Valley Radio Club on the web: www.valleyradioclub.org

*****  THIS MONTH'S MEETING: Friday, July 10, 2009  7:00 PM  *****

RUSS' RESCUE

Russ Ruby W7AU will tell the story of his rescue in the Washington Wilderness area last year. He was able to get an emergency call out in CW from his QRP, but that's just one small part of the story. Come hear the rest!

(You may view a live internet stream presentation of the meeting by visiting
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/valley-radio-club-meetings.)

I encourage everyone to attend and be an active part of this very special upcoming event.  If you have other thoughts or suggestions, please bring them to the meeting Friday, July 10th, at 7:00 PM at the Red Cross, 862 Bethel Dr., Eugene.  Hope to see everyone there!

73,

Riley W7RIL
President
w7ril@yahoo.com

*****  VRC DX  *****
  North Bend Ham Fair July 18th
  Field Day 2009 Photos
  Valley Club's DX SIG Field Day report
  Field Day from Em Comm Perspective
  Field Day operation  W7AU and W7FC
  New Freq Chart, Packet Chart, Lane Emerg Op Plan etc.
  Cyber Attack on US Computers
  Bicycle Mobile Sideband QRP
  Cody, kc2lsd sent this DX schedule and I'm passing it on to you
  HF Echolink?
  HF Echolink
  6 meter DX
  Coastal Tropo
  Web Page UP Date
  IC-735 owners
  VRC Newsletter Volunteer Editor Still Needed
  Where's Waldo Running Up On August 22nd
  Ham Stories Website Coming Soon To a Computer Near You
 

MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club Meeting June 5 , 2009
VRC CLUB CORNER
VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

*****  FROM THE ARRL  *****
  Monthly Oregon Section News Summary
  Oregon Section ARRL Club Newsletter June 2009
  KB6NU's Column
  Solar Update
  W1AW 2009 Operating Schedule

*****    VRC DX   *****

(Please email your  news, articles, buy&sell, etc for the newsletter to ke7gbo@arrl.net)


North Bend Ham Fair July 18th

The Coos County Radio Club is having their annual Hamfest & Swapmeet at the North Bend Middle School on the Oregon Coast July 18th 2009, Cost is $3.00 for hams and free for spouses and kids. Doors open at 10:00am dealers need to arrive by 8:00am and are able to buy table space. Talk-in on 145.610 (-No Tone) or 147.280 (+PL 146.2). For tables and resgiatration please contact Marylyn Mansker, KE7OAM at (541) 572-3406 or ke7oam@yahoo.com. VEndors, VE Session, Snack bar, RV parkring, ARRL Reps, Hourly door prozes, Programs and more.

73 de Albert KE7PWV
admin253@hotmail.com

Field Day 2009 Photos

HI .... I would like Photos from Field Day 2009 to put on The Web Page. So if you took Photos at the Field Day Site you went to. PSE send them to me and I will put on the WebPage. All I need to know is Your Call, name & Site you went to . Hope every one had fun on there Field Day  I DID
       73
KC7ZFP (Mike)
Webmaster #2
kc7zfp@comcast.net
       Dit Dit

Valley Club's DX SIG Field Day report

                    ARRL Field Day

Call: N7MQ
Operator(s): KE7PGO, K7EB, AC7NH, W7CN, W7MJJ, K3DUW, W8IEB, N7QU, WJ7R, N7MQ
Station: N7MQ

Class: 3A LP
QTH: Jasper, OR CN84na
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs
----------------------------
  160:
   80:  121     83
   40:  155    401     49
   20:  148    151     20
   15:   31    101
   10:          11
    6:          19
    2:
  222:
  432:
  903:
  1.2:
  2.3:
  3.4:
  5.7:
  10G:
  24G:
----------------------------
Total:  455    766     69  Total Score = 1,814

Club:

Comments:

We are the DX and Contesting Special Interest Group of the Valley Radio Club of Eugene, Oregon.  As is our practice, we find a field location, and go out, with the goal of having fun but also making some Q's.  For the second year in a row, we set up adjacent to a Christmas tree farm on a ridge in eastern Lane County, at CN84na.

Our antennas were a two element Moxon for 6 at on a 33 ft mast, a SteppIR Big Vert, a multi-band dipole on another mast, and a ground mounted two element end fire vertical array on 20.

For radios we had two TS 570's, an IC 7000 and IC 706.  Our power was from a Honda 1000 and a Honda 2000i.  Computers used WriteLog in networked configuration.

