oct09.html

ANNUAL SWAP/SELL/GIVE AWAY

We will be having our annual Swap/Sell/Give away meeting like we had last year with hot dogs, pop or what ever we can come up with. The meeting will start early at 6:30 pm. We will have a short business meeting then on to the tables for eat, drinks, sales, swaps, or give aways.
Hope to see you all there!

(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 *****
Fall SET Oct. 17th
Need Operators For American Diabetes Walk
Pacific City Ocean Front Weather Station
Pacific NW VHF Conference
HF RMS Pactor Frequency Changes
Local Ham Events Quick Check

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

Fall SET Oct. 17th

The Fall Simulated Emergency Test will be on Saturday, October 17th. More details later.

Mark N7MQ       n7mq@comcast

Need Operators For American Diabetes Walk

Date: 10/10/2009
Location: Alton Baker Park
Registration Opens: 8:30 a.m.
Event Start Time: 10:00 a.m.
Need at least 9 operators
3 at base 1 Operator, 1 Logger, 1 Shadow
3 Aid stations
1 experienced ham and any number of new hams per Aid stations.
1 ambulance chaser
Plan is pretty much like last year.

Rick Beaver AD7OP     ad7op-ae@clearwire.net

Pacific City Ocean Front Weather Station

A new tool for weather watchers is in place to assist when the next major storm hits the Oregon coast. Thanks to the efforts of Jim Schaeffer KB7ADH and the Oregon Coast Repeater Group, the latest weather site is now operational in Pacific City. The site is 30 feet above sea level on the sand dunes with no obstructions for weather data. Thanks to ham radio operators who reached in their pocket for support and the field crew that did a first class installation. This brings the number of OCRG weather sites to twelve in Tillamook and Lincoln Counties. This new addition in Pacific City will be helpful when the winter storms coming marching in. Its interesting to compare the data on the beach to that inland in Pacific City.   All of the sites are on battery back-up in the event of a power failure. The telemetry column will show "Power Fail" in the event of a commercial power outage.   "All Systems Nominal" indicates no power problems.

You can view the new kid on the block listed as "Pacific City - Beach" at   http://www.ocrg.org/telemetry_feed/ocrgwx.html

Thanks, Jim, for helping make this happen.

Courtesy of The National Association for Amateur Radio. We seek to advance the Amateur Radio
Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club

Pacific NW VHF Conference

9 - 12 OCTOBER 2009
http://pnwvhfs.org
Shilo Inn North Prom
Seaside Oregon
Scott Honaker, N7SS
14014 89th Avenue SE, Snohomish, WA 98296, 425-330-5439, Fax: 360-668-6073
n7ss@arrl.net

Courtesy of The Oregon Tualatin Valley Amateur Radio Club

HF RMS Pactor Frequency Changes

For those using Winlink 2000 HF RMS Pactor stations, be aware that there have been changes in the center frequencies for W7ODN and K7ODN have changed somewhat.

W7ODN - 80 meter center frequency is now 3593 [formerly 3591] - to avoid conflicts with W7IJ

K7ODN - 80 meter center frequency is now 3587 [formerly 3591] - also to avoid W7IJ traffic. In addition, K7ODN is experimenting with an alternative 40 meter frequency only for Pactor 1 - 7069.5

If there are any questions, either Elmer W7EWM, sysop for OADN station at W7EUG, or I will be glad to try and help.

73, Mark N7MQ      n7mq@comcast.net
Lane Emergency Coordinator     ARES/RACES

Local Ham Events Quick Check

Oct 2nd, VRC Meeting

Oct 10 the American Diabetes Walk

Oct 14th Ham Radio test session

Oct 17th Em Comm Set 8 am to 12 noon

Oct 23rd Dx Sig Meeting

Oct 24th Swap-Tober-Fest 2009

For Sale - M2   2m8XXX

Just off the tower. In great condx 1 each 2M18XXX asking $175.00. Also have a M2 144mhz 2port power divider. $50.00. Will be at Richreal the end of Oct and will have a table full of
goodies. I can bring the 2 mtr yagi for pick up, there. Will be posting a listing shortly that includes Heliax, Heliax connectors, made up LMR400 cable, etc etc etc. that I be taking to Richreal.

