The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

BulletinThe Pasadena Radio Club

July 2009

Club member Kate Hutton, KD6HTN, has graciously arranged to escort us on a tour of the Seismological Lab at Caltech.

Due to limits on the number of people on these tours, club members have been asked over the last two months to sign up in advance. As of now all 60 slots on the tour are full. Here are Kate’s instructions:The Caltech Seismological Lab is the South (Seeley G.) Mudd building, on the northeast corner of Wilson Ave. & California Blvd. in Pasadena. This is the first traffic signal on California east of Lake Ave.In the evening, you may park in any Caltech lot or parking structure, except that you should avoid parking in a space with someone's name on it. Street parking is easy at that time. One place to look if there aren't any spots right in front of the building on Wilson or California is Catalina Avenue, parallel to & one small block to the west of Wilson.We have an elevator for accessibility, but I don't think there are any nearby handicapped parking spaces.

Please be there promptly Tuesday, July 28th, at 6:45 pm for 7:00 pm check-in. I will meet everyone OUTSIDE on the northeast corner of Wilson & California. We will gather either on the sidewalk, or in a little garden area where there is some seating. The building will be locked & there is no guard to let you in. HT's do not work very well inside the building. This is the Seismo Lab, so there is a lot of steel.Half the group will then go on tour, while the rest ragchew & eat in the seminar room. Tom and Cynthia Berne are hosting our refreshments. Snacks are fine as long as we clean up.After both tours are finished, there will a Q & A session, general meeting, or whatever, in the seminar room.If we should have an earthquake big enough for the media to be in the Media Center, then you all would be busy as well. Right? If that did occur, the tour would have to be cancelled.

Caltech Seismological Lab TourJuly 28th - No Club Meeting at Kaiser(This tour is limited to those who signed up in advance)

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

Field Day is over. To me the PRC effort was a big success! All who attended had lots of opportunities to participate in the equipment set-up and take down, operate, visit with other members, try out new modes, antennas, generators, etc…and consume pizza. The location is nearly ideal. All the elements of a great Field Day experience were there in spades, with the one exception of the low sunspot numbers. Several new members showed up and jumped in with both feet. A few ham and non-hams visitors showed up and were shown what amateur radio could do first hand and sent off with information on our club. It takes a lot of work to pull off such a well orchestrated Field Day performance. The leader of this effort was Peter Fogg, and we owe him and his helpers a big THANK YOU for all the hard work. Also, let’s not forget to recognize the efforts of our trusty W6KA Station Trustee, Paul Gordon, who keeps us honest (FCC-

wise) and looks after the contest details and log submission (ARRL-wise).We are going to have a unique next general club meeting. We will not meet in our regular location and there will be no formal meeting per se, rather we will be touring the California Institute of Technology’s Seismological Laboratory.( www.seismolab.caltech.edu/earthquakes.html )How did this happen? Well, we are very lucky that Kate Hutton, KD6HTN, who only a few months ago joined the PRC, is the Staff Seismologist there. She offered to arrange a tour of the Lab and your Board jumped at the idea. The details about this event are elsewhere in the Bulletin.Finally, this is a reminder about the ARRL Southwest Division Hamfest which is on Saturday, August 15th in Santa Barbara from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Earl Warren Showground. I am bringing it up now in case you want to come because it may be too late by this time next month to work it in to your busy summer calendar. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club is hosting the event. From their homepage (www.sbarc.org) click on “Hamfest Information” for a nice PDF information sheet listing an amazing array of things to do, see and buy. There will even be a "Lessons Learned from the Great Southern California Shakeout" talk by Kate Hutton, to complement our July Cal Tech visit! It is also possible to register on-line. Quite a few members have indicated that they plan to attend, so maybe we can work out some kind of PRC get together.

