Untitled

CENTRAL ILLINOIS RADIO CLUB
Short CIRCuits

April 2001

Central Illinois Radio Club
P.O. Box 993
Bloomington, IL 61702-0993

President: Rick Kempf, WD9HRU
309-828-8054
Vice President: Larry Mays, KB9NPH
309-827-8183
Secretary: Dean Lacy, AA9BS
309-452-4309
Treasurer: Floyd Hofmann, W9EX
309-452-3612
Newsletter Editor: Norman Huber, N9ZKS
309-378-4674

The CIRC is a not-for-profit ARRL special service club whose purpose is
to advance the service of Amateur Radio. Located in Central Illinois,
CIRC and its members welcome all to use the 146.94 repeater and to
attend club meetings.

Submissions for the newsletter must be received by the 10th of the month
and may be snail or e-mailed to the editor at:
Norm Huber
19268 E. US Hwy 150
Bloomington, IL 61704-5855

e-mail n9zks@earthlink.net

Permission is granted to Amateur Radio-related organizations to
reproduce contents of Short CIRCuits provided full credit is given.

APRIL PREZ COLUMN

CQ the CIRC
It's time for the April meeting. The Field Day plans are progressing
and I expect to hear the latest. Due to a scheduling problem Bill
Dunbar is unable to present his talk on "Land Morse". It will be
rescheduled in the near future. The May meeting is the combination
picnic and Direction Finding exercise. Make sure your equipment is
checked out and ready to go. For the people needing a DF antenna, Dean
still has some extra antennas for sale. As always the Tues. night net
is the place to get the latest information about club act ivies. Hope to
see as many people as possible at the club meeting. Also remember the
10-10 breakfast on the first Saturday of the month.
73's de WD9HRU

Calendar of Events

Weekly 2 Meter Net
Every Tuesday evening on the
146.940-146.340 repeater at
9:00 p.m.
10/10 Breakfast
First Saturday of every month at 8 a.m. Baker's Square, Vernon & Vets
(Just south of College Hills Mall)
CIRC Meeting
Fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Red Cross building in
Bloomington (Just north of the airport).

HAYNIE ADDRESSES AMATEUR RADIO INDUSTRY GROUP
For the third year in a row, the ARRL has joined Amateur Radio equipment
manufacturers and publishers to exchange ideas and discuss issues facing
the ham radio industry. As the guests of AES owner Phil Majerus, the
industry representatives gathered last weekend near Milwaukee in
conjunction with Amateur Electronic Supply's "Superfest 2001."
ARRL president Jim Haynie, W5JBP, spoke to the group about ARRL
activities to promote Amateur Radio. Calling it "an exciting time in
Amateur Radio," Haynie outlined plans for expansion of youth recruitment
activities in schools, involvement with ham radio aboard the
International Space Station and increased ARRL membership. He also
highlighted ARRL's ongoing efforts in Washington, DC, to protect the
interests of the Amateur Radio Service.
Among those attending from ARRL Headquarters were Advertising Manager
John Bee, N1GNV, and ARRL Marketing Coordinator Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R.
During his stay in Wisconsin, Haynie was interviewed by a Milwaukee
television station April 5 for the station's morning news show. Joining
Haynie during the interview was Chip Margelli, K7JA, of Yaesu USA, and
Gordon West, WB6NOA, of the Gordon West Radio School. As several ham
radio industry representatives looked on, the three answered general
questions about Amateur Radio, demonstrated equipment, and invited
viewers to attend Superfest 2001. AES Manager Ray Grenier, K9KHW,
organized the interview, which Haynie touted as a "great recruitment
opportunity."
Superfest 2001, an ARRL-sanctioned hamfest, was held at the AES store in
Milwaukee April 6 and 7.

APRIL MEETING

Don't forget!
The meeting is Wednesdaythe 25th of April at 7:39 PM

FOR SALE

Kenwood 2 Meter HT
Model TH 215 A

Includes Kenwood Leather Case
Speaker Mike
Wxtra Battery
Charger
Cigarette Lighter Adapter
DC Adapter

Contact Gene Arbuckle
452-7662

DAVID CLARK, KB6TAM, IS BACK ON THE HIGH SEAS
>From the The ARRL Letter Vol. 20, No. 16 April 20, 2001

Call him persistent, even stubborn, but don't call him a quitter, and
don't count him out. Rebounding from the February 7 disaster that sank
his first sailboat, the Mollie Milar, David Clark, KB6TAM, again set
sail April 11 from Cape Town, South Africa, in a new boat. His goal is
to become the oldest person to sail solo around the world. Clark will
turn 77 on May 17.

