Term Expires May 31, 1999  KC1FZ – George Davis  10 Sanborn Rd.  Hingham, MA. 02043

Term Expires May 31, 2000  N1NTZ – Ed Meehan  19 Corcoran Rd.  Brockton, MA. 02401

Term Expires May 31, 2001  K1BZD – Walter Dolson  208 Auburn Street  Whitman, MA. 02382

Meeting Schedule

Meetings are held on the first and third Monday of the month at the Quonset Hut, located on Pine Street, ¼ mile off Rte. 18 in Whitman, just south of the Abington line.

Members gather at 7:00 p.m. to socialize. The business meeting is conducted at 7:30 p.m. Talk in will be on 147.225 + MHz.
 

From the editor:

All items to be submitted for the Spectrum must be received by the editor by the 19th of the month for it to be included in the next issue, send all items
                 to::
                 Jeff Tracy N1SOM
                 240 Washington St Apt 1
                 Norwood, MA. 02062-1548
 

Well Spring is getting near and everybody’s thoughts are turned towards outdoor projects, especially antenna projects. With the warmer weather we have a lot work to do at the Club house, we are going to set up a radio station in the Club house again to go along with packet station. Repairs are needed to the floor by the front doorway. Some of the junk has been cleared out already during the past two months, and it is shaping up very well. It will be a very busy season.

    73’s Jeff N1SOM

WHITMAN AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INC.

SECRETARY’S NOTES OF THE MEETING OF FEBRUARY 10, 1999.

OPENING: The members started to gather at 6:30 at the Cardinal Spellman Center, in Whitman next to the Holy Ghost Church. Club Vice President, Chris N1WWI opened the meeting at 6:50 P.M.

ATTENDANCE: The total attendance was 11 and included 3 of the elected officers and 2 member of the Board of Directors.
 

Chris Tilden	N1WWI		Jeff Tracy	N1SOM
Walt Dolson	K1BZD		Bruce Hayden	NI1X
Bob Johnson	WA1OFR		George Davis	KC1FZ
Roy Logan	KB1CYV		Tom Lehmann	N1ZZM
Jeff Lehmann	N1ZZN		Gil Follett	WA1GDJ
Charlet Sherman	N1VQZ

MEETING MINUTES

Walt K1BZD made a motion to accept the minutes of January’s meeting as they appeared in the handout, Bob WA1OFR seconded the motion, and the minutes were accepted.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be held on the 3^rd Wednesday of March the 17^th. It was proposed that we return to the first and third Monday meetings at the Quonset hut in April. A final decision will be made at the March meeting.

FOX HUNTING

This past weekend The Bruce NI1X and George KC1FZ were the co-foxes. There were 15 hunters participating. Joe KA1JBE and Bob KA1DZA are the foxes for next week.

Gil WA1GDJ discussed the possibility of having timed walking hunts once the weather gets warmer.

OLD BUSINESS

George KC1FZ brought in and passed around a postcard he received from Joe N1FEE, who is down south visiting his daughter.

SKYWARN NEWSLETTERS

The Bruce NI1X handed out copies of recent Skywarn newsletters. Gil WA1GDJ reports that he is forwarding the newsletters to those on his Skywarn member list. Previously published minutes did report on where to sign up for the minutes if you wish.

MT. WASHINGTON SPECIAL EVENT

The Bruce NI1X reports that he has been working on the Mt Washington responses. He has received 24 QSL cards. He reports that the certificates are ready to go. Jeff N1ZZN offered to help with finding addresses for some of the contacts.

Gil WA1GDJ had been keeping in touch with a ham in Pennsylvania regarding the event, and recently received a packet from the fellow thanking him for the updates. Apparently, he used to live in NH, and he and his family have visited Mount Washington.

The cleanup at the clubhouse has been coming along. Bob WA1OFR was over on Monday, sorting and lining up items for the dump along the wall. Tom N1ZZM, Bruce NI1X, Bob WA1OFR, and Jeff N1SOM will go over tonight after the meeting and each take some of the garbage to dispose of.

CUB SCOUT SPECIAL EVENT UPDATE

Tom N1ZZN plans on attending a council meeting to present the idea for all scouts in the area. The boys in his den are definitely interested in participating.

The Bruce NI1X commented that other scouts have asked for assistance in the past. This should serve as a sort of training for us on how to deal with showing ham radio to kids.

NEW BUSINESS

BALLOON BEACON

An article from CQ Magazine featuring Hank Riley, N1LTV and his beacon in a hot air balloon was passed around. Apparently, he has contacted the fox hunting group, looking for volunteers to get involved this year, using their tracking abilities to track a two-meter beacon as it travels in the balloon. The members present did express interest in the event.

