DIRTY DISHES and clean signals the publication of The 50 MHz and UP Group of Northern California, Inc.

Volume 3 Number 6                  June, 1998

(Edited by Rex Allers, KK6MK)

Visit our web site at: http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/50UP.html

Next Meeting: SATURDAY, June 6, 12 noon - Picnic at National Semiconductor park followed by a talk in the meeting room.

The 50 MHz and Up Group and BAYCOM will have their joint picnic and meeting on Saturday, June 6.

The cost will be $5 per person which will cover the charcoal, drinks, buns, condiments, plates, and utensils.

You must bring any meat or vegetables that you wish to cook

.

DIRECTIONS: The picnic gathering will be held in the Employee Park area of National Semiconductor in Santa Clara behind the NS Credit Union (same location as last year.)

National Semiconductor Federal Credit Union is located on Kifer, between Lawrence Expressway and Wolfe. Very close to HRO Sunnyvale. Kifer is located just one light south of Central Expressway.

From 101, take Lawrence Expressway south to Kifer. Turn right on Kifer. Go past the main National Semiconductor Buildings. On the right just before a park is the Credit Union. Go around to the back.

The park area where we will picnic is gated and the entrance is located at the far end of the parking lot.

PROGRAM:  After the picnic we will have a meeting in the adjoining building, and are fortunate to have as guest speaker, Philip Gabriel, AA0BR. Philip will be visiting in the Bay Area. He will discuss amateur microwave activity in Colorado and will also summarize planning for Microwave Update this year.

Talk-In: Need help with directions or getting through the locked gate? Call me, KK6MK, on 2 meter simplex -- 146.52 -- for talk-in.

Officers for 1998

Contests and Events

Foothill Swap Meet - The second Saturday of the month. Next is June 13.

Livermore Swap Meet - First Sunday of each month at Las Positas College in Livermore, CA, 7:00 AM to noon, all year. Talk in 147.045 from west, 145.35 from the east. Contact Noel Anklam, KC6QZK, (510) 447- 3857 eves.

ARRL 50 MHz-Up Contests

June 13-15 ARRL June VHF QSO Party

June 27-28 Field Day

August 1-2 ARRL UHF Contest

August 15-16 ARRL 10-GHz Cumulative Contest (1 of 2)

September 12-14 ARRL September VHF QSO Party

September 19-20 ARRL 10-GHz Cumulative Contest (2 of 2)

VHF+ WeakSignal NETS
 

New members welcomed

The 50 MHz and Up Group reached a new milestone with over 50 paid members! Now we would like to continue to move Up in membership.

At the end of 1997 a vote was unanimous to reduce the dues back to $15.00 per year. It was also decided that a special rate of $25 for two years be implemented.

Please encourage anyone who might have an interest to join our group.

50 MHz & Up Group Minutes

Meeting of May 5, 1998

The 50 MHz & Up Group held their April meeting at the Lockheed-Martin auditorium on the evening of May 5, 1998. Executives and directors present were: Rex Allers, KK6MK, President; Jim Moss, N9JIM, Vice President; Will Jensby, W0EOM, Treasurer; Bill Ogilvie, KQ6FY, Secretary; Bob Johnson, KF6KVG, Sam Wood, K6MSR, and Jeffrey Pawlan, WA6KBL, directors. There were 30 members and visitors in attendance. The meeting began with a flea market of RF and microwave parts.

The meeting was chaired by Rex Allers, KK6MK, President. The first item on the agenda was a reminder of the picnic meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 6. It will be held at the National Semiconductor Credit Union. The meeting after the picnic will be a presentation by Philip Gabriel, AA0BR on microwave activity in Colorado.

The next item on the agenda was a request for orders for group shirts. Rex showed a prototype of a T-shirt. Prices for the shirts are expected to be as follows:

Contact Rex Allers if you wish to place an order.

The last item on the agenda was a report that the 50 MHz and Up Group, Inc. has received final approval as a 501c(3) non-profit organization. This means we can issue letters acknowledging contributions of money or equipment that are suitable for IRS tax-deductible contributions.

