The LED

The newsletter of the Livingston Amateur Radio Klub (LARK) Howell, Michigan

February 2019

Who 8 Darrell’s Spicy Bacon W8DSB

Good morning all LARK members! Let's talk about the hotspots which many members built. Now that all our hotspots are up and running, there are a few things to make them work a little better.

First, backup the configuration in case something goes sideways.

The SD cards in the hot spots are 16GB. The image by default is only using 4GB of it. You can expand the working space by going into the Configuration | Expert | SSH Access then run “SUDO pistar-expand” then “SUDO reboot”. Once it reboots, the system will have more memory to use, therefore making it faster.

The SD card provided to you is a “Class 10” rated card, which mean a minimum guaranteed read / write of 10 mb/s. If you replace the card with a faster card the speed it takes to boot up and cache data will be faster. See the chart below: I used a program named “CheckFlash” to test 17 SD cards. Two (2) cards (Samsung and PNY) failed to hold minimum speed. Most of the cards passed all about the same between 17mb/s and 18mb/s. No matter what brand or what markings Class 10 and/or U1 all the cards passed using a smart pattern written to and read from the cards. In order to see a noticeable speed difference in your hotspot, we found that using the best grade of a U1 or any U3 SD cards decreases your boot time from ~3 minutes to ~35 seconds.

Another upgrade can be done by adjusting the BER so that your HT and your hotspot are on the same frequency. It’s not enough to type in 434.300 on the hotspot and 434.300 on the radio. When you look at the two on a scope you will see they are not on the same frequency.

Adjust the offset - Configuration | Expert | MMVDMHost RXOffset and TXOffset (should be the same) until the BER is at its lowest when operating on DMR. This is fine tuning the frequency of the hotspot to match the radio more closely, allowing for more efficient operations. -3000 to 3000 is an allowable range. Yes, you are matching one radio to one hotspot. If you have more than one radio sometimes you have to find middle ground so you have a low BER on two or more radios.

Hope you having fun with your Hotspot. Darrell, W8DSB Editorial

Last month's LED prompted a comment by Rod KI8A about my article about working a 5Z4 cross mode when I was a novice. He mentioned that he could relate to the article since he had the same experiences working DX while being “rock bound” as a novice, meaning having to use crystal control when transmitting. Back then, working any DX was really a thrill. I replied to Rod that I had difficulty relating to those hams who have never owned an HF rig, and therefore could never understand just how much fun it was working DX under novice conditions. Many of those guys and gals just had their walkie talkies and that was it.

Having given it some thought, I think that I must explain a bit more.

Ham radio is a hobby with dozens of facets. What is pleasurable to me is not necessarily going to be pleasurable to those hams who take immense pride in being able to work moonbounce, or are able to design and build state of the art receivers, or who work microwave using portable gear on top of big hills or mountains. I don't pass traffic, but I know others do, and devote much time and effort every day in organized, structured traffic nets. Thanks to Darrell, W8DSB, I am now getting pretty eager to explore my DMR walkie talkie and hotspot, while he runs rings around the digital community using all sorts of modes. I do miss driving to work and yakking with the same group on the local repeater every morning (I do NOT miss the work part), and I know there are hams who only talk on the local repeater. In fact, there are hams who only own a walkie talkie and live in an apartment building or condo, and talking on their local repeater is the only way they enjoy the hobby.

I would love to work through satellites. I would like to get a bit more experience in digital modes. I would like to go on another DXpedition (maybe just a simple one--I like air conditioning). I would really enjoy taking classes in electronics. I wish I knew just how DMR and associated modes really worked (although I am trying to). For that matter I would really like to know how computers really worked, but I fear that is beyond my humble abilities. I envy guys who can diagnose and fix radios.

