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Newsletter of the Silverado Amateur Radio Society W6CO - Napa California An ARRL Special Service Club Updated Jan, 19, 2007
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Welcome to the Silverado Amateur Radio Society (SARS) online newsletter. We hope to provide you with the latest happenings in the Club and in Amateur Radio in general in a timely manner. Our objective is to provide a "live" newsletter that will be updated throughout the month as events occur. When an item is added it will be flagged with this symbol: All contributions (news, not monetary) will be gladly accepted. Submit your offerings via email to: John, N6XN's email
Do you have a photograph you'd like to share? An item you want to sell? An announcement of an upcoming event? We'd like to hear about it. Naturally, we prefer Ham Radio oriented material, but other genres might be considered.
Featured in This Issue: looking back. From the archives. Actual Letters to the Editor and other comments from October of 1968.
Donuts are Health Food. No, Seriously folks!
The Locator. The Maidenhead Locator system.
Who's On The Air? One more use for the station computer.
No More Code! Now where'd I put that microphone?
Calendar of Coming Events
The next meeting of SARS will be on January 16th, 7:30 PM in the Lee Lounge, at the Veterans Home in Yountville. Bring a friend.
The 2007 schedule for Technician Training and VE Testing has been announced. Watch the links below for the full schedule.
The next Class and Test Session will be February 3rd and 4th
Update: FCC R&O 05-235 has not yet been published in the Federal Register. This means that Code testing will be conducted in the usual manner at the February test session. If you are planning to attend the Training or Testing in February please note the corrected dates, and accept my apology for the error.
Update: Jan 19th. The ARRL reports that the R&O is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on January 24th meaning that the final Morse Code test will be given February 22, 2007. (Somewhere; Not in Napa) The League cautions that this information is tentative. More details as they occur.
Tentative Schedule of Test Dates
Informal Breakfast get-togethers:
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- Friday mornings, 7AM, EmmyLou's Diner, Riverpark Shopping Center
- Saturday mornings, 8AM Bakers Square, Soscol Ave at Gasser Drive
- Sunday mornings, 9AM EmmyLou's Diner, Riverpark Shopping Center
- Fox Hunts: every-other Tuesday, beginning at 6:30 PM and ending 8PM. Suspended during PST months due to early darkness.
Nets:
- Monday evenings: 8:00 PM. VIP net, 147.18/.78 linked to 441.800/446.800 related to CDF fire prevention. PL 151.4 Hz.
- Wednesday evenings: 6:30 PM. RACES quick call pager test. Related to emergency services in Napa County. Followed by Napa County RACES net roll call at 7:00 PM. Visitors and out-of-area check-ins welcome. Same freqs as above.
- Thursday evenings: 7:00PM North Bay Amateur Radio K6LI/W6CO. 145.31/144.71 linked to 441.800/446.800 VHF PL 88.5Hz. UHF PL 151.4 Hz.
- ARRL weekly news: Friday evenings 7:00 PM 441.800, W6CO repeaters system. Now in it's third year of continuous broadcasts!
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Looking Ahead 2007 is upon us and it has the potential of being a memorable year. The new rules brought about by the FCC R and O's WT Docket 04-140 and WT Docket 05-235 promise to generate renewed interest in Ham Radio. We fully expect much larger turnouts for our test sessions beginning in February. The expansion of the phone segments of the HF bands coupled with the rise of cycle 24 should produce lots of new activity on the bands in the coming year. We start off 2007 with a new look for the newsletter and an expanded Classified Ad section. Hopefully some of our readers will find the time to submit comments, questions, or subjects for discussion in the coming months. Your Editor looks forward to hearing from you. 73, N6XN Hello and Happy Holidays to everyone. I'll be in Maryland from the 26th to the 6th. Josh, KG6NEZ Happy Holidays to all. Do not eat too much as I will not eat very much (hi hi). The potluck was great but we need more people to show up next year. February 3rd is test day, it's time to upgrade, you still have time to study. If you get QST check out the contest and special events around the holidays. 73 until the next meeting, Rich KO6FR
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TechTalk by N6XN A follow up on FEEDLINES from last month. This is an unusual way to install PL259 connectors on RG8 type coax. Particularly good for dipoles where the weight of the cable is hanging from the connector. Not likely to pull loose! Donuts are health food! The editor does not necessarily agree with the title of this article but he has to admit the author makes some valid points. This is more about the care and feeding of a radio club. The Maidenhead Locator System by N6XN What grid square are you in? You sure about that? This article was meant to introduce an interesting application of Google maps sent along by K6IA but the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't know very much about the subject. The link to the program is at the end of the article along with some other interesting links. WOTA This is not a joke. It might actually be a good idea. hmmm No More Code! The end of an era? Hardly. An editorial by a grouchy old brass pounder.
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We have a winner. The answer to Last Month's trivia question:
Q: Many (of the) receivers used something called a selenium stack. What was it and why are they no longer widely used?
A: The selenium stack was a bank of selenium rectifiers that made good old DC from the AC line. The selenium found its way into the environment and the cheap selenium rectifier was banned. By the way ... I dated Leo Meyerson's daughter in 1957. I couldn't afford the equipment in the WRL but I spent many hours wandering through the store, dreaming.
Best, Larry Thompson (friend of Bill Hampton)
Thanks, Larry; A perfect answer. See this month's Trivia Question elsewhere in this issue.
Looking Back...Grumpy Old Men. Some actual "Letters to the Editor" and other comments from long ago. SARS members: If you read "Donuts are Health Food" already, keep it in mind as you read these letters. If not, be sure to read it after.
FCC Suspends Vanity Call Sign Processing (Jan 12, 2007) -- The FCC has put new Amateur Radio vanity call sign processing on hold while it modifies the software that handles vanity applications. The suspension is a result of a rule change that went into effect December 15 to discourage the filing of multiple applications by one individual for the same call sign. The FCC is still processing vanity call sign renewal applications. |
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K6EZY, Santa Fe NM, December 2006 Photo by K6EZY (www.k6ezy.net) |
Cassel,
CA January 13, 2007
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If there is a particular topic you'd like to see discussed, or better yet, a topic you'd like to present, please let the editor know. Contact me at: John, N6XN's email
Links from the past:
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From Previous Newsletters
Box Radios: The Mercury Project The Omnibus R&O. ARRL's report The Pilot's Creed: In Memory of Bill Hampton
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Nearby Amateur Radio Clubs |
