What is new

--New combination lock protecting our Leonore club, call SRRC officers for
the code.

--103.5 tone is NOW necessary to access our repeater (147.12+)

Repeater Lingo

Weather Alert--National Weather Service has issued a risk of severe weather.

Weather Watch--National Weather Service has issued a weather watch.

PLEASE help out at OUR hamfest.  It looks like the best time for someone to
arrive at OUR hamfest is between 10 and Noon--no one will ask for donations
at the gate, but you will have to find your own parking spot!  There are
MANY open spots left in the work list. Buck N9PLJ  or Rich N9OUW  can help
you with your selection.  PLEASE contact Buck - evbuck@ivi.net, or leave
message at  815 663 8891 or Rich - 815  223 5032.

Are you on the Internet?  Tired of waiting for the mail-carrier to bring
your STATIC?  Get STATIC via e-mail.  Simply send me a note with "Static via
E-Mail" in the subject line and your subscription will begin today!  Send to
tokarz@ivcc.edu

Packet is active on 147.555.   Also, 145.550 is being monitored as a
possible Northern Ill multi-county emergency packet frequency.  Check into
KA9JNV-1 and say hi.

Ready to upgrade?  VE testing at IVCC, Oglesby Saturday April 24th 9-11am.
ALL License Classes will be tested!!  Call KB9EZZ at 433-2347 to register.

73 de  kb9ezz   contributions are greatly appreciated via disk or to
Tokarz@ivcc.edu
 

April SRRC meeting

N9PLM has announced that he is going to begin code lessons on Tuesady after
the swap net,and Thursdays at 9:30 PM.  ALL are invited.  The QSL Contest
was won by Whitey,KC9NL with a card from a station very close to the target
of Scotsdale AZ.  Next month's target is KE6FEW, Paicoma Calif.  (No, I
never heard of it either)

The progress of the back room was discussed, and the matter of the door
locks and keys was brought up.  It was decided to acquire a push-button
combination door lock, and change the combination annually.  See the article
below for more details.

It was decided to put the PL tone back on the repeater.  More on this down a
few lines too.

The hamfest arrangements are going along on schedule.  Getting the prizes,
talking to the R-C Bridge club etc. was discussed. Jeff,N9OWP disclosed that
the new air conditioner has been ordered, and cleaning and protecting the
deck were discussed.

We talked about the refrigerator.  It works OK, but it uses a lot more
electricity than a newer model.  Anybody willing to donate a recent model
high-efficiency refrigerator-freezer?

NEW DOOR LOCK AND HOW TO GET THE SECRET CODE!  Some time during the next
month, a brand new electronic push-button combination dead-bolt lock will be
installed on the east (deck) door of the clubhouse.  Your old keys will not
work any more!!  If you were at the meeting, you know what the newdoor
combination will be.

If you were not there, you can get it by calling  Frank KF9NZ, at 357 8934
or officers  - KC9NL, N9PLJ or WB9VLW.  We have your voice print in our
computers, and if you ARE who you SAY you are,we will tell you the secret
numbers.   These numbers are not to be transmitted over the radio, or
published anywhere.   I guess, if your e-mail is secure, and you send me an
e-mail request for the number, I will  reply with the number as long as I
recognize the e-mail address.   Of course, you can get the number if you
come to the next meeting too.

PL TONE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS CTCSS IS COMING (AGAIN)  If you listen to our 2
meter repeater a lot, and if you also listen to various public safety
frequencies, such as the LaSalle County Sheriff -both primary and secondary
- you may be aware that there is an intermittent problem.  To be specific,
the County secondary frequency,
155.145 MHz is interfering with our repeater.

Often when the Sheriff Dispatcher transmits it will be picked up by our
repeater receiver which causes our transmitter to key up.

Finding and clearing up these kinds of problems can be very difficult.
Intermodulation is always a prime suspect in multiple transmitter sites,and
finding the mixing frequencies and the non-linear device where the mixing
takes place are tough.   There are a couple of other effects that can cause
interference to perfectly good radio systems.

All of this being said, it was decided to put the PL back on the repeater -
HOPING this will eliminate the interference.  It may, but it WILL NOT
eliminate the cause - only mask it.  I will re-connect the PL decoder within
the next week or two.   You should go ahead and program  the 103.5 tone into
your rigs now.  I will announce when the work is done

de KF9NZ