Northwest Amateur Radio Society
June '98 Newsletter
President's Corner
by...
Joe Sokolowski - KD5KR
Wow! May was the month just loaded with activity. NARS wrapped up the Novice/Tech. class of "98 with the final exams given on May 21st. Out of 12 candidates taking the exam, one left with a CSCE for element 2, and the remaining 11 walked out the building with a ticket! The credit can only be given to all those individuals who devoted their time and effort in making this year's session a resounding success.
Then, there was the annual NARS picnic held at WD5DXL's ranch on May 16th. While not a record-breaking crowd, the thirty-eight plus enjoyed themselves on plenty of fried chicken and numerous supporting dishes. All of the desserts, brought by many of our guests were of the highest quality. My favorite, certainly, was the banana pudding, but a close second came "everything else." But, alas, Poor" DXL" could enjoy none of it that day. He was smitten with an exotic malady and had to stay indoors most of the day.
And, of course, There was the annual pilgrimage to the "Shrine of the Dayton Hamfest." Some of our members made the trip and reported strange and wonderful things. I'm sure we will all be enlightened with their tales in the coming weeks!
But the real biggie was the Texas QSO Party. This year's event brought out a great many participants from our fine group. Even "yours truly" got involved in this one. This was my very first contest and I must say I loved every minute of it. Well, the last hour was a little bit less exciting. Everyone had worked just about everyone else by then - nothin' left but a few stragglers! One thing that was very noticeable was the number on" Narcians" out there. Our guys were everywhere! Oh, the thing that really made an impression on me happened on the morning I strung up my G5RV in the pine trees at Huntsville State Park. I got my 3 oz. Weight snagged in the branches of a tall pine and in effort to retrieve it I gave that line a tremendous pull. The weight let loose at about 450 fps. And slammed into my right thigh. Three days later I was sporting a bruise about six inches in diameter. I have got to review that section on safety once more..
What a way to end up the month! June, as you are well aware, is Field day month. Plans have been underway for weeks now to insure this year's event will top all others (An unidentified source tells me that there may even be potpourri in the Port-o-Potties this year. Now, that's excitement!). I'm ready, are you?
Meeting Announcement
by... Jackie Shallington -
KD5CDJ
Topic of June Meeting -
Weather Information You Can Use
Jackie Shallington KD5CDJ and B.J. Lowery WB5PKD will present a program on EMWIN (Emergency Managers Weather Information Network) in the Houston area at the June 19 NARS meeting. If you are interested in or need up-to-date weather information, EMWIN in Houston is a cost-effective method of obtaining the latest information. Most HAMS have the necessary equipment to receive the data stream in the Houston and surrounding area.
Soapbox
by...
Keith Dutson - WD5DXL
It's Field Day time again. Come on out and join in the fun. This year it's being set up by Bill Denton W5SB, and run by O J Quarles K1OJ. I am REALLY EXCITED about this year's event.
Sign up today as a NARS News reporter; see me for details. You do not have to be a writer or photographer, but it will help if you can do either. Call me at 281-351-7683, or send e-mail.
DX News
by...
Bill Gary - K8CSG
DX Notes --
Rich in saving common sense,
And, as the greatest DXers are,
In his simplicity sublime,
He worked Temotu but a single time. . .
The onset of severe solar flares early in May caused some to suggest that Loyd, KM5OE, might want to go west and communicate with the Big Bend Sundancers. The hope was that such might lead to some serious beating of the bongos back in the barancas. Some felt that the double heel-clicking of an eight-legged tarantella might help to shake the A-index to a lower level, while others were more inclined to hope for a series of left-lift clicks followed by right-lift clicks, all leading up to a chasse and a glissade. The leader of the sundancers leaped into the air, clicked his heels three times before hitting the ground, and shouted: "Beat those bongos...eight to the bar!" And off he went into the canyons of the Big Bend as the roar of the Bongos swelled. . .
