If you have any events you would like to see posted here, please email or
mail them to the Editor for inclusion in the September newsletter. Deadline is
June 23rd.
Schedule of Events
August 1st –
146.88 Net at
8 PM
August 3rd - No Club Meeting
August 5th - Ham and eggs at 4-corners cafe 7:30 AM.
Sweat Pea race from 7am to 9:30am.
August 8th - 146.88 Net at 8 PM
August 12th - Ham & eggs at 4-corners cafe 7:30 AM.
Bridger Ridge Run.
August 15th - 146.88 Net at 8 PM.
August 19th - Ham and eggs at 4-corners cafe 7:30 AM.
August 22nd - 146.88 Net at 8 PM.
August 26th – Ham & eggs at 4-corners cafe 7:30 AM.
August 29th – 146.88 Net at 8 PM.
Hamfests & National Amateur Radio Events
HAMFEST
The 3rd ANNUAL GALLATIN HAM RADIO CLUB
HAMFEST
OCTOBER 14, 2000 IN BOZEMAN, MT.
Talk in: 146.88/146.52/447.7
Hours 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Contact Don Wilson, KC7EWZ for more information
N7ODN, Jack, will host the August get together at his home again on
Saturday evening August 12, beginning about 5:30 PM. He will have barbecue
grills ready. Bring your own meat. Those with call signs ending in A through
M, bring salad - N through Z bring dessert.
Montana Amateur Radio History
10 years ago – August 1990
SM Pete Peters, Congrats to a new ARC in Colstrip: Wolf Mountain ARC.
Officers are pres N7DLK, vp KB7KMS, Secy WA7HPL, treas K7SZF. The 146.16/76
rptr in the Helena area has been replaced by 147.82/22. A picnic & test
sess near Hardin at the QTH of WB7SWH was attended by over 100 people.
20 years ago – August 1980
SCM Robert Leo, W7LR, WA7OBH has WAZ & 236 countries. RACOM VHF mtg
Helena May 10th. Results: K7GQI, chmn; WB7ETT, vice chmn; W7WYG, secy./treas.
K7NM presented link plan and plan for 220/450 tests 26 July & 9 Aug 1PM.
MDST. WB7UTJ, N7AFE & many others had yard & bake sale near Glendive
& Sidney for their repeater fund. W7IDK Havre reports c.d. base
improvements. On May 9 N7ANR, N7AIK, KB7BJ, W7LR QSY to Steamboat Mtn for work
party. KA1EA reports lots of 2 & 6 mtr activity with Es. He has 29 states
and received Oscar 1000 award, FB. WB7FWB designed FB QSL for Gallatin hams
& ham club, expects printing 19000! Butte & Bozeman clubs plan MT QSO
party 4 to 6 Oct.
MAY YOUR SATURDAY MORNINGS BE SPECIAL
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet
solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded
joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday
morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward
the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning
paper in the other.
What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons
that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I
turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order
to listen to a Saturday morning swap net.
Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal
and a golden voice. You know the kind...he sounded like he should be in the
broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something
about "a thousand marbles". I was intrigued and stopped to listen to
what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they
pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so
much. It's hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy
hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's
dance recital."
He continued, "let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped
me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he
began to explain his theory of "a thousand marbles." "You see I
sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about
seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average,
folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the
number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now
stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in
any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over
twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be
seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I
ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took
them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here
in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one
marble out and thrown it away."
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the
really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here
on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take
my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble
out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have
been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little
more
time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your
family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is
K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin
drop on the
band when this fellow signed off.
I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the
antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work
on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with
a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids out to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing
special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with
the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some
marbles."
Author Unknown
FCC Reduces Fine for Former Amateur
NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 20, 2000--The FCC has substantially reduced a $17,000
fine that it proposed to levy on a former Houston, Texas, amateur. On July 12,
the Commission issued a Forfeiture Order telling Leonard D. Martin,
formerly KC5WHN, that he should pay $4000 for repeated unlicensed operation
and for failing to allow the FCC to inspect his radio equipment.
