Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club Bulletin, April 2008

Avocado Festival

2008 Avocado Festival, April 20th

Fallbrook Chamber AvoFest Webpage

Radio operator page at: www.fallbrookarc.org/psavo.html

Palomar Amateur Radio Club next Meeting

The presentation will feature Art, KC6UQH, delivering a presentation prepared by Rod, AC6V (SK), on The History of Vacuum Tubes, beginning with the Edison effect and covering special tube types still in service today. The program will end with a comparison of the advantages of both tubes and solid state technology.

The meeting will be held on April 2, 2008 (the first Wednesday of each month). Arrive at 7:00pm for set-up and chat; the meeting starts at 7:30pm. Talk-in on 146.730 MHz repeater. Directions to the Safety Center.
Carlsbad Safety Center
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad

EARS Auction

The Escondido Amateur Radio Society, will hold its annual auction on the 10^th of April. The auction will include ham radio related equipment only. Sellers should register beginning at 6:00 pm , buyers at 6:30 pm , with the auction starting at 7:00pm . It will be held at The Escondido Salvation Army, 1301 Las Villas Way, Escondido . The auctioneer will be Art McBride, KC6UQH. Here is a chance to get rid of your surplus ham gear or pick up some more equipment. The auction is one of the club's most popular events, pleasing both buyers and sellers. For more details visit the club website, at earsclub.org or contact Doug K6DAF at 619-520-1434

You Might be a Ham Operator if

When you look at a full moon and wonder how much antenna gain you would need.
When a friend gets a ride from you and remarks that you have a lot of CBs in your vehicle, it turns in to an hour long rant on how ham radio is not CB radio.
When someone asks for directions, you pause, wondering if long or short path would be best.
When you can look at a globe and be able to point to your antipode (and you know what an antipode is).
Your cell phone ring tone is a Morse code message of some kind.
You have accidentally said your Amateur Radio call sign at the end of a telephone conversation.
Your favorite vacation spots are always on mountain tops.
You notice more antennas than road signs while driving your car.
You have driven onto the shoulder of the road while looking at an antenna.
Porcupines appear to be fascinated with your car.
If you ever tried to figure out the operating frequency of your microwave oven.
When you look around your bedroom of wall to wall ham gear and ask: Why am I still single?
The local city council doesn't like you.
You actually think towers look pretty.
Your family doesn't have a clue what to get you for Christmas, even after you tell them.
Your HF amplifier puts out more power than the local AM radio station.
The wife and kids are away and the first thing that goes through your head is that no one will bother you while you call CQ DX" a few hundred times.
When you pull into a donut shop and the cops there on their coffee break ask if they can see your radio setup.
You refer to your children as your "Harmonics".
Your girlfriend or wife asks: "You're going to spend $XXXX on what???
You actually believe you got a good deal on eBay.
When you see a house with a metal roof, and your only thought is what a great ground plane that would be.
You have pictures of your radio equipment as wallpaper on your computer's desktop.
Every family vacation includes a stop at a Ham radio store.
The first question you ask the new car dealer is: "What is the alternator's current output"?
You buy a brand new car based on the radio mounting locations and antenna mounting possibilities.
You have tapped out Morse code on your car's horn.
A lightning storm takes out a new Laptop, Plasma TV, and DVD Recorder, but all you care about is if your radios are okay.
Your wife has had to ride in the back seat because you had radio equipment in the front seat.
Your wife was excited when you were talking about achieving that critical angle, but very disappointed when you finally did.
During a love making session with your wife, you stop to answer a call on the radio.
Your wife threatens you with divorce when you tell her that you are going on a "fox" hunt.
Talking about male and female connectors makes you feel excited.
You dream of big, comfortable, knobs, but not on women.
You always park on the top floor of the deck, just in case you might have to wait in the car later.
When house hunting, you look for the best room for a radio shack and scan the property for possible tower placement.
When house hunting, you give your realtor topographical maps showing local elevations.
The real estate agent scratches his head when you ask if the soil conductivity is high, medium, or low.
You have Ham radio magazines in the bathroom.
When your doorbell rings, you immediately shut down the amplifier.
Fermentation never enters your mind when "homebrew" is mentioned.
Instead of just saying no, you have said "negative".
You have used a person's name to indicate acknowledgement.
You become impatient waiting for the latest AES catalog to arrive.
You have found yourself whistling "CQ" using Morse code.
You always schedule the last full weekend in June for vacation.
You walk carefully in your back yard to avoid being close-lined.
You have deep anxiety or panic attacks during high winds or heavy ice.
You and the FedEx/UPS men are on a first name basis.
You really start to miss people that you've never seen.
Your exercise machine is a Morse code keyer.
You walk through the plumbing section at the hardware store and see antenna parts.
Your neighbors thought you were nuts when you ripped up your lawn to bury chicken wire.
Your next door neighbor thinks that your wife is a widow.
Your wife has delivered meals to your Ham shack.
If you sold all your Ham radio equipment, you could pay off your mortgage.
Removing snow from the roof of your car requires working around the antenna and wires.

San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run, June 7 & 8, 2008

Dear Fellow Hams,

The time of year is fast approaching for the Annual San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run (it's been bumped earlier in the year to avoid fire season!) and once again, the request has come in for assistance the Amateur Radio Community to provide communications for the event.

My name is Ellen Utschig, N6UWW, and my partner in crime is Wild Bill Wiederhold, WB6BFG. We have been asked to coordinate the team of communicators for this effort. We both have worked this event (and others like it) in the past and have found it be a lot of fun! We hope you will join us for this really fun event.

The run consists of two 50 mile loops and will be held in Cuyamaca State Park. The run begins at 0600 on Saturday, June 7, 2008. All runners have 31 hours to finish the course. Communications will cease for the event at 1300 on Sunday June 8, 2008, or when all runners are accounted for, whichever comes first. As you might guess, we will need a good showing of operators in order to provide sufficient communications for the event!

Race director Paul Schmidt, K6PKS, has loads of experience with more than fifty 100 mile runs under his belt (or soles, so to speak!) and with your help we can have yet another successful run.The weather this time of year is pretty nice with temperatures ranging from about 70° during the day and down to about 45° at night. Most of the locations have room for camping so it makes for a decent weekend outing in the backcountry!

Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be able to help with the communications effort. Early volunteers will get first choice at checkpoint locations. If you can think of anybody else that may like to get involved please forward this letter to them.

