The Big Island Amateur Radio Club Newsletter Hawai‘i Island June 2014

President’s message

Makani Pahili This photo taken in 2013 translates into shows Hurricane ‘Winds Twisting’ Flossie Dear BIARC members: bearing Makani Pahili is Hawaiian for Hurricane: down on “Winds Twisting.” Makani Pahili is also the . name given to the hurricane disaster exercise Flossie held annually in the State of Hawaii; ushering became a in Hurricane Season (June 1 through November Category 3 30). Each year, Hawaii State Civil Defense, Hurricane in conjunction with Federal, State, and County before it partners pretend a Cat-4 arrived on Hurricane, as a worst case Hawaii plausible scenario, impacts Island as Hawaii and role plays each Tropical year varying aspects of emer- Storm gency response and recovery. Flossie. The most well-known hurri- canes to visit Hawaii in recent years were Hurricane Iwa in 1982 and in 1992. In 1871, Hawaii Island was also visited by a hurricane. HANSON Damage was limited to North Kohala. This Photo event was known as Kohala Cyclone. Trees courtesy were uprooted and houses destroyed by high of NOAA winds compared to the noise of 10 train loco- motives. Last year (2013), Hurricane Flossie, year’s Cat-4 Hurricane. This year’s script will themselves with the needs and requirements of peaked at a Cat-3 Hurricane and just days most likely read like a Hollywood disaster emergency authorities. Realignment is nothing before arriving in Hawaii as a tropical storm. movie for Hawaii Island with thousands of new. After 9-11, emergency authorities were Although it is possible for hurricanes to houses and businesses damaged or destroyed, asked to realign their functions to the National impact Hawaii, history however demon- whole populations displaced, and local limited Incident Management System (NIMS) and to strates low probability; a welcomed relief as resources pushed to their targeted testing and/ the Incident Command System (ICS). There an encounter will most likely cause bil- or breaking points. Last year, amateur radio was resistance and resentment in certain circles lions in property damage and upset society made its début in Makani Pahili and that was while in others the change was welcomed. and the local economy for years after. on Hawaii Island. This year, most if not all Those organizations that moved forward and In 2010, computer modeling was used in counties will be featuring amateur radio in embraced change found themselves making Makani Pahili for the first time. The scenario their scenarios. Hawaii Island will, but still a positive difference in emergency manage- that year was a Cat-4 with Honolulu being in a minor role. 2015 Makani Pahili could be ment. It is my desire to see BIARC members, ground zero and the results were clear that different. 2015 or 2016 could be a landmark individual operators, and other amateur clubs Honolulu could potential sustain damage year for amateur radio in Makani Pahili. embrace the direction the nation, state, and that could revile that of Katrina. This year, I see a day when local emergency response and county is heading in with amateur radio. Makani Pahili comes to an Island near you. recovery agencies will recognize amateur radio Bill Hanson Hawaii Island takes center stage in playing as a formal resource. The key will be amateur NOCAN the role of the initial impact point for this radio operators and radio organizations aligning President Big Island Amateur Radio Club

P.O. Box 1938, Hilo, HI 96721 www.biarc.net Officers for Calendar Year 2014 President: Bill Hanson, N0CAN, 989-4700 Vice President: Milt Nodacker, AH6I, 965-6471 Secretary: Leigh Critchlow, WH6DZX, 930-7330 Treasurer: George Bezilla, WH6EFN, 961-6323 Directors — 2014-2015 Toni Robert, N0INK, 937-2183 Directors — 2013-2014 Mary Brewer, WH6DYW, 985-9595 John Buck, KH7T, 885-9718 Repeaters John Bush, KH6DLK/V63JB, 935-5500 * Linked to other repeaters covering the Big Island and (Club License Trustee: . Paul Ducasse, WH7BR, 985-9222) ** Linked to the WIN system, which includes Standing Committees (as of December) 71 repeaters in the US, Australia, Canada and Japan. Service/Awards: vacant *** Linked to the XO network, Education & Testing: Milt Nodacker, AH6I Hawai‘i statewide. Contact WH6FM for info. Emergency: Paul Ducasse, WH7BR Equipment: Milt Nodacker, AH6I Health & Welfare: Barbara Darling, NH7FY Membership: vacant Hospitality: Jean Nodacker, WH7WT Newsletter: Leigh Critchlow, WH6DZX Repeater: Bob Schneider, AH6J Webmaster: Curt Knight, AH6RE Special Committees Hamfest Chair: Bob Schneider, AH6J co-Chair: Doug Wilson, KH7DQ QSL Bureau Chair: Barbara Darling, NH7FY Meetings and Get-Togethers Membership meetings: Second Saturday of each month at 2 p.m. at the Keaau Community Center Friday Lunches: A group meets for lunch every Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Kow’s Chinese Restau- rant in Hilo at 87 W. Kawailani St., just above Kinoole Street behind the Shell station. East Hawaii Net The East Hawai‘i Net meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8AM HST on the 146.76 MHz repeater. ARES Emergency Net Meets Saturday evening at 1900 HST on the 146.76 repeater. Backup is 146.76 simplex. All are welcome to check in. Minutes

