[GVARC] May 2004 Newsletter

[Tony]

************************* Garlic Valley ******************************
Volume 19                                                     May 2004
******************* 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!
     Todd Secoy, K6RIO
     Ann Secoy, KG6UXO
     Larry Selman,AA6MV
     Libby Sofer, <soon>
     John Busch, KG6RLQ
     Robyn Busch, KG6RLP
     Bill Gleason, KG6TGA


FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE:
    NEXT CLUB MEETING
    GVARC MEMBERSHIP
    WINGS'N THINGS, W6H
    RFID TAGS AT 433.5 to 434.5 MHz
    FCC'S COGNITIVE RADIO NPRM&O
    COGNITIVE RADIO OVERVIEW
    CONTEST CALENDAR JUNE 2004
    COMING EVENTS

***NEXT CLUB MEETING - Saturday, 29-May-2004
--------------------
    GVARC usually meets on the LAST Saturday of each month, at the
Sunrise Cafe in Gilroy on Monterey Avenue (near the Hilton, 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).

***GVARC MEMBERSHIP
-------------------
    Attention current and prospective GVARC members: There are no dues
for 2004. We did extra well volunteering at the Garlic Festival, so
voted to benefit us hams.
    Usually 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
    email: ad6id at qsl.net

***WINGS'N THINGS, W6H
----------------------
    GVARC had a special event station at the Wings of History airplane
show at the San Martin Airport on May 1 & 2. Besides many vintage
planes, home built experimental planes, the entire model plane
collection from the Flying Lady Restaurant was displayed.

    Our W6H station setup was just inside the main hangar - a great PR
location. We also used the club's new portable (27 foot crankup, 100
lbs.) tower for the 1st time - it worked great with out tribander. So,
here's Frank's wonderful description of the radio experience.

    We operated with a special event call, W6H (Wings of History). We had
a total of 45 QSOs including 9 from Italy, 6 from Russia, 1 from France,
1 from Slovenia and 1 from Austria. (Sorry to tell you Thom, but that
Sardinian station you worked was actually in Italy.)  We had a pipeline
into Italy and there was a contest going on which kept them calling CQ!
Operators who logged QSOs were: N7FF, KD6CJX, KA6VVE and W6SC. I'm sorry
that others didn't get to log some Qs.  Especially Bill Gleason.  I owe
you a few Bill.

    Of the 45 QSOs, 12 were on CW.  All were on 20 meters. We heard a
very slight amount of activity on 15M but nothing on 10M. We put up a
VHF/UHF antenna but never used it.  Sorry to all those repeater users
for not making QSOs.

    The club's beam worked very well. The 2:1 SWR bandwidth values for
the 3 bands were 13.8Mhz to 14.7 MHz, 20.9 MHz to 21.85 MHz and 27.69Mhz
to 29.3 MHz.

    The 27ft mast went up very easily.  Jim loaned us 4 short stakes
which were easily put in and removed compared to the large ones we
normally use.  Four guy ropes were used at the 10 foot level.  The
antenna cranked up using an electric drill.  We manually cranked it down
with a makeshift handle. No effort really.  That worm gear really works
well.

    Station operation was interrupted several times for talks. We were
just inside hanger #1 and when talks were on, they needed us quiet and
the hanger doors shut.   I enjoyed 2 of the talks very much. On Sunday
at 1pm we were shut down to let the dancing dogs perform. Sunday, we
decided to shut down early.  Even doing that it took us to until 5:30 pm
or so to see the Museum in our rear view mirror.

    A real kick was to see the 1947 open cab fire truck arrive Friday
afternoon from Ormsby Fire Brigade. We featured a snap of the engine
with Libby, the fire chief, sitting in the cab in our W6H QSL.

    The event brought out some really neat people and great things to see
and do.  I rode in a Waco biplane and took over the controls of a really
neat cockpit simulator that was attached to the Microsoft flight
simulator.

    Seeing the Wings of History Museum contents, listening to the
interesting talks, seeing the hot air balloons, old tractors, old
planes, old pump engines and model trains was a real kick.

    We've got a lot of pictures and I intend to send a few to Claude for
possible use on the GVARC web site.

