Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club Bulletin
An ARRL Affiliated Club
September 2011
President --
Jon Bart - K6QVA 
Vice-President -- Ron Patten - KG6HSQ
Secretary/Treasurer -- Ken Dickson - W6MF
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
- Tentative Program: SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and direction finding.
- Stand By Program: "The Last Big Field Day" Video
- Repeaters Upgrade Project
Fallbrook Amateur Radio Renewals
|
Name |
Call |
Date Expires |
| Third Notice |
|
|
|
|
Blanz, Ed |
KI6QZB |
7/31/2011 |
|
Huhta, David
|
N6EEG
|
7/31/2011
|
|
Sadler, Jim |
K6OFE |
7/31/2011 |
| Second Notice
|
|
|
|
|
Olms, Randy |
KJ6AEU |
8/31/2011 |
|
First Notice |
|
|
|
|
Bart, Jon |
K6QVA |
9/30/2011 |
|
Beach, Paul |
WA6SYA |
9/30/2011 |
|
Cobb, Bob
|
W6CN
|
9/30/2011
|
|
Donlevy, Al |
W6GNI |
9/30/2011 |
|
Gill, Robert
|
KD6LVF |
9/30/2011 |
|
Hills, Edward
|
KG6IDK |
9/30/2011 |
|
Jackson, Joe |
K0DBY |
9/30/2011 |
|
Leonelli, Phil |
WF6L |
9/30/2011 |
|
Powers, Krissy |
KR6SSY |
9/30/2011 |
|
Weldy, Andrew |
KG6YWB |
9/30/2011 |
8/18/2011
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
Photos from last Meeting
Red Flag Patrol - Labor Day, September 5th
We will be running RED FLAG Patrols in the Fallbrook area.
There will be an hour
break, for lunch. Please let KE6GXP - Steven Brooks, know if
you can help. He
needs to know how may we will have, so he can determine how
may patrols
and areas we can cover. You can volunteer for 1/2 or all
day. For each patrol we need 1 driver and 1 operator. (2 per
car), at least one needs to have been trained.
Email to: n6fq@fallbrookarc.org with Red Flag Patrol in the subject, to auto forward to Steven.
New Member
Ernest Garcia, W4EG - Extra Class
ARRL Southwestern Division e-Communicator
Here's your update on major items of interest to us in the ARRL
Southwestern Division...
2011 Santa Barbara Hamfest - Sunday, August 14
The Santa Barbara Hamfest will be at the Santa Barbara Elk's Lodge
#613, 150 North Kellog Avenue, Goleta, CA, from 08:30 to 14:30 on
Sunday, August 14 this year. Admission is free, and an economical
chicken or tri-tip meal will be available. A no-cost Consignment Table
will be available to sell your excess gear. Details are at
http://www.sbarc.org/annual/hamfest/HamFest2011/2011_Short_Flyer.pdf .
2011 Southwestern Division Convention - Torrance, CA - Sept 9, 10, &
11
Rooms at the Torrance Marriott are still available at the discounted
convention rate. Use the hotel convention code HAMHAMA . For additional
information, see
http://www.hamconinc.org/
Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI, and I both continue to welcome
opportunities to address your radio clubs and hamfests about ARRL
national issues, and welcome your inputs regarding ARRL policies.
ARRL Southwestern Division
Director: Richard J Norton, N6AA
n6aa@arrl.org
County, Regional Leaders Ask Public to Be Aware of
Suspicious Activity
Often the public is advised to report “suspicious activity,” but what exactly does
that mean? A locally-produced video details the “Eight Signs of
Terrorism” so that everyone can help law enforcement protect the
region’s security.
As the 10
th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, we
are providing a resource for the public to remind them that every citizen can
help prevent acts of terrorism,” said Chairman Bill Horn, Board of
Supervisors.
The video features Sheriff Bill Gore and FBI Special Agent in Charge of San Diego
Keith Slotter and can be viewed on
www.ReadySanDiego.org.
It has already been made available to County and City of
San Diego employees to help them recognize
suspicious activity while they are on the job. Brochures describing the eight
signs of terrorism will also be available at County libraries.