My point is that ham radio casts a wide net. Folks have interests in the ham kingdom that I don't have and don't have any interest in working DX like I do. But when I talk about working DX as a novice, I think that relates to a lot of guys who came up in the hobby during the same era, and can appreciate our common experiences, like burning up transmitters, melting coax, dropping and breaking tubes, soldering across a bridge or two, or the ultimate fun (?) of turning on something you think you have fixed and hearing the POP and sizzle and smelling the smoke. But I definitely recognize the guys and gals who are going to inherit this culture and who don't give a hoot about chatting with someone in the Ukraine on CW. I hope that they get as much fun out of whatever aspect of the hobby they like as I have.

I don't think that any of us ought to sit around and stagnate, however. Getting a license is easier today than it ever has been. But a first license just means that you have a ticket to get into the arena. Once you walk through that door, anything goes, but don't just sit in your seat, get out there and start the ball rolling in some direction! Some of you may be more on the “operating” side and others will be leaning towards the “geeky” side. Either way, keep learning and trying stuff. Use the hobby to develop your own interests, and keep at it. Tom Auth KT8Y, LED editor Lafayette Explor-Air KT-135

Many hams of my era will remember the Lafayette Radio Electronics Corporation, which sold electronic gear, including some ham gear, from 1952-1981. My dad took me to a Lafayette Radio store in the Washington, DC suburbs a couple of times, when I was just beginning to get into shortwave radio, and I thought the store was great. I had a Lafayette Radio catalog which I paged through much more frequently then any other reading material I owned. My dad also bought me an Explor-Air model KT-135 when I must have been about 13 years old. I recall that I was never able to get the damn thing to work, but putting it together was my first foray into soldering, and no doubt my inexperience was the reason. I don't know what became of my original KT-135, (it disappeared from my home after I left for law school) but I am now the proud owner of a couple of these radios bought on Ebay, which I plan to restore.

I ran across a website of a guy who went all-out to restore one of these regenerative receivers, and his final version looks great. See the photo above. His name is Mike Simpson, his novice callsign was WN3QQE, and his website is www.analogdial.com, and I encourage anyone interested in how to do a restoration of old equipment to visit his unique site. All photos in this article are taken from it.

Ham shack of WN3QQE in 1971 with a KT-135

The KT-135 was a regenerative receiver and unbeknownst to me it had a “hot” chassis which would knock you over or worse if you didn't watch out.

Edwin Armstrong invented the regenerative receiver in 1912. See the diagram above, reprinted with permission; January 2002 QST; copyright ARRL

Prior to that invention, amateurs used Lee De Forest's Audion circuit, which today would be a grid leak detector. Armstrong modified that circuit as shown above.

The Explor-Air was going for $22.95 as a kit in 1968. I have seen Ebay prices over $100 for KT-135's today.

The fact that I couldn't get my KT-135 to work discouraged me for awhile, but I finally faced up to the fact that my soldering stunk, so I wound up buying a Hallicrafters S-120 shortwave receiver, and that started me in my SWL and ham radio career. More on that later. In the meantime, my soldering has improved.

If any LARK member has an interest in building a small regenerative receiver, take a look at the article in the September 2000 ,QST, page 61, entitled A Simple Regen Radio for Beginners, by Charles Kitchin, N1TEV. I have built that radio and it worked! See me if you need any information on getting it assembled. Submitted by Tom KT8Y

DMR Radio in the LARK

As most of you probably have heard, the LARK has invested in a Digital Repeater which is in the process of getting its final elements to put it in full use. Mostly, that involves obtaining an internet link at a reasonable cost. Darrell, W8DSB, has been diligently working on issues relating to that.

In the meantime, W8DSB has engineered a terrific campaign to get many LARK members signed on to DMR, including your editor. This involved obtaining “hotspot” kits to be built and programmed, programming members' hand held radios, putting on a good presentation of how DMR works, and generally encouraging members to become “novice” DMR users.

Your editor can vouch for Darrell's efforts to get him straightened out and on the air, including a number of long phone calls, TeamViewer sessions, and hands on experience.