The propagation numbers improved as May arrived, after the major solar flare messed things up in late April. By May 1 the SFI was up to 103, the A index was 11 and the K index was 3. A nice opening into China occurred on April 30, with several stations being worked. A major flare hit on May 2, a result of major solar storm activity. Despite an improving SFI (123), the resultant A index of 83 created a terrible 20-meter band, and wiped out 15 and 10 completely for a while. I do not recall seeing an A-index that high in half a century. Many of the guys around town were saying their receivers sounded like their antenna feedlines were connected to a dummy load. By May 6 the A index was down to 4 while the SFI held up at 130, just in time for the 3B7 operation. During the last half of May, band conditions did not reflect the propagation numbers, as 20-meters became essentially dead during much of the day. On May 31the SFI was 96, the A index 20 and the K index 2. The high A index resulted in relatively poor band conditions. Fortunately there were occasional openings in the mornings and the evenings. It looks like the summer doldrums are upon us a bit early.
A relatively rare DXCC counter was scheduled to come up on May 7. St. Brandon Island (3B7) in the Indian Ocean has been very sparse recently. A group from Switzerland (HB9) and several other countries planned to operate there for ten days until May 17. 3B7FR appeared on 20-meters on May 6, with the usual array of lids pounding their keys fruitlessly and the frequency police frantically screaming "UP! UP!" As the week progressed, it became apparent that signals from the island were not going to be outstanding. One of the two diesel generators had been damaged in transit and the other one lost one phase after a couple of day's operation. This limited the team to maximum transmitter output of 500 watts or less. Two rigs were running CW and two were on SSB, with an RTTY station due to start up during the weekend. Several "slims' were reported on the DX clusters. Mike, K5NZ, reported on Friday morning that he had worked them. Cluster observations indicated that the East Coast lads were having better success than other parts of the country. As the first weekend approached, I learned that one of the operators is an old friend, George Wagner, K5KG, whom I knew when he worked for Exxon here in Houston some 20 years ago and later when we were both in Saudi Arabia. I suspect that I may have had a broken QSO with George on May 9, but on May 10 I had a solid QSO with him at 0422Z on 20-meters. Always nice to work a rare DXpedition, even when one already has good cards from earlier contacts there. I noted that Bob, N5ET, worked them the same evening, somewhat earlier than I did -- as usual.
LOCAL EVENTS: Steve, KD5AIJ, is closing in on DXCC. He recently received a QSL for number 80 on May 23. Rumor says that he has a tower to hold up the new Force 12 beam he has on order. I understand Loyd, KM5OE, continues to make good progress, also. John, WA5KOI, reports a nice QSO with A45XR in Oman. The various states of the Arabian Gulf have often been difficult to work, but the A4, A6, A7 and A9 stations have been appearing more frequently in recent years. Still not all that easy to work EP (Iran), HZ (Saudi Arabia), YI (Iraq) and YK (Syria). Jack, WA8GHZ, says working 30-meters continues to be great fun, especially when the other bands are clogged with contesters. He enjoyed working ZL2UW on 30-meters recently.
DX WORKED: P29DC (Papua New Guinea) 20m 1248Z; ZS2NP (South Africa) 20m 1319Z; ZS6PJK (South Africa) 20m 1326Z; BV4FH (Taiwan) 20m 1541; 4Z5AD (Israel) 15m 1916Z; ZK1CYR (Rarotonga) 20m 0230Z; VK3SWV (Australia) 1254Z; ZS6KD (South Africa) 20m 1340Z; 3B8AD (Mauritius) 20m 1223Z; VK8TM (No. Australia) 20m 1226Z; 3W6LI (Vietnam) 20m 1440Z; 3B7RF (St. Brandon) 20m 0329Z; VP6TY (Pitcairn Island) 10m 2332Z; DU4DX 20m 1429Z; 5B4ADA (Cyprus) 20m 0052Z; UP0L (Kazakhiztan) 20m 0239Z; DU1RAA (Philippines) 20m 1351Z; 5B4WN (Cyprus) 20m 2303Z; 5X1T (Uganda) 20m 0106Z; V73UX (Marshall Is.) 20m 1303Z; T30RW (W. Kiribati) 20m 1330Z; OD5NJ (Lebanon) 20m 0138Z; YB0DX (Indonesia) 20m 1321Z; BA1DU (China) 20m 1526Z; VK2FHN (Australia) 20m 1445Z; 5X1T (Uganda) 20m 0116Z; CN8NK (Morocco) 20m 0126; T32O (E. Kiribati - Christmas Is.) 20m 1301Z.