Big Island 61st anniversary in ham radio. Amateur Radio Club Milt congratulated East general membership meeting Hawaii’s new licensees, May 10, 2014 including the very newest: Keaau Community Center Sharon McCartin, WH6ELV, The meeting was con- who drew a round of ap- vened at 2 p.m. by President plause from the crowd. Bill Hanson, N0CAN. Milt, our program chair, said Also in attendance: Vice Presi- he had tried to get a speaker dent Milt Nodacker, AH6I; to come and discuss amateur Treasurer George Bezilla, radio contesting, but got no WH6EFN; Secretary Leigh takers. So, he put together Critchlow, WH6DZX; Direc- a ham-oriented takeoff on tors Mary Brewer, WH6DYW; the “Wide World of Sports.” Toni Robert, N0INK; John He called it the “Wide Buck, KH7T; John Bush, KH- World of Amateur Radio.” 6DLK; members Paul Lakin, Milt started his presentation WH6DYX; Arlen DeLima, off, naturally, with “... in the WH6EJZ; Sharon McCartin, beginning,” and what followed WH6ELV; Bob Schneider, was a fun and informative AH6J; Jean Nodacker, WH- look at ham radio as science, 7WT; Ray Dustin, N5NNK; engineering, humanitarian and Peggy Gentle, KE6TIS; Linda hobby-promoting — all rolled Quarberg, WH6LQ; Sid Sell- into one, including “Amateur ers, NH7OD; Sheena Sunio, Radio as an Extreme Sport.” WH6EJR; Scott Bosshardt, Text and graphics can KH7SB; Andre Robert, be viewed in this edi- WH6EBA; Robert Oliver, tion of the newsletter. Photo by Bill Hanson, N0CAN NH6AH; Doug Wilson, KH- Following Milt’s pro- BIARC Program Committee Chair Milt 7DQ; Richard Darling, AH7G; gram, the group took a Nodacker entertains the membership with his Barbara Darling, NH7FY; break for another of Jean’s report on the “Wide World of Amateur Radio.” Mike Last, NH7JT; Chuck Ep- lovely dessert buffets. person, AH6SC; Sean Fendt, Business meeting nor and the mayors of Kauai, BIARC members to gather KH6SF; Kim Fendt, WH- June meeting program: Meet- Maui and Honolulu. See the for an Independence Day 6KIM; Bill Carlson, KH7E. ing will be held at regular time proclamation from Mayor potluck picnic on their lovely Bob Schneider, the ARRL and location, 2 p.m. June 14, Billy Kenoi in this newsletter. lawn in Volcano. Parking will Pacific Section manager, of- but there will be no business President Bill said on Field be at a church a short walk fered ARRL applications to meeting. Milt will coordinate Day the club will get together away in the neighborhood. those in attendance who have activities to get the club geared for a 6 p.m. potuck at Wailoa Mary Brewer, chair of the not yet joined. And he noted up for the June 28 Field Day, Center. Planning sessions Volcano 4th of July celebra- that a new position has been including prepping and prac- continue and all members tion on Friday, July 4, said established, that of Section tice on contest operation and are invited to participate. there will be a triple-agency Youth Coordinator. Anyone the computer logging system See Bill for more info. booth manned by reps from the interested in finding out more used in contesting. Milt noted June link upgrades: Bill American Red Cross, Com- about the volunteer assign- that BIARC traditionally uses noted that in June, the $2,500 munity Emergency Response ment may contact him. the June meeting to focus on in carryover funding from Teams and BIARC. Marching Richard noted that it is a preparation for Field Day. 2013 will be used to upgrade in the parade also is planned, good time to contact the ARRL Field Day: Bob Schneider is the BIWARN system as the with lining up set for 8 a.m. station for the 100th anniversa- arranging for Amateur Radio linkage is switched over to and the parade getting under- ry of the organization. He said Week proclamations to be done microwave equipment. way at 9 a.m., winding up at by the time of the official anni- in tribute to Field Day and the BIARC Family Day on Cooper Center on Wright Road versary observance in July, he 100th anniversary of ARRL July 4: Doug Wilson and for fun activities until 1 p.m. will have celebrated his own from our mayor, the gover- Linda Quarberg have invited Mary encourages BIARC to Minutes march in the parade, to modify their motion in addition to man- to include corrections ning the informational to typos in the docu- booth. More details ment as well as the lat- on both 4th of July est wording changes. events will come at The membership voted the June meeting. unanimously to accept In furtherance of the revised bylaws, emergency commu- which will be posted nications on the Big on the BIARC web- Island, said Bill, four site, www.biarc.com. members of the Coun- Bill thanked Bylaws ty Council recently Committee Chair voiced support for Doug Wilson and the CEP Community his hard-working Emergency Prepared- committee for their ness expenditures of many hours of ef- $42,500 through Civil forts on behalf of the Defense — $16,000 club: “It was a tough of which is to set up a task, but somebody network of two-way had to do it.” radio capability in Under new business: island communities. Milt moved and Toni Minutes from