The meeting was called to order by Jeff K8JSL at 7:35 p.m.
Minutes were read and accepted by Bob KC8AHP and seconded by Joe KC8GTZ. Treasurers report was read by Joe KC8GTZ
and accepted by Paul KC8ELQ and seconded by Dave N8REB.
The by-laws were accepted with all the changes. There 18 yes and zero nays.
Nominations for B.A.A.R.C. officers were held.
President - Jeff K8JSL
Vice president - Jan N8TNK
Treasurer - Joe KC8GTZ
Secretary - Chuck KC8IUO and Virginia
(Sorry I don’t know her call!) Three year trustee - Bob KC8AHP and Tom N3VIX, and Neal KC8HBF
Jan N8TNK will look into Christmas party location.
There were 13 members and two
guests in attendance.
The control board on the 31 was changed and intermod seems to be better.
The 50 -50 was won by Virginia and donated back to the club.
Linking of the repeaters was discussed. S.E.T. is on Sept. 23, 2000.
Neal donated money for the voice i.d. on the repeater. Thanks Neal.
Net controls
Sept 18 - Chuck
Sept 25 - Tom
Oct. 3 - Bill
Oct 10 - Jeff
Meeting was adjouned at 8:55 p.m. Motion was made by Paul and seconded
by Neal.

Minutes of the September Meet

October 2000

Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

Christmas Dinner

OK You are thinking it is awful early to be discussing Christmas but if we don’t get the reservation in we don’t get a spot for dinner.
Jan N8TNK has reserved this year Kryszaks resturant for us. Dinner will be Saturday December 9. Please contact her on the 31 repeater or give her a call at 752-9209 to get your reservation in early. We will need a head count for the resturant. More details on what is being served in the next up and coming edition of our newsletter.

Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

Hints from Heloise

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Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

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Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

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Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

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Bay Area Amateur Radio Club

President
Jeff Lake---K8JSL
k8jsl@voyager.net
Vice President
Jan Sharrow---N8TNK
n8tnk@concentric.net
Secretary
Charles Sharrow---KC8IUO
n8tnk@concentric.net
Treasurer
Joe Ignatowski---KC8GTZ
kc8gtz@arrl.net
Technical Advisor
Gary Ingersoll---WB8ICU
kb8yur@qsl.net
Repeater Trustee
Bob Cuthbert---N8BBR
kb8yur@qsl.net
1 Year Trustee
Bob Shepard---KC8AHP
kc8ahp@concentric.net
2 Year Trustee
Steve Coats---KB8YTC
kb8ytc@juno.com
3 Year Trustee
Paul Filiczkowski--KC8ELQ
kc8elq@worldnet.att.net
Newsletter Co-Editor
Jeff Lake---K8JSL
k8jsl@voyager.net
Newsletter Co-Editor
Joe Ignatowski---KC8GTZ
kc8gtz@arrl.net
Newsletter Co-Editor
Debbie Kirkbride---KA8YKK
ka8ykk@concentric.net

For SALE
Hi Gang I have a HW-9 Station for sale. HW-9 QRP/CW only rig with WARC bands. Works great and is un-modified. 9.5 out of 10. HFT-9 Matching antenna tuner. HM-9 Matching SWR/Power meter. SP-99 Matching exterspeaker. I have the manuals/schematics for everything except the external speaker. $375.....I'll pay the shipping to mainland USA. Fred Bennett N9TA http://home.att.net/n9ta N9TA@worldnet.att.net

Found this to be of interest! Nothing to do with ham radio but thought these were interesting hints!
Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray and they will take a quick dive. Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords in. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to
For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. Put liquid dishwashing soap in auto windshield washer holder, stops it from freezing and removes road tar and grease when used. Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes of with little effort (elbow grease that is!). Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!): rubbing alcohol on paper towel. Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way! Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself. Well, I have found a way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, I simply reach into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!
Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works ever time! Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks.
Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak. Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on. Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen. Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning. To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

