Happy Halloween!

Voted Best Michigan Newsletter for 2011 by ARRL, Great Lakes Section!

Utica Shelby Emergency Communications Association, Inc. Volume 27, Number 8, October 2011

U S E C A B O A R D M E E T I N G M I N U T E S S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1 F r o m Y o u r Y o u r C l u b O f f I c e r s President, Lifeless Larry Memb. Sec., Rigor Mortis Ray Board Member, Wailing Walt W8SOX K8RDJ WB8E C o n d u c t o r Vice President, Putrid Pete Recording Sec, Wreaking Rob Board Member, Chucky AA8GK NY8W N8ZA

Treasurer, Gory Gary Past President, Beelzebub Bill Board Member, Alec the Axe 13 WA8FEA N8SA NF8X NOTE: Name in DEAD indicates absent

Meeting called to order @ 7:00 p.m. by Pete as acting President Walt offered a motion to accept the June Board meeting minutes as printed in The Express. Gary seconded and the motion carried. Rob reported no correspondence. Treasurers' report was read by Gary reetings, my pulse-impaired riders of The GG USECA Express! Fall is a great time to get out to Chuck moved that we accept the treasurer's report. Ray the park to play some radio as it‘s cooler and the seconded and the motion carried. mosquitoes and flies are rapidly disappearing. But, it‘s Ray reported that as of tonight's meeting we have about also one of the last chances to get your antennas 113 paid members. winterized, ready to brave the ice and snow that Michigan is sure to deal us. Perhaps, improve your Swap: Our flier is done, some vendors have reserved station‘s ground system before the earth freezes? This tables. There was discussion about table rental as well as is especially important if you are running a linear shopping around for a cheaper venue for 2012. We will amplifier, but if you‘ve ever been ‗poked‘ while push- bring this to the members at next week's meeting. ing 100 Watts into coax, you‘ll find this a great invest- ment in time, too! New Business: WD8IFL Dave presented a grill to the club for our larks in the park and other outdoor activities. By the way, as if you couldn‘t tell, Halloween is one of W8NIC Larry is heading up our 2011 Christmas dinner. my favorite holidays! Read The Express carefully!! You‘ll find many tricks and treats along the way! Click Walt made a motion to adjourn and Gary seconded. on the candy corn for a little Halloween music while Meeting Adjourned at 8:08 pm you‘re reading this haunted version of The Express

13‟s… Uh, I mean, 73‟s! Respectfully Submitted, Your Conductor Wreaking Rob Lifton, NY8W Pete, AA8GK Recording Secretary Next Meeting: October 10, 2011 (Click Here for Map of Meeting Location) Our 27th Spooktacular Year ! 1 T h e U S E C A E x p r e s s

V H F / U H F N e t s DAY TIME NET FREQ SUN 1:00 PM USECA / Information 147.180 +100 PL SUN 8:00 PM USECA / Traders/Tech Support Net 147.180 +100 PL SUN 9:00 PM HPARC / Info 146.640 +100 PL SUN 9:00 PM Garden City ARC 146.860 +100 PL

H E R E L I E S Y O U R SUN-SAT 10:15 PM S. E. Michigan Traffic Net 146.76 +100 PL B O N E S OF D I R E C T O R S MON 7:30 PM SATERN 147.180 +100 PL President Larry Stocking / W8SOX (586) 294-7718 MON 8:00 PM MECA / Info 147.200 +100 PL Vice Pres. Pete Matejcik / AA8GK (248) 433-7724 Recording Secretary Rob Lifton / NY8W (248) 797-2264 MON 8:00 PM GMARC 443.075 +123 PL Treasurer Gary Simms / WA8FEA (586) 322-2134 TUE 8:00 PM Digital 145.550 Membership Sec. Ray Anderson/ K8RDJ (586) 979-4456 Board Member Walt Gracey / WB8E (586) 596-9547 TUE 9:00 PM Motor City Radio Club 147.240 Board Member Alec Beardsley / NF8X (586) 873-8841 Board Member Chucky Perushek / N8ZA (586) 557-4983 WED 9:00 PM ARPSC / Info 145.490 Past President Bill Chesney / N8SA (586) 468-0106 THU 8:00 PM Macomb County RACES / ARES 147.200 +100 PL COMMITTEES AND CORPSES THU 8:30 PM LCARC / Info 147.080 ARRL Liaison Bill / N8SA Awards Manager Bob / N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Creaking Door Prizes –OPEN– H F N e t s Editor Pete/ AA8GK (248) 433-7724 [email protected] DAY TIME NET FREQ Field Day Electric Chair Bill / N8SA, Steve / N8XO Death & Welfare Rob / NY8W (248) 816-2222 MON 7:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter CW 21.165 Historian Jerry / K8CFY (586) 791-4484 Mailers/Sorters Joe / N8KA MON 8:30 PM LCARC / 15 Meter Phone USB 21.395 Net Mangler Bob / N8ZY (586) 978-1682 Crime Scene Photographer Wes / KD8DHS TUE 2300 UTC USECA / 75 Meter Phone LSB 3.830 +/- QRM Program and Funeral Director Dan / N8ZBA WED 7:00 PM USECA / 6 Meter Phone USB 50.140 Public Relations Officer Ken / N8KC (248) 652-1187 Rotting Refreshments Walt / WB8E THU 7:30 PM LCARC / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.435 Repeater Trustee Ken ‟Coffin‟ Coughlin / N8KC Swap Director Larry / WB8SJD [email protected] THU 9:00 PM USECA / 15 Meter CW 21.140 Technical Director Jim / W1IK (586) 771-4135 FRI 9:00 PM USECA / 80 Meter CW 3.570 Morgue Technicians N8SA, W1IK, N8ZA, K8RDJ, W1SKU VE Testing Alec / NF8X (586) 873-8841 FRI 10:00 PM USECA / 10 Meter Phone USB 28.425 Spider Web Master Bob / N8ZY (586) 978-1682

C O W B O Y U P OUT OF CONTROL OPERATORS C O W B O Y U P Jim / WY8I Rob / NY8W Chuck / N8ZA Alec / NF8X Dan / N8ZBA Jim / W1IK “Do you know what „we‟ should do...?”

