THE FIRST CLASS C.W.

OPERATORS CLUB

NEWS SHEET 608

(http://members.aol.com/focuk)

Editor: G4BUE

June 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 JUNE ARE 10 METRES AND VHF

TOPICAL ISSUES by G3SXW

Last month Bob, W9KNI, commented on longterm trends in on-air operating practices and suggested that rag-chewing is being replaced these days by contesting, QRP and brief contacts. FOC, he suggested, needs to be aware of this trend and start to adapt. It certainly does seem to be more and more the case these days that an empty band can explode with people sending 5NN whenever a DXpediton appears or a contest starts. Several comments have been received from members in response to Bobs comments and more are still arriving. Many thanks to those who have already written. These will be reported in this column next month. Meantime, if you would like to join this important debate please send comments to me. As always, e-mail <g3sxw@compuserve.com> is preferred (to save me having to re-type your text) but post is also welcome. Please do re-read Bobs comments and give it some thought. Meantime, there is more to be said on the earlier topic of protecting CW sub-bands and Gerald, G3MCK, makes a very valid point: I believe that the current gentlemans agreement is the correct way to handle this thorny question. Legislation should not be applied to this area as future changes could be very hard to implement quickly. Also we should get away from referring to the CW sub-bands. We should refer to the SSB, data mode, etc sub-bands. It is imperative that we do not lose the ability to work SSB stations on CW in the SSB part of the band when conditions get rough and it is important to exchange information. In other words all the band should be available for CW operators as is now the case and sections allocated to other modes by gentlemans agreement. Thanks for pointing out, Gerald, that our short-hand abbreviation CW Sub-Bands is potentially dangerous. Are we prepared to take action on this issue? Pro-active, re-active, evasive? Or do we let events take their course and accept whatever is

the outcome? Spectrum is at the very heart of amateur radio and perhaps requires our highest priority attention. I am told that the antiCW lobby has become very active on frequencyallocations in the wake of recent licence changes around the world. We are in the middle of the social season at the moment! N3JT says about 64 attended the Washington DC Dinner and from several reports received here, those who attended had the usual great time there. Jim is researching other venues for next yearss dinner as the Double Tree Hotel have increased their rates for 2001. More information and a full report in FOCUS 45. June and I got back from our first ever ConDin at midnight last night. We had a great time there and met many members for the first time among the 67 who attended (I believe the best ever attendance). N4TO (who is staying with us for a few weeks) and Ria and W1HMD made it two non-European members for the first time. On behalf of everyone, our thanks to PA5TT and PAABM for doing the organisation and a full report will appear in FOCUS 45. DJ2BW and DJ6SI have volunteered to organise next years Con-Din in Luxembourg, more information in due course. Next week we take off driving north with N4TO to GM land and the ferry to the Orkney Islands to visit Terry and Clive, GM3POI. A visit with GM3YTS on the way up and G3PDL on the way down are also planned, the latter combining the Harrogate Get-Together. I know many members will be meeting at Hamradio 2000 in Friedrichshafen, Germany at the end of June and I am sure there are many mini-dinners being held as members travel around the world. Please let me have reports (and photographs for FOCUS) of them.

EDITORIAL by G4BUE

As amateur radio had been restored in the UK he felt that Forces overseas should be allowed the same privilege. He suggested that I add my

(Continued from the April News Sheet)

