RADIO ACTIVE Newsletter of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club January 2003 Serving Las Vegas since April 1961 The President's Corner Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ A New Year already!! I'm excited to be starting this new year as your club President. There are big shoes to be filled following in the footsteps of those who have led this club the past several years. Your board has already started to look at ways to enhance the benefits your club offers you as members, and making plans for upcoming events including Field Day. We welcome your ideas and input. We have received several ideas already. One just implemented as this new year starts, is that any new ham - a person passing their first amateur radio license exam - will be offered complimentary membership in LVRAC for that calendar year. Another one of particular interest is to have a Silent Key Estate Counselor to assist the family in dealing with the SK's ham gear in an ethical manner. As I think of all the ways we can add to the benefits of membership, another perspective comes to mind. I paraphrase President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Inaugural Address: Ask not what your hobby or club can do for you, but what can you do for your hobby and club. There are many ways to give back: be an active participant in ARES/RACES or SKYWARN, be an Elmer to a new ham or potential ham, offer your expertise by being a speaker at one of our meetings or a participant in a Show'n'Tell session, or volunteer to help organize Field Day or one of our Public Service events. One very pressing need is for you, and maybe even your family members, to volunteer to work one or more days at our annual fundraiser at the Speedway on Feb 28, Mar 1 and 2. Pick up that phone right now and call Bill K8XC at 897-9626 or send an email to k8xc@aol.com. Join in the excitement and Happy New Year!! It's A Boy! Congratulations to Vice President Tom Petrakis, KE4ULL and wife Sheryl on becoming a first time grandparents. On Dec 18, daughter Melissa, gave birth to a 9 lb 11 oz 23 inch long boy. Now sing along with Tom "Slowly we are getting older ----". Marginal Thinking - 90% of being smart is knowing what you're dumb at. Membership Information Frank, KB7PVU Hey! Time's up! January is here and along with the New Year (not to mention starting to prep for Income Taxes in April), it's membership renewal time. A lot of club members renewed early last month but a host of members (yours truly) have waited until the last minute. Hum...maybe that's why we don't get our Christmas shopping done until Dec 24. However, renewal has been made as easy as it gets. A copy of the Membership Application is attached to this newsletter. All you have to do is fill it out (please print) and add your dues ($20.00) then hand it in to the Secretary or Treasurer and you're set to go. Hey! Don't forget to circle the "EMAIL" section to start receiving the monthly newsletter by email. It's free. It's easy. It saves the club money. The LVRAC Board of Directors approved a new benefit for new hams. Anyone who receives their first ham license in 2003 will be given a complimentary 2003 membership in the LVRAC. For further details on claiming this important benefit see the club Treasurer, Jamie Gorr, N3TOY. The club also has a club mailing list at Yahoo!Groups open to all members. To join, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lvrac/. FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK Frank Kelley, KB7PVU A Brief History Of The LVRAC The LVRAC was formed in April 1961 and is the oldest radio club in Las Vegas. It was initiated in Jerry Mann's (W7VYC later N7CAH now SK) kitchen, the first meeting was held as a picnic at Mt. Charleston and 150 people attended. In the early days of the LVRAC the club was contacted by Joe Wells, then the head of the Thunderbird Hotel, who wanted to establish a ham station in the hotel. He offered to purchase the equipment and provide a room in which to build a station. He bought a full Collins Radio S-line system (the finest equipment made at the time), Hy-Gain beam antennas and all the necessary accessories to equip a fully functional station. A glass windowed room, completely visible, to the hotel's patrons, was built to house the station. All LVRAC members had station access key cards and could operate the station at any time. Club meetings were held at the hotel. The Thunderbird is on our bulletin as a symbol of the club 's early affiliation with the Thunderbird Hotel more than a third of a century ago. RADIO ACTIVE FEATURE TO ALL MEMBERS Bill Cornelius, K8XC It speaks well for the club that over 45 hams, their family and friends have volunteered to man our concession stand