Election Meeting! Bill Drake KJ5ZV - President Jim Holman KC5JGT - Vice President Bruce Dingman N5BYL - Treasurer Dan Kautz W8EHS - Newsletter Editor
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PlanoPlano AmateurAmateur RadioRadio PlanoKlubKlub Amateur Radio Klub PPAPARKINGAARRRKKKIIINNNGG TTITICKETIICCCKKKEEETT Our 26th YEAR! April, 1999 Election Meeting! Bill Drake KJ5ZV - President Jim Holman KC5JGT - Vice President Bruce Dingman N5BYL - Treasurer Dan Kautz W8EHS - Newsletter Editor These are the nominees. There are futher open positions for: Activities director Public relations All positions may have write in options. Be sure to bring your en- closed ballot to the meeting on April 20th! The program this month is on emergency. ARES and storm chasing. FCC License Renewals and FCC License Expiration Notices Amateurs may renew their FCC- year license grace period after expiration, include a cover letter with instructions for issued licenses "on line" via the FCC web using FCC Form 610 by mail to: FCC, renewing electronically or by mail, an using FCC Form 900. FCC permits on- 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg PA 17325- FCC Form 610 with instructions, and an line renewals at 120 days or less before a 7245. envelope addressed to FCC. ARRL license will expire. If a license is already The FCC no longer issues notifica- Members may also choose to forward expired, but is within the FCC's two-year tions to amateurs just prior to their license their hardcopy, signed Forms 610 to HQ grace period for renewal, the FCC will expiration. The FCC had done so for a (to the ARRL/VEC, 225 Main St, not accept an on-line Form 900 time, but they ceased doing so in October Newington CT 06111) and we will application--but they will continue to 1996. process them electronically (this FREE accept Form 610 requests for renewal FCC-license renewals are FREE (no service is for ARRL Members only!). when submitted by mail to: FCC, 1270 renewal charge or fee is required by Expiration notices are also sent to all Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg PA 17325-7245. FCC). amateurs from the W5YI Group in Dallas Amateurs may continue to renew Presently, expiration notices are sent TX (handling fee is charged for their their licenses within 90 days before the from ARRL HQ to ARRL Members only! service). license expiration date, or within the two- These ARRL-Member-only notices Page 1 PARKING TICKET Walk that will be held on Sunday, April P.A.R.K. 18 and has been split up between 2 SPUTNIK 99 TO Meeting Minutes locations; Highland Park and West Plano LAUNCH IN APRIL at Parker and Midway. He is looking for volunteers for communications and other March 16, 1999 activities. Anyone wanting to volunteer, Sputnik 40 Years—the same folks please contact John Sanders. John also who brought you the Sputnik 40 and The regularly scheduled meeting of requested the services of the 147.180 for Sputnik 41 mini-Sputnik satellites—will the Plano Amateur Radio Klub was called the MS Walk. A motions was made to launch a third mini-satellite in April. to order by Martin Reynolds Park allow the repeater to be used, it was Sputnik 40 Years spokesman Guy President. The meeting was held at the seconded and carried unanimously. Pignolet says the third flight model now is Harrington Library. -Bill Fell KK5PB noted the Audie aboard a Progress rocket in Baikonur, The chair welcomed everyone to the Murphy Bike Classic will be held on Russia, awaiting transport to the Russian meeting and invited all present to join in April 10th in Farmersville. Anyone Mir space station April 2. The Pledge of Allegiance. interested in assisting please contact Bill Sputnik 99, which likely also will be Thirty seven members logged in and Fell. known as RS-19 and possibly as Sputnik five visitors signed the visitors sheet. -Bill Fell noted the Rockwall 42, will be launched by hand from Mir A round of introductions by name Amateur Radio Klub has a 2 Meter sometime in April during a space walk by and call sign was given after which a Repeater for sale. He feels the repeater ESA astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere, program on Field Day Activities was is a good system and should be looked at FX0STB, of France. The newest “baby given. by the Klub for purchase. There was a Sputnik” was a cooperative effort of Secretary announced the minutes as general discussion. The PARK Board Gerard Auvray, F6FAO, of AMSAT- published in the Newsletter. A motion will discuss the repeater at future Board France; Viktor Kourilov, of the Astronau- was made to accept the minutes as meetings and present options to the Klub tical Federation of Russia; and Sergei published, it carried unanimously. membership. Sambourov, RV3DR, of Energia and The Treasurer’s report was an- -Martin Reynolds noted elections will AMSAT-Russia. Technical