Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club Bulletin

An ARRL Affiliated Club
January 2012
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President --  Jon Bart - K6QVA    qvajpb@gmail.com
Vice-President -- Ron Patten - KG6HSQ    kg6hsq@fallbrookarc.org
Secretary/Treasurer -- Ken Dickson - W6MF    kpdickson@sbcglobal.net

146.175 MHZ (+) Tone 107.2  Red Mtn.
445.600 MHZ (-) Tone 107.2 Red Mtn.
Local ARES NET (Every Tuesday 7:00 pm)

FARC Web Site fallbrookarc.org
Bulletins Online fallbrookarc.org/bulletin.html

The Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club normally meet at 3:00 PM on the first Saturday of the month.
Roy Noon Hall, 231 E. Hawthorne St. Map

THIS MONTHS MEETING AGENDA



Fallbrook Amateur Radio Renewals


Name Call Date Expires
Third Notice




Ahnell, Karl KI6TUH 11/30/2011

Gilman, Chell KI6FKA 11/30/2011

Lay, Karen KI6FKC 11/30/2011

Perrine, Hayden KG6YVD 11/30/2011

Wright, Al KI6FXP 11/30/2011
 Second Notice



Peller, Arnold N6VXM 12/31/2011

Ream, Don KI6QYY 12/31/2011
  Rideout, Art WA6IPD 12/31/2011
First Notice



Blankenhorn, Rick
K9RCB
1/31/2012

Paldino, Sal
KN6S
1/31/2012

Sautter, Paul
W6SJL
1/31/2012
    Note: Processing of mailed renewals this month is delayed, so list is not up to date.

There will be no more paper notices mailed due to the rising cost of postage and supplies.
All future notices will  be sent electronically. See Members List for your expires date.


NEWS & VIEWS

A New Years Resolution

Be better prepared this year. Keep your HT battery's charged. Have supply of battery's for the back up dry cell case. Where is your cigaret lighter power adapter. If your are not a regular net participation at least check in once a month to the local net, Tuesday 7:00 pm as a visitor. You never know when there is going to be smoke in the air, the earth move, or a black out.

And it would be nice to see you at the club meetings.

Happy New Year
Ron-KG6HSQ



One-Day Amateur Radio Technician License Class
 
Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Times:  8:30 AM to 5:00 PM for class, 5:00PM to about 7:00PM for exam. (Class time includes short hourly breaks and a 45 minute lunch break.)
Location:  Escondido area (address will be provided later)
 
Costs: The class is free. The VEC Exam at the end of the  day costs no more than $15.  Eligibility: Anyone is eligible if they follow instructions to register and confirm. Age limit: None.  (contact us for teen and pre-teen considerations)
 
Seating is limited. Register with J Goldberg, AF6GM at sandiegohamclasses@me.com if you would like to attend.
 
Those who register will receive detailed instructions and study materials to review before the day of the class.   While walk-ins may be permitted if space is available, advance review of the study materials is strongly recommended.  Those unwilling to follow registration and confirmation instructions may  be ineligible to attend the class.
 
See http://web.me.com/sandiegohamclasses/ for more information.

This is an entry-level class for beginners, and no previous knowledge about radio or electricity is necessary to take the class or pass the exam. 

Those who pass the end-of-the-day exam will receive a radio license and call sign from the FCC which entitles them to transmit on VHF and UHF Amateur  Radio frequencies.
 

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Event

January 7, 2012,Ingold Sports Park, 9am to 3pm
Chemicals, paints, pesticides, batteries as well as electronics and florescent light bulbs


ARRL Sanctioned Palm Springs Hamfest!


ARRL  - PALM SPRINGS HAMFEST 2012 - January 28

We have over 30 Vendors and groups attending. One main focus of our event is live Demos that will go on throughout the Day.
Presenters like Gordon West, Clint Bradford / AMSAT , San Bernardino Microwave Society,  The Fast Scan TV Group from Los Angeles, D-STAR, and others! See our web site or Forum for all the details http://desertrats.x.am

WE have just received word Yaesu is coming ....that adds to ALINCO ( with some new products to view and hands on trying out ) and Elecraft who are manufacturers of Ham products.  Kenwood will be in attendance to discuss their line but will not have a display of their products.
Raffles all day long!  Great food ...cooked home style by our volunteers and YL's.  YUM 

SWAP MEET space free for sellers so bring along your stuff ...make money... and buy some new stuff to play with and this Winter is the perfect time to build something ...as it says on the cover of QST !

