THE FIRST CLASS C.W.

OPERATORS CLUB

NEWS SHEET 605

Editor: G4BUE

March 2000

A man should keep his friendship in constant repair - Samuel Johnson (1755)
(3525, 7025, 10120-10125, 14025, 18080-18085, 21025, 24905-24910 and 28025kHz)

BANDS OF THE MONTH FOR MARCH ARE 40 & 20 METRES

Lots of input this month. Apologies to contributors for editing their comments to fit the space. CW Sub-Bands: Mike, ZL1MH, writes: The greater the level of CW activity the fuller the bands, the less encroachment by others. Soooo, get on the air as much as possible, even for occasional quickie QSOs, work anybody & everybody, no matter how QRS or QSD. Each and every QSO helps to fill up those empty spaces. Here, here, Mike. Some members heavily emphasise FOC-FOC activity but perhaps this is too narrow to achieve your objective of occupying the CW sub-bands. Stay Positive: Reacting to some views expressed earlier Chris, K4EFZ, says: Some comments have been insensitive and blunt. These can polarise and destroy an organisation. I hope as we focus on the coming years we will all try to look at bettering the organisation for everyone. This can only be accomplished by respecting each other and keeping all communications positive. Club Activity: There are several supportive messages for the new Millennium Award and its objectives, particularly from those who feel that intra-Club rag-chewing is important to the health of the Club. Thank you to EA8CN and NP3G whose letters are with the Committee. Andy recommends that we use the Millennium Award as a better way of measuring activity by individual members than the Windle Award results and feels that Millennium scores should be reported in the News Sheet each month instead of Windle. He finishes: We have to think of what is best for CW activity. We should not feel proud of belonging to FOC unless we are active, otherwise we are leaning on the names of the active ones. G3PQC also writes in to agree with GW3HCL that there are already too many contests. Finally Mike, GKDZ, responds to the point about activity by new members and contributes a different perspective. He says: Prospective

TOPICAL ISSUES by G3SXW

members to FOC are presumably put forward for nomination on the basis of their performance on the bands over a period of a year. If this is sufficient for nomination then surely it should be sufficient as a member. No change in operating practice should be called for. Being retired I am lucky enough to be able to spend some 20 hours a week on the bands October to April but I hardly touch the key all summer. Please send your views for this column to <g3sxw@compuserve.com> or by mail. Please note two changes of date in the FOC Calendar: the deadline for the March News Sheet has been brought forward to 24 March and the next Committee meeting is now on 29 April. The changes are because June and I will be in W6/7 land from 28 March. We will attend the West Coast Dinner (with Junes brother Jim, who is not an amateur), but not the rest of the Convention. We are still planning to mail FOCUS 42 and the new Call Book with the April News Sheet before we leave. Report of meeting on 22 January 2000 at G3LIKs QTH attended by all of the Committee and the President, G3HZL. Following discussion with the new management at Lords, it was confirmed that the minimum number of dinners FOC can contract for is 100. The deposit has been paid and strategies for publicity were agreed. Possible alternative venues for the 2001 Dinner and beyond were still being examined. G3MCK had volunteered to audit the accounts and GW3KDB had volunteered to take over as Treasurer from Maud after the 1999 accounts have been completed. The Committee gratefully accepted their offer for their respective work to be performed as non-committee members. G4VXE had volunteered to assist G3WGV with his Webmaster duties and the Committee also gratefully accepted this offer. The design for the engraved Millennium Award plaques was decided.

EDITORIAL by G4BUE

COMMITTEE REPORT by G4BUE

Subscriptions for 2000 had not been received from 14 members, including SMGMG who was also the subject of a Temporary Associate letter to which he had not replied. His membership was withdrawn and enquiries will be made of the remaining 13 members. Some amendments to the blue subscription form were agreed and the viability of allowing members to pay their subscriptions by credit card is to be examined. Maud will liaise with G3MCK over the auditing of the 1999 accounts after she has received the Dollar cheque from W2MUM. G3MXJ reported 499 members (including four Temporary and nine Permanent Associate members). Sponsoring in 1999 showed an increase over 1998 (172 nomination from 108 members in 1999 and 138 nominations from 98 members in 1998). Only two members used their full five nominations in 1999 and so this restriction does not appear to be causing a problem. Replies from letters written to Temporary Associates were considered and the appropriate action taken. It was agreed to amend the notes to Rule 5 dealing with sponsoring (see separate note) and GW3KGV will draft an article for the new Call Book giving advice on sponsoring and objecting. Some changes to FOCUS from issue 42 were agreed (full colour front and back cover, improved quality of black and white photographs and matt internal pages). G3WGV had updated the Internet article for the new Call Book and intended putting the Members section of the Web page on line in a few weeks after some reengineering has been completed. A suggestion from G3NKS on band planning was considered, FOC will be again be supporting the next Morse Camp on 26/27 February, and an incident involving the alleged bad operating of a member on 160 metres was considered. The next meeting at G3MXJs QTH on 15 April.

