Date: Sun, 23 Jan 94 00:08:44 PST From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <info-hams@ucsd.edu> Errors-To: Info-Hams-Errors@UCSD.Edu Reply-To: Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu Precedence: Bulk Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #66 To: Info-Hams Info-Hams Digest Sun, 23 Jan 94 Volume 94 : Issue 66 Today's Topics: Antenna for repeater Anyone know of a callsign server? callsign servers CW Books Getting my FT-101 tuned Kenwood TS430 Mod LARC VP2E DXpedition '94 Radio Clubs Near London wanted RAMSEY FX TRANSCEIVERS (3 msgs) ThickLAN Ethernet What could this mean? Send Replies or notes for publication to: <Info-Hams@UCSD.Edu> Send subscription requests to: <Info-Hams-REQUEST@UCSD.Edu> 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: 17 Jan 94 13:45:30 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!xlink.net!fauern!rrze.uni-erlangen.de!x.cip.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de!oschek@rutgers.rutgers.edu Subject: Antenna for repeater To: info-hams@ucsd.edu hello out there we are a small group of ham-amateurs who want to build a 70cm repeater on a mountain (1456m) in bavaria . (germany) we want to use a antenna like kathrein k732021 vertikal does anybody have such a antenna oder does know a contact-adress to companies like "kathrein" ?? the antenna is a 8 dipol field with 10dB gain if you have such antennas or information please contact oschek@cip.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de tnx for reading this ------------------------------ Date: 22 Jan 94 01:06:44 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!think.com!spool.mu.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!xlink.net!zib-berlin.de!uni-paderborn.de!urmel.informatik.rwth-aachen.de!gmd.de!dearn!barilvm!vms.huji.ac.il!gorski@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Anyone know of a callsign server? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu > > I did: > telnet callsign.cs.buffalo.edu 2000 > yesterday without any problem. > > The machine: callsign.cs.buffalo.edu real name is: > electra.cs.buffalo.edu (128.205.32.2) > > Clem. > 73 > I just tried it from here and got to it okay, but then had problems because I couldn't get any of the usual log ins to work. What is the log in Proceedure? Or do you have to be a registered user? ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 1994 11:29:27 -0800 From: library.ucla.edu!news.ucr.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!not-for-mail@network.ucsd.edu Subject: callsign servers To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <CJzs9D.7Fy@ucdavis.edu>, Daniel D. Todd <ez006683@othello.ucdavis.edu> wrote: >Hi all, >I was trying to access the buffalo callsign server but I keep getting an >error. Is this a network problem a local problem or an operator problem. > >othello% telnet electra.cs.buffalo.edu 2000 >telnet: service to this port is not available > >Thanks for the help, >Dan > Dan, On my stupid machine, I have to be more specific: telnet electra.cs.buffalo.edu /PORT=2000 ****** Hope this helps. -Stan (N6YYV) ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 1994 19:31:56 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsrelay.iastate.edu!news.iastate.edu!wjturner@network.ucsd.edu Subject: CW Books To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <2hoigj$1j0@mailer.fsu.edu> connie2@freenet2.scri.fsu.edu (Connie Christie) writes: >No, you do not have to pass the 5 WPM test if you've passed the >13 WPM test. > >Yes, you can go straight to General Class in one session, i.e., >by passing the two written elements and the 13 WPM code test at >one sitting. Point of information: It is now *three* (3) elements: 2, 3(a), and 3(b). 73, Will N0RDV/AE -- Will Turner, N0RDV --------------------------------------------- wjturner@iastate.edu | "Are you going to have any professionalism, | twp77@isuvax.iastate.edu | or am I going to have to beat it into you?" | TURNERW@vaxld.ameslab.gov --------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Jan 1994 13:55:38 -0800 From: ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!mcws!FUsenetToss@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Getting my FT-101 tuned To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I suggest you read the manual. If you can, pick up a service manual for the unit. You will be surprised at how easy it is to do most of these things yourself.. 