Northwest Amateur Radio Society
May '97 Newsletter
President's
Corner
by...
Jim Kirk - KJ5X
In waiting to the last minute to write and send a little something
to our editor, I find the old mind here pretty much wanting. But
there is something to say in the way of thanks to some deserving
folks.
Thanks to Andy MacAllister W5ACM for his talk at the April meeting
on how to work satellites with simple radio gear. If you weren't
there, you missed a very enlightening and entertaining evening and
a super handout Andy had put together on workable satellites. It
just doesn't pay to miss a meeting.
The instructors of the NARS novice / technician class deserve a big
"Thank You" for doing a fine job. It's an attentive and inquisitive
class which includes two eleven year old ladies. Thirty six signed
up for the class. The only perfect score on a practice 5 wpm code
test was made by one of the young ladies. She seems to be mysteriously
drawn to any code key she sees during the class breaks.
And special thanks goes to Bill Rister KC5EZQ who is handling the
logistics and record keeping for the class. He is doing a fine job,
often beyond the call of normal duty. Recently the father of one of
the young ladies in the class locked his keys in his new truck after
parking in the classroom parking lot. Attempts to get someone out to
unlock it at 9:30 PM proved fruitless. Bill drove him and his daughter
home to get a spare set of keys, about a fifty mile round trip.
Thanks also to coordinators Paul N5NXS and Scott N5KEU, and the many
NARS volunteers who provided radio communications for the MDA March of
Dimes Walkathon and the Buffalo Bayou Regatta.
The NARS annual picnic is May 17, and Field Day is the
last week-end in June. So keep your calendars clear for those dates. These are
highlight events of the NARS year. At the picnic we'll have HF and VHF/UHF
radios and antennas set up, so come get on the air either before or after the
games and Bar-Be-Que.
Meeting Announcement
by...
Jim Kirk - KJ5X
May Meeting
How do you get on the Internet, what are the basics you need to know when you get on, and what's
there that hams can use? That's what Steve Baum, AA6OV, will review May 16th at the NARS meeting.
Steve is the leader of the Internet Special Interest Group (SIG) of the FM 1960 PC Users Group,
the largest club for computer users in the greater FM 1960 area.
Whether you are an experienced Internet user, want to
be one, or are just curious, you should expect to learn something helpful to
your Internet and ham interests. If you use the Internet source for ham radio
information that your fellow club members might find useful, bring the address
to the meeting.
Soapbox
by...
Keith Dutson - WD5DXL
There are so many exciting events coming in the next two months. On May 17 is the picnic, June 6,
7, and 8 is the Dallas Ham-Com and Field Day is June 28/29. Plus, there will be a new format at our
regluar General Membership meetings starting May 16; George Carlson will have presentation on
technical subjects for hams. So, get out of those Lay-Z-Boys and jump into action!
I'm still in need of help with the newsletter. Just
sign up as a reporter and I'll give you the details. You do not have to be a
writer or photographer, but it will help if you can do either.
DX News
by...
Bill Gary - K8CSG
DX Notes
--They shook the hills with thunder riven;
Then rushed DXers, to battle driven;
And louder than the bolts of heaven,
I QSL, you're five by seven. .
The propagation numbers bounced back up a bit after the CQ WPX contest.
As April arrived, the solar flux was 75 and the A index was in the 4 to
7 range, indicating that DX conditions should be improving. This was
reflected on the evening of April 1 with a nice 20-meter nighttime
opening into Russia. By April 3 the SFI had reached 81 with an A index
at 6, better numbers than seen for some time. By mid-month the SFI was
bumping 80 again, offering a degree of hope for the upcoming Scarborough
Reef operation at month's end. To my personal dismay, toward the end of
the month the SFI had dropped to 69, which is not encouraging for
Scarborough.
DX Worked: VK9NS (Norfolk Island); UA9MA (Russia); JW5NM (Svalbard Island);
VQ9DW (Diego Garcia Isl.); DU1SAN (Philippines); YO3FRI (Romania); CN8VB
(Morocco); GM3CIX (Scotland); 4U1UN (United Nations- New York); C21NJ (Nauru);
OM3PC (Slovak Republic); SM5VOC (Sweden); VK6VU (Australia via LP); LA5M
(Norway); VK2FHN (Australia via SP); 9X/RW3AH (Rwanda); YL1XX (Latvia);
EA3OT (Spain); GI0AIJ (Scotland); SV1ACK (Greece); DU1KT and DU9RG
(Philippines); 3D2RW (Fiji).