at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year and now we must fine tune the opportunity. If everyone that volunteered for Friday, Feb 28 shows up and we can drum up just three or four more we have that day covered. Saturday looks pretty good if everyone hangs in there and the seven "Maybes" can make it. Otherwise we are about ten people short. Then comes Sunday. Surprisingly, we now have only enough volunteers for Sunday, Mar 2 to staff one stand comfortably and only five that have not yet made up their mind. WE NEED TEN OR MORE ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS FOR SUNDAY, March 2 in the worst way. You will recall that Sunday is the busiest but also the shortest work day. We get there early but the Winston Cup race runs about noon, is only three hours long and we are out of the track fairly early. This is not a radio event so hams, family, friends, and neighbors that you drag in off the street all are welcome. We only provide the labor to staff the concession stand. The track provides everything else. Parking is free, it is a lot of fun and an opportunity for those of us that cannot make regular meetings or otherwise support the club to take part in an important event. So please, if you can volunteer for this once a year club activity, or if you have already volunteered and can convince a family member or friend of ham radio to join us, please do so now. Call 897-9626 and I'll explain the details. Happy New Year to everyone. ARRL at NAB - 2003 Bill Cornelius K8XC The Director, Pacific Division, ARRL has asked me to coordinate the American Radio Relay League booth at the annual meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters, this year to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the booth active April 7 - 10, 2003. As usual, we anticipate that there will be a free ham radio operators informal reception on Wednesday, April 9 with details to be announced later. WE ARE ASKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO STAFF THE ARRL BOOTH WITH BOOTH ASSIGNMENTS BEING MADE ON A FIRST COME - FIRST SERVED BASIS. The booth normally operates from 9 AM to about 6 PM Monday through Wednesday and until about 4 PM on Thursday. There will be a brief setup on Sunday afternoon and tear down late on Thursday. We will accept volunteers for near any time period but would prefer at least four hour blocks with "all day" volunteers most welcome. Some knowledge of the ARRL is required and an ability to discuss ham radio topics with professional members of the NAB is a necessity. We sell only the image of the ARRL and amateur radio in general. The booth will be stocked with a wide variety of ARRL handouts and assisted by several senior officers of the ARRL. Volunteer dress is slacks and neat shirt or blouse. Suits are not required but may be worn. Credentials will be provided to all that do not receive an "alumni" package from NAB based on last years attendance. If you wish to volunteer send a return email with your name, call sign, contact phone or email (that is read often) and the times for which you would like to volunteer. If you have questions please call me at 897-9626. Best wishes to all. Nevada getting new Section Manager The ARRL Nevada Section will get a new Section Manager on January 1, 2003. Jan Welsh, NK7N, is stepping down at the end of the year because of health problems. She has served as SM since March 2000. Filling out the remaining six months of her term will be Dick Flanagan, W6OLD, of Minden. An Amateur Extra class operator and ARRL Life Member with 40 years of continuous membership, Flanagan was the recipient of the ARRL 2000 Excellence in Recruiting Award and was active in the successful effort to secure an Amateur Radio antenna (PRB-1) bill in Nevada. He has been serving as an assistant SM. He also holds field appointments as an ARRL Official Observer, Official Emergency Station and ARRL VEC volunteer examiner. He also serves as an ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program mentor, instructor and examiner. Nevada members may contact Flanagan via e-mail at w6old@arrl.net. Meet Dick Flanagan I have been a licensed Amateur radio operator for almost 40 years and hold an Extra Class license. I have been employed as a software engineer for 35 years and am also a Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor. During my varied and sometimes chaotic Amateur career I have co-founded and Chaired the Minnesota Repeater Council, Chaired the Southern California Repeater Association and Chaired the ARRL VHF Repeater Advisory Committee. I am also one of the founders of the Carson Valley Radio Club. When I am not online, I teach amateur radio classes and am the ARRL Assistant Nevada Section Manager. I am fortunate and proud to