the seconded a motion April 12 meeting were to establish special accepted as circu- membership catego- Photo by Bill Hanson, N0CAN lated in the newslet- ries. This motion was KH6 Bureau Manager Barbara Darling and volunteer cou- ter. George reported unanimously approved rier Chuck Epperson routinely make sure that thousands of QSL that our bank balance by members in at- cards are hand-delivered to hams on each year after arriv- stands at $4,200.75, tendance. There will ing at Hawaii QSL HQ — aka the Darling residence — which up from $4,115.75 at be full membership has handled more than 150,000 cards in the last five years, the previous meeting. for additional licensed about 75 percent of which have been for the island of Oahu. QSL Bureau Chief members of a family Barbara reported in which one person AH6SC, who works dall, KH6OO). receipt of 1,107 is already a regular Update: at Tripler Hospital I have a ham on cards in April, for a member, for licensed and lives here in Kauai, Mitch Oishi, year-to-date total of full-time students and KH6 Keaau, agreed to NH6JC, who helps 4,777. Most-recent for folks licensed at Hawaii hand deliver the over there. We really arrivals came from Field Day or later in cards to Oahu. appreciate all the hams in New Zea- a calendar year. All of QSL So, whenever works these men land, Australia, Israel these special member- he gets home for a do for the Bureau. and Connecticut. ships will cost half Bureau weekend, he calls me I do need to have The new BIARC By- the regular dues. Five years ago to see if I have cards a ham for the island laws — since the first The next BIARC BIARC agreed to to be taken over. He of Maui, as the man of the year the subject Board meeting will be take over the KH6 usually delivers them who was doing it is of a series of draft- at 5:30 p.m. May 27 at Bureau for the entire to the USS Mis- now a Silent Key. ing and then revising the Keaau Community state of Hawaii. souri. There are at We have many sessions, and mem- Center. The next mem- Since that time, least three hams over hams who have Ha- ber discussion, and bership meeting will we have handled there who take care waii call signs now subsequent tweaking be at 2 p.m. June 14 over 150,000 cards. of distributing them living on the main- to reflect member con- at the same location. I think about 75 at the different club land. All of these cerns — were adopted. The meeting was percent of these meetings. (Kevin cards are mailed. Paul Lakin moved and adjourned at 4:30 p.m. cards are for the Bogan, AH6QO; — 73, Andre Robert second- Respectfully island of Oahu. Ned Conklin, KH7JJ, Barbara, NH7FY, ed a motion to approve submitted, Chuck Epperson, and William Ken- Bureau Manager the bylaws as revised. Leigh Critchlow Then the duo agreed Secretary

pROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT: July’s speaker will Our practice for the except that there will be Joe Speroni, AH0A, June meeting has been be training and practice from Oahu, who will to devote it to final on the N1MM com- present on “Sharing preparation for Field puter logging system Amateur Radio Sta- Day and dispense with and on contest operation tion Over Internet.” both a program and a for those planning on It is about a free service business meeting. Field Day operation. to use remote stations We will follow that Yes, there will be around the world. pattern to some extent, refreshments. — Milt Nodacker In the Beginning . . . In the Beginning…There were • In 1909, Robert E. Peary, arctic explor- no “radio professionals.” er, radiotelegraphed: “I found the Pole.” • All radio pioneers were experi- • In 1910 Marconi opened regular menters. Many of the basics of what American-European radiotelegraph would become radio communica- service, which several months later, tion came from investigations enabled an escaped British murderer into the nature of electric- to be apprehended on the high seas. ity and magnetism. • In 1912, the first transpacific -ra • During the 1860s, Scottish physi- diotelegraph service linked San cist James Clerk Maxwell pre- Francisco with Hawaii. dicted the existence of radio waves; • Overseas radiotelegraph service and in 1886, German Physicist developed slowly, Spark-gap transmit- ters with unexpected results: Heinrich Rudolph Hertz demonstrated that ters were very inefficient and unstable – U.S. to Europe on 110 and 100 meters rapid variations of electric current could be and caused a high amount of interfer- – Australia, New Zealand, and projected into space in the form of radio ence. The Alexanderson high-frequency South Africa on 40 meters waves similar to those of light and heat. alternator and the De Forest tube resolved – Transcontinental daytime on 20 meters • Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inven- many of these early technical problems. As amateurs successfully ex- tor, proved the feasibility of radio com- • Military Use and Patent Control perimented with these new wave- munication. He sent and received his When the United States entered the first lengths, commercial stations moved first radio signal in Italy in 1895. By world war in 1917, all radio