DX Heard: VK9NS via direct, CBA; U5WF (Ukraine); XU2FB (Kampuchea/Cambodia);
9K2QQ (Kuwait); 7Q7RM (Malawi); VU3GBS (India); VK4OH (Australia) via LP;
YI1AK (Iraq); BV7FF (Taiwan); UA3CT (Russia); VQ9LV (Diego Garcia); 4L5A
(Georgia).
Walter KK5LO was heard working the WPX Contest and posting spots to the
DX cluster. During mid-April he suffered a minor lightning strike;
fortunately his radio was disconnected from the antenna and undamaged.
Jim Kirk worked Norfolk Island for a new country during the WPX contest,
and later worked ET3BT in Ethiopia. N5WIZ reported working a nice strong
EI station on April 1. KC5OFI upgraded his license on April 26 and made
several DX contacts in Central and South America on April 27.
THE END OF AN ERA! Almost every ham operator has owned or used a copy of
the "Flying Horse Radio Amateur Callbook." For many years it has been
the major reference for QSL information, i.e., addresses of hams, domestic
and foreign. In a change that will impact all of us, the printed version
of the Callbook is coming to an end. Beginning with the Spring 1997 edition,
the Callbook will be available only on CD-ROM. When I first became a ham
nearly fifty years ago the Callbook was about five-eighths of an inch thick
-- and that included all of the USA hams and the DX hams as well, worldwide.
Today, the North American edition is two inches thick, and the DX edition
is of similar size. The first Callbook I bought cost $2.50 around 1950.
Today they cost about $30.00 each and it takes two of them to accomplish
the same thing as that little $2.50 book of a half century ago. I think
I will try to find and buy an old Callbook in Arlington this year for
nostalgia.
QSL ROUTES: 9U5CW via EA1FFC; KH2/AD4WF via AE4EZ; YM2KC via TA2FE; XU2FB
via N4JR; VQ9DW via KB8UCL; C21NJ via POB 45, Rep. of Nauru.
A relatively rare opportunity should come up May 20-27 if Franz (DJ9ZB)
and W9EVI get their operation (3C0DX) launched from Pagalu Island, formerly
known as Annobon Island. Although not particularly difficult to work, it
is a location that shows on the bands infrequently. Walter/Jim, be ready!
Another good opportunity will be presented May 17-23 when Art (N2NB)
operates from Kure Island. The callsign should be easily recognizable --
KH7K/N2NB or something similar. Kure used to be workable via the regular
visits by the Loran technicians who frequently operated the military station
KH7EDY located near the Loran station. With the demise of Loran as a primary
navigation aid, Kure has become much more difficult and may become a
candidate for deletion from the DXCC Countries List.
JUAN DE NOVA ISLAND, FR. FR5DJ/J and FR5KH/J will be active on all bands,
using CW and SSB until May 15. QSL via F6FNU. Juan de Nova is one of a
group of three islands, or groups of islands, lying to the East of Africa
which are remarkable DXCC countries. Two of the three, Tromelin and Glorioso
Islands, are totally unpopulated, while only sparse occupancy of the Juan de
Nova group exists. All three of these DXCC countries are controlled by France
via Reunion Island. Generally, the only time there is amateur radio activity
from any of them is when someone goes there, usually meteorologists who
maintain the weather equipment installed on the islands. Juan de Nova (FR???/J)
is generally the easiest to work, perhaps because there are several islands
available in the group. Tromelin (FR???/T) is usually the most difficult,
with Glorioso (FR???/G) a close second, due to the restrictions on obtaining
landing permission. Getting good contacts with these three locations is never
easy, but getting QSL cards is generally even more difficult.
AND NOW FOR THE MAJOR DX NEWS OF THE MONTH! NARS had
its own "rare DX station" in operation during part of April. Jack Dougherty
WA8GHZ visited Equatorial Guinea on business for several days. Equatorial
Guinea is one of the leftovers from European colonial days in Africa, having
once been a colony of Spain. The country consists of the island of Fernando
Poo, which lies close in the elbow of Africa adjacent to Cameroon; a
postage-stamp sized piece of mainland real estate known as Rio Muni; and the
island known as Pagalu. Pagalu was known for many years as Annobon Island, and
was added to the DXCC list as a new country when Martti Laine OH2BH and Ville
Hillesmaa OH2MM successfully activated it in 1971. Jack confidently took along
his ICOM 706 radio and material for an antenna, leaving behind for us his plan
to operate on the 30-meter band. To my surprise, Jack obtained permission to
operate and did so for parts of three days as 3CA/WA8GHZ. His choice of 10.104
MHz did not yield any QSOes with his Houston-area buddies due to propagation
conditions, but he worked several big pileups of Europeans, Japanese and
similar stations. He made the DX clusters in Texas on all three days via
postings from European and Japanese operators. As a result, Jack has now
reached that relatively unique status of having actually been truly "rare DX".
