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SIERRA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB MEETINGS
Every SARC Emergency Net
Monday 1930 hrs WA6YBN Randsburg repeater
Night 145.34 MHz (-600 kHz, PL 100.0 Hz)
Ridgecrest translator 146.64 (-600kHz)
Visitors welcome
Oct 10 Board of Officers Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn 1900 hrs
Oct 10 Membership Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn
Ready Room 1930 hrs
Program Interesting Antennas
By Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD
Nov 14 Board of Officers Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn 1900 hrs
Nov 14 Membership Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn
Ready Room 1930 hrs
Program You and Your Project Right Here
Dec 12 Board of Officers Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn 1900 hrs
Dec 12 Membership Meeting
Second Wednesday Heritage Inn
Ready Room 1930 hrs
SARC BoO Election for 2002
Program You and Your Project Right Here
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PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Oct 20 & 21 Scout Jamboree On The Air
Boy and Girl Scouts world wide contacting
each other via Amateur Radio. Operators
and rigs needed.
Contact Bill Burns WA6QYR 446-5094, 375-8566
See article
Nov 10 &11 Coso Junction Jam
Two twelve hour horse endurance rides
Contact Hal Hazel KM6JM 382-0474
E-mail km6jm@ispchannel.com
See article
ACTIVITIES
Oct 13 Monthly Fox Hunt
Heritage Inn parking lot 0800 hrs
Contact Mike Herr WA6ARA 375-5324
E-mail herr@ridgenet.net
AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE EXAMS
Oct 13 Volunteer License Exam Session
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SARC NEEDS OFFICERS -- VOLUNTEER NOW
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SHACK SARC is looking for a few good Hams. With the fall season the club is looking for volunteers for positions on the SARC Board of Officers. Several members of the present board have served for multiple years, more than doing their part. But we need help, your help. We need volunteers for the board, for programs, for projects and for helping with communications during public events. The club is in good shape fiscally and physically. We are solvent with a decent buffer and have materiel such as repeaters, packet nodes and an antenna trailer. But, we are only one deep in the Hams who are willing to make it go. I have been asked what if SARC did fold? What would we lose? First, obviously, we would lose the club meetings. I for one would miss the programs because I do get to see, first hand, what others are doing in Ham radio. The support for the repeaters would evaporate. Who would pay the bills or do the physical support. The books in the library on Ham radio are there because the club put them there. The community would suffer because the club would not be there for a bicycle club or parade organizer to call for help. How would RACES or the general emergency operational capability in the valley exist without the club as the focal point? My point in all this is that SARC needs you. All the board positions are open during election. Try an office on the board. If we need to make changes in the format or policy, then help us do that. Some officers have said they do not wish to continue but will, reluctantly, if no one else steps forward. If you have never been on the board, step up and give it a shot. If you have been on the board in years past, come back and give us another go. This is YOUR club. MEETING PROGRAM Wed 10 Oct "Interesting Antennas" will be the subject of the program for the October meeting. Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD, SARC 2nd VP, will draw on his many years of experience in electronic warfare and Civil Air Patrol communications to provide information on special purpose, limited space, covert and just plain weird antennas. Some examples and models will be available for hand-on viewing. PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
JOTA 20-21 Oct Jamboree-On-The-Air (JOTA) is a world wide Scouting event for both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. This year it will occur on 20-21 October from 0900-1600 hrs, local time, on Saturday 20th and 1000-1600 hrs on Sunday 21st. JOTA is a great opportunity for Amateur Radio to show its stuff and recruit new operators into the hobby. Yes, an Amateur Radio station on both ends of the contact is needed to make the demo work. I will have my HF station at 247 Rebel Rd in use for Scouts to talk to other Scouts around the world. I would like others Hams with station of other mode capability to either be available at their homes or come to my home to demonstrate those modes to the youth. Here is your chance to show off that ATV or digital mode you have. Give me a call at 446-5094 or 375-8566 if you can help. Thanks you. Coso Junction Jam 10 & 11 Nov Another horse ride event has been added to the SARC public service calendar this year. The Coso Junction Jam is two twelve hour endurance rides on succeeding days starting at, of all places, Coso Junction north of Ridgecrest on Hwy 14. Hal Hazel KM6JM is the coordinator of communications for both rides. Contact Hal at 382-0474 or km6jm@ispchannel.com to volunteer for this verrry horsey event.
