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SUNSET EMPIRE
AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Editorial
Emmy
2
8 Year Old
Extra
3
Smartphones
4
& Ham Radio
ISS
VE Session
5
Digital
6
EMCOMM
Free MIT Classes
Area Nets
Training Class
7
Payroll Tax
Bill
8
New Band?
Repeater Names
by NM7R
9
O’scope VS
10
Spectrum
Analyzer
11
The Condenser
V O L U M E
1 2
I S S U E
3
M A R C H
2 0 1 2
The W7BU Repeater System Update
Repeater Repair Trip 02/11
This trip was made to re-install the 74 repeater.
A crew had previously removed it to diagnose an
intermittent problem that had plagued the repeater for a while. It now has a new transmit
radio installed. Another ICOM 2AT was used
for the transmit radio, replacing the previous
radio. The linking system is still having problems so that is disabled at the moment. On this
trip were Doug Rund KC7MFN, Helen Rund
KE7OFP, Hal Denison WA7FIV, Greg Filliger
N7RIA, and Dale Mosby K7FW.
Hopefully, once the new charge controller is installed the batteries will be maintained at a better
state of charge.
Which Path?
12
ARES Net Stats
8 Year Old
13
Extra, cont’d.
Once the repeater was installed, a bit of testing
was performed. The the RF output power was
measured as:
Before cavities:
20 watts forward, 0.5 watts reverse
After cavities:
10 watts forward, 0 watts reverse
The cavities are costing half the power and we
have 10 watts going to the antenna.
A few cells of the battery were tested and they
indicated a need for a charge. So even with no
radio in place, we are not fully charging those
batteries with the existing charge controller.
Hal Denison (WA7FIV) standing next to the solar
panels. The mountain was in the clouds this day so
we lost sight of the ocean about half way up.
Thank you all for your impressive donations of expertise, time and mileage to take care of the problems our inspections have uncovered. It is very encouraging to see the strong support from members
attending to the problems of the repeaters. With
everyone’s help, we can get the entire repeater system fully operational and completely reliable.
PAGE
2
Ham Radio needs Digital EMCOMM
Editorial
Fierce Homeland Security, a
website for domestic security
leaders, reports:
In a paper (.pdf) dated Jan.
24, the National Institute for
Standards and Technology
(NIST) Visiting Committee
on Advanced Technology
says unlicensed spectrum in
the 2.4 gigahertz to 5 GHz
spectrum, television white
space and possibly even 60100 GHz spectrum could
augment the planned national broadband network.
In addition, the network
should incorporate Internet
protocol packet switching
technology to permit ad hoc
network formation, the paper
says. “Use of the Internet
Protocols does NOT neces-
sarily imply use of the public
Internet,” it emphasizes. This is
just what amateur radio operators do when we set up nets in
response to an emergency, although are networks are usually
voice-only.
Why aren’t we doing any digital
networking? Well, for one
thing, there’s currently no commercial equipment available for
purchase, and many of those
involved in ham radio emergency communications are just
not interested in investing the
time and money required to get
a digital network like this up
and running.
Some of us have been experimenting with HSMM with good
success. Friend us on Facebook
to learn more.
I’ll say again what I’ve said
before. We need a group like
AMSAT that’s devoted to
advancing the state-of-theart in emergency communications. Unless someone
really takes the bull by the
horns, amateur radio is going to fall farther and farther
behind in this area.
We have sufficient radio and
computer networking expertise to build an interesting
demonstration projext for
ham radio EMCOMM with
our repeater system. What
we need is the dough. Let’s
build a plan—the dough will
follow. I hope that each of
you downloads and reads
this paper. It is important to
the future of amateur radio.
Emmy Has a New Owner
Our “beloved Emmy” has moved on to a new
home and into a new phase of her life. Brooke
Lynn Neuwirth purchased the old girl from
your club on February 25th as a birthday present for her husband. We wish them the best
of luck with their new toy and we hope to hear
some interesting stories on how they integrate
this most unusual vehicle into their lives.
The sale had been previously approved by a
unanimous vote of the membership. The
money from the sale will go into the General
Fund to support club activities. The radio gear
from the ambulance will be used to build several Go-kits for emergency use if we are unable to obtain a trailer. Thank you Brooke for your families purchase of Emmy It will help support amateur
radio in your community.