be married to Melissa Flanagan, KK7AA. We are both ARRL Life Members and live with a dozen computers and three crazy cats in the High Sierras of Western Nevada. Monthly Nevada Section News Summary November 2002 Janet Welsh, NK7N nk7n@arrl.org NEVADA SM, Jan Welsh-NK7N. ASM Dick-W6OLD, SEC-Dick Creley-KJ7UK, DEC-KB7REO, EC-AA5QJ, EC-N7TOD, EC-AC7EL, OES-N7JEH, DEC-NN7B, EC-K7NKH, OOC-NU7T, N7TOD,W7AOR, W7TC, W7VPK, NV7YL. We will be losing two of our long time appointee's. NW7O-Jim Frye who'll be heading for Montana in the new year and NU7T-Steve Lybarger. These two people will be sorely missed, and we thank them for their generous assistance over the years. We had our annual SET in November and it was quite an eye opener. Communications were tested and participants from many counties pitched in to try out their individual plans. We also have become involved with IRLP, with W7AOR coordinating activities with Reno, Honolulu, Las Vegas and Elko. There was also participation by some AF Mars/amateur members in this mode. There are many mountains with snow caps making access to our antenna systems impossible unless you can cadge a ride with a commercial group. The QSTs decision to not carry the column's and switch over by using the WEB is going to take a little time to get used to. I usually go there via the Carson Valley web site as it also has links to just about anything you ever wanted to know about what the amateurs are doing in Nevada. www.cvrc.com will take you there. Hope your holiday season is extra specially good, and you are able to participate in SKN! 73 to you all, Jan-nk7n The Youngest Ham ARRL Newsletter Nine-year-old makes Extra: Elizabeth Harper of Vinemont, Alabama, became one of the nation's youngest Amateur Extra-class licensees during the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club hamfest examination session November 9. Accompanying the nine-year-old on her upgrade journey were her parents, Anthony, NO2M, and Sondra Harper, KA4EIC. There was a lot of excitement as the volunteer examiners from the Montgomery CAVEC group graded her Element 4 answer sheet, then rechecked it twice more. A General licensee at the time of the session, Elizabeth also might hold the distinction of being the only youngster her age now working on her third ham radio call sign. When she sat for the Extra, she was KG4NAU. The FCC issued her a new sequential call sign, AG4WP, which she held for about three weeks until the FCC granted her vanity application. Elizabeth now is AK3H. Marginal Thinking - Chaos! Panic! Disaster! (My work here is done) Silent Key Frank & Linda Kostelac It is with a sad heart that I share with you the passing of Sam Belcher, WA7JUO. Sam was one of those guys who would constantly send you jokes in your email, but you couldn't get mad at him for doing it (nor could you stop him from doing it). Sam had worked moon bounce, the Mir and talked to astronauts long before I learned that it was even possible. He had a recording of sputnik that he was practically proud of and I was pleased to have heard it. He was one of those who when stricken with a problem it did not change his personality he was a positive influence on everyone he met before major medical problems and after.. He once told me on the way to surgery after the removal of one leg,.. "he was sure they could make no mistakes on which one to remove". He was up beat and positive all his life both before and after becoming wheel chair bound. Sam "elmered" me into Ham radio and will be missed by HXO, the 94 club and FARS. Sam passed away on Dec 15. Memorial Service was held on Dec 21. Sam was a long time friend that Linda and I will dearly miss. Frank & Linda Kostelac Proud to have been Sam's friends Amateur Radio Exams Tim Hunt, WA6TNW 4 January and 7 February which are given in room A107 n the CCSN - Henderson campus. The exams start promply at 12 noon (Pacific time). It is suggested that you arrive between 11:30AM and 11:45AM. This will give you adequate time to be seated and fill out the necessary paperwork. Be prepared to bring the following to the test session: * $10 - Exam fee. * Proper identification, preferably a picture ID with your signature. Normally applicants provide a driver's license or student ID. * Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer ID number (TIN) if you are not eligible for a SSN. * If you presently have an Amateur Radio license, we will need the original plus a photocopy. * If you have a CSCE, we must see the original plus a photocopy. * Pen and pencil. You may bring a calculator as long as the memory can be "flushed" before you take the exam. DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT ***Burma Shave*** RADIO ACTIVE FEATURE Coming Events NASCAR's Winston Cup