January / February 1996
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Here it is time for another president's corner and I'm supposed to come up with some words of wit. However, it's hard to be witty when I'm lacking any wit.
We are making a stab at getting the newsletter out to everyone more frequently than before. We've opted to give you a more frequent newsletter with fewer pages rather than fewer newsletters with more pages. Of course, it will help if I follow our decision to have my copy in to the editors by the drop-dead date of the 5th of each month. This will help them get it all together and have it copied in time to get it out in a more timely manner.
You will notice one of the new listings is a list of ARRL videos available to club members. I get one new video a month from the ARRL and am allowed to copy it. I will then add it to the list both in the newsletter and our WEB page on the Internet. I will show the new video between 7PM and 7:30PM on the 3rd Friday of each month (our general meeting). If you want to borrow it or any of the others, you can check them out from me during that time or after the meeting. By the way, if any of you have any of those demo video (10 minutes, 15 minutes, 8 minutes, etc.) and you are planning to throw them away, PLEASE give them to us. I can record the ARRL videos on them (over the old DEMO, Advertisement, etc..) and save us the expense of having to buy video tapes.
I'm trying to get a list of speakers together for the new year and, frankly, I'm having trouble doing it, so if any of you have any suggestions or want someone from the past to return, please let me know. I can be reached at home often at (408)972-1978. If I'm not there, my recorder or wife will take the message. I NEED YOUR HELP to get the program you want for YOUR club. Enough gripping for this time. Everyone have a GREAT New Year.
CORRECTION
PAST DUE MEMBERSHIP
It has been pointed out that the statement made in the last news letter concerning PAST DUE membership dues was incorrect.
The below explanation is to clarify the renewal process. Members who are renewing their membership late may not prorate their membership. Full year membership dues are necessary for continued membership status. In the past year we have had members renew late and prorate their dues. Although we are grateful to those members for their renewal, unless full membership is received, continued membership status was not maintained. In many of these cases, the past due members would continue to use autopatch privileges. Without your support, your club can not maintain your repeater system. Thank you for your understanding in this matter and sorry for any misunderstandings.
According to the Santa Clara Valley Repeater Society Policy Manual dated April 1987.....
Section 3. Financial
3.5 Dues:
a. The annual membership dues for the Society are $24.00 [this does not include autopatch, see section 3.6] and are due, in advance, on March 1st each year. Membership in the Society shall automatically be revoked for any member whose dues have not been paid by the following April 1st. During this grace period, the member shall lose his voting privileges.
Section 4. Membership
4.4 The membership or rights and privileges of a member may be suspended or revoked in any of the following manners for the reasons given therein:
b. The Board of Directors shall have the power to suspend or Revoke the membership of any member who is in arrears in payment of his assessments for a period exceeding sixty (60) days after the due date.
4.8 Former members, whose membership has been revoked, may reapply for membership in the Society in the same manner as any other prospective member, including payment of the current initiation fee and dues, along with any dues and assessments unpaid prior to his revocation of membership. Such former members, however, shall not be permitted to reapply for membership within a period of one (1) year from the date of revocation. The membership application of a previous member must state that it a reapplication for membership. Reinstatement shall be on such terms and conditions as set by the Board of Directors,
SUMMARY
In other words....
If you have not renewed your membership dues for 95 as of April 1st of 1995, your membership in the Society has been revoked.
If you last mailing label, and current one, has in red letters "Last Issue", then that was suppose to be your last, now this one is....
The Board of Directors and Officers of the Society have decided to allow past due members to rejoin the club with full member standing as long as any dues and assessments unpaid have been brought up to date. You will not have to include the $5.00 initiation fee.
For example, if you were a full member with autopatch privileges, you would submit a check for 1995 dues in the amount of $30.00 now.
Should you decide to wait till March 1st of 1996, then you will be required to include the initiation fee of $5.00 for a total amount of $35.00, in this example.
THANK YOU
At this time I would once again like to thank those of you who have continued to support SCVRS with you annual dues and contributions.
