De N1NC June 2008 Volume 17 Number 6
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de N1NC June 2008 Volume 17 Number 6 years ago. Walt has been using alternative energy This Month’s Meeting for many years. Walt talked about photovoltaic cells and modules, micro water turbines and wind tur- bines. He had samples of all these devices. He also The program for the June meeting will be an interac- talked about current developments in commercial tive discussion What are you doing? What have you wind turbines. done? How many of the many aspects of Ham Ra- dio have you tried? Come, bring your experiences. May meeting attendance: Meeting site info and maps on the back page and Bob AB1CV, Dennis K1LGQ, Gary K1YTS, Larry the NVARC Website. KB1ESR, Ben KB1FJ, Skip K1NKR, Phil KB1JKL, Nancy KB1KEF, Stan KD1LE, Ralph KD1SM, John Wear your badge to the meeting so new members KK1X, Joseph N1QDX, Jeanine N1QIT, Peter can tell your name and you can introduce your self to N1ZRG, Jim N8VIM, Bob W1XP, Erik W1ZBT, Rod them. It may be worth your while. WA1TAC, Russ WR1Y Last Month’s Meeting Speaker and Guest Walt W1ZPB and Betty XYL Need a Ride? Do you need a ride to the club meetings? Do you know someone who does? If you do please contact Bob W1XP 978-448-6559 and leave a message. We’ll see that you get to the meeting. Longsjo Classic Bike Race July 4 & 6 The Longsjo Classic Organizers are asking for assis- tance from Amateur Radio operators for the 49th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic bicycle race. To accommodate the Independence Day activities in downtown Fitchburg, the order of the events this year is different from most previous years. The main event that needs our assistance is the Wachusett Mountain Road Race, which will be on Friday July 4. 12 to 14 operators are needed for the mountain course. The Downtown Criterium will be held on Last month’s meeting was on Alternative Energy by Sunday as usual. 4 to 6 operators can cover this Walt W1ZPB. Some of you may recognize Walt’s course adequately. name or call as he was our tour guide for the wind turbine tour the club organized to Vermont several Please contact Ralph KD1SM if you are available for either of these days. 1 Gary K1YTS, Nancy KB1KEF, Ralph KD1SM, Joel Parker Road Race W1JMM, Larry KB1ESR, Stan KD1LE, Tom K1JHC, Dave N1MNX, John KK1X. May 18th NVARC provided communications for the Parker Road Race on Devens. What started out MARA Card Sort looking like a rainy weekend turned out to be sunny and warm. Joel W1JMM acted as net control and NVARC decided several years ago to solicit for and liaison to the race coordinator. The rest of the as- help other clubs who volunteered to sort QSL cards for signments were along the race course. The races the W1 QSL Bureau. After we built the sorting boxes went off without difficulty and we tracked leading we also decided we would loan them to clubs sorting for runners for relay to the public address announcer as the bureau. MARA decided to run a QSL sort this year well the last runners to ensure the courses were so we supported them. We provided the sorting boxes clear of participants and helped organize the sort. We also added a few more NVARC volunteers to help and answer questions. MARA sorted about 12,000 QSL cards at their event. Thanks to NVARC members who participated; Dennis K1LGQ, Bob W1XP, Stan KD1LE, and Tony KX1G. The race support crew gets their assignments and race info. Above (L-R) Tom K1JHC, Larry KB1ESR, MARA meets at the Lunenburg Library meeting room. Dave N1MNX, John KK1X, Joel W1JMM, Stan Above in red Dennis K1LGQ. Far left Joseph N1QDX, KD1LE and on the other side of the room Stan KD1LE, Tony KX1G and John KK1X are mixed in the crowd. Gerry AA2T number 90 running in the Parker Race Above (L-R) Stan KD1LE, Tony KX1G, Dennis K1LGQ, and Gordon N1MGO working on the final Thanks to the following for supporting this event. consolidation and screening the letter piles. 2 PSLIST honorarium, $8.41 for miscellaneous postage, and $171.90 for restocking PowerPole connectors for members, leaving a net expense of $70.26 for the Every event needs communications volunteers month. Date Location Event Contact Tel/Email Current balances: July General fund $4,367.78 Community fund $2,386.83 4-6 Fitchburg Lonsjo Classic Ralph KD1SM As of 9 June we have 58 members who are current 12 Woburn MA New England Classic Tour with their dues and 10 renewals outstanding. Please Mike K1LJN 978.244.0417 [email protected] check the member roster that is circulated at the see http://www.newenglandclassic.org monthly meeting if you do not remember your re- newal date. Your membership date also appears on 18 Rindge NH New England Classic Tour Mike your newsletter mailing label. You