RADIOACTIVITIES Newsletter of the Argonne Amateur Radio Club
Volume XLI, Number 4	April, 2000

Last year at this time, the average solar flux for the week was 147.5. This week it was 207.8, much higher, and almost 13 points higher than last week’s average. A steady upward recent trend can be seen in the graph at http://www.dxlc.com/solar.

Geomagnetic indices have been quite low, but this should change. Active conditions are predicted for the next few days, due to recurring coronal holes and some recent flare activity.

Weekend conditions for the CQ Worldwide WPX Phone Contest could be stormy. The predicted planetary A index for the next five days, Friday through Tuesday, is 25, 30, 20, 10 and 10, so it looks like the best contest conditions may be on Sunday.

On March 31 and April 1 conditions may be unsettled or active again, but should be quiet until April 18. Solar flux predicted for the next five days is 230, 240, 245, 245 and 235. Flux values are 13, and then peak near 250 around April 22 or 23.

Sunspot numbers for March 16 through 22 were 138, 152, 142, 208, 240, 191 and 212 with a mean of 183.3. The 10.7 cm flux was 184.4, 192.4, 194.8, 208.2, 210.3, 230.5 and 233.8, with a mean of 207.8. The estimated planetary A indices were 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 6 and 11, with a mean of 7.1.

In a Memorandum Opinion and Order March 16, the FCC said Northwest, a consumer electronics dealer, on two occasions in 1997 and 1998 sold and offered to sell “external radio frequency power amplifiers — commonly known as ’linear amplifiers’” to two different FCC agents posing as a member of the general public. The FCC said the amps were capable of operating in the 27-MHz Citizens Band. A Notice of Apparent Liability was issued in June 1998.

Northwest sought rescission of the $7000 forfeiture saying it never intended to offer or recommend the linears for CB use; its violation was unintentional; that it had ceased selling the illegal equipment; and that it is “small retailer” attempting to make ends meet. The FCC was unmoved and upheld the $7000 fine. The company was given 30 days to pay. — FCC

Start or keep thinking about how YOU are going to help out when the big weekend comes. You must remember that this is OUR big operation of the year and that means the whole club. Oh, I know, you can’t help out more than a few hours on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. BUT that will make a welcome break to someone who has been there since early Saturday morning.

With the diverse talents, knowledge, and abilities in this club we can do a fine job. And just think of all the smiling faces that will be glad to see you.

Dennis Kelly K9LJK, Loren Thompson KB9CTJ, Bruce Epperson KA9JXU, Fred Propper WB9VUT, Dale Travis AG9H, Jim Specht W9GBL, Jim Klick K9FAT, Bill Karraker W9AVE, Dick Konecny K9IB, Deni Lamoreaux W9DS.

After some discussion regarding changing our definition of the term “Associate Member” to match that of the Argonne Club language, a motion was made by Jim Klick to find a suitable term and amend our by-laws. This was Seconded by Jim Specht, and Passed by voice vote. Bruce Epperson will search for an appropriate word and report back to the Board.

This situation has arisen since the Argonne Club has amended its rules to allow “Associate Members” to hold Office. Their definition of “Associate Member” is a retired Argonne employee. Our definition is a non-Argonne repeater user. These are the members that need a “new name”. Nothing in the operation of the Club will change, except that retirees will be able to hold Club Offices.

Since we would be changing language in our Constitution and By-Laws, Dick Konecny suggested that we look at other possible changes, such as a way to remove someone from the Club for illegal and improper use of the repeater.

Additional discussion involved the new Extra Class test and new FCC form610. Deni Lamoreaux has the information if anyone is interested.

Dick Konecny received notice of dues renewal for the Illinois Repeater Association. It was passed to Dale for payment.

We received a request from a member to buy some of the old Club equipment that is not used anymore. After some discussion, it was decided that Bruce will inventory what we have, publish a list in the newsletter, set up an inspection time, and accept bids.

Dennis Kelly reminded us that we need to relocate the Club Station to amore usable area. He will contact the Argonne person in charge of allocating space to see what can be done.

Regarding the money from our member donor, Dick Konecny has a contact at Downers Grove North, and Loren Thompson has one at Hinsdale South. They will get in touch and report back to the Board.