147.00 REPEATER GOING TOGETHER There has been a flurry of activity getting the 147.00 MHz repeater going since an ad. hoc. git-it-together-and-running-and-tested-and installed committee was formed at the September SARC meeting. The initial concern was how to put 74 inches of equipment into 63 inches of rack. After some detailed measuring of the existing equipment, it was found the two meter duplexer (six 5" dia x 36" high cavities) could be shifted to the back of the cabinet. This allowed the other equipment to be placed to the front leaving enough space in the rack that we had to find some blank panels to fill the gaps. When the gear that was on hand was assembled and turned on, we found an amazing thing. It worked. But it had a problem that sounded like a squelch adjustment. Frantic e-mails back and forth with Jim Kusznir KE6DWM and Mike Hugo KA6OIJ, who had a lot of the technical history, indicated the controller should probably be reset and reprogrammed before we did anything else. That was done and, lo and behold, the squelch problem went away. We hope. In the meantime a search was mounted for the 445.075 link transceiver that was supposed to be at the Randsburg 145.34 repeater site. It was not. First word from Jim was "it should be there." Then we checked with his parents who found it in his father's workshop. The Ridgecrest 445.075 MHz link antenna had not yet been purchased. Since most of the installation uses commercial gear, commercial antennas were investigated. Wow, $350-400 for a vertical collinear caused a lot of consternation. It was decided to purchase a $150 Hustler 440 MHz, 6 dB gain, omni since no 150 mph winds and no 50 lb. ice loads would be encountered at Ridgecrest. It is now on hand. Hummmmm? Is there a 450 antenna at the 145.34 site? All these little things drive one up the wall. Once all of this gear is ready to go, Elvy will fire it up temporarily at his home for a few weeks to "burn-in" everything. This is to make sure everything works under continuous operating conditions. Final tweaking can also be done easier on Elvy's front porch. We are hoping the 440 link to Randsburg will work from his house. The Hustler omni will be used to try to get through/over/around about eight miles of Rademacher Hills dirt. The tower turned out to be 120 feet tall instead of 100 feet as was originally thought. It rained since it was last measured and the thing grew another 20 feet after salting the ground under the tower with iron filings. We have 210 feet of hard-line coax on hand. The 450 link antenna will be put on the tower as high as the remaining coax will permit. This repeater is not a simple piece of gear. The components include a digital/analog controller which controls all the major equipment and contains the phone patch, a 440 link transceiver which also functions as a second repeater, a two meter transceiver, a large, six cavity duplexer for two meters, a four cavity duplexer for the 445.075 link transceiver and a rock steady, honkin' 12 VDC power supply with fail-safe backup battery charging and switching. The Committee consists of the following volunteers. Mike Alamo KF6WSR, Jerry Brooks KK6PA, Dennis Farrell W6DWF, Ralph Frasier KQ6UU, Elvy Hopkins NØLV, Erich Muschinske KA6AMD, David Stone KC6UUR, Phelps TerHuen KF6ZVD and Bob Wagner K6WAG. Late November plus, is the hoped for final installation. Three cheers for the volunteers. They're doing a great job and are greatly appreciated.
RECENT SARC ACTIVITIES The High Sierra Cyclists' annual "Picnic In The Park" Ridgecrest to Kernville bicycle ride was held on Sunday, 23 Septober. A 0600 hrs muster at No Rocket Park (aka Leroy Jackson Park) sent nine SARC Hams out to eight check points along Hwy 178 and Sierra Way around the north side of Lake Isabella to shepherd 68 bicycle riders along their way. Elvy Hopkins NØLV anchored the communications operations from the start in NRP and radioed forward the last minute entries to be added to the rider roster. Elvy's pickup truck was also the sweep/SAG vehicle. Mike Pope KB6NIZ collected rider numbers and times at the Hwy 178/14 intersection above InYoKern. Pam KC6UUS and Todd W6TOD Evans logged riders from the Hysterical Monument west of Hwy 14 on 178. These first two listings were then combined to make a master list of riders on the road for use in checking who was where and when. Dave Steiner N2OHA got the cushy job at the crest of Walker Pass. All the riders are bushed and wanting to stop, drink, eat and rest so collecting numbers and other information is relatively easy. Mike Alamo KF6WSR drew the lonely spot on top of Helio Hill doing radio relay keeping the east and west ends of the trip connected. Dennis Farrell W6DWF worked the hot-in-the-hole Onyx location where a lot of riders go by at 30 mph without hollering out their numbers. Eagle eye Dennis got nearly all of them. The missed ones were caught at the next check point. Hal Hazel KM6JM had the Sierra Way turnoff where binoculars were required to see numbers as they disappeared down the road on the other side. Hal also assisted Greg Roush WA7IRW in setting up the portable repeater high on the south bank of Lake ItchiBelly. Greg Roush lounged in the shade and deep green grass beside the cool waters of the Kern River amongst the invigorating aromas of marinated chicken skewers roasting on the BBQ, and good ole' baked beans simmering while sampling the soft drinks and muchables. Greg also had the responsibility of logging every rider and making sure that no rider was unaccounted for. Ron Farris, the ride organizer, wishes to relay to the radio operators the many positive comments of the riders that came from their knowing that no one would be lost and that help would be summoned quickly if needed. Thank you to those who worked this high visibility public service event.