This was a first time event for some of our group, and repeat for others.  The skill level ranges from casual op to beginning contester to hard core rate junkies.

6 meters was sparkling on Friday, working into the east coast.  Of course, poor on FD itself.  10 opened a bit, 15 better, and other bands good, tho 40 was our money band.

Great meals.  Friday night by Paul W8IEB with huge meat balls and pasta; barbecue chicken on Saturday night by Rich KE7PGO, and a breakfast burrito run on Sunday morning, also by Rich.

Great outing and fun for all.

Mark N7MQ
mperrin@ordata.com

Field Day from Em Comm Perspective

Good emergency operators come from the ranks of those who get on the air, especially HF, regularly, and from that practice develop the skill of copying messages under poor conditions [band noise, interference, low power, etc].

And this year all of the area clubs had a Field Day operation.  EARS at Willamalane Park, LCSARO at Mt Pisgah, Valley Radio Club at the EWEB lot, and the DX SIG hard core operators on a ridge above Jasper.  There were contacts on all bands from 2 meters to 80 meters.  The QSO's were on PSK31, RTTY, Packet, SSB and CW.

There may have been others who either operated from home or solo field set ups - so not overlooking you, just not know of what you did.  Please send Tom KE7GBO a note of your Field Day operation, so he can add your results to the others.

From my perspective, a job well done by all! Congratulations to all who participated and the groups that supported the operators.

73,

Mark

Mark Perrin N7MQ     mperrin@ordata.com
Lane Emergency Coordinator
ARES/RACES

Field Day operation  W7AU and W7FC

The "Soldermonkeys" club (W7FC) with three participants operated field day in Avery Park, Corvallis getting 59 contacts with QRP CW using an elecraft K2.

After shutting down W7FC, I set up in my Corvallis backyard as W7AU getting 26 QRP CW contacts on 80mtrs and 20mtrs using an elecraft KX1.

73   russ   w7au
russ@sludge.net

New Freq Chart, Packet Chart, Lane Emerg Op Plan etc.

A number of changes required that the Lane Emergency Frequency Chart, Packet Chart, Lane Emergency Operating Plan, the Go Kit and the ARES Training Guide, all be updated.

The June 2009 revisions of each of those documents should be downloaded from the VRC web site and printed out.

Mike KC7ZFP and Dale W7LK, who maintain the VRC web site, have included a hot link button in the upper portion of the first page of the web site - labeled "EM COMM."  A click on that link will bring you to a page filled with Em Comm goodies.  The Frequency Chart and the Packet Chart are the first two items with red blinking labels.

The others can be found down the page under the numbered table of contents.

Note in particular that Matt W7ARD's 146.63 repeater is no more; he is in the process of changing his repeater over to 145.450 [100 PL], but it is not up just yet.

If any questions, or items for updating when we do the Fall revisions to the various charts, please let me know.

73, Mark N7MQ

Mark Perrin N7MQ     mperrin@ordata.com
Lane Emergency Coordinator
ARES/RACES

Cyber Attack on US Computers

What I was was telling the Senators and Governor about a cyber attack  and the need for ham operators in case it happened just happened about 2 hours ago.  It was  just on CBS news.  This time it was thwarted, but who know about next time.  Go on line and do a search:  "Did we have a cyber attack on U S computers?"  Some very interesting postings.

73  Bev
bnobel@efn.org

Bicycle Mobile Sideband QRP

Today I worked the kinks out of my bicycle mobile station.  Using a U1 batter, an MFJ-9420, and a tuner I was able to send six Watts to a hamstick mounted on a Bike Friday trailer.  Two hams conducting a net in Chicago (about 893 miles) responded with a weak but readable signal report.
I've been shouting into the wind for a couple weeks and I was not prepared when the response came.  I had no pencil and my memory is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in the bottom.   I can only hope somebody sends a QSL.


72 de Scott/n7net/qrp     n7net@yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qnc/
SATERN
NAQCC 2213
FISTS 8879
SKCC 1964
CTC 1.945
Wireless Pioneers 5706-TA
FPQRP 2446

Cody, kc2lsd sent this DX schedule and I'm passing it on to you.

Good day all. I would like to notify the group that I will be in Bogotá Colombia operating under the call sign HK3/Kc2lsd
from 7-31-09 to about 8-13-09. I usually get on in the morning and around 21:00 UTC.

