RADIO ACTIVE Newsletter of the Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club July 2005 Serving Las Vegas since April 1961 Leadership Message By Butch Bussen, WA0VJR – Director I have been asked to write the "President's Corner" for this month's Newsletter. I'd like to take this moment to introduce myself. I am Butch Bussen, WA0VJR. Many of you have seen me at meetings demonstrating Braille, talking computers, and other things. This is my third term serving on the LVRAC board. I'm also president of FARS and serve on two repeater technical committees. I grew up in a small town of a hundred people in Kansas. Hams were few and far between as were clubs. We participated in what I like to call "ham radio for fun" (HRFF). I personally owned and operated two repeaters, two netrom packet nodes and a 24 hour a day packet BBS for many years. We all did this because it was part of the hobby, it was fun, and that was the way we thought it was supposed to be. Club dues were kept to a minimum, $20 or so a year, and if extra donations of equipment, manpower, or money were needed, there were enough volunteers to get the job done. If you used the system frequently, you were expected to offer a hand or whatever support you were capable of, but everyone was welcome. The other side of this coin is what I like to call "big city ham radio." This "big city ham radio" (BCHR), is quite different from the hobby I learned to love and enjoy since I received my novice ticket back in 1961. I've seen this side of the hobby, (BCHR), in Colorado, California, and to some extent here in Las Vegas. In BCHR, clubs or groups exist to make a profit or maintain control. Membership is restricted and the dues are exorbitantly high. Access to their systems is also restricted to members--it is a private system, and if you're not a member, you're not welcome. It is up to us to determine which kind of ham radio will prevail here in Las Vegas, HRFF or BCHR. The time and money we donate, the groups we join, the newcomers we encourage, all determine the direction of ham radio as a hobby in this valley. Which will it be -- "Big City Ham Radio," which many of us have seen in other places, or will it be the hobby many of us started in years ago --"Ham Radio for Fun"? The choice is yours. 73 Butch Bussen ----------------------------------- Secretary's Report By Sandy Nelson, KD7WYD Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club General Meeting June 14, 2005 – 7:00 pm Welcome – Bob, KD7UHG Intros: Visitors 2 – New Members 1 - Members 39 Reports: Secretary – Sandy KD7WYD – Members approved the May minutes from newsletter. Treasurer – Art K7ZE – Members approved the May report from newsletter. Repeater Committee – Butch WA0VJR Chairman, Bill WB0KSW Tech Lead, Pat N7QE Trustee, Tom KE4ULL: Tom reported on the state of the repeaters. Tropicana: Antennas have been returned to the roof, a new cabinet has been put in place – the repeater is still being worked on as we are trying to replace it with a commercial unit. Hilton: This repeater was down for about 3 weeks. Ralph Decker was kind enough to work on it and get it back up and running and it has been re-installed. After an episode with a dead-key – we will be setting up the repeaters to 'time-out' as soon as possible. We have been offered a couple of new repeater sites, one at UNLV and one at the Water Department. UNLV will soon be the new home of the QST machine. Not sure what we will set up at the Water Department. Soapbox: Tom did bring up that there are very few people volunteering to assist with the repeater issues. Please step up and come out and help on these repeater 'parties'. Even if it's just to help schlep equipment it will really be appreciated. Newsletter Editor – Gary KK7LV: Absent Librarian – Mike, KM1KE: Absent. Communications Trailer Manager – Vern K0EGA: Absent. PIO – Frank KL7IPV: We did get our little blurb in the Review Journal this month. He is planning to get pictures from Field Day and the Rotunda Thunda exercise. Old Business: Sully KC6GLD re 5th grade class at Wengert Elem (Chas & Nellis): 28 students were involved this year – 15 of them are moving on to Keller and Dave's program. They made it through 200 of the 500 questions in the Technicians pool of questions. Sully is changing schools and hopes to have the equipment up and running at his new school in the fall. Dave WD6ZZY re after-school program at Keller Middle School: A correction to the Keller club call sign: WA7KMS. School is out at Keller also, they will start up again with the new school year. Silent Key Program - Bob Nelson KD7UHG: The Bud Potter