[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] ALexandria Radio Club Meeting Notice -ARCShorts September 08

[RRBunn]

ARCSHORTS – September 2008

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be on September 12th at 7PM at the Fire Training
Center in Alexandria.  Our program this month is Howard Cunningham, WD5DBC,
who is the ARES District EC and is also the lead amateur for the Marine
Corps Marathon.  Howard will talk to us about several changes in ARES and
about the Marine Corps Marathon planning to date.

The August Meeting

We did not have a program in August and our turn out of members was the
lowest in years.  This was due, I think, to the number of folks on vacation
and with family obligations.  Those who were there discussed club projects
and in particular a club project to make use of our TWO 900MHz repeaters. 
The original proposal was to make a group buy of commercial radios to get
club interested club members up on 900 MHz and this was based on some
research done by Rick, N4ASX.  Marshall, KI4MWP has already purchased a 900
MHz mobile and others are doing so independently.  

Repeaters

Our repeater guru has been away on business, but this may give us a chance
to get the programming software we have been waiting for.    We have one of
the finest repeater stacks in the area with good coverage.  All are
encouraged to make use of the repeaters.  Listening is fine, but dropping
your call is a better way to start a conversation.   Some of us are on the 2
meter repeater about 7AM and again around 5:30 – 6 PM going home. Jump in
and join the fun.

Club Activities

With summer officially over, it hard to believe that we have only 4 more
meetings including our December dinner before the end of the year.  If
anyone has an idea for a program for October or November, please let either
Rick or Marshall know and we will try to arrange it.

It’s also time to start thinking about next years activities and next years
club officers.  If you are willing to hold a club office or can nominate a
willing member please do so.  We will take nominations and volunteers at the
October meeting and elections will be held in November and new officers will
be “installed” at the December dinner.

Classes

Rich, KA4GFY, our master of amateur radio education, has set up rooms at the
Alexandria Hospital to teach this years classes.  This time we are going to
hold a direct to General class.  As there is so much overlap in Technician
and General material, this will not add a great deal to the classes, but
should provide new amateurs with more privileges and more fun.  

If you know of someone who is interested in becoming an amateur radio
operator or a Technician who wants to upgrade, let them know and have them
call Rich.

Marine Corps Marathon

This year as for the last 32 years, ham radio will play an important part in
the Marine Corps Marathon.  If you have volunteered, thank you very much. 
If you have not volunteered, I ask that you do.  We need about 135
operators.  Experience is not a requirement and whether you have tons of
gear or just a 2 meter handheld, we can find a assignment for you.  The race
will be on October 26th with a testing day on the Columbus Holiday weekend. 
The idea of a testing day is to allow volunteers to get out on the course
and make sure they can 1) find their assigned location,  2) make sure they
can talk to net control and 3) have a good time.  The Marathon operation
starts for the first few miles of the course at 4 AM (due to security on Rt
110). Most volunteers show up by 6 AM to get their final assignments,
materials, T-Shirts etc.  All are on the course and in position by 7AM. 
Those in the first few miles of the course may leave then the last runner
passes their position, but many volunteer to move to cover the last part of
the course.   We try to have an amateur at each half mile mark for the last
5 miles of the race.  There is a set pace that runners must not fall
behind.  If a runner cannot keep up with the minimum pace they are out of
the race and risk having traffic on the course as the course closes behind
the last runner in the race.  Usually the last amateur radio volunteers to
leave the course are the Net Control team,  those up at Iwo Jima working
with the Marines and those at the last few miles of the course.  By 5 PM
even those folks are ready to call it a day.

There are  over 20,000 runners,  over 2000 volunteers and more then 125
amateur radio operators that make the Marine Corps Marathon happen.  If you
would like to help out go to www.ncacdc.com and register.

A Tower Tale

Ever since I became licensed way back in 1979, I had always wanted a tower
for my ham radio station.  Most hams do.  Several years of working in
commercial broadcasting and the two way radio business kept me around them
but I never had one at my home QTH.  I climbed many towers and helped
install many more, but still, no tower.  On top of that, my first 16 years
of living in Northern Virginia was in locations not conducive to antennas of
any kind.

After Field Day 2004, I arrived at my house to find a top section and a
middle section of Rohn 25 planted in the front yard.  It seems that Gene,
N4JEE, did a fundraiser at the club meeting before Field Day to raise enough
funds to buy the two sections of tower that we had been using.  

I swapped out the top section for a different top section and slowly started
to accumulate the pieces I needed to complete the project.  Another section
here and a house bracket there.  A Cushcraft beam and a rotor to go with
it.  The bottom section to go in the ground.  A thrust bearing for the top. 
Lightning arrestors were the final parts, which were purchased at Dayton
this year.  All the large pieces were sitting in the back yard taking up
space while the smaller pieces were in the garage.  

Also, I did my research on the county website concerning towers.  As long as
I didn’t exceed 75 feet in height and no closer than 1/5 of its height from
the property line, there is no problem.  The question everybody kept asking
was, “When is that thing going up?”

