Is it fair to work a VHF band opening if I only can get 88-108 on my car
radio? Usually, it seems the fog has created some great openings for
DXing the FM broadcast band as well as 2m, and usually when I'm headed
off to work & hate to cutoff a fellow ham just getting into a good
ragchew...

As a reminder, if you haven't paid your dues yet for 1999, please do.
And while your at it, think of something YOU would like to see us have
at club meetings, or something you would like to DO for a program. All
ham, computer, Internet, project building, demos and anything else are
WELCOME! I always get excited when I learn or see something new - I bet
you might too!

Norm passed on a FCC guideline for tower responsibility for ALL parties
affiliated with a tower installation for it's safe operation. Catch his
reprint of this article elsewhere in this newsletter.

Just read the last QST - the article on ballooning was really
fascinating - has anyone heard if the CIBA group (ciba.org) have another
launch planned for this year?

Hope to see you at the January meeting!

de Chuck / N9RZV

President: Chuck Kostelc, N9RZV

Vice President: Rick Kempf, WD9HRU

Secretary/Treasurer: Norman Huber, N9ZKS

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
e-mail  nihuber@ice.net

Permission is granted to Amateur Radio-related organizations to
reproduce contents of Short CIRCuits provided full credit is given.
January Meeting
Wednesday 27 January

   The matter of the club officers was then brought up. After the
underwelling rush of volunteers to unseat the current board,
Minutes Continued

Dean - AA9BS made a motion re-elect the current board. Erla - N9VXY
seconded the motion. After  vigorous discussion (???) Rick made a motion
to close discussion which was seconded by Connie - KB9IGT. The motion
was passed by voice vote.
   A short discussion was then held concerning  bootleg stations
operating in the 10 meter band. These appear to be  modified CB's being
used for personal communication with a base location near Main Street
and Division. Keep an ear out for them. Considering the apparent return
to enforcement actions by the assigned regulatory bodies, perhaps we can
nip this in the bud and avoid the hate and frustration some of the
earlier lack of action caused.

Norm - N9ZKS

        Anyone who is wishing to set for an Amateur Exam:

        I have set the following dates for Amateur Radio Exam sessions
during 1999.

        The testing will be moving to a new location this year.  The
examinations will be held at the new #2 Fire House near the South
complex of State Farm Corporate Headquarters, under the new 2.5 million
gallon, City of Bloomington Water Tower.  The new building has a
convenient training room that will work very nicely for us with plenty
of parking and easy access.

        Please, do NOT call or contact them, as they have no information
to give you about the exam sessions.  If you need information please
contact one of the examiners on the team.  My work number is
309-434-2466.

        The exams will be held at the Bloomington Fire Department, #2
Fire House, 1911 E. Hamilton Road.  Come into Bloomington from any
direction and get onto Veterans Parkway.  Take Veterans around to the
intersection of Illinois State Highway 150.  Take Route 150 South (may
be marked East) to the next stop light.  Turn left or East on Hamilton.
Look for the big water tower ahead of you and the station house is in
front of it.  At the next stop light turn right into the entrance and
then left around the building.  Park where convenient and enter the
front or North door by the flag pole.  We will be there to greet you.

        Exams will begin at 1:00 p.m. and not before.  The examining
team will arrive and prepare prior to this time.  If we do not have
anyone show up for an exam or make a prior arrangement we will close the
session at 2:00 p.m.
     We would like to have some idea on how many examines will attend an
exam session.  Your help with this will be greatly appreciated.  I am
requesting that anyone who plans to sit for an exam pre-register by
calling or sending an e-mail to me or contact any of our examiners.  You
may call my home and leave a message at 309-662-3910.  If you leave a
message on my answering machine, I will put you down as being registered
and will expect to see you on exam day. My e-mail is
"nx9m@aol.com">NX9M@aol.com  or check my web site
<http://members.aol.com/nx9m>
        If you have any special requirements, such as a handy cap
credit, please contact me.  So many show up with the wrong forms and
information.  The FCC is great about changing dates on forms and not
accepting the ones that may not look like they have changed.  It is a
long wait, lets not make it longer and take a few precautions prior to
your arrival, on exam day.
        Remember walk-ins are ALWAYS welcome for Amateur exams.

        See you soon.

                1999 Exam Schedule

Sunday,         February  7,   1:00 p.m.
Sunday,          March  7,      1:00 p.m.
Saturday,        May  8,         1:00 p.m.
Sunday,    November  14,    1:00 p.m.

