THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR - August 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS FIELD DAY PROGRAM INDEPENDENCE DAY RUN BASIC ELECTRONICS CLASS EXTRA UPGRADE CLASS DUKE CITY HAMFEST CLUB HOUSE ROAD WEB EDITION OF LOCAL OSCILLATOR UNCLASSIFIED ADS BACK PAGE COMING EVENTS Week days 6 m FM net 52.540 6:00AM Mon R&S Net 449.90 8:30AM Breakfast Wal-Mart 10:00AM Wed Net 146.64 6:45PM July 22 4th Mon Business Meeting Club House 7:00PM Aug 3 Saturday Breakfast Club House 8:00AM Aug 12 2nd Mon Social Meeting Luby's Cafeteria 6:00PM Aug 15 1st Thur after 2nd Mon Directors at Club House 7:00PM Aug 23-24 Duke City Hamfest Aug 26 4th Mon Business Meeting Club House 7:00PM PRESIDENT'S CORNER KB5WHP I have been reflecting on the club’s activities over the last three months. We had a great bean feed, successfully completed four amateur radio classes over five weekends and had a successful field day at the clubhouse. We also supported several races with communications and completed some major clubhouse repairs and improvements. It has indeed been a busy time for the club members. I am very pleased that our members met these challenges. Keep up the good work! Now that the rainy season is upon us, I expect that the pace of club activities will taper off some. As soon as the rains have stopped and the temperature is a little cooler, probably in early October, we will be asking for volunteers to help with various clubhouse projects including cleaning up the lot, doing some exterior painting and putting up some new VHF/UHF antennas. More details will follow. 2nd MONDAY SOCIAL KB5WHP The club social has been held at Luby’s Cafeteria in the Mesilla Valley Mall. We have been advised that Luby’s will close in August. Dorothy Figgins took the lead and found us a new place to meet and has made arrangements with the IHOP at Telshor and Main to hold the social there in a separate room. IHOP will offer both senior discounts and two-for-one meal prices to the group. The restaurant is located across the street from the North Main KMART store. COPIES LO NEEDED KB5WHP I am trying to get a complete set of club newsletters to put into the club archives. We currently have a complete set from 1989 through 2001. We are in need of newsletters for all years prior to 1989. If you have copies, I would like to borrow them for copying. BUSINESS MEETING CHANGES KB5WHP At its last meeting, the Board of Directors voted to make a minor change in the format of our monthly business meetings. Effective with the 22 July meeting, the meeting will have the program presented first between 7:00 and 8:00 PM. After a short break, the business meeting will start at 8:15 PM. There are two reasons for the change. First, it will prevent quest speakers (non-club members) from having to sit through a business meeting, which they will probably find boring. Second, the business meeting can last as long as necessary with out impacting on the program. BUDGET KB5WHP When the budget was presented at the January business meeting, it was approved with the caveat that a review be held at midyear. This will occur at the July business meeting. The following is a preview of our status as of the first of July. The tables below show that our expenses to date are running under budget with our total expenses to date being about $3200. We have about $1000 in known expenses for the rest of the year. So we can expect to finish the year with our expenses way under the budget estimate of $7250. Our total income from all sources to date is about $5030. The board is of the opinion that unless we have a special money-raising event, this is probably all the money we will receive. This is short of the projected income of $7430. However, we do not have a problem. If we are careful with our expenses, we will be able to complete the year without dipping into our cash reserve. The only down side to this is that we will have to defer some clubhouse and lot improvements. 