Newsletter of the Silverado Amateur Radio Society

The next meeting of SARS will be on June 19^th, 7:30 PM in the Lee Lounge, at the Veterans Home in Yountville. Bring a friend.

Joint Exercise this Saturday, 5/26: Search and Rescue (SAR) to team up with local hams to conduct a county wide foxhunt. Interested operators should show up at the Napa High south parking lot on Saturday morning around 8:30 AM. Teams will be formed consisting of SAR personnel and foxhunters. This could be an all-day affair so bring extra batteries and a lunch. Also bring your GPS if you have one and a good compass. Coordinates to be sent to the coordinator, KG6IZS via the W6CO repeater system.
UPDATE: The exercise was successful with 4 teams sent out after the "fox" , hidden by Eric KG6ABG and Brittany KG6SNO. We caught up with them in Pope Valley just south of Pope Valley Crossroad. Laurie KI6JTH made the catch less than 2 hours after the chase began. A great job and congratulations to all the participants!

The Hallicrafters SX-71 double conversion Receiver. A double conversion receiver specifically asked for by the Hams. Top performance with extra pull-power and ability to tune in stations. Covers broadcast band 56-1600 kc plus four short-wave bands covering 1650 kc - 34 Mc. and 46 -54 Mc. Superior image rejection plus built-in Narrow Band FM one r-f, two conversion, and three i-f stages. Temperature compensated, voltage regulated. Phonograph input jack. Three Watt output (terminals for 500 and 3.2 ohms). Socket for external power or remote control. Satin black steel cabinet with chrome trim, 18-1/2x8-7/8x12" deep. 11 tubes plus voltage regulator and rectifier. For 105/125 V. 50/60 cycles AC. With tubes less speaker. Shipping weight 49 pounds.
101A012, Net ........................................................ 249.95
101A021, R46 Speaker, Net .................................... 24.95

The Hallicrafters HT-20 Transmitter. Here is the transmitter that every "Ham" has been waiting for. This is the new TVI proofed 100 Watt AM-CW Transmitter that is the modern successor to the world famous HT-9. The entire transmitter is built in the same manner as the finest laboratory signal generator. Completely shielded and filtered r-f compartment plus built-in low-pass filter provides 100 dB for suppression of all frequencies higher than 30 mc. 100 phone output. Heavy duty commercial type power and modulation transformers. Continuous frequency coverage from 1.79 to 30 mc. Controls: Full bandswitching. No plug-in coils-choice of 10 crystals-all controls on the front panel. 7 rf and audio tubes plus 3 rectifiers. Size 20x12-1/2x17-1/4". Panel size for rack mounting: 19x10-1/2" For 105/125V., 50/60 cycle operation. Complete with tubes. Shipping weight. 125 lbs.

101A001, Net .......................................................................449.50

Yikes! in 1955 you could have bought a new Ford automobile for $1606

RF Safety and Station Evaluation; Are you in compliance?

Line 6 of the FCC-Form 605 reads "Amateur applicant/licensee certifies that they have READ and WILL COMPLY WITH Section 97.13(c) of the Commission’s Rules regarding RADIOFREQUENCY (RF) RADIATION SAFETY and the amateur service section of OST/OET Bulletin Number 65." When you signed the form you may not have even seen the text of that line. If that's the case, don't worry, compliance is easy. The University of Texas at Austin has a calculator that will help you produce the needed documents in minutes. Read about it here.

Good news for Software Defined Radios (SDR's) At least for now.

The SDR is only a part of the big picture. The FCC Memorandum Opinion and Order actually was addressing Cognitive Radio Systems, of which SDRs in Amateur service play a very small part. Read more

The Slinky antenna. Used for years as a solution for travelers, will it work for field day?

Help Wanted: Great hours, lousy pay. The Silverado ARS is looking for Amateurs who would like to be part of a winning team. We need General class or above volunteers to help with test sessions. We especially need an individual to assist with "noise abatement". Must be affable and quick with a smile and a handshake. Experience with group leadership helpful but not required. Apply to VE Team Leader, Rich, KO6FR

More Chuckles from The Mind of Stephen Wright

I filled out an application that said, "In Case Of Emergency Notify". I wrote "Doctor"... What's my mother going to do?

Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

My friend has a baby. I'm recording all the noises he makes so later I can ask him what he meant.

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done.

I wrote a song, but I can't read music so I don't know what it is. Every once in a while I'll be listening to the radio and I say, "I think I might have written that."

I had some eyeglasses. I was walking down the street when suddenly the prescription ran out.

In school, every period ends with a bell. Every sentence ends with a period. Every crime ends with a sentence.