The Koolau Amateur Radio Club Newsletter for September 1999


-NEWS-Features-CONTESTS-Ham Ads-MINUTES-Articles-PHOTOS-


AH6HH MIR SSTV

This SSTV Image of the Cosmonauts was copied at 4AM during the Pearl City High School MIR QSO on June 24th by KARC Member Sid, AH6HH, and is found on the PCHS Webpages written by NH6YK, Ted, PCHS Instructor and frequent visitor to KARC. The participating students talked via ham radio and sent their SSTV image up to MIR with the assistance of several Oahu amateurs who loaned equipment and expertise. Included in this group was Richard, WH6T, another KARC Member. You can find more information at URL http://165.248.121.95/Mir/MIR6-24.html


NEXT MEETING- Saturday, September 11th

In Kaneohe, at Ho'omaluhia Park Visitor's Center at 9:30 AM- Be there! Our Guest Speaker will be Brock Whaley (WH6SZ) who lives in Kailua. Brock is the program director of 97.5 KPOI and will be speaking on commercial radio and how his company is involved with the monthly emergency test and how 97.5 KPOI is involved with emergency communications.

We also may hear from Ron, AH6RH, about Oahu State CD activities and the RACES Y2K Plans. If you have any questions about Emergency Communications and Amateur Radio on Oahu, Ron has spent many years working in these areas and is likely to know.

"Show and Tell" needs you to bring something from your shack to show those attending, while you tell about it. Remember, you can not win the prizes, contribute your special ideas and catch up on the latest from your ham radio friends if you do not attend.


MINUTES- Here is what you missed at the August 8th Meeting...

Minutes provided by KARC V/P Clem, KH7HO and updated by Pres, Walt, AH6OZ

Meeting was called to order approximately 9:45am by President Walt Niemczura (AH6OZ). Guest speaker Alan Lloyd was allowed to speak before the general membership meeting portion was held. Alan Lloyd spoke about the so call warming of the earth. He believes the earth is not warming up as other have mentioned. Alan gave some data to back up his thesis.

Walt wanted to thank the following KARC members who helped out at the recent Traspac Race: David Lau (KH6AW), Randy Scott (KH7EF), Mike Burger (AH7R), and Doug White (N9GFL). Walt felt this year's radio communicators were very professional and helpful. Many had put in many hours working the HF and VHF radios. Many thanks.

Walt mentioned that Greg Greenwood (WB6FZH) is still the editor of the KARC newsletter but needs Your articles & JPG files. Walt will update the KARC web site and help with the newsletter. Please submit articles and j-peg pictures to him at his e-mail address, walt@hawaii.rr.com. Also Walt, Len Young (KH6NFN), Howard Andrus (WH6CLZ), and Clem Jung (KH7HO) volunteered to make copy of the newsletter for printing and distribution to members. Howard volunteered to do the September issue.

President Walt mentioned he found approximately 60 missing j-pegs and is working toward replacing them. Walt will maintain the KARC web page.

The October 3, 1999 Kailua 5K Run is looking for radio communicators. KARC has volunteered to provide radio communications. The following members have volunteered to help: Walt, Clem, Len, Jerry (N5MES), and a missing person (sorry forgot name). More volunteers are invited to help out.

KARC Field Day score was 1,900.

Treasurer's report the following: Balanced as of 6/30/99 $457.46; Income $49.63; Expenses $40.69, Balance as of 7/31/99 $466.40.

The August newsletter cost $34.80 to print and to mail out.

August 26, 1999 is the Hawaii QSO Party Contest.

There were discussion on KARC activities for the year. Suggestions were made to utilize the talents within the membership as speakers. Also suggested to do club projects, i.e., how to do fox hunting to be followed at the next meeting on fox hunting. A Swap meet to be sponsored by the various Oahu radio clubs and the Afternoon 40 meter net who brought up. Much interest was generated. Suggested it be held in centrol Honolulu sometime in late October 1999.

Club members interested in having Skywarn training at one of the monthly meeting. Mike Burger will check with Tom Hefner.

It was mentioned that Red Cross nurses are going through ham training at Halawa Prison.

Art Neilson (KH7PZ) did Show and Tell on the GPS/TAPR TAC-2 unit he put together.

Two new members voted in: Dennis Egge (KH7MU) and Art Neilson (KH7PZ). Welcome to KARC.

The meeting ended approximately 12:30pm.


RACES- Y2K Extravaganza! - New Year's Eve

Oahu RACES/HPD Y2K Project Can you participate?

Oahu RACES will be supporting the Honolulu Police Department over the New Year's holiday with backup communications at police stations around the island. RACES members are needed to assist at some of the stations.