P R O G R A M M E R S How often these words are heard! More often than not, the Jim / W1IK Brad / N8VI implication is ―Do YOU know what YOU should do?‖ The suggesting party then feels they‘ve made a contribution, is now important, and need do nothing more; all they do is suggest things. Far more rare is the person who says nothing, then does what needs doing.

Which person are you?

Click here for the ―You're my best friend. But, if the ARRL audio news. zombies chase us, I'm tripping you.‖

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 2 The USECA Express

By Pete, AA8GK

do quite a bit of driving around the lower peninsula in both summer and winter. Because of this, I like to II know what repeaters are within range, especially if my truck breaks down. Sure, I could buy the Repeater Directory from the ARRL, but it‘s not very useful at 60 MPH (and NOT very safe, either!). I had also consid- ered the ARRL‘s computer program, Travel Plus, but again, it does nothing for you once underway. Further, I don‘t think I‘ve read one complimentary review of this (rather pricey) software. In fact, I‘ve heard some downright derogatory comments about it. Lastly, yes, I have a number of repeaters programmed in my IC-706MKIIG, but it‘s hard to know which repeaters are in range as I traverse through a given area.

magine my delight when I came across K5EHX‟s website! Tom White, K5EHX, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, II really put together a great site! It allows you to search an entire state, a postal zip code, or call sign of a repeater or repeaters. The search return is graphically displayed on a Google map, showing the approxi- mate radius of the repeaters‘ coverage. Also, the left column lists the individual repeater‘s data. Lastly - and this is the best part– it is possible to download all of the general repeater information onto your Garmin Nüvi GPS ( and many other kinds of GPS units ) as custom Points of Interest (POI‘s) ! Then, as you drive, your GPS will keep you abreast of which repeaters are in the area, their distance and direction from you, as well as their frequencies and PL tones! The ARRL sells a similar database download for $25, but K5EHX has it available for FREE! Now that’s a Halloween treat! Mwaaaaaahahahahahahahh!!!!!

quick note here: to download the database file to your Garmin GPS requires a free program (available AA from Garmin) called POI Loader. The Garmin Nüvi POI file format is really nothing more than a text file known as a CSV (comma separated values). Right, the results of your search can be downloaded in a number of formats that are very useful, including a CSV format for Garmin Nüvi GPS receivers.

Click above photo to learn more about TravelPlus.

Left, your search results imposed on a Google map. The colored lines show the operational range of the various repeaters shown.

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 3 The USECA Express

U S E C A G E N E R A L M E E T I N G M I N U T E S S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1 Meeting called to order @ 7:32 p.m. by Y o u r U n d e a d C l u b O f f I c e r s Lifeless Larry, W8SOX, which was quite a feat as he had been dead a while (and smelled President, Lifeless Larry Memb. Sec., Rigor Mortis Ray Board Member, Wailing Walt really bad as a result).* W8SOX K8RDJ WB8E Applause for the kitchen crew. Unfortu- Vice President, Putrid Pete Recording Sec, Wreaking Rob Board Member, Chucky AA8GK NY8W N8ZA nately, they were the dinner, so the applause was rather silly, really.* Treasurer, Gory Gary Past President, Beheading Bill Board Member, Arsenic Alec WA8FEA N8SA NF8X Larry announced that Putrid Pete won an award from the ARRL for best amateur radio NOTE: Name in DEAD indicates absent club newsletter in Michigan. There were a few first timers who were introduced, killed, cooked, and eaten. Nice job, Walt!* The microphone was passed around and all attendees introduced themselves. 50 attendees and guests signed in, (but after dinner, there were only 38)* Ray reported that we now have 115 paid members. WD8IFL Dave offered a motion to accept the June general meeting minutes as printed in the Express. KC8REX, Bernard, seconded and the motion carried. Gary, WA8FEA, gave the Treasurer's Report and declared he was an interior decorator and mass murderer.* N8RUE Eddie offered a motion to accept the Treasurer's Report. W1IK Jim seconded. The motion passed. Express Editor's Report: Pete discussed the award he won and mentioned that it is judged by journalism experts and not just ham people. Pete then asked for article submissions. We need ghost stories for the October Express. W1IK Jim gave a technical director's report. The K8UO repeater is functioning normally. The Detroit receive site is up and running. Swap report: Larry, WB8SJD : we are on track, the tables are ordered, Bernard will be doing the talk in. We will be doing dolly patrol again, so please bring a dolly and come and help the vendors set up – this makes them happy and maybe they will want to return next year (so we can eat them). Old Business: We have the new mess tent section for Field Day! We just need to pick it up. New Business: Larry informed the membership that the Elk's Lodge doesn't open up until 5:00 pm. Larry brought up the Boy Scouts Jamboree being held on October 15th. They want some 10 meter contacts as well as some 2m QSO's KD8HIZ Andy wanted to have everyone who helped with the Packard Proving Grounds to be recognized. A round of applause was heard. Some of the donations they received came from over the air contacts. The open house is on October 16th, from noon to five. Following the business portion of the meeting, there was a short break followed by a presentation on D-Star. Meeting Adjourned at 9:14 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Wreaking Rob Lifton, NY8W, Recording Secretary

