From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Mon Jan  1 00:29:58 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Mon Jan  1 00:35:14 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Happy New Year 2007!
Message-ID: <000b01c72d65$e64b7480$0203a8c0@hbco>

Our new year will be the best ever!  

Thank you all for contributing to our great club.

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Mon Jan  1 00:34:34 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Mon Jan  1 00:39:48 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Straight Key Night  - New Year's Eve
Message-ID: <001501c72d66$8a583860$0203a8c0@hbco>

It is a bit late, is 9:30pm local time, but if anyone wishes to brave the
cold, the clubhouse will be open shortly to celebrate Straight Key Night to
bring in the New Year.  Come join us!

Last night was a very successful Heavy Metal AM night.  Stations were worked
all over the country on 80 meters.

See you tonight!

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From K6KLL at aol.com  Mon Jan  1 14:11:34 2007
From: K6KLL at aol.com (K6KLL@aol.com)
Date: Mon Jan  1 14:17:02 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Happy New Year 2007!
Message-ID: <d05.61d2200.32cab6e6@aol.com>

...and the very best of HAPPY NEW YEAR right back at 'cha.      Thanks for 
all your efforts to the Hamilton club.     Regards,  Alan - K6KLL
From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Tue Jan  2 20:29:41 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Tue Jan  2 20:35:02 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Hamilton Tuesday Night
Message-ID: <000701c72ed6$a54b4100$0203a8c0@hbco>

Clubhouse will be open tonight.  Bring your jacket and your latest project.
We have restored a working heater, though, so the cold shouldn't be too bad.

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sonic.net

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Tue Jan  9 20:32:01 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Tue Jan  9 20:38:09 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Tuesday Night at Hamilton
Message-ID: <00c801c73457$23131240$0203a8c0@hbco>

We'll leave the heater on for you!  Bring your projects and look forward to
seeing you tonight.

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Sun Jan 14 19:34:09 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Sun Jan 14 19:34:58 2007
Subject: [K6BW] $100 laptop
Message-ID: <007e01c7383c$dfb32000$0203a8c0@hbco>

Well, almost... and you wind it up with a yo-yo!

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0111/p17s01-stct.html

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From ki6ada at sbcglobal.net  Sun Jan 14 21:08:59 2007
From: ki6ada at sbcglobal.net (Steve Johnson)
Date: Sun Jan 14 21:09:50 2007
Subject: [K6BW] $100 laptop
In-Reply-To: <007e01c7383c$dfb32000$0203a8c0@hbco>
Message-ID: <914540.36906.qm@web83214.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

First it reminds of the wind up radio that you can
purchase at Radio Shack. Second it sounds like a great
idea for Field Day. You can keep track of your
multipliers without losing charge on your laptop. 




 
   73 KI6ADA
  Steve Johnson

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Tue Jan 16 19:23:17 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Tue Jan 16 19:24:18 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Regular Monthly Meeting Tonight
Message-ID: <004101c739cd$b0383120$0203a8c0@hbco>

The Hamilton Wireless Association will hold its regular monthly meeting
tonight at Building 549, Hamilton Field.   Meeting starts at 7:30pm.

The XT-1A GE Transmitter is finding a new home tomorrow, Wednesday Jan 17th.
Can you help move it?  The crew will be there starting at 6:00pm.  We will
need all the help we can get!

See you tonight.

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From ki6ada at sbcglobal.net  Sat Jan 20 02:22:45 2007
From: ki6ada at sbcglobal.net (Steve Johnson)
Date: Sat Jan 20 02:24:08 2007
Subject: [K6BW] FCC "no code test" February 23, 2007
Message-ID: <336737.27518.qm@web83210.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Codeless Amateur Radio Testing Regime Appears Set to
Begin February 23
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 19, 2007 -- The ARRL has learned
that the FCC's Report and Order (R&O) in the "Morse
code proceeding," WT Docket 05-235, is scheduled to
appear in the Federal Register Wednesday, January 24.
Assuming that occurs, the new Part 97 rules deleting
any Morse code examination requirement for Amateur
Radio license applicants would go into effect Friday,
February 23, 2007. The League cautions that this date
is tentative, pending official confirmation and
publication. 

"This change eliminates an unnecessary regulatory
burden that may discourage current Amateur Radio
operators from advancing their skills and
participating more fully in the benefits of Amateur
Radio," the FCC remarked in the Morse code R&O. 