Congratulations, Jack! Nice going.
Contest Connection
by...
Bill Denton - W5SB
w5sb@juno.com
Texas QSO Party 1997
The Texas QSO party is history for another year. Many of our NARS
members either participated from their shacks or came by mine and
tried their hand at operating. We were blessed with great band
conditions which accounted for some really good QSO rates. With
"Captain" Kirk operating the first few hours he netted some sizzling
contacts. In the first 3 1/2 hours he had 300 Q's. He had 137 the
first hour. Not too bad for a state QSO party. Way to go Captain.
One of my goals on just about every contest is to have at least one
new operator sit down and strap on the headsets and give it a try.
Bob Argo KC5JZO attended his first contest session and was introduced
to the NA logging program right away. Bob took to logging like a duck
to water. It wasn't too long before he had the headsets on and was
having his first experience contesting on the air. Bob did very well.
Another goal of course was to beat last year's score. I had aimed for
at least 1000 Q's. As it turned out when we quit on Saturday night
around 11:00 we had around 800 and figured 200 Sunday would be a piece
of cake and would finish up around noon. NOT. No one was playing
Sunday morning on 20m or 40m. H.O. WA5MLT came over before the rooster
crowed. We were going to get a head start. We finally gave up and went
to breakfast.
We were behind in the mult count. We had most of the states and Canadian
Provinces so the only way the mults were to come was on 40m working Texas
counties. That was like pulling teeth. There were very few players and
I wound up breaking into the rag chews and asking for a report from their
county. That would never have worked on 75m but the 40m guys were real
nice. Caught a few mobiles going across country. Heard no SSB mobiles
working the contest. It was slow going. We had more Q's but fewer mults
that last year netting a lower score.
Murphy came visiting and that slowed us down quite a bit. At one point I
thought I had lost my FT-990. It gave me a scare but I think it's OK. I
operated 40m with my trusty TS-830 and no amp. The SB-1000 had gone down
earlier and we were using the SB-221 with the FT-990. The old TS-830 did
well.
K1OJ and KC5NVY hit the road with their mobiles. OJ covered 850 miles with
XYL Margaret driving. They covered 32 counties and had 350 CW Q's. Lockhart
and his 6 year old son hit the road to do some father and son bonding. He
reports they had a great time and some good contacts along the way. Mark
Tyler was mobile also but not sure at this time how well he did but I know
he worked a station in Barbados and got a good report from his mobile.
Another highlight was having a total of 15 guests that came by. Some operated
and others just wanted to observe. It was great to have them. Another
congrat's to the NARS members that contributed. Having these club activities
is a great sense of enjoyment for me. Especially when we can be competitive.
Someone once said you can't have fun and still be competitive. NOT.
A sincere thanks to Marian who puts up with all the going's on at our house.
Recently I read an article in the National Contest Journal about how this
fellow was thanking his wife for putting up with his obsessions and his
"goofy" friends. That about sums it up.
W5SB results,
855 Q's
81 mults
145,314 total score
And now on to field day.
73, Bill Denton W5SB
w5sb@juno.com
Contest Connection
by...
Brian Derx - N5BA
June VHF QSO Party
As is usually the case, the June VHF QSO Party falls on the second weekend in
June. This means I can't tout it at the June club meeting because it was the
week before, I can't talk it up at the May meeting because it's too far into
June. I can hope to get it in the June newsletter, but it may or may not get
out in time for the contest. Therefore I'll try and get some interest by getting
this in the May newsletter and hope you paste it on your calendar for June.
The contest runs from 1 PM on Saturday afternoon [June 14th] to 10 PM Sunday
night. Operate all bands from 6 meters to Laser Light. Operate SSB, CW or
FM. You may not use repeaters, nor operate on the national 2 meter simplex
frequency (146.52) nor simplex on repeater input or output frequencies.
This is an excellent opportunity for Technician class licensees to discover
the joys of VHF propagation. June is a great month for sporadic E propagation,
so six meters usually has some very good stuff during the contest. Last year,
with 8 watts to a dipole at 15 feet, I worked 100 grid squares, from Oregon to
New York and a few Caribbean countries as well.
