THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR - April 2007 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/LO0704.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 PRESIDENT"S CORNER COM EVENT DUES RUN OLD MESILLA TRAINING APRIL PROGRAM WA5ALX SK MINUTES MONTHLY MEETING 3 FEBRUARY 2007 MINUTES MONTHLY BOARD MEETING 7 FEBRUARY 2007 INCOME/EXPENSES 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 52.525 MHz 8:00PM MWF Informal get together Wal-Mart W (Valley) 10 AM TTH Informal get together Wal-Mart E (Walton) 10 AM Apr 7 Breakfast 8 AM Club House Apr 7 Business meeting 9 AM Club House Apr 11 Directors meeting 7 PM Club House Apr 29 Bean Feed PRESIDENT'S CORNER KD5ZHI Hello all. We are very close now to our annual hamfest, "The Bean Feed" April 29th. I hope everyone can make it and will enjoy the beans, tailgating, and eye balling. This is a great opportunity for all local amateurs and families that don't see each other regularly to visit. I encourage you to let other hams know about the event. Jeff Campbell has been doing a great job at coordinating this. Please come early and stay late. COM EVENT WK5C NMDOH (dept of health) is having a radio check Monday, 2 April, at 0900 hours local on the Mega Link. Tom Townsend, OEM, asked if we could support. I plan to be at the OEM using call sign N5BL @ DAC OEM. Are you interested in participating? From home, clubhouse, mobile, or OEM would be good. Any suggestions on other folks who might be able to contribute to this effort in a positive way? My feeling is So. NM gets little to no press "up north" and this would be a good time to showcase our presence. I have no info on what or how long this commex will be, what traffic (if any) is to be passed, nor do I know who the players will be. Only thing for sure is they want to use the Mega Link and start at 0900. At the OEM we will keep a paper log record of our communications traffic. I don't think that will be necessary for other stations to follow, at this time. If you do come to the OEM, the old Smith's grocery on Solano and Spruce, it is in the south east end of the building, 2nd floor, co-located with the Fire Marshall's office. Sign in with the secretary at her desk. You will notice an aluminum 50' tower with 2 HF dipoles, a microwave dish, and a few verticals out back. I have been doing some repairs to the OEM gear and it should be ready for this exercise. Currently the DAC OEM has only one VHF rig, a vintage TS-711A, which should serve us well for this exercise. NMDOH is out of Santa Fe. DUES N9OG Only 41 members have paid dues this year so far. Please send them in ASAP as April 1 (no fooling) is the delinquent date. RUN OLD MESILLA AD5FE On Saturday March 10,2007 the MVRC supported the Annual MVTC (Mesilla Valley Track Club) Run Old Mesilla 5K run/walk 10K Run. The event was supported by George Kopp KD5OHA as net control assisted by Henry Schotzko AD5FE at the finish line, Rod Davis WK5I, Judy Davis W5JRD at the start line and Tres Campbell KD5ZHI, Dennis Shepan KB5TPV, Richard Johnson KC5EVR, Charlotte Johnson KC5KWI Dave Glasscock W7DXG, Karl Larsen K5DI Chris Campbell KE5LET, Dorothy Figgins, John Hempling N5WQ, and Sandra Hempling KJ5Q were our race course observers. Again the weather cooperated and gave us a very nice day for the event. We had only one medical call and that took place at the finish line with one participant feeling dizzy after finishing the race. She was looked at by the Mesilla Fire department Medics. Other then that one runner, the race was uneventful. TRAINING KD5BYK I have been a Ham for about 10 years,and I have attended a number of the Bean Feeds in Las Cruces held by your club. My wife and I used to live in Silver City, and now are residents of Truth or Consequences, and the short drive to Las Cruces for the only good "Fest" in the area has always been worthwhile. It is always a fun event and reasonably well attended. The vendors are fun. I know Rick of Radcom Radio from other fests he attends, as well as the Bean Feed, and our station is mostly equipped with items we got from him. I have started to upgrade from Tech to General several times over the past few years, but could never quite study enough to make taking the test worth while. My wife and I both got into Ham Radio originally more to support our SAR interests than for the radio aspects, but the radio possibilities have become more interesting over time. My wife got her General License a few years ago, but work and other things kept coming between me and an upgrade! We are ARRL members, and the recent changes eliminating Code reported in their publication made me start thinking again about an upgrade. Your class and test came at a perfect time for me. I contacted a couple of your club members about the class, after receiving an email from the ARRL, and came down for the week end. I can't thank Tim and all the others enough for a great class, as well as the fellowship involved in the classes. The immersion in radio of the week end worked well for all of us that took the class, we all passed our test on Sunday! It was fun to see so many show up on Sunday to take the exam (over 20), and it was fun to again see several people I remember from various Bean Feeds, and other contacts. There were so many people there on Sunday, it was not possible to say hello to everyone, but I do want to make it known to the members how good the classes were, and that we all had a bit of fun in getting our upgrades! It was also interesting to see the several kids getting their licenses! I have belonged to two good Radio Clubs in my years as a Ham, and I complement yours for the effort and work put in by members to keep a great club going strong! We all enjoy a great hobby, and we all probably understand how difficult it is to keep a good club going strong. Good Work! Thanks again for a fun week end, and for the help in receiving my upgrade! Hope to see many of you at the Bean Feed! Sincerely, Jerry Englehart KD5BYK APRIL PROGRAM KB5TPV The tentative speaker for the April meeting will be Bob Rossow who will talk to the club about Search and Rescue operations. It sounds like it will be an interesting presentation. Anyone who has a presentation that they would like to give should feel free to contact me by email at kb5tpv@zianet.com to make arrangements for an upcoming meeting. Also any ideas for speakers or topics that you would like to hear would gladly be welcomed. 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 Tres Campbell KD5HZI 373-2008 trscam@netscape.net VPr Dennis Shepan KB5TPV 522-7466 KB5TPV@zianet.com Sec Bob Rossow KE5ISD 522-7445 fullback@zianet.com Tres Martin Winkler N9OG - winklma@comcast.net BOARD Communications Henry Schotzko AD5FE 526-1922 schotzko@comcast.net Education Tim Linn KD5SSF 521-0486 KD5SSF@arrl.net 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 rpbennett1@comcast.net 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?