The LED - Livingston Amateur Radio Klub

The LED
Published by the
Livingston Amateur Radio Klub (LARK)
Howell, Michigan
Upcoming Swap Fests
September 13, 2015
Findlay Hamfest
Location: Findlay, Ohio
September 20, 2015
Adrian Hamfest
Location: Adrian, MI
September 27, 2015
Cleveland Hamfest
Location: Berea, Ohio
October 10, 2015
TBARC Swapmeet
Location: Alpena, MI
October 17, 2015
Muskegon Color Hamfest
Location: Muskegon, MI
October 18, 2015
Kalamazoo Hamfest
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
October 25, 2015
USECA’s Swap & Shop
Location: Madison Heights, MI
Shared from www.readylivingston.com
Sept
2015
Pre
s
ide
n
der
Lea
t
Jim
Frie
n
d
a
edi
Com
n
“Ask not what your radio club can do for you, ask what you can
do for your radio club…” (Deliberately lifted from John. F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address)
K8JK
Time flies when you’re having fun, and this year has been no exception to that old line. Most of the official
“summer season” is now history. Soon we’ll begin to complain about how cold it is. Already I’ve noticed
the evening daylight hours getting shorter. Additionally, I’m a little behind on my antenna “to do” list before
the weather makes a turn. Here’s hoping you are all in better shape with those outdoor radio projects.
I mentioned last month about the awesome power and capabilities within our little radio club. I believe this
is a huge asset that everyone can take advantage of. In retrospect I realized some folks reading this newsletter may NOT be members of the LARK. Even so, you can still take advantage of this talent by attending our
Saturday breakfast. The “official” LARK breakfast is held on the FIRST and THIRD Saturday of most every
month, beginning around 8 AM. We’re meeting at AMERICUS GRILL in Brighton. The truth is that there are
many of us who get together most every Saturday morning at the same location and time. Drop by, enjoy
the opportunity to talk, and enjoy a pretty good meal.
Sometimes you’re wrestling with a technical issue or challenge that may seem overwhelming. LARK members may be able to assist you, but unlike service that you pay for, there are a few friendly guidelines. First,
let us know you’re having an issue. The LARK breakfast or a club meeting might be a good place to share
that information. Second, it’s good to plan and prepare in advance if you are attempting to solicit help. Timing can be everything in trying to gather up human resources for your next big antenna project. Finally, consider offering something in return for all the effort. This doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive; you
might want to bring a snack to the next meeting, or perhaps provide snacks after we complete your project.
These three steps may help you accomplish more with amateur radio.
Snacks and treats at our club meetings are generally provided by your fellow club members. No club funds
are spent on those munchies. I encourage all members to participate, either by providing edibles or donating a few dollars to the cause. Feel free to approach any LARK officer about this.
Beginning in January, we’d like to start a new feature article in our LED newsletter, called Ship Shape Shack
Shots. It’s really simple, just take a picture of you at the controls of your radio gear, and send it to or give it
Continued on Page 4
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 2
From the Program Director:
Following last month’s presentation, the consensus opinion of the Klub members was that we should continue to pursue a better understanding of Packet Radio for a few more months. We took a “fifty thousand
foot” look at how packet operates and realized that there is a lot going on behind the scenes to assemble
packets, calculate and perform error checking, modulate and demodulate the RF from the radio and do all
this with minimal operator involvement. But, we don’t need to understand the in’s and out’s of AX.25 Link
Layer Protocol to operate packet radio any more than we need to understand the code running the engine
control computer to drive a car. With that in mind, the September program time will be devoted to a review
of basic Packet Radio equipment and a demonstration of packet communications. We’ll set up a couple of
stations using the SPARK kit and similar equipment and barring any recurring problems with Windows 10
this should all work well. Actually, this works well with Windows XP so we’ll stick to that.
Switching topics, I‘d like to discuss coaxial cables. Coax comes in many
physical sizes and characteristic impedance’s. We are most familiar with
the 50 and 75 ohm types found in diameters ranging from about 0.125 in.
to 0.5 in. Coax also comes in larger diameters, but then we usually refer
to it as “Hardline”. The construction of coax varies and we can find solid
and stranded center conductors, various types of dielectric materials, various types of outer shield construction, and finally, different outer covering
materials. By using the “RG” designator on the coax you can determine
some basic information about its construction. For example, RG-58/U has
a 50 ohm characteristic impedance, a diameter of about 0.193 in. and it
has a solid center conductor. If the designator were RG-58A/U it would
indicate a stranded center conductor. Unfortunately, the RG designations
are no longer controlled so you will need to refer to the information provided by the manufacturer to determine other properties such as dielectric materials, wire sizes, and outer shell composition.