VOLUME
12
ISSUE
3
PAGE
She Was an Extra at Age 8!
By Jeff Gardenour | February 09, 2012
The Seminole Chronicle
When you first hear the mousey voice
of Mikaila Williams, it is hard to
imagine her hamming it up on amateur
radio. But ham radio has helped the 9year-old Deltona youth become a
communications sensation, allowing
her to showcase her vibrant personality and caring attitude and capture the
attention of scores of "hams" or amateur radio operators.
Ham radio is the use of designated
radio frequency spectrum for recreational or emergency use, wireless experimentation or other forms that are
different from commercial broadcasting, public safety transmission or twoway radio.
Last Thursday night at the Winter
Springs Civic Center, Williams' talents
were on full display at a Lake Monroe
Amateur Radio Society Seminole
County meeting. Williams gave a
speech about her hobby to a small
crowd of amateur radio enthusiasts; it
was all part of preparing her for one of
the biggest events of her life - the
Dayton Hamvention, the world's largest amateur radio gathering in Dayton,
Ohio. The Dayton Hamvention is
scheduled for May 18-20.
"I am a little nervous," said Williams,
who is the LMARS' youngest member.
"There will be over 10,000 people
watching me live and all the media
will be there. I just have to practice a
lot to make sure I get it right the first
time. I will not lose track that I am
having fun with what I am doing and it
is for a great cause that I believe in, so
I will do OK."
While most kids her age are checking
their Facebook notifications, watching the latest videos on YouTube or
playing video games, Williams is
constantly honing her craft as an
amateur radio operator. She is reported to be among the youngest
hams in the country to hold all three
FCC licenses in the field: Technician, General Class and Extra Class,
the last of which she has held since
May 2011.
"We are all very proud of Mikaila,"
Norm Lauterette, member of the
LMARS Board of Directors, said.
"Some teenagers reach that Extra
Class level, but it is rare. For an 8- or
9-year-old [to reach it is] unbelievable."
The complexities, terminology and
use of ham radio have never intimidated Williams, a straight-A student
at Connections Academy, a nationally accredited and award-winning
online school. She freely and easily
navigates the ham radio technology
as if she were doing it for decades.
Good listening skills and the ability
to memorize amateur radio's jargon
has helped her become a natural.
An Oklahoma native who has lived
in Florida for most of her life, she
goes by the designation of KI4DS, a
vanity call sign composed from the
characters of a previous call sign
(KK4BFK or KK4 Big Funny
Kisses), a region number and one of
the digital radio bands that she uses:
D-Star.
"The mix is kind of 'Kids 4 D-Star.'
It is a 9-year-old's imagination," she
said with a laugh.
Williams, who also enjoys membership in Disney Emergency Amateur
Radio Services or "DEARS," and
the Osceola Amateur Radio Services, began to imagine herself as a
ham in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in
Japan. Her stepdad, Ron Fetters, a
former firefighter who responded to
the Oklahoma City bombing and to
Ground Zero in New York City,
and biological mother, Jennipher
Moody, were practicing emergency
assistance simulations on amateur
radio when they drew Williams'
attention.
"When Japan was devastated, I saw
how much help my mom and dad
were practicing simulations, as
though something [actually] happened around us, and they assisted
with their amateur radios," Williams said. "I told them I wanted to
help my community like they did."
With the help and encouragement
of Fetters, Williams studied for and
quickly passed the FCC's Technician exam. Inspired by her accomplishment,
Williams decided that she wanted to
go the distance and earn an Extra
Class license, the same license that
Fetters holds. Fetters had become
enraptured with the amateur radio
field during his firefighting days.
Continued on the last page.
3
PAGE
4
Smartphones and Ham Radio
I’ve been a user of smartphone’s for two years and I have always felt that in the past they were able to offer a
lot in terms of being able to make and receive calls. The various applications or apps that run on them are the
icing on the cake. That is especially true for ham operators. Now days the primary selling point of a smartphone is not the basics of calling and texting messaging but the apps.
My wife’s Motorola Droid is like many others that run the Android OS in
that it has access to the Android Market and its ever growing list of extras.