DX HEARD (NOT WORKED): C21DJ (Nauru) 20m 1300Z; VK6CF (W. Australia) 20m 1330Z; YB0DX (Indonesia) 20m 1300Z; BV5GQ (Taiwan) 20m 1250Z; HV4NAC (Vatican City) 20m 2308Z; VK5PAX (So. Australia) 15m 2345Z; 3V8BB (Tunisia) 20m 2119Z; 9K2ZZ (Kuwait) 17m 2117Z; TF8GX (Iceland) 20m 2130Z; 7Q7SB (Malawi) 20m 1420Z; AH8A (Am. Samoa) 20m 1400Z.
QSL ROUTES: ZS6PJK via bureau; 3B7RF via HB9RF; 5B4ADA via 9A2AJ; HV4NAC via IK0FVC; 5X1T via ON5NT; BA1DU via W3HC; T32O via WC5P.
On May 9 I worked VP6TY on 10 meters. The last time I had worked a VP6-station was February, 1957, and at that time VP6 was the prefix for Barbados. Things change slowly in the DX world, but they do change. VP6TY now is Terry Young, and he lives on Pitcairn Island, which until very recently had the VR6 prefix. VR has become, now that Hong Kong has been turned over to the Chinese government, the prefix for Hong Kong. As a result, Pitcairn needed a new prefix and VP6 had not been reassigned since Barbados gave it up when it gained independence form Great Britain. Frankly I don't understand why all of this came about the way it did. For example, why didn't they give VP6 to Hong Kong, letting Pitcairn retain VR6? As I said earlier, things in DX change slowly, but they do change - and sometimes a bit mysteriously. After all, Vx# had long been associated with various parts of the British Empire, i.e., VE-Canada, an array of VP2's in the Caribbean, VR6-Pitcairn, VS2-Hong Kong, etc. Now suddenly, we have a new discontinuity thrown into the prefix-mix. I guess it makes about as much sense as changing all of the U.S. Pacific Islands from KW, KM, KX, KS, KR, KG, KP, etc., to KH# prefixes. What was once relatively simple and understandable has become complex and now --seemingly -- confusing. In any case, the change to VP6 for Pitcairn became effective on May 1, 1998.
The April 1998 issue of what we have known for years as The ARRL DXCC Countries List is boasting a new title. Now it is known as the ARRL DXCC List. What have long been referred to as DXCC Countries are now known as DXCC Entities. Clinton B. DeSoto first defined a DXCC "country" thusly: "Each discrete geographical or political entity is considered to be a country." We have returned, after more than sixty years, to his basic verbiage, i.e., entities, not countries. The April 1998 List contains 328 valid Entities for DXCC, with Southern Sudan having been deleted and no new ones yet added. The List also contains many of the new rules adopted after the DXCC 2000 Committee's recommendations.
Frank (AH0W) has announced that a multinational group will put on a DXpedition from Rodriguez Island (3B9) this Fall. Rodrigues is only slightly less rare than St. Brandon and should attract big pileups. It is also in the same vicinity as St. Brandon, down in the Indian Ocean, and west of Mauritius Island. No details yet on how long the operation will last or when it will start. Keep your eyes open for this one, though. I first worked 3B9 in 1971 when Darlene was there. Since then, I have worked three other stations there -- one in 1978, one in 1979, and one station eight times 1988-90. This should be on your "must work" list.
Zoli, HA5PP, is going to Yemen (7O) again in early June. He has high hopes of getting proper permission to operate this trip. His callsign will be 7O/HA5PP, 7O8DX or 7O8CW, hopefully. Keep an eye open for this one, since Yemen is not that easy to work.
Roberto (EA4DX) is planning to operate from Rotuma August 29-Sept.19 as 3D2DX/p. Sounds like he plans to have enough hardware to produce good readable signals. Another one to watch for.
During May, Petey and I drove up to Louisville, Ky. for a few days. The purpose was for me to participate in the 50-year reunion of my high school graduating class. It was an enjoyable event with a lot of fellows I had not seen since graduating in June, 1948. I found a repeater in Louisville that I could operate readily, and on it I found all of ONE ham whom I had known when I started out in ham radio there shortly before graduating from high school. It was nice to swap stories with him as we discussed our respective lives and experiences.
