QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/digests/infoham/940809.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-13 | 26KB

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 94 19:08:30 PDT
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Reply-To: [e-mail]
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #809
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Mon, 18 Jul 94       Volume 94 : Issue  809

Today's Topics:
                          2mtr Ht for blind
                              70cm band
                 Bicycle generates noise on 20 meters
        Exam cheating (was:Does CW as a pre-req REALLY Work?)
                 FCC delays - I contacted my senator
                   HEATHKIT radio clock and Linux?
                Need info on Wilson 460 mhz conversion
                     Reforming electrolytic caps
                         Travling Tips Wanted
                    Wanted: Dual Bander / Icom 1A

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
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Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 17:11:22 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!portal.austin.ibm.com!awdprime.austin.ibm.com![e-mail]
Subject: 2mtr Ht for blind
To: [e-mail]

In article <3094l6$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Noel Romey) writes:
>
> Dear hams,
>   I am waiting for my license to come.  I am a blind
> ham and am a tecnician.  Is there an ht that someone could
> recommend.  I have loned from someone an old icom but want more
> flexibility.  Respond email to this message please if you can.  Bye.

Be sure to thoroughly try out any HT you want to buy.  Lots of modern
HT's are difficult to operate even if you can see what the display says.
I can't imagine operating some of them at all without being able to
see the display.  It's too easy to hit the wrong button and get into
some wierd mode that you have to get out of to use the HT again.
--
Mickey McInnis - [e-mail] ([e-mail] outside IBM)
--

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 94 10:13:13 PDT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!csusac!citrus!earldom![e-mail]
Subject: 70cm band
To: [e-mail]

> Radio Shack has the HTX-404 on sale, and I considered playing with this
> band to get away from all the crapola on 2 meters - but, a few days
> of listening with the wife's scanner has shown there seems to be no
> activity here in central Ohio (Columbus). Is 440 a waste of time and
> money, or is there something out there I don't know about?

Hi Steve;

To show you how popular the band is out here in California, LA has NO
440 channels left for repeaters.  Sacramento (20 miles from me) is also
full.  I'm suprised that Columbus isn't packed as well.  There just ins't
as much activity on 440 as there is on 2-meters (we call it the CB band
out here).  But that is what is good about it.  You can even put up your
own repeater.  Most of the 440 repeaters out here are listed as "closed",
but you can usually listen for a while, then hop on and ask some questions
about the repeater.  Most the owners are very friendly, and won't care if
you use it.  Just ask.  The worse thing they can do is say "no".

To put up your own repeater, I'd recommend getting a Motorola Micor mobile.
They can be had for as little as $10 (or as much as $100).  Very easy to
convert into a repeater.  If you can't afford a duplexer, just run two
antennas (one for the tx, one for the rx).  After it is up a while, people
will start popping on, and you'll make friends and supporters in no time.
I did that here in Sacramento.  The hardest part is getting a site for the
repeater.  It can be done at no cost, but will take some ingenuity.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[phone]          Jim Earl - KB6KCP          [phone] x233
    (home)           [e-mail]              (work)

------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 14:15:54 -0500
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Bicycle generates noise on 20 meters
To: [e-mail]

This weekend I went for a bike ride using my MFJ 20 meter SSB travel radio and
hamstick antenna.  Using a headset and handlebar mounted PTT switch, I was
able to make contacts while riding, but I noticed that my bike creates a lot
of RF noise when it is moving.

I have two theories as to the cause of the noise:

1. The tires create static charges while rolling on the pavement.
2. The hubs create static charges as metal parts rub against each other.

I suspect #1 above, because the noise was mostly gone while riding on wet
roads after a rain shower.  The noise reappeared when the road dried out.

Does anyone out there in internet-land have any ideas as to the cause and
possible cures to this problem?

