Date: Wed, 22 Dec 93 04:30:07 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu>
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V93 #1494
To: Info-Hams
Info-Hams Digest Wed, 22 Dec 93 Volume 93 : Issue 1494
Today's Topics:
Amateur Radio Newsline #853 17 Dec. 93
Bravo, Bravo +, etc. pager options and programming ?
Ham ticket
HELP with KLM Beam ???
Help With Noise Source
THE><NET vs: Kantronics ?????
Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu>
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Problems you can't solve otherwise to brian@ucsd.edu.
Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".
We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party. Your mileage may vary. So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1993 07:07:23 MST
From: destroyer!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!cs.ubc.ca!alberta!nebulus!ve6mgs!usenet@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Amateur Radio Newsline #853 17 Dec. 93
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
The electronic publication of the Amateur Radio Newsline is distributed
with the permission of Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, President and Editor of
Newsline. The text is transcribed from the audio service by Dale Cary and
is first published on Genie.
Editorial comment or news items should be E-mailed to 3241437@mcimail.com
or B.PASTERNAK@genie.geis.com. Voice or FAX to +1 805-296-7180.
All other information and disclaimers are in the text header below.
- - - - -
NEWSLINE RADIO - CBBS EDITION #103 - POSTED 12/19/93
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The following is late news about Amateur Radio for Radio
Amateurs as prepared from NEWSLINE RADIO scripts by the staff of
the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE, INC. -- formerly the WESTLINK RADIO
NETWORK. The electronic version of newsline is posted on this
CBBS twice monthly. For current information updates, please call
Los Angeles............................ (213) 462-0008
Los Angeles (Instant Update Line)...... (805) 296-2407
Seattle................................ (206) 368-3969
Seattle................................ (206) 281-8455
Tacoma................................. (206) 927-7373
Louisville............................. (502) 894-8559
Dayton................................. (513) 275-9991
Chicago................................ (708) 289-0423
New York City.......................... (718) 353-2801
Melbourne, FL.......................... (407) 259-4479
For the latest breaking info call the Instant Update Line listed
above. To provide information please call (805) 296-7180. This
line answers automatically and will accept up to 30 minutes of
material.
Check with your local amateur radio club to see if NEWSLINE
can be heard weekly on the air in your area.
Articles may be reproduced if printed in their entirety and
credit is given to AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE as being the source.
For further information about the AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE,
please write to us with an SASE at P.O. Box 463, Pasadena, CA
91102.
Thank You
NEWSLINE
*****************************************************************
Some of the hams of NEWSLINE RADIO...
WA6ITF WB6MQV WB6FDF K6DUE W6RCL N6AHU N6AWE N6TCQ K6PGX N6PNY
KU8R N8DTN W9JUV KC9RP K9XI KB5KCH KC5UD KC0HF G8AUU WD0AKO DJ0QN
and many others in the United States and around the globe!!!
*****************************************************************
[853]
* * * * C L O S E D C I R C U I T A D V I S O R Y * * * *
* *
* The following is a closed circuit advisory and is NOT *
* for air over amateur radio. Repeat, not for broadcast. *
* This is just a reminder that the address for the Newsline *
* Support Fund is Newsline, in care of Dr. Norm Chalfin, *
* K6PGX, Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, California 91102. *
* Again, and as always, we thank you. That ends the closed *
* circuit with Newsline report number 853 for release on *
* Friday, December 18, 1993 to follow. *
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *
* The following is a QST *
* *
* A Christmas present from the FCC. The commission says *
* that you will soon be able to choose your own call sign. *
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FCC APPROVES VANITY CALL SIGN PLAN
The FCC says that amateurs should be able to choose their own
call signs in the not to distant future. This, as soon as a new
automated processing system is in place at the Commission's
Private Radio Bureau license processing facility in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania.
Under the proposed system, hams wishing to apply for an
available call sign will be required to file a form and pay an
additional fee. Trustees of club and military recreation
stations will be eligible for the new program.