*Not really. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. The first USECA member to email me saying they spotted these anomalies wins a prize! My email is AA8GK at ARRL.Net REDRUM

Upcoming ARRL Contests Oct 17-21 School Club Roundup. Contact as many school radio clubs as possible. More HERE. Nov 5-7 Sweepstakes, CW. U.S. and Canadians make as many QSO‘s as possible. More HERE. Nov 19-21 Sweepstakes, Phone. U.S. and Canadians make as many QSO‘s as possible. More HERE. Dec 2-4 ARRL 160 Meter Contest. W/VE stations make as many QSO‘s as possible on 160. HERE. Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 4 The USECA Express

Click HERE or contact Chuck, N8ZA, to become a Net Control Operator!

Rated R for Radio!

Di di dah dah di dit Is it just me, or does it seem that when a net control operator asks for check-ins, there‘s always a howling pileup of people with ‗no traffic for the net‘?

C L I C U S E C A V E T e s t I n g K Testing will be the THIRD Monday of the month from September thru June. Alec, NF8X, is the Contact VE. Pre-registration is encouraged. Test fee is $14.00 cash (exact change only). Examinees need to bring Xerox copies of current license and un-expired CSCE's, if any. There is no copy machine at the test site. Official starting time is 7:00 PM. Walk-ins are welcomed. Test site is at the Mt.Clemens Elks Club (179 S.Main St. in Mt.Clemens). Other VE test sessions can be arranged— contact the Contact VE for details. C L I C K

“With every breath, the air grows stale. Deathly cold winds howl and wail. Raging thunder pound like drums, when something wicked this way comes.” - William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 5 The USECA Express

AA gg HH oo ss tt ii nn tt HH ee mm aCaC HH ii nn EE ?? An Introduction to Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) By AA8GK

hat if you were reviewing audio recordings you had made, and heard voices in the back- W ground, voices that weren‘t there when the recordings were made? I‘ll do you one better: what if you heard the voice of someone you recognized? And, what if that person was dead? This is exactly what many people have claimed has happened to them.

he history of EVP most notably started back in 1959 when a Swede, Friedrich Jurgensen, was TT making a recording of birdsong outdoors. When he played the tape back, he heard several different human voices. One of these, Jurgensen claimed, was that of his dead mother calling to him. While this voice was faint, Jurgensen adamantly asserted it was his mother. Further, on the tape, she had called Jurgensen by the pet name she had for him, ‗Friedel‘.

ince then, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people around the world have tried their SS hand at capturing these voices. Not everyone is successful, even after trying dozens of times. Some people get voices or other anomalous sounds on their very first attempt. Numerous recording formats have been used, too: magnetic tape (always new, never re-used tape), video recordings, digital handheld recorders, and even making digital audio recordings onto a computer hard drive. One interesting anecdote I heard came from England (the land of ghosts, it seems). In a modern music recording studio the audio recording technicians were having a fit due to some extraneous noise they kept hearing behind the music they were recording. Once isolated, the ‗extraneous noise‘ sounded like a church choir was singing in the background. Oh, did I mention that the recording studio was in a building that once was an abbey many years ago? Just thought I‘d mention.

ot all EVP ‗voices‘ are clear and obvious. Many sound like nothing more than a very faint, scratchy voice just NN below the noise, usually only saying a word or two. These are what some EVP aficionados refer to as ‘Class C EVP‘. Personally, I think some of these ‘voices‘ could very well be just random noise generated internally by the recording device, either mechanically or electronically. Then there are the ‘Class B EVP‘. These are sounds that can be distinguished as voices, but it is difficult or impossible to discern exactly what is being said. Sometimes, these voices sound like (or may be) a foreign language. Then, as you‘d suspect, the ‗Class A EVP‘ are definitely human voices, and there is very little doubt what is being said. Some of these voices can be quite loud. Usually though, the EVP experimenter will have to listen closely to hear a Class A voice. Here is a page of some EVP examples for you.

keptics have weighed in on Electronic Voice Phenomena, and with good reason. Firstly, the way the human brain SS is designed, it tries to make sense of chaos, to see patterns in randomness. This is exactly why you can make out shapes of animals or faces in clouds as they drift by overhead. This is also why someone can say something to you, and you can completely mishear what is said. Why? Because you were expecting to hear something else entirely. In other words, ‗hearing only what you want to hear‘. Now, let‘s apply this principle to someone listening to the background (white noise) of an audio recording while expecting to hear the voices of the dead. What do you think will happen under these circumstances? Like seeing the shapes of animals in the clouds, they ‗hear‘ voices of the dead in random noise.

ypically, EVP experimenters will take their recorder someplace very quiet, someplace away from other people. TT You need not go to a cemetery, or a ‘haunted‘ house. Some experimenters have recorded incredible EVP voices in their very own home! Lastly, most experimenters will only record in five minute intervals. The reason for this is because recording takes just a few minutes, but the painstaking analysis afterword can take much, much longer.