2002 CLUB INCOME (numbers rounded to nearest dollar) SOURCE Projected Received to date Dues 2400 2110 Class Tuition 500 451 Breakfast 500 283 X.76 Repeater 330 000 Bean feed 2000 2197 Misc 1700 11 TOTAL 7430 5032 2002 CLUB EXPENSES (numbers rounded to nearest dollar) Source Projected Spent to date Fixed 2400 918 News Letter 1000 245 Education 1000 000 Food 750 169 Repairs 1850 1878 Misc 250 000 TOTAL 7250 3210 FIELD DAY AC5RI The annual Field Day operations were held nationwide on the weekend of June 22 - 23 starting at noon local time. The consensus of the club membership was that the best place to hold the operations was the MVRC Club House. The club station, N5BL, operated as a 2-E station which means that we were operating from a permanent location using emergency (battery) power only. The Club had two active transmitters operating: one CW station and one phone station. Steve Horan (AC5RI) brought his rigs and PSK-31 support to act as a demo station at the club house. Steve operated under his own call sign since the battery operation could not be extended to his rig as well. Rodney Davis (WK5I) supplied the multi-band vertical antenna for the PSK-31 operations. On the morning of Field Day, Bob Bennett (WB5WHP) and arrived at 8:00 to begin setting up the radio room and configuring the logging computers. We were ready to begin operating by 11:30 am. CW and phone operations continued until around sunset. Art Block (W3YK) also came back for evening CW operations. A total of 15 Club members came to visit and operate during the event. A total of 25 CW contacts on 20 meters, 8 CW contacts on 40 meters, and 40 phone contacts on 20 meters were reported to ARRL. Steve made over 20 PSK 31 contacts on 20 and 15 meters. Support was graciously provided by George Kopp (KD5OHA), who cooked enough hamburgers and hot dogs for the participants as well as enough more for the Extra license class the next two weekends. PROGRAM KE3FF The program for the July 22nd meeting will be presented by Karl Larsen (K5DI). It is titled "Antennas, their working and operation" INDEPENDENCE DAY RUN K5DI Early on July 4th 2002 both ham radio people and runners gathered at the Burn Lake center along side Burn Lake. To reach this point you drive north on Alameda from Valley Drive about 1/4 mile to the Burn Lake sign on your right hand side. Take the paved road. We had pretty good maps and Karl K5DI passed them out marked with the corner the Ham would monitor. Brad KC5SKE was smart and brought his radio equipped bike so he took first position 2 which is hard to reach by car, and after the 1 Mile race was over moved the barricade and went to position 9. The first race was at 7:45 and the second was at 8:00 AM. The 1 Mile Race took about 15 minutes and Alex Burr, K5XY, talked his daughter into running that. She did very well. Alex did the 8 Kilometer run and was, I expect, the oldest runner out there, but came in well ahead of the last runners. We started out with 146.64 MHz repeater and just before the races started changed to 146.55 simplex. We had fine communications the entire race. I was running 2.5 watts to a good Larsen antenna from my FT-817 and never needed to repeat a message. The lead runner, who was quite a distance ahead of the second runner, made a wrong turn at Joe's, KI5FJ, corner and went the wrong way. But the wrong way was longer than the right way so Don Chapan was able to declare him the winner nevertheless. He got the information for his decision from the Ham Radio Group. Those participating in the Ham Group were Brad KC5SKE, Bill W5UMQ, Henry W4GEG, Elaine KC5TWD, David WA5DJJ, Rodney WK5I, and Marnie KA2FVO. This group did a splendid job. By 9:20 AM some Hams saw the last runner go by and were free to leave. Brad stayed behind the last participant and was next to last to leave the area. BASIC ELECTRONICS CLASS WA5DJJ The club is interested in knowing how many club or non-club members would be interested in a Basic Electronics Class. The textbook for the class would be the new ARRL "Understanding Basic Electronics" which will cost $20.00. The class is expected to meet twice a month for about 2 hours on a night to be selected (probably a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday evening). The course will start with very basic math and electronic theory and is expected to appeal to those starting out in Amateur Radio and who want to learn enough theory and practice to be able to move on to the Builders group or be able to