  ---The Credits---
    Many many thanks to Don Trigueiro, Bill Gleason, Thom West and Jim
Loring for all the long hours of work expended Friday, April 30th, which
allowed us to get the antenna and station setup. It was a lot of work
but I think it was worth it.  Thanks to Tony Armendariz and Bill
Culbertson, also, for getting the crank up tower for us.  It worked like
a dream. And thanks to all you GVARC members who approved buying the
tower.
  -- de N7FF, Frank

***RFID TAGS AT 433.5 to 434.5 MHz
----------------------------------
    The FCC has adopted a somewhat limited proposal to permit deployment
of RF Identification (RFID) tags at 433.5 to 434.5 MHz, but at much
greater duty cycles than current Part 15 rules permit for such devices.

    Among other applications, RFID tags are used to track shipments and
packing containers. A Third Report and Order (R & O) in ET Docket
01-278--approved April 15 but not yet released--follows a 2000 petition
by SAVI Technology to revise FCC Part 15 rules to accommodate such
devices in the vicinity of 433 MHz. The ARRL has consistently opposed
the proposal, but the FCC just as unfailingly has gone along with it.
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Chief Ed Thomas said
RFIDs provide important public benefits.

    "This device is designed to increase homeland security at ports, rail
yards and warehouses," Thomas told the FCC open meeting. "It will foster
the development of more powerful and advanced RFID systems that can
identify the contents of shipping containers and determine whether
tampering has occurred during shipment." Thomas said the devices also
would increase efficiency in shipping operations and inventory control.

    The Third R & O would increase the maximum radiated field strength
permitted for such devices as well as the maximum permissible duty
cycle--from one second to one minute. The longer duty cycle would allow
an RFID to transmit the contents of an entire shipping container, van
Tuyl said. "We therefore believe there will be no significant increase
in the potential for interference to authorized services," he concluded.

    The Third R & O reflects certain accommodations to the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which
expressed "grave concerns" about the proposal in 2002. The R & O limits
the operating band for such RFID tags to 433.5 to 434.5 MHz, instead of
the 425 to 435 MHz SAVI originally asked for. It further prohibits
operation of RFID tag systems within 40 km (about 25 miles) of five
government radar sites. Manufacturers of 433 MHz RFID systems would have
to register the locations of their system base stations to aid in
interference resolution.

    Since SAVI first approached the FCC in 2000, ARRL has maintained that
the RFID tags the company proposed would represent a significant source
of potential interference to sensitive receivers and be incompatible
with ongoing requirements of incumbent services.

    More than 130 amateurs filed comments in opposition to SAVI
Technology's RFID tags proposal, and most supported the ARRL's position
that the proposed rules were flawed and should not be adopted.
  -- ARRL

***FCC'S COGNITIVE RADIO NPRM&O
-------------------------------
    The ARRL says it generally supports the proposals contained in an FCC
Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Order (NPRM&O), ET Docket 03-108
relating to so-called cognitive radio (CR) technology. But the League
urged the FCC to avoid large-scale deployment of CR technology--and
especially of unlicensed devices in spectrum regularly used by licensed
services--''until further experience with the technology is obtained.''
The ARRL also strenuously objected to a proposal to allow cognitive
radio technology devices to operate under Part 15 in ''rural areas'' at
up to a sixfold increase in the currently permitted power level in
several UHF bands that include amateur allocations.

    "ARRL opposes increases of power levels for undefined and undefinable
'rural areas,'" the League's comments said, "because the practical radio
horizon at higher Part 15 power levels makes interference with the
Amateur and Amateur-Satellite service operations in many frequency bands
inevitable." The FCC seeks to allow a transmitter power increase of up
to six times (approximately 8 dB) higher than current Part 15 limits in
the 902-928, 2400-2483.5 and 5725-5825 MHz band and in the 24 GHz band.

    The League said the Commission should not view cognitive radio as an
opportunity to increase permissible Part 15 power levels and questioned
why the FCC was willing to put forth such proposals "without the
slightest real-world test deployment" of the systems it wants to
authorize.

    "There is no need for separate rules regarding cognitive and software
defined radios," the ARRL said, calling both "an excellent opportunity"
to drive technological advancement within Amateur Radio. "They should
and can be regulated within the existing rules." The ARRL also urged the
FCC to avoid creating regulatory obstacles that would hamper
"experimentation and flexibility in conducting amateur operations."

    "These technologies will allow ever-greater participation by amateurs
in restoration of communications systems following a wide-area emergency
or disaster and in conducting disaster relief efforts on site in
coordination with served agencies," the League predicted.
  -- ARRL

***COGNITIVE RADIO OVERVIEW
---------------------------
    Cognitive radio is the path along which the control systems of
software radio are migrating. Location-aware research, especially in
Europe marked the beginning of the move towards cognitive radio. As
radios embed increasingly complex and realistic models of their
enivironments, users, and networks, they begin to approach what an
outside observer might call rational, or common-sense behavior.