(Continued on page 7)

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 6 The USECA Express

A g H o s t i n t H e m aC H i n E ? (Continued from page 6)

ut, what about the Class A EVP voices, the ones that at least sound clearly like human voices? Where do these BB come from? Well, skeptics claim that these are stray radio signals that have made their way into a recording device. Okay, granted, I have experienced something like this myself…

t was late at night and I was still up, reading on the couch in the living room. But, every now and then, I heard was a II faint voice coming from the den. I froze. The voice got a little louder and louder. It seemed to be talking to itself, or at least, having a conversation with someone who could not be heard by me. I mustered all the courage that an 11-year- old could and started making my way toward the ‗Den of the Dead‘.

tanding at the doorway of the den, a voice in the dark said, ―That‘s a big 10-4, good buddy! I‘ll catch you on the flip SS flop!‖ The voice was coming from the stereo speakers, but quickly fading. Upon closer examination, I estimated the length of the speaker cables to be about 8 feet long (you do the math). I had just become a Ghost Buster of a different kind. The voice of this ‗ghost‘ quickly faded - not into the great beyond - but probably down I-75 toward Toledo.

he problem with the RFI explanation as the source of EVP is that I have yet to hear of an EVP voice that said, ―This TT week only, Tide is $5 at your local Kroger.‖ Also, of all the EVP recordings that I have heard, none of them contained the latest newscasts or top 20 songs. Lastly, there have been many EVP experimenters who have taken painstaking measures to minimize the possibility of RFI. Some have made their recordings in very remote areas, far from strong RF fields. Still others have placed their recorders inside Faraday cages . One experimenter even took her digital recorder into the walk-in safe at the bank at which she worked! Even under these conditions, EVP voices were still recorded. Too, given that so many EVP experimenters use digital recorders, the RFI explanation really doesn‘t hold water.

ome say EVP voices are the voices of the spirits of the dead trying to communicate with the living. Others believe SS EVP voices are the ‗echoes‘ of events in the past and have no intelligence behind them, like ripples on a pond that linger long after the pebble dropped into it has disappeared. Still others believe EVP voices are coming from another dimension. Whatever the source of these voices, something cannot be denied: Occasionally, voices are found on audio recordings, voices that were not heard during the time of the recording, but are all too apparent once they are played.

Here are some links to EVP experimenters‘ web pages. Happy listening! The Shadowlands. The Ghost Web, Haunted Hovel. Love to Know Paranormal. HH aa pp pp yy HH aa ll ll oo ww ee ee nn !!

Di di dah dah di dit

Left, “To V.E., or not to V.E.? That is the question.” There is some controversy on who was originally cast to play Hamlet in the 1949 film: Sir Lawrence Olivier, or Ray, K8RDJ ? Both, of course, are stellar performers, and coinci- dentally, both were 25 when these publicity photos were taken… Ray really looked good, didn‘t he?

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 7 The USECA Express Honor A Terrific Horror!

his year, the ARRL Great Lakes Division awarded USECA first place in its 2011 T newsletter contest! This is a tremendous honor and achievement for us all! Remem- ber though, the editor of any newsletter is only the most visible part of the newsletter publishing process. It is up to you to continue to make The Express the very best news- letter in amateur radio!

is really a fancy word for ‗story‘. Don‘t be intimidated! „Article‟Send me your story about the radio problem you di- agnosed, or the antenna you just built. And, hey, if one of your experi- ments didn‘t go very well, let us know that, too! It was Edison who quipped that he didn‘t fail 500 times to invent the light bulb, he discov- ered 500 ways that didn’t work! Smart guy. If you‘re not really confident in your writing, no problem. Contact me or Bill Chesney, N8SA, if you‘d like help, and we‘ll work with you to put a fine polish on your contribution!

ould you like to tell about a great camping trip? Share it! Perhaps W you‘ve tried a new operating mode? How did you like it? Maybe, tell everyone what you did to get your antennas ready for Michigan‘s harsh winters. Decaying brains want to know!

n a personal note, among my many sins is pride, especially in my O writing and creativity. It is for this reason that I would like to thank the ARRL Great Lakes Section for this award. They really don‘t understand how much it means to me!

Scribble out your story and email it to: [email protected]. Do it today… O r e l s e!!!!

Left, an absolutely beautiful plaque was awarded to USECA! Below right, Scott Bicknell, W1BIC, presents this prestigious award to your faithful editor.

adly, Pete‘s joy was short- S lived. He was attacked and killed by this really hot vampiress. It is reported by witnesses who found him before dying that Pete‘s last words were, “Dude! That was sooooo worth it!” Reportedly, he died with a smile on his face. We certainly under- stand! Rest in peace, Pete.

P.S. USECA is looking for a new Express editor. Experience is not required, but blood type A Negative is preferred.

