The Monitor

Now that the June meeting has arrived, our Club will host the annual election for the Executive and Directors.  I am sure that the new Executive that starts in September will do very well and I wish them the best of luck in their endeavors.  I will also pledge my support to them and help them in any way I can.  We have had a good year with lots of interesting guest speakers and social evenings.  We have also purchased some new equipment and by the time the new Executive takes over we will have IRLP installed on our UHF repeater.  I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the present Executive and the members for supporting me and making this year a pleasure.

Don’t forget our HamFest on August 17th, 2002 at the Burford Fairgrounds and I look forward to seeing all at the club for a coffee on Tuesday nights throughout the summer.

73, Marven Ford VE3MWF

Those who regularly attend the Tuesday meetings have noticed the absence of Bob VE3PWF the past few weeks.  He has been ill recently but we hope he recovers soon so that we can enjoy his company again down at the club.

In the past month two asteroids have passed close by Earth, at distances of 1.2 and 3 times the distance to
the Moon.  Another asteroid has recently been shown to be on course for a collision with Earth in the year 2880.

RAYNET -- the United Kingdom's equivalent of ARES was called out on Friday, May 10th.  This, following a railroad crash that occurred in the city of Potters Bar less than one mile from the RSGB Headquarters.    The accident took place at about 1 P-M.  G4MWO says that Hertfordshire Raynet County Controller, Trevor Groves, G4KUJ, was contacted at home at 2 P.M. and asked to assist with setting up the local Emergency Control Vehicle.  Groves had it operational by 4:20 P.M.  He then provided technical and administrative support to the relief administration staff that used it until office accommodations were arranged at about 8 P.M. that evening.

EarthLink's Research and Development department has announced that Dr. Steve Dimse, K4HG, is the grand prizewinner of its open standards-based Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) device application development contest.  The competition was held to explore new and future vehicle telematics applications.  Dimse won the overall, grand prize for his proposal to integrate the AVL device into the existing Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) worldwide tracking system, which he helped create.  Dimse's proposal would extend the reach of the APRS by allowing it to be used by anyone with an AVL device and access to the Internet.  "The far-reaching benefits of this type of service include anything from keeping up with your kids to tracking down a stolen car," said Dimse, an emergency room physician.

A ledge in the Antarctic has been named after a Connecticut ham that provided phone patches for scientists working in the region. Larry Skilton, K1IED, says that to his knowledge, he's the first Amateur Radio operator who's never been to Antarctica to have a place named after him for services rendered. Skilton Ledge is described as a relatively flat rectangular rock platform at the southeastern margin of Midnight Plateau in the Darwin Mountains. The upper surface is ice-covered, but a rock cliff forms the southern end. Skilton made phone patches in the US to complete radio communications from US Antarctic Project science stations including Palmer, McMurdo, Byrd surface station and particularly South Pole. He worked a regular nightly schedule for 11 years, between 1990 and 2001 and arranged the completion of several thousand calls.

And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man would live long and healthy lives.

But Satan created McDonalds.  And McDonalds brought forth the 99-cent double cheeseburger. And McDonalds said to Man, "You want fries with that?"  And Man said, "Supersize them."  And Man gained pounds.

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."

But Satan created ice cream.  And man gained pounds.

And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."

But Satan created chicken-fried steak so big it needs its own platter.  And Man gained pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.

But Satan created cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between TSN and SportsNet.  So Man watched others exercise and Man gained pounds.

And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

But Satan created deep-fat fried potatoes called potato chips and sour cream dip.  And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol.  It tasted good but Man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

But Satan ran OHIP...

The legislature of the State of New York has formally recognized the more than 800 Amateur Radio operators from the Empire State who provided emergency communications following the World Trade Center disaster of September 11th.  The resolution notes that amateurs expended more than 15,000 work hours of volunteer service for more than two weeks to serve agencies across the state that included the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.  The resolution specifically cites Amateur Radio's role in staffing more than 30 shelters set up to house stranded air travelers and those displaced by the World Trade Center destruction.  Amateur Radio HF links also enabled New York City officials to maintain contact with state agencies near the capital city of Albany when conventional telephone service was unavailable.

