SCCARA-GRAM Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association
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SCCARA-GRAM Santa Clara County Amateur Radio Association Volume 34, Number 4 April 2018 Secretary Needed Calendar We can get by with a vacant director seat, but we really need a Secretary. Interested members should contact our 4/9 SCCARA General Meeting president, Gregg KF6FNA. 4/14 Electronics Flea Market -- WE HOST! 4/16 SCCARA Board Meeting--(San Jose Red Cross, 7:30p, all are welcome) Flea Market We host the Electronics Flea Market April 14 General Meeting Day: Monday, April 9, 2018 SCCARA has the privilege of hosting the Electronics Flea Time: 7:30 PM Market at a new venue. Yes, the April 14th Flea Market will be Place: Kaiser Santa Clara, Hospital B-06 held at Fry's Sunnyvale, 1077 E. Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, just west Featuring: {to be announced} of Lawrence Expressway. The vendors will set up east of the building. It is imperative that SCCARA does a professional job conducting this flea market as Fry's management will be analyzing how it benefitted them... increased customer count, burnished community outreach image. This will determine if they will allow future flea markets on their premises. It is with your help that SCCARA will be known as the club that convinced Fry's that having future Electronics Flea Markets at their location is an asset to their operations. Do sign up and help the cause. Two hour shifts are available from 0500-0700, 0700-0900, 0900-1100 and 1100-1300 but you may, indeed are encouraged, to sign up for multiple shifts. If you have not participated before, now is your turn. Bring family and friends to share the fun. E-mail Lou at [email protected] with number in your party and shift preferences. Lou WA6QYS You can help convince Fry’s management that the flea market is a good thing. If there’s something you need or want to get at Fry's, the time to buy it is during the flea market! Spread the word! Also, for those who would like something a bit more nutritious than doughnuts at the flea market, keep in mind this Fry’s has a deli in the middle of the store. Personally I like their pastrami sandwiches. ( And remember, Fry’s has no fee for parking. 73, Gary WB6YRU Page 1 SVECS Breakfast The SCCARA-GRAM is published monthly by the SANTA CLARA COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION, PO Box 106, San Jose CA 95103-0106. The next SVECS Quarterly Breakfast will be held on SCCARA was formed in 1921 and became a non-profit April 28th at the Santa Clara Senior Center, 1303 Fremont Street corporation in 1947. SCCARA is an affiliate of the American Radio (corner of Fremont and Monroe) in Santa Clara. Relay League (ARRL). The club station is W6UW. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, provided the Our guest speaker will be Lisa Schoenthal, City of Santa source is properly credited. Clara Emergency Services Coordinator. She will cover Medical Response to Disasters. Lisa had served as Chief of Disaster The deadline for articles is the last Monday of the month. Medical Services at the California Emergency Medical Services Authority. Web page: www.qsl.net/sccara Come join your friends and make new ones while enjoying a scrumptious meal. All you can eat breakfast at a bargain $5 payable at the door. This includes a chance at the $125 BOARD OF DIRECTORS door prize. Volunteers please come at 0730 and help with the (officers are also directors) breakfast effort. Volunteers are needed for helping in the kitchen President Gregg Lane KF6FNA 408-393-5607 as well as setting up the eating area. Please E-mail Lou e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] of your availability to help. Breakfast at 0900, Vice President (open) program at 1000. email: If you are joining us please RSVP [email protected] so we Secretary (open) e-mail: will know how many attendees to expect. Volunteers are Treasurer Goetz Brandt, K6GKB 408-259-7287 appreciated and should arrive at 0730. Donations for the raffle e-mail: [email protected] table are graciously accepted. Please bring your gently used Station Trustee Don Village, K6PBQ 408-263-2789 surplus items. e-mail: [email protected] Director Lou Steirer, WA6QYS 408-241-7999 e-mail: [email protected] Lou WA6QYS Director Wally Britten, KA6YMD 408-293-3847 e-mail: [email protected] Director Clark Murphy, KE6KXO 408-262-9334 e-mail: [email protected] Director James Rustermier, KI6ZSK 408 972-1689 ARRL News e-mail: [email protected] Director (open) e-mail: From The ARRL Letter, March 1, 2018 COMMITTEES NTIA Targets Portion of 3.4 GHz Band for Editor Gary Mitchell, WB6YRU 408-269-2924 Potential Wireless Broadband Use e-mail: [email protected] Repeater Wally Britten, KA6YMD 408-293-3847 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration e-mail: [email protected] N0/ ARY