The Board is considering adding e-mail addresses to the Club Roster that is mailed to all members. Input from the members will be sought.

Dennis Kelly has the site reserved for Field Day. Bruce Epperson reminded us that is is not too soon to start making plans. He has a tentative schedule of events, i.e. set up, on site breakfast, etc. He will be publishing it as the date nears.

Bill Karraker has slides of past Field Days that he will show at the May meeting. Bruce will put a notice in the April Newsletter inviting others tobring their memories of past Field Days to the May meeting as well. Dennis Kelly will arrange to get the Argonne Park Fieldhouse for that meeting, May 2^nd.

Several members of the Board noticed the unusually large turnout today, and also commented that this led to more items discussed, as well as a longer meeting. Whether this was bad or good was left to the individual members to decide.

I am putting e-mail addresses into the membership database. I already have several member’ e-mail addresses that I got from Gary, K9CZB. If you want your e-mail put into the members data base, please e-mail your e-mail address to These e-mail addresses will eventually wind up in a membership list that gets distributed to everyone.

I am moving the AARC web pages from the ANL-ECT web server to a commercial web server. The cost is zero for the use of this server. We just have to put up with a small advertising banner at the top of the page. This banner is not obtrusive and it cannot be removed. The address of the home page is http://www.bigfoot.com/~w9anl.

Take a look at what is there and if you have comments, send them to the e-mail address on the web pages. The e-mail address on those pages is the club’s e-mail address which currently gets forwarded to me. Some time after we are satisfied that the new site is working ok and I have had time to get the links to our site changed, I’ll have the old site disabled. (Bigfoot.com is just a reflector site — it hides the real addresses.)

NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 3, 2000 — Willem van Tuijl — the 13-year-old boy from the Netherlands wounded during a pirate attack off Honduras — is in the US today. The youngster, the son of Amateur Radio operators Jacco and Jannie van Tuijl, KH2TD and KH2TE, was seriously injured by a single bullet on March 28. His father was able to summon help via the Maritime Mobile Service Net on 20 meters.

Through contacts with amateurs in the US and elsewhere, the boy and his mother were transported by Honduran authorities to a hospital in La Ceiba, where Willem underwent emergency surgery. Arrangements were made Friday through the office of ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, for Willem to be transported to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. He’s reported in fair condition there today.

“Willem is great,” Jacco van Tuijl said this morning. “He’s the best kid and he’s got enormous willpower.” The father said Willem was “talking and smiling” and was aware of his medical situation. “His spirits are very high,” he said.

Both parents have had little sleep in the past six days and are nearing exhaustion because of their ordeal. They’re staying at a Ronald McDonald House about two miles from the hospital. “They’re wonderful,” van Tuijl said of the McDonald House staff.

The Dallas hospital has agreed to accept Willem as a patient and treat him without guaranteed payment. An SBAir Lifeguard aircraft with a medical team from CMC was dispatched from Dallas to Honduras Friday evening, and the boy and his parents arrived in the US early Saturday morning.

The arrangement with Children’s followed contacts by Haynie’s office with the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital — an orthopedic facility that, in turn, recommended Children’s — and with US Rep Pete Sessions. Haynie’s office also was able to make arrangements for the airport in Honduras to remain open past its usual 9 PM closing time to accommodate the flight from the US.

“Without Amateur Radio, this would be a story about a boy who died in a Honduran Hospital,” said Haynie in an interview with the Dallas Morning News.

A fund has been established to assist the family. Donations are invited to Willem Fund, c/o Southwest Bank, 1603 LBJ Freeway, Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75234.

Local amateurs in the La Ceiba, Honduras, area have said they will cover Willem’s hospital expenses there. van Tuijl said the Honduran hospital did a good job of treating his son. The family’s 44-foot sailing sloop remains in Roatan. Jacco van Tuijl says family’s cat, “Ketchicat,” remains aboard. The vessel and Ketchicat are being taken care of by a local marina, which gave the family a month’s free dockage.

In public statements, both parents have expressed their thanks and gratitude to the Amateur Radio community for their assistance and support. Jacco van Tuijl indicated the family was taking things one day at a time at this point. “It’s a big disaster, yes,” van Tuijl said, “but he didn’t die.”

