[GVARC] Jan 2003 Newsletter

[Tony]

************************* Garlic Valley ******************************
Volume 18                                                     Jan 2003
******************* 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

NEW MEMBERS - WELCOME:
   Tim Carey, NI6L
   Mike McGregor, KG6OPC

FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE:
   NEXT CLUB MEETING
   GVARC MEMBERSHIP
   HIGH SPEED MULTIMEDIA HAMMING
   NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR RADIO HISTORY
   FCC INVITES COMMENTS ON AMATEUR-RELATED PETITION
   "LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD" ALPHA TESTING
   CONTESTS  FEBRUARY 2003
   COMING EVENTS - Check RadioFest2003

***NEXT CLUB MEETING -  Saturday, 22-Feb-2003
--------------------
   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 W6GGF/R (147.825 -.600, no PL 100Hz).

Also RadioFest 2003 in Seaside this Sat.


***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 W6GGF/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: ad6id@qsl.net

***HIGH SPEED MULTIMEDIA HAMMING
--------------------------------
High-speed multimedia hamming via the "Hinternet" could be the next big
thing for Amateur Radio. That's the hope of the ARRL High Speed
Multimedia (HSMM) Working Group, which is adapting the highly popular
IEEE 802.11b Part 15 wireless Internet protocol to Part 97 amateur
operating.

"We expect it to be nothing less than revolutionary!" says John Champa,
K8OCL, who chairs the ARRL HSMM Working Group--a subset of the League's
Technology Task Force. The Working Group's new "High-Speed Digital
Networks and Multimedia" page <http://www.arrl.org/hsmm/> recently
premiered on the ARRL Web site.

Champa's team is calling the specific techniques, software and hardware
involved "the ARRL 802.11b protocol" to distinguish it from the
unlicensed, commercial protocol. Systems employ direct-sequence spread
spectrum techniques and operate in the 2.4 GHz range. The term
"Hinternet" (ham + Internet), Champa says, is a user-friendly way to
refer to the development of high-speed Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs)
capable of simultaneously carrying audio, video and data signals.

"The development of the ARRL 802.11b protocol will significantly enhance
Amateur Radio, especially with respect to emergency communication and
support of public service activities," Champa predicted. He and his HSMM
Working Group colleagues also expect that it will attract many
technically oriented users of the Internet and wireless LANs to get
their amateur tickets.

In addition to emergency communication, Hinternet applications could
include two-way streaming video, full-duplex streaming audio, Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications such as eQSO, EchoLink, iLink and
IRLP, and digital voice. As on the wired Internet, communication can be
point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multicast at high bandwidth.

"An emergency volunteer equipped with a laptop or a wireless PDA
(personal digital assistant) with a microphone and a small video camera
now has the tools to be a mobile set of eyes and ears in the midst of a
communications emergency," says Working Group member Kris Mraz, N5KM.

In Michigan, the Livingston County HSMM Experimenters Team already has
three HSMM access points--called "APs" in the commercial world--and
about a dozen stations on the air centered on 2437 MHz. Another group of
Amateur Radio 802.11b enthusiasts has recently organized in the San
Antonio, Texas, area.

Although other amateur allocations also would be appropriate for
Hinternet operation, the use of 2.4 GHz was an easy choice, since Part
15 WiFi (wireless fidelity) devices already operate in that part of the
spectrum, and inexpensive commercial equipment is widely available.
Acting on an ARRL petition, the FCC has proposed elevating amateurs to
primary at 2400 to 2402 MHz.

The ARRL publications catalog now includes the book 802.11 Wireless
Networks: The Definitive Guide
<http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?category=3D&words=3D802.11> by Matthew S.
Gast.
The book covers the topics of creating and administering wireless
networks.

Champa says that taken in a nationwide context, the meaning of the term
Hinternet goes deeper than just an amalgamation of words. "In nautical
terms the word hinterland is 'the land beyond the coast,'" he said. "And
so it is with us. 'The Hinternet' is the radio net beyond the Internet."

***NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR RADIO HISTORY
------------------------------------
When we last visited New Zealand Ham History, it we had struggled
gleefully up to 1927. Now Radio begins to take off:

1928
January, first issue of 'Break-In' published and provided free to NZART
members.
First crystal-controlled transmitter in New Zealand built and operated
by Gordon Brown OZ4AE and Arnold Grubb OZ4AL.
On September 23, first overseas 10 metre contact between Hilton Arthur
OZ1AN and OA3CP in Melbourne.

1929
NZART admitted to IARU.
Harmonically-related bands came into use.
NZ allocated prefixes ZK-ZM. Opts for ZL for mainland stations.
QSL Bureau established, handled 390 inward cards at a cost of 13/8d.
NZART negotiated a reduction in licence fee from =A32/2/- to =A31/10/-.

1930
World record 10m contact between Norm Edwards ZL1AA and F8AW in France.
Myrt Earland ZL3AG first licensed YL operator.

1931
February 3, Hawke=92s Bay Earthquake, the genesis of AREC. Amateurs
provide vital communications.

1932
Radio Regulations gazetted.
Morse test increased to 12 wpm.
All amateurs allowed to use 160m and 80m.
Higher frequency bands opened up to those with higher degree of skill.
March 6, Radio Emergency Corps formed.
First national REC field-day held.

1933
NZART log book available at 1/6d.
Official broadcasts resumed at 15 wpm.

1934
First contact between aircraft and ground station, established by Casey
Harris ZL4CA and Ray McConnell ZL4BV in Otago, on 5m (60 MHz).
NZART becomes an Incorporated Society.

1935
First NZART Call Book published.
TV experiments authorized on the 5m band and on wavelengths below 1m.
Canterbury amateurs attempt first E-M-E on 5m using ICW.
ZL2RC and ZL2OG communicated over 8.5 mile path on 5m.
Norm Laugesen first NZART Honorary Life Member.
VK/ZL/OC contest started.

1936
Number of amateurs reaches 1000.
  --  http://www.nzart.org.nz

***FCC Invites Comments on Amateur-Related Petition
---------------------------------------------------
Dale Reich, K8AD has petitioned the FCC to require sellers of two-way
voice or data equipment to keep on file a buyer's name, address,
telephone number and "any future information when selling a radio that
required licensing under the current FCC rules." Comments on the
petition, RM-10641, are due February 28.

Information collected would remain private, available only to the FCC or
law enforcement. Reich said in his petition that any retail vendor would
be able to ask local police for an investigation if the retailer
suspected the radios were not going to be used in compliance with the
law.

Included in the petition is a requirement for "ownership and license
tagging" for gear operating under Parts 5, 15, 18, 74, 80, 90, 95 and
97. In his petition, Reich said such tagging used to be an FCC
requirement and that his proposed change was a needed tool for local law
enforcement.

The full text of Reich's petitions is available on the FCC Web site.
Search for the petition number.
 -- ARRL

***"LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD" ALPHA TESTING
---------------------------------------
The long-anticipated "Logbook of the World" (LoTW)--the ARRL's secure
electronic contact-confirmation system--took a major leap toward public
release this month with several weeks of limited--or "alpha"--testing.
Dozens of Amateur Radio operators checked out a preliminary version of
the LoTW software, which is still under development. Once it's ready,
LoTW will provide a means for participants to qualify for awards such as
DXCC or WAS without having to first collect hard-copy QSL cards.

"This is cool!" exclaimed one alpha tester. "Slick!" declared another
tester. "It's pretty neat so far. This looks like a good start."

ARRL staffer Dave Patton, NT1N, said the limited test run was extremely
helpful. "One of the main things that will come out of this phase of
testing is a good package that will be ready to give to logging program
developers to incorporate into their software," he said.

ARRL Web and Software Development Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z, explained
that the League hopes that logging software vendors will choose to add
value to their products by integrating LoTW client-side functions. "But
the software we provide to individual amateurs will be sufficient for
basic use of LoTW," he added. ARRL will not be releasing the LoTW server
code, however.

Linked via e-mail, the LoTW testers spent two weeks registering their
call signs, uploading logs and attempting to push the system to
extremes. One tester was amazed at its robust nature after he uploaded a
complete station log of about 320,000 QSOs. "I sent this blob expecting
it to croak the server, but it didn't!" he said.