Also my friend HK3JJH Perdo and I have been Columbia granted a special call sign for zone 1,3 and 5. Currently the call
sign will be 5k5t and we plan to operate SA 017 Gorgona Island. This is Island is subject to change, but  we are almost
100% curtain it will not. Operation will be for 2 to 3 days only the first week of August. I will e-mail the you the day before
I leave the main land for SA 017.Lastly, will call CQ on our calling frequency 20,30,es 40 meters then QSY up or down.
I hope to work some more of you this trip as I have in the past.

73, Cody Kc2lsd # 11793



72 de Scott/n7net/qrp
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qnc/

HF Echolink?

Hey everyone out their in Oregon, I am going to be getting an HF rig here next week (Icom 701), getting set-up just on 20 meters at this point, but better than nothing.

So I am sitting here, thinking of all the stuff I can - and am going to be making a plug to be able to use my Rigblaster that I have for my Yaesu radio, to interface into the laptop so I can the digital stuff on HF (Packet Radio, SSTV, RTTY, etc.).  With that set-up, I also have the ability to tie echolink into the works.

So, if I get a node set-up, so I have an HF radio on echolink - so other people can come and log onto my node, and use my radio on whatever freq, it is on, they would not have any control over the radio like changing freqs, and so forth - the delima I have, is would that be legal if a tech. went to my feed, and starting talking.  Now, with the set-up I would still have control of the station at my end, I can shut the radio off, or close echolink.  But sine their is no way to limit who get on my node, weather it be a tech, general, or advanced - the only thing I can sure of is that it will be a ham.

Hopefully, I didn't confuse you all - but hopefully anyone that is familiar with the program would know what I am talking about.

I have saw set-up's like their once in a while - and I have always wondered what the legal issues are with a tech getting on HF through the echolink system.

Maybe, it may just open a can of worms that i don't want to mess with - or maybe it will be just fine, since I will have full control over my station, input from you guys please!!

I have been trying to get ahold of KE7OUR on the radio since I moved down here to CA, and still have yet to talk to him LOL - we have field day coming up here, thought it would cool if maybe we could make a connection from here in Crescent City to Eugene.  So if you field day guys are up to - lets see if we can come up with a freq. and time, and see what happens.

Any anyone out their with any tips, or tricks with the Icom 701, I would love to hear them, I am brand new to the whole HF world, so kind of learning as I go here.  I was able to make my first contact about a week ago, using the club station to a ham down in Riverside CA on 20 meters, so that was pretty cool.

Thanks for all you help,

73

Scott, W7SOT
firebug700@gmail.com

HF Echolink

Scott,
I believe you'll have to act as a Control Operator whenever the station is under remote control (see FCC rules Title 47 CFR Part 97 sections 97.7, 97.105, 97.107 and 97.109). If you're an ARRL member you can contact the ARRL Technical Information Service to confirm this.

Steve .. AI7W
jepsen_st@comcast.net

6 meter DX

Yesterday although very weak, in and out ct1hze was doable from OR and WA. Point is be aware and sometimes the shortest path is not the best and try skewed paths .

73  HAPPY 4th  de KO7N

Coastal Tropo

Ken Swaggart wrote:
 Tropo along the coast has been excellent the past few days, except  nothing heard on 2 meters or 70 cm! My sea level station near Lincoln  City was picking up vessel AIS beacons down to Cape Mendocino and up  to the northern section of Vancouver Island. Also was hearing Tofino  Radio on the marine VHF channels.

 The AIS beacons transmit on 161.975 and 162.025 MHz, 9600 baud (not  AX25), using 12.5 Watt transmitters. We have receivers on Mt Hebo  (3100') and at my home (90' MSL). The plotted ship positions can be  viewed at http://www.ocrg.org/ships_feed/shipsLong.html .  These  transmissions act as good propagation beacons over the ocean, but it's  frustrating to receive ships at long range but know any 2 meter or 70  cm ops is extremely unlikely. Things get more interesting as ships  start to be plotted at extended ranges up and down the coast.  The  extended range ship positions usually reflect the Hepburn tropo  predictions.

On a normal propagation day Mt Hebo receives the AIS beacons out to  approximately 80 nm and my home station to about 30 nm. Yesterday  ships were consistently being plotted by both sites out to 700 nm to  the southwest, but nothing was heard from the KH6HME beacon. This  morning ships off the west coast of Vancouver island are being  received as well as ships 360 nm to the southwest. Not much due south yet.