A little run down on the ham radio appls I have is below. There’s no real
explanation of their functionality. The details are in the Android Marketplace on the web.
APRSdroid – APRS on your phone. Well worth the money, especially now
that it supports messaging.
Echolink – No real need to introduce this application. It just does what you
need to use the Echolink network.
Electrodroid – A handy collection of electrical references.
Hamsatdroid – Satellite predictions for your phone. Very effective with a
simple interface.
Morse code reader – Like all readers, its not as good as your ear and is limited but a simple and handy little application.
Morse CT – The is a trainer that, if it were a human, it would have given up
on me learning the code a long time ago. A very patient trainer.
Repeater – Repeaters in you local area. Shows you the distance to your
nearest repeater.
Satellite AR – A mixture of Google sky maps and hamsatdroid with a nice ‘point at the sky and see where the
satellite is in real time’ interface. Does more than amateur radio satellites.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are
the ones that I have installed and used. I’ve tinkered
with the idea of a log book for use when I’m portable
but nothing so far has improved over the good old
pencil and paper. If a developer makes one that can
pick out call signs that would be interesting but I don
not see this happening soon.
There are apps for digimodes like PSK-31 but nothing
for things like WSPR or any of the really cool apps. I
am optimistic that more and more ham radio related
software will be available for the ever increasing family of Android OS based smartphones. Will these apps
lead you to buy a new phone? They should.
VOLUME
12
ISSUE
3
PAGE
ISS Astronaut Active on 145.800
Astronaut André Kuipers
PI9ISS was calling CQ from the
International Space Station on
145.800 MHz FM on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon,
Feb. 25-26. André mainly
worked Dutch stations although
one UK Foundation holder Paul
Waddington M6WAD was
lucky enough to have a contact
with him on Sunday. Paul says
“I am absolutely thrilled to have
had a QSO with the ISS. I just
thought I would put out a random call, as I have done so
many times in the past, and he
answered me. I must say, when he
did reply, I became a little tongue
tied in disbelief!!! I use a Yaesu
FT7900 to a Comet GP-15N Triband antenna.” When the astro-
nauts work other radio amateurs
back on Earth they transmit on
145.800 MHz FM but operate
“split” listening for replies 600
kHz lower on 145.200 MHz.
If you are lucky and hear them
calling CQ just remember to
activate your rig's repeater shift
to ensure you reply on the correct frequency. You should
never transmit on 145.800
MHz. Listening to the International Space Station at:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/3491
VE Sessions Available in Naselle, WA.
Volunteer Exams are offered every month in Naselle, WA. by the Pacific County ARC, at Hunters Inn about 10:30 AM,
on the second Saturday of the month, following our meetings (which start at 9). Anyone wanting to take any amateur radio exam is welcome. Prior notice is recommended, but not required. Email Frank at [email protected]. He is the VE
Liaison. This may be convenient for some North Clatsop county folks.
Amateur Radio Digital EMCOMM
Curt Bartholomew N3GQ of the FCC gave a talk to the 2011 TAPR Digital Communications Conference about using digital modes in Amateur Radio Emcomm. Watch the ARVN video 2011 DCC - Digital Modes for EmComm - FCC Amateur Radio Video News (ARVN) at the links below:
http://arvideonews.com/dcc2011/2011_DCC_Catastrophic_Communications.html
The Introduction to Digital Data, Voice, D-Star and APRS link is below:
http://arvideonews.com/dcc2011/2011_DCC_Intro_Sessions.html
5
PAGE
6
Classes Run From March 6th through June 8th.
Learning Circuits and Electronics Online
This came from Bob Perlman, KG6AF, the other day: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) -which has had an open courseware initiative for several years -- is now taking the next step and making
courses available online. Called MITx, this initial effort should be of interest to a lot of hams: An online
course in introductory circuits and electronics that’s free to anyone who is interested. Did I say free?
Circuits and Electronics (Course 6.002x) is the course title; it is adapted from Course 6.002, which
serves as a first course in an undergraduate electrical engineering (EE) and electrical engineering and
computer science (EECS) curriculum (or to you Beavers out there, Course 6.1 and 6.3, respectively).