Due to a technical problem, there is not a Starred or Other Nomination List this month and some Amendments may not be included.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by G3MXJ

Amendments
DL6TQ (451): fax number - 07056 8860. EI5IY (1438): telephone - 00353 27 61992. K4DL (1661): new address - 2175 Heritage Way, Oak Harbor, WA 98277, USA; tel - 360 675 7975. KC4YDP ( 1723): new address - 265 Inlet Avenue, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA.

ink, it would not be as easy to make the alteration. I am sure many other members will, by now, have reached the same conclusion as me but perhaps my suggestion could prevent other from getting frustrated.
I am very pleased to invite you to the 17th annual West Coast FOC Dinner at the International DX Convention, Holiday Inn Plaza Park in Visalia, California on Friday 14 April at 7pm. If you are planning to come to the convention this year, please do not miss this opportunity to enjoy the good fellowship of your FOC friends, as well as wine, food, prizes, and an interesting programme. Bob Locher, W9KNI, has kindly agreed to say a few words. As everyone knows, Bob is a fascinating speaker, so you will not want to miss this. The hotel is located at 9000 West Airport drive, Visalia, California and the room will be open to us at 5pm and dinner will be served at 7pm. Come a bit earlier and meet our special guests, June and Chris, G4BUE. The menu choices will be Filet Mignon, Baked Salmon, and Eggplant Gratini. The cost of this years dinner will remain at $35 per person. Please make reservations with me as soon as possible, but in any case I must receive all cheques (payable to me please) no later than 7 April. This is a firm deadline! Please specify your menu choice when you send your dinner reservation. Members are encouraged to bring guests to the banquet, but reservations should be made with me by the member inviting and not by the guest himself. The DX convention is sponsored this year by the Southern California DX Club. If you need information concerning the Convention, please contact the registrar, Don Bostrom, N6IC (818 784 2590) or write to him at 4447 Atoll Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. You can send e- mail regarding the convention to <visalia@scdxc. org>. You can e-mail with any enquiries at <rakefet@rakefet.com>. Please come!

2000 WEST COAST DINNER by K2VCO

There might be a few of the gang who have not yet started to do the paper-work for their records of award points. I have found it is better to enter the band and date details after each station worked in pencil, so that subsequent alterations to the month by month data can more easily be made. Entering the records is not a direct parallel to entering Windle scoring. To illustrate what I mean; suppose I work ZL1MH on the first day of a month on 10 metres when the band is wide open to VK/ ZL. Then, suppose I am lucky enough to work Mike on the last day of that month on 160 metres! I would, obviously, prefer the 160 metre point to be registered for that month because there will probably be plenty of chances to work ZL on the HF bands in the following months. If I had made my entry in

MILLENNIUM AWARD RECORDS by G2FFO

For hotel reservations at the Holiday Inn, call the hotel directly at 559 6515000.

The Friday evening dinner in the centre of Maastricht will now be at 6.30pm and the price of rooms at the Vaeshartelt Hotel includes breakfast and tourist tax. You are asked to let Teun or me know your choice of dinner in advance (meat or fish). The latest list of attendees is: DK8EI, DJOS, DJ2BW, DJ5ZN, DJ6SI, DJ8FW, DK8IT, DL6TQ, F5VEX, G3IY, G3LPN, G3LTV, G3MXJ, GW3KGV, G4BUE, G4PKD, G4ZDB, G4XRV, HA7PB, HB9QO, I7ALE, N4TO, OZ1LO, OZ1LQH, PAABM, PADIN, PAINA, PALOU, PAVDV PA5TT, PA5XM , and W1HMD. Jack, G4PKD, is offering to supply a 12 inch high laser cut FOC badge engraved with the words Maastricht Millennium Condin 2000 and the members name, callsign and membership number, for 4 each plus 2 post and packing. Orders direct to Jack by 19 May and those attending can save the postage as he will bring them with him. He will accept payment at the Con-din from overseas members only, but they must notify him in advance.