 It's all about having fun and camaraderie like the good old fashioned Hamfests of bygone days!  Remember the old burger joint hangout!  Like Palm Springs of old it's all about nostalgia. Time to grease up the old ducktail or ratsnest hairdoo, dress 50's - 60's!  Our Hamfest is the Desert RATS Club's gift to all Hams and all about Ham Radio + .   Meant to be a fun place to spend the day.  Come in your RAT ROD! Bring a friend that has one...or vintage / classic stock gem, or custom chopped and channelled beauty!  I wonder if we will have more Fords than Chevies?  An Event where it didn't cost you an arm and a leg to attend. $2 is all it is   (and that's our cost  to get you  clean state of the art biffies. hi hi  )  The air waves are already aBUZZ about Palm Springs on January 28.

Handicapped friendly with a shuttle service from car to event and back. If you only have a few items you want to sell off we have our very successful 2nd Hand Store where our expert Club members will sell it for you for a slight commission of 10% no hassle for you and you can enjoy the day .
For complete details go online but here is a list of some of the attendees to wet your appetite:

ARRL, Carl Gardenias, WU6D, Dick Norton, N6AA, Bill Prats K6ACJ
A Better Tomorrow --Ham Clothing and Apparel, Laura Seitlinger
Alpine Antenna Co., Wes Ogilvie, KA6EL
Alinco Electronics, amateur radio's value leader, sells high quality hand held and mobile transceivers.
AMSAT, Satellite contacting - Demos, Clint Bradford, K6LCS
Bud’s Engraving, Merle (Bud) Young
Byonics, Byon Garrabrant
CQ Magazine, Chip Margelli 
DX Store, Jim Shryne, N6DHZ
EDS Emergency Pack, Kelly Guthrie
Elecraft
Fast Scan TV Demos, Amateur Television Network, Tom WB6HYH
Gordon West, WB6NOA, Wagonmaster  Quartzfest to Palm Springs Hamfest Convoy January 27, 146.520
ICOM D-Star Demos, Gene Swiech
Ham Radio Outlet, Janet Margelli, KL7MF
Hi-Tech Liquidators
Impulse Electronics, Marvin Munster, W6MJM
Kenwood Special guest
NiCad Lady Company, Jeffrey Lloyd
Nifty Accessories, Bernie Lafreniere N6FN
RF Stuff, Kathy & Art Bross, N7AYR & KC7GF
MARS, Corky Elliott WE6COP, Tom Mackay, W6WC
Old Military Radios ( Museum collection), Michael Brennan
Quality Power Batteries, Kyle Underhill
San Bernardino Microwave Society - Demos, Dennis Kidder, W6DQ
W5YI   Gordon Wests School, Ham Courses  WB6NOA
Yaesu Amateur Radio-- Division of Vertex Standard coming back for their second year
Riverside County ARES, Evan DeRouen KI6WNF
Riverside County RACES, John Polak NF6N
Civil Air Patrol, Squadron 11
Desert RATS Club of Palm Springs, Glenn Morrison WB6RLC
Special Events Station, Tom Avarett WD6RAT, Chip Wallace W6POO

Daily NETS 8AM  12PM   6PM, Thursday 6PM- Saturday 6PM, and talk in  station 146.940 -PL107.2

-- Where else can you go these days for all of about $10 ( not including gas hi hi)  ...go to an ARRL sanctioned Hamfest, buy your lunch or snacks, buy some  Raffle tickets ; a cheap $2 entry fee  and meet your 'on air' buddies for an eyeball chat and have a days worth of fun.

73 Peter VE7REZ

...any questions email me back palmsprings.hamfest@gmail.com    http://desertrats.am


2012 ARRL Southwestern Division Convention

To be held in conjunction with the Yuma Hamfest.  This event is less than three months away, being held Friday and Saturday, February 17-18, 2012 at the Yuma County Fairgrounds in Yuma, Arizona.  We hope you will assist us by getting the word out to your club membership and other hams in your community by announcements at club meetings, newsletters, radio nets or simply word of mouth.

