[CVCC] 599 VA Newsletter Lives Again!

[Ed Moore]

Dear CVCC,

Here is a condensed version of our new, reincarnated, Club Newsletter!  The full copy will be posted on our Club Website.  Let's not make this issue a collectors item as a one only edition! Please give John your support of supplying articles or any other interesting tidbits to help make the newsletter a success.

Enjoy!

  
Prez Sez

The 2005-06 Contest Season is upon us! Hopefully everyone has their antennas and radios (and logging programs)! in top shape for the upcoming fun!  The first "Big One", CQ WW DX SSB Contest, is the weekend of October 29-30. Please contact Bob, W4MYA, as soon as possible, if you are interested in operating at his super station!

Even if you have limited time this year to operate in a contest, please consider getting on the air and racking up a few points for CVCC/PVRC. Every point counts toward the combined total. Based on some of last years scores, your modest entry could have been enough to push the Club total into the first place category. Your entry is especially important during the current low sunspot cycle as the Big Guns, and everyone else for that matter, have fewer stations to work. If you are new to contesting or simply need some answers to questions, there are plenty of resources within our group to provide assistance. Just ask a Club Officer or other member and you will find help on the way!   

I want to recognize Dennis, N4DEN, for all his hard work with the Telnet Cluster. Dennis has put in some long hours maintaining, and restoring the system to its current operating status after a lightning strike. Thanks Dennis! I would also like to mention, Kyle, WA4PGM, for his outstanding contribution to keeping the Club Webpage looking good and up to date. Great job, Kyle! This newsletter would not be possible without John, W4TNX, accepting the responsibility of gathering and assembling all the contents. Please provide John with your articles or any info to help make the "reborn" newsletter a success. Thanks, John!

Don't forget to keep you financial obligation to the Club current with your annual dues payment of $20. Bob, NK4H, will gladly accept cash or checks! We have been fortunate to have enough cash reserves in place to support Dxpeditions and to make repairs to the Cluster. This would not be possible without your dues payment. Thank you for your continued support.

Our regularly scheduled Club Meetings occur the second Tuesday of the month. There is a group that also meets for dinner beforehand at Shoney's Skipwith & Broad St. Complete details are on the website or look for the pre-meeting email reminder. I look forward to seeing you all at the meetings and good luck in the Contest!

Vy 73,
Ed, NW4V



 



The summer in review. How was the summer for you? For me personally it was one of the worst on record. I normally look forward to some good E-skip on 6 meters which includes some new grids and even a new country or so. This summer I got only 3 new grids on 6. Two in Mexico and one in YN land. I caught only one 15 minute opening to Europe which yielded only CT and EA. Actually 160 was more exciting to me with a solid qso's with C91CW, KH9/W0CN and K7C. The latter was new for W4MYA on topband and Bob also nailed them on 80 and 30 for two additional new band/entities. For me they were #284 on digital and the first new one on that mode since 4U1UN and XT2JZ in June. 

Our DX Champion competition could turn into a spirited race this year as NW4V tries to repeat with N3UA, KI4DX and others on his tail. Sheila should have time to give them all a run for their money while she recovers from a joint replacement. New CVCC'er, W1ZA has his shack set up, but the 90 foot Rohn 55 and stacked beams are still not in place so Duke probably won't be a threat until 2006 kicks in. By that time all of Pat's pictures should be hung and he should be tired of playing pool. Oh, yes the plaques have two sponsors this year, W1ZA and W4HZ. Speaking of W4HZ, look for Jonathan back on the air shortly as the addition to his house is nearly completed whch means the new shack will be online. It will be great to have him back in business. Kyle, WA4PGM continues to be quite active, but a lot of his action has been from DX locations. No word yet when W4TNX might come on the air from his new "antenna farm". Perhaps you will find more on this elsewhere in this newsletter <ed: elsewhere is the column to the right!>.  

Up coming: Oct/Nov sometime Glorioso by the same team who put TO4E on last year. VU4 in December by an international team. A "microlite" operation by a un-named friend to East Timor in Nov/Dec. As I write this K7C, Kure has 42K qsos in the log with about 48 hours to go. Our club voted to support that fine operation as well as the FR/G and Peter I upcoming dxpeditions.


This is my first column in a year or so, but if you send me emails the next column will be more interesting.



Bob, 

W4DR



A New QTH is Born 
Well, actually the new QTH is only suitable for W4TNX/4 operation at this time - we only own a barn and 10 acres of land, with no electricity. 

This is the story: Kat and I have lived in Chester for almost 25 years and we have friends and neighbors in the community that we don't want to leave. Kat also has Church connections, doctors and drivers that she wants to stay close to, but I wanted a little land with no CCRs (both for gardening, landscaping and radio). Our church real estate friend was painting gloom and doom for us until I located a 10 acre undeveloped parcel zoned agricultural within a mile of our present home. It was not on the market, but I approached the owner with my story and she agreed to sell. The property has county water at the property line and sewer within 70 feet and is also approved for well water and septic. The owner and her husband (recently deceased) had owned the land for almost 50 years and had planted a variety of fruit and nut trees and cleared a couple of acres that they gardened. The property is basically a long rectangle, with the long side facing ENE/WSW (834feet x 575 feet).  The property is also 60+ higher than my current QTH (185 feet vs. 120 feet ASL). Looking forward to developing this property, but lots of details and red tape remain. My guess is that we will break ground in March and try to sell our current house and move into the new one before the start of the 2006 school year. 

If I read all the zoning rules correctly, I can go up to 150 feet in height due to the low population density of agricultural property. There are some hassles, though, going over 80 feet, in that I may have to have an engineering study done to show that I won't interfere with any governmental microwave services. 

73 es CU in the pile-ups,

John,

W4TNX