        Thank You .....  Ken  NX9M

MORTON EXAM DATES
Bob Davis AA9MY
If there are any questions phone 309-263-8620 (day) or 309-925-3141
(evenings) My email is   redavis@dpc.net
All Morton exams begin at noon on Saturdays at the Morton Public
Library.
Dec 19
73 de Bob AA9MY

Radio station W0K will be 'hamming' it up for Pope's visit
By Jean M. Schildz Review Staff Writer
 "CQ, CQ, CQ. This is special events station W zero K transmitting from
St. Louis, Mo.,
to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II. CQ, CQ, CQ.
 That voice message or something similar to it will be heard by ham
radio operators around the world for 48 hours non-stop when the Pope
comes to town Jan. 26-27, 1999. In ham radio lingo, "CQ" means "I'm
listening, and I want you to talk to me," explained Father Michael E.
Dieckmann, an amateur ham radio operator and pastor of Good Shepherd
Parish in Hillsboro. If time permits, he, along with several other of
his fellow priests who are "hams," plans to take part in transmitting
the message about the Pope's visit here. The shortwave message will be
transmitted from what is known among "hams" as a "special events
station," expressly setup to commemorate a special event such as the
Pope's visit to St. Louis. A log is kept of every contact made to the
station during the time of the special event. Ham radio operators who
successfully make contact with the station will receive a "QSL," or
confirmation of contact. The confirmation notice can take many forms
such as a certificate or postcard. In the case of the St. Louis special
events station, the confirmation most likely will be in the form of a
double-sized postcard with the official papal logo. These "QSLs" are
usually "very nice" and are highly sought after by 'tams," said Father
Mark S. Ebert, another amateur ham radio enthusiast who hopes to take
part in the event. He is pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Lemay. The
Monsanto  Amateur Radio Association (MARA) will coordinate the special
events station, said Roger Volk, MARA president. The association will
provide the space and its facility for the station, while all amateur
ham radio clubs in the St. Louis metropolitan area will participate as
operators and help pay for the cost of the effort, he explained. The
association's facilities are located on the grounds of the Monsanto Co.
headquarters in Creve Coeur. The special events station will run 48
hours straight to accommodate worldwide listenership, Volk said. "In an
event like this, particularly since this is the only city the Pope will
be visiting in the United States, people all over the world would like
to say they talked to someone in St. Louis during the period of his
visit." "Typically an event of this magnitude will draw many, many
contacts all over the world," concurred Father Ebert, who also is a MARA
board member. The station will receive worldwide exposure through
advance notices of the event run in amateur ham radio journals around
the world.  There  will  be  "a  big demand," Volk predicted, since this
is the first time that Pope John Paul has ever visited St. Louis as pope
and the chances that he will ever do so again "are probably zero." For
more information or, if you're an amateur radio operator and can help
operatethe station, call Roger Volk at 487-4050. His ham radio call sign
is K0GOB.
-------------It's all right to call these clergy "hams."  It's OK to
call these clergy of St. John Lateran in Imperial, "hams." The following
is a short list of call signs belonging to archdiocesan priests
whonumber themselves among the 3,000 or so amateur ham radio operators
in the St. Louis area. Father Michael E. Dieckmann, pastor of Good
Shepherd Parish in Hillsboro, KA0IAR; Father Mark Ebert, pastor of St.
Bernadette Parish in Lemay, N0EOF; Father Edward Heim, pastor of St.
John Lateran in Imperial, KB0EXH; Father David A. Novak, pastor of St.
Bartholomew Parish in Hazelwood, N0DN; Father Thomas J. Schmidt, St.
David parish in Arnold, N0DWC.------------Reprinted courtesy of The St.
Louis Review

Equipment--Have you tried the 147.12 swap net on Tuesdays at 2100?  Now
is a good time to take inventory of the shacks, attics and basements and
replace that unused gear with a smile and thank-you from a new ham
starting off.  If the phones go down, your voice will get pretty tired
passing all that traffic.   Packet?  HRO (800.444- 9476 ) has KPC3+ TNCs
for $125 during January.  Electrified Discounters (800.678-8585) have
battery operated Thermal Inkjet Printer for $109 ( $89 for 3).  Hear of
a sale, let us know on the net.

Power--An alternator and that old lawn mover (or exercise-cycle) can
make you a fine battery charger.  Generators, batteries, solar cells may
not be available next Winter.

Skill--Ever been net control? Check for mail at the packet bulletin
board? Can you copy and send code at ...1 WPM ...QRP?  31DEC99 will not
be the time to learn these skills!  Also, the Red Cross offers classes
in First-Aid, CPR, Mass Care (shelter operations) and Damage
Assessment.  Now is the time to learn a new skill that helps you and our
community.  VE sessions
Bloomington 07FEB 1pm, 07MAR 1pm  309.662-3910;
Ottawa 25MAR 6pm Ottawa Novice-Tech 815.433-2347; Oglesby 24APR 9am IVCC

Room A300 Oglesby 815.433-2347

The FEMA news release concludes with:  The efforts of FEMA and all
emergency management and fire service organizations cannot be viewed as
a substitute for personal responsibility and personal preparedness.
Every organization and every individual, in public and private life, has
an obligation to learn more about this problem and their vulnerability,
so that they may take appropriate action to prevent a problem before it
occurs.

