2000 - Palomar Amateur Radio Club

e-mail.
If you do not hear a "kerchunk" on
the 449.420 frequency, give 447.200 a
try!
Ham Satellite
Amateur Radio satellite UO-14 is
now operating as a full duplex voice
repeater. The uplink is 145.975 MHz,
and the downlink is 435.070 MHz. No
more than 5 W is required to make contact
when the satellite is in view. Some
have made the trip with as little as 1.5
W.
bttp:/lwww.arrLorgIarrDetterlOO/021S/
Old Repeaters?
As we all get older we sort of expect
to start falling apart but with our old
Motorola repeaters this does not seem to
be happening.
From time to time we hear some of
our repeater users start to "blame" our
"old repeaters'" for all sorts of things:
pulsation's, growls, thumps, bumps, etc.
But we bet that when you get right
down to it, our repeater users have more
problems with their own rigs and computers
then we do with our repeaters.
The 146.7 packet repeater started out
as our main 146.730 machine and served
that way until it was changed over to
make a packet repeater several years
ago. That Motorola repeater was bought
around 1975 so it has been in continuous
action, day and night, for almost 25
years with very little down time. This
repeater was the only one that the club
bought new.
The rest of the repeaters were made
out of used Motorola mobile units and
they have suffered very little down time.
So here is a status report for 1999
and early 2000:
1~5.0~: ~otorola, haven't done anythmg
With It for years and it is like the
E~ergizer Bunny ..just keeps going and
gomg
146.700: Motorola, our oldest unit .. a
real bunny
146.730: Motorola, bad patch interface
board repaired
147.075: GE, possible patch problem
~
147.130: Motorola, sluggish PL reed
relay
449.420: Motorola, appears to have low
power output ..or a bad antenna.
So don't be too quick to criticize our
"old repeaters". The problem could be
old heliax which is being replaced this
year, ant~nna problems, or something
wro~g With your setup ... or just plain
old mtermodulation someplace up on
Palomar Mountain.
Generals booted!
FCC says Generals not allowed in
Advanced subbands!
The FCC says newly upgraded General
class licensees may not operate in
the current Advanced class subbands
under the new amateur rules.
Bill Cross, W3TN, of the FCC's
Public Safety and Private Wireless Division
notes that no privileges changed
for any license class.
The Advanced class license continues
to exist under restructuring, which
became effective April 15, although the
FCC no longer accepts applications for
Novice or Advanced class licenses. Current
Generals do not earn Advanced
class privileges until they upgrade to
Amateur Extra class, when they earn
both Advanced and Extra privileges.
The FCC also says General class
operators may hold only Group C (Ix3)
or Group D (2x3) call signs, as it was
under the old rules. Generals remain
ineligible to apply for or hold Group B
(2x2) call signs.
Newly upgraded licensees were cautioned
to check the revised Part 97 rules
ca.refully to make sure they're not operatmg
beyond their privileges. FCC Part
97 rules are available on the ARRL
Web site at:
www.arrLorgifieldlregulatioaslDewsipart971
The FCC today released the Errata
to its December 30, 1999, Report and
Order on restructuring. The Errata incorporate
minor errors contained in the
original R&O and already made in the
version ofthe new rules that appeared in
The Federal Register earlier this year.
(passed to us by W6YOO and Tom Lebens from
the ARRL Bulletin -Ed)
Cork
(aplugfor)
Some of our repeater antennas are
made of aluminum tubing and originally
came with plastic caps over the open
parts ofthe tubing.
. Over the years this plastic cap deterIorates
and falls apart exposing the
openings to rain during the winter
~o~ths which then turns to ice swelling
IDSlde the tubing and deforming it or
splitting the tubing.
We ha~e been thinking of plugging
the ends With cork so you wine drinkers,
save those corks or plastic stoppers
.. unl~s you can think ofa better way of
pluggmg these antenna openings.
Frequency?
This may not be news to most of
you, but I thought it was worth passing
along. Was received from Greg,
W A9GYI, who was a fellow MARS
operator and friend in Viet Nam and
California. de N6KI
(N6KlDennis operated at the Barry Goldwater
statio~from 71-74 as a civilian while attending
ASU In Tempe. He handled Air Force MARS
stations only in Vietnam and Laos til war ended
in 73, than handled Philipines and Laos from
7~ to 74. He operated Army Mars stn from
Vietnam 68 - 69. Goldwater was Air Force
MARS so he did not patch thru his station
while in the Army -Ed)
The following article is the first installment
of a new monthly column that
will be appearing on http:www.adiradio.com
What's the FREQUENCY, Kenneth?
By Ken Collier, K06UX
On April 28, 2000 something amazing
is going to happen, something that
could have a profound effect on the
future of amateur radio in the USA for
years to come.
~o, it isn't license restructuring. By
Apnl 28th the dust will have begun to
settle on the license restructuring issue
leaving behind a simplified amateur ra~
dio licen~e structure and the largest
flurry ofbcense upgrades in history.
As exciting as the new license struc­
~e is, i~ is overshadowed by the potential
ramifications of April 28th. That's