RADIO ACTIVE Newsletter of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club June 2005 Serving Las Vegas since April 1961 --------------------------------------- Leadership Message By Gary Hartman, KK7LV Newsletter Editor June is Field Day and Charlie gave the responsibility of this column for this month to the Field Day Coordinator. If I only would have known. There is so much to do and so little time. This is no small effort and is going to take a lot of hands to make it work. From my past experience, it seems that the park fills up fairly fast and the help materializes rather rapidly. We are back in our familiar area this year, area F. However, the city has decided to put a rather large play ground right next to our area. They didn't even check with us; can you image? It is a concern to think that we may have small children running through the area. So it will take extra effort to keep the high voltage lines off the slide. Actually, I have hired a Safety Officer, and he carries a badge. Besides, the Field Day rules say we need a Safety Officer and we get more points for it. In trying to promote the Field Day event, I have talked with our School Teachers and requested that they advertise this event with their students, parents and faculty. One reason for this is a new category for points. This year for any youth we get on the air to make a contact will net us lots of points. Therefore we may have more visitors than in the past and they may be students. Lets hope so. This brings to mind our GOTA station. I still don't have anyone willing to take the assignment of managing that station and helping non-hams or new to HF hams get on the air. This is probably light duty because it would most likely occur during Saturday afternoon or early evening. Not too many visitors come out after dark or on Sunday morning. Some other changes this year that might be a wakeup call to us. In the past we have relied on Dennis Cornell, N7HRO, and his trailer with a tower. This year neither the trailer, nor Dennis will be available. His plans to move have already prompted him to relocate his equipment. So we need to look at our antenna situation this year and plan for the future. As usual, there will be a Pot Luck dinner on Saturday evening so bring the family, a side dish or desert, and come on out. There is always good food and plenty to be eaten at these events. You may have noticed that I haven't missed many suppers myself. It is pretty remarkable the number of people that have stepped up to take a task to help us out. There are just a few things that we need some support with and I have given that list to Bob and Charlie for the meeting. So if you can spare some time, we really would appreciate it and it makes things go so much easier. Plan to come out and try a few calls. Bring the family and get them on the air. It has been a lot of fun since my wife has got her license. We do the T-hunts together and have attended the building party. We have even had the opportunity to chat on the radio on different occasions. You never know what it will take to get your wife or kids interested. Hope to see you all out there. 73! --------------------------------------- Secretary's Report By Sandy Nelson, KD7WYD Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club - General Meeting May 10th, 2005 – 7:00 pm Welcome – Charlie, AA5QJ Intros: Visitors 1 – New Members 2 - Members 54 Reports: Secretary – Sandy KD7WYD – Members approved the April minutes from newsletter – once again a huge Thanks to Art for providing them! Treasurer – Art K7ZE – Members approved the April report from newsletter with adjustments: a $300.00 error will be corrected – it is a typo. Repeater Committee – Butch WA0VJR Chairman, Bill WB0KSW Tech Lead, Pat N7QE Trustee: Please refer to Tropicana Repeater discussion under Old Business. Newsletter Editor – Gary KK7LV: Keep the articles & pictures coming Librarian – Shelly KD7HZK – has retired as Librarian. Our new Librarian is Mike, KM1KE – he picked up most of the library at the meeting. Communications Trailer Manager – Vern K0EGA: The new Icom commercial radios and boom mikes have been installed in the trailer. PIO – Frank KL7IPV: There will be an article in the Review journal View section. Old Business: Sully KC6GLD re 5th grade class at Wengert Elem (Chas & Nellis) and Dave WD6ZZY re after-school program at Keller Middle School: The two schools have started talking to each other on 2m. Keller has their own club call sign: KD7KMS. No students have passed the license exam yet, but they are working on it and will be testing again soon. Silent Key Program - Bob Nelson KD7UHG: Bud Potter estate has been completed except for the members who owe for equipment picked up at the March meeting, please get your money to Art ASAP so we can make out a check to the estate. There are 2 additional estates waiting for our help, if you are interested in assisting with this program, please let Bob know ASAP. Silver State Race Sun May 15– John Bigley, N7UR: They still need at least 5 more volunteers. Tour de Cure May 21 – Howard, K3HM: The start/finish line will be at Discovery Park in Henderson. Volunteers picked up their signs and vests at the meeting. Field Day – Gary KK7LV Chairman: This will be the last weekend in June, 25th & 26th. There are safety concerns with the children's play area and our equipment. Gary is looking for a volunteer to act as Safety Officer. NAB Apr 18-21 – Stan Perkins W7SLP: This went very well. 450 visitors signed up at the booth. CCSN Technology Expo – Bill, WB0KSW: – Saturday 16 April 05: A lot of people came through the trailer. CCSN has asked LVRAC to assist them in setting up their campus Ham Station. Family Ham Day Apr 30 – Rico, K9DOD: Had a good turnout! Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure May 7 – Tom KE4ULL: The trailer was parked right at the starting line. Went very well – we assisted with 2 medical incidents. 2005 NV QSO Party, May 7-8: No one was in attendance to report on this. Tropicana Repeater – Charlie: A work party removed our equipment from the Tropicana on Saturday, April 23rd. The Tropicana Management was not aware that we had been asked to start paying a monthly fee to keep our repeater on the rooftop. They have asked us to return and will extend our agreement to the end of the year. Since the equipment is in need of improvements, these will be made before we return the repeater to its place on the roof. The plan is to get it back up and running as soon as possible. New Business: Glenn Hale, KB7REO: National Weather Service – a meeting for all SKYWARN Net Controllers is scheduled for 7:00 PM on May 18th. Art, K7ZE: License Exams are scheduled this Saturday, May 14th. Announcements: Reminders: Charlie: *Let a Board Member know if you want to nominate someone for the Bill Cornelius Memorial Thunderbird Award. This award will not necessarily be presented every year. *The Club receives commissions for new ARRL memberships and renewals. Please pay through the club! *Recycling of inkjet and laser cartridges – we received another check for $25.66. Pick up envelopes from Charlie for smaller cartridges, bring your laser cartridges to the monthly meetings. ARES/RACES – Charlie AA5QJ: Showed shirt. Next meeting Saturday, May 28th. Rotunda Thunda Jul 11-14 – need evaluators, others: 30 people per shift needed. Would like to have enough so would not have to work double shifts. Byon, N6BG: Showed the new "Watt's Up" meter available from PowerWerx for $54.00. It connects between a power source and a load and you can measure all the important electrical parameters. Byon also talked about the monthly T-Hunts – one was held last week. If you are interested in joining them, contact Byon. Raffle Prizes – Byon, N6BG for Tom, KE4ULL: Announced tonight's prizes Refreshments Program – Vern, K0EGA: An informative and interesting presentation on his work and experiences at Collins Comm Center including the Amelia Earhart search. He will keep us up to date as this project continues. Raffle – Byon, N6BG for Tom, KE4ULL: Kenwood mug, Heil badge, audio cable set: Pat, N7QE T-Shirt, badge, audio cables: Ian, KD7IAN Café Press Messenger bag: Jason, KC0ERG Soldering station, badge, audio cables: Rico, K9DOD Grand Prize, Tiny Track 3: John, N7UR Adjourned: 9:05PM Secretaries Note: I received word that our vest order has been completed! If you were a recipient of one of the 'lesser' quality vests, with the Velcro closing and no pockets, please bring your vest to the meeting on June 14th and we will exchange it! Those still wanting to order a vest may now do so through Custom Clothiers. The link is on the club website. Thanks! --------------------------------------- Treasurer's Report By Art Sheldon, K7ZE 4/29/05 Beginning Balance $13,815.90 Total Deposits $ 12,399.75 $26,215.65 Expenses Sprint $ 29.56 Refreshments $ 77.11 Ten Ten Int. Net $ 40.00 AES(Raffle Prizes) $ 270.57 World Radio $ 65.00 TAM & Health Cd $ 65.00 Raffle Tickets $ 10.66 ARRL Renewal $ 37.00 Café Press,Weller $ 389.47 Tracker Party $ 2,162.09 Speedway $ 22.84 Trailer Radio/HP $ 872.96 Storage Shed $ 979.00 Adjustment* $ 4,294.91 Total Expense: $ 9,316.17 Ending Balance $16,899.48 *Adjustment includes Speedway Tips and Silent Key Estate 5/30/2005 Beginning Balance $16,899.48 Dues $ 55.00 Tracker Party $ 20.00 Raffle $ 155.00 Cartridge Rebate $ 25.66 Total Deposits $ 255.66 $17,155.14 Expenses Sprint $ 29.56 May Wiring Kit $ 20.00 1 to Byon Garrabrant Refreshments $ 72.35 May meeting Toner Cartridge $ 29.99 Art Sheldon Gift Certificates $ 75.00 3 Each P.O. Box Renewal $ 70.00 1 year Total Expense: $ 296.90 Ending Balance $16,858.24 Final Payment to Bud Potter Estate $2,704.40 --------------------------------------- School Report By Sully, KC6GLD 5th Grade Has A New Radio! Thanks to the generous continuing charity and support from Frank Drake, KL7IPV, the 5th grade students in Sully's class now have a 'new' radio that allows them to listen to the whole world. Many of you may recognize the radio sitting between Scott and Emily below as a vintage National NC-109 general communications receiver (circa 1958) with a matching National speaker. The radio is hooked up to a custom, helical constructed vertical antenna that Frank built and also donated to the class. Both the general communications receiver and the antenna are doing a great job of pulling in signals from international broadcast stations, HF ham bands, utility stations, ships at sea, and more. The kids compete with each other to earn time on the