But there is one caveat. Newcomers to the service will not be
eligible for vanity call signs until they are ready to upgrade or
make some other license change. The FCC says that at the present
time call sign selection by first-time licensees is not feasible,
but it left the door open for that possibility in the future. In
fact, the FCC indicates that the new license processing computer
might eventually allow amateurs to check for themselves on the
availability of call signs, be used to allow electronic filing of
applications and make licenses processing a lot easier for both
the applicant and FCC.
The text of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making is not yet
available but is expected to be issued shortly. Also acted on by
the commission was the cancellation of a rule making procedure
adopted last summer establishing a call sign administrator
program for amateur club and military stations. This scheme was
never implemented due to in-fighting between the ARRL which
wanted exclusivity in managing the program and several other
entities that saw the chance to gain political or financial
advantage by undertaking the task.
*****
FCC PRAISES VEC's IN VE BUST
The FCC has words of praise for a pair of Volunteer
Examination Coordinators who helped to investigate alleged
testing irregularities in Los Angeles, California. As reported
last week, the inquiry lead to the suspension of the
accreditation of a number of Volunteer Examiners and the
disqualification of twenty one applicants for new licenses or
upgrades. That investigation is still ongoing, and more VE
disqualifications are expected to be announced shortly.
In the meantime, the FCC has taken the time to express its
gratitude to the Volunteer Examination Coordinators who made the
bust possible. John B. Johnston, W3BE, who is Chief of the FCC's
Personal Radio Branch has commended both the ARRL VEC and the
W5YI VEC's for their joint cooperation in uncovering the
irregularities in the Los Angeles testing sessions. He also
praised them for their quick action in suspending the Volunteer
Examiners believed to be involved. Johnston says that their
action will hopefully prevent future occurrences like this, while
making certain that amateur licenses are granted only to those
who are qualified to hold them.
*****
FCC WARNING TO UNCOORDINATED REPEATER
For well over two years a Los Angeles amateur radio club
calling itself the Hispanic Radio Amateur Network has been
looking for a set of two meter channels for is wide coverage
repeater. The system has been given several test coordinations
by the Two Meter Area Spectrum Management Association. In each
case someone complained and the test was canceled. So when the
club finally found a home on 147.49 Mhz, they thought their long
quest was at an end. Enter a group of simplex users 10 Khz away
on 147.48. A group calling itself the Valley Simplex
Association.
The Valley Simplex Association is actually the old Southern
California 146.76 simplex group under a new name. Hams that
have been involved in FM since the 60's know who the seven sixers
are. Its the organization generally credited with bringing FM to
the VHF ham and building a political empire in the process. An
empire so large that at one time it totally controlled who could
even operate the FM mode in nine western states. It even
enforced those decisions with its own police force known as the
seven six secret service -- or S.S.S.S.
In the old days -- the 1950's through the early 1970's, the
seven sixers would simply have used bruit force to remove any
unwanted repeater from being their next door neighbor. But its
now the 1990's. Times have changed and so have the ways of the
seven sixers.
So it was that members the Valley Simplex Association who
filed complaints about the repeater with the Cerritos FCC
office about the interference that they were suffering. Last
September 10th the FCC acted on the complaints by sending a
written warning to the repeaters owner Miguel Ramirez, NH2R.
In a letter only recently made public, Engineer James Zoulek
wrote Ramirez that his office was continuing to receive
complaints -- and we quote -- "regarding your non-coordinated
operation on several amateur repeater frequencies."
The letter went on to say that it has come to Zoulek's
attention that the NH2R repeater -- and again we quote -- "may
be operating a non coordinated repeater on 147.49 Mhz." Zoulek
said that the operation of a non-coordinated repeater must not
cause interference to other radio amateurs as specified under
Section 97.205, subpart C of the Amateur Radio service rules. He
even went so far as to tell NH2R that failure to adhere to FCC
regulations could result in the revocation of his amateur
license.
As far as we know, this is the first time in well over a two
decades that the FCC has seen fit to directly intervene in an
alleged interference issue between a repeater and a group of
simplex operators. Its may also be the first time that an
allegedly uncoordinated repeater has been told by the FCC that
it does not have the same right to exist as do systems that have
successfully gone through the voluntary coordination process.
