Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club Bulletin, October 2007

Next CERT Meeting

Hal Mortier, Fire Coordinator with SDG&E. He will have a power point presentation on Electric Safety Awareness, accompanied by an electric prop. Wednesday, October 10th, Pot Luck 6:00PM, Meeting 6:30PM at FPUD.
If this is the same demo that I've seen sparks, and flames will fly. Good info on down power line safety - Ed.

Christmas Parade

Parade is Dec. 1st, 2007. Have 20 operators so far. fallbrookarc.org/paraderoster.html

California QSO Party for 2007 is Oct 6-7.

This is a great contest to introduce Hams with new HF privledges to the thrill of contesting.

Call CQ and the world will respond to you (well mostly the USA and Canada). All entrants with 100 or more QSOs receive a free certificate of achievement and are eligible to purchase a T-shirt ($12),

This will be the 42nd running. Full details can be found at www.cqp.org/

Your club members can "get on the air" and have some casual fun or you can rally your club members into "contest mode" and make a run for the "Top Club, California" award plaque (real lumber to hang on the wall).

For more information check out Rules & Results & Strategy:
2007 Rules - www.cqp.org/Rules.html
2006 Results - www.cqp.org/results/2006/06complete.pdf
Strategy - www.cqp.org/pdf/cqp_strategy_k6rb.pdf

"The California QSO Party (CQP) is perhaps the most fun that a new HF ham in California can have on the radio..." W6ZZZ

73,
-KR- K6TD
CU in the California QSO Party, Oct 6-7, 2007
www.cqp.org

Willy's Electronics to Open Kearny Mesa Store

The Willy's Electronics website says the National City company intends to open a second store on Complex Avenue in Kearny Mesa by October this year. Willy's has, for decades, been a source of tools, small and large electronics components, TV antennas, and cable.

SBE 36 website

Possible Programs ?

Here are two possible programs that I would like to see presented. Can you do a query on the FARC newsletter asking someone with good knowledge in these areas to do the programs.

1. Understanding coax, types, what to use, connector types and how to install and general do's and don't's on handling, running etc.

2. Understanding receiver specifications on ham radios. What to look for and how to decider the specifications when planning on buying a radio.

Thanks,
Stephen-KC6MIE

Bonsall Elementary School, Amateur Radio International Space Station (ARISS) School Application

Bonsall Elementary School has asked FARC for help in a ARISS contact application (long waiting list).

We are looking for equipment resources and volunteers.

Minimum station requirements for the primary station (Radio Station #1) are:
Output power at least 75 watts, Receive pre-amp, OSCAR style circular polarized beam antenna, azimuth/elevation rotor control.
Minimum station requirements for the secondary station (Radio Station #2) are: Output power at least 75 watts, Receive pre-amp, Vertical antenna.
It is suggested that 2 complete radio stations be set up. It is also suggested that redundant power sources be provided, i.e. separate ac circuits, battery back-up, or Uninterruptible power supply.

SDG Monthly Section News de Mitch K6BK

I had the pleasure of visiting all these radio clubs recently, and I am very impressed by their dedication to Amateur Radio:

El Cajon Amateur Radio Club - http://www.wa6bgs.org/
Escondido Amateur Radio Society - http://www.earsclub.org/
Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club - http://fallbrookarc.org/
Palomar Amateur Radio Society - http://www.palomararc.org/
San Diego Six Shooters Amateur Radio Club - http://n6six.50megs.com/

I am also very appreciative for the warm welcome I have received by all. While I am looking for a volunteer for the Affiliated Club Coordinator position, I am glad to take on this responsibility myself.

While recently attending the Southwestern Convention in Torrance, I had the opportunity to meet many members from the other Sections of the ARRL Division. One of the highlights of the Southwestern convention for me was getting "Wouff-Honged"! Although I have been a ham for 46 years, and first saw the fabled instrument of persuasion at ARRL HQ when I was 14 years old, now my membership is official. You can read more about this sacred tradition from the roots of amateur radio at: http://amfone.net/WouffHong/wouff.htm and a nice review on the ARRL website: http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2002/04/01/1

I am ready to help Division Director Dick Norton N6AA with some issues of concern to the San Diego Section, which include putting the brakes on Broadband over Power Lines, and gearing up to take on the cities that are in violation of antenna rights under PRB-1. One of the important things that has been learned is to refer to your tower as an "antenna support structure" when doing permit paperwork, or you may never be able to change the cloud warmer on at the top.

We are very fortunate to have amateur radio classes offered in the San Diego Section. For Ham Classes contact Skip Cline KD6RFQ at 760-757-5424, kd6rfq@ixpres.com (see the SANDARC information at http://www.sandarc.net/), or contact Steve Early AD6VI at 619-461-2818, ad6vi@amsat.org, or contact Harry Hodges W6YOO at 760-743-4212, w6yoo@amsat.org to register in advance.

In SDG we have dedicated VEC's and VE's who volunteer lots of their time so that there is a ham examination site available every Saturday of the month. Now that is real dedication to Amateur Radio! My hearty "Thank You" goes out to everyone involved in this effort.