develop- in, creating chaos. As the new 1899 he flashed the first wireless sig- ment was controlled by the U.S. Navy to frequencies were divided up, the ARRL nal across the English Channel and two prevent its possible use by enemy spies. wisely reserved bands at 80, 40, 20, years later received the letter “S,” The U.S. government took over control and even 5 meters for amateur use. telegraphed from England to Newfound- of all patents related to radio technology. International Call signs: land. This was the first successful trans- • In 1919, after the government released • As the distance of communication atlantic radiotelegraph message in 1902. its control of all patents, the Radio became worldwide, it became neces- • In addition to Marconi, two of his Corporation of America (RCA) was sary to create call signs that indi- contemporaries Nikola Tesla and Na- established with the purpose of distrib- cated the country of the licensee. than Stufflefield took out patents uting control of the radio patents that • By 1923 amateurs began using for wireless radio transmitters. had been restricted during the war. what they called “international in- Nikola Tesla is now credited with being Too many stations: termediates” to indicate their coun- the first person to patent radio technology; • By 1912 there were numerous try. U.S. amateurs used u, so the Supreme Court overturned Mar- government and commercial sta- Maxim’s 1AW became u 1AW. Later coni’s patent in 1943 in favor of Tesla. tions and hundreds of amateurs. modification of this included a letter for • Radio-telegraphy is the sending by radio • There was so much interfer- the continent so Maxim became nu 1AW. waves the same dot-dash message (morse ence that laws, licenses and wave- International Call signs: code) used in a telegraph. Transmitters at length specifications appeared. • By the late 1920s it became ob- that time were called spark-gap machines. • What about the amateurs? vious that call signs needed to It was developed mainly for ship-to-shore “Amateurs...We’ll stick them on 200 be internationally assigned. and ship-to-ship communication. This meters and below; they’ll never get • At the 1927 Washington Conference, was a way of communicating between out of their back yards with that.” the U.S. was assigned K, N and W for two points, however, it was not radio The first licenses: prefixes. Initially K and W were used, communications as we know it today. • Prior to 1912, amateurs made up with W for continental U.S. and K for • Wireless signals proved effective their own call signs. In 1911, Hiram offshore territories. Maxim’s call became in communication for rescue work Percy Maxim, founder of ARRL, used W1AW; K7ADY & K6BT were early when a sea disaster occurred. A num- SNY as his self-assigned call sign. licensees, respectively, in Alaska & Hawaii. ber of ocean liners installed wireless • The first government assigned amateur International Call signs: equipment. In 1899 the United States license call signs consisted of a numeral • The block AA – AL was added Army established wireless com- indicating the region of the country and for U.S. use in 1927. N calls were munications with a lightship off two or three letters issued sequentially. first issued to amateurs in 1975 Fire Island, New York. Two years • Maxim became 1AW. and AA-AL calls in 1977. later the Navy adopted a wireless The first challenge -- Distance: • There have been a lot of changes system. Up to then, the Navy had • Remember, “We’ll stick them in call signs over the years: been using visual signaling and hom- on 200 meters and below….”? – Distinctive calls for Nov- ing pigeons for communication. • Despite the prediction that the ama- ice licensees and repeaters • In 1901, radiotelegraph service was teurs would “never get out of their – Following WWII some ‘K’ callsigns instituted between five Hawaiian Islands. back yards” on 200 meters and below, were not issued by the FCC, but by • By 1903, a Marconi station located communications grew in distance with military (occupation) governments: KT1 in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, carried an two-way contacts from 500 to as for Tangier Zone of Morocco, KG1 for exchange of greetings between President much as 1,000 miles on 200 meters. Greenland, KA for US Troops in Japan. Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII. Technical innovation: Ten Call Areas: In 1905 the naval battle of Port Ar- • As transmitters and receivers im- • Even before WWII, some call ar- thur in the Russo-Japanese war proved, the new DX goal was two-way eas were running out of call signs and was reported by wireless. communication across the Atlantic. had to begin “recycling” old calls. In 1906 the U.S. Weather Bureau Moving On Up: • In 1945 the FCC accepted the ARRL experimented with radiotelegraphy to • Hams began experimenting with proposal to create another call area – speed notice of weather conditions. wavelengths shorter than 200 me- zero – to provide more call signs. Call signs now: QSL Cards: Television: • Until 1978 amateurs who • “QSL” in Q codes means • Amateurs have been involved in moved to a different