QRZ! Ham Radio 5/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 5.iso/digests/infoham/940128.txt

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Date: Wed,  9 Feb 94 15:43:37 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail]
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #128
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Wed,  9 Feb 94       Volume 94 : Issue  128

Today's Topics:
                                (none)
                            AMSAT HF PBBS
                           AMSAT PBBS ON HF
                 Antenna Erection Aids - Thor's socks
                         Bosnian Ham Address
                    comments on RS SWR/Power meter
                 Internet id or address for CARF, RAC
                  Nashua, NH - Beginner question...
                           QSLing via F6FNU
                            QSL Questions
                       Radar Detector Detectors
         Shuttle STS-60 Ground Communications retransmission
                       soldering PL-259 to coax
                          Vertical Antennas
                 which is better qrp band--30 or 40?
                            ZA1A (2 msgs)

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Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
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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: 9 Feb 94 19:52:36 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (none)
To: [e-mail]

help
index

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

Date: 9 Feb 94 18:54:05 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: AMSAT HF PBBS
To: [e-mail]

AMSAT HF PBBS

WT0N-3 WILL BE ON 10.127 LBS (30 METERS) MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
FROM 1600 UTC UNTIL 23OO UTC . THIS STATION WILL CARRY ALL AMSAT
BULLETINS AND KEPS. IT WILL ALSO CARRY OTHER SATELLITE RELATED
ITEMS SUCH AS "SPACENEWS". THIS PBBS WILL BE SET UP ON 300 BAUD
HF PACKET, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR AMTOR OR PACTOR
OPERATIONS IF THERE IS A NEED TO DO SO. AT THIS TIME, THE PBBS WILL BE
SET UP AS AN EXPERIMENT AND ANY COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS SHOULD
BE SENT TO THE SYSOP, BJ ARTS WT0N, AT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:


PACKET:WT0N@WB0GDB.#STP.MN.USA.NOAM

INTERNET:[e-mail]

HF PACKET: WT0N-3 (ON 30 METERS)

THE STATION IS LOCATED IN ST.PAUL, MN.USA. AGAIN PLEASE FEEL
FREE TO SEND SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS PBBS BETTER FOR THE
AMSAT USER.

73 AND THANKS FOR YOUR TIME de BJ WT0N




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

Date: 9 Feb 94 19:04:25 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: AMSAT PBBS ON HF
To: [e-mail]

AMSAT HF PBBS

WT0N-3 WILL BE ON 10.127 LBS (30 METERS) MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
FROM 1600 UTC UNTIL 23OO UTC . THIS STATION WILL CARRY ALL AMSAT
BULLETINS AND KEPS. IT WILL ALSO CARRY OTHER SATELLITE RELATED
ITEMS SUCH AS "SPACENEWS". THIS PBBS WILL BE SET UP ON 300 BAUD
HF PACKET, BUT IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR AMTOR OR PACTOR
OPERATIONS IF THERE IS A NEED TO DO SO. AT THIS TIME, THE PBBS WILL BE
SET UP AS AN EXPERIMENT AND ANY COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS SHOULD
BE SENT TO THE SYSOP, BJ ARTS WT0N, AT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:


PACKET:WT0N@WB0GDB.#STP.MN.USA.NOAM

INTERNET:[e-mail]

HF PACKET: WT0N-3 (ON 30 METERS)

THE STATION IS LOCATED IN ST.PAUL, MN.USA. AGAIN PLEASE FEEL
FREE TO SEND SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS PBBS BETTER FOR THE
AMSAT USER.

73 AND THANKS FOR YOUR TIME de BJ WT0N




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

Date: 9 Feb 94 17:54:36 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Antenna Erection Aids - Thor's socks
To: [e-mail]

I just have to put in my two cents here.  I have used a bow and arrow,
and a sling shot too.  I have come up with another method I like for
certain applications.  I use an old sock.  I seem to have plenty of them
with holes in the heals.  I prefer them when I am back packing and don't
want to carry the weight of a sling shot.  Also, if they get lost or
stuck in a tree, it is no big deal (although I suppose one should use old
brown wool socks filled with bird seed to be environmently correct...
they sure are hard to spot when you loose them though).