We survived another Field Day - super work from all of the members who participated and visitors. For the second year the site at Art Center College of Design, Hillside Campus, proved to be an excellent one. Easy access, provided bathroom, large flat paved surface all contributed to an easy setup and operation. Many thanks go to Art Center for assisting our club with this important yearly event.I was impressed with all of the stations members set up. They all worked and for the most part they had operators much of the time. All of the numbers are not in yet but it appears that we made many hundreds of contact on bands from 2 meters FM through 40 SSB and CW.. As usual our main station on 20 meters SSB used the tri-band beam on the club's

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The Presidential

by Tom Berne, W6TAG

Amplifier

Sub-audible Tomes

Field Day 2009

Bruce Nolte, N1BN

Brian Ward, operating 40 meter SSB with his grandfather, Tom Berne, W6TAG, at Field Day.

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

thirty foot tower. While the SWR did not appear great at the start of Saturday the station still made 300 or more contacts throughout the weekend.This was also the first year trying out the Honda EU2000i Inverter generator. All in all the Honda worked great. It was rented from Sunbelt Rentals. The generator used no more than four gallons of fuel over the 24 hours even though it had little load at times. I think we all agreed that its use was a success.Saturday evening we ordered out for a Roundtable Pizza. They came through with speedy delivery and a tasty dinner for the group of twenty hungry operators.Many thanks to all who visited or participated. A fun time was had by all. I shot three hours of video and have already moved well forward into the editing process. Please come to the August meeting for a World Premiere "Field Day 2009 - the movie !"

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Paul Gordon, N6LL, and Kate Hutton, KD6HTN, put in many hours at the CW station.

ARRL's Southwestern Division ConventionSanta Barbara August 15th

The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club has stepped up to the task of hosting this year's division convention at the Earl Warren Showgrounds on Saturday, August 15th.The Hamfest's theme is emergency preparedness. Note that convention participants will have free admission to the home show in the adjacent building (bring the wife), and registration includes the tri-tip and chicken barbecue lunch. Great speakers, "genius bars" for individual questions, impressive displays and demonstrations, and live entertainment will combine to make this an event to remember!The Santa Barbara club web-site has more details. See www.sbarc.org and follow the links. Online registration prior to August 1st costs $20 and includes bonus raffle tickets.Here’s their flyer information:Saturday, August 15 at Earl Warren Showgrounds - go to www.earlwarren.com for map and infoExhibits open at 8:00 – Speakers begin at 9:00 – Live band closes the show at 17:008,000 sq. feet of indoor exhibits featuring major communications suppliersHuge outdoor static display of emergency communications & response vehiclesSpeakers & panel discussions, such as "Lessons Learned from the Great Southern California Shakeout" by Dr. Kate Hutton of the Caltech Seismology DepartmentElmering & Special Interest Group Genius Centers to answer questions from new hams & share expertise on favorite topics such as trouble-shooting, ATV, DX, QRP & many moreAlternative-power Demonstration – latest solar, wind & other “off-the-grid” technologiesSpouse-approved – adjacent to Santa Barbara Home Show with FREE entry privilegesARRL Forum – update on antenna regulations. Meet & question your elected leadersGrand raffle prize – Elecraft K3 high performance HF transceiver! Spouse prizes – valuable restaurant gift certificates!

Pamela, W6PNW, and Jim, N6XCR at the VHF-UHF station.

N1BN Photo

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009page 4

Now, before we start talking about antennas, we need to think about how we will connect our coax to the antenna, at a place called the “feed point”. One of the things I intentionally held back form the earlier discussion of feed lines during which we rather arbitrarily decided to use coax is something called “balance”. Open parallel lines are “balanced” and therefore work well when connected to a “balanced antenna” (which most are). We choose coax for other reasons that we already covered, but now it presents a problem because it is “unbalanced”. We will skip explaining those terms and stick to seeing what happens if you hook connect a “balanced”, compared to an “unbalanced” coax, to a dipole antenna which is a “balanced” load? With the “balanced” line all current from each of the parallel wires travels down each arm of the dipole antenna if it is cut the right length for the frequency in use (the antenna is said to be “resonant”). With a coax connected to a dipole all of the current from the center conductor goes down the arm of the dipole that it is connected to, but the current coming along inside our coax’s shield, which is connected to the other arm of our resonant dipole, may not do the same. It can either flow down the low impedance path that it sees at the arm it is connected to or it may also want to turn around and flow back down the outside of the coax (towards our shack) depending on the impedance it sees there. If it sees something that resembles a one-quarter wave length (similar to the length of the each of the dipole’s arms) much of it may travel that way too. That will change the directivity of your antenna usually in a sometimes unwanted omnidirectional way, and also send unwanted stray rf energy into your shack! That is not as much of a problem if you are using low frequencies (e.g. 80 or 160 meters) and you are not too concerned about the directivity of your antenna, but generally having RF come down the outside of our coax is to be avoided. Next month we will see how baluns can avoid that problem and also why they come in different physical shapes, matching ratios, voltage and current types and power handling ratings.