Right now, things are status quo. The NH2R repeater is still
on the 147.49 Mhz frequency. The Valley Simplex Association is
still operating on 147.48. As we go to air the FCC has not
taken any further action in this case. Whether it acts or not,
the warning letter to Ramirez may well be a precedent that the
FCC will follow in other repeater related matters in times to
come.
*****
CUBAN 3rd PARTY
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is persecuting that nations radio
amateurs who contact stateside stations even for emergency aid.
This is according to Ramon Batista, CO8BA, Batista, formerly of
Puerto Padre, is the Cuban expatriate ham who recently lead
sixteen other Cuban citizens to freedom in the United States. On
his arrival, CO8BA, speaking through SIRA President Rafael
Estevez, WA4ZZG said that Castro appears to cracking down on
Cuban hams. CO8BA wants the rest of the worlds hams to come
their aid.
"One of the things he has in mind is asking help of American
Amateur Radio societies in the United States and around the
world. That's because there are more than 50 amateur radios
suspended in Cuba. Just for the reason to ask for insulin, of
medicines, simple communications. Of course they had been
begging through different channels that somebody help them. And
so far nobody has help them to try to talk to the Cuba Federation
of Amateur Radio Operators. It is now lead by CO2PR, Pedro
Rodriguez. Rodriguez was a former military man who was in Angola
and fought for the Cuban Government over there. What they are
trying to do is to discipline the amateur radio societies in
Cuba." stated
Rafael Estevez, WA4ZZG, SIRA President.
This oppressed group of Cuban hams need your help to get back
on the air. Batista says that a letter to your national society
urging it to pressure the pro-Castro Cuban Amateur Radio
Federation could go a long way in bringing this kind
communications freedom back to Cuba's amateur radio community.
*****
24 GHz AWARD
The Radio Society of Great Britain has awarded its Standard
Distance Award for 24 GHz to Bill James G6XM. James made contact
from a portable site near Dartmoor with G3GNR on Exmoor over a 43
kilometers away. This is well in excess of the minimum of 23
kilometers needed to qualify for the award.
*****
IT AMSAT CRASH
After 45 days of uninterrupted BBS service, Italy's AMSAT
IO-26 suffered a major computer crash at about 11:30 UTC on
December 8th. The cause of the crash is still unclear. The
Command Team is investigating some new software used to access
the BBS services. In the past some other Microsats crashes were
due to bugs found in the user software.
The IT AMSAT managers would like to receive reports about
IO-26, especially regarding the presence of just the HDLC flags
on the downlink or some sort of telemetry, either MBL or PHT
style. With your help they hope be able to investigate on this
incident. Send reports to IT AMSAT via normal AMSAT channels.
*****
DAYTON HAM OF THE YEAR
The Dayton Amateur Radio Association has set March 1, 1994 as
the cutoff date for filing nominations for its highly coveted
Radio Amateur of the Year, Special Achievement and Technical
Excellence awards. Nominating letters must be detailed and
include substantiating documentation. The Hamvention runs from
April 29 - May 1, 1994 with the awards presented at the Grand
Banquet scheduled for Saturday evening, April 30. To file a
nomination or obtain more information please write to the Awards
Committee, 1994 Dayton Hamvention, P.O. Box 964, Dayton, Ohio
45401.
*****
DX - PITCAIRN ISLAND.
In DX, this note to hams planning to QSL the recent special
event operation where Pitcairn Island stations were signing
VR6SLY. Address mail to the call sign of the station contacted,
via Private Bag, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific Ocean, Via New
Zealand.
Also, word that XE1CI, XE1ABA, and possibly other XE DXers
will operate as XF4CI for the next two weeks. Nellis will be the
first YL DXer to operate from XF4, and will operate SSB only.
QSL all contacts via XE1CI.
*****
ARRL's MANSFIELD PROMOTED
Our congratulations to ARRL Public Information Manager Steve
Mansfield, N1MZA. Steve has been named to replace the retiring
Perry Williams, W1UED as the Leagues Washington Area Coordinator.
