The Voice Coil - Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association

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The Voice Coil
President's Corner:
June 2014
Volume 52, Issue 6
Field Day Issue
Inside this Issue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
815
President's Corner
MVARA info
Field Day
Hamfests
Meeting Information
Upcoming events
Contest University
External speakers
Operating News
Hams in the Movies
May Meeting Minutes
Fine print
Digital Version:
Dayton 2014 Pictures
Expanded Contest Corner
Ham Humor and more
Newsletter of the
Mahoning Valley
Amateur Radio
Association
Established 1919
Having Fun
President's
Corner
Well I guess it’s
true what
they say, "Time flies when
C'mon
Spring!
I'veAfter
had more
you're
having
fun!"
three
than
enough
winter.
At
least
the
days at the Dayton Hamvention
DX
good. (I
worked I
plushas
onebeen
at Contest
University,
several
new
countries,
should have been tired,many
but in
the
technician
portion
of 10
instead
I’m ready
to go.
meters).
They tell me it rained, but I
As
weabout
shift, 7hopefully,
into
spent
hours each
day
warmer
weather
it
also
gives
a
assisting at the ARRL
chance
to think
about changes
to
Volunteer
Examiners
booth and
our
amateur
stations,
antennas,
was able to stay dry as well as
battery
back-up
maybe
avoid the
insideand
crowds.
entering a few contests.
Now on to FIELD DAY. Once
-Is
it finally
time to finally
again
the MVARA
will be at
upgrade
to
computer
the Mill Creek Metrologging?
Parks
Farm off Rt. 46, just south of
-Put
up anacross
antenna
six from
meters
Canfield,
thefor
road
before
the sunspot cycle goes
the Fairgrounds.
away.
If you can participate in any
-Maybe
some
gear your
and
way, even
for portable
a short time,
antennas
so we can,
as small
help is needed.
Of particular
groups,
go
portable
and
need is operators, but there are
participate
weekend
classes
or
other waysinyou
can help
before,
activities.
during and after the event.
-Be
an should
Elmer. start
It does
us noJune
good
Setup
Friday
to
be
the
keepers
of
multitudes
27th (it looks like I'll miss my of
amateur
knowledge
and not
weddingradio
anniversary
for the
share
it
with
new
operators.
15th year in a row) about 2 pm
and we hope to have all
Don't
forget
SKYWARN.
antennas
erected
and testedThe
by 8
146.745
pm. We W8QLY
can installrepeater
and testis the
primary
link for local
severe
radios Saturday
morning
and
start 24 hour operation at 2 pm.
Page 1
Remember..LISTEN,
and
Sunday afternoon weListen,
can start
listen
some
more.
Just
because
to take things apart, clean up,
you
hear activity
doesn'tby 5
anddon't
we should
all be home
mean
there
isn't
a
squelched
or
pm.
silent net in progress.
The next regular MVARA
Mike
K8PRR
has12th
beenand
veryI’dbusy
meeting
is June
making
sure
we
have
interesting
like club members to start
programs
our meetings.
thinking at
about
different He
also
suggested
we meetings.
take some
locations
for our
warm
Saturday
morning,
Several locations near have a
short
class and
then build some
downtown
Youngstown
have
antennas.
By
late
morning
served as the club’s
homewe
for
should
have
them
built
and
in
such a long time. I can’t
operation.
This would
be fun as
imagine moving
any major
well
as showing
distance,
but wemembers
should or
interested
visitors
consider finding how
a newquickly
home.
something can be built and how
far
youmove
can communicate
Our
to the library, with
aboutit.
18 months ago has served well
Many
members expressed
an
as a temporary
location. Now
interest
in
upgrading
from
it’s time to start another search.
technician
general
Ideally, ittoshould
be class
a place that
license.
We
would
be more
we don’t need to vacate
bythan
8:30
happy
to
conduct
such
a
class,
pm and will still allows us theor
we
can point
you totoseveral
space
to continue
do great
websites
and
you
can
do
home
programs.
self-study. In either case we can
also
provide
Volunteer
-Wes,
W8IZC
Examiners for a testing session.
It's*Next
your Meeting:
club, whatThur.
wouldJune
YOU
like
see us do ? Public
12,toYoungstown
Library, Wick Avenue
the 50s to 60s, with intermittent
2014 Officers
President: Wes Boyd, W8IZC
Vice President: Mike McCleery,
K8PRR
Secretary/Webmaster: Dave Salmen,
WB8IBA
Treasurer: Frank Sole, WB8YHD
Trustees: Andy Brincko, WA8ZLK
Mark Haverstock, K8MSH
Dave Brett, KD8ZNF
Dave Fairbanks, N8NB
Newsletter Staff: Joe Vasko, N8SEJ,
Editor; Dave Brett, KD8ZNF and
Nancy Brett KD8QNY, distribution;
Mark Haverstock, K8MSH,
layout/publishing
Awards Manager: Dave Fairbanks,
N8NB, 330.759.6993, 4770 Logan
Ave. Youngstown, OH 44505
The Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio
Association, Inc, meets the second
Thursday of every month. Location
and time are subject to change. Dues
are $20.00 per year, $25.00 for family
membership. Pro-rata discount for first
time membership available. Special
student discount. See MVARA.org
website for details and application
form.
The club call is W8QLY; equipment
operated under this call includes a two
meter voice repeater at 146.745 (-600,
110.9 PL).
For License Classes and V.E.C.
Contact Committee Chairman Jerry
Viele, W8JV (330-534-1394)
MONDAY NIGHT NET operates
every Monday at 9:00. PM on 146.745
MHz.. Primary Net Control - Art
Burnett, KB8UNJ.