Gil WA1GDJ reported that there would be an Advanced Skywarn training session this year, to be held in Plymouth. More info will be reported, as it becomes available.

Gil WA1GDJ also reported on a mock Year 2K emergency drill, which will be held at the Brockton VA hospital. Carl N1FYZ, who works there, was coordinating volunteers to help.

Chris N1WWI brought up the need for repairing the Quonset hut floor. Several members had looked it over to decide what was needed. It was estimated that it would take 4 to 5 people to do the work. George KC1FZ mentioned that there are other repairs needed also. More discussion will be held at future meetings, regarding financing, committees, etc.

Roy KB1CYV brought in an article from the Globe about an upcoming television special, The American Experience. It is a one-hour documentary describing how the Marconi radio was used for the first sea rescue in 1909. The special will be aired Feb 15^th, 9pm, on Channel 2.

NET CONTROLS

Walt K1BZD is all set for the month of February with net control operators. He asked for Volunteers for March. The results were:

March 7^th Jeff N1ZZN

March 14^th Chris N1WWI

March 21^st The Bruce NI1X

March 28^th Jeff N1SOM

Walt K1BZD also reported that for the month of January we had 5 sessions, with a total QNI of 90, and QTC of 14.

SCUTTLEBUTT

George KC1FZ still has the tree in his yard, he won the battle with the town, and his antenna is still up. He ended up gaining two feet in land.

Bill N1FRE has been heard by several members on 75 meters, at 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. during the week.

Several members were seen at the Marlboro flea market last weekend, and discussion was held on the event.

MEETING DONATION

The Bruce NI1X made a motion to donate $25 to the church for use of the room, Bob WA1OFR seconded the motion, and it passed.

ADJOURNMENT:

At 7:40, Bob WA1OFR made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Walt K1BZD second the motion, and the meeting ended.

• There are still 1999 Pocket Pals available for sale. They are $3.50 a piece or 2 for $6.00 or save with 3 for $10.00. To get yours contact Jeff N1SOM or Chris N1WWI.
• Any member wants to list something to sell or list something that they want to buy contact Jeff N1SOM at jtn1som@juno.com or at his Norwood address listed on the front of this newsletter.

Hello everyone. Here we are at the end of February 1999 and it has been another spectacular month for foxhunting. Everyone is getting a little bit more devious now and all hunts are more challenging.

On February 6^th, Bruce NI1X and George KC1FZ did the Fox duties and really kept the hounds at bay in downtown Brockton parked up tight to the rear of a local restaurant. Running their radios at 45 watts the signals were splashed all over Brockton and reflections were terrible. However, the hounds put the Fox away within the allotted time. The team of Joe KA1JBE and Bob KA1DZA captured first place on this event. Good job guys.

On February 13^th, Joe KA1JBE and Bob KA1DZA did the Fox duties and hid in the boat ramp on Stetson Pond in Halifax. Bruce NI1X was the first one in on this hunt with Paul N1OTX following right behind him. The rest of the hunters came in within the time limit. For an easy hunt this turned into a challenging hunt as the ponds caused signals to be very erratic. The Monponsett Ponds certainly are something to be recond with. Good job guys.

On February 14^th, we woke up to about a ½ inch of snow on the ground. Kind of a surprise but not a usual sight for this time of year. Now it is 0900 and time to head out to hide the FoxBox. So many good hiding spots unexplored yet and today’s selection is the town of Bridgewater. Since this is mostly a walking hunt I settled on the Scottland Industrial Park in Bridgewater. The FoxBox was placed about one hundred feet into the woods behind a big boulder just off the end of the street going between the building. As the hunters came into the park it was obvious that signals were being spread all around in a very confusing manner. Roy KB1CYV was the first into the park and the first to locate the FoxBox. Paul N1OTX who also had a good time searching out the fox followed Joe KA1JBE. A good time was had by all.

On February 20^th, Bruce NI1X and George KC1FZ attended to the duties of the Fox once again and did a marvelous job keeping the Hounds at bay. They cleverly hid on the North side of the State Prison in Bridgewater just outside the prison grounds. Of course John N1ZZP just happened to turn on his HT while in the area and found the Fox in 31 minutes. Nice job John. While several hunters never made it to the den most made it in within the two-hour limit. Another super hunt. Thanks Bruce and George.