Kiwanis Walk-A-Thon Saturday, September 29th, was a beautiful day, cool temperatures, blue sky, and no wind. Eight Hams braved the elements at 0730 hrs to provide health and welfare communications for nearly 700 RidgeBurg walkers. The route followed the usual one with six checkpoints ably manned by Mike Pope KB6NIZ, Bill Seif W6WGS, Hal Hazel KM6JM, Dave Stone KC6UUR, Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD, Dennis Farrell W6DWF, and Larry Merwin KE6YLG. Greg Roush WA7IRW coordinated with the Kiwanis officials at the Ridgecrest Regional Park (aka No Rocket Park) and acted as net control via the SARC 146.64 MHz translator. A two meter radio was placed in a Kiwanis vehicle, as has been done in prior years, so the driver could monitor the requests for cups and water at the checkpoints. No serious problems were encountered. The biggest problem was that the checkpoint supply of check slips and stamps was less coordinated than in past years. The final walker completed the course in record time ending the SARC involvement before 1030 hrs. Thanks everyone for your help.
RACES RAMBLINGS In the early 1970s a group of us got together on my front porch and decided something had to be done to prepare for "The Big One." At that time no one was looking ahead and it had been eighteen years since the last earthquake. We decided to meet on a regular basis and invite all of those who would have to work together in a major disaster. We mailed out letters inviting everybody we could think of and most responded enthusiastically. We had 20 to 40 attendees including most of the agencies in the area. Ridgecrest was seldom present and when they were there, it was their police department. We meet on the first Thursday of each month usually at 1130-1230 hrs for a table top drill. The committee visited the EOC a month ago and saw how an EOC works. I will give highlights of the October drill in the November AIRWAVES.
IN THE MILL SARC Second VP, Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD, is requesting volunteers to present the November and December meeting programs. Do you have a thing that you do well and want to tell other Hams about it? Do you have a unique piece of equipment that you can demonstrate? Do you have some smarts to share with us. Contact Phelps at 375-4905 or e-mail at terheun@home.com SARC Web Page Moved The SARC web site, which is provided at no cost by Erik van Bronkhorst KC6UUT, has been moved to www.qsl.net/wa6ybn/ since Erik upgraded to a cable modem. The Current AIRWAVES, SARC constitution, IWV repeater list, VE schedule, Considerate Operator's Guide and the list of Amateur Radio related books donated to the Kern County Library by SARC are among the interesting data available. Thank you Erik for giving SARC a presence on the www. OLD BUSINESS
Minutes, Board of Officers Meeting 12 September 2001, Those present: President Mike Herr WA6ARA, 1st VP David Stone KC6UUR, 2nd Vice President Phelps TerHeun KF6ZVD, Treasurer Ralph Frasier KQ6UU and AIRWAVES Editor Elvy Hopkins NØLV. The meeting was called to order at 1859 hrs. Contents of the Post Office Box sent by the Secretary were distributed to respective officers. Elvy was paid $62.71 for 97 mailed AIRWAVES. POB rent is due. The December election, nominating committee and need for officer volunteers were discussed. The meeting was adjourned at 1926 hrs.
Minutes, Membership Meeting The 12 September general meeting was called to order by President Mike Herr at 1932 hrs. Fifty-fifty tickets were available. Eighteen persons signed the attendance sheet. President Herr asked for volunteers for a Nominating Committee for the December election of SARC officers for 2002. There were no volunteers. Announcements: The 15 Sept. Fox Hunt is canceled. Rlee Peters W6BST memorial 18 Sept. Picnic In The Park bicycle ride 23 Sept. KIWANIS Walk-A-Thon 30 Sept. Jerry Brooks KK6PA asked for those interested in forming a 147.00 MHz repeater working group to meet after the general meeting. The program given by Mike Herr was all about Amateur Radio Satellite AO-40. KC7CEX Dave Hunter won $7 in the 50-50 drawing. The meeting was adjourned at (I 4got2 rite it down). TREASURERS REPORT from Ralph Frasier KQ6UU As of 1 Oct. 2001 Share account $5836.89 Draft account 8.93 Total $5845.82 Obligated funds Relocate 147.00 repeater 574.86 Balance $5270.96FREE FREE FREE QST/73/CQ Ham magazines, 70s & 80s Elvy Hopkins NØLV 384-3589 ehopkins@ridgenet.net See ya in da funny paperz. de NØLV |