radio, and often ask to come in before school, during lunch, and after school to discover what new sounds they can hear while tuning across the dial. Along with the gear, Frank also contributed several different radio spectrum charts, and a brand new copy of the RSGB Radio Communications Handbook , the bible of the Radio Society of Great Britain, to the class. The radio is a huge hit in the classroom. If you have an old general coverage receiver (Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, Heathkit, National, etc.) that you no longer need, working or not, we'd love to have it in our classroom. In return, we can give you a (generous) letter for tax deductible purposes, on official school stationary, that records and recognizes your valuable charitable contribution, and of course also the excited appreciation of a class full of curious young communicators. Thanks! – Sully, KC6GLD Tour de Cure, American Diabetes Association By Gary Hartman, KK7LV The race came off without a hitch, almost. Seemed that there was some confusion on the course which direction to turn when the riders got to Lake Las Vegas. Apparently someone in the area went around and picked up all the signs that were left out the night before. The racers had a good time anyway. We discovered that the Lake has some minimal coverage by our repeaters. The 146.88 machine was very good, everything else was marginal. And I think there may be spots out there that are worse than others. Good thing to remember for the future. It is just hard to beat good help like this. The race was well staffed and some newcomers too. The race got a good start in the morning and that helps beat the heat. Tom and Dan drove the course assisting riders, keeping net control advised of the progress of the race and stopping to chat with Nancy and I at rest stop 3. There was a party hosted by the sponsors of the Race for the benefit of all the personnel that worked the race. These are in appreciation of time and talents donated for the safety of the race and its participants. It is always good to practice our skills and this is the way to have fun using our radios and practice at the same time. Each time has been a learning experience and each time I become better prepared and better equipped. --------------------------------------- Coming Events June 25 - 26 Field Day – Gary Hartman KK7LV July 12 – 14 Rotunda Thunda, Full-scale County Emergency Exercise Jul 23 Clark County ARES/RACES meeting CCGC 9:00 AM October 5 – 6 Operation Loaded Dice --------------------------------------- ARES / RACES By Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ The membership of the Clark County ARES / RACES met on Saturday May 28th, at the Clark County Government Center. There were several pleasant surprises. The first being two communications vehicles set up in the parking lot. Some real good ideas and plans have evolved from this display and it left some mouths watering. I guess only a picture can do justice. This trailer was actually built from a boat trailer This Van is a special made Van with more comm And it holds a 40 ft. tubular crank up tower. gear inside than you can imagine, generator on the back and a place to put up a vertical mast. We had a great discussion at the meeting and adjourned to return to the parking lot and take more pictures, draw plans, and tried to talk them out of the trailer and van. To a ham radio operator, this was Disneyland. I really want to see how many of these things we have at Field Day or EMCOMM West next year. The second surprise we had at the meeting was a visit by Carolyn Levering, Plans and Operations Coordinator for the Office of Emergency Management. She informed us that she was OUR Cheerleader and gave us credit and praise for providing our volunteer services. At least 5 of our members attended EMCOMMWEST in Reno, May 14-15. Bruce Wilson KY7B, Ken Johnson W7BES and Cliff Brink W9CRB briefed us on the sessions and activities during our meeting on May 28. LEPC Meeting May 18 attended by Vern Garman K0EGA, AEC Ops/Training. SKYWARN net control operator meeting was held May 18th at the NWS Field Office. SKYWARN Spotter Training is required for all SKYWARN spotters who have have not had initial or refresher training this or last year. See http://www.qsl.net/lvr-skywarn/news.htm for the schedule of training. Cal Groom KB6OEH has been appointed AEC Salvation Army. Joe Scanlan N7XSD is now AEC UNLV. --------------------------------------- Real Emergency By Gary Hartman, KK7LV It happened! Just ask Laurie Gumpert, KD7RIO. As reported to me by Fred Pearcy, N7SWI. Laurie was monitoring the radio one morning and a call came over for assistance. It turned out that a motorcyclist had broken down on the highway between Boulder City and Kingman. This was just a week ago so the temperatures were in the 100+ range. You all know what that means in the desert. Lauri provided the needed assistance by making a phone call so the motorist was soon on his way. Laurie made the comment to the effect that it wasn't anything. She's right, it was something, and it could have been tragic if a little more time had slipped by or the thermometer inched up a couple more degrees. The fact that she had the nerve to pick up the microphone and answer a call