The February maritime disaster in which his sailboat sank also claimed
the life of his beloved canine companion, Mickey, who was lost at sea
during the rescue. Clark has named his new vessel Mickey in the dog's
memory. The new boat is a 34-foot fiberglass hull vessel.

Now some 800 miles out of Cape Town, Clark has been keeping a daily ham
radio schedule with the Pacific Seafarer's Net on 20 meters, according
to Bob Reed, N6HGG. The net has been running phone patches so that Clark
can speak with his wife. Clark's next port of call is St Helena, where
he will take on water and supplies. He expects to reach there in about
10 days. Reed says Clark has been keeping a daily schedule on 14.245 MHz
at around 1400 UTC. He's also keeping in touch with South African hams
at 1500 UTC on 14.195 MHz.

Clark says he expects to be back in Ft Lauderdale, Florida--where his
journey began in December 1999--sometime between the middle of June and
the first of July. While Clark has some corporate sponsors, he's been
funding his trip largely out of his Social Security income and his
occasional clarinet gigs.

For more information on David Clark's journey, visit
http://www.dclark.com and http://www.captainclark.com.

HAM RADIO NUMBERS SHOW POST-RESTRUCTURING GROWTH SPURT
From the The ARRL Letter Vol. 20, No. 16 April 20, 2001

Amateur Radio is experiencing a bit of a growth spurt in the wake of
amateur license restructuring. FCC licensing statistics as of the end of
March--the most recent complete figures available--show a net gain of
approximately 6600 current licensees, or about 1%, from last April, when
restructuring went into effect. Prior to that, the number of amateurs
had remained relatively stable since 1998.

ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, says the full impact of license
restructuring--including the elimination of the 13 and 20-WPM Morse
exams--is slowly making itself felt within the amateur community. "For
the first quarter of 2001, ARRL VEC test session statistics show that
new and upgrading amateurs continue to earn licenses at a rate stronger
that that of first quarter 1999 and first quarter 2000," he said. "This
is a positive trend that we expect will continue over the coming
months."

As of the end of March, according to statistics compiled by Joe Speroni,
AH0A, the FCC showed 684,359 current licensees on its books, although
the number of active amateurs is believed to be far smaller. Speroni's
figures show that more than 20,000 new amateurs entered the hobby over
the past year, while attrition was on the order of 13,600.

Overall, statistics show growth in the number of Extra, General and
Technician licensees from year-earlier figures, while the number of
Advanced, Tech Plus and Novice licensees declined.

Jahnke says comparing the ARRL VEC's first quarter 2001 numbers shows
that interest in the Extra class license is up by as much as 30% over
the first quarters of 1999 and 2000. "Extraordinarily, interest in the
General license is up 450% to 650%!" he said.

With the change to a new, 50-question Extra class written element that
combines material formerly covered in the 90 questions contained within
the old Advanced and Extra tests, some predicted the Extra test would be
easier to pass. That's not proving to be the case this year--at least at
ARRL VEC-sponsored sessions, where the Extra pass rate has declined by
nearly 7% from 1999. Technician and General pass rates this year have
been up on the order of 10% to 12% from pre-restructuring rates,
however, at ARRL VEC sessions.

Licensee numbers compiled by Speroni show that the FCC issued nearly
5400 new licenses in the first quarter of this year--more than 2230 in
the month of March alone. That compares with around 3730 new hams in the
same quarter last year. As would be expected, the vast majority of the
newcomers entered the hobby as Technician licensees. March was one of
only three months in the past year where the number of new licensees
exceeded 2000. For more information, visit Speroni's Amateur Radio
Education Web Site, http://ah0a.org/AH0A.html.

How to Solder

From: Stephen <smv@netpci.com>

The US Navy, who gave me four years worth of electronics training in 9
months, took four weeks to teach me how to solder "properly"... but I
can give a few pointers that will go a long way to ensuring reliable
joints. and I'll try to avoid getting into "bird caging" and "jagged
insulation".)

1. Keep it clean.

2. Use ONLY electronics grade flux. DO NOT use pipe fitting paste flux.
Using only enough to do the job. Keep in mind that after you are
finished with the joint you have to remove all traces of flux to keep it
from collecting dirt and moisture. My favorite method for flux is to use
liquid type and apply it using a little bottle that dentists use to
apply lacquer... ask your dentist about the little plastic squeeze
bottle with the metal piece sticking out of the tube... Be careful with
the flux. Where ever the flux goes, so goes the solder... keep it under
tight reign. If you allow it to get as far as the insulation you'll
stand a good chance of wicking (solder running under the insulation).

3. Clean the solder with isopropyl alcohol (NOT denatured alcohol)
before you begin. Use a little on a paper towel and clean it real good.