Publication of the R&O in the Federal Register starts
a 30-day countdown for the new rules to go on the
books. The FCC reportedly completed its work on the
R&O this week and forwarded it to the Federal Register
receiving desk. The Federal Register must make the
document available for public inspection 24 hours
prior to publication. Federal Register personnel are
constrained by law from saying if a particular R&O is
in the publication queue, however. Rules and
regulations that appear in the Federal Register
constitute their official version. 

Deletion of the Morse requirement is a landmark in
Amateur Radio history. Until 1991, when a code
examination was dropped from the requirements to
obtain a Technician ticket, all prospective radio
amateurs had to pass a Morse test. Once the new rules
are in place, Amateur Radio license applicants no
longer will have to demonstrate Morse code proficiency
at any level to gain access to the HF bands. 

On or after the effective date of the new rules, an
applicant holding a valid Certificate of Successful
Completion of Examination (CSCE) for a higher license
class will be able to redeem it for an upgrade. For
example, a Technician licensee holding a valid CSCE
for Element 3 (General) could apply at a VEC exam
session, pay the application fee -- which most VECs
charge -- and receive an instant upgrade. A CSCE is
good only for 365 days from the date of issuance.
Candidates for General or Amateur Extra between now
and the effective date of the new rules still must
have Element 1 (5 WPM Morse code) credit to obtain new
privileges, however. 

The new rules also mean that all Technician licensees,
whether or not they've passed a Morse code
examination, will gain HF privileges identical to
those of current Novice and Tech Plus (or Technician
with Element 1 credit) licensees without having to
apply for an upgrade. Novices and Technicians with
Element 1 credit have CW privileges on 80, 40, 15
meters and CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges on 10
meters. 

The FCC R&O includes an Order on Reconsideration in WT
Docket 04-140 -- the so-called "omnibus" proceeding.
It will modify the Amateur Service rules in response
to ARRL's request to accommodate automatically
controlled narrowband digital stations on 80 meters in
the wake of other rule changes that were effective
last December 15. The Commission designated 3585 to
3600 kHz for such operations, although that segment
will remain available for CW, RTTY and data. 

The ARRL has been posting all relevant information on
these important Part 97 rule revisions on its "FCC's
Morse Code Report and Order WT Docket 05-235" Web
page. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page last modified: 04:12 PM, 19 Jan 2007 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org 
Copyright ? 2007, American Radio Relay League, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. 

 
   73 KI6ADA
  Steve Johnson

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Sun Jan 21 16:42:05 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Sun Jan 21 16:43:52 2007
Subject: [K6BW] As A Matter of Record
Message-ID: <002f01c73da5$02e4dd80$0203a8c0@hbco>

>From D. Chester, AMRadio newsgroup:

I was thumbing through some old QST's and handbooks from the 30's last
night, and reviewed some of the pre-war subband arrangements.  Interesting.

Prior to 1932, there were no subbands on 160, just as it is now.  On 3.5-4.0
mc/s, there was an 80-meter phone band, 3500-3550.  No phone on 40 or 10.
On 20, with a special license and permission from the Radio Inspector, you
could run phone on 14.1-14.3 mc/s .  The entire 20m band went from
14.0-14.4mc/s.

In 1932, at ARRL's request, the FRC (Federal Radio Commission) approved
changes to the phone allocations: Phone operation on 160 (1715-2000 kc/s)
would be restricted to 1875-2000.  The reasons given were that the sunspot
cycle would be bottoming out within the next couple of years, and much of
the regional cw activity on 80m would have to move to 160, due to the
expected 80m skip zone, so they wanted to reserve the lower end of the band
to cw.  Another reason was BCI.  At that time, BCI from 160m phone was
almost as much a headache to amateur radio as TVI was in the 50's.  So the
thinking was, move 160m phone up to the top end of the band, and that would
increase the frequency space between the broadcast band and 160m phone.  The
top end of the BC band ended at 1500 kc/s then.  However, less than a year
later, at ARRL's request, the phone subband was extended back to 1800-2000.
1715-1800 remained cw only.

The 80m phone subband was moved from 3500-3550 to 3900-4000.  Canada opened
up the 3900-4000 kc/s subband, but Canadian hams could continue to use the
old 80m allocation as well.  One of the reasons for moving the US allocation
to the top end of the band, was interference to aircraft communication just
below 3.5 mc/s.  That wasn't the hams' fault; aircraft receivers of that era
were simply too non-selective.

No 40m phone operation was allowed before WW2.  40 was eventually opened up
to phone because the foreign broadcast interference was causing amateurs to
vacate the top end of the band, and it was hoped that a phone allocation
would bring amateurs back to the upper frequencies.  There was fear that the
US might also reallocate the top end to broadcasting if it wasn't being used
by amateurs.