Front Page
by...
Jack Lingner - KM5LJ
Fading the Heat at Field Day
The humidity, temperatures, and activities of June's Field Day can be murder. Unfortunately we cannot eliminate any of these problems, but I will give you the information I think you need to help best cope with it.
Usually your body is able to handle the heat. But when June's humidity goes above 75%, sweat evaporation, which is the body's cooling mechanism, becomes less effective and heat exhaustion becomes very likely.
Several factors can contribute to heat exhaustion or stroke. People of advanced age (notice I refrained from the term "old goats"), very young, or with a history of cardiovascular problems are at greater risk. The usage of certain medications (such as major tranquilizers, anticholinergics, diuretics, propranolol, and cardioactive agents) can make you more vulnerable. Remember that circulating blood cools you and that any cardiovascular problems will make you more prone to heat-related illness. You should always give these factors special consideration if you are planning on spending time exposed to these conditions. It is also advisable to consult your physician if you have any questions.
If you are prone to heat exhaustion or stroke, try to avoid situations that may cause it. And even if you are healthy, do not overexert or allow yourself to become dehydrated. Remember the basic rules of prevention: stay where it is cool, or, at least get out of the sun; reduce activity to prevent additional strain and heat build up; wear loose airy clothing; make sure you get plenty of fluids to drink (preferably an electrolyte solution such as Gatorade). Be aware that salt tablets may not be helpful - they can often upset your stomach and make you even more dehydrated.
The symptoms for heat exhaustion are fairly easy to recognize. Please be alert of those around you and watch for signs of slight temperature, headache, dizziness, confusion, giddiness, or flu-like stomach upset. Someone experiencing heat exhaustion may not be aware of his or her condition, so please be alert of others. They may be depending on it! Lets have a fun and safe Field Day. I hope to see you there.
Contest Connection
by...
Bill Denton - W5SB
The Party is Over and It's Now Field Day Time
It's about time for Hamdom's biggest event - the annual ARRL Field Day the last full weekend in June. To be exact, it is from noon on the 26th until noon on the 28th. Thousands of clubs and operators all across the country gather in a public venue of their choice, to set up temporary antennas and radios for the sake of emergency preparedness. This is the training ground for handling local emergencies in times when local utilities are shut down and ham radio is the only means of communications. Imbedded in all of this is 24 hours of competition between clubs - twenty-four hours of sheer madness. Some may say that this is not a contest, but you can rest assured from the thousands of logs that the ARRL gets every year, most take Field Day competition very seriously. It's not just a day in the park.
Over the past years NARS has finished pretty consistently in the top 10 or so in field day scoring. It has not been due to lack of effort that's kept us from finishing higher. Most of us are competitive by nature and when the gun sounds it's off to races and the juices get flowing. At that point it's tuff to say "hey slow down this is not a contest." "Don't do your best." That would be hugely disappointing to all of the supporting team members. The guys and gals that help put up all the towers and antennas, string all the wire, set up the stations and computers would find that very unsatisfying, I would think. Most of the questions we have after FD is, "How did we do, will we finish in the top ten?"
Looking back at FD 97 we were disappointed at our score although we finished 4th overall in a very competitive 2A category. Looking back and saying "what if" we hadn't had some pretty severe interference problems, could we have done better?
In order to create some friendly competition between the Phone and CW stations, in an effort to raise the overall score, OJ and I came up with the infamous Yahoo challenge. That created a lot of interest and in fact may not have helped our score due to some unfortunate interference between the two stations. We eventually resolved the problem but it cost us a couple of hours of prime operating time, and probably a shot at 3rd place.
NARS members over the past few years have gotten more and more into contesting, whether it be QRP, QRO, CW or Phone, 160 meters through the VHF, UHF frequencies and meteor scatter. Many us have placed well in national and international events and have even won a few. Looking at the contest results in CQ, QST, National Contest Journal, QRP Quarterly and some of the other magazines, you will find many of our members listed high in the standings of various contests. Some may not be as high as others may but at least they tried. Phone, CW, QRP and now RTTY.