call area had “I confirm contact.” image transmission from the be- to be issued a new call sign. • QSL cards are postcard-size verifi- ginning of these technologies. • A major change now is that call sign cations that are mailed or sent to the • Fast-scan full-motion television can is based on mailing address rather other station through a QSL bureau. only be transmitted in the UHF range than physical location of the station. These are used to verify DX awards. because of its wide bandwidth. The FCC doesn’t even collect sta- • Information on the card includes the • Slow-scan television transmits its tion location information any more. date and time of the picture in a voice-bandwidth signal. • The obvious use for radio communica- contact, the call signs About 15 seconds is required tions was to send messages over distances, of both stations, signal to send a complete frame. but the operating distances were usually quality, information More Adventures: shorter than the distance the about station equipment • Earth-moon-earth (EME or moon- messages needed to go. and operator’s name. bounce) communicates by reflecting a sig- • The answer was to relay messages from DXpeditions and nal off the moon’s surface back to earth. station to station to reach the destination. “Amateur Radio as an • Space communication uses ama- • To meet the need for a relay orga- Extreme Sport.” Case in teur radio satellites to communicate nization, the American Radio Relay point: Scarborough Reef DXpedition 2007 with the International Space Station League was formed in 1914. Hiram (BS7H) and other Extreme Hamming, • Remember: Use the least power that will Percy Maxim was one of the founders. Mountaintopping... accomplish the communication. QRP opera- National Traffic System: More Frequencies, More modes: tion takes that to heart, operating DX with • The National Traffic System (NTS) is • First there was Morse Code — radio- minimum power, 5 watts or less and often a structure that allows for rapid move- telegraphy — the original digital mode. mere fractions of a watt. Results can be ment of traffic from origin to destina- The “straight key.” Some are beauti- amazing. tion and training amateur operators to fully made. Some just get’r done. Homebrewing: handle written traffic and participate • The semi-automatic key or “bug” • In the beginning, radio amateurs built in directed nets. These two objec- makes the dots. The operator makes all of their own equipment, because that tives, which sometimes conflict the dashes. Some of these are beau- was the only way to get it. with each other, are the underly- tiful pieces of machinery. • As equipment became ing foundations of the NTS. • The electronic keyer makes the dots more complex and capable, • The NTS handbook is at arrl.org. and dashes. Many modern HF trans- more amateurs purchased • The National Traffic System op- ceivers have keyers built in and need equipment ready to oper- erates daily, even continuously only paddles added to operate. ate. They were derided as with advanced digital links. • The Morse keyboard generates “appliance operators” • The personnel consist of operators who the code when you press the key. by the oldtimers. participate for one or two periods a week, • Useful phrases and call signs can also be • An intermedi- and some of whom are active daily. The programmed for one-button transmission. ate stage was equipment built from National Traffic System is an organized • Radiotelephony or “phone” transmis- kits, such as the famous Heathkits. effort to handle traffic in accordance with sion was the next goal. This brought Contesting: a plan which is easily understood, and the possibility of radio as an enter- • Contesting is a very popular ama- employs modern methods of network traf- tainment medium to the public. teur radio activity. There is seemingly fic handling in general acceptance today. • Amplitude modulation (AM) imposed some contest or other going on all the Traffic Nets: an audio signal on the radio carrier by time, or at least every weekend. • Most nets except the most informal at varying the power output of the trans- • The object of the contest is to con- least pay lip service to traffic handling. mitter in step with the desired sound. tact as many stations as possible dur- • Net preambles call first for stations • Amplitude modulation is easy to ing the contest period. The number with emergency or priority traffic to be produce and easy to demodulate. of contacts is calculated by the use checked in before taking other stations. • As technology advanced and vac- of “multipliers” to reach a score. • Stations are commonly asked to list traf- uum tubes became more capable, Contest operation: fic they have to handle when checking in. Frequency Modulation (FM) be- • The “contest exchange” is the required Distance as a Sport: came possible, with its advantages information which must be exchanged • DX (ham talk for operating longer of wider bandwidths for modulation between stations for a valid contact. distances) has always been one of the and better signal-to-noise ratios. • Typical exchanges may include great thrills of amateur