details of the nounced as published in the Newsletter. be held at the next meeting. The nomina- latest Sputnik are not yet available. A motion was made to accept the report, tions and ballots will be published in the Haignere is aboard Mir for a six- it carried unanimously. April newsletter. month tour of duty and will return to The Communications report was give Old Business - Earth in August. He has occasionally by Bill Fell KK5PB. He noted there has -No old business was presented at been on the air from the R0MIR setup not been much headway on the voter this time. aboard Mir (145.985 MHz). The Air system. He updated the Klub on the The meeting was adjourned at 2035 Force General is also president of the progress of the system and search for hours. Aero-Club de France’s astronautics permanent location. No further action was commission. taken. Jack Ward, KC5KOV The last mini-Sputnik, Sputnik 41, The Newsletter Editor Dan Kautz Secretary was a joint project of Aéro-Club de W8EHS France, the Russian Aeronautical Federa- New Business - tion and AMSAT-France. Powered by -The Secretary noted three new nonrechargeable batteries, it stopped applications for membership, Bill Hansen Treasurer’s Report transmitting on 2 meters December 11 KC5PJW, Barry Goldblatt WA5KXX, March 26, 1999 after approximately a month. It transmit- Irwin Sivin KD5DXZ. A motion was ted a set of pre-recorded voice greetings made to accept the new members, it was Expenses 656.28 in three languages as well as a beacon. seconded and it carried unanimously. Income 692.00 The first mini-Sputnik was launched in -The Secretary noted the Ham Expo Balance 2196.70 November 1997 from Mir to commemo- in Belton, TX will be on Saturday, April rate the 40th anniversary of the launching 17. It is sponsored by the Temple Ama- of the original Sputnik satellite. It teur Radio Club. They can be reached at PARK Repeater transmitted only a beacon for approxi- phone: 254-773-3590 ask for Mike mately six weeks. LeFan, email: [email protected], and Sputnik 40 Years is a collaboration Expenses -0- visit their website at www.tarc.org. among high school students from College Income 203.00 -The Secretary noted information has Jules Reydellet in St Denis on Reunion Balance 2579.49 been received on the 1999 Ham Com to Island and students at the Center for be held in Arlington, TX. Anyone Polytechnic Education in Naltchik, Bonnie Swartzendruber WB5KTC needing this information is to contact the Russia. Treasurer Secretary. Read update Page 4 “Swatch...” -John Sanders AB5ZR noted the MS Page 2 Plano Amateur Radio Klub Alaska heard the HAARP transmissions which publishes Passport to World Band HAARP LISTENING by virtue of one of the antenna pattern’s Radio, says Voice of Russia World TESTS GO OFF sidelobes. Just which pattern or patterns Service, Radio Tirana, Radio Yugoslavia, were employed is not yet clear, and not all and the BBC World Service offer a WITH A HITCH listeners noticed the tapering effects, variety of points of view on the current although some reported dramatic differ- happenings in the Balkans. International HAARP was heard round the world ences in signal strength. Total power Broadcasting Services keeps an ear on the last weekend in March, but a few output was in the vicinity of 400 kW, world shortwave broadcasts from its glitches injected a little intrigue to the about half-power for the present HAARP primary monitoring site in Paraguay. research facility’s 1999 listening test. The facility. “Voice of Russia is interesting test on 6.99 and 3.39 MHz from the High Kennedy says HAARP is still because they’ve sort of taken up the Serb Frequency Active Auroral Research analyzing the results and reports that he cause,” Magne explained. “In a way, their Facility in Gakona, Alaska, was con- plans to post some “quite detailed reaction is more important because they ducted March 26 and 27. Those who measurements” on the HAARP 1999 have some clout.” Radio Tirana, from the tuned in the first day to copy the test Listening Test Results Web site. Albanian capital, supports the other side signals and CW message encountered HAARP’s huge signals literally were of the conflict in which ethnic Albanians what sounded like either severe heard on the other side of the world. in Yugoslavia seek some degree of multipathing or deliberate interference. “Your signal on 3390 was very weak, and independence, while Radio Yugoslavia Some listeners were convinced that I had to use a narrow filter to be able to will offer the perspective of the Milosevic another station was sending CW right on read your carrier and signals,” reported regime. Magne said it’s hard to beat the top of the HAARP signal. Tony Magon, VK2IC, in Sydney, Austra- BBC World Service for a more neutral It proved to be a false alarm, how- lia. Stateside reports—many from hams— position.