SKYWARN NET - First Wednesday
of the month at 8:30 PM on 146.745
MHz as weather warrants.
ARES NET- First and third Mondays
of each month at 8:30 PM on 146.745
MHz, prior to Monday Night Net.
Here
Comes Field
Defrosting
in Day
showers during the entire
weekend. When we arrived
Field Day 2014 kicks off at 1800 early
UTC Saturday,
on June 28weand
runsdirectly
until
went
1800 UTC June 29, 2014.
to the tailgate area, since there
Orlando
If you’ve
had be
your
fillagain
of this yearwas
a break
the rain.
Most of
Field
Day will
held
at the
Mill in
Creek
MetroParks
Northeast
Ohioatweather,
think
the outdoor
Farm located
7574 Columbiana-Canfield
Roadvendors
(acrosshad
the tarps,
street
about
adding
the
Orlando
tents
or
other
shelters
in place to
from the Canfield Fairgrounds) in Canfield Ohio.
HamCation to your calendar in
keep their wares dry, and provide
February.
those
We will be discussing final plans fortemporary
Field Dayshelter
2014 atfor
this
month’s
braving
the
rain.
meeting that includes operation and food plans. Please come and
The
Radio
joinOrlando
us in theAmateur
discussion.
This is also an opportunity for you to sign
Club
organizes
the
HamCation
up for operating times and volunteerAtoprolonged
help with shower
setup. around
Amateur Radio and Computer
11:00 sent many into the large
Participants
bringFlorida,
a covered
dish or dessert
as webuildings
have done
the
Show
in Orlando,
which
commercial
orinoutdoor
past.
The
club
is
planning
on
supplying
the
hamburgers,
hot
dogs
and
is held at the Central Florida
food vendors, who had numerous
buns as wellThe
as breakfast.
This
well fortables
us inwhere
past years
and
Fairgrounds.
event hosts
an worked
sheltered
you could
greatly reduced
expenses
Ashave
an added
bonus,or
if snack.
estimated
12,000 the
visitors,
onlyto the club.
sit and
a sandwich
everyone
brings
one Hamfest.
side or desert, there
willcan
be see
more
enough
second
to the
Dayton
As you
in than
the picture
foodcan
andget
a great
selection.fix,
You
your hamfest
above, umbrellas and ponchos
while the rest of the family visits
were standard equipment for
The
MVARA
crew
will be operatingmost
withvisitors.
transmitters powered from
the
other
Orlando
attractions,
alternative
power
sources
and
temporary
antennas
to practice and test
such as Universal, Sea World,
our ability to which
operateare
under
emergency
conditions.
about
a trip south next
DisneyWorld,
all simulatedThinking
year?
The
HamCation
within
30 minute
drive.
Pleasea come
to enjoy
good company and to help support thewill
clubbeby
held February 13-15 next year.
operating. This will add to the spirit of amateur radio and we hope to
Updated information is available
This
was held
helpyear’s
some event
prospective
hams and newathams
get on the air.website,
If you
the HamCation®
February
7, 8 and
9 (Friday
know anyone
interested
in participating,
we
ask
that
you
bring
themon
www.hamcation.com and also
through
Sunday) with
out to experience
the over
thrill150
of operating.
Children
are
our
future,
Facebook, and on Twitter: so as
commercial
vendor
booths,
400
always we encourage you to bring them
along and possibly get them
@hamcation.
indoor
on theswap
air. tables, and the
largest tailgate area in the
-K8MSH
southeast
US,
to show
and sell
Field Day
is not
a contest,
but a great opportunity to practice for an
amateur
radio equipment,
actual emergency
and to parts,
spread the fellowship of amateur radio.
computer hardware and software
Weother
hopeinteresting
that you will
be able
to join us for this wonderful event.
and
items.
Most
Anyone
needing
further
information
can contact one of the Field Day
of the big names in the ham
committee
members
for more
world,
such as
Kenwood,
Icom,details. The ARRL Centennial
"W1AW WAS" operations that
Elecraft were present, along with
Ohio
Section
Journal
are taking place throughout 2014
many of the other vendors that
The
Ohio
Section
Journal
Leading
Ohio each
Amateurs
a Newwill
from
of theinto
50 states
also appear at Dayton every May.
Century
relocate at 0000 UTC on
February 26 (the evening of
While temperatures were
Please
take
note
that
the
Ohio
Section
Journal 25
is now
a format
that
February
in USintime
zones),
hovering around zero up north,
we
can
include
pictures,
graphs
and
all
kinds
of
neat
items
that
you
from Michigan and Florida to
Orlando temperatures ranged in
won't see in the text version. Please visit
the web (W1AW/7)
page out andand
check
Washington
out this more enriched version of theKansas
OSJ. (W1AW/0). During 2014
http://arrl-ohio.org/sm/Section_News.html
CQ W1AW
Page 2
W1AW will be on the air from
Meeting
every
state (atPrograms
least twice) and
from most US territories, and it
Thanks
Dave,
N8NB
his
will
be to
easy
to work
allfor
states
presentation
on
HF
operating
solely by contacting W1AWat
the May meeting.
portable operations.
all 50 states. (Working W1AW
or W100AW in Connecticut does
not count for Connecticut,
however. For award credit,
participants must work W1AW/1
in Connecticut.) A W1AW WAS
certificate and plaque will be
available.