This should be a great event and I feel that all involved will have a great time! Help us help the community. If you cannot attend this event or simply want off the mailing list send an e-mail to WB6BFG

73 de N6UWW and WB6BFG
Both at Amsat.org

San Diego 100 Website

Fallbrook 75 Meter Net is Happening Each Thursday Evening

Fallbrook 75 meter net meets every Thursday 8pm on 3.924 MHz ± 5kc.
Join us if you can for ragchew, intellectual conversation (lots of wind) technical talk or anything you might want to bring up.

73,
Stephen, kc6mie

ARRL Club Newsletter
March 31, 2008
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor clubs@arrl.org

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ Interdependency
+ Field Day Locator
+ Nettiquette
+ Show Off

Interdependency, The Need For Others In Order To Succeed
By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ

All relationships require effort from all who are involved. Member recruiting and retention has long been a challenge for local clubs and cultivating interpersonal relationships with your club members is important to achieving the goals of the club and its members.

As people we are independent, capable of our own thoughts, actions and opinions but as members of society we are interdependent and rely on others to fill certain needs. As radio amateurs our interdependence is as basic as the need to have another radio operator to establish a contact. The local club fills a need beyond this basic illustration and provides where we can go to meet with friends and share knowledge and experiences.

If the needs of the individual are the Ying then the Yang must be needs of the club as an organization. Clubs need members to manage club business and perform the jobs required to operate a successful club. One does not have to look too far to see that successful clubs rely on synergistic roles that benefit both the individual and the organization. If a club provides a way for non hams to get licensed then the club will recruit new members. The club that offers classes for licensed hams to upgrade will retain members. Active hams that are willing to share their experience will teach the newcomers who then become club members and so-on and so-on.

Clubs that seek perfection and a world all the members get along and agree on everything are striving for an unrealistic goal and often end up in discontent. Healthy and active clubs tend to work together as a group toward a common goal. Setting the goal can be a democratic process, which in itself is a healthy activity, however once the objective is set it takes the effort of everyone to achieve the result. For club leadership, it is your job to keep the members focused on the mission. Club members also have a responsibility to the club by supporting the mission and not undermining the project just so they can say "I told you so."

People joined your club to get involved. One of the best ways to keep club members is to include them in club business and activities and most importantly, recognize your people for their contributions to the club. Your club newsletter is a terrific vehicle for recognizing members who participate in club activities and programs. Sometimes a special presentation or award may be in line with a member's exemplary involvement. The actual deed is not as important as is the recognition of the people who make it all possible. When others see that the club appreciates the work of the members then more people will be willing to take on jobs and run for office. Mutual effort must be ongoing if a club is to recruit and retain members.

_____________________________________________________________________

Station Locator Service New For Field Day 2008
From ARRL Letter

This year, for the first time, the ARRL has put together a Station Locator to help amateurs or those interested in Amateur Radio find a Field Day site near them. According to ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, many amateurs have been asking for something like this for many years.

If your group would like to be a part of the Station Locator Service, it's easy to get started. Just go to the Field Day Station Locator Web site <http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php> and follow the instructions.

To help you out, Henderson has prepared a FAQ for the Field Day Station Locator.

Q) How does our Field Day site get listed on the map?
A) A club official or Field Day Chairman needs to go to the Web site. Once there, click on the link for "Add a Station" and follow the instructions.

Q) I put in the name of the park where we will be holding Field Day but got the message that the program can't find it. What do I do?
A) You should use a street address for the location. Unfortunately, the mapping program doesn't have a 100 percent complete database of park names and public site names. You may use a latitude/longitude -- enter the values separated by a comma (e.g. 42.345N, 85.445W) and set the city to NONE).

Q) I put in a street address but the map locator put me it in a wrong location on the street. What do I do?
A) While in the data input or edit screen, use your cursor to move the red "pin" to the correct location on the map.

Q) What if I put in the wrong information or something about our Field Day operation changes?
A) The person who input the data will be able to edit the entry.
Simply follow the "Add a Station" link and then select "Edit this entry" next to the one to correct.

Q). I tried to enter my club's information, but I was denied access. What do I do?
A) To help ensure that only one person is managing a club's entry, you must be logged onto the site with your ARRL member ID and password. If you are not an ARRL member, ask a member of the club who is to be responsible for adding the club's information to the site.

Q) I am looking for a Field Day operation to attend. How do I use the site?
A) Begin by typing in the city and state where you would like to search,
something like "Brooklyn, New York" or "Anaheim, California." Depending on the geographic location, the map will take you to the area you list.
If a Field Day operation has been registered for that general area, a red "pin" will show on the map. If you click on the red pin, the details for that site will appear in the box on the right hand side of the screen. If you don't see a red pin, scroll out a level to find one near the location you listed. It is also possible to drag the map to other areas by holding down the left button on your mouse and then moving the map around. You can also scroll in and out using the ± buttons on the left side of the map. You may also zoom in and center by double-clicking with the mouse near the red pin.

Q) I found a red pin near where I will be. Where do I find the information on that site?
A) Each entry has a contact person with either an e-mail address or phone number who should be able to help you. It will appear on the right side of the box when you click on the red pin for an entry.

Q) I found an entry with wrong information. What should I do?
A) Please contact the person whose name appears as the contact person for that site. ARRL HQ does not have detailed information on the site.

Q) I want to check on our club's information. What should I do?
A) Type in the call sign that will be used and you will be taken to the location and club information.

ARRL Field Day will be held June 28-29. For more information, please visit the Field Day Web page <http://www.arrl.org/fieldday>.

____________________________________________________________________

Netiquette

Today many people use e-mail reflectors and internet forums as a way to share ideas, thoughts and opinions on just about anything and everything. There are literally millions of people participating in this virtual town hall.

Too often we look at words on a screen and forget that we are actually interfacing with human beings. When people used to use pen and paper to exchange ideas there were numerous opportunities to explore our emotions and organize our thoughts before we sent a message to another person. However today many are quick to react and in a split second can fire off an often hurtful and degrading message.

Here is a great web page about etiquette on the internet or "netiquette" as it has been coined.
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

Next time, think about it before you hit the send button.

_____________________________________________________________________

Looking For Ways to Show Off Ham Radio?
Ward Silver, N0AX

We all know about Field Day and many clubs make an extra effort to set up in a public place, just to publicize our favorite hobby. But outside of Field Day, the opportunities may not be quite so obvious. Here's a story about a club that scored big for Amateur Radio and had a great time in the process.

Readers of Make Magazine (http://makezine.com) know about the massive demonstrations of hands-on do-stuff activities called Make's Faire. (http://makerfaire.com) With a theme of "Build, craft, hack, play, make", I'll bet you're interested already! Make is just one of the many "do-it-yourself" centers of activity - magazines, Web sites, blogs, TV shows - that are enjoying a resurgence of interest as folks take an interest in "what's under the hood." Maker Faire draws thousands of motivated, interested, tech-friendly attendees that wander the aisles soaking up the various activities on display. They sound like ham radio's kind of folks, don't they? Yes, they do, and more than 25,000 attended the Austin Maker Faire in October 2007.

