MAIL STOP Jet Pro~ulsion Laboratorv WVIO calling M/S 233-208 Attn: Eileen HcKinney-Editor - 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, California 91109

PRESIDENT: JON ARAMS W6H t VICE PRESIDENT: DICK M4L.M KF6FK SECRETARY: CARL DeSILVERIA KG6LG TRKASURER: RICK McKINNEY KAGDAN DIRECTOR AT U R G E : KERRY BRICKSON H6DSE TWSTEE: JAY HOLLADAY WLBJS EMERGWCY COMMTNICATXONS: RALPH WEST N6W NEWSLETTER EDITOR: EILEEN McKINNEY KA6DGV

Club Meetings: Second Wednesday of the month at 12 Noon in 238-543. Everyone i s welcome - bring your lunch!

Board Meetings: Fourth Wednesday of the month at 12 Moon in 238-543. Everyone is welcome - bring your lunch!

Permission is granted to copy provided credit is given t o "W6VIO CALLING".

June 22-23 - Field Day June 26 - JFL ARC Board Meeting - All invited.

AUGUST

August 1 - Papeater Committee Meeting August 3 - License hams, Lockheed ARC, Burbank August 8 - VIO Calling Article Deadline-Aug. issue August 14 - JPL ARC Club Meeting August 28 - JPL ARC Board Meeting

July 6 ,, - License Exams, Lockheed ARC, Burbank Sept. 5 - Repeater Committee Meeting July10 -JPLARCClubMeering Sepe. 7 - License Exams, Lockhesd ARC, Burbank July 24 - JPL ARC Board Meeting S e p t . 9 - VIO Calling Article Deadline-Sept. issue July 27 - TRW Swapmeer Sept. 11. - JPL ARC Club Heering **July 8 - VIO Calling Article Deadline-July f ssue Sepr. 25 - JPL ARC Board Meeting

PAGE 2 W6VIO CALLING JUNE 1985

Ha extensive verbage thim time. Just pure unadul- t e r a t a d DX nsws for the avid.DXers. My thanka, as usual t o the LIDX Bulletin, which continues t o provide me witb source material for th ie column.

CHIIU-BYlQH frequents the W7WO net at 14,227 We fror 233N. Look for BYSM at t h e raw ti* &ad place on Tuesdays and Aidayo, BYlPK operates on 14,255 k 8 x frm 13002.

FRAME JOSRF UWt-UAIOT shws ragularly oa 14,180 t o 14,185 WE a t a r w a d 12002.

-A- Look for 524HX around 7,006 kEa frm 1200 t o 15002. He also plans t o be active on 160 meters before tha end of June. (That rbould be a r e a l challenge f xom W6- Land ! )

LIBERIA-ELUL at t racts attention on 'Hondaya, Wadneodaya, and Fridays on e i t h e r 21,275 or 14,275 kHz from 16002.

WI-III6FE operates f r m 14,185 t o 14,188 U x frrrr 0030Z.

HOWOLIA-look for JTOAPE near 14.010 m~~x f rola 01002.

IIK. 8OVtBgIG1 B A S l 5 Z C 4 A 3 operates in l i a t a ua 14,227 and 14,244 U r m o t day8 from 21002.

Now that I've repaired ay 40180 meter anteam again, I hope to be able t o give you some f i r r e band information on acpe things down on the :DC bonds.

Bob, WET

The JPL h t e e r Radio Club provided eommunicathnr aupport a t three area rchool bur pickup points for the April 28th March of Dimen Walk Aaterica. The JPL operatore were a t the r c h o o l ~ from 7 t o 8 AH and again fror 5 t o 6 PM. Operators who paxtici- pated were: Connie Morris, KA6JAn;:Dick Wetxel, VA6JBZ; and J i m longthorne, WAMPW.