TIA, de Dick KO7N     ko7n@peak.org

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

***** MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club Meeting August 7, 2009 *****

VALLEY RADIO CLUB
August 7, 2009
MINUTES

I. President Riley, W7RIL, called the meeting to order at 1904 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.

II. Current Business

A. New Newsletter editor, Jeff, KE7OUR, asked for newsletter articles to be sent to him at KE7OUR @ arrl.net..

[Please note: web and email addresses should be written in the standard manner, without spacing. I have used nonstandard spacing in this newsletter because otherwise, the addresses do not transfer and get printed in the newsletter.]

B. Meeting attendees who are not VRC members were encouraged to apply. Application forms were offered. Updated information (address, phone, new member information, etc.) should be given to John at K7JU @ arrl.net.

C. Matt, W7ARD, announced next Technician Class is scheduled to run September 17 - October 29, 2009 (Thursdays at 7pm) at the Red Cross building. The following Technician Class will run January 14 - February 25, 2010 (same day and place).

D. Matt, W7ARD, reported that Where's Waldo, the 100k trail run at Willamette Pass will take place on August 22, 2009. A planning meeting for volunteers will take place at 7 pm at the Red Cross on Thursday, August 13. So far, 36 hams have signed up to help.

E. The next DX SIG group meeting will be August 26, 2009 at Countryside Pizza, 645 River Road, Eugene, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Program: either technical information or a DXCM video. Contact Ron, WJ7R, for more information.

F. Mindy, K7MCB, and Tonya, KE7PGS, reported that the next jacket order will go in in the next two weeks. They are considering offering shirts, also, in the future. Go to Image Sense, 1800 Prairie Rd, Eugene, to check out styles and sizes, BUT PLACE YOUR ORDER through Mindy and Tonya for club credit.

G. No Mike, KE7QET, or Dale, W7LK, present at the meeting to give a website update, but all agreed the website currently looks great.

H. President Riley, W7RIL, reminded the club that Swap-Tober-Fest will be held in Rickreall, Oregon on October 24, 2009.

I. Brent, KD7WIO, reported that the Cascade Cream Puff mountain bike race at Westfir was successfully completed. He set up the LSARO portable repeater and got good covereage. Weather was a bit of a problem. They all dodged the rainstorm, but Brent's site was fogged in and he originally set up his equipment on the wrong site. Tonya, KE7PGS, reported having fun working the air mail for the first time, and all went well.

J. The nominating committee members appointed by President Riley, W7RIL, at last meeting: Dale, W7LK; Larry, WJ7S; Dick, W7EU; and Marv, W7AE. Dick, W7EU, announced the nominations:

Riley McLean, W7RIL President

Dick Howard, W7EU Vice President

Sylvia Sycamore, KE7SLT Secretary

Al Goodman, K3DUW Treasurer

The election of officers will take place at the September meeting (September 11, 2009), at which time nominations from the floor will be accepted.

K. SILENT KEY: John Sturman, K7HY. A card for John's wife was passed for condolence messages and signatures.

L. The July QST announced the 25th anniversary of the creation of the VE Coordinator position.

M. The library of the Tacoma Radio Club, W7DK, has a full set of QST from 1950 - present and 1925 - 1933. The club has just been given another set, and they have inquired as to VRC interest in these issues. Members expressed some interest, but cited lack of storage space as reason for inability to accept TRC's offer.

N. Jim, KI7AY, reminded club members of the Boy Scout Jamboree in Jasper in October. This would be an opportunity to interest scouts in amateur radio.

O. Club members were reminded that the September meeting will be held on Friday, September 11 at 7 pm (not on September 4 because of the holiday weekend.)

P. Pete, W7JY, reported having watched recent VRC meetings on the Internet, and said these transmissions are a good thing to offer.

III. Program: Russ, W7AU, Ruby's Self-Rescue in the Glacier Peak Wilderness:

The Rescue / Part II.

Members who attended the July 10 meeting received background information regarding topography and regional history which helped to emphasize just how fortunate Russ Ruby was last year, and how amazing the rescue story is.