 We'll be looking forward to Gabor's ops from Vancouver Island!

 73,
 Ken, W7KKE
 CN75xa

Two best indicators are:

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_wam.html

USN  satellite vapor view of eastern Pacific http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/display10.cgi?SIZE=full&PHOT=yes&AREA=pacific/eastern/pac_northwest&PROD=vapor&TYPE=ssmi&NAV=epac_westcoast&DISPLAY=Latest&ARCHIVE=Latest&CGI=epac_westcoast.cgi&CURRENT=20090703.1730.goes11.vapor.x.pac_northwest.x.jpg&MOSAIC_SCALE=15

USN IR view
http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/display10.cgi?SIZE=full&PHOT=yes&AREA=pacific/eastern/pac_northwest&PROD=ir&TYPE=ssmi&NAV=epac_westcoast&DISPLAY=Latest&ARCHIVE=Latest&CGI=epac_westcoast.cgi&CURRENT=20090703.1730.goes11.ir.x.pac_northwest.x.jpg&MOSAIC_SCALE=15

It has been my observations over many years that when the Hepburn and USN vapor coincide that there a very high probably for tropo paths to occur. KH6HME's 144 and 432 beacon have been heard here (~38 miles inland from the coast) numerous times. On 144 beacon well over S-9 and the 432 up to S-7.

Happy 4th to ALL,  de KO7N
ko7n@peak.org

Web Page UP Date

Here is a link to wep-mail page http://www.valleyradioclub.org/web-e-mail.htm
73 WebMaster #2
kc7zfp@comcast.net

IC-735 owners

Folks, I have an offer to buy my first HF radio, an IC-735, however the rx works great, but the tx on the radio needs to be fixed, I do not know how bad it is, but is there a local 735 guru that might be able to fix the tx part on the radio if I buy this unit from a ham friend of mine?

73's -
Jeff
KE7OUR     saanpregion@gmail.com

VRC Newsletter Volunteer Editor Still Needed

I am looking for someone to take over editing this Newsletter. I've enjoyed producing the Valley Voice for the Club since October 2006 but between the economy (I'm self-employed in video/DVD production and duplication) and my commitments as a ten-year member of the board of directors  of two local nonprofit groups, it's a time crunch. I've been studying for my General license and hope to pass the test soon and I'd like some time to explore the world on new frequencies.

All you need is a basic text editing program on your computer, email access, and you're on to the fun of bringing the Club's members and prospective members news and updates like the ones you see in this edition.

It's a great  project for a retired ham or a new member with a few computer skills. Please call or email me anytime.

Tom KE7GBO
541-729-4855  ke7gbo@arrl.net 

Where's Waldo Running Up On August 22nd  

The Where's Waldo Run is August 22nd this year. Contact Matt W7ARD at  w7ard@msn.com for details on participating in providing communications for the Run.

Ham Stories Website Coming Soon To a Computer Near You

I am starting a website called Hamstories.net soon. This will be a place for you Hams to relate the great things you have done with your radio and license. I should have it up in the next two or three weeks, and will email the reflector as soon as it is ready.

73, Jim Darrough, KI7AY
ki7ay@yahoo.com
     
***** MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club MeetingJune 5, 2009 *****

VALLEY RADIO CLUB
June 5, 2009

MINUTES

I. President Riley, W7RIL, called the meeting to order at 1900 hours.

        The attendance sheet was circulated.  Members in attendance introduced themselves by name and call. Hard copies of recent newsletter were offered.  Membership applications were offered.

       The meeting was carried live via streaming video, and to help those attending off-site clearly hear the names and calls, the microphone was passed around as on-site members checked in. Five members attending electronically also checked in, and three anonymous "attendees" also followed the proceedings on video.

II. Current Business

     A.  Tom, KE7GBO, the Newsletter editor, asked members to submit articles for the newsletter. Tom also announced that he will be resigning as Newsletter editor. Any member who is interested in becoming editor should contact President Riley, W7RIL.

  B.  John, K7JU, who maintains the Club roster asked members to continue to provide him with updated information (address, phone, new member information, etc.)

  C.  Matt, W7ARD, has concluded his Tech class. The next class will be in mid-September through October.

Where's Waldo, the 100k trail run at Willamette Pass will take place on August 22, 2009. Matt circulated a sign-up sheet.

       Matt also reported that the Blanton Hts. repeater will change frequency in a few weeks. He is in the process of tuning the equipment. Information about the new frequency will be posted on the LSARO and VRC websites.