Without your efforts, we would not be able to support one of the best High Altitude Repeaters in the Bay Area.
ARRL PACIFIC DIVISION UPDATE JANUARY, 1996
Welcome to 1996!
January 1, 1996, starts the second term as Director for me and as Vice Director for Jim Maxwell, W6CF. Many thanks for your confidence in supporting our second term! Also, the January 1996 issue of QST sports a new look! An overview of the changes is given in comments by editor Mark Wilson, AA2Z, on page 9. Please look over the new format including e-mail addresses for ARRL officials - see pages 10 and 12. Note also the new feature "DC Currents" - two pages of the latest news involving the FCC/NTIA, Congress and other inside the Beltway doings - see pages 15 and 16. Please let me know what you think about the changes.
Vanity "Preferred" Call Signs - Forms Available; Start Date Not Yet Announced:-
FCC 610-V - Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign Request - is now available, but the FCC is not yet accepting completed forms for filing. The FCC is expected to announce opening dates for the first vanity call sign filing gate in early 1996. In response to previous requests the ARRL has mailed 9,000 copies of the form. If you requested one from the ARRL and have not yet received it, call 860-594-0300 or e-mail to vec@arrl.org. You can obtain FCC Form 610-V (along with FCC Form 1070-V and an Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign System Fact Sheet PR-5000, Number 206-V) by writing ARRL-VEC, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111. Please include an SASE. Form 610-V also is available from the FCC via the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form610V or by anonymous ftp at ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Forms/Form610V/ , or by fax at 202-418-0177. Ask for Form 006108. The FCC Forms Distribution Center will accept orders in about one month. Call 800-418-3676. Call the FCC Consumer Assistance Branch at 800-322-1117 if you have any additional questions.
No Change to CW Requirement for HF Licenses:-
In late October, FCC announced the dismissal of three petitions for changes in the CW speed requirement for HF licenses in the U. S. See page 15 of December QST. On the international front, at the World Radio Conference - 95 in Geneva, Switzerland, it was decided at the Working Group level, that New Zealand's proposal to delete the Morse requirement for amateur operation below 30 MHz on a world-wide basis will not be taken up at WRC-95. See page 16 of January QST for details.
Telecommunications Reform and a Proposal to Eliminate the FCC:-
Telecommunications reform is currently one of the key topics currently in Congress. Both the House and Senate have passed differing Telecommunication Reform Acts. Apparently these bills focus on broadcast TV, cable TV, telephone service and related matters. It appears that these bills do not affect the Amateur Radio Service directly, but there may yet be surprises. A conference committee from both houses is trying to reconcile the differences between S. 652 and H. R. 1555. The conference committees have been named (in the Pacific Division, from the House, Anna Eshoo (D) CA 14th is a member). Little progress has apparently been made pending the resolution of the overall budget battle which continues as this is being written on Dec. 16. There are also various other proposals floating around Washington DC including proposals to eliminate the Department of Commerce and the FCC, as examples. This latter idea comes from the "Progress and Freedom Foundation," a "Think Tank" group consisting of folks with various political views. The proposal, essentially, is to eliminate the FCC and allocate the entire RF spectrum on a "property rights" basis. The mood in Congress seems to be to enact some sort of telecommunications reform, but just what is unclear so far. The ARRL Washington Team continues to monitor these developments and be active on our behalf. See page 15 of January QST for additional information.
Save Those MARS Stations:-
With the closing of the military bases, the related MARS stations will likely be closed. There are several groups working to attempt to save the MARS stations involved. Several have written proposals to save the stations but with mixed results. One Federal program which might be a great aid in saving the MARS stations is the "Federal Lands to Parks Program" as described in a brochure "U. S. Government Printing Office 1993-0-359-650" and related information available from the National Park Service, Western Regional Office, Planning, Grants and Environmental Quality Division, 600 Harrison St., Suite 600, San Francisco CA 94107 (415) 744-3972. A preliminary contact with Pete Sly, the manager of this program has been made. There may be other contacts and programs, but this is the only one found so far. If you would like a listing of facilities closed or realigned since 1988 in the Pacific Division, just ask for a copy.