If you browse the Maker Faire Web site, you'll see that under the "Participate" menu, in the "Call for Makers" selection, Ham Radio is a prominent entry! Last year, the Austin Amateur Radio Club (http://www.austinhams.org) took the lead in setting up shop for Maker Faire and drew a steady stream of visitors, from kids eager to shout into the microphone connected to an oscilloscope to adults and teens interested in learning more about Amateur Radio. Led by Jeff Schmidt N5MNW, the club did such a good job of illustrating the many interesting activities of ham radio that the organizers awarded them an Editor's Choice prize! Well done!

There is an upcoming Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA and last year the event drew over 40,000 makers. These large events are a small portion of the many smaller events around the country that take place in every town in every state. There are science fairs, technology demonstrations, career days, street festivals, and so on. The organizers are often seeking interesting displays and exhibits, particularly from local groups. They are not so much interested in slick, commercial displays - they want real people, just like you, to show off their skills and what interests them. It's not necessary to assemble a huge and intimidating display of equipment - just start building a kit, hook up a meter and let people measure their skin resistance, set out some books and fliers (many available from the ARRL), and prepare to answer lots of questions! Space is often available just for the offering - send an email or make a phone call and find out.

For a good look at the enthusiasm generated by the Maker Faire, watch the Quicktime movie at
http://www.rocketboom.net/video/maker_faire/austin/bre.mov. (This takes a little while to load...) The do-it-yourself ethic is returning, like the swallows to Capistrano. Your club will enjoy presenting ham radio - where hands-on lives on! As the Maker Faire folks say, "This is the place to be, right now, in the world today!" Does ham radio have a place in that world? Are you kidding - we helped invent it!

======================================================================

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is published on the first Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of ARRL Affiliated Clubs.

Material from The ARRL CLUB NEWS may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL CLUB NEWS and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, clubs@arrl.org

Past issues of The ARRL CLUB NEWS are available at www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubnews/

ARRL Southwestern Division Newsletter
March 12, 2008
Richard Norton, N6AA n6aa@arrl.org

Grand Terrace, CA, Proposed Antenna Ordinance

The city of Grand Terrace, in San Bernardino County, held a hearing regarding proposed antenna restrictions on Tuesday evening, March 11, 2008. The city did make a few technical changes to the wording of the original proposed ordinance in response to a letter from Volunteer Counsel, Len Shafer, WA6QHD. However most of the undesirable proposed limitations remained intact.

A dozen or so local hams plus ARRL Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, and ARRL Orange Section Manager Carl Gardenias, WU6D, attended the hearing. After the amateurs explained the adverse impact of the proposed limitations, the likelihood of frequent and contentious appeals, and possible litigation, the city council members unanimously agreed to a suggestion from N6VI that the ordinance be redrafted by a working group that will now include Radio Amateurs.

Arizona Antenna Accommodation Legislation

In 2007 Arizona amateurs were successful in getting one house of the state legislature to pass a bill which required municipalities and communities governed by deed covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) to reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio. The bill did not get through the Arizona State Senate. This year, the Arizona House has again passed the bill as House Bill 2721, and efforts are again underway to move it to the Senate.

Harvey Hetland, N6MM -- SK

Former ARRL Los Angeles Section Communications Manager, Harvey Hetland, N6MM, of Altadena, was killed in an accident last week while bicycling through La Tuna Canyon in the San Fernando Valley. A significant contributor to Amateur Radio over the years, Harvey served stints as manager of the Southern California Net, editor of the Southern California DX Club Bulletin, president and bulletin editor for the Pasadena Radio Club, member of the CQ Magazine Contest Committee, ARRL QSL Bureau volunteer, and QSL manager for a number of Dxpeditions.

He had recently retired from the faculty of Pasadena City College after many years of service. The writing talent that produced the many legendary Hetland-authored Amateur Radio bulletins over the years seemed later to be redirected into production of sets of instructional material produced for the specialized classes he developed and taught to his PCC students.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 11 AM, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena 91104.

Rod Dinkins, AC6V -- SK

The Southwestern Division lost another significant contributor to Amateur Radio on February 16, when Rod Dinkins, AC6V, of Oceanside, passed away due to a ruptured aneurysm. Amateurs worldwide have used his comprehensive Amateur Radio web site, www.ac6v.com , to find information on many aspects of our avocation. Rod is also remembered as a prime mover in the success of the division's largest radio club, the Palomar Amateur Radio Club. Rod's efforts with newcomers were noteworthy and particularly appreciated.

Rod had a career in the electronics industry, which included authoring of technical manuals.

A memorial service with full military honors will be held Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 1 PM, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.

Comments and Suggestions Welcome

Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, and I continue to welcome your comments and suggestions regarding ARRL policies.

ARRL Southwestern Division
Director: Richard Norton, N6AA
n6aa@arrl.org

The ARES E-Letter

March 20, 2008
Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor
ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: k1ce@arrl.net

+ The View from Flagler County

As this issue is being composed, I am checked into the Northern Florida ARES Net on 3950 kHz, as I am on most mornings. The net has been in operation for years, and functions efficiently on a roster-based system of check-ins. The regulars are leaders in ARES across the peninsula north of the I-4 corridor, and the panhandle. Check-ins include State EOC staffers positioned at the Amateur Radio station located in the rear area of the huge operations room there at the Tallahassee facility. The net was designed and effected to represent the interests of northern Florida in liaison with the State EOC.

It is reassuring to listen to, on a daily basis, the incredible amount of support the net receives and generates for local, county, regional and state levels of ARES, and its clients - the various emergency management agencies, both governmental and non-governmental, at each of these levels. Only by daily activity, training and preparedness, will we be able to fully meet the emergency communication needs of clients when it hits the fan here in disaster-prone northern Florida.

In This Issue:

+ The View from Flagler County
+ A Model of MARS-ARES-RACES Cooperation in Oregon Storm Response
+ ARRL EmComm Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, On Line Seminar April 19
+ EMCOMMWEST '08 - Coming Back To Reno
+ 2008 GAREC Slated for June in Germany
+ Palm Beach County Preps for Hurricane Season
+ Michigan Amateurs Team Up With State
+ LETTERS: Please Include Bands and Modes in Reports
+ LETTERS: No Red Cross/ARRL Agreement At Present
+ LETTERS: More on Certification
+ ARRL Media Relations Form Released for ARES PR
+ ARES Training Recommendations
+ Mutual Aid (ARESMAT) Concept
+ RESOURCES: New EmComm Packet Terminal Software
+ Resources for ARES Ops
+ K1CE For a Final

+ A Model of MARS-ARES-RACES Cooperation in Oregon Storm Response

When the Pacific Northwest was battered by hurricane-strength winds and torrential rain last December, Joe Johnston, N7HAE, of Knappa, Oregon, operated for five days, serving as a model of ARES, RACES, and MARS working together with state and local authorities during crunch time.