Your editor still doesn't quite know how DMR works in its entirety, is still stymied by terms he had never heard before, like “code plug”, “jitter” and “TAC 310”, and needs to get a workable internet connection at his QTH to really become a comfortable DMR user, but he can say that W8DSB has really gone out of his way to teach, program and assist, and the LARK should give him a collective THANKS for a job well done. Others, including Jim, K8JK, and Jason,W8JMB, have been of terrific assistance as well, and Jim's loan of a wireless hotspot to your editor has been a godsend. Thanks to Darrell, Jim and Jason for all their valuable help.

For those of you who have not yet experienced DMR, it is highly recommended you reach out to any of these guys to get pointed in the right direction. Submitted by Tom KT8Y, LED editor

National Contest Journal

The January/February 2019 edition of the National Contest Journal features an article entitled 48-Hour Contest Recorder Using a Raspberry Pi, by Bill Salyers, AJ8B. You might not know that top entries in some of the big contests require the submission of a recording of all sent and heard signals to the contest committee, and Bill's article shows how to build a recorder with a 3.5 inch LCD touch screen with a Raspberry Pi in a plexiglass case. It looks very nice, indeed. His total cost was $100.89.

There is also a detailed report of the results of the HamSCI Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP), which took place on August 21, 2017. The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) is a collective of ham operators and professional space scientists working together to foster collaborations between the two communities. See www.hamsci.org . HamSCI sponsored three experiments for the August 21, 2017 eclipse, the largest being the SEQP. The SEQP had 566 logs submitted, with almost 30,000 QSO's and 649 grid squares. The resulting ionospheric eclipse effects are detailed in this interesting article. Discussions are already underway for the next American Total Solar Eclipse for April 8, 2014. Mark your calendars!

Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, also wrote his 2019 Propagation Forecast, with a graph showing the monthly mean 10.7 centimeter solar flux from 2000 through the expected 2019 results. His conclusions are to keep an ear open on the higher bands, especially when a geomagnetic storm just starts. No guarantees, but Carl says short term enhancements might just be there.

The issue includes a tribute to Rev. Paul Bittner, W0AIH, who was a contester and super station owner who died at the age of 84 on October 31, 2018, when he fell from his tower. According to the article, Paul was working at about the 60 foot level on one of his 50-plus towers when a pulley he had placed at the top of the 200 foot tower gave way as he was repairing his 15 meter stack. He was a very well known ham and a retired Lutheran minister. He was a member of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. See www.ncjweb.com for hams who have paid tributes to Paul.

The January/February issue also profiles Torsten Clay, N4OGW, a successful contester and a professor of physics at Mississippi State University.

Ed Muns, W0YK, authored an article discussing Digital Contesting, specifically comparing FT-8 with RTTY. The National Contest Journal is more than just a rag about contesting. If you check around just a little bit, you will find that many of the hams on the cutting edge of technology are contesters, and while this magazine does cover contests, it goes beyond just discussing results. It is a good, solid magazine which you will find touches on many aspects of our hobby. Highly recommended. Submitted by Tom KT8Y ------

Tom Russell Gentry W5RG and His Webpage

Tom Russell Gentry, W5RG, was a ham radio pioneer, born in 1901, in Dallas, Texas. He worked in sales for several rubber companies, including B. F. Goodrich, before being forced to retire at the age of 57. He was issued his first ham radio license by the Department of Commerce in 1923, 5RG. He commenced operation using spark gap. Since then, he became W5RG, the call he held until his death in 1979.

His grandson, Don Retzlaff, has put together a terrific webpage about his grandfather at http://w5rg.donretzlaff.com/ . Don has collected an impressive amount of old photographs of his grandfather and dozens of hams who sent him photos over the years, from all over the world. Don has given permission to The LED to republish some of these photos for this article, for which the editor is very grateful. W5RG W5RG's 5 Meter Transmitter, used 1928-1931

Don in his grandfather's biography on the webpage relates how, like many hams even today, W5RG had TVI problems with his neighbors, including one neighbor with a hearing aid and an electric organ. W5RG's AM signal reportedly got into both of them! But W5RG was able to prove to the FCC that his harmonics were within acceptable range. Most of his TVI issues disappeared when he bought a complete Collins S-line and went to SSB.