Martin first ran afoul of the FCC two years ago. In May 1998 the Commission
received a written complaint alleging that a station identifying as KC5WHN was
operating on frequencies not authorized by Martin's Technician class license.
FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth sent
Martin a Warning Notice in November 1998. In a subsequent telephone
conversation with Hollingsworth, the FCC says, Martin "generally denied
the unauthorized operation."
In February of last year, an FCC agent using mobile automatic direction
finding equipment observed voice transmissions on 27.545 and 27.535
MHz--channels allocated to the US government and the Industrial Radio Service
respectively. The FCC says the station failed to identify but responded to the
name "Leonard." The FCC agent determined that the source of the
transmissions was an antenna at Martin's residence.
The following month, the FCC monitored voice transmissions on 27.370 MHz--a
CB "guard channel"--again identified with the name
"Leonard." An FCC agent tracked the source of the transmissions to
Martin's residence, but Martin reportedly refused to let the agent look at his
radio equipment. The agent advised Martin that operation on the 27 MHz
frequencies was illegal because he had no FCC license to operate on those
frequencies, and that his refusal to allow an inspection was also a violation.
The FCC's Houston Office issued Martin an Official Notice of Violation
last April. In his reply, Martin said that he understood that operating on the
frequencies in question was a violation and that the FCC has full inspection
authority. He also promised that "no further action by the
Commission" would be necessary to ensure his compliance with the FCC
rules. In July, Martin turned in his Amateur Radio license for cancellation.
The FCC used the occasion to again warn Martin about unlicensed radio
operation.
Last October, following up on complaints of RF interference to a telephone
in Martin's neighborhood, the FCC again tracked transmissions on 27.535 MHz to
Martin's residence. At the same time, the agent also observed the RF
interference on the neighbor's telephone. Later that same month, the FCC
tracked voice transmissions on 27.455 MHz to Martin's residence.
Once again, Martin reportedly refused to let FCC personnel inspect his
transmitting gear. The FCC says Martin told the agent he believed he was being
"unfairly targeted for enforcement" because many other operators
also transmitted on unauthorized frequencies.
The FCC's Houston Office sent a Notice of Apparent Liability for
Forfeiture to Martin on March 3 of this year for "repeatedly and
willfully" violating Section 301 of the Communications Act by operating
without an FCC license and refusing to allow an FCC inspection.
In responding to the NAL, the FCC said, Martin did not deny the
violations but requested cancellation of the fine arguing that he was unable
to pay it. The FCC said Martin submitted copies of his tax returns for 1996,
1997 and 1998 as proof. He also told the FCC that he would dismantle and sell
all of his radio transmitting gear and antenna and forfeit proceeds to the FCC
or to charity and would permit FCC personnel to inspect his residence to
insure all equipment has been removed.
The FCC said that while "in view of his past history, we cannot rely
on Mr. Martin's promises of remedial action" it could reduce the size of
the proposed forfeiture given Martin's "limited ability to pay the full
amount." The FCC said the $4000 fine is justified in light serious nature
of the willful and repeated violations, some of which followed FCC warnings
and Martin's promises to comply.
The Order, signed by FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief David H. Solomon,
gave Martin 30 days to pay the fine.
FCC Enforcement in the area!
CHEYENNE, WY:
The FCC wrote Frank J. Pinkley Jr
on May 10, 2000, canceling his Technician class Amateur Radio license, KC7DUZ.
On March 13, the FCC had requested that Pinkley retake his examinations under
the supervision of FCC personnel by April 30, 2000. The FCC says Pinkley did
not appear for reexamination. As a result, it was canceling his Amateur Radio
license. FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth
warned Pinkley that continued operation of Amateur Radio transmitting
equipment after receipt of the FCC's letter would be a violation of federal
law and could subject him to criminal penalties and seizure of equipment.