"I was sitting here [in northwest Oregon] with no power, no phone, no cell phone, no Internet and for a time, no water," recalled Johnston, a retired National Weather Service staffer. "All roads were closed due to mud slides and fallen trees. Clatsop County ARES/RACES activated a net of which I became a part. I switched back and forth between Amateur frequencies and MARS frequencies many times, and spent the next five days on generator power relaying traffic from the Clatsop County EOC [in Astoria] to the OEM Center in Salem, while keeping the Department of Homeland Security informed via MARS Elements of Essential Information (EEI) reports."

Two crucial messages handled by Johnston were Clatsop County's state of emergency declaration and the local government's appeal to the governor for assistance. With telephones out, the two text files traveled the first 16 miles by Pactor from Astoria to Johnston's shack just up the Columbia River. Propagation was extremely poor and fading, but after a search he was able to connect with the amateur WinLink PMBO operated by William Rohrer, W7IJ, near Ft. Lewis, Washington. WinLink carried on from there. Johnston later got message receipt confirmation from operators at W7OEM, the Oregon Emergency Management Amateur Radio Unit station.

Johnston signed up with Army MARS as AAR0PY/T in 2005, three weeks after Hurricane Katrina. His years in the weather service gave him experience with emergency situations and Amateur Radio. In 2006 he logged over 500 hours of MARS on-air time. And in late 2007 when MARSgrams started flowing again to and from American troops overseas, Johnston relayed them via the Army MARS WinLink messaging system as AAT0TOR.

During the December storm, Johnston filed his MARS information reports (EEIs) via an Air Force MARS PMBO, AFD5WA, in Puyallup, Washington. Within a few hours of the initial EEI, federal authorities released emergency resources at Camp Rilea, the Oregon National Guard training base on the coast near Astoria.

At one point, Johnston couldn't find a digital connect due to the poor conditions, so he put out a voice call for relay assistance on the 80-meter amateur band. Mark Beadle, KD7ZPP, responded from Reno, Nevada, who assisted with the coordination of traffic for Clatsop and other coastal counties in distress.

In summary, Johnston filed reports via the MARS WinLink messaging system, used amateur Pactor and WinLink for communication with the EOCs, handled traffic via the ARRL National Traffic System, VHF voice and Packet, and finally 80-meter daytime phone to find contacts. His after-action report to MARS listed 60 pieces of record traffic processed.

Chief of Army MARS Stu Carter said in his bi-weekly broadcast, "I take great pride in sharing the story of this operation with our membership. He leaves with us a great example of dedication and initiative." - Bill Sexton, AAA9PC/AAR1FP/N1IN, Army MARS Public Affairs Director, n1in@arrl.net

+ ARRL EmComm Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, On Line Seminar April 19

Meet with ARRL's Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager, Dennis Dura K2DCD, on an April 19 on-line seminar hosted by the ARRL Atlantic Division. Dura will present information about the ARRL's EmComm program and what he's been working on.

This webinar/teleconference is designed for any club members, ARES members, and anyone else interested in emergency communications. You do not have to be a member of the Atlantic Division to register and participate. This is a free on-line presentation and teleconference. (The telephone call to the conference center may be a toll call, however). There will be a question and answer period after the presentation. Interested amateurs can register for this webinar/teleconference at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/874893521 -- Bill Edgar, N3LLR, ARRL Atlantic Division Director

+ EMCOMMWEST '08 - Coming Back To Reno

Reno, Nevada -- EMCOMMWEST 2008 will be held May 2-4 this year at a new venue: the Circus Circus Hotel Resort in downtown Reno. Main speakers include Dennis Dura, K2DCD, Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager of the ARRL Headquarters staff who will deliver the keynote address, and host a forum.

Special guest for the Saturday night banquet is Gordon West, WB6NOA, from southern California. West will present a forum on an introduction to emergency communications, and will have a display booth with his mobile communications unit. Banquet seating is limited; reservations should be made early. A video presentation by Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, special counsel of the FCC's enforcement staff will also be featured.

Registration is open on-line via the Web site www.emcommwest.org. Special room rates are available from Circus Circus, via a link on the Web site.

Forums covering leadership, served agencies, MARS, the latest technology, and many new presentations will highlight this year's event. A special event station on HF, UHF and VHF will be active in commemoration of the event. For more information, contact info@emcommwest.org

+ 2008 GAREC Slated for June in Germany

The fourth annual Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (GAREC) Conference www.iaru.org/emergency/GAREC2008Program.pdf is scheduled for June 26-27, 2008 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, just prior to HamRadio 2008 www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/html/en/. That event, called "the Dayton of Europe," is scheduled for June 27-29. GAREC's schedule is continuously being updated and is subject to change.

Dr Hamadoun Toure, HB9EHT, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is scheduled to present the opening remarks at GAREC-08; Dr Toure received his Amateur Radio license in 2007. Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, President of IARU Region 1, is also scheduled to participate in the opening remarks.

GAREC participants will assess the state of EmComm preparedness in each of the IARU regions, as well as discuss experiences of the 2006 and 2007 EmComm Parties-on-the-Air and the future of the Global Simulated Emergency Test (SET). Delegates will also discuss implementation of the WRC-03 modifications to Article 25 of the Radio Regulations, in respect to third-party traffic during emergencies and exercises. The part of Article 25 concerning Emergency Communications states "Amateur stations may be used for transmitting international communications on behalf of third parties only in case of emergencies or disaster relief. An administration may determine the applicability of this provision to amateur stations under its jurisdiction" (RR 25.3), and "Administrations are encouraged to take the necessary steps to allow amateur stations to prepare for and meet communication needs in support of disaster relief" (RR 25.9A).

GAREC delegates will also discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as well as the MOU between the IARU and the ITU. IARU Vice President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, with assistance from IFRC Secretary General Markku Niskala and IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann, HB9AQS/F5VKP, will lead the discussion. A representative from the ITU will also be on hand.

Each of the three IARU Region Presidents will speak on the status of EmComm in their respective region. Seppo Sisatto, OH1VR, and Juha Hulkko, OH8NC, will present on the possibility of Emergency Communication Centers around the world. There will also be a talk on D-STAR in emergency communications. Case studies of emergency communication practices will also be presented.