For San Diego County Ham Exams be sure to contact the VE and make a reservation so they can bring the proper tests and make arrangements. Walk-ins may not be possible due to scheduling conflicts, so use this Volunteer Examiner Contact Information:

1st Saturday - El Cajon - Mike Maston 619-296-9067
2nd Saturday - Carlsbad (PARC) 619-465-EXAM
3rd Saturday - North Park - Mike Maston 619-296-9067
4th Saturday - Chula Vista - Tuck Miller 619-434-4211
Last Saturday of the month - Escondido (EARS) - Harry Hodges 760-743-4212
VEC - Greg Smith 619-697-1475

Need to find a repeater? Look it up at http://rptrlist.w6jpl.ampr.org/. And if you want to find out more about any ham radio activities visit http://ac6v.com/. Lets all thank Rod Dinkins AC6V for running one of the best ham radio sites on the internet.

As the trustee of KA6BSA and Wood Badger myself, I have participated many times in the Jamboree-on-the-Air. It is coming up again on October 19-20, and thousands of stations around the world will be making contacts with Scouts at the microphone. This time it will be 50 hours long to celebrate the 50th year of the event. For details and frequencies see http://home.tiscali.nl/worldscout/Jota/jota.htm and http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html.

ARES Happenings:

The leadership of the San Diego Section ARES is now in good hands with SEC Jim Cammarano KG6R, who has an Industrial Engineering background and Management Consulting skills in Operations. Jim was promoted because he did an excellent job as the A-SEC for EMS. This year we welcomed a new A-SEC EMS, Teri Rowe KI6FKD, an RN who has worked hard to improve the standards for ARES, and has accomplished a lot to establish good relationships with the San Diego Disaster Health Care Council and the local hospitals. These efforts have resulted in the County Emergency Services purchasing in-place radios and antennas, and designating a radio room at the Medical Operations Center. Several hospitals have committed to creating radio rooms for ARES responders, and will soon be purchasing dedicated equipment for HF, VHF, UHF, and Pactor 3 modems for Winlink.

The Simulated Emergency Test on August 18th included successful coordination in the drill with the Red Cross and Cal Fire. With the guidance of very capable Directors of the Board Harry Hodges W6YOO, Len Fulbright K5WFW, and Harv Hiller K6QK, ARES is improving the relationships with served agencies to build effective communications networks for better disaster preparedness.

Coming up very soon is The Miramar Air Show on Oct. 12, 13, 14. ARES will serve as official backup emergency communications to the US Marines, and for the County Emergency Medical Service and local hospitals. And while doing that, another ARES mission at the event is to send radio patrols into the crowds to find lost children, and adults too. With 750,000 people at the show last year, ARES reunited more than 40 lost individuals with their families. While this is an exciting event, it provides the opportunity to practice Emcomm (emergency communication) skills in a real live environment. Sign up and bring your headset, because the show is right overhead.

Remember that the monthly ARES meeting is a week earlier on Oct 6 to accommodate the Miramar Air Show. See www.sdgares.org for meeting details.

You can volunteer online for a shift with the Miramar Air Show responder teams at www.sdgares.org. And there will be many opportunities (during the three days and one evening) to learn hands-on how to operate a NCS Net Control Station. I will be gone that weekend to Newington, Connecticut attending the mandatory Section Manager's Workshop at ARRL HQ, but SEC Jim KG6R will be in charge at the Air Show to make sure the ARES activities are a success.

If you have an upcoming event you would like to see in this report next month, or have any corrections to the information here, please contact me to get the best possible support for your activity.

Tnx es 73 de K6BK

Loren "Mitch", Mitchell
San Diego Section Manager

ARRL San Diego Section
Section Manager: Loren Mitchell, K6BK
k6bk@arrl.org

Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club
Roy Noon Hall, Fallbrook, California
September 1, 2007

President Bigs Parker, KG6GIU, called the meeting to order at 1500 and the pledge was recited.

Ken, W6MF, introduced two new members to FARC. Bill Parkinson, KI6KVD and Harold Stanley, KI6KVH and also gave the following financial report.

Checking Balance July 31, 2007	$1756.82
Petty Cash Balance July 31, 2007	$29.48
Total	$1786.30

AUGUST INCOME
ARRL VE Exam Fees	$14.00
FARC Membership Dues	$160.00
Total	$174.00

AUGUST EXPENSES
ARRL VE Exam Fees	$11.00
Total	$11.00

Checking Balance August 31, 2007	$1919.82
Petty Cash Balance August 31, 2007	$29.48
Total	$1949.30

Bigs announced that he would be going to the current CERT class to see if any of those currently enrolled in that class would be interested in taking an Amateur Radio Technicians Class. He’ll report his finds at the next FARC meeting.

Bigs also reported that the Chamber of Commerce has already held it’s first Christmas Parade meeting. This is just to inform the membership that FARC will again assist the Chamber in the parade and that we’ll be needing volunteers again this year. The parade will be held on December 1, 2007. He also announced that there would be no Mickey Mouse or Clydesdales this year.