The characteristic impedance of a coaxial cable is determined by several factors including the composition of
the dielectric material used to insulate the center conductor from the shield, the outside diameter of the
center conductor and the inside diameter of the shield. The characteristic impedance of an air insulated coaxial line can be found using the formula: Zo =138 log (b/a) where b= inside diameter of the outer conductors and a= outside diameter of the inner conductor. The use of a dielectric material other than air will
affect the characteristic impedance (and complicate the formula).
Say what?
So, after all of that, what I really want you to understand and appreciate is
that coax cable needs to be handled with care. Kinks and sharp bends can
break the center conductor. They can also alter the spacing between the inner and outer conductors and that will change the characteristic impedance
of the coax. One small kink might not change the impedance much, but several could introduce enough of a change to cause an increase in SWR and
losses. Treat your coax carefully. Wind it up in smooth coils and NEVER wind
it on your arm like you might a rope. Handled properly, coax will last for
years and work when you need it to.
73
Perhaps the Program Director can
explain this in our next meeting.
Submitted by Bob K8VQC
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 3
Jim’s Jive
(continued from page 2)
to the newsletter editor. Not only is this a great way to get your picture
in the LED, it will motivate you to clean up your radio room! (You might
even discover something you’ve been looking for under that pile of magazines and “important stuff”). I want to kick this off at the beginning of
the year because it’s going to take me that long to clean up my own
station!
Finally, some LARK members will be demonstrating amateur radio to a
Howell area Cub Scout pack in September. If you know of an organization
or group that might want to learn more about our hobby, make sure you
let an executive team member know.
73
Picture submitted by Darrell Black.
Excellent example of
Ship Shape Shack Shot EXCEPT
it is missing the operator.
Submitted by Jim K8JK
Awards and Recognitions
Congratulations to Les Butler. August 10th marked his one
year anniversary on HF. In one year he has worked 180
countries, with 169 confirmed. Les uses what he calls an
‘ultimate tracking sheet’.
Are YOU earning awards? Please send the details to [email protected] to be recognized in the LED.
Do you operate on 160?
The ARRL also commented on the FCC's proposal to amend its Part 80 rules to permanently authorize radio buoy
operations on the "open sea" under a ship station license in the 1900-2000 kHz band, which the Commission recently elevated to primary for Amateur Radio. The League said there is "no evidence of compatibility" between Amateur
Radio operation in the band and the "heretofore illegal" ocean buoy operations there.
"Should the Commission proceed with its proposal...to make the 1900-2000 kHz band available to commercial fishing vessels for use by radio buoys on the open sea and to include them in the equipment authorized as part of a ship
station license, it should not do so by means of a primary allocation for these devices in ITU Regions 2 and 3 as proposed," the League said. "The entitlement to utilize radio buoys should be on a secondary basis to the Amateur Service (and other
radio services operating in the 1900-2000 kHz band), and the buoys should be prohibited from causing harmful interference to
Amateur stations without qualification."
In a footnote, the ARRL said, "The record is silent heretofore as to the need to use radio buoys in this frequency range. There is no
information as to the necessary path distances for these devices and why a band with very long distance propagation is necessary
for these buoys rather than VHF or some other suitable alternative."
From ARRL Bulletin ARLB028
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 4
Livingston Amateur Radio Klub Meeting Minutes
August 13, 2015, Minutes of the L.A.R.K. General Membership
Members and guests present:
Jim Kvochick K8JK, Bob Hitchens K8VQC, John Waters KD8CCR, Mary Kruger W8MCK, Les Butler W8MSP, Karen Butler KB8AKC,
Larry Kube KD8VKW, Charlie McChristy KB8OVJ, Isaac McChristy, Ralph McChristy N8RBA, Reece Albright KD8WVL, John Wilson
K8TTI, Chris Hammond KD8WPY, Bruce Pollock N8WWX, Mark Sharef WQ8S, George Vercuic W8CO, Todd Kube KD8WPX, Dave
Marble KD8UCF, Mark Plante KE8BVK, Paul Eades KK6AAQ, Carl Small K0FBI.
After reciting the pledge of allegiance, President Jim Kvochick K8JK called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. and made introductions.
Program director Bob Hitchens K8VQC gave a presentation on packet radio. After assessing the level of interest, it was agreed we
will continue the discussion on packet at the next meeting with a live demonstration.
Minutes of the July Meeting: Minutes from July were printed in the August edition of the LED. Motion to accept by Mark Sharef
WQ8S; seconded by John Wilson K8TTI. Motion carried.
Treasurers Report: Mark Sharef WQ8S moved to accept the financial report as printed; seconded by Ralph McChristy N8RBA. Motion carried.
Committee Reports:
 RACES/CERT: Bruce Pollock N8WWX asked for a couple volunteers to help out at the Emergency Readiness Expo being held
the weekend of September 11-12, 2015. Volunteers are needed to work at a CERT/Ham Radio table on Friday evening from
6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The evening will include many informative topics. For more information refer to www.readylivingston.com
or email [email protected].
 Technical Director: Les Butler W8MSP shared with the group that the new repeaters are not on the air yet since the long term
availability of the site is not certain.