estate has been completed. The check was delivered to Mrs Potter and she was thrilled. Bill Marple estate: The equipment was picked up and inventoried. Jason, KC0ERG, has volunteered to test, clean, and sell it on eBay. Silver State Race Sun May 15– John Bigley, N7UR: Absent, but Bob Mathewson, K7RJM and Linda Mathewson, KE7DCY, filled us in on the success of the event. Linda was a participant and finished 3rd in her class! Congrats Linda! Tour de Cure May 21 – Howard, K3HM: The event went very well, raised $40K for the cause. Field Day – Gary KK7LV Chairman: Absent. The program was presented by Fred, K9GAJ and Jim, W1RO on Field Day in Gary's absence. Tropicana Repeater – See above, under Repeater Committee. New Business: Howard, K3HM: 2 Net Controllers are needed, please contact Howard if you are interested. Bill, WB0KSW: CCSN will again be offering Ham Classes in the Fall Semester. Announcements: Congrats to Joseph John, N7LWG, for upgrading to Extra Class!! Awesome! Reminders: Bob: *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 –Pick up envelopes from Charlie for smaller cartridges, bring your laser cartridges to the monthly meetings. ARES/RACES – Howard, K3HM: Meeting was Saturday, May 28th. Rotunda Thunda Jul 11-14 – Still need lots of volunteers. For the hospitals 12 people will be needed to cover 2 hospitals. Many more for other areas. Please let Howard know if you can work at one of the hospitals and let Charlie know if you can help out elsewhere. Raffle Prizes – Tom, KE4ULL: Announced tonight's prizes Program – Jim, W1R0, talked about logging at Field Day and provided hand outs. Fred, K9GAJ, spoke on other areas of Field Day and asked that anyone interested in volunteering to assist with this important event in the Ham year get in touch with Gary, KK7LV, ASAP. There are still a lot of things needed to pull this together. Raffle – Tom, KE4ULL: LVRAC mug and Lanyard: Bob, AA7NR T-Shirt, Knife: Joseph John, K7LWG Travel Plus Repeater Guide (CD): David Wayne, K7NEJ Flat-bed Scanner: Jim, KC7UXB Weller Soldering Station: Mark, KE7BPP Tiny Track 3: Don, KD7YNS Adjourned: 9:00PM Secretaries Note: The vest order has come in! They will be available for pick up at the next meeting. 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 next meeting 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 Beginning Balance $16,858.24 Dues $ 35.00 Raffle $ 98.00 Vest $ 35.00 Total Deposits $ 168.00 SubTotal $17,026.24 Expenses Sprint $ 29.56 June Repeater $ 72.62 Tom Petrakis – Repeater board and support Refreshments $ 67.00 June meeting Vests $ 1,519.43 Sandy Nelson AES $ 279.49 Tom Petrakis (Astron RS-70A Power Supply) Total Expense: $1,968.10 Ending Balance $15,058.14 ----------------------------------- Field Day 2005 By Gary Hartman, KK7LV They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Let those shutters begin to flutter. Jim Basset, W1RO & Bill Croghan, WB0KSW Gary Hartman, KK7LV & Frank Kostelac, N7ZEV Setting up generator for 24 hour operation Gary trying to get Frank to tell him where he hid his transmitter. Some noteworthy items included about Field Day this year. The bands seemed to be wide open. Those that operated had very good luck and the sheets I saw turned in had more contacts than we have had in a very long time. I think the extra effort that FARS put into tuning the antennas also helped pay off this year. Bill Croghan, WB0KSW and Jim Basset, W1RO Jim Basset, W1RO; John Bigley, N7UR; and Frank I think these guys got their wires crossed setting up. Kostelac, N7ZEV – Frank about to launch Field Day. Now some things just have to remain secret. And gadgets are Frank's specialty. I have never known Frank to play tennis but those are real tennis balls in the launch tube that Frank is holding at the ready. With a line attached to the tennis ball and a secret potion of compressed air behind it, we are ready to see where it may come down. Jim and John watching Frank very closely. And there Robert Davidson, NV7NV, uses the antenna tuner to it went, did you see it? Surprised someone in Tonopah! set up before the competition begins. We were treated to another taste of T-hunting at Field Day and it was filled with unexpected surprises. I think Byon, N6BG and Frank, N7ZEV went to extreme measures this year to provide some very thrilling experiences for the new as well as the old hand at T-hunting. I have closely edited the pictures and editorial to protect the names of the innocent, if there were any. And to guard the secret devices of these two masters at their craft. In other words I am not going to give all their secrets away, they