[KL7AA] LEO Newsletter number 1 by KL7QZ

[Dan O'Barr]

(for HTML format click: http://gahleos.obarr.net/messages/newsletter_number_1.html)

THE LEO amateur radio scientific society of ALASKA
Newsletter number 1
In Memoriam - UO-14
Date: 9-15-04       
No officers, no business meetings, no dues, no money making, no politics, 
just the science of Amateur Radio
___________________________________________________________________________________ 

Welcome! 
 
The LEOarssAK or LEOs was started on Friday, September 15, 2000, 
at the Thai Kitchen on Tudor Rd. in Anchorage.  Our bonding interest at that 
time focused on the Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Amateur Radio satellites; 
therefore the name LEOs.  Since then we have expanded into most areas of Ham Radio.  
Besides the presentation of papers we enjoy a good lunch and conversation.
Our founders included AL7KK/Rob, KL1HG/Doris, KL7AR/Mike, KL7JS/Deb, KL7DR/Dan, 
KL7GO/Gretchen, KL0QQ/TOM, KL0YO/Pat, KL7QZ/John and others.  
Our special guest was Jerry Schmitt, KK5YY(SK) inventor of the famous Arrow Antenna.  
John/QZ presented the first paper on LEO antennas specifically on how to build an 
"eggbeater".  Since then we have had papers on many topics including SETI, 
Grounding, Moon Bounce, How to Use The Leos, SWR, digital and many other topics.  
We meet roughly every 6-8 weeks September through May, on a Saturday at a 
restaurant in Anchorage, Eagle River or Wasilla. We start at 11:30 with lunch, 
our first paper is presented at 12 Noon followed with questions and a break at 
12:50 PM; our second paper is presented at 1 PM.  We end at 2 PM.  
For information contact John/QZ at jbury at gci.net , Mike/AR at xtiger747 at ak.net or 
Dan/DR at dan at obarr.net  Also please check on the Leo Net, Snipers Net and Motley Net.
__________________________________________________________________________________ 

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Our first fall meeting will be held on Saturday, October 9th at the Szechuan 
Restaurant, 11751 Business Blvd, Eagle River.  694-9168.  This is our regular 
restaurant, and it is located just around the corner from the Eagle Rive r Post Office.  
Please come at 11:30 so that you can order and receive your lunch by noon when the 
first speaker starts.  

Our Speakers will be:

Dale Hershberger - KL7XJ on: "The Challenger Learning Center of Alaska (CLCA)"
The CLCA is our resident NASA sponsored space education program for Alaska. 
This will be not only an exciting program for Hams but also for families, including 
kids grades 7 and up.

and
Frank Hurlbut - KL7FH on: "Contesting: or are contesters really a different species?"
Frank is one the world's great contesters (along with XYL AL1G/Corliss that is).  
He will share some of the latest developments and some "Hints and Kinks" and the all 
around weirdness of contesting.
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
LEO Weather and Road Report Net.  M-F,  9 AM+.  147.27/87 @103.5 tone.
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
THANKYOU

* For those of us who still mourn UO-14 we are mindful of how grateful we are to 
  G7GLY/Alex da  Silva Curiel and G7UPN/Chris Jackson and the Brit gang in all that 
  they did in putting "14" up and keeping it up operational for so many years.  
  What a bird.  Tx guys.
* Thanks to our April speakers WA6ZAP/Reg Driscoll and KL6M/Mike Melum.  Reg did a 
  great job bringing us back to the fundamentals of grounding.  
  Tx Reg for coming all the way from S. California to talk to us.  
* Can anything more be said to exaggerate Mike's moon bounce antenna?  
  The stuff of dreams.  And XYL/Lana a saint.  Tx Mike.
* Thanks for the all-new 147.27/87 machine.  We appreciate all the work, dedication 
  and money spent.  Glad you got off the mountain in time.  Tx guys.
* Thanks KL7AR/Mike for the great LEO programs during our 2003-04 year.
* Thanks KL7DR/Dan for keeping us up on the satellite information.
___________________________________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT WEB SITES and EMAIL ADDRESSES: Please send yours in.

http://gahleos.obarr.net  - Great LEO site with updated LEO orbits and valuable WEB links.
http://issfanclub.com  -  For ISS Ham communications.
http://www.seti.org  -  Looking for our relatives way out there.
 
