Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 17:42:54 -0400 To: ctsara@juno.com From: kb1dxc@discovernet.net (kb1dxc) Subject: July SquelchBurst July 2001 THE SQUELCH BURST a monthly publication of the STAMFORD AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION President ..........Jim Murdock ............ N1NNG ........ 322-4707 Vice Pres ..........Andy Laska .............. KA1SLG ....... 531-9493 Secretary ......... Mike Cordelli ........... N1FOA ......... 838-3661 Treasurer ......... Dick Finn ..................WA1VUU ..... 323-0982 Trustee ............ Spence Heath ........... W1BWK......... 322-7539 Editors ............ Marv Fleischman ...... N1AWJ ......... 438-7889 Mike Cordelli ........... N1FOA ......... 838-= 3661 Dick Finn ..................WA1VUU ..... 323-0= 982 Y.O.J.B. Ed...... Marv Fleischman .... N1AWJ ......... 438-788= 9 Circ/Pub. ......... Dick Finn ................ WA1VUU ...... 323-0982 Repeaters: W1EE/R........ 146.055 in; 146.655 out (PL. 1Z, 100Hz) W1EE/R.... 442.125 in; 447.125 out (PL. 2A, 114.8Hz) Internet Home Page at http://www.qsl.net/w1ee/index_ns4.html Yearly membership $15.00 ($ 10.00 for retirees, senior members over 62, full time students, members under 16 years of age and members living over 100 miles from Stamford; $20.00 for family memberships.) This includes a copy of the club bulletin and a copy of the club roster. Send your dues, membership applications, etc. to the club Treasurer, Dick =46inn, WA1VUU, 27 Ivy St., Stamford CT 06902. Non-commercial ads are printed in the SQUELCH BURST on a no charge basis, club members only. Send your ads for Ye Olde Jonque Boxxx and articles for the SQUELCH BURST to Marv Fleischman, N1AWJ, P.O. Box 113, Ridgefield, CT 06877, or e-mail to n1awj@ att.net. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month in the 4th floor cafeteria of the Stamford Government Center, Tresser and Washington B'lvds., Stamford, CT. Meetings start at 8:00 P.M. ASK ELMER Dear Elmer, I keep hearing that =93software radios=94 are the radios of the future. Wha= t are they talking about? How are they different from what we are operating now? Do we have to carry a computer or laptop with us to operate them? What's the scoop? Signed, Ana Logue Dear Ana , Current radios require significantly different circuitry to operate CW, AM, =46M, FSK as well as other modes. These modes can be incorporated into current radios by virtue of the manufacturers ability to miniaturize the components and assemblies. After a while there is a practical limit to how much can be packaged within a reasonable sized case. There has to be a sufficient number of control knobs to be able to operate with the different modes. Microprocessors allow the manufacturers to make controls, therefor radios multi-function, but only to a reasonable limit. After a while, the use of too many cascaded menus makes operating the radio extremely difficult and confusing. You spend so much time trying to find the function you need, that your need for that function has disappeared along with the signal and the contact. Of course you may have several radios, each with their own mode of operation. This is probably the easiest station to operate, but it takes a considerable amount of space, not to mention the expense of purchasing many separate radios. What about mobile operation? With smaller and smaller cars, there is less space to install radios, so you have to have less radio to install and still maintain functionality. Two modern technologies, in conjunction with some older analog technology have been combined to solve this problem. The two modern technologies are the =93High Speed Microprocessor=94 and =93Digital Signal Processing (DSP)=94 . In order for DSP to work, there had to be developed the mathematical algorithms which accurately describe the particular radio modulation scheme. At the same time, the speed of