understand how most electronic circuits work. The only requirement is that you buy your own book and show up for the classes. What the club needs now is a count on how many would be interested and on what evening you would like to see the class meet. If you interested, please send an email with your name, call, email address and phone number to Dave Hassall. Dave will start building a list and will contact you as the plan develops. Dave's email address is: dhassall@zianet.com HAM RADIO AUTO PATCH K5DI Most people today have a cell phone. Twenty years ago this was not the case and a lot of people got into Ham Radio just so they could use the many Auto Patch systems to make a phone call from their Handi-talki to their wife at home. It works fine but is a one-way circuit that takes getting used to. The Mesilla Radio Club has a phone patch on the 146.64 MHz repeater. The cost for this service is $264.00 a year (cost of a telephone hookup). There is an Auto Patch on the 146.84 MHz repeater and the cost of this is free to the Mesilla Valley Radio Club. Today the auto-patch on 146.64 is used about twice a month. This means the 2 calls cost our Club $11.00 each! I am in favor of stopping the 146.64 Auto Patch thus saving $264.00 and let those 2 people a month still using it go to the 146.84 repeater. Here is how it works: 1. To get a dial-tone send *84 and listen. 2. To dial (for example) 526-7177, key your radio and send 85267177 and listen. There will be a delay and you should hear a ringing sound. If you get a raspberry sound it means you made an error. 3. To turn off the Auto Patch (and hang up) send #1. You will hear a ID in CW and then the repeater will stop transmitting. Sometimes you need to re-send the #1. In summary, I recommend that the Club turn off the Auto Patch on the 146.64 repeater because it's not used much and will save the club money. The age of the Auto Patch is passed since everyone has a cell phone. EXTRA UPGRADE CLASS W4GEG The MVRC first Extra Upgrade Class was a great success. Five students signed-up and all passed the VE examination and are now Extra Class Operators. Steve Horan, AC5RI was the Lead Instructor for the Extra Upgrade Class. Steve's instructors were Bill Brown, W5UMQ and Dave Hassell, WA5DJJ.The instructor team did an outstanding job. Congratulations to the Extra Upgrade Class! Bob Bennett, KB5WHP Martin Cretin, N7KTR Dave Glasscock, KD5MAT Tim Linn, KD5SSF Charles Welch, W5TLU DUKE CITY HAMFEST N5ZGT This is a notice for New Mexico's largest Amateur Radio gathering - the 2002 Albuquerque Duke City Hamfest and ARRL New Mexico Section Convention - which is less than 40 days away! In the spirit of Amateur Radio, I would like to extend an invitation to you and the hams in your area and club to attend. This event takes place Friday evening August 23 and all day Saturday August 24. The location of the hamfest is very convenient as well. It will take place at the UNM Continuing Education and Conference Center, a great looking, large facility located down the street from the I-40 and I-25 interchange (the Big-I). RV camping will be next door to the hamfest site, too! There are many reasons to attend. (1)The 2002 Duke City Hamfest will have a whole bunch of buying and selling of Amateur Radio gear and more. Dealers, as well as lots of Amateurs will be bringing their new and used ham transceivers, antennas, accessories, electronics and other neat things to sell! (2) If you have items to sell, the 2002 Duke City Hamfest is the perfect place for you to sell them. Tailgating will be free on Saturday only, and indoor selling will take place on both days for an small price which reserves you a table, with AC power, if you wish, to sell your gear comfortably. Indoor tables are selling quickly since the hamfest is just around the corner, so be sure to get yours now! How? Read on! (3) The 2002 Duke City Hamfest is happy to announce a GREAT forum line-up, ranging from emergency communications, to transmitter hunting, to your home electronic workbench, to ARRL forums, and lots more! How many more? Read on! (4) The 2002 Duke City Hamfest will hold an ARRL VE exam session on Saturday morning for all license classes. If you need an upgrade, or know of someone