4. Using too low of a heat setting will cause more damage than using too
high of a heat setting. The reason will
become clear further on.

5. Repeat to yourself over and over again as you solder,
"I'm-in-two-three, it melts-two-three, I'm out!"... If it takes you any
longer than that to complete the joint you are taking too long. Most
likely it is because your heat setting is too low. If you don't have an
adjustable solder iron, get a more powerful one for this job.

6. Keep it clean.

7. When applying the solder, do NOT melt the solder on the iron then
apply the iron to the joint allowing the solder to blob onto the joint.
This is a very common practice and the cause of most solder joint
failures... it will cause "cold" solder joints. The plan of attack is to
apply the iron to both conductors (whatever they may be, terminal and
wire... two wires, etc) at the same time and place the solder where they
meet making a "heat bridge" of all three. You want the conductors
themselves hot enough to melt the solder to allow proper flow of the
solder throughout the joint. Again, this whole process should be over
within 4 or 5 seconds of applying the iron. If your heat is not
sufficient you will take too long to heat the conductors enough to melt
the solder and you will cause auxiliary damage to the insulation... This
will also help to avoid wicking. Be cautioned, though, that too much
heat can cause the solder to "crystallize" and make for a poor joint as
well. It takes a little practice to figure out the proper heat setting
for a particular job. After a while you'll know when you start how much
heat you'll need.

8. Prepare multi strand wires by "tinning" them. Using the same counting
method in step 5. Tinning applies a small amount of solder the end of
the wire and makes for faster "joint creation".

9. Keep it clean.

10. Between joints, keep a blob of molten solder on the tip of the iron.
This will help keep the tip clean by not allowing oxidation to collect
on the tip. Oxidation inside a joint is a bad thing.

11. Some solder irons come with a small sponge. This sponge is NOT for
cleaning the solder iron. It is intended to be wetted with water and
used to "heat shock" the tip of the iron. Clean the tip well just prior
to starting another "heat bridge" with a clean shop rag. Just brush off
the excess solder quickly with the rag. (It should be obvious that a
cotton rag is indicated here) NOW use the sponge to briefly tap both
sides of the solder iron tip on it to cool it slightly. This gives you
time to bring the tip in contact with the joint before oxidation starts
to form on the newly cleaned tip. If the tip is not shiny when you start
a bridge, it needs to be cleaned again. If it gets dark gray or black
before you can get in there, heat shock it a little longer or move a
little faster.
12. Keep it clean.
13. After you remove the heat DO NOT allow the joint to move until it
hardens over. Even though this happens very quickly, the slightest
amount of movement can cause the solder to crystallize and make for a
poor joint.

14. When you get done, clean all traces of flux from the joint. What you
should see is a very shiny joint with no "pits*" and smooth concave
sides where the solder tapers off to both sides. If the sides of the
joint are convex you've used more solder than what was required. Unless
you are concerned about weight requirements this usually isn't that big
of a deal. But remember, it all adds up!

*Pits... Pits are bad things. They are caused by various things... not
having the surfaces clean enough, allowing the tip to oxidize, not
staying in the joint long enough to allow the flux to "boil" off. Pits
are bad because they usually contain flux or some other contaminant and
can lead to corrosion of the joint. That isn't to say if you have a pit
your joint will fail. Many times, pits can be removed by reapplying flux
and re-flowing the joint. This can only be done once or twice before the
solder becomes "tired" and starts to crystallize when it cools. If it
gets to this point you'll have to remove the solder and start over
again.

I didn't get into weather proofing and protection methods here.
Depending on the application you'll want to use either heat shrink (Wire
to Wire) or High Temp silicone RTV (Wire to terminal). I STRONGLY
discourage the use of electrical tape of any color. Eventually it will
turn gummy and start collecting dirt. If you absolutely insist on using
electrical tape, consider changing it out every so often and cleaning
the joint between applications.

A Note To The Wise

Given the practice of tactical calls or "short call" identification by
some local net control operators, perhaps this following paragraph from
the chief enforcement officer of the FCC will clarify their position on
the practice. - AB9M

"We also take this opportunity to point out that the practice of
identifying only by the last two letters of an Amateur call sign is a
violation of Part 97 of the Commission's rules. A station identifying by
only part of its assigned call sign is not complying with the clearly
written rules regarding station identification, and such practice must
not be condoned by your group."
Sincerely,

W. Riley Hollingsworth
Legal Adviser for Enforcement
Compliance & Information Bureau

MORTON EXAM DATES

Following is the schedule for W5YI-VEC Amateur Radio exams for the year
2001 at the Morton Public Library. Setup is from 11 to Noon. Exams begin
at noon but registration is typically from 11:45 to 12:30. Questions
may be directed to Bob Davis (AA9MY) at 309-263-8620 (Day) or email to
redavis@dpc.net
Please bring two forms of identification. You must have Social Security
Number. We can not administer a test without SSN. You will need a copy
of your
Current license plus any CSCE you want to apply.