HOW IT ALL BEGAN by GW3HCL

voice to those of amateurs and potential amateurs in the British Forces throughout the Middle East theatre who were pressing Headquarters in Egypt to allow resumption. He also suggested that in the meantime if I could get on the air I should use the LI2 prefix until something better came along. I do not know if he was aware that it was a Norwegian prefix but I certainly did not. Adopting both suggestions I wrote to HQ pleading the case as a morale booster for the likes of us out in the desert idly awaiting repatriation to UK. And I created my own personal call sign LI2CL, HQ eventually gave way to pressure and introduced a licensing system and allocating call signs in the MD and MP series, the prefix figure identifying the territory. All details escape me now but all the MDs were around the Mediterranean Sea and the MPs around the Persian Gulf. Libya became MD1. Thus on 1 July 1947 I was legalised as MD1D. Meanwhile I had put LI2L on the air. Our living quarters were well away from the technical buildings near the runway, a legacy of wartime dispersal policy as a precaution against air attack. At this dispersed site the mains supply was primitive, being poorly regulated and available only until 10pm, and coming on again at 6.30am. Even switching on an extra light made the mains blink, Clearly I had to find an alternative. The first try was an aircraft 12 volt transmitter which derived its HT from a motor-generator, or rotary DC/DC converter. This set up was to be powered from a bank of lead-acid accumulators (in fact an aircraft engine starter trolley) plus a mains battery charger which I hoped would recharge the trolley during the day when everyone was at work. For an antenna I intended to use a derelict overhead poled telephone route which disappeared over the horizon to some long abandoned location. Indeed a really long long wire. But from the outset my comrades at rest did not appreciate the whine of the motor-generator which changed pitch with a groan every time I pressed the key, while the drop in HT volts on load reflected in the tone reports received, never better than T8, sometimes worse. Never mind, I was on the air. But really I should have appreciated that a power in an aircraft is derived from an engine driven generator, with the batteries acting mainly to stabilise the voltage. This was a much more robust source of power than from batteries alone. My first attempt was therefore not really practicable, being both technically weak and socially unacceptable. A re-think led to the idea of remote keying a transmitter located in the official transmitting station about 2 kilometres away and which had its own 24 hour supply. Army field telephone wire was laid across the sand, a 20 metre dipole erected at the transmitting station, another

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by G3MXJ

Starred List
3. G4UZN: G4YNU, LA1IE, SV1AOW, W1FZY, W8EGB. 2. G3LCS: G3IZD, G3LPN, VE7NH, VK2AYD, W4CXH (ZL1MH, G3LIK). 2. F5NZY: G3VMW, G4CEO, I7ALE, K4AO, N3JT (+G3RCU, SV1AOW, G3LIK). 1. W3MC: G3LPN, N2UU, N3JT, N9RD, SV1AOW (+W8XM, N6NT, DL7AKC). 1. KT4P: G2FFO, JA1NUT, KT5X, N2UU, W1OT (+W4ZYT, NP3G, W4MJ, W4DGJ).

An objection to G5LP is under consideration by the Committee

6. N7XM: K1JD, W8XM, KT5X. 6. VA3UZ (ex-UT4UZ): N6NT, KT5X, GW3SYL, K2VCO, K4BAI. 6. K3IPK: G3HZL. 5. ZS1WA: F2MA, ZS6AL, ZS6QU. 5. K8JPM: K5DQ. 3. K1VR: K2VUI. 3. N6FB: K4EF. 3. K1KY: K4AO. 3. G8FF: EA6ZY. 3. KY7M: KC7V, G3ZEM, NP3G. 3. G4BWP: KC7V, G3HEJ. 3. KP2F (WCG): K4LT, K8MFO. 3. N1TO (VQ9VK): W4QM. 3. VK4EMM: VK2BJ, VK6VZ. 2. DF5JT: K4EWG, DL4CF, K1JD 2. EI5DS: G4CEO. 1. WCGR: N4OO.