-ARRL
June meeting: Program by
In conjunction with the 100th
guest speaker Mike Krake of
anniversary of the ARRL, the
Generator Specialists on
ARRL Centennial QSO Party
generator operation.
kicked off January 1 for a yearlong
operating event
in which
Suggestions-ideas
for future
club
participants
can
accumulate
programs? Please contact VP
points
and win awards. The event
Mike K8PRR.
ONLY 20 left! Boafeng HT
raffle tickets will be sold during
the meeting, $2 each ( 45 total
will be sold). This raffle is for a
UV-82 with programming cable.
Proceeds go to Field
Day/Emergency ops fund.
is open to all, although only
ARRL members and appointees,
elected officials, HQ staff and
W1AW are worth ARRL
Centennial QSO Party points.
Working W1AW/x from each
state is worth 5 points per
Radio in the Valley
At the February 13th MVARA
meeting, Connie Jones from the
Mahoning Valley Historical
Society presented an excellent
program on early radio and
broadcasting
in the
Youngstown
Dave, N8NB, doing HF QSO exercise with
club members.
Plenty
of DX, as
the 1960's
long as you could shout across the roomarea
overthrough
the QRM.
The presentation primarily
focused on broadcasting pioneer
Warren
P. Williamson and the
Got a picture of your ham
shack?
history
of
WKBN. The Historical
contact.
Society is currently custodian of
Submit a clear digital photo and we'll feature it as one of our
Williamson's collection, and is in
To
earn the “Worked
all States
hamshacks
of the month.
Email to our
thenewsletter
process ofaddress
setting by
up the
a
with
Award,"
work
24thW1AW
of the month:
[email protected]
permanent display and archives
W1AW operating portable from
Hamfest Calendar
June 1, 2014 Breezeshooters Hamfest--Location: Butler Farm Showgrounds, 627 Evans City Road, Butler, PA
16001 Website: http://www.breezeshooters.net Talk-In: 147.300+ Public Contact: Robert W Benna , N3LWP,
1010 Willow Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15237-2225, Phone: 412-366-0488 Email: [email protected]
July 12, 2014 - 20/9 Tailgate/ Hamfest 2014, Austintown Senior Center, 112 Westchester Dr. Austintown, OH
44515 8 am-1 pm. Website: http://www.20over9.org
July 19, 2014 - Noarsfest Lorain County Community College (Spitzer Conference Center), 1005 North Abbe
RoadElyria, OH 44035. Website: http://www.noars.net Talk-In: 146.70 - (PL 110.9) Contact: Darlene Ohman ,
KA8VTS 4122 Bush Avenue Cleveland, OH 44109; 216-398-8858; Email: [email protected]
July 19, 2014 - North Hills Amateur Radio Club Hamfest, Parkwood Presbyterian Church 4289 Mount Royal
Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101. Website: http://www.nharc.org Talk-In: 147.090 (PL 88.5) Contact: John Fowler,
200 Lee Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15237. Phone: 412-366-3133 Email: [email protected]
1005 North Abbe Road
Elyria, OH 44035
Page 3
Website: http://www.noars.net
Sponsor: Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Contest University: Dayton 2014
Frank Sole, WB8YHD
I had heard about it in the past. The Thursday before the Dayton
Hamvention
they hold
Contest University
(CTU as it’s
called). In fact, I
at
their downtown
location.
Antenna
Decision
seem to remember it starting about 8 years ago when a guy I respect a
lot, Tim Duffy (an MVARA member by the way), and a number of other
world class contesters capitalized on the largest Ham Radio gathering in
On February
thedon’t
Village
of
the world happening yearly in little old Dayton
Ohio.4We
realize
filed a notice of appeal,
how lucky we are that it’s so close to Swanton
us in Youngstown.
appealing the decision of the
Fulton County Common Pleas
At the time I was mildly interested, but
didn’t
really
know
much about
Court
in the
case
of Wodtke
v.
contesting beyond my Field Day experiences.
In
the
past
5
or
6
years
Village of Swanton. The case is
I’ve become more interested in contesting
as I’ve
of the
the first
courtseen
casethat
thatsome
we are
best operators are contesters and contesters
seem
to
REALLY
know
aware of involving application of
Ham Radio. I started getting the National
Contest
Journal a quarterly
Ohio’s
new antenna
ARRL publication that focuses on contesting.
That
ramped
my learning
legislation, H.B.
158 (129th
curve up a bit. That magazine is filledGeneral
with great
information. I started
Assembly).
wishing it was published more than four times a year and was always
looking forward to seeing it arrive in my
Themail
Trialbox.
Court ordered
the approval of an application to
But Contest University seemed like the
me. The
best of the
theOlympics
village bytoGary
Wodtke,
best of Ham Radio gathering togetherWW8N,
and that for
intimidated
a bit. Plus
approval me
of an
it cost $85!
antenna variance. The Village
denied the application and
That changed last year about this time.
Wes,
W8IZC
came back
Mr.
Wodtke
appealed
that from the
2013 Dayton pilgrimage (one I didn’tdecision
make as to
mythedaughter
graduated
Fulton County
Village
ofthat
Swanton
from college
same weekend and in
my
life
family
takes
priority
over
Common Pleas Court. The
Court
Dayton) singing the praises of Contestruled
University
and all he'dfavor
learned.
in Mr. Wodtke’s
and
Appeals
He wouldn’t stop talking about it. I was
hooked
when
he
said
it
was
the Village is now appealing that
better than the Dayton Hamvention, which
order.I considered to be ham radio
heaven.
In the docketing statement filed
with
Court
offirst
Appeals
the was
This year I decided to see if Wes was reallythe
right.