The course covers topics such as “resistive elements and networks; independent and dependent sources;
switches and MOS transistors; digital abstraction; amplifiers; energy storage elements; dynamics of firstand second-order networks; design in the time and frequency domains, and analog and digital circuits
and applications. Design and lab exercises are also significant components of the course.”
Circuits and Electronics begins on March 6 and runs through June 8. To access the course, registered
students will log in at mitx.mit.edu, where they will find a course schedule, an e-textbook for the course
and a discussion board. Each week, students will watch video lectures and demonstrations, work with
practice exercises, complete homework assignments, and participate in an online interactive lab specifically designed to replicate its real-world counterpart. Students will also take exams and be able to check
their grades as they progress in the course. Overall, students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours
each week on the course.
At the end of the course, students who demonstrate their mastery will be able to receive a certificate of
completion for free. In future MITx courses, students who complete the mastery requirement on MITx
will be able to receive the credential for a modest fee. Further courses are expected to become available
beginning in the fall.
More information is available at the MIT Online Learning Initiative website. There are prerequisites, but
this sounds like a great deal to me!
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
VOLUME
12
ISSUE
PAGE
3
Your Area Nets
Sunday - The Coastal "YL" Net
rolls at 8:00 pm weekly. This
net is for young ladies of all
ages. This is a lady's social net
on the W7BU repeater system.
For this net, the W7BU repeater
system will be linked to the
BeachNet System.
Monday - The Clatsop County
ARES Net rolls at 7pm weekly
on the W7BU repeater system.
The W7BU repeater system is
normally linked to the BeachNet
System for this net.
Tuesday - Clatsop County 10
meter Net rolls at 7pm weekly on
10 meter HF, 28.305 MHz USB.
This net has been halted due to
inactivity.
FYI - ARES District One includes
Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook and Washington
counties.
Wednesday - STARS ARES Seaside Tsunami Net 7pm weekly on
repeater - 145.490 with a PL Tone
of 118.8.
Daily 5:30 PM o 3990 kHz
Thursday - Oregon ARES District One. This net rolls on the
Timber repeater (in the Forest
Grove area) on 145.270 with a PL
tone of 107.2 at 7:30 PM.
NTS Nets Daily 5:45 PM Oregon ARES Traffic
Net on 3920 kHz
Daily 6:30 PM Northwest Oregon
Traffic and Training Net on 3569 kHz
Oregon Emergency Net. (OEN)
Daily at 6:00 & 7:00 PM on 3980
kHz.
Need a Ham Radio Class??
General Ham Radio Class
Technician Ham Radio Class
Fri., Sat. & Sun.- Apr. 20 - 22
Fri. & Sat. - Nov. 16 & 17
Clatsop Community College in Seaside
Clatsop Community College in Seaside
Fri 5:30pm to 9:00pm (Class - Day 1 of 3)
Fri 5:30pm to 9:00pm (Class - Day 1 of 2)
Sat 9:00am to 5:00pm (Class - Day 2 of 3)
Sat 9:00am to 4:00pm (Class - Day 2 of 2)
Sun 9:00am to 5:00pm (Class - Day 3 of 3)
Sat 4:30pm to exam finish
Exam date announced during class
Technician Ham Radio Class
Fri. & Sat. - May 18 & 19
Clatsop Community College in Astoria
5:30pm to 9:00pm (Class - Day 1 of 2)
Sat 9:00am to 4:00pm (Class - Day 2 of 2)
Sat 4:30pm to exam finish
Visit http://clatsophamclass.com for more information..
7
8
Payroll Tax Bill Requires a
Study of Amateur Radio
In Disasters
PAGE
Payroll Tax Bill Includes a Provision
for Amateur Radio Study
The ARRL reports on a bill
that could result in recommendations to remove unnecessary restrictions on
amateur radio residential
antenna installations.
completion of the study, with a
report of the findings to the
House Committee on Energy
and Commerce and the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
A bill that has passed both
the House and the Senate
includes a provision for a
study of the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio
Service communications in
emergencies and disaster
relief.
This study would “use the expertise of stakeholder entities
and organizations” to recommend how to best use radio
amateurs in emergency communications and disaster relief
efforts, and how to best utilize
the Amateur Radio Service in
coordination with the federal
government in these efforts.