73 DE K6DDX ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 19:31:04 GMT From: amd!amdahl!netcomsv!netcom.com!henrys@decwrl.dec.com Subject: Kenwood TS430 Mod To: info-hams@ucsd.edu I am planning on using my Kenwood TS430 with a 6 meter transverter. I would be nice if it could tune above 30 MHZ. Does anybody know of a Mod that will allow a TS430 to tune above 30 MHZ Thanks Smitty, NA5K -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | Henry B. Smith - NA5K henrys@netcom.com | | Dallas, Texas | | | | "I'm not sure I understand everything that I know" | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 16:08:02 GMT From: ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!msuinfo!netnews.upenn.edu!cronkite.ocis.temple.edu!astro.ocis.temple.edu!jimkelly@network.ucsd.edu Subject: LARC VP2E DXpedition '94 To: info-hams@ucsd.edu FOR RELEASE 1 JANUARY 1994 For more information contact: Jim Kelly, KK3K (215) 978-5272 LARC Announces DXpedition to VP2E The Lambda Amateur Radio Club (LARC), an international club for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered hams, shortwave listeners and computer enthusiasts and their friends and supporters, will sponsor it's third DXpedition in March 1994 with LARC members planning to operate on HF and OSCAR-13 Mode B and Mode S from the Caribbean island of Anguilla, British West Indies. The team of operators and equipment are planning to be on the air March 5-10, 1994. Planned operations will include multi-band and multi-mode HF and OSCAR-13 Mode B and Mode S. This may be the first OSCAR-13 Mode S DXpedition for the record books. The operators making the trip will be Jim Kelly (KK3K), Don Bledsoe (WB6LYI), Mark Wilcox (KC3XC), Tom Hendrix (KI4ZN), Howard Wyman (W9BVD), Norm Gray (KF7IK), James Keeth (AF9A), and Wayne Schuler (AI9Q). QSL for all operators is direct to current Callbook addresses only. In March 1992, LARC sponsored OSCAR-13 Mode B DXpeditions to Anguilla, British West Indies (VP2E) and Tortola, British Virgin Islands (VP2V) and logged over 900 contacts. In March 1993, a second team of five LARC operators put the island nation of Montserrat (VP2M) on OSCAR-13 Mode B and logged over 1150 contacts. To make contacting the LARC VP2E DXpedition even more exciting, the club will automatically mail an engraved certificate to every station who successfully works either any HF operator and any OSCAR-13 operator OR any OSCAR-13 Mode B operator and any OSCAR-13 Mode S operator during the DXpedition. The club has members in nine countries and local chapters around the United States. For membership information, write the Lambda Amateur Radio Club International Headquarters, P.O. Box 24810, Philadelphia, PA, USA, or call (215) 978-5272. -- Jim Kelly, Amateur Radio Licensee KK3K (jimkelly@astro.ocis.temple.edu) M.A. Candidate - Political Science - Temple University \ President - Lambda Amateur Radio Club for Sexual Minorities \ Standard Disclaimers Apply - LARC info: (215) 978 - LARC / \ ****************************************************** / \ ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jan 1994 23:46:28 GMT From: swrinde!sdd.hp.com!nigel.msen.com!ilium!gdls.com!usenet@network.ucsd.edu Subject: Radio Clubs Near London wanted To: info-hams@ucsd.edu Well, after months of screwing around I've been given 2 day's notice to ship out to London. Question is, are there any clubs in the area around the Hotel Busch (?) in Surrey? When do they meet? Can a licensed (U.K) foreigner use their club station (if they have one? Any hamfests (sorry rallies) in February? Any information will be appreciated. BTW, I'll be at British Aerospace. Hopefully I can get on the Internet from there. Thanks again, Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 18:54:36 GMT From: netcomsv!netcom.com!greg@decwrl.dec.com Subject: RAMSEY FX TRANSCEIVERS To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <9401201107.A9679wk@support.com> steven.rosenberg@support.com writes: > > >Redesign those FX series radios with TIGHTER front-ends -- forget >wide-coverage -- make 'em tight for the ham bands for improved receiver >performance. Also, LOWER the price -- how about including the case kit >for free? ...and f'god's sake give people an option outside of the diode matrix. Even if it's an add-on kit. A friend of mine and I drew up an arrangement that used a couple of EPROMs and a thumbwheel switch to twiddle the PLL lines. Would have cost fifty or so bucks and a lot of time to make one, probably twenty bucks each in 500 quantity. Greg ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 19:03:20 GMT From: netcomsv!netcom.com!greg@decwrl.dec.com Subject: RAMSEY FX TRANSCEIVERS To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <YEE.94Jan20191610@mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu> yee@mipg.upenn.edu (Conway Yee) writes: > >> The kits have