Williams is to retire in April of 1994. Until then, N1MZA will
prepare to assume the Washington area duties in addition to
continuing on with his current public relations responsibilities.
*****
For this week, that's all from the Amateur Radio Newsline.
You can write to us at Post Office Box 463, Pasadena, California
91102.
* * * Newsline Copyright 1993 all rights are reserved. * * *
------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 21:31:29 GMT
From: netcomsv!netcom.com!btoback@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Bravo, Bravo +, etc. pager options and programming ?
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <CI9FHu.3tG@ve3ppe.isis.org>, znha@ve3ppe.isis.org (Gordon Dey) writes:
> 4. Bands:
> a. Vhf mid (say 140 MHz) and high (say 170 MHz) +- 15 MHz or so.
> Most popular band, heavily used. All expansion is in PRC or
> similar area, as urban North America is already crowded. Vhf
> low (say 40 MHz +- 10 MHz) appears "mature."
> b. Uhf mid (say 460 MHz) and high 940 MHz +- 10 MHz or so
> Area of most growth now.
There is one other pager type, but it may not be made any more. It was a
used by one company offering nationwide paging services, and it "listens"
to FM broadcast stations that may carry an SCA signal for the paging company.
It has exactly one advantage: it can tell you when it's out of range, since
it locks on to an SCA signal. No SCA signal, no page; the unit emits a
soft beep about every two minutes to inform you.
However, it has a very low success rate, even when it claims it IS receiving
a signal. My guess is that this stems from the difficulty of obtaining a
signal from a very small antenna that is good enough to permit reception
and demodulation of the subcarrier. Whatever the reason, the only justification
for using one of these beasts is that you really don't want to be paged
anyway.
-- Bruce Toback
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 21:23:49 GMT
From: swrinde!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!cass.ma02.bull.com!petra!zds-oem!news@network.ucsd.edu (Earl Morse)
Subject: Ham ticket
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
In article <9312172309.A8344wk@hofbbs.com> artie.uberti@hofbbs.com writes:
>
>DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW IF FCC HAS STOPPED PROCESSING LICENSES. I AM STILL
>WAITING SINCE 11/9/93 FOR MY TICKET TO ARRIVE AND I AM GROWING IMPATIENT.
>ALL REPLIES WELCOME!!!
>73
>
You haven't waited long enough. Only six weeks! Be patient. It might
wait until January because of all the holidays. Get impatient after 8
weeks.
Earl Morse
KZ8E
e.morse@zds.com
------------------------------
Date: 21 Dec 1993 04:30:37 GMT
From: pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!sousa.ako.dec.com!bobseg.enet.dec.com!segrest@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: HELP with KLM Beam ???
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Greetings,
A couple of months back I was wandering through one of the regional ham
fests and had the good fortune to pick up a nice looking 440 beam. The
fellow that I bought it from said that it was a KLM antenna.
The beam has a 5' long boom with 4'8" between the reflector and further
most director elements. There are 9 directors and one reflector. Each
element is bolted to the boom through a plastic tee. The boom has been
drilled for either horizontal or vertical orientation both at the end and
in the middle. The driven element consists of eight half elements cross
connect with straps in what I believe (from looking in the RSGB VHF book)
is a log-periodic configuration.
Looking in the latest AES catalog I suspect that what I have is a KLM 440-10X
beam.
The problem is that I don't know how to hook the coax up to this beast.
The two foremost driven half-elements had slightly longer bolts and a
second set of nuts. I connect my coax to these two points and I am getting
a fairly high (a little over 2:1) SWR.
Is this correct?
The RSGB VHF manual seems to show a loop of wire connecting the back end of
the driven element array. There is no loop of this sort on the antenna I
have.
If anyone has one of these beams and can tell me how it is supposed to be
configured I would very much appreciate some assistance.
Thanks in advance.....
Bob Segrest
KD4PWU
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 15:45:45 GMT
From: mdisea!mothost!lmpsbbs!news@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Help With Noise Source
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
I have had good success tracking these kinds of noise sources.