If passed into law, Section
6414 of the Middle Class
Tax Relief and Job Creation
Act of 2012 mandates the
reasonable or unnecessary
private land use restrictions on
residential antenna installations and recommend ways to
remove such impediments.
Read the full ARRL story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/
payroll-tax-bill-includesprovision-for-amateur-radiostudy
http://www.arrl.org/files/
media/News/
Middle_Class_Tax_Relief_and_Jo
b_Creation_Act_of_2012.pdf
In addition, the study would
also discuss the effects of un-
If You Like 160M QRP, You Will Love This
472 - 479 kHz
on one
watt
with a
max
of
5
watts
A ham radio allocation near 500 KHz has
taken another step closer to becoming a reality. According to several reports out of WRC
12 being held in Geneva, Switzerland, Working Group 4 has approved an agenda item that
calls for a worldwide secondary
allocation to the Amateur Service
from 472 to 479 kHz and has sent
it on to the full assembly called
the Plenary for its consideration.
There are some restrictions which
come with this action. Power output is limited to an effective one watt but
would permit nations that are more than 800
Kilometers from an Aeronautical Service nondirectional beacon to permit hams up to five
watts effective radiated. Either way, ham radio
operators must not interfere with any other
spectrum user holding a primary status in that
band.
That said, this is far from a done deal. Next
up is two separate presentations or readings
of this proposal before the Plenary session
of all nations taking part in the world wide
communications law making process.
There, footnotes to the proposal can be added by any
administration that has a representative at the conference.
While there is still a lot of
work to take place before
WRC 12 ends, at least near
500 KHz, there appears to be some light at
the end of the proverbial tunnel in the matter of a new super low frequency ham radio
band. We should know for certain by this
time next week. (Various WRC 2012 Reports)
VOLUME
12
ISSUE
3
PAGE
Repeater Names by Frank Wolfe
Amateur radio operators tend to have names for their repeaters. This is normal, because the typical V/UHF Ham has access to a
number of repeaters, each with a distinct coverage area and a “personality”.
Commercial, “Land Mobile Radio” operators may have access to one or two repeaters. Fire, Law Enforcement and other Public
Safety folks ay have access to several, but of course these folks only use their radios in the performance of their work.
Many Hams use an abbreviated frequency to name 2-meter repeaters. Here in the Pacific Northwest, our 2-meter repeaters are
established on 20-kHz steps, and in three sub-bands at 145, 146 and 147-MHz. The way the frequency assignments are made
within these sub-bands are such that, in the 145 segment, the frequencies are all odd numbers, with 145.490 being an example.
In the 146 segment, they are all even numbers and the “suffix” is greater than 500, for instance, 146.660 or 146.760. In the 147MHz segment, the numbers are again all even, but now the suffix is less than 500, 147.180 or 147.020 show this.
This peculiarity allows us to drop all but the first two numerals of the suffix (the hundreds and tens of kilohertz) and have a
unique designator. For the above, these would be: “49”, “66”, “76”, “18” and “02” respectively. This shorthand system completely describes the frequency pair. Again, here in the Pacific Northwest, all 145-MHz repeaters are “negative offset”, as are all
on 146-MHz. The repeaters in the
147-MHz area are “positive offset”. So, if our shorthand name is an
odd number, or greater than 50,
and even, it has to be “minus”. If it is
even, but less than 50, it would
have a “plus” offset.
By the way, these should be pro“49” should be said as “four-nine”. If
may get some side-long looks, since
-ninety” (or “four-nine-zero”).
nounced as two digits, for instance,
you call it the “forty-nine” you
this is actually a truncation of “four
Can I use this system on 70are just too many pairs on that band.
for example, can I call this “the ninethere is a 441.925; 442.925; 443.925
there will be confusion.
centimeters? No, ‘fraid not. There
To pick one frequency, “440.925”,
two-five”? Well, I could, but if
or 444.925 in the neighborhood,
What about the CTCSS tone? Commonly called “PL”, short for “Private Line”, the Motorola registered trademark for their
strain of this common signaling system. This is kind of like saying “Kleenex” (PL) to ask for a “facial tissue” (CTCSS). There
are only about 39 of these tones that are normally used. The highest tones, in the range of 200-Hz, can be hard to filter out of the
audio, and thereby cause a “hum” in the speaker that is not desirable. The lowest tones, in the range of 70 Hz, take a longer time
to decode. The decoder circuit needs a certain number of cycles to do its job, and at the low frequency end of the spectrum, this
just takes longer. Many areas adopt a “local tone”, and if you know what that is, it’s a great place to start your search.
