[GVARC] Sep 2002 Newsletter

Fri, 27 Sep 2002 11:26:53 -0700

************************* Garlic Valley ******************************
Volume 17                                                     Sep 2002
******************* Amateur Radio Club Newsletter ********************
GVARC OFFICERS
   President                   Frank Fahrlander, N7FF
   Vice President              Ed Vines, KG6WU
   Secretary                   Mark Deger, KG6IFQ
   Treasurer                   Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
   Newsletter Editor           Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
   WEBster                     Claud Furnare, NA6W

   Web Site                    http://www.qsl.net/gvarc

FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE:
 PACIFICON 2002
 NEXT CLUB MEETING
 GVARC MEMBERSHIP
 FREE WORLD RADIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
 HURRICANE ISADORE WATCH NET
 BIG UK 5MHZ EXPERIMENT
 CC&R BILL - NEW COSPONSORS
 2002 ARRL/TAPR CONFERENCE
 TIP FOR YAESU FT-50 HT
 CONTESTS  OCTOBER 2002
 COMING EVENTS

***PACIFICON 2002
-----------------
>>>Last day to preregister for $10 ($15 at door) Oct 1<<<

The 11th Annual ARRL Pacific Division Meeting and Convention
October 18, 19 and 20
   Antenna Forum Friday
   Plus the popular QRP Forum
   Swap Meet Saturday, October 19, 6 AM to Noon, Hotel Parking Lot
Concord Airport Sheraton Hotel
-- http://www.pacificon.org/

***NEXT CLUB MEETING -  Saturday, 28-Sep-2002
--------------------
   GVARC usually meets on the LAST Saturday of each month, at the Little
House  Restaurant in Gilroy on Monterey Avenue (near the car dealers in
front of Motel  6). From the North or South, take the Monterey St. exit
from highway 101 (south  end of Gilroy) and head north. We trickle in
about 8 a.m. and eat at 8:30ish.     The South County ARES net is held
each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on K6THR/R (147.825 -.600, no PL).

***GVARC MEMBERSHIP
-------------------
   Dues for all members become payable each January. The annual cost is
only $20 per person and $10 for each family member in the same
household. Membership dues helps such things as the K6THR/R repeater,
this newsletter, emergency readiness, etc. Membership, not required for
general use of the repeater, adds autopatch and autodial privileges.
   GVARC is a non-profit organization per IRS section 501(c)(4) - we
don't make any money, do service for the community, but are not a
charity.
   To join or for more information, please contact the treasurer:
   Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
   11950 New Avenue
   Gilroy, CA 95020
   408-683-2025 home
   Internet: [email protected]

***FREE WORLD RADIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
---------------------------------
    Last month, a world radio subscription went to KG6FZL for his
excellent
account of his 1st FIELD DAY.
    We have eight 1 year subscriptions to World Radio to hand out to
club members. Since I have them, I thought I'd offer one to each member
who contributes a story to this newsletter.
    The write ups don't have to be polished; I will do that (Editor,
right?). The best kind is something local and personal; something from
your own experience.
   More about World Radio at http://www.wr6wr.com/.

***HURRICANE ISADORE WATCH NET
------------------------------
The Hurricane Watch Net <http://www.hwn.org> activated this week for the
first time in the current hurricane season as a nascent hurricane
threatened Cuba and possibly parts of the Gulf of Mexico. HWN Manager
Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, said the net activated at midday on September 19 on
14.325 MHz while Isidore was still a tropical storm. The storm continued
to gain strength, however, and by the next day was a Category 2
hurricane packing winds of 100 MPH, with higher gusts.

Members of the Hurricane Watch Net <http://www.hwn.org> were continuing
to keep their eyes on the storm, which, at week's end, was closing in on
Western Cuba. As of September 20, tropical storm warnings and hurricane
watches were been posted for portions of Mexico's Yucatan
Peninsula--including the island of Cozumel. The National Hurricane
Center was predicting that Isidore would make landfall over Western
Cuba. A hurricane warning remained in effect for several provinces.