W5RG had the habit of sending QSL cards to his contacts, along with photos, cartoons and other memorabilia, and in return, was sent photos from other hams. Here are just a few: Photo of ZL4KE-Jim Colyer, Clyde, New Zealand- from March 1958

Photo of shack of YV5BPJ—Armando Aldrey, President of the Radio Club Venezolano 1968-1969 Photo of shack of Otto V. Latimer, KV4BI, St. Croix, American Virgin Islands

Photo of shack of R. H. Elliot, VP6MR, St. Lucy, Barbados, circa 1935 (this must be his XYL, VP6FG, name unknown) Photo of SM3VE—Bertil “Bert” Arting, Kilafors, Sweden

Photo of JA3IS—Masa Fujinaga—Kyoto, Japan—winner of 1958 CQWW DX Contest, Continental of Asia, 10 meters Don's webpage is a treasure trove of amateur radio memorabilia from the 1920's to the 1970's, and it is highly recommended for hams doing historical research. It does demonstrate that QSLing early on had a completely different meaning than it does today, although a few hams continue the tradition of sending out personalized photos and images. Submitted by Tom KT8Y

From 1964 ______

An American evening circa 1935

Ad from Detroit Free Press, October 1922, below

From the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus, June 20, 1973—Art Reis, WA8AWJ is now K9XI and lives in New Lenox, Illinois Livingston County

Emergency Management Department 1911 Tooley Rd. Howell, MI 48843 (517) 546-6220 https://www.livgov.com/emergencymanagement

2018 Livingston County Amateur Radio/ARES Activity

48 LARK Training nets = 195 Personnel Hours

103 General Amateur Radio/ARES Activity Events = 1974 Personnel Hours 8

Public Service Events = 535 Personnel Hours

15 Emergency & Exercise Deployment Events = 394 Personnel Hours

3098 Total Amateur Radio/ARES Personnel Hours in Livingston County

Bruce Pollock, PEM, N8WWX, EC, RO, CERT Coordinator Those black wrinkle finishes certainly raise a question as to the operator's age

Heathkit's Contribution to Amateur Radio written by Larry Kube, KD8VKW The Heathkit Kit

Any amateur radio operator or electronics enthusiast that has been around for any length of time knows the name Heathkit. Hard to believe that a company here on the west side of Michigan at 2024 Hawthorne Ave. in St. Joseph Township. For over 45 years (1947 until 1992) was probably the most influential company for the growth of amateur radio. Even more influential than Radio Shack.Heath was one of those companies that help started the kit business. Ed Heath founded the company in 1926 with, of all things, an airplane kit. He died in a test flight in one in 1935, but Howard Anthony kept the company going. Right after World War II, he bought a batch of electronic surplus. Out of that came one of the first successful kits, a small oscilloscope for $50.[1]

In the case of electronic test equipment, Heathkits often filled a low-end niche. A Hewlett-Packard, Tektronix, or Fluke product might have metal vernier dials or ten-turn pots with digital readouts, while a Heathkit might use a simple plastic pointer and a scale silk-screened onto the front panel. A $40 Heathkit oscilloscope might not be remotely comparable to a factory-built oscilloscope—but there were no $40 (or even $100) factory-built oscilloscopes. Heathkits were influential in shaping two generations of electronic hobbyists. The Heathkit sales premise was that by investing the time to assemble a Heathkit, the purchaser could build something comparable to a factory-built product at a significantly lower cash cost and, if it malfunctioned, could repair it themself. Heathkit is the brand name of kits and other electronic products produced and marketed by the Heath Company. The products over the decades have included electronic test equipment, high fidelity home audio equipment, television receivers, amateur radio equipment, robots, electronic ignition conversion modules for early model cars with point style ignitions. Building a Heathkit required time, patience, and the ability to follow directions; given these, the risk of failure was small. Heathkits were absolutely complete except for tools. The instruction books were regarded as the best in the kit industry, being models of clarity, beginning with basic lessons on soldering technique, and proceeding with explicit directions, illustrated with line drawings: the drawings opened out so as to be opposite the relevant text (which might be several pages away) and were aligned with the assembler's eye position. Also in view was a box to tick as each task was accomplished [2] Amateur radio