I have found the best "tracker" to be an IC-202 with a 5 element
Yagi. The IC-202 is a small battery operated 2 meter SSB rig that
is very sensitive. Connect this to the 5 element yagi, and you
walk around the house pointing the yagi in all directions, looking
for a peak. It does not seem to matter that the noise power
is falling off at higher frequencies. Even defective power lines
are detectable with this set-up. The directivity of the yagi
allows the source to be pin-pointed with good accuracy.
An alternative is to drive around in the car with your AM radio
tuned to an unused channel. You will hear a large noise peak
when approaching the noise source. This is not as accurate-
it gets you in the general vicinity at which point you deploy
the directional antenna.
Anything controlled by SCRs generates large amounts of low-
frequency noise. Lamp dimmers and light controllers are
especially bad.
You sound like you are in a rural area. Check for electric
fence chargers. Look for small horse or cow pastures with
an insulated wire around them (usually about 2 feet off
the ground). The chargers pulse the wire, I believe at about
the rate you mentioned. They would tend to short to ground
during rain.
If you can not eliminate the source, try building a rotatable
loop antenna. You could get 30 or 40 dB of suppression, maybe
more. Most noise sources are highly polarized and easy to
null out.
Good luck,
Greg KF5N
------------------------------
Date: 20 Dec 93 15:36:18 EST
From: swrinde!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu!miavx1!miavx3.mid.muohio.edu!clmorgan@network.ucsd.edu
Subject: THE><NET vs: Kantronics ?????
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
Anyone experiencing problems with Kantronics' products, particularly the
KAM, in networks utilizing THE><NET version 2.10?
Our problem seems to occur due to THE><NET's diddle during the TXD delay
and prevents the KAM from validating a node's packets. Problem does not
seem to occur when a MFJ (TNC-2 clone) TNC is on the receiving end. Kantronics
boxes have included KAM (version 5 firmware), KAM (enhancement board & version
6 firmware), and KPC-2 (version 5 firmware).
Changing our THE><NET node back to version 2.08B firmware seems to have solved
the problem.
Suggestions? Comments?
73 >< Carl
K8NHE
------------------------------
Date: 20 Dec 1993 04:42:48 -0500
From: sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!eff!news.kei.com!nic.hookup.net!news.sprintlink.net!clark.net!clark.net!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
References <1993Dec12.095415.1@ccsua.ctstateu.edu>, <2efqou$jna@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, <88@ame.win.net>edu
Subject : Re: Info sought on QUANTUM batt. packs
In article <88@ame.win.net>, Peter S. Loveall <psl@ame.win.net> wrote:
>>I've not seen the Quantum HT batteries, but I have had very positive
>>experiences with the Quantum batteries for camera flashes. As I
>>recall, they were high capacity gel cells with charging circuitry etc.
>>built in to prevent overcharging. (A photographer friend of mine
>>leaves hers plugged in all the time). Hope this helps.
>I use one for my TH-77A. It is three years old and still going
>strong. It is heavy, but great for portable use and those days
>when you will be helping with an event all day long. It also is
>nice to get the full 5 watts on high power (12v).
>The comment about the charging circuitry is correct. These are
>lead acid batteries and they use an excellent charging circuit on
>them.
>
How do you charge them? Do you need a special power supply or something?
Matt Roberts N3GZM
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 17:50:46 GMT
From: news.service.uci.edu!usc.edu!news.isi.edu!headwall.Stanford.EDU!agate!spool.mu.edu!olivea!news.bu.edu!att-in!cbnewsi!warnergt@network.ucsd.edu
To: info-hams@ucsd.edu
References <drew.95.0@trl.oz.au>, <SDS.93Dec17000051@cslab9f.cs.brown.edu>, <1993Dec20.164130.9865@n5ial.mythical.com>a
Subject : Re: Where are all the young enthusiasts?
>Where are all the young enthusiasts?
They are waiting for the obsolete code requirements to be eliminated.
------------------------------
End of Info-Hams Digest V93 #1494
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