Two meters and up also has good activity, and the contest will bring out rovers
going into rare grid squares. We regularly have rovers near us operating 6 and
2 meters, and 222, 432, 900, and 1296 MHz! There is some effort to get some of
the higher bands available as well.
If you have a OSCAR satellite station, bring your elevation down to zero and
swing around on 144.200 and 432.100 to get some activity on terrestrial VHF;
you may find it enjoyable now that OSCAR 13 is a silent key.
FM OPERATORS - Clubs in other areas of the country have found this contest to be a
great eye opener as to exactly what can be done on FM simplex. FM operators have
turned in some very impressive scores by being on and getting the area operators
to join in. As the NARS area of membership is bisected by the division of the EM20
and EL29 grid square, it is real easy to work 2 grid squares on FM simplex. With a
band opening or a good antenna more grids may be possible. With dual band radios, 2
grids on 2 separate bands is 4 multipliers. If you have 6 or 222 you can add those
bands as well. Mobile stations are Rovers and can operate from both grids and hand
out QSO's from both grids. (East of 1960 and Kuydendahl is EM20, West of that
intersection is EL29, as a rough, not exact point of reference.) The 30th parallel
is the dividing line. I suggest the club members use 146.50 as a simplex frequency
for the contest. The standard simplex frequencies for the other bands would be
used as well (52.525, 223.50, 446.00).
As you probably are aware, all amateur VHF and UHF
frequencies are under attack. Congress would be more than happy to sell our
frequencies to the highest bidder. We can't buy the frequencies we have, but
if we can show activity we can help support the need to keep them. Therefore,
operating the contest gets us on the bands; submitting the logs shows that we
are there. Remember the 2 MHz we lost on 220 MHz. The FCC looked at the
repeater directory as its sole source of an indication of activity. Needless
to say we aren't dealing with an intelligent life form when we try to protect
our frequencies, but we need to do all we can to protect our resources.
Feature Article
by...
Bill Stietenroth - K5ZTY
ARRL Awards Card Checking
NARS offers a complete card checking service through our Special
Services affifiation with ARRL. Card checking saves you from having
to bundle up your cards and send them to the ARRL. The field HF Awards
Manager certifies that you have all of the proper cards and paperwork
and sends it in for you. If something is not right, you can correct
it without having gone to the trouble of sending your cards to the ARRL
and getting them back unapproved.
NARS Awards Managers:
DXCC - Bob Walworth N5ET, Linda Walworth KE5TF; 281-363-0209
WAS, VUCC - Bryan Derx N5BA; 894-5942
Feature Article
by...
Brian Derx - N5BA
A Note From The WAS, VUCC Manager:
After much effort from KK5LO and KJ5X, I have finally
been appointed by the ARRL as an HF and VHF Awards Manager. This means that I
can do QSL card checking for the WAS (Worked All States), 5 Band WAS and the
VUCC awards. You do not have to send your hard earned QSL cards to the League
for checking and worry about their return. Just present the proper application
form and the QSL cards to me. I check the cards, sign the form, and you send
the application and appropriate fee to the ARRL. I have a supply of the
application forms for these awards. If you need one, let me know. You must be
a member of the American Radio Relay League to receive the awards. If you have
a question concerning these awards, give me a call.
Feature Article
by...
Walter Hock - KK5LO
Thank You for A Dream Come True
It all started back in 1966 and laid dormant for 23 years. I
was in High School and I worked part-time in a TV repair shop
for a ham. I was intrigued by the electronic stuff I attempted
to fix. The ham said if I learned code I could get my license.
Well the long and short of it, I was a teenager with a lot on
my mind. But, I still had the idea that someday I would have
me a tower with a decent antenna.
Many years passed and the dream was still dormant. Until, I
heard from another ham about the novice license. Five word code
and you could talk on 10 meters. Gee, when I first heard about
it many years before you could only use code and had to upgrade
within a year. This sounded great so I bought a book and code
tapes. I listened to them on the drive back from Beaumont in
late 1989. I figured it was a snap; I could learn this and get
a ham ticket.
Then I worked at the code on and off and still had trouble. Then
I finally joined a ham club, NARS, which gave me the moral support
to continue on. I finally got my license in April 1992: Technician
Plus. This was after they dropped the code requirement for
Technician. I was determined to go the distance because, after all,
I had learned the code. More important, I had already bought a 10
meter radio and I didn't want my money to go to waste.