When it is time to put up the antenna I scoop up some heavy material
(dirt, sand, rocks, etc) and dump it in the toe of the sock.  Then I
either tie a line to it or sometimes I will tie the antenna to it and
throw it like Thor's hammer.

I have sometimes put soft material (like sand) in it and thrown it on a
roof.  There is enough friction to hold it on many types of roofs and you
just pull to get it back down.

So, if you go out in the forest and see socks hanging in the trees up
about 30 feet, you know I was probably there on one of my (kc7)DXpeditions.

73 Lowell (kc7DX)

Lowell Brunson [phone]
Rosenet: [e-mail]
Internet:  [e-mail] (prefered)
           [e-mail]
Packet Radio: [e-mail]

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

Date: 9 Feb 94 21:26:02 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Bosnian Ham Address
To: [e-mail]

I have been expecting to find out the call sign of a ham in Bosnia who is
operating "clandestinely" from some bosnian refugees.  I just received what the
translaters obtained, it is like (but not exactly):


    378-88-813-164

(I modified a couple of digits in case it is somehow traceable)

This is obviously not a call sign, or recognizable as a frequency.  I wonder if
it is an i.p. address for a packet mail network.  It bears a slight resemblance
to an internet i.p. address.  The ham in question is purportedly located in
Mostar, Bosnia and I am attempting to locate a way to pass health and welfare
traffic.  Thanks.


--


Stephen P. Baker                                phone:  [phone]
Lecturer in Biostatistics                               [phone] fax
Department of Academic Computing                        [phone] home
University of Massachusetts Medical School    e-mail: [e-mail]
55 Lake Avenue North                                  -.- -.. .---- .--. ..-.
Worcester, MA 01655

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

Date: 5 Feb 94 22:17:23 MDT
From: pacbell.com!sgiblab!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!NewsWatcher![e-mail]
Subject: comments on RS SWR/Power meter
To: [e-mail]

I need a simple SWR/Power meter for 2m/440 band. is the
radio shack SWR/Power meter ($40) good ?  any other brand
to consider ? (hopefully within that price range also).

please email response if possible
thanks in advance

jerry n3rkd

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

Date: 9 Feb 1994 18:20:00 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!hermes.chpc.utexas.edu!news.utdallas.edu!corpgate!bnrgate!bmerha64.bnr.ca!bmerha9e![e-mail]
Subject: Internet id or address for CARF, RAC
To: [e-mail]

Anybody know if RAC (or CARF) has an internet id?

If so, could they post it here?

If not, how about posting their address?

Thanks,

Wayne VE3WQS

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

Date: 9 Feb 94 19:36:00 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Nashua, NH - Beginner question...
To: [e-mail]

Hi Folks,

        I was wondering if someone could help me.  I'm really new to
        all of this, so bear with me... 8^)

        I'm hoping to take the tech exam w/code sometime this month
        or next.  Right now I have a pro-2028 scanner, that I have
        have about 5 local repeaters tuned to.

        Every once in a while I hear on 146.8500 mhz (A repeater in
        Derry, NH) some operators doing CW practice, as if in a classroom
        environment.

        This sounds extremely interesting to me, since I'm having a little
        problem trying to get CW down pat...

        Does anyone know anything about this, and if so, is this done on
        a daily/weekly/monthly basis?  Is there some sort of schedule?
        I also think I heard them giving ARRL news also one night...?

        Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!


        Thanks Alot!!!

            Steve Santinelli

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

Date: 9 Feb 94 17:55:06 GMT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: QSLing via F6FNU
To: [e-mail]

Doug Brandon asked...

>Does anybody know if F6FNU QSLs via the bureau?

The answer is a resounding *NO*! F6FNU has some easy-to-follow but strict
rules if you want a card from a station he handles. Here are the rules,
posted some time ago by Barrie K0WWG:

>"DX World" in the April [1993] issue of Worldradio points out the following
>rules which F6FNU has established:
>
>    1)  You must QSL within 6 months of the activity.
>
>    2)  You must include a self-addressed envelope (SAE) and $2 U.S.
>
>    3)  No I.R.C.s or bureau cards will be accepted.
>
>Also, the article says that the 1993 Callbook address for F6FNU is
>wrong.  Use the following:
>
>      P.O. Box 14
>      F-91291 Arpajon Cedex
>      FRANCE

F6FNU has been dumped on by many hams regarding his QSL practices, but if
you follow his rules, he is 100 percent reliable and quick, too. Don't waste
your time using the bureau with F6FNU, and don't waste your time complaining
about his rules if you want a card from him! :-)  If it's been more than
six months and you want a card, try anyway. Others have gotten cards from
him beyond the six month period. The SAE/US$2/no IRC/no buro is hard and
fast with him, though.