who wants to get their first license, then study up and come on by while checking out the rest of the hamfest! Need more details? Read on! (5) The 2002 Duke City Hamfest will have a great dinner banquet on Saturday night, with many special guests in attendance, including our own Joe Knight W5PDY (ARRL NM Section Manager), Rick Lindquist N1RL (ARRL Chief News Editor), Walt Stinson (ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director), and our keynote speaker, the Emmy Award-winning Bob Martin KC5LHL, who pilots KRQE news' helicopter and was recently in Afghanistan to report on the war against terrorism. A country-style dinner will be enjoyed by all. Seats are limited! Buy yours soon, cause they are selling fast. How? Read on! (6) PRIZES! It's not a hamfest without prizes, and we have a bunch to give away to hamfest visitors. First, there will be many door-prizes, given away at least hourly. The grand-prize will be an Icom IC-706MkIIG HF-6m-2m-70cm all-mode transceiver. The second prize will be an Icom IC-2800 dual-band mobile, and the third, fourth and pre-registration prizes will be an Icom IC-2100 2-meter mobile transceiver. That's five brand-new radios that will be given away! The only way to walk away with one of these is to purchase tickets. They will be sold at various club meetings, and at the hamfest itself. Purchase yours soon! How do you get more info about the above? Head over to the newly re-designed 2002 Duke City Hamfest website at www.qsl.net/dchf and read all about it! Again, the hamfest is in less than 40 days. The more people who attend, the better it will be for everyone. Wherever you are inside or outside of New Mexico, plan on a weekend of great fun at the 2002 Duke City Hamfest on August 23-24. Again, RV camping will be available for your convenience, and there are many area hotels and motels. We are expecting a large turnout from in-state and out-of-state. Don't miss it! If you have any questions, please email me at this address: n5zgt@swcp.com Local Note: K5DI, Karl, will be conducting one of the forums Saturday. US-70 CONSTRUCTION KB5WHP A word of caution to anyone driving to the clubhouse is in order. The intersection of US-70 and Wilt Ave. has been closed. Also, the traffic signals at US-70 and Holman Road have been removed and US-70 diverted to a frontage road. Making a left turn onto –70 from Holman is now difficult. Probably the best route to the clubhouse is to exit US-70 at Porter Road (near the fire station) and travel south on Porter until it dead ends. Then turn left on Aldridge and go to Wilt. At Wilt make a left turn and the clubhouse will be on the right in one block. WEB EDITION OF THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR K5XY The Local Oscillator is now temporarily available in Internet form. The relevant URL is http://www.zianet.com/common/mvrc/index.html. If this form of the newsletter is used by club members, it will be continued. The exact form will probably evolve a bit in the coming months, particularly if club members offer suggestions. In this web issue there is a form that you can use to provide feedback. In addition, you can offer your comments on the auto patch article by K5DI.or express your interest in the Basic Electronics Class. Most browsers will allow you to easily print a copy of this issue. MINUTES OF THE GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING June 24, 2002 The Club President, Bob Bennett, KB5WHP, called the meeting to order at 7:10 P.M. at the MVRC Clubhouse. Those in attendance are shown on the attached Sign-in Sheet. The President then asked attendees to introduce themselves. The President made the following announcements: Terry Edwards, KC5JCP, is back after his recent recuperation. Ron Bracklow, N6PWW, is ill and has been in and out of the hospital for tests. In the absence of Steve Horan, AC5RI, the President reported that two HF stations were operated on emergency power during Field Day, as well as a two-meter station which was not in the contest. Additionally, Steve Horan operated PSK31 using his own callsign. There was some activity at the Clubhouse from noon till midnight on Saturday, by a total of 17 people. It was disappointing, however, that only eight