“We are committed to public safety and homeland security in our region,” said
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. “The public is a very important partner
for law enforcement when it comes to developing information for terrorism-related
investigations.”
The San Diego region has a strong anti-terrorism program in which city, county,
state, federal and private agencies collaborate to share information and
resources,
“We encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to their local
law enforcement, and If they believe there is imminent danger, call 911,”
said Sheriff Bill Gore. The region’s video and public awareness campaign was developed in support of
the federal Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See
Something, Say Something” campaign.
It's Back to School Time...for Ham Radio, too!
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
As I write this, it's about 85 degrees, and I'm sitting on the patio of a
cottage overlooking Elk Lake in northern Michigan. This idyllic spot is
about as far away from school as you can get. And yet, in less than a
month, kids will be back in school, and if kids are going to be back in
school, why not ham radio operators?
The fall is a good time to begin teaching a new group of Technicians. I
favor the "Tech in a Day" or "Ham Cram" type of class. This type of
class focuses on teaching students the answers to questions on the test
rather than the material itself.
There's a lot of controversy about this, and many decry this method of
teaching, but I think the best way to learn about ham radio is by
actually doing it, and you can't do if you don't have a license.
Besides, how much more instruction will students actually get in a more
traditional eight-week or ten-week course, maybe 16 hours? Will those 16
hours make that much of a difference?
For the sake of argument, let's say that you've decided to offer a
one-day Tech class. Now what? Well, the first thing you have to do is to
find a place to teach it. Possible sites include your local public
library, a township hall, a community college, perhaps even your church.
Now that you have the place, you need to find some students. Your local
emergency-management group would be a good place to start. Also, make
sure a notice gets published in your amateur radio club's newsletter.
Chances are most of the subscribers already have licenses, but they may
have friends or relatives who would be interested. Also, make sure the
class gets listed in the upcoming events section of local newspapers or
magazines.
Once people start signing up, you should suggest that they either purchase a study guide or download my free study guide (
www.kb6nu.com/tech-manual).
Because I use my study guide when teaching the class, I always advise
them to get a copy, but if you'll be using other materials, then your
advice may differ.
I counsel the students to read through my study guide a few times and
take some online practice tests before coming to class. That will make
them familiar with the material, especially areas they may be weak in or
have questions about. By bringing those questions to class, we can
address those areas in a little more depth, which will, hopefully, give
them the help they need to pass the test.
The class itself is six hours long, running from 9am to 3pm, at which
time we give them the test. This is not a lot of time for the amount of
material I have to cover, so I move along at a pretty brisk pace. I
concentrate on giving them the answers, but with enough context to that
it all makes sense.
OK, let's say your class was wildly successful, and you now have a group of newly-minted Techs. What do you do now?
Well, you might consider offering some short sessions on what ham radio
operators do--Ham Radio 101, so to speak. The topics could include how
to choose your first radio, the basics of FM repeater and net operation,
and building your first antenna (say a 2m ground plane). They'll be
more enthusiastic about these classes now that they actually have a
license.
It might also be a good idea to schedule a General Class license course
for sometime shortly after the Tech class. This will encourage them to
upgrade while they are enthusiastic about the hobby.
I hope that this has encouraged you to offer some ham radio courses of
your own. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at
cwgeek@kb6nu.com or phone me at 734-930-6564. Good luck, and let me know how your classes turn out.
When not preparing for his next ham radio class, Dan publishes the
"No-Nonsense" study guides for the Technician and General Class license
exams. Free versions and print version are available from his website at
www.kb6nu.com/tech-manual.
E-book versions are available for the Kindle and devices that run the
Kindle app on Amazon.Com and for the Nook on BarnesandNoble.Com.
The ARES E-Letter
Palomar Amateur Radio Club next Meeting
The meeting will be held on September 7, 2011 (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.
The program will be about the Skywarn and the National Weather Service,
presented by Alex Tardy.
Come early and enjoy an "eyeball" QSO with our members.
Carlsbad Safety Center
2560 Orion Way
Carlsbad
Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club
Roy Noon Hall, Fallbrook, California
August 6, 2011
President Jon Bart, K6QVA, opened the meeting at 1500.
The pledge was recited.
All attendees introduced themselves.