Now in our eighth year and one of the largest hamfests in the ARRL's Southwestern Division, the Yuma Hamfest is one of the few multi-day convention-style hamfests held in Arizona.  We feature commercial exhibitors and vendors, tailgating, on-site RV camping, free parking, seminars held in parallel tracks in two separate buildings, amateur license testing, DXCC card checking, antenna clinic and transmitter hunt, our famous "Buzzard BBQ" dinner, grand prizes worth $10,000, great hourly door prizes, a hospitality area, the "Country Store" consignment sales area, and much more.

Unlike many division-level conventions, admission will be only $5, tailgating spots are $20 for the weekend, and we offer a food concession manned by a professional chef.  Our now-famous "Buzzard BBQ" dinner is only $10 and has sold out for the last two years.  We are giving away an iPad 2 as a registration prize to someone just for attending.  You should mark the third weekend of February on your calendar and plan on attending the Yuma Hamfest and 2012 ARRL Southwestern Division Convention!

Please check our website at www.yumahamfest.org for more information.  If you prefer, you can contact us directly at info@yumahamfest.org or by phone at 928-305-1034.  We are also taking proposals for seminars at this time, and welcome volunteers to assist us in putting on the Convention.  Please contact us in either case.

Attached is a flyer for the 2012 ARRL Southwestern Division Convention.

Roger D. Hunt
K7MEX
Director, Yuma Hamfest



** This looks interesting, any interest in talking about this at a future FARC meeting? KG6HSQ **

The ARES E-Letter

Western Pennsylvania ARES: NBEMS for Data Communications

Narrow Band Emergency Messaging Software (NBEMS) is an open source software suite that allows Amateur Radio operators to reliably send and receive data using nearly any computer (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and any analog radio without requiring a dedicated digital infrastructure or specialized modem hardware. NBEMS works on both VHF/UHF FM and on HF. In an on-line presentation, readers can learn the basics of sending and receiving data using Fldigi, and how to verify file transfers with Flwrap. They will see how to easily send and receive verified text messages using Flmsg. NBEMS is the standard digital emcomm package for Western Pennsylvania ARES.

Advanced NBEMS

In a follow-up presentation, operators can also learn how to send and receive ICS-205, ICS-206, ICS-213, ICS-214, and ICS-216 forms in addition to ARRL Radiograms with Flmsg; and about new high speed modes in NBEMS. They can also see how to deal with large data files using Flwrap data compression and Flarq. Readers can also see real world through-put benchmarks and receive recommendations for how best to send data, and how to make a monitoring station automatically handle changes in NBEMS modes.

Click here for these on-line video presentations. - ARRL Web site

Full Letter at: www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=current


W1AW 2012 Winter Operating Schedule

Morning Schedule:
Time Mode Days
------------------- ---- ---------
1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWs Wed, Fri
1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWf Tue, Thu
Afternoon/Evening Schedule:
2100 UTC (4 PM EST) CWf Mon, Wed, Fri
2100 " " CWs Tue, Thu
2200 " (5 PM EST) CWb Daily
2300 " (6 PM EST) DIGITAL Daily
0000 " (7 PM EST) CWs Mon, Wed, Fri
0000 " " CWf Tue, Thu
0100 " (8 PM EST) CWb Daily
0200 " (9 PM EST) DIGITAL Daily
0245 " (9:45 PM EST) VOICE Daily
0300 " (10 PM EST) CWf Mon, Wed, Fri
0300 " " CWs Tue, Thu
0400 " (11 PM EST) CWb Daily
Frequencies (MHz)
-----------------
CW: 1.8025 3.5815 7.0475 14.0475 18.0975 21.0675 28.0675 147.555
DIGITAL: - 3.5975 7.095 14.095 18.1025 21.095 28.095 147.555
VOICE: 1.855 3.990 7.290 14.290 18.160 21.390 28.590 147.555
CWs = Morse Code practice (slow) = 5, 7.5, 10, 13 and 15 WPM
CWf = Morse Code practice (fast) = 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13 and 10 WPM
CWb = Morse Code Bulletins = 18 WPM
CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW bulletins.