Heathkit HW8 amateur transmitter Heathkit made amateur radio kits almost from the beginning. In addition to their low prices compared with commercially manufactured equipment, Heathkits appealed to amateurs who had an interest in building their own equipment, but did not necessarily have the expertise or desire to design it and obtain all the parts themselves. They expanded and enhanced their line of amateur radio gear through nearly four decades. By the late 1960s, Heathkit had as large a selection of ham equipment as any company in the field.[2]

Amateur radio http://www.heathkit-museum.com/hvmham.shtml

Disassembly complete

All good things don’t last forever though, Heathkit had left the kit business in 1992. By then its Heathkit Educational Systems division was focusing on selling educational systems, such as hardware and manuals for career and vocational training. In 2008 the company vacated a building at 455 Riverview Drive in Benton Harbor and moved into the 25,000-square-foot section of a 330,000-square foot building in St. Joseph Township owned by Southshore Companies. The last great flourish of the Heathkit was probably the 1978 introduction of the Heathkit H8 computer. The earliest home computers had been sold as kits to begin with, but were somewhat primitive. In contrast, Heath had real experience in producing kit electronic equipment and the Heath name carried confidence with it. The H8 was very successful, as were the H19 and H29 terminals, and the H89 "All in One" computer. The H8 and H89 ran their custom operating system, HDOS and the popular CP/M operating system. The Beginning of the End The success of the computer line attracted the attention of Zenith Corp., which went on to buy Heathkit in 1979 from the owner Schlumberger, an oil field service company that also owned Fairchild Semiconductor at the time. Zenith carved out the computer product line and started Zenith Data Systems (ZDS)[1] The Heathkit company existed for a few years as Heathkit Educational Systems located in Saint Joseph, Michigan, concentrating on the educational market. The Heathkit company filed for bankruptcy in 2012 A Spark of Heathkit still remains today On October 8, 2015, Heathkit circulated an email to its "insiders" - those who'd indicated an interest in the company's progress - that it had now secured the rights to all Heathkit designs and trademarks, secured several new patents, established new offices and warehouse space and a factory in Santa Cruz, California, and had now introduced the renewed company's first new electronic kit in decades.[2 See website: shop.heathkit.com

[1] Lou Frenzel, “Whatever Happened To Heathkit?”, Website Title, Electronic Design, 17-Feb-2009. Web. 23-Jan-2019 https://www.electronicdesign.com/analog/whatever-happened-heathkit

[2] Wikipedia Contributors. “Heathkit.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Web 23-Jan-2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathkit

[3] Julie Swidwa, “Disassembly complete: Heathkit is no more”, Website Title, The Hearld Palladium, 19-Jul-2012. Web. 23-Jan-2019 http s://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/disassembly-complete-heathkit-is-no- more/article_c00ffaac-d15b-11e1-a9e7-0019bb2963f4 LARK Financials, thanks to Stacy N8NYK

This Week in DX, courtesy of DX-world.net:

3B8, MAURITIUS Vlad, UA4WHX is operating as 3B8VB from Cap Malheureux. Operation on HF. QSL via home call, direct. As usual, length of stay is unknown. 9M2, WEST MALAYSIA Rich, PA0RRS is once again QRV from Penang Island until February 15. Operation on HF using CW and digital modes. QSL via Club Log OQRS, LoTW or via home call, bureau preferred. 9X, RWANDA Harald, DF2WO is once again operating as 9X2AW until February 14. Operation using CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY with a focus on 160, 80 and 60 meter. QSL via M0OXO OQRS and LoTW. C5, THE GAMBIA Andre, ON7YK is once again active as C5YK until March 9. Activity from 60 to 10 meter using mostly digital mode. QSL via home call, direct or bureau, LoTW. CE9, ANTARCTICA Roman, UT7UA is currently en-route to the Antarctic Vernadsky Research Base located on Galindez Island (Biscoe Islands AN- 006) and is expected to soon be active from there as EM1UA and/or EM1U. QRV on HF bands. License good until February 1, 2020. QSL via UT7UA. CE9, ANTARCTICA Currently active from Vostok Station as RI1ANC during his spare time, Alexei RD1AV operates as RI1ANV until mid- February. (RI1ANC license expires on 24th). QRV on HF bands. QSL via RN1ON. E5, SOUTH COOK ISL Milan, OK1DWC is operating as E51DWC from Rarotonga, length of stay is not known yet but in 2016-17 he stayed over for about 5 months. Operation from 160 to 10 meter using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via Club Log OQRS, LoTW. EA8, CANARY ISL Erich, HB9FIH is QRV from El Hierro until end March as EA8/call. Operation on HF using CW, SSB and digital. QSL via home call, direct or bureau, LoTW. FG, GUADELOUPE Jean-Pierre, F6ITD is active from La Desirade until March 15. QRV as FG/call using SSB and digital, active as TO7D during contests. QSL via home call. FK, NEW CALEDONIA Phil, F6OBD is operating as FK/call until February 10. Operation on HF, digital. QSL via home call. HC, ECUADOR Rick, NE8Z [local DXer from Hamburg, Michigan] is active as HC1MD/2 from Province de Santa Elena and as HC1MD/7 from Papallacta Volcano and as HC1MD from Tumbaco. Operation from 40 to 6 meter using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via K8LJG, direct or LoTW. HK, COLOMBIA Lothar, DK8LRF is once again active as HK3JCL until March from Finca Ligia. Operation mostly in his evenings on 20 meter SSB. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. J3, GRENADA Peter, G4HSO will be operating as J3/call. QRV in ‘holiday-style’ on HF using mainly CW. QSL via home call bureau or via EA5GL direct, Club Log and LoTW. JD1, MINAMI TORISHIMA Take, JG8NQJ is back at the weather station until around February 15. Activity during his spare time on HF using SSB with some RTTY. QSL direct via JA8CJY, bureau via home call. OA, PERU Look for Martin as OA4/PA3GFE until February 14. Operation from 40 to 10 meter using CW and digital. QSL via PA3GFE direct and bureau, LoTW, Club Log. PJ4, BONAIRE Fred WW4LL and Michael NN9DD will be active as PJ4/calls on all bands using SSB, FT8 and RTTY between February 4 and February 10. An entry in the CQWW WPX RTTY contest as PJ4Z. QSL via K4BAI but LoTW is preferred for all calls. TI, COSTA RICA Mike W1USN and Bob AA1M will be active from Atenas as TI5/calls from February 2 until February 13. Activity using CW, SSB and digital. QSL via LoTW and homecalls, bureau or direct. TR, GABON Roland, F8EN is once again active as TR8CR from Libreville until mid-March. Activity from 40 to 17 meter using CW and SSB. QSL via F6AJA. V3, BELIZE Francesco, IK0FUX will be QRV from the Maya Hill Lodge as V31UX between February 1 and February 8. QSL via home call, LoTW. V8, BRUNEI A large team with 9M6KOM, JT1CO, K1LZ, KK6ZM, KO9SCA, LZ1NK, PY5EG, RN5M, S55M and VK3FY will be active as V84SSA from Istana Pantai. Operation between February 7 and February 18. Special focus on the low bands. VK0, MACQUARIE ISL Norbert is active as VK0AI until March 2019. Operation mostly using FT8. VP5, TURKS & CAICOS Mario, I2HBW is operating as VP5VMA from Providenciales during February. Activity from 40 to 10 meter using SSB. QSL via Club Log OQRS. XV, VIETNAM Look for Bogdan SP2FUD and Zen SP2GCJ as XV9FUD and XV9ZT between February 5 and February 18. Operation on HF. More to follow soon. XZ, MYANMAR Akio, JE2QIZ has been living in Naypyitaw, Myanmar for the past 2 years. Today, he finally received his license as XZ2B. Note that the XZ2B license is only valid for 150 days (end June) and a maximum of 25w is allowed. Furthermore, this particular license is valid for use between 20-300Mhz. Akio hopes to be active when time permit using a fishing rod type antenna from a hotel, and is currently seeking a QSL manager (which DX-World will soon help him secure.) Z8, SOUTH SUDAN Diya, YI1DZ is once again operating as Z81D from Juba. Activity from 80 to 10 meter using SSB and digital. Operation until June. QSL via OM3JW, OQRS

