8 Donner St. Holmdel, NJ 07733 Editor: Bob Buus, W2OD MAY 2012 UPCOMING GSARA MEETINGS WEIRD ANTENNAS OF NEW JERSEY The next regular meeting of the GSARA will be By Rebecca Mercuri, KA3IAX held on Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 PM and it will Many of us are already familiar with "Weird NJ" feature Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, KA3IAX presenting but how many of you can recount its numerous “Weird Antennas of New Jersey.” (See right Weird Antenna Projects? Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, column). Don’t miss this fascinating talk. As KA3IAX, on Wednesday, May 2 will present a fas- usual, light refreshments will be served and guests cinating and entertaining talk that explores New Jer- are always welcome. sey's contributions to transmission history from The second meeting in May will be held on telegraphy to Telstar! You will be taken on a virtu- Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 PM at the Red Cross. al tour through the Garden State, featuring projects This will be our regular business meeting for May. by Morse, Marconi, Tesla, Armstrong and many Guests are always welcome and refreshments will more, along with some intriguing tales, photo- be served. graphs, and classic cold war era newsreels. Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. <www.notablesoft- W2GSA HAMFEST SATURDAY MAY 12 ware.com> is a forensic computing expert with avid ham and audio interests. Her numerous accom- Don’t miss the GSARA Hamfest on Saturday, plishments include: providing testimony in the Bush May 12 at MOESC, 100 Tornillo Way in Tinton v. Gore election controversy, speaking (briefly) Falls. Vendor’s setup starts at 6 am and buyers with Susan Helms on the ISS in a Field Day con- admitted at 7 am. Admission is $5 per person and tact, and receiving citations from the ARRL and parking is free. Talk-in on 147.045 +600 PL 67.0. Red Cross for her amateur radio service during the For more information, contact Joe, [email protected] 9/11 effort. Work activities involve criminal de- or 732-493-4236. fense and intellectual property investigations, as well as consulting on security standards compliance NEW JERSEY SHORE MARATHON documentation and product reviews. Rebecca is Between 18 and 20 hams are needed for the NJ also an active member of the David Sarnoff Radio Marathon at the Shore on May 6, starting at 6:00 Club, the Chair of the IEEE Princeton / Central Jer- a.m. sey Section, and a co-founder of the Princeton area ACM/IEEE Computer Society. In her spare time, Sunday, May 6, 2012 Full: 8:00am, Half and she enjoys mentoring future engineers and scient- Relay: 6:50am. ists, and visiting lighthouses (especially those with Monmouth Park Racetrack, Asbury Park old antenna sites). Boardwalk, Long Branch Promenade, and others. GSARA HOMEPAGE 175 Oceanport Avenue, Oceanport, NJ http://www.gardenstateara.org The website is: http://www.njmarathon.org/ Anyone wishing to participate ,please contact HUDSON DIVISION HOME PAGE Gary, K2ITT at: [email protected] or Ed, http://www.hudson.arrl.org WA2NDA at: [email protected] GSARA OFFICERS EDITOR'S NOTES Please note that our Hamfest is coming up on President W2XYZ Frank Wroblewski 942-7705 May 12 so mark your calendars accordingly. It Vice Pres. W2HTS Howard Suffill 460-1885 looks like we will have some neat radios to raffle Secretary W2OD Bob Buus 946-8615 this time and we expect KJI Electronics to show Treasurer K2QXW Bruce McLeod 946-4368 up with lots of merchandise. Don’t miss it! If Engineer N2LXM Jeff Harshman 922-0816 you can help out, all the better. Joe would like the Webmaster KC2TKK Josh Gluck helpers to get there as early as possible (like 5:30 Publicity NJ2H Bill Shockley 207-4466 Trustees W2KQ Joe Dreifuss 493-4236 am). We’ll need all the help we can get. W2OD Bob Buus 946-8615 Thanks to Kevin, W2FA for providing two new columns. The one starting on page 4 lists W2HAM Lou Russo 842-6431 Special Event stations that will be on in May. Work them to receive beautiful QSL cards and/or DX MEETING EACH LAST MONDAY certificates. Then on page 7 Kevin lists upcoming For those interested in DX or learning about hamfests. (Even though he omitted the GSARA how to chase DX, there is a meeting of DXers on Hamfest on May 12, we’ll forgive him – this the last Monday of each month at 7:30 PM at the time.) If you find this information useful, please Red Cross. The last Monday of May is on the 26th pass the word on the Kevin so he will be inclined so mark your calendars if you would like to to do it on subsequent months. Please excuse the attend. small fonts used for this information but I was trying to save space to reserve room for other BADGES AND PATCHES articles in this edition. If you would like a GSARA name badge, you I’m looking forward to the upcoming talk by may order one by getting a Badge Order Form Dr. Rebecca Mercuri, WA3IAX on Weird from our Secretary, Bob Buus, W2OD, filling it Antennas in New Jersey (see page 1). I’ve heard out and turning it in to Bob with your $7.00 nothing but praise for this talk so it should be payment. fascinating. Don’t miss it on May 2. We also now have patches available at all As in the past few months, the response to the meetings and they cost $3. 