may want to reuse this again. We had a good turn out for the hunt and some new hunters were introduced to the event. I hope you all enjoy many more outings. Mel Parrish, K6UV, hunting for those hidden Nancy Hartman, KD7ZRU; Gary Hartman, KK7LV; transmitters. Mel Parrish, K6UV; and Lori Parrish, N6LKT Only once in a lifetime do you get to have an experience like this. By all indications we thought we were right on top of a hidden Transmitter. So I proudly posed with the transmitter….. ….until the fish jumped. The comfort of our operators was very nice this year thanks to the tarps that enclosed the gazebo and the giant cooler that the club rented. It made the conditions bearable in this desert heat. Richard Stage, AB7ZI; Bill Croghan, WB0KSW; Mel Parrish, K6UV Arnie Zelig, WA2SOE; Fred Homuth, K9GAJ; Mike Stratton, KM1KE; Richard Lytle KD7DFC Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ, unloading supplies. Charlie Kunz, AA5QJ and Terry Kunz, N5RWD ----------------------------------- Special Recognition A lot of folks have contributed to the success of our events. Little would get done if it were not for those who work tirelessly on our behalf. One of these unsung heroes working quietly in the background is Terry Kunz N5RWD. I want to take this opportunity to offer our heart felt thanks and appreciation to Terry for her service and time in preparing the BBQ and cooking the meat. Terry always seems to come through for us, whether here at Field Day, at the race track or running errands. Thank you Terry! ----------------------------------- Coming Events 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 Most of the activity this month was focused on preparation for Rotunda Thunda scheduled for Jul 11-14: Meeting with Andy Gagliardo N7SGV, Clark County Communications, Jim O'Brien, Clark County Emergency Manager, and Charlie Kunz AA5QJ, EC to discuss ARES/RACES involvement. Vern Garman K0EGA, AEC Ops/Training and Art Sheldon K7ZE, AEC North Las Vegas participated in the Final Planning Meeting for the exercise. Vern Garman K0EGA, AEC Ops/Training, and Art Sheldon K7ZE, AEC North Las Vegas participated in Simulator training. Meeting and review of Clark County Health District communications by Andy Gagliardo N7SGV, Clark County Communications, Vern Garman K0EGA, AEC Ops/Training and Charlie Kunz AA5QJ, EC. A communications failure affecting long distance, internet and cell service occurred on Jun 7. Southern Nye County ARES and CCNVARES established a communications link between Las Vegas and Pahrump. Several members monitored the 146.88 repeater and two messages were passed to the Nye Co Emergency Manager who was in the Las Vegas area. COAD Meeting Jun 16 attended by Joe Scanlan N7XSD, AEC UNLV. Several members participated in Field Day at Sunset Park. The LVRAC Communications Trailer was deployed to the Field Day site and was viewed by visitors. SKYWARN Spotter Training was held at numerous times and locations throughout the county. This coming week, Mon July 11 at 0600 through noon on Thurs July 14, Rotunda Thunda, a major disaster exercise involving city, county, state, federal, military and volunteer organizations, will take place in Clark County. ARES/RACES members are asked to participate to the maximum extent they are able. Contact Charlie Kunz AA5QJ at 334-1196 if you want to volunteer or have questions. ----------------------------------- Silverman Triathlon We have been asked to support the Silverman Triathlon at Lake Mead National Park. The event is scheduled for November 13, 2005 starting at 7:00 AM and ending at 5:30PM with a night run. The event features a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Mead, a 112 mile ride with over 9,200 feet of elevation gain and a 26.2 mile run. They will be using State route 147 and 167 as well as the lake. Cell phones do not work in that area or on the lake. They are asking for radio operators to be stationed at the 3 aid stations which will be 10 miles apart along the run route and on five Coast Guard Auxiliary boats and the Desert Princess which will be stationed in the water near the course. We are looking at an event of about 10 hours in duration. This sounds like a fun event, worthy of our support, but we need a champion - someone to organize our resources - the ham radio operators who can make this happen safely. Are you ready to do this? ----------------------------------- 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. July 9 July 16 August 13 September 10 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 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 July 2005