The top three prizes, three top-of-the-line ham radio stations, were won by non-hams this year.  And before some of you channel cops start saying that non-hams cannot legally win ham gear guess again.  The law is on their side.  Not only did they win it.  They went home with it.

2002 may have been a record year for vendors.  Why?  Because those who came to Hamvention 2002 were armed with cash and ready to buy.  People went to get equipment and to get back on the air.  Many new hams were going on the air for the first time, yet there were a lot of older hams that were trading up to new equipment.

As to the size of the crowd, there is still no official figure, but it should equal last years attendance at least.  Enthusiasm in acquiring new equipment was much more than last year though.  The weather was a bit unpredictable.  Friday was wet.  Saturday was first clear then wet.  Sunday turned out to be the nicest weather of all.

Hamvention 2002 was a buyers market.  Dealers kept prices low and lots of major ticket items moved across the sales counters.  In fact, it was possible to buy a Yaesu FT-817 for under $500.  Vertex Standard introduced new products in every major category.  They introduced the Mark V Field high-end HF; the FT-897 second generation `man-pack' portable; the VX7R submersible handheld; the FT- 8900 `quad-band' 10 meter, 6 meter, 2 meter and 70 cm mobile radio and the Wires Internet repeater linking system.  Those attending the Kenwood booth wanted to see a little HT called the F6.  It’s a tri-band hand-held covering 2 meters, 220 and 440.  It has a receiver from about 500 Kilohertz to 1300 MHz but blocks out cellular telephones.  But the neat thing about this radio is its all mode receive in the band B.  AM, FM, USB, LSB and CW.  Icom was featuring the 706 Mark 2 G.  There was a lot of interest in a new digital radio that will give you bandwidth for data equivalent to a T-1 line.  MFJ had a high frequency beacon network receiver that is so pretty that it would be as much at home in your living room as in your ham shack.  Not only that, it lights up a LED on a map to show you what beacon you are actually hearing.  MFJ also showed its new Morse code interface box.  Not only does it decode the C-W signal your receiver is hearing.  It also lets you plug in a key, paddle or even a keyboard and send Morse like a pro.

Ham Radio Emergency Communications in the 21st Century - "Looking to Apply What We Have Learned From the Past" was this years Hamvention theme and all of the sessions, about 50 of them, were in some way dedicated to it.  And while I could not visit every one of the sessions, I do know that for all three days the forum rooms were packed.  On Saturday, I was able to attend the two-hour Newsline's Live Town Hall Meeting moderated by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF.  The following topics were presented:

Reaching Out and Involving Everybody: Keynote speaker Harold Ort, N2RLL, the Editor of Popular Communications Magazine looked at the "big picture" of emergency response that involves all personal radio operators including Amateur Radio, FRS, CB, GMRS, Marine and others and what each has to offer.

Where is Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Now?: CQ Magazine Editor, Rich Moseson, W2VU looked at how ham radio fits into the current and future scheme of Public Service and Emergency Response communications.

Creating and Maintaining Interest in Ham Radio Emergency Communications: Chicago's Marv Michnik, N9SXS, the Deputy Director of Maine Township Illinois E.M.A. had been successful in establishing a ham radio emergency communications system across Northern Cook County.  He revealed the secrets of how it was done.

Ham Radio Emergency Communications in Action: The ALERT - Alabama Story: A short video presentation by David Black, KB4KCH and First Frame Video Inc. on the highly successful ALERT-Alabama emergency communications system.

Using The Internet To Support Emergency Communications: Joe Tomasone, AB2M, of Tampa, FL had involved himself heavily in emergency communications, serving in various roles in ARES, RACES, and SKYWARN.  Following the events of 9-11, it was AB2M who solved the problem of registering ham radio volunteers and he did it using the Internet.

The EAS and ham radio emergency communications: Richard Rudman, W6TIA - National Chair of Congressional EAS Advisory Committee had a power-point presentation on the Emergency Alert System and the way ham radio can utilize this service.

International - Emergency Communications Based on Club Interaction: Former NZART President Jim Meachen, ZL2BHF, flew in from "down under" to tell us the way ham radio emergency preparedness works in New Zealand.