 Newsletter Editor: Mary Kruger W8MCK invited the members to submit articles and information for the newsletters. The
information can be sent via email to [email protected] or given to her at any meeting.
 VE Report: No one presented for testing.
Old Business: None
New Business:
The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015: John Wilson K8TTI began a discussion about this pending legislation and whether LARK
could or should offer financial and/or other support for these bills (H.R.1301 in the US House of Representatives and S1685 in the
Senate). If enacted, these bills would direct the FCC to extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service
communications to private land use restrictions.
All are urged to learn about these bills and to write their congressmen to state their position on these topics. For a full explanation of these bills and to find the addresses of your congressmen, please refer to http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act.
Request for Amateur Radio Demonstration: A local Cub Scout group requested a demonstration of Amateur Radio to take place at
the Peacemakers Gun Club in September 2015.
Pat Shannon W8LNO motioned to adjourn; seconded by Ralph McChristy N8RBA. Meeting adjourned at 9:24 p.m.
50/50 raffle won by John Wilson K8TTI.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Butler KB8AKC, Recording Secretary
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 5
September 2015
Livingston Area Radio Klub
LARK
October 2015
P.O. Box 283
Howell, MI 48844
www.W8LRK.org
Net 146.680
Americus Grill
9836 E. Grand River Ave
Brighton, MI 48116
The Livingston Amateur Radio Klub maintains the 146.680 (negative offset, 162.2
CTCSS) and also the 444.525 (positive offset, 100.0 CTCSS) repeaters in Livingston County
The LED
Sept 2015
Page6 6
Page
NOTICE: This is
your newsletter and
we need your ideas
to make it useful to
the membership. Please submit
materials to [email protected].
Don’t like to write? That’s ok!
Share your ideas and we can
work together to prepare it for
publication. Submissions received by the last day of each
month will be considered for the
next edition.
Hmmm…?
Could this
apply to
Ham’s?
Celebrate America!
LARK Board
Meetings
occur via
teleconference on the
third Thursday
of every
month.
If you are
interested
you may join
in by calling
312-777-1449,
using an
access code of
2202098.
The group
generally
begins at
7 p.m.
Submitted by Patrick, W8LNO
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 7
Back Up...Back
Up…Back Up
ARRL Bulletin 25 ARLB025
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT August 25, 2015
To all radio amateurs
Do YOU have a
current back up of
your system in a safe
place? Don’t let this
happen to you!
SB QST ARL ARLB025
ARLB025 FCC Universal Licensing System, Other
Applications to be Down for Maintenance
Livingston Amateur Radio Klub
P.O. Box 283
Howell, Mi 48844
Www.W8LRK.org
Net 146.680, Sundays 9 p.m.
Club Call: W8LRK
Klub Meetings:
Second Thursday each month
@ Livingston County Central Dispatch
300 S. Highlander Way
Howell, MI
Next Meeting:
August 13, 2015, 7 p.m.
Board Members:
President: Jim K8JK
Vice-President: Van N8GVD
Secretary: Karen KB8AKC
Treasurer: Patrick W8LNO
Program Director: Bob K8VQC
Tech Director: Les W8MSP
Director: John KD8CCR
Committee Chairpersons:
Repeater Trustee: Jim K8JK
LED Editor: Mary W8MCK
VE Coordinator: Jim K8JK
Public Info Ofcr: TBA
Web Site: Reece KB0KSU
The Livingston Amateur Radio Klub maintains
the 146.680 (negative offset, 162.2 CTCSS) and
also the 444.525 (positive offset, 100.0 CTCSS)
repeaters in Livingston County.
FCC website maintenance in early September
will make the Universal Licensing System (ULS),
the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), the Electronic Document Management System (EDOCS) and other public applications
unavailable for more than 5 days. The Commission said the outage
will begin at 2200 UTC on Wednesday, September 2, and continue
through the Labor Day weekend. The maintenance work should be
completed by 1200 UTC on Tuesday, September 8. During the ULS
outage, it will not be possible to file any Amateur Radio applications.
In a blog, "Modernizing the FCC's IT," FCC CIO David Bray said that
with the world and the technology we use changing rapidly, "the
information technology used by the Federal Communications Commission must change as well." Bray said the FCC has "made significant progress to upgrade and modernize our infrastructure, and we
continue to work on modernizing the FCC's legacy IT systems with
the resources we have available."
"We understand that this temporary downtime before and during
the Labor Day Weekend may be inconvenient for some FCC stakeholders," Bray added.
Did you know?
VE Testing
The LARK continues to offer FREE amateur radio exam sessions.
Thanks to all the VE examiners who make this happen! If you know
of potential new amateurs, send them our way. If you’re looking to
upgrade, we’re only too happy to offer you the test. Tell your
friends, enemies, mail carrier, heck, everybody!
The LED
Sept 2015
Page 8