Most repeaters will tend to use tones near the middle of the spectrum. If I don’t have a clue as to the tone, I will start at 100.0-Hz
and step up, checking to see if I can get the repeater to come back to me. It will only respond to the correct tone. If I reach 136.5
-Hz (9 steps) without success, I will return to 100.0-Hz and step down from there.
The next time you hear someone talking about the “’86” 2-meter repeater, you’ll know exactly what the frequency and offset is,
and have a pretty good idea how to find the PL tone.
de NM7R
9
The Oscilloscope VS
Two instruments that amateur radio operators frequently use when experimenting or when debugging equipment are the
oscilloscope and the spectrum analyzer. How does a spectrum analyzer differ from an oscilloscope? A spectrum analyzer displays signals in the frequency domain; an oscilloscope displays signals in the time domain. What this
means is that an oscilloscope will show you how the amplitude of a signal changes with time, while a spectrum analyzer shows you how the amplitude of a signal changes with frequency. The drawing below shows typical displays
from an oscilloscope and a spectrum analyzer.
The Spectrum Analyzer
Because the spectrum analyzer shows how the amplitude of a signal changes with frequency, amplitude is the
parameter a spectrum analyzer would display on the vertical axis. Frequency is the parameter a spectrum analyzer would display on the horizontal axis.
Spectrum analyzers are very useful for troubleshooting problems. For example, a spectrum analyzer is used
to display spurious signals from a radio transmitter. A spectrum analyzer is also used to display intermodulation distortion products in an SSB transmission. The reason for this is that in both of these cases we are looking for signals that are being erroneously generated.
Whenever frequency is an important part of the measurement, you want to use a spectrum analyzer, if one is
available. All of these choices are correct when talking about parameters than can be determined with a spectrum analyzer:
The degree of isolation between the input and output ports of a 2 meter duplexer
Whether a crystal is operating on its fundamental or overtone frequency
The spectral output of a transmitter
Because spectrum analyzers are sensitive instruments, you need to be cautious when using
them. For example, an important precaution to
follow when connecting a spectrum analyzer to
a transmitter output is to attenuate the transmitter output going to the spectrum analyzer. Not doing so could damage the spectrum
analyzer because its input circuits are not designed to handle high power.
Despite all this talk about spectrum analyzers,
the oscilloscope is actually the more versatile
instrument, and will be more useful than the
spectrum analyzer for most radio amateurs. For
example, the oscilloscope is the instrument used for detailed analysis of digital signals. You can make a number of digital-signal measurements with a scope, including rise time and fall time, as well as analyze how two
or more digital signals change in time with regard to one another.
Which Path Do We Take From Here?
During the past few months great progress has been made in identifying repeater problems. What is needed to upgrade the antennas, transmission lines and grounding systems. Nearly all the coaxial transmission lines will be replaced with heliax (AKA hard-line) and most of the antennas will also be replaced. This includes the infamous
pizza pans. If the weather stays clear, some of this work should start shortly. Right now we are not replacing any of
the repeaters unless they fail or become unserviceable. We will have to perform a technical analysis of our present
and future needs before we make major changes. We hope to have a club discussion in either June or July focusing
specifically on repeater replacement.
Coming up in April, the club will sponsor Frank Wolfe to present a repeater maintenance class. This class is designed for those with an advanced technical knowledge who wish to learn repeater maintenance. This is not a beginner’s class and extensive preparatory reading or knowledge is essential to get the most out of this instruction. A
reading list will be posted shortly. Once you complete this instruction we will need your help maintaining the club
repeater system. This class will be open to STARS and ARES members. We would appreciate a $5 per person contribution to help defray some of the costs.
To meet the requirements for a mobile emergency communications center, we are seeking a Wells Cargo style
small to medium size equipment trailer. We really cannot afford to put a lot of money into an old trailer. No leakers or ones with rotting interiors. We need solid bones to make this work out. Being able to securely lock it up is
essential. The trailer frame needs to be sturdy enough to allow installation of a tilt tower and carry portable generators. If you know of someone who can donate one to the club please let us know.