Feb 28, Mar 1 and 2. at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the big club fund raising event and your help is needed. Pick up that phone right now and call Bill K8XC at 897-9626 or send an email to k8xc@aol.com Nevada Open Road Challenge 15 - 18 May 2003. Plan now for the May Lund to Hiko open road race. Field Day 28 - 29 June 2003. It's never to early to plan for this annual Amateur Radio event. Gambler's Classic October 2003. Southern Nevada's Multiple Sclerosis 150 mile bike tour. This year, riders will again travel from Henderson to Laughlin. Amateur Radio operators needed. Please contact Joe Scanlan, N7XSD at 896-0507 to volunteer. From Our Ham Family in AZ. January 11, 2003 - Thunderbird ARC Westfest - Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ. March 8, 2003 - Scottsdale ARC Springfest - Scottsdale Community College, Scottsdale, AZ. Ham Clubs of AZ http://www.arizonarepeaterassociation.org/ http://www.tapr.org/ http://www.nadxa.com/ http://clubs.asua.arizona.edu/~k7uaz/ http://www.w7asc.org/ The Utah VHF Society The Intermountain Intertie In the December Newsletter we printed the first part of "The Utah VHF Society". As you now know, the Intermountain Intertie is a more-or-less informal collection of repeaters located in northern Utah/Southwestern Wyoming, many of which (but not all) are supported in part by the VHF Society. This system is a hub-and-spoke system, with the Hidden Peak (the so-called "Snowbird") repeater 147.18 (+) repeater acting as on of the hubs. The second part contains information on how the system is maintained and a map of the links. "Who maintains all of this?" A system this extensive cannot practically be maintained by just one person. Suffice it to say, there are a few key people who do most of the work to keep this system operational. To list those people here would be unfair, as it is a group effort and someone would undoubtedly be overlooked. If you wish to help maintain this system, please join the Utah VHF Society (the address is given on the home page) or the appropriate local repeater group (for those outside of Utah.) If you have any questions about this system, feel free to ask John Lloyd, K7JL at lloyd@ussc.com. Even if he isn't in charge of the repeater(s) that you are wondering about (i.e. the Southern Utah, Idaho or Montana repeaters), he can probably put you in touch with those who are. Some additional information may be found at the Rainbow Canyons Amateur Radio Club page describing this system. This site also contains pictures of some of the sites. Questions, updates, or comments pertaining to this web page may be directed to: uvhfs@www.ussc.com A "mostly" up-to-date map of the Intermountain Intertie This map shows those repeaters that are normally linked together. Click on this image to view a full-sized (150k) image, or (with most browsers) right-click to download to disk. For a higher-quality (300k+) image, click here. (Except for the Frisco to Farnsworth link, map current as of 9/3/2002) See below for specific operational details. Monthly Nevada Section News Summary December 2002 Janet Welsh, NK7N nk7n@arrl.org Hello to Nevada hams and I wish you all the very best of things in your lives. I'm resigning as the Nevada Section Manager as of tomorrow, the first of January 2003. I sure hated to have to do it, it's probably the best thing I have participated in as an amateur radio operator. I have problems that prevent me from being a full time SM and Nevada deserves someone that can do the job full time. I want to thank you all for your support and just for being who you are. You can pat yourselves on the back for the hours and days of public service work you give to the public on a continuing basis without even thinking of the monetary value of your service. Nevada has a small population, miles and miles of area without a person nearer than 100 miles away, and our means of communication is much more important than in some of the more populated states. We have amateurs that give almost all of their leisure time to maintaining the repeater systems in the areas where we have that "people shortage" in order to be prepared to serve the public, and I sure don't want to forget their contribution to our hobby. Quite often, while these amateurs aren't active members of ARES, RACES or other more visible groups, these are the people that make our participation in the groups most useful, so don't forget to acknowledge them in your newsletters. They are a real asset. I've been able to meet many of the amateurs in Nevada, which is not so easy as in the more populated states. I found you to be fair, and even when we had different viewpoints, we've been able to support one another's projects and talk companionably, and most