D.  The next DX SIG group meeting will be June 24, 2009 at Countryside Pizza, 645 River Road, Eugene, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Program: TBA. The topic for the May meeting was band pass filters and their use. Contact Ron, WJ7R, for more information.

E. President Riley, W7RIL, reminded members about the opportunity to purchase Club jackets. Mindy, K7MCB, handles Club orders. "It's good advertising for the hobby," said Riley.      
        F.  Legislative Report: Jim, KI7AY, reported that activity on HB2377 (Cell Phones and Ham Radios in Cars) is pending.
   G.  Mike, KE7QET, and Dale, W7LK, continue to fine-tune the Club website.

        H. The club is raffling off a $400 gift certificate from HRO. Tickets are $5.00. Only a few more tickets need to be sold before the raffle takes place.

I. President Riley, W7RIL, will be appointing a nominating committee to prepare the slate of nominees for next year's Club officers. The ballot will be presented at the August meeting.
       
III.  Program: FIELD DAY PLANNING

Field Day, June 27, 2009, will take place for VRC at the EWEB lot at Fourth and Mill, where the Sunrover is parked. Daylong events are planned, both for VRC members and for the general public. There will be an evening barbecue for members and guests. Kent, K7BQ, asked for a firm count of attendees so that the food preparers can plan accurately. John, K7JU, told the Club about his first Field Day. Riley, W7RIL, told stories of past local Field Days. Riley also urged all to participate. It's a learning opportunity for new and old hams alike.

IV.  Routine Business

A. Minutes from the May meeting were presented and accepted.

    B. Treasure
Report Contact Al, K3DUW, For treasurer's report as of June 5, 2009:

      C. Trustees Report. Trustee Larry, WJ7S, was absent.

    D. VE Report.  The May 13, 2009 session produced 4 new Technicians and 3 new Generals and 1 new Extra. President Riley, W7RIL, thanked all participating VEs for their help. The next VE test date is Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at the Red Cross building, 7:00 pm.

      E. New Members:

First Reading for:      Sergio Chinchilla, KE7BBC
                               Earle Quinlan, KH6OV

V.  Brags and Good of the Order

     A.  Kirk Lang, KD7CFD, reported working Oregon City and Bend/Sisters recently on 2 meter FM from a Springfield location.

        B. Mike, KE7QET, using PSK made 50 contacts on a recent 3-day weekend.

  C.  The required number of Raffle tickets having been sold during the break, President Riley, W7RIL, and treasurer Al, K3DUW, oversaw the drawing for the $400 HRO gift certificate. The winning number belongs to:

                             WENDELL BATEMAN, K7WWB
Congratulations, Wendell!


The meeting was adjourned at 2015 hours.


Respectfully submitted,

Sylvia, KE7SLT
Secretary
                 
*****  VRC CLUB CORNER  *****

ARRL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: The Club can receive money when you renew your ARRL membership. VRC gets $15 or each new ARRL membership for members of ARRL affiliated clubs and $2 for each ARRL membership renewal. For the details contact VRC Treasurer, Al K3DUW.

CLUB BADGES: You too can get a name badge with the VRC logo. And when ordering that, get one of the great Club patches as well. Check with Prez Riley at the next meeting and get the details on how to order yours - show and wear the club badge and the club patch.

CLUB HATS: Club hats with names and call signs are good to have and wear at the various public service events where club members provide radio support. To get the hats, go to "J & S Embroidery" and ask about "ham radio hats". They are custom made and available for about $13.00. J & S Embroidery is located at 1406 Carter Lane in Springfield. The phone number is: 741-1394.

*****  VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR  *****

6 Meter SIG: Informal net held at 7:30 p. m. local time Tuesdays on 50.125 USB, run by Larry and Marv. For more, contact Larry WJ7S [wj7s@yahoo.com] or Marv W7AE [marv.w7ae@gmail.com].

VE Sessions: second Wednesday each month at Red Cross bldg - contact Riley W7RIL for info and registration. His number is 345-2407, or w7ril@arrl.net.

Em Comm Testing: contact Riley W7RIL well in advance of the regular VE sessions and he will arrange for Em Comm testing on ARRL Em Comm certification categories.

Code Class: no current plans, but if interested, contact Ron WJ7R wj7r@comcast.net.