At our February membership meeting we began the process of thinking about which path we should, (or can), take
in our efforts to improve repeater performance and reliability and move the entire W7BU repeater system into the
21st century. We need to solicit ideas and comments from you and other technical professionals in order to determine which path to take with our repeater system.
This discussion includes an attempt to peer into the future of amateur radio with all of the possibilities of narrow
band, digital, APRS, video, satellite internet service and computer network capabilities. We need all interested
members and stake holders to become involved in the research and development for this project. The discussions
will involve both technology and our budget. Of course, we will pursue grants from a wide variety of sources.
Thank you, in advance for your contributions to the discussion.
Monday ARES Net Statistics
Frank Van Winkle compiles the statistics for the Monday night ARES net on the ‘45 repeater. This
net includes hams in the cities of Warrenton, Hammond, Gearhart, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Arch
Cape, Astoria, Knappa, Svenson, Westport, Central Clatsop County, in Pacific County the net calls
Ilwaco, Long Beach, Naselle, Deep River and the North Peninsula, North Pacific County, Bay City,
Menlo, Raymond, Cathlamet, Port Orchard, Aberdeen, Tumwater and Port Orford. In January they
had 131 check ins. In February they had 89 check ins. If you are not active on this important net,
please consider jumping in. Awesome job everyone! Thanks, Frank.
2012 Member Dues
Have you paid your dues for this year? You can pay on-line at our web site with a credit or debit card or with PayPal. Of course, cash or check is always welcome. Our mailing address is on the last page. Feel free to mail it in.
W7BU
Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 264
Astoria, OR. 97103-0264
http://www.sunset-empire-arc.org
President - Jim Santee
[email protected]
Vice President - Greg Filliger [email protected]
Secretary - Don Webb
[email protected]
Treasurer - Pat Haggard [email protected]
Trustee - Terry Wilson
[email protected]
717-3484
8 Year old Extra, Continued
"It was a lot of studying," Williams said. "I passed each of the three license classes. Ohm's Law, circuits, resistors, watts,
amps and everything that comes along with getting all three [licenses] did meet with its own challenges, but my mommy
and daddy were patient with me and told me to take a break. But, I had goals to meet for myself, so I kept pestering them
until I learned it. There was just less a month between each of my license upgrades."
Ham radio's ability to reach out and help others has prompted Williams to expand her community-assistance goals. She is
taking FEMA courses to be fully trained and ready in the event of an emergency, and currently belongs to and assists the
area chapter of the American Red Cross. "I like knowing that if an emergency happens, I have the training, knowledge
and licenses and certificates to be able to help my community get back on their feet," she said.
One of Williams' biggest challenges,
attend the Dayton Hamvention. Fetters
the expenses for himself and his stepfamily by kickstarting a fundraising
Wireless Association later matched the
Lauterette, a Casselberry resident, estiraised, thus far, and is confident that
spire other youths to venture into the
though, is raising enough money to
estimates it will cost $1,800 to cover
daughter. LMARS has helped the
campaign, and the Quarter Century
LMARS donation.
mates about $700 to $800 has been
Williams will make the trip and inworld of amateur radio.
"Our youth moving into amateur radio
is the best thing that could happen to
amateur radio," Lauterette said.
"Recently, amateur radio generated a
new life for our hobby due to the addition of digital technology into its
various modes of operation. Digital
technology in new radios today allows hams to talk worldwide as if the persons on the other end were in the same room.
"D-Star is one of those advancements and Mikaila uses D-Star on a regular basis," Lauterette said. "Young people are
attracted to new technology. Facebook, Twitter, etcetera, are new communication technologies that are hot right now, but
nothing beats live, clear, uninterrupted voice conversation with someone nearby or on the other side of the world. Mikaila
is our poster child and is helping to make this happen."
As for the future, Williams sees some benefits from being an amateur radio operator. She said she can picture herself being a news anchor, someday, or developing innovative communications systems. But, for now, she just wants to show the
world a kid can have a lot of fun being a ham. "The more kids, the higher the promise that this amazing hobby will continue for years beyond even me," she said.