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The HOTLINE |
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Home Brew Night |
by Bill Feltenberger, KD5UEW |
October is “Show and Tell”
month. When I was a wee young lad I got all excited because I got to bring
something from home to show and tell about. As I learned later, the kids would
laugh at me and what I had to share. I soon found that “show and tell” was not
fun and sometimes hurtful.
If that is the case in your life and memory, I have the answer for you. When we have “Show and Tell” at HOTARC, I guarantee no one will laugh at your project. We have grown and matured. We have developed into a respectful and courteous group. As an audience we will be courteous and polite. Why—we won’t even talk while you are presenting! We have learned that everyone has something good and important to share.
Now for the pitch. October is “show and tell” month, or what hams like to call “home brew night.” Bring a project you are working on. Bring a project you have completed. Bring a project you would like advice or help with. Or, do not bring anything and just tell us what you want to do.
This is your program. This is your time. Please come and share.
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President’s Corner |
by Wayne Branscum, KD5SMC |
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Wayne, KD5SMC |
Radio amateurs demonstrated to members of Congress and other Federal agencies on October 3 how ham radio continues to work when other means of communications are disabled during hurricanes or other natural or man-made disasters. In a compact portable communications center erected on the Capitol grounds near the Rayburn House Office, more than 50 MARS operators from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and other states participated in a simulated emergency event.
The scenario assumed a Category 3 hurricane named Quincy had deposited heavy rains over a multi-state area on October 2, making landfall in the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia region. The “storm” moved north into New Jersey and Pennsylvania, turned counterclockwise and traveled southward before returning to the Atlantic through the Carolinas and Georgia on October 5. ARRL teams used the “When All Else Fails Banner” at the site. The day was mostly spent showing amateur radio capabilities to the Congressional staffers and others who work behind the scenes to make the wheels of government go.
Come join us at the meeting for “home brew night”—when we can all learn something to help us to be better operators, inventors, and fixers, and be ready for the REAL emergency. Looking forward to seeing each of you!
Wayne Branscum, KD5SMC
HOTARC President
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For the Record... |
HOTARC Meeting of Members
September 27, 2007
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The Treasurer Reports... |
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Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club Beginning Account Balance $ 6,371.34 Income Dues $ 25.00 Auction 244.00 Interest 1.35 TOTAL Income $ 270.35 Expenses TOTAL Expenses $ 0.00 Ending Account Balance $ 6,641.69 Outstanding (as of 10-17-2007) Submitted by |
HOTARC’s September Meeting was called to order by Wayne Branscum, KD5SMC, at 7:00 pm at the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco campus. Chaplain Dell Bredemeyer, KE5MZS, opened the meeting with a prayer.
Present were twenty-one full members, one family member, one associate member, and two visitors. Visitors were Jason Raddin KE5MIC of Waco, and Kenneth Ransom N5VHO of Houston (our guest speaker).
A motion to approve the Minutes for the August meeting as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from Bill Feltenberger KD5UEW, with second by Rodney Baden K5YKC. The motion was approved by the members.
A motion to approve the August Treasurer’s Report as published in the HOTLINE was recognized from Scott Hamilton K5ZOH, with second by KD5UEW. The motion was approved by the members.
Committee Reports
· ARES: Ed Hynan KC5KNI reiterated the need for volunteers at each area hospital, needing a total of 16, and having only 3 to date. Those who volunteer now will get ID cards granting access in event of emergency. KD5SMC stressed that FEMA ID cards are coming, too, and won’t happen unless you complete the online courses. KC5KNI explained again the process for taking the online courses (see links on our home page).
· Trailer: Mike Ross N5MVL reported that we are ready for the WWWC event this weekend.
· Repeater: Norris Martin KB5SLI reported that our coordination was renewed for another year with the Texas VHF-FM Society on all of our repeaters (three 2-meter and one 440). Norris is still waiting to get with Scott Shafer KD5MLY to work on the 145.15 MHz power supply at the tower site.
· Web page: KD5SMC congratulated the webmaster for our good-looking web site.
· ATV: David Bush KC5UOZ reported that it appears that it will be January before we can reactivate the Skycam due to construction at the Hilton Hotel.
· Education: K5YKC reported that we have none signed up yet for the Nov 3/Nov 10 Technician license classes.
· Public Relations: No report.
· Special Events: KC5DSM and John Chamberlain AC5CV assumed responsibilities for planning for the Waco Wild West Century Bike Ride event on September 29. We are ready to go with just enough volunteers.
Announcements
· Belton HamExpo: See our web site for links to the October 6 hamfest sponsored by Temple ARC.