Wanted:
7 to 10 amp power supply to run a mobile 2 meter rig.
Also, plastic battery case for a deep cycle marine battery.
Call Terry, N7GDM at 587-7400.
Hams Needed For Sweet Pea And Bridger Ridge Run
Submitted by Kay Newman, N7ZHN
The Big Sky Wind Drinkers will again be asking Ham Operators for help with
communications in their upcoming summer events. The Sweet Pea Run will be held
Saturday, August 5th. Your help would be needed from 7 AM until about 9:30 AM
or whenever the last runner gets in. About 4 operators would be sufficient.
The Bridger Ridge Run is August 12th and most positions involve a longer
period of time. Six operators are probably enough. Some of the Bridger Ridge
Run volunteers will have to do some hiking. Call Kay, N7ZHN, at 586-5543 if
you can help.
Fluxes & Indexes Used For Forecasting
- A- and K-index:
Geomagnetic activity indexes,
high indexes (K:>5 or A:>20) means stormy conditions with an active
geomagnetic field. The more active, the more unstable propagation with
possible periods of total propagation fade-out. Especially around the higher
latitudes and especially at the polar regions, where the geomagnetic field is
weak, propagation may disappear completely. Extreme high indexes may result in
aurora propagation, with strongly degraded long distance propagation at all
latitudes. Sporadic-E is strongest during low indexes. Low indexes result in
relative good propagation, especially noticable around the higher latitudes,
when transpolar paths may open up. Maximum K-index is 9, and the A-index can
exceed well over 100 during very severe storm conditions, with no maximum.
- Background X-ray level: This may vary from B (very low), C (low to
moderate), M (moderate to high) to X (high to extremely high), the higher the
number after the letter, the stronger the X-ray radiation. So an X0.1 is
stronger than an M9.9. High amounts of X-ray radiation causes intense
ionization of the D-layer, resulting in strong absorbtion of HF-signals.
Solarflares are commonly measured in the amount of X-ray radiation.
- Solar Flux: This flux number is measured from the amount of radiation
on the 10.7cm band (2800MHz). It is closely related to the amount of
ultraviolet radiation, which is needed to create an ionosphere. The lowest
possible number for this solar flux is 63.75. Single hop propagation already
starts at 70 in lower latitude areas. Worldwide long distance propagation (DX)
may turn up already with a solar flux at 120. However not proven, but from
experience, a solar flux of 160 seems to be ideal for 11m band DX, with a good
posibility to reach every possible part of the globe, even those areas in the
blind zone, with backscatter propagation.
- T-index: This index is used and developed by IPS Radio & Space
Services in Australia. In this index all other indexes are used, so it's a
very general index for forecasting propagation.
Newsletter Articles Needed!
As your newsletter editor, I’d like to ask the age old plea for articles
and information. Anything you might have that would be of interest to other
hams is what I’m looking for to include in our monthly newsletter.
If each of you could contribute just one thing once a year, I’d have
enough material to fill every page of this newsletter.
Some of the things you could write about are: Antennas, Dxing, Emergency
Services, Public Service, License upgrade experiences, Operating experiences,
Contesting and the list goes on.
Contributions from magazines and other electronic media are also welcome.
If you find something that you feel would be of interest to our club from the
Internet, please forward it to me and I’ll see if we can get it in the
Newsletter for everyone to enjoy.