HPD has purchased and is installing amateur radio equipment at 11 police stations around the island. They are identifying officers from within their force who would like to become amateur radio operators. These officers, along with Oahu RACES volunteers, will man these radios at the police stations in teams of 2 to 3 persons over New Years. To provide teams at each police station means about 40 amateur radio operators will be needed for this project alone.

As well as the police stations, other amateur radio support is planned for New Years. Health Comm, the hospitals amateur radio group, will be operational at nearly every major Oahu hospital on the island. OCDA will be manned by a full team of QRT (RACES Quick Response Team) members. Amateur radio support is planned for EMS dispatch (ambulance dispatch) at the airport. OCDA District Volunteers will be supporting the Honolulu Fire Department with backup communications at each fire station using the police VHF radios.

The HPD officers will begin training and licensing sessions at HPD on September 2nd. RACES will be conducting operations training specific to this project beginning in October. For Oahu RACES, the SET (Simulated Emergency Test) on October 2nd will include as many HPD stations as are operational at that time.

All of the 11 HPD stations will have VHF and UHF radios. Outside of Metropolitan Honolulu, the stations will have HF capabilities as well as VHF and UHF. Therefore, at least one team member at each of these stations will need to have a General Class License or above.

Stations with HF as well as VHF/UHF capability will be: Alapai (Dispatch), Kaneohe, Kailua, Kahuku, Waianae, Wahiawa, Stations with VHF/UHF only will be: Barbers Point, Pearl City, Kalihi, Chinatown and Waikiki Beachfront.

We will also need relay stations, jump teams and backup volunteers to support this project.

Would you be available to assist with this project? If you volunteer you will need to:

If you would like to assist, we need to know immediately. Assignments to stations and other positions will be made beginning Sept. 15th.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Adrian, KH7GK on the 146.88 MHz repeater or e-mail at aditucci@pixi.com or call Bev, AH6NF, at 262-2845 or Ray, AH6LT, at 941-9239.


PACIFICON is OCTOBER 15-17 in Concord, CA

The ARRL Pacific Division Convention (PACIFICCON99) will be in Concord, CA Contact Dick Brown, KT6X, (925)676-9048, email to: paccon99@pacbell.net WWW- http://www.pacificon.org

HEALTHCOM- Castle Medical Center

WB6FZH, Greg, made an antenna survey during the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" Test a few months ago, and provided an extensive report that included suggested minimum equipment and support items, along with possible configurations and capabilities to allow Castle Medical Center to join HealthComm on 2 Meters, 70cm and HF. This report was discussed at the recent Y2K/Emergency Communications meeting at Castle.

Castle Medical Center will be going forward with the HealthComm Network Membership and Amateur Radio Station establishment. The medical center's location will also allow Castle to be a critical relay point with information from NorthShore and Windward Healthcare and emergency communications centers.

Recent meetings have been held to plan the actual initial and longterm goals and to facilitate planning and installation of equipment. KARC members and all Radio Amateurs or those interested in obtaining a license are cordially invided to Join the important communications project.

Contact Kevin Richards, Safety Supervisor, at Castle Medical Center, for further information.

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS- SET Exercise October 2nd

ARES & SCD RACES in coordination with OCD will have this important Simulated Emergency Test from 0830am to 11:30am. Communities all over the United States and Territories will be having similar exercises.

On Oahu, monitor 147.060+ repeater on VHF and on HF 7290/3993 Khz. The Senario will involve a "Natural Disaster", and specific assignments will be made to RACES/ARES teams. Individual Amateurs are welcome to participate, just listen to the Net Control Stations for information. You may contact Local RACES and ARES coordinators. Consider joining one of these groups. (See RACES/ARES Articles for contact information)

ARES STATE EMERGENCY PLAN

The first draft of the Hawaii State Emergency Plan for ARES has been released and may be attached to the Newsletter, space permitting. If not it will be posted on the KARC Website soon. Photocopies may be availiable at the next meeting.

FIELD DAY- Final Report (Soon)

The score, list of operators, visitors and highlights of FD-99 are not available at press time. KARC President and FD99 Station manager will provide us with more information and his predictions for FD2000 soon. Information will be posted on the KARC Website in the Activities/Photo Gallery Section when availiable.

OAHU RACES CHIEF RETURNS

Ray, AH6LT, returned from a years absence in Florida, and has assumed his duties as RACES Coordinator on Oahu.

Bev Yuen, AH6NF, has been acting Coordinator and doing a great job. She will remain very active in RACES and deserves alot of credit for all she has done this last year!

CONTESTS- Details in World Radio, CQ and QST Magazines

SEPTEMBER

SWAP, SELL & TRADE- KARC Members...Your FREE Advertisement here!

CONSTRUCTION CORNER & QRP Column- WB6FZH

- Next Month as Space Permits! -

KARC WEBSITE UPDATE- KARC President Whips Server into Shape!