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Kenneth Ransom N5VHO |
New Business
· New members: Wally Lavender WA5QPE reapplied for Associate membership. Having formerly been a Member, there was no objection. An application for Full Membership was accepted from Doss Ledbetter W5LFY of Waco; motion to accept by KD5UEW, second by K5YKC, and approved by the members.
· Life Member status: A motion and discussion to grant Life Member status to longtime HOTARC member JW Roach W5AYX was heard from KB5SLI. The motion was seconded by KC5KNI, and enthusiastically endorsed by all the members present. Congratulations, JW!!
· D-Star Committee: KC5DSM responded to a suggestion and formed a D-Star Committee to explore and promote this new mode in HOTARC: Larry Bush W5NCD (chairman), KB5SLI, K5YKC, Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, Lyn Gustafson KD5DZU, and Geof Schwer KE5NPI. K5YKC pledged $1000 to a D-Star repeater fund.
Motion to adjourn was made by KD5UEW at 7:47 pm.
Our program this evening was a presentation by Kenneth Ransom N5VHO from NASA in Houston describing the ARISS and SuitSat projects.
Submitted by:
John Chamberlain AC5CV
HOTARC Secretary
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WWWC…Thanks! |
by John Chamberlain AC5CV |
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Our thanks to all who participated and contributed to the support of the Waco Wild West Century (WWWC) bike ride special event on September 29, 2007. |
AC5CV, John Chamberlain KE5NPI, Geof Schwer KC5KNI, Ed Hynan (after noon) K5YKC, Rodney Baden N5MVL, Mike Ross KD5UEW, Bill Feltenberger AE5CD, David Branch KC5NT, Ed Middlebrook KE5PRG, Jeremy Neal KD5KJU, Terry Williams KE5MZS, Dell Bredemeyer KC5WQE, Elaine Ault KE5FDR, Jim Finch KC5DSM, Wayne Branscum KE5ISO, Al McDaniel W5JRM, Bill Cox |
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(Click images above for larger versions.) |
> | Photos by AC5CV, KE5FDR |
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by Ed Hynan, KC5KNI, |
With our many new members,
it is time to get some new participation in the weekly training Net Controls.
I would like to get an early start on the 2008 ARES Net Control schedule. I currently have seven individuals that have volunteered for Net Control duty. The ARES/Bakers Dozen Training Net is held each Monday night at 8 PM on the 145.15 Repeater. Since the 2007 schedule was done, we have had a number of new and return ARES members. I would like to provide this excellent training opportunity to all current members of McLennan County ARES. If you would like the opportunity to serve as a weekly Net Control please let me know via e-mail: KC5KNI@arrl.net. You can also let me know if there are any Mondays that would not be convenient (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th).
For those who would like to volunteer, I will add you to the 2008 schedule, provide you with a copy of the preamble (the standard opening statements we use for each week’s Net), log sheet, and the ARES/Bakers Dozen Training Net Operating Instruction. If you want to participate, please let me know by 1 November 2007. Additionally, current Net Control stations should let me know if they would like to continue to serve. This is what amateur radio is all about: preparation for emergency service.
When I complete the list of volunteers, you would be scheduled to call the net no more than 6 times a year. Please let me hear from you!
Additionally, I still need volunteers to get cleared to work the four hospitals in time of a major disaster. I currently have volunteers for the following:
· Hillcrest – 1
· Providence – 2
· De Paul – 1
· VA – None
· All Four Hospitals – 2 (DEC and EC)
We have committed to provide emergency communications support in time of emergency. If I do not get the additional volunteers I will have to go to those who indicated that they would be available 24/7 and make some specific assignments. If something big happens, the hospitals are going to need our communications support. If we can get four operators assigned to each hospital, we will have enough manpower for needed rest and relief. But we need volunteers to sign up and obtain clearance now!
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Technician License Class |
by John Chamberlain AC5CV |
Our February license class was a
terrific success, with over 95% passing the Technician exam on the first try.
We’ve had several requests for a repeat, so the Education Committee has
scheduled an encore for 
November 3rd and 10th—the first two
Saturday’s in November. If you know anyone who has been saying they would like
to get their license, or maybe you feel like talking to some friends or family
members via radio J (Really! This
can be very handy on vacations!), get them to sign up for this class.
Direct them to the HOTARC web site, where they can click the Technician license class link on the right side for more information, and to register for the class. As before, this class is designed to prepare one to pass the test. We will review almost every question in the test bank in such a way that attendees will learn quite a few new radio facts, and be almost certain to pass the straightforward 35-question multiple choice FCC test (given November 10) and earn their first ham radio license! No prior electronics knowledge is required!
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D-Star Committee Report |
by Larry Bush, W5NCD |
The D-Star Committee, formed at the September HOTARC meeting, has been quite active and is pleased to announce that Waco’s first D-Star digital voice repeater was put on the air October 4, 2007!