Those wishing to attend GAREC-08 are encouraged to register on-line www.korkee.net/Garec2008/. For those registering prior to June 12, the fee is 55 euros; after June 12, the fee is 75 euros. GAREC will take place in the Conference Center of the Friedrichshafen Messe in the Oesterreich Room. Travel and lodging information for GAREC and HamRadio 2008 is available on-line at the HamRadio 2008 Web page.

+ Palm Beach County Preps for 2008 Hurricane Season

In preparation for the 2008 hurricane season, Palm Beach County (FL) has been making a number of upgrades to its VHF RACES repeaters, including Project 25 (P25) digital compliance on their coordinated 145.390, 146.880, and 147.360 MHz frequencies with associated antenna system upgrades. In addition to replacing the 15 year old equipment of differing makes with identical latest model equipment, the County also added a satellite receiver network to its primary 147.360 MHz repeater located in the middle of the 2,500 square mile county to improve coverage for those hams using hand-held radios.

All of the repeaters are geographically separated on locations that also house the County's 800 MHz trunking system, are on integrated UPS/generator back-up systems, programmed for "mixed mode" that allow for both analog and digital transmissions, and are also capable of all of the other P25 digital features to include unit paging, Soft ID (call-sign transmission), SMS, conventional talk-group capabilities, and unit emergency alert. The repeaters are managed by Mark Filla, KS4VT, who is the County Radio Manager/RACES Officer and maintained by Rudy Gibson, KI4IZI, David Case, KI4IZJ, and Ken Denker, KI4IZL, who are all employed full time by the County in the Electronic Services and Security Division.

Filla stated "These open repeaters are in our complement for our volunteer RACES operators when we activate and are otherwise available for any ham in the area to utilize for either narrow band digital or wide-band analog QSO's. The interest in P25 in the South Florida area has been growing and we have new users with digital capabilities checking weekly from all over SE Florida."

In addition to the County upgrading its repeaters to P25, other Florida repeater owners have decided to replace their equipment with like technology that can be found on the Florida Repeater Council Web site: www.florida-repeaters.org/apco25proof.pdf and a nationwide Amateur Radio P25 repeater map can be found on this Web site:www.frappr.com/P25AmateurRepeaters

+ Michigan Amateurs Team Up With State

ARRL Michigan Section Manager Dale Williams, WA8EFK, and Michigan SEC John McDonough, WB8RCR, have been working with the Homeland Security Division of the Michigan State Police Emergency Management office to align the capabilities of the Amateur Radio Public Service Corps (ARPSC) more closely with the communications needs of the state's public service agencies.

ARPSC -- Michigan's integrated ARES/RACES program -- also participates in the Michigan State Department Emergency Management Coordinators Quarterly meetings at the State EOC. It is here, Williams said, that discussion of the Public Safety communications grants are discussed and their investment justifications are detailed. "We have been afforded the opportunity to discuss Amateur Radio's involvement with communications interoperability, as well as our ability to fill gaps in disparate networks and outages. As a result of these conferences, I was asked to include a list of ARPSC's needs for the next three years."

To further that end, Williams said that they have been successful in incorporating the ARPSC program into the Michigan State Preparedness Priorities. Michigan intends to develop the ARPSC into a fully integrated communications team operating under common standards and procedures, including maintaining and enhancing the statewide Amateur Radio communications system; establishing suggested standards for Amateur Radio capabilities in local Emergency Operations Centers; and developing a public awareness and education program to bolster the ranks of Amateur Radio participants. The hope, Williams said, is to have all of this implemented by 2010.

Williams said, "Since the early 1980s, Michigan has operated an integrated ARES, RACES and NTS program referred to as the Michigan Amateur Radio Public Service Corps. By combining the forces of these normally separate structures, these valuable resources are pulled together to form an active trained and unified organization. The SEC also holds the positions of Section Traffic Manager and RACES Radio Officer. Membership in ARPSC is open to all amateurs and is structured to allow a beginning ham to progress from an entry-level position to a RACES-qualified operator by meeting specific training milestones."

"There is no doubt that by presenting a unified organization, the Michigan ARPSC has demonstrated the effective use of resources, training and our unique capabilities so that we have become a well respected public service organization in the state," Williams said. - ARRL Letter

+ LETTERS: Please Include Bands and Modes in Reports

ARES operators reporting ARES activations, please include the bands and modes employed. I expect that 2-meters, 440 MHz, and voice will be reported most often, but this information is helpful to us in knowing what others use as models for the rest of us. Please also emphasize the need for good voice and traffic handling skills. Although the newer modes are impressive, in preparing for our April exercise at the local nuclear power plant, I am training on the basics of voice communications using 2-meters.

Sharing lessons learned and preparing for interoperability is the function of ARES newsletters. It helps ECs to know and understand what bands and modes get the job done in the field. It also helps those who may be called upon to respond, and what they need in their "go bags" to hit the ground running. -- Joe Tokarz, KB9EZZ, EC LaSalle County, Illinois

+ LETTERS: No Red Cross/ARRL Agreement At Present

In light of my experience as a RACES volunteer in the past year and a half, and not knowing how much either side may have contributed to the hold-up, I must stress how bad it is that there has been no resolution of the ARRL/Red Cross MOU apparent impasse at this time. Delaying the renewal of the MOU can only degrade the ARRL-ARC relationship at every level.

Since it is unlikely that hams, or the ARRL, will stop participating in Red Cross activities, it seems to me that the decision is not whether to have an MOU, but how to write it in a way that respects the ARC's concerns for its clients, and the concerns of ham volunteers for their own privacy. AND, to make that decision and act on it as soon as possible. -- Mike Harla, N2MHO, AEC, Cumberland County, New Jersey

As one personally who went through the benign Red Cross background check procedure, it is the League that stands to lose the most from this. It needs to recognize that it is the junior partner in the agreement when it comes to Disaster Relief.

From what I saw at Dayton last year, it looks like the Red Cross is not changing its background check policy (mandated on it by Congress) to accommodate the overwrought concerns of a few hams and is starting to create its own cadre of ARC hams outside of ARES. SATERN also requires background checks on its volunteers. -- Gary Wilson, K2GW, Southern New Jersey SEC

[Editor's note: The ARRL President and staff have made resolution of the issues surrounding the Red Cross Statement of Understanding (SOU) a top priority, and I expect that the document will be renewed soon. - K1CE]

+ LETTERS: More on Certification

In the last issue, Steve Fleckenstein, N2UBP, nails down a problem that is growing in the whole of Amateur Radio not only with certification but with licensing itself. With the publication of the license question pool we are now getting all classes of license holders who have memorized answers and passed a test without gaining any knowledge of Amateur Radio at all. The ARRL's rush to make the license ever easier to obtain is going to take a toll on the knowledge base as time goes on. No organization ever improved its stature by lowering requirements for membership.