Crown City HFTom Berne, W6TAGFeedpoints and Baluns

Bruce, N1BN, and Brian, KI6EOS, marvel at the latest technical advance, “RF IN A CAN”

Ken, W6FU, doesn’t need any “RF IN A CAN” to make plenty of contacts on CW

N6LL Photo

N6LL Photo

Many Thanks to Paul Gordon for his field day photo contributions for this month’s Bulletin. Great job, Paul!

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009 page 5

KA6RJF and K6CUGW6ELI hoping there is another end somewhere

WA6LDT fishing

?, KJ6NO and WA6LDT making some shade at the GOTA station

WA0POD and AG6MB search for a satellite contact

N6LL Photo

N6LL Photo

N6LL Photo N6LL Photo

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009page 6

President W6TAG Tom Berne berne at usc dot edu 323-665-6289

Vice President W6PNW Pamela Royce 626-285-8987 Secretary N1BN Bruce Nolte n1bn at charter dot net Treasurer W6MES Mark Seigel w6mes at arrl dot net 818-430-5244 Members At Large Fred Lopez KG6GTL Brian Irish WA6GLJ Ralph Williams KI6SXP

Past Officers Peter Fogg KA6RJF Bruce Nolte N1BN Harry Brumer K7IB Cynthia Berne N6NCE Education Chair W6MES Mark Seigel w6mes at arrl dot net 818-430-5244 VE Team Liaison AB6LR Merrie Suydam ab6lr at arrl dot net (626) 969-4409

Club Net KF6FEM Mike Dinko 626-797-8082 Bulletin Editor AC6VV John Minger ac6vv at arrl dot net 323-256-0046

Night and Day at the W6KA Field Day Site

Our Rented 2KW wonderfully quiet generator

N6LL Photo

N6LL Photo

Made on a Mac

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

The Pasadena Radio Club meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Center, located at 393 East Walnut Street, at the corner of Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena. Enter the parking structure at the Los Robles Avenue entrance and mention “Pasadena Radio Club”. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please sign in at the front desk and security will direct you to the meeting room.

Membership in the Pasadena Radio Club is open to anyone interested in Amateur Radio. Dues are $20 per year, $10 for students. Request a membership application at the club’s mailing address, on the club website, www.qsl.net/w6ka, or in person at the monthly meeting.

The Pasadena Radio Club, W6KA, conducts a weekly net every Tuesday night, except on meeting nights, at 7:00 p.m. The frequency is 145.180 MHz (-) PL 156.7. All licensed amateurs are invited to participate.

The club has a packet station on 145.630 and on 223.600 (cross-band capable) with a PBBS of W6KA-10 and a node name of MIRDOR.

There is an unofficial Yahoo Group for club members at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PRC-Club/. All members are invited to join as this allows for rapid dissemination of information to members via e-mail.

Bulletin Submissions: please submit any articles, photos, or ideas for future articles via e-mail to AC6VV at arrl dot net, please include “PRC” in the Subject line. Other modes of submission may be arranged in advance on an individual basis. Submissions are due by the Friday after the board meeting.

Permission is granted to use articles in this issue as long as “Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin” is credited.

Please submit any address or e-mail changes to the Treasurer.

Better Banking for Southern California123 S Marengo Ave., Pasadena

http://www.wescom.org/

page 7

Thank You

for your support of The Pasadena Radio Club, and amateur radio hospital

emergency communications

511 S. Fair Oaks Ave.Pasadena

626-744-3200

Over 30 Years of Customer SatisfactionWe Know Self Storage!