Ken, W6MF, gave the following monthly financial report:
| Checking Balance June 30, 2011 | $3,079.82 |
| Petty Cash Balance June 30, 2011
| $44,67 |
Total
|
$3,124.49 |
|
|
|
JULY INCOME
|
|
ARRL Membership Dues
| $78.00 |
Membership Dues
| $140.00 |
| Total
|
$218.00 |
|
|
|
JULY EXPENSES
|
|
Refund
|
$20.00 |
Check #1168 – Kris Powers – Field Day Exp.
|
$161.14
|
ARRL Dues
|
$74.00 |
| Total
|
$255.14 |
|
|
Checking Balance July 31, 2011
|
$3,042.68 |
Petty Cash Balance July 31, 2011
| $44.67 |
Total
|
$3,087.35
|
Ron, KG6HSQ, described some repeater crystals that needed to be
purchased and “calibrated”. There is a need for 4 of these
crystals and he asked for approval to spend $210.00 for these parts and
the calibration. Harold, KI6KVH, made the motion that the
expenditure be approved. Motion was seconded by Krissy,
KR6SSY. Vote by the membership was unanimous for approval of the
purchase.
Ken Introduced Gayle Olson, K6GO, who was the “leader of the pack” for
the March 2011 YLDXpedition to Curacao (PJ2). Gayle introduced two
other XYL’s/YL’s from the Dxpedition, Ellen Utschig, N6UWW and Rusty
Kalkofen, AF6WF. Gayle is a former Fallbrook resident and was
Assistant Principal at the Fallbrook High School. While at the
high school Gayle established, equipped and ran an amateur radio club
for students attending school there. Several members of FARC
worked with and assisted Gayle in that high school project.
The ladies explained their travels to and from Curacao and some of the
problems that they encountered at the airport as well as with the
accommodations that they had arranged in Curacao. Seems that the
place they worked from which is a “World Class” HF operation cut them
short on time and such. They endured some major inconveniences due
to getting move out of what they thought was their scheduled
time.
They felt that the equipment that they had to use was very good and they
made over 4000 contacts while operating on their shortened stay.
Ellen said that she would possibly be going to the Cook Islands (E51) to
do some DX contacts in the near future.
There were a number of questions from the membership to the ladies.
With no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Following adjournment refreshments were served.
Ken Dickson, W6MF
Secretary/Treasurer
Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club
Member dropped July 2011: Lee Alan Wagner, KI6KVI
COMMITTEES
Technical Committee
Bob-W6VR, AA4CD-Chris, Paul-W6SJL, Daryl-WA5QMV, Ron-KG6HSQ
News Items from CGC Communicator Newsletter
Robert Gonsett - W6VR Editor
|
700 MHZ "4G" USE IN THE U.S./MEXICAN BORDER ZONE
The U.S. Department of State has posted a news item entitled,
"Amendment to the U.S-Mexico Bilateral Agreement for the 700 MHz
Band to Allow for the Timely Deployment of Fourth Generation (4G)
Wireless Broadband Service." The story reads as follows:
"On July 28, 2011, the FCC and the Mexican Ministry of
Communications and Transportation concluded an exchange of letters
to amend the 2006 Protocol for the 698-806 MHz band to increase
the power limitations and facilitate increases in parameters when
counterpart operators across the border from each other do not
exist. The changes were necessary to accommodate the advanced
technologies employed for 4G service. The amendment became
effective on July 28, 2011 and applies to both sides of the
entire common border area."
The above story is currently posted in the "Highlights" box at:
WHAT LIGHT BULB DESIGNATIONS MEAN
Light bulb designations can seem mysterious. Many bulb
descriptions include letters followed by numbers such as BR30,
PAR20, ED28 and T8. The letters are a code for bulb shape and
the number is the diameter of the bulb, at the widest point,
in 1/8-inch increments. To calculate the diameter in inches,
simply divide the number by 8.
Let's look at a typical fluorescent bulb designator: F32T8/841.
Translation: F is fluorescent, 32 is watts, T is shape (in
this case tubular), 8 is diameter (1 inch) and 841 gives color
temperature data. Here, the 8 is the color temperature range
while the second two numbers indicate the color temperature.
In this example, 41 means 4100K.