Ron, KG6HSQ and Bigs also announced that North County Fire would be holding an open house on October 13, 2007 and they would like the participation of FARC. Randy, KD6UAK and Ron will be assisting with the open house but can use other amateurs as well. Please contact Randy or Ron if you can assist with this open house. The activity will be run very much the same as last year.

Ron, KG6HSQ, gave a briefing on the recent SET drill that was conducted. He stated that the drill was done a bit early this year in San Diego County because of the Mira Mar Air Show being scheduled at the same time the National SET will be run. FARC did a SET and sent radio operators to pre-selected sites around the area. It was an opportunity to introduce some of our new operators to the activity. There were two operating positions at the Dewey Communications Center. One monitored the local activity and acted as net control while the second position maintained communications with the San Diego County operation. Ron thanked all of the operators that helped with the drill and said that he felt that it was very successful and well done.

Bob, W6VR, presented a very good program dealing with Southern California’s electrical power consumption, handheld transceiver antennas and “Mysterious Propagation”. At the beginning of the program he showed some power usage graphs from our local area over the last few days. He said that this information is available on the Internet. He indicated that around 4:00 to 5:00 P.M was a critical time of day when there was high power usage because the demand is quite often increased about this time of day.

Bob also discussed and demonstrated a variety of antennas that are used on handheld transceivers. His opening comment was “Rubber ducks are not a great antenna”. He explained a bit of the design of the rubber duck and explained some of the shortcomings of the antenna as well as why they were so commonly used. He presented a chart developed from a study that he had done utilizing various antennas. He described the pros and cons of each of the demonstrated antennas and those within the study. He indicated that when an “HT” with an attached antenna was “hung on a belt” that there was a loss of 11 - 27 db. He said that it is always best to keep the antenna of a transmitter away from the body. He closed the antenna segment of the program by advising that “ a ¼ wave antenna is usually a good investment” when used with an “HT”.

Bob then moved into the topic of “Mysterious Propagation” when dealing with VHF and UHF especially in Southern California. He said that “Ducting” is very common and also very dramatic in Southern California. It is often brought about by temperature inversions and is most often weather related. He showed a graph that was developed from a study that was done in Southern California in 1949 during a period of time where ducting tendencies were measured. He discussed the parameters of the study and how it was conducted. The study indicated that ducting was caused by stratifications in the atmosphere and that the strata acted as a reflector to radio frequencies that were included in the study. Soundings were taken of the reflecting strata and it was determined that the strata layer varied from 0 feet to approximately 4,000 feet above ground. He indicated that there was less ducting during the winter in this area and that summers with less winds produced more inversion layers.

Ron, KG6HSQ, then continued the discussion of ducting by talking about an amateur in Hawaii that has set up beacons at his shack, which is on the side of a volcano. This station is heard fairly often in our area. Apparently when some stations in California hear the beacons from the Hawaiian station they call the Hawaiian amateur and he then drives to his shack to set up for stateside communications. Ron indicated that he has heard and talked to the Hawaiian station on 2 meters.

Stephen, KC6MIE, told the club about some QRP kits that he had located and asked if there were any members that would be interested in building kits and forming a local QRP group. He described some kits that he has done some research into by a QRP company named Hendricks. He said that some of the kits could be purchased for around $40.00. He suggested that interested members could get together to construct the kits. It was his suggestion that if such a group could be formed that we would operate on the 40 meter band and set up a weekly “rag chew” session using the QRP equipment.

With no further business the meeting adjourned at 1640.

Ken Dickson, W6MF

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

CAMOUFLAGED CELLULAR AND PCS SITES

The National Geographic Society's (NGS) September 2007 magazine has a feature on camouflaged cellular and PCS sites. I'm quoted in the article, and I provided the photos to illustrate the article from my www.CellularPCS.com site. The NGS website is running a parallel feature, also using my photos, which can be reached at the URL below.

I think it was the photo of the 'Bison' cellular site in Colorado that hooked them!

Jonathan L. Kramer, Esq., Kramer (at) CableTV.com or

www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0709/cell-phonies.html

Editor's note: Cellular antennas disguised as trees, e.g. "monopines" and "monopalms," are becoming better camouflaged than ever. Check out this faux tree on the north side of Pechanga Pkwy in Temecula. What makes this particular tree noteworthy is that its panel antennas are covered with fake foliage, enhancing the camouflage. "Shaggy panels" may be the next rage.

earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Images/DSC00480.jpg

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

Duane, AA6EE is offering FARC members special pricing on the ARRL Handbook 2008 edition.
Early Bird BONUS--when you order by 6 Oct., you get all this:

The ARRL Handbook 2008 edition
The ARRL Handbook on CD-ROM version 12.0
BONUS ARRL Software Library for Hams CD-ROM version 2.0 -- a $20 value!

Price: $44.95 + tax. Confirm order via email by Oct. 6 for free shipping.
See my website for more information on the Handbook:

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

Bulletin page

FARC Home