THE 2000 CON-DIN by PAABM

want to organise. The pizza dinner remains the default Friday evening activity, however. I will try to track who is attending and send periodic updates via the FOC server, so you know who to contact in advance for activities. I have just heard that G4CEO and W5ZR are attending, which is great news! Please, do let me know if you are planning to come to the DC 2000 event this year. DJ3KR: Juergen will be QRV again at the end of May as BV/DJ3KR. DJ6SI: Baldur made 7000 QSOs as 5U7X. DL6TQ: Hans says the idea for the Millennium Award is brilliant but criticises the record sheet. On hindsight it would have been better to have made the record sheet like our Windle sheet but with five columns, like OK1RRs spread sheet, but then we get everything with hindsight dont we? EI5IY: Jean and Stan have arrived at their new QTH where the rat-race is an unknown phrase here on the Sheeps Head peninsula. Stan is QRV with a Diamond CP5 trap vertical. G2FFO: Dick says, Im a long way ahead of my 1999 Windle score and it is obvious that the Millennium Award must be responsible for a lot of the increased activity. G2HKU: Ted writes, daffodils out, crows collecting twigs for nests, hedges in bud and two new countries worked this month - cant be all doom and gloom!. G3IZD: Ivan will be QRV 2/9 March as EA8/ G3IZD from Lanzarote with a IC706, small ATU and doublet antenna (hopefully) in a convenient palm tree!. G3SXW: Roger and Nigel, G3TXF, made a total of 26,200 CW QSOs from FH and S79 21 January/3 February, (21,740 from FH and 4,460 from S79). All WARC band QSOs were made by FH/ G3TXF and S79TXF and all non-WARC QSOs by FH/G3SXW and S79SXW. G3ZEM: From the end of March, Karen and Bob will be spending around three-quarters of their time in Cyprus and less than a quarter in the UK, and as time goes on, their UK time will dwindle even further. In the short term Bob expects to be QRV from both locations, as 5B4/ G3ZEM in Cyprus. Bob has ordered an Elecraft K2 kit which he says will keep him busy building it when he finishes work at the end of March. G4HZV: Bob says, Following the interest in the EXCEL Marathon logger, I have done a Windle sheet which looks just like the printed sheet, even the callsign sort is correct. Drop me a note if you would like a copy (68k). G4ZVJ: Andy made 4200 QSOs as XU7AAV in early February and 10,500 as S21VJ 14/21 February from Dhaka with an IC-706 (100 watts) and a doublet antenna. He has since been QRV as XW2A from Hiros, JA2EZD, QTH and is due to be QRV 29 February/7 March from ET.

MEMBERS NEWS by G4BUE

The FOC North American Weekend is rapidly approaching, 12-14 May 2000 at the Double Tree Hotel, Tyson's Corner, Falls Church, VA. It would be wise to contact the hotel early for reservations because other groups scheduled for that weekend may be competing for space. FOC has contracted with the hotel for a special group rate of $89 per night, valid the period 11-15 May. If you have not been to Washington DC yet, please consider making this the year. And if you have been here before, then you know it is the premier gathering of FOCers, plus it is a terrific place to sightsee or use as a base for other trips if you are coming from overseas. Some like to combine it with the Dayton Hamvention the weekend after. The DoubleTree Hotel telephone numbers are:

DC 2000 by N2UU

If you have problems making the reservation, then please call me, or e-mail Jim, N3JT, at <jtalens@steptoe.com> or <jtalens@digizen. net>. The banquet price will be $58, payable by US members in advance to me please. Traditionally, on Friday evening, we have gathered in nearby Vienna for an informal pizza dinner to treat the overseas members who have come so far to be with us. The organising group welcomes any ideas you may have that would enhance our Friday activities. Last year, Joe, K2VUI, organised a dinner-theatre event that was well received. If you have any suggestions about Friday evening, please let us know. The organising group will help with the information you need about any event you might