The Walk from :Disney Studio k Burbank which the JPL Amateur Radio Club ham rupported i n t h e paot Was merged with the Padadena Walk this pear. The e o m i u ~ i e a t i o n ~ for the merged walk was prwidad on 2-meters by t h e Paoadena and Creocenta Valley amateur radio clubr,

George, WABW

F I J M T m #gllORIAL DAY PARADE

The JPL Amateur Radio Club provided cmnunicatioas mupport f o r the May 27th La Canada Flintridge Hearoris1 Day Parade fo r t h e f i f t h conmecutire year. The parade w a s composed of more than 100 elements and took more than one hour t o pass. Some of the elements were q u i t e l a rge - s e v e r a l automobilea o r more than 100 persona. Of emmuni- cations interemt Was a .TV Receive Only s a t e l l i t e d iah antenna on a t r a i l e r whicb operated i n a tracking mode while roving.

Our operatom vere responsible for l ining up a11 of t h e e lements of the parade and placing them i n t o the l i n e o f march a t t h e proper time. Thi r war not a n easy t a sk because t h e parade elements were scattered i n aeveral places: a stagecoach and several f i r e t rucke were parked on Footh i l l ; Lsmttrman Auditorium parking lot comtained nearly 100 automobiles; t h e c i r c l e dr ive a t F o o t h i l l Intexmediate School held the band. d r i l l teanr. and Scout ~Troope; the HIS football f i e l d was used t o form up equestrian and o t h e r animal un i t a ; o t h e r parade elements composed of f l o a t s and people atretched along half-a-mile o f mtreet on Corniahon between Foothil l end:Deaeansa

For t b e f i r n t time, our operators were placed along the parade route t o provide colnmunications i f any problems developed. Bruce, WD68L2, pro- vided bicycle mobile communications along the route:during the parade. However, t h e parade ran ao rmoothly this year Chat no aae ie tance war required.

,The JPL ARC operatora reported for duty a t 8:15 AM and neveral served u n t i l I2 Noon am they rode "Fire Truck ~ o b i l e " along the parade route i n the l a s t vehicle. Operatore who p a r t i c i p a t e d were: Bruce Beaudry, WDbBLZ; Walt : D i e m , WA6PEA; Jay Boltaday, W6BJJ; S i d Johnson, W16VWB; Bob Layae. W6LTC; Jim Lumsdan, WACMYJ; :D ick Halm, KB6PK; Connie Morris, KA6JAH; George Horris, W6ABW; and Rex Quinn. WDLRUII.

George, W6ABW

PAGE 3 96VIO CALLING JUFE 1985

ARRL HIGHLIGHTS

by John N6UK Section Manager

Editor's Note: This column marks the first of many (I hope) from John NCUK. He's going to try to take some time each month and provide you with an update on what's happening in the Section for ARRL. I thank him from the bottom of my heart and know that you'll enjoy reading this column each month. Eileen

SM COMMENT

It was just about a year auo that Olympic Fever was beqinning to build. By the time the games were history, amateurs had compiled another memorable record in the area of P u b l i c Service. The activities of the Summer of 1984 have been well recorded. The result was the beninning of a new era for amateurs who find satisfaction in serving their community. Responsible Public officials had first hand experience with amateur radio and they found it to their liking. The 1983 agreement between ARES and the City of L . A . provided the basis for an unusual owportunitv during the games.

Part of the untold story includes the fact that amateurs, with support from the DOD forward military support element, provided the communication resource that was used bv the LAPD Metro Division (SWAT) . An ingenious group of repeater buffs assembled a simplex autopatch repeater on an obscure frequency accessed by ten specially confipured handhelds. To City officials these radios became a r e a l status symbol and they were well used. This system was named "Operation Hipshot". The system saw heavy use during several emergencies including the power failure during the opening ceremonies.

(Continued from Column 1 )

that we continue to brinp credit to our Association. We must never foraet that our hobby is primarily that and it should continue to meet that ~ersonal need and challenqe. At the same time we recoqnize that Public Service is part of the nrice we pay for the nrivileqe.