Supporting Our Sophisticated Emergency Back-Up Communications System: Joe Schroeder, W9JUV, knows that any emergency response requires that someone eventually pay the bill. Where does the money to do it come from? Joe had the answers.

The APRS booths at the Dayton Hamvention were always crowded with Amateurs seeking new information on the fast growing automatic position reporting system.  Bob Bruninga, WB4APR has been refining the technology for more than a decade.  With public service in mind, Bruninga said DTMF tones could be used to further expand the APRS system.

Introduced this year is APRS using touch-tones, so you can do that with any walkie-talkie.  You show up at your event and if want to report that you are at mile 13 in the marathon you enter a couple of digits and 13 and that tells everybody.  The computer will receive and convert that to an APRS position report showing you at mile marker 13.

At special events, voice nets often become busy.  APRS can relieve congestion. By having the touch-tone capability, everyone out there can enter data.  And that keeps traffic off the voice net, which could be handled with a couple of key presses.

Bruninga has the DOS version ready to go.  He's now looking for help on other versions.  Newly developed software and the growing popularity of APRS style radios are helping to expand the automatic position reporting system.  The marriage of APRS digipeaters and the Internet make it a global communications and information system.

For the first time in its 69-year history, Field Day officially will expand its scope beyond the borders of the US and Canada to include participation by amateurs in all of North and South America--including the Caribbean.  Field Day takes place this year on the first weekend of summer--June 22-23 (Field Day is always the fourth full weekend in June).

Field Day has a long tradition as an emergency preparedness exercise, operating equipment "in the field" using power sources other than the commercial mains.  Field Day also presents an ideal opportunity to showcase Amateur Radio to the general public and to local officials and to convey an important message in the process.  No matter what, there will be hams and they will be able to communicate with one another.

Another significant change this year is the new "Get on the Air" or GOTA station, which replaces the Novice station at Field Day setups.  The idea is to give Novice and Technician licensees as well as generally inactive amateurs of any class and even unlicensed individuals a chance to participate--under the supervision of a licensed control operator.

If you are interested in participating in Field Day this year, see Bob VE3AVU or put your name on the sign-up sheet.

QST June 2002
THE NVIS-A LOW ANTENNA FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS.  Here’s the lowdown on a low-to-the-ground antenna that can provide good regional coverage, day or night.
LIGHTNING PROTECTION FOR THE AMATEUR STATION.  The first of a three-part series on developing a protection plan.

CQ June 2002
MOBILE ANTENNAS FOR 2-METER SSB.  An article on the benefits of using a horizontal loop.
THE N0GSG PORTABLE RADIO DIRECTION FINDER.  A VHF/UHF direction finder that is easy to build using only three IC’s.

Commencing Saturday the 1st of June, The Scarborough Special Events Group in the United Kingdom will be on the air for 30 days as GQ0OOO to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Activity will be on all HF bands, two metres and 70 centimeters, using SSB, CW and PSK31.  A special full-colour souvenir QSL will be issued to mark the occasion.  Cards may be sent via the bureau or direct to club call GQ0OOO.

According to the RSGB, all U.K. amateurs will be permitted to use the G-Q prefix during the month of June to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's accession to the royal throne.

Logan, OH: Hocking Valley Amateur Radio Club, K8LGN. 2100Z Jun 14-0200Z Jun 16. 2nd Annual International Washboard Festival. 28.450 14.250 7.250. Certificate. HVARC, 52 E Second St, Logan, OH 43138.
Midland, TX: Midland Amateur Radio Club, W5G. 0000Z-2359Z Jul 2. Hometown celebration of President George W. Bush's Birthday. 10-40 meters.Certificate. Midland Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 4401, Midland, TX 79704. http://www.w5qgg.org/.
Hannibal, MO: Western Illinois ARC and Hannibal ARC, W0MTL. 1300-2300Z Jul 4. National Tom Sawyer Days (America's Hometown). 28.450 21.325 14.250 7.250. Certificate. Robert Mitchell, 816 Long Dr, Quincy, IL 62301.
Austin, TX: Naturist Amateur Radio Club, NU5DE. 0000Z Jul 8-2400Z Jul 14. 27th Annual North American Nude Awareness Celebration. 28.465 21.365 14.265 7.265. QSL. Naturist Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 200812, Austin, TX 78720-0812.
Oshkosh, WI: Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club, W9ZL. 1400Z Jul 26-2200Z Jul 28. Experimental Aviation Association's Airventure Fly-In, from Lone Rock Flight Service Station, Pioneer Airport. 28.343 21.343 14.243 7.243. Certificate. Wayne Pennings, WD9FLJ, 913 N Mason, Appleton, WI 54914.