DIGITAL = BAUDOT (45.45 baud), BPSK31 and MFSK16 in a revolving schedule.

On Tuesdays and Fridays at 2330 UTC (6:30 PM EST), Keplerian Elements for active amateur satellites are sent on the regular digital frequencies.

A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Thursdays and 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Fridays.

Audio from W1AW's CW code practices and CW/digital bulletins is available using EchoLink via the W1AW Conference Server named "W1AWBDCT." The 9:45 PM ET phone bulletin is currently unavailable via W1AWBDCT. The audio is sent in real-time and runs concurrently with W1AW's regular transmission schedule.
 
All users who connect to the conference server are muted. Please note that any questions or comments about this server should not be sent via the "Text" window in EchoLink. Please direct any questions or comments to w1aw@arrl.org.

In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as follows: Voice on the hour, Digital at 15 minutes past the hour, and CW on the half hour.


Palomar Amateur Radio Club next Meeting


The meeting will be held on January 4, 2012 (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.

Michelle W5NYV will speak on Lithium Ion Batteries: How They Work and Why They Fail.

Come early and enjoy an "eyeball" QSO with our members.

Carlsbad Safety Center
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad


COMMITTEES
Technical Committee
Bob-W6VR, AA4CD-Chris, Daryl-WA5QMV,  Ron-KG6HSQ


News Items from CGC Communicator Newsletter
Robert Gonsett - W6VR Editor

FALSE EMERGENCY ALERT IN N.J. CAUSES WIDESPREAD CONCERN

Verizon apologizes for alert that warned customers to "take shelter now."
http://tinyurl.com/FalseVerizonAlert-ArticleOne http://tinyurl.com/FalseVerizonAlert-ArticleTwo

FEDERAL REPORT ON THE STATION FIRE

A GAO inquiry has concluded that the USDA Forest Service failed to make use of all aircraft that might have been available during the critical early hours of the 2009 Station Fire, but the findings left unanswered key questions of why the planes and helicopters were not deployed.
http://tinyurl.com/GAO-ReportOnStationFire


GENERAL NOTES FOR RADIO & TV

o Carlsbad hopes to catch a copper thief:
www.10news.com/news/29834251/detail.html
o A major threat to America exists today that could wreak utter havoc on the nation's electronic systems. It is called "EMP," short for electromagnetic pulse, and it is a byproduct of a nuclear explosion:
http://tinyurl.com/EMP-Paper
o In the foothills north of Simi Valley, AeroVironment engineers have been quietly testing a miniature remote- controlled surveillance helicopter named Qube. Some ENG work will undoubtedly be done by this type of device in the future:
http://tinyurl.com/TheQubeSimiStory


HAM RADIO NOTES

o Fox News reports on the growing interest in ham radio:
http://tinyurl.com/FoxOnHams
o Ham radio in the 21st century:
http://tinyurl.com/HamRadio21
o Morse Code on the new Mars Rover:
www.arrl.org/news/new-mars-rover-to-feature-morse-code

o Copies of old Radio Shack catalogs are available at this Website. The Shack offered a lot of stuff circa 1960:
www.radioshackcatalog.com/index.html

o Beautiful photos from Field Day, June 25, 2011, at Otay Mountain in San Diego. The group consisted of NA6L, AG6AZ, W6MTR, W6GLS, AF6JC & AF6AV (Phil Wells). Click on Slide Show for fast viewing:
http://tinyurl.com/OtayMountainFieldDay2011

o Lockheed Martin Corp. has filed a Petition for Rule Making "to enable more flexible RFID use in the 433 MHz band:"
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-311491A1.doc

o Ham radio in Hollywood: Comedian Tim Allen to appear as a Radio Amateur on a new TV show:
 http://tinyurl.com/TimAllenHam


ONE HUNDRED TEN METER CW BEACONS

W6VR has logged 100 ten meter CW beacons over the past two months using a grossly non-resonant antenna. Think of what you could do with good equipment. Ten meters is hot.