If you want to make an entry level license easy to obtain to get people in the door, that is fine, but there needs to be some "time in grade" and a different kind of testing for advancement to assure that there is an ever growing knowledge base in the hobby. If not, we are doomed to have the same kind of knowledge base that is exhibited in the Citizen Band ranks. The ARRL needs to take a serious look at this. -- Bill Stietenroth, K5ZTY, Houston,TX

I appreciate the comments on certification by Fleckenstein, although I think he has cast a very wide net. Speaking as an individual, not as an employee of Oracle USA, I have to take exception to his characterization of validation being limited to one's test-taking ability. Oracle Database Administration certification, at its highest level, offers a 2-day practicum (usually run from 8 AM to 7 PM both days), that throws anywhere from 8-10 real-world scenarios that do not test your ability to memorize a list of questions, but test your ability to get the job done when things don't go perfectly! Needless to say, there are not many who pass it...making it a very rare feat, but one I'm convinced is valued by employers (many employers pay for the OCM testing for their top guys!)

I would like to see a practicum-based certification process for emergency management folks, similar to the Oracle Certified Master program. We could brainstorm ideas for what such a test might constitute. -- Gerry Jurrens, N2GJ, n2gj@arrl.net, Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, Southern NJ Section

+ ARRL Media Relations Form Released for ARES PR

Allen Pitts, W1AGP, Media and PR Manager of the ARRL Headquarters staff, has released the following report form to be used by ARES leaders for reporting ARES activations to the media: ________

The _______ Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES(r)) has been activated to assist with primary/auxiliary emergency communications for this event. The group is coordinated by _____(name of EC or acting EC).

_______________ ARES is working with the ______________ county/city/town Office of Emergency Management and the following agency(ies): ___________

The group is providing communications links between: _________

Amateur Radio operators are stationed at the following locations to provide communications assistance:
___ (#) of Amateur Radio operators are at the sites ___(#) of additional Amateur Radio operators are on standby for additional communications needs.

Insert boilerplate paragraph about the local ARES group here:

For more information contact:
________________________ (name of acting PIO)
________________________ (e-mail)
________________________ (phone and cell numbers)

For more information on the new form, contact Allen Pitts, W1AGP, w1agp@arrl.org at ARRL Headquarters.

+ ARES Training Recommendations

All ARES operators should periodically review their training and qualifications. Now, is a good time to do so as we look ahead to the start of hurricane season just a few months away.

First and foremost, ARES operators should take Level One of the ARRL Emergency Communications courses, progressing to Levels Two and Three when possible. Here are some links to find out more about the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses:

- Frequently Asked Questions www.arrl.org/cce/faq.html
- CCE Course Syllabi www.arrl.org/cce/syllabus.html
- Registration for Online Courses https://www.arrl.org/forms/cce/
- Listing of Classroom Courses and Exams www.arrl.org/cce/activity-list.php3
- CI/CE Search Page /www.arrl.org/cce/cice-search.php3
- Discussion Forum (Members Only)
www.arrl.org/members-only/forums/w-agora.php3 - CCE Student Page (Members Only) www.arrl.org/members-only/cce/
- Course Listing www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html

In addition to the ARRL Emergency Communications Courses, field operators should also complete certain formal training courses:

-- Red Cross combined course in Adult CPR/First Aid Basics
-- Red Cross online Introduction to Disaster Services www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01/
-- FEMA IS-100 (Introduction to Incident Command System)
-- FEMA IS-200 (ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents)
-- FEMA IS-700 (National Incident Management System) training.fema.gov/IS/

Except for the first two, all courses are free of charge, and CPR/First Aid may be free to members of the Red Cross. CPR/First Aid is the only course that requires periodic refreshers and the only course that must be taken in person rather than on the Internet. The American Heart Association (AHA) also offers Basic Life Support (BLS) courses. Where FEMA courses exist in more than one current version - aimed at somewhat different audiences - any of the currently-available versions will suffice.

+ Mutual Aid (ARESMAT) Concept

Most disasters are local and of relatively short duration, which is why the traditional county and Section-based ARES approach is appropriate most of the time. However, disasters do not conform to state and ARRL Section boundaries. Disasters that are truly national-level catastrophes require national-level coordination. Regional disasters of less magnitude than, say, the 2005 Gulf coast hurricanes, do not require national coordination but may need well-organized responses from several adjacent ARRL Sections.

At the present time, relatively few ARRL Sections have formal, written agreements with neighboring Sections spelling out how emergency communications cooperation would be structured and managed. The ARRL National Emergency Response Planning Committee (NERPC) recommended that Section Managers should consider developing such agreements with one or more neighboring Sections, depending on the disaster hazards likely in their parts of the country. These agreements would become appendices to existing Section emergency plan documents.

The NERPC suggested that the following points should be among those considered in the mutual aid planning process and the development of formal agreements:

1: Share current phone numbers, postal addresses and e-mail addresses for the Section Manager, Section Emergency Coordinator and Section Traffic Manager in each adjacent section.
2: List major likely hazards in each Section.
3: List available resources Sections have that can be used to assist adjacent Sections. If ARESMAT are available, then list locations, points of contact, and capabilities.
4: If ARESMAT resources are needed, then Section leadership should be familiar with and utilize ARESMAT information and requirements in EC-003 and the PSCM.
5: List the major served agencies in each Section, whether or not a written support agreement exists, and the point of contact for each. Identify any volunteer insurance coverage, credentialing, and expense reimbursement which may be available from these agencies.
6: Describe the activation authority and the process for requesting and providing out-of-Section mutual assistance in each Section.
7: List or summarize Section currently-installed emergency communications capabilities and points of contact.
8: List Sections' major VHF and HF routine, operations and traffic net frequencies.
9: List Sections' Web site addresses.
10: It is suggested that the agreement should specify that mutual assistance can be invoked only by Section Managers, Section Emergency Coordinators, or specific designees.
11: It is recommended that the agreement should require certain documentation be kept when the agreement has been invoked. For example: daily documentation and logbook for SITREPS (situation reports), after-action reports, and notes on future needs. 12: It is recommended that the agreement should require each Section Manager who requests or provides mutual assistance to prepare a written after-action report which summarizes each mutual assistance activation. This report should be sent to the involved SMs and to the ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager no later than 30 days following the stand-down from each mutual assistance activation. 13: Plans should be reviewed by each SM, SEC and STM annually, and updated as necessary.