PRC Bulletin Onlinehttp://www.qsl.net/w6ka/

Tom and Cynthia Berne will Host Our July Refreshments

www.cmprintmail.com

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

Pasadena Radio Club, W6KAP.O. Box 282, Altadena, CA 91003-0282

http://www.qsl.net/w6ka/

In This IssuePage 1 Caltech Seismological Lab TourPage 2 The Presidential Amplifier Sub-audible TomesPage 3 ARRL SW Division ConventionPage 4 Crown City HF Page 5 Field Day PhotosPage 6 More Photos, PRC Board RosterPage 7 Ads, Club Information, etc.Page 8 Club CalendarPage 9, 10 More Photos, Meeting Minutes

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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

PRC Club Meeting7:00 pm

PRC Net 7:00 pmPRC Board 7:30 pm

PRC Net 7:00 pm145.180 - PL 156.7

Seismo Tourat Caltech 6:45 pm

Kaiser Net147.270 Mhz 12:15 pm448.280 Mhz 12:30 pm52.700 Mhz 12:45 pm

PRC Net 7:00 pm145.180 - PL 156.7

PRC Net 7:00 pm145.180 - PL 156.7

Jul 26 Jul 28 Jul 31Jul 29 Jul 30Jul 27 Aug 1

Aug 2 Aug 4 Aug 7Aug 5 Aug 6Aug 3 Aug 8

Aug 9 Aug 11 Aug 14Aug 12 Aug 13Aug 10 Aug 15

Aug 16 Aug 18 Aug 21Aug 19 Aug 20Aug 17 Aug 22

Aug 23 Aug 25 Aug 28Aug 26 Aug 27Aug 24 Aug 29

Aug 30 Sep 1 Sep 4Sep 2 Sep 3Aug 31 Sep 5

AC100 Meeting Mt Disappontment 50K/50M Race

AC100 Meeting

AC100 Packet Radio Tuneup

ARRL SW Div Convention and

Hamfest Sta Barbara

Caltech Seismological Lab Tour Instead of Monthly

Meeting (July 28th)

Have you renewed your membership in the Pasadena Radio Club yet? It is a bargain this year at only $20, regardless of the number of family club members in the house. There is even a reduced rate for students living away from home. See the box on page 7 for particulars.If you have already renewed at the old $30 rate, you are entitled to receive a rebate of the $10 difference if you request it. Contact Mark, W6MES e-mail: w6mes at arrl dot net.

On page 53 of the August issue of QST, our own Allen Wolff, KC7O, has a published article entitled “Building a Ferrite Core Antenna Current Probe”. Allen is a prolific technical author and has had many other published writings, some of which have appeared right here in the PRC Bulletin. Fine business, Allen!

Support Your Club!

KC7O Article Printed in August QST

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

In attendance: Tom Berne, Cynthia, Berne Paul Gordon, Ray Overman, Bruce Nolte, Mark Seigel, Kate Hutton, Peter Fogg, John Minger, Pamela Royce, Harry Brumer, Fred Lopez

Meeting started at 7:30 pm

President: no report

Secretary: needs names for badge order.

VP: we will sort out the August situation (speaker conflict).

Treasurer report: same report as last month. Computer died, new one on the way. Peter Fogg is building a web-based solution for the club's needs. Peter requested that our insurance company provide us a rider for the Field Day weekend.

Membership roster: Hal Frank suggested that we have better access to the club's roster, maybe on a website.

Bulletin editor report: Tom Berne asks about how much Field Day promotion is available, maybe do it both in May and June.

Field Day report: We are still in a good position with Art Center. We have to provide insurance documents to get the final written approval. Food committee will order out for dinner. We will log using local military 24 hour time. Mark moved that we rent a Honda EU 2000i generator. Seconded by Pamela, passed by all.

Refreshments: Kate Hutton offered to do refreshments for May

Corporate maintenance: we have to file with the state of California to stay current.