Russ, W7AU, broke his leg while hiking in this area last summer, and effected his own rescue by contacting assistance by CW, using equipment he had carried in, linking eventually to Snohomish Mountain Rescue, who knew Russ from earlier treking misadventures. The area involved is the Glacier Peak Wilderness, north of Mt. Rainier and east of Seattle, in a very rough portion of the Cascades.

Russ briefly recapped his history as a ham, having been licensed, dropping out of practice in the 1980's, in part because he was into hiking and equipment available then was not suitable for long range back county backpacking. In 2004, in the Seattle Library, he saw a copy of QST, became interested again, and discovered that advances in equipment technology made it possible to hike with radio gear.

On September 16, 2008, Russ began hiking into the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area, intending to visit areas with which he was well acquainted. Russ had problems with boots, and his air mattress, and the weight of his pack. He finally got underway, but in order to find a suitable level spot to pitch camp, he ended up hiking in the dark, with a storm front moving in with strong winds. He had a headlamp, but the rain was so heavy that the beam just bounced off the raindrops. He was in an area familiar to him, not expected to present hiking difficulties. Nevertheless, he fell and broke both tibia and fibula of his right leg. His first thought was to get out of the wind and rain and had to go backwards on his hands and knees down a steep trail to reach a suitable place to camp. He operated on an enormous burst of adrenaline, knowing he had 45 minutes to an hour before the pain would set in.

The presentation covered Russ's efforts to protect himself from the weather, splint his leg, take care of personal comfort, and make contact with rescuers. A hiking group on the Pacific Crest Trail helped Russ set up his 40' dipole, then continued their hike after Russ assured them he would be fine. Russ began trying to send a CW SOS and to CQ, but got no responses. By fortunate timing, Russ was finally able to reach one ham operator who happened to be in Bozeman, Montana. That operator, Bob N7ODM, maintained contact with Russ, and relayed Russ's information to the Snohomish County Mountain Rescue. Russ and Bob made CW contact every 4 hours on 40 meters. Propagation held, even at night.

The Snohomish unit of 4 people and 6 horses was activated and started into the wilderness area in the dark, with the first rescuers reaching Russ around midnight. The horses arrived by 9am and Russ was packed out on horseback. He was initially taken to the Cascade Medical Center in Leavenworth for

x-rays and pain control. Then to Wenachie where a surgeon inserted a plate and lots of screws to stablize the breaks.

Marv Wines, W7AE, made a special QSL card for Bob, N7ODM, the Montana ham operator.

Russ has now been rescued three times by Snohomish Search and Rescue. As an effort to "pay it forward," he has joined the Benton County SAR. He is also training for his September 2009 trek back into the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. Stay tuned!

IV. Routine Business

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

B. Treasurer Al, K3DUW, (See Al for treasurer's report as of August 7, 2009)

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C. Trustees Report. No report

D. VE Report. No report

E. Al, K3DUW, conducted new membership readings:

Second Reading for: Lea Alpers - no Call sign yet. Studying Technician materials

Sergio Chincilla, __________, General

David Freeman, __________, Extra

V. Brags and Good of the Order

A. Dick, W7EU, reminded members that August 7, 1942 was the day the 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal.

B. Matt, W7ARD, reported that he has two granddaughters who are becoming interested in ham radio.

C. Marv, W7AE, reported that his grandson is also getting interested in ham radio.

The meeting was adjourned at 2050 hours.

Respectfully submitted,

Sylvia, KE7SLT
Secretary

***** MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club Meeting September 11, 2009 *****

VALLEY RADIO CLUB
September 11, 2009

MINUTES

I. President Riley, W7RIL, called the meeting to order at 1905 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.

       In recognition of the significance of the date, as the microphone made its rounds, each member included with his or her introduction a brief description of what he or she was doing on September 11, 2001 when the news was received about the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

    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. There were 30 persons in attendance and 2 video check-ins.

II. Current Business

A. New Newsletter editor, Jeff, KE7OUR, was absent. Newsletter articles may be sent to him at KE7OUR @ arrl.net.

       B. John at K7JU @ arrl.net maintains the Club roster. Updated information (new address/phone/email/call sign, etc) should be sent to him.

