The Airwaves May 2005 SIERRA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB An ARRL Special Services Club -- RACES -- ARES -- P.O. Box 1442, Ridgecrest, California 93556-1442

BOARD	President	Bill Burns	WA6QYR	375-8566
	First VP	Paula Herr	N6VGW	375-5324
OF	Second VP	Gene Brewer	KI6LO	446-1315
	Secretary	Tom Ingram	WB6EPD	375-7950
OFFICERS	Treasurer	Pam Evans	KC6UUS	375-4240

SARC Owned and Maintained Repeaters

Randsburg WA6YBN 145.34 MHz (-600 kHz), PL 100.0 Hz, Wide Area Coverage, Emerg. Pwr. Ridgecrest WA6YBN 146.64 MHz (-600 kHz), Translator, No Squelch Tail, Emergency Power Ridgecrest WA6YBN 147.00 MHz (+600 kHz), PL 107.2 Hz, Autopatch, linked to 145.34 Ridgecrest YBNBBS:WA6YBN, 145.050 MHz, Bulletin Board, 1200 Baud Ridgecrest #YBNSW:WA6YBN-4, 223.580 MHz, Node, 1200 Baud Ridgecrest #YBNSW:WA6YBN-4, 439.025 MHz, Node, 9600 Baud

SARC Committees

Technical Assistance: Greg, WA7IRW 446-4383	Public Relations: Paula, N6VGW 375-5324
Program: Gene, KI6LO 446-1315	Airways Editor: Mike, WA6ARA 275-5324
RF Interference: Bill, WA6QYR 375-8566	Emergency and Public Service: Jerry, KK6PA 446-2228

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THE AIRWAVES CALENDAR

Every Monday Night ARRL Audio News 1910 (7:10 p.m.) on 146.64 MHz SARC Net - Visitors Welcomed! 1930 hrs (730pm) WA6YBN Translator 146.64 MHz (-) June 08 SARC Meeting A look at the DX Convention in Visialia, CA. Phelps TerHuen, W6PTH, will be showing a presentation of his recent attendance to this years event. 25 - 26 June Field Day ! - see inside 13 July SARC Annual Bar-B-Que - see inside 10 August SARC Ice Cream Social - see inside

AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE EXAMS Second Saturday, Even months June 11 Volunteer License Exam Sessions Kern County Library Ridgecrest Branch 131 East Las Flores Ave. Meeting Room Pre-registration ONLY by 9 Feb All must sign in at 9 am. Code test 11 am Contact Elvy NØLV 760-384-3589 E-mail ehopkins@ridgenet.net Dates for the rest of the year are: 13 Aug 08 Oct 10 Dec

As has been our tradition, this will be the last Airwaves issue published until the September issue. Please make sure you catch all the news inside for July and August, in particular the SARC Annual BBQ in July and the SARC Ice Cream Social in August. See you in September!
...the editor

With Summer coming on and school getting out, it is time for the last of the string talks at SARC meeting until September. Phelps, W6PTH will give us the rundown on the Fresno DX convention this month. We then begin the summer series of BBQ and Ice Cream events until after school starts again. Our Program Chairman Gene, KI6LO has arranged for the San Joaquin Valley ARRL Section Manager Charles McConnell of Fresno to come talk to us in September. Charles is a long time friend of many club members and should have a good talk for us. Summer brings on vacations and trips to the green areas of the country for may of us. Time to get that mobile rig in the car and working with the antenna so you can have chats along the highways. Most often those QSO’s make what would be a boring drive into something to pass the time while getting to your destination. One of our members is already out on his trip to the Virgin Islands for the yearly boat trip with his ham gear. Greg, WA7IRW should have another good set of pictures to share and “sea stories” to relate about his travels to some neat places. Keep safe on your travels until you return to us in the desert...Bill WA6QYR

The 11 May 2005 meeting was called to order by the President, Bill Burns (WA6QYR) at 1930 hrs at the Heritage Inn. The Sign-in sheet was started around.

Announcements:  
 
  1.. 50/50 tickets are available. 
 
  2.. The Treasurers Report is in the newsletter. 
 