73,
Scott WO1G
=============
Scott Sminkey                email: [e-mail]
Software Sustaining Engineering        voice: 508 952-4792
Xyplex, Inc.                fax: [phone]
295 Foster St.                (Opinions, comments, etc. are mine,
Littleton, MA 01460                    not Xyplex's...)

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

Date: 9 Feb 1994 14:28:03 GMT
From: library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu![e-mail]
Subject: QSL Questions
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, Doug Brandon <[e-mail]> wrote:
>I worked YX0AI on Aves Island in Feb/Mar 1992.  The QSL info was via YV5A
>and I've sent three requests over the past two years with no response.
>Has anybody received cards via this route, or is there an alternate/better
>route?
>
>Does anybody know if F6FNU QSLs via the bureau?
>
>Does anybody know the current rate (number of cards per dollar) of N7RO's
>DX QSLing service?
>
>Thanks for any responses,
>
>      73 de Doug - NF6H

F6FNU almosty certainly does NOT go through the bureau.  From what I've
heard, he makes quite a business of running QSL cards.  Although it's
hearsay, I have been told it's quite hard to get a card from him unless
there's a SIZABLE amount of return postage inside (payment for his trou-
ble?).

N7RO, if I remember correctly, does 7 cards for a dollar, or for 2 irc's.

Scott NF3I

--
73,                            _________   _________  The
                            \ /  Long   Original
Scott Rosenfeld  Amateur Radio NF3I  Burtonsville, MD     |   Live    $5.00
  WAC-CW/SSB  WAS  DXCC - 123 QSLed on dipoles __________| Dipoles! Antenna!

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

Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 09:25:05 GMT
From: netcomsv!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Radar Detector Detectors
To: [e-mail]

Earl Morse ([e-mail]) writes:

    > The cars that light up their break lights have radar detectors.

I've noticed this effect on a couple of occasions while transmitting on
23cm with about 10 watts.  In one case I could see a little red light
on the guy's dashboard light up every time I keyed the rig.  Front-end
overload, I presume.

Todd, KB6JXT

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

Date: 7 Feb 1994 08:16:23 GMT
From: pacbell.com!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!crcnis1.unl.edu!unlinfo.unl.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Shuttle STS-60 Ground Communications retransmission
To: [e-mail]

Speaking of retransmissions, what has happened to WA3NAN this trip?
I've listened on 75/40/20 for several days and they don't seem to
exist. Anyone know?

Gary

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

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 17:36:52 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!ukma!rsg1.er.usgs.gov![e-mail]
Subject: soldering PL-259 to coax
To: [e-mail]

Has anyone had any experience (either good or bad) using one of
the small butane torch/soldering irons to solder PL-259 connectors
to RG-8U coax.  Do they work as well as or better than a big
(>100W) soldering iron?

Thanks - John, W3GOI

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

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 15:09:38 GMT
From: ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!wa4mei.ping.com!ke4zv![e-mail]
Subject: Vertical Antennas
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Alan Bloom) writes:
>If you compare a vertical over an infinite ground plane to a dipole
>(or any other antenna) in free space, you are comparing apples to oranges.

True.

>When thinking about antenna gain, it helps immensely to remember the
>principle of conservation of energy.  Nearly all full-sized antennas are
>essentially 100% efficent.  That means that a dipole, a vertical, a
>rhombic, a Yagi beam, etc. all radiate 1 watt for every watt applied
>through the feedline.  To obtain gain, the antenna directs more of its
>signal in one direction and less in another.

I'd argue that a quarterwave vertical over real lossy ground doesn't
fit the idea of 100% efficiency very well. It expends quite a bit of
it's energy warming the earthworms in the lossy soil making up it's
current mirror. (IE half the "full size" antenna in this case is really
a current reflection in the lossy ground.)