Technician License Classes: Matt W7ARD teaches Technician classes. Contact him for more info on when his next one starts. The Ham Radio License Manual is available from Matt or from Norvac Electronics. There is no cost for the class. Students should download supplemental info about the book at http://www.arrl.org/hrlm. Please contact Matt via email at w7ard@msn.com or phone at 689-0640 to sign up.

DX and Contest Sig: now meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month [except November and December to adjust for holidays] at Countryside Pizza & Grill, 645 River Road. The meetings will start at 6 p.m. to order any snacks or food, and then there is a program with a video, followed by discussions of current DX and contesting matters.

Em Comm Classes: For the next emergency communication classes, based upon Em Comm I or Em Comm II certification by ARRL please contact Mark N7MQ at n7mq@arrl.net.

Packet Information Group (P.I.G.):  Meetings are generally on the 3rd Saturdays of the month from 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Red Cross building located at 862 Bethel Drive, in Eugene. If you have any questions, please send them to KC7QAG@aol.com.  See you all there! KC7QAG / Elmer McClellan

Valley Voice newsletter articles/announcements/etc.: Please email your info to Tom Cleveland KE7GBO at ke7gbo@arrl.net. The newsletter is usually sent out the weekend before the monthly meeting and all material received in time will be included.

*****  FROM THE ARRL  ****

Monthly Oregon Section News Summary

Welcome to the June ARRL Oregon Section News.  I hope everyone is getting their plans made for field day.  I have tentative thoughts on mine but haven't contacted the sites to make sure they don't mind if I drop by.  I will finalize my plans this weekend.  Since last year I went south and visited the Roseburg and Coos Bay sites, this year I was thinking about heading out I-84 across the north side of the state and visiting a couple of sites.  I won't get all the way across the state for field day this year but maybe next year I'll plan a big trip east on field day.

If you haven't entered the location of your field day site in the ARRL field day locator, please do so.  Only sites that are open for visitors should be entered into the field day locator. It is located at http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php  In addition, if you have not invited your senator and representative to visit your site, please do so.  In case they are in Salem, you can also give them field day site information around Salem.  The Salem Amateur Radio Club site information is available in the ARRL field day locator.

HB2377

Now for our regular legislative update regarding mobile communications and ham radio.  The rules committee gave a lot less notice about work sessions than the other committees gave earlier in the session.  They haven't been posting their agendas for 2:00 p.m. sessions until noon the day of the session.  On Monday they scheduled HB2377 for a work session.  A work session means that the committee plans to do some work or take some action on the bill but normally will not permit public testimony.  At Monday's work session, they moved it forward to Tuesday.

I went to the work session on Tuesday.  They had a proposed amendment to add back the section that would make it a secondary offense and delete the section making it a primary offense.  Chair Devlin opened the work session and stated that they had a proposed amendment but had decided not to make that modification to the bill after all.  Senator Metsger moved to send the bill to the senate floor for a vote with a "do pass" recommendation.  A vote was called.  Senator Ferroli from the far east side of Oregon voted no.  All the other committee members voted yes.  Senator Burdick will carry.  That means she will present the bill to the senate floor.  Normally the bills are voted on within 7-10 days after this is done.  I am watching daily to see if the bill passes.

No changes have been made to the bill since the Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Committee voted to send it to the floor of the senate for a vote and then pulled it back into committee without the senate vote.  It is still a primary offense.  The exemption for those with FCC licenses using amateur radio equipment is in the bill that will be voted on.

If it passes the senate, it will go back to the house for a concurrence vote since our amendment was added after it passed the house.

Right now it is not necessary to contact your senators regarding their vote since we will be exempted.  However if it passes, it will be critical to contact your representatives immediately to encourage them to vote yes on the concurrence vote.  I will notify you to do that when the time comes.

RECENT ARES APPOINTMENTS

Sherman County Emergency Coordinator - David S Earl, WB7PPK
Wallowa County Emergency Coordinator - Tom Bingham, WB7EUX
Union County Emergency Coordinator - Jeff Crews, KE7QYU
Multnomah County Emergency Coordinator - James Bryant, KD7WZI
Harney County Emergency Coordinator - Lane Johnson, KE7KIB
Washington County Emergency Coordinator - John Core KX7YT
District 2 Assistant DEC - Craig M Nicholson, K7VEW

Two EC's who recently stepped down or are in the process of stepping down, have had very lengthy EC appointments.  Graham Hicks, W4PJS was EC for Union County since November 6, 1989.  Ben Johnson, N7OGM, started his EC appointment in Washington County on March 28, 1991.  These are the dates in the ARRL database.

