THE AIRWAVES CALENDAR
SHARPEN YOUR PORTABLE OPERATING SKILLS MIKE HERR WA6ARA IS ORGANIZING CALL 375-5324
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SHACK This past week I read a review of a new movie coming out called "Frequency" starring Dennis Quaid. The premise of the film is that the main character discovers a trunk with his father's old ham gear in it and uses the rig to talk back through time with his father who has been dead for some thirty years. I'm pleased that there is yet another movie that features Ham radio, but I'm not so sure about the "X-Files" aspects of it all. I know that with out that particular contrivance there wouldn't be much of a movie but I also think about the public's general lack of knowledge about Amateur Radio and I wonder what influence if any this movie will have. This also got me to thinking about the wider aspects of modern technology and how it is understood and approached by the common user. Increasingly, it seems that the general public is less and less aware of the physical background and the limitations of the technology that they use. You remember the commercial "I own my own business but I can't program my VCR." Now I'm not saying that we all need to know how to manufacture a 500 MHz Pentium CPU or to program in assembly language. However, it is increasingly the case that all of us need to make informed decisions about technology for ourselves and for the community in which we live, decisions that could have a significant impact on our lives and the lives of our children. Here is where the importance of Ham Radio comes in. The Amateur community is one of the most tech-savvy groups that I know. We don't fear technology or ignore it or treat it as a black box. We use technology. We work to improve it and we strive to create new technology when the current state-of-the-art doesn't meet our needs. Yes, I know that Amateur Radio is just a hobby, but it is a hobby that serves to educate and inform. I also believe that it serves to help everyone understand the difference between the wonders of modern technology and the fictions that make for enjoyable movies.
MEETING PROGRAM Wed 10 May Mike Herr WA6ARA SARC program chairman wants home-brew projects to be brought to the meeting. Anyone with a project, new or old, completed or underway, bring it in for display, and maybe, a demonstration. Also there will be a short discussion of various kits and projects available and a description of the "Manhattan" ugly style printed wiring construction. PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES Death Valley to Mt. Whitney 13-14 May This is a two day, nationally known bicycle race from Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley to Whitney Portals above Lone Pine. It is an early and long Saturday and ninety miles from home on Sunday. There is a free picnic in Lone Pine on Saturday. Call Elvy Hopkins NØLV at 384-3589 for information. A note about signing up. Performing these communications tasks well requires coordination and efficient use of operator experience and available radio equipment. Sign up with the coordinator as early as possible so they can plan efficient use of your capabilities and assets. CHAIRMAN SEEKS PARTICIPATION SARC Program Chairman, Mike Herr WA6ARA, is seeking member participation in SARC events. For information on the two subjects below, call Mike at 375-5324.
Program Chairman Looking for Speakers
Field Day Mike RECENT SARC ACTIVITIES Volunteer Examination Session 8 April The 8 April Volunteer Examination Session was stampeded by applicants wanting to pass the then current and known exams and by those wanting to get a real thirteen wpm Advanced or a real twenty wpm Amateur Extra class license. Sign up began in early January and were limited to twenty applicants due to space and time constraints. The applicants were separated into three groups: written tests only, written and code and code only. Eight AM, nine AM and eleven AM were the separate test times. One late cancellation, one sickout and one out-of-town no show left the VE team with seventeen applicants to serve. Eighteen written exams were given, seventeen were passed. Eight code tests were given, two were passed. New Technician licenses were earned by Shannon Alonge KG6BEQ, Frank Alonge, KG6BEP and fourteen year old Andrea Shipley KG6BEO. Pamela Evans KC6UUS upgraded to Tech Plus. and Todd Evans W6TOD upgraded to Amateur Extra. Six applicants passed element 4B Amateur Extra: Dan Bushnell KM6WS, Mac McMillan K6JLZ, Skip Robertson KC5UJX, Mark Rosenthal N6BVP, Bob Rounthwaite WD6GBX and Ray Stevens KC6UTC. Two applicants passed element 4A Advanced: Skip Robertson KC5UJX and Louis Shanteler KF6VAE. Three applicants passed element 3B General: Pam Evans KC6UUS, Ken Lusk KC6YYU and Mike Stevens KF6EYE. One applicant passed element 1C 20 wpm code: Todd Evans W6TOD and one applicant passed element 1A 5 wpm code: Pam Evans KC6UUS. Examiners were Mike Herr WA6ARA, Tom Ingram WB6EPD, Elvy Hopkins NØLV with Bill Maraffio N6PR doing the paperwork and record keeping.