microprocessors had to be increased well above the RF frequencies which were to be handled. Today we have both the mathematics and the fast microprocessors. Now that we have the tools, what can we do with them? We can now develop a radio which can be reconfigured by the touch of a button to most any form of modulation we wish to use. Much of the redundant circuitry can be eliminated from this radio making it more reliable (but not necessarily easier to repair). Think of a radio which would never become obsolete. Any time a new band or modulation scheme is developed, a simple change in the software is all that is required to give your radio these new functions. Operating this radio can be made relatively simple, by automatically reconfiguring all of the front panel controls to the new mode. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) label could be at each knob and would change with each mode. The possibilities are endless. Would this eliminate analog circuitry? Not at all. There are many functions that analog circuitry can perform better that digital circuitry, especially in the area of low noise RF amplifiers and Microwave signal handling. What you will see is the blending of the best of both digital and analog technology to provide you with the most advanced communication devices. The future of radio is very exciting, and there is more to come! This does pose a problem for the FCC, as they type accept radios for use in the US. Since the radios can be reconfigured in the field, how do you prevent them from operating on frequencies and modes that were not approved? It's a good question! Until next time Ana, 73 Elmer Send your questions to =93ASK ELMER=94, c/o Marv Fleischman, N1AWJ, PO Box 1= 13, Ridgefield, CT 06877-0113 or e-mail to n1awj@att.net. TREASURER'S REPORT AS OF 18 JUNE, 2001 INCOME EXPENSE Interest 8.41 Postage 34.00 Phone 16.25 P.O. Box 45.00 _____ _____ Totals $8.41 $95.25 Balances: Checking- $1,304.12 Savings- $4,569.60 de WA1VUU MINUTES OF THE JUNE 7 MEETING Welcome and Introductions Committee Reports - Marv, N1AWJ - The newsletter still needs Ask Elmer stories, and if you would like to write an article, you are more then welcome to do so. Education - Marv, N1AWJ while he was up spoke about an upcoming Amateur Radio Tech course at the red Cross in Stamford. The class will run for four Monday evenings, starting July 9th, and will end just before the next exam session. Public Service - Jeanine, KY1Q asked for volunteers for the Mayor's Cup Race (which has gone by before you read this) and the Chase Corporate Challenge on July 17th in Stamford. We also need volunteers for the Stamford Denmark boat race coming up in September. Mike, N1FOA gave a brief recap of the Bennett Cancer Walk event, our services were much appreciated. Old Business - Marv mentioned that Ernest and him hunted down a service manual for the 2 meter machine out at Dayton. Marv was searching through the boxes of manuals, Ernest picked up the one on the top of the box in front of him, asked "Does it look something like this?", and sure enough, that was the needed manual. W1FSM, Curt will be visiting to take a look at the machine and see if any adjustments are needed. John, W1GRB, asked that we reorganize the technical committee to allow for more frequent visits and minor adjustments to the machine. John also mentioned that he is collecting e-mail addresses for the website, so if you would like yours listed please get them to John. A couple of lingering items - Mike, N1FOA is maintaining a mailing list at yahoo groups for anybody in the club who would like to be included. There are currently less then a dozen members signed up, and only eight or nine messages have been sent. It's usually a forwarded weather update from the state or a notice of an upcoming disaster training net. A mailing list makes it much easier to maintain then individual