From k2gkk at juno.com  Mon Nov  1 13:52:56 2004
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C (Mac) Macdonald)
Date: Mon Nov  1 13:56:34 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Fw: ARLB033 W1AW 2004/2005 Winter Operating Schedule 
Message-ID: <20041101.105338.519.371790@webmail01.lax.untd.com>




---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: ARLB033 W1AW 2004/2005 Winter Operating Schedule 
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 10:58:59 -0500
To: k2gkk@juno.com
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members: ;

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB033
ARLB033 W1AW 2004/2005 Winter Operating Schedule 

ZCZC AG33
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 33  ARLB033
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 1, 2004
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB033
ARLB033 W1AW 2004/2005 Winter Operating Schedule 

Morning Schedule:

Time                  Mode     Days 
-------------------   ----     --------- 
1400 UTC (9 AM EST)   CWs      Wed, Fri 
1400 UTC (9 AM EST)   CWf      Tue, Thu 

Daily Visitor Operating Hours:

1500 UTC to 1700 UTC - (10 AM to 12 PM EST)
1800 UTC to 2045 UTC - (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST)

(Station closed 1700 to 1800 UTC (12 PM to 1 PM EST))

Afternoon/Evening Schedule:

2100 UTC (4 PM EST)    CWf      Mon, Wed, Fri 
2100  "      "         CWs      Tue, Thu
2200  "  (5 PM EST)    CWb      Daily
2300  "  (6 PM EST)    RTTY     Daily 
0000  "  (7 PM EST)    CWs      Mon, Wed, Fri 
0000  "      "         CWf      Tue, Thu
0100  "  (8 PM EST)    CWb      Daily
0200  "  (9 PM EST)    RTTY     Daily 
0245  "  (9:45 PM EST) VOICE    Daily 
0300  "  (10 PM EST)   CWf      Mon, Wed, Fri 
0300  "      "         CWs      Tue, Thu
0400  "  (11 PM EST)   CWb      Daily
 
 
                         Frequencies (MHz) 
                         ----------------- 
CW:    1.8175 3.5815 7.0475 14.0475 18.0975 21.0675  28.0675 147.555
RTTY:     -   3.625  7.095  14.095  18.1025 21.095   28.095  147.555
VOICE:  1.855 3.990  7.290  14.290  18.160  21.390   28.590  147.555
  
Notes: 

CWs = Morse Code practice (slow) = 5, 7.5, 10, 13 and 15 WPM
CWf = Morse Code practice (fast) = 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13 and 10 WPM  
CWb = Morse Code Bulletins = 18 WPM

CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW
bulletins.

RTTY = Teleprinter Bulletins = BAUDOT (45.45 baud) and AMTOR-FEC
(100 Baud).  ASCII (110 Baud) is sent only as time allows.

Code practice texts are from QST, and the source of each practice is
given at the beginning of each practice and at the beginning of
alternate speeds.

On Tuesdays and Fridays at 2330 UTC (6:30 PM EST), Keplerian Elements
for active amateur satellites are sent on the regular teleprinter
frequencies.

A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between
0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Thursdays and 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Fridays.

In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as
follows: Voice on the hour, Teleprinter at 15 minutes past the hour,
and CW on the half hour.
  
FCC licensed amateurs may operate the station from 1500 UTC to 1700
UTC (10 AM to 12 PM EST), and then from 1800 UTC to 2045 UTC (1 PM to
3:45 PM EST) Monday through Friday.  Be sure to bring your current
FCC amateur license or a photocopy.

The W1AW Operating Schedule may also be found on page 98 in the
November 2004 issue of QST or on the web at,
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html .
NNNN
/EX

From k2gkk at juno.com  Tue Nov  2 20:42:03 2004
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C Macdonald)
Date: Tue Nov  2 21:55:39 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] First Wednesday AM Night, Nov. 3
Message-ID: <20041102.204959.-81960359.3.k2gkk@juno.com>

I took this from the October announcement
so there may be some differences, but this
operating event is regularly scheduled.

Mac, K2GKK



----Original Message Follows----
From: "WA9VRH  Larry" <wa9vrh@mtco.com>
To: <milsurplus@mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Milsurplus] Collins Collectors Association First Wednesday
AMNight 
Oct. 6th!
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004

FIRST WEDNESDAY AM NIGHT !!! Sponsored by the Collins Collectors
Association.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Wednesday Nov. 2nd on 3880 kcs at 7:30PM local East
Coast time marks the start of the latest chapter of First Wednesday AM
Night, drawing hundreds of vintage stations from across the country.