BTW, 20 meter bicycle-mobile really does work!  Propagation was lousy on
Saturday, but I still made contacts with North Dakota, Mississippi, Maine,
Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Cape Breton Island, and Dominica, using 12 Watts
into a hamstick antenna.

Please respond to [e-mail]

    73,
    Wayne Estes WD5FFH (Mundelein, IL)


--
Wayne A. Estes
Motorola Asia-Pacific Cellular Subscriber Division
600 N. U.S. Hwy. 45,  Rm. A-S345
Libertyville, IL 60048-1286
PHONE: [phone]       Z-MAIL: [e-mail]
FAX: [phone]         POST: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 18:32:49 GMT
From: tymix.Tymnet.COM!niagara![e-mail]
Subject: Exam cheating (was:Does CW as a pre-req REALLY Work?)
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jeffrey Herman) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> William=E.=[e-mail] writes:
>>
>> It's
>>always been expected that there would be cheating in the system from time to
>>time - it even happened with the FCC running the show.
>
>Could you follow up on this with some data?

It was back about twenty-five years ago that the head of the licensing
department at Gettysburg was found to be selling preferred amateur
callsigns under the table.

He was hung out to dry and the current system of you-get-the-next-one-in-
line-no-matter-what-so-don't-even-ask callsign assignment was put in place.

73, Dick
--
Dick Flanagan, W6OLD                             w6old@n6qmy.#nocal.ca.usa.na
[e-mail]                                 CIS:73672,751 GEnie:FLANAGAN

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 94 14:59:24 EDT
From: juniper.almaden.ibm.com![e-mail]
Subject: FCC delays - I contacted my senator
To: [e-mail]

Over 13 years ago when I received my ham license, delays were
running 14 weeks.  I remember taking my test at the FCC
office (this was before the VEC/VE program), passing, then
eagerly waiting for my license to arrive in the mail.

At the 10 week point, I was really wondering if I'd ever
see my license.  The FCC didn't give me a "receipt" to prove
that I passed, so I was wondering if would have to take the
test again.  I had no idea how long the license "should" have
taken, and I remember the FCC clerk in Baltimore telling me
that it was not a good idea to call the FCC office in Gettysburg.

After about 12 weeks, I wrote a letter to my US senator asking
him to intervene on my behalf.  One week later, the senator's
office telephoned me to tell me that my license would be processed
very shortly. A few days later, my ticket was in my hands.
I never found out if the senator's office's call made a
difference, but at least I knew that my license was on its way.
At the same time, the FCC became aware that my senator's
office knew of a problem.

So, try writing to your senator or congressperson.  It might
help your case, and it might help everyone waiting for a new
license.  Believe it or not, the FCC might even appreciate
your action, since they could get allocated more persons
to do license processing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
  Unless stated otherwise, the opinions expressed are my own.

Louis Wilen            [e-mail]          1-301-240-8117
  N5FFN                                      Gaithersburg, Maryland
---------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 18:10:27 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!fs1.ee.ubc.ca!bogomips![e-mail]
Subject: HEATHKIT radio clock and Linux?
To: [e-mail]

The Heathkit WWV clock has a serial output. I'd like to know how I can
hook this up to Linux so other machines can set their clocks
accurately (ie using rdate or xntp over packet or on the local
ethernet LAN).  I have code for something called "DCF" which is a
German radio.  Is this compatible or do I need something else? If the
DCF stuff is compatible, I see that the Linux patches are quite old,
and the serial port line discipline code has changed drastically, has
anyone updated the patches?


--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BogoMIPS Research Labs  --  bogosity research & simulation  --  VE7JPM  --
[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 22:34:58 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!csusac!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Need info on Wilson 460 mhz conversion
To: [e-mail]

I recently came across a couple Wilson programmable radios. Sorry, I can't
locate the model number, it must have been on a sticker that came off. The
s/n is still there, though. Anyway, this is the 10 channel 460 mhz radio
with the sloped front, the 2 digit LED display, and the membrane keypad.