  3.. There was 1 new member. Dennis Leiser (NH7NV). 
 
  4.. The price for new badgers will be raised to $9.00. 
 
  5.. Greg Rousch (WA7IRW0 is out on a sailing trip. 
 
  6.. There have been no volunteers to organize the Field 
Day event so the DX Club will use the SARC antenna 
trailer. SARC members are encouraged to join the DX 
Club for the Field Day event. The location has not been 
selected. 
 
  7.. There will be a Boy Scout show beside Wal Mart on 
10 September. SARC will set up an Amateur Radio station 
for the show. 
 
  8.. There was a discussion on using a SARC sign at 
SARC events. Lloyd Brubaker (WA6KZV) has one but it 
needs painting. 
 
  9.. A discussion was held on out of town speaker 
expenses. Judy Burns (KC6UTF) made a motion that 
SARC pay up to $200 for motel, meals and mileage for out 
of town speakers. Bob Wagner (K6WAG) seconded the 
motion. The motion carried. 

  10.. There will be a T-hunt this Saturday. 
 
  11.. The July 13th meeting will be a barbecue at Ron 
Ogren's (WA6PEV) at 6:00 PM. 
 
12. Pam Evans (KC6UUS) provided cookies. 

Phelps TerHeun (W6PTH) will provide the program next month.

Keith Clark (W6SIY) won the 50/50.

17 people signed in for the meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 20:36.

Treasurer's Report As of June 1, 2005:

Draft Account $   744.06 
Share Account $ 5,531.10 
BALANCE:      $ 6,275.16 

The June meeting presentation will be a look at the DX Convention in Visialia, CA. Phelps Terhuen W6PTH, will be showing a presentation of his recent attendance to this years event.

And...

To follow-up on our DX presentation last month, Gene, KI6LO invites all DX'ers and ragchewers to bring to June's meeting one or more of their most prized QSL card(s) that they have received. If we have time, we can have a little round table show and tell 'brag' session.

SARC BBQ

Come join us for the Annual SARC BBQ. As always, it is being held at Ron Ogren's (WA6PEV) home. The date is 13 July, starting at 6pm. Ron will have a couple BBQs cooking away. Bring your own meat, utensils, and a dish to share with others. Ron's address is 243 Brady. There is a pool for the kids, lots talk and Ron's world class shack to drool over. If you have some ham junque to sell or give away, just drop the tail gate for some friendly bartering of ham gear. Hope to CU there.

SARC Ice Cream Social

The August SARC meeting will be the Annual Ice Cream Social. This year it will be held 10 August at John's Pizza. The festivities start at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

September Meeting Program

This is a reminder to all the club members that our ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section Manager, Mr. Charles McConnell, W6DPD will be the guest speaker at the September club meeting. Mr. McConnell will speak on the ARRL and how it works and the ARRL Field Organization and appointments. It should be a very interesting presentation. Mark your calendars and plan on attending the September 14th meeting.

If you would like to have any special topics for the club presentations, please contact the Program Chair, Gene Brewer, KI6LO and let him know. His email is ki6lo@radioroom.org.

Field Day

Field Day is coming very fast, as in the weekend 25-26 June. So far we do not have a coordinator for a SARC entry for Field Day. SARC members are encouraged to join the Hi Desert DX Club for the Field Day event. The location has not been selected. John Denson (AI6A) is their Field Day Coordinator. If someone does want to put on a SARC attempt, please contact the prez, Bill Burn, WA6QYR.

Indian Wells Valley Emergency Net Report

Pam, KC6UUS, on her new toy, painstakingly restored by her OM, Todd, W6TOD

Check ins  May 02 - 19
	   May 09 - 10 
           May 16 - 13 
           May 23 - 7 
           May 30 - 6

The schedule for the next Fox Hunt is somewhat in the air. We will see what kind of interest there is for a June or July one. Otherwise, look for it in September. Check the Airwaves for details!

The following is an excerpt from The ARRL Letter, Vol. 24, No. 21, dated May 27, 2005

The ARRL this week said it was encouraged to learn of Motorola's just-announced Powerline LV system--a BPL system that takes radio interference concerns into consideration from the outset. The Powerline LV system avoids using medium-voltage power lines and introduces broadband signals only on the low-voltage side of the power transformer, greatly reducing the system's radio interference potential.