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 8 The USECA Express

An Important Word Concerning Club Finances By Gary, WA8FEA, USECA Treasurer

e are all seeing evidence of inflation in our daily lives: gasoline, food, clothes and I‘m sure that WW you can think of many other examples. Well, our club is also seeing costs going up. One exam- ple of this is the printed version of the Express that we send out to 25 club members every month. Over time, our costs have doubled to $500 annually, while the premium we charge, $10 a year, has remained the same. Since we are paying about $500 per year but only charging $250, we are absorbing the difference, not something that the club can afford to have continue. QSL that, Gary – Editor hat is even more alarming about the cost is that the company that did our printing for years has WW recently been bought out. The new owner has greatly increased his cost to us. If the September bill is any indication, we can expect to pay around $800 total for printing and postage between now and next June. You can see that we cannot continue in this direction. We‘ve done some research, contact- ing approximately 8 different companies and the best cost we can hope to get is about $550 per year for a black and white edition (including postage at today’s rate). This would mean that in order for the club to break even, we should be charging an extra $22. annually for a printed copy of the Express. What with the post office‘s financial problems, it is only a matter of time before postage goes up and once again, we will be increasing the fee.

our board of directors would like to have the membership consider the facts related to this situation YY and help make the decision. Should USECA offer only an electronic version of the Express, or do we continue to offer a printed version at an increased cost to the member of $22. per year? For those members who receive a mailed copy, is it necessary? Perhaps you now have access to a computer and can read it on line. We are very proud of our club paper, it is an award win- ning paper and we want all our members to have access to it, but we have to consider the cost. This is an important decision, please think about it and be prepared to discuss it at our October meeting. 73’s Gary

… Here‟s an article that squares nicely with Gary‘s comments about the cost of printing The Express. It concerns the United States Postal Service posting a $3.1 Billion Dollar loss in the second quarter of 2011. Would you like to take a guess where they will make up this loss? I fear we will be revisiting this issue several more times given the skyrocketing costs of printing The Express.

Don‟t Forget The USECA SWAP! Sunday, October 23, 2011, 8 am - 1 pm No tricks! American Polish Century Club 33204 Maple Lane Dr, Sterling Heights, MI Just treats1 Talk-in, USECA Repeater, 147.180 MHz, +100 Hz PL CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE MAP

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 9 The USECA Express

Real Ghost Stories From Our Members

Happy Halloween! This time of year is incomplete without some real ghost stories. So, let‘s throw another log onto the fire and enjoy these tales. Click here for a little mood music while you read. - The Editor

From Chuck, N8ZA

ello, all! It‘s October and Pete has asked for Ghost stories for The Express, so here is mine. H his took place in October on Devil‘s Night. Good timing, right ? I was home alone and it was around 11 or so at T night. In our kitchen we have a old clock radio the radio is never, never on . Anyway, I was in my bedroom watching TV. Later, I went to the kitchen to get a drink and then came back to my bedroom. About 5 minutes went by and there was someone knocking on the front door of the house . I thought, ―Who the heck is knocking at this hour?‖ Then, I remembered it was Devil‘s Night. I looked out the front window to see who the little cretins were, but saw no one there . ―Oh well..‖, thought I as I headed back to my room. As I sat back in bed, I heard voices. ―What the heck is going on? Are there some kids outside and maybe knocking on the door again?‖ I got up again and headed for the front door. It‘s then that I realized that the noise is coming from the kitchen! Remember the radio that is never, never on? Well, as I walked into the kitchen this radio was, indeed, on and playing the song ―I Hear You Knocking (But You Can‘t Come in), by Dave Edmunds (Click here). The refrain of the song was, ―I hear you knock- ing, but you can‘t come in.‖ The truly bizarre part is that I was just in the kitchen a few minutes ago and the radio was off! That scared the you know what out of me, so I pulled the radio‘s cord out of the wall and that‘s how it sat for 15 years before I plugged it in again. That‘s my ghost story, and I would swear to it in open court. Happy Halloween and 73‘s! Chuck, N8ZA.

From Anonymous,

t 83, my mom suffered a disabling stroke just before Thanksgiving in 2001. This proved to be something that A she would never recover from. The stroke left her totally disabled physically and her mental state at first was okay but then slowly deteriorated until, over the next 3 months she passed away. It was tough on her kids, there are four of us, to watch our mom slowly slip away without being able to do anything to help her.

ater, at her funeral, after making sure that all her wishes were honored: her favorite dress, flowers, church, L prayers, hymns etc, we consoled ourselves by saying that she was at peace now, no more pain or confusion. It was probably 2 weeks after my mom died that we started to experience some strange happenings at our house. My wife started to smell the fragrance of my mom‘s favorite cologne initially, she didn‘t say anything to me. It was only until I started to smell my mother‘s cologne several weeks later in the house that my wife said that she had been experiencing the same thing for some time! These episodes usually didn‘t last long, maybe a minute or two, and then the scent would suddenly disappear. We weren‘t scared or anything, we just said that mom was paying us a visit. The last time we had a ―visit‖ my wife was in our family room crocheting and out of the corner of her eye, she saw what appeared to be my mom walking down our hall way towards the back of the house. As soon as my wife could get up and investigate, the apparition was gone.

e haven‘t had anymore visits since then, but on occasion, we still get a whiff of her perfume. I‘ve got a feeling W that mom was just letting us know that she was fine and not to worry anymore about her.