After that I remembered my dream of 26 years previous. A Tower and
a Beam. I decided to wait until I upgraded and could find the one
that would fit my taste and pocketbook. So, I got a Butternut Vertical
when I first upgraded to general, which I still have and use on occasion.
This got me on the air, but I still had my dream. I would look in the
catalogs when they came in and drool till the pages stuck together.
In January on a NARS net I heard about a crank up tower that was for
sale. I have limited yard space and not much room for guys; I snatched
this up. Later on a distinguished DX'er, Bill Gary K8CSG, told me about
a Hygain TH7DX for sale by another ham. The dream was maturing.
I finally had the parts, now all the work was to begin. Deral Kent
K5WNO came over to help me move dirt. Boy, 50 cubic feet is a lot of
hole to dig up and spread out! After breakfast the next Saturday Deral,
Allen Majeski WA5REJ, Dick Rooney W5VHN, Don Bedell KA3BKU, Terry Myers
KQ5U and Keith Dutson WD5DXL came over and moved two cubic yards of
concrete from the front of my house to the tower base in the back yard.
The next step was the hard part; I had to wait a week for the concrete
to cure before I could bolt on the tower. Lucky for me it rained all
week and I had no inclination to get wet.
The next Saturday after breakfast, Bill Denton W5SB and Larry McCain
WA5SAJ came over to lift the tower on the base. They needed size 16
shoes to keep them from sinking up to their knees in the bog.
Another week went by and Saturday after breakfast, Jim Kirk KJ5X, Bill
Gary K8CSG, and Jack Dougherty WA8GHZ came over to mount the TH7DX on
the mast. I cranked her up, spun her around and the bands came alive.
After 31 years a young boy's dream was achieved. None of this could
have happened without the great help of these NARS CLUB MEMBERS. to
whom I am so profoundly THANKFUL. All of this is really what hamming
is about: helping others attain their individual goals.
Since my dream has come alive, I have worked 47 new
countries - not bad for barefoot at 100 watts!
Feature Article
by...
Bob Argo - KC5JZO
NARS Board of Directors Meeting - April 29, 1997
Treasurer’s Report - The checkbook balance on March 31 was $4908.50.
Cy Fair High School ARC - Now have HF and 2 Meter radios, but need
antennas and Elmers to guide club members.
Node Relocation - Waiting on approval from EMS for use of Five Forks Road facility;
EMS Communications Director indicates there should be no problem; $979
in new node equipment fund; Map shows proposed node site centrally located
to NARS members.
Field Day '97 - A 6 meter antenna is still needed. The Novice station will
probably be using the call KC5OFI.
KC5RCC Tech Program - New! A portion of each General Meeting will be devoted
to a 15 minute or so presentation of a technical subject regarding Ham
electronics.
VE Session Results
by...
Bill Gary - K8CSG
April '97
The NARS/Compaq VEs had another busy examination session on
April 26. Eight VEs, aided by two non-VE hams from Compaq,
examined nineteen candidates on 37 elements. Of those, 9
elements were on Morse code, five of which were passed. Of
the 28 written elements, 22 were passed. This represented
a relatively high pass/fail ratio.
New licenses earned included six Technicians, four
Technicians-Plus and one Advanced Class. One female candidate, aged eight
years, passed her exam and became a new Technician licensee. When told of this
news, she became more than a little overjoyed, as was her father. These are
the kinds of events that reassure us that amateur radio is still in very good
heath. Participating VEs included Bill K8CSG, Rick KZ5E, Jim KJ5X, Madison
W5MJ, Walter K5WH, King KK5LU, Pat KK5VN and Larry WA5SAJ. Non-VE hams who
provided valuable assistance included Willie KB5TES and Eddie N5OZJ.
Important Dates
by...
Keith Dutson - WD5DXL
May '97
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, May 16, 1997, 7:30 pm - NARS monthly General Membership meeting,
Spring Cypress Presbyterian Church - Eyeball QSO's, 7:00 pm
Board Meeting
NARS Board of Directors meeting - Tuesday, May 27, 7:30 pm, Terra
Nova Community Center
VE Session
VE License Exam Session - Saturday, May 24, 8:30 am, Tomball Community
Center, S. Cherry & Market streets (just South of Main)
NARS Annual Picnic
WD5DXL - Keith Dutson's house - Saturday, May 17, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm,
24415 Deep Meadow, Tomball
Contests
May 17 - Armed Forces Day, European CW Sprint
May 24/25 - CQ WW WPX CW
June 14-16 - ARRL June VHF QSO Party
June 28/29 - 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 February issue - Friday, January
31
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