My
concern
potential
writing the check, but the registrationVillage
processasserts
makesfour
it easy
to and I had
issues
to
be
argued
in
the
appeal,
material in my email inbox telling me all I needed to get me to the
classes the Thursday before Dayton. including whether Revised Code
Section 5502.031, enacted by
H.B. 158,
constitutional
and
Well, to cut to the chase, it was everything
Wes ishad
said and more.
whether it was constitutionally
applied
in this case. My concern
Class topics covered an amazing amount
of information.
about it being beyond my capabilities was unwarranted. All levels of
experience were provided for. There were multiple classes of many
The
battlemy
continues
..
types set up so I could pick a level that
suited
needs. . there
were over
20 presentations put on by 11 different CTU “professors” covering
topics like propagation (that one was almost worth the price of
admission) receiving antennas, coaxial cable, RTTY, CW, VHF
contesting, ethics in contesting, software, multi-operator and Field Day,
Page 4
Upcoming
Events
Special Olympics:
Austintown Fitch High School,
June 14. Volunteers needed
from 8:30 AM- 3:00 PM to
provide communications for the
event. Contact Andy Brincko,
WA8ZLK, if you can help.
[email protected]
Field Day:
June 28-29 at Mill Creek Metro
Parks Farm, 7574 ColumbianaCanfield Rd. Canfield, OH
44406.
We need hams to help with
setup Friday night, Saturday
morning, and tear-down on
Sunday. Contact: Wes,
W8IZC, [email protected]
We also need loggers and
operators for Saturday (all day)
and Sunday morning. Contact
the band captains to schedule a
block of time that you can be
available:
CW--Dave, N8NB,
[email protected]
80/40 meters SSB--Mark,
K8MSH, [email protected]
20/15/10 meters SSB--Dave,
WB8IBA, [email protected]
Digital/GOTA--Dave,
KD8NZF, [email protected]
ARES Training Camp:
Camp Falling Rock, Newark,
OH
September 12, 13, 14, 2014
Contact Matt Welch
[email protected]
(CTU--Continued)
getting started and many more. Many of the classes
were targeted at the “Little Pistols” (guys like me)
in the audience.
The experience was amazing. (Tim probably
thought I was on drugs--all I kept saying to him all
day was "this is amazing." I’d leave one absolutely
great presentation thinking it can’t get better than
this
The and
lv go to another that was even better.
The level of knowledge was high, but the presentations were easy to understand. It wasn't all about
contesting. Any ham could learn a lot from these sesstions. I was running from class to class like it was
Christmas at AES or DX Engineering.
I took tons of notes and I’m still working my way through them a week later. The handout materials were
first class with hundreds of references to additional resources as well as real people you can contact with
real knowledge and the motivation to pass it on to others that are still learning. Speaking of first class, the
entire day was just that – first class. The accommodations were great, the professors knew their stuff, the
food was great, there were always munchies and lots of free stuff from world class vendors that were all
major sponsors of the event. It was a well organized, class operation from start to finish.
The best part was the camaraderie of the group. We were all there for the same reason: to learn more
about what we love to do, ham radio.
You’ve probably guessed by now, I’m going back again next year. I’d highly recommend Contest
University to any Ham that’s looking to learn. I would travel to Dayton just to go to Contest University
even if there was no Dayton Hamvention.
External Speaker?
Frank Sole – WB8YHD
Sometimes it’s the simple things that make a big difference.
To give you a bit of background, my two meter mobile setup is probably similar to what many of our
members are using – a mobile two meter FM transceiver (Kenwood TM-261), a magmount quarter wave
whip antenna fed with RG-58 coax and a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter providing power for the radio.
As you can see it’s pretty basic. I’ve read plenty of articles about “optimum” mobile installations that go
into detail on the complexities of dedicated power feeds, power filtering and antenna placement. Nice
stuff, but I admit – I’m basically lazy. What I have is simple and it works.
One area I’ve had some issues with is hearing my radio. Yes, hearing a radio is pretty important. So I
looked a bit closer at my setup. My transceiver is mounted on the passenger side of the center console.
Why there you might ask?
(continued page 13 )
Page 5
Operating News and Information
Dave Fairbanks, N8NB
June is Field Day month and I hope everyone can participate in one form or another. It is a non-contest
contest and one may enjoy competing or just come out for a good time and make a few fun contacts.
Saturday morning June 28th would be a good time to come out and learn about putting up antennas if you
are new to the hobby. See you there!
-For beginners, the Alabama QSO party is June 7th through June 8.
-For 6 meter enthusiasts, the June VHF contest June 14th through June 16.
As the following chart shows, there are plenty of other contests to keep you busy if you have the spare time.
Just click on the plus sign to the left of the contest for more information Source is:
http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html.