On February 21^st, the FoxBox was deeply hid in the Abington Cemetery totally covered under leaves. Joe KA1JBE was the first hunter to sniff out the box while several other teams had a little tough time finding it.

The Level 1 hunt that was scheduled for February 27^th was postponed due to a heavy snowstorm that had dropped 12 inches of snow the day before. This hunt was done on March 6^th by Joe KA1JBE and Bob KA1DZA. Another month of fabulous hunting was had by all. See you next month.

Several VHF/UHF groups have picked up sponsorship of the Spring VHF/UHF Sprints, formally sponsored by the ARRL. The five events will continue to be held in April and May, starting this year with the 144 – MHz Sprint on April 12. In January, ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, announced that the league would no longer sponsor the Spring Sprints because of a lack of participation and budgetary factors.

Several new sponsors for the events subsequently emerged. The Rocky Mountain VHF + Group will sponsor the 144 MHz Sprint on April 12; the 50 MHz DX Bulletin will sponsor the 222 MHz Sprint on April 20; the North East Weak Signal Group will sponsor the 432 MHz Sprint on April 28; the Badger Contesters will sponsor the 902, 1296, and 2304 MHz Sprint on May 8, and the Great Lakes VHF/UHF Group will sponsor the 50 MHz Sprint on May 15 – 16.

The object of the Spring Sprints is to work as many stations in Maidenhead grid squares as possible. For more information on there events, see http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/99/spring-sprints.html.

--- ARRL
 
 

Kenneth M. Miller, K6IR, of Rockville, Maryland, has been named the Dayton Hamvention’s 1999 Amateur of the Year. Miller was cited for "leadership, vision and dedication exhibited during his nearly 60 years of continuous involvement in Amateur Radio." Miller says he was very surprised and honored when he got the word from Hamvention Awards chair Cathi Hoskins, N8ZCQ.

First licensed in 1940 as W9NQT, Miller has remained an active amateur and premier Honor Roll DXer. He’s a member of the Potomac Valley Radio Club and the national Capital DX Association as well as a director of the Radio Club of America. Now retired, he once headed Penril Corp., a multimillion-dollar international manufacturer of modems and other electronic devices. He also is a former executive with LearJet and Wilcox Electronics.

The Hamventions Technical Excellence award will go to Alfonso R. Torres, KP4AQI, of Huber Heights, Ohio, recognized for "his numerous designs and inventions that have enhanced the art and science of Amateur Radio operations."

Special Achievement Award winner Paul D. Lieb, KH6HME, of Hilo, Hawaii, was cited for "his pioneering and record – setting work in tropospheric ducting and VHF, UHF and microwave communications." Miller and Lieb are ARRL life members. The award winners were announced March 1^st. The awards will be presented at the 1999 Dayton Hamvention banquet on May 15^th, 1999.

--- ARRL
 
 

The FCC in Gettysburg reports it has processed vanity call sign applications received through February 22. On March 11, the FCC issued 234 grants. Another 276 applications landed in the work – in – progress (WIPs) stack.

--- FCC
 
 

Operators at W4EHW ("Early Hurricane Warning") at the national Hurricane Center in Miami have been honored by the National Hurricane Center. The 30 operators received Certificates of Commendation in late January, presented by NHC Deputy Director Max Mayfield. He expressed his thanks for the operators’ commitment and dedication in supporting the Center’s staff.

NHC Director Jerry Jarrell says ham radio volunteers play an important role in storm forecasting and tracking. "Despite all the technological advances in satellite imagery and modern hurricane hunter airplanes, the hams many times are the only ones that can tell us what is actually happening on the ground, and, for this we are grateful." He said.

Volunteer amateurs have been donating their time and equipment to the National Hurricane Center for nearly 20 years now, helping to gather weather and storm data from hams along the US coast and throughout the Caribbean. During the busy 1998 season, W4EHU operators logged more than 180 hours for Hurricane Georges and nearly 90 for Hurricane Mitch – plus many hours for other storms. During Georges, W4EHW received nearly 500 reports by Amateur Radio, fax or the Internet. Hurricane forecasters use data received from amateurs via W4EHW as an aid in preparing their forecasts.

According to the NHC Coordinator for Amateur Radio John McHugh, KU4GY, Amateur radio support to the Center began humbly during the 1980 hurricane season." Julio Ripoll WD4JNS (now W4EHW assistant coordinator), carried a borrowed HF radio in a cardboard box to and from the Center whenever a storm threatened," he recalled. "He set it up on a forecaster’s desk, ran a wire antenna, and with a crew of five volunteers, operated for 12- hour shifts.