Kid's Day, Saturday, June 15, from 1800 to 2400 UTC, is a chance to invest in the future of Amateur Radio.  Scheduled twice a year, in January and June, Kid's Day is an opportunity for amateurs to introduce their own youngsters, young relatives or neighborhood kids to the magic of Amateur Radio and, in the process, to perhaps open the door to a lifelong hobby.  Activity is on 20, 15 and 10 meters as well as locally on VHF, including repeaters.  Suggested frequencies are 14,270-14,300; 21,380 to 21,400, 28,350 to 28,400 kHz and 2-meter repeaters.

Kid's Day is not a contest.  It's more of a social event, where an experienced operator facilitates getting the youngsters on the air so they can enjoy the fun of ham radio.  The licensee need only keep an eye on the technical and legal aspects of the operation--including observing third-party traffic agreements and identifying every 10 minutes--and lend an Elmering hand as necessary. The idea is to help the kids find someone they're comfortable talking with and to just let them enjoy themselves. In Kid's Day, it's quality of the contacts, not quantity that counts.

To provide a little framework, it's suggested to have youngsters exchange name, age, location and favorite color with other participants they meet on the air.  It's OK to work the same station more than once if the operator has changed.  Stations may call "CQ Kid's Day."

Apparently, the war in Afghanistan may have removed an irritant from the air.  When the first bunkerbuster bombs were dropped near Kabul, a rather strong signal on 14.180 appears to have been blown off the air.  A broadcast station on 7.085 MHz also went off the air at the same time.  This leads to speculation that the two transmitters were at the same location.

PHILIPPINES, DU.  In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines Amateur Radio Association, Philippine stations may use special prefixes 4D70, and DZ70 for clubs, through the end of 2002.
TURKEY, TA.  TA2RC, TA2MW and TA2LE are QRV from Kefken Island, IOTA AS-159, as TA0/homecalls.  Activity is during the weekends throughout August.  QSL via bureau.
AFGHANISTAN, YA.  Chris, G0TQJ, is QRV as YA/G0TQJ from Kabul until the end of July.  QSL to home call.

ARRL Field Day - 1800Z Jun 22 to 2100Z Jun 23.
RAC Canada Day Contest - 0000Z to 2359Z Jul 1.
IARU HF World Championship - 1200Z Jul 13 to 1200Z Jul 14.
CQ WW VHF Contest - 1800Z Jul 20 to 2100Z Jul 21.
W/VE Islands Contest, CW/Digital/SSB - 1500Z Jul 20 to 2359Z Jul 21.

1. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer.
2. Sorry, Officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.
3. Aren't you the guy from the Village People?
4. Hey, you must've been doin' about 125 mph to keep up with me.  Good job!
5. Are You Andy or Barney?
6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police officer.
7. You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?
8. I pay your salary!
9. Gee, Officer!  That's terrific.  The last officer only gave me a warning, too!
10. Do you know why you pulled me over?  Okay, just so one of us does.
11. I was trying to keep up with traffic.  Yes, I know there are no other cars around. That's how far ahead of me they are.
12. When the Officer says "Gee Son.... Your eyes look red, have you been drinking?"  You probably shouldn't respond with, “Gee Officer your eyes look glazed, have you been eating doughnuts?"

Kid’s Day – June 15th
ARRL Field Day – June 22nd & 23rd
RAC Canada Day Contest – July 1st
Human Powered Speed Championships – August 5th to 10th
BARC Hamfest 2002 – August 17th
Brantford Air Show – August 28th

The next Business meeting with the new slate of Officers will be Tuesday September 10th.  Have a safe and happy summer !!