Adapted from Amateur Radio Newsline for August 5, 2011.
FORD TO ELIMINATE CD PLAYERS FROM ITS VEHICLES
According to news reports, the Ford Motor Company is
eliminating CD players in its new United States vehicle models
and opting instead to install USB sockets for iPods and other
digital music players.
Ford notes that all of its new cars will have a computer
hub, which will allow drivers to access their music libraries
from the Internet.
Amateur Radio Newsline Report #1772, July 29 2011
FCC NEWS BRIEFS
o New loudness standards for TV commercials (the CALM Act)
should apply to all pay-TV providers and not just broadcasters,
says the author of the legislation:
o FCC announces major spectrum-sharing agreements with
Canada and Mexico enabling 4G wireless broadband and public
safety communications in the border areas:
BRINGING CALL CENTERS BACK TO THE U.S.
FCC
Chairman Genachowski envisions high speed Internet
as an essential ingredient in bringing "call center" work
back to American soil. He predicts that many new jobs will be
created as high speed circuits penetrate more and more of the
U.S. People will be able to work together in formal call centers
(as now) or individually at home with their houses transformed
into virtual "service centers."
While the economic basis for this transformation is not
laid out, home-based workers provide the house, electricity,
heating and air conditioning, furniture and other staples that
save an employer a huge sum of money. On the other hand, the
employees save time and shekels by not having to commute.
It remains to be seen whether this philosophy creates U.S.
jobs at the rate the chairman predicts. Nevertheless, every
job, even a low paying job, is valuable in today's tilted economy.
o Some Part 15 microwave transmitters are being operated
on unauthorized frequencies resulting in interference to FAA
radar systems. Case in point:
HAM RADIO NOTES
BOB HEIL
This is a wonderful article from Performing Musician about
Bob Heil, K9EID, and the invention of modern rock PA. He gives
thanks to his Amateur Radio hobby for the advances in rock PA:
NEWS BRIEFS
o One of the best DX stations ever, W6AM, Rolling Hills:
o Once upon a time, Amateur Radio Station W3AO operated
category 50A(!) for Field Day. These video clips document
this and other ham extravaganzas (scroll down for the clips):
o Martin Luther, VK7GN, of Richmond, Tasmania, displays a
portion of his vast array of QSL cards gathered over 47 years
of operating. Video clip courtesy of the ABC's 'Collectors:'
GENERAL NOTES
o Out-of-core LPTVs unable to find an in-core channel by
September 1 may be out of business by the end of this year:
o 3DTV viewing is gaining traction as an occasional-but-
regular activity:
o ATSC has launched development of a 3DTV broadcast standard:
o Pay TV cord cutting accelerates:
o Disturbing behind-the-scene claims concerning
LightSquared's outlandish political shenanigans:
o USGS topo map app from National Geographic:
o New solar cell breaks efficiency record:
OFF TOPIC
o Let's take a little motorcycle ride, perhaps on the Angeles
Crest Highway. This is one video you won't soon forget:
o Video recalls the Senior Road tower tragedy:
o Thieves steal copper pipes right out from under a home:
o Panoramic photos of the KPH/KSM transmitter sites. Click
and drag on each photo to start panoramic sweep. Zooming is
also enabled:
o Highly automated VW car production with a green theme:
o There's been a robot baby boom. Here are some of the
coolest, cutest and creepiest:
o iCandy slide show:
o These photos suggest flowing salt water on Mars:
o TC Bank ad. Inspiring video. Wish all advertising were
this good:
o Patented 100 years ago, the Alexanderson Alternator
was a milestone for VLF broadcasting:
o The 500 LED extreme flashlight (wait for video to download):
Aircraft News:
o A small drone aircraft takes a new shape:
o A lightweight model airplane gains its lift
by flapping its wings like a seagull:
o The joy of friendship:
o Hard day? Unwind with this simple and delightful video:
|
| Duane, AA6EE is offering FARC members discount prices on ARRL items: |
|
Duane, AA6EE is offering FARC members discounts on the following upcoming
ARRL publications:
- The ARRL Handbook - 2012 edition
- The ARRL Antenna book - 22nd edition
They new books will be available in October. Email for your FARC discount
price.
|
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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