    Think of spectrum management as three-dimensional full contact chess.
Instead of 64 squares on even the VHF-UHF board, there are something
like 10,000 channels. Instead of a couple of dozen pieces competing for
a place on the board, there are maybe 100-1000 or more competing for the
spectrum in a notional radio cell, and that number may rise to half the
population in some scenarios, or maybe 10-50,000 players in the spectrum
from 30 MHz to 2.5 GHz. Each player has not just a small number of
possible moves, but can construct its own new moves as a function of
output power, direction of the RF beam, channel coding (AM, FM, PSK,
MSK, QAM...), framing, and everything up and down the ISO protocol
stack, in principle. This makes a chess game look combinatorially tame
by comparison. The result is both an over-use of cellular bands at peak
hour, and an under-use of the police and amateur bands, typically, at
the same time.

    Wouldn't it be nice if instead of jamming the heart monitors at
Baylor University last May, the HDTV broadcast simply pushed the
next-generation cognitive heart monitors onto secondary or tertiary
modes. And the radios themselves could tell the Federal Communications
Commission about their plight. We have secondary users on many bands
now, but software radios will permit an order of magnitude increase in
the complexity of innovative management of spectrum.

For more details, see http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jmitola/
  -- Copyright Mitola's Statisfaction, all rights reserved, used by
permission for educational purposes.

***CONTEST CALENDAR JUNE 2004
------------------------------
------- (From-to) --------  -------------------------------------------
DATE   WEEKDAY - TIME UTC   CONTEST NAME - MODE
-----  -------------------  -------------------------------------------
31- 1  Mon 2300 - Tue 0300  *?* MI-QRP Club Memorial Day CW Sprint CW

  3     Thu 1700 - 2000      SSA 10 m Aktivitetstest - CW/SSB/FM

  5- 6  Sat 1500 - Sun 1459  IARU Region 1 Fieldday - CW

12-13  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  ANARTS WW RTTY Contest - DIGI
12     Sat 0000 - 2400      Portugal Day DX Contest - SSB
12-13  Sat 0000 - Sun 1600  WW South America CW Contest - CW
12     Sat 1100 - 1300      Asia-Pacific Sprint Contest - SSB
12-13  Sat 1600 - Sun 1600  DDFM 50 MHz Contest - CW/SSB
12-13  Sat 1600 - Sun 0200  *?* West Virginia QSO Party - CW/SSB
    13  Sun 1400 - 1500      SSA Månadstest nr 6 - SSB
    13  Sun 1515 - 1615      SSA Månadstest nr 6 - CW

19-20  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  All Asian DX Contest - CW
19-20  Sat 0000 - Sun 2400  *?* SMIRK Contest - CW/Phone
19     Sat 1800 - 2400      Kid’s Day Contest - SSB
    20  Sun 0600 - 1200      *?* DIE Contest - CW/SSB/RTTY

26     Sat 0600 - 1800      SCAG Straight Key Day (SKD) - CW
26-27  Sat 1200 - Sun 1200  SP QRP Contest - CW
26-27  Sat 1400 - Sun 1400  MARCONI Memorial Contest HF - CW
26-27  Sat 1800 - Sun 2100  ARRL Field Day - All
26-27  Sat 1800 - Sun 1800  H. M. The King of Spain Contest - SSB
26-27  Sat 1800 - Sun 2100  QRP ARCI Milliwatt Field Day - All
  -- Jan-Eric Rehn - sm3cer at contesting.com
     http://www.sk3bg.se/contest/text/c2004Jun.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 (now Sunnyvale) Flea Market - 2nd Saturday of each month
from March to October HAS MOVED from Foothill College to the Lockheed,
Sunnyvale. Exit 101 or 237 at Mathilda and head west on Moffet Park 1
block. Turn just past the big white dishes (near the "blue cube"). Still
on the FARS NET on 145.23 repeater Thursday nights at 8 PM. See
http://www.asvaro.org for a info on this long running electronics flea
markets.
    -- Don, KA6AUR


***GVARC EMAIL LIST SUMMARY
---------------------------
    gvarc at mailman.qth.net   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.

    gvarc_cc at mailman.qth.net   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, ad6id at qsl.net. If you're
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