"We know that medium-voltage power lines are no place for broadband energy, since there is overwhelming technical evidence that radio interference from BPL is unavoidable if MV lines are used," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "By confining their Access BPL system to low-voltage lines and by adding hardware notch filters for additional protection to Amateur Radio frequency allocations, Motorola has addressed our interference concerns."

Sumner explained this week that until Motorola Powerline LV came along, opposing BPL and opposing BPL interference were essentially one and the same. During product development, Motorola invited ARRL's suggestions and welcomed its input. Sumner said he hopes other BPL system providers now will see the benefit of cooperating with the ARRL that Motorola is now enjoying. "However, we can and should remain critical of the FCC's Report and Order, which makes no effort to distinguish between good and bad ways of pursuing BPL," he added.

Sumner says the League is looking forward to seeing the first Powerline LV system in operation. The ARRL will continue to work with Motorola "to ensure that their new product is indeed the first BPL system that is a solution, not a problem," he said.

Motorola's web site has more information about their Powerline LV System.

At the Dayton Hamvention, FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) staff member Bill Cross, W3TN, discussed a variety of issues including the status of the Morse code Issue in front of the FCC. Cross works in the WTB's Public Safety and Critical Infrastructure Division, and much of his work directly involves the Amateur Radio Service. The following is an excerpt from The ARRL Letter, Vol. 24, No. 21, dated May 27, 2005 Regarding Amateur Radio proceedings now before the Commission, Cross was unable to pin down for FCC Forum attendees when they might expect to see a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in response to 18 petitions for rule making filed by ARRL, other Amateur Radio organizations and individual licensees. The primary hot- button issue in that proceeding is the future of the Morse code requirement for access to HF amateur bands. The FCC also is considering proposals to create a new entry- level license class and to implement some additional Amateur Radio license restructuring, including automatic upgrades from Technician to General and Advanced to Extra.

Cross said he anticipates the FCC will combine the 18 petitions into one NPRM and invite another round of comments from the amateur community. "I suspect the proposed rule making will be coming out in late summer or this fall," Cross said. The comment period could extend into early 2006, he added, after which a Report and Order would be written.

The amateur community also can expect a Report and Order as a follow-up to its April 2004 NPRM in WT Docket 04-140, Cross said. The main proposal in that proceeding--ARRL's so-called "Novice Refarming" plan--would eliminate the Novice/Tech Plus CW bands and use that spectrum to expand portions of the 80, 40 and 15 meter bands. Current Novice and Tech Plus licensees would get CW privileges in the current General CW bands. Cross said commenters generally seem to support the proposal, although he cited requests to establish even wider phone bands, "particularly in the 75-meter band."

As many of you know Jerry, KK6PA, is gathering free 7.5 AH 12 VDC batteries. The batteries are good for emergency backup for your HTs. Jerry has checked these to confirm that they are still good for 7.5 AH. Plus you can't complain about the cost. Give him a call at 446-2228 or email at kk6pa@hotmail.com.

NJQRP "RF Sniffer" kit for Manhattan style building an RF field strength meter. Details may be seen at www.njqrp.org. $25 Dennis Farrell / W6DWF

I'm always looking for local news for and about the IWV amateur radio community. Also, if you have something for sale or are looking for something else, drop me a line and I'll put it in the Airwaves. Ok, let's say you have some news for the Airwaves. The best way is if you can send it to me via email. The text can be in Word or Works, but the most universal is as text body of the email, no HTML, PLEASE! Email, while fast and easy, it is not 100% reliable. If I get Airwaves input via Email, I will send a note back as a receipt. If you don't get a receipt back, then likely I didn't get it.

However, if you don't have email, I can take paper copy. You can send it to me at 613 Rebel Road, Ridgecrest.

...editor

If you have a change in mail or email address, please drop the SARC secretary, Tom Ingram, WB6EPD, (375-7950) a note, as he is keeping the email address lists.

Updated Sun Jul 31 17:24:25 PDT 2005