AM Amazing Transformation
by Tim Smith, WA1HLR
There comes a time when the modulation transformer in your DX-100, Apache, B&W 5100, 32V, Viking I or II, Valiant or other 50-200 watt power class transmitter zorches out. Maybe you are interested in building a low bucks transmitter or modulator for your CW rig. The biggest stumbling block is getting a modulation transformer. Well, fear not! The TV power transformer has come to the rescue. There are a number of methods in using these beasts as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. These are two variations of a similar configuration. The original 120 volt primary is connected to one leg of the high voltage secondary (600-800 volts). The windings have to be in phase or it won't modulate worth a damn. A test voltage can be applied to the center-tap and one end of the secondary, as shown in Figure 3. The test voltage can be from 6.3-120 volts AC. The total voltage obtained from the combination of the primary winding and one-half of the secondary should be greater than the test voltage applied. If not, the windings are out of phase. In this case, just reverse the lead on the primary or connect the test voltage to the other end of the secondary. In tests conducted on an 800 volt, center-tapped unit, with a 115 volt primary, the impedance ratio was approximately 2:1. This is a perfect ratio for the usual setup with a common high voltage (HV) power supply, and typical 6164's modulated by a pair of 807's, or other lash-ups where the HV does not exceed 800 volts DC. The limiting factor is the high voltage break down rating of the transformer insulation. Most are designed for 1500-2500 volts breakdown. In some designs the primary is the first winding on the core. In others, the primary may be wound on the inside and is more susceptible to crap out. The transformer may also be mounted or insulated above ground in order to accommodate higher working voltages. You may ask yourself, "How does a power transformer behave at audio frequencies?" Amazingly enough, most will have very good response characteristics. There are so many variables that it would be difficult to accurately predict what it will do. The power handling capability of the usual TV power transformer is in the order of 150-300 watts depending on the size of the core. It can generally be assumed that one pound of core material will handle 10 watts of audio for good bass response and 20 watts per pound with higher impedances (i.e. PP 811's modulating an 813 final amp). In Figure 1, the final amplifier DC current flows through the transformer. This uni-directional current flow can cause the core to saturate. Remember, the secondary is center-tapped. In its original use, current flowed in both directions through the secondary, thus the magnetic flux canceled, and no core saturation. Therefore, the transformer must be modified to handle the uni-directional current flow, or for short, unbalanced DC. If you are observant, you will notice that typical modulation transformers, filter reactors and audio output transformers for single-ended operation have a core constructed with "E" shaped laminations stacked together next to "I" shaped laminations. The E and I shaped stacks are separated by a heavy paper spacer. This arrangement enables the transformer to handle (without core saturation) a certain amount of unbalanced DC. There are drawback, however. The inductance of the core and windings falls off rapidly, as the spacing or gap between the laminations is increased. This causes a marked drop in the low frequency response of the transformer. In the case of the TV power transformer, a gapped unit will work okay over the frequency range of 70-5000 Hz. In order to modify the transformer, the whole unit must be disassembled. With careful use of a hammer and several sizes of screwdrivers, it is possible to do the job within an hour. Remove the bolts holding the the cover bells in place. It may be necessary to give the core stack a couple of well-placed whacks with the hammer to loosen up the laminations. Some transformers come apart easily and other take more patience. Exercise extreme caution so as to not damage the windings. Once the laminations are apart and are clean of foreign matter, group the E and I laminations in separate stacks. An educated guess will have to be made on the desired thickness of the paper for the gap. For plate currents of 200-300 milliamps, try a piece of paperback book cover (or paper of similar thickness). For currents of 75-150 milliamps, a sheet of of standard weight copier or printer paper should do. Assemble the E laminations into the core of the windings. If you can't get the last few pieces in, don't worry, it will have little effect on performance. Cut the gap spacer paper to the proper dimension and epoxy it between the E and I lamination stacks. Insert the bolts and compress the laminations with a large vice or heavy weight. This will force the epoxy to flow into all the crevices between the E and I laminations. Thisstep must not be skipped or loud talk back will occur when the transformer is put in use, resulting in feedback. If the work has been done properly, you now have a modulation transformer! In Figure 2, the final amplifier DC current does not flow through the transformer but instead is handled by the inductance. This configuration is known as modified-Heising modulation. The value of inductance can be determined by a this rule of thumb: 10 Henrys for every 1 kOhm of finals amplifier modulating impedance (final voltage divided by the final current). A single choke or reactor is not required. The required value of inductance can be obtained by connecting several chokes in series. Power supply filter chokes are plentiful and can be used. Smoothing chokes (NOT swinging chokes) must be used. You can get away with as little as 5 Henrys per 1000 Ohms of final modulating impedance with some loss in bass response. Since there is no DC current flowing through the secondary of the modulation transformer, no modification of the transformer (as described above) is required. Low frequency response is also better. Overall, this approach is superior to that shown in Figure 1. The draw back is that room must be found or made for the choke(s).
The table below shows the computed impedance ratios for voltages commonly found in TV power transformers.
Secondary Voltage Impedance Ratio
1000 2.65:1
900 2.56:1
800 2.39:1
700 2.27:1
600 2.09:1
500 1.88:1
Here's how you would use the table if you wanted to plate modulate a DX-60 with a pair of 807's. Assume the final amplifier is to be run at 700 DC plate voltage and 120 milliamps current. This yields as modulating impedance of 5600 Ohms. The 807's want to see a plate-to-plate load impedance of about 10 kOhms when run in class-AB1. With 600 volts on the 807 plates about 45 watts of audio can be obtained. An impedance ratio of 2:1 is required. Thus, a TV power transformer with a secondary voltage of 500 or 600 volts is required. If the modified-Heising approach is used, a 10uF cap, several filter chokes can be series together. Three typical values like 10 Henrys at 150 mA, 16 Henrys at 150 to 200 mA, and 8 Henrys at 200 mA will add up to 144 Henries, which is sufficient. Once assembled, it is found that your modulator is performing much better than you thought. The component that usually cost the most or is the hardest to find, cost you nothing, and you had to look no further than that junk TV in your garage! In the case of replacing the modulation transformer in you DX-100 or Apache, where space is limited, you can solid state the power supplies and move around components to make room for the additional Hiesing choke(s). The extra space for the chokes is not required if you feel like performing the gap modification. A TV power transformer was used as a modulation transformer in the modified-Heising configuration in an Apache, recently. In the case of a Viking Valiant, converting the HV supply to solid state and moving the screen dropping resistor provides plenty of room for two typical 10 Henry/300 mA chokes. An old power transformer can be squeezed in place of the original modulation transformer. You may be wondering what to do with any filaments on the TV power transformer. They can be used for a variety of things. A 600 VCT unit, with a 6.3 VAC filament winding, when used with a 5 kOhm plate-to-plate load impedance, will present a load of 0.5 Ohms at the filament winding. This makes an ideal pick-off point for monitor headphoniums. The voltage step down ratio is such that enough level will be available at the filament winding without blowing your ears off. You can also use the filament winding for a loop a negative feedback into an earlier audio stage, in order to improve the modulator frequency response and lower distortion. The winding can also be used as an oscilloscope take off point to produce a trapezoidal pattern for testing and monitoring modulation quality and level.
From The AM Press Exchange, August 1990.