Additional Nominations

New Member

1734 W4MQC (Alan) A. R. Pike, 86 Stow Road, Harvard, MA 01451; Tel - 978 456 3782; XYL Jody; e-mail - <w4mqc@arrl.net>

Amendments

G3ZEM (1670): change call 5B4/G3ZEM; new address - POB 62155, Paphos, Cyprus; telephone - 06 622569. ON4RU (1493): new address - Rue des Stations, 25/B5, B-5590 Ciney, Belgium. W3ML: The PVRC Newsletter lists former FOC member George as a Silent Key - thanks W3ABC. WB4OSN (1425): change call - W4IR. W4QM (808): amend telephone - 321 783 7228. N4TO (1390): amend telephone - 863 655 4994; change zip code - 33875. NNM (1714): zip code - 22802. mains-powered transmitter was acquired and I was in business. A minor snag was that the transmitter was crystal-controlled and I could find only two 7MHz crystals, 7032 and 7067kHz. These doubled into the CW end of 20 metres so phone was not possible even if my comrades could have been persuaded to put up with vocals at midnight. Each day I decided which crystal to use and was stuck with it until the next day unless I trudged four kilometres across the sand in the dark. It was not the problem it would be today.

Then almost everybody used crystal controlled transmitters and after a CQ, tuned widely looking for replies. Of course, those with plenty of crystals could switch in the one nearest the callers frequency, giving a better chance of hooking up with his, By the time my MD1D call arrived the incoming reports were invariably T9 or T9X (as oldtimers will recall, the X suffix denoted a pure crystal note), In those very early days on the air and with no local Elmer to assist, I received much on-air help from two UK amateurs, G6ZO and GW3ZV , both DX kings of the period. They introduced me to QSL cards (I did not know of them) and I got some printed and shipped out to me. They steered me into the RSGB (of which I had never heard), told me about contests and helped in many other small ways. They even located an amateur living near my xyl in the UK and thus established a link of dubious legality - third party traffic being strictly taboo. Both are now Silent Keys but their memory lingers on in my shack. Gradually I became aware of the other amateur bands but never thought of using them. Good old twenty met all my needs. I got hooked on amateur radio - and still am. By the way, the yellowing log before me as I write this article, shows that my first contact with a club member in the current FOC callbook was my 21st ever QSO and was with W1FH. Hi, Chas. I am pleased to announce the launch of the FOC Discussion Group intended for general discussions amongst members on the Internet, of the sort that might take place on the air. It differs from the News Group in that it is not intended specifically for news or information items and can be used for less formal exchanges. This group is only open to FOC members and as with the other groups, I shall validate all requests for membership. Unlike the News Group, the Discussion Group is not, at least for now, moderated. This should mean that information flow will speed up as messages will be posted directly without me needing to release them. Full details about the group, and guidelines, will be sent to you by e-mail when you subscribe. You can subscribe to the Discussion Group by sending a blank e-mail message to <foc_dgsubscribe@egroups.com>. Note carefully the location of underscore and hyphen... there is a difference between - and _ even if they are on the same key of your keyboard! Have fun... let me know what you think. Bert, W5ZR, has produced a useful FOC tracking program that will provide a quick reference of any FOC members name, FOC number,

