[KCDXC] June 7 Meeting and other stuff

[Bob Brown - WØNQX]

HI all

was a short meeting tonight

the attendees were

KØLW

VQ9LA

KC9JH

AAØX

KCØZNI

ACØKN

ABØX

NØAG

KØVBU

KDØHMH

KDØFRT

WØNQX

and Pie was served afterwards  at the Village INN In Mission Ks

NOTE:

There will be NO Normal June Meeting, the Next Meeting of the KCDXC
will be JULY 26. 2010

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Place ....

The Kansas City DX Club normally meets on the last Monday of each month.

The July Kansas City DX Club meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on
Monday, July 26, in Suite 115 of the Cloverleaf 3 Office Building, in
the Cloverleaf Office Park located in the south-east quadrant of
Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh yea Don't forget Field Day:

Field Day 2010 will be held June 26-27, 2010

So here are some things to remember.......

How to Come Back After Field Day
Keith Wood (K1LDS) on June 2, 2010

Well, it's that time again. Those little flakes of "global warming"
have stopped falling, the snow shovel is hanging in the garage, and a
ham's thoughts turn to Field Day.

However, you will be facing risks this year that you never have faced
before. It doesn't matter how many contacts you make, if you are the
highest-ranking Silent Key in the list!

The risks break down into three areas: Technology, Environment, and Medical.

Let's deal with Technology first.

Oh, sure, you've done this every year, so long that you still have a
couple of Motorola plugs in your took kit, but unless you are running
a solo effort, there is a good chance that someone you've never met is
bringing out equipment that you've never seen. Look from a distance,
until you know the ways that it might bite you.

If you're in a club, it's a good idea to appoint a safety officer --
an experienced ham who likes to build things -- to check all
installations during and after setup. His of her ONLY job is to look
for things that don't look right. No power is applied until cleared
with Safety.

Are the power leads properly insulated, the antenna properly grounded,
the generator safely away from hazards -- and not aimed to fill your
tent with carbon monoxide while you sleep?

Antennas deserve special attention -- they tend to be sharp at one
end, hard to see at night, and can zap you anywhere along the length.
Are you running an NVIS (aka "Radiating Neck-Wire") . . ? It's a good
idea to drape something like barrier tape at invervals, so that it's
obvious there's something there. A tower? Imagine the worst-case
scenario, and it falls over -- where will it go? Onto a power line, or
someone's sleeping bag?

Everything needs to be labeled, unless nobody other than the builder
will operate it. ALL power leads must be marked, in case you need to
cut off the juice in a hurry.

Field Day is supposed to be a disaster DRILL, let's not make it REAL.

Second, we have Environmental.

Some of this might be related to Technology, like the guys I watched
raising a tower during a lull between thunderstorm cells passing
overhead, or the guy who drove his ground rod through the school
sprinkler system.

However, the environment is other things. Do you have a security
issue, where equipment is likely to disappear if left unattended? Or
maybe most of your planned area has recently been sprayed with bug
killer. Or a new power line has been run . . .there are a lot of
factors.

Don't be afraid to find somewhere else to operate -- that's a big part
of working field expedient site, learning where not to put them. Even
just picking the opposite corner of the park may make all the
difference between a safe weekend and a real problem.

Lastly, we have Medical.

Sorry, OM, but you ARE an OM! That tower trailer that you eagerly
cranked a couple of years ago (well, let's be honest, TWENTY years
ago) is ready to be your first heart attack. If you're the only one
around to crank it, take it easy, take your time on the crank.

Unless you are Jack LaLanne (I think that guy is allergic to
Kryptonite!), as you get older, you are no long able to jump into the
same level of effort that you used to. If nothing else, this is your
incentive for recruiting some teenagers into ham radio!

You also need to think things through. Make sure that you know what
you are doing, and that you're at that step in the process (especially
important if working as a team). If in doubt, start over rather than
miss an important step.

Setup isn't the only worry. Make sure you get enough water (plain old
water, or club soda). By the time you notice that you're thirsty, you
are already dehydrated, so maybe a big club should assign someone to
keeping the flow of water going to every operator. And, if you're
there in the tent, if anyone takes a drink, EVERYONE take a drink.
Don't skip meals, and don't load up on snacks and junk.

If you are out in the sun WEAR YOUR HAT. Use sunscreen. Wear
loose-fitting long sleeves.

Don't forget your flashlight and batteries. Wandering around at night
is a really good way to learn WHY we call NVIS antenna "Radiating Neck
Wires," or be reminded exactly where the counterpoise was staked.

Now, since it seems that most clubs go hide out on mountaintops for
FD, you also need to make sure that you bring extra water, food, fuel
and meds -- be prepared to be stuck out there for 5 days.

Lastly, be prepared to evacuate the site. Make a check-list of the
most important stuff to load first -- you may have less than 5
minutes' warning if a fire starts. Nothing that you own is worth dying
for, and if you're given an evacuation order, GO. The best plan is to
leave everything in your car unless you are using it.

Practising this part can be fun. I've seen a couple of clubs that made
it a contest to be ready to roll after FD is over.

Whatever you do, wherever you go, just do your best to be back home
Sunday night, and back for next year's Field Day.



--
Thanks in Advance

   Bob Brown, WØNQX

   Kansas City Metro Area

   http://www.kcdxclub.com/

   http://sm0kenet.net

   http://byrg.net

   http://kcdstar.byrg.net

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