FCC News:-
In another announcement, the FCC is considering privatizing the resolution of radio frequency interference to consumer electronics devices. Under the plan, private repair shops would be used to fix problems in the field. FCC spelled out the Commission's concept at a meeting in Tampa FL, saying "Since it is not feasible for the Commission to attempt to resolve these complaints" (the most of which come from Citizens Band operation), "it is our policy not to investigate interference to home electronic equipment. Likewise, we do not offer any protection from interference." So far, only one "repair shop" has been certified - that one in Tampa. ARRL continues to try to help the FCC with this matter, by offering classes and instruction, but very little on a nationwide basis seems to have been accomplished. Over the past several years, the FCC has been unofficially out of the "retail" RFI business, and parties who contact the FCC about an interference problem are asked to work together toward a solution. Depending on what the local repair shop found, either the shop would fix the equipment or, in the case of a violation of FCC rules, the service shop would refer the case back to the FCC for possible FCC action. The question of who would pay was not addressed. See October QST page 80 and January QST page 16 for additional details. The FCC Compliance and Information Bureau has recently released a new 24 page color publication, Bulletin CIB-2, May 1995, titled "Interference to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment Handbook." This document states "cost-cutting manufacturing techniques, such as insufficient shielding or inadequate filtering, may also cause your equipment to react to a nearby radio transmitter. This is not the fault of the transmitter and little can be done to the transmitter to correct the problem." Bulletin CIB-2 may be obtained from the U. S. Government Printing Office, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250. The price is $2.50 postpaid. It is also available on the World-Wide Web at http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/ Compliance/WWW/tvibook.html .
Pacific Division and ARRL WWW Home Pages:--
Through the diligent efforts of Alameda County ADECs Randy Foutch, KE6HCI, and Paul Carlin, KE6NVU, together with a dedicated band of associates, the Pacific Division Home Page is now "on the air." It can be found at http://www.portal.com/~pdarrl . In addition to a great deal of information on the ARRL Pacific Division, it contains links to other worthwhile pages, including the ARRL Home Page. The ARRL Home Page can be accessed directly at http://www.arrl.org/ , with links back to the Pacific Division Home Page and other sites. Give the Pacific Division Home Page a look! Many thanks to Randy, Paul, and their colleagues, for their hard work.
by Brad Wyatt, K6WR, Director, Pacific Division, ARRL 18400 Overlook Rd. #5, Los Gatos CA 95030-5850 (408) 395-2501 (Phone and FAX) Packet: K6WR@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA Internet: K6WR@arrl.org
ARRL PACIFIC DIVISION UPDATE FEBRUARY, 1996
The Second 2.4 GHz Repeater in the Pacific Division is on the Air:-
Over the holidays, K6PRK/R went to the top of Black Mountain in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is at 2800 feet and 60 feet above the terrain. There are 2 repeaters linked together, 1.2 & 2.4 gig. The frequency for the 1.2 is 1284.850 (-12 MHz), and the 2.4 is 2424.850 (-20 MHz). The coverage for both repeaters is impressive. You can work the 2.4 gig repeater from Los Positas College in Livermore with 100 milliwatts! Coverage is very good throughout the Bay Area. We had a magnificent team effort to get the repeater built, tested and installed. For more information, contact Dan Smith, K6PRK, at email adassc@tevm2.nsc.com .
New Amateur Radio Station at the National Weather Service in Monterey, CA:-
The Monterey Peninsula Amateur Radio Emergency Service has established a voice and digital station at the NWS Forecast Office in Monterey, California. During communications emergencies this station will serve as a distribution point of weather data utilizing Amateur Radio frequencies and the existing San Francisco Bay Area Spotter's Network. As an experiment, the station is currently listening on 144.93 MHz for 1200-baud signals and on 145.71 for 9600-baud signals. Connect to NWS and you will be into a full service BBS. Connect to WH6DT-4 for keyboard-to-keyboard on 1200 and WH6DT-7 for keyboard-to-keyboard on 9600. For more information, contact Greg Pool, WH6DT Phone: 408-649-6790; email: wh6dt@amsat.org; packet: wh6dt@k6ly.#cenca.ca.us.noam .