73  de kb9ezz
The previous was taken from "Static"", the newsletter of the Starved
Rock Radio Club.

Your family will cope best by preparing for disaster before it strikes.
One way to prepare is by assembling a Disaster Supplies Kit. Once
disaster hits, you won't have time to shop or search for supplies. (If
there is anything left in the stores!) But if you've gathered supplies
in advance, your family can endure an evacuation or home confinement.

Prepare Your Kit   There are six basics you should stock for your home:
water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and
emergency supplies, and special items. Keep the items that you would
most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container such
as a large, covered trash container, a camping backpack, a duffel bag. A
container I've found is the square plastic buckets containing clumpable
cat litter. It is of good sturdy construction with a lid which snaps on
tight, keeping out critters.  Make friends with your neighborhood cat
person.

Water--Store one gallon of water per person per day--two quarts for
drinking & two quarts for food preparation/sanitation.  You will need
more water with increased activity or hotter temperatures.

Food--Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food--require
no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. If you
must heat food, pack a can of Sterno. Select food items that are compact
and lightweight.

First Aid Kit Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes,  Assorted
sizes of safety pins, Cleansing agent/soap, Latex gloves (2 pairs),
Sunscreen, 2-inch sterile gauze pads (4-6),  4-inch sterile gauze pads
(4-6), Triangular bandages (3), 2-inch sterile roller bandages (3
rolls), 3-inch sterile roller bandages (3 rolls), Scissors, Tweezers,
Needle, Moistened towelettes, Antiseptic,  Thermometer, Tongue blades
(2), Tube of petroleum jelly, etc

Non-Prescription Drugs--Pain reliever, Anti-diarrhea medication, Antacid
, Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison
Control Center), Laxative,  Activated charcoal (use if advised by the
Poison Control Center)

Tools and Supplies  Mess kits, cups, plates, and, utensils  Emergency
preparedness manual, Battery-operated radio and extra batteries,
Flashlight and extra batteries, Cash or traveler's checks, change,
Non-electric can opener, utility knife

Sanitation  Toilet paper, towelettes, Soap, liquid detergent, Feminine
supplies, Personal hygiene items, Plastic garbage bags, ties (for
personal sanitation uses)

Clothing and Bedding  Include at least one complete change of clothing
and footwear per person.  Sturdy shoes or work boots, Rain gear,
Blankets or sleeping bags

Special Items Remember family members with special requirements, such as
infants and elderly or disabled persons

Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a
smaller version of the Disaster Supplies Kit in the trunk of your car.
Keep items in airtight plastic bags. Change your stored water & food
supply every six months so it stays fresh. Rethink your kit and family
needs at least once a year. Replace batteries, update clothes, etc.  Ask
your physician or pharmacist about storing prescription medications. A
good solution would be to have an extra months supply of prescription
drugs you take all the time, in your emergency supply and when  you
refill the prescription put the new drugs in the cache and take the
drugs from the cache for use. This will keep them from reaching their
expiration date.

Also from your local Red Cross chapter--"Your Family Disaster Plan" (ARC
4466) &  "Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit" (ARC 4463)
 

Packet Radio and Emergency Communications

-Richard Ferguson, KAØDXM, Section Emergency Coordinator, Boulder,
Colorado  http://www.iex.net/ares/d-11.htm

Perhaps the best way to explain how Boulder County ARES operates is to
tell the story of one emergency from beginning to end. This is the story
of our third major forest fire, which burned a dozen houses in Boulder
County in November 1990. It started early on a Saturday morning. The
first that BCARES knew of it was when a sheriff's officer knocked on
the door of one of our members, and asked him to evacuate his home.  The
county communications center requested packet links to the fire base and
the evacuation center. A voice net was set up on a local two-meter
repeater.  During the two days of the fire, a total of 225 messages were
sent via packet radio. Forty-eight hams participated, putting in a total
of 350 hours of volunteer time.

Packet and Message Handling   Do not forget these traffic handling
basics: every message needs a  number, an addressee, a destination and a
signature. The sender's signature is perhaps the most important item.
The sender's title and agency should be included with the name. The
basic procedure at each site is simple. When a ham receives a written
message, he checks it to make sure it is signed, addressed and legible.
Then he SENDs the message to the appropriate site, typing it directly
(via packet radio) into the bulletin board. When the message is
finished, the other station receives a one-line notice of mail, then
READs the message. After receiving the message,  the station
acknowledges by voice; i.e., "Fire base, this is dispatch, acknowledging
your message 123." The acknowledgment is accepted with a "Thank you,"
and the message is torn off the printer and delivered. We use tactical
calls, such as "fire base," rather than ham calls, on both voice and
packet. This minimizes confusion when the ham at the fire base mike
takes a break or goes home.