Today W4EHW sports a donated state – of –the art station that includes HF, VHF, and UHF radios, six antennas and two computers that handle APRS and Internet communication. The 30 volunteers typically work three – hour shifts in conjunction with the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz, usually starting when a hurricane is within 200 to 300 miles of land. This year, because of the threat that Georges might hit Miami and the NHC, one operator, Hank Collins, W8KIW, and his wife were "locked down" inside the center for 18 hours, McHugh recalled. Along with McHugh and Ripoll, Hurricane Watch Net Manager Jerry Herman, N3BDW, was among those receiving commendations.

For more information, visit the W4EHW Web site, http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/.
 
 

Nominations are due May 30, 1999, for the Amateur Radio Newsline 1999 Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY). Now in its second decade, the YHOTY award goes each year to a US amateur 18 or younger who has used Amateur Radio to significantly contribute to the benefit of the hobby, to the state of the communications art, to the community or to the nation.

To obtain an official application, send an SASE to 1999 Young Ham of the Year Award, Newsline, 28197 Robin Ave., Santa Clarita, CA. 91350. Nomination applications are also available at http://www.arnewsline.org.

The award presentation is scheduled to take place at the 1999 Huntsville Hamfest in August. The 1999 Young Ham of the Year also will spend a week at Spacecamp in Huntsville.

Newsline editor Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, says the purpose of the YHOTY Award is "to highlight the accomplishments of the nation’s many young radio hobbyists, and to encourage the entry of more young people into the exciting and rewarding hobby of Amateur Radio." Corporate sponsors include Yaesu USA and CQ magazine. The 1998 YHOTY was Richard Paczkowski Jr., KF4BIA, of Edgewater, Florida. -- Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF
 
 

Austrian Red Cross station, OE7XRK, has requested amateurs worldwide to keep clear 3685 and 7085 kHz for emergency relief operations. The request comes in the wake of avalanches in the Alps. In a packet posting February 25 on KITSAT – OSCAR 25, the Austrian Red Cross said those frequencies were being used to coordinate avalanche rescue and recovery operations. – thanks to HB9JOI and WB8IMY.
 
 

The ARRL Contest Yearbook has been discontinued. Anyone needing contest rules, forms, or other information on ARRL – sponsored operating events can obtain them from ARRLWeb, http://www.arrl.org/contests/
 
 

The 1999 Multiple Sclerosis Great Mass Getaway needs your AMATEUR COMMUNICATIONS expertise to ensure the support & safety of 1,000 cyclist traveling from Boston to Provincetown June 26 & 27, 1999. Our primary concern obviously is the safety & well being of the cyclists while on the route, at each of the fourteen (14) checkpoints and route area’s of concern with the potential of accident and/or injury.

Volunteers are needed for:

Stationary positions

At 12 checkpoints

Both Finishes

Roadway Locations of concern

Roaming along the route as desired

Liaison riding with 6 of the staff members

(ideal for those amateurs not driving)

Each checkpoint shall consist of a coordinator, medical personnel, and many volunteers, supporting the cyclist’s efforts. Amateur 2 meter & 440 – repeater traffic may consist of information to support these volunteers, as they may need, especially the medical volunteers if in need of an ambulance.

Each checkpoint and the finish lines have a variety of refreshments, which is for cyclists & volunteers alike. The Saturday finish shall consist of a hot meal cafeteria style, and the Sunday finish shall consist of a BBQ style lunch at the baseball field.

All volunteers who participate for half a day, one day, all day both days, or something in between, are welcome to enjoy the amenities of the rest stops in a respectable manner.

All interested please contact

John Mahon N1PYN

508-588-3250

E-mail: N1PYN@AOL.COM
 
 

A Reminder that the Spring classes of the Electronic School of Excellence has started on March 2, 1999 in room B204 at the Stoughton High School. The class will run every Tuesday at 7:00 PM except the week of April 19^th due to the school vacation. A VE session will be held at the final class in May.

After 38 years in business, the Ham Trader Yellow Sheets will cease publication. The twice- monthly classified publication is being absorbed into the Amateur Radio Trader, according to an announcement in the last edition of the Yellow Sheets. "It has been increasingly difficult to continue to provide the reliability and low cost that we always have in the past," said a statement from Founder and Editor Al Brand, and Publishers Dave and Barbara Brand Wixon. Yellow Sheets subscribers will automatically get an Amateur Radio Trader subscription, while the subscriptions or ART subscribers who also subscribed to the Yellow Sheets will be extended. TAP Publishing publishes amateur Radio Trader of Crossville, Tennessee.

-- ARRL