Last July the NARS board of directors agreed to let us be more competitive so we could make a run at the coveted 1st place in 2A. They approved moneys for antennas, associated hardware, and the TR logging program, and gave their blessing on making FD 98 an all out event. At that meeting it was also agreed that W5SB and OJ, K1OJ would direct all the FD activities. I would be in charge of set up and OJ would direct the on air operations. We have given ourselves one major criterion. This must be a total team effort and go for the gold. I like the example of a NASCAR race - many team members in the pits supporting a single driver - an ultimate team situation. We visualize all the team members that can't drive the car, cheering on those that do.
This year Doug Hudspeth KC5NRR and Jack KM5LJ will oversee the novice/tech station is set up and operational. We will use Doug's 4-element 10-meter beam and a dipole for 40 and 80-meter CW activities. We expect 10 to give us some nice openings this year, now that we are getting some relief from the sun spot activity. Doug tells me that his daughter Toni, that was such a hit last year, is flying in from San Diego to help out again.
Mike K5NZ will anchor the CW station. I think Mike and his NARS all-star crew will produce the best ever numbers for our Field Day CW station. They will be using OJ's Yaesu FT-1000D, a TH-6 on a 40' tower and various assortments of wires for the other bands. Unfortunately, Mark KM5AO has work duties that weekend and will not be able to serve in that position. He was originally to have been the phone station captain. At this point we have not selected anyone to replace him. We will have a pre-determined list of operators who will operate the 24 hours. The operators were selected by their experience in working contests during the year, mostly at my shack. We will have to maintain a Q rate of 60 to 80 per hour for the 24 hours to be competitive. That's not an extremely high rate but on FD almost every contact has to be pulled out of the many layers of QRM. That slows the rate down. All stations will be using TR contest logging software. This new program is very user friendly and the operators will be logging for themselves. About a year ago most of us switched over from NA to TR. We have found that logging for ourselves we can maintain a higher QSO rate. Sometime loggers get behind and that really slows things down. We have stressed self-logging over the last few contests. We will be using a TA-33 at 40' and what ever else we can think of.
In case you have missed the VHF show that Joey KC5BAK (now W5BAK) puts on, you are in for a real treat. He will set up all his toys on 6 and 2 meters. One of the really weak points we had last year was our 6-meter operation. We had the equipment, but it was just not manned properly. Many times 6m would be blowing and going with no one there to operate it. Several of the guys sat down and made a good run at times but by and large were left wanting. Joey will be the lead op. but we expect to see a lot of enthusiasm from the other members. We will run that station on a sign-up sheet like we've done with the phone station in the past. We'll need it manned for the full 24 hours. We will use a voice keyer for those slow periods so you won't lose your voice calling CQ. The Q rate at times may be low but EVERY one counts. We need to be there when 6 opens. Joey gave us a preview at Belton this year. His trailer and telescoping tower is a site to behold. He stirred up a lot of attention. We will need a lot of Q's on 6 to help put us over the top.
Walter KK5LO and Darrell K5WNO will be at their usual spot trying to make some HF satellite contacts. One contact counts for a hundred points but we are hoping for a lot more from those guys this year. Walter made his contact "barefoot" last year. He took off his shoes to prove it.
KM5OE Loyd has agreed to be our publicist. Loyd is a natural at this position since he knows most of the media folks around town.
As usual we will be having our traditional dinner Saturday evening at 6:00, at a nominal cost of course. So if you don't plan to come out and participate in the FD operations, bring the family and come on out for good food and a look at our first class field day facilities.
One change this year is the computer network. We felt that it was a good idea to do it, but a network set up in the field like that with all the RF running around just demanded too much attention.
We will be meeting at Valley Ranch BBQ 11:00 on Friday for lunch before going to the FD site to start the set up. The tents should be set up by the time we are ready to start at 1:00.
One of the things that I would like to have happen this year, is to divide all the setup crew into three work groups. Rick KZ5E will be supervising the antenna setup for the phone station. Larry WA5SAJ will do the same for the CW station, and Jack for the Novice station. All Novice / Tech's should report to Jack and Doug to set up their station and antennas. The rest will be split between the phone and CW station. Last year the novice station got left behind and two or three of us had to set up the whole thing.
Let's all pull together and have a great event. Let's take the momentum that we got for Texas QSO Party and carry it over to Field Day.
