Volume 4 Number 6                  June, 1999

(Edited by Rex Allers, KK6MK)

You must bring your own food and drink.

The 50 MHz and up group will provide charcoal, plates, utensils and ice.

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.

Officers for 1999

Our yearly picnic will be held at the Park Area at National Semiconductor on Saturday, June 26. As in the last couple of years, BAYCOM will be joining us in this activity. This is the weekend of the 1999 ARRL Field Day, so we would like to set up some rigs and make a minor effort to participate as a group this year. Whether you would like to operate or just enjoy the day, please come and participate.

To keep things simple, it was voted at the May meeting, everyone should bring your own food and drink. The 50 MHz and Up Group will provide charcoal, plates, utensils and ice.

Since this is also the weekend of the ARRL Field Day, we thought it would be good if some of us operated at the picnic location on the bands from 50 MHz up. We are looking for volunteers who would like to participate. Please contact me - Rex Allers - if you want to operate during the picnic.

-- Rex, KK6MK

Meeting of May 16, 1999

The 50 MHz & Up Group held its May meeting at the Lockheed Martin Auditorium on May 16, 1999. Executives and directors present were: Rex Allers KK6MK, President; Bill Ogilvie, KQ6FY, Secretary; and Art Lange, W6RXQ, Director; Jeffrey Pawlan WA6KBL, Director. There were 15 members and visitors in attendance.

The 50 MHz & Up Group's picnic will be held on Saturday, June 26 at the National Semiconductor location. This is also Field Day weekend and it was decided at the meeting that, along with the barbecue, demonstrations of mm wave stations or VHF/UHF will also take place. A brief discussion took place on whether 50 MHz & Up Group funds should be spent on the picnic. The membership held a vote and it was decided that the picnic would not be paid for out of 50 MHz & Up Group funds. Instead the affair will be a PotLuck. The 50 MHz & Up Group will supply paper plates and charcoal, but attendees will bring drinks and food.

Alan Podell, the founder of Anzac and holder of several patents, gave an interesting talk on matching and mounting at millimeter wave, with waveguide, and coplanar waveguide.

de KQ6FY, Bill Ogilvie

The date was August 6, 1988. Two stations worked 479 miles on 10 GHz in California.

WB0HLC/6 was operating from Bonanza King Mt. (CN81QC). Rich Rhymes, WB7ABP/6 parked his rig on Frazier Mt. (DM04MS). The first exchange was made with weak signal CW at 1156 UTC. At 1300 UTC signals were 20 dB above the noise floor!

Just like today, you have to be at the right place at the right time...the path peaked shortly after sunrise and by midday it vanished. Transmit power for both stations was 708 mW and rcv NF also for both was 4.5 dB. WB0HLC was using a 32-inch dish; WB7ABP operated with a 48 incher. This author is now taking license to correct the record of August 6, 1988...479 miles is 766.4 Km. Using todays computer and software recognized by the ARRL for DX records (BD - Bearing & Distance Calculator for the Non-Spherical Earth) the corrected distance is 480.403 miles or 773.133 Km!!!! (Center of grid square to center of grid square.) Not too shabby considering that today with 1 dB NF front ends, 10 watts and 4 to 6 foot dishes, this distance is not all that easy to pull off.

SO,WHO IS WB0HLC??? We know him as BRUCE ERICKSON, KK6TG, and you have heard his beacon on Mt. St. Helena 10368.020.

Jim Von Striver W6ASL

Printed copies of Presentations Available

Available to 50 MHz and Up Group members only. The complete printed version of the presentation on antennas and feeds by John Sanford, 56 pages. Also the complete printed version of Allen Podell's talk on Impatt and Gunn oscillator cavity design, about 25 pages.

Please contact Jeffrey, WA6KBL if you are interested in obtaining a copy of both of these. I will collect orders only until the picnic on June 26. I will then take the originals to a copy center and have exactly the right number made. This is a one-time offer only so please contact me before June 26. The cost will be whatever the copy center charges. I will ask for 3-hole punched paper so that you can put these in a binder. I think that the cost will be about 10 cents per page.

Jeffrey Pawlan

408 371-0256

jpawlan@pawlan.com

I have arranged our membership database, so that we now print your membership expiration date at the top of the address on your newsletter. Please look at the information on this newsletter. Contact me if you feel the expiration date is not correct.

If your membership has recently expired or if it will expire in the next few months, please consider renewing your membership.

Send renewals to our treasurer:

Will Jensby
645 Giannini Dr
Santa Clara, CA 95051-5829

Be sure to include your name so that we can properly record your payment.

Dues: $15 for one year, or $25 for two years. You can also renew at the meetings.

Rex, KK6MK

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