We now move forward to April 2008.  Yes, it really was nearly four years. 
The siding was being replaced on the house, so all my antennas scattered
around the yard had to be disconnected because the feedlines came through a
window.  That meant no operating from the house until everything was
finished.     

After the siding project was completed, I wasted no time in putting holes in
the brand new siding.  My wife arranged for a friend of hers who is a
building contractor to put the house bracket up on the house.  We were also
having the patio replaced and expanded.  The best part of that project,
there was cement involved.  Most of us don’t get very excited about cement,
but this was an opportunity.  I struck a deal with the contractor.  He would
agree to fill the hole with cement if I dug it and put the tower in it. 
That solved a problem.  I didn’t need to find a cement contractor who could
do a small job without charging an outrageous price or having to mix my
own.  

Digging the hole was surprisingly easy.  Rohn said I needed at least 36
inches of tower in the ground.  I kept thinking there has to be rock down
here somewhere.  Fortunately, I found the softest dirt in the yard next to
the house.  Not only that, I was able to dig down the 42 inches I needed. 
That included the 36 inches of tower and the required 6 inches of gravel at
the bottom.  

So now I have my hole dug, but now need to get the tower up next to the
house and into the hole.  Remembering how N4ASX’s tower went up, I figured
this can’t be all that tough.  So, I was able to get the help of N4ASX,
KI4MWP and KI4MWQ to put the tower into the hole and into the house bracket.

It was more difficult than I thought.  I needed three sections above ground
to clear the house bracket.  We couldn’t get the tower pivoted to vertical
while in the hole.  We dropped it at least once.  Rick spotted the
wheelbarrow the crew was using and he applied some civil and mechanical
engineering to solve the problem.  We attached the tower to the wheelbarrow
and used that as a fulcrum to get it vertical and into the hole.  Lo and
behold, it worked.  Marshall went up the ladder to attach the tower to the
house bracket while Randy, Rick and I held it in place.  We leveled the
tower so all the legs were perfectly vertical.  The next big step is done.  

So now, I have to wait for the construction crew to finish with the patio
work before they can pour cement into the hole.  I came home from work one
day and it was all done.  All I had to do was keep it covered and let it sit
for a day or so.  

The next dilemma was finding someone to climb the tower to put the top piece
on and attach antennas.  Rick talked to Terry, K8ISK and found out he does
tower work.  I got in touch with Terry and we decided when.

In the meantime, I had some work to do.  I had ordered parts to overhaul the
Cushcraft beam I bought from the club.  It had been outside for awhile, so
it would need some cleaning.  The Dremel tool made short work of taking the
old hose clamps off.  Then came the task of cleaning and rebuilding the
antenna.  (Overhauling an antenna has to be harder than building one brand
new).  Once the antenna was rebuilt, I checked it out with N8IK’s antenna
analyzer.  It checked out just as it should.  

The big day arrives.  Terry and his climbing partner, Mike, N2NAR, arrive at
the house.  At Terry’s suggestion, everything was laid out and coax
connected to the antennas to minimize time on the tower.  As Terry raised
the top section into place, it became apparent one of the legs on the third
section was slightly bent.  (Something about dropping the tower while
getting it into the hole?)  A little persuasion with a hammer and it
straightened right out.  That was the only problem encountered with the
tower install.  

The last remaining part of the job was running feedlines from where they
exit the house to the lightning arrestors.  I placed the lightning arrestors
in an ammo can (courtesy of N4ASX) and attached all the connectors.  After a
couple of minor glitches with connectors, all is well.  

As you can see, this was truly a group project.  Its hard to find another
hobby where so much help is available for the asking.  That is one of the
best things about ham radio.    

Thanks to everybody who helped make this possible.  Now, if only the
susnspots would cooperate
..

73,
Rich, KA4GFY                

September 11th

As I prepare this newsletter that has way to much of me and not enough from
the members,  I remember the tragic events of 9/11/2001.  I chose to stay
away from the Pentagon today due mostly to the parking situation (there is
none) and because my wife was very close to the event and does not work on
this day.  I also remember how the amateur radio operators volunteered to
support recovery efforts and the lessons learned during that event.  Because
the Pentagon is an office building we did not have to relocate displaced
persons and the first responders did an excellent job, so amateur radio
while it provided great support to first responders did not provide a great
deal of service.  But the important part was that on 9/11/2001 we did
volunteer, we did show up at EOCs, Red Cross and other places where we were
asked to be and we did come prepared.  

On the first anniversary one of our most active members did the work to open
the dormant Pentagon Amateur Radio Club Station and put it on the air as a
memorial to those who were killed on 9/11/2001.  Many of us in the club
participated and I am still getting cards from contacts made 6 years ago! 
Deanna, K9DID was that person.  Today the PARC station is on the air not as
K4P but using their normal call K4AF.   I doubt they would be operational or
working the station today had it not been for Deanna’s work and her
incredible spirit.

73 and look forward to seeing you at the meeting Rick N4ASX