+ RESOURCES: New EmComm Packet Terminal Software

I have written a new Packet Radio terminal program, which serves emergency communications interests, called "EcomSCS." EcomScs has 2 neat features: One, it can send and receive any type of file, Binary or Text, without the use of any special protocol. The second feature is message formatting, making it easy to keep vital information. More info at: www.qsl.net/kb2scs -- submitted by John Blowsky, KB2SCS kb2scs@arrl.net

+ Resources for ARES Ops

FEMA National Incident Management System: www.fema.gov/nims/
IARU Emergency Communications: www.iaru.org/emergency/
IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications: www.iaru-r2emcor.net
Major Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Nets:
Hurricane Watch Net: www.hwn.org/
Maritime Mobile Service Net: www.mmsn.org/
Salvation Army (SATERN) Net: www.satern.org
Waterway Net: www.waterwayradio.net/
VoIP SKYWARN/Hurricane Net: www.voipwx.net/
ARRL/Served Agency Memoranda of Understanding: www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou/
National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster: www.nvoad.org/
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org/
National Weather Service: www.nws.noaa.gov/
Department of Homeland Security - Citizen Corps, FEMA: www.citizencorps.gov/, www.dhs.gov/,
www.fema.gov/
Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials- International: www.apcointl.org/
National Communications System: www.ncs.gov/
National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, Inc.: www.narte.org/
Salvation Army: www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf
Society of Broadcast Engineers: www.sbe.org/
Quarter Century Wireless Association, Inc. www.QCWA.org/
Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams: www.reactintl.org/
SKYWARN: www.skywarn.org/

+ K1CE For a Final

An ARES E-Letter QSO Party is planned for this coming Fall season. The exchange will be Name, ARES Title, and Jurisdiction. For examples: Rick, Assistant SEC, Northern Florida; or George, EC, Middlesex County, Eastern Massachusetts. Bands are 80, 40 and 20 meters, phone only. One point each per QSO. Bonus points for emergency power, and operating from an EOC or Served Agency facility. More information to follow. With more than 25,000 subscribers to the ARES E-Letter, a QSO Party should generate a lot of activity, training exercise, and just plain fun!

Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The ARES E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; www.arrl.org/. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARES E-Letter is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

Material from The ARES E-Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARES E-Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Rick Palm, K1CE, k1ce@arrl.net

Past issues of The ARES E-Letter are available at www.arrl.org/ares-el/. Issues are posted to this page after
publication.

Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club
Roy Noon Hall, Fallbrook, California
March 1, 2008

President Jon Bart, K6QVA, called the meeting to order at 1456

The pledge was recited

Introductions of attendees

Secretary’s report:

KC6MIE (filling in for W6MF who was out of town) read the financial report for January and February 2008

Checking Balance January 31, 2008	$2,189.82
Petty Cash Balance January 31, 2008	$27.94
Total	$2,217.76

FEBRUARY INCOME
FARC Membership Dues	$60.00
ARRL Membership Fee	$39.00
Total	$99.00

FEBRUARY EXPENSES
ARRL Membership Fee	$24.00
Repeater Supplies & Parts	$65.62
Total	$89.62

Checking Balance February 29, 2008	$2,199.20
Petty Cash Balance February 29, 2008	$27.94
Total	$2,226.94

New Members:
        Jim Eyerman, KI6OHO
        Kathy Beebe, KI6OHQ
        James Beebe, KI6GZE
        Lynda Brooks, KI6OHX

VP report:
Discussed the upcoming Oaks bike ride first Saturday in April. Currently there are 15 hams signed up to assist in the event. There will be 3 courses set up for the participants. Hams will be used throughout the 3 courses. You can use either a HT or mobile. Live Oak Park will be the starting point for the event.

The Avocado festival is coming up also in April. Ron KG6HSQ stated that the festival committee would soon start holding meetings to get it organized. FARC will be helping out this year as usual in the event. Any ham wishing to help out should contact Ron. Look for a signup sheet at the April FARC meeting or contact Ron directly by email or repeater.

President Jon discussed the upcoming ham radio Tech classes that most likely are held on Tuesday evenings at the Fallbrook Southern Baptist church on Stagecoach and Reche. The president is working out the details with the church at this time. Currently there are 25 interested individuals from the current CERT class and a few more from the community that want to take the class. The enrollment could reach 30+.

FARC 10 year anniversary of the Fallbrook Repeater system:
President Jon introduced Art Rideout WA6IPD (original Fallbrook repeater licensee), Chris Durso AA4CD and Bob Gonsett W6VR who were instrumental in changing over the repeater from Art to the FARC. Recignation also went out to many other FARC members including Bob Morrow WB6DIJ for the many hours and knowledge that went into the smooth transition which started in 1989.

The presentation started with Art Rideout giving a detailed talk on when he first put the repeater together for Fallbrook in 1987 and why he did it. Art also discussed some of the early years of being a repeater owner/operator.

Chris Durso AA4CD gave a slideshow with Bob Gonsett W6VR on the side giving a chronological sequence in the 1989 changeover of the repeater from Art to the club. Again, the many hard working efforts of this change over are evident in the current outcome of our high quality repeater system. The slideshow will be put on out FARC web site in the near future.

VP Ron stated that moving the FARC repeater from the commercial tower on Red mountain to the CDF tower also on Red proved to be helpful in getting the FARC re-organized and eventually being a ARRL affiliated club.

Meeting adjourned at 4:53pm

Cake, coffee was served in celebration of our 10th year of operation of the repeater.

Submitted by Stephen Spencer, KC6MIE

COMMITTEES

Dewey ECC Committee
Bigs-KG6GIU, Ron-KG6HSQ, Ken-W6MF, Randy-KD6UAK, Bob-W6VR, Hayden-KG6YVD

Technical Committee
Bob-W6VR, AA4CD-Chris, Bob-WB6DIJ, Paul-W6SJL, Daryl-WA5QMV, Ron-KG6HSQ

News Items from CGC Communicator Newsletter
Robert Gonsett - W6VR Editor

FCC adopts digital television consumer education order. This concerns PSAs and screen crawls required to be aired nationwide regarding the transition to DTV.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280586A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-56A1.doc

THE KFI TOWER COLLAPSES - AGAIN

The main tower for KFI, 640 kHz, Los Angeles, was hit by a private airplane on December 19, 2004 and the entire tower came crashing to the ground, folding into pieces and missing (for the most part) buildings around the tower base. Last week, construction of the replacement tower got underway. Today, the new tower had almost reached the 300 foot mark when it, too, collapsed. An eyewitness report follows.