operation. Text: callsign, station location, signal re- • As the hobby developed, award pro- • Early text transmission used the port, operator name, serial number. grams for contacting distant stations came same motorized, mechanical equip- • Accurate logs of contacts must to be offered by various organizations. ment as landline teletype stations. be kept and submitted in accor- • Verification of the contact with the dis- • The modulation was frequency shift dance with the contest instructions. tant station is by exchange of QSL cards. keying in which the carrier frequency Computer logs are usually used. Worked All Continents: was shifted to indicate the “mark” and ARRL Field Day: Two-way contact with all six conti- “space” conditions of the signal. Object: To work as many stations as nents. (North America, South America, • More modern text systems use possible on any and all amateur bands Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania) all electronic coding including er- (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-me- Two-way contact with all six conti- ror correction algorithms. ter bands) and in doing so to learn nents on each of the five major bands. • Modern text systems can be very to operate in abnormal situations in Worked All States: useful in emergency operations, be- less than optimal conditions. A pre- Lots of endorsements are available ing able to pull a readable signal mium is placed on developing skills for additional bands and modes. out of extreme noise conditions. to meet the challenges of emer- Two-way contact with all 50 • Text systems can provide error correc- gency preparedness as well as to ac- states from a single location. tion, automatic acknowledgement of re- quaint the general public with the DX Century Club: Two-way contact ceipt & printed copies for both sender and capabilities of Amateur Radio. with at least 100 DX “entities.” receiver. Come to the June meeting, to learn more. Our readers write Caution! Watch out for Counterfeit Radios I recently had occasion to deal with Icom Tech Support and with a counterfeit Icom handheld over some programming issues. The events weren’t actually related, though they happened on the same day. I called Icom Tech Support about some unsuccessful attempts to clone two new IC-V80 handhelds I had purchased for friends. They con- sistently gave me cloning errors. A call for ‘basic civility’ rather than completing the process. Lee C. Wical, S.K. When I first told the tech rep I had Dear Editor, just purchased two new IC-V80s his We are sad to report Lee As a BIARC member, I want to address the first response was, “I’m sorry.” C. Wical, KH6BZF passed BIARC membership. I am very concerned As we talked he realized that these away May 2 at the age about our need to return to basic civility in our were genuine Icoms purchased of 79. He had been in declining radio life. The May BIARC meeting was a good through the Icom dealer network. Our health in recent years. He was the example. We need to give members a chance conclusion was that the newer ra- equivalent of Pacific Sec- to speak, and we need the Board and member- dios might have a different firmware tion Manager from 1962 to ship to listen and respond in an appropriate version than my old one I was trying 1972. He was an avid and respectful manner, one speaker at a time. to clone from. We worked through DXer with DXCC honor roll at 358 Also, I have some trouble with my hearing, a solution for getting the program- countries, a propagation forecaster, and the constant conversation, even at a low ming done and he called back later ARRL Charter Life member and level, makes it hard to catch everything said to see how things had worked out. I VE for both W5YI and ARRL. by the person who has the floor. Please try was impressed with the service. He claims his interest in to be more considerate of other members. Another thing that impressed me Amateur Radio started in Ohio I am floored by the hostility encountered was his first assumption that the while in the Boy Scouts and by the members who have formed a different radios were counterfeits. He said he got his Novice in interest group in the form of Puna Emergency there are a lot of them out there. 1955 in Hawaii. Radio Club. There are those who see good in Later that same day I had occasion He was in the service during the both our groups. BIARC was not meeting the to deal with one. A friend had called Korean conflict and worked at vari- needs for a stand-alone repeater. This is espe- me to ask for some programming help ous Electrical Engineering positions cially true during times when the linked Kulani with his new Icom IC-V85 that he had for the Federal Govern- repeater system has been commandeered for gotten a fantastic deal on. Brand new ment for 36 years. At one any kind of emergency net purposes. We are in the box — only $80. And it came time he was State MARS hams, we want to find out what’s going on in all the way from China in only two director plus various other positions our local group. This is a need I saw as going days! But it wasn’t programming the in other organizations. He wrote unmet, and