      C. Matt, W7ARD, announced next Technician Class is scheduled to run September 17 - October 29, 2009 (Thursdays at 7pm) at the Red Cross building.

      D. Matt, W7ARD, reported that Where's Waldo, the 100k trail run at Willamette Pass took place on August 22, 2009 with the largest number of ham volunteers ever (30!). During the race, there were 131 runners, and 1,060 runner reports and 243 message blocks sent by hams. Eighty-eight runners finished the race, the winner coming in after 9 hours, 11 minutes. This was a course record, beating the previous record by 55 minutes.

Matt's group went on the air at 0415 hours, and logged a total of 68 on-air hours by amateur radio operators.

        E. The next DX SIG group meeting will be September 23, 2009 at Countryside Pizza, 645 River Road, Eugene, 6:00 - 8:30 pm.. Contact Ron, WJ7R, for program information.

F. Mindy, K7MCB, and Tonya, KE7PGS, were absent, but Riley, W7RIL, informed the group that they are working on a jacket order. Look at the catalog at the officers' table at every VRC meeting, or go to Image Sense, 1800 Prairie Rd, Eugene, to check out styles and sizes, BUT PLACE YOUR ORDER through Mindy and Tonya for club credit.

     G. Mike, KC7ZFP, AND Dale, W7LK, continue to keep the website looking terrific.

        H. President Riley, W7RIL, reminded the club that Swap-Tober-Fest will be held in Rickreall, Oregon on October 24, 2009. He offered application forms, and reminded everyone that preregistration saves a dollar.

      I. Jim, KI7AY, announced that he will not be organizing an amateur radio operator presence at this year's Boy Scout Jamboree.

   J. Riley, W7RIL, announced that the cost of a vanity call sign has increased from $12.30 to $13.40

        K. Mark, N7MQ, gave his EC (Emergency Communications) report. The equipment owned by Lane County ARES situated at the Lane County Courthouse is up and working. It was installed in April, had some glitches in May, and is working fine now.

   The Fall EmComm I class will be scheduled. The old EmComm II and EmComm III are being merged, and as soon as new materials are available, a class for the certification category will be scheduled.

     Mark your calendars now for the Fall SET (Simulated Emergency Test) on October 17, 2009. Mark, N7MQ, will email information to all interested hams. This is a good learning experience, and there are opportunities for amateur radio operators at every skill level. And it's lots of fun.

III. Election of Officers

The nominating committee members (Dale, W7LK; Larry, WJ7S; Dick, W7EU; and Marv, W7AE) presented the slate of officers:

Riley McLean, W7RIL President

Dick Howard, W7EU

Vice President

Sylvia Sycamore, KE7SLT Secretary

        Al Goodman, K3DUW               Treasurer

President Riley, W7RIL, called for nominations from the floor. Hearing none, he called for the vote and the slate was adopted by acclamation, with one dissent.

IV. Routine Business

   A. Minutes from the August meeting were presented and accepted, after a correction of the call sign of Mike, KC7ZFP.

    B. Treasurer Al, K3DUW, was absent. The treasurer's report sent to Riley could not be opened.

   C. Trustees Report. Larry, WJ7S, reported that the shack is in good condition, and in order to keep it clean, members must keep the doors closed to drop-offs and "donations."

D. VE Report. The test session on September 9, 2009 produced 2 Technicians and 2 Generals

      E. Dick, W7EU, conducted new membership readings:

       First Reading for:      Kahli Burke, KF7DWM - General

Jennifer Ewing, KD7NWA - Technician

Curtis Ewing, KD7YDJ - Technician

Robert Ewing, KB7YPI - General

Mark _____, KF7ECK - Technician

F. SILENT KEY. Marcia Walters died last week.

G. Larry, WJ7S reported that 146.82 is back up and running. Also, there will be a new fire station at the Eugene Airport, and ARES will have a presence there.

The meeting was adjourned at 1949 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 September Oregon Section News. I am sitting in a hotel room at a conference of the Oregon Health Information Management Association and catching up with some work.

EAGLE CAP EXTREME SLED DOG RACE

The Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race would like to invite Amateur Radio Operators to join them for the 13--16 Jan., 2010 Sled Dog Race.