Please send your newsletter articles and information to:
Newsletter Editor,
Lyndel Thiesen N7LT
1679 Remuda Dr.,
Belgrade, MT 59714
Email: n7lt@arrl.net Phone: 388-9531
National News
College adds ham radio licensing class:
After the
Amateur Radio Club of Parker County (Texas) sponsored a continuing education
class in Amateur Radio at Weatherford College, the school decided to add the
class to its fall catalog. Students attending the class will qualify for
continuing education units as well as a ham ticket. Lilburn Smith, W5KQJ,
wrote the Technician study course after downloading the question pool and
editing extensively to provide a student study guide. He also produced
transparencies for each class that help to explain the study questions, and he
generated five lessons in all. Smith reports that 19 people signed up for his
initial course, 18 stuck with it through the examination, and 16 got their
licenses. The Tech class will be complemented by a new General course. It will
include Morse code instruction.--Lilburn Smith, W5KQJ
Australia makes 5 WPM official: Australia officially has adopted a 5
WPM Morse code examination requirement for full access to the HF amateur
bands. In an announcement in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on
July 12, the Australian Communications Authority changed the amateur
regulations for the VK Intermediate grade license that requires 5 WPM Morse
code proficiency. By that action, the ACA lifted the previous HF band
restrictions on Intermediate licensees, who now may use all bands below 30
MHz. The change had been anticipated following a submission to the ACA in
March by the Wireless Institute of Australia seeking a lowering of the code
speed. For the time being, Australia will maintain its Unrestricted
license--which requires 10 WPM Morse proficiency--but only to satisfy the
needs of reciprocal licensing agreements. The HF operating privileges and
conditions for the Intermediate and Unrestricted licenses now are identical.
WIA Victoria President Jim Linton, VP3PC, says that by adopting the lower
Morse requirement, Australia joins Denmark, Sweden, the UK, the US, South
Africa and Gibraltar. According to Linton, others including New Zealand,
Canada, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Kenya and
countries in Europe are in various stages of seeking to lower the code speed
to 5 WPM. For more information, visit Linton's "Morse code watch,".--Jim
Linton, VK3PC/WIA
California PRB-1 bill update: The California effort to incorporate the
essence of the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 into state law
continues. The California Assembly's Local Government Committee acted
favorably on the bill, SB-1714, on June 28. The vote was 9-0. The measure now
has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations, which has scheduled a
hearing for August 8 in Sacramento. ARRL Pacific Division Director Jim
Maxwell, W6CF, is urging California amateurs to express their opinions on bill
to their Assembly representatives. It's not known when SB-1714 might reach the
floor of the Assembly. The bill already passed the California Senate 39-0.
Maxwell requests copies of any correspondence to Assembly members to w6cf@arrl.org.
Maxwell notes that correspondence to Assembly members should reference
SB-1714. (The bill carries a Senate Bill number because it originated in the
Senate.)--Pacific Division Update newsletter.
These boots are made for talking: A British company is testing boots
that can power a wireless handset battery while the user walks. The military
reportedly is interested in these boots, made by the Electric Shoe Company and
Texon International, that now are undergoing trials in Namibia. They use a
concept similar to that employed by athletic shoes that flash lights as the
wearer walks, but they are much more powerful.
--news reports
NET CONTROL
August 1
(open)
Sept 26 KD7FVR
August 8 KC7EWZ Oct 3 KI7XF
August 15
(open) Oct
10
August 22
(open) Oct
17
August 29
(open) Oct
24 K7CUB
Sept 5
N7LT
Oct 31
Sept 12
(open)
Nov 7 N7LT
Sept 19
(open)
Nov 14 N7GS
If you’ve not signed up as a net control operator yet, please do so! As
members of the GHRC, each of us should take a half an hour each month to run
the net. This is a very small sacrifice of time which greatly enhances the
quality of our net and club.
If you’ve never run the net before, contact KC7EWZ, Don for info on
running the net. It’s really easy! Running the net is a great experience
which will help prepare you for participating in emergency communications.
The net is every Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM on 146.88.
W7ED
Gallatin Ham Radio Club
P.O. Box 4381
Bozeman, MT 59772
Email: w7ed@arrl.net
Web Site:
//http://ghrc.bizland.com/
Dues: GHRC dues are $20/person, $25/family, $10/student
EagleHead: $30/year