Pacific Division group achieves "charitable, non profit" status:-
The Emergency Communications Through Amateur Radio (ECTAR) group in Monterey, CA, has finally completed its efforts to obtain the status, for both CA and U. S., of a "charitable, non profit" organization. Contributions to the group will now be tax deductible according to both CA FTB and IRS. After assisting local emergency offices last winter during heavy flooding, visionary amateur radio technicians recognized the need for a mobile full-spectrum emergency communications unit, and thus: ECTAR. The group is the only known Ham club, at least in the Pacific Div., to address this need through the formation of a not-for-profit organization. This organization is developing a funding program and is pursuing monies necessary to package a self-sufficient mobile emergency communications and operations command center; this unit will be capable of providing full range multi-mode communications any time, any place, upon demand. This group can be reached through Bob Steen, N7ZKO, for those who want further information at (408) 663-3310 or N7ZKO@AOL.COM . Stay tuned for the rest of the story!
Vanity "Preferred" Call Signs - Forms Available; Start Date Not Yet Announced:-
FCC 610-V - Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign Request - is now available, but the FCC is not yet accepting completed forms for filing. The FCC is expected to announce opening dates for the first vanity call sign filing gate in early 1996. In response to previous requests the ARRL has mailed 9,000 copies of the form. If you requested one from the ARRL and have not yet received it, call 860-594-0300 or e-mail to vec@arrl.org. You can obtain FCC Form 610-V (along with FCC Form 1070-V and an Amateur Station Vanity Call Sign System Fact Sheet PR-5000, Number 206-V) by writing ARRL-VEC, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111. Please include an SASE. Form 610-V also is available from the FCC via the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form610V or by anonymous ftp at ftp.fcc.gov/pub/Forms/Form610V/ , or by fax at 202-418-0177. Ask for Form 006108. The FCC Forms Distribution Center will accept orders in about one month. Call 800-418-3676. Call the FCC Consumer Assistance Branch at 800-322-1117 if you have any additional questions. As this report is being written on Jan. 7, the FCC is still shutdown due to the Federal budget impasse.
Telecommunications Reform:-
Telecommunications reform is currently one of the key topics in Congress. Both the House and Senate have passed differing Telecommunication Reform Acts. Apparently these bills focus on broadcast TV, cable TV, telephone service and related matters. It appears that these bills do not affect the Amateur Radio Service directly, but there may yet be surprises. A conference committee from both houses is trying to reconcile the differences between S. 652 and H. R. 1555. The conference committees have been named (in the Pacific Division, from the House, Anna Eshoo (D) CA 14th is a member). Little progress has apparently been made pending the resolution of the overall budget battle which continues as this is being written on Jan. 7. The mood in Congress seems to be to enact some sort of telecommunications reform, but just what is unclear so far. The ARRL Washington Team continues to monitor these developments and be active on our behalf. See page 15 of January QST for additional information.
Spectrum Protection Battles Continue:-
The 2300 - 2310 MHz battle is probably coming soon. There is a proposal by the NTIA to make this segment available to Land Mobile Services, but this would require "auction authority" from Congress. This authority is currently stymied by the Federal budget impasse. Unfortunately, this problem could come back very quickly after the budget impasse is resolved. NTIA has also written a letter to FCC urging FCC to issue an Notice of Proposed Rule Making for the Apple Petition which involves a sharing of the frequency allocation in the ham band at 5.7 GHz. See earlier Updates for details.