important, we're able to ask for help and get it when there's a need. There aren't many that can say that. You are a group to be proud of. Amateur radio has been kind to me. I have a hobby that I will be Continuing to participate in, and it's a continuing learning experience even for those of us that have been around for a while. There aren't many hobbies where you can be having fun and providing a valuable service like this one. You'll have a new Section Manager tomorrow, Dick Flanagan-W6OLD. Dick Has been the Assistant Section Manager for quite some time. He's been my Right hand man, and believe me, the last few months he's done a lot of the work that I couldn't follow through with. He will be excellent as SM. Please tell him hello at w6old@arrl.org after today and wish him well. Some of you have supported me almost from the day I signed on as SM and Paul Cavnar-NN7B, probably the first appointment I made, to SEC, was Incidentally an excellent choice. He resigned recently, but is still a VERY active DEC, OBS. OES and BM. Thanks Paul! Dick Creley-KJ7UK is now SEC and doing a great job, too. Down here in my neck of the woods I have Glen Hale-KB7REO, DEC, to thank for a lot of hard work. One person I do want to say hello to is Bobby Eason-AB7WZ. We love you, Bobby! There are a whole lot more I could thank, but just know that I've enjoyed serving you all, you're a great bunch! 73 for now, Jan Welsh, NV SM E-Mail: nk7n@arrl.org To Have and to Have Not Paul VE1DX paul@ve1dx.net DX in the morning, DX in the evening, DX at supper time. Log that new one right now But that reflector's mine! We were sitting on the veranda looking out over the bay, watching the bees' squabble over a particularly attractive flower, when one of the local QRPers came beating his way up the hill. This one was livid, for he had both fists clenched and he was glaring to the left and right. A real "pile-up busting" QRPer! "Have you heard what's happened?" he said, getting right to the point and staring right at us with his beady little eyes, "Have you heard?" And, to make his point, he thumped the arm of our chair with his fist. We had heard a lot of things over the years, so we asked for details, "Heard what?" "About the DX Reflector! The Reflector! It's going off the air. This is terrible. We all depend on it for our DX news. And now it's going away. There will be no more DX!" He was sweating and pacing back and forth. We thought back to the final days of the WCDXB and the final meeting when we had called the gang together. And although the bulletin had run its course, and everyone was disappointed that it had to end, we couldn't recall any arguments or fights. "Everything runs its course," we tried to explain, "and as you know, DX is a moveable feast. Some get on the DX train at one stop and get off at another. And while no one may see the same DX on their part of the train ride, most realize that the train keeps on going. Understand?" The QRPer stopped pacing and looked at us quizzically. "What?" he said, "What do trains have to do with DXing? And can't you see the problem here? This has far reaching implications!" We were starting to feel that maybe we hadn't heard the whole story. So we asked, "What's so terrible? There will always be DX. There always has and there always will be. Continued on page 8 Nov 2002 - Southern NV District EC Report Glenn Hale, KB7REO Southern NV ARES DEC Cellular 498-4743 - kb7reo@yahoo.com It was a busy month for everyone across the State of NV, with respect to our S.E.T. The concept and implementation for the simulated exercise was accomplished as designed. I was very pleased with how the traffic was handled across the State and within Clark and Nye County. Tactical and NTS type messages were handled on both HF and VHF nets. Despite some initial confusion, on what type of messages should be sent with respect to the actual weather conditions, observations of actual weather conditions and simulated messages were clearly identified. The Statewide S.E.T. net was conducted on the ARES alternate frequency of 7280 with a Resource Net on ARES frequency 3965. Next year I would like to incorporate more HF and VHF digital messaging. The Elko, NV area has just added an Echolink node. This node along with existing nodes in the Las Vegas area and Tonopah (K7LAF) might provide an additional resource to ARES communications across the State. Northern NV DEC, Paul NN7B; Washoe, Co. EC, Matt N7TOD and I are looking at Echolink as a means to provide Statewide communications by incorporating simplex radio or repeater links to Echolink networks. Clark County ARES Report Charlie, AA5QJ, Clark County EC Twenty-nine members of Clark County ARES participated in the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test