>Any antenna over an infinite ground plane has a 3 dB (2x power) advantage
 ^^^ emphasis added
>over an antenna in free space.  That's because it only has 1/2 of all
>possible directions in which to send its signal.

Over an infinite *perfectly reflective* ground plane. Over lossy ground,
that 3 db is reduced by ground losses, though some gain remains. The
more you can improve the ground plane, the closer to the ideal 3 db
you'll approach.

>Consider a vertical dipole in free space.  You could insert a horizontal
>infinite ground plane at the feedpoint without changing the radiation
>pattern.  Now you have two verticals, one pointing up, one pointing down.
>Each vertical radiates half the power of the original dipole.

True because each has half the current that flows in the entire dipole.

>Note
>that the upper vertical (over a groundplane) can generate the same
>field strength as the dipole (in free space), but with only 1/2 the power.

No, I disagree with the way you're saying this. The upper vertical in
this thought experiment has half the current of the dipole and so generates
half the field. The ground mirror is supplying a 3 db reflection gain that
makes up for the lower field produced by the current in the upper vertical.

>So a 1/4-wave vertical over an infinite ground plane has 3 dB power "gain"
>over a dipole in free space.

True only *if* it has the same current flowing in it as the dipole. IE
the current flowing in the quarterwave vertical is 2 times the current
flowing in *half* of the free space dipole. (True for constant power input
to both antennas since the base impedance of the vertical is half that of
the dipole.) That, with the phantom mirror current in the ground plane,
has the same effect as would doubling the current fed into a dipole in free
space, thus the 3 db gain.

I think we're trying to say the same thing, but looking at it from a
slightly different perspective.

>Now consider a dipole suspended a half wavelength or more over an infinite
>ground plane.  In some directions, it will have 6 dB gain over a dipole
>in free space, which gives 3 dB gain over the vertical.  In other directions,
>the field will be zero.  If you averaged the radiated power over all
>directions (half sphere), you would find it sums to the same power as the
>1/4-wave vertical (also averaged over all directions.)

True, but gain in the main lobe (what we normally mean when we talk about
gain) is 2X that of the vertical. And in the real world of lossy ground
planes that make poor current mirrors, the horizontal dipole has a greater
efficiency. A vertical halfwave, that doesn't need the current mirror,
will also have greater efficiency than the quarterwave over real ground.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

Date: 9 Feb 94 16:57:37 GMT
From: ogicse!news.tek.com!gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com!gold.gvg.tek.com!gvgadg.gvg.tek.com![e-mail]
Subject: which is better qrp band--30 or 40?
To: [e-mail]

In article <2j6k20$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
writes:
> Path:
>     The title says it all.  Which band do you qrp'ers
> prefer?  I've listened to both, and haven't formed an
> opinion one way or the other.  30 is much smaller...but
> half of 40 (i.e, the novice band) is pretty much unusable
> at night.  40 seems to be open a little more often, or is
> this not true??  I've read the arguments in some of the books,
> but am curious about actual operating experience...
>                 Thanks,      Matt KN6CR

My experience is that there is far more activity on 40 and
much less on 30. This makes operating on 30m a lot easier.
One of the problems at the moment is that the muf is often
hovering around 10MHz so the 30m is not useable much of time.

I just sold my 30m MFJ rig and am getting a Norcal 40 to replace it
if that's any indication.

73

Grover
WT6P
qrparci#3795

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

Date: Wed, 9 Feb 1994 14:56:28 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!ukma!rsg1.er.usgs.gov![e-mail]
Subject: ZA1A
To: [e-mail]

>>years to get here, but it made it!  Guess it shows that patience really
>>works if you let it.
>>
>
>Wow, only two years?  Mine took 10 months by direct mail to Italy!  Even
>my card from Pitcairn Is. (only three ships a year?) took just 4 months.
>

I guess I shouldn't tell stories on myself, but...   For three glorious
years in the early 70's I was KH6IJX on the Big Island. It was great
being semi-DX and even causing some mini-pilups with Asian stations
calling me.  Anyway, about two months ago I came across some misc boxes
of ham-related stuff that had been packed away when I left Hawaii and
buried since then.  Among the other items were about a dozen QSL's
that I had filled out but not mailed evidently because I couldn't find
the address or something.  Well, I found valid current address for a
number of these and sent them off 20 years late!!  I've been getting
some interesting responses.....

