to
turn at the corner you slid all over the place in your seat as we went
around. Well, I was resisting! Resisting what? Flying out of the car
you
dummy! Didn't you hear the tires screaming? Well, they always do that
at
turns, otherwise they would fly off the track. But they don't do it
on
the
straight part, only on the turns, don't they?
Exactly Art, that piece of rubber left on the road is called
radiation.
Oh
come on Harry! I am not totally stupid. You're a lawyer!
Quit it
Harry.
OK Art. But think about it. The car leaves rubber on the road for the
same
reason you slipped around on the seat and were resisting falling out
of
your
seat. You were one big resister.
What this all got to do with radiation, I know you used the
electrical
term
'resister' but you're playing with words. No, Art, I'm not, settle
down.
Let
us think of the car as an electron, a big one but any way it fits what
we are
talking about. Not really Harry, isn't it all supposed to be about
frequency
and you haven't even mentioned that. your right Art, I have been using
the
term lap and lap times, if you what to use the term frequency of arrival
at
the starting line be my guest!
No, I don't intend to be rude but I was talking
about that
mathematical
thing that they talk about at the club! Art, for crying out loud
it is
the same
thing!. All they are talking about is the time it takes for a car to
get
round
the track, think car and track times but don't say it out loud, say
'electrons'
and 'frequency', and they will nod their head. I bet they
don't!
Well, you can't expect to be a scientist over one
cup of coffee. Are
you
going to pay for a fill up since the other guys haven't gotten here
yet? OK,
but something is not quite right here. When I have looked at books
on
dipoles they show a curve of current going along it , so even if we
have
a
straight track it is radiating on the straight part. Just like that
dipole. That's
why they put the current curve on the drawing!. Well, I suppose we
can
talk about something else or you can read your book, ART.
Have a fill
up of coffee Harry. Do you take sugar? Yes, I do, Thanks.
Any way, I
Know What you are talking about. It is just the way they play the game
so
the current is always nothing at the end of the antenna, and it is
easier to
draw. They match the speed of the car with the size of the race track
so
that the frequency of the laps is the same.
Just remember, radiation is the
rubber you left on the road when
you
accelerate hard, just stick with that and accept it Well
what about
the
rubber you leave when you brake hard? You are not accelerating the
car,
sorry, electron? Art, will you stop resisting and go with the
flow? You
raise an interesting point though. There are two types of radiation,
electric
for accelerating and the magnetic wave type for de-accelerating. When
you
come to think about it you cant have one without the other. Fortunately
they are created at different times and don't interfere with each other.
You're right of course, but radio ignores anything that is not connected
to
an accelerating electron. It's still there, you just ignore it. Well,
that's all
very interesting Harry but I use a loop antenna so the electrons don't
have
two turns per lap and yet that radiates. So you are all screwed up
because
you are saying radio waves are just a bunch of pulses and that has
to be
wrong! Just listen to WJBC.
Well, Art let us talk that one out. When the car races around a circular
track it still wears the tires out, it just spreads it all around the
track so. l
suppose the car is actually accelerating all the way around the track.
Hard
to understand but I can accept it. If the car, OOPS electron deviates
from a
straight line then it radiates. That's right! Your loop radiates doesn't
it Yes
it does Harry but not in pulses.
Art, they don't just run one car at lndy, there's a whole
bunch of
them
going around bumper to bumper, every one of them loses a bit of rubber
at
the turn. It's like a continual shower so to speak, anyway I see that
the
other guys have arrived. Well just one more quick question
Harry, What
happens when the electron, OOPS, car, races on a track of a different
size
All hell breaks loose Art. That car is so used to turning at a certain
time
that it is going to turn at the same time regardless and, of course,
all
hell
breaks loose when it turns when there isn't a turn. Collisions, cars
going
each every way and a bunch of magnetic waves generated so that the
electrons get all jammed up. Sometimes so bad the race comes to a
halt......
and that is your transmitter that went up in smoke. Always, make sure
that
the track is the right size to match the speed of the car if you want
to
go
around at the same frequency. Just like antennas.