June 2014
+ ARS Spartan Sprint
+ NRAU 10m Activity Contest
+
+
+
+
NCCC Sprint Ladder
10-10 Int. Open Season PSK Contest
VK Shires Contest
Wake-Up! QRP Sprint
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
SEANET Contest
Alabama QSO Party
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
Asia-Pacific Sprint, SSB
Portugal Day Contest
GACW WWSA CW DX Contest
REF DDFM 6m Contest
ARRL June VHF Contest
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint
All Asian DX Contest, CW
AGCW VHF/UHF Contest
+
+
+
+
Kid's Day Contest
His Maj. King of Spain Contest, SSB
Ukrainian DX DIGI Contest
ARRL Field Day
0100Z-0300Z, Jun 3
1700Z-1800Z, Jun 5 (CW) and
1800Z-1900Z, Jun 5 (SSB) and
1900Z-2000Z, Jun 5 (FM) and
2000Z-2100Z, Jun 5 (Dig)
0230Z-0300Z, Jun 6
0001Z, Jun 7 to 2359Z, Jun 8
0600Z, Jun 7 to 0600Z, Jun 8
0600Z-0629Z, Jun 7 and
0630Z-0659Z, Jun 7 and
0700Z-0729Z, Jun 7 and
0730Z-0800Z, Jun 7
1200Z, Jun 7 to 1200Z, Jun 8
1600Z, Jun 7 to 0400Z, Jun 8
0030Z-0230Z, Jun 11
1100Z-1300Z, Jun 14
1200Z, Jun 14 to 1159Z, Jun 15
1500Z, Jun 14 to 1500Z, Jun 15
1600Z, Jun 14 to 1600Z, Jun 15
1800Z, Jun 14 to 0300Z, Jun 16
0030Z-0230Z, Jun 19
0000Z, Jun 21 to 2400Z, Jun 22
1400Z-1700Z, Jun 21 (144) and
1700Z-1800Z, Jun 21 (432)
1800Z-2359Z, Jun 21
1200Z, Jun 28 to 1200Z, Jun 29
1200Z, Jun 28 to 1200Z, Jun 29
1800Z, Jun 28 to 2100Z, Jun 29
Hams in the Movies
Here's an interesting documentary: “Radio Hams,” shot in 1939 in the United States. It features the
participation of ham radio operators in emergency situations and shows two examples: a domestic
accident and the loss of an aircraft.
It's about ten minutes--a blast from the past. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BPcpQMbUPE
Page 6
Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio
Association Monthly Meeting
Thursday May 8, 2014
Youngstown Public Library Youngstown, OH
Attendees
Wes B. W8IZC, Dave S. WB8IBA, Mark H. K8MSH,
Frank S. WB8YHD, Dave F. N8NB, Dave B.
KD8NZF, Jerry G. KC8EFO, Eugene R. KB8QXE,
Andy B. WA8ZLK, Robert G. KD8OPT, Mike M.
K8PRR, Nancy B. KD8QNY, Jack S. KB8WPZ, Doug
S. KB8TPG, Julie S. KD8VMS, Dave R. N8YMZ, Joan
T. KB8UCZ, Jack T. KB8UKF
New Business
Logo
�Several different logos were presented and a
motion was made and passed to choose logo #2
which will be used as a temporary logo till the
Corn Roast. We need to think about what the
logo will look like on business cards, letterhead,
clothing etc
Meeting Notes
Pledge of Allegiance led by President Wes B.
W8IZC
Committee Reports
Special Olympics
Andy, WA8ZLK
�June 14. Registration: 8:30 am, Volunteer
Meeting 9:00 am. Andy would like to train
someone to take over the position; Andy will still
be the point person. Andy has been doing this for
33 years
Treasurer's Report
Frank, WB8YHD
�All members were emailed a copy of the report.
Membership cards are available; contact Frank
The following committees had no reports
�Website, Newsletter, Property, Repeater
�Wes, W8IZC, will take the position if no one
else volunteers
Programs
Mike, K8PRR
�June: Generator Specialist
�July: Show and Tell
�August: Corn Roast
Swap & Shop
Frank, WB8YHD
�Frank still has items for sale from several
estates, contact him for more information
Awards / Contests
Dave, N8NB
�Special event station at the International
Speedway, W9IMS
Good and Welfare
Mark, K8MSH
�HT Raffle VU 82 Baofeng with battery, clip,
wrist strap, drop in charger. The radio is already
programmed
VEC
Wes, W8IZC
Next test session: May 22. See Wes for info.
Jack, KB8WPZ
�ARRL will be holding 2 forums at Dayton this
year
�Friday 2:30 pm Room 5
�Saturday 10:30 am Room 3
Field Day
Wes, W8IZC
�Turn in interest forms for Field Day - it will help
with planning
Page 7
Field Day
The VOICE COIL is the monthly publication of the Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (MVARA) and is
intended to present news, issues and opinions of interest to MVARA members and the Amateur Radio Community. We
encourage contributions of articles, letters to the editor, etc. and welcome newsletter exchanges with other clubs from around the
country and around the world. Permission is granted to reprint material contained herein as long as proper credit is given to this
newsletter and the author. Ideas for and contributions to the VOICE COIL should be submitted to:
[email protected]
Submissions must be received no later than the 24th of the month prior to the month of issue, unless otherwise specified.
Submissions should be in MS Word format or ASCII text. Material received after the deadline will be used in the next month’s
VOICE COIL if it is still current and /or news worthy.
The VOICE COIL is published by the MVARA. All material contained herein is considered the opinion of the author and not
necessarily that of the MVARA. No responsibility for accuracy is assumed by the editor or newsletter staff. Typos are included
for the entertainment of those who enjoy looking for them and should be reported immediately to any nearby MVARA
member :-)
MVARA MEETING LOCATION:
Youngstown Public Library
305 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44503
7:00-8:30 pm
Be sure to meet us at the MVR Restaurant for the after meeting gathering, 410 N. Walnut St.