The van Tuijls have been cruising various parts of the world since 1995. They obtained their US Amateur Radio licenses during an extended stay in Guam. Last Tuesday, the father and son were in an inflatable dinghy, not far from their 44-foot sailing sloop, anchored behind a reef with a couple of other sailboats in the vicinity some 50 miles off the coast of Honduras.

After spotting four or five men from an open wooden boat board his vessel — where his wife was still aboard — van Tuijl and his son headed back toward their vessel. One of the pirates brandished what appeared to be an automatic weapon when they were about 20 yards away. In ensuing gunfire, the boy was wounded in the abdomen and the dinghy was damaged and flipped over, dumping the pair into the water. van Tuijl said the marauders “got nervous” and soon left the scene after taking the damaged dinghy and outboard motor with them.

van Tuijl managed to get his injured son, bleeding badly, back on board his sailboat, then got on the radio to summon urgent help. Among those responding was Dr Jim Hirschman, K4TCV, a Miami physician, who was able to provide first-aid advice over the air.

Media interest in the story has been high. TV crews and reporters met the boy and his family as they arrived to admit the youngster to Children’s Medical Center. A news conference was held this afternoon in Dallas.

The VE’s at this session were Ed KV9Y, Roger WA9PUE, and Deni W9DS.

Would you like to upgrade before the April 15^th deadline? If you would then call Deni today at 630-986-0061 to set up an appointment.

Deni would also like to remind everyone that the SKYWARN NET meets every Monday at 7:30 p.m. Until October the 1^st.

Dayton Hamvention has announced the winners of its Amateur of the Year, Technical Excellence, and Special Achievement awards for 2000.

DX luminary Martti Laine, OH2BH, was named Hamvention’s Amateur of the Year for 2000. “Martti is well known in the international Amateur Radio community as our number one Ambassador of Good Will,” said a statement from Cathi Hoskins, N8ZCQ, who chairs Hamvention’s Awards and Banquet Committee. “Martti has been responsible for promoting the activation of new DXCC countries - traveling under difficult and often dangerous conditions to promote the hobby worldwide.”

Laine is the only person to have been inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame as well as the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. He’s also a QST author as well as the subject of many other articles dealing with the DX world.

Among other highly visible DXpeditions, OH2BH pioneered the P51BH operation from North Korea in April 1999. He also was among the operators at the Gaza E44DX operation in February 1999 and the FW8ZZ Wallis Island Dxpedition later that year.

Hamvention will present its Technical Excellence Award to H. Paul Shuch, N6TX. Shuch is being honored for his pioneering work in the 1970s in VHF, UHF and microwave receiver design and for his recent design of Amateur Radio astronomy equipment for the 21-cm hydrogen line region.

Shuch, who’s executive director of the SETI League, was the ARRL Atlantic Division’s 1999 Technical Award winner. A prolific writer, Shuch is the author of more than 200 articles, about half of them in Amateur Radio publications. He’s an ARRL Life Member and was the 1996 Dayton Hamvention banquet speaker.

Hamvention will present its Special Achievement Award to former FCC official A. Prose Walker, W4BW. An FCC veteran who headed the FCC’s Amateur and Citizens Division from 1971 until 1975, Walker is being honored for his early involvement in obtaining new Amateur Radio allocations. He made an initial proposal for new bands at 10, 18, 24 MHz before an International Amateur Radio Club meeting in Geneva in 1972, and he was one of four members of the US committee that took the initial steps to turn the idea into reality.

The Hamvention announcement described Walker as “the guiding force behind the development of the Advisory Committee of Amateur Radio” and served as its first chairman. He also chaired the Amateur Radio Working Group in preparation for the 1979 World Administrative Radio Conference, at which US amateurs obtained the 30, 17, and 12-meter bands. Walker retired from the FCC in 1975 and now lives in New York. He’s an ARRL Life Member.

Hamvention this year will host the 2000 ARRL National Convention. The international gathering is May 19-21. The annual awards will be presented during the annual Hamvention Saturday evening banquet on May 20. The FCC’s Riley Hollingsworth will be the banquet speaker.