During January... Volunteers and spectators gather in Joseph, Enterprise and Halfway Oregon to support the running of the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race. This Race brings Mushers and their Teams from across the country to run through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, which contains the Eagle Cap Wilderness, for both a 100 and 200 mile event. The Race is a Qualifier for the legendary Races in Alaska and Canada, the Iditarod and Yukon Quest respectively.

To learn more or to volunteer please stop by the web site www.eaglecapextreme.com supplied by EONI.com. The amateur radio support is organized by Clyde Raymer, Jr, KL0CW and he may be reached for more information at president@eaglecapextreme.com.

Depending on the level of Amateur Radio Operator participation they may establish a Special Events Station to operate during the Race.

ARES ACTIVITIES AND APPOINTMENTS

The ARES statewide leadership had a recent conference in Deschutes County that was organized by Drew Holmes, W7GER. He did an excellent job hosting the event at the Sisters Fire Hall.

Kelly Wilson, KG7G, was recently appointed as Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Polk county to replace Bud Smith N7BUD who has resigned.

Another recent EC appointment was Tom Bingham, WB7EUX in Wallowa County who replaced Dave Gilbert KE7GI, who has resigned the position.

Please wish them the best and thanks Bud and Dave for their service.

Lee Stumpe K7AZW, District Emergency Coordinator for District Five has assumed responsibility for the statewide ARES/RACES net that meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Bruce Bjerke, K7BHB, has been managing the net for a few years and needed a break from that particular responsibility to allow him to focus on many other responsibilities he has within the organization.

I am hearing from many in the state who are concerned about the recent comments from the FCC about employees not being able to operate amateur radio stations on behalf of their employer in preparation for a disaster. There is an ARRL committee working on this. Once they complete their work, we will hear more about the recommended response for the League to take. There have been some groups who have been looking at the use of amateur radio to support business continuation instead of using business band radios which in some cases has gone beyond the services that amateur radio should be providing. Please be patient while this committee completes their work.

ARRL COURSE COMPLETIONS

The ARRL has recently begun offering a public relations training course, PR101. Andrew Abbott, K7ADA, of Klamath Falls and Gordon McCraw, WX7EM, Emergency Coordinator and Emergency Manager in Tillamook County, have both taken and passed this training course.

OREGON SECTION TRAFFIC MGR REPORT, AUGUST 2009

NET ACTIVITY AUGUST 2009: (ALL REPORTING NETS HAD 31 SESSIONS)
OREGON EMERGENCY NET: QNI 6,633, QTC 18, N7RBO NET MGR
DISTRICT #1 ARES NET: QNI 889, QTC 27, KC7ZZB NET MGR
OREGON ARES TRAFFIC NET: QNI 554, QTC 67, WA7FXF NET MGR
BEAVER STATE NET: QNI 731, QTC 71, N7CM NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET#1 QNI 141, QTC 84, WS7L NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET #2 QNI 109, QTC 78, KC7SRL NET MGR
NORTHWEST TRAFFIC AND TRAINING NET: QNI 449, QTC 145, N7YSS NET MGR

STATION ACTIVITY REPORT (SAR) TOTALS AUGUST 2009: K7IFG 258, W7IZ 178, N7CM 146, N7YSS 145, K7EAJ 77, KC7SRL 56, W7VSE 42, W7ELI 21, KK7DEB 20, WS7L 19, KK1A 10

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL (PSHR) TOTALS AUGUST 2009: N7CM 255, K7EAJ 235, W7ELI 114, KD7THV 113, KK7DEB 111, N7XG 110, N7YSS 110, W7VSE 90, KK7TN 84, N7ATK 79, KK1A 70

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ARRL Oregon Section
Section Manager: Bonnie M. Altus, AB7ZQ
ab7zq@arrl.org
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More CubeSats in Orbit

Early Thursday morning (UTC), an Indian PSLV-C14 rocket carried the Oceansat-2 satellite <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceansat-2> to orbit, along with four CubeSats and two RubinSats. The RubinSats are 8 kg research modules that will remain attached to the PSLV-C14 booster. CubeSats are very small satellites, typically only a few inches on each side. As they are a relatively inexpensive research spacecraft, they've become increasingly popular with university science programs. A number of CubeSats use Amateur Radio frequencies to downlink telemetry, as is the case with this latest group. Early reports indicate that all of the CubeSats are active. You can check out the frequencies and modes of the four satellites on the ARRL Web site <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/09/23/11090/?nc=1>.