been improved over the last few years, but $150 for a >> radio with no case, no mic, no speaker, no PL tone board is TOO >> EXPENSIVE. > >Are they really that expensive? With automation, labor is no longer >as large a fraction in the price of electronics nowadays. ...Which leads to another suggestion. Perhaps Ramsey could offer a 'semi-kit' with the board stuffed, tested, and aligned. Work out your own case and add-on arrangements. Stuffing and wave-soldering a PC is a miniscule amount of the labor, compared to attaching the outside wires and getting a persnickety case together. Greg ------------------------------ Date: 20 Jan 1994 00:18:33 GMT From: noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!gilbaronw0mn@uunet.uu.net Subject: Ramsey FX Transceivers To: info-hams@ucsd.edu >As a matter of fact, I do. I went through the exact same thing with >Harley Davidson during the '70s. Harley's were lousey then and now >they are the most successful motorcycle company in the world. If >everyone had your attitude, Harley would no longer exist. > >73, Cecil, kg7bk@indirect.com > > Hmmm would that be so bad? Just kidding guys. :-) Gil Baron, El Baron Rojo, W0MN Rochester,MN "Bailar es Vivir" PGP2.3 key at key servers or upon request ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 15:23:03 GMT From: ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!att-out!cbfsb!cbnews!cbnewst!cbnewsm!gdo%aloft.att.com@network.ucsd.edu Subject: ThickLAN Ethernet To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <01H7WE3YNW1E000ER7@PASCAL.ACM.ORG>, SMITHSON@ACM.ORG writes: |> I think I've seen the answer to this question posted a few moons ago, so |> please forgive me. I've run across some Thick-LAN Ethernet coax. I think |> it is 50-ohm, but I wonder if anyone has any other details on impedance, |> loss, etc. It is the orange jacketed cable and is a little less than 1/2 |> inch dia. Hi Brian, I posted the original query back in the summer. Everyone was VERY helpful. I got a bunch of the same stuff. If the jacket is translucent or thansparent, it's probably teflon. Either way, it's good cable. Here is a brief summary of what folks told me: Impedance: 50 ohms (this I already knew from my networking background) Loss at 50 MHz: 1.2 dB per 100 feet (better than most (including RG-213), slightly worse than 9913) ... assuming Teflon Velocity factor: 78 ... also assuming Teflon Some questioned its ability to withstand UV from the Sun. Several people replied that they've been using it for years with no signs of breakdown. As you've probably noticed, the shielding is absolutely superb. Also, if you have the Teflon stuff, you may actually *ENJOY* (!?!) soldering PL-259's on it. You can heat it up with NO fear of ruining the cable. Try THAT with 9913! If you picked up the cable for free, consider yourself lucky. This cable is VERY expensive when purchased new. I remember forking out lots of our company's money for this cable back in the Coax Age of networking. :-) It's a shame, we have miles of this cable still in the ceiling ... unused. Hmmm! 73 de Glenn, N3BDA P.S. Before anybody flames me about using company cable for my ham shack, This cable came from one of my wife's customers. She redesigned their network and they gave her the old coax. It's nice to know that SOMEBODY cleans out their ceilings! -- Glenn D. O'Donnell, N3BDA Internet: gdo@aloft.att.com AT&T Bell Laboratories Amateur Radio: n3bda@n3dpu.#epa.pa.usa.na Allentown, PA Home QTH: Palmerton, PA (Grid FN20eu) ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 1994 19:35:59 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!nic-nac.CSU.net!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsrelay.iastate.edu!news.iastate.edu!wjturner@network.ucsd.edu Subject: What could this mean? To: info-hams@ucsd.edu In article <2hnoka$jck@explorer.clark.net> robocop@clark.net (matt roberts) writes: >In article <jfhCJw7qA.29r@netcom.com>, Jack Hamilton <jfh@netcom.com> wrote: >>The following paragraph appeared in an article in today's San Francisco >>Chronicle about what local companies are doing to help prepare for the next >>earthquake: >> >> Finally, in an attempt to encourage the use of amateur (Ham) radios, >> which are used by many relief agencies during an emergency, Pacific >> Bell has reduced the cost of operating a Ham radio to the basic >> service rate of $8.35 a month. Ham radios are licensed through the >> phone company. My guess is the author of the article screwed up! It could have been, as someone mentioned, the rate for a phone patch for a repeater. I think the reporter doesn't know what he or she is talking about, and you may call the paper to talk to the reporter and see for sure... just my $0.02... 