Feature Article
by...
H. O. Townsend - WA5MLT
Why Close the Curtains?
A TQP '98 Report
Thanks to Conrad - W5MN and Joy - KD5AIF, Anita - KD5EIP and I were invited to operate the Texas QSO Party from their country villa in Leon County.
We arrived around 2 p.m. and noted that Conrad had already worked 300 + Qs. With anxiety at a fever pitch and building to "get on the air," we were first asked to tour the estate, a common practice in Europe. Leon County? Right off the bat, we noted that vehicles were backed in to the parking area for easy unloading of stuff, a common practice (benefit) of country living. We also noted that the garden was lush with Mother Nature's best veggies, the dogs were all groomed well and in their exercise pens, and the antenna arrays were snuggled safely atop the BIG tower.
After the tour, we headed for the shack where my Drake TR-7 and Matching Network were immediately placed into service after a good ground had been attached and the antenna (dipole w/ladder line feed) was connected. In all the years of operating, I'd never used ladder line feed. I was impressed with the near flat (1:1) match. The best I'd seen with my Mosley Classic yagi and array of inverted V's was about 1:1.25. I guess its back to the antenna books.
With the transceiver and the logging computer more than an arm length away, Anita was pressed into service. She picked up the computer logging in a flash while I was calling CQ to beat the band. In the next hour or so, we did pretty well. It seemed only right, for the sake of the over all score (plus it was his QTH), to keep Conrad on the "hottest" band opening.
On a couple of occasions, I looked over to see how Conrad was doing. It was pretty clear he was setting the band on fire. Actually, I could hardly see him. He was comfortably slumped down in "the (power) chair." The very top of his head was visible with the headset and mike wiggling in counter measure with the tapping of the foot switch while the logging screen was slowly but surely scrolling UP!
After Conrad had asked me to hold my CQ volume down a couple of times, I was ready for someone else to Op. With a moment (and I mean moment of shyness) Anita sat down to let lose. I then went into the computer/contest logging 101 mode. I figured her voice would attract more Qs than mine would. And, sure enough dodging QRM and tuner-uppers she started making her share of contacts. For me, I was caught pressing "Alt + H" several times. In all these years of living with an Op, it was her first real time to OP. She received 20+ signal reports from 6 & 7 land. At this point, I refused to believe that all of my contesting experience was in jeopardy. I still believe that those great signal reports were due to the fact that there was a positive interaction between the grounding system and the veggie roots in Conrad's garden.
It was about this time that I went back to operating. With Anita taking an EXTENDED break, I noticed one of Conrad's pet squirrels hauling a 2-pound tomato up a tree. I'm sure the squirrel was using the tomato to attenuate my signal.
While the squirrels were dismantling the garden, Conrad was saying 59 Leon, 59 Leon, 59 Leon and the logging screen was scrolling more rapidly than before.
It was good to work all of you on a band other than 2 meters. Most everyone had great signals: 5SB, 5PDW, 5LA, 5SAJ, 5NC, 8CSG, 5YU, 5AIJ, 5OT, 5VUU, 5LO, 5NN. I heard Mark 5GQ, but he never heard me calling.
As midnight approached, visions of slipping into bed were dancing in my head. Anita and I made our way up to the guest bedroom, while I was shedding socks and so forth. We entered the bedroom, and I noticed the curtains were open. I asked, "think we otta close the curtains?" After receiving "the look," the answer became clear. No. There was no real reason to. It was, after all, a country villa. There wasn't anyone around for miles. Besides, it was so dark that I am surprised the RF knew where to go! I later learned it was headed for N6MU (one of my favorite 6 landers). Hi John! You may remember reading one of the old paper back westerns as the novelist wrote, "as the sun went down, only the crackling embers of the fire, the howl of the lonesome coyote, and two crickets tapping out Morse code could be heard." My very good friend, it was dark out.
Contest spring broke eternal the next morning. As my nose lead me down the hallway to the kitchen and a fresh batch of bacon, there was Conrad standing in his jommies swindling a strip for himself, taking orders for eggs. He was trying to cover up for all of the work Joy did on everything else. She laid out scratch biscuits, homemade jelly, bacon, and orange juice and coffee. All of this was after Saturday's lunch and supper that were fit for royalty.