1-ohm resistor puzzle was poor with only two respondents. Because of space constraints, I OUTGOING QSL CARDS decided to give the puzzles a rest this month. I may indeed quit publishing puzzles completely If any GSARA members wish to combine their since interest seems to be low. Does anyone have QSL cards that are going through the outgoing a problem with that? ARRL Bureau, please bring them to the next GSARA meeting along with the label from a If you are interested in obtaining a recent QST Magazine (you must be an ARRL gardenstateara.org email address which will give member to participate in this program). We then you webmail and POP3/SMTP access, please send send them as a group at no charge to GSARA an email to Josh at [email protected] members. It couldn't be much easier than that to with your First Name, Last Name, and Call Sign. QSL. You are registered at the W2 incoming Your email address [email protected] bureau, aren't you? will be created and the login information sent back to the email address your request came from. PROPAGATOR NOW ON THE WEB As always, I appreciate feedback or material The Propagator is available as a PDF file at: for The Propagator. The deadline for the June issue is May 15. http://www.gardenstateara.org Click on “The Propagator” and then select the 73 de Bob, [email protected] month you want. The Propagator May 2012 Page 2 MINUTES OF APRIL 4 MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 18 MEETING By Bob Buus, W2OD, Secretary By Bob Buus, W2OD, Secretary President Frank Wroblewski, W2XYZ called President Frank Wroblewski, W2XYZ called the meeting to order at 7:32 PM at the Red Cross. the meeting to order at 7:32 PM at the Red Cross. There were 18 members and four guests present. There were 11 members and one guest present. The guests were Sherry Dietz, XYL of KD2ACJ; The guest was Hunter Suffill, harmonic of Matthew Copp, son of N2KPS; Nick Nichols, Howard, W2HTS. After the pledge to the flag, all KD2AUT of Howell; and Bob Nichols, WA2FIS members introduced themselves. of Howell. After the pledge to the flag, all Secretary’s Report members introduced themselves. A motion was made by Jeff, N2LXM and Since this was a program meeting, there were seconded by Ted, N2KPS to accept the minutes as no reports from officers or club business. published in the April Propagator. The motion Program passed unanimously. The program was presented by Frank, W2XYZ Treasurer’s Report and Howard, W2HTS and was about Winlink and Treasurer Bruce, K2QXW gave his report. A WINMORE. This is a way to send and receive motion was made to accept the treasurer’s report internet e-mail through amateur radio and is and it passed unanimously. particularly useful in a state of emergency when internet access might not be available locally. Health and Welfare Using a software package called RMS Express, a Tony, KA2ZSI has been in the hospital to message can be sent by packet or Pactor to a CMS diagnose his weakness and dizziness. (Common Message Server) which puts it on the internet outside the local area. VHF nodes in the Old Business area with RMS capability include K2MON-10, The sign-up sheet for the trip to the Battleship N2SMV-10, K2GE-10, N2GW-10 and New Jersey in Camden was circulated. We will KB2MMR-10. leave from the Red Cross on Friday, April 27 at W2GSA provides an RMS node on 40 meters 8:30 am. through the use of WINMOR which is a sound Frank, W2XYZ purchased four 811 tubes for card protocol used instead of the more expensive the 30L1 linear amplifier but an isolation relay Pactor. The capabilities were demonstrated by was needed to properly control it with our solid- originating a message to all GSARA members’ e- state rigs. An isolation relay was purchased for mail. $31 and the amplifier now works fine with our Announcements rigs. The GSARA Hamfest is coming up on Although Frank, W2XYZ was authorized to Saturday, May 12 at MAECOM.