Thanks for the help Harry. Could you come early next week
again
Harry!
I want to know how the cars became airborne!
Local DX Packet Cluster Information
Bloomington Access and Transport node BMIDX1 (AB9M-7) 144.91
1200 baud
Champaign Access and Transport node ILDX1 (KA6A)
144.91 1200
baud
Champaign Network Node Server
CMIDXC (K9CW) 144.91
1200 baud
Connections to the network are made by first connecting to BMIDX1,
then
connecting to ILDX1, then connecting to K9CW.
The primary purpose of BMIDX1 is to provide local access for DX Packet
Cluster.
How Specs Live Forever
The US Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet,
8.5
inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and the US railroads
were built by English expatriates. Why did the English people build
them
like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people
who
built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the
tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building
wagons,
which used that wheel spacing. Okay! Why did the wagons use that odd
wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagons
would break on some of the old, long distance roads, because that's
the
spacing of the old wheel ruts.
So who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads
in
Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions.
The
roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? The initial ruts,
which
everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were
first
made by Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made for
or by
Imperial Rome they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
Thus, we have the answer to the original questions. The United State
standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original
specification for an Imperial Roman army war chariot. Specs
and
Bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a
specification
and wonder what horse's pa-too-tee came up with it, you may be exactly
right. Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide
enough to accommodate the back-ends of two war horses.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
..Will the Real Dummy Please Stand Up?!
AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked
"intellectual leadership". He received a $26 million severance package.
Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence...
..With a Little Help from Our Friends!
Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue
a
gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten
tear
gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside
them,
shouting to please come out and give himself up...
..The Getaway
A man walked in to a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Shop, and asked for all the
money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he
tied
up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until
police showed up and grabbed him.
..And What Was Plan B?
An Illinois man pretending to have a gun kidnapped a motorist and forced
him to drive to two different automated teller machines. The kidnapper
then proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts...
..Some Days, It Just Doesn't Pay to Gnaw Through the Straps
Fire investigators on Maui have determined the cause of a blaze that
destroyed a $127,000 home last month --- a short in the homeowner's
newly installed fire prevention alarm system. "This is even worse than
last
year," said the distraught homeowner, "when someone broke in and stole
my new security system..."
..Have I Got a Deal for You!
More than 600 people in Italy wanted to ride in a spaceship badly enough
to pay $10,000 a piece for the first tourist flight to Mars. According
to the
Italian police, the would-be space travelers were told to spend their
"next
vacation on Mars, amid the splendors of ruined temples and painted
deserts. Ride a Martian camel from oasis to oasis and enjoy the
incredible
Martian sunsets. Explore mysterious canals and marvel at the views.
Trips
to the moon also available. "Authorities believe that the con men
running
this scam made off with over six million dollars...
..Ouch, That Smarts!
A bank robber in Virginia Beach got a nasty surprise when a dye pack
designed to mark stolen money exploded in his Fruit-of-the-Looms. The
robber apparently stuffed the loot down the front of his pants as he
was
running out the door. "He was seen hopping and jumping around," said
police spokesman Mike Carey, "with an explosion taking place inside
his
pants." Police have the man's charred trousers in custody...
T-Hunting
Have you ever been on a hidden transmitter hunt?
The first National Foxhunting Weekend was held April 25 and 26.
Mobile hidden transmitter hunts have been popular for a long time.
I
first
tried it as a pre-teen 40 years ago. But today's sensitive receivers,
handi
talkies and doppler sets make it a lot more fun for both the hunters
and
the
hider.
For starters, your club can hold easy two-meter hunts, where someone
transmits for 15 seconds every minute or so from a parked car .
A good
time is when lots of people are listening anyway, such as right after
your
club's weekly net. Make the signal source easy to find using
common
directional antennas like small yagis and quads. After everyone
has
found
it and be sure to give plenty of clues the first few times so that
everyone
does, have a get-together at a nearby restaurant where everyone compares
notes and stories.