Other space, astronomy, satellite and Ham satellite sites:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html  
http://www.astrosurf.com/avl/UK_index.html   	
http://www.amsat.org.ar/
http://www.ac6v.com/software.html#SAT 
http://www.onsat.com/links/ 
http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/predict.html 
http://vkradio.com/sat.html  

Important for winter traveling with live cameras on Alaskan highways.
http://511.alaska.gov/
             
LEO speakers bureau.  
MARA.  9-24-04.  KL7AR/Mike.  Antennas. 
AARC.  10-1-04.  KL7QZ/John.  Dayton-Hamvention.
 
LEO ELMERS: GO TO GUYS and GIRLS: Please send yours in.
SATELLITES: KL7DR/Dan at dan at obarr.net, AL7EB/Ed at al7eb at amsat.net and 
  KL7XJ/Dale at daleh at alaska.net .
HF ANTENNAS: KL7AR/Mike at xtiger747 at ak.net 
_____________________________________________________________________________________
 
etc....

* From our LEO Professor Emeritus AL7KK/VE1-Rob Wilson.  
"John and everyone: Thought that I should write and let you know that everything is 
going well here on our small island in the Atlantic Ocean. Doreen just bought another 
cook book...the "South Beach" diet.  I have lost ten pounds so far in a little more than 
a week.  I yearn for a piece of mincemeat pie, or some equally forbidden sweet. Ham radio 
is also doing okay.  This morning I was able to talk to two old friends from 50 years ago, 
one in Chicago and another in Denver. I just need a bigger antenna to give me a bit more 
signal.  Otherwise the DX to Europe is fantastic and I hook new and strange stations all 
the time (like T99A). Doreen bought another small dog and she is trying to house train it, 
with little success.  The thing is a shih-tzu.  Real cute and cuddly, but full of poops.  
Little Suzy is well trained and acts as our guard dog.  Maybe we need one since a bear 
has been reported wandering about town. Our best to all. Rob."  kl1hg at ns.sympatico.ca  
(Doreen reports that Rob has his helicopter and is very immersed in it. Ed) 

* Dan Simmonds/KK3AN, President of AN Wireless Tower Co. of Johnstown, PA.  Dan is a long 
time friend of KL7AR/Mike, and new friend of KL7QZ/John, offered at Dayton this May to 
deliver an AN tower to anywhere on Alaska "Rail belt" for a substantial discount in shipping 
cost and purchase price.  He can bring up to 3 towers at maximum of 60' each (or less).  
KL7AR/Mike's 60' self-standing Ham tower was Dan's first Ham tower before he went big time.  
This is an outstanding yet inexpensive self-standing tower.  Check with Dan at 
dan at anwireless.com and at website www.anwireless.com.  Also, check with Mike/AR about his 
tower at xtiger747 at ak.net .
_________________________________________________________________________________________
 
PLEASE

* Howaboutit--think about sending in a technical article for this newsletter and/or 
  present a paper at one of our LEO get-togethers.  What's this "presenting a paper"?  
  Some years ago this editor was at the FDIM or Four Days In May annual QRP meeting adjunct 
  to the Dayton Hamvention and was impressed with the requirement that when you are a speaker, 
  you put your remarks in writing to be sent out ahead of time, and then the speaker can 
  present the paper in a more casual or specific way allowing for attendees to prepare some 
  questions.  This FDIM model is really just an offshoot of how technical and scholarly 
  presentations have been made for the last 100 years.  We do it a bit more casually.  
  When you come to speak, have prepared a handout of your remarks written formally, or in 
  short outline form or with just data, tables, diagrams and Web citations or all of the above. 
  Ideally a presentation should last no longer than 40 minutes leaving 10 minutes for questions. 
  Our only proviso is that presentations or newsletter articles contain NO political comments 
  whether it be about CW or Ralph Nader. Tx. 

* At the last meeting we got stuck with an unpaid lunch bill from someone who forgot to pay.   
  Please be sure to pay, hopefully, no later than the 1 PM break.  Tx.  
  Also, this restaurant opens up especially for us on Saturday and they provide a full menu 
  with table service.  Please leave a nice tip.  Tx. 

* If you wish to be on our email list please send your address to KL7QZ at jbury at gci.net. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
AO - 51, up, up and away!
 
73's and 88's to all Hams on our planet, in our solar system-galaxy -universe.
 
Keep listening for the "WOW".
___________________________________________________________________________________________
 
Editor: John Bury - KL7QZ jbury at gci.net 907/349-8754 5142 Shorecrest Dr., Anchorage, AK 99502