It is'hoped that renderinq this service will also offer the chance for both challenqe and a measure of excitement. Plans are beino formulated to aet more hams involved. The JPL ARC and all the others in county and the reaion are a primary resource in this imoortant venture. There is a new and well deserved sense of pride urowina within our amateur cornmunit~r. Your ARES leaders are proud of evervone that has worked so willingly and so well. !le are committed to makina this areat performance an even areater tradition.

73 - John N 6 U K

........................................... CLASSIFIEDS

FOR SALE=========YAESU FRG 7700 COFA RCVR, Like New. All Access. ~ncludinb VEF Adaptor, Ant Tuner, Memorv Unit, All Eanuals.

Call (213) 660-7820 Eveninos

Quick response by a great group of Hams ........................................... resulted in an "instant" command post at LAX. Here, the presence of the radios Our thanks to Anchorage ARC Newsletter f o r this discouraged an international gana that a r t i c l e . specializes in the theft of VIP baggage at HOW ' S THAT events such as the Olympics.

So you want a day o f f ? L e t ' s take a look a t what In general, all of the activities by you are asking for. amateurs have given officials a new perspective of the Amateur Radio Service. There are 365 days per year a v a i l a b l e for work. This is evidenced by the fact that on There a r e 5 2 weeks per year i n which you already 11 January of this pear, the LOS Anaeles have two days of f per week. This l e a v e s 261 d a y s County Board of Supervisors in response to available f o r work. S ince you spend 16 hours a motion by Supervisor Mike hntonovich each day away from work, you have used up 170 days . choseamateursas theof f i c ia lcommunica- L e a v i n g o n l y 9 1 d a y s a v a i l a b l e . Y o u s p e n d 3 0 m i n . tions backup to the L.A. County Fire each day on coffee break; which accounts for 23 Department. L.A. County fire is the days $er yea r . . . Leaving only 68 d a y s a v a i l a b l e . resource manager for Region I which With a one hour lunch period each day, you have includes the counties of Los hngeles, used up another 46 days , l e a v i n g only 22 days

Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San a v a i l a b l e for work. You normally spend 2 days Luis Obispo. per year on sick leave. Th i s l eaves you only 20

d a y s ava i lable f o r work. We are o f f for 5

Clearly, the Amateur Radio Service has a h o l i d a y s a year, so your a v a i l a b l e working rime role characterized by growing responsibility. is don! to 15 days. We generously g ive you 1 4 We are working to ensure (Continued Col 2 ) days vaca t ion per year , which leaves o n l y 1 day

avai lable for work ... I ' l l be darned i f you're going to take that day off !! !

PAGE 4 w6vr 0 CALL I HG JUNE 1985

BOARD MEETING MINUTES NEWS OF NOTE FROM FELLOW CLUBS

1. Discussed Fie ld Day A c t i v i t i e s on Blue Ridge THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE APPEARED IN A RECENT near Wrighrruood. This i s scheduled for June 22-23. ANCHORAGE ARC NEWSLETTER,

2. We will have mult ip le t ransmi t te rs . a &ket s t a t i on , so l a r power station, UAF, WF, O'SCAR, and f u l l por tab le (emergency) power for Field Day.

3. F i e l d Day Meeting held on 30 Hay.

4. F ie ld Day Prep Party was held on June 8th.

5. F i e ld Day Bul le t in was s en t out t o a l l members.

KEEPING ANTENNA HOUNTS MGAETIC by Carl Zelich, AA4HI

Each morning and evening, the Kennedy Space Center "Salt Mine'' Met meets on our local repeater. While enjoying a round table, John McDonald, W84ZXS was enlightening the net on the joys of owning a sports- car. In midsentence, his signal abruptly ceased. Further attemps t o reach him failed. Was he i n an accident? Where?