COMMERCIAL
Has any one seen the talking ham sandwich commercial promoting amateur radio?
Has to do with orange juice and how the ham sandwich knows that it is good for you.
Really a great commercial. Keep an eye open for it. I know it made me giggle!

On the lighter side

In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Devil said, "It doesn't get any better than this." And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit," and God saw that it was good. And the Devil said, "There goes the neighborhood." And God said, "Let us make Man in our image, after our like- ness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth." And so God created Man in his own image; male and female did He create. And God looked upon Man and Woman and saw that they were lean and fit. And the Devil said, "I know how I can get back in this game." And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. And the Devil created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 79-cent double cheeseburger. And the Devil said to Man: "You want fries with that?" And Man said: "Super size them." And Man gained 5 pounds. And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair. And the Devil brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained 5 pounds. And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad." And the Devil brought forth Ben and Jerry's. And Woman gained 10 pounds. And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them." And the Devil brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained 10 pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof. And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds. And the Devil brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained another 20 pounds. And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil." And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And the Devil peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And the Devil created sour cream dip. And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And the Devil saw and said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And the Devil canceled Man's health insurance. Then God showed Woman how to peel the skin off chicken and cook the nourishing whole grain brown rice. And the Devil created light beer so Man could poison his body with alcohol while feeling righteous because he had to drink twice as much of the now-insipid brew to get the same buzz. And Man gained another ten pounds. And God created the life-giving tofu. And Woman ventured forth into the land of Godiva Chocolate and upon returning asked Man: "Do I look fat?"
And the Devil said, "Always tell the truth." And Man did. And Woman went out from the presence of man and dwelt in the land of the divorce lawyer, east of the marriage counselor.