Morton Public Library
315 W. Pershing
Morton, IL 61550

Remaining dates for the year 2001 (Walk-ins are welcome)
Apr 21
Jun 16
Sep 16 (Peoria Superfest)
Oct 20
Dec 15
There will be VE testing at the Peoria SuperFest on Sunday September 16,
2001
Testing at the Fest will begin at 10:00 A.M. Walk-ins are welcome.

BLOOMINGTON EXAM DATES
Following is the schedule for W5YI-VEC Amateur Radio exams for the year
2001 at the Bloomington Public Library. Setup is from Noon to 1:30
normally. Exams begin as listed. Questions may be directed to Keith
Hanson.
Please bring two forms of identification. You must have your Social
Security Number. We can not administer a test without SSN. You will need
a copy of your Current license plus any CSCE you want to apply.

Bloomington Public Library
205 E. Olive
Bloomington, IL 61701

Remaining dates for the year 2001 (Walk-ins are welcome)
May 12
Jul 21
Nov 10
Keith, AC9S, is heading the testing.

Nets in the Area

Monday          9:00 P.M.       146.730 123.0 PL   Open Net
Tuesday         7:00 P.M.       146.910 Tazwell County ESDA Net
Tuesday         9:00 P.M.       146.940 CIRC Open Net
Wednesday       9:00 P.M.       147.060 Open Net Has Newsline
Wednesday       9:00 P.M.       442.250 123.0 PL   ARES Open Net
Wednesday       Varies 147.100 Trader's Net follows ARES    Net on 442.250
Thursday        9:00 P.M.       146.760 Open Net with Newsline
Thursday        9:00 P.M.       146.895 North central IL Traders Net
Sunday 8:30P.M 147.075 Open Net with Newsline

(Please help me correct this list. I know it's not up to date at this
time. Norm N9ZKS)

Blomington-Normal Area Repeaters

Freq Callsign Location   PL
145.390 N9EZJ Lincoln
145.430 KD9F   Gridley     103.5
146.790 K9CYW Bloomington
146.940 W9AML Bloomington
147.015 NX9M   Normal      88.5 (open*)
147.150 WD9FTV Bloomington 103.5
147.345 K9ZM   Lincoln
442.700 WB9UUS Normal      107.2 (open**)
443.325 KE9HB Congerville 107.2
444.350 W9EX   Bloomington 107.2
444.975 N9FZF Normal      136.5
* Repeater is currently in open mode with pl for those with QRM
** Repeater RX with tight carrier squelch and loose tone squelch (107.2)

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.

DOUBLE-DOG DARE YOU

I am sharing this with you because it ended with a "double dog dare" to
pass it on. To remember what a "double dog dare" is, read on. Remember
that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and
young enough not to care. How many do you remember?

01. Candy cigarettes
02. Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside.
03. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.
04. Coffee shops with table side juke boxes
05. Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum
06. Home milk delivery in glass bottles, with Cardboard stoppers.
07. Party lines.
08. Newsreels before the movie.
09. P. F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Drexel-5505)
12. Peashooters.
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM Records
15. Green Stamps
16. Hi-fi's
17. Metal ice cube trays--with levers
18. Mimeograph paper
19. Blue flash Bulbs
20. Beanie and Cecil
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork pop guns
23. Drive ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers
26. The Fuller Brush man
27. Reel-to-reel tape recorders
28. Tinkertoys
29. The Erector Set
30. The Fort Apache Playset
31. Lincoln Logs
32. 15 cent McDonald hamburgers
33. 5 cent packs of baseball cards... with that awful pink slab of
bubble gum
34. Penny candy
35. 25 cent-a-gallon gasoline

I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE TIME WHEN.....................
1. Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."
2. Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming "do over!"
3. "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
4. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly."
5. Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
6. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
7. Being old referred to anyone over 20.
8. The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball
and rules didn't matter.
9. The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was the
"cooties".
10. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
11. It was unbelievable that dodge ball wasn't an Olympic event.
12. Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
13. Nobody was prettier than mom.
14. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
15. It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people"
rides at the amusement park.
16. A foot of snow was a dream come true.
17. Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."
18. Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.
19. No shopping trip was complete unless a new toy was brought home.
20. "Oly-oly-oxen-all-in-free" made perfect sense.
21. Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for
giggles.
22. The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
23. War was a card game.
24. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
25. Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
26. Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.
27. Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
28. Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest
protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived !
Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up"
life....
* I double dog dare ya !!!!