Dear Anonymous,

I’m not surprised. This sort of thing seems to happen quite frequently after the (Continued on page 11) death of a loved one. - Editor

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 10 The USECA Express

Real Ghost Stories From Our Members

(Continued from page 10)

From Paul, KD8NCN

ne summer afternoon, many years ago, while in the basement of my parents house, a O couple of friends and I were attempting to do a séance, using a candle my mother bought me when she was in Louisianan on Bourbon Street. What made this candle special was that it was an official voodoo candle. So while we attempted to raise a spirit from the great beyond, we stared into the candle with great expectations of raising a spirit. For about an hour, we stared into the candle, desperately trying again and again to raise the spirits of the dead (or at least one).

ith no success, we gave up and ran off to other interest and our impromptu séance was quickly forgotten. However, the W next day my mother was furious with me and screaming, ―How did you kids get wax on the basement ceiling, and why was there wax in the wine cellar!?!?!?‖ It‘s worth noting here that the basement wine cellar was always kept locked. I tried in vain to explain that I didn‘t do it, and that when we were done with our séance we blew the candle out. Try as I might, she wouldn‘t believe me. Seeing the futility in further denial, I relented and just promised my mother I wouldn‘t do it again (even though I know we had blown the candle out). To this day, it remains a mystery how the candle wax ended up on the ceiling and in a locked room. Go to my parents‘ house sometime. Go down into the basement, then look up. You will find the candle wax still stuck there, candle wax from the Voodoo candle and the séance held many years ago.

any years later, I was with the same group of guys that were with me during the séance in my parents‘ basement. We M were at the home of my friend, Don. Don‘s uncle had recently passed away, and he suggested we hold a séance again, but this time, trying to contact his deceased uncle. In preparation, we took a large ashtray and placed a small tea candle in the center of it. We all kneeled around the candle and were calling out the name of Don‘s uncle, asking him to come to us and com- municate. While doing this, Don‘s cat walked into the center of our circle, walking close to the flame of the candle. With his nose almost touching the flame, the cat stared into the flame for almost a minute. Then, turning around, the cat walked away from the candle. As she did so, the ashtray holding the candle shattered. Instantaneously, Don‘s German Shepherds began howling and barking.

ome will say that the glass ashtray shattered as a result of thermal stress. Fair enough. I would argue, however, that it was S made of thick glass. Further, the tea candle was still in its little tray; none of its wax ever even touched the glass ashtray! Further, heat travels up far more efficiently than down. But, what of the cat‘s odd behavior and that of the dogs‘ at that precise moment? Any one of these incidents by themselves mean nothing. Together, however….

Y father died in 1985. Before his death and while he was up at our cabin, he had taken the mower deck off our tractor. M Sometime after my dad‘s death, I went to the cabin with my wife. While I was up there I decided to put the deck back on the tractor. While struggling with the tractor, my wife was in the cabin. I grew terribly frustrated as I couldn‘t find the pins that hold the deck on the tractor. I looked exhaustively and couldn‘t find them. Without those pins, there was no way to re-attach the deck. Just about to concede defeat, I felt a very weird sensation coming over my body, head to toe. I felt numb, but also found myself walking over to the work bench and pulling open a small plastic drawer. This drawer was just one of 40. There, in that very first drawer that I pulled open, were the pins for which I had been so desperately searching. Just then, my wife ran out of the cabin saying, ―I think your father was here! I felt a touch on my back and I felt it was him!‖ I told my wife what had just happened to me. We both knew that we had shared the same incredible, moving experience.

Paul, Sounds to me like a dad who wanted to help his son out with just one more project! I’m sure he’s watching over you. Great stories. Thank you for sharing. The Editor - Continued on Page 12

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 11 The USECA Express

Real Ghost Stories From Our Members

(Continued from Page 11) From Anonymous

uch to the chagrin of my very Catholic family, I lived with my girlfriend, Janel, for a year while I was in college. M We had moved in together shortly after the death of her father (whom she despised). Her mother had died about two years previous to that of her father. Before dying, her mother gave Janel her wedding ring. Without doubt, it was the one possession Janel cherished above all things on Earth. As such, she took extreme care of it. If she was not wearing it, it was in a ring box which was kept in her jewelry box. Janel and I both worked together at a local K-Mart, often working until the store closed at 9 p.m., whereupon, we both rode home together.

ne night, we came back to our apartment to find the front door had been kicked in. Apparently, a few other units O in our building had been broken into, as well. Janel panicked and ran straight into the bedroom to find her jewelry box had been dumped upon the bed. Everything was gone. The ring box in which Janel kept her mother‘s rings was open and empty. She burst into tears and was inconsolable for days after. The one treasure that still connected her to her mother had been taken.

bout a week later, I came home to find Janel absolutely ebullient. She was also wearing her mother‘s ring. A Puzzled, I asked what happened and where she had found the ring. Janel explained that she went into our closet to retrieve our dirty laundry (that was usually piled on the floor in a heap). When she had lifted all of the laundry off of the floor, there was her mother‘s ring!

anel explained that she had no explanation for how the ring could have possible gotten there. I just looked at her. J ―What?‖, she inquired. ―Your mom put it there. She knew we were going to get broken into, and she was bound and determined that her daughter was going to keep the ring‖, I opined. She looked as though I was nuts. ―Fine‖, I said, ―You tell me how it got there.‖ No answer came.

I would like to thank all of you who contributed these personal stories to The Express! - The Editor