QTH, bands worked with dates, and other information. It is designed to be called during on the air operations. The program is written in compiled BASIC and runs in DOS, but it will also run in Windows. When a member is worked for the first time on each band, that date can be recorded in the program files by using function key F8. If this is done faithfully, the program will keep track of all of the FOC awards, and will print out reports on each of the awards. A Help section is available with function key F1, and this feature will list all of the program functions and show how to access them. For a Zipped copy of the appropriate files, please send a requesting e-mail to me. DJ3KR: Juergen was QRV for a few days in May from JW and made 1200 QSOs. DJ8FW: Ben will be QRV 20 July/20 August from CT3 and also holds the callsign VK6FOC. EA6ZY: Stanley was in Brisbane recently and visited VK4XA, and thoroughly enjoyed it. EI5IY: 19/20 August is International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend and Stan will be QRV as EI5ML from the Mizen Signal Station Lighthouse with two locals, them on SSB and me on CW. G2HKU: Ted asks if any members have come across TVI problems with wide-screen TV? I have a neighbour who was ok with a normal TV but some trouble with the wide screen job. Also, a friend has a similar situation with a monster Hitachi TV. G3CWW: Tony is QRV again after the November gales took down his seven year old Butternut and his hip replacement operation. He has a new (reinforced and guyed) HF9V Butternut. G3MRC: Joe has been in Ethiopia since 10 May for about a month and was hoping to be QRV from the club station in Addis Ababa as ET3AA or as ET3VSC from Claudios QTH. G3SWH: Jan and Phil were in Prague in April to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and stayed with OK1CZ. They met OK1RR and Phil made just two QSOs as OK/G3SWH from Peters shack (a little less than Phil usually makes on his DXpeditions!). Phil will be QRV from Mykonos again while on holiday 14/24 June, CW only 40-10 metres. G3SXW: G3TXF and Roger made 28,000 CW QSOs on 80-10 metres during their 10/23 May FW DXpedition. All WARC-band QSOs were made by Nigel and non-WARC by Roger. Almost exactly one half of contacts were with Europe. More details follow. QSL, direct or bureau, via G3TXF for FW/G3TXF and via G3SXW for FW/G3SXW contacts. Bureau replies may be requested by e-mail (include both call-signs, date, time, band): FW/G3TXF to <g3txf@compuserve.com> and FW/G3SXW to <g3sxw@compuserve.com>. G3VTT: Colin was QRV mobile on 160 metres from ON and PA over Easter and QSOd

MEMBERS NEWS by G4BUE

FOC DISCUSSION GROUP by G3WGV

FOC TRACKING PROGRAM by G3MXJ

PAINA for his first QSO. Colin will be QRV again in August when he and Hilary go on holiday to Domburg. G3ZEM: You will see from the Membership Information column that Karen and Bob have moved to Cyprus. Bob says, I have been active over the past couple of weeks (end of April) from Paphos with a K2 running five watts and a fishing pole supported doublet up on the villa roof. So far 2000 QSOs! This QRP stuff can be fun! I had a QSO with Mike ZL1MH who was using his K2 also. Bob will be QRV from ZD9 in September, details in next FOCUS. G4UPS: Ted has recently worked I6BQI and EA6ACC on 6 metres. G4VXE: Time will be QRV 9/16 June from Crete as SV9/G4VXE with others (QSL via G3SWH). GW3SB: Writing about the new Internet Discussion Group, Charles says, I am very pleased with the facility. I put out a cry for help with my QRP rig which had broken and I received an immediate offer to help with the repair. K3TW: Tom was QRV as SO5TW on 11 May. K5VT: Vince is one of the operators for the big 3B6 DXpedition to Agalega. K6RA: Gene, W6TZD, writers years ago, even before Roy was in FOC, I used to QSO him when he was /M driving up the coast to his aeronautical job. The interesting part was that he had a kilowatt in the boot of his cadillac car and was probably the only /M running a kW although W6AM might have done the same thing. Being a test pilot, Roy was also called Ace quite frequently. After his retirement, he spent a lot of time on the UCLA campus which was nearby, taking classes and I think teaching at times. Roy and W6VX were very close personally and only lived a few blocks apart; unfortunately theyre no longer with us. LA8XM: Trond was QRV until 28 May as TA1/ LA8XM. NNM/4: Jon writes I have been on the air as much as possible with taking a very heavy load of classes in the spring and Summer. So far I have 26 hours toward my 60 need for the degree. Needless to say my activity has been down. I do hope that when summer comes and I hit the road I can go mobile and be more active.