names and addresses. Joining information is below, only members can send to the list. Post message: W1EE@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: W1EE-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: W1EE-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com List owner: W1EE-owner@yahoogroups.com Mike, N1FOA PUBLIC SERVICE We need operators for the Stamford Denmark Friendship Race on Sunday September 9, 2001. The operators will be on boats for much of the day. Please volunteer and contact Jeanine, KY1Q at (203) 324-6865. Next Stamford VE Exam is on Saturday August 11 at 9:30 AM. It is at the Stamford Government Center on Tresser and Washington B'lvd's. Thge current test session fee is $10. YE OLDE JONQUE BOXXX Dentron GLA-1000B Linear, good cond., $350. Dentron 1KW Super Tuner, $ 90. Call Geoff, N1CAT (203) 966-7444 evenings HALLICRAFTER SX-28A RECEIVER, recapped, $275. Works good. Call Joe, N1GWO, (203) 322-4061 Evenings ESTATE SALE: ICOM IC-734 HF w/Mike, VS-20 P.S., $ 805; MFJ-16010 Antenna Tuner, $ 30. Call Jim, N1NNG, (203) 322-4707 PARTS GALORE- Xerox 3000 Word Processor (antique) w/transformer, p/s, etc., connection to Diablo printer. FOR FREE!!! Take it away! Call Mike, KA1VWP, (203) 838-8089 AOR 1000 XLT, 1000 Channel HH Scanner, 5KHz to 1.3 GHz continueous coverage. Exc. cond. $ 275. Call Rick, N1LYK, (203) 531-1756 YAESU FT-757 GXII, HF Rig, FP 757 HD Power Supply, FC 757 AT Tuner and MD 1B8 Desk Mike. Call George, N1HIX, (203) 357-1879 COMPLETE HF STATION, will sell all or part: Kenwood TS-820S, Remote VFO, MC-50 Mic, Dentron Linear Amp., Mosley TA-33, Ham-M Rotor, Roof Tower, MFJ Antenna Tuner, SWR Bridge, Phone Patch, etc. For details please Call Fred, K2RUR, (203) 325-2201 ICOM IC-25A 25W , 2M mobile Xcvr. w/PL, good for packet $75 obo. ICOM IC-02AT with BP-5 and BC-30 charger, Exc. Cond. $120 obo. Mac Imagewriter & Laserwriter printers, best offer. Call Jeanine, KY1Q, (203) 324-6865 APPLE PERFORMA COMPUTER....... Really Cheap Call Andy, KA1SLG, (203) 531-9493 CUSHCRAFT R5 VERT. ANTENNA: Wind Damaged and attached to my garage. Help me take it down IT'S YOURS, FREE!!! Call Frank, KA1NTG, (203) 655-7378 ICOM IC-02AT 2M HT w BP-3, BP-5 & BP-8 Batty Packs, BC30 Charger, Spkr-Mic, Manual, $125 obo. FatMac Computer w/ 1Meg Ram, best offer. FOR PARTS..Olevetti Accounting Machine. FREE!!!!! Take it away!!! Call Marv, N1AWJ, (203) 438-7889 ALUMINIUM FOLDOVER TOWER, w Rotor and Mast, great for flat roof mounting. Best Offer; Cushcraft 10-40M Vert. Ant., $25; Ringo Ranger 2M Antenna; Heathkit Station Monitor Mod. 614, $75. 100+ Tubes and Tube Tester; Misc. Instruments, resistors, capacitors, etc.; Machine Tools & Machinist's Tools for Sale, 2 South Bend 7.5 HP Go-Cart Engins. Lots of Tools, Hardware and Craft supplies, etc. Call for Info. Call Irv, N1ATS, 348-3425 Send all your ad's for YE OLDE JONQUE BOXXX to Marv Fleischman, N1AWJ, PO Box 113, Ridgefield, CT 06877. E-mail to n1awj@worldnet.att.net. Ad's must be in by the meeting night of the month prior to the publication. (December meeting for January publication) EASTERN SLOW SPEED NET Join the Eastern Slow Speed CW Net every evening on 3590 KHz at 6PM local time. CW speed is between 6 and 8 wpm. A great way to improve your CW proficiency and learn net operation. Joe, W1LUH is one of the rotating Net Control stations. ____________________________________________________________________________= ____ Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the United States, unless you count the increasing popularity of the 9 millimeter bullet. - Dave Barry ____________________________________________________________________________= ___ email address : kb1dxc@discovernet.net MY WEB SITE IS: http://www1.discovernet.net/~kb1d= xc/ MY RADIO WEB SITE IS AT: http://www.qsl.net/kb1dxc The web site of the Stamford Amateur Radio Association: http://www.qsl.net/w1ee MIKE