Don’t like your net ranking, kiddies? Then work more nets! Better yet, become a net control ( A s of Sept 23, 2011 ) operator! Talk to chuck, n8Za! # CALL NAME VHF HF TOTAL # CALL NAME VHF HF TOTAL 1 N8ZY BOB 187 426 613 20 K9DLW DENNIS 19 34 53 2 N8ZA CHUCK 226 336 562 21 KC8ZRY RANDY 29 20 49 3 NY5Q TOM 113 228 341 22 KB3PTA JAMES 0 44 44 4 N8YBY LEONARD 219 118 337 23 KD8JDC RYAN 19 24 43 5 K8RDJ RAY 83 111 194 24 K8DHH JOHN 33 6 39 6 AK8S ALAN 75 104 179 25 KC8UHK RANDY 13 26 39 7 WB8E WALT 57 122 179 26 KA8POZ SHAWN 25 10 35 8 KD8HIZ ANDY 92 60 152 27 WB8ITB FRED 35 0 35 9 W8SOX LARRY 69 43 112 28 KV8Z CHRIS 32 2 34 10 AA8GK PETE 72 34 106 29 KI8JN PHIL 25 6 31 11 KD8NCN PAUL 42 50 92 30 N8LD DENNIS 31 0 31 12 KD8MFR BRUCE 67 12 79 31 KC8LUM MIKE 10 20 30 13 W1IK JIM 49 30 79 32 VE3IJX ALLAN 29 0 29 14 KC8REX BERNARD 22 48 70 33 N8AE CARL 8 20 28 15 KG4JTC DAVE 41 24 65 34 KC9PTD GARY 0 26 26 As compiled by our 16 KD8CXJ ED 49 8 57 35 N8UO KEN 16 10 26 very own crypt keeper, 17 W8NIC LARRY 35 22 57 36 W9BHI DON 0 24 24 18 WA8FEA GARY 32 24 56 37 KC8JCB LARRY 5 18 23 himself, Bob, N8ZY. 19 W8AOQ STEVE 1 54 55 38 N8HTV JOHN 23 0 23

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 12 The USECA Express

HomebrewHomebrew AntennasAntennas WorkWork thethe Best!Best! By Pete, AA8GK

love my FT-817. Of all the radios I‘ve owned, it‘s definitely one of my very favorites. Light- II weight, compact, and very capable. Now, if only I could find an equally qualified antenna!

erusing Al Gore‘s Internet, I found an antenna I decided to try: a center loaded vertical an- PP tenna called the Pac-12. Having a vertical, I thought, would free me from having to find a suitable tree or trees wherever I went. On the other hand, any reduced size antenna is a compromise at best. Well, you won‘t know unless you try!

lmost all of the components were purchased at Lowes® and J & J‟s Ace Hardware in AA Shelby Township. Oddly enough, it was J & J‘s that had the 24 thread 3/8‖ hardware that I ended up using, and all Lowe‘s® had was 16 thread! This will be important later, as you will see. Radio Shack, the scrap metal bin at work, and my junk box supplied just about every- thing else.

he hardest item to find was the 6‘ telescoping whip that sits atop the antenna. Radio Shack TT used to carry a 6‘ model, but no more. The folks at Buddipole Antennas carry a beautiful 8‟ telescoping antenna that will do quite nicely. Now, this whip has a threaded base (3/8‖ - 24) that is not a very common size in terms of locally available hardware. But, if you look carefully, you should be able to find it without having to resort to Internet orders. To attach this whip to the aluminum rods also used on the antenna, I would need to find a 3/8‖ - 24 cou- pling nut. Then, to connect this coupling nut to the 3/8‖ aluminum rod, I would need to cut a 24 thread onto it. This being the case, I decided to stay with 3/8‖ - 24 hardware almost all the way down the rest of the antenna. Doing this, each piece would be interchangeable. Makes sense, yes?

Winding the coils was a snap, using nothing more exotic than my cordless drill and hot glue gun. The coil forms are 1/2‖ riser pipe as used in lawn sprinkler systems. Any home improve- ment store should carry this. The wire is plain old 22 AWG insulated wire as found at Radio Shack or in your junk box. See the chart below for the recommended number of turns for each coil.

The base of the antenna is a PVC three-way joint, capped at each opening, with a 3/8‖ - 24 bolt protruding from the top to hold the antenna, and the bottom is a 3/8‖ - 16 bolt. Why? Be- cause the stake that is driven into the ground is a 3/8‖ - 16 threaded rod, about 2‘ long.

“Pete! It‟s crooked!” I forgot to mention one of the most frustrating parts of building this antenna: it is next to impossible to drill the exact center of the PVC caps, thus causing the 3/8‖ bolt to seat somewhat crooked. RATS!

NOTICE: USECA IS AN OFFICIAL:

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 13 The USECA Express

3/8” - 24 bolt, Mast (Continued from page 10) PVC: It‘s not just for plumbing anymore! It‘s amazing how adapt- able it is to many antenna projects. However, one must beware that it doesn‘t have a great deal of tensile strength. When placed under too much stress, it will shatter quite readily.

Radials Left, Ray, K8RDJ, and his AMAZING antenna analyzer! BNC

3/8” - 16 bolt, Ground Above, Don, WB8F, and The antenna base. Bernard, experiment by add- ing a capacity hat below the coil. “But, how does it play?”

Surprisingly well! Using his analyzer, Ray determined that the antenna actually resonates at a lower frequency than the plans would indicate. In other words, the 20 meter coil got me onto 30 meters, the 30 meter coil onto 40, etc. Adjust- ing the whip will, of course, fine tune the antenna. Ray suggested removing a couple of turns from the coils to bring the coils more into line with the frequency they are supposed to be operating on.

The very first time I called CQ with this antenna was on 30 meters, using 5 watts. I was answered immediately by a station in Minnesota. Two other con- tacts that day netted North Carolina and Iowa. Two days later at Stony Creek, I QSO‘d Texas (twice) and Oklahoma. My radials consisted of nothing more than four random pieces of wire, 20-30 feet in length. As Walt, WB8E, and I opined, radial length really isn‘t that important when they are lying on the ground. I will, however, be adding another four. When you‘re running QRP, every watt counts!