As 9 a.m. approached, we headed back for the contest shack. The window air conditioner groaned as we entered the room. Somehow, it knew it was due another workout. In just minutes, the plates of the amplifier finals were glowing, the cooling fans were buzzing, and Conrad's logging screen was scrolling up again.
As time went on, Anita and I moved off 20 meters and bounced between 40 and 15 meters. 40 seemed like it didn't want to shorten up and stay that way, so we moved to 15 only to find it wasn't really open yet. So... there's next year!
We'd really like to thank Joy and Conrad for their hospitality. As we left, Conrad couldn't get up from "the chair" while the 1,000 Q mark was passing in front of his eyes. As we slowly moved down the drive, there was eeriness in the air. The fresh coating of county road 457 dust had crystallized on top of everything, the under side of the leaves on the trees near the antennas were scorched and most of the tree bark in the area was blistered from massive amounts of RF. The squirrel with the 2-pound tomato had mutated into an armadillo with "ZTY" riveted into its side-body armor.
Contests, country living, and RF can cause one not to worry about curtains. RF travels better when they are left open.
Feature Article
by...
Brian - N5BA
VHF/UHF Heaven
The month of May has been nothing short of fantastic for VHF/UHF DX. The high-pressure dome that has pushed up the Mexican smoke plumes from the Yucatan and points south has also affected tropospheric ducting.
The first three weeks have allowed almost daily contact across the Gulf of Mexico into Florida as well as closer Gulf Coast states. Several local stations have been able to work Oscar, CO2OJ in Havana. Unfortunately, I can not count myself in that group.
Tropo ducting has also allowed QSOs into Kansas and on into South Dakota, for those stations on at the right time. One evening at 6 PM local time, with nothing heard on 144.200 MHz, the 2-meter weak signal calling frequency, I called CQ. Two stations in Chattanooga, TN came back to me like locals.
On May 28th there was a 2-meter sporadic E event. Apparently 2 separate E skip events very close together with one toward Colorado and Idaho, and the other covering VA, MD, OH and the like. As is usual for events of this magnitude, I wasn't home!
As my map shows, DX can be worked on 2 meters. These are just the grids I worked in May 1998. I picked up 6 new grids on 2 meters, 6 new ones on 222 MHz (yes there is life on 222), and 10 new grids on 432 MHz.
Get on Sideband and enjoy the DX available on VHF.
Feature Article
by...
OJ Quarrels - K1OJ
Texas QSO Party Summary Sheet
Contest Date : 23-May-98 - Callsign Used : W5NC/M
Operator : K1OJ - Assistant: Margarita (XYL)
Category : TEXAS MOBILE SINGLE OP - Default Exchange : RS(T) CTY
Name : OWEN 'OJ' QUARLES - Address : - City/State/Zip : HOUSTON, TX - Country : United States
Team/Club : NORTHWEST AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY ( NARS )
County Valid QSOs Points Mults Score
__________________________________________________________
ARANSAS 24 72 18 1296
AUSTIN 11 24 10 240
BEE 15 41 13 533
BEXAR 8 20 8 160
BROOKS 24 64 21 1365
BRAZORIA 37 110 21 2310
CALDWELL 5 10 5 50
CALHOUN 15 45 12 540
COLORADO 27 77 20 1540
COMAL 7 16 7 112
DEWITT 23 66 15 990
DUVAL 27 78 20 1556
FAYETTE 26 75 19 1425
FT. BEND 19 51 17 867
GALVESTON 8 17 8 136
GOLIAD 18 53 16 848
GONZLES 19 52 17 884
GUADALUPE 19 38 14 532
HARRIS 8 21 8 168
JIM HOGG 16 46 13 598
JACKSON 9 27 7 198
JIM WELLS 32 85 23 1955
KARNES 25 64 20 1280
KENEDY 22 60 19 1140
KLEBURG 11 22 10 220
LAVACA 27 73 17 1241
LIVE OAK 29 57 14 798
MATAGORDA 19 56 17 952
MONTGOMERY 10 28 9 252
NUECES 22 60 18 1080
REFUGIO 12 36 9 334
SAN PATRICIO 21 63 18 1134
VICTORIA 33 95 21 1995
WALLER 18 52 11 572
WHARTON 23 60 18 1080
WILSON 12 22 11 242
__________________________________________________________
Totals 672 1837 523 960,751
Bonus Points 5 Qs in 35 Counties 35,000
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FINAL SCORE = 995,751
_________________________________________________________
1000 MILES!! RFI on 15m caused my wipers to run! 20 and 40 were in great shape! Lots of players! Great fun! Thanks to TDXS and all who participated!
