RADIOACTIVITIES Newsletter of the Argonne Amateur Radio Club
Volume XL, Number 1	January, 1999

For the time being at least, Alpha/Power will continue to market RFconcepts products through the same dealer network. Alpha/Power expects to be manufacturing new products under the RFconcepts name by early 1999. For more information, contact Alpha/Power, 14440 Mead Ct, Unit B, Longmont, CO 80504; telephone 970-535-4173; http://www.Alpha-Power-inc.com.

As is our custom, we begin the new year with a brief description of this newsletter. It is produced on a Gateway P5-200 computer, using WordPerfect 8. Bill, W9AVE types his Last Page "the old-fashioned way." The WordPerfect files are e-mailed to Joe, WB9THV who prints them on an HP LaserJet printer. Bill picks up the printed pages from Joe and delivers them to Stan, KB9FGD along with his Last Page, for reproduction. Dale, AG9H provides the mailing labels. Bill and Dennis, K9LJK mail newsletters to Retired and Associate members through the U.S. Mail while Joe sends them to Full members through the interoffice mail.

So, you see that this is a group effort. All that is missing, is articles from you! We welcome articles on any aspect of interest to hams. We prefer them in digital form to save re-typing, but hard copy is ok if you don't have a computer. E-mail your ham radio-related articles to me at gmyers@mcs.net, or send me hard copy or a disc at 28W135 Hillview Drive, Naperville IL, 60564. May I hear from you?

33% of the full members and 49% of the associate members have signed up for 1999. There should be another 1999 membership application form included with this newsletter if you have not already signed up. Please swamp Bill and me with applications in January. Please DO NOT staple or tape your check/cash to the application. It is unnecessary and does create some interesting guesses at times. Your application usually winds up getting torn and I can loose some information from the application. Also, please don't cut the applications, leave them full sheet size. I have gotten some forms without calls, so I fill out your membership card without a call, then a few days later, I find there is a call in my database, but, sorry, too late, the membership card has already gone out. I do not have my database handy when I fill out the membership cards. For the ANL people, PLEASE put your building & room number on your application as this will save me having to look it up in the phone book and does save me a lot of time. For ANL-W, use your building number NOT just ANL-W or Idaho. If there is an X in the lower right corner of your address label,you have not paid for 1999 according to my records.

A reminder: the W9ANL repeater is also an RTTY repeater. Since the 145.31 machine was taken out of RTTY service, some of the RTTY activity has moved to 145.19. So, those of you using the repeater for RTTY, please keep your audio on and wait for the beep before keying up to allow others to break in.

Around 1637, Pierre de Fermat postulated his "Last Theorem." It is based on the familiar Pythagorean Theorem, x² + y² = z² which, as every schoolchild knows, is valid for all right triangles. But Fermat took it a step further: he stated that it is never true for x,y,z integers and whole number exponents greater than 2. Then he moved it into the realm of mystery by noting, "I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." This claimed proof has never been discovered.

For more than 350 years, mathematicians the world over tried, and failed, to prove it. It became the holy grail of mathematics. Some of the failures were spectacular. Then, in 1994 after years of single-minded effort, Andrew Wiles proved it and revolutionized mathematics in the process.

This is a gripping tale of trial, tribulation, murder, and suicide, entertainingly told around the personalities and history of mathematics.

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