CQ Chatter Volume B7•Issue #8 Wood County Amateur Radio Club SEPTEMBER 2006 P. O. Box 534,Bowling Green, OH 43402 http://wcarc.bgsu.edu President/Vice President W8PSK/K8BBK Loren Phillips /Steve McEwen Secretary WD8ICP Chuck Dicken Treasurer WD8JWJ Bill Wilkins

Minutes WCARC Weekly Net: of the Tuesdays at 2130 Wood County Amateur Radio 147.18 & 444.475 MHz Club Next Meeting- SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 August 14, 2006 At: Couzin’s Restaurant at the Grand Rapids, OH Wood County Sheriff’s Office Time: 9:00 am Members in attendance: Duane, K8NEA; Project: fox hunt antenna Bill, WD8JWJ; Mark, KF8KL; Fred, N8CWJ; Jim, K8JU; Hoot, WB8VUL; the WCARC 2 & 440 machines. The need Loren, W8PSK; Esther, N8QMV; Rolland to link the two repeater systems is (her driver); Bob, N1RB; John, K8RZP probably not necessary anymore as the ; Bob, WB8NQW; Don, K8OVO; Chuck, foot prints are very similar. It would be WD8ICP. more appropriate to link the WCARES Loren, W8PSK, presided over the machine to Findlay or Toledo. This item meeting alone, as co-pres. Steve,K8BBK, will be discussed at a later date by was away on vacation. The Treasurer’s WCARES. Jim reported the strobe light report given by Bill,WD8JW, indicated atop of the WCARES tower was not the club coffer now has $1,830.31, and Bill working. also reported the latest phone bill was Loren reported the pieces and parts paid to the University for service for the hardline installation at the receiver rendered. site have come together. Both he and Jim Loren reported that the WCARES are planning to install the feed line after repeater system now includes a new Labor Day. Kenwood 2 meter radio designed for Co-President Loren, W8PSK, repeater service on the frequency 145.150 announced the current positions of MHz with 103.5 Hz PL. WCARC officers will expire in December He also remarked the WCARES this year and he stated that both he and machines were linked together for Steve, K8BBK, will not be running for an simultaneous transmission, just as with office. Loren is asking for consideration page 2 September Contests WCARC The full contest lineup* for the month of Net Control Roster September includes the following: Net meets every Tuesday at 2130

Aug 29 N8QMV Sep 2-3 0000 to 2359 Z 160 m to 10 m Sep 5 WB8NQW All Asian DX ‘test SSB Sep 12 N1RB Sep 19 K8OVO Sep 9-10 0000 to 2359 Z 80 m to 10m WAE(urope) DX ‘test SSB Sep 26 WD8ICP Oct 3 N8QMV Sep 10-11 1800 to 0100 Z 160 m on up Oct 10 WB8NQW Tennessee QSO Party all modes

Sep 16-17 1600 to 0700 Z 160 m to 6 m discuss and build fox-hunting antennas. Washington Salmon Run I all modes Mark Paley, KF8KL, made application to join the Club and was accepted. Motion Sep 16-17 1300 to 2400 Z 160 m on up to adjourn was made and Bob, South Carolina QSO Party all modes WB8NQW, seconded. A presentation on standing waves was Sep 18 1600 to 2359 Z 160 m to 6 m the topic for tonight’s meeting. Bob, Washington Salmon Run II all modes N1RB, talked with us about SW ratios, feed lines, antennas, impedance and the Sep 23-24 1400 to 2000 Z 160 m on up relationships between all of them. A very Texas QSO Party all modes informative talk and very interesting at the same time. If you have to choose Sep 30-Oct 1 1600 to 0200 80 m on up between an amplifier or feed Arkansas QSO Party all modes line/antenna, choose the latter. Your monies will be better spent. * Please note: for the range of bands Submitted by Chuck, WD8ICP, WCARC given in each entry, no contesting is Secretary ■ permitted on the so-called WARC bands: 60 m, 30 m, 17 m or 12 m LONG-SILENT SUITSAT-1 of new participants and the idea of 2 KEEPS GOING AND GOING people serving as co-president is a good from ARRL Letter idea. The Club’s monthly scheduled When SuitSat-1 -- the novel satellite breakfast at Couzin’s in Grand Rapids, is built in a surplus Russian Orlan space suit still on for September 2, 2006, even though -- was launched during a space walk it is the Labor Day holiday weekend. Our from the International Space Station last next Monday night WCARC meeting is February 3, those familiar with orbital scheduled for October 9, at the Sheriff’s mechanics predicted it would stay in or- Office. At the meeting it is planned to bit for 120 days at best. As of August 25, page 3 Brain Teasers September Hamfests 1. What is the most useful type of map to use when orienting a directional HF an- Sep 10 Findlay RC 8 am tenna toward a distant station? Hancock County Fairgrounds, Findlay, a.) azimuthal OH. Contact Dean, N8RMF, (419) 423- b.) Mercator 3402. c.) polar projection e-mail: [email protected] d.) topographical URL: www.findlayradioclub.org