The phone subband on 20m was reduced from 14.1-14.3, to 14.15-14.25.  Phone
operation on 20 back then was kept in the middle of the band to reduce the
likelihood of out-of-band spurs from phone stations interfering with other
services.

There was no 15m band before WW2.

At first, 10m was cw only, just like 40.  Then a small phone subband at
28.0-28.5 was opened, later to be expanded to 28.0-29.0.  The entire band
was 28.0-30.0 mc/s.

The 80m and 20m subbbands were made "class A."  Incentive Licensing 1932
style; hams without the class-A ticket had to vacate 80 and 20, even if they
previously had the RI's permission to use those bands.  The class-A license
required no further code test, and the written test was limited to topics
directly related to radiotelephone operation.  There was a mandatory
one-year waiting period that an operator had to be licensed before he could
take the class-A exam.

In addition, there was an "Extra First Class" amateur license, but it
carried few additional privileges, much like the Extra Class before 1968.

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Tue Jan 23 19:07:46 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Tue Jan 23 19:09:38 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Clubhouse is Open Tonight
Message-ID: <005501c73f4b$b0e2d020$0203a8c0@hbco>

Bring your projects, club will be open this evening, Tuesday, Jan 23.

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From ki6ada at sbcglobal.net  Wed Jan 24 13:13:29 2007
From: ki6ada at sbcglobal.net (Steve Johnson)
Date: Wed Jan 24 13:15:19 2007
Subject: [K6BW] FCC "it's official" !!
Message-ID: <128442.93020.qm@web83206.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

It's Official! Morse Code Requirement Ends Friday,
February 23
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 24, 2007 -- Circle Friday, February
23, on your calendar. That's when the current 5 WPM
Morse code requirement will officially disappear from
the Amateur Radio Service Part 97 rules. After
midnight on that date, applicants for a General or
Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio license no longer
will have to demonstrate proficiency in Morse code.
They'll just have to pass the applicable written
examination. The appearance in today's Federal
Register of the FCC's Report and Order (R&O) in the
"Morse code proceeding," WT Docket 05-235, starts a
30-day countdown for the new rules to become
effective. Deletion of the Morse requirement -- still
a matter of controversy within the amateur community
-- is a landmark in Amateur Radio history. 

"The overall effect of this action is to further the
public interest by encouraging individuals who are
interested in communications technology or who are
able to contribute to the advancement of the radio
art, to become Amateur Radio operators; and
eliminating a requirement that is now unnecessary and
may discourage Amateur Service licensees from
advancing their skills in the communications and
technical phases of Amateur Radio," the FCC remarked
in the "Morse code" R&O that settled the matter, at
least from a regulatory standpoint. The League had
asked the FCC to retain the 5 WPM for Amateur Extra
class applicants, but the Commission held to its
decision to eliminate the requirement across the
board. The R&O appearing in the Federal Register
constitutes the official version of the new rules. 

Until 1991, when a Morse code examination was dropped
from the requirements to obtain a Technician ticket,
all prospective radio amateurs had to pass a Morse
code test. With the change the US will join a growing
list of countries that have dropped the need to
demonstrate some level of Morse code proficiency to
earn access to frequencies below 30 MHz. 

The new rules also put all Technician licensees on an
equal footing, whether or not they've passed a Morse
code examination. Starting at midnight on February 23,
Technicians will gain CW privileges on 80, 40, 15
meters and CW, RTTY, data and SSB privileges on 10
meters. When the new rules go into effect Technicians
may begin using their new privileges without any
further action. 

On or after February 23, an applicant holding a valid
Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination
(CSCE) for Element 3 (General) or Element 4 (Amateur
Extra) credit may redeem it for an upgrade at a
Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) exam session. A
CSCE is good for 365 days from the date of issuance,
no exceptions. For example, a Technician licensee
holding a valid CSCE for Element 3 credit would have
to apply at a VEC test session and pay the application
fee, which most VECs charge, in order to receive an
instant upgrade to General. 

ARRL Regulatory Information Specialist Dan Henderson,
N1ND, cautions that a license upgrade is not automatic
for those holding valid CSCEs for element credit. "You
must apply for the upgrade at a VEC test session, and
you may not operate as /AG or /AE until you have
upgraded and have been issued a CSCE marked for
upgrade," he stresses. "A valid CSCE for element
credit only does not confer any operating privileges."
Henderson also advises all radio amateurs to know and
fully understand their operating privileges before
taking to the airwaves. Some Technician licensees
reportedly started showing up on 75 meters December 15
in the mistaken belief that they had gained phone
privileges there. 