US toll-free (800) 222-8733 Other (703) 893-1340 FAX (703) 749-8528

G5RV: Louis has been seriously ill in hospital since 13 January. GW3YDX: Ron proposes the introduction of a 36 hours section to the Marathon, with 36 hours operating permitted, rest periods to be of at least two hours each and clearly marked in the log. He suggests that, initially, the 36 hour event would run in parallel with the current 48 hour contest to give four categories of entry rather than the present two (ie new 36 hours Open and 36 hours Restricted categories). LZ1AF: Dimiters log periodic antenna got stuck at the beginning of the Marathon followed by his only keyer failing, hence the lesson learnt always have back-ups!. He also says, the Millennium Award is a great idea, but like DL6TQ, doesnt like the paper work! N4KG: Tom writes, Great conditions and great DXpeditions by FOC members DJ6SI, G3SXW, G3TXF, and G4ZVJ. What a way to begin Y2K! 5U7X, FH/G3SXW/G3TXF on eight bands, and S21VJ plus XW2A on six bands. Thanks to all for new WARC band countries! It shows what can be accomplished with modest power and antennas when skilled and knowledgable operators are at the key. N4TY: Tyler is due to visit Germany with his work this Spring and will try to include a visit to the UK. K6OU: Bruce missed the Marathon for the first time in his 29 years as a member (except a few times when he was away from home) due to his younger son deciding to visit from Florida to help Charlotte and Bruce celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary. Evidently their whole family is going to help them celebrate their 50th anniversary and Bruce says, so probably no Marathon next year. K6RA: Members will be shocked and saddened to hear that Roy became a Silent Key on 5 January - thanks K2VCO. K7GE: Members will also be shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Jim on 3 February following a heart attack. K8ZH: Rick has been making very good progress since the severe heart attack almost five months and was planning to return to work in February. He will no longer be doing electrical construction work, but plans to be overseeing other people - thanks K8MFO. KC4YDP: Jardy and Jerry moved to a new QTH on Merritt Island, Florida at Christmas, hence

(callsign in brackets indicate G4FOC operator)

FOC CALENDAR

Until March VK4FOC by EA6ACC (603) Until 5 March PJ9 by W1JL (604) Until 7 March EWT by G4ZVJ (605) Until 15 April NA-062 by K2ZR/4 (600) Until 14 May ZF2NT by N6NT (601) Until 20 June DL8TWA by K3TW (604) March - 40m & 20m (G3HZL) FO (Clippton) by 9V1YC (604) 2/9 EA8/G3IZD (605) 7/20 9G5VJ by G4ZVJ (604) 8/16 5Z4WI by G3SWH/G3RTE (604) 24 Deadline April N/S April - 30m & 17m (GW3KGV) 27 Deadline May N/Sheet 29 Committee Meeting Jerry being QRV in the Marathon with a centre fed zepp antenna. He says, I had a great time, but am very embarrassed about burning up my tuner the first night of the contest which caused my to be off the air for half of the time. LA3FL: Per is in the South Pacific and was due in New Zealand on 21 February aboard the Crystal Symphony. His next home leave is 4 May when the vessel completes her world cruise in Southampton, England. N9RD: Jurgen writes, I would like to complete my collection of FOCUS and only need number 14. If anyone has an copy, please contact me . I have an extra FOCUS 16 and a FOC Yearbook 1938-1983 written by Al Slater, G3FXB, for anyone who needs it. OH2EA: Hans was due to return home from Thailand at the end of February. He was QRV from HS2AC a couple of times but says it is a mainly VHF club. PABW: Hein says, Activity is much better than last year when my current Windle score was not reached until June!. W9GIL: Members will be shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of John on 5 February at his sons, K9CAN, house where he had been living. W9NN: Bob was due to have surgery on 23 February - thanks W8KJP . ZL1AH: John writes, apropos the comments by Terry, NP3G, about the Millennium Award, perhaps a better name for next years activity would be the Real Millennium Award.

Score updates can be passed to G4BUE or any committee member. An asterisk against the call indicates the score has been updated this month. Table shows the scores received by 1000z 28 February 2000.
W8XM* W6CYX* G3LIK* G3ZEM* LZ1AF* G3HZL* F2MA* NP3G* 273 236 220 220 219 196 194 192 DL6TQ* 190 GW3KGV*188 G4BUE* 171 G2FFO* 170 NP3F* 154 G3KTZ* 150 DJ5ZN* 121 G4PKD* 120 PABW* W3NZ* G4BJM* N1DG* W5ZR YO4PX* W4CK G3LWI* 119 119 116 114 113 109 104 102 ZP6CW* 101 W4ZYT* 99 GW3KDB 97 G3SXW* 93 G2FDF* 90 VA3LK* 90 G3MCK* 85 G4OEC* G3LHJ* SM5COP* ZL1MH* AC5K* K4II OH2FOC 84 82 80 80 77 61 61 ZS6AL G3KKQ N4UB GCHV GEBW G8VG GW3SB* 57 56 55 53 51 51 48 F3AT* G2HKU* G3NKS* SM6AOU* G3MXJ W1HT OZ4FF* 47 45 45 39 38 36 34 W9VNE* VK4XA W5GEL K6DC W6THN K6OU* VK8AV* 34 29 25 20 12 9 8

THE 2000 WINDLE AWARD