held Nov 9th. Vern Garman, K0EGA, AEC Training and Dan Starr AA7I, AEC RACES, coordinated the Clark County ARES activities. The scenario was based on a simulated severe winter storm throughout the state. Stations were manned at the Clark County Emergency Communications Center, the National Weather Service and the American Red Cross Chapter Office. Other members checked into the local directed net on the 147.18 and 145.11 linked repeaters. Formal and informal traffic was passed by voice on VHF or packet within the local area and to/from other stations throughout the state by HF. Marty Hope KK4M provided liaison to the National Traffic System. Thanks to all participating members. Also thanks to LVRA for the use of their repeater system and remote base to facilitate communications with the Pahrump area. ARES Leadership meeting was held Thursday, Nov 14th - Highlights included: - Briefing on the MARS Conference by Ken Johnson W7BES and Dudley Emer KK7IF. This conference was held recently in Laughlin and discussed interoperability with other services including ARES/RACES. - Briefing by Dan Starr AA7I, AEC RACES on a wish list for an upgrade of Emergency Comm Center (ECC) at Clark County Government Center - Briefing by Howard Mark K4HM, AEC Hospital Support on progress with hospital stations. Southern Nye County ARES Report Dick Grady AC7EL, So. Nye County EC We have completed our study of the ARRL's Emergency Communications Course, Level I, and are waiting or the exam scheduled for Jan. 11, 2003. We concluded our raffle successfully, and will apply the proceeds to our communications trailer. Six local ARES members participated in the 2002 SET. Three of us operated in the temporary EOC (my dining room), where four communications channels were operating: A local VHF net, a liaison to the state-wide HF net, a liaison to the Clark County VHF net using a remote base on Low Potosi mountain, and a liaison to the EC in Tonopah in Northern Nye County using Echo-Link over the Internet. The other three local members radioed simulated storm reports. We scored 82 points. Remember These?? DROVE TOO LONG SPEED WAS HIGH DRIVER SNOOZING WEATHER WAS NOT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT TIRES WERE THIN IS NOT AMUSING X MARKS THE SPOT ***Burma Shave*** ***Burma Shave*** BROTHER SPEEDER AROUND THE CURVE LET'S REHEARSE LICKERY-SPLIT ALL TOGETHER IT'S A BEAUTIFUL CAR GOOD MORNING NURSE WASN'T IT? ***Burma Shave*** ***Burma Shave*** CAUTIOUS RIDER A GUY WHO DRIVES TO HER RECKLESS DEAR A CAR WIDE OPEN LET'S HAVE LESS BULL IS NOT THINKIN' AND MORE STEER HE'S JUST HOPIN' ***Burma Shave*** ***Burma Shave*** NO MATTER THE PRICE PASSING SCHOOL ZONE NO MATTER HOW NEW TAKE IT SLOW THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE LET OUR LITTLE IN THE CAR IS YOU SHAVERS GROW ***Burma Shave*** ***Burma Shave*** AT INTERSECTIONS CAR IN DITCH LOOK EACH WAY DRIVER IN TREE A HARP SOUNDS NICE THE MOON WAS FULL BUT ITS HARD TO PLAY AND SO WAS HE ***Burma Shave*** ***Burma Shave*** Swap, Sale or Trade All items offered must be related to ham radio, or if computers, ham radio software. For Sale: W-51 telescoping tower with engineering drawings for county approval and includes US Tower base - $850.00. Hy-Gain Ham IV rotor and controller and cables - $359.00. Cushcraft 2 meter 5L beam - $35.00. J-pole 2 meter vertical - $15.00. Ringo 6 meter vertical - $35.00. Hy-Gain Explorer 14 tri-band beam for 10/15/20 meters - $350.00. All listed items may be purchased as a package for $1,650.00. Contact Frank Drake, KL7IPV 838-3452 at home most anytime for more detailed info. To Have and to Have Not Continued from page 6 That's the meaning of DX IS! It's the one of the fundamental facts that prove the Eternal Enigmas of DXing and the Mysteries of the Ages. Hasn't the Old Timer explained this to you a dozen times?" The QRPer was not to be pacified. "Well, the DX Reflector has got to stay," he replied, "and that's the problem. I can understand the current custodian wanting to give it up, but it has to stay. And I'm here to tell you that I intend to see that it does." Son of a Gun! Enlightenment set in. But, when dealing with an agitated QRPer, one soon learns to put forth a poker face. "How so?" we asked. "I brought it up at the club and I offered my gear to run it. And then another guy said he wanted to do it, but he would need some help. Then I read that a number of other clubs are going to put up other reflectors. And there's even talk of some of the contributors to the current reflector want to take over the equipment and keep this one going. Now, surely you see that I can do a better job than any of them! I have the expertise, the equipment and the DX knowledge to do it. Why won't they leave me alone? I will