NEWSLETTER OF THE
ST CLAIR AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
PO BOX 94 BELLEVILLE, IL 62222
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
2002
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MEETING NOTICE
There is a change
in how we gather to meet at the Fairview Heights Red Cross.We
are now using the front entrance on 10218 Lincoln Trail and parking should
be in the lot on that side of the building.If
for some reason you end up parking behind the building on Meckfessel Drive,
do it along a curb.DO NOT BLOCK
RED CROSS OR POSTAL VEHICLES.The
next club meeting will be August 29th and the program makes you the presenter
through show and tell.Bring a ham
related item that is important, unusual or historical to you.If
you are new to the hobby and haven’t yet accumulated or built a special
item, still come and enjoy the presentations.The
September program will be a presentation by Bob Heil, K9EID.His
Heil Sound products probably participate in more world wide DXexpeditions
than any other commercial ham item.Remember
club meetings are held the last Thursday of each month.The
only exception is when a formal change is made to avoid a holiday conflict.
FIELD DAY RESULTS
Field Day 2002
produced both good news and news of concern.Therefore,
this report contains a lot of editorial.The
weather was ideal, and the QSO count and total score were very favorable
compared to the last several years.We
had 432 phone and 344cw QSO’s, and with these added to 700 bonus points
, the total score was 2920.Last
year the total score was 2974 which placed just above the upper half of
2A participants and we should see a similar ranking for this year.Now
for the concern.Operator participation
was much less than should be expected from the size of our club.Only
15 members showed up at the site and participation varied from only an
observation of activity to doing single operator shifts up to seven continuous
hours.Even though the club has helped
to license a number of new hams who have in turn joined the club, only
two showed for Field Day.Set up
and tear down of the site was totally accomplished by members who had plenty
of experience with the task from previous years.While
prepared to activate a GOTA station for inexperienced operators, it was
not placed in service because no one for that category showed an interest
to operate at the start of the event.Field
Day is a time to promote our hobby, learn emergency set up and operating
skills, have fun and socialize.Hopefully
all these opportunities were in place and if so, we need to ask why participation
was limited.This year the club did
not insist on who would commit to show and at what times for Field Day.Next
year we need that up front and depending on the level of response, I see
the following options for the clubs participation in Field Day 2003.(1)
Not participate.(2) Do a daylight
only operation and focus on operator training.(3)
Participate as 1A using the same station for phone, cw and operator training.(4)
Fully promote and take advantage of a 2A operation.That
said, now back to the strengths with thanks to the following who brought
all the equipment, facilities and support together for the clubs Field
Day activity: W9TJ, WA9MGX, WA0LIS, WB9IGB, KB9UEF, K9HUH, KA9ZAV and KA9YZS.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Harry Church, W0KXP
of Lebanon, has been licensed since 1956 and a club member off and on since
the same time frame.Changes in membership
status track with times living in the area and activity on the ham bands.In
addition to many hobbies that include ham radio, travel, private pilot,
historical preservation, scouting, antique radio and photography, Harry
has pursued varied and overlapping professional endeavors including publisher,
editor, journalist, author, correspondent, printer, and college professor.He
got hooked on electronics through the father of a friend who was an instructor
in the Air Force communications-electronics courses when they were taught
at Scott AFB.That helped him get
licensed in time to enjoy the growth and heavy use of the novice bands
in the 50’s.Through the years,
Harry’s operating interests primarily center on just having fun getting
on the air and making contacts using SSB, SSTV and 2-meters.He
found that being on the air is not always easy to do when lightning finds
your station.That experience led
to setting up a new station over the past year, and providing very interesting
background and reading on lightning in Harry’s newspaper, the Lebanon Advertiser.Harry’s
access to the printed media has made a big difference promoting the pleasure
and contributions of our hobby.Great
to have Harry back in the club and on the air, and thanks for all the publicity
for our hobby.
REPEATER NEWS
The nagging problem
with the 2-meter repeater system was corrected on July 20th.A
work party headed by W9TJ set out to replace the antenna, but instead were
able to repair a connector at the antenna.In
addition to that good news we now have a spare antenna should that part
of the system become a problem in the future.KE9BE
did the climbing, and N9BPK and KC9AUJ rounded out the party.Thanks
to all involved and thanks for the attention given to our clubs outstanding
repeater systems.
NEWS BRIEFS
Check out phone
sweepstakes results in the July 2002 QST.On
page 92 the club stood out in the local category of the affiliated club
competition.Club members participating
have their individual scores in the Illinois column on page 95.Thanks
to K9HUH for organizing and submitting the club results.
The ARRL has received
a Federal grant of $181,900 to train hams in emergency communications operations.The
need for operators is part of homeland defense planning.This
need and the dollar figure are good information to cite when taking on
antenna restrictions.
VE testing in St
Clair County is available for scheduling on the second Tuesday of each
month.A session is held if at least
one reservation to test is made.For
information and reservations, contact Ted, K9HUH at 233-1313 or 235-6152.
Thanks to the Lebanon
Advertiser and the Belleville News Democrat for publicizing Field Day.
Remember Mallo’s
Pastries for their many years of providing complimentary pastries for club
events.Take your business to Mallo’s.
Thanks to Midwest
Amateur Radio Supply for their donation of transmission line and connectors
for the Field Day antennas.
Donate your time,
blood and money to the American Red Cross.The
clubs long association with the Red Cross is a valuable communications
response resource in the metro-east area.
Thanks to all that
provided information to make this newsletter possible--W9BP, editor.