73, Will N0RDV/AE -- Will Turner, N0RDV --------------------------------------------- wjturner@iastate.edu | "Are you going to have any professionalism, | twp77@isuvax.iastate.edu | or am I going to have to beat it into you?" | TURNERW@vaxld.ameslab.gov --------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 1994 14:16:06 GMT From: slinky.cs.nyu.edu!longlast.cs.nyu.edu!jackson@nyu.arpa To: info-hams@ucsd.edu References <CJqtFz.61@wri.com>, <2hebl3$2l9@news.acns.nwu.edu>, <1994Jan20.215704.20062@unet.net.com>.cs.ny Subject : Re: CW Books |> Am I setting myself up for 'too much' work by skipping over the |> 5 wpm rate? I was just going to ask the same type question myself. I got sm404 working last night and am very happy with it. I'm especially happy with the SoundBlaster compatibility.. it does wonders for the quality of the tone. I heard a tip a while ago from someone to skip right over 5 wpm and start at 13. Most people have the innate capability to copy faster than five, so you won't be fighting yourself to stay too slow. My question/suggestion: I don't know what code tapes sound like, but it seems to me that software could be written to, using the SoundBlaster card, roll your own code tapes. Obviously, I understand that there is human voice on the tapes, but a sentence library could be saved to disk and played at the appropriate times while creating the tape. Instead of buying six or seven tapes, you can create a new tape as you advance. Just make a few selections in the software, such as start speed and end speed, tone in Hz, and word spacing. If a person is sampled saying each character or procedural code once, the human voice could appear on the left track while the code is playing on the right track. (or vice versa since we drivers sit on the left in America) Or, some combination of volume of the code and voice can be made until it's "just right". For non-instructional speech, the sampling rate can be done at 8MHz.. that's not the important part of the tape for sound quality, its the code that matters. And since the code is generated on the fly, it doesn't need to be stored anywhere. This would also come in handy for groups as they teach a large number of people code. They can make custom tapes for everyone. And with a QSO library like SM's, a different QSO could be heard on every tape. The group could still fulfill their shareware obligations for the software without royalty for each tape produced, so long as they're not sold. I had to turn off the DIT DAH display in SM because, as someone warned me not to do, I found myself counting them on screen and trying to remember. The key is what it sounds like. I even closed my eyes for a while.. that's when I came up with the idea for the custom tapes.. Does this sound like a good idea? "Now here's a sample QSO at thirteen words per minute..." -- Steven Jackson New York University Assistant to the Chair of Comp Sci Courant Inst. of Mathematical Sciences jackson@cs.nyu.edu, jcksnste@acfcluster 251 Mercer St, Room 411,NY 10012 "Commercial sign in 5, 4, 3, 2... commercial sign now" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 18:29:49 GMT From: netcomsv!netcom.com!greg@decwrl.dec.com To: info-hams@ucsd.edu References <CJuLBB.n3D@news.direct.net>, <2hhsumINNms@abyss.West.Sun.COM>, <CJw15H.MKy@news.direct.net>du Subject : Re: Ramsey FX Transceivers In article <CJw15H.MKy@news.direct.net> kg7bk@indirect.com (Cecil Moore) writes: > >Instead of ragging on Internet which Ramsey may not see, how about I think if I owned one of the major ham radio businesses, I'd make it my business to see internet discussions about ham radio. It's as important as, say, reading QST. >convincing John that he needs to upgrade the designs? If more hams >buy his designs after the upgrade you can bet he will do it. True, but there is a certain expectation of initial quality. Unfortunately, John Ramsey has not come across as well as he might to some of the readership here. Worse yet, he managed to send something to QST for review which was, put simply, illegal. And he tended, at least as reported here, to downplay the issue. I suspect someone receiving a Notice of Apparent Liability from the FCC would not consider it to be trivial. > But, like >the Corvair, bad publicity can destroy a product even though it was >upgraded to a very good product. Dangerous analogy, this. After all, the evidence suggests that GM *knew* there were problems, and let people go ahead and die. Yes, they eventually fixed the car, and apparently put their best people on it, considering what a nifty product the last