2. During a disaster in the US, when may Sep 17 Adrian ARC 8 am to 2 pm an amateur station make transmissions Lenawee County Fairgrounds, Adrian, necessary to meet essential communica- MI. Contact Margie, KB*TMM, (517) 467- tions needs and assist relief operations? 6303. a.) when normal communications systems e-mail: [email protected] are overloaded, damaged or dis- URL: www.w8tqe.com rupted. b.) only when the local RACES/ARES net Sep 24 Hamfest Assn. Cleve. 8 am is activated. Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, Berea, c.) never; only official emergency stations OH. Contact Hamfest Assn. of Cleveland, may transmit in a disaster. (800) CLE-FEST. d.) when normal communications systems e-mail: [email protected] are working but are not convenient. URL: www.hac.org 3. What is the voltage across a 500-turn secondary winding in a transformer if the 2250-turn primary is connected to 120 Vrms? WCARC Net Check-ins a.) 2370 volts b.) 540 volts c.) 26.7 volts 25-Jul N8QMV (NC), K8UMN, W8PSK d.) 5.9 volts KG8FH, WD8JWJ, KC8ZJW, K8OVO, KC8TRL/M (8) suitsat ---continued some 203 days (nearly seven months) 01-Aug WB8NQW (NC), WD8JWJ, later -- largely forgotten and its ham radio N8QMV, W8PSK, K8BBK (40m), K8NEA, voice long since silent -- SuitSat-1 has de- KG8FH, KC8ZJW, WB8VUL, N1RB, fied the odds and remains in orbit some K8OVO, KC8TRL (12) 155 miles above Earth. A project of the Amateur Radio on the 08-Aug N1RB (NC), KC8UMN/M, International Space Station (ARISS) pro- KD8CIJ, WD8JWJ, W8PSK, KG8FH, gram, SuitSat-1, identifying as RS0RS, WB8NQW, K8NEA, N8QMV, K8OVO, transmitted its voice greetings on 2 meters WB8VUL, KC8ZJW, WD8ICP, KD8TOM (14) page 4 suitsat ---continued SuitSat-1 went silent, ARISS and AMSAT plus an SSTV picture thousands of times. already were discussing the possibility of a Although its signal was far weaker than it SuitSat-2 with contacts in Russia, although was supposed to be for reasons never de- plans remain tentative at this stage. ARRL termined with any certainty, SuitSat-1 re- ARISS Liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, is mained operational for more than two among those named to the SuitSat-2 team, weeks. which will meet prior to the ARISS Inter- ARISS International Chairman Frank national Meeting/AMSAT Space Sympo- Bauer, KA3HDO, had credited ARISS- sium October 5-10. Among other things, Russia's Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, and his the team will look into the possibility of colleagues with coming up with the SuitSat equipping SuitSat-2 with solar panels in- concept, called Radioskaf or Radio Sputnik stead of just batteries, to extend its usable in Russian. life. No formal announcements about The SuitSat-1 mission proved to be an SuitSat-2 are expected until around mid- Amateur Radio public relations bonanza. October. Meanwhile, the time grows nigh In addition to prompting dozens of news when Suit-Sat-1 will pick up enough addi- items on Web sites and in journals around tional drag from Earth's atmosphere that the world, Reader's Digest judged SuitSat- friction-generated heat will cause it to 1 "Best Empty Suit" in its "America's 100 burn up and vaporize. Just when that will Best: The 2006 List" Popular Science ran an happen is still anyone's guess. ■ article about SuitSat-1 in its June issue called "Tossed in Space." Montenegro Now Number 336 on To keep the SuitSat-1 momentum going a bit longer ARISS and AMSAT in May the Current DXCC List announced a "Chicken Little Contest" http://www.amsat.org/amsat- A new ARRL DXCC entity has been new/ariss/suitsatContest.php, in which listed! The United Nations has admitted participants pick the date on which they the Republic of Montenegro as its 192nd believe SuitSat-1 will drop out of orbit and member, and that action automatically burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Entrants makes the tiny Balkan nation the 336th are only allowed one guess, and the win- current DXCC entity, effective June 28 at ner will be the individual who picks the 0001 UTC. date closest to SuitSat-1's actual demise. "According to the ARRL DXCC List cri- Those who have not already entered may teria, entities on the UN list of member- do so by filling out the online entry form states qualify as political entities," said on the AMSAT Web site. The odds could ARRL Membership Services Manager be in their favor. Wayne Mills, N7NG. "Therefore, effective Certificates will go to winners in each June 28, 2006 (UTC), ARRL has added of three age groups. Winners not only The Republic of Montenegro to the DXCC earn bragging rights, but the fame and List. Claims for DXCC credit will be ac- notoriety associated with successful satel- cepted immediately." Montenegran ama- lite re-entry prognostication. Even before teurs may use their YU/YT/YZ/4O-prefix call signs until a new prefix is assigned. ■ Brain Teasers answers: 1-a, 2-a, 3-c WOOD COUNTY ARC P.O.BOX 534 BOWLING GREEN, OH 43402