I have figured out how to program it, and it will take an amateur band
freq. However, keying the mike will light the tx light, but the t/r
relay doesn't pull in.

Can this radio be made to work on 440? If so, how?

Is Wilson still around? If so, I'll call em.

Anyone have acces to any info on this radio? I'll gladly pay copying and
mailing charges.

FWTW, I did check the oak.oakland.edu ftp files for mods. No dice.

Thanks,

Chris  KD6DSI

------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 22:19:32 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!ziggy.ph.utexas.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Reforming electrolytic caps
To: [e-mail]

I am interested in obtaining a copy of the post which I think appeared
in this newsgroup several weeks ago concerning the reforming of
electrolytic capacitors.

To avoid inconveniencing other readers, I  would appreciate it if
someone could forward a copy to me via e-mail either to the above
address or, preferably, to [e-mail]

Thanks,
Barry W5KH

------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 22:50:59 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!uhog.mit.edu!news.mtholyoke.edu!news.byu.edu!hamblin.math.byu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Travling Tips Wanted
To: [e-mail]

I am planing to go to NY,NY arond the end of this month from Provo, near
Salt Lake City, Ut.

I am planing to tak I-70, I-76, 78 to 81, 80 or somthing like that.

Does anyone have any suggestion to which road to take???? As well as which
reapetor to moninor during this trip.


I would appricate any comments

thnx
tatsuya

p.s. please e-mail me





------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 12:45:58 -0700
From: elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!ctp.org![e-mail]
Subject: Wanted: Dual Bander / Icom 1A
To: [e-mail]

I'm looking for a dual/triple bander. I'll consider otehr models, but
these are the ones I am interested in:

Icom 1A
Kenwood 78A
Y - 530

Please email [e-mail]

Thanks

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 94 17:42:35 GMT
From: pacbell.com!amdahl!netcomsv!butch!enterprise![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>│£
Subject : Re: Opening up Kenwood battery pack

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Michael Stratford-Collins) writes:
|> [e-mail] (Michael White) writes:
|>
|> >J.D. Cronin wrote:
|>
|> >> I'd like to replace the NiCad cells in the battery pack...
|> >>There are no screws visible...It looks like the entire thing was glued.
|>
|> >Either glued or sonic welded, which amounts to the same thing. The only way
|> >I"ve found is to cut the case apart using a very sharp hobby knife. Be
|> >very, very careful, as you have to exert a lot of force, and one slip could
|> >cost you a finger. The case can be reassembled with glue pretty well, but
|> >it will never be perfect. Good luck.
|>
|> >Mike, N4PDY
|>
|> I've been successful using a 2", blunt chisel in the slot where the
|> 2 halves join. With a series of sharp blows from a hammer, I have
|> been able to break the weld, leaving the plastic intact to allow it
|> to be re-glued (now you see why a *blunt* chisel is required :-).

|> Michael Stratford Collins (KC6TCU)

I've also gone the chisel route with my Icom BP-84 packs.  I used
a sharp chisel and smacked it with the heel of my hand instead of
a hammer.  On the Icom packs, you have to break loose a panel
on the bottom of the pack for access.  Two common 3-cell ni-cad
AA cordless telephone packs from Radio Shack fit nicely with
slightly less capacity than the originals (but more than the dead
pack :-)   ).  Back on the air for less than $20.00!

George Lyle, N7TNJ

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 21:27:39 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsfeed.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu!olesun![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <3094l6$[e-mail]>, <O>, <[e-mail]>xen.c
Subject : Re: 2mtr Ht for blind

In article <[e-mail]>,
Mickey McInnis <[e-mail]> wrote:
>
>In article <3094l6$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Noel Romey) writes:
>>
>> Dear hams,
>>   I am waiting for my license to come.  I am a blind
>> ham and am a tecnician.  Is there an ht that someone could
>> recommend.  I have loned from someone an old icom but want more
>> flexibility.  Respond email to this message please if you can.  Bye.
>
A good freind of mine Martin WB4AGZ is blind and swears by the old
thumb wheel Icom. It is also my talky of choice when I realy need one
rather than the neat dj 580 I carry most of the time..