Larry Moore, KM6IU, gave an excellent talk on Travelling Wave Tubes and other linear beam devices. Larry showed components of the tubes, described their function, and gave perspective on using them for ham operations. The presentation was video taped.

- Rex Allers, KK6MK

Order your 50 MHz and Up Group Shirts

We are working on obtaining Group shirts for any of our members that want to order them. The shirts will bear our club logo on the back in color and probably have our club name on the front. For those that have not seen it, the logo is similar to the image in the header of this newsletter. If you have Internet access you can see the logo in color on the Group WebPages listed at the end of the newsletter.

The exact prices will depend on the size of our order, but are expected to be close to the following:

T-shirts $9.00

Polo Shirts $18.00

Sweat shirts $25.00

The polo shirts are short-sleeved shirts with collars and a few buttons at the neck.

Please decide quantities for any shirts you would like to order and contact me. You can call me at home (my telephone number is listed in the member list from last newsletter) or email me rexa@dnai.com or bring your order request to the next meeting.

- Rex, KK6MK

Meeting Videotapes

Video was recorded for the presentations in the last two meetings. I've spent some time getting a reasonable master tape to make VHS copies. Mostly, this involved cleaning up a bit of the background noise in the audio. I think I am in a position to make a small number of copies of these presentations. The video won't be super-professional but should be watchable and provide most of the content of the presentations. If you missed either of the presentations, or if you want a permanent record to browse, copies of the tapes might be what you are looking for.

Two tapes are currently available on the following subjects:

Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) moon-bounce operation by Ron Hopkins, N6BQ, (Apr 7 meeting).

Ron discusses the basic challenges, shows and describes equipment, and even plays audio of contacts.

Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers by Larry Moore, KM6IU, (May 5 meeting).

Larry shares his knowledge on the function, construction, and operation of TWTs and Klystrons. He also offers some suggestions for hams who are searching for tubes, and some insight on how tubes could be adapted for ham-band operations.

I'm prepared to make several copies of the tapes as my time permits. The charge will be $7 per tape. Contact me if you are interested.

- Rex, KK6MK

WSWSS '98: CALL FOR PAPERS/PRESENTATIONS!

Here is your big chance to show the rest of the VHF+ community what you have been up to! Have you been busy with a technical project? Have you been out grid hopping, hill topping, or world bopping with your VHF+ equipment? Do you have information to share on propagation, equipment, operating techniques for 6m through light (or even beyond)? Do you have some building skills to share with others?

The 50 MHz and Up Group of Northern California, Inc. and the Western States Weak Signal Society will be holding the annual WSWSS VHF+ Conference on October 3, 1998 at the Sunnyvale Hilton in Sunnyvale, California.

The conference will have two presentation paths, one for general interest and one for technical specialties, which will run from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Papers or presentations may be of general VHF+ interest or detailed technical content. Please submit a paragraph outlining content by June 1, 1998 to: Jim Moss, 862 Somerset Drive, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087 or email to: n9jim@aol.com. Selected papers will be notified no later than June 15, 1998. Full papers must be submitted by July 20, 1998 for inclusion in the proceedings.

Key dates:

See the WSWSS '98 website at: http://www.qsl.net/wb9ajz/wswss98

Jim Moss, Vice President, N9JIM

On the Internet…

Do you have a Web Page relevant to our members? Let us know and we will put it here. (You must be a member.)

50 MHz and Up Group page: http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/50UP.html The official group web page. Hosted by Rein Smit, W6/PA0ZN as part of his Weaksignal News Kiosk. The 50Up page includes an archive of newsletters.

ARRL Pacific Division Web page:  http://www.pdarrl.org/
Ham RF Exposure Guidelines Effective Jan. 1, 1998: http://www.arrl.org/news/rfsafety
Vanity Call Sign Gate 4 to Open Dec. 2, 1997

Rex's Place - KK6MK: http://www.dnai.com/~rexa/ Microwave stuff, 50 MHz Up Group pictures and information.

Laser Communications Home Page! http://www.qsl.net/wb9ajz/laser/laser.htm Lots of bright stuff.