THE LOCAL OSCILLATOR - February 2009 NOTE: An HTML version is available at www.mvrc.qzxservices.com. A pdf file of the web edition is available at http://www.mvrc.qzxservices.com/pdf/LO0902.pdf. It will be easy to print that edition. If you do not have the free pdf reader, you can get it at http://www.adobe.com TABLE OF CONTENTS COMING EVENTS PRESIDENT'S CORNER VP PLANS FEBRUARY 7 NM QSO PARTY DUES BEAN FEED UNCLASSIFIED OFFICERS JOIN THE CLUB COMING EVENTS Sun CW net 3.565 MHz 5:00PM M-F 6 m FM net 52.540 6:00AM Mon WTRA Swap net 146.88 8:00PM Wed Net 146.64 6:45PM MWF Informal get together Wal-Mart W (Valley) 10 AM TTH Informal get together Wal-Mart E (Walton) 10 AM Feb 7 Breakfast 8 AM Club House Feb 7 Business meeting 9 AM Club House Feb 7-8 NM QSO Party Club House see URL http://www.swcp.com/~n5zgt/nmqsoparty Apr 26 Bean Feed Club House PRESIDENT'S CORNER KC5HFJ The usual breakfast and busines meeting will be held February 7. (With lots of other activites>) VP PLANS KD5SSJ The invited speaker for the February meeting is Joe Ostrowski who will present a demonstration of two portable VHF Radios with digital interfaces, that can be used in any one of several digital modes to pass traffic. Joe made this presentation for a large audience of ARES/RACES participants at the Office of Emergency Management earlier this month. As a result, the Builders Group has agreed to make the digital interface as the group project. It has yet to be determined if it will be a scratch build or a kit project. FEBRUARY 7 K5XY February 7 will be an unusually busy day for MVRC. First, breakfast at 8AM. The menu is Biscuits (not homemade, but OH WELL...) White pepper gravy with sausage and bacon crumbles Fruit salad with a yougurt/creme'fraiche dressing And, of course, pancakes. Price = $4 as usual. Next the business meeting at 9 AM. See the article above on the talk by KI5FJ. This will be followed by participation in the NM QSO party starting at 11 AM. See the article on the NM QSO Party below. Then at noon to 2PM there sill be a demonstration on how to hook-up a digital to analog set top converted box for the change from analog to digital TV. At 6 PM there will be food for the contesters. For those who want to participate in the New Mexico QSO Party, K5KMC will be making chicken & andoulle gumbo with white rice on the side. Dinner will start about 1800 hours local, but gumbo and rice stay warm well. This is on my nickel. (K5KMC). NM QSO PARTY K5XY There will be a NM QSO Party (contest) stating at 1800Z (11AM local) on Febraruy 7 and ending at 23:59 Z on Februray8 The purpose of this HF and 6-meter event (both of which every ham has privileges to operate on) is to get on the airwaves and have a great time with hams from across New Mexico and the nation. NM hams contact as many hams (inside and outside NM) as possible. Non-NM hams contact as many NM hams (only) as possible. Essentially, New Mexico hams will find themselves on the “other” side of the pileup, with stations across the country and perhaps world wanting to make contact with the Land of Enchantment for the duration of the event. All modes will be used. Suggested frequencies are i. CW: 1850, 3550, 7045, 14050, 21050, 28050 kHz and 50.095 MHz. ii. Phone: 1850, 3925, 7260, 14280, 21380, 28380 kHz and 50.130 MHz. Our club station will be active as long as operators are available. For complete details visit URL http://www.swcp.com/~n5zgt/nmqsoparty. DUES KI5FJ The 2009 dues are due before 1 May, the earlier the better. As a reminder, please include the following info with your dues check: Call Sign(s) if FAMILY, Class, Name, Address, email address ARRL Member Y/N and optional PHONE Number. The reason I would appreciate your phone number is to clarify your email if it bounces. If you desire to pay CASH at the next meeting, please write down the above info it will speed up the process... Please address your info to ki5fj@arrl.net BEAN FEED AD5LJ Our annual bean feed and swap meet is rapidly approaching. It will be on Sunday 26 April 2009. The club depends on bean feed equipment sales to provide funds for operating expenses. Currently we have very little to sell! If you have excess equipment that you want to get rid of, Please donate it to the club. We will take just about anything you would like to donate. However, based on previous bean feeds, the following items sell very well. 1. Amateur transceivers (handheld, mobile and base) 2. Antenna tuners 3. Antennas and antenna parts 4. Towers and tower parts 5. 13.8 VDC power supplies rated at 20 or more amps 6. Late model test equipment 7. Vintage receivers (tube type HF receivers) 8. General shack accessories The following items historically do not sell and we usually end up giving them away or hauling them to the recycling center. 1. CB radios 2. Components (resistors, capacitors, etc) 3. Vintage transmitters 4. Most homemade gear 5. All computers and accessories 6. Vintage test equipment 7. Commercial transceivers 8. Military radios 9. Home entertainment items (TV, Stereos, tape recorders, etc) If you have items you wish to donate, bring them to the club house at our monthly meetings. If you need items picked up, please contact me. UNCLASSIFIED FOR SALE Cushcraft 2 meter Yagi Antenna in excellent condition. Comes w/ channel master antenna rotor, control box w/ infrared remote, and about 40 feet of rotor wire. Also includes antenna assembly and installation manual. I am asking $60 for everything. Anyone interested call me at (575)541-4346. Howard Brewington, KJ5NJ FOR SALE I have for sale my Drake R8A communications receiver 100-30,000 kHz. All mode (USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM, RTTY) microprocessor- controlled, synthesized, highly sensitive. One owner (me), works fine, very good condition with Owner’s manual. $745. Marty N9OG Las Cruces OFFICERS Pres Perry Welch KC5HFJ 373-9171 perrywelch@hotmail.com VPr Cash Olsen KD5SSJ 382-1917 kd5ssj@arrl.net Sec Jack Lemons N5PK 644-7207 jack_N5PK@hotmail.com Treasurer Kevin McNelis K5KMC 571-7326 KMCVELIS@NMSU>EDU BOARD Communications Henry Schotzko AD5FE 526-1922 schotzko@comcast.net Education Special Events Kevin McNelis K5KMC 571-7326 kmcnelis@nmsu.edu Newsletter Alex Burr K5XY 522-2528 k5xy@arrl.net Clubhouse Bob Bennett AD5LJ 382-0148 rpbennett1@comcast.net Repeaters Robert Truitt KE5OFK 649-4173 robtruitt@zianet.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?