BBS Gary Mitchell, WB6YRU 408-269-2924 (NTIA) has identified 3450 to 3550 MHz for potential wireless e-mail: [email protected] broadband use. Amateur Radio has a secondary allocation of 3300 Webmaster Wally Britten, KA6YMD 408-293-3847 to 3500 MHz, sharing the spectrum with government radars; the e-mail:, [email protected]) popular “weak-signal” frequency is 3456.1 MHz. The NTIA SCCARA REPEATERS oversees the use of spectrum by federal government agencies. SCCARA owns and operates two repeaters under the call W6UU: “America is the world's leader in Wi-Fi and 4G LTE, and we have 2 meter: 146.985 - PL 114.8 claimed an early lead in bringing 5G to reality,” NTIA 70 cm: 442.425 + PL 107.2 Phone auto-dial and auto-patch is available. The two meter repeater Administrator David J. Redl said in making the announcement. is located at Eagle Rock near Alum Rock Park in the foothills of east “It's essential to American competitiveness that we maintain our San Jose. The 70 cm repeater is located at the Regional Medical leadership in all of these areas.” Center (formerly Alexian), east of downtown San Jose, north of 280 and 101. The NTIA announcement is “great news,” according to FCC SCCARA NETS Chairman Ajit Pai. “The Commission, working together with NTIA, has already made the 3.5 GHz band available for wireless On our two meter repeater: Mondays at 7:30 PM, (not the second services, and we recently initiated a process to consider whether all Monday--our meeting night). Coordinator: Don Village, K6PBQ. On or parts of the adjacent satellite spectrum can also be made ten meters, 28.385 MHz USB, Thursdays at 8:00 PM. Net control: Wally Britten, KA6YMD. Visitors welcome. available” Pai said. “Altogether, this could unleash a contiguous block of hundreds of megahertz of valuable spectrum for new N0/ ARY PACKET BBS technologies and services, including 5G.” SCCARA hosts the packet BBS N0/ ARY (connect to n0ary-1). User ports: 145.09 MHz at 1200 baud, 433.37 MHz at 9600 baud, and Redl said that the NTIA, in coordination with the Department of telnet sun.n0ary.org (login “bbs”). Sysop: Gary Mitchell, WB6YRU Defense and other federal agencies, has identified 100 megahertz For general packet info, see the NCPA web site ncpa.n0ary.org. of spectrum “for potential repurposing to spur commercial wireless innovation.” He said the 3450 - 3550 MHz band “could be a key AMATEUR LICENSE TESTING asset in our nation's broadband spectrum inventory.” In the US, ARRL/VEC Silicon Valley VE group: military radar systems operate in the 3450 - 3550 MHz band, and Morris Jones, AD6ZH: 408-507-4698 Amateur Radio compatibly shares the lower half of that band with the military on a secondary basis. Redl said the Defense Department plans to submit a proposal under the Spectrum Pipeline Act to carry out a comprehensive RF engineering study “to determine the potential for introducing advanced wireless Page 2 services in this band without harming critical government Another requirement -- this one set by Smith -- ambitiously called operations.” ARRL intends to contribute to NTIA's study. for the transmitter to function on 75 as well as on 160 meters. The FCC, in coordination with NTIA and the Defense Department, Each RF stage was converted, starting with the Colpitts oscillator has already approved rules for its planned Citizens Broadband -- which offered two octal tube sockets to hold broadcast crystals, Radio Service (CBRS) in the adjacent 3550 - 3700 MHz band. and a selector switch. More complicated was changing out feedback and loading capacitors in the oscillator stage, along with In 2014, UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom announced that the buffer tank circuit. The driver tank circuit was next. it was ending Amateur Radio access to significant portions of the Removing one-half of the windings on the multiple tank, changing 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands following a year-long consultation -- a some connections, shortening long leads on RF bypass capacitors, rulemaking proceeding -- that involved the release by the Ministry and modifying the neutralization circuit were necessary. of Defence of 150 MHz of spectrum at 3.4 GHz to prepare for the roll out of future 5G services. Amateur Radio in the UK was secondary on both bands. Ofcom said it expected the spectrum to go on auction later this month. Assistant ARRL Lab Manager Bob Allison, From The ARRL Letter, March 8, 2018 WB1GCM, at the helm of W 1 I N F a t A R R L ARRL Repurposes AM Broadcast Transmitter for Headquarters. The BC-1T Ham Radio Use is on the right. Thanks to a joint effort by ARRL and the Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut (VRCMCT), a classic Gates BC-1T AM broadcast transmitter will enjoy a second life on the Amateur Radio bands for occasional use under W1AW or under the ARRL Headquarters Operators Club call sign, W1INF.