Some interesting statistics from W6VR's log: 25 beacons reported their power levels and of those 84% were QRP (5 watts or less) and two of the 25 beacons reported running only 0.5 watts of power ("QRPp operation"). The complete log is posted here:
www.earthsignals.com/press/?p=1207

For those interested, WJ5O has provided this neat and clean list of worldwide 10 meter beacon stations:
www.qsl.net/wj5o/bcn.htm
 
60 METER IMPROVEMENTS -- NOT AVAILABLE YET

The changes to the 60 meter ham band mentioned in last week's Communicator do not become effective until 30 days after they are published in the Federal Register. Most of our readers know this, but a few may not. Bottom line: Don't use the improvements just yet.
http://tinyurl.com/60MetersIsImproved

AMATEUR RADIO BALLOON FLIGHT CROSSES ATLANTIC, SETS RECORDS

On December 11, 2011, a ham radio operator launched four balloons packed with position reporting equipment. None of the balloons was expected to travel far, but one made it from San Jose, California to the Mediterranean Sea.

During the flight, tracking and altitude information were radioed back to earth via Amateur Radio APRS equipment. Hams in Europe retuned their receivers to the U.S. packet frequency in order to pickup the data bursts. The extraordinary journey set two records for ham/balloon flights.

What a way to cap off 2011! Here is the story from ARRL Headquarters along with a URL for additional information:
 http://tinyurl.com/RecordHamBalloonFlight http://californianearspaceproject.com/



OFF TOPIC

TRACKING SHOPPERS USING CELLPHONE PINGS

The Temecula Promenade shopping mall is one of two malls in the U.S. using a new system that tracks the physical movements of shoppers. The shoppers' own cellphones transmit pings that allow their locations to be determined.

If the Promenade is only receiving pings from cellphones, there might not be an FCC issue. However, if the Promenade's locator system transmits pings to elicit return pings, the mall would need written permission from the cellular/PCS carriers or a written FCC authorization to allow the unusual practice.

The name of the locator system was given in one of the articles below and the company's Website indicates that the positions of shoppers are determined frequently, suggesting that the locator equipment is indeed transmitting signals to elicit return pings. The word "passive" used in one of the articles may simply mean that the cellphone user is unaware of the pings.

The FCC Field Office in San Diego is responsible for any possible field investigation and they are aware of the potential lack-of-authorization problem.
http://tinyurl.com/MallsSiphonSignals http://tinyurl.com/MallsTrackShoppers

STRINGING UP GIBSON GUITAR
In August, federal agents raided the Tennessee factories of the storied Gibson Guitar Corp. (CGC #1086). The suggestion was that Gibson had violated the Lacey Act -- a federal law designed to protect wildlife by importing certain India ebony.

The company has vehemently denied that suggestion and has yet to be charged. It is instead living in a state of harassed legal limbo. Which, let's be clear, is exactly what its persecutors had planned all along. The untold story of Gibson is this: It was set up. Here's the scoop from the Wall St. Journal (subscription required):


HIGH STANDARD OFF TOPIC MATERIAL

 o 'Find My Phone' iPhone app leads police to an armed robbery suspect who allegedly stole a purse with a cellphone inside. 'Find My Phone' told the cops where the phone and therefore the suspect were located, so police went to that spot, arrested the alleged culprit and recovered the phone:
http://tinyurl.com/FindMePhone
o If you were an astronaut, this could be the view (in HD) each day from your office window:
http://tinyurl.com/HD-View-from-Space
o An IEEE writer says consumers will be victimized by widespread mobile hacking thanks to free apps with hidden malware:
http://tinyurl.com/MobileMalware
o A cliff on this asteroid is 11 times taller than Palomar Mountain:
http://tinyurl.com/AsteroidCliff
o Brand new video of incredible model railroad in Hamburg. Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world and attracts almost 1,200,000 visitors per year:
http://tinyurl.com/NewWunderlandVideo
o Temecula: Promenade mall unplugs cellphone tracking technology for now:
http://tinyurl.com/PromenadeUnplugs
o A ham's Christmas poem:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_9REVC4dtc
o The vanishing yellow spots:
 www.msf-usa.org/motion.html
o Hear audio recovered from the earliest (circa 1885) recordings:
 http://irene.lbl.gov/volta-release.html
o A Christmas interactive animation for young kids:
http://tinyurl.com/ChristmasAnimation


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


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