· Repeater frequency is 440.625 MHz (+ offset).
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Repeater call is W5HAT.
· Location is between Bruceville and Lorena.
· Tower height is 400 feet.
· Antenna is a DB Products having 6 db gain, located at the top position of the tower.
· Transmission line is 400-feet of 7/8-inch Andrew Corp cable.
· We’ve received signal reports as far north as Hillsboro, and as far south as Georgetown.
· Current local users are:
§ Larry, W5NCD
§ David, KC5UOZ
§ Rodney, K5YKC
§ Ron, AA5RT
This repeater is open and connected to the D-Star gateway. All hams invited to use this repeater.
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Frequency Measurement Test |
by John Chamberlain AC5CV |
Do you know where your signal is? Do you know where your neighbor’s signal is?
One of the fundamental
skills for legal radio use is being able to accurately answer both of those
questions. Of course, I am speaking of the frequency of radio signals.
All of us rely heavily on the dial readout of our radios to answer those
questions. But how accurate are those readouts? The digital readouts of modern
radios might lead you to believe that they are extremely precise and accurate.
In fact, you may be surprised to know that they are quite subject to
miscalibration, drift, and even damage!
Continuing the fun of past years, the ARRL is once again conducting their annual Frequency Measuring Test (or FMT). Transmitting consecutively on three HF bands, W1AW will conduct the FMT on November 15, 2007 at 0245Z (that is, Wednesday evening, November 14 at 8:45 PM CST).
The approximate frequencies are as follows: 160 meters 1854 kHz, 80 meters 3583 kHz, and 40 meters 7045 kHz. But the exact frequencies won’t be known until the actual day of the test, as measured by local measuring equipment at the W1AW station. Your challenge: make your best determination of those frequencies as measured at your station! The W1AW test transmissions will consist of three 60-second key-down transmissions (i.e., carrier only, as in CW) for each band, followed by a series of dits, followed by station identification.
Are you up to the challenge? You might simply grab your short-wave multiband receiver and try to receive these signals and guess the frequencies. Or, you can take the challenge to the max: temperature stabilize your HF rig overnight, feed the audio from your HF rig into your computer sound card to sample the audio sidetone frequency at 10 times per second, calibrate your receive frequencies with WWV just prior to the test, rehearse the band switching and antenna tuning that will be required, and…you get the idea!
For the full details of this fun challenge, visit the ARRL FMT web page. At the conclusion of the test, you can submit your guesses via the same ARRL web page, and receive a nicely printed certificate for your efforts!
The HOTLINE is the monthly newsletter of the Heart O’ Texas Amateur Radio Club (HOTARC), Inc., a nonprofit corporation, chartered by the State of Texas and principally located in Waco. It is permissible to use any of the original material contained herein, provided proper credit is given to the source.
Edited and Published by John Chamberlain AC5CV, AC5CV@arrl.net
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2007 Board of Directors |
HOTARC 2007 Board of Directors
President: Wayne Branscum KD5SMC, 857-3964, wbscum@grandecom.net
Vice Pres: Bill Feltenberger KD5UEW, 756-1397, bfeltenb@swbell.net
Secretary: John Chamberlain AC5CV, 855-7731, AC5CV@arrl.net
Treasurer: Norris Martin KB5SLI, 829-2138, KB5SLI@flash.net
Past-Pres.: Rodney Baden K5YKC, 857-9760, K5YKC@arrl.net
Director (2007): Terry Williams KD5KJU, 662-2438, pumpman_rpss@yahoo.com
Director (2008): Ed Middlebrook KC5NT, 826-4053, KC5NT@arrl.net
Director (2009): Mike Ross N5MVL, 836-1083, N5MVL@juno.com
145.15 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
146.88 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
146.98 MHz (input at –600 kHz, tone 123 Hz)
ATV: 421.25MHz (Cable 57), input 439.25 MHz (Cable 60)
Next session is CHANGED TO Saturday November 10, 10:00 AM. Location: Baylor’s Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Bldg (#63 on the map). Bring: 1) testing fee of $14 (cash only); 2) a photo ID (two for first-time licensees); and for already licensed amateurs: 3) current license and photocopy of it; and 4) photocopy of any relevant CSCE. Contact: Linda Hynan, AC5QQ at 666-4873 or Linda.Hynan@UTSouthwestern.edu.
Meeting NoticeThe monthly meeting of HOTARC will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday October 25, 2007 in the Kultgen Automotive Center of the TSTC Waco Campus. Meetings generally last about 75 minutes consisting of fellowship, general Club business, and an interesting program. Visiting hams, family members, and prospective hams are welcomed! |
Technician
License classes: Nov 3 and 10
Tell someone about it!