Well-known Cuban amateur and International Amateur Radio Union Region 2
Area C Emergency Coordinator Arnie Coro, CO2KK, said it appeared that
the main impact of the storm was poised to strike the Isle of Youth
(Isla de la Juventud) and the western part of Pinar del Rio Province.
Coro requested protection from interference for 3740, 7040 and 7125 kHz.
He said amateur operators were deployed at CO9BNA at the Cuban weather
service, Instituto de Meteorologia.

Isidore was moving at about 8 MPH to the west-northwest. Heavy rainfall
of up to 30 inches and damaging surf conditions were forecast for the
storm's path. Official advisories are available on the NHC Web site
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov>.

Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4JR, at W4EHW at the
National Hurricane Center <http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/>, reported
that W4EHW also commenced operations on September 19. W4EHW has HF
stations on both 20 and 40 meters. W4EHW is collecting reports via APRS,
e-mail and its on-line Hurricane Reporting Form.

The Hurricane Watch Net and W4EHW at the National Hurricane Center work
hand-in-hand to gather and disseminate real-time, ground-level weather
data and damage reports from Amateur Radio operators to assist
forecasters. The HWN also functions as a backup communication link for
the NHC, emergency operating centers and the National Weather Service.

***BIG UK 5MHZ EXPERIMENT
-------------------------
   The British 5 MHz propagation study using Amateur Radio is  picking
up speed.  This as  an increasing number of U-K hams  apply for a Notice
of Variation or N-O-V to let them take part.

   During the first few days of the 'Fivemegs Experiment' a large
number of NoV holders have made contacts with each other across  the UK.
Radio amateurs in other countries are showing great  interest in this
experiment, but we must make it absolutely clear  that this has been
authorized in order that we may carry out  propagation investigations,
antenna experiments and some  emergency radio training within the UK. At
the present time a  very small number of US radio amateurs are
authorized to conduct  similar experiments under the group call sign
WA2XSY. We know of  no other amateur stations outside the UK who have
any authority  to call in.
 -- Jeramy Boot, G4NJH.

***CC&R BILL - NEW COSPONSORS
-----------------------------
Five more cosponsors now have signed aboard HR 4720, the bill in
Congress aimed at providing relief to amateurs faced with private deed
covenants, conditions and restrictions--CC&Rs--in erecting antennas. The
list is now up to 23 members of the US House of Representatives who have
agreed to cosponsor the measure. It includes two amateurs--Oregon
Republican Greg Walden, WB7OCE--one of the two original cosponsors of HR
4720 with Texas Republican Pete Sessions--and Arkansas Democrat Mike
Ross, WD5DVR. Walden and Ross are believed to be the only Amateur Radio
licensees in the US House of Representatives.

Arkansas Section Manager Bob Ideker, WB5VUH, says he lobbied Ross to
sign onto the bill after running into him while waiting for a plane in
Little Rock. He credits the Fort Smith Amateur Radio Club with
influencing Arkansas Republican John Boozman, to sign onto the bill as a
cosponsor.
Also new to the list are representatives Constance Morella (R-MD), Mike
McIntyre (D-NC), Michael McNulty (D-NY), and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI).

New York Democrat Steve Israel introduced HR 4720--the "Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Consistency Act"--on May 14. The measure would
require private land-use regulators--such as homeowners'
associations--to "reasonably accommodate" Amateur Radio communication
consistent with the PRB-1 limited federal preemption. PRB-1 now applies
only to states and municipalities.

The list of HR 4720 cosponsors also includes Representatives JD Hayworth
(R-AZ), Patrick Tiberi (R-OH), Patsy Mink (D-HI), Ken Calvert (R-CA),
Rick Boucher (D-VA), Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA), John Duncan Jr (R-TN),
Dennis Moore (D-KS), Charles Stenholm (D-TX), David Price (D-NC), Bob
Schaffer (R-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bart Gordon (D-TN), Charles
Taylor (R-NC), and Ralph Hall (D-TX)

Visit the US House of Representatives Write Your Representative Service
Web page, www.house.gov/writerep/ for information on how to contact your
representative. The ARRL requests those writing or e-mailing members of
Congress--whether or not they are supporting this legislation--to copy
ARRL on their correspondence--via e-mail to [email protected] or via US
Mail to CC&R Bill, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
Correspondents should include the bill number, HR 4720, as well as their
name and address on all correspondence.