build a better DX Reflector!" We took a deep breath and looked at the QRPer for a moment. What could we say? "Build a better reflector and the world will beat a path to your door" we said slowly. "Exactly!" the QRPer said, smiling for the first time, "and I'm glad you see it my way. I can't understand why everyone else doesn't. But I don't care! I'm going to do it." And with that, he was off down the hill, convinced that his way was the only way . . . and the right way. Somehow, we felt that there were other QRPers in other QTHs doing the same thing. As Lord Baden-Powell, the Hero of Mafeking, so well put it, "Be prepared!" And the QRPers were prepared. Of that we were sure. But, for what? A good question. FCC Seeks Comments on Amateur Radio-related Petitions ARRL Bulletin 74 The FCC is inviting comments on two Amateur Radio-related petitions for rule making. Both have been put on public notice and are available for public review and comment. In his petition, designated RM-10620, Dale Reich, K8AD, has asked the Commission to automatically upgrade Novice and Advanced license holders to the next license class if the licensee has 20 or more years of operating experience. Among other proposed changes in his ''merit and service upgrade'' schedule, Reich asks that Novice phone privileges in the 2-meter band be reinstated for those still holding that license. In his petition, Reich asserts that the proposed changes could augment public service abilities on the part of the affected licensees. In petition RM-10621, AMSAT-NA has asked the FCC to drop its presently required 27-month pre-space notification to the FCC's international branch for Amateur Satellite launches and substitute a pre-space notification within 30 days of a launch commitment. The comment deadline for both petitions is January 17, 2003. Interested parties may view the Reich and AMSAT petitions and file comments via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System on the web at, http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html . Commenters should include full name, US Postal Service mailing address and the applicable rulemaking number. LVRAC Contact Information President Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ aa5qj@arrl.net 334-1196 Vice President Tom Petrakis, KE4ULL tpetrakis@lvcm.com Secretary Paul Webster, KC7QJR pwebster@ci.las-vegas.nv.us Treasurer Jamie Gorr, N3TOY n3toy@qsl.net 233-2479 Director Byon Garrabrant, N6BG byon@mail.com 228-6950 Director Butch Bussen WA0VJR butchb@shellworld.net Director Larry Hinsdale, WB0SMR lshinsdale@aol.com Newsletter Editor Frank Kelley, KB7PVU dossfc@yahoo.com 438-5176 Past President Shawn Adair, KB7AWG kb7awg@hotmail.com 617-3540 Trustee Pat O'Gara, N7QE patogara@lvcm.com 804-6629 Public Affairs Jim Bassett, W1RO W1RO@aol.com 251-4911 Webmaster Joe Scanlan, N7XSD n7xsd@qsl.net 896-0507 Librarian Shelly Holt, KD7HZK shelly@pdai.com 642-6871 Net Controllers Howard Mark, K3HM hmark@earthlink.net 256-3662 Steve Scott, KD8S kd8s@skylink.net 431-3366 Ron Hinze, KB0WAR tvcomlguy@aol.com 396-8242 Frank Drake, KL7IPV sirdrakejr@aol.com 838-3452 Frank Kelley, KB7PVU dossfc@yahoo.com 438-5176 ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ LAS VEGAS RADIO AMATEUR CLUB P.O. Box 27342 Las Vegas, Nevada 89126 Membership Application Please Print Legibly * NEW MEMBER (Please attach copy of license) ? RENEWAL ? UPDATE INFORMATION Name ___________________________________________________ Application Date ____/______/_______ M D YR Call Sign __________________ License Class __________________ Expiration Date ____/______/_______ Address ____________________________________ City ______________________ State _____ Zip ______ Home Telephone (____)___________________ Work Telephone (____)___________________ Cellular/Pager (____)______________________ E-mail: ____________________________________ * Family Membership Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ Name _____________ Call _______________ License Class __________ * ARRL Member Signature ___________________________________ Your preference in receiving the monthly club newsletter - Via USPS Club Web Page The club operates on a calendar year (January to January) with dues presently at $20 per year. Dues are the same for an individual or family membership. Please send check or money order payable to the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club (or LVRAC) and mail to the club's post office box. Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club P.O. Box 27342 Las Vegas, NV 89126 January 2003 issue Internet: http://www.lvrac.org/ Radio: 146.730 MHz (QST machine) 146.940 MHZ (K7UGE repeater) 448.500 MHz (K7UGE repeater) K7UGE Page 9 http://www.lvrac.org K7UGE Page 1 http://www.lvrac.org