The FCC R&O includes an Order on Reconsideration in WT
Docket 04-140 -- the so-called "omnibus" proceeding.
It will modify Part 97 in response to ARRL's request
to accommodate automatically controlled narrowband
digital stations on 80 meters in the wake of other
rule changes that became effective last December 15.
The Commission designated 3585 to 3600 kHz for such
operations, although that segment will remain
available for CW, RTTY and data. The ARRL had
requested that the upper limit of the CW/RTTY/data
subband be set at 3635 kHz so there would be no change
in the existing 3620 to 3635 kHz subband. 

The ARRL has posted all relevant information on these
important Part 97 rule revisions on its "FCC's Morse
Code Report and Order WT Docket 05-235" Web page. 






 
   73 KI6ADA
  Steve Johnson

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Sat Jan 27 18:34:43 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Sat Jan 27 18:36:57 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Letter from K4KCL
Message-ID: <000601c7426b$ba658de0$0203a8c0@hbco>

Hello Bill & HWA,

Thank you very much for the transmitter and all the help loading it.  Please
give my thanks to Lee, Allan, Dave & Tim (hope I have all the names correct)
for giving up their evening to come out to help.

I came to realize that this trip was more about people than a transmitter.
It turned out a very joyous social event. It was great to see our friends
from Santa Rosa (Roger, Maryln & Ryan) also.  It has been too many years
since our last visit.

You all are blessed with a very nice facility for your Amateur Radio
activities.  I am so glad that I was able to see it and enjoy it with you
that evening.

73 Don, K4KCL
Riverside, CA

(letter mailed by Don to HWA)

From hbco2 at sbcglobal.net  Tue Jan 30 19:50:12 2007
From: hbco2 at sbcglobal.net (Bill Smith)
Date: Tue Jan 30 19:52:51 2007
Subject: [K6BW] Meeting Tonight at Hamilton
Message-ID: <001601c744d1$c8c29f00$0203a8c0@hbco>

Where did January go?  Almost 10% of the year has almost gone, and I bet you
are (well, I am) still struggling with writing 2007 dates.  BTW, if you
haven't renewed your HWA membership, please do.  We will be moving to a
single annual renewal date.

Tonight is our weekly technical get-together.  If you have a project, bring
it along.  Building 549 will be open from about 6:00pm till everyone has
gone home.

Code practice anyone?  The FYBO QRP contest is drawing near.  Are you ready?

See you at Hamilton tonight!

73 de Bill, AB6MT
hbco2@sbcglobal.net

From n2nl at yahoo.com  Wed Jan 31 17:59:34 2007
From: n2nl at yahoo.com (David Mueller)
Date: Wed Jan 31 18:02:10 2007
Subject: [K6BW] N2NL QSY this summer
Message-ID: <20070131225934.66666.qmail@web60812.mail.yahoo.com>

Hi guys,
  As some of you may already know, I recently received
transfer orders from the Coast Guard.  Immediately
following the end of the Spring semester, I'll be
moving back to Key West, FL, to take over the Chief
Engineer job on a patrol boat.  We lived here prior to
moving to Novato, and still have a large number of
friends there.  Mickey and I are happy to be going
back.
   In the mean time, I still hope to be active from
K6BW for the next few months, as time allows.  I'm
planning on participating in the NA SSB Sprint this
Saturday night.  It will likely be my last serious
contest effort from the hilltop, although I will
continue to be active DXing and part-time contesting
throughout the spring.
   Although I'm not leaving for quite a while, I
wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for
their hospitality over the past 1.5 years.  I've had a
blast messing around with antenna up there, and I'll
definitely miss it as I struggle with the Navy to put
up a simple antenna in Key West housing.  

73, Dave N2NL/6




 
____________________________________________________________________________________
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Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users.
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From lite65 at comcast.net  Wed Jan 31 20:21:44 2007
From: lite65 at comcast.net (lite65@comcast.net)
Date: Wed Jan 31 20:24:22 2007
Subject: [K6BW] N2NL QSY this summer
Message-ID: <020120070121.5816.45C140A80003A160000016B82200751090CAC00A9B0704@comcast.net>

We'll really miss you Dave.
Sorry to see you leave so soon but "duty calls" I guess.
I personally want to thank you for all the hard work you put in on the antennas
at the club. Truly, a wonderful addition and contribution.
I wish you and your family the best in your new assignment.

By the way, I really love that paddle you built!  It is truly a work of art and should be in 
a fine art museum.


Bill Stewart