For more information, visit the HR 4720, The Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Consistency Act of 2002 page on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr4720>.

***2002 ARRL/TAPR CONFERENCE
----------------------------
More than 100 of the most active Amateur Radio digital enthusiasts from
around the world turned out in Denver, Colorado, September 13-15 for the
2002 ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference. This year's event
marked the 21st conference. Agenda topics ranged from APRS (Automatic
Position Reporting System) to high-speed digital networking and
software-defined radio (SDR), among others.

Friday's forums were dominated by discussions of APRS. Topics included a
discussion of single-wire APRS weather stations, high-altitude balloon
tracking and recovery--presented by representatives from Edge of Space
Sciences <http://www.eoss.org/>--APRS in the Sydney Olympics and the
versatile Findu.com <http://www.findu.com/> on-line APRS database.

Saturday's sessions included forums on the prospect of using consumer
wireless devices (popularly known as 802.11b or "Wi-Fi" devices) to
create high-speed Amateur Radio digital networks. A forum on HF digital
voice also drew considerable interest.

One of Saturday's highlights was a demonstration of the new ICOM D-Star
<http://www.tapr.org/tapr/dv/DStar brochure.pdf> digital radio system.
At the heart of D-Star is the ID-1 transceiver, which ICOM had on
display at the Dayton Hamvention last spring. The ID-1 operates on 1.2
GHz and can communicate using FM analog voice, digital voice and data.
The transceiver can be programmed with a desktop or laptop computer, or
it can be operated in a more conventional manner via a remote front
panel. ICOM's Ray Novak, KC7JPA, said D-Star will be available in the US
in November. (Click here for a sample of D-Star audio recorded at the
conference.)

Bruce Perens, K6BP, <http://perens.com/> was the featured speaker at the
Saturday evening banquet. His entertaining presentation stressed the
notion that individuals, not just corporations, still can innovate and
invent. Perens called for grassroots development of Amateur Radio
software and hardware according to the Open Source model. He also
encouraged the audience to become educators, because, he explained, "the
future strength of Amateur Radio is in our value as technology
teachers."

SDR was another hot topic at the conference, and the Sunday seminar was
devoted exclusively to that subject. Projects such as GNU Radio
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuradio/gnuradio.html> promise a day when
amateur transceivers will achieve extraordinary levels of flexibility.
Under the SDR paradigm, software, rather than the hardware, literally
will "define" the way in which a radio operates.

Proceedings of the 21st ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference
now are available for $20 (plus shipping and handling) via the ARRL Web
catalog <http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=3D8756>. Order item No 8756.

***TIP FOR YAESU FT-50 HT
-------------------------
I have big hands and it's hard for me to get a grip on the small volume
and channel knobs atop the Yaesu FT-50 radio, especially when I have the
slip on rubber grip on the radio. Yaesu builds the VXA-100 airband
transceiver on the same frame and uses much bigger knobs (although the
functions are reversed from the FT-50). The part numbers are:

RA012580B VXA-100 Channel knob -- the outer (volume) knob on a FT-50 -
61 cents
RA0125700 VXA-100 Knob (vol) -- The inner (channel) knob on a FT-50 -
$1.01

You might want to order a bunch with your local club since there is a $4
minimum shipping charge.
 -- Ron LaPedis, N6QGK

***CONTESTS  OCTOBER 2002
-------------------------
DATE   WEEKDAY - TIME UTC   CONTEST NAME - MODE
-----  -------------------  -------------------------------------------
 3     Thu 0700 - 1000      German Telegraphy Contest - CW