(callsign in brackets indicate G4FOC operator)

FOC CALENDAR

until 10 June ET by G3MRC (608) until 20 June DL8TWA by K3TW (604) June - 10m & VHF (G3WGV) 9/16 SV9/G4VXE (608) 14/24 Mykonos by SV8/G3SWH (608) 17 Harrogate Get-Together 22/24 Hamradio, Friedrichshafen 28 Deadline July N/Sheet July - 40m & 12m (G3HZL) 12/19 HR1/W4CK (607) 15 Committee Meeting 20/20 Aug CT3 by DJ8FW (608) 28 Deadline August N/Sheet 30 VQ9QM by W4QM (608) N4AF: Howie was QRV in the CQ WPX CW Contest as NY4A. N7BG: My apologies to Tony for omitting him from the list of FOC members who will be at WRTC in July. Tony intends to visit Bucharest, Sofia and possibly Tirana and a friend in Hungary on the way to Bled and he would like to hear from amateurs in YO and LZ to arrange a get-together while he is in those cities. ON4WD: Jules had to miss the Con-Din as he and Nicole were on holiday in Cyprus, but a minidinner with 5B4/G3ZEM and 5B4AGC was being planned. W3ABC: Hugh says that at the last ARRL Board meeting (his last one) there were four FOC members in attendance - K1ZZ, W3ABC, W6CF and W6RGG. Hugh believes the last time this occurred was when Vic Clark was still with us. W3ML: The PVRC Newsletter lists former FOC member George as a Silent Key - thanks W3ABC. W4CK: Mark was QRV in May as MM/W4CK from G4PKTs holiday QTH at Loch Rannoch. W4QM: Dale will be QRV again from 30 July for 4/5 months as VQ9QM. W5ZR: Bert, after attending the Washington Dinner, wrote had a great time, won five door prizes! What a club! Jo Ann, my xyl, even made the comment Now here is a worthwhile ham group. She has had 35 years experience watching amateur radio, so she knows.....

Score updates can be passed to G4BUE or any committee member. An asterisk indicates the score has been updated this month. Table shows the scores received by 1500z 29 May 2000.
W4QM* W8XM EA8CN W6CYX G3ZEM* LZ1AF GW3KDB W5ZR* G4BUE* SV1AOW GW3KGV G3KTZ* G2FFO* DL6TQ* G3HZL 343 341 313 312 285 285 284 283 269 264 263 259 258 251 250 G3LIK F3AT* K9QVB* W3NZ G2FFO N4UB* W9GW* PADIN G4BJM* N4AF* W6OV* LY3BA* K1JD* OY3QN W4CK 248 245 238 237 234 234 224 219 218 216 214 208 207 201 201 ZP6CW DJ5ZN* W6TZD* GW3HCL F2MA NP3G YO4PX* K4XU* G4HZV* K7UOT ZL1MH EA6ACC* W4ZYT* G4PKD G2FDF 201 200 200 196 194 192 185 184 181 180 176 172 171 165 163 G8VG* 161 K2VCO* 159 G4OEC 158 GORH 155 NP3F 154 G3LHJ* 145 PABW 145 GKDZ 134 K1GUP 134 SM5COP* 131 ZS6AL 130 G3IY* 127 F5VEX 126 K4EF 123 G3MXJ* 122 W1FZY 120 G3MCK* 119 GM3JKS 118 W1WEF* 115 G3SXW* 114 N1DG 114 K5DQ 110 KT5X 105 GJWB* 104 G3LWI 102 G3JJG* 101 VK8AV 101 GM3HUN* 93 K4II 91 PALOU* AC5K VA3LK SM6AOU* W4DGJ W3ABC G2HKU* W4FOA AA5DX* W5GEL* W4YE W2DX GW3SB* LA8XM 91 90 90 88 88 87 82 84 83 83 82 80 77 77 W1HT GW3SYL G4XRV K5CA OZ4FF W1HL* OH2FOC K2ZR G3KKQ N3BB GCHV W2MEL* GEBW 4X1FC 76 67 66 65 63 62 61 60 56 54 53 53 51 50 G3NKS DK4LX K6OU W9NN ZM2AGY W9VNE KC7V* OH2KI* VK4XA OH2EA* K6DC NNM/4* W6THN DJ9SB 45 44 44 44 43 34 33 30 29 22 20 13 12 3

THE 2000 WINDLE AWARD