ignored. PERC wants to be more way the manual said it should. We articles for various publications. active in training and events to practice our sat down with radio and manual and After the federal jobs, he worked radio skills, but, remember, we are not just found out that wasn’t the only thing for AT&T and Lucent Technologies some arm of Civil Defense or ARRL. We are that was different. We figured out and finally retired for good in 1997. a group of hobbyists with varied interests. a work-around on the programming He occasionally prepared Speaking of personal issues, I think that problem (the offset switched direc- the ARRL Propagation Bul- the issues around Todd, WH6DWF, should be tion when you stored to memory). letin for W1AW. He was put out in the open. I never heard anything on If you buy a name brand radio other an ARRL Diamond Club mem- the radio that would make me think he should than through the dealer network ber and also belonged to the be banned from the BIARC repeater system. it’s probably as phony as the Rolex ARRL Legacy Circle I did read one of the emails from him that was watch you buy from the guy on the and had included the not productive to group goals. Yes, he should street corner. This is especially true ARRL in his estate. have been censured from the PERC group, if it ships from China at a “really — Thanks to Rich Gelber, and he was. What I fail to see is how BIARC great price.” If you have a prob- K2WR, Tetsuo Tanaka, AH7C, can ban him from using the repeater without a lem with it and call for tech support, and ARRL for the information. public membership discussion of his alleged they’re just going to laugh at you. action, and the potential ways to handle this Do yourself a favor and use — Robert L Schneider, AH6J problem. Is he entitled to a personal opinion? the authorized dealers. It’s as [email protected] Yes. I believe that his banishment is an excellent true in ham radio as anywhere ARRL Pacific Section Manager example of the type of issue this club needs to else. You get what you pay for. (an excerpt from the) keep aboveboard and public, so that, as a group, Pacific SM Report for May we can deal with conduct issues that concern us. — Milt Nodacker, AH6I — Peggy Gentle, KE6TIS Bob Schneider, AH6J, ARRL Pacific Section manager, and Darryl Oliveira, administrator of the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, display the County of Hawaii proclamation from Mayor Billy Kenoi recognizing June 23-29 as “Amateur Radio Week” in Hawaii County and paying tribute to Field Day events taking place June 28-29, where amateur radio clubs and operators will set up and demonstrate emergency communi- cations operations. BIARC’s Field Day sites will be at Hilo Walmart and Wailoa Center.

Photo by Bill Hanson

Field Day is June 28 CW Challenge is on! Here’s a user-friendly way to get ready for Field Day in Hilo Learn the Morse Code Sound Equiva- lents and become a CW operator for the BIARC ARRL Field Day on June 28. Sound Equivalents A di-dah B dah-di-di-dit C dah-di-dah-dit D dah-di-dit E dit F di-di-dah-dit G dah-dah-dit H di-di-di-dit I di-dit J di-dah-dah-dah K dah-di-dah L di-dah-di-dit M dah-dah N dah-dit O dah-dah-dah P di-dah-dah-dit Photos by Robert Oliver, NH6AH Q dah-dah-di-dah Volunteers attend one of the recent planning R di-dah-dit sessions for the June 28 ARRL Field Day in Hilo. S di-di-dit T dah U di-di-dah V di-di-di-dah Field Day, W di-dah-dah X dah-di-di-dah an overview Z dah-dah-di-di ARRL Field Day is 1 di-dah-dah-dah-dah the single most popu- 2 di-di-dah-dah-dah lar on-the-air event 3 di-di-di-dah-dah held annually in the 4 di-di-di-di-dah US and Canada. 5 di-di-di-di-di On the fourth 6 dah-di-di-di-dit weekend of June 7 dah-dah-di-di-dit of each year, more 8 dah-dah-dah-di-dit than 35,000 radio 9 dah-dah-dah-dah-dit amateurs gather with 0 dah-dah-dah-dah-dah their clubs, groups or simply with This sound equivalent learn- friends to oper- ing device was published by the ate from remote Radio Society of Great Britain locations. in London, WCIN2AE, in 1979. Field Day is a (By R.J. Eckersly, G4FTJ) picnic, a campout, practice for emer- Those who want to learn the International gencies, an infor- Morse Code will find this a real tool. mal contest and, Spelling out words in your mind, you can most of all, FUN! master the code without any equipment. It is a time where Robert Schneider, KH6J, is donat- many aspects of ing some old exam material which may Amateur Radio come be a listening aid. Those interested together to highlight may call my office number, 969-9993, our many roles. for a CD copy of this material. While some will treat Since time is very limited to get started it as a contest, before the FD event, contact me right other groups use away. Find a buddy and practice together. the opportunity to practice their — 73, Robert Oliver, NH6AH A CW instruction presentation board. emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate 10-meter mission in 2014 Amateur Radio to the organiza- tions that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, Everyone invited to get on the air as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field