73's - John, W3GOI

p.s. If you work me now and want a QSL, I guarantee that you'll get
a more timely reply.

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

Date: 9 Feb 1994 14:23:37 GMT
From: library.ucla.edu!news.ucdavis.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!cville-srv.wam.umd.edu![e-mail]
Subject: ZA1A
To: [e-mail]

>I know this might sound kinda strange, but I just got an envelope from the
>W5 buro, and guess what, a ZA1A card from July 7, 1992.  Hey, it took 2
>years to get here, but it made it!  Guess it shows that patience really
>works if you let it.
>
>Charlie

Wow, only two years?  Mine took 10 months by direct mail to Italy!  Even
my card from Pitcairn Is. (only three ships a year?) took just 4 months.

Of course, I'm still getting cards from the USSR via the bureau.  In
December, I got a card through the bureau from UL7LWF.  I worked this
QSO in 1988!  Yes, FIVE years!

Scott NF3I

--
73,                            _________   _________  The
                            \ /  Long   Original
Scott Rosenfeld  Amateur Radio NF3I  Burtonsville, MD     |   Live    $5.00
  WAC-CW/SSB  WAS  DXCC - 123 QSLed on dipoles __________| Dipoles! Antenna!

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

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 15:53:16 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!wa4mei.ping.com!ke4zv![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <2j6hr2$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>É
Reply-To : [e-mail] (Gary Coffman)
Subject : Re: 40 meter QRP (cw or ssb)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Richard L Barnaby) writes:
>[e-mail] (Terry Burge) writes:
>
>>    Talking about morse code copying, I had a friend of mine in the Army Security Agenc
>[Stuff deleted about copying fast]
>
>I've often wondered about copying with a typewriter.  Had a cousin in the
>Navy, could copy 60-65 WPM with a typewriter.  I've tried but the noise
>of the machine (key clicks) interferes.  If I use a headphone that elimnates
>the keyclicks, the "feedback" (auditory) goes down, and accuracy suffers.
>If I make a mistake, hearing an "J" instead of a "1" for example, its not
>so easy to correct, as by hand.
>BTW, I'm not listing to 65, only 30, but its too tough to take by hand, and
>word recognition is extremely limited.  Perhaps I'm in a sort of speed-
>twilight-zone.  Any suggestions?

I also have a friend who was a Navy radio intercept operator in WWII.
There's no such thing as copying behind in this sort of work. It's all
five letter groups of encrypted text. He was trained to associate a
letter sound directly with a finger action on the keyboard, a form
of Pavlovian conditioning. His conscious mind isn't involved at all.
He can carry on a conversation with you while copying. When the code
stops, he has to roll up the paper and read what he typed to see what
the other operator sent. He's a remarkable code copying machine.

He says that if you try to copy plaintext behind with a typewriter,
it's much harder than copying in real time because the actions of
auditory recognition, conscious evaluation, and mechanical reproduction
are divorced from each other enough by that intermediate step to cause
you to make errors if your mind wanders, in the slightest, to thinking
about what's being sent. He says you should train yourself to *not*
try to interpret what's being sent as you copy if you want maximum
speed and accuracy of copy. Try thinking about *anything* but the
code you're hearing while you practice copying. Let the conditioned
reflex do the work.

That's *not* the way most hams do Morse. Most try to force the
decoding into resembling spoken language, (which it's not, who
speaks by spelling out each word?) and attempt to copy in their
heads. At best they write down what they *think* they understood
of the decoded message rather than just accurately copying the
characters as received without trying to understand the message
until it's down on paper. Naturally that impairs the speed and
accuracy of their copy, but since accurate copy isn't really
their goal, that's a moot point except for message handling and
taking tests where accuracy of copy is the critical issue.

I wish I'd known this when I was learning Morse. I kept futilely
trying to make sense of what I was hearing, and got nowhere. I
finally hit on a shorthand method of writing down the Code that
works for me, and which I can sight read nearly as well as ordinary
text, but I wish I'd conditioned myself to type the text instead
since it would be much faster.

Gary
--
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     |

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

End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #128
******************************