makes her my hero. The question is, will we be ready and are we ready? --------------------------------------- Extra, Extra, Read all about it! Congratulations to Frank Drake, KL7IPV on his article in the June 2005 World Radio. The article entitled "Build a Pedestrian Mobile Backpack" appears in the "Wires & Pliers" column. The well written article describes how Frank created the ideal backpack and antenna mount and how it worked when he strapped it on. Frank demonstrated his backpack at a recent LVRAC meeting. Again, Congrats Frank. --------------------------------------- For Sale Radio and Accessories: 1) Kenwood TH-D7A(G) w/built-in TNC 2) Two PB-39 Nicads (Battery Packs) 3) BC-19 Rapid Charger 4) PG-3J Cig. Cord/Filter - Asking: $363.00 Optional (E-Trex GPS - w/TH-D7A(G) Cable) - Asking: $70.00 Complete package (Radio/Accessories and GPS) - Asking: $425.00 All equipment is only one month old. Must get rid of! Please contact Kevin K7KRN: (H)702-558-5023 or (C) 702-219-4478 Please leave a message if no answer. --------------------------------------- Silver State Classic Road Races By Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ, Ham Coordinator 24 Hams from all over Nevada, California and Utah supported the Silver State Nevada Open Road Challenge on May 15th. The race ran from Lund in White Pine County to Hiko in Lincoln County. We had a new comm plan, and communications with the courseworkers was much improved and praised by organizers and drivers alike. NDOT had us jumping through some pretty significant hoops to prove our ability to communicate throughout the 90 mile course, but when all was said and done, there were no injuries or accidents, and only one medical: a courseworker thought to be in labor. The fastest car ran over 212 mph. Our own Linda Mathewson KE7DCY ran the race. Here she is in her car – see the LVRAC sign? If you'd like to see such an event and help with comms at the same time, we have 2 more events this year: The Silver State Gold Rush Challenge, Sep 18 on Nevada Highway 278 north of Ely and the Silver State Classic Challenge Sep 25 again from Lund to Hiko. Call me today to volunteer! Full details on the Silver State series are at http://www.silverstateclassic.com. --------------------------------------- Call for help! The OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc., an ARRL affiliated organization, is conducting its annual convention in Las Vegas, July12 - 16, 2005 at the Circus Circus Hotel. It should be covered in the June QST. One of the features of their convention is a slate of technical presentations, 45 minutes - 1 hr each, on Friday and Saturday mornings. Presentations historically run the gamut from antennas, feedlines, hints and kinks, remote operations, DX peditions, weather, tornado chasing, lightning, grounding, HF mobile operations--you name it!!! If you would like to present at the OMIK Convention, please contact Frank Taylor Smith, K1UB, President, at k1ub@arrl.net. They will also be conducting amateur testing on Saturday the 16th of July. --------------------------------------- 2005 Exam Schedule License examinations are given on the second Saturday of each month. There are a couple of evening sessions at a different location. Alternate locations are listed also. The black dates are daytime events. The orange dates are evening test sessions. The red dates are test sessions held in Pahrump. The green dates are test sessions in Overton. Day Time Test Sessions at: All Saints Episcopal Church 4201 W. Washington Ave. Between Decatur and Valley View Evening Test Sessions at: Clark County Government Center, Training Rm 3 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. Southeast of the spaghetti bowl (I-15 & 95) Pahrump location is held at the Masonic Lodge Overton Exam see the map at www.lvhamtest.com 479 Rabee Court, 2:00 PM Time is 12:00 Noon Contact Ulla Hess, K6UDK at 702-397-2071 Please visit www.lvhamtest.com for updates, maps and further information. ? $14.00 Exam Fee ? Proper Identification, prefer a picture ID with your signature. Normally applicants provide a drivers license or student ID. ? Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer ID number (TIN) if you are not eligible for an 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 a pencil. ? You may bring a calculator as long as the memory can be "flushed" before you take the exam. More dates will be added as we receive them. June 11 July 9 July 16 August 13 September10 October 8 October 28 November 12 December 10 --------------------------------------- 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_______________________________________________ApplicationDate ____/______/_______ 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 - Club Web Page w/email notification The club operates on a calendar year (January through December) 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 listed in the heading of this application or pay by PayPal at www.lvrac.or Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club P.O. Box 27342 Las Vegas, NV 89126 June 2005 issue Internet: http://www.lvrac.org/ Radio: 146.940 MHZ (K7UGE repeater) 448.500 MHz (K7UGE repeater) 146.730 MHz (QST machine) Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club June 2005