ones were; but did their having done so only after their customers were killed and maimed, and following a huge cover-up speak of a product that deserved success? I don't think so. Consumers were right in avoiding a product where the manufacturer conspired to hide defects, historically. Trust, once lost, must be re-earned. I love to see responsive, responsible, and honest businesses succeed. Particularly since they seem to be somewhat of an endangered species. ------------------------------ Date: (null) From: (null) Greg ------------------------------ Date: 19 Jan 1994 22:45:06 GMT From: koriel!newscast.West.Sun.COM!abyss.West.Sun.COM!sunspot!myers@decwrl.dec.com To: info-hams@ucsd.edu References <CJw15H.MKy@news.direct.net>, <2hk4tpINN125@abyss.West.Sun.COM>, <CJwDLy.4wz@news.direct.net> Subject : Re: Ramsey FX Transceivers In article <CJwDLy.4wz@news.direct.net> kg7bk@indirect.com (Cecil Moore) writes: >Dana Myers (myers@sunspot.West.Sun.COM) wrote: >: >That's why Ramsey offers a free variable cap upgrade PCB. >: Great. How many people know they need the upgrade PCB when they >: don't have the equipment to evaluate the performance of the receiver? > >Dana, most people don't have the equipment to evaluate the performance >of Japanese receivers, either. If something is wrong, it needs to be >fixed. My IC24AT had a problem and someone fixed it for me. The difference is that the IC24AT was factory built and then adjusted by the factory to specified tolerances. Selling a kit which is highly sensitive to component tolerances without providing an adjustment method is considerably different. I've been insisting that people who attempt to build and operate VHF and UHF amateur gear really need to verify the performance of the home-built (including kits) gear, since VHF/UHF gear is generally more sensitive to component and construction tolerances than HF gear. John Ramsey tries to sell kits that a person can tune with a VOM; this is asking for trouble if he doesn't go out of his way to engineer the kit to reduce the influence of component and construction tolerances. >: Cecil, rather than trying to convince to stop picking on Ramsey kits >: for theire technical shortcomings, why don't you convince your buddy >: John Ramsey to spend some hard earned cash going to a course on >: customer relations? * Dana H. Myers KK6JQ, DoD 466 > >Just for the record, my major connection to Ramsey is a magazine article. >I have never met or talked to John Ramsey in person or on the phone. I'm >a tinkerer and the FX kits allow me to tinker. It gives me pleasure to >invent improvements and share them. I thought you wrote him a letter and he responsed (?). I like to tinker, too. I buy really good radios (like Micor, Custom MVP, etc.) and use them as a platform for careful experimentation. For the $200 an FX-440 with cabinet costs, you can buy a Micor, some rocks, the manual, and a handful of PLL synth chips and go to town... -- * Dana H. Myers KK6JQ, DoD 466 | Views expressed here are * * (310) 348-6043 | mine and do not necessarily * * Dana.Myers@West.Sun.Com | reflect those of my employer * * This Extra supports the abolition of the 13 and 20 WPM tests * ------------------------------ Date: 21 Jan 1994 19:29:20 GMT From: library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsrelay.iastate.edu!news.iastate.edu!wjturner@network.ucsd.edu To: info-hams@ucsd.edu References <CJqtFz.61@wri.com>, <2hebl3$2l9@news.acns.nwu.edu>, <1994Jan20.215704.20062@unet.net.com>.uiuc. Subject : Re: CW Books In article <1994Jan20.215704.20062@unet.net.com> johng@white.net.com (John Gratton) writes: >If I pass the 13 wpm test, do I also have to pass the 5 wpm >test? Or in other words; Can I get a General class license >by passing the written tests for Novice, Technician and >General and then pass ONLY the General CW test? As I've just take the Amateur Extra test (and PASSED!!!), I think I can answer this. (Along with many other people I suspect...) NO!! You do not have to take the 5wpm code test [Element 1(a)]. The only elements you must have credit for to get a general license are: 1(b), 2, 3(a), and 3(b). This is all spelled out, and covered by the Amateur Extra test (for those who are interested). 73, Will. N0RDV/AE (Since 16 Jan 94...just a few more weeks--I mean months!) -- Will Turner, N0RDV --------------------------------------------- wjturner@iastate.edu | "Are you going to have any professionalism, | twp77@isuvax.iastate.edu | or am I going to have to beat it into you?" | TURNERW@vaxld.ameslab.gov --------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #66 ****************************** ******************************