THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR - October 2005 NOTE: An HTML version is available at www.mvrc.qzxservices.com. A pdf file of the web edition is available at www.mvrc.qzxservices.com/pdf/LO0510.pdf. It will be easy to print that edition. If you do not have the free pdf reader, you can get it at www.adobe.com TABLE OF CONTENTS COMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER MEETING CW GROUP CLUB HOUSE CLEANING FOX HUNT RACE FCC 70 CM RULE CHANGES MINUTES OF AUGUST BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST BOARD OF DIRECTORS INCOME/EXPENSE BACK PAGE COMING EVENTS Sun CW net 7.142 MHz 4:00PM M-F 6 m FM net 52.540 6:00AM Mon YL Rise & Shine 449.9 8:30AM Mon WTRA Swap net 146.88 8:00PM Wed Net 146.64 6:45PM M-F round-table 52.525MHz 8:00PM Weekdays Informal get together Mon Wed Fri Munson Center 10AM Tue Thur Wal-Mart E 10AM Sept 24 Whole Enchilada race 7:15AM Sept 28 Clean-up day Club House Oct 1 Breakfast 8:00AM Club House Oct 1 Business meeting 9:15AM Club House Oct 3 CW Group 7:00PM Club House Oct 5 1st Wed after 1st Sat Directors at Club House 7:00PM Oct 5 Attenuator building Club House 7:00PM PRESIDENT'S CORNER N5PK September is almost gone and the year end is fast approaching. There are only two meetings, October and November left in this year. We still have lot to accomplish before year's end. The October business meeting will be an abbreviated one to allow time for us to visit informally about some issues important to our club and a time for exchange of ideas. I trust each of you will make a special effort to come to this important meeting. Also, begin to think about where you would like to have the Christmas party and be prepared to share your ideas with the group. The nominating committee is hard at work to get a slate of officers and directors together for us to consider at the November meeting. If you want to be considered for any of these positions, contact Rodney Davis at 522-6833 or at the October meeting. We will need to elect four officers and three members to the board of directors. Officers are elected each year for a one year term, and three of the director positions are filled each year for a two year term. There may be opportunities to help with some communications for the Whole Enchilada Fiesta, if so George will be contacting some of you to help in that support. Should be fun to do so help if you can. OCTOBER MEETING KD5ZHI The October business meeting guest speaker will be Dave Hassall, WA5DJJ. His topic will be builders - past, present and future. Sounds good. Dave, as many of you know, has been building for many years and is very successful at it. I am sure everyone will be able to take something from this talk. CW GROUP K5DI The CW Group plans to have the next meeting on October 3 2005 at the clubhouse starting at 7:00PM. The meeting will include a demo of the Yaesu FT857D which is a REAL CW Radio. It works SSB and all the Digital Modes too. And it gets out real well on 2 meters and 70 CM. Everything you could want to adjust on this radio is available in a menu listing. It's design tested, best so far by the ARRL Lab. If you have any questions or want to tell us about your CW stuff show up. Also the CW Net on Sunday each week at 4 PM local on 7.142 MHz has been a success. More people should wade in and join us. CLUB HOUSE CLEANING AD5LJ We will have a clubhouse cleaning party on Wednesday morning, 28 September. The work will start about 9 AM. The plan is to dust, sweep and wash the interior of the clubhouse and also do some minor outside clean up. We need volunteers! If you would like to help, please drop me an email at rbennett@zianet.com. FOX HUNT KD5ZHI The fox hunt is still on. For all those interested Cash Olsen, KD5SSJ, and myself are trying to put on a hunt. This has been slowed as Cash volunteered his time in helping the Red Cross with the Katrina Disaster, good work Cash. Anyhow Cash has some attenuator kits ready to be built. The date is set for October the 5th 7:00 pm at the club house. We will be building the antenna with a used metal tape measure and pvc later. Once every one is ready to hunt, a date will be set. Keep your eyes open for that date, I hope we have a good turn out. RACE KD5OHA On Saturday September 24 the Mesilla Valley Track club needs coverage for two races. The first one starts at 7:30 A.M. and the second one is at 8:00 A.M. I have 3 volunteers and I need 5 more. Also I have been asked by the parade director if we could help with communications for the parade. I know the parade starts at 10 A.M. At Las Cruces High School. Goes down El Paseo to Main street and up main to the North end of the downtown mall. It should end by noon. I am going to a meeting on Wedensday to get more details on the parade. FCC 70 CM RULE CHANGES AD5LJ There has been a change in allowed 70 CM power levels in New Mexico and elsewhere. The FCC quietly made these changes in October 2003 in response to a request from White Sands Missile Range and other Military installations in the area. The changes can be summarized as follows. 