[K6BW] Current Events

[Joy Best]

Re the flyer:  We don't have a group large enough to finance or support 
one.  Takes a lot of effort to develop something attractive and 
interesting.  e-mail seems to be working.  Alan K6AJB

Bill Smith wrote:

>I guess this is something akin to a newsletter.  What do you think, should we have a mailed club newsletter ?   Negatives are it is a lot of work and is surprisingly expensive.  Positives are it is something "in hand" and tends to bring the membership together.  Is there anyone who would like to work on this project?
>
>MARS Conference
>
>Our clubhouse was the site of the 2003 Northern California Mars Convention again this year.  We had about 25 Navy MARS members from all over Northern California in attendance.  Of special mention was the participation of HWA member Doug Sekishiro.  Doug has recently returned from Kuait (did I mean Kuwait?) and stated the need for MARS communications in the Gulf Region.  That message has been routed up the chain of command, and could have an impact on the whole system.
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>TOWER
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>The tower update:  Jack Troup has been working very hard on the project and we are seeing real results of his efforts.  We have determined a way to erect the tower, it will be positioned on the ground parallel to the north side of the building, and nearby trees (that is saying a lot!) can be used to first hoist the antenna from horizontal, then pulled into a vertical position.
>
>Jack has built and installed a base plate.  With that major hurdle overcome, we are now looking at digging one hole and installing a guy anchor.  The other two guy points are in place, one at the top of the driveway, the other the telephone pole at the back of the building.  We think we can use an old cement support that used to hold steam-heat piping as an anchor to guy the back of the telephone pole.
>
>We had a good work party last Saturday.  Alan Best, Jack Troup, Lars Williamson and myself were there.  Several members indicated they would like to help, but couldn't meet the schedule.  Lots of things were done in preparation of the "big event" - raising the tower, which is now much closer in sight.  If we can trim the trees, we have a good chance to get it up before the rains start this fall.
>
>Jack has taken the crank on the tower for cleaning and repainting.  He also discovered the rotor contains several badly damaged internal parts.  Thankfully, we have two others.  Jack plans to carefully inspect each and choose one to put back on the tower.
>
>We estimate we need nearly 200 feet of rotor cable.  We need the same length of coaxial cable.  Jack is planning a trip to Mike Quinn Electronics to see if there is any surplus rotor cable, and will be on the lookout at the next Livermore Swap.
>
>CIVIL AIR PATROL
>
>Separately, I attended a Civil Air Patrol meeting last night.  A new Novato chapter has been formed, replacing an older one, and is active in search and rescue.  At the meeting, also met a Commander with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.   I was delighted to discover the Commander is studying Morse Code!
>
>Each group has specific activities for which they volunteer.  They primarily use VHF and have extensive repeaters on government frequencies they use for communications.  The CAP uses HF frequencies also, and the Novato chapter is looking to acquire that capability.
>
>We discussed the possibility of establishing links between our groups.  At the moment it seems that we could best help each other by offering our ability to volunteer for special projects as they occur.  At the moment, that luxury (volunteer resources) seem a bit limited, but with the enthusiasm shown last night to work together, am sure something positive will come out of our correspondence.
>
>73 de Bill, AB6MT
>billsmith@ispwest.com
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