A confirmation card from the ARRL VEC
indicated that SARC material arrived
there on 12 April and went electronically
to the FCC on 14 April. Call signs for new
licensees were issued on 25 April and
appeared on
RACES RAMBLINGS
On Flex Friday, 12 May, the RACES work
crew will meet at 0730 hrs (That is
seven thirty in the morning local time) at
Lloyd's QTH to work on the new
communications trailer roof. We are still
removing of the old roof and hope to
finish that soon. The reason for the early
hour is to work in the cool of the morning
and make an early break reasonable. We
will quit by lunch time. If you can stay
only an hour or so, come anyway. All help
will be gratefully accepted. Call Lloyd
WA6KZV at 375-7245 for more
information.
VOLUNTEER EXAMINERS NEEDED
With only seven extra class and two
advanced class volunteer examiners in
the Ridgecrest area, Bill Maraffio, VE
Team Liaison, is having trouble finding
the four VEs to man the six, semi-
monthly test sessions. If you are
interested in becoming an ARRL
Volunteer Examiner, send an e-mail to
vec@arrl.org and request the
Prospective VE (PVE) packet (include
your name and postal address). The PVE
packet includes a current Volunteer
Examiners manual and other information
to get you started as an ARRL VE.
NET CONTROL STATIONS NEEDED
The Monday evening SARC emergency net
needs volunteers to serve as control
station. Term of service is about thirty
minutes on Monday evenings at 7:30 pm
for a month. Lloyd Brubaker WA6KZV,
375-7245, is the SARC Emergency Net
manager. Please let him know if you are
willing to be net control for a month of
Monday evenings.
IN THE MILL
Before we know it, Field Day will be upon
us. SARC used to put on quite a Field Day,
sometimes in the mountains, sometimes
in Leroy Jackson park. We have not had a
SARC Field Day operation for the last few
years. It is time to start again.
For those who have never been on a Field
Day, it is great fun. For a twenty-four
hour period we operate portable, virtually
all the bands and modes, high power and
low. The club usually makes somewhere
between 500 and 1000 contacts. One of
the great aspects of Field Day is that you
get to try different rigs, antennas,
modes and bands. Anyone interested?
Start talking it up and see how we can
make it happen this year. If you are
interested, please contact Mike Herr
WA6ARA herr@ridgecrest.ca.us).
Remember, Field Day is the fourth
weekend of June, the 24th and the 25th.
LICENSE RESTRUCTURING FALLOUT
The FCC says a lot of newly upgraded
General class licensees have begun asking
if they may operate in the current
Advanced class sub-bands now that the
new amateur rules are in place. "The
answer is Absolutely not" said the Bill
Cross W3TN of the FCC's Public Safety
and Private Wireless Division. "No
privileges changed for any license class."
Cross pointed out that the Advanced
class license did not cease to exist under
restructuring, which went into effect
April 15, although the FCC no longer
accepts applications for Novice or
Advanced class licenses. He said current
Generals do not earn Advanced class
privileges until they upgrade to Amateur
Extra class, at which point they earn
both Advanced and Extra privileges.
The FCC also says General class
operators may hold only Group C (1x3) or
Group D (2x3) call signs, as it was under
the old rules. Generals are not entitled to
apply for or hold Group B (2x2) call signs
under the new rules.
Cross cautioned newly upgraded licensees
to check the revised Part 97 rules
carefully to make sure they're not
operating beyond their privileges. "Now
that they've gotten the license, it's time
to look at the real rules," he said.
New Technician Plus
Several callers have wondered if
Technicians who pass the five WPM Morse
code test (Element 1) may then operate
on the Novice bands. The answer is yes.
Such licensees no longer get a new
license class--it would have been Tech
Plus under the old rules--but they have
the same privileges as current Tech Plus
licensees.
At present, while such Element 1 credit
provides new privileges for the term of
the license, the credit--at least for now--
is only good for 365 days for upgrading
purposes. The League has petitioned the
FCC to make Element 1 credit
permanent.