Antennas, Towers and Ordinances:-
The negotiations over these ordinances continue in Fresno, Sonoma and Napa counties. Fresno appears to be a long term project into late 1996; Sonoma next event will be a Board of Supervisors meeting Jan. 24; Napa next event will be a Board of Supervisors meeting Jan. 23. Good luck! Please forward copies of all antenna, tower and related ordinances to Phil Kane, N6SP, who is collecting this data for the Pacific Division. Phil can be reached at P. O. Box 280192, San Francisco CA 94128-0192, (415) 369-7373 and commlaw@netcom.com . Please read the article by Chris Imlay, N3AKD. ARRL General Counsel, "But I Never Agreed to That" starting on page 47 of Dec. 95 QST.
Scholarships and Awards:-
There are many awards and scholarships covering a wide range of situations available to licensed Amateurs. For example, the Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year; Professional Educator of the Year; Professional Instructor of the Year; Excellence in Recruiting; Phil McGan Memorial Silver Antenna (nominations all due Feb. 15); Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial; Field Organization Volunteer of the Year (nominations all due March 31). See the September 1995 edition of the ARRL Section Leader or contact the Field Services Dept. at ARRL HQ for details. To apply for ARRL Foundation scholarships, write to The ARRL Foundation Inc., 225 Main St., Newington CT 06111. Deadline for applications and transcripts is Feb. 1. See Sept. QST pages 118-119. The Dayton Amateur Radio Association is now accepting applications for its 1996 college scholarships. Amateur Radio licensees graduating high school in 1996 are eligible for 2000 dollar scholarships. Each year the DARA offers eight such scholarships. No specific field of college study is required. Winners will be announced around June 1, 1996. Interested students should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for an application to DARA Scholarships, 45 Cinnamon Court, Springboro, Ohio 45066. Other organizations will be announcing their dates for applications for their 1996 scholarships. Watch QST and other amateur radio publications for details.
by Brad Wyatt, K6WR, Director, Pacific Division, ARRL 18400 Overlook Rd. #5, Los Gatos CA 95030-5850 (408) 395-2501 (Phone and FAX) Packet: K6WR@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA Internet: K6WR@arrl.org
ON THE HILL
What Happen To The 2 Meter?
It seems that one of the organizations we share the hill with has accidentally cut our line to the antenna.
Further investigation has revealed that they pulled approximately 50 ft. of our 7/8 line down to the Repeater System. After realizing what they've done, they proceeded to hook another line that was hanging next to our Repeater, to the system.
We traced the line back to a Yagi antenna located approx. 100 ft. up the tower. The antenna is facing north and the exact type and frequency is unknown.
Even further investigation has revealed the name of the likely organization who is responsible. We are attempting to contact this organization and arrange for the retrieval of our coax and the necessary adaptors to patch the cable back into the system.
We have not mentioned the name of the organization here since we are not absolutely sure, at this time, that this organization is indeed responsible.
220
We have successfully changed the 220 crystal and we are now back on frequency. So if you have tuned your rig in the past, you'll need to re-tune it again.
Radio Shack HT's
Those of you owning a Radio Shack 2M HT will be glad to know that the Patch Accessing problem has been fixed.
If you are still experiencing problems, then please let us know via the clubs phone number.
For those of you not aware of the problem... The Radio Shack HT's have a problem with their tone generator. It drops for ever so slightly when keyed. This falsely causes the repeater controller to abort the patch process.
The solution.... we added a capacitor to the circuit. Thus increasing the amount of time necessary to cause the patch to abort.
Tower Climb
We have not been able to get a successful tower climb trip coordinated for months now.
We must have a minimum of three people to climb the tower and also a ground crew.
Major work planned for this trip would effect the 440 repeater system. We currently have no idea were the 440 cable is attached. There has been some major work on the tower by a commercial group and it seems that they may have attached our 440 cable to another antenna ?%$#@^!!
We are also planning to identify all other cables for the 220 and 2M and mark them all and repair the 2M cable....
So if you would like to be on the crew then PLEASE call the clubs number and leave a list of available weekend dates. Keep these dates available or let us know if one changes. Once we have enough people interested, we will cross reference the lists and pick a day good for all....
Last Modified 3/4/96 scvrs_www@scvrs.org