Gordon AB5DG
                             Gordon Couger
                             Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
                             Oklahoma State University
                             114 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK  74074
 [e-mail] 405-744-9763 day 624-2855 evenings
    I do not speak for my employer

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 94 17:33:16 GMT
From: netcomsv!butch!enterprise![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>l
Subject : Re: How do you police hams?

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Scott Hopson) writes:
|> David Feldman ([e-mail]) wrote:
|> :In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Scott Hopson) writes:
|> :>I recently tuned into a local repeater to hear an exchange of continued
|>
|> :Let me guess: 147.435?
|>
|> I think that was the freq...


Well m'boy, let me tell you a story.  I don't know the start, but I do
know the middle.  The end is yet to be...

In any hobby, there are going to be people who want to flaunt the
rules and regulations.  In hiking you have people cutting corners
on trails.  In flying, a few like to "bust minimums."  In chess,
some players are tempted to rearrange the board while their
opponent is not looking.  And, in Ham Radio, we have those who get
a thrill out of inappropriate language and subject matter on the air.

The Infamous '435 repeater is a gathering spot for these bizarre
individuals.  There they feel free to use profanity, hurl racial
epithets, retransmit recorded transmissions from elsewhere, ignore
common ham courtesy, and just about any other written or unwritten
rule.

Don't worry about using this machine.  Most of the regular users
seem to run considerable power and/or gain in order to climb to
the top of the heap of jammers.  I have heard LA basin stations
on the input of this box as far away as Paso Robles and Bishop.
Most users of this machine could probably communicate easier by
going simplex!

Unfortunately, these folks have garnered bad publicity for hams,
including a feature article in the LA Times entitled "Renegade
Hams."  Typical for the Times, letters sent by other hams
deploring the 435 misfits were not printed for weeks, and then
were buried deep within the paper.

One silver lining in the cloud is that the 435 machine seems to
attract and hold the attention of those who want to abuse their
operating priveleges.  This tends to keep the misfits from abusing
other repeaters.  It becomes obvious when the 435 machine is down,
as users quickly inflict their antics on other machines.

Oddly enough, some of the 435 users can be pretty good hams
when not on their repeater of choice.  I've bumped into a few on
other machines and did not even realize that they were 435 types
until I was clued in by others.

In an ideal world, I would advocate that the "Singapore Solution"
be applied to this problem.  In the real world, it seems best to
leave them be and simply ignore their garbage lest they trash up
those repeaters that are used courteously.

LA has developed an undeserved reputation for garbage on repeaters.
I think that this stems from hams visiting LA, scanning through
the band, and happening on the 435 machine, which is a strong signal
throughout the basin.  Anyone listening to this machine for a few
moments might be tempted to shut the rig off and declare the whole
2m band trashed!  My advice is to listen to other machines before
making any judgements.  The vast majority of repeaters in the LA
areas are operated and used just as courteously as repeaters
anywhere in the world.

George Lyle, N7TNJ

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 20:07:35 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!overload.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!news.csuohio.edu!vmcms.csuohio.edu![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <301kpm$[e-mail]>, <302i4h$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>e
Subject : Re: Listening to Comet/Jupiter collision

In article <[e-mail]>
[e-mail] (Gary Coffman) writes:

>
>In article <302i4h$[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>>According to an article in July's QST, "Hear the impact?," Jupiter
>>naturally emits decametric radiation between 3 and 39.5 Mhz and the most
>>intense emissions are at 8 Mhz.  The earth's ionosphere blocks the lower
>>frequencies - especially during daytime hours - so the range between 18
>>and 30 Mhz is studied more intensely by radio astronomers.  The article
>>says that anyone with good 10, 12 or 15 meter antennas should be able to
>>hear the comet fragments collide with Jupiter (at least 21 of them).  Dr
>>F. Reyes at U of Florida says the fragments might interact with the
>>planet's magnetosphere and create short bursts of radio energy in the
>>last 10 to 20 seconds before impact.
>
>Has anyone here been monitoring Jupiter on the HF bands recently?
>I listened years ago but have forgotten what the normal signals
>sound like. As I recall they were rather distinctive buzzsaw like
>sounds. How about some frequencies and discriptions of the signal
>in recent days.  I likely won't have my HF antenna back up before
.............
I turned on my HF rig on Sat., a few hours before the first impact was
expected, and tuned around a bit looking for any buzz-saw like sounds.
I did not find any, but ran across a bandit net on about 27.625 Mhz,
listened to them a while, and then went into another room, leaving
rig on.  Suddenly, at near 21:05Z, a loud buzz-saw like sound came on,
stayed on pretty steady, dropping out just for a few seconds at a time,
until about 21:55Z.  While it was still on, I scanned around from about
27.5   to 29.0 Mhz, and found the same sound at several frequencies
in that region, more or less loud in different places, but never really
budging my S meter.  It was loudest on SSB, which was the mode I had
been in when it first came on.  After it went off at 21:55, more gradually
than it had come on, I thought I heard it again a few times later in
the evening, but usually not as loud as it sounded the first time.
It so happened that I was on a 3-el yagi tuned for 10 meters, and I
found a broad heading peak at about NW.  Other family members were watching
TV at the time with an outdoor antenna, and noticed no disturbance, but
they were probably getting quite strong video signals, so a weak
disturbance probably would not be noticed.  Might this have been Jupiter?
------- Phil Emerson, AA8JO.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 18:53:34 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!convex!news.duke.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!blackbird.afit.af.mil![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Subject : Re: Letter to Washington about FCC delays

[e-mail] (Jeff Miller, Homer Simpson's alter ego) writes:

>Hmm...that gives me an idea.  Someone (yeah, I know) posted a statement saying
>that the FCC could not accept the services of volunteers to do the necessary
>data entry.  I wonder, however, if there is any such restriction on accepting
>help from *other government agencies*.  For the cost of a plane ticket and
>a few days per diem cost, I (or any other Executive Branch employee) could go
>help them out -- assuming I could get the time off here, of course :-).  Maybe
>a quick grep on the Elmer list would turn up a few names coming from .gov or
>.mil sites....

>73,
>Jeff   NH6ZW/N0  AFA5MJ/AFF5CO
>--

Great idea, Jeff!  You know I would be willing to help out... :)  Another
option would be to do it as a permissive TDY.  I'm sure there are lots
of gov/mil within easy driving distance of DC, or at the Pentagon.

Sounds like a pretty tedious job, though.  I could probably only stand
a day or two of it.

73,
Alex  (8 weeks and still waiting.  I've forgotten everything by now)
--
Alex Kilpatrick  [e-mail]
"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is 'God
is crying.'  And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him
is 'Probably because of something you did.'   -- Jack Handey

------------------------------

Date: 18 Jul 1994 19:25:52 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov!sookit![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
Reply-To : [e-mail]
Subject : Re: How do you police hams?

George Lyle (233789) ([e-mail]) wrote:

[deletions ...]
: The Infamous '435 repeater is a gathering spot for these bizarre
: individuals.  There they feel free to use profanity, hurl racial
: epithets, retransmit recorded transmissions from elsewhere, ignore
: common ham courtesy, and just about any other written or unwritten
: rule.
[more deletions]

i had heard a rumor that the fcc has taken action against some of the
users of 145.735 ... anybody know whether that is so and what actions were
taken?

regards, richard kd6lwd

[e-mail]
all disclaimers apply

------------------------------

End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #809
******************************