DARC NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2003
President: Dan Farwell W8EQA V.P.: Casey Lofthouse KD7HUS Treasurer:Travis Lofthouse KD7FRN Secretary: Chuck Hardy KD7RZF
Board of Directors: Al Mott, Ron Sappington, Duane Beecher
With the New Year comes the time to renew your support for
the DARC. Club membership and dues are still only $15.00 yearly.
Please mail your checks payable to “DARC”
And mail them to our club address:
Dixie Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 422
Santa Clara, UT 84765
The DARC club meeting will be the third Wednesday of February the 19th at 7:00 PM in the old Harmon’s building at 55 S. and 900 E.
There will be a VE session before the club meeting at 6:00 PM.
The VE test fee will be $12 for 2003
If you are a VE and would like to help please contact Ron Sappington, WI7Z at 673-4552 or 467-4552.
At our next meeting George Mackley, WI7E will help us to rediscover the thrill of the crystal radio. George challenges anyone that has a crystal radio or would like to build one by meeting time to please come and share your handy work. Have an old pair of 2000-ohm headphones? Bring ‘em with you to the meeting
Dixie Amateur Radio Club
Bank Balance: $1091.48
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Dan Farwell was born April 3, 1947 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He was first licensed in 1961 in Chicago, Illinois as K9HNS. In 1963 his family moved to Ohio and he received his current call sign W8EQA.
He currently resides at 95 North and 2300 East in St George with his wife Melody, W7RRR.
Melody was born in Henderson, Nevada. She was first licensed in 1997 as KC7SIB. They share their abode with a large collection of ham radio equipment and four cats!
Dan and Melody are both Extra class hams and enjoy most of the diverse modes that amateur radio has to offer.
Melody prefers Single Sideband and PSK-31. Dan spends most of his time on CW but can often be heard in the SSB and RTTY pileups!
Melody works as a legal assistant at Snow, Jensen and Reece law firm.
And Dan is an electronics technician at the WAL*MART distribution center in Hurricane, Utah.
Dan has been involved with the DARC since 1996 and currently serves as their president. They both enjoy Field Day and Hamfests.
To check the status of our PRB-1 amateur radio antenna bill now in the Utah state legislature please check this website: http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2003/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0079.htm
The
Eastern Idaho UHF Society (EIUHFS) in conjunction with the Eagle Rock Amateur
Radio Club will be hosting an ARRL Sanctioned Ham Fest in Idaho Falls, Idaho on
Saturday April 26, 2003.
Please
let everyone in your know about this event. Also, could you list this
event on your website if you have one?
Beginning list of Door Prizes with
more to come:
-Kenwood
TH-D7A(G) Dual Band HT
- Yaesu VX-150
VHF HT
- and
"more" goodies coming
Visit our web site for updates!!!!
http://mycable.cableone.net/wa4vrv/hamfest.htm
CONTACT:
Jay C. Greenberg Hamfest Chairman, wa4vrv@arrl.net
, (208) 524-1388 (H)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
New E-Mail Address for John Hunt, K7XE:
Voice over Internet protocol, better known as VoIP, is not new. People have been enjoying voice communications over the Internet for years.
What is new is the latest Amateur Radio applications of VoIP. Rather than relying on ionospheric propagation for long-distance communication, a growing number of hams are using the Internet in combination with VHF or UHF FM transceivers to span hundreds or thousands of miles.*
The February 2003 QST has a great article starting on page 44 but is too lengthy to reproduce here. This article outlines this new communication forefront.
Here are some of the Internet sites that can teach you more about these modes. Most of the software is free and at least five different types to choose from: IRLP, Echolink (the easiest and most popular!), iLink, eQSO and WIRESII.
*Reprinted from February 2003 QST- Copyright ARRL.
After 28 years I was a bit rusty. I had no idea of where ham
radio had been or where it was now.
HAM RADIO REBORN…
While I was driving in town one day I spied a tri-band beam on a tower and boldly walked up and introduced myself to the ham of the house (we hams sometimes loose all social inhibitions and do stuff like that!!)
He was very cordial and receptive and invited me to have a look at his rig. He explained that he was going blind and having difficulty operating.
As we talked I explained that I had been an operator once upon a time and now REALLY wanted to get started again by catching up on the Morse code and going at least for my general grade license.
He suggested that the best way to get back into the code was to get some kind of a receiver. As I plead monetary ignorance and explained that this was still a pipe dream and no ham radio fund existed at home he said, …”Follow me”.
We made our way out to his workshop / garage / ancient ham radio repository.
He pushed some pieces around the bench top and finally uncovered a huge dust –covered receiver. It was a WWII unit that had been rack mounted and had no outer cabinet. There was a very neat little mouse nest situated among the tubes. I wiped away the dirt “Hammarlund
Super Pro” WOW, a Hammarlund receiver. I knew that name but of course this was way before my time.
“Take it, let me know if it works or not, I may have a tube or two for it.”
I didn’t ask twice, I hardly noticed that it weighed nearly 80 pounds.
I got it all cleaned and turned it on to warm up. (He had said that was a good idea in case it hadn’t been turned on for a while.)
I hooked up a piece of zip chord to the antenna connector, plugged in an old pair of headphones and VIOLA it was alive.
Days of bliss ensued as I recalibrated my mind to where the cw bands were and rediscovered the W1AW code practice sessions.
I started thinking hard about the theory… now where can I get a current license manual? Of course the library!
I consumed every book on ham radio the library had to offer in a week or so.
Then I finally sent away for a brand new license manual just to make sure the question pool would be accurate.
And so Ham Radio was reborn in me after lying dormant for 28 years.
There was no turning back. I was thoroughly motivated to have my own station again one day soon!
Within six months I had my extra class ticket and I vowed to NEVER let that license expire again!
Dan W8EQA
UPCOMING EVENTS:
AES Hamfest- 4640 S. Polaris Ave. Las Vegas, NV- First Saturday of every month starts at 7:00 AM
ARRL CW DX Contest: Feb. 15-16, 2003
ARRL SSB DX Contest March 1-2, 2003
CQ WW 160-Meter SSB Contest February 22, 2003
2003 ARRL Rocky Mtn. Division Convention May 30-31, 2003
Estes Park, CO. www.hamconcolorado.org
The DARC Field Day- June 28-29 at Santa Clara Park.
Utah Hamfest Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon, UT July 11-13
Fort Tuthill Hamfest, Flagstaff, AZ July 25-27
Please direct any questions or desires about this newsletter to:
Dan Farwell W8EQA – 688-1609 – w8eqa@infowest.com
Don’t Forget the DARC Sunday
evening net-146.91- at 7:00 PM