I am behind on updating the appointment changes on the section website but hopefully will get caught up soon.  I might consider allowing someone to help me with it as well.  The website uses a content management systems that doesn't require HTML to post most items.  But the appointee lists are surrounded by HTML code so they take a little longer to update than most of the other parts of the website.

OREGON SECTION TRAFFIC MGR REPORT FOR MAY 2009

NET ACTIVITY MAY 2009: (ALL NETS HAD 31 SESSIONS)
OREGON EMERGENCY NET, QNI 6305, QTC 19, N7RBO NET MGR
OREGON ARES TRAFFIC NET, QNI 527, QTC 113, WA7FXF NET MGR
ARES DISTRICT #1 NET, QNI 981, QTC 35, KC7ZZB NET MGR
BEAVER STATE NET, QNI 722, QTC 63, N7CM NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET #1, QNI 173, QTC 90, WS7L NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET #2, QNI 119, QTC 101, KC7SRL NET MGR
N.W. TRAFFIC & TRAINING NET, QNI 445, QTC 142, N7YSS NET MGR

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS MAY 2009: (TOTALS)
K7IFG 223, N7CM 157, W7IZ 153, N7YSS 138, K7EAJ 128, W7VSE 79, KC7SRL 48,
KK7DEB 47, W7ELI 29, WS7L 24

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL MAY 2009: (TOTALS)
N7CM 160, W7ELI 159, K7EAJ 145, KK7DEB 130, N7XG 110, N7YSS 110, W7VSE 91,
KD7THV 84

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Oregon Section
Section Manager: Bonnie M. Altus, AB7ZQ
ab7zq@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Oregon Section ARRL Club Newsletter June 2009

It was another great Sea-Pac Hamvention this year. Thanks to the Sea-Pac committee and the clubs that sponsored the event; Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club; Clark County Amateur Radio Club; Hoodview Amateur Radio Club; Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club. The Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio Society's spaghetti feed was excellent. I am looking forward to next year.

Now that Sea-Pac is over it's time to turn our attention to Field Day on the weekend of June 27 and 28.  I have a few listings for Field Day sites and I hope you plan to attend one of these, or you local club or ARES Field Day event.

Lincoln County Amateur Radio Club will be at the Staples parking lot on Hwy 101 in Newport.

Harney County Radio Association will be located at the Harney County Courthouse EOC. Open House times for public visitation is on Saturday from noon until 4 PM.

Hoodview Amateur Radio Club will hold their Field Day event on Larch Mountain in East Multnomah County.

McMinnville Amateur Radio Club will be located at the Evergreen Museum for their Field Day event.

The Valley Amateur Radio Club's Field Day will be held on the EWEB parking lot at the corner of 4th and Mill Streets in Eugene on Saturday May 27.

The Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club and Washington County ARES Field Day will be held at L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park on Hwy 47 (between US 26 and Vernonia). Navy-Marine Corps MARS will also be set up at this site. If you're interested in MARS, this is a good one to attend.

Here is an addition to the Field Day locations:

W7GRA Grande Ronde Radio Amateur Association Location is at Morgan Lake above La Grande, Oregon. We will have someone on 52 simplex for directions. Lat/Long 45.304175, -118.138122 We will not have a GOTA station however as reported on the locator.  Ben Johnson, N7OGM served as EC for Washington County ARES for 18 years (not 8) since 1991 and will now chair the Washington County Amateur Radio Corporation, which is not the same as the Washington County ARES/RACES group.  Also, Robert Crocker, WN7O served 2 years on the the board of the same corporation, not 10.

Have a great Field Day!

Tillamook County will have two sites for Field Day visits. One will be at the Library parking lot in downtown Tillamook, and the other will be on Gobblers Knob, 3,000+ elevation.

These are just a few of the clubs that have reported their Field Day events.

The McMinnville Amateur Radio Club's (MARC) Wireless reports that one of their members, Fred Rodley, N0NNO recently celebrated 50 years in Amateur Radio. Congratulations Fred!!

The Tillamook Emergency Amateur Radio Service (TEARS) Newsletter reports, "On Tuesday, June 9th, Tillamook Co's Director of Emergency Mgmt briefed the County Commissioners on a request for a Proclamation to make the week beginning Monday June 22nd through Sunday, June 28th as Amateur Radio Week." The article goes on to say, "Gordon (WX7EM) will present the Proclamation for approval and signature on Wednesday, June 10th."