EYEWITNESS REPORT ON THE KFI TOWER COLLAPSE

It saddens me to report that a single point failure caused the new KFI tower to fall this afternoon around 2:00PM. I was on site when the failure happened and took a photo of the tower coming down. Two levels of guys were in place. The third level guys were slowly being brought into place, in unison, when the failure occurred. The tower was just under 300' at the time.

Nobody was on the tower during this phase of the installation and only one person was hurt when the North/East guy structure gave way. There was some minor damage to a couple of trailers and the top 8' of the gin pole came through a warehouse roof. Other than that, there is just a bundle of steel and ceramic in the parking lot with some damage to the enclosure wall and fence.

I won't go into details on the single point failure at this time, other than to say that the tower crew did NOT cause this accident. The third level guys were slacked at the time of the failure.

I'll be posting pictures on my website this evening.

Dino, K6RIX, dino (at) k6rix.com

www.k6rix.com/

ADDED EYEWITNESS INFORMATION

The injured worker was atop the elevated guy anchor using a come-along to take up the slack of the north/east, third level guy. There were two workers at this location. The other two anchors are not elevated and were manned by two workers each.

The three teams were working in unison and in radio contact with each other using come-alongs to slowly and evenly bring up the third level guys. The guys had just cleared the second level guys and [were] still slacked when the elevated anchor system failed. The injured worker jumped or fell to the ground and hurt his back. He was up and walking around but was taken to the hospital to get checked out.

There was minor damage to a couple of truck trailers and part of the gin pole sheared and went through the roof into the warehouse. The rest of the damage was to the enclosure block wall and a fence. The major damage was to the tower only.

Dino, K6RIX, dino (at) k6rix.com

KFMB-DT NOW BROADCASTING ON CHANNEL 7

SBE Chapter 36 Story: Just before 9 AM last Friday, [KFMB] RF Supervisor Rick Bosscher turned on the HPA for KFMB's new Channel 7 transmitter, putting their DTV programming on-the-air. Then, moments later, he shutdown the Channel 55 transmitter for the last time. He said that a crew from Wireless Infrastructures will appear early next week to remove the UHF pylon antenna. He said that the only odd thing about turning on the new Harris transmitter was not having to wait for tube filaments to heat.

Qualcomm's MediaFLO can now start broadcasting wireless phone TV in the San Diego market on its nationwide home channel, Channel 55.

CGC Comments: KFMB-DT's Channel 7 operation is apparently at low power but is causing some interference to the reception of co-channel KABC-TV, Los Angeles. In addition, KFMB's CH-7 signal is reportedly degrading the reception of KNSD-TV on Time Warner Cable -- at least at some locations close to Mt. Soledad. Although KNSD transmits on Channel 39, it is carried on TW Cable as Channel 7.

THE POINT OF FAILURE CAUSING THE KFI TOWER TO COLLAPSE

According to preliminary information, one need look no further than the slant bar with the turnbuckle that ran between ground level and the one-and-only elevated guy wire anchor station at KFI's transmitter site to find the point of failure that caused the latest KFI tower to topple. The slant bar is designed to take virtually all the tension of the guy wires at that location, and if the slant bar fails, the tower topples. Simple as that.

To see the slant bar before it failed, click on www.k6rix.com/, then click on the second photo. Wait while a giant set of "before the failure" photos is downloaded. Once downloaded, watch the center column of pictures and scroll down half way through the thumbnails until you spot the elevated guy station: a pole perhaps 20 feet tall with an extension ladder leaning up against it. Note the slant bar running down and to the right. The three photos in the next row show the slant bar detail and the turnbuckle installed in the middle of the bar. The failure occurred at the low end of the turnbuckle, but the turnbuckle itself wasn't necessarily at fault.

Now return to www.k6rix.com/ and click on the first picture. Wait while a giant set of "after the failure" pictures is downloaded. The first picture shows the KFI tower in the act of falling over, while the next two photos show the top portion of the slant bar and the turnbuckle where -- hey -- the bottom slant bar is missing. (Click on any of the thumbnails for an enlargement.)

It appears that the threads in the turnbuckle and the threads on the lower slant bar stripped when the third level of guy wires were being tensioned. So, the upper slant bar assembly (with the turnbuckle in tow) was yanked toward the tower by the guy wire tension, ripping the elevated guy station pole off its foundation. Then all of those components were drug across the parking lot by the guy wires connected to the falling tower. Anything that got in the way got swept up or knocked over. Note the bunched-up chain link fence in the photo. That was probably the fence that had surrounded the elevated guy station.

We don't yet know what caused the lower slant bar and turnbuckle to separate. Was the steel too soft in one or both components? Were the thread sizes off, like fitting an 8-32 machine screw in a 10-32 nut? Many thanks to Dino, K6RIX, for posting these fascinating photos and helping us understand the mechanisms in this disaster.

OFF TOPIC -- GONSET COMMUNICATOR II

Check out the Gonset Communicator and RF amplifier in this Mountain Dew commercial at the URL below, too funny.

K6DYD

Bob Gonsett comments, "That's a great clip. Note that the RX/TX switch on the Communicator II is pointed at 6 PM ("way beyond transmit") - probably appropriate for the scene.

www.mountaindew.com

...and click on "TV ADS: LIGHTNING"

HANDS-FREE CELLULAR LAW DOES NOT IMPACT TWO-WAY RADIOS

A California law going into effect July 1, 2008 generally prohibits motorists from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless a hands-free device is employed. However, the law is a bit unclear as to whether two-way radio users, holding a wired microphone for example, would also be caught up in the ban. Now, a DMV interpretation of the law clears up this issue in this Question and Answer session:

"Q: May I use a dedicated two-way radio while driving?

"A: Yes. The use of dedicated two-way radios such as walkie-talkies or Citizen Band (CB) radios is not affected by the new law."

Presumably two-way radios could not be linked to the telephone network or you would in fact be using a "wireless telephone." In any event, the new law applies only to drivers, not passengers.

www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/dl208_03cell_phone.pdf
www.ahrc.com/new/index.php/src/news/sub/article/action/ShowMedia/id/3128

On-line engineering calculator: www.calculatoredge.com/index.htm

Duane, AA6EE is offering FARC members discount prices on ARRL items:

Duane Heise, AA6EE
16832 Whirlwind #F
Ramona CA 92065
(760) 789-3674

Any other ARRL item available @ discount: e-mail for price.
More items on web site: www.radiodan.com/aa6ee/
Email: aa6ee@cox.net
CA residents: add tax.

Comments and items of interest for publishing should be directed to: N6FQ@fallbrookarc.org
Ron Patten - KG6HSQ

Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club Bulletin

No Regular Meeting April 5th

No Regular Meeting April 5th