 5     Sat 0000 - 2400      *?* The PSK31 Rumble - PSK
 5     Sat 0000 - 0800      UCWC Contest - CW
 5- 6  Sat 0800 - Sun 0800  OCEANIA DX Contest - Phone
 5- 6  Sat 1200 - Sun 1200  F9AA Cup Contest - CW/SSB
 5     Sat 1400 - 1600      International HELL-Contest (1) - HELL
 5     Sat 1500 - 1859      EU Sprint Autumn - SSB
 5- 6  Sat 1600 - Sun 2200  California QSO Party (CQP) - CW/Phone
 5- 6  Sat 1800 - Sun 1800  QCWA QSO Party - CW/Phone
    6  Sun 0600 - 1000      ON Contest - SSB
    6  Sun 0700 - 1900      RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest - SSB
    6  Sun 0900 - 1100      International HELL-Contest (2) - HELL

 9-11  Wed 1400 - Fri 0200  YL Anniversary Party (YL-AP) - CW

10     Thu 0001 - 2400      Ten-Ten Int. Day Sprint - All
10     Thu 1800 - 2000      International HELL-Contest (3) - HELL

12-13  Sat 0800 - Sun 0800  OCEANIA DX Contest - CW
12     Sat 1500 - 1859      EU Sprint Autumn - CW
12-13  Sat 1600 - Sun 0500  Pennsylvania QSO Party (1) - CW/SSB
12     Sat 1700 - 2100      FISTS Fall Sprint - CW
12-13  Sat 2000 - Sun 2000  *?* Iberoamericano Contest - SSB
   13  Sun 0000 - 0400      North American Sprint Contest - RTTY
   13  Sun 0600 - 1000      ON Contest - CW
   13  Sun 1300 - 2200      Pennsylvania QSO Party (2) - CW/SSB
   13  Sun 1400 - 1500      SSA M=E5nadstest nr 10 - SSB
   13  Sun 1515 - 1615      SSA M=E5nadstest nr 10 - CW

16-18  Wed 1400 - Fri 0200  YL Anniversary Party (YL-AP) - All

19-20  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  JARTS WW RTTY Contest - RTTY
19-20  Sat 1200 - Sun 2400  QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party - CW
19-20  Sat 1500 - Sun 1459  Worked All Germany Contest - CW/SSB
   20  Sun 0000 - 0200      Asia-Pacific Sprint Contest - CW
   20  Sun 0700 - 1900      RSGB 21/28 MHz Contest - CW

20-21  Sun 1800 - Mon 0200  *?* Illinois QSO Party - SSB
20-21  Sun 2100 - Mon 0100  *?* Texas Armadillo Chase - CW

26-27  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  CQ WW DX Contest - SSB
26-27  Sat 0000 - Sun 2359  CQ WW SWL Challenge - SSB
26-27  Sat 0001 - Sun 2400  Ten-Ten Int. Fall QSO Party - CW/RTTY
 --   Jan-Eric Rehn - SM3CER  [email protected]
      http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/text/c2002oct.txt

***COMING EVENTS
----------------
   - Livermore Swap Meet - 1st Sunday of each month at Las Positas
College in Livermore, 7:00 AM to noon, all year. Talk in 147.045 from
the west, 145.35 from the east. Contact Noel Anklam, KC6QZK, (510)
447-3857 eves.
   - Foothill Flea Market - may 2nd Saturday of every fair weather
month.
See http://www.electronicsfleamarket.com more details and various
sponsors and specials.

***GVARC EMAIL LIST SUMMARY
---------------------------
   [email protected]   is the official list of GVARC members with
e-mail addresses. This is a closed list; Joining GVARC gets you on the
list. Anyone on the list can send to the list; no one else can.

   [email protected]   is a list of those interested in gvarc.
Anyone can join (with confirmation message) and any member may
unsubscribe freely. Members of the gvarc_cc list can send to the list.
No one else can send to the list.    List administrators, Tony, AD6ID,
and Frank, N7FF. The list's web site is http://www.qth.net.
______________________________________

To leave GVARC list, Contact Tony Armendariz, [email protected]. If you're
a GVARC member with email, you must be on the list.