I can‘t express the sense of accomplishment gained by building a new antenna that works well. Sure, had I the money, I would use all stainless steel and / or brass hardware. But, for now, the antenna seems to be working FB.

Now, if you‘re finally ready, This ground stake is made from 3/8‖ - 16 head down to the local threaded rod with a point ground into the antenna parts store (Lowe‘s, ‗business end‘. The antenna base screws onto the top of this piece via a coupling screw. Home Depot) and build your Pac-12!

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 14 The USECA Express

A Book Review by AA8GK

I‘ve recently finished the book, UFO’s: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials go on the Record by Leslie Kean. We‘ve all heard the anecdotes of various everyday people seeing lights in the sky and swearing it couldn‘t have possibly been anything made here on Earth. Right. It‘s quite another story, however, when high-ranking military officers, military and commercial pilots, and government officials go on record to relate what they‘ve seen, many of these sightings having physical evidence or multiple witnesses supports their story!

It is not the premise of this book that we are, indeed, being visited by sentient beings or probes from other planets. Rather, it explores the fact that some extremely credible people have seen extraordinary things that defy ‗logical‘ explanation, while leaving it to the reader to decide what is behind the Click Above Image to phenomena that are called ‗UFO‘s‘. go to the books website Even as a hard-core skeptic, I appreciate the author‘s non-sensationalistic approach to this book. After all, truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction!

This book is available from Amazon.com, and as an audiobook on Audible.com.

“Uh, Dave? What’s in the Box?” Dave, WD8IFL, attended the USECA board meeting in September carrying a large box. He said he ‗had something for the club‘. My first thought was, ―If there‘s a severed head in that box, I‘m going to be very upset.‖ Fortunately for all of us, it was a brand new propane- powered grill that Dave had purchased for the club! Dave expressed his gratitude for all of the great larks-in-the-park he had attended, and thought it would be handy for the club to have. Because of Dave‘s generosity, our larks are no longer restricted to the picnic areas with the permanent grills! The world is our oyster! Someone at the board meeting opined that we could even use the grill at our trunk swaps! Not a bad idea, at all. Thanks, Dave!

A T r u e G h o s t S t o r y o n t h e H I g h S e a s By AA8GK

n 1986, my nephew, Rick, was in the Navy (he couldn‘t pass the test to get into the Marines) and was stationed I aboard the U.S.S. Ranger. He‘d only been in the Navy about 6 months when this story occurred.

e awoke late one night needing to use the head. The squad bay was dark, the other sailors being asleep. H Returning to his bunk, he saw my father (his grandfather) sitting on it. My father looked at Rick smiling and said, ―So, how do you like it?‖ Just as quickly as Rick saw my father, he vanished. Startled, Rick thought he was just half asleep while stumbling to and back from the head. Rick crawled back into his rack, and went to sleep.

My father, Joseph John Matejcik, did serve in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He‘s also been dead since 1972.

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 15 The USECA Express

Annual Membership Dues: Regular: $25, Family $35, Mailed Printed Newsletter: ADD $10.00 New Member applications MUST be mailed to: USECA, P.O. Box 46331, Mt. Clemens, MI 48046 MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: USECA ALL mailed-in applications MUST include a self-addressed stamped envelope Allow 4-6 weeks for processing USECA reserves the right to accept or reject New or Renewal Memberships

ow, more than ever, Chuck, N8ZA, needs new net control operators (NCO‘s) to take some nets. C‘mon, NN guys! This one is a no-brainer and won‘t cost you anything (aside from a little dedication). We can‘t keep relying on just a handful of people to keep our nets running! Please contact Chuck, N8ZA, now and tell him you want to become one of the few, the loud, the Net Control Operators! This newsletter powered by MicrosoftREDRUM Publisher Upcoming Events Date Time Event Location Sun, Oct 23 8 am-1 pm USECA Swap American Polish Century Club, 147.180 +100 Talk-in, MAP HERE Mon, Oct 31 HALLOWEEN!!!!

The USECA EXPRESS is published monthly (except July and August), by the UTICA SHELBY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION, INC., of Macomb County, Michigan. Club meetings are held on the second Monday of each month (except July and August), 7:30 p.m., local time, at the Elks Club, 179 S. Main (between Church and Robertson), Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Visitors are always welcome. Articles for the EXPRESS should be submitted to the editor no later than one week before the club meeting for publication in the following month‘s edition. The articles within are those of the author and not necessarily endorsed by USECA. Material contained in the EXPRESS may be reprinted provided credit is given to the USECA EXPRESS and the author, except material published by permission of a copyright holder.

Our 27th Spooktacular Year! 16 The USECA Express H a p p y H a l l o w e e n , Stamp U S E C A ! ! ! Here Utica Shelby Emergency Communications Assoc., Inc. P.O. Box 46331, Mt. Clemens, MI 48046

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This ticket for The USECA EXPRESS entitles the holder to another non-stop adventure in Amateur Radio via the October 2011 issue. The holder of this ticket is not, however, restricted from participating in one of the many great activities sponsored by the USECA organization!!! WARNING: Eating this ticket may cause injury or death. But, if you have this ticket in your possession, you‘re already dead, so don‘t worry about it. All the amateur radio equipment in your estate now belongs to the creepy conductor of The Express, Putrefying Pete, AA8GK.

Mwwwaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!! 147. 180 +100MHz PL N o R e t u r n 147. 180 +100MHz PL