Ben Johnson, N7OGM has stepped down as Emergency Coordinator for Washington County ARES after 8 years in that position. In an election, Ben will continue to serve by holding the position of Board Chair. John Core, KX7YT was appointed as the new EC. Also retiring after 10 years of service on the board is Robert Crocker, WN7O. Thank you Bob and Ben for your dedicated years of service.

Silent Keys:
Bob Burdick, N7SCR of Pacific City.
Charlie Lowell Smith, KG7I of Newport.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun time at Field Day.

ARRL Oregon Section
Assistant Section Manager-Administrative: Pat Roberson, W7PAT
w7pat@arrl.net

KB6NU's Column

Does Your Club Have an Elmers List?
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU

Whilst looking up information for a recent hamfest, I found the club's website and began surfing around. In doing so, I came across their Elmer page (http://www.mcrca.org/elmers.htm). On it, they list a variety of topics with the name, call, and phone number of someone who can answer questions on that topic.

My club something similar once, but it was less than successful. I think that one of the problems was that we asked people to fill out a form on our website if they needed any help. That information was e-mailed to one guy, who then forwarded it to the appropriate Elmer. There was just too much time lag between the time someone asked for help and when they got it. Or, it may have been that filling out the form was just too impersonal.

We are going to try it again, though, using the format that the Monroe club uses. I'm also going to give it more billing on our website, and push it more at meetings and other gatherings.

The topics the Monroe club lists on their website are:
    * Antennas
    * Buying Your First Radio
    * Code Practice
    * Computers
    * Packet
    * County Hunting
    * DXCC Awards
    * Rag Chewers Club
    * Worked All States
    * DX
    * FM
    * Homebrew
    * Testing
    * Public Service
    * Technical Q&A
    * Traffic
    * Tube Radios

We already have Elmers for several of these topics. I, for example, would be more than happy to volunteer to be the Morse Code/CW Practice Elmer. We have one member who is an avid County Hunter, another who restores vintage gear, and yet another who's been spearheading a statewide effort to set up a packet network throughout Michigan.

In addition, we are going to add or modify several of the categories. For example, Computers might become "Computers/Software" depending on who volunteers to be the Elmer. We have a couple of guys who are heavily into VHF/UHF operation and contesting, so we'll be adding those topics as well.

I really do hope that this will be an important resource for our club. In the past year, we've helped quite a few folks get their licenses, and now we need to help them take advantage of that license and get the most out of the hobby. Elmering is the way to do that.

Does your club have an Elmer list? If so, does it have topics that I haven't thought of yet? How do you get newcomers to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of your Elmers? And, finally, what topics have you volunteered to be Elmer for?  Let me know by e-mailing me at cwgeek@kb6nu.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------
When not pondering the mysteries of vacuum tube part numbers, KB6NU teaches ham classes, works CW on the HF bands, and blogs about ham radio at http://www.kb6nu.com.

SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "A summer's Sun is worth the having" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: It was a perfect Field Day weekend from where I stood. The weather was warm, skies clear, the space weather was calm and there was enough propagation to make a domestic contest interesting. I had no plans, so on Saturday I went to the ARRL Field Day Station Locator to find a Field Day site. The one I landed at -- W7AUX -- listed a contact number, a cell phone at the site. I inquired if they needed a CW op, was told, "We could use any operators," so I drove up to the site north of Seattle. I had a lot of fun on 20 meter CW. Sporadic-E even helped out, and the 6 meter station made a number of contacts with other Field Day stations in the Western US. You can get a taste of what happened at Field Day stations around the country via the Contest Soapbox <http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/?con_id=176>. A shorter version with a photo is on page one of the 2009 Field Day Soapbox. Just search for KB6NU. Sunspot numbers for June 25-1 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 68, 66.8, 67, 67, 68.5, 68.2 and 67.5 with a mean of 67.6. The estimated planetary A indices were 7, 3, 3, 11, 10, 5 and 4 with a mean of 6.1. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 6, 2, 4, 8, 7, 5 and 3 with a mean of 5. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. To read this week's Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. This week's "Tad Cookism" brought to you by an ancient French proverb <http://www.egreenway.com/months/summer.htm>.


W1AW 2009 Operating Schedule

The W1AW Operating Schedule may be found on the web at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html .

==================================================
 
73,

Tom Cleveland KE7GBO
Editor - Valley Voice   KE7GBO@arrl.net
Dit Dah Dit Dah Dit Dah