Once everyone has the hang of it, your hunts can get harder, longer,
and
more intriguing. Move them to simplex, have more than one transmitter,
and put them in tricky places like a baby carriage at the zoo, or
hanging
underneath a bridge - you get the idea.
Hidden transmitter hunts in the USA have traditionally involved cars,
trucks or vans full of direction finding gear, roaring off for miles
of
fun.
But the folks in China, Korea, Japan and many countries of Europe such
as
Belgium and Sweden, well, they think we're sissies. To them, a ham
radio
foxhunt involves a couple of hours of running through thick forest,
using
hand-held direction finding sets to seek out five to seven one-watt
transmitters.
It's not unusual to have to run or walk three to five miles to punch
your
ticket at all the transmitters, or "foxes" as they call them. It's
a
sport for all
ages, fit and not-so-fit. They even have national and world
championships,
the last World Championship was September 1997 in Germany.
Competitors are grouped into age and gender categories, and there are
medals for individual and national team winners. Just like the Olympics,
right? Well, European and Asian foxhunting leaders would indeed like
to
see it become an Olympic sport. And they would also like it if hams
in
North and South America would get more involved..
Foxhunting Weekend
And finally, do you want to be a world champion? International style
radio
direction finding, or foxhunting, is coming to America. The ARRL
recently appointed Joe Moell, K0OV as the United States Amateur Radio
Direction Finding Coordinator.
I told you how hidden transmitter hunts in many countries of Europe
and
Asia closely resemble Orienteering meets, when hunters run or trot
or
walk--through a large woods looking for hidden fox transmitters.
There's a
movement afoot to bring this kind of radio orienteering to the Americas,
so
we can compete for World Championship medals.
There have been two such formal events here in southern California,
and
more are in the works. But the biggest force behind international style
foxhunting is the Friendship Amateur Radio Society, or FARS.
Founded in Portland, Oregon about ten years ago, this organization
now
has chapters in the USA, Canada, Japan and Asiatic Russia. They
have
held five multi-national get-togethers for camaraderie and ham radio
contests, including QSO parties and on-foot foxhunts. They're
called
the
Friendship Radiosport Games.
The last one was in Khabarovsk, Russia last year, and the next will
be
next
year in Portland. If the FARS folks have their way, it will also
be the
first
International Amateur Radio Union Championship hunt to be held here
in
Region 2, which encompasses North and South America. If you think
you
have what it takes to be an international radio-athlete, a good way
to
get
started would be to make this kind of transmitter hunting a part of
your
club's National Foxhunting Weekend activities.
There's more information in the April issue of CQ VHF Magazine, and
also
on my Web site, which you can access via link from the Amateur Radio
Newsline site. See you on the hunt!
CLUB JACKETS
Use this form to order the club jackets. The jacket is the one a number
of
our members have. The most popular color is bright red so that it is
easy to
see when we are working as communicators. (It may also help us find
each
other at Dayton, although I think wearing a bike flag with our HT's
antenna
at the top would be better for that.)
A picture of the logo is to the right.
An order has been placed and those who ordered should get their jackets
in
time for fieldday.
I will order the jackets again one week after I have enough orders
to
fill a
minimum order. This is to try to make sure I don't have one or
two
members waiting for a long time before I have enough demand to put
in
another order.
IF YOU WANT A JACKET, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM AND
GET IT TO ME. I REALIZE YOU DO NOT WANT TO TIE UP YOUR
MONEY. I'll get in touch when I have enough orders and request the
payment before delivering the order to the vendor
.Name _____________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________
Prices:
Jacket with logo on back and Name Call on front.
$ 30.00XXL size
$ 33.00
XXXL size $ 35.00
Information for jackets ordered:
CALL ___________
NAME ___________________ (First name for front)
Color ________________
SIZE ________
Total price for all jackets ordered ______________________
Send this form to the CIRC Post Office Box (or deliver to a club
meeting).
You will be contacted for payment when enough requests are in to justify
an order.
Central Illinois Radio Club
P.O. Box 993
Bloomington, IL 61702-0993