LA Area Council of Amateur Radio Clubs: Peter will try to make the next meeting the first Tuesday in July.

ARRL membership for the club is current. Newsline donation was not yet made for 2009. Peter Fogg motions that we give them $50, Harry seconds. Pamela discuss make it $100. Peter Fogg's motion fails. Pamela Royce motions that we give $100. Seconded by Mark Seigel passed by all except Peter.

Weekly net: There seems to be more life in nets.

Pamela: one member has suggested having a mini Field Day at a school. Kate Hutton came to discuss the Caltech tour in July.

Kate Hutton: wants to give two tours of 25 to 30 people each. There is an assembly room for people to gather. Each tour will last about thirty minutes. Maybe have a signup sheet at meetings.

Bob Kelly, W6TCE passed away in March of this year.

Tom Berne and Cynthia Berne will not be here for the next board meeting.

Adjourned at 8:37 pm

Submitted by Bruce Nolte

Meeting starts at 7:02 pm

New badges and upgrade announced. Members introduce themselves.

Introduction of speaker: Marty Woll N6VI speaking on Antenna Ordinances in the Southwestern Division.

When putting up an antenna get a building permit, check all zoning and building codes. Structural safety is usually determined by the building codes, if you follow them. Ham are already required to

follow RF safety rules by FCC mandate. In 1984 PRB-1 requires that local regulation accommodate Ham Radio antennas. 27 US states have even created their own laws allowing Ham antennas. California has SB1228 gives some protection to California Hams. Then went into great detail with the WB6X story in Palmdale. What can you do to help? Write your member of congress in support of HR2160, see the ARRL website on how to do it. Look for "PRB-1 Package" to find it on the site. Book Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur by Fred Hopengarten K1VR. Amateur Radio antenna Defense Foundation , a not for profit corporation in California, Started by Marty Woll.

Eli Lazarov W6ELI showed a clip from the film The Anderson Tapes that featured Ham Radio in one scene.

Break at 8:30 pm

Business meeting

President Tom Berne says don't miss Field Day - great for new hams. Ray is doing the GOTA station.

VP report: Pamela Royce has locked in speakers through the remainder of the year. June speaker to be Rick DiFiore then a FD discussion. July is Caltech. August Field Day video and...

Secretary report: return badges to rope and email N1BN (n1bn at arrl dot net) if you are a new member and need a badge. Or lost your badge..

Treasurer report: at last board meeting we are solvent.

Field Day report: arrive at 7 AM on June 27 - we will have four or five stations on the air.

Adjourned at 9:11 pm

In attendance: Bruce Nolte, Pamela Royce, Peter Fogg, Ray Overman, John Minger, Mark Seigel

Meeting starts 7:34 PM

The VP has no report, as speakers are filled for the year. Turned in a receipt for the last speaker’s dinner. There is more room in the July CalTech tour. The VP was reimbursed for the meal.

Treasurer Report: Mark Seigel has distributed a balance sheet and report that is up to date but the header on the spreadsheet has some wrong dates on it. Could the financial info be sent to board members before the July meeting? He will research that. Treasurer has been receiving $30 fees and needs a plan for reimbursement to these members - overpaying from the $20.

Newsletter: no problems

Field Day: Peter says we need a truck for moving antenna pieces. Discussion about the truck ensued. Peter says that we will have gear this year to transport.

Refreshments: Pamela Royce will take the job for June meeting.

Member roster: a treasurer’s job for now.

Who is the webmaster? It was Roz Rich. Dwayne Miles assisted recently. The website still lists $30 dues and the dues change in the By Laws.

P O Box duty: Mark Seigel has been there twice in the last month.

Meeting ends at 8:05 PM

Submitted by Bruce Nolte

Pasadena Radio Club Board Meeting Minutes - 5/12/2009submitted by Secretary, Bruce Nolte, N1BN

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Pasadena Radio Club General Meeting Minutes - 5/26/2009submitted by Secretary, Bruce Nolte, N1BN

Pasadena Radio Club Board Meeting Minutes - 6/9/2009submitted by Secretary, Bruce Nolte, N1BN

The Pasadena Radio Club Bulletin - July 2009

Meeting starts at 7:05 pm

Introductions

Pre-Field Day meeting. Peter Fogg and Bruce Nolte discuss the planning and operation for Field Day 2009.