(behind the library)
Dayton 2014 Pictures
Page 8
Swap and Shop
20a 12v homebrew supply 10.00
3 kw ant tuner homebrew 30.00
Alliance ant rotor 40.00
Alpine HF screwdrvr mobile ant 125.00
ARRL Ham Manual 1975 2.00
Bell & Howell IOD-4540 ocilliscope 10.00
Benjamin 24 hour 12” analog quartz clock $15
Bird Model 43 watt mtr no slugs 150.00
BK Precision PS-500 Prescaler 5.00
Box of vacuum tubes untested 20.00
Box of various small hand tools 10.00
Box of various wall wart supplies 10.00
C mount video lens 5.00
CBA 120v 500 watt proj bulb 15.00
Code key loose 3 5.00
Code key mounted 10.00
Comet CA-2X4SRB 2m 440 mobile ant 35.00
Icom IC 4AT 440 mhz HT 20.00
Icom IC 756 Pro II service manual 10.00
Icom IC AT500 Auto Ant Tunner 255.00
Kennedy Tech Goldwing harness 125.00
Melles Griot 322H-PC-01 laser 55.00
MFJ 986 3kw Manual ant tuner 130.00
Micronta Md 22-4032 sig injector 5.00
Micronta VOM 5.00
Mobile ants n mounts 2 of them 5.00
Motorolla RRA4914B cell ant 10.00
Olson swr/pwr mtr 2 5.00
Opto Electronics 1 ghz counter 15.00
PC desktop n monitor, keyboard repair 40.00
Power Sonic 6v batt chrger 5.00
Realistic HTX-202 2mtr HT 30.00
Sencore capres sub box hod h-36 1.00
Speaker enclosures 4 of them 15.00
Ten Tec Argonaut II $325
Timex Sinclair 1000 computer 15.00
unkown base loaded whip ant 1.00
Videcon tubes 3 of them 5.00
Waveteck 310B LCD DMM 10.00
Worthington WDP bar code reader 25.00
Yaesu FT-470 2 mtr HT 0.00
Yaesu G-450XL rotor n control 0.00
Daiwa CN-101L swrpwr mtr DEFECTIVE 5.00
Daiwa CN-103L swrpwr mtr 45.00
Devry Institute VTVM 5.00
Drake R4C txcvr with MS4, AC4, DC4 $400
ECG CX-920A Capacitance mtr 10.00
Eico cap sub box mod 1120 5.00
Eico Mod 1064S 12 10 varialble supply 25.00
Fluke mod 8030A DMM 15.00
Headphones old two of them 5.00
Heathkit capacitor chkr IT-11 75.00
Heathkit dummy load 1 10.00
Heathkit FET trans chkr IT-121 20.00
Heathkit HW-2036 2mtr mobile n supply 30.00
Heathkit IM 5228 VTVM 15.00
Heathkit ocilloscope calibrator IG-4505 40.00
Contact Frank, WB8YHD if you are interested
in any of the listed items: [email protected]
[email protected]
Kent Single Paddle Morse key $85
Kenwood TH-215 with all acc $25
Kenwood TM-241 2m mobile $70
Kenwood TR-9000 all mode 2m w/BO9 base & PL
tone unit $185
Kenwood TS-60 all mode 6m $400
Icom 2AT 02AT hand mic 1 5.00
Icom 2AT 02AT hand mic 2 5.00
Icom 2AT 02AT micheadset 10.00
Icom 2AT 02AT micheadset 2 10.00
Icom 2AT&02AT batteries various 15.00
Icom BC 30 batt charger 5.00
Icom IC 02AT HT 1 30.00
Icom IC 02AT HT 2 30.00
Icom IC 2AT 2 mtr HT 1 25.00
Icom
IC 2AT 2mtr HT 2 25.00
continued)
Icom IC 2KL Linear & supply 550.00
Icom IC 4AT 440 mhz HT 20.00
Icom IC 756 Pro II service manual 10.00
Icom IC AT500 Auto Ant Tunner 255.00
Kennedy Tech Goldwing harness 125.00
Page 9
Operating News and Information (continued)
There are also some interesting DX stations coming on the air in June as the following
listing shows. Further information on these operations and others can be found at the
website: http://www.ng3k.com/index.html.
June
2014 2014
Jun02 Jun07
Market
Reef
OJ0W
2014 2014
Jun05 Jun15
Albania
ZA
2014 2014
Jun05 Jun18
St Lucia
J6
2014 2014
Jun06 Jun15
Belize
2014 2014
Jun07 Jun09
Belize
2014 2014
Jun07 Jun21
Bahamas
V31
V31
C6ATT
OH3WS
OH3WS By OH3WS; HF; mainly CW, some
20140504 SSB; QSL OK via Buro or direct
By ON4ANN as ZA/ON4ANN,
ON4ACP ON4CAU ON4CCV
ON4ANN
ON4ANN
ON4CJY ON4CKM ON4DCU
20140508
ON5PDV ON6MI ON8CW likewise;
80-6m; SSB PSK RTTY
G4DFI
G0VJG By G0VJG as J6/G0VJG fm NA-108;
20140211 40-6m; SSB; verticals
AF6WU
By AF6WU as V31WU and AF6KJ as
ATDX
20140522 V31DV; HF; SSB PSK31
W7ZCK
Direct
OPDX
V31AB fm Round Cay (NA-180); 4020140512
K2TTT
By K2TTT fm New Providence I (NAK2TTT
20140503 001); 40-6m; holiday style operation
By W7ZCK as V31DT and N7CAB as
6m; SSB RTTY PSK JT65
By K9EL as FS/K9EL fm NA-105
2014 2014
Jun08 Jun27
St Martin
FS
LotW
DXW.Net (DIFO FS-001, WLOTA 0383, WW
20131202 Loc FK88); 160-10m; QSL also OK via
K9EL and Club Log
2014
Jun19
2014
Jul02
2014 2014
Jun20 Jun25
2014 2014
Jun25 Aug06
Grenada
Azerbaijan
St Kitts &
Nevis
J38DR
4K9Z
V47JA
W9DR
Direct
By W9DR fm NA-024 (FK92ef); 6m,
W9DR
50.115 MHz; breakable beacon; 5 ele
20140302
yagi
LotW
N6GQ
By N6GQ
20140501
LotW
By W5JON fm Calypso Bay, St Kitts;
160-6m, incl 60m; verticals + 6m yagi;
W5JON QRV for IARU HF, CQWW VHF, IOTA
20140429 contests; QSL also OK via W5JON
direct; W5HAM will use V47HAM on
occasion
There are also some interesting DX stations coming on the air in June as the following listing shows. Further
information on these operations and others can be found at the website: http://www.ng3k.com/index.html.