1. The frequency range effected is 420 to 450 MHZ. 2. Maximum peak power is limited to 50 Watts. 3. The areas where this limitation is in effect includes ALL OF NEW MEXICO ALL OF ARIZONA All of Texas West of 104 degrees west Plus specific areas around military bases in many other states. 4. Amateur operation in the 420-450 MHZ band is prohibited on the White Sands Missile Range. The full text of the FCC rule change can be found at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-269A1.doc. The current FCC Online Table and FCC Allocation History File is at Http://www.fcc.gov/oet/spectrum/. MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER BUSINESS MEETING W5JRD Due to lack of enough members for a quorum, no official meeting took place. President Jack Lemons (N5PK) announced the appointment of a nominating committee consisting of Rodney Davis (WK5I) Chairman, Jim Guganig (AD5HT), and Marnie Leverett (KA2FVO). The scheduled program on Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) was presented by Steve Horan (AC5RI). The meeting was adjourned by President Jack Lemons. MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS W5JRD Board members in attendance were: Jack Lemons (N5PK) Sandra Hempfling (KJ5Q) Judy Davis (W5JRD) Bob Bennett (AD5LJ) George Kopp (KD5OHA) Tres Campbell (KD5ZHI) Brad Sacca (KC5SKE) Alex Burr (K5XY) President Jack Lemons called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm The minutes of the last meeting were read by Judy Davis and approved. The Treasurer’s report was given by Sandra Hempfling. The club has $10,097.67 total in all accounts as of August 31, 2005. The report was approved as read. Reports: Bob Bennett: Clean-up day is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28. More Volunteers are needed. Alex Burr: Any input for the Local Oscillator needs to be in by the 20th of each month. He also suggested the possibility of setting up a station for the October 9 XPrize function. Brad Sacca: David Hassall (WA5DJJ) will be contacted about the possibility of repairing the repeaters we have on hand. Tres Campbell: Parts for the active attenuators for use in hunt activities have been ordered by Cash Olsen (KD5SSJ) but the project is on hold until Cash returns form disaster relief duties at the Houston Astrodome. George Kopp: Races are scheduled for the Whole Enchilada Festival on 24 September and the annual marathon on 30 October. Jack Lemons: John Hempfling (N5WQ) will be in charge of the repairs to the Ten-Tec Corsair transceiver that was donated to the club. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 pm. INCOME/EXPENSE KJ5C Beginning Balances MVRC Checking Account 3465.94 MVRC Savings Account 4104.18 Education Fund Account 2523.13 Cash on Hand 49.47 Balances Total 10142.72 Income Breakfast & Drinks 61.00 Dues 35.00 Interest Income 0.70 Total Income 96.70 Balances + Income 10239.42 Expenses Misc 84.00 Utilities Electricity 20.46 Telephone 26.32 Water 10.97 Total Expenses 141.75 Balances on hand, July 31, 2005 10097.67 Ending Balances MVRC Checking Account 3420.19 MVRC Savings Account 4104.88 Education Fund Account 2523.13 Cash on Hand 49.47 Balances Total 10097.67 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 k5xy@arrl.net. The club has a web site maintained by WA2NIJ at http://www.zianet.com/mvrc. OFFICERS Pres Jack Lemons N5PK 526-9428 n5pk@zianet.com VPr Tres Campbell KD5HZI 373-2008 trscam@netscape.net Sec Judy Davis W5JRD 522-6833 jhughes@nmsu.edu Tres Sandra Hempfling KJ5Q 373-1166 kj5q@arrl.net BOARD Communications George Kopp KD5OHA 525-1956 geokd5oha@yahoo.com Education Joe San Filippo WZ5R 521-7574 sanfilippo@zianet.com Special Events Cash Olsen KD5SSJ 382-1917 KD5SSJ@zianet.com Newsletter Alex Burr K5XY 522-2528 k5xy@arrl.net Clubhouse Bob Bennett AD5LJ 382-0148 rbennett@zianet.com Repeaters Brad Sacca KC5SKE 382-4380 shiekyerbouty@msn.com 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 ($35 single, $45 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?