Revised FCC Part 97 rules are available
on the ARRL Web site at
http://www.arrl.org/field/regulations/news/part97/
FCC Form 605
When the Universal Licensing System
(ULS) was made available for the
Amateur service, the FCC's Wireless
Telegraph Bureau announced that Forms
610 and 610V would continue to be
usable for six months. That grace period
expired on February 16. The Bureau will
dismiss without prejudice all applications
received on or after February 17, 2000,
if filed using Forms 610 and 610V. From
that date on, all Amateur licensing (with
the exception of club stations) must
employ the new ULS Form 606. Prior to
filing Form 606 it is necessary to
register using Form 605. Either
electronic or paper versions of these two
forms may be used. An overview of the
ULS system can be found at
OLD BUSINESS
April 12, 2000. Those present: 1st VP
David Stone KC6UUR, 2nd VP Mike Herr
WA6ARA, Treasurer Ralph Frasier
KQ6UU, Secy. Tom Ingram WB6EPD and
AIRWAVES editor Elvy Hopkins NØLV. The
meeting started at 1902 hrs. Tom
presented a thank you note and a check
for $50.00 from the Geo Bun Buster
Horse Ride. Elvy announced that he had
purchased all the Roger Meng KA6CIE
memorial books for the library. One book
is on back order. Elvy also announced
that there were no suggested updates to
the constitution.
Mike recommended that the club donate
$50.00 to AMSAT for the 3D launch. A
motion will be made at the general
meeting to approve the donation. A
discussion was held on the Little Lake
repeater autopatch as requested by
Jerry Brooks KK6PA. The cost to
activate the autopatch will be
approximately $ 60.00 and a monthly fee
of $23.00. This would be in addition to
the cost of the autopatch for the 147.00
machine which is expected to be up later
this year. At this time it is not known if
the owner of the Little Lake machine is
receptive to having the autopatch re-
activated. Jerry will check with the
owner. Elvy presented a bill to Ralph for
books, newsletter etc. totaling $265.39.
Elvy reported that he had finally disposed
of the NiCad batteries from the 146.64
MHz translator.
Mike may not be available for Field Day
but he is willing to help organize it. Mike
also mentioned that it is possible to get
CD's for the library that have past issues
of QST, 73, etc. These CDs go back as
far as 20 years. The meeting was
adjourned at 1926 hrs.
Minutes, Membership Meeting
The 12 April meeting was called to order
by the 1st Vice-President David Stone
KC6UUR at 1930 hrs at the Heritage Inn.
Fifty-fifty tickets were available for the
meeting. The sign-up sheet was started
around. Announcements: $50.00 donation
from the Coso Bun Buster horse ride held
on 18 March. Elvy Hopkins NØLV
announced had purchased the Roger Meng
KA6CIE memorial amateur radio books
for the library.
Dave announced that the September
newsletter would be a technical issue.
Elvy presented the details on the busy VE
session held in April. Twenty people had
signed up but there were three no shows.
Elvy requested that cancellations for VE
sessions should be made as soon as
possible. Elvy had a waiting list this time
could have contacted those people. Mike
Herr WA6ARA provided the evening
program on AMSAT and provided details
on the various satellites in orbit.
Mike announced that next month the
program would be a show and tell on
home-brew equipment. Mike made a
motion that $50.00 be donated to
AMSAT. Lloyd Brubaker WA6KZV
seconded the motion and the motion
passed. Jerry Brooks KK6PA talked about
a once a year technical newsletter (June
or September). Anyone with inputs should
get ideas to Jerry. Bob Wagner K6WAG
won the 50-50. Twenty-two amateurs
were present at the meeting. The
meeting adjourned at 2017 hrs.
FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE
Icom V21AT 144/220 MHz handy-talky
with extra battery $250. Radio Shack
HTX-202 144-148 MHz handy-talky $100.
Kenwood TM231A 2 meter mobile, 50
watts $200. Kenwood TM331A 220MHz
mobile, 25 watts $275. TS-850SAT HF
rig with antenna tuner $950.
Miscellaneous stuff that will sell when
anyone comes to see the above. Bob
Rounthwaite WD6GBX
riverwalk@juno.com.
FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE
Hammarlund Super Pro SP-600 JX-14 HF
receiver in Hammarlund cabinet, excellent
condition, $500, Jim Leonard 377-3474,
supersaw@ridgenet.net
Contacting THE AIRWAVES Editor
Elvy Hopkins NØLV at 384-ELVY or e-mail
ehopkins@ridgenet.net.
See ya in da
funny paperz. de NØLV
|