The event is anchored by a "tall ship" AM station in each time zone. The
East Coast will run for 90 minutes in response to the tremendous
participation in the Eastern Time zone. The remaining time zones will be
an
hour. We encourage stations to check-in on AM using Collins and other
transmitters, new and old.  It's an opportunity to revel in this
nostalgic
mode, enjoy giving vintage equipment a "run," and sharing some
storytelling
about classic vacuum tube homebrew and commercial designs. Typically more
than a hundred stations take part in the evening's coast-to-coast AM
event;
by the time it concludes at 10P, PDT (1A EDT).

A logbook of check-ins, with the equipment used, appears in the
"Announcements & Events" section of www.amfone.net on the page's "AM
Forum -
BBS."

In months past, anchor stations have included those running the beautiful
Collins 300-G, pictured below, as well as those running the amateur KW-1,
and other noted models.

http://www.amwindow.org/pix/jpg/300g.jpg

LISTEN for the following anchors and stop by to say hello, won't you? You
don't have to be running Collins or vintage gear to be welcomed into the
group.

7:30P-9P East Coast Anchor:  Bob W0YVA in Great Falls VA

8P-9P Central Anchor:  Jim W0NKL  Ft. Scott KS

8P-9P Rocky Mountain Anchor: Jim WA0LSB in Larkspur CO

8P-9P West Coast Anchor: Bill N6PY in Palmdale CA

comments please to wa9vrh@mtco.com

From k2gkk at hotmail.com  Wed Nov  3 14:40:30 2004
From: k2gkk at hotmail.com (D C Macdonald)
Date: Wed Nov  3 14:44:19 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Hilarious eBay song (Way Off Topic, but Way Funny)
Message-ID: <BAY10-F46W5RNB6HfMV0000e1c9@hotmail.com>

At least some of us can relate to this parody song.

73  ---  Mac, K2GKK/5


http://www.erikasfriends.com/for_net/lj/song_for_you.htm


From ClayMayrose at aol.com  Thu Nov  4 02:34:03 2004
From: ClayMayrose at aol.com (ClayMayrose@aol.com)
Date: Thu Nov  4 02:37:03 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Mock evacuation drill
Message-ID: <ea.5b9986f8.2ebb356b@aol.com>


> The Ford Center is planning a mock evacuation drill on Monday night
the
15th
> of November.  Activities start at 6:00 PM and will last 1-2 hours.
Robin
> from the Ford Center is looking for people all ages, sizes and those
with
> handicapped needs to fill the center to allow the city fire and police
> departments to practice the evacuation drill on the Ford Center.
>
> Those who attend will get to park free under the interstate in parking
lot
> on 3rd and Broadway.  If you or your unit can attend, or if you have
any
> questions, please contact Robin at the Ford Center at 602-8515.  Other
than
> the feeling you get for helping, there is not payment for this
activity.
From k2gkk at juno.com  Thu Nov  4 17:47:07 2004
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C (Mac) Macdonald)
Date: Thu Nov  4 17:51:02 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Fw: ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over
Message-ID: <20041104.144710.3896.31337@webmail06.lax.untd.com>


---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 15:01:28 -0500
To: k2gkk@juno.com
CC: Subscribed ARRL Members: ;
From: "ARRL Web site" <memberlist@www.arrl.org>


SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS013
ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over

ZCZC AS13  
QST de W1AW  
Space Bulletin 013  ARLS013
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington, CT  November 4, 2004
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS013
ARLS013 Useful life of UO-22 satellite appears over

According to AMSAT-UK, the UO-22 satellite is not in good shape and
its useful life may be over. The Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
(SSTL) Ground Station control center has tried several times in
recent weeks to reactivate the satellite, AMSAT-UK reports. The
satellite did come back to life briefly following one attempt, but
other tries have failed completely.

The SSTL ground control station may make further attempts to
reactivate UO-22, "but it seems unlikely that they will be
completely successful." The cause of the satellite's failure is not
known for certain, but SSTL believes it may be related either to the
spacecraft's batteries or to the fact that the satellite is very hot
due to orbital precession, which has generally put the spacecraft in
full sunlight. The elevated temperature has been causing problems
with the receivers as well as with the batteries.