Upcoming Contests

February 11 ARRL School Club Roundup See www.arrl.org/school-club- roundup

February 16 ARRL International DX Contest, CW—this is a big one; with diligence, an operator could accomplish DXCC in this contest—See www.arrl.org/arrl-dx

February 22 CQ 160-meter Contest, SSB—See www.cq160.com

There are a ton of other contests this month, something for everybody. For a complete list, with rules, exchange, dates, etc., see http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Contest%20Corral/2019/February %202019%20Corral-A.pdf

Upcoming Swaps

February 9 Cherryland ARC, Traverse City, MI February 17 Livonia ARC's 49th Annual Swap and Shop, Livonia, MI March 16 Crossroads Hamfest and Radio Swap, Kalamazoo, MI May 17-19 The Biggest of Them All—Dayton/Xenia—not too early to start planning See www.hamvention.org

LARK Breakfast LARK members and friends meet Saturday mornings for breakfast at the Americus Grill, located at 9836 E. Grand River Ave., Brighton MI 48116. Breakfast is ordered at or about 8:00 AM, however, coffee is consumed in great quantities by early risers beginning at 7:00 AM. Your editor has begun to lag behind and is only infrequently there when the doors open at 7. Wide ranging discussions include all radio topics, construction tips, upcoming events, gossip, politics, antennas (a bottomless topic), DX, RV's and how to fix 'em, operating etiquette and guns. Lies and insults are de rigueur. Seating is non-assigned and members are encouraged to sit in different areas and converse with different members. Except for K8JK, president emeritus, who anchors the same seat every morning. ______Next Klub Meeting

The next Klub meeting will be Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at the Livingston County EMS, located at 1911 Tooley Rd, Howell, MI 48855, at 7:30 PM. Members and friends are welcome. Klub meetings typically are held on the second Wednesday of each month at this location. Informal gathering of the troops occurs sometime around 7:00 PM, for the swapping of lies and insults. Please participate in the 50/50 drawing and prize drawing, which are held at the conclusion of the meeting. Tickets to be purchased from the Klub treasurer as soon as she arrives and sets up. A special mystery person will select the winning tickets.

Upcoming Meeting Presentations

Feb 13: "Personalities in Amateur Radio", Tim Crane, WM8A, District Emergency Coordinator District 1

March 13: "Classic Radio", Spencer Schubbe, N8AP

LARK Two Meter Net The LARK two meter net is held on Thursday evenings at 8:00 PM on the Klub's two meter repeater, 146.68 Mhz (negative offset, 162.2 hz CTCSS). Michigan ARRL representatives Dale Williams WA8EFK, Great Lakes Division Director Thomas Delaney W8WTD, Great Lakes Division Vice Director Jim Kvochick K8JK, Michigan Section Manager

Livingston Amateur Radio Klub P.O. Box 283 Howell, Mi 48844 www.W8LRK.org Klub Call: W8LRK The LARK is an ARRL Affiliated Club

Board Members of the LARK Darrell Black W8DSB President Mark Bennett K8ACM Vice President Stacy Black N8NYK Treasurer Todd (Dante) Kube KD8WPX Secretary Reece Albright KB0KSU Director (Member at Large) Jason Biehl W8JMB Technical Director Larry Kube KD8VKW Program Director