Page 10
Alpha Amplifiers and TEN-TEC
Merge Under RF Concepts
Banner
LONGMONT, Colo.- May 9, 2014 Announcing today the merger of Longmont,
Colorado -based RF Concepts LLC / Alpha
Amplifiers and Sevierville, Tenn.-based TENTEC Inc., RF Concepts Chairman Michael
Seedman, AA6DY, declared the union the
perfect combination of amateur radio brands.
The merger creates a multi-million-dollar
company with products that span QRP
transceivers to full-legal-limit amplifiers and
establishes an organization with the size and
scale to continue to innovate into the next
decade and beyond.
RF Concepts/Alpha Amplifiers has been
building amplifiers continuously since the early
1970s and has put more than 13,000 amplifiers
in the hands of demanding amateur radio
operators. Alpha Amplifiers are considered "the
finest line of linear amplifiers in the world" by
the ham community.
TEN-TEC, founded in 1968, produces top-ofthe-line receivers, transceivers, amplifiers and
tuners and is known worldwide for the
reliability and performance of its products.
"For more than 40 years, Alpha Amplifiers and
TEN-TEC have shared a reputation in the
amateur radio market for offering exceptionally
well-engineered, American-made products
backed by extraordinary customer service," said
Seedman.
RF Concepts' operations will now be shared
between its Longmont Colorado facility and its
Sevierville Tennessee facility. The company is
currently seeking a new operations facility in
the Sevierville area to more efficiently house
factory operations, part of the engineering
resources, and technical and customer support
services. The Colorado facility will house
engineering resources, technical and
customer support services, and much of the
front-office operations.
Jim Wharton, NO4A, will continue to serve as
President of TEN-TEC, while Ken Long,
N0QO, will continue to serve as President of
Alpha Amplifiers.
The merger announcement came just days
before one of the signature amateur radio events
in North America-the Dayton (Ohio)
Hamvention.
ARES Monthly
It has been another busy month for Amateur
Radio Emergency Services. At the request of
Mahoning county EMA, Over 35 ARES
members participated in a day long Damage
Assessment Planning course on May 10th. The
course was limited mostly to those with NIMS
certification and a few public service
representatives from across the state. A few
attendees drove several hours to attend this
special program, and one from near Cincinnati.
There are several upcoming public service
events in June. ARES members should try and
assist with such events, not only to learn and
train, but to get acquainted with other operators
locally. When there is an emergency we will all
be working together so it’s a good idea to get to
know each other better. We are still updating
the call tree and plan a test of same in the near
future. We're also building text tree for
notifications of ARES members and we will
also be testing that mode.
Monthly ARES nets are the first and third
Mondays, at 8:30 PM, on the 146.745 repeater.
Trumbull ARES has nets every Sunday evening
at 8:30pm on 146.970. Mahoning County
SKYWARN nets are on 146.745, the first
Wednesday of each month at 8:30 pm.
Page 11
Ham Humor: Ham Realizes
He Really Drives A Mobile
Radio To Work
By K5PO, on the scene
LARPO SPRINGS, Tenn. – A local man has
become quite infamous on the streets of Larpo for
his elaborately adorned vehicle. Blartonville,
Tenn., resident Jimmy Smart, 54, makes his daily
hour-long commute to Larpo Springs.
Smart, a licensed amateur radio operator since
2004, says his favorite part of the hobby is mobile
operation. “When I was first licensed, I thought
that getting on two meters would be fun on the
cruise to and from work. It was fun getting on the
repeaters and making friends. And then someone
installed a new 70 centimeter repeater in town.
Smart says this new repeater spawned a set of
actions that ultimately changed the look of his car
significantly. “I’ve always liked to use single band
antennas and radios, so when I added something
for 70 centimeters, that meant two radios and two
antennas on my 1997 Toyota Camry. It kinda got
carried away from there,” says Smart.
By 2006, Smart had installed a retractable seven
element beam for six meters, a dish for 23
centimeters, a single section of Rohn 25 welded to
his trunk to support a small tribander covering 10,
15, and 20, a two meter four square array, a
retractable full size 80 meter vertical, and a 40
meter loop wound around the car’s frame.
“I think I lost a couple when installed new ones
over the old ones,” he added.
When asked if there is a downside to driving a
vehicle with such a crazy amount of antennas
and gear, Smart said, “I get pulled over every
now and again just so cops can look around
inside, and I sure can’t pick up a date in the car!
But the worst was when I got a flat tire on
Interstate 50 a few weeks back. I’d removed the
spare to install an Ameritron 500 watt mobile
amp so I was stuck out there for a while, but I
was able to check into the ECARS net to keep
me company!”