people were present for dinner. The result is that lots of munchies were left over. All in all, Field Day was fun. The President has received two email messages inquiring about purchasing Club jackets. With only three people interested so far, no discount would be available. If more people do not respond in the next month, the President suggests that individuals order their own jackets from Mesilla Park Trophy at Main and Union Streets. The next Club Social will be held at Luby’s Cafeteria on Monday, July 9. The next Breakfast will be held at the Clubhouse on Saturday, July 6th. Volunteers are needed to help cook, and students in the class will receive their breakfast free. The Secretary passed out copies of the Minutes for the May 25, 2002 General Meeting. Lou Cabot, KC5IEC, moved that the Minutes be approved as presented. The motion was carried. TREASURER’S REPORT: The Treasurer, Rodney Davis, WK5I, gave the following Report: First Federal Bank (Savings Account) $ 383.14 Community First National Bank $3.429.86 Cash on Hand $ 287.23 Total Balance: $4,100.23 The President gave a reminder that we will vote on the Budget again at the July meeting. VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT: In the absence of the Vice-President, Doug Hicks, KE5FF, it was announced that the program, on Radios used by Airlines, will be presented by Spence McConnell, KT1L. COMMITTEE REPORTS: SPECIAL EVENTS: George Kopp, KD5OHA, gave a reminder that two volunteers are needed to help with the Breakfast from 8:00-9:00 A.M. on July 6th. Those who responded are Henry Frink, W4GEG, and Charlie Welch,W5TLU. George Kopp stated that in the future, he will need a more accurate count of people who plan to attend the dinner at Field Day. EDUCATION: Henry Frink, W4GEG, announced that Steve Horan has five people signed up for the Extra Class course, and expects another signup today. Three people attended the CW class, and two passed: Tim Linn, KD5SSF, and Brant Goddard, KD5SSB. LOCAL OSCILLATOR: In the absence of Alex Burr, K5XY, it was announced the Local Oscillator is not out yet. Postcards have been sent out to 97 members requesting a response to the delivery of the Local Oscillator by email. Only one member has responded so far. The President asked whether the Club has any life members or complimentary members. Reportedly, Bill Weed, K5BJW, is in one of those categories. REPEATERS: In the absence of Brad Sacca, KC5SKE, it was mentioned that the 448.2 repeater is keyed all the time. COMMUNICATIONS: In the absence of Karl Larsen, K5DI, the President reported that there is no information available as to who is running the Independence Day Run on July 4th. Lou Cabot has T shirts for the NMSU Triathlon. The meeting was recessed for refreshments at 7:45 P.M. Following the recess, the program was given. Ruth Barker, KD6TBX Secretary UNCLASSIFIED ADS WANTED; MILITARY AIRCRAFT TRANSMITTER: AN/ART-13, With any units that will complete a Transmitter Set, FOR EXAMPLE Dynamoter, Mounting Plates, Ant.loading unit. Mark Maguire K1CQH 522 6039 BACK PAGE The newsletter is always looking for articles and notes of interest to the members of the Mesilla Valley Radio Club. Please send them to Alex. F. Burr, K5XY, Editor, MVRC Local Oscillator, 695 Stone Canyon Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011. Small personal ads from members will also be published. It would be helpful if submissions would be made in a machine readable form. MSDOS disks are welcome. Files can also be sent to the Internet address aburr@aol.com. The club maintains a web site at http://www.zianet.com/mvrc. OFFICERS Pres Bob Bennett KB5WHP 382-0148 VPr Doug Hicks KE5FF 522-2683 Sec Ruth Barker KD6TBX 373-2838 Tres Rod Davis WK5I 522-6833 B'rd Alex. Burr K5XY 522-2528 Henry Frink W4GEG 523-5137 Dave Hassall WA5DJJ 532-1251 George Koop KD5OHA 523-1758 Karl Larsen K5DI 524-3303 Brad Sacca KC5SKE 382-4380 JOIN THE CLUB To join the Mesilla Valley Radio Club, renew your membership, or to support the repeaters, please complete the form below and send it with dues ($25 single, $35 family per year) to: Treasurer, MVRC, Box 1443, Las Cruces, NM 88004. Name: Address: Call: Class of License: Phone: E-Mail Address: ARRL Member? Yes? No?