KB6NU's Column

Passing the Tech Test
By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU

[Hi, folks-- Here's my column for August. When I posted a version of this to my blog, it was quite controversial, so be prepared for that. 73! Dan KB6NU]

I teach One-Day Tech classes. At the start of each class, I go over the following to help focus students on what to keep in mind when taking the test. It occurs to me that these are good tips no matter who is taking the test, so if you know someone who will be testing soon, please feel free to pass along this advice.

Technical Topics
The Tech test is not very technical, but there are three technical topics that you need to know:

* Ohm's Law,
* how to calculate power, and
* the relationship between frequency and wavelength.

Ohm's Law
The basic formula for Ohm's Law is voltage (E) equals current (I) times resistance (R), or E = I x R. On the test, there are several questions where they give you two of the values and ask you to calculate the third. If you're asked to calculate the current, you use the formula, I = E / R. If you need to calculate the resistance, use the formula R = E / I.

How to Calculate Power
The formula for calculating power is power (P) = voltage (E) times current (I), or P = E x I. To calculate the current drawn, when given the power being consumed and the voltage applied to the circuit, use the formula I = P / E.

Relationship Between Frequency and Wavelength
There are several questions that require you to calculate the wavelength of a signal or some fraction of the wavelength. The reason for this is that antennas are often a fraction of a wavelength.

The formula that describes the relationship between frequency and wavelength is wavelength in meters = 300 / frequency in MHz. One question asks for the approximate length of a quarter-wavelength vertical antenna for 146 MHz. To figure that out, you first calculate the wavelength:

wavelength = 300/146 = 2.05 m or about 80 inches

One quarter of 80 inches is 20 inches, and the antenna will actually be a little bit shorter than that because radio travels more slowly in wire than it does in free space. The correct answer to this question is 19 inches.

That's all there is to the technical part of the test!

Safety
There are lots of questions on the test about operating safely and being safe when working on antennas. My advice when answering these questions is to always choose the most conservative answer. The two exceptions are when asked what is the lowest voltage and current that can hurt you. For these questions, the correct answer is the second lowest choices.

Emergencies
There are lots of questions about what to do in emergencies. There are two things to keep in mind when answering these questions:

* You should do whatever you can to help someone who is in an emergency situation.
* You can even break the rules to help someone in an emergency situation. This includes operating on frequencies you are normally not allowed to operate on and communicating with other stations in other radio services.

Miscellaneous Tips

Here are a couple of other miscellaneous tips:

* The answer is 'D.' If one of the answers to a question is, "D. All of these answers are correct," chances are that is the correct answer. There are 18 questions with this option, and of those 18 questions, there are only two questions--T3B06 and T5B03--where that is not the correct answer.
* Long-Answer Rule. Where one answer is a lot longer than the other options, chances are that this is the correct answer. I haven't done an exhaustive study of this, but when one answer is very long, take a good, hard look at it.

That's all I have. Good luck on the test!
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When not helping people pass the Tech test and become good amateur radio operators, Dan likes to work CW on the HF bands and collect QSL cards from stations whose callsigns spell words. To see what else he's up to, go to www.kb6nu.com

SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "Him whose strenuous tongue can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: Two large sunspots, 1026 and 1027, both emerged in the past few days. We could see them in advance of their appearance while they formed on the side of the sun previously unseen from earth, via the NASA STEREO mission, mentioned in last week's bulletin. These spots, emerging on the autumnal equinox, should enhance HF propagation, and expect them to increase in size as they move into the most geoeffective position over the next couple of days. We will discuss this more in the Solar Update, available on the ARRL Web site on Friday, September 25. 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 John Keats' "Ode on Melancholy" <http://www.bartleby.com/101/628.html>.

W1AW 2009 Operating Schedule

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

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73,

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