All Techni- Day is one of the highlights cian Class of their annual calendar. Licensees The contest part is simply to contact have 10-meter as many other stations as possible and privileges, to learn to operate our radio gear in so try your abnormal situations and less hand on HF! than optimal conditions. For further We use these same skills when details, check we help with events such as out www. marathons and bike-a-thons; ten-ten.org. fund-raisers such as walka- The Aloha thons; celebrations such as parades; Chapter of and exhibits at fairs, malls and muse- Ten-Ten Inter- ums — these are all large, preplanned, national Net, non-emergency activities. Inc. meets on But despite the development 28.490 MHz, of very complex, modern com- with an alter- munications systems — or nate frequency maybe because they ARE so of 28.487MHz, complex — ham radio has been called every Monday into action again and again to provide evening at 6:30 communications in crises when it p.m. HST. If really matters. Amateur Ra- you don’t hear dio people (also called “hams”) me, don’t just are well known for our com- listen, call munications support in real “CQ!” Help disaster and post-disaster situations. keep 10 meters What is the ARRL? in amateur The American Radio Relay Photo by Curt Knight, AH6RE radio hands. League is the 150,000+ mem- Thanks ber national association for Irene Kubica, NH7PE, is an avid member of Ten- and aloha. Amateur Radio in the USA. Ten International and encourages other hams to —Irene, ARRL is the primary source get involved in this enriching, multifaceted hobby. NH7PE of information about what is going on in ham radio. It pro- vides books, news, support and information for individuals area of the 10-meter possible to work the and clubs, special events, con- 10-10 QSO band, using only PSK. same call 6 times, tinuing education classes and Open Season event once in each of the other benefits for its members. Parties offer logs will be accepted various modes, for a The Amateur Radio frequencies from ALL amateurs! total of 12 points for are the last remaining place in the fun chance Hitch up your jeans just one call sign! usable radio spectrum where an to meet folks and get ready for Current informa- individual can develop and ex- The Spirit of 76 QSO tion about 10-10 and periment with wireless com- around world Party. This event will upcoming 10-10 QSO munications. Hams not only run for 7 days, and be Parties and events can make and modify their Ten-Ten QSO Parties held around the Fourth always is available on equipment, but can create whole are events held for fun of July each year. the 10-10 website. new ways to do things. For more and to meet old, new This year, it will be Cover sheets, log- info, visit: www.arrl.org. and prospective mem- held from 0001UTC ging forms and dupe bers around the world. on Monday, June sheets are available for 2010 Technician Question Open Season and The 30, to 23:59UTC on downloading or printing Pool expires at end of June Spirit of 76 QSO Parties Sunday, July 6. Make at http:/www.ten-ten. are specialty events and as many contacts as org. Any unanswered The 2010 question pool for the do have additional rules you can during the questions regarding the Technician exam expires at the beyond those guiding week using 6 modes. QSO Party rules may end of June. Beginning the first regular QSO Parties. The modes to be used, be forwarded to the of July, all Technician tests must Ten-Ten International and suggested frequen- QSO Party manager. use the new question pool. The Net’s Open Season cies to monitor, follow: Looking forward final BIARC testing session us- (PSK) QSO Party is 1) USB (28.345; 2) to hearing your ex- ing the present pool will be June 28 held on the first full RTTY (28.086); 3) periences on work- at Field Day in Hilo. For further weekend in June, which CW (28.050); 4) FM ing 10 meters! information, contact Milt, AH6I, falls on June 7-8 this (29.600); 5) PSK 965-6471 or [email protected]. year. Remember to (28.120), and 6) AM Aloha, — Milt Nodacker, AH6I remain in the digital (29.000). It will be Irene NH7PE June 2014 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Board Mtg 1700 hrs Makani Makani Makani Pahili Pahili Pahili

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 General General Class Meeting 1830 to 2030 1400 hrs 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Father’s General Day Class 1830 to 2030 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 General Field Day Class 8AM to 6PM 1830 to 2030 Walmart

29 30 Field Day 8AM end at Wailoa

BIARC 2014 www.calendarlabs.com June-July

July 2014 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 Board Mtg General Independence 1700 hrs Class Day - Volcano 1830 to 2030 BIARC Family Day 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 General General Meeting Class 1400 hrs 1830 to 2030

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 General Work Day Class Pepeekeo 1830 to 2030 Repeater Site

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VE Testing

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www.calendarlabs.com