can always ask K1LJN 978.244.0417 [email protected] Ralph if you are in doubt. Jul 26 Devens, MA Alzheimer's Assn Memory Ride If you are not yet an ARRL member please consider Ralph KD1SM 978.582.7351 [email protected] joining and showing your support for the programs developed by our national organization. If you let me Board Meeting send in your membership then the Club pays for the stamp and receives a portion of your ARRL dues. Working on future speakers. Bring your check to a Club meeting or to Saturday breakfast payable to NVARC in the amount of your New England Cabinet in Leominster June 21st. ARRL renewal and Ralph will do the rest. Longsjo Classic Friday and Sunday this year. Ralph KD1SM Den reported the Pepperell 4th July Committee re- ARRL Letter quested support to stage the parade as usual. HAMS HEAD INTO SPACE Wrap up of MARA card sort. On Saturday, May 31, the space shuttle Discovery Preliminary planning for cookout for August and launched into the heavens carrying a crew of one budget approved. Japanese and six American astronauts to the Inter- national Space Station (ISS); of the seven crew Preliminary Field Day Budget approved. members, two are Amateur Radio operators. NASA's Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ, is the ISS Flight Engineer Discussed Field Day Planning. SSB and CW station and Science Officer on Expedition 17 and will spend Captains set. We need to have operator support for six months living and working onboard the ISS, re- the event. turning home on Endeavour (STS-126), currently targeted for November 10. Japan Aerospace Explo- Present at the meeting KD1LE, KD1LE, KK1X, ration Agency's (JAXA) Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, is N1ZRG, W1XP, K1NKR. a mission specialist. Adopt A Highway Chamitoff will replace Garrett Reisman, KE5HAE, who arrived on the ISS in March; Reisman will return Next road cleanup is Sunday, June 22nd. to Earth when Discovery leaves the ISS. It is ex- pected that the ISS Crew -- Commander Sergei Volkov, RU3DIS; Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko, Treasurers Report RN3DX, and Chamitoff -- will conduct Amateur Ra- dio on the International Space Station (ARISS) con- Income for May was $140 in membership dues, tacts while on the ISS. $6.85 in bank interest, $4 from ARRL renewals, and $1 from road cleanup findings. Expenses were This mission, STS-124 -- the 123rd space shuttle $16.80 for newsletter postage, $25 for speaker flight and 26th shuttle flight to the ISS -- docked with 3 Courtesy KD1SM the ISS at 2:03 PM (EDT) on Monday, June 2. Dis- sum. Discovery is due back to Earth on Saturday, covery carries with it the second component of June 14 at 10:45 AM (EDT) at Kennedy Space Cen- JAXA's Kibo laboratory, the Japanese Pressurized ter's Shuttle Landing Facility. -- Information provided Module (JPM). The 37 foot, 32,000 pound JPM will by NASA be attached to the left side of the Harmony connect- ing node by shuttle and station crew members during ARMY MARS OFFERS FREE FATHER'S DAY a series of three spacewalks. The JPM will join the MESSAGES FOR SOLDIERS OVERSEAS first component of Kibo, the Japanese Logistics Module, which was launched on the last shuttle flight, If Jeff Hammer, N9NIC, gets his way, he'll be an aw- STS-123 on Endeavour, in March. fully busy soldier in the run-up to Father's Day on June 15. Captain Hammer, who represents the Army Kibo (which means hope in Japanese) is so heavy Military Affiliate Radio System (Army MARS) in Iraq, that only its primary set of avionics systems can be has appealed to the families of troops deployed launched inside it. The second set was launched in overseas to "shower down with Father's Day mes- the logistics module delivered on STS-123 so that it sages" for their loved ones. will be available, if needed, when Kibo is activated. "Kibo is just a beautiful piece of work," said lead According to Army MARS Public Affairs Director Bill shuttle flight director Matt Abbott. "I know the Japa- Sexton, AAA9PC/AAR1FP/N1IN, these free mes- nese space agency had an element installed on sages -- called MARSgrams -- date back to the Ko- STS-123, but this is really their pride and joy. This rean War when many thousands were delivered. The module is amazing." service continued during the Vietnam conflict and the first Gulf War, but had fallen off with the advent of e- "It's going to be a world-class laboratory," said astro- mail and cell phones. naut Mark Kelly, Discovery's commander. "It's its own little spacecraft, in the sense that it has an envi- As the military's Middle East operations continue, ronmental system, electrical system, its own com- Sexton said that the responses from that area indi- puter system, its own robotic arm.