Feature Article
by...
Keith Dutson - WD5DXL
Field day Dinner
Join us for dinner during Field Day. Vice President Dianna Hudspeth KC5VSF says the menu will be Fajitas, chicken and beef, with all the fix-ins. Price is $6.00 a person with children under 12 free.
VE Session Results
by...
Bill Gary - K8CSG
Special VE Session for NARS Class
The NARS Classes for 1998 must be considered a success. Of twelve candidates who participated, all received something. One young man received only a CSCE for Element 2, but all others are either new Novices (3), Technicians (5), or new Technician Plus (3) licensees. This says a lot about the NARS program. Obviously, we had a good class of students in the class this year. I also think it reflects very favorably upon the caliber of the instructional team. Three other candidates (one family) arrived with no photo identification. They chose to come back to see us on Saturday in Tomball. The all-NARS VE team consisted of Bill K8CSG, Bill W5SB, Bill K5ZTY, Jim KJ5X, Bruce WC5CW, O.J. K1OJ, H. O. WA5MLT, Larry WA5SAJ, Walter KK5LO and Jack WA8GHZ.
Regular VE Session Results
At the regular VE session on May 23, eight candidates were tested on thirteen elements. Eight elements were passed successfully, resulting in a pass-rate of sixty-one percent. One Tech-Plus upgraded to Advanced, one Novice upgraded to Tech-Plus, a Technician upgraded to Tech-Plus and one candidate earned a new Technician license. Participating VEs included Bill K8CSG, Walter K5WH, Dick W5VHN, Paul N5NXS, H. O. WA5MLT, Bruce WC5CW and Ronnie NT5B.
Board of Director's Meeting
by...
Bob Argo - KC5JZO - Secretary
NARS Board of Directors Meeting - May 26, 1998
Treasurer's Report - The checkbook balance on April 30 was $6245.54
Programs - June - Alex WA5UHT on mobile antennas
TQP - Preliminary report of about 40-45 members participated and made almost 6000 Q's. It was a resounding success.
NARS Picnic - 30 members and spouses attended along with 6 from the Novice\Tech Class.
Novice Class - Results in many new Hams and some upgrades due to the excellent work by the instructors. A special thanks goes to Bill Rister for overseeing and coordinating this program.
Important Dates
by...
Keith Dutson - WD5DXL
June '98
NARS Breakfast
Many members meet for an informal breakfast every Saturday at 8:00 am at
Victor's Deli and Restaurant. Join
us for informal ragchew, conversation, information exchange, and usually
a few tall tales. Victor's is located at 4710 FM 1960 West.
Monthly Meeting
Friday, June 19, 1998, 7:30 pm - NARS monthly General Membership meeting,
Spring Cypress Presbyterian Church,
6000 Spring-Cypress Road (1.7 miles East of Stubner-Airline) - Eyeball QSO's,
7:00 p.m..
Field Day Setup Luncheon,
Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM - Valley Ranch BBQ, SH249 & Spring-Cypress Road.
Field Day Dinner,
Saturday, June 27, 6:00 PM - Beef and Chicken Fajitas, Field Day Site - Fritsche Cemetery Park.
Board Meeting
NARS Board of Directors meeting - Tuesday, June 30, 7:30 PM - NARS Board of
Directors meeting, Terra Nova Clubhouse, 5200 Woodville.
VE License Exam Session,
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 AM - Tomball Community Center, S. Cherry & Market streets (just South of Main).
** NO SESSION IN JUNE **
Contests
June 20-21 - All Asia DX CW
June 27-28 - ARRL Field Day
Notice
NARS membership dues is $20 per year, renewable on anniversary of last year's full payment.
NARS News deadline for articles to appear in NARS Newsletter - The last day of month.