Bruce Nolte showed his 2008 Field Day video to the membership

Plaque was given to our Bulletin printer Cindy Cleghorn and her staff for their many years of great service to the club.

David Greenhut, N6HD, candidate for ARRL Los Angeles Section Manager spoke to the club about running for the office.

Business meeting at 8:51 pm

No president report.

VP report: speakers are assigned for the rest of the year. Pamela Royce explained as to why she is proud of our Bulletin.

Secretary report: look for the Field Day signs on the streets.

Treasurer report: maybe send out money info

FD report: be at the site at 7 AM if you want to help with set up. All interested should come and operate one of the stations.

Meeting ends at 9:04 pm

In attendance: Bruce Nolte, Mark Seigel, Ray Overman, Tom Berne, Cynthia Berne, Pamela Royce , Kate Hutton, Paul Gordon, Peter Fogg, Fred Lopez, John Minger

Meeting starts at: 7:31 pm

President's message: Thanks everybody that Field Day went well and special thanks to Peter Fogg because of the amount of work involved and the great results. Also thanked Paul Gordon for managing the logs.

Secretary report: nothing to report except that a Field Day video is in the editing phase.

VP: Seismological Lab tour is the July meeting. Room for four more people for the tour. No one has volunteered to do refreshments for July. Peter asks where the meeting will be for people who don't sign up for the tour. A business meeting will be held after the tours according to Pamela Royce, if needed. Our President felt that a formal meeting would not be necessary and others pointed out that their have been multiple previous months when PRC general meetings were omitted.

Treasurer report: Mark Seigel discussed the current membership roster. He has lost some applications on the computer that manages some of the databases. Mark states that he needs assistance with the Access program. Peter Fogg suggests that a web-based membership and treasurer system might be of value. A discussion about how to handle the membership database ensued. Pamela Royce moves that the club asks Peter to investigate the use of an online system. No second for the motion. Discussion ensued. Tom: it would be great on line but security is the question. Mark Seigel said that he has no expenses for Field Day reported.

Bulletin: John has a lot of material for the Bulletin because of Field Day.

Field Day: Peter Fogg says "We held it and it was a success". A discussion about FD attendance ensued. A discussion about what our FD intent was ensued. Are we in FD to win or just to have fun? Paul Gordon is delighted with the Art Center site from a radio point of view but it is not a good public relations site.

Results: 1148 points, claimed scored 2296 was submitted to ARRL.

Pamela Royce enjoyed FD and even made a contact on 2 meters.

Peter Fogg submits a bill for the generator rental to the treasurer for $75.82. John Snider assisted FD with the use of his pickup truck for delivering the tripod tubes. Pamela Royce makes a motion to pay John Snyder $100 for his services. Cynthia seconds. Passed by all.

Kate Hutton mentions that there was not enough pizza for dinner. Tom Berne says that will be corrected next year.

July meeting: Tom and Cynthia Berne are doing refreshments for July meeting. Mark Seigel will do refreshments in August.

A short discussion ensued about what is a quorum based on Roberts Rules of Order.

Pamela is suggesting that the Bulletin editor be made equal to a Member at Large in regard to Board voting rights. No motion is made.

ARRL Hamvention in Santa Barbara on August 15. The club could pick a radio frequency for doing organized lunch or dinner.

Pamela Royce exceeded her refreshment budget by $1.32. And she suggests making the club a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. A discussion about non-profit and how it relates to donation and restarting a raffle ensued.

Meeting ends at 9:06 pm

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Pasadena Radio Club General Meeting Minutes - 6/23/2009submitted by Secretary, Bruce Nolte, N1BN

Pasadena Radio Club Board Meeting Minutes - 7/14/2009submitted by Secretary, Bruce Nolte, N1BN

Cindy, KE6YTH, and Mark, W6MES, with her plaque