6. Board moved and seconded t o support the Hot Dog A l andl ine call to his office later revealed that his Booth again this year a t the JfL Picnic. magnetic 2 meter mobile antenna had f a l l on of f his

truck. Dragging i t a t 55 mph, o n l y a few parts were 7. Discussed Computer upgrade for W6VIO. r e t r i evab l e , and even less were recognizable!

8. Jon Urn and Walt PIushagian met last week t o develop layout of F ie ld Day set-up.

9. k r r y Brickson brought up planning requirements f o r this years meetings, speakers, e t c .

10. Plans for a Blue Ridge "fly by" were made for Tue~day 28 May. They were t o video t ape the peak where we would be setting up f o r the F ie ld Day a c t i v i t i e s .

11. Kerry Brickson brought up the f a c t that some misuse of the 224.08 Repeater requi res an update and reissue of usage guidel ines t o the membership.

12. Jon Adams w i l l request vo lun tee r f o r running an upgrade class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Noon i n the Fa l l .

Submitted by Carl DBSilvaria KGLG

BeLLOP OVER

AND CHECK: I T OUT

REPEATER COPIMITIXE MEBTIWGS

Repeater Committee Meetings w i l l be held w the First Thursday of each month beginning i n Auguclt. A July meeting w i l l be held on the second Thursday due to the holiday weekend.

Everyone is inv i ted t o attend and contribute t h e i r thoughts and help for the repeater. Please a t tend and upp port the Club i n this capacity. Thank you,

Chuck Sarture - Repeater Chairman

THOUGHT FOR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMON SENSE AND HORSE SENSE IS THAT HORSES ARE SMART ENOUGH NOT TO BET ON PEOPLE RUNNING AROUND A TRACK.

I know thfs has happened t o other amateurs. Tales of other antennas being dragged t o t h e i r deaths came for th . The conclusion was: spend $50.00 and hope the magnet hold5 - this time! Analysis of the problem reveals t h a t moBt Amateur Radio operators regular ly remove the magnetic mouht and t o s s i t onto the f loor behind the dr iver ' s sear. This detrimentally a f f e c t s the magnet two ways. First, the antenna base eventually g e t s dropped onto the f loor . As time passes, the drop height gets higher and higher. Unintentionally of course. This is not proper handling of a magnet. Magnets t ha t are s t ruck w i t h a hammer w i l l lose t h e i r magnetism. This repeater dropping cont r ibutes t o disorienting the i n t e rna l magnetic bipolar elernent~. Thus, the magnetic f l u x strength declines.

Secondly, when a magnet - even a so called "permnent" magnet is l e f t laying around without a 'keeper", the mimetic f lux l i n e s reach out to grasp other f e r rous materials. A "keeper" is generally a soft iron piece which provides a bridge between the poles f o r the f l ux line^ t o follow. This convenient peth allova the magnetic l i n e s t o concentrate and confine themselves t o the keeper.

The so lu t ion t o both these problems is siplple. I n the e l e c t r i c a l section of your hardware s t o r e a r e metal ceiling e l e c t r i c a l boxes. They are avai lab le i n square, octagonal, and round shapes. These are often called "breakout" boxes because a main supply l ine is broken t o serve a branch line.

Purchase a round s t e e l e l e c t r i c a l box cover. The cover normally has a diameter of 3% inches and is f i n e f o r all antenna mwnts.

Place t h i s keeper onto your magnet before put t ing the antenna mount onto the f loor. This keeper leas en^ the damage done i f t h e antenna i s acc identa l ly dropped there. The keeper can also be kept on the floor or s ea t behind the dr iver when the antenna is on your vehicle. Also, this keeper should be i n place whenever you plan t o store your antenna for any length of time.

For about 41 cen t s for a keeper, you w i l l avoid pending another $50.00 for a new antenna. And best of a11 there ' s no work involved!

**** W thwk the -* Club for sharh this with us. The -1e was orirrinallv frm t k mqm/Tualatfn Vallev ~laX!eb 85***