### hamhijinks.com
Hamshack of the Month
Dave, N8NB
“In 2010 I had to remove the seats for my new 12radio, fully digital, all-band scanning setup. That
meant I really didn’t have a spot for my wife
anymore. Didn’t matter much, though. She’d
already told me she’d never ride with me again.
When she left me in 2011, I moved further out of
town so I could have a longer commute. Gives me
more time to operate, you know?” said Smart.
He says he now has 114 antennas and “at least 74
radios.”
Page 12
External Speaker (continued)
Remember,
I’m lazy.Pictures
There was a convenient
More
Dayton
screw on that side of the console holding the
console to the floor of the car. Simple, take the
screw out, put the radio mobile mount over the
hole and put the screw back in and you have a
secure radio mount that leaves no holes when I
take the radio out later. The speaker is facing
away from me in this configuration. Now that
doesn’t seem like a big deal but you’d be
surprised at how much of problem it creates.
First of all, the radio has a good amount of audio
output, but I’ve had to crank the audio gain up to
full rotation to hear sometimes. A “normal”
audio gain setting when the car is on the road is
between three quarters to wide open. The little
radio generates lots of heat not to mention the
audio gets distorted at the higher settings. There
is also a passenger problem with this. My wife
and kids are always yelling “TURN IT
DOWN !!”.
rather than reflecting all over the car’s interior
before they get to my ears. Family relations are
better to as they barely hear my radio at all now.
A simple, low cost solution, the external speaker
has really solved a lot of my mobile
communications issues. If the speaker of your
radio is anywhere other than right in front of you
I’d highly recommend you consider an external
speaker that you can mount in a location that’s
close to you and directed at you. I’m sure you
can find one that fits your specific needs. If you
can’t, building one can’t be that difficult and it’s
worth the effort.
Try an external speaker in your mobile and I
think you’ll be impressed.
So as the title says, I looked into an external
speaker. At the Dayton Hamvention an external
speaker was on the shopping list and MFJ had
one for about $13. The installation was simple,
plug and play.
Speaker placement is the important issue here.
So I tried to find a spot that had the speaker
facing directly at me and as far from other car
passengers as possible. That ended up being on
the dashboard just to the right of the instrument
cluster and to the left of the air conditioning
vents. The speaker ended up being less than 2
feet from my head.
The difference is amazing! First of all, the audio
gain is down to one quarter of its range from its
previous three quarters to full rotation and I can
hear everything just perfectly, and the radio
seems to run cooler too. The “audio imaging” is
also something I hadn’t thought about. The
person I’m talking to on the radio is “right in
front of me” now and that seems so natural
rather than reflecting all over the car’s interior
before they get to my ears. Family relations are
better to as they barely hear my radio at all now.
D-Day Special Event Stations
Several special event stations will be on the air
to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day
— the Allied invasion of the Normandy Coast of
France in World War II.
In France, TM70JUN will be on the air from
June 6 — the actual anniversary date — until
June 20. Modes will be SSB, CW, PSK, RTTY,
and JT65 on HF and 6 meters. Special event
station TM70BMC will operate from Mont
Canisy June 5-8.
W9D will be active on SSB, CW, and AM on
HF through 6 meters June 6-8 from the First
Division War Museum in Winfield, Illinois.
-ARRL
VC3JUNO from Canada will be on the air from
June 6 until July 31 to commemorate the 70th
Page
13
anniversary of D-Day; “Juno” was the code
A simple, low cost solution, the external speaker
name for the beach where Canadian forces
has really solved a lot of my mobile
landed.
communications issues (some of which I didn’t
W4B at Lima Ohio
As you can see on the map, W4B, Special
Event Station operating portable from Lima,
Ohio made contacts in many of the states in the
Eastern half of the country on 5/24/14.
We were set up at the Allen County
Fairgrounds in Lima, OH. Nancy & I pull an
old Airstream trailer around and are members
of an Airstream Owners group in Ohio,
Michigan, and West Virginia. Each year we
meet in a different place and get together for a
week of touring the area, socializing, and
telling tales. We had about 100 Airstream rigs
on the grounds. This was the group’s 38th
annual meeting and we set up the station to
celebrate the rally.
The station was set up in a grassy area of the
fairgrounds similar to doing field day. We
used an inverted V mounted on about 28’ of
the military surplus fiberglass poles.
Everything seemed to be working well and we
had good signal reports from most of the right
half of the country. Nancy and I traded off
operating chores throughout the day. One of
our concerns going into it was if we would be
able to keep going all day. We're glad to tell
you it wasn’t bad at all. We spoke with 180
stations and had a blast doing it. Highly
recommend it to anyone thinking they would
like to try a special event.
Old Technology? Not!
Fox News did a great two minute piece on
"Ham Radio: Old technology gets new respect"
at:
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/05/19/hamradio-old-technology-gets-new-respect/
100 Years
This month marks the centennial of the
American Radio Relay League, the largest ham
radio association in the United States. That
means it will be a special year for the hundreds
who converge annually on W1AW, a small
station known as "the mecca of ham radio" in
Newington, Conn., to broadcast radio signals
across the globe.
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/26/316110359/celeb
rating-100-years-of-ham-radio?ft=1&f
Hamming it Up
The song Work Me, Spot for Me was performed
especially for the FT5ZM, Amsterdam Island,
DX'pedition team at the Contest Super Suite,
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dayton, Ohio, during
Hamvention 2014 by the Spurious Emissions
Band. Other songs performed in the show
included:
Work Me, Spot for Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt3AObCMYrU
Climber John
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLG5mVpGGF8
Stand By Your Ham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg_S5RujMn8
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More Dayton Pictures
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