Walt, AH6OZ, has spent alot of time on the hardware and software of the Server that houses the Chemistry Department and KARC. He has made sure the missing files are updated, and used his super software to check and repair some broken links to other sites,etc. Walt has made complete back-up files in his PC and has a copy archived at UH, with constant updates being made periodically.

Walt will also be taking over the lead position in the KARC Webguy team, with Greg, WB6FZH, still working part time on some new and updating old content, but nolonger responsible for maintaining the primary backups. Walt says that the content of the site will be largely the same, with a continuation of new sections as the club grows in diversity. Some new bells and whistles perhaps too.

Greg built the website by holding a book on HTML in one hand and hitting the keyboard with the other learning as he went, with the experience gained from building his personal sites. HTML has progressed, and Walt has much more experience, more up to date equipment and is in the ideal postion to update the KARC Website.

ROLLY JONES MOVING TO OKLAHOMA

Rolly Jones will be moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, we wish Rolly and his XYL all the best in their new location. We will look forward to hearing from Rolly after he gets relocated and has installed a loading coil on his 5 gallon Cowboy Hat. Remember, careful digging a hole for a tower, there may be an oil gusher!

NEWSLETTER PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION

A cooperative effort resulted in the mailing of the August KARC News. Thanks to President Walt, AH6OZ, and all the volunteers that came forward. When the process is a little more fine tuned, we will let you know who the Minihunes are that are downloading this text from the KARC Website, and delivering a clean copy to Postal Connection along with the labels for printing and mailing. The KARC NEWS is edited with the AOL Version of Internet Explorer. If printed from different Browser, It may not look as it was composed.

DO YOU HAVE EMAIL? ARE YOU ON THE KARC NEWS LIST?

KARC members send your email address along with your name and callsign to Greg, WB6FZH, at wb6fzh@arrl.net You will be added to this email list that receives KARC News, Special Announcements and information before the next issue is printed.

KARC AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE TESTING

The next regularly scheduled Testing Opportunity has been cancelled due to VE Sid, AH6HH's full Hip replacement. We are not sure where Sid's old one is, but we are all glad he has a new one, and wish him a speedy and full recovery.

VE Testing after KARC meetings are a convenience for KARC members and prospective Oahu Hams. Thanks Sid and your KARC Member VE Team of examiners. It takes a full crew to put on these tests with the staff often outnumbering the applicants for testing.

MIR SPACE STATION TO BE ABANDONED

At deadline, the Russian-French crew, Viktor Afanasyev, Sergei Avdeyev and Jean Pierre Haignere are looking forward to coming home to earth.

The Russians are under great pressure to abandon the aging space station MIR and put thier attentions and limited finances into the ISS project that the Russians are months behind in their workschedule.

Avdeyev returns to earth with the record for most time spent in space. More than 2 years in space, (742 days). The crew has installed a back-up navigation and control system, to keep the MIR flying and in proper alignment until a Russian crew comes up in February or March to refuel the station and fly it to a lower altitude, and then set the controls to send it into the Pacific Ocean.

Mir is often compared to a used car, lots of things breaking, collisions, and financial burden. It was designed to be used for 5 years and has been in orbit for more than twice that long.

The Amateur Radio Equipment is a combination of American Antenna (Larsen) and TNC (Kantronics), Japanese FM transceivers & SSTV unit, a Canadian RF Bandpass Filter and powering it all a 28 to 12 volt DC to DC converter that was provided by the German AMSAT group.

Many KARC club members and Hawaiian Radio Amateurs have communicated or listened to MIR. Each of us takes with us a special memory of MIR, a voice coming from above, a SSTV picture shared, a digital message from on board, or a message left on the BBS, or a signal digi-peated to another ham's QTH across an ocean or across the island.

Recent postings on Manned Space e-mail reflectors, and even messages on the MIR PMS (Personal Message System) BBS have been thanking the crew, Energia, MAREX, MIREX and many other agencies and people for their tireless work to keep Amateur Radio Alive on MIR.

The Amateur Radio Experiment is one of the last turned off as they go out the door...Just do not slam it too hard!

THE SATELLITE CORNER- Pete Scheller, NH6VB (ON VACATION)

Pete has just returned and will send a column along for September soon- Perhaps even an article about his European Ham Radio Adventures.


KOOLAU AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

CLUB OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

PROGRAM CHAIRMAN- Al Kaopuiki, AH6PT- akaopuiki@hawaii.rr.com

NEWSLETTER- Online & Mailed Versions

CLUB MEETINGS

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN- Jerry Mulherin, WH6BKQ, 235-3042, email:jerham@aloha.net

MAILING ADDRESS- KARC c/o J.Mulherin, 45-145 Mikihilina St., Kaneohe, HI 96744

VEC TESTING

2 METER ACTIVITY

KARC WEBSITE