Why is Packet Successful?   The most important fact is that all of the
agencies that we serve like the hard copy messages. The police and fire
departments have voice communications, but hard copy from point to point
is something else. Packet's automatic error checking also provides
protection against garbled messages. In most instances, receiving a
computer printed message is much better than trying to interpret cryptic
notations scrawled on cards. Most of the traffic that BCARES handles
relates to logistics. (i.e., "Please send 50 shovels.") In addition to
providing hard copy, we provide additional communications operators, as
well as additional frequencies.

Packet Hardware and Software     Our present packet system consists of
four parts: portable packet systems, fixed packet systems, mountaintop
digipeaters and a packet bulletin board.   The portable packet systems
consist of a DOS-laptop computers, 2 VHF transceivers, (one for packet
and one for voice), a TNC, a battery-powered thermal printer, a 20
amp-hour lead-acid gel-type battery, a battery charger and antennas.
Its broken into two suitcases, plus beam antennas.  The message is typed
into the bulletin board at the operator's speed, and when the message is
ready, the other station receives a one-line notice of the message.
Direct connection from one station to another is usually simpler if only
two stations are involved, but with multiple stations, the bulletin
board makes life a lot easier.

Packet Problems and Pitfalls  Packet can be wonderful, but it can also
be a big problem with TNC parameters. Perhaps the most important
parameter is FRACK, which defines the time between retry transmissions.
People get impatient, and tend to set FRACK very low. However, if
multiple stations on the same frequency do this, everybody ends up
transmitting at the same time, and nobody gets any traffic through.  If
you want a real disaster, have 4 or 5 stations typing on the same
frequency, with FRACK set to about 2. The weaker stations will soon
retry out and be disconnected.

Recommended TNC Parameter Settings  MAXFRAME  1, Low power stations use
8; DWAIT16  (If you're using an older TAPR 1 TNC, use 4 or 2 if on low
power.); FRACK 8; Retry 10; CHECK 0; AX25L2V2  ON; SLOTTIME  10 If
supported; PPERSIST  ON  If supported; PERSIST   63  If supported (Low
power stations use 128.)

Channel overload can be a real issue, even with correct parameter
settings. In an overload situation, weak stations will be disconnected,
and it will take forever for a message to get through. There are two
ways to deal with it:

1. Use more than one frequency. We recently upgraded our bulletin board
to use two frequencies, and estimate that we have almost doubled our
traffic handling capability. A lower-tech solution is having the net
control tell two packet stations to QSY to another packet frequency. To
minimize interference, we do not operate on the national packet
frequency of 145.01 Mhz.

2. Limit or shut down lower-priority traffic. If you are handling
disaster relief traffic, do not allow health-and-welfare inquiries to
bog down the system. If you have an emergency message, order the other
stations to stop typing.

A key to maintaining control is to require all packet stations to
simultaneously monitor a voice frequency. This makes coordination and
debugging problems much easier. We use a voice two-meter repeater and a
packet two-meter frequency, with digipeaters if necessary. There is some
interference, but it is usually not a big problem. A packet monitoring
station, most often manned by a packet expert from his home, can also be
useful in spotting problems and suggesting solutions.

Calendar of Events
Weekly 2 Meter NetEvery Tuesday evening on the 146.940- repeater at 9:00
p.m.10/10 Breakfast First Saturday of every month at 8 a.m. in the Steak
and Shake at Vernon Ave. and Veterans (Just south of College Hills
Mall).
CIRC Meeting
 Fourth Wednesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Red Cross building
in Bloomington (Just north of the airport).

The FCC is warning Amateur repeater owners that they will be held liable
for deficiencies in tower marking and lighting rules.

This in the aftermath of a near collision of an air ambulance helicopter
and a tower recently in Texas.

The FCC warns that not only is the tower owner responsible, but any
tenant on a tower is also fully responsible.  If you, your club or
organization own or maintain any equipment on any tower structure, you
will be held liable.  This means that if the FCC or FAA fines a tower
owner, you will be fined also.

Many amateur radio clubs that own repeaters think that their
responsibility for tower maintenance ends when they pay their monthly
site rental fee. The FCC says that the actual responsibility never
ends.  That every user of a tower is responsible for its proper
maintenance.  This even includes guest radio systems that are paying no
fees at all.

(FCC, ANW)