Logbook of the World Project Leader Wayne Mills, N7NG, says LoTW won't
spell the end of QSL cards. Instead, he says, it will provide an avenue
for increased speed and accuracy for hams chasing awards, as well as
remove some chances for human error that can occur in the traditional
process.

"This is really a system to offer credits for awards," said Mills, who
is also ARRL's Membership Services manager. Mills said LoTW will
minimize opportunities to "game the system" or otherwise
cheat--something that's not always possible to detect even with paper
QSLs. He emphasized that the League has no plans to do away with
accepting traditional QSL cards as it's been doing all along. "We're not
replacing the whole paper QSL scheme with Logbook of the World," he
said.

Unlike electronic QSLing systems now in use, LoTW is not set up to
exchange QSL "cards" via the Internet. The main idea is that ARRL will
maintain a secure log database that will be constantly updated by DXers,
contesters, DXpeditions and thousands of individual amateurs.
Registering and uploading electronic logs cost nothing; the only time a
user will incur a charge is when applying accumulated contact credits
toward an award.

LoTW beta testing for the general Amateur Radio public is expected to
begin soon. The ARRL has not announced a specific inauguration date for
Logbook of the World.
  -- ARRL


***CONTESTS  February 2003
DATE   WEEKDAY - TIME UTC   CONTEST NAME - MODE
-----  -------------------  -------------------------------------------
 1- 2  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  New Hampshire QSO Party - All
 1- 2  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  Vermont QSO Party - All
 1- 2  Sat 0001 - Sun 2400  Ten-Ten Int. Winter QSO Party - Phone
 1     Sat 1400 - 2400      Minnesota QSO Party - CW/SSB/RTTY
 1- 2  Sat 1700 - Sun 0500  Delaware QSO Party (1) - All
 1- 2  Sat 1800 - Sun 2400  Mexico International RTTY Contest - RTTY
    2  Sun 0000 - 0400      North American Sprint Contest - SSB
 2- 3  Sun 1300 - Mon 0100  Delaware QSO Party (2) - All
 8- 9  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  CQ World-Wide RTTY WPX Contest - RTTY
 8- 9  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  *?* Utah QSO Party - CW/SSB
 8     Sat 1100 - 1300      Asia-Pacific Sprint - Spring - 20/40 m - CW
 8-10  Sat 1400 - Mon 0200  YLRL YL-OM Contest - CW
 8     Sat 1700 - 2100      FISTS Winter Sprint - CW
 8- 9  Sat 2000 - Sun 0500  *?* Classic Radio Exchange - CW/SSB
 8- 9  Sat 2100 - Sun 0100  RSGB 1.8 MHz Contest - CW
    9  Sun 0000 - 0400      North American Sprint Contest - CW
    9  Sun 2000 - 2400      QRP ARCI Fireside SSB Sprint - SSB
10-15  Mon 1300 - Sat 0100  School Club Roundup - All
15-16  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  ARRL International DX Contest - CW
15-16  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  *?* YLISSB QSO Party - CW
15-17  Sat 1400 - Mon 0200  YLRL YL-OM Contest - SSB
19     Wed 1900 - 2030      AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening - CW
22-23  Sat 0000 - Sun 2359  CQ WW 160-Meter Contest - SSB
   23  Sun 0900 - 1100      High Speed Club CW Contest (1) - CW
   23  Sun 1500 - 1700      High Speed Club CW Contest (2) - CW
23-24  Sun 1700 - Mon 0300  North Carolina QSO Party - CW/SSB
23-24  Sun 2200 - Mon 0359  CQC Winter QSO Party - CW/SSB

 -- Jan-Eric Rehn - sm3cer@contesting.com
    http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/text/c2003feb.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.

  - RadioFest 2003  -  February 22, 2003,  7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
A Free Public Service & Family Event!
General Stilwell Community Center
Ord Military Community (old Fort Ord)
4260 Gigling Road, Seaside, California
http://www.radiofest.org/

***GVARC EMAIL LIST SUMMARY
---------------------------
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e-mail addresses. This is a closed list; Joining GVARC gets you on the
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Anyone can join (with confirmation message) and any member may
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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, ad6id@qsl.net. If you're
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