Launched on July 17, 1991, UO-22 has served for many years as the
9600 baud store-and-forward satellite for the Amateur Radio packet
radio worldwide SatGate service, which linked packet radio networks
in many countries. AMSAT-NA reports UO-22 as "non-operational."

For further information on UO-22 contact Jim Heck, G3WGM, via email
at, g3wgm@amsat.org.
NNNN
/EX


From k2gkk at juno.com  Fri Nov  5 15:44:17 2004
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C (Mac) Macdonald)
Date: Fri Nov  5 15:48:25 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Fw: Message from the ARRL Oklahoma Section
Message-ID: <20041105.124418.7564.53799@webmail04.lax.untd.com>


---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: 5 Nov 2004 19:26:12 -0000
From: "ARRL Web site" <memberlist@www.arrl.org>
To: k2gkk@juno.com
Subject: Message from the ARRL Oklahoma Section


What a beautiful sunny Friday in Oklahoma!

Just a few reminders-

The vy enjoyable Enid Hamfest is this Saturday.  Sure
hope to see many of you and continue our festive and
fun gatherings.  League forum at 10 am.

Thanks to Tom Worth for his support and effort to make
the Enid Hamfest a large amount of fun.  The particulars
are below:

Garfield County Fairgrounds Building 
302 East Oxford 
Enid 
Talk in 147.375 
Contact person: Tom Worth-N5LWT
580 233 8473

League forum  10 am 

Volunteer Testing  1pm

http://www.enidhamfest.com/ 
street directions on this web site 

Sure appreciate the support at the Texoma Hamfest held
November 5 & 6 at Lake Texoma lodge.  A productive time
of sharing and growing in Amateur Radio friendships and
knowledge.  Key topics discussed at the Texoma League
forum were:

MentorFest - a recently completed bring together of many
groups, agencies and individuals to assist in Amateur
Radio information.  This was sponsored by the North Texas
Section and was held in Irving, TX, with more information
at http://www.ntxinfo.org/mentorfest/

Roy Rabey-AD5KZ North Texas Section Manager presented the
MentorFest concept at the League forum.

Club League Affiliation - Jim Richardson - N5OHL Section
Club Coordinator discussed the move toward many Section
school and college Amateur Radio clubs becoming affiliated.
In this instance just the club advisor needs to be a League
member.  Certainly more League membership in the school
club is anticipated and promoted. 

CPA Resource for Section clubs - a CPA who is an Amateur
Radio operator is interested in helping clubs with becoming
incorporated and being certified as non-profit.  Let me
know if you want the particulars to obtain this superb and
skilled suppport for your club.  Can make a huge difference
in what your group can accomplish!

Congressional Focus-Division Director Coy Day - N5OK
described the League focus on making appropriate contacs
with congressional offices to promote Amateur Radio.  In
our Division this is being administered by David
Woolweaver - K5RAV Division Vice Director.

Eddie Manley - K5EMS Section ASM is coordinating this in
Oklahoma.  The point was made that because of emergency
commuication Amateur Radio potentially serves 100 percent
of Oklahoma citzens.  And, remember to use this figure in
communicating with key players in your community.


Oklahoma Statehood Day To Be Celebrated by the Edmond
Amateur Radio Society (EARS).  EARS members and anyone
else in the amateur radio community, mark your calendars
for Saturday, November 13th.  Once again, EARS club
callsign K5EOK will be activated for a special event HF
operation from the State Capitol Publishing Museum,
301 W. Harrison in Guthrie.

The purpose of the operation is to commemorate the
achievement of statehood by the Oklahoma Territory.
However lofty the purpose, the result of this  effort
is  always fun making contacts around the nation and the
world while enjoying the historic surroundings.  Period
costumes are optional.  The only requirement to operate
K5EOK during this event is a desire to help put this
venerable old building on the air while informing the
rest of the world of Oklahoma Statehood Day.

The operation will start at 9:00 a.m. Guthrie time and
will conclude around noon or shortly thereafter, with
operators possibly adjourning to one of the fine lunch
boxes that grace our neighbor to the north.  We need
operators!  Please come and  make this special event a
success.  We would especially like to see the YLs get
some operating time, as they seem to have a much higher
success rate  with their CQs!

Phone Sweepstakes will be tuning up for an afternoon
start, so there will be no shortage of stations on the
bands looking for signal reports  testing equipment/
antennas, etc.

Y'all come and let's put the great State of Oklahoma
on the map.

Thanks to Sam Sitton - W5CU for the write on StateHood
Day.  Pretty fair writer that Sam is!

Enjoy the weekend.  Blessings to you for your support
of Amateur Radio in Oklahoma.

73, John - WB5SYT
405 844 1800

-----------------------------------------
ARRL Oklahoma Section
Section Manager: J. John Thomason, WB5SYT
wb5syt@arrl.org
-----------------------------------------

From jema1 at pcwan.net  Tue Nov  9 18:35:05 2004
From: jema1 at pcwan.net (Eddie Manley)
Date: Tue Nov  9 22:09:17 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Bandwidth Comments
Message-ID: <41915429.2000905@pcwan.net>

To All Oklahoma ARRL members .................
We had an excellent ARRL Forum in Enid this past Saturday, November 
6th.  We would like to bring one topic to your attention -- which is 
very important to all of us.   As we learn about the following, most of 
us have not made any comments, mainly because I do not understand all of 
the proposal.   We are leaning on those of you who do have a better 
understanding to follow up on this important issue.   From the ARRL web 
pages ......................
You can also find a very good discussion on the QRZ web site .... look 
for Jim -- WA0LYK's article.
Eddie - K5EMS
Assistant Section Manager
==================
ARRL Seeks Comment on Draft "Bandwidth" Petition
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 25, 2004--The ARRL wants members' comments on a 
planned petition to the FCC seeking to regulate amateur sub-bands by 
bandwidth rather than by mode. The ARRL Board of Directors adopted the 
petition's guiding principle at its July 2002 meeting and wrapped up its 
review of a draft petition late last month.
"The main objective is to make appropriate provision for digital modes 
in the HF amateur bands, while preserving amateurs' prerogatives to use 
the traditional modes," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "Regulation by 
Bandwidth" is the title of Sumner's "It Seems to Us . . ." editorial in 
the September issue of QST.
The ARRL proposal would eliminate bandwidth restrictions in the 222-225 
MHz band--beyond a requirement to keep signals confined within the 
band.  Sumner encouraged ARRL members to review the synopsis of the 
petition and the specific rule changes the League plans to propose. 
Direct questions or comments--favorable or otherwise--via e-mail 
<bandwidth@arrl.org>  
ARRL staff members will respond to any questions, while comments will be 
forwarded to your ARRL division director. Members also are welcome to 
comment directly to their ARRL directors, also listed on page 15 in QST.
There is much more of this article on the ARRL web pages ............ 
Thanks  73
From jema1 at pcwan.net  Tue Nov  9 18:47:37 2004
From: jema1 at pcwan.net (Eddie Manley)
Date: Tue Nov  9 22:09:17 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Change of email addr
Message-ID: <41915719.90003@pcwan.net>

Hi
I've changed to <jema1@pcwan.net> ... old email was 
jema1@sbcglobal.net.   I see that my post  to OK ARRL bounced, so I 
assume that is why.   Thanks
Eddie - K5EMS
Ass't  Oklahoma Section Manager

From kd5txl at arrl.net  Wed Nov 10 14:50:41 2004
From: kd5txl at arrl.net (kd5txl@arrl.net)
Date: Wed Nov 10 14:54:50 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Improve Communication Online
Message-ID: <20041110195041.1196.qmail@web52509.mail.yahoo.com>

In listening to local nets and to QSOs over the air, I hear
fellow amateurs struggling with email addresses.  This seem
to happen quite requently and nothing slows down a net like
giving an email address phonetically.  There is a solution
to this problem.
 
If you are an ARRL member, you have access to the ARRL
email reflector using your call sign "at arrl.net".  The
reflector is not a new email you have to monitor, but any
mail sent to yourcall@arrl.net is forwarded on to your
"regular" email address.  You get all your email in one
place but you have an easy email address to give out over
the air.
 
If you are not an ARRL member, then go to WWW.QSL.NET and
sign up for the QSL.NET email reflector service.  Your
email address is then yourcall@qsl.net.  This service is
FREE but donations are accepted. Same deal as above - email
sent to that address is forwarded on to your 
regular email, but you have a ham-friendly email address.
 
I think we'd all save a lot of time in our communication
(not to mention accuracy) which would mean more time for
the important things - like ragchewing!
 
Thanks, Gene, KD5TXL

From k2gkk at hotmail.com  Thu Nov 11 18:07:19 2004
From: k2gkk at hotmail.com (D C Macdonald)
Date: Thu Nov 11 18:12:19 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Forwarded from Armed Forces News Issue: Frid, Nov. 12,
	2004
Message-ID: <BAY10-F33lb9rXg5wlS0000e289@hotmail.com>

For the information of   ALL   veterans of US armed forces.

73  ---  Mac, K2GKK/5
Oklahoma City, OK



----Original Message Follows----
From: "Armed Forces News" <afn@fedweek.com>
To: k2gkk@hotmail.com
Subject: Armed Forces News Issue: Frid, Nov. 12, 2004
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 13:41:36 -0800

Armed Forces News Issue: Friday, November 12, 2004

FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal
government with now over one million weekly readers.
To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm

Valued Added Service to Our Readers:

Federal Job Search
http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294977225/304501/341/0/

Job Bulletin Board
http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294977225/304501/341/0/

Unlimited Internet Access for as low as $10.90
http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294977225/304501/222/0/

Our Readers Will Get Special Discounted Travel Rates
Including, Airfare, Hotels, RV's, Car Rentals, and
Special Weekend Getaways--Anywhere in the world
http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294977225/304501/339/0/

In This Week's Issue
***********************************************************

3. Golden Corral Sets Military Appreciation Monday

***********************************************************

3. Golden Corral Sets Military Appreciation Monday
The more than 400 Golden Corral restaurants in 39 states
are offering U.S. military personnel, past and present, a
free "thank-you" dinner buffet on Monday Nov. 15 from 5 to
9 p.m. Golden Corral's fourth annual Military Appreciation
Monday is based on the honor system, with no ID required.
Reserves and National Guard members are included in the
special recognition offer. The Disabled American Veterans
Organization, with 2.3 million disabled veterans, their
families and survivors, will have members in the restaurants
to distribute literature, sign up new members and volunteers,
and accept donations in support of the DAV. An estimated
252,000 veterans attended last year, helping this event raise
over $241,000 for the DAV.

***********************************************************

Armed Forces News
11541 Nuckols Rd. Suite D
Glen Allen, VA 23059
Publisher, Don Mace
Website: http://www.armedforcesnews.com

Published weekly by Armed Forces News, LLC
* A 100% VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS **


From markdc at olpdsl.net  Sat Nov 20 13:38:35 2004
From: markdc at olpdsl.net (Mark D. Conklin N7XYO)
Date: Sat Nov 20 13:45:03 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Woolweaver  winner in ARRL 
Message-ID: <001d01c4cf30$27e02f80$6401a8c0@olp.net>

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB036
ARLB036 Norton, Woolweaver and Donahue winners in contested ARRL 
division races

ZCZC AG36
QST de W1AW  
ARRL Bulletin 36  ARLB036
>From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  November 19, 2004
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB036
ARLB036 Woolweaver  winner in ARRL 
division races


In the West Gulf Division, incumbent Vice Director Dr David Woolweaver,
K5RAV, overcame a strong challenge from Doug Loughmiller, W5BL, to
retain
his seat. The vote was 1417 to 1301. A dentist, Woolweaver is an ARRL
Life
Member and has been a Amateur Radio licensee for 46 years. He's the ARRL
Board Liaison to the Public Relations Committee and also served under
West
Gulf Division Director Coy Day, N5OK, as Congressional Action Chairman.
During the campaign, Woolweaver stressed the importance of ''a strong,
politically active voice'' in confronting BPL, antenna ordinances and
spectrum protection. Day ran unopposed for a new term.

Votes were counted November 19 at ARRL Headquarters. Three-year terms
for
successful candidates begin January 1, 2005.
NNNN
/EX
From k2gkk at juno.com  Thu Nov 25 11:47:49 2004
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C Macdonald)
Date: Thu Nov 25 11:59:36 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Re: Help Needed for Salvation Army's Angel Tree Project
Message-ID: <20041125.104810.-73276235.1.k2gkk@juno.com>

I found out from the mailman.qth.net the reason for the
rejection of the messages from AE5MH after I tried with
similar success to forward it.

The words "your" followed by the word "debt" triggered
the spam rejection filters.

Anyway, here it is with the just the first letter of the
offending words showing and the current added volunteer
NM5W's times included.  I apologize, but I already deleted
the message from W5CGP with the slots he wanted.

Mac, K2GKK/5



--------- Forwarded message ----------
To: ocapa@mailman.qth.net
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 22:10:40 -0600
Subject: Help needed for Salvation Army's Angel Tree project
From: D C Macdonald <k2gkk@juno.com>

Here is the schedule from Teresa that Mark was
trying to get across.

Mac, K2GKK/5

--------- Forwarded message ----------


NEEDED - volunteers to man the Angel Tree at Crossroads Mall.  I don't
know where all the volunteers from last year have gone but I am growing
desperate.  Here are the shifts that I need covered:

Date      	Shift 1		Shift 2		Shift 3
Fri, 11/26							4-8 pm
Mon, 11/29  10am-2pm					4-8 pm
Tue, 11/30							6-8 pm
Wed, 12/1            		1-4 pm		4-8 pm
Thu, 12/2							6-8 pm (AE5MH)
Fri, 12/3				2-5 pm (NM5W)	5-8 pm
Sat, 12/4	10am-2pm (AE5MH)	2-5 pm		5-8 pm
Mon, 12/6							4-8 pm
Tue, 12/7							6-8 pm
Wed, 12/8				2-5 pm		5-8 pm
Thu, 12/9	10am-2pm		2-5 pm (NM5W)	5-8 pm
Fri, 12/10	10am-2pm		2-5 pm		5-8 pm

Any time that your folks could help with would be a life saver for me.
Call me at 706-8222 or e-mail me here and I will be in y--- d--- for
a very long time.

Thank you, thank you.

Love,
Teresa


From k2gkk at hotmail.com  Mon Nov 29 08:37:49 2004
From: k2gkk at hotmail.com (D C Macdonald)
Date: Mon Nov 29 08:46:32 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] FW:  Portable Antenna Support
Message-ID: <BAY10-F2073F013D9B3A8AEEFAB0F1BD0@phx.gbl>

This was posted awhile back on the Icom reflector.
It looks to be a good idea.  I don't know how much
Wally gets for one of these but it might be a good
thing to have for Field Day or even use at home.

73  ---  Mac, K2GKK



----Original Message Follows----
To: "ICOM Reflector" <icom@mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [ICOM] Portable Antenna Support
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:00:29 -0500

Hi folks,

While at my local WM store yesterday, something caught
my eye as I was going in and it looked like it could have
some real possibilities for hams.

If you take your ICOM rig to a summer place or just
want to operate on a portable basis, I found the perfect
antenna support.

It is a Deer hunters stand.  It is about 25 foot high,
folds up and snaps together, has a built in ladder
to climb to the top and a caged section at the top and
even a seat.

The rail on the caged area would be great to mount an
antenna on and presto, a portable antenna tower to use.

This of course would only be for use with Icom rigs,
results with other brands may not be successful.

Just a thought for you portable operation people.

            WILLIAM J. DIAMOND
           ROGERS, ARKANSAS USA

         HAM RADIO OPERATOR WRØT
  VISIT MY NEW RADIO ROOM REVISED 7-04, AT
            www.wjdiamond.com

        DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY SITE IS AT
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/wjdiamond/index.html


From jema1 at pcwan.net  Tue Nov 30 13:50:16 2004
From: jema1 at pcwan.net (Eddie Manley)
Date: Tue Nov 30 13:58:33 2004
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Update on BPL
Message-ID: <41ACC0E8.8080806@pcwan.net>

Hi everyone ..... here is an article that gives up some information on 
the status of BPL.   Please use it as you can to help 'decision makers' 
avoid some mistakes that others have had to find out the hard way.
Thanks -- OK ASM - Governmental Affairs  Liaison
K5EMS - Eddie - 73
===============================================
www.virchowkrause.com
Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP
=====================================================
Broadband Over Power-Line a Mid-Term Grade

by: Carol Arneson, Senior Manager, csarneson@virchowkrause.com and
Robert Herbst, Senior Manager, rherbst@virchowkrause.com

Broadband Power-Line (BPL) has been touted as being the long-awaited
technology that will offer a choice beyond cable modem and Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) for high-speed access. Others see it as
a technology that, if deployed, will interfere with the High Frequency
(HF) amateur brands and emergency communications. As in many
controversies or disputes, we believe the truth of BPL is
somewhere in between. The question is where does BPL fit?

To help weed through the pros and cons, we gave BPL deployment a
mid-term grade report. The categories, and the grades are:
. Politics A
. Self-Promotion B
. Technical Performance D
. Business Model Demonstration D
. Market Identification D
. Pilot to Implementation Transition F

Giving equal weight to each category, BPL is not failing, but it's
close. We give it a 1.67 Grade Point Average (GPA), a solid D.
What's our rationale for this grade?

Politics: A - The BPL industry has done a magnificent job in
Washington DC. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) had endorsed
the BPL's technology despite the interference concerns. The FCC
is so anxious to promote the availability of a high-speed alternative to
cable modem and DSL technology, it appears that they have not been
completely independent when dealing with BPL issues. We cannot recall
another industry obtaining such glowing endorsements during its
development stage.

Self-Promotion: B - In the past 8 weeks, some bad BPL press has
occurred, and there has been limited response by the BPL vendors and
their proponents. The most upsetting news was the cancellation of the
Alliant Energy trial in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Despite the recent
setbacks, we continue to read positive press releases regarding
electric utility deployment plans. Recent announcements include:

. Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD), Washington
. Cinergy
. Con Edison
. Solvay New York
. Briarcliff Manor, New York

www.virchowkrause.com
Virchow, Krause & Company, LLP

In addition, BPL is being promoted by industry groups such as the
American Public Power Agency (APPA), and consultants are aggressively
promoting trials. According to the United Telecom Council (UTC), there
are 50 to 75 BPL trials on-going with an estimated paying customer
base of 2,000 taking part in these trials.

Technical Performance: D - The interference issue has not been
completely addressed. It seems that many of the pilots would rather
ignore the question rather than address the question directly. For
example, Alliant Energy prematurely ended its BPL trial in Cedar
Falls, Iowa. When the trial began, it was one of the most cooperative
between amateur radio and the electric industry. However, interference 
issues sparked the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to file a formal 
complaint with the FCC. Shortly afterwards, the trial was ended. We 
believe that there are ways to address the interference issues, but the 
BPL industry has not been forthcoming, nor proposed cost-effective 
solutions. 

Another issue is in regard to what data rates might be realized. We
read quotes in publications that data rates of 100 Mbps or above will
be possible. Depending on BPL technology, it appears that data rates of 
500 Kbps to 10 Mbps are more likely. For further information on data 
rates and interference with BPL technologies, we recommend an article1 
in the April 2004 edition of IEEE Communications Magazine.

Business Model Demonstration: D - Some BPL consultants claim that
a utility can make a profit with a $26 per month Internet offering.
However, these numbers appear to be based upon broad assumptions of
what the hardware costs will be, not where they are today. It appears
that maintenance and operations costs are understated. In order for an
electric utility to move forward with an implementation, justification
must be made on today's cost which includes the full recovery of all
incremental operational and maintenance expenses. Addressing the 
interference issues may also add costs. Due to profitability concerns,
Progress Energy, Pepco, and other utilities may not move forward with
BPL.

Market Identification: D - As a new technology, a niche user base
or market to initial the productlife-cycle process must be established.
We have seen no evidence that the BPL industry has been able to identify 
an early adopter segment for implementation. Rather, the industry has 
pursued a shotgun approach with pilots. Identification of early adopters 
is essential for BPL to move forward.

Some discussions are centered around BPL being the solution for the
rural areas. Do the math. The required hardware at each distribution
transformer and need for frequent repeaters make rural BPL economics
difficult at best.

Pilot to Implementation Transition: F - After 24 months of trials,
there is still no full-scale deployment. The furthest along is
Manasus, VA, which has 200 customers deployed after approving
a full-scale BPL deployment in October 2003. The average BPL
deployment to date is less than 100 users. The largest trial planned
is for approximately 500 homes in Cincinnati by Cinergy. Finally, a
trial with reasonable numbers to address many of the concerns and
questions regarding BPL performance.

So, given the above, is BPL dead? No. There is interest and potential
niche applications. The promise of ubiquitous access, and ease of
deployment is of interest. Be cautious of jumping into a pilot
deployment or an implementation. BPL is not proven, and has not been
deployed in a largescale implementation. BPL technologies are not
investment grade today. Early adoptees need to be risk-takers and be
willing to accept that an investment now might need to be scrapped in
18 months.

If your community is in need of a high-speed alternative today, there
are proven, lower risk solutions available. If you are looking for a
